Chris McKee

This transcript has been edited for clarity, readability, and flow. Minor adjustments have been made to remove filler words and improve structure while preserving the original meaning and intent of the conversation.

Henry Harrison:
Well, hello, Chris. Welcome to our podcast, Entrepreneurs, Business and Finance.

We’re fortunate to have Chris McKee on the show this morning. Although I’m a little concerned—Chris is Chairman of Venturity Financial Partners, but instead of him being on the cover of D Magazine, there’s someone named Deanna Walker. I’m wondering if there was a hostile takeover.

I actually know the story. Chris is the founder and current chairman of Venturity Financial Partners. Deanna joined early on and has now stepped into the CEO role. Chris stepped away from the day-to-day to pursue new opportunities—possibly teaching.

So what led to that transition after more than 23 years?

Chris McKee:
It’s actually 23-plus years.

Henry, thanks for having me. We’ve known each other a long time, both as business owners and friends, so I appreciate the opportunity to share this.

I founded Venturity in 2001, and Deanna joined in 2003. We provide outsourced accounting services and have grown steadily over time.

In 2022 and 2023, I began feeling like it was time to hand off the reins. That transition became official last December.

Part of it was personal—I was ready for new challenges. But more importantly, we both felt the company was ready to grow in ways that aligned better with Deanna’s leadership style. She’s the right next leader.

Henry Harrison:
Before we go further, let’s talk about employee ownership. You implemented an ESOP, which isn’t very common. What drove that decision?

Chris McKee:
The ownership transition actually came before the leadership transition.

Around 2015, I started thinking about succession. My kids weren’t interested in the business, so passing it down wasn’t an option.

I explored selling to private equity or a strategic buyer, but I heard too many stories about culture being lost. I wanted continuity—for our team and our clients.

That’s when I discovered employee ownership through an ESOP.

We’ve sold about 20% of the company into the ESOP so far, with plans to transition the rest over the next 7–8 years.

Employees receive shares over time. When they leave or retire, the company buys those shares back and reallocates them.

It creates long-term alignment and allows employees to build wealth. Our share price has more than doubled in the past three years, which has been exciting to see.

Henry Harrison:
Let’s talk about how the business evolved. You didn’t start exactly where you are today.

Chris McKee:
No. I graduated in 1989 and started at Arthur Andersen. After about five years in audit, I realized I preferred being inside companies—hands-on with planning and operations.

I moved into roles like controller and VP of finance.

In 1999, the company I was with didn’t secure its next round of funding, so I started helping others clean up their books while looking for a new role.

That’s when I saw the opportunity—smaller companies couldn’t attract or retain strong accounting talent.

So in 2001, I launched Venturity with just a couple of clients. It grew from there.

Henry Harrison:
You’ve talked before about something called the “accounting exorcism.” What was that?

Chris McKee:
In the early days, I was both selling and delivering the accounting work.

When Deanna joined in 2003, she focused on sales while I focused on delivery. But by 2005, it became clear that I couldn’t do both.

I had to choose: stay an accountant or become a CEO.

We jokingly called it the “accounting exorcism”—I handed off all my clients.

It wasn’t technically difficult, but it was emotionally hard. I loved the work.

A book called The E-Myth helped me realize that I had to choose whether to stay a technician or build a business.

Henry Harrison:
What were some of the toughest challenges along the way?

Chris McKee:
In 2008, I made a classic mistake—I was overly optimistic and didn’t cut expenses fast enough. We got dangerously close to running out of cash.

Another time, we were hit with ransomware before it was widely understood. We couldn’t process client data for a week. I thought we might lose the business.

Thankfully, our IT team recovered everything.

Entrepreneurship is hard, and even in accounting—where you’d expect precision—you still make mistakes.

Henry Harrison:
You’ve also expanded into fractional CFO services.

Chris McKee:
Yes.

We started with tactical accounting—controller-level work. But as clients grew, they needed more strategic support.

They didn’t just want reports—they wanted insight and guidance.

So we layered on fractional CFO services to help them:

• Interpret financial data

• Make strategic decisions

• Use finance as a business tool

It’s been a natural evolution and has deepened client relationships.

Henry Harrison:
What’s next for you personally?

Chris McKee:
I’ve always loved teaching.

A big part of building Venturity was training and mentoring people internally.

I’d like to bring that experience into a classroom setting—teaching accounting with real-world context.

If things go well, I hope to start teaching at the college level by fall 2025.

Henry Harrison:
If someone wants to connect with you or learn more about Venturity, what’s the best way?

Chris McKee:
The company website is venturity.net.

You can also reach me directly at:

• chris@venturity.net

• 214-435-8473

I’m happy to talk about:

• Employee ownership

• Leadership transitions

• Entrepreneurship

• Or just accounting in general

Henry Harrison:
Chris, I admire what you’ve built and how you’re approaching succession and legacy.

Thank you for coming on the show.

Chris McKee:
Thanks, Henry. It’s been a pleasure.