Kenji Kuramoto: What’s The Significance?

Episode 87

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Jeff Bond

At the core of Jeff's work is helping servant leaders use their influence as a force for good. As the Co-Founder of Chat With Leaders Media and Executive Partner at People First Elevation Team, he empowers organizational leaders with media solutions that spark collaboration and shared purpose with their teams and customers.

Together with his team, Jeff delivers event production, podcast production, content creation, cross-cultural training, and strategic advisory solutions. They are committed to unlocking the power of inclusive storytelling, shared experiences, leadership development, and feedback integration to ensure their media solutions meet the needs of their clients' stakeholder groups.

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Outside of work, Jeff cherishes time with his wife and three kiddos, balancing his roles as a husband and father with his professional life in Atlanta, GA. Connect with Jeff to explore how impactful media solutions can drive success and engagement.

Kenji is the Founder and CEO of Acuity which builds and maintains financial functions for entrepreneurs and startups. Through Acuity, he’s provided thousands of companies with a full range of financial solutions from high-level strategic financial counsel through its fractional CFO practice all the way to virtualized bookkeeping solutions for early-stage startups. Kenji’s core business mission is to provide scalable financial solutions for entrepreneurs so that their main focus can be on growing their company.

Prior to co-founding Acuity, Kenji was the vice president of finance and administration for one of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation, where he directed the planning, reporting, analysis, and execution of company financial processes. His experience also includes significant tenure with Arthur Andersen where he handled diverse business engagements, including coordinating domestic and international project teams, performing financial services, and assisting clients with due diligence.

Kenji is active in financial, business, and community organizations throughout Atlanta. He is a Board Member for The Entrepreneurs Organization, a Founding Venture Partner at NextGen Ventures, a Board Member of Staplehouse Restaurant (a subsidiary of The Giving Kitchen), a Board Member of Refuge Coffee, and serves on the Xero Partner Advisory Council. He is a CPA in the State of Georgia and a graduate of Wake Forest University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He was named as one of The Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40, a TIE Top Entrepreneur, and a Top 50 Cloud Accountant.

Chat Topics

  1. Given the success and positive momentum  in your business, you recently returned from a leadership retreat where you closely examined this important question: “What is the significance?” Why was that question central to your planned discussions?
  2. What were some of the biggest problems you experienced in the public accounting advisory sector that you set out to do differently when you started the Acuity journey in 2004?
  3. What gave you the confidence in growing your business around an entirely remote workforce, many of whom work flexible and part-time hours to serve your clients?
  4. Going back to the present day as you reflect on the outcomes of your retreat and the question of “what is the significance?” –  what answers did your team arrive at?
  5. Why did you recently decide to go through the certification process to become a B Corporation?
  6. How has this decision to become a B Corp been received by your team?  How do you feel it will impact your ability to have a positive influence on society as a for-profit business going forward?

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