Our free Slack community for finance professionals isn't just another chatroom – it's a vibrant hub where you'll find an incredible network of CFOs, FP&A analysts, Finance Directors, and industry veterans.
Imagine having direct access to these sharp minds, ready to answer your burning questions, offer battle-tested solutions, and collaborate on real-world challenges. That's the kind of value you get when you join our community. But don't take our word for it!
We caught up with one of our amazing members, Erik Nakamura, CFO at Orange Comet, Inc., who raved about the community's impact. He talked about the "open and welcoming" culture, growing his network, and his experience mentoring other members.
Keep reading to find out more about Erik's experience with our community. His story is just one example of the countless connections and invaluable insights waiting for you!
What was your motivation for joining our community?
Finance professionals are drawn to our community for a variety of reasons. Maybe they want to connect with others who share their interests or perhaps they're looking for a supportive network, a place to ask questions, share experiences, and learn from others.
Whatever their motivations, our community offers a welcoming space for them to grow, learn, and connect.
For Erik, his main motivation for joining was to expand his network:
"Networking, meeting great finance professionals and getting a chance to speak at the great Finance Alliance events was my main motivation for joining!"
What have you enjoyed most since joining?
Finance professionals often flock to our community for two reasons. First, we offer deep dives into industry best practices through insightful blog posts, reports, and playbooks. This allows them to stay ahead of the curve and implement the latest strategies.
Second, our community fosters ongoing learning. We host regular workshops and webinars where members can engage in open, collaborative discussions about high-level financial strategies.
Additionally, for those seeking a more immersive experience, we hold in-person events like the FP&A and CFO Summits, which have become highly popular among our members.
"I really enjoyed speaking at the Finance Alliance conference in San Diego. The diversity in people and experience levels was nice to see."
Learn more about our upcoming finance events here:
What type of discussions have you found the most insightful and useful?
There's always a lot of chatter happening in the different Slack channels of our community, but you can also enjoy learning from others at one of our finance events. This has been one of Erik's favorite types of discussions to have since joining us:
"At the FP&A Summit in San Diego, I was able to network and meet other speakers and other CFOs. Discussing and understanding their challenges and successes was comforting that others are having similar experiences to myself."
What type of resources have you found the most helpful?
We offer a wide range of resources from blog posts to podcasts, videos, webinars, practical guides, reports, eBooks, and more. We asked Erik what type of resources he has found the most useful and he talked about our various publications being particularly helpful:
"Meeting others and continuing conversations after networking events. Also, the publications that are pushed out from the Finance Alliance are good resources."
Have you built up any new connections?
Networking in finance isn't always easy. But, with our community (and events), we provide the perfect platform for both virtual and in-person networking with industry leaders.
"Yes, I met several folks at the San Diego event that I spoke at. I have connected with most of them via LinkedIn. I look forward to making more connections."
How has the community impacted your professional growth?
We're dedicated to helping our members like Erik not only gain knowledge but also grow their careers within the finance industry. Take it from Erik himself:
"I have been able to use the community to grow my personal brand building via posts on LinkedIn. Also, I have been able to meet others and mentor them with my experiences."
Can you share a specific instance where the community helped you overcome a professional challenge?
We're dedicated to helping our members not only gain knowledge but also grow their careers within the finance industry. Just like Erik, who leveraged the community to build his brand and mentor others.
But what about overcoming specific challenges?
Here's a powerful example of a time when our community helped Erik overcome a challenge in his career:
"I was able to reach out to others that I connected with via Finance Alliance and ask for introductions to strategic VCs my company was targeting while raising capital."
This is the kind of support our community fosters – connections that can make a real difference in your career journey.
In what ways have you contributed to the community, and what was the outcome?
"I have mentored or had discussions with members of the community. If a peer, I have had productive discussions on experiences and had chances to bounce ideas off other finance professionals."
How do you see the value of this community in comparison to other professional networks you're part of?
"I see high value in networking and meeting others and the Finance Alliance has been super helpful for that. Using Slack, online meetings, events and publications from the Finance Alliance has been valuable."
Why should other finance professionals join the community?
"Networking and meeting great finance professionals!"
About Erik
Erik Nakamura is the CFO at Orange Comet, Inc. He is an experienced C-Level Senior Executive who is a dynamic and inspiring leader known for a coaching and mentoring approach to building successful, cohesive teams with superior operational excellence.
He has expertise in growing Finance, HR, Legal, IT and Facilities teams from the ground up for public and private companies. Erik also has significant experience in equity and debt capital raising, securities offerings, FP&A, operational/technical accounting, treasury, internal controls and process implementation.
