She Built a SaaS Company Accountants Actually Love — Without the Title, Degree, or VC Backing
You don’t need the title to do the job.
That’s Rule #11 in my 12 Rules of Finance Leadership (link to 1-3 here), and Claire Tsukuda's story might be the clearest real-world example I’ve seen.
I first met Claire nearly a decade ago while auditing a tech client in Los Angeles. Even then, she stood out: sharp, driven, and clearly aiming beyond the traditional audit path. Today, she’s the founder and CEO of Kipsi, a fast-growing SaaS company helping firms run R&D tax studies with greater speed, automation, and clarity.
No CS degree, VC pedigree, or shortcuts. Just grit, pattern recognition, and relentless customer empathy. I interviewed Claire for the Ambition Aligned podcast and walked away impressed, not just by what she’s built, but how she built it, and the mindset shifts that made it possible.
Rule #11 – You Don’t Need the Title to Do the Job
This post continues my series on the 12 Rules of Finance Leadership, where I unpack one rule at a time through stories of leaders who live them. Claire’s journey brings Rule #11 to life:
You Don’t Need the Title to Do the Job: Leadership, ownership, and value creation are earned through action. If you want the job, don’t wait for the title to start doing it.
At BlackLine, Claire didn’t wait for permission. She took the lead, driving roadmap strategy, rebuilding internal tools, and improving UX workflows before anyone asked her to. At Lilt, she doubled down, shipping fast, serving both enterprise and government clients, and learning firsthand what product-market fit actually looks like.
But what inspired me most was her aim. Claire had a clear, proactive vision for her career. She loved product, wanted to help users, and knew she’d someday build something of her own. So she acted like a founder long before she got the title. She learned from mentors, stretched into unfamiliar roles, and built credibility by doing the work.
Eventually, the title caught up with the action.
Keep reading for five tactical lessons from Claire’s journey, and what every ambitious leader can take away from how she operates.
If you want more depth and detail, watch the full conversation here:
And if you’ve got a story to tell or want to riff on the 12 Rules in your own context, message me. I'm always looking for guests and collaborators who lead with action, not ego.
Top 5 Takeaways for Leaders & Builders
Here are five takeaways from our conversation that apply whether you’re building a startup or leading a team in-house:
1. Take Strategic Risks Based on Long-Term Vision
Claire left Deloitte, giving up a stable career in audit, to pivot into product management. It was a bold move, but it aligned with her long-term vision of building something she believed in. She didn’t have a CS degree, but she knew what energized her. She didn’t jump impulsively; she moved with clarity and conviction, using each move to get closer to her aim. Her story reminds us that calculated risk isn't reckless, it’s often the only way to build a life aligned with your values.
Ask yourself: What bold move are you avoiding because it feels risky, even if it’s exactly where your future is calling you?
Actionable takeaway: Write down your ideal 3-year vision, then name one step you could take this month that aligns with it, even if it feels uncomfortable. Share it with someone who can hold you accountable.
2. Grit Matters More Than Pedigree
Before landing her first paying client, Claire picked up the phone, 100+ times. She didn’t delegate discovery. She owned it
When she didn’t win a key funding competition the first time, she came back again, stronger. She leads with humility, grit, and a human-first mindset. Where most people give up, she kept going, consistently returning after rejection with more wisdom and deeper resolve.
Challenge for you: Where have you stopped short after one setback? What would it look like to go back again, better?
Actionable takeaway: Identify one place where you gave up too early. Reach back out, re-apply, or re-engage this week with a fresh perspective. Take one small, courageous step forward.
3. People Over Optics
From "speed-dating" co-founders to staying lean instead of scaling prematurely, Claire made hard decisions that prioritized outcome over optics. She built a high-performing culture, not a flashy one. Every hire and every partner was chosen for alignment and execution. She intentionally didn't over-expand her team or scale it to focus on quality rather than the optics of having a large organization. That discipline gave her company a resilience most flashier teams lack.
Leadership reflection: Are you choosing teammates, partners, or projects based on optics, or based on what truly works?
Actionable takeaway: Audit one current decision or team dynamic. Are you optimizing for perception or for long-term effectiveness? Choose to double down on what’s working, not just what looks good.
4. Be Strategic With Investors & Don’t Chase Capital
Claire didn’t get swept up in the fundraising hype cycle. She chose backers who aligned with her values and supported her long-term vision. She wasn’t trying to maximize a round, she was trying to maximize impact. That discipline allowed her to grow at the right pace, with the right people, and without giving up control too early. Her clarity protected the integrity of what she was building.
Founder filter: Would you still take that investor’s money if they offered zero advice? If not, why are they on your cap table?
Actionable takeaway: Review your current or future funding relationships. Do they align with your values, or are they distractions in disguise? Create a list of “must-haves” and “red flags” for partners before your next pitch or agreement.
My Own Advice: It’s often better to fund your own business through profit or a loan than take capital, unless that capital comes with strategic advantages like a great advisor, new customer relationships, or infrastructure that helps you scale.
5. Prioritize Your and Your Team’s Health
Claire openly acknowledges that leadership is a stress multiplier. If the founder is exhausted, mentally, physically, emotionally, the whole team feels it. That’s why she prioritizes health and boundaries not as a perk, but as a core business practice. She makes time for what recharges her.
Her story is a strong reminder: leadership energy is contagious, for better or worse.
Check-in question: What’s one habit you can shift this week to improve your mental, physical, or relational health, so your team gets your best, not your leftovers?
Actionable takeaway: Block 30 minutes this week for rest, recovery, or reconnection, then protect it like your most important meeting. Consider sharing your commitment with your team to set the tone.
Each of these moves wasn’t about waiting for permission.
They were about doing the job before she had the title. That’s Rule #11 in action.
Final Reflection
Which of these five actions are you ready to take this week, and what’s the cost of continuing to wait?
DM me or drop a comment if one of these hit home. I’d love to hear what you’re building.
12 Rules of Leadership & Where to Find Them
✅ Rule #11 — You Don’t Need the Title to Do the Job — covered in this post
✅ Rules 1–3 — Covered in past newsletters – link here
Rules 4–12 — Rolling out in future issues
Here are a few examples:
Build Leaders, Not Puppets — Don’t train people to escalate. Train them to think.
Don’t Let Systems Become Bigger Problems Than the Ones They’re Meant to Solve — If your process is slower than the decision it supports, it’s time to kill it or redesign it.
Don’t Say No – Educate and Offer Alternatives — Saying “no” shuts down trust. Explaining why not, and offering what could work, builds influence.
Scope Is for Projects, Not for People — Don’t confine people to job descriptions. Empower them to solve real problems.
If You Do Something More Than Twice, Build a Process or Stop Doing It — Repeat tasks signal inefficiency or a system waiting to be built.
If You See Something Broken, Fix It — Ownership is earned by action, not title.
Learn from Bad Examples — Sometimes your best mentors are the ones who showed you what not to do.
High-Performance Teams Don’t Rely on High Performers Alone — To scale, organizations need all types—not just heroes.
Always Choose People Over Processes — If collaboration is clunky, fix the communication—not just the workflow.
If It’s Hard and Everyone Is Avoiding It, It’s Probably Worth Doing — Find the friction and lean in.
Lead Like an Athlete, Not Like a Machine — Sustainable performance requires recovery, rhythm, and presence.
