How Justin Egbunu Is Helping Communities Thrive With AI, Cloud Technology, and a Vision for Inclusive Leadership
Leadership to me is an action to serve. A Leader must be humble and bring oneself lower than the least member of his/her followers. Is the ability to carry the strongest and the least together. Not minding their difference and capacity. Leadership seeks to change perception and motivate stewardship across every aim of the system. I would say, Leader is a beacon of hope the system looks to, and if hope fails and the system is bound for ruins.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Justin Egbunu.
Across the U.S., small and mid-sized businesses are struggling to keep up with the digital revolution, held back by outdated infrastructure and inefficient supply chains. Justin Egbunu is changing that. With over 15 years of experience in cloud technology and AI-driven logistics, he helps companies streamline operations, cut costs, and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market. But his work isn’t just about technology, it’s about opportunity. By making cloud solutions more accessible, he’s giving businesses the tools to grow, create jobs, and build a stronger, more resilient economy. In an era where digital transformation can make or break a company, Justin is making a mark in the industry and for consumers.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
The moment which led me here is cumulative, but I would say the epiphany of my career path started at a moment in my rural community sitting with hard working, relentless mothers, singles and youths. I saw the opportunity to help, share and tell these hard-working women stories trying to build business for their children and provide for the household. Interesting, the method is already there, no one to show them how and peek through the looking glass. My career path has always been that which will inspire lives and building SME to be able to tap into the global logistic chains will be the foundation of touching lives I want to achieve. This all can be down through the cloud now and business transformation.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I had made mistakes and in the turn of my years trying, I had also experienced mistakes on every turn. I would say this shaped me and sharpened my path. My biggest failing is trying out my ideas when it was still starting out. I waited to find the right moment to scale out but ended up losing and swept out by the yarning to survive. This is particularly because I didn’t know how to network and collaborate to bring this into working models. I now understand failing to implement is failing to try. Thus, I made it my pursuit now to try and try until I can bring into being that which will reveal my potential.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
I teach business processes for single, aged and widow’s mothers who are trying to set up SME to take care of their families and help the household. Most impact in the churches and communities in my hometown and where I reside. I aid in coaching the use of analysis and charts to make business decisions. Guide them in understanding business stock keeping and order placement. I had experience working with a small community to help and seek funding with little interest in payback, which would give achievable capital for their business setup. Teaching basic economics of scale for developing business processes to keep alive a handy business to support families and livelihood.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
My story takes a troll over my mother Faith Fatima. The one person would say has been impacted will be her. Over the course of 3 decades, she has tried to keep a business faced by different economic hardships and weather. Times and times she faced the existential end of her business only to be pulled into a wave of makeup which only lasted a facade. The trouble has always been business transformation and many women her times lack and could transform because of technology access. My aim is to consult in creating and evolving a distinct identity that portrays business in the transformation mind of the owner. SME has huge advantages, and a lot of stories are lost because many fall just like my mother. And getting up comes with a lot of effort which can be made easy with cloud technologies.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
1. Community must recognize these SME and help to promote transformation in the grassroot for business. Being at the lower level of the pyramid , they hold the most potential to enhance the entire business ecosystem.
2. Society must provide access and a friendly model to give equal participation to SME and incentive to boost profitability and encourage co-social transformation.
3. Politicians need to provide the policies and encourage the big cloud players to create a ground for SME to thrive and develop. Just like the world is not without its slumps, the cloud can’t fully evolve without enveloping the entirety of the SME business and practice.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership to me is an action to serve. A Leader must be humble and bring oneself lower than the least member of his/her followers. Is the ability to carry the strongest and the least together. Not minding their difference and capacity. Leadership seeks to change perception and motivate stewardship across every aim of the system. I would say, Leader is a beacon of hope the system looks to, and if hope fails and the system is bound for ruins.
I wouldn’t give a name but think about this: a Leader who inspires his people to make the selfless sacrifice and join them in the same as the example they should follow. True love this line for a leader; “How can a man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his gods” is spoken by Horatius in Thomas Babington Macaulay’s poem Horatius at the Bridge.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. Failing is ok; it teaches you to start all over in a different limelight. A new dawn.
2. Making friends with like minds; they will shape and groom your idea into reality.
3. Ability is stronger not with self but with fellowship and bond of togetherness.
4. Start small and little and try new things all the time; you would not know what will succeed.
5. Family is important, they are you restore when you want to give up
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
The movement will be for recognition of our humanity. We should be able to see the human face in each other. Kindness begets the foundation of emotion in relationships with our neighbors. In this world, we fail to see humans in each other. The loss of the human face of our fellow neighbors, denying the service of one human to the other. We are social beings and if you consider Ant hill, for the good of society, all work to achieve the growth of the hill. In times to come, for humanity to achieve new heights, we must become like the ants, in a common dream, fostering individual goals for the entire development of society.
We must recognize the dreams in each one of us and promote the human that makes use of intellectual capacity for the good and an inspiration to make the greatest out of our existence.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts; Albert Einstein and Occam Razor: The simplest explanation is usually the easiest. These have shaped my thoughts and direction. Right now, whenever I am asked to decide or implement some ideas or method, I first think about how these can be counted, their weight and if the solution lies in the simplest of results. It has defined my teaching style and inspired my ability to look at life and achievement as a value to transform and mentor. What should count should bear the largest energy derivatives and should be tailored in the simplest of definitions.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
If it should be just one person, it would be Keanu Reeves. My reason is to learn how to stay humble while success may sweep your feet yet day after day, you keep helping others. His uniqueness to success makes me want to replicate such in my life. I aim to learn ways to embed myself in others who struggle and push to see transformation in the little steps people make to change. I would love to see that my small assistant is going to add a little comfort in people’s choices and grow and stability and move in the right direction. I love that I am an inspiration for good in people’s lives.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I am building a portfolio online to help showcase my dream intent. I am also gathering informed documents as well as publications to foster research and invest in SME experience and easy business transformation which can serve as a long impact in communities across the world, not just the US. I have a personnel bog but have deactivated it as I see to strengthen the aim and objective to drive change before reactivating it with inspiring stories. My aim to share touching moments which will inspire cooperation and a keenness to join in changing our communities one step at a time.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
How Justin Egbunu Is Helping Communities Thrive With AI, Cloud Technology, and a Vision for… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.