Mohammed Mubin Mallick: On the Forefront of Robot Solutions and Services
Digital Version Please tell us about your educational/professional background. Who inspired you to become a business leader? Would you like to mention some of the highlights from your journey? I, Mohammed Mubin Mallick, am the CEO and Founder of Kiran Smart company in Kuwait, Dubai, and India. I am an innovator of Humanoid Robot Services and the Founder of Mi-Robots Company registered in India. Holding a Master’s Degree MBA from Cardiff University, UK. I have several professional certificates under his name. It was one of the childhood incidents that inspired me to be an Entrepreneur and be a leader to help others not only in business but in their personal life as well. Every journey has good and bad highlights so let me start with bad highlights first because they helped me forge my path to success. During the journey, I lost my father, lost money, was cheated several times, failed myself many times, and sacrificed a lot in my personal life. But I flipped the coin and built trust. People started recognizing me. I excelled in business. I have loyal customers and employees. I am able to expand my business in India and Dubai (UAE). I have bagged many awards for being advanced in the robotics field. Today, I am recognized as one of the Top Influencers in the field of robotics. When was Kiran Smart established? What are the prominent services/solutions offered by the company? Kiran Smart was established in the year 2019. We have IT solutions and services but in the recent year during COVID-19, we have diversified to Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, and Digital Transformation. Headquartered in Dubai, Kiran Smart is always different than its competitors offering because we always introduce advanced new technology and innovative product so that customers can be ahead and up to date with the latest technological solutions and services offered by us. Please brief us in detail about the current scenario of the business. How have the customer preferences changed over the years? The present scenario of business will vary from business to business. So if I share about my business then it is different than others as our core business is robotics services for different industries and the demand is increasing daily. Other than this we are also into IT solutions and services which is the ongoing business for us from past few years. Customer preferences keep changing from time to time as per the latest trends in the market and in terms of advanced technologies as well. So customers always prefer something innovative as well solve the problem. Previously, customers used to focus on resolving the issue but now the preferences have been widened in terms of innovation, technologies, quick services, and 24 hr availability. What are the unique challenges your company is currently facing? How have they affected your company? At present, we have one unique challenge which is Post Covid 19 recovery because this challenge is not only for us but it is for the whole world and it has affected every business. Financial-wise and work-wise it has affected our company but not to a very high extent as we have deployed the advanced technologies, especially robots to overcome these challenges. We were quite successful to overcome these challenges with our robots. What measures do you incorporate to ensure motivation and productivity within the workspace? How do you respond to criticism and disagreements? Our working style is like a family in our working environment. Also, our working times are flexible. We offer employees their preferred time to work where they can have much more productivity. So as a holistic situation it helps to remain motivated and also increases productivity. We always think in a positive way so whatever criticism or disagreement comes from our customers we always take it as tips or lessons for ourselves to improve it and develop it to be better in the future. Because we believe that everyone is not perfect and from mistakes only we can learn to be better and better in our services. What measures do you undertake to ensure optimum customer satisfaction? How much impact does the customer feedback have on the company’s strategies? It is very simple for us. We just listen to our customers carefully so that we can deliver the best solution as per the customer’s problems defined. Customer feedback is very important because it helps us to make a better strategy whether it is related to competition, market trends, customer demand, customer satisfaction, or employees’ services to customers. So for us, the feedback of customers is very important because it helps us to grow and develop. Are you planning to launch any new products/services or advancements to your existing offerings? If so, we would like to know about it. Yes, there are many but all of them are robots for different industries and verticals. We cannot disclose the information due to company policies. It is not easy to be an Entrepreneur unless you have a passion for it. You need to be very strong because, in reality, you need to face many storms which can uproot you. So being physically and mentally strong doing business need to have the patience to be successful.
Michael A. Collura: The Solitaire Entrepreneur Developing Individualized Caregiving Plans
Caregivers go through more than they tell you. The elderly are supported and encouraged by caregivers to carry out everyday activities, engage in social interactions, and pursue their interests. Caregivers often lean into the love they didn’t know possibly. While earning a career via artistic efforts is not new, the notion of the creative businessperson is, especially for Michael, the creator of In Home Personal Services. Contributing towards helping seniors and being a Rainbow in someone else’s Cloud, we are sharing a journey with you of a caregiving business, In Home Personal Services, fueled by strength, courage, and determination to solve one of the vital necessities likewise supporting our seniors’ independence and having high-quality in-home care. Michael A. Collura, the founder of In Home Personal Services, says “Being a part of In Home Personal Services, I can honestly say I never felt like I had a “job”. He has a mission, a drive, and a life that gives him the chance to be a positive force for others in countless ways that he never even imagined. Let’s dive into the story of building a caregiving business acting as a hero- In Home Personal Services. Outlining the founder’s sketch and inspiration leading towards taking the helm of a company Michael as a teenager started working with seniors in the nursing home industry. Michael does not merely love what he did but instead finds it to be rewarding. He enjoyed making a positive difference in the lives of others, and that led him to want to learn more about senior care so he could do more. He finished learning about service, leadership, and care over the years of working in the retail industry. Those lessons built a foundation for them to become the leader he is today. Michael’s primary source of inspiration has always been his Wife. The day he met her, his life changed for the better. She is the reason for everything he does and for everything that he has achieved. He works to make her proud. Coping with the Evolution of consumer preferences Those who trust In Home Personal Services want compassionate and professional care they can foster trust, and the company is here to provide them with the independent lifestyle they seek to enjoy. It has never really changed for any one of the team members at In Home Service. They want safety, security, and freedom to enjoy our lives as we see fit. They provide that little extra assistance to get folks to where the consumer wants to be in their life. Stumbling blocks and their impact on the business In Home Personal Services has taken the challenge and turned it into an opportunity and advantage. They have innovated and built a business model that has achieved the goals they targeted on day one to bring quality and affordable care to seniors. Their challenges are faced head-on, and they do not work to bypass these obstacles. They work to understand them and develop new ways to resolve the issues that are sometimes unconventional but always to the benefit of the client. Company’s incorporation and prominent services/solutions that it brings to the table The company was established in 2004. They have built a business model around the basic yet all-important factor of quality care for others. Simply wanting to do good and help others has cultivated the mission for them all these decades. No growth, no change, no struggle, and no failure has ever diminished the set mission, and their brand’s position in the market today is all the proof one needs of their success in that mission. Paved path that guarantees workplace enthusiasm following conflicts and criticism They believe that criticism is nothing more than an opportunity to improve. They welcome all forms of criticism. No leader should ever operate under a false veil that they are always right or all-knowing. Most leaders, in fact, all leaders, are outweighed, outclassed, and outnumbered by those around them and their critics. So rather than trying to fight the flow of information, one should simply submit. They take the criticism to heart. They do not be offended or allow it to drain their energy. Instead, they reflect and build on it. Many of their innovations and improvements over the years came from criticism. Strategy to pull off the utmost level of client satisfaction Satisfaction and success are the same things for In Home Personal Services. The care they provide to others makes a real difference in their daily lives. Without contributing towards the same, they are nothing. Without the trust clients place in them, they will never be able to deliver the care needed. Without the remarkable and unique team of care providers, their brand would not have the strong reputation, it has today. Without those same amazing people working to ensure their brand commitment and mission, Michael would not be a worthy leader. A brief sketch of services/products the company overture They are a non-medical senior care provider at the core. However, they are also a nationwide franchise business for inspiring entrepreneurs who want to be business owners within this industry. Their franchise system has been a proven model which has decades’ worth of differentiators and advantages built into its system that makes real-world impacts on the lives of others and within the growth of the business. Roadmap approaching improvements Innovation is saying no to several things. Hence, it never ceases. This year they have already launched several new services, their very own school operating in all 50 states. It is an institute that is fundamental to be recognized by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. They are also developing a new medical technology that will bring a significant quality of life improvement to those with Parkinson’s Disease. The above stated is just the first half of 2022. Tips for aspirants The company shows faith in business entrepreneurs’ seekers. According to Michael, they should never care about title or prestige because those fade and are irrelevant. Invest behind those around you and build them up.
Maxim Behar: An Incredible Man Who Overcame Adversity With Creativity, Ethics, and Responsibilities
The whole business world including the communication business is currently witnessing the total change of everything – from sales to communications to industrial production. For a couple of years, we have been observing a very dynamic and fast merging of the three main elements of the public communications business – advertising, public relations, and digital. It is so obvious that they will unify and work as a new business soon but for now, there is a constant dispute for leadership. The advertising industry claims to be the winner as they own media shops and creators, and so the digital experts as their leadership abilities allow them to create applications, tabs, and software. However, the CEO & Founder of M3 Communications Group, Inc., Maxim Behar strongly feels that Public Relations experts and managers will be the leader of the future new big, merged business. The thought that supports this concrete belief is quite simple, they are the “Kings of Content.” They are the masters of words and visions and in the modern world, wisdom comes from social media content. The Visionary CEO Maxim Behar has done graduation in the Executive Program on Leadership Decision Making from Harvard Kennedy School and now, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Global Public Relations Changes at Sofia University. His first graduation was from Prague University on International Economic Relations. As learning was/is his passion, he collected many degrees from Universities across the world including The Pacific Institute in Seattle, USA. At his initial stage, he started working as a machinery worker in a plant that was based in Sofia. After graduation, he worked as a journalist for 15 years and then launched one of the first private daily newspapers in Bulgaria – Standard News. Even with so much success, he decided to resign from the post of Managing Editor remembering what Sir Winston Churchill said, “you can achieve a lot with the journalism, but you should know exactly when to quit.” When Maxim was in high school, he ever since wanted to be a brilliant journalist. Even when he decided to quit this job the next logical step that came into his conscious was to upgrade his journalistic knowledge. Although jumped into Public Relations, he did not realize that it’s nothing but pure unique business surrounded by creativity, ethics, and responsibilities. About 27 years ago, Maxim from proudly launching a one-man-show company in a one-room rented apartment of a friend to owning a leading Public Relations and Social Media company, is streaming like water; partnered with one of the largest international US-based PR corporations, Hill+Knowlton Strategies with hundreds of clients from all over the world. With great projects come great challenges every single day, and that’s what Maxim loves to invest his life for. A Trusted Service Provider M3 Communications Group, Inc. was established in 1994. After 6 years Maxim Behar met the Executive Vice President of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, late Terence Billing, who turned out to be his teacher, mentor, partner, and of course, best friend. Through the journey, they witnessed failures and successes, and last but not least they emerged as a modern and successful corporation – a leading PR company in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, we provide the full range of public communications services – public, governmental and media relations, social media management, event and conventions, graphic design, web creations, and project management. We create a unique package for each of our clients ensuring the top-notch quality of our services. We also provide services such as social media development, content management, creating visuals, and more which keeps updating every week. With 35 clients on a retainer fee and at least double the number per project, we are available 24/7 for our clients that makes us ideal for crisis management, employers branding, and corporate communications. We serve what customers deserve i.e; increasing sales, better branding, and media presence. We believe in transparency that gives us the confidence to deliver exact reports back to the clients. Also, social media in addition to providing information targets messages properly. The most important aspect that affects us is ‘outcomes’ and to match those we focus on being creative, innovative, proactive, and knowledgeable. In the process, we pull out preparation for every post. We ensure every word, every picture should be catchy and effective on social media. Achievements To Appreciate Maxim Behar was twice awarded the Best PR Consultant in the world by Stevie Awards. Recently, PR Week announced him the Best Global PR Consultant. With more than 100 international business and leadership awards and books that top on Amazon, Maxim is proudly elected as an Advisory Board Member of one of the largest European Universities – Engage.eu, Germany. It is a privilege for him to be on the Board of the World PR Museum in New York City. In 2017, he was inducted into the Global PR Hall of Fame in London as the first-ever East European expert. The greatest achievement in life is his children, family, and the excellent M3 Communications Group family. PR’s Absolute Best Customer preferences are like seasons, they keep changing. Of course, this affects how clients emphasize themselves on social media and the reason is quite clear – these interactive technologies are fully measurable ever since the very beginning of the Guttenberg Press Machine. Social media is exponentially succeeding against traditional media only because clients can optimize their messages to certain target groups, and in minutes can analyze too. Clients have become sensitive and quick towards creative involvement and decision-making. This practice brings a big boost to our business – one who can take fast decisions and can communicate successfully will win, the others will be out of the business. We cannot deny the fact that customer feedback is crucial, however, we try to prove our point of view that our experts are devoted only to making their experience rich. “Zoom lockdown times” made our life a bit convenient which we appreciate through meeting clients and discussing tons of ideas. But also, we do
Masahito Nakaishi: From Plastic to Plasma, the Journey to Sustainability
Digital Version “Of all the waste we generate, plastic bags are perhaps the greatest symbol of our throwaway society. They are used, then forgotten, and they leave a terrible legacy.” – Zac Goldsmith Post-Industrial revolution and boom, industries have become the backbone of our society and lifestyle. Everything we use has to be manufactured somewhere, right? Be it on a large scale or smaller. Back in 1760, when the then elites and workers brought in this Industrial revolution, they probably weren’t worried about factors like a plastic footprint or water contamination. But oh the manufacturers of today are (or should be) worried. Drying Up The Plastic Footprint The importance of reducing plastic pollution has increased in recent years due to the expanding global plastic footprint. Biomass and biodegradable polymers have been produced unsuccessfully by several industries, including chemical, food, and paper manufacturing, primarily due to high manufacturing costs. Growing efforts have been made in recent years to increase public awareness of plastic pollution on the planet. Concerned individuals, scientists, environmentalists, and eco-warriors continue to raise awareness about plastic pollution. People like them are inspirations to adjust our lives and eventually live without plastic through their words. One of these brilliant minds is Masahito NAKAISHI. As the Founder and CEO of Glencal Technology Co. Ltd, he recognized and decided to work towards this cause and create a unique technology that contributes to sustainable development through various renewable biomass source projects like RedoxMaster®. Joining the League of Eco-Heroes Masahito NAKAISHI always had a strong yearning to go and study abroad. As a science major in high school, he had a keen interest in physics specifically. That interest was like fuel for him to get hired as a Derivatives trader. He believes this strong curiosity for natural sciences is what pushed him to explore his current business at Glencal Technology. He went on to work in a quite different field- Banking. Spent about 7 years at HSBC Tokyo as an interest rate off-balance and derivatives products trader, he met the company’s future Co-Founder and Director Ms. Masumi Maeno. After having that feather in his hat, he worked as a private banker while also working on starting his own business. Understanding the vast and ever-changing business field takes years and years of dedication, knowledge, and understanding. “This career has been also very helpful in my current job when making contracts and formulating capital policies. The high-end domestic and international networks I developed during my private banker days have also been very beneficial for the development of my current business.” Finding The Inspiration When they first established the company, it was called “Glencal” after the US Scientist Dr. Glenn Theodore Seaborg, in 2002. The company’s prime focus has always been nuclear and quantum fields. The company utilizes these two of its focuses in projects and present and future endeavors. Their first project was related to heavy particle beam therapy for cancer treatment with Toyota and Nagoya University. Glencal Technology Co. Ltd had its first encounter in the environmental industry after investing in a company that specialized in power transmission and reception voltage optimizing technology. This was just the beginning for them as they made their way by exploring different directions of the field and investing in food waste management and recycling technology. However, the system they experimented with was poor, they started working with bacteria for degrading waste. Flipping through the years, it was in 2009 when the company got interested in the phenomenon that hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to atoms with high electronegativity such as OH (including H2O) and NH make hydrogen bond noncovalently. Based on this, their current technologies evolved from studies conducted on nuclear physics and elementary particle physics. Studies and Studying Mr. Nakaishi’s friends helped evolve technologies through various studies. These studies were a constant process of trial and error as they constantly looped between assumption and experiment. One of them was that there might be a highly efficient drying technology using lesser to no heat and wind. “It can be said that rather than sticking to the ordinary idea of the substance “water”; from a chemical point of view, we have attempted to find and control certain reaction patterns by redefining the nature of water based on the particle-level properties of electrons.” Many summers, suns, and experiments later in 2013, Mr. Nakaishi and Ms. Masumi Maeno established Glencal Technology Co. Ltd. They had an experimental ion engine, a small reactor, and an (almost complete) dryer in hand, and they aimed to commercialize this technology. A Dig Into RedoxMaster Glencal Technology Co., Ltd. created the ground-breaking drying technology known as RedoxMaster®. It is a brand-new, non-conventional drying method that can dry organic materials quickly (several hours to a day), at low temperatures (20°C to less than 100°C), and at an overwhelmingly low cost (roughly one-third to one-twentieth) compared to traditional methods. It also significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions (roughly 40% to 80% fewer CO2 emissions). Only up to 85% of the moisture content can be dried using a conventional centrifuge drying technique. In terms of moisture content, decompression (vacuum) dryers can also produce outcomes that are comparable to those of the RedoxMasterd®. These systems also produce a lot of carbon dioxide, which is particularly troublesome from the perspective of ESG management, and have extremely high installation and operating expenses, which sometimes make it difficult to introduce them. The amount of heat required to boil and evaporate 1 g of water at a water temperature of 25°C is approximately 2.5 kilojoules. In addition, about 2.28 kilojoules of energy are required to evaporate 1 g of water at a water temperature of 25 °C. In contrast, a few types of MIRA engines (we have nearly 100 different types of engines for different uses) at their optimum condition can remove 1g of water at a temperature of 25 ℃ with only 17∼25 Joules (in other words, less than 1/100 of the conventional energy consumption). RedoxMaster at Work Since electricity is also needed to power the equipment’s motors,
Maria Francesca Aceti: A Businesswomen Pioneering the Pharmaceutical World
Digital Version Maria Francesca Aceti graduated as a chemical engineer. She was 27 when she took charge of Deltha Pharma, working at ENEA, a crucial research center for energy in Italy, specifically on a project related to the production of electric energy by gasification of coal and production of hydrogen. Taking over Deltha Pharma, the first challenge she had to face was to make sales agents, customers, suppliers, employees and all KOLs trust her. Though it was really hard, she overcame it with hard work, consistency and always keeping promises as well as bringing some important changes in the company’s business model. At the end, she managed to raise the fortunes of the company within a year. Current Business Scenario When Maria started the business, she took multiple steps to ensure the company’s growth and success. Firstly, she made some important pivots in the product development process after thinking about what people wanted. Moving on, she changed raw materials that were being used to make supplements, buying only the newest and the best available in the market, such as nanoparticles and vegetable stem cells. Her aim was and still is to make only very high-quality products and offer unique supplements to customers to improve their life’s quality. During these years, she learnt that consumers have become aware of the sources of ingredients and are much more interested in natural ingredients. With this in mind, the products are also made of natural ingredients, without titanium dioxide and in vegetable and gastro resistant capsules with absence of heavy metals. The raw materials Maria selects are mainly certified by Italian companies and made from innovative technologies. The company’s products, based on Omega-3, are certified IFOS 5 stars; the most well-known certification which ensures more transparency and quality. Foundation of Deltha Pharma Deltha Pharma was born in Rome in 2009, given the growing interest of doctors and pharmacists in the supplement and nutraceutical field with a list of seven launch products. Maria’s father, who is a doctor, had invested some money in this company but, unfortunately, soon after its foundation, it was near bankruptcy. The old CEO had given up, so she decided to try to save it in order to minimize her father’s loss, despite all the advice not doing it. Therefore, she decided to make a debt restructuring and to create new products and a new sales network. How Deltha Pharma is Different from its Competitors? The strengths of Deltha Pharma’s products lays in natural and cutting-edge raw material, such as nanoparticles technology, plant stem cells, and branded raw materials. The company’s aim is to improve and to extend people’s lives by offering the best products in the market. All over the world, there is still an inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals in the diet: only 1 in 10 adults consumes the amount of fruit and vegetables recommended by the guidelines, and it is scientifically proven that supplementing our diet could prevent many diseases. Maria believes in spreading the message that a quality supplement can help you improve your health and life. In fact, the products have high dosage of active ingredients, ensuring the proper intake of vitamins to the customer who buys them. In 2022, the company received the certifications for ISO 9001:2015 for the quality and ISO 14001 for the environment and sustainability. Therefore, it guarantees to customers high standards and hygiene. Next year, the company aims to increase the products’ portfolio by offering to customers a new form of food supplements, that is in gummies, so that any type of customers, of any age, from children to adults are more concerned in taking supplements. The company also aims to raise awareness among consumers to stay healthy and prevent diseases by taking supplements. How Unique Challenges Have Affected the Company? The key factors that have contributed to the success of the organization – are based on making good plans, being persistent and developing a well-functioning team as well as motivated people. In fact, in order to be successful, it is important to have in mind a good plan before initiating every type of new project, therefore a good business plan which includes goals, milestones and numerical figures is crucial. There’s a famous saying that goes “By failing to prepare, you’re preparing for failure.” When Maria took the reign of Deltha Pharma, she started off with a clear vision and mission. She is tenacious, persistent and determined: persistence in fact is one of the most important success factors. When Maria decided to take the reins of Deltha Pharma, she was very young, a woman and with no experience in the pharmaceutical field, plus the company was struggling to survive, it was near to bankruptcy and many people tried to dissuade her from leading Deltha Pharma. The first challenge she had to face was to make sales agents, customers, suppliers, employees and all KOLs trust her. However, her vision of success helped her stay sustained through this whole period. Maria believes that, If she didn’t have the perseverance she couldn’t have seen it through the difficulties and the business would have not survived. Lastly, it is important to choose good people to work with and develop a well-functioning team. As Maria is a motivated person herself, she has learnt how to motivate her employees. Not only does she understand how to motivate them, but also understands them as people and works with their strengths. Having a clear vision of what it means to be successful is already a starting point towards success. On Productivity and Motivation in Workplace Maria believes that a flourishing work culture influences all aspects of a business and the people within it. One of the most important elements she considers is the balance between work and personal life, what matters is the happiness of employees by respecting their lives as a whole. For this reason, Maria makes sure that her offices close at 4.40 pm so that all the employees can spend time with their families, including
Manju Mastakar: An Extensive Investment Solution Provider For Wealth-Creation
After working as a stock advisor in a brokerage firm in the economic hub city of Mumbai, Manju moved to Bangalore to dive in as a wealth manager. Investing and gaining experience for more than 20 years in the investment industry, the sub-prime crisis of 2008 left her no choice but to quit the corporate job. The event triggered her to start a venture, Armstrong. Taking her passion as her business, Manju started working from home, meeting clients and advising them on investments. She has worked and developed solutions for clients of all sizes and played an instrumental role in choosing the right mutual fund. We at Fortunes Crown got into conversation with Manju Mastakar, Managing Director of Armstrong Capital & Financial Services Pvt. Ltd., to know more about the company and how it is helping the businesses and individuals as a whole. Below are the highlights of the interview: Describe your professional journey as an inspiring business professional. Any time that someone takes a risk and launches their own business there is always some foundational reason behind it. Though it was challenging at the beginning to switch from busy office life to working in a home environment, slowly but effectively working from home became the business norm. Initially, I thought of it as a stop-gap arrangement and that when the financial markets stabilize, I would get back into corporate life once again, but that never happened. First I established myself as a freelancer, and I was not shy about it at all. It wasn’t hard for me to say that I don’t have an office and I currently work out of the home. After I was almost 8-9 months into the entrepreneurial journey and had generated some cash flow, I took up a workstation in a business center. After a few more months, I hired my first employee, who in the past worked as a secretary. When you are on your own as a one-person army, it’s very important to delegate non-productive things. Slowly as business GREW, I started hiring people 1 by 1. In a year I would only add 1-2 resources. I worked on a very lean structure so that I could survive through the first 2 years of the entrepreneurial journey. What products and/or services do you offer? Armstrong offers services in the form of Financial Planning & Investment Advisory. We analyze the client’s past investments, understand his liabilities, and discuss their preferences with them. Further, we take a judgmental call on their risk appetite and then offer solutions. We call it the execution plan. We discuss the plan with the client, involving them in the decision-making process of choosing the right mutual fund. The primary motive behind starting Armstrong and continuing it was the unencouraging way wealth management is dealt with conventionally. More of upselling the product. I felt it was necessary to build up the relationship, understand the needs and then offer a solution. We have one plan and one perspective throughout the wealth creation journey. Till today Armstrong does not sell products. We identify requirements and sell solutions. Our core competency is that we work with integrity, keeping in mind that we need to build a long-term relationship. How do you set yourself apart from those already in the industry? We have always had a customer-centric approach – well, all companies say the same but how they put it to practice differs. So for us, when we say customer-centric, it means that there is no over-the-counter solution provided. All relationships begin by keeping in mind the long-term objective, and a financial plan tailored to their needs. We focus a lot on research we do bottom-up research on the funds and the stocks that they pick. We have various filterers based on analytical and various other parameters and the funds that pass through form a part of our white list. We then construct model portfolios for different categories of investors. Our wealth-building process is an iterative one, supported by many plans that evaluate the performance over a period of time. Every client is different, and we have an individualistic approach when offering them solutions. We conceive customized financial plans for each client, considering their life goals, their commitments, their dreams and their savings. We do not create returns, the appreciation is created by the markets we only create the discipline in the investor to save and invest at regular intervals. The first thing I do is protect wealth, the second thing we do is manage risk and then that last preference is past performance. My focus is my Vision, my focus is on my customer’s satisfaction, his long-term wealth creation and protection. This differentiates us from the rest of the industry. Talent Retaining and Hiring have been a challenge for all industries? How are you managing this aspect? In Armstrong Capital we generally hire freshers, I find freshers to be like a jigsaw puzzle and after every conversation with them add on to a piece and for more than 2 years is when the puzzle transforms into a full picture. I feel every individual has a unique characteristic that has to be utilized as a skill for the organization. A team is a unique collage of many individualistic characteristics someone can be like a lion who begins the project with full trust and power and doesn’t relax till the task is completed, someone maybe like a crane with high levels of concentration who can strike at the right place with the right force. Someone maybe like a donkey who never refuses any work, some may be like cocks who can give a wake-up call. It’s the leaders’ ability to assemble them as a team and then orchestrate them. They then realize that they are dependent on one another and stick on as a team for a long time, making magic make history. What motivates you to keep going? What attracts me to this profession is intellectual stimulation, the people I work with, deep
Lexis Serot: An Innovative Entrepreneur Pioneering an Extraordinary Health Solution
Is there any industry where women have not been able to make an astounding impact out of their presence? Absolutely, not! Flourishing all over the world, we are witnessing women with indomitable spirits emerging as exemplary leaders, trend-setters, innovators, revolutionaries, and whatnot. In the world of disruptors, female leaders are excelling with their intuitive and inspiring approach that has caused a stir across the business fraternity. In the profound pool of women entrepreneurs who are transitioning into outstanding groundbreakers, we have brought to you a model turned e-com entrepreneur who helps connect and support people with disabilities and others who are improving their lives. This exclusive cover story depicts the success story of Lexis Noel Serot, Founder and CEO of LittleWins. Insights into personal and entrepreneurial space Lexis Serot is a high school graduate from Columbine High School who studied photography at Flagler College. Unable to afford fees, Ms. Serot has to quit college in between and her endeavors landed her to become a model at Ford Models. With 14 years of a successful career as a model, she became a mother in 2013. Sadly her daughter Ava suffered a skull fracture during a c-section delivery. As a result, Ava has triplegia Cerebral Palsy. At the time, as a mother of a child with cerebral palsy, Ms. Serot was shocked at how unprepared she was. She tried to familiarize herself with the many forms of care, equipment, and therapy. She realized quickly, how broken the system was, and became obsessed with trying to find a solution. The incident shook and triggered her to start a company that can help people with similar uncertainties. Someone asked Ms. Serot in an interview, “why she started LittleWins?” She answered, “because I recognized that life was giving me an ‘at-bat’ to create a better world for my daughter.” It is truly her daughter that inspired her to become the leader she is today. Ms. Serot did not just want to create a better world only for her daughter but for others that also have a disability and to create a community in which they could come together and help each other. Road to in-depth solution In the beginning, Lexis Serot interviewed over 175 families and caregivers to see what the common denominators were in their journey to acquiring care, equipment, and therapies. It didn’t matter. Of those 175 people, they had three things in common. Number one, they had medical equipment or supplies they no longer needed but didn’t know what to do with. Two, They needed something but couldn’t get it. What hit the hardest was, number three, they all felt alone. This is when Ms. Serot started building the LittleWins community so families and individuals could connect. She designed LittleWins.com as an easy-to-use marketplace for people to post used durable medical equipment, browse equipment by category and location, and connect directly with buyers and sellers through the site’s messaging app. LittleWins also provides a community in which people across the nation now have each other for support, help, resources, and experiences. What makes LittleWins stand apart? LittleWins was established in 2018, and Ms. Serot began laying the groundwork for LittleWins that year. Since then, she has continually adapted the LittleWins.com website with web and e-commerce developers while directing a marketing assistant and marketing communications agency. She works closely with her legal and financial advisors. She collaborates with regional and national organizations that support people with disabilities. She partners with other women entrepreneurs who offer products and services to her community. Headquartered at Denver, the discovery process of LittleWins had begun in 2019 and in November of 2019, the website was launched. After launching LittleWins.com in 2019, Ms. Serot began to explore how the site could serve her community’s needs beyond durable medical equipment. She created and posts daily on LittleWins’ online support forum, receiving and providing feedback to help people with disabilities and the families that support them live their best lives. To build the LittleWins brand, she launched a line of LittleWins apparel – beanies, trucker hats, and t-shirts. Serot also has launched a podcast in which she talks about leading a life with a disability. Lexis Serot believes that access to equipment and supplies should be simple. The mom of four, including a daughter who has cerebral palsy, founded LittleWins.com to connect and support people with disabilities and others who are improving their lives. LittleWins.com harnesses the power of the community to help its members buy, sell or donate medical equipment, get information and connect with others. Members list and browse equipment by category and location on the company’s website. They connect directly with buyers and sellers through the site’s app. They share tips, experiences, and advice on LittleWins’ social pages. Covid, adjustments, and roadmap Especially over the past few years with COVID 19, users have been confined to their homes in which they are constantly online. Most users, especially those with medical conditions may make them more vulnerable to COVID. LittleWins has been working hard getting users to join and listings to be posted. Since LittleWins is an online-based community as well, it relies on users to help the online marketplace and provide support for one another. Ms. Serot had started her own blog and podcast to help address questions and concerns by other members of the LittleWins community. She talks about topics that are not typically addressed such as “Sex and Disability”, “Self-Identity”, “CBD”, “Hospice and Palliative Care”, “Adaptive Footwear” and many other topics. Serot has never turned down a requested topic, she goes above and beyond during the research process. She sits down for hours studying each field to bring the most informative, vulnerable, open conversations for those who need it. She finds experts to sit down and have a discussion with and hopes that listeners will connect to these resources. Lexis Serot also blogs about navigating her daily life. Such as must-have products or services that she has personally tried with her children that help make life easier. Just recently she
Lawrence Shaw: Delivering an Online ADA Risk Control Program for Websites
We, as humans of this modern world, are witnesses to several changes and amendments. In the form of lifestyle or justice. These changes are not always achieved easily, some are the result of years and years of protests and hardships. Women, differently-abled individuals, “lower classes”, and many others had to fight for their basic rights as an individual. These constant protests led to conversations, which led to the formation of acts and laws like women’s voting rights and the Americans With Disabilities Act. What is ‘The Americans With Disabilities Act?’ In 1990, the United States passed a comprehensive civil rights law that was enacted to protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination called The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is the reason we have things like disabled parking requirements, service counter height requirements, and wheelchair ramp mandates in building codes. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. This also includes an accessible and approachable online experience where websites, homepages, and portals are accessible to everyone- even those who use assistive technology for their internet experience. ADA And Internet Usage This act came one year before the first web page went live on August 6, 1991. Since this time, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been tasked to keep up with the ever-evolving world wide web and updating ADA guidance. Organizations and businesses can be sued with demands being a figure they may or may not be able to afford. These demands are not just costly in terms of money, but also in terms of time. Compare the cost of upgrading your website to a hefty ADA fine and suddenly affordable website migrations don’t seem expensive in the least. When hiring a web developer, it is important to choose a company that understands the laws in your state and knows how to ensure a compliant migration. AAAtraq is an InsurTech ‘Online ADA’ commercial insurance solution providing integrated litigation costs coverage insurance and loss mitigation services; suitable for small and medium-sized organizations wishing to insure and protect themselves against the risks of non-compliance with the regulations in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Person Behind It All While having a chat with Lawrence Shaw, legislation, industries, and challenges were discussed. Having a keen interest in software and computers, young Lawrence Shaw enjoyed writing computer games for the Sinclair ZX81 and COMMODORE VIC-20. Lawrence then completed his education with RAF by studying aeronautical physics and applied math. Upon leaving the RAF, Lawrence was looking for job opportunities in his home city of Coventry. However, the only openings were in car manufacturing, which despite Lawrence’s interest in cars and motorsport, these wern’t the direction that Lawrence saw his career going. Lawrence’s career moved to technology and he has been working on and with Automated Testing Teschnology for over 18 years now, testing and trying to make the web more accessible and compliant. The focus of this has been compliance technology targeting accessibility and privacy regulation. “I suppose the fact that I struggle being told what I can’t do played a part in me wanting to start my own business. Plus, I had a £1 bet about whether I could achieve this with a friend, who still hasn’t paid up!” says Lawrence about starting something on his own. Where Did AAAtraq Come From? Having worked with automated testing, Lawrence has witnessed several sites, portals and companies promising and claiming to have Compliance, but in reality, they fail to provide it. Organizations need to understand that they have a duty of care, and one of these responsibilities is to be inclusive. We wanted to weed out those promising compliant services by ensuring these services are easy to monitor. This is what led to the establishment of AAAtraq in the year 2019. What organizations need to do is: accountability to meet the required standards. What Services Does AAAtraq Provide? The industry is focused on dealing with reacting to the problem, billions are being spent repeatedly fixing websites. However, this doesn’t address the cause of the issue proactively. AAAtraq’s Continuous Protection provides the services for organizations to deal with Online ADA effectively by providing: AAAtraq’s Compliance Identification and Risk Management Program enable digital equality to become a reality. The commercial insurance company, based on its years of experience in developing automated compliance software, is working towards integrating the world’s first “pure” digital cost indemnity capability. Challenges And Facing Them Every initiative, personal or public, will have its own set of challenges and difficulties. It is what makes a company strong at its feet. AAAtraq views Funding as one of its biggest challenges. To start something on your own, you need to have a basic revenue to get things going. When the business is centered on something not many organizations or the general public have heard of, it makes it even more difficult to find a donor willing enough to support the cause. That was something the company struggled with for quite a while before finding suitable and apt funding. Running a company is laborious and strenuous with constant challenges and criticism all along. Taking every new step is difficult with constant changes around, be it about trends, legalities, or new additions to existing concepts. Another one of their challenges was COVID. After the pandemic, customer preferences changed. Many organizations decided to go online and open their active portals. Organizations were neither focused nor aware of the regulations about being online. Many have now become aware of physical ADA, things like curb cuts, buttons in elevators, etc. However, several rules apply online –the realization of this has started to hit as litigation is passing $600,000,000 per month – people are now starting to understand that this is a risk, not a technical matter. How Do Things Work Behind The Scenes At AAAtraq? The company takes pride in the fact that
Kelly Bagla: Forging Roadmaps, Building Businesses
A multi-degree lawyer, Kelly Bagla, Esq. is an international award-winning corporate attorney who practices in San Diego, California. Her passion is to help entrepreneurs achieve their dreams and she lives by her own motto: “Grab the world by the pearls, it’s yours for the taking!” Kelly Bagla, CEO of Bagla Law Firm, is on a mission to empower businesses of all sizes with the best information with the help of the best legal minds in the business. With the mantra “Go Legal Yourself!” and by creating the “4 Legal Lifecycles” of a business, Kelly broke down how to start, grow, establish and exit a business into 4 easy steps that will make any business bulletproof and extremely successful! Please tell us about your educational/professional background. Who inspired you to become a business leader? Would you like to mention some of the highlights from your journey? I graduated from university back in England and made my way to America. The land of the free and the home of the brave! I got here with the hopes to achieve my ‘American Dream’, and I set out to do so. I put myself through Law School in California, and my focus on being the best landed me a career opportunity to work at the largest law firm in the world. I did that for some time and decided that working for someone else wasn’t what the ‘Dream’ I had envisioned. You see… I have ALWAYS wanted to be an Attorney. To use my platform to ‘save the world’ so to speak. But… I watched the “big business legal industry” just ‘nickel and dime’ every entrepreneur trying to get their start. I began to realize that the system set in place was designed to make it damn near impossible for the “little guy” to get their footing and have a fighting chance at success. So that’s when I started Bagla Law Firm, APC., an internationally recognized business law firm with its headquarters in beautiful San Diego, California. Besides my successful Law Firm, I ventured into: Toy invention, Authoring “Go Legal Yourself!” (and a handful more titles in the series), Keynote Public Speaking, Guest Hosting, Pitbull Rescue, Veteran Service, Podcast Hosting…. Sky Diving… LA Fashion Week?! So many things. I try not to limit myself, and always try to continue growing; Both professionally, and individually. When was Bagla Law Firm established? What are the prominent services/solutions offered by the company? I started Bagla Law in 2009. Our business model surrounds the idea of flat-rate fees for services rendered, and a relationship built where you feel comfortable coming back and asking questions should you have any. We offer a customer-service-based Business Law Practice, that puts its top priority on client satisfaction and transparent practices. We are pretty all-encompassing. Starting a business? Of any kind? From anywhere in the world? That’s any size big or small?? Already have a business and want to make sure you are set up in the safest situation available? We take care of all of that. And we do it in a way that is thorough, concise, comprehensive, flat rate fee oriented, and doesn’t require “long billable hours”. The same can be said of the Asset Protection side of the Practice. Do you need: offshore asset protection? Real estate asset protection? Buying or selling a business? We got you. Please tell us about the services/products your company is offering? How are they different from your competitors’ offerings? Bagla Law Firm, APC., is a Business Formation and Asset Protection Law Firm. We help individuals who want to start their own businesses and we help businesses, both domestic and international, who want general corporate counsel, including starting, growing, and selling their business. I am the “Queen of Business Law” for a reason. What I do, I do as an expert. If I don’t feel that I’m at a level of expertise in the current law surrounding the case, I won’t take the client. I have no issues referring out clientele to fellow attorneys that fill the yin to my yang. But I would only send a client to counsel I felt could treat them in the same manner that we treat our clients. Please brief us in detail about the current scenario of the business. How have the customer preferences changed over the years? Our firm has a deep-rooted core value of construct that also, despite conflicting with the money-making drive purpose of all businesses, has a burning desire to HELP. I run my law firm the same way I run my life: I know what we’re worth, I know our limitations, I know our expertise, and I know what we can and will do to help be a part of the solution. I won’t ever promise you the world if I can’t deliver on it. And on the flip side of that… ‘if I promise you the world.’ You can count on it being delivered. There are these unfortunately true stereotypes about lawyers “squeezing blood from a turnip”, and just being downright ‘blah’ people. Here at Bagla Law Firm, APC., we do everything within our power to make sure that our FLAT RATE pricing, and CLEAR, CONCISE, communication, keeps every interaction as pleasant, and as productive as possible. It also takes an entrepreneur to understand the business needs of another entrepreneur, as I run several businesses. I think that’s a huge part of the reason why our clients choose us because we understand them, can relate to them, and they appreciate talking to and working with real business owners – us. What are the unique challenges your company is currently facing? How have they affected your company? I’d say our current challenge is pretty run-of-the-mill: Having more work to do than there is time in the day. Here at Bagla Law, we stay busy. But that’s a good thing as we love what we do! So, we recently just hired another associate, and if things continue in the manner, they’ve going… We’ll
Joseph Rothstein: Passionate To Assisting His Clients In Growing And Scaling Their Businesses
The media industry has been rapidly changing since the dawn of the internet. Over the past couple of years, media platforms are dynamically influencing the business world such as advertising on Instagram. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven many businesses towards getting online to step their game up. The preys to this unwelcomed circumstance are the older generation businesses that have been holding off from providing their clients functional and enjoyable user experience. The pandemic has forced businesses to go digital; in-person meetings and traditional ways of being seen have been waved earlier for good. Joseph Rothstein, the Founder & CEO of Social Media 55 had sensed it all more than a decade ago. In the age of information, Joseph was a bit skeptical about the old implication methods of marketing. With a vision to be the best provider in the media industry, he began his entrepreneurial journey. In 2014, he founded Social Media 55 with the passion to impart brand exposure and visibility to businesses in need. The Day With Positivity Joseph radiates positivity and true enjoyment of his work. He spends most of the day working alongside VP of Operations Benjamin Ohayon, who has been a driving force for their customer success. Where Joseph as CEO is responsible for strategy and direction functioning closely with the team for successful campaigns, Benjamin is a true leader every CEO requires. Joseph oversees his graphic designers, SEO team, content developers, and works alongside the web development team. From Wireless to Digital Joseph, after a decade of working in telecommunications and servicing corporate accounts, was fascinated by marketing. He realized that he wasn’t being challenged working in the wireless cellular phone industry, and plunged into digital marketing about 10 years back. He began developing an e-commerce website for a luxury fragrance company “JIVAGO Brands.” Soon the brand started getting great traffic from the new website and mandated him to manage the social media platforms. He enjoyed working in the field so much that he decided to offer the same services to many businesses. Joseph gained enough experience for a startup, Social Media 55, to deliver services like social media management paid and organic, website design & development, SEO, PPC, and everything in between. “I’ve also been known for answering our 1-800 number after hours,” he says. Recognition as Leader Social Media 55 has been recognized as an exemplary leader multiple times. The agency has been awarded over 20+ awards in Social Media Management, SEO, PPC, Digital Marketing, B2B Services, Top Web Design Agency 2019, 2020, 2021 by GoodFirm, Clutch, Agency Spotter, Upcity, and more. They offer businesses innovative solutions that deliver the right type of audience to clients in the most effective strategies possible. Joseph and the team believe in transparency and hence, everyone plays a key role to make Social Media 55 successful. Such commitment allows them to pay close attention to the client feedback and in making sure the client is fully satisfied. The Close Connection Social Media 55 provides solutions that are customized to address the specific needs of the clients. From executives to associates and team members take a personalized approach and spend time working one-on-one with the clients to ensure they are meeting all of their marks. Everyone wants to help each other be successful, thus they ensure close communications with their clients throughout their mandate. They listen to their clients’ feedback closely so as to fine-tune their formula and deliver a superior service. Team members continue to evolve, to best meet the needs of clients. Their focus on integrity is at the forefront of what they stand for as a company and an agency. They carry a concrete reputation for providing honest and excellent quality work. They delve their heart and soul into each and every project they take on. The Challenges and the Opportunities No matter how many challenges you overcome, the new ones will find their way. The COVID-19 affected the company in many ways but the easiest decision company made was to keep everyone safe. The quickest agreement was to go remote immediately, which was not difficult for them as they were used to a hybrid work/home balance already. At the initial pandemic, they were busy working on their legacy accounts and noticed website traffic and leads had drastically dropped almost to a halt. After one month of crickets, the phones and the website exploded. The pandemic waves have eaten enough industries and collapsed the GDPs of major economic countries. However, months after businesses got their feet stronger, as they were scrambling to get online, Social Media 55 was working long hours to meet the high demand. There is a difference in surviving and thriving when it comes to adopting new technologies such as 5G. It is no more hidden that the advent of 5G will revolutionize almost every business in the world. From the Internet of Things (IoT) to science, communications to design, the 5th generation technology projects the next human evolution. For instance, Metaverse from Mark Zuckerberg with the help of 5G will allow users to interact with anything, anyone in the 3D world. The technology will bring exponential growth to the social media platforms and marketing more skin-friendly. “Our files and needs are getting bigger and used by more and more each day, it’s no question that 5G will help manage all that data,” Joseph adds. Joseph has plans to elevate its marketing hierarchy through acquiring/developing a digital social media calendar management software that will support all the major platforms. Seek Out What You Desire Joseph’s message to aspiring business leaders is to get a job at almost any position in an agency and learn how the business operates. Pick apart what makes the business tick and find a way to bring added value to that company by taking initiative and improving something. Take that experience and attempt in moving up the ranks and locking down a position you feel is more in line with your goals. If you don’t see room for