The 10 Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022

Influential

Women

Entrepreneurs 2022 Securing Future Top 10 Sustainability Trends for Business

Founder & CEO

Predominant Studios Inc.

Jacqueline Best

Instilling Rectitude in the Music Industry VOL-05 | ISSUE-02 | 2022

www.insightssuccess.com

The Tale of The Female King

O

n a hot day in early 1927, Herbert Winlock was staring sullenly at what he had unearthed in the great temple complex at Deir el-Bahri across the Nile. Pharaohs were gods to ancient Egyptians, yet he looked at statues of a pharaoh that were demolished and ruined. The statues were those of Hatshepsut, the sixth pharaoh of Egypt's 18th dynasty, one of the few and the most successful women to lead the country.

It was unusual for a woman to become Pharaoh of Egypt.

Rather than becoming the 'great wife' of a male ruler, Hatshepsut became the male ruler herself. She was given a full throne name, and statues of her as a male king, complete with beard, were erected.

Her reign was generally calm, and she was able to initiate a construction program that culminated in the erection of a massive temple at Deir el-Bahri in Luxor. She also embarked on a successful sea expedition to the land of Punt, which is located somewhere along Africa's northeast coast, where they traded with the locals and returned with "marvels." Despite an attempt to erase Hatshepsut's memory from the face of the earth, people know her legendary life story.

Such is the story of modern women leaders who can stand their ground in a business world filled with challenges at every turn with sheer will. From leading renowned organizations to giving a breath of air to the blooming ideas, women have showcased their skills and created new ways to pave successful paths.

In this edition of "The 10 Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022," Insights Success celebrates powerful and influential women who have conquered the business world with innovation and brilliance despite the pressure of society and numerous barriers. Featuring on the Cover is Jacqueline Best, the Founder & CEO of Predominant Studios Inc., where she impacts the music industry in a rising fashion.

Read articles authored by our in-house writers and CxO viewpoints from some of the industry's toughest players to gain insight.

Have fun reading!

Sonali Dhiwar

Sonali Dhiwar

sonali.dhiwar@insightssuccess.com

08

Jacqueline Best

A RT I C L E

28

Securing Future Top 10 Sustainability Trends for Business

C O V E R S TO RY

Instilling Rectitude in the MusicIndustry C X O Leader’s Viewpoint Why Should You Prioritize a Positive Work Culture for Remote Employees?

44

C O N T E N T S Danay Escanaverino

20

Shifting the Norms of Agriculture Industry

Hacia Atherton

32

Making Sustainable Travel More Accessible

Sunandini Verma

56

24

Hilary Matson

Paving a Solid Foundation of Remote Work Culture

Shifting Ways to Humanize Pet Experience

16

Farah Emara

Empowering Women, Thriving Excellence

Laurel Farrer

40

Delivering Quality Leads and Sales Worldwide

36

Parisa Fowles-Pazdro

A Paradigm of an Adaptive Leader

Reintroducing Good Fats into People's Diets

Suzie Yorke

52

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M Bansal Managing Editor Anish Miller

Executive Editor Sonali Dhiwar

Assistant Editors Jenny Fernandes

Visualizer

Art & Design Director

Associate Designer

David King

Sonia Raizada

Shyam Sonawane

Senior Sales Manager

Business Development Manager

Kshitij S

Peter Collins

Marketing Manager

Sales Executives David, Martin

John Matthew Technical Head

Business Development Executives

Jacob Smile

Steve, Joe, Saurabh

Technical Specialist Aditya

Digital Marketing Manager Marry D'Souza

SME-SMO Executive Atul Dhoran

Research Analyst Frank Adams

Circulation Manager Robert Brown

Database Management Stella Andrew

Technology Consultant David Stokes

sales@insightssuccess.com May, 2022

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Featured Person

Company Name

Brief

Chandra Pandey Founder & CEO

Seceon seceon.com

Seceon is global provider of the most advanced Artificial Intelligence.

Danay Escanaverino CEO

LunaSol Media lunasolmedia.com

LunaSol Media is a global performance marketing company.

Farah Emara CEO

fresh source freshsourceglobal.com

FreshSource is now able to leverage this generational knowhow to source, handle, store and deliver to your kitchen door!

Hacia Atherton CEO & Founding Director

Empowered Women In Trades ewitrades.com

Empowered Women in Trades is a not-for-profit organisation, based in Melbourne, whose vision is to increase Female representation throughout Australia.

Hilary Matson Founder

Yugen Earthside yugenearthside.com

Yugen Earthside is Sustainable travel booking platform.

Jacqueline Best Founder/CEO

Predominant Studios Inc predominantstudiosinc.com

Predominant Studios is Canada's newest independent music label, now defined as a Global Music Group.

Laurel Farrer CEO

Distribute Consulting distributeconsulting.com

Distribute Consulting is an internationally renowned management consulting firm specializing in workplce mobility.

Parisa Fowles-Pazdro Founder & CEO

Maxbone maxbone.com

Maxbone is your one-stop shop for modern, easy & fun pet's essentials.

Sunandini Verma Founder and CEO

Amrev Media amrevmedia.com

Amrev Media is revolutionizing businesses through marketing and technology.

Suzie Yorke Board Member, Founder

Love Good Fats lovegoodfats.ca

Love Good Fats is the manufacturer of delicious new snack bars!

COVER Story Jacqueline Best Founder & CEO

Predominant Studios Inc.

The 10 Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022

Instilling Rectitude in the Music Industry

No one's walking in your shoes, and no one else is going to be stuck with the decisions that are made for the rest of your life, but you will be.

W

hen pneumonia seemed to ruin the singing ability of Jacqueline Best, which was her favorite activity to do, she thought to herself, "If I can no longer do what I love, which is to sing, at least I can help others; attain their dreams." These words acted as Jacqueline's initial roots to establish Predominant Studios Inc.

also enjoyed horseback riding, making tree forts, and shaving her brother's head while he was asleep. She also spent time playing in the cow and daffodil fields, swinging in the maple trees, and eating everything that was chocolate.

As the CEO, Jacqueline is dedicated to her work to such an extent that the first thing she does in the morning is scour the internet and various publications for the current market trends. She updates herself on Billboard and charts worldwide, viewing statistics and industry analytics that helps her to gauge where the future is the music industry is headed. Jacqueline takes her artists and builds them from the ground up by going knee-deep, mentoring, and leading them towards an equitable future.

Running around in her dad's workshop for Bakers Supply House and Sterling Flavors in Victoria, BC, at the tender age of four, Jacqueline keenly watched the hardworking people, massive boiling kettles, and large vats. She attentively listened to her father's business calls as he tirelessly was always on the phone conducting business operations, becoming an inspiration for Jacqueline. She recalls enjoying bottling and labeling, lending a helping hand to the business, creating core memories for life.

Jacqueline's work in the music industry shifted tides, changing how recording artists are signed with fair mind, equality, and understanding. However, it wasn't an easy ride to become a successful entrepreneur; Jacqueline's journey led her through different fields, following an unconventional path that began in her childhood.

Unfortunately, in 1993 when Jacqueline was seven years old, her mother passed away from a brain aneurysm. She expresses, "It was a vivid night for all of us. Shortly after, my father had many illnesses that could have prevented him from being successful in business. My father never leaned on government assistance, always worked hard, and never gave up. He ran many successful businesses from Bakers Supply House in the 70s to Vanilla Blossom Flavors in 2013, in which my brother David Best had taken over and grown into a very successful vanilla and spice manufacturer."

Jaqueline was fond of singing and playing clarinet, piano, and percussion as a child. She was a mischievous kid who

Rede ning the new generation of music.

The Lessons Throughout

Jacqueline's grandfather, Jim Mace (John Mace), served in WW2 in the Royal Air Force, as a Ball turret gunner in England, serving on the Queen Mary ship, now parked in California. Her grandfather built several businesses, from real estate to box manufacturing plants. She reminisces, "he had a kind nature of treating all with respect, no matter their job title. Grandpa believed that if you treat everyone with great kindness, care, and attention, that same positive energy will flow into your business. I truly believe that my family and early childhood experiences shaped me into who I am today."

The Life Ahead Soon after grade school, Jacqueline went to have children young and was pregnant with her first child at 19 and conceived her fifth by the age 29 with the same father. She says, "We are not together today, but we co-parent well now, and they reside with me full-time."

Jacqueline worked and attended Sprott Shaw College for Business Management and E-Com throughout these years. Later, she went to Royal Roads University, where she was accepted for her Masters of Arts of Environment (having a strong interest in environmental and seismic architecture) alongside her working experience at Saanich Peninsula Hospital as the Environmental Manager. Jacqueline had a large staff in a union setting. She ran the health and safety program daily staff meetings, facilitated hospital outbreaks during flu season, and kept diligent records.

Unfortunately, Jacqueline couldn't complete the program at the time as she was now a single mother of five, with a fulltime job and obstacles in life that came with taking care of so many young children. The nurturing of the kids came first, and she chose to carry on with her master's at another time.

Jacqueline was a guest coordinator for Tim and Mary Boyle and worked at the local recreation center Westshore Parks & Rec as a maintenance worker, cleaning, assisting with events, and was a net girl for hockey games with the Grizzlies hockey team in Langford, BC. Your Dream, Our Creation Predominant Studios Inc was made possible by the partners and people who truly believed in Jacqueline from day one.

Shelby Roofing gave her first business loan to start the process of building and branding. Vanilla Blossom Flavors helped cover her corporate legal fees to ensure the venture was protected and incorporated. She asserts, "Without them, it wouldn't have been possible."

Jacqueline states that the Pooch App network (a unique social media app for all dog lovers) has also invested in Predominant Studios. It enabled the steps to build a reputable, long-term, rewarding brand that changes industry standards to fairness and equality for music recording artists and contracts.

Jacqueline is grateful to Won Agency Management Vancouver & Cliff ‘Cdawg’ Wise (Predominant Studios’ Director of A&R) for tirelessly working all year long with Jacqueline to develop Predominant Studios. As well, Jacqueline is grateful for the contributions of Ashanti Wright. Senior A&R, Blockchain Solutions Architect, and many more, like producer The Real Richie Rich, Kali (Ron Lewis), producer C-Lance, and Keep It Sticky Athletics, who promote Jacqueline's label to the hip hop industry.

Predominant Studios is also thrilled to announce that Chris "Glove" Taylor has joined Predominant Studios as Chief Technical Officer. He has a stellar and well-documented track record, producing for all-time greats and legends in hip hop, including Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, Ice Cube, Xzibit, and the uncredited song California love with Tupac Shakur.

Whatever your dream is, we create it.

move closely. Jacqueline shares, "We have recording artists, yes! Even some signed to major labels asking and inquiring about being represented by us/buying out their contracts or asking us to help them renegotiate their terms. Many seem to be unhappy with how much is being taken from them.

How must they sign all their rights away for their intellectual property? They want to come to Predominant Studios. People have heard about us through friends, our website and Instagram pages. Artists have been calling from everywhere, such as US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Latin America. We have had editorial and journalist contacting us like crazy wanting to know about our business process."

Predominant Studios help facilitate independent artists.

Jacqueline notes, "While maybe we don't have a spot for them as a signed artist, we do offer services to help make them more successful and help navigate them through the complicated stages of the recording industry. There are a lot of music industry scams out there, and we want to help protect as many people as possible."

Jacqueline believes that it's okay not to have 100% control in the music industry. It's okay to allow artists to stay true to who they are. which is why Predominant Studios based its core values as: • • • • • •

Fairness; Kindness; Trend-Setting; Inspirational; Trustworthiness; and Integrity

Predominant Studios Inc. has impacted the music industry in a rising fashion, having competitors watch their every

The work culture is essential at Predominant Studios, as the team is the first contact point for the artists and their representation. It continuously strives to listen and understand before replying. We remain kind, uplift and inspire artists and anyone who connects with the company.

"Our culture is rooted in positivity, supportiveness, and all our team members are like-minded individuals. We all share the same personal core values as well as professional values. We are, after all, "Predominant," and we must always live up to that title," explains Jacqueline.

Reinventing Norms Predominant Studios is creating fair contracts that allow the artist to feel valued and have a say in how it, as a label, projects them and their music. Jacqueline notes, "We feel artists' intellectual property should be treated no differently than a business. You wouldn't sign 50-100% of your intellectual property away, or would you? Most do for the chance to be seen in the competitive industry. It is very unfair for the artist, and we believe that allowing them to

keep more of their profits in their own pockets, as well as a say on the results of any music or press publications, is very important."

"This goes for copyrighting as well, while we may own copyrights on projects we make with the artist they always and forever will have a choice to buy them at and meager cost or to share co-copyright. At every step the artist is included. No decisions are made without their prior consent. We hope that others will eventually follow by leading the way for fair contracts. On top of fair contracts, there is also the change in how the music is being heard.

The old is cool again, especially in Hip hop. As our tag line reads, "Redefining the new generation of music," we are mixing the old with the new to give our listeners a new generation of music. There's no need for greed in this industry, and there isn't a limit to talent in the world," clarifies Jacqueline.

Heading Into Future Jacqueline expresses that Predominant Studios Inc's visions are well known and well respected within the music industry, with strategic alliances with other labels and service providers. With trendsetting and making significant moves in the sector, Predominant Studioswill be considered the next major music label. It hopes to set a new stage for artists, partners, and clients. Predominant Studios is scouting locations for its state-of-the-art recording studios in Canada and the United States.

Tiding Tunes "You are too brilliant to be working this type of job," "the world needs a powerful woman like you," "Don't go buy that 5-dollar Starbucks coffee, don't spend frivolously.

Whenever you feel the need to buy something that is NOT essential to your daily living, put that impulse buy money into a jar and forget about it. Do it every single time!", "You

There isn’t a limit to talent in the world.

are an inspiration to single parents."

These were the several pieces of advice that stuck with Jacqueline, shaping her career that she never forgets and hopes her children can learn from them.

Jacqueline shares her guidance, "Many of us have doubters.

They could be friends; they could be family. My one great piece of advice to any budding businessperson: it is always to be true to yourself. No one’s walking in your shoes, and no one else is going to be stuck with the decisions that are made for the rest of your life, but you will be. Make sure those decisions are for you & your family. Do what you love, do what makes that fire burn in your soul. Don’t go scouting for personal advice on your career path, just do you.”

“Someone’s always got something negative to say that leaves doubt in your mind. Do not listen to the haters; eventually, they will be your biggest fans. “If you’re comfortable, it means you’re not growing, and idle hands create idle minds, and that can lead to unhealthy living.

Stay focused, sleep when you’re dead, and party when you are already established and successful," Jacqueline concludes.

Danay Escanaverino CEO

LunaSol Media

The 10 Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs to watch in 2022

Danay Escanaverino

Delivering Quality Leads and Sales Worldwide After spending several years in the startup scene, Danay Escanaverino's entrepreneurial ambition became too powerful to turn a blind eye. She eventually started her business a decade ago; today, as the CEO and Co-Founder of LunaSol Media, she manages and nurtures a brilliant team of internet marketers who generate measurable results for their clients.

Danay's career highlights include launching a successful affiliate network and seeing it through acquisition and breaking into the online Hispanic and Latam markets with Filiado, the first successful affiliate network to serve affiliates and advertisers in Latin America, including Brazil and the Caribbean. This varied and results-oriented career path has provided her with a thorough understanding of launching a successful global marketing agency in the Hispanic and Latin American markets.

Insights Success caught up with Danay in our attempt to find "10 Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022," We talked with her to understand how she is driving a transformative change in the sector with her expertise.

Below are the highlights of Danay's interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at LunaSol Media.

What challenges you have to overcome to reach where you are today?

I started my journey in digital marketing in the late 90s when I was still in college. I learned how to create websites and code with very little information. Those highly demanded skills led me to consult for companies like CompUSA, UDVNA, etc. I also worked with some incredible startups, including eLeisureLink, a digital travel agency. I built out their affiliate program and worked to integrate them with booking engines via APIs. After that, I worked with MediaWhiz, where I launched an affiliate network and a search marketing division. It was there that I got to explore my passion for building out teams for each division. When we were acquired, I was charged with creating a marketing plan to integrate multiple brands that were also acquired under our new umbrella. After

Our team's diversity and years of experience in the multicultural market are what really sets us apart.

May 2022 | 17 | www.insightssuccess.com

several years in the startup world, the entrepreneurial itch was too strong, and I decided to launch my agency 11 years ago.

the switch much faster. For example, our company has been a remote team for ten years, so we had zero changes to make in that respect.

Tell us something more about LunaSol Media, its mission, and its vision.

Aside from that, there are so many new opportunities popping up. Web 3.0 is a great example where brands will have additional opportunities to connect with consumers in creative ways. The key thing we always look at is how effective it will be. Since we are smaller, that makes us more agile and able to make changes and test theories to see what works.

LunaSol Media is a boutique digital agency that leverages the power of Email, SMS, Affiliates, and Influencers to connect brands to Hispanic / Latino consumers. Our team's diversity and years of experience in the multicultural market are what sets us apart.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the management niche through your expertise in the market.

I am a team builder and love every part of creating and nurturing the right team. You have to find people you trust with the spirit of the company. You risk the entire team if there isn't a fit, so I take that very seriously.

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?

Being in digital marketing for over 20 years, I have been able to stay on top of many new trends and developments.

Two things have changed the landscape for connecting with Latinos: mobile and Influencer marketing. Before that, targeting this incredibly diverse market was limited to Spanish language media, which is not representative of the 60.5 million Latinos in the US who represent 18.4 percent of the population. Of that number, about 29% speak English only.

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for LunaSol Media?

I am passionate about elevating the Latino community, and I have had the privilege of making it part of my work. It guides me as we work on creating more opportunities for brands to connect with multicultural consumers in ways that consumers are looking for. That includes showing Latinos how the brands are showing up for their communities.

It is very rewarding to partner with brands to create scholarships and grant opportunities along with creative campaigns and deliver on the promise of elevating the Latino professional community with tangible solutions while giving brands the connections they want with the communities they sell to.

What, according to you, could be the next big change in virtual operations? How is LunaSol Media preparing to be a part of that change?

The pandemic certainly accelerated things like working virtually. The technology has been around for well over a decade, but companies were slow to adopt it. It created an opportunity for much smaller firms that were able to make

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Farah Emara | Co-Founder & CEO | FreshSource Global

The 10 Most Influen al Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022

Farah Emara

Shifting the Norms of Agriculture Industry

T

he entrepreneurial zeal combined with a transformative idea holds the potential to bring the desired change in any industry. Ideas that bridge the gap between traditional methods and modern technology can empower people to make a dent in the universe. Akin to such zeal and vision, Farah Emara co-founded FreshSource to streamline the fresh produce supply chain.

As the CEO, Farah aims FreshSource to be the leading fresh food distributor in the MENA region, leveraging data and technology to optimize the fresh food value chain.

handle the complete fresh food value chain such as transportation, storage, and packing in cold storage and packing facilities, providing producers with better consistent pricing and selling to the market at a reduced rate.

Farah is highly passionate about entrepreneurship and the value chain to eliminate unnecessary inefficiencies. Her remarkable efforts with strategic expertise are changing the norm of the agriculture niche, making her one of the most influential women entrepreneurs.

Vision: To create more sustainable fresh food systems through data & technology to transform the lives of producers, businesses, consumers and improve the planet.

Let us unveil her journey.

The Fresh Start Farah's entrepreneurial drive began when she worked at Procter & Gamble while studying for her Master's in Business Administration from the London School of Economics. Simultaneously, Omar, her would-be business partner, worked for Goldman Sachs in London after acquiring his degree in Computer Science & Business Degree from the University of Bath.

Farah and Omar had a keen interest in the agricultural sector, seeking new developments and innovation globally.

After months of investigation and extensive research, they discovered that roughly 30% of Egyptian crops are wasted due to poor post-harvesting, storage, and transportation, jeopardizing its food security. Farah noted that these producers oversee most of Egypt's agricultural production.

However, the high number of intermediaries in the supply chain lacked transparency, losing approximately 80% of their potential income. Thus, FreshSource was born to

Mission: FreshSource aims to leverage technology to become the leading fresh food distributor in the MENA region by changing the way fresh goods are sourced, moved, and sold.

Transforming Agricultural Value Chain FreshSource is introducing innovative technology to the traditional industry, holding the potential to position Egypt as a global leader in agriculture technology. Farah asserts that several international organizations have acknowledged FreshSource as a regional success story. It is revolutionizing the agriculture value chain by offering unique solutions for integrating producers into the modern process, ensuring fair prices, and reducing food loss.

Disrupting the agri-value chain!

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FreshSource works with producers to give a market-driven approach to demand planning while improving their revenue by 20%. In its pursuit of technological excellence, FreshSource uses data to forecast market prices and supply variations. It links these producers with businesses, providing convenience through last-mile delivery, transparent pricing, and data analytics and saving them 15% on costs. It achieved a food loss rate of 5%, compared to the national average of 45 percent, with its holistic cold chain and data insights.

The Possible Change Farah mentions that using technology and data to strengthen the fresh food value chain will significantly impact the country's economic development. She says, "By reducing food loss, you are reducing the cost of fresh food and enabling a segment of the population that could not previously afford it to have a healthier lifestyle. Also, regarding producers, this method increases their income and thus improves their quality of life."

Farah believes that blockchain will have an immense impact on the value chain of food. It has already started happening and will only continue to transform the industry.

Agriculture accounts for 40% of the global workforce and represents 6.4% of the entire world's economic production.

Getting food from farm to table is an extremely complicated process with many intermediaries. Farah notes that people are oblivious to what has been sprayed on their

food or how it has been handled. Using blockchain to promote the traceability of food will have a transformative impact.

Experienced Guidance Farah advises budding women entrepreneurs aspiring to start their businesses to be aggressive. She says, "While it may be uncomfortable for some people to be assertive and it might not come naturally, unfortunately, it is seen as a sign of weakness by investors and other stakeholders. So if you want to get far, you must be determined and assertive."

Farah expresses that an idea, no matter how unique or significant, is just an idea. Determination, perseverance, and transforming your setbacks into comebacks is what will build a truly successful enterprise. "We work hard to prepare our team and our company for exponential growth and always make data-driven decisions for our strategies.

We are building a strong team with a solid foundation and processes in place that will enable us to transform the Egyptian agriculture industry," Farah concludes.

May 2022 | 23 | www.insightssuccess.com

Hacia Atherton CEO

Empowered Women In Trades

The 10 Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs to watch in 2022

HaciaAtherton Empowering Women, Thriving Excellence

W

ith a strong passion for addressing the skill shortage within trade-based industries and the financial hardship many women face, Hacia Atherton established Empowered Women In Trades (EWIT). As the CEO, Hacia is working to increase female representation in a highly male-dominated industry by empowering them with educational awareness programs, safe work culture and giving them access to develop their skills through different programs and training.

Finding an Industry Aligned with Values and Passion Hacia had an exciting career path to her current role that had many twists and turns. When she left school, she started to study law, and her goal was to be a commercial law barrister. After gaining some work experience, Hacia decided that the law industry was not for her as it was extremely male-dominated and unpleased for women. So Hacia changed her field and started studying Psychology, Management, and Marketing. After a year, she was academically burnt out, so she left university and started a year of fashion design and a small business providing bookkeeping and office management support to small businesses. After a year at fashion design school again, Hacia decided that it was not a career pathway for her, and she went to do her financial planning qualification. This was also another industry that did not align with her values, and she left that industry. Hacia went back to university to finish a Bachelor of Commerce and the CPA program while working for her family's company.

In collaboration with educational institutions and industry leaders, we aim to increase women's role in learning the trade skills required for people and industry to thrive.

May 2022 | 25 | www.insightssuccess.com

Over the year there, she worked her way from low-level positions to Chief Commercial Officer. Through her experiences and learning, she realized that women face many hardships. She is today addressing these issues through EWIT. Hacia's greatest challenge was finding an industry that aligned with her values and passion and finding a role that gave her a feeling of purpose. She is extremely grateful to now have found that by being at EWIT.

Creating Equal Opportunity for Everyone to Thrive

Supporting Women to Enter Trade and Excel in Leadership

Hacia recognizes the importance of technology but also equally values human skills. She says, "Technology's role within organizations is evolving from automating the business to being the business. Industry trends and environmental factors are disrupting the traditional service requirements of organizations. What they need from employees is evolving. While robots will increasingly support organizational efficiency, automation still requires humans. Robots and machines will never possess human skills like creativity, nuance & sensitivity, communication, collaboration, idea curation, critical thinking, and conceptualized intelligence. We have a heavy focus on Technology and Human skills as part of our programs because technical skills are simply not enough in this new world."

Empowered Women In Trades is a registered charity organization that pushes educational institutions and workplaces to encourage women to see trades as a viable career path. In collaboration with educational institutions and industry leaders, it aims to increase women's role in learning the trade skills required for people and industry to thrive.

EWIT is there for women in the workforce to learn the skills to thrive in these industries to rebuild Australia's trades-based sectors and enhance its communities and businesses. It will support women to enter the trade and excel in leadership positions across trades industries. While supporting the industry, EWIT would like to ensure that workplaces have the resources to enhance the sector's economic development.

Leading with Courage and Creating Safe Workplace Hacia states that courageous leadership consists of curiosity, vulnerability, and empathy. She says, "You need curiosity to explore the unknown or uncomfortable, embrace being vulnerable and the likelihood of failure and empathy for yourself and your team to support the bounce back from failure and hardship. Leading with courage creates psychologically safe work environments for everyone to thrive."

Becoming Courageous and Resilient

Hacia would like to remove the bias when hiring and promoting. She says, "We should create an economic world where everyone has equal opportunity to thrive and achieve their remarkable full potential regardless of gender, age, race, or religion."

Having Focus on Technology And Human Skills

Empowering Women into Meaningful Employment Hacia envisions EWIT launching its programs nationally in Australia and worldwide to empower women into meaningful employment and support employers to provide psychologically safe workplaces for these women to thrive.

Reflecting on Purpose and Never Giving Up Hacia advises budding entrepreneurs, "Never give up; it will get hard! You are going to stuff up, and you will feel so out of your depth and a mile away from your comfort zone.

Also, reflect on your purpose and passion for why you started and build a strong support tribe to push you in those moments you want to give up because they will be there.”

Hacia says that through EWIT's technology platform Artium, the company is creating the virtual world of trades where people can explore a range of industries and trades while also working on the mental tools to become courageous and resilient. This platform creates an engaging way to source new information and expand your mental toolbox.

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Securing Future

Top 10

Business W Trends for

e hear the word "sustainability" a lot, but we don't always grasp it. It involves how natural systems function, how they continue to be diversified, and how they produce everything necessary for the ecosystem to remain in balance now and in the future.

Here are some sustainability trends that organizations should adopt to help the environment.

1. Waste Management Sustainable waste management strives to keep materials in use if feasible while reducing the amount of solid waste disposed of in landfills or incinerated. However, waste begins even before products are manufactured in our current economy. A more comprehensive approach to sustainable waste management should focus on the entire lifecycle of a product to help lessen the negative impacts of 21st-century consumption.

2. Climate Change Mitigation or Climate Change Adaptation While becoming green is important for climate change mitigation, some leaders also focus on climate change adaptation. On the other hand, climate

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change adaptation focuses on changes that accommodate the existing and future effects of climate change, whereas climate change mitigation focuses on prevention and reduction.

and businesses and energy suppliers seek to use and distribute energy from these sources.

3. Supply Chain Sustainability

The GHG Protocol creates globally standardized frameworks for measuring and managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from corporate and public sector activities and mitigation actions. The GHG Protocol provides the most extensively utilized greenhouse gas accounting rules globally.

Companies' attempts to address the environmental effect of their product's journey through the supply chain, from raw materials sourcing to manufacture, delivery, and every transportation connection in between, are referred to as supply chain sustainability. The main goal is to lessen the damage caused by elements such as energy use and waste creation while benefiting communities.

4. Electric Vehicles Using electric vehicles minimizes your consumption of fossil fuels. Reducing the impact of transportation can also be accomplished by taking public transportation, cycling, or walking; these methods produce fewer or no emissions.

5. Working from home When the pandemic struck, most workplaces were forced to close, and individuals were compelled to remain at home.

This allowed work to continue safely and reduced the amount of transportation and commuting required. Working from home/hybrid working is here to stay, despite the conclusion of the pandemic, because of the long-term effects.

6. ESG The utilization of environmental, social, and governance factors is called ESG. Energy use, waste, pollution, natural resource conservation, and animal treatment are all examples of environmental criteria. The company's business ties are examined using social standards. Investors may want to know that a firm uses accurate and transparent accounting techniques and that stockholders can vote on crucial matters when it comes to governance.

7. Renewable Energy Renewable energy is becoming more widely available.

Fossil fuel use has the largest impact on the environment and the climate catastrophe. Solar panels, wind turbines, and tidal energy are all common renewable energy sources,

8. Frameworks for the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHP)

In 2016, 92 percent of Fortune 500 corporations that responded to the CDP used GHG Protocol directly or indirectly through a GHG Protocol-based program.

9. Carbon Offsets Will Become Commonplace Carbon offsetting entails compensating for CO2 or other greenhouse gas emissions. When a firm or organization sponsors carbon offset programs, greenhouse gases are removed from the environment, or certain greenhouse gases are prevented from being emitted. Planting trees can be a simple way to offset carbon emissions, or it can be more involved.

10. Water Action Sets a New Standard As we approach 2030, when the UN anticipates a 40% shortage in available global water supply, we may expect a higher interest in water efficiency from businesses.

Companies can collect data on their water footprint by standardizing water definitions across their organization and knowing where water comes from and how it is used in operations.

Conclusion Sustainability isn't a passing trend. Nearly 40,000 participants attended the last UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, making it the largest climate summit.

This high level of involvement indicates growing public and business concerns about our joint influence on the environment. As global attempts to create a more ecologically friendly society develop, sustainable corporate operations rise. It's apparent that more of us are prepared to address the climate crisis better.

May 2022 | 30 | www.insightssuccess.com

Hilary Matson Founder & CEO

Yūgen Earthside

The 10 Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs to watch in 2022

Hilary Matson Making Sustainable Travel More Accessible

O

ften people love to travel to different cities worldwide and experience scenic and cultural beauty. Traveling is an excellent medium for exploring different places and interacting with native people. However, traveling is also a significant contributor to the global pollution index. Reports suggest that traveling leaves behind a lot of carbon footprint, which is irreversible. However, you can reduce the environmental impact of your tours significantly if you plan your trips efficiently. It is often challenging to plan sustainable trips independently, and package tours are either hard to find or too heavy on the pocket. Hilary Matson thought for a solution to this critical problem and came up with Yūgen Earthside, a company specializing in sustainable travel.

Hilary previously worked with Amazon for a decade and later chose a profession that better aligns with her values and interests. She founded Yūgen Earthside with the

Shaping the future of sustainable travel

concept of providing hassle-free sustainable travel solutions. Travelers did not have many viable traveling options before, but with Yūgen Earthside, they source package trips from responsible tour operators around the world to make it easier for travelers to discover and book sustainable holidays. They offer different travel activities like Cycling, Hiking, Safari, Cultural tours, and many others. Yūgen Earthside has an Earthsider Eco Shop, which houses zero-waste products like Keepsie Kits (all-inone sustainable travel kits) and Eco-friendly toiletry bags. It is working towards making travel an environment-friendly activity and providing customers with packaged or customized sustainable travel options.

Insights Success interviewed Hilary to know about her personal and professional goals and her thoughts about her company, Yūgen Earthside.

Below are the excerpts from the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Yūgen Earthside.

What challenges you have to overcome to reach where you are today?

My career launched right after undergrad – I landed a job with Amazon and worked there for nearly ten years in a variety of roles ranging from inventory management to marketing management. Eventually, I started to want “more” from my career – a deeper sense of fulfillment and pride and work that was completely aligned with my values and interests. This prompted me to leave Amazon, earn a top-tier MBA, and then launch my sustainable travel company: Yūgen Earthside.

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Launching a company is always challenging and launching a travel company amid Covid was no exception! We overcame this challenge by focusing on building the foundation of our business as much as possible so that when travel resumed, we would be ready to help build the industry back up responsibly.

Tell us something more about Yūgen Earthside, its mission and vision.

Our mission is to shape the future of sustainable travel. We help travelers discover and book sustainable travel, saving them time in finding the perfect adventure vacation they can feel great about. We also focus on educating people about what sustainable travel means and getting them to think about their trip holistically. Not only are our trips sustainable, but we also offer sustainable resources, carbon offsetting advice, sustainable travel insurance, and zerowaste travel products.

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?

Yūgen Earthside is a completely virtual company, so technology is integral to our success.

We have leveraged solutions in the following ways: • WordPress: We built our site on WordPress, which allowed us to be scrappy and frugal in getting a prototype of our vision out into the world.

• TypeForm: We use the sleek, professional interface of TypeForm to collect all kinds of information, from what types of sustainable actions our tour operators take to collect emails generated from our lead magnet (a great, free, sustainable packing list, by the way!), to intaking client information about custom trip preferences.

• Stripe: We integrated with Stripe to ensure seamless, secure payment processing.

• We use a host of other technology tools ranging from design (Canva) to SEO (Moz) to focus on automating and optimizing everything we can. This allows the bulk of our time to be focused on building and selling our product.

If given a chance, what change would you like to bring in the economic development?

The change that I would most like to see is a clear connection to sustainability and economic development. This is a May 2022 | 34 | www.insightssuccess.com

complex topic and requires input and buy-in from many stakeholders, including local governments, tourism boards, travel providers, and travelers themselves. Travel and tourism have an incredible potential to assist in the healthy economic development of regions, but it must be done so sustainably.

Sometimes, optimizing revenue comes at the cost of harming the environment or local communities – and that’s not sustainable. We need economic development that focuses on the land and the people as well as the economies so that our actions are creating more good than harm.

What, according to you, could be the next big change in the virtual operations? How is Yūgen Earthside preparing to be a part of that change?

I think we’re currently in the midst of the ‘next big change.’

Covid ushered in the work from home movement. I expect many people to continue working from home, at least parttime, even as we settle into the “new normal.” For Yūgen Earthside, we launched during Covid, so we’ve never had a physical office, and we don’t have plans to move into one. A silver lining of the ‘virtual workforce’ is that you can find the best talent anywhere. We capitalized on this by partnering with a marketing specialist from California and a sustainability specialist from Switzerland; meanwhile, we’re running the company from Paris, France though we’re registered in Washington State!

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals for Yūgen Earthside?

I envision Yūgen Earthside being the go-to platform for travelers to learn about and book sustainable travel. Whether you’re looking for a sustainable country guide of Portugal, a responsible trekking company in Nepal, or plastic-free travel essentials, we want to be who you think of.

Our goals are to shift travelers towards a more sustainable mindset and to nudge their behaviors to be aligned with that mindset. We need sustainability to be a no-brainer, and to achieve that, we have to make it really, really easy for people.

May 2022 | 35 | www.insightssuccess.com

Laurel Farrer Founder, and CEO Distribute

Laurel Farrer

Paving a Solid Foundation of Remote Work Culture May 2022 | 36 | www.insightssuccess.com

The 10 Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022

Laurel's foresight is often praised, but she came across several challenges that pushed her forward, making her one of the influential women worldwide. As the CEO, Laurel leverages the power of workplace flexibility to impact business operations and socioeconomics.

Dive into her uprising story!

The Pointed-Out Norm Remote work wasn't always the viral, exciting topic it is now. Laurel's decision to open a bootstrapped consultancy exclusively in this niche was perceived as an irresponsible risk. But now that there is global demand for her expertise, it adds to her existing challenges.

Laurel shares, "My small business is thriving for its size but is in direct competition with the largest consultancies in the world — multi-billion organizations with enormous workforces and unlimited funds. It's surreal to be in proposal negotiations, and the client says, "We're trying to decide between Distribute and Deloitte. Why should we choose you?" I think we'll be fighting this David-andGoliath battle (and the imposter syndrome that comes along with it) for a long, long time.”

Harnessing Virtual Workforce Distribute is an internationally-renowned management consulting firm and think tank pioneering the concept of virtual organizational development. Its services empower business and government leaders to start, strengthen, and leverage virtual workforces to solve corporate and socioeconomic painpoints, such as workforce discrimination, job accessibility, business continuity, talent retention, workforce diversity, economic development, company profitability, and environmental sustainability. It operates through change management consulting, content development, and operations analysis.

Denting the Universe Laurel states that resistance from mid-level management is

the number one barrier to success when adopting a workplace flexibility model. It is because managers often feel smashed in between the demands of their team members below them (who want maximum levels of flexibility) and senior leadership above them (who are concerned about the financial impacts of workplace transformation on the organization).

Both parties are looking to these managers to provide solutions and guide the company through the change management process, but there is no training on how to do it. Thus, they naturally feel stuck and overwhelmed until they finally revert to the familiar and comfortable — working in an office.

At Distribute, the team believes that for sustainable workplace flexibility, it's essential to equip all levels of leadership with comprehensive training on various topics.

From observing working styles and non-verbal behaviors in virtual team members, to measuring productivity based on results instead of time, building trust without spending time together, reducing meeting volume (to prevent the infamous "Zoom fatigue"), and much more.

Astute Technological Clout Laurel expresses that consulting is an infamously expensive and challenging business model to scale. She adds, "As a bootstrapped, lean small business, we knew that we would have to break tradition to meet the overwhelming demand for remote work expertise." Thus, Distribute challenges and analyzes traditional consulting methods to find opportunities for delivering content asynchronously through various mediums that include: video messaging, automated analysis tools, templating resources in cloud docs; all of which enable less dependency on human capital and inperson services delivery to fuel more efficient scaling.

Waving the Magic Wand Laurel knows that remote work is a revolutionary opportunity not only for businesses, but for communities too. The rise of distributed businesses can turn traditional

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T

he quote goes, "The tree that bears fruits gets the most stones thrown at it," which precisely resembles Laurel Farrer's 15 years of efforts when she founded Distribute in 2018. Ahead of its time, Distribute used the benefits of remote work to solve business concerns that extended into every industry and community. Laurel was publicly mocked by brands like Google, Slack, and LinkedIn for her advocacy; however, the tables turned, and today, working from home has been a global norm since 2020. The mockers are now ironically marketing their support for flexibility.

Remote work isn’t about pajamas and convenience, it’s about power and choice.

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economic development on its head. Historically, economies grow based on workers moving to places where jobs are available. "But now, with workplace flexibility,” she says, “we can reverse that and bring stable jobs to workers, wherever they are. I've helped design incredible programs with governments and universities around the world that have rescued ghost towns and isolated communities from economic collapse.”

Laurel continues, "I think that this is what makes me a true pioneer — not only that I'm helping to carve the path for a new industry, but that I am a first-hand example of what I advocate. I am proof that the virtual business world can offer unprecedented opportunities for diversity and inclusion — it's where a young, rural mother can have an international voice and make a global impact with nothing more than a $100 laptop and free wifi at the library.”

Expecting Shifting Tides Laurel mentions that workers have gathered together in a single location since the Industrial Revolution to produce results together. Everything humankind knows about business and teamwork is built on the foundational assumption that people will be together as they collaborate.

Even the concept of a manager is built on the objective to supervise the production process physically. So, now, with the rise of hybrid workplace models and distributed teams, people have hundreds of years of unlearning to do in order to operate in a way that isn't dependent on proximity. She asserts, "Every professional in the world has the challenge of understanding that work is something we do, not somewhere we go. Here at Distribute, we're helping business leaders adopt that new mindset and transform their operations to be as flexible and location-independent as their staff.”

Above and Beyond Distribute is doing phenomenal work as a consulting firm.

However, the world needs more than management training

and change management resources to build a strong foundation for the new normal of hybrid workplace models and location-independent workforces. It would be Laurel's dream and honor to expand her business into a comprehensive international think tank — a source of research, training, books, and software that teaches the world about the power of virtual organizational development.

Hey! Here's a Piece of Advice To prevent some pain points of building a new business, Laurel advises aspiring entrepreneurs to start with personal experience. Since the global rise of working from home in 2020, she watched hordes of ambitious visionaries see the "gold mine" value of remote work and try to eagerly capitalize on it with flashy product pitches and business proposals. However, their ideas were hollow and inflexible because they had never experienced the pain and stress of solving these problems themselves first-hand as the manager of a distributed team. She says, "Ambition alone means you can't sympathize with the client, so it compromises the credibility of someone’s expertise and their ability to deliver genuine customer service. So, work in a field for at least a few years before trying to build solutions for it as an expert or thought leader."

Parisa Fowles-Pazdro CEO & Creative Director maxbone

May 2022 | 40 | www.insightssuccess.com

The 10 Most Influen al Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022

Parisa

Fowles-Pazdro

Shifting Ways to Humanize Pet Experience

T

he path to success is always windy, and anyone who asserts otherwise is lying. Akin to a hurdled start and a steady rise, Parisa Fowles-Pazdro's path to success has been interesting, challenging, and filled with obstacles that have shaped her into becoming Founder & CEO of maxbone.

Parisa launched maxbone on the principle that "our pets deserve the best as our family members" – an entirely new concept to the pet industry. She believes that Pet products should be no different than what people would eat, use, or wear; thus, she created the company to humanize the entire experience within the pet industry.

Let us unveil Parisa's transformative efforts of the pet wellness solution they deserve.

Learning & Growing Growing up in a family of academic parents who sacrificed a lot to ensure a better future for their children inspired Parisa to always aim for the highest. As a young entrepreneur, she made money by getting on the real estate ladder and then experimented with different business ideas before launching maxbone in 2017.

It takes guts to execute an idea, and Parisa has always jumped right in, following her intuition having a good sense of what's missing in the market. She often says, "Hardship often prepares ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny." As fortune favors the brave, being the founder of a rapidly growing startup requires much proactive work, but maxbone accomplished many things reasonably quickly with a clear mission.

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Parisa's journey has been incredible, and she is deeply grateful to her talented team. She expresses, "It doesn't get easier as you grow since you face different challenges along the way. Resilience brings experience, which enables you to deal with problems differently. With that being said, you have additional resources as you grow, so you can build better teams and obtain new support across all departments.”

Empowering Pets and Pet Owners maxbone's mission is to provide modern pet parents with a one-stop-shop where they can shop for all their pet needs all in one place. As the first branded pet label on the market, it has a full-service digital platform for all the dog needs, including freeze-dried food made with superfoods and cozy beds, jackets, and carrier bags.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic showed everyone the importance of health, home, and the family that inhabits it, maxbone already held these values close when developing exceptional products for discerning pet owners. maxbone has cemented itself as the go-to destination for thoughtful, beautiful pet accessories, supplies, food, and wellness products. Reimagining the pet industry one piece at a time always brings the best to the new generation of pet owners. Epitomized by the launch of MB Eats, maxbone's meal and supplement line, the level of research, thought, and design Parisa and team put into their products remains unmatched within the nearly $100 billion industry. As the first direct-to-consumer business of its kind with this innovative approach to the way it takes care of pets, maxbone's dedication to quality remains the brand's guiding principle.

Distinctive Approach Despite being a digital-native company, maxbone also recognizes offline experiences' importance. Its pop-up store strategy engages consumers, creates meaningful connections, and exposes the brand to new and strategic markets. maxbone understands the needs of consumers, and especially in the pet industry, the shopping experience is still very outdated. maxbone created its retail strategy to appeal to a new generation of shoppers who seek high-quality products and unique experiences. Whether through a pop-up store, brand partnership, or activation, its goal is to keep the customer engaged and excited for the next big thing.

The Technological Assistance maxbone effectively leverages technology to boost

“A modern destination for the modern pet lover.” customer satisfaction by automating its customer service department to improve its system. It intends to provide customers with a streamlined and purposeful experience.

Parisa notes, "For us, technology is a key component of building deep relationships with existing customers and also attracting new ones. More importantly, we are a datadriven company that uses analytics to understand what our customers are looking for and design products that suit their needs.”

Compassionate Desire Parisa wishes that brands would understand that today's pet owners are taking their love of pets to a whole new level.

Pets are family members and not property. As millennials are more likely to prefer having pets than children, creating products that don't appeal to this new generation is no longer cutting edge. As pet owners browse for food and supplies, they bring the same checklist that they would for their products. Therefore, brands must adapt to this new demand.

Potential Shifts Parisa states that even though the health and wellness sector is booming, accessory brands are just now recognizing that new pet owners want unique pet supplies. She shares, "Due to the very different shopping patterns of millennials and generation z, brands realized it is necessary to update their offerings to cater to the new masses. maxbone was a pioneer in providing branded pet products with modern designs and a superior shopping experience. Seeing a gap in the industry, we developed our products for the modern pet owner who wasn't represented in the market." As a result, maxbone is now considered a trusted resource for consumers looking for quality, design, and practicality.

maxbone's initial years were dedicated to creating a brand that would garner trust and loyalty to increase customer retention. "The brand-building approach was unheard of when we first started, but now it has proven to be successful, with pet owners relying on our business for all their needs," asserts Parisa. By focusing on brand partnership strategies, broadening maxbone's health and wellness offerings, and providing an unmatched shopping experience, it hopes to reach as many pets and pet owners as possible with the care they deserve.

Over the Horizon Parisa intends maxbone to become the #1 destination in the pet industry by building a platform to serve pet owners looking for convenience, practicality, and unique designs.

She notes, "Even the industry's major players are just now recognizing the new demand and turning to maxbone for design-driven products and high-quality food and supplements.”

Finger to the Bone Parisa advises budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into the business sector to pick the markets that are scalable enough for the long haul. "Businesses that succeed have a simple math formula - demand plus customer acquisition.

As soon as you've found the right product-market fit, just go for it. Overthinking could result in you losing market share to other competitors," Parisa concludes.

May 2022 | 43 | www.insightssuccess.com

Sol Spier

CEO and Creative Director

Dawning Digital

Leader’s Viewpoint

Why Should You Prioritize a Positive Work Culture for Remote Employees?

W

hen you work with a remote team, your desks maybe thousands of miles apart, but your brainstorming and workflow processes need to be as closely connected as if you were in the same room. To access peak creativity, you need to genuinely know and appreciate the people you work with, and this can be achieved by creating and maintaining a positive work culture for your team.

According to Forbes, “companies with winning organizational cultures have 72% higher employee engagement ratings than organizations with weak cultures.”

As the CEO and Creative Director of Dawning Digital, I know that the first step to creating a positive work culture is

knowing and understanding my team. I know what all their pets are called, we have inside jokes, and they know they can talk to me about anything that’s bothering them. On a daily basis, we communicate over Zoom and Slack, but we can keep brainstorms sparking and ideas flowing with ease at the touch of a button. My team trusts me, and I trust them, which enables us to take our workflow to new productivity levels.

A team member who feels heard will continue to contribute enthusiastically to discussions, and a positive work culture ensures that. Would you like to know why a positive work culture for remote workers is so essential? Would you like to find the methods I use to encourage a healthy working

About the Author

May 2022 | 45 | www.insightssuccess.com

environment and team cohesion? Just read on, and we’ll have you looking forward to your team meetings in no time!

Why is positive work culture so important for remote teams?

A positive work culture is a glue that holds your remote team together. When your team feels like they can express themselves freely, be praised for excellent work, and make mistakes without being berated, their morale and productivity increase proportionately. When you stop reducing your remote team to worker bees at screens and start to connect with the creatives in your employ, the real magic starts. A team driven by deadlines rather than passion won’t choose to go above and beyond to innovate with their ideas. Instead, they’ll do the bare minimum to make sure

they finish their tasks. However, when your team can look at one another every day and think, “I don’t want to disappoint these people,” or “I want to excel at the same level that my colleagues do,” or “these people are giving their all, so I should give mine,” you’re handling work culture the right way! Shifting focus from profit to creating valuable, collaborative progress will always change your business’s output for the better. Remember: your monthly turnover is a number you can steadily increase, but you absolutely cannot buy motivation.

What are the challenges of remote teamwork and establishing a work culture?

Let’s say someone takes you to a sports game. You’re probably not going to cheer very loudly if you don’t know the teams you’re watching. If, however, you’re a fan of one

May 2022 | 46 | www.insightssuccess.com

of the teams playing, you’ll be up out of your seat, shouting and yelling and enthusiastically cheering on your faves!

The same principle applies to being part of a workplace team. The difference between indifferent and enthusiastic performance lies in one’s affection towards the goal or organization. If your team believes that they want your company to win, they’re going to do their best to carry your business over the finish line. You can foster this affection by creating a positive work culture, and you’ll reap the rewards of motivated productivity in return.

This is especially important in remote workplaces. When everyone’s primary point of contact is a computer screen, you lose the easy camaraderie you’d get in a shared office space. There’s no group lunch break, water cooler chats, or office Christmas party where your team can feel the human component of their workplace. Digital interfaces also mean it’s challenging to communicate empathy and compassion with your team. No matter how well you draft a memo, it won’t have the same effect as an in-person conversation, so you need to be considered in the way you address your team to avoid coming across as insensitive or intimidating.

How do I create a positive work culture for my remote team?

So how did we achieve this? How did a team that’s so geographically far apart manage to become so tightly knit and produce work that shows it? Well, I like to attribute that to our work culture, which I’ve carefully constructed around honesty, flexibility, and authenticity.

Communication is the first avenue that I focus on when working with the Dawning Digital team. We don’t enforce any correspondence hierarchies from the start of a team member’s journey, so they are encouraged to message me and any other team members with any questions they might have, no matter how small they may seem. This open communication extends to our team calls, which we have three times a week. The whole team is given equal opportunities to share their progress, personal wins, and questions. We share our multidisciplinary tasks to get ideas from different perspectives, making every team member feel heard.

Another significant aspect of the way our team operates is compassion. I offer my team members unlimited leave days, with an enforced mandatory five days off quarterly. When it comes to compassionate leave, I allow my team to resume work when they feel ready and don’t set tight timelines for grief and healing. If a team member has an appointment or needs to take care of something during work hours, I don’t micromanage their time as long as they complete their tasks. If they feel overwhelmed by tasks or can’t complete something, I encourage them to reach out to reshuffle their schedule. Some business owners may ask, “well, aren’t you putting yourself at risk of being taken advantage of?” And I’d say quite the opposite! When you show somebody that you respect them as an adult with human needs and let them know that you trust them, they’ll return the same level of respect and trust back to you. Allowing remote workers to fuel internal motivation builds a far happier environment than ruling with an iron fist.

The last and most fun aspect of the Dawning Digital workplace that I like to make space for is engaging teambuilding activities! Getting my team together during work hours with an objective other than work builds a rapport that motivates us all to do our best for our colleagues. Some of the team building we’ve done includes quizzes, pizza days, gin tastings, Valentine’s dress-ups, and show-and-tell, which all took place over Zoom! Creativity is a vulnerable space in which one risks being poorly received to pitch new ideas. If you’re comfortable with your team, you’re much more likely to offer high-risk/high-reward pitches that win you new clients!

A positive work culture is one that supports each team member’s success. I don’t want to succeed because of my team. I want my team to succeed alongside me. Dawning Digital’s people-first, profit-later approach to running a remote business has created a team of trustworthy, connected, and enthusiastic professionals who share one primary motivation: to work together to the best of our ability and create work we’re proud of!

May 2022 | 47 | www.insightssuccess.com

The 10 Most In uential Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022.

Verma

A Paradigm of an Adaptive Leader

True financial freedom and consistent economic development can only be sustained through education.

May 2022 | 48 | www.insightssuccess.com

Sunandini Verma Founder, and CEO

Amrev Media

F

ueled by passion for her work, Sunandini Verma embarked on her entrepreneurial drive and founded Amrev Media Inc, to create impactful growth.

“Leadership is about understanding and observing people that you work with, whether co-workers or clients, we are all more similar in ways than different,” clarifies Sunandini.

Sunandini believes that her greatest power is the ability to compartmentalize each aspect of her life.

She maintains a grounded sense of self and skills required to be a strong leader, regardless of what's going on in other aspects, projects, or interactions.

Bring YOUR Vision to Life Amrev’s mission is to create revolutionary technologies and ease implementation through high accessibility. It is driven by creating unique solutions for its B2B clients by bringing their vision to life. It takes clients on the full journey from idea, design, development to user acquisition.

Sunandini shares, “Through the countless rollouts, I learned that it’s important for us to have our tools. We have created a plethora of tools, apps, and technologies on the blockchain internally to have a B2C/ SaaS option for our business model. We have focused on technology as a service, and now we can proudly say we’re thriving in service and product niches.”

Amrev Media has adapted the remote work culture since the beginning. Sunandini expresses that remote work requires strong organizational skills and an ability to trust your team to fulfill their work. She notes, “I am not a micromanager, but I am detailed. I expect the work to be completed correctly and timely, how and when it happens, I do not feel the need to manage. I find it freeing to allow people to work the way they want, from wherever in the world. We hope

to sustain that model with our growth, having only the necessary team onsite.”

The Foresight of the Next Major Shifts Sunandini states that it is important to sustain stability regarding economic growth in the rapidly changing business world. She mentions, “I feel a necessary change is financial literacy, especially modern-day banking, payment processing, crypto, etc. True financial freedom and consistent economic development can only be sustained through education.”

What the Future Holds Sunandini believes it is critical to maintaining her identity as a person, regardless of the ups and downs of the enterprises she is associated with. She wants Amrev Media and its several products to have the impact she envisioned when she first started. She aims to make a difference financially and in people's daily lives and enterprises. It's all about making people's lives better, and those are the items that last.

A Guiding Light Sunandini's most important piece of advice to everyone, regardless of what business you want to start, is to concentrate on who you are and what you project internally. “Who you are as an individual should not be defined by things that are a variable to change outside of you- that includes your business.

The story that you feel about yourself is the one you project and what people will perceive. If you are clear on your vision, the variables in between do not matter, and circumstances are not who you are internal,” Sunandini concludes.

Suzie Yorke Founder

Love Good Fats

The 10 Most In uential Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022

SuzieYorke

Reintroducing Good Fats into People's Diets

Suzie Yorke is a late-blooming entrepreneur who utilized her accomplished marketing background, personal journey, and deep devotion and passion for health. She is the Founder of Love Good Fats, which she founded to reintroduce fats into people's diets and educate the public that sugar, not fats, is the culprit of poor nutrition and the fact that we'd been misled for the last 40 years! After reading Nina Teicholz's best-selling book, Big Fat Surprise, Suzie switched to a high-fat, low-carb diet and began to feel better within a few weeks. She found it extremely difficult to obtain handy, high-fat snacks. Seeing a market gap and a big chance to assist people via food, Suzie founded Love Good Fats, a firm that manufactures low-sugar snacks high in good fats and low in sugar. The Mission of Love Good Fats is to spread the word that Fat is back and sugar is out!

Having Great Experience in CPG Industry Suzie is a 25-year veteran of the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) industry and has worked at brand-building companies such as Proctor & Gamble, PepsiCo, Kraft

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Our mission is to empower everyone to embrace a new way to snack, nourish your mind, body, and spirit with good fats, plenty of protein, and nearly no sugar.

May 2022 | 53 | www.insightssuccess.com

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hysical fitness is foundational to mental toughness and intellectual sharpness. Good health is the basis of life expectancy and performance in every aspect.

To the degree one has good health, to that degree, one can do well in every endeavor. Good health and well-being are also among the most critical goals of the United Nations' sustainable development. Leaders who understand the importance of health can help create awareness and introduce the right concepts beneficial to our overall health.

Heinz, and Weight Watchers. She also worked at two other hyper-growth brands before creating her rocket ship success story brand at age 50.

Suzie grew up in a small apartment in Montreal with her twin brother and shared a bedroom with her mom for 13 years. Both her twin brother and she were adopted at a young age. They grew up speaking French in Quebec, and Suzie only learned English when she moved to Toronto after she graduated.

Suzie put herself through school (while working three jobs) and graduated from McGill Engineering in 1990 with a minor in business.

She knew early on that she wanted to be in business and got in at Proctor & Gamble in Toronto and has had an incredible career in CPG marketing & brand building since.

Ensuring Competitive Edge Having expertise in marketing allowed Suzie to bring over some "musts" to Management. Suzie introduced Monday Wins and Tuesday Management Priorities.

Suzie also enforced using 1-pagers for projects of every size and, of course, the best brand Positioning 1 pager ever, as this is foundational to your brand, company, competitive advantage, and culture!

Enabling Great Communication with Vendors Everyone has experienced a massive change, with the whole world moving online. Love Good Fats did well, and it managed supply exceptionally well too.

Love Good Fats set up the office as up-to-date as possible to enable great communication (especially key during COVID) with its vendors and plan to be efficient.

Shifting People to Healthier Eating Love Good Fats is doing its part to shift people to what it sees as healthier eating, which has benefits for the economy.

The more it grows, the more it fuels the economy and can hire more employees. Love Good Fats wants to empower everyone to embrace a new way to snack and nourish your mind, body, and spirit with good fats, plenty of protein, and nearly no sugar. Its balance of good fats, protein, low net carbs, and very little sugar is Keto Certified and will help you stay on track.

Sharing Brand's Mission with Authenticity Suzie is on the Board of Directors of the company and plays a key role to support the Management team to grow the brand. She is also the founder, so she plays a key role in getting the brand name out and continues to provide the authentic voice and share the brand's Mission. Love Good Fats has flavors for everyone, crafted to please your palate and fuel your mind, body, and spirit.

Staying Close to the Consumer CPG and food are tough sectors. Suzie adds, "You need a great idea to market, some funding; your packaging, product, and pricing must be fantastic and better than your competition. So do your homework upfront BEFORE launching, and then stay close to the consumer to adapt quickly."

May 2022 | 55 | www.insightssuccess.com