The 20 Most Successful Shepreneur to watch 2018

www.insightssuccess.com November 2018

The

20

Most Successful

Shepreneurs to watch in 2018

Sarah Hoit

Connecting Generations and Communities

Editor’s Note

Suiting up, Challenging Stereotypes and Changing Worlds

W

hat if we were compelled to imagine that Marie Curie hadn’t founded the science of Radioactivity, and hadn’t driven ambulances equipped with x-ray machines to the frontline during the First World War? Similarly, what if Margaret Thatcher, hadn’t taken up the responsibility of being Britain’s first female prime minister during a time of economic and political unrest?

What if Amelia Earhart never made the record breaking flight of fourteen thousand feet, and never became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic? These are just a few notable women and just a few inevitable questions provoking the curiosity of comprehending a world without powerful women.

Instances where we’ve witnessed women taking the lead are deemed to have incited revolutions. I personally believe, with no intentions of objectifying anyone, a woman is a museum where priceless artifacts in the form of knowledge and experiences, narrate tales of self-belief, fortitude, contentment and compassion are on display, while we are mere visitors, trying to realize and learn from her history and her present. As men, valuing each woman by being unbiased and uncondescending must become our responsibility; understanding that a woman is the evident source of our very lives, must become our devotion; and striving to bring about the extinction of patriarchy, must become our resolution.

Recalling my days of adolescence, my mother, a nurse by profession, played a major role in building my character, both, as a responsible citizen and a man with values and morals that rebelled against gender discrimination. Even today, I watch her going to work, with her pride studded on her shoulders, her sense of purpose being avidly displayed by her smile and the unwavering confidence she conveys through her conversations, all inspire me to become as composed as her. All throughout my life, I’ve met and associated with many such remarkable women, who’ve inspired me to be a better human.

However, over the past few decades, the considerable ascension in the number of women in STEM disciplines, exhibits a promising picture of a gender neutral global development. The women of today’s technological era are achieving this by inciting their intrinsic qualities of democratic leadership, unwavering grit and ardent commitment towards their passion, which results in unparalleled success and excellence in one’s filed of expertise.

The point of all this, is that I wish to place the spotlight over those women in uniforms and suits, who’ve been instrumental in the disruption of the commercial world. Women, who have transformed industries, aided global ascensions of organizations and managed to do all this by constantly balancing their work and family. Women, who’ve changed lives, who’ve shouldered the foundations of the 21st century progressive society, and women who’ve even moved the mountains of a detrimental society just to make their voice reach out.

With the motto of promoting women empowerment and a gender just work environment, in our issue, “The 20 Most Successful Shepreneurs to watch in 2018,” we aim to identify a few such influential women, who’ve marked their presence in the world of science, technology, and a myriad of other disciplines and the entrepreneurial world, who’ve treaded a path of hardships and failures, but emerged victorious by overcoming them.

One among this list of highly-empowered and influential women entrepreneurs is Sarah Hoit.

Featuring on our cover, this CEO and Co-founder of Connected Living, is a passionate and prolific entrepreneur and nothing short of the personification of leadership. She co-founded Connected Living in 2007 to create a private social network that bridges the ’digital divide’ for millions of seniors who have been left out of the conversation that connects their families and communities. As a social entrepreneur, she has focused her whole career on strategies designed to make a positive impact on the world.

Connected Living is the chef d’oeuvre of Sarah and Chris McWade, her beloved business partner who she lost to cancer while building their company. Connected Living has achieved what no other company has, by meaningfully connecting an aging population with family and community. It has created a whole new market of products and services designed precisely to focus on connecting and living. The name of the organization emphasizes respecting and enhancing the life and the voices of seniors, and it also works diligently to combat disrespect and ’ageism.’

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot accomplish your dreams,” is Sarah’s advice to the aspiring generations of both men and women entrepreneurs. Make sure to read the rest of her story and also the stories of other such inspiring women, who are an eloquent embodiment of persistence, prominence and perseverance.

Also, do flip through the articles written by our in-house editorial team and CXO viewpoints of some of the leading industry experts to have a brief taste of their sectors.

Bon appetite!

Abhishaj Sajeev

Cover Story

10

Sarah Hoit: Connecting Generations and Communities

CONTENTS Shepreneur of the Year Rasha Oudeh: Power Lies Not Only in the Wallet, Power Lies in Competence

22

Shepreneur of the Month 30

Connie Pheiff: A Symbol of Exemplary Entrepreneurship

Industry Intel Rethinking the 38 Products of Today for a Better Tomorrow

Tech-Know Insights What a Tech CEO can Teach Your Business about Digital

58

Expert's Outlook The Fuss about AI

72

Stellar's Vision Balancing the Needs of Business

Articles

42

Industry Lessons

Editor’s Pick

Role of Laboratory Information Management System in Manufacturing Sectors

The Glass Ceiling Effect: Another Perspective on Women and Leadership

66

80

Abi Wright Moulding Perceptions and Redeď€ ning Wellness

24

Connie Linder Outclassing the Standards of Entrepreneurship

Elena Kyriacou The Millennial Shepreneur

26

34

Ellen Voie Bringing Gender Diversity in the Transportation Sector

Fatima Al Shirawi Deď€ ning Supremacy with Expertise

36

46

Florine Eppe Beauloye Pushing the Boundaries of Perfection

Ishveen Anand Revolutionizing the Sports Sponsorship Pattern

48

50

54

56

Janthana Kaenprakhamroy A Business Tycoon Advancing The Insurance Industry

Jennifer Farris A Leader with a Human Touch

Joelle Mardinian The Jewel in the Crown of “Joelle Group�

62

Julia Hell 64 Personifying Creativity & Humility

70

Marina Tognetti Stepping Up with Resilience

76

78

Dr. Nithinart Sinthudeacha Telan Reforming Benchmarks in Management Consultancy Sector

Vannessa Lee Changing Perspectives through Healthy and Tasty Food

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Executive Editor Assistant Editors Contributing Editors Visualiser Art & Design Director Associate Designer Co-designer

Pooja M. Bansal Anish Miller Kedar Kulkarni Jenny Fernandes Abhishaj Sajeev Sharad Chitalkar Ishan Mittal David King Amol Kamble Tejas Kulkarni Shweta Shinde

Art & Picture Editors Paul Belin Jayant Khanna Senior Sales Manager Passi D. Business Development Manager Peter Collins Marketing Manager John Matthew Business Development Executives Steve, Avdhut, Alan, Vishnu Sales Executives David, Kevin, Mark, Avinash Technical Head Jacob Smile Technical Specialists Amar, Pratiksha Digital Marketing Manager Marry D’Souza Online Marketing Strategists Alina Sege, Shubham, Vishal SME-SMO Executives Prashant Chevale, Uma Dhenge, Gemson, Prasad Research Analyst Patrick James Circulation Managers Robert, Tanaji Database Management Stella Andrew Technology Consultant David Stokes sales@insightssuccess.com

November, 2018 Corporate Ofces: Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com

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Sarah Hoit CEO & Co-founder Connected Living

Cover Story

The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

Sarah Hoit: Connecting Generations and Communities

My vision of success is about creating lasting change.

Women gain strength and courage from each other.

A

n inspirational leader needs unfathomable patience, sheer perseverance, unfaltering faith and endless compassion. When a woman holds the scepter of leadership, no boundaries are left uncrossed, no voyages cast adrift, and no doors are left unopened. If you walk a mile in the shoes of a woman at a leadership position, you will learn that the road is arduous and the destination unwelcoming. Yet, we have seen that women have built and shouldered the very foundation of empires, from scratch to exceptional glory.

Sarah Hoit, the CEO and Cofounder of Connected Living, is one such passionate and prolific shepreneur and nothing short of the personification of leadership. She is a social entrepreneur who co-founded Connected Living in 2007 to create a private social network that bridges the ‘digital divide’ for the millions of seniors who have been left out of the conversation that connects their families and communities.

Sarah was previously the Founder and CEO of Explore, Inc., an education company that operated programs which met the academic and social needs of every student through the integration of experiential learning, homework,

physical education, and community service. She holds a BA with Honors from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS), where she was awarded a public service fellowship.

Raised in a family where giving back to others was a part of the fabric, as a social entrepreneur, Sarah has focused her whole career on strategies designed to make a positive impact on the world. While applying to Harvard, she wrote in her application about wanting to use the capital markets for channeling funds to solve problems in both public and private sectors. Even before finishing HBS, Sarah was writing the business plan for AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps; her first large start up!

She also served as the Deputy Director in the Corporation for National Service in the Clinton/Gore Administration which has enabled over 1 million youth to serve the country over the last 25 years.

Reforming Human Connectivity Connected Living has achieved what no other company has by meaningfully connecting an aging population with family and community. It has created a whole

new market of products and services designed precisely to focus on connecting and living. The name of the organization emphasizes respecting and enhancing the life and the voices of seniors, and it also works diligently to combat disrespect and ‘ageism.’

Connected Living provides the most innovative and comprehensive suite of technology to all its constituents, and supports customers both remotely and in-person if and when needed. Its strategy privately connects family members to each other and the community and provides access to support, as well as goods and services such as 24/7 global concierge services, transportation and other essentials.

The organization’s innovative inhouse mobile and web development team has built a Mobile App for IOS and Android and connected ‘voice capabilities’ with the Amazon Alexa device to serve as an additional and very powerful communication tool.

Connected Living has a full suite of technology that can reach every constituent in communities including, digital signs, in-room TV, calendar/newsletters, life-long

The deďŹ nition of a good day is a day when people's lives are better for us being here.

Connected Living is leading the voice revolution as we continue to empower seniors to control their lives and connect to the people they love.

Cover Story

learning content, as well as all the mobile, concierge, transportation and ‘home connect’ packages for the many seniors aging at home.

The organization also believes that finding partners who share its vision is very important, and that they are stronger together in solving national and global problems. It values the strategic partnerships with Companies like Sodexo, Lyft, Circles, Amazon Alexa Group, Four Winds and others who are on the same journey. Connected Living believes that by finding Partners with a similar vision, the opportunity to diversify and strengthen one’s offering is even stronger.

Having worked for a decade on sharing and bringing to light seniors’ stories, Connected Living is set to release a ‘Time Capsule’ offering that allows the senior to answer essential questions about who they are and what is important to them, and to tell their story. The organization’s primary target audience is the family member who is often the one acquiring the technology or the service and connecting the generations. It has recently rolled out an exciting new ‘Employee Benefit’ offering for companies in every industry, which are offering the Connected Living app and Concierge Services through global partner circles to employees as a way to support staff and honor work/life balance that is a prime challenge for many employees.

An Enlightening Journey Sarah expresses her feelings of gratitude and feels that she was blessed to have come from a family which has always supported her and inspired her with a long tradition of service to community and the country. She comes from a long line of strong women who have founded universities, been entrepreneurs,

As a nation, we are facing an epidemic affecting many of our seniors who are aging in isolation.

Seniors do want to connect and when they do everyone’s life is more enriched with their voice, wisdom, purpose and it also brings incredible ‘peace of mind’ and enriched life to the family.

served their country and raised families that stayed close to each other.

Sarah’s father has always let her know she could do anything or be anyone she wanted to. “Both professionally and personally, I have faced significant and unexpected loss. I know profoundly that ‘Every Day Matters’ and you can’t wait for later in life to follow your path or passion,” Sarah says.

Sarah expresses her grief in losing her beloved business partner, Chris McWade, to cancer five years ago in the midst of building their company.

“We work every day with many people who are fighting Alzheimer’s, dementia and other conditions that I also face in my own family and it sheds a spotlight on being present here and now. The definition of a good day is a day when people’s lives are better for us being here.”

Defining Roles Sarah believes that passion, determination and dedication, risk taking, communication skills, and leadership are the most vital

attributes that build an entrepreneur’s position and influence over his/her organization and subordinates.

She elucidates these attributes as possessing passion for what one is trying to accomplish and desire to create real change; exhibiting determination and dedication while treading the road which is never straight and being able to take a hit or experiencing failure and getting right back up, or changing course when market shows the way; a willingness to take risks and not following conventional wisdom; possessing essential communication skills at all levels; and demonstrating efficient leadership by always ‘showing up’ and leading from the front.

The Blueprints of Excellence “Innovate! Stay ahead! Provide great customer service,” is Sarah’s mantra to a successful entrepreneurial career.

Sarah asserts that Connected Living worries less about what others are doing, since it is forging new territories, and it listens more to what the customers, families, and seniors want. The organization tries to envision a future that is better, more connected, more respectful and engaging. It also focuses on innovation and customer service ahead of marketing so that it truly has the highest quality product in the marketplace. “We think this is the way to stay ahead of competition,” states Sarah.

Connected Living is in a moment of groundbreaking innovation with the ‘voice revolution.’ The program involves integrating Amazon Echo devices with Connected Living’s content management systems so that senior living residents can gain information with just their voices.

They will receive inspirations of the day, share music with family, or ask

questions such as “what’s for dinner?,” and “what time is yoga?” and much more.

The hub of the smart senior residence is the Amazon Echo Show. With a large screen and powerful speakers, the Show is an assistive device for the vision impaired or hard of hearing. Other voice-controlled smart devices will be installed to provide a completely unique experience. A senior can control the lights, heating and cooling, ambient music and can even view who is at the front door, all with just a voice command. “Every day we increase seniors’ ability to control their lives and connect to the people they love,” Sarah explains.

Advocating for Women Entrepreneurs While advising fellow Shepreneurs, Sarah states, “We need to keep leading from the front and realize there are still many barriers to break down for women in all fields.”

Sarah understands that today in the US the numbers are still very low for women CEOs; only 4% in the Fortune 500. While women are 50% of the workforce, only 10% are entrepreneurs. “I think we women have a powerful

ability to change our culture and to build organizations that thrive. Together with our male colleagues we can lead organizations that are family friendly and that promote women and men equally with equal pay opportunities,” explains Sarah.

“It is difficult to ignore the numbers or odds for women, and yet I never looked at it that way and I am very hopeful that my daughter and her generation will be in a different place from the landscape we had coming into the business world 30 years ago,” she adds, hoping for a gender-bias free future.

Surpassing Adversities Raising capital and identifying those resources were a critical challenge/decision initially for Sarah. She had significant student loans when she started her first company, so she had to move very quickly in order to keep paying the bills. “It was a very big risk to go from a steady income to a blank piece of paper on which you write your business plan,” Sarah recollects.

“Classic roadblocks are people telling you that you can’t start a new business and that 60% of new businesses fail,

Cover Story

and all the friends and colleagues who correctly weigh the risks you face and counsel you to let go of your dream,” adds Sarah with a pinch of non-offensive sarcasm.

Envisioning a Connected World Sarah enjoys being with a team that is hardworking, passionate and creating positive change every day.

For the near future, she hopes she is fortunate enough to continue to lead this team and help form strategic partnerships that will allow Connected Living to have a national and global impact on the aging crisis and provide families a meaningful place to have ’peace of mind,’ connect, share stories and access goods and services they need.

fighting the dreadful epidemic that affects innumerable families all over the world, including her own.

“Always, I value time with my family, parents and amazing children, Wesley and Samantha. No matter what I do in life, nothing is more important than being their mother,” says Sarah affectionately.

Sarah also values enormously the opportunity to be active in the community; she serves on a number of non-profit boards including Dementia Friendly America Board

Sarah cites a favorite quote of her by Steve Jobs, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” Sarah takes pride in having so many dear friends from the different

Bequeathing the Keys to Success Sarah’s advice to the aspiring lot of entrepreneurs is, “Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot accomplish your dreams. So many will try to dissuade you, warning you of the risks, the expense, and the slim odds of success, stay strong and believe in yourself.”

chapters of her life, and she cherishes her strong women friends who have walked a similar path, fought similar battles and successfully balanced motherhood and work. “We gain strength and courage from each other.”

As an English Literature major, Sarah cannot help herself in often finding that the quote which most encapsulates her path is from Robert Frost’s, The Road Not Taken, and it says, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

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CORPORATE OFFICE Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone: (614)-602-1754,(302)-319-9947 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com

The

Company Name

Management

Brief

A Poke Theory connectedliving.com

Vannessa Lee Co-founder

A Poke Theory is a fast food-first concept serving up fresh Hawaiian poke bowls, superfood smoothie bowls, cold pressed juice & healthy snacks.

CEDEM AG cedemag.com

Rasha Oudeh CEO

Connected living beryl8.com

Sarah Hoit CEO & Co-founder

Connected Living is the only global technology company that inspires an aging population to connect, contribute, and live a healthier life.

Content Design London moonshotdigital.com

Sarah Richards CEO

Content Design London run bespoke training courses and consultancy for businesses and organisations.

Elemed womenintrucking.org

Elena Kyriacou founder

Elemed is a niche executive search company, for Regulatory and quality in the Medical Device world.

Higher Steaks opensponsorship.com

Stephanie Wallis Co-founder

HigherSteaks provides juicy, tender and delicious meat you love but without harming our health, planet and animals.

Intengine.com tapoly.com

Connie Linder Founder & President

Intengine aims to be the leading information source, database and global marketplace for healthier procurement.

Joelle Group myngle.com

Joelle Mardinian Founder & CEO

Joelle Group is a leading beauty business in the Arab world

Julia Hell Grafik squadley.com

Julia Hell Freelance Graphic Designer & Art Director

Julia Hell Grafik creates visual landmarks while making web interesting.

mOOnshot digital Intengine.com

Florine Eppe Beauloye Co-founder & CEO

CEDEM AG is a manufacturer and supplier of healthcare and pharmaceutical products.

mOOnshot digital is a creative and digital marketing agency for premium and luxury brands.

The

Company Name

Management

Brief

Myngle spabreaks.com

Marina Tognetti Founder & CEO

mYngle is an online language learning service provider for business professionals. Based in The Netherlands they provide one to one lessons through an online virtual classroom.

N-able Plus julia-hell.com

Nithinart Sinthudeacha Co-founder

N-able Plus offers the best in class Organization and Human Capital Management Consulting globally.

OpenSponsorship apoketheory.com

Ishveen Anand CEO & Founder

OpenSponsorship is a two-sided marketplace for sports sponsorship. We are making sponsorship accessible, efficient and data-driven.

Pheiff Group, Inc elemed.eu

Connie Pheiff CEO & Founder

The Pheiff Group provides expert strategies to escape your 9-5, make an impact on your community

Spabreaks highersteaks.com

Abi Wright Managing Director &Co-founder

Spabreaks.com aims to open up the world of spa by empowering, advising and educating consumers, while offering unrivalled customer service and striving to break down barriers by making spas more accessible for all.

Squadley thegraciousf.com

Jennifer Farris Co-founder & CEO

Squadley is an intuitive yet powerful planning and performance platform that meets the challenges of managing today’s distributed workforce.

Starcount joelle.com

Edwina Dunn CEO

Starcount is tailored Big Data and Data Science Services to transform business performance, drive customer engagement and boost sales growth.

Tapoly pheiffgroup.com

Janthana Kaenprakhamroy CEO & Founder

Tapoly provides on-demand insurance for self employed freelancers, sole traders, contractors, and small businesses.

The Gracious F wandr.studio

Fatima E. Al Shirawi Founder

The Gracious F is the leading Aesthetics Consultant in the Middle East, established with a vision to assist both individuals and corporates in achieving their goals, and fulfilling their objectives.

Women In Trucking contentdesign.london

Ellen Voie President & CEO

The Women In Trucking Association is a non-profit organization with the mission to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the industry.

Entrepreneur of the Year

Rasha Oudeh R

asha Oudeh from Jordan was one of the keynote speakers in Berlin's major economic forum, Global Female Leaders' Summit 2018, who told her story of becoming a leader in a speech that has received a standing ovation by a crowd of executives, entrepreneurs, prominent academics, and leaders from all over the globe. By watching the video of Rasha's speech in the summit, one can tell that she is one such proficient and prolific entrepreneur.

When she first started as a trader in 2007, she provided a variety of services in pharmaceutical field to earn money, services that included: pharmaceutical trading (finished and API's), registration support, market research, assigning agents, writing studies, selling machinery and selling medical equipment's. It was a journey full of struggle which helped Rasha to gain insights into pharma industry & exceptional experience.

Rasha wondered why there no such service providing companies in Europe these services in MENA and why there is no company with a portfolio that fits the MENA region, the answer was: difficult business culture & environment; regulations differ from country to country, and on top of that: the language.

At the end of 2015, Rasha sold all of her business to start again by acquiring CEDEM AG whose financials made it

22

Power Lies Not Only in the Wallet, Power Lies in Competence

look like a startup co., but the spectrum of the clients which CEDEM has built over the last three years utilizing the last 9 years' experience speaks for itself. To expand further, Rasha has collaborated with four prominent investors/partners; two of them experienced experts in the same field from multinational companies. She built a team of skilled professionals/ consultants in the Middle East who can run the business in Switzerland, Germany, and UK from Amman, Jordan.

Despite difficulties and high expenses, Rasha continued to operate a business from Switzerland, as she believed that all big businesses started with one entrepreneur who had the commitment, dedication and never say die attitude to do business with STYLE. Nevertheless, Rasha shared that she could not have built the brand equity of Cedem that quickly without the people working with her, acknowledging that sometimes she might come off as demanding, still she is giving them in return her whole experience. Rasha expressed her sense of proudness when she sees them achieving and doing well even if they are in other jobs.

Rasha shared her dream of establishing the first sizeable Swiss-German company that is focused on the MENA region and which can be a partner of choice for big pharmaceutical players in the MENA region, and the idea behind CEDEM comes from this niche.

Her journey has proven that influence in doing business lies not only in the wallet, but in the mastering of business competencies Exemplary Leadership Rasha encourages entrepreneurs to follow their own path, she expresses that one should not be afraid to pursue what one believes in. She also advises having sustainable human relations because she believes that it helps one to function adequately. She believes that focus plays the most important part in success. She advises to enjoy giving back one's experience and competence and whatever one has gained throughout their journey. Rasha believes in non-traditional ideas. She believes that leadership is a learned mindset that can be fostered with education and coaching.

Introducing a New Profession Today, CEDEM aims at becoming the Middle East's first private label service provider. Given the fact that this industry represents less than 1% compared to the rest of the world, with Germany and Switzerland accounting for around 45% and 38%, respectively.

With Rasha's continued efforts and perseverance, she introduced a new profession to the Middle East, namely the private labeling manufacturing through an entire business process cycle. Considering that the region lacks such expertise, Rasha takes pride to have built such a capable team to serve this field. Rasha's extensive years of November 2018

B e fo c u s e d !

F o c u s is th e m a r g in b e tw e e n fa ilu r e a n d su cce ss.

expertise were ďŹ lled with diďŹƒculties and pressures, yet she was able to succeed.

Social Responsibility As a Jordanian living abroad, Rasha is deeply committed to share her insights, expertise, and knowledge with fellow Jordanians, and to keep engaged in Jordan's economy. Amal, the dead sea project, is aimed to become part of Jordan's eorts to combat poverty and unemployment, it is a starting point that helps to sustain the living of hardworking women who also utilize their limited resources. While the 'Training for Employment' project is a program that is aimed at enabling Jordanian young females to take a step into an international career, by preparing them to operate in a vibrant, ever-changing, international business environment, supporting them in growing to be managers and leaders of tomorrow.

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ntrepreneurship in its essence is a responsibility, resting upon the shoulders of those deemed fit to play the roles of a guide, an innovator, a beacon of motivation and a preacher of disruptive ideologies.

This responsibility essentially builds up the foundation of an entrepreneurial career and demands ceaseless commitment, unfathomable patience and determination of the size of a mountain. Considering the significance of these traits Insights Success recognizes Abi Wright as the ideal personification of entrepreneurship, and is thus shortlisted as one of the most successful shepreneurs of 2018.

Abi is the Founder and Managing Director of Spabreaks.com. She started her career as a journalist before quickly realising that wasn’t where her skills were. She then moved into PR and marketing. After time contract negotiating in Maritime Security following 9/11, she found a happy home in spa hotels. It was there that she really began to feel there was an opportunity to change the perception of spas, and to work with them to realise their commercial potential.

Abi owned a PR agency for a few years, and then launched Spabreaks.com in 2008 with a team of three, and it has all gone from there.

“Today it’s amazing to think that Spabreaks.com is not only an industry leader, particularly concerning spas and cancer, but that it’s also Europe’s

24

largest spa booking agency,” Abi expresses.

An Avid Emphasis on Customer Satisfaction Showcasing the amazing variety of experiences that are available, is at the heart of what Spabreaks.com is all about. Whether one’s looking for a real health and wellbeing escape to detox and address particular concerns, or fancies a romantic and indulgent mini break with plenty of champagne,

Spabreaks.com is possibly the best option.

Abi has a team of really experienced product managers who work with spas to create packages that really showcase each spa’s best qualities and experiences, and through the organization’s website it offers those packages in easily identifiable categories to suit a wide variety of customers. “After all, that’s the thing about health and wellbeing - it’s for everyone,” states Abi.

According to Abi, a major part of building strategies in order to tackle competition is about knowing the industry and having a very clear vision of what she wants the company to represent, but it’s also about listening to her customers and being willing to evolve. From day one she has read every review and piece of client feedback that has come through - good, bad and indifferent, and from there she has been better able to entirely understand what they feel has been missing from their experiences. For Spabreaks.com it’s all about customer service and experience, and that’s a policy driver for the organization.

Surpassing Adversities Abi expresses that she feels lucky that she has never experienced any direct discrimination, sexism or misogyny, all of which are appalling and have no place at work or at home. If she takes her own experiences and observations however, she thinks the biggest challenge for women in the workplace is juggling everything. She doesn’t think that we live in a world where we can pretend peoples’ work and home lives are separate any more.

As a mother, Abi has a particular set of challenges. She always remembers being told that “it’s either your work or your kids that lose out, but it’s not, it’s you.” Abi would never let her company or her children suffer because of her schedule. It’s her wellbeing and her time with friends that is sacrificed and

November 2018

she expresses, “We all know that if you don’t balance that out at least some of the time it, is very bad for your wellbeing.”

She asserts that she has always tried to treat employees as individuals and make sure she has good relationships with her team, so she knows when someone needs extra support. She tries to facilitate flexibility wherever possible, and in recent years she has been able to enshrine that in an organizational policy a bit more. Abi thinks for everyone, including women, the challenge of having a healthy work/life balance is really tricky, but she thinks her organization is doing something right because, 90% of its senior management executives are women, who have grown through the company and the company has seen them through births, deaths and everything in between.

who has previously felt marginalized, but have also realised that things don’t change overnight.

Setting a Benchmark Asserting upon the ideal question of what an entrepreneur’s perspective should be, Abi States, “I think it’s a combination of knowing your market, surrounding yourself with good people and trusting your gut.” When Abi first started Spabreaks.com the Groupon/discount code model was in full swing and her organization was in the middle of recession. “Everyone thought I was mad starting a business that was essentially a luxury product, but I knew the industry, I knew what I envisaged for it and why it was different, and I backed that up by

surrounding myself with people who I knew were good at their jobs and who I could really trust. I think it’s probably called a strategic risk,” Abi adds.

Abi aims to continue to develop the way that spas are perceived, to widen people’s understanding that spas can heal, and to dispel the idea that it’s just about beauty. Abi wants to enhance the healing nature of spas in the UK so that they compete on the same level as European spas, educate the UK spa goers about the true European spa experience, and continue to grow Spabreaks.com’s overseas portfolio.

.QR Z\ RXUPDUNHW The ongoing challenge for Abi has been to change the GR\ RXUUHVHDUFKVXUURXQG perception that spas are just \ RXUVHOIZLWKJRRGSHRSOH about beauty and are just for women, and to highlight their \ RXFDQWUXVWDQGDI W HUWKDW importance for wellness as LWBVDERXWWUXVWLQJ\ RXUJXW well. Spabreaks.com has done DQGJRLQJI RULW a lot to change that over the years but still continues to be an ongoing challenge. There are also some age old issues in the spa industry that the organization has been really adamant about changing. In particular the attitude towards anyone with or recovering from cancer has been an industry wide issue that it is working on with other industry leaders - that’s really all about education and understanding. Abi comprehends that ¹Z hü} the same applies really to any other serious health condition. The team at )RXQGHU0DQDJLQJ'LUHFWRU Spabreaks.com has done a lot of work to open up the spa industry to anyone

‘‘

November 2018

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The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

Connie

Linder: Outclassing the Standards of Entrepreneurship Connie Linder Founder & President

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aking into consideration, the drive to transform the environmental startup ecosystem, formulation of contemporary business strategies, possession of reformative, democratic and compassionate entrepreneurship qualities, and a profound knack for innovation, Connie Linder has been recognized as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in her field.

Connie is the Founder and President of Intengine.com, formerly known as GreenPages Directory, which is the fastest-growing database and one of a kind business platform for sustainable purchasing. She is also a co-founder of Agora Energy Technologies, an innovative company that is building the world’s first redox flow battery that uses carbon dioxide as feedstock.

Connie knew there was a need for an efficient, pro-business and

26

pro-solutions platform that allowed people to make healthier informed decisions and she recognized that the changes needed to be made within the marketplace and that’s when the original platform, GreenPages Directory was born.

With Connie’s strong corporate and business background and focused intention for healthier ways of doing business, she became a bridge and leader in the sustainability movement in Canada. For her work, Connie has received numerous awards, including an award from the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Counsel; the Tech Green Award from the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC; the Women of Worth Sustainable Living Award; a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal; the Minerva Leadership Award; the BC Innovation Council’s New Ventures Award; and

she was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women as a Trailblazer/Trendsetter.

The Torchbearer’s Masterpiece Intengine is positioned to be the leading information source, database and global marketplace for healthier procurement and its name rings true to this. Intengine blends ‘intention’ and ‘engine’, making it the engine for good.

Intengine has the world’s most comprehensive and relevant database of responsible businesses for good and the largest database in the world of social and environmental accreditation organizations with certifications and business listings. Intengine’s Directory Listings includes all industry sectors and business listing types that can be filtered for local application with a global reach.

November 2018

Acting also as an aggregator of in-depth knowledge, Intengine is constantly expanding to deliver meaningful, multi-sourced information to its users, empowering them to educate themselves and make real changes by providing them with all they need in one place. The organization also makes it possible for listing companies to highlight their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reflect their social and environmental commitments.

“We are also collaborating with PwC to build baseline tools so businesses can see how they rank with key metric indicators in the industry against their peers,” says Connie. By including quantifiable metrics with products, Intengine helps differentiate and communicate the social and environmental benefits of products and services offered. The organization believes in collaboration and Intengine seeks to promote others who are also working towards a better Earth.

Surpassing Adversities “The toughest part of my journey was holding the dream for Intengine, when it was difficult to raise money,” Connie expresses. Years ago, when she realized there is a need for an online aggregator for her sector of expertise, she didn’t have someone to go to who had done it. “I had to attract the right people and that took some time. I worked on other contracts through my sustainable consulting company, Insight Creative Communications, to pay the bills to keep Intengine going,” she adds.

According to Connie the best part of her journey is definitely where she is at right now. “We have great financial partners, a new brand and a Team of dedicated and talented technicians,

November 2018

developers and marketers. They’re augmented by a world class group of advisors who I believe will turn Intengine into the world’s premier resource for sustainable purchasing,” says Connie. Connie comprehends that creating something in sustainability is not just finding a product, address or website and asserts that Intengine is finally able to educate people to make better choices.

“Being the best takes focus and a pragmatic vision. When you aspire to

to be treated and do your best with an open mind and open heart,” she adds.

Asserting upon the essentialities which an entrepreneur or a leader should possess, Connie says, “Entrepreneurs need to have vision, strength, patience, focus and perseverance.

Compassionate entrepreneurs need to base their vision on a foundation of integrity and an intention for outcomes that benefit people and the environment. Face everything with a strong vision and the resilience to keep going despite challenges.”

Promising the World a Stable Tomorrow 6WD\WUXHWR\RXU When asked to throw light over her future endeavors, both professional and YDOXHVWUHDWSHRSOH personal, Connie expresses, “My plans DV\RXZRXOGOLNH going forward are focused on being a good mother to my daughters who are WREHWUHDWHGDQG 17, 23 and 26 and focusing on building Intengine into a global brand that helps GR\RXUEHVWZLWK transform the marketplace. We will most certainly be the centralized place DQRSHQPLQG individuals and businesses will come DQGRSHQKHDUW to, for the new economy.”

something better, there is added stress because the market will demand more from you. I meditate every day to keep my head clear and focus on next steps so as not to get lost in the clutter of so much to do,” Connie expresses.

Bequeathing Values of Excellence According to Connie, although it is important for a leader to be able to reflect honestly, it is also important to deal with things and move on. “I have often been treated differently than my male counterparts, especially earlier in my career. It is important not to fall into the trap of being the victim. This will keep you down. Stay true to your values, treat people as you would like

“We have an important role as facilitators and educators for the new economy. I am also focused on my work as a co-founder of Agora Energy Technologies to bring this important technology to life. I don’t think I will ever think I am ‘done’. I think I will just keep adding higher visions with bigger goals,” she adds.

Connie promptly comprehends and exhibits gratitude on how contented she is with the way her life is right now. She unfalteringly promises to work incessantly on her dream that Intengine will connect those seeking a healthier way to live with those who have the solutions, so that the world can be a happier, healthier and more stable place to live.

27

Shepreneur of the Month

Connie Pheiff: A Symbol of Exemplary Entrepreneurship

L

ife, is a mere one syllable word, yet is the most volatile entity that ever existed. It encompasses a subtle blend of scintillating moments of joy and a few unbearable gulps of remorse, regrets and heartbreaking circumstances. As humans, to strike a balance between these contradictory emotions is our ultimate test and the ones who excel in this test are those who’ve accurately comprehended the true meaning of life – persistence. One person, who has commendably persisted through thick and thin and has emerged as a beacon of inspiration, is Connie Pheiff.

Connie is the Founder and CEO at Pheiff Group, Inc., and an innovator who is ridiculously dedicated to helping executives transition from the corporate life to activate their power, become unstoppable, and live their dream as a lifestyle entrepreneur. In 2006, Connie’s life experienced a turmoil when as a CEO, her position was eliminated due to a corporate realignment; at the same time a certain issue regarding her family, compelled her to face her fears of rejection and overwhelming disappointment. But that didn’t break her spirit and today, she is an example of ’what is possible when you shift your mindset and believe in yourself.’

After leaving corporate, Connie spent two years as an extensive seminar

30

addict, learning all she can about building a lifestyle business and transforming into a global business leader. She has many accolades to her name and cumulating of experiences from the school of hard knocks, Connie is an expert in business, leadership, and marketing and making things happen.

Connie is a master story-teller, an energy-filled, and award winning speaker on multiple levels with Toastmasters; a producer and award winning host of one of today’s leading podcasts for Entrepreneurial leaders named, the Connie Pheiff Show, and a five-time author and also a business coach. She is a former executive turned lifestyle entrepreneur and a philanthropist. She has served as the President of the National Speakers Association, Greater Los Angeles Chapter, and Division Director for Toastmasters, District 12. As a Business Woman, entrepreneur, speaker, business coach, author, and an avid Podcaster, she quickly makes an immediate intimate connection with her audience, inspiring them with a practical message for taking control and growing a business comprehensively.

In 2007, Connie founded the Pheiff Group, Inc. and since then she has developed her signature programs, such as the Activate Community, the Leadership Masterclass, and her most

popular program, the Business Accelerator Academy. Connie always shares a part of herself with her audience, which includes the instances about a life of spectacularly enlightening failures, or more precisely, lessons. She believes that through all the experiences, her success hasn’t come in spite of her failures, but because of them.

The extensive list of books which Connie has authored, includes – Finding your Passion for Action; The Art of the Ask: Get into your fundraising groove; The Art of the Ask: A collection of fundraising letters & telephone scripts; Marketing Masters: ready, set, grow your market; Business Accelerator: Become a highly paid lifestyle entrepreneur; and The Unstoppable Stories of Connie Pheiff which is set to release coming Spring of 2019.

Building the Leaders of Tomorrow The enormous recognition Pheiff Group, Inc. has received from the media has been the result of releasing relevant services at the right time. For instance, the Activating the Power of Women release represents all women without a voice, who wish to keep their power and not give it away through a march or protest. The organization’s Activate My Power community represents all lifestyle entrepreneurs

November 2018

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hɃ"}°¥ ƒ}6üù Ah° A• }AüÉ}}ÉhÉÝ —Connie Pheiff Founder & CEO Pheiff Group, Inc. who need the tools to survive in the sea of today’s highly talented marketers. “When we learned that most entrepreneurs lack the skills for marketing themselves we designed the PG Speakers Bureau as a unique agency where we are more than a booking agent. We are a publicist, agent, connector, friend and coach all wrapped into one package adding greater value for our clients to shine,” states Connie.

Thus, her organization’s community simply provides the tools for entrepreneurs to do it themselves and the bureau will do the rest of the work. By understanding the clients’ pain, the Pheiff Group’s team was able to target its media outreach accordingly, which results in increasing visibility to a larger network of its perfect client.

Whenever the question of strategizing the business comes up, in the organization’s team meetings, Connie’s first question is how to do it differently. Connie always quotes Steve Jobs, stating, “You can’t look at the competition and say we’re going to do it better. You have to look at the competition and say we’re going to do it differently.”

Defining Benchmarks When asked to describe her concept of ideal entrepreneurial attributes, Connie provides a list of traits which every entrepreneur or leader should possess.

Following is the list in Connie’s own words: y An unwavering passion. This is a cliché, ’to find your passion.’ A life of an entrepreneur demands dedication and commitment – this is what I call stick-a-bility. y Read and Reflect. Hit the ground running doesn’t mean an entrepreneur’s lives a life of chaos and confusion.

Rather, highly successful entrepreneurs start their day reflecting in silence. y Fuel up. Highly successful entrepreneurs eat food that tastes great and which is nutritious. Since

November 2018

31

y

y

y

y

y

y

y

y

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entrepreneurs are multi-tasking and work long hours, it is important the food on their plate fuels their body.

Work hard – Play hard. Highly successful entrepreneurs work hard because they enjoy their work, so work feels more like play.

Work smart. Successful entrepreneurs work smarter. They set and prioritize goals. Then each day they take steps to achieve those goals.

Don’t Complain. The life of an entrepreneur if filled with peaks and valleys. They are not immune to bad things happening. Highly successful entrepreneurs learn to stop focusing on the event, and instead, learn from the cause of the event, pivoting and moving forward.

Exercise. A exercise routine is part of a successful entrepreneur’s daily To Do list. This not only nourishes the body, but also nourishes the mind. You’re in better shape and have better decision making skills.

Serving others. Contrary to popular opinion, highly successful entrepreneurs focus on serving and giving because they know it creates value. We all know that Value can lead to financial reward. Successful entrepreneurs focus on creating value and serving others.

Invest in Yourself. Successful entrepreneurs never stop investing in themselves. They are always eager to increase their wisdom from current events to new technology.

They will attend conferences, take classes, hire coaches, and often join a mastermind group. Of all the personal habits of successful entrepreneurs, investing in yourself is by far the most powerful.

Forward-looking approach.

Successful entrepreneurs are always thinking ahead. They set clear goals that will keep them from moving backwards. I recently took an assessment that indicated I am clearly futuristic, always looking to the future, which at times is surprising to me because I enjoy

antiques and history. As a colleague put it, back to the future for me.

Transcending Adversities Connie is of the opinion that many of the challenges faced by women occur in corporates or as an entrepreneur. In her personal experience, at one time she believed there was a glass ceiling, and she even taught collegiate programs on this subject. But she believes the view from the ceiling has changed and that today women have opportunities to shatter the glass ceiling and make it theirs. She believes that many of these challenges continue to exist, but the most prominent challenge she sees is women worrying they’re not enough and are becoming obsessed with perfection and thus, failing to perform.

She admits she had the Impostor syndrome. Although, she left a position as a CEO of an organization, she felt unworthy. She expresses that initially her ego led her to believe that anyone would want to work with her. She applied for positions from Maine to Miami and found no positive response.

Then her recruiter and husband suggested she complete her college degree. Considering that advice, she went back to school and completed her Bachelor of Science in Business and later went onto earn her Masters of Public Administration. “The degrees permitted me the confidence to start my own business and here I am starting my twelfth year and never looking back.” Connie expresses.

Advising the future generation of entrepreneurs, disregarding the gender bias, Connie states that “As women if you want to be treated equal then you need to work hard and surround yourself with successful entrepreneurs.” She recommends creating networks, hiring a coach, or joining a mastermind group. “You will be surprised to learn there are many entrepreneurs offering the same programs and products as you. You

must begin by identifying your Unique Selling Proposition (USP),” she adds.

She also advises on not trying to be better, but focusing on how you are different and sticking to it. “Remember Stick-a-bility, the one who sticks to his/her focus longer, wins. Secondly, you can’t do it alone. It does take a team and embracing diversity because, that is the only way you will learn how to play the game of a successful entrepreneur,” Connie asserts.

Beholding the Future As a smart entrepreneur, Connie has her future designed and has already begun the shift in the business. Her online platform for radio has a greater presence with the Connie Pheiff Show and online TV. She has reduced her speaking engagements in order to increase her coaching and the reason for founding the Activate Community, where she is able to provide today’s lifestyle business leaders, the tools to activate faster; and the PG Speakers Bureau where her team of experts work with clients to build a successful practice.

Connie still enjoys speaking and her success in the spotlight, but she is at a stage in her life where she prefers to serve others and help them find their success. Her five-year goal is going home to the Great Smoky Mountains where she and her husband plan to build a conference and training center for lifestyle entrepreneurs.

November 2018

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lena Kyriacou is an award winning headhunter, international speaker, and professional branding coach. Born to a working class family of Greek Cypriot parents, Elena’s humble beginnings created in her that internal burning fire that characterizes an entrepreneur.

With nothing more than hard work, determination, and a desire to BE something more, Elena built her first successful business before the age of 30.

Today she is the Founder of Elemed, a niche executive search company in the Medical Device world. She helps companies grow exponentially by hiring exceptional talent.

Below are the highlights of the interview between Elena and Insights Success, where she sheds light on her journey: Give a brief overview of your background as an entrepreneur.

Ever since I was young I had what my

34

family would call an entrepreneurial spirit. I have always been unafraid to try new things, make existing things better and do it in a way that benefits others. Ever since I was young, I always created little businesses – it’s how I paid my way through University.

My first job in recruitment was also very entrepreneurial. I had to set up a life science brand completely from scratch; almost like building my own company within the confines of a bigger more established one. The brand was successful and I wanted to take that to the next level, so I left and created Elemed.

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to appeal to the target audience?

Recruitment is not as easy as everyone thinks because there are always a lot of moving parts. There are two variables, the candidate and the company and we have to tailor our services to bring together a company’s needs with a candidate’s aspirations. You have to understand each person’s motivators and adapt as a business to help them

achieve that. We try to consistently add value and build brand awareness through the creation and sharing of meaningful content for our target audience.

Describe some of the vital attributes that every entrepreneur should possess.

I think the desire to succeed and resilience are common attributes you find in an entrepreneur but also I think you need to have certain fearlessness and not worry too much about getting it wrong. An eye for continuous improvement and the ability to keep checking yourself to see how you can improve as a business and person is important. Above all working hard is the key. There are no elevators to success; you always have to take the stairs.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle competition in the market?

Although it’s important to be aware of what your competition is doing I don’t

November 2018

The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

let it define me. For me it’s all about being the best I can be. My biggest competition is myself. The key is to know what you’re talking about, follow up and follow through and provide a high quality service that makes people want to come back. We highlight the importance of candidate relationship and candidate experience which means approaching our candidates like customers; not just applicants.

What are the frequent challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the workplaces and what are the ways to tacle them?

According to a study I saw on Linkedin, women have a tendency to undersell themselves whilst men tended to oversell in business. I feel that as a women entrepreneur, there is a certain pressure to be better than men and a lot of women I know are inherently perfectionists. Being an entrepreneur is all about execution and getting things out the door but if you let being a perfectionist hold you back then that can mean in the long run you could lose. It’s important to know; something is better than nothing and things are never going to be perfect.

Better to get your product out the door and continuously improve it, than never get it out the door at all.

What were the primal challenges and roadblocks you faced during the initial phase of your career as an entrepreneur?

The biggest challenge I faced is the variety of hats you have to wear when starting a business, not only are you CEO but you are operations manager, marketing and HR, the recruiter and the business developer. Whilst wearing all these hats you have to balance and manage your time effectively to ensure you are still able to do business. There are a lot of tasks that don’t necessarily generate revenue but take up a lot of

November 2018

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Elena Kyriacou Founder Elemed

time and that is a challenge in itself.

Where do you see yourself in the near future and what are your future goals?

As a business my goal is to make Elemed the best niche medical device recruitment company in the world. At the moment we are really strong in Europe and I want to keep expanding and have offerings in the US and further afield. In the future I want to be in a position where we can deliver and support our candidates and companies as they grow worldwide. It’s an exciting time for Elemed, we are about to launch a rebrand, a new website and 3 new business offerings.

Focus 100% of your energy on the 10% that matters. In other words make a list of activities that need to be done, highlight the ones you’re really good at and focus 100% of your time on becoming excellent at them. Hire someone and let them handle the activities you’re not so good at because you can’t be amazing at everything. I learnt this a couple of years into starting my company and perhaps if I had learnt it sooner I could have saved myself a lot of time.

What’s your motto in business?

There is only one thing that separates success from failure and that’s the act of choosing to give up.

What is your advice for budding and emerging Shepreneurs?

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The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

Ellen Voie: Bringing Gender Diversity in the Transportation Sector

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ntrepreneurs think prolifically; they create something new, something different that adds value to the world through the development and implementation of their innovative ideas. Ellen Voie, the President, and CEO of Women In Trucking Association is one of the women in the business world who plays an essential role in changing the dynamics and empowering the involvement of women in the transportation sector.

Ellen is an internationally recognized speaker and authority on gender diversity and inclusion for women working in non-traditional careers in transportation. Ellen has always been described as a visionary, so being an entrepreneur was a natural extension to her because of her perception to look into the future and an aspiration to create change.

Initial Learning Experience Ellen started as the Assistant Traffic Manager in the trucking industry but was later promoted to Traffic Manager. At that point, she was only 20 years old and was responsible for the shipments in and out of three fabricating plants, in addition to a private fleet of three trucks. She shipped in the raw steel

36

from around the country and shipped out the finished material, handling products to customers. She says to have learned a great deal from that job and that it gave her the start of a long career in transportation and supply chain management.

Forming the Association Ellen built the cornerstone for Women In Trucking Association in March 2007. Her goal was to create a more positive, empowering environment for women employed in the trucking industry. She was working for a large carrier in the Midwest and was charged with trying to better understand b how to attract and retain nontraditional groups as drivers, and this included women. At the time She was working on her private pilot’s license and belonged to an organization called Women in Aviation, International. It occurred to her that there was no similar organization for women in trucking and that was her impetus in forming the association.

A Comprehensive Organization Ellen is proud to say that the organization’s membership is comprised of nearly twenty percent men who believe in its mission.

This means that the organization is all-inclusive. Many men in the industry support and encourage more women to opt for careers in transportation. She says although the organization is called Women In Trucking, it is not FOR women as much as it is ABOUT women.

Ellen states that Women In Trucking Association has an annual strategic planning session where the board of directors, staff and

November 2018

any interested stakeholders look forward and define the activities and goals for the coming months and years.

The combined effort gives the organization a vision into how the organization will address future needs for its members and the industry as a whole.

Being an Instrument of Positive Change According to Ellen, an entrepreneur needs to see into the future and then determine how to create a positive change. She says an entrepreneur needs to possess a desire to use skills, determination and focus on helping move people and processes to result in the change one is seeking.

Ellen is of the opinion that an entrepreneur should be able to convince others that one’s path is the right one and should generate a support system, which ultimately creates a push in the right direction.

Valuing the skills women bring to the table Women are often humble and focus on consensus building while leadership traits are often perceived as assertive and controlled. Ellen says these are the challenges women face, but instead of conforming she speaks of the need to change the culture to value leadership traits which women bring to an organization.

According to Ellen, women are better at engaging their teams, and this has been proven to be a positive employee retention strategy, but she is worried that the characteristics that allow one to be more collaborative are not identified as leadership skills.

November 2018

Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone. Believe it.

Embrace it. Live it.

– Ellen Voie President & CEO Women In Trucking Association

According to her women bring a different set of skills to the workplace, doesn’t mean these skills are less important to the company. She is of the opinion that these skills should be respected.

and daughter graduated with a Master’s Degree in Economics from Purdue with NO student loans. She appreciates the thought that timing is everything and sometimes one needs to grab an opportunity despite the external conditions and make it work out.

Ellen is currently looking at leaving behind a thriving association that she let into an industry that recognized the need for change. She plans to retire in about five years, so now she is looking forward to focusing on traveling, writing and spending time with her family.

Determining the Course of Industry and Community Ellen’s advice for budding entrepreneurs is to truly determine what one can bring to one’s industry, one’s community or one’s social network. She says that one should have something to contribute to empowering others, but one needs to identify what that skill, talent or passion is and stay true to one’s mission. She warns not to get sidetracked by others who want one to accommodate their goals. Ellen also advises staying focused and to stay away from distractions.

Perseverance through Adversities Starting a nonprofit association in the middle of a recession is not the most desirable way to initiate change in an industry. Ellen lost her position due to the recession while she was responsible for two mortgages and her daughter’s college expenses. She is still not sure how she made it through that difficult time but she persevered

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Industry Intel

Celia Pool Co-Founder DAME

38

November 2018

“

T

he world is finally waking up to the single-use plastic crisis.

Over the last 10 years we have created more plastic than the whole of the last century combined. Half of the plastic we create is used just once, and then thrown away, taking 500 years to decompose. By 2050, the oceans are predicted to contain more plastic than fish. The plastic crisis is now too big for recycling alone to fix.

Global governments, businesses and consumers need to collaborate quickly to make impactful change before it’s too late. However, change is difficult when environmentally damaging habits have become so entrenched and often appear more financially appealing.

Technology is helping in this fight.

Reusable water bottles are now widespread, and apps that help you locate drinking water refill stations are now emerging. At the same time, reusable coffee cup technology is addressing the half a trillion disposable coffee cups discarded every year. Such items are gaining increasing social currency with consumers, who are keen to display them as markers of their environmental conscience. This revolution is encouraging, but what about the products that people aren’t so willing to talk about?

100 billion menstrual products are thrown away globally every year.

These are single-use, mostly made of plastic and cannot be recycled. You can choose not to have a coffee, you cannot choose not to have a period. Reusable options (e.g. menstrual cups, cloth pads) have been on the market for decades, yet the adoption rate has been slow. The primary barrier to entry is the fear of habit change.

So how do we bring about a revolution? The answer is keep it simple. And take time to consider consumer psychology. As humans, we abhor change. We are creatures drawn towards the comfort of the known. By November 2018

keeping habit change to a minimum, consumers are much more likely to adopt a new idea.

This was our philosophy at DAME when we created the world’s first reusable tampon applicator. We ensured the design was familiar and intuitive, so women did not have to compromise on their convenient, established rituals. We knew that hygiene could be a significant barrier to entry, so we worked with leading micro-biologists and medical engineers and used the best medical grade, antimicrobial materials on the market. As a result, the consumer only must rinse the applicator in cold water after use to keep it clean. Simple steps, minimal habit change.

However, it is challenging to tackle an issue that has such little awareness.

Menstruation has historically been shrouded in shame, fear and discretion.

It is not a topic openly talked about.

This is a problem with feminine care as a whole: it is frequently dismissed and the women trying to address it are critically underfunded. In 2017 female founders got 2% of the $85 billion VC investment pot. About 8% of partners at the top British VC firms are women.

According to Harvard Business Review, stereotypes about female entrepreneurs persist: women are overly cautious, shy away from growth, have insufficient resources and consequently their ventures underperform. Yet there is no performance data to support these stereotypes.

How are products used by women supposed to change in line with human and environmental needs, when they aren’t given appropriate recognition or have women involved in all stages of the process? Women need to be given more of a voice if we are to create meaningful change. The world of AI is already highlighting the need to diverse away from male, white, Western coders if we are to avoid

unconscious bias in the robots of tomorrow. Amazon had to abandon an AI recruitment tool that was discriminating against women, instead favoring prospects who mirrored Amazon’s existing male engineer workforce. At DAME women have been involved in every stage of the journey, not as a token gesture but as an absolute necessity.

However, our overarching business strategy goes beyond issues of inclusivity to incorporate a wider mission. DAME was founded on the belief that business can be used as a force for good. We use this core value to guide every decision we make in the business, bringing great clarity to our route forward. By communicating our genuine and authentic commitment to this mission, we hope that our message will quickly be picked up by those eager to join a movement for change.

To date, we have seen this happen not only with our consumers and the press, but with employees. People are increasingly drawn to companies doing good. 75% of millennials would take a pay cut to work at a socially responsible company.

All this strengthens our resolve at DAME to continue to tackle critical problems that are not openly acknowledged, that are significantly underfunded, and that have historically been controlled by giant monopolies.

Today we are focusing on menstrual products, but our vision is to revolutionize the entire bathroom.

These are big mountains, but having strong guiding principles makes the navigation much easier.”

-Words by Celia Pool Co-Founder of DAME For more information visit wearedame.co

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Industry Lessons

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ven if an organization offers an outstanding series of creative products, it has to ensure that the quality is up to the mark. Being compassionate about quality management is quite essential for a business venture to become a promising manufacturer. Thus, quality is more likely to be a necessity rather than a want. It do plays a salient role in supply chain that has strengthened manufacturer’s belief of implicating information systems especially in laboratories for quality inspections on finished products and goods.

Similar to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) has brought a disruptive change in traditional methods of supply-chain management. This technology acts as a reporting tool which allows researchers to input and store crucial data regarding the sample, such as schedule records, test-sample tracks, and also sample’s materialistic properties. Thus, it is quite obligatory for an organization to implement an adequate information system in an attempt to overrule all quality-related issues. Also, it often utilizes barcode generation for scanning in-process goods as well as finished products in an attempt to consume less time.

Outlook on LIMS

42

Utilizing to its full-potential LIMS operations customarily depend on the manufacturer and its requirements. Yet, there is a standard protocol on which the system mostly relies. It is deliberately designed to monitor and function on the various aspects of product quality management i.e. sample management. It handles the detailed records of each sample, and maintains accuracy in reducing the possibilities of the information getting mixed up in labs.

LIMS maintains the record of each and every unit, from a supplier to the researcher handling that sample. With such systems, the information tracking gets quite easier and could be fully automated, reducing the need for laboratory administration.

Implementing LIMS for workflow management aids a manufacturer to streamline the decision making process in the laboratory. The self-oriented system can automatically assign scientists regarding their tasks and even suggests the type of instruments required as per stated in the standard experiment module. Once the testing is completed, the system identifies and supplies the sample for the further process. Besides, many LIMS automatically cover ups various processes such as maintenance, inventory management and reporting. It is

November 2018

often useful for the instruments like centrifuges which generally face countless wear and tear, leading to variations in the readings. Such variations not only aect data analysis auditing but also, disrupt the calibration of the instruments. The use of LIMS system might vary from one organization to another, as the requirement of most of the industries is quite dierent.

November 2018

43

Equipment Calibration and Maintenance No industry can afford a failure in the quality checks.

Thus, many organizations spend loads of monetary assets over the laboratory maintenance and instruments calibration. With the LIMS system, an organization can surpass over unnecessary damages and monetary-cuts in laboratory. Apart from that, LIMS system must include maintenance records of the instruments used in testing, in an attempt to perform orderly preventive maintenance.

Due to the regular utilization, some instruments starts to show distortion that further affect the tests results. In case of depth micrometer, the instruction follows that it may require calibration every month or after every 50 uses. A manufacturer can improvise LIMS system, by including additional calibration instruction sheet which can be utilized by maintenance department thereafter.

Brief on Functions commonly found in LIMS Reporting: Irrespective of any category, every sector requires a prompt method to process out the reports.

Report helps organizations to analyze data and make further decisions based on it. From the ’most used instruments’ to ’lab-processing time’, it include all the required information flow from one unit to other.

Through implementing LIMS, organizations take a follow up and process audit trails of received information from such units. Yet, the level of difficulty varies with reports, as some may require higher custom coding to run while other export on Adobe PDF and MSWord.

EMR/EHR: Electronic Health Records is separate software, but some LIMSs includes EHR feature built-in mostly including patient reception queries and billing processes. Organizations mainly prefer on utilizing an all-encompassing system instead of software with singular capability. Integrating LIMS with such functions facilitate clinics with huge benefits while monitoring and maintaining a laboratory. It manages every bit of aspects

44

such as data tracking over time, continuity in healthcare, reduced costs, gamut information, technology of prescriptions and result orientation.

Workflow Management: Automate workflows have often become a trail in businesses due to its ability to maintain a steady flow between various processes without any extra human efforts. Instead of focusing more on reducing work, it saves time taken for tasking complicated tasks. Hiring or Installing LIMS aids one to codify existing methods and procedures and could delegate the decision-making to the software. Say, if installed, it can take over on assigning jobs to scientists and can also pick out instruments, as per requirement. It only requires a strong command structure through which LIMS can operate much deliberately.

ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning software attains potential to manage inventory and like EHR, it is also self-processing software. Collaboration or say, integrating ERP into LIMSs is more favorable due to its high allowance in monitoring alerts over low-supplies, auto-calculation of storage capacity and location management. Through implementing LIMSs, one can surpass issues related to data transcription errors, turnaround time, WIP status, and statistical analysis and COA generation.

Aftermath of LIMS-integration in laboratories has been witnessed to be more efficient and been claimed as a reliable system by various manufacturers. Though the digital transformation has never failed to surprise the markets with its potential to bring out disruption, its many fruitful benefits are yet to be explored. One of such—mobile-friendly LIMS, is predicted to shift the traditional laboratories by delivering more compact experience to the manufacturers which sooner or later going to be trail among the lab-owners and manufacturers. Currently, it is focusing on improving environmental, petrochemical, health-care, bio-technology companies and R&D institutes.

November 2018

The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

Fatima Al Shirawi Dening Supremacy with Expertise

I

n an interview with Insights Success, the Emirati Founder and Entrepreneur of The Gracious F, Fatima Al Shirawi shares her great insight towards organization’s journey and its specialized solutions and services. Also, she broadly discussed about company’s core competencies and about how company is establishing in the market.

Fatima is a BA in Sociology and Marketing from George Washington University, she is also Certified from Polimoda Fashion School in Florence and London College of Fashion as a Certified colour Consultant accredited by The Colour Affects Institute.

Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between Fatima and Insights Success: How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to appeal to the target audience?

The Gracious F started as an Individual Colour Consultancy firm to support individuals to enhance their day to day through science of colour, might that be in their aesthetics or their emotional balance. Within following years our individual clients had requirements within their corporate, interior and fashion segments to increase their productivity and revenues through support of colour science. Past few years The Gracious F has also been catering to all major segments of business with tools of colour science, and is now also a accredited educational platform that offers trainings within Luxury Retail, Management universities and Government entities. Our diversification has been natural once the knowledge of colour science and its benefits spread within the region.

Describe some of the vital attributes that every entrepreneur should possess.

Apart from Passion, motivation and market adaptability to cater to your audience within your business concept, Research, a lot of

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November 2018

Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.

— Fatima Al Shirawi Founder & Entrepreneur Research was vital. Therefore, these would be the Vital Attributes every entrepreneur should possess.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle competition in the market?

I strongly believe there is no such thing as direct competition in the colour consulting segment, however all the similar concepts motivate me and my team, to exceed in our performance for every service we offer. All other organizations in the similar business concept compliment somehow our concept, and our first approach is to see how we could collaborate in the future with similar organizations, in order to create and perform more efficient and greater combination of services within the field of colour.

What are the frequent challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the workplaces and what are the ways to tackle them?

I will not lie, being a women entrepreneur has not been an easy path, especially within the region I started my operations, where women entrepreneurs were only existent and identified in some specific industries, such as interior, Fashion, FMBs and Government Organizations. Women worldwide are sometimes not taken seriously, and constantly put into an intimidating spot, my solution for this has always been, craft and perfect your abilities and show your challengers you are the best within your industry.

What were the primal challenges and roadblocks you faced during the initial phase of your career as an entrepreneur?

My primal challenges were associated to managing my finances, as I had no investment support when I started my journey within this industry but had imagined my company and expansion. My first step was to prioritize my needs, my initial investment was applied to my organizations marketing tools, such as my website and PR in order to offer awareness to my target audience in understanding the science of colour and its benefits, which by the way will always be consistent. To afford this strategy, I was located at a shared office for a few years and had a virtual PA for support. Yes, it was a one man show and this was not easy.

November 2018

Where do you see yourself in the near future and what are your future goals?

This is my favorite question, there are many things I see myself and The Gracious F doing in the future. However, the most significant goal is to be the leading colour consultancy firm globally. Which will allow me to support individuals and corporations in achieving their goals. The key is to understand that the colour psychology is a personal enhancement technique when it comes to individuals and a revenue generating science when it comes to organizations and firms, not a philosophy.

What is your advice for budding and emerging Shepreneurs?

Have no fear, take the challenges, no business is small or big, it’s your concept and attitude that make you a successful “shepreneur” .

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The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

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assion and dedication are some of the most important traits for a leader to be successful in business. When combined with the ability to translate a vision into reality, great things happen. The inspiring journey of Florine Eppe Beauloye, Founder of mOOnshot digital, is a perfect illustration of that.

Florine is an award-winning digital and media entrepreneur, marketer, author, speaker, and avid advocate for digital as an empowering catalyst for change.

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In an interview with Insights Success, Florine shed a light on the remarkable success of her digital marketing agency for lifestyle and luxury brands, mOOnshot digital. She also discusses how her online luxury magazine, Luxe Digital, helps luxury leaders and affluent consumers discover the best in modern luxury.

These two digital ventures are pushing the boundaries and redefining luxury for the modern age.

Below are the highlights of the interview between Florine Eppe Beauloye and Insights Success.

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to appeal to the target audience?

I am constantly rethinking and refining our approach to offer real value to our clients, partners and the larger community.

Through my experiences, I noticed gaps in the market. I jumped at the opportunities, and from there, the trajectory of my businesses happened very organically. mOOnshot digital has expanded its portfolio of services to offer fully integrated business and digital solutions. What really makes us shine is our dream team made of former managers of Google, Facebook and YouTube, all passionate about innovating in the digital space.

In our continued effort to move digital boundaries, we launched Luxe Digital in January 2018. Luxe Digital strives to empower trendsetters with digital knowledge and inspiration to live their lives to the fullest with the perfect mix of luxury lifestyle and business stories. Our modern approach to luxury is about all the luxuries that

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November 2018

(PSRZHUHGSHRSOHHPSRZHURWKHUV — Florine Eppe Beauloye Founder make our lives richer — aesthetically, intellectually, and emotionally.

experience as an authentic leader with a seat at the table.

Describe some of the vital attributes that every entrepreneur should possess.

It’s essential to have a flexible mindset to continually improve and reinvent oneself. A successful entrepreneur continually pursues opportunities that push boundaries beyond her/his comfort zone.

Perhaps that is the biggest challenge of being a female entrepreneur — to consistently rise above biases and gender-based expectations, while embracing an unwavering dedication to being a great leader.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle competition in the market?

We need to understand our market well and be aware of the other players competing in our space. But I believe it’s more important to focus our energy on what really matters: the value that we bring to our audience and how we can consistently perfect that.

Rather than overly worrying about beating the competition, I believe it’s more rewarding to challenge myself and my team to redefine how business is done and innovate.

Over the years, I have built a solid network of influential partners which bears testament to the power of building bridges to success instead of barriers to opportunity.

What are the frequent challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the workplaces and what are the ways to tackle them?

It was a great honour to be recognised as one of “Asia’s Top 50 Women Leaders” and now as one of the “20 Most Successful Shepreneurs To Watch”. However, I don’t really see myself within the confines of a “woman entrepreneur” nor do I allow gender to become a determinant of my

November 2018

Thinking of our differences as assets can help gain confidence in the immense value we can bring to businesses and society in general.

Technology-enabled accessibility means more flexible working hours and an increased opportunity to balance the demands of home and business. Digital is also a fertile ground for women entrepreneurs to explore business opportunities, raise their voice and get heard.

What were the primal challenges and roadblocks you faced during the initial phase of your career as an entrepreneur?

As an entrepreneur, you constantly encounter challenges, which I prefer to think of as enlightening lessons and learning opportunities.

One of the most important distinctions I remind myself is to work “on” my business rather than “in” my business.

If you become too heavily immersed in managing day-to-day operations, the distractions will prevent you from realising your long-term vision. As a leader, you need to be able to step back in order to gain the clarity and perspective needed to move your business forward.

While we continuously evolve with an expanding audience, our purpose hasn’t changed: we are in the business of enriching people’s lives through digital.

I like to think of my work as a portfolio of well-integrated concepts that ladder up to an overarching goal of empowerment for forward-thinking brands and leaders.

Right now, I am focusing on expanding my businesses. I am also thinking about the next generation of entrepreneurs and the resources we can provide to those who will have the power to change our world. My head is buzzing with new ideas, some are to be tested and launched. Watch this space.

What is your advice for budding and emerging Shepreneurs?

There isn’t such a thing as “the perfect moment” to pursue a dream and start your business. Don’t let fear or anything else stop you from moving forward to reach your vision. Dreams only become tangible through action.

You will run into objections, but they are not failures, just setbacks. The key to sustainable growth and success is purpose and knowledge.

Wake up curious and determined to be better every day. Be confident. Be vulnerable and authentic but resilient.

Stay connected to the essence of who you are and your purpose, pause to ponder, and don’t forget to take care of yourself along the way.

Where do you see yourself in the near future and what are your future goals?

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The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

Ishveen Anand: Revolutionizing the Sports Sponsorship Pattern

I

n the increasing popularity of sports brands, marketing, promotion and advertisement are the fundamental tools that benefits the sports person and organization.

However, in recent times finding a right sponsor or a precise advertiser has been a challenge for many organizations. Recognizing this issue, Ishveen Anand, founded a platform in the year 2015 to make sports sponsorship easier for everyone.

In an interview with Insights success, CEO and Founder of OpenSponsorship, Ishveen shares some insightful answers on how the company is connecting brands to athletes for sponsorship deals.

Below are the highlights of Interview between Ishveen and Insights Success: Give a brief overview of your background as an entrepreneur.

I didn’t start my career post Oxford wanting to be an entrepreneur, this was a natural evolution. After starting out in Management Consulting, I became a sports agent and hence got introduced to my industry today - sports sponsorship. I realized that the industry had operated the same way since it started, with brands making their decisions off innate biases and relationships, rather than being data and technology driven. Sponsorship

50

was ready for disruption, the only question was could we be the ones to create the platform to solve it. Now that I am here, I love being an entrepreneur.

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to appeal to the target audience?

Our offering is constantly evolving, as well as our target audience.

Initially, while we were in Beta, we went after the SMB market, this helped us include a lot of new brands who never considered sports sponsorship. Now we focus on the mid-market and Fortune 500 brands.

We offer a lot more functionality, data, ROI tracking and have begun to incorporate ML. All this has been possible because we are constantly listening to our customers.

Describe some of the vital attributes that every entrepreneur should possess.

So many, where do I start! a) To listen and learn from your customers and other stakeholders, whether they are advisors, team members or investors. It’s important to be open to feedback given in many forms, and continuously be adapting. b) Be strong and resilient, being an entrepreneur is not a sprint it is a marathon, it’s better to get it right than to be the quickest one to do it

c) Give back, the tech community and ecosystem is small, and you can coach up or down, I have always welcomed the opportunity to sit down with other founders bigger or smaller, older or newer, to discuss, learn and brainstorm together. A close friend and I co-founded the Junto NY club, which is a place where founders and c-suite could get together to discuss their most private and confidential issues facing their company, and get feedback from the rest of the group.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle competition in the market?

It’s important to have an understanding on competition but not get fixated on it. Game planning for our current and prospective customers is what keeps me up at night.

What are the frequent challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the workplaces and what are the ways to tackle them? a) One interesting aspect I realized was that some team members are not comfortable in taking constructive criticism or negative feedback from female managers – you can adjust tone, but I actually feel that it’s not up to the manager to change but the team member has to get used to this.

November 2018

We believe in sport sponsorship as a marketing tool and want all brands – big or small, to benet from the many positive externalities it brings.

Ishveen Anand CEO & Founder OpenSponsorship

b) Raising money is an obvious topic. Investors like to pattern match, and for most of them the pattern has been white male founders especially in a male dominated sector such as ours. To tackle this, my suggestion is to find the right investors, who are more focused in you, your product and what you are building, not what they invested in the past. As a female CEO you must be better than a male counterpart to get the same benefits, this means prepare well, know your industry from inside out and impress with your knowledge and fearless attitude.

What were the primal challenges and roadblocks you faced during the initial phase of your career as an entrepreneur?

Because I started the business from my desire to change the industry given my own experiences as a

November 2018

sports agent, I definitely faced challenges by diving right in and not being prepared enough with the technology aspect of the platform.

I’d encourage new entrepreneurs to follow steps that really help early on e.g. joining an accelerator, getting hand-on advisors that truly understand your industry and hiring team members experienced in the various fields that you need.

Where do you see yourself in the near future and what are your future goals?

an awesome workplace for my team, somewhere they can grow and enjoy the challenges and satisfaction of the work.

What is your advice for budding and emerging Shepreneurs?

Be patient – it’s a longer journey than you may realize. Be prepared, read a lot, live in the moment, celebrate small wins. If you are just starting out, focus on just getting to the next step, don’t take big meetings too early, and be sure to have fun along the way.

Making OpenSponsorship the first place all brands come to for sponsorship solutions. Helping them understand, measure and deliver their marketing initiatives regardless of their size - they can be a publicly listed brand or bootstrapping entrepreneurs launching a new CPG. Another goal is to continue to build

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The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

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n an interview with Insights Success, the Founder and CEO of Tapoly, Janthana Kaenprakhamroy shares her insights around her organization’s journey and its specialized solutions and services.

Also, she broadly discussed her company’s core competencies and how the company is establishing itself in the market.

Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between Janthana and Insights Success: Give a brief overview of your background as an entrepreneur.

Ever since I was a child I always wanted to run my own business, but I didn’t know where to start, so first I went into a normal corporate career and ended up working as an internal audit director at UBS. However, to get some experience as an entrepreneur, I invested a small sum in another startup on the side. I was also on the board as a non-executive director. Once I felt that I had gathered enough capital and experience to manage and grow a company of my own, I left my job and started Tapoly.

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to appeal to the target audience?

Our target markets are the gig

54

economy and the sharing economy which are both diverse by nature, so we offer a wide range of products to cover the participants in these markets.

We make our insurance as customizable and flexible as we can.

Describe some of the vital attributes that every entrepreneur should possess.

Focus – It’s important to for any entrepreneur to have clear goals and work towards them with purpose, without getting distracted.

Resilience – There will be many setbacks along the way, but a good entrepreneur learns from mistakes and bounces back to continue on their journey stronger than before.

Forward thinking – You should always be thinking ahead to the next

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target and the one after that. Otherwise it is too tempting to be pushed from one crisis to the next without making real progress towards your goals.

Integrity – There is a cliché of the ruthless businessman, but in reality it’s being consistent with your performance and delivering on your promises that will put you ahead. This applies both within your team, and also to external relationships with customers and partners.

Realism – Keep your goals and focus to realistic targets, because nothing kills a business faster than an inability to deliver. Also, if you are seen making grandiose unsubstantiated claims, then that can kill your credibility.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle competition in the market?

We operate in an under-served growing market with only a few competitors.

This is an unusual situation to be in. I actually see competition as a good thing, as it increases consumer awareness about on-demand insurance in general, and that helps to drive takeup of the products.

What are the frequent challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the workplaces and what are the ways to tackle them?

There is still an expectation in society

November 2018

that women will be more family-focused than men. This expectation is particularly apparent in the investor community, which is predominantly male. I think there is a fear that women will not focus on their business as much because they have to spend time with their children. It may be true that women are more caring than men, but if so, that gives us an advantage in business, since it is essential to create a good environment for employees in order to get the most out of them. I think the best way to tackle misconceptions is simply to prove them wrong.

What were the primal challenges and roadblocks you faced during the initial phase of your career as an entrepreneur?

I have chosen one of the most regulated industries in the world to build my first business, so that is not easy. Plus building a tech focused company is very costly, so raising enough money will always be an issue. Another issue facing early stage insurance companies is finding someone to partner with. Obtaining enough risk capacity to underwrite the variety of products that your customers need is not easy. For that you need to meet with established insurers and convince them that you are worth their time and effort. It was a long process but eventually we got there.

Where do you see yourself in the near future and what are your future goals?

Currently I’m focusing all my energy in growing Tapoly and I don’t have much time do other things. But I would like to help and inspire other women to follow suit whenever I can. I want to change society’s perception about women in business, and ensure there are opportunities for everyone no matter their background.

November 2018

Janthana Kaenprakhamroy Founder & CEO

Tapoly What is your advice for budding and emerging Shepreneurs?

Make sure you raise enough money to cover you for 24 months, because you can’t guarantee that your existing investors will reinvest. Most investors want to see a lot of traction before they reinvest but tech companies often take between two and four year before breakeven, and tech is labour intensive. So it’s important to raise enough money to see you through launch to the point you start getting traction. Many tech companies fail because of this issue.

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The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

Jennifer Farris:

A Leader with a Human Touch

O

n paper, things have never looked better for female entrepreneurs. However, women-owned firms are still in the minority, and the hurdles faced by women who have embraced entrepreneurship are vast and often very different than those experienced by their male counterparts. Despite such challenges Jennifer Farris is an exemplary entrepreneur setting a great example for other women to follow.

She is the Co-Founder and CEO of Squadley.

of OKR alignment, continuous feedback and 1:1 coaching into a fast, total-management fitness routine. From the beginning Squadley was built to be a direct to manager/team tool as well as an enterprise product. Because of this, Squadley has been able to target both of its audiences in an impactful way. As the product was refined, so was its messaging and audience. In each iteration there were enhanced improvements.

Prior to starting Squadley, she was an HR Executive in the tech start-up industry. She often helped other founders build organizations and so she was indoctrinated to many of the struggles of building successful companies as well as the sacrifices entrepreneurs have to make. Jennifer has been a part of some of the Valley’s most successful start-ups, including Playdom, Kabam, Practice Fusion and Flexport where she honed her skills for building teams and scalable infrastructure. She also started her first small business 4 years ago, an HR consulting firm which she still manages even today.

Jennifer believes that it is critical to have qualities such as tenacity, patience, openness to advice, authenticity and a true belief in the product to be a successful entrepreneur.

Authenticity: Building a product just for money isn’t enough as people can see your true motivation. You need to have complete belief in the product that one is building to really be able to sell it to others.

Enriching Experience

Essential Qualities

Tenacity: Do not to be trapped by other people’s opinions. There are many who will believe it is not worth trying because it is hard. So, keep company of those that support and encourage your dreams. Like many aspects of life, ensuring positive and constructive support is in your corner versus surrounding yourself with negative or dismissive advice.

Reaching Out to People in a Meaningful Way

Patience: So much of building a company will take longer than one expects.

Squadley is a new approach to management that combines the value

Openness to Advice: Many people have made the same mistakes and have seen

56

many successes before you, and although no two businesses are exactly the same, learn from them and use the advice as it makes sense for you.

The founding team of Squadley has had a combined 60+ years of HR experience before it went on to build an HR tech product. They had been the customer for years before becoming the vendor. Therefore, the team is extremely strategic in its approach, since it knows all the players and where the true gaps in the space really are.

Beyond Prejudices According to Jennifer, one of the biggest challenges for women in the workplace comes down to people’s pre-established biases and expectations around style of communication. Men are often seen as having more confidence because of how they communicate while women have the struggle of either looking too aggressive or too meek. She suggests being comfortable with whatever style

November 2018

Life is not about being better than someone else, it is about being better today than yesterday.

Never stop learning.

Jennifer Farris Co-founder & CEO Squadley

works for oneself. She adds, in the long game, people respond to hard work, authenticity and intellect. Some people may seem to be able to cut corners, but over the long haul, they will come up short. She strongly advises to surround oneself with professionals that share same vision and approach.

Attaining Work Life Balance The main challenge faced by Jennifer was finding the balance between her family and work. She is the mother to a special needs child and her time is very often unpredictable. If she didn’t have a village of help around her, her journey would have been infinitely more difficult or perhaps not happened in the timeframe that it did. Although, she believes family is the most important at the end of everything, she is deeply passionate about her work and what they have built at Squadley.

She wants to do whatever she can to continue to push it forward.

November 2018

Vision and Approach Jennifer hopes to continue to contribute in the development of Squadley for the foreseeable future as it represents the pinnacle of what she has learned over the course of her career coming to fruition. She hopes to see Squadley be the go to solution and philosophy for developing great managers and therefore great businesses.

Never devalue the role your employees play. People, product and capital are all vital for a successful business, but Founders often spend too much time on product and capital. Don’t forget that a simple “thanks” goes a long way.

When people feel appreciated they will go extra mile in creating more value.

Words of Wisdom Jennifer shares some various tips for aspiring entrepreneurs.

If you are seeking a business to start, find a real problem to solve and become an expert in that field before solving it.

Keep a support system of a few people who you implicitly trust and are always there to help.

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Tech-Know Insights

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November 2018

3

am Bateson set up Thrive Partners, an on-demand coaching company, three years ago. In this article, she shares her point of view on how important humans are in a more digital world, what she’s learned as a tech CEO, and what this means when you’re looking to use tech in a way that’s both disruptive and works for customers.

November 2018

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In October 2015, I gave up a successful career as a management consultant and coach to set up Thrive Partners. Lots of people thought I was crazy. I was approaching 50, with two children still at home. But for the decade running up to that decision, I’d been thinking about a better way to deliver coaching – supported by digital, to share more widely the coaching tools I’d used to help clients for many years.

This was the business I set out to build three years ago. Today, we’re working with 25 clients on five continents – delivering our own brand of ondemand coaching, backed with insights for the whole business. The learning curve has been steep – particularly for someone who, by their own confession, didn’t have a lot of experience in learning technology. So here, I wanted to share some of the things we’ve learned – and what it might mean for your business.

Dream big I didn’t really set out to build a business that would be considered disruptive, but my background as a lean engineer and coach did mean that we ripped up the rulebook when it came to the coaching industry. We scrapped the idea that you needed to meet face to face, and that sessions had to last an hour, or even two hours. And we made it a lot easier for people to access a coach to answer the questions they had there and then – increasing access so people could chat to an expert within an hour.

Working with my co-founder, we then rebuilt the industry by asking the biggest questions we could imaging.

What if we could make coaching available to whole organisations? What if we could get listening as valued as speaking? And what if we could help organisations learn as quickly as individuals?

I found these questions irresistible: I wanted to do for coaching what Uber had done for getting a taxi, Netflix had done for home entertainment, and Tinder had done for dating. It’s these

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big dreams that have galvanised our success in the last few years – and which has set us in the right direction for the future.

Build for modern users Despite big dreams, we’ve also made our fair share of mistakes! A lot of them mistakes happened when we took our attention away from our end customers. It sounds obvious to see it there on the page. But it can be easy to lose sight of the customers that matter most, especially when, as a tech CEO, sometime we get preoccupied with a shiny piece of new technology.

So, what to consider first when it comes to users? The main thing to bear in mind is that they expect experiences that are easy and fast to access – a shift brought about by what we call the ‘Amazon Prime Mindset.’ In this era, clunky user experiences reduce the chances of uptake of services. In short, if your technology can’t match or exceed the quality of digital experience people get in their everyday lives, then you’ll need to go back to the drawing board.

Create wins for the many So, if users come first – who else can we harness the power of technology for?

Our answer? Everyone else in the system.

Early on in the development of our MyThrive platform, we realised that delivering digitally would enable us to do more than just scale and facilitate coaching in global organisations; it would also mean we could spot trends and patterns within communities of users, in organisations or society at large. Just as carefully listening has a powerful and transformative role in one-to-one coaching conversations, carefully listening to and analysing anonymised version of the conversations we host has a powerful and transformative role within whole organisations.

The whole-system insights we produced has helped to make sales processes smoother, improved communications and created more opportunities for people to learn.

Keep it human With suicide being the biggest killer of men under 45, loneliness sweeping through developed economies in epidemic proportions and a third of all young people suffering from anxiety, I strongly believe that we have a duty to keep talking to each other as a society.

We believe that keeping the art of conversation alive in this digital age is essential; only humans can master creativity, empathy, humour and imagination in a way that’s compelling.

Information is everywhere, so we’re using technology differently – to offer real human experiences at scale, at any time of the day, whenever our clients need a conversation, for everything you can’t Google.

And what of the future? Curiously, even the structures of artificial intelligence and machine learning look set to mimic human patterns. It’s still early days, but leaders in this space talk of ‘deep learning’ with AI – by layering up different tools that connect in the same way as our brain’s neural networks.

And so, the next three years?

My recent experiences have led us to ask even bigger questions than we did to begin with – which I suspect will lead to our next irresistible set of adventures! What if we could transform learning management systems into learning ecosystems?

What if any community of learners could connect with any community of teachers? And what if a better understanding of outcomes from learning could help both individuals, organisations and society to thrive?

I for one believe there are exciting times ahead.

November 2018

The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

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oelle is prominently known as a Lebanese television host, a makeup artist, and an entrepreneur.

She is the proud founder and CEO of a beauty company named Joelle Group. Joelle prides herself for being the host of a makeover TV show “Joelle” which has been airing on MBC, the Middle East’s number one satellite TV channel which attracts more than 120 million viewers per day.

She feels privileged enough to feature in one on one interviews with international celebrities and designers including Dolce and Gabbanna, Peter Dubdas, Anna Del Russo, Zuhair Murad, Kim Kardashian, Eva Longoria, Ivanka Trump, and the list goes on.

As a result of her enormous success and accomplishments, she acquired the position of being one of the most influential fashion and makeup experts in the Middle East. She created an amazing reputation for herself by evolving as a renowned TV personality being watched by viewers across the GCC. Due to these remarkable achievements, she was chosen to

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represent some of the most renowned brands. Joelle was also elected as Regional Creative Director for Max Factor in 2010 and also as the brand ambassador for Pantene, Braun, and most recently for Dyson and Evian.

Flight of Excellence At the age of 18, Joelle started her career path as a freelancer. After working for a certain period she gave up on the idea of being employed to someone else because she wanted to excel her wings as an entrepreneur.

In 2008, she inaugurated her own company as an aspiring entrepreneur and founded ’Maison de Joelle’. The passion and conviction of Joelle further led to a successfully grown company with a chain of thirteen salons to date, offering an all-encompassing beauty experience in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain Riyadh, Jeddah, Qatar, Erbil, Kurdistan Tunis, Morroco. Realizing the need of the hour and after analyzing the market, Joelle decided to organize a new venture, that of a cosmetic clinic, in regards to beauty and wellness. Committed to the cause, Joelle introduced Clinica Joelle, a dedicated cosmetic clinic in Dubai for surgical and non-surgical solutions in collaboration with better doctors, surgeons, slimming experts and beauty consultants. Today there are seven Clinica Joelle.

An Ascending Success Graph of Joelle Group Joelle Group is a leading beauty business in the Arab world. It is also renowned as successful multiconglomerate in clinical and cosmetic beauty through ventures such as Maison de Joelle, Clinica Joelle, and Joelle Paris. The Joelle Group consists of talented and creative individuals who are devoted to serving customers with the utmost care and service excellence. It transmits pride over their people as a form of potent force behind

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the success, due to which the group has evolved to become a premier luxury brand in the world of beauty business with a reach across the MENA region.

Joelle group has constantly dominated the beauty industry with bringing in innovations and new technologies. This disruption has led Joelle group to collaborate with major brands.

A Personal Touch Joelle delivers her views on appealing the target audience in a reliable manner. She claims everything has to be personalized with a touch of sensibility and responsibility. She describes that their primary aim is to stand as the ultimate destination that serves every beauty-desire of a woman by facilitating advanced procedures, latest trends and expert advices so it makes them feel beautiful and comfortable in their own skin.

Joelle Group is a devotion to a welldefined business, bringing together positive and inspiring workforce with an attitude of thorough professionalism that is consequently providing more value to the customers.

Indispensable Traits Joelle asserts that successful entrepreneurs are highly goal oriented.

They blend their big-picture strategy with utmost focus and reliability on executing their idea with calculative risks that yield the desired results. She believes that a true entrepreneur should adopt a disciplined and focused approach by prioritizing “what is really important to the business” because visionary entrepreneurs are always looking for the future prosperity and anticipating niche opportunities that may arise as the business thrives.

Facing Adversities

challenge she faces is to find the right balance between “Professional and Personal life”. She also expressed that she is unable to see her kids during the weekdays, because of traveling or if she is in Dubai her meetings would stretch until late. Hence, this workload often obstructs her to spend the desired time with family. However, to tackle this scenario, she spends quality time with kids every weekend. She plans her vacations according to every single holiday that her kids are granted. Also in summer she takes complete two months of her work and spends her whole time with family by visiting pleasing destinations so that she could recharge her soul with happiness and come back to work with a refreshing personality.

Fostering Future After successfully capturing the Middle East, Joelle envisions to be everywhere in Europe that consists of the Arab population. This mission will mainly focus to deliver the cultured services to Arab women and fulfill their undulating needs of beauty and wellness. She further fosters introducing advanced technologies to the world of “Beauty” that will bring, breathe of ease to this industry.

In her experience, being an entrepreneur is all about the right execution at the right time.

Stop Dreaming and Start Doing Joelle mentions, if you’re going to take the leap and start your own business it’s going to take a lot of time and energy. The best way to keep yourself motivated through the ups and downs is to do what really matters to you. If you dream of working for yourself, stop dreaming and start doing something about it, otherwise it’s a “Recipe for Disaster”.

Joelle believes that there hardly any challenges that an empowered woman faces today. According to her, the only

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he more women are free to succeed in the field of their interest, the more the world as a whole leapfrogs to success. It is essential to understand one’s interests and inclinations and pursue that interest even if there are obstacles on the journey. Perseverance amidst obstacles pays off in the form of success over a period of time. One such successful woman in her chosen field is Julia Hell.

Julia doesn’t see herself as an entrepreneur. She describes herself as a Freelance Graphic Designer, not a business woman. She is self -employed at her one person organization Julia Hell Grafik.

An Enlightening Experience Julia, soon after completion of her graduation realized that she wanted to work on her own. She says that she started from scratch without a specific plan. She states that her first job was freelance work in the editorial design field. She appreciates whatever she learned from that work and says that was the beginning of what she is today.

Julia believes in learning and gaining experience from anything and everything, to improve herself better and deliver the required services to her clients. She is grateful to the people who taught her something on her journey. Julia believes that a constant change helps her to keep an open mind and she says that it influences her work more positively.

Enduring Rocky Paths Julia considers that enthusiasm is vital to be able to keep moving forward. She says that if one loves what one is doing then no obstacles can harm one that badly. She asks to have strength to endure rocky paths. She says that one may not have enough confidence in the beginning but she advises to grow in confidence over a period of time.

November 2018

Passion for Design Julia is presently focused on Corporate Design, including both, print and web solutions. Julia appreciates great help of her husband in realizing the web projects for her clients. She is still desirous for editorial design, which is why she is self-publishing a paper together with a close friend of her. She says that the paper has a literary emphasis and she is responsible for the look and feel. She likes to find a balance between on- and offline tasks and to merge these two worlds at some point.

Valuing Person over Gender The most frequent challenge Julia came across in her career was being taken seriously in the sense of being an equally qualified decision maker compared to a man in the same position. She always experienced certain astonishment about women’s decisions compared to men’s. She states that she has seen some wrong attitude towards women when she was in employed positions. She states that she never had situations like that working as a freelancer or self employed. She says that she tries to focus on the personality of someone, not the gender. She is of the opinion that a person should be valued more over the gender. She wants to be seen only as a person and she tries her best to treat others alike. She believes that there are so many things that are more important to accomplish, alone and as a team, than gender. She asks to see one another as a person instead of any particular gender.

Not being intimidated by Competition Julia says that she has learned over the years to not be intimidated by competition. She sought to find her place among designers and she believes that she did it. She admires other designers and artists for their wonderful work but she says that most

wonderful experience for her was to realize that there are many people out there who are admiring what she does.

She says that admiration by others gives her confidence and helps her to go on working on her own.

Wise words for Aspiring Shepreneurs Julia advises aspiring Shepreneurs to not be too intimidated by starting one’s own business. She states that she was also afraid in the beginning. But when she started her little enterprise she was sure that it will turn out to be good because that made her happy. She conveys that if one does what makes one happy then it will surely turn out to be good in the long run.

Future Roadmap Julia is looking forward to start working freelance again in coming times. She says that in future she is going to focus on her long-term clients plus some new opportunities that will come up. Her general goal is to find a nice balance between routine and the thrill of new experiences.

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Editor’s Pick

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November 2018

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he glass ceiling is a barrier so subtle that it is transparent; yet so strong that it prevents women from moving up the corporate hierarchy” ---Ann 0RUULVRQ $PHULFDQ $XWKRU The term “Glass ceiling” can be defined as an unacknowledged upper limit in corporations and other organizations, above which it is difficult or even impossible for women to reach out to the highest ranks.“Glass ceiling” is a popular metaphor widely used for the hard-to-see informal barriers that prevents women from getting promoted or achieving further opportunities in leadership positions. The metaphor of “glass ceiling” has also been used to describe the limits and obstacles faced by racial minority groups.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s 1991 definition of glass ceiling is “those artificial barriers based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevents qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organization into managementlevel positions.” (Report on the Glass Ceiling Initiative.)

Famous American actress cum author Ann Morrison defines the concept of the Glass Ceiling as: “The glass ceiling is not simply a barrier for an individual, based on the person’s inability to handle a higher-level job.

November 2018

Rather, the glass ceiling applies to women as a group who are kept from advancing higher because they are women.”

The Elements behind the Glass Ceiling: It is pretty obvious that women are facing a lot of hurdles to break through the glass ceiling and reach to the highest leadership position throughout the ages. Preventing both women and organizations from reaching their full potential, the invisible “Glass Ceiling” denies us all of the maximal benefits of gender diversity in leadership. Some of the most common barriers are highlighted below: Job isolation: Women are offered the same kinds of job roles like staff, public relations or occasionally finance specialties that rarely lead to the more powerful management positions.

Over time, women are eventually excluded from jobs in the mainstream of business, the route taken by CEOs and presidents.

Old-boy Network: There are many instances when men gets the managerial powers in an organization who manages greater numbers of people, enjoys more freedom of hiring and firing, and controls the company’s assets directly while women are deprived of such authorities and powers.

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It is the “Old-boys” of the organization that makes all the policy; where the women are kept virtually absent.

Sex Discrimination: In a recent survey, working women were asked about the greatest obstacle they had to overcome to achieve success; “simply being a woman” was the most frequent response. In another survey by the Wall Street Journal, women leaders quoted their most serious obstacle in their business careers to be “male chauvinism, attitudes toward a female boss, slow advancement for women, and the simple fact of being a woman.” These instances are enough to prove the prevalence of sex discrimination in the workplace.

Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment remains one of the biggest barriers for women in managerial roles. A corporate environment that tolerates sexual harassment intimidates and demoralizes women executives. Even after the adoption and enforcement of numerous laws against sexual harassment, women do not feel sufficiently encouraged and empowered to speak out for fear of compromising their work.

Benefits of Women in Leadership: Studies found that inclusion of women in business leadership has significantly improved such factors as firm value, financial performance, economic growth, innovation and social responsiveness and philanthropy.

The additional benefits of women in corporate leadership include stricter monitoring and supervision and fewer legal infractions such as fraud and embezzlement. A better balance among women in leadership positions can create a more diverse team of leaders with different perspectives and a greater ability to contribute new ideas and thus enhancing the profitability. The transformational leadership style often used by women tends to be a good option for contemporary organizations, as it encourages employee morale, motivation and performance.

Overcoming the Barriers: Strategies Women’s progress up the corporate ladder is still limited by the “glass ceiling” despite the myriad of Government policies and programs which have been introduced to ensure that their talents and skills are recognized and accepted.

Women can help themselves to overcome this career hurdle by: ¾ Acquiring appropriate business skills and know how; ¾ Taking up lineæ management positions rather than management service roles; ¾ Gaining the necessary experience through “apprenticeship” and “acting positions”; ¾ Seeking career counseling; ¾ Volunteering for leadership and executive positions; ¾ And lastly, acquiring the ability to measure their operating effectiveness in the workplace.

An awareness of the emergence of new barriers to their progress is also worth considering. The current socioæ economic situation is creating different “glass ceilings” in the form of the downsizing of organizations, new differentiated and selfæ directed career paths, the advent of the contractual worker, and the care of aged parents.

Conclusion: Since the latter half of the 20th century, women have made great paces in increasing their representation in the work force. However, a considerable gap remains in achievement of leadership positions across different fields.

Renowned feminist Gloria Steinem stated it best: “Clearly no one knows what leadership has gone undiscovered in women.” It is far past time we strive to find out and finally shatter the glass ceiling.

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November 2018

The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

Marina Tognetti: Stepping Up with Resilience

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hen an unwavering passion and unending enthusiasm join forces, achieving something near impossible, seems like a cake walk. However vivifying these qualities requires resilience. Once someone achieves it, any challenge becomes an opportunity. In the world of business it is something that everyone strives for.

Marina Tognetti is the perfect example of a leader stepping up with the resilience. She is an entrepreneur and business executive based in Amsterdam. She is the Founder and CEO of mYngle, a pioneer in live online language education that has become a significant player in its segment. Headquartered in Netherland, mYngle offers customized language training programs to organizations and individuals. The language lessons are given live online through a virtual classroom to professionals around the globe. In an interview with Insights Success, Marina has briefly discussed about her unique platform and has also given insights about the entrepreneurial traits.

Below are highlights from the interview conducted between Marina and Insights Success: Give a brief overview of your background as an entrepreneur.

I am a tech entrepreneur, founder of mYngle.com. I have a bit of an atypical profile for an entrepreneur, as before founding mYngle I had a successful corporate career by large multinationals: Procter & Gamble, Philips, The Boston Consulting Group,

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eBay. It was when working as consultant on a project on internet strategy that I fell in love with the internet. I saw its potential to disrupt entire industries and change forever the way we buy/sell/interact. Following that, I went to work for eBay to learn about this new ‘world’ and from there I decided it was time to start a business for myself. I moved from managing large budgets, teams, projects to starting a company from scratch. Quite a change!

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to appeal to the target audience?

We are very focused on our target and try to understand their needs in depth.

We constantly monitor our users’ reactions and try to adapt accordingly.

This also reflected in our internal KPIs and how we assess our job, using adapted versions of NPS (Net Promoter Score), which defines that only excellence counts. Being OK is not good enough for us. 95% of our learners rate mYngle trainings as excellent. The average lessons’ scores are 4.8/5.0.

Describe some of the vital attributes that every entrepreneur should possess.

First of all, an entrepreneur must not be afraid of taking (calculated) risks. In order to develop something new, you have to step out of your comfort zone.

You can never make the path completely safe. And you will never know unless you try.

Secondly, must be able to constantly adapt. One fault of the inexperienced entrepreneurs is that they get attached

to the initial idea, and are not willing to let it go. Keep on evolving till you get it right. It is how you deal with uncertainty and change that sets you apart.

Last but not least is resilience. A true entrepreneur never gives-up. If you don’t succeed at first, try again (and keep on trying). There is always a way to solve a problem. If you believe that, there is (almost) nothing that you cannot achieve. Keep on trying, and if the hurdle seems too high or the goal too ambitious, split it in smaller steps.

What are the frequent challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the workplaces and what are the ways to tackle them?

Let’s face it: being an entrepreneur is tough. Being a woman entrepreneur is exponentially tougher, despite all the improvements that have already been made. If we start by recognizing this, we are already on the path to change, and each of us can become a role model for the next women to come.

We need to show different role models and different example of leadership, of what it means being a successful entrepreneur. A strong leader is not the one without faults, as we all have faults, but that which is so selfconfident to be able to show her vulnerabilities without being scared that it would impact her strength. I believe this can be the strength of a female entrepreneur.

What were the primal challenges and roadblocks you faced during the initial phase of your career as an entrepreneur?

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Confidence comes not from always being right, but from not fearing to be wrong.

The main challenges and roadblocks were not at the beginning, but when we had to ‘pivot’ from the initial business model to a completely different one, which is the mYngle we are now. We had launched mYngle as a marketplace, something I knew very well from my previous eBay experience. We thought we got it all: funding, lots of Awards and PR, a very motivated team. But something in the business model was not functioning as we expected. We listened to our customers and they gave us the new direction, from an open marketplace to a quality global online school. That brought us in a ‘different place’ where companies more than consumers were interested in the service we were offering. The second ‘pivot’ was from B2C to B2B. That is the mYngle that you see now.

My biggest lesson here was that change is an essential part of being entrepreneur. That was the key to success of mYngle.

Where do you see yourself in the near future and what are your future goals?

It is in my nature to want to constantly improve, and it is in the nature of the entrepreneur to always see new opportunities or areas of development. The future for mYngle will surely hold new challenges, as we will need to keep on innovating and being ahead while the market moves from early stage to more mature. Standing still is like going backwards.

November 2018

Marina Tognetti Founder & CEO

mYngle

For me personally it will be time for the idealistic voice inside to speak, the voice that believes in giving something back for a better world. mYngle already is a very positive product: education overall is a positive force, and language education, in particular, can be a mean to bridge cultural differences and reduce communication barriers between people. My future will hold new discoveries for the inner me, looking for ways to make a difference, make the world a little bit better.

What is your advice for budding and emerging Shepreneurs?

The advice that I would like to give to other Shepreneurs is to stop comparing. Don’t think too much about all doomed scenarios, don’t listen to people that only see limits and barriers, and especially do not compare yourself to anyone else. The stories you read about the few that “got it all’’ are rare exceptions and often not the full truth. Women in particular tend to do injustice to them: if we are not perfect, we feel we are not good enough. Let go of all of that. Let go of trying to imitate types of leadership you see around but which are not you, and be really true to yourself.

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Expert's Outlook

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have been a strong advocate of conversational technology (VoiceTech/NLP) and AI and have pitched for it in various conferences, Guest Lectures at leading business institutes and to corporates and I am often being asked what will happen to our jobs? So this is true that Artificial intelligence seems like a big untameable monsters to most, and everyone is little anxious about future.

And that could be true sitting in 2010, but past few years new old research and young progressive companies and devision of enterprises are willing to make it their sole purpose that the infuse digital transformation in their company and provide assistance to others. But, with the prevailing reputation that comes at a cost of educating everyone, really everyone.

They see it as a risk and any have burnt their hands trying to tame novice early stage AI models. But thats fine, thats how we grow. I believe that we are intellectual beings with curious minds, why would we want to do repeatable jobs which machines can do with greater efficiency. We can delegate these chores and teach the machines to help us better and imitate human decision making, innovate at personal level and “Democratise Artificial Intelligence”.

Democratising AI through platforms for like voice technology - Natural Language processing so the technical algorithms can stay with specific user base while use of the AI algorithms can be made as simple as conversing with machines. Thats a sure shot way to upskilling resources for example: Team of Analysts can train dashboards and Business Intelligence tools to map business KPIs and generate Compelling Business Stories and Insights in natural language for everyone in the organisation to benefit from, and then keep building the training over it through machine learning. We are personally running trials with Fortune 50 companies on this, so when I say you need to start looking at ways to incorporate new technologies I mean it.

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For enterprises there are certain imminent crisis that demand that they change rapidly and market is not at all as forgiving as it was a few decades back, someone is constantly rooting for you to make a mistake.This is leading enterprise to transform under the integrated environment of Digital Transformation Voice Technology has lately become a stable AI process and would completely change the way we interact with technology in the future. Visualization will remain at the heart of it however with conversational technology, we can expect a shift to more verbal ads, like radio, but more personalized and actionable, but still to make a decision on which product to buy you would want to see it visually.

Also search will become more specific and hyperlocal, where we will be prompted to give verbal feedbacks, that would amount to popularity of products and places, how it happens with mobile applications today.

Siri, Cortana, Alexa have brought conversation technology to people for some time now. They come bundled up with smart phones and can be used to do basic searches, to look up certain things, cue up songs etc. Speech technology has come much further than that. With its advancement we can now control our oven, tv and other house hold devices, can search complex data from cloud or can make phone calls for ourselves. It can change the way we function in our daily lives, our time with our family, services we receive and the jobs we do. It can eliminate learning curve of devices, repeatable chores, and compiling excel sheets. And it will not happen eventually, it’s happening now.

Developers will innovate to create more audio centric user interface, there will be discovery period for them to find out how to minimally prompt user to give inputs and implement voice modulated visual commands. We can see speech approaching a point where it would become so reliable that we can just use it, like how we do it with other humans, and not even think about it.

November 2018

About the Author Preksha Kaparwan is the Co-founder, CMO, V.UX Designer of Realbox.AI .

The versatile IHM Pusa graduate initially served as the chef but got inclined towards technology and business analytics and founded RealBox in 2015.

Within three years of its inception, they have raised $300k for Realbox and, their customers include fortune 50 and big 4 enterprises. As a thought leader she has been part of TEDTalk talk shows. She was awarded 'The sparks 2018' by your story for tech services for her exceptional contribution as a Tech Evangelist.

I am personally inspired to bring acceptance for conversational technology globally and I believe that the real success for this would not be when big corporations and industries would be using it but when every small and medium business and every household would be using it and help us to get a hold of our receding grip on reality from visually attractive and distracting screens on our tv, on out laptops and our smart phones.

Preksha Kaparwan Co-Founder & CMO RealBox Data Analytics Private Limited

We have seen this kind of a shift with automated technologies and processes which has led to reduced laborious work, eďŹƒciency increased and averted accidents. Smart phones brought technologies closer to the end user. So, I took side with ArtiďŹ cial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies, that will aid seamlessly while co-existing in our realities. And impact is not just on us in our personal capacity but for businesses too and professionals who spend endless nights collating data and make pretty ppts to show to the bosses.

I believe that spreading the word on changing technological demography is not our responsibility or our burden. But you know why I make it my purpose??

Because it is a major step in evolution of technology and I know we need to harness it, shape it now, before someone else does it for you.

November 2018

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Dr. Nithinart Sinthudeacha Telan:

Reforming Benchmarks in Management Consultancy Sector

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he perquisites of attaining an impeccable vision and an ability to bring out a change reside in every entrepreneur irrespective of gender, race or ethnicity.

To exalt a venture, a leader has to possess a keen understanding of drafting statistical plans and an efficient way to process it.

Besides, through the courageous step to pursue passion, and redefining ideologies, an entrepreneur can precisely elevate the stature of a venture to greater heights. Acquiring such attributes, ardent entrepreneur, Dr. Nithinart Sinthudeacha Telan, Founder and CEO of N-able Plus Co., Ltd and Founder and Executive Committee Chairlady of Beryl8 Plus Co.,Ltd, is creating a difference in the traditional way of offering management guidance.

A Fervent Leader Nithinart stepped into her career in a PR agency at Burson-Marstellar in New York after completing her first masters. Her role, in a responsible campaign of the first launch of Acuvue—first disposable contact lens, aided her to learn a lot on answering the controversial questions and conveying constructive messages in challenging circumstances. After completing her PhD, Nithinart entered into establishing a long-term career with Accenture, which played a major part in her development, professionally as well as personally.

Dr. Nithinart Sinthudeacha Telan Founder & CEO N-able Plus Co., Ltd

Prior leaving Accenture, she was a Partner overlooking Organizational Transformation and Change Management Strategy Offering for Asia and Pacific.

Even though her career was elevating upwards, she had taken a break in order to take care of her ill father. Nevertheless, the firm grit to pursue passion prevailed at last. And she operated as an internal adviser for Thaibev—a large Food and Beverages Conglomerate, for straight two years which acted as a turning point in her entrepreneurial journey.

In 2008, she founded N-able Plus, a niche management consulting firm, specializing in organization & HR transformation, change management, and culture development. In addition,, N-able Plus has attained a reputation of helping its clients on innovation management and recently on digital culture & leadership transformation. Meanwhile, in a partnership with Salesforce, Nithinart co-founded

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Bery18 in 2009, which currently stands as the largest partner and reseller of Salesforce in the Asia Pacific. As its next move, Beryl8 is planning for its IPO and Nithinart is now holding the role of Executive Committee Chairlady.

With the consistency in the increased growth rate, Nithinart and her team are stretching their expansion to cover ASEAN region especially in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Philipines. Besides, the company will be also partnering with Google in order to gain a creative and flexible perspective to meet the demands of clients.

Customer-Driven Success In order to prevail in business, a firm has to comprehend the needs of the clients and must keep an eye on the competition simultaneously. At N-able Plus, Nithinart and her team have been working with big clients and been helping them with advancements like PTT and CPF. Since sustainability became a strategic issue especially in the resources industry, relying on innovations is the key strategic agenda for the firms. In addition, knowledge management which is a strong offering of her services is also a key infrastructure and enabler for innovations and capabilities development.

Currently, the team of N-able Plus have started a talk on implicating data-driven mindset and culture to support digital transformation. Apart from that, the firm also realizes the existence of a stressed environment in today’s business and offers an “Executive Well Being” program to help C-level and senior executives mentally, personally, and professionally.

Glorifying Facets of a Skilled Leader

Nithinart firmly believes that passion is the key ingredient which drives an entrepreneur to achieve the desired goals. And, a work-loving factor also helps an entrepreneur to acquire the energy needed to surpass over the problems and strive for success. Attaining growth attitude and an optimistic behavior also aids a leader to carve a venture effectively. Nithinart also believes that a

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leader should equip itself with two key facets—knowledge and capability; know how to manage money, and how to manage people.

Future Prospects of the Company Recently, Nithinart and her team have started a new program under N-able Plus, in conjunction with a large venture capital, known as ’I2C’— innovation to commercialization. The I2C aims to invest in students, idea-owners and fresh entrepreneurs with less awareness and experiences regarding commercialization. In addition to incubation support, they have also worked with venture capital funds to provide investment for the selected initiatives. The program will be currently focusing on healthcare, environment, and education sectors. Nithinart, herself, along with her associates renown in environmental science supported a research on growing algae to absorb carbon dioxide and turn it to carbon credit.

An Advice to Rely On Women Entrepreneurship is not a theory anymore, but a real-time scenario. With every slippage of time, the awareness of pursuing entrepreneurship as a career is remarkably rising in young women. In an interview with Insights Success, Dr. Nithinart shared her insights on women entrepreneur and advised the upcoming generation. Here are some of the highlights: ‘Have confidence in yourself and don’t think that you are a woman. You are just a person with passion and goal to do business that you love and make it successful. Remember that there is other people following you and they will help make your dream comes true. Take them with you with your heart and care. Never say enough to what you know and never compromise with quality. Be positive, be happy, and be proud that you are a woman.’

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The

20 Most Successful to watch in

2018

n order to keep up with increasingly discerning consumers, entrepreneurs found the need to devise disruptive ideas for their businesses. Vannessa Lee has managed to do just that by being in tune with her consumers’ needs and wants, as well as optimizing every opportunity that came her way.

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open-mindedness. She states, “Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur until they find out how much hard work it entails - and it’s not even just that, it’s the risk and uncertainty, being able to solve problems on your feet tirelessly, and holding on to your own even when friends and family doubt you.”

Beginning of ‘A Poke Theory’

“You also need to be three steps ahead at all times, being able to plan ahead and adapt for a shift in the market or consumers, forecasting your growth plan for the business, and being open to switch up your formula for success when it comes down to it.” Vannessa adds.

Vannessa Lee is the Co-founder of A Poke Theory, a popular poke joint started on 25th July 2016. She runs the business alongside her brother and business partner Joey.

The duo also runs a bar bistro concept at the Esplanade, named Alter Ego. The pair spent time developing a franchising model for the brand, which has enabled them to grow to four stores island-wide within the short span of two years. They will see a few more stores popping up by early 2019.

Meeting the Demands During the initial growth phase, Vannessa kept up with hordes of customers but had never grown comfortable with their take of the market share. Together with her brother, they forecasted ahead to appeal to an audience larger than what they already had - one that sought after meals at a lower price point, as well as the huge Muslim community.

They worked on getting A Poke Theory officially Halalcertified, and were the very first poke brand in Singapore to do so. Vannessa timed the launch of the Halal certification together with their new, lighter bowl size at a lower price point of $9.90 nett. Implementing these two changes, A Poke Theory reached out to a new segment of consumers, who loved poke but could not afford the pricier average spend of $12-$15 previously, as well as an extremely large Muslim community who lacked healthy and tasty food options.

Taking these attributes into consideration, she takes pride in mentioning A Poke Theory’s success, but also speaks openly about its weaknesses. She looks for areas of growth that have not been tapped into and strives to fulfill the everchanging consumer needs.

Vannessa doesn’t believe getting into a price war of any kind with her competitors as it is a limiting way to go about securing market share. She precisely describes it as such, “If you think about it this way - your competitor’s offerings as bait on a multiple fishing lines, and market consumers as fish in the sea - there’s plenty of fish in the sea; way too many to be hooked on fishing lines alone. That’s where we can come in with bigger and better ways to catch more fish - using nets, fishing trawlers, luring and so on. As a start, we should look to position ourselves uniquely enough to attract the same fish, and more. Then we can also eat up market share by looking at various other avenues to reel in more consumers with many differentiating factors, whether it’s better quality, better branding, a more unique and

A True Epicure According to Vannessa, some of the vital attributes for every entrepreneur includes tenacity, grit, adaptability, and

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—Vannessa Lee Co-founder A Poke Theory

customizable eating experience, building specialized corporate feeding plans or catering options...it really is endless.”

Learning is the Key Vannessa started the first store of A Poke Theory along with her brother and a bunch of teenage parttimers. Initially she had no manager, no chef, no bookkeeper, or marketing and PR person. In spite of the lean manpower, she did everything with the team she had and managed to sell over 100 poke bowls within an hour on A Poke Theory’s opening day, forcing them to close for the day as they had not anticipated such a great response and had run out of ingredients. Since then, A Poke Theory has had a full house of customers packing out its 88-seater space during lunch on a daily basis, with multiple turnovers till today. Vannessa has had to constantly learn, adapt and change in order to keep the momentum going. “If we had acted any slower, I doubt we would be where we are today,” she added.

Rising Up Against Odds According to Vannessa, male dominated mindsets and biases make it frustrating and at times, even insulting. In some instances, she has been unconsciously disregarded as a contributing business partner by outsiders, who see her as the mere marketing arm of the business and are not aware of how deeply woven she is into the human resources, customer experience and many other aspects of the business.

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Instead of lamenting over misconceptions, she strongly believes in utilizing the time and effort into bettering the work and growing her successes. She believes with the hard and smart work put in, reaping any success with A Poke Theory also helps add her to the ever-growing community of women who pave new paths in the workforce, hopefully inspiring even more women to rise up against the odds.

Expanding Horizons While a characteristic of Vannessa is to over prepare for nearly everything in life, she acknowledges that it is at most times, a con.

She found herself spending bulk of her time thinking, worrying, weighing out the pros and cons many times over instead of taking the step out to start acting on things. Her belief is to think less, do more - citing that it’s okay to hit some bumps along the road, as long as you are quick to recover and continue. It beats sitting around overthinking and overplanning any day.

Talking about a better future Vannessa asserts, “I’m very excited to take A Poke Theory to greater heights with my brother as we have some big and exciting plans for the brand to be polished up, and then taking flight to venture in a new market somewhere in Asia. That’s definitely the biggest thing on the horizon for us right now. We hope to eventually establish ourselves as a market leader in poke, in Asia.”

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Stellar's Vision

#BMBODJOHUIF/FFET PG#VTJOFTT

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am mumpreneur. I am very proud of this title. It evokes an image of a frazzled yet sincere, middle-aged woman effortlessly juggling the needs and expectations of loved ones, with running a business.

In reality, it is very different, especially the ‘effortlessly’ part.

Over the past 4 years I have been in over 100 classrooms teaching Mrs. Wordsmith or just observing how students learn. I have had the pleasure of working with highly regarded academics, fellow entrepreneurs, large companies and informed investors in the edtech sector.

I have learned more than I have taught.

Here is what I have learned in and out of the home and the classroom, and how it relates to being an entrepreneur.

Lesson #1 It’s important to stand for - or against - something meaningful People love to rally around an idea or a mission. At Mrs Wordsmith, we stand for the fight against boredom, both in classrooms and at home. If you can hold the attention of children, you can educate them. Easier said than done. But in our case, we think about this every minute of every day.

We vet our ideas and our products around this simple concept - can it hold the attention of a child? If we fail to

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"CPVUUIF"VUIPS Sofia Fenichell is the Founder and CEO of Mrs Wordsmith. Mrs Wordsmith is on a mission to illustrate the English language with the awardwinning artists behind Madagascar and Hotel Transylvania - so children fall in love with learning words. We are the first company to illustrate the English language to re-imagine the dictionary for digital natives and the visual world we live in. Prior to Mrs Wordsmith, Sofia was the CEO and Founder of Rockpack, which created two of the most downloaded video curation apps, regularly featured by Apple. She has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in History from Northwestern University. She is also an agented writer on a novel in the works, called Silicon Sally.

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engage children, we have failed to deliver on the most critical aspect of learning.

delegate. The more you delegate, the faster you will learn how capable people are.

Lesson #2

Lesson #5

Lean hard into change until it feels like you are about to topple over

Don’t take your culture for granted Culture is something you build, not inherit. Culture can be a powerful, single organising principle. It can also be a disease. You want people to feel safe but slightly unhinged so they can be creative. You want them to feel under pressure from the customer, not management, so they genuinely bring their A game to work. And lastly, take care of your people. They will feel more inspired.

And don’t worry about falling over because you will.

Heavily discount market perceptions that people are not looking for change. It’s not true. We are all looking for change - parents, teachers and schools. It’s just that we may not be able to articulate what we are looking for until you the entrepreneur show us what good looks like. There is so much we resist in life until someone shows us. When we first started Mrs Wordsmith, everyone said to us, “you will never be able to illustrate words that aren’t nouns” and sure enough, it’s the hallmark of what we do. We know how to illustrate words that are difficult to illustrate like ‘ambitious’ or ‘blaring’.

I have learned a lot from two - very different - books on culture. One is called Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull the founder of Pixar and the other is Powerful, Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility, by Patty McCord of Netflix.

Lesson #3

Lesson #6

Don’t make incremental changes - kicking the can up the road is for hobos

Execute, iterate, and execute

You need to think big. Being an aggregator, making minor improvements to products or services that exist today - this isn’t innovation, it’s repackaging. There is a place for this.

But don’t expect customers to pay for it, or students to truly benefit from it. The single biggest problem in the education sector today is incrementalism. Instead of thinking about how to repackage spelling exercises, think about whether we need to teach spelling to primary kids at all? Should we bin the lists and just give kids the space and time to read?

Instead of spending 80% of classroom time learning about our history and who we were, how about learning about the future and who we could become? Entrepreneurs shift the 80/20 rule in unexpected and meaningful ways.

Lesson #4 Hire well You can’t do it alone. You can’t. Hire people you can learn from. You should admire the people you work with. Hire people who disagree with you, Hire a diversity of personas and mindsets. Make sure you feel a connection to them.

You are going to debate a lot of issues together. And then

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It’s been said so much. But that’s because it’s the hardest thing on earth. Execution is highly nuanced too. You have to read, think and listen a lot to execute well. You have to plan and iterate.

Lesson #7 Saving the best for last. Family and exercise The idea for Mrs Wordsmith came from my children, because I was so connected to their needs at school. After a lot of fruitless searching for a product, I decided to create one. The entrepreneur’s story only has a happy ending if you remember to put your family first, or at a minimum, on par with your business.

Being an entrepreneur is hard work. There are times when the boundaries between work and home, or work and health, will be blurred. Only you can set these boundaries. It’s not always easy. But if you truly believe in what you do, you will play the long game. You will set the boundaries that make you a better wife, mother, person, friend - whatever it is that gives you perspective, anchors and rejuvenates you.

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