Tycoon Diary Archives

Erika Fattori, Group Brand & Communication Director and Italy Brand & Communication Director

Erika joined Nexi when it was still CartaSi – Gruppo Icbpi in 2017 and contributed to the development of the new Group positioning, as well as creating the Nexi brand. Today she is in charge of all marketing communication activities for Nexi in Italy and across Europe, also supporting the Distribution Partner Banks in their communication initiatives related to credit cards and digital payments.

Since the beginning of 2023 she has been appointed Chairwomen of the Nexi ESG Community. She is also a founding member of Women Empowerment Program, a mentorship program for women leadership involving 28 companies and nearly 200 senior and junior managers.

Nexi Group and ESG: from corporate sustainability to everyday business sustainability

Nexi is Europe’s PayTech company operating in high-growth and technologically advanced European markets. Listed on the Euronext Milan stock exchange, Nexi has the scale, geographic reach and abilities to drive the transition to a cashless Europe. With its portfolio of innovative payment solutions, from traditional in-store acceptance terminals to e-commerce, omnichannel and industry-specific solutions, Nexi provides flexible support for merchants, retailer and banks to increase digitization of the shopping and payment experiences. We believe that every payment will be digital, because it’s simpler, safer and more practical for everyone. This is why we work every day to support the technological evolution of merchants and consumers in their daily shopping experiences.

Digital payments are per se a support to social progress reducing cost of cash, contributing to digitization and tax loyalty, but talking about social commitments Nexi formalized its ESG strategy in 2022, as one of the pillars of the strategic plan approved by the Board of Directors and communicated to the market at the Capital Market Day. The strategy is based on six pillars, which include various commitments and goals.

Among the many activities Nexi is focused on reaching carbon neutrality by 2030 and on creating a full sustainable supply chain. Our commitment for the environment goes beyond the good corporate behaviours and practices, this is why we have decided to use recycled materials and ocean-plastic materials for the production of payment cards and also to stimulate end-customers in growing awareness in their everyday purchases. Recently we have introduced in our payment app, the carbon calculator, which allow customers to assess the level of their carbon footprint on a monthly base of all their shopping paid by cards.

Thanks to several partnerships with trade associations and secondary schools, the Group invests in educational initiatives for the digital and financial inclusion of small businesses, as well as teenagers, based on the core concept that digital payments strongly contribute to progress and to the improvement of the relationship between merchants and customers. In the context of strong growth of digital transactions, Nexi is also committed to data and information security, raising awareness among its customers and end users about the threats of the virtual world and continuous investments in technology to enhance service quality and to mitigate the risk of fraud.

Following the merger with SIA and Nets in 2021, Nexi expanded in new geographies adding extraordinary resources and skills in the field of digital technology and innovation and gradually evolving into a diverse organization in terms of professional and cultural background, including diversity of skills, gender and age. Given this new shape the Group is more than ever committed to creating a dynamic, diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome and able to express their full potential based on their skills, passions, competencies and background. Every single one of our over 10,000 employees dislocated in 25 countries plays a key role in achieving the Group’s ambition to shape the future of digital payments across Europe.

The great diversity of nationalities and cultures within the Group, is one of the reasons why Nexi is working hard to strengthen and promote diversity, equity and inclusion and leverages also on dedicated employee communities to achieve these goals.

At the beginning of 2023 the ESG Community, I am proud to lead, came into life. We have engaged more than 150 colleagues, who are passionate about ESG topics and contribute actively to making sure that Nexi ESG strategy is known and resonant throughout the Group and externally.

Recently the Group Diversity Equity and Inclusion Board (DEI Board) was created to drive the company’s agenda on these topics as well as to set priorities and activities aimed at creating an inclusive culture that represents a strategic value in terms of competitiveness as well as attractiveness for talents. The DEI Board focuses on key structural elements, such as hiring, reward and succession policies, unconscious bias trainings, mentorship programs.

Looking ahead to 2023, our main goal will be to further consolidate our ESG and DE&I commitments, to track our progress very closely, as well as to further empower all the internal communities, related to ESG, Women leadership and LGBT+ inclusion throughout the Group. We believe that only through the participation of most of our people at Nexi we’ll manage to generate a significant impact on they way people pay or accept payments and on society, contributing to everyone’s progress.

Luis Hidalgo: Agrizon the most important agritech startup in Latin America growth by +200% in 2022

Agrizon is one of the most important agritech startups based in Latin America and the United States; it was born in 2018 because of the necessity to connect farmers to the widest selection of qualified agricultural products taking into account that according to the World Bank, the GDP of agriculture in the world in 2021 represented around 4%. Now, this startup is a consolidated cross-border e-commerce platform that has operations in Ecuador, the United States, and Mexico.

Agrizon was cofounded by the Ecuadorian and American entrepreneurs Luis Fernando Hidalgo and Joaquin Paz, who have demonstrated that four years of experience are the result of good leadership based on excellent relationships with business partners, quality products, affordable prices, and a friendly platform. “The relationship and impartiality with our strategic partners, from manufacturers, retailers to producers, has led us already to have +7.000 qualified inputs for crop and seed”, explains Luis Hidalgo, Agrizon CEO.

On the other hand, global manufacturers are mainly in Europe, Asia, and America; from those places, the agro products are sent to Latin America, so Agrizon becomes a strategic partner because it optimizes the logistics chain in one place. “We will continue to provide the best costs to our users, Agrizon is a window to the world for the manufacturer who wants to sell online and for those farmers who want access to global agriculture brands,” said Hidalgo.

Some of the pillars that have made the difference in Agrizon are its excellent customer service that has allowed recurrent purchases, as well as the broadest qualified portfolio in Latin America, all in one place and with fast delivery. The growth in volume that Agrizon has reached lets the company give an essential advantage for the farmers: save money with its efficient shipping service, free advice, and competitive costs; all these features will allow their clients to be more efficient in costs per hectare. In few words, even if Agrizon maintains personalized and human touch with some clients, the online purchase process through the platform is more practical and efficient than a traditional purchase in-store”.

Connectivity in agriculture grows 19%

According to FAO, connectivity in agriculture grows 19% per year, this is an important insight to understand why it is essential to adopt digitalization in agriculture. “Some reasons are that it minimizes barriers for the new generations, and that is where credit risk analysis will come in, so the producer could have access to guaranteed inputs and credit lines that contribute to their growth, including evaluating their crops for export to new markets,” explains Hidalgo.

On the other side, an evolution for Agrizon in digitalization has been the data collected from the market, such as price trends by brand, so their users could make better decisions for their productivity because they will know which brand is more convenient for their business.

All these strategies, accompanied by the leadership of a visionary team, have allowed Agrizon growth by +200% in 2022, and in 2023 with the operations in Mexico, this growth will be higher. Agrizon has created a loyal customer base and has the vision to become the number one platform in the LATAM agribusiness industry; even though “each market is different by crop, its portfolio is similar in each country,” the expert ends.

Jerry Inzerillo: Celebrating heritage and supporting localization to drive tourism’s future

Meet Jerry Inzerillo, the Group CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), who is leading the $50.6 billion effort to re-center Diriyah on the global map as a crossroads of culture, arts, science, and commerce.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Jerry entered the hospitality industry as a busboy at the age of 13, where he quickly climbed the ranks to become a titan of the industry. And recently voted ‘’Hotelier of the World’’ by Hotels Magazines.

Jerry has served in a wide range of roles across hospitality and entertainment over his career, including as president of Kerzner Entertainment Group, where he raised the profile and positioning of its properties in South Africa, the Bahamas, Dubai, Morocco, Mauritius, Mexico, the Maldives, as well as conceptualized and positioned the start-up of its One&Only and Atlantis brands.

In his personal life, Jerry has long been involved with philanthropy, especially with respect to children, education, and HIV/AIDS. He was honored with a Knighthood by the Knights of Malta in Rome, Italy, in 1996. Jerry is also a founding advisory board member of the Clinton AIDS initiative.

In June 2018, Jerry was appointed by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be the founding Group CEO of the newly created DGDA, where he was tasked with developing and implementing a master plan to transform Diriyah, the ancient capital of the First Saudi State.

DGDA is driving the transformation of Diriyah through a range of initiatives, the chief among which is tourism, with the goal to attract approximately 27 million visitors by 2030.

“Diriyah will be the world’s largest mud-brick city, designed in the Najdi architectural style native to the region and using traditional construction methods and materials where possible. This grounds the project in Diriyah’s history and ensures that we are authentically paying tribute to this 300-year-old city,” Mr. Inzerillo said.

Championing Saudization

Jerry has identified that one of the greatest vehicles to raise awareness of Diriyah’s accomplishments is through the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy. First conceived by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Vision 2030’s goal is to transform and elevate Saudi society, while drawing on the huge number of young, talented human capital living in the country to drive this Vision forward.

Diriyah is one of the cornerstone projects of Vision 2030 and as such, Jerry has made it his mission as Group CEO to align DGDA with the Vision’s core tenets, including those around the development and empowerment of Saudi talent.

Upon the Diriyah development’s completion, 55,000 jobs will be created, producing significant opportunities for Saudi Arabia’s population. Under Jerry’s leadership, DGDA has positioned itself at the forefront of encouraging inclusive employment opportunities in line with Vision 2030 Diriyah’s objectives are specifically encouraging the roles and prominence of women and young people within the organization and prioritizing Saudization and ensuring exciting roles for Saudi nationals. Indeed, 85 percent of DGDA’s staff now consists of Saudi nationals, 14 percent of whom are from Diriyah, with more than a third of employees being female and 16 percent of leadership positions occupied by women.

Future roadmap

Jerry is leading DGDA to build a world-class destination, from restaurants and hotels to cultural centers and residential areas.

In the entertainment sector, Diriyah is opening its premium dining district, Bujairi Terrace this year, hosting leading Saudi brands alongside Michelin-starred restaurants. Diriyah has also been host to the Formula E races, major boxing matches, and the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale.

In terms of tourism, Diriyah continues to be a global player. DGDA will be home to a 38-hotel-strong hospitality offering that includes 14 global brands which have already been announced, such as the Four Seasons, Armani, Ritz-Carlton, Rosewood, Six Senses, and many others. Diriyah is also preparing to open the UNESCO World Heritage Site of At-Turaif to the public permanently for the very first time later this year.

The tourism industry leader said the project was of great significance to Saudi Arabia and the world. “Diriyah’s uniqueness lies in its ability to tangibly connect the destination to its deep-rooted history and cultural past while driving innovation to bring it into the future. Its buildings will be constructed using handmade mud bricks in the traditional Najdi style that is native to the region,” he said.

“We are very excited that our first assets will be ready to open this year, including the historic and spectacular At-Turaif, which will officially welcome guests from around the world for the very first time.”

Academy to Industry – A Journey in Ushering a Safer Philippines

The Philippines, being an archipelago with over 7,600 islands, is very familiar with many natural disasters. Two of the most common are typhoons and earthquakes.

Driven by his passion to help his countrymen address the issue with structural health and how it can help building administrators prepare for strong earthquakes and save more lives, Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy, a Filipino engineer, academic, and technopreneur decided it’s time to take the first step to a more resilient Philippines.

With his knowledge and expertise in his specialized field of Civil Systems, Francis has dedicated his life to combining scientific innovations and creative solutions to address the demand for structural health monitoring systems. Leading a team of equally passionate, creative, and diverse individuals, he believes in the power of collaboration, team work, and nonstop research for continuous development and progress in engineering solutions.

Pushing against limits and boundaries

Early on when the project was still in its initial phases, there were few interests gathered from investors and venture capitalists. So much support for the ideas that lead to discussions of partnership and funding down the line.

Not everything goes according to plan, however, so for a time, the ideas remained just that. But Francis is not the type to give in to stress and pressure. Armed with proof of concepts and documentation, he turned to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its technology commercialization program with the help of his alma mater where he also serves as the Dean for the School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering (CEGE), the Mapua University. Mapua is a premier engineering and technological school in the Philippines. Acquiring funding support from the DOST with the help of the school, USHER (Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording System) Technologies Inc. was born.

Becoming building “doctors”

A structural health monitoring device responds to dangerous structural changes. It also helps improve reliability of the structure and in managing its overall life cycle. Over time, it has added features, one of which is to gauge the effect of ground movement on the structure and predict the seismic performance of infrastructures. This way, the building can be evacuated and retrofitted before any untoward incident happens.

When vibrations and other factors affect a building because of changes in ground movement, the structural health monitoring system can detect them and provide analytics to structural engineers and other decision makers on building safety and management. These vibrations are coined with the term “heartbeats” and its engineers are called the structural health doctors. They will then decide whether to reinforce some parts of the structure or, in dire circumstances, evacuate the occupants.

Surprisingly, despite the fact that the country is along the Pacific Ring of Fire and that earthquakes are next to normal, there aren’t any local suppliers for structural health instruments. Even if the local government requires each building owner and developer to have the instrument in their properties before they can have permits, there is no local manufacturer but all foreign made with limited capability and features.

It’s time that someone manufactures a local instrument for structural health. After all, nobody knows Philippine buildings, conditions and laws well but a local.

Once funding was secured, it was a matter of taking the product to the market and encouraging developers and building owners to support local. It was very hard to compete with international, tried, and tested brands.

But Francis always loves challenges.

The journey towards sustainability amidst the pandemic

In recent years, more and more government agencies and departments offered support and have agreed on partnerships with USHER. In September of 2019, the brand finally had a grand launch in one of the country’s most prestigious venues, Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila.

The grand event was attended by business partners, investors, government agencies, and important decision makers in several industries and fields. Many project collaborations were planned, support that were pledged, and interested parties have set up meetings with the team. Indeed, it was a great way to cap the event.

A few months later, the world was put to a standstill because of a global pandemic. Covid19 spread like wildfire on a hot, dry, summer day in the desert at a very accelerated rate. Before we know it, all countries are on lockdown, all borders are closed, and lives are being taken by the millions.

Francis and the USHER team decided to help create solutions to rise up to the demands of the new normal.

The Go Clean Chamber was created. Since the Covid19 virus spreads through contact of individuals with contaminated surfaces like garments, footwear, and even human body parts, the Go Clean Chamber disinfects both in-bound and out-bound personnel trac in building structures. It is a low-cost mobile disinfection and anti-coronavirus chamber.

Another one on the pipeline is a UV ray scanner called Go Clean GIZMO for documents, money bills, and other paperworks. Working like an x-ray machine, the Go Clean GIZMO disinfects the documents by scanning them with UV rays, effectively killing any virus or bacteria that attach themselves in the papers.

There is also the HOCLOMAC system, a stand-alone, onsite generator of hypochlorous acid used for disinfecting. It can be integrated to any misting chambers and other misting systems in public and private spaces. It can produce 1.5 gallons of hydrochloric solution in less than 5 minutes.

Now, as the world slowly comes back from its forced hiatus in 2020 and people are adjusting to the new normal, with it comes new challenges to face and new goals to achieve.

Through his guidance and tutelage, the USHER team continuously researches on effective ways to provide technological solutions to the new situations we encounter everyday. Francis redefined progress and innovation and made it synonymous to helping people, brands, and the government adjust to the new normal.

From its humble beginnings as an academic project to its current position as one of the country’s leading brands, Francis and USHER has continued the journey to progress and conquering new heights in creative and innovative solutions.

“It’s always been about making it more convenient and easier for our people and professionals to work together and help the government create a more sustainable and a more resilient Philippines.”. Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy, CVO and Founder of USHER Technologies, Inc.

Author

“Dr. Francis Uy is an engineer, academic, and creative civil systems solutions advocate from the Philippines who leads USHER Technologies Inc ., an technology solutions company that brings focus to the importance of structural health monitoring and other DRRM techs as a means to save more lives in cases of unfortunate natural events.”

Future-Proofing Your Mobile Content Strategy with Vertical Storytelling

Have you heard about the dangerous syndrome called VVS? Back in June of 2012, a funny PSA video went viral. Vertical Video Syndrome (VVS) was a fictitious disease that claimed that those afflicted could only shoot videos vertically, as opposed to the more “viewer-friendly” horizontal format.

Today, VVS has spread globally. While shooting Vertical Videos used to be frowned upon, it’s becoming the new normal. And for those brands out there still seemingly immune to the syndrome, the truth is that if you aren’t ready for this change, you will be left behind.

Video consumption through mobile devices has risen by 100% every year. You might still be hanging on to the belief that the classic 16:9 horizontal ratio works well, but statistics prove that vertical videos are a more effective way to engage with today’s audiences.

Since we hold our phones vertically 94% of the time, why would we even bother to flip it around to watch videos horizontally? Aren’t most of us lazy? So, doesn’t it make sense that we should make our content easier for customers to consume?

To engage your customers today, you’ve got to be creative in your approach. Try not to think outside the box – instead, start thinking within the 9:16 box. By utilizing the vertical format, you’ll soon realize how to create content which maximizes the full potential of the mobile screen and increases your brand’s online presence.

By 2022, 82% of internet traffic will be consumed by online video. If your mobile content is not presented in the right format, it will not effectively reach your target market.

Vertical vs Horizontal

Vertical has a 90% completion rate compared to horizontal.
Vertical is watched all the way through nine times more than horizontal
Vertical sees a 33% percent lift in brand awareness and a 12% lift in consideration over their horizontal counterparts.

Social Media channels are Vertical.

Social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, support vertical videos. Even YouTube, which stuck to its horizontal format until recently, realized that more than half of its views come from mobile devices, so they quickly adapted their app too, as they put it: “Dynamically adapt to whatever size you choose to watch it.”

Tik Tok, which uses vertical exclusively, is fast becoming the home of this format. The use of Tik Tok shot up in 2018, and more advertisers are jumping on board looking to reach a younger audience. An independent test by Annenberg Media found that vertical video reached 25,000 more people on Facebook, beating both square and horizontal formats.

300 feet of content every day.

We scroll through 300 feet of content every single day. We live in an online world of massive information, and these days, we’re exposed to more information than ever. From social media posts to news and entertainment promotions, people are continuously fed attention-seeking content, and it has become easy to brush aside information deemed irrelevant.

So, how can brands effectively grab people’s attention with online content, be it our social circle, business network, or customers? Do you have what it takes to create “Thumb-Stopping Vertical Content?” If your content is terrible, the thumb will scroll, swipe or delete it immediately. If your content is good, the only action you want it to do is to give a thumbs up to get the “Likes.”

To help brands and agencies get their vertical storytelling right, I’ve put together some tips that will set you on your way to creating more thumb-stopping content.

Reveal your story

Linear horizontal stories tend to go from left to right. Using your fingers to scroll up and down is a natural way for vertical stories to do the same. Reveal your story piece by piece, either from the top or bottom, to create suspense or surprise. Ultize the full height of the vertical space.

Some recent work I did for CIMB Singapore shows a man holding a % sign jumping up from a trampoline to the top of the screen. He doesn’t come down as we reveal that he is hanging on to higher interest percentage charges.

Create multiple stories

Optimize your horizontal shoot by creating mobile-first vertical content. Design a second storyboard. Not from left to right but from top to bottom. Plan to shoot the subject at the centre. For Kit Kat, we adapted the same scene from the television commercial. During the “video conferencing segment,” we shot extra footage of the talents looking up and down. So when we finally created 8-second stories, we created new content for the talent looking down at the product shots. Clients were very impressed that we included 5-6 shots in each Vertical video. Something that would be impossible to do in a horizontal format.

Frame your story

Crop your content to maximize the full mobile 9:16 screen size for a more immersive experience. Landscape visuals work best on a big movie screen where you sit back and relax; however, on a vertical format is up close and personal; it’s essential to frame your shots that’ll hold your viewer’s attention and keep them engaged at arm’s length.

Try and tell stories from a different perspective.

This CIMB content used the red area to physically squeeze the long queue all the way to the left of the mobile’s screen frame, giving way to more personalized service from a dedicated relationship manager.

Visualize your story

We live in a visual world. Content with visuals gets 94% more total views. Visual content is now 40X more likely to be shared on social networks. Create stories without the benefit of sound. Your audience must listen to your story with their eyes. Don’t just add subtitles. Mix beautiful typography with impactful visuals.

For this Kit Kat example, we visualized a simple problem to tell a relevant story.Who doesn’t have buffering issues on their mobile? We see a typical loading icon consisting of bars forming a circle. After waiting a while, we revealed that it was made of Kit Kat bars instead. Have a Break. Have a Kit Kat.

Split-Screen your story

Experiment by dividing up the vertical screen to tell your story by splitting your screen into halves, thirds, or quarters. Hijack static formats, and templates give the illusion of objects flying off the screen, creating a 3D effect. You can even include multi-product shots at the same time.

Create a relationship between multiple different screens so characters can interact with each other seamlessly. For Kit Kat’s example, we created two separate scenarios at first, but the two worlds collided when the woman at the top stretched her arms to steal Kit Kat from a girl at the bottom screen.

To wrap up, I encourage you to look back at your existing content and repurpose it to suit the mobile behaviour of your customers using the five creative principles I have outlined. It’s the wave of the future, and that future is now.

If your brand adopts vertical stories, I’m confident it will increase visibility and future-proof your mobile content strategy.

Gender disparity: Why Men Still Get Promoted More than Women

Today, women are represented in every industry in the U.S. work market and often hold prominent positions in fields like medicine, education, and law. However, women in the U.S. makeup nearly half of the entry–level workforce, but comprise only a small portion of managerial positions. Even as more women take on more leadership roles, most women in the U.S. still do not get promoted because of their gender.

New research has revealed that the chances of getting a promotion are especially slim for woman. The study, from Columbia University, found that gender bias is still present in recommendations, especially in fields such as science, business, and technology.

Why Women are not getting promoted

According to the “Women in the Workplace” study, for every hundred men hired or promoted to a higher position, only 72 women are promoted and hired for the same role. The statistics for women of color are even lower, with just 68 Latina women and 58 black women being promoted to managerial positions for every 100 entry-level men who are promoted to the same job. This gender difference in the promotion to management was called the “broken rung.” This gender difference in the promotion to managerial positions was called the “broken rung.” This unfair treatment is viewed as the start of inequality in the workplace that eventually leads to a wider gap at higher management levels.

Today, nearly 60% of bachelor’s and master’s degrees are awarded to women, suggesting there is no shortage of qualified women entering the pipeline, yet this percentage is not represented in the promotion to top positions.

It is hence disheartening and hurtful for female employees who put in the hours and have the necessary skills and experience for a managerial role, to get passed over for promotions. What hurts, even more, is that these women often lose out to a male counterpart who may not be their equal on the basis of skillset, agility, or experience.

When these women do not feel like they receive the recognition they deserve in the workplace many of them sink into a depression, and display less commitment to the organization, and some even leave the company while others work even harder to prove their worth.

Unconscious Bias against Women

Men have been advantaged over women in a lot of subtle ways in the workforce. The most obvious explanation for this is gender bias against women; the belief that men are slightly more capable or competent than women is still alive, prevalent, and pervasive in corporate culture and this notion impacts the decision-making of higher-ups.

Women are faced with an unconscious bias and limited workplace support, that even the most ambitious women may feel that making it to the top can seem like an out-of-reach goal.

Unfortunately, this bias starts way before women even apply for a promotion. There is a long-standing culture where women in the workforce are often being bestowed with adjectives like ‘nurturing’ and ‘helpful’, while men receive stronger descriptors like ‘confident’ and ‘ambitious’.

This can result in stronger excellent recommendations for male candidates and significantly fewer good recommendation letters for female employees. This perpetuates that female strengths are less valuable than male traits and, and consequently there will be no attempt to change the business world to a more gender-intelligent or gender-equal space.

Higher standards for women

Women in the US constitute of approximately 50% of the entry-level workforce, but fill only about 21% of high level executive roles. One of the main reason for this disparity is that women are being held to a higher standard.

While it is true that women often take more career breaks than men, particularly to perform motherly duties and prioritize caregiving responsibilities, it is also a fact that women receive higher performance ratings—they are 7.3% more likely than men to receive a “high” rating in performance—their potential ratings are 5.8% lower. The authors estimate that lower potential ratings explain up to 50% of the gap in promotions.

A study found that managers consistently underestimate women’s ability to perform in the future. During this study, the researcher Kelly Shue and colleagues found that women, tended to have higher performance scores than men during evaluation time, whether or not they had been promoted into a more senior role.

“It appears that they were held to a higher standard,” Shue says.

Remarkably, even when women exceeded expectations, they still did not receive the benefit of the doubt and continued to receive lower potential scores even though their most current performance proved that their previous performance potential score was false. This phenomenon is prevalent throughout all the ranks but gets a lot stronger when senior positions are involved.

Shue points out. “Women get progressively lower potential scores relative to their actual future performance as we rise up the corporate ladder. So, this is going to contribute, I think, to a stronger and stronger glass ceiling the higher up we go.”

How to Fight Back Against Gender Discrimination

Women who are at the short end of this gender disparity in the workplace may feel like they are out of options. To remedy this gender disparity, it is crucial for women to know their rights and the laws that protect them from any form of discrimination on the work floor. Female employees must be aware of New York State and City Human Rights Laws and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. These laws protect women from gender discrimination at work and overall make it illegal for employers in the United States to treat an employee differently at work because of their sex or gender.

Women who face gender discrimination at work should go here and must contact an employment discrimination lawyer who has experience dealing with gender discrimination claims to assist them in their fight against their employer.

Companies can also actively combat this kind of bias by amending their evaluation system and focus more on promoting employees on their performance alone.

Final words

It is crucial that employers understand the contribution of female workers to the economy and how important they are in the workforce. This means that a course correction is needed in how employers regard their female employees and promote them accordingly and no longer contribute to – and uphold negative biases against female employees.

Dr. Madeline Ann Lewis is President/CEO of the Executive Women’s Success Institute, a 22-year Army veteran, creator of the online course “Crack The Career Code: Unlock The Amazing Power Within To Lead With Confidence, Charisma, and Credibility”, host of the Success 4 Women Radio/TV Show, Career Strategist, International TEDx Speaker, International Bestselling Author, Trainer, and Business Consultant. She helps women progress in their careers into upper management and executive-level positions by providing them with a fast track, yet comprehensive toolkit of life skills and abilities. She also helps women who are transitioning out of the workplace into business entrepreneurship. Dr. Lewis has numerous awards and accolades. And…she was just selected for the 2022 Veteran Champions of the Year (VCOY)” in Corporate America” list. The 2022 VCOY Corporate list honors 30 champions who advocate for our nation’s veterans in the civilian workforce.

If you want a guide for career-driven women. Download my guide New Rules For Executive Women Success here now!

Leadership Lessons : Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

I have had the privilege of being the country manager for Poly India & SAARC for over 3 years and one of my
biggest learnings so far is: becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. As a business leader, you will have
to be decisive, take tough decisions (and stand by them), and see how you motivate your team to achieve the
best outcomes.

If I could impart five tips and learnings from my personal leadership journey, it would be :

Take that giant leap of faith. You never know; it might just be worth it, and the decision to make that jump may end up changing your life and career.

Often, growth happens when we step outside our comfort zone. Have conviction and self–belief in yourself and your abilities, and take a giant leap of faith when you are presented with an opportunity. It may be scary at first and you may even end up failing, however, you would have had the satisfaction of having tried.

Give in your 100%, no matter what you are doing

The Bhagavad Gita also says, “The wise man lets go of all the results, whether good or bad and is focused on the action alone.”

I want to take this a step further and modify it by saying, give it your 100%, whatever actions you perform, personal or professional, give it your all, and whenever you do this, despite the fact that you may not get your most desirable or ideal outcome, the results still won’t be half as bad because your hard work and efforts never go to waste.

Master the art of intrinsic motivation

Even when no one else is watching you, or there is no one to support you or push you to deliver your best, you owe it to yourself to discover your own potential. When you learn to motivate and push yourself without any external motivators like a manager watching over you or even when there are no sales numbers or deliverables that are attached to your performance, is when you have become a true leader and a great performer.

To be a good leader, you need to learn to lead with your head, heart, and hands.

The head to envision the future and the priorities that are needed to succeed, the heart to inspire and empower my employees, and the hands to ensure innovative and agile–execution capabilities.

Be decisive, loyal, and committed

As a leader, you will have to sometimes make tough decisions. Make these decisions and stick by them. There is no shortcut to hard work; learn about loyalty and commitment and embody its principles. Be loyal and committed to your organization, customers, and partners. Always put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think about their pain points and how you can support them. Be committed not just to your own professional growth but also to the organization’s overall growth and success.

Treat Yourself To A Break From Everyday Life

LA MAISON DU PAIN is the result of a love affair between a Franchisor and France. With their authentic French recipes and an ambiance that transports you directly to the South of France, its treats people with an experience of a lifetime.

Established in 2011, LA MAISON DU PAIN has been ruling millions of taste goods through its mesmerizing, authentic French bakery, patisserie, and other delicious products. Known for Tarts, croissants, macaroons, beignets, and éclairs it is renowned for offering much more than just bakery products. With its products offering a roller coaster of taste at every delicious bite, La Maison not only rules the hearts but rules tummies too. Franchisor of the brand Bernd Steiner to know more about the French art of living his journey. Located in Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Wiesbaden, Hamburg, Main-Taunus-Zentrum, Braunschweig, La Maison are a fully certified member of the German Franchise Association and a French-inspired bakery & bistro serving all-day breakfast, patisserie & other bakery products.

The competitive advantage seems quite easy to explain. LA MAISON DU PAIN provides its customers with the feeling of being in France. The atmosphere is purely French, warm, and charming. Complimenting is the smell of fresh bakery products and French Chansons playing in the background. “Our method was not to chase all trends to attract guests. Our Guests do also not count calories. We foster the French way of life – which we called L`ART DE VIVRE – it is knowledge of how to enjoy life and take time to appreciate the beauty and good taste in things and enjoy the butteriest French croissant you can ever eat.

Having understood this La Maison keeps innovating, experimenting with the taste, and keeps adding to its menu offering its customers not only new products but newer experiences too. This has helped La Maison to establish itself as a brand people relate to. Its products are at the tip of its customer’s tongues and are the first preference when people want to go out and enjoy their time. Even with most of its customers praising its products, La Maison is always in the pursuit of introducing new and better products without letting the quality of its old products get hampered.

La Maison is a unique business model that has been tried and tested over many years with an authentic French bakery and bistro concept.

“ If you reach the peak of the mountain top, make sure that you descend the peak as soon as possible. If you stay too long -either you freeze to death or go crazy. “

The food industry apart from being challenging is unpredictable where your days-old competitor can complete you shine you. Those days are gone when people were emotionally attached to brands and it is now purely the quality of your food and innovation that matters. People get bored of eating the same thing and immediately start searching for something new and better. This change in the mindset though is a matter of concern, bringing along with it an opportunity to offer customers something new and keep them glued to your products.

Having established itself as a known brand, La Maison started offering franchises. However, despite being a successful brand, it wasn’t a cakewalk. One of its partners tried to copy its business models and failed big time. This indeed was a bad experience for La Maison. First of all, it is a people business even though there is a complex system working behind the operation, guests seeking to have a place to be. For example. LA MAISON DU PAIN is always in the pursuit of introducing new and delicious products without letting the quality of their old products get hampered. Furthermore, Packaging is key.

Today La Maison is a successful brand that is willing to share its success. Having learned from its experiences, La Maison wants people to stop wasting time on trial and error and use its system that would offer them increased chances of achieving success and living the life that they desire. With a set system that is designed only to make its franchise a success, La Maison is not only a market leader but an industry leader in the making. “We will expand in Europe as soon as we find a Partner to act as a Master-Franchisor,” shares.

If you start a business at a young age, good education and establishing a network seem to be the right things to have. But later you will find out that your professional way will be embossed by experiences from all your past work over the years. Today, I have the conviction that success occurs if gut feeling meets seniority. What I developed from the very beginning was a kind of paranoia in a positive and creative way. What does it mean? We try to be always one step ahead of our competitors and look forward to the possible expectations and desires of our guests. Success does not always bring out the best in people, but its transformational power has left me agreeably unaltered. But the record shows, there are often unexpected setbacks in most of the most inconvenient times. If your business or the economic environment is fragile, you must become a troubleshooter. From a personal point of view – I`m always prepared for inconvenient incidence, at any time. And if luck meets opportunity success will happen. What does it mean personally? It is not a feeling of being successful, it is more subtle. A combination of appreciation and a sense of accomplishment. I never forget my time as a young man starting with almost nothing. The exception was high and the unwavering will to do something great. My mindset has never changed.

I wish for LA MAISON DU PAIN to be a unique and complementary concept belonging to all bigger cities in Europe. If you ask me what the biggest roadblock during my journey has been, well I would answer in analogy: “If you reach the peak of the mountain top, make sure that you descend the peak as soon as possible. If you stay too long – either you freeze to death or go crazy”.

Expert In BUYING AND SELLING ON TERMS

How you can capitalize on the shifting market as we all navigate through COVID still as well as interest rate changes?

As the rental market shifts due to coronavirus and the economy, those of us in the terms business are perfectly positioned to help.

At the time of writing this, we’re in uncharted territory. With the coronavirus and uncertainty in the economy, many people in the real estate industry are getting concerned about their investments and whether they’ll be able to make it through this crisis unscathed.

But those of us in the terms business are uniquely positioned to help during times like this. We’re able to help sellers get out of sticky situations and sell their homes when they would be otherwise unable to. And on the flip side, we’re able to help buyers get into homes they would otherwise be unable to. By structuring long-term deals, we can set up both buyers and sellers to be in very comfortable positions for years to come.

And while all this happens, we’re able to continue doing deals and bringing in revenue for our businesses. We often talk about “recession-resistant” deals, and now we’re seeing that pay off.

So let’s look at what this shift means for real estate and how those of us in the terms business can continue to get deals done throughout this crisis (you’ll want to also see the special “Thriving in Chaos” Series on our podcast as well (https://www.smartrealestatecoachpodcast.com).

The rental market shift

I’ll preface this by saying I’m not an economist, but I’ve been predicting for over a year that something is going to happen with the vacation rental market. Ever since Airbnb and VRBO have gained popularity, people have been getting into vacation rentals at an alarming rate.

Everyone thinks they can buy a property, Airbnb it out, and become a successful real estate investor. And for the most part, that’s been true for the past couple of years—it’s been a booming niche within real estate.

But because Airbnb owners have been able to get a high premium for their rentals, they were also willing to pay a high premium for the properties they were buying. People have been overpaying for these properties for years, and many of them weren’t prepared for a situation like this.

After all, who could expect this? Everyone knows real estate is risky, but no one could predict a massive global pandemic that prevents people from vacationing for months or even years.

I predicted that when the market slows down, there will be a bunch of Airbnb and VRBO properties that could potentially go under foreclosure or be easily taken under contract by investors like us. And that’s what we’re starting to see.

We know for sure that there will be a significant decline in vacation rentals for the foreseeable future—and those of us in the terms business are uniquely positioned to help these Airbnb owners right now by getting them out of a situation they didn’t see coming.

So, our advice? Look to Airbnb and VRBOs in the coming months for seller leads! There will be many people wanting to get their home sold and get out of this sticky situation they’ve found themselves in. We can help.

Shifting your mindset

When you’re confronted with tough situations like we’re in now, it all comes down to mindset and how you approach it. Right now, many people are scared and nervous about the future. That’s perfectly understandable, but there are also many opportunities available right now—it’s just a matter of how you think about it.

Now is the time to shift your mindset and think positively. You’re going to need to change things up. You’ll need to look for different sources for sellers. But the simple reality is that if you’re in the terms niche, you are in a phenomenal niche for this type of market. We are perfectly positioned to flourish right now—and that’s something I couldn’t say for the last seven years.

In the coming months, we’re going to see houses foreclose. Unfortunately, people are going to continue losing their jobs. They’ll need to sell their homes quickly.

There will be a glutton of properties and people that you can help as this crisis continues to evolve. If you can just shift your thought process and your mindset, you’ll see that you are uniquely positioned to not only get through these scary times, but thrive in them.

– Chris Prefontaine, Smart Real Estate Coach Founder, CEO & Coach

You Can Build the Life of Your Dreams with Terms Deals

What does “terms deals” mean?

When our Associate came to us with a specific goal in mind, we helped him achieve it. It’s really that simple inside the Wicked Smart™Community. We structure a predictable, proven & profitable strategic plan for our students and we go as fast or as slow as they’d like. One of our company Values is matching effort for effort.

One of the best things about the real estate industry is that you are ultimately in control of how much money you make. The more work you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. And the more you learn, the more profit you can create for yourself.

So when someone comes to us with a very specific goal in mind, we get excited because we know that with our help and their drive, they’ll be able to accomplish it.

One of our recent Associates did exactly this—they enrolled in our program with the goal of using terms deals (Creative Real Estate whereby you can buy homes with no cash or credit or banks) to one day retire with a house on the beach in Jamaica. We thought this was a great (and attainable) goal for our Associate to strive for. As long as they took the time to learn the ins and outs of the TERMS niche inside this lovely industry and put the work in to close out a few deals, they’d be well on their way.

So let’s take a look at our Associate’s fourth deal, which will be one of the final deals they need to complete before securing that beach house in Jamaica. Once you see how this deal shapes up, you’ll see why just a couple of terms deals can truly change the course of your life utilizing our unique 3 Payday ™ system. We say that because our family average is approximately $75,000 per deal all 3 Payday ™ and our students around North America average a low of $45,000 to a high of $250,000 and up. After 31 years in this industry, I can assure you that the new way of real estate is getting paid 3 times!

Motivation, motivation, motivation

We often say that there are millions of people who want to get into homes on terms. Especially with the COVID pandemic still lingering, banks are getting tighter on financing, rates already rose and people are finding themselves unable to qualify for a traditional mortgage.

If you can’t get traditional financing and you’re currently renting a home, why would you not want to get into a terms deal? In a terms deal, you’ll likely be paying the same amount of rent as you would have otherwise, but by the end of the term you’ll be a homeowner and you can start paying down the principal on your home.

That’s why we always talk about the value of motivation with these deals. There is motivation on both sides—the tenant buyer wants to get into a home and the seller wants to get their property sold and cash out their investment.

In this case, the seller wanted to move to a different location and had already bought a home there. His first house sat on the market for several months with no interest. After it expired, he got a call from our Associate and they talked about setting up a deal.

The tenant buyer, on the other hand, had moved to this area from a different state for work and was living in a corporate apartment complex. They were spending a significant amount of money on rent each month (with nothing to show for it) and they couldn’t qualify for a traditional mortgage. So they jumped on the opportunity to get out of their apartment complex and buy a home through our rent to own program.

The focus with buyers and sellers is always to see where you can help solve the challenge or problem or a previously unattainable goal. When you do that, it’s a 3-way win.

How do you create wealth? Get ahead of trends while simultaneously becoming a guide for those in need of better solutions.

All 3 Paydays ™

This deal was structured as a 36-month sandwich lease purchase. The purchase price was $420,000 and the seller had $205,378 in underlying debt on the property. That means our Associate owes him $214,621 in equity at the end of the term and that’s how it’s discussed- seller cash out versus price. The price is simply used for the formula in Sandwich Lease deals.

Payday #1 is the down payment, which ended up being right around 10% in this case—$44,000, to be exact. Our Associate also was able to capture the first month’s rent of $3,000. This is something we do on nearly all of our deals; we structure them so that we don’t start making payments to the seller until 30 days into the term.

Payday #2 is the monthly spread on the home. Our Associate owed $2,437 to the seller each month and was receiving $2,635 from the tenant buyer. That’s a spread of $198 each month, which comes out to $7,128 over 36 months. Not a massive Payday #2, but it all adds up in the end!

Payday #3 is the markup on the sale of the home plus the principal paydown accrued over the length of the term. The principal paydown is where we receive a significant amount of profit, and this deal is no exception.

The markup was $20,000 (our Associate agreed to a sale price of $440,000 with the tenant buyer) and the principal paydown ended up being $1,500 per month. Over 36 months, that’s $54,000 added to Payday #3.

When you remove the initial down payment of $97,000, our Associate is left with $84,128.

Achieving your dreams through terms deals

Our student has already purchased a plot of land and will be building a home to retire in very soon in Jamaica. With just a few more deals, he’ll be able to retire and live the life of his dreams.

This is something we see time and time again. These types of deals give you cash-in-hand at the beginning, consistent cash flow throughout the term, and a large Payday at the end, thanks to our 3 Payday ™ system. With just a handful of deals you can build significant profit.

If you’re willing to put the effort in, educate yourself, and get deals done on a consistent basis you can build massive generational wealth with terms deals. This is just one of many examples!

What is it that you’d like to create that you’re not already creating?

Are you working for a pay check or even doing real estate deals that are one-pay deals, very transactional?

How many deals like this would you need in order to build the life of your dreams?

About Chris

Chris Prefontaine is a 3 – time best-selling author of Real Estate on Your Terms, The New Rules of Real Estate Investing, and Moneeka Sawyer’s Real Estate Investing for Women. He’s also the Founder and CEO of SmartRealEstateCoach.com and host of the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast.

Chris has been in real estate for over 30 years. His experience ranges from constructing new homes in the 1990s and owning a Realty Executive Franchise to running his own investments (commercial & residential) and coaching clients throughout North America.

After the crash of 2008, Chris reengineered his entire business to weather all storms and economic cycles. Understanding these challenges, he helps students navigate the constantly changing real estate waters.

Today, chris runs his own buying and selling business with his family team which purchases 2-5 properties monthly, so they’re in the trenches every single week. They also help their students do the exact same thing all across North America, working together on another 25-30 properties every month.

– Chris Prefontaine, Smart Real Estate Coach, Founder, CEO & Coach