Category: Tycoon Diary

Shahab Elmi: A Man with the Midas Touch / An Epitome of Success

Living a good life is an amalgamation of two primary aspects- one is good health, and the other is peace of mind. Today, the pace of our lives is chaotic, toiling long hours at work, spending the weekends glued to our screens, and running 24*7 to do everything out of the to-do list. Such a lifestyle is a mere representation of how people survive in a default setting. On the contrary, they can live a better life and choose to make the most of their significant time.

With this, the wellness industry comes into the picture. It has seen exponential growth in the last decade as more people are considering wellness retreats. The wellness brands are reinventing with innovative products and services to keep updated with the ongoing global pandemic. It is slowly gaining momentum of changing demographics and meeting the consumers’ needs of the hour.

One such wellness brand, Cymbiotika is an innovative wellness and lifestyle brand based in San Diego. It is determined by the higher purpose of inspiring everyday people to achieve their optimal health.

A charismatic personality and an adept leader, Shahab Elmi is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cymbiotika. He started his professional journey with AT&T working as a Director of Sales further got promoted to Executive Director. More than a decade-long experience at AT&T led to exceptional future opportunities and exposures. Furthermore, he is grateful to work along with some of the top leaders on the planet – Ralph De La Vega, Glen Lurie, and Andy Shibley to name a few. This experience was pivotal for his upcoming entrepreneurial endeavours.

About Cymbiotika

Cymbiotika is a health supplement company, designing sophisticated organic formulations that are scientifically proven to increase vitality and longevity by filling nutritional gaps that result from the modern-day diet.

With the mantra of Your mind and body deserve the best, Cymbiotika aims to change the world by empowering people to reclaim their health and unlock their fullest potential. We all know health is our true wealth, and the company focuses on helping people live longer, happier, and healthier lives.

The company steers with passion, intentional design, and creation, not margins. It advocates holistic health rooted in both Eastern and Western medicine. Cymbiotika sources only the highest quality plant-based nutrients, combined with advanced bioavailable absorption technology to resolve specific nutritional deficiencies and support healthy aging, detoxification, and longevity. It never uses synthetics, GMOs, fillers, chemicals, preservatives, additives, or sugars.

Cymbiotika is a customer-centric organization that always puts its customers first and foremost. It works towards enriching people’s lives in a defining manner. Offerings them best-in-class products and setting a goal of becoming a role model in the marketplace.

A Sneak Peek into Shahab Brief Journey

Shahab is a serial entrepreneur who has founded four companies: Cymbiotika (nutritional supplements), DASH Radio / DASH International (online radio), KNK Group (Cricket Wireless stores), and Day Group (customizable phone cases). Shahab sold Day Group to Duckie Accessories for an 8-figure sum after 26 months of its foundation.

More recently, Shahab led Cymbiotika to achieve $3 million in sales within 90 days of launch. At DASH Radio, in 29 months, the company has 10 million monthly listeners and has raised substantial investments at a 9-figure valuation. Finally, under Shahab’s leadership, KNK Group has been awarded the title of “Cricket Wireless National Dealer of the Year“. This award comes well earned – in 3 years, KNK Group has opened 172 stores in 6 states. Additionally, Shahab is a member of the Board of Advisors at Bomani Cold Buzz and the Board of Directors at Massiv Clothing.

Backed with a Power-Packed Team

Cymbiotika’s success is an amalgamation of the work put in by its co-founders and team. The team plays a vital role; each member contributes to their maximum potential and works adhering to the mission and vision of the company. The brand has marked its presence in the global market with the help of its dedicated team members. The company has the best leaders in the business; it never feels like working in the office. The team at Cymbiotika is passionate and excellent at what they do; they put their heart and soul into everything. The organization is grateful for having such an exceptional team.

Shahab is a key person in this environment. He is a leader; who faces challenges every day and successfully tackles the hurdles effectively. “We are ready. I emphasize WE because, with the right leaders, no obstacles are incrementable”. 

He also believes that the key to diversification is the internal team. A diverse team produces different and unique ideas. This results in diverse offerings that appeal to the broader target audience (which in our case is EVERYONE).

Company Culture is the Difference Maker

Shahab reckons that company culture is what fuels the engine of success. Be it product-based or service-based business- quality is paramount. There may come a day where a competitor will provide products/services identical in quality and scope. However, Company Culture cannot be replaced. Everyone wants to be appreciated and work in a pleasant/happy environment.

Everyone wants to look forward to coming to work. As a CEO, YOU have control over the kind of environment your organization cultivates. Spend time and resources constantly working on this. NEVER EVER take your team for granted.

Leading the Way with Exemplary Leadership Principles

Leadership is unique. Many entrepreneurs fall victim to copycat leadership. With so many gurus selling their propaganda with the how-to books and overnight success formulas, this trap leads to inevitable failure. Replicating a leader’s successful strategy is a short-term gain, however, in the long run, it never works.

Here are the few Shahab’s leadership qualities:

    • Passion
    • Hardest worker in the room
    • TEAM always before “I”
    • Focus on the controllable
    • Humility

He aims at incorporating these new ideas as a leader. He believes in investing in the right people and staying focused with them. The profits will roll in, and revenue will come.

Shahab also believes in empowering talented people. He bestows them with an opportunity and allows them to create their vision. Many times, leaders force their styles on their employees. When that happens, creativity gets lost and disregarded. Hence, let the creative minds get nurtured to experience blooming results.

Failures are the Greatest Teachers

In earlier entrepreneurial endeavors, Shahab would shy away from risk. He learned through the years that to win- one has to take calculated risks. Make tough decisions and lead the path with zeal and zest. Playing too close to the vest, especially for a startup; could have devastating consequences.

Failures will happen. It sounds terrible and disheartening, but success as an entrepreneur is not linear. At some point, things will not go as planned. Expecting and planning for these misses is critical. Building redundancies may be the most important strategic initiative in any organization.

The Two Disciplines of Success

  • Life success: Family first. Time is irreplaceable, so spend every second you can with your kids. My wife, parents, and daughters inspire him daily.
  • Business success: Build an ethical and morally sound organization, which emphasizes diversity. Growth will happen organically.

Shahab is a visionary leader; who envisions helping people live longer, healthier, and happier lives. We start and end each meeting with Quality and Quality control discussions. This laser focus became the foundation of everything we do at Cymbiotika: to create the best health products in the world.

Adding Glory to the Victory

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced that Shahab Elmi of Cymbiotika was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 Pacific Southwest – San Diego Award finalist. Now in its 35th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors unstoppable business leaders whose ambition, ingenuity, and courage in the face of adversity help catapult us from the now to next and beyond. Shahab Elmi got selected by a panel of independent judges. The award winners got announced during a special virtual celebration on August 5, 2021. They become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from across the glo

“There is nothing more important than our health and we have an incredible team devoted to helping people live longer, healthier, and happier lives. Since inception, we focused on delivering high-quality products and offering an amazing customer experience; success will follow. I am proud of our unwavering commitment to these standards and the strong corporate culture that makes it all possible. Thank you for this recognition, I am honored to be named a finalist“, adds Shahab.

The Journey Continues

The best advice Shahab has received is “Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you will hit the stars”. 

Inspired by this thought-provoking advice, Cymbiotika continues to round out its product offerings in 2022 (9 additional SKUs in lab testing with more on the way). Additionally, it will accelerate international expansion: Currently: USA/Canada; in 2022 and add Australia, UK, EU, and AUE(Gulf states).

Cymbiotika has grown over 7000% over the past three years and is positioned to grow for years to come.

The cybersecurity threat landscape

With the prevalence of 24-hour connectivity and modern advancements in technology, threats are evolving rapidly to exploit different aspects of these technologies. Any device is vulnerable to attack, and with the Internet of Things (IoT) this became a reality. The IoT has seen increased usage of digital communication and the increased transfer of data via digital platforms increases the risk of data interception by malicious individuals. Pervasive surveillance through digital devices is also a recent threat with the increased use of smartphones. Governments can now engage in digital surveillance of their citizenry with the excuse of providing security against potential terrorist threats. Criminals can also do similar tasks to the detriment of the targeted victims. In 2014, ESET, an internet security company, reported 73,000 unprotected security cameras with default passwords.

In April 2017, IOActive found 7,000 vulnerable Linksys routers in use, although they said that there could be up to 100,000 additional routers exposed to this vulnerability.

In 2018, Marriott Hotels disclosed that 500 million customers’ data was leaked, and in April 2020 they disclosed another data breach affecting 5 million customers.

In 2019, First American Corporation a real estate title insurer, disclosed quarters of a billion mortgage deal documents, including bank account numbers, tax records, Social Security numbers, wire transaction receipts, and driver’s license images.

In 2020, Fire one of the largest cybersecurity companies in world , disclosed that they had been hacked, likely by a government, and that an arsenal of hacking tools used to test the defenses of its clients had been stolen.

April 2021, Facebook disclosed one more data leakage this time 540 of its users data , including Mark Zuckerberg’s data…

Cybersecurity and COVID-19

The cybersecurity landscape is always evolving and presenting new challenges, but since the COVID-19 global pandemic began, the cyber landscape has shifted at rapid speeds, leaving IT security professionals around the world scrambling to adapt to the new threat landscape. This has driven the IT world to adopt innovative methods of managing the business resilience and digital needs of a fully remote workforce, for example, with the use of video conference technology.

One of those technologies is Zoom: free, accessible, and easy to use. Zoom’s user base rocketed from 10 million in December 2019 to 200 million by the end of April 2020. This rapid increase caught the attention of security researchers, who found many security issues that have cast a shadow over the product.

Of course, Zoom is not the only company to feel the pinch during the pandemic. Cybersecurity threats have heightened during the crisis, as cybercriminals look to take advantage of companies that haven’t adopted the best practices of this rapid change and, as a result, are not operating as securely as they usually would.

When a company CEO asks what the vulnerabilities in a home device have to do with their company, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) should be ready to give an answer. The CISO should have a better understanding of the threat landscape and how home user devices may impact the overall security that the company needs to enforce. The answer comes in two simple scenarios, remote access and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).

While remote access is not new, the number of remote workers is growing exponentially. 43% of employed Americans report spending at least some time working remotely, according to Gallup, which means they are using their own infrastructure to access a company’s resources.

Compounding this issue, we have a growth in the number of companies allowing BYOD in the workplace. This use of unmanaged devices is opening doors for adversaries, who have shifted quickly to exploit the newly increased attack surface and overstretched IT resources. This rapid shift in the threat landscape has left organizations scrambling to scale their security systems to meet the rise in the use of personal home networks, handheld devices, and apps beyond the scope of the enterprise environment.

Keep in mind that there are ways to implement BYOD securely, but most of the failures in a BYOD scenario usually happen because of poor planning and network architecture, which lead to an insecure implementation.

What is the commonality among the previously mentioned technologies? To operate them you need a user, which is the greatest target for attack: human error is the weakest link in the security chain. For this reason, old threats such as phishing are still on the rise. This is because they attack the psychological aspects of the user by enticing them to click on something, such as a file attachment or malicious link. Once the user performs one of these actions, their device usually either becomes compromised by malicious software (malware) or is remotely accessed by a hacker.

Understanding the attack surface

In very simple terms, the attack surface is the collection of all potential vulnerabilities that, if exploited, can allow unauthorized access to the system, data, or network. These vulnerabilities are often also called attack vectors, and they can span from software to hardware, to a network, and to users (which is the human factor). The risk of being attacked or compromised is directly proportional to the extent of attack surface exposure. The higher the number of attack vectors, the larger the attack surface, and the higher the risk of compromise. That’s why many organizations prioritize attack surface management to identify and mitigate these risks effectively. It ensures their systems are protected against potential threats.

Just to give you the extent of an attack surface and its exposure, let’s look into MITRE’s Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database, here: https://cve.mitre.org/cve/. The database provides a list of cybersecurity vulnerabilities that have been targeted in the past, to make organizations aware of them should they use the same software or hardware systems. It has 108,915 CVE entries at the time of writing, which have been identified over the past few decades. Certainly, many of these have been fixed, but some may still exist. This huge number indicates how big the risk of exposure is.

Any software that is running on a system can potentially be exploited using vulnerabilities in the software, either remotely or locally. This applies particularly to software that is web-facing, as it is more exposed, and the attack surface is much larger. Often, these vulnerable applications and software can lead to the compromise of the entire network, posing a risk to the data it is managing. Furthermore, there is another risk that these applications or software are often exposed to: insider threat, where any authenticated user can gain access to data that is unprotected due to badly implemented access controls.

An attack surface may be exposed to network attacks that can be categorized as either passive or active, depending on the nature of the attack. These can force network services to collapse, making services temporarily unavailable, allow unauthorized access to the data flowing through the network, and other negative business impacts.

In the event of a passive attack, the network might be monitored by the adversary to capture passwords, or to capture sensitive information. During a passive attack, an attacker can leverage the network traffic to intercept communications between sensitive systems and steal information. This can be done without the user even knowing about it. Alternatively, during an active attack, the adversary will try to bypass the protection systems using malware or other forms of network-based vulnerabilities to break into the network assets; active attacks can lead to the exposure of data and sensitive files. Active attacks can also lead to Denial-of-Service (DoS) type attacks. Some common types of attack vectors are:

  • Social engineering scams
  • Drive-by downloads
  • Malicious URLs and scripts
  • Browser-based attacks
  • Attacks on the supply chain (which are becoming increasingly common)
  • Network-based attack vectors

To find out more about this topic, I would highly recommend that you download and read Verizon data breach reports: https://enterprise.verizon.com/resources/reports/dbir/.

What follows is a relevant excerpt, which indicates the various factors that shape an organization’s attack surface:

“Errors definitely win the award for best supporting action this year. They are now equally as common as Social breaches and more common than Malware, and are truly ubiquitous across all industries. Only Hacking remains higher, and that is due to credential theft and use, which we have already touched upon. Misconfiguration errors have been increasing. This can be, in large part, associated with internet-exposed storage discovered by security researchers and unrelated third parties.”

According to the Verizon breach report, hackers’ tactics and motives have not changed much over the last 5 years, with 63% of breaches launched for financial gain, and 52% of breaches featuring hacking. Ransomware attacks account for nearly 24% of attacks involving malware, and breaches continue to take a long time to be detected, with 56% taking several months or longer to be discovered. And typically, by the time the breach has been discovered, the damage has already been done.

With every passing day, the network of connected devices is increasing, and, while this growth of connectivity continues to grow bigger, the risk of exposure is also increasing. Furthermore, it is no longer dependent on how big or small businesses are. In today’s cyberspace, it is hard to establish whether any network or application is prone to attacks, but it has become extremely important to have a sustainable, dependable, and efficient network system, as well as applications. Properly configured systems and applications will help reduce the risk of attack, but we might not ever be able to eliminate the risk of attack completely.

A Business Leader’s Six Core Duties

The responsibilities of a company’s top executive are extensive and nuanced. You should be conscious that even if you lack a certain amount of flare, your confidence and will to succeed in business will more than compensate for it. Alternatively, even if you have all the ability in the world, your chances of success are considerably diminished if you lack faith in yourself and your abilities. The good news is that you may take concrete and tested methods to gain the self-assurance you need to be successful in your business ventures and profession. Regardless of the business, sector, or type of organisation, at least six functions must be performed.

The top Six core duties of a business leader

Providing overall leadership and guidance.

Businesses must be able to envision where they will be in three to five years. The process of conceiving the vision may appear straightforward on the surface. There are some factors to consider, including your competition and technical advancements, shifts in consumer preferences, and your existing position in the market.

Choosing the Right Approaches.

Following a clear understanding of your long-term goals, you may begin picking the best ways to get there. This could be seen as a means to an end, a way to get from here to there. The purchase of companies, development into new markets, and technological advances are all possible avenues for growth.

Making a Plan Come True

If you’re a board member of a huge company, you’ll need to strike a delicate balance. Making things happen without taking on all of the work alone is essential. In principle, this might seem like a cinch, but in fact, it’s a major challenge.

Setting the Right Priorities and Goals.

The framework you establish must allow you to realise your vision and put your strategies into action. Please keep it simple and not overly complicated at the same time. This becomes increasingly challenging as the size of the organisation increases.

Assisting Others in Getting Inspired

Being able to articulate your goals is critical. The ability of the leader to motivate and inspire others in the organisation is a vital aspect in whether or not the goal is reached. There will always be sceptics in any organisation, and you’ll need to persuade them.

Human Resource Management

People development must be a top priority if the company is to continue to grow. When it comes to discovering and developing the most brilliant employees, the top companies have processes in place. Creating a steady supply of new talent is essential to long-term advancement and success.

Self-Motivation

In order to motivate themselves, leaders with high degrees of self-awareness must have taken the time to study what makes them tick. As a result, they are well-versed in the theory of motivation and have figured out what motivates them personally.

An effective leader must be able to manage a variety of competing priorities. If you want to be a successful leader, you must master all of these standard leadership functions.

Top 10 Business Leader Mistakes When Trying to Inspire

Pay attention to the people around you.

Trying to encourage and motivate my team when I’m not fully engaged and inspired myself is a pitfall I’ve fallen into myself. Recognizing this in ourselves is an excellent place to start. Some coaches can help, but you might want to start by becoming more conscious of your impact on people first!

Pay attention to what’s happening outside of your control.

In the same vein as number 1 above, a business leader must be wholly focused on the circumstance or challenge at hand to achieve success. Leaders need to strike a balance between their introspection and their attention to the needs of those around them so that they can weigh their impact on a particular scenario or individual before making a choice.

Concentrate on the truth

They appreciate that the feelings and impressions of employees, clients, and other stakeholders can be just as essential, if not more significant, than the facts of a particular issue. This is why good leaders don’t simply focus on the points. When a choice must be made, they weigh all the options.

Not in touch with their inner motivations and desires

A lack of self-awareness can make it challenging for business leaders to inspire others. It is essential to know how to tap into your source of inspiration to motivate your employees.

Give no meaning or importance to what they are trying to express. 5

The current economic climate necessitates a bold, intentional strategy. Because they have a clear sense of how their work contributes to the greater good, employees are more likely to be motivated by a sense of purpose in what they’re doing.

Insufficient effort to learn about the individuals and what drives them

A combination of this and the prior error can have the greatest impact on employees. It is a lot easier to know what motivates, inspires, and engages employees if you spend some time getting to know them. To avoid making assumptions about other people, it is crucial not to assume that their goals and drivers are comparable to your own.

Rather than focusing on the long-term goal, focus on the short-term.

Don’t lose sight of the big picture when you’ve got a lot of short-term chores to complete. These are vital in monitoring and progress, but they might drive corporate executives to focus on the urgent rather than the important.

Forget that it’s a long-term process, not a one-time problem.

For many people, a task is perceived as a measure of success rather than development because of error number 7: the performance of that work. To keep employees motivated and engaged, the process of sharing and receiving feedback must be a constant one.

Be someone they’re not by pretending to be someone else.

It’s challenging to get the most out of others if you try to change yourself to achieve what you want from them. On the other hand, leaders must be agile and adaptable to meet the needs of different people and situations. As a result, effective leadership is a delicate balancing act, in the same way that a chameleon continuously adapts to its environment yet never loses its identity.

There’s no fire in my belly for this.

The subject, what needs to be done, or what leaders are attempting to accomplish can all inspire a person’s passion. The infectiousness of a leader’s passion and energy is a powerful motivator for their followers.

An Industry Veteran Is Walking the Unique Path to Success leading PJP Investments Group, Tapan Vaidya

Tapan Vaidya, a passionate, innovative, and veteran in the industry and on Caterer Middle East Power 50 List 2020, is currently spearheading the growth of PJP Investments Group in the role of CEO with his own investment. PJP is the owner-operator of Papa John’s in the UAE & Saudi Arabia.

In his 35-year long work journey, across the Middle East & India, Tapan has been associated with the development of hundreds of restaurants across these markets with brands including Papa John’s, Chili’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Outback Steakhouse… it is a long list. Tapan also founded Talli Turmeric® – a hugely popular polished casual dining brand serving authentic Indian food from across Indian regional cuisines, celebrating Turmeric’s position in the Indian culinary landscape, in South Mumbai, India. This October, Talli Turmeric® will soon launch in Dubai in a virtual format through a partnership with cloud kitchen unicorn Kitopi. Currently focused on developing and expanding Papa John’s in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Tapan is keen to give back to the industry from his deep knowledge and hands-on experience. With the current crisis that the industry has now faced for over a year, Tapan has dug deep to bring new insights and creative solutions in handling his business, and he is a successful versatile leader. In academics, Tapan has done BSc in Mathematics from St. Xavier’s College & a Business Diploma from NMIMS, Mumbai, India.

A Glimpse of PJP Investments Group

PJP Investments Group owns and operates 62 Papa John’s restaurants in the United Arab Emirates, with strong expansion plans to build 110 restaurants by 2026. PJP has recently signed on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and opened its first restaurant in Riyadh last month. The development plan includes 100 restaurant openings in 10 years.

While talking about his consumer base, Mr Vaidya said, “Consumers of all ages and nationalities are our customers – that is the power pizza enjoys as comfort food. Quality of ingredients and operational execution in our restaurants are two key elements that contribute to our success. These are not easily achieved, there are processes in place to systematically achieve these two on a daily basis, every day.” 

The Inspiration behind the Initiation

Tapan Vaidya waited at tables in a local restaurant during his university days and that experience made him fall in love with the restaurant industry, the trigger was the instant appreciation of a great effort. You serve great food and provide excellent service to a dining guest; you receive an instant reward in the form of a Tip. Simple start of falling in love, but has taken him on a roller-coaster-like exhilarating ride in his career.

Hurdles on the Way

The PJP Investments Group grew from one restaurant in 2005 to 62 restaurants today. This did not happen without teething problems, in fact, the problems grew exponentially large each year as the company struggled to ensure various elements were aligned with the objectives, including recruitment, training, supply chain, striking the right balance between menu price and cost of goods sold – this list is long. However, the team stayed focused on getting the quality of ingredients right and ensuring flawless restaurant operations. This helped them make customers happy and they kept coming back.

A Day in Tapan’s Life

“I wake up early at 5 am every workday and head off for my main physical as well as a mental exercise – half a round of Golf at Emirates Golf Club. I avoid the Golf Cart and walk the course. After a shower at the Club, I drive straight to my office for a day full of excitement. Once a week I would usually have a session with new joiners. I insist on spending a half-hour with them to talk about our Vision, Mission and Values. Then there are the weekly Trade Meetings where the entire management team comes together to discuss last week’s performance”, asserted Tapan when asked about his daily routine.

 “Every day, I personally spend time with our operations team from across all emirates, to discuss each feedback received from our customers, negative and positive. A customer who sent in negative feedback is informed and won back while customers who sent in positive feedback are thanked well”, he further added.

The Support System

Consistent focus on the quality of ingredients used and the passion to make every customer return is what has helped Tapan and his venture grow consistently. Papa John’s has a great brand promise of Better Ingredients Better Pizza and they stay true to it at all times, never compromise on quality. And this does not escape customers’ notice.

The visionary insists that the teams in restaurants focus on ROC and not ROI! ROC is Return of Customer – that each team member must focus on taking great care of each transaction, each customer in such a way that the customer only thinks about coming back to Papa John’s!

“If we take care of ROC, then ROI will take care of itself”, said Tapan Vaidya. 

Growing through the Pandemic

“At the height of the pandemic at the end of March 2020, when we were facing the closure of half our restaurants in the United Arab Emirates, I took the decision of not letting a single team member go. I knew the restaurants will reopen once the pandemic subsides, but where will we get trained personnel from? Who will make our customers return, if not our trained teams? I am happy and proud to confirm that we not only lived up to not letting any job go to COVID, but we started recruiting even more employees to fuel our expansion, with over a dozen restaurant openings since then”, Mr Vaidya proudly shared.

Favourite Book

My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi

Future Roadmap

The future is very exciting! PJP Investments Group has 62 restaurants in the United Arab Emirates, with over 10 locations in the pipeline. The company is expanding fast, it will exceed the target of 110 restaurants by 2026. Recently, they have just opened their first restaurant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia very successfully – all set to exceed their target of 100 restaurants by 2030.

Features in the Crown

  • International Franchisee of the Year in the global Papa John’s system for 2014.
  • Tapan Vaidya was named in the Power 50 in F&B in the Middle East by the prestigious Caterer Middle East Magazine for 2020.
  • He was appointed to the Advisory Board of Dubai Restaurants Group (DRG), patronised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. DRG is the voice of the restaurant industry in Dubai.
  • He was awarded RetailME Icons Award 2021 by Images RetailME.
  • Featured by The CEO Magazine in their June 2021 EMEA edition.

A Piece of Advice for Aspiring Female Entrepreneurs

Use your instincts to make a decision especially when in doubt, your instincts have been more accurate since time immemorial, and second is a simpler truth easier said than done, ensure your revenues exceed your costs – you can do that if you make your customers return.

Favourite Quote

Have No Men in your team rather than have Yes Men in your team!

What Characteristics Are Necessary to Work in the Legal Profession?

Whether you want to work in employment law, commercial law, or legal executive, you need the proper abilities and traits to succeed in the legal field. If you or your business are in a tough spot and need help navigating the legal system, you should not hesitate to turn to an experienced lawyer. The life of a client can be changed dramatically and positively by a skilled lawyer. It doesn’t matter if it’s helping them through a difficult family law situation or protecting them from false charges after an accident. Lawyers are there for clients when they need them most. It’s important to have a lawyer.

 Here are ten such characteristics that may be the key to making your goals a reality.

  • A willingness to put in the time and effort necessary to succeed in a field as competitive as the law is an obvious prerequisite for any aspirant hoping to make it to the top.
  • One trait that all highly successful attorneys share is an uncanny ability to pay close attention to the smallest of details. It can be the difference between winning and losing a lawsuit in the long run.
  • Because the sector needs so much of your time and work, it necessitates your complete dedication. As in sports, you’ll need to make tough choices to offer yourself the best opportunity of succeeding in the legal field.
  • To succeed in this field, you’ll need a competitive spirit and a strong sense of ambition. If you want a position in the legal field, you must be willing to go above and beyond what anyone else is willing to do.
  • Although knowledge is a valuable tool for a solicitor, today’s hectic pace necessitates that you not only be up-to-date on recent developments, but you must also be eager to learn new things throughout your career.
  • When it comes to vying for desired positions, winning cases, and leading the way for the companies you work for, passion for your profession will be of tremendous assistance.
  • As you begin to have a role in significant cases, the ability to work well both individually and collectively may be essential.
  • Strong organisational abilities are essential for solicitors since their work on behalf of clients often necessitates extensive planning and strategy.
  • Many of your clients may need legal support and counsel, and for that, you’ll need a sympathetic ear as well as a helpful demeanour. To secure future work, you must have the ability to assist your client through a challenging legal process.
  • Due to the breadth and depth of the legal industry, having a specific area of expertise would be helpful. If you want to work in litigation law, for example, you’ll need to have a lot of experience in the courtroom. In fact, you may visit Duluth Accident Attorney to know how experienced lawyers work.
  • Every law student should have a set of essential legal abilities if they hope to succeed in the profession after graduation. Although the responsibilities and scope of legal jobs vary, the impact of these talents on the legal profession as a whole remains constant and unchanging.

Consistency is a Key: Brett Boyer

Being a leader in business today can be somewhat tricky at times but is needed now more than ever before!  In order to be a great leader for those following you and your organization, try to keep it simple to maximize your effectiveness.

In an ever-changing world you must remain flexible, but most importantly you must be consistent.  Consistency is the clay that allows the mold to remain in volatile environments.  You must always know what your primary objective is in business and never lose focus of this.  In order to cast the proper vision for your company and its personnel, never losing sight of why your company exists in the first place is crucial.  This allows you to lead well into the unforeseen future and accomplish all you set out to do from the onset.  I believe that being consistent as a leader is the premier quality that one must possess in order to lead successfully long-term.

One unique and inherent quality I feel the top leaders possess is the ability to empower and believe in others.  They realize how valuable those they are surrounded by can be and see greatness in them.   Not only do they see this greatness, but they are able to always make others feel valued and know their worth.  Instead of being a “boss” who may tend to wear down his/her team in order to show power and control, a true leader will make everyone feel needed and wanted. By believing in and empowering others it allows them to achieve things they never thought possible.  In the end, the culture of your company is that of a team mentality and not just an organizational chart to adhere to.  The more valuable one feels the more value they will add and everyone wins in that scenario!

The culture drives the brand…the brand drives the company.

Being consistent and believing in others sounds like a simple idea, but it seems to have been lost as of late in the business world.  I am excited for others to be able to keep it simple and change not only the trajectory of their business, but in turn, possibly the course of people’s lives.

You got this.

Robert Gauvreau: An Award-Winning Cpa, Supporting Entrepreneurs Advance Their Business With Innovative Financial Solutions

A pioneer of accounting, advisory, and taxation services, Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory is empowering business owners to improve their financial performance and ultimately grow their business under the leadership of Robert Gauvreau. At its core, Gauvreau was established in 2008 as an entrepreneurial CPA firm that offers innovative solutions to help advance entrepreneurs towards realizing financial freedom.

Robert Gauvreau is the founding partner and strategic leader acting as a business catalyst, an entrepreneur, a coach, a trusted advisor, an author, and an Out-of-the-box thinker. His 13+ years of entrepreneurial journey encompasses expertise in exceeding the financial expectations of entrepreneurs with innovative and proactive solutions.

Before establishing Gauvreau, Robert discovered his entrepreneurial spirt through his experiences working with different companies of different profiles including his first job in the sports retail marking field. He was able to experience for the first time that when he was informed enough to offer a solution that made clients happy and was a win for his company, not only did he receive recognition, but he also became a contributing force to the success of the business.

Later when Robert Gauvreau started University for Business Administration, he realized he would be graduating with 2,000 other people who had the same experience and education as his. Wanting to differentiate himself while staying true to the entrepreneurial mission in the back of his mind, he decided that his strengths in accounting and finance, his natural ability in helping others, and his energy for entrepreneurship created a unique opportunity to enter, energize and make a difference in the accounting industry.

Further, Robert apprised, “When I started working at a global CPA firm, I experienced first-hand how traditional the accounting industry was, which reinvigorated my desire to create something innovative, contribute more to the success of others and go for extraordinary things. It’s proven to be a successful journey so far. In 2008 when I started my own practice, I couldn’t have imagined the impact we would have, or that we would grow to be an industry leader in North America. There have certainly been some great moments and some challenging moments throughout my journey, but to now be here with a team of more than 35 professionals is an incredible accomplishment. The fact that these 35 incredible people are helping so many entrepreneurs fulfill their journey and maximize their impact is proof that we are accomplishing what we’ve wanted so far, with so much more to come.”

A GLANCE INSIDE THE FIRM AND ITS SERVICES

Gauvreau is a renowned CPA firm built to help entrepreneurs advance their business through proactive financial services. It offers accounting, bookkeeping, tax, and other compliance services. Recently they expanded their suite of business professional services (specialized tax, wealth management, and business financing) to offer legal services such as corporate restructuring, real estate acquisition, wills and estates, and more.

Another one of their latest creations is their online coaching program, The Ascent Peak Performance Program, to scale their ability to instill business owners with the knowledge and confidence they need to achieve success. Entrepreneurs can engage this program through independent, on-demand, self-paced courses, or through their Virtual CFO program which consists of group coaching, training, and a personalized business adviser helping map out an entrepreneur’s journey to financial success.

Recently, Gauvreau has been honoured with the 2021 Canadian SME Magazine’s National Award for Best Professional Services for its excellent support and service.

WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO BE AN AUTHOR?

Robert’s main motivation for authoring The Wealth Entrepreneur, was because his financial advisory services were delivering extraordinary results creating a demand that couldn’t be met through one-on-one consultations alone.

While the one-on-one time with the clients was rewarding, it limited his ability to share his guidance and create more impact in the entrepreneurial community. Creating the book was an economical way to share his financial expertise globally.

“Sharing our Vision to Results Framework in an accessible way not only added massive value to our existing clients but generated awareness of our expertise with the masses”, said Robert Gauvreau.

CLIENTELE & HICCUPS ON THE WAY

Gauvreau’s clientele includes entrepreneurs and business owners located across North America. The way they establish an unbreaking faith with their clients is through ensuring the delivery of quality, value, and trusted services. They cultivate and celebrate a culture in their company that reinforces this founded on their three core values. People. Passion. Integrity.

By continuing to find clients, team members, and partners that align with those values, the Gauvreau team works collectively and collaboratively towards the same objectives and with the same expectations of delivery in mind.

The main challenge Robert faced in his early phases of growth was attracting and recruiting the right people. As a small business establishing itself, Robert and his team were limited by resources to expand the way they wanted to. Additionally, operating in a conservative industry there was the added challenge of finding the right professionals who were willing to leave a secure position at a larger firm to join a small business. As they gained more momentum it became easier to attract and retain the best candidates and scale their capabilities.

FROM THE ROBERT GAUVREAU’S DESK

“The reason we were able to achieve all that we have is because of our willingness to take a chance investing in our team and innovation. Without these calculated risks we wouldn’t have achieved the growth and momentum that we have today.  These investments have enabled us to create high-impact, innovative services that distinguish us in the marketplace and allowed us to scale at an accelerated rate.”

“I have made significant investments to work with the best of the best business coaches and communities to learn from their success in areas outside my expertise and industry.  Their guidance has been invaluable and the experience inspiring”, said Robert when asked about his support system.

A DAY IN ROBERT GAUVREAU’S LIFE

Robert Gauvreau kicks off every day with a group call together with the entire team to discuss what everyone is working on, any roadblocks, and how the leadership team can support them. His day also includes collaborating with community partners, creating new strategic relationships, helping support the leadership team, completing quality control on ongoing work in the firm, reviewing client acquisition, developing new resources/training, facilitating 1-on-1 or group coaching calls or any number of public relations commitments including speaking at events, podcasts, within online communities or contributing articles to business publications.

FAVOURITE BOOK

Good to Great by Jim Collins

PLANS AHEAD

The future of our business is limitless. Robert’s highest priority is helping the entrepreneurial community be as successful as possible in impacting change in the world. The future growth trajectory continues to evolve and as the firm continues to strive to be the #1 financial expert that entrepreneurs turn to; countless opportunities exist to expand into other disciplines to provide the greatest value possible to the clients.

Robert shared, “My personal goal as a leader is to continue to create a team of the best professionals who share my passion and build a business that I can provide direction to but ultimately operates day-to-day without me. The recent developments that I am most excited about are our expansion into legal services and offering a new collaborative approach between legal and accounting that will add even greater value to business owners. Looking forward to 2022, I am also excited to be hosting our annual Ascent Summit in January that focuses on providing entrepreneurs with insights on unlocking the full financial potential of their businesses.”

FAVOURITE QUOTES

“If opportunity knocks, build a door.” – Milton Berle

“Go the extra mile, there is no one on it.” – Grant Cardone

In The Lead Of Business by Susanne Skov Diemer

As a business leader, you have an important duty and task to protect your company´s people, assets, information and brand reputation. And you must set an example for others to follow – mentally and physically, ethically and digitally, personally and professionally.

Real change happens through people, and real risk management happens via the security culture. It is not just about putting up a fence or install an antivirus system. To lead to and assure the highest – and necessary – security standards and culture, it must be rooted and spread.

The first step towards culture change is a shift in mindset, which means that management and staff need to change their habits. If we define a company culture as shared everyday habits, leaders must take steps to improve these daily habits in order to create a new awareness and a new security awareness culture. The risks and stakes are too high not to do so.

I always know what risks might be ahead for my company, business and staff. It enables me to have the proper mitigation processes in place. They are constantly developing and changing, along with the risks and business world. Tomorrow is a new day with new risks and new opportunities. In the security sector, we always look ahead. We think of the unpredictable too, as new risks are constantly arising, along with new measures being required.

To lead or follow

By being aware of the risks, we can prevent. And we must be proactive and preventative in your mindset and actions and take the lead.

In essence, security specialists are the voice of the inconvenient truth and leaders should be too. We must pay close attention to the importance of listening to people and organizations with other views than our own. It is the only way that we can broaden our horizons, know a fuller picture – and lead in the right direction.

It is easy to follow – maybe too easy – what everyone else is doing, but it does not make you a business – or political – leader. It does not minimize risks to the maximum and it certainly does not secure next year´s turnover and your current business

I encourage people to have or to find the courage to speak up if there is something you do not agree with or have critical information about. It can save your business, your reputation and it can save people.

Ways to lead by example

‘Lead by example’ also means that you listen to the people around you. You see what is going on (and you investigate further if there is something you do not understand). You speak with your staff and with the people around you. Make sure you are available to them when they have something they want to say and share. Show respect – also to people you do not agree with. And have the courage to lead.

By following these simple steps, you become a better leader, make sure that your company is open for a new and better security culture, which at the end of the day – and financial year – can mean a higher turnover and valuation of your company and reputation.

Managing Risks & Risk Management

We do business in increasingly uncertain times. Risks are dynamic and predictably unpredictable. We are more interconnected and technological than ever before. The global business environment is constantly changing and leaders should rise and adapt to this new reality. Risk management should be key from a strategic perspective and a key factor to achieve strategic goals and turnover.

With the world being more interconnected, we are also seeing a strong tendency for communities, people and companies to come together, joining forces and operating cross sector and cross borders. Especially in times of crisis, knowledge sharing and synergy are essential and we all need to take responsibility, professionally and also on a private level. One of my contributions is to democratise my extensive security and intelligence knowledge and crisis management experience gained throughout the past 25 years on the global security scene. I recently wrote the book “Your Urban CRISIS SURVIVAL PLANNER” to share and raise the security awareness, understanding and ultimately improve it. We should all contribute in our own ways and lead by example.

A game of dominoes

A crisis can be seemingly small or even insignificant. However, a crisis always creates a domino effect that should not be overlooked. And a crisis is very likely – directly or indirectly – to have an impact on turnover and human resources, customers and employees both internally and externally, and in the present and future. As we are in the midst of a global pandemic and its domino effect, we have a unique opportunity to prepare for and prevent future crises by learning from the current crisis and experiences.

With crises and crime, there are often hidden costs of chain reactions, many of which are long term. From an increase in insurance premium to operational disruption or destruction, lost value in customer relationship and contract revenue, devaluation of brand, etc. Crises certainly never come alone.

The future now

A lack of awareness of risks and of people’s roles and responsibility as far as preventing and controlling risks, and of ways of using risk data and new technologies and tools, increase the challenges of risk management.

Risk management should play an important offensive and defensive role. It is an important tool to preventatively and proactively assist a company in achieving strategic goals, innovation, and resilience. And a future.

How to Support Employee Wellness and Retain Top Talent During the Pandemic: Nicole Mixdorf

As the pandemic rages on, companies everywhere are scrambling to find ways to support the well-being of their employees. Stress levels are at an all-time high, and employees are experiencing burnout in record numbers. On top of this, turnover rates are climbing as employees seek out new opportunities in a hot job market, a trend coined as “The Great Resignation”.

Everyone knows the tremendous costs of turnover – It’s roughly 150% of someone’s salary to replace them when you factor in recruiting fees, loss of productivity, ramp up time, bonuses for the right candidate, etc. Retaining top talent in this market should be a priority for every business.

Fortunately, both issues can be addressed by implementing a comprehensive well-being program for mental, physical, emotional, social, and financial health. Employees are stressed out, stretched thin, and overwhelmed with the pandemic, which is affecting focus, morale, and health outcomes. Providing resources and tools to support them through this challenging time helps employees feel appreciated, which goes a long way toward job satisfaction.

What to look for in a comprehensive wellness solution

With a multitude of solutions on the market, it’s important to get clarity about the vision for wellness within your business. What is your reason for wanting to implement a wellness program? What behaviors or health outcomes are you looking to change? What kind of culture are you trying to foster that a wellness program can support?

Most companies still have remote workers, making a virtual wellness solution an ideal option for greater engagement. But what should it include? Before landing on a solution, it’s always valuable to gather feedback from your staff to better understand their needs and interests. Have you done a pulse survey to see how your people are feeling and what areas of support they need right now? This is always the best place to begin so that you can find solutions that fit their needs.

After gathering information from your team, reach out to your insurance company and see if they can give you data on your Top 10 health care claims for the year. It’s always a wise strategy to incorporate programming that addresses specific health conditions that your staff is already dealing with. That allows the programs to feel more personalized and relevant.

Do you want wellness challenges? Mental health programs? Fitness programs? Nutrition programs?  Inspirational or motivational content? Therapy sessions? Team building activities? Or do you want a comprehensive platform that includes all the above? Narrowing down what you are looking for will guide you toward the right solution.

In general, a comprehensive wellness strategy will incorporate elements of physical, mental, emotional, social, and financial health. The idea is to support the whole person, providing them with access to resources that will help them in all aspects of their lives. You want your people showing up happy, healthy, balanced, and motivated each day. That’s a success strategy to spark greater innovation and results in the business.

Other considerations to keep in mind are ease of use, reporting and metrics, and promotional strategy. You can have the best program in the world, but if you don’t promote it well internally, it won’t succeed. It’s important for leaders to walk the talk. How can they lead by example, demonstrating the importance of self-care? Another element to consider is whether you have the internal resources to design and manage a wellness program, of if it’s easier to hire a wellness consultant to drive the initiatives for you.

Communication is key.

The most important way to keep your employees engaged is by talking to them, listening to them, and helping them feel valued for their contributions. Retain your top talent by reimagining your culture to be one of health, diversity, inclusion, collaboration, and appreciation. Offer attractive benefits, a positive work environment, and greater flexibility. Gather insight from your people as you map out your return-to-work policies. Determine what level of flexibility and responsibility you wish to give your employees regarding when and where they work, keeping in mind that this can be a major factor in their overall job satisfaction.

Employees have been through a lot since the start of the pandemic, which has affected each person in a unique way. We are facing a mental health crisis due to the fear, trauma, isolation, and uncertainty associated with this pandemic that has no end in sight. Don’t shy away from the difficult conversations. Talk about the stigma of mental health as you encourage participation in the wellness initiatives that you choose to provide. Drive well-being into your corporate culture by encouraging walking meetings, or by starting Zoom team meetings taking a few collective deep breaths to release tension and feel more grounded. Your people will appreciate it, and it will help them feel supported in showing up as their best selves each day and doing their best work.

Nicole Mixdorf is the Chief Wellness Officer at Balance by Nature, an award-winning employee wellness company. She was recently awarded as a Top 100 Healthcare Leader in the World, and as Most Influential Woman in Corporate Wellness Services USA 2021. You can find out more about Balance by Nature’s programs at www.balancebynature.com.

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