Women In Business Archives

When people wake up, social change follows: Preeta Sinha

When a worthy mission is smartly executed, people wake up
When people wake up, social change follows
When social change follows, society progresses
When societies progress, the people thrive
When people thrive, the planet flourishes

Preeta Sinha, a woman entrepreneur, and immigrant from India is the founder of One Green Planet, an extensive conscious lifestyle brand. Through paving the way with her website, she also created the Food Monster App (featured in Fast Company), the largest plant-based recipe app in the market today, and One Green Planet Greatest, a brand new cookbook filled with 75 plant-based recipes. Her day-to-day involves everything from handling editorial vision to spearheading partnerships and overall operations for the company. She has previously worked for NBC Universal and Hearst Corporation. She did her Bachelor’s in Communications & Photography (Urban Wildlife) from Mumbai, India. Preeta Sinha is passionate about conscious and compassionate living, public health, and empowering women, minorities, and underrepresented communities.

Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory and how you grew up?

I was raised in a big vibrant community of family, friends, cousins, aunties, and uncles in the “Maximum City” of Mumbai or “Bombay,” as I grew up calling it–seeing socio-economic disparities and class segregation, slums, and homelessness alongside millionaire mansions. I experienced explosive urbanization leading to the rise of the middle class and witnessed my city and country undergoing a complex cultural transition. Yet, there was a dynamism to the city. I admired its secular roots, and was in awe of its essence and hustle; in love with the colorful bazaars and spice markets, stray dogs, street fares, religious festivals, and the various ethnicities, cuisines, and languages. Additionally, I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit to the role arts, cinema, and the liberal culture of Bombay played in shaping my personality and ambition.

My family also played a significant role in setting the stage for my future pursuits. My grandfather came to America to pursue his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. My father followed suit, completed his Master and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M, and worked here for numerous years. After he got married and I was born in Queens, NY, my parents (Dr. Lakhan Sinha and Geeta Sinha) decided to move back to India. So, while I was born in the U.S. and am an American citizen, I spent my childhood and adolescence in India and moved back to NYC after finishing my undergraduate degree in communications and photography.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I had the great privilege of interacting with Senator Kamala Harris and her team during her presidential campaign. Later that led to working alongside the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign team during the pandemic to bring attention to marginalized and minority communities and businesses through our platform, One Green Planet. It was a proud moment for me on a personal and professional level.

Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I am a female founder of color running an independent media company in a country far away from my family so my entrepreneurial journey is laced with unique struggles not many can relate to. In addition, I’ve experienced systemic barriers and discrimination that come with being a marginalized group in the United States. Therefore, I’m truly grateful to several people who showed genuine care for my wellbeing and offered tangible support along this way–team members who believed in my vision, colleagues who helped shape our mission, and partners that were generous with their time and resources. Even the people who troubled me have taught me a great deal about perseverance, patience, and resilience and helped me evolve into a better leader and human being.

Millions of readers flock to One Green Planet because they care about how their actions impact people, animals, and the planet. I am particularly grateful to them for giving me the opportunity to serve in this way.

This principle helped me build One Green Planet. One day at a time. Every day. We’ve never had investors and have grown organically from day one.

When everything came to a screeching halt due to the pandemic, we were forced to immediately scale back and adapt to a new normal like many other businesses. So we started again, used what we had, did what we could, and still made some pretty hefty strides. We pivoted our content to focus entirely on covering the most critical and current issues facing the nation like Black Lives Matter, Coronavirus/Public Health and reported on the nightmarish end of the Trump Presidency and the hopeful entry of the Biden-Harris Administration. It was a way to use our platform and voice to be on the right side of history.

We also immediately realized that health was at the forefront of everyone’s mind and that having a robust immune system is our best defense to fight the virus. We re-coded the Food Monster app and made it free so people would not have to pay a price to be healthy (at a time when everyone was struggling financially) because access to good, healthy food should be a basic human right.

Like most other small businesses our revenues were significantly impacted as well so yet again, we used this principle and worked towards creating a new revenue stream by turning our extensive recipe resources into physical cookbooks.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?

Can you please share a story or example for each? My passion gives me purpose and this purpose has given me superpowers I never knew I had; it’s what fuels my grit, hustle, determination, learning, and growth and helps maintain One Green Planet’s relevance in a crowded space despite the rise of major players and big money.

In terms of particular characteristics I possess, I am indefatigably optimistic, happy and hopeful as a human being. I am not scared of hard work; I’m a critical thinker and a creative problem solver, and a very execution-oriented and product-focused leader. From coding the very first One Green Planet website to wireframing our vegan recipe app, Food Monster, I’ve done it all. I still read/learn from all the content that goes up on the site daily (and we publish a lot!). Most recently, I created a scalable system to take our first cookbook to market and plotted the next 12 we have lined up for 2021 and 2022. I thrive on being hands-on and working with my team! There’s no role or task I’m too good to do.

Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the tech tools that you are helping to create that can make a positive impact on our wellness. To begin, which particular problems are you aiming to solve?

We had long been taught that to live an environmentally conscious lifestyle, all we needed to do was recycle, reduce, reuse, go paperless / plastic-free, and clean our oceans/beaches. However, something that was missing from this critical list was examining what we put on our plates. As we all know by now, the industrial livestock system is at the center of climate change, human rights violations, deforestation, and a future global food crisis. Therefore limiting our dairy and meat consumption can have a lasting impact on the planet for generations to come. This is the problem One Green Planet is committed to solving and the reason behind building the Food Monster app.

“Life Lesson Quote”?

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Don’t wait for nobody!

Karen Mangia: Helping People to Amplify Their Voices

Meet Karen Mangia, a WSJ Best Selling Author and one of the most sought-after thought leaders on the planet, sharing her thoughts on leadership with more than 15000 organizations during her entire career. She is an author of four books and a prolific blogger. She has also been featured in Forbes, and she regularly contributes to Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, and ZDNet.

As the Vice President of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce, Karen engages current and future customers around the world to discover new ways of creating success and growth together. Giving people a platform and helping to amplify their voices have been Karen’s constants throughout her entire career. She helps shape the strategy for the workplace of the future globally. Before Salesforce, she held a variety of leadership roles at Cisco in sales leadership and customer experience.

Staying Close to Customers

During her college days, Karen’s university professor, Bob Papper, inspired her love of storytelling. Karen was a student in his Telecommunications news classes and worked for him as a research assistant. Karen’s job was to administer the annual survey her professor sent to members of the Radio & Television News Directors’ Association (RTNDA). Karen would call non-respondents to administer surveys over the phone. Then she would correlate responses, analyze trends and search for the storyline.

Professor Papper authored six articles each year based on their findings for the RTNDA magazine. Both co-authored an article about trends in television internships. It was Karen’s first professional publication. Beyond storytelling, Karen’s career at North star is staying close to customers. And choosing jobs nd bosses who enable her to live and work well.

When Business is the Platform for Change

Karen says, “At Salesforce, we believe business is the greatest platform for change. We are passionate proponents of stakeholder capitalism, committed to doing well by all our stakeholders – our customers, employees, partners, communities, the planet, and society as a whole.” She adds, “We lead by example, spearheading initiatives in philanthropy, racial equality and justice, climate action and advocacy, and the ethical and human use of technology.”

“There’s no reason for you to play small anymore. The universe has big plans for you, and it’s time to claim them.”

Salesforce’s founders launched the 1-1-1 model, which commits 1% of Salesforce’s equity, technology, and peoples’ time to improving education, equality, and the environment for everyone. Today, more than 15,000 companies worldwide have joined Salesforce in its Pledge 1% movement.

The Pandemic Presented Challenges

Karen believes the pandemic presented challenges for all of us individually and collectively. What Salesforce discovered and shares now, as a result, is how to succeed from anywhere. Salesforce created platforms and programs to make it easier for everyone in their ecosystem to discover how to to release old ways of working and welcome flexibility, connection, and productivity from home, the office, on the road, or anywhere in between. Karen and her colleagues are empowering everyone to be a Trailblazer with their culture of Success from Anywhere. By creating new ways of working, connecting, and delivering customer success in their digital-first world, Salesforce is redefining the future of work — together.

Contributing to a Balanced and Equal Industry

Salesforce offers programs that make it possible for every organization to become an equitable organization. Each program includes a playbook and a community for support, • Pledge 1% invites all entrepreneurs and their companies to commit important resources (product, time, and resources) to support integrating philanthropy into their businesses at any stage. • Salesforce shares its annual review, results and a playbook to enable every organization to ensure pay equity. • As an organization, Salesforce unequivocally stands against racism, violence, and hate. And it will continue working to effect systemic change in communities by driving inclusive business practices, investing resources, empowering minority-led organizations, cultivating partnerships, designing technology with everyone in mind, and advocating for policies for racial equality.

Future Roadmap

When it comes to Salesforce, Karen believes, the company will continue to redefine success. With that said, Karen believes success is service.

Listening with a beginner’s mind is service. Acting with pure intentions in the best interest of its customers, ecosystem, stakeholders, and planet is service. Reconsidering beliefs that may no longer serve us or others is service. And that’s the kind of service that leads to sustained success. In this vein, Karen aspires to continue to be of service to others and, in so doing, make it possible for everyone to succeed. “Together we rise” is one of her mantras.

Karen Mangia is excited about her new show, Success from Anywhere! The premise is: What would happen if we could change the game of life together? The series shares strategies to unlock success from unlikely sources of inspiration. Karen Mangia feels success is not a destination or a location. Success is available to anyone, anywhere at any time if you know where to look. She hopes to help people discover sustainable strategies to live well and work well. And to ultimately realize success moment by moment.

Leadership is All About Listening

Karen Mangia feels leadership is listening. The three most powerful words in leadership, according to her, are, “I hear you.” Be curious. Ask great questions. She always suggests listening intently to the answers and being willing to revisit your perceptions and beliefs based on what you discover. Above all else, Karen Mangia suggests not to sacrifice your life for your work. Work will take what you are willing to give – whether that’s your exercise time, your family time, or your holiday time. Create routines, rituals, and boundaries to start work and stop work in a healthy way that supports a great life.

Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff: A Lifelong Advocate of Quality Education.

Born in a traditional Royal family in Odisha, Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff had a very conservative upbringing. Due to this approach, girls at her age had the privilege of attending modern schools and receiving a good education; still, higher education for them was considered unimportant as they were expected to get married at a very young age. However, Dr. Manjula was always passionate about higher education, and she finally convinced her parents to pursue her dreams. Now she holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Commonwealth University, London, a Post Graduate Degree from the York University, and is an executive alumnus of the London School of Economics. Dr. Manjula also holds a Post Graduate degree from Utkal University has completed her Management Education Program at IIM, Ahmedabad. She is also an erstwhile recipient of the ‘Secular India Harmony Award’ by the former president of India Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma.

Having taken inspiration from her own learnings, Dr. Manjula is a lifelong advocate of good quality education. She is the MD and CEO of the Kalorex Group, which is well known for providing quality education. The name of Kalorex Group symbolizes professionalism and excellence in schooling. It is often recognized as a leading group focused on innovation and technology in education.

The Brand

Dr. Manjula’s professional journey started at a young age when she moved to Ahmedabad. She was the first person to bring DPS to the State of Gujarat under the aegis of the DPS Society. With DPS, Ahmedabad’s wait for a good CBSE school ended, and it soon received wholehearted acceptance from society. Currently, Kalorex has two Delhi Public Schools in Bopal and East Ahmedabad areas and Calorx Public Schools at Mundra, Ahmedabad, and Bharuch under its umbrella. The group also runs the Calorx Olive International School, a full spectrum IB school. On the other hand, the Kalorex Pre-School chain is a fast-growing preschool chain, making its presence felt in many cities of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

“The far-reaching, life-changing impact that teaching as a career can make is incomparable to any other career. So, we need students to look at teaching as a challenging and rewarding career and aspire to become teachers. If you wish to make an impact, you must aspire to become a teacher.”

The group’s other offerings are an e-learning platform named eKal Academy, which helps learners of all age groups to subscribe to online courses for live and self-paced modules. Lastly, the Yali Adventure animation series for preschoolers and preschool kits are the latest addition to the Kalorex Group’s product offerings. Standing by her promise to cater to every section of the society, Dr. Manjula started projects like Visamo Kids Foundation and Kalorex Prerna, which work for the welfare of underprivileged children and students with learning difficulties respectively. Additionally, the Kalorex group works towards uplifting unskilled women by providing them with vocational training from VEDIC, a Vocational Educational Development Institute of Calorx.

Keeping it Going

Dr. Manjula says, “The business I am in, engages my stakeholders for 12-14 years, and it is a big responsibility to deliver quality.” When she sees some of her students getting placed in the best companies across the world and others starting their own enterprises, Dr. Manjula knows she is in the right space. This wholesome feeling of contributing to the success of her students and giving them a secure future through a sound foundation keeps her motivated to reach out to more learners of all ages and demographical locations. Dr. Manjula thinks if she can shape even a single young mind and instill proper values with integrity, she would feel her purpose has been fulfilled.

Thinking Ahead

With the emergence of the pandemic, Dr. Manjula believes people need to think ahead and be prepared for all kinds of emergencies. She says, “It is the teacher who delivers, and all transformational work is done by them. They have to stay one step ahead all the time. They have been a challenged lot, and during pandemic times, they have been the most stressed, having to cope with home, family, and students all under the same roof.” She also explains up-skilling and upgrading are extremely important for everyone in each area of their work. So, giving teachers the needed opportunities for professional growth has been a vital aspect for Kalorex Group.

As the MD & CEO of the Kalorex Group, Dr. Manjula is connected to her staff through ‘Me-Time sessions,’ where she helps her staff by giving tips to elevate them to a higher level of energy and consciousness. Kalorex also empowers its employees to make decisions in their own work area with complete autonomy.

Future Roadmap

Kalorex group has been a progressive organization and has been ahead of its times in incorporating the latest technologies and methodologies in its systems. The organization is looking to expand in the digital learning space in a much bigger way over the next few years. It is also tapping the preschool products market and might dive much deeper to create preschool content.

Mouna Abbassy: Bringing Moroccan Beauty Secrets to the World

Meet Mouna Abbassy, who grew up in Morocco, a country where beauty rituals take the form of social affairs, where her mother, sisters, and friends would bring their own natural recipes prepared at home with the finest ingredients.

For female members, it was a time of joy, sharing, and celebration, the joy of being with loved ones, sharing beauty secrets, and the joy of celebrating femininity.

In her words, “The beauty recipes were judged for the experience they provide as much as for the final result thus, the ingredients were chosen for their capacity to exalt all our senses and create that unique moment where time and space don’t matter anymore, a moment where we focused solely on our well-being.”

Once a gathering was over, everyone would look forward to the next one. Mouna moved to Dubai in 2005, and she immediately fell in love with the growing, multicultural, dynamic city that is full of energy and opportunity. Soon she joined one of the largest beauty corporations in the world, where she fed her passion for beauty care.

However, Mouna soon found herself longing for the connection with mother nature that would reveal her inner beauty. She always wanted the feeling of being beautiful inside and out; above all, Mouna missed the boost of energy to shine as the woman she wanted to be. So, this hunger eventually marked the beginning of IZIL.

“The world ‘IZIL’ was derived from the ancient Amazigh language. It means ‘Pure,’ which is the brand’s foundation.”

izil is an all-natural skincare line entirely inspired by the ancient recipes of Moroccan women. These recipes are made from purely natural ingredients that provide pure moments of joy and happiness, just as they did for Mouna, her mother, her grandmother, and a countless generation before them.

Diversifying Products

Thanks to her educational background in marketing and a successful career behind her, Mouna realized a gap in the beauty market for a natural, chemical-free brand that works and merged it with the secret beauty recipes from her Moroccan heritage. She feels modern women nowadays want to feel beautiful inside and out without compromising their time or exposing their skin to harmful chemicals. These women are comfortable in their own skin and want to become the best version of themselves; that is what izil offers them.

Along with skincare, izil also has its range of body care, hair care, and man care products, as the organization believes self-care is not gender-specific. It also offers premium hammam and spa services at its bespoke spa facility, where it only uses izil’s premium products to provide the best experience possible.

The flagship store in The Dubai Mall is all about the experience. The company has built it in such a way that as soon as a client steps in, that individual feels completely immersed in the world of izil and disconnected from the outside world, as the person has instantly been teleported to Morocco.

The beauty product brand grabs the best nature has to offer and mixes it with Moroccan beauty rituals and secrets in order to offer it to the world.

Greatest Accomplishments

At the age of 10, Mouna was diagnosed with a very rare syndrome named Guillain Barre Syndrom, which affects all the muscles and leaves people completely paralyzed. It also affected her breathing, leaving her hospitalized for several months. She had to learn how to walk all over again. Surviving that was like a rebirth for her. This experience has made Mouna what she is today, a person who genuinely believes ‘Nothing is impossible’ and ‘miracles do happen’ as long as you put your mind, heart, and lot of hard work to realize your dreams.

As a female entrepreneur, Mouna feels proud and humbled to have been the first in so many awards. In 2015, she was the winner of Hadafi Women’s Entrepreneurship Season 3 and received Cartier Women’s Initiative Award. Later, she was also featured in several articles and news.

“However, my greatest achievement, as a Founder of izil, is building a beauty brand from scratch and with limited resources and making it one of the fastest-growing natural beauty brands in GCC and making it the 1st reference for Moroccan beauty, a brand endorsed by biggest celebrities and influencers, with customers from all over the world.”– says Mouna.

This has also earned her recognition from various channels and magazines of the region, including Forbes Middle East.

Preparing for the Future

Izil’s strategy for the future includes many objectives that will eventually help the brand drive its business forward and set the foundation for international expansion in the coming years. The brand’s primary objective is to streamline the processes through fully integrated ERP and IT infrastructure, enabling accelerated growth in GCC and outside of the GCC.

The brand has further planned to drive online growth through direct and consumer in GCC, Europe, and Asia through e-tailers distribution.

Izil also plans to obtain various brand certifications and further expand offline by opening new concept stores and spas in the GCC market.

On the other hand, the launch of multiple izil products are lined up, and it plans on investing more in ‘hair care’ and ‘face care’ range to cater to wider skin and hair concerns, backed by scientific and clinical research.

Liliane Mubanga: Solving Cllient’s Legal Issues

Meet Liliane Mubanga, a result-oriented and passionate lawyer spearheading Thambwe-Mwamba & Associates in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Liliane completed her education in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which makes her a prime example of DRC’s world-class educational system. She holds a law degree from the University of Lubumbashi, majoring in Judicial and Private law.

After obtaining her law degree, Liliane applied for a registration as a lawyer to join the Bar Association of Kinshasa/Gombe as a trainee lawyer in Law firm BOKUMA & KENEM. Once Liliane earned her aptitude certificate for a lawyer, she renewed her registration and obtained the inscription to the Roll. Then, a law firm named John Claude Crespy and Associates recruited her as an associate, which acted as a stepping stone for her to enter the world of real estate law and other real estate contracts. Later, when the partners of the said firm decided to separate, Liliane moved to Thambwe-Mwamba & Musafiri Law firm.

With time Liliane has obtained her certificate of competence in production sharing and oil rent law, a certificate in Insurance and public procurement, and a Master’s Degree in Commercial law from Robert Kennedy College, Zurich, and Salford University, Manchester. She has also taken a course in leadership and personal development. Liliane is currently training in Financial Analysis at ICCF (HEC- Paris online courses).

A Law firm with Human Face

In 2005, when the partner Thambwe-Mwamba decided to create his own firm under the name “THAMBWE-MWAMBA & Associates”, he asked Liliane to manage the firm, since at the time, he held a ministerial position in the government.

Thambwe-Mwamba & Associates combines the ability to leave a personal mark in its relationship with the client and professionalism when it comes to handling businesses. With the ever-changing complex world of legal matters, the law firm’s members keep increasing their knowledge base in different matters, maintaining a multidisciplinary vocation. The synergy of its skilled members, reinforced by external consultants recognized for their specialties, enables the law firm to master a broad area of law.

Tackling Organizational Challenges

As Liliane had no prior experience in managing a company, initially leading a firm like Thambwe-Mwamba proved to be a challenge for her. At first, there were several challenges like choosing competent and intelligent collaborators, creating a portfolio of confident and satisfied clients, and establishing/maintaining the reputation, which was already well established due to the founder’s reputation. Although her task was stressful and exciting, Liliane had confidence in herself from the start, which was further reinforced by the founder’s trust and support.

Solving Legal Issues and Staying Competitive

Thambwe-Mwamba & Associates offers the traditional lawyer services in criminal, commercial, and civil matters, with good expertise in: Labor and Social security law, Mining and hydrocarbons law, Business and Corporate law, Tax law, Real-estate law, Insurance law, criminal law, Family law, special procedures, legal audit, etc. As a senior executive of her law firm, Liliane’s main objective is to look after the firm’s growth and gain a competitive advantage over its competitors with great expertise in several areas of law.

With a small but competent team of seven attorneys, the law firm offer integrated services. This team of attorneys brings the needed experience from various verticals. Thanks to their knowledge and expertise, the law firm is now standing tall, with a solid reputation, and is well quoted on Kinshasa’s market.

“There are many changes to face, and for each area of life for each change, the law is present, and the need for a professional will also be present.”

Liliane Mubanga sees this as the result of years of sacrifice, sharing, and complementarity between the members. So, the client is entirely entrusted to the lawyer who is best equipped to give the necessary advice and appropriate opinions a case requires.

She feels that the area of consulting is very competitive, so it is extremely important to be armed with courage and patience to build yourself and your business in the long term.

Advice for Young Entrepreneurs

As per Liliane, one must have a love for him/herself, for others, and for what they do to achieve it. Liliane Mubanga makes her own what Saint Augustine said: “Have in your heart the root of love, from this root nothing bad can come out.”

Tiffany Kinslow: Meeting Client’s Real Estate Needs Successfully.

Meet Tiffany Kinslow, Realtor at Main Street Realty, which serves to meet its clients’ needs in Smith, Simpson, and Rankin county areas. She graduated from Copiah Lincoln College in 2000 and attended the University of Southern MS and Ashford University, where she completed her studies in 2004. Before getting into the real estate profession, Tiffany was a school teacher for many years. However, she always loved real estate and knew beforehand that she would eventually pursue her career in real estate.

The area where Tiffany operates is very rural and has many unique challenges compared to larger cities. She says, “I was teased when I decided to niche down and serve my small community. Many thought I was making a bad decision for being a small town realtor, but I love my community.” Tiffany believes her love for the community keeps her going in the industry.

Last year, she was also recognized as a top agent by the Top Agent Magazine. For the past 8 years, she has maintained between 30-45 listings throughout the year and closed between 65-80 transactions. Currently, she has 48 listings.

Tiffany also serves as the VP of the Magee Chamber of Commerce, Board member of the Mendenhall Chamber of Commerce, Director of the Simpson County Developmental Foundation, and serves on Keep Magee Beautiful.

About the Realty Company

Main Street Realty represents over 3 decades of combined experience in meeting its client’s real estate needs. The firm’s established presence in its community enables it to provide clients with the needed knowledge of its market area, trends, and finance solutions. MSR serves all its clients with honesty, integrity, and dedicated professional representation as a realty company. The realty firm feels privileged to assist its clients in one of the most important decisions of their life. It brings the needed experience, integrity, hard work, and relationships with several buyers and sellers. MSR uses the latest technologies to dominate the market and make the necessary connections for its success.

As a real estate leader, Main Street Realty takes an active interest in supporting the local community’s children. Each year, it sponsors a local baseball field and teams.

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”

The entire team of Main Street Realty is very actively involved in their community with their families. Family time is crucial for the realty company members, and they work very hard to enjoy their time off with their families. Every member of the realty company is associated with the National Association of Realtors, the Mississippi Association of Realtors, and others.

Tackling Challenges

Tiffany Kinslow feels that the lack of inventory is a big challenge nowadays. She is trying to overcome that by reaching out to her older clients and informing them about the current value of their homes, and she can help them sell those for the best market value.

She believes another challenge is realtors holding themselves to a professional standard, having the needed industry knowledge to represent their clients adequately, and operating with integrity throughout the transaction.

The Pandemic

Before the pandemic, Tiffany Kinslow had a robust social media presence. She is an avid lister and constantly listens to real-estate training courses. These courses pushed her to opt for video marketing from the very beginning. So, Tiffany started marketing her homes through videos over the internet even before the pandemic. As a result, the pandemic’s effect on her business was milder than it was on other companies. However, some of her deals did fall through as the banks were closed and halted their lending processes. She says, “It was a scary time. I approached it like I have every other challenge I have faced in my business. I knew I needed to pivot my business to accommodate my clients through Covid, and that’s what I did.”

Tiffany soon started encouraging her clients and reminded them how she could virtually market their homes and follow CDC guidelines in case of any physical meeting. She considers her clients an important part of her life, and they know it. If her clients were uncomfortable marketing their homes at the height of the pandemic, she refrained. However, she marketed like crazy when they were comfortable with the process. Tiffany closed 75 and 78 transactions during the two years of the pandemic.

Patrice Boenzi: Helping Clients to Reach their Real Estate Goals.

Meet Patrice Boenzi a Realtor at Fathom Realty, who is also a credentialed minister. Fathom Realty, provides her with all the tools she needs to be successful while keeping her splits almost non-existent. It was Patrice’s first business decision and one of the best ones she has made. Patrice pastored for 15 years and left the full-time ministry to pursue the ministry idea that she needed to fund.

After leaving pastoring, Patrice got her real estate license and started her career by flipping homes, purchasing rentals, and building her client base. Patrice has her Senior Real Estate Specialist designated and she loves to help her clients downsize.

The Problem Solver

As a business leader, Patrice loves solving problems, thinking out of the box, educating the consumer, and helping her clients reach their real estate goals. This “rush” keeps Patrice going. As an active real estate investor, she brings a different set of skills that help her clients prepare their homes for the market (to get top dollar); as well as, creative, out-of-the-box negotiation skills in this tough market.

When A Pandemic Shook the World

As opposed to other businesses, Patrice’s business thrived during the pandemic. She always leads with value and keeps in contact with her past clients and the pandemic allowed Patrice to check in and make sure everyone was okay. During the pandemic, Patrice learned to do things differently. She utilized Zoom for listing appointments and to meet new buyers. She witnessed people moving out of state, upsizing, and selling to take advantage of the low-interest rates. The pandemic affected the real estate industry as a whole in many ways. Patrice observed people having the freedom to work from anywhere which catapulted people to sell their properties for different options. Additionally, Patrice witnessed, second home prices soar as people had the opportunity to work from home. Historically low-interest rates encouraged people to make a housing change if they were on the fence.

Tackling Challenges

The main challenge for Patrice is low inventory and rising home prices. This combination is making it hard for some of Patrice’s first-time buyers to secure a home. In addition, in her experience, she is seeing buyers with FHA or VA loans having a harder time securing a property.

Patrice also tackles these problems by sending out postcards to potential sellers, networking with other agents, and making sure their lending options are solid. For her FHA and VA buyers, Patrice advocates for them with the listing agent and writes an offer that is solid and creative!

“In sales, no matter what industry, people buy from someone they know, love and trust; work your sphere!”

Patrice feels blessed with many accomplishments and achievements in her short time as a Realtor. She started her real estate journey full-time in January 2017. During her first year in real estate, she was Broker’s MVP and has been a top producer since she started. Patrice was on the cover of Top Agent Magazine, and in 2021 received two awards from her MLS board – Gold for top 3% Sales Volume and Diamond for Top 2% Transactions. In 2021, she was the top producing agent in her brokerage for the State of Illinois.

Suggestions for Younger Self

Patrice is a mentor for Fathom Realty and loves to train new agents to be successful. She feels, that entrepreneurs need to understand that no one is going to wake them up in the morning or hound them to do what they need to do; that must come from within. There are no shortcuts! The Millions are in the Follow-up. No Excuses! She says, “As entrepreneurs, we are responsible for running every aspect of our business and figure out what needs to be delegated.” Patrice feels many entre – preneurs want to be in control of every aspect of their business, but this mindset eventually slows them down. Entrepreneurs need to understand their value and how much their time costs. Shortly after Patrice launched her real estate career she hired a transaction coordinator, who took so much off Patrice’s plate that she was able to be in front of clients more which turned into more happy clients and more revenue.

Future Roadmap

In the next five years, Patrice Boenzi sees herself with several other types of income-producing proper – ties. She is making a shift to duplicate herself more, especially in this market. Patrice Boenzi is working on building a team of buyer’s agents, listing agents, and showing agents so she and her team, can service more clients and together.

Danielle Addante: Solving Client’s Real Estate Needs.

Andrew Carnegie once said, “The wise young man or wage earner of today invests his money in real estate.”

Meet Danielle Addante, Realtor at d’aprile properties, who is known as a well-respected, and innovative real-estate service provider throughout the Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect areas. She is deeply rooted in where she operates.

Danielle is involved in the local school systems, supporting local businesses, and she has spent years forging personal and professional relationships with the residents and vendors. She brings an unmatched level of expertise and enthusiasm to the industry, which needs both.

Danielle entered the business of real estate with a unique background. Before she started working as a realtor, Danielle was a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, working in the therapy department of rehabilitation centers. Danielle pursued a Bachelor of Sciences degree from the University of Illinois in Communication Disorders. She later completed her Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Coming from a background known for breaking down communication barriers, Danielle’s strong sense of ethics and heartfelt desire to help people helped her advocate and guide clients through their most significant transaction of life.

Understanding the importance of an interdisciplinary team approach, she took the opportunity and started working with lenders and attorneys to achieve clients’ real estate goals.

Providing Unparalleled Service

Danielle is a full-service realtor, a consistent top producing agent, and she is a Certified Staging Consultant and Pricing Strategy Advisor. She supports her clients at every point of the buying and selling process. Danielle’s support team includes; brand managers, a full-time marketing team, a design team, a list of exclusive vendors, and a transaction coordinator.

“The meaning of life is to find your gift; the purpose of life is to give it away.”

With her constant market study, Danielle provides a very high level of information to prepare her clients for entering the market. With her strong communication skills and loyalty, Danielle delivers unparalleled service to assist her clients in their real estate buying or selling process. Her mastery of client/agent relationships has been a great asset for her firm. She has implemented a new multi-tier platform of various marketing tools and techniques, which have set a certain standard in her local market and beyond.

When Pandemic Bought Uncertainties

During the initial days of the coronavirus pandemic, many felt some uncertainties about the real estate industry. However, the pandemic opened up new opportunities to meet clients face to face. Apps like Zoom and Meet enabled clients to participate in consultation meetings or video tours of properties when physical visits were not permitted. Following the pandemic, Danielle has witnessed year over year growth, as it has solidified her goals in taking an individualized approach to how her clients wanted to be served and the ways d’aprile properties could make properties and information available to them.

Tackling the Challenges

Danielle feels the nationwide shortage of real estate became the biggest challenge of the last year. Additionally, the rising interest rates are also a cause of concern for the buyer. Danielle explains that tackling these issues will need another pivot.

She says, “Focusing on different ways to source properties for buyer clients and getting creative to help your sellers develop a plan, to sell their home to set them up for another purchase requires creativity, education on options, and a solid negotiator to help execute the best possible outcomes for the clients.

Awards and Accolades

Since she transitioned to brokerage in 2019, Danielle is recognized as a Top Producer in her firm year after year. She has also been recognized by providing her the Platinum and Black Key Awards from d’aprile properties, recognizing her high sales volume and the number of yearly transactions. Danielle earned the Daily Herald Readers’ Choice Best Realtor award in 2019 and 2020. Chicago Agent’s Magazine has featured her in Who’s Who in Residential Real Estate 2020 and 2021. Additionally, she has also been in the cover story of Top Agent Magazine 2021.

Preparing for the Future

In the future, Danielle Addante wants to see herself as a reputable industry leader and top choice for the suburban real estate market. She also plans to be a mentor and resource for the newer agents in the industry. Danielle Addante intends to become the person who can lift newer agents and help them grow their business to live a life worth living and careers they are proud of having.

Kul Nijjar: Helping to Discover a Place You can Call Home

It is a great feeling to help people move forward in their lives, which is the best part of being in the real estate industry. Buying or selling a home can be emotional, but often they are a part of a larger process, that is finding a home, where the next stage of life begins.

Meet, Kul Nijjar, founder of Kootenay BC Property Matchmakers. Kul’s beginnings in real estate came from needing employment, something where she could stay at home and raise her family in Kaslo. Her story started in Domeli, Punjab, India. Kul was only 5 years old when her family moved to Toronto. From there, Kul’s journey through life has brought her to Argenta, and later to Kaslo, BC. Community is something Kul values, and she always feels, her relationships with people have to be honest and caring.

When Kul became a real estate agent, becoming a real estate agent was primarily a means for her to make a living and remain in Kaslo, her home base and community. Then real estate business meant making hundreds of calls in the pursuit of making money, which Kul never felt right. Over time, Kul figured out how to do real estate differently, challenging the status quo simply by being herself and genuinely caring about people and her community. She focused on improving the quality of life for her clients through finding them the best possible homes, bringing her natural kindness along through every step of the process, from looking through listings to signing the final documents. During the past 12 years of working in the Kootenays, success for Kul has meant empowering people to live fulfilled and engaged lives in the communities where they belong. And doing things right, always.

In 2020, Kul founded her organization, KootenayBC as a bridge between the old way of doing real estate and what’s next. It’s a kinder, simpler, and more engaging experience that goes beyond a business transaction. The kind of service where clients feel supported, heard, and empowered to find their dream home and community.

The Steadfast Leader

Kul enjoys working and challenging herself. She feels, with every new listing or new client there’s a new journey. Not every property is the same and not every client is the same. Dreams and Resolutions – people buy or sell real estate usually for two reasons; because they have a dream to create and a goal to meet. Or it’s because an event has happened in their life and they have to make a tough decision, that usually has an impact on their life choices. So, to be able to assist someone in their exciting or challenging times is satisfying to me. Kul also likes to see how much she can grow and succeed. She says, “In this business, you have to not only keep up with all the changing industry regulations but also the available new technology. It’s not a mundane job that’s for sure.”

When Values are the Driving Forces

Under Kul’s leadership, KootenayBC provides service to its clients, community, team, and the belief that real estate done with heart can help change lives and neighborhoods everyone calls home.

Kul believes, the key to quality and efficiency is professionalism. Her firm offers proactive, engaged, and expert matchmaking services that put the client’s s best interests at the center of everything it does. Kootenay BC is adaptable to shifting circumstances while always being grounded in its values and principles. As a purpose-driven organization, Kootenay BC’s priority is making a positive difference in the lives of people. The firm fosters honest, consistent, and uncompromising principles that guide, its actions and relationships. It is entirely committed to building trusting relationships, being accountable, and staying open to improving at every level.

“Set your life on Fire, Seek those who fan the Flame”

Kul and her colleagues feel energized and inspired by the firm’s purpose and mission. Kootenay BC does not come from a place of lack but rather sees the world as a place full of opportunities that inspire Kul and others to think big. The firm is excited by the challenges ahead and is positive, grateful, and empowered partners for its clients and communities. Kul believes, her organization will choose joy over competition and it’ll readily share its knowledge with others while maintaining a beginner’s mind.

Tackling Primary Challenges

Kul Nijjar feels the biggest challenge is probably getting clients to realize, that although the area is very beautiful, people still have to live there. So, clients need to know how they are going to make money, as jobs are scarce. People also don’t always realize the size of the region and that each community is unique and diverse in its way. So, clients may think about moving to the Kootenays, but they do have to learn about the region and all the different communities within. The other challenge is not enough appraisers, home inspectors, lawyers, when it’s busy, everyone is very busy so clients need to accommodate for longer timelines to make sure that everything can be done, on time.

The Pandemic’s Affect

According to Kul Nijjar, the Covid-19 pandemic has certainly provided for a very busy marketplace, especially in the area where Kootenays BC provides its services. The firm is located in the SE interior of BC.

Kootenays has always been considered as a small, hippy, pot-growing, back to the land type of area. It has a ton of outdoor recreation, and as those sports have become more popular it has drawn more attraction from people outside of the area. When Covid hit, all the things that folks may have seen as negatives – ruralness, less populated, fewer amenities, all those things became very popular. All of a sudden folks wanted to be in areas that had less population. Where it’s easier to get to nature.

Advice for Upcoming Entrepreneurs

When we asked Kul Nijjar to provide some suggestions for new entrepreneurs, she says, “Consistency and sticking with it. Nothing happens overnight. There are so many things that are going to challenge your inspiration and your motivation. To just kind of put your head down and keep at it. Don’t pay too close attention to your competitors – know who they are but don’t get stuck paying more attention to their business than your own.”

She also adds, “Knowing your limits – once you know them you can decide to challenge them or to stay within them. Both are good and are dependent on what situations you are in.”

She also advises not to lie, tell the truth no matter how hard it is. “If you screw up don’t make excuses, own and figure out a solution. Ask for help when you need it. Don’t be loud about your accomplishments and how great your ideas are. Let your customers show that to you. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Take the risk and stay cautious at the same time.”-she says.

Picture of the Future

Kul Nijjar feels times are super interesting right now. She can see folks becoming more concerned with their pocketbooks, and the cost of everything. Her goal would be to grow, her business and her brand. Create working relationships with like-minded realtors – provide good honest services – and have more KootenayBC Property Matchmaker visibility in other areas. But if needed she is prepared to see what are the challenges, economy, and housing markets bring and change how she needs to.

PS Energy Group: Providing Comprehensive Fuel Solutions

Our world is entirely dominated by fuels that generate our electricity, power our cars, and heat and cool our homes. Fuel is the main driving force for all industries. Have you ever wondered what might happen if we experience a major disruption in our fuel supply??

With a disrupted fuel supply, many industries will find it very hard to operate. Fuel shortages can cause power reductions, food shortages, and disruption to our daily lives. It is estimated that high food and fuel costs have contributed to the increased number of the world’s extremely poor by the millions. While the impact of food and fuel shortages affects both urban and rural populations, research shows that the urban population is hit the hardest by the rising costs.

PS Energy Group, Inc is a leader in fuel management and fleet asset management. Founded in 1985, the organization’s expertise in fuel delivery, refueling, and fuel management keep commercial fleets, industries, and utilities fully fuelled and running at their peak efficiency – even in times of uncertainty.

Ranked amongst the nation’s top diversity-owned businesses, PS Energy Group is a premier partner to Fortune 500 companies, strategically assessing and managing their fleet and facility’s fuel and energy usage. From transportation fuels to emergency fueling, the organization’s fleet management service includes etrac®, a wireless telematics solution that boosts workforce productivity and fleet profitability. It also helps increase energy efficiency and environmental quality through better asset monitoring and tracking.

Experts in Fuel Management

PS Energy Group manages as many as 6000 customer sites nationwide and manages, supplies, and sometimes owns the inventory for all types of fuels and tank capacities starting from 500 gallons to 2,000,000 gallons.

The organization additionally owns and operates two natural gas pipelines in Yazoo City, MS, and Hazelton, WV. Both pipelines are instrumental in supplying the federal prisons of the areas and are ready for future expansion for providing natural gas to businesses in the industrial area nearby.

PS Energy is very proud of its Emergency Fuelling Program, a “first of its kind” program. Developed in 1993, the program has provided relief to multiple industries and utilities during natural disasters. Between 2013 and 2022, PS Energy Group deployed 1000 assets, delivering an estimated 3.3 million gallons of fuel to more than 156,000 vehicles.

Livia Whisenhunt is the President, CEO, and founder of PS Energy Group. She has been instrumental in spearheading and executing most of PS Energy Group’s milestones. She is also responsible for setting the company’s strategic direction and leading its growth.

“The More Complex the Mind, the Greater the Need for the Simplicity of Play”

Ms. Whisenhunt served as the Region IV Chairperson of the Federal Regulatory Fairness Board, established by Congress and the President, to represent small businesses and comment on the enforcement activities of federal regulatory agencies. She was also appointed by Georgia’s Lt. Governor to the House-Senate Study Committee for House Bill 215, which deregulated natural gas in the state of Georgia.

Awards and Accolades

Under Ms. Whisenhunt’s leadership, PS Energy Group ranks among the top Hispanic and women-owned companies in the nation. The company has been the recipient of multiple awards including the 2014 Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Supplier Diversity award in recognition of PS Energy Group’s “exceptional contribution and commitment to the EEI Supplier Diversity Initiative”.

In 2006, PS Energy Group received the Supplier of the Year award presented by the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council recognizing the company’s energy-based relief efforts during the devastating Hurricane Katrina. The company received the recognition again in 2015, and in 2016 was awarded the Regional Class IV Supplier of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council.

Tackling Challenges

As it has often been said, the pandemic has changed the world as we have known it. During the initial days of the pandemic, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were imposed to contain the rise of infection. With the decrease in transportation, fuel consumption fell nearly 10 percent in March and 30 percent in April 2020. This drop in consumption presented a challenge for the fueling industry and their ROI. However, PS Energy Group held its own and continues to manage its customers’ fueling needs, keeping their fleets running at peak efficiency.

Although the primary challenge in this industry is creating interest in, and availability of transportation fuels and fleet solutions, another challenge that presents itself is developing new services and products where the ROI outweighs the cost of development. Data-driven products like PS Energy’s etrac® GPS and telematics solutions are only as good as the platform on which they are presented. PS Energy’s technology allows clients to grow through acquisitions, utilizing existing assets and avoiding stranded costs with its open architecture and device-adaptable platforms – a platform where virtually any device can be presented and managed on a single platform.