Young Multimillionaires by Business Digest Magazine

May 2021

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

From the Editor GUESTS ALFIE BEST JR

MULTIMILLIONAIRE AND RESIDENTIAL PARKS OWNER

THREE SIMPLE WAYS TO BUILD SELFCONFIDENCE SHEENA YAP CHAN

SHEENA YAP CHAN

FOUNDER AND HOST AT THE TAO OF SELF CONFIDENCE

MARIE SWIFT

PRESIDENT & CEO AT IMPACT COMMUNICATIONS

YOUNG, HARD-WORKING & SUCCESSFUL ALFIE BEST JR SHARES HIS STORY

SUCCESS THROUGH FAILURE SIMON HALL

SOLVING PROBLEMS THAT INFURIATE YOU AKSHAY RUPARELIA OF DOORSTEPS.CO.UK

THE POWER OF SELF-EDUCATION MATTHEW MCGREFOR OF 22APPS

COLUMNIST

COMMUNICATION MATTERS MARIE SWIFT

DIRECTOR, CREATIVE WAREHOUSE, BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANCY

AN INTERVIEW WITH GAVIN BELL OF YATTER

When you grow up in a home of entrepreneurs your entreprenuerial potential and passion can easily be harnessed and be released. Your role models are at home. But this is not a given. To succeed, you must be hungry, passionate and willing to keep the focus.

MASTERS OF RESTORATION ALESSANDRA LEZAMA OF TOOTRIS

Gabrielle Jordan Williams became an entrepreneur at the age of 9 years. She came from a generation of serial entrepreneurs and somethings are caught and not taught. However, entrepreneurship is an open game for everyone, young or old.

AKSHAY RUPARELIA

friend of mine breeds koi fish. He told me that koi fish vary in size. If they live in a small tank, they become smaller in size, averaging 7cm and those that are found in a huge lake grow up to 90cm.

FOUNDER OF DOORSTEPS.CO.UK

MATTHEW MCGREGOR

FOUNDER AND CREATOR OF 22 Apps™

The environment determines the size and growth. even in human beings. Behavioural scientists predict that boys who grow up in an environment that’s emotionally and economically and deprived are more than 90% likely to be arrested and spend time in prison. The right environment will improve results. The late businessman and philanthropist, W. Clement Stone once said, “You’re the product of your environment.” I think he was right, to a certain extent.

ALESSANDRA LEZAMA FOUNDER OF TOOTRIS

GAVIN BELL FOUNDER OF YATTER

What is your environment? Your environment consists of the people you spend most of your time with and this includes family, friends and acquaintances. It also gravitates to the books you read, the podcasts you listen to, the tv programmes you watch, the YouTube videos you’re subscribed to, the social media groups you follow and also the mentors you have. These are the people who influence your decisions, actions and mindset.

SIMON HALL

MAKE IT HAPPEN

Want to be featured in a future issue? Contact us on info@bestbusinessdigest.com to discuss further.

In this Issue you’ll hear insightful ideas from young, hungry and successful entrepreneurs like Alfie Best Junior, Akshay Ruparelia, Matthew McGregor, Gavin Bell and others. They make things happen!

Fanele Moyo Editor

May 2021

Three Simple Ways to Build Self-Confidence by Sheena Yap Chan As someone who has been talking about self-confidence through various forms of media, I wanted to share 3 simple ways to build self-confidence. I hope reading this can help you take one step forward towards your own journey.

Sheena Yap Chan

Follow Me On Social Media

Toronto, Canada +1 416 820 0239

Website:

info@sheenayapchan.com

https://sheenayapchan.com

Sheena Yap Chan is a Keynote Speaker,

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over 800 women on the topic of

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has been featured on multiple notable

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publications, including MindValley, Thrive

She

Positive Self-Talk What you say to yourself matters and we can be our own worst critics when it comes to self-talk. Make sure you are aware of the things you say to yourself because that can really affect your confidence. If you keep telling yourself you cannot do something, then of course you will not be willing to take action. If you keep telling yourself you can, you will find ways to take the necessary actions to build your confidence. Take Action Taking action can definitely help you build your confidence and there are many ways to take action such as making the first move, embrace your fears, and learning to keep moving forward no matter what your circumstances are. Have a routine Whether it’s the first thing you do in the morning or the last thing you do at night, create a daily routine that can help you build confidence. A great example is reading the book, “The Morning Miracle,” as a guide to help create your own routine.

Global, The Manila Times and more. After going from having low self esteem to being the confident woman that she is

Sheena will also be featured in 2 books in

today, Sheena uses her experience to help

2021 called Asian Women Who Boss Up

women overcome their self limiting beliefs

(March 2021) and Women of Color Who

to live a better life.

Boss Up (May 2021).

May 2021

INTERVIEW WITH

ALFIE BEST JR

lfie Best Jr was born in Redbridge, Greater London. He is a young, dynamic, wealthy entrepreneur and a TV personality.

Tell us more about who Alfie Best Jr is. He is a young lad, lucky to be born of a family that has become very wealthy. My dad has massively grown financially during my life time. So, I would say, I’m just a humble kid born in Redbridge.

YOUNG MILLIONAIRES

Can you tell our readers about all the different businesses you have had and how they have gone for you? Yes, I’ve always been a very entrepreneurial, even as a kid. I’ve always loved earning money. It’s like a drug to me; that and meeting new people. I love it, I live for it. My businesses started when I was young. I used to sell sweets in secondary schools. I lived next to a Cash and Carry which was an advantage. The idea was not originally mine; I saw other children doing it and I thought, I can do that too. Initially, I bought sweets from a regular News Agent. Then I went to work with my granddad one time and I came acroos a Cash and Carry. I then I realised that this is where the News Agents bought their stuff from. From then on, I bought my stock from there which saved me money. That process taught me a lot about buying and selling. When I came out of school around the age of 13 or 14, I bought an old 57reg van and I had it all recked out with stainless steel shelves. Then I started cold calling industrial

estates, shops, off-licences with floor mats, high visibility vests, work gloves, tarpaulin sheets, toilet paper, blue paper roll - anything I could sell for a profit within reason of cause. This went on for 3 to 4years. Then from there, I went on to buying and selling vans. I found that difficult and costly because so many things could go wrong or cost you money. I am happy to earn any profit but this business was tricky because you could buy a van, restore it to life and then a tire goes flat and you would have to replace it from your profits. The next thing you know, with two or more problems, you are not making any profit but instead,operating at a loss. Following from that, I did events and parties for the Travelling community. I would go around to find night clubs that would let me host events.

From then, I actually bought a night club. I wasn’t doing well with it at all - I was very young, I was only 16 years old. I realised that the people I could promote to, were Gypsies. I ended up selling it because I realised that I couldn’t build this club with Travellers only every weekend. I was trying to go to the general public but as a Traveller myself, and people knew that it was a Traveller that owned the club therfore nonTravellers didn’t really want to go there. From there, following my dad’s footsteps, I bought two mobile home parks in Basildon and Dunstable. That kept me very content for a couple of years. When they could run themselves, I went on to open a motor cross track which is unfortunately closed now. I am currently looking for another place to open another motor cross track. At this moment, I buy and sell luxury watches - this is my fulltime job. I need to be active all the time. The parks and tracks can run themselves, so I needed something to keep me busy.

May 2021

day during covid 19. I have not taken a single day off. I have found something to do during the lockdown. Being able to get up and go to work and put deals together is what kept me sane during the lockdown.

What do you look for when choosing a business? It must make money and I must understand it. I must be able to do it. I want a blue print that shows how I could do it or what would work for me. Every single business works. It just works differently for different people. Some people put more effort than others. People might fail but as a business, it can work. Your current business, the Best Kettles, what do you aim to archive with this one? My goal is to be the best at whatever I do. Customer satisfaction is also important to me because with satisfied customers, you get more business. Has Covid 19 affected any of your businesses? To some extent, it affected my businesses but more my mentality in how I think and what I do. I am a very strong person. I’m very strong headed. To be honest with you, it could have affected me much worst - going to work every single

So how have you overcome the Covid issues in your businesses? To be honest with you, it affected the market more than my businesses directly. In spite of the Covid situation; my watch business has done better because the watches have gone up in value. People are still trading watches. People who never had much to do at home, are still buying and selling watches. It requires minimal contact with people, if any at all. I feel like for most people, the only thing there was to overcome was being a prisoner in their own heads - you know like I can’t do this and that because of Covid. My motto is; let’s get our heads together and figure out how we can do it in spite of Covid. You were cast on the iTV show, Absolutely Ascot. How did that come about? I was approached by my best friend’s wife. She worked in the TV industry. I said yes because I thought it would be brilliant for profile building. Having a high profile now actually helps business. I had a relatively high profile because I have been very successful but then it spiralled on from there. Having said that, I don’t think I would do something similar again. The only TV shows I would do are the likes of Dragons Den or business-related programs. Do you mean going on Dragons Den or starting your own in the same line? I would start something like it if it’s a recipe that looks like it could work. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to do it, the opportunity would have to find me.

appearing on the show? They were already my friends anyway before I went on the show. I knew all of them. You are now considered a celebrity. What are the worst and best bits about being famous? I don’t think I am a celebrity. If I was, the best part about it would be doing good for other people. I like seeing other people doing well. If people are watching me and watching what I do, I will only give the best advice. And if someone listens to my advice, and goes to do well, I feel good. What advice could you give to young entrepreneurs who want to start their own businesses? My advice is, take risks but make sure they are calculated risks. Do your due diligence. I believe in taking risks. If we don’t take risks, we will never get anywhere. Assumption is the mother of all failures. I believe in check, check and double check. Secondly, be confident and believe in yourself. What legacy do you want to leave to the world? I want to be extremely wealthy. I want to be free. And I believe in order to be free in this world, you must have lots of money. They say money is not everything but you do need it to do everything. One last question. I was just doing research about you, I found out that you really like cars. Tell me about it. Coming out of work and getting into a big super car makes me want to go back to work the next day. I think, right, let’s do this. It’s like a big reward for my hard work. I also believe having a beautiful car is a statement of success. Although I am very humble, I am not shy about my success.

Did you make any friends from

May 2021

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May 2021

S uccess Through Failure Over five years, Dyson clocked up 5127 different versions of his model before it finally worked properly.

by Simon Hall Creative Warehouse

I’m going to share a secret here, but don’t tell anyone else! My business communications agency, Creative Warehouse, came about because of a sense of failure. On my own I was doing fine, helping entrepreneurs with their core message or words for their website, their presentation skills or winning them media coverage.

learn from it, come back stronger, go again and again and again, if necessary, and this time succeed?

He’s now a world famous billionaire. Whereas, if he’d given up…?

Which all goes to show that if you handle it right, failure doesn’t have to be the end of the story. It’s often just the beginning.

Don’t Fear Failure In conclusion, failure itself isn’t the issue. It’s how you react to it. Do you lie down, cry, and quit? Or, like the amazing James Dyson, and the other stories of success through failure: do you

Next Article... Did the title of this article, Success Through Failure, help tempt you into reading it? Whether it’s for a presentation, a report, an article, or many other important projects, titles can be critical. Next month we’ll look at the art of how killer titles are created.

The reaction was (perhaps understandably) poor. And so the founders even offered women $100 to upload videos of themselves… And (again, perhaps understandably), didn’t get a single response.

I got to know the business people I was privileged to work with. I would admire their determination and drive, vision and commitment, and we would often become friends. Everything was going swimmingly. But then would come to a problem. My clients would ask me for help with design work and I couldn’t do it. Or building a website and I didn’t know how. Or producing high-end videos and I couldn’t manage that either. I felt I was failing my friends and I hated it. But that low was the spark for the creation of Creative Warehouse. I went out and found a fantastic designer and a terrific webmaster and a brilliant cameraman and editor, along with some other amazing writers.

The company then switched to hosting any type of video. Its first being an 18 second clip of elephants at a zoo. It now has more than two billion users. JK Rowling It wasn’t a promising start to an author’s career. First, her agent received 12 rejections in a row for her book about a boy called Harry Potter who was actually a wizard. But Rowling didn’t give up, which is just as well. Can you imagine a world without Harry Potter?

The point of that little confession is this; many people fear failure. But its bitter sting can often prompt ideas, inspiration and great ingenuity, with a determination to go again and this time succeed. Not convinced? Then let me prove it.

Sir James Dyson Because it’s pure entrepreneurialism, this is probably my favourite story of success through failure.

For more on Simon and Creative Warehouse see www.thetvdetective.com

It was far from plain sailing when Dyson had his idea for the bagless vacuum cleaner. His first effort at building it failed, then his second, then his third, then again and again until…

YouTube When YouTube was launched in 2005, the original business plan was to become the biggest dating site on the internet. The slogan was Tune in, Hook up.

Are you ready for this? Wait for it… wait for it…

He teaches communications, media and business skills at the University of Cambridge, for government departments and agencies, and private business. Simon has eight novels published, all in the thriller genre, and a non-fiction book on business communication, with follow ups on public speaking and presentations, writing blogs, appearing in the media, and business storytelling due out in 2021 and 22.

He has also contributed articles and short stories to a range of newspapers and magazines, written plays, screenplays, radio comedy, and even a pantomime.

And yes, you did read that right. An EIGHT year old girl effectively discovered Harry Potter.

Success Through Famous Fails There are so many famous fails to choose from but here are three favourites of mine, just to make the point. Because each of these fails was followed by enormous success.

About the Author; Simon Hall runs his own business communications agency, Creative Warehouse, and is a journalist, author, business coach and university tutor.

Previously, Simon was a broadcaster for twenty years, mostly as a BBC Television, Radio and Online News Correspondent, specialising in business and economics, home affairs, and the environment.

Her break came when the eight-year-old daughter of an editor at Bloomsbury demanded to read the rest of the book. The editor agreed to publish, but advised Rowling to get a day job since she had little chance of making money in children’s books. Which turned out, as the saying goes, to be somewhat wide off the mark.

And now we can handle every business’s communications needs and with style, and we’re doing so with lots of wonderful entrepreneurs.

Author - Simon Hall Director at Creative Warehouse

May 2021

INTERVIEW WITH

AKSHAY RUPARELIA

riven and obsessed, Akshay Ruparelia is the founder of Doorsteps. co.uk, U.K.’s 10th largest estate agent. He has sold over £1bn worth of homes across the U.K in 3 years of incorporation.

Can you tell our audience about your multimillion pound start-up, Doorsteps.co.uk, and what makes it so special? Hi, Russ. Thanks for having me involved in the Business Digest Magazine. I’m excited to share what we’ve been doing at Doorsteps.co.uk. We are an online estate agency business founded by myself about three and a half to four years ago. In short, we exist because estate agencies are an undisrupted, antiquated, pretty oldschool industry and the way it works is still very outdated. Given the fundamental lack of convenience and quality service for customers, commissions are very high. I founded Doorsteps with the goal of changing that. We are UK’s third largest online state agency. We charge just 99 pounds to sell a property. We’ve sold over a billion pounds worth of properties in that time, which is the equivalent of listing over 10,000 properties. And more importantly, we’ve saved customers over 10 million pounds on estate agency fees in the last three years, whilst keeping it convenient and being one of the highest rated on service. So we’re really excited about what we’re doing to change the industry. How did the idea of launching Doorsteps.co.uk come about? The idea came about because of an experience my family had when I was about 10 or 11 years old. We moved out of Hemel Hempstead in London, where I was born. Though young, I was very much involved in the home selling journey. It was pretty clunky and there was lack of convenience. It basically didn’t work for us. Now, that’s not to say that it doesn’t work for everyone. But there was definitely

a problem and therefore an opportunity to solve it, which is based on helping people save money when selling their homes. Another thing we address at Doorsteps, is the lack of transparency in the industry and the hassle involved when selling your property - it’s the second most stressful thing only to divorce. You were still in sixth form when you started your company. What were you doing when your first sale came in? My first sale came in very unexpectedly. As you mentioned, I was in Sixth Form. I was focused on my studies and taking the business as a sideline passion. I got my first customer midway through my A levels, which was a massive surprise because I only had a template website. The property, which was in East Sussex was actually sold when I was standing in the middle of a playground. I got a notification that we had an offer accepted. My client was just over the moon. That was a huge milestone for me.

Looking back, that was more significant than I thought at the time, because it was the first breakthrough of my concept. Although I didn’t get my next customer for several months after that, I was confident that my concept worked. To have confidence to pursue this idea at such an early age is remarkable. Most school kids are kicking a football around the pitch or playing Fortnight on their Xbox and not hatching a business start-up. So you’ve launched the business whilst at school, but with any business idea, there’s need for investment. What were your start-up costs? And how did you fund them? Initially, I tried to maintain very low costs. Testing the idea cheaply is always a good idea and to try and prove a concept, understand what customers want and don’t want. And we’re still doing that today. In reality, we’re still testing the idea very cheaply before aggressively scaling up because building something on a foundation of sand doesn’t make much sense, which is why we’re trying to solidify and ce-

“You might think you have a fantastic idea, but try to understand the need and the problem you’re solving. So test the idea cheaply, at relatively low risk.”

May 2021

ment that foundation now, even though we are 3-4 years into the business. But at the time, it was a super basic start-up. I bought a website template online for less than 100 quid and tweaked it myself. I also got help from friends, family and others that had an interest in coding and wanting to get experience for themselves. In terms of other costs, I had friends join me on commission-only basis, to do cold calling. My first ‘member of staff’, so to speak, was with someone who joined me on a self-employed basis. Having said that, I did borrow just under £10,000 from family which I’m massively grateful for. You were dubbed Britain’s youngest millionaire at the age of 17. Has this title opened any doors for you and given you a step up in business? To be honest, I’m not a fan of the title at all, largely because the business is externally valued at several million pounds based on the traction and comparables in the marketplace. But that’s not cash and we’re still a long way to go. And I don’t think it’s a really accurate external validation for me either way. I don’t leverage the title and I try and leverage the genuine achievements. That being said, it is hard to escape it, so naturally, there was a bit of a profile built around it. You’ve been nicknamed Alan Sugar for becoming Britain’s youngest millionaire, while selling houses during your school lunch break. That’s not such a bad association, is it? I think the comparison with Alan Sugar is a massive compliment, because he’s clearly a very commercial individual. He is one of many business people in the UK I look up to. He’s actually changed the shape of business and inspired hundreds of people across the UK. Now you’re 21 and still considerably young to be in the business game. I would like to know if you have had any moments of entrepreneurial flair when you were even younger? On hindsight, maybe I have been entrepreneurial. For example, the first thing I did to earn a bit of money was giving independent tennis coaching lessons when I was about 10 to a nine year old just because I’d won the club championship prior to that. After that, I did a bit of selling food at school because I wanted to get my first PlayStation. Can you give me three tips or pieces of advice you

would give to an aspiring entrepreneur? You might think you have a fantastic idea, but try to understand the need and the problem you’re solving. So test the idea cheaply, at relatively low risk initially. Also know what motivates you to solve that problem.

And then you can always scale from that point onwards. Secondly, try and get into something you genuinely feel interested in or are passionate about. Thirdly, be a good person, work with good people and work with people you can trust. Make sure you understand the value of people. That’s a lesson I’m still learning and practising to date. Who has influenced you most in life and in business? There’s a lot of people that I read up on and was very inspired by at an early stage. This includes the entrepreneurial spirit and flair of the likes of Duncan Bannatyne. Also a number of people within my family network and relationships, including my uncle who sits on the board of a large organisation, my sisters and my partner. I’ve been largely inspired by my parents’ work ethic, inspite of having had a pretty difficult upbringing themselves. You gave us your top tips. But do you have any success habit or daily routines that keep you moving forward towards your goals? There’s quite a few habits, ranging from ones that I have picked up from books like The Chimp Paradox, which is about mental awareness, mental conditioning, how to approach conversations and how to separate your emotions. It’s helped me have clarity and understanding where my emotions are concerned.

May 2021

INTERVIEW WITH

MATTHEW MCGREGOR

atthew McGregor is the founder and creator of 22 Apps™, a software platform allowing anyone to create and design their own personalized mobile app for iPhone and Android. In just one year, he was able to take the business from an idea he’d had on a ski trip to over $1 million in sales and a team of 15 employees, all just shy of his 23rd birthday. Since the age of 15, Matthew has been a busy entrepreneur, building a digital marketing agency to multiple six-figures. He is an international speaker, coach, trainer and respected digital marketer.

In one year, you were able to turn a business idea to over $1 million in sales and that before your 23rd birthday. How did that happen? While hitting 1M in sales within the first business year might sound crazy to some, it wasn’t actually that difficult when we break it down into 3 simple steps: We had a phenomenal product idea – So many people online are putting out courses and ads and gimmicks that don’t actually add any significant value to society. Money = Value and therefore the more value something creates, the more valuable it is, and the more money it produces. So that’s where we started from square one, How do we come up with a genius product idea that everyone will want? We pre-sold the craziest packages – when you have no physical product, you can’t sell subscriptions. So instead, we sold the most value-packed lifetime licenses we possibly could for our platform. We wanted to make it such a good deal that people

would kick themselves for NOT taking it. So at first, we offered lifetime licenses INCLUDING done-foryou setup for only $2500, and then do-it-yourself licences for only $497; both of which were 1-time fees where the user would never have to pay anything ever again – Ever. This meant by becoming an early adopter, they would save thousands upon thousands of dollars for years to come. How did you raise funding for your venture? We grew through “Joint Ventures” – Part of the problem with start-ups is they rely too heavily on ads and capital to grow, so we leveraged different partnerships in our industry to get our product visible without paying a dime up-front; we only had to pay our partners if one of their referrals purchased! We pre-sold over 1300+ apps mainly through Joint Venture webinars. Specifically, we asked some big names in our industry if they would support our big

mission in exchange for not only a free app, but also up to 40% commission on every sale! Over the 2020 year, we did 34 different webinars with a variety of partners who brought in over 75% of our total revenue! Part of the genius behind 22Apps is that, we actually made pre-registering for a licence completely free. Meaning, you can get 22Apps LITE and publish your app to IOS and Android without ever paying us a dime. This means that no matter how small or big a business is, anyone can now get access to building an app (and it’s how we got over 220,000 pre-registrants before the software ever even launched!!)

- Social media, copywriting, marketing, sales, speaking, listening, communication, consulting, podcasting, etc. And then just start something! Anything! And just start asking people if they need help with the problem you solve! (If you ask enough people if you can help them, someone will eventually say yes.) Lastly Matthew, what is your vision and what legacy do you want to leave? I see a world where Apps are as common as websites. At our company we often say “Websites used to be cool, and now you’re a fool if you don’t have one. And currently apps are cool, though we envision creating a world where you’re a fool if you don’t have one”

You also built a big marketing agency. Why a marketing agency? In the past I built and grew a marketing agency well into the multiple 6 figure mark, and the reason I did that was, for fun! So many people take business so seriously, but my belief is that if you love what you do, (and I love making money and marketing products) and you help other people (I help others to make money); then you’ll basically always be profitable! And that’s another reason 22Apps had such a powerful start – I used my marketing knowledge from that business (and a bit of cash) to start the initial development and awareness for 22Apps throughout the world. At the age of 15, you were already into entrepreneurship. What was your inspiration? I was originally inspired to become an entrepreneur by the great Jim Rohn. Jim was the mentor to mentors, and was one of my greatest mentors (even though he passed). One of his best lessons was how, no matter what happens, you can always achieve what you want in life. Even if the sky is dark and it looks like there’s no hope; you have the power inside to make things happen and turn any situation into a good one. What advice would you give to college graduates who want to pursue entrepreneurship? I actually applied for Business School at University and I didn’t get in. So, my advice for anyone thinking of entrepreneurship is that formal education might make you a living but self-education will make you a fortune. In other words, invest your free time into learning skills that will allow you to add more value to other people’s lives. Skills such as:

May 2021

COMMUNICATION MATTERS MARIE SWIFT How to Reassure Friends, Family and Clients in Uncertain Times

In 2020, toward the end of what had been a very challenging year for many professionals (both personally and professionally), I set out to determine how independent financial advisors and their clients were faring. My PR and marketing firm, Impact Communications, has built a reputation over the past 29 years of serving this marketplace: (a) independent financial advisors, all of whom are essentially small business owners, and (b) allied institutions, most of which are large entities (our client list includes custodians such as TD Ameritrade Institutional, independent broker/dealers such as Securities America, and financial technology companies such as AdvisorEngine). My team and I help our clients build healthy relationships with their clients. We provide the tools, resources and strategies they need to communicate, educate and ultimately support their clients through the ups and downs of the stock market, shocks to the

economy, and daily current events. As professional communicators who support these financial services and wealth tech companies, we at Impact Communications believe – and have seen from years of frontline experience – that communication builds trust. Consistent, simple, honest communication is the key to building strong, trust-based relationships. As you read this article, I invite you to think about your own business/profession, your own internal and external communications – even your family and personal communications. There are lessons to be learned no matter who you are or what your roles in life are. Communication matters. Moreover, good communication

matters even more. We can all think of people in our lives who are smart as the dickens but they seem to lack emotional intelligence. They don’t seem to understand that tone matters, that body language and facial expression matters, that words matter. It’s not always what they say but how they say it – and when – that seems a bit ham-handed. Poor communicators tend to lack a good filter – they say too much or in the wrong way and at the wrong time. Or they give themselves away and undermine trust and credibility by sighing, eyerolling, tablesmacking, sharp vocals, aggressive stance and/or apathetic posture. One of my early mentors told me, “It’s not just what you say but what you don’t say that speaks volumes about you as a human being.” Recently, a fellow business owner told me, “When things go wrong with my teenagers or loved ones, my philosophy is hugs first, lectures last.” And we’ve all heard the old but true saying, listen more and talk less - “Two ears, one mouth.”

THE TWO PRIMARY TYPES OF COMMUNICATION There are two primary types of communications we think business owners should use in their marketing campaigns: •

“I know” messages

•

“I care” messages

concerns to manage while at the same time reassuring jittery clients about their investments and financial plans. Remember in the spring of 2020, the stock market took a dive and many people worried about the global economy. Here in the United States, there was political and social unrest on top of the pandemic. Business professionals, especially financial advisors, had to become more resilient than ever.

“I know” messages show the listener/reader that you know what you are talking about – that you are an expert on that topic. For instance, when the stock market is volatile, a professional financial advisor will reassure their clients that they’ve been through market ups and downs before and that the plan they have developed for the investor is designed to withstand these types of fluctuations. “I know” messages are clear and logical. They are typically based on facts or well-informed opinions. This type of messaging appeals to the human brain.

And so, in September 2020, the Advisor Solutions division of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and my firm, Impact Communications, came up with something called the Conversations That Matter project. Through an independently-conducted survey and live polling via corresponding webinars coupled with dozens of 1:1 interviews, we set out to see just how much advisors had to adjust to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis, the social unrest and political animosity here in the USA.

The goal is to have “I know” messaging evoke these types of thoughts: • That sounds logical and well-reasoned. • I can check out and verify these stats and assertions. • This person has been trained to understand and manage this type of situation. • This company is rock solid. This team knows what they are doing. • I am in good hands.

We heard directly from hundreds of financial advisors about how their year had been, and we were able to create a library of helpful content including a survey summary, some video interviews with psychologists and other experts, corresponding webinars and a special report – all of which discuss in detail how the pandemic affected the conversations financial advisors were having with their clients.

“I care” messages evoke feelings more than they do thoughts. Communications that let the listener/ reader know that they are important to you, that you feel their pain, that you too have concerns related to whatever is going on (e.g., the global pandemic), and that you are there for them as more than just a business professional, are “I care” messages. This type of messaging appeals to the heart more than the head. But when emotions are stirred – whether those are positive or negative emotions – people tend to decide what to do based on their feelings; they then rationalize, their decision with logic.

So here’s the bottom line, our study found that “I care” communications were way more important than “I know” communications.

The goal is to have “I care” messaging stir up these types of feelings: • I have a sense that I can trust this person. • There may be a leap of faith involved, but I feel ok about it. • This person has shown me through various ways that they are not just about making money. • This company has taken a stand against racial injustice (or fill in the blank with some other social cause; I agree with that world view and that helps me trust the entity as a whole. • I am in good hands. Marie

THE “CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER” PROJECT 2020 was quite a year and financial advisors, many of whom had never worked from home before, faced many challenges. Like all of us, professional financial advisors had their own family dynamics and health

One of the things we wanted to explore throughout the Conversations That Matter project was how advisors’ communication methods may have changed during the pandemic. Impact Communications performed an advisor survey that allowed us to get a good sense for how advisor and client behavior changed throughout 2020. We determined that most advisors increased the volume of their communications, the communication channels they used, and the topics they discussed. From phone calls to emails to video chat, advisors were communicating more with their clients than ever

Swift is President and CEO of Impact Communications, Inc., a full-service marketing communications firm serving a select group of independent financial advisors and allied institutions. Impact Communications works solely within the financial services industry. Learn more at www.ImpactCommunications.org.

May 2021 before. In a profession where most advisors typically connect with their clients in person, finding ways to continue to have those impactful, meaningful conversations was no longer a nice to have – it was essential.

financial advisors identify areas of opportunity in their client conversations.

Advisors had to learn to create connectivity with clients over a video camera or over a telephone – and that creates its own set of challenges. There are certain cues that we can miss in individual personalities and in body language when we have client meetings over a camera or just over the phone . It was a very interesting exercise for advisors, but I do feel that the stress of these shared experiences has built a sense of community. After all, we were then – and still are – going through this together as human beings, not just business professionals.

• • •

So, the Conversations That Matter project focused on how advisor/ client conversations changed over the course of 2020 and how important those conversations became in creating successful relationships – and even new business. For some advisors, 2020 was a year of struggle just to maintain the status quo. But other advisors who were smart about their client outreach and communications actually had their best year ever – despite 2020’s myriad challenges. During these turbulent times, our Conversations That Matter study showed that it was the “I care” communications – and actions – that seemed to resonate most with these financial advisors’ clients.

MASTERING THE CONVERSATION Since then, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and Impact Communications have been hard at work developing new tools to help financial advisors better connect with current and prospective clients. We are currently working on a digital toolkit aimed at helping advisors discover, improve, and best utilize their personal communication style. Part One of our “Mastering The Conversation” toolkit will include an advisor self-assessment quiz and a guide filled with advice from fourteen communications experts. Some of the financial services industry’s top communications experts – including Carolyn McClanahan, Stephanie Bogan, Kathleen Kingsbury, Mitch Anthony, Marion Asnes, Heather Kelly, Steve Gresham, Dennis Stearns, Julie Littlechild, Stephen Wershing, Paul Kingsman, Jody Jacobson, Bob Veres and I – learnt ideas and expertise to this guide. The quiz and guide will help

In the forthcoming communications guide, financial advisors will learn how they can: Improve active listening skills Better prepare for difficult conversations Build trust with clients

Part Two of the digital toolkit being developed will include an array of client conversation starters to help advisors address client concerns. Today’s annuities and modern risk mitigation solutions can work well within the context of a comprehensive

financial plan – and there are solutions available now that can help fee-only advisors (professionals who do not accept commission-based compensation in any form) meet their fiduciary obligations. There will also be advisor presentations that advisors can use to educate their teams and help their clients understand their professional recommendations. The Conversations That Matter report is available now. Many of the discoveries from the report were included in the webinar hosted by NAPFA (the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors) in April 2021 as well as the webinar hosted by RIA Channel in November 2020. If you are a financial advisor, you are invited to download the Conversations That Matter report.

www.nmecommerce.com

Financial advisors who’d like to be notified of forthcoming tools and resources: Follow @MarieSwift on Twitter, and/or Impact Communications, Inc. on Facebook and LinkedIn.

May 2021

Wom

INTERVIEW WITH

GAVIN BELL

ness –

Most businesses set up one campaign, delivering one ad to one audience.

Gavin Bell is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, podcast host & director of Yatter, a lead generation agency that specialises in Facebook advertising and Conversion rate optimisation. His work has been featured on the likes of Virgin. com, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur on Fire and Social Media Examiner.

avin you’ve had an amazing story so far, can you tell us a bit about yourself in the early days and what started you on your path? I grew up in the Shetland Islands, a small group of islands at the northernmost tip of the UK. Growing up, I always showed entrepreneurial “symptoms”. I built my first drop shipping website at 14 (didn’t know it was going to become such a huge trend!) and often put leaflets through neighbours’ doors offering grass cutting services! It wasn’t until I moved away from Shetland that I launched my first “proper” business, a corporate wellbeing company. We used to put personal trainers into corporate offices to run fitness sessions. Although that business didn’t work out in the end, I built strong relationships with personal trainers and realised they were typically terrible at marketing. And that’s what got me into the marketing world. Fast forward a few years and we’re now an awardwinning Facebook advertising agency managing over $3m in client ad spend each year. You’re well known for Facebook marketing. Tell us more about why you got into this and how you learnt it. When I first got into the marketing world, I offered social media

Facebook makes it so easy to get started with advertising but they don’t ever provide guidance on how to set up a campaign. If you’re not testing audiences, ad creatives and ad copy in your campaigns, your chances of success are very slim. Have you faced any hurdles in business and how did you overcome them? Every day! That’s what I love about running a business though. It’s one big challenge broken into hundreds of different challenges. Every time you fix one problem, another appears.

management services. We’d post on behalf of companies on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. A couple of clients asked me whether I’d be interested in running Facebook ads for them. Although I had no experience (which they knew) I said absolutely! From there I was hooked. I made the decision that I wanted to become the “go to” person for Facebook ads in the UK and I did everything I could to learn and become the best. I purchased courses, listened to podcasts, read blogs, watched videos and asked clients whether I could run their ads free of charge to get experience. What’s the biggest marketing campaign you have managed and how successful was it? We’ve been fortunate to run lots of big campaigns for incredible brands but my favourite one has to be a few years ago where we launched and ran the season ticket campaign for Aberdeen Football Club. Although this one wasn’t our biggest budget campaign, I’m an Aberdeen fan and so it was a very proud moment to be helping my club.

Almost every business I speak to has tried running ads, but they’ve struggled to get success. I’ve audited 100+ ad accounts over the years and the biggest mistake I see people making is lack of testing.

The biggest hurdle we face just now is growing the team.

most successful season ticket sale numbers on record. Have you ever worked with any large well-known brands & how did that go for you? We have worked with lots of wellknown brands such as the FIA (governing body for all motorsport), Aberdeen FC, Chelsea FC, Slaters Menswear, Boden, Scottsbasslessons. com and lots more.

Your new business, Yatter, what it’s all about and what makes it stand out from the crowd? Every idea starts with a problem. Ours was simple: we were tired of listening to the constant stream of bad experiences our clients had faced by previous marketing agencies. Forgotten about, left out of the process, poor communication... the list goes on. We knew something just wasn’t right and we were uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark within the marketplace. Over the years we’ve created our

own advertising process (The Yatter Flywheel) that combines content with advertising and CRO. It works on almost every account we work on. As you mentioned, many business owners waste money on Facebook ads as they test and trial things for themselves, what’s the best advice you can give to these entrepreneurs? I think it’s important for business owners to learn at least the basics of advertising on Facebook, but there comes a point where it makes more sense to outsource advertising to an agency like ours. The reason I think it’s important to learn the process yourself is because it allows you to have much better conversations with the agency or consultant you work with. Not just that but you’ll be able to sense-check everything they do, meaning it’s harder for them to pull the wool over your eyes (which is sadly something that happens a lot in the industry). Which successful entrepreneurs do you look up to most in business & why? I take inspiration from lots of different people. James Watt and Martin Dickie who founded Brewdog are a big inspiration. Partly because they’re from a remote part of Scotland, but also because the brand they’ve created is cool AF. (If you’re a Brewdog fan, you’ll see what I did there…) What the best way to get in touch with you to find out more info? You can reach out on our site: weareyatter.com or drop me a message on Twitter (@mrgavinbell)

It’s not just about the large wellknown brands, though. We love every client we work with – they all do incredible work and it’s a privilege to help them. What’s the biggest mistake most business owners make with their Facebook marketing? Where do I start? Every time I stand on stage I ask two questions: who here has tried running Facebook ads? All hands go up. I then ask: who here has had success with their Facebook ads? All hands go down.

Aberdeen went on to have their

May 2021

INTERVIEW WITH

ALESSANDRA LEZAMA Alessandra Lezama, an award-winning business woman, is the founder of Tootris and passionate about technology. Alessandra is also an angel investor and an advocate for women pursuing careers in tech and other STEM fields.

was named “Businesswomen of the Year” by the San Diego Business Journal and won the “Connect Women of Influence Emerging WomanOwned Business Award” in 2020 for her work with TOOTRiS.

Who is Alessandra Lezama? Alessandra Lezama is driven by a deep-rooted social purpose. That’s why she founded TOOTRiS, the firstever on-demand child care platform that connects parents, employers, childcare providers, and family support and subsidy services. Since launching in the second quarter of 2020, TOOTRiS has processed over 32,000 child care searches and helped connect more than 6,000 families with programs and resources amid a most devastating pandemic. In just the past year, TOOTRiS has made a positive impact on the child care system. The startup was awarded the inspiring “Moving San Diego Forward Award” by the San Diego Regional Chamber in 2021. Lezama

Passionate about technology, Lezama has enjoyed an illustrious career of taking underperforming tech companies and turning them into scalable, high-performance powerhouses. Prior to founding TOOTRiS, she was the CEO for multiple technology companies including AbacusNext, a San Diego-based company she stepped into with 29 employees and, in less than four years, transformed into a disruptive global technology organization with more than 500 employees across San Diego, Canada, and the United Kingdom. She currently serves on the Board and Management Council of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the California Preschool Business Council and the San Diego County Child Care and Development Planning Council, where alongside

other Child Care stakeholders, she passionately advocates for quality early childhood education. Can you tell us more about TOOTRIS and Child-Care-OnDemand? TOOTRiS is a first-of-its-kind SaaS platform that allows for a free, real-time inventory of available childcare slots to parents while providing childcare providers an easier solution to manage the vetting and enrollment process and automate the administrative functions of running their small business - all accessible online via a desktop, tablet, or an app on a mobile device. TOOTRiS is a FREE, unified platform that connects all existing early childhood education stakeholders - parents, childcare providers, employers, and service organizations, and allows them to transact in real-time. On-demand access to information can solve the plight parents face over child care, even for temporary slots and dropins.

e r a o h w o s t e h n g o u e o n h n a T e c “ y y , z e d a l h r cr nk t o ” . w o i th e the hat d g t n s a e ch e on h t are s -- An

There’s so much talk about how funding will revive the broken child care system, but nobody is thinking about how we could advance it to the next level, much like what the health care system did with the digitization of health records. There’s no reason why we can’t do the same for child care. As a female entrepreneur, have you found challenges? What

u o m ny

May 2021 are they and how have you overcome them? One of the biggest challenges I have faced as an entrepreneur is that women usually hold a greater amount of responsibility in regard to their family life, especially child care. Even in situations where both parents work, the mother is more likely to take time off if a child is sick, or if child care plans fall through. As a single mom and immigrant to the U.S., quality and adequate child care was a constant struggle for me, including beforeand after-school care. In fact, my success as a C-level executive was slowed due to this challenge. In 2004, for example, I was passed for an executive position because I could not make it to work at the required 6:30 a.m. time due to a lack of before-school care for my son. So, I worked twice - if not three times - as hard as my male coworkers to prove my worth, all the while being the best mother I could to my son, ensuring he had access to top-quality education by enrolling him in quality early childhood development programs from a young age. Female disruptors must constantly work harder to be taken seriously and to prove that we can shatter the impending glass ceiling while balancing work-life priorities. All of it has paid off for me, and now I want to pay it forward. That’s why I founded TOOTRiS. Why did you start your own business? As a young entrepreneur, I knew it is my calling to positively impact the lives of women in the workforce, especially women of color, and to help create more entrepreneurial opportunities. The cost of organized child care remains a significant financial hurdle, particularly for lowincome and low-skilled workers. Affordable child care allows low-skilled parents to maintain

their connection to the labor force or upgrade their skills through education, both of which contribute to economic growth and productivity over the long term.

with extraordinary people. Those who come to work every single day with a clear personal pursuit of purpose. My secret gravy is to turn the conventional methods of recruiting upside down.

This is what motivates me. We must have equal access to quality and affordable child care for all parents. Community building is more important now than ever, especially in the wake of a yearlong pandemic. We need to combine collective action and policy change in the child care sector to truly make a positive impact in our communities. Everyone benefits parents, employers, providers, children, and the overall economy.

Consider this, there are hundreds of highly qualified individuals for any one job opening. So how to select the best person for the job? Conventional methods filter keywords on resumes, then

I’ve had the privilege of leading five organizations over the last 20 years and I can say that extraordinary companies start

Which successful entrepreneurs do you look up to? My father was a valiant man and my greatest mentor. He was a professional bullfighter, so every time he left for work, he was never sure he would make it back home. He would always leave me with an important lesson. He would stress to me how important it is to always have a positive impact on people’s lives but emphasized that in order to help someone else, you need to help yourself first. When you take care of yourself and have a stable platform, you can reach out and help others over and over again.

It looks like whatever you touch turns to gold. What is your strategy in growing companies? I came to the United States in the ‘90s in pursuit of the “American Dream.” Before launching my technology career, I was a Montessori teacher. My dream was always to travel and live on a big farm with horses and a white picket fence. I quickly figured out it would be nearly impossible to reach my dream on a teacher’s wage, so I decided to go into technology despite knowing that this sector was predominantly male-dominated. It felt right from the start, as I was set on being a disruptor and technology is the bedrock of innovation.

and inspire richer innovation. That’s what I was able to do at every organization I’ve led prior and now at TOOTRiS.

look for credentials and specific experience first. This method can easily miss the unicorns. On the other hand, I assume the skills and expertise are there for every candidate and focus on the drivers that move people forward - better understanding the candidate and how our corporate vision and set of values will help them further their personal journey to success! When the parties are well aligned, the best possible outcomes are constant. Shared values drive higher levels of performance for the company

For a long time as a young professional, I found it difficult to ask for help. I had to reframe my father’s advice and teach myself that if I was not vocal about the areas in which I needed help, I would never improve, and therefore never advance to a level where I could help others. This mindset change has been

crucial to my success, helping me achieve personal and professional growth. I’m also always inspired by entrepreneurs and business leaders of all industries that put people first and create thriving environments for all to succeed! What would you want to be remembered for? I want to be remembered for disrupting a broken system and creating positive change. The current child care market fails families, children, and businesses - it needs to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. At TOOTRiS, we are doing just that, leveraging from technology. I would also like to be remembered for boosting women in the workforce especially women of color. Like many single moms of color, I too once struggled with chasing the “American Dream” due to child care challenges. Black, Latina, and immigrant mothers will continue to lose jobs as the nation’s child care crisis grows unless we adopt modern tools and policies now. Brown and Black women hold the fabric of our communities together by building and sustaining critical support systems. It is our turn to return that support by re-engineering the nation’s failing childcare system to help our nation recover from our first-ever “female recession.” Through TOOTRiS, I want to enable a true gender-equitable recovery for our nation - for current and future generations. What is the best way to contact you, especially for those women who seek your advice and insight? Email me at alezama@tootris.com Tootris.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ alessandralezama/

“As a young entrepreneur, I knew it is my calling to positively impact the lives of women in the workforce, especially women of color, and to help create more entrepreneurial opportunities.”

T O O T R i

May 2021