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EDITOR’S DESK
T
he Biblical stories are some of the most abundant and creative contributions of Christianity to human culture. The depth of character in the Biblical stories is astounding. The story of Noah's Arc, however, is a particularly interesting one. The story goes like this…
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God despairs the corruption and malice that has taken over humanity. Reluctantly, he decides to wipe out the human race. But Noah stands as the only one not corrupted. With an urge to give humanity a second chance, God tells Noah to construct an arc that will save him, his family, and a multitude of animal life. When he is finally done constructing the arc and about to board it, God says to him, “for you alone, I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.” In a literal sense – the whole world was doing what was wrong. But did that prevent Noah from doing what was right? Conclusively – No! Noah led the species of this world to salvation because he did what was right even when no one in the whole world was with him. This perfectly encapsulates one of the most important characteristics of being a strong leader in today’s world: Leaders do what’s right even if they are alone.
Making the Final Call
Everyone makes choices daily, and everyone has to decide which direction they should propel their life towards and face the consequences of their action or inaction. All of it culminates into the personality that
they live out and keep updating daily. But what does it take to be a leader amongst people? In this edition of Insights Success magazine – ‘Inspiring Business Leaders Making a Difference 2021’, we attempt to dissect the actions and characteristics of some of the innovative and transformative business leaders of their respective fields while understanding what makes a good leader. Let’s have a brief look at what distinct qualities we have come up with. Leaders are not the kind of people who revel in the confines of their comfort zone. Being disillusioned with the status quo, they are always looking for ways to better themselves and those around them. The phrase ‘be yourself’ doesn’t really satisfy them. Great leaders are confident about their ability to deliver results. Confident leaders have no trouble sharing credits with others, knowing that they can deliver in turn and that success needs the team’s support. Many-a-times, leaders are quick to start and late to finish. They take the time to consider everyone’s opinions and needs on the team and make the right decisions based on that information. Google, the tech giant, came way too late to the web engine party after AltaVista and Yahoo. A leader knows that oftentimes a misinformed or straightout wrong decision is better than no decision at all. ‘Failing faster’ is the art of trying out a lot of different ideas (while avoiding saturation), failing at most of them, and keep
trying nonetheless till you get to a point where you are happy with the result. Leaders know the importance of failing. In turbulent times such as the ones presented to us by the ongoing pandemic, where many well-established businesses were forced to shut down, leaders must keep a calm mind. Leaders have to reassess assumptions, re-evaluate scenarios, and trust their ability to sense and respond. All this and we are still not even close to exhausting the list of what it takes to be a good leader. Read through the pages of this edition to better comprehend what fits the bill of optimal leadership in the business sphere. So, sit back, relax, take a break from worrying about when the theatres are opening up, and take your mind off the ‘Don’t Rush’ challenge because this is going to be exhilarating! Have fun reading!
ya Adit
le
Uma
Aditya Umale
Cover Story 08
Jim McNeese Leading with the Dynamic of Technology and Human Talent
Articles
18 28
Tech Takedown DIY Leadership How AI is changing the 6 tips on how to manage Email marketing niche your remote team
C O N T E N T S 14
Cara Scharf
Empowering Companies with Her Digital Marketing Prowess
22
Edward Sawiris Banayoti
An Epitome of Ethical Leadership
32
Mona Yousuf Almoayyed An Epitome of Resilience and Exemplary Leadership
36
Renee Welsh
Inspiring Gender Equality in Tech Business
Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar Senior Editor Anish Miller Managing Editor Abhishaj Sajeev Assisting Editors Trishika, Aditya Visualiser David King Art & Design Head Priyanka Rajage Art & Design Assistant Rohit Shinganapurkar Co-designer Rashmi Singh Art & Picture Editor Vishal Pawar Business Development Manager Sherin Rodricks Marketing Manager Joseph D'souza Business Development Executives Jenny, Michael Sales Executives Kelly, Mark, Alice Technical Head Jacob Smile Assistant Technical Head Amar Sawant Technical Consultants Pratiksha, Aditya, David Digital Marketing Manager Alina Sege Assistant Digital Marketing Manager Amol Wadekar SME-SMO Executives Gemson, Renuka Research Analyst Eric Smith Circulation Manager Tanaji sales@insightssuccess.com
March, 2021 Corporate Ofce Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-859-2600 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com
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Featuring
Company Name
Description
Cara Scharf, President
Fearless Media fearlessmedia.com
Specializing in the entertainment, retail, education, and tech verticals, Fearless Media's dynamic approach to marketing developed out of a focus on data and analytics, with digital at the core of every campaign.
Daniel Farrar, CEO
Switchfly switchfly.com
Switchfly helps travel brands, including airlines, hotels, and their loyalty programs, offer high-margin travel products that create customer value and drive loyalty.
Edward Sawiris Banayoti CEO
Defence Unlimited International defenceunlimited.com
Defence Unlimited International are defence and security consultants/brokers, with one of the largest network of defence consultants around the world.
Ernie Herrman, CEO
TJX tjx.com
The TJX Companies, Inc., is the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide
Jim McNeese, CEO
C2XCEL LLC c2xcel.com
C2XCEL is an unbiased, professional telecommunications consulting firm providing strategic technology solutions for SMB, mid-sized and enterprise level companies.
Jon Smith, CEO
Pobble pobble.com
Pobble provides teachers with exciting lesson ideas, resources from leading educational partners, and access to the world’s largest bank of writing examples.
Karsten Böhrs CEO and Co-owner
Simpleshow mysimpleshow.com
simpleshow is the pioneer platform for digital products and services around explainer videos.
Maarten Vandecruys Founder
Urban Crop Solutions urbancropsolutions.com
Urban Crop Solutions creates automated controlled environment vertical farming systems and has the ambition to be the global reference in the urban farming industry.
Mona Yousuf Almoayyed YK Almoayyed & Sons almoayyed.com CEO and MD
Y. K. Almoayyed & Sons is a diversified business group, comprising of Y. K. Almoayyed & Sons, Ashrafs, Almoayyed Contracting Group and National Concrete Company.
Renee Welsh, CEO
Bookingboss bookingboss.com
Booking Boss is a cloud based reservation software designed specifically for attractions, tour operators and activity providers and as a world first, with an in-built channel manager.
T
echnology has changed our lives for the better. It is still doing that on a dynamic level. Helping us to get where we need to go, without even stepping out of the door, receiving things right in your hands, accessing information from a distance, delivering commands with a gesture and more; technology has enabled the world at our fingertips. Technology has surely made our lifestyle easy, but the most important thing is the deployment of the right technology, may it be your home or office. Your technological needs should be suited as per your requirement where you always remain in control.
Jim McNeese, President of C2XCEL, advocates greatly about the utilization of technology to the best extent in business and provides the right guidance towards employment and deployment of the same to C2XCEL’s clients. He has been in the technology industry about 25 years. Jim’s early years in the business were spent working for different service carriers in different capacities. “I worked as support for the sales team, giving me the insights needed to understand the administrative aspects
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my team faces,” he says. He also worked on the sales side locating customers and selling them service (data, voice, etc.) Personally, he prefers the sales role, as it allows him to build relationships with potential clients. “This may not be how the next guy would do it, but it has been very successful for me,” expresses Jim. A Dynamic Leadership When Jim closes a deal with a client, he receives a great understanding of what happens behind the scenes to get that service installed and get it functioning. This creates an atmosphere in which many perspectives allow comprehensive solutions that, in turn, allows the company to grow and expand while bringing in more talent. As Jim has hired people he trusts, he knows that his team will get the job done and each of them are able to focus on their respective roles and responsibilities due to such approach. “I look back at my career, my previous roles and responsibilities, and know that each of them built a foundation from which I was able to start my business,” describes Jim. After many years working for technology carriers, he realized there was a niche for him that would not only allow Jim to be his own boss but would create the ability to better assist clients in achieving their technology goals/needs. “I receive great satisfaction from helping my customers attain their goals, without being boxed in by a carrier’s limitations,” he adds. Knowing he is capable of creating and implementing a solid technology backbone by bringing the very best options to the table each and every day is his motivation.
Currently, C2XCEL’s employees work from home. This is a norm for them, not a result of the Covid-19 situation. Therefore, Jim’s job of making the work environment vibrant is not as easy as it might be if the whole team worked together in an office. “It is a challenge for me to get creative in this area,” informs Jim. He has budgeted an amount for each employee to spend as they wish each month. They can go out to each, get a massage, order from Amazon, etc. It is 100% up to them how they spend these funds. Also, he plans a team event/outing each quarter. This ensures that they have time as a team to have fun and get to know each other on a personal level. “I am always thinking of ways to make work a better place for my employees, as I believe that is a small investment for their dedication and hard work,” confirms Jim. An Excellent Tech-Enabler According to Jim, remote workforce, collaboration, and security are heavy hitters in the industry. This could change at any time, which is why he loves this business. It is never dull, and no two businesses are alike. He has created a process that ensures C2XCEL’s team handle each customer as an individual project and locate and present solutions to fulfill their individual needs. Every business requires data connectivity, which then requires security measures to protect what they have built. Also, business requires voice services, so there is really no end to how C2XCEL can assist a client. Jim is very excited for the growth C2XCEL has shown this year. Even with the pandemic, the company has grown and is looking forward to prospective expansion opportunities.
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‘‘ ‘‘ Jim believes he has created a positive and happy atmosphere for his employees. “I trust them and know they work hard every day,” states Jim. He wants to continue in this trajectory and have a team that will help one another expand within the industry, which will ensure growth for C2XCEL. It is a delicate balance, but when it is balanced, C2XCEL works as a finely tuned machine. Talking about the essentials of being a good business leader, he thinks that the development of the business and the entrepreneur depends upon the business venture; however, hiring the right people and knowing one’s limitations will help guarantee a successful business. Jim is of the opinion that without the right people to support the initiatives, projects/products will not be completed on time, or not at the best quality. Every business needs to understand their market, their abilities and make sure they can always support every opportunity. “I would not recommend taking business for the sake of taking business, if the finished product leaves the client underwhelmed. Don’t bite off more than you can chew,” he opines.
An Expert Advice Younger people have had the advantage of growing up with technology in every aspect of their lives. This does allow such individuals to enter the industry with a lower learning curve, but they face challenges that Jim and his contemporaries did not face. This is still very much a people and networking industry. If someone is not able to communicate effectively in face to face meetings or network effectively, they will find it extremely difficult to be successful because most of the CIOs, CEOs, and IT Directors/Managers are from the prior generations and do not like communicating via text, chat, and email for the higher level deliverables. In many instances face to face meetings are the only way to accomplish the goals and close a deal. “My advice would be making a change in your communication style that will enable you to seek and have successful face to face communications,” Jim elaborates. “They must separate themselves from the competition, which is very
challenging, but doing so will elevate the business without much effort, allowing the business owner to focus on the business,” he further adds. Of course, opening and running a business, of any type takes a huge amount of time and effort, so hiring the right people is key. It is also very important to know when to say ‘No’, although it becomes very tough to turn business away. “Unless you are able to WOW the customer with the finished product, it is better to decline,” concludes Jim.
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Inspiring Business Leaders Making A Difference 2021
D
igital Media has opened up avenues for marketing today like never before. For any company, the prospective clients are just a click away. To compel digital media users to buy a particular product or a service, a company needs media campaigns which are attention grabbing and unmissable.
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Cara Scharf, the President of Fearless Media, a division of ReKTGlobal, is doing just that and more.
A Leap of Faith Comfort zone is a beautiful thing. It keeps you happy in your own little space, where you can bask in the achievements of your world. However, it makes you too comfortable to explore your own strengths. You never know what you can do if you don’t give it a try. Cara, until the year 2009, worked as Executive Vice President at an agency where she successfully led the agency’s growth and business development, by boosting the company’s revenue from 10 million to 50 million USD. For someone like her, who thrives in challenges, the sense of comfort soon became overbearing. She says, “I’d
Inspiring Women Leaders Making a Difference 2021 – Insights Success Influential Businesswoman of the Year 2019/2020 – Leading Ad Agency in Market Channel Integration Global 100 – Most Innovative Marketing Business Leader - 2019 – Fearless Media Insights Success 2019 – The 2019 Elite Business Woman to Watch Clutch Awards 2018 – Top New York Marketing & Advertising Agencies US
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Fearless Media is a full-service, NYCbased digital marketing agency, specializing in the entertainment, retail, education, and technology verticals. It creates beautifully integrated solutions and communication across all media and helps companies develop marketing strategies, execute campaigns, and drive revenue. The company believes that every element of a campaign is vital and informs each next element, which is why its approach is always integrated.
Following is a list of the awards and recognition Cara has earned so far 30 Most Valuable Brands of the Year Award 2021 — Silicon Review
risen to the highest level I could with that firm, but I found myself feeling unsatisfied and unhappy. When my former employer asked me to go into a dumpster to get a paperclip, that was when I knew. It was time. Leaving was a huge decision, but a quick one. I knew I had to be my own boss so I would never feel taken advantage of again.” Cara’s years of experience and motivated persona resulted in the establishment of Fearless Media. After taking the huge decision of starting on her own, she was now faced with everyday decision-making to keep her new company at the top of the charts. The initial two years got her working on all aspects which were tiring and gratifying at the same time. Cara soon became a successful and renowned businesswoman.
Oprah/Entrepreneur Magazine September 2018 – Top NY Women in Business Section Feature Corporate Excellence Awards of 2018 – New York - Marketing & Advertisement Entrepreneur Northeast US - Most Innovative Marketing & Advertising President Fearless Solutions Under Cara’s tutelage, team Fearless Media has developed a proven combination of strategy, planning, and overall innovation which enables its clients to be Fearless. The company creates powerful integrated solutions and communication across all media for the client company. It can build and develop marketing strategies, execute campaigns, and drive revenue to bring the company to the front lines of its respective industry. Everything at Fearless Media begins with ‘digital’ at its core. Its proprietary, customized analytic dashboard gives the client’s brand management team the exact data they need to make informed decisions.
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Its core competencies include Strategic Planning and Buying, Programmatic Buying, Co-Marketing Strategic Alliances, In-Depth Analytics, and Traditional Media. The company also works in the core demographic of the 18–34-year audience, and it knows how to reach them. It has a vast understanding of the eSports, videogame, and consumer electronics categories. As the digital entertainment industry soared while people stayed home during the Covid lockdown, Fearless Media was acquired by ReKTGlobal. “During Covid, I had a lot of time to think about how I wanted my company to grow and who I wanted to work with in the future. Being a solo entrepreneur doesn’t give you much time to think about growth planning, since you’re so focused on the day-to-day,” says Cara. “During the 14 years I had been in business, I had received many offers, but with each opportunity, the relationship was either not a good fit, or I would be required to give up responsibility or money. When ReKTGlobal approached me with an offer, it was a natural fit. Like my company, they were laser-focused not only on gaming culture, but also on being THE entertainment company for GenZ. I knew the relationship would open up a wealth of resources (aside from media) that had not been available to me before. Joining them was a great decision!” she adds. Launched in 2017, ReKTGlobal is a leader in digital entertainment, connecting brands with sports, music, and esports brands around the globe. The company was founded by Amish Shah and Dave Bialek, and is led by Kevin Knocke, Chief Creative Officer; Parrish McIntyre, Chief Operating Officer; and Brad Sive, Chief Revenue Officer.
ReKTGlobal’s ownership team includes Summit Partners, Nick Gross, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, musical artists Steve Aoki, Imagine Dragons and Nicky Romero, pro athletes Rudy Gobert, Landon Collins and Taylor Fritz, and superstars Josh Richards and Griffin Johnson. Cara shares that the team at ReKT were people that she knew and respected as industry leaders. The founders of the company acquired other businesses that were also owned by entrepreneurs, so they were already well-versed at working with business owners. They were smart to hire people who were already quite driven and didn’t need a lot of handholding. “We have all built teams, had our own success, and are self-motivated to win,” she expressed. As one of the few female executives at ReKT, Cara was excited to leave her mark on the company in the same way she has blazed trails in the world of gaming and digital marketing — with campaigns such as working with Conan O’Brien to integrate Biomutant into his final Clueless Gamer segment. People Matter As a valued leader, Cara believes that success in business depends heavily on the kind of people you hire. She states, “You need to hire skills for today and aptitude for tomorrow. It’s crucial to hire smarter people than yourself. Every year the bar is raised for an ad agency, which means your hiring needs are even more important. It is imperative that you have the right skillsets and adjust your staffing as needed based on where you see the market heading.”
on. The need for diversity, not only in the marketing and advertising industry but across all industries is irrefutable. Citing her own example, Cara states, “I think people take for granted how driven you need to be to run your own company. They typically reserve that ‘drive’ for a man and resent when women are tigers. You don’t need confidence to start, you need guts. The confidence comes with knowing you have been able to beat all the odds. Only 0.1% of the founders in advertising are female. That is what I think about, if I ever start to doubt my abilities. I am still here 10 years later, and I keep learning every day.” Driving Digital Experiences For a decade, Cara and her team have been building and delivering compelling digital marketing experiences. They have been creating personalized experiences which engage and convert client’s customers in memorable and enticing ways across all platforms. They have been combining storytelling with dataproven insights to create social media messaging that’s not just compelling, but also profitable. Going forward, Fearless Media will continue to unify media, creative, and buying strategies to create omnichannel campaigns that will increase reach, awareness, engagement, and retention.
At the same time, as a woman, she feels that woman empowerment shouldn’t be talked-about but worked-
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E
mail marketing has been in existence for just as long as the invention of email.
Email marketing is somewhat of a dinosaur when it comes to digital marketing. Emails have existed since the 1970s, and businesses have been using emails for marketing ever since. It is one of the most effective ways of digital marketing and is very relevant in today’s generation, with all the new technologies surfacing in digital marketing.
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Tech Takedown
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AI in email marketing is advancing one of the most popular digital marketing outlets, and in the following article, we will explore the same. The ease of automation – The AI-powered computer systems allow you to set up automated or drip campaigns based on the customer’s journey. AI calculates the customer’s history of purchasing, interests, and buying behaviors to generate emails accordingly. This method is very clever and effective in generating your potential leads. AI also helps determine what images and content will be most suitable in drafting your welcome emails, retention emails, and order update emails to achieve the highest amount of conversion possible. Automation in emails will make your job of creating engagement easier to lengths. Intelligent personalization – Everything becomes better personalized. The most successful email marketing campaigns focus on generating emails that look like they were written personally by a human and not some machine. AI technology helps analyze customer behavior and formulate emails according to that. This allows you to create customized emails that are tailor-made for each of your clients. The best way to gather for this process is by asking for your customer’s preferences while they sign up or after sending them the welcome mail. In this way, AI can help you create content for the email that best resonates with your client.
The importance of big data – Both personalization and automation of an email require big data to function. It is unnecessary to be a big company to deal with this concept, especially if you’re creating personalized emails for your subscribers. Big data gives you a chance to stand out in the huge pool of emails your clients receive every day. The concept of segmentation is possible through the data your subscribers provide while they sign up. Apart from this, you can also gather more personal data to craft bespoke emails that will catch the eye of your client. Optimizing email timings – sending frequent emails to your subscribers might push them to opt out of your subscription, and sending too few of them might get you overtaken by your competitors. AI does the work of sending just the right number of emails to keep your subscribers hooked based on their activity history. AI can also factor in your subscribers' downtimes, time zones, and personal habits to correctly schedule the time of sending out emails. AI does the guesswork of identifying each of your subscribers’ individual preferences and time zones and sends emails accordingly. Personalized promotions – AI accurately identifies what promos work best for your subscribers based on their habits, choices, and browsing history, whether it’s freebies, discounts, or product recommendations.
AI can retarget the customer to their abandoned shopping cart by emailing them to reconsider or recommend a similar item to purchase. Personalized emails have a CTA that will guide the client on the landing page to easily complete a purchase. The probability of conversion increases significantly with the help of customized product recommendation emails. Optimized subject lines – Choosing the accurate subject line increases a customer’s chances to open the sent email. Having the subject line in place is one of the most important parts of your overall strategy. A great email subject line will stand out in the receiver’s inbox and compel them to click on it and read through the email. AI uses clever algorithms to generate great subject lines that will significantly increase the click-through rate. It improves the subject line over time by analyzing past email marketing campaigns. Email marketing still is one of the most popular digital marketing platforms because it works. Even though technology has reached new altitudes, email is still relevant because people still read their emails every day, and most of the professional discourse happens via email. Including AI in your email marketing campaigns will make this already effective strategy more resultant and convert your potential leads into active subscribers. Like every other field, AI is rapidly changing the email marketing niche, and it is smart to incorporate AI in your email marketing strategy and grow exponentially. - Trishika R.
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WORLD'S 10 BEST FITNESS AND GYM FRANCHISES TO OPEN IN 2021
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Eating Right The role of appropriate nutrition in a tness regime
Consume Wisely
2021 | VOLUME-04 | ISSUE-02
Diana Williams Founder and Managing Director
Health and tness content on social media – a boon or a bane?
Womenʼs Health Clubs
M
ore than a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the whole world to remain indoors. The rapid spread of the lethal virus made it essential for everyone to do all their daily activities, maintaining social distance. This meant for most businesses to abruptly shift to a remote work setting or to shut their business altogether. The businesses that managed to shift to remote working had the biggest challenge in front of them: How to manage their remote teams?
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DIY Leadership
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The following tips will resolve this question and lend you the key to managing remote teams effectively. 1. Establish expectations clearly When managing a remote team, you must state expectations clearly to your team. Doing so will give a guideline to your team to work towards the tasks they have been assigned. When you properly set deadlines, employees stay on edge to do the given task on time, which helps them maintain a healthy work-life balance. Communication expectations early and often to the employees will result in achieving all the goals in time, which is a necessary aspect of running a successful business. 2. Choose the right platform to communicate Interpersonal communication becomes a difficult job when working remotely. So, you must choose the right platform to communicate with your team, depending upon your organization’s work culture. The medium can be emails, phone calls, texts, video calls, or any other medium of communication that is available and suitable for your staff. You also have to remember to strike a balance in how often you communicate with your employees; it neither should be a constant bombarding of messages nor should it be radio silence. The frequency of communication amongst staff will reflect in the final product/service of the organization. 3. Bond with your team and be available to them One of the essential things to keep in mind while running a business remotely, especially in times like this pandemic, is that you should build connections with your employees. Working from home can make employees feel isolated and insecure. You must make genuine conversations with your employees and check on their well-being. This will create a sense of belonging in the employees’ minds for the organization, which will result in them working more enthusiastically.
should stay open to adjusting strategies as needed. As long as your employees are putting in the efforts to give you a quality product/service, it doesn’t matter if they’re working in the morning or evening hours. This gives them the freedom to work in the hours that they are most active and productive. One benefit of working remotely that your employees will have, is flexible working hours, which will be simultaneously beneficial for your company. 5. Don’t micromanage; trust the process Whether working remotely or in office space, it is important to keep track of your employee’s performance. But this doesn’t mean that you micromanage them. Micromanaging employees results in them having self-esteem issues, which doesn’t reflect the organization’s overall output. It is crucial in a remote setting that you trust the process, as it takes time for anyone to get used to a new setup, efficiently will show eventually. Have faith in your employees and allow them some time to adjust to the setup. 6. Celebrate successes and milestones To keep your team passionate in a remote setting, you must celebrate their milestones and successes. Celebrating their successes act as a positive reinforcement for them to work just as or more passionately for the organization. Even a little appreciation for consistent and good work to your employees can act as a massive positive booster in their performance. In isolated times like this pandemic, providing positive affirmation to employees helps them stay motivated to work efficiently and instills a sense of purpose. The tips mentioned above will help you find your way through a previously seeming chaotic and complex task of managing a remote team. One thing to remember before applying all the tips and start working is to trust the process. Working remotely can also be just as dynamic as working in an office space if you remember to come up with innovative ideas to keep your team engaged and conduct team bonding activities often.
4. Be flexible and organized - Trishika R. When working remotely, it is beneficial to allow flexible working hours to maintain consistency in the employees’ zeal. Although it is important to have a concrete plan, you
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Mona Yousuf Almoayyed
An Epitome of Resilience and Exemplary Leadership
If you have your own business, you must look at its profit by reducing its expenses and using clear and effec ve marke ng.
I
n the last century, women have made tremendous strides in their quest for equality and empowerment. This is especially true when it comes to the world of entrepreneurship. Recently, several female entrepreneurs have been making waves as they are able to take on leadership roles that were once reserved exclusively for men. The success stories of Oprah Winfrey, Marissa Mayer, Muniba Mazari, Sheryl Sandberg and Indra Nooyi show us what can happen when you dare to be different and embrace your identity as strength. These powerful role models remind us that we have the power within ourselves to create the life we want with confidence and in that journey, inspire others to do so too. We bring to you a similar story – that of Mona Yousuf Almoayyed, the CEO and Managing Director of YK Almoayyed & Sons (B.S.C).
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In the following interview, Mona shares a few insights of her journey and her contributions towards the success of her company. Brief our audience about journey as a business leader until your current position at YK Almoayyed & Sons (B.S.C). As a young lady, I wanted to be a social worker but then my father gave me his advice which I appreciate until this day. He told me that if I study business, I will be able to grow the family business and at the same time practice my love for social works through our Corporate Social Responsibly in the business. After my graduation, I joined the family business of YK Almoayyed & Sons in 1974, as part of its furniture division. My frequent visit to furniture shows across Europe and the U.S. enabled me to improve the furniture collection of the company. In the early 90s, I got promoted to the automobile business. After the demise of my father, I became the Managing Director of the company, which became the turning point of my life. Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the key industry sectors and market segments, from automobiles, to electronics and luxury goods from your expertise in the same? We have an executive committee that meets every week. All the managers report to the committee, and we make decisions. We also have an audit committee that is doing a very good job examining all the risk factors, how to improve things and how to close loopholes for corruption. The company’s H.R. committee looks after the employees and follows a performance management system to motivate and improve their positions. The quality committee ensures everything runs efficiently. We also do a balanced scorecard, which is a way to look at the four pillars of the business – profitability, customer satisfaction, innovation and training, and the proper processes to run the business. As we approach the third-generation era, we are organizing the company to be run by professional management with policies and procedures. Family members are involved only on the board level. We have appointed a consultant to meet all members of the
2nd and 3rd generation and come up with corporate governance principles and review our family constitution. Our biggest challenge is to protect the family business and keep it for many generations to come. What are the challenges you and your team come across in your day-to-day operations? Being a family business, in existence for over 80 years, employing over 6,000 employees most of whom are with us for decades, poses its challenges. We need to move with the time with top priority on the training of our employees and invest on the latest Information Technology. We continually reward good employees to achieve more and care about the satisfaction of our customers. Being an experienced leader, share with us your opinion on how the change from traditional processes to technology-based processes in the Distribution Service Market space has transformed the industry and what more could be expected in the near future? The world of business has changed drastically from the seventies when I joined the business. Computers were not invented; all the accounts were manually recorded in the ledger. My father used to send a letter to his dealers by post and wait a week or two weeks for the reply. Now with the fast emails and telephone, we can achieve much more. Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and its impact on global economies, how are you driving your organization to sustain operations and ensuring safety of your employees at the same time? The outlook of the economy is showing promising signs of recovery despite the prolonged pandemic with growth projected at 3.3% this year after a 5.4% contraction in 2020, as per the International Monetary Fund. The projected 3.3% growth this year reflects an expected 3.9% recovery in the non-oil sector, boosted by widespread vaccine distribution. The automotive sector which is the strongest of the business verticals (main revenue earner) of our organization was heavily impacted due to the pandemic, not only with the economic distress but also due to the disruptions caused in the supply chains. However, we anticipate the sector to stabilize and sales to rise by the end of the year as tourism picks up and borders open. We have made big advancements in the digital operations of our business and are catering to their demands by delivering our items directly at their doorsteps. At our automobile
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service outlets, we are providing pick-up and drop-off services for all our customers. All our deme vehicles are disinfected regularly. We were audited and certified by bureau veritas, an international audit, and inspection firm as a safe place for work and business, weekly review meetings with the management to implement measures necessary for prevention. We have implemented several safety protocols like enabling remote working across various divisions, holding all our meetings and employee training programs virtually, limiting the number of employees at a location and those present to adhere to social distancing measures, provide protective equipment to all our employees.
Work hard and never give up. If they have their own business, they must look at its profit side by reducing its expenses and using clear and effective marketing. They need to know their customers thoroughly to satisfy them. Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Y K Almoayyed & Sons (B.S.C.)? We envisage a future where technology is a dominant player in many aspects of business as well as in our overall lives. We will continue to invest in technology which will help streamline our operations, reduce overheads, and help improve business presence through greater customer reach.
Acrylic barriers between workstations have been placed to maintain social distancing between employees, encouraging our employees to get vaccinated with more than 98% of all our employees been already vaccinated, periodic inspections of workstations carried out by our Health and Safety officer and regular disinfection of all our offices and employee accommodations. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the Sales, Distribution and Service Industry?
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“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”
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n the 21st century where gender equality has become a burning talk on every platform, American poet Maya Angelou's words show how its mind over matter. That true gender equality begins in one's mind thoughtfully shaping the actions that further influence and inspire others. Renee Welsh, CEO of Embed and Booking Boss, is one such inspiring leader who has been creating a milestone by leading a Chief Executive team with 50% gender parity, a goal other large and small organizations aspire to achieve. As an executive and ambitious entrepreneur, Renee's passion lies in building businesses and transforming industries. As a natural innovator, Renee launched her first tech business at the age of 27 followed by prominent start-ups across the world, including lastminute.com, Wotif, Monster, and RedBalloon. In 2013, Renee launched Booking Boss, an award-winning ticketing and booking management platform dedicated to attractions, tours, and entertainment industries. In 2017, after Helix Leisure acquired Booking Boss, Renee was appointed CEO to both Booking Boss and sister-company Embed, an integrated cloud-based business solution platform that enables business owners in the family
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“I don't believe you can effectively lead a team, build confidence, and influence everlasting positive change without the following,” Renee says, “It's important to take everyone on a journey and be the change you want to inspire. The only way to get the best out of others is to expect the best from yourself and lead by example,” she further adds. During this thrilling successful journey Renee, like any other entrepreneur faced challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. But her industry expertise, leadership skills, and desire to help others to march forward together made it possible for Renee and her teams to create new milestones. In March 2021, Renee achieved one more milestone by founding Crone Queen, a passion project to bring women together in a collective that harnesses the uncompromising power of authenticity to illuminate and elevate women as they power through their next life chapters. Read the following interview where Renee shares her inspiration to become an entrepreneur and how by setting an example, she's driving gender equality in the tech business. What is your source of motivation and inspiration that drove you to become an entrepreneur? I've always been ambitious and selfdriven, always considered myself an entrepreneur, and will push boundaries whenever I can, especially when it comes to gender parity in high-tech. I'm proud to be the CEO of a tech company with an Executive Team that boasts a 50% gender parity.
Many factors drive entrepreneurial success, some of which include: Ÿ Communicating a vision and the strategy to achieve it together. Ÿ Helping others, whether they are team members, clients, or partners, achieve their goals. Ÿ Courage. Ÿ Live your values, be an active example of them. I am committed to providing equal opportunity across our organization. Only 17% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women and only one in four start-ups has a woman on the founding team. I believe in the value of diversity in our talent pool. Embed has a shared commitment to gender parity at all levels of an organization because Embed believes in the boundless intellectual, leadership, cultural and commercial strength that results from harnessing and realizing the talent capital of gender equality.
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entertainment space to achieve greater operational efficiency.
I take great pride in not only leading a company that is gender equal but putting an end to gender inequality in the tech sector. With a Chief Executive Leadership team made up of 50% women, Embed is proud to be an example of what other companies, large and small, aspire to achieve. As far as your industry dynamics go, what type of challenges did you face during the pandemic? When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, many hunkered down and went dark. During that time, I led Embed to work in 6-week cycles of innovation. I wanted to bring the light by bringing the industry together and demonstrate our commitment to the industry's recovery by leading Embed through a dramatic pivot to deliver a series of initiatives that would help pull the industry through the pandemic crisis. In March 20, we pivoted our business to focus on surviving the pandemic and actively huddled with the industry to pave the path forward together, as well as spotlighting industry insiders to share their insights through EmbedLIVE shooting close to 100 episodes and published free Insight Paper: FEC 2.0, Getting to the Other Side. When so many went dark, we wanted to bring the light and stay close to the industry, our customers, and friends, reassuring us all that we're in this together. In April 20, we implemented Embed's COVID-19 Relief Act giving our latest award-winning innovation, the Mobile Wallet, to everyone for free for 1-year, to demonstrate our commitment to our industry's recovery. Embed is the only FEC business solutions provider to partner with Google and Apple to gain compliance approval for the product. This
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breakthrough makes Embed the only non-banking finance-payment or loyalty card that sits in the mobile wallet. There's no app download required, so guests add the virtual game card to their Mobile Wallet and play, topping up anytime, anywhere. In May 20, we launched the COVID19 Resource Center which includes free creative toolkits for all the operators to use that facilitate a successful reopening and supporting to expedite their business recovery. We did this because we knew FECs did not have the cash flow to invest in developing creative signage for handwashing, social distancing measures, etc. that they would need in their operations when they reopened. This was an act of our commitment to our industry's recovery. In July 20, we demonstrated our commitment to our customers by joining the fight to eradicate COVID19 with a new approach to hygiene protection – Embed Hygiene Defence products - powerful 100% natural
hygiene protection that's safe for families. With the pervasive accelerated pace of cleaning, familyfriendly industries require non-toxic, all-natural cleaning products. In Nov 20, we started giving away free Mobile Wallet printed assets (creative kits) to help our customers successfully launch the Mobile Wallet and drive uptake and adoption. This is ongoing and free to all operators who've launched the free Mobile Wallet. All these initiatives are done to support our customers in their business recovery and drive return visits future-proofing their business and accelerate their recovery in this industry. In March 2021, as more countries administer the vaccine and most businesses start to re-open, we published and distributed our 2nd insights whitepaper – Road to Recovery for free to help our operators rebuild their businesses and thrive.
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