The 10 Most Innovative CEOs Revamping the Future

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OCTOBER 2020

10 The

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EDITOR’S CHOICE THE JOURNEY TO SELF-DISCOVERY

Most Innovative

CEOs Revamping the Future

TECH INSIGHTS EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

EXPERT’S TIPS ARE YOU DETERMINED TO SUCCEED?

SEAN BUCKLEY

A CARING AND PASSIONATE BUSINESS LEADER ASCENDING ZENITHS




EDITOR’S NOTE Leadership: Cutting through a Pandemic

T

he year 2020 has been at the receiving end for reasons aplenty. The pandemic that hit the world since the first quarter of the year is yet to meet its end and relieve people of the difficult times that they are facing. But it has also been the best teacher for human race and this year will be etched in the history of mankind for reasons beyond the obvious. While for many, the world has almost come to a standstill or is at the most moving at snail’s pace, there are some who refuse to give up, come what may. These are the achievers who not only survive the turbulent tides but also set an example for many to emulate, by their sheer grit and perseverance and the never-saydie attitude. Keeping oneself afloat in such trying times is no cakewalk. However, when you realise that there is no choice but to swim past the harsh waters and relentlessly pursue your dream, nothing is impossible. Leaders are made of qualities like these. Rather than waiting for the pandemic to end or going slow during these times, they prefer to keep chasing their goals. It may not always be possible to achieve the target, but consistency is the key to keep moving towards the right direction. With the stock markets seeing a fall that is not likely to rise significantly in the next six months, various financial frauds and a global economic slowdown, businessmen are facing a Herculean task. If the old school of thought—asking people to hang on for some more time as this too will pass—is followed diligently, the success mantra will not be far away albeit with lots of twists and turns, flats and downhills. The ones treading on all these elements on their path will gradually rise on the plateau of success. A little smartness in making hay while the sun shines, can go a long way in establishing a business and propelling it to success. And this is the difference between


those who wait for the situation to change so that they can embark upon their journey and those who take advantage of the situation to move ahead in their career, pouncing upon any small or big opportunity, under any circumstance. The world is gradually limping back to normalcy. Yet, no one is sure when we would go back to pre-Covid times. History has it that whenever there has been a crisis, the enterprising ones came up with solutions and alternatives. Such business achievers have not only carved a niche for themselves by refusing to move with the herd but have also uplifted the lives of many during such times by providing employment. They are real heroes who have made a difference of sorts in 2020 – be it those who already had a business or those who started a new one. Besides, bringing success for themselves, they have also helped the economy of their respective countries and have been a messiah for their employees. The courage of the business leaders of 2020 is commendable, and they deserve a special mention whenever we talk about economic slowdown due to the pandemic. And when the situation is back to normal, these are the very leaders who will not have to struggle back to normalcy. They will just have to surge ahead. Their optimism in pursuing their ambitions when everyone was crying hoarse, is remarkable and they will be role models for many in the present as well as in the future. This edition, The 10 Most Innovative CEOs Revamping the Future, features such prominent entrepreneurs and business leaders who have ceaselessly strived to deliver quality services and solutions. On the cover, we have Sean Buckley, the Executive Chairman of Ultra tune. Sean also sits on the Board of the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), the professional body that represents independent car repairers. Other prominent leaders featured in this edition include Christopher Carter, Founder & CEO of Approyo, a renowned name in the SAP solutions sphere; Dr. Mauricio Jose Moura, CEO of IDEIA USA LLC, who believes that it is all about continuously pushing forward, keep trying, keep learning and keep working hard; Jessica Ollenburg, the Managing Partner & Principal Consultant at Ollenburg LLC Executive Consulting, which provides playbooks, decision tools and dedicated command of changing laws to savvy C-suite executives and business owners; Jill Button, the President and CEO of ProcurePro Consulting and ThryvX Consulting, who takes us through her professional journey spanning more than 32 years, the hurdles she crossed, the lessons she learned, her current role at ProcurePro, and her vision for the future ahead; Ofer A. Lidsky, the Founder and CEO of Excellent Brain Ltd., who believes that in any crisis, it is our leadership skills that are needed the most; and Sophie Slavin, the Founder and Director of SAS Creative Ltd., who is an established personality in the social media consultancy industry, possesses an expertise in providing online marketing services, and has a vision to keep growing her business and seeing what level it will reach in the forthcoming years. We hope that you enjoy reading this edition as much as we did while curating it for you!

Rohit Chaturvedi


Cover Story

08 Sean Buckley A Caring and Passionate Business Leader Ascending Zeniths

Article

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INTERVIEW

STRIVING TO MAKE THE BEST HOT DOG IN TOWN

The Journey to Self-discovery

CXO

26 Baldur Ingi Halldórsson

Editor’s Choice

Tech Insights

42

Emerging Technology and Business Environment

Expert’s Tips

52

Are You Determined To Succeed?


C O N T E N T S Christopher Carter An SAP Veteran Leading the Industry with Three Decades of Experience

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Dr. Mauricio Jose Moura

A Lifelong Learner Bringing Innovation, Learning, and Opportunities Straight to People

Jessica Ollenburg A Striking Instance of Exceptional Leadership

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Jill Button

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An Exemplary Business Leader Ascending the Peaks of Success

Ofer A. Lidsky A Distinguished Leader in Digital Health Industry

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Sophie Slavin

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Redefining the Benchmarks of Leadership



Abhishaj Sajeev Editor-in-Chief

CONTENT

Senior Editor Alan Swann Executive Editors Rohit Chaturvedi Alex Spellman

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October, 2020


COVER STORY

SEAN BU

A Caring and Passionate Busin


UCKLEY

ness Leader Ascending Zeniths


Sean Buckley Executive Chairman Ultra Tune


C

aring for things is a basic human tendency. And in the business landscape, it is not only good to sincerely care for employees, but to master it with the intent to improve productivity and decrease employee turnovers. However, for business leaders, there isn't one single trick to achieve all of this. Instead, the best effects on team's morale and organizational results are a combination of positive practices. Positive practices are best applied by leaders who demonstrate these positive values. By making a positive tone, leaders can enhance the well-being, teamwork, commitment, and overall corporate performance of their employees. We commence our special edition, 'The 10 Most Innovative CEOs Revamping the Future,' with featuring a positive and caring leader who treats the company and the employees as his own family. We would like you to meet Sean Buckley, Executive Chairman of Ultra Tune. Mr. Buckley was born and raised in the eastern suburbs of Victoria. He attended high school at Mazenod College in Mulgrave. After obtaining his High School Certificate, he went on to Chisholm Institute to complete a Bachelor of Business and Marketing degree, graduating in 1984. Mr. Buckley was later appointed as consumer development analyst for Safeway/Woolworths, focusing on new stores and innovative product ranges. In 1988, he travelled with Thomas Cook to Hong Kong, and established offices in India and Pakistan. In 1994, he returned to Australia and soon afterwards began working with Ultra Tune. Mr. Buckley also helms the chair of leadership with utmost dedication and seriousness. He asserts, “I am largely responsible for the livelihood of thousands of people across our network. I consider Ultra Tune as my family and I make business decisions with this in mind. I would rather lose a million dollars than do the wrong thing by my 'family'. For me, one of the most important traits any businessman should exemplify is loyalty. My intent is always to act in a loyal, truthful and mutually beneficial manner in business to ensure win/win/win scenarios – wins for our customers, wins for our franchisees and wins for Ultra Tune Australia.” With this unity, Mr. Buckley has been able surpass any hurdles that came across Ultra Tune with ease. There was a time when he was overseas for an extended period of time and could not take part in the ongoing

court case with the ACCC. Once he returned to Australia, the issue was rectified, which was just an operational issue. It was just a glitch which could have stained the company's stellar 40 years of operational legacy. That moment taught Mr. Buckley one of the greatest lessons i.e. he needs to keep his finger on the pulse of the organization at all time. The implications could have been catastrophic, however, being such a well-established and credible company allowed it to ride this setback out and thereafter the company has comeback stronger and more effective than ever before. The current pandemic also brought enormous challenges for Mr. Buckley. He has been forced to make tough decisions over the last six months. Once again, a profound combination of a sound management team, great network of franchisees, and thinking and adapting to changed circumstances have allowed Ultra Tune to survive better than many other comparable companies. “We're clearly not out of the woods yet, but by maintaining an adaptive and proactive approach, I'm confident, five years from now Ultra Tune will continue to be the leading independently owned auto-service company in Australia,” asserts Mr. Buckley. Besides being the Executive Chairman of the Ultra Group of Companies, Mr. Buckley also sits on the Board of the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), the professional body that represents independent car repairers. Furthermore, in December of 2016, he even represented the body at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry into the monopoly where new car manufacturers were attempting to sustain on after sales servicing. Additionally, Mr. Buckley has a great passion for Thoroughbred Horse racing and owns Ultra Thoroughbred Racing, a breeding stud, pre-training, and racing enterprise. On the personal side, Mr. Buckley understands the course of nature and knows that as he will grow older, he will be less hungry for the business from the


professional perspective. As such, he likes to enjoy more time with his three beautiful daughters. However, he believes that there still lies a learning curve for him to master. His older daughters are now in their late teens, looking to establish their own careers, and Mr. Buckley hopes to guide them to not to make the same mistakes he made. Inversely, his youngest daughter is only two and he says that watching her explore and learn about the world is a joy – seeing someone so young and unspoiled by society is wonderful. Being loved unconditionally by a little angel, fills Mr. Buckley's heart with happiness. Taking account of all the variables, Mr. Buckley does see the business expanding over the next few years. He says, “There are some key changes occurring to legislation here in Australia in 2020 which will ultimately make for a far fairer playing field in the auto-servicing market. I believe dealerships will contract and open up more opportunities for Ultra Tune across the country. We also have plans – which are already being rolled out – to provide more trained auto-technicians into the marketplace.”

About Ultra Tune Established in 1979 with its first centre in Box Hill, Victoria, Ultra Tune has expanded nationally to become a leader in automotive after sales servicing. It is 100% Australian owned with more than 270 centres operating throughout Australia. Ultra Tune's growth is steeped in a tradition of quality, affordable service with a vision towards an evolving, ever-changing future. Following its inception, Ultra Tune expanded rapidly. In 1983, it was split into state organizations including South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland owned by local groups of franchisees. Whilst the South Australian group remained independent until 2017, in 1988 the three eastern states merged and with the expansion into Western Australia formed Ultra Tune Systems (Australia) Pty Ltd. In 1994 the business was purchased by Ultra Tune Australia Pty Ltd and since then has grown to become one of Australia's largest automotive franchise networks, with more than 270 franchise centres nationally.


“

We have managed to stay ahead of the competition over the years by reading market trends and staying ahead of the curve.


Sean Buckley enjoys dinner with Ultra Tune Ambassador, iconic Hollywood actress Pamela Anderson.

“ We surpass competitors by building a state-of-theart priority IT platform which handles each and every aspect of the business.


Ultra Tune specializes in the maintenance and servicing of all popular makes and models of motor vehicles in the Australian market, providing a wide range of servicing options including manufacturer's handbook servicing, tuning, air-conditioning servicing, and general repairs. In 2013, Ultra Tune launched its phenomenally successful tire program. Working closely with leading tire importers, Ultra Tune now supplies and fits high quality, affordable tires to a range of passenger, 4x4 and light commercial vehicles. The firm also offers corporate and government fleet management services, as well as a nationwide Roadside Assistance Program providing the customers a peace of mind in knowing that should something go wrong, the road assistance is not far away. Following a service or repair at Ultra Tune, the firm provides roadside assistance 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year on most vehicles. Ultra Tune is widely regarded as Australia's leading independently owned auto-service network in

Australia. With some 270 stores across the country in every state apart from Tasmania where the company hopes to open the franchisee soon. Annually, it services over 500,000 vehicles across the network and has been rated number one by Canstar Blue – an objective, independent nationally recognized review service – three out of the last four years. About Ultra Thoroughbred Racing Ultra Thoroughbreds currently owns about 300 racehorses and has bred, sold, and raced a number of Group One winning horses in Australia and around the world with the most notable being: Ms. Andretti, the 2007 Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year and is the only Thoroughbred in racing history to simultaneously hold a total of five track records in Australia and England. Ÿ Shamus Award, the 2013 Cox Plate. “Shamus” is notable for being the only horse in the history of the race to win it as a maiden Ÿ 2020 Australian Horse of the Year – Nature Strip Ÿ

“ “You either move with the times and evolve or you perish – just ask the dinosaurs!”


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CHRISTOPHER CARTER

An SAP Veteran Leading the Industry with Three Decades of Experience

D

anish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once said, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” If you are getting slightly confused with the quote, allow us to dissect the meaning of it by illustrating the journey of Christopher Carter, Founder & CEO of Approyo. Mr. Carter attended The Georgia Institute of Technology, where he studied computer engineering. In those days, Mr.

The customer always comes rst. Every day we are driven to exceed expectations, and we only succeed when our customers do.

Christopher Carter Founder & CEO

Approyo

Carter was working as a freelancer in Systems, Application, and Products (SAP) technology. However, fate intervened and led him into the marketing industry. In the late 90s, Mr. Carter realized that SAP is his true passion, and he went back and served it prior to forming his own company. Over the years, he owned multiple businesses, and before he knew it, he ended up selling those. At that moment, Mr. Carter thought it was time to retire. However, fate intervened again when Mr. Carter heard of SAP HANA and what it had to offer. He dove headfirst back into SAP and came up with Approyo.

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The 10 Most Innovative CEOs Revamping the Future

Tracing the Journey Still, to truly understand the journey of Mr. Carter, we need to look at his life between the first owned company and Approyo. He came across the first hurdle with the initial company, where due to some circumstances, he had to close his doors. He also had to come up with a solution to assist his employees in gaining new employment and watch them move on to new companies. Such a closure shattered Mr. Carter’s dream. Nevertheless, Mr. Carter learned some crucial lessons from the experience and utilized them to create a better future for himself. These challenges are what helped him pave the way to success with the establishment of Approyo back in 2013. In the beginning, the main struggle with Approyo was the enlightenment of all stakeholders about cloud and all the usage for SAP.

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means having the capability to provide real-time smart data to customers, and being able to predict problems before they occur, leading to more success in the future,” Mr. Carter asserts.

For Mr. Carter, learning what the right way to attack prospective clients, know how to earn their trust, etc. was a learning process in itself. With time, the hiring of new staff and growth in certifications and experience, along with the advancement of technology and innovation, helped push Approyo to where it is today.

For forthcoming years, Mr. Carter’s focus is on growth. He says, “You should always be wanting to expand, whether it’s your customer-base, your staff, or your general skill set. No one should be okay with staying stagnant, you should always wish for more, and then take the steps to get there.”

Approyo hasn’t slowed down its business whatsoever, even throughout the current pandemic. The business is running as always, and under the leadership of Mr. Carter, the firm has continued to operate as its customers expect. On the contrary, the pandemic helped Mr. Carter and Approyo to serve more customers due to the market downtime and companies’ demand for a stable ERP system.

Approyo – One Stop Shop for SAP Needs Approyo’s target audience is extremely broad as SAP is used by more than half of businesses today. Not only deemed dependable and certified, Approyo is a master in SAP. While other businesses cater among many services including Oracle, Microsoft, SAP, etc. Approyo’s main focus is SAP and that’s what makes it an industry-leading company.

In the pandemic, where everybody is working from their homes, Mr. Carter reveals that communication is his number one key to success.“I am constantly in contact with my team, making sure that our customers are being taken care of and that everyone is on the same page and we hold weekly virtual meetings to ensure that. I am also always learning and educating at the same time,” he stated.

In the words of Chris, “We don’t only do large projects such as implementations, upgrades, and migrations, but we provide ongoing service support and managed services as well. Our customers’ businesses are taken care of 24/7, and we are always available to answer questions at any time, making sure they are satisfied.”

“It’s important that other people are educated on where we are at in the world when it comes to technology. There is always more to learn, it doesn’t matter how old you are or how long you’ve been in your current job position, gain knowledge every day,” he adds.

Mr. Carter’s journey can be labeled as a trial and error. He learned from his experiences, circumstances, and learning processes. He is grateful for all those opportunities that have been bestowed to him throughout his journey of being an entrepreneur and Approyo is just one of the great results from his ideas coming to fruition.

Furthermore, Mr. Carter understands the hurdles and challenges, and thus, have declared to offer new and existing customers free cashflow till the end of 2020. This move not only highlights Mr. Carter’s values for the industry but also showcases the dedication to success of other businesses. The above journey was possible only because of Mr. Carter’s dedication of staying abreast with the industry. Machine Learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), have been on the rise in recent years. All of these ties in with Approyo’s SAP capabilities and its abilities to accelerate customers’ own growth and abilities. “Using these technological advances to the advantage,

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The 10 Most Innovative CEOs Revamping the Future

I

n an interview with CIO Look, Dr. Mauricio Jose Moura, CEO of IDEIA USA LLC, illustrates how he combined technology and public opinion in data analysis. Through this, he bridged the gap of deep and real-time analysis all the while staying true to the users' privacy. He also highlights how he surpassed all the challenges and abides by the rule that that clients are the ultimate source of enhancing your services. Here are the excerpts from the interview. Kindly take us through your journey on becoming an entrepreneur and proficient leader. First, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to tell our story. Second, I was actually an accidental entrepreneur. During my final years of PhD was the time when data analytics were becoming more sophisticated. Then, I saw an open market space to combine technology and public opinion analysis, especially in Latin America. At the time, clients were demanding deep and real-time analysis; therefore, we began to fulfill such gap and were successful, first in my home country Brazil. Over the years, we were able to incorporate new ways to analyze data, run public opinion surveys through different technologies, and anticipate trends with much more accuracy. On top of that, we were pioneers to do all that respecting individuals' data privacy. Such unique ability to keep innovating made our growth viable. Furthermore, this is also making our financial survival during difficult Covid-19 times possible. How do you diversify your organization's services to entice the target audience? Our core business is to listen and understand the public opinion movements and trends. Hence, we strongly believe that clients are the key source of improvement of services and products. I always say that they have shaped our services and innovation

About Dr. Mauricio Jose Moura Dr. Mauricio Jose Moura, Founder, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of IDEIA USA LLC and holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of São Paulo, a Master's degree in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, a Master's degree in Political Management from George Washington University, and a Ph.D. in Public Sector Economics from the Fundação Getúlio Vargas. He also graduated from the OPM (Owners and Presidents Management Program) at Harvard Business School.

Dr. Mauricio Jose Moura

A Lifelong Learner Bringing Innovation, Learning, and Opportunities Straight to People

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culture. From such humble listening process, our company has been changing products and services almost every year.

process, not the outcome. And secondly, I believe in leading by example. Be yourself what you expect from the people of your company.

Take, for example, the current thought moment of the pandemic in 2020. After the crisis hit hard, we had to re-invent ourselves and, in some cases, go back to the basics to keep the minimum cash ow.

How do you sustain in the current unpredictable markets and hectic competition? I believe in building a solid reputation overtime. It's not an easy task under the public opinion arena, but the only sustainable path to growth and proďŹ tability. Our company is recognized mainly by innovation, professional diversity, international expertise, the track record of anticipating trends, and seriousness. Our biggest asset is to keep reinventing ourselves throughout the years.

ced by you in a corporate business? And how did you overcome them? Roadblocks and challenges are a constant part of running a business: unfair competition, regular sources of funding, economic conditions, government regulations and lack of top data scientists and developers (in our case). On top of that, Covid-19 came to show us that even greater and unpredictable challenges can be part of the entrepreneur journey.

How do you cope up with capricious technological trends to boost your personal growth? I personally have an academic DNA which means that I keep studying, learning and seeking to understand new trends and technologies. I believe that is an essential part of keeping relevant to clients and the market.

Having said that, I believe in some key pillar to overcome those: First one is human capital; hire, train, and motivate people are real issues, especially working in different countries and now remotely (from home). Sounds obvious but spend time recruiting, coaching, and training people is tough but really the only road to success.

How do you maintain balance between your professional & personal life? I try to be disciplined, to be able to enjoy both. Sometimes it is really doable, but most of the times being an entrepreneur means 24/7 dedication and attention. That’s part of the game.

As a core value, we have always pushed to have a company with diversity (different people from completely different backgrounds) as part of our culture. Secondly, innovation requires accepting mistakes and learning from those. The key to innovate is to have perseverance.

How do you sustain your creative leadership spirit in this crucial time? First of all, I try to be positive and focus on what we can do. Secondly, as mentioned earlier, I try to communicate openly, honestly and constantly with my team. This is a time that cooperation is super important to overcome the challenges brought by the pandemic.

Third, learn to say 'no' to projects, ideas, and clients that do not bring economic or reputational value; that's not easy at all, but must be exercised. Last but not least (especially in uncertain times such as the current one) communicate honestly, timely and clearly to all stakeholders.

What are your future endeavors/objectives and where do you see yourself in the near future? I have a mantra: as a CEO and founder, I hope the company does not need me anymore in the near future. For the company, I hope the future brings us more innovation, learning, and opportunities to keep reinventing ourselves. I believe we will be stronger after the coronavirus period. For me, I will always work with research, social science and human behavior. That's my passion.

According to you, what are the vital traits that every entrepreneur should possess? In my personal opinion, basically two traits: above of all is perseverance. It is all about keep pushing forward, keep trying, keep learning and keep working hard. Remember that, as an entrepreneur, you control the

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“Good price Great service and quality

Baldur Ingi Halldórsson CEO Bæjarins beztu pylsur

product!”

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Interview with CIOLOOK

B

æjarins beztu pylsur (English: The best hot dog in town) often shortened to simply “Bæjarins beztu”, is a popular hot dog stand in central Reykjavík, Iceland. In August 2006, the British newspaper The Guardian selected Bæjarins beztu as the best hot dog stand in Europe. In an interview with CIOLOOK, the CEO of Bæjarins beztu pylsur, Baldur Ingi Halldórsson has shared few key insights about his organization.

in life. Since being a CEO these days requires a lot of communication with different people as in my business a lot of young people who work very differently from my generation and the generation who use to be my boss. What is your role in the company? I am the CEO of the company and handle keeping the engine running. I look at the company as an engine and each location we have is a small money-making machine. I like looking at my work as tending to a machine which has ofc other inputs than regular engine's the inputs usually are inspiration tough love fatherly advice and teaching life lessons.

Below are the highlights of the interview between Insights Success and Baldur; Describe your background and what did you do before you started or came into this business? I am the 4th generation running the company so before I worked all sorts of jobs but the hot dog business has been something, I've taken part in since I was a young kid. My other background has been in owning and operating an internet café in early 2000. And I use to operate a brick layer contractor company and a net cafe before I went full time into the family business. Those experience gave me a good insight into making money and running a company. Another thing that prepared me a lot for doing my job today was working with addicts and alcoholics. Those years taught me a lot about people and people communication what motivates people and what people need to be content

What are the cutting-edge franchise services/solutions offered by Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur? We offer a very in-depth teaching of how to make our hot dogs and a personal communication with me. With low employee costs small overhead and low cost for new units it should be possible to grow very fast in a big market. What people, what books, what life factors have influenced and impacted you? How to fail at almost anything and still win bigly is a book

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I am very fond of as well as the power of now teaching you meditation in regular life.

little more off and I spend the time with the family. As well as trying to incorporate family into my hobbies like playing badminton and mountain hiking.

I look at failure as a learning experience and take joy in failing learning and adapting. I often say to my employees when the mess up “That’s great now you've learned something and won't make that mistake again”

As a CEO/leader, describe a challenge you overcame. I am 4th generation hot dog sales man. My biggest obstacle in my current job as CEO was to get the company out of my mothers and grandfather’s pockets(mind).

What is the operating philosophy that the business has been built on?

Getting all that knowledge out of their heads and into writing or appropriate format, as well as modernizing the company.

Service quality and price! We strive to make the bezt hot dog we can and make a point about not leaving any customer behind! If your dog is not up to your standards, we make you a new one free of charge.

How do you sustain your entrepreneurial/leadership spirit in this changing technological era?

We just want to sell people good hot dogs that’s our number 1 goal!

I am young and grew up in the computer era so I don’t see this as changing more like things are finally coming technology wise that I've been waiting for since I was young.

What are some of the vital attributes, in your opinion, that every leader should possess? Ego management, using mistakes as a teacher and communication skills.

For example, since we have a lot of young employees communicating with them via “messenger or other online messenger apps” results in better communication and more clarity and ofc history of communication. I find it that I can better communicate with the younger generation that way rather than phone calls or face 2 face talking.

How do you maintain balance between your professional & personal life? Wake up very early every day to get in some gym/podcast time for myself. Then I work throughout the day and spend evenings and nights with family.

Hiking mountains alone gives me enthusiasm and strength and doing it more and better than most gives me a lot of enthusiasm for being a leader.

I find time every year a few times a year to take a week or

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A Striking Instance of Exceptional Leadership

“

If you can dream it, it can be done. The success of it then relies upon savvy science, leadership, perseverance, sacrice and adaptability.

Jessica Ollenburg Managing Partner & Principal Consultant

Ollenburg LLC

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The 10 Most Innovative CEOs Revamping the Future

T

he secret of sound leadership lies within an intrinsic value of lifelong learning. By inculcating the same attribute, Jessica Ollenburg, the Managing Partner & Principal Consultant at Ollenburg LLC Executive Consulting, has set a noteworthy impact of innovative leadership.

from zero, especially once you’ve succeeded at that multiple times.” A Noteworthy Track Record Ollenburg LLC embraces and delivers upon its responsibility to continually prove that it can both do and teach the successful adaptations and methodologies it delivers. As professionals in a relatively new and forward-thinking venture, the company’s principals offer lengthy track record of quantifiable successes, accomplishment, recognition, credentials and earned honors that are hard to match or beat.

Even in her early leadership roles, she recalls leveraging invention and engaging others dedicated to pioneer and learn full-throttle along with her. It is quite evident that mistakes happen but can lead to spontaneous new findings… and often new successes. Ollenburg embraces, astutely processes, and learns meaningfully from each wide lens and microscope of experience. Successes are emphasized through appreciative inquiry; and missteps are early-detected, corrected and engraved as “roads explored” and data to share. Ollenburg doesn’t give up when creating new findings.

By continually leveraging those tools to adapt and lead through change, and even crisis, the organization proves immediate and forward-moving relevance. Under Jessica’s leadership, her company has solidly earned even more audience and respect in 2020, by proving itself among those who most quickly and reliably learned the new leadership landscape, plus the swiftly emerging and changing COVID-19 regulations, risks, and mandates.

Staying on Top Delivering four decades of entrepreneurial business success, honors and awards, Ollenburg LLC Executive Consulting provides playbooks, decision tools and dedicated command of changing laws to savvy C-suite executives and business owners through its successful flagship parent, Ollenburg LLC. In order to entice the target audience, it is critical to listen to customers and to continuously research case studies of those who are not yet customers. The team at Ollenburg LLC believes that in the consulting arena, businesses need to always bring some new value to the table. Pertaining to the same, Ollenburg LLC stays true to its core principles but positions itself legitimately to be ahead of trends and demand.

Ollenburg LLC has delivered reliable resources for not only existing client companies but also those who learned of them from other clients already receiving high value. When it comes to sustaining creative leadership spirit, Jessica along with her team, focuses on balancing her company’s responsive consultations with its proactive and change agent consultation mindsets. The company reliably helps its clients through every risk and crisis they entrust to its guidance. As all solutions are custom, proprietary, and not ‘cookie cutter,’ creativity never suffers.

Treading through Adversities As a serial entrepreneur and inventor, Jessica has built businesses from scratch and has done so in collaboration. With every venture, her team has enjoyed and endured the ‘early mover status’ to include propelling its clients into a competitive edge and being recognized as noteworthy pioneers, including development of landmark inventions recognized by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Turning a Pandemic into a Door of Opportunities “Family business always throws extra complexity into that formula, so it takes purposeful effort and boundaries to create balance,” states Jessica. “Balance can sometimes be fleeting when you pride yourself in professional availability for urgent client needs. It is absolutely fabulous to have earned enough recognition and work pipeline to choose whom we work with as clients and partners,” she adds.

Talking about the challenges she faced, Jessica says, “The obvious challenge of doing something never done before is working without roadmap or instructional guide.” Another challenge Jessica came across was when she took over as the CEO of a company drowning in debt. With her sheer grit and perseverance, she reversed its position to an award-winning enterprise with new accolades, high levels of profit, successful debt paydown and creation of jobs in the multithousands. Ollenburg adds “It’s much easier to start

Jessica takes pride in stating that Ollenburg LLC’s clients and partners are responsible, ethical, respectful, and trustworthy. “2020’s pandemic urgencies have created dark subject matter for the company that began to “pull us under” mentally,” she expresses. However, Jessica and her team used that as a sign to launch new initiatives such as ZenByOLLC.com as a journey for both its personal self-care and also self-care tools for its clients and community.

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Additionally, the company has also delivered multiple successful articles, webinars, and podcasts on the topic of capturing opportunity in this crucial time, a risky time that offers potentially the highest upside and lowest cost of change.

evolving sciences of leadership, comprehensive business administration, and relevant industry knowhow. “Those who are shallow in or averse to learning will have a difficult road unless chance favors them. The curtain is being pulled back by the savvy populous… and the smarmy snake oil salesman of yesteryear with ‘bait and switch’ substandard ethics is in danger of extinction,” concludes Jessica.

Adding more Feathers in the Hat While the Executive Consulting Company of Ollenburg LLC remains its flagship dedication with healthy relationships and healthy pipeline, the company practices what it preaches by also launching sub companies of the parent company and acquiring equity in other companies. New OLLC Company “ZenByOLLC.com” is launching in Fall 2020 as a dedication to executive balance between strength and peace, and it is already enjoying a highly positive ‘soft launch’ response with ample traction. New OLLC Company “WhiskeyDude.com” is also launching in Fall 2020, capturing partner John Ollenburg’s success, lifelong learning and current certifications in the wine and spirits industry. This new company is partnering with its F&B friends and clients who are strategically revamping right now. Jessica’s family shares a strong passion for and history with the living, breathing, art and science of wine and spirits making, and the craftsmanship around it. This company has also acquired part ownership in PaQui Tequila Company and is planning some well-appointed events and immersive online experiences. Self-Awareness is the Key According to Jessica, self-awareness is the key. In her advice to upcoming leaders and entrepreneurs, she says, “You can build success off of so many different leadership cultures as long as you know who you are, deploy aligned leadership tactics and choose/engage compatible team members. Thereafter, commitment to lifelong learning should not falter.” Jessica also believes that people learn best from leaders they see learning, and the CEO needs to devote to ever-

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E

ntrepreneurs set up their new ventures with a new and unique vision, goal, and its future. These entrepreneurs face many challenges over the course of their journey. However, financial challenge is the most painful ones they have to face. Making a list of all the financial challenges can aid a business and a new starting player in attaining sustainability and economic stability.

working capital, which can help them in engaging new customers and create a productive business pipeline. Players can also avoid inadequate working capital by cutting-costs up to twenty percent and set the cut out as the working capital. For the startups that are yet to make profits, should make sure that they are adequately financed before taking any harsh decision, which can affect their survival in the industry.

The Small Business Association estimates that around forty-four percent of startups and small business survive at least for four years only. Others cite that poor capital management, overspending, and the lack of reserve funds are some of the common reasons behind a business closure. All these three terms come under the finances of a company.

Non-consistent Cash Flow Issue Most of the project-based business relies on their cash flow, which further relies on the flow of the project and the services rendered. It is therefore important for the company to have a good business team ready to connect new and reliable clients and projects. For the company that does not rely on the cash flow, must construct a flow of consistent cash flow at the proper time. If the client is unavailable to pay on-time, the businesses should think newer methods of client engagement. They should be patient and make decisions that would help them while dealing with the clients in the future.

One way to address the financial problems is to use the 4R formula i.e. Review, Revamp, Research, and Rewrite the company’s business plans. By using this formula, they can take action against the things that are not working out.

Another way of improving the cash flow is to get a down payment for the product and the services provided. This down payment will aid the companies in

Working Capital Issue Startups have to wait for their big clients to pay up so that they can manage their expenses. Entrepreneurs must save at least the expenses of six months as its

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Editor’s Choice

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covering the expenses associated with the project sales and profit margins. Firms can also set a day in the week to go through the accounts, payables, and checks.

Hiring Issue Hiring a good staff is not an easy task. A decision like over-hiring can create additional costs for the company in contracts and long-term employee liabilities. The employer is responsible for its employees and they have to provide them with the employee benefits that increase the costs. The key solution lies in hiring the term-based employees, freelancers, and independent contractors as they will provide services only for the time worked and employer do not have to add payroll costs in paying them. These independent contractors are paid only for their time spent on the work. Depending upon the job, firms can easily find out that whether these are perfect for the job or not. In return, these can absorb the work-related wages and can add the benefit of costs.

Book-keeping Issue Corporations can hire organized bookkeepers, which can save a lot of time. If they cannot find one, they can give this responsibility to one of its team member. The firm can improve by distinguishing the discretion and non-discretion spending. These include rent, office overhead, inventory purchases, and wages. The companies can even save further by polishing their overall marketing plans. Identifying and creating a larger clientele that can develop marketing strategies can help in promoting the service and products. Firms must set goals and expectations for marketing initiatives and develop the tools to improve the revenue outcomes.

In eliminating the conundrums, the mind-power and descision-making of the entrepreneurs is important. They can seek loans and grants which are specifically tailored towards boosting the company's finances. Even some of the vendors allow the company to offer their assistance and can refine the business debts. The players should not haste in making a decision. They should be thoughtful and intellectual for deciding the expenses. It is important for them to think strategically. They should be aware of their decisions and should seek guidance in decision-making and in expenses.

Wrong Predictions and Revenue Issue Businesses on a day-to-day basis have to predict the company’s revenues. This is even truer for the businesses that are dynamic in nature. Most of the predictions can be measured on a month-to-month basis. Although a lot of factors that are dependent upon the revenue prediction, but mostly it rely on the relevancy of the business. By foreseeing accurately, the firms can generate good revenue that is crucial for the cash flow statements. By paying attention to the seasoned fluctuations and affected timelines, they can predict the revenues accurately.

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Jill Button 38

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The 10 Most Innovative CEOs Revamping the Future

leaders themselves and reach new and amazing career heights. I truly feel invested in their success. How do you diversify your organization’s services to entice the target audience? I listen to my customers’ challenges then create solutions to help solve them. Early on, ProcurePro was focused solely on providing procurement related services such as running RFP’s and contract negotiations. A new client was looking for help not just selecting a new Finance System, they also needed help with managing the entire project end to end including implementing the software.

“To pave a path for oneself is certainly rewarding, but to pave a path for others and guiding them through it is nothing less than divine.” This adage evidently implies on one of the many vital traits of a profound leader. Corporate leadership is no more just a designation received through appraisal or consensus. It has become a way of thinking, a perspective to be precise.

Since then, we have managed several ERP projects from helping the client define their requirements, managing the RFP and contracting process to Project Managing the implementation to final Go Live.

The present corporate world demands all of its residents—irrespective of a hierarchical system—to possess the attitude, mindset, and grit of a leader. A fancy college degree might get you the job without a doubt. But to survive in a cutthroat competitive setting, you need to be, act, and stay a leader.

This year, like many businesses, we were significantly impacted by Covid-19 and all our ERP projects were cancelled or put on hold. We focused on offering online training and interestingly most of our business this year has been helping sales organizations not procurement. We have developed a new training series focused specifically on helping sales teams; Demystifying Procurement, Understanding The Competitive Bid Process and Negotiate Like a Pro. I am really excited about working with the Sales teams representing an entirely new group of clients.

This edition titled, The 10 Most Innovative CEOs Revamping the Future, seeks such individuals who possess the aforementioned qualities and drive their associated organizations to zeniths of success. And one such epitome of proficient leadership is Jill Button, the President and CEO of ProcurePro Consulting and ThryvX Consulting.

What roadblocks or challenges did you face throughout your career? And how did you overcome them? With a career spanning over thirty years, there have been many. I have been down-sized, right-sized, northAmericanized, outsourced and even divested. The biggest challenge of my entire career, however, has been overcoming my own fears and self-doubt.

In the following interview with CIO Look, Jill takes us through her professional journey spanning more than 32 years, the hurdles she crossed, the lessons she learned, her current role at ProcurePro, and her vision for the future ahead. Let us delve into this inspiring story of an equally inspiring leader.

My father passed away not long ago. My sisters and I were cleaning out his things and I found a letter I wrote to him in 1987 when I was just 20 years old. I was shocked he had kept that letter all these years.

Kindly take us through your journey of becoming a proficient business leader. I have always had a passion to lead. I became a manager at the young age of 22 and thought I knew everything. I made terrible mistakes and had to overcome significant challenges to be taken seriously. I am a voracious reader of leadership and entrepreneur books and have worked for some great leaders throughout my career who I admired and learned from.

In it I described an idea I had about putting movies, tv shows and music on the internet, enabling people to download and enjoy content from their home computer. It included handwritten diagrams of the user interface and everything. Keep in mind, this was 1987, when people rented movies from Block Buster. This was before the internet and the technology powering iTunes and Netflix did not even exist at that time. As I read that letter, I started laughing and realized I had conceived of Netflix a decade before it was launched.

I talk to my team openly and honestly and ultimately focus on helping propel them to success and reach their greatest potential. I have always felt the greatest sense of professional pride and sincere joy watching my team members learn, step out of their comfort zone, become

It was at that moment I realized how smart that 20-yearold was and what might have been had I just believed in

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myself. My dad always believed in me and I needed to start believing in myself more and not let fear keep me from realizing my dreams of building a successful company. I have not let doubt stop or deter me since. Yes, occasionally, especially this year, fear creeps in, but I have learned to push right through it and just keep moving forward.

worth the time and investment. We do not get caught up in the hype. According to you, what are the vital traits that every CEO should possess? Fearlessness, Persistence, Passion and Humility. Being a CEO, people are counting on you. You cannot lead from a position of fear. You must be doggedly persistent in the pursuit of your goals while being passionately focused on delivering great products and services to your customers.

How do you sustain business operations in the current unpredictable markets and cutthroat competition? Again, you must listen to your customers and be willing to think outside the box and pivot when necessary. With the pandemic, most of our projects were put on hold or cancelled so we doubled down on our marketing efforts and implemented a new ERP solution for our company and the ThryvX Group.

A great CEO must be humble and inspire their team to achieve their greatest potential in turn fostering a committed and engaged team who go above and beyond for your customers. Without a great team, a CEO is just a person sitting alone in a board room with his ego for company.

We have also started offering online training, something I love and never had time to do before. Last, an unexpected benefit is, business is now done virtually so geography is no longer a barrier. Where before we were focused on Canada, we can now deliver our services virtually anywhere across the globe.

How do you sustain your creative leadership spirit in this crucial time? My team! I am most happy when I am working with my team, brainstorming new ideas and developing new solutions. My team is my greatest source of energy, creativity, and joy. I could not do this without them.

How do you keep up with current technological trends to boost growth? Tech selection and digital transformation is what we do. We are methodical in our approach beginning first with understanding the true need and how technology can enable, streamline, and automate. Our motto is “Practical, Applicable and Sustainable”. If it cannot satisfy those three areas, it is just a shiny new object and not

What would be your future endeavours and where do you see yourself in the near future? I am really excited about my newest venture; ThryvX. Complimenting my ProcurePro services, my ThryvX partners are experts in Marketing and HR. Leveraging our collective expertise, we offer a breadth of back-office services normally reserved for large enterprise that are challenging for small and medium businesses to find and afford. While many consulting companies help companies create business strategies we help with the execution including, marketing, social media, application development, health and safety training, human resources compliance, recruiting and of course, sourcing, contracting and implementing the right technology solutions to manage and grow their business. We will be adding more complementary services with plans for national and global expansion coming soon. Eighty percent of small businesses have been hugely impacted by COVID-19, so it is really timely and critical that we help SME’s not just survive but THRYV.

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About Jill Button

About ProcurePro

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Emerging Technology and Business Environment

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I

nnovation is a wild beast, which needs taming and flexibility. It requires partnerships and combinations of emerging technologies to start with and the injection of new blood too. Innovation is about spotting the ability to embrace best-of-breed emerging technologies implemented in one industry and transposing them to another sector with far greater benefits. Financial institutions are copying other financial institutions, retailers from other retailers, etc. This overused practice of benchmarking and business process reengineering (BPR) has stifled innovation in many businesses across the world. Today, with this new industrial revolution, everything is fast. Information is available, and you can process it and predict the future. There are no boundaries in the digital era, and every day someone is pushing the envelope. For example, it might be stuff people take from the telecom industry, and you adapt for utilities, or from the financial market to the health industry.

vision of the entrepreneur of where the business is directing, not where it is. The strategy should also offer the basis for decisions making and defining the policy that will lead the company to this. To be beneficial, strategic statements must be understandable and concise for main stakeholders, such as investors, customers, and employees. They should also discourage investments and activities that, while appearing to be attractive, would drain the corporation's resources. A strategy that is formulated so broadly that it allows a corporation to do anything is equivalent to no strategy at all. For example, requesting to be in the entertainment and leisure business doesn't prevent a tentmaker from making films or running casinos. Describing a business as a high-achievement outdoor equipment company offers much more useful goals. No amount of hard work can transfer a kitten into a lion. When a new venture fails, entrepreneurs have to tackle major economic crises. For example, many persons are involved in personal business matters, such as tax and laundry preparation services, because people can only start and run this corporate through hard work. They do not need to worry about raising large capital, developing proprietary technologies, or facing large competitors. However, the aspects that make it easier for entrepreneurs to start such a business often stop them from achieving their long-term objectives. Companies based on an entrepreneurial enthusiasm to work hard usually face other equally strong-minded competitors. Also, it is hard to make these businesses large enough to help infrastructure and employees. Besides, if personnel can do what the organizer does, they have little reason to remain in the business. Originators of these businesses often can't live the lifestyle they wish, no matter how much capable they're. Unable to use their skills, they can only eat what they kill.

Options suitable for one business may not be suitable for another. Entrepreneurs have an incredible amount of decisions to make, and they have to make decisions that work for them. Setting Strategy: Many entrepreneurs begin their businesses to take advantage of temporary opportunities without thinking about a long-lasting strategy. However, successful entrepreneurs will soon shift from planned to strategic coordination so that they can start to create critical resources and opportunities. Expressing a sound strategy is more important to a fledgling company than dealing with hiring, establishing accountability relationships, developing control systems, or describing the role of the founder. Enterprises based on best strategy can survive poor leadership and confusion, but organizational structures and complex control systems can't compensate for unreasonable strategy.

However, strategies for capturing the hill will not necessarily keep it. A model established on one or two strong points becomes obsolete because success breeds imitation. For example, competitors can easily eliminate the innovative product of an entrepreneur. However, it will be much more challenging for them to reproduce systems that include many additional and different features. It is not easy to copy business with an attractive product line, close relationships with distributors, well-integrated logistics and

An entrepreneur who needs to construct a sustainable company must express a clearer and bolder strategy. The strategy should merge the entrepreneur's ambitions with a particular long-lasting policy regarding the requirements that the company will serve, technological experiences, it's geographic reach, and other strategic concerns. To support attract resources and people, the strategy must reflect the

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About the Author Dr. Raheela Al Karim owns and runs multiple businesses including Plush Event Planning, Plush Multimedia, Shahi Banquets, Shahi Nihari & Chopsticks, and not for profit organization Al Karim Foundation. As a transformational leader she always finds the balance between business foresight, performance, and character. She has vision, courage, integrity, humility and focus along with the ability to plan strategically and catalyze cooperation amongst her company team.

manufacturing, a culture of customer responsiveness, and the ability to generate a continuous stream of innovation. The tough infrastructure that an entrepreneurial company needs depends on its strategy and goals. Some entrepreneurs want to create geographically distributed companies, gain first-mover benefits through fast development, understand interactions through resource sharing between business units, and finally go public. They have to invest more in the infrastructure of an organization than their corresponding item, who want to build simple enterprises with a cautious pace and a single territory. Entrepreneurs, with their strong action bias, often prevent thinking about the large crisis related to strategies, opportunities, and goals. Eventually, they must deliberately structure this exploration of their lives and their companies. Sustained success needs entrepreneurs to keep questioning tough queries about where they need to go and whether the path they are going will lead them there.

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Ofer A. Lidsky A Distinguished Leader in Digital Health Industry

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ver thought about what it would have been like if humans did not possess that profound itch called curiosity? The advancement we have achieved from studying, exploring, and designing would not exist without curiosity. From the ďŹ rst working wheel, to vaccines, to underwater life, to building space shuttles, all things were explored and then developed, all thanks to our curiosity. By being curious, people can easily derive interest, commit to learning, learn new information, and deliver results with enthusiasm. Soon they realize that they enjoy it and want to become part of it. Not to mention, with time, they can do all this without putting any real effort. However, not many people are fascinated with knowing something and then using it in a fresh and successful way. It is probably what is so unique about curious people. And that is how we got curious about an exceptional personality who is revolutionizing the industry with his inquisitiveness and leadership skills. We would like you to meet Ofer A. Lidsky, the Founder and CEO of Excellent Brain Ltd. (www.excellent-brain.com) Mr. Lidsky was born curious. As a child, he wanted to learn and study as much as he could that seemed relevant to him. It was his curiosity which led to him being an employee in a computer company at just the age of 12. Taking astonishment and the aspect of being prodigal to the next level, he established his own company at the age of 19.

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The 10 Most Innovative CEOs Revamping the Future

During the total span of his career, Mr. Lidsky served primarily towards four disciplines: Information Security, Virtual Reality, Genetics, and Brain-Computer Interface. He acquired voluminous knowledge from all these fields. By 1998, Mr. Lidsky established a VR startup that developed one of the first 3D Virtual Reality communities on the web. And by 2005 he established TerraSafe Ltd. An information security company.

“Your word is worth more than anything else. Keep your word.”

When asked about how he managed to conquer over all the challenges and hardships to reach where he is today, Mr. Lidsky emphasized on his qualities of being strong and having a robust grip on the funding marketing.

relevant to the industry and forming positive conditions around the circumstances. “Life is unpredictable, this is how things are. We are now experiencing that in the hardest way possible because of the pandemic. Which means, you must be agile, you must be able to fit yourself to the market conditions. Survival of the fittest works everywhere,” adds Mr. Lidsky.

“Every entrepreneur can list many large problems and challenges one will be facing when growing a start-up, and even if you have a good idea and a good team, at the end it comes down to funding and marketing. If you have those covered, you have taken a huge step towards succeeding,” he expresses.

He also cites the pressure of differentiating personal and professional life saying, “That is a real challenge! As an entrepreneur there is a huge price on your personal life. Work always mixes with your personal life when you are the boss. Nevertheless, when you are doing what you love it becomes more than possible!”

Excellent Brain - Brain Training Made Easy Excellent Brain is one of the first companies to develop a Neurofeedback brain training home kit to be used by home users. It is a Neurofeedback brain training program to improve users' focus and attention based on positive feedback derived from the persons brain waves (EEG) This kind of brain training fits people who are diagnosed with ADHD. Attention is an ability you can train and improve!

However, no matter what the odds are, Mr. Lidsky believes that in any crisis, it is your leadership skills that are needed the most. He gives the example of this year 2020, where people around the world seek leadership, everywhere they look.

In addition, the platform allows the trainee to practice with friends or family and to set individual demanding targets through a series of neurofeedback exercises, which are exempted from their full training program. For forthcoming years, Mr. Lidsky plans to release brain training programs for neurofeedback, to address various needs, such as peak performance, meditation and relaxation, elderly brain training and more. He believes that such specially designed and customized brain training programs would make it possible for people to change their lives with such innovative products.

“The main challenge now is to deal with the high levels of uncertainty that we are faced daily. Now it is the time to be very aware of the fact that how we feel is mainly our responsibility and has to do with how we interpret things that occur. A leader has the skill to see things in a way that makes him operate in high performance, even if times are tough,” he asserts. Surpassing all the hurdles and forming unyielding roots in the industry, Mr. Lidsky leads Excellent Brain with a curious mind to bring Neurofeedback to the homes of users in ways that have never happened before.

Redefining the Benchmarks of Leadership Mr. Lidsky lists the vital traits every entrepreneur must possess, including inspiration, motivation, and dedication. And in unpredictable environments, Mr. Lidsky underlines the survival of the fittest and staying

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The 10 Most Innovative CEOs Revamping the Future

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Expert’s Tips

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