YCEOM Issue 4 by Young CEO Monthly

YOUNG

CEOMONTHLY 1

ISSUE 4 | FREE

A young CEO tailoring trading for success INTERVIEW WITH

Isabella Salih-Wisdom

EDITORIAL

editor@youngceomonthly.com Produced by: CEO Monthly Publications Design: GB Designs

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Foreword 3

elcome to the 4th Edition of Young CEO Monthly, the magazine that aims to bring young known and especially un-known business owners from the age of 16-30 to the attention of the public. We’ve come to final edition of our magazine for 2014. We hope you’ve enjoyed our previous issues so far as we are looking forward to bringing you more exciting and inspiring stories of young budding entrepreneurs in 2015. In this month’s edition we would like to introduce you to a young lady who is making big waves in the trading industry and who also named the youngest CEO in Canary Wharf, London. We hope that her story will inspire you to go on an entrepreneurial journey in 2015 and above all you’ll share it with your friends and family.

Young CEO Monthly is published by CEO Monthly Publications. Opinions and views expressed do not necessarily reflect CEOMP policy. CEOMP accepts no responsibilty for views expressed by contributors. Advertisements and reader offers are not endorsed by CEOMP.

Wishing you a great Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

George Boateng Editor

Quote

of the

Month

“Chase the Vision and not the Competition!” YCEO

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Content Page 3 – Foreword Page 4 – Cover Story Page 7 – Business Advice of the Month Page 9 – CEO/Company Profile Page 10 – Classifieds Page11 – Reflections

4 Cover Story

A young CEO tailoring trading for success

Isabella Salih-Wisdom, 19, pointing the way forward in business

hat inspired you to start your business and when did you start it?

I have been involved with teaching myself how to trade as well as trading since the age of 14. Rejecting going to university to go and work within a brokerage firm made me and others around understand how much I wanted to pursue a career within the financial markets. Having met my business partner along my journey, we collaborated our visions and realised that there was a lack of thorough educational services within the financial markets and a lack of people who can help others with investments and finding the right ways to make money work for them. What was your background before starting your business(s)?

Background isn’t exactly a picture, I wouldn’t say I have had the best upbringing but I wouldn’t say I was deprived. My mother was a single parent for most of my childhood years and did everything she could with what she had for me plus 3 other siblings of mine. We’ve been very strong throughout the 5am boot sales every Sunday morning, constantly moving until our last property which we still currently live in now, school runs etc, etc. But one thing this has taught me is I wouldn’t change that lifestyle for myself if I could. I am a firm believer of what is meant to happen will happen and I feel that I have had to go through these certain bumps in life to appreciate life as a whole, appreciate the support of family

5 and appreciate how strong a mother can be. A lot of people ask me how I have a drive at such a young age and my answer is always the same, I don’t want to see people go through some of what I went through and I am the only one who can change that, therefore I need to go out there and change it and provide opportunities to others so they can be guided in a certain direction, helping them pursue down the correct path.

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I have come across so many gifted and talented individuals who have fantastic ideas in which I know will definitely excel within the market. But so many of them fail to pursue and take the risk to step outside their comfort zone.

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What do you find to be the best thing about the industry your business is in? I personally wake up every single morning and not really know what to expect with business or trading. So many days I have woken up to fantastic opportunities and keys to unlock new doors for the business.

the bread and butter. If they are not happy, the business can excel and flourish moving forward. So many companies don’t realise the importance of employees are customers especially in education, which is why there can be a lot of negative publicity associated amongst the current generation and the trading industry. - Innovation I am seen as the innovator of the company and therefore always finding ways to enhance our services, what we can offer in the future and ways to provide new and exciting opportunities within the future. We have something coming up very soon, which is very exciting and hopefully will be inspiring for many young individuals of today’s society. - Personal Development Always enhancing our work and how will do it will allow us to pursue into our future plans smoothly. Further positivity regarding the business will, in the long run, raise further capital for the business and help it to grow organically. This development is mostly for us being the forefront of the business and also being the core. The difference between any company is the individual.

Myself and my business partner, who has actually been select as one of the top Somali entrepreneurs of UK, take every day as it goes but give 110% every single day, pushing ourselves more and more and having each other definitely helps building on our weaknesses and reaching our maximum potential. The best thing about the business is definitely the people. No price or any words can describe how it feels to see a student’s transition as an individual throughout our programme from doing a course to being mentored by us and helping them find out exactly what they want to do it and how we can help them to do it. What three areas do you focus most on in your business? - People (internal and External) the people make up the business, its really

Isabella’s story in the Croydon Advertiser May 2014

6 What is your work ethic like?

something amazing.

- Very Transparent

Where do you see yourself and your business in 10 years’ time?

- Family-like, the team spend a lot of time together allowing us to build together - Relaxed, but still get jobs done especially to the best of our ability How did you fund your start-up? The funding of the start-up really just came from savings myself and partner made whilst working full-time. If an investor wanted to invest in your business what would they be investing in? It very much depends on the amount and the returns they are looking for. But generally, it will most likely fund bigger projects for us further enhancing our brand image as well as funding for other projects which will also help provide opportunities for others to also become financially stable. What would you consider your main achievement so far in your business and personal life? Personal life: Building a strong team, brand image and a business. Business: Both partners being selected for a wide range of inspiration activities from having amazing media exposure, being selected for events and being asked to take part in inspirational and youth activities. Currently, we have achieved little things on the way but it was forecasted in our growth plan but everyone will know exactly when we feel that we have achieved

Myself: Building the business globally, building my property portfolio, cut down on hours designated to business and an increase in leisure and relaxation time. Giving my family the life that they’ve always wished for. Business: Organically grown globally, have different segments of the company being involved within different sectors of the financial industry e.g. lawyers, accountants etc, maybe building into a financial advising firm and owning a financial investment vehicle of some sort. What is your #1 advice to another young person thinking about starting their own business? Go FOR IT,DON’T LET ANYTHING STAND IN YOUR WAY!! I have come across so many gifted and talented individuals who have fantastic ideas in which I know will definitely excel within the market. But so many of them fail to pursue and take the risk to step outside their comfort zone. So many young people want fancy cars, nice watches, and nice clothes but don’t want to sacrifice anything to receive it. I’m not saying to do anything ridiculous but definitely be smart. At the end of the day, your life is your vision, where you end up will depends on how clear your vision is and how determined you are to fight for it. Life is definitely what you make of it and only you can build your dream otherwise you will be stuck helping someone else build his or hers.

Bespoke will be holding networking events going into the new year helping young people network within different fields and help try and discover their talents. If people also want to become more knowledgeable about their surroundings and feel that they need to be mentored then they can certainly contact Isabella. She’ll be more than happy to help.

Bespoke_Capital

www.bespoke-capital.co.uk

Business Advice of the Month 7

Steps small businesses can take to secure future growth by Tim Campbell| founder of the Bright Ideas Trust

1. Make the most of your small size No business can afford to remain static in the products and services it offers, whether large or small, but small businesses are particularly well-positioned to react quickly to changes in their industry or the economy, without the need for hundreds of meetings. If they spot a gap in the market they have the flexibility to be fleet of foot and capitalise on it. Perhaps this is why one in three small business owners (31%) are planning to develop new products or services in the next six months, according to T-Mobile research. Making proactive changes to refine your business model will ensure you move beyond survival and into growth mode. 2. Take a ‘glass half full’ approach When asked about the future of their business, the majority (58%) of UK small business owners feel positive. It may be surprising to some that small businesses are optimistic about the coming months. As a small business owner myself, I am far from surprised because I know that to be successful, you need to see opportunity where others see challenges and reward where others see risk. Looking to economic change as a chance to revise plans, update services and build stronger links with existing customers involves a proactive approach and an optimistic outlook. 3. Use all available resources I firmly believe that the UK is a good place to start a business, with lots of resources and support available. The new StartUp Britain scheme, for instance, promises support ranging from free Google advertising to discounted business insurance. The Budget announced a reduction in taxation and the funding of new ‘enterprise zones’ across the country, amongst other measures to help small businesses grow. Contracts from suppliers are getting shorter and more flexible and business angels and investors

are here to help. All of these measures should instil confidence in the minds of small business owners, helping them not only to get started but also to expand. 4. Put your heads together Collaboration is a key way small businesses can continue to grow and it would be great to see more small businesses collaborating to diversify the services they offer. Networking with other local small business owners will help you look beyond your own four walls to see what common goals you can take to fuel growth. 5. Stay focused on customer needs Finally, I would argue that as long as the needs of the customer are at the heart of any new developments in products or services, there is a good chance of success and growth for a small business. It is all too easy to get carried away with new ideas and innovation, without asking yourself whether they really are necessary to success. Alarm bells should be ringing if you can’t see how any new changes will actually benefit your customers.

Business / CEO Profile 9

It pays to be a virgin H

aving started Virgin as a mail order record retailer in 1970, Richard Charles Nicholas Branson born 18th July 1950, founded Virgin Records and opened a record shop on Oxford Street, London. After building a recording studio, The Manor, the first Virgin artist, Mike Oldfield, recorded and released ‘Tubular Bells’. Virgin Records went on to sign household names from the Sex Pistols to The Rolling Stones, becoming the biggest independent label in the world. Since starting youth culture magazine Student aged 16, Branson has found entrepreneurial ways to provoke positive change in the world. He started a Student Advisory Centre aged 17 to help young people overcome issues ranging from abortion to sexuality. He set up the Virgin Earth Challenge in 2007. He founded Virgin Atlantic in 1984 which has now established itself as a leading global airline. Virgin Australia, Virgin America, Virgin Holidays, Virgin Limited Edition, Virgin Trains, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Galactic have followed in travel, while expansion elsewhere has seen Branson become the only person to build eight billion dollar companies in eight different sectors. Branson has challenged himself with many record breaking adventures, including the fastest ever Atlantic Ocean crossing, a series of hot air balloon adventures and kitesurfing across the English Channel. He has described Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial spaceline, as being “the greatest adventure of all”. Space travel has been a dream for Branson since he watched the moon landings on TV, and he registered the Virgin Galactic name in 1999. Testing for commercial service is underway, with Branson planning to join his family on the first space flight. He is also a record breaker online, voted the UK’s number one Twitter user, the world’s most social CEO and the world’s most followed person on LinkedIn. Branson maintains a daily blog on http://virgin.com discussing everything from entrepreneurship, conservation and sustainability to travel, music and humour. He has more than 11.5 million followers across five social networks. He has also written six books, including autobiography Losing My Virginity. Branson was awarded a knighthood in 1999 for services to entrepreneurship. Today Virgin is one of the world’s most irresistible brands and has expanded into many diverse sectors from travel to telecommunications, health to banking and music to leisure. There are now more than 100 Virgin companies worldwide, employing approximately 60,000 people in over 50 countries. Currently Branson’s net worth stands at £3.1 billion / $4.1 billion / €3.3 billion.

Adapted from virgin.com

10 Classified

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Time To Reflect 11

3 lessons every Entrepreneur can learn from Christmas by Victor Azubuike | pensivevictor.blogspot.com

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and I’m sure, if not now but you will soon be infatuated with the Christmas spirit. From the time we spend with our loved ones to the presents we receive from them; it truly is a time like no other. But did you ever think of the lessons Christmas could teach us in relation to our business(es)? Since we are in the spirit of giving I’m going to provide you with 3 key lessons in business Christmas teaches us and if practiced could greatly benefit our business(es). 1. Quality over quantity One of the mistakes that us entrepreneurs sometimes seem to make is confusing quantity with quality. Distinguishing between the two is extremely vital if we seek longevity for our brand(s). Christmas is a period of quality; quality is demonstrated from the time we spend with family and friends to the gifts we buy showing our love towards them. Seek to provide an enriching experience to each and every person that comes across our company. Let’s not work on the number of customers we’ve served but rather the quality of service we’ve offered. As the saying by SAP Ad goes “Your best customers leave quite an impression. Do the same, and they won’t leave at all.” 2. Your target market value authenticity Christmas is a period of authenticity. Buyers love brands that are authentic and treat their customers as real people who live lives rather than receipt numbers. Brands that understand what the festive period mean to their customers and seek to incorporate this into their company strategy or business plan will see their stockings filled. John Lewis is a perfect example of the authenticity we adore from their Christmas advertisements that grace our TV to their customer service we receive when trying to locate a last minute Christmas present, they clearly get what it means to value their customer and reproduce the authenticity we admire about Christmas. 3. Enjoy the process It may not seem like this to you at the moment, with all the late nights and early mornings, which may be a painful reminder of the burden you placed on yourself by following your dream of setting up shop. Starting a business can be similar to Christmas – running around trying to secure the presents for your close ones, friends and the family members you don’t really want to upset; buying the Christmas dinner while battling the freezing temperatures that accompanies December. It is not an easy task but once all settles and your sitting around the table enjoying the best moments of the festive period – you understand why you went through all the hassle and it all seems worth it.

Wishing you a great Christmas and a prosperous New Year!