theciotimes, Author at CIOTIMES

Joseph Chan -Founder and CEO – AsiaPay Group

Posted on December 7, 2023 by theciotimes

The CIO Times interviews Joseph Chan – Founder and CEO – AsiaPay Group

Kindly enlighten us about the inception story of your business.

I spearheaded AsiaPay with a sole drive of bringing safe and convenient payments in different Asian markets and industries. My visionary takes on electronic payments has started as a Hong Kong -based firm back in 2000 and is now operating worldwide.

Before building my mark on the industry, I always aim towards delivering the consumers their desired payment methods and merchants’ integrated settlements, which stands as key factors why AsiaPay is built. The award-winning payment solutions that I started, eyes for the future generation’s potential for card and mobile-based financial settlements.

What are the various products/services offered by your enterprise, and how are they unique or different from the existing products in the market?
AsiaPay provides multi-payment methods ranging from one-stop comprehensive credit and debit cards, eBanking, QR payments, and P.O.S. It also comes with a multi-currency payment feature that accepts payments from cross-border countries. AsiaPay also runs a multi-channel platform that allows convenient payment transactions from any web-connected device. AsiaPay enables merchants to securely accept the most popular digital payment methods from credit cards, internet banking, and more on a single platform.

Award-winning one stop payment management (Single platform for multi-card, multi- currency, mutli-acquirier processing and settlement controls)
- Comprehensive payment coverage (Widest range of credit, debit payment options and acquirers, covering 100+ banks and payment brands)
- Multiple Payment Channel Capability
- Comprehensive Risk and Anti-Fraud controls (PCIDSS compliant since 2006, with built-in anti-fraud and risk management system)
- Robust and Certified Technology (3-D Secure and Digital Wallet Vendor for Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover Global Network and UnionPay in Asia-Pacific)
- Reliable and High Availability + 99. 9%
- Flexible and Highly Customisable
- Extendable and Expandable
- Proven Track Record and Solid Industry Expertise
- Broadest World-class Enterprise Service in 13 operative offices in Asia-Pacific
In a highly consumer-oriented marketed, how much importance do you pay to quality and authenticity?
AsiaPay values every merchant as a partner to support their business growth in financial terms. As part of our goal to innovate, we newly launched as:

SDK to facilitate a secure interface from merchants’ mobile APP to our gateway.it supports in-app payments for iOS and Android operating systems.
AsiaPay AppPay serves as a convenient APP tool to merchants that can offer seamless ePayment to their customers by completing their ePurchases on the go via mobile devices. generate the payment links or QR codes and share with your consumers and get paid. Merchants can maximize their business productivity and generate more sales and profitability.

Retailers can strongly initiate an eWallet payment such as SmartPOS that can drive your in-store sales performance, powered with valued added functionalities just like what AsiaPay has to offer.
Communication, AsiaPay provides guideline & Training to Merchants on how to use our payment platform & system. meantime organizes Training Workshops for merchants regularly.
Convenient, we newly launched Revamped Merchant Admin Portal, this update is part of a larger effort to modernize and simplify the administration experience for our valued clients.
According to you, what are the most important qualities an entrepreneur should possess?

Innovator
Builder
Communicator
Do you believe there is a winning formula for becoming a successful entrepreneur? What is yours?

Embrace changes and technological evolution. Effectively implement the vision with a like-minded professional team;
Be aggressive and stay agile;
A clear vision of what you want to achieve
Sustainable development: an important driver of enterprise growth
The internal driving force of the enterprise: market competition, promote the enterprise to continue to innovate, improve technology and management, improve the core competitiveness of the enterprise
external driving force: implementation of the national development strategy, the scientific concept of development requires the implementation of innovation-driven strategy, strengthen scientific and technological innovation

Mention some awards and recognitions received by your company.
Best Digital Payment Solution Provider Singapore 2020 by Finance Derivative
FinTech Awards 2020 in Corporate / Merchant Payments Initiative – Outstanding Online Digital Payment Solution by etnet, 2021
The 10 Most Disruptive Tech Entrepreneurs to Look for in 2020 by Mirror Review
Stars of China 2020 – Innovation in Payments by Global Finance
Retail Innovation Award 2020 by Hong Kong Retail Technology Industry Association Ltd
Best Payment Solution Provider Asia Pacific 2020 by Global Banking & Finance Review
FT: High-Growth Companies in Asia-Pacific by The Financial Times
The market is extremely volatile, what is the current scenario of the industry you are involved in? Where do you think we are heading towards as an economy?

Digital transformation is constantly upgrading. AsiaPay is on the move toward digital innovation and disruption that can change the way we live and do business for the better. In Covid-19, a consumer using digital payment more, our company do cope with this opportunity

Expand and focus more on other “distribution channels”
Retailers with more aggressive online sales home delivery/ consumables
Heavier sales and promotion activities on social media
We launched Retail Payment AsiaPay AppPay
Value-added Payment Solutions
Mobile Payment: Mobile in-app SDK
Comprehensive data Analytical tools for digital merchants.
Keeping one eye on the road ahead could allow us to exit the crisis with a more customer-focused, efficient, and resilient payments industry

At AsiaPay we

strive our best effort to take advantage of the latest digital payment and commerce technologies to generate new values and opportunities to banks and merchants in Asia, that enhance customer experience, business growth, and competitive edge especially under the current uncertain times.
We create Business innovation to provide a good customer experience.
Digital currencies have the potential to extend the value of digital payments to more customers
We want to help shape and support the role that digital currencies will play in the future of currencies
Where do you see your enterprise in the next ten years?

Clear Strategic direction

we strive to provide secure, integrated, and most comprehensive payment processing services for businesses, charities, and associations, and payment solutions blending the latest technologies for the financial / banking industries that readily enhance one’s quality of life and maximize business opportunities, efficiency, and productivity.

To become a trustful payment service provider, we have communicated and encouraged R&D colleagues to continuously refine and upgrade our payment products over time, enhance our security technology, introduce new products according to customer’s requirements and needs.

What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?

-Demonstrates perseverance in the face of adversity and overcoming obstacles.

-Demonstrates strong leadership skills and an unflinching desire and determination to be successful

-Balance the concepts of effectiveness and efficiency of business plans.

-Be open to learn from others and gain experience.

-Show the capacity to be an independent thinker and to take on and manage risks in the face of uncertainty.

-Always have a mindset that adjusts to the constantly changing demands of this modern generation.

Dr. Mahesh Nair – Empowering Change Agents for a Better World

Posted on December 7, 2023 by theciotimes

“You don’t have to be a hero to accomplish great things – to compete. You can just be an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.” – Sir Edmund Hillary.

More often than not, the heroes in our lives don’t wear a cape. Though we do think some of them deserve it, at least an invisible one! They roam around us as common people only showing their heroic side when the moment arrives. And once done, they like to slip back into oblivion. They can be anyone, parents, friends, and sometimes, even complete strangers. They become the reason we hope for help, restoring our faith in humanity and human values.

What makes these individuals real heroes is that they serve humanity, not for their own interest but for the greater good. They are self-motivated and often start alone on their path of service. But they are also keen to pass on the baton and create more heroes out of common people. In 2007, when Dr. Mahesh Parameswaran Nair started his career as an IT Engineer in a leading MNC, he found a lacuna in his otherwise exciting routine. He noticed a regular rhythm to his life which revolved only around the electronic hum of computers and gadgets. He badly wanted to try something different in parallel which could yield him more happiness, positive vibes, emotional gratification, and possibly could change someone’s life on a positive note.

Realizing that it is not just a passing feeling and that he needs to back his emotions, with action, Dr. Mahesh set out to start his NGO HOPE (Hold On Pain Ends). His NGO aims at working for the welfare of the underprivileged, raises relevant social issues, and also cares for nature, birds, and animals. Thus began his Social Entrepreneurship journey in parallel with his IT career. Since then, his social experiences have been widely shared with the youth. He also took up motivational speaking and has mentored many school/college-going students.

Changing the mindset

Dr. Mahesh, through his work, aims to create change agents across the globe who could dedicate their time, energy, or resources towards Nation Building Process. He considers the youth to be the future of the nation. He firmly believes that the creation of opportunities in India is necessary to retain India’s talented youth. Once they are here, they get to see the various facets of society. This will help inspire them towards projects or activities which could not only bring out their hidden potentials but also empower the less privileged categories of society. Showcasing the issues prevalent in society is necessary to bring them to the mainstream and be acted upon.

Creating Long-Term Solutions

Dr. Mahesh is aware that no matter what, people will eventually get bored off with a particular routine. So Innovations and Experimentations are required for overall sustainability. The working of an NGO is no exception to it. For instance, when they were cleaning Vellayani Lake, one of the freshwater drinking resources in Thiruvananthapuram district, the problem was more than what was apparent. The increase in the number of water hyacinths was creating drinking water scarcity and affecting fishing. His team started experimenting with the roots of water hyacinth and started producing eco-friendly sanitary pads. This not only helped them avoid the dumping of plastics in nature but also created job opportunities for single mothers, the elderly, and differently abled ladies.

They reduced food unavailability issues through Community Refrigerator where excess food from homes or family get-togethers could be placed to feed hungry homeless people. They have also developed a mobile application named “KINDSERV” to convert all humanitarian offline services to online on a single fingertip click.

Spreading HOPE

Dr. Mahesh has always focused on creating a unique identity for HOPE. His primary focus on client satisfaction and trust has led HOPE to develop into an NGO that clients relate with and choose for humanitarian projects. The team always hits schools and colleges to build new networks. Adaptation and flexibility have been two must-have qualities required to bring everyone under a common umbrella. Opinions do vary from person to person in the team as is in every sector, but being the final decision maker Dr. Mahesh has always been cautious. He tends to think and have Plan B and Plan C also in place before executing Plan A. Foreseeing the risk factors (especially after the Pandemic) has been important for proper planning and execution.

Through his work and his style of working, he has always wanted to pass a message to his team, students, social media followers, or aspiring young Social Entrepreneurs that if a normal person like him could change someone’s life or bring a social impact, we all could collectively bring a huge positive social impact. “There is a leader in each amongst us. The platform is open and is all yours. The quality of work done was more important for me than the number of people involved. Many people aspire to do something good but always halt as they don’t know the answers for many of the questions like how, why, when, where, and what to? Being a mentor, guiding them to these answers, and showing them the right direction was my only responsibility. Creating independent change leaders across the country for a better India was my primary happiness. I believe the word “Charity” itself needs to be rephrased to “Social Responsibility”. I was always in search of fresh minds and young legs who could explore this platform and yield the best outputs. Self-improvisation and learning was always a part and parcel of this Journey and am still trying to improvise,” says Dr. Mahesh.

The pandemic and its lessons

Being a Software Engineer, Dr. Mahesh was always keen to brainstorm and do innovations, research, and add professionalism to the works or Projects he implemented through HOPE. This Pandemic era had a huge bad impact on many sectors worldwide but created new opportunities too. It was during the pandemic that the team thought of taking up their services online. Individual donors or Institutions could connect with needy beneficiaries from anywhere in India and at any time for fulfilling blood, food, dress, book, toy, or various other requirements by using a mobile application. “We speak of Digital India and services too need to be digitalized in various sectors especially in rural and tribal areas also. Various social media platforms available today make it easy to connect with like-minded people, Entrepreneurs, Investors, Corporates or Volunteers across the globe,” adds Dr. Mahesh.

Message for Budding Entrepreneurs:

To all young entrepreneurs who wish to kick start – Opportunities never knock on your door. Rather rise, have short-term plans/milestones, and keep progressing towards your aim. If you don’t have an aim, have it first. Ask yourself. Know your boundaries. You may progress slow or may fall. But never stop. Learn from your failures. You can’t do things satisfying everyone. Feed your hunger, passion, and soul. Have answers to how, why, when, and where before actioning. Improvise, Learn and Innovate each year. Upgrade your skills and win trust. It’s not going to be easy. But make it look simple. Mark your presence and activities on social media platforms and indulge the public and institutions. You don’t have to search for opportunities. Be a sugar so that ants would surround you in large numbers. Never postpone good things because the time which has passed away Never returns. Be productive every second. You become what you think and act. Best wishes.

The road ahead

Dr. Mahesh has brought HOPE to its current stage through his passion, hard work, commitment, and dedication. He has been transparent in his working style and in constant search for new opportunities or innovations to bring a difference to the NGO and/or its deliverables. Going ahead, he wishes to create like-minded change agents across the globe who could devote their time and energy to uplifting the underprivileged and bringing a positive impact on any social issues. He dreams of a world free of any NGOs or Charity Organizations and everyone is made independent and self-sustainable. It’s each and everyone’s social responsibility to Emerge, Empower and Evolve for a better nation. “I dream of a developed India and see more exports happening from India than imports. I dream of an India where foreigners would love to come, earn, settle and invest. We are rich in natural resources, cultural heritage, and diversities in art, culture, etc still are unaware of how to use this efficiently for better output. Corona and Drastic climate changes are a huge threat or could take away from us the real pace or momentum. The regulations set by WHO or Government could affect the progress but being a service providing NGO we are bound to accept these challenges,” concludes Dr. Mahesh.

Accolades:

2022 Inspiring Indian by Book of Records.
2021 India Book of Records Holder for feeding maximum homeless across streets of India
2021 Dettol India COVID Protector Title
2021 Social Entrepreneurship Excellence Award from Smt Chinchu Rani, Honorable Minister of Diary, Government of Kerala.
2021 Social Service Award by DLSA (District Legal Services Authority) Kasargod, for the upliftment or empowering works towards SC/ST people.
2020 India Star Independent Award for

Philanthropy and Services

2020 Shortlisted by Better India amongst top 6 Indians for COVID WARRIOR title
2020 Man of Excellence Award by IAF
2020 ICF Humanitarian Award from Shri. Pradeep Tamta. (Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha)
2020 India Star Award for Philanthropy and Services
2019 SevaKendram Award for Humanitarian

works

2019 Art of Living Sevaretna Award
2019 Indian Icon Award from Bollywood Actress Dia Mirza
2018 TNF Indian Icon Award for Charity
2017 Nirbhaya Debating Society Youth Icon

Award from Dr. Shashi Tharoor Member of Parliament

2016 Best NGO Award for HOPE by Padmashree Jayaram

Alex Sharpe -A Trusted Advisor to Unlock Business

Posted on December 7, 2023December 22, 2023 by theciotimes

Innovation mirrors the progressive way of life that human beings want to live and strive for. Questioning the status quo, finding new ways and making attempts to better the previous version, be it life or a product is human nature.

Most people do not realize, that we as humans are predisposed to innovate. We innovate by pulling things from different experiences and combining them in new ways. Innovation is not solely the purview of sudden inspiration. In practice, innovation is actually the culmination of experiences and the ability to look at those experiences in different ways. The more we experience and are allowed to be creative, the more we tend to do what is natural, to innovate.

At Sharpe Management Consulting LLC, Alex Sharpe makes sure that the innovative spirit of his team member never wavers. As an innovative leader, he lets his team be while affording them diverse experiences.

Question to Perform Better

Alex believes that it is critical to ask oneself, “why?” during the work process. Is there a particular problem you are trying to solve, or do you have an innovative idea that we need to figure out what to do with it later? How you think about the outcome has a huge impact on your thought process. Viewing things through different lenses is one of his favourite things to do.

While working with teams, Alex likes to play both the coach encouraging them to expand their thoughts while also being the official rock thrower, playing the devil’s advocate challenging their ideas and pushing them out of their comfort zone. What about this? How about that? How would they do this in Europe? What if we were working in a different sector? What are the top three things we absolutely do not want to do?

Having a very diverse background with lots of interests, Alex is often in the best position to pull examples from diverse disciplines, other sectors, and different cultures. He encourages folks to walk showroom floors at industry shows and conferences. Even if it is not your industry. It is incredible what you will find. “On one occasion, I found, believe it or not, some specialized cables at an accounting show that solved a problem for a customer with a service business eighteen months later. On another occasion, I was able to help a significant hospital group improve its operations by using a process created at an online brokerage for their customer service,” he shares.

It all started with Self-realization

Growing up, Alex was fascinated with what we now call STEM. He had a passion for how things worked and how advances in science and technology made businesses stronger and people’s lives better. He was fascinated with how human productivity is driven by technology and innovation. He also realized, that one of the things he did well was bringing together thoughts and lessons from diverse disciplines to optimize the whole.

Analyzing his potential, economic conditions and interests, he decided to be an engineer because he liked to build things. He also figured that he needed to eventually get a business degree and develop his skills in operations, economics, and the like to truly make a difference. Alex says, “Mentally I crafted a strategy to get the engineering degree first with the business degree later. To sum it up, the more I learn, the more I realize things are related. Nothing really stands alone.”

Building a Company with a Difference

People often ask Alex “What is your secret sauce?” It seems to him the business model behind any services business is pretty straightforward. It comes down to execution. It is kind of like great chefs. They all have access to the same ingredients and the same tools. Why do some have successful restaurants and others do not. Simple, execution. And his tremendous track record of being in business for over 20 years and delivering to clients in almost 30 countries across the globe is proof of his expertise.

Two principals have been the foundation of every business that Alex has run and every team he has ever led. First, the client is the hero of the story. Second, technology affords an opportunity. But it is the people and process that unlock that value. The business model and Governance are the most important to value creation.

Too many times, Alex has seen people and businesses forget they exist because their customers find value in what they offer. The moment an organization forgets that simple premise, everyone loses. He imparts a sense in his team that if they give their clients what they need, they grow and no longer need them for that task ever again. In reality, they want clients to know they act in their best interest, so they bring us on the next journey with them and also recommend them to their friends.

As per Alex, “I suspect people will always embrace what adds value and prefer to work with other genuine people. Our job is to be a guide, a coach, and an advisor, more like being Obi-Wan or Yoda to Luke Skywalker than being a subject matter expert. Hard skills can be taught. Soft skills cannot. Soft skills can be developed through awareness, but in my experience, soft skills rely heavily on how individuals are wired. The soft skills transform you into a trusted advisor.”

As regards the second foundational principle, advances in technology incrementally change the way we work and live but unlocking its value takes an ecosystem of people and processes. Most important is the Governance that ensures your activities are aligned with the desired outcome and ensures the effective use of resources. That nexus is required to unlock the value. Governance must evolve as the technology and the organization grows. In the early stages, you want a Governance program that is more like guardrails to help ensure you do not drive off the road. As things mature, you want something more prescriptive, like what you might see from an industry body or a regulator.

A Message for the Young Entrepreneurs

Alex has dealt with lots of entrepreneurs. Some have done well, others have not. To paraphrase Reid Hoffman, co-founder of Twitter, “Being an entrepreneur is jumping off a cliff, knowing you will grow wings.” That pretty much says it. The most important thing to know, per Alex, is if you are wired to be an entrepreneur and, if so, what stage suits you best. Folks often forget that last part. The earliest stages require the most depth in your field. As you move further to the right, the business aspects and the ability to manage your growth become the most important.

Entrepreneurs know their craft. They often struggle with the rest. He asks them to be sure to know their business model and surround themselves with people who share their values. “More importantly, be sure they have skills you do not. The biggest mistake I see from entrepreneurs is, that they often hire weaker versions of themselves. Surround yourself with people who will challenge and compliment you,” advises Alex.

He explains, “I remember a failed start-up that was doing innovative things with network gear. Everyone, including the finance team, had a networking background. No! You want your finance people to understand finance. You want your sales team to know how to sell. Knowing your business, your customers, and your industry is critical. These folks need to know their discipline first. They can learn yours while on the job.”

Also, Alex advises them to never forget to fail fast and always be sharpening their saw. “Business plans are great. Go-to-Market (GTM) strategies are necessary. Neither survives first contact with the customer. Learn and evolve. Keep in mind, that the act of planning is more important than the plan itself. The plan becomes a communication tool for the team and a baseline, so you know what to change. Be sure to explore, learn, fold those learnings into the business and move on,” concludes Alex.

Dr. Hani Hamza -CEO, Smart Homes Engineering

Posted on December 7, 2023January 4, 2025 by theciotimes

The very definition of leadership has evolved substantially owing to the paradigm shift in the world of business. From conference rooms to endless video calls, the approach to being a leader has been reformed to accommodate the changing preferences of the workforce.

In such a setting, a leader who possesses empathy and compassion along with the right set of skills becomes a necessity. This edition, the Five Most Dynamic Business Leaders to Watch in 2022, brings to you exclusive insight into the world of such business leaders. On that note, featuring on the cover of this edition is Dr. Hani Hamza, the CEO of Smart Home Engineering.

Dr. Hamza is an engineer turned entrepreneur. Owning and running his own business has always appealed him. However, for a while, he has been thinking that transitioning from being and engineer to a business owner was quite a career jump. Reflecting on his path and realizing the skill sets needed to do both, he now knows there’s quite an overlap of applicable business skills that are useful in both spheres.

“If I had to describe an engineer’s role in only a few words, it would be ‘we solve problems’,” says Dr. hamza. He adds that engineers have been trained through university and experience to break down the problem, control variables, measure, test, and verify. Starting, running, and growing one’s own business is loaded with unforeseen circumstances and problems that need to be solved.

“As the owner of Smart Homes Engineering, my day may now be filled less and less with technical issues, but there are always new challenges to navigate,” adds Dr. Hamza. Having started his journey as an employee in an engineering consultancy, he learnt to deal with customers and the market needs and requirements.

With all that knowledge and experience, he started to personally deal with his own customers in his free time, designed their projects, and supervised their construction till he built a wide foundation to start his own consultancy.

Changing Definitions and Perspectives

When asked about qualities a business leader must possess, Dr. Hamza says, “The right qualities of a leader can make all the difference. To be able to listen, not hear, and communicate, not order, is what any employee would find valuable in a leader. If a business leader can establish trust with their team, employee retention, productivity, and engagement can increase significantly.”

Sharing his views on opting between micromanaging and efficient management, Dr. Hamza says, “I believe micromanagement is a skill, if done right. Not everyone can be good at it. Not everybody has the capacity to watch and control every single step of a process.”

“Bosses who stick their noses into every single detail because they have nothing smarter to do are the representative of micromanagement done wrong. But bosses who closely monitor, provide detailed guidance and corrective feedback when needed are something totally opposite,” he adds.

According to Dr. Hamza, the following are a few reasons why micromanagers can be great for teams and companies at the same time:

They are highly involved and engaged with their teams
They are capable of foreseeing and preventing
They want to get the best out of people
They can develop empathy naturally
They know what, when and to whom they can delegate
They can adapt their style to different characters
They can add value to almost any given department

Bestowing the Keys to Excellence

We asked Dr. Hamza for his advice to young entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into entrepreneurship, to which he said, “I hope this advice provides some insight to fellow engineers interested in following a similar path to mine, or those just looking to learn from someone’s business trials and tribulations along the way:

Work for a small company first: learning beyond your job title

I took the long road to becoming an entrepreneur and would do it again if I had the chance. I worked for someone else and learned on their dime for more than 12 years before venturing out on my own.

I recommend finding company that is less than 100 people, but growing, and earn a salary while learning from them and challenging yourself. Get to know the owner or CEO with the goal of learning as much as you can and growing while you’re there. The CEO and company leaders at a great small business will appreciate you taking the initiative in having a greater interest in the company beyond your job title.

Also, I recommend switching job responsibilities every few years. This allows you to constantly challenge yourself and learn new skills.

Get out from behind the desk and get in front of customers: listening to people

There’s a lot of talk about being customer-centric for a reason. You will never learn as much about a business as when you listen to your customers. Don’t misunderstand, being an engineer can be very fulfilling, however, if you want to take that step from engineer to entrepreneur, you need to get out from behind the computer and in front of customers.

As an entrepreneur, part of listening to customers involves problem solving in a customer-focused way. As an engineer, you may be able to think of 100 things that should be fixed with what you’re developing, but the customer will tell you about the five things they really care about, and two of these would not be in your list of 100. I know it’s hard but forget about the rest of the 97. You’ll get to address them later down the line.

Get used to being uncomfortable: uncertainty and growth

This may be a generic life lesson and not specifically tied to being an engineer or entrepreneur, but never stop learning, innovating, and pushing yourself. As soon as you’re comfortable, move on and learn something else. Embrace being uncomfortable.

Of course, the thing that will be the most uncomfortable, should you choose this path, is to leave that regular paycheque. Let me tell you that while I was uncomfortable too, it was the best decision that I ever made, and not just because my company has had success. Leaving my regular paycheque was liberating and I very, very quickly got over being uncomfortable with that decision, because you gain back an overall sense of control you don’t have when major decisions are being made by people above you in the organization. I believe that being an entrepreneur is much less of a risk that you may think. Strangely, it was always the outside people who felt like it was some huge risk. Other than the initial leap, I never felt that.

Win often but lose early: using resources wisely and pivoting ideas

‘Win Often’ is self-explanatory, so I want to discuss ‘lose early’. Engineers don’t like to lose. Maybe no one does, but for an engineer, we are trained to never admit defeat. Maybe what we’re working on doesn’t work as well as we’d like, maybe we just need ‘one more week’, but given the opportunity most of us will work on a problem until it is solved. This is an instinct of engineers that does not translate well to a new business.

When I say, ‘lose early’, I do not mean ‘give up’. When a business is small, you have very limited resources, so cast a wide net, but do not try to close every account or deal. Sales cycles are longer than you planned, so if you do not get interest from your prospective customer quickly, ‘lose early’ and put your resources in more promising areas.

Don’t misunderstand: ‘lose early’ also does not mean ignore that customer forever. While you cannot be actively pursuing all customers, checking in once a quarter with those that were not initially interested is not a large investment in time, and could pay off in the future. You should make your case, show them what you are capable of, and leave them impressed. I cannot count the number of customers we closed years after the first encounter.

I hope that the experiences that I have shared above are helpful in your decision making. While my path is surely unique, I wanted to show moving from engineer to entrepreneur is not as big of a jump as you might imagine. You will use much of the experience you have already received, and you can use your engineering skills to figure out the rest.

I believe that you do not need an MBA to start or run a business and that the community is better off with more engineers as business owners. I hope these tips, learnings, and mistakes I’ve made will provide insights to those starting their own business, regardless of background. Whatever you choose, I hope that it will be rewarding. I know this path has been rewarding for me,” concludes Dr. Hamza.

Influitive -INCEPTION AND OUTSET STORY OF THE ORGANIZATION

Posted on December 7, 2023December 7, 2023 by theciotimes

Since 2010, Influitive has pioneered advocate marketing and built an easy-to-use SaaS platform that enables companies to engage their customers to promote their brand, adopt new product features, and become loyal advocates. Influitive accomplishes this by creating a destination for the customers’ advocates, which includes personalized journeys with advanced targeting, game mechanics, and rewards. Since the inception of the organization, Influitive has collectively recorded more than 100 million acts of advocacy and powered more than $1 billion in ROI value for its customers.

Led by CEO Dan McCall, Influitive is headquartered in Toronto, Canada with employees across North America and Europe. Global brands such as Adobe, Cisco, IBM, Mountain Dew, and SoFi rely on Influitive to help foster collaboration, build trust and deepen relationships with customers for top-line growth and bottom-line profits.

AIMS, VISIONS AND IDEALS OF THE ORGANIZATION

Influitive’s vision is to set the standard for creating engaging digital journeys that drive a positive change. Influitive’s software is the foundation for its customers’ digital experiences to increase engagement, improve relationships, create better outcomes and provide actionable insights.

Influitive has three core values:

Customer First: Everything said and done is in the eyes of the customer and their best interests. Customer issues and concerns are the top priorities, and their success is the responsibility of every Influitive employee.
Win as a Team: The greatest results are best achieved through teamwork and diversity of thought. Assume positive intent, insist on the highest standards, and support collective growth.
Take Ownership: Be held accountable every day to focus and deliver on what’s most important and needed for forwarding progress and resolution. Act as leaders and agents of change.

PORTFOLIO OF SERVICES OFFERED

Influitive’s flagship product is its customer advocacy, community and engagement platform. An industry leader, the Influitive platform gives businesses a better way to mobilize customer advocates by combining powerful tools and expert services and leveraging the authentic voice of its customers to drive growth.

Influitive’s core platform comes in two packages: Customer Advocacy and Digital Community. The customer advocacy package is ideal for mobilizing customers to drive social proof and gather vital feedback to efficiently grow, while Digital Community helps businesses mobilize and engage all customers in a community throughout their lifecycle to enhance their lifetime value and experiences.

Influitive also offers Virtual EventHub™, a fast and easy way to create a live digital event for unlimited attendees. This all-in-one virtual event platform contains the same features and functionality as Influitive’s core platform, and customers with existing Influitive communities can either extend their existing hub to support a virtual event or create a separate event-specific hub that seamlessly connects to their community hub.

Influitive practice leaders and consultants offer a wide variety of services to help customers plan, design, implement and maintain their customer community. Packaged and a la carte services include program strategy, discussion, moderation, content development, graphic design, data analytics, project management, and administrator training.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TECHNOLOGICAL SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY

At its inception, Influitive pioneered advocate marketing and has been a long-time leader in customer advocacy software. In recent years, Influitive has become a leader in online community management and a major player in customer engagement.

Every part of Influitive’s platform is targetable—including all the zero-party data it captures through member activities and feedback. This enables brands to create personalized experiences and unique journeys at scale that generate extreme customer and channel partner engagement. The platform’s four unique and core features are:

Targeting: Influitive’s powerful segmentation engine lets you target content and activities based on all kinds of criteria. The platform allows you to build guided customer journeys for groupings like geography, business function, management level, product usage, NPS score, and much more.
Personalization: Its scalable platform lets you personalize every aspect of what members see and do in your Influitive-powered hub, providing a fulfilling experience based on each individual’s needs, interests and behaviors. Plus, their team of experts is always reachable to lend a hand.
Gamification: Influitive’s platform features best-in-class gamification that uses friendly competition, points, and badges to create authentic and effective customer engagement. It’s a sure-fire way to drive interaction, collaboration, awareness and learning.
Rewards: Rewards go beyond catalogs and swag. They go deep into your brand and what you stand for. They help you bring together what your customer’s value and are motivated by leveraging proven methodologies from both B2C and B2B rewards/loyalty programs.

NOTABLE AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

For 14 consecutive quarters, Influitive has been a G2 leader in Customer Advocacy and Online Community Management and has been recognized as a leader in Community software by its customers on TrustRadius, Gartner Digital Markets and Featured Customers.

In 2021, Influitive was recognized as one of the Top 100 Software Companies of 2021 by The Software Report and became Great Place to Work-Certified™ in Canada.

EFFECT OF THE PANDEMIC AND THE CHANGES IN THE MARKET

The pandemic significantly impacted the tech market in Canada, where organizations industry-wide needed to consider cutting software from their martech stack. Amongst their customer base of customer advocacy and marketing managers, Influitive saw four consistent trends:

A significant re-prioritization on long-term customer engagement
Increased focus on educational resources and nurturing customers
A need to give customers a break with a bit of fun content like trivia, pop culture quizzes and recipes to try
Increased interest from multiple business units and c-suite executives

At their 2020 B2B Summit, Forrester said that “customer-obsessed companies will prioritize customer engagement over net new acquisition to survive the COVID-19-induced downturn and that tech investment will follow to scale those early CX successes.” Influitive worked closely with its customers and prospective customers who needed a way to engage virtually with their customers and employees. Further, many Influitive customers experienced hardship with the cancellation of in-person events and conferences. With experience in event services and the right technology, Influitive offered clients its Virtual EventHub platform for free along with strategy sessions to help them get up and running quickly.

THE COMPANY’S VIEWS ON THE POST-PANDEMIC MARKET

The industry trend is clear and indisputable: Customer’s want omni-channel, personalized experiences from their vendors and business partners. Customers expect every interaction to be guided by “what came before” and there are enough companies that have successfully made this digital transformation that disconnected experiences have become an enrager.

The post-pandemic market has not only accelerated this trend, but it has also rebalanced marketing’s focus and budget on attracting new customers and mobilizing customers into advocates. The future will have customer engagement as a core business strategy that encompasses the entire lifecycle journey: from prospect to customer to loyalist and then finally to advocate.

From onboarding to advocacy and everything in between, Influitive allows customer-obsessed companies to serve up personalized experiences, supercharge activities across multiple channels and use cases, allow for branded sub-communities, and deliver next-generation gamification to audiences wherever they are online.

As the worlds of customer advocacy, loyalty, community and engagement collide, Influitive is in a unique position to bring those worlds together and support the customer marketing, customer success, and customer experience departments who are working together to make it happen.

ADVICE TO BUDDING ENTREPRENEURS IN THE TECHNOLOGICAL SECTOR

No matter what technology you are trying to bring to market, it matters not what you think, but how you make others think of you. Listen intently to and engage frequently with your customers—whether they are detractors or promoters—and take action to address their concerns or desires. In doing so, your customers will turn into loyal advocates and become your best (and most cost-effective) marketing and sales weapon to attract new customers and ignite growth.

5 Profitable Franchise Businesses You Should Own in 2024

Posted on December 6, 2023February 9, 2025 by theciotimes

The franchising business model offers numerous benefits for both franchisees and franchisors.

For franchisees, a franchise provides the opportunity to start a business with a proven concept, established brand recognition, and established systems and processes. Franchisees also benefit from the support and guidance of the franchisor, which can include training, marketing, and operational support. Additionally, franchisees can benefit from the economies of scale and purchasing power of the franchisor, which can result in lower costs for goods and services.

For franchisors, the franchising model allows for rapid expansion of their brand, as franchisees invest their own capital and resources into the business. Franchisors also benefit from the marketing efforts of franchisees, which can help to increase brand awareness and reach new customers. Overall, the franchising business model provides a win-win scenario for both franchisees and franchisors, making it a popular and successful business model.

Franchise businesses are a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to start a business with a proven concept, brand recognition, and established systems. With the right franchise, an entrepreneur can enjoy the benefits of being their own boss, while at the same time having the support of a larger organization.

In 2023, there are many profitable franchise business opportunities that are worth considering:

Fast Food: Fast food franchises continue to be a profitable business opportunity in 2023. Quick-service restaurants, such as McDonald’s, Subway, and KFC, are well-known franchises that have been successful for many years. These franchises are especially popular in urban areas, where people are always on the go and looking for a quick, convenient meal.
Retail: Retail franchises, such as 7-Eleven, The UPS Store, and Ace Hardware, are another popular option for entrepreneurs in 2023. These franchises offer a wide range of products and services to customers, making them a great option for those who are looking for a diverse business opportunity.
Health & Fitness: The health & fitness industry continues to grow, making it a great option for entrepreneurs looking to start a franchise in 2023. Popular franchises in this industry include Anytime Fitness, Gold’s Gym, and Snap Fitness. These franchises offer a variety of services, including personal training, group fitness classes, and health and wellness products.
Home Services: Home services franchises, such as The Maids, Mosquito Squad, and Mr. Handyman, are another profitable option in 2023. These franchises offer services such as cleaning, home repairs, and pest control, making them a convenient and affordable option for busy homeowners.
Education: Education franchises, such as Sylvan Learning, Tutor Doctor, and The Goddard School, are becoming increasingly popular in 2023. These franchises offer a wide range of services, including after-school tutoring, summer camps, and preschool programs, making them a great option for entrepreneurs who are passionate about education.

Read Mind-Bending One-Sentence Quotes

In conclusion, 2023 is a great year for entrepreneurs looking to start a franchise business. With so many profitable options to choose from, it’s important to carefully research and consider your options before making a decision. By choosing the right franchise, an entrepreneur can relish the benefits of having the support of a larger organization while being their own boss.

Albert Yip – A Thought Leader and Influencer Who Walks his Talk

Posted on December 5, 2023January 4, 2025 by theciotimes

While we do come across great managers at workplaces, how often do we come across great business leaders? How often do we come across someone who sees integrity as the backbone of corporate governance? Who believes it to be a cornerstone to all organizations, protecting the best interest of the company as well as all stakeholders and investors? A leader who believes in his cause and inspires his followers to believe in it. Someone who feels fascinated in rolling up his sleeves and mingling with the team to pursue the tasks, building up trust and relationships.

While such people are rare, fortunately, they do exist. Born to a family of entrepreneurs, Albert Yip is one such leader who has sailed through multiple major financial crises, all the while learning, embracing, and evolving. In a recent interview called “A Toast to Leadership with Albert Yip | What Makes the Future of ESG” by Dun & Bradstreet, Albert has been featured as a thought leader and influencer in finance, investments, start-up ecosystem, philanthropy, and ESG, inspiring the industry, and most importantly, for walking the ESG talk and pointing out Social as one of the key elements in sustainability and what we should be committed as part of the agenda in the boardroom.

Tracing the Journey

In the 1970s, Albert’s father established his corporate in Hong Kong with a core business in property development and alternative investments in luxury commodities. As a teenager, he saw his family fortune stars dwindle during the financial crisis in 1981.

His focus was on completing his education which he believed to be an asset with high intrinsic value that no other people can easily take away. He graduated with his Honor Degree in Accountancy and obtained his master’s degree in Information System. He decided to enrich his financial and commercial exposures from reputable multi-national firms, preparing himself for the next wave of financial turmoil.

He soon received several offers that helped him grow in his career. In 1997, when he was a Board Director and CFO of the regional headquarters of an international conglomerate, he was in charge to manage the Asian financial crisis. Of course, Albert knew that financial crisis should be a predictable, recurrent, and cyclical phenomenon. This time, he was well prepared and had restructured the company with financial engineering, turning this regional headquarter into a cash cow and strong asset-backed entity. This not only brought a turnaround in management but also enabled the whole group to survive the financial tsunami that badly hit entire Asia. This milestone was a big victory in his career.

Finding his Way

Later, to consolidate and protect the family’s assets more effectively with a corporate structure, Albert founded and incorporated Syndicate Capital Asia to guild the family office in British Virgin Island and Hong Kong in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

The general opinion is that Albert, as a major shareholder of Syndicate Capital Asia, has been leading and running this family office from the beginning. However, he always pulls himself out of his comfort zone and looks for new challenges. In 2004, after putting Syndicate Capital Asia on a smooth track and building up the ring-fence, he decided to step down from the board and look for his venture in the banking sector and capital markets.

Since then, he has been appointed to CEO, CFO, CAE, and other C-Suite positions across the Asia Pacific and the North America by Fortune 500 leaders in the banking and financial sectors. He is the former Senior Vice President and Asia Pacific Regional Head of Corporate Audit in State Street Corporation (the world’s 2nd largest custodian bank responsible for USD 43 trillion of global assets). He has also served other senior management roles in State Street Bank, Bank of Asia, Manulife Financial, and Westpac Bank.

In 2018, Albert stepped down from the prestige banker role and decided to invest in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and fintech sectors. Going against the popular opinion of the field is considered high risk but low return investment, he thought about it differently and decided to return to the board room of Syndicate Capital Group. In the first 18 months, he devoted himself to rebranding Syndicate Capital Group, formulating long and short terms strategic plans, investing significantly in a series of marketing campaigns, and developing international partnerships by expanding the market presence in the United Kingdom, Latin America, and Europe. The first year was a great success and very quickly, Syndicate Capital turned out to be a well-known investment international cooperation.

Standing Tough During Crises

COVID-19 badly hit the global economy in early 2020. Many people thought that Albert’s business and investment have been suffering from great loss as he returned to Syndicate Capital Group at a very bad time. It was not the case –whilst he put a strong focus on ESG and fintech investing, he also acquired a lot of good deals at extremely low prices that were extremely under-valued during the early stage of the breakout of COVID. Though the pandemic itself was a disaster at many levels, all of Albert’s investments appreciated rapidly as the ESG and fintech investments market received an abrupt thrust.

Nowadays, Syndicate Capital Group has a strong portfolio of flagship investments including greentech, carbon credits, proptech, artificial intelligent and blockchain technologies. All these came in at the best timing to address the massive global demand induced by the pandemic and climate change. Syndicate Capital Group also build up a strong partnership with digital banks and licensed financial institutions that perfectly bridged his banking and financial business in the old economy into the open eco-system of the new economy. Within a short period, Syndicate Capital Group also built up a digital fundraising and deal-matching platform with a combined AUM of USD 350 Billion. This time, Syndicate Capital Group has successfully turned the financial crisis from a damaging threat into a big opportunity –Disruptive technology became a driving engine that pushed Syndicate Capital Group to another level of big success and entered as a faster mover to the new economy. With his remarkable achievement, Albert has been appointed as the Senator for China at the World Business Angels Investment Forum.

A Leader’s Traits

We asked Albert, what according to him is a must-have trait for a leader and he replied with: Integrity, Inspirational, and Commitment.

He believes thatleaders who demonstrate integrity garner trust among their team and followers. “They are always magnets to attract talented and capable people with the same belief and values. Leaders with integrity always fight for truth, and they are ready to stand up and speak up for what they believe is right and fair,” says Albert. In his public appointment, he was the former Governor and Chairman of the Professional Development Committee of Institutional Internal Auditors, HK Chapter. Integrity is one of the core values of an internal auditor. It is also his belief that a leader with integrity will foster healthy corporate values and promote a code of conduct and ethics in his organization.

Our vibe attracts our tribe. A good leader always inspires and engages people to collaborate and pursue a common goal. They are always authentic, passionate, energetic, personal, and good at communication skills. Early this year, Albert was named by LinkedIn as one of the “10 CEOs in Hong Kong you should follow in 2022”. During the past three decades, he has been a key speaker on many international platforms. “Whenever I received a good response and found myself inspiring some audiences, I took it as the greatest reward that far exceeds personal brand building that I can earn from the stadium,” says Albert.

Recalling a particular incident, he says, “In 2014, I was once featured in the IntheBlack Magazine (a professional magazine run by CPA Australia) and talked about my personal belief and experience. 6 years later, on an unexpected morning I received a thank you letter from an Australian, who was a stranger that tried to locate me on social media. He told me that he found this old magazine from a corner in a bazar sale on the street. By chance, he read and shared my story with his son, who almost wanted to give up his public performance in the city hall of Victory in Australia. Thanks God this talented young man was inspired by my story in that old magazine. He gave a perfect musical performance in front of his family and all audiences, earning a standing ovation from the entire hall. Life influences life. To me, it is such a beautiful and incredible lifetime experience.”

On being committed, he feels that if a leader does not commit, how can he make his followers committed. A highly committed leader inspires and attracts followers. It shows them the leader has conviction and by setting himself as an example. People will believe in you only if you believe in your cause. Commitment is persistence with purpose and makes you a leader worth following.

As someone who loves sports and has represented Hong Kong in the international tournament of master fencing, Albert believes that sports have the power to unite us like nothing else. It not only strengthens our bodies but also awakens our minds. He continues, “Frankly, I see many ingredients that leadership skills can be found from sportsmanship. No matter you’re a professional athlete or not, good sports participation can highlight leadership qualities that are both effective on and off the field. Here are four leadership skills learned in athletics that have a direct workplace crossover: 1) Teamwork; 2) Communication; 3) Strategic Planning, and 4) Commitment.”

Fielding Tough Questions

We often feel that our leaders know everything and are always ready with a solution. But is that so? Albert shares that being a business leader, he always needs to be decisive and rational, particularly in some critical moments on behalf of his corporation. However, there are also times when he feels stuck or confused. In such moments, he always tells himself that no one can contain everything. He loves teamwork and always surrounds himself with talented and passionate people – he sees them as his think tank. “I will listen to them and refine my thinking process. Sometimes, I will invite a few young team-mates or old good friends to have lunch or drinks with me at the time when I need to take a break from frustration. They are always honest people that I would listen humbly from them – They always give me new input and good insight that enable me to think out from the box with better and more creative alternatives for decision making,” shares Albert.

But does he micromanage his team? No! Micromanaging never works, feels Albert. It only damages trust and culture in an organization. Albert developed a 3As Management Approach.

“We need to learn how to admit (admit our own limitation), accept (not only accept other people’s mistakes but also accept the fact that many people are actually better than ourselves), and appreciate (appreciate and recognize good things that done by the others,” shares Albert.

Teamwork and talent management are critical success factors for effective and efficient management. Businesses need to appreciate the fact that people are equipped with different talents and skillsets. Alike the 10 fingers of our hands, each of them is different but backs up each other to increase the overall performance to make an effective team. We should understand that a leader is different from a boss. “I know many corporate leaders are fond of recruiting “mini-me”, with a belief that they are easy to control and manage. However, it will only create a bad corporate culture with a bad-chain effect that each level of management recruiting their own mini-me, resulting in an overall decreasing of staff quality throughout the entire organization from top to bottom,” he says.

Words of Experience

Albert has the following to say to budding entrepreneurs:

Don’t panic when we are facing big problems in our entrepreneur journeys. Panic doesn’t help. All big and complicated problems are actually combinations of small ones. Alike a puzzle, we only need to resolve the small problems piece by piece with patience.

It is always a good thing for the younger generation to challenge the traditional. It is a cyclical refinement process, leading us to breakthroughs between each generation. Entrepreneurship is like “Trial and Error”. We are born to challenge tradition and to evolve with new creative ideas – there is nothing bad as this attitude has been inherited in our DNA as human beings. Every generation is repeating this same cycle to refine and create a better world through continuous improvement or evolution. No generation is an exception.

Alexis Head:Polo House Prive

Posted on December 5, 2023January 4, 2025 by theciotimes

I have been in the luxury industry for over 15 years and my fascination for the polo comes from many years ago being a polo lovers and my great respect for horses.

Polo House Prive, is the first global networking platform by Invitation Only, where the world of Polo meets in one single place from North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Aimed at professional Polo players, amateurs, patrons, those who want to know more about this exclusive sport and aficionados around the globe. Polo House Prive will provide the best of the world of Polo through its innovative network, offering its members exclusive access to lifestyle content, tailor-made experiences, unique events and our Polo Global Tour.

Philanthropy is embedded into the Polo House Prive philosophy. We are committed to promoting the sport of polo and supporting different related charities around the world through our platform, events, clubs, members, and Giving Back Gala Dinner is our emblematic event that will happen every year in Argentina during Palermo Open and in UK during Summer with unique live streaming and silence auctions experiences.

The concept of our private club was born when I saw the need to have a lifestyle service that would offer added value to those who already play and to create training programs through professionals to attract new people in to the sport. It is one of the few sports that the all family can play.

That is why I set myself two goals for 2022 which I hope to achieve together with our Polo House Privé team and our allies around the world.

The first is to be able to attract children globally to learn in a fun way through the electric wheels that helps them to have more balance and helps them to give security when they get on the horse and with this to be able to lead them by the hand to what the future of Polo Champions grows and the second goal is to be able to create a women’s circuit training them from the beginning and make them part of our global tour so that they have the experience of interacting with other women from other countries and grow their network.

What are the products/services you offer to your customers?

Our members are the heart of Polo House Prive, along with the premium attention they receive through our qualified team to meet any of their requests. Our interest goes beyond just fulfilling their wishes, since we know their tastes and preferences in detail and we take care of their safety and security.

They will access the most relevant content, sports news, and social and global event information through our combined website, digital magazine, TV channel, newsletter, and social media. We create the perfect platform where our members will physically and digitally interact with each other, and our corporate partners will have a seamless interface to showcase their products and services.

LUXURY ATELIER EXPERIENCES

To indulge our members, we have created several unique experiences in collaboration with our partners and brands in the luxury world, where they will be able to witness the launch of collections, products, and services.

Our members will relish delicious culinary adventures in magical places at the hand of our international guest chefs, and enjoy, for example, the famous “Farm-to-Table” movement.

As for PHP LUXURY ATELIER all our members are special, we strive to offer a wide range of customized activities such as wellness sessions with renowned trainers, private activities in PHP luxury toys (private jets and luxury yachts globally), exclusive events or meetings for any occasion, to name a few.

CONCIERGE

Our Concierge service is characterized by high customer satisfaction. WE PROVIDE PERSONALIZED ATTENTION and stunning itineraries and are committed to the safety and health of our members. The traditional services of this area are out of the ordinary since we specialize in Polo and its lifestyle.

True luxury today is having time to enjoy life experiences through warm and impeccable service. That is our mission.

BESPOKE TRAVEL

We reinvent THE TAILOR-MADE CONCEPT in each experience with unique trips, made to measure and adapted to each of our clients through our Bespoke Travel area. Our team has first-hand knowledge of every destination we recommend; we are experts in making the best of each occasion by providing an impeccable service.

We create a new way of enjoying travel, from honeymoon packages to trips with family and friends, and getaways to exciting sports events. At all times we offer private experiences, luxury accommodation, and personalized service.

Polo lovers will delight in premiere polo destinations where they can sign up for clinics taught by professionals and participate in games with globally recognized players.

Our destination is more than a place; it is a way of savoring every detail through amazing moments.

REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMEMT

POLO HOUSE PRIVE REAL ESTATE is dedicated to giving our members; By Invitation – Only an exclusive and high-value insight into property and real estate business opportunities around the world. We will ensure that we only represent luxurious and valued potential properties, with expected high return on investments opportunities from conceptual pre-launch to ready-built projects. Our main commitment is to create value for our members and be their eyes in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

It is our responsibility and pleasure to provide a concierge service to those interested in travelling to see selected projects. Our team of global brokers will receive them and help facilitate transactions while providing a world-class experience from land to turnkey projects.

We are always looking forward to building a pillar of trust to financially safeguard our members’ and clients’ investments by offering only trusted and proven estates and business opportunities standing for future generations.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS

Through its extensive global network, POLO HOUSE PRIVÉ offers a consultancy service for the planning, design, and delivery of polo & a large variety of developments around the world. We are already engaged in initial discussions with developments in North America, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE (Dubai & Abu Dhabi). Our experienced teams are best-in-class advisors and fully understand the complexity of lifestyle-luxury projects and the overall logistical implications involved in international realty transactions of the polo-related world and other high-end industries.

Modern developers look to seamlessly blend globally recognized brands with a high level of amenities to keep client engagement. Let us serve you and be your advisors at the forefront of this exciting investment trend.

What are challenges/obstacles you faced along the way?

At the beginning of the project, the polo community wondered what a woman does

creating a Polo platform without knowing how to play this sport? They saw that this platform not only gave added value to those who already play but also promote the sport to people are interested in learning more and grow the community with kids, laddies and men around the globe and adding services that they can use and facilitate their travels and add experience outside of polo in other sports an unique events with philanthropic side as well as grow their social, business and sports network in a private club that offers exclusivity and care for the Integrity of the members was when they agreed to know more about who I was and my trajectory within this market niche.

Another challenge I experienced is that throughout creating this platform I lost people very dear to me and who were very important to Polo House Prive, but as a spiritual person I know that they are accompanying me every step of the way.

But in another sense I have been very fortunate to have a great team and meet very valuable people along the way who have joined Polo House Prive such as Jose Moscoso, an Argentine Polo Player who has had many successes adding Malcolm Borwick, Rebecca Walters, Loli Bunge, Jose Eduardo kalil, among many others and this has helped him given the solidity from the side as far as Polo is concerned.

I can definitely say that Polo House Prive is and will continue to be a great success because I have found in this community very genuine people who have opened the doors of their trust to our company as well as Polo Associations such as Argentina, one of the most important in the world and that we seek to expand our horizons hand in hand as life allows us and with other countries too.

As a woman, how important do you think it is to find a balance between your life at home and the one at work?

This is the most dear wish for all of us who are entrepreneurs, it is definitely a must but you have to practice it every day.

For me the balance comes first internally from there everything starts! When I manage to control the thoughts that then win over us the desire that everything is urgent and suddenly you stop and say, what is really more important than me? It is when you take that time for yourself and cultivate your spirit, your soul, your mind, your body and there you enter the true balance. The rest must be a consequence of what I just said.

It is important to identify when it is work and passion because many of us make the mistake of saying that we are passionate about what we do and our passion becomes our day and night, when we least think all the time we are working and we lose balance.

Fining balance not only does make you healthier, your life also has a better quality with you and your love ones. My phrase that although I say it a lot I have to practice it more is, put your head where your body is! I hope this phrase works for you.

We live in a world that is dominated by masculinity. What is your advice to women entrepreneurs across the world?

I can recommend what works for me and that I have not had any problem with dominated masculinity men and I share it with great pleasure, although I believe that we already live in a more globalized world and with more gender equality, but I know that there will always be a man who does not likes that the woman shines more than them, but here you already enter issues of insecurity and that is another subject.

I recommend that they always be themselves, that they never want to impress a man and show that they know more than they do, they must be treated with respect and never persuade that they are a threat on the contrary that they know that they come to add.

This will make them not feel threatened at any time, because in reality although we are the most emotional women and they are more mental, we come to complement each other and when the men who still have their dominated attitude see that we women are not interested in competing above a gender, you will earn the respect of them and some times of the same women with whom you work or socialize, because many times the worst enemy of a woman can by other woman.

So when you walk feel and be confident we are here to share our talents to the world and to give and receive respect.

Farah Zafar : If it was easy, everyone would be doing it

Posted on December 5, 2023January 4, 2025 by theciotimes

THE OUTSET OF HER CAREER

Christina Thomas has redefined real estate as a profession for women. A strong and independent woman, she is an inspiration to many young girls. Christina Thomas is no foreigner to struggle. Born to a single teem mom, Christina realized the worth and importance of money at a very early age in her life. She was abandoned in her early years and had to live on the streets for a short period in her life, experiencing the sourest lemon life had to offer. However, Christina turned out to be one of those inspirational women who would not settle for less.

In an adventurous field like real estate, where your career depends on your pitch and your ability to communicate resourcefully to meet the requirements of your customer, Christina is a dedicated professional with multiple skills. She is experienced in different aspects of the industry, such as marketing, management and finance. These contribute to her overall merit and worth as a professional. She has thrived in this competitive environment and come out as an experienced and astute professional. Thomas’ career in real estate began in 2004 when she passed her real estate exam while simultaneously receiving her licensing as a Mortgage Loan Officer. This unique combination allowed her to help her clients understand the finances, emotions, complexities, and strategies of home purchasing and financing.

Her dedication and commitment to her trade led her to obtain her Broker’s license in 2008 and open a successful real estate office in San Diego, where she also continued to negotiate luxury brands and high visibility commercial transactions as a Commercial Real Estate Broker. Christina is a person who doesn’t wait for others. She lives in the moment and seizes every opportunity that comes her way. Expanding her network from first time home buyers to high-net-worth individuals with multi-billion-dollar portfolios, she made sure that she was taking the right steps at the right time and working to the best of her ability. Thomas prides herself on delivering extraordinary service across all price points. Whether she is representing a buyer or a seller, her goal is always to negotiate a mutually beneficial transaction by implementing her “win” business philosophy. Her industry knowledge and resourceful thinking have contributed to Thomas’ ability to negotiate the $72M sale of the Ritz Carlton in Lake Tahoe on behalf of her buyers. She is a woman with a vision who leaves no stone unturned.

Her irrevocable devotion to her work has taken her to a great height, in 2012 she was recruited to join the Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty. In 2020, she was appointed to the company’s management team as Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty’s Brand Influencer. In this role, Thomas is responsible for cultivating and strengthening relationships with agents, engaging them on the new culture, synergy, and direction of the company, and communicating the benefits of being part of the Sotheby’s International Realty global network – the world’s leading luxury real estate brand.
Thomas’ work ethic and dedication to succeed, comes from a very modest family upbringing in the Los Angeles area. “Nothing was handed to me. As a goal-oriented individual, I sought out the tools, resources and connections that set me apart from my peers, and provide my clients with every advantage. I have enjoyed working for all that I have accomplished, and I am fortunate to have a great family to share it with.”

A FAMILY PERSON

For many years, when her kids were small, she would pretend that she didn’t have kids because people would say things like “don’t you have to be with your kids”. “Do you even have time? “. It was apparent that if you were a working mother, you were a disservice. She never spoke about her kids at work, because she was afraid she wouldn’t get the listing just because she was a mom. This is a form of discrimination. Many of her friends who are working mothers have gone through this as well. Now she talks about her kids. She schedules showings around their games so she has to never miss one. She owns the fact that she is a working mother and she is proud of it.

Thomas adds “Men who are father are always applauded if they had to reschedule a home inspection because society would be so delighted to know he was making time for his children, unlike a mother who is expected to acceptably skip work to attend her children’s games. Christina is here to remind other woman that they should absolutely prioritise their family and devote their love and time to their children and make them feel appreciated. She feels that children tend to remember the little things such as their parents missing their games and that is what shapes them as an individual when they grow up and face the world. However, a client won’t remember you missed your child’s game for their home inspection that could have waited a day”.

Besides her professional achievements, Christina makes it a point to find time for other important things. Despite her busy schedule, Christina volunteers her time to youth sports. She has served as the President of the Carlsbad Pop Warner Football Program and her son’s Team as the Business Manager for 8 seasons. During her time as President she was able to apply her business mind to the non-profit organization which ultimately increased their registration numbers for youth tackle and produced 4 teams to the Championship games, this was something that hadn’t been done the previous five seasons. She has been happily married for a little over 19 years and has two beautiful children to who she devotes all her love and time. She has also held the VP chair of Fundraising both on Carlsbad Pop Warner Football and Pacific Rim Elementary School PTA board.

One of her favorite memories of the PTA was creating the first “Fall Carnival” for the school. She was successful in raising $15,000 in a 3 hour period. “I Love Halloween so I brought all my party ideas to the school campus which included haunted maze, DJ, blacked out entrance into the carnival, bigger prizes for the games and pre-selling the tickets ahead of time so parents didn’t have to wait in long lines just to get in”, Thomas tells us with a smile on her face. You can see that she really loves making the kids happy not only at the school events but on the Football field.

ADVICE TO MODERN AGE ENTREPRENEURS

“When you do business right and show up authentically every day, great things happen.”

It’s a fundamental rule that Christina Thomas has lived by for the last two decades, and time after time, it’s paid off in big ways for her clients. She began her real estate career in 2004. Christina’s unique experience as an agent, a mortgage loan officer, and a broker quickly explains why she’s able to sell a $72M Ritz Carlton just as easily as she can a starter home. She’s become one of Southern California’s top real estate professionals, and clients seek her out because she’s incredibly successful and deal maker. She believes that a relationship with a client shouldn’t end after your deal is closed. She feels that client relationships are the most important thing, which is why she is always available to her clients, even after a deal is closed. She makes sure that she is as authentic and as candid as possible with each client.

THE GREATEST MILESTONE IN HER CAREER

One of the greatest milestones in her career was the transition into commercial real estate. She taught herself the ethics and concepts of business while maintaining the residential side. A lot of people have their doubts about her ability to close any type of commercial. She worked on the Ritz Carlton in Lake Tahoe for over a year and a half. She had several interested buyers that wrote offers that never got accepted. She kept at it. She was introduced to Kennedy Wilson, that ended up being the buyer. The property was sold off-market for $72m. This was a game-changer for her, as it proved that she was connected in the market world. Most commercial clients prefer to get the first look at a property before it goes through the broker daisy chain. She prides herself on not being the broker daisy chain. She is direct to her clients and they know that.

Thomas is currently working on the deal of the century with an evaluation of over $1B. She doesn’t hold back on price limits and continues to push herself in avenues of real estate to be the best in her game. “I have done many other commercial deals but most are signed under confidential agreements so I can never talk about them. The Ritz transaction is a global brand everyone knows and loves so it’s always fun to bring that one up”, Thomas says proudly.

OBSTACLES AND DISCRIMINATION FACED

Like most women, she has been subjected to many forms of discrimination during her two decades in the real estate industry. She can’t go into one in great detail, however, she has received considerable discrimination about being pregnant in the workplace. Throughout the years, it’s small-minded people that find her to be a threat when working on deals together. She would be talked down to or treated like their assistant instead of their partner on the deal. She has been circumvented on large deals because of greed. They exploited her knowledge for months to gain momentum on the deals only to circumvent her. She adds “I let karma do its job with people who lack ethics in this business. There is no reason to stoop to their level to prove them wrong. I know that everything happens for a reason and when you show up in this business with ethics you are ultimately the winner even if you didn’t get a slice of the commission you earned.” Thomas finishes with “Almost every career or job I have had there has always been discrimination. What young girls need to know is that this is the era of speaking up and not allowing this from anyone. It’s not only men that discriminate against women, there are women that do this to other women as well. I will say that I know many men that see woman as equal. I think it’s important to acknowledge that.”

THE QUALITIES OF A GOOD LEADER

A great leader is someone that is honest, open minded, acknowledges hard work in others and compassionate.

Leaders are meant to lead by example. Actions always speak louder than words.

Chrishtina Thomas

Posted on December 5, 2023December 5, 2023 by theciotimes

‘If it was easy, everyone would be doing it’

THE OUTSET OF HER CAREER

A FAMILY PERSON

ADVICE TO MODERN AGE ENTREPRENEURS

“When you do business right and show up authentically every day, great things happen.”

THE GREATEST MILESTONE IN HER CAREER

OBSTACLES AND DISCRIMINATION FACED

THE QUALITIES OF A GOOD LEADER

A great leader is someone that is honest, open minded, acknowledges hard work in others and compassionate.

Leaders are meant to lead by example. Actions always speak louder than words.

Author: theciotimes

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