Empowering Indian Expats: Create more Impact & Influence, beyond just making a living

E11.1 - A full Circle of life, with Ajay Unni, Founder and CEO of StickmanCyber

Failed in 12th exam …The same year Ajay Unni built software for a school that printed 3000 report cards for year 11 and 12 students. How did that happen?Much later, he shared his story in LinkedIn article “The joy of failure” https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140603131707-5693854-the-joy-of-failuer/ That one freelancing work turned into a company with 100 employees.Yes, he did pass his year 12 next year and also graduated while building his business.Ajay ran his company from the age of 16 to 26 and then sold it to one of his clients.Worked for World bank for a couple of years in India.Then came to Australia for his masters. Someone who had once failed in year 12 was chosen to be the graduate speaker of his class in his masters.From freelancer to a CEO of a software company to selling it to one of his clients.  From CEO to an IT consultant to a master’s student. And, then from a project manager to CEO again.He shares what worked and what did not work in his journey of building a career and business.He also talked about his breakthrough moments, successes and support he got from various people.I was touched by his humbleness, authenticity, and willingness to share the vulnerabilities and challenges he faced at various stages of life.He is an interesting storyteller too, so you will get a visual picture of situations he describes.My #1 takeaway was to become comfortable with uncertainty – that’s where the magic happens! Listen to the conversation – it’s full of inspiration, fun and learnings Ajay Unni’s coordinates:Twitter - https://twitter.com/ajayunni?lang=en  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajayunni/?originalSubdomain=au  Company website - https://www.stickman.com.au/ Ehsan’s coordinatesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/  

E10 - International Student to becoming an Award Winning Entrepreneur, with Aamir Qutub, CEO Enterprise Monkey

Semi-retired at 30!When most students are stressed about finding a job, Amir Qutub was putting the foundation for building his dream. That was 2014. Today, Aamir’s company Enterprise Monkey, which he started with AUD 2000 in 2014, is a well-oiled machine with 200+ staff serving clients in 5 countries. And, he doesn’t need to spend more than a couple of hours a day in the business. So, he used his free time in investing in tech start-ups – 7 so far. He is also the co-founder of 4 start-ups.He also recently launched another business called Mentor Monkey. This is his way of giving back – mentoring professionals and entrepreneurs succeed in career and in business.How can someone who moves to Australia for study and within 10 years transforms his life and also impacts many other lives by being an employer, investor and mentor!!!But if you think it was all smooth, not true. You’ve got to listen to this conversation with host Ehsan Ali.Aamir pitched more than 200 business owners before someone agreed to give him work - that was a company repairing bins for the city council.Within 2 years of starting his business, Aamir’s business got in trouble. He was just 27 and in $100,000 debt.Aamir shares his strategy of how he came out this difficult time – mentors’ advice, changing the revenue model, filtering out the clients, and much more.  He also shares his marketing strategy to attract the right clients and most importantly putting the right processes in place which he believes was the game-changer.One of the key learnings from this episode is “ there is no right point to start and there is no right knowledge level to start ”.**You can’t go wrong in building and growing your business if you follow what Aamir shared in this conversation. Aamir Qutub’s coordinates:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aamirqutub/channel/?hl=enFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/aamirqutubofficial/LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aamirqutub/?originalSubdomain=auPersonal website - https://aamirqutub.com/Company website - https://enterprisemonkey.com.au/Mentor Monkey website - https://www.mentormonkey.com/ Books mentioned by Aamir:The 4-hour workweek by Tim Ferris Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth People/mentors he mentioned:Scott brown Elon musk Nick Stanley Richard Branson  Host Ehsan’s coordinates:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

EI09 - Starting a business in a new country, With Manasi Khanna, Founder of Tasty Talks

 No capital, no connection, no experience...Just the Passion and the Will to do...This week's story is all about that.Manasi moved to Amsterdam from New Delhi with her husband.Prior to this move, Manasi had Corporate (Auditor with Deloitte) and Social Sector experience.Rather than looking for a job, she experimented with inviting people at home for sharing authentic meal.From the success of one event to another and to another,she realised it could be a business.In last 3 years, her platform "Tasty Talks" has hosted hundreds of offline and online events.Think of her business model as "Airbnb of Food".I really liked her statement "your venture is kind of an extension of yourself"!And, her mantra for success "Do not let the dull times bog you down, just keeping going"Listen to her story, it might trigger some ideas if you are contemplating starting something of your own.Manasi's coordinates:https://www.linkedin.com/in/manasi-khanna-036b8432/https://www.facebook.com/eatlovetalkexploreintegraterepeatHost:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

EIE08 - IT Systems Manager to Sales Expert for Small Businesses, with Sukhdev Sethi

All of a sudden, one day someone says you don't have a job.He was made redundant .. the whole IT department got outsourced He felt he lost control of everything. That was 2013... and that's when he said to himself "I want to take control of my life"He started to seriously build his runway in 2018And finally, took the leap of faith in 2019Sukhdev's biggest regret is losing so much time in fear...Says "Wish I had taken the plunge much earlier"He shares his journey from IT Systems Manager to Winning the Sales Excellence Award among 1500 participants from 150 countriestoEstablishing his business that helps Small Businesses create and grow their revenueSukhdev shares the proven steps as well.Key steps in transitioning from Corporate to Entrepreneurship areIdentify your BIG WHY  - why do want to make the switchFind a Business Mentor, even before you make the leapGet started, you pivot as you go alongFind the right community, because the current surrounding won't help Sukhdev breaks down the model of a lifestyle business in which you run your business around your life, and not the other way around (like in 9-5 where you create your life around your work commitment)Listen | Learn | Take inspired Action ------------------------------------------Resources mentioned by Sukhdev------------------------------------------Mentors:--------------------- Dan Loc- Sam Cawthorn- Russell Brunson- Joel Bauer  https://joelbauer.com/Book:-------------------Emotional Intelligence 2.0Sukhdev's coordinates------------------------------------------https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukhdevsethi/https://www.facebook.com/sukhdevrajanhttps://www.instagram.com/sukhdev_sethi/Company: WealthOnCommand.comEhsan's coordinates------------------------------------------https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

EIE07 - Corporate Lawyer turned Chai Walli, With Uppma Virdi

Forbes 30 under 30Microbusiness of the year by IABCABusiness Woman of the year by IABCA Deakin Young Alumni of the year AwardFinalist, Small Business Championships AwardAre just some of the accolades she received for her business CHAI WALLI.This week on Empowering Indian Expats podcast is Uppma Virdi, CEO of Chai WalliShe moved to Australia with her parents as a kidGrew up in MelbourneStarted her career as a Lawyer4 years into her career when in high momentum, she decided to take the leap to run her business full-timeMay not have been an easy decisionWhat if she didn't succeed in bizHow about finances...Did she face challenges Did she feel like going back to her law careerShe talks about all these and also the real business stuff:MarketingCashflow SupplyHiringSalesCulture InnovationLeadershipCommunity She also shares the backstory of her unique tea blends :)Authenticity and Community have been a big part of her success.That's my lesson in marketing...Listen | Learn | Have funUppma's coordinates:https://chaiwalli.com.auhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/uppma/https://www.facebook.com/chaiwalli/https://www.instagram.com/chai_walli/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1UedUe6WdH-9OFMj-2aYgYoung Australian Indian Business Network https://www.linkedin.com/company/yaibn/about/Host's coordinateshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

EIE06 - Murdering Mediocrity | Career Coach, with Shilpa Kulshrestha

Shilpa Kulshrestha used her redundancy to introspect and come back with renewed energy, not be employed again but to create a life of her choice.Today, she is a Peak Performance Coach, Keynote Speaker, Influencer and Bestselling author of the book “Play it Full”.In this episode, she talks with the host Ehsan Ali about her journeyRedundancyRecovering from the shockEnrolling in a course that was way beyond the budgetFinancial ChallengesDeveloping skillsSetting goalsGenerating revenue 5 times more than her job incomeCreating impactAlso gave step-by-step detail of how one can build a successful career coaching business  Her influences:Tony RobbinsBrendan BurchardBenjamin HarveyHer favorite books:The Magic of thinking big by David J. SchwartzThe Code of the extraordinary mind Vishen LakhianiShilpa's coordinates:https://www.linkedin.com/in/shilpa-kulshrestha/Shilpa's book: https://www.amazon.com.au/Play-Full-Unlock-Extraordinary-Career/dp/B081K4FPQJ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=play+it+full&qid=1624886572&sr=8-1Host's coordinates:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

EIE5 - Corporate to Food Distribution Business, with Manishi Dave

Manishi comes from extensive corporate experience working with likes of PWC, KPMG, Essar and Tech Mahindra.His journey into entrepreneurship has been interesting.He recalls Steve Jobs statement "we can only connect the dots backward"After he left his senior IT executive job, he started to consult with SMEs.During that time, a relative of his from India who was in the food business and had already expanded to the UK requested Manishi for a bit of research in Australia.He did but nothing concrete came out.However, something interesting happened at the back of this research.A manufacturer offered to supply Ghee knowing Manishi was an Indian.With no knowledge in the food distribution business, What made Manishi get into Ghee distribution?How did he do market research?How did he price his product?How did he differentiate his product from existing brands?How did he manage branding, packaging and distribution?What challenges did he face in the initial days?Did he have to borrow money?What mistakes did he do?Did he have failures? What did he learn from those failures?Manishi answers all of these questions.Based on his 6-7 years of experience,he also shares a step-by-step strategy to start any fast-moving consumer goods distribution business.He believes it's the perfect time to be part of the local supply chain as the global distribution channels are broken due to Covid.He also talks about entrepreneurial mindset, resources for success and his influences.RESOURCES:Manishi's coordinates:https://www.linkedin.com/in/manishirdave/http://www.gopaljiglobalfoods.comBook Recommendations:Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda Ehsan's coordinates:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

EIE04 - Building a Successful Career and Business as Expat, with Preetie Shehkkar

Others' opinion of me doesn't define who I am!Courage, listening to her heart, and leaning into her heritage and mentors have helped Preetie transition and transform her life and help many others do the same. From Hospitality, Executive Search and Project Mgmt,Dropping out of the corporate career to raise her children,Running a successful childcare business so she could be with her daughters in their formative years,Closing the business and getting back to corporate,Starting her own corporate training and consulting business,And, now adding a personal transformation module for individuals.Yes, it's all possible without getting stressed or overwhelmed!Preetie Shehkkar 's story is inspiring and full of pure wisdom:- Seriously preparing for parenthood that very few people do- Business fundamentals and her approach to business- Value of long term relationships- Self-care and power of meditation- Meaning of SuccessAnd more....Listen to the real conversation

EIE03 - Building a Thriving Career Coaching Business, with Kapil Kulshreshtha

 Join Ehsan Ali with his guest, Kapil Kulshreshtha, a senior Corporate Executive turned Career Transformation Coach who shares his story of why he quit his job, his rather bumpy start to entrepreneurship, finding help, making bold choices, and of Grit & Determination.He explains steps to build a thriving coaching businessHe also talks about new rules for building a career in today's world.Listen to the full episode - may stoke your inner FIRE!🔥Outline of the Episode:[02:37] The story of how Kapil left his career in pursuit of a better life.[05:50] “Building a runway” before deciding to quit.[09:53] Preparations Kapil made to establish a coaching business.[14:07] How to find the right coach.[15:46] Kapil’s doubts and fears of not achieving success.[18:00] How Kapil’s wife, Shilpa, also became a coach like him.[22:58] Kapil and Shilpa’s dynamics working together as coaches.[25:00] The stages needed to take in starting a coaching business.[31:42] Challenges Kapil faced in scaling the business.[35:13] Highlights of having control over your business.[37:14] Routines that helped Kapil to be more productive and efficient.[38:23] Kapil’s book recommendations.[39:37] Habits you need to develop and focus on.[40:38] Kapil’s message for people trying to build a better life.Resources:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kapilkulshreshtha Website: https://playitfull.com/optin1612228405788 Book Recommendations:§  Play It Full by Kapil & Shilpa Kulshreshtha§  The Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiani§  Grit by Angela Duckworth§  Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins§  The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz§  Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon HillConnect with Ehsan!On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliEhsanMohammad/ On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan 

EIE02 - Building a Cyber Security SaaS business, with Prabir Saha

On this episode your host Ehsan Ali talks to Prabir Saha, an ex Senior IT professional who decided to leave his lucrative career in late forties to launch his start-up, which he turned into a multiple 7 figure business within 3 years. Not only that, he transformed multiple areas of his life at the same time.Prabir is fun, inspiring and full of wisdom.. Prabir shares his complete roadmap: starting from building the runway before quitting his job, finding the right environment to learn entrepreneurship, identifying the business idea, building team, finding first few clients, buidling product to growing the business, make it profitable....He also talks about the strategies and practical techniques to transform any area of life.Listen to the conversation to get inspired, learn, have fun, and make important decisions to build your own future of your choice.If you aspire to start a business, even if it's not SaaS, this will definitely give you practical insights to start the journey without delaying another day.