When I reflect back on 2016 I definitely am left feeling confused at the state of the world when I started to think about how the UK left Europe and Donald Trump became the most powerful man in the USA. It just goes to show how the mass population has just lost trust and is fighting back against the openly corrupt super powers. With Obama recently highlighting his concerns about fake news online:
“In an age where there’s so much active misinformation, and it’s packaged very well, and it looks the same when you see it on a Facebook page or you turn on your television, where some overzealousness on the part of a US official is equated with constant and severe repression elsewhere, if everything seems to be the same and no distinctions are made, then we won’t know what to protect,” - The Guardian, 20th November 2016
This really made me question how this is impacting entrepreneurs and start ups? what qualities are vital for them to win a chance of success?
I recently met founder of Wow Zone, Qasim Majid who was a key speaker at a London networking event. Wow zone is a Birmingham-based digital marketing agency which specialises in SEO, PPC, Content Marketing, Web Design and Social Media.
Qasim’s perspective is that "with chaos comes opportunities" and the only thing that you can really control is your direction. When it comes to external factors your business can be distracted and tangled up in the noise, however the key to success is to stay focused on your ultimate goal and zone out all the irrelevant information. There are many pockets of society who have been immune by having decisions being made for them and therefore not being prepared with a plan. Now that people are being pushed to take more responsibility fear sets in because of the lack of planning. Qasim's advice to business owners is:
- Have focused intentions
- Adapt and be flexible along your journey - continuously reassess your goals
- Agility of thinking and speed is important
Wow Zone has achieved massive success over the last 12 months and he provided an insight to what mattered to him as a businessman. What really caught my attention was how Qasim built authentic and personal relationships and converting them into loyal clients.
I then had further conversations to really understand what makes Qasim tick, his passion and drivers behind the Wow Zone brand. It turns out I stumbled across an individuals inspirational journey from challenge to success.
Wow by name, Wow by nature!
Qasim shared with me that his most transformative learning came from understanding how he built a world that was driven by the fear of failure, this impacted him in all areas of his life until his fear came true...
Having grown up just outside Leeds, then moving Manchester within a traditional asian family he was always taught that a good education led to a life of success. He was the model student always coming the top of his class and always excelled in sports. His focus was to follow the footsteps of his father into the army. At the age of 17 a family tragedy struck that changed Qasim's trajectory forever.
Escaping grief he dived into academia and went to university to complete an IT degree. He went on to be very successful achieving all he could wish for – a successful business , car, house, the clothes you name it, he had it all yet there was something that was out of kilter, the dominant ego had taken over. It was only when his business crumbled and he nearly lost everything which impacted all areas in his life, that the importance of these relationships then came into focus.
Qasim has always been seen to be a very driven individual, however the definition of drive is very different to a lot of people. He feels the opportunities come to him, he has never had to chase for it. So when you boil it down what he is really saying is that it comes down to a mindset of belief, focus and goals. If you hold a strong goal and keep working towards it then the world around you starts to present opportunities, in his words “ the environment bends towards you” Through this ethos he came across a retired hostage negotiator who was coaching sports athletes, through conversation Qasim reconnected with his love of sports and then came the AHA moment:
"Why is it that I am never scared of loosing a sports games, but when it comes to business I am so fearful of failing again?"
The sports coach helped him to really understand this feeling and through neurolinguistics and hypnotherapy Qasim understood that no matter how much money he had made in the past, he never felt good enough in business, there was a lack of confidence. Through learning about states of minds Qasim was taught to live in the present moment and embodying the feeling he had about sports into his working life. The results were profound.
So what are the most important qualities of relationships that matters the most to Qasim?
The strength of being vulnerable
This shows people/clients that you are also human and then being able to generate trust through that human to human connection. It goes beyond the surface, through the simple art of conversation and understanding your clients needs. If your business prioritises finding the solution over financial profits then you are on to a winner. So when you boil it down it comes to asking the right questions and unfolding their key objectives.
It was through aligning the relationship with himself that clarity, flow and success came to Qasim in a much bigger way than before, the second time round was on his terms. His whole outlook of life has transformed due to important learnings.
"It is all about service, I want to be able to help as many people on this planet as I physically can and all I need to do is believe, any successful business cannot function without it." - Qasim Majid
Twitter: @cas_majid @wow_zone
Website: www.wow-zone.com