Sangeeta Prasad is the Managing Director and CEO of Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited (MLDL), one of India's most trusted real estate developers. Under her leadership, both residential sales and collections at MLDL registered record numbers in FY 2018-19. She is featured as one of Insights Success's "30 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs of 2019" for her transformational leadership and role modeling. Sangeeta attributes her success to challenging early career experiences that helped her develop resilience and confidence. She believes tolerance for ambiguity is key to professional success. MLDL is committed to transforming India's urban landscape through sustainable residential and industrial developments under various brands like Mahindra Lifespaces and

1. +
SANGEETA PRASAD
MARKING SUCCESS
WITH PROFICIENCY
The Most
Inspirational
Business
Leaders to
Watch 2019
Imparting Wisdom
Successful Personality
Traits to Learn
from Elon Musk
The Art of Leading
Attributes of a Good Leader
2019. Vol. 08 Issue. 01
Unbiased Future
Establishing Gender
Equilibrium

4. n idea could bring a small change in current events or could be a disruptive modification. No matter how small or big
Ait is, an idea is the beginning of something new, it can also be the beginning of an entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship demands willingness to take risk no matter how difficult situations are and thrive the success out of
it.
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started” this statement from Mark Twain is the core characteristic of entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs are budding achievers who constantly strive to bring changes and take the much necessary steps to achieve
those. As a visionary, the role also demands the quality of leadership where a major responsibility is to lead people
successfully and accomplish the course of action.
Adaptiveness is a major trait of entrepreneurs which helps in expertly distinguish between what is expendable and what is
essential. Now entrepreneurship is not limited to put ideas into action, it covers a wide area, where management techniques,
advance marketing, and explicit understanding of modern technologies required. Being adaptive is also necessary in order to
create a sense of compatibility which is quite essential to motivate others and join them with the goal. An adaptive leader is a
social architecture for the people who follow him and the reason of trust and optimism that ensures the success.
Other than adaptiveness, endurance is one important word in entrepreneur’s dictionary. An entrepreneur has to face daily
struggle and departure in decisions where every day is a challenge. This situation becomes much more crucial in the
beginning of a start-up. This is the specific zone when endurance is truly tested. This is also termed as "Valley of Death"
where service/product is introduced in the process to get the much needed acceptance in the market. These moments’
endurance decides the victory or defeat, especially at the beginning of the business cycle.
Success Demands Adaptiveness
and Endurance
Editor’s Note

5. In order to celebrate the crucial characteristics and novel approaches of the world class entrepreneurs Insights Success has
curated a list of “The 30 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs of 2019” which are exemplifying the meaning of entrepreneurship.
These entrepreneurs have acquired all the necessary skills, such as vision, perseverance, dedication, and the ability to inspire
and nurture, that are important to thrive in businesses. They also bring the expertise, confidence, and a deep business acumen
that they have accumulated through their journey.
Sangeeta Prasad, the Managing Director and CEO of Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited (‘MLDL’), is featured as
the cover of this edition. Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited (‘MLDL’) is one of India’s most trusted developers with a
proven track-record in residential and industrial developments. She built great relationships – both professional and personal.
Under the direction of Sangeeta Prasad both residential sales and collections at MLDL registered record numbers in FY’2018.
Delve into some inspiring stories and lessons from many such significant entrepreneurs in this issue and reap the fruits of
motivation. Also, make sure to scroll through the articles written by our in-house editorial team and CXO standpoints of
some of the leading industry experts to have a brief taste of the sector.
Happy reading!
Self motivation is what transforms an
individual into an entrepreneur.
“ “
Rohit Chaturvedi

6. SANGEETA
PRASAD
Marking Success
with Prociency
Articles
Cover Story
Unbiased Future
Establishing Gender
Equilibrium
Tech Outlook
Emerging Tech and
Revolutions to
Avoid Digital Irrelevance
Successful Personality
Traits to Learn
from Elon Musk
Imparting Wisdom
Attributes of a
Good Leader
The Art of Leading
08
26
38
20
32

7. CONTENTS
Balaji Ramachandran
Leading the Team with Inspiration,
Integrity, Innovation, and Intellect
Ismael Wrixen
A Trailblazing CEO in a
Cutting-Edge Industry
Lance Crosby
Taking the Cloud to the Edge
Marcus Schmalbach
Mounting Leadership
through Perseverance
Owen Richards
Boosting Business Development
through Customer Centric Offering
16
18
24
30
36

9. sales@insightssuccess.com
August, 2019
Editor-in-Chief
Co-designerSenior Sales Manager Business Development Manager
Marketing Manager
Technical Head
Technical Specialist Digital Marketing Manager
Research Analyst
Database Management Technology Consultant
Pooja M. Bansal
Managing Editor
Anish Miller
Executive Editor
Hitesh Dhamani
Assistant Editors
Jenny Fernandes
Kaustav Roy
Visualizer
David King
Art & Design Director
Amol Kamble
Associate Designer
Tejas Kulkarni
Kshitij S Peter Collins
John Matthew
Sales Executives
David, Kevin, Vaibhav
Business Development Executives
Steve, Joe, Alan, TusharJacob Smile
Aditya Marry D’Souza
SME-SMO Executive
Prashant Chevale Calvin Jones
Circulation Manager
Robert Brown Stella Andrew David Stokes
Mayur Koli
Co-designer
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10. SANGEETA
PRASAD
Marking Success with Proficiency

11. Transforming urban
landscapes by creating
sustainable communities.
“
The Most Inspirational
to Watch 2019
“

12. an inspira on to many and is
con nually raising the bar on
leadership.
An Intellectual Businesswoman
Sangeeta started her career with Tata
Steel, where she gained strategic
experience and exposure across
businesses, func ons and loca ons.
She holds a degree in Electrical
Engineering from Jadavpur University
and an MBA from Indian Ins tute of
Management, Lucknow. She took over
as MLDL MD & CEO in 2018 and is
responsible for se ng the strategic
direc on that will guide the company
in its next phase of growth, as it
completes 25 years of urban
developments across India. She is also
a frequent speaker and panelist at
pres gious industry and interna onal
events. She has addressed audiences
at mul ple edi ons of the World
Economic Forum Annual Mee ng in
Davos, where she led discussions on
trends, challenges and opportuni es in
urbaniza on; business and people
strategy in the digital era; and ac on
The concept of leadership is
shaped by people who are eager
to convert ideas into ac on.
Leaders must be crea ve with their
ideas. They must also possess the
ability to look at challenges in new
ways and solve problems by seeing
things that others don't. The role of a
leader in an organiza on is to harness
inven veness, imagina on, innova on,
vision, progressiveness, originality and
resourcefulness to drive sustainable
and meaningful business growth.
Leadership requires a keen sense of
responsibility towards the
organiza on, its vision and its people.
It is crucial for a leader to establish
effec ve communica on, so she/he is
approachable to everyone and every
team member is well aware and
accountable in achieving his/her goals.
Sangeeta Prasad, the Managing
Director and CEO of Mahindra
Lifespace Developers Limited
('MLDL'), is one such transforma onal
leader and role model. With her
determina on and proficiency, she is
Antheia by Mahindra
Lifespaces
Pune
COVER STORY

13. industrial clusters under the 'Mahindra
World City' and 'ORIGINS by Mahindra
World City' brands respec vely.
Rising income, urbanisa on and
economic growth are driving demand
for real estate and infrastructure
development in India. A new
regulatory framework has resulted in a
shi towards transparency and
accountability in favour of organised
developers with strong brand equity.
India's real estate markets are
increasingly end user focused and the
value proposi on of both the product
and experience is more important than
ever before.
Mahindra Lifespace Developers is at a
naturally advantageous posi on in this
new business and regulatory
environment, given its strong focus on
project design, quality and mely
delivery. The company's strategic
priori es emanate from its core value
system, which is built on trust and
accountability towards its stakeholders
and the environment. Mahindra
Lifespaces is driven by its Credo of 'Sell
on climate change. She was also a
speaker at the 2015 United Na ons
Climate Change Conference, or 'COP
21', in Paris, and at the eighth Clean
Energy Ministerial (CEM8) held in
Beijing in 2017. Addi onally, she is also
a member of the RICS (Royal
Ins tu on of Chartered Surveyors)
South Asia board and Co-Chair of the
Confedera on of Indian Industry (CII)
Urban Development and Smart Ci es
Council.
Trust and Reliability
Mahindra Lifespace Developers
Limited ('MLDL') is one of India's most
trusted developers with a proven
track-record in residen al and
industrial developments. The company
is the real estate and infrastructure
development arm of the Mahindra
Group, a USD 20.7 billion federa on of
companies headquartered in Mumbai,
India since 1945. MLDL is commi ed
to transforming India's urban
landscape through its residen al
developments under the 'Mahindra
Lifespaces' and 'Happinest' brands;
and through its integrated ci es and
The residential zone at
Mahindra World City
Chennai

14. in Chennai earlier this year and has
already signed up Yanmar Engine
Manufacturing India & Nissei Electric
as customers. MLDL's industrial
developments have been designed to
enable faster go-to-market for
businesses via world-class plug-and-
play infrastructure, strategic loca on
advantages and a range of value-
added services.
MLDL has done seminal work in
adop ng 'green' & 'though ul' design
and construc on principles: a way of
doing business that Sangeeta strongly
espouses. Sangeeta proffers that not
only is environmental sustainability
good for the planet, but also translates
into product differen a on and
business process efficiency. All MLDL's
developments incorporate green
architecture, environment-friendly
building materials and a sustainable
supply chain. Its customers enjoy
reduced u li es and maintenance
costs in homes designed for
conserva on of water and energy.
Abundant natural light and ven la on
and low-VOC (Vola le Organic
Compound) materials improve indoor
air quality for healthy and balanced
living.
A Perfect Blend of Technology and
Quality
Sangeeta readily acknowledges the
importance of technology as a key
differen ator in India's real estate
industry. The right technology, when
aligned to business vision, can aid
construc on speed, boost product
quality and enhance customer
experience. Mahindra Lifespaces uses
applica ons to automate business
development processes and improve
internal visibility and predictability.
These ready-to-use business
applica ons can be integrated with its
core systems faster and more
efficiently. Innova ve technologies in
construc on process, new material
genuinely, Build responsibly, Deliver on
me'. Sangeeta is passionate about
raising the bar on customer delight
through right-sized and right-priced
products that cater to evolving market
needs and create tangible value for
stakeholders. A strong balance sheet,
good governance and the Mahindra
brand — a name synonymous with
honesty, transparency and trust in
India — add to the company's
a rac veness for both consumers and
investors.
MLDL's pioneering industrial
developments – the Mahindra World
Ci es in Chennai and Jaipur – together
span approx. 4500 acres and enable
the 'Make in India' vision for 150+
reputed global and domes c
companies. These include BMW,
Infosys, Fujitec, JCB, Deutsche Bank
Group, TTK Healthcare Limited, Gaston
Engineering and Mahindra &
Mahindra, to name just a few. The
Mahindra World Ci es have been set
up in public-private partnerships with
state governments and have created
employment for 50000+ persons ll
date. Its joint venture, ORIGINS, which
is in development with Sumitomo
Corpora on of Japan was inaugurated
Amphitheatre at Mahindra
World City
Jaipur

15. adop on and automa on have helped
improve quality of product and reduce
construc on melines. The company is
con nually evalua ng and adop ng
new technologies that can improve its
business processes and make its
developments future-ready.
Moreover, Mahindra Lifespaces
effec vely uses social media to reach
out, engage and address queries from
customers and the larger stakeholder
community. It leverages its social
media presence to proliferate causes it
espouses, such as environmental
awareness.
MLDL will con nue to combine
technology with organisa onal and
opera onal innova on to achieve
business growth. At the same me,
the company believes that las ng,
industry-wide innova on requires a
collabora ve approach, encompassing
mul ple stakeholder communi es.
Towards this end, it has established
the Mahindra-TERI Centre of
Excellence (CoE) together with The
Energy and Resources Ins tute (TERI),
India. The CoE is a first-of-its-kind
research facility that will leverage
state-of-the art research techniques
and tools to develop energy-efficient
solu ons adapted to Indian clima c
condi ons. Sangeeta believes this is a
perfect illustra on of partnership in
science and technology for the greater
good of society — and yet another
example of the core value systems that
define and guide Mahindra Lifespaces.
Changing Difficul es into Professional
Success
Sangeeta a ributes her success to
the challenging projects and
professional environments that have
helped shape her leadership skills.
Sangeeta joined Tata Steel a er
comple ng her MBA and was ini ally
based in her hometown of Kolkata.
Marriage and a move to the Indian
built a strong distribu on equity and
sales pipeline for Tata Steel. Most
importantly, she built great
rela onships – both professional and
personal. Cut to the present - both
residen al sales and collec ons at
MLDL registered record numbers in
FY'2018-19 under Sangeeta's
leadership.
Sangeeta's current focus is on
accelera ng momentum with
impac ul launches, both in the
residen al as well as the industrial
parts of the business. She asserts that
"Tolerance for chaos and ambiguity is
the key to professional success. Hec c
decision-making and moments of
strong doubt are par for the course.
capital of Delhi meant that she had to
step outside of her comfort zone. This
was also the me when she
transi oned from a commercial
func on into a sales role, taking up
new responsibili es in a work
environment that was largely male-
dominated. Sangeeta had to work
doubly hard to make her mark. The
first year was possibly the toughest
and yet, she reminisces, one of the
most sa sfying. This early stage,
though ini ally unse ling, helped her
build the inner confidence that is
needed to take on uncharted
professional territory and she emerged
as a stronger and more resilient leader.
She did more than thrive during this
me; she achieved record sales and
Our journey towards building a sustainable multiplier
organisation will result in the happiest customer
being in a Mahindra home and city.
“
“
Luminare by Mahindra
Lifespaces
Gurgaon

16. Address :
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Date :Name :
Telephone :
Email :
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18. Leading the Team with Inspiration, Integrity, Innovation, and Intellect
Balaji Ramachandran:
Bala strongly believes in
innovation and comes up
with soul striking ideas which
convert the routine mundane
business activities into a
relentless drive towards
achievement.
“
“Balaji Ramachandran
Founder & CEO
In this time of evolution, the corporate world has
entered an unprecedented era. Now, business sector is
more prevalent and accessible than ever before. To
maintain the privacy of a business and move it with the
integrity is becoming primary challenge for business
leaders. Few of the important traits of leadership in the
business world of today is to have an amazing leader who
inspires and innovates to grow people/team around them.
One such business leader is Balaji Ramachandran –
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SoftClouds,
showing resilience and positivity against all the difficulties
persistently. In an interview with Insights Success, Balaji
(Bala) shares insights about his company’s unique offerings
and vital traits of leadership.
Below are highlights from the interview conducted between
Bala and Insights Success:
How do you diversify your solutions that appeal to your
target audience?
The solutions of SoftClouds are varied across a wide
segment of industries, from automotive, high-tech,
manufacturing, communications and financial services.
In the CRM/CX Industry, the main issue is that customers
aren’t sure what they all want in a CRM solution – Thus we
need to make sure we have an understanding of their needs
and come up with innovative solutions incorporated with
today’s most cutting-edge technologies like Bots, Internet
of Things (IoT), Proactive CX, Machine Learning &
Artificial Intelligence. Our experts constantly work on
ideation, creating proof of concepts and revolutionary
solutions that are equipped to fabricate businesses for
futuristic opportunities.
Business Leaders
The Most Inspirational
to Watch 2019
www.insightssuccess.com16 |August 2019

19. Describe some of the vital attributes
that every leader should possess.
For me, a good leader is the one who is
ready to be there for his team at any
time. It is true a saying, “Leadership
unlocks people’s potential to become
better”. Today, being a leader is
tougher than being a team member. In
order to have the teammates excel, a
leader needs to serve others in the first
place. Leaders must make conscious
choices to inspire others.
To me, some of the characteristics of a
good leader are being a source of
inspiration, leading the team with
integrity, motivating the team to
innovate and helping grow their
intellect.
What were the past experiences,
achievements or lessons that shaped
your journey?
Motivation from industry leaders has
always been a constant force in
shaping my journey. In 2007, with the
invention of iOS/iPhone, the mobility
industry changed the way we look at
the world. That innovative move by
Steve Jobs was very inspirational to
me. It has always brought out the best
and probably the most innovative side
of mine and shaped my journey in the
best possible way.
Also, this ever-changing industry
teaches us a lot on an everyday basis.
SoftClouds believes in learning from
our experiences and continuing to
strive to be one of the top-notch
CRM/CX Solutions Provider in the
US.
What were some of the primary
challenges and roadblocks that you
faced during the initial phase of your
journey?
It is very hard to have our customers
envision our solutions. The CRM
industry has been lagging a lot. When
you try to demonstrate the future to
them, they cannot follow along unless
we have a similar futuristic mind in the
room. We have to overcome barriers
like these and educate our customers
right from the ground level on how
next generation solutions are the need
of today!
Also, a trusted team of experts is built
with much effort and guidance. I can
summarize the journey of SoftClouds
starting with 5 people to becoming a
150-person company in two sentences.
First, the experience has been
absolutely amazing and second, all the
roadblocks and catastrophes became
opportunities to grow with greater
experience each time.
Where SoftClouds does sees itself in
the near future and how will you
catalyze the change?
I foresee SoftClouds working with
many more big players in the market
from various industries and growing in
size to between 800-1000 people by
2023-2025.
What is your advice for the
emerging leaders?
The road they take is neither straight
nor easy, but it is worth the pain.
Technology is feeding on itself and
outgrowing all the possibilities. The
technology industry is evolving faster
each year. Today – Change is the most
important thing. We must learn to
change and invent a new tomorrow! If
I can share a few nuggets from my
personal experience – Emerging
leaders will also have to learn to make
others grow in order to grow
themselves. Leadership is a huge
obligation and a charm at the same
time.
About the Leader
Balaji Ramachandran is the
Founder, CEO and a member of
the Board of Directors at
SoftClouds. At SoftClouds, Bala
leads the development of the
strategic vision, recruits and
develops new talent, and
translates the vision of
SoftClouds into inspired
execution. With his broad vision
and persistent intellect, he has
continued to lead SoftClouds to
boundless heights since 14+
years now. He also has hands-on
experience leading startup
companies in CX, Cloud and
Mobile technologies.
Bala’s Entrepreneurial &
Innovation leadership has helped
shape today's CX software
industry. Surely, Bala is an
inspirational, motivating and
people leader and builds
relationships with teams around
him – may it be customers,
partners, employees, friends,
family, or anyone else. He can
be best described as
Humanitarian. Tenacious.
Dreamer.
www.insightssuccess.com August 2019| 17

20. Ismael Wrixen
A Trailblazing CEO in a Cutting-Edge Industry
ome people require decades of
Sexperience before they can take
on leadership roles. For others it
is a natural fit. An example of the latter
is Ismael Wrixen, Group CEO at FE
International. A radical shift in his
early career sent him down an
entrepreneurial path, and now Insights
Success proudly recognizes Ismael as
one of our inspiring business leaders.
Below are the highlights from an
interview we conducted with Ismael:
Give a brief overview of your
background and your role in FE
International.
I began my career at Citigroup where,
for two and a half years, I worked on a
brokerage team that brought IPOs to
market. I felt hampered by the standard
rate of career progression in the
industry, and I felt that the long
working hours would be better spent
working for myself.
I teamed up with an old friend from
university, Thomas Smale, whose
burgeoning company was involved in
brokering the sale of online businesses.
Seeing the potential overlap with his
business and my background, after
some careful consideration, I joined the
company as CEO, bringing new
formality and structure to the business,
as well as my corporate experience. I
now oversee day-to-day operations at
FE, splitting my time between our New
York and London offices.
How do you diversify your
benefit if you possess innate leadership
instincts, but it is always rely on
experience where possible.
What were the past experiences,
achievements or lessons that shaped
your journey?
An important lesson for me was going
into a traditional corporate job and
seeing how the other half lives. While I
learned a lot and there were aspects of
the job I enjoyed, it was helpful to get
an understanding of what I didn’t want
to do before following a more
entrepreneurial route. I pursue my
current work more confidently as a
result.
What were some of the challenges
and roadblocks that you faced
during the initial phase of your
journey?
Our biggest problem was spreading the
word about our services. We knew
there was a large market out there, but
how to get ourselves in front of people
was our biggest hurdle. We had to
become marketers, and overtime we
worked out the most effective channels
for generating leads and built out teams
around them. It’s an area of the
business we are proud of and
continuously evolves.
Where does FE International see
itself in the near future and how will
you catalyze the change?
FE International sees itself as the
premiere online business M&A
Advisory and, as time goes on, we see
ourselves cementing this reputation.
organization’s offerings to appeal to
your target audience?
FE started out by catering to smaller
online businesses, some only earning a
few thousand dollars per year. FE’s
Founder, Thomas, became adept at
reinvigorating and selling these
businesses and soon realized there was
a whole market of larger online
businesses requiring assistance. FE’s
services have shifted over the past
decade, broadening out to help larger
companies while better specializing in
three core areas of online business; e-
commerce, content and SaaS. The
business has benefitted from catering
to this wide range of clients. To this
end, we have recently launched a fund
to provide even more options for
people looking to invest in the online
space.
Describe some of the vital attributes
that every leader should possess.
Experience is first and foremost when
it comes to leadership. There have been
some great first-time entrepreneurs but
the people who build large and
successful companies are usually
people who have good and relevant
leadership experience prior to starting
up. Leadership in a business context
can be learned, or at least heavily
improved. One’s character can have a
major bearing on the effectiveness of
the company, but if you have good
experience, and you match yourself to
the right business model and the right
employees, leadership can be a natural
fit. Experience always trumps any
innate attributes. It is of course a
Business Leaders
The Most Inspirational
to Watch 2019
www.insightssuccess.com18 |August 2019

21. There are new markets to enter and a wider audience to reach within the
USA. We have started our first fund, LTV SaaS Growth Fund
[https://Itv.fund/] where we hope to capitalize on our knowledge of the
industry while creating new investment opportunities for our clients.
We have also opened a new location in San Francisco, and we aim to
continue to expand and improve our services for the benefit of all online
business owners and investors.
What’s your advice for emerging leaders?
Build the best team you possibly can and instill a problem-solving attitude.
At our company one of our core values is to “find a way”. This means that
only by pursuing new ways of solving problems, outside one’s usual
working channels and experience, can you be at your most effective.
The best time to plant
a tree was twenty
years ago, the second
best time is now.
Ismael Wrixen
Group CEO
FE International
www.insightssuccess.com August 2019| 19

22. Successful Personality
Traits to Learn
from Elon Musk
Legends never need an introduction. They tend to be
victorious despite of their uneventful histories. They
stick to captivating traits such as Discipline,
determination and self-belief which help them accomplish
wonders in the long run. One such example of an extra-
ordinary person is Elon Musk, a South African Business
Magnate, Investor and an engineer.
Musk is the founder, CEO, and chief architect of SpaceX;
co-founder, CEO, and product designer of Tesla Inc.; and
co-founder and CEO of Neuralink. As of February 2018, he
is the 53rd-richest person in the world and has a net worth
of $20.8 billion, which is far more than the net GDP of
Greece taken into consideration.
While each entrepreneur possesses a unique set of traits that
makes him/her successful, this Tech founder has a few traits
much different from any other ordinary CEO, which has
allowed him to build some of the world’s most respected
and innovative organizations. Musk once quoted, “When
something is important enough, you do it even if the odds
are not in your favor.”
Let’s have a look on these personality attributes and
characteristics that make him a contender for the most
innovative intellectual entrepreneur of the century alive.
Hard-work and Characteristic Work Ethics
Elon Musk is a hard-working innovator, working for about
100 hours a week, and has been productive since many
years. He may even be considered as the hardest working
employee of the company, setting standards for his
colleagues to follow and implement. Since the field of work
lies inside his radius of interests, he enjoys it to every
moment and bit when it comes to learning and execution.
Strong Risk Tolerance
Founding a start-up involves a great deal of uncertainty and
risk. A study found that after 10 years of being in business,
96 percent of the start-ups fail. Going by the statistics,
Musk must have faced the same odds against him, when he
had decided to leave an otherwise comfortable life to start a
risky and uncertain business venture.
For instance, Musk left his PhD program at Stanford
University to find a company called Zip2 with his brother in
the year 1995. Later, the company was sold to Compaq
computers, profiting Musk a bit over $20 million.
Following this, Musk once again took a great risk by
investing millions of dollars to found a company called
X.com, one of the world’s first online banks.
‘Always Be Learning’ Attitude
An astounding and less-known fact about Elon Musk is that
he is self-taught in programming and in many advanced
level subjects. He read and understood a variety of books,
which helped him gain endless and persistent knowledge
and understand diverse concepts.
The best piece of advice on learning and implementation is
to constantly think about how things could be done in a
better manner and question self to seek the answers.
www.insightssuccess.com20 |August 2019

23. Feedback Loop
It is of prime importance to recognize the present symbol or
otherwise ‘status quo’ in the market as an organization and
re-position accordingly. Musk solicits constant feedback of
the companies and executes ‘self-analysis.’ He induces
efforts and divergent strategies to improve customer
feedbacks and strives towards perfectionism.
For example, he seeks out his critics and tries to converse
with them. This habit of self-reflection at regular and
considerable periods is pivotal for any entrepreneur or
organization to succeed in the long run.
Tendency for Vertical Integration
Vertical integration is a strategy where an organization or a
firm acquires business operations within the same product
vertical. Both Tesla and SpaceX embrace this concept. For
example, Tesla not only produces electric cars; they also
generate public awareness about their cars via Tesla
showrooms across various countries. And SpaceX does not
only have the primary goal of rocket propulsions; they
develop their own rocket architecture as well.
Faith in Self and the Founding Team
Musk undoubtedly possesses a profound belief in his own
capabilities as well as the potential-seeking factor of its
founding team. He does not hesitate to gamble on large
scale unless he is genuinely aware of the expected end-
results.
It is equally essential to maintain clarity of doubt in any
large scale organization. Under his supervision, Musk
encourages in creating a positive and comprehensive
environment across his firms.
Preferring to Stand Out From the Crowd
Musk elects to bring up innovation at every level of his
understanding. He tends to impart theoretical knowledge at
the base level, applying changes and executing the same on
the practical level. He relies more on transitional aspects
such as research and development, thereby increasing the
probability of ground-breaking inventions.
Tesla Motors, a far headed firm headed by Elon Musk, is
anti-ordinary. Its compelling marketplace has become a
one-stop destination for potential buyers where they can
interact about product specifications. They also have video
testimonials that far outperform in the sales-dominated
industry.
There is no ambiguity that Musk, by far, has been a pillar of
inspiration for budding entrepreneurs and investors because
of his prolific and optimistic approach towards life
All these traits possessed by Musk, in some manner or the
other, coincide with most of your habits. The only thing that
stands as a potential barrier between these two is
identifying your strengths and working on them on a
continual basis. Go on, apply these traits into your daily
life, and you may become the next big CEO the world is in
need of today!
Imparting Wisdom
www.insightssuccess.com August 2019| 21

26. Lance Crosby
Taking the Cloud to the Edge
hanks mainly to the rise of the
Tinternet, our world has changed
massively in last two decades.
And as technology has changed the
way we live our daily lives, the CEO
of Dallas-based StackPath, Lance
Crosby, has been at the helm of
industry shifts, creating ventures that
lead their respective sectors into the
future.
Lance first gained acclaim as the
founder, CEO and Chairman of
SoftLayer, which was a major leader in
leading the era of the cloud that both
companies and consumers rely on to
run digital systems today. After
building up the organization from
scratch, IBM bought SoftLayer in 2013
for $2 billion, and SoftLayer became
the backbone of IBM's cloud
technology. As a part of the
acquisition, Lance joined IBM to head
the organization's cloud division.
While working at both SoftLayer and
IBM, Lance became particularly
attuned to a few pain points that
resulted as side effects of the cloud
industry and keeping cloud systems
secure while scaling at a rapid pace.
After SoftLayer's acquisition by IBM,
Lance knew he had his work cut out
for him in fixing this problem for the
industry he had championed as it grew
to holy-grail status for internet-using
companies and consumers.
He left IBM in 2015 with this goal in
mind.
Make the Internet a Safer Place
Lance's current vision is StackPath: an
however the Internet grows and
whatever StackPath, or StackPath
customers, can innovate. Lance
believes that the entire cloud
revolution is shifting and that it is time
to transform the cloud, starting at the
edge. Lance and StackPath won't stop
creating, innovating and growing until
the Internet is safe. In fact, that is
StackPath's mission: make the Internet
safe.
Making of an Acclaimed Leader
Lance holds an Honorary Doctorate, a
Master of Business Administration, a
Master of Science in Finance, and a
Bachelor's in Finance and Management
from Tarleton State University – a part
of the Texas A&M University system.
He also holds a Juris Doctor from
Texas Wesleyan School of Law and a
Master of Law from SMU. He is a
licensed attorney in the state of Texas,
where he is an active member of the
State Bar of Texas. Even though he
received a law degree, and everyone
recommended him to practice law, he
decided to go against the tide and focus
on “the internet thing” instead.
Before working with SoftLayer and
then StackPath, Lance also served as a
Chief Operating Officer of
ThePlanet.com, where he managed all
operations. He has also served in
management roles at Catalog.com and
Dallas Internet. With these successes in
addition to his renowned work with
SoftLayer, IBM and now StackPath,
Lance has set a consistent example for
Dallas entrepreneurs of finding the big
opportunities in any given sector and
inherently-secure and scalable platform
of edge services that enables
developers of organizations of any size
to protect, accelerate, and innovate any
cloud properties, from websites to
media delivery to IoT services, without
needing cloud security and delivery
expertise of their own. With an
innovative global edge network
infrastructure, StackPath delivers
enterprise-grade security and
performance in a frictionless, on-
demand platform with cloud-scale
control and flexibility. It is specifically
designed to accommodate the crushing
demand of increasing internet traffic in
an ever-expanding spectrum of cyber
threats for companies using the very
cloud technology Lance helped to
bring into existence.
StackPath came out of “stealth” in July
2016 having already acquired four
companies: content delivery network
provider (CDN), MaxCDN;
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
protection company, Staminus; website
security and traffic management
software company, Fireblade; and
virtual private network (VPN)
provider, Cloak. StackPath has since
acquired Highwinds, a second CDN
provider; and infrastructure monitoring
and management company, Server
Density.
While competitors are doing individual
pieces of what StackPath is doing, the
difference is that StackPath is creating
something that doesn't currently exist:
a multi-sided platform ready for
Business Leaders
The Most Inspirational
to Watch 2019
www.insightssuccess.com24 |August 2019

27. Love what you do.
Never stop innovating.
Never stop asking “why”
and challenging the
status quo.
“
creating companies that lead the charge into new eras of
business.
Lance is regularly recognized for his leadership. In 2018, he
was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in
Technology for the Southwest Region. He won this same
award in 2011 with SoftLayer. Lance has won a number of
additional awards including CEO of the Year by Metroplex
Technology Business Council in 2013. A renown authority
of the edge, Lance speaks regularly at events around the
world on the topic.
Advice for Young Entrepreneurs
For young entrepreneurs, Lance suggests that, when an
innovative idea comes in, look at what it will take to bring
that innovation to fruition in terms of both time and money.
In the case of the six companies StackPath has acquired, it
made more sense to purchase these innovative companies
with the pieces of the puzzle necessary to create an
inherently secure internet services at the cloud's edge than
to develop them from scratch and it appears to have been
the right decision. In the first 18 months after launch,
StackPath grew from 30K customers and $16 million in
revenue to 1 million customers and almost $160 million in
revenue. An amazing accomplishment in a relatively short
time.
—Lance Crosby
CEO
StackPath
www.insightssuccess.com August 2019| 25

28. Ineke Kooistra is the CEO of YoungCapital, a leading Dutch recruitment agency, since
2013. She has been working in the recruitment and secondment branches for 25 years.
Additionally, she has also set up and expanded various specializations within the IT
staffing market. Her role as the CEO of the company is to get people moving, motivate
them and coach them.
Together with three male founders, she directs a predominantly female management
team and 1,300 employees, of which 80 percent is also female. This is pure coincidence,
because Ineke doesn’t believe in selecting her employees based on gender.
About the Author
www.insightssuccess.com26 |August 2019

29. Establishing
GenderE uilibr um
At the top
“It’s all about finding someone’s strengths. Women don’t
outperform men and vice versa. But I won’t deny that it
takes a lot of discipline to stay at the top as a woman,”
Ineke expresses. Just like men, women have a lot of
qualities that match perfectly with a leadership role. It’s
important that leadership comes from the heart. And you
need to have the intention to help others grow and make
them better through your role. I call it Servant Leadership.
If you want to make your company a success, you need to
be of service to the company and its people. This has
nothing to do with gender or background.
That’s why a quota for women at the top is completely
nonsense, according to me. All women who really want to
reach the top, will find a way to break through that glass
ceiling. No bias in the world will stop a woman on a
mission to reach that top position. But it’s wrong to think
that anyone with the right capabilities – man or woman –
can work anywhere they want. There should be a match
between your personality, the company’s values and its
culture. And sometimes it’s just a case of pure luck. Being
at the right place at the right time. If this match doesn’t
come naturally, it’s just not meant to be.
But if there is a perfect match between you as a leader and a
company, it’s the first positive step, in my opinion. It’s still
a lot of work. Having all that responsibility takes a lot out
of you. You shouldn’t be afraid to make choices, and that
also means saying no to certain activities in your personal
life.
I am a mother of two and am not home every day. My
husband and I have been able to make it work. I notice that
a lot of women still find it difficult. But you can’t run a
company part time. You need to dare to go full in. Those
doubts often appear during the initial job interview. Women
say “I want to be a director, but I still have children that I
need to bring to school. Is that possible?” As if there are no
male CEOs that bring their kids to school. The big
difference is that men don’t ask these kinds of questions.
They just do it!
Balance
It’s all about balance. Recently, I attended a forum on
female leadership, where I talked about my role as a CEO.
In the audience, were female students who were just about
to graduate. When the moderator asked which of them
wanted the same job as me, only three of the four hundred
students raised their hands. The moderator was shocked,
and asked the audience what was going on. “She works too
much”, was the answer. “And we also want to be able to go
to parties, exercise and have a social life.” That shocked me
a little. It’s not that I don’t do anything else besides work.
My downtime, social life and work activities are just one
big mix. It’s true that I’m constantly thinking about work.
But I also allow myself to go for a run in the morning or see
my hairdresser during the week. To me, it’s just one full
week in which I can do a lot.
Did I have this go-getter mentality as a child, since I
already knew I wanted to one day reach the top? I think so.
But, at the same time, all the things I hoped for as a child
didn’t come true. What I got is a lot better. I definitely don’t
regret the choices that I’ve made. I started a family, got
married, and am the CEO of a young and ambitious
company. I should therefore be the last person to decide
whether or not one should have a leadership position based
on a ‘home situation’. How you combine the two is up to
you. And yes, that takes a lot of discipline. But if you have
natural leadership qualities, I believe everything is going to
be alright.
The key to achieving this? As a female – or male – leader,
you need to learn to let go and prioritise. Just do your best
and focus on making things better for other people.
Unbiased Future
www.insightssuccess.com August 2019| 27

32. Marcus
Schmalbach
Mounting Leadership through Perseverance
Leadership is more of a
responsibility than a
designation. It involves
inspiring others and and building trust
betweeen team members. Leaders also
have toto strategize the work culture
management and associate with
organization as a symbol of
perseverance. Dr. Marcus
Schmalbach (MBA / PhD), a
renowned professor of business
management and Founder and CEO
of RYSKEX GmbH is one such leader
who is exemplifyingstrategic
leadership with some impressive
business management traits.
Marcus has a long-standing experience
in risk and captive management in
various industries. Prior to RYSKEX,
he was Head of German of MBA
program located in Bielefeld,
Germany. He is still working as a
visiting professor on Innovation and
Risk Management matters with
universities in Germany and USA.
Serving Top Players
RYSKEX’s customers are the risk and
insurance management departments of
blue-chip companies that are both very
able to make unpopular decisions are
some of the most important attributes
that every leader should possess.
Every Day is a New Challenge
Marcus considers that in a start-up with
a disruptive business model, every day
is a challenge and a test. A daily
struggle and a departure from decisions
where cooperating with traditional
market participants, yes or no, which
venture capital company is the right
one?, Which form of financing is the
right one in the medium or long term?,
What do we focus on, which markets,
which technical solutions must be
included in the MVP, and which can be
implemented later? These are the
frequent questions one has to deal with
several times a day and which can
decide whether victory or defeat,
especially at the beginning of the
business cycle. He thinks founders are
the people who look around for that
thrill. If they are equally equipped with
a "leader gene", they can create a game
change.
An Extraordinary Approach
Marcus in his early thirties had already
completed an academic career, and was
smart and at the same time very
traditional thinker. The company uses
the possibilities of modern
technologies like AI and Blockchain to
support its highly innovative solutions.
However, the company focuses on
value addition, customer needs, and
creating a symbiosis of future-oriented
technology with trustworthy
cooperation. Especially in the B2B
sector, customer confidence -even in
the age of digital transformation is the
elementary component for success.
Leaders are Risk Takers
Marcus advocates the opinion that
leaders are born and one can’t train
these skills. It’s also hard for him to
name the real characteristics of a
leader. Many people believe that a
leader has to be a positive guy with a
high empathy, but Marcus has some
different opinion to it. He opines,A
leader must have a higher goal in mind
and radiate the faith and charisma that
people follow him whether he is
punctual, attaches importance to
diversity in the company or possesses a
lot of empathy is irrelevant to me.”
According to him, integrity, charisma,
goal orientation and the backbone to be
Business Leaders
The Most Inspirational
to Watch 2019
www.insightssuccess.com30 |August 2019

33. RYSKEX is pursuing
the goal of
revolutionizing the
insurance market in
a similar way to
Uber or Airbnb -
towards a platform-
based sharing
economy.
extremely young for a study program director. Building
houses, getting married and having children seemed to be
the next logical steps to him. But he was never like that and
was constantly looking for a new challenge. Convinced
with this thought that his life’s work would be something
else he put together an extraordinarily talented team, he left
university and founded RYSKEX. And with all the
challenges or precisely because of the daily challenges, this
became best decision of his life.
Steady with the Course
The progress of RYSKEX shows that its model can
certainly determine the future of the industry and the goal is
to create exception. However, this is still a long way off and
the future will show whether the company will still be on
the market in next years’ time or whether traditional
companies such as Lloyd´s of London have overtaken it.
The team at RYSKEX is confident enough to say that the
company cooperates with very reputable and economically
well-off companies that believe in it. Marcus has a positive
look at the globe and say that in just two to three year
RYSKEX has established itself in the market. As a CEO
one takes the lead by taking responsibility on the journey
and has to present himself as a leader. Successes from the
past are the basis to look positively into the future.
Perseverance and Self Confidence is the Key
Marcus admires two men of world history and their
testimonies to shape his mindset. One is Mahatma Gandhi
and the following quote from him: “First they ignore you,
then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
The other quote comes from Steve Jobs: “It doesn’t make
sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do, we
hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” Real game
changing business models are often difficult to identify or
are torpedoed by the “old economy”. According to Marcus,
perseverance must be shown and at the same time capable
employees must be united in the company whom one trusts,
and with a lot of luck, one win in the end.
Dr. Marcus Schmalbach
CEO
RYSKEX
www.insightssuccess.com August 2019| 31

34. Attributes
of a Good
Leader
www.insightssuccess.com32 |August 2019

35. Leadership is about using the
power of a position to
empower a group of people in
order to attain a common goal. A
leader’s task is to implement the plans
that usually look good on paper,
through a delegated team, in a specific
time with an ongoing motion. She/he
may use the traditional method or may
think out of the box. It depends on the
leader as how to do it; the ultimate
motive is to get the job done.
Although, each and every individual
has a different approach on leadership,
some might say it is about setting
examples, some might say it is about
sharing the authority; what matters is,
taking the right decision when it is
most needed.
Leadership varies from one
organization to another. An
organization is a dynamic body and
creates new probabilities every now
and then. And with new probabilities,
come new challenges.
Although, it is impossible to overcome
every challenge, the business
environment has adopted certain
leadership styles for the efficiency of
business:
The Participative Leader
Participative Leadership is the process
of sharing authority with the work
force in order to get optimum
efficiency. The team, after getting
access to certain powers, works
responsibly to accomplish the goals set
by its leader. The shared leadership
also helps in case of any requirement
of change, as the employees adapt
quickly in such environment.
Incidentally, this style of leadership fits
best in a scenario when there is a
limitation of time.
The Transformational Leader
A transformational leader inspires the
team through effective communication
and an intellectual environment.
However, these individuals require
communication grows. Especially,
when it comes to leadership, there is no
scope for lack of communication. A
Leader who fails to develop this skill is
looked up as incompetent, because it is
his job to send the message loud and
clear. Although, it is also important to
listen as it is an integral part of
communication.
Ÿ Integrity
C.S. Lewis said, “Integrity is doing the
right thing, even when no one is
watching.” Be it giving credit to one of
the team members or be it admitting a
mistake, a leader wears integrity as a
badge of honor. They do what is right,
no matter what.
Ÿ Empowerment
As mentioned earlier, Leadership is
about using the power of one’s position
to empower a group of people in order
to attain a common goal. A good leader
shares his authority with the team in
order to get the job done. By doing
this, he shows confidence in the team
and obliged by the gesture, the team
works with full enthusiasm to
accomplish the goal.
Ÿ Decision making
There is risk in decision to making.
Great leaders take great decisions
when the stake is high and it is the
success of those decisions that make
them great. To add up, a good leader
takes right decision at the right time.
In conclusion, a good leader can be
defined by the dynamics of his style in
leadership, the values that he brings to
the organization, the methods he uses
to make the best of the resources, and
the kind of decision he makes in the
given situations. At the end it is about
the attitude of an individual to bring
the change for good.
more detail oriented managers to
successfully implement their strategies.
Transformational Leadership is
considered among the most effective
employees of the organization. One of
the examples of this type of leadership
is when a leader is assigned on a higher
level for effective environment.
The Transactional leader
The transactional leadership, as the
name suggests, enables the leader to
incentivize the team corresponding to
their performance. The team gets
rewarded when it attains the goals and
the Leader has the power to review the
results and act accordingly when the
team fails to do the same. The goals
and the strategy to attain them are
decided by the leader and the team
itself.
The Situational leader
Situational leadership is a theory that
the best leader will adapt to the
required leadership style according to
need of the hour. A Situational leader
may adopt democratic style while
discussion business with senior
executive, but may switch to
transactional at the time of team
review. However every individual has
a natural style of leadership and it may
be difficult to switch roles at a certain
point of time.
Qualities of a good leader
There is an old proverb that says,
“Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed
Him for a Day. Teach a Man to Fish,
and You Feed Him for a Lifetime.” So
is the case with leadership. One of the
basic qualities of a Leader is to pass on
the leadership skills.
Following are some of the qualities of
a good leader:
Ÿ Communication Skills
Communication is the basic
requirement for efficiency in a
business. As the level of hierarchy
elevates, the requirement of
www.insightssuccess.com August 2019| 33
The Art of Leading

38. Owen RichardsBoosting Business Development through Customer Centric Offering
In marketing, potential buyers are not only convinced
with hyper marketing, but also observe the hard work
that an organisation puts into customer service.
Understanding the true power of customer service and
vigorous competition in telemarketing Owen Richards,
Managing Director at Air Marketing Group is displaying
the outstanding leadership through innovative and proven
business development strategies.
Below are highlights from the interview conducted between
Owen and Insights Success:
Give a brief overview of your background and your role
in Air Marketing Group.
I began my sales career in 2007 when I joined Forrest
Marketing Group in Australia. I stayed with that
organisation for 8 years building my way from a Telesales
Executive to the Head of Sales & Operations. In 2016, I
started Air Marketing Group in the UK, having moved
home to start a family. In our first 3 years Air has grown to
a team of more than 60 people and has made its mark as
one of the leading outsourced sales and marketing
organisations in the UK. As a result of the success, we now
have two more organisations launching alongside Air. As
Managing Director, I spend much of my time working
strategically on our business as well as leading the senior
management team who inspire our wider team every day.
How do you diversify your solutions that appeal to your
target audience?
Transparency plays a huge part; every phone call made on
behalf of our clients is recorded and is accessible, we offer
reporting in live time on all our activity and we welcome
our clients into our office to meet and work with their team
directly. We use data in an intelligent way to learn from our
activity and maximise the efficiency of each of our clients’
programmes. We automate processes to increase
productivity and we integrate direct sales with a digital
marketing approach. However, the quality of people within
our team is always our biggest attribute, and the culture that
is driven from within. The people in Team Air are
ultimately what sets us apart and this is what I am most
proud of. And these are just some of the reasons our clients
tell us that our services deliver such a great ROI (£18
revenue for every £1 invested last year.)
Describe some of the vital attributes that every leader
should possess.
For me, leaders need to be comfortable with being
uncomfortable, comfortable with change and comfortable
with being vulnerable. All too often I meet business leaders
who are afraid of being wrong, who are afraid of showing
their emotions, or whose emotions drive everything they do
(especially when under pressure). The best leaders I’ve met
and have had the pleasure of working with are those who I
knew as a real person. They are those whose faults I was
aware of and took the time to praise and constructively
criticise in an open and honest way. They have always been
the people to drive, encourage and welcome change. And
the best leaders are those who are prepared to make
mistakes openly and accept the learnings that come.
What were the past experiences, achievements or lessons
that shaped your journey?
Like everyone there are far too many to mention. However,
some do always stand out. In 2016, when Air was only 6
months old as an organisation, we won a contract with a
large financial organisation which meant that we had to hire
20 people within the space of around a month. Now, at that
time we only had around 15 employees, so this meant more
than doubling our team almost overnight. That month
seemed to be, at the time, one of the worst months of my
career. However, looking back on it now it was one of the
best and it was certainly the month in which I learnt the
most. In Australia, my business partner and I grew the
business from around 10 people, when I started in 2007, to
over 100 people over the space of 8 years. The biggest
lessons that stick with me today and that I continue to
repeat to others are:
Say yes and find a way- do not be scared of new
opportunities, even if you don’t know how you’re going to
make them work just yet.
Culture is key- within any business driven by people, your
culture will make or break you.
Hire people who are better than you - you can’t be the
best at everything so recognise your faults and hire people
who have strengths in those areas.
www.insightssuccess.com36 |August 2019

39. Let people do their job- micromanagement is the single
worst thing within business leaders.
Drive change, encourage change and welcome change-
things will change, whether you like it or not, so why not
embrace it?
Where does Air Marketing Group see itself in the near
future and how will you catalyse the change?
We intend on continued, aggressive growth. My role in that
is simple; I must empower others to drive that change, help
them to feel a sense of ownership and pride in the
organisation and ensure that they are rewarded accordingly,
because one person cannot do it all.
What is your advice for the emerging leaders?
There is so much but it goes without saying that you must
work hard. Many have forgotten that! But for me, one of the
most impressive traits in an emerging leader, even more so
in the market we work in today, is loyalty. If you work only
for the reward that might come today, you may suffer from
short-sightedness. However, if you can remain focused on
tomorrow’s rewards, my experience is that it will always
pay off.
Be real, be
human, and
look like
you’re
enjoying the
ride. And
remember
that you
have a life
outside of
your
business, so
live it.
”
“
Owen Richards
Managing Director
Air Marketing Group
Business Leaders
The Most Inspirational
to Watch 2019
www.insightssuccess.com August 2019| 37

40. The past several years have brought about sweeping
changes in business technologies from main stream
adoption of AI and voice activated devices to AR
and VR solutions. Personal assistants power multiple
devices and the internet of things push companies to keep
up or get left behind. As emerging technologies push
forward, consumers are getting use to a level of service,
unimaginable just a few years ago. Millennials and Gen
Z’ers have grown accustomed to being able to customize
everything, get it the next day, and return it with no
ramifications.
All of these technological advances are changing the way
business is conducted at a base level and automation is
finding its way into everything from marketing to
warehousing. To cap it all off SEO is becoming increasing
qualitative. Since quantitative factors can be gamed to beat
the system, giants like Google and Amazon have decided
that just because your company has an excellent keyword
and schema strategy, doesn’t mean your business is the best
at what it does. Both are relying more on qualitative factors
like customer conversions, customer reviews, and even the
amount of foot traffic you have at your physical locations.
Amazon and Google get set to square off as the Ecomm
arms race continues to escalate and Zero Click ECommerce
becomes ground zero for these platforms to gain your
business. Zero Click Ecomm allows you to book a service
or buy a product from your home speaker or phone without
leaving the Google or Amazon platform or going through a
traditional checkout process.
In order to succeed, businesses need to be flexible, adapt to
a changing landscape and meet consumer expectations.
What often is not addressed, however, is whether a business
should adopt these technologies and how to decide which
ones make sense. With development costs for custom built
consumer-based apps starting at 100k and lead times over 3
months, todays CITOs and CEOs need to drive innovation,
protect it, and capitalize on it just to stay ahead of the
competition. Three technologies or revolutions that every
business needs to consider right now are Artificial
Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), and Zero Click
Ecomm.
Ÿ Artificial Intelligence (AI): No matter what generation
you are from, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has impacted
you in some way. The old chess playing robot Deep
Blue project, with origins dating back to the 80’s, has
evolved into the advanced systems like IBM Watson and
Amazon Lex. Once highly guarded proprietary systems,
AI platforms have become open and friendly to
developers with systems capable of learning and driving
results. Today Artificial Intelligence drives consumer
interactions through website and texting platforms.
Many automated marketing platforms are incorporating
AI to make sure that your advertisements reach the
people most likely to purchase your product.
AI is an emerging tech that all businesses need to put on
their short list. PWC predicted that AI will help marketing
solutions based on Big Data and we already see business
systems like Buxton incorporating AI into their mapping
models. AI is advancing science, marketing, and business
management, AI has the power to predict results, improve
ROI, and save money.
Ÿ Augmented Reality (AR): Augmented Reality is
becoming a game changer for many industries, however,
what exactly is it and how does it benefit modern
business? Many people I talk with still confuse
Augmented Reality with Virtual Reality (VR). Virtual
Reality is a 3D environment, a complete virtual world
that is immersive where the consumer is fully rendered
inside a digital space and requires somewhat
cumbersome electronics like headsets and haptics to
complete the experience, (á la Ready Player One).
Augmented Reality (AR) is much more practical and
prevalent. AR allows the consumer to change things about
their real environment with the assistance of technology,
Emerging Tech and
Revolutions to
Avoid Digital Irrelevance
www.insightssuccess.com38 |August 2019

41. usually a phone app or integrated web tech. The beauty space
has flocked to AR to allow consumers to virtually try on make
up or change their hair color such as the YouCam Makeup –
Magic Selfie Cam showcased at the 2019 CES show. These
are practical solutions to consumer pain points, allowing them
to try before they buy. AR can help a consumer choose
furniture, car accessories, and more, as they look in real life
on themselves or in their own house as opposed to how they
think they will look be online images. Wayfair has been
leading the charge in this space and revealed at Shoptalk that
they are digitizing much of their online inventory and
converting them into interactive images.
Ÿ Zero Click Ecomm: Zero Click Ecomm isn’t tech, but it
is a revolution. Powerhouses Google and Amazon are
going head to head for your business and it is a two-pony
race. According to an Adeptmind Survery, 46% of product
searches originated on Amazon compared to 34%
originating on Google. Amazon has been dominating the
global Ecomm market, proving a long tail strategy can be
immensely successful. As they grow, Amazon is bringing
that level of innovation into the brick and mortar world
with automated checkout and account based transactions.
Google however has not given up. They may be behind in
product search originations, but according to Statista.com
63% of all searches still start with Google. Google’s goal
over the next couple of years will be to have you never
leave the Google Platform. Google’s technology
investments in Google Business, Google Merchant,
Google Manufacturer, Google Reserve, and Google
Analytics, allows business to list their location, sell their
products, book their services, advertise their wares, and
track their ROI, all without ever leaving the Google Suite.
As business tech evolves and progresses, business need to
keep pace to avoid becoming obsolete. The good news is that
as the tech advances so do the solutions, and many software
companies are building out of the box solutions for various
industries to bring you up to date. There are AI solutions for
customer service, marketing, and management. There are AR
app builders who can help you utilize the technology for your
consumer solutions, even if your company hasn’t been
keeping up to date. It will be every CEOs responsibility to
provide the vision of how the tech fits into their organization
and CITOs and CMOs will be integrating the technology and
pushing it even further. If we embrace the change, we will be
able to do more and achieve higher ROIs with deeply
satisfying consumer experiences. Artificial Intelligence will
make sense of Big Data, Augmented Reality will provide the
ultimate customer experience, and Zero Click Ecomm will
make the transaction process easier and simpler, bringing
more ROI to companies with the vision to utilize the
technology and avoid digital irrelevance.
Greg Forsythe is the Senior Director
of Branding and Innovation for Deka
Lash and serves as a marketing
consultant and advisor for the
beauty and wellness industries.
Greg has directed commercial
projects for Fortune 100 clients
such as Wal-Mart, CVS, Verizon,
Kroger, Walgreens, Johnson and
Johnson, and UPS. Greg
studied Operations
Management at Penn State
before obtaining his
Marketing Certification
from The Wharton
School.
About the Author
Tech Outlook
www.insightssuccess.com August 2019| 39