Shifting Tides in FinTech: Çhad Otar of Lending Valley

www.insightssuccess.com
VOL-04 | ISSUE-15 | 2022
ost
M
to Follow in
0
The
Business Leaders
Inn vative
2022
Çhad
Otar
Shifting Tides in FinTech
Founder CEO
Lending Valley
Leadership Redeﬁned
Enroute to Success
Innova on- The Key
Innova on Deﬁnes Success

Innovative
Lessons to
Remember
ne of the most important lessons of life that you'll
Olearn is 'try everything.' You've got to go the
distance and take some risks at least once in your
life. This makes human life complete – the curiosity of
learning and understanding everything.
Technology and innovation result from one such curiosity
that has brought the transformation into the world. The
development of human discovery to build and operate these
cutting-edge technologies at their best.
Leadership plays a collaborative role here in the building
and enhances the talent pools needed to design, improve
and operate facilities. We need innovative leaders at various
fronts to encourage and enable the required business talent
and strengthen emerging innovative applications. It
th
becomes evident as we enter the 4 period of
industrialization – 'Digital Industrialization.' Business
leaders can create an environment of innovation in the
team, promote risk-taking culture and try new things to
explore the best of innovation.
For Leaders, the three core principles of innovation are:
Ÿ Ensure Timely Support – The team's trust here is crucial
because once the entire team works towards achieving
the common goal, the company's aim becomes easy.
Ÿ Improve Profitability and Competitiveness – Leaders are
responsible for generating competitive advantage by
meeting the organizational expectations of investors,
customers, and shareholders.
Ÿ Reduce Costs – Innovation involves risks, but leaders
need to focus on reducing costs for the organization.
Innovation offers a broader way to include IT sources that
include everything from strategy consulting, IT roadmap,
and help desk services. Both small and large businesses are
benefited from technological services. It is meant to be
utilized in tandem with internal teams. Still, there is a
wrong perception that innovation will take away IT jobs,
which simply isn't true. That's because the end goal of
Editor’s Desk

innovation is to complement the skills and deliver
the best IT services to the organization and the
leaders.
More than anything, leaders are the ones who must
build trust and relationships with the clients and the
team members. Therefore, leaders have the
unbelievable opportunity to move beyond traditional
IT support. To thrive in today's competitive business
environment, leaders should always evaluate ways to
get ahead. It also enables a more efficient and
productive workforce.
An innovative leader understands the business's
goals and can align the team accordingly to meet
these goals. Here, the leader needs to have flexibility
and scalability within himself, or else it won't be able
to grow the way business leaders might desire. The
innovative strategic leader will understand the
clients' business and formulate a plan for how
technology applications can support the business
now and in the future.
Having such a true leader provides great value,
support, and able to provide expertise beyond the
ability to fix problems as they arise. To anticipate
this, Insights Success uncover such innovative
leaders through its upcoming project – "The 10 Most
Innovative Business Leaders to Follow in 2022,"
who have raised the bar of innovative leadership
with their skills and talents. These leaders know what
they are good at and contribute largely to the team,
organization, and industry.
This brings us to the end of this editorial note, so
make sure you also go through the industry articles
written by the in-house editorial team to understand
the digital aspect of leading businesses.
sourabh@insightssuccess.com
Sourabh More

A R T I C L E S
28
42
Leadership Redeﬁned
Enroute to Success
C O V E R
S T O R Y
08
C O N T E N T S
ÇHAD
OTAR
Shifting Tides
in FinTech
Innovation- The Key
Innovation Deﬁnes Success

18 Carsten Nygaard Broegger
Leading YOU to Choose a Better Future
30
24
Derek Anthony A Distinct Leader with Innovative Approach
34
JeanineJerkovic
Creating Thriving Business Environment for the
Community with Workforce Development Initiatives
38
May Yap A Proﬁcient with Extensive Work Experience
Petar Reshovski
Ran Rachlin 44
48
14
Brandon Hernandez
YOUR Trusted Partner for Outsourcing Services
in Consumer Products Industry
Assisting Clients with Insight-Driven Approach and
a Constant Desire to Learn and Improve
The 10 Most Innovative Business Leaders
to Follow in 2022
Shayne Neuwirth
Fearless of any Failures in Finance
Souad Benkredda 52
A Remarkable Instance of Authentic Leadership

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April, 2022
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Whole Brain Consulting experts provide you with optimal
solutions in the areas of: quality assurance, supply chain
management, operations management and contract
manufacturing sourcing.
Featured Person
Whole Brain Consulting
whole-brain-consulting.com
Brandon Hernandez
Co-founder
Lending Valley is provides all small business owners access to
the best loans possible for their business.
Lending Valley
lending valley.com
Chad Otar
Founder and CEO
Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group,
with a presence in more than 60 of the world’s most dynamic
markets.
Standard
Chartered sc.com
Souad Benkredda
Managing Director
Head of Financial
Markets UAE
Woodmont specializes in every aspect of commercial real
estate, including development, asset management, tenant
representation, brokerage, construction supervision, and
investment sales.
Woodmont Company
woodmont.com
Derek Anthony
Vice President
Surprise, Arizona is home to nearly 140,000 residents who
enjoy safe neighborhoods and a family-friendly environment.
Surprise
AZ surpriseaz.gov
Jeanine Jerkovic
Economic
Development Director
LHT Holoings is the Transportation, Logistics and Storage.
Iht
iht.com.sg
May Yap
Senior Vice President
Williams & Marshall Strategy is a global full-service market
research and consulting company.
Williams & Marshall
Strategy
wm-strategy.com
Petar Reshovski
General Manager
Ubertesters is a crowd-based, complete mobile apps/web
testing solution provider.
Ubertesters
ubertesters.com
Ran Rachlin
Co-founder & CEO
CasusGrill™ is an award-winning Danish innovation company.
CasusGrill
casusgrill.com
Carsten Nygaard
Brogger
Founder and CEO
Shayne R. Neuwirth CPA, PLLC provides outstanding tax,
accounting, and consulting services to both individual and
business clients.
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srncpa.com
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Owner-Operator
ost
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The
Business Leaders
Inn vative
2022

Çhad Otar
Founder CEO
Lending Valley
C
o
v
e
r
S
t
o
r
y

Çhad Otar
Shifting Tides in FinTech
Providing YOU
with a funding
program that
meets your
nancial needs.
The 10 Most Innovative Business Leaders to Follow in 2022

Çhad thanks his team's Sharmylla, Clark, Sadman,
Danielle, wealth of experience in the industry, as it was
crucial to have working relationships to afford the clients
the deals and customer service they are searching for. LV's
motto, "providing a lending hand for your business,"
couldn't be more accurate — its white-glove service
allowed them to break through into an otherwise crowded
market.
Making an Impact Since 2019
There's no denying that FinTech lenders were borne out of
necessity. However, their delivery method of rapid-capital
services was an industry game-changer in many ways.
Çhad shares, "Firstly, we understood the gap in the market.
Back in 2019, the funding world needed another player. It
seemed to stand stagnant — the current lenders found a
workable solution and stuck with it. Of course, there's no
problem there; after all, the saying, "if it ain't broke, don't
fix it," exists for a reason. But we knew our years of
industry knowledge and our diverse team could offer
something extra."
Çhad continues, "Secondly, we took a unique approach to
credit. Traditional lenders value borrowers with near-
perfect credit scores. But we recognized that many
adversities faced by business owners were completely out of
their control, making it unjust to judge them solely from the
current credit score. Thus, we created a platform that won't
ever penalize our clients for less-than-perfect credit, no
collateral, zero credit, or any other financial hardship. Life
throws us curveballs as it is; we're not here to throw more."
At last, he erased the ever-present convolution in the
finance industry. Having been an active participant in the
finance space for many years, Çhad completely understood
business owners' apprehension when considering capital
acquisition options. Financial jargon and legal terms are
abundant with all sorts of loans and lending deals. So, he
removed it and focused instead on LV's customer service.
Lending Valley offers individual attention and care to every
one of its clients. Çhad's team does everything from the
paperwork to taking risks to get their customers where they
want to be. He adds, "We don't grow if our glorious clients
don't grow alongside us."
B
olstered by a team of fantastic individuals,
each with their unique set of skills and
experience, resulting in Lending Valley's
innovation made waves in the FinTech
market, allowing it to become the country's
leader funding provider. Led by Çhad Otar, the Founder
and CEO, has curated a team of the industry's best
underwriters and business development manager who have
industry-specific experience and knowledge, giving them
the ability to underwrite and fund deals.
Çhad helps small to midsized business owners obtain
capital for expansion, hiring, equipment, marketing,
infrastructure, working capital, debt consolidation, and
much more. He is honored to be included in the 10 Most
Innovative Business Leaders to Follow in 2022 and is
excited to share LV's story.
Finding Success from Adversity
As a first-generation American and a three-time cancer
survivor, Çhad always wanted to make something of
himself. His main aim was turning adversity into
accomplishments, which he fortunately achieved.
Çhad's career began in 2007 while studying at Columbia,
finding himself in the sales division at American Allied
Funding and staying there until 2012 until he became a
senior funding specialist at Capital Stack.
After a year, Çhad became CEO of Excel Capital
Management and increased its revenue by 430% over four
years. But it wasn't until 2019 that he decided it was time to
create Lending Valley and build the incredible team it has
today.
Lending Valley: Our Missions and Visions
Lending Valley's goal is to offer every small business owner
the best financing at phenomenal rates within the same day
and or in 24 hours.
Çhad notes, "Sadly, the finance industry is littered with
high-cost financing and unattractive interest percentages.
So, our primary mission is to act as a safe haven for small-
and medium-sized business owners to obtain the money they
need as quickly as possible.”

Value-Driven Toward Success
Lending Valley promotes a familial atmosphere which has
proven to be one of its major success factors. Çhad is aware
of the financial sector's impersonal criticism and has broken
away from that mold. He ensures a heartwarming work-life
balance for all the teams and strives to create a home-from-
home atmosphere for our staff and customers alike.
LV treats its customers as family, and the results have been
astounding.
Çhad mentions, "Of course, we can't forget about our
24-hour turnaround time when discussing the factors
propelling us to success. Emergencies don't wait for you, so
we don't make you wait for financing. Many of our
customers are fraught with stress when searching for
capital. We never add to that by introducing further
obstacles; that's the beauty of FinTech companies like us —
fast and reliable capital solutions."
Lending Valley, Inc. Leveraging The Ever-Changing
Technological Landscape
LV has always leaned into brand-new, innovative
technology to expand its slice of the market's pie. But 2022
is set to be one of the most exciting for technological
advancements, and the Lending Valley team is more than
ready to leverage it all.
It looks to make its underwriting team faster by further
automating parts of its process. It plans to make the most
out of everything Big Data and advanced machine learning
offer.
Çhad expresses, "In that aspect, we're eons ahead of the
traditional lending curve. We aren't nervous about making
significant automation changes to power quicker funding
distributions and higher customer satisfaction results. Plus,
the more technology progresses, the lower the risk of
default — a win-win for everybody involved."
Additionally, LV is continuing its migration to cloud
technology. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most FinTech
companies and other financial services moved to the cloud.
However, the chaos caused by coronavirus accelerated
everybody's efforts. Cloud technology makes it easier for
them to tailor packages and provide a better service based
on technological progress like blockchain and AI.
Essentially, harnessing the improvements is the only way
Lending Valley can continue moving forward in the fast-
paced micro-lending sector.
The Changes LV Hopes to Make
The world and the financial sector, in particular, have
changed a lot since we started in June 2019. From the
pandemic accelerating the trajectory of cloud-based
solutions to customers looking for rapid capital, the finance
market is entirely different from a few years ago. There are
a couple of changes the company hopes to inspire in the
sector over the following years.
Number one is to help the small business industry get back
on track by continuously providing capital to those who
need it. Coronavirus has disrupted the industry, causing
many never to reopen their doors.
LV wants to be a part of that change and offer the money
they need to come out of this stronger. Çhad is proud to be
in a position where our bespoke solutions and technology
have allowed many small- and medium-sized businesses to
continue operating.
Providing
YOU with
multiple
options in
real-time

Additionally, Çhad would like to encourage more
entrepreneurs to break into the finance world, hoping to
inspire others who faced challenges at young ages to find
success in an otherwise impersonal industry. Çhad states
that LV's familial atmosphere has driven it to the dizzying
heights of success, and there's no better change than helping
others obtain that feeling.
Finance Industry Changes: The Predictions
In Çhad's opinion, the next big change in the finance
industry is the application of artificial intelligence (AI),
robotic process automation (RPA), and machine learning
(ML). AI and ML in the finance world have continued to
grow over the years. They're always improving their
algorithms, data analysis process, and pattern recognition to
ensure better interpretation of financial information.
As for RPA, the possibilities are endless! The industry is
sure to experience increased automation and gain more time
to tap into the strategies behind their processes. It's
undoubtedly an enjoyable time to be part of the industry.
The Future Is Lending Valley
Lending Valley's goals are to keep growing and continue
sticking to our motto, "providing a lending hand for your
business." The constant industry improvements allow
Lending Valley to be on the top, offering white-glove
service to current and future clients.
LV is constantly on the lookout for ways to improve its
services. Çhad notes, "Complacency isn't in our vocabulary.
Our team is always striving for the next level to maintain
our fantastic track record of catering to merchants who
would otherwise be left without working capital. Lending
Valley is certainly here for the long haul, and we're excited
to continue helping small businesses in need."
Breaking Into the Finance Industry: The Advice
The finance sector can be a daunting market to venture into.
So, Çhad's primary piece of advice is to embrace fear and
also a leader is as only as good as the people around him.
He says, "You're bound to be scared starting on your own,
but fear is a motivator like no other. Using it to your
advantage might be the best decision you ever make. As
long as you have the knowledge to back up your endeavors,
you're bound to make it with a lot of hard work and
perseverance."
Çhad also suggests finding a mentor as you feel less lonely,
but they'll teach you valuable lessons they've undoubtedly
had to learn the hard way.
Thank You, For Everything
Expressing his gratitude for his success, Çhad says, "I'd like
to take a moment to thank my mother, brother, and everyone
who doubted me."
"To my mom, who taught me more about strength and
sacrifice than I could've imagined, thank you. To my
brother, who gave me the encouragement and support I
needed to venture into the financial world, thank you. And
to everybody who doubted me, you lit the fire inside me that
said, "keep going," so thank you. Great things are on their
way!" Çhad concludes.
At Lending
Valley, we
believe our
customers
deserve the best!

Mark T
ruman
Founder & CEO
Arc V
ehicle
14 | March 2022 | insightssuccess.com

With a mission to provide the highest level of
outsourced operations focusing on QA/QC,
supply chain, co-man sourcing, R&D, and
private equity operational due diligence, Brandon
Hernandezco-founded Whole Brain Consulting.
After earning his degree in Biology from Colorado State
University, Brandon began his career in food safety, supply
chain, R&D, and general plant operations management
starting at Zateca Foods now Teasdale Latin Foods. He
spent several years working his way through the
operational, research and development, supply chain, and
quality assurance aspects of food manufacturing and now
plans to use those skills in the Boulder/CPG communities.
Embarking Excellence
Brandon started the company from scratch, enduring
several challenges ranging from non-payment,
disagreements, expanding the brick-and-mortar aspect of
the business while gaining traction in a highly competitive
industry. However, he overcame these hurdles and
demanding the best from his team.
Brandon's journey has been a constant roller-coaster,but he
always manages to change the tides building strong
relationships and imprinting his mark on the industry. He
shares, "Gaining the respect of people in the industry was
just as rewarding as building a prosperous company.
Sometimes visions align, and sometimes they don't, but I
would hope that everyone would recognize the guidance we
give comes from a place, of what we believe, is in the
clients' best interest."
Outsourcing Experts
Whole Brain Consulting takes a complex large industry
machine and makes it understandable to even it's most
novice clientele. Brandon feels logistics and supply chain
can feel daunting to anyone, and even more so to a novice,
so we use our experience to flatten the learning curve for
our clients.

By integrating across multiple platforms, Whole Brain
Consulting differentiates itself from the rest by cultivating
and maintaining friendships with members of the
logistics/supply chain communities.We have found that it
doesn't matter what type of technology you have, ifyou
don't know how to use it.
Ready, Set, Initiate
According to Brandon, the advent of AI techniques and
analyses will be pivotal for the manufacturing environment.
He believes that AI will undoubtedly make its logical way
into manufacturing. Outside of operational efficiency, QA is
the next logical place for AI to advance processing. He
notes, "From intelligent foreign material detection devices
to microbiological
analysis, AI will start to
shape the way we
understand our
processing environments.
At Whole Brain, we
simply continue to
monitor those advances
and adapt our consulting
accordingly."
Going Beyond
Brandon's future goal for
WBC is to learn from the
industry and start
applying them to other
sectors/categories.
Ultimately, he wants
WBC to fulfill its goal as
a business and trusted
industry partner,
leveraging into the
philanthropicspace
ensuring a better world
for those coming behind
us.
A Piece of Advice
Brandon advises aspiring
entrepreneurs venturing
into the supply chain
industry to never stop
learning. "The supply chain world will continue to change
and evolve, and I think that will only accelerate as
blockchain and other technologies make their way into the
sector and technological advances continue." Brandon
concludes.

Carsten Nygaard Broegger
Founder and CEO
CasusGrill ApS

Carsten Nygaard
Broegger
Leading YOU to Choose a Better Future
nnovative ideas are the predicament of the leaders that
Itook a different approach and took valid actions to
make them a reality. It makes them unique, and a
sought-out leader keen on driving change can inspire,
cultivate, and ignite meaningful changes in the world. Akin
to such innovative leadership skills is Carsten Nygaard
Broegger.
As the Founder and CEO of CasusGrill, Carsten aims to
become a role model for the market in disposable barbecue
and inspire others to become healthier and environmentally
conscious about the products they may encounter.
CasusGrill™ is an award-winning Danish innovation
company with a green DNA and passion for making a
difference for the planet earth. It aims to combine
sustainability and smart, functional design to re-design and
make a green transformation of existing products, which we
use every day.
A Persistent Journey
Born and raised in a family that has a long history in the
furniture industry, Carsten's upbringing was highly
influenced by life lessons and challenges that came with it.
He reminisced that the conversations at dinner were often
about how they could change and innovate while perceiving
how new tomorrow will be!
Creativity and development have always been the essential
things in Carsten's life that helped him shape to become
what he is today. He says, "My wife often expresses her
dissatisfaction when we shop because I do not look at the
products, but more how things change. It can be anything
from store decor, customer behavior, trends, and
compositions or how things are simply made!”
Carsten knows that being an entrepreneur is not just rosy!
Getting a good idea presents many challenges and

pondering questions. How should your new idea be made?
How do you fund your idea? How to create success with the
idea? How do you protect your idea? Speaking from
experience, Carsten asserts, "I have made my mistakes and
fallen into many "stupid" fall groups. One thing is for sure
if you do not dare to think differently and change things, the
road to success is much longer.”
Carsten states that everything may sound extremely simple,
but persistence is one of the essential cornerstones of
success. He knows that most people give up just before the
finish line! Carsten's mottos is when a door closes, three
new doors open – it is always a matter of finding them in
time!
If you are not constantly evolving, then you are in
liquidation.
The Inception
Carsten asserts that the idea behind CasusGrill arose on an
RV trip in the French mountains back in 2009, where he had
the experience of using disposable aluminum grills. The
first did not start, and the second took a long time before it
got hot, and the heat was uneven and tough to cook on. He
says, "Our son was eight years old and very curious. By
accident, he touched the aluminum tray and got a small
blister. But it was not just that - the discarded aluminum
trays from the disposable grills lay left around in fields, in
bushes with burn marks after use. A really bad experience!”
Thus, CASUSGRILL was born!
The DNA of CasusGrill is to combine sustainability and
smart, functional design in re-design and green
transformation of existing products people use in daily life
at an affordable price.
CasusGrill is an innovative and green company. It wants to
become a role model for the market for sustainable products
and inspire others to become healthier and environmentally
conscious about their products.
Effective Impact
Carsten expresses that the barbecue and accessories market
has always been conservative. The lack of focus on
sustainability and green transformation has been a hallmark

of the industry. The bigger and more masculine the grill can
get - the better!
CasusGrill has an entirely different approach and point of
view, where sustainability plays a crucial role in the product
being convenient and solving the challenges of the existing
disposable aluminum grill. It has made a green
transformation of one of the essential things in human
existence - cooking, however, with a minimum footprint in
nature compared to the existing product on the market!
Sustaining Environment
In Carsten's view, technology is many things. However,
CasusGrill is only made of sustainable materials like
cardboard, bamboo, lava stone, and bamboo briquettes. All
biodegradable materials, except the lava stone insulation,
are inorganic and neutral products, without any risk of
rotting or transforming. It can be recycled, and there is no
need for a landfill; it can easily be returned to nature or
even used as soil improvement and 100% pure cultivation
for plants.
To do this, you'll need fire and cardboard. The key is to use
and put together different materials in a new way - in a
specific relationship and a particular design.
Carsten notes, "What may not be possible today will be
possible tomorrow - the sky is the limit, or you set the
limit!”
The Preparation for META Universe
According to Carsten, Virtual Shopping will be the next big
thing in the META universe combined with artificial
intelligence. One can virtually walk around a local
supermarket, hardware store, or shop. He notes that one can
talk to the clerk and receive guidance in the buying process,
demonstration of products if desired.
Carsten says, "CasusGrill will be ready and a part of this
META universe when it becomes a reality. CasusGrill must
be able to be bought, experienced, and enjoyed with family
or friends in a virtual way anywhere in the world.”
A Long Way Ahead
In Carsten's view, CasusGrill is just the beginning of a long
journey that never ends. "There will always be products
where green transformation will be relevant. One day it will
be relevant to make a green transformation of green
products that already exist - due to technology evolving at a
rapid pace and making the impossible possible today."
CasusGrill will always strive to be one of the leaders in its
segment.
Ideas to Reality
Carsten advises budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture
into the consumer goods sector to take even the most
impossible dreams and make them come true. He believes
that this is where the best ideas emerge! He continues,
"Never take a NO for an answer, even if it looks bad and
you thought all options are exhausted. There is always a
solution to everything - it's just about finding the right
solution. Never be greedy as it can end your days as an
entrepreneur.”
Carsten adds that going to a store and getting inspired - the
task is simple - just do it better than your competitors and
keep it as simple as possible.
Always choose the path to a better future!
“
CasusGrill is here
to make its green
print on our
planet.

Derek Anthony
A Distinct Leader with Innovative Approach
o work is too small or too big; if one does their
Nwork with passionate determination, one will
eventually climb the ladder of success. Having
such strong determination, Derek Anthony, worked at 22
jobs in his professional journey learning a valuable lesson
in hindsight. Each of these lessons molded Derek into
becoming the Vice President of Real Estate at The
Woodmont Company. His tremendous corporate
background in sales, marketing, operations, P&L, and
negotiation skills are unlike anyone in the real estate
business.
Woodmont specializes in every aspect of commercial real
estate, including development, asset management, tenant
representation, brokerage, construction supervision, and
investment sales.
A Distinct Journey
Grown up in North County of St. Louis suburbs, from
cutting grass, to lifeguarding in high school, to stringing
rackets in college, to help pay for bills, to buy an
engagement ring, and then graduate from Missouri State in
Marketing, Derek wasn’t sure what he wanted to pursue.
Derek took his first job out of college at Woods Wire
Products, Inc., which got him on the right foot having a
wonderful friend and mentor, John Wiesehan
Jr.
John had 15 years with GE and a corporate structure
background in Sales & Marketing and patiently got Derek
to break out of his shell. Since then, Derek has taken every
opportunity that knocked on his door utilizing his ability to
put deals together, which has been with him even after the
Woods Wire days.
Over the next 17 years, Derek managed, sold, and marketed
Consumer Electronic products to big retailers and
distributors throughout the United States with Coby,
Uniden, X-10, Fulfillment Plus, GPX, and many more
brands. Derek traveled the world, visited factories, learned
about different cultures professionally, took his strengths of
direct reports, and incorporated those traits into how he
manages and leads his team today.
Speaking about his journey, Derek says, “Given all my
experiences from operations, P&L’s, people skills,
emotional intelligence, and how to read a room, makes
commercial real estate no different. It just comes down to
deal-making and figuring out how to get to the closing table
and being sensitive to both sides views and having an open
mind, while making the soft ask.”
Crossing the Hurdles
Derek has come across many challenges in his journey. He
remembers one company he worked for was dealing with a
lawsuit of $64,000,000 for not paying royalties and the
company was shutdown. Derek had to sign up as an Uber
driver to take care of his two kids and wife, even though he
had the highest-earning period of his life and a mortgage.
What gets
measured gets
improved.

Derek Anthony
Vice President
The Woodmont Company

He also applied for a warehouse job at Amazon and was
offered the job, and a day later, The Woodmont Company
called.
For the first two years, he worked fingers to the bone for 12
hours a day through cold calling and networking, getting
every lead he could until he was satisfied with the prospect
list. He notes, “Singles and Doubles are good starting
points to get to the home runs, eventually. For the last four
years, I still am still doubling my business year over year.”
Technological Impact
Derek mentions that today’s real estate industry makes
decisions driven by data, as much as financial. Data in
terms of mobile tracking, demos, sales figures, and data at
our fingertips helps the company make more of a finite
decision. It can now track visitors and pull them for
yesterday, last quarter, or last year, and compare the
rankings of that same operator elsewhere in the market,
city, town, or US.
Desired Change
Derek states that CRM’s are all over the place, and the
biggest challenge in the real estate world is the schedule,
follow-up, and staying on track on every deal. However,
prospecting Landlords and Tenants there are several
avenues to go down on each of side of the table. Derek
wants to create a business plan and stay on track. He notes,
“Google Earth and Google maps have been a savior for the
CRE world and amazing tools that are free to help us with
our job. There are smarter folks than me that will create the
next best thing, but I look forward to embracing it and
learning about it!”
Prepared for Changes
Derek believes that touring a space with virtual reality
could be the next disruptor; however, it all comes down to
who pays for it. Woodmont is vetting new software partners
all the time, only if the technology is efficient, productive,
and cost-effective. Currently, Woodmont partners with
CoStar, LoopNet, Placer AI, Retail Trac, and Site Seer for
commercial real estate vetting and analysis.
Moving Forward
Derek envisions himself conducting deals, making new
friends, and growing his team to a more prominent national
footprint in Nashville, Charlotte, Austin, Oklahoma City, St.
Louis, Denver, and others in the next ten years. He also
expects organic growth or acquisition to always be on the
table.
Lessons over the Years
Derek advises aspiring entrepreneurs not to get too excited
or too down; if you are doing the tedious, mediocre tasks to
get you a deal, that is what it takes. He says, “No deal is
ever done until it’s done, and the commission has been paid,
and tenant is open. There will be uncontrollable substances
or decisions made in the process, and you cannot let it get
to you.”
Concluding his thoughts, Derek asserts, “It’s not that hard;
you have to be disciplined in your everyday tasks and don’t
get distracted. Remember, attitude is a choice. What gets
measured gets improved.”

very day there is a new product that brings
Edisruption to the market and becomes innovative.
In the business world, innovators are the ones who
look at problems differently and find solutions others may
not see. Not following traditional methods and looking for
new ways is the way to success.
Being innovative is the most crucial aspect to thrive in
today’s competitive business world, and without it, one may
survive but will not get successful.
What Numbers Say?
In 2015, the Deloitte Innovation Survey found out that
many companies approx. sixty-six percent believed that
innovation is the key to business growth. Innovation allows
businesses to increase their reach, merge with new partners,
and scale up to more human force. Adding innovation also
puts the organization at a positive front end and attracts
more investors towards it.
Why Innovation Matters?
When an organization comes up with innovation, no matter
its size, growth is guaranteed. Top leading companies in the
world with different sectors like Tesla, Apple, Google, and
Microsoft are known for their innovation. Apple is the
leading smartphone company but it generates 1/3 revenue
from its accessories; Apple’s AirPods' revenue is more than
Adobe, Spotify, and Twitter. The reason behind this
enormous success is the innovation and the focus towards
the problems which can only be solved by making an
innovative approach.
What’s the Catch?
We all have encountered people in our life who are different
than others and even being alone is not becoming a hurdle
to their success. The logic is simple, thinking different or
out of the box is also a part of innovation where one wants
to explore new things beyond its declared boundaries.
Thinking EV cars as the future of automation looked like a
dream but Tesla made this possible. The company did not
choose the easy path, but explore the possibilities with
futuristic batteries, and enhance the durability. Now, this is
what any company can do which is what we call advance-
ment. What Tesla did differently is they just did not advance
their EV cars but transform them into futuristic ones by
adding automation. They introduced the concept of cars
without human interaction. It was combining the idea of
renewable energy and making driving safer than ever
before. Today, Tesla is one of the leading Fortune 500
companies that has doubled its revenue in a very short
period.
Understand the Market
Innovation is also the key to ruling the market. The modern
world is not waiting for anyone, as the customers' demands
bar have risen very high. From advanced communication,
digital platforms to globalization, everything from any-
where is reachable now without any boundaries. We already
have seen that if anything that has the capacity to bring
global impact can be monitored by the whole world in few
seconds. An idea that has the potential to transform people’s
lives to some extent or can fill the consumers' demand that
has not noticed before, is innovation. People constantly
change their choices and want something amazing, and new
with upgrades, and that makes the market unpredictable.
Innovators have to predict change and understand the
demand of consumers, so that there will be a solution even
before the customer needs it. Determination and appetite for
constant growth is the real quality of innovators and
successful business leaders.
Idea Check, Market Availability Check, Then What is
Next?
Transforming an innovative idea into a successful venture is
a long journey. If you are capable enough, you can finance
the idea, but if you are not then there you need stockholders
(angel investors) who will provide the fund. But arranging
the funds and establishing the operations is only half
success. It is people who brings an idea into reality, and
then lead it to success: people with the same mindset,
people who are able to see and modify the perspective.
Finding and adding talented people to the team is essential.
And people with talent and vision also love to work with
innovative ideas and in a vision that comprises success. For
an innovator, the challenge is the thrill they are starving for
and is the way to keep them encouraged. So lead with
talent, align vision with investors, and most significantly
innovate; an idea, a dream, or something that can bring
change.
Innovation- The Key

Jeanine
Jerkovic
conomic development of any region is the central
Epillar of growth in all areas and its sustainable
growth depends on good leadership. City of
Surprise is a striking instance of the above mentioned
notion, as it is thriving under the leadership of Jeanine
Jerkvoic.
A management professional, Jeanine serves as the
Economic Development Director at City of Surprise. Her
15 years of enriching experience in the economic
development industry reﬂects her passion for economic
development. She believes that the most important skillset
to build is learning to embrace change and practices the
same in her approach.
Throughout her tenure at City of Surprise, Jeanine has
enjoyed creating initiatives to change perceptions about the
city! Inspired by her visionary approach, we at Insights
Success caught up with Jeanine to learn more about her
journey and her contribution to the dynamic economic
development industry.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business
leader until your current position at Surprise. What
challenges did you overcome to reach where you are
today?
I grew up in the Greater Phoenix West Valley in Glendale,
Arizona and then graduated from Arizona State University
(ASU). Early in my career, I had the great fortunate of
completing a college internship for former US Senator John
McCain and then working for a political action committee
(PAC) called Campaign America. After graduating from
ASU, I attended the London School of Economics in the
UK to get a master’s degree. While in the UK, I interned
with the US Embassy in London and soon after got a job
with the designated UK-based European contractor for the
Arizona Department of Commerce. It was there that I was
exposed to the commercial trade and economic
development profession and learned about it as a career
option. I moved back to Arizona soon after and worked in
the International Trade and Investment Division for the

Jeanine Jerkovic
Economic Development Director
City of Surprise Economic
Development Department

Arizona Department of Commerce, but it was only when I
accepted a position at the Greater Phoenix Economic
Council (GPEC), where I worked for four years, that I can
say I truly fell in love with the economic development
profession.
I left GPEC in 2006 to work where I live today in the City
of Surprise! I was the Economic Development Manager in
Surprise for over four years but left for an exciting
opportunity with the Canadian Consulate in Phoenix.
Shortly after landing there, the Canadian government began
to shutter several US trade and consular locations, and
unfortunately, our office was one of them. I landed at the
City of Glendale, Arizona – my hometown – but ultimately,
I returned to the place I love and still call home, the City of
Surprise! I have served as the Surprise Economic
Development Director for more than seven years!
The economic development profession is faced with
constant economic, political and social changes, and while I
have found this to be the greatest challenge, it is the greatest
opportunity!
Tell us something more about your company and its
mission and vision.
The mission of the City of Surprise Economic Development
Department is: to accelerate an enhanced quality of life and
a thriving business environment for the community through
the facilitation of new employment opportunities and
workforce development initiatives; the attraction of retail
amenities; the promotion of entrepreneurship and small
business growth; and the retention and expansion of local
businesses.
Until recently, the Surprise Economic Development
Department has been primarily focused on strategic
industry and business attraction in four key general sector
areas: advanced manufacturing, innovation, medical
excellence, and signature retail. Business retention, small
business assistance, workforce development and
infrastructure, while important, have generally been
secondary for us until 2021. This focus will change a lot in
2022!
Moving ahead, it will be essential to pivot quickly and
execute effective workforce development and infrastructure
support programs that allow us to accommodate the current
surge of commercial and residential growth.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that
drives your organization.
I am a huge believer in servant leadership, and the City of
Surprise has a culture that reflects and supports this. It is
important to build a culture where people connect, relate to
one another, and build one another up. As I mentioned
before, economic development is a dynamic industry, and
there can be considerable pressure to meet – or even exceed
– expectations. This makes it critical to hire talented,
likeable individuals who aren’t afraid to leave egos at the
door, and I am lucky to work with the best team in the
world.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in
almost every sector. How are you leveraging
technological advancements to make your solutions
resourceful?
“The Surprise Economic Development team is committed
to the constant pursuit of attracting quality jobs and
business to Surprise and the Greater Phoenix Area.”

Technology has made us all more virtually accessible, and
the Surprise Economic Development Department is no
exception. Our marketing has become more creative,
especially as we have had to adapt and create meetings,
events and even community tours of Surprise in a virtual
format! During 2020, we had a prospective company unable
to visit due to restrictions, and we were able to produce a
custom virtual tour video for them, which impressed them!
Additionally, we hosted a first-ever virtual Spring Training
VIP event with over 200 businesses and development
professionals online – and as a result, we now have a
signature restaurant negotiating in our market after
attending that!
What, according to you, could be the next big change in
Economic Development? How is your company
preparing to be a part of that change?
The next tidal wave in the economic development
profession is the workforce development issue. It will be
everyone’s greatest challenge – and greatest opportunity.
Over the next several months, we are aligning our
workforce and industry partnerships with certifications and
resources to help accelerate opportunities for dislocated
workers, youth and remote professionals. Workforce
development will become our primary focus in 2022.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run
and what are your future goals for Surprise?
The City of Surprise has incredible economic assets that are
any economic development professional’s dream: a
successful business incubator; an emerging downtown with
a residential university – Ottawa University Arizona - as
well as an award-winning Spring Training stadium;
developable land; highway accessibility – and even rail! My
future goals are to lead initiatives to create a thriving
downtown, to ignite our untapped workforce potential, to
support new infrastructure solutions, such as broadband
development, and to attract more commercial and
employment opportunities to our future growth area in
North Surprise!
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs
who aspire to venture into the Economic Development
sector?
I am a big believer in just putting yourself out there and
talking to people! My advice would be to reach out to a
local economic developer like myself, have a virtual chat or
a cup of coffee, and learn more about economic
development as a career path.

A Proﬁcient with Extensive Work Experience

We must know the market well, identify our
competitors’strengths and weaknesses. Build
rapport with customers, find out what matters
to customers, provide solutions, and solve their matters,”
says May Yap. She is the , and
Managing Director CEO
of and accountable for strategic
LHT Holdings Limted
IT management and smooth day to day operations across
operating sites in Asia and US.
May has Extensive Management Consulting Experience
advising clients on business transformation initiatives;
familiar with operations in Manufacturing, Government,
pharmaceutical, Bank and Insurance, Telco, FMCG,
Airlines and Logistics sectors.
In an interview with Insights Success, May Yap
highlights the importance of customer service and
understanding the market one wants to grow in.
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a
young and proficient shepreneur.
It all started in December 1977, after completed my
secondary school, I joined former Lian Hup Timber
Trading Co before it was retitled to LHT Holdings
Limited as a multi-tasking clerk which handles accounts,
administration, operations, and housekeeping. At that
time, the firm had around 20 employees and on leasing
land size of less than 1000 sqm situated in a remote area
in the north region of Singapore.
During my 40 years of services at LHT, I have climbed
the corporate ladder through rank-and-file from an admin
clerk to a chairwoman. I have witnessed the changing
landscape from a traditional company to an
environmentally friendly company.
As time went by, wood pallets became prominent as
many foreign MNCs invested massively in Singapore
that required these pallets as export goods. And
inevitably, LHT followed the same wind too. At that
time, Singapore was on its journey toward development
and the firm grew so tremendously that we had to pursue
bigger land in Sungei Kadut.
Moving the factory two times, in 1988, the firm acquired
a 35,680 sqm land, and the company staff strength went
up to 168 employees, and with the right timing, the
group renamed to LHT Holdings Limited when listed in
the mainboard in 1999.
During this time, I was Sales Director-in charge of all
sales and marketing functions. Perceiving the
opportunity to be an Executive Director, I became one of
the major shareholders during the company’s
reconstruction.
I was appointed as the acting Managing Director in 2016
due to my MD had health issues. In 2017, followed by
the retirement of my founder MD, I was re-designation
as the chairwoman, Managing Director, and CEO.
How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to
entice the target audience?
Wood pallets have been traditional for more than 60
years since world war two, to entice our target audience
we need to provide a competitive one-stop solution.
Besides selling wood and plastic pallets, we have
technology pallets known as system pallets that
cooperate with the RFID system. We also manufacture
“

environmentally-friendly pallets that make from
recycling wood waste. By 2013 we took over a big plant
at Johor, Malaysia for Green innovative Gpac moulded
pallet production, and became a multi diversity of wide
ranges of ECO Green pallet leadership to distribute all
kinds of Wood packaging and Champion the green
journey and made company with more effective business
model and longevity sustainable for success.
What are the vital traits that every businesswoman
should possess?
A successful entrepreneur is focused on the business and
its goals. At this digital transformation era, and Covid-19
had changed the way we do business. Creativity and
flexibility, we need to embrace that changed and go back
to the drawing board and restart, reorganize, relook on
what is the better ways at the current situation,
brainstorm, and amend accordingly. As a
businesswoman, she shall have a charismatic character
that possesses good knowledge in that field, a high level
of confidence and trust to be built over the team or
management working with.
As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges
were faced by you in a corporate business? And how
did you overcome them?
Nobody knows that the Covid-19 will hit and disrupt that
hard in all kinds of business and make changes to the
way we do business. As a pallet manufacturer, we are
lucky to be considered as essential services as we
provide logistic support to the supply chain. Without
pallets, goods cannot be transported and stored in the
warehouses. As for us, we remain status quo, except the
reshuffle of our workforce to cope with the high demand
from some sectors due to customers’ stop work.
Have you in any way contributed towards the cause
of women empowerment?
In Singapore, I do not see any gender discrimination as
long as you can do the job. This day, I do see many
women are leaving their home as a housewife to join the
society and many women are now holding the high
ranking post. I could only post and set an example that a
female clerk that it is possible comes one day she can be
the top management.
How do you cope up with capricious technological
trends to boost your personal growth?
Yes, we need to embrace the change and adapt the
appropriate one. Firstly, we must understand the purpose
of adopting the technology, which is to provide
convenience or to make things simpler and not
complicated and should be users friendly too.
What are your future endeavors/objectives and where
do you see yourself in the near future?
The Covid-19 pandemic is a testament that proof the
company is sustainable over the majority of companies
that were shut down due to the lockdown period and we
were the few companies that provide the essential
service to the community as well as the society.

Petar Reshovski
Assisting Clients with Insight-Driven Approach and
a Constant Desire to Learn and Improve
Petar Reshovski
General Manager
Williams & Marshall Strategy

The beginning of all knowledge is the desire to
constantly learn, improve and grow and strive
today to be better than yesterday. When applied to
business, constant desire to learn and improve can imbibe
better expertise and understanding, helping one view the
business from different perspectives.
Gaining insights into businesses and industries, tapping into
the vast array of knowledge with insights to guide clients in
making better business decisions is Petar Reshovski. As
the General Manager at Williams & Marshall Strategy,
Peter strategizes various business tactics to help their clients
understand the markets and industries better, improve on
their business performance and stay ahead of the competi-
tion.
In an interview with Insights Success, Petar Reshovski
shares his journey and contribution to the business consult-
ing industry through Williams & Marshall Strategy.
Brief our audience about your journey as a business
leader until your current position at Williams &
Marshall Strategy. What challenges do you have to
overcome to reach where you are today?
Unfortunately, the challenges I have overcome are far too
many to list in a few sentences. Since I started WMStrategy
about eight years ago, I have made almost all possible
mistakes – wrong pricing, bad people decisions, wrong
strategy, etc. But analyzing the results and changing the
strategy as we go made me learn a lot and grow – both
personally and as a professional and a leader. This showed
me that regardless of the current state, there will always be
challenges ahead (both internal and external). So we always
have to stay humble and keep looking for them, analyzing
the situation in the right way, and then taking measures to
improve on them – the sooner, the better.
Tell us something more about WMStrategy, its mission,
and its vision.
Williams & Marshall Strategy is a full-service market
research and business consulting company. We help our
clients understand the market(s) they are interested in, how
they are moving, and the reasons behind those moves. We
provide intelligence that helps our clients make informed
commercial planning and strategic decisions and so timely
tackle the complex challenges and maximize the opportuni-
ties that impact their businesses. We provide intelligence
that drives the generation, evaluation, and implementation
of powerful growth strategies and helps our clients be
always a step ahead of the competition.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the
Consulting niche through your expertise in the market.
Our impact lies in our unique methodology, processes, and
the thinking we apply in collecting and analyzing the data
we have. Also, we are one of the very few companies that
analyze certain developing countries and specific market
segments in them, some of which had never been covered
by any company before. We are also working on a few
novelty projects we have never seen anywhere and will be
more than happy to tell you more once they are operational.
almost every sector. How are you leveraging technologi-
cal advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
Technology is an ever-developing field, and the speed with
which it grows and innovates is just fascinating and not
comparable to anything else. So, we are always interested
in new technologies that can help us increase our efficiency
and provide a better service to our clients. One recent
example is in a script that we have built internally, which is
used to automate calculating thousands of different points
of raw data, writing hundreds of pages of texts, along with
putting the right tables and graphs in it. We have imple-
mented different technological advancements in the
processes of recruiting market experts and analyzing the
insights from the market expert interviews, building and
presenting our reports, and many more. This allows us to
spend less time on things that are not of first necessity and
provide more value to our clients where we can do best.
If given a chance, what change would you like to bring
in the Business consulting industry?
I think we all have a chance to change both our industries
and our private universes every day. As for the consulting
industry – I believe it is misunderstood by many (especially
those who have never crossed paths with it), and many
people have a very wrong idea about it. The business
consulting industry is here to create value and help clients
understand the world better so that they can make better
decisions, improve their business operations and thus serve

next 1-3 and how what we do in them helps us grow even
more. The immediate plans for the short term include
growing our business further by attracting new talent to the
team and also expanding our current portfolio. We are
already covering tens of thousands of markets in more than
150 countries globally, but we are soon adding some new
industry verticals and titles none of our competitors
currently offers. We are also working on our internal
software, streamlining a few of our working processes, and
on a completely new way of analyzing and presenting
informational insights.
who aspire to venture into the business sector?
I know it might sound cliché, but to believe in themselves
and never give up on their dreams. And I can say that as a
person who has seen that working in real life – at times, I
have felt very successful but also have been very close to
the other end of the spectrum not once. Talent is great, but
nothing beats hard work and an open mind. So, if they are
ready to put in the work and be attentive and analytical to
the results – then everything is possible. Another important
piece of advice I can give – be consistent and patient – the
overnight success does not exist and usually takes lots of
years to build behind the scenes. Last but not least - it is
always about the people. So, regardless of the business
niche you have chosen – make sure you learn how to attract
the best talent and keep them motivated all the time. Only
then can you strive for real success!
their clients better. This is what we are working on every
day, and I am happy to say that we are changing that as we
speak – one person and company at a time.
Market research? How is WMStrategy preparing to be
a part of that change?
In the last few years, the changes in many service-related
industries came mostly from technology. The developing
new technologies allowed the whole industry to streamline
many processes and cut down on costs and timing while
increasing effectiveness and efficiency. However, in that
long technological marathon, we sometimes put people in
second place, and I believe this will be one of the biggest
changes for the short-to-medium term. Everybody should
understand that people always come first, and only those
who can attract and keep the best talent can get a significant
competitive edge. As for the next big change, I personally
believe there will be a lot of new developments in the
market research industry, connected with the different
metaverse platforms that are currently being developed and
the amount of attention and users they are going to receive.
and what are your future goals for WMStrategy?
The long run might be too far away, so I personally always
keep a vision for the next 5-10 years, but try to focus on the
We provide
intelligence that
helps our clients
make informed
commercial planning
and strategic business
decisions.

he greatness of a person or leader has to be
Testimated by his or her ability to thrive even in the
most provoking or challenging situations. It is in
the tough times that one’s mettle is tested. And it is at the
same time one has the opportunity to prove one’s mettle. It
is said that patience is bitter, but its fruits are sweet. The
more one is able to hold one’s nerves even in the
challenging times and continue to fight for success, the
more one will be able to crossover even the toughest
challenges. Life rewards those who put in sincere hard work
and strive for achievements. “As we sow, so shall we reap.”
Success is not the cakewalk, but it is about repeated efforts
day in and day out.
There is no free lunch in this business-minded world. One
has to be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices for
accomplishing something worthwhile in this world,
especially in the world of business. One has to accomplish
something in this world to earn the trust of people and
thereby to be the well-wisher of people. One can contribute
a lot to others when he or she has gained worthwhile
accomplishments to create his or her credibility. The
reliability of leaders increases in great proportion when they
deliver results more than expected by others. The reliability
or credibility of leaders is directly proportional to the
expansion of the businesses.
Morality is the Foundation for Victory
Great business leaders are aware that it is important to lead
with morality. They consider it is very important to keep the
morale of everyone in their organization very high. High
morale helps in taking the most courageous decisions. They
understand that it is essential to deliver what is expected by
clients or even beyond thinking well ahead of the clients.
This is where the innovativeness in leaders plays a big role.
That is the reason they keep it on high priority to be well
updated with the latest technologies and they are keen to
implement those technologies in their businesses.
Determination, Dedication, and Discipline
Determination, Dedication, and Discipline form a big part
of success. There is a huge significance of resolute
determination to succeed in the world of business. The
world is filled with cut-throat competition. To sustain one’s
competency in the business world, one has to keep on
improving oneself and everyone in the organization to
create massive success. The journey sometimes can be filled
with a lot of challenges, but if one has a determination to
persist then one can achieve one’s goals in due course of
time. Dedication gives life to one’s purpose and goals. It is
very much synonymous with leading with purposefulness.
The stronger the purpose the greater can be the dedication
to achieve it. And Discipline is the bridge between success
and failure. Without discipline, nothing substantial can ever
be accomplished in life. One has to pay the price of resolute
determination, absolute dedication, and high discipline to
be successful in the world of business.
What Not to Do?
As much as it is important to know what to do, it is also
equally important to know what not to do. Doing what is
favorable for success and avoiding what is harmful for
success should be avoided at any cost. For business leaders
to succeed in the business world, they should be well aware
not to waste their precious resources after bad money or bad
deals. They should not throw their good money behind bad
money via negative deals. They should be calculative and
should take calculative decisions related to where to invest
and where not to.
Having a Right Mentor is the Key
Having a good mentor goes a long way in making high-
value decisions. One should choose that person as one’s
mentor who has demonstrated one’s character and
competence in one’s chosen field. Great leaders are not just
interested in being great leader themselves only, but they
would like to create more great leaders. By choosing a
capable leader as one’s mentor, one will be able to attain
great heights in life in a short span of time. One good
mentor is worth more than all the books in the library.
Books also play a huge role in the lives of great leaders, but
the help of a mentor is priceless as one will be able to
develop oneself more quickly with the help of a good
mentor and avoid the mistakes that previous leaders have
done. Great leaders become great because they don’t shy at
accepting good mentors in life. They are open to learning
from all. They know that they don’t have all the time in the
world to commit all mistakes and then learn and then apply.
Therefore, they prefer to avoid mistakes on the journey by
having a good mentor in life.
It is a mark of great leaders to do justice to their roles,
routines, relationships, and responsibilities. They also build
such a type of culture in their fellow teammates and
employees and staff in the organization. This helps them to
achieve greatness in their business by building an
organization with responsible and competent people. They
lead by example and with resolute determination and with a
goal to deliver more than needed. They thrive on their
purpose and necessary actions. They do what needs to be
done with due diligence and they set the standards for
everyone else to follow and that is the reason they become
admirable.
Leadership Redened

Ran Rachlin
he growing significance of Crowdsourced is
Tbecoming more reliable to get constructive
feedback and insights to develop an utterly bug-free
product before launch. The amount of flexibility that these
tests provide is helpful in numerous applications,
permutating various scenarios as a part of quality
improvement. To contribute to making digital products bug-
free, Ran Rachlin co-founded Ubertesters. He leads the
company as the CEO implying his extensive global
experience in various industries to offer unmatched crowd
testing services.
Ubertesters is a crowd-based, complete mobile apps/web
testing solution provider. The company offers a crowd of
global, professional testers for hire with devices that can
test any digital product and provide feedback to clients.
The Lead-Up
Ran trained himself to become an effective leader from a
very young age having a global view. When he took his first
job in sales in a Hi-Tech Israeli Company that sold products
globally, his goal was to gain cross-cultural experience.
Later, he moved to the USA to complete his MBA and
make a living in the center of where things happen. He
advanced in his roles, climbing up the ladder, holding
several high-profile management positions, conducting
business across six continents in different industries. Ran
decided to leave the safety of corporate life in 2013 to co-
found Ubertesters - a startup in the field of software testing.
One of Ran's main challenges is how to keep the team
inspired and motivated. He firmly believes that success
should come from teamwork, allowing team members to
speak their minds to provide or suggest how to improve
things. He understands that when an employee feels valued,
the motivation level is significantly increased. He also tries
to provide clear goals to avoid micromanagement by
completely trusting his team and asking them to be
responsible and accountable for their actions. He says,
"When they make a mistake or fail, I don't punish them. I
use this as a trigger to learn a valuable lesson and what to
do next time to avoid this mistake. I believe that these
guidelines allow me to keep my team motivated and
inspired."
The Testing Excellence
Ran mentions that he was excited when companies such as
'Uber,' 'AirBNB,' 'Lime,' and Zipcar came to the world.
"The "sharing economy" (or gig economy) term blew my
mind. It allows companies to use available resources to
benefit clients while allowing the resources to earn money. I
helped implement this within the software testing segment."
One of the significant changes Ubertesters does is providing
the opportunity for young, inexperienced QA people who
completed their QA education to gain experience in the QA
and testing world. It works with many QA schools
worldwide and allows recent graduates to get their first
testing experience by working for us as freelance testers. It
enables them to earn money during their free time. More
importantly, it allows them to gain the needed testing
experience and put this job experience in their resume while
looking for their first job opportunity in the IT world.
A Reliable Partner
Ubertesters offers a complete software testing solution for
digital products to help organizations beta test their digital
products before launching. It provides two complementary
services:
1) A crowd testing service of global, professional freelance
testers for hire with devices (part of the "sharing economy"
Crowdsourced testing is the most
flexible, fast, easy, and
cost-effective way to scale
your QA testing just when
needed. Anytime! Anywhere!

model) for the most flexible and cost-effective global
testing under real-life conditions.
2) Offshore outsourcing services of remote QA experts on a
full-time basis based in the company's East European
facilities.
Ran notes that Ubertesters has a clear vision "to provide
cost-effective, innovative, and quality testing services that
exceed the expectations of its esteemed customers." Its
mission statement can be summarized as "help digital
organizations launch better, well-tested, bug-free products
by enhancing natural best testing practices while providing
exceptional customer services."
Ubertester aims to help digital consumers (the end-user) get
a tremendous bug-free product from its business customers
for a better, faster, simpler, and no-frustration digital
experience.
A Fast Paced Platform
Ran understands that technology and human touch are the
main values Ubertester provides. It had to develop its
proprietary QA management platform to allow easy bug
reporting. The platform enables the testers to easily submit
bugs and issues (including video recordings and
screenshots) while providing the client with an easy-to-use
and precise tool to review the bugs/crashes. Technology
allowed us to simplify the bug reproduction process for the
client. Thus, allowing the client a much faster 'time-to-
market.'
What the Future Holds
Ran states that Ubertesters aspires to become the #1 global
player in the field of crowdsourced testing within the next
three years period. It will achieve this by growing through
creativity, invention, and innovation.
According to Ran, the following significant change in the
professional app testing industry is Mobile Test
Automation. The trend of mobile app development
continues to grow as mobile devices are increasingly more
intelligent and capable.
Mobile test automation must be a part of the software
development life cycle to fully support 'time-to-market' and
the fact that mobile apps are becoming more complicated.
However, the current utilization of mobile test automation
is very low, partly due to the lack of methods and tools and
the multitude of devices, and the fragmentation of operating
systems. He strongly believes that automated testing for the
mobile app will continue to increase. This trend is driven by
the need to shorten time-to-market and more advanced
methods and tools for mobile test automation.
Ubertesters is working hard to be part of the future
alternatives for mobile test automation. Its development
roadmap includes a solution to allow its clients to use the
Ubertesters platform to perform mobile test automation.
Personally, Ran sees himself developing Ubertester,
ensuring it continues to grow in the next few years. He
hopes to build a new company to find a product that will
help humanity by improving the quality of life and life
longevity.
Empathetic Approach
"Take Care of Your Team" is the most valuable advice Ran
implies in his work. He says, "Trust your team and let them
shine but also be prepared to accept responsibility when
things don't go as planned. Help your employees advance
their careers and always respect them. As a leader,
maintain the 'personal touch and often speak to your team.
Lastly, stay humble. Humility is not a weakness; it's a
strength.”

Shayne R. Neuwirth
Owner-Operator, Certiﬁed
Public Accountant
Shayne R. Neuwirth
CPA, PLLC

tarting your business comes with several different
Saspects, and finance is one of the major ones. If you
plan to run any business, there are concerns about
personal exposure to lawsuits and debts. That's where a tax
accountant can help advise you and manage the financial
security of your business. Shayne R. Neuwirth is a
Certified Public Accountant who provides outstanding tax,
accounting, and consulting services to individual and
business clients. She is the Owner-Operator at the Shayne
R. Neuwirth CPA, PLLC.
Shayne has a high knowledge of individual and small
business income taxes, the loan process, and building
professional careers for others. When it comes to building
customer trust, she is at the pinnacle of her professional
ability to deliver the best services for clients. Having such a
brilliant financial leader around is a true blessing. We at
Insights Success are proud to interview her and get to know
more about the Tax, Accounting, Consulting industry.
Tell us something more about your company, its mission
and vision.
Our mission is to provide the highest level of professional
services for our clients. We aim to be our clients' resource
for tax and accounting services. Our firm's core values are
extremely knowledgeable, ultra-responsive, and very
approachable. We want our clients to feel comfortable with
us so that the tax process does not have to be complicated
and daunting.
Fearless of any Failures in Finance
The
mistakes
you learn
today will
be your case
law for the
future.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact on
financial services through your expertise in the market.
We are a full-service CPA firm for small businesses and
individuals. We offer various services so that different
departments in our firm handle everything. One of our
specialties is working with single-member S Corporations
and helping them mitigate taxes. We are able to establish
their entity, set up payroll, and provide monthly accounting
services. Clients can also schedule consulting appointments
throughout the year through our simple online scheduling
system. We have also found that as a women-owned and
operated business, other women are drawn to working with
our firm because of our unique approachability.
almost every sector. How are you leveraging
technological advancements to make your solutions
resourceful?
Our firm uses multiple services to help improve the process
for our clients. Clients can schedule video appointments.
The CPAS will often share their screen, so it's like the client
is sitting right at their desk.
We have a secure portal for each client where clients can
safely upload documents to our firm, and we can also send
them documents securely. Clients are notified immediately
when documents are uploaded. We offer digital signatures
for engagements and e-filing. All staff is set up with a
remote computer set up so they can work from home. We
have a few remote employees who work exclusively at
home. We also work in QuickBooks Online for accounting
clients, so clients have access to their accounting
information on the cloud. Clients can schedule their
appointments online at any hour of the day with our online
booking software. Our typical client really enjoys having
the ability to do things remotely and on their own terms.
If given a chance, what change would you like to bring
in the financial services industry?
I want to create an opportunity for more women to run their
own businesses and have financial independence by doing
so. I can be a strategic partner for them to build their
business and have my firm handle accounting and taxes so
that they can focus on operating and growing their business.
financial services? How is your company preparing to
be a part of that change?
Technology will drive accounting and financial services for
clients. More robust programs and software that integrate
with businesses. We are flexible and tech-savvy, and very
quick at adapting to new technologies and helping clients to
implement them into their business.
and what are your future goals for your company?
Over the next 5 years, I will continue to grow the firm; we
have experienced substantial growth over the last few years
and don't see that changing. More and more people are
venturing out and starting their own businesses and need
assistance from CPAs that are reliable and responsive. I
hope to expand the practice and develop a plan to add
partners. I want to continue to have great relationships with
clients and continue to provide outstanding service.
who aspire to venture into the business sector?
I would recommend setting up your business today how
you want it to be in the future. Find the best tools so that
you can work smartly. Work with people who make you
better and who teach you. Use the early stages of your
business to learn and make mistakes.

Shifting Tides in FinTech: Çhad Otar of Lending Valley

Shifting Tides in FinTech: Çhad Otar of Lending Valley

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