"To sum up, we're all in this self discovery together."
Meet Adam Kolozetti, founder of Enta Solutions. He believes that the greatest things come from looking at the world with a sense of wonder. Thus it is no surprise that he love all things sci-fi and fantasy and is so proud of his bookshelf at home. In fact, his love of Star Trek and a knack for mathematics led him to a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering and a Private Pilot’s License. This led him down a path of learning that allowed him to collaborate with such great people in the Defense, Oil and Gas, and Construction industries.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Adam Kolozetti: My name is Adam Kolozetti. My background is Aerospace engineering believe it or not, but I quickly realized I was better at people than I was at drawings. I met my business partner Katelyn while we were working at a large engineering firm and we realized that there was a disconnected between the people and personalities on our team and the processes and procedures that were in place to help us do our jobs.
So Enta Solutions was born form the idea that it’s people first, then process, not the other way around. In fact your business culture is the most important thing you have at your disposal as a business. Now we like to think of ourselves as a corporate culture company, and that translates into what you do (strategy and process), and what you say (communication and storytelling).
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Adam Kolozetti: In 2020 our company nearly didn’t make it. We had to survive by leaning into digital marketing in a big way. Now we get most of our clients online through LinkedIn, and in fact that story became so compelling we’ve added social media and storytelling to our list of services.
The point is, we thought we were one thing, and turns out we were able to do so much more. The only way we found that out was by listening to the market. In our case, the market wanted digital media so we had to figure a way to fit it into who we were. There are always opportunities amidst struggle, you just sometimes have to be willing to jump right in to see them.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Adam Kolozetti: Many businesses seem to be focused on a “return to how it was before.” I feel as though there is an elasticity to change. People and businesses are used to and embracing remote workforces and digital tools. There is no substitute for face to face interaction, but if you don’t embrace the digital world then you are fooling yourself.
The second part of that is to be very careful with how you interact remotely. Social collisions or “water cooler” moments don’t just happen as a result of being physically in the same space as often, so you have to put some thought into manufacturing those collisions.
Ultimately, embrace the digital world, but do it in the most human way possible!
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Adam Kolozetti: My company is virtual so we’ve never had an office. However, pre-pandemic many of our clients would feel more comfortable if we physically sit in their office for part of the week. They felt like they weren’t getting their money’s worth if we weren’t. Now client’s don’t care. In fact they’ve recognized the efficiency of video conferencing tools. On our part, we’ve sought out and tested many digital tools and we use these to help make the experience of interacting and creating online much more user friendly.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Adam Kolozetti: It’s okay to be confident in your path when nobody else is. This is especially true with innovating new ideas. If 2 years ago you would have told me I would have my own studio and be creating video content for social media I never would have believed you.
Innovating takes courage, and sometimes it can be lonely. So seek out other entrepreneurs and surround yourself with people who believe as you do. There is always a way! In 2022 I hope to keep getting better at embracing the chaos of innovation and making it a part of our own business strategy.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Adam Kolozetti: I believe this is just the beginning. I believe that online conferencing, social platforms and the “metaverse” is coming whether we like it or not. I expect this to accelerate.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Adam Kolozetti: 6-8 hrs for work. Also, I can’t discount my own surfing of social platforms etc that happens after hours.
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Adam Kolozetti: Storytelling is the only way to emotionally connect with your audience. Traditional communication has been one way, as in a message sent and a message received. Storytelling it 2 way, with both parties experiencing the plot together.
For every business the most epic and heroic moments are not what’s is in the news. it’s the small moments of going the extra mile, or giving back to the community, or making a difference in someone’s day.These are the stories that bind us together, and any company that wants to have a great culture will embrace this. For us, sharing these stories online via social platforms has helped unite our team.
We also start Monday’s with “Mind/Body/Soul” and share stories of our weekend, while Friday’s are “Feel Good Friday’s” where we discuss our best moment from the week. As I said, we manufacture intimate moments because we are not always together. Storytelling is a huge part of that.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Adam Kolozetti: People are always the greatest challenge, as well as the greatest solution. There are so many obstacles out there for businesses, just one of which is the pandemic and shift to remote or hybrid teams. Ultimately the most complex problems are solved by most connected and dynamic teams.
So, the real challenge is not the strategy problem in front of you, it’s building the team to solve that strategy problem. Few leaders ever figure that out.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Adam Kolozetti: My spidey sense is going crazy around crypto and NFTs. We have dabbled, and even created our own NFTs but there are opportunities out there to really figure out how this stuff is going to change the game. For example, we tried tying a promise of $10k of consulting to the purchase of an NFT. Will it work? I don’t know the point is to try.
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Adam Kolozetti: I really believe that everyone shows up everyday to try and do the best job they can. That includes leaders and that includes the skill set of leadership. By that sense, I think leaders are often surprised when team members citing the culture or being undervalued etc.
What is changing is the self awareness of everyone. Not just leadership. It is only once you’ve had hard conversations with yourself that you can turn around and be empathetic to the challenges of others, and take feedback in a constructive way.
To sum up, we’re all in this self discovery together.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Adam Kolozetti: If I had any business superpower it would be to be able to close my eyes and magically know the names of the people who meeting and knowing them would change your business. That could be team members, clients, contractors etc.
I would look for the people that are trying to make an impact in the world and I would give it to them for no reason other than I can see they are good people with a big dream.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Adam Kolozetti: In 2022 I have challenged myself to have the happiest year of my life. That means in business and my personal life. It is not easy, and even as I write this I realize I have not made contemplating that part of my day to day yet. Thanks for the reminder!
Jerome Knyszewski, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Adam Kolozetti for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Adam Kolozetti or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
