"Without a unique idea, there is no business."
Owais Shah is a former government employee who has been dabbling in digital marketing for the past 10 years. He firmly believes that if one provides value, everything else will follow.
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Table of Contents
Thank you for joining us today. Please introduce yourself to our readers. They want to know you, some of the background story to bring some context to your interview.
Owais Shah: My name is Owais Shah. I am a chief editor at Indoor Champ. I believe retailers only give you one side of the story. You see, product dimensions and features don’t mean anything if you don’t know what is good and what is bad for you. My team and I are here to interpret these strange features and help you understand what exactly it means. We are a very strong team working all day long to research and come up well researched and unbiased reviews about products that you care about.
You are a successful entrepreneur, so we’d like your viewpoint, do you believe entrepreneurs are born or made? Explain.
Owais Shah: Entrepreneurs are both born and made. You were destined to be the type of entrepreneur you are. You could be a swindler or a copycat. You might be a buyer or a developer. There are many different kinds of entrepreneurs, and you have what it takes to be one of them. To succeed, you simply need the correct skill sets and conditions.
If you were asked to describe yourself as an entrepreneur in a few words, what would you say?
Owais Shah: I am a great communicator. I take delight in ensuring that people have the correct information since it leads to better outcomes. Because most company problems begin from a lack of communication, I feel obligated to keep everyone on the same page. These abilities helped the team complete 100% of our assignments on time.
Tell us about what your company does and how did it change over the years?
Owais Shah: We at Indoor Champ help you discover new indoor games you can learn and enjoy. We share tips on games like table tennis, air hockey, and badminton. We know you have a lot of products to choose from when it comes to indoor gaming equipment. We help you analyze different products and make a better buying decision. Hence, we do extensive research to come up with the best products and information. You can’t find it anywhere else. There is no right or wrong answer to most of the questions we answered. What we do is to look for recommendations by experienced players and are approved by the relevant authorities and make sure you aren’t buying crappy products.
Thank you for all that. Now for the main focus of this interview. With close to 11.000 new businesses registered daily in the US, what must an entrepreneur assume when starting a business?
Owais Shah: An entrepreneur should expect failure, but success isn’t guaranteed. Bad days will occur, and you will doubt yourself, your employees will be unconcerned, and you may even go bankrupt. However, if you do not actively pursue your dreams, nothing will change in your life. Furthermore, as an entrepreneur, you must anticipate failure, hardship, and self-doubt. You will squander a lot of time, your employees will be unconcerned, others will condemn you, and you will require assistance. However, the longer you work on your business and the more consistent you are, the easier it becomes. Building a business is not an easy task. After all, if starting a company was simple, everyone would do it. The reward of starting your own company, on the other hand, is well worth it. You can be your boss and schedule your activities according to your preferences.
Did you make any wrong assumptions before starting a business that you ended up paying dearly for?
Owais Shah: Assumptions: You Wish to Have More Flexibility
You will be disappointed if you expect to work only when you want. Although you are now your boss, your consumers are unconcerned about your sleeping habits or vacation plans. Customers will want what they want when they want it, and they will want it now. And when they occur, you must be prepared to deal with them.
If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what advice would you give yourself and why? Explain.
Owais Shah: Invest your time in people who want to see you do better. This leads to you increasing your sense of belonging and purpose, boosts your happiness, and reduces your stress.
What is the worst advice you received regarding running a business and what lesson would you like others to learn from your experience?
Owais Shah: Work with who you know.
Entrepreneurs must avoid insular thinking that places too much emphasis on existing networks, which can lead to new businesses duplicating old ones’ failures. You have no business starting a company if you aren’t devoted to a variety of ideas.
In your opinion, how has COVID-19 changed what entrepreneurs should assume before starting a business? What hasn’t changed?
Owais Shah: Accept the New Situation. The Covid catastrophe has forever changed the way businesses operate. It has established a new normal, posing new challenges and opportunities for enterprises. Accepting and implementing the newly designated rules in your business is the way forward for businesses. Working in a virtual environment is a good place to start. Set up Zoom meetings. To advertise your firm, use online marketing resources such as newsletters, webinars, videos, and social media. For the sake of your employees and consumers, concentrate on providing consistent service and adhering to WHO criteria. This will ensure that everyone is healthy while also consider cutting your operational costs
What is a common myth about entrepreneurship that aspiring entrepreneurs and would-be business owners believe in? What advice would you give them?
Owais Shah: WITHOUT A UNIQUE IDEA, THERE IS NO BUSINESS. Thousands of firms around the world operate under the same concept, but what distinguishes them is how they operate. McDonald’s and Burger King, for example, are both fast-food restaurants. They do, however, communicate their product differently. A similar idea can be used in other industries. Several companies sell the same product, but their marketing strategies, user experiences, and other factors differ.
What traits, qualities, and assumptions do you believe are most important to have before starting a business?
Owais Shah: Motivation, Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, Vision, Compassion, Integrity, etc.
How can aspiring leaders prepare themselves for the future challenges of entrepreneurship? Are there any books, websites, or even movies to learn from?
Owais Shah: ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen Covey
Author Stephen R. Covey proposes a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach to tackling personal and professional challenges in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey shows a step-by-step approach for living with justice, honesty, service, and human dignity—principles that give us the stability to adapt to change and the knowledge and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates—with deep insights and pointed anecdotes.
You have shared quite a bit of your wisdom and our readers thank you for your generosity but would also love to know: If you could choose any job other than being an entrepreneur, what would it be?
Owais Shah: If I wasn’t an entrepreneur, I would have loved to be a content marketer and would be busy creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience online.
Thank you so much for your time, I believe I speak for all of our readers when I say that this has been incredibly insightful. We do have one more question: If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore, but not a politician, who would it be; why?
Owais Shah: George Orwell, Eric Arthur Blair, known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterized by lucid prose, biting social criticism, opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic socialism.
Mike Weiss, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Owais Shah 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 Owais Shah or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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