The British economy is still struggling to recover from the pandemic, according to the latest data. The economy is 0.5% smaller than it was before the pandemic, and experts say that the main reasons for this are the lingering effects of the pandemic and the tighter post-Brexit immigration rules.

The ongoing skills shortage is a major challenge for businesses, but it is also an opportunity for those who are proactive. Here are our top tips for businesses facing labor challenges in 2023.

UK industries with skills shortages

To begin, it is important to identify the industries in the UK that are most affected by the skills shortage. A recent study found that the country’s biggest shortfalls are in a variety of sectors, including:

• Transport and logistics: This sector is facing a shortage of skilled drivers, warehouse workers, and customs agents.
• Hospitality: This sector is facing a shortage of skilled chefs, waiters, and hotel staff.
• Manufacturing and construction: These sectors are facing a shortage of skilled engineers, carpenters, and electricians.

Invest in your workforce for long-term success

Recruiting top talent is a time-sensitive process, as there is only a limited pool of qualified candidates available. A recruitment agency can help you find the right people quickly and efficiently.

Recruitment agencies have wider referral networks as a third party, allowing them to identify candidates with the necessary work experience. They also focus on different industries, so you can locate an agency that meets your specific requirements.

Recruitment agencies can help you find new talent with the core skills to help your company reach its goals.

Invest in your workforce to boost your business
Often, the skills you need are already present in your workforce, but they may not be fully utilized. By upskilling your employees, you can give them the skills they need to take on new challenges and responsibilities.

Upskilling your workforce can be a great way to improve your business and the skills of your employees. By following these tips, you can make the upskilling process a success.

Organizations with more resources may even pay for their employees to enroll in external training programs offered by universities or colleges. This personalized investment in your workforce can build loyalty and even provide a valuable public relations opportunity.

Utilise Apprenticeship to train and upskill your workforce
Apprenticeships can be a long-term solution to skills shortages. They can help employers reach a wider talent pool and offer prospective employees a strong, high-quality alternative to the traditional university degree.

A multi-pronged approach to recruitment that includes building relationships with educational institutions can help businesses find top talent at the source.

Boost your marketing reach and visibility
A strong marketing strategy can make your company more attractive to prospective employees. This is because it can help to increase brand awareness and generate interest in your company. You can partner with local educational institutions, promote your job openings on social media and in the local press, and track your results to improve your marketing strategy and attract future employees.

Sources 

GDP – data tables – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)  

Immigration – Winckworth Sherwood LLP (wslaw.co.uk) 

UK employers struggle with worst labour shortage since 1997 | Business | The Guardian 

The post Overcoming Skills Gaps: A Guide for Businesses appeared first on CEO Medium.

Fauteux firmly believes in the responsibility of leaders to contribute to the preservation of our world. In his words, “I believe that everyone in a leadership position has the responsibility to ensure we are protecting nature and acting sustainably. Without it, little of what we do or achieve holds significance or meaning. After all, we have to ensure that we have a place where others following in our footsteps have the opportunity to achieve their own goals.”

Fauteux’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree earned in 1995 from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. He also pursued further education, completing a Management Certificate from the American Management Association of International in 1999 as well as an Indigenous Studies Certificate from the University of Alberta in 2017. 

In this capacity as Senior Director of P3 at EQUANS Services, he’s responsible for managing the strategic delivery operations of multiple P3 contracts in both Canada and the United States. His areas of oversight encompass transit, healthcare, transportation, and cultural infrastructure. 

What does your day-to-day generally look like given your position?

Contract, Vendor, and Client Management are the activities that take up most of my day.  Making sure we are delivering on our commitments and serving our clients in the best, most sustainable way we can.

What initially inspired you to get into the field you’re in?

Leadership has always been the thing that I’ve gravitated to normally and environmentalism and sustainability are things that mean a lot to me personally. So being able to lead and contribute in those important areas has been great.

What do you think makes a great leader?

I generally subscribe to servant leadership so listening is where everything starts.  As a generalist, I believe strongly in putting the right people in the right places and then making sure you can support success, help them grow, and clear barriers for them. I also believe strongly that what gets measured, gets done so I am a big proponent of having accountability systems in place to track success.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

The biggest misconception is that environmentalism and sustainability are only for environmentalists and that simply is not true. Everything we build, operate, occupy, use, etc. can be better more sustainable, and less harmful to the environment around us.  Keeping this in mind, ALL of us are responsible for this, not just the environmentalists.

What do you believe your future career is going to look like five years from now?

I imagine that I will be leading sustainably in whatever industry needs me. 

The post Our Interview With Brad Fauteux, senior director of P3 Management at EQUANS appeared first on CEO Medium.

Even more alarmingly, there is the strong possibility that the Covid pandemic will be replaced by a mental health pandemic and this one could last years. Both the government and employers will have to tread the next few months very carefully if they want to ensure that the working population stays on the mental straight and narrow.

However, there is an unlikely source of help to be found and it’s available to everyone.

Creativity!

Yes, creativity is good for your mental well-being.

How does creativity boost your mental health?

There are a number of factors that contribute to the therapeutic effect that creativity can have on mental well-being.

1. Meditation Plus: When you are creative, your brain enters a state of flow and becomes totally absorbed by what you are doing. It’s like meditation or mindfulness, but better, because you have something tangible to show for it!
2. Dopamine feel-good factor: The reward centers in our brain release dopamine; it’s this chemical surge that boosts your mood. Dopamine, sometimes referred to as the feel-good chemical, is a neurotransmitter that acts as a natural antidepressant. When we engage in creative pursuits and the neurons in our brain start firing, we receive positive re-enforcement. So not only does being creative feel good at the time, but our brains are also essentially telling us to keep going. More of the same, please.
3. Therapy: The British Journal of Health Psychology published a study that highlighted the benefits of journaling as a way of improving mental health. The study showed that writing about an emotional topic lowered people’s cortisol levels. Similarly, painting or drawing about the struggles a person is going through is a good way of expressing emotions or experiences that they are not able to verbalize or write down.
4. Socializing: Creativity doesn’t need to be an individual pursuit. It can be something that is enjoyed collectively. During Lockdown, this could be an easy, effective and entertaining way of staying connected with others……as well as being good for your mental state of mind. And when we do return to the workplace, we will be returning to a social environment.

But not only is creativity good for everybody’s well-being but it is also greatly beneficial for the commercial welfare of every single company emerging from the grip of Covid-19. Never before has creativity been more important than it is today.

What can companies do to foster creativity during Lockdown…and beyond?

1. Zoom control. Stress and pressure are not conducive to creativity. If employees are now working from home, it is counter-productive to fill up the day with back-to-back Zoom or Microsoft Teams calls. If 2 hours of commuting time a day has been saved by the mandate of Lockdown, avoid the temptation of filling this time with the more day-to-day nitty-gritty. Give this time back to employees and ask them to get creative.
2. Creative oases – Have employees got places and spaces in the home that can serve as ‘creative oases’? A home office or a corner of a room full of color, photos, and quirky little objects? A ‘Costa Kitchen’ where they can meet up daily with housemates or family to banter and brainstorm. A bathroom infused with gentle music and lavender smells to reward body and mind!
3. Moving with your mood – Do your employees know where their brain is at its creative best throughout the day? Which room in the house is good for what kind of thinking?
4. Creative twists and turns – What are you doing to encourage creativity at the very tactical level? Does every Zoom call have to follow the same format? Why not set the team a creative challenge for the week, something useful for the company, but also playful at the same time? How about sending the team a great example of creativity demonstrated during Covid-times every day at 4 pm and ask for comments? Little boosts of dopamine every day will help keep the stress away!
5. Ready for the return – What plans do you have in place for the return to normality once Covid has left our shores? Three days at the office, two days working from home? A more creativity-friendly working environment? Employers have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-think the workplace and work routines. We mustn’t waste it.

Biologically speaking, creativity is good for the preservation of mental health! It’s free and there are no side-effects. Mental health is also good for creativity. So, if companies can create an environment that fosters both creativity and mental well-being, then it really is going to a big win-win all around.

Mark Simmonds is a creativity, insight, and innovation expert and the founder of GENIUS YOU – a company that helps teams develop winning ideas by strengthening creative muscles

The post Creativity is Good for Your Mental Health appeared first on CEO Medium.

I’m not the only one, obviously. Deloitte study shows that 77 percent of respondents say they have experienced employee burnout at their current job, with more than half citing more than one occurrence. The survey also uncovered that employers may be missing the mark when it comes to developing well-being programs that their employees find valuable to address stress in the workplace’.^[1] Even the most successful CEO in the world has a lot of support, or they should because we need to work together to look after wellbeing in the home. 

As parents and carers, we are particularly vulnerable to burnout owning to the 360 demands on our mental, physical, emotional, and practical resources. Parental Burnout is an emerging field of study but the evidence of this impact on family life is worrying according to the article published in the National Library of Medicine.

If you or someone you love is suffering burnout in any area, or verging on it,  here are some tips:

• Fall in love with the word ‘no’. You can say no, you do not have to do it all.
• Delegate as much as possible. In the workplace who can you share the load with? At home can the children help? Can you shuffle around the finances and outsource any jobs?
• Boundaries are your friend. Identify what your non-negotiables are, articulate them to those they concern, articulate the consequence (make it something reasonable and possible). If this boundary is crossed and carry out that consequence.
• Boundaries can be flexible. It might seem paradoxical from the previous points but sometimes you can negotiate a real point of stress within the workplace or home is rigid boundaries that make no sense or have no context. So ask yourself what is non-negotiable? What is flexible?
• Ask for help! There is no shame in the struggle, whatever the situation we cannot do anything if we’re burned out, so who can you look to for support? 
• Sleep is VERY important, so ask yourself how can you get more? Is it quality sleep? How is your sleep hygiene?
• Support energy and health with nutritional foods exercise, and making time for your hobbies.
• Put your own oxygen mask on first, self-care is resilience work if you have a pivotal role as a caregiver in the family, in your job, or lots of responsibility in a business. If you are not well looked after then no one will be, so put yourself in the driving seat of your own wellbeing.

Burnout can be characterised by feelings of helplessness, extreme fatigue, disillusioned and lack of focus, a great guide for signs to look out for can be found here

Mandy Manners is an addictive behaviors expert and co-author of Love Yourself Sober: A Self Care Guide to Alcohol-Free Living for Busy Mothers with Kate Baily

^[1] https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/burnout-survey.html

^[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6230657/

The post Coaching Tips For Coping With Career And Parent Burnout appeared first on CEO Medium.

Right after college, she jumped into Freelancing. She always knew that she’s meant to live a life of true freedom. The usual corporate 9-5 was just not her thing. She started as a Virtual Assistant but then there was a misalignment with what she’s doing and what she’s meant to be doing. She was scared to jump into another unfamiliar place to start her own business in design. 

March 2020 the pandemic started. She had enough time to reflect and see how her life is going. It was not an overnight decision to let go of her past work. It took a lot of courage but she always thought of what her highest self would be doing. Right there and then, Penny saw herself getting creative and transforming lives through design. 

Now, Penny embodies her highest self and works through her days with passion. Penny is on a mission to help female coaches achieve the same confidence and freedom when working on their business. 

Tell us about who you are and what you do. 

I’m a Soulful Launch Graphics Designer. I honestly like to incorporate the word “Soulful” because I want to make sure that my community has the idea that designing is not just merely designing. It takes a deep understanding of my clients’ message and a lot of heart to turn that message into purposeful graphics. 

I also like to incorporate a lot of energy work and mindset into my work. As a Soulful Launch Graphics Designer, I know how fear can get to our heads and keep us small. This is why I also create a mindset session with my clients to overcome their fears and reframe them with love. 

Tell us how you created this brand and what was the sole idea behind it.

I created Design Pad in 2020 with the vision of it being a go-to design service for coaches. The “pad” symbolizes the safety net for my clients because they know that they will be well taken care of while working with me. As I said, I do not just design. I make sure that the soulfulness of the business is seen in my designs. 

The journey of entrepreneurship can get lonely. But, with Design Pad’s vision of becoming a safe place for coaches to get support and be heard, the journey will become transformational not only for the coaches we help but also their clients. 

Go in detail and tell us about how your brand works. You may keep this from the audience’s perspective. 

For Design Pad to successfully carry out its objectives and mission, we always make sure that we take the time to know our clients. It’s not simply reaching out, offering support, and selling. Here in Design Pad, we make sure that we know your story, your mission, and your vision both in business and in life so that we can tailor-make the services that best fit your needs. 

Design Pad takes pride in building a genuine connection with their community. We treat all of our followers as a community. We educate them, support them, and hear them out. We know that entrepreneurship can get lonely. That’s why we are here to offer support at all times and celebrate the beautiful souls inside our community. 

What is your giveaway idea through this interview? Highlight something that may interest the readers on a one-to-one basis. 

Never get tired of asking for help. Again and again, I know that having a business can get lonely. Reach out for help if you need to. Also, face the fact that you can’t do it all. It’s okay to ask for help and it’s okay to be vulnerable. 

Those who reach out for support are those that succeed more in life because they acknowledge that there are areas in the business (or in life) that they aren’t good at. So, to gear away from frustration and self-sabotage, just go out there. Show yourself and call out for help. It’s a form of self-love that’s often overlooked. 

Explain the challenges you went through while you were working on brand creation. What are the challenges you go through on an everyday basis? 

I was lucky enough that when I started Design Pad, I already invested in a coach. She helped me navigate through the business and build the business from the ground. Since I enjoyed the support I received, I kept on investing in more coaches. Like what they say: “New level, new devil.” I’m lucky enough to be supported by my mentors and coaches who help me get through life and business obstacles. 

However, there are daily challenges that I face and one of them is fear. I named my fear “Clarence” and whenever Clarence shows up, it’s a signal from my highest self that I’m taking on another higher level. Fear likes to keep us small and stay in our comfort zone. But, when you know how to talk to your “Clarence” with love and compassion, it will quiet itself and understand that what you’re doing is for your highest good. 

How do you manage your finances through the services you offer. Any fundings etc received? 

I like investing in my business. Whether that’s in coaches or additional teammates. So, I view my finances as an opportunity to personally grow and to help other designers achieve their dream. Money became a tool for me to help fellow Filipina designers achieve financial goals. 

Tell us your future vision about the brand. How far do you want to take it? What is your dream about taking it to the next level? 

When building a business, it’s always important to play big. Wake up every day acting like you’re already your highest self. For Design Pad, that looks like hiring more junior designers and hopefully offer on-site brand photography worldwide. Also, I am already seeing Design Pad as the go-to launch graphics services for female coaches.

What message would you like to give to anybody who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it? 

I have a lot to say but I have one saying that my 17-year-old self once told someone: The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need tomorrow. Let life surprise you. 

Creating the life that you want will always be for you. But, it won’t ever be easy. Your business journey will always challenge you. Remember it’s not because life is against you but rather, for you. These challenges come to hone you because you’re destined for a great life. A great life deserves a great person. Just let life surprise you! 

Company name: Design Pad by Penny 

Email Address: designpadbypenny@gmail.com 

Website: www.designpadbypenny.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/designpadbypenny

The post Meet Penny: A Soulful Launch Graphic Designer Who’s Changing the Meaning Behind “Graphic Designs” appeared first on CEO Medium.

Nobody wants to hear about your values.

I know your employees say they care. Of course they say that. They know you want them to care. So they lie. You ask them if they care, and they say they do. But they don’t. I have never met a single employee who doesn’t make fun of the company the values the moment nobody important is around.

They also don’t learn anything useful from them. They can’t learn anything from them, because they don’t include anything new or original. I can say with almost complete certainty that I already know roughly what your business values are without you telling me. They’re pretty much the same as everyone else’s. All I’d have to do is pick and choose from words like integrity, respect, growth, or creativity, and I’d get there eventually. Business values are like zodiac signs, they give the sense of being unique, whilst applying to everyone.

They also don’t change anything. You can write your values on the wall as much as you like, but if you don’t live by them yourself, nobody else will, no matter how many posters you have, or how many policies you have tying the values to performance reviews or operational decisions. People are not stupid. If the business leaders themselves don’t follow the values, the people will ignore the values. But more importantly, if the business leaders do follow the values, then the people won’t need them written down anywhere. If you think your business is struggling, and you think the reason for that is that you don’t have a written set of values to bludgeon people with, I’m almost completely certain that the problem you are experiencing is simply the way the leaders behave, and the decisions the leaders make.

The way companies try to use values to achieve their goals is often completely disingenuous. The values are often manufactured to fit a template that covers specific areas like diversity, empowerment, teamwork, and commercial awareness. The very nature of what it means to have values is diluted to a homeopathic level of meaninglessness. What you’re left with is not a set of beliefs that are deeply held by the leaders of the business, but a list of instructions for how the little people should behave. It’s soulless, and that’s why it almost always achieves nothing.

I believe we’re often fooled into thinking this piece of work is valuable through some faulty reasoning when we look at a company like Netflix. We look at these companies that achieve great things, and we often see that they have a written set of values. Then we think to ourselves, “Wow, so to be like Netflix, we need to have a written set of values too”. Then we go and try to work out what our values might be. The thing is though, I’d wager that every single hugely successful business that has a written set of values wrote them because they already had them. They were documenting them after the fact. They didn’t come up with them because they thought they needed them, they already had them. That’s what made them successful.

The good news in all of this is that you don’t have to do any work other than actually living by the values you have. Several years ago, the founders of a business I worked for exited the business, and I ended up taking over. Everyone – not least myself –  respected these founders immensely. They had values that they absolutely lived by, and you didn’t have to look closely to see their personality had touched almost every part of the business. They were extremely positive and charismatic people. But whilst I thought the world of them, I knew I couldn’t be anything like them. My personality is completely different. I will give an example which I hope illustrates what I mean. When the founders ran the business, during the weekly all hands meeting, they would do the usual thing of catching people up on the events of the week, and someone might present something. There would always be clapping at this event. It didn’t matter if we’d achieved anything good or not, the clapping was always there. We all got a clap for the attempt. When I took over, I pretty much banned clapping. I only wanted it to happen if we’d done something that was actually impressive. I wanted the clapping to mean something. The partner I picked to help me run the business had a similar attitude, obviously because I picked someone who gelled with me. We were both people who cared about our people. who wanted the best for everyone, but we were also impatient, a bit cynical, and extremely driven.

We then went about behaving the way we behave. We didn’t write any new values, we didn’t tell people that the business had a new direction, we didn’t do anything other than be ourselves.

And the values of the business changed.

What happened was simple. The people who loved the “old” company values all eventually moved on, and the people that liked our new values thrived and stayed. Our way of working changed as the people who responded positively to the behaviours of leaders were able to have an impact. We ended up being a very different collection of people to the collection of people we were under different leaders, because the leaders had behaved differently.

The founders I had taken over from had lived and worked according to the values they had as people, and the business naturally reflected that. When I took over, I did the same, and business followed. There was no right or wrong approach. We just led authentically, and the people who liked it followed us.

I guess I could have written down my values when I started, but I really don’t think it would have made any difference. I’m pretty sure in the colosseum they didn’t have posters up everywhere that said “We try not to get brutally killed with swords”. Everyone probably just picked up on the vibe.

Matt Casey is a management expert, the co-founder of DoThings.io and author of The Management Delusion: What If We’re Doing it All Wrong out now, priced £11.99

The post Nobody Wants to Hear About Your Business Values! How to Live Your Values Instead of Telling appeared first on CEO Medium.

I entered the industry as an illustrator for an indie publishing house. While working there I illustrated many successful titles that are currently being sold around the world. During my time there, I gained knowledge and experience about how to create a marketable book from start to finish. Lastly, I recently self-published and illustrated my book titled Arty the Alien, which was written by Emily Cutler. 

It’s been quite the uphill journey to get my company to where it is today. For a long time, I was unsure about how I could apply my insight and skills to the publishing industry in an impactful way. I explored many ventures before the stars aligned, such as working in editorial as a freelance illustrator and selling my watercolor paintings as nursery décor. I loved these ventures, but I always knew there was a different calling that aligned more with my passion for books. That calling and realization have led me to where I am today, working with authors and publishing books. 

I want to empower others to explore their creativity and share their stories. I believe that the art of sharing both liberates and connects us. When an author uses their platform to communicate their story creatively, they are sharing their unique view of the world. I want to empower authors to share their stories, perspectives, and characters so that readers can continue to learn about our differences and similarities. This ties into one of my goals with Inkling Publishing, to diversify the book industry and encourage inclusivity. 

I work very closely with my clients and become invested in their projects because I know from my own experience that publishing a book is meaningful work. Through my passion and engagement, I  encourage authors to share their stories and equip them with the tools to do so. I strongly believe that an author can make a positive impact on this world through the art of storytelling. 

I strive to not only meet but exceed my client’s expectations, which stems from a place of open communication and trust with everyone I work with. I have learned so much about myself through the relationships I have with my clients, that not only am I capable of owning and operating my own business but that I can be a source of motivation for others. 

In the future, I see Inkling Publishing as not only a book publishing service but a platform to bring authors together. I am also in the process of turning my online site into an indie bookstore that my local community can engage in. I see so much potential in the self-publishing community and I am so grateful that I can play a part in its growth. 

Get in touch with Erin on

Website: www.inklingpublishing.ca

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/inklingpublishing

Twitter: twitter.com/inklingpub

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/erin-cutler-00319b155

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“A major reason why I do what I do is to prove that we women are capable of more than we convince ourselves to be! -Shumaila”

Who am I? 

My name is Shumaila (Mila), I’m mainly a food and lifestyle influencer. I specialize in creating different types of presentations, cuisines, cultures, and unprecedented innovations in the world of food. Currently, I’m doing restaurant & cafe reviews while highlighting the best parts of Jeddah’s beauty. Apart from this, I’m also a corporate event registration manager, I have years worth of knowledge and experience in the fields of business administration, E-commerce, computer science, health science, skincare, haircare, nutrition, photography, and design.

How I created this brand/my current mindset behind it:

I started this page eight years ago, solely because I wanted to learn and master the art of food styling and presentation. Now, fast forward today, I am working with some good organizations.

How my page works:

A few years ago my page was all about food styling but slowly as my work got noticed, I have dedicated it to exploring and reviewing the best parts of Jeddah and bringing forth the beauty of this remarkable city. I help people virtually explore along with me as I reveal the most extravagant features of the city; cafés, restaurants, beaches, shops, and what not! 

The idea I want to highlight:

I wanted to take this opportunity to not only introduce myself in this space but to also share out here the idea that no one is born already having the skills and experience. Talent is not born, it’s created, and the process of creating it is NOT easy. Success doesn’t come knocking at your door overnight. It takes years of grinding and hard work to make it happen. I’m a true advocate of the belief that a woman should never stay idle, she should always have something going on in her day to day because life is too short to wait around for something to change, you gotta BE the change you want to see!

The challenges I went through creating my brand:

Before my page took off, people didn’t believe in my capabilities and dreams. They always thought that if I was successful in something, it’s only because of somebody else. Even in the beginning, perfection in food styling wasn’t easy to achieve. I would run back and forth in my kitchen, scraping together random pieces of paper, objects, or backgrounds that could work for my scene. A lot of things weren’t available to me at the time. I was constantly told to take my page down and to “Stop this madness”, but I kept going and here I am today, the people who doubted me, now stand with me and refuse to admit who they used to be. Yet now, People think I gained overnight success but I’m here to tell you that I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs, failure, slumps, criticism, and self-doubt in this process. Anyone who thinks they can just wake up one day and have all these wins without putting in the effort or that it’s easy and requires no mental energy has not yet seen what it takes to build such a community. 

How I manage my finances:

Almost all of what I earn from this, I re-invest back into content creation. I’m a true believer in investing in areas that can help me grow both in my career as well as a person.

My vision:

My vision about my page is for it to become the go-to destination for people to explore Jeddah inside out in terms of both food and entertainment. I’m planning on working with even more famous organizations and brands whilst adding live reviews and collaborations so that I can dig deeper and people can engage more with my content. 

My message to people reading this article:

In the end, I just want to say that it’s easy to assume that you can do it all or better than someone when you’re not actually in their shoes. It wasn’t easy building this landmark of my life. Everyone starts at zero and only the people who are willing to BE the change can make a difference!

Brand name: Diet-a-might

•Website : www.facebook.com/dietamight

•Instagram : www.instagram.com/diet_a_might

The post Mila: Be the Change You Want to See in The World! appeared first on CEO Medium.

Evan honed in on his skills by working and investing in the hospitality space for over a decade. His career path has included previous ownership of Atwood Your Service Hospitality Group, the parent company of New York City restaurants Atwood, Kitchen & Bar Room (982 2nd Avenue) Shay & Ivy (39 W 24th Street), and Sir Henri Penthouse Rooftop & Lounge (37 W 24th Street). Additional past work included companies such as the Morgan’s Hotel Group, Paige Hospitality Group, The Lure Group, and Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer. Evan also oversaw a startup company, VenueTap, until 2014 when Joonbug acquired them.

Evans’ entrepreneurial spirit, including his keen ability to network and connect people, has also led him to find fulfillment in working with charitable organizations. In November 2019 he founded the 333charity, a foundation working in partnership with the UJA Federation to fund meals for the 36,000 Holocaust survivors living in New York, 40% of whom are living in poverty. He previously sat on the board for AC4C, a 501c-3 non-profit organization dedicated to raising money for other charities that provide research, care, treatment, and education for children with cancer. In 2017, recognizing his entrepreneurial spirit, Evan was invited to join Steve Madden’s Self Made Men campaign to inspire and support other like-minded entrepreneurs.

Tell us about who you are and what you do. 

My name is Evan Rosenberg. I am the founder of Powerhouse Prints, a company that produces high-end promotional products and branded merchandise at affordable rates for start-ups and large corporations. Along with running day-to-day operations, he oversees the sales team, client relationships, marketing initiatives, and product ideation.

Tell us how you created this brand and what was the sole idea behind it. 

In 2018-2019, I was consulting for multiple brands including various companies that provided branded promotional products.  When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, most of my clients were put on hold and I began working on 333charity, a non-profit organization I founded in 2019 to raise money for Holocaust survivors living in poverty.  While shopping around for affordable branded materials to ensure maximum proceeds went to supporting the charity’s mission, I was introduced to a multitude of people both domestically and internationally in the promotional and merchandising sector.  

After much research, I took it upon myself to find the best items to support the mission behind my non-profit.   On this journey, and after months of extensive research, Powerhouse Prints (PH Prints, LLC) was born.  I took this newfound knowledge and connected with some of the best sourcing partners, decorators, and industry veterans to establish trustworthy connections and build relationships with companies like The Empire State Building (Empire State Realty Trust), Tao Group, e11even, Starr Restaurant Group, FuckJerry/Jaja Tequila, The Chainsmokers, & more.  We now have a growing list of clients that includes over 100 brands.

Go in detail and tell us about how your brand works. You may keep this from the audience’s perspective. 

We create branded promotional products for our clients using our experience to execute on each of their initiatives. Powerhouse Prints does everything for custom product ideation through execution and delivery of the products.

What is your giveaway idea through this interview? Highlight something that may interest the readers on a one to one basis.

 We are helping brands gain exposure through creative ideas and high quality and affordable products.

Explain the challenges you went through while you were working on brand creation. What are the challenges you go through on an everyday basis? 

Challenges include/included finding the right team, managing expectations of customers and employees, winning the trust of customers over our competition, scaling up, and more.

How do you manage your finances through the services you offer. Any fundings etc received?

 I started the company by loaning it $10k to get off the ground with accounting/legal and start-up fees.  I was able to pay the load back within 3 weeks after becoming profitable. 

Tell us your future vision about the brand. How far do you want to take it? What is your dream about taking it to the next level? 

 The most important thing to me with the future of the business is ensuring that I continue to grow and find happiness through my work.  This means having the financial stability to support myself and my family, create and maintain meaningful relationships, and ultimately help other people through my work and experiences.

What message would you like to give to anybody who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it? 

A business is an idea that is going to make someone’s life easier, the best one’s are often formed out of frustration.  2021 will bring a plethora of these ideas amidst the pandemic. Lean your inner circle in addition to other successful entrepreneurs to grow and become a great leader. Tony Hsieh may have said it best, “Imagine a greenhouse where at a typical company the CEO may be the strongest and tallest and most charismatic plant that all of the other plants try to become.  I think of myself more as being the architect of the greenhouse and all of the plants inside with flourish and thrive on their own”.  When forming a business, follow a sound philosophy that you believe in.  Find people who have experience in your industry and others that can bring in fresh ideas and shake things up; the pandemic has brought about a large pool of skilled talent due to the high unemployment rates.  Learn from your failures though don’t harp on them.  Most importantly, have a lot of fun at it. 

Get in touch with POWERHOUSE PRINTS on WWW.PHPRINTS.COM

instagram URL : www.instagram.com/phprintsllc

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Her great passion for performing music, writing, and training music and languages motivated her to establish a quality-based resource center to enrich further students attending her one-on-one and group lessons in high demand.

Since Oksana is an admirable example of “The American Dream,” she works as her brand ambassador to bestow her diligence, drive, global outreach, groundbreaking spirit, and talent upon it. Oksana started her classical piano lessons at an early age and continued after her family relocated to Kazakhstan, Russia, from Siberia. Since Oksana had the inspiration and determination to develop her talent, she started winning music competitions and continued her training as a pianist. With educated parents who pursued opportunities for their children, Oksana moved to the U.S with her family after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and started a new life in St. Petersburg, Florida.

As a student in the current St. Petersburg College, Oksana won a piano competition held during the Florida State Young Artists Symposium, which enabled her to secure a scholarship at the prestigious Florida State University School of Music, where she graduated with honors in 2001. She realized her entrepreneurial and marketing, and branding skills after she started booking piano performances to demonstrate her talent throughout Florida. Her fan base started to grow tremendously, and she began to get gigs that included charitable and business concerts, private events, and recurring bookings on the Home Shopping Network.

In 1999, Oksana fell in love with Italian-born Alex after meeting him at his birthday party. They married one year later.  The new relationship with Alex, who had a Marketing and PR background, launched a productive and creative chapter. With Alex as her manager, the two developed splendid national and international relationships by working together as a power couple.

In 2003, Oksana broke records by becoming the first female Russian pianist to go abroad and perform for the U.S military. Although Oksana traveled in September 2003 but stopped in Italy, Spain, and Greece, to entertain the U.S Troops, she traveled twice with the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR), a U.S. Navy division. In February 2004, she performed in Guam, Korea, Japan, Okinawa, and Singapore, always with MWR Navy. She also received invitations to showcase her talent to United Nations officials in Europe and the US

After becoming a U.S citizen in 2006, Oksana went to Italy and performed in front of thousands on the opening night of the Salento International Film Festival. Together with Alex, she relocated to Beverly Hills, California, where she secured the in-house pianist role at The Polo Lounge, the legendary 5-star venue inside The Beverly Hills Hotel. From 2006 to 2013, Oksana performed in this venue daily to entertain just about every A-list celebrity. During that time, her demand for entertaining people at special occasions and fundraising events, and offer piano lessons to stars and children in Los Angeles increased. Besides, her fan base started to grow online. While at the Polo Lounge, Oksana performed throughout her pregnancy period until she gave birth to her son, Alessandro, in 2009.

She pursued to meet schools’ and parents’ needs and cultivated her brand by utilizing business expertise and connections she had established in Los Angeles and internationally. Under her Oksana® Management Group, formed in 2010, she established Oksana School of Music, which received the Best of Beverly Hills Award in 2014. Her popular public image made her music school the primary choice for superstars who wanted to learn music together with their loved ones. Her incorporation of lessons through Skype to overcome logistical problems enabled her to teach students in different areas, even before the pandemic. Oksana began partnerships by seeking cross-promotions, collaborations, and endorsements, which helped her study successful companies’ business practices.

In 2016, the couple moved to cozy Santa Clarita, CA from bustling Beverly Hills. The relocation enabled Oksana to work with local organizations to oversee socializing, develop her music programs, language, and teaching, and develop her extracurricular development programs in the area. Consequently, her schedule of instructions increased, and her relationships with school districts and municipalities increased, allowing her to offer artistic and out-of-school lessons effectively.

By 2019, her business entities, under the Oksana Management Group, Inc., comprise many instructors (whom she selects), students, and works with many institutions in southern California and beyond. Her Oksana Enrichment Programs can accommodate other subjects, although they focus on personalized programs in music, international languages, and academic coaching in all subjects.

In October 2019, Oksana, with a franchise consultant’s expert help, established her Oksana® Franchising International, Inc. to expand her programs to national and international levels. In 2020, she founded Oksana Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that offers extracurricular education to financially challenged youth. Moreover, she creates social and networking fundraising events to help others. In early 2020, she attended the pre-Grammy Awards party in Los Angeles, where she received the Excellence in Education Award and performed some of her compositions.

Oksana has recorded eight CDs consisting of unique, traditional, and standard music and instructional video for piano students. In 2010, her “Free Floating” album became the best album that year after she secured the Best Classical Album award, posted on SoloPiano.com. 

Although she has been working on her music together with other international artists, international artists choose her original compositions to record on their CDs. She derived her “Best of Two Worlds” CD from collaboration with notable fine artist Jim Warren. Her YouTube channel, Oksanabella, which features her many performances, has over 3 million views to date. 

Oksana Kolesnikova is currently a member of the Forbes Business Council, the leading development and socialization organization for distinguished global entrepreneurs and officials. 

Get in touch with Oksana on:

• Facebook: omgoksana
• Instagram: omgoksana
• LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/omgoksana
• YouTube: youtube.com/oksanabella

Website: www.oksanaenrichment.com

The post From Musician to CEO: Get to Know Oksana Kolesnikova appeared first on CEO Medium.