Soheil Nazari is a successful business executive with over three decades working within the domestic and international markets. He has served as an advisor to various enterprises and heads of governments throughout the globe, working within the fields of energy, construction, oil and gas, financing, commerce, telecommunications, technology, healthcare, manufacturing and distribution services.
Soheil’s expertise lies in international diplomacy and global business operations, which he utilizes to provide valuable insights to his clients. Soheil is an expert in business expansion and growth and has helped many businesses increase their reach and operations. He is also a skilled negotiator and has extensive experience in international contract negotiation.
Currently, Soheil focuses on being the managing partner of Gainful Solutions which he also co-founded. As a managing partner of Gainful Solutions, Soheil provides custom-tailored solutions and guidance to businesses and governments. He focuses on political, social, and economic evaluations in distinct global markets. Soheil and his team discover and provide a wide range of services, including government relations and public affairs, international business development, communications, and campaigns and advocacy.
What is Gainful Solutions all about?
Gainful Solutions is a company that provides comprehensive, customized solutions for governments and the private sector. We have deep experience in international diplomacy and global business operations, and we use this experience to deliver tangible results for our partners.
Our team is composed of strategists, planners, and implementers who have worked in some of the most challenging environments around the world. We understand what it takes to navigate complex political and legislative systems, and we use this knowledge to provide real-world solutions for our clients.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I have experience in the energy, construction, oil and gas, financing, commerce, telecommunications, technology, healthcare, manufacturing and distribution services industries. I have been a co-founder of Green Road Energy, Oktron Inc., and Eye On Your Technologies, Inc. I also served as the CEO of all three companies at some point. These companies all found success under my leadership due to my strategic planning and expert insights.
My experience in these companies has given me a lot of insight into the challenges that businesses face in many different industries. This has helped me tremendously in the success of Gainful Solutions, I have been able to use my expertise in multiple industries to create an appropriate political strategy, enhance connections and build a team of experts.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
The top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur are market analysis, business plan development, and strategic partnerships.
- Market analysis is important because you need to be able to identify opportunities and understand your target market. When starting a business, you need to have a clear understanding of the market you’re entering and what your potential customers want.
- Business plan development is key because you need to have a plan, steps and execution requirements for something to be successful. You cannot lead and execute a plan if it is not well developed and thought of. This is the first step in creating something great.
- Strategic partnerships are essential because they can help you expand your reach, access new markets, and get the resources you need to grow your business. Having strong partnerships can make all the difference in whether or not a business is successful.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
Being in the world of politics and business, it is important to constantly keep learning, keep yourself educated and up to date with current topics and trends. One way I do this is by taking time out of my day, every day, to read a new business book, read about a new company and the strategy they are creating or political movements that are changing the status quo. Keeping up to date and constantly educating myself is a tool I find incredibly useful.
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
The pandemic and lockdown have had a significant impact on our business. Most of our business prior to the pandemic was about going to in-person events, meeting directly with clients and being present to push strategies foward. This presented us with a very difficult challenge, to be transparent it was a hard adjustment to transitioning all meetings and events to be virtual and our business was slowed down. We are so excited now that we are able to be in person again.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
What sets Gainful Solutions apart from our competitors is our focus on custom-tailored solutions. We believe that every business, politician and campaign is unique and we take the time to understand the specific needs of each of our clients. This allows us to develop targeted solutions that are designed to help them achieve their goals.
We have a commitment to client-satisfaction, every relationship is important and has a great value to our team. Our team focuses on being able to reach the right people with the best delivery of your message- our team of experts helps the client expand into the new market while elevating the brand to anyone it is presented to.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
My first mistake when starting my business was not having a clear and concise business plan. This first mistake led into multiple other issues that arose during the beginning of my career. Because I did not have a clear business plan I was unable to appropriately plan, I was investing money into the wrong places and did not have a clear strategy to guide me to success. I also did not have the best team behind me because of this, I was not sure exactly who and what I needed so I trusted people to push my business forward when I needed to plan and execute that myself.
This experience gave me a great deal of knowledge, I now begin every business, client relationship and political campaign with a clear- step by step- business plan. This helps me avoid doing unnecessary work or investing my time, energy and money into the wrong places. I also learned the valuable lesson of having a great team that you trust, are knowledgeable and are just as excited and eager for your business to grow as you.
Tell us a little bit about your marketing process, what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
My company uses modern marketing strategies such as SEO and Inbound Marketing. We use SEO to make sure our website is ranking high for relevant keywords and we use inbound marketing to attract visitors to our website and convert them into clients. We have found these strategies to be very effective in driving traffic to our website and generating leads for our business.
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
If I were to start my business again, I would focus more on market research and developing a clear business plan. I would also make sure to put together the right team from the beginning. These are all things that I learned from my mistakes the first time around and they would be essential in making sure my business is successful.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
- Asana is a great tool for project management and task tracking. I personally use Asana to keep track of my to-do list and make sure I am meeting deadlines.
- Hootsuite is a great tool for social media management. It allows me to schedule posts and track the performance of my social media campaigns.
- Google Analytics is a must-have for any business that wants to grow online. It provides insights into website traffic and helps me track my marketing campaigns.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
One of the things that makes me more productive is my willingness to experiment. I am always trying new things and testing out different methods to see what works best for me. This approach has helped me to be more productive and efficient in their work.
This is something that I value as well. I am always willing to experiment and try new things, in order to find what works best for me. I think this approach has helped me to be more productive and efficient in my work as an entrepreneur
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs?
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is a great book for entrepreneurs. It helps you focus on what is important and develop the habits that will lead to success.
- The Tim Ferriss Show is a great podcast for entrepreneurs. It features interviews with successful people from all walks of life and covers a wide range of topics.
- The Stanford Leadership Program is a great online course for entrepreneurs. It covers everything from effective communication to building high-performing teams.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
If I only had $1000 to start a new business, I would spend $300 developing the product and $700 in marketing. I believe that investing in the product is important but once you have a great product it is more important to invest in marketing, make sure people are aware of your product and what it can do for them.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
What keeps me motivated in my business is the satisfaction of helping my clients achieve their goals. Seeing my clients reach their goals is a great feeling and it drives me to keep working hard.
What is your favorite quote?
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
– Steve Jobs
What is your definition of success?
I believe that success is achieving your goals and reaching your full potential. My goal is to make a difference in other peoples life, so I see the most success when I am able to complete the goals of my clients and bring success unto them.
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