Ep 42: Persistence and Performance: Entrepreneurship 101 with Aakash Patel

A plane ride “landed” entrepreneur Aakash Patel his first job. He’s “On The Record With Sarina Fazan” to tell that story, as well as to share networking tips, give advice to entrepreneurs, and explain why who you know is so important! A master networker and community leader, Aakash founded Elevate, Inc., a Florida-based strategic business consulting firm in 2012.

Aakash explains, “We work with companies generally that relocate and predominately that are entrepreneurs at the start that don’t have a roadmap, like I did. They don’t know everyone in town. They have to know people and they have to know where to spend their time. I liken it to when you move to a new city and you’re don’t know anyone. You have to figure out who’s the right person to hang out with and who’s the right back to go with. So, we kind of help navigate those efforts for young entrepreneurs and relocated companies.”

When he was 19 years old, Aakash took a flight from Tallahassee, where he was attending Florida State University, to Philadelphia to visit his mother. On the plane, he sat next to a fellow Florida State alum, and Aakash gave him one of his Student Senate business cards. Six months later, while Aakash was working as an Editorial Assistant at the Tampa Bay Times’ Tallahassee Bureau, the man emailed him, asking for a copy of an older issue of the paper. After Aakash graduated from college, he reached out to his network of contacts looking for potential jobs, including this gentleman – with great results.

“And he said, if you come to Tampa, we have an opening for you. Let me know when you can start,” Aakash recalls.

That fateful plane trip not only ended up bringing Aakash back to his roots in the Tampa Bay area where he grew up, but it led to the start of his professional career. It also is a great example of what young people embarking on their careers should do as they start their networks.

Aakash instructs, “You’ve got to not only give out business cards, but you’ve got to follow-up and have a strategy. And so, what I really taught myself, I think, during that time was to have a strategy and a plan. And that’s what we implemented and teach our customers today.

When you receive a business card or contact, Aakash recommends that you follow a few key steps: 1. Add them on LinkedIn, 2. Like and follow their business social media pages, and 3. Add their contact information to a spreadsheet or app, including their name, title, contact information, where you met them, and the date. Then, make sure to review your growing list of contacts every 30 days and follow up to make connections.

Aakash counsels, “If you really want to get out there and met somebody, they’re going to make the time. So that’s what I tell people. Follow up.”

He invests time and energy in growing his network, spending an hour every weekday to review contacts, update lists, and reach out to people. “The thing is that people might not need your services right away, but they do like to be staying in contact with. When the pandemic did, the first thing I did was just reach how, hey how are you doing? How’s your family? How’s your health? It was 20 people a week that I would reach out to. They were probably prospects at one point but they weren’t currently, and I just wanted to know what was going on,” Aakash says.

He continues, “My theory on it is that worlds are going to collide again, and it’s a small town, as we know. So, the networking aspect of it, you don’t want to burn a bridge. You want to stay in touch with people. Small little touches.”

Making sure to include a unique greeting and salutation in your email correspondence is another way to stand out in busy inboxes. Aakash uses “Have a great day!!!” to close his messages – and those exclamation points not only stand out, but they reflect his personality.

In addition, the timing of emails is strategically important. He says, “People forget. They have short-term memories, right? So, do all of your follow-ups within 24 hours of meeting the person.”

Aakash suggests reaching out to contacts if you see their name in the paper or giving them a shout out on social media to help maintain a connection.

He also advises young entrepreneurs to “think through your strategy and always tweak it.”

When Aakash first founded Elevate, Inc. in 2012, he went from three clients in the first month to just one in the third month. Worried that his new business might not last, Aakash reassessed his approach to client networking events. Instead of just coaching his customers, he started accompanying them to events to network in person. And, with this shift in strategy, his company flourished, growing to 26 clients today.

Aakash explains, “You have to tweak that one little thing. It’s like golf. One little inch, you’ve got to move it around.”

Patience and preparation are key for entrepreneurs. “You’ve got to listen to people that have been in your shoes. I interviewed, through coffees and phone calls, 50 CEOs that I wanted to be like in Tampa before I started my business,” Aakash remembers.

Small business loans, local business incubators, and scholarships from mentor organizations are great resources for entrepreneurs. “Put a budget together, put a plan together. We know you have to save, obviously, but a lot of banks right now are offering small business loans, and I think, logistically, because of the world we’re in, someone out there will help you if you put it out there,” he states.

Before you launch, engage your network in your new business. Aakash says, “I think the more people you involve -  you keep your circle tight, but you keep it involved - they like and have a vested interest in you.”

He continues, “People do business with people they know, like, and trust. And, if they are in your friend circle on social media, they either want to help you, or they don’t know how to help you, so you have to tell them.”

Building your social media presence through content is key. Aakash posts three times a day on his social media to foster engagement, and he recommends social media scheduling tools to help stay organized.

Respected for connecting, Aakash was named a Florida State University Alumni Association top "Thirty Under 30" (2013), was cited as one of Tampa Bay’s Up & Comers by the Tampa Bay Business Journal (2008), and was featured as a “Rising Star” by the Tampa Bay Times.  Additionally, he was named in the Tampa Bay Business Journal as "Tampa's Master Networker,” in Tampa Bay Metro as the “Face of Connectivity” (2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018), as 2018 Top 10 Under 40 in South Tampa Magazine, and most recently as the Weekly Conversation in the Tampa Bay Times.

Aakash was awarded the 2017 Deanne Dewey Roberts Emerging Leader Award by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. This award is the highest honor given by the Chamber which recognizes one individual, under 35 years old, for his or her leadership to the business community. In 2018, he was bestowed with the title of the Hindu-American Foundation’s Leader of the Year Award. And, in 2019, he was recognized as the Indo-US Chamber Businessman of the Year.

His current leadership roles include: The Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County, The University of Tampa, Seminole Torchbearers, Centre Club Tampa Board of Governors, SeacoastBank, Gasparilla Film, Tampa Economic Development Corporation, TiE Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Rays 100, Leaders' Friday Luncheon, Synapse Board of Directors, TBBJ Leadership Trust, and Superbowl LV Host Committee (2021).

Aakash believes that persistence, determination, and hard work can help entrepreneurs realize their dreams of business ownership. “I think the logistics of it is finding that you’re passionate about, then it’s not really work. For me, I like connecting with people,” he says.

He adds, “You just have to keep at it. You cannot give up. I think that’s the biggest thing with the business, the first couple of years are really difficult, because you don’t make a lot of money generally, and you have all these things that are negative against you. You have to turn that into the positive.”

Aakash’s top three pieces of advice for young entrepreneurs are 1. Always, always, always be prepared to network, 2. Follow-up with a strategic plan, and 3. If you don’t ask, you don’t get it.

He says, “We always evolve. We just need to ask the right questions, and if we find the right answers, we’ll work together.”

Learn more about Aakash and Elevate, Inc. at www.Elevate-Inc.com.

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