As a business leader, Shamayun Miah has worked across various industries and countries around the world.  He specialises in the banking, airline and energy industries and has significant experience in large-scale digital transformation and performance improvement programmes.  He has a solid track record building businesses, heading up company divisions, and supporting its growth ambitions, employees, and clients. Shamayun Miah is also passionate about sustainability, the environment, and his community.  He is a family man, living and working in London.

Aside from his work in the tech industry, Shamayun Miah has a philanthropic nature that has service at its core.   Service to his immediate and broader global community. The destabilising and devastating war in Yeomen is a mammoth global crisis. Shamayun Miah has been spurred into action, determined to make a meaningful impact, a difference or even a dent in the crisis. There are around twenty million people in Yeomen who are suffering. Eighty percent of Yemen’s population desperately need emergency aid, the most significant number in any country in the world.  A conflict that has caused more than 12,000 civilian deaths, devastated lives and caused colossal damage to the country’s physical infrastructure and social fabric.

Yemen continues to be impacted by one of the world’s worst food crises; it is projected that over two million children under the age of five will suffer from severe malnutrition and will die if they do not get urgent help.  There are also an additional 8.5 million children who do not have access to clean water and sanitation. The COVID-19 Pandemic has made matters worse.

Shamayun Miah has been involved with Muslim Hands, a UK-based charity dedicated to serving the most vulnerable people across the world by addressing the root causes of poverty and empowering communities.  Shamayun Miah has been fundraising and bringing awareness of the Crisis in Yemen and helping the people of Yemen by donating money going towards medical equipment, assistance, shelter and more.

This crisis impacts women and children the most; they experience regular inhumane physical and psychological abuse. After seeing some of the damaging effects on family, women, and children in Yemen, he went into full force to help make a difference to the country.  Last December, with his friends, he decided to get seriously involved.  As a father of three wonderful boys, Shamayun Miah was compelled to act as he believes all children have a right to safety, education, food and medical care.

Working with Muslim Hands UK, JustGiving and digital campaigning, Shamayun Miah managed to connect with a vast network of people and surpassed his fundraising target for the children of Yemen, raising a total of £7,500 in weeks.  This is an example of the great interconnection between the power of social media and the generosity of people who care and want to do their bit. He’s now keen to take humanitarianism online to make a difference in people’s lives across the globe. Getting connected with other charities, he wants to use his skills to help bring attention to these causes and get people involved.

Charity work is not new to Shamayun Miah. He has been involved in helping remote villages in Bangladesh build clean water supplies over the last ten years.  He has raised money and has travelled to Bangladesh Sylhet district to assist in the procurement, logistics and building of the water pumps which provide clean water to drink and sanitation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more recent travel and development plans were scuppered.

Closer to home, Shamayun Miah hopes to impart his knowledge, skills and digital experience of working in the business world to upcoming entrepreneurs and startups in London looking to build their business to the next level.  He gives informal coaching and support to others in the early stages of developing their business ideas or scaling their operations. Shamayun Miah is keen to do all he can to help and support his community and provide mentorship and guidance. Looking towards the future, he will continue to engage and make change and impact where possible.

Andrew Giorgi grew up in a low-income household with a single mother. Throughout his life, he hit many roadblocks on his journey to success. Despite this fact, he learned from all the challenges and failures he went through and now generates up to 9 figures as the COO and CMO for many different companies.

Like others, Andrew Giorgi found himself in debt—35k to be exact. But, he was determined to make it big; so, he started his own business. Unfortunately, after giving his business partner 30k to cover the cost of goods, his partner ran off with the money.

Strike one. Most would give up after such an unfortunate circumstance, but Andrew didn’t. Instead, he learned.

He explains: “When you first start doing business and partnerships, contracts are a MUST. No matter how good the ‘vibe’ or ‘feeling’ you get from the person, always have things in writing.”

Another challenge he faced was with taxes. He learned pretty quickly that “you MUST have the right people in your corner. An accountant being a major role you must have filled. If not, you WILL pay for it in the future. The IRS will always get their money.” After filling his taxes wrong, Andrew learned this lesson the hard way.

Andrew’s setbacks made him stronger. From the many challenges he faced, he was eventually able to reach success on many levels.

Putting his marketing genius to action, he generated over 7 figures from a YouTube channel that had under 5k subscribers.

From his e-commerce exploits, he generated $600k+ within the first 18 months. Then there are his executive roles to consider which have resulted in bringing companies to the 7-figure mark due to his ability to effectively run the operations side of the business.

Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, he has learned that it is not just a matter of execution, but also a matter of having the right relationships. He advises other entrepreneurs to: “Buy relationships whenever possible.”

He explains: “Knowledge and execution alone will make you 6 figures. Relationships will take you to 7 to 9 figures…Some of my close friends in my life and in my circle are because I paid for something they offered which gave me access to them.”

These relationships result in open doors and untapped knowledge that will lead to further success.

In the future, Andrew sees himself mentoring other young entrepreneurs and impacting thousands of lives by helping them attain passive income and learn how to diversify their portfolios.

He also plans to continually hone his craft as a COO and CMO of various companies and bring them to the 7 to 9-figure mark.

Andrew leaves us with this last piece of advice: “In business, you’re going to learn a lot about yourself and what you’re truly passionate about within business. Not just outside of business but within the business. Hone in on the skillsets you’re truly passionate about and hire/partner with others to do the things you’re not passionate about.”

Building a brand is not unlike building a house. Everything has to begin with a solid foundation. Without a strong bedrock, nothing built on top will last.

Mila Yoli, CEO and Founder of Presenceology, suggests that new entrepreneurs embarking on the journey of building a personal or professional brand can think of their branding foundation as their education on the subject. Sure, the things you build on top of your foundation are more creative and bring personality, values, DNA, and brand essence to the equation, but a strong branding education should support everything.

One of the best ways to begin this education is to sign up for a branding class, work one-on-one with a branding coach such as Yoli, and read all you can on the subject.

“I often get asked about great books for creative entrepreneurs. There are so many options out there — which are the best titles to start with? So, I came up with this list to streamline things next time you’re at the bookstore or adding something new to your cart online,” said Yoli.

The trained psychologist who shifted her focus to psychology-rooted branding in 2020 has helped dozens of founders craft engaging brand stories that resonate with audiences. The former therapist has a deep love for helping people and felt that, with her unique skills and education, she could add something to the branding space that was currently lacking.

“Branding has so much to do with people’s emotions, backgrounds, memories. And so does psychology. So, I thought, why has no one tried to merge the two arts and sciences together?” said Yoli.

Read on to learn more about Yoli’s top book choices for creative entrepreneurs.

Start with Why, by Simon Sinek

Yoli recommends this book because it drills down to the essential question asked in branding: why? To her, that truly is where the discipline starts. Calling Sinek both wise and accessible, she says that he was the first to point out that, while many brands know what they do and how they do it — many have no idea why. By finding this sometimes elusive answer, readers can get closer to building a brand that truly stands out.

Building a Storybrand, by Donald Miller

Considered a classic among branding experts, this book is one that people in the field turn to over and over, one that never seems to feel dated or trite.

“This book is a well-known and much-loved companion for many creative entrepreneurs I know. It’s an excellent foundation for beginning the process of finding your brand message and getting clear on how you can get clients’ attention through the right words,” she said.

The Hero and the Outlaw, by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson

Considering herself obsessive about brand archetypes, this is Yoli’s top pick for easily breaking down this sometimes complicated subject into an applicable guide that can be used to locate patterns and find your own persona.

Working under the assumption that all brands take on one of a specific number of personas — from Transformational Magician to Passionate Lover and from Innovative Creator and beyond — she says that every brand embodies at least one, if not several, of these tried-and-tested personas.

Brand Brilliance, by Fiona Humberstone

You can consider this one a strategic guide for isolating and elevating your personal brand. Beautifully written, it includes easy-to-use communication tips, prospecting advice, media kit instructions, and marketing knowledge.

A fun read, this large volume works as a skimmable coffee table book-slash-guide that also makes an excellent gift for anyone in your life interested in branding.

Platform: The Art and Science of Personal Branding, by Cynthia Johnson

This book made this list thanks to its deep exploration of presence and influence and how they affect brand development and success.

Part guide and part memoir, readers learn by example as they follow along on the author’s professional journey to learn how she achieved tremendous success once she added branding skills to her wheelhouse.

With these books in hand, you’ll be well on your way to creating your own brilliant brand.

About Mila Yoli

Mila Yoli, CEO and Founder of Presenceology, has helped entrepreneurs reinvent themselves by utilizing her extensive psychology expertise. A former therapist, Yoli helps business leaders find their unique presence and offers that make them stand out as more than just another voice in the crowd with her signature program, “Stand Out Brand”. To learn more and discover the science behind Presenceology, visit www.presenceology.com

Think of a visionary leader with many feathers in their hat, and John Kolm comes to mind. The CEO of a new-generation enterprise, John is a celebrated best-selling author, a former cartoonist, an intelligence officer and the brains behind his 21st-century team productivity programs. He is an impressively talented man.

The Birth of a Revolutionary Company

In 1996, John Kolm founded Team Results alongside his now-retired business partner, ex-fighter pilot, Peter Ring. The company was a product of an experiment that took root in 1993. John and his partner were dissatisfied with the team development solutions then available to business owners and government, feeling that there must be something better.

With encouragement from their early clients, the duo utilized their academic training and practical leadership expertise to develop a new approach to team productivity improvement, which gave birth to Team Results. Basing its approach on real-world simulation and practical rehearsal, their company saw rapid growth from day one. Originally founded in Australia, and since expanded into the U.S., John and his crew now operate  in the United States, Australia and overseas.

A technology-savvy company, Team Results worked with UCLA on team neurodynamics in order to add real science and modern methods to team development. Their work highlighted why “team and leadership” training is often ineffective, and offered ways to do it better.

The Best-selling Book

John Kolm is also a best-selling writer. In a show of partnership, the Team Results founders authored what later became a global best-selling book: “Crocodile Charlie and the Holy Grail”. The book chronicled ten years of combined work with key clients, weaving an engaging tale about team productivity, leadership in business and government and finding happiness at work. This work has been published in seven languages and fourteen countries so far. Besides co-authoring this book, John also writes for books and magazines on team dynamics in the 21st-century corporate world.

The Team Leader Himself

John Kolm was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. He is qualified in Psychology  from the University of Melbourne and in Mathematics from the U.S National Cryptologic School. He worked in the intelligence field from 1983 till 1993, where he ran missions and liaised with U. S agencies. He left an excellent government career in 1995 in order to found Team Results, and has been with the company ever since. John lives in Potomac MD with his wife and son, and says he and his crew are committed to improving teamwork and leadership in business and government as much as they can.

Jiten Thakkar is an entrepreneur, a masterful expert of versatile digital domains, the most sought-out advisor, and a leader who streamlines his knowledge to help aspiring marketers & entrepreneurs. Due to his unique vision and innovative skills, he has been honoured with a distinguished Indian Achievers Award for Entrepreneur of the Year 2021. This reputable award is granted to those with esteemed skills who have proven themselves in their challenging specialties. Jiten Thakkar was chosen out of the nominated candidates shortlisted by the Indian Achievers Forum jury team.

With its roots in the year 2000, The Indian Achievers’ Forum lives to honour those who have thrived in various fields, like business, professional, politics and worked strenuously to help the nation. This prestigious partnership was founded by Sunil Shastri, the son of the ex-Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri. This honourable title recognizes the innovative ideas of the winner, Jiten Thakkar, and appreciates his efforts to assist like-minded businessmen.

As a businessman and a visionary, Jiten Thakkar has translated pioneer ideas in his mind into a reality to help local businesses reach digital heights and fortunes. He is well-known in the digital marketing domain for his cutting-edge results and valuable solutions in the new technological era. To add to the technological advancements, Jiten forges business with mechanics to adapt to the ever-changing digital world and create iconic marketing results. The young Entrepreneur is an inspiration and a mentor to those who wish to transform their businesses online and require information regarding entrepreneurship, digital marketing, and garnering more ground for their industry.

As a community leader, Jiten Thakkar uses his revolutionary knowledge to help individuals learn digital marketing and business skills. He does this by facilitating aspiring entrepreneurs with keynotes, workshops, and training. His visionary thinking enables him to connect with local businesses and make them see the bigger picture—the near future, which is modernized and digitized. This is why he deems it essential for local businesses to adopt technology and reach a wider audience digitally. For this very purpose, he has worked extensively on his digital platform Local Forever. This firm acts as a web solution provider, business counselor, and one-stop-shop to those who want to digitalise their businesses. With its user-friendly website, Local Forever streamlines digital trends for its clients all over the state and globally. These clients range from start-ups to in-demand brands.

Moreover, as an author, Jiten Thakkar has penned an eBook & a paperback book on digital marketing. This book is a go-to guide, full of digital marketing strategies and refreshed methods to take on the digital business world. He is also the chief editor of DigitalForever, an information packed site for marketers to learn and grow their knowledge. All these contemporary, unique ideas and efforts have earned Jiten Thakkar the recognition of the Indian Achievers’ Forum. He continues to work hard and help those who need his extensive knowledge. Jiten Thakkar is a walking example of hard work and dedication and where it can lead you.

 “Success looks like a vivid picture until you make it happen in real life. So make sure to walk your way through the journey surpassing the hurdles to being on top.”— Jiten Thakkar.