Arti Modi

Arti Modi is a business professional and entrepreneur based out of Calgary, Alberta. Born in the United Kingdom, Arti moved to Canada in 1998 to pursue her post-secondary education. Four years later she graduated from the University of British Columbia and established her own real estate business in Alberta. Despite her extensive success, Arti used her unique talents to navigate several other industries including foods manufacturing, asset management, movie production, and FinTech.

Today, Arti works primarily in the FinTech space and has helped build the marketing division of some of Canada’s Top Platforms. The companies that Arti has founded are the most sought-after companies for lead generation and performance marketing in Canada, working with 500 different brands across the country. Arti focuses on everything from finance to home services and operates entirely in the digital space.

Where did the idea for your career come from?

Because the company has been a little bit fluid in the last couple of years, we looked at what successful companies were out there right now globally, and which ones were exciting and appealing to us and we decided to build the same thing but do it better.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I find that I am most productive when I first wake up, so I try to get through the majority of my tasks early in the day. I find that by 2:00, I like to take a break, so I get to spend time with my family and pick the kids up from school, then I sit down again later in the evening. It’s all about catching the pockets of time where I’m most productive.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I try to run with the idea that I believe is going to bring the most to what I have in mind. Based on that, I map it out with my Sharpie and a large white piece of paper. I keep going until I find what I’m looking for, which will just resonate at that moment in time, then I send it out to the right people in the company to build it and make it happen.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I think companies are starting to put a large amount of their marketing budget towards performance marketing and that excites me because it means there’s an unlimited, uncapped amount of potential brands that we can go after.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Taking time for myself when I’m feeling out of it. It doesn’t matter if it’s been 45 minutes into working or three days, but when I recognize that I am getting burned out, I take five minutes to breathe and meditate before I get back into it.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes as long as you’re evolving. There’s no such thing as right or wrong when it comes to the way you do things in business. Part of why I’m so happy with where I am in life is because I was able to make the right mistakes.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

I have noticed a massive change in my clear thinking and focus when I add Himalayan salt and electrolytes to my water. It allows me to retain water, which keeps my brain away from that foggy space that you go into when you work. As an entrepreneur, having that mental focus is one of the most important things in the world.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Don’t be afraid of Mondays. That should be the most exciting time of your week because that’s when you get to reset everything and, as an entrepreneur, that’s the one thing you have in your control. The second thing would be to make sure that you take time for yourself and don’t burn out. The third thing is to hustle. I never stop hustling because that’s when a business dies. If you keep hustling, your team will pick up that energy and fall into place and there’s nothing more exciting than that time.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Study your competitors. See what they’re doing. Go through every piece of information you can find about them online from what kind of resumes they’re looking for to when they’re doing job hosting, then reverse engineer that strategy. Read and listen to what other people are saying, then build and formulate from there.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Not asking the right questions to your team and your partners. I overcame it by learning hard lessons because I didn’t have the answers that I should have had. Now I’ll never let that happen again.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I have recently seen an increase in P2P payment apps. Applications like Venmo and Google Pay are helping businesses provide a wide range of safe payment options and utilizing the latest technology to help minimize additional costs.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

It was more than $100, but I got the fast pass for Disneyland for my family. I’m a big believer in time value money, so my time and that of my family is better off when I can spend the money to buy back my time.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I use Skype all day long. It helps me be so much more productive in the sense that I’m not on the phone all the time and, being a woman, I can definitely multitask. I can have five conversations in one go, which means that I get more of my time back.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

I believe that if your mind isn’t happy and at peace, then various parts of your life start to break down. That is why I recommend the Autobiography of a Yogi because it will settle your mind, so that every single other part of your life will fall into place.

What is your favorite quote?

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” — Steve Jobs

Key Learnings:

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions and make mistakes.
• Step back and take time for yourself when you start to feel burned out.
• Be sure to value your time and know your worth.