Have good people around you and develop strong partnerships. It’s difficult to grow all by yourself, but if you have highly competent people around you it will work.
Issac Qureshi is a taxation and wealth management specialist who operates in the UK, Europe, Middle East and the United States and is the Founder of Ogilvy & Haart. Qureshi graduated in 1995 with a BA and Honours in Social & Economic History from Liverpool University, and after returning to University for a few years, earned his diploma from Manchester University Institute of Marketing in 1998. Issac continued his educational journey at The London School of Economics and Political Science, where he graduated first honours with his Bachelor of Laws degree. Following LSE, Qureshi went on to complete his Master of Laws in International and Commercial Trust Law at UCL. Issac Qureshi now provides his wide range of international clients with detailed taxation strategies, various investment opportunities and the opportunity to increase and protect their wealth
Where did the idea for your company come from?
The idea for the company came from the fact that having reviewed the marketplace, there was a clear gap in the market for providing tax and wealth strategies based on success and results, rather than the old model of fees. If we don’t succeed in what we are trying to achieve for our clients, then we do not get paid. Our client’s success is our success too!
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
A typical day involves meeting clients and ensuring their taxation and wealth needs are met on a pro-active basis. Also, as clients are now across the globe I also now spend a lot of time on video conference calls either early in the morning or late in the evening too!
How do you bring ideas to life?
I ensure any ideas get the correct level of focus and attention it needs to make it happen. This will involve personal leadership and ensuring the correct team members are assigned and given the responsibility to deliver on the idea.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Artificial Intelligence is the technological trend that most excites me. As advanced as A.I. currently is, I believe that it is still in its infancy and this provides tremendous innovation and opportunities moving forward.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I make sure I spend time every morning planning my day and ensuring my day is focused on delivering results for my clients and myself.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to exercise patience – the difference between a deal going great and a deal going sour can sometimes be completely based on timing.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
A little tongue in cheek… but Liverpool is the best football (soccer) team around!
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
The one thing I do over and over is study! I am constantly either further developing my understanding of something or making sure I learn new things that will help me in both my business and personal life.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Have good people around you and develop strong partnerships. It’s difficult to grow all by yourself, but if you have highly competent people around you it will work.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
As a lawyer, I put my trust in someone and my trust was misplaced. I overcame it by learning from the experience. I am slightly more cautious now about who I trust, and I ask many more questions. At the same time, however, you have to be open too!
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I have a concept that I am working on right now but here it is anyway! I believe that CBD Oil is going to be legal in more and more countries, so it would be a good idea for young entrepreneurs to get into that business sooner rather than later.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Without doubt it was when a recent lunch meeting was cancelled and I decided to walk into a local sandwich shop and bought $100 of food and drink. I then spent the next 30 minutes walking down the street and passing out food to the homeless. It reminds me to constantly be grateful.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
OnePageCRM. It is a simple piece of software we use across the teams to track conversations and contacts with clients. It is mobile and instead of complex CRM systems, this simply requires you to enter the next action and allocate resource to the action.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“Think & Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill
What is your favorite quote?
“Listen to understand, not to hear”
Key Learnings:
- Never stop learning
- Always plan your success
- Be grateful
- Surround yourself with great people
- Give back!
Connect:
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.