Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Uzair Khan, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Arya Consulting Partners, located in Northbrook, IL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Arya Consulting Partners is a woman-owned, employee-driven, and community-rooted global management and technology consulting firm. We are fueled by cross-industry leaders with deep expertise in solving today's signature business and technology issues. Our commitment to our clients, employees, and community is supported by the firm's founding core values of Passion, Integrity, Quality, Accountability, Diversity, Respect, and Corporate Social Responsibility.

With disruption paving the path for innovation, organizations are feeling the pressure to be more agile in the way they operate, innovate and go to the market to keep up with the competition and deliver on the growing expectations of their customers. Arya supports clients to capitalize on this disruption through four core offerings:

  1. Digital Modernization: We partner with our clients to create, implement and align digital strategy with their corporate strategy to enable accelerated innovation and customer-centricity. Examples of our capabilities include Infrastructure (Cloud) modernization, data, and analytics modernization, including AI/ML, legacy platform decommissioning, and conversion.
  2. Product Commercialization: We support our clients in developing an agile product commercialization strategy and process to identify critical paths, resources & decisions to achieve launch excellence. Examples of our work include early asset strategy & planning, Asset PowerBook, GTM strategy, launch roadmap/management, and launch excellence.
  3. Organizational Agility: We help clients to adapt rapidly to changes in their internal and external environment without losing momentum. Examples of our capabilities include organization visioning & strategy, organization structure design, process design & governance, change management & training, and development.
  4. Revenue Maximization: We partner with our clients to maximize their revenue by identifying innovative revenue streams, maximizing product growth, and improving operational efficiencies. Examples of our work include wrap-around services for in-market products, product value, lifecycle management, brand/marketing excellence, and digital innovations. To best support our clients across a breadth of services with an unmatched depth of expertise, Arya brings together the right people across the globe to deliver exceptional value, whether it's strategy, execution, or operations.

As part of our core values to support those who help others, we partner with several non-profit organizations on a variety of initiatives critical to supporting and increasing their business. Although we have formed several business-related partnerships, the two we are especially proud of are the ones that we formed within our community.

  1. Our partnership and seat on the board of directors at Mobile Care Chicago (https://mobilecarechicago.org/) enables us to help deliver no-cost medical and preventative care, education, and support to low-income children and families within their communities aboard mobile medical clinics. Mobile Care Chicago is a not-for-profit organization that uses mobile medical clinics to assist children currently unable to access necessary specialty care for a chronic condition. All services within all programs are offered free of charge to all participants.
  2. Partnering with Chi-Care (https://chi-care.org/) enables us to help provide warm meals, water, and basic human needs for people experiencing homelessness throughout Chicagoland. Chi-Care is an inclusive organization aimed at providing people who are homeless and need help the most with warm food, clean water, and other resources where they live.

Tell us about yourself

Arya was founded by two consulting executives, Nida and Uzair Khan, with a vision to 'humanize' consulting and balance client centricity with employee well-being and community impact. Together, they form the three core pillars of the business that needs to grow in the right proportion for the business to grow as a whole.

The word Arya means 'noble' and was the name the founders reserved for their daughter. But after being blessed with two wonderful boys, it was only natural that their third baby, their business, was named Arya.
The innovative solutions for maturing challenges that we support our clients in developing are what motivate us. Growing a firm with a culture of inclusion, diversity, and work-life balance motivates us. Supporting our community and non-profit organizations through not just monetary means but through our business and technology skillsets is what motivates us. Taking Arya to new heights and setting an example for others to follow is what motivates us.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Being able to create an environment that fosters innovative thinking and collaboration with a laser focus on business outcomes for our clients as well as dedicating the right amount of time to helping non-profit organizations and our communities... all while preserving work-life balance and employee well-being.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Accepting and being (relatively) comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty (in pretty much every aspect of the business) without letting it create or feed self-doubt.

What are the perspective/tips for anyone looking to start a business that provides services to customers?

  1. Understand, believe and articulate very clearly the value your business brings to your customer base. Unless your business provides a truly innovative solution that doesn't have market competition, you will always be fighting for the market share from your competitors that are in the space longer than you. If you don't believe what you are selling, your customer base will see right through you. Objectively differentiate your brand and the value you bring to the table.
  2. Walk a mile in your customer's shoes. Understand their challenges from their lens, not yours. Use your lens and experience to craft the solution options. Litmus tests it with the Customer lens. Exercise true empathy. Many times we put our experiences and perceptions in looking at our customers' issues which adds blinders to our ability to create a tailored solution, resulting in what the customer feels like a cookie-cutter approach/solution.
  3. Don't forget about your true assets - the people who are making it possible for you to deliver for your customers. Make sure you are taking care of your employees in a way that motivates them to continue to do good work. Invest in your employees and in a culture that fosters collaboration and a sense of purpose. High pay with a terrible work-life balance will not provide the longevity of their devotion to your company. Take care of their mental and physical health. Keep a strong pulse on how they are doing and what can be done to make the work culture better. There is, of course, a balance to maintain there, but if you genuinely care about the people that work with you, it will come across as such.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://aryacp.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aryacp/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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