InvoZone CEO Furqan Aziz on Passion, Failure, and Monday Rituals

Top Entrepreneurs understand two things: how their attitude affects the business and how to make a difference in the world. This week, Furqan Aziz joins us on “Mondays with Entrepreneurs” to discuss how he is making a difference in the world and growing business at the same time.

Who’s the Guest?

👨‍💻 Name: Furqan Aziz

🙌 What They Do: Furqan is the CEO of InvoZone

💭 Best Advice:  Starting up a company isn’t just about work but also how much of yourself goes into this lifestyle choice.

So before starting your week, pause for a coffee break ;) and enjoy this chit-chat with Furqan.

1. Please tell our reader about how you perceive success?

The path to success is unique for each person. For some, it may be about being the best at what they do, others might define their own goals differently - whether that means impacting a world or just achieving personal milestones such as having more time with family members.

For me, success means making a difference in the world.

I benchmark it as to whether or not you can be remarkable. If your work is extraordinary enough to stand out from everything else going on around us congratulations! You've found what's successful for you.

2. Why did you start InvoZone and how does your passion still drive your business’ growth?

In an unexpected turn of events in 2014, my credit card was charged with a fraudulent payment of $10,000. Yes, I became the victim of credit card fraud and the whole ordeal shook me up; I thought to myself, ‘I need to stop this loophole’. So to minimize attacks on payment systems due to their weak cybersecurity measures such as lack of security protocols or unprotected networks, I strategically planned and started my own company that would protect people from scams through robust security solutions. 

It is now more than just one man's passion project: this full-fledged development team has taken cybersecurity as their core service! For the last seven years, we've been leading innovators in web and mobile development by using new technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Science, Artificial Intelligence.

3. One of the biggest fears of outsourcing is trusting the people you hire to do your business as you would do. How do you ensure that your clients trust you?

My clients and employees are equally important to me. I let my team take the front seat by taking complete ownership of a project, encouraging them through allowing their ideas to be heard in brainstorming sessions- enabling us all to work as one as we push for our ultimate goal; finding the best solution possible for the client's product.

But to make sure that clients get the best product, we always hire A+ grade players. Other than that we have a deep and 3-step (verification, validation, and quality assurance) process to ensure high-quality deliverables.

4. The pandemic surely affected businesses worldwide. What about InvoZone, What impact COVID-19 had on your business? (Both positively and negatively.)

With 600% plus growth during the pandemic, Invozone has not felt the worst effects of a disaster, fortunately. Also, there’s an increased demand for software development companies because people have been shifting to the digital space. But some of our clients and local businesses have felt the worst effect of this pandemic. We do sympathize with them and are looking to help as much as we can.

5. In 2021, what is the major problem you think the tech industry should work on?

COVID-19 showed that our healthcare systems need more technological advancements if we want to overcome a pandemic situation. Although digitalization is happening in the healthcare industry, it's not enough. Other than that, Cyber fraud needs to be addressed as well because of increased online transactions and scams that are targeting victims who make purchases or perform other digital actions on their devices.

6. Why do you think most people fail to grow their business? And what advice would you offer them to keep pushing?

Entrepreneurs who hesitate to delegate and outsource are more likely to fail because they wear too many hats at the same time. Besides delegating, outsourcing is integral to startups as well as if you want your business to grow from two times to ten-fold.

Most businesses come to us when their businesses have almost reached death's door; we help them stand back up again by having professionals and experts in every vertical. But those who don’t seek help eventually fail. My advice for everyone who is facing failure is to learn to delegate tasks to experts and do what you are best at.

7. If you could speak face to face with yourself when you first started, what pearls of wisdom would you impart?

There are many things that I missed and would like to pass on if given the chance. Loyalty in hiring is paramount, prepare for surprises, stay tough-skinned - it's not always easy! You can't start until you know what your goal is; starting up a company isn’t just about work but also how much of yourself goes into this lifestyle choice. With business partners make sure there's an equilibrium between passion, commitment, ambition, and willingness/ability to manage stress because when one diminishes so does the other which is disastrous for your team.

8. What’s the best advice you ever received and do you follow it?

I got too many bits of advice from my mentors and family. But the best advice I ever received was from one of my mentors. He said: “Rather than going with a standard path, see how you can add more value”. and It's always good to take the time to invest in your career. When you're trying to figure out what the next steps are, ask yourself: How can I add more value?

I often find myself wondering how I can contribute even better than before - and then it hits me! If adding something that already exists will help make my work easier or more efficient for other people, why not do so whenever possible while still maintaining a positive attitude about everything else too (i.e., don't let negativity get the best of you).

9. And the last question, since the series is named “Mondays with Entrepreneurs”, What are your Monday Morning rituals?

Since I work all week, Monday is no different than any other day. Well not so much for the morning rituals- that's when things get unordinary. The minute my eyes open in the morning- it's time to check messages from team members and clients alike. If there is nothing urgent then a shower and breakfast with family might do before getting back on desk duties for almost 14 hours every single weekday.

Shahmeer: Alright, Furqan! Your story is truly inspirational. Thanks for your time and best of luck. I am sure readers will enjoy and learn.

Thanks, Hackers for reading :) If you have any suggestions regarding questions to ask in this series or if you want to get featured, I am available on slack and you can also reach out to me on Linkedin ;)