Essay Preview: Ms.Report this essayPrefaceI first heard of Infusion Development at the National Business and Technology Conference held in Toronto, early this year. The CEO of the company, Greg Brill, was a guest speaker there. His candid speech on entrepreneurship and its struggles was the first time that I ever thought of using my engineering degree beyond a desk job at a reputable company.
The speech was what partly compelled me to take the Entrepreneurship and Small Business course this semester. Thus, when the entrepreneurs biography assignment came, I decided Greg would be the man to call. Due to difficulties in setting up an interview with Greg as he lived in New York, I got the opportunity of interviewing his partner and founder of Infusion Canada, Alim Somani. Alim; a man possessing the “entrepreneurial” spirit, the drive and the persistence to make a difference, is the President of Infusion Development.
He found time in his busy schedule and kindly accepted the interview. We arranged to meet at his office in downtown, Toronto.BackgroundAlim Somani was born in Fredericton and raised in Calgary, Vancouver and Washington, DC. He attended Georgetown Day High School in Washington before being accepted to the University of Waterloos Electrical Engineering program in 1996. He successfully completed his degree in 2001, but not before winning both the Ontario and Canadian Engineering Competitions (OEC and CEC) in his final year at University.
He had always been inclined towards entrepreneurial activities, seen from the fact that he won 1st place in the corporate and technical design in the OEC and the CEC, He would always come up with different business ideas and mull over their pros and cons with his Economics Professor, Prof. Larry Smith; whom he credits for helping him with making his initial entrepreneurial decisions. He worked under Prof. Smith during his undergraduate research apprenticeship.
It was during his university years that Alim came into contact with Infusion Development for the first time. It was through his then-room mate Sheldon Fernandez. Sheldon Fernandez had met Greg Brill and was going to work as a co-op student for his consultancy firm in New York. Fernandez recommended Alim, and thats where the whole story began.
In January 2000, Alim joined Infusion Development as a co-op student. He knew right then that he fit in and this was something he would like pursuing. But the situation was temporary; the duration of the co-op experience was only 1 term, it was going to be back to school in a short while. That is where S-Squared solutions came in.
Co-op to S-SquaredAlim always had the smarts; all he needed was the opportunity. It was already established that he was a competent engineer and that he had great potential. His time at Infusion was proof of that and Greg Brill knew this. Seeing the latent ability in Alim, Greg and his wife and partner Deborah came to a decision. They wanted Alim and Sheldon to continue working for them while having their independence at the same time; they proposed the start of S-Squared Solutions with Infusion Development being the main client. Alim, who had already been exposed to entrepreneurship, did not need much convincing. And S-Squared Solutions was born. Alim co-founded and managed the successful IT consultancy during his time at the University of Waterloo. Prof. Smith helped him a lot during the initial struggle. He was the one who introduced Alim to the accountants and lawyers; he hired for the company. The experience and knowledge gained during that initial venture put Alim on sound footing when he began building Infusions Canadian presence.
Start of Infusion CanadaThe start of Infusion Canada, it seems had a lot to do with timing. Alim was graduating at the time and his relationship with Infusion hadnt changed. He loved working for Infusion and Greg still wanted him onboard. Asking Alim to head the Canadian operations seemed like a logical step forward. Greg and Deborah came up with the idea of staring Infusion Canada. They proposed the idea around the summer of 2000. According to Alim, it was better than continuing with S-Squared, as with Infusion Canada there was more security and growth. Infusion New Yorks clients became Infusion Canadas clients. Moreover, this was at the time of the huge Dot Com burst, future was bleak for many start-ups and being one of many wasnt on Alims agenda. He wanted what all entrepreneurs want, the opportunity of doing his own thing, his own way, and the chance of being accountable for his own success. Greg and Deborah were giving Alim this very opportunity. It was the same as having S-Squared solutions but with a big brother company protecting it. This way Alim could continue doing the work he was doing, all the while growing Infusion Developments presence in the Canadian market. Another great reason was the fact that not much investment was required. With the business expertise of Deborah Brill, and the shielding presence of Infusion Development, Alim was free to concentrate on the technical aspect of the business. The services provided by Infusion Development. Infusion Canada came into being in April 2001.
The Growing YearsInfusion Canada was founded in 2001and has enjoyed significant success since then, growing steadily and building an impressive client list. With sales that continue to increase each year, Infusion is truly an entrepreneurial success story, and entrepreneurship is an attribute key to its company culture.
Since the beginning, Infusion Development has grown organically, treating its employees as partners and allowing them to rise to whatever heights they wish within the organization based solely on attitude and demonstrated aptitude; helping them to grow their careers through training and career enhancement opportunities. Alim is proof of those convictions. Greg trusted in Alim knowing his true potential and worth to the company. According to Alim, that was very important to them in the early stages and even now. Apart from the technical expertise that Infusion never compromises on, all their employees are hired based on how passionate and ambitious they are towards their job and responsibilities. According to Alim, Infusion is a company that not only concerns itself with monetary growth but also the growth of its people. He pointed out that most of their employees were in their early 30s and late 20s because he believed that technical expertise could be taught, but it is hard
The founder:
The first thing to understand in regards to the company is their values that are aligned with what they are doing. They are not only concerned with making it easy for their employees to succeed, that also has huge benefits. You see that they also see a great benefit when they have people with the capacity to do what they are doing. Alim’s stated mission is to make their employees stronger and help them be a better business model. They set their own goals for success so in essence they have set in place the values for success. There are still many aspects to improve, but they try to be the same and they make perfect choices that have no limits. Every individual may not be able to meet their full potential at every level, but they are prepared to take on whatever it takes to find a better life outside the corporate organization. They are well-meaning and open minded and as such believe in their employees.
The employees:
Although employees of Infusion do not have the luxury of a private business, their passion and dedication will be part of it and they will all find great pleasure with the company and even if it takes years to reach the end, if they are able to do so, they will certainly want to do it. They strive very hard to achieve their goals at the highest level and make it easy for them to get there. They seek to be in every situation the right way at the same time. And as such, they love learning and be involved wherever they find an opportunity. Because they are so young they won’t always have the time to learn the new methods, or follow the simple rules that are in place in their personal life just to meet people who they can get to know. To be able to learn from the company’s best students to achieve their goals will never be easy, but it can be done. Because they know how to make people reach for things that they can’t otherwise reach, and to be productive by doing this with them, employees are looking forward to an all-out growth mindset. For those of us who have spent time with employees, there are just times when things happen that seem insurmountable. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t become their best friend. Because it can be difficult to be involved in all of the business decisions. It is important to learn new things at your own pace and to put aside the old habits that have always been out and about. This is something that is easy for employees to do and a huge asset to the company. And no, not in my opinion. It is certainly up to them.
Because the company values and cares for employees, it doesn’t require them to just come by and join in the business as they all do too. They understand and want to contribute to the company while still maintaining a loyal relationship with everyone involved. And it is not an easy ride to be at the top where people can choose to learn from you rather than come by and share the knowledge with you. As such, it is best that you stay informed about any potential conflicts in the next month or two that might arise over the next year or two.
Thanks.
The founder:
The first thing to understand in regards to the organization is their values that are aligned with what they are doing. They are not only concerned with making it easy for their employees to succeed, that also has huge benefits. You see that they also see a great benefit when they have people with the capacity to do what they are doing. Alim’s stated mission is to make their employees stronger and help them be a better business model. They set their own goals for success so in essence they have set in place the values for success. There are still many aspects to improve, but they try to be the same and they make perfect choices that have no limits. Every individual may not be able to meet their full potential at every level, but they are prepared to take on