“If you can overcome the fear, you can accomplish wonders.” __Adam Azim
Adam Azim’s entrepreneurial philosophy revolves around continuous evolution, independence, and self-reliance. In his view, entrepreneurship transcends the mere act of running a business—it is a mindset grounded in overcoming fear and embracing challenges. He highlights the innate nature of entrepreneurship as being tied to personality but insists that anyone can unlock their potential by conquering fear. Adam also critiques society’s drift toward dependence, emphasizing that economic viability, political independence, and territorial sovereignty are inseparable from a nation’s strength. His reflections serve as a reminder that a sense of independence and purpose is key to entrepreneurial success.
In this candid conversation with Business Upside, Adam sheds light on his leadership philosophy, the power of data, and the importance of transparency. He believes that intuition, complemented by data, is a powerful tool for making informed decisions in today’s data-driven world. His approach to leadership is rooted in building consensus and fostering open communication, recognizing that transparency begins with the leader’s own actions. Adam also underscores the need for cultural sensitivity and adaptability, urging entrepreneurs to avoid being driven solely by money or technology. Instead, he advocates for moments of disconnection to maintain mental clarity, authenticity, and long-term focus in an ever-polarized world.
Edited Excerpts from the Interview
Business Upside [BU]: What does entrepreneurship mean to you beyond just running a business?
Adam Azim [AA]: Continuous evolution. Not settling for anything in order to avoid stagnation.
[BU]: Do you believe entrepreneurship is innate, or can it be learned?
[AA]: For the most part, entrepreneurship is innate because it is largely a matter of personality. We have different personalities in this world. No two people are the same. But I would argue that living through fear is perhaps the biggest hindrance to the entrepreneurial spirit. If you can overcome the fear, you can accomplish wonders. As one American president said, the only thing to fear is fear itself. Also, we are long past the ‘Walden Pond’ sort of independence and self-reliance, which gave birth to the United States in the first place. We are being driven into a sense of dependence and weakness as opposed to independence and self-reliance. And that is the worst thing that can happen to a nation or society. Economic viability, political independence, and territorial sovereignty are the sinews of a nation’s basic security. And all of these sinews of power or security are derived from a sense of independence and self-reliance. But for one reason or another, we are being cowered and silenced into dependence and weakness as opposed to being driven into a sense of independence and self-reliance.
[BU]: How do you balance intuition with data-driven decisions?
[AA]: Data is perhaps a tool or an instrument to make your intuitive arguments more credible and clear to people. All of it is intuition, but data is the right-hand man of intuition. And, of course, we are now in an economy or perhaps even in a historical epoch where everything revolves around data. Before this historical epoch, it all revolved around money and militaries. Today, it all revolves around data, given the increased complexity of the world. For governments, corporations, and entrepreneurs alike, the focus becomes one of collecting as much data as possible.
[BU]: How do you stay flexible without losing sight of your long-term goals?
[AA]: By not being tied down to money considerations. You lose sight of the long-term,m and you become handicapped as soon as money-thinking comes into the picture. Of course, money is important. But money-thinking takes away from the complexity of basic and overall thought and cognition. And once that complexity of thought and cognition diminishes as a result of money-thinking, entire governments, and societies collapse as a result of it. We have to take culture, ideology, and our way of life in this country into account as well.
[BU]: What leadership qualities do you admire most, and how do you embody them?
[AA]: Aside from the qualities we mentioned previously, such as God-consciousness and awareness of our mortality, I also admire the ability to create consensus among people and the ability to resolve conflicts. It is as rare of a quality as it can possibly get. Most people make it all worse as opposed to better.
[BU]: How do you ensure transparency and communication across your team?
[AA]: If you aren’t transparent and persuasive yourself, you’ll never get your team to be transparent and persuasive. Be the change you want to see, as they say. It all starts with one individual or the leader of the team.
[BU]: What’s a time when customer feedback completely shifted your perspective?
[AA]: There were two occasions, actually. Two that stuck with me the most and were totally unforgettable. Once, it was while I was an intern in Kenya during graduate school, where I was sitting with a much older Kenyan gentleman at my hotel bar or lounge one evening, and we started chatting. He said you’re great, only if you get your head straight. The second time was when I was finishing graduate school, and I paid a visit to one of my professors, who I truly and greatly respected, and I still do, but he couldn’t stand me. He was a Socialist Jew from Brooklyn. I asked him if he could recommend me to some PhD programs. He said he wouldn’t do it because I wasn’t objective enough and I wasn’t literate enough. He said, “You barely read; you’re not cut out for it.” That changed everything.
[BU]: How do you ensure your brand stays authentic as you grow?
[AA]: You have to become a known entity first and foremost. How are people going to know you in order for it to be established among people that you are authentic? It’s sort of an uphill climb. It takes a lot of energy and time, first and foremost. And once you establish credibility and legitimacy amongst the community or society, how do you maintain it? It’s a huge challenge.
[BU]: Do you rely on traditional financial planning, or do you prefer a more flexible approach?
[AA]: I prefer flexibility and not being tied down by money considerations as humanly as possible.
[BU]: What’s your approach to staying technologically relevant without losing focus?
[AA]: Perhaps limiting the use of technology. As Thoreau said, we intended to run the machine, but the machine will be running us eventually. Unplugging from it all once in a while and connecting with our inner thoughts and with nature. Otherwise, you will lose your sanity. Some of these social media wizards, for instance, have admitted that they do not allow their own children to go on social media. If social media wizards are frightened by what they created, why shouldn’t we be frightened by it? We are inching ever closer to World War III, or perhaps we are already consumed by World War III; we are in the middle of it, and almost all of it has been driven by social media and technology. Polarization and social fragmentation have only increased with social media and technology, even though we hoped that it would decrease as a result of it all. Everyone is clinging to their echo chambers and “tribes” as opposed to opening up to others. The center, or the middle, is being pulled apart by polarization and by opposing poles in this society. Even though the whole point is to maintain a middle path. There is something called the “median voter model,” which shows that the closer you get to the center, the better off you are. Thus, polarization and social fragmentation are a huge cause for concern, given that everything is rooted in the center. You maintain focus when you’re the one riding the proverbial machine as opposed to having the proverbial machine ride you.
More Information
Company URL: www.adam-azim.com
LinkedIn URL: http://linkedin.com/in/adam-a-azim-94bb111b2
