Ash Patel, a veteran banker gave sound advice to the gathering at the TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) monthly event on October 21 at the Sheraton hotel in Cerritos. Patel, founding president and director of Premier Commercial Bank in Anaheim, kept the audience attention by relating his inspiring personal story of how he rose from a simple bank teller to own a bank and get to the bottom of how banks make money.
Patel who came to the US from Zambia, Africa in 1986 described himself as an ‘accidental teller’ who landed a job in the Bank of America. Ever since then, he moved up the ladder, by choice joining smaller banks so as to get to know the ropes of the business. From California State Bank to Bank of Orange County, he gained confidence and knowledge and broke off on his own in 2001 opening the Premier Commercial Bank with $7.5 million. Today, it is a $400 million bank with 65 employees and two branches in Anaheim and Irvine - Newport.
Talking about the keys to his success, he said that what he achieved is only possible in the US. He is a product of this merit-based society and started a bank from ground zero. He said, “If you have a dream, never give up. Don’t settle for anything less. Always strive to get and achieve more. Keep pushing yourself to the next level.” He made it clear that it was not just making more money that drove him but gaining recognition and respect. His aim was to become the chairman of a $10 billion bank and he would work towards that.
He also stressed on giving back to those who have helped you on your road to success.
When he started off, he said, all he had was a “business plan and a prayer,” and there were those who helped him get to where he is today. Another speaker, Rajesh Setty, a non-resident Indian entrepreneur and a hyperactive blogger, focussed on the social media mindset and presented useful tips on how to leverage Twitter and other social media to boost one’s business. Setty who has been involved with social media since 2003 maintains a blog called ‘Life Beyond Code’ which was named one of the “Top 100 Management and Leadership Blogs in 2008’ by HRWorld.
He spoke of the importance of changing one’s mindset to get the most out of social media. “Don’t consider it as another mouthpiece but see it as an amplifier of a good idea. Though it may be noisy out there, if you are the signal, it makes you stand out,” he emphasized.
He examined seven relationships people have with social media starting off with the lowest - those who totally despise it and think it’s all nonsense. Then there are those who keep a safe distance from it, those who procrastinate using it, those who just dabble with it - starting off with great enthusiasm but soon dropping it .Serious returns happen when there is real dedication and the biggest returns come when one starts ‘Dancing’ with it. It is no longer a drudgery but a part of one’s life.
