The Road Ahead

Five business leaders share their New Year’s resolutions

THE NEW YEAR is a time of peaceful reflection for most people. We take time to relax with family, reflect on all of the good that happened to us throughout the past year and then turn our minds to the year ahead and what’s possible.

Anyone running a business knows you always have to be planning ahead to stay on top of changing winds. We recently asked a handful of TechAlliance members to share their goals for the year ahead, and as you might expect, their answers are as diverse as their businesses.

Glendalynn Dixon
Owner, Glendalynn Dixon Professional Services
Goal: Help others with leadership transformation

“I am always looking for opportunities in the London ­business community to positively impact change ­management and innovation efforts,” says Dixon. “In 2019, I will concentrate on inspiring local leaders to challenge the status quo of classic leadership styles by building accountability and developing strong teams with relevant functional skills. I believe that all successful business transformation starts with people.”

Rajah Lehal
Founder and CEO, Clausehound Inc.
Goal: Embrace the chaos

“With a new baby turning life upside down inside my house, life isn’t as organized, efficient and structured as I’ve tried to make things at the office,” explains Lehal. “And it’s been fine—fun, really. I resolve to bring that fun into the office, to be less orderly and to embrace the chaos!”

Tarique Al-Ansari
President and CEO, Zomaron
Goal: Accelerate growth

“Our new office at the former Westmount Public Library, as well as the increase in our team members, have all been a direct result of our business growth in 2018,” says Al-Ansari. “At Zomaron, we embrace change; that’s why our 2019 theme is geared around acceleration and focus. In 2019, we will continue to focus on growth as we roll-out new payment technologies and activate our strategic plans. However, we will be reminding ourselves that we still have a long way to go, and this keeps us humble each and every day.”

Jonathan Ferrara
Investment advisor, TD Wealth
Goal: Enhancing client services

“In 2019, we are focusing on streamlining our existing processes and identifying enhancements to the client services we offer,” says Ferrara. “We have a growth target of approximately 20 per cent, which is appropriate given our current business model. We are also in the process of completing client transitions to a discretionary platform that offers greater scalability.”

Janet Smith
Marketing manager, Start.ca
Goal: Solidify big-project support

“We resolve to make the coming year a time of growth and improvement at Start.ca as we prioritize several large-scale projects,” explains Smith. “This includes improvements to our new Start TV service, introducing business phone service and the further expansion of our own fibre infrastructure. These improvements mean we will need a deeper understanding of resource allocation. Do we have enough staffing to support these improvements or do we need to hire to fill any gaps? What do we need to do today to ensure these projects are successful later on? It’s an exciting time, and we are looking forward to the opportunities ahead.”