Shifts in Human Beings | Ep. 161

Welcome to another informative and exciting episode of the Data Gurus Podcast! Today, Sima is happy to have Zain Raj, the CEO and Chairman of Shapiro+Raj Agency, joining her! Zain has had a very interesting journey! In this episode, he dives into how he got to where he is today and talks about his company, Shapiro+Raj. He also gets into how we need to shift and adapt to a changing world. How Zain’s journey started Zain graduated in India with an economics and finance degree, intending to become a CPA. After graduating, he pivoted and signed up for a new advertising program. He has now spent thirty-six years in the marketing industry. He has never experienced even one unhappy day because he loves what he does so much! Moving to the US Zain met an Indian woman living in the US, married her, and stayed in India for a year before moving to the US. He has been living in Chicago since then. Advertising After moving to the US, Zain got into the advertising industry and ran big global clients. He moved from brand advertising into direct marketing and then into data analytics. Then he joined the world of digital advertising. Creative Zain loves advertising because it requires empathy and creativity. You also get to be analytical and have the opportunity to work with a diversity of talent. Critical qualities Zain feels that depth and empathy are critical qualities for any business. Shapiro+Raj After working with big companies for a year, Zain wanted to spend more time with his family and spend the next stage of his career doing something more fulfilling. He saw many of his clients struggling with insights, so he decided to build a new model of an insights company. He bought Shapiro in 2015 because it was one of the largest independent companies based in Chicago with whom he had a long history. He then rid the company of the pieces they did not need and added a digital agency and a creative ideation capability to the platform. They brought in a brand strategist from advertising agencies and consulting forums and added the other necessary pieces to become a strategic insights consultancy capable of helping their clients get to market faster and spark transformative outcomes. Growth Over the last five years, Shapiro+Raj has tripled in size organically, without having either a sales or a business development team. Equity value appreciation Zain’s firm and their team have added more than 91 billion dollars of equity value appreciation for their clients over the last four years. Two parts Zain’s business has two parts. The one part is a life-sciences business, working with pharma companies. The other focuses on financial services, home improvements, building materials, retail, and technology. Radical shift Zain’s company approaches the radical shift brought about by Covid by considering how human beings will respond to the changing world. They also look at the changes in the economic, geopolitical environment, and the individual’s environment. The uncertainty in the world today They currently see a world with no framework, so most people and consumers have no idea how to think about their lives. People are constantly trying to figure things out, and that is why so many people are having mental issues right now. The uncertainty on a business level  On a business level, everything is in short supply. So people are unsure of when their supply problems will get solved and what their pricing will be. Predicting the future Zain’s team has been helping their clients by using their methodologies to predict the future and then working backward. What will happen in the future? There is a negative rebound with building materials, home improvements, and financial services. Groceries have pivoted to a delivery model and will stay strong. Talent will continue to be an issue. A new trend  A new trend is growing, around delivery apps, and with companies like Uber and Lyft. Talent For companies to find new talent, leaders have to see the world of work in a new and different way and figure out how to become more flexible and collaborative. Bio: A visionary leader, entrepreneur, business accelerator, investor, philanthropist, and industry futurist, Zain Raj is considered a global leader in finding new and different ways to grow brands. His unique ability to unearth surprising insights and incite inspired ideas has created billions of dollars of value for his clients and investors. Currently, Zain is the Chairman and CEO of Shapiro+Raj, a top-ten independent insights and inspiration company in North America. He is also the founder and CEO of ZedNext, an ideas incubator that takes an objective and disruptive look at trends to help marketers and business leaders realize their full potential in this data-driven, digitally-led, and insights-driven world. His theories and methodologies provide clear and actionable ways to help companies deliver sustainable growth through these times of significant economic and cultural change. He has authored two Amazon marketing and sales bestsellers, Brand Rituals™: How Successful Brands Bond with Customers for Life and Marketing For Tomorrow, Not Yesterday: Surviving and Thriving in the Insight Economy™. An evangelist for innovation and a strong believer in empowering others, Zain is a sought-after speaker on how marketers can build their businesses and improve their brand value in this evolving landscape of big data, mobility, digitization, and commoditization. He contributes his insights to The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fast Company, Forbes, Crain’s, and publications of the nation’s top business schools.   Links: Email me your thoughts! [email protected] LinkedIn Twitter Infinity-2.com Zain Raj on LinkedIn Shapiro+Raj