We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sameer Somal. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sameer below.

Sameer, appreciate you joining us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

I believe that entrepreneurship is an expression of self. It’s the ability to put yourself out there—a manifestation of who you are. It’s the ability to develop an idea or a vision that starts as your own and becomes the world’s. There’s excitement inherent in entrepreneurship because you’re creating something new.

Starting a business is analogous to jumping into the Pacific Ocean and trying to swim across. Initially, the determination to create something novel is palpable, but you soon learn that only some people (if any) share the same vision or passion as you. You realize that the journey requires resilience, as it can become a solitary pursuit. It’s up to the entrepreneur to inculcate and attract others to contribute to that vision. That process takes unending energy, heart, and intelligence.

Sarah Blakely inspires me personally and professionally. She said, “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” I hold this close to my heart and use it as a source of strength to tackle the challenges I face on my journey. I even printed the quote on thank you note cards that I send to people in the mail.

Many entrepreneurs may agree that curating or building a team that is diverse, capable, and complementary to your skill set is both a case study and a learning process. You need to find people with strengths and capabilities that are different and better than your own. Treasure those people, invest in them, and empower them to apply themselves to their journey. Transform ownership of your vision for the organization into a shared vision.

A unique aspect of our organization is that we do not address each other as employees but as colleagues, friends, and young leaders. I never liked the word “employee.” When I was an employee at some of the major financial institutions, I was afforded meaningful opportunities and experiences, but I often felt limited. These “employee” experiences didn’t resonate with my being because I didn’t have a voice. While building your vision for an organization, I believe you need teammates and friends, not employees. Teammates become part of the community that is your organization and will treat the organization as their own.

I’ve learned that there are two kinds of people in an entrepreneurial venture. The first group sees their responsibilities at the organization as a “job” and can’t envision the company as their own. You can be grateful if they give their best effort during their allotted work hours. The second group of people are essential to you. They treat the company as their own. They’ll spend valuable time working towards your vision and are energized when it becomes theirs. These are the people that you should invest more time in, and you should build a system whereby those people are rewarded and motivated. As the organization progresses, you can give them ownership of the vision through profit-sharing and actual ownership. I am never thankful enough for the latter group of intrapreneurs.

Wealth inequality is real and at history highs. A livelihood— much less an education—is out of reach for many, robbing some of the brightest minds of their true potential. Profit sharing is one of the best ways to mitigate this inequality. Profit sharing and employee equity provide employees with the chance to become stakeholders or owners of the company they’re a part of. This initiative doesn’t just benefit employees. Studies show that organizations with at least 30% employee ownership grow faster, are more productive, and are less likely to go out of business. The biggest performance advantages occur when employees think and act like company owners. They not only have higher wages, better benefits, and higher levels of loyalty and productivity, but they also enjoy better mental health. We recently added another shareholder in Ms. Aashna Duggal, Girl Power Talk’s new Chief Legal Officer.

At Blue Ocean Global Technology and our sister company, Girl Power Talk, we’ve placed an extraordinary emphasis on providing a culture where there’s a healthy balance of being able to become the best version of yourself, exploring new areas of interest, and making meaningful, ambitious professional contributions. We strive to forge personal relationships with team members and offer them space to become valuable collaborators within the organization. Entrepreneurship is personal, and I work to cultivate relationships with everyone joining our organization. As you grow, you’re not able to do that in exactly the same way as you did in the beginning. But if you’ve created that relationship with a core group of leaders, they can carry the culture of empowerment forward with newer young leaders.

We practice a rigorous and unique hiring process. We emphasize qualities like malleability, curiosity, kindness, intelligence, and ambition over technical knowledge or experience. We teach people the right habits to inspire them and help them become people of value. We look for a certain degree of altruism, a desire to make the world a better place, and the learning leadership to go to bed smarter than yesterday. Our hiring process starts with an initial questionnaire of 25 questions at Girlpowertalk.com, followed by a thorough review of the candidate’s responses. We run the responses through AI and plagiarism checkers. Submissions with more than 15% plagiarized content are automatically removed from the dashboard. We seek further clarification for submissions with 10-15% plagiarized content. If it’s below 10%, we move it forward for initial reviews. Here are a select few from the questionnaire:

Name one or more people, living or deceased, who you admire, and explain why.

Leadership comes in many forms, and we value diversity in leadership. What do you feel are your strongest leadership qualities? Please share one or more examples of times when you have applied them in your life.

Write a brief autobiography of your life. Feel free to provide a truthful account or be imaginative and creative. A minimum of 200 words is kindly requested.

Do you have any personal or professional mentors? If so, please explain who and why.

What does confidence mean to you?

Tell us about a challenge or conflict you’ve faced or are currently facing. How did/do you deal with it?

The Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (4 BC–65 AD) said, “Our fears are always more numerous than our dangers.” What is your biggest fear, and why?

What do you feel is the most concerning issue for women today in the world or in your home country? How would you work to drive change in this area if you were afforded the necessary power and resources?

Name a woman other than your mother or sister who has influenced your life. Describe how she has done so.

Anne Frank (1929–1945) wrote, “How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” How does this quotation resonate with you?

We’ve built a dashboard and tech-enabled system to track candidates and their questionnaires. The candidates then undergo two or three rounds of interviews, which trained team members conduct. They’re assessed for their character and potential. We make sure they’re a good cultural fit for the organization. We challenge our candidates with questions that encourage them to show their authentic selves, asking questions like:

Tell us something interesting about yourself that makes you a unique candidate.

What are some contemporary issues that you are passionate about?

What interested you about Girl Power Talk?

What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses as a teammate?

What does success mean to you?

Up until 2022, I personally interviewed every candidate, but with our organization quickly expanding, I depend on our trained team members to maintain the quality of candidates we select through this robust hiring process. I’ve discovered that it’s beautiful to empower your team rather than relegating it to HR. Being able to pick the people you’re working with gives your team a part in finding the next person, which creates a sense of responsibility and excitement. It’s also an incredible learning experience in leadership to be on the other side of an interview assessing others. That growth is another unique element of Girl Power Talk. You can interview other team members, become a leader, and understand management much faster than you can at most companies.

When hiring people, I often cite a line from one of my favorite books, What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence by Stephen A. Schwarzman. They should be someone who would pass the Airport Test—they should be interesting, smart, and nice enough that I would enjoy spending time with them while waiting at the airport for a delayed flight.

Our hiring process has garnered plenty of attention and respect. In early 2023, a financial services executive in New York became curious about our hiring process. He believed there was an opportunity to build a remote team that complements his existing team because the young leaders he worked with at our organizations were “as good as Ivy League graduates.” He said if we can get access to 20 of our team members and 75% of their time, it would not only give them a 24-hour work cycle, but it would also help bring the best out in their current team. They found our teams’ creativity and energy to be intangible. At Girl Power Talk, we have never been defined by product or service, enabling us to become a partner for building an innovative remote team that is truly integrated. We’re genuinely committed to bringing the best out in internal direct hires. We’ve pivoted to build a technology platform that allows progressive companies to plug into our ecosystem and community through staff augmentation. We’re just getting started.

Sameer, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Diligence is the mother of good luck.” I believe the formation of both Blue Ocean Global Technology and Girl Power Talk were shaped by luck. Before founding these organizations, I had a successful career in finance at Morgan Stanley, Merril Lynch, Bank of America, and Scotiabank. I gained valuable insight as a private and middle-market investment banker. However, I felt limited by the work I was doing.

Blue Ocean Global Technology emerged from the realization that technology should serve as a tool and not a hindrance in advancing one’s career. I recognized the shift to the internet and the growing need for digital expertise. I interviewed over 150 small companies specializing in technology development, digital marketing, and content creation. Despite my background in finance and having a CFA, I found myself interested in supporting small businesses. This led in 2012–13 to the formation of Blue Ocean Global Technology, which aims to support individuals and small businesses.

Girl Power Talk was a much more deliberate endeavor. It was a labor of love. Over half of the population in India is under the age of 30. And almost half of that number are women. It’s common knowledge that women have been relegated to the sidelines of society for centuries, and this practice has left the potential of half the young population unexplored. I envisioned creating a company with an acute emphasis on women. I imagined an organization that recognizes the value of diversity and women’s proven leadership success.

The decision to hire women wasn’t solely to bridge the gender gap, but also to create avenues for young women worldwide to uncover their true potential. This isn’t to say that we avoid hiring men; we hire men, women, and non-binary individuals in an organization where diversity of opinion and perspectives is fostered and safeguarded. Although we started in India, Girl Power Talk is now international, with young leaders across 40+ countries. We’re committed to making a lasting social impact on a global scale through our young leaders.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

When you’re young and driven to succeed, you understand the importance of partnerships. Partnering with experience in the field I’ve pursued has benefited me, and it has also impacted the unique culture we’ve built at Girl Power Talk. I was allowed to gain expertise, knowledge, and perspectives that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I was intentional about meaningful collaboration and fostering relationships. I reached out to individuals whom I truly admired and respected. One of them was Richard, who lived in Washington, DC. Richard was a pioneering reputation and crisis management leader, often called the “father of modern reputation management.” He was the CEO and chairman of Levick, an award-winning public relations firm that handles crises, public affairs, and litigation communications. His firm has helped mitigate the damage of some of the major scandals in the last few decades—including the Catholic Church controversy. He was someone I was sure I could learn from. After persistent attempts, he finally returned my call, and we had a lengthy conversation. I suggested meeting in person, and we had a memorable lunch discussing various topics, not just limited to business. During lunch, I insisted on paying the bill as a gesture of respect and friendship. Richard appreciated this, as he was accustomed to others assuming he would pay. This first meeting left a lasting impression on him and kickstarted a genuine friendship. Our collaboration began when Richard included me in client projects and proposals, leveraging my expertise to enhance his team’s capabilities. This collaboration led to significant projects with clients like Citgo, Mercedes-Benz, and Samsung, providing valuable insights into reputation building and impactful global campaigns.

Richard became a mentor to me, offering guidance on business and relationship-building. He often sought my opinion and involvement, considering me a reliable and capable partner. There’s a running joke in my organization that I would take Richard’s call no matter what I was doing. There have been countless instances where he called me and I prioritized him over everything else. Over time, he started trusting me with sensitive matters, further strengthening our professional bond. Among many things I learned from Richard, one of the most important was how to build a company and deliver value to our clients. My relationship with Richard Levick has been instrumental in my personal and professional growth. There are countless little things that I learned from him that are now part of my daily practice in the work that I do. Unfortunately, Richard passed away from cancer in 2023, but his spirit and lessons live on through his mentorship.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

As of April 2024, there are 5.44 billion internet users worldwide. Our world is increasingly becoming online. Therefore, when we say reputation, we often mean online reputation. Digital media plays a major role in providing access to an individual’s or an organization’s profile. I believe that it’s an individual’s or an organization’s reputation that dictates whether or not they will be successful. There are a few critical factors to maintaining your online reputation in the market. One crucial aspect is fostering meaningful relationships, one at a time, by earning genuine trust, respect, and friendship. People are attracted to individuals who provide value, display an abundance mentality, and enrich their lives. I make it a point to observe, make detailed notes on people, and follow up with purpose. You have to consistently demonstrate care at every opportunity to create lifelong friendships, ones that may contribute significantly to your reputation in the long run. Over time, these relationships compound and you become recognized for being trustworthy, dependable, and likable.

Following up with purpose and delivering on commitments are essential elements of reputation building. Whether quoting someone in an article or researching as promised, consistency and integrity matter. Another aspect that can positively impact your reputation is being a trusted speaker at events like keynote presentations, private dinners, or workshops. When people see you in action like that, it enhances their perception of you and your firm.

In my case, the decision to become an expert witness helped build my professional reputation. Eight years ago, Nixon Peabody approached me and said I would make a perfect expert witness. Although people close to me initially advised me against pursuing an expert witness opportunity, I embraced it as a chance to expand my skill set and grow. We slowly built an expert witness practice that allowed me to work with some of the most prominent law firms and attorneys in the world.

Additionally, CFA Institute reached out to me because of my experience and asked me to curate a program about building relationships. This led to more speaking engagements with CFA societies worldwide. I joked to a live audience that it doesn’t get any easier to make new friends than coming to speak on this subject. My joy in fostering new connections was real. As Maya Angelou aptly said, “People never forget how you made them feel.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sameersomal.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlpowertalk
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sameerssomal/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sameersomal/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlueOceanGT
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIkEKJoe-o3MzWbCYMBassA

Image Credits
Sameer Somal, Girl Power Talk team