We’ve all met people who are “born leaders” and you can pick them out on the playground in kindergarten, but it’s not every day you meet a multi-passionate entrepreneur who’s living life in a flow state. When someone is truly in their purpose and their source of passion is backed by gratitude, this next level quality of existence is a game-changer.
When we hear reference to a flow state we likely think of an athlete. There’s an association with confidence and automaticity; a palpable energy with a delicate equilibrium of focus, peak performance and genuine enjoyment. For Ayman Shamaa, founder of Shamaa Consulting Group and co-founder of Z Co-Space and Clubhouse, his flow is his power, and that power stems from passion.
Juggling multiple ventures, his ownership interest makes him responsible for 6 businesses with a combined 47 employees. Conversing with Ayman about business and the science of people, something we’re both deeply interested in, reminds me that being an entrepreneur is a lot like being an artist. Both are in the business of creation; of bringing something unique and beautiful into the world. When an artist stands before a blank canvas they face the same self-doubt as an entrepreneur at the start of a new venture. More than 20% of new businesses end in failure in the first year with another 50% failing within 5 years. For the ones who “make it” it’s likely attributed to a fervent love and resilience not everyone in this world can possess.
A natural conversationalist, my interview with Ayman for this article spans more than an hour. Ayman uses the word sagacity to describe our similarities in how we navigate life and business. His superpower continues to be revealed as he’s turning the focus to me whilst I am meant to interview him. Deep in thought for a minute I consider the virtues of prudence and perfectionism, thought by some to be silent killers of entrepreneurism. I once read that sagacity is prudence practiced at a high speed and there’s a feeling in everything Ayman tells me about his approach to life and business that points to him being steered by intuition and faith.
“If a company can tap into the passion behind the vision, the fear fades away and success follows. Chase money and you might fail, but if you chase passion you’ll never fail.”
His impeccable style is by design as it’s his belief that taking pride in yourself and your brand is one element that contributes to the right mindset to attack each day and win. He explains that part of his job is to champion passion and pride in others, and that starts at the top, with him.
“I love cracking people wide open.” Ayman shares. “Educating people on the inner workings of business literacy is a big part of what I do, but there’s more to it than that.”
Having started three businesses by the age of 21, Ayman knows the struggles of launching and building companies. He’s seen both success and failure, and those failures never slowed him down. Combining a finance background with business consulting and turnaround strategies, Shamaa Consulting Group (SCG) helps businesses grow their top line by anywhere from 20% - 200% with the help of the firm’s owner/operator approach. Another core principle is the reinforcement of building leadership strategies for companies. If a winning company is dependent on its people, identifying strengths of the people on the team, embracing diverse expertise, and fostering a shared vision will support the outcome of a growth plan.
“One of the first challenges we address in business is fear. Failing together builds trust. Winning together takes a commitment to fail. You can’t win unless you fail,” Ayman explains.
Certain leadership traits are innate - things like charisma, a sense of humor, adaptability and resilience, but as I listen to Ayman explain his journey as an entrepreneur over the last 12 years I understand that his experience working in the United States as well as in Spain, Germany, Austria, the UK, Egypt and the Philippines has given him a myriad of perspectives worth sharing with others. His first grip with achieving influence in business happened when he was just 7 years old. With a promise of unlimited snow cones for a volunteer gang of workers, other children showed up each day and worked hard selling $0.50 snow cones from a roadside snow cone machine. At the end of a shift, they would all come together and play. He reflects that even then, his goal for the venture was nothing more than a chance to bring everyone together, to make them feel happy, accomplished and part of a team.
I’m at Z Co-Space and Clubhouse spending the day working alongside J. Vladimir, a nationally recognized photographer shooting Ayman’s portraits for this article. Everyone here today is the kind of person you like to be around. In this room, success and passion can best be described as the opposite of fear. Surrounded by the art of his business partner, Anna Martel, Ayman talks about their latest endeavor as co-founders of Z Co-Space and Clubhouse.
Z Co. is Orlando’s newest social club, nestled just outside of Winter Park in the Mills 50 District. A co-working space and studio during the day and social venue at night, the beautifully designed lounge offers a transformative experience for its guests.
“This is a passion project for me. I didn’t open this business with a goal to make money, the goal was to have impact. Z Co. is a great example of how The SCG team can partner with a company and apply a collective energy towards achieving the extraordinary.
Through his work as a consultant, Ayman Shamaa has had various opportunities to get involved in his clients’ businesses as an investor owner while helping them scale. He’s interested in the idea of private equity but is turned off by the way it has historically destroyed small businesses. His approach is to empower his clients and to teach them how to build mission driven and passion driven companies with culture.
“I like to guide professionals towards finding their inner strength, but I also help show them how to do the same with the team they have around them. By using tools like The Gallup’s Strengthfinder Assessment we can enlighten ourselves as leaders as to what each person’s role should be on a team. Roles don’t define people, people define roles which help leaders decide how they contribute to an organization.”
I ask him what’s the number one thing he feels is making him a leader in his field. His flow state in action echoes back that word passion again.
“If a company can tap into the passion behind the vision, the fear fades away and success follows. Chase money and you might fail, but if you chase passion you’ll never fail.”
For more information about Ayman Shamaa, SCG and Z Co. visit: thescgteam.com and zcospaceclubhouse.com