December 21st, 2007
to January 3rd, 2008 Punjabi Patrika
After a busy month of
studying at Simon Fraser
University completing
my second Bachelor's Degree it's
nice to be done. After completing
my first degree at the University
College of the Fraser Valley, I
decided three years ago to go back
to school part time and do some
further studies. It's nice to have
degrees from two fine postsecondary
institutions. As
Christmas quickly approaches it
is a fabulous time to reflect on
your personal goals. I admire
people who are goal driven and
self-made in their careers. A
friend who became a independent
businessman agreed to speak with
me about some of his goals,
marketing his business and the
important of integrity in the
business world today.
Driving around Abbotsford you might
recognize his face or name. He is no
stranger and spends thousands on
marketing his business with many bus
bench ads around town and ads
plastered all over his vehicle. You're
probably thinking this guy must be
totally into himself. Alex Kotai an
Abbotsford resident for the past 12
years and successful mortgage broker
is hitting winners on and off the court.
A tennis star on the court and
successful businessmen off the court,
Kotai is gaining the reputation in the
community as a respectable broker
who knows what's best for his clients.
I have personally known Kotai for
many years and been on the receiving
end on many of his serves. Kotai, who
grew up in Kitimat, BC, was raised
by his parents to get a degree and then
find a stable job with some benefits
and a good pension to retire. Kotai
had different plans and goals that went
beyond his parent's expectations
including starting his own business
which was always one of his dreams.
Moving to Abbotsford from a small
town presented many opportunities
where he first attended the University
College of the Fraser Valley and
obtained his business degree. When
he completed his education he went
into banking for 10 years working for
the Royal Bank and HSBC Bank. After
a decade in banking gaining the practical
experience in several positions it was
time for a change. Kotai said, " I
worked in the banking business for over
10 years; however, I always had this
burning desire to start my own business
and see how big I could make it. When
you own your own business you really
get to see the fruits of your own labor. I
also realized that if I was going to stay
in the banking business the longer I was
there the more I would be tied in to my
employer with my pension and the salary
I was accustomed to. So as I saw it, it
was either stay with the Bank for the
long haul or get out while I was young
and didn't have a lot to lose".
Becoming a mortgage broker has
proven great dividends for Kotai. Many
sacrifices have been made often
averaging 60 hours a week trying to find
the right deal for his clients. His
marketing strategy has proven it works
effectively in establishing a healthy client
base. One of his major concerns from
the start was how to get started and
bring business in the door. Kotai said,
"I went from a great salary at the Bank
to no income the day I quit. This was
amplified by the fact that I was
spending a lot of money on marketing
and hired an assistant early on to help
grow my business faster. I could have
taken the safe road and only spent
money as the volume of my business
grew larger. However, I did the
opposite. I started out spending a
massive amount to market myself
without the business volume to support
it. I was marketing in the real estate
papers, bus benches, direct mail
postcards, launched a website and
much more. Then things started to turn
the corner where all of those advertising
dollars started to pay off. Now I get a
lot of people telling me they recognize
my face and see me all over the place.
This is the encouraging part and really
makes may want to continue to be
even more aggressive".
Ethics and integrity are valuable
ingredients in building a business with
clients. Kotai said, "My goal is to get
the best deal for my clients and be
honest and up-front with them at all
times. I think this is very important,
especially given the many corporate
scandals we have heard about in recent
years. Doing business in an honest and
ethical fashion means you have nothing
to hide. You can look back later in life
and say I did it the right way."
Kotai suggests that anyone wanting to
start out his or her own business keep
in mind a few key things. "Always have
a plan. Both short and long term plans
in all areas of your business are essential
to your success. Be prepared to have
a lot of ups and downs early on but be
resolved that absolutely nothing will
stop you from succeeding. Work on
your business as much as you work at
your business. This means don't spend
all of your time working on your
profession. In my case, I make certain
to work diligently on marketing my
business and developing more efficient
ways to do business instead of just
focusing on the mortgage aspect all of
the time. Lastly Dream as big as you
can. You can't achieve anything big if
you don't have a big vision. Even if you
fall a little short in achieving that big
vision you will be much further ahead
than if you didn't dream big in the first
place."
I am always amazed at what people can
accomplish when they have goals and
achieve things with integrity.
KenHerar@gmail.com
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