Surviving the Virus in a Business World

For the past three Saturdays, Pasadena-based entrepreneur Farshad Ali has been offering a series of webinars called “COVID-19: Business Survival and Empowerment,” designed to help and inspire fellow business people amid the tough times they’re facing due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

This week’s edition will feature a very special guest presenter, as Nick Vujicic – who was born with no arms and no legs yet developed an international career as a motivational speaker who has traveled to 74 countries – offers a talk called “Attitude is Altitude.”

Born in Australia and a current California resident, Vujicic has authored several best-selling inspirational books in addition to being a musician and actor, and has been featured on “Oprah” and “60 Minutes.” He was born with the rare genetic condition tetra-amelia syndrome, which is characterized by being born without limbs, but his indomitable Christian faith led to his thriving career as well as life as a husband and father to four children.

“I’m very thankful for my faith and my family and friends,” says Vujicic. “That helps me to believe that even in the midst of challenges and crisis that we can still be thankful for what we have, seeing opportunities through obstacles and the purpose of trying to be an encouragement for those around us.”

The objective of the series is to inform, equip, and inspire participants to not only survive but thrive, during and after this unprecedented challenge. Asl created the webinar series in partnership with fellow leaders Roger Doumanian and Victor Arceo to respond to\ the community’s urgent need for guidance, resources, and leadership, during this uncertain time.

Vujicic himself has been impacted severely by the Covid-19 pandemic, with 65 percent of his speaking engagements canceled or postponed this year. Yet he quickly adapted, starting the Nick Vujicic Podcast on YouTube.com/nickvijucic, enabling him to reach people without having to travel.

“It actually has been a desire of mine that I can stay at home,” says Vijucic. “Zoom opportunities and webinars are what we have pivoted towards and now I have become aggressive in looking for some major opportunities for me to find endorsement deals and become an ambassador for companies.”

The free webinar series has experienced fast growth, with several hundred watching each edition thus far, and there are 1000 slots available for Saturday’s event, which will be available for viewing on the Zoom app at 2 p.m. Registration is required at covid19event.com.

“Each segment of the series has sold out, and the response has been overwhelming,” stated Farshad Asl, CEO of Top Leaders, Inc. and Regional Director of Bankers Life.

Keynote speakers featured previously in the virtual, four-week series include noted motivational speaker and leadership consultant Amir Ghannad, acclaimed financial expert Eszylfie Taylor, and Rob McCoy, former Mayor of Thousand Oaks.

“In my part, I always do a brief touch on the latest relief packages available for businesses,” says Doumanian, who has dual careers as a corporate attorney and business coach. “A lot of my clients are applying for the funding, and people are asking where’s the money, so I’ll share that several of my clients got approval and had loan packages distributed to them.

“I’ll be bridging the gap between what is survival mode now and how businesses can deal with the aftermath of Covid-19,” adds Doumanian. “I believe there will be significant changes to how businesses will operate and that’s my focus of Saturday’s talk.”

“We’ve been talking about adapting brick and mortar businesses and individuals without online marketing and digital marketing, and we’re giving free tips and advice on how business owners can do that,” says co-organizer Arceo. “They have to take everything they were doing with face to face engagement in stores and do it 100 percent online.”

Ultimately, Vijucic points out that the human spirit and innovation will get everyone through this crisis, just as it has in numerous crises of the past.

“Know that even though it is unique, this is not the first crisis we have had, and we have to take it one day at a time,” says Vijucic. “For any of us who have had to make tough decisions in downsizing or shutting down your business, do not let those circumstances define you as defeated. Many business owners and entrepreneurs who endure through challenges take advantage of this “reset button”, to pivot, learn and grow. Every business is different, but persistence is the key for the success of any entrepreneur and being open to a revolution of our business models.”