Leadership Skills from CEO of SKA Management Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal

Keys to Being a Great Leader

Any person can learn from the practices that the best leaders use to make their companies great, but it's also important to look at what they don't do.

"Slowly but surely, getting bogged down in the wrong tasks will bring down even the strongest executives," says Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal, CEO of SKA Management, a NY based business management, event marketing, event production, SEO & SEM marketing, entrepreneurship and lifestyle management company that works with big time clients like Stubhub, Ticketmaster, American Express, and World Concierge.

In his 10 years working with leaders in businesses of all sizes, he's found that the most successful are those who capitalize on efficiency and waste as little time as possible.

According to Aggarwal, the best CEOs do not:

Take on too many responsibilities
Any great CEO doesn’t involve themselves in the nitty-gritty of their companies, but rather groom employees for leadership positions in every department.
"The smart CEOs do not build their companies around any one person," Aggarwal says.
Make great choices
"The key to real success is taking action and not changing it until the perfect answer or complete consensus is achieved," Aggarwal says. An executive scared of risk, criticism or making mistakes will only hold the company back.

CEO’s must answer all questions
CEO’s are responsible for setting the direction of their company and hiring and retaining the best individuals to see that vision implemented throughout the entire staff. They are not, however, responsible for decisions that don't have a significant effect on the company.
"As an executive in any company, if you allow your staff to ask you questions every time they don’t know the answer, you'll end up spending a large majority of your day doing your employees' occupation for them," Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal says. "The good thing is, having your employees find the answers themselves allows them to grow and become leaders themselves."

Attend the majority of meetings
"One would definitely be stunned by how a lot of meetings some executives attend that result in low-level content," Aggarwal says. The effective executives usually prefer briefings before longer meetings. With that said, understanding which meetings to be present at for the sake of the company's overall direction is a essential skill to learn.

A good CEO must limit communication
CEO’s must avoid long meetings and a low-level question does not mean efficient CEOs shut themselves off from employees. Instead, CEO’s should make sure they make an effort to drive home everything they'd like to correspond to their staff.  

The true key and most import thing is, "providing the same information through different channels which increases the chances that employees will actually commit to and remember exactly what you tell them," Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal says. 

LS

Knowledge for Event Planning

Knowledge for Event Planning

It's chilling how little the average planner knows about anything technical. It's really not that planners need to understand how to operate a musical sound board, or install gear, create software or anything.

Event planners, "however, must know how to bridge the gap between the people who speak on stage or prepare presentations to be publicized, and the audio visual technicians who make that happen. The unfortunate item is that the event planners are the weak link in that chain," says Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal; CEO of SKA Management.

Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal Explains the Double Standard

Even more disappointing, is how little planners even care about this lack of knowledge. Event planners take great pride in almost every other aspect of event planning, including site variety, food and beverage, transportation, entertainment, decoration, logistics, risk management, sustainability - anything you name it.

Somehow it's perceived that it's acceptable to play dumb on audio visual. Aggarwal stresses that, "Event planners would be angry if the menu for their open bar had low grade Popov Vodka instead of Grey Goose or Kettle One, but they take it on blind faith that the microphones, projectors and lighting instruments on the AV proposals are appropriate for their event."

Again, this doesn't seem to bother them, because it's par for the course in the industry, and event planners know most other planners simply aren't expected to master this area either.

Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal Explains Just Exactly Why It Matters!

This stuff is all learnable, and it should be learned. Event Planners need to know what they're doing when it comes to technical production:
1. Fear of the event being ruined. There's a bunch of ways that any event can go wrong because the event planner didn't ask the right questions or communicate the proper information to the presenters or the vendors.
2. Legitimacy for clients. If your entire image is a middleman between the lighting, a/v or production vendor and the speakers, you might as refrain. Instead one should be providing the value-added information to the client and taking complete control of managing their entire event, especially including backstage dealings.

 For an instance, Any time an individual looks up at a screen at the event and see black bars above and below the slide content (or on the sides), that's the sign of an average planner. This simply means the individual responsible for planning the event never bothered to make sure that the aspect ratios of the visual content and the screen were in synch.

In Ending

Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal, is firm in believing that meetings and event business has made great strides in the past couple years in terms of general professionalism and quickly improved the knowledge standards. The consideration of how many events involve somebody speaking at a podium or some other element requiring lighting, sound or projection, it's high time event planer's knowledge in this area caught up to the rest and become a much higher standard.

Great SEO Tips

 “The term SEO is too often aligned with the unprofessional practices like link buying and web spamming for article assignment,” Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal says. He believes that SEO needs a big makeover and that, in 2015, marketers should be thinking in terms of “Optimizing Content for Discovery and Conversion,” Aggarwal happens to be one of many voices calling for the business and marketing industry as a whole to ditch search-gaming procedures in favor of a focus on serving high-quality content that people crave. In essence, : Be a publisher, not an SEO-scammer.

With all of this understood, publishers do still need to practice sound SEO strategies to get eyeballs on their content. Despite claims that social media has grown it as a traffic driver; search still remains the primary way people find great content. Subjective studies from individual publishers have created a sense that social media is eclipsing search as the primary driver of referral traffic, but broader studies tell a different story. While the site Buzzfeed has released data which showed that the site received 3.5 % more traffic from Facebook than Google, Define Media’s Marshall Simmonds was quick touch on the fact that a review of 48 billion page views across 87 sites showed that search is still driving 41 percent of page views, compared to just 16 percent from social. So how do you optimize content for search today? It helps to first understand how search engine optimization has evolved into a very complex entity.

SEO: A brief history

So, For the past 20 years, search engines haven’t stopped tweaking their algorithm. The goal of this process is so that users have the highest quality and most relevant content possible. Additionally, marketers and publishers haven’t stopped trying to game it, either.

This reached and became a  crisis point  when content farms like eHow and Associated Content flooded the search results pages with large volumes of low-quality, highly-optimized content. This happens to be a big problem for Google, and in 2011, they responded by implementing the Panda update. This Panda update allows for downgraded sites engaging in shady link schemes and implemented algorithm refinements to surface higher quality content.

While though, Google was calling on the publishing world to reevaluate their priorities. They claimed that “Their advice for publishers continues to be to focus on delivering the best possible user experience on your websites and not to focus too much on what they think are Google’s current ranking algorithms or signals,”

SEO today

Today, following the Panda update, other search engines like Yahoo, Bing, Ask, AOL Search, WOW and Info.com followed search engine practical monopoly Google’s lead, and since then, search engines have continued to get better at delivering high-quality, contextually-relevant search results. People, too, have become even more savvy about asking for what they want and how to get it.

By 67% of the search market, Google remains king of the industry, and is becoming increasingly more stylish at not only returning the richest query results, but also anticipating what someone will want to see next.

As Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal puts it, that the difference today from years past is the shift from individual keywords to concepts: “If I search for ‘movie about tiger on boat’ Google will likely understand that I am asking about the movie “Life of Pi”, not about pages optimized for those specific keywords.”

Aggarwal, CEO, Company founder, Director of SEO,  and Content Strategy at SKA Management advises his clients to take a more contextual view that goes beyond a simple keyword query and considers a brand’s larger reputation on the web. This includes offsite references, reviews and social links. “All those signals tell Google a lot about you,” he says.

Aggarwal's 4 keys to successful SEO

1. Be Original. This is the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth most important key to SEO. Publishing stories that people are obliged to share, link to, and write about is simply the most organic pathway to great SEO.

Google’s practically begging you to do so. Last year, after discovering that a large share of users were searching for in-depth, original long-form content, they gave premium, “in-depth” articles a prioritized place in search results

2. Keyword and audience research still matters. Keywords are possibly more than the summation of their phrasing, but publishers should still use the available research to help them determine optimal content themes. Keyword tools like Google Adwords Keyword Planner, Bing Keyword Tool and others will help you understand the volume of content already optimized for key terms relative to the amount of queries made for them. Google Trends can also help add context around those terms, based on what themes are trendy in a given time and place. It’s simply a good way to gauge what content your potential audience requests.

Another way a business can gain audience insights: Ask for them. Social media can be a great, low-cost way to do this. Create engaging posts that pull information about what an audience wants from your brand, and then develop content accordingly.

3. Great headlines are key. Boring headlines are bad poison for publishers; at the same time, racy, misleading headlines may bring short-term traffic volume — especially on the social web — but are not a sustainable practice. After the initial clicks fade away, search engines may no longer see the point in driving traffic to your content.

4. Lastly,Better content rather than more content. Businesses using their budgets to produce a large volume of content at the expense of quality should rethink their strategy. Honestly, if your site has a bunch pages with variations on similar content, consider consolidating or updating them. Otherwise, the site’s overall ability, not just the status of a single page, may be devalued by search engines.

LS

CEO & Philanthropist “Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal” Discusses the risks and benefits of starting your own business

It's beyond redundant at this point to inform you that the economy is not doing as well as we would hope. You know it, I know it. A more interesting area to explore in there is, well, if you're an entrepreneur, what do you do? How do you start a new business in a down economy without sinking yourself?

Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal, CEO and founder of SKA MANAGEMENT, knows all about this. Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal has found a way to create and maintain striving businesses in this down economy.  SKA MANAGEMENT opened its doors in the summer of 2005 and has been going strong since. To figure out how he's done it, I gave him a call, here's the interview…

Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal: "Business has its ups and down but I cannot complain.
SKA MANAGEMENT is very good business; it's still a growing business even in a down economy. Starting a business can be scary. But great rewards await entrepreneurs lucky enough to create successful small businesses -- benefits you may miss out on if you remain a wage earner for the rest of your life. Although only you can decide if you're ready to quit your job and plunge into running your own business"

As a former member of the corporate world, I wanted insight on what's the reasoning of starting your own business instead of working for someone. He said..
"Independence and flexibility, is really important because you'll have more freedom and independence working for yourself. And once your business is firmly established, you'll probably have the flexibility to make sure you don't miss the moments and events that matter most to you in life.

 Another reason would be Personal fulfillment, Owning and running your own business can be more satisfying and fulfilling than working for someone else. Many successful small business owners find they enjoy the respect they earn from their peers for having the courage to go out on their own.

Additionally, in your own business you have Power. Don't be surprised if power is one of your goals. When it's your business, you can have your employees do it your way. If power is important to you, think about how to use it in a constructive way.

One of the most important reasons he said is definitely Money. With money, the risks of forgoing a steady paycheck can pay off when you own your own business. You can get rich in a small business, or at least do very well financially. Although most entrepreneurs don't get wealthy, some do." (Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)

What are the risks of starting my own business?

"Losing money, is a big part of your own business, You're going to need money to get your small business started. Whether you raid your savings account, hit up friends and relatives, or borrow from a bank, there's a very real possibility that your business won't succeed and that you, your friends, or the bank will never see that money again. If your business idea is risky, ask yourself whether you're willing to gamble your retirement, your friendships, and even your good credit on your business idea.

Another possibility from having your own business is the Personal sacrifice. Business success can come at a high personal cost. Getting your business up and running may consume most of your time and energy, including your precious evenings and weekends. You may not have much time for family or friends or the extra cash to take a second honeymoon with your spouse. Before you quit your job, decide whether you (and your family) are ready to make some of the personal sacrifices necessary for you to create a successful small business." (Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)

Self Employment?
Mr. Aggarwal explained being self-employed is great because "it allows for self to express expression more freely. At the end of the day, I believe this is the real pay-off for most business owners who love what they do. I love what I do, I don't call it a job, I call it my hobby. I left the corporate world in 2004 because I was tired of my boss making arbitrary decisions about what was good for my clients. I was tired of my life being subjected to the whims of some corporate executive who didn't even know my name. As an employee, I couldn't do what I really felt was right either for my clients or for myself — so I left." (Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)

"Why am I sharing this with you? Because I believe a great way for you to express your true self is to open your own business too — even if it's not full-time." (Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)
"Again, even if you don't need the money, you should consider doing this. Having your own business will give you a new vantage point from which to live.
Sure you'll have less free time. But if my experience is typical — and I believe it is — you'll still have a lot more life." (Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)

What steps should you take if you want to open a business?
"Decide what business you want to start by finding your passion. I started my career in 2005 for the money. But over time I grew to love it. I love getting to know people, hearing their stories and trying to help.

What is it that you love about what you do now? (Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)
Can you express that in a side business?

"My advice is to start by looking in your heart. What are you passionate about? Do you love photography? Is it music? Art? Dance? Cooking? Helping kids with autism? Golfing? Blogging? What work would be the best expression of who you really are? Get help. It might be that your passion provides clarity about what kind of business to open. In my example, I couldn't keep my job at the bank and have a side consulting business at the same time so the decision was made for me. If you don't have any legal or moral conflicts, you can open up a side business without burning any bridges." (Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)

"If you are clear about what field you are passionate about but don't know how to turn that into a business, I have two suggestions for you:
Connect with mentors. Identify people who are working in the field and ask them for help. Most people are only too happy to help — especially successful people. (That's why they are successful by the way.) Don't be deterred." (Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)

"Let's say you want to get involved in the dance field but don't have the money to open your own studio. Who cares? Call up a successful studio owner. Tell them you are passionate about dance, you want to open a side business in the field and have no idea what to do. Just because you don't have the resources they do doesn't mean they can't be helpful.

You may not be able to open a dance studio….but by meeting with these people, you might get fantastic ideas on what dance studios need. You might be able to open a business to service those studios." (Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)

"Moonlight at a business that is in your "passion field". The best way to learn is to do. Go to work a few hours each week and don't worry about how much you get paid. You are there for the experience. You might learn that you don't have the passion you thought you did for the business. On the other hand, you might uncover ways to get involved with the industry in ways you never thought of before." (Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)

Towards the end of the interview he left me with one of the most important and shocking facts behind business ownership and approach to the entrepreneurship world.
"Even if you don't have any money, you can start a business."(Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal)

"You'll have to invest time. Everything has a price. If you can't devote time to this, don't start. But personally, I hope you do it. It's the best investment you'll ever make because it's an investment in yourself. While involuntary job changes can be difficult, most people who undertake them do so successfully. Keep a positive attitude and try to focus on the things in life that mean the most—your family, friends, and place within the community."

LS