Zain Andani is the Managing Director for Fatemah Nurseries. Located in London, England, Zain is responsible for handling the finances for all of their branches across the U.K. There are two more sister companies called Fatemah Properties LTD and Fatemah Investments LTD. Both companies are managed by Zain’s father and himself. The companies are used to purchase assets, make investments, and help in expansion processes as well.
A graduate of Portsmouth University with a 1st class Honors BA in International Finance & Banking, Zain plans to continue to expand the current family businesses into powerhouses in their industry. Beyond his main duties Zain uses much of his spare time to learning further about investing and how the markets operate as well as getting involved with volunteer and charity work with his local community as well as communities across the U.K.
In the last few years, what lifestyle, habit, or behavior change has had the biggest positive impact on your life?
I have always been a people person, helping whenever I can, whether that it within the community or with family or externally through organisations. When I see that smile on a person who is really in need it makes my strive in life worthwhile. Setting myself up for the next project is an aim I always have so I know what I want to achieve next. It is never an end goal for myself I see it as just a starting platform. It helps that my family have the same personalities and skills, so we work as a unit and my goals and empathy towards what I have seen is the same.
When you feel unfocused, what do you do?
I focus on the task at hand and break things down into bite size options and work on a priority basis. Doing this helps me not feel so overwhelmed by the large tasks that we take on. Another way I will help refocus is I’ll take a short break to remind myself why I started this field of work in the first place. It’s important to take a step back occasionally and reflect on the larger task or goal. This can a lot of the time help you prioritize the important tasks from the less important ones. Another solution I use is to spend time with family – that gives me a sense of rejuvenation. Family has always been extremely important to me, so spending time with them helps me to keep myself grounded.
What advice would you give a smart and ambitious recent college graduate? What advice should they ignore?
Advice I would give would be to never give up, and stand out from the crowd. Do something to separate yourself from everyone else. Also, passion for your work should always supersede your ego. It is important to be confident in yourself and what you do, but not to let that take over. Working with people and treating them well will help you get a lot further than taking advantage of others. Advice they should ignore is to blindly follow your dreams as sometimes there is a bigger plan already made.
What is one lifestyle trend that excites you?
New gym and fitness technology and trends are exciting to me. Sometimes when you find yourself getting into the same workouts week to week things can get stale. Having new options to try and see if they work for you is always beneficial. Having that way to keep a flexible workout and have change so things don’t stagnate is great. I’m also someone who likes to have that feedback from technology when I workout so I can reflect to see if I had as good of a workout as I felt I did. These can also help motivate you as well, seeing areas where you can work harder in to improve is always beneficial.
Who has been the biggest influence in your life and why?
My biggest influence has been my father – Mr. Shiraz A Dharamshi. I have seen his journey from the beginning to the current stage of growth and very sooner maturity. I also have mentors since the first academic year of university in a variety of fields which include finance, litigation and many more. Having a mentor from a young age, in my opinion, is extremely beneficial to career and personal development. This is especially true when you can find someone to mentor you who is in the same or similar field as you. Having that insight and experience goes a long way.
What’s one of the biggest life lessons you’ve learned?
There are a few for me. One is that money will never solve your real problems. Money can be a great equalizer in most cases, but it will never solve all of your problems, you need balance. Another is that you cant please everyone. No matter what you do throughout your life, there will always be people who dislike you, and that is something that you need to accept. Finally, family is the most valuable asset.
What do you think it is that makes you/someone successful?
There are a lot of factors that go into success but some of the most important ones are hard work and determination, family, loyalty, as well as trust and good advice. There isn’t one factor that supersedes any of these, you need a balanced mix of everything, and a little bit of luck. You always hear successful people say that they were in the right place at the right time, or got a break or some good luck that really catapulted their career. This is important to remember.
How do you stay motivated?
Setting my goals on what is most important at certain points of my life. Setting these goals helps me stay in line with my main personal and career goals and goes a long way in helping me to achieve that ultimate goal. Also, working as a team and in my case with my family helps me stay motivated as well as they hold me accountable.
What legacy do you hope to leave behind?
I hope to leave behind a legacy of balance between work life and family in my personal world and to be a born leader in my professional world.