As a part of my series about strong female leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Suzannah Dacre, founder of ULTIS pro, CEO of many visions, and a philanthropic innovation strategist. Suzannah is well known for her work in community and business and isn’t a stranger to award recognized startups defying industry standards. A daughter of a builder and lawyer, and raised by an international merchant shipping captain, international business is the norm, and so is rough terrain in the community. But when business meets community, and the gap between rich and poor is a hot topic worldwide, ULTIS pro is working to defy that. It is a vision by Suzannah Dacre, that people are calling powerful, and profound, and aims to close the gap between rich and poor, that allows people to be selfish and selfless at the same time.
Thank you so much for doing this with us, Suzannah Dacre! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
After extensive experience in big and small business, but also not for profit and community, and further into special needs of the community, I wanted to challenge the status quo, and was successful in proving ‘nothing is impossible’, defying industry odds, and taking startup businesses to state and national awards, for both business excellence, and their impact on community. I am known to many people to turn everything I touch into gold, through strategic thinking, and that comes from my childhood. My mother was a powerful, yet kind woman, an international lawyer, diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease, and it was her that made me further extend into proving nothing is impossible, having already worked with those with disability and special needs, this was not foreign, but it was now personal. Those who know the disease, know it is one that strips the person of every function and element of life, until their final day. My mother did not give up, and I helped her continue her work, when she was made to retire from the law firm due to her health. Once she lost all function, we had to innovate, and that is when we pushed our investment side, how do we make our assets perform better, how do we make it happen, and that’s why we are here today, helping close the gap between rich and poor, in both money, and life.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
Interesting happens every day in our vision and the life of Suzannah Dacre (me). I feel the most interesting concept is the ‘it’s impossible’ attitude. We’ve helped multi-million dollar businesses ready to file for bankruptcy overcome that with multi-million dollar deals within a few weeks, and then we’ve helped those living with disability, illness, criminal history, rebuild their lives, when everyone has given up on them, even themselves. We have learnt from people who are struggling with drug addiction, that the addiction naturally changes, to success, once they are back on track. Or the sheer fact, my 6-year-old daughter has quite the influence on our worldwide vision.
Suzannah Dacre – Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
That everyone thinks like me. It’s funny now, but it wasn’t back then. It was a tough lesson to learn – there is only one Suzannah Dacre. I’ve now learnt to communicate in a way that every person can understand where I’m coming from, without feeling intimidated. But it definitely taught me to back myself, and not be impacted by other opinions.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
The extraordinary vision and profound impact on the world it has. We help big business, and the rich, become more successful through smart strategy, and high performing investment, and that then helps the everyday people who are struggling in life.
We have financial advisors asking how we do it, providing a low risk 328% net growth on capital to members in 2018, and average monthly returns of 40–50%, or properties returning upto 24% net rental a year.
We’ve proven the homeless man in a matter of weeks can be more successful than the corporate through smart strategy and investment. We’ve helped every walk of life, with success, because we don’t give up.
It really is a vision where one can be selfish, and selfless, at the same time.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now, Suzannah Dacre? How do you think that will help people?
Always, innovation is at the core of what we do. We recently travelled to the slums of India to see that those living in poverty have so much gratitude for life, and that element is sometimes missing in our everyday life. We want to be able to have a positive impact on every person’s life, around the world, closing that gap.
What advice would you give to other female leaders to help their team to thrive?
Lead with passion, be strong, be kind, know yourself, and never, ever, give up.
What advice would you give to other female leaders about the best way to manage a large team?
Lead by example. I am a consultant CEO of many large visions, and what I find is lacking in those that need my help, is culture. Make the workplace somewhere people want to come. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and the work element of that takes quite a portion.
Suzannah Dacre – None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Definitely my mother. She warned me at the age of 12, when I was taking orders in my business, that those who talk about you, and try to bring you down, are below you, she said “Suzannah Dacre, my dear, compassion is your gift, use it wisely”. I was never given any funding or money by my partners, she taught me to survive, and thrive, even when I was half the age of others at business awards, and doing double their performance. She kept me strong, and balanced.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world, Suzannah Dacre?
This is 100% what ULTIS pro is about, bringing goodness to the world, no matter the client. Our lives have been dedicated to helping those in need, our businesses have always helped people, and ULTIS just takes it up a notch, helping every single individual, no matter their journey. It’s the only vision we know where people can be selfish and selfless at the same time, helping themselves, and helping the world.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- The time is now
This statement resonates with every client I work with now, remembering I was at CEO level at the age of 21, many people who doubted my ability were more than twice my age, and this continues today. Life does not wait for you, and yes, I have had my battles, but they should never stop you from becoming the person you want to be.
- Love what you do, it will become your life
Love powers everything, in life, and business. You have to love what you do, and when you don’t (in many of my clients’ cases), engage someone that shares that passion and love for your business vision. We build businesses that care, because this is the #1 problem in business today, people lack passion. Even if its a plain business model, make it something you love (they call that innovation).
- You have to spend money, to make money
In 2011, I financed my life away and turned a $60,000 risk, into a business strategy that saw $50,000 per day. My parents thought I was crazy at the age of 21, having already had three successful businesses, and led marketing and engagement teams in corporate.
- All or nothing, it only works if you do
You have to take that jump in life, and hustle until it works, then breathe easy. There is no cheatsheet to business or success, it comes through hard work.
- Facts don’t care about your feelings. Back yourself.
You have to be strong in business, take on the criticism, and always be prepared for people not to understand your vision or purpose. The grand old saying “turn lemons into lemonade”, facts do not care about feelings, and sometimes, you will be faced with situations where you have to really back yourself.
You are a person of great influence, Suzannah Dacre. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
ULTIS Pro. This is exactly what we are trying to do now. If every person just reached out, to help, or be helped, whilst also benefiting themselves, we will be changing the world.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
I’ve had to deal with life, death, disability, mental health, and just general bad attitudes of people, and what people seem to forget is I have experienced it, and overcome it. Once they understand that, then they say I inspire them. The ULTIS vision proves nothing is impossible, you just have to want it enough. If my mother could do it with Motor Neuron Disease, anyone can.
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Ellen Degeneres — Her positive outlook to life, and constantly giving back to the community, whilst smiling, is definitely energy I like to align myself with. Elon Musk — An innovator, disrupter, whose ideas resonate with my work, nothing is impossible. When others say you can’t, we say we can. Community and innovation are at the core of what we do.