Story & Lesson Highlights with Aruna Inalsingh of New York, NY

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Aruna Inalsingh. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Aruna, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I am not a morning person, but I know most folks are active between 9am and 5pm. So I set my weekday alarm for 8am and read my emails in bed for about 60-90 minutes. I respond to all the easy questions, so that I don’t have to filter through the white noise once I’m at my computer.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My company is Ani Marketing Service, and these days I’m marketing YOUR PARENTS so that they get the best support, service, and care as they age.

I’m launching a new concierge service that is yet to be named, which helps people plan for “aging and beyond”. It started because my friends have aging parents and, when they had questions, there wasn’t one go-to person. Most ended up going to their attorneys at $500/hour(!) or financial planners at 250/hour(!), who are great at what they do and provide referrals, but those referrals are rarely personally vetted.

Why is this so important? Well life expectancy is increasing, but the aging process leads to more physical and mental health issues. So families need to routinely review:

* Wills, trusts, etc
* Beneficiaries for financial and insurance documents
* Insurances for healthcare, long-term disability, death etc
* Medicare vs medicaid
* In-home and facility healthcare
* Proxies for financial and healthcare decisions
* Home preparation, cleaning, and selling

My service is to ensure you understand these items and, as a trusted advisor, I ensure you have a plan in place and ongoing access to me and my network.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
When I was young, my family moved from England to Trinidad to the US — three very different environments. And when we were in the US, we moved from Maryland to Florida to New York — again, three different cultures, During this phase in my life, I was a quiet observer, learning about my new environments and fitting in like the others.

When I went to college in NY, it was the first time I was on my own, and I was excited to make new friends. So I entered my next phase of being social, meeting lots of people, staying in touch, and engaging in a wide range of activities. It was a great time for self-exploration, and I uncovered the things I liked to do and the things I didn’t like to do.

As a young professional, I moved into a learning-doing-networking phase. I soaked up information like a sponge, worked hard at proving myself, and built a strong circle of professional friends. In general, I was recognized for my strengths, but there was a side-effect of “professional competition”. My response was to try to work harder, but that only exacerbated the problem.

Eventually, I learned that, as good as I was at getting stuff done (GSD), I was better at leading a team than pleasing a single boss. That’s what the world was trying to tell me all along.

Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
I once worked for a company, where I was a contract marketing executive for one of their online products. I loved it and, after a year, they asked me to go full time. I was excited at the prospect and had to interview with the Executive Director as part of the process. During the interview, the ED asked me all sorts of “What If” consulting questions. We had a healthy two-way discussion about the possibilities and, at the end of my interview, he asked me if I would be interested in an expanded role. He wanted me to help lead Global Marketing, Channel Sales, and Product Support. It was the first time someone “heard me” and decided to take advantage of everything I could offer. It was a wonderful, intense, and unexpected opportunity.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I think we put far too much emphasis on stock prices, which ignores the value of service and the commitment to long-term gain.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I think this is probably my greatest strength and weakness. I’m driven to do the right thing — for myself, my family or any community and for individuals and businesses. I’m not going to proclaim what I’m doing, but I like sharing the underlying truths. That means I’m going to address the tough questions within the appropriate context, while remaining diplomatic. It’s not always easy, but it’s fair and honorable. And, on occasion, my entrepreneurial friends call me a Dream Buster.

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