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MARCH 2023

Pg. 38
Cloud Computing and
Network Security
THE MOST
Pg. 46
The How What Where of
ICONIC
Blockchain: The Theory
And Real Applications
of Blockchain CEO’S
TO WATCH IN 2023

Ross R James
Sensible and Sound Business Management Cloud—Accloud
From
EDITOR
THE
W ithout a leader, we won't escape the greatest
wars. Without a Leader, we won't accomplish
the world's greatest achievements. Without a
Leader, we won't have a definite direction to go.
path that a Leader walks on is always the right one, or that
the decisions the Leader takes are appreciated by everyone
on that team. But those decisions and the paths are chosen
will always be with the right intentions and hopes. We all
make mistakes, and any project or cause will always be an
A Leader can keep the group together. To make the team effort of the whole team with their Leader as an overall
realize that the goal they are all working for is bigger than support system.
everyone. A team's efforts make a real difference. Yes. But
motivating that team to come forward and perform with all In this edition of Fortunes Crown Magazine's “The Most
they've got is the job of a Leader. Iconic CEOs to Watch in 2023”, we reach out to some of
such leaders who paved their path with their respective
It's a cooperative effort that is performed by listening, industries, at times knowing nothing about the practices and
gathering a variety of opinions, considering effective processes of said industries, making their feet strong and
strategies, and then generating a clear vision. journeys outstanding.

Leadership is the act of influencing a formal or informal Mr. Ross R James - this edition's Cover Personality, is one
group's actions in the work of creating and achieving goals. of those leaders who made a little spark of an idea into
A leader is someone whose charismatic presence inspires something probably even their past selves couldn't have
others to support their cause. A Leader knows how their imagined. His journey towards planning and implementing
team works - with the lows and highs of every member, and cloud services is inspiring and something we all would
how to flip the switches to get them to the fullest potential. imagine happening - a little moment of realization at
random and then it transforms into something massive.
Good Leadership is extremely important to running a
business. Companies need a person who will have a bird- So, grab your bottle of inspiration. Because in case it is
eye view of every project, development, and action. With empty, this edition is most likely to fill it to the brim.
Good Leadership, there is a healthy and productive
environment rather than one where everyone works because
they HAVE to and not because they WANT to.

Another important point is that it isn't necessary that the Rakesh Mahto
Rakesh Mahto
Editor-in-Chief
COVER STORY

10
Ross R James
Sensible and Sound Business
Management Cloud—Accloud
CONTNETS
18
Colin Brown
Serving Best Vehicle Insurance
Against Eventualities

26
Lexis Serot
An Innovative Entrepreneur
Pioneering An Extraordinary
Health Solution

38
Cloud Computing and
Network Security

42
Nick Zamucen
Helping People Restore
Properties To Pre-loss
Condition

46
The How What Where of
Blockchain
The Theory And Real
Applications of Blockchain
FORTUNES CROWN
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Editor-In-Chief
Rakesh Mahto

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Art & Design Director


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Business Development Manager
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Head of Distribution & Production
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COVER STORY

Ross R James
Chief Executive O cer

10 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com


Ross R James Sensible and Sound Business
Management Cloud—Accloud

www.fortunescrown.com March 2023 | 11


W e all have heard the phrase “missed by a
whisker.” When one is extremely talented and
passionate, but due to some unforeseen
reasons, they are unable to reach their goal. These
unforeseen reasons could be personal, professional, or
is not like one video transition that happens in seconds. Or
something that happens overnight. It takes days of hard
work and nights of dream-catching to get there.

Sometimes, some markets may just not be ready for the


intellectual, but most commonly, it is monetary. People service/product. A product as life changing as it won't
having the talent and the brains to be the best business settle down without being marketed well. It needs
leaders out there can't reach that level; can't get their experienced professionals with media knowledge and
audience or market. tricks. It needs the right business management and quite
literally a global marketplace.
A company's potential shouldn't be constrained by its size.
Yet, a lot of people are restricted by outside forces The world and these unfortunate entrepreneurs need a
including societal restrictions, a lack of access to platform. They need resources, solutions, and assistance
affordable finance, and a distance to marketplaces. in their time of need. A platform that will act like their
projector. Projecting their logo in the skies of their
Establishing a business is a challenging task. The process market.

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Accloud eliminates these obstacles by utilizing a exposing them to new and right markets for their
ground-breaking, low-touch commerce platform to product/service.
mobilize business administration. Entrepreneurs now
have access to funding, trade, accounting, and tax Leading With Example and Experience
solutions in a single, user-friendly system for the first
time. The world is constantly moving towards digitization.
Applications, software, and databases run the world. Ross
“we're making the small, mighty.” R James who proudly carries the title of Chief Executive
Officer is well-versed in the world of digitization.
“As part of our initial push into the market, Accloud plc is
presently expanding throughout India. Providing It was when he was a student of communication
accounting software, tax, light ERP solutions, and micro- engineering that he got introduced to Computer
financing on a low-touch commerce platform.” Programming. He describes it as “eyes opening wide to
the power and possibilities”. He was extremely intrigued
With its low entry cost and game-changing system, they with computers, the tech behind them, and the number of
aim to aid millions business owners. They will do this by possibilities the world could achieve.

He instantly began his journey by importing computers to


improve the efficiency of SMEs (Small-Medium
Enterprises). He realized if these enterprises are provided
with LANs and other software, they will end up with way
more than they aimed for.

Not too far from then, he set up the first foreign


technology company in Taiwan. The company
manufactured personal computers that were later shipped
to countries like USA, Germany, and Denmark.

Ross has spent 30 years at the top of the ITC sector. He


has a lot of expertise with internet business applications
and tactics both locally and globally. As well as
developing export markets throughout the USA, Southeast
Asia, and Europe. Ross had a significant impact on the
Application Service Provider (ASP) business in the
1990s. Giving him a vast knowledge of client-server
computing and the next utility and cloud computing
technologies.

Inspire, Innovate, Inculcate

Ross took inspiration from innovators like Steve Jobs. It


is he and his obsession with simplified UIs that we are
here today. We have this array of devices with the
convergence of several digital tools into one. Ross
believes that Steve Jobs' legacy alone inspired millions of
young minds to enter the world of tech.

Bringing all his experience into one streamline is how he


created Accloud. He noticed a little increase in internet

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bandwidth and a few changes in computing technology business management platform, it needs a passionate and
that could help small businesses. dedicated workforce to support it. The work culture at
Accloud is something the CEO himself is quite particular
Established in 2015, Accloud was made to keep small about.
businesses in mind. A vision to create a community where
they are heard. Small businesses as a community needed Open and honest communication with the staff has always
services like B2B, micro-capital, micro-insurance, and been important. Ross thinks it inculcates positive energy
other business management tools. Just because these around the business and overall company. Everyone in the
businesses are not industry giants, doesn't mean they don't office hierarchy must go through a series of constant
get the tools and resources. surveys and questionnaires. They are meant to gauge
everyone's well-being, attitude, and belongingness with
The company has had to adapt as the demand for apps and the office and colleagues.
mobile work has soared. The business started as a
provider of cloud-based accounting software but has since The outcomes of these surveys are keenly observed and
grown to be much more, with a strong emphasis on brought into practice. The company deems that in a fast
addressing the needs of contemporary entrepreneurs in pacing industry like its own, flexibility and adaptation are
emerging and high-growth economies. essential.

Into the Accloud Offices Accloud as a company is open to all types of constructive
criticism- coming from their employees, customers, or
When there is such demand for this one-of-a-kind competitors.

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The Cloud of Challenges Accloud regularly consults its customers and partners
about the highs and lows, and the hows and whys. To
Unlike the cloud-based platforms Accloud provides, these verify that the remaining suggestions fit with customers'
clouds are a bit tough to crack. The company still recovers needs, all the input is compiled from multiple sources and
from the post-pandemic effects as capital needs have been any recurring themes are brought up with management.
an ongoing challenge. The company sort of derived a
solution for it by focusing more on the growth of Accloud's Future
company revenue and keeping their expenses marginal.
The company has plenty of faith in its future and plans to
“We want to be a leading driver of change in the grow and expand. As the world continues to be more and
developing economies and we want to do that now, but it more digitized by the day, it must stay at the forefront of
is also crucial to make sure we are still providing exactly new technology. The new technology digitization has to
what is desired by a variety of customers.” offer to the world.

Accloud for the Customers As the company has its current goals of expanding in
India, similarly the company also looks forward to
Pleasing customers is like a double edge sword. If you try expanding in Africa. The range of products to be rolled
to tweak every little detail and strategy, you will come off out there is something to watch out for.
as a company trying to be everything all at once. But
giving customer feedback the importance, it deserves is Ross personally, and the company is very particular about
also essential. They are the ones we do what we do for. female inclusion. Ross mentors students at CAS

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University coming from emerging
economies. This reminds him of
what and who he and his company
are working for.

They plan on expanding their


networks with various business-
focused industries in India. The
country has a huge start-up
community with plenty of talent.

From Today's Leader to


Tomorrow's

Ironically, being someone who has


over 30 years of experience in the
digital realm, it is odd coming from
him, but Ross R James' biggest
advice is to keep your devices away.
He preaches that giving yourself a
time-out from all devices- phones,
laptops, television, etc. can give you
complete peace of mind.

Ross also advices that in your initial


days, you have to choose
ownerships in a wise way rather
than greedy. Having a 10% of a 100
Million dollar company is worth
more than 75% of a 1 million dollar
company. Once your idea,
confidence, and ownership are fixed,
it is important to be cooperative.
More importantly, capital raising
takes time and focus away from
being present in the business so the
less of it you must do, the more
stress-free and productive every day
will be.

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18 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com
Colin Brown
CEO & Founder
Stratford Underwriting Agency Inc.

COLIN
BROWN
SERVING BEST VEHICLE INSURANCE
AGAINST EVENTUALITIES

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B usiness is booming and for the first time in two
years an Underwriting Agency has made huge
advances with many new auto products and
services with great ideas, solutions, and technology. The
growth in the last 24 months has defied the pandemic
claims to provide services against monopolies in the
industry.

Please tell us about your educational/professional


background. Who inspired you to become a business
restrictions and Colin Brown, CEO & Founder of leader? Would you like to mention some of the
Stratford Underwriting Agency Inc. shares the same highlights from your journey?
story.
I emigrated from Ulster in October 1973. I had a degree in
There are very few people with as deep an understanding of Geology and Geography from Queens University Belfast. I
vehicle insurance as Colin Brown. From emigrating to started my career as a management trainee at the Insurance
investing 22 years of his life in a company, Mr. Brown Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) in January 1974
and the Corporation opened for business in March 1974. I
worked at ICBC for 22 years and resigned as Chief
Underwriter in 1995. During that time, I
became a Chartered Insurance Professional, a
Chartered Arbitrator, and also received an MA
in Liberal Studies from Simon Fraser
University.

In 1995, following my resignation, I founded


Canadian Direct Insurance (CDI). CDI was the
first direct writer in Western Canada and sold
optional auto insurance coverage by phone and
internet in competition with ICBC which is a
quasi-monopoly. At the outset, CDI was a
wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC. It turned
profitable in its fifth year and 2005 was sold to
Canadian Western Bank (CWB) for $25
million, or 1.25 of book value. CWB were
great owners and after a change in leadership
in 2015, sold CDI to Intact (Canada's largest
insurer) for $200 million, or 2.5 times book
value. CDI had additionally previously issued
dividends of $35 million to the bank already to
protect CDI's capital ratio. It was a massive
success. I was appointed Executive Officer of
Intact, but I retired in 2016 at the age of 66.

Please brief us in detail about the current


scenario of the business. How have the
customer preferences changed over the
years?

The auto insurance business in BC is


dominated by ICBC. They have a monopoly
on “the basic” which is the minimum cover
that you have to buy to put a vehicle on the
road. They also sell almost 90% of “optional”
which are the add-ons for collision cover,
comprehensive, etc. That optional market is

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worth $2.5 billion in BC. CDI had
been the largest seller of optional.

Following my retirement, I did a


little consulting but was approached
several times to start another
company. I finally did so in 2018 and
founded Stratford Underwriting
Agency Inc. We are a Managing
General Agency (MGA), essentially
a wholesaler of niche products that
are otherwise hard to find. Stratford
started in 2020 with its own BC auto
product (CDI 2.0), underwritten by a
major reinsurer that I had worked
with for 20 years. Customer
preferences have not changed in this

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million, and lost $170,00 in our second year of business.
We are very happy with that. We will write about $38
million in 2022 and make $1million+ in profit. We are
developing two other non-auto products at this time. They
will broaden our scope and spread our risk base.

What are the unique challenges your company is


currently facing? How have they affected your
company?

At the time we entered the marketplace, ICBC have


declared BC to be a “no-fault” jurisdiction. Essentially
cutting out the need for third-party liability cover and


reducing the average premium available from $800 a policy
When you are operating to $500 a policy. This was effective May 1st, 2021.
Stratford was forced to find a product to
in a regulated industry replace the lost premium. This was done in
(and Canada is very short order and a replacement cost policy
was added in February 2021 and we sold
heavily regulated), ‘ $10 million worth of policies for the
then you must know premium product in 2021. Opportunity and
agility melded together on that one.
all the rules.
What measures do you incorporate to
ensure motivation and productivity
within the workspace? How do you
respond to criticism and disagreements?

As a company, our system was designed to


be flexible. It is in the cloud and supports
regard, they still want a viable option to a government working from home. We encourage
monopoly. A better product, more bells and whistles, and a attendance at the office as needed. Staff who
lower price. We sell through a network of 200 independent can influence key indicators are incentivized
brokers. appropriately. All staff is bonused on the
corporate performance. We have an open
What are the prominent products/services offered by the office plan which encourages open
company? How are they different from your discussion and deals with any issues as they
competitors' offerings? arise. We have a complaints officer who
responds to any customer complaints.
Stratford's two current products are differentiated in price.
Both offer products very similar to our competitors but What measures do you undertake to
priced better. Our products have better coverages in key ensure optimum customer satisfaction?
areas that make them more attractive and in addition offer How much impact does the customer
better features. This is achieved through smarter feedback have on the company's
underwriting. Our primary product is designed to save 80% strategies?
of BC motorists on their purchases.
We do have a complaints officer who is
Currently, Stratford offers a full-service BC auto optional charged with dealing immediately with any
product and a replacement cost policy for the loss of value issues that arise. As we sell through
on new cars that may become a total loss. In 2021, we independent brokers, there are few
wrote a total of $27 million in premium, had revenue of $7 complaints directly to us. Most would be

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claims disputes and there are formal procedures in place for commercial property series of covers, which are offered in a
dispute handling. If there is a consistent valid issue, we are much more sympathetic format than mainstream insurers
quite at ease in varying the rules and changing them, if offer.
appropriate.
In both cases, Stratford is benefiting from partnering with
Are you planning to launch any new products/services experts in their fields to make sure we offer only the best
or advancements to your existing offerings? If so, we and most meaningful covers.
would like to know about it.
As a decorated leader, what would be your piece of
Stratford is developing two new products, both non-auto in advice for entrepreneurs seeking careers in the
nature. The first is very exciting and, while confidential in business?
nature is cover for a very commonly used household
possession it is used away from the home and has been I often reflect on this at the age of 72……… “what have I
largely ignored by mainstream insurers. Stratford will offer learnt?” Probably not much in the universal scheme of
a full range of covers. The second is a more standard things, but a few business truths due stand out.

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First, I believe that in the financial
services industry, especially in
Canada, you HAVE to learn the
basics. When you are operating in a
regulated industry (and Canada is
very heavily regulated), then you
must know all the rules. I learned in
a Crown Corporation environment
and ended up writing virtually all
the policy wordings and attendant
rules. It is so much easier to bend
the rules and make changes when
you understand the framework.

Second, as long as you retain the


fundamentals, you can be free to
hire younger, smarter staff who can
think outside the box, say “why
not?” and shake the trees. I think
that is my key to learning. We
passed it on to our son, who has
taken it into the Canadian banking
sphere and been a huge success. He
worked in the branches, learned the
rules, and now can break out and do
what no one else is doing.

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Lexis Serot
AN INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEUR PIONEERING AN EXTRAORDINARY HEALTH SOLUTION

People with disabilities


deserve to say,
'there is nothing I'm not
worthy of.' LittleWins goes to
bat for every one of them.

26 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com


& CEO
FOUNDER
LEXIS NOEL SEROT
LITTLEWINS

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TIPS FOR ASPIRANTS

“It doesn't have to be this way. The great


doctor, maybe you've heard of him… Dr. Seuss
once said; you have brains in your head, feet
in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any
direction you choose.
I betcha if we put all our heads together we
could kick out some solutions for the things we
know to help this system.
Socrates said, 'The secret of change is to focus
all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but
on building the new'.
For all of my kids.
For the ones who came before us, all those
who come after us.
Because, if it's one of us, it's all of us.
I'm gonna take that 'at-bat' and I'm gonna
swing like hell. I hope you do too.” - Lexis Serot,
Health 2.0 Dubai, 2022.

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I s there any industry where women have not been able to make an
astounding impact out of their presence? Absolutely, not!
Flourishing all over the world, we are witnessing women with
indomitable spirits emerging as exemplary leaders, trend-setters,
innovators, revolutionaries, and whatnot. In the world of disruptors,
female leaders are excelling with their intuitive and inspiring approach
that has caused a stir across the business fraternity.

In the profound pool of women entrepreneurs who are transitioning into


outstanding groundbreakers, we have brought to you a model turned e-
com entrepreneur who helps connect and support people with
disabilities and others who are improving their lives. This exclusive
cover story depicts the success story of Lexis Noel Serot, Founder and
CEO of LittleWins.

Insights into personal and entrepreneurial space

Lexis Serot is a high school graduate from Columbine High School who
studied photography at Flagler College. Unable to afford fees, Ms. Serot
has to quit college in between and her endeavors landed her to become a
model at Ford Models. With 14 years of a successful career as a model,
she became a mother in 2013. Sadly her daughter Ava suffered a skull
fracture during a c-section delivery. As a result, Ava has triplegia
Cerebral Palsy. At the time, as a mother of a child with cerebral palsy,
Ms. Serot was shocked at how unprepared she was. She tried to
familiarize herself with the many forms of care, equipment, and therapy.
She realized quickly, how broken the system was, and became obsessed
with trying to find a solution.

The incident shook and triggered her to start a company that can help
people with similar uncertainties. Someone asked Ms. Serot in an
interview, “why she started LittleWins?” She answered, “because I
recognized that life was giving me an 'at-bat' to create a better world
for my daughter.” It is truly her daughter that inspired her to become the
leader she is today. Ms. Serot did not just want to create a better world
only for her daughter but for others that also have a disability and to
create a community in which they could come together and help each
other.

Road to in-depth solution

In the beginning, Lexis Serot interviewed over 175 families and


caregivers to see what the common denominators were in their journey
to acquiring care, equipment, and therapies. It didn't matter. Of those
175 people, they had three things in common. Number one, they had
medical equipment or supplies they no longer needed but didn't know
what to do with. Two, They needed something but couldn't get it. What
hit the hardest was, number three, they all felt alone.

This is when Ms. Serot started building the LittleWins community so


families and individuals could connect. She designed LittleWins.com as

www.fortunescrown.com March 2023 | 29


an easy-to-use marketplace for people to post used durable conditions may make them more vulnerable to COVID.
medical equipment, browse equipment by category and LittleWins has been working hard getting users to join and
location, and connect directly with buyers and sellers listings to be posted. Since LittleWins is an online-based
through the site's messaging app. LittleWins also provides a community as well, it relies on users to help the online
community in which people across the nation now have marketplace and provide support for one another. Ms. Serot
each other for support, help, resources, and experiences. had started her own blog and podcast to help address
questions and concerns by other members of the LittleWins
What makes LittleWins stand apart? community. She talks about topics that are not typically
addressed such as “Sex and Disability”, “Self-Identity”,
LittleWins was established in 2018, and Ms. Serot began “CBD”, “Hospice and Palliative Care”, “Adaptive
laying the groundwork for LittleWins that year. Since then, Footwear” and many other topics. Serot has never turned
she has continually adapted the LittleWins.com website down a requested topic, she goes above and beyond during
with web and e-commerce developers while directing a the research process. She sits down for hours studying each
marketing assistant and marketing communications agency. field to bring the most informative, vulnerable, open
She works closely with her legal and financial advisors. She conversations for those who need it. She finds experts to sit
collaborates with regional and national organizations that down and have a discussion with and hopes that listeners
support people with disabilities. She partners with other will connect to these resources.
women entrepreneurs who offer products and services to
her community. Lexis Serot also blogs about navigating her daily life. Such
as must-have products or services that she has personally
Headquartered at Denver, the discovery process of tried with her children that help make life easier. Just
LittleWins had begun in 2019 and in November of 2019, recently she blogged about summer must-haves that her
the website was launched. After launching LittleWins.com four children helped decide on. She also talks about the
in 2019, Ms. Serot began to explore how the site could people that she has connected with that have helped her in
serve her community's needs beyond durable medical her journey such as her daughter's therapists. She has
equipment. She created and posts daily on LittleWins' started offering a support system through her community
online support forum, receiving and providing feedback to which is not something you find every day online.
help people with disabilities and the families that support
them live their best lives. To build the LittleWins brand, she Overcoming the challenges
launched a line of LittleWins apparel – beanies, trucker
hats, and t-shirts. Serot also has launched a podcast in LittleWins is privately funded by Lexis Serot and she wears
which she talks about leading a life with a disability. every hat in the company. Funds for an advertisement to get
the word out are limited. Ms. Serot typically chooses to
Lexis Serot believes that access to equipment and supplies spend funds in ways to serve and protect LittleWins users.
should be simple. The mom of four, including a daughter LittleWins is constantly looking for more users to upload
who has cerebral palsy, founded LittleWins.com to connect more listings. Users can also ship items to each other, and
and support people with disabilities and others who are premium members on the site can also access a fixed
improving their lives. LittleWins.com harnesses the power shipping rate with FedEx. Ms. Serot had worked very hard
of the community to help its members buy, sell or donate to form a relationship with FedEx. She had spent endless
medical equipment, get information and connect with hours on phone calls and emails with many advisors and
others. Members list and browse equipment by category representatives at FedEx. In hopes to make shipping a
and location on the company's website. They connect possibility for users, She secured a deal in which premium
directly with buyers and sellers through the site's app. They members could access this rate. Though shipping is an
share tips, experiences, and advice on LittleWins' social available service most users have a hard time finding
pages. specific items that they're desperately in need of. A lot of
the time multiple users are interested in the same listings.
Covid, adjustments, and roadmap
If every person had a piece of equipment or supplies that
Especially over the past few years with COVID 19, users they no longer needed and uploaded it on the LittleWins
have been confined to their homes in which they are website, the team would help more users on the site.
constantly online. Most users, especially those with medical Another problem the company faces is expanding globally,

30 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com


www.fortunescrown.com March 2023 | 31
there are often many inquiries from people located in other provide a healing rejuvenating bath. LittleWins also
countries outside of the U.S. Though LittleWins is available launched a line of compression socks for kids designed by
in the U.S. and some parts of Canada it is not available all Ms. Serot and her children. These socks offer fun colors and
around the world. LittleWins is a start-up company financed patterns along with a chance to color your socks while
by our CEO. Ms. Serot currently faces many challenges as providing compression relief to your feet. At the beginning
she communicates with other countries to allow LittleWins of the year, LittleWins also launched version 3 of the online
to be available globally. She is continuously consulting website, offering a premium membership that allows users
legal and financial advisors to work through the terms and access to a list of resources and sponsors it partnered up
conditions along with the privacy policies in other with and a discounted shipping rate through FedEx. She
countries. also helped plan the first music festival for people with
disabilities this past summer called SHINE. This festival
Ensuring optimum customer satisfaction offered a chance for the community to come together and
celebrate each other during these hard times.
LittleWins is constantly referring to user feedback and
insights. Since it's a self-started start-up and a community- Vision to help see the bright future
based platform, LittleWins heavily relies on user feedback
and experience. Recently, while launching version 3 of the Lexis Serot is always looking for new ways to help the
website itself, Lexis Serot had asked the LittleWins community and offer products that will provide support and
community what they wanted on the LittleWins website. care. Currently, she is working on launching a LittleWins
The entire update was spearheaded by the user community. medical supply subscription box. Users can sign up for a
These weren't just updates to the site which included a monthly subscription of needed medical supplies
premium membership amongst other things but also what specifically catered to them. Supplies such as bandages,
people were looking for and in need of. Lexis is always on gauze, antiseptic, hydrogen peroxide, feeding tubes, and
the lookout for requested equipment to ensure that users can other daily supplies are often reordered.
find what they need. With the new premium membership
users now have access to our resource list, a discounted rate Ms. Serot wants to help make it simpler to gain access to
on shipping through FedEx, and many more things. these needed materials at an affordable cost. She has also
been working on creating braille labels. She sees the
A glance over the collaborative services importance of these labels for not only those who are
visually impaired but for everyone.
No company existed that resembled what Lexis Serot
wanted to create. No online service was available on a 8.1 million people have vision loss due to age-related
national basis to connect families – regardless of their macular degeneration, as we grow older our eyes grow
location in the U.S., their income, or their level of insurance weaker. Ms. Serot believes that these labels can make
coverage – to help them obtain the durable medical everyday life easier for everyone and can help improve
equipment and supplies their kids required. Ms. Serot navigating your home as you get older. That these new
designed LittleWins.com to go beyond the services advancements are not only helpful to those with a disability
provided by local and regional organizations, eliminate the but to the general population as well.
'middleman' and facilitate person-to-person equipment
transactions directly between families. LittleWins provides Milestones & Awards
a community in which people across the nation now have
each other for support, help, resources, and experiences. • Top 100 Healthcare Visionary by the International
Along with the online marketplace, she hosts a podcast in Forum on Advancements in Healthcare, previously
which she starts conversations on living with disabilities known as the Smart Health Conference.
and navigating life. She also joined forces with another • Award at IFAH Global Healthcare Conference in June
woman entrepreneur, Hotsy Totsy Haus CEO Christi 2021.
Leonardi, a deaf single mother, to create LittleWins- • Best Companies by the Health 2.0 Conference in Dubai.
branded, natural ingredient bath bombs that are now sold on • Fast Company's World Changing Ideas in both 2021 and
the LittleWins website. 2022
• Top 10 Most Influential Women in Business 2022 by
These bath bombs are made to fully relax your muscles and INC magazine.

32 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com


I'd venture to say,
we are the ones
who can bring about the
change that's needed here.
What if some big solutions
are so simple, they're simply
being overlooked.

www.fortunescrown.com March 2023 | 33


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www.fortunescrown.com March 2023 | 35
Cloud
Computing
and
Network
Security
W hat is Cloud Computing?

Cloud Computing or 'the cloud' is a remote


server that can be used to store and access data instead of
using local hard drives or purchasing own servers. Cloud
cloud. These services host tools and data centers that
allow individuals to store, access, and manage their data
efficiently.

How does Cloud Computing work?


Computing is used by businesses to maintain data
security and individuals to store their professional and The cloud, in simple words, is a decentralized place to
personal data. It is a cost-effective, fast, and reliable share and manage information. Every cloud has its host,
service for preserving information. Cloud computing which provides data security and integrity, storage, and
models are also easily scalable, can accommodate real- computing power required to maintain all the
time changes, and offer dependable data backup and information.
recovery.
Some examples of cloud services include iCloud by
There are several companies, called Cloud Companies or Apple, Google Drive by Google, and Azure by
Cloud Service Providers, that provide services on the Microsoft. The hosting companies provide an ecosystem

38 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com


where individuals using their cloud services can • Hybrid Cloud combines the features of private
communicate between different devices. For and public clouds, providing an on-premises
instance, if you download a file to your Google data center and a public cloud computing
Drive on your laptop, it will appear on Google environment. Google Cloud is a hybrid cloud
Drive on your phone as well as instantly syncs service.
to the google account.
Data Security in Cloud Computing
There are different types of Cloud Computing models:
The vast amount of information being stored and
• Private Clouds ensure that personal and sensitive accessed in the cloud needs to be secured and
data is not accessible to third parties. Some private managed to provide security breaches. Data security
cloud examples are HP Datacentres and Microsoft. and protection of privacy are two of the significant
• Public Clouds allow the same hardware or the same concerns of cloud computing. Protection of cloud
cloud to be used by everyone, and they can manage data is a practice that provides integrity and
their account of information through a web browser. confidentiality to all the cloud data in all parts of
Microsoft Azure is an example of a public cloud. the world, be it at rest or in motion.

www.fortunescrown.com March 2023 | 39


What are the risks? Why is Data Security Important?

As we talk about cloud computing and storage, there are Data security is of utmost importance to preserve the
a variety of risks and threats that could cause security integrity of sensitive information, keep the trust of
breaches and lead to data being compromised. These can customers of a business, and avoid loss of data and
lead to misuse of personal information, lack of brand financial losses. Some of the benefits of ensuring data
trust, financial losses, and business interruptions. security in cloud computing are:

Some of the common cloud-related risks are: • Securing information across all devices and being
able to manage, view, access, and store all the files
• Data leaks and unsecured APIs - Many cloud and folders.
computing services rely on Application Programming • Being able to proactively identify threats, suspicious
Interface (API) for processes such as access and behavior, malware, and data misuse.
authentication. However, these interfaces have poor • Prevent and detect loss and destruction of data.
security build-ups which can lead to data loss. • Avoiding sensitive information such as bank accounts
• Hacking - Cyberattackers are often able to hack into and trading accounts from being compromised.
accounts with weak or compromised passwords, • Keeping all the information well-managed and easily
giving them easy access to people's personal accessible.
information.
• Insider Threats - This is caused by the lack of Conclusion
visibility into the ecosystem of cloud services. The
insiders may be getting unauthorized access to Data security in cloud computing is a crucial aspect of
potential data or accidentally storing sensitive data to maintaining personal and organizational information. It
the cloud. is an important practice to safeguard cloud data against
security breaches, cyber attackers, and internal threats. It
How to preserve data integrity? allows you to set up necessary controls, and password
policies and adopt multi-factor authentication across all
To ensure maximum security of cloud data, there are devices of cloud storage. It is an efficient and money-
some general security considerations as well as some saving solution to the problem of managing a network of
specific to SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS. your personal and business-related data.

• Multiple Factor Authentication - Ensuring that all the


cloud services have multi-factor authentication for
accessing data is important. It allows you to
set permissions while logging in to your
information or changing existing data
and keeping your controls up to
date.
• SaaS - Software as a service
offers several data security and
reconfiguration options for
you to choose and set
controls from.
• PaaS and IaaS - Both of
these providers offer encryption,
identity management, logging, access
management, and key management protocols for
your data security.

40 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com


Nick Zamucen
CEO
Best Option Restoration

42 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com


NICK
ZAMUCEN
HELPING PEOPLE RESTORE PROPERTIES TO PRE-LOSS CONDITION

T here is nothing closer than your own home, it is


a gift you earn and give yourself. It becomes a
box of memories of precious moments.
Unfortunately, sometimes due to some inevitable
disasters people lose their houses beyond restoration. But
paid monthly from insurance companies, prospective
franchise owners want in. Who could blame them?
Best Option Restoration is in a fantastic position
with its low cost of entry, state-of-the-art thermal
drying systems and a management team second to
there are state-of-the-art ways to restore the house none. We win and will continue to win in this
environment to its prime historical period. crowded field. This is the industry to be in to build a
life-changing business and a substantial income for
Nick Zamucen, CEO of Best Option Restoration, is years to come.
committed to helping those in need after a disaster and
returning their homes to their original condition. What are the unique challenges your company is
Recently, Mr. Zamucen is being interviewed to share his currently facing? How have they affected your
experience of restoring happiness in society. Let's have a company?
look!
Please tell us about your professional background. The challenges we've had are actually rather
Would you like to mention some of the highlights opportunities. We continue to have a ton of new
from your journey? franchisee interest in our company. The hardest thing for
us at a corporate level is keeping up with demand. We
I have created four nationally recognized franchised can only take on many units a month and having to put
brands. Three of which have been previously sold to people on a waiting list isn't fun for anyone. Most stay
private equity companies and now my focus is to build on the list and wait their turn, a few we lose to
and sell the last one, Best Option Restoration, over the competition because they make a side deal and get in for
course of the next decade. a lesser price somewhere else. I find in business and life,
you get what you pay for. Be very careful making deals
I live my life with the want and need to help others. with companies and devaluing your position.
Adding massive value to those around me is my passion.
I live to be a good leader, a great friend, and an When was Best Option Restoration established?
outstanding business mentor for my franchisees. What are the prominent services/solutions offered by
the company?
Please brief us in detail about the current scenario of
the business. How have the customer preferences Best Option Restoration was established in 2016. We
changed over the years? offer Water mitigation, Fire rebuilds, Mold termination,
Storm Damage, and Content Cleaning solutions for
The franchised restoration industry has never been in a home and business owners. We're escalating at our best,
hotter market. With Billions of dollars in claims being hence our name, Best Option Restoration.

www.fortunescrown.com March 2023 | 43


What measures do you incorporate to ensure clients. In our case, the clients are our franchisees. Put
motivation and productivity within the workspace? them first and always do what is right, you can't go
How do you respond to criticism and disagreements? wrong.

We treat everyone like family. Sometimes you're all on What measures do you undertake to ensure optimum
the same page and everyone is happy, sometimes you're customer satisfaction? How much impact does the
not. The important thing is, not that everyone always customer feedback have on the company's strategies?
gets what they want, but they feel heard, understood, and
respected. There will always be criticisms around and With our clients being our franchisees, it's pretty simple
negative feedback. All you can do is try to mitigate that to ensure satisfaction because we are in communication
as much as possible but always do the best things for the with them weekly if not daily. Again, we are a family,

44 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com


we're a close group. There are many
times a franchise will reach out to me
just to say hi, ask how I'm doing, and
how is my family. This means the
world to me because I know they care
and in turn, they feel comfortable
enough with me to be personal. I know
I'm doing my job when my franchises
are friends, like family, not just unit
numbers.

Please tell us about the


services/products your company is
offering? How are they different
from your competitors' offerings?

With our propriety thermal technology


drying systems, we are state of the art.
We aren't just another, “man with a fan
in a van” like our competition. Best
Option Restoration franchises dry
structures in literally half the time of
anyone else out there. There is truly no
comparison to what we do. There are
some copycats in the field we noticed
lately. I look at that as once again I'm
doing my job, I'm changing an old tired
industry and bringing it into the new
century. A century of technology and
focused strategy. We are better because
we practice being so. We're just the
“Best Option” in a mitigation and
restoration situation.

www.fortunescrown.com March 2023 | 45


THEHOWWHAT
WHEREOF
BLOCKCHAIN
THE THEORY AND REAL APPLICATIONS OF BLOCKCHAIN

W ith the introduction of Bitcoin in 2009,


blockchain technology saw its first practical
use. Since then, businesspeople across a
range of industries have started investigating the
potential of the technology. Blockchain technology is
How Does Blockchain Work?

Being on the internet in general,


the word blockchain has popped
up in many conversations-
being incorporated into various industries, including virtual and physical. Even
supply chain management, video games, digital identity though almost
verification, and health records management. The everyone is
number of applications for this ground-breaking familiar with
technology has increased due to Ethereum and other the word,
blockchains' capacity to store and run computer code. many still don't
know the actual
Information is essential to business. It is best if it is process or functionality of
received quickly and accurately. Blockchain is the best one. It is okay we will keep
technology for delivering that information because it you anonymous you curious
offers real-time, shareable, and entirely transparent data person. Just pretend this is a revision!
kept on an immutable ledger and accessible exclusively How does that sound?
to members of a permitted network. Among other things,
a blockchain network can track orders, payments, ● As each transaction occurs, it is recorded
accounts, and production. Additionally, because as a “block” of data
everyone has access to the same version of the truth, you These transactions demonstrate the transfer of
can see every aspect of a transaction from beginning to an asset, which may be tangible (a product) or
end, increasing your confidence and opening up new intangible (intellectual). Who, what, when,
prospects. where, how much, and even the

46 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com


www.fortunescrown.com March 2023 | 47
condition—such as the temperature of a food Blockchain and IoT (Internet of Things)
shipment—can all be recorded in the data block.
A logical explosion in blockchain applications is the
● Each block is connected to the ones before Internet of Things (IoT). IoT offers a wide range of uses
and after it (hence, blockCHAIN) and several security issues, and as the number of IoT
As an asset is moved from one location to products rises, hackers will have more opportunities to
another or ownership changes, these blocks steal your data via devices ranging from Amazon Alexa
create a data chain. The blocks link securely to smart thermostats.
together to prevent any blocks from being
altered or a block from being introduced Blockchain-infused Through the use of technology's
between two existing blocks, and the blocks transparency and theoretical incorruptibility to keep
certify the precise timing and order of things "smart," IoT adds a layer of security to avoid data
transactions. breaches. The businesses using blockchain to improve
the Internet of Things security and intelligence are listed
● Transactions are blocked together in an below.
irreversible chain (hence, BLOCKchain)
Every new block reinforces the prior block's Blockchain and Security
verification, and by extension, the blockchain as
a whole. This gives the blockchain its crucial Up to 42 million Americans may have fallen victim to
strength of immutability and makes it tamper- identity fraud in 2021 alone, according to AARP. Fraud
evident. By doing this, you and other network on this scale can take many forms, from falsifying
users may create a trusted ledger of transactions documents to accessing private data.
and eliminate the chance of tampering by
malevolent actors. The government may see a sharp decline in identity theft
claims by storing social security numbers, birth dates,
Operations frequently squander time and resources on birth certificates, and other sensitive information on a
third-party validations and duplicate record-keeping. decentralized blockchain ledger. Here are a few
Systems for preserving records may be susceptible to companies using blockchain technology that are leading
fraud and online threats. Data verification may be slowed the way in identity security.
by a need for more openness. And the number of
transactions has multiplied since the introduction of IoT. Blockchain And Money Transfer
We need a better solution because this slows down the
company and depletes the bottom line. here comes Transfer apps for cryptocurrencies are now experiencing
blockchain. an explosion in popularity, led by Bitcoin. Due to the
time and money that blockchain may save financial
As a participant in a members-only network, you may institutions of all kinds, it is particularly well-liked in the
use blockchain to ensure that the information you receive industry.
is correct and timely and that only network participants
you have explicitly authorized access to will have access Blockchain can save the biggest banks a ton of money by
to your private blockchain records. decreasing third-party fees, getting rid of bureaucratic
red tape, and making ledger systems real-time. These
Theoretically, Yes. That is how blockchains work. What businesses efficiently move money using blockchain
about its practical functionality? How do these complex technology.
processes and definitions come to life? Blockchain did
gain popularity after bitcoin, but that is not the only field
in which it is used. Blockchain has benefited multiple
fields- by introducing new means to complete
transactions as well well elevating and enhancing the
existing ones.

48 | March 2023 www.fortunescrown.com


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