Assia Salikhova

I lost a business I'd spent 14 years building. Two things killed it. Neither was the economy. 1. I got bored. I stopped appreciating what I actually had, and you can't watch something closely with half your attention already gone. 2. I also pissed off the wrong person, and a small, well-connected old-boys' network made sure I paid for it. Once they'd decided I was out, it wasn't really a fair fight. Here's the part that took me longer to admit: The second thing only worked because of the first. A business I was fully in, watching closely, doesn't leave that many blind spots for people to find. I know what I had now because I lost it. I wouldn't know it any other way. Eight months ago I started again. Same game, different country and this time I'm not taking any of it for granted. Not for a single day. I've attracted half a dozen outstanding brands. Taken an Australian brand into Canada. Their Amazon Best Sellers Rank went from 230,000 to 13,000 in under two months. Next stop is the US. Fourteen years taught me how to build one of these. Losing it taught me how to actually stay grateful for one. If your brand is stalled on Amazon and needs someone who won't get bored watching it DM me "BSR" and I'll tell you what I'd fix first.

If anyone's feeling a little overwhelmed by new AI things at this point, I completely understand. I mean, the firehose of digital transformation tech was already a lot; then we got AI chatbots, workflows, agents, and now "AI brains"; all piling onto the list of automation solutions. And with AI safety concerns starting to get serious airtime in the press, the concept of an "AI brain" perhaps even sounds a little spooky. But let’s just start by stripping this back to what these things actually are. The octopus analogy: Octopuses have a small brain in each of their eight tentacles, plus a central brain connecting them all. Each tentacle acts semi-autonomously, but the central brain orchestrates the whole and presumably acts as a central place of knowledge. Building agents is like building individual tentacles. An AI brain is like the central brain. What an AI brain actually does in a business: - Understands the business across functions - Connects to the software systems already in use - Holds ongoing context; work in progress, sales, marketing, finances - Orchestrates other AI agents - Reasons across areas to make or recommend decisions - Answers questions about the business, internally or externally Put together: it's a centralised reasoning and decision-making layer sitting on top of business automation, rather than another solution bolted on beside it. What it can act on autonomously, versus what needs human authorisation, is entirely your leadership call. Starting conservative and expanding as trust builds is typically a sound approach. So does your business actually need one? That's truly individual. But here's a question you could ask yourself: where is our business relying on humans to interpret information, make repetitive decisions, and shuttle information between systems? Your answers are probably where the ROI is; mostly in time savings, but also in the real-time insights an AI brain can surface once it actually knows your business and its current state. On the future stuff: AI is emerging as something akin to an alien intelligence; genuinely new, not fully understood yet, even by the people building it. For now, the safety concerns are mostly future concerns. But I personally believe in automation that keeps humans in the loop. Businesses getting AI brains now are definitely early adopters; however, in a fast-moving world, I’m increasingly noticing that it’s those who are streamlining costs and customer service that are winning over those afraid of moving forward. That being said, many businesses have more pressing transformation needs and I don’t like to go into any business with a preconceived notion of what’s best. Please feel free to DM me if this has got you thinking, or comment if you have an opinion to share.

I learnt an interesting business lesson on the side of Lake Taupō with a flat tyre and freezing hands. You don’t need to have every tool yourself. You need to know what you’re good at, what you already have, and what’s missing. That’s a big part of how I think about Iron Road. As a fractional marketing and communications partner, we’re not there to replace people who are already doing a great job. We bring the senior thinking, experience and capability that’s missing — and help make the whole picture work better.

I don't send invoices. I send purchase orders. Most Amazon agencies don't care if your brand lives or dies. They just need the invoice to clear. I buy your stock with my own money. If it doesn't sell, I'm the one holding dead inventory, not you. I build the listings. I run the ads. I fix what's broken. And I only make a cent the day your product does. Agencies are playing a different game than you are. They win by billing you. You win by selling product. That's not the same game, and most founders don't notice until they've paid twelve invoices for a brand that hasn't moved. I've got skin in the game. Real skin. My cash sitting in your product on a shelf in Amazon's warehouse. Got a real Australian brand and a broken Amazon channel? DM me "CONTROL."

A general manager I worked with told me his weekends had been gone for years—not physically, but Saturday and Sunday were just rehearsal time for the hard client conversation coming the following week. What shifted wasn't a magic sentence—it was learning to manage himself first, then manage the conversation, and the dread went out of it completely. He got his weekends back—and the same skill worked just as well around his kitchen table with his teenage sons. If this resonates, book a call. Book here: https://lnkd.in/gMHDEbGr

GLOBAL LUXUARY BRANDS ARE BASED ON CRAFTMANSHIP In 1858 Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris and began an apprenticeship with master box-maker and packer Romain Maréchal. He spent 17 years mastering his craft and became the personal box-maker for Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, in 1853. In1858 Vuitton revolutionized travel by introducing the flat-topped rectangular trunk covered in lightweight, waterproof grey Trianon canvas, making luggage easy to stack on trains and ships. His son His son, Georges Vuitton, joined the business and introduced the interlocking LV monogram and unpickable tumbler locks in the late 19th century to honor his father and stop counterfeiting. Today Louis Vuitton is a multibillion-dollar global fashion brand who for over 170 years have been producing bespoke fashion products.   This kind of bespoke quality fashion does not happen overnight and is a result of decades of learning and research, so when someone touches a Kasmiri product they are overwhelmed by it’s softness which is a result the Kasmiri hand felting technique to produce the finest cashmere fibers which are then hand woven by expert artisan weavers into luxury bespoke fashion accessories.   Like Louis Vuitton ,Anna Kiousis the founder of Kasmiri https://kasmiri.co Anna has done her apprenticeship and the customer reviews articulate Anna’s passion for quality, innovation and craftmanship. Asja Jaksic, left the following 5-star review for the product Cloud Soft Cashmere Scarf: I am absolutely delighted with the beautiful Cloud scarf I purchased from Kasmiri as a very special birthday gift for a dear friend in Finland. It is exquisitely soft, wonderfully light and has that rare feeling of quiet luxury that you notice the moment l touched it. The quality is exceptional, and there is something very special about the delicacy and craftsmanship of the scarf. It drapes beautifully and feels almost weightless; the name “cloud” really could not be more perfect. I am beyond excited to give it to my friend in Finland who I know will absolutely love and treasure it. I was particularly drawn to this brand as Anna places great importance on supporting the artisans ethically and fairly, preserving their craftsmanship. Beautifully made and beautifully presented in a lovely gift box. I could not be happier with my purchase and would recommend Kasmiri without hesitation. Xx Quality sells Sir Ray

Business value. Keep it in NZ with a chance to grow and prosper communities, or send it overseas...? A simple article to explore how NZ Inc might do things differently in the land of SME and mid-sized firms. This is where over one-quarter of the nation's GDP already sits. Video and full piece below. Structural economics —Wages don't compound #NZEconomy #WealthInequality #EconomicPolicy  Succession — How it actually feels #BusinessSuccession #ExitStrategy #SMEOwners Place and belonging — What NZ keeps or loses #EmployeeOwnership #NZInc #Kaitiakitanga