Shifts in Human Beings | Ep. 161

Welcome to another informative and exciting episode of the Data Gurus Podcast!

Today, Sima is happy to have Zain Raj, the CEO and Chairman of Shapiro+Raj Agency, joining her!

Zain has had a very interesting journey! In this episode, he dives into how he got to where he is today and talks about his company, Shapiro+Raj. He also gets into how we need to shift and adapt to a changing world.

How Zain’s journey started

Zain graduated in India with an economics and finance degree, intending to become a CPA. After graduating, he pivoted and signed up for a new advertising program. He has now spent thirty-six years in the marketing industry. He has never experienced even one unhappy day because he loves what he does so much!

Moving to the US

Zain met an Indian woman living in the US, married her, and stayed in India for a year before moving to the US. He has been living in Chicago since then.

Advertising

After moving to the US, Zain got into the advertising industry and ran big global clients. He moved from brand advertising into direct marketing and then into data analytics. Then he joined the world of digital advertising.

Creative

Zain loves advertising because it requires empathy and creativity. You also get to be analytical and have the opportunity to work with a diversity of talent.

Critical qualities

Zain feels that depth and empathy are critical qualities for any business.

Shapiro+Raj

After working with big companies for a year, Zain wanted to spend more time with his family and spend the next stage of his career doing something more fulfilling. He saw many of his clients struggling with insights, so he decided to build a new model of an insights company. He bought Shapiro in 2015 because it was one of the largest independent companies based in Chicago with whom he had a long history. He then rid the company of the pieces they did not need and added a digital agency and a creative ideation capability to the platform. They brought in a brand strategist from advertising agencies and consulting forums and added the other necessary pieces to become a strategic insights consultancy capable of helping their clients get to market faster and spark transformative outcomes.

Growth

Over the last five years, Shapiro+Raj has tripled in size organically, without having either a sales or a business development team.

Equity value appreciation

Zain’s firm and their team have added more than 91 billion dollars of equity value appreciation for their clients over the last four years.

Two parts

Zain’s business has two parts. The one part is a life-sciences business, working with pharma companies. The other focuses on financial services, home improvements, building materials, retail, and technology.

Radical shift

Zain’s company approaches the radical shift brought about by Covid by considering how human beings will respond to the changing world. They also look at the changes in the economic, geopolitical environment, and the individual’s environment.

The uncertainty in the world today

They currently see a world with no framework, so most people and consumers have no idea how to think about their lives. People are constantly trying to figure things out, and that is why so many people are having mental issues right now.

The uncertainty on a business level 

On a business level, everything is in short supply. So people are unsure of when their supply problems will get solved and what their pricing will be.

Predicting the future

Zain’s team has been helping their clients by using their methodologies to predict the future and then working backward.

What will happen in the future?