Name: Business Magazine UAE
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We interviewed Harsh Patel, Founding Member and Global CEO of Water and Shark. The company has branches in different nations like India, UAE, the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, and others. Harsh is a leader with a strong background in various aspects ranging from International Corporate and Business Laws, tax, corporate compliance, strategic advisory, start-up venturing, and real estate advisory transaction.

With his knowledge and expertise, Harsh developed a platform for all CPAs, CAs, along with legal professionals where they can expand and connect on an international level. With massive recognition for his work, he is helping other businesses succeed in their areas.

Table of Contents

The Idea That Started The Journey

“What’s the idea behind Your Company? How did you begin your career journey?”

Harsh shared, “My journey as a professional began with a small dream. I dream of helping others and showcasing my abilities to be a problem solver. To define and establish myself as a leader of the new age and to help others grow along with me.

I embarked upon a journey to be a Chartered Accountant, one of the most Coveted professional qualifications one can aspire to be. Once I achieved this, it motivated me to enhance my skills further. At 19, I could start my own business and venture into the vast business world. Hence began the journey of Water and Shark.”

Advice For Beginners

“Do you have some advice for beginners?”

“I advise beginners that every path or journey they embark upon will be filled with hardships and challenges. It’s the mindset and the discipline that prevails to conquer these challenges and achieve what you have set out to.

If you may fail or falter, it’s not the end, and you can always choose a different approach. Life is long and offers more opportunities than one can imagine, but opportunities come to those seeking them. So be confident, be smart and do not let the negatives drag you down but keep learning from your failures,” Harsh replied.

A Single Solution For All Businesses

“What’s the goal of Your Company?”

Harsh replied, “The goal of my company is to be a modern aged one-stop solution for all business needs. We aim to provide top-quality futuristic services and strive to be the most sought-after consultant in various jurisdictions across the globe. We want to provide comprehensive services in all business-related vertices and strive to be the best firm globally. Our vision is to provide quality expertise to clients so that they may scale their businesses to new heights.”

The Major Ways To Succeed With A Strong Team

We wanted to learn Harsh’s view on the company’s success with the active participation of the team members. So, we asked, “What makes the team successful, in your opinion?”

Harsh shared, “Having a team whose mindset aligns with the firm’s vision and mission significantly impacts its success. Along with this, what I firmly believe is that there should be a positive environment where team members feel acknowledged, appreciated and supported.“

“A single person may establish a business, but it is the collective efforts of everyone who is a part of the journey to make it successful. We encourage our members to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. This does not mean to venture out on their own but to have accountability and responsibility, which is attributable to the firm’s growth,” he further added.

“How important are employees’ energy levels to your Company’s success?”

“The vision and mission that the firm carries should be etched in the minds and hearts of the employees and should flow from the top to bottom. If the higher management resonates with the firm’s ideologies and vision, the members under their tutelage would be inspired to do so. Rather than just pushing for commercial growth, we encourage our members to collectively strive for success and merge their energies to better themselves at every stage.” Harsh replied.

“How do you plan to motivate your team to go the extra mile?”

He shared, “I believe that leading by example is the best way to motivate someone to go that extra mile. Your work ethic, attitude and personality should be why someone aspires to do better to achieve more. Giving examples of other people’s success stories is mostly perceived as just a story, but showing someone how the chapters were written inspires them to write a story of their own.”

“To understand where the team’s expertise lies and to mentor them through challenges and difficulties. We have adopted the approach to set goals of achieving success way beyond expectations and imparting the philosophy that everything is possible if you put your mind to it.” Harsh further added.

Factors That Help Moving Forward During Challenges

“What keeps your company moving forward even during challenges?”

Harsh shared, “I firmly believe that problems and challenges give way to opportunities and these opportunities build and shape your foundation for growth. During the pandemic, we have seen many businesses face challenges and difficulties, us being no different, but having a positive attitude and perseverance has enabled the firm and us to move forward.

Trust and faith that these are just challenges and not the end, and by sticking together and collectively putting our minds towards the challenge, we overcome it. Standing firm in tumultuous times is the sign of a strong foundation we have nurtured and established in the last decade.”

Digitalization And Adaptability Of The Businesses

“How do you think technology is leading to changes in businesses? Do you feel it’s helping Your Company grow?”

Harsh shared, “Yes, technology has brought ease in how business is conducted. Living in the 21st century, we are surrounded by constantly evolving and advancing technology. Any firm that adapts or embraces technology in its business will be included. Be it in any part of the industry, business or sector, including Financial and Legal professional firms, from reducing human intervention to automating and efficiently optimizing services. There has been a significant advancement in the new age business era.

Due to technological changes, we can provide services across the globe without any hindrance. Our employees can work from remote locations, which helps improve their morale with such flexible working conditions. Technological changes, especially in the last two decades, have helped the business grow manifolds, including ours.”

“How is Water and Shark adapting to digitalization?”

Harsh shared, “Digitalization has proven to be a boon to most businesses, including ours. Being a new-age firm, we consider ourselves more tech-savvy and find it easier to adapt to changes and technology. We have been able to integrate systems and software in our business that has cut down processing time and optimized efficiency. “

“For instance, in our Singapore leg, we have adopted state-of-the-art technology and software where right from client onboarding to company formation has been digitized, which can be done in mere hours. The entire process can be handled remotely. We are also working on digitizing the entire office management system where all the needs, requirements and processes will be aligned, and our performance grows not only in terms of delivering services but in overall quality as well.” he added.

Upcoming Services Of The Company

We were intrigued to know about the upcoming services of Water and Shark.

“What are the services/solutions or products offered by Water and Shark as par with the current industry standards? Tell us something about your upcoming products or services?”

Harsh shared, “We are a full-fledged Chartered Accountancy and Legal Consultancy firm on the similar platform of the ‘Big Fours. We are engaged in multiple aspects of businesses which could be divided into four verticals –