“[Millennials] have had a chance to take on leadership opportunities at a very young age in this community because the folks that have been in this community a long time want to mentor and nurture the next generation.” 

-Aakash Patel, Founder and President of Elevate, Inc.  

Welcome to OneTAKE Live! In this episode, host Ian Barkin sits down with Aakash Patel, the founder and president of Elevate, Inc., to discuss what it takes to build a strong enterprise community, the value of entrepreneurial thinking in business, the keys to developing opportunities for mentorship, and much more!  

Mentorship and community are vital when it comes to running a successful company — after all, it takes a village. But when it comes time to start finding mentees as a leader, or begin breaking the ice in your local business community, it can often be very difficult to know where to start.  

Thankfully, we have Aakash to show us the way. He’s an expert at building the business bridges that enterprises need to thrive in vibrant, diverse communities. And from his incredible work in Tampa — and all over the world —  he’s learned that many of the opportunities to grow your brand and mentor others as a business leader exist in your own backyard: 

“That’s my way of telling each and every one of you who are watching today,” Aakash explains. “In your community, if you’re volunteering — that’s networking and that’s building a brand, and that’s building a reputation to help make your community better.”  

A true visionary for the Tampa Bay area, Aakash provides essential guidance to local business owners and actively serves on local advisory boards, where he works to make a difference through making impactful connections. Aakash has been recognized as a rising entrepreneur, and was recently published in the Tampa Bay Times, where he shared his thoughts on the public perception of millennials.  

Join us and discover how community involvement and mentorship have the power to foster meaningful growth for aspiring (and established) entrepreneurs on OneTAKE Live!  

 Episode Resources

SYKES   

Jobs.SYKES.com   

SYKES Quarterly   

Elevate Facebook 

Elevate Twitter 

Elevate Instagram  

Aakash Patel Twitter  

Tampa Has Swagger Twitter 

Aakash Patel’s Column in the Tampa Bay Times