Mariyah Saifuddin, CEO and co-owner of Innovative Solution Partners, joined Rosalie Murphy and Sean Pyles of Nerdwallet this summer as featured guest on the financial information company’s Smart Money podcast.
Along with sharing her insights from more than 20 years of running a small business, Saifuddin talked about growing up in an entrepreneurial family, lessons learned during the pandemic and the importance of developing the right kind of partnerships.
“I’m blessed to meet a lot of entrepreneurs at various stages of business,” Saifuddin said. “All of us are learning along the way.
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the power of partnerships. And this is what we talked about on the podcast.”
Staying Nimble, Rethinking Who We Are
Among other things, Saifuddin talked with Pyles and Murphy about weathering the pandemic, and how it forced ISP to “rethink who we are as a business,” she said.
Thinking like a startup but with the experience of a 20-year-old business, Saifuddin and the rest of the Innovative Solution Partners team started from the ground up.
What you now see is an updated vision and mission that is not only aligning the team but clients as well. The most successful clients are those that realize IT is an investment, rather than a cost to be justified.
“It shifts the conversation,” Saifuddin said.
Shifting Mindsets, Strategic Partners
Like any business owner, Saifuddin said she learned the hard way that every relationship — with vendors, customers, employees, coaches, or fellow business owners — requires careful consideration.
This experience is what allows the Innovative Solution Partners’ team to partner so well with clients and vendors alike.
That “reset” has put Innovative Solution Partners on a trajectory that includes work with enterprise clients across various industries. With smarter and more strategic hires and partnerships, the company has been able to grow in new directions, Saifuddin said.
“Our time in this business means we know the right people — or the people we know do — to work with,” Saifuddin said. “Seasoned employees, a tested methodology and a refined approach means we are operating on all cylinders.”
Listen to the Podcast Episode
Listen here: The entire podcast can be heard on the Nerdwallet Smart Money podcast page.
