Eddie Hamid, CEO And President, iAdvance Now
Eddie Hamid is the CEO and President of iAdvance Now, one of the leading alternative funding companies helping entrepreneurs and start-ups get the funding they need to set up shop. His years of experience in finance, marketing, and insurance make him the ideal person to lead a company that seeks to give small business the financing support they need to start rolling.
We were lucky enough to catch up with him a second time around. In this interview, we get a few more insights into his daily routine as CEO of iAdvance Now and what drives him to do the work he does.
1) What are your favorite books?
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hil and The Lean Startup by Eric Ries are my go-to books when anyone wants a recommendation. These books offer amazing insights into business and life strategies and anyone can understand them, even if you have no background in my field.
I also lean towards empowerment and life strategy books that are tailored for a non-business audience, like Sun Tzu’s Art of War and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.
2) What’s your favorite type of food?
On a typical day, I usually go for traditional, hearty, comforting NYC fare, but I also enjoy roaming the city to look for new and amazing places to dine in. What really sticks to me are the places that serve food that is rich and eclectic, which is basically how you would describe New York.
3) Describe your typical day.
A typical day at the office starts off with a team briefing before I retreat to my office to field calls and analyze new applications. I usually spend time with my team at the beginning of the day to brief them on the day’s tasks, motivate the team to accomplish our goals, and get a quick rundown on tasks that need my personal attention.
Then I go to my office to make calls and review funding applications. I’m hands-on when it comes to analyzing the viability of applications because I want to make sure that the right fit between our company and the client is there. This makes it easier to predict whether or not we can satisfactorily meet the clients’ goals. I usually squeeze in an hour or two for a working lunch or meeting with clients.
4) What’s your favorite thing about working in your industry?
My favorite thing hands down is how this industry exposes me to the most brilliant and creative entrepreneurial minds of this generation. You wouldn’t believe the kind of ideas that are being generated daily in New York and all over the country. Being able to take part in the process of turning these ideas into reality is a reward in itself and this is what makes going to the office so exciting and enjoyable for me.
5) What motivates you every day?
I’ve always had this competitive streak so I know that what motivates me the most is the desire to produce good, quality output. It doesn’t matter what I’m working on, it could be a major project for a client or a short presentation for my staff. Whatever it is, I want to make sure that the results are top-notch. Having this mindset is one of the reasons why we were able to grow so fast and serve so many in just a short time.
