Arik Elberse's Biography
When I packed in my safe, secure job as Chief Technology Officer and Business Operations prime for Nortel it had to be for a good reason. After all I had global responsibility for the strategic direction and business operation management of Nortel’s market leading customer service products. And of course it was a good reason. The reason was Ology.
Life is what you make of the opportunities presented to you so when I discovered a whole new area to franchising I did my homework and came up trumps with Ology. Having always worked hard at what I do, I have been fortunate to have had a series of successful jobs and promotions in everything from indigenous SME to major multinational and semi-state organisations. However I had always wanted to have my own business, a desire that I think stemmed from my parents. Since shortly after my family came to Ireland in the mid 70’s my parents have operated Knitella Ltd., a top quality ladies knitwear business. They’ve dressed President Mary McAleese, former President Mary Robinson and film stars such as Jane Seymour and for many years worked with the leading Irish designers such as Loretta Bloom and Lyn-Mar. However through Knitella (and the company that came before!) I’ve also seen the ups and downs and real-life challenges of being in business for yourself!
Being married and well settled in Galway with my wife Theresa and our 2 young boys, Daire and Cian, it was always going to be a challenge to leave my excellent corporate career for the world of self employment. And the statistics are no help here – fewer than 50% of businesses are still in operation 5 years after starting! While I’ve never doubted I could beat the odds, I have experienced some of the potential hardships through my parents and wasn’t prepared to put my family through that level of risk. That’s when I discovered the relatively new sector of Business Services franchising. Franchising, done properly, is an amazing success story with, according to the Irish Franchise Association, 97% of businesses still in operation after 5 years.
Through my parents’ experiences and my career before Ology I was naturally drawn to the area of Business Advice and helping other businesses. In fact my background naturally lends itself to providing business advice, coaching/mentoring and consultancy. The key skills, experiences and values which I bring to this role are:
• Commitment to life-long learning incl. a B.Eng and M.Eng in Electronic and Software Engineering and a Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance (C.Dip.A.F.) from the ACCA
• Experience working with Indigenous SME, Multi-national and Semi-state organisations
• 5 years research and consultancy experience with Enterprise Ireland (as Centre Manager of Teltec Ireland – UL)
• 9 years multinational experience setting direction and product managing Nortel’s market leading products for customer service, incl. call centers, CRM (Clarify-Amdocs), IVR and voice-mail
• Executive and Strategic Leadership experience at global multinational level
• On-going commitment to personal excellence and integrity
• A passion to help business owners succeed born out of my personal family background and experiences
Having done extensive homework and due diligence I have no doubt that Ology provides that best Business Advice offering in the market. Ology is clearly an organisation that is committed to excellence, continuous improvement and is undoubtedly going places. My commitment and belief in Ology is such in fact that I decided to also take on the Master Franchise Licence for Ology in Ireland and Northern Ireland. With my team of Business Advisors, I’m working to make Ology is the recognised brand for quality, practical and effective Business Advice in Ireland. I hope that you will join us on that journey.
I’m looking forward to learning about your goals and ambitions and seeing how Ology can help you achieve them!
Sincerely,
Arik Elberse
P.S. Why not make the most of the moment? Contact me now for a free, no obligation chat to find out how Ology can help you be more successful in achieving your business goals.
Favourite Quote
"People do things for their reasons, not yours" - Bill Bonstetter