Entrepreneurship is more than just a great idea. It’s all about being crystal clear on what you want to achieve, being laser focused, and then going after it, full throttle. Combine that with a strong feeling of “purpose” and you will see a world that promises a lifetime of opportunities alongside monetary advantages.
For Marryam Chaudhry, CEO & Founder of XR2LEAD, fulfilling an industry’s need and scratching the itch of becoming her own boss laid the entrepreneurial foundation. After nine years of being employed, Marryam saw an opportunity to become her boss again and undertake tech projects she loves. Moreover, she envisioned a future where she could help others achieve their peak potential.
Today, under Marryam’s leadership, XR2LEAD is successfully designing and deploying effective augmented and virtual reality solution to enterprises. The company’s main focus is providing immersive defense and military solutions enhanced with intuitive AI & machine learning algorithms. However, the company also has a keen interest in creating positive social impact with a focus on water sector resiliency.
Fulfillment of the Sector’s Needs
The difference between conventional and interactive learning led to the foundation of XR2LEAD. Citing learning as a fun and engaging process, Marryam Chaudhry believes that teaching from textbooks or text heavy slides, is ineffective in the modern world. She believes that technical teaching methods should include hands-on tactile training. This will ensure better ROI and knowledge retention ratios.
Such an understanding became the core reason for her to immerse herself in interactive technologies like AI, ML, AR and VR and later use it to establish XR2LEAD.
“The cutting-edge realistic graphics and tactile haptics are the exact solution we need in the modern digital world,” asserts Marryam. Hence, when the military and defense sector started to rapidly pivot towards these technologies, she decided to to extend her expertise to this sector. Soon Marryam decided to seize the opportunity to advance commercial and defense sector skill learning and retention via AI/ML and AR/VR technologies.
Today, XR2LEAD provides cutting-edge immersive solutions to the military to maximize the readiness of “The Warfighter of the Future.” The types of solutions offered are flight training, actical combat training, mission planning and immersive wargaming scenarios. The telemetries are backed by biometric data, capability/ comparative analytics, and robust reporting features. XR2LEAD also has an R&D focus to further develop rapid combat readiness technologies and futuristic tech.
The Art of “Keep Moving”
Thus far, Marryam Chaudhry’s journey has been quite interesting and rewarding. Yet, like everyone else, she has faced her fair share of obstacles and hardships. However, she strongly believes that every struggle, defeat and obstacle is a learning lesson. “Falling down is inevitable. How fast you get back up, it what really matters.” Says Marryam.
She understands that hardships are part and parcel of life. No one can escape them, as they are not in our control. The key is to focus on what we can control which is keeping a positive mindset and an attitude of gratitude. It is this kind of perseverance and resilience that leads to success.
“When facing hardship, one can either sit and cry or get up and face the challenge. Since we can’t change or fix it, all we need to do is deal with the problem at hand and move past it. It’s all about mindset,” Marryam shares.
She also says to look at things that have worked so far and be grateful. “When in sa tough negative situation, take a deep breath, count your blessings, be thankful for what you have, then put your heads together to find a solution,” advises Marryam.
Marryam takes her own advice while navigating the tech world towards technological advancements. She does not believe that new technology renders humans redundant. Instead, it is our fear of change that does harm to us. She asserts, “Resisting change and being stubborn to adopt new tech is when we become redundant. That is why constant upskilling and reskilling are so important.”
Constantly learning is another important element entrepreneurial success. Like Albert Einstein says, “once you stop learning you start dying”. Marryam knows the importance of continuously learning and says you can learn anything from anyone. Just keep a look out for a learning opportunity and you will find nature and even little children can teach you so much.
Interactive Technology. Interactive Client Fulfillment
XR2LEAD’s foundation lies at the nexus of people, planet, and technology. Keeping people first, the team at XR2LEAD visits clients to learn about their vision and ultimate objective. The next step for the team is to provide a variety of customized solutions as per the relevant requirements. Finally, after understanding the needs, the team offers end-to-end turnkey solutions. Provides a solution that caters to both the technical aspect as well as the people side of things.
“We provide end to end turnkey solutions. We sit with the client in a consultant capacity and figure out what the end goals and objectives are and what success looks like for them. Then we take that end and design the project from there, backwards. This ensures, we are always on the same page as the client and that we have a strong success metric to prove ROI.”
Advice to Keep Learning, Keep Moving On
Marryam advises young and aspiring women entrepreneurs to pursue their vision and ambitions. According to her, “If you have an idea, and the passion to start a business, go for it. There is nothing you cannot do if you believe you can make it happen and put your mind to it.”
She also throws in the metaphor of being a sponge and soaking as much knowledge they can. She asserts, “Be patient, it will take lots of time, energy, and failures. Stay strong, and DON’T GIVE UP. If you do not know how to run a business, that’s ok, you can learn it. Learn from the internet, from your small business resource centers, from those that are doing it. Ask for help and guidance, don’t be shy or afraid. Be bold and go for the gold!”
And for the people in tech, Marryam’s advice is to stay abreast with the technological advancements. According to her, tech is the future, and no matter what career aspiring candidates choose, they will need to be comfortable with the latest technology.
A Future of Growth and Expansion
In Marryam’s definition, a transformational leader inspires one to constantly move forward, and conquer challenges.
“Some attribute leadership with a job or position in an organization. While that concept is not false, the true essence of a “transformational” leader is exactly that. One that has the ability to positively influence and motivate another. This is what fuels innovation, instigates change and ultimately results in progress.
Mirroring the same, she leads by example and expresses the importance of diversification in thoughts and perspectives, She also knows the importance of succession planning while in a leadership role and is pushing her leaders beyond their comfort zones so that they will be ready to take her place in the future.
Talking about the company, Marryam Chaudry says that the tech industry is booming, and this is the right time to hop on board. She believes her company has a bright future and has the vision of expanding globally.
