SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Starting a career in the mid-90s and working as a corporate executive for almost 18 years when the 2008 market crash happened Andre Shackleton was at a crossroads in his life, as to whether to pursue his corporate career or start a new business. It took him a couple of years and some struggle to make up his mind.
The initial years of being an entrepreneur came with its own set of challenges. Shackleton had to step out of the corporate employee mindset and re-learn what he now understands as the entrepreneurial mindset. This learning came at the expense of both his business at the time and also challenges in his personal life.
It took him some time to regroup his thoughts and priorities in life and he started building up a new business opportunity in a skill set that came naturally to him. As a trainer having been training for almost 18 years now, including the time of his corporate work life, he now made it his primary profession.
The Shai-An Training & Consultancy Services Company was established. And the motto of the company ‘Progressing with Passion’ is the inspiration for the logo.
His training business has grown organically in over a decade, he now has clients in India and overseas. Also in the last ten years he has grown his list of services to also include being a technical analyst in the stock markets a business coach and a systems architect for companies who are restructuring their organisations using both HR and IT resources.
Shackleton works on an operating philosophy of ‘Pushing through’. “It means pushing through the challenging times or pushing through your own personal boundaries to explore and find your greater self. In the last two decades I have found strength to not only overcome emotional challenges but also physical and psychological challenges,” says Shackleton.
As a result, that is one of the greatest things he advocates to all those in his council, of stepping beyond their comfort zone, to discover a much more powerful self.
In his professional life he has found success in the extensive research and analysis he puts into understanding businesses, industries and life experiences. Over time he has honed his skills to help bridge the gap between the old technology and thought processes of the millennial mindset.
He develops content for training programs that address different market segments. Namely the retail and the institutional (see box).
He has also done training work with prisoners, students in colleges and individuals who are working on developing their personal or business skills.
Being a certified counsellor he has seen the underbelly of human relationships and believes that rather than being in the curative space, he would like to be in the preventive space.
He is currently working on multiple training programs including sex education for teenagers and also is about to start marketing his is ‘Marriage preporatory course’ for young couples who have decided to tie the knot.
Shackleton believes that each day is an opportunity and each opportunity can lead to understanding of oneself.
Living life, loving life is something that he embodies and he wishes the same for all he meets.
