Leah Akoka, the powerhouse behind Wall Street, her own HR, Payroll, and Training consultancy, has been steering the ship for what feels like an eternity, and she's relished every moment!
For Leah, the belief in the inherent greatness of every individual fuels her daily pursuits. A profound conviction guides her – a great leader understands that the triumph of their enterprise hinges not only on vision and values but also on their people. People are the heartbeat of business success.
At the core of Leah's passion is the fusion of behavioural economics and neuro-linguistic programming into business strategies and systems. Enter PeopleEconomics®, a meticulously crafted 12-point framework that defines her groundbreaking approach.
Those acquainted with Leah know she's all about accomplishments. From her humble beginnings in cold calling a quarter of a century ago, she set benchmarks deemed impossible by others. She mastered the art of redefining productivity and achievement, and somewhere in her collection lies trophies as a testament to her triumphs. Now, Leah is fervently dedicated to imparting these invaluable lessons to others.
Q: Can you provide a brief background about yourself, your family, and your business?
Immigrated from the USSR when I was 8 years old, my biggest motivation/goal was to never say “We can’t afford it” as this was one of the first terms that I learnt in English. By the age of 16, I had 3 jobs, and by the age of 21, I was the number 1 salesperson in the country in a reasonably large organisation. I have an amazing husband who always put me and our 3 kids first and gave me the space to start my business 23 years ago. I am a Master Practitioner in NLP and passionate about Behavioural Economics. I wrote a Framework that my business is supported by called PeopleEconomics. We provide end-to-end HR services to organisations that want a commercially minded HR solution that enables them to get the most out of their people.
Q: What inspired you to embark on the entrepreneurial journey?
A friend/partner asked me some questions when I was in my late 20s that made me realise that I wanted to build something for myself and my family.
Q: What aspects of being an entrepreneur do you enjoy the most?
Building something that I can be proud of.
The power to try, fail and try again.
Giving back and helping my customers and my team.
Q: What are the significant challenges you have encountered as an entrepreneur?
Sometimes the worst-case scenario is very bad.
Fear of failure and the effect on everyone around me if I fail.
Letting people down.
Q: What motivated you to join EO?
Meeting like-minded people, that I could learn and grow from/with.
Q: Can you share a valuable lesson you've learned from your own experience or another entrepreneur or mentor?
I came to Australia when I was 8 years old, and one of the first things that I learned in English was: ”We can’t afford it”. One day, as my mother was crossing the road with me and my brother in tow, I stopped and stared at a beautiful woman who was coming out of a very ‘fancy’ car. As I looked at her in awe, my mother noticed and said, “There is nothing that this woman has that you don’t have, the only thing that will stop you is you. This is why we came to this country.” It was this moment (my aha moment) that made me realise that I could be that woman. I then made a promise to myself that I would never have to say ”We can’t afford it.”.