The Power of Global Partnerships: Insights with Patricia Maia

What does building meaningful international partnerships and maintaining a fulfilling work-life balance take

In this IAMCP Profiles in Partnership episode, hosts Anthony Carrano and Rudy Rodriguez welcome Patricia Maia, a key figure at Arquiconsult. Patricia shares her extensive experience working with international partners, her approach to fostering collaboration, and her commitment to community service.

Throughout this episode, Anthony, Rudy, and Patricia explore:

• The Power of Global Partnerships: Patricia discusses how Arquiconsult’s international collaborations have helped drive customer satisfaction and business growth. Learn how strategic partnerships can amplify your value proposition and why adapting to different cultural and fiscal environments is crucial for success.
• Balancing Act: Work and Family Life: Patricia offers insightful advice on maintaining a healthy work-life balance amidst international responsibilities. Discover her strategies for managing a demanding career and family life and how thoughtful planning can lead to success in both arenas.
• Making an Impact with ReFood: Patricia’s involvement with ReFood highlights the importance of giving back. Find out how this Portuguese organization makes a difference by redistributing food to those in need and how you can contribute to similar causes in your community.
• Leveraging IAMCP Resources: Patricia emphasizes the value of active participation in IAMCP. Hear her recommendations on using IAMCP’s tools and events to forge stronger connections, gain insights, and drive business success through community engagement.
• Advice for IAMCP Members: Patricia shares practical tips for IAMCP members on engaging with the community and utilizing available resources effectively. Her advice on participation, leveraging connections, and making the most of IAMCP’s offerings is invaluable for anyone looking to enhance their professional network.

This episode offers a compelling look at the intersection of international business, personal balance, and community impact. Patricia’s vibrant energy and passion provide a fresh perspective on achieving success and making a difference professionally and personally.

Listener Links / Resources

International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners

Guest:
Patricia Maia, Director at Arquiconsult: LinkedIn

Arquiconsult: Website

Partner:

Akquinet: Website

Non-Profit: ReFood

Show Hosts:
Anthony Carrano LinkedIn, Managing Partner at Dunamis Marketing
Rudy Rodriguez LinkedIn, Managing Partner at Dunamis Marketing

Episode Transcript

Anthony Carrano (00:05):
Welcome to the IAMCP profiles and partnership.
The podcast that showcases howMicrosoft partners and IAMCP
members boost their business bycollaborating with other members
and partners. I'm your co host,Anthony Carrano. And in each
episode, I'll be talking to someof the most innovative and
successful partners in theMicrosoft ecosystem. The
International Association ofMicrosoft Channel Partners,

(00:28):
otherwise known as IAMCP, is acommunity of Microsoft partners
who help each other grow andthrive.
Members can find and connectwith other partners locally and
globally and access exclusiveresources and opportunities.
Whether you're looking for newcustomers, new markets, or new
solutions, IAMCP can help youachieve your goals. We'll hear

(00:48):
their stories, learn from theirexperiences, and discover the
best practices and strategiesthey use to increase customer
loyalty and grow revenues.Whether you're a new partner or
an established one, you'll findvaluable insights and
inspiration in this podcast. Wehope you enjoy this podcast and
find it useful and inspiring.
If you do, please subscribe,rate, and review us on your

(01:09):
favorite podcast platform. Anddon't forget to follow us on
social media and connect with uson our website,
www.profilesinpartnership.com,where you can find more
information, resources, andopportunities to partner for
success. Thank you forlistening, and now let's get
started with today's episode.Before we dive into our

(01:30):
interview, let me ask you aquestion. As a Microsoft partner
and a member of the IAMCP, howdo you find and develop partner
relationships that'll help yougrow your business?
Finding the right partner can bechallenging, but it can also be
rewarding. In fact, according toa recent study by IDC, Microsoft
partners who collaborate withother partners generate almost 2

(01:50):
and a half times more revenuegrowth than those who don't.
That's a huge difference, and itshows the power of partnering.
So how do you leverage theMicrosoft Partner Network,
IAMCP, and other resources tosupport your partnerships? And
how do you ensure success foryour customer?
These are some of the questionswe'll explore in this podcast
with the help of our guest, arecent EMEA P2P Award Winner who

(02:14):
is also an expert in partnering.She'll share stories,
challenges, and successes andgive you practical tips and
advice on how to partner forsuccess. Are you ready to join
us on this journey? Then staytuned because we have a great
show for you today. Our guest isPatricia Maia, director at
Arquiconsult an award winningMicrosoft Dynamics partner with

(02:35):
expertise in implementingMicrosoft Business Solutions
Technologies.
Arquiconsult has achievedamazing results such as the one
in the story you're about tohear in their partnership with
Akquinet a global MSPheadquartered in Germany who
required having a local partnerresponsible for country specific
issues to help with their clientwithin ERP migration, moving

(02:59):
their data from a private cloudto Azure. Let's hear what she
has to say. Welcome, Patricia,to the podcast today. Really
appreciate you joining us.

Patricia Maia (03:09):
Hello, everyone. Thanks for inviting me.

Anthony Carrano (03:12):
Yeah. Absolutely. All the way from
Portugal.

Patricia Maia (03:15):
Yes.

Anthony Carrano (03:15):
Well, start off, tell us a little bit about
yourself.

Patricia Maia (03:19):
So I'm, I'm Patricia. I'm from Portugal as
we said. I work for ArquiconsultIt's a Portuguese dynamics
partner. And my role is the theinternational business.
And one of the things I loveabout it is, I have to engage
with lots of different people,different countries, and, I'm a

(03:40):
social person I need to tocontact and so on. That's and so
I'm passionate about what I do.

Anthony Carrano (03:46):
And how long have you been with,
Arquiconsult?

Patricia Maia (03:49):
Well, I've been, with Arquiconsult for around 8
years, but in fact, my thecompany I worked for previously
were bought by Arquiconsult SoI'm in this business and in the
same job for over 20 years.

Anthony Carrano (04:04):
Wow. That's fantastic. And when did you join
the IAMCP?

Patricia Maia (04:09):
Well, I joined many years ago. More than 10
years ago, we joined IAMCP. Infact, we were one of the
members. And then I was invitedto be part of IAMCP, part of the
board, here in Portugal, like, Idon't know, 8 years ago

Rudy Rodriguez (04:30):
Mhmm.

Patricia Maia (04:30):
And, focused on the DNI area on the women in
tech by that time. So that'swhere it started. And now, I'm
again, after some years, I'magain part of the Portuguese
board. And, my role is theconnection with the the
international IAMCP. And I'malso in IAMCP EMEA. I'm,

(04:53):
responsible for the membership,area.

Anthony Carrano (04:58):
Okay. Okay. So you're pretty plugged you're
pretty plugged in. Yeah. Well,excellent.
I know we, really wanna get tothe story. But before I do, I
know just because you're soinvolved in IAMCP and, you know,
you mentioned that you're you'repart of, you know, a few other,
like, programs within IAMCP andsome other initiatives. Before

(05:20):
we jump into the story, can youshare a little bit about those?

Patricia Maia (05:23):
Yeah. One of the goals of IAMCP is, connect,
people to Microsoft, have helpmembers, and also connecting
networking and connectingpeople. And one of the areas
that we have is, diversityinclusivity. So in IAMCP, I
started that here in Portugalwith the the women in tech. And

(05:45):
one is it's one of the focus onthat.
In fact, this one area that I'mpassionate, about is, the
diversity and inclusion. And I'malso part of other group that is
not IAMCP group. It's anothergroup that is called, women in
dynamics. And our goal was to toto try to support women to grow

(06:09):
their careers and, to be morediverse in this area.
So for instance, if you go to anevent, most of the the attendees
are are men over around 50. And,that's what we try to understand
the why and try to push otherwomen to to come and even to be

(06:33):
a speaker in some sessions andto support them to to say, okay.
If you apply, we can be herepreparing you to do the the
session. That's and trying toshow, with some role models and
trying to show how you couldengage. So yeah.

Anthony Carrano (06:50):
And have you been doing that, for a while?

Patricia Maia (06:53):
Yeah. In fact, I started with IAMCP. As I said, I
was invited by a man to to beengaged with the the women in
Kirk in IAMCP. The I think 10years ago, 12 years ago. And
then when I and and to behonest, my first answer was no.
I'm not feminist. There's noneed. And then I looked around

(07:16):
and start thinking, and in fact,it's still needed. And that's,
when it started.

Anthony Carrano (07:23):
Okay. Well, that's that's excellent. Oh,
well, just one more questionabout that, and then we'll kind
of jump to the story, I promiseis. How have, like, you've seen,
things, you know, progressingand evolve over the 10 years
that you've been involved, youknow, in in that effort?

Patricia Maia (07:39):
I think since I'm moving, I think, the community
is more conscious that, this isstill a thing. So I think it's
better, but basically becausepeople are more conscious about
it and trying to do, morethings, around that and to

(08:00):
promote and to support and soon.

Anthony Carrano (08:03):
Yes. And we're seeing I know you mentioned
because you're over in in, inEurope, we're seeing a lot of
similar, you know, real positivetrends here in the states as
well. So it's it's good to hear.So let's talk though a little
bit about, you know, yourcompany. Tell us, just like
what's the area ofspecialization?

Patricia Maia (08:21):
K. Arquiconsult is a Microsoft partner in the
area of Dynamics. Dynamics isthe ERP and CRM areas. So we, we
work in this area, consultingarea, and we also have the
everything that goes around ERP,like Power Platform, Power BI,

(08:43):
Power Apps, Azureinfrastructure, and so on. So we
try to to have a solution to ourcustomers in what concerns the
IT system and the informationinformation system.
We are, around 300 people. Wehave offices in Portugal, in

(09:05):
Spain, in Angola. Angola is aPortuguese speaking, country.
And also in, in Saudi Arabia andDubai.

Anthony Carrano (09:14):
Oh, wow.

Patricia Maia (09:16):
And we are very focused on the international,
business. So we do projects inthe countries that we are we
have offices, but we also helpother partners that does that do
exactly what we do. If they havelack of resources or lack of
expertise in one business area,we help them, in those projects.

(09:39):
And in fact, my role is that oneto connect with the partners.

Anthony Carrano (09:43):
Okay.

Rudy Rodriguez (09:43):
Okay. Well, Patricia, it's great to hear
your story about being in IAMCP,for for 10 years. Just so you
know a little about me, I'vebeen here over at IAMCP for over
25 years.

Patricia Maia (09:56):
Oh, you're winning.

Rudy Rodriguez (09:58):
Oh dear. No. I'm just old. So but it's great to
hear because it's great to hearthe involvement of the partners.
And and you have a veryinteresting story that you have
to tell as to how you got yourEMEA award.
So can you tell us a little bitabout, how you connected with a
partner, what your story is? Youdon't have to tell us the
technology bid. Can you tell usa little bit the project that

(10:21):
you did, the technology that wasimplemented, how many people
were involved, a little bit of,you know, some details about it.
We'd really like to hear it.

Patricia Maia (10:28):
Yeah. In fact, it was not one project. It was a
little bit more than that. So wewe worked with the Akquinet. We
knew each other for severalyears based on, IAMCP events,
and other events, like,directions and other meetings.
And we we see the same peoplewhen we start talking. Right?

(10:50):
And suddenly, they had a case ofa customer that needed support
in different countries. And theywere not prepared as a as a
company to have these managedservices offer in all these
different, countries. So theyasked us if we could help them,
if it would be an idea that we,with our team, could support

(11:13):
their customer together withthem.
And, that's what it started. Itstarted, like, 5 years ago.
Funny story. It was right beforeCOVID. So we decided to meet the
team together physically.
And we it was we did it, and itwas 2 meetings, and we just

(11:37):
managed to have 1 because due tothe the pandemic. But we start
working together there,supporting, this big customer
that they had. And it was, Ithink one of the the biggest
thing was we managed to be onlyone team with different people.

(11:58):
People from Akquinet and peoplefrom our key consult and even
people from the customer.Customer.
We managed to work like we worktogether all the time with 1
team with different, people. Westarted with that. And then, as
things were growing, we startedalso to help them with the
nearshore business. So wesupported there with developers

(12:24):
in the in some of theirprojects. And, I think we can
say right now that we have areally strong partnership that
we do projects together wheneverit it's needed.

Rudy Rodriguez (12:39):
So how how do you continue to build the
relationships with partners likeAkquinet? You know, what is your
role and who helps you withthat?

Patricia Maia (12:48):
Well, one of the things is the this kind of
events being there, beingpresent there. But it's a little
bit more, I always contact them.I try to make some, meetings
from time to time to tounderstand where they are, where
they want to go, and what arethe the needs. And also, this

(13:09):
has to be win win. Right?
Also, if our company can, usetheir solutions and also
complement our projects withtheir with their solutions. So
this is one of the the ways thatwe we do. The other one is, of

(13:29):
course, sharing some knowledge.So participating in some
sessions and some, in theseevents as as speakers so that
they they know what, I've beendoing and, sharing, my
experience. It does not meanthat the way I do it is the
right one, but at least sharingand, changing ideas together.

Rudy Rodriguez (13:52):
So how do you measure success with a partner?
Can you tell us a little bitabout that?

Patricia Maia (13:57):
Wow. Difficult question, but, well, I would say
if we work together, for severalyears and we are happy with each
other work and we believe thatwe are adding value to our
customers, adding value to ourcompany, we are being

(14:18):
successful. Right? For instance,this case with Aquinet, we've
been working with the that was aa difficult customer. They
changed partner several times,and they are working with us for
around 5 years now.
So this is, it means somesuccess. The customer is happy.

(14:40):
Akquinet is happy, and we arehappy because we are providing,
services. So I think it's one ofthe the ways that we can say
it's a success story.

Rudy Rodriguez (14:52):
So you had, you mentioned this was a difficult a
difficult customer. So can youtell us about any of the
challenges that you faced or orsome of and how you dealt with
those?

Patricia Maia (15:02):
What I I'm saying is it was a difficult customer.
It was a customer that hadworked with several partners,
more than one partner. So whenwe start working with the
customer and we we notice thatthey they have, several
partners, something is going on.Right? So what we tried to see

(15:25):
was how could we do better.
And, I think it was one of thekey solutions of having this
partnership was to do a littlebit better, than, what the
others did. So that's what Imean difficult because they were
challenging us or challengingthe partners, and they could not

(15:48):
provide whatever the customerwas requesting. And we tried, in
this case, Akquinet, tried adifferent approach with this
partnership, and I think wesucceeded.

Rudy Rodriguez (16:02):
Well, I think that speaks volumes to the
strength of your company and whyyou're you're now over 300
employees. So that's really goodand kudos to you for that.

Patricia Maia (16:10):
That that's another thing is to, you know,
keeping the talent and have thesame team working to the same
customer. It strengthens therelationship because after some
time, it's not just theprofessional work, it's also
some friendship and some, somecontact. So what one of the

(16:33):
things we try to do is to keepthe same team. And I'm happy to
say that, Arquiconsult managedto keep the their people happy
working, and we don't have tochange that much our team, when
working with a a partner or acustomer.

Rudy Rodriguez (16:51):
I know you did that a Dynamics migration on
this one. Anything and you haddevelopers involved. Can you
tell us a little bit about thetechnology that you used

Patricia Maia (16:59):
Yes. And thank you for reminding me. I was
thinking there was 3 areas, andI was not remembering the third
one. Yes. We also help them.
They they challenge the this,because they they had their
their own cloud infrastructure,so a private cloud, and they

(17:21):
were moving to Microsoft'spublic cloud. And they've never
done that, and they challengedthis us if we could do it
together with them. And we werevery transparent and honest with
them because we said we it's ourfirst time also. This was some
years ago. It it's also ourfirst time, but let's do it

(17:43):
together.
And we managed to move 5 or 6customers to the cloud, with
success. So, of course, firstone with some struggles, but
then, we succeeded and it was,again, another area that we
worked with them trying toprovide to complete their team.

(18:03):
The the thing was all the nottalking too much in technical
terms, but all the thedevelopment work was done by
them. Our work was to move thedata, and, it worked really
well.

Rudy Rodriguez (18:19):
Good. So did you get your testing teams involved
in such, to to make sure all themigration went smoothly? How did
that did that work?

Patricia Maia (18:28):
It was a mix because we did the move the
data. We tested if the data wasokay. The testing of the
functionalities and so on wasAkquinet's responsibility. So we
we had to make sure that thedata was there and was in the
the correct way, correct formatin the newest, version and so

(18:49):
on. And they managed to workdirectly with the customer with
the the the business, processes.

Rudy Rodriguez (18:57):
Anthony, I know you probably have a couple of
questions.

Anthony Carrano (18:59):
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. This is really
fascinating. Well, I to start, Ididn't realize you had offices
in so many locations. And sothis question is it's, it's
gonna be a 2 part.
Alright? So the first part of itis for this particular,
situation where, you know, youguys, you know, won the award,
what was your criteria forselecting, you know, you know, a

(19:23):
partner for that particularsolution.

Patricia Maia (19:25):
Well, in fact, we did not select the partner. The
partner selected us. Okay. Okay.Nice.
So because in fact, we we areworking with them, but they
selected us as the provider andto to in the in the three areas
I mentioned. So they selected usfor the the managed services

(19:47):
support, for the data migration,and also for the Nearshore
services. And the the the reasonwhy I chose this partnership
was, first of all, because, ofcourse, I think in the end,
everyone was happy. We couldprovide a better add some value
to our customers, provide thebetter services that neither of

(20:10):
us could do it alone. And,that's why I I talked with,
Akquinet saying, can I share ourstory?
Because I think it's interestingto see how different partners,
Germany and Portugal, wetogether, we managed to to to to
provide a a different solutionto our customers and, create

(20:31):
some value.

Anthony Carrano (20:33):
And what what can you so the second part of it
was, you know, you have officesin, you know, several countries,
you know, across, you know,multiple different continents.
So what's your criteria whenyou're, you know, selecting
part? Do you have, like, a abaseline that you use when
you're looking at working withpartnerships, you know, across,
or is it highly contextualizedbased upon the geography? How

(20:57):
I'm just really, you know,curious to, like, what's the the
framework and how you operateas, you know, as as a as a
global provider?

Patricia Maia (21:05):
Yep. Well, in the the countries that we have
offices, we have our own team.Okay? In the countries we do not
have offices, we have alliancepartners that we work with. How
do did we choose them?
Over the well, there are severalcriterias, but over the years,

(21:25):
we tend to well, as Rudy said,I'm here for some time now. Gray
hair. So I already know a littlebit the community, and is
trusting, trying to find the theright partner to to provide
whatever our customer isrequesting. Because for

(21:48):
instance, in the ERP world, thefiscal requirements, there are
some countries that we canprovide the services by
ourselves.

Anthony Carrano (21:57):
Mhmm.

Patricia Maia (21:58):
But there are other countries that are more
complex on the on the fiscalrequirements that we need a
local partner. So we try to findwhat what's the right partner.
But as you mentioned, we alreadyhave, that those agreements. We
already have agreements withlots of partners that we work

(22:19):
with, And we belong to some,some communities like IMCP that
also helps us to to to find apartner in the specific country.

Anthony Carrano (22:31):
So you you you teed up my next question
perfectly. I promise we haven'tscripted this. Right? Is well, I
was gonna ask you is that, youknow, working globally like you
do is how how does, you know,communities like IAMCP and some
of the others that you'reactively involved with help you
in finding and, you know,sourcing and vetting, you know,

(22:52):
the different partners, youknow, for the various
initiatives that you have?

Patricia Maia (22:56):
Yeah. I think it's the right place to to ask
for help. Let's imagine I wantto I need a partner in a special
area in US, let's say, or in Ican talk with IAMCP, to connect
me with that local chapter andto see in that local chapter if

(23:18):
there is a member that couldhelp me. So communities like
IAMCP, I would say it's the thebest way to to to know a partner
and even to have a goodreference about that partner.
Who already worked with thatpartner?
Do we have some, goodreferences, bad references? Who

(23:40):
is

Anthony Carrano (23:40):
Mhmm. Mhmm.

Patricia Maia (23:41):
So I think communities like this, it's it's
the best way to connect withwith other people and other
partners.

Rudy Rodriguez (23:50):
You know, you you you've spoken about the
great value of IAMCP, and I'm soproud of you for doing that.
It's, I've been involved for along time and and and definitely
believe in in in the mission ofthe IAMCP. So, you know, you
talked to I'm gonna go back toyour customer a little bit, in
what you did. So, obviously, thecustomer was happy with the work

(24:13):
that you did, so you increasedcustomer satisfaction. And then
working through partners canalso help you grow revenue as
well.
So how big a part of that is inthe operation of your company?
How do you how do you envision,you know, these partnerships,
you know, helping you drivecustomer satisfaction and
revenue?

Patricia Maia (24:31):
Several things. I do believe that we are stronger
together. K? We cannot doeverything by ourselves. We are
stronger together.
And together, we can create morevalue to our customers. This is
one of this, the areas. Theother area is and maybe this is
a cultural Portuguese thing, andprobably because we are a small

(24:56):
country. We try to adapt to theothers to we are it's very easy
for us to to adapt to otherculture or other way of of
working. And that has made us,to focus only not only on our
local, business, but also on a aa more international level.

(25:20):
So at this moment, I think,around I'm not sure right now,
but I would say around 55, 55%of our revenue is in the
international business outsideof Portugal. 55 or 60% of our
business through partners,working with partners, and

(25:42):
trying to create value to theend customer and also to the
partners itself.

Rudy Rodriguez (25:49):
Well, that's great to hear that that's
helping you in the scope of yourbusiness like that. That's
really wonderful. That's reallywonderful. And that keeps keeps
everybody motivated and and andengaged in the company. So what
advice would you give to IAMCPpartners and companies like
yours regarding partnerships?
You know, how how how do youwork with them? How how do you

(26:11):
structure those relationships?How do you continue to grow
them?

Patricia Maia (26:16):
Yep. Again, as I as I mentioned, I think together
we'll do we'll do it better. InIAMCP, I would suggest partners,
to be participative. There areso many tools inside IAMCP.
There are meetings P2P meetingsto to know other partners.
There are local events to knowthe other partners. There are

(26:38):
global events next week. We aregoing to have a Evominate in
Germany where all the EMEApartners will meet. So I think
it's really important for thethe members to to participate in
this, in this events and beengaged with. Here in Portugal,

(27:02):
for instance, we are pushing themembers to be more
participative.
We we are saying we are not theones that are doing things, Come
together with us and do whateveryou need. Challenge us, to to do
things. So what I wouldchallenge the members is to to
participate, to to push theboards of the your chapters to

(27:27):
to do whatever you need. Notsaying everything it's possible
and they can do everything. Butif we don't hear them, we cannot
provide whatever they they areneeding.
And participate in these eventsand push this, the work with
these tools. Go to register in aIAMCP and, and push use the

(27:50):
tools they have. Connect withyour local chapter. If you want
to connect with a differentcountry, ask your local chapter
to to connect you with. And evenwith sorry.
And even with IAMCP and if, withthe Microsoft, even with
Microsoft, if you need somecontacts there, the members, ask
IMCP to to help you with that.

Rudy Rodriguez (28:11):
Well, we're definitely gonna have to play
your message that you just saidto our members here in the
United States because, it'ssomething that, I I know I
preach an awful lot, and it'swonderful to hear because that
is a great way to grow yourbusiness and and to get even and
meet more talent as well. Yeah.The talent is is great
throughout the organization. Sothank you for that message.

Anthony Carrano (28:33):
Yeah. That that was fantastic, Patricia. Really,
I just to echo what Ruri wassaying is, what a great message.
And and you're living it anddoing it internationally. And on
that note internationally, Imean, you've mentioned and just
hearing your story, you've gotextensive, you know, business,

(28:54):
you know, experience, you know,operating internationally.
But, you know, we were talking alittle bit, you know, before the
show just, you know, but alsothe importance of balancing, you
know, with family. And so, Ithink it'd be great just to hear
some of your thoughts on, youknow, how do you you know, just
that that work life balance of,you know, with the international
demands, but then you have, youknow, got the family life. Would

(29:16):
love love to hear some of yourthoughts on on that.

Patricia Maia (29:19):
Oh, I think I didn't say at the beginning. I'm
a mother of 2. Right now, theyare already grown up. I think
now it's beginning me to needthem more than they need me.

Anthony Carrano (29:33):
Anyway circle of life. Right?

Patricia Maia (29:36):
Yeah. Anyway, I started with the international
business. They were very young.And I think all goes with the
with the planning because Ithink we can do everything if we
plan it right. And do not try todo everything in your career and

(29:57):
not everything at home.
Try to balance because,otherwise, you are going to to
feel when you're at, at workthat you should be at home and
when you're at home that shouldbe at work. So trying to balance
it balance this, I think it'skey. And also, disappointing
things. I think we we need toknow when to when to stop, when

(30:18):
to say no in in both areas, inin at home Mhmm. And also at at
your work.

Anthony Carrano (30:25):
Yeah. And and on that note of balance, so,
obviously, you know, you'retalking about balance of work,
talking about balance of family.You're also involved in a really
cool community initiative,called Refood. Why don't you
tell our audience a little bitabout that?

Patricia Maia (30:41):
Yeah. Refood is a Portuguese, organization that
collects food from restaurants,supermarkets, and and so on, and
gives to the people that needhave needs. And the the
principle and that's what Iliked about that. I was trying
to do some volunteer work. Andthe the thing I liked about that

(31:05):
is one thing was almost no moneyinvolved because it's the
minimum.
We just need money to have, washthe dishes and several
operational things. And theother thing was their principle
was you just need to give 2 2hours of your week to that. And
it's so easy to give 2 hours ofour week to to help. So what I

(31:29):
do is every Monday from 6 to 8,I go to the to Refood. And in my
case, I prepare the food for the

Anthony Carrano (31:37):
Mhmm.

Patricia Maia (31:37):
That was collected. I prepare it. So the
another shift, we all deliver itbecause that's the the shift I
chose was from 6 to 8. Again, tobe at home to be at home at 8,
to to to dine together, with myfamily and being able to do my
job until 5, at the until 6. Infact, it's from 6:30 to 8:30.

(32:03):
So yeah. But that was, the thereason why I love this, this
idea, and I've been working withthem, I don't know, 7, 8 years,
from now.

Anthony Carrano (32:16):
No. That's that's fantastic. And, I'll have
the URL in the show notes. But,you know, for anyone who wants
to go, I know I'm obviously, ifyou're in Portugal, you can sign
up volunteer and help out. Butfor those that are, you know,
outside of Portugal, there's anopportunity.
I was just on thatorganization's website. You can
donate and help contributebecause they're doing a really

(32:37):
cool work. And, so Patricia willinclude them in the show notes.
So folks who Thank you. Listento the podcast will see the see
the link there.

Patricia Maia (32:44):
Thank you so much.

Anthony Carrano (32:45):
Yeah. Absolutely. This was that was
that was a great story. Both thepartner story but also, you
know, the giving back story. Soas we wrap up, how can people
find out, you know, more aboutyou and and your company?

Patricia Maia (32:58):
You you can follow us on LinkedIn. You can
find us on our website. It'sarquiconsult.com so it's easy to
to remember. And anyone thatwants to know more, just reach
out to me, and I'm very happy toto chat again. As I said, I'm a

(33:18):
social person, and, my what Ilike is to connect with new
people and other other and heartheir stories also.
So feel free to contact me.

Anthony Carrano (33:30):
Will do. And we'll also have Arquiconsult you
know, domain. Its its webaddress will be in the share
notes as well as, you know, anability to connect with you on
LinkedIn. So folks who, lookdown at those, they can they can
click and click and connect,with you as well. Well,
Patricia, thank you. This hasbeen great. It's been so much
fun having you, and, just enjoythe rest of your day.

Patricia Maia (33:53):
Thank you for inviting me.

Anthony Carrano (33:57):
Wow. That was a great interview. I really
appreciate Patricia, for takingtime with us today. I know there
were several really importantthings that I took away from our
conversation, but, really, theone main thing that stood out to
me that she emphasized andshared a lot about was just the
importance of balance, right,and and just having a holistic

(34:17):
approach just between work,family, her local community, and
that just had involvement, youknow, in that nonprofit Refood,
which is a really, really coolconcept, you know, but also just
her involvement with theirprofessional communities. How
about you, Rudy?

Rudy Rodriguez (34:32):
Well, you know, I I really enjoyed her story,
and and, offline, we kinda wekinda verified that she got
introduced to the IAMCP throughanother great IAMCP member,
Sergio Bautista. And I enjoyedthat that portion of it. But the
fact that they she's been ableto, in her job role, to leverage
her IAMCP membership to, youknow, successfully build

(34:55):
relationships in multiplecountries, which helps their
business globally because, shementioned that about 55, 60
percent of their business isinternational in scope. And she
relies on the IMCP to help herwith information of where to
meet partners, how to and andhow to work with them. So she's
leveraged the programs, atIAMCP, the membership to learn

(35:19):
more about other partners, soher company can continue to
build these relationships, andthat helps them grow their
business.
So that's really exciting. And,you know, encouraging people to
participate and get involved inthe IAMCP as as you well know.
That's been my mantra for about25 years. Mhmm. And it's been

(35:40):
get involved, and you can helpyour business grow by building
those relationships.
And and I really appreciated herher reiterating that, and it's a
very strong story.

Anthony Carrano (35:51):
Yeah. No. That was that was really good. I
really appreciate her just thatthat, you know, strong
admonition, if you will, to to,you know, get involved and
participate and use the tools. Iknow, I really, like also how
she just emphasized, and I'veheard this you and I have heard
this message from a lot ofdifferent partners and, you
know, both now here on thepodcast, but just even in the

(36:12):
work that that you and I do, youknow, working, you know, with
partners, just the message aboutbeing stronger together.
Right? And that being together,they can, you know, create more
value for customers, and Ireally liked how she emphasized
that, you know, part. But theother thing I thought was
interesting is, you know, being,you know, in in in her words,
you know, saying, you know,they're part of, you know,

(36:33):
Portugal being a smaller countryand just, I guess, what she said
is they're being felt like theyhave to you know, in working
with partners that they need toadapt to others and just the
emphasis and the importance oncommunication is key and
critical to be able to, youknow, effectively, you know,
work, you know, with theirpartners. And so, you know,

(36:54):
communicate, but also, you know,using, you know, the the
involvement of community toconnect with partners, to do
more together and create morevalue. I thought that was just
fantastic.

Rudy Rodriguez (37:04):
You know, I also enjoyed her talking about just
her involvement in the thedifferent communities, you know,
working through the DEIcommunity at IAMCP and also the
women in dynamics. You know,again, there's all these
external communities that havebig ties to the IAMCP, and
that'll help you grow theirbusiness. That in closing, you

(37:25):
know, I wanna thank everyone forjoining us on this episode of
IAMCP profiles in partnershippowered by Dunamis Marketing. We
certainly hope you enjoyed thispodcast and you find it useful
and inspiring. If you did,please subscribe, rate, and
review us on your favoritepodcast platform.
One of the best ways to partnerfor success is to join IAMCP, a

(37:46):
community of Microsoft partnerswho help each other grow and
thrive. IAMCP members can findand connect with other partners,
both locally and globally, andaccess exclusive resources and
opportunities. Whether you'relooking for new customers, new
markets, or new solutions, IAMCPcan help you achieve your goals.

(38:08):
To learn more, visit the IAMCPwebsite atiamcp.org.