In this episode of The Conference Room, host Simon is joined by serial entrepreneur Kasim Aslam. Kasim shares his inspiring journey from humble beginnings in Albuquerque to building multiple seven and eight-figure businesses, including the top-ranked Google ad agency Solutions 8, which he sold in 2022. He discusses his entrepreneurial origin story, the challenges he faced, and how he cracked the code on hiring exceptional talent globally. Kasim introduces his upcoming book Higher, a step-by-step framework for hiring top remote talent, and dives deep into why most businesses struggle to attract extraordinary employees and how to fix that. He also shares practical hiring strategies, including how to find, vet, and retain the best people worldwide, especially in emerging markets. This episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs and business leaders looking to scale with high-impact talent.
Key Moments:
Introduction to Kasim Aslam: Serial entrepreneur, author, and founder of Solutions 8, with multiple successful exits
Cassim’s entrepreneurial origin story: Growing up in poverty, early business lessons selling candy, and the impact of his upbringing.
Overcoming adversity: From losing everything in the banking collapse to starting over with web work and building Solutions 8.
Building and selling Solutions 8: Growing the largest dedicated Google ad agency and lessons learned from the exit.
Post-exit ventures and passion for offshore staffing: How Kasim builds multiple service businesses and his focus on empowering talent in emerging markets.
The Higher book and hiring philosophy: Why treating people as commodities is wrong and the power of the Pareto (80/20) distribution in talent.
Why most businesses repel top talent: Fear of competence, mediocrity, and the importance of paying more to attract exceptional employees.
Global talent arbitrage: How hiring internationally can provide access to highly skilled, motivated workers at competitive rates.
Practical hiring framework: Writing compelling job posts, using “fly traps” to filter candidates, paying for trial projects, and testing real job skills.
Final tips and book launch: Top three hiring tips—be a place people want to work, have high expectations, and trust your team. How to get the Higher book and connect with Cassim.To learn more about Kasim Aslam please visit her Linkedin ProfileTo learn more about Pareto Talent please visit her website
YOUR HOST - SIMON LADER
Simon Lader is the host of The Conference Room, Co-Founder of global executive search firm Salisi Human Capital, and lead generation consultancy Flow and Scale. Since 1997, Simon has helped cybersecurity vendors to build highly effective teams, and since 2022 he has helped people create consistent revenue through consistent lead generation.
Get to know more about Simon at:
Website: https://simonlader.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonlader
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/headhuntersimonlader/
The Conference Room is available on
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