Setting the Gold Standard in Management Solutions for North American Businesses and Professionals: Naburva Business Solutions

“At the heart of our business philosophy is the commitment to integrity, ensuring that our clients are not tied to us indefinitely.”

Naburva Business Solutions is a dedicated management consulting firm, wholeheartedly committed to empowering startups and small enterprises. The company’s mission revolves around enhancing operational efficiency and fostering sustained growth through exceptional business consulting across diverse domains. From Process Improvement and Business Analysis to Project Management, Talent Management, HR, and Leadership Development, Naburva Business Solutions offers a comprehensive suite of services. The core focus of the company is to make these vital services accessible to burgeoning businesses, recognizing that many struggle to endure beyond a decade due to inadequate planning and execution.

Kashan Awais, CEO of Naburva Business Solution, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review about is how his company is delivering bespoke management solutions to clients, enhancing their operational efficiency and overall performance.

Interview Highlights

Please tell us about the circumstances or events that led to the founding of Naburva Business Solutions.

Back in 2019, while working in a corporate job, I stumbled upon data on small businesses published by Statistics Canada. The data revealed that approximately 50% of small businesses in Canada couldn’t survive beyond their 10th anniversary. The high mortality rate in this sector left me astonished, prompting me to contemplate the common causes leading to such outcomes for Canadian SMEs. Armed with a top-tier business school education and nearly two decades of work experience, I felt equipped to assist small business owners in achieving sustainable growth and operational efficiency. This conviction became the driving force behind the establishment of Naburva Business Solutions in November 2019.

Q. Setbacks are a part of every growing business. Tell us about a few roadblocks and learning lessons that helped Naburva grow through the years?

As one can imagine, the end of 2019 was not an ideal time to start a business, given the global economic downturn caused by the COVID outbreak. Naturally, this downturn also impacted Naburva’s growth. While I didn’t have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight back then, the challenging period had a silver lining, providing me with the opportunity to develop programs that are now globally recognized for their quality by various professional standards associations.

Engaging with a variety of businesses through Naburva offered another valuable learning opportunity regarding the primary drivers of success. Initially focused on helping business owners and managers streamline and manage processes, we soon realized that leadership deserved equal, if not more, attention than processes. Almost all the projects we undertook included a leadership development component aimed at empowering client teams and creating a performance multiplier effect. It has become our standard practice to ensure that project deliverables include workshops (or a series of workshops, depending on the project scope) to equip leaders and process owners with management tools, ensuring that the transformation not only occurs successfully but also remains in place.

Q. As a leading management consulting firm, what are Naburva’s key focus areas?

Our core objective is to enhance our clients’ capacity through consulting and training projects, either by providing functional expertise in the areas they outsource to us or by alleviating their burdens. This is achieved by assisting them with both their people and processes.

On the people side, our services encompass leadership development, culture and engagement, talent management, and skill development through our training and certification programs. Meanwhile, on the process side, we extend consulting and training services in continuous improvement, Lean Six Sigma, business analysis, project management, and strategic planning.

Q. What strategies does Naburva implement to exceed client expectations?

Our mission is to be a true partner in our clients’ success, and we achieve this by prioritizing transparency right from the outset. Integrity is a core value for us, driving our commitment to clear and open communication with clients about what they can realistically expect from our services. We refrain from making promises that are unattainable and avoid taking on projects that fall outside our areas of expertise.

On the flip side, this also means that we do not take on a contract if there is a lack of motivation from the client’s end regarding taking the ownership or institutionalization of the new process. The client needs to be fully on board during the project since it is they who are eventually in charge of the execution in the long run after the project hand-off.

Additionally, we ensure that our solutions and service offerings are of the highest quality through continuous benchmarking. Our programs and training initiatives have received regional and global accreditation from reputable bodies such as The Council for Six Sigma Certification, American Society for Quality (ASQ), Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), and provincial CPHR associations in Canada, including Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia.

Q. Can you introduce us to your services? What are their main features?

Our business operates through two main arms: consulting and professional services, and training and certification programs. In both corporate and individual capacities, our consulting projects, along with training and certification initiatives, are geared towards capacity-building. This involves empowering clients to assume control over specific areas through the transfer of skills and knowledge. On the other hand, our professional services, when outsourced, provide clients with the necessary support by handling tasks for them and addressing the challenges they may be facing.

One distinctive offering is our Organizational Certification in Process Quality, designed to enable clients to harness the Lean Six Sigma methodology for a competitive advantage through highly efficient and stable processes. The process unfolds in phases, starting with training a team of professionals within the client organization. We then conduct process analysis in collaboration with the project team, develop process management tools, and ultimately hand off the process ownership to the client.

It’s noteworthy that our certification differs from prevailing quality certifications in the industry as it doesn’t have an expiration date. The rationale behind this is straightforward – once a client organization establishes a project team and implements process improvement methodologies leading to cost savings and improved operational efficiency, there’s inherent motivation to adhere to the process management system. This, in turn, incorporates a continuous improvement approach in operations, eliminating the need for an external evaluation and audit mechanism.

Q. Can you provide us with one or two success stories, detailing specific client challenges and how Naburva’s solutions contributed to their success?

While Naburva was initially established to assist small and medium business owners with strategic decision-making and business processes, we quickly realized that the primary challenge faced by most clients pertained more to leadership practices than management tools or process improvement methodologies. Presently, almost every project we undertake incorporates a component of leadership development and training customized to the organization’s needs. This approach makes sense because a one-size-fits-all leadership model is ineffective in every environment. For instance, you cannot adopt a laissez-faire leadership style during a crisis that requires split-second decisions, nor can an overly authoritative approach be successful when leading a team engaged in a project demanding a high degree of creativity. This approach has proven highly effective for our clients, providing them not only with the necessary tools but also instilling the relevant leadership mindset required for their specific situations. In one case, we not only developed the HR governance structure for a client but also provided training to their leaders on the cultural aspects and engagement-building crucial for the success of the governance mechanism.

Q. Will Naburva be expanding, bringing on any new services that we should be aware of?

Building on the insights gained from our diverse projects, we have distilled the lessons learned regarding leadership challenges. Recently, we have crafted a distinctive leadership development program rooted in universally applicable principles. This program aims to empower leaders by helping them identify their strengths through the Big-Five personality traits test, enhance their emotional intelligence (EQ), adjust their leadership approach to suit specific situations, and enable their teams to generate a performance multiplier effect.

Q. How is the industry you serve currently evolving? Where does Naburva stand at the moment relative to other participants in the industry?

Besides the rapid evolution of technology that has significantly changed and continues to transform the way businesses operate, the world has recently experienced major changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing us to revisit our outlook towards notions like virtual work, e-learning, competition vs. collaboration, etc. Naburva continues to evolve and adapt to these changing dynamics. Our service offerings are not and cannot remain stagnant. The kaizen philosophy is not merely something we teach in our Lean Six Sigma programs; we walk the talk and ensure that we continuously improve our offerings. Each of our projects is not just a value-adding opportunity but also a learning experience that contributes to our repository of knowledge, shared with both existing and new clients. The ultimate goal is to empower them to shape their organization’s future. In a nutshell, we stand apart because we believe in empowering our clients rather than creating perpetual dependencies on us. We also continue to expand our partnerships to continuously learn and evolve.

Q. Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up?

Many people have inquired about the name Naburva, wondering about its meaning and origin. It is a fusion of the words Nabu and Minerva, both ancient deities associated with knowledge and wisdom in eastern and western cultures, respectively. The name symbolizes the diversity of knowledge and perspectives that we embrace. Allow me to delve into the significance of Naburva’s logo. The vortex within it symbolizes the transformative journey we guide our clients through. The three-looped knot at the center is an adaptation of Nayansapo, known as the knot of wisdom, representing collective wisdom, including that of our clients. The gold color reflects the gold-standard we set in everything we do.

About | Kashan Awais 

In addition to his academic achievements, Kashan boasts multiple professional designations, including Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR), Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-SCP), Certified Talent Management Practitioner (CTMP), and IASSC Certified Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma (ICBB). He is recognized as an expert by the American Society for Quality and actively contributes to organizations and professionals by conducting Lean Six Sigma training programs.

With an impressive 25 years of work experience spanning various industries and organizations, from small businesses to global Fortune 500 corporations, Mr. Awais has accrued a wealth of knowledge. His involvement goes beyond the corporate realm, as he has served on various boards as an Adviser. Additionally, he has been a valuable mentor for CPHR Alberta, offering guidance and coaching to numerous young HR professionals.

Kashan’s expertise extends to leadership coaching and training, catering to a broad spectrum of professionals, from frontline managers to ‘C’ suite executives. His multifaceted background positions him as a leader who not only brings extensive practical experience to the table but is also deeply committed to contributing to the growth and development of individuals and organizations in the field of human resources and beyond.

“Our mission is to be a true partner in our clients’ success, and we achieve this by prioritizing transparency right from the outset.”

“Integrity is a core value for us, driving our commitment to clear and open communication with clients about what they can realistically expect from our services.”