Masroor Fatany

‌CELEBRATING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

MEET THE ALUMNI:

MASROOR FATANY, AYG Food Services

IT’S BEEN ALMOST SEVEN YEARS SINCE YOU’VE GRADUATED FROM THE PROGRAM. WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
I first went through the program to create a growth opportunity for AYG Garage Solutions, Inc., but I never would’ve thought I would be walking out with so much more. The growth opportunity essentially became my exit strategy and now I’ve even moved to a completely different industry, using the tools I learned at Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.

WHAT WERE SOME TAKEAWAYS THAT HAVE HELPED YOU GROW?
The most valuable things I got from the program were the tools and the mentorship. I found a very supportive mentor in one of my fellow classmates, whose advice has helped me greatly and guided me to making the right decision to focus on growing AYG Food Services.

WHAT WAS THE GREATEST IMPACT THE PROGRAM HAD FOR YOU?
Hands down the networking and learning from others. As mentioned, I created strong bonds in the class with other small business owners who have helped me along the way. There was such an ease to the peer-to-peer learning in class, which really allowed us to bounce ideas off each other, and all for the mission to grow.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS PREPARING FOR GROWTH?
Always make sure you have a team in place for expansion. Have systems and processes that can be replicated and consult with a mentor before moving forward. This will serve well with the entrepreneur’s gut feeling. 

HOW DID YOU KNOW 10,000 SMALL BUSINESSES WAS THE NEXT STEP FOR YOU AT THE TIME?
It was an opportunity to collaborate with like-minded individuals and perfect for me since we met the minimum time and requirements. Also, having the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and HCC backing was an important endorsement.