Today we’d like to introduce you to AJ Lalwani.
AJ, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Dubai, lived there for a few years before we had to move to my parents’ hometown in Mumbai. I have loved technology ever since I can remember. Probably the first thing to grab my attention and hold it for this long. Everything about technology intrigues me. It all started when I was ten years old. Roaming around the streets of Mumbai with not a care in the world. I wasn’t very focused on my studies and nothing about academics ever excited me.
A new cyber cafe had opened up in our locality and I wanted to check it out. It had four computers and people would come there to surf the internet, print documents, send emails, etc. Curiosity rose and I wanted to do all of those things as well. I saved up some money for it and logged on to the computer for the first time. Something about that energy changed me. I saw various applications on the computer and I wanted to make some myself.
I did not have the money or the resources to train myself but I was determined. One of my friends had taken up a web development class at the same cyber cafe. Using a computer at the cafe was 10% the price of the training class. So, I would pretend to check my emails while peeping into a friend’s computer while he was being trained in web technologies. By the age of 12, I had hosted my own full functional website. It was a proud moment for me and I knew what I wanted to do with my life.
I started focusing and spending more time with computers. Every little chance I get, I would spend time in front of a computer. When you come from humble beginnings, you have to work hard for every little thing. I also had to get creative in my ways to overcome the shortcomings that I had. I found a public school that would help me get a computer science degree at a cost I could afford. I also got enrolled in multiple certifications and courses. Cleared all of them with the help of various scholarships. I wanted this so bad that at one point during my final year exams, I barely slept for months. I graduated with a computer science degree and stood first in over 25 schools in my school district. It was a proud moment for my parents and me since I believed that I could turn things around.
I graduated in 2009, the year of the big recession. Jobs were scarce but I was able to find one through some contacts. It wasn’t the ideal job role that I was looking for but I took it anyways. My manager soon realized that I could be utilized better in a different role and I started going up in ranks. 2012 was the year that allowed me to push my career even further. I got an opportunity from a company in the United States – the land of opportunity. This opportunity was a no brainer for me. It was an opportunity for me to work with the greatest minds in technology. One of my first apps that I worked on was for Dow Jones. I helped them build the Wall Street Journal and Barrons mobile app. I was even featured on the Dow Jones internal website as their top developers. https://www.instagram.com/p/BeAxORbnHPT/
I moved on from that to various other apps. I also started training and mentoring talent. I spent multiple years in various positions and job designations in the company before finally being promoted to the Vice President of the company. I was now in charge of the entire company operations. I realized I had the business acumen along with my technical expertise. That’s when I asked the owner of my company a share in the company. His first response was to bring the company lawyers in the conversation and reminded me that it was his company and no matter how much the company grew under me – I was still an employee. I still remember his lawyer saying, “You cannot learn to fly while staying in the nest.”
The sound of those words still resonates in my ear. I know that if I wanted to grow, I had to quit. I took a long vacation, went back home to India for a month, came back and quit my job the very next day without another source of income. Sort of an ‘Eat, pray, love’ moment. I spent a lot of months setting up my business and getting the required groundwork done. There are a lot of things that I did not agree within my previous company and I wanted to change that. Now I run a successful software development and services company with a net close to a million dollars. There is an old saying that “Only the king’s son will be king and the poor man’s kid will always be poor – no matter what.” I guess that’s my story – I wanted to break that chain. I heard somewhere that small beginnings lead to great endings. But when I think of it today, small or big, the beginnings don’t matter. I may not have been dealt the best of cards, but the fire inside me helped me tide through.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I could go on and on about the struggles but I am sure everyone goes through their struggles whether they are rich or poor, have the opportunity or don’t have the opportunity. The main thing is how you push through the walls that are in front of you. At the end, the hustler mentality is what helps you through all of this and you come out in a better place on the other side.
Though the education system in India is not bad but the lack of opportunity is what forces people to find ways to move out of their country to a country like United States, where there are a lot of opportunities. Not everyone gets a chance or has the will to take that leap.
It is a common misconception that you should always surround yourself with people that are directly responsible for your growth. This tunnel vision also hampers growth. We learn from a lot of people around us and everyone is important for the growth of the entire community. A judge of a man’s character is how he treats people that he has power over or he thinks he has power over. That is where true humility lies.
Please tell us about Red Voice Technologies.
I run a company called Red Voice Technologies. We specialize in software services and consulting for mobile applications. Our developers have worked on various big clients like Chick-Fil-A, Bose, Delta, Comcast, T-Mobile, etc. We are constantly making new partnerships and providing high-quality software and developers.
Red Voice Technologies is not like a staffing agency. We are more of a talent management company. Our goal is not to help the big companies hire developers, our goal is to help qualified developers in their career growth by connecting them with big clients. Not everyone gets an opportunity to get to be able to show their talent. We try to make sure that everyone gets exposure and a chance to prove themselves. We treat all our employees like family and try to make sure everyone grows with the company. We provide free medical insurance, relocation assistance, eduction reimbursements, profit sharing, retirement plans, along with other benefits.
Even in the whole Covid situation, the company has taken huge leaps in ensuring that everyone is taken care of. I have decided to not take any distributions for the rest of the year to ensure that we have enough money to run payroll for everyone in the company even when billing is affected. Since there are ways we can manage this, we also decided to not get government aid and leave it for other small businesses that really need it. If any mobile developer feels that they would like us to represent them and help them in their career, please feel free to email us at admin@theredvoice.com
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a lot of trouble. I would get into a lot of trouble and sometimes also get a few of my friends into trouble as well. I was the class clown that didn’t really take life too seriously. I was always swinging between extreme geek and extreme mischief.
Whatever I picked up, I went all in! Whether it was to pick a fight, pleasing a girl, learn something new, whatever it may be. Average was not something that went down well with me. I was also not afraid of failing. In life, we never really lose. We either win or we learn. My curiosity, hustler mentality, and notorious demeanor were the top two traits that were primary to my personality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theredvoice.com/
- Phone: (678) 745-5258
- Email: admin@theredvoice.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.red.voice/
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