Leading entrepreneur we should all look up to
Settling down for a profession one has worked in for years is seen often. But Sima Azadegan didn’t have such an eye for life. A tale to tell that it’s never too late to discover a passion and start peddling towards your dreams. Sima Azadegan, multiple award winner and an epitome of passion and determination.
Dreams have no age bars, proved Sima who established her passion into a business at the age of 50. Born in an immigrant family, as a young girl, Sima struggled to find her voice. The urge developed into always doing the right thing and mostly pleasing others. She started to flex her creative muscles through classical piano training and enrolled in one when she was 9. At the age of 17, she entered the University of Southern California and graduated with a double major in Political Science and Music. In a little to no time, she got married and went on to raise a family at the age of 20. Yet she continued her creative pursuit and worked as a classical piano teacher for twenty years.
Serving as a board of directors for four major charities in Los Angeles, Sima did not limit herself to charitable works and became a counsellor and travelled the world. A role model to her son, Daniel, and daughter, Dana, Sima Azadegan has also adopted a boy named Jordi.
“Success is not sweet if your family is not around you or with you throughout the process.” Sima Azadegan emphasizes that it is a hard juggling act to work on your passion and your entrepreneurial journey while at the same time being present for your family. This is why she decided of sharing it with family, her hard work, accomplishment, and failure.
Despite a successful career and happy family, Sima could feel the void in her life and be propelled towards her passion. After several years of hard work and collecting nuggets of lessons Sima took a leap of faith and translated her vision into a company which she named Sima Collezione, a fashion and clothing line brand.
It is easy to come up with an idea but executing and sticking all through the journey takes it all. The struggling memories kept coming back when Sima’s family doubted her “My biggest challenge that I had to overcome was the fact that my own family and friends were not supportive of my decision of manifesting my own dreams and desires. They were very skeptical about my decision, but what hurt me, even more, was the fact that they did not believe in me. Nevertheless, I realized that I had worked very hard in my life to get to this point and the only person that I was going to listen to was myself. I can say, with a lot of confidence, that listening to my own intuition has paid off.” says Sima.
She strongly believes that women are more equipped as well as more capable than men. In many countries, corporates do make efforts in improving the facilities for women workers. “I believe all countries around the world should make strong efforts to make sure to facilitate and be supportive of women workers. Truly, it’s the women who have clarity and vision to lead in this world” says the entrepreneur.
Like every other successful woman, Sima also had an inspiration, her grandmother, Suzanne Cohen. A holocaust survivor who escaped Poland and the atrocities of World war II. As she describes, my grandmother lived her life as a warrior and not a victim. She was an exceptional soul. I hope that through my achievements with my journey and my dream, I can also bring her hope and her faith alive as well.
Speaking about her challenges Sima quoted, “The most challenging barrier in my career has been finding the right people who believe in me and my cause.” The experience has taught her more about human behaviour and she has realized that these were not the right people that she wants around her or on the wagon. “Soon, I discovered the right people who shared my vision, energy, and my cause. We have been working together ever since, and amazing outcomes have come to pass,” she added.
An ardent woman working with diligence and unwavering dedication, Sima Azadegan is a leading entrepreneur and a powerful figure who relentlessly teaches us the value of determination and perseverance in life.
