Business Talk Magazine

Without progressive people, a company can’t sustain for very long, but without a decisive leader, it’s like a ship without a rudder. In particular, we mean a CEO. This person is the one in charge of a company’s success or failure and oversees all of its operations, finance, marketing, sales, human resources, legal, compliance, and technology while juggling the demands of its staff, clients, investors, and other stakeholders. They are also known as “growth specialists” since they can expand new businesses and even save failing companies. Their meticulous financial analysis and astute decision-making redefine businesses—a daring and unusual feat for any leader. Their improvement mindset, even in extreme uncertainty and distress, makes them truly exceptional.

Our publication has always found it fascinating to focus on the dynamism of CEOs. In light of this, we recently interviewed Bill Douglas, CEO of OpticWise and a growth specialist with a reputation for creating miracles. Bill is an experienced entrepreneur who has launched, sold, acquired, and exited numerous firms. He has also made growth lists for INC and other companies and been granted a US patent. He has a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech and is a graduate of the MIT Entrepreneurial Master’s Program. He braved two near-death encounters and a severe medical diagnosis, earning him the moniker “ResilienceGuy.”

During our talk, Bill provided a lot of food for thought regarding leadership and how he is pushing OpticWise to new heights. The discussion is thoroughly covered below.

OUTLINE OF OPTICWISE

OpticWise offers property owners the ability to provide their tenants with a sophisticated, seamless, private, and secure data and connectivity solution while turning a building’s network and in-building connectivity into both a tenant attraction and retention tool and a profit center. In other words, it offers customized proptech infrastructure solutions for modern workplaces and multi-family residential users. OpticWise operates upon a proprietary SIC^® platform design for carrier-grade building network security, infrastructure, and connectivity. Properties outsource their in-building network systems to OpticWise to keep their connected devices and services secure and seamless and reduce operating expenses. On the other hand, OpticWise provides reliable and secure network access for tenants, providing the industry leading 5S™ user experience with a unique “ultimate privacy policy”. 

In both scenarios, OpticWise focuses on redefining the value equation for real estate owners. The OpticWise solution not only generates income but also enhances the vision of the workplace or residential community. More specifically, they help turn the typical overheads and hassles into retention tools and profit centers. In the end, clients enjoy a premium market positioning, enhanced returns, and complete control of their systems and data. In the words of the company, commercial real estate (CRE) clients can monetize their technology assets.

HOW BILL REDEFINED THE COMPANY’S PROGRESS

Bill became CEO of OpticWise in 2016. Although the business wasn’t at risk of failing, it needed a more systematic approach to thrive. By this point, Bill has established a reputation as an executive and strategic counselor. Also, as someone who is fascinated by IoT, DT, 5G, and UX technological convergence and the numerous global impacts and possibilities that come with them, joining OpticWise was more like broadening his horizons. When he came on board, the company was more than a dozen years old. He took over the company’s strategy and vision, allowing its founder, Mr. Drew Hall, to focus on technical excellence.

Together, they shifted the focus to specific commercial real estate markets and served owners in that space. This, allowed the company to have a more concrete direction while still being innovative. They focused on being more customer-centric and heeding their needs. “Although changing our product and customer base seemed risky, we were actively listening to our customers and remained laser-focused on finding solutions to their challenges,” says Bill. By doing so, they forged a route for stability and strengthened their market positioning, which eventually aided in gaining customers and increasing profits.

A NICHE PLAYER IN PROPTECH

Although OpticWise is primarily a tech company, they like to think of themselves as a combination of an architect and an operator who design and maintain the connectivity infrastructure of a property. Their user experience and focus on tenant care is quite distinctive. They prioritize privacy and have scalable, IoT-ready network services. They possess engineering skills and innovative designs with low OpEx and CapEx that maximize income. The company also has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in creating and running comprehensive, user-friendly, profit-driven proptech strategies and solutions. “We’ve also trademarked the 5S™ experience in keeping the user secure and mobile while completely private,” states Bill. He further adds that while many of their peers mine and market user data, treating users as a revenue source, they’re firmly committed to refraining from such acts.

OpticWise doesn’t monetize its users or their data. Instead, it gives complete authority to users, keeping their connected experience and activities private at all times.

MAINTAINING A CULTURE OF GROWTH

Bill’s leadership at OpticWise has not only redefined its strategy, but also created a culture of continuous growth. It stands on the values of constant improvement, learning, competitiveness, and accountability. This attracts credible individuals, which boosts efficiency. The management team clearly understands their roles and has a cadence of meetings and check-ins. This, coupled with a culture of accountability, ensures the company is on par with its mission.

The leadership team is cross-functional, but teams operate on an “in their lane” model. What keeps them engaged are the core values. It keeps them pondering “how can we” instead of saying “we can’t.” The culture played an integral role in outsmarting COVID. While there were challenges from the client’s end, OpticWise altered its offerings to meet specific needs, resulting in incredible growth before, during, and after the pandemic.

MILESTONES AND PROSPECTS

In the last 6 years, OpticWise has had the privilege to design, install and implement its managed proptech solutions at innovative properties across the nation. This includes multi-tenant commercial real estate (medium-to-large apartment and office facilities) monetizing clients’ technology assets and delivering significant NOI and ROI. With that, Bill sees one of their biggest milestones achieved—clients adopting their vision and spending time and thought on their solutions. Also, worth mentioning as pivotal success points would be the first users to speak up, on camera, about the value they’ve seen delivered.

The CEO sets a clear objective for the future. “We want to see a multi-tenant user in any CRE area be entirely private and safe while completely mobile,” he says. There is never a reason to violate or profit from a renter’s privacy, and no tenant should be forced to remain in their leased space. He is aware of the effects this may have on both the business and technical sides of the “status quo.” However, their clients accept the importance of the user experience, and their users demand this, which yields immense financial gains for owners.

LEAVING WITH A THOUGHTFUL NOTE

As we came close to the end, we asked Bill if he ‘d like to share a few lines that moved our readers. “Life is a gift!” he exclaimed. He further continues, “Having suffered physical challenges in life, I’ve become more keenly aware that life is meant to be pursued, shared, and enjoyed — not simply worked. “I am always solving problems that free people to work less and live more,” he signs off.

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