The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch
In the financial sector, men still outweigh women, especially in executive roles. However, as data starts to demonstrate the value women bring to teams, the statistics are gradually improving, making it an excellent moment for women to enter the finance industry. Meet Lissele Pratt, Cofounder of Capitalixe, a fierce proponent for gender equality and for helping women break into the finance industry.
Career Route
Growing up, Lissele was greatly underappreciated and quite disobedient. She disliked school with a passion, especially her math class, which is ironic for someone who now heads a finance company. She travelled a lot and was frequently the outcast wherever she went. Lissele was determined to succeed despite the fact that she knew no one was coming to save her. Since she was a young girl, Lissele had always known she wanted to start her own business. At age 16, she set up shop in Camden Market, selling jewellery. She soon realized how much she cherished being her own boss and how much she delighted in the challenge of expanding a business.
Unfortunately, that venture failed, and she then tried her hand at a variety of jobs, including working as a teaching assistant in a nursery, working at a bar, and studying sports science at college. Nothing, however, changed until she was 18 and landed an internship at an FX brokerage in the metropolis. Lissele cherished the dynamic, competitive environment and the way it was always changing. It was ideal for her personality. A recognized thought leader in foreign exchange, payments, and financial technology, Lissele has seven years of experience in the financial services sector and a worldwide perspective. Lissele advanced through the ranks to become a co-founder of the payments and banking firm Capitalixe.
In her former business, Lissele was the first woman to receive the title of “best salesman.” She was recently included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Finance 2021 list.
Capitalixe
Capitalixe, a London-based company, offers cutting-edge fintech solutions to corporate and institutional clients all over the world thanks to its connections with numerous top financial institutions and international payment processors. It has built a global partnership infrastructure with access to a variety of cutting-edge financial services as a payments and banking consultant. It can give the clients a custom solution catered to their unique needs because it has close contacts with more than 50 renowned banks and payment suppliers worldwide. Capitalixe assists medium- and high-risk enterprises in locating reputable banking and payment options to help them grow.
Some solutions it offers include:
- Multi-currency IBANs
- Scalable API integrations
- Foreign exchange liquidity in over 150+ currencies
- Crypto payment services
- Card processing and alternative payment methods
- Correspondent banking services
“The companies we work with shouldn’t have to miss out on opportunities because of their industry or jurisdiction. So we take the pain out of finding the right providers and assist them through the onboarding process – saving them time and money,” says Lissele.
Exceptional in Competition
Award-winning consultancy Capitalixe makes sure that the clients are always given top priority. The team are always considering new ways to develop and enhance their offerings.
Capitalixe differs from the competition in a few ways, including:
- The focus on high-risk enterprises: many organizations are hesitant to engage with businesses in high-risk industries, but Capitalixe are experts in this area. Teams feel that these disadvantaged businesses should have access to the same superior banking and payment solutions as everyone else since they have a wealth of expertise and experience in the field.
- The commitment to diversity and inclusion: Less than 10% of leaders in the fintech industry are women, and just 30% of the workforce overall is made up of women. It also offers mentorship programs and internal development opportunities to help the team members advance in their careers, in addition to campaigning for increased diversity in the media and at speaking engagements. They recognize the many advantages of having a diverse workforce and are committed to doing their part to promote diversity in the fintech sector. With 50% of the executive staff being female, this is one of the most gender-balanced fintech organizations at the moment.
- Lack of a pricing system: Unlike the majority of other consultancies, it rejects the idea of charging a fee up front for services. Lissele and her colleagues make their revenue from the commercial agreements they have with their providers, so clients can be confident that they will only succeed when they do.
- In favour of employees: They are aware that satisfied employees translate into satisfied customers. They make significant investments in the growth and welfare of their team because they think that this is the best way to promote a healthy work environment. They provide several advantages and benefits, as well as regular possibilities for training and development (half-day Fridays, duvet days, regular socials, etc.).
Lissele adds, “We’re a young, dynamic, and fast-growing company, and I love every minute!”
Holding her Position
The types of companies Lissele and her company work with frequently have complex structures or are considered to be in a high-risk category. These might be cryptocurrency exchanges, gaming, or even investment funds. Their nature of business makes it challenging for them to find a solution in traditional banking. This can be a result of the industry’s evolving regulatory environment or the fact that banks don’t fully comprehend its business strategy. It is Lissele’s responsibility to assist these companies with any payment or banking issues they may experience.
Lissele is a co-founder of Capitalixe and has a wide range of duties, but they are all cantered on the organization’s strategic growth, strategy, and vision. She mixes up many roles, from managing connections with existing clients to developing new strategies to managing the day-to-day operations of the company.
This year, Lissele has mostly concentrated on growing the marketing component of the company. Since Lissele and her co-founder have a history in business development, they have found it quite difficult to grasp the ins and outs of marketing. However, she is pleased to report that this year they were able to successfully implement four new lead-generation strategies, which led to a large increase in revenue.
A Lesson from Hardships
Any business has a high learning curve in the initial years. There are so many things to discover, and it’s easy to run into some difficulties.
Lissele’s main lesson was not to become complacent when success comes. She says you shouldn’t just sit back and celebrate your success if you’re doing well. Early in her career, the company lost a significant client due to not being able to service them anymore who provided more than half of its revenue. Although it was difficult at first, Lissele and her team quickly recovered and kept expanding because of the pipeline of prospects. If they had been complacent and not put that pipeline in place, the outcome might have been very different. Lissele learned from this experience to constantly seize your opportunities rather than wait for them to present themselves.
Very early in her fintech career, she learned her second lesson. She frequently experienced sexism and microaggressions because she was one of the only women on her team. She quickly realized that in order to be respected in the field, she had to be assertive and stand up for herself. Even though it wasn’t always simple, this was essential. She is now pleased to advocate for diversity and inclusion in the fintech industry, and she is driven to support the professional advancement of other women.
Love for Books
Lissele Pratt is a lifelong learner who adores reading new literature. Successful people’s autobiographies, business books, and self-help are some of her favourite subjects. Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad is Lissele’s favourite book. She no longer has any preconceived notions about money or prosperity thanks to this book. It opened her eyes to so many things and made it clear to her how crucial it is to spend her time and money properly. It’s a fantastic motivator as well; after reading it, she was motivated to accumulate wealth and achieve financial independence.
Lissele says, “If you’re looking for a book that will change how you think about money, I highly recommend it.”
The Future of Capitalixe
Capitalixe has emerged as one of the most reputable names in alternative banking because of its broad network and unmatched expertise. In terms of Capitalixe’s future, Lissele wants to see the company keep growing into new countries and continue adding on new innovative cutting-edge fintech solutions. The ultimate objective is to guarantee that customers, irrespective of their location or sector, have access to the best banking and payment solutions available.
A Voice for Women Leaders
Lissele aspires to continue speaking out and advocating for women in order to bring about change. She feels that more women ought to hold leadership positions because there aren’t enough of them. She intends to keep pushing for a workplace that is inclusive of people of all backgrounds.
Be powerful, forceful, and willing to stand by your stance, suggests Lissele. Just because you’re a woman, there will be some people out there who will try to talk over you or assume you don’t have anything significant to say. Lissele exhorts leaders to develop self-assurance and not accept any twaddle from others who try to make them feel better than they are.
Website: www.capitalixe.com
