Meet Benjamin L Williams | Leader, Entrepreneur and Innovator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Benjamin L Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Benjamin L, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
My business career has taught me that you have to be focused, resilient and committed but most importantly, you have to keep moving forward. Things will happen and sometimes they can bring you down. But you have to keep pressing forward. The way you think and the way you handle challenges will have a profound impact on your ability to continue moving forward to achieve your goals. You have to be willing to deal with highs and lows and keep pressing on.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I run a Professional Services Consulting Firm named Velocity Technology Associates today. We specialize in scaling SMBs with bespoke automation and AI-driven solutions designed to optimize operations and maximize productivity. Our value first and always mindset enabled us to build lasting partnerships that help businesses continuously improve operations. This is not my first business venture. I also helped build another consulting firm in Baton Rouge named Methods Technology Solutions from 2 persons, when we started, to nearly 60 persons. The company is still doing great. I am using lessons learned from over 25 years of business leadership to scale Velocity. One of the lessons that I have learned is that it is not enough to do great work. You need to make sure that people know about you, your brand and you can remain top of mind. As a technology leader, the things that concern us the most, namely the details about current and emerging technology does not get you business. Marketing, networking and being a recognized thought leader are equally important.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are so many things to do in the Houston area. Here are some places we would have to go. The Houston Museum of Natural Science, NASA and Kemah Boardwalk, The ION and Greentown labs, Museum of Fine Arts, the Post downtown, Memorial Park, Astros or Space Cowboys game during summer, or Texans or Rockets if in season, the Houston Zoo, Quick tour of the Houston Medical Center, and if time permits, check out Galveston. For places to eat, would have to go to: The Breakfast Klub, Pappadeauxs, The Goode Company Seafood, Willie Gs, BB’s Tex-Orleans, Del Frisco’s, and Taste of Texas. This covers great restaurants in the Houston area as well as interesting cultural, business and innovation, parks, as well as Sports. If you are interested in innovation, there are always exciting things going on at the ION and at The Post.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a number of people that have played pivotal roles but I will start with a book. I am an avid reader. I read a lot of technology and leadership books. One of my favorites is Start with Why by Simon Sinek. It spoke about a concept known as the Golden Circle. At the Core of decisions, great leaders start with Why. In essence, it is about finding your purpose. That leads you to the how and the what. I think it enables you to connect not only with your passion but with the people you lead. I believe the best organizations are led by passion. It made me really think about what drove me to start my organization and what I wanted to accomplish.

Website: www.velocitytechassoc.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/velocity-technology-associates