Back in 2015 Nilesh was sitting at his usual corner table at the brand-new POST at the State Buildings, typing emails and talking on the phone. illuminance Solutions was at an early stage at that time and Nilesh used the luxurious facilities as his make-do office. The fact that the State Buildings, COMO the Treasury Hotel and POST restaurant provided the best customer service ever experienced in the history of Perth was a great thing, and in addition the custom-made (and half priced) mozzarella and tomato-sandwich simply know among the staff as ‘Nilesh’s sandwich’ was the cherry on top making it the perfect place for conducting business. After numerous business meetings, coffees and croissants by the same corner table Nilesh had almost become part of the furniture and a ‘regular’.
One day Nilesh was sitting at his table conducting a business meeting, a cappuccino with extra foam in one hand and a fresh croissant in the other, deeply engaged in conversation. After several months at the same location, Nilesh too had started to spot other ‘regulars’ and who were there frequently or even rarely.
He has noticed this one gentleman (definitely being another ‘regular’) sitting at a table with someone, walking through together with someone or even slightly rushing by. This day the same gentleman is sitting next to Nilesh and as he gets up to leave, he leans over, says hello and gives away his business card before walking out.
Nilesh takes a quick glance at the card and puts it down to type the name into the LinkedIn search bar. LinkedIn is the best way to network and keep in touch with contacts, especially when you are new in town and hoping to build your network rapidly. However, ‘Adrian Fini’ does not come up, and nor does ‘Adrian Fini Perth’. Shrugging his shoulders, the business card is pocketed and eventually buried in Nilesh’s ever-growing collection.
A few weeks later, Adrian is having a meeting with Deputy Premier Hon Roger Cook MLA. Nilesh has gotten to know Roger quite well and on seeing Nilesh sitting just a couple of tables over he smiles and waves. Adrian’s business card is dug back up from the jacket pocket and this time Google is brought up on Nilesh’s laptop, not just LinkedIn. Time for a second attempt in finding out who this Adrian Fini really is…
Headlines like ‘WA’s Best Property Developer’; ‘The A to Z of Influence: Adrian Fini’; ‘Adrian Fini: Perth powerhouse’ and; ‘FJM Property director Adrian Fini driving restoration of heritage building’ pops up, the list went on and on. Pretty impressive guy, Nilesh thought, and to think he’d been on his turf all along! So, this is why Adrian Fini could not be found on LinkedIn; he didn’t need a profile page at all.
An intense Google session later, Nilesh’s laptop battery died down, a true if not only indicator that it was time to call it a day and head back home. Adrian walks over and says; ‘Early day today?’ ‘Well, yes, when my laptop battery dies it is time for me to call it quits,’ Niles replies.
‘Why don’t you use the table over there,’ Adrian suggests and points. ‘I believe there’s a plug next to it where you can charge your laptop.’
‘Thank you, but I rather enjoy this corner table right here’, Nilesh says.
‘I understand,’ Adrian says and takes out his phone from his jacket pocket. ‘Please give me a moment’.
Adrian calls the Chief Engineer of the COMO Hotel and asks him to find an extension cord. A few minutes after Nilesh has his very own power outlet and agrees to hide it when he is not using it and that he is free to use it any time he needs to.
With no restrictions in ways of batteries dying, Nilesh is now spending even more time at his Post corner table and having chats with Adrian when the opportunity arises. The business activities conducted from that corner table laid the foundation of what was to become a partnership with Vincent leading to the jointly-ran company illuminance Solutions. The company has been taking off since then, with an ever-growing pool of employees moving from offices to even bigger offices, receiving global, national and local awards for its efforts, its diversity and its social impact.
Adrian Fini with the illuminance Solutions team in Perth, WA.
At illuminance Solutions’ very own ‘Post Lounge’ (with a view!)
Adrian Fini spending some time with the team at illuminance Solutions, and sharing his view on social impact and community.
Later, when Nilesh and his wife wanted to invite their friends to celebrate their five-year anniversary arriving in Perth, Adrian and Anneke, the General Manager at COMO the Treasury Hotel helped by accommodating a tad restricted budget to make the celebration an evening to remember. The Treasury Lounge was filled with their friends and dear acquaintances, including Alec Coles – CEO of the Western Australian Museum; Deputy Premier Hon Roger Cook MLA and his lovely wife Carly; and James Jegasothy from Office of Multicultural Interests to name a few.
Recently Nilesh again met Adrian during a coffee meeting at the private members club Mello House, now being in a position to give back to the place that enabled him to achieve so much. A practitioner of karmic management and believer of giving without expecting immediate return, Nilesh invited Adrian to visit illuminance Solutions’ office. He wanted to show him what his support had done and how the company had flourished since those days five years ago eating half-price sandwiches and drinking coffees using the free WiFi.
Adrian happily accepted the invitation and recently came to visit illuminance and to sit in the office’s very own Post Lounge (with a view of the Swan River.) Being a nice guy, he was delighted to hear what the company and team has achieved over the years, including products developed and awards won. He was also very kind and spent a few minutes with the team talking about social impact and how what we do affects others, even though he was running late for his next appointment.
Adrian Fini is a prime example of the good spirits in Perth, and how people of success can help budding start-ups and entrepreneurs, simply by giving them a place to sit, a place to charge their laptop and by engaging in conversation if only for a minute or two in between jam packed schedules or on their way from one meeting to the next.
From left to right; Nilesh Makwana, Alec Coles and James Jegasothy at the Makwana’s five year anniversary in Perth celebration.
Celebrating five years in Perth with good friends at the COMO Lounge.
illuminance Solutions is a Microsoft Gold Partner and a 2019 Microsoft Global Partner of the Year: Partner for Social Impact.
