In this evolving world, the need for strong and influential women leaders has never been more crucial. Their unique perspectives, innovative thinking, and empathetic approach bring a valuable dimension to leadership and drive positive change in various industries. These women leaders inspire and empower others, breaking barriers and paving the way for future generations. One such influential woman leader to watch is Shareena Sandbrook, the CEO of Frogparking With a remarkable journey that spans different sectors and roles, Shareena has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, entrepreneurial acumen, and a passion for making a difference. Her ability to navigate challenges, foster a supportive team culture, and drive the success of Frogparking has positioned her as a notable figure in the business world.
A Journey of Professional Growth
Shareena began her journey at a young age when she accelerated through high school and pursued a Bachelor of Business Studies. Simultaneously, she worked as an investment adviser for a prominent finance company, honing her relationship management skills and establishing trusted client connections. Eager for new challenges, Shareena ventured into entrepreneurship and founded a boutique recruitment company specializing in trades.
This endeavor allowed her to exercise her entrepreneurial spirit while delving into the intricacies of the recruitment industry. Soon after, she seized a unique opportunity to contribute to the growth of a significant finance company. In this role, Shareena expanded the retail finance division, steadily progressing to the position of National Sales Manager. Leading a team of Business Development Managers nationwide, Shareena honed her leadership skills and gained invaluable experience managing a national sales force.
A Path of Entrepreneurial Success
Shareena embarked on an entrepreneurial journey driven by a passion for commercialization and global business. Drawing upon her sales and marketing background, Shareena recognized the potential to create a thriving business from a unique idea. She had a thirst for knowledge and a distinctive set of skills that set her apart. Identifying a niche where their expertise could be applied, Shareena fearlessly dove into growing Frogparking.
Navigating Early Challenges
During the initial years of Frogparking, Shareena embarked on a journey of learning and growth. These early stages presented many valuable experiences, offering insights into transforming a product into a fully-fledged company, expanding sales channels, and conducting business across different geographies. Amidst the excitement, Shareena faced various challenges, which added to the thrill of building a successful enterprise.
One of the primary hurdles Shareena encountered was securing funding for research and development and sales activities. Financing these crucial aspects required strategic planning and resourcefulness, ensuring the company could progress and innovate. Additionally, navigating a heavily bureaucratic market posed its own set of difficulties. Convincing customers to embrace something new within an environment characterized by stringent regulations and procedures demanded persuasive communication skills and persistence.
Revolutionizing Parking Technology
In 2009, Frogparking was born from a simple observation—a parking warden painstakingly chalking tires in the rain. This moment sparked the company’s mission to modernize parking through smart and intuitive technology. As a pioneer in the industry, Frogparking offers tailor-made, end-to-end parking solutions, empowering customers to enhance the speed, efficiency, and convenience of parking experiences.
When Frogparking took its first steps, its vision was clear: to revolutionize the parking industry and conquer the world, one parking space at a time. Shareena dreamed of expanding its reach and becoming a trusted partner to prominent brands across the United States. She aspired to create a global impact and provide support and security to the dedicated staff and their families.
With a global presence spanning Southern California, Australia, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Frogparking has established itself as a leader in the field. The company’s extensive portfolio includes groundbreaking innovations such as solar-powered parking sensors, indoor laser sensors, and wireless parking guidance systems. With an in-house team of experts in hardware and software design, Frogparking also develops custom mobile apps, dynamic signage, and cloud-based reporting and data software.
Frogparking proudly serves as a technology partner to renowned global brands across various industries. Trusted by organizations like Nike, USC, UCLA, Amazon, The Irvine Company, Vicinity Centers, Lend Lease, UBC, The City of Laguna Beach, City of Hope Medical Center, Hoag Hospital, Auckland international Airport and more. Frogparking continues to deliver cutting-edge solutions to its esteemed clientele.
The company’s exceptional growth has garnered recognition and has been honored as one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing exporters in the prestigious Deloitte Fast 50 program. This achievement is a testament to Frogparking’s continuous commitment to innovation and remarkable expansion.
Comprehensive Parking Solutions
Frogparking offers a comprehensive range of smart parking solutions to enhance efficiency, convenience, and revenue generation. With innovative products and advanced technologies, Frogparking ensures that every aspect of parking management is covered, from guidance to access and revenue control.
Under the product lineup, Frogparking provides Indoor and Outdoor Guidance systems, enabling drivers to locate parking spaces quickly and efficiently. Its Mobile App allows seamless interaction with the parking ecosystem, while the Dashboard & Reporting Suite provides comprehensive insights into parking asset performance and revenue reporting.
Frogparking’s solutions extend to Access & Revenue Control, offering a streamlined platform that eliminates the need for multiple suppliers and integrations. FrogOne, the tailor-made parking platform, serves as the one-stop solution for managing parking operations. From contactless payments to live and historical reports, FrogOne simplifies the management process.
With Frogparking’s advanced technology, clients can access accurate data, up-to-date trends, and low-impact installation options. The company’s services are designed to save time, optimize space utilization, and provide unparalleled accuracy. By offering a cloud-based data aggregation, Frogparking ensures clients have a single, easy-to-access source for all their parking-related information.
Overcoming Challenges
When Frogparking embarked on its journey, it faced initial challenges. Finding a market and aligning the product to address customer needs proved a significant hurdle. The company also had to educate potential customers, making them aware of their problems and how Frogparking’s solutions could solve them. Building the brand’s reputation and assembling a team capable of supporting growth was also challenging.
However, Shareena approached these obstacles with unwavering positivity, persistence, lateral thinking, and an indomitable spirit that never gave up. Today, the company is a thriving multi-million-dollar enterprise, serving as a trusted supplier and supporter to some of the world’s most renowned brands.
“The company has also been able to deliver increased revenues and reduced operational costs compared with everyone else in the market, says Shareena Sandbrook, CEO, Frogparking.”
Future Endeavors and Growth
Drawing upon her extensive expertise, Shareena envisions a future centered on mentoring, diversity, and continued growth. Having achieved remarkable success in a predominantly male industry globally, Shareena is determined to share her knowledge and experiences through mentoring and empowering other women to pursue and attain similar accomplishments. She aims to promote diversity and inspire aspiring leaders by serving as a role model.
In addition to mentoring, Shareena aspires to take on directorship roles, leveraging her wealth of knowledge to guide and support similar businesses in achieving their strategic objectives. Through her advisory capacity, she seeks to contribute her expertise and insights to drive success in the industry. While embracing these future endeavors, Shareena remains committed to the growth of Frogparking. With the parking technology industry experiencing rapid expansion, she envisions leading Frogparking’s continued development on a global scale.
Education and Life Experiences
Shareena reflects on how her education and personal life experiences have played a pivotal role in shaping her entrepreneurial journey. With a Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) degree, majoring in marketing, and an MBA, Shareena acknowledges the value of formal education. However, she emphasizes that real-world experience, including making mistakes and learning from them, is unmatched in building a successful global company.
Shareena’s upbringing greatly influenced her entrepreneurial spirit. Her entrepreneur father constantly started new ventures, invented innovative products, and led the family through various relocations. Supported by her adventurous and resilient mother, Shareena learned invaluable lessons about tenacity, perseverance, lateral thinking, and a positive outlook on life. Throughout her career, she actively engaged with multiple start-ups across diverse industries, gaining firsthand knowledge of what works and what doesn’t.
Trusting the Team
One advice that profoundly impacted Shareena was to “not be everything to everyone.” Recognizing her strengths and weaknesses, Shareena learned to build a team that complemented her skill set and filled any gaps as soon as possible. Granting the team both authority and responsibility, she enabled them to thrive.
By surrounding herself with a dedicated and capable team, Shareena discovered that she could shift from a managerial role to a guiding one. Trusting the team’s abilities and knowing that they shared her passion and vision, she could confidently delegate and direct, ensuring that Frogparking’s brand would be driven toward success.
Shareena’s experience as a mother has honed her ability to balance family and business, seamlessly integrating both aspects of her life. She leads a team that treats each other like family, fostering a supportive and nurturing environment that encourages success.
Future Expansion and Continuous Growth
Shareena envisions furthering the company’s services through strategic initiatives. To expand its reach, Frogparking aims to identify and develop complementary markets, acquire companies in related fields, and venture into new geographies.
Over the years, Frogparking has experienced a remarkable growth trajectory. This growth extends beyond the company, encompassing Shareena’s personal and professional development. Each experience has served as a valuable learning opportunity, with the lessons learned directly applied to current endeavors. As a dedicated CEO and mentor, Shareena has embraced the challenges and successes of leading Frogparking.
Long-standing Success
Frogparking’s long-standing success stems from its innovative and collaborative approach. The company fostered a vibrant team and trusted partnerships, challenging norms and embracing change with Kiwi ingenuity. By providing customized solutions and staying at the forefront of technology, Frogparking has become a leader in the parking solutions industry, delivering exceptional results for its clients worldwide.
How to win customers and influence the government?
Shareena believes if her life story were a book, it would be titled “How to win customers and influence government.” This title aptly represents her unique ability to forge meaningful relationships with customers and governments. Through her story, Shareena unveils her remarkable talent for connecting with people personally and professionally.
The New Landscape of Entrepreneurship
The post-pandemic era has changed the landscape of entrepreneurship significantly. With dramatic changes in various aspects of life, new opportunities have emerged, creating a fertile ground for innovative ventures. Shareena recognizes immense potential amidst change, positioning entrepreneurs in the perfect spot to seize these opportunities.
Lessons for the Younger Self & Others
Looking back on her journey, Shareena would advise her younger self to take the time to discern the true intentions of others before investing her trust in them. This simple yet powerful advice could have saved her from heartbreak and disappointment. She realized that trust should not be freely given but earned through consistent actions and behaviors. As Shareena became a better CEO with each passing day, she understood the significance of laying a strong foundation for success. She recognized the importance of self-belief and urged her younger self to back her abilities without hesitation.
To all the budding entrepreneurs, Shareena had a word of advice: “Back yourself and believe in your abilities. Be prepared to make monumental sacrifices on your journey. Start by delivering excellence to a small, loyal customer base, and leverage your success from there.”
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“Frogparking has become a leader in the parking solutions industry, delivering exceptional results for its clients worldwide.”
