Meet AJ Lalwani: CEO of Red Voice Technologies

We had the good fortune of connecting with AJ Lalwani and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi AJ, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I got into the technology sector pretty early in my life and worked in various roles before becoming the Vice President of the company I was working for. I was now in-charge of the entire company operations. I realized I had the business acumen along with my technical expertise. I also realized that I had reached my career ceiling with this company. That’s when I asked the owner of the company for a share in the company. His first response was to bring the company lawyers in the conversation and remind me that it was his company and no matter how much the company grew under me – I was still an employee. I still remember his lawyer saying “You cannot learn to fly while staying in the nest”. The sound of those words still resonates in my ear. I know that if I wanted to grow, I had to quit. I took a month long vacation, came back and quit my job the very next day without another source of income. Sort of an ‘Eat, pray, love’ moment. I spent a lot of months setting up my business and getting the required ground work done. There are a lot of things that I did not agree with in my previous company and I wanted to change that. I wanted my company to put the employee first instead of putting the client first. Now I run multiple successful multi million dollar software development and services companies. There is an old saying that “Only the king’s son will be king and the poor man’s kid will always be poor – no matter what”. I guess that’s my story – I wanted to break that chain. I heard somewhere that small beginnings lead to great endings. But when I think of it today, small or big, the beginnings don’t matter. I may not have been dealt the best of cards, but the fire inside me helped me tide through. And I am no where close to the end of my story.

What should our readers know about your business?
I run a company called Red Voice Technologies. We specialize in software services and consulting for mobile applications. Our developers have worked on various big clients like Chick-Fil-A, Bose, Delta, Comcast, T-Mobile, etc. We are constantly making new partnerships and providing high quality software and developers. Red Voice Technologies is not like a staffing agency. We are more of a talent management company. Our goal is not to help the big companies hire developers, our goal is to help qualified developers in their career growth by connecting them with big clients. Not everyone gets an opportunity to get to be able to show their talent. We try to make sure that everyone gets exposure and a chance to prove themselves. We treat all our employees like family and try to make sure everyone grows with the company. We provide free medical insurance, relocation assistance, eduction reimbursements, profit sharing, retirement plans along with other benefits. Even in the whole Covid situation, the company has taken huge leaps in ensuring that everyone is taken care of. I have decided to not take any distributions for the rest of the year to ensure that we have enough money to run payroll for everyone in the company even when billing is affected. Since there are ways we can manage this, we also decided to not get government aid and leave it for other small businesses that really need it.

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.
One of my favorite spots to relax and unwind with some friends is the roof top of Ponce City Market. It has great views of the city skyline – Buckhead, Midtown and Downtown. The restaurants there are decent and there are some other activities that you can do there as well. It even has access to the beltline which then exposes you to various restaurants and bars around the beltline. The beltline is also good for walks, runs, jogs and exploring some culture in the city. Buckhead and Midtown also have some great spots depending on the day of the week. Atlanta is very versatile and culture intensive when it comes to food and going out. So, there is always something to do in the city. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Apart from family and friends, I believe the CEO of my previous company definitely deserves a shoutout. He did put a lot of trust in me and taught me a lot of things. He helped me polish a lot of my skills and bet a lot of money on it. If it weren’t for him, I think it would’ve taken me longer to get to where I am today. He did also have a big hand in me quitting his company as well. So, in retrospect – good or bad, he definitely had a big role to play in my story.

Website: https://theredvoice.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.red.voice/