Personal Branding and Consulting in the Medical Device Industry with Monir El Azzouzi

Monir El Azzouzi: 0:00

But when I was working for those companies they would say Oh no no I will climb the ladder I would be the vice president of Johnson and Johnson some time etc. But to be honest, I prefer to be at my position now than to climb this ladder.

Harsh Thakkar: 0:12

What's up everybody, this is harsh from qualtivate.com. And you're listening to the life sciences 360 podcast. On this show, I chat with industry experts and thought leaders to learn about their stories, ideas and insights, and how their role helps bring new therapies to patients. Thanks for joining us, let's dive in. Alright, welcome to another episode of Life Sciences 360. And my guest today is Monir El Azzouzi he is the CEO and founder of easy medical device, a company that helps medical device companies with quality assurance and REG affairs consulting. Welcome to the show Monir.

Monir El Azzouzi: 0:48

Thank you. Thank you, Harsh. And thanks for inviting me to this podcast. I mean, it's been a long time that we I'm following you also. So I'm really happy to be part of this. This podcast. Yeah.

Harsh Thakkar: 0:58

Yeah, So I don't like taking things easy. So I'm going to try to put you on the spot with the first question that I have. When I started creating content. Last year on LinkedIn, I wanted to look at people in life sciences industry, who had a very strong personal brand who were creating a lot of valuable content. And I asked people for the five names and your name kept popping up from a lot of different people in the industry as somebody who's been doing it for a long time. So I want to ask you, who are your three favorite LinkedIn creators?

Monir El Azzouzi: 1:30

So one is Mitch Robbins, I think he's from the US is an HR guy who specialized in the medical device field, what I like is his creativity to try to attract eyeballs, if I can say on his post and is really the I like the videos that he's making some time or so. So I really appreciate that. It makes also some good articles. I even contacted him to do maybe something together. But yeah, I really like his way of talking and doing so it's really a great one there. Okay, the second one is Karandeep Badwal is also making a lot of content on LinkedIn he was part of the linkedin program for growth or something like that I can't remember the name. Yeah, so he was then given also some a lot of courses on how to do things on linkedin and, and I see other with effectors on the on this video. So it makes some short videos. Sometimes it makes a lot of big posts also explaining things. So yeah, he's also showing where he goes on holidays, which is not something that I'm doing. Yeah, it's, it's I like really, I Karandeep. And, yeah, we have we have a lot of things that we are working together. Yeah, there is one that is really interesting, which is Sean Smith if I remember.

Harsh Thakkar: 2:40

Sean Smith. Yeah.

Monir El Azzouzi: 2:41

From the MLV medical device leading leading voices.

Harsh Thakkar: 2:45

Yep. Yep.

Monir El Azzouzi: 2:46

It's it really recent that I follow him, but he has really focused himself on this as a creator, marketing online marketing creator, and he's really guzzled in few months or weeks. I mean, a few weeks more money, the leading voices for medical devices, he was able to also show to them also on Spotify can say for on some of his post, also having this newsletter. So for me, it's performance to do that. It's also somebody that you recommend people to follow?

Harsh Thakkar: 3:19

Yeah, I've been following all three people right there. And I'm not surprised that you mentioned all three of them there. They've been consistently, at least for the last year that I've been active on LinkedIn pretty much every day or every week. I've seen them on my feed. So yeah, that's a great, that's a great top three there. I know you're you are on very active on LinkedIn posting, interacting, engaging with people. What's the interesting thing that you read this week? Anything you want to share?

Monir El Azzouzi: 3:46

This week? Yeah, this week, there was I mean, it was in the weekend. So last week, maybe but I didn't read that during the weekend. I said, Okay, let's wait until Monday when Christophe back to read about that. So there was the announcement of the UK extension. So maybe it's not too big for for you. But for us, it's something that everybody was waiting for. So you know, that UK left Europe. So there are there is a Brexit and they are trying now to transition to their new legislation, which is not CA marking, but UKCA marking, and they started to annuals that by the 30th of June 2023. Everybody after that date should be following the new UKCA. And but there was this question mark to say yes, but we want maybe to extend that. And the announcement will be done before the 30th of June 2023. So closer, we arrived to the 30th of June 2023 closer, then I had a lot of messages from my customers asking me when your what are we doing because if we do not make all the switches it means that by the first of July. We have all to follow UKC which is what they are doing at all. I say no, don't worry, I heard that they will do that. So we're expecting that now. It's done. They made this announcement and yeah, really for a lot of companies that are now selling in the UK and they have, they have followed what EU has done also for the extension, which means that now you can be CE marked in the UK until 2030. So you have some time now to to sell your products in the in the UK with CE marking without being UKCA?

Harsh Thakkar: 5:20

Interesting. Yeah, I only know about the CE marking because I've seen some medical devices and certain equipments and stuff working in the industry, but I don't I don't follow medical device content that much. So thanks for going over that. I know this is a common path for a lot of people in the industry. At some point everyone goes out and either starts their consulting venture or they end up starting a completely different business building a software or product. What What made you start easy medical device.

Monir El Azzouzi: 5:54

So a easy medical device, for those that don't know at the beginning, it was 2018 if I remember, it was just a blog. It was nothing else than a blog. I was working for Johnson and Johnson in Switzerland. And I had some people that asking me Oh, because I was also on linkedin. So I was contacting, had also begun to work on integrating LinkedIn and people were asking me? Or can you tell us how to search for a medical device? What is the classification of medical device? What is a medical device? I mean, basic questions. So at the end, I created a blog talking about that. And I called it easy medical device to show to people that it's easy. It's not like some, something difficult. So I made it like, you make a big thing of something that is small, because for me, it's really small. But I understand now that for people Yeah, it can be a big thing. So my objective was to make it easy for everybody. So if you go to my blog, for example, I try to use some easy language. I'm not trying to put a lot of cases of ISO. Oh, this sounds I mean, I tried to make it really accessible to everyone to understand because I know that the people that will be reading or listening these things will not be professionals. Maybe I will have the criticism at the beginning. Because when I started that had some big professionals, whatever, when they were qualifying my blog, like Oh, it's just for beginners, etc. So you can just go there. But my audience were beginners, so it's good that it was. But it was also they were also criticizing me saying oh, yeah, he's making that just for beginners. So he's not an expert, he doesn't know what is I mean, he knows the basics, but he doesn't know the, the thing etc. So, but I said it's fine, let's let's move forward. I'm not talking to those people. I'm talking to beginners. So let's really work with with those beginners and slowly get some tractions I'm following also a lot of online marketers like Gary Vaynerchuk or like all the others that were that were working at a time so when I was commuting from home to work or home or work to home, I was always listening to those podcasts that they were doing or the things that they were doing so how to be an online marketer how to market your blog, it's interesting because I wanted my blog to be growing also and as soon as I get attraction on the blog then Gary Vaynerchuk said you have to go to videos so I said okay, let's go to video so I created my youtube channel then Gary says Oh you will be great because you have also Alexa and design so people will now say Oh, can you make me the podcast of easy medical device so on Alexa and then it will pop up so you have also to go to Audio etc so I fully have these if I guess advices and I created my blog video or just a draft then gets more and more tractions and then people are starting to ask me Oh can I make consultation for them etc? I said no I cannot because I work for Johnson & Johnson so I have a contract with them I cannot do both thing etc. So after receiving 10 or 20 times the same question I said okay, maybe I should think about it making consulting about that because if they asked me it means that there is nobody else that can help them or I'm not sure exactly and there was some time there is 1000 signs that are coming so the factory that I was working for for Johnson & Johnson was acquired by another entity and this entity was not a medical device company specifically but they were trying to get to that so I decided to okay maybe it's the time to for me to move out of this so then I decided to completely quit Johnson & Johnson and I said okay I have easy medical device and the people are asking me for consultant job so I say why not let's let's move to that. And let's let's see, the most difficult person to convince on that was my wife but nobody else just to say to her that I drop a good job well paid, etc. For something where we don't know it's like jumping somewhere where have no clue where we are.

Harsh Thakkar: 9:34

Yeah, it's very interesting. I don't think I've met anyone. Yet in life sciences. I know other people in other industries. But in life sciences, I have not met anyone that first started creating content and then started consulting. Usually people start consulting and content at the same time because they're consulting and they want content to bring them more business at least That's why I started creating content when I was working. Prior to last year, I was interacting with people on LinkedIn. But I wasn't posting stuff because I was an employee. I couldn't say what I want. Or if I said something wrong, or HR would tell me hey, why did you say you? So

Monir El Azzouzi: 10:18

But there's just one thing for me. So initially, I started to do those blog contents, right? It was not for consulting purposes, it was for personal branding purposes. Right? Right. objective for me was also to grow within my company, to show to my company that I'm a person that is also influencing or can get some some knowledge or can participate some conferences and be a speaker to conferences. So the idea for me was to grow my personal branding, well has nothing to do consulting was really adjusted because at Johnson & Johnson some time I was doing some conferences, I was going to speak to some conferences. So I say, Okay, I need really to grow this personal branding, to not be afraid to speak in public to be able to, because we have also the this issue about the imposter syndrome to say that what I will be saying maybe somebody will criticize that what I will be saying maybe some, but it will still be, oh, this is a crappy guy doesn't know what he's talking about. It's stressful. There was all those things that fears that they had to overcome. And I say, Okay, let's do this personal branding. Let's make a blog post. And to be honest, the first time I launched my blog post, it was like, Maybe I will receive a lot of bad comments, maybe I will receive a lot of criticism, maybe I will receive nothing, nothing happened. So it's great. So let's move forward. Second blog, third blog, fourth blog. And this is how I built my confidence first, to do that. And this is, as I said, at the beginning, nothing to do with consulting. I was never I mean, I was thinking of doing consulting when I was young when I was started. So I will be a consultant Disrupt. But when I was working for those companies that were saying oh no no I will climb the ladder, I would be the vice president of Johnson & Johnson some time it's true. But to be honest, and I prefer to be at my position now than to climb this ladder. That

Harsh Thakkar: 11:56

Yeah, I don't blame you. Yeah, wait. So when was when was the first blog post that you wrote? What year?

Monir El Azzouzi: 12:03

2018 beginning of 2018. Because when I started, I mean, just the funny stories that I didn't start with easy medical device. I started with another. Because as I as I was learning, personal branding, I was thinking I need first of all on marketing, online marketing, to market, my blog, etc. But then I was also thinking, I need to be able to sell something. So I created the E commerce shop. And I created a lot of blogs, or this ecommerce was a yo guy ecommerce shop or something like that, where I tried to sell some things. It was just a drop shipping selling. And I was learning to do that I said If I'm able to sell one thing with my blog and everything, then I'm ready. I can do easy medical device and I can move forward. I read so one thing which was a watch, watch cover or something like that, and I say okay, now I'm done. I've done it. It's great.

Harsh Thakkar: 12:53

Yeah, it works. I did something similar. Probably it was probably like 2019 I was in Seattle at the time and maybe friends or people who know me back then would know this, but so I started a online store selling so I have two pugs. Do you have you ever heard of the breed pugs? Those are the small, like fluffy dogs with like the face. Yeah, so I have a black one and a fawn one. So I had this idea like, Hey, I'm gonna start creating merchandise for other owners of that breed. And then anybody in U.S. who has a pug, or you know anything, they would like this merchandise, so t shirts, hats, cups, whatever, everything I started, I found online store or drop shipping. I worked with a designer made all the designs created a Shopify store. And I said, Okay, what I'll do is any money I make from this 10% of that, I will donate it to a local pug rescue. So I contacted Seattle pug rescue and said, Hey, I want to like I'm putting this on the website. If I make any money, I'll donate it to you. So I think the first six months, I made $300, which is very embarrassing, but I had a job at that time so I'm fine. But one the big day for me in that business was the Seattle pug rescue. They called me and said, Oh, you know, it's really great that you're doing this and we're hosting this event, outdoor event in the summer, where we're going to have a lot of vendors come in and everyone's selling you know, some people are selling pugs stuff or other stuff. It's $100 or something. It was like $100 to sign up. And you can bring your merchandise there and maybe people will buy it. So I was like, that sounds great. I had like three or four of each things like I had four hoodies, four caps four everything. So I ordered everything in advance. I was like, I'm either going to lose a few $1,000 and make a fool of myself or I'll sell something. So I went to that event with my wife I put a banner and she supported me I went even with my dogs to that event. And I don't know exactly the number but it was close to$1,000 in sales that I just did on that day at that event, and I was like, Okay, I just I had fun, it was six months, and I just shut the store down, because, but it taught me so much right? It taught me just understanding online reading blogs, the design skills, the doing stuff in Canva, that now I use for creating content.

Monir El Azzouzi: 15:25

And this is exactly what the purpose of that is, as I said, to give confidence to learn. And as you said, if you have not done that, maybe you will still maybe work somewhere else or do something else. So the point is that, at a certain point, you have to jump and I know it's scary. You don't know what will happen the other side, nobody knows. But to be honest, the reward is really high. If you are motivated, if you know really what you're doing. So you can really make a lot of fun, as you said, or, and also a career on that.

Harsh Thakkar: 15:53

Yeah, agreed. Agreed. Thankfully, I'm not doing that anymore. I'm not selling dog merchandise. But I had fun when I did it. So what what is it that you love about? You know, I love being a consultant, there are some days I wish that I wasn't just because things go up and down. What are what is it that you love about consulting? And is there something that you don't like,

Monir El Azzouzi: 16:14

I love what I love on consulting is the teaching part to teach people explain, find things, the strategy part, I have some companies that are calling me and asking me and sure, yeah, exposing their case, their products, and then they asked me, oh, should we do this? Should we do that, etcetera. So then telling them, I mean, it's like a maze, and what is the exit? What are the different exit, and if you want that here is the exit if you want that. So I guide them to this maze and try to make that happen. The part that I don't like too much, or that I am trying to, to subcontract to my people mainly, is the creation of the documentation. And because I have done that, for all my career, have created documents on my career, it's the same thing. And as soon as something starts to be repetitive, or boring, or this that, okay, I have done it 100 times, I don't want to do it 101 times, et cetera. So then I, I first, I always try to learn myself how to do things, then I teach that to somebody else. So it can do it for me. So then that's the idea, and then I can concentrate to something else that I can work on or do do do myself. But yeah, helping people teaching people is really the thing I like to do, doing the work of processing of solution. That is not my thing. But I'm always here to help my team and to work with them on when there is something blocking. But my objective is to teach them and to transfer to them some of those activities that I don't like to do any more.

Harsh Thakkar: 17:44

Great, how big? How big is your team? Like you, you also do consulting, in addition to other consultants?

Monir El Azzouzi: 17:50

Exactly, yeah, so I'm sometimes having my so I am the only one on my team that I know now we have two more people that we I was the only one that was speaking French, for example. So any French customer was with me. So I had to do everything from A to Z. So this is the part where I like I would really like to have somebody speaking French, because we have some French customers. So now I have some people from my team that speak French. Now, I'm teaching them so they are learning, but we are around 10 people and are working as of 6 if I can say consultants. But we have also some freelancers that we are bringing to projects when needed, when they need the specific clinical evaluation report. For example, I have some people that are specialized in that some experts. So each time I show them the case and say yes, we can do it, and then they do it. But sometimes there is no case at all to show. So then they are doing some other gigs or working on other things. So yeah, we have this team that we have built. Because at the beginning, when I started, I thought to myself, Oh, I will be my own boss, and I do myself everything is a trap. But to be honest, I have only 24 hours and I need to sleep also I need to eat you know so I have a family with three kids. So like, I don't have all times Wow, as a lot of people who are starting to contact me. I was thinking how can I divide myself on multiple and helping more people more people? And the only solution I find is okay, I need more people on my team that to come to help me and to maybe take also some some of the activities then I can really help more and more customers.

Harsh Thakkar: 19:14

Great, great. Yeah, I mean, at some point you you can't do it solo like I started last year just doing it by myself. But now I have a small team four people or I think five if you count me so yeah, five people. But yeah, I also look to subcontract sometimes or not even subcontract is just like picking somebody's brain, right. So exactly. I'm not giving them a project, but I could contact anybody on LinkedIn and I could say hey, I'm working with so and so client, I just need your help just for this one document. I will send you this document or you know, whatever it is or just come to the Zoom call and tell me what you would do here. And I will just pay you for the one or two hours right? It's not always like giving somebody a project, but I like to use the network

Monir El Azzouzi: 20:01

Exactly. And what is important here is also the fact that you have a network and this is many points where you are not alone and you have a network and you can ask some people to help them see what that means. And they can also help you to on with some customers that and the objective for that having this network is also important because customers what they want also is that, I mean, I have some customers that are coming to me and say, Oh, can you help me for this activity? For regulatory? I say yes, or but we need also to do some testing laboratory. So we have to send laboratory and I say to them, Oh, I know laboratory is gonna help you all to, to choose the right one, or you know, laboratories. Yeah, oh, I need also a firmware developer or no firmware rebuilt? Can I help you on that also. So you see the idea is to say, I'm not the one that will be doing the testing laboratory. I'm not the one who will be doing the firmware development or whatever. But I know people that do that, because I have a network. And then people come to me because I can help them instead of them chasing people one by one. I know I have my network. And I can tell them take this guy and take this guy and take this guy, and these guys are build their team. And then we can work and more quickly with this customer.

Harsh Thakkar: 21:07

Yeah, that's, that's, that's really, really important. Even for like full time roles I had, I've had clients sometimes tell me like, Hey, we're hiring a director of IT. And we have interviewed 15 people, but we cannot find anyone. Or if we find somebody, they want to be remote, but we want them on site. Can you just ask in your network? Or do you know anyone in your network, right? So it's not always consulting or extra work. I've even like given names of people who have got a full time job with one of my clients, because I just mentioned their name. And I knew they were looking because they texted me and said, Hey, I'm not having fun in my job, I'm looking for something else. So I'm like, okay, that's fine. All I did was mentioned, I don't take anything from the client. It's not like I'm a recruiter who's trying to take, it's just out of courtesy, like, Hey, this is a person that could be a good fit.

Monir El Azzouzi: 21:59

But they will remember you as a person that has a network, and they'll contact you next time for something else, etc. And this can give you also some opportunity. So the idea here is that I call it I mean, I have one of my partner that is more like, oh, no, I don't like that. I call it the four or three. Yeah, so many I give free advices ideas, my contacts, I do think, oh, it's all for free. I'm not taking one, as I said for that. But the idea for that is that I will be tech personal branding. Also, I will be recognized as a connector, so somebody that you should call and come to me to connect you to something else. And maybe this will also give me as a connector, the opportunities to do some job, do some work, do something, and then also make make some living out of that. So this is mainly the idea of being recognized as a connector. And only that.

Harsh Thakkar: 22:43

Yeah, I completely agree with that. So I don't know if you've come across the situation working in the industry. But a lot of times when I work with people on projects, if they tend to have a lot more experience than me, in some cases, they have as much experience as the number of years I've been alive, because they've had work that long. And sometimes you don't always agree on on topics when you're recommending to clients. So the question I want to ask you is, is there something that you disagree that most other people in the industry would agree with that approach?

Monir El Azzouzi: 23:16

In terms of disagreement? What do you mean, when I talk to a customer?

Harsh Thakkar: 23:21

Yeah, so like, like, let's say, let's just say there are 10 consultants in medical device consulting. And they all feel here's one way to do X is is Monir think? No, that's not the one way you should be doing y, or z or whatever.

Monir El Azzouzi: 23:39

Yeah, So in that case, in that case, for me first, I'm the last last to speak in a room and not the first to speak. Because I want to hear the opinion of everybody. Because the point is that if you start to jump immediately say No, I disagree. It's a trial. So you didn't hear all the story. You don't have all the cases. I mean, right, right. I'm young also So I'm, I'm actually feeling young. So it's mainly I didn't express everything also. So maybe there is a special case. And I fall in some of those traps, where I said no, no, no, no. But when I hear the case I yeah, in that case, specifically, yes, et cetera. So there are some cases where speak last. Just wait, listen to everything. And sometime at the end, they will ask you Oh, Monir, what do you think about that? This is just so this is the other item and you're that but to be honest, I'm not impressed by somebody that will be speaking first. And we'll be kind of arguing on this and that because I will come with counter arguments, but always politely, I will maybe may not make change his mind or whatever, but I have my own opinion. I have my own experience, but I'm always happy to learn from others and to tell them okay, I hear you I'm not agreeing with you, but try to convince me what is your arguments? What is the things that you had this experience etc. So I tried to get that and maybe if he provides a great right right example, etc. I will have maybe my mind changed or I will maybe have some kind of Middle compromise on it. Why I'm saying that is because in the medical device field, you have wheelchairs, you have pacemakers, you have MRI machines, you have implants, you have syringes, you have combination for it, you have so many, many varieties that this cannot fit everything. So at the end each thing has its own argumentation, I was with a customer just before we're recording here, where he gave me an I call it an exotic case is called the gray area, where everywhere where you are looking, you say, I don't know, I thought, I thought the exotic case. Yeah, so ideally, it's like, I can agree on this if they have disability. But I can also agree if they have disability. So at the end, and but I always try to give the the best case, the best services solution, for example, one of these customer was, is my product, medical device. I'm not a medical device, I say it's really in the borderline. My advice is make it a class one medical device, which is self Declaration, which is like the lowest classification possible, with lowest requirement possible. And you are on the safe side, because if you are not, nobody will complain. But if you are, then you are on the safe side with the class one because you have already started to work with that. So I don't have the final answer to that. Because I already told that if you even if you go to some competent authorities, I'm sure when we said I have no clue if this is not a medical device, or they can guide you to some guidance, they read this and just sit by yourself or whatever, this kind of thing. So so it's why I do I try to always to provide some best case and tell always to the customers, what is the worst case? What can happen if somebody finds it? Or is not agreeing? I said if you know they are not agree, you have already worked with your quality management system, your technical file with everything. Now we just need to contact the notified body because maybe it's a class two instead of a class one. You the way to arrive there is shorter than if you say Oh no, it's not a medical device. So I have no quality management system, no technical file, nothing. And now if an authority says no, no, you are a medical device class two a, then you have to make a big jump to arrive there. So I tried to give them some advice, right. So I always make some cautions. And we'll disclaimer warning to say I don't have all the information because it was a 30 minute score. I don't have all the information. But I here's my advice.

Harsh Thakkar: 27:24

Interesting, Yeah, you like like you said, you know, medical device is pretty interesting, because there are so many things that I never thought would be classified as a medical device. But then I talked to people and they're like, Nope, this is a medical device

Monir El Azzouzi: 27:38

Exactly, For example, one thing, I'm doing a course, on UMDR, on the medical device regulation. And I give one example. So I have this presentation where I give a picture of products. And I tell the people just to show to them that it's really difficult. I tell you, is it a medical device or not? And if it's not a medical device, what is it? And some people said yes, it's a medical device, some others? And no, it's not medical devices? I say you see, just by showing the picture, you are not sure. So it's really difficult. So it's like an easy point. And I show them this anti acid solution? And I say, is it a medical device? B It's a solution, you are drinking it, etc? So it's to avoid some stomach things. So is it a medical device? And they say something? No, no, it's a drug. So I said, I never told you there was any active ingredient inside is just a buffer. Because your stomach is acid, I put some buffer to make it more alkaline. So to remove the acidity, and there's no active ingredient in it. And on the legislation. I showed them that yes, it's a medical device, as long as there is no active ingredient. As long as it stays on the stomach. It's not it doesn't go further, et cetera, et cetera. So yes, it acts on the upper part of the stomach, then yes, it's a medical device. So this is always a thing where yes, you can see the thing from all the different sides. And if you receive from that side, certain medical device, but it reads from the other side says medical device. So this is this part that I also like is the fact that it's so diverse that you can make some mistakes. And I know that even me, I made a lot of mistakes. But it's the point to say the mistake is is possible. So listen to the others listen to people that have maybe some experience because they can teach you something. So never say, Oh, I know, I'm the one who knows that it, no know this and try to understand it.

Harsh Thakkar: 29:21

Yeah, very true about that. I know that, you know, just by following you, I know you are sharing a lot of stuff on a lot of content on LinkedIn. And most of the times I've seen your content it's very, like it's either a new guidance or a notification or something that came out from the regulations. How How do you do you have a team that tracks all this information? Do you use any software? Do you go to any blogs? Can you share any resources for the audience if they just want to know how you go about it?

Monir El Azzouzi: 29:53

So the first the first way is on LinkedIn to

Harsh Thakkar: 29:53

Yeah, definitely. We'll add the link to that in follow all the people that are also sharing those information Because then I have received this information. And I say, Okay, now I can share it to my, to my audience. The thing also, sometimes I think my to myself, all this information was already shared three days ago, and nobody wants to hear about that anymore. But I say, oh, let's show it to people. And then I received a lot of likes or comments or this and that, because the people that I'm following maybe my people are not following them. So they don't know that they exist, they don't know what they are sharing, etc. So the idea is that, yes, follow those people, if there are something interesting that they are sharing, then you share it again, and share to your audience because you have your own audience. And maybe they are not the same. People are also so she's number one. Number two is I'm using a tool called Med board. And I'm promoting also that tool on my on my podcast, med board is the I call it the Google of medical devices. So I go inside, and it shows me all the new updates in all over the world on medical devices. So then I set it to Europe, or I set it to U.S. or whatever. And then I find all the information and I say oh, this is interesting that share that with people, etc. I decided recently that we are starting now to make a regulatory update. Email, a newsletter if I can send to my customer, because I'm also an authorized representative in UK, Switzerland and Europe, the idea was to make a newsletter for my customers in UK, Switzerland and Europe. So when there is a UK change, then we are sending them an email with all the changes that are happening this month in UK, for your for Europe, for Switzerland cetera. So the idea is also to provide more and more information so that they can be ready. Because if they know the regulation, if they're applying the regulation, I have as an authorized representative, less risk to have some issues with them on the market. So it's why let's educate them so that they are ready so that I'm not on the back and say, oh, there was an issue on the market because they didn't follow this rule or that rule. But no, I told them they know about that. So then I'm also reducing my risk by doing that. So it's not just a marketing thing. It's also education to reduce my risk now. But yeah, great networking, using some tools like med board can help you to then be knowledgeable med board is really great too. Because you can select also your service, you make your own research, like a good bit, a lot of good. Will ask and so you make your criterias. And say for example, you want to have all the information about your type of devices in Europe, with the incidence or recourse or things that are happening there. So that's your seventh image. So we got an information about that. And then you can yourself make the assessment if this is important or not, you can or you say no, it's not relevant at all. So then you are moving to the next topic there. the in the show notes of the episode have also sometimes struggle trying to keep all this information from different sources. Do you So you mentioned about the newsletter? Do you have like, do you write everything? Or do you have a people, some people on your team that are writers who help you with writing content?

Monir El Azzouzi: 32:55

Since the last four years, I'm doing everything myself. This year, I hired somebody to do my podcast, addition, video, video procedures, etc. But I have some people that are writing some blogs for me from my team because they decided they said Oh Monir had a blog post, can you can we? Can we shout out to the people. Say yes, let's put it on the on the website. But all the rest, I am writing that myself. Now I'm hiring some people from my team that are also Arabic speakers that are translating from English to Arabic, because the idea is also to reach the Middle East area, to have also some support to the people that are maybe not speaking English and not understanding everything. So I say okay, let's maybe translate all that in Arabic. So I'm now creating an Arabic section on my blogs that people can can go to to check that. So yeah, I start to, to have some people that are working on that for me, but everything I do myself, we have, for example, a monthly episode, which is a regulatory update, mostly for medical devices every first Tuesday or Wednesday, because sometimes it takes us offline. So Wednesday of the week of the first of the month, the first Wednesday of the month, I am providing this episode where I am looking at all the last month and the following and the events that will come this month. What happens so I read all the elements, I summarize them and then I present them like a journal. So you can see the preview on my on my videos, like a journal showing that here is what happened here is a document and you can find the link in the show notes as well. So this I'm doing all myself also. So it's a lot of work. But to be honest, yeah, then it's really providing me a lot of a lot of value or so. And high eyeballs also because it is also to get some eyeballs that people are looking at that and then hiring my company to help them for any single rating to quality and Regulatory Affairs.

Harsh Thakkar: 34:49

Yep, that's that's pretty much how most of the times it works when you're just sharing stuff. So it's crazy that you're doing all this by yourself. I've been doing so far a lot of it myself. But I'm getting to a point where now I seriously need to think, like you said that started the episode, right? My hour, a year ago was worth X. But it is worth today something a lot more, right. So be, you know, as a as an owner or as a consultant, I cannot be spending time on doing content or whatever it is, but it's hard. I have to train people, I have to tell them. There's a lot of you know, this, listening to other creators and understanding what words to write what makes people click like it's a, it's a serious science. I know there's Chat GPT, and all these tools, but that's why you copy paste content from there, you don't get the same results. But when you look at the words, you understand, what's the feeling behind the word, right? If I say, oh, save $2, or whatever, but if I say here's an incredible deal, the word incredible gives you like a feeling like you're saving something right?

Monir El Azzouzi: 36:01

Best, Incredible also all those things. But one thing that is also important is that when you are listening to all those online marketers that are talking about millions of likes, so we just have to remember that we are in a niche field. So it's not like we are in the consumable area where people will consume our content, like with millions of views, or whatever, if I get 500 views on my video, I'm like, wow, I get 500 views on my videos. It's always something. So because, I mean, it's a small industry, it's a small thing, it's not like we are talking about Coca Cola, or Pepsi, or like those, Tesla, automotive or whatever, no, we are talking about medical devices, we should not like a sexy topic, nobody will will talk about that just for fun or whatever, or maximum and search I mean about that. So this is the idea also, that you have to go back to the ground and say, Guys, it's a small niche, we are not talking about millions of views. But if you have one employee of this company that is seeing you, then you can give your name to his boss or the other boss of people to say, Oh, I know a consultant that can help us on this and that, let's work on it. And so from that, so this is mainly variability. So you have to pick eyeballs per eyeballs, just to have maybe somebody maybe in one year, maybe in two years, maybe three years I had this morning, somebody that says I must silence followers of you. Recently, I got a request from my boss about this. And that and I, I asked him oh I know, somebody that can help us to it was to update their procedures about post marketing service, etc. And this is a big company, a big giant company that, that that, that contact me. So I said, wow. It's like a big company that's got the small passive, a person that says, Oh, I follow you. And I know yourself. Wow. So it's why it's something that will take time, it's not a overnight success that you have on this kind of thing. So it will be I mean, no, I'm doing that in four years. So it's not like something that like, if I started again, to be really painful again, because you asked me it's really painful.

Harsh Thakkar: 38:07

Yeah, it is, it is the first few months is very hard. I remember now I'm slowly out of that phase. But it's still you know, the the compounding and the daily, putting it out, like when you see the momentum and you see the results in anything in business or in life success, or if you're playing a sport or whatever it is, it's all about momentum when you're getting the results. It's almost like if even if you want to stop you cannot because you know how hard it is to to get to that level where now you know, every time you post something, you know, X number of people are going to see that so then you can start strategically you know, deciding what to post when to post exactly then now you it's just a game, you know, because you're you know what's happening there.

Monir El Azzouzi: 38:52

Exactly, you say it well, it's just a game, but remember that you shouldn't like this game also because you need to do that for the next five or six years 10 years maybe and so if you do something that you didn't like maybe it's not really done for you so have to find something so I like what I'm doing as I said the things I don't like I try to subcontract that to some people so that they can do it for me, but I like what I'm doing I like when I I have some people and I really like to receive all those messages from people that says Oh, because of you I find this job or because of you all the content that you provide I was able to pass this audit or because of what you have said my boss gave me a promotion etc because I was more smarter in the room because I knew what you were talking about et cetera so all those messages gives me like pride and motivation also say oh coach knew what you're doing because we it helps people on your side.

Harsh Thakkar: 39:43

Right Right Man I love you. I love your energy man. It's contagious. You You are just like full of full of energy. You're you have amazing content. I want to I know we're up on time. I want to close this out. Anyone listening to this episode? That's new to medical device industry wants to get in? Or is in the first year just starting out in the industry, what advice do you have for them?

Monir El Azzouzi: 40:09

So, first advice as I told you guys is follow all the people that are in this industry myself or Karandeep or anybody that we talked about follow them, because many they already are in the front of the line again say trying to get the information, so then they can send that to you and then you can learn from it direct. So learning is fine is really the first step. Second step is try to also search for information that you can share with people because then you are starting also to make your network people will follow you have eyeballs on you and know what you are doing. And then the idea is also to get trend the ideas many or you are a do it yourselfer a self owner, and then you can go and read the regulation understand etc. Or you are participating in some trainings where you can get some acceleration of this. And then you can also get the right vocabulary languages as the right because the idea is when you are going to get hired for a job, they will ask you those questions. Do you know about EUMDR? Do you know about the new legislation that happening? Oh, did you know about this, and that, if you are, you have no clue what they're talking about, you're not get hired at all, so you not be able to answer. So the idea is more about build your self confidence, get as much information as possible, learn as much as possible, and provide the right vocabulary or write languages to the people so that they are confident. And the point is, by doing that, I can say you can maybe fake it to make it fancy. So it can be like that. But it is also when you will be hired, even if you're hired it's like, learn continue to learn to get coaching to answer because maybe you will be even with the small information that you have, you will already be smarter than everybody in the room. Because mainly nobody's following or me or any or any other, any other creator. So stay tuned for that. So maybe they have no clue what we are talking about. So they are all expecting you to find information to educate and to tell what to do on that. And maybe to hire some consultant that you you know, to help you also make the job correctly. So the idea is step by step arriving to this field. But yeah, don't don't jump directly to the field without having made all those steps.

Harsh Thakkar: 42:24

Yeah, those are those are really good steps. And I know what you mean, it's, it's not. I mean, it's, it's kind of like fake it till you make it. But it's more like always being ready, right? Because you don't know when the opportunity will come. Right? I cannot sit here and speculate if I'm gonna get a client message a week from now, asking about my thoughts on EU MDR whatever regulation came out. But if I just read that over the weekend, and then next week, the client says, Hey, I'm looking for some help. Did you know about this? I don't have to then wait five hours to respond to the client to try to read because that's a desperation move. Right? I'm doing out of desperation, because I didn't keep up with that. So it's, it's more about just being ready, because opportunity can come anytime.

Monir El Azzouzi: 43:15

Exactly And I had I had some examples also, because I have a lot of people that contacts me on LinkedIn. So if you want to contact me, you can go on LinkedIn, I have a lot of people that contacts me and says, Oh, how can I enter this field? How can I do this? So we have made even some episodes on my podcast with Karandeep also talking about that, how you can make it etc. But one thing that I was also doing with some people because they contact me, they say Oh, give me some tips. I have an interview on Monday, okay, can I help? What can I do, etc. So sometimes I jump on a call with them, it takes maybe 30 minutes or so just to talk to them and say to them, okay, do you know about this? Do you know about that? Say No, I don't know about that stuff. So I tell them, Okay, if they ask you this question during the interview, what will you answer to them? And they say, Oh, I don't know. Exactly. So I said, Okay, you have to read that, that that that. Or you have to look at that, that that. And then it's their choice, if I can say if they are really motivated, they would read they will understand that they will move forward. And I'm always happy on Tuesday, when I go to course say Oh, I I got the job, because all the questions that you asked me to look at is exactly. And they were astonished to say, oh, you know about that. That was published last week? How do we know about that? I mean, they weren't able to answer the question. And they were, as I said to you, the person who was motivated, I didn't answer to her question I just told told her what to look for. And then the result was she got the job. So it's just as easy as that. I mean, not easy, but it's it's also the opportunity for just follow people learn and get the right knowledge. And you will see that people that we ask your question your questions during the interview, there will be wild surprise, oh, they know about this. They know about that. They know where to look for. And this is also the case maybe you don't know the information, but you can say I don't know the information, but I know that it's this on this document or that thing is a trust so I can Look forward and I can tell you exactly. So it's also a good answer. No need to be the smartest guy in the room. Just say I know where to find the information. Yep.

Harsh Thakkar: 45:08

Well, listen, thank you. Thank you so much for your time for coming to the show. I like I said, I just love your approach on leveraging social media, leveraging the platforms and consulting in medical device before we wrap this up any final thoughts? And where can people connect with you or contact you?

Monir El Azzouzi: 45:28

Yeah, so my final thoughts is many that be happy, do what you want to do try to try not to follow others. And if people are listening to us, maybe we are already at the level five or six or seven of our journey, maybe you are just at level one. So don't compare to anybody you are on your own journey. So go through through it without being jealous of anyone that has more views or more things or more that no you will not you are on your own journey. The best moments to start was yesterday or today. So start it now so don't don't look, look back and say oh, I should have started last year, what's a no start now and don't stop just to just move forward for people that want to follow me. So as I said, you can go to easy medical device.com Or you have all my content there, there is my YouTube channel. So easy medical device also so that you can see all my videos that I'm doing the podcasts also that we are we are doing they're on LinkedIn is the best place to contact me and to find me and to send me messages. I'm trying to answer to every messages. So don't hesitate to contact me if you have any question or whatever. I'm also doing as well as a few, some 30 minutes call with people. So tell me and I will send you a link. And then you can spot when I have some free time. So that you can you can place a meeting there and we can answer any of your questions there. So yeah, the idea is to be able to help you as much as possible, because I know that what you are doing is really important that people that are working in this industry are helping people for the healthcare system and everything. And one of the thing that I'm always saying to people is, I have a motto, which is would I give these products to one member of my family. So the idea is many you want to have some time some questions of this boy, is it a good product or bad product? Whatever said, will they give this product to a member of my family? And if I love my family, hopefully? No, I will not give it to them because it's dangerous. It can kill them. If it was my son on the table on the surgery table. Will this knee implant will be fine for him? Yes or no. And this is mainly the thing that makes me also take some decisions sometimes. So you have also to remember that we are in the healthcare industry. At the end they are there is my wife there is my father, mother of a son, etc. That can be in this situation. So then take the right decision after that.

Harsh Thakkar: 47:38

Yep, well said, man, thank you so much and wish you all the best with health and business and LinkedIn and everything that you're doing. It was really great having you on.

Monir El Azzouzi: 47:47

Thank you, thank you, Harsh. I really Thank you. appreciate it. And hopefully this will be adding a lot of people that are listening here.

Harsh Thakkar: 47:54

Thanks, man. Thank you.

Monir El Azzouzi: 47:55

Alright bye.

Harsh Thakkar: 47:56

Thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Check out the show notes in the description for a full episode summary with all the important links. Share this with a friend on social media and leave us a review on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.