ADMIRED WOMEN
IN BUSINESS
2021
Marla Blaylock
We can safely state that humans of the twenty-first century live in a technology-driven world. In today’s digital age, economies and businesses are rapidly adopting technology in their operations to drive prosperity and development. However, with the massive influx of software solution providers in the market today, it is easy to get overwhelmed with choice. What’s more, is that a lot of these companies do not have the finest strategies in place when it comes to combining business operations and enterprise data.
Staying ahead of the curve by providing comprehensive consultation and identifying technology gaps in large-scale enterprise operations is Austin, Texas-based, Blue Lotus Systems. Established in 2003, and led by CEO Marla K. Blaylock, this company has stayed a cut above the rest due to its expert solutions in technical and business integration in the industries of healthcare, finance, ERP, CRM, E-Commerce, service desks, call centers, and more.
Creating breakthrough solutions
Blue Lotus Systems is an established, full-service IT solutions provider with upwards of 18 years of experience in managing enterprise platforms. Their consulting specialists are a collection of world-class experts in all the known strategic IT disciplines of today. The company’s prowess lies in its ability to align its software implementation plans with an organization’s business strategy, propelling them towards sustained and quantifiable growth.
“We offer services in many key domains that are designed to solve business problems and help elevate the maturity of your IT organization.”
Marla started the company 18 years ago with the aim to assist companies of all sizes with the latest software solutions. She says, “I founded Blue Lotus Systems in 2003 with the belief that I would give companies of all sizes the ability to have the same services as the big consulting agencies by being more personal and provide budget-friendly options.”
Blue Lotus’s services portfolio is designed specifically keeping in mind the modern-day and upcoming digital trends to make organizations of today, ready for the challenges of tomorrow. Their business-technology integration strategy is tailor-made for each of their clients in order to deliver the best results.
Through Blue Lotus Systems, Marla offers complete enterprise-scale digitalization solutions, aimed at customer service, managerial development, vendor management, and others. Over the years, Marla has led digital transformation initiatives for companies across the globe, creating various initiatives to streamline and assess organizational data to enhance productivity, quality, and overall financial performance.
Staying ahead in the technology world
The technology industry has predominantly been a male-dominated industry. Talking about her own beginnings, Marla shares, “In my early years I did experience some issues but I believe what allowed me to move through my career is that I have never been afraid to use my voice.”
Marla shares that along her professional journey, she had mentors that would regularly put her in roles that honed her organizational as well as leadership skills. And in less than two decades, today, her creative problem-solving ability, genuine passion for technology, and unfazed dedication have enabled organizations to grow multifold by generating millions of dollars in earnings and savings.
An inspirational woman figurehead, Marla herself is involved in many initiatives to empower women. She has often noticed how, at workplaces, many women live with the ‘impostor syndrome’ which leads to them doubting their own skills, talents, and accomplishments. A vast proportion of female employees, although technically sound, do not use their voice with authority, feels Marla.
“Learning to believe and trust in yourself as a woman will open many doors of opportunity.”
As a revered woman leader in the technology industry, Marla is known to go out of her way to guide aspiring entrepreneur’s world-over. She likes to spend time mentoring and guiding young women, encouraging them to dream big and act on their dreams fearlessly. “Speak up! Know your facts and lean in with inner strength,” she says to women, motivating them to make a place for themselves at the head table of their organizations.
Marla has always remained a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion in her company. Blue Lotus has women employees at all levels of the organization, handling various technical and non-technical roles and responsibilities. “We hire a person based on who they are, not just for what skills they possess,” states Marla. She personally guides women in her organization, encouraging them to speak with authority and to have a voice within the office and outside of it.
Innovation, development, and sustenance
In more recent times, when Covid-19 shook the planet, many companies, including Blue Lotus had to take a hard look inwards at their organizational structure and decide the precedent they wanted to set herewith. With hybrid work environments emerging as the new normal for businesses everywhere, it has become imperative for organizations to further streamline their operations and data, to stay ahead and relevant in the industry.
Furthermore, AI and blockchain are creating new technology-backed opportunities for companies today, with Blue Lotus at the forefront to adopt them. “We are implementing a new training series to prepare our teams to embrace what is coming,” shares Marla. These new technologies will allow them to deliver high-quality and new-age solutions to their clients in this new, post-pandemic era.
“My goal is to be remembered for how I made people feel about themselves. Not what I accomplish just at work.”
Looking ahead, Blue Lotus stands tall, prepared with its advanced solutions to link business goals with new technologies. As for Marla, she remains poised as a pioneer in the Information Technology world, and continues to be an inspiration to women entrepreneurs everywhere, cheering them on to “dream big and believe it can be done and that you are worth nothing less.”
