“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream and discover,”- Mark Twain, Author

Krishna Bansal, President & CEO of Q1 Technologies is no ordinary entrepreneur. His journey started in his teens when he helped his dad build a road construction division in Gwalior, India This venture was Krishna’s first step on his long journey from do-er to thinker, from being directed to directing, and from being a common worker to an entrepreneur. It did not take very long before he migrated into his natural environment which was within the technology vertical in large businesses and had the opportunity to sharpen his skills at corporation giants such as Oracle and Albertsons. Always looking for a way to mix his personal pleasures with business, as an avid flight enthusiast, Bansal founded an aviation company and was able to leverage his passion for flying by taking his private airplane to client destinations for almost five years. A strong believer in giving back to society, Krishna is currently contesting for the Naperville District 204 Elections with a selfless aim at making that school district the Gold Standard for education in Illinois by which all others can be measured. Krishna’s proverbial ‘feather in his hat’ is the Naperville headquartered Q1 Technologies(www.q1tech.com), which he founded in 2002 to provide software development, business consulting and technology integration which align strongly to the company's first and foremost criterion: “quality first”.


Overcoming Adversaries


With such a wonderfully diverse background, Krishna derived the will and inspiration to succeed from his grandfather. “He was a self made man who came from humble beginnings in India and believed in hard work, persistence, and intelligence. He always advised me to keep an open mind and to always think as well as aim for bigger things in life; my grandfather has inspired and encouraged me to be who and what I am today,” says Bansal.

A believer that the leader should provide the path against adversities, Krishna never gave up on his quest to create a successful company; however, the journey came with its shares of financial insecurities. Having had to invest all his savings and obtain personal loans to make it through the tough and trying times of a lean market, but calling on his learnings as an MBA graduate in Finance and Marketing from Jiwaji University, this background proved immensely helpful to Krishna to make the sage decisions that got him out of these challenging initial phases of his entrepreneurial journey.
With wise decision making, belief in his employees, and unyielding persistence , Q1 Technologies, under Bansal’s vision and leadership, has journeyed a long way since its inception to today with over 150 individuals working all around the globe. The company now offers the best-in-class IT enterprise software solutions, architecture and infrastructure, staff augmentation and managed services to a host of fortune 500 companies such as Fedex, Alcoa, Albertsons/Supervalu, and Walgreens to name a few. The company also partners with most of the top tier IT products companies and provides value-added reselling to SMB businesses.


Driving Innovation within Q1


The client portfolio for which Q1 is proud to reveal would not have been possible without the innovative spirit within Q1. Knowing that innovation is a creative process, Bansal thinks outside the box of ‘conventional wisdom’ to question why that is wisdom at all and more so, why can’t a person do it differently. One of the ways by which Krishna drives novel ideas is by working with the teams in open-sky white boarding sessions, a term for free-thinking where brainstorming sessions are conducted to improve on current entities, and build new technological innovations.


His mantra towards innovation is that it does not necessarily need to be ground breaking. “Even putting together a solution to make inventory more visible or a request form easier to fill can add millions to the bottom line of a corporation. We often idolize new products like an iPad but a simple new brake lining dreamed up by an engineer could have saved more lives due to more effective braking in cars,” says the CEO of Q1.


The brainstorming sessions eventually resulted in Techvega(www.techvega.com), an eCommerce portal originated by Bansal to provide for the increasing demand by enterprises for BYOD and a host of other state of the art technologies at nominal prices. The portal has now become the ‘go-to’ site for a host of enterprises looking for tech products at exceptional sale prices.

Flying is about Multitasking and Defining Priorities


Bansal attributes some effective entrepreneurial lessons to his piloting days. While flying over Sun Valley, his plane was hit by an unexpected and very severe wind shear which resulted in the loss of many thousands of feet in just a few seconds. With skill and God's grace, both Bansal and the co-pilot managed to escape from this harrowing encounter with nary a scratch. "I still remember how the Sun Valley air traffic controls cleared the surrounding airspace and the airport for what they thought would be my emergency landing. This made me understand an important lesson with regard to my professional and personal life-every day is valuable and when life throws a punch, you either duck, block or punch back" says Bansal.


Being a pilot provides the CEO of Q1 Technologies the opportunity to focus and have clarity of thoughts on a singular goal. “Although the world looks small from a few thousand feet, each individual is different and brings his/her own unique skills and qualities. Flying is all about multi-tasking while defining priorities – this is also a trait which I believe is critical for running a successful business," says Bansal.

Giving back to the Community


“From what we get, we can make a living; what we give; however, makes a life,” So said Arthur Ashe, and as an avid believer in the saying, Bansal is now passionately committed to philanthropic activities of helping the homeless and underprivileged in his hometown of Illinois. Having worked with educational institutions, government, and fortune 500 corporations through Q1 Technologies, and leveraging his strong background in finance and technology, Bansal has helped institutions manage tight budgets, innovate for efficiency, and learn to do the same of more with less. Krishna’s vision is to incorporate these similar values into the state by contesting and winning board membership to the Indian Prairie School District 204. Bansal serves as an example for many who believe that actions should speak louder than words. Today, he continues to inspire kids and professionals alike with his go-get and never give up attitude.