(This is part of a regular series of technical advisor CEO Spotlights, where leading TAs share their secrets for success and goals for the future).

London native Anita Patel moved to West Palm Beach, FL, in 2023 and started Minerva Tec Group after building and selling a U.K. advisory business. She founded Minerva “on a simple but powerful idea that businesses shouldn't have to navigate the complexity of technology procurement alone, and they shouldn't have to pay a premium to get expert guidance.”

Patel became an advisor after spending more than 25 years in tech and telco at companies such as WorldCom, Colt, BSkyB, and Sony. Patel found quick success as a U.S.-based TA. She was an inaugural 2026 Channel Partners TA Tech Leaders winner after being named to the Channel Futures TA 101 in 2025.

She also chairs the AI and Emerging Technologies Committee at the West Palm Chamber of Commerce.

I caught up with Patel to get her insights on leadership and what makes a successful TA.

What inspired you to start or lead your company, and what is your company’s mission?

Patel: I've spent over 25 years working in and around the technology and telecoms industry, starting in the U.K. with companies like WorldCom, Colt, BSkyB, and Sony, and eventually building and selling my own advisory business there. When I moved to West Palm Beach in 2023, I didn't just want to replicate what I'd done before. I wanted to build something better. Minerva Tec Group was founded on a simple but powerful idea that businesses shouldn't have to navigate the complexity of technology procurement alone, and they shouldn't have to pay a premium to get expert guidance. Our mission is to be a true trusted advisor, vendor-neutral, business-first, and fully accountable from the first conversation through to delivery and beyond.

Anita Patel

How big is your company now headcount-wise?

Patel: We operate as a lean, intentionally focused team and that's by design. Our model is built around access over headcount. Through our partnerships with leading Technology Service Distributors, we give clients access to over 300 vetted technology partners and dedicated solution engineers across cloud, connectivity, cybersecurity, AI, and CX. This means when a client engages with us, they're not getting a small team they're getting a curated ecosystem of specialists, without being locked into any single vendor. It's the kind of breadth and flexibility that most companies of our size simply can't offer, and it's central to how we deliver value.

What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges in your industry over the next five years?

Patel: The opportunity is enormous. AI, SASE, CCaaS, and cloud convergence are creating a wave of technological decisions that most companies are simply not equipped to navigate alone. The demand for trusted, vendor-neutral guidance has never been higher. The challenge is that the channel has to earn that trust more deliberately than ever. Buyers are more informed, more skeptical, and quicker to disengage the moment they sense someone is selling rather than advising. The advisors who thrive in the next five years will be the ones who lead with business outcomes, not product features and who stay relevant as the technology landscape shifts faster than any single vendor can keep up with.

How does your company use AI and other emerging technologies to stay ahead of the curve?

Patel: AI is part of every conversation we're having with clients right now, whether they're ready for it or not. Our role is to help them think through where AI genuinely moves the needle for their business versus where it's just noise. That means understanding their workflows, their pain points, and their risk tolerance before we ever talk about a solution. Internally, we use AI to work smarter from research and market intelligence to how we manage our client lifecycle. For a lean team, that kind of leverage is essential. But we're always clear with clients: AI is a tool, not a strategy. The strategy has to come first.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs or leaders in the tech space?

Patel: Focus on building relationships and trust, not just transactions. Technology will always evolve, but credibility, consistency, and delivering outcomes are what sustain a business long term. Also, stay close to the problem you are solving. If you lose sight of that, you lose relevance and get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Moving to a new country, building a network from scratch, starting a business in a market where nobody knew my name, none of that was easy. But the willingness to do hard things with conviction is what separates people who build something lasting from those who don't.

What do most people misunderstand about building a sustainable business in the advisor channel?

Patel: That it's a sales business. It's not, or at least, the sustainable version isn't. The advisors who last are the ones who invest in understanding their clients’ businesses deeply enough to become genuinely indispensable. That's a relationship business, not a transactions business. The other thing people underestimate is the post-sale. Anyone can recommend a solution and collect a commission. The real work and the real differentiation is what happens after the contract is signed. Staying engaged through implementation, escalations, and the inevitable bumps is what turns a client into a long-term partner.

Where do TAs risk losing credibility with buyers today?

Patel: Credibility is lost when advisors prioritize commission over outcomes or present too many options without clear guidance. Clients are not looking for more noise. They want clarity, confidence, and accountability. The advisors who stay in their lane, bring in the right specialists when needed, and are honest about the limits of their knowledge those are the ones clients come back to.

What incentives in the channel are misaligned with customer outcomes today?

Patel: Incentives are still heavily weighted towards selling rather than solving. The compensation model, if you're not careful about it, can create perverse incentives. There's always a temptation to recommend what pays better rather than what serves the client best. That's why vendor neutrality isn't just a marketing message for us, it's a discipline we actively practice. I'd also point to the pressure to close quickly. Long sales cycles are uncomfortable, especially for smaller advisory firms. But rushing a client to a decision before they're ready or before you truly understand their environment almost always creates problems downstream. Slowing down to get it right is always the right call, even when it's the harder one.

If you were starting today, what would you do differently and what would you do exactly the same?

Patel: I would have moved to the U.S. earlier. The channel here is incredible -- the energy, the knowledge, the caliber of people operating in this space is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. I wish I hadn't waited as long as I did. What I'd tell anyone starting out is to begin early, build your brand, and invest in relationships and community from day one. Show up, give back, and genuinely be present, not just when you need something. The goal is to become the person that people instinctively turn to when they need guidance, support, or just a sounding board and whom they can trust. That kind of reputation isn't built overnight, but when you have it, it's everything.