Transforming the delivery of Professional Services Worldwide | Zain Ali
December 21, 2024
Co-Founder & CEO
Anas Almaletti, Co-Founder & CEO of Cell Phones For Less, Inc., grew up in Madaba, Jordan. He shared a three-bedroom house with 15 family members for the first ten years of his life. That period shaped his entrepreneurial spirit and sense of belonging to a community bonded by common values and overcoming hardships together. “Many of us back then had to become entrepreneurs by necessity. Whether it was selling gum, corn, or balloons, you had to put food on the table. Growing up in Madaba taught me resilience, emotional intelligence, and to never give up on myself.”
CP4L was started by Anas’ father in Syracuse, NY, in 2005, shortly after he immigrated to the U.S. He had a simple strategy – offer the best quality cell phone service with the lowest prices to differentiate himself in the marketplace. “I joined him and my brother Musa, who still my partner today, in 2009. Back then, we had the vision of expanding the business into multiple markets and scaling it quickly,” says Anas. “Initially we failed because we didn’t have a strategy. We operated under the assumption that if things go well in one location, they should go just as well as a multi-unit operation.” They spent the next five years learning from that mistake and developing a winning strategy. In 2014, they became an Authorized Retailer with Cricket Wireless, which offers simple and affordable wireless solutions to consumers. Since then CP4L has grown its original store to 40 locations in New York and Pennsylvania. CP4L went from 5 employees to over 120 proud today.
“I credit the success of CP4L to our employees who stuck with us through thick and thin, the community of Central NY, and Cricket Wireless,” adds Anas. “As CEO, I focus on culture; I think of myself as the guardian of the CP4L identity, and our employee base reflects these core values. No matter how large our company becomes, the core of who we are will always be the same.”
Anas challenges his leadership team to ensure that every CP4Lian knows and understands the company’s values. “This approach serves as my moral compass, especially when making tough decisions.”
“The person who has influenced me throughout my life is my cousin Jehad Almaliti, who taught me compassion and the importance of investing in people without expecting anything in return,” says Anas. “This is what drives our culture of generosity, knowing that acts of kindness and treating people well creates a connection over the long term. This has been especially important as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. We offered free cell phone service to terminally ill children who had limited interactions with their families due to hospital visitation restrictions. Acts of kindness and supporting our community are pillars of our business.” These are the ideologies that have taken Anas to great heights and helped him become a true leader.
Growing in an Unprecedented Way
On strategy, Anas is in the process of acquiring his Master Norm in Chess. “I love the game of chess. It inspires creativity and sharpened my analytical skills. So many things about chess imitate business especially, and the game has developed many useful skills that I use daily as a CEO.”The steadfast leader says that CP4L follows a simple strategy of growing where they are planted. “We are based out of Syracuse, NY and have expanded to surrounding areas. We look to add distribution in areas we know inside and out,” he says. “It sounds simple, but we’re mindful about how and where we grow, so we can be effective in the communities we serve.”
Creating Meaningful Work
“Our purpose at CP4L is to create meaningful work and meaningful relationships while connecting our customers with their loved ones through the products and services of Cricket Wireless,” said Anas. “Every CP4Lian becomes a guard of our culture and values, and I strongly believe that our talented team is what differentiates us from our competition and the culture that we have.”
COVID-19 has shifted consumer shopping behaviour, and the patterns CP4L relied on in the past can no longer serve the traditional scheduling in retail. CP4L is working to identify new trends in consumer shopping behavior so that his team can optimize scheduling and hours of operations. This project is part of a larger digital transformation to help deliver best in-class customer service.
“I credit the success of CP4L to our employees who stuck with us through thick and thin, the community of Central NY, and Cricket Wireless.”
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