Power Moves: Business Mogul Ignas Jurkonis And Wife Gerda Share How They’re Building A Family Empire

Photo Credit: Greta Kuliusaite @kuliusaite

IGNAS AND GERDA JURKONIS ARE COUPLE GOALS. NOT ONLY HAS THE COUPLE FOUNDED MULTIPLE STARTUPS,  including UC Group, a priority freight forwarder and visionary supply chain solution for Fortune 500 companies where Ignas currently serves as CEO, but the two consistently give back, most recently having formed a partnership with the Global Empowerment Mission and Bethenny Frankel’s BStrong Initiative. Together, this husband-and-wife duo is focused on entrepreneurship, thought leadership, philanthropy and family. With flourishing global businesses and two small children, the Jurkonis’ have a unique and innovative take on having it all and getting it all done. Splitting their time between Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago and Bogota, the Lithuanian-born team stays focused on what’s important.

Photo Credit: Greta Kuliusaite @kuliusaite

What makes you unique as a couple and as entrepreneurs?

Our family lives an active lifestyle. We learn to stay together as individuals and as a team. Matching and supporting individualities is a very mindful and important aspect that makes us high-performing in all our roles: managing companies and working with nonprofits, being partners and parents. We live in multiple locations and balance our time. Time is a very high value for us, so we need to make sure it is always well spent and rich for memories.

What are your thoughts on the phrase power couple? Does it apply to you?

We love this phrase, and it relates to us completely. It’s not about the impression, it’s about self-feeling and encouragement. For us it’s about everyday and life management. This phrase assimilates high energy, values, performance and lifestyle.

Photo Credit: Greta Kuliusaite @kuliusaite

How do you incorporate thought leadership practices into your daily life, at your companies and at home?

Expertise, insight and a valuable perspective are the main elements that get us to thought leadership status. It takes dedication, patience, strategy, education and, most importantly, an ability to listen. In business, we are usually considered as having an innovative, different, unusual approach. However, family is different. It’s about teaching kids and each other the natural differences of thinking, and the value of that. Respect and discussions that are based on personal research play an important role, along with constant physical, spiritual and educational development. Such development brings different perspectives on family and life values.

As a couple navigating your company across many cities and countries, what are key elements to keeping it all running smoothly?

It really comes down to how we spend our time in the present moment. Power couple or power family for us is about passion, high energy, high performance and being mindfully present. This requires a fast transition of mind between business, social or family environments. Living a fast life has a high risk of missing things, of moments passing by without notice. We work hard to live lives that are full of memories and quality relationships. This requires the ability to recognize and avoid things that are not a priority or don’t bring value to us as individuals and as family. It can be challenging sometimes.

Photo Credit: Greta Kuliusaite @kuliusaite

What do you see as the next phase of entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship is a big part of our purpose, not only in business but also in family and life. Constant searches for innovation in time management, purpose expression and family relationships are part of our journey. The ability to have an impact and affect the lives of those who trust our leadership is a mission we are committed to. In fact, Ignas and his team are launching a business platform in Latin America that will focus on changing employee lives by creating unlimited growth and success opportunities for them. In this startup, individual employee dreams will become the primary interest of the business. All leadership will be seen through a psychological and human behavior lens. We call it “the engine for opportunity.”

What to you is the greatest luxury in life, and why?

Enjoying life to the fullest, in the moment, is the greatest luxury. For us, luxury is to be healthy, mobile and free, having enough time to enjoy your best life now. Luxury is a state of mind, and your life is whatever you do to make the best of it.