As entrepreneurs we’ve all faced the highs and lows of building our business’ from the ground up, but it’s that drive to succeed, the hope for the future and belief in our ideas that keeps us pushing towards our goals.
There may have even been a time or two that you felt stuck, you may be right in the midst of it now. Well, we’re here to un-stick you!
Every month we’ll be asking 27 successful entrepreneurs, from all realms of the business world, to answer one question and if you’re right in the middle of your business journey, we have no doubt you’ll be inspired.
What Was the Most Important Part of Your Whole Business Journey?
We know there were a lot of steps that went into achieving the level of success that you have now, but we want to know that one step or mindset that was pivotal in reaching your goals!
Be inspired, get motivated and most importantly, keep swimming!
The most important lesson that I’ve learned in my journey is to take risks and not be afraid of failure. You learn more from the mistakes than you do from the victories.
King Bach
The Internet Guy who’s in Movies Now
Actor, Comedian, Social Media Star, Most Followed Person on Vine
www.andrewbachelor.com
The most important part of my business journey has been maintaining the drive, focus, commitment and passion I have to succeed at what I do. Hard work, and learning from every experience is what allows me to grow and become the entrepreneur I want to be.
Dorit Kemsley
Founder/Creative Director of ‘Beverly Beach by Dorit’ and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Cast Member
www.beverlybeachbydorit.com
The most important part of my business journey was learning to embrace my ‘imposter syndrome’ & saying F**K You to the ‘experts’ who always told me their way was better! It may well have been, however they hadn’t achieved a fraction of what I had so it took a minute for me to look at myself in the mirror and say, I did this, me! And it doesn’t matter how many mistakes I make, as they will always be my biggest lessons and that’s when you really start winning
Sukhy Javeed
Speaker, Coach, Consultant and Cast Member of Big Brother UK
www.iconicsukhy.com
The most important part of my business journey is and continues to be maintaining positive habits of thinking. This daily practice leads to a solid mindset. When you have a solid mindset, you instill routine habits to sustain and grow your business. It’s important to embrace the barriers and failures as they are an integral part of the lineage of any business. The key is to not spend any time or react to them. Embrace them, learn the lessons and move on. Maintain being laser-focused on your goals and passion. This leads to creativity and innovation. Remain structured in your day and have three important tasks that must be completed to move the needle ahead 1mm every day to reach your business goals.
Deb Crowe
CEO, Davwill Consulting
Coach, Speaker, Consultant
www.debcrowe.com
It may sound all too obvious…and a little trendy…with the Marie Kondo reference…but choosing to only execute that which ‘sparked joy’ in me & outsourcing the rest to a passionate & reliable Dream Team was the key to my entrepreneurial happiness & success! SO grateful to have The Pocket Office on this beautiful squad!
Elvira V. Hopper
Miracle Mindset Coach, Inspirational Speaker and Artistic Healer
www.elvirahopper.com
Focus. Pure and simple. Entrepreneurs face so many distractions. There are so many projects and people competing for our time. So many opportunities. However. We only have 3 resources. People. Time. Money. And our job as CEO is to get the biggest return we can on those 3 resources. And a maniacal focus is the only way to ensure we get the best results. Like dispersed and light up a room. Highest focused light is like a laser and can cut steel. It’s all about focus.
Cameron Herold
Founder of COO Alliance
www.cooalliance.com
Don’t get comfortable.
Scoot Mason
Top Toronto Tattoo Artist & Shop Owner
www.scootink.ca
Branding, is extremely important in giving your audience a clear idea and representation of your product or service. I created my jewelry line Victory Of The People, to celebrate the strength and beauty of every woman. That message of female empowerment that is reflected in my designs, needed to also be reflected in my logo and packaging. I chose a colour palette that was vibrant and focused on every detail to convey the feeling of strength, grace and luxury that speaks to my customers. Your branding is one of the first things your customer sees and needs to be focused and prioritized in terms of time, cost and effort.
Nicoletta Papadaki
Owner and Jewelry Designer at Victory of the People
www.victoryofthepeople.ca
How to manage rejection. When you are a founder and the CEO the vision of the company; it’s value proposition and product offering, is very personal. You have this emotional attachment to this technology that is akin to raising an infant child. You have spent hours on scaling the offering, tweaking the product, analyzing pro formas and writing decks and business plans. And all the effort you have this ingrained sense that it will succeed. But when you go to your first meeting with either investors or customers and are rejected you experience the six stages of death all instantaneously; a complete overflow of emotions. And this can be debilitating if you keep remembering that rejection. My advice: understand the rejection, get back up dust yourself off and move forward. Never look back but take away that piece of advice from the rejection that you know will come up at the next meeting. Wallowing in rejection will only harm the company. Learn, recalibrate and off to probably the next rejection. And never take it personally, this is business.
Gregory Melchior
CEO & Co-Founder
Propeze Corp.
As an entrepreneur building a brand that literally has my name in the title, there can be a lot of pressure to succeed. Starting out, I didn’t know exactly what success would look like for me but was always confident that I wanted to create a positive impression on other people’s lives. Through my experiences, I learned that tracking my social media channels analytics is a fundamental practice that helps to outline my progress and strategize how to grow my brand even further; however, I quickly realized that the most effective way to build my brand goes beyond just tracking follower count and likes. Once I realized this, I stopped focusing so much on my social channels numbers but on the content that brings myself and my audience joy. In my case, the passion for hair and beauty has bound us together, creating a positive community for people of similar interests to connect. I love interacting with the community we’ve built by asking questions in optional surveys and responding to messages. I truly believe that being receptive to your audience, clients, and customers has been the most effective method towards growing my brand. The input and support I get from my audience has been the most valuable part of my business journey, as it inspires me to excel and strive for success every day and build a valuable brand for myself.
Melissa Guido
Curly Hair Specialist at Manes by Mell
Youtube
Instagram
My business elevated to the next level when I made the decision to be completely genuine. True to myself and who I am, real to my clients and transparent with the world. Being passionate with sincerity will set you apart.
Nicole Fegan
Trial Attorney
www.feganlaw.com
It was willingness to take the risk. Being responsible for providing food for 1,200 of our community’s most impoverished children seemed a daunting task. Taking the risk to develop a program model that would be simple, cost-effective and impactful, then engaging partners that believe in the importance of this work were all elements to success. Unless you try, you never know. Take the risk.
Lena Bassford
Founder Food4Kids
www.food4kidshamilton.ca
It was the realization that I was never going to reach certain goals without help.
Ray Cruzzola
Film Maker/Founder at Room Temp Productions
www.roomtempproductions.com
Without a doubt it has been my decision to hire a business coach. As a business owner you can sometimes get in your own way and spend a lot of time in your head. So you need someone to pull you out of the funk. The outside push from a coach to motivate me, challenge me, support and encourage me has allowed me to gain more confidence in my own ideas, thought processes and the way I approach my business.
Candice Tulsieram
Owner and Principal Planner at 360 Events
www.360events.ca
Making up my mind as to what I wanted to do with my life, then I started dedicating each day working towards my business by reaching out to people, companies and whoever I think can help me in my business.
The one step that made me who I am today is looking to God for guidance. I fasted and praised for over 40 days, I read self-help books, affirmation books and kept a gratitude journal. Being an entrepreneur is not easy because sometimes you don’t know where your next client is coming from but if you put in the work, have passion and leave the rest to God. You will reach your business goals.
Abby Ayoola
Entrepreneur in Food, Fitness, Beauty, Media and Tech
www.abbyayoola.com
The most important part of my business journey thus far was when I came to the realization that I won’t be able to please everyone, not everyone will understand what it is that I am doing and most people will not be able to relate to my journey. This was extremely important for me because as an entrepreneur, I faced a lot of “discouragement” from friends, family members and people viewing what I was doing from the outside looking in. At any point during these instances, I could have given in to the negativity that these people were expressing and have given up on my dreams. The realization allowed me to ignore the naysayers and proceed with following my dreams which in a short amount of time, have translated into a Real Estate, Mortgage & Life Insurance Brokerage
Matthew Ablakan
Founder of Millennial’s Choice
www.millennialschoice.com
It was when I realized information and the proper implementation of that information makes all the difference. I learned that there is always more to learn, and that it is good to experiment and keep trying until you figure out what works for you in manifesting the results you seek. Entrepreneurs are simply curious people who keep trying until they figure things out.
Matthew Taylor
Entrepreneur, Published Author, Owner of Golden Spear Enterprises & Golden Ink Print
www.goldeninkprint.ca
Having the freedom to make mistakes that actually cost me money and therefore learning in real-time
Robert Dymont
President/Founder
LinkedIn
The most important part for me, has been learning to be patient with the process. Initially, I had an unrealistic expectation of how a business grows. As a Holistic Nutritionist, I was eager to start working with clients as soon as I graduated. I tried that, and it didn’t get me very far. I had to backtrack and learn about running a business from the ground up. I learned the importance of not cutting corners and taking the time to build the foundation of my business. I created a website, took business courses, bought accounting software, focused on a niche, and so much more. I often remind myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Andrea Grace
Holistic Nutritionist, Fitness Instructor and Owner of Andrea Grace Wellness
www.andreagracewellness.com
Having the emotional support from my family. Financial capital is the most focused on measure when starting and building a business. However, just as important (or even more so) is the emotional capital your family (and friends too) put in you.
These are the people who will be there to listen and support you in tough times, and trust me there will be those times. Many sure you re-invest your emotional capital in those who support you by thanking and appreciating them. These are the true foundations of any start-up and small business.
Daniel Fauer
Owner/Founder of pranga & co and a Contestant on Dragon’s Den
www.pranga.ca
I’ve been fortunate to have had several wonderful business journeys and in two specifically I was a pioneer. One was starting the first travel agency in Canada for people with disabilities. The second was creating a model for coaching leaders and others to find their way through interpersonal conflicts and develop conflict intelligence. Both of these business share the same ‘important part’ which was being really clear on my vision and being tenacious about getting there. This meant having an optimistic and determined mindset and picking myself up after the many stumbles along the way!
Cinnie Noble
Founder, CINERGY Coaching
www.cinergycoaching.com
The most important part for me was moving forward even when faced with adversity. The journey does not always go as planned and there will be many ups and downs.
Trevor Bergeron
Project Manager/Owner WozJobs Inc.
www.wozjobs.ca
It was learning how to be able to quit my full time job to build my company.
Assiatou Diallo
President & CEO at TAAB Cleaning inc.
www.taabcleaning.ca
Making honest connections with people and their word of mouth created more business for me.
Susan Bassett
Professional Speaker, Coach, College Lecturer, Charity Co-Founder, Blogger, Vlogger and Author
www.positivelysue.com
I am a college drop out back home, a village boy from( Punjab) India. I used to milking cows and helping a family in the fields. The biggest obstacle was my self-image, lack of English speaking skills. Luckily one of my friends said I want to show something very fantastic way to have your own business without loans, you don’t need to quit your job and also coaching and mentorship is available to teach you and train you if you are ready to listen & learn. That was my turning point to be an entrepreneur.
Raj S Madhar
Entrepreneur, Leader, Visionary, Speaker, Exceptional Interpersonal Abilities
LinkedIn
The business journey is really no different than all journeys in life. In my case, three key things helped me reach my destination. 1. A clear sense of direction (the vision) 2. Dedication (the attitude) 3. Good company (the talent).
Don’t let speed bumps derail you. They will hit you hard and fast, but with the right attitude, and the right talent, you’ll get back on track. Red lights? They can’t slow you down if you plan for them. As a young entrepreneur raising a family and growing a business, time management has been everything. It’s your best weapon when it comes to mitigating accidents. Finally, think carefully about who you want in the car with you. The passenger seat is especially critical. My team keeps me and my business on track. Pick passengers who are just as passionate as you are. These are the people you will celebrate your successes with.
And enjoy the ride.
Marly Broudie (Stern)
Founder at Social Eyes Communications/Senior Consultant at MerchACT
www.socialeyescommunications.com
Getting people with expertise aligned with the company to opine on critical areas where I don’t have deep knowledge. I have four “technical advisors”, one of which particularly I would not be here without.
Brennan Basnicki
Founder at RipATrip
www.ripatrip.com
It has been learning to quell the naysayer voice in the back of my head. I am risk-averse by nature. The fear of failure can be paralyzing. And yet it’s impossible to succeed if you never try. There will inevitably be setbacks along the way, but that’s no reason to give up. The trick is to use failures to your advantage. Learn from your mistakes and move on.
Caryma Sa’d
Marijuana/Cannabis Lawyer | Landlord/Tenant Lawyer at [s]advocacy by Caryma Sa’d
www.sadvocacy.com
We’d love to hear your story, drop your insights in the comments below!