Cat
Hello, guys. My name is Cat, and welcome to Meet the Entrepreneur. Today we're going to be interviewing Andre. Andre is a business owner in the direct sales industry in London, and he's very kindly agreed to do an interview with us today.
So, the first question I've got for you, Andre, is: what did you do before this? Can you tell us a little bit about your background and story?
Andre
Sure. So, I was born and raised in Mexico, and I didn't really know what I wanted to do. All of my friends studied business, so I just kind of decided to study business as well.
I did an undergraduate degree in business in London, and then I still didn't know what I wanted to do, so I decided to do a master's in business as well. Then I graduated.
I was really lucky. My dad was able to pay for my education, my food and my rent. Eventually, he told me, "Look, I've paid enough. Now you're by yourself." So my bank account started turning red.
I used to party a lot and go out a lot. Then my flatmate essentially told me about the opportunity, and that's how I joined the direct sales industry.
Cat
Oh, wow. I didn't know that. That's really cool. Amazing.
So, Andre, what made you start your own business instead of choosing to be employed?
Andre
To be honest, I wasn't really planning on running my own company.
When I started, I initially just wanted to make some cash. My plan was just to do the job for the summer, for a month or two. Then I made £2,000 in my first month. I was pretty happy. I was improving, I was learning, and I made £3,000 in my second month.
So I thought, "Okay, this is not bad. I'll stay for a bit longer."
Then I kept improving my sales skills, and I liked the atmosphere. After four and a half months, I got invited to go on another expensive, paid trip to Paris.
I was very surprised because I thought all these trips were just fallacies that they would tell people to motivate them. But when I was actually on the plane, surrounded by all these entrepreneurial sales experts, I gradually shifted my mindset. Now I'm running my own company.
Cat
Nice. That's great. What would you tell your younger self if you had the chance to go back?
Andre
I'd do three things.
The first one is to get really good at money management, both when you're starting out as just a salesman, an entry-level sales rep or a brand ambassador, however you want to call it.
There are going to be some days when you make a lot of money and some weeks when you're extremely profitable. I'd then just get a fat paycheque and go and spend it. I'd go clubbing, online shopping, restaurants, etc.
That's definitely something I wish I'd done more of once I became a company owner as well.
I'd never reached a point where I was making a few thousand pounds every week, so I thought, "Well, if I spend £1,000 this week, I've still got another one or two that I can save."
But then I ended up buying lots of suits, watches, ties, going on trips, buying my girlfriend lots of gifts, electronics, takeaways and online shopping.
So, yeah, that's not something I'm happy about, because even though I was making a lot more money, I was spending a lot more. So, just get really good at money management.
Then, develop better health habits. I mean, I'm not your dad; you do whatever you want. But if you smoke a lot and drink a lot, you're not going to be focused, you're not going to be sharp, it's going to drain your pocket, and you'll probably regret it when you're older.
So that's definitely the second one.
In terms of technical tips for those who are already in the industry, I wish I had personally recruited more, because if I had done that, I'd be in a ten times stronger position. So definitely master personal recruitment.
Cat
Nice. Okay, amazing. Based on your experience and what you've personally seen, what do you think separates the people who have progressed faster from those who have maybe failed or stayed in the same position?
Andre
So, I've been listening to a lot of podcasts by Andrew Huberman, and I've been really interested in how the brain works.
Apparently, the people who are really successful are very obsessive about the process, as opposed to focusing on the end result.
It's a bit of a corny, cheesy Instagram saying, but you do need to enjoy the journey because the journey is endless.
If you really learn how to be systematic, logical and disciplined, and learn how to enjoy the small wins, you'll make progress.
Of course, you do need to have long-term, mid-term and short-term goals, but essentially, it's about focusing on mastering the process and just being competitive.
You've got to be hungry. If you want to be rich, you have to work really hard.
Cat
Absolutely. How has your leadership style changed as your team has grown and expanded?
Andre
So, when I started, to be fully honest, I was literally just thinking about myself, my progress and my earnings, my income.
The people I was coaching, I just saw them as a number. I didn't really care that much about their goals, so I was quite selfish.
Now, I've learned how to shift that towards genuinely wanting to become an excellent coach and genuinely caring about other people.
So, yeah, it's been a journey. I'm still trying to detach myself from my ego.
I would say I'm more genuine now, more honest, and I'm a better person overall.
I also used to think in a really negative way. I thought sales was a bad industry, and I was always looking at the negative side of sales.
Now I've become extremely optimistic. It's about really believing in yourself, your product, the future and your mentor.
Yeah, I've changed a lot. It's difficult to explain in just a few sentences, but I've been here for almost a decade, so I've definitely changed and grown a lot.
Cat
Yes, definitely. Then, just to conclude, what advice would you give to someone who's looking to eventually be in your position?
Andre
I'm still working on it. It's an endless journey, but I do believe that if you're extremely organised, you'll become calmer. If you're prepared, you'll just be more successful.
Whether you run a restaurant, a jewellery shop, or you're a life coach or whatever, you need to be extremely prepared.
If you pay attention to having a schedule, sticking to a timetable and paying attention to the small details, those one-percenters are going to compound over time.
So, yeah, be obsessed with becoming extremely organised.
Other than that, I think a lot of people nowadays are really multitasking. They're like, "Well, if this doesn't work, then I'm going to do this." They're hopping from job to job, or from partner to partner, instead of fully committing and giving 100% to one thing.
And as far as that goes, you need to first master the basics, as opposed to trying to master all the techniques at once.
For example, in boxing, you need to master the jab and cross first before starting to do all the hooks, slips, etc.
So, just focus 100% on what you need to do today to succeed.
And, yeah, burn the boats. There's a story about Hernán Cortés when he conquered America. He destroyed the boats, which meant that the soldiers there had to fight for their lives. There was no plan B, so they couldn't just go back to Spain and get back on the boats.
So, yeah, you've got to at least commit temporarily. I know it's a big ask, but maybe say, "Hey, look, I'm going to give it 100% for the next three months or six months."
Or, if you really have the ability to think long-term, which is what most entrepreneurs do, you've got to commit for a year, a year and a half, or three years.
So, yeah, that's pretty much it.
Cat
Amazing, Andre. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much.