It's a true that all entrepreneurs should learn. We can learn by books, videos, own experience or by other successful entrepreneur or unsuccessful entrepreneur. Our learning is more effective when we share experience and knowledge. I had a opportunity to interview a successful entrepreneur, Mr. J. Anselmo, owner of J. Anselmo Company (
https://www.facebook.com/Aluminordeste). And below I transcribe the interview.
J. Anselmo, as like to call, is the middle son of eleven, he born in Pocinhos - PB, a little city near of Campina Grande, PB - Brazil. His entrepreneur history begun when had six or eight years old. His parents lived on farm and work there, the owner farm, after of father’s death, gave milk every day for the J. Anselmo family, and was J. Anselmo that had the responsibility to bring the milk, while walked to bring milk, he passed in other houses and one day, a family that too received milk said - How you will go to take your milk, if you take our milk I will pay you for that. Do you want? So, the business life started. The boy grown up and started to like earn money and help his family. The first lesson learned was - take every opportunity.
During his youth saw that some people earn more than other working less. He knows a man that fix machines and saw that could learn and earn more. Observing started learn and with time started worked fix the machines, saw his incomes triple with his new occupation. Second Lesson - By knowledge we can increase our situation and incomes.
To eighteen years old, married and during a travel at aunt family, he knows a “big city”. The aunt's spouse invented him came to city, what happens months after. In the city, rented a house where started his first business - He resold goods for foods and some drinks. In this time he worked from 5AM to 10PM, because the people waited the transportation in front his business. With the increase of sales, the movement of goods were more intensity and one day he receive a notification of government about the fees that he had to pay, but he not know anything about the tax. J. Anselmo so went to government office to learn about the tax and fee. Third lesson - Every business has tax and fee, so when you create a business, learn before what the tax you need to pay and prepare himself to pay them.
Seeing that the work has a long journey, he started see a new business and in partnership with a friend, started a business of gates’s construction. The new business expand to sold all material necessary for maintenance and tools. Partnership was undone and he bought the other part of business. Still in this business, increase the work, selling bars of aluminum and saw that the line of aluminum was a great opportunity, so slowly change the steal business to aluminum business.
Move the business for a new build, where was possible to make his own aluminum bars. Actually, J. Anselmo Company is one of the largest companies of aluminum bars of northwest of Brazil. J. Anselmo never finish his studies, because always need to work for care his family. He not speak any language except portuguese, but every year travel between four or six times to Chine with propose of buy new machine and make business.
I asked him - What advice that will give for new entrepreneur, the most advice? Whit a smile on face, he said me: Do not want to spend business money before building what you want to build. If you want to have a company worth a hundred million, do not spend money excessively before turning your company into a hundred million company. Many young entrepreneurs think that the incomes on beginning of business that is profit and started to have a life of luxury and spend more and more money and forget of business. Other important advice is - Some times will be necessary make personal sacrifices, because all start is a time of construction, perhaps three or five years, but if we do little sacrifices on starting of business, the business will reward later.
Take the opportunities, increase the knowledge, learn about the law and tax and fee, and work hard, are some the great lessons that I learned during the interview. Today, J. Anselmo Company is a reference of a succcess company that was born of a simple man, with a great vision - that I can to be great - is possible build a dream and change the life. Actually his company is one of the largest companies, in billing, in the state of Paraíba.
About the $100 Challenge.
Like I wrote before, I'm participating of a challenge to create a business with less twenty dollars, and each week I need to report my progress. So, I have find some obstacles with time, but this week I started to change my strategy. Before, I searching customers in my free time and I not was having sucess, then this week I started to talk about the importance of have a advertising by social network, and shared the success experience other business. Yet I not closed a advertising but, the my business network is better.
Each one of us have the power to change. Firstly, change the surroundings and principally, power to change ourselves. The power to change ourselves is the most important characteristic that a entrepreneur has and need have. This changes not need to be extraordinary, some are big and others are small.
