In this series on entrepreneurship, we have talked about the skills an entrepreneur needs and some great questions that you should make to an entrepreneur if you have a shot.
We can imagine the answers to every question but is great to really know what entrepreneur does.
That’s why we make the questionnaire we create in our last blog to an entrepreneur we admire. His name is Juan Camilo, and to get to know him better, here are his answers.
Please comment
if you would like to know something else.
1. How would you describe yourself (occupation, studies, passions)?
I consider myself a very calm person, very disciplined and structured.
I really like projects that have to do with innovation in any industry.
As for my passions, I like sports, getting to know new coffees and food, getting to know new cultures, etc.
2. I want to know what you are currently doing and what you have done in the past.
My time is dedicated to 2 main projects:
- Animal Fix ( Biomedical company at the service of animals) > born in 2017 and is in stable operation.
- Coffee (Urbania Coffee USA) exporter from Colombia and importer with a distribution center in the USA with a social and environmental focus. Created in 2021 and in the market penetration phase. It is in an early stage of operation.
3. What do you like most about entrepreneurship?
It is really about being able to bring together various disciplines and tools to achieve a result that impacts the market positively.
4. Tell us how you started, many people who want to start a business do not know what the first steps are.
Animal Fix:
Part of a need in the market to have high-quality surgical and orthopedic products for the veterinary industry; a business plan was raised where Biomedical engineering, design, medicine, and veterinary were combined to have competitive results.
Important steps:
Have a clear business plan with a timeline, resources, and market validation.
A financial plan faithful to the work schedule, with a real picture (if necessary to do pilot tests with users to know profitability).
Prioritize resources and activities.
5. What are your tasks in the company, in your case it applies that you have multiple tasks and responsibilities?
Currently my focus is the management of internal projects, strategic planning and constant monitoring of the commercial area.
6. What do you think are the strengths you have needed to become an entrepreneur?
Frustration tolerance, discipline, resource management and administration, good communication and negotiation skills are a must.
7. What have you had to improve yourself, or what have you had to study to manage your startups?
Knowing how to delegate by choosing the right people, improving the management of resources by learning where to invest and when, learning to give up time and not romanticize processes and products that do not work, and finally optimizing activities according to the level of profitability.
In my case, I did a specialization in management to apply it in my ventures.
8. What do you think have been your greatest achievements in your companies?
The achievements I have had have been mainly three: the generation of employment, really covering the needs of the market where my company is and generating with my firm a triple impact: social, environmental and financial.
9. How do you manage to overcome when some of your ideas or initiatives fail?
I have the philosophy that a failure in time is preferable to a prolonged uncertainty, and that if everything was done as planned it is not a failure and it is necessary to know when to stop the projects.
10. What is the most difficult thing about being an entrepreneur?
It is difficult to understand the times of the market, to stay focused because when there is no economic stability there are many distractions and you can lose focus, and finally it is difficult not to compare yourself with the professional processes of others.
11. What is the next step you are going to take in your company?
The next step is the internationalization and creation of standard product lines, so far everything has been custom-made to order.
12. How do you measure progress in your company?
Measured by month-to-month profitability (revenues - expenses), number of sales, and size of the company.
13. What advice would you give to someone who wants to become an entrepreneur?
My advice would be:
Manage budget, resources and timing very well before starting operations (paper can handle anything).
Do the necessary pilot tests to be sure of the product or service.
Define very well the day to day of the project and who is responsible for each activity.
Quit in time if the project or product is not financially viable.
14. Do you think anyone can be an entrepreneur?
Everyone can create a stable and profitable project; it is not necessary to know how to do everything, but it is necessary to know how to combine the right processes and resources.
Conclusion
What entrepreneur does is amazing, think out of the box, be creative, risk taker, and be open to learning every time a new skill is needed.
What entrepreneur does is learn how to distribute time and resources, find the best people for the right positions, and delegate.
What entrepreneur does is be resilient, knowing always how to measure the growth of and idea and discard it quickly if it doesn't show the spect numbers.
What entrepreneurs does is to make pilot test until the product or service is good enough to launch it in the market.
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