219. Using Technology to Connect Entrepreneurs with Customers

Kahlil’s single mom inspired him with her entrepreneurial ways, working a full time government job, then running a Tupperware and Avon business on her own time. At 13, he started his own business, raking leaves and mowing lawns, which he continued through high school. Accepted by Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was unable to enroll without a scholarship. Disappointed but undeterred, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he learned leadership skills and was trained as a chef.

Kahlil became disillusioned with the restaurant industry when he found himself handling all the responsibilities of a store manager but the chain was only paying him assistant manager wages. “I’ve always liked money and numbers, so I looked into an entry level position at a bank,” Kahlil recalls. “I knew God has His hand on me about 40 days in. I overheard a co-worker who was frustrated with her computer. During my military time and after I’d been certified in some Microsoft software and taken some courses.” Kahlil offered to take a look at her computer. He fixed it. The next morning, she offered him a job in the information technology (I.T.) department. He received steady promotions. On weekends he developed a catering business which eventually developed into Catering to Your Whims. He came full circle back to entrepreneurship and the food business.

“A favorite mentor of mine, Les Brown, says, ‘You gotta be hungry! What are you willing to do today to choose a brighter future tomorrow?’ I believe you have to ask yourself if you are hungry enough to reinvent yourself, to grow beyond your present circumstances, to make no excuses for NOT succeeding, to get up again, even if you’ve been knocked down. Are you willing to Work harder than you ever have before for your own life and dreams? Stop settling. You deserve to do more than just survive.”

1. Decide what you’re willing to do to achieve your dreams.

2. Develop a proper mindset to reach your goals.

3. Take advantage of opportunities to learn. Self-education is powerful.

4. Cultivate flexibility.

Investigative Selling: How to Master the Art, Science and Skills of Professional Selling, by Omar Periu