Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dethra Giles, Founder and CEO of ExecuPrep, LLC., located in Atlanta, GA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

ExecuPrep is a performance optimization firm. It is a fancy way of saying HR. However, when we say "HR," people think of hiring and firing, and that is not what we do. We help companies optimize the performance of the people so they can improve their bottom line. We have three divisions:

  1. Small Business
  2. Corporate
  3. Government

Tell us about yourself

I founded ExecuPrep in 2007 and have grown it into an international firm. Every day I get excited about doing what I was born to do. I get to speak to large audiences around the world and change lives. ExecuPrep allows me to build a team to do that on a global scale, and I love it.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Founding, running, and growing a profitable business for over 15 years.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Sacrifice. There is so much you have to sacrifice to found and grow a business, from family time to alone time to money to physical space. If you are a founder, your life is being a founder.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Ask yourself why you are starting a business. Is it because some tax guru told you you needed a business for tax purposes or because being an entrepreneur is the in thing? Neither of those reasons will sustain you.
  2. What are your deal breakers? What are the things that will make you walk away from the business? Life comes at you fast, and when it does, you need to already know what your "walk away time" is.
  3. What is your exit strategy? Every plan requires an exit. There is nothing sexy about dying at your desk.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Have a passion that benefits the business but is to the business. I am an international speaker. It benefits the business, but it is the thing I do and am passionate about that is not necessarily the business.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.execuprep.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dethra.giles
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dethra.giles/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dugiles
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dethragiles/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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