Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey by developing a product or invention but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alexander Simone, Founder of makeXnow, Inc., located in La Jolla, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are makeXnow! We help companies and inventors develop products from napkin sketches to store shelves. We help with every step starting with developing and testing prototypes and designing for manufacturing, and we even manufacture inventory for our clients!
Tell us about yourself
All my life, I wanted to be an inventor. I have no memories as a child of wanting any other career path. I really enjoy the product development process, and that's why I started a business to help other inventors with their products. Nothing gets me more excited than solving problems! I really feel like each invention has its own unique challenges that make it its own fun puzzle to solve.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
One of my biggest accomplishments was getting a deal on Shark Tank with Mark Cuban for my 30-second wine chiller invention, ProntoBev.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Easily the hardest part about running a business is prioritizing your time. It's always a struggle to know if you should be focused more on working with clients, business development, seeking out human capital, and many more important tasks. If you spend too much time in one area and the other stuff tends to suffer.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
The first tip I would give is easy... JUST START! Too many people wait until the perfect time. Maybe they want to get done with school, or they want to save a certain amount of money first, or they want to gain enough experience. The truth is, no one is ever truly ready to run a business, so the earlier you start, the better.
That leads me to my second tip try to avoid imposter syndrome. It's easy to look at other entrepreneurs and think they have it all figured out, but we're all just making it up as we go. Make decisions confidently and own your mistakes. And my third point is definitely don't be afraid to fail. Failure is the best way to learn. If you aren't making mistakes while running your business, you're not taking enough risks.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I have a core philosophy the best way to find success in this world is through entrepreneurship. If you truly want to make an impact on the world, sure, there are lots of ways to do it, but ironically, entrepreneurship is the least risky way to find success.
Such an insanely small percentage of athletes, musicians, and artists really achieve true success. Anyone who dedicates their life to entrepreneurship and continuously wants to learn from their mistakes will find success eventually.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.makexnow.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makexnow/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amsimone/
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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