Interview with an Entrepreneur Essay Example

The entrepreneur interviewed for this assignment is known to the world as Yah’ki – but his real name is Marc Hickman. Hickman has not always had such a successful life – as his adolescent years involved gang affiliation and eventually time in prison. After discovering Dr. Sebi – a herbalist healer – Hickman healed himself of diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, hair loss, kidney failure, arthritis, and chronic fatigue by transforming to a plant-based diet and lifestyle and utilizing herbal remedies. In doing so, he became inspired to help others heal – which led to the creation of his business Yah’ki Awakened, LLC. This venture serves to show others how to restore their health by providing proper education and therapies. Hickman’s ultimate goal as a serial entrepreneur is to heal the illusion we call disease.

Research Discoveries

The following paragraphs describe the key takeaways of this interview with Hickman regarding the subject of entrepreneurship.

Love What You Do

Hickman believes that one of the most substantial factors contributing to his success as an entrepreneur is his true passion for what he does. He loves being a leader and leading others to health. His chosen path is one that his heart guided him toward – making it easy for him to put his all into his work. Turning a personal interest into a profitable entrepreneurial venture is much more rewarding than creating a business out of an idea that is not particularly enjoyable. It is important to ensure that the venture one chooses to pursue is one that will be concurrently profitable and congenial. That way, it will never feel like a job – but rather a fun hobby that pays the bills.

Work Hard

Passion and hard work go hand-in-hand for Hickman. To sustain any business and continuously flourish, one must consistently put in effort – and more than just the bare minimum. Hickman believes one of the keys to success as an entrepreneur is diligence. Studies also show that performing thorough, diligent work is essential to the success of a business (Moncayo & Kasztelnik, 2022). With a consistent devotion to one’s unique entrepreneurial journey, anything is possible. Though, the work cannot all be done by one person. When Hickman first started his business, he thought he could do it all by himself. However, he quickly found this to be inefficient. So, hard work is a must – but so is efficiency. Finding others – or hiring employees – to help balance the workload is crucial to success as an entrepreneur.

Create a Plan

It is without a doubt that hard work and due diligence are essential to the viability and sustainability of any business, just as much as creating an action plan or business model is. Before Hickman decided to open a business, he studied biochemistry as well as the teachings of numerous holistic health experts, psychologists, herbalists, and others. It is not wise to jump into the world of entrepreneurship before properly preparing yourself. With the help of family, friends, and professionals, Hickman developed a plan describing what he wanted to do and how he was going to do it. To this day, planning has never stopped. Continuously setting goals and planning out different tactics that assist in the development and expansion of a business – such as producing innovative marketing strategies – greatly influence both the feasibility and viability of a company. Research supports this finding – as studies show that the majority of successful companies have formed a business plan and utilize a strategic innovative approach (Faghih et al., 2018).

Conclusion

The most valuable lesson learned as a result of this assignment is that anything is possible. Hickman went from rags to riches with hard work, determination, thorough planning and organization, and love. Never give up; even the wildest of dreams can be accomplished if strived for.