Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rafael Felix Torrese, Founder of Humanz, located in Miami, FL, USA.

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

In 2011 I met a Commercial Effectiveness keynote speaker in Atlanta who told me: "some of us have unlimited customers across the world." Today, after helping companies with their sales and marketing excellence challenges in America, Asia, and Europe for 15 years, I can say my customers are all over the globe. I help companies and people consistently improve their commercial effectiveness, blending professional advising, training, and outsourcing services. I am a phygital (physical and digital) sales trainer and consultant. I work with all customer-facing roles within organizations that have decided to accelerate their business growth.

Tell us about yourself

My first job was as a sales representative. It all started back then. I was a salesman, then became a sales manager, and finally, the commercial leader of a substantial business. But there was a missing piece. I realized that too many large and small companies were making terrible decisions when approaching their customers, from the strategy to the day-to-day action. They were not seeing the big picture (selling as a process) and were not leveraging the humanity behind every commercial interaction (customers are human). So I founded Humanz to help others achieve incredible results by doing things differently. My team and I are passionate about observing and assisting others to avoid costly mistakes and speed up their business results.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Even though I became an international keynote speaker and today I retain relevant authority in the Commercial Excellence field, which makes me proud, I think having the ability to create successful stories is my most significant accomplishment. Not everyone can achieve that and experiencing customer gratitude when they say, "we finally closed that deal!" is a blessing. I have met wonderful people all these years, either fantastic colleagues who joined our team or customers who openly shared their pain points, fears, and the joy of their success.

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

Being the founder of a company is like having a child that grows very fast and intensely. You find yourself facing financial challenges, you need to lead by example, and you can not fail. Having the mindset to lead a business that starts from scratch is a mix between attitude and aptitude, whose recipe is not written anywhere.

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

I think today is the best moment in all human history to start a business.
Why? Because the world is still adapting to a hybrid physical + digital reality, which can provide new business owners, and small companies with an advantage to compete. Every business owner needs to have a vision and be persistent. Everyone says that, as it is true. But a successful business owner needs to

  1. Observe. Be mindful enough to pause, watch, and make decisions, sometimes difficult ones.
  2. Think ahead. The role of every entrepreneur is to be the first to project how things will look in the upcoming future, either a month, a year, or a decade.
  3. Act fast. Speed is vital more than ever, and new business owners should know that (lack of) bureaucracy favors them. There is a book by Dr. Joe Vitale titled "Money Loves Speed." I think it is correct. I could rephrase it as "the joy of being a business owner loves speed."

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: http://www.humanz.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raffofelix
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raffofelix/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/raffofelix
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafaelfelix/

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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