Sales is My Passion - Amaro Araujo

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amaro Araujo, International Sales & negotiation expert located in The Hague, Zuid Holland, The Netherlands.

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

My main business areas are training, coaching, and mentoring in sales and negotiation. And as a supportive area, I also have similar offers in cultural awareness, conflict resolution, and leadership. Because those are the areas of my expertise and passion, sales or negotiation demands knowledge and skills in cultural awareness, avoiding and solving conflicts, and leading businesses, people, and results. One is linked to the other it depends on the level of the audience and their needs, so I tailor-made the sessions to specific problems, gaps, or needs, always after a serious sensing and assessment of the customer/company's specific situation and need.

Tell us about yourself

I had a failing business a couple of years ago, an import/export agency business. The activity was on behalf of world-renowned apparel brands to prospect and secure producers in Portugal, being the link between them and assuring the right and adequate partner, quality, and overall standards per their specific requirements and capabilities. But after a few years, I had to close it down and went through a tough time, not only because I had lost my income but also investment, self-esteem, and capacity to see clearly. If I am brutally honest with myself, I wasn't ready. And I'm not talking about skills or knowledge – those you can always learn along the way - but a resilience, pragmatism, the capacity to see what's coming, shifting, pivoting on time, more profound understanding of the bigger picture. So I closed it and went back to the corporate world. Here I learned a lot working for big multinationals in several areas of business and entrepreneurship. I grew a lot and have been lucky enough to find jobs that could fulfill me and give me plenty of freedom to explore my potential. And I gave it back by growing the business, getting back lost customers, and securing multimillion deals. Those jobs in the corporate world have always been my preferred area or playground of my entrepreneurial mindset. It was like working on my own business without the risks and limitations of a solo ride. Leading teams, coaching peers, mentoring people internally and externally, and giving training and business advice. Therefore it was no surprise that I went back to the world offering those services and restarting my own business, slowly but steadily growing customer base, visibility, reputation, and of course, with it scaling up. What motivates me is creating something, building it up, sharing, and touching people's lives by allowing them to find their strengths and weaknesses and leveraging all their potential. I have so much luggage that it would be selfish not to share, to let other people know how to develop their skills and spark their true potential without struggling or going through unnecessary difficulties.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

This may sound like BS or "feel good" cheap speech. But with all respect, I don't care about what it sounds or how people see it (people can always see negatively if that's their state of mind, regardless of your intentions or actions); I care about how I feel. And my most significant accomplishments have been observing the growth of people I have coached, the change in people's lives and confidence, and leveling up their self-worth. Or businesses that I have been a consultant to and seen thrive steadily. Those emails and messages I got from time to time are priceless. What about the financial aspect? Sure it's a good thing. But that's not the first motive. When the primary reason becomes the money, people tend to focus and work thinking about it and not really on the craft or the quality of the services they provide, and the quality fades away. Be of service, over-deliver. Money will follow.

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

Finances are a big blocker. If you're married with kids, your financial stability and how you will pay your bills will always be at the back of your mind and fluctuate on the worrying level. And if you struggle along the way financially, your marriage with struggle, and your whole family will struggle, have fights and disputes, and that's a recipe for catastrophe. Is it worth succeeding in your entrepreneurial journey if, along the way, you lose your family or relationships? That's something I'd like you to ponder, as it's inevitable that you'll face it somewhere down the road.

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

1. Be aware of the "analysis/paralysis ."Many people wait until they have the perfect product or service. Keep telling themselves, "It's not good enough yet," or "I need to improve it ." Well, it needs to fulfill its promise, but it can be something other than perfect. Actually, it can never be perfect. That's the so-called "MVP – Minimum Viable Product ." Something that does the job for a very reasonable price. Look at Windows or Apple and how many updates and upgrades they have done. There's always something to fix or add along the way. But if they had waited, they wouldn't be market leaders yet.
2. Don't confuse persistence and tenacity with blindness. Know when to pivot, test, change course, to admit something is not working. Remember the old adagio, "if you want something different (results in this case), you need to do something different ." Before I shut my first business, I should have done that, I had indicators telling me I should have shifted, but I thought I knew better, that "things would change" and that "my time would come ." It did come indeed, but time to close the office.
3. Scaling up demands resources. What you start as a side gig or exploring a passion just for fun may grow quickly, and that will drag the need for additional resources. It can be time, attention, details, staff, investment, technology, automation; you name it. And this is one of the most challenging things to manage. When is the right time? Should I first wait for growth and afterward allocate resources, or do it in advance to push the growth? There is no clear answer here as it depends on many factors. What is clear, though, is: to watch that out and do an assessment from time to time. Again, trial and error are one of the best pieces of advice for entrepreneurs. Small testing, small pivoting, and measuring what works and what doesn't allows you to take small but steady steps.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://amaroaraujo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salesismypassion/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amarocaldas/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmaroAlive
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amaroaraujo/

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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