Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alex Salomone, Founder of Bravery Living, located in San Diego, CA, USA.

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

Bravery Living is a life and wellness business that focuses on helping people gain clarity in their lives. We also have global projects that invoke a new world for the future of humanity.

Issues like running water in 3rd world countries, economic education in areas of severe poverty, environmental pollution, and spiritual and mental health healing. Our clients are people who want to improve their lives and make a difference in the world.

Tell us about yourself

I was born in Argentina and came from humble beginnings. The struggles that I faced from a young age helped me become the person I am today and would play a key role in the challenges to come. My family and I migrated to the U.S. in 1999. At first, I experienced bullying. It left me feeling really uncomfortable growing up.

Unfortunately, I also went through a lot of traumatic moments in my young life, from being mentally, physically, and emotionally abused to having to see and deal with things that weren’t very pleasant. I experienced a lot of emotions that were difficult to deal with, but I was always looking to understand things in order to overcome them. All of these challenges helped me grow up with different lenses that gave me strength, perspective, and wisdom.

Fast forward to when I was 19 years old and decided to join the military. After coming back from living in England for six months, I fell in debt to this amazing country for everything that it has given my family and me. Like most things in my life, I wanted to be the best, so I joined the Marine Corps, where I served for six years. During that time, I was met with all sorts of new challenges. I learned so much about myself and what I was capable of. Things like discipline, commitment, courage, and perseverance were among the many tools that I learned during my time in the Marine Corps.

As I progressed in my military career, my skill sets took me into leadership positions that gave me the massive responsibility of caring for the lives and well-being of my fellow team members. I learned the power of listening, persistence, and paying attention to my team members in order to properly guide them toward success. As I transitioned out of active duty and into the reserves, I felt lost about what I was going to do next with my life. I decided to go back to school and study sociology. I was always so intrigued by people and their behaviors. I then decided to switch my focus to business, with an emphasis on marketing. I was hooked!

Through the power of networking and belief, I was able to get a marketing job at an agency in Los Angeles. I worked my butt off going to school full-time, working a full-time job, and in the Marines part-time (reserves). A year and a half later, I landed my dream job at Google. Even though I did not meet all the requirements, I still went for it and applied when an opportunity opened up. I showed up to my interviews with confidence, and in return, I was offered a position!

After almost two years in the company, I had come to terms with the fact that this was not the lifestyle or career that I was really passionate about. I started to reassess and dig into what my purpose was. After much self-reflection on what I wanted to do with my life, I realized that my true passion was helping people. I remember thinking back to all the times that I have given people advice on careers, fitness, health, and motivation to go after their dreams!

I had been a life coach all my life, and I didn't even know it. So I made the brave decision to quit Google and go after my dreams, and that's when Bravery was born.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment has been helping hundreds of people heal and empowering them to make significant shifts in their lives. From this accomplishment, I have been able to partner up with pioneers that see the issues that we face in humanity and, in return, co-create powerful projects to make a difference.

Projects like "Heal our Planet" (HOPE) are making dynamic impacts, from microfinance in Uganda to our carbon credits in the Amazon to our wellness center in Panama. We are working hard to make a difference in the world, focusing first on the people and then building systems that help restore our planet.

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

The toughest part of being an entrepreneur is getting other people to want to do the work that is necessary to make these goals work. Balancing all of the necessary efforts in order to make these projects successful. There is a lot of learning that takes place, and having the important understanding of being able to adapt quickly when things don't go as planned is important.

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

  1. Be a student of constant growth. Understand that things take time, so be patient knowing that. Allow yourself enough time to breathe and rest so that you don't get burned out. Balance is key, and being your own boss comes with a lot of responsibilities.
  2. Structure and Organization are very important to avoid stress and feeling overwhelmed. Find a system that works best for you. Have intentional and realistic expectations as you set this structure so that you may achieve your goals.
  3. Learn to improvise. Creating a business from scratch requires a lot of building steps. This also means learning how to manage your time as you embark on this journey. Understand that things will not always work out the way you expect them, so it is important to learn how to improvise when these moments come. Take a break from the challenge and allow yourself to reset and grow. Once your mind is clear, adapt to new ways of thinking so that you may overcome your challenge.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://bravery.showit.site/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alex.salomone.359/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravery_living/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-salomone-bravery/

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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