Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in training and development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Norman Rodriguez, Founder, and CEO of Elevate, located in Mesa, AZ, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are the first state-licensed vocational school in the country to focus on bridging the minority wealth gap and bringing untapped potential into careers in tech through tech sales.
Tell us about yourself
I built Elevate to support people like me, the untapped. I'm a minority with a limited college experience that could not elevate beyond a role as a waiter without help from friends. I didn't know how to make a resume, how to use LinkedIn, how to tell my story, and how to present myself as a professional. A well-connected friend had to sing my praise at a party to colleagues at Google. The Google team took a chance on me. 6+ years later, I'm now the CEO of the first state-licensed school in the country designed to help people like me break into this world of tech.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Maintaining an over 80% placement rate and an 87% retention rate among our graduates. We're really making a huge impact, and it's everything I live for.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The risks you aren't aware of because you don't know what you don't know. This applies to existential risks to your model you're not aware of, to how you hire and manage. The lack of experience you may have in any area of your business may be your downfall if you're not able to make quick pivots in the early days.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Review competitors deeply and identify the key growth opportunity your competitors are missing. Capitalize on that opportunity quickly.
- Identify the killer weakness of your potential model. Form a strategy around solving for that weakness and execute quickly.
- Focus on generating consistent and growing revenue. The days of high valuations for no revenue are over.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://elevatehire.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/norman-rodriguez/
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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