Mohammed Widdi of Soul Detox: Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO

An Interview With Doug Noll

You need to be thrown into the woods. — Even though it’s critical to learn from people who have been there and done it, there comes a point in life when you have to take that leap of faith and get lost in the woods to figure it out.

As a part of our series called ‘Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO’ we had the pleasure of interviewing Mohammed Widdi.

Mohammed Widdi is a Brooklyn-based social entrepreneur with a background in fitness science. He has founded several startups. Mohammed is passionate about health, wellness, and spirituality, leading to him starting his latest venture, Soul Detox, which raised $400K in pre-seed funding. Soul Detox just celebrated the grand opening of its Brooklyn location in January 2023.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

The lack of stability in the corporate world pushed me into the world of startups. Soul Detox is my 8th star up. My entire 20s were spent on trial and error, hopping from one thing to another. I had no idea of having the need for a purpose. It took me many years to gain the wisdom and knowledge that helped me wake up in the morning feeling purpose-driven, and not feel like I just wanted to stay in bed. If I had great leadership in the corporate world, I most likely wouldn’t have taken the leap of faith into building my own business.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

It’s hard to measure the most interesting, but during the week of lockdown in 2020, I had a startup in the food and beverage industry with a high-quality sports drink that I had a very clever way to deliver CBD in it…it was illegal to infuse CBD in drinks at that time. We had two heavy hitters from Coca-Cola on the team and a pending $300k investment. When that was put on pause due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, I got busy with charity work (food drop-offs to first responders, families, and the houseless) while simultaneously doing toxin pulling on the side. Toxin pulling is one of the most powerful ways to cleanse the body and one of our main services at Soul Detox. When I saw how beneficial it was for people and the positive impact it can have in people’s lives, I made the tough decision to drop that beverage brand and start Soul Detox because I felt I could have a larger impact through Soul Detox.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I think laughing at yourself can be healthy sometimes. One time, I had someone aligned with one of my brands who was doing structural work/creative work, which was very much appreciated. One of his tasks was to create a logo for the brand, which I was so excited to receive. I’m very much about creating a strong foundation so I asked him where he got it or how it was made. He said he bought it and we were thinking we solely owned the rights to it. After a few weeks of creating content with it, I wanted to start the process to trademark and copyright it, only to find out it was purchased from Shutterstock and other people could buy the same logo. I had to rebrand everything, but we live and we learn.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There are many influential people in my life. Having someone who takes you under their wings to guide you is most definitely a life hack. Being coachable and receptive is key. I have a mentor who picked up on my potential and took the initiative to positively reinforce it. One of the first startups I was ever involved in was led by him. Ten years later, he’s still an advisor of mine that I hold close to my heart. There’s no price tag you can put on someone who believes in you and invests their time and effort, so I will forever be grateful.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?

One of the hardest decisions made is to know someone on the team has great character but is not a right fit for the role they were hired for. Especially in the infancy stages of any startup. Every second and dollar can make or break you, so it’s very costly to make errors in hiring, especially when you’re unsure how you’ll pay the rent at the end of the month. To go part ways with a good person is a tough decision, especially when onboarding trustworthy people is difficult in this cold world. But I have high hopes for realignment when more opportunities open in the future that they’d be a good fit for.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?

The two main duties of a CEO are to recruit talent and make sure the company never runs out of money.

What that looks like can be different, but talent recruitment is what propels the company in getting specific revenue-generating tasks accomplished. Making sure the company never runs out of money is done in a few different ways: 1) Financial optimization such as paying an appropriate salary for each employee, etc, and putting systems in place for necessities to be financially efficient, 2) Investment money is another avenue if the goal is hypergrowth; taking on investment money should be done purposefully and strategically.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive? Can you explain what you mean?

It’s a case-by-case thing, but I know one thing: it’s not fun and games when you have people relying on you. It’s all on you to make it happen. If anyone drops the ball, it’s a reflection of your leadership. You’re the last to get paid — or at least it should be like that. Another myth is that being CEO means you’ll lead the vision your whole life. Being humble and knowing when to recruit a better CEO when the time is appropriate is critical. Companies go through phases and sometimes it’s better for the company for someone else to take over as CEO.

What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

The hardest part is dealing with people. There are the ill-intentioned; the ones just trying to get by; then there are the gems you come across that make it worth sifting through the rubble. When you’re just clocking in and out, it’s easier not to care about the big picture. It’s easier to villainize leadership as being the bad guys because we have to make sure everyone is performing well. And it must be done in a kind and professional manner; you’ll never be able to please everyone, and that’s okay.

Do you think everyone is cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?

Absolutely not. I align with the opinion that no leader should initially attain leadership unless the people push you in that direction. Whenever I lead any charity work or began leading my own startups, I was pushed into these positions because of certain qualities. I remember when I approached my advisor years ago to ask him to be the CEO of a high-end supplement brand I was building at the time.He loved what I was doing, but he told me this — and I’ll never forget it. He said, “I’m going to do something better for you. I’m going to train you to be CEO.” I’d learned not to waste time and money on the learning curve, but he insisted, and years later, I see what he did for me is priceless. I’ve come across really good people who weren’t fit to lead, which leads to big problems such as role confusion, inability to problem solve, and other detrimental situations.

I think that there are certain traits that increase your likelihood of being successful in leadership, such as remaining purpose-driven, having people-management skills, knowing how to be a shepherd, and most importantly, being coachable.

What advice would you give to other business leaders to help create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?

Creating a thriving work culture is important. There needs to be a balance between hustle and fun. Build with your team. Set and incentivize goals. Have a clear shared purpose. Defining your purpose helps you build a strong network to grow the brand. At Soul Detox, our purpose is to revive and normalize a timeless spiritual practice that’s been in existence for thousands of years.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

That’s my purpose — I only build to give back. I believe in wealth-building as a means to positively impact the world and add value. I consider myself a social entrepreneur in every way, so no matter what I’m doing, it needs to translate into helping people. Speaking transparently and humbly, some of my charity work was featured in the media during the pandemic, but charity existed for me before that and will continue to exist. One of the main pillars of my faith is charity. Having a nice car and a nice home is lovely, but it’s not my only purpose. My purpose is to depart from this world knowing I did my best domestically and globally to relieve the suffering of many; to empower others. When I talk about these things, it’s with intention — it’s not about seeking recognition or myself; it’s to inspire others to do the same. If you want to test your intentions, do private acts of kindness and charity. There’s no attention-seeking when it’s done privately.

Fantastic. Here is the primary question of our interview. What are your “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Have all your legal documents in place.

When you’re building, it’s critical to have your legal paperwork in place to secure your brand/company, and of course, yourself. When discussing ideas, have mutual NDAs signed for privacy/protection reasons. When hiring someone to do creative work, have your intellectual property agreements so that way they don’t come back in the future and demand you pay them x amount of dollars for work they did a while ago; this happens a lot when creating logos. When creating your company name, file a trademark.

Here’s why this is so important and how I learned the hard way: I was onboarding someone for creative work years back with no pay, who was being compensated via equity. This was the infancy stage of a startup that had zero capital at the time. I was very excited that someone believed in me and what I was doing, so I kept putting off having them sign the IP agreement to protect the creation for the brand. A few months passed and reality set in, and that individual needed to realistically go and find a paying job, which I totally understood. In fact, I even agree to pay them for the work they did as a thank you since they would technically be forfeiting their equity due to the 4-year vesting. For whatever reason, they had a problem with signing the IP agreement; because of that, they also forfeited that pay due to me having to rebrand everything because I would have been a fool to continue to use their work with 0 security for the company.

2. Understanding how to deal with talented people who don’t have a business mindset.

One of the toughest experiences when building is to have an employee and/or partner who is very talented at what they do, but has a very warped perception of what business actually is. Think about hiring someone who creates products from their home and explaining to them the end goal is to go to manufacturers for scaling reasons, but they don’t get it. The whole point is to be able to sell a lot of products and the only way that is possible is if professional manufacturers take the lead due to quality consistency and quantity amounts.

Or if you hire a graphic designer who expects to have a veteran title in a start-up company even though they’re fresh out of school; it makes no sense because even though it’s a start-up, to put any type of “Chief…etc” would be a lie and a disservice to the company and the person themselves. Title inflation doesn’t benefit the employee or the company.

3. There really are no shortcuts.

There was a significant period of time when I was truly trying to find the easiest way to become successful. It took me a few years of constant trials and tribulations to truly learn there was no such thing as easy success when it comes to real growth. Even though there are people who hit the jackpot, when something comes too easy, many times the personal development didn’t take place, so the person typically won’t understand how to navigate that success, which can then become a curse.

4. It’s all about the numbers.

In order for anything to grow there has to be a clear road map and that road map is the numbers. How much did it cost to start the company? How much will it cost to scale? How much is your revenue? We need to live the numbers because typically that clarity is needed since the numbers are black and white.

5. You need to be thrown into the woods.

Even though it’s critical to learn from people who have been there and done it, there comes a point in life when you have to take that leap of faith and get lost in the woods to figure it out.

I experienced this myself when one of the most influential people in my life became too busy for me. I was sad at the time, but I took the road map he gave me and applied it myself, all alone. No crutch. It was scary in the beginning, but the belief in the All Creator and the belief in the blessings given to you as a person will help you to persevere.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I’d encourage everyone to make giving back a priority, whether it’s donating services or a small percentage of revenue on a monthly basis to a cause you’re passionate about; even if it’s just 5 to 10%. Acts of charity do not decrease your wealth; it only blesses it. Try it and watch how many more doors open for you!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“To err is human. To forgive is divine.” This is relevant because in my personal experience, holding grudges and seeking vengeance will harm you more than others. There’s a difference between seeking justice with a clean heart versus doing it with vengeance. Forgive and let go, as difficult as it may seem.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I’d say Mark Cuban for sure. He’s supportive of social entrepreneurship, and I very much consider what we’re doing at Soul Detox to be social entrepreneurship because we are an impact-driven venture. I think he’d align well with us because we’re focused on innovative holistic and non-invasive practices that positively impact society.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.