Entrepreneurs of the Month — August 2020
The second episode of our series dedicated to successful and innovative entrepreneurs is underway.
Fresh ideas, out-of-the-box thinking, but also reacting properly under pressure are a few of the main qualities that will enlighten your entrepreneurial path today.
It wasn’t easy in the past to be an entrepreneur, and it’s not easy today either. Starting as an entrepreneur might give you an edge today thanks to the Internet and other technologies, but the fact of the matter is that taking action and using your flair are still the basis of making it in today’s dynamic business world.
It is said that opportunity happens at the confluence of skill and favorable circumstances, but we feel that many of the millionaires alive today have done more than just being lucky to be at the right place, at the right time.
The ability to nudge your way up the ladder of success is perhaps the 1% edge that enables some people to succeed more than others.
According to the Global Wealth Report from Credit Suisse, the total number of millionaires in the world increased by 1.1 million from the middle of 2018 to the middle of 2019.
There’s a growing list of entrepreneurs that we will showcase in this series, so we’re going to top the list with one our favorite entrepreneurs out there, as we feel he has an unconventional path and is in the business of helping people. Big time.
August 2020 Entrepreneurs of the Month
1. Marketing
· Evan Carmichael has build and sold his own biotech company (at age 19), but he also got a taste of the venture capital world.
His main purpose today is to help entrepreneur achieve their goals and dreams. For this purpose he founded Evan Carmichael Communications Group, specialized in coaching and social media strategy for entrepreneurs. With a self-declared goal of helping 1 billion entrepreneurs do more for themselves and for the world around them, Evan breathes and bleeds entrepreneurship.
As he said in a recent interview, “it’s okay to have your job and start your business part-time. But if, in the back of your head, there is this idea that you want to launch a company, I’m of the mindset that I don’t want to live with regret. I’d rather know that this business will work or won’t work. And even if that means going back and getting a job after, I’d rather know that and then be stuck in this corporate job than live with regrets for the rest of my life!”
And since entrepreneurs work for their dreams, looking at Evan it seems that he is right!
He has set two world records, raises funds for Kiva, and created Entrepreneur trading cards.
He speaks globally, but Toronto (#EntCity) is home. He loves being married, his son, salsa dancing, DJing, League of Legends and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Furthermore, his journey just shows how transformative entrepreneurship can be. Evan went from being shy to becoming a giver, from broke to artist, from having no friends and being someone who doesn’t fit in, to being an author and a thinker + speaker. He says that if you believe, it’s enough for you to start, and we agree with him.
· Kindra Hall helps individuals and companies capture attention, close more sales and promote their brands through the fine art of strategic storytelling. Each presentation is a meta-learning experience with powerful research, engaging storytelling, and actionable strategies for measurable results.
Other of her favorite topics include entrepreneurship, leadership and women’s health & issues.
Kindra is one of the most sought-after keynote speakers trusted by global brands to deliver presentations and trainings that inspire teams and individuals to better communicate the value of their company, their products and their individuality.
· Daniel Gilbert is the founder and CEO of Brainlabs, “the smartest digital marketing agency on the planet”, as they boast on their website. Daniel’s mission is power the future of advertising through technology and data, while creating the best place to work in the world.
Daniel was named #1 in PPC Hero’s Most Influential PPC Experts in the World list (2018). He is a techno-optimist, and an advocate for the benefits of automation.
Daniel has been a keynote speaker at several marketing conferences, occasionally sporting a Superman outfit. Marketing superhero both literally and figuratively.
He was 26 when he quit working at Google and launched Brainlabs in 212 because he could see how auction-based buying and automation were transforming online advertising.
Eight years later, he runs one of the UK’s hottest performance marketing agencies.
· Jenise Uehara Henrikson is an entrepreneur who has headed several tech companies, including Zimbra and Acompli. Jenise Henrikson is the CEO of Alpha Brand Media, a digital media publisher, where she manages long-term strategy while overseeing workflow performance and operations. Quoted by major news sites such as ABC News Online, Investors.com, and internet marketing blog Shoemoney.com, Jenise also develops programs in areas such as K-12 music, science and environmental education through the Henrikson Family Foundation.
2. Real Estate
· Stefan Aarnio is an award-winning real estate investor, entrepreneur and author. Best known for having started his real estate portfolio with just $1,200, he has since build a multi-million dollar portfolio of single family and multifamily properties in Canada.
He is the author of Money, People, Deal: The Fastest Way to Real Estate Wealth, which led him to his next calling: mentoring other aspiring investors. He teaches mastery courses on raising capital, negotiation and real estate sales. In 2014, Aarnio won the Rich Dad Hall of Fame Award.
· Cody Sperber is a Navy veteran turned real estate expert. He is known as the Clever Investor, the main behind the most-followed real estate investing account on Instagram (1,2 million followers). Having flipped more than 1,000 properties as a real estate investor, Sperber has been called an “absolute market genius” by Barbara Corcoran of Shark Tank.
He has also personally mentored hundreds of students who have achieved financial freedom through real estate investing, and he’s still an extremely active real estate investor himself, buying, selling and renting properties.
· Desirée Patno is the CEO of Desirée Patno Enterprises and founder of the National Association of Women in Real Estate Businesses (NAWRB). With more than 20 years of real estate experience, Desiree advocates for women-owned businesses and helps female entrepreneurs start successful business ventures. In 2020, Patno was nominated as one of Housing Wire’s 30 most Influential Women.
· Tom Ferry is the CEO of Tom Ferry International, a real estate coaching and training company. In his 30 years of business, Ferry has influenced thousands of real estate professionals and helped increase their wealth.
Ferry has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, HuffPo, Mashable.com, Inc., Realtor Magazine, amongst others.
3. Entertainment
· Jason Blum is the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions. The producer is best known for hit series Paranormal Activity and for the movie Whiplash, which have collectively raked in more than $1.6 billion (on combined budgets of less than $80 million)
· David Ellison raised $700 million to fund the expansion of his company, Skydance Productions, of which he is the Founder and CEO. The company is known for having produced highly-anticipated titles like Start Trek Beyond and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Skydance’s 10 features films have grossed a combined $4 billion from global sales.
· Megan Ellison is a film producer, Founder of Annapurna Pictures. To date, she has created over a dozen movies — three of which (Zero Dark Thirty, Her, and American Hustle) earned her Oscar nominations. She launched her production company in 2011.
· Kevin Hart is known by pretty much anybody by heart.
While Hart owns his on-screen successes, he’s insisted that he wants to be seen as a businessman, first and foremost.
He is the founder of HartBeat Productions, and has partnered with Lionsgate Entertainment to launch a streaming service called Laugh Out Loud. It includes his live performances and exclusive content.
Our monthly entrepreneur update comes to an end, and we hope it inspires you.
If you think other entrepreneurs are worthy of the list, drop us a line in the comment section or write us an email at hello@cardanti.com.
