Entrepreneurial Empire
Learn the fundamentals of where you are in business and how to scale with your host Jacqueline. Your business will go through many stages, and every stage will have it's own set of requirements. Let's unravel the journey ahead together and find strategic solutions that will help you conquer it all.
Entrepreneurial Empire
💥 Ignite Your Potential: Thrive Beyond Stagnation 💪🌟
Are you ready to step beyond the immediate and embrace the challenge of continual growth? Join me as I sit down with Dr. Derek Samuels, the Voice Against Stagnation, and uncover the secrets to entrepreneurial success. From his humble beginnings teaching mathematics in Nigeria, Dr. Samuels has mastered the art of creating opportunities and harnessed the power of quality relationships, proving that every interaction, even the most mundane, could be a stepping-stone towards achieving your dreams.
Our discussion explores his fascinating journey, emphasizing the importance of letting go of ego and focusing on your objectives. We unravel the story behind his chance encounter with a server in a New York restaurant - a moment that led to a significant opportunity and the importance of respect for others. This episode is a testament to the power of movement, vision expansion, and how the most unlikely experiences can catapult us into success.
Finally, we delve into the future, discussing how to create a vision that is more significant than oneself and the importance of mentorship, reading, and personal growth. Dr. Samuels shares his own vision for the next five years and how he is living in his purpose by helping others. This episode promises to inspire, challenge, and equip you with practical insights to accelerate your journey towards entrepreneurial success. Tune in for a conversation that promises to redefine your perspective on success, challenge, and opportunity.
Welcome to the Entrepreneurial Empire Podcast. This is the place where you can find business and career strategies, techniques and real-life success journeys of individuals who have built businesses to the million-dollar revenue mark and beyond. I'm Jaclyn Hernandez, life Coach and Business Development Consultant. I have worked with startups, fortune 100 companies, network marketing, direct sales organizations, churches, nonprofits and government agencies all to become the authority experts in their industry. Lead with people and scale their revenue. Let's get started. Welcome back, entrepreneurial Empire. Our guest today is the voice of Stagnation, who addresses more than 150,000 people worldwide each year. He is a business consultant, author of several books and a college professor at Cornell University, where we first met during my coursework in project management. Please turn up the volume for Dr Derek Samuels.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone. It's going to be in the side moment in a few.
Speaker 1:Awesome. So thank you. You know, and right before we got started, you were talking about the story behind the glory, and I just love that, because that is the essence of this entire podcast. It's about really getting and diving deep into the challenges and struggles and all the garbage that you had to go through to get to where you are today. So, you know, just go ahead and kick it off with we want to hear about your journey onto success and how you got to where you are today.
Speaker 2:Thank you so very much for having me. I appreciate the opportunity. Something I appreciate in life is the power of opportunity. I do not joke with opportunity, and that is the spirit of entrepreneurship. When you are given opportunity, whether small or big, treat it with excellence, treat it with humility, treat it with excitement and motivation. So that's been my journey, and my name is Derek Samuels the voice against stagnation.
Speaker 2:Damn, you can't hang around people like us and remain the same. It's not possible. I will talk you out of stagnation, I will move you out of stagnation, I will drag you out of stagnation. That's what I've been priviled to traveling all over the world teaching people that the challenges that they face is not as powerful as the potential that is trapped in them. When you unseal the potential in you, you see how powerless the challenges you face is. All I'm an entrepreneur, I'm an author, I'm a professor of business and, like you said before the podcast started, I was talking about the story behind the glory. Yes, a long time people focused on the success, on the, what they see outside, those celebrities, those people succeeding, but they don't understand that behind every glory there is a story. Yes, but entrepreneurs focus on the story of success for people and they want to repeat that and also improve upon those best practices to be where they should be.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and I love what you just said there, because that is like the purpose of getting information, mentors and just really being able to be in that setting and pick people's brains that have already gone before you and have made mistakes and came up on top, and just really being able to dive into that. So why don't you tell us what experience in your life really triggered you to go on to this entrepreneurial empire? I mean entrepreneurial journey, sorry.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right. We are in the era where your take home pay cannot take you home. Think about it. I'll five to eight to five, or nine to six. All those things are good. There's dignity in label. I believe it and that's why, Abraham Lincoln, he said teach my son that a dollar earned is worth more than five dollars found.
Speaker 2:In other words he's saying. There is dignity in label, so I believe in eight, nine to five or eight to five, and also all of those. Think about when our take home pay cannot take us home. You better be creating alternatives. And I wrote something in one of my books Life Without Options, equal to Stress your pile of stress when you have no options. And I used to.
Speaker 2:There were reading about artificial intelligence, that there's going to be a time where almost 300 million people loses their job because of artificial intelligence. What does that tell you? It tells you that we are in the era of competitiveness. We are in the era of you got to think ahead. You got to be thinking the next 10 years, the next 20 years, the next 40 years. If you want to be because of fast lane and if you want to be competitive and remain relevant, you need to be thinking beyond the immediate and staying relevant. I'm staying relevant. Keep growing, keep motivating yourself, keep developing yourself. I wrote something, one that I said the greatest disadvantage to any human, any human being, is to is self abandonment. Self abandonment means that you get to the point you no longer grow yourself, you no longer develop yourself, you stay in the status quo level. You stay in a comfort level. That's what we call the stagnation level.
Speaker 1:Love that the voice out of stagnation.
Speaker 2:Against stagnation.
Speaker 1:Or against stagnation?
Speaker 2:Yes, so, to come back to your question, my journey is about the journey of understanding that life is competitive and that you have to keep adding value to yourself. Number two that at the point we are in our life when our take home pay cannot take us home, you need to be creating options. Number three challenges have made me, or challenges have made me I relocated from Nigeria about 20 years ago to United States of America. We were so poor in Nigeria that even the poor people used to call us poor. So you can imagine that and it was very, very painful, you know, growing up in difficulties so. But I knew. I knew that education was going to make me. I knew it. So, as young as I was in difficulties. Then we used to use a local lamp to read our books, no electricity, and all those days, very early in the morning, I go to the local library. I spend hours in the library. They know me in the library.
Speaker 1:They know you by book.
Speaker 2:They know me very, very well and one of those that come help them open the library, help them close the library.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:And without food because it was not there. It was a difficult moment but I knew education will bring me one day to limelight Today. I've spoken at United Nations. I've met presidents. I have met parliament members. I have advised a lot of president in developing nations Education. But it came through the power of the challenges we were going through as a family then. And when my parents passed, I was just coming out of the university and my parents passed both of them within six months, so that piled up the challenges. How do we? What do I do? My siblings are very young. Some of them have to stop going to school so that they can start looking for something to do to feed themselves. I also have to start looking for something to do.
Speaker 1:How old were your siblings? How many siblings do you have?
Speaker 2:first of all, I have six, but one passed three years ago, four years ago.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you had six at the time when this had happened.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Including you, so a total of seven. No six all together oh, six of you guys all together.
Speaker 2:Okay, got it yeah.
Speaker 1:So now they're struggling. Are you the oldest or are you in the middle?
Speaker 2:Second.
Speaker 1:The second to the oldest yes, so you're faced with this adversity that your parents are no longer with you, and you're looking at your siblings, looking at their options. What you're saying? Creating options, looking at their options, which are not really looking good right now. Right? So what did you do?
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right. I agree with you. Then it was not looking good, but it's brighter today. I look back and give myself a pat on the back, because it's okay to give yourself a pat on the back.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely so. How did the situation after that? You got out of your university? What did you decide to do from there?
Speaker 2:Very good question. If you allow me, I will talk about the power of vision.
Speaker 1:Yes, let's hear it.
Speaker 2:Life without vision is no life at all.
Speaker 1:People without a vision will perish.
Speaker 2:That's right. Vision is the strength you have. Without vision, no strength. Without vision, no motivation. So I was lucky enough to know my strength and I knew that my strength was teaching. People didn't believe that. Oh, mechanical engineering, you went into teaching. I knew it. But the kind of teaching I want to do is not the teaching of just being world over in the, you know, maybe just like cocoon in the classroom, but like I am going to grow myself. So I began to go to people's houses then in those difficult moments Nigeria teaching people arithmetic, biology, chemistry, kids. I was making money because I wanted to work in the oil industry in Nigeria. But when you have maybe seven vacancies in the oil industry and about 300,000 to 400,000 people are applying for seven vacancies, you can tell that for you to get to your hands sometimes it can be very challenging.
Speaker 1:Yes, very challenging.
Speaker 2:That's right. So education was my key. So I started writing books. My first two books I wrote was in mathematics. Okay, I say, how do I help people in their mathematics? Because it was becoming a problem for them then. So I started making money through teaching. Then I remember coming to um, getting to the embassy, and they saw my books on mathematics. Today the young man that was introducing me, I was interviewing me say you wrote this book. I said yes, I did, I wrote this book. He said American meets someone with knowledge of mathematics. So I was excited. So when I came in here, the first thing I did was to look for where I can teach mathematics. So that's how I got into teaching again. Then, from there, I began to develop myself again PhD, applied management, decision sciences. I began to get more opportunities.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love that, Because what happens is what you did is you saw a need and you provided a solution for that need, and that was in your country, right, nigeria.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Okay, so in Nigeria, you saw a need and you were like you know what? I have a skill and I'm going to provide a solution for this need with these children that are, you know, not learning the right way.
Speaker 2:That's right and that provided an opportunity.
Speaker 1:I just want to lie like that that provided you an opportunity to come to the States and open up opportunities to teach here. So how does that look now?
Speaker 2:That's right, and again when I came in here. So truth, you see, it's a one thing about vision is that vision expands as you move along.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, it does.
Speaker 2:That's why the power of movement, the book I wrote about the power of movement if you don't move, nothing moves. You have to move. When you start moving, you see that opportunities that you have, the vision you have begin to expand, you begin to see things from different angles. Today I don't teach mathematics anymore, but that's how I started yeah, now into consulting, I'm into business, I'm into training, I'm into public speaking, I'm into writing, I'm a professor. So I developed courses for big universities. But it started that way. But as I began to move, began to advance myself, develop myself, the entrepreneurial spirit began to be more polished, and the more polished it is, the more opportunity flows towards you.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love that. And then it's you really you know educating yourself around what you are good at, and it's what you just said a little while ago. You said understanding your strengths, and I feel like there's so much opportunity when people understand what their strengths are, because they know how to what you said the power movement. They know how to move in their strengths. So I love what you just said about that. So then what happens? You open up all these doors to opportunities. What did you feel like? There was any struggles along the way once you got here in the States, and we're looking for opportunities to teach.
Speaker 2:That's an interesting question. The first teaching job I got in one of the county colleges. They did not invite me. I invited myself. They did not advertise. I took my resume to this college close to where I live and I said I'm looking for problems to solve. That's what I told the chair of the department and she looked at me like who invited everybody? I'm myself. And she said to me what kind of problem can you solve? I said I saw this type of problem mathematics as a matter of a look at the two books I've written in mathematics. Right there she doesn't know me. She has not even asked me my name. She didn't say oh, this guy has an accent. And then it was even worse Now I've improved. And she just said just a minute. So she just called the professor who schedule classes next semester. I was in.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Okay, again, I want to highlight what you said. You created when, in a market of competition, you understood that life is about competition and you went in there. And so many times I just I see so many people with all this great skills and talents right, but they don't go out there and create an opportunity for themselves. And you did that. In that moment, you created opportunity. Okay, so now you created this opportunity. What happens next?
Speaker 2:very important. You know one thing that I am, florence Jenkins. One thing I love about Florence Jenkins before she died, you know, florence wanted to sing, but somehow, when she needed to take low notes she would take high notes and so on. But before she died she said many will say Florence could not sing, but no one will say Florence did not sink. So why am I trying to say that? Because opportunity is waiting for people. So it's better to be found trying than to be found crying. Oh, instead of me, instead of me sitting on crying and oh, there is no opportunity here. Here is very difficult. I just started going out, establishing quality relationship that has brought me to where I am. So I'm creating opportunity and that's the entrepreneurial spirit we're talking about. You don't wait until things are perfect. Yeah, if everything comes together for you, just step out, just doing something little by little. If we keep unfolding, don't give up. Keep looking straight ahead. You can be where you could be in the shortest time.
Speaker 1:I want to really go back to what you said about building relationships. I just feel like people don't really acknowledge the relationships that they have and the opportunities that are within that. You know, what do you think in your experience? What do you think holds people back from you know, really building relationships?
Speaker 2:and opportunities through them. I'm glad you asked me this question. The reason is because the reason why I am where I am today is the reason why I am here today is because he said, life travels at the speed of relationship?
Speaker 2:Ooh, I have not heard that one before. Thank you, that's not my quote, I just said something. Yes, that's right, relationship is too powerful and it's the most, one of the most fundamental thing that every entrepreneur should tap into. You need to pay the price of relationship. Ooh, I like that. There is a price of relationship.
Speaker 2:But let me tell you my journey about relationship. I remember I was in one of the restaurants eating one of the restaurants in New York, and I was with my friend who was in one of those banks in New York and he was this, this young lady you could touch it, and my friend introduced her this is Dr Derek. He's a good speaker. So the lady said what does he speak on? So I said it and she said oh, I just came back from a country in Rwanda and I went to do volunteering for two years. Would you like me to connect you to one of the most powerful people there? Oh, my gosh, you can go speak. That was my journey. Now, today, I'm going to talk to you about the power of relationship and she was the server.
Speaker 1:Yes, she was a server. She was the server. So there's a lesson to be learned right there you do not ever underestimate the power of relationship, no matter who it is.
Speaker 2:I respect people, because people that will be used for your next level don't always look like it. You know you're not going to be in your next level in flight when you're sitting next to one on the bars or at the train. Be nice, because your next level might be maybe maybe attached to the one sitting next to you. Be nice, it's not everything. You have to carry your face like you'll carry the entire burden of the world on your shoulder. No, be happy with yourself.
Speaker 1:Don't postpone happiness yeah.
Speaker 2:I like that. Very well said, we're spoken for many reasons.
Speaker 2:That's right. So another one was always and easily let go. There was a I remember there was this, my former boss. You know he didn't. He didn't treat me so very well, uh huh. But when we both left that organization I was going to go to the hospital and went and I hugged him. Oh, do you still remember me? Oh, dr Derek. Who will not remember that to Derek? He asked me where are you going? I told him. Then he just said to me, would you like to work a concert for a social place? But it will be send you to different state in America. I said why not? That's how he connected me, and one of the areas where I get one of my largest, you know, income today is from there. From there I said, oh, he didn't treat me well some years ago. I am not going to greet him, I am going to be angry. Look at where I am through that power of relationship.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, that is old, right there what you just said. Right, there's gold. You know, I feel like we live in such an era where people are, you know, running around saying I'm 100, I'm 100. So I'm going to tell you how I feel about you. I'm going to tell you what's on my mind and what I'm saying. You know, that is the power and reservation. That's right, there's a lot of power and not say anything.
Speaker 2:I agree with you, that's right.
Speaker 1:Very well said, but you, you're demeanor in the way you carried yourself. You carried yourself with even though there might not have been a great connection or that person might not have treated you very well, or onto others, to where you got an opportunity out of something that others probably would have not have gotten out of that.
Speaker 2:You see what you just said In one of the on this book I wrote on the current edge leadership. One of the things I said here was always focus on the objective, not personality. It's not about your ego, it's about the objective. You lose out when you focus on your ego and your even a corporate organization that they focus so much on. You know personality, ego, the policies, that does not promote objective, so they lose out.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I have to say. Yesterday I had a conversation with my 12-year-old and she was having a little issue with her friend and she was like, how should I handle it? And I was like, well, let's hear what your strategy is. And then she tells me and I was like, whoa, ok, that is coming from all ego, right there. Let's back it up and let's remove the ego. Exactly what you just said. So cutting edge, cutting edge leadership. Talk to me about this ego thing. And how do people you know, really a lot of people operate from an ego-centric area? Why do you think that is?
Speaker 2:Let me, for example, let's take a look at corporate organization or even let's talk from entrepreneurial place. You are in business For what reason? There's a reason, there's a why for your business. That means there's a reason for your business Is to achieve something, whether it's tangible or intangible objective, but there's a reason for being an entrepreneur. So if you lose focus on the why, you will begin to fight unnecessary, battle unnecessary things. You start getting yourself in unnecessary things. There are a lot of people that will disappoint you in life. There are a lot of people that will, that will betray your trust. But if you focus on them, you lose the energy, you lose the focus of the why you are in business.
Speaker 2:Ooh yeah, ego right there. That is fire. That's right. In a corporate organization, you see a lot of. Can you imagine an corporate organization? Can you imagine dressing up like this, beautifully, handsomely, to work, only to go and be having a bitterness, anger, quarreling with a coworker? I don't need that extra burden, it's an extra burden.
Speaker 1:Yes, I did.
Speaker 2:I prefer extra blessing than extra burden.
Speaker 1:Oh, extra blessing. Everybody, stay away from the extra burden. Let's all accept the extra blessings.
Speaker 2:That's right. So focus on the reason why, every time, whether you are in a meeting, whether somebody's disagreeing with you, whether somebody has a varying opinion, stay calm under pressure. Learn to stay calm under pressure and learn to say to yourself I will prefer to focus on the objective rather than ego. I will prefer to stick on fact rather than emotion. I will prefer to be humble rather than being arrogant.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh my gosh, did you ever? I know you mastered this and you're not egocentric, but was there ever a time that Dr Derrick was egocentric?
Speaker 2:That's a very good question. I think the more you know, the more you expose, the more opportunity you have, the more you have a sense of responsibility, the more you discipline your focus. That's why people of vision minimize their carelessness.
Speaker 1:Oh, people of vision, minimize their carelessness.
Speaker 2:I love that when you see people who have vision, they become disciplined all of a sudden, because vision gives you something bigger than yourself. Yes, every vision will be bigger than the carrier of that vision. I love that. If you have vision that is less than the carrier, that the carrier is more powerful than the vision, that's not vision. So when you have vision that will include people, you're going to employ people. Look at the opportunity you've given to Mina to showcase myself. That is vision. Look, I know you. You have been reaching out to different people, empowering them. I know you. That is called vision. It disciplines your focus, yes, what you say, what you don't say. It disciplines how you behave, how you shouldn't behave. It disciplines where you go and where you shouldn't go. It disciplines the kind of people you hang around and the people you shouldn't hang around. That's the power of that vision we're talking about. When you get it, you get life.
Speaker 1:I love that. No, that is so true. I mean just even in this, really staying focused on the exact people. I mean, in my mind I had a vision and I already knew every single person I wanted on this show.
Speaker 2:Thank you, that was good, thanks for having me, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Nobody said no.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you Thank you Okay.
Speaker 1:so now you're traveling all over the world. You have all these great opportunities. What is going on in your life right now?
Speaker 2:Very good question my life. Right now. I'm launching my new business and that business is going to be launching in the next one or two months. I'm going to bring you more my presence in the media. Social media is not that powerful. I want to increase. A lot of people hear me and say you need to be there, you need to be in that platform, and somehow I've been able to stay very competitive even without being there.
Speaker 2:But I have just created what we call the 30,000 view, a food view. So it means I want people to begin to see from the angle of cruising at the 30,000 altitude. So I'm going to be launching that is going to be social media. And I just wrote a book on 365 powerful quotes, which means that every day I'll be releasing powerful quotes and short stories and create a video around those. So I'm going to begin to broadcast them and have them visit my website and all of those. So those are the things. And also, recently I just got my authorized training partner with PMI Project Management Institute to begin to do PMP training, give certification, give certificate of completion and all of those. So those are a lot of opportunities is happening now. Also, I'm scaling my minority business. So I do a lot of federal contract with federal, military, federal agencies, so things are really moving on very well. So I'm expanding now, hiring more people, opening more offices, and so those are things.
Speaker 1:So, dr Derek, how many books have you written now?
Speaker 2:I think about 25 now 25?
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, okay, wow. I think the last time we talked you were at like 23.
Speaker 2:That's right, I've written, I keep writing. That's why I told you, once division comes, it disciplines your focus.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:You are no longer everywhere. You are not targeted to something who was something of value, because, at the end of the day, you want to leave something of value.
Speaker 1:So let me ask you this you are a keynote speaker. You traveled to different countries, you've written 25 books, you are a professor, you're a teacher. Like you, teach life, you teach abundance. You are, you're just all over the place. Now you're opening this new opportunity with social media and just being able to be a social media influencer in everything that you're already influencing on. So let me say you know what I'm just like? First of all, I'm just so amazed, I'm so blown away. How do you time manage? Because I mean so many people they're like oh, I can't do that because I have a full time job and I, you know, I have to go home and cook for myself. And I'm like do you have kids? Though? I don't think you know. So how do you have time management when others, you know, really cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel with time management?
Speaker 2:Time is the only currency that will make you relevant, and if you misuse it, it will make you irrelevant. Oh and time will tell. If you miss you use time or use time very well. Time we tell.
Speaker 1:And what are those tall tail signs?
Speaker 2:And that's why, like I said, once you have understand where you're going, it becomes easier to manage your time. Your vision must be greater than me. The vision that you want to leave a legacy division, that in your lifetime if you are lucky enough to be, you know, to grow old, you should have written about 60 to 70. Book that vision. The vision that, okay, I want to be among people, hiring people and paying people salary. The vision that I, I can take someone out of the challenges are going through and give them a fresh home. The vision that I can make the world better than I met. The world that is powerful is compelling.
Speaker 2:People of vision don't die. You can't kill a man of vision. People like Steve job, he can, he can die. He can never die. The job is alive Every time. You with your phone, your iPad, steve job, you're with Steve jobs. That's called a power vision. So when you have the vision you have and his vision of it's always a thing of the art is in the heart, not in the head. Yes, I love that, and it's when you keep motivating that it, keep growing that inner mind that you have, you begin to fewer that particular vision before you know it the 20 count to time management. Nobody works you up. You don't wake up people of vision. They wake up when it's time to wake up.
Speaker 1:And they have that motivation to do it. There's an urgency, a sense of urgency and a passion that is like seeping out of the pores of that person.
Speaker 2:That is true. And another thing I do. I do it every day. Every day, I could have show you something that I've just written how I'm going to run my day. Even though I have my weekly monthly vision, every day I sit down to remind myself what is to be accomplished today.
Speaker 1:What needs to be accomplished today?
Speaker 2:yes, yes, it's important, because sometimes we don't write things down. Let me tell you something. I wrote something in my book what you do not document is not yours.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:I love. Undocumented thoughts are not yours, so write it down. So I write down. Okay, I want to make sure I reconcile the instant in my bank with my bank. I want to make sure that this go through. I want to make sure I reach out to this person today. I want I write it down, then I'm accomplishing it. I do that every day.
Speaker 1:That's what I call is. I created a form for all my coaching programs and it's called the DMO daily method of operation, and you have to write it down every day.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 1:That's how people write their stuff down.
Speaker 2:That's right. Hmm, you should create a workbook on that.
Speaker 1:I have one. Oh, that's powerful, yes, daily method of operation. What are you doing today and how does it get accomplished?
Speaker 2:Hmm, that's so powerful. At the end of the day, you are the mover, the ultimate mover of your vision.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I totally agree with that and love that. Okay, so where is your vision now? Where are you going to? Where is Dr Derek going to be in the next five years?
Speaker 2:In the next five years. I see myself doing coaching, mentoring a lot of people across the world. That's where I'm going. That's what I'm going with my new business right now, because sometimes I'm in a country speaking to 5,000 people, 10,000 people. Then what I want? To mentor them. They love the things I say, but I want to take it from just speaking to coaching them, empowering them, helping them change and see them change for the better. So that's what I want to. I see myself doing that more. I also see myself more as okay. How do I scale my business more? Where is needing more of the multi-million dollars rather than just? You know what I mean. So those are things, because money is very powerful. With money, you can influence things positively if you understand the power of money.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and I love what you said Earlier. You talked about the focus, the power of focus on your reason why, why you're doing this. What your purpose is and that's basically what you're doing right now is like you're living in your purpose and you're staying very disciplined to your why, the objective right, and really focusing in on that. And by being able to focus in on that, you're not. You're not as an entrepreneur. I think a lot of entrepreneurs get stuck in the weeds of they got to sell, sell, sell and bottom line this and bottom line that and quota this and quota that. But when you're selling from the purpose place, from the place of purpose and because of your reason why you're not selling anything, you are on fire. You're an evangelist for your cause and you are, you know, really out there helping so many people and it's like you wake up in the mirror and you just fill. You look in the mirror and you say who is the lucky son of a gun to get to meet me today? Because I'm about to change your life.
Speaker 2:That's right, that's right.
Speaker 1:Entrepreneurs are evangelists.
Speaker 2:That's right. They are evangelists, and I agree with you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely yeah. So no, I mean, I definitely love your path and and where you're going with this. I love what you talked about. Everything that you are today and what you, how you've accomplished, has been because of your discipline, because of your dedication, because of your passion on your why and staying focused on that why. Even when that why expands and it moves, you're moving towards it, but you're staying so focused that you don't have time for the drama, you don't have time for the stress. You only have time for the blessing and I don't have time for the burden.
Speaker 1:I love it. Yeah, so you know that's everything that you just talked about here today is just, you know it's so powerful because you put it in its right containers. You know, a lot of times it's a lot of chaos and people can't figure out why they're not really moving forward or moving with momentum, because sometimes, even if you're moving forward, you're not necessarily moving with that momentum that you need to get to that destination, to get to the finish line. Right, and that's what you're talking about is having that discipline and that focus and you just really put all that into the containers that it needs to be so it's digestible, and I think that's why your books are so powerful because you can digest it right.
Speaker 2:And again, my book is a reflection of who I am, so that makes the difference. So I am writing what I'm doing. Yes, very important.
Speaker 1:Okay, here's a oh, go ahead, go ahead. I was going to say what book is your favorite book that you wrote.
Speaker 2:I think the first book I wrote here was the power of movement. So the power of movement? Actually it just keeps selling and selling and selling Each everywhere I go conferences, they want to rush the power of movement, the power of movement, and that was where I talked about, where I got my title, because light begins when you know. Discover who you are About 10 years ago. Every time I go on meetings they always ask you one question who are you? But they won't say that. They'll say tell me about yourself. Right, but tell me about yourself. It's actually like who are you and you know those that we used to memorize 30 seconds pitch. I am blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 1:The elevator pitch.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, a little bit of pitch. So I went back I said no, so won't they just call to me Derek? Who are you really? You're actually the voice against stagnation. That's who you are and that's how I got that. Who are the voice against stagnation? That means, anywhere I am, there is something, I'm going to create, something positive. It's just who I am. So that's how.
Speaker 2:On that note, I said it right in my book it's about moving people out of stagnation. You can't be here. You can do better for yourself. You can keep growing. You don't have to be crying. Keep trying. You're going to sit down. You are not designed to mourn yesterday and be crying over yesterday that you cannot change. Focus on what you can change. So all of those my books began to move towards. Whether I'm writing on leadership, even this one, you will like this one Christianity. Oh, I coined this one Christianity your spiritual MBA for business success. So because I love that. I grew up in a religious, you know, background and seeing people. Yes, prayer is good, worshiping is good, but sometimes people need to grow beyond that to see that you have everything you need to grow yourself. So I said I'd go into people of faith all over the world, teaching them how to do business.
Speaker 1:Yes, because we also have an action.
Speaker 2:That's right. So there's a lot you know. So these are the things I have been doing and I keep working on, keep improving upon it. Life is humbling. Stay humble, stay focused Much more, keep growing, never stop growing and never stop asking for help.
Speaker 1:So what? How do you continue to your education? What do you look for? Who's your mentors? Like what? Where do you get your education? Where do you get your growth from?
Speaker 2:Very good questions. I have mentors.
Speaker 1:Okay. How many mentors Hold on. How many mentors do you have?
Speaker 2:I have many, but the ones I say mentors, let's say about five of them.
Speaker 1:Okay, you have five mentors. That is so deep. So many people are like well, I'm already working with this one coach and I'm like one coach, I'm like Oprah, I'm in coaches.
Speaker 2:One coach is good, but one coach can see everything. Yeah, on the horizon so.
Speaker 1:So you have five mentors.
Speaker 2:If one of them really helped me recently, especially my friend consultant. He's 70 something years old in Missouri. Oh, my gosh, I never met him. He's just there for me. And you see why? One of this is also very important. It's good for us to say it here you have to overcome racial bias. You have to cut across geographical boundaries. Yes, all people are from different parts of the world. I've never met him. He's in Missouri, uh-huh, he's only 10 years old and he'll be coaching me. He'll be coaching me. And opportunities when you know that your mentor wants you to grow, some opportunities he has. He will say Derek, would you like to go to Saudi Arabia to do a training? These people are going to call you and, derek, this is how to negotiate the salary. They have been there several years. I'm old now, I can't be going there. I'll never meet him, but I respect him. Yes, because you must respect your mentors. They have to see that gratitude. They have to see that expression of gratitude, the expression of humility, the expression of wanting to learn.
Speaker 1:It's like it's the sense of passing on the baton too. People want to know you know people that you respect and you want to follow or become. You know something of what they are, or portion of who they are you. They have to see in you that you want it, you know, and they have to be able to trust in you too. And that's where opportunities come, because they're passing on that baton to you to go out there and do something bigger and greater.
Speaker 2:That's right, very well said. I agree with you totally. Second, another one, apart from mentorship, where I get some of this growth is I read, I read, I read, I read a lot.
Speaker 1:What are you reading right now? Okay, let me show you what.
Speaker 2:I'm reading right now I love.
Speaker 1:I'm a big reader, I read, I try to read a book a week.
Speaker 2:I just, I just went to Bonson Nobles. I just got this one.
Speaker 1:I already got that one. I read that one Like yes, so most of the intelligence, yes, oh my gosh this is what I'm reading currently.
Speaker 2:So I buy books, I read, because the more you read, the more you know, and the more you know, the more you are sought after. Yes, okay, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. People want to hire those. That knows what they're talking about. So, and it comes through reading. So who had told us someone like Barack Obama, with all his busy schedule when he was president, spent one hour to read every day? He squeezes up one hour to read. What a lesson that, if the president of the United States of America can spend one hour to read a day, what All of us can.
Speaker 2:What do I have? Who am I that I shouldn't have time to read? So I read a lot. That's the one, so that's the second one. I attend conferences, I attend seminars. So sometimes I go to conferences not just to speak but to learn and meet people.
Speaker 1:What was the last conference you went to?
Speaker 2:I was in ATD conference. Was it training development? I was there. I was in PMI conference. Recently I went for a financial conference. Now I'm learning about money With all the books I have. I have never consciously said let me know about money.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love this. I love this, and I love that you're talking about this, because so many people do not admit that.
Speaker 2:That's right, I'm reading about money. I have never consciously read about money, so right now I bought books about money. So I started reading books about money, where they reach. People keep their money. How did they make their money? How did they keep it? How did they save it? How did they multiply it? So those are things.
Speaker 1:I'm reading. Okay, I have to tell you, one of our guest speakers for Entrepreneurial Empire was Dr Bill Danko, and he wrote the book the Millionaire and I've seen the title, but I've never read it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I got into a lot of books about money and you know really how to keep it, how to grow it, how to make it work for you, Like it needs to be your employee, not you being the employee of money. And his book changed my life, so you'll hear his podcast episode as well, but he's amazing. I definitely feel like you two need to talk, so we can talk about that after this episode, I'd love to connect the two of you.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. I appreciate it and I believe in the power connection.
Speaker 1:Yes, okay. So training and development conferences you got. You know you do mentors, keep reading. You go to your conferences. What else do you do? How else do you?
Speaker 2:I mentor orders.
Speaker 1:You know, oh my gosh, that is so important because the more you talk about it and you teach it, the more precise it becomes in your life. Oh, that's so deep.
Speaker 2:There is joy in giving back One of my men, one of my men tea. I've never met her, but she's in New York. So when she came today, my men tea is writing a book. She never believed she was talking and I was helping her talk to. You know, help her with her niche. Okay, this one, you are good at this, you can do this, do this. Oh, there, it can write in a book. That's right. The power of hanging around, those that can, you know, motivate you, that can make you to move from one, from A to B, and so on.
Speaker 1:I love it, oh my gosh, okay. So we got reading mentors, mentors, mentors, okay.
Speaker 2:So another thing I also do is believe it or not. I believe in one of the ways I think I've also learned is you need to cut. If it's circle of friends that you can trust, they don't have to be that many. I have a friend of mine. He is a blessing to me. He's in Wisconsin. I don't call him mentor, I call him like a dear friend.
Speaker 2:But this is, you must have some. You see, every life has a. Every building has a chimney. Right, every building has a chimney. That's the purpose of chimney. Every human being should have a place where you air your frustrations, but in a with someone you can trust. So this man he's 65 or 66 now. He's a good friend. He's a good friend. He's 65 or 66 now. He is not. It's like my, even though he's 66 and is much older than me. He's very humble. He always teach me. I always call him. He will tell you. You know this because a lot of people have betrayed my trust as an entrepreneur. When you start traveling to different countries, you meet people who you think they have genuine interest in what you're trying to do. They want to sub-attach that, they want to hijack that. You need someone that can always encourage you. No matter how powerful you are, you are a motivational speaker. Motivational speakers also need motivation.
Speaker 1:As they do.
Speaker 2:So you must have someone like that Not in form of a mentor, like a friend that he or she respects you. He or she don't talk anyhow, and they encourage you. They'll tell you, you know, yes, it's like life is like this you keep learning. Yeah, that's something about life. Life is about keep learning. Keep learning what is right.
Speaker 1:And the biggest thing to be a mentee yourself is to put your ego aside and listen.
Speaker 2:That's right, and also don't postpone happiness.
Speaker 1:Ooh, how does one not postpone happiness?
Speaker 2:Let me tell you something. When I graduate from the university, I will be happy. What about you graduate and you don't have the job you wanted? Why don't you be happy now? Yes, why do you have to wait for the next four years until you become happy? Be happy now, because tomorrow may not be guaranteed. So I have been practicing that. I want to be happy now.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Be happy now. Happiness is a now, no w thing.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it Okay. So, dr Derek, is there anything that you want to share with us today that I didn't ask you or that you didn't?
Speaker 2:mention. You have spoken a lot. I just want to reemphasize one thing Don't wait until everything comes together. There's a flower called Titan Aron T-I-T-A-N, t-a-n-a-r-u-m. Titan Aron is a flower that stays almost nine years before it blooms. Nine years, nine years. But when it blooms this they call it the stench of death. It smells so bad that people close their mouths. So the lessons to learn there don't wait for so long to make your vision come to pass. Don't wait until you have everything or you have all the money. You have all the knowledge, you have all the people around you, because if you wait for too long, your vision might be old, your old might be old. You don't want to be in the market talking about number one when people are already talking about number 20. Nobody is going to buy number one when number 20 is already in the market.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, that is so true.
Speaker 2:Don't be Titan Aron, waiting until everything comes together to blow. Some Time to blow. Some is now your happiness is now your vision. To pursue your vision, the time is now the time to make yourself relevant, is now the time to grow yourself, is now the time to take yourself seriously and hold yourself accountable. Is now, not tomorrow. Be the now guy, be the now woman, be the now man who is proactive. Your plan, your art, your art, your art, your art. Because the only thing that differentiates those who are making it from those who are faking it is the action they took or failed to take.
Speaker 1:Ooh say that one more time.
Speaker 2:The difference between those who are making it from those who are faking it is largely dependent on the action they took or failed to take.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love it.
Speaker 2:If you don't take action, all the plan you have has no meaning.
Speaker 1:Yup Faith needs action.
Speaker 2:That's right Anticipation, plus participation equal to emancipation.
Speaker 1:Ooh, yes, I love that. Okay, well, thank you so much, dr Derrick, for being on with us here today. Again, I cannot emphasize the most on the power of networking, the power of relationships and connections. I met Dr Derrick about a year and a half ago when I was attending his project management course at Cornell University, and he's just a phenomenal professor. I have learned so much and we have kept an amazing relationship ever since. So thank you so much for being on our show here today. I am so excited for that. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that. Thank you so much. I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for listening to the Entrepreneurial Empire podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, do me two solids Subscribe to the show so that you never miss an episode and leave us a review so that others can find this life-changing content that we provide here. This show can be the very difference for someone you might know struggling in their business, and we need your help to bring us together. And thank you again for being a part of our entrepreneurial community and for tuning in each and every single week Until next time. Bye for now.