These types of questions help me as a business mentor to gain insight into my mentee’s business and provide guidance and support to help them achieve their goals.
What inspired you to pursue this business venture, and what motivates you to continue?
Before starting a business, I needed to understand myself, this includes my passions and drive. Understanding that is not all just positive thinking and the satisfaction of others. I believe that it’s about the fulfillment of both sides in this case the mentor and the mentee or the entrepreneurs and their clients. You must be happy first just then you can give or share what you can make or share your thoughts, beliefs, or experiences. Answering the question: What inspired me to pursue my business venture is the belief of having the talent or quality to create a business focused primarily on the foundation of building a solid pillar for the next generations.
Everyone wants to get started now run the fastest they can, and see progress immediately just like from day to night but things do not necessarily work like that. Sometimes you should consider failures, but I am a strong believer that you do not necessarily have to fail instead you have to be persistent. It’s good to know where you are and where you want to be following a solid strategy plan.
How do you currently measure success, and what goals do you have for your business in the short term and long term?
The term success depends on which context we tend it to be applied. Whether it’s my success in satisfying my personal-professional realization or professional-client satisfaction. I consider that both need to satisfy an X frame of expectations, for this, I may need to adjust or calibrate the success metrics (KPIs) to be realistic about my goals. And I always ask myself: are these achievable or irrelevant?
And then I think of the time frame, the needs, and effective tools to build a solid foundation. The time-bound goals tend to be the tricky ones.
It may be worth thinking of a short-term goal, I love to constantly ask myself: what’s next? This mindset keeps me in a balanced self-awareness position which I consider to be healthy, but if you see it from another perspective, it somehow puts me under constant pressure, with experience, you learn how to self-manage any type of situation. I want my business (brand) to be of high quality and recognized internationally,
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your business so far, and how have you overcome them?
I personally and professionally love challenges.
Essentially finding the right balance between working long hours and business success I think it’s extremely important. You must identify your most productive times and use them for work and the less productive moments to do something else, something that may help you relax and gain some inspiration to carry on creative and productive. Something I do during my break moments is what I consider extremely important… family. I try to spend the most genuine moments with my family.
This helps me to avoid fatigue disconnect from the constant pressure of work and keep passionate about everything I do.
Also, to overcome some professional challenges, I have a strong positive self-perception and I don’t think too much about making mistakes. First, you must admit your mistakes and at the same time accept that mistakes are part of the process. If you feel your physical your mental energy on the ground, you may need the right method to deal with and dividing the challenge into smaller pieces may be the key, which I consider to be the simple and the difficult one to follow up.
What is your unique value proposition, and how do you differentiate your business from your competitors?
I must emphasize that CARLOS SIMPSON™ Design Studio, CARLOS SIMPSON™ Art, and CARLOS SIMPSON™ Music Production are three different entities that share something in common.
“At Carlos Simpson Art and Design Studios, we offer a one-of-a-kind experience that combines the creativity and vision of an artist with the precision and expertise of a designer. We work with you to bring your ideas to life and create customized designs that are both beautiful and functional, whether it’s a unique piece of artwork or a tailored branding package for your business. With our attention to detail and commitment to excellence, you can trust us to deliver exceptional results that exceed your expectations.”
In this example, the unique proposition is the combination of artistic creativity with design expertise to create unique and customized designs that are both beautiful and functional. This sets Carlos Simpson Art and Design Studio apart from competitors who may focus solely on one aspect of the design process and can attract customers who are looking for a more comprehensive and personalized design experience.
BE(YOU)FULL It’s a fantastic way to differentiate your business from your competitors, at least from my professional point of view, the perfect to start the process. What I mean with this is that before starting something in this case your business, you need to be true to yourself to understand what makes you unique and through your uniqueness, you will be different from any competitors. Considering that many will follow you and with the possibility to clone you or copy what you do. I would prefer to inspire others to start and create new things.
How do you currently manage your finances, and what steps are you taking to ensure the financial stability and growth of your business?
1- You need to review expenses regularly.
2- You should use financial planning and forecasting such as Mosaic Tech or Planful. There are plenty of these tools available online.
You must be prepared before bidding for big contracts and ask yourself if you have the right conditions before committing yourself and your business to fulfill the demands of a contract you may not be capable of fulfilling. Things like time and the resources to meet your commitment to your client. You must be loyal to yourself, your coworkers, and your clients.
Remember to never fail to meet tax deadlines this will undoubtedly be the most crucial point of your business’s financial balance. Make sure your clients pay you on time. What I mean by this is that you need to be loyal to your client, with your deadlines and the extremely excellent quality of your job, but at the same level, your client must be loyal to you, especially with the payments. Because if your client doesn’t pay you, you don’t have money and without money, you don’t have a business. Simple as that.
What is your current marketing strategy, and how do you plan to expand your reach and grow your customer base?
These days a good strategy may be a mixture of Humans and technology or in other words the connection or fusion of both because the final result ends up directed to both even if we decide to start a long argument around this topic I am a strong believer that we will in one way or another end up on the same conclusion which is: Human / Technology / AI.
I don’t believe in good or bad data because even bad data is still data and good data may be bad data if applied in the wrong context. So, as part of my strategy, I always take this into account.
I believe in word-of-mouth marketing and user-generated content where you take the action responsibility of Influencing and encouraging organic discussions.
This method is far more effective and less expensive than advertising. It boosts your business, but the tricky part is how to gain the respect and consideration of an audience.
To grow our customer base CARLOS SIMPSON™ is always focused on:
◉ Simple effective ways to increase my business customer base.
To make this successful I will focus on “Marketing” as the art and the key to attracting and keeping my customers.
◉ The main key to business growth and profits of CARLOS SIMPSON™ is Customer Loyalty and Smart Adoption of Technology to increase efficiency, quality, and productivity.
◉ Focus on retention rates to improve customer value and this way boost referrals and strengthen customer loyalty.
How do you handle failure and setbacks, and what steps do you take to learn from these experiences and improve your business?
Normally I don’t think much about this topic.
If failure comes along for any reason, I automatically focus on the answer, on how to get the right information and feedback to efficiently fix it and move to the next step.
You can’t be stacked on the corner blaming and crying.
Failure is part of the process and with it, you learn, you grow, and you gain more experience.
If you don’t have another option, you must find a way to deal with it and overcome those setbacks and failures.
Someone told me once and now I understand what that person meant back in the day: “You must recognize that success and failure are on the same path.
Challenges are crucial in my everyday circumstances.
Being challenged by situations, by others, or by myself.
Interesting and encouraging when someone criticizes you especially negatively.
I welcome negativity because from my personal and professional experience when someone criticizes you negatively, in most cases, that person is being honest while on the other hand when we are positively criticized the intention behind it tends to be to please for whatever reason.
It doesn’t hurt to be negatively criticized, on the contrary, I see it as an efficient way to evolve.
Passion it’s another important key: I am always passionate about everything I do.
What is your leadership style, and how do you manage and motivate your team to achieve their goals?
This is an interesting question, and I believe that every leader has someone asking such in one way or another.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to “What is the best leadership style”.
See it this way: the most effective style depends on a range of factors, such as the organizational culture, the type of work being done, the goals of the team, and the individual personalities and strengths of the team members. However, I have experienced some general leadership styles that I identified with strengths and weaknesses.
Regardless of the leadership style used, there are some general principles that I follow to manage and motivate my teams to achieve their goals:
1- Set clear goals
2- Communicate effectively
2- Empower team members
4- Recognize and reward success
5- Foster a positive work environment
6- Lead by example.
I am a strong believer that effective leadership involves being adaptable, recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of team members, and using the appropriate leadership style to suit the situation at hand.
It’s extremely important to have the skills to effectively communicate purpose and direction to employees, customers, vendors, and other stakeholders, but it’s also important to lead by example: Set an example by demonstrating the behaviors and attitudes that you expect from your team members.
I must be in a positive work environment because it’s where I spend most of my lifetime: We must create and foster a work environment that is positive, supportive, and inclusive.
Providing team members, with the tools, resources, and authority they need to achieve their goals it’s the key to success.
How do you stay up to date on industry trends and changes, and what steps are you taking to ensure your business remains relevant and competitive?
The fact is that there is so much information, so many events, and so much happening that sometimes it’s hard not to get stuck or lost in the middle. So, self-awareness and no procrastination are good places to start.
To constantly follow the industry changes and trends there are a few basic I would say “must” that you can’t avoid:
1- I advise you to have a proper sleep and I should do the same.
2- Seek feedback, It’s okay if it’s someone close to your relative or best friend. My son always gives me valuable feedback and I love the way he sees things because he is genuine, honest, creative, and modern.
3- Networking (this is the tricky one)
4- Keep an eye on your competition.
5- Remember nothing is static, be flexible, and keep calm.
Keeping CARLOS SIMPSON™ relevant and competitive requires continuous effort and adaptation to changes in the market. Continuous learning and evolving to meet the needs of our customers to remain competitive in your industry.
These are some general strategies we follow and then model or adapt to our needs:
1- Conduct market research to understand our brand’s target market needs and preferences.
This way we create products and services that meet their demands and stay ahead of any new market trends.
2- Innovate to improve your products or services.
3- Build a strong online presence to reach a wider audience and remain visible to your current customers.
4- Invest in customer service for retaining customers and building a positive reputation.
5- Collaborate with other SMS to reach new audiences and potentially expand your product and services.
How do you balance your personal and professional life, and what steps are you taking to avoid burnout and maintain your overall well-being?
Let me be clear and make this one simply to be understood: “Never mix your personal life with work or vice-versa, it’s like filling up your diesel car with gasoline.”
What kind of art does Carlos Simpson do?
I find it odd that people gravitate towards allegiance with specific trends, movements, or even mediums. Some artists confidently declare, “I’m a painter,” which encompasses the image of a studio, tubes of paint, brushes, canvases, paint-smeared smocks or clothes, and a connection to a long-standing tradition. However, I struggle to label myself as a painter or artist because it feels like I am confining and categorizing the essence of my creative expression and communication with my surroundings. Nevertheless, I do have a strong passion for painting on canvas.
