“No one wakes up a master. Fall in love with the process. Your future self will thank you.” says Zak Folkman, e-commerce expert and serial entrepreneur.

About ten years ago, Zak Folkman made a decision that changed the trajectory of his life. This pivotal moment began when he veered from his predetermined career path and dropped out of law school to pursue e-commerce. Six figures is no small debt; this, alongside a bleak future, spurred Folkman to take a leap into e-commerce, a business that has grown to become a multimillion empire. While many might have mistaken this to be a game of luck for him, it was nothing of such. Folkman’s knack and mastery of success in the online business sphere helped him achieve this feat. Throughout his journey, has learned many lessons, which can be useful for any person wanting to succeed in any business.

While he learned so many things, one lesson stood out as his first- the power of association. Folkman’s success attests to the popular saying, “He who walks with the wise will be wise.” From the early days of his career, Folkman has always associated with industry leaders renowned for their prowess in a particular field. His hunger for success spurred him to attend several meetings, conferences, and networking events, where he rubbed minds with the elite in the digital space. Those experiences gave him powerful insights into businesses, grew his network, and catalyzed his growth as an entrepreneur. Today, Folkman runs several mastermind groups that allow entrepreneurs to tap into other people’s knowledge, experience, and skills.

“Failure is just feedback for what not to do next time around; Don’t be afraid of it,” says Folkman. Folkman learned that in the business sphere, nothing is guaranteed. There are too many variables and factors you can’t control, so failure and losses are inevitable at some point. The key to growth is learning from experiences and leveraging these experiences to make better and more informed business decisions. Folkman advises beginners to start small and expand as they learn to avoid being overwhelmed. That way, the failures won’t set them too far back.

Also, Folkman rightly stated that Constant improvement is the third must-do for a digital entrepreneur. As technology advances and we get closer to being fully immersed in the digital age, you need to stay on top of every development to succeed. Folkman believes the e-commerce space will continue to evolve, and that’s why entrepreneurs must keep innovating and adapting to new selling methods and business models. One way of doing that is joining a mastermind group or enrolling in a course. Whatever style or pattern you choose, the objective is to keep learning and improving every aspect of your business until you gain mastery.

Teamwork is another pillar Folkman believes to be crucial for success. If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together- this popular saying is a pointer to the power of team effort. You will likely burn out if you try to do everything as an individual as the business grows, and that’s why you need a team. Folkman suggests handing off certain roles to other competent hands, as this frees up your time and allows you to network and expand your business. At the same time, you have an ample avenue to identify a new product, start another team, and repeat the process until you earn your desired revenue.

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