Written in Partnership with Amir BakianSucceeding as an entrepreneur takes lots of grit, determination, resilience, and hard work. Although each path is unique, it helps to learn from the industry experts themselves. Through their stories, we can discover hints of what it takes to build 7 or 8-figure businesses. Presenting our list of this year’s Top 10 Up & Coming Entrepreneurs:
1. Dave Carroll
A business owner for 13 years, Dave Carroll overcame his challenges with flying colors and became an inspiring and innovative entrepreneur in the marketing industry. After being incarcerated for 4 years in his early 20’s, Dave founded DOPE Marketing with the goal of helping small businesses send automated direct mail with no minimum order requirements. Within two short years, Dave scaled DOPE Marketing to $5 million+ in revenue while employing a team of 30 people. His dream is to help as many small business owners as possible reach their goals by creating intimacy and brand awareness with their customers.. In Dave’s view, the print industry has been stuck in the same place for too long. “I was born in 1985 and most of the strategies used in direct mail are as old as I am.” Dave’s team at DOPE Marketing is leading the way for business owners sending direct mail to help build their brands and get in front of more of their perfect customers going into 2023.
Zachary Bernard is an entrepreneur, digital marketer, and founder of We Feature You. Through his work at We Feature You, he helps his clients become recognized experts in their fields by developing the right media strategy and securing placements on major outlets, podcasts, and TV segments. Zachary believes that establishing an online presence, showcasing expertise, and using public relations are key to gaining visibility and recognition in today’s world. With his expertise and vision, We Feature You will continue to change the PR landscape for industry professionals as the company prioritizes massive growth and remains a true disruptor in all spaces.
3. Alex Quin
Alex Quin is a marketing expert with a wide range of experience. He’s the founder and CEO of UADV MARKETING, which specializes in partnerships, content distribution, and collaborative marketing. Truly making an impact in business and entertainment, Alex has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, including McLaren, Microsoft, Puma, VaynerMedia, RichMusic, ManyChat, INBOUND, and Florida International University. He’s also the host of Hustle Inspires Hustle™—a globally popular podcast that encourages entrepreneurship and self-development. Learning about his experience is accessible through his new book, “The Digital Marketing Dictionary: An Advertisers Guide to Online Marketing”, published exclusively on Amazon.
4. Guy Sheetrit
Guy Sheetrit, the founder and CEO of Over The Top SEO (OTT), has been recognized by Inc. and Forbes as a rising authority in the world of SEO and digital marketing. With a record of generating over $1 billion for his clients in the past five years, Sheetrit has established OTT as a dominant player in organic SEO. His unconventional approach to SEO and marketing has earned him over 140 awards and the trust of leading brands such as TedX, SkyScanner.com, FindUSNow.com, CryptoExchange.com, and Hot.com.
5. Paul Neff
Paul Neff is a force to be reckoned with in the advertising world. At just 30 years old, this multimillionaire entrepreneur has made a name for himself with his drive, determination, and business acumen. He owns and runs an advertising agency, multiple e-commerce brands, and a real estate investing company, all of which have been wildly successful. With a diverse portfolio of businesses, Paul has proven to be a skilled and savvy entrepreneur with a bright future ahead of him. He’s worked with massive brands and helped them generate over $400 million in top-line revenue for paid advertising clients. With a stellar track record, it’s no surprise that he’s considered a disruptive force in the advertising industry.
6. Dean Lemon
Dean Lemon is a music industry professional who built a successful career through his expertise in social media and hard work. He dropped out of school and started a band with no money or equipment, but was able to build a large fan base and following through social media. As a result, Dean was able to release albums and tour Europe for 10 years, selling tens of thousands of concert tickets, getting his albums in the official charts, and living his dream. He then built an online music community called “Music Life” which grew to 5 million followers in under 2 years and received 500 million video views per month. Afterwards, Dean then moved on and founded his company “The Social Lemon”, where he works with multiple high-profile celebrities and artists, building and managing their social media pages and successfully monetizing them.
Brian’s superpower is finding, nurturing, and pioneering early opportunities, evangelizing for the web3 and video game space, and curating a very well-connected network, but beyond that, Brian enjoys mentoring and advising early-stage entrepreneurs who have great ideas. An ambassador for blockchain projects, Brian is a Founding Partner at ReBlock Ventures. ReBlock Ventures is a modern-era kingmaker of sorts as an immersive founder/partner-operated advisory firm that gets involved in many facets of their partner/portfolio companies’ businesses. ReBlock assists businesses with ideation, strategy, networking, marketing strategy, and funding. With Brian’s team of experts, ReBlock has turned Web3 and blockchain projects into powerhouse businesses.
A crypto and marketing expert, Moritz Pindorek has raised over $100 million in the crypto space. He was named one of the Top 10 Crypto Influencers in 2022, and Top Entrepreneur to Watch in 2022 by Forbes and LA Weekly. Showing a true passion for Web3 technology, Moritz has been a crypto influencer for many years and continues to educate crypto enthusiasts and blockchain project founders all over the world. Armed with his marketing know-how, Moritz also builds awareness around promising blockchain projects through social media. Being a multi-passionate entrepreneur, Moritz continues to discover projects to get involved with and guides budding entrepreneurs through the world of Web3.
A sought-after motivational speaker and sales trainer, Anthony Garcia has spent the last two decades building a wealth of experience in direct, B2B, and medical sales. His book, Catapulting Commissions, has earned the recognition of “Best Sales Books to Read” by Selling Power Magazine. Also an international best-selling author and performance coach, he has been featured in Forbes, CNBC, FOX, and CBS. Picking up on Anthony’s teachings is easy as he hosts the inspirational podcast ‘Catapulting Commissions Sales Talk’ where he interviews some of the world’s top achievers from entrepreneurs. Anthony has helped companies to achieve significant growth by implementing sales programs he developed, and is an acclaimed consultant, who has helped companies to reach their full potential and beyond.
10. Bhavin Swadas
Bhavin Swadas is the founder of Coupon Saturn, an online platform that provides coupon codes to customers looking to save money on every online order. Bhavin’s mission is to bring coupon codes to medium and lesser-known online stores. Confronted with the problem of the lack of awareness for shopping sites, Bhavin created a platform where coupons for non-name-brand eCommerce stores can get recognized. Apart from Coupon Saturn, Bhavin also owns Coupon Stroller, a website that offers discounts on digital services such as courses, software, apps, memberships, and more. Bhavin’s innovative vision has made him an inspirational icon. He has been featured by leading media houses such as Entrepreneur, LAWeekly, TechTimes, and Yahoo Finance.
Final Thoughts
Trusting the process might be easier said than done, but it’s sound advice as you’ve just read. These thought leaders have not merely launched companies, but they’ve broken boundaries, disrupted norms, and impacted the lives of millions even when they’ve gotten through seemingly insurmountable hurdles. They are fine examples of how one can succeed if operating without fear and doubt.
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