The concept of the “American dream” is typically associated with success, and that success is often linked with entrepreneurship. We all know the common examples of names used to describe the achievement of the American dream, and they are usually multi-billionaires such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and the youngest of them, Mark Zuckerberg.
These legends lived incredible lives, and they each built empires from scratch, with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. They have inspired, and continue to inspire, millions of entrepreneur-hopefuls each year to think of ideas, gather funds, and give their shot of entry in the world of entrepreneurship.
However, one must never forget that the majority of newly opened businesses fail. Being an entrepreneur is far from being straightforward, and it proves to be an emotional rollercoaster on some level on a daily basis. But at the end of the day, entrepreneurship is about far more than just the money that could potentially roll in. It’s also about freedom, fulfillment, and the joy that comes from making new contacts and gaining new experiences.
Entrepreneurship was traditionally known to be a part of the American dream because many aspects of it tie in with other life elements in the melting pot of the United States. Entrepreneurship requires being a visionary that strives to reach astronomical goals. The most successful entrepreneurs need to have an expansive vision that will help determine their everyday activities and the strategies that will help them achieve their goals.
The high-risk element of entrepreneurship is almost second nature for immigrants because after all, moving from one country to another is an exceptional challenge itself. Immigrants and entrepreneurs alike are no stranger to uncertainties in terms of funding, cash flow, and personal/business growth. Yet through it all, perseverance is key. It takes grit and determination to create something out of nothing, all in hopes of a greater reward for themselves and others.
According to the U.S Small Business Administration, immigrants are building successful businesses that create good American jobs and promote economic growth in the U.S. These businesses form the fabric of communities and are part of the uniquely American heritage. They also claim that “immigrants to the U.S. are twice as likely to become entrepreneurs, and 44% of new tech startups in Silicon Valley had at least one immigrant founder: Google’s Sergey Brin, eBay’s Pierre Omidyar, and Tesla Motors’ Elon Musk are each serial entrepreneurs who founded companies worth tens or hundreds of billions of dollars and employ tens of thousands.”
Immigrants, or their children, also founded more than 40% of Fortune 500 companies, which collectively employ over 10 million people and generate annual revenue of $4.2 trillion.
The beauty of entrepreneurship these days is that the age of the entrepreneur is also just a number. Take the story of young self-made multi-millionaire serial entrepreneur Gustavo Geraldes for instance.
Geraldes was born in Portugal, traveled extensively around the world, and now lives in the United States. He is the Founder and CEO of the highly successful performance marketing company Milkit, which handles mass direct-to-consumer marketing, specializing in eCommerce & Lead Generation. Both private and public companies have leveraged Milkit to acquire tens of millions of new users.
He also owns several other successful companies, under the Milkit umbrella, there is an SMS and voice marketing platform Sendii along with a private affiliate network that boasts some of the world’s strongest publishers. Outside of this, Geraldes owns Ambrose, a direct-to-consumer preventative health care company that utilizes genomic testing to deliver personalized patient care and Home Sales Club, a prop-tech company focused on developing a world where selling your home is easy, affordable, and profitable.
Geraldes leveraged the skills he acquired in lead generation and conversion rate optimization whilst developing Milkit to accelerate the growth of his other companies, and managed to turn each of them into winners that generate between seven to nine figures annually. He has won numerous global awards for the record-breaking success of his companies, and his clients.
Yet instead of just basking in his success, Geraldes gives back, and often consults with various other publishers sharing his knowledge on Performance Marketing to help them scale to 7 figures a month and beyond.
For Geraldes, his spark came from having a long-term mission that mattered to him. “Whilst growing up I watched my parents work around the clock to support me and my siblings. It was tough for them. They sacrificed a lot raising us, and I can not thank them enough. I respect everything they did for us, and their tremendous work ethic,” says Geraldes.
“I also realized I wanted to do everything in my power to avoid having to deal with that hardship myself. I was determined to find a way to be in a position to provide my family with the abundance they deserve. This was my spark, entire motivation, and my WHY. I was always fascinated by how entrepreneurs built and scaled companies since I was young. My earlier ventures positioned me to be where I am today. I am grateful to be in a position where I can provide for those I care about. It is and will continue to be the driving force behind my obsession for success, and has helped me push through the struggles along this journey.” He was never one to forget his roots, both personally and professionally.
It is safe to say that it won’t be long till the name “Gustavo Geraldes” will be added to the list of names of inspiring success stories that have achieved the American dream.
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