Author of the Art of Living, Wilferd Peterson, once said, “Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their-heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire-within you to leave this world better than when you found it.”
Many entrepreneurs have found these words accurate when building a business and taking steps toward professional growth and personal development. Oftentimes, it’s our network that boosts and motivates us to be the best versions of ourselves. eCommerce expert and founder of Giovvani, Chris Jenkins, is a firm believer in the power of surrounding yourself with the right people. But what does it mean to surround yourself with the right people?
Surround yourself with the right people by changing your location
In his early twenties, after spending 7 years working in an uninspiring environment, Chris Jenkins details how he took a leap of faith and moved to Dubai to work in real estate. For Chris, surrounding yourself with the right people meant moving from his comfort zone in the United Kingdom to start a new adventure in Dubai.
“A lot of people with big dreams and goals move-to locations with more opportunity. By doing this, you-will find a lot more like-minded people who will also be able to open doors in life for you.”
Small towns are often synonymous with limited growth and lack of opportunities. “Sadly, most people in small towns are stuck in their comfort zone, and that lack of ambition will rub off on you.” Chris suggests that you may need to get away your hometown and relocate to a city nearby, a capital, or some other country.
Find likeminded people
Learning and growing from others’ experiences is integral in surrounding yourself with the right people. Failure to do so would be like putting a bottle of water beside a plant but never actually watering it. The resources exist, but they’re not utilized. One of Chris’s most defining moments happened after meeting an acquaintance named David who was in the eCommerce space. Chris remembers having drinks and sharing success stories with David but became extremely taken aback when he realized how much David was earning daily. He was inspired by David’s success and eventually launched into eCommerce to form his business, Giovvani.
“By hanging around with people-who have like-minded goals and achievements, they will push you to-reach your full potential. Surround yourself with the right people. This can be hard in small towns, so it may mean joining online Facebook / Discord groups of people in similar businesses or even apps like Clubhouse.”
Learn from books
If you cannot have real-life relationships with people you may view as mentors, it is possible to learn from them by reading. Surrounding yourself with the right people-can mean reading the experiences of those who may have gone through similar experiences as your own. “Books can be a big help. It’s essentially like having some of the best mentors giving you their best advice condensed into written format. This can be great if you cannot afford a mentor or aren’t surrounded by people with the right mindset. When I was a telephone engineer, I listened to many self-development audiobooks whilst driving to customers. I remember listening to Jim Rohn’s ‘Living An Exceptional Life’ audiobook, and it really did push me in the right direction when I had no other guidance.”
These tips have led Chris to build his own luxury brand of sneakers. Giovvani is a completely online-based luxury lifestyle brand that aims to offer clean, minimalistic sneakers to its customers.
The hand-made shoes undergo stringent testing to ensure that they are of the highest quality. Since the brand is sold online through the Giovvani website, it allows them to focus on quality design and materials. By operating in this way, customers benefit from savings because there are no high-priced street retail outlets to deal with.
Entrepreneurs like Chris can become their best selves by rethinking the people they spend time with and surrounding themselves with the right people.