Picture supplied by Alejandro Betancourt
Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt López is a Venezuelan businessman who received his begin within the oil and fuel trade. He’s a profitable entrepreneur and investor, primarily within the expertise and finance sectors. Betancourt sometimes turns into intently concerned within the tasks that curiosity him by each investing and serving in prime management positions. He additionally credit his success to discovering the appropriate folks on the proper time.
Philosophy
When Betancourt started his profession as an investor, he examined many firms that have been experiencing fast development and spent a great deal of time making an attempt to know the explanations behind their success. He additionally met with individuals who have been constructing startups with the identical ideas, however in several elements of the world. These companies typically skilled very totally different outcomes, which Betancourt realized was as a result of folks behind them.
Betancourt feels that he has been very fortunate to work with the appropriate folks on the proper time. He additionally believes that surrounding your self with individuals who have the appropriate thought is extra vital to success in enterprise than being the neatest particular person on the planet. As soon as these folks mean you can contribute your concepts, these concepts can go on to kind an organization. Such an organization can then keep the momentum wanted to change into successful.
Mentors
Betancourt has had many mentors throughout his profession which have guided him and supplied helpful. He tries to worth everybody’s recommendation however hasn’t all the time taken it. In some instances, Betancourt didn’t take good recommendation, which grew to become a studying expertise for him. He feels that everybody has the “means to actually filter and attempt to take the nice and simply stay behind what isn’t constructive.” Betancourt provides that the mixture of getting good recommendation and discovering folks with the appropriate concepts is essential for achievement in enterprise.
A easy Google search can discover many individuals with concepts for beginning a enterprise, though figuring out those that can be profitable is much tougher. Some folks assume this course of is all luck, however Betancourt says that it additionally requires the appropriate effort and focus. It’s vital to understand that nobody is true each time. As an alternative, the aim needs to be to keep up a constructive batting common by studying from previous errors.
Case Examine
Betancourt’s expertise with Hawkers Sun shades gives a robust instance of how the appropriate folks may help a struggling firm succeed. Hawkers was based in 2013 by brothers Alejandro and David Moreno, and their mates Iñaki Soriano and Pablo Sanchez. The backgrounds of those 4 males are extremely diverse, however they embrace experience in programming and graphic design. That they had beforehand launched an internet second-hand webstore known as Saldum, which closed in 2012 as a consequence of an absence of out of doors financing.
Classes Discovered
The founders of Hawkers began growing different on-line shops whereas they have been nonetheless making an attempt to salvage Saldum. They selected sun shades as a result of they’re each simple to promote and have a excessive revenue margin. Their first product line was Knockaround Sun shades, which they bought with an preliminary funding of $300. These fashions offered properly, as did a line of sun shades for ladies. Nevertheless, the corporate’s long-term development was restricted by an absence of working capital.
Funding
Betancourt grew to become closely concerned with Hawkers in October 2016, when he organized Collection A funding rounds that raised over $50 million. He was capable of safe investments from a number of folks he had already labored with on earlier tasks. These included Felix Ruiz, the founding father of Jobandtalent, the place Betancourt is an investor. Betancourt can also be a serious shareholder in O’Hara Monetary, which invested in Hawkers. Betancourt selected these traders as a result of he knew from his previous affiliation with them that they’d respect Hawkers’ freedom and id, eliminating the necessity for the corporate to vary its mission or enterprise mannequin.
Growth
The primary function of this funding was to consolidate Hawkers manufacturers on the worldwide stage. The corporate additionally used it to develop into markets exterior Spain, to which Betancourt contributed $24.5 million of his personal cash. Extra makes use of of this capital embrace the event of style manufacturers like Neon Coco and Polo Membership. Based mostly on the profitable funding efforts, the founders of Hawkers supplied Betancourt the function of firm president. He accepted and nonetheless serves in that function.
