Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali Salomi.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Growing up, I came from a family that provided all the necessities for me and spent every dollar they had on my brother and me. My parents made sure we were signed up for every sport and activity we wanted to do. However, my dad was the breadwinner of the family and he didn’t make much money. So unfortunately, all of the arguments and fights my parents had were about money. Every few months, I watched as the bank sent someone to our house to take pictures and to start the foreclosure process on our house.
Growing up in this environment instilled in me the need to make sure I made money when I grew up. I was an average student at best in school throughout my life, but I always had an entrepreneurial mindset. I felt that school was extremely hard because I disliked being in the same box as everyone else. I felt that school didn’t give me the outlet to think outside the box.
When I was 18 years old, my cousin, Babak, gave me my first opportunity to work at his plumbing business. He taught me the back end of the business and allowed me the room to grow. Later that year, he invested into our first business together. The business was extremely successful and that success got to my head real quick! I thought that whatever I touched would turn into gold. I even resented my Dad a little because I thought to myself: making money is easy; maybe all the things my Mom said about his work ethic was true. I was then quickly humbled by the second business my cousin and I started. It was a complete failure and we lost everything!
I went on to start many other businesses, some very successful and some not as much. I knew that the odds were always in my favor in business as long as I didn’t give up. I knew that if I started 100 businesses and only the last one was successful, I would still be considered a successful business owner. I liked the odds – as long as I didn’t give up, I was disciplined, I was emotionally and physically resilient and I had the guts to lose money, LOTS of money, I would be successful at the end.
I have gotten to where I am today by enjoying the journey and understanding that the real secret to the success has been the teams I have surrounded myself with. My team is my family. I started business with my blood family – I went from working with cousins and only family members to having a business now where I am surrounded by a family that is not necessarily blood-related, but a family that I chose.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road and that is the beauty of business. I remember reading a quote once that said; “You can’t climb a smooth mountain.” That quote rings so true in business. If the road is smooth in business, you are just going to get to a point where you just slide right down that mountain. In business, I have learned to welcome problems and obstacles and take them as an opportunity to learn and grow. For me, business comes with struggles on the daily. Luckily, we are in a stage in business where most of the problems that we encounter, come from the need to grow. The struggles of growth come from making sure the correct team is assembled and everyone on the team is a star in their role. Making sure nothing is rushed and ensuring that every step is created on a solid foundation. Every day I wake up, I know I will get a gut punch. I just don’t know when it will happen. But when it does, I am ready because I am a gladiator in business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Red Label Enterprises?
Red Label is a direct marketing company. We acquire happy and long-lasting customers for our clients. We have been in business since 2003 and we are looking forward to celebrating our 20 years anniversary next year! I started Red Label when I was 21 years old. To think that I have been at Red Label for almost half of my life is an incredible feat.
Even though Red Label is a direct marketing company, internally we don’t focus on obtaining more clients. Our success speaks for itself and our clients know our abilities. At the core of our business, we are essentially a recruiting company. Our main focus is the success of each employee that enters the doors of our office. Our objective is to “raise your standards”. We understand that success = happiness. It is our job to assess where each employee needs to grow, give them the correct tools to make sure they are able to grow in that area and then push them toward that area of growth. We understand that growth is not easy, but we also understand that happiness lies on the other side of that growth and that is what we are all yearning for.
Every employee has a team of coaches and leaders in which their main job and purpose is the success of that employee. We take GROWTH really serious at Red Label because we take everyone’s happiness really serious.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I believe that the most important lesson learned along my journey is that happiness comes from success and that success comes from the people.
The people in your journey are EVERYTHING! It is the people in the journey who inspire you and you inspire them. It is the people who bring you the greatest joy. It is the people who you solve problems with that help you grow, and you help them grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.redlabelinc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redlabelenterprises/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redlabelenterprises/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/redlabel_inc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wob3gTvB87w
