Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, 25 year old Luis Forbes is a force to be reckoned with in the entrepreneurial world. As a successful business owner himself, Luis is dedicated to helping others follow in his path to achieve wealth and abundance through entrepreneurship, networking and trading in the financial markets. Today, Luis is here with us to share his journey in business, and his best advice for anyone aspiring to create financial freedom on their own terms.
Luis, let’s start at the beginning of your journey. What first inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
At a young age I used to buy the newest Js but my parents didn’t want me to have a job because they wanted me to focus on school. I had to figure out a way to hustle and make money still, legally. At first I used to loan money and charge interest or cut grass in high school and do math homework for a fee. My mind was constantly working trying to find new ways to make money.
You definitely had the entrepreneurial spirit from a young age! Tell us about the business that you have for yourself today. How does it work and how is it helping people?
The concept of my business from a current and past standpoint is as an introduction to the life and journey of a trader and entrepreneur. I have a little over a year’s experience, which is more than a lot but I also recognize that it’s a lifelong journey and everyone has their own path.
I provide a way for people to get started learning how to invest, trade, and network too if they are interested in changing quadrants and expanding their horizons in terms of earning income.
Luis, let’s talk about your goals for the future. What can we expect to see from you personally and from your business?
I’m looking to become a mogul – an urban legend at least. It sounds really ambitious to say but that’s because I think sharing something so grand leaves room for people to continue to underdog me, allowing me the freedom to lay down the bricks to complete the project. It allows me to hustle in silence, letting my results speak for itself. One of my business goals is to inspire and help others my age, or people like me in general who didn’t have access to this kind of financial education and resources to walk by faith, pursue their dreams, and build a wealthier future. I really don’t want to be the only millionaire at the barbecue in 5-10 years when I become one….but i will if it has to be that.
Your ambition and dedication to your goals is truly admirable, Luis. Getting to this point in your career must have had its share of difficulties. Tell us what kind of adversity you faced growing up and growing your business?
Growing up, I never really had a plan or goals. I lived moment by moment on autopilot and didn’t enjoy even thinking about the future because I couldn’t imagine it. It was hard to accept that I couldn’t visualize it because I was looking through a micro lens, but I realized that in order to actually get somewhere, I had no choice but to think bigger. Macro. In the business, I come across a lot of the exact same types of people. People who don’t have a plan but they are going through the motions. The easy part is recognizing that “I too was that way“. The challenge becomes how I can convey that relatability and help them see the potential beast they can be, rather than the potential failure. Because you only really fail when you give up.
Thank you for sharing your entrepreneurial journey with us, Luis. In closing, please give us your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Definitely, some advice that has helped me personally getting to where I am is this:
- Never give up. Life is going to throw you punches. Sometimes it’ll stick and hurt. You can punch back or you can keep taking punches until you get knocked out. We all were told we can do or be whatever we want in second grade. Most of us lost hope in our childhood dreams when our friends, teachers, and society made us think “who am i to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented or fabulous”
- You have to dream. Hold on to your dreams. Everyone wants to be a realist. They only see reality. But if you don’t dream you can’t imagine. If you can’t imagine, you can’t create. So if you don’t dream, you can’t bring that vision to life because you have to become cognizant of it before you can ever take a calculated risk
- Make a calculated decision. Think about what it is you need to do, but most people will stop here out of fear. Fear of the future, being incompetent, etc. What if it doesn’t work? We know it’ll work… if you do. But you can’t quit. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We know what we can accomplish but we limit ourselves through lenses of perfection and imperfection. It’s not black and white. Its gray. You’re successful when you’re in action not when you’re making money. So forget about payday. Forget about making sure it’s perfect. If your immediate step is that you have to get out there, you don’t have the luxury of “I’ll wait til it’s the perfect time”. It never will be the “right” time. You just have to do it and keep doing it even when its hard. Dedication is 1000 times better than motivation.
You can get connected with Luis on Instagram at @Skullcap_Louie.