We were lucky to catch up with Sharbel Mohama recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sharbel , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

I have never been very materialistic, but I have always seen my friends and family obsessed with buying trendy clothes, accessories, and expensive items. This obsession with materialism in my culture has made me feel like an outcast, and I felt this way for most of my life. From an early age, I’ve vicariously experienced the symptoms of a capitalistic society through my friends and family. I saw what they would see as a necessary way to maintain status and relevancy as another way major corporations brainwash the masses to get a dollar out of us. My parents would struggle to pay for our expenses but would not hesitate to spend an entire day cruising the mall for the newest designer clothes and bags or leasing expensive cars that we could barely afford. I was sick of it. I didn’t see any function or efficiency in this lifestyle and dedicated myself to escape it as fast as possible. I was smitten with financial freedom. This was my way out, my “why.” Anyone with success has had a “why” because, without it, they would never have worked 60 hours a week, worked three jobs, or sacrificed entertainment and pleasure to support their dreams. Although I am still in progress, I have realized what I need to do to become the version of myself that lives a lifestyle free from financial burdens. Knowing what I want to achieve and creating a plan to execute have helped me with that process. To live the lifestyle I want, I have to start living that way now.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am what they call a solopreneur, and about two months ago, I started an online E-commerce business selling barbershop, hair salon, nail salon, and spa equipment/furniture. I worked a 9-5 as a financial analyst for a year and four months after graduating from college, and my experience was not very pleasant. I was bombarded with similar tasks every day. I felt like a robot being programmed by my boss, and I was drained emotionally to the point where I had no motivation for anything but work. I decided to leave that job to pursue my business venture. So I listened to podcasts about drop shipping because the business model was attractive. I came across Dropship breakthrough, and long story short, I bought their course, and the rest is history. I started selling high-ticket beauty equipment, such as barber chairs, salon chairs, and hair dryers, for over $1,000. People beginning their beauty businesses can come to me for all their furniture and equipment needs. We also offer free shipping, which is very rare in my industry. I just started doing this about two months ago, and I have about 20k in sales so far, and I am growing and learning every day. I am only 23 years old, but this venture has given me a sense of purpose. Without this, I would feel very lost with no direction in life, so I am very proud that I was able to find a mission and that it has forced me to think about my goals and vision.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I sell on Shopify and my experience has had its ups and downs.

Pros:

You don’t have to know any code to design your website. All you have to do is learn a little bit about the user interface, and you are set to create and customize your website and start selling. It is straightforward to navigate through customizing your home pages and product pages. It is very customizable, allowing you to control how you ultimately present your website to the public. I was also impressed by how integrative Shopify is with other websites such as google ads, google analytics, google merchants, Paypal, and a lot more. With Shopify, you can also download apps that can add certain features to your website, such as having a 24/7 online chat for your customers or implementing customer reviews on your product pages.

Cons:

There are more pros than cons with Shopify, but I wouldn’t say I liked the limit on the number of options you can have for your products. Let’s say you are selling skateboards and want the product page to display options for each part of that skateboard, such as color, wheel size, truck weight, and bearing brand. On Shopify, you could only show two of them without using a third-party application that makes your website look incongruent and unprofessional. In E-commerce, you learn that even the most minor of changes to your website can make significant differences in your conversion rate, so the fact that Shopify doesn’t allow for more product variation takes a toll on the overall health of your business.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There is a very successful YouTuber by the name of Iman Gadzhi. He educates his viewers on business, social skills, and productivity. He uploads many videos about Monk Mode, a period of about 3-6 months of the year where you are completely focused on self-improvement. During this time, you develop the discipline to implement four pillars in your daily life. These four pillars are no youtube/social media, reading and meditating every day for about an hour, exercising for an hour a day, and no adult films. This is one of the best ways to prime yourself for the fastest growth in your life. After doing this for about a month, I felt clear, less anxious, and less dependent on external things to make me happy or calm. I was much more focused on my business and found it easier to sit and work for long hours without looking at the clock and wondering when lunch was. Monk Mode is the best way to optimize yourself for focus to improve any area of your life that you want to improve. It has allowed me to actively reach my goals, not just think about them and not do anything to progress forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beautysupplyemporium.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautysupplyemporium/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086724320188&sk=followers
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beauty-supply-emporium/about/?viewAsMember=true