"When starting something new, especially in business, there's always a big learning curve ahead and so the sooner you start the faster you can get over the learning curve hump. Start now."
Herby Fabius
Herby Fabius is an author and entrepreneur residing in Connecticut. He founded Billion Success Media, an interview site where he conducts interviews with entrepreneurs and self-published authors. Over the years, BillionSuccess.com has featured some of the most successful entrepreneurs/authors in the business world.
In addition to interviewing amazing entrepreneurs and authors, Herby and his team also run Billion Hosting, a Web hosting and Web design service created to build great affordable websites for new entrepreneurs and new self-published authors.
Let’s learn a little about you and really get to experience what makes us tick – starting at our beginnings. Where did your story begin?
Herby Fabius: I knew that I wanted to have an online business. With that in mind, I had to learn how the online world works. The first thing I did was learn how to build websites. I didn’t have the money to just pay for one, so I had to learn how to build it. I stumbled onto WordPress and started building websites.
The next step was to learn how online marketing works. And for that, I needed content. A lot of content. I also needed to learn fast. The interviews were the best way to fast-track the learning curve for me. I interviewed people and asked questions that I needed answers to. It worked really well. The interviews are what started Billion Success Media. We interview entrepreneurs and self-published authors. We offer web hosting and web design services to new entrepreneurs and authors.
One of my mission was to find a way to get everyone started. The interviews provide inspiration, education, and motivation to aspiring entrepreneurs and authors, and our web design services help new entrepreneurs get started fast.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Herby Fabius: I never considered giving up completely, but sometimes life happens. I while back I took a corporate job and thought that I was going to work there for a little while and take a short break from the online world. The short break turned out to be almost four years. For almost four years I did not update my interview site. It was still there but no updates. You can say I completely gave it up. It wasn’t until I got let go from work because of Covid, that I picked where I left off. This time, I was moving 100 miles per hour because I felt like I l lost too much time. The last four years felt like a big waste.
This journey is important for me as it provides me with something I can experience with my kids as they grow up. They get to see what I am doing every single day and I get to teach them the process of building something out of nothing. This is priceless.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Herby Fabius: The first mistake I would say is starting too late. We all have ideas and things we want to do but a lot of time life gets in the way, you procrastinate and never even start. When starting something new, especially in business, there’s always a big learning curve ahead and so the sooner you start the faster you can get over the learning curve hump. Start now.
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Has the pandemic and transitioning into mostly online shopping affected your company positively or negatively?
Herby Fabius: The pandemic is the reason my business has picked up again and this time a lot faster. Online shopping has gone up and the fact that so many lost their jobs, a lot of people are looking to start their own businesses instead of finding a job. Corporate jobs are not as attractive as they used to be. The pandemic has shown people how easily you can lose the income you depended on for so long. People are realizing that they need to find a way to make their own money. Producing income that is pandemic proof. I’ve seen a rise in people launching their websites for the first time because of the pandemic. I am in the business of helping people launch fast. If you have an idea, I believe the faster you get yourself online the faster you can launch a successful business.
What is most important to your organization—mission, vision, or values?
Herby Fabius: Our mission is simple. We believe everyone has a story. We want to tell those stories. We believe everyone has at least one book in them. We want to encourage them to write that book. We believe everyone has a skill that they can use to make money. We want to help them get online fast to use their skills and talent to make money. Everyone has something they are passionate about. Our goal is to encourage everyone to launch a passion business. The first step in doing so is getting yourself online. We created Billion Hosting to help get your ideas online fast without having to waste time any more time.
Delegating is part of being a great leader, but what have you found helpful to get your managers to become valiant leaders as well?
Herby Fabius: The best thing to do as a leader is to create a process. It’s very important to have a process in place that people can follow. It is time-consuming managing people, so having a process in place cuts down on all the back and forth. People don’t need to be micro-managed, if you have a great team, all you have to do is create a process for them to follow and they will get the work done. You can step in when they need you to. And you also have to trust your team. It’s always a work in progress. Like I said before, there’s always a learning curve. We all must go through it. This learning curve is especially true for your team members. Give them time to learn the process.
What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Herby Fabius: What I learned is in most businesses, especially online businesses your brand is YOU. You have to be upfront and center in promoting your products and services. You can not be in the shadows. People want to get to know who their buying from. The more they learn about you and your brand, the more they will trust and do business with you.
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How do you monitor if the people in your department are performing at their best?
Herby Fabius: Luckily, we have the technology. We use tools like WhatsApp, Slack to communicate. We use Google Drive to store and access our documents online. And we have a process. Everyone knows what they are in charge of so it’s easy to know who’s doing what. We create and manage websites for clients so I can easily tell if the work is not being done. Every support ticket that comes in comes to me first. I then assign it to the right team member.
In my business, it is quite easy to tell if their performing at their best – all I have to do is look at customer feedback on the support tickets, and I can tell if the team is on task.
What would you say is the main difference between starting a business at the time you started yours and starting the business in today’s age?
Herby Fabius: The main difference is technology. Starting a business today is fast and easy. You can literally have a new online business (Side hustle) in less than 24 hours. All you really need is a product/service and a website. This can be done very affordably. Back when I first started online finding customers meant you had to pay for advertising. Today, it’s much easier. All you need is time and social media. You can build your whole customer base just on social media alone without having to spend on advertising. If you are really dedicated and stay consistent, you can build a great online business.
What’s your favorite “business” quote and how has it affected your business decisions?
Herby Fabius: “You become what you think about” – Earl Nightingale.
The body does what the mind says. It’s never the other way around. What you are constantly thinking about you will become. Think positively. Think about your goals and where you want to be in life, and you’ll find ways to get there.
This interview was originally published on ValiantCEO.
