Exclusive Trusted Magazine Q&A with Rudy Shoushany, Founder @DxTalks
How could you describe your career path in few words?
Well, it was a hectic career path. I'm coming from around almost 20 years of being a corporate employee, So I’ve tried entrepreneurship at different times in my life. I graduated from South Africa with a computer science degree. I didn't have the right career path guidance initially. But one thing I knew and loved was computers. I always had that inner feeling to be by myself to own my time, to do something I love, but I didn't have the guts to do it because I was living in the corporate comfort zone of getting a great salary, and it was something I didn’t much know about it, especially that It didn’t exist in my surrounding and my family. It took me a while; it took me 19 years to discover the true meaning of entrepreneurship. In 2019, and 2020, this is where my real entrepreneurial journey started with a big baggage of experience. Actually, this is why I'm writing my book now about all of this experience.
What was your most challenging experience and it has changed your mindset?
It is incredibly challenging to stay motivated and focused when faced with setbacks and failures, but it's essential to keep pushing forward and learning from those experiences. For me, it was about getting the opportunities, dealing with constant rejections and setbacks and continuing to improve.
And this gave me a new sense, a mindset that I not taking a NO for an answer, and I developed my own theory, I m not taking No for an answer, I will knock on doors and if they don’t open I will knock them down. But I would say that the most challenging experience for entrepreneurs is to remain resilient and optimistic in the face of uncertainty and failure and to continuously learn and adapt to stay ahead in an ever-changing business landscape. Based on your experience, what skills should an entrepreneur develop in 2023?
Skills can vary from one person to another, I will not mention technical skills since today they are not as important as soft skills, which will be able to adapt and thrive. One of the main skills of today which also coincide with market demand for skills, especially from the big 4, are:
Creativity and Innovation : it is a must to stand out from the crowd, create new ideas and approaches to solving problems, and create unique products and services.
Agility and Adaptability : The business landscape is constantly changing, and entrepreneurs need to be adaptable and agile to keep up with these changes and make strategic decisions to stay ahead of the competition.
Networking : Networking is essential for entrepreneurs to build relationships with other business leaders, potential clients, and investors to expand their reach and gain valuable connections in their industry, not forgetting the art of communication.
Data Analysis : we are connected more than ever; thus, data availability is key, and entrepreneurs should develop strong data analysis skills to make informed decisions. Based on your recent experiences, if you had one piece of advice for an entrepreneur's success in the context of 2023, what would it be?
Always follow your dreams, for young entrepreneurs do try to venture alone, at an early age, failure is not a problem; it is a big lesson. Young entrepreneurs have the greatest asset, “time, “and use it wisely, since later in life, when you have more responsibilities and are embedded in a corporate 9-5 job, it might become hard to take bigger risks.