How does one go from being a prospective speechwriter to a world champion horse trainer to an award winning chocolatier? We ask "Mr. Chocolate" himself, Robert Bowden, the founder of Viveré Chocolates. This is a story of growing up gay and black in the Deep South on a farm to ending up being a consummate, knowledgeable entrepreneur who is considered a "Modern Man of Distinction" by Black Enterprise. Quite a life.
Robert reminds me of the motto, that "life is 10%-what happens to you and 90%-how do you respond?" Robert drops a ton of vital wisdom in this lengthy and valuable interview. Fortunately for us, Robert loves to share his secrets to personal and professional success. He volunteers educating the youth about business and success. People pay for this sort of advice and have paid Robert for it. It's clear after listening to this interview, why Robert is a sought after strategist and speaker on the issue of business and entrepreneurialism.
Some of the things Robert shares, much of it new to me:
1. The errors entrepreneurs make which often leads to the high failure rate of businesses.
2. He goes into detail about the harsh reality of the restaurant industry, even before the pandemic.
3. The effects the pandemic are having on the food industry and where he sees things going in the future.
4. The importance of adapting, changing course and being flexible.
5. The best way to overcome adversity and setbacks.
6. The right ways and the wrong ways to network in order to build your business and obtain referrals.
7. The advice he gives to minority and/or LGBT professionals when it comes to reaching goals while facing discrimination.
8. His book recommendation is one you don't want to miss.
9. And so much more....
You definitely want Robert in your network. He is a key "center of influence." Please connect with Robert at
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertmbowden/
https://www.instagram.com/finechocolateman/?hl=en
https://cocoavivere.com/
https://cocoavivere.com/pages/contact-us
info@cocoavivere.com
