A Discussion With Willy Hobal On How To Remain Resilient As An Entrepreneur

Tell us about yourself, where you are born, and what you do.

My name is Willy Hobal and I was born is a beautiful town in the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, called Sosua, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and with the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. I start working cleaning a house when I was 9 years old, the owner of the house, she was working in the hospitality industry and I admired her profession so much that I said many times: “When I turn 18 yo I will work in the hotel she is working doing the same job she is doing”… 8 years after I was exactly working in that hotel and doing her job. Since that moment I discovered my passion for hospitality and the same passion took me today to open my first company Hobal Luxury Collection to help independent Luxury Hotels increase revenue and brand recognition in European Markets.

What gives you energy?

My parents, my partner, and my puppy. I am always receiving love and support from all of them, when I speak with my parents on the phone, they encourage me with their beautiful words, telling me that I will achieve my dreams, that I am smart, strong and that nothing can stop me (I feel so lucky to have them), Also my partner Robin is one of my biggest inspiration, he supports me on every step on my way and he keeps an eye on me to make sure my projects are developed in the most convenient way and finally my puppy “Gucci” he has been next to me, no matter the situation, he is always there teaching me about unconditional love.

What’s your secret life hack?

Working hard. I feel that Working harder every day is the best secret that many people are not aware of, we are always looking for the miracle, the secret to achieving our dreams fast, but personally, I feel that there is not such a thing, If you work hard towards your goals you will accomplish anything. There is not an easy path, every entrepreneur, artist, inventor, etc they all worked hard to get there. Life is not going to give you things miraculously, you have to earn it.

Name a book that changed your life.

The Alter Ego effect by Todd Herman. This book helped me a lot to achieve many things and cancer my fears. I was afraid of failure before starting my business, and when I finally started then the Impostor syndrome hit me hard. This book helped me to create a stronger persona that helped me to overcome my fears and show my strengths toward my dreams.

Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?

Haha. Well… I am a millennial. But I use my phone as a multitask tool, on my phone I listen to my audiobooks, send emails, connect with my family and friends, taking pictures, listen to music, write ideas, do research, and many other tasks that will require a lot of instruments I do it in only one and for me that is efficiency. God bless all the ones involves in the creation and development of this wonderful artifact!

What is your daily routine to achieve your goals?

For me is super important to do small steps every day towards your goals, I think that success is more about consistency and hard work than any other thing. It could be the smaller thing that you do every day, but the key is not to stop, be consistent, and work hard.

You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what you do with it?

Nothing, I love those shorts periods of time to have peace and silent, to be grateful and enjoy the gifts of life, the keep your life in balance. I have a lot of mantras and affirmations that I repeat every day or just to say “Thank You” for everything, for my health, my family, my company, etc.

When was the last time you felt burned out and why?

When I was working in a privileged position in a hotel, there was a moment when I was alone in my own department because of an internal crisis, I was doing the task of 4-5 team members, arriving very early and leaving very late and no matter how much I did it was never enough, I was so frustrated and suddenly my creativity, my drive, my passion, it was all affected by the overworking hours with no time to rest.