Create a goal: Build out the resilient person you want to be in your mind and when you get lost in your difficulties look at them as your role model to find your way back to becoming that person. It is your future self, as long as you stay on track. I look at my whole life in this way. I know who I want to be, and what it looks like to become that person. I reverse-engineered the idea to create a map that would show me how to get there. When I’m going through a difficult time, I remember to look back at the person I want to be and to refer to my mental map, bringing me back on track to achieving my goal.
Resilience has been described as the ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult life events. Times are not easy now. How do we develop greater resilience to withstand the challenges that keep being thrown at us? In this interview series, we are talking to mental health experts, authors, resilience experts, coaches, and business leaders who can talk about how we can develop greater resilience to improve our lives.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Daniel Booter.
Daniel Booter is the CEO and founder of D.B. Marketing Group, a marketing company that assists celebrities and businesses with developing and implementing marketing strategies. The company specializes in social media, public relations, photography, cinematography, graphic elements, branding, and crisis management, among other areas of marketing. Daniel’s unique work with the NBA, Capital Hill, and his contribution to the United Nations with the coordination of marketing work for their globally recognized large-scale events are all lauded. Daniel, in addition to acting as CEO, donates his marketing expertise to non-profit organizations that support underprivileged children in many countries, believing that he can utilize his marketing expertise to encourage young entrepreneurs and people all around the world.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
I’ve always had two main strengths: being creative and having a business-oriented mind, which I’ve had since I was a child. Having a natural drive, I used to think of inventive methods to make money. I began my first endeavor when I was six years old, selling simple trinkets to my classmates. I began another while I was in high school, and I was able to earn enough to purchase my dream camera. That led me to university, where I studied marketing, and founded D.B. Marketing Group. Instead of hanging out with my colleagues on campus after class, I would leave and immediately begin working on my business. Through my early years in business, I was able to build many amazing contacts in a variety of sectors, including the entertainment industry, Capitol Hill, and the NBA, and this provided me with the foundation on which my marketing company sits today.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
There have been many intriguing experiences from my career over the years; however, the one from which I learnt the most was working with ABL, a global non-profit organization with a mission in Belize. They operate a free basketball league and camps for the country’s underprivileged youth. Since then, the non-profit has grown to become the largest sports organization in the country. Working with ABL was eye-opening because I was able to work hand-in-hand with the youth in Belize to get their narrative out. I was invited to assist with photography, cinematography, and social media marketing for the group. Without using commercial reach on Instagram or TikTok, my team and I were able to obtain over 2 million views on the platform. Many of the children who participated in the league and camps in their small towns lacked access to shoes. They were eager to play. Basketball is one of these youths’ few getaways from the gang-infested streets of Belize, and through our efforts, we are truly saving lives. With all of my interactions with these kids, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own life and how fortunate I am to live in America. Running my business is important to me, and it is what I do day in and day out since it is my passion; yet, working with ABL has shown me that I can utilize my business to assist others in ways I could never have anticipated.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
D.B. Marketing Group is a unique combination of resources and expert business techniques available nowhere else. Whether you’re starting a business or rebranding yourself, D.B. Marketing Group offers a wide range of services. Because of D.B. Marketing Group’s broad network, we can not only help you with marketing but also connect you to some of the industry’s most powerful people. We at D.B. Marketing Group genuinely want you to succeed, and we will go to any length to ensure that you do. A client approached us with the goal to raise their public presence. His initial goal was to increase his social media brand recognition and 500 followers by publishing more frequently; but, after reviewing his goals, my team and I felt we could do even better. Fast forward to now, we were not only able to post more on his social media, but we also helped him get Instagram verification by strategically posting to his now 50,000+ followers and obtaining features on several major publications. At D.B. Marketing Group, we love putting all of our expertise to work for our clients.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
For the past 20 years, I’ve seen my mother handle her real estate business. That way of living motivated me and demonstrated what I wanted to achieve with my life. I’ve had several business ventures when I was younger, and my mother was always supportive of them. That encouragement made it simple for me to forge my route and become an entrepreneur. Without the help she gave me I wouldn’t be able to get where I am today. I recall when I was 16 telling her I bought a camera for my business and expecting her to scream at me for spending 600 dollars. Instead, she hugged me and wished me good luck in my new venture. That support was invaluable in assisting me in getting to where I am now.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the trait of resilience. How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
Resilience, in my opinion, is the capacity to bounce back from adversity. You are the most resilient if you can bounce back from difficult times. Being resilient stems from the belief that no matter what occurs, you must keep moving forward with your objective. You don’t have the choice of quitting, and your only emphasis is on success. Nothing can stop you when you have this attitude. You can get back up and keep going no matter what life throws at you. Your confidence may waver, but you must remain committed to your purpose and battle until you can no longer fight. I often see the characteristics and traits of resilient people having a strong mindset and not allowing difficult times to impact them. When they do, however, they are able to remain cool, devise a strategy, and carry out that strategy. When confronted with life’s challenges, this might be the most powerful ally. I’ve seen that resilient people may be concerned about their circumstances, but they never consider quitting. There appears to be no obstacle that can stop them, although it may cause them significant anguish.
Courage is often likened to resilience. In your opinion how is courage both similar and different to resilience?
Courage is the ability to take that initial step and do something that you may fear, while resilience is the ability to persevere in the face of adversity. The capacity to bounce back from adversity is what makes you resilient, and it takes a lot of courage to do so. In essence, courage can be associated with resilience, but not usually the other way around. Resilience to recover from adversity necessitates courage, but you don’t always need resilience when you require courage. You simply need a nudge to keep going. They are comparable in that they may cooperate closely and require the same mindset and attitude, with courage playing an important role in resilience.
When you think of resilience, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
My mother is the most resilient person I’ve ever encountered in my life. Her life is a narrative of resilience. She had an arranged marriage at the age of 19 in Pakistan and came to America with her husband (my father), believing that life would be happier. She was delighted to go on her new adventure. Beginning with their honeymoon in Las Vegas, my mother was treated unfairly from the outset of their relationship. My parents, who were both Muslim, believe that we should not gamble, drink, or commit adultery, so when my mother was introduced to all of this by her husband on their first trip together, she was astonished. She was in a foreign nation with no relatives nearby, and her sole source of income was her husband who took advantage of the circumstance. My mother was a housewife who supplemented her income by working at McDonald’s. She had three children at that period, one of them was me, and she finally went into banking. Around that time, my mother discovered my father having an affair with my mother’s closest friend. This rocked her to the core. I resided with my mother after the separation. Six months later our house burnt down when I was just in first grade. At this moment, my mother had nothing but her children and the resilience to survive. My mother was encouraged to become a realtor by the agent who assisted us in moving into our new home, so she worked during the day and studied real estate at night. My mother passed her licensing exam and became a real estate agent. Against all odds with three kids, my mother was able to come to a new country and create a very successful real estate business for herself 20 years later. Her resilience speaks loud, climbing out of a third- world country to becoming this successful real estate agent raising three kids on her own, in the midst of life-changing circumstances. Hers is a narrative that I take pride in knowing and comprehending. She is an inspiration to many, and many people look up to her as the outspoken, confident woman she is today. She tells me resilience can build the strongest version of yourself.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
My first client was a family friend. I worked with them for a month straight throughout the launch of their business. I was able to help them with photography, cinematography, website development, and graphic design. During this time the founders and I had very meaningful conversations where they recognized all of the interests and abilities that I had. Out of pure interest in my growth, they recommended I focus on one area in order to be successful. They also mentioned if I didn’t, I would become a jack of all trades and a master of none. I ended up ignoring them and focusing on all of my goals. I have a simple mindset. I can live an average of 80 years in my life. And it takes 10 years to be an expert in a profession. If I approach it with that perspective and begin focusing on my objectives at the age of 20, I can become a master of six different talents by the time I pass away. Since then, I can certainly state that I’m not just a jack of all trades, but also a master of a handful of them as well. All it takes is organization and focus. There are no shortcuts to mastering a skill, and you must work hard to achieve it; but, don’t allow that to compel you to select one interest for the rest of your life.
Did you have a time in your life where you had one of your greatest setbacks, but you bounced back from it stronger than ever? Can you share that story with us?
I took a job at a neighborhood sub shop when I was in my first year of high-school. I worked every day after school and all day on the weekends. While brooming the floor one day, I noticed how brooming was such a waste of my time and how I could be doing something more impactful with my life. The owner told me that this is what I needed to do because I was a worker, as opposed to being an “owner” like him. After that, I promised that I would make something of myself and accomplish things that actually matter. The next week, I was fired for preparing myself a sub for lunch. It was devastating being fired from my first job. I was afraid to even tell my mother as I really thought I did something wrong. For a few days, it pulled me back and made me rethink everything. I decided I was right though and it ended up fueling me to work even harder and stay focused on the commitment I made myself. That’s when I began running my own businesses and eventually founding D.B. Marketing Group. The sub shop closed down six months later, failing to pay rent.
How have you cultivated resilience throughout your life? Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share a story?
I realized from an early age how hard life can be. I grew up going through many hardships as a child. Through all of those moments I always asked myself a question, should I do nothing and let this consume me? Or should I just continue to move and get past this any way that I could? I put myself in my future self’s shoes and the answer was always the same. Get back up and keep going. One of the major setbacks I’ve had growing up was when my house burned down in 2001. Although I was young, I remember being taken out of my class to the principal’s office. Getting there to my surprise both my sisters and mother were there and the principal gave us the office. That’s when my mother told us that the house burned down. I knew even at that age that this was a turning point and things weren’t going to be the same. I asked myself the question again. Should I be sad and let it consume me, or live life in a way where I’ll be happy. The answer was simple; all while receiving tremendous support from all of our friends along the way. Even with the worst of times, there is always something positive, you just need to find it. Although these were such serious setbacks my resilience was forged by it.
Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone can take to become more resilient? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Metal Awareness: Build your resilience with conscious mental awareness: When you go through hardship or struggle, that is the time where you can strengthen your power of resilience. You need to take advantage of that time and get better every time you go through difficulties. Your hardest times are where your true self will shine. So be cautious about what you are doing in those times and capitalize on making yourself the person you want to be. That is the time to build your resilience more than any other.
- Mental Positivity: Look to build a strong sense of personal positivity towards yourself. In order for you to be resilient; you need to be able to look past your flaws and realize how great you can be. If you’re in a difficult situation you don’t want a mindset telling you that you can’t get out of it. Your mental state is stopping you from becoming who you want to be and becoming resilient. Sometimes you are the only one that can get yourself out of a difficult problem. Not enough people take care of themselves while they take care of everyone around them. You need to be there for yourself just as much as you can take care of everyone else. Your resilience will only be strengthened with this practice.
- Learning from your difficulties: We’re not perfect. When we go through these difficulties we don’t always do the right thing, and that is okay. But you need to reflect back at your hard times and be able to analyse yourself and find the lessons in the mistakes you made in those moments. Self-reflection is one of the greatest tools to resilience, because it gives you a plan.
- Create a goal: Build out the resilient person you want to be in your mind and when you get lost in your difficulties look at them as your role model to find your way back to becoming that person. It is your future self, as long as you stay on track. I look at my whole life in this way. I know who I want to be, and what it looks like to become that person. I reverse-engineered the idea to create a map that would show me how to get there. When I’m going through a difficult time, I remember to look back at the person I want to be and to refer to my mental map, bringing me back on track to achieving my goal.
- Role Models: Find individuals you know who can help you achieve your objective of becoming more resilient. Observe them during their difficult moments to see how they remain so resilient in the face of adversity. Doing this may be quite beneficial as you seek to develop your own resilience. It provides you real- life examples of what you should be doing, as well as a road map for achieving resilience. When I’m having problems, I constantly look to my mother as a role model and imagine what she would do if she were in my shoes. I pick and choose those attributes I wish to embrace and practice. and when I’m having trouble understanding how to be successful with a trait, I go to her for help.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could inspire a movement, I would aim to spread the value of extending a helping hand. If you can readily assist someone, do so. Consider what might happen if someone observed someone in need and offered assistance without being asked. And how much would it benefit the world if we all did it? If you find an opportunity, simply take a few minutes out of your day; sometimes even just the act of offering is all someone might need. If we all do that, we could learn so much about one another. If we can all support someone when we see them in need, we can spark a chain reaction that will inspire millions of others. Just as the chain reaction that starts when you pay for the bill behind you in the drive-through. It’s easy to hide in the shadows when no one asks for help. But I’ve always believed that if I can do something to help, it’s my obligation to do it.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
I’m sure who it is. Mark Cuban, to be exact. Abdul Jeelani, a senior NBA player and the first to score a point for the Dallas Mavericks, was a client and friend of mine in 2015. He died while I was collaborating with him. I was in touch with the Mavericks, and as soon as they learned of his passing, they contacted me and flew out Jeelanis family and I out to watch the game, which included a ceremony on the court honoring Jeelani. I was delighted to be introduced to Mark Cuban while being escorted onto the floor by the Mavericks staff. I thanked him for the opportunity and all of the support for the Jeelani Family and myself. He was a delight to converse with and a man of great integrity. It was a pleasure to meet him in Dallas, and I’d want to have a private lunch with him to discuss not only his journey but the parallels between our paths, as well as the game of basketball that brought us together in the first place.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/DanielBooter
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@DanielBooter
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/DanielBooter
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!