It’s not every day you get the opportunity to interact with entrepreneurs like Michael Laurens, Owner of ML Enterprises, but that’s exactly what happened. We got together, and I was astounded by what he had to say about his journey so far.
Laurens, an “internet entrepreneur”, is anything but ordinary. After raising over $100 Million for a variety of blockchain projects, and managing a division of over 20+ full time employees, he turned his attention to helping other entrepreneurs scale 6 or 7 figure companies.
Below are some of the highlights of our conversation:
What’s your story, Michael? You’re pretty young… was this an overnight success? How did you achieve this feat?
It wasn’t an overnight achievement; that I can tell you. In fact, at one point, I was delivering pizzas just to avoid dropping out of college. But I never gave up.
I knew that in order to achieve success I had to learn skills that would allow me to have it.
I delved into coding and understanding how social media marketing worked. Stuff that most weren’t willing to spend the time learning.
I wasn’t a big fan of the 9 to 5 cycle and initially, it looked gloomy. So I kept learning and trying, and I held on to the notion that my opening will come, and I just had to keep my eyes peeled to grab the opportunity when it presented itself.
And it did. Gradually, I was able to put my foot in the door and go on to help many projects with their social media marketing needs, including lots of blockchain dependent platforms. One thing led to the next, and before I knew it, we were raising millions.
It was certainly a transition. I had to go from employee to entrepreneur, but it was worth it.
Impressive! Anyone would have remained contented with managing multimillion-dollar projects, but you didn’t. You shifted and took a different direction. Why?
I believe success transcends the material. The number of lives I could transform with my experience kept me ambitious. I wasn’t going to be another ‘picture-perfect’ CEO, there’s more to life than that. The Michael Laurens (ML) Enterprises was created for this purpose – to help upcoming entrepreneurs leverage the power of social media in the business.
Blockchain, multi-millions, all that is fun and good. But if you aren’t making an impact in people’s lives, what’s it matter? I wanted to be more than money.
That’s quite the shift, and very noble of you. How has the journey been so far?
It has been mind-blowing. Interacting with entrepreneurs from all over the world is eye-opening. While ML enterprise is just about a year old, the experience so far can be compared to that of a lifetime. It’s not exactly a bed of roses, but the learning curve has been phenomenal.
We have been able to see things from different perspectives, and this has helped immensely with clarity. All through my social media marketing efforts, I have not come across this level of dynamism before.
The period I handled social marketing for blockchain projects helped expand my horizon especially as it concerns the input of cryptocurrency in everyday life, but none of these compares to the insight you get tutoring entrepreneurs on putting their business in the spotlight.
The challenges, breakthroughs, successes and failures have helped make ML enterprises even stronger, and we have not scratched the surface yet. The journey has just begun.
Your journey is inspiring, Michael. What do you think the future holds for you?
Well, I might not have a crystal ball, but I am confident about what lies ahead. I intend to channel more energy into helping more entrepreneurs find their feet in this ever-changing world of ours.
My journey isn’t exactly about Michael Laurens, but the millions of entrepreneurs who have at some point seemed unconscious about the next step to take. The journey might be tedious, but it could have a beautiful ending regardless. And I am bent on making that a reality for as many entrepreneurs as possible.
Incredible, Michael. Sounds like you are well on your way to making lasting impact. Congratulations on the journey so far and good luck in the future to you and everyone at ML enterprises. I appreciate the time you took today.
Final question, what would you say to entrepreneurs reading this right now?
Ha! So many things that could be said. I’d say keep your chin up, stay positive, and keep doing what you have been doing before, but sometimes you need a little more than that. So I’d say be disruptive. If the norm hasn’t proved effective for some time, try the abnormal. It’s always easy to stand out when you don’t fit in. Don’t be afraid to be different.
Thank you so much, Michael, and best of luck on your future endeavors.