Surprisingly, when building a business from scratch, money is not the most important piece of the puzzle. In the ever-growing world of technology, what proves more useful is a rock-solid mindset. Anybody can start a business online, but when it comes to hardship, not everyone will continue forward and persevere.
Mario Selva is a true testament to the power of mindset. He started his very first business when he was fresh out of college. Mario got his degree in business from the University of Naples Federico II. Right after, he decided not to go for the stereotypical nine-to-five office job and instead build something of his own.
Mario began working with Amazon sellers, putting his marketing genius to practice. Soon, however, he decided that he did not, under any circumstance, want to be dependent on anybody else. In 2018, Mario decided to go all-in with social media marketing.
He was a huge success and made $1.5 million in under 18 months. How did he manage to do that? Selva credits his strategy to an unwavering mindset. "Many people start businesses, but not everyone can persevere when things get hard. Your business will eventually have problems; that's normal. How you react determines everything. Don't ever quit," he advises.
Mario is a scholar at heart. He follows many successful mentors and entrepreneurs who inspire him to do better every day. He is not afraid to go into seclusion when necessary in order to learn something new and improve his business. "I used to read books 80% of my time. I did little else besides just learn," he recalls.
It certainly seems like all that learning has paid off for Selva. Today, he is financially independent and can go anywhere, anytime. "I love to travel. It energizes me and I learn so much in the process," he explains. "Freedom to me is more important than money. I'm happy to travel and to support my family," he says.
When asked whether he plans to retire any time soon, Mario says a definitive no. "I love my job. It brings me joy and excites me, so no, I don't plan on stopping any time soon," he shares.
Mario has some advice for those who are just starting out on their business journeys. "Never give up, and especially not when things become difficult. Remember that studying is great but you also need to go out and experience things that you can then apply to your business," he says.
He wants his legacy to be his lifestyle, not just the zeros in his bank account. "I want to be remembered for all the good I did for society, not just the fact that I made a few million," he explains.
Mario has his eye on the prize. He plans to scale his business and to brand multiple products that will be sold on a global scale. The future has no limit for this driven, young entrepreneur.
You can follow Mario Selva and his business journey further on Instagram.
