Daniel Alex

I'm interested in the startup community and frequently take part in meetups and events for lean startup movements, UX, Social entrepreneurship and more. I have worked in Dubai for various sectors including audit, consulting and eco-friendly energy.

Website: https://medium.com/@danielalex
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/daniel-alex/55/79b/693
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_punion
San Francisco, California, United States
Member since March 29, 2015

The Bay Area's innovation, and desire to solve problems never ceases to amaze me. I am learning something new every day and loving every second of it. Quote_down

About

Investor interests

Locations of interest	San Francisco, California, United States
Credentials	None

Education

2014 Hult Business School , MA , Finance - Project Management minor

2010 Heriot Watt University , BA , Business and Accounting

I am a(n):

Aspiring entrepreneur

Companies I work or worked for:

Intertek, ProEcuador, Morison Menon, Enverg Consultants, Lean Startup, Dubai Exports

Achievements (products built, personal awards won):

- Headed 5 consultancy studies in Dubai
- Ran a guitar repair/maintenance service with over a hundred customers in less than half a year.
- Taught over a hundred students (guitar lessons) in less than half a year.

If you're an entrepreneur or corporate innovator, why?

I want to invent something cool.

My favorite startups:

Lootcrate, Pebble, Moo, Bohemian Guitars

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

Frustrating: Sleepless nights and countless rejections
Rewarding: People appreciating your product, especially if it adds tangible value to their lives. Like the smile on someone's face after you teach them to play their favorite song

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs/innovators make?

Spend too much money on schwag. I used to work for companies with 10 - 10,000 employees. No matter how big the company, promotions cost a lot of money. It's not just important to keep your operations lean, but your expenses too.

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

- Shit happens. You're gonna get screwed over. Move on!
- It's okay to not be the smartest guy in the room. The smartest guy is not always the most competent guy.
- Diversity. Perspectives from various lines of work can exponentially improve your business and/or it's product or service. A startup full of developers is like a band full of guitarists.

Full bio

I was first exposed to entrepreneurship at 14 when I used to buy second hand mobile phones and sell them at a profit to buy a guitar. Then at 16, when I used to play in live bands, I started a guitar maintenance and repair service with a friend in his parents garage and to my surprise, actually made money doing it. We used to provide guitar and drumming lessons to be able to buy spare parts. That was when I realised that I could make money doing something I loved.

I immediately realised that I wanted to start a business in something I truly enjoyed doing and wanted to learn more about startups and how to optimize my talents and be an entrepreneur. Naturally, my next stop was the Bay Area.

I frequently take part in meetups and events for lean startup / Agile movements, UX, Social entrepreneurship, Web development and more. I have worked in Dubai for various sectors including audit, consulting and eco-friendly energy.I have led 5 consultancy projects in the Middle East.

I am currently pursuing my masters in Finance with a specialization in Project Management; I am qualified for the PMP exam and plan on pursuing it by the end of the year. My education has enabled me to be capable of handling and analyzing information on a qualitative and quantitative scale, to facilitate effective decision-making. However, my true learning, has come from the ever growing entrepreneurial energy and innovation of the startup community in the Bay Area.