Today's entrepreneur: Syed Mohammed

Listen more than you speak

Today's entrepreneur is Syed Mohammed, founder and CEO of Enable My Child, a teletherapy company specializing in quality pediatric care in mental health, speech & language pathology, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.

Prior to founding Enable My Child, Mohammed was involved in every aspect of developing, launching, marketing, and growing delivery systems of health care for brands including Pfizer, Novartis, and Noven. He has been an entrepreneur since 2009. 

The mission of Enable My Child is very personal to him. As a child with undiagnosed ADD, he experienced the frustrations of trying to accomplish things that were easy for other children. As an adult, he knew that early intervention is key to setting up a child for success and was moved by a sense of responsibility to create change. He researched and listened to over 150 parents of children with various disorders and recruited a team of experienced pediatric care professionals who spent almost two years researching the barriers to therapy and seeking solutions.

I am a(n):

Entrepreneur

Companies I've founded or co-founded:

Enable My Child

If you are an entrepreneur, why?

To find solutions that will help people at large.

My favorite startups:

SignGlasses

Why did you start your current company?

Growing up, I struggled to keep up in school. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with ADD in my thirties that I realized why some tasks are more difficult for me. At that point, I started going to therapy and realized just how transformational it is. I thought about what it would have been like if I had been diagnosed and treated as a child. It would have made a world of a difference, so with my own experience as the driving force, I launched Enable My Child.

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

Rewarding: Seeing a solution you developed actually help people. 

Frustrating: Money is always on your mind.

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs make?

Lack of focus. Focus on your mission and your work. When you focus, it allows you to say no to things that are not going to help you achieve your mission. Your priorities, your hiring, your strategy all need to focus on your mission.

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

1. Listen more than you speak. 
2. Apply realistic optimism. 
3. Hire people smarter than you.