Doug Dvorak is the CEO of DMG International, a worldwide organization that assists clients with sales & leadership consulting, sales productivity, and customer success/experience management workshops. Doug’s clients include Fortune 1000 companies, small to medium businesses, civic organizations, and service businesses.
Doug is also the owner of The Sales Coaching Institute, and he has earned an international reputation for his powerful educational methods and motivational techniques, as well as his experience in all levels of business, corporate education, and success training.
With 30+ years of experience leading and managing worldwide sales and marketing teams and his expertise as a speaker, Doug Dvorak is one of the world’s most sought-after consultants, lecturers, and teachers.
For more details, visit his website here.
Here we sit down with Doug to learn a bit more about his journey as an entrepreneur.
Q. Tell us a little more about your entrepreneurship – how did you get started? What inspired you?
Doug: I started speaking part-time on nights & weekends whilst working full-time. After working diligently speaking & training for 2 years, essentially for free to build & hone my craft, I started to get requests from clients to speak/train for remuneration.
I then built out my website and social media channels, wrote my first book, and never looked back! It was challenging in the beginning, but it was the best decision I ever made!
Q. What tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive?
Doug: Once I quit my full-time job and started speaking/training full-time, I had to make it happen and work very hard 7 days a week, 16 hours a day.
I’m glad I started digital marketing efforts early in my entrepreneurial journey. Investing in a well-designed website, building out my social media channels, and writing 10 books on sales, marketing, leadership, and motivation gave me credibility and was the key accelerant to my sales and marketing engine!
Q. How do you stay organized with such a busy schedule?
Doug: I learned early in my career that you can’t manage time; all you can do is manage yourself with respect to time. So, I hired a virtual assistant and outsourced all of my back-office functions to experts in their respective fields, like digital marketing, accounting, HR, etc. This allowed me to focus solely on my craft and work on the business, not in the business!
Q. What would you change about the world if you had a magic wand?
Doug: I would create more kindness, more understanding, and social justice for the economically disadvantaged!
Q. If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?
Doug: Well, I have written 10 books, some of the titles are: “The Masters of Success,” “As a Salesman Thinketh,” “A Sales Leader’s Guide to Success,” “A Sales Leader’s Playbook,” and “How to Create a High-Performance Culture.”
Q. What motivates you?
Doug: Personal and professional excellence, and a passion to serve my clients to help them succeed and scale up their businesses and skills!
Q. What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?
Doug: Investing in knowledge and relevant IT/digital technologies that grow my skills. These investments have allowed me to be more efficient at helping my clients as well.
Q. What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?
Doug: I would say focus on developing a strong and smart digital marketing/sales plan. Invest in it and trust both the process and the outcomes.
Q. What is your ‘one-sentence’ piece of advice for someone who wants to become an entrepreneur, coach, or business owner?
Doug: Just start your own business. There’s much more upside and excitement in it than in working for someone else!
To keep up to date with Doug and his journey, connect with him on LinkedIn.