The life of a serial entrepreneur can be quite hectic. In addition to managing their business, entrepreneurs typically lead their team, focus on improving processes, and scope out potential investors. Especially for up and coming business owners, it can be difficult to know what to prioritize and what can be done tomorrow. When it comes to his own business ventures, Hector Sosa Flores of San Diego, California, has learned a lot.
Hector Sosa Flores minored in Political Science and Finance at Boston University. He moved on to Madrid to study International Diplomacy at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Influenced by his father, an esteemed lawyer who owned his own practice, Hector attended the San Diego School of Law to pursue an International Legal program. Later on, he attended Harvard School of Business in 2018 and received three certifications: Entrepreneurial Essentials, Business Finance, and Negotiation.
After graduating from the San Diego School of Law, Hector Sosa Flores worked at his father’s law firm, handling state law and international investment law for programs, such as Toyota, Samsung, and Foxconn. But while early on he was encouraged to pursue a career in law by his father, Hector wanted to pursue what he was passionate about. From 2012 to 2015, Hector owned a foreign exchange commodity trading company and managed 150 million in gold commodities and 550 million in foreign exchange trading in U.S. dollars to Mexican Pesos.
With the dream of becoming an entrepreneur, Hector Sosa Flores opened his first company, Axios Group, LLC in 2013. Axios Group is a focus commodity company that is now known as one of the largest gold consolidators in America and manages its own mine in Brazil. In 2016, Hector launched Code Loft LLC to create a new software called instaweb.com, which simplifies website building for people of any level of technical expertise.
When he isn’t working, Hector Sosa is spending time with his wife and their son. He also enjoys swimming and rock climbing.
Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
I come from a mom-and-pop shop type family. My father owned his own law practice and this always inspired me. I wanted to become an entrepreneur for a long time, but owning a law firm wasn’t my passion. I was passionate about finance and pursued that avenue. I also came up with the idea to create a user-friendly software for people to build their own website easily. I wanted to become an entrepreneur because the fact that you could introduce the next big idea to the market is very exciting to me.
How do you manage your time?
I make sure to keep a strict schedule and time out my work days. It helps me to accomplish more while also ensuring that I have time to spend with my family.
How does an entrepreneur become successful at multi-tasking?
As humans, I don’t think we’re designed to multi-task. Even though that term has become really popular, our minds don’t work that way. You’re just shifting your focus from one task to the next and in the process losing productivity as your mind rearranges itself to work on each task. I think a more adequate way to describe it is balancing multiple tasks and certainly not all at once. So, the first thing to do is to remove the idea that you need to be able to multitask to be successful. You need to be successful at balancing your tasks so that they each get your undivided attention.
What does your typical day look like?
My day starts really early around 4:30 in the morning. I get myself ready for the day and meditate from 5 to 6 a.m. I spend some time with my son before he starts his schoolwork and I start my work day at 9 a.m. Throughout my work day, I focus on networking, connecting with my team, and doing paperwork. I will do this until around 5 p.m. and then I focus on other things that aren’t related to my job but still important, like working out or doing any side projects like research or tasks around the house. I also make sure I spend adequate time with my family when the work day is over.
How do you prioritize your tasks?
I make sure I have a running list of what needs to get done today and what can probably wait until tomorrow or the next day. Having that list in front of me helps me focus on one task at a time and I don’t’ shift my focus until I finish that task. It helps me accomplish more and helps me keep my stress levels related to work low.
How does an entrepreneur obtain a healthy work-life balance?
It is important to know your limits and recognize when you are approaching them. The life of an entrepreneur is busy and sometimes unpredictable. When you feel like you’re at risk of burning out, take the time to figure out why that’s happening and try to make changes. And if you find yourself with any extra time at all to yourself during the workday, whether it’s 10 minutes or 60, take that time to yourself instead of filling it with more work. Go for a walk, grab lunch or coffee with a friend or colleague, or find a quiet spot and meditate. When you return to work, you’ll be more energized and will be able to accomplish more.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get inspiration from my family. It is important to me to be able to support them, so I take pride in my work to make that happen.
What advice do you have for new entrepreneurs?
Surround yourself with a team you can trust from the get-go so that when times get tough, you know they have your back.