A Conversation with Jared Goetz

You have accomplished so much as a successful young entrepreneur. What keeps you motivated on a daily basis to grow both personally and career-wise?

It’s important to take time every day to identify what motivates you as an individual.  I typically try to wake up early, before 5 am, and the first thing I do is meditate.  I have a specific section of my house cornered off to meditate and identifying my motivations is part of my daily practice. Having these things in mind throughout my day gives me the drive to achieve and maintain success.

Many have tried and failed in your field, what initially got you into e-commerce and what drove you past the hurdles that accompany it?

I’ve always been the type of person who is willing to try new things and expand my boundaries.  Three years ago, I was invited by a friend to visit the Canton Fair in China, one of the largest product expos in the world.

I didn’t hesitate to say yes as I thought that this would be a cool opportunity to meet new people and experience something as unique this.  It was at that fair that I discovered a world of new and innovative products that were not yet available in the United States and I knew there was a big opportunity there, I just didn’t yet know how to make it a business.

I brought a few of those products back from China just for myself and people around me were extremely interested and asking where they can get them.  This made me realize that the best thing I could do was just take action and try selling them myself, even though I had no experience. What I did have was a lot of marketing expertise, so I was able to tap into that by bringing in influencers, attending trade shows, and utilizing social media to build brands around these products.

Sales were good but things really changed when I discovered a technique called dropshipping, which allows you to ship directly to consumers from the manufacturers.  Once I combined this knowledge with my marketing expertise, things took off and I haven’t looked back since.

In such a competitive field, what are your biggest fears and concerns? Are they are your motivators?

I’ve always wanted my life to be unique, interesting, and fast paced.  My biggest fear is that I live a life that’s any different from that, which is in fact motivating.

As a business person, I could only imagine you how busy your days are. That said, how to do you make time to remain so active? What is your daily game plan?

Many people like to create their to-do list in the morning but I actually plan out my day before going to bed.  As I mentioned, I am a very early riser so my game plan each day is to accomplish my most important task that I have by mid-morning.  I like to have the middle of my day as a reset.  Since I have typically already worked 7 or 8 hours by 1:00 pm, I then go to the gym and make myself a healthy, balanced lunch.

How long are your work days? Do you make sure give yourself enough sleep?

Sleep is very important to me and what’s most important is maintaining a sleep cycle.  I try to go to sleep by 10:00 pm and wake up by 5:00 am every day, including weekends.

For those future entrepreneurs, how important is to maintain a healthy lifestyle in midst of all the chaos?

Having the right mindset is everything.  Without a healthy balanced diet, active lifestyle, and proper mindset, success is not achievable, in my opinion.

You have created, developed and managed so many successful e-commerce campaigns. What are some of the personal challenges you have faced?

For me, the challenge is continuing to get better every day.  I try to take every failure that I’ve had and turn it into a learning experience.  As long as I approach every opportunity with an open mind and with a willingness to learn and get better, I feel like I will continue to have success.

Being in your profession the stress level is high, you must make sure to decompress and include personal time. What are your strategies to decompress?

I have a few.  I have a great personal trainer who works with me 4-5 times a week on my physical conditioning.  I meditate daily and I have an amazing, supportive girlfriend who helps me make tough decisions and is always by my side.  A dinner with her can solve anything.

Describe your ideal personal day

I am passionate about my work so I do enjoy starting each day by accomplishing a business task.  My ideal day also consists of nice healthy meals and of course a round of golf on a beautiful sunny day in South Florida.  I would be remiss if I left out my dog Nula and our fun walks around the neighborhood.  That would be in there for sure!

Dieting is so critical to your performance in the boardroom and the gym. Please describe the type of meal plans and diets that have worked best for you?

I try not to follow fad diets.  I instead work to keep my every day dieting habits as healthy as possible to avoid peaks and valleys in my nutritional habits.  I eat a lot of greens, lean meats, vitamins, supplements, and I’m sure to try anything that I think will help me improve my diet overall.

You live by the beach and start your days there. Why is it so important to get in that peaceful mindset before diving into work?

For me, the whole tone of my day is set in the morning.  I need to feel accomplished and be in touch with what motivates me.  Limiting distractions in the morning is crucial for this, which is why I’m an early riser and love taking that peaceful sunrise walk on the beach.

How many hours a day — or week — do you put aside for activities or gym work?

I try and split my day 50/50 between work and personal activities.  I’m always looking to achieve a good balance.

Take us through you gym regiment. What is the type of workouts or exercises that you recommend to keep your body?

My trainer is certainly innovative and cutting edge when it comes to the workouts he provides me, but also believes in the basics.  One minute we may be stretching with bands or just balancing, and the next I’m doing deadlifts.  He’s all about tricking my body and pushing me for that extra rep that I wouldn’t necessarily have done on my own.  I feel a big key to working out is pushing yourself that final 5% so that you will see improvements.

Have you always been active? What are your favorite sports to play or follow?

Yes, I have always been active.  I played baseball when I was younger, but now actually play a lot of basketball.  There is a court just around the corner from the office, so the team is always playing pick-up games after work.  It is a ton of fun and a great way to stay in shape.  I don’t watch many sports but was recently very into the World Cup.

As an avid golfer, what are the benefits you get from the sport?

An opportunity to unplug and be with a very small ground of people for an extended amount of time.  The golf course is a great way to get to know somebody.

Living in such a warm climate, are they any other activities that you love to engage in? Surfing? Yoga?

I do enjoy yoga and practice when I can.  The other outdoor activity I love is running.

What is the number one piece of advice that you would give prospective business owners?

Don’t feel that you need everything to be perfect to get started.  Launch your company and don’t be afraid to fail.  If you make mistakes, learn from them and keep moving forward.