Adversity is the fuel of greatness.

Anyone that’s overcome adversity has beat the odds, even when triumph seems unlikely. This adversity is what’s helped 23-year-old Rene Lacad go from college dropout to six figure entrepreneur.

It all started while Rene was attending a local community college in Walnut, California. He had barely graduated high school with a 2.1 GPA, and now his college GPA was even worse. He knew that even though he was physically present, his mind wasn’t, and decided to drop out.

Utilizing the power of Social Media, Rene was able to successfully build two six figure companies within the short span of 2 years. He says “What used to be something that young people used to communicate has become an integral part of every business in the 21st century”.

Rene’s a firm believer that anyone is capable of starting a business in the 21st century and now helps consult other young entrepreneurs looking to start their new businesses. “If I could do it, anyone can. I’m not special, I just saw the opportunity and decided to take advantage of it.”

He shared his top 3 tips for new entrepreneurs looking for advice:

1. Pay attention to consumer needs

Every business is dependant on consumer demand. By learning what people want, you’ll know what to provide. Giving people what they want is the easiest way to start a business you know will be a success. “Your job isn’t to change what people want, it’s to find the gaps in the market and fill them”

2. Gain valuable expertise

“The only reason I’m able to charge $500/hour for consulting is because clients are willing to pay that much” Rene shared that how much your business is worth is directly correlated to how much value you provide to your customers. The market never lies.

3. Network with everyone

Getting to know people is an essential part to every business. Rene says “A majority of people only try to network up and never make the most of the connections right in front of them”. Sometimes you’ll find your best connections where you’d never expect.

Currently Rene travels the world while managing his businesses from his laptop. He says he got into the digital marketing space because he was a firm believer that there’s room for creativity in business. The world’s greatest innovators used creative mediums to solve problems no one else could. To this day creativity is the catalyst that moves us forward.