Meet Rocco Fiorentino
Recently, Benetrends’ President and CEO Rocco Fiorentino was featured on a panel of experts for "Empowering Entrepreneurs" put out by Media Planet. Fiorentino joined the Benetrends board of directors in 2009, with more than 25 years of franchising experience. Shortly after, in late 2012, he was appointed CEO. For those unaware, Benetrends is a trusted source for small business and franchise financing. Fiorentino has also served as a board member for the International Franchise Association, as well as being a co-chairman of the IFA’s membership committee and chairman for the Multi-Unit Franchise Conference.
What are some of the most important qualities of an entrepreneur?
Among the many questions asked by Media Planet, one question stuck out to me after reading through the panel’s answers: What are the 3 most important qualities of a successful entrepreneur? There were a variety of answers, including things such as tenacity, adaptability, vision, and luck. But what Mr. Fiorentino had to say struck a chord:
- An unwavering passion, commitment and dedication to lead others and allow them to be the best they can be.
- The ability to be open minded and flexible enough to learn from others and
- The courage to go from one mistake to the next, very enthusiastically while taking calculated risks.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Fiorentino hit the nail on the head with his answer. When you’re an entrepreneur, you have to have unwavering passion and dedication for your business. Running a business is not easy; stay strong and be a leader for your employees.
Also, having the courage to go from one mistake to the next, taking calculated risks… YES! You’re going to make mistakes and that’s okay, no one is perfect. But an entrepreneur is going to take those mistakes and learn from them, growing their business all the while.
If you’d like to read more from the Empowering Entrepreneurs panel, you can visit Benetrends’ website here.
Other members of the Empowering Entrepreneurs panel include: Lesa Mitchell, VP of the Kauffman Foundation; Mark Quinn, Regional Administrator for the SBA; Matthew O. Brimer, Co-Founder for General Assembly; and Howard Leonhardt, Founder and CEO of Leonhardt Ventures.