We had the good fortune of connecting with Adam Ramos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking and more importantly managing risk has played a much larger role in my life and career over the past couple of years. Whether it is expanding investment opportunities into new categories, such as restaurants, arcades, crypto, & NFTs, or finding the best structure to grow a promotional products business and apparel franchise without sacrificing profitability has been a risky set of ventures. Although taking on risks can be very stressful, I believe it is at the heart of most entrepreneurs. Those that are willing to take the risks of bypassing a steady salary, providing goods/services that make others lives better, sacrificing some good times or material wants in order to set aside funds or find financing to pursue new dreams, all contribute to the risk it takes to be a small business owner. It is also what drives you to follow through. It takes a lot of dedicated time, collaboration, and God willing, a great partner by your side (much love to my wife!) to make sure you are making the right decisions when it comes to taking risks. Knowing the pros and cons to all decisions and then making sure they align with your goals is the most important step to averting future stresses.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have found throughout my career that finding the best solutions to help people solve their problems has been my driving force. Whether it is putting together a promotional products giveaway strategy for a sporting event, creating a merch line for a new fitness company, working on a rebranding project with a tech company, or kicking off a new campaign with a beverage distributor, I have always found it best to learn how our services will help the person or team that we are working with. It is not just about the company in which we are working with to help with their branding or execute a campaign to attract and retain customers, but it truly is about how we can help our internal champion at that organization grow and excel in their career. I’ve always loved building relationships and this mindset of making sure we propel the people we work with has helped me find and maintain awesome relationships, both in business and personally. It has allowed me to build a network that provides me with new opportunities all of the time. Learning new ways to generate income outside of my core business has become a passion of mine and it allows me to always look at new opportunities throughout my network. If the opportunity is not something that I can or am willing to take on at that time, I love to find someone within my network that would best fit for that situation. Whether that connection benefits me at that time or not, I find it important to take the time to utilize my relationships to help others. I have found that giving without expectations has been a great asset.

A bit of a background of my career. I studied in Marketing with a Sales Track at UCF. I worked in professional sports for over 12 years. I purchased a youth sports apparel & equipment franchise near the tail end of my career in sports and then was introduced to the promotional products industry shortly after. Becoming a business owner from the corporate world was eye opening but also an enjoyable process. Removing much of the red tape and unproductive aspects of the corporate life, I was able to actually realize what a work/life balance is supposed to look like and how to organize a business with the big picture in mind while also strategizing all of the small details.

One lesson I learned along the way is that the numbers matter, but make sure you are focusing on the right numbers. In our data driven lives, many small business owners focus so much on the revenue they are bringing in, but don’t properly include all of the true costs that are associated with their business, both fixed and variable. Being honest with yourself and having the right numbers can really guide you in how your business can operate and what it will take to grow/scale properly.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First of all, we would have to stop by Borsalino in Fort Lauderdale. This is my favorite breakfast/brunch spot and they have the best coffee (sign me up for a B Signature). I loved it so much that I ended up finding a way to become a part owner. 🙂

We would take a walk in Sunny Isles Beach and head to the pier. Ride bikes through the various local parks and a quick ride through Oleta Park and then hang out near Haulover. We would have to grab some wings and a few drink specials at one of the few Flanigan’s in the area.

You can’t visit Miami without venturing into some of the best known tourist traps, so we’d spend a day knocking them all out. We are grabbing breakfast near Little Havana, at Arahy’s Bakery on 8th St and then take a walking tour of the busier parts of Calle Ocho. Get a game of dominoes in while sipping on a Cuban coffee and having a pastelito (pastry). We would then head to South Beach to take photos of the iconic strip. We can check out South Point and grab a bite to eat at Smith & Wolensky’s. Throw in a little jet ski tour of the surrounding islands and a little fun on the water would be a great way to cap off a great afternoon. Afterwards, we could check out the sunset at The Standard. Nightime, head over to Wynwood and bar hop.

Depending on the time of year, you have to check out a sporting event live. First choice is a Miami HEAT game and end the experience at HYDE inside the arena right after.

Other food places we are checking out during the week:
La Vaca Gorda (steaks) – North Bay Village
Etaru (brunch & happy hour) – Hallandale
Yambo (Nicaraguan fritanga) – Miami
Prime 112 or Papi Steak – South Beach

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my parents for being the perfect balance of faith, hard work, dedication, love, and selflessness to allow me to see the world in a different light. Shoutout to my wife, Velize, for being my motivation to always be better and for loving me and supporting my crazy ideas. Shoutout to my business partner, Greg, for always being there for me and helping me along the journey of being a business owner and for taking my call every day as I dream outloud. Shout out to my friends and newly acquired family members that also own their own businesses (especially my brother-in-law Jonathan). Thanks for sharing your knowledge and journey with me and for always pushing me to see other aspects of owning & operating a business. I can’t wait to enjoy the fruits of our labor with each other as “early retirees.”

Website: https://linktr.ee/TryplThret

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/borsalino-fort-lauderdale-fort-lauderdale?uid=mA5tdwDXmdX8z15d6VN0g&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

Other: T3 House – www.t3house.com Destination Athlete – www.destinationathlete.com Borsalino – www.borsalinocafe.com

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