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

Hi David, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I am on my 3rd business. My first was out of need. I started an ISP back in 1994 when it was hard to find a reliable way to get access to the internet. I was 6 months out of college and used to being online, but after leaving college the only internet that existed really was AOL. I set out to solve this problem and build a company that would enable businesses to gain access to the internet. The others came out of experience. After selling the first business, my experiences from the first, enabled the second and so on…

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 started my first business when I was 23, just out of college and really had no idea what I was doing. I made plenty of mistakes, but I learned from each of them and got better every day. After being on the verge of bankruptcy after 4 years, I made the difficult move of parting with my business partner and only 2 years later had a successful exit to a cable company. I had similar experiences in my current business, but one of the most important lessons I have learned from EO is to be willing to be vulnerable. It is this very thing that led me to emerge from some of the hardest times and has enabled my successes today.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well I live in South Florida so you have to go to the beach! I once took a chartered boat through Miami which was a great experience and something I would recommend. If you are going to stay in a hotel, there are two great spots I like depending on what you enjoy most, but the Ritz Carlton on Key Biscayne is amazing as it makes you feel like you are in the Caribbean, but you are just 10 minutes from Miami! Also the Hard Rock Guitar Hotel is a site to see. If you like nature, it is great to go on an airboat ride to see the alligators and if we have some time, I always recommend a road trip to the gulf coast as well. Sanibel Island is really something special.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I credit my early success to my father, an entrepreneur himself, I grew up knowing some day I too would start my own business. I never anticipated it would be 6 months out of college, but it was the perfect time as I was able to work alongside him in the same office and continue to absorb all I needed to succeed in that first business. By the time I was ready to start my 3rd business, I somehow knew it was going to be a challenge far beyond anything I had ever done before and the timing was right as I had just joined EO, Entrepreneurs’ Organization. I attribute much of the success of this business so far to EO and the relationships I have built there. Without it, I am quite sure I would not have made it this far.

Website: www.bdex.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkelsteindavid/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BDEX_David

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