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Herman Dolce had always dreamed of having his own company and achieving financial freedom. This was his take on the American Dream–which is different for every person. For some it is to migrate to the United States and start from zero, or being able to grow in the corporate world.
For Herman Dolce, a first generation immigrant from Haiti, his American Dream was making it in the business world. In fact, growing up, his parents made sure to push him to become successful in the land of the free.
“My parents migrated from the island of Haiti in the 1970s. My mother was a certified nursing assistant and my father was a property manager for the Trump organization. Trying to find the balance between the cultural norms within my home and avoiding American assimilation was always a fight my parents had with me. But wanting me to become successful in the land of the free was paramount to my upbringing.” Herman recounts.
Herman used to have a regular job, where he was someone else in the machine and had to follow certain rules and respond to someone else. After a trip to Italy right before his first daughter Bella was born, Herman started to consider starting his own company.
He had enjoyed the trip to Italy so much that he was dreading going back to work. As he referred to how he felt about going back, his brother suggested that he start his own company and start his path to financial freedom on his own rules.
“I was disappointed that I had to go back to work after living like a King in Italy, and that I had to ask for permission to go visit another country. I realized that as long as I did not own my own company I would never be free.” Herman says.
Soon after the trip to Italy, Herman started Bella Sloan Enterprises a financial services company named after his first daughter. Their goal is to educate clients on credit and repair their scores. The company also helps startups and medium-sized companies get business credit/funding.
The mission statement of Bella Sloan Enterprises is precisely, “the American Dream.” Just so, two years after starting the company, Herman was able to quit his six figure job and start to live life by his own rules.
For Herman to achieve success, mindset was crucial. Mindset was what allowed him to understand his daily goals in building his brand and in providing the best service possible for his clients. If no one was going to believe in him, he had to believe in himself.
“I started with the work ethic of getting up every day at 5:45 and putting in 12 or 13 hours a day in my own business, which did not feel like work.” Herman shares. “This laser focus helped me build a brand that will outlast even my daughter’s children.”
Moreover, Herman’s main advice for those who are starting a business is to focus on what is important to yourself and on what is the mission of the business. For Herman, the American Dream was the mission–and it mattered that that was clear to him.
“Losing sight of this will make you sign deals that are not necessary and ill-advised to your business strategy. Focus on the reason why you started the business in the first place and it will take you to your first million dollars.” Herman advises.
Now that Herman is on the path to financial freedom, he can take a trip to Italy whenever he wants, just as he had hoped back when he decided to start his business. Rather than pushing aside his hopes for changing his life, or being overshadowed by fear, Herman concentrated his efforts into starting his own company.
“Fear is the unknown. Once I am knowledgeable, once I have gained understanding, fear subsides significantly, and on the other side there is success.” Herman explains. “This success means building something that will outlast me. Planting seeds for fruit that I will never be able to taste. This is in the DNA of the businesses that I have built for myself and my children.”
Furthermore, Herman did not just start his own company, he also made sure he had the best result and provided the best service to his clients. His consistency will continue to differentiate him from his competition.
“I provide the exact same service to anyone who comes to me, whether it is a free consultation or a $5,000 ticket client. For me every client is important. Especially now.” Herman states.
Even now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Herman is headed to his next projects, which include entering into different private sectors. He is in the process of working on multi unit buildings in Cleveland, Philadelphia and Baltimore, in order to work on his original passion: real estate.
He also started a second company called the Olivia Monroe Enterprises, after his second daughter, which will focus on trucking and logistics. But in these trying times of the US economy, he is working to ensure his business is sustainable.
“Emerging on the other side of this pre-recession or current recession is going to be significant for my company. I think I have built a brand that will outlast one of the most trying times in our country, and doing it on the shoulders of my immigrant parents gives me an enormous sense of pride. I look forward to the journey.” Herman says.
Find out more about Bella Sloan Enterprises here or follow Herman Dolce here
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