The importance of focus as a recipe for entrepreneurial success has been amplified by Rahul Saggu, one of Canada’s leading mortgage specialists and co-founder-operating officer at ModernDay Cannabis.
The UK-born entrepreneur, who currently resides in Toronto, works with the Vine Group, Canada’s number one mortgage company. He is also an international leader on imarkets Live, the number one home-based business in the world and by far the largest financial education platform.
Rahul, who grew up in London, Nairobi, Toronto, and briefly in Florida, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics. During his undergraduate days at Wilfrid Laurier University, he had worked as a teller at CIBC for at least a year and a half. He had worked at Toronto-based RBC Waterpark as an account manager after graduation.
Switching his career path to mortgage financing, he affirmed, is a natural progression. “I’ve always had a pull towards real estate. I purchased my first property as a 21-year-old; having experienced the power of real estate at a young age, I yearned to help others experience the same,” he said.
His life, Rahul Saggu pointed out, is not without its share of adversities, but he had turned them into sources of impetus rather than what would impede his progress: “I experienced a lot of losses growing up that helped get me where I am today. My father died when I was 24. I also lost four of my best friends in a nine-year span, from ages 18 to 27. These losses forced me to work extremely hard on myself and go all out into my ventures. I found an outlet in the gym and decided working a 9-5 job was not going to provide the lifestyle I wanted for myself.”
He is especially affected by the death of his father, which he regarded as “my biggest challenge by far.”
“Take any father-son movie, multiply it by 10 and you might have me and my dad. He was my mentor, life teacher, father and brother all tied into one,” he reflected.
Of his father, Rahul declared: “My biggest inspiration without a doubt is my father. He instilled in me a work ethic and empathy towards people that few have. Before any big decision I make I ask myself what he would do or think. That helps me a lot.”
On what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, he offered a set of guidelines: “It takes a clear vision and knowing exactly what you want out of life; I truly believe in having mentors who you can follow––mentors who are very hands-on with you will enable you to fast-track your way to success, then, I believe in waking up early, from 5am to 6am and having a strict morning routine which will set you up for the day.”
He urged young entrepreneurs to focus on exactly what they want out of life. “It can be a few things –working out, becoming a good cook and starting a business venture with some close friends – then put every ounce of your being into achieving those things. It really is that easy once you break it down,” he said.
While lamenting the preponderance of distractions in today’s society, he stressed that “to get to where you want you will need to learn to say no to whatever doesn’t fit your goals.”
Being hardworking is necessary, but Rahul also emphasised the importance of setting aside time for leisure, citing examples from his life: “Besides business, I am in martial arts. I hold a black belt in karate. I am also a certified piano teacher. I played piano for 10 years growing up. I love being active, going out on hikes and being out on the golf course.”