Alex Charfen is a husband and father as well as a consultant to some of the world’s biggest companies. He works closely with his wife, Cadey, in their business, Charfen, which is geared toward helping entrepreneurs and small businesses realize their potential in a very innovative format. He calls the concept ‘Congruency’ and his ideas are starting a revolution.
Alex has prospered personally and professionally, with Congruency as the centerpiece of his business and life. His mantra is simple: “I wake up every day determined to be the best husband I can be, the best father I can be, and to help as many people as possible achieve their goals. I have found a way to build my business with these values, not in spite of them. And I’ve learned that when small business owners really do this, long-term success is practically guaranteed.”
The frameworks created by Charfen are being used by businesses around the world. He is very passionate about the entrepreneurial mindset and how important it is to play to our strengths and not let labels and self-limiting beliefs hold us back.
Alex’s Story:
As a child immigrant from Mexico in the 1970’s, Alex struggled a lot in school. When he arrived in the United States, speaking Spanish in school was not allowed and although he could learn and absorb what he was being taught at a very fast rate, he was not able to communicate that very well. He spent his elementary years bouncing back between Special Education and Gifted & Talented programs before finally being placed in a “normal” class when he reached the fifth grade.
Because he couldn’t communicate well and because he was learning at such a fast pace, this resulted in a lot of restlessness and what society normally calls “behavioral” problems. It was not until he reached his freshman year of high school, that he met the teacher who would become his lifelong mentor. By accident, he had enrolled in an Advanced Communications class and one of the first things Rick Lara, the teacher, told the class was that “everything that happened yesterday is the past; you have the opportunity to do something new right now”. This class, and the principles of communication he learned, were life-changing for him and he found structure and success, going on to become the Captain of the team as well as winning multiple awards. To this day, 29 years later, Rick is still his coach.
Alex went on, as an adult, to manage several businesses, then start several businesses, and is now a consultant for other entrepreneurs to help them find their way and rise above self-limiting beliefs that hold back momentum and success.
Researching the Entrepreneurial Archetype
- One of the things that Alex and his team have found, after researching and analyzing thousands of entrepreneurs, is that they all have the same basic attributes, behaviors and life trajectories:
- They are restless
- They don’t learn like everyone else
- They don’t think like everyone else
- For all entrepreneurs, they are momentum-based beings who feel alive when they are moving forward and when they are helping others, life is good.
- Every successful person shares this story but for some reason we, as entrepreneurs, miss it and start believing the rest of the world that ISN’T like us and that we need to change and not be ourselves.
Most Influential Person:
- Alex Charfen’s biggest influence comes from Rick Lara his teacher from 29 years ago and is still coaching Alex.
Biggest Challenges:
- While Alex wouldn’t change anything along his journey because it’s all led to the wonderful place he’s in now. Alex wishes he had more awareness of his self-limiting beliefs earlier in his life. because we don’t want to appear vulnerable.
- Alex would say to anyone who’s on the entrepreneurial path today to be completely transparent and completely honest and live to the highest ethic.
- By not telling people when you need help, you are only increasing the noise and pressure in your own life which keeps you down. When you hold yourself at the highest ethic, momentum almost creates itself because the most powerful people want to engage with you.
Life’s Lowest Point:
- There hasn’t been just one. The life of an entrepreneur can be full of ups and downs. Very, very early in his career, he did have some very low points when he realized how miserable he was being to his employees at one job and then having to fire people at the job after that.
- However, all of these low points taught him valuable lessons. Every entrepreneur struggles with questions and has times when they feel very unique, alone and not understood.
Alex’s Definition of Living in his Purpose:
- There is an entire industry, with $40Billion invested per year in marketing, which tells society what’s wrong with them. They take the symptoms of constraint (such as depression or hyperactivity), bundle them together and label them as disorders. This results in people getting permanent labels and being ‘damaged’.
- He wants to change that in OUR lifetime. He is working to develop approaches and systems, a backlash to this industry, where children will be assessed on their STRENGTHS, not their weaknesses.
Advice on how to be All-In:
- Figure out your strengths and where you have momentum and build on that. It will result in a transformative experience.
Favorite Quote:
- “Every adversity, every failure, every heartbreak, carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” – Napoleon Hill
Learn More:
Free Gift:
- Alex would like to offer an exclusive 50% discount off his Entrepreneurial Personality Type (EPT) Online Course for the first 50 people
Click Here for Access
Use the code “allin”