Today we’d like to introduce you to Hemal Patel.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Hemal. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Kenya, Africa and moved to the USA when I was 12. I got my accounting degree from Suffolk University in Boston but after working in the accounting field for a few years, I knew that was not my passion. I always wanted to be a business owner, so one day, I asked my parents if I can pursue in business. With no money and student loans of $750 a month, I gave my two-week notice. I went to work for $7 hr at a convenience store and worked about 100 hours a week to make ends meet. Leaving a nice paying job to work for $7 was hard a few years, but with the dedication to being a business owner, I kept learning. We did not have money to invest, but I kept trying. I use to help my friend (Jake) who owned a business when I was an accountant for free after my 5 pm shift or on weekends. I learned a lot about business from him.
When I was working at the Convenience store, Jake’s brother in law (Jay) asked what is Hemal all about. Jake said if you put a $100,000 on the table, you won’t lose a $1. Jay called me and invested in me. I told him I had no money; he said: “I Know.” He asked me to go look at Abington Liquors and I said I have already looked at it. I went and looked at it again, the next thing I was a 25% partner. I raised the business by a million dollars in revenue in eight years and took another business up by $300K in sales. Four years ago, my wife and I decided to move to Dallas and sold my share.
Looking at the different businesses, I decided that I need to lose some weight and get healthy. I was overworked and lost my health. I fell in love with 9Round Kickboxing on my first try and knew that I would love to own this business. We opened Mockingbird in Oct 2017 and now we have three locations in DFW (Mockingbird, Preston Hollow, Fort Worth TCU) and coming to Uptown this year. My passion is in creating jobs and helping others become a business owner. I know if I can do it anyone can, all you need is hard work, preparation and learning from your mistake. Our goal is to have 12 9Round in DFW.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There is never a smooth road in business or life. You will always have your ups and down but eventually, everything works out. I lost a bit of money when a contractor was denied for the construction and took my deposit and refused to pay back. It took five years at Liquor store to make a profit, working 100 plus hours a week for five years and no profits. My wife always asked when is the money coming business owner? I knew it would as long as I kept working hard and believing in my self. After five years, the business was very profitable and we grew as a team and opened a second location.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
9Round is a 30-minute full-body kickboxing workout. We have no class times so you can show up anytime we are open, the workout changes daily so you never get bored and a trainer is included to encourage you to reach your fitness goals.
As a CEO, I have to lead by example. My team knows how hard I work from cleaning the restrooms to training on the floor. I don’t ask anyone to do something that I have not done. I am really proud of my “DRIVE,” I am very driven about work. I have travelled to 38 different countries and I am fortunate to be in the land of opportunity. I am sure many people who are not in this country, who might be smarter, harder working but they don’t have the opportunity. I do not see many people today with a drive to be succesful and that is what I want to teach others and my team. “THERE ARE NO SECRETS TO SUCCESS BUT THE RESULTS OF PREPARATION, HARD WORK AND LEARNING FROM FAILURE.”
I love 9Round because we help members get stronger in 30 minutes mentally and physically. When I get the reviews and feedback from members, it really brings joy that our hard work is paying off. Check out our reviews on 9Round Mockingbird.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I am a very optimistic person and being positive is very important in success. I believe in the law of attraction. Anything you think of, you will have, so believing and being positive is a huge part of my daily practice. Helping others in your journey is also a big part of my success. I have taken a homeless (Paul) and given a full-time job, with a fully furnished apartment, phone, health insurance in the Liquor industry.
I have also helped Kyle who lived across from the liquor store who was disabled with a short arm and a short leg. He asked for a job many times and I denied it. Until one day, I needed help and he helped me. Now, Kyle, you have to tell him 100 times before he gets it but I took him under my wing and today he is making more money than any of my team and blesses me with kind thoughts. Helping others always comes back to you. I believe I am where I am because of the people I have helped in my life. It’s a blessing.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9Round Dallas Mockingbird 5331 East Mockingbird Lane Suite 105 Dallas TX 75206
9Round Preston 12835 Preston Road Suite 213 Dallas TX 75230
9Round TCU 3049 Greene ave Fort Worth TX 76109 - Website: https://www.9round.com/fitness/Dallas-TX-x1660
- Phone: 469-554-0368
- Email: mockingbirdlndallastx@9round.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/9rounddallas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/9rounddallas/?ref=bookmarks
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