Building a successful business often demands more than external achievement; it forces a profound internal transformation. From learning to slow down and heal to mastering leadership and self-trust, the entrepreneurial journey is a continuous path of growth. Daniel Linares, the visionary founder of DLE Event Group, a luxury wedding and events entertainment company based out of New York, embodies this journey. Daniel’s story is a testament to how deep curiosity, a relentless focus on specialization, and an unwavering growth mindset can transform challenges into unprecedented opportunities, ultimately leading to a truly self-running business.

The Riches in Niches: Specialization & Blue Ocean Strategy

For DLE Event Group, differentiation has been key to escaping the 'red ocean' of commoditized services. Daniel emphasizes the Blue Ocean Strategy, a concept popularized by the book of the same name, which encourages businesses to create uncontested market space rather than compete in existing ones. DLE's unique offering is a combination band and DJ service, specializing exclusively in events that blend both.

If you're running a business and you're like, okay, like what could potentially be the next level for us? The this analogy of like, maybe a doctor, general physician. And what a general physician gets hired to do versus what a specialized heart surgeon gets hired to do.

Daniel illustrates this with the example of Cirque du Soleil, which innovated the circus industry by removing animals, embracing theater, and elevating the experience and price point, moving away from traditional circus models. This focus on specialization allows DLE to become the most obvious and best choice for their specific clientele, driving their success in the competitive events landscape.

The "Everything is Figure Out Able" Mindset

Life, and business, often throws curveballs. For DLE Event Group, the ultimate curveball was the pandemic, which shut down live events in New York City entirely. Rather than succumbing to the crisis, Daniel and his team embraced a mindset that 'everything is figure out able,' a concept championed by entrepreneur Marie Forleo. Faced with an unprecedented situation, Daniel's wife suggested a pivot to virtual graduations for schools. Despite having no prior experience in this niche, Daniel confidently said yes.

Was there ever a need for virtual graduations ever in the history of the world? No. No model. And so we said, yeah, absolutely because everything could be figured out.

This imperfect action led DLE to secure a spot on a list for New York City schools, resulting in 54 virtual events in 2020 and 104 in 2021. This monumental pivot not only saved the business but expanded its capabilities, demonstrating that stepping into discomfort and trusting your ability to figure things out can lead to significant growth and new revenue streams.

Leveraging the Right Team: "Who Not How"

Scaling a business requires strategic delegation and understanding the strengths of your team. Daniel highlights the "Who Not How" principle from Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy's book, advocating for finding the right people to execute tasks rather than trying to figure out every 'how' yourself. For Daniel, who identifies as an ideator and risk-taker (a 'low follow-through' on Kolbe A), finding 'finishers' has been transformative.

He emphasizes the power of personality assessments like DISC, Kolbe A, and Clifton Strengths to understand one's own wiring and how to best collaborate with others. By layering these insights with AI tools like large language models, entrepreneurs can better identify the kind of person needed to support their vision, allowing the visionary to focus on the 'first 10%' of an idea while 'finishers' drive the '80%' of execution, and the visionary closes out the 'last 10%.' This creates a 'rocket fuel' dynamic where everyone operates in their zone of genius.

Identity Work: Becoming Who You Need to Be

Beyond strategy and delegation, Daniel stresses the profound impact of identity work. Often, entrepreneurs are constrained by an 'imaginary box' of what they believe about themselves and their capabilities. Influenced by mentors like Tony Robbins, Daniel realized that his 'current software' of thinking got him to a certain point, but a 'next level' required a shift in identity.

Identity work is a little conceptual, but it's one of the most powerful things and sometimes people think, oh well, what do I need to do now in order to become this ideal version of myself in the future? The better question is who do you need to become now so that you can achieve all of the above?

This involves consciously deciding who you need to become now to achieve your dreams, much like Beyoncé created her alter ego, Sasha Fierce, to embody the elite performer she needed to be on stage. By putting himself in rooms with other learners and remaining curious, Daniel continuously reshapes his identity to meet the demands of his evolving entrepreneurial journey.

Measuring Progress with the "Gap in the Gain"

A critical tool Daniel uses for maintaining motivation and gratitude is Dan Sullivan's 'Gap in the Gain.' This concept advises measuring progress by looking backward (the 'gain') rather than constantly comparing oneself to a future, ever-changing ideal (the 'gap').

Ambitious individuals often fall into the 'gap,' focusing on what they haven't yet achieved, which can lead to scarcity mindsets and unhappiness. Daniel finds immense gratitude and optimism by regularly reflecting on where he was a year, three, or five years ago. This practice realigns perspective, ensuring that achievement is celebrated rather than overshadowed by an elusive finish line.

Defining Success in a Self-Running Business

For Daniel, success at this stage of his life and business is defined by a few key metrics: doing something every day that lights him up, prioritizing family, and ensuring his business adds value to clients without him being the bottleneck. His aim is a mostly self-running company where he has let go of many operational reins.

Success also means loving what he does and actively eliminating or delegating tasks he dreads. By passing on responsibilities like bookkeeping or accounting to those who genuinely enjoy them, Daniel frees up his energy to focus on what truly inspires him, enhancing his quality of life and ensuring he shows up fully in all aspects.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Blue Ocean Strategy in business?

The Blue Ocean Strategy is a framework for creating new market space where there is no competition, instead of competing in existing, crowded markets (red oceans). It focuses on innovation and offering unique value to customers.

How can businesses overcome perfectionism to achieve growth?

Businesses can overcome perfectionism by adopting an "imperfect action" approach, launching initiatives when 70-80% ready, and iterating along the way. This provides faster feedback and more opportunities for growth than waiting for an elusive "perfect time."

What is "identity work" for entrepreneurs?

Identity work involves consciously shifting your beliefs about yourself and deciding who you need to become to achieve your goals, rather than just focusing on what you need to do. It's about changing your internal software to support future growth.

How does Daniel Linares define business success?

Daniel defines success as doing something every day that lights him up, prioritizing family, and having a mostly self-running company where he is not the bottleneck. It also includes actively delegating tasks he doesn't enjoy to people who do.

Key Takeaways for Your Entrepreneurial Journey

Daniel Linares's journey offers invaluable lessons for any entrepreneur seeking growth: specialize to stand out, embrace a 'figure out able' mindset, strategically delegate with the 'Who Not How' principle, cultivate a supportive identity, and measure your progress with gratitude. For more inspiring entrepreneurial stories and practical insights, be sure to follow the Starter Girlz Podcast.