Today, entrepreneurship is an extremely popular avenue for people looking to make money and build something while maintaining control of their life. Applications for new businesses, the number of startups, and the number of businesses in the U.S. have grown tremendously, according to the Center for American Progress. The economic recovery since the Covid-19 pandemic has allowed for an enticing environment to start and grow a business.
Being an entrepreneur is more than just building and running businesses. It is about being innovative, nimble, and able to adapt to external factors. The modern entrepreneur operates in a society that consists of changing expectations, lots of competition, and a growing focus on sustainability. Entrepreneurs must have an exceptional ability to adapt in order to be successful, and they must be capable of assessing risks carefully.
In 2024, entrepreneurship also incorporates a social aspect. Consumers and investors are prioritizing sustainable and ethical practices more today than ever before. Through different approaches and meaningful initiatives, these entrepreneurs stand out for their commercial success, along with their contributions to a more sustainable and equitable world. They are shaping what it means to be a top entrepreneur in today’s age.
Brady Brim-DeForest
Brady Brim-DeForest
While much of the world panics about what artificial intelligence is doing now, Brady Brim-DeForest is looking to what AI will do. Most companies see AI the same way they have seen previous new tools: as something to augment current systems and services. However, as usual, Brim-DeForest is way ahead of the curve, preparing for significant shifts in business infrastructure. “We know that AI will disrupt the way businesses are organized and operate,” Brady explains. “Enterprises need to undergo a similar fundamental shift. And they’ll need to do so on a deeper level than almost anyone seems to realize now.”
A serial entrepreneur with a career spanning over 20-years, Brim-DeForest is passionate about creating and assisting purpose-driven businesses. He co-founded over half a dozen successful startups and has helped huge global organizations recapture their spirit of innovation. He is a founder of Monks, where he led Formula.Monks, the technology solutions division that specializes in AI-led transformation. He is currently Managing Partner at Late State Capital, a venture fund that invests in companies that are transforming the future of humanity. The firm is stage agnostic and invests from seed to growth.
Amongst other areas of focus, Late Stage invests in startups that are helping large monolithic enterprises transform cultures designed to punish failure and stifling innovation in the process. This phenomenon is so common that Brim-DeForest wrote a book on it. He calls Smaller is Better: Using Small Autonomous Teams to Drive the Future of Enterprise the “step-by-step guide on how to recapture your organization’s spirit of innovation by empowering small autonomous teams focused on your most important missions.”
Brock Sottile
Brock Sottile
Brock Sottile is a 23-year-old Canadian entrepreneur and the CEO of Sottile Capital. He was raised in Calgary, Alberta, where he developed an early interest in business and technology, which was inspired by his late father, who was Sottile’s mentor. Once a professional hockey player, Sottile has blossomed into a business leader with ventures in energy efficiency and sustainable engineering.
Through Horizon Energy Consultants, a residential construction company he co-owns with his brother, Sottile has established a presence in solar energy across 23 U.S. states. Sottile is passionate about solar technology and its potential to bring substantial profits in the energy sector. He is committed to environmentally responsible practices and the progression of renewable energy solutions.
Most recently, Sottile has launched Prycer, a software platform designed to streamline the mortgage industry. Prycer offers mortgage professionals a toolkit that includes dynamic pricing and balancing engines, branded client proposals, and an integrated lead generator. The software balances operation efficiency while improving interactions with each customer, and it completely modernizes the often dated mortgage process.
Sottile enjoys researching the dynamics between democracy and resource-reliant economies, and he is eager about the role that natural resources can play in economic development. Sottile is fluent in business and technical fields, and he plans to continue pursuing ventures that are aligned with his passion for sustainable growth and efficiency.
Anibal Alvarado Dinelli
Anibal Alvarado Dinelli
Anibal Alvarado Dinelli is a seasoned professional with a wide-ranging breadth of knowledge, including technical repair, sales, logistics, and e-commerce. Dinelli has six years of experience across two major companies, and his career began at Samsung Venezuela, where he worked as a technician. He was able to build his foundational expertise in phone repair through courses and skill assessments. Dinelli wanted to continue to grow, so he pursued mentorships in sales, ultimately leading him to a role in Samsung’s sales department. Over time, Dinelli gained a deeper knowledge of company operations, and he eventually secured a position as a Logistics Manager.
After five years in Venezuela, Dinelli relocated to Miami, Florida, where he joined Cellairis as a phone technician. Thanks to his proficiency in the role, he quickly worked his way back into a sales position. He then decided to take on the challenge of entrepreneurship, and he launched a dropshipping business where he applied his skills in e-commerce and business. He has invested in additional training, like courses in management, e-commerce, and international business, in order to stay on top of market trends and demands.
Dinelli is bilingual in English and Spanish, and he is working on learning a third language — Italian. He is passionate about his professional development, as he is now seeking a role where he is able to apply his skills to support company objectives, enhance operations, and contribute to growth both personally and professionally.
Randy Paige
Randy Paige
Randy Paige, real estate broker, entrepreneur, and veteran, loves branding, growth and technology. As the owner and broker of Let’s Go in Denver, a veteran-owned company established after his six years of service in the United States Air Force, Randy brings a passion for branding and growth with a unique focus on helping associates build their own successful brands.
After high school, Randy entered the workforce, initially selling car audio systems and eventually managing multi-million-dollar retail stores. His drive and leadership took him from retail management to mortgage brokering, where he thrived, and then into real estate under big-name brokerages. However, the limitations of the traditional brokerage model stifled his ambitions. Randy was frustrated with the current system, so he set out to create a new path that would benefit everyone involved.
“Everybody at the top is getting paid in the big, traditional companies. This should be a two-way street,” Randy explains. “I don’t believe the real estate business has to be a selfish place. We can all share.” With that philosophy, Let’s Go discards the outdated brick-and-mortar office model and embraces a much more modern, nearly all-digital approach.
Randy returned to football in his 20s, and je played in the NAFL and CFC. The values of personal growth and a team mindset were reinvigorated in Randy while playing football, and they now guide his business. He is expanding from Colorado into Atlanta with a vision to take Let’s Go nationwide. “I want to help people actually build their own businesses and legacies,” he says. Alongside his brokerage, Randy is developing an academy to empower others with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in real estate.
Jason Wojo
Jason Wojo
At just 27 years old, Jason Wojo has established himself as a self-made millionaire and a significant figure in the advertising industry. His strategic business solutions have helped more than 1,320 businesses scale to six figures, with 58 of them reaching seven or eight figures. Wojo’s firm boasts a proven track record, having generated over $148 million in online revenue through paid ads while managing $34 million in ad spend. Clients typically see a fourfold return on their investments, which is a testament to the effectiveness of his strategies.
Wojo’s company offers a wide range of services, including ad creation, funnel design, landing page optimization, email management, and video ad editing. This all-in-one approach enables clients to optimize their advertising efforts and achieve consistent growth. His impressive client list, featuring notable figures such as Andy Elliott, Kris Krohn, Ryan Pineda, Pace Morby, and Jamil Damji, further highlights his firm’s credibility and impact within the industry.
Guided by the core value of “Team First,” Wojo has built a dedicated team of 56 professionals who focus on delivering exceptional results. This client-centric approach has led to a retention rate exceeding 80 percent, with the firm collecting $18 million in cash to date. Wojo’s firm continues to set industry benchmarks through strategic methods and a data-driven approach that helps clients achieve predictable and profitable growth. By meticulously tracking key performance indicators, Wojo ensures long-term success for the businesses he serves.
