Life is hard when you set out on an entrepreneurial path. You are thrown into an unknown world of business with the hope that it leads you to your dream. Dariush Soudi of Be Unique Group and Arena Family office is one of those that never gave up on his dream. Despite a youth filled with turmoil, he turned his journey into life lessons for success.
Soudi is a passionate and dedicated entrepreneur who has always worked hard toward his goals. After leading and losing several multimillion-dollar businesses, Soudi built himself back from nothing. After experiencing his own difficulties throughout life, Soudi dedicates much of his energy into helping aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their goals. His journey is full of good and bad days, and his story is a testimony to hard work paying off.
Always ask why
Soudi spent his childhood growing up in the UK after his family left Iran. Growing up as an Iranian in England made him realize that no matter what, he was going to have a target on his back, and he was going to have to work hard to do something with his life. This realization planted a strong desire in his mind to be an entrepreneur, but was inhibited by his lack of motivation in school.
“School was always very difficult for me, but it never made me stop dreaming of being an entrepreneur,” Soudi says. After years of struggling, he dropped out of school due to dyslexia at the age of 15.
Growing up, his mother often compared him with other people—and how other people were better than him. “The comparison instilled a feeling of wanting to show my mom that I would do well,” Soudi explains. “That I will be rich and able to take care of her when I was older.”
It also led him to question himself: “Great answers come from great questions, and I always asked myself, Why? Why do others have it all and not me?” By asking these questions, Soudi realized there wasn’t much difference between himself and others that had it all. With focus, hard work and a few good ideas, anyone could achieve success. They just needed to believe that they were able to do it.
Know your value
Due to his dyslexia, Soudi learned as a young child that if he wanted to succeed, he would need to make sure to double check his work and pay attention to all details. Rather than make excuses for his learning disability, he turned it into a superpower.
First as a salesman and then as a young entrepreneur, he found himself succeeding due to his extra attention to detail. After several years as a salesman, he made the leap into business and now nearly three decades as an entrepreneur. However, he does recall times when his success was not always a positive thing. “I was a top contender on the Fortune 800 list in the UK and had a documentary filmed about my life, but the fame attracted the wrong attention,” Soudi says. “My home was broken into.”
After the airing of the documentary, he had become a prime target for unscrupulous individuals. The home intruders not only stole items from his home, but also placed his family in grave danger. As a result, he found himself sending his children to live in Dubai and becoming extremely stressed over his family’s safety. The stress led to him suffering a heart attack.
This life-altering experience made him realize what his priorities and values were. “I realized I wanted to be happy,” Soudi says. “With my family, with the people I employed, with my clients.” This decision led him to find a new life in his work. Now, he focuses his business on working with those of similar values. “I look for people with honesty, respect, manners, etc.” he says. “These are the people I want to work with and to work for me.”
Stay humble
When you reach a level of success in your career, you gain confidence in your knowledge and abilities in your business. It’s easy to slip into a complacent, arrogant attitude—not gracious in the opportunities at hand. Soudi had a luxurious life, but it was all taken away. He was left at ground zero in a new city with minimal connections. He learned that you have to stay humble. He set personal, mental and financial goals every six months. He would achieve those goals by his own effort, and he remembered how important it was to wake up everyday with a new and gracious attitude.
Rebuilding himself from the ground up has helped Soudi reprioritize his business approach. With his Be Unique Group popping up around the world, as well as his new business pursuing cryptocurrency, Soudi has made it a point to not let past traumas affect his future business decisions. He refuses to take his success for granted. Instead, Soudi helps others grow through their traumas and difficulties, one day at a time, while maintaining an attitude of gratitude and having confidence in his abilities to succeed.
Never give up
Soudi has seen days of fortune and days of disparity. He’s lived in both worlds, and as he rises again into the world of big business, he has a new perspective. His family, his business, his life—they are all things to be grateful for. He knows how to work hard, and he knows that dedication and commitment in all ventures in his life will pay off. He’s a long way off from where he used to be, but he is steadily making a comeback in the entrepreneurial world.
