Antonio Peláez Díaz from dapp
Tell us about yourself?
I am 41 years old, have a perfect wife and 3 great kids (2 boys and a girl). I am a very happy person. ;my brother tells me that I am a Golden retriever, always running and laughing. I love being with my family, love sports (Wakeboard, snowboard, Tennis, calisthenics and paddle board), and love socializing with my friends. I work every day in my habits and discipline to maintain a great balance in my life.
I love creating new things, I can’t do things the same way they are done, I always look the way to make them better and different. I believe that we create our own world, and that everybody in the planet lives the world they see with their eyes.
If you could go back in time to any moment from your journey, and give yourself one tip, what would it be?
If I got back in time, I’d tell myself to keep going! I wouldn’t change a thing because even the slightest mistakes, that I see now as learnings, have taken me to where I am now. Everything is perfect and it works how it’s supposed to.
What makes you stand out as an entrepreneur?
That I’m a doer and an optimist. I found my dream and I work every day to make it happen. Many entrepreneurs stop at some point when they hear “No’s” or when they fail, I’ve heard a lot of “you’re crazy, that’s impossible, that will never work” and instead of beating me down that negativism keeps me going.
What are some of the best working habits you’ve gained over the past couple of years?
Having focus hours where nobody distracts you. I discovered that working 1.5 hour at 5:30 am, its like working.5 hours in regular office hours. It’s not only about loving your project but also about learning the way to make it happen. Learning from mistakes, surrounding with people who share my vision and are the best in what they do. Learning about them and always keep being focused.
Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?
The bigger influencers “behind the scenes” are the team that makes it happen. Starting with my partners, the co-founders, that are the fundamentals of the company and also each and every one of them who work here with us. That is our influence, each other. We don’t compete to other startups; we don’t compare to others we just motive ourselves to better than we were yesterday and work hard to accomplish our own goals for tomorrow.
We do however use as an analogy the F1. We know it’s all about team work. The Pit cable guy is same important than the driver.
Where do you see your business in five years?
Worldwide. I see my business as the future or the evolution of global payments.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be for you in getting there?
Finding the right players. The objective is out there, we just have to find the right people to get on board…this people are investors, clients, partners and coworkers. Everyone is important but we must be very keen and sharp on who’s gonna be part of it to help us accomplish it in the right way.
Talk to us about your biggest success story so far?
My biggest success is definitely my family. Starting with my wife and kids, whom I’ve found to be my biggest support and motivation, following with my dapp family, who decided by choice to be part of my dream. These are the people that wake up every day to help my company be the fiercest, the boldest, the best. It is their loyalty, resilience and support that I gather my strength to go out there and rock it!
How do clients and customers find you? Are you much of a salesperson for yourself?
It’s funny to say this about myself but it’s true…I think everyone around me, clients, customers, coworkers find me trustable. I am THE sales person but I am more of a “humanizer” than a sales man. I would never sale anything that would not be aligned with my values or that would jeopardize my integrity. I’m very trustable because I would never take for granted the trust I’ve received from others.
What one tip would you give to fellow startup founders?
Keep going! If there’s something you don’t know…learn! Ask! Explore! But don’t stop. And also, be very careful on who you so round yourself with. Choose wisely your investors and your team because they are the ones who will help you (or not) to accomplish all your goals. You can achieve anything you want, even though nobody has done it. The only thing that will stop you from achieving what you want is if YOU DECIDE TO STOP.
And finally, what do you hope the future brings both you personally, and your business?
It sounds cheesy but I hope the future brings happiness! The future will come but the most important thing for me is the present. Trust the process, enjoy today, do everything NOW. You will never know what the future awaits but you can be certain that eventually you will always reap what is sown hence enjoy today because tomorrow will may come bearing what you did now.
For my business the future will bring growth, expansion and definitely a better place than the one we found when we first started. We are making a change in the payments ecosystem and we will see it materialized briefly.
