Turning creative ideas into successful business strategies has been the name of the game for Carlo Cisco. While in college, he launched his first company and went on to help grow various startups, eventually landing at Groupon Japan as a Business Development and Corporate Strategy Consultant. Possessing the business acumen and leadership qualities to match, within his first 90 days, the top-notch executive quickly turned the company into one of the largest international markets. Lauded by Forbes as a “millennial manager paving the way for young professionals in the workplace,” as the founder and CEO of SELECT Innovations, the serial entrepreneur continues his mission of helping brands connect with communities.
After several years in the making, his latest venture, the Select World Elite Mastercard, has officially made its debut. With a growing waitlist of applicants eager to gain acceptance, the exclusive club is a one-of-a-kind experience connecting members with all access to events, savings, and perks at over 1.3 million locations worldwide, such as hotels, retailers, restaurants, nightlife, and entertainment venues.
Carlo Cisco shared his productivity hacks, lessons in entrepreneurship, and expert tips on beginning your financial wellness journey today with NEW YOU. Read on for more!
NEW YOU: What is the SELECT card?
Carlo Cisco: SELECT is a digital membership, and we connect people with exclusive events, savings, and perks at over 1.3 million locations worldwide. We wanted to improve as many elements of our members’ lives as possible. In addition to that, we host members-only events across different markets throughout the U.S. and have a dedicated member concierge team to help people with reservations and recommended options.
NY: Who is your ideal person to join the private membership community?
CC: That’s a great question! We think about it through the lens of who can benefit the most from SELECT. There is an application process, and it tends to be self-selecting. There is a membership fee, and you’ll get the most out of SELECT if you’re going out to dinner, traveling, or doing the various activities that many of our members enjoy doing. Generally speaking, it is a higher income group who are either quickly advancing or well established in their careers.
NY: Of all the lessons you’ve learned throughout your entrepreneurial journey, what is the greatest lesson you want to share with our audience?
CC: Interestingly, my number one lesson is to make sure you’re ready for it, and if you’re pursuing a high-growth startup in particular, make sure you’re committed to what you will be working on. Many people think they want to be an entrepreneur, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. So you have to ensure that whatever the company’s mission is, you’re passionate about it and ready to pursue it relentlessly.
NY: From your standpoint, what productivity tip do you swear by?
CC: It sounds elementary because we’re so used to it from school, but my number one productivity tip is deadlines. Deadlines are crucial; you never want to rush something or send a sloppy proposal. My number two productivity hack is that you don’t have to take every conversation. Many people will contact you but only take the call or agree to the conversation if it can provide real value for your business.
NY: How did you protect yourself from financial and mental health strain when starting and managing your company?
CC: It’s a great question, and the honest answer is that it’s challenging to protect yourself from either of those things while building a business. However, I went into it financially well-prepared, and I was able to start the company because of my savings and investments. Whether it was work or other businesses I started, I always saved and invested, which helped get things off the ground. But as you’re building the company and if you have the means to extend the lifeline enabling the business to succeed, you have to be ready to do that. If not, why is anyone else going to do it?
The other point about mental health, people describe the startup journey as a rollercoaster, and it’s true for all forms of entrepreneurship. It may be exaggerated in the startup journey, but you could have the highest point of your life and the lowest point of your life within the same day while you’re building a company, and that’s challenging for anyone. Something I’ve seen along the way that’s helped me is realizing how much my mental state impacts the entire team because you’re leading a group of people, and however you are, is going to have an outsized influence on how everyone else feels and how productive everyone else can be. While it’s difficult as an entrepreneur, you have to put on a brave face no matter what.
NY: Can you provide our audience with a few actionable tips someone can do today to begin their financial wellness journey?
CC: Certainly, saving money from every paycheck will help, and I would also try to invest that money. Be smart about it, but also be cautious about it. You don’t need to be an expert stock trader to make money in the market. A lot of people don’t realize professional financial advisors they’re underperforming the market over 80% of the time. Just having shares in the S&P is a good way to get growth. You also want to think a little about when you’re buying in, sort of the Warren Buffett adage of “be greedy when others are fearful,” because that tends to play out with the broader market.
Although I’m not a financial advisor, I’ve done well in the market by betting big on things. When I was a freshman in college, I emptied my savings account and put it all into Apple, which worked out well. Apple ended up becoming the largest company in history by market cap. A lot of people might have thought it was crazy. But to me, that money wasn’t there to be used for things I wanted to consume. It was there to be used for things I wanted to pursue. In that case, I wanted to pursue an investment in Apple.
