Antonio Sustiel came to the United States in his early 20s with $400 in his pocket and a firm belief in the power of hard work. Not one to ignore potentially lucrative opportunities, the Israeli native dabbled in sales and real estate investments before founding his Miami-based flooring distribution business, Flooring King.
Now, with several store locations across Florida, appearances on CNBC’s Blue Collar Millionaires, Bloomberg TV’s The American Dream and mentions in media outlets including The Miami Herald and The New York Daily News, it’s clear Sustiel’s approach to entrepreneurship is one to be revered. Here, he shares the mindset and actions that helped pave his path to success.
My way: Antonio Sustiel
I always start my day with…
two bottles of water and two cups of coffee!
One thing I do every day is…
make sure to walk four miles and do 15 minutes of meditating.
My mantra is…
to embrace every challenge as an opportunity for growth and to always strive for excellence in everything that I do.
My biggest source of inspiration is…
definitely my family—especially my father. I grew up in Israel in a family that immigrated from Greece and Egypt. They outworked everybody, and they never gave up. I have always been inspired by their resilience and their ability to tackle challenges head-on.
One thing that’s difficult for me but that I enjoy is…
skateboarding! It requires a lot of balance, coordination and athleticism, and that’s all fine and dandy when you are 13, but when you turn 60 and you’re still doing it, it’s not as easy.
I handle negativity by…
not paying attention to it and extricating myself from people who have negative energy. I believe we need to have a positive mindset and attitude every day.
My advice to budding entrepreneurs would be…
never underestimate the power of perseverance. Entrepreneurship is a journey that’s filled with a lot of ups and downs, but if you stay determined and persistent, that can make all the difference. Embrace failures as opportunities to learn and grow. Adapt to changes and keep pushing forward. Success often comes to those who are willing to keep going and persevere when faced with obstacles. I love the saying, “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.”
For a jolt of energy…
I take a short break, or I get some exercise in. I take short walks [or] practice deep breathing. Also, getting good sleep is important, and so is listening to your body and making sure you give yourself time off when you need it to recharge your batteries.
The most surprising thing about me is…
that I’m 60 years old and I’m still skateboarding, traveling a ton, looking into getting fast boats and getting back into surfing after I took a break from the sport 40 years ago!
The biggest risk I ever took was…
moving to the United States with $400 in my pocket and starting a new life.
I want people to know me for…
the positive impact I make in their lives. I want to inspire others through my actions and my words, and I want to help others achieve their goals. I want to be known as someone who is
dependable, trustworthy and generous.
In 10 years, I hope to…
have a strong support system of friends and family who have been by my side throughout my journey, and I want to continue to have a happy work-life balance.
I define success as…
not being solely based on achievements or wealth, but rather about having a healthy work-life balance and being able to find fulfillment in both my personal and professional life. Success means setting goals and working toward them with determination, grit, resilience and integrity.
Photo by Fernando Rivera/Courtesy of Antonio Sustiel
