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7 Entrepreneurs To Watch For In 2021 The entrepreneurial world isn't one that just everyone is cut out for, but these people have made an impact

By Zachary Hiebert

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Zachary Hiebert
Zachary Hiebert

Most people can recognize a good opportunity or a good idea when they're presented with one. Considering that, it's no surprise that more and more people are looking to entrepreneurship to make a living. It isn't hard to understand how the idea of being one's own boss, picking one's own team, and following one's passion might appeal to a great many people from all walks of life.

Even so, the entrepreneurial world isn't one that just everyone is cut out for. Countless ventures fail every year thanks to poor planning, poor funding, lack of commitment, or any number of other reasons. The reasons are as varied as the people involved.

Considering that difficulty, when someone manages to find not only success but luxury and abundance as an entrepreneur, then it's all the more important to take note of what they did to get there and to listen to the advice they're willing to share.

With that in mind, here are seven entrepreneurs to keep an eye on going into 2021.

Todd Ault

With 30-plus years of Wall Street experience under his belt, it's safe to say that Milton "Todd" Ault, III knows what he's doing. Whether it's private equity, M&A, real estate, commodities, or beyond, one would be hard-pressed to find a financial market that Todd isn't proficient at. As a very seasoned financial markets professional, Todd has become known for his intuition and his ability to predict future trends.

Today, Todd is founder and leader of a host of companies spanning a wide range of markets, from biotechnology and defense/aerospace to financial services and cloud/enterprise data centers just to name a few. Alzamend Neuro, Ault Global Holdings formerly known as DPW Holdings (NYSE American: DPW), Gresham Worldwide, Coolisys Technologies and Ault Alliance are just a handful of the companies currently under the Ault & Company, Inc. umbrella. As if that wasn't enough, Todd also hosts his own podcast, Ault-onomous, where he and his guests regularly discuss business, real estate, current life-style trends, and all aspects of what it takes to achieve success and much more.

Todd's focus is acquiring undervalued asserts and disruptive technologies with a global impact. This year Todd's robust schedule includes bringing to human clinical trial both a treatment and a potential cure for Alzheimer's disease, delivering to the market one of the fastest EV charging systems to date for both residential and commercial use and providing one of the largest and most unique cloud and enterprise data centers featuring a well-developed infrastructure and one of the lowest energy cost. These are just some of the reasons Todd is one of our top innovators to watch in 2021.

Adam Weitsman

Adam Weitsman has evolved into one of the leaders worldwide in the scrap metal recycling industry, but it wasn't always glamorous. From the untimely passing of his sister to prison time in 2004, it seems as if Weitsman has been through it all. Despite that, he has come out the other side stronger and now operates the largest private scrap metal processing operation on the East Coast. Through 15 locations throughout New York and Pennsylvania, the company is closing in on one billion dollars in annual sales.

With the support of his family and with all he had been through motivating him, he has grown Upstate Shredding - Weitsman Recycling into one of the largest private scrap metal companies and has won the most prestigious industry awards, the American Metal Market Scrap Company of the Year award and Platts Global Scrap Company of the Year two years in a row each. Beyond his drive and growth within his career, today Weitsman is known just as much for his philanthropy. An avid collector of antiques, he's donated millions of dollars of stoneware to the New York State Museum, and has donated millions of dollars to charities and organizations throughout the Northeast and beyond.

Calvin Becerra

For years now, 39-year-old Calvin Becerra has been earning lavishly, but that hasn't always been the case. As a child, he, his twin brother, and his younger sister were raised by a hard working single mother who struggled to support them. Even from the time they were children as young as eight, Calvin had a powerful work ethic, doing odd jobs—washing cars, doing yard work, running errands for local businesses, and more—with his brother to help out their mom.

When Calvin was 23 years old, he started his first company, opening the real estate and mortgage company Empire Capital Group. For three years, he and his business partner ran a team of 20 agents successfully, earning a seven-figure income, but the economic crash in 2007 very nearly put a halt to his success. Instead of letting that happen, though, he pivoted, switching his attention to direct sales and network marketing. He used his experience as a team leader and his skill in keeping people motivated to coach others toward success, becoming the youngest millionaire in the industry in his first year.

For 14 years, Calvin has led his personal sales team of over a million people, spread across 130 countries. He has also helped companies hit the billion-dollar mark, personally coaching over 2,000 sales driven people and consulting for over 15 companies. He has spoken on stages all around the world and he even started The90DayRun, offering free coaching and goal-setting for 90 days straight. He values his success and his reputation, and from his perspective, when his clients succeed, so does he.

Steven Ridzyowski

As the founder of Ecommerce Marketing Agency, LLC, since 2007 Steven Ridzyowski and his team have been helping people build, manage, and advertise e-commerce stores. Whether it's Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, or otherwise, their work spans across many different platforms.

For many people, it might seem obvious that e-commerce is the way of the future, but that isn't always the case; some people will always be stubborn, and there will always be people convinced that the way it is or the way it was is the way it will always be. Considering this, one of the most challenging aspects of working at Ecommerce Marketing Agency has been convincing new clients that a shift to e-commerce is the best, most beneficial move.

Steven's skill at this task shows in his work. Ecommerce Marketing Agency has helped countless clients achieve success, and Steven himself has landed a position on the Forbes Business Council. Not content to simply settle down and decide "enough is good enough,' he is also looking to move headquarters to Brickell in Miami this February.

Ralph DiBugnara

Today, Ralph DiBugnara is a real estate guru and advisor who never seems short on solutions to the problems around him. That wasn't always the case, though. Ralph grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in a family where his father had to work multiple jobs to keep the family fed and a roof over their heads.

This led to him striving to create his own business, which then led him to the real estate industry. It hasn't always been easy, but Ralph and his team have managed to keep going through difficulties that sank plenty of other businesses, including the 2008 recession. He keeps himself sharp through education and staying active; he isn't content to rest on his laurels, instead always looking to improve himself and his business.

To Ralph, the journey has always been more important than the destination, but that doesn't mean he isn't willing to share what he knows. He started The Real Estate Disruptors, a series where he interviews guests well-known for success in investing and real estate to get alternate takes on how they succeeded and offer advice to the audience. Beyond everything else, though, he recommends that the audience stay vigilant and competitive; those traits will get them further than almost anything else.

Polo DLM

Polo DLM—a young CEO, entrepreneur, and digital marketer—is largely known for his know-how with Facebook and his scaling methods. He's also been leaving his mark on the e-commerce world ever since he made $630,000 in a month in revenue with 26,000 sales, even in the middle of the pandemic.

With Branded eCommerce, Polo creates and scales brands to seven figures and beyond; he's a pro at getting his video ads to go viral on social media by now. Even so, his journey hasn't been a walk in the park.

While Polo is well-to-do now, in the past he had to drop out of college after the third semester because the money wasn't there. He returned to his parents' house, where he worked a nine-to-five job until he realized that income would never let him support a family. Then he discovered online marketing.

Polo started as a Facebook marketing assistant, then a network marketer, and then even the owner of a Facebook ads agency, before getting into e-commerce. He racked up six failed brands and spent $17,000 on trial and error before finally striking gold on the seventh try. Within a month, his life changed completely. He moved out of his parents' house and moved into a sky rise apartment in San Diego. From Polo's perspective, every successful person has their own journey, and he's not looking to slow down any time soon.

Chris Harder

Though it seems a bit strange to hear it now, for 11 years, Chris Harder worked in banking. In 2011, however, he left the banking industry, and instead, he and his wife, Lori, started and scaled multiple multi-million dollar companies while also investing in several promising startups. While it was quite a shift from banking, no one can argue that it worked out well for them, and it's no wonder, given Chris's passion for what he does. Even getting kicked out of college for his grades seemed like a good thing at the time, as it meant he had a head start on diving into the economy.

What Chris is most well-known for is hosting the podcast For the Love of Money. Using this widespread platform, he aims to help his audience achieve the same lifestyle of abundance that he is now living, while also encouraging his audience to stop being self-conscious and making excuses when it comes to reaching for success and encouraging them to give back to the world when that success comes. This, as well, is no surprise, as Chris and Lori are both well-known for their philanthropy. When it's in the right hands, money can change the world.

While Chris admits that there have been some bumps in the road—including some early sound-related issues that very nearly cost almost a dozen episodes of the podcast—he hasn't let them discourage him, and by now he's a pro and eager to encourage others to reach the same level as he has. As long as people are creative, consistent, and authentic, then the sky's the limit.

Zachary is a young and aspirational entrepreneur who is learning his ways through the entrepreneurial world and loves to share his research with similar visionaries. 

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