'Only fail what you don't try': Brockton serial entrepreneur always on hunt for next venture

BROCKTON — One Brockton man has spent his life trying new ideas, leading him into a life of "serial entrepreneurship," and he hasn't looked back.

Being an employee has never been on Rudy Alves's mind.

From the age of 12, Alves has found a way to make money.

He would run to the corner store in the morning before school and carry a backpack filled with sweet treats to sell at East Middle School, and that's where it all began.

Selling candy wasn't the only side hustle. He also burned and sold CDs.

"I always found a way to make money as a kid. I always kept busy, finding the next project," Alves said.

His most successful business Khalil's Kitchen sizzles with Caribbean soul food in Brockton

What's serial entrepreneur?

A serial entrepreneur is a person who takes ideas and turns them into multiple businesses while bringing in several steady streams of income.

What inspired this mindset in Alves was watching a SpongeBob episode of a character who was an entrepreneur rolling around a barrel filled with money and coins. As a kid, it registered in his brain that in order to make money, he "must" be an entrepreneur.

Fasting forward to the present day, the mindset has stuck with him all these years.

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Have any of his business ventures failed?

Alves has tried over 10 business ventures over the last two decades, and many have failed, but to him, failure can be a blessing.

Alves's motto is "You only fail what you don't try," he's proud to know his four kids watched him try several things and he wasn't afraid of failure.

How his most successful business was born

To this day, his restaurant business, Khalil's Kitchen, named after his son, is his most successful business, and it took him many tries to get here.

Alves spent the early part of the pandemic cooking from home and sharing the food with friends and family, causing them to suggest a restaurant business. From there, Khalil's Kitchen was born and it has been open for three years.

What other businesses does he own?

The serial entrepreneur has two other businesses: Logan's Kennel, a dog breeding business; and Alves Development, a construction business.

His tips on starting a business

Running these ventures hasn't been easy, but luckily for Alves, he gets help from his family to run each business smoothly.

Alves's main tips on starting a business are researching, looking into the market, obtaining the proper permits and licenses, creating a captivating website, and using social media to your advantage with marketing.

How to start a business step by step in Brockton?

The city of Brockton has a step-by-step PDF to help new entrepreneurs navigate their businesses by visiting https://brockton.ma.us/.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Khalil's Kitchen owner Rudy Alves is Brockton's 'serial entrepreneur'