This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Matt Ward. Matt is an angel investor, startup advisor and serial entrepreneur that’s helped thousands build, grow and scale successful startup companies through his efforts with FBA ALLSTARS and The Syndicate podcast.
Thanks to three successful exits of companies he founded, Matt now runs an investment syndicate focused on seed stage tech companies, while also serving as an advisor for several startups.
Matt’s a frequent writer on Medium.com, author of Gods of the Valley – How Today’s Tech Giants Monopolize the Future and has been featured in Mattermark Daily, The Next Web, Inc, VentureBeat, Think Growth, Hackernoon and numerous other publications.
And if that is not enough, he’s also the founder of The Disruptors Podcast, a show that brings together scientists, startups, innovators and thought leaders to have discussions on the direction of humankind. With such a diverse background, there are is a lot we have to talk about in this episode.
Get Matt’s Book, Gods of the Valley at https://disruptors.fm/gods-of-valley/
MattWard.io
Matt never really fit into a traditional job type roll and quickly found his way into solo-entrepreneurship. He built a couple of e-commerce companies that failed. Then, he stumble into crowdfunding. He was in southeast Asia and moved to China to start a new e-commerce business from the lessons he learned and have the products manufactured there.
He had designed a laptop case that opens into a standing desk and while he was waiting for his first prototype to be created, he decided to start selling already made products on Amazon and things took off. He ultimately sold the business and then used that money to fund his “phase 2.” He also started his podcasts.
The first phase for him was about making money. He was selling things, but wasn’t really passionate about the products, but knew he needed to do it to get to a point where he had the resources to focus on what actually mattered to him and that is where he is now.
Now, he works with startups as an advisor on growth marketing, scaling, and building their business larger. His big focus is Disruptors.FM looking at the future of technology and the convergence of all the technological progress. At the 8 min mark, Matt talks about what he is seeing happening in the technology space and why Disruptors is so important.
At the 9:22 mark, Matt explains what it means to “think bigger” and the challenge he gives to us to do so…
What are the things you teach those your work with when it comes to thinking bigger. How do they do it? Where do they start?
At the 14 min mark, Matt asks me questions and uses Misfit as an example of how we can think bigger…
It’s what matters most…
Then asking the question, “What would have to change to 10x or 100x that metric?"
If you are measuring the right thing, then 10x and 100x become easier…
Things don’t scale the way you think. You have do things differently at each level to get to the next level.
The way that you think about starting something is not the way that you think about growing it and building a lasting organization. It is a different thought process and skillset.
What are some of the key thing you’ve learned along the way that have helped you succeed?
If you had to choose one thing, that if you had known it before starting on your entrepreneur path, would have accelerated your success, what would it be?
Where do you see the state of humanity going? What’s coming?
Where do you see the biggest disruption happening over the next 10-20 years?
At the 46 min mark, Matt talks about other areas that you should look at and keep tabs on.
Best Quote: “If you are doing something and it doesn’t feel right, then it is for good reason. Your gut is almost always right.”
Matt's Misfit 3:
This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Jonathan Mann. I first met Jonathan at the Fireside Entrepreneur Retreat. I was curious as to why I saw this guy walking around everywhere with a ukulele in his hands everywhere he went. And then, one evening, at dinner, I was even more surprised to see him announced and come up on stage.
It turns out, Jonathan is known worldwide as the “Song a Day Man.” He’s been featured on CNN, Time, and a ton of major outlets as well as performed at various TED events, not to mention being hired by companies like Dr. Pepper, Novartis, Gartner, and others to create a unique memory for the events.
Jonathan has a written a new song and posted the video of it every day since January 1st, 2009. That is well over 3000 songs and by the way a Guinness world record.
Talk about Misfit Entrepreneur who created an awesome business by doing something people thought were crazy, I knew as I soon as I saw him on stage that I had to have him on the show the share his experience and what he’s learned on his journey.
@Songadaymann on Twitter
Jonathan has known that he wanted be a song-writer since he was 12 when he got his first guitar. He was obsessed. It was all he thought about and did. But, as he says, he “sucked at it for a long time.” He says he has no real natural talent, it just happened because he has stuck with it for so long. He kept writing songs all through high school and college.
He would struggle with writer’s block and finding inspiration. He would always have the urge to create and express himself, but would get blocked because of this. He would have moments where nothing good would come out. In the winter of ’08, he was 25 years old, it was the height of the financial crisis, he was unemployed, and Jonathan got handed a flyer for a thing called “Fun-A-Day,” a global art project where people make a piece of art each day for 30 days in January.
He decided to do a song and video on YouTube every day for January. It went well and he had a fun doing. He decided to do it for a year. Once he accomplished that, it became his life and mission. He is now over 3800 days straight (10 years!) and going and has received the Guinness World Record.
Talk to us about Discipline as it takes a tremendous amount to do what you do…
How has doing this helped you grow as a person? Anything changed?
What is an important business lesson you’ve learned from your journey?
At the 27 minute mark, Jonathan has a unique take on chances and creativity….
It is easy to shoot yourself down before you even start, but if you think of it this way. Each chance you have is precious and if you don’t take it you lose out on that chance. A lesson is that there are always more chances. If you take just one big chance a year, it has a tremendous weight behind it and in your mind huge ramifications. But, if you have 365 chances, they have less weight, but you have more chance to succeed in larger ways than if you miss the one big chance.
Tell us about the business you’ve built around Song-a-Day?
How do you find inspiration?
At the 40 min mark, Jonathan tells us about his latest project, the ISO. Initial Song Offering.
Over 3000 songs, which one is your favorite?
Best Quote: “It is easy to shoot yourself down before you even start, but if you think of it this way. Each chance you have is precious and if you don’t take it you lose out on that chance. A lesson is that there are always more chances. If you take just one big chance a year, it has a tremendous weight behind it and in your mind huge ramifications. But, if you have 365 chances, they have less weight, but you have more chance to succeed in larger ways than if you miss the one big chance.”
Jonathan's Misfit 3:
Hello Misfit Nation! Welcome to another edition of "Lessons for Hannah!" In November of 2016, we introduced a new format that we are putting alongside our regular episodes called “Lessons for Hannah.” Hannah is my daughter and one of the main inspirations for the Misfit Entrepreneur. I wanted to have a place where she could go and learn from her daddy and his Misfit friends throughout her life….even after I am gone. If you haven’t listened to the first episode of "Lessons for Hannah," I urge you to as it gives some more background and tells the amazing story of how Hannah came to be in our lives.
"Lessons for Hannah" are short, very useful, and sometimes comical lessons, that I have learned which I want to share with you and give to Hannah to help in your lives. Because I want Hannah to have these for her life, I’m going to speak as though I am talking directly to her. These episodes are a lot of fun and if you think there is a lesson that we should include in these episodes, please don’t hesitate to send it over to us at support@misfitentrepreneur.com. We’d love to share it.
This week’s Lesson for Hannah
I want to talk to you about something very important to your success and well, life in general. The difference between hearing and listening – and what it means to be truly present. In life, we are bombarded by things all day coming from seemingly every direction. Some of these things are important, others are just distractions. And, there has been a lot of study done on how the average person’s attention span is getting shorter and shorter.
If you think about it, it makes sense. As technology has enabled things to be more readily at our fingertips, there is more to interrupt our life and for us to consume. I fear that it will be even worse than it is now when you grow up. And that is why this one skill will be so important. It will make such a difference for the people that have it because it will be increasingly rare to find.
That skill is learning the BIG difference between hearing and listening and committing to be truly present in your interactions with others.
Let’s start with hearing vs. listening. I know there have been times where you are busy doing something and your mother and I are talking to you and you acknowledge that we are, but don’t really pay attention to what we say. I mean, you are 6, going on 7. It’s par for the course. But, it is also prevalent in adults too – I’m guilty of doing this as much as the next person. I admit that I can multi-task with the best of them. I can be on a phone call, answering email, checking stock quotes, posting on social media, etc., all at the same time and you wouldn’t know it if you were on the other end of the line. But, I do!
And I know I am not giving my best in these moments. While, I am not perfect, this is an area I’ve really tried to focus on in recent years and it is incredible how much it pays off. In fact, doing this show has really helped me to hone this skill as I know the more engaged I am and focused on each guest, the better the episode will be. I’ve even put rules in place like keeping my cell phone out of the studio, turning off notifications on the computer, and closing email to make sure distractions don’t come up.
You see, when you are just hearing someone or something, you are not fully engaged – you are not truly listening, or active listening as it is called. To truly hear someone, you must focus on them and think deeply about what they are saying so that you can give your best to them in that moment. You must listen to them, not just with your ears, but your mind as well. That is the difference between hearing and listening.
And when you do this, you will be truly present in that instance and fully engaged which will deliver much more for you and the person you are listening to. A much richer, more meaningful, and more fruitful experience.
Hannah, and anyone else who is listening, take the time to learn the difference between hearing and listening and commit to being truly present in your interactions in life. You’ll be glad you did, have great success, and ultimately a richer life.
I love you, Daddy
Best Quote: “To be truly present and engaged, you must listen to others, not just with your ears, but your mind as well."
Misfit 3:
This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Lauren Zander. Lauren is the co-founder and Chairwoman of the Handel Group, an international corporate consulting and private coaching company based in New York City. She is also the author of the best-seller Maybe It’s You: Cut the Crap, Face your Fear, Love Your Life – a no nonsense guide that teaches people to get what they want out of life.
Lauren has worked with everybody from Fortune 500 Companies like Citibank, Gap and Linked In, to Academy Award Winning Artists, Grammy Winning musicians, and her groundbreaking methodology, The Handel Method, is supported by top educators and psychologists and has been taught in over 35 major universities and institutions of higher learning throughout the country. If that’s not enough she also contributes to the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, BBC, and many others.
But, our conversation today may make some of you uncomfortable, because Lauren has a message for you. That message is that you are lying. All of us lying. And she is going to tell us what we need to do about it.
Lauren is 49, happily married with 3 kids ranging from 16 to 10. She lives in the country in a 1790’s farmhouse. But, she has been out on her own as an executive/life coach since she was 28. It happened because she could not understand why no one was teaching the truth in education and talking about the truth in humanity – what we actually deal with. People were not focused on emotional intelligence or confronting the dark side of who we are, so she set out to do so.
You state that “everyone is a liar.” Explain that for us…
What are the 7 ways we lie?
How do people confront their propensity to lie and how do you manage the lie of being honest and it getting you into trouble?
Let’s talk about truth in the business world. How do people navigate being honest and balancing that with doing business in their lives?
You work with some of top performers in their fields in the world. Are there any traits or consistencies you see across them that help them to succeed at high levels?
At the 40 min mark, Lauren tells us about the Handel Method…
It broken into 3 sections
At the 46 min mark, Lauren talks about her latest concept, “Time Warps”
Lauren says her method can be summed up in the following 3 movies:
Best Quote: “Lying for humans is like breathing. We don’t face how we lie. If you don’t know how you lie and all the ways you lie, it means you don’t know your own inner dialogue. This causes us to leave a lot on the table – Self-Awareness, Deeper Intimacy, and a love of being honest that we will never know.”
Lauren's Misfit 3:
This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Justin Hartzman. Justin’s storied history as a entrepreneur is well known. He is the founder of WeSellYourSite.com, the first online broker for e-commerce websites. He created the first digital skin company for myspace that allowed people to customize their pages. Before all of that, he and one his friends and now longtime business partners created a humor website called RudeJoke.com as teenagers that pulled in $15-20k per month.
Justin is now the CEO of Needls, the first ever Roboagency, a full automated platform that creates, targets, and optimizes digital ads on both Facebook and Instagram.
Justin’s done more in business than most people would ever dream of, so I had to have him on to discuss some of his legendary exploits and to get his best wisdom and success secrets to help you in your life and business…
Go to Needls.com/Misfit for 35% Off
Justin comes from a family of entrepreneurs. At 8 years old, he started working at one of his families retail businesses. He really enjoyed the thrill of making a sale and standing out. In high school, the internet came about and he started to get into it. The possibilities were endless. He first got started online in gaming and then started RudeJoke.com with a few buddies. They were featured in magazines like Maxim and others and were coined the “entertainment site of the year.” And he was only 13-14 years old!
Within a few weeks, they started getting millions of users per day. This started them looking at all the unique ways they could market. They even paid a guy at Yahoo! $75/mo to list them at #1 in their categories. He started making 10’s of thousands of dollars.
He then went off to college and when he came out, he realized that his family business of real estate and development wasn’t for him, so he got back online. He knew the founder of MySpace, but the guy didn’t like him and disallowed him from being on the site. Justin kept asking and pestering him until he was allowed back on. When he went to MySpace, he saw pages that had no content, so they had the idea to become the guys to create the content for pages and started the business. They found a hack with Yahoo! That paid them $10+ a click. Within 3 weeks, they were getting a million users a day. 3 months later, Justin sold the business. They then took that money and bought their competitors who weren’t using their Yahoo!, but using Google and only getting about a $1 a click. They put their Yahoo! strategy on it for 9 mos, made their money back plus more and then sold that business.
In selling 2 businesses in 9 mos, they saw a gap in the market to sell internet businesses. They then decided to become the first internet broker. They created www.WeSellYourSite.com which became the #1 brokerage site for boutique deals. They then sold that business.
Now, they have started Needls to help make marketing on Facebook and Instagram for efficient and profitable.
After all that you’ve done, what has surprised you most about entrepreneurship and what have you learned from it?
Any low points?
How important is timing and how do you look at a business from a timing standing to know when to jump in?
At the 22 min mark, Justin takes us through journey of Needls and how they went from $0-$2 million in your first year…
What should we know about the current state of Facebook and Instagram advertising?
Does Facebook and Instagram work well for certain types of business? What type of businesses work well in this environment?
Talk to us about being the Accelerator with Needls. What are some of the things you learned there that can help entrepreneurs?
Secrets to creating solid, long-lasting business partners?
What lessons have you learned about exiting a business?
Where do you see the most opportunity for entrepreneurs in the next 3-5 years?
Cannabis is a big trend.
Block chain and Crypto.
Software as a platform that is vertically integrated so you don’t need multiple platforms.
Automation software.
Best Quote: “Time kills all deals. Deals only happen when everyone is a little unhappy.”
Justin's Misfit 3:
This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is John Assaraf. John probably needs no introduction as one of the world’s leading mindset experts and authors on human performance, but if you haven’t heard of him, here’s a little bit about him.
John is a serial entrepreneur, brain researcher, and the CEO of NeuroGym. In the last 25 years, he has grown 5 multi-million-dollar companies in real estate, internet software, brain research, life and business coaching - and consulting. He is the author of two New York Times best-selling books: “Having It All” and “The Answer.”
And he has a brand-new book called “Innercise: The New Science to Unlock Your Brain’s Hidden Power” which I couldn’t put down because it covers a subject so near and dear to me – becoming aware and learning to control your thought patterns. To truly choose your mindset and have it work for you to deliver the results that you deserve. So, I’m very excited for our discussion in this episode.
Facebook Fan Page – Achieve Even More
John took his life’s “mess” and turned it into his message. His parents were divorced, and he moved from Israel to Montreal when he was 5. He had trouble because he didn’t know English or French, only Hebrew. For the first 3 years of school, he was so far behind that the teachers thought he had a learning disability. He ended leaving school after 11th grade and went to work in the shipping department of a computer company where he was miserable.
He felt there needed to be something more. His brother set up a meeting for him with a successful entrepreneur in May of 1980. The man asked him what his goals for his life were and John’s response was basically just to be able to pay for basic needs. The man challenged him in that he was capable of so much more. John didn’t have any bigger goals. After lunch, the man gave him a set of goal setting documents to him. John watched the show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and decided to go for it. When they met again, he told John it was awesome and “way to dream.”
Then he asked a very unique questioned. He asked, “Are you interested in these goals or are you committed? John asked what the difference was and the mentor told him, “If you are interested you’ll do what is convenient. You’ll allow your past, stories, and current beliefs to drive your behavior. You’ll come up with excuses and reasons why you can’t. If you are committed, you upgrade your stories, your skills, your habits to become the person who can achieve these goals. Once you’re committed things start to happen.”
At 19 years, the man, Alan Brown, committed to mentor John in real estate and help him to get on the path he took to get where he is today.
What else did you learn from Alan and along the way through your career?
At the 17 min mark, John answers the question, “How does the brain work when it comes to our conditioning and automatic responses?”
We have to learn how to create harmony between our goals, our vision, and our desires and our subconscious patterns. We can do both at the same time.
Most people have to goal and the dream, but they don’t do anything to focus on the subconscious patterns. There are actually only 5 things that get into people’s way of doing this. Innercise leads to this.
Neuroplasticity is a result of clinical work that realized our brain is consistently making new connections. When you see something new, your brain creates a new connection of that thing. It takes mental pictures of what the senses felt in that experience. These connections become the automatic self that acts without us having to think. If you repeat something enough it becomes an automatic response and habit of our brain. But, you can change it – even though the brain doesn’t like change.
What are the Innercise exercises for how to change our thinking?
“Most people are living in a reactive state instead of a deliberate, responsive state because they haven’t learned how to truly tap into the power of their mind…”
What is the one thing people can do right now, today, to start taking control of their thoughts?
What is your best advice for an entrepreneur starting our today?
“Most entrepreneurs don’t fail because they run out of money. They fail because they run out of hope. They don’t understand the complexities of the game and don’t seek the help needed to play the game at the highest level.”
What is the biggest lesson that business has taught you about life?
Why do we always feel like we have so much more potential, but in many cases don’t reach it?
Human “being” is just as important as spiritual “being.” There will always be a part of us that yearns and wants for more. That is absolutely OK.. But, if you want more, are you willing to become more?
Best Quote: "Are you interested or are you committed?"
John's Misfit 3:
This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Scott Keyes. Scott’s just your every day, run of the mill guy who turned a hobby of finding cheap plane tickets into a multi-million dollar business in less than 2 years. As he would say it, Scott’s Cheap Flights was more an accidental business and he started out as more of an accidental entrepreneur. A misfit if you will.
Over the last 5 years, the business has grown to service hundreds of thousands around the world, help save clients millions of dollars on their flight purchases, and has been featured everywhere from CNBC to Virgin, Conde Naste, and Time Magazine.
Scott has learned a lot about finding a niche and cultivating a great business from it and that is one of the things I’m most excited to explore with him in this episode.
As Scott says, he’s an accidental entrepreneur. He ended up where he is completely by accident. The way it came about happened after he graduated college and moved to DC. He had a degree in political science and loved to write. He became a political journalist. There wasn’t much money in it, but Scott wanted to travel and needed to find a way to fund it. So, he got into the world of travel hacking.
He got really good at it over the course of a couple of years. It all culminated when in 2013, he got the best deal he had ever gotten – a ticket from New York to Milan for just over $100.
When he got back from his trip, word had spread amongst some of his friends and co-workers and they started asking him to share deals with them when he found them.
He started an email list to send out deals he found to his friends and co-workers. Over the next year, he did as a hobby, but the subscribers started telling other subscribers and they told others and so on.
By 2015, it had grown to over 5000 subscribers. At this point, there started to be some costs involved. In August 2015, Scott relaunched as a “freemium service” in which there is still a free signup, but also a paid sign up with more content and perks.
Nowadays, Scott’s Cheap Flights has over 1.5 million subscribers.
When you look back on how you got to this point, what is your best advice on how to discover a profitable niche and uncover opportunities under your nose?
At the 16 min mark, Scott tells us how SCF works…
At the 19 min mark, Scott talks about how the business is setup and the model (this is a great model that you could follow in your niche).
Scott loves the freemium model. In today’s age, people are skeptical. It is so much better to give them a way to show them the value you can create and how you generate results for them. It relieves pressure and creates more devoted clients.
What have you learned about building a business in going from 1 man with a hobby to having employees throughout the world and serving millions?
Are there any systems or specific strategies you’ve used for remote employees that work really well?
What have you learned about building and cultivating a subscriber list and how did you transition from free to paid?
At the 36 min mark, we have a great discussion on value and what that means to clients.
What are some tips on cultivating and taking care of subscribers on your list?
At the 43 min mark, Scott answers the question, “What are some tips on how to find deeply discounted flight deals?”
Best Quote: We are terrible predictors of our own career path. Be open and humble about where your career path can and will go.
Scott's Misfit 3:
Hello Misfit Nation! Welcome to another edition of "Lessons for Hannah!"
In November of 2016, we introduced a new format that we are putting alongside our regular episodes called “Lessons for Hannah.” Hannah is my daughter and one of the main inspirations for the Misfit Entrepreneur. I wanted to have a place where she could go and learn from her daddy and his Misfit friends throughout her life….even after I am gone. If you haven’t listened to the first episode of "Lessons for Hannah," I urge you to as it gives some more background and tells the amazing story of how Hannah came to be in our lives.
"Lessons for Hannah" are short, very useful, and sometimes comical lessons, that I have learned which I want to share with you and give to Hannah to help in your lives. Because I want Hannah to have these for her life, I’m going to speak as though I am talking directly to her. These episodes are a lot of fun and if you think there is a lesson that we should include in these episodes, please don’t hesitate to send it over to us at support@misfitentrepreneur.com. We’d love to share it.
This week’s Lesson for Hannah
There is something in this world that has existed from the beginning of man-kind and it has the power to change the world. It has the power to take people and lift them from poverty to riches. It has the power to help people on a world-wide scale. It has the power to make life better, easier, and more enjoyable. It has the power to create whole new ways of thinking or entire industries.
And what’s more, it is also very small. In many ways, it is very simple. And even better, is that it is infinitely abundant, it never runs out.
Sound too good to be true? It’s not. What I am talking about is an idea.
Victor Hugo once said, “All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come.” He’s right. Ideas change the world. A simple idea of creating a place where the individual was given the freedom and right to life, liberty, and to pursue their happiness created the United States. A simple idea that man could fly, propelled the Wright Brothers to find a way to make it a reality. Almost everything you see around and use today came from an idea. The internet, smart phones, cars, heck even a toaster, started as a simple idea in someone’s mind.
Everything begins with an idea. Ideas are the most powerful things in the world. And they can be created and used for tremendous good and extraordinary evil. Nazism started as an idea, was turned and weaponized into a movement and ultimately killed millions of people in its wake. Same with the ideas of Stalin, Mao, Polpot and others. Over 100 million people were killed because of their ideas.
I use these examples to illustrate the power of ideas and to make you aware of the fact that this power can be abused.
But, a great example of an idea taking hold and standing for thousands of years is that of Christianity. I recently watched a movie about the life of the Apostle Paul that was fascinating and such a great illustration of an idea that can do so much good. Paul was first known by another name, Saul of Tarsus. He was a persecutor of Christians. He hated them because they did no follow the traditional doctrine of the time. And one day, Paul was blinded during his travels and Jesus appeared to him. Shortly, after per the prediction of Jesus, a man came and healed Saul. He became a believer and became known as the apostle Paul. He went on to be arguably the most influential person in the Bible next to Jesus. He traveled well over 10,000 miles on foot setting up churches and preaching and sharing the story of Jesus and the faith of Christianity. Even after being imprisoned and sentenced to death by the emperor Nero in Rome, he continued to write letters from prison and teach. Many of these letters make up what is the New Testament today. In fact, half of the books in the New Testament are attributed to Paul. He truly did amazing things and never wavered from his principles or core beliefs.
So, why am I sharing this with you? It’s simple, what could compel a man to devote his entire life to teaching and spreading the word of something? An idea. And for those listening, whether you are Christian or not, the example of Paul is a great one to see what the power of what an idea can do and drive a person or group of people to become. You can apply the example to your religion or belief set.
Understanding this, as you look throughout history, you can see why ideas are the most powerful things in the world. Why did Mother Teresa do what she did? A powerful idea that she believed in. How did we get to the moon in less than 10 years? An idea. An idea that we could do what everyone said was impossible.
Hannah, every day in your life, you will have ideas. Learn to recognize them, understand them, and use the good ones to help you create your life and leave an impact on the world. How do you know a good one, you might ask? My best answer is to trust your gut. If it aligns with your principles and values, has the ability not just to help you, but others, is worthy of being shared with others, and most importantly, is something you believe deeply in, then it is probably a good one. The key is to act on it.
And no matter what, not all ideas will work out, but that is the beauty of it – ideas are infinite, there will always be more. So, enjoy the ride and make the most out of the ideas you create and the ones that are shared with you that resonate with you in your life.
Here’s to the power of an idea!
I love you,
Daddy
Best Quote: “All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come."
Misfit 3:
This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Phillip Andrew. Phillip is an Emmy-nominated producer, world traveled DJ, speaker, and coach out of LA whose has been featured everywhere from CBS to Netflix, E, Country Music Television, and tons of other places.
But, it is not his successful producing career that made me want to have him on the show. Instead, it was his story of loss, overcoming addiction, and how he lifted himself to new heights that really resonated with me.
He now speaks throughout the world about how to develop resilience, stand in life with integrity, and how live life to its fullest. And in this episode, I’ve asked to share his best advice and life lessons with you.
Phillip is originally from Detroit. His dad was a police chief. His mom was very involved with the school board. Everyone knew his family and as a result, Phillip felt entitled and had a big ego. It also developed anxiety in him in needing to be the perfect kid. As he says, this was self-inflicted. His parents never pressured him. He was also the youngest kid on the block and hung out with the older kids and was trying to impress them to fit in.
He started developing masks for the person he needed to be with different audiences. When he was 11 years old and hanging with the big boys, he started drinking and partying. It ended up being an escape for him from his masks. One day they were sitting at the dinner table having a normal dinner when he dad grew silent and turned the TV off. He then proceeded to tell Phillip and his sister that their mom had cancer. Phillip was 14. They all cried.
Phillip put on a “tough mask,” and endured, but just before his 16th birthday, his mother passed away. This combined with his drinking was the perfect recipe for keeping the alcohol in his life and letting it gain more control – even though he was high functioning and still doing well in sports, school, etc.
From 18-20, it really came to a head. He was arrested multiple times, crashed his car. Got a DUI and had to go to AA.
AA was a place where he finally found a level of acceptance, he didn’t have to prove himself or try to please people. He’s now been sober for over 10 years.
At the 15 min mark, Phillip talks about how freeing it was to finally just be himself and who he really is.
“Secrets grow in the dark and will hold you hostage”
When you learn to choose how you live and take the power back from others and note cede it to them – you find the ultimate freedom. True freedom lies in taking control and ownership of who you are.
At the 18 min mark, Phillip talks about how grateful he is for the problems he had and why – and how even small experiences in our lives can have such a big impact.
Define resilience…
“If you want to be more resilient, accept that fact that failure, struggle, and hardship is coming. It is a part of life. Accept it now.”
How do you teach people to attain or regain self-confidence?
What has being a producer and a world-traveled DJ taught you about business?
What does it take to put on a great show? What elements do you need?
Best Quote: “If you want to be more resilient, accept that fact that failure, struggle, and hardship is coming. It is a part of life. Accept it now.”
Phillip's Misfit 3:
This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Dr. Diane Hamilton. Diane is the creator of the Curiosity Code Index (CCI) assessment and the author of Cracking the Curiosity Code.
She is a nationally syndicated radio host, speaker, moderator, consultant, and educator. Her radio show Dr. Diane Hamilton Radio showcases successful individuals including C-Suite Executives, Time Magazine’s Most Influential People of the World, Forbes 30 Under 30 Inductees, Nobel Peace Prize Nominees, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Authors, and other successful individuals who share their stories and insights. Through her work as the MBA Program Chair at the Forbes School of Business and at several other universities, she has taught more than 1000 business courses. She has a Ph.D. in Business Management and is a certified Myers-Briggs MBTI and Emotional Intelligence EQ-i instructor. If that is not enough, she is highly sought after speaker, speaking to groups to improve employee relationships, increase engagement, improve productivity, and reduce conflict.
One of the most important, and least understood skill sets for entrepreneurs, leaders, and well, anyone is emotional intelligence and we could not have a better person on the show to talk to about it on the show.
Diane started in sales doing a number of roles from pharmaceuticals to real estate. After a few decades, she wanted to get into teaching. She thought thousands of courses and this led to her being the MBA program chair at the Forbes School of Business. Through this, she got to work with and learn from some of the top business minds in the world like Steve Forbes. This got her interested in interviewing and started her down the path she is on now.
What is emotional intelligence and why is it so important to develop in our lives?
Is this something that comes naturally to people or something that has to be developed?
One of the best resources on Emotional Intelligence is work by Daniel Goleman
At the 11:30 mark, Diane talks about Curiosity and how it relates to your EQ?
Steps to improve EI/EQ?
What is the difference between emotional intelligence and critical thinking?
How do people avoid analysis/paralysis and become more decisive in this area?
At the 27 min mark, Diane answers the question, “Why is curiosity so important and what were some of the big things you learned about it while researching and writing the Curiosity Code?”
Define curiosity…
At the 38 min mark, Diane takes us through each of the 4 factors and what we should know about them…It’s best to just listen to this segment
How do people take these 4 factors and use them to gain more results in their lives?
What are 1-2 things you see consistent across the high performers that you interview and spend time with?
Best Quote: “Companies hire for your hard skills and fire for your soft skills, so you must work on your soft skills – your Emotional Intelligence and Critical Thinking."
Diane's Misfit 3: