Tell us about your journey! inspire someone
I came to the incredible realisation that the rest of the world was not seeing the world as I was. I, for the longest time, thought everybody saw the world like I saw it. The minute I realised this, I started a new venture based around teaching organisations and anybody who was willing to learn, a new way to look at the future, a new way to dissect how the future was coming at us and a new way to prepare ourselves and our organisations for these changes. The more I spoke to people about the way I saw the future, the more I realised that they didn’t understand or see it the way I did. So really from a space of frustration, I saw an opportunity to write books, create vlogs, blogs and construct keynotes that would help people master the future, prepare for the future and get the opportunity to thrive in the future rather than become victims of it.
My work:
Trend & Innovation Specialist.
Global Speaker. Best Selling Author. Entrepreneur.
Singularity University Faculty Member.
What were the biggest initial hurdles to building your business and how did you overcome them?
I think the biggest hurdle for any business is building momentum and trust. There are so many talented people in the world and so many avenues to reach people today via social media and the internet that to stand out from the noise is really the biggest hurdle for anybody. The way I overcame this was to position myself as a thought leader and share as much information online through the multi channels of media we have access to, in order to help as many people as possible without asking for anything in return. I started by doing free keynotes, just to small groups of people to share my thinking as well as to polish my skill. Slowly but surely, as we’ve developed the brand, we’ve built trust and that is the most important thing. With trust comes momentum and with momentum comes success.
Did you ever deal with contention from your family and friends concerning your entrepreneurial pursuits?
How did you handle it? What would you do differently in hindsight?
The only contention I experienced from family and friends was the fact that I was reaching so high for a goal that was so much bigger than what they were comfortable with. With good intentions, they wanted me to aim lower, so as not to be disappointed. I believe the exact opposite is true however – we need to aim for the moon in order for us to get anywhere near it! That was the only hesitation from the side of my family and friends. As the brand grows and as we start achieving more and more, they have started to realise that they may be thinking too small!
I handled it with patience and by only paying attention to my own thoughts. I reassured their fears and asked them just to watch things unfold. As soon as my book became a bestseller they began to take notice and to see the process differently. I wouldn’t do anything differently in hindsight!
What would you say was the single most influential factor in your business success?
Changing the way I make decisions about which sectors and business channels I need to get involved in. Before I used to look at business as an opportunity to make money, or a gap that could be filled by a clever idea. When I shifted my decision making process from my head to my heart, I started following what made me most excited, and allowed that excitement to evolve into a business rather than the other way round. When we utilise our heart, our passion and our excitement as the decision making factor, what we end up doing is accessing incredible amounts of innovation, creativity and endless energy. When we have this behind us we are able to cultivate the tenacity necessary to bring that business to fruition. When we make decisions based on money-making or gaps in the marketplace, we find ourselves frustrated and low on energy when we hit hurdles. The biggest factor in the success of my business was choosing to follow my highest excitement! That alone carved out the gap in the marketplace.
What do you know today that you wish you would have known when you first got started as an entrepreneur?
I wish I’d known that changing my decision making process, following my heart and not money-making ‘gaps’, would change everything.
What advice would you give to an upcoming young and old entrepreneur locally and internationally?
Follow what shines brightest. This will lead you to a level of curiosity that is just natural. This curiosity will lead you to a space of expertise and speciality which leads you to a place of excitement, which leads you to a place of endless energy. Following this formula gives us a very keen way to carve out a gap in the market based on your superpower, your focus and your genius.
