Today’s guest on The Solopreneur Hour is a man after my own heart…one that embraces his ADD for good! Jeffrey Slayter is a world-renowned speaker and coach who has shared the stage with such notables as Richard Branson, John Gray and Les Brown.

Jeffrey is a fascinating guy who’s not afraid to go against the norm.  We found a lot of common ground, especially in the fact that neither of us drank alcohol while we grew up.  I think that “steeled” us against some common need to “fit in” with the crowd, and has helped our entrepreneurial journey.

We also discuss how he rebuilt after losing everything, and how he recommends creating the lifestyle you truly want on today’s show. Enjoy the 273rd episode of The Solopreneur Hour!

More About Jeffrey Slayter

Born and raised in Hawaii, Jeffrey has long been a surfer and has always been an entrepreneur. It’s in his blood: his father was the first CEO and the founder of oDesk. In fact Jeffrey remembers his dad and a few engineers planning the company while sitting around their kitchen table!

Staying true to his bloodline Jeffrey had side hustles going even while in school. In junior high he saw kids standing in line for cafeteria food, so he picked up extra candy and snacks while at CostCo with his mom. He took that candy and sold it to those same kids in line at school. He gave them the same candy without the wait time! He branched out into baseball cards as well; he says he has always looked for a need and a way to fill it, whether in school or later in life.

In This Episode, You’ll Also Hear:

* What is net time and how can you utilize it?

* When do people pay attention?

* Does he get nervous before going on stage?

* What is one of the traits of successful entrepreneurs?

* What two things terrify most people?

* And so much more!

His early success came in the real estate industry. He made tons of money – millions – while in his 20s. And he also lost a lot of money. When he lost everything it made him stock of who he was and how he was identifying his own worth. When he had money he tied his self-worth to it; he thought he had made it because his bankers knew his name and he had money to burn.

But when all of that went away he was forced to look deep within himself to find out what truly mattered and what he was made of. He had to ask himself who he is when he has nothing, no big house(s) or cars or bespoke surfboards, etc. Once he asked the hard questions and found the answers, he began to rebuild. Today he still has a big house, fancy cars and nice things but he sees them as simply a symbol of his work, instead of a symbol of his own personal worth.

And that’s what Jeffrey recommends other entrepreneurs and solopreneurs: take stock of where you are, get real about it. All you have to do is to look at your bank account, your friends and your life. Simple? Yes. Easy? No. But the only way to create real lasting change is to get real with yourself. Only then can you make a shift.

When you figure out where you are, you can then consider and reflect on what kind of life you want to create. Take some time for yourself, as much as you can, and turn off all distractions to really focus on the life you want to build.

And then start building and start associating with people who are going to lift you up, not tear you down. Because as you change and grow the people you once spent time with are going to notice and feel uncomfortable because you’re an example of what they could do with their lives but are choosing not to. You might even find you feel guilty, which is why it’s so critical you find like-minded people to support you in breaking out of the norm.

Jeffrey has had to do this,