Fear is a big showstopper for entrepreneurs, and it keeps them from taking risks and becoming legends. What is the journey of learning from failure, building a new business and keeping your sense of humor and ultimate vision intact? On this episode, Spiro co-founder Adam Honig shares his career journey and the mindset he applies to his work.

If you want to do something great you have to put your heart in it. If you put your heart in it, you can’t let your head get in the way. -Adam Honig

Takeaways

At the start of the show, Adam shared how he got into his career, and the lessons he learned early on. He also talked about how he got into CRM, and how he was inspired by the challenges salespeople face daily to get the job done. Next he talked about the insights that helped him launch Spiro and why the company’s birth was all about perfect timing. He also shared on the marketing practices he carried out at the launch of the business. Towards the end of the show, we talked about how Spiro zoned in on its category.

Adam also shared on:

A business venture must be a living, breathing, in-the-game experiment, and it requires you to learn as you go along, and fix the problems that arise. For it to be great, your heart has to be in it. That will give you the fuel to keep pushing, and the humility to keep learning. Don’t let your head or fear get in the way of your heart, you’ll go far with courage.   

Guest Bio

Adam is the co-founder & CEO of Spiro Technologies, Blogger and Speaker. Go to Spirohq.com for information.

We have less time than we think. Procrastination, fear and the pursuit of external validation take even more precious time away. How do we make sure we’re turning mistakes into lessons, and practicing enough to master our dreams? On this episode of Legends and Losers, writer Dushka Zapata shares her extraordinary life story, and gives her wisdom on getting in the game and achieving ferocious happiness.

There are two kinds of people. The ones that sit on the sidelines doing nothing other than finding fault in what the participants do, and the participants. -Dushka Zapata

Takeaways

At the start of the show, we introduced Legends and Losers and we talked about getting in the game. Our guest Dushka told us her life and the journey she took to writing her books. She talked about the impact her father’s dementia had on her, and how it taught her not to procrastinate. “There’s the type [of procrastination] where you leave for later, what you want to do the most. It’s sneaky, because we disguise it with responsibility.” She went on to talk about being an amateur, and why it’s a good thing. Towards the end of the show, Dushka talked about how we learn from bad moments. “Any form of struggle is uncomfortable, but that’s where the lesson is.”

Dushka also shared insights on:

An amateur is someone who does something for love, someone who’s always willing to learn something new, and manufacture action out of fear. If you’re too scared to be loser you’ll never be a legend. It’s necessary to do things for the right reasons, not external validation, because it’s fickle. When it comes to how we learn, remember: practice and everything will come. You can either be a participant in life, or sit at the sidelines missing out on valuable lessons.

There’s a crisis in American entrepreneurship right now. Millennials are forecasted to be the least entrepreneurial generation in history. Why is this state of affairs bad for the country as a whole? How can people get inspired to design their own lives? In the very first episode of Legends and Losers, we share our stories, and talk about what inspired the creation of this show.

What determines whether or not we’re a loser isn’t that we lose, it’s that we make the decision we’re not going to continue to be a loser. - Chris Lochhead

Takeaways

At the start of the show, Colin shared his background, and the journey he took to become a photographer. “Photographers enjoy the world more from a visual standpoint than other people.” Next we talked about the crisis in American entrepreneurship, and how this sparked the inspiration for this show. We also shared on succeeding in a winner-take-all world, my journey to entrepreneurship, and what’s coming up on Legends and Losers.

We also shared insights on:

Entrepreneurship is a way out or a way up for individuals who want to design their own lives. Its decline threatens the enterprising spirit of the nation. It’s necessary to encourage category design both personally and professionally, and stoke the flame of entrepreneurship and innovation through teaching and inspiring. All levels of entrepreneurship are needed, and we succeed when the people who have made it to the top, send the elevator down for more people.