1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,340 Tell me about your vision. 2 00:00:01,340 --> 00:00:04,140 What do you see for the world in regards to leadership, 3 00:00:04,140 --> 00:00:05,100 in regards to your life? 4 00:00:05,100 --> 00:00:06,980 You can be as expansive as you want on this. 5 00:00:06,980 --> 00:00:07,980 Sure. 6 00:00:07,980 --> 00:00:11,020 My vision, like I'm really about purpose. 7 00:00:11,020 --> 00:00:13,580 And a lot of people talk about purpose. 8 00:00:13,580 --> 00:00:14,660 I take it seriously. 9 00:00:14,660 --> 00:00:19,340 I think my career has been a quest for purpose. 10 00:00:19,340 --> 00:00:22,580 And at first, it felt kind of random. 11 00:00:22,580 --> 00:00:26,540 I was a creative person, and I wrote poetry, 12 00:00:26,540 --> 00:00:29,980 and I studied philosophy, and I was interested in art. 13 00:00:29,980 --> 00:00:31,300 And literature. 14 00:00:31,300 --> 00:00:34,420 And I don't think I ever expected to be a businessman. 15 00:00:34,420 --> 00:00:37,500 Kind of felt like the accidental businessman. 16 00:00:37,500 --> 00:00:42,660 But we all have to engage in the economic machine, so to speak. 17 00:00:42,660 --> 00:00:44,840 Got to connect those gears, the internal gears, 18 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:46,220 with the marketplace gears. 19 00:00:46,220 --> 00:00:50,180 And I found my place in tech. 20 00:00:50,180 --> 00:00:51,780 And it kind of expanded from there. 21 00:00:51,780 --> 00:00:55,180 So my vision is really about, and I 22 00:00:55,180 --> 00:00:57,980 can do certainly a lot of details 23 00:00:57,980 --> 00:01:01,820 in that long middle passage that I can talk to you about. 24 00:01:01,820 --> 00:01:06,580 But what I help people with now, what I care about the most, 25 00:01:06,580 --> 00:01:08,980 is helping people find and define their purpose. 26 00:01:08,980 --> 00:01:13,060 Because I believe that business can be a force for good. 27 00:01:13,060 --> 00:01:14,420 And we all have to work. 28 00:01:14,420 --> 00:01:20,020 Most of us, in the 99%, at least, need to work for a living. 29 00:01:20,020 --> 00:01:26,140 And I'd also say most of us want to work and are meant to work. 30 00:01:26,140 --> 00:01:28,180 But to work purposefully. 31 00:01:28,180 --> 00:01:32,060 And as long as you're working, I feel like you may as well 32 00:01:32,060 --> 00:01:33,980 be working for a purpose. 33 00:01:33,980 --> 00:01:37,180 And I see a business, especially for entrepreneurs, 34 00:01:37,180 --> 00:01:40,460 as an extension of themselves and an opportunity 35 00:01:40,460 --> 00:01:43,660 to really leverage the power of organization, 36 00:01:43,660 --> 00:01:48,140 the power of numbers, of people working in concert 37 00:01:48,140 --> 00:01:52,900 towards a clear, purposeful vision, 38 00:01:52,900 --> 00:01:54,580 as an extension of themselves, really. 39 00:01:54,580 --> 00:01:59,100 And it's all about making an impact on the world, 40 00:01:59,100 --> 00:02:00,700 a positive impact on the world. 41 00:02:00,700 --> 00:02:02,740 And I believe business can do that. 42 00:02:02,740 --> 00:02:04,540 It's a great opportunity. 43 00:02:04,540 --> 00:02:06,820 There's other ways to do it, of course, too. 44 00:02:06,820 --> 00:02:11,500 You can do it through other organizations, your church, 45 00:02:11,500 --> 00:02:14,220 or nonprofit, or whatever you do. 46 00:02:14,220 --> 00:02:16,780 But why not do it in business? 47 00:02:16,780 --> 00:02:19,140 But moreover than that, so that's 48 00:02:19,140 --> 00:02:22,380 from the CEO, founder CEO's perspective. 49 00:02:22,380 --> 00:02:28,580 But in terms of inspiring and motivating a team, 50 00:02:28,580 --> 00:02:30,660 people want meaningful work. 51 00:02:30,660 --> 00:02:34,740 And there's a lot of statistics that say the best employees, 52 00:02:34,740 --> 00:02:37,460 professionals, are willing to sacrifice up 53 00:02:37,460 --> 00:02:40,300 to 23% of their income. 54 00:02:40,300 --> 00:02:42,500 This is according to one survey I read, 55 00:02:42,500 --> 00:02:44,260 for work that is always meaningful. 56 00:02:44,260 --> 00:02:46,020 That's lifetime income. 57 00:02:46,020 --> 00:02:49,100 I'm willing to sacrifice nearly a quarter of my lifetime 58 00:02:49,100 --> 00:02:51,660 earnings if I can be doing something meaningful. 59 00:02:51,660 --> 00:02:53,620 And personally, that resonates with me, 60 00:02:53,620 --> 00:02:57,780 because money has never been my primary motivator. 61 00:02:57,780 --> 00:03:03,860 Now, when you don't have money, you can get desperate about it 62 00:03:03,860 --> 00:03:06,700 and it can become an obsession. 63 00:03:06,700 --> 00:03:09,780 But when you do have it and when you get it, you're like, OK. 64 00:03:09,780 --> 00:03:11,700 Well, it's nice to have. 65 00:03:11,700 --> 00:03:13,220 And it certainly allows freedom. 66 00:03:13,220 --> 00:03:13,900 It gives freedom. 67 00:03:13,900 --> 00:03:15,820 But it's not enough in itself. 68 00:03:15,820 --> 00:03:17,780 At least it hasn't been for me. 69 00:03:17,780 --> 00:03:21,380 So and I think that's true for most people. 70 00:03:21,380 --> 00:03:25,700 So I try to get people to think about purpose. 71 00:03:25,700 --> 00:03:27,140 And it's a great starting point. 72 00:03:27,140 --> 00:03:31,060 Purpose, on the one hand, and core values, on the other hand. 73 00:03:31,060 --> 00:03:34,700 And then you kind of have this inside. 74 00:03:34,700 --> 00:03:36,380 This is the outside, like the impact 75 00:03:36,380 --> 00:03:37,780 you might want to make on the world. 76 00:03:37,780 --> 00:03:39,700 There's a vision there. 77 00:03:39,700 --> 00:03:40,820 What is your vision? 78 00:03:40,820 --> 00:03:42,940 Vision and purpose are not exactly the same thing. 79 00:03:42,940 --> 00:03:44,380 But it's your target. 80 00:03:44,380 --> 00:03:45,620 It's your goal. 81 00:03:45,620 --> 00:03:52,180 And everything in between, strategy, culture, 82 00:03:52,180 --> 00:03:56,220 organizational habits, whatever product or service 83 00:03:56,220 --> 00:03:59,220 you deliver, the details, the features, 84 00:03:59,220 --> 00:04:04,060 and benefits of whatever you're delivering, 85 00:04:04,060 --> 00:04:07,300 your customer experience, your brand identity, 86 00:04:07,300 --> 00:04:12,060 all need to align along that axis between core values 87 00:04:12,060 --> 00:04:15,340 and vision, with purpose being the thing that kind of links 88 00:04:15,340 --> 00:04:16,820 them all together. 89 00:04:16,820 --> 00:04:19,020 So that's neat. 90 00:04:19,020 --> 00:04:19,820 And it's helpful. 91 00:04:19,820 --> 00:04:21,100 It's super important. 92 00:04:21,100 --> 00:04:24,180 If you get caught up in those mechanics without the purpose, 93 00:04:24,180 --> 00:04:26,060 you can find yourself drowning very fast in a life 94 00:04:26,060 --> 00:04:27,060 that you don't like. 95 00:04:27,060 --> 00:04:32,740 So Mark, you mentioned this concept 96 00:04:32,740 --> 00:04:34,540 of accidental entrepreneurship. 97 00:04:34,540 --> 00:04:35,540 I just kind of fell in. 98 00:04:35,540 --> 00:04:39,060 And it reminds me of my story, too. 99 00:04:39,060 --> 00:04:42,860 I was on a humanitarian mission in Uruguay for a long time. 100 00:04:42,860 --> 00:04:44,380 And it was when I was there where 101 00:04:44,380 --> 00:04:46,180 I learned that I needed to be an entrepreneur. 102 00:04:46,180 --> 00:04:48,380 And it doesn't make any sense, logically. 103 00:04:48,380 --> 00:04:51,620 It made no sense as to why then and why at 20 years old 104 00:04:51,620 --> 00:04:54,420 I would receive that, like, go and do this. 105 00:04:54,420 --> 00:04:56,660 But because it's funny. 106 00:04:56,660 --> 00:04:57,780 I got back. 107 00:04:57,780 --> 00:05:00,020 And I ended up in the tech world as well. 108 00:05:00,020 --> 00:05:02,980 I don't think we're the only people on the Earth that 109 00:05:02,980 --> 00:05:03,940 have that experience. 110 00:05:03,940 --> 00:05:06,500 I think a lot of people end up having that experience. 111 00:05:06,500 --> 00:05:07,700 And don't get me wrong. 112 00:05:07,700 --> 00:05:13,180 If you go to get your MBA at Harvard Business 113 00:05:13,180 --> 00:05:15,300 and you find yourself being surrounded by people who are 114 00:05:15,300 --> 00:05:17,380 like, oh, I've wanted to be a business person, 115 00:05:17,380 --> 00:05:19,540 well, no doubt. 116 00:05:19,540 --> 00:05:22,100 You're all at Harvard Business School. 117 00:05:22,100 --> 00:05:26,860 But most entrepreneurs are not in that realm of life 118 00:05:26,860 --> 00:05:29,860 when they fall into the reality that, oh, maybe 119 00:05:29,860 --> 00:05:31,460 I should turn this on or do this. 120 00:05:31,460 --> 00:05:36,180 So any further thoughts on the accidental entrepreneur aspect? 121 00:05:36,180 --> 00:05:38,540 What words of wisdom do you have for somebody 122 00:05:38,540 --> 00:05:41,900 who accidentally fell into it and now they've 123 00:05:41,900 --> 00:05:45,940 got a lot to learn to make sure they pull that vision off? 124 00:05:45,940 --> 00:05:47,700 Right. 125 00:05:47,700 --> 00:05:52,420 Well, I think one reason why people end up in business 126 00:05:52,420 --> 00:05:59,660 is because it's different from charity. 127 00:05:59,660 --> 00:06:02,580 It's if you want to make a positive impact in the world, 128 00:06:02,580 --> 00:06:03,660 that's another way to do it. 129 00:06:03,660 --> 00:06:07,220 It's charitable contributions or volunteer work. 130 00:06:07,220 --> 00:06:09,060 And that's all that's noble work. 131 00:06:09,060 --> 00:06:12,340 That's honorable work. 132 00:06:12,340 --> 00:06:16,460 There's something about a business, though, 133 00:06:16,460 --> 00:06:19,500 where you kind of have to earn your way. 134 00:06:19,500 --> 00:06:23,500 You have to solve real problems in the real material world 135 00:06:23,500 --> 00:06:28,860 that people are willing to exchange currency, which 136 00:06:28,860 --> 00:06:32,180 in itself is neutral, in my opinion. 137 00:06:32,180 --> 00:06:34,100 It means you're producing something of value. 138 00:06:34,100 --> 00:06:35,820 You're actually making a difference. 139 00:06:35,820 --> 00:06:38,460 And you're demonstrating it day after day 140 00:06:38,460 --> 00:06:40,100 through this process. 141 00:06:40,100 --> 00:06:43,220 But what it does for you is it makes your organization, 142 00:06:43,220 --> 00:06:45,300 your business self-sustaining. 143 00:06:45,300 --> 00:06:47,700 You're not dependent on somebody's handout, 144 00:06:47,700 --> 00:06:55,420 like of a philanthropist or a donor to keep things running. 145 00:06:55,420 --> 00:07:04,780 And there's very few gifts without strings attached. 146 00:07:04,780 --> 00:07:11,060 And so I think social enterprise really just is moving. 147 00:07:11,060 --> 00:07:12,780 You're talking about having a business 148 00:07:12,780 --> 00:07:17,380 model around that process, needing to learn about that. 149 00:07:17,380 --> 00:07:18,380 What's one resource? 150 00:07:18,380 --> 00:07:20,260 If you had to name one resource, what's 151 00:07:20,260 --> 00:07:23,860 kind of the king resource you would turn to if you were 152 00:07:23,860 --> 00:07:27,500 that purpose-driven person today saying, man, I kind of want 153 00:07:27,500 --> 00:07:28,780 to turn this into a business? 154 00:07:28,780 --> 00:07:29,780 Yeah. 155 00:07:29,780 --> 00:07:33,460 I like Michael Gerber's E-Myth Revisited. 156 00:07:33,460 --> 00:07:34,500 Yes. 157 00:07:34,500 --> 00:07:36,100 I was hoping you'd say that too. 158 00:07:36,100 --> 00:07:36,860 Really? 159 00:07:36,860 --> 00:07:38,940 Someone I wish I had read sooner. 160 00:07:38,940 --> 00:07:40,100 Yeah, yeah, right. 161 00:07:40,100 --> 00:07:43,660 Because he says you've got to think like a franchise. 162 00:07:43,660 --> 00:07:44,460 That was his idea. 163 00:07:44,460 --> 00:07:46,340 And this goes back originally to the 80s. 164 00:07:46,340 --> 00:07:49,140 And then he revisited it in the 90s. 165 00:07:49,140 --> 00:07:50,660 But he was ahead of his time. 166 00:07:50,660 --> 00:07:52,900 And all these frameworks, I work with frameworks. 167 00:07:52,900 --> 00:07:53,820 I work with the US. 168 00:07:53,820 --> 00:07:55,380 I work with System and Soul. 169 00:07:55,380 --> 00:07:59,860 And it's all about having a system for how you operate. 170 00:07:59,860 --> 00:08:01,660 Because you don't need to reinvent the wheel. 171 00:08:01,660 --> 00:08:04,260 There's plenty of great minds around the world 172 00:08:04,260 --> 00:08:05,860 who have thought about this for a long time. 173 00:08:05,860 --> 00:08:08,420 And those systems have kind of cobbled together in some cases 174 00:08:08,420 --> 00:08:12,140 or synthesized all the great business literature and wisdom 175 00:08:12,140 --> 00:08:15,940 and performance literature and wisdom and team building 176 00:08:15,940 --> 00:08:18,380 and accountability, all these things into a single system. 177 00:08:18,380 --> 00:08:21,260 But it starts with Michael Gerber's book, 178 00:08:21,260 --> 00:08:22,220 where he talks about it. 179 00:08:22,220 --> 00:08:24,060 And a big part of that is the difference 180 00:08:24,060 --> 00:08:27,540 between working in the business versus working on the business. 181 00:08:27,540 --> 00:08:30,100 We all get caught up, especially the entrepreneur, 182 00:08:30,100 --> 00:08:34,300 wearing 16 hats simultaneously in the working in the business. 183 00:08:34,300 --> 00:08:36,700 And you can't see the forest from the trees. 184 00:08:36,700 --> 00:08:39,780 And you need to separate those two. 185 00:08:39,780 --> 00:08:44,900 And Mark, how can leaders lean into funding the vision? 186 00:08:44,900 --> 00:08:46,020 Interesting. 187 00:08:46,020 --> 00:08:50,060 So I think fear is the obvious thing that comes to mind. 188 00:08:50,060 --> 00:08:54,740 Imposter syndrome, what you don't know, 189 00:08:54,740 --> 00:08:56,540 and what you know you don't know, 190 00:08:56,540 --> 00:08:59,940 what you don't know that you don't know, all of the above. 191 00:08:59,940 --> 00:09:04,940 The uncertainty, the unknowns, it's risk. 192 00:09:04,940 --> 00:09:13,940 And you have to be ready to fall in your face a lot to succeed. 193 00:09:13,940 --> 00:09:19,060 And it does get easier as long as you keep getting up. 194 00:09:19,060 --> 00:09:21,780 But I think fear is the biggest one. 195 00:09:21,780 --> 00:09:24,180 And if I'm reading the question correctly, 196 00:09:24,180 --> 00:09:26,300 so I think when you talk about funding their vision, 197 00:09:26,300 --> 00:09:28,620 you mean whether that money is coming from somebody else 198 00:09:28,620 --> 00:09:33,060 or coming if it's bootstrapped or if it's completely just 199 00:09:33,060 --> 00:09:35,780 a sweat equity kind of thing until you 200 00:09:35,780 --> 00:09:38,980 can get some revenue going? 201 00:09:38,980 --> 00:09:40,940 Is that what you mean by funding your vision? 202 00:09:40,940 --> 00:09:42,980 I mean, like kind of putting your money where your mouth is 203 00:09:42,980 --> 00:09:45,300 and going for it? 204 00:09:45,300 --> 00:09:46,020 Great question. 205 00:09:46,020 --> 00:09:47,940 So it's open-ended because all of us 206 00:09:47,940 --> 00:09:49,180 have different circumstances. 207 00:09:49,180 --> 00:09:52,660 I mean, this could be some kid from Saudi Arabia, China, 208 00:09:52,660 --> 00:09:54,860 America who's got daddy's pocketbook 209 00:09:54,860 --> 00:09:57,740 and is scared to step into his own skin and get things done. 210 00:09:57,740 --> 00:10:00,100 I'm not here to define that as much as to point out 211 00:10:00,100 --> 00:10:03,140 the perspective that universally speaking, 212 00:10:03,140 --> 00:10:07,660 when we put the external of the resources aside, 213 00:10:07,660 --> 00:10:09,700 yes, resources are important. 214 00:10:09,700 --> 00:10:12,460 And so it may be just the fear of stepping into it, 215 00:10:12,460 --> 00:10:14,980 but it may also be a monetary facet. 216 00:10:14,980 --> 00:10:18,140 So when I ask this to a leader, especially the second one, 217 00:10:18,140 --> 00:10:20,220 how do leaders lean into it? 218 00:10:20,220 --> 00:10:23,300 My backup on that would be, Mark, well, 219 00:10:23,300 --> 00:10:24,540 how did you lean into it? 220 00:10:24,540 --> 00:10:27,700 Or how do you recommend others consider going about it 221 00:10:27,700 --> 00:10:30,820 the more we create transparency, the more we 222 00:10:30,820 --> 00:10:35,580 create potential paths for people? 223 00:10:35,580 --> 00:10:37,140 To me, the more likely they'll be 224 00:10:37,140 --> 00:10:39,980 able to exercise that freedom of choice to say, you know what? 225 00:10:39,980 --> 00:10:42,620 Like Mark said, there's fear here. 226 00:10:42,620 --> 00:10:46,940 But should I let that hold me back from my vision? 227 00:10:46,940 --> 00:10:47,820 Right. 228 00:10:47,820 --> 00:10:52,780 I think you do have to believe that what you have to offer 229 00:10:52,780 --> 00:10:54,540 is something of value. 230 00:10:54,540 --> 00:10:57,180 You have to believe you have something of value to offer 231 00:10:57,180 --> 00:10:57,980 to the world. 232 00:10:57,980 --> 00:11:00,420 And you have to be willing to take the risk 233 00:11:00,420 --> 00:11:02,340 to tell somebody about it and then also 234 00:11:02,340 --> 00:11:06,140 ask for something from them. 235 00:11:06,140 --> 00:11:07,740 Could be money. 236 00:11:07,740 --> 00:11:10,340 It could be connection. 237 00:11:10,340 --> 00:11:12,260 Could be advice. 238 00:11:14,780 --> 00:11:15,660 All of those things. 239 00:11:15,660 --> 00:11:17,420 But you need to believe in yourself. 240 00:11:17,420 --> 00:11:19,140 And you need to be willing to take the risk 241 00:11:19,140 --> 00:11:23,060 and step into that uncomfortable place of fear and the unknown 242 00:11:23,060 --> 00:11:26,020 and be OK when it says no or goes poorly 243 00:11:26,020 --> 00:11:27,420 and just keep getting up again. 244 00:11:27,420 --> 00:11:30,180 It's that perseverance that counts for a lot. 245 00:11:30,180 --> 00:11:31,660 Thank you for being here today. 246 00:11:31,660 --> 00:11:34,060 I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision Pros Live. 247 00:11:34,060 --> 00:11:36,700 I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions 248 00:11:36,700 --> 00:11:38,900 as these episodes continue to move forward. 249 00:11:38,900 --> 00:11:40,660 This is going to get more and more fun. 250 00:11:40,660 --> 00:11:42,540 We'll have more and more engagement as well. 251 00:11:42,540 --> 00:11:44,620 We'll invite people to participate in the show. 252 00:11:44,620 --> 00:11:46,980 And thank you for giving us your time and attention. 253 00:11:46,980 --> 00:11:49,700 Have an excellent time building out your vision 254 00:11:49,700 --> 00:11:56,460 and becoming a Vision Pro yourself.