In episode 189 of Paper Napkin Wisdom, host Govindh Jayaraman sits down with Natalia Matveeva, an accomplished entrepreneur and leadership coach known for her emphasis on creating purpose-driven businesses. Natalia shares her journey and unique insights into the importance of resilience in business, shedding light on a key aspect often overlooked: aligning business goals with personal values. Natalia’s message is clear—resilience isn’t just about persistence; it’s about building a business that resonates with who we truly are.

Discovering True Resilience

As entrepreneurs, we’re often encouraged to “tough it out” through challenges, to keep going no matter what. While grit is essential, Natalia emphasizes that resilience goes beyond sheer determination. She notes, “True resilience is found in the harmony between our business and our inner selves.” This perspective suggests that when our business goals align with our personal purpose, resilience becomes a natural byproduct, helping us navigate challenges more smoothly.

Through her years of experience, Natalia has found that maintaining harmony between external goals and internal values creates a sense of purpose and satisfaction that fuels long-term commitment. “If we align both business and ourselves,” Natalia explains, “we can achieve a kind of fulfillment that pushes us forward, even in tough times.”

The Power of Purpose-Driven Success

Building a business that reflects our personal values doesn’t just lead to resilience—it also brings about fulfillment and lasting satisfaction. When asked about her journey, Natalia shared that she found greater motivation and joy in her work once she made a conscious effort to align her business with her personal “why.”

“A purpose-driven approach is what makes all the difference,” she says. By infusing our businesses with a clear sense of purpose, we not only stay motivated but also find meaning in every step of the journey. This purpose-driven mindset can make the ups and downs of entrepreneurship more manageable and fulfilling.

Personal Growth as a Catalyst for Business Success

Natalia is a strong advocate for integrating personal growth into business growth. She explains that our personal evolution directly impacts our professional lives, often creating a ripple effect. “As we grow personally, we can channel that growth into our businesses,” she states. This interplay between personal development and business success allows entrepreneurs to bring fresh ideas, renewed energy, and an expanded vision into their work.

For Natalia, prioritizing personal growth has meant exploring self-awareness and self-care, both of which have enriched her ability to lead with purpose. “When we bring personal insights into our businesses, we create something that resonates deeply with our values,” she explains. This alignment strengthens resilience and drives authentic business practices.

Self-Awareness: A Guiding Compass for Decision-Making

Entrepreneurs often face a high volume of decisions, many of which can feel overwhelming. Natalia highlights the importance of self-awareness as a key tool in navigating these choices effectively. “Self-awareness helps us make choices that resonate both personally and professionally,” she says, urging business owners to regularly check in with themselves.

By developing self-awareness, leaders can approach decisions with greater clarity and confidence. Natalia points out that this practice allows us to avoid burnout, focus on our priorities, and ensure that we stay on a path aligned with our vision and values.

The Value of Regular Reflection and Realignment

While aligning our values and goals is crucial, Natalia emphasizes that it’s an ongoing process rather than a one-time event. She encourages entrepreneurs to make regular time for reflection to ensure they’re still aligned with their purpose. “Reflecting and realigning keeps us connected to what we truly believe in,” she explains. This practice fosters resilience by ensuring that our business remains an authentic expression of our personal values.

By periodically reassessing our path, we can adjust to changes, refocus our priorities, and continue progressing with a clear sense of direction. For Natalia, this commitment to realignment is the cornerstone of resilience, empowering us to stay true to our values even as we grow and evolve.

5 Key Takeaways from Our Conversation with Natalia Matveeva

1. True Resilience Comes from AlignmentNatalia shared that resilience is not just about strength; it’s about harmony between your business and your inner self. When you operate from a place of alignment, challenges are easier to navigate, and your dedication strengthens.

   Take Action: Reflect on your personal and business values. Are they aligned? Write down one area where you can create more harmony between your goals and your values.

2. Purpose-Driven Success Leads to FulfillmentBuilding a purpose-driven business isn’t just fulfilling; it’s transformative. Natalia’s journey shows that when you’re deeply connected to your “why,” you gain resilience and a stronger sense of accomplishment.

   Take Action: Define your purpose by asking, “Why did I start this business, and who do I want to impact?” Write a purpose statement and refer to it during decision-making to stay aligned.

3. Personal Growth Fuels Business GrowthNatalia believes that as we grow personally, we can positively influence our business. Personal development doesn’t just enhance us; it empowers our business to thrive in new ways.

   Take Action: Invest time in personal growth, whether through reading, journaling, or attending workshops. Note one insight from your personal growth journey each week and explore how it could benefit your business.

4. Self-Awareness as a Compass for Decision-MakingFor Natalia, self-awareness is a guiding force in business. By cultivating self-awareness, we gain the ability to make authentic, values-driven decisions.

   Take Action: Begin a practice of weekly self-reflection. Set aside time each week to assess whether your recent decisions reflect your values and support your overall mission.

5. Reflect and Realign for Authentic ProgressAlignment isn’t a one-time process; it’s an ongoing practice. Natalia’s advice is to regularly reflect on your path, ensuring your business is a true expression of your personal vision and values.

   Take Action: Schedule a monthly reflection session. During this time, evaluate your progress and make adjustments as needed to keep your business aligned with your personal goals.

Bringing it All Together

Natalia Matveeva’s approach to resilience challenges us to think about success as more than just achieving business goals. Instead, it’s about creating a business life that reflects our core values and allows us to find true fulfillment. When we align our inner purpose with our business, resilience becomes an essential part of our journey rather than an occasional tool.

How will you bring more alignment into your own life and work? Take a moment to jot down your thoughts on a paper napkin, and don’t forget to share it on social media with the hashtag #PaperNapkinWisdom.

In the fast-evolving world of technology, it can be easy to overlook the human element. In this episode of Paper Napkin Wisdom, Govindh Jayaraman speaks with Annette Levesque, a global expert in e-learning who built one of the first e-high schools in the world. Annette shares her unique perspective on the intersection of innovation and human connection, offering a wealth of wisdom for leaders and entrepreneurs navigating the digital age.

Innovation Meets Education

Annette’s journey into e-learning began as a passion for leveraging technology to increase access to education. As one of the pioneers in the online education space, she transformed how students could learn, breaking barriers of location and time. "I saw early on that technology could expand the reach of education, but I also knew that it needed to remain student-centered," Annette explains. Her work wasn’t just about building platforms; it was about creating environments where students felt connected, engaged, and supported—despite being physically distant.

For entrepreneurs and business leaders, this insight is vital. While technology can help scale operations, it’s critical to remember that the end user’s experience is still rooted in connection and engagement. Whether you’re working with clients, customers, or employees, ensuring that technology enhances human interaction is a key ingredient for long-term success.

The Power of Human Connection in Business

A recurring theme in Annette’s conversation is the importance of human connection, even in tech-driven industries. "People don’t remember the tools you used; they remember how you made them feel," she emphasizes. In her view, businesses that focus solely on innovation without considering the relational aspect will struggle to maintain loyalty and trust in the long run.

This wisdom applies across all sectors—whether you’re leading a tech startup or running a more traditional business. The tools we use may evolve, but the need for trust, empathy, and relationship-building remains constant. Leaders who recognize this will not only retain their workforce but also foster an environment where creativity and innovation can thrive.

Trust in the Digital World

Building trust in digital spaces is a challenge that Annette knows well. In her work with online education, she learned that establishing trust remotely required more than just reliable technology. "You need to be transparent, consistent, and show up in ways that people feel seen and heard," she shares. For leaders, this means going beyond transactional interactions. It requires demonstrating empathy and understanding through communication, follow-through, and shared values.

In a time where remote work and digital services are more prevalent than ever, leaders who invest in trust-building will set themselves apart. Whether it’s through regular check-ins with your team or personalized customer service experiences, these efforts go a long way in making people feel valued.

Leading with a Balance

Annette believes that successful leadership today is about balancing innovation with a personal touch. "Technology can scale a business, but it’s the people behind it that drive success," she says. As an entrepreneur or leader, finding that balance requires intentional effort. It’s easy to get caught up in new tools, automation, and systems that promise growth, but staying connected with your team, customers, and partners is essential to sustaining that growth.

By focusing on human connection alongside innovation, leaders can create businesses that not only grow but also inspire loyalty and trust.

5 Key Takeaways

1. Human Connection is Your Greatest Asset

Annette emphasizes that while technology can drive efficiency, it's the personal connections you create that will drive long-term success. “People may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel,” she says.

Take Action: Identify one area of your business where you can enhance human connection, whether through more personalized communication with clients or increasing face time with your team. Make a plan to implement this within the next month.

2. Technology Should Serve, Not Replace, Connection

Innovation is crucial, but Annette reminds us that it should support rather than replace meaningful interaction. “The tools are there to make life easier, not to cut out the human element,” she notes.

Take Action: Review the tools you currently use in your business. Are they enhancing or detracting from human engagement? Eliminate or adjust any systems that are creating barriers between you and your customers or team members.

3. Trust Requires Transparency and Consistency

In a digital-first world, trust isn’t built overnight. It’s earned through consistency and transparent communication, something Annette has mastered in her work with online education. "People need to feel like they’re being heard and understood, not just managed by an algorithm," she says.

Take Action: Start holding regular, transparent updates with your team or clients, even if there’s nothing significant to report. Consistency in communication builds trust and reinforces your commitment to their success.

4. Leverage Technology for Personalization

Annette shares that one of the benefits of technology is its ability to personalize experiences at scale. “We have the tools to make every interaction feel customized and personal, even in large organizations,” she says.

Take Action: Implement a system or tool that allows for more personalized communication. This could be as simple as adding personal touches to your emails or using CRM tools to tailor your outreach based on specific customer needs.

5. Balance is Key to Leadership Success

Annette closes with a powerful message about leadership. “It’s about balance—balancing growth with connection, innovation with empathy.” Leaders who can manage this balance will not only achieve success but sustain it.

Take Action: Take 10 minutes at the end of each day to reflect on how well you balanced innovation and connection in your leadership. Journal any key observations, and consider how you can improve this balance moving forward.

Annette Levesque’s insights serve as a timely reminder that in our fast-paced, tech-driven world, human connection remains the cornerstone of success. Whether you're leading a business, building a team, or interacting with clients, the relationships you foster will ultimately define your impact.

If you want to dive deeper into Annette’s wisdom, check out the full episode and take a moment to share your biggest takeaway on social media using #PaperNapkinWisdom. Let’s keep the conversation going!

Embrace Your Reality with Molly Booker

Introduction

Welcome to another enriching episode of Paper Napkin Wisdom! Today, we have the pleasure of hosting Molly Booker, a transformational author and coach whose insights on self-discovery and personal growth have inspired many. Molly is known for her powerful memoirs and her ability to guide individuals through their journeys of self-awareness and resilience. In this episode, Molly shares her wisdom on a range of topics, focusing on the profound impact of embracing one’s own reality.

The Essence of Self-Discovery

In our conversation, Molly delves deep into the concept of self-discovery. She begins by emphasizing the importance of understanding that “what others say about you is their reality, not yours.” This powerful statement sets the tone for the discussion, highlighting the significance of owning one’s narrative and not being swayed by external perceptions.

Navigating Through Emotional Landscapes

Molly discusses the various emotional landscapes we navigate through in life. She mentions, “I've received a lot of wisdom in my life and given a lot. And so if I was just going to, you know, jot one down on a paper napkin, and I think the reason I chose that was really…”. This reflection underscores the importance of emotional intelligence and the ability to learn from both giving and receiving wisdom. Molly’s approach to emotions is not about avoidance but rather about embracing and learning from them.

Empowerment Through Authenticity

A significant portion of our conversation centers around authenticity. Molly shares her journey of becoming comfortable with her true self and the liberation that comes with it. She says, “if I get introduced as not the typical I'm like, yes, I've already nailed it.” This statement reflects her confidence in her unique path and encourages others to embrace their individuality without fear.

The Power of Personal Narratives

Molly's emphasis on personal narratives is a recurring theme. She talks about the stories we tell ourselves and how they shape our reality. By taking control of these narratives, we can redefine our experiences and perceptions. She advises, “Your paper napkin was what others say about you is their reality, not yours. Why did you share that with me?”. This question challenges us to reflect on the external influences in our lives and encourages us to reclaim our narratives.

Resilience in the Face of Adversity

One of the most inspiring parts of the conversation is Molly’s perspective on resilience. She believes that true strength comes from within and that adversity can be a powerful catalyst for growth. She shares personal anecdotes that illustrate her journey through challenging times and how she emerged stronger and more self-aware. Her story is a testament to the power of resilience and the human spirit’s capacity to overcome obstacles.

5 Key Takeaways from the Conversation with Molly Booker

1. Own Your Narrative: Embrace your story and understand that what others say about you is their reality, not yours. This empowers you to live authentically without being influenced by external opinions.

2. Embrace Emotions: Learn from the emotional landscapes you navigate. Both giving and receiving wisdom can offer profound insights into your personal growth.

3. Authenticity is Empowering: Being true to yourself is liberating. Celebrate your uniqueness and don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd.

4. Control Your Personal Narrative: The stories you tell yourself shape your reality. Reclaim your narrative and redefine your experiences to foster a positive self-image.

5. Resilience Builds Strength: Adversity can be a powerful catalyst for growth. Embrace challenges as opportunities to develop resilience and emerge stronger.

In conclusion, our conversation with Molly Booker is a powerful reminder of the importance of self-discovery, authenticity, and resilience. Her insights inspire us to embrace our realities, control our narratives, and navigate through life's emotional landscapes with courage and wisdom. Listen to the full episode to dive deeper into these transformative ideas and start your journey towards a more empowered and authentic self.

What happens when you create a venn diagram that combines discovering your passion with providing unique value and figuring out where your audience is listening? In this podcast, Rand Fishkin, founder and CEO of Moz, believes that is how you find your sweet spot.

 

As with most entrepreneurs, Fishkin knows a little bit about how failure can eventually inspire success. After dropping out of college in 2001, he began working with his mom at an agency where they offered clients web design and marketing solutions. However, they began drowning in debt, amassing over $500,000 from overhead expenses. In 2004, he started a blog called SEO Moz. “I spent four hours a day writing blogs. For the first year, it wasn’t really attracting anyone or resonating with a particular audience,” Fishkin recalls.

But after a year of publishing blogs five days per week, eventually the audience came: SEO Moz (renamed Moz) became a credible source of information about the newest marketing phase - search engine  . In fact, the blog became so successful that in 2007, he was able to pay off his debt. While discovering his sweet spot took some time, Fishkin notes, “I have not seen someone in the content marketing world where someone was automatically a massive success.

The founder of Buzzfeed had over 11 years of publishing experience before it became what it is today. It’s all about shifting your passions to an area where you can provide unique value.” Additionally, he notes that entrepreneurs should keep their ear to the ground to find where their audience is to avoid choosing the right platform to promote their service or product.

As a public figure and thought leader, Fishkin has a few nuggets for entrepreneurs. First, they must be willing to learn, adapt and change for their audience. Additionally, it’s key to experiment with new platforms without over investing in them, in order to continue to grow and learn. Find out more words of wisdom by clicking the link  ! 

Is there a formula for success? This week’s Paper Napkin Wisdom guest, Geoff Smart - CEO of lead consulting firm ghSMART - proposes just that . Dr. Smart, the best selling author of Who: The A Method for Hiring and the newly released Power Score: Your Formula for Leadership Success, holds a PhD in Psychology and has spent the last twenty years collecting and synthesizing data from over 3000 leaders and their teams.

While most books on leadership suggest that most prominent trait of successful leaders is honesty, Dr. Smart discovered that this wasn’t necessarily a special trait, and that most people (successful or unsuccessful) rated themselves highly in this category.

The Power Score (P x W x R) takes a look at the empirical data surrounding common traits of leaders and proposes that if teams are good at prioritizing, hiring the right people and building the right relationships, they are twenty times more likely to be successful than if they don’t have these traits. The concept was birthed by his publisher, who suggested that Dr. Smart take a more holistic approach to his new book as opposed to just providing tips on hiring as he had for his previous work “Who”. “The formula is multiplicative,” Dr. Smart explains, and akin to an athlete performing in a triathlon -- he or she must be good at all three in order to be successful.

The “P” stands for prioritizing and refers to the need for leaders and their teams to be equally plugged into the top goals and objectives of the organization. According to Dr. Smart, only 24 percent of leaders in the sample were good at prioritizing, while 90 percent said they had too many priorities. Working collaboratively to establish goals and a step-by-step process to achieve them is crucial to the success of any team.

The next letter in the equation, “W”, stands for Who. This value represents the team members themselves and evaluates whether they are all-stars or average from the beginning of the hiring process. To dig a bit deeper, Dr. Smart suggests asking the following questions prior to hiring a new team member:

• What does performance mean? What will it take for this person to be an all-star in this role?
• How was this candidate sourced? Was it a referral from an internal party?
• Am I asking the right interview questions and avoiding any hypothetical statements or situations in the interview?
• Am I selling this person on how great of a fit it is, how much time they’ll have with family, how much freedom they’ll have, the amount of money they’ll make and how fun it is to work here?

Because the majority of managers worldwide only have around a 50% retention rate for the staff they hire, these questions are pertinent in order to ensure the new hire will bring value to their new team.

Finally, “R” stands for relationships. “Simply stated,” Dr. Smart explains, the right people need to be talking at the right time.

Check out the latest podcast and Dr. Smart’s new book to learn more about the formula for success!

Two years ago Rob Simons challenged me to by flipping around the Paper Napkin Wisdom podcast and turning me into the subject and he’d play the interviewer. To launch season 4, he came back to turn the tables once more by interviewing me in today’s podcast. I’ve been thinking a lot since the release of my book, “Your Five Step Plan For Life and Business Success”. As business owners and entrepreneurs, many times we worry about reaching our highest potential, often because we don’t think we are good enough. Thus, my paper napkin for today reads “Make it bad, then make it better. But make it.”

This initially came to me when I created the first draft of my most recent book. I produced it before a keynote I did, and it was just my thoughts on paper. My friend and organizer of the event gave me one requirement in order to speak: they wanted me to give away 100 copies of my book. Having that first draft provided me with the opportunity to improve upon the product.

Let’s go back even further.

In 2009, my personal and professional life was eroding and I was looking for a magic wand to wave over everything. While I didn’t find the wand, I did find something better. And in 2013, I launched Paper Napkin Wisdom. At the beginning, I had no clue what I was doing. It took me almost a year to get the first paper napkin and I recorded everything with $19 equipment. However, while it wasn’t perfect, the conversations we had were still riveting. After doing a few hundred podcasts, of course it improved. Once the process got going, I did 70 podcasts in three months and collected nearly 100 paper napkins. Throughout this process of creating the podcast, I discovered ways to make it better. For starters, being genuine curiosity ended up being the key to great podcasts interviews. Over-preparing took away a part of the authenticity of the podcast. But I had to do it first in order to improve upon it.

“So, Govindh,” you may ask, “how do you go from having a goal to doing it and making it better?” The answer for that lies within the first napkin I ever had on the show, which read, “If you want to learn and grow, you have to do what scares you and do it in public.”

I’ve interviewed hundreds of people over the years and came upon a revelation: many people who achieve great success only do it once or twice in their lives. Because of this, they often unintentionally overlook the process that enabled them to achieve these successes. In Your Five Step Plan, I highlight the commonalities I’ve discovered after talking to the most brilliant minds over the last few years.

1. Multitasking is for computers, not for leaders. In fact, you get an 8x better ROI when you focus on one task at a time.
2. There’s no such thing as priorities. There’s typically only one thing that you can focus on at a time. Deal with that and the rest will fall into place.
3. Your worldview affects your business decisions. To the aforementioned point, when deciding what those priorities are, keep in mind that how you view the world affects how you prioritize.
4. Distilled wisdom is key. If you can’t explain something simply, you don’t understand it well enough.
5. Be accountable. A study showed that people who wrote down their goals are 36.7% more likely to achieve them. However, those who wrote down their goals and provided progress reports to peers were 76.7% more likely to achieve their goals.

I often see time and deadlines becoming barricades to entrepreneurs starting on a specific goal. While timelines are important, they shouldn’t be used to be hard on yourself. As a career coach, Rob encourages entrepreneurs to learn from their process, even if deadlines need to be adjusted.

One of the big challenges I had in the past was not having a subsequent goal after achieving a big milestone. However, in 2016, my biggest goal is to  get this book into your hands in an effort to “save an entrepreneur, and save the world”. I want to inspire each and every one of you to take your ideas and your business further, faster.

Are you ready to embark on this journey?

Listen to the whole conversation:

Shep Hyken is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, a grass roots entrepreneur, and a speaker. He’s a busy guy but he’s focused in a way that makes him effective and efficient.

He’s already been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Speakers Association, an incredible feat considering he’s still amazing crowds around the world on the subject of consistently delivering Amazing Customer Service.

In his Paper Napkin Wisdom, Shep shares with us a simple yet profound message. He says: “On successful people (and those that aren’t). Those that do, do. Those that don’t won’t!”

Don’t Hold Back

The first time Shep heard the above phrase, the last word was “don’t” rather than “won’t” but there’s a big difference between the two words and Shep believes his spin on it to be more accurate. “Won’t” conveys that we’re stopping ourselves, which is precisely what Shep thinks happens. He believes that some people hold back because they don’t see the bigger picture or don’t look for the positive strategic byproducts that happen as a result of doing new, different things and trying all kinds of different angels. In some cases, he says, there’s something subconscious that keeps people from doing things or it’s simply that they don’t like to try a little bit harder or work a little bit harder. It’s unfortunate, because a little bit of extra effort can make all the difference.

“Someone once told me it doesn’t take much more to go first class,” says Shep. Putting in that little bit of extra effort or that little bit of extra work can make all the difference in an experience and he says it’s what makes an experience memorable. It’s an element that Shep applies to every business relationship he has, but he’s careful not to over commit. He’s learned that in order to be successful and grow you have to say ‘no’ and delegate tasks. Delegating tasks allows Shep to do what he calls staying in his lane: he knows what he’s really good at and he stays focused on doing that. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t expand his efforts or that he doesn’t keep an eye out for new opportunities, but it does means that he evaluates potential ventures in terms of how congruent they are with what he does in addition to assessing how much time and money it will cost him.

Identify What Works

Shep says that part of success is identifying the things that you’ve done in the past that worked for you and trying to repeat them. He advises taking a look at what you’ve done from the beginning of your business to what you’ve done now and find the milestone moments, the moments that really made a positive impact in your business. Are there things that have worked for you in the past that you don’t do anymore? Shep says that our attention too often gets siphoned off into the some activity that gets in the way of us doing what’s always worked best. If we take the time to repeat things that have worked for us in the past instead of constantly innovating, we not only save ourselves time, we give ourselves the opportunity to see what strategic byproducts might be right in front of us.

“Things are going to happen that you’re going go ‘ooh, that’s a great idea.”

A strategic byproduct is an opportunity that arises as a result of some sort of current situation.”Along the way things are going to happen that you’re going to go ‘ooh, that’s a great idea.'” says Shep. He shares the example of how, when his speaking business was lagging due to the fear surrounding air travel in the wake of 9/11, a client mentioned how he wished Shep had content he could bring to the company. Considering what his client had said, Shep reworked his content into a training format and did just that. Recently, he’s even noticed that his income from training has begun to surpass that of his speaking engagements.

Shep has a really simple approach to getting stuff done, he just does it. By delegating the things that would otherwise distract him from staying in his lane, and putting in that little bit of extra effort, Shep is able to keep a sharp eye out for opportunity and move his business in the right direction. It’s a method that’s lead him to great success, where might it lead you?

 

Sean Costello is an entrepreneurial leader who values the right balance of culture and execution. He has founded multiple companies on the principles of patience and curiosity, and works hard to maintain a supportive atmosphere for his clines and employees. This has lead Sean to his contribution to Paper Napkin Wisdom: People all around you want to help, they just don’t yet know how.

In Sean’s experience, real connections become possible when you share with people how they can help you. We are all here to help unlock each other’s people and help each other succeed. In so doing, we ourselves will succeed by realizing our strength. Thinking of this another way, how effective would a sports team be if each player was wearing blinders and was unable to locate their teammates? The metaphor of the team can thus relate to family, an organization, a corporation, or any community of people that is reliant on one another.

The requirement or exercise within this philosophy, as Sean explains, is quite simple. It is about actively asking for feedback while simultaneously making it safe for sharing. Sharing, in this case, can mean everything from concerns to feedback to dreams. This creates an environment of possibilities.

Sean exploration as a microcosm for business - it cannot succeed without the appropriate amount of process, planning, preparation, and simulation. This has driven his fascination with the space program, while also helping him meet and develop a co-mentorship with someone he calls “Young Astronaut Abby”. Abby shared with him, in their first meeting, her dream of being the first astronaut to Mars. Sean challenged Abby to continue with and develop that dream, rather than dismissing it as childish whimsy. She has since spoken on a Ted X stage about acting and dreaming big, and leveraged her dream into other examples of success. This was able to occur because she shared her dream with Sean and gave him the awareness on how she could be helped.

Another example is quite personal for Sean. When his grandfather was about to turn 100, his family was flying into a remote town to celebrate. Sean wanted to offer him something unique to help him with that celebration, so on the flight there, he shared with the pilot the location of his grandfather’s farm. The farm happened to be near the airport, so Sean simply asked for a fly by. The pilot, of course, was more than happy to oblige and Sean was able to take photos of the farmhouse as they flew over to share with his grandfather and elevate his birthday celebration.

This is all to say that Sean enters every transaction, regardless of the situation, by sharing how he defines success with the other participants. For example, he was able to convince a customer to pay up front for a full year by offering a reduced price, all the while that up front cash was also helping Sean to succeed by providing him with financing.

 

In Sean’s experience, the best approach to relationships is to start by thinking “what do I need to do for them” rather than thinking “what do I need to demand”. The result will be more fulfilling for both parties.

For more than two decades, Alex Charfen has been creating and testing business philosophies specifically geared towards entrepreneurs. Alex has been an entrepreneur himself during this period, and has developed the Entrepreneurial Personality Type to help business owners grow their business and themselves. He has contributed to numerous major media outlets and brings his core philosophy to Paper Napkin Wisdom: “There is nothing wrong with you.”

Alex’s contribution stems from an observation that whoever has stood out in history has always had a restlessness - something that people constantly told them was a weakness. Ranging from the original great thinkers of Athens to Einstein to Buffett, opposition to this type of innovative thinking has always originated from a resistance to change. In the business world, entrepreneurs represent this archetype because we are highly susceptible to negative criticism.

At every level of business - and especially when starting out - the message is “fix yourself.” In Alex’s experience, however, entrepreneurs must discover how to identify strengths and abilities, develop protection and support, and lower pressure and noise. You may be surprised at how rapidly these efforts help in accomplishing your goals. Alex even goes so far as to recommend leaning into your personality (as opposed to tempering it) and make it a more prominent part of your business.

From the work Alex has done with entrepreneurs, he has identified three awakenings that each of us experiences: 1) a realization that we are fundamentally different, 2) an innate motivation to keep going, 3) the call of contribution. The first stage begins at an early age by learning “what is wrong with me” through systemic suppression and fear. This eventually grows, however, into learning how to get ahead, and learning that self improvement often requires breaking systemic rules. The next evolution becomes “how to get my partners and team ahead”, which finally results in “how to contribute and help everyone.” Think of Bill Gates as the perfect example: someone who began is career as selfish, driven, and cutthroat, but developed a philanthropic, generous spirit of contribution.

Entrepreneurial personalities tend to prefer momentum to feeling - forward vs backwards as opposed to happy vs sad. As such, chasing momentum is more rewarding than chasing happiness. Entrepreneurs tend to be momentum-based or highly attuned to whether they’re moving forward. As Alex describes it, pressure and noise = stress, frustration, obstacles, regardless of size. Protection and support comes from surrounding yourself with people who help you move forward.

 

Complete the following exercise: think of a time when you experienced a high level of momentum. What were you chasing and how are you tracking your momentum? Who contributed to you and who have you contributed to? A perfect example of this formula is Rick Hoyt: a person who, with the help of his father, family, neighbors and friends, overcame a physical disability to develop strengths and abilities, and eventually make a contribution through inspiration.

John Spence went from being kicked out of college with a D average to becoming CEO of an international Rockefeller foundation and reporting directly to Winthrop P. Rockefeller III just a few years later. This turn around wasn’t an accident, it was something John did by maintaining a focus on innovation, personal growth, and a thirst for learning. As an entrepreneur, he has worn many hats, but has always maintained that focus on innovation. This is the inspiration for his contribution to Paper Napkin Wisdom: “II > EI”. Simply put, the equation means that to be successful in the future, the rate of internal innovation must exceed the rate of external innovation.

In the entrepreneurial world, when everything around you becomes unstable, internal innovation is required in order to maintain (or grow), especially considering the speed of change around us. Entrepreneurs know in their core that in order to be successful, we must out-innovate, out-create, out-experiment, and out-deliver our competitors.

The pace of innovation is faster and the scope is broader (global) in every industry, sector, and marketplace. Consider the modern smart phone: in 1982, to purchase something that had every capability that a smart phone currently has would’ve cost $3.2 billion dollars (with a B!) and been the size of two tractor-trailers. An iPhone now retails for $700 and fits in your pocket. In 10 years, you may be able to purchase the same capabilities for $5 at the size of a human blood cell.

The next question that most entrepreneurs will ask, according to John, is regarding intellectual property and the protection of ideas. While the open source economy is rapidly developing, the protection of intellectual property will require a heightened attention on process. This means a powerful commitment to continuous, daily, incremental improvement. In John’s experience, this also requires convening with like-minded individuals to bring new ideas and provide support (the oxymoron of personal connection in the face of technological disconnect).

In that vein, John’s work has provided him with relevant analysis on the younger generation of today’s workforce and produced surprising results. The so-called millennial generation values the opportunity to do important work, work with cool people, and make a difference. This comes from the realization that you can Google an answer, but not a question - it cannot ask you a question and cause you to think critically. The correlation for entrepreneurs is that the success of your business, regardless of size, is directly determined by the quality of the people that you can get, grow, and and retain. Even for “solo-preneurs”, this means your personal network - people who can challenge you and help generate ideas (the process is likely to be 90% give, 10% take).

 

From similar analytical findings, John’s research shows that the qualities people value most in leadership are asking great questions and the ability to listen. When listening to your key players, ask yourself the following: What does that mean to me? How can I use that? What can I do right away? Similarly, according to John, you must be bold enough and curious enough to explore different industries as a new source of learning and growth.

 

When thinking of this kind of exponential growth, consider this analogy: which choice you would make if someone offered you either $1 million immediately, or 1 cent that doubles every day for 30 days? The long-term satisfaction of the latter is a perfect microcosm for John’s philosophy on internal innovation.

Jason Womack is an educator, author, entrepreneur, and CEO, among other things. He is an avid practitioner of his own philosophies on work/life balance, productivity, and forward progress, and with Master’s degrees in Education and Psychology, is well-educated in the way we think. These facets of Jason’s life and work have inspired his contribution to Paper Napkin Wisdom, which is a simple straight line from point A to point B. The philosophy behind Jason’s napkin focuses on how to get to point B without getting knocked off course, how to persevere when the path gets rough, and how to focus when it gets easy.

As Jason explains, from a certain age, we are programmed to look towards “what is next” (e.g. in high school, we look towards college as the next step). This is the difference between destination-based goals and direction-based goals. “Getting through the day”, for example, is a destination-based goal - it is not necessarily a bad thing, but it may be limiting your perspective. After a few instances of concentrating on destination, however, you begin to understand your direction - the experience(s) you want to have, both in your work and your life.

Direction, according to Jason, is all about momentum. It allows you to experience - and learn from - everything along the path to point B. An exercise that Jason employs is to consistently acknowledge when something is complete, rather than rerunning it internally to find mistakes or weaknesses. This exercise not only helps to push forward, but also helps to commit to systems and processes. This creates a flow of psychology, sociology, and technology, which Jason says will help clarify your direction-based goals.

In terms of psychology (the thinking side), create an “at my best” list - an explicit inventory of conditions when you are most successful (e.g. eating a full breakfast, meeting first-thing with key players, etc). Think of this list as another version of strength-finder, where you create an opportunity to move forward. Another way to think of this is resilience. Most would consider resilience when faced with major, life-changing, negative events, but Jason encourages us to also consider everyday stressors and obstacles that you get past, which indicate that you’re making progress.

The second phase - sociology - is all about support. Ask yourself who are you going to hang out with next, and decide whether that person is someone who will help you get to the next level. You will eventually find yourself in an atmosphere of mentorship, friendship, family, and support. The “who” in this instance will always have a profound impact on the “why” the “how” and the “why”, and will further influence your movement, momentum, and destination.

Finally, Jason talks about technology. Rather than just the screen size, battery life, and cord length, Jason refers to any tool that will help with tracking and accountability. In other words, how do you utilize the tools - high- and low-tech - available to you in order to keep moving forward? How do you track yourself and what systems do you employ?

From these three areas, Jason has developed three questions to ask yourself on a daily basis to help focus your direction: 1) what did I complete today? 2) who can I acknowledge today? 3) what am I grateful for today? This exercise will help show that everything is relative - both the successes and the failures (e.g. the guy without shoes complains until he sees the guy without feet). It also creates a powerful historical record to show that something that seems significant now might not seem that way a few months or years later.

As entrepreneurs, we are experts in cognitive dissonance, according to Jason - the ability to notice a gap or when something is off. We must challenge ourselves also to notice what is there and what is “on”.

My very Uncommon Opinion: buying a house is a good investment

 

These days, it seems to be all the rage to tell people to “never buy a house.” Folks like Grant Cardone and James Altucher argue that buying a home eats up too much capital and never allows for a good return on investment. Well, to put this bluntly: They’re wrong, and I have the facts to prove it.

 

How much money are you really putting down?

 

If you’re an average millennial with decent credit, you’ll usually only be putting down 10% when you purchase your first home – far from some online arguments that assume a 20% to 40% down payment when arguing against home buying. That’s a big difference – $30,000 vs. up to $120,000 for a $300,000 home. Don’t rely on inaccurate assumptions; estimate what your down payment would be before deciding that buying isn’t for you.

 

People are overbuying on their first (or second, or third) house

 

When most people look at a mortgage offer from a bank, they purchase the most expensive house the bank will allow them to afford, which is a terrible idea. If a bank extends someone the credit to buy a $500,000 house, but a $300,000 home fits most of their needs, the less expensive home is a better financial and lifestyle choice. Remember, overextending yourself means you are actually buying a mortgage, not a house.

 

Many of the arguments against buying overlook making a sensible purchase, and use examples in which individuals are buying the most expensive home they can get their hands on. That seriously sways the numbers in favor of renting. Just because others are doing this doesn’t mean you have to – get a less expensive home so you can save and place more money into investment vehicles with a higher rate of return, or spend the difference on things you are passionate about.

 

Money spent on upgrading your lifestyle or yourself, such as traveling the world or finally firing up that great business idea, are a far better investment than a fancy address. Plus, you can always upgrade later, if you want.

 

Keep in mind, you have to live somewhere

 

One of the traditional arguments for buying a home is that you’re spending money on rent anyway, so you might as well invest it in something. This is still correct. As long as you make smart choices when you purchase a home, it’s better to invest in your own property rather than pay a landlord.

 

Think about it this way – you’re going to lose a lot of money renting over the years. If you lose less money over time by owning a house, you’ve made a great financial choice.

 

Homes nearly always appreciate in value, especially with maintenance and ‘smart’ improvements

 

If you let your home deteriorate and don’t maintain it, it’s a no-brainer that its value will decrease over time. However, if you maintain your home by investing in improvements that can increase its resale value, it’s likely to significantly increase in value over time.

 

Examples of improvements with a high rate of return include installing high-quality floors, maintaining bathrooms, and upgrading your home’s kitchen. Unfortunately, improvements to the backyard such as landscaping have low ROI, so you should avoid spending too much on them if you’re trying to maximize your home’s value.

 

Will I be stuck in my house forever?

 

Unlike what some folks say, buying a home doesn't chain you to one address for life. Unless you get really unlucky and purchase a place for well over its market value, you’re not going to get stuck for long – just sell the house and move into another. If you can’t, simply rent out your property and rent another somewhere else while you sort things out and wait for the original home’s value to increase.

 

Is this a good time to buy?

 

The housing crash of 2008 is still in recent memory and it has many first-time home buyers scared that they could overpay, only to see their residence quickly crash in value. So, to determine whether the housing market is overvalued (and thus headed for a bust) or if it still has a lot of room for stable growth, check out an analysis done by The Economist for a quick snapshot.

 

The magazine’s data team looked at two numbers: the ratio of price to income and price to rent, and found that houses in most American cities appear to be at fair value when compared to long-term averages. Some cities, however, like San Francisco, have homes that are extremely expensive compared to average incomes (meaning they could be destined for a fast fall), so it’s a good idea to dig into a city’s price-to-income and price-to-rent ratios before buying property there.

 

Profiting off of your home equity using “The Smith Manoeuvre” (for Canadian homeowners)

 

In the U.S., home mortgage payments are tax deductible (as long as it’s a primary residence), but in Canada, homeowners aren’t quite so lucky. However, Canadians can take out a home equity loan in order to invest money in income-producing entities (like dividend-paying stocks or rental property), and use the tax return to further pay down their mortgages.

 

It’s called the Smith Manoeuvre, and while it sounds complex, it’s a fantastic way for many homeowners to develop a sizeable investment portfolio and pay their mortgage at the same time. If you’re considering doing this, you should be confident in your investing skills – and be prepared with a Plan B if you need to move and the market goes down.

 

The bottom line: You should probably own a house

 

Should everyone go out right now and buy a house? Well, maybe not everyone. But if you're like most young people who earn a steady income and want to invest in their future, it’s absolutely the right move. If you still don’t believe me, run the numbers yourself with this calculator. It takes into account rent prices, mortgage rates, inflation levels, taxes, and variety of other factors to compare the long-term costs of renting vs. buying a residence.

Jeff Hoffman’s career has provided him with many hats to wear: successful entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, Hollywood film producer, and a producer of a Grammy winning jazz album. Jeff has had various roles in companies large and small, along with being the founder of multiple startups. Along the path of this career, Jeff one day noticed a sign that said “You may be successful, but will you matter?” Along with the concept of using your career to make a difference, that is the essence of Jeff’s contribution to Paper Napkin Wisdom.

Conventional wisdom in the entrepreneur world states that you can either be someone who cares about doing good - i.e. a social entrepreneur - or you can concentrate on making money. In Jeff’s experience, however, this is not a binary decision - the two elements are not mutually exclusive. Your product may not change the world, but your life should: the results of your effort - what you do with your success, your life, your time - can make the world better around you. In Jeff’s mind, the definition of “mattering”: how many other people’s lives have you made better?

To think of this concept another way, money is often required to make a difference, so you shouldn’t feel guilty about being successful, as long as your success leads to positive change around you. The benefit you find from using your time to help someone else cannot truly be quantified. The story Jeff shares is of spending time with the elderly who did not seem to have anyone else to keep them company. More specifically, he regularly took one woman to a local diner because all she wanted was a piece of pie. It became such a joy for her that her caretakers at the nursing home described her as “counting the days until pie day.”

Jeff’s experience sharing his time with the elderly clarified something for him: entrepreneurs who are only chasing money are usually the ones who quit first. People that are driven by purpose, however, far outperform those who are driven by paycheck. When you know that your efforts and your work matter, it becomes a driver for your success. This kind of confidence also becomes contagious - for potential investors, customers, and employees.

Another vivid example from Jeff centers around the successful sale of his first startup to a Fortune 500 company. He began to notice that friends and peers were treating him differently - almost negatively. Instead of celebrating the success of the sale of his first startup, Jeff became depressed and somewhat resentful of his own achievements. Almost simultaneously with that feeling came a news story about a local shelter for battered women being closed due to lack of funding, so Jeff put two and two together and was able to assist the shelter financially. The logical lesson learned is the direct correlation between how hard he worked and his ability to make other people’s lives better, so he never felt guilty about making money again.

This accidental discovery became a financial and career philosophy, and also began to permeate his own company culture. They developed a system to take a percentage of their sales and put it into a pool, then allow the employees to decide as a team where to direct those funds (or the time that they can support). They call it the community project account. The philosophy Jeff created for himself became contagious for his team - a bonding exercise that a standard work environment could never provide.

Culturally, the end result was a stronger team of respectful, collaborative individuals. Jeff’s experience is the ultimate instance of leading by example - creating a personal philosophy powerful enough that it became influential for his team and helped strengthen/grow his business.

In episode 178 of Paper Napkin Wisdom, we were delighted to welcome back Peter Shankman, an entrepreneur, author, and renowned keynote speaker. Known for founding Source of Sources (SOS), Help a Reporter Out (HARO), Mental Capital and his focus on neurodiversity, Peter has continually pushed boundaries in both his personal and professional life.

During this insightful conversation, Peter shared a simple but impactful mantra: “Do the scary thing.” This nugget of wisdom has played a pivotal role in shaping Peter's successes and life philosophy.

Why Do the Scary Thing?

"Everything I've ever done in my life that's been successful... has started by my doing the scary thing," Peter explained. Whether it’s jumping off cliffs, both literal and metaphorical, he attributes much of his growth to embracing fear and risk. This philosophy pushes individuals to leave the safety of their comfort zones and explore the unknown.

For Peter, "the scary thing" has driven decisions in both his personal adventures, like skydiving and triathlons, and his business endeavors, like launching HARO, now an essential platform for journalists worldwide. The element of fear is present in all major breakthroughs, as taking risks often involves a chance for failure. But Peter reminds us that failure is not something to fear—it’s part of the journey to success.

Neurodiversity as a Superpower

Peter’s story is unique in more ways than one, as his journey includes embracing his ADHD as a gift, not a limitation. He talked about how ADHD has fueled his creativity and allowed him to approach life with a different lens. "Having a neurodiverse brain is a superpower," he stated, emphasizing that seeing the world differently can provide a competitive edge, especially in entrepreneurship.

Peter’s podcast, Faster Than Normal, is dedicated to helping people with ADHD recognize the strengths that come with a neurodiverse brain, demonstrating how they can leverage their differences to their advantage.

Action, Not Perfection

One key lesson Peter shared is the importance of action over perfection. He reflected on how many people hold themselves back because they want everything to be perfect before making a move. But in Peter’s view, waiting for perfection means missing out on growth. "You’ll learn as you go, and the mistakes you make will help you grow faster than if you wait for the ‘right’ time."

This concept ties back to his core belief: act now, and adjust along the way.

Bringing Fear into Business

We also discussed how this idea of doing the scary thing applies to business. Peter stressed the importance of making bold moves when building a company. “If you’re comfortable, you’re not growing,” he said. Whether it’s launching a new product, expanding into a different market, or even rethinking customer experience, leaders need to take calculated risks to move forward.

Success, as Peter notes, often lies on the other side of fear. His story is a living example of how embracing the unknown can lead to incredible achievements.

Conclusion

Peter Shankman’s wisdom is a powerful reminder that fear and growth are intertwined. From his career successes to his personal triumphs, his advice to “do the scary thing” applies not only to entrepreneurs but to anyone looking to level up in life.

5 Key Takeaways from Episode 178 with Peter Shankman

1. Do the Scary Thing: Growth happens when you leave your comfort zone. As Peter said, "Everything successful in my life started by doing the scary thing."

2. Neurodiversity is a Gift: Embrace the unique strengths that come with a neurodiverse brain. ADHD and other conditions are not limitations—they're superpowers.

3. Take Action Over Waiting for Perfection: Don't let the fear of imperfection hold you back. "You’ll learn as you go," Peter explained.

4. Boldness in Business: In entrepreneurship, bold decisions lead to progress. "Comfort is the enemy of growth," Peter remarked.

5. Failure is Part of the Process: Failure isn’t the opposite of success; it’s a key ingredient. Every setback is an opportunity to learn and grow faster.

Peter Shankman’s approach to life and business is a blueprint for those looking to push past fear and embrace boldness. Take a moment to reflect on how you can do the scary thing in your own life—because that’s where real transformation begins.

Dave Rendall is an entrepreneur who has worn many hats during his professional career, which started when he was very young. All told, he has delivered newspapers, been a stock boy, lawn boy, caddie, painter, janitor, tutor, resident assistant, job coach, supervisor, nonprofit manager, and senior executive. Just to spice things up, he also has experience as a leadership professor, stand-up comedian, and endurance athlete. Drawing from this vast array of experience, Dave’s contribution to Paper Napkin Wisdom is rooted in reality: “What makes us weird, makes us wonderful. What makes us weak, also makes us strong.”

 

The common social reaction to uniqueness is one that nearly every teenage kid experiences at least once: rejection. Weirdness has a negative connotation; the word “unusual” is usually meant as a criticism. The resistance once receives for being weird is a push to be more conventional; to fit in. Robert Quinn once observed: “Deviants will always generate external pressures to conform when you perform beyond the norms, the systems will adjust and try to make you normal.”

 

It has been Dave’s experience, however, that the things that make you weird will also make you successful and remarkable. Those who are perceived to be weak may actually be quite strong. This perspective comes from Dave’s time working with people with disabilities (and specifically, helping them find employment). While it was common for others to focus on someone’s perceived disability, Dave explains that it takes a true genius to identify what’s working and what’s effective.

 

Dyslexia is a condition that provides a perfect example in the world of entrepreneurship. One study revealed that more than 50% of British millionaires were dyslexic, while another showed that at least 33% of entrepreneurs in the U.S. also have the condition. One person who fits into both categories is Richard Branson, who claims that his dyslexia has helped him to succeed. The logical conclusion: people with the condition don’t have weak or broken brains, they just have different brains. Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinkos, would likely agree; his dyslexia drove him to stay out of the office, improve his management style, and grow his business. Upon selling to FedEx for $2.4B, he claimed that not only would he not want to remove his condition, he wishes everyone could have it.

 

As with most entrepreneurial endeavors, there is a powerful analogy that comes from the sports world. Matt Stutzman is a competitive archer who won the silver medal at the Paralympic Games, all without arms. Matt says that he developed this incredible skill as a result of his disability by fine-tuning his core muscles and legs to the point of athletic superiority. He is even now facing legal action from those who claim that his condition gives him an “unfair advantage.” So perhaps the question you can ask yourself is: if someone without arms can be seen as having an “unfair advantage”, then is the weakness you face as an entrepreneur or as a leader really as strong as you think?

 

In Dave’s experience, there is always someone that is “weird” the same way you are, who would not see you as weird, but as wonderful. It’s about finding the right fit and the best situations where your perceived weirdness works for you. Dave is a 6’6” man, so he already stands out - yet he regularly wears pink shoes and pink pants as an homage to his three daughters. A side effect to this is that it helps him stand out even more (i.e. be more memorable) - for a professional speaker in a crowded marketplace, this becomes a clear advantage.

 

 

In a business sense, to be different requires doing things that are weird and unusual, but most businesses measure themselves against competition standards or parameters. Everyone measures success in the same way. True success, however, lives in having the courage to be weird and think differently in order to separate yourself and define success in a unique way. If you’re able to differentiate yourself into true uniqueness, then there is no competition.

Kris Kaplan is a firm believer that if you’re not having fun at what you do, you shouldn’t be doing it. After a long career on the road as a rep, Kris decided it was time to create an organization of people who shared the same values as him and were wholly focused on a singular vision. He is now a coach to entrepreneurs, business leaders, and other high-performing individuals, providing them with tools needed to simply execute. It is that focus on execution that inspired his contribution to Paper Napkin Wisdom: “Giddy Up and Make It Happen.”

 

Kris’ personal mantra of making it happen originated from taking his own thirst for learning and turning it into action - step on the gas and go for it. Within his own business, he found himself in a learning mode, protecting what was his during the post-recession free fall. Dealing with that kind of negativity in his business - a focus on saving what was left - made the business gun-shy about being as forward/active as possible. It also drove Kris toward developing a philosophy of less learning; more doing.

 

Personally, this mantra inspired Kris to become more active and lose weight, mostly to keep up with his young children. Professionally, however, it helps to maintain a “north star” when traveling along your path, or what Cameron Herold would describe as a vivid vision. Kris’ experience has taught him to take the strategy that he crafted and make the decision to accomplish it. Entrepreneurs can become enthralled with strategy as a sexy topic, but tactics are going to move you forward. Focusing on execution will also help simplify your strategy and create/maintain alignment among the team. In other words, a return to a singular goal.

 

The motivation for this focus on tactics derives from Kris’ observation of the current state of success: we now accept the “stumbling forward” way of business can be acceptable, rather than striving for true greatness. Companies are merely surviving rather than growing - 10% growth is stratospheric rather than the norm. Ask yourself this: what if you do a little less business, but become true experts at what you do? Wouldn’t that ultimately push your business towards a more rapid period of growth? Especially considering that revenue is not necessarily the only way to measure growth and success.

 

The foundation on which Kris has built this philosophy is one of empowered entrepreneurialism, passion for the products he represents, and simple solutions. Simplify your vision - be the #1 provider of X - and that vision will eventually filter down to tactics and execution (e.g. achieving that goal means I need to make 3 phone calls instead of 2).

 

 

It is certainly a more difficult proposition for an established company to rethink their perspective, as opposed to a new company that is just starting out, but the reward is that much more valuable when it happens. The time might never be right, but the result will always make it worthwhile. As Kris says, think about “when is now a good time”. 

 Hybrid thinking has defined Matt Curry's career as an entrepreneur. His professional career started out changing tires and eventually working his way into a management role, but his entrepreneurial career flourished after he launched his first auto shop in 1997 and ultimately grew it into one of the largest auto repair chains in the Washington, DC metro area.

Having embraced the evolution of the auto industry by educating his line of business in the art of hybrid and electric car repair, Matt has also embraced the evolution of employee engagement through his contribution to Paper Napkin Wisdom: "You can't rule your world by email."

Whether your business is a brick and mortar operation or entirely virtual, Matt's experience has taught him that you still need boots on the ground and, as a leader, you still need to be involved in all aspects of your operation. This is a lesson learned from observing his four original locations, meeting with his key people, and maintaining a “two-minute meeting” strategy for alignment. It is a lesson that has allowed Matt to ensure that everyone shares the same vision for the organization.

Matt explains that once his business grew to ten locations, he noticed that his key people were over-relying on email to communicate, especially when issues arose that needed to be fixed. He quickly learned that, as the organizational leader, if you are present and keep your team on the same page, you’re able to create processes and procedures (and better guarantee team commitment).

A motto of “enforced reinforce” developed, which means threading the vision of the business throughout the entire organization, including every individual employee. As a tactical example, if policies and procedures aren’t followed, keys could get lost, business would be damaged, sales would suffer, employee morale suffers, and everything devolves into a downward spiral. The "enforced reinforce" mantra helped create a structure where Matt was able to identify gaps or errors early on, address them in those two-minute meetings, and quickly find a resolution.

It may seem counterintuitive, as Matt indicates, but you can embrace creativity while simultaneously adhering to a solid operational structure. The practical tool for achieving this is Matt's "two-minute meeting." While the name can be deceiving (it can sometimes last 30 seconds or 10 minutes), the point is to communicate with key managers, ensure P&P adherence, and guarantee quality service delivery. Emails can become an easy crutch for fast results, but if you focus your regular meetings on a single subject and relevant metrics, you can accomplish quality and quantity in lieu of electronic communication.

The direct result of implementing the “boots on the ground” philosophy for Matt: increase in sales, improved manager performance, higher employee morale (one location went from $30k at acquisition to more than $300k in a short time). In his experience, it is the difference between staying in business and going out of business: structure provides for a more efficient business, which helps employees create a better work-life balance. Ultimately, the vision becomes ubiquitous, as does person and professional success.

 

 

Michael Walsh has built his company, Kaizen Consulting, into something that allows him to explore his own personal freedom. By embracing the methods that he uses when working with other entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses, he has surpassed his own expectations for what the entrepreneurial life can bring. His Paper Napkin Wisdom was inspired from his work with a particular client who experience a five-fold increase in sales: "Thinking big is not enough."

This concept arose when Michael asked himself the following two questions: "What stops businesses from growing?" and "What moves businesses past those things that have stopped them?" The conclusion at which he arrived was simple: vision is exciting and aspirational, in the way that limbic energy is contagious. Vision without structure, however, either creates chaos or will fall flat. Vision is fast and compelling, while structure is slow and stable. (Conversely, structure without vision is like slogging through the mud). 

Michael observed that while entrepreneurial businesses are on the rise - 45% last more than five years today, versus 15% two decades ago - the growth of these businesses is missing. Of those businesses that succeed, 85% fail to reach $1 million in revenue; of those that reach $1 million, 95% fail to reach $5 million; of those that reach $5 million, 98% fail to reach $10 million.

In Michael's experience, the difference between being an expert and being an entrepreneur running an expert business is three factors. Along with excelling at what you do, you must hone your skills in sales/marketing, finance, and people management (picture trying to balance four spinning plates instead of just one). Now consider that you’re also balancing these four spinning plates while balancing yourself on a ball, otherwise known as a constantly changing marketplace. When you attempt to grow from this point, your balance point ultimately falters.

The one single thing driving most entrepreneurs is freedom, and, as Michael puts it,  growth equates to access to freedom. This level of satisfaction, however, doesn’t come from reducing the risk - satisfaction comes from winning in the face of the risk. In response to the businesses that approach him with questions on how to grow, Michael proposes three simple rules:

• 1.       Treat yourself as your company's most valuable asset
• 2.       Free yourself up to do what you do best (i.e. trust others to execute tasks that are essential, but not your area of expertise, such as bookkeeping)
• 3.       Focus on your own strengths and then concentrate your attempts to grow on those areas. 

 

Following this process will start to fuse all of those different spinning plates into one, cohesive organization. Eventually, you will find yourself experiencing better balance and the increased level of freedom that inspired your drive toward growth in the first place.

Fran Biderman-Gross calls herself the “Strategista” of Advantages, a New York City-based company that helps companies to get noticed through branding, marketing, and print production management. Her professional background includes more than twenty years’ professional experience in the niche print industry, but when it comes to her Paper Napkin Wisdom, she's all about turning things upside down (or in this case, on their side).

If you envision the traditional sales funnel, you see a Y-shaped graphic with all the effort of your business focused on eventually converting hundreds (if not thousands) of leads from the top to one or a handful of customers at the bottom. Tradition says that this is a numbers game - increase the number of leads, you increase the number of prospects, and eventually, you increase your number of customers.

Fran's take: tip the funnel on its side (so it looks like a megaphone) and concentrate on what you're projecting out into the world. What you project should be singular and simple; focus on this “one thing” that you put into the megaphone because it has the ability to spread - and what you wait to hear is the echo. The echo means articulating the purpose of your company so well that only like-minded people respond.

There certainly may be difficulty in accepting the idea that you should stop selling to people (and accepting customers) who don’t echo your message. By focusing on those that echo your message, however, you create ambassadors of your brand. You create an indirect sales force that gives you the flexibility to abandon those middling clients that you accepted just to help keep the lights on.

Think about Apple. If Apple communicated in a "traditional" way, they would talk about what they do and why they’re different. “We make great computers. They’re beautifully designed and simple to use. Want to buy one?” Instead, they draw from the inside out - why they exist - through inspiration. “We challenge the status quo by thinking differently. We just happen to make computers.” Which one of those two messages resonates better with their customers?

 

As a result of this commitment to the projection of purpose, Fran’s business has grown in the neighborhood of 700% since she discovered this philosophy. In her experience, if you shrink what you do, you actually grow. Focusing on the “one thing” you’re really good at allows you to become the master of your field. The process to find the “one thing” was painful for Fran and her business - a trial by fire - until they started focusing on the client and service what they need (as opposed to trying to shoehorn their services in). Eventually, the trust that is developed creates a relationship where clients are describing a problem that requires a solution, rather than asking for a specific product or service.

Tip your own sales funnel on its side and project your true purpose to the world. Begin the journey by discovering what is important to you (and why). Then answer those questions for your business. The process is trial and error, but will eventually yield the ability to build the necessary trust with your customers.

Rich Mulholland has had one of the more an entrepreneurial careers of all the Paper Napkin Wisdom contributors. He started out as a roadie for bands like Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi and eventually realized that there was a lack of energy in the industry during the winter months in South Africa.

Driven by his entrepreneurial spirit, he took the initiative to adapt the “rock show” model to corporate clients. He started out by dressing up corporate speeches and presentations with pyrotechnics and grand theatrics, but quickly realized that he was solving the wrong problem: he needed to work on the presentations themselves, rather than the theatrics surrounding them. This was a result of the intense hatred that Rich (and really, all of us) had for boring presentations - it is also the motivation for his contribution to Paper Napkin Wisdom: "“We all need to fall in hate with something.”

An oft-cited quote from Ghandi says that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. According to Rich, however, this is antithetical to the entrepreneurial motivation: entrepreneurs tend to look at things we hate in the world and say “we can fix it." The entrepreneurial spirit, in Rich's mind, arises from a passion about something so frustrating that the desire to change it becomes overwhelming. This desire ultimately spawns two ways to approach a solution as an entrepreneur: fix a problem or fill a gap.

Contrary to Ghandi's perspective, if you end up doing what you love, your passion will become your job, and cease to be something you love. Rich's approach, on the other hand, has allowed him to separate life effectively - hobbies, loves, passions don’t get in the way of work and vice versa. He has become empowered to explore both avenues of himself - work and life - independently and learn dual channels of lessons. The resulting philosophy:  “love how you do what you do." It is much easier to be passionate about something that frustrates you; call it an itch to be scratched.

Looking back to Rich's origins in the music industry, we see the true motivations for an entrepreneur: for any market that lacks an expert, whomever puts their hand up first and says “pick me” is the expert by default. Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs are so busy running their businesses that they aren't open to spotting a problem when it arises. "Being busy" has become a status symbol; a hallmark for success.

 

Having the capacity to solve the dilemmas of entrepreneurial businesses requires a freedom from "being busy"; a commitment to balance. If we think of our business as a support structure for our personal lives - having a better life means taking the time to do the things you enjoy and spend time with people you love. Once you reframe what success means, it is much easier - and you are more empowered - to prioritize.

Alan Miltz’s 20+ years of executive background ranges from founding director of Inmatrix Pty Ltd through to most recently, director of Pearl Finance Australia. Alan has extensive experience across all major finance fields, including financial analysis and debt finance boosting, and spends a large amount of time helping entrepreneurs handle their banking relationships, cash flow analysis, and other financial matters. His Paper Napkin Wisdom reflects this level of expertise: “Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity. Cash is king.”

In Alan's experience, most entrepreneurs and CEOs only want to talk about revenue, margins, profit, etc. Profit, as Alan puts it, is an opinion - you can manipulate it to any degree necessary to fit your message. Here's another way of thinking about the relationship between profitability and cash flow: businesses speak Spanish, but banks speak Portuguese. A competent business owner must be fluent in both because banks talk about cash flow as an ability to service your debt. 

There are four facets or chapters of almost every business, especially those of an entrepreneurial nature. The first chapter is that which every entrepreneur is already well-versed: profitability. Business owners understand chapter one well because it is reflected in revenue growth, margins, EBIT, and other familiar metrics. Chapter two - your working capital cycle - is also reasonably well understood by most entrepreneurs. This includes receivables and debtors, collections, inventory management, speed of bill for services, supplier payment.

Chapter three is defined by what you do with your business after the considerations of chapters one and two: infrastructure or other capital investments. How are you handling your cash flow and what are you doing with it? This, in combination with the first two chapters, is also how chapter four is defined: your cash flow. In Alan's experience, about 60% of companies are profitable but have very tight cash flow - this ultimately harms growth. After considering these four facets or chapters of your business, you must ask yourself: "do I have enough cash flow to finance my growth?"

Regardless of the answer to that question, you can rest assured that your cash flow will be defined by what Alan calls "the power of one", or a 1% positive change in one of seven levers that any CEO can pull at any time. Price, volume, cost of goods, overhead, payables, receivables, and inventory are your seven levers; the most successful entrepreneurs understand these seven levers - and when to pull them - in order to drive growth.

Alan's background means that business owners come to him when they have trouble working with their bank(s). His expertise tells him that when a bank puts pressure on you, it doesn’t mean they don’t understand your business. It means you have a cash flow problem that must be fixed through the power of one. Put another way, the power of one is a summary of strategic plan - price/volume = marketing, cost of goods = operations, overhead = everyone, collections = finance/sales, inventory = operations. Everyone in your business must understand how they impact cash and ultimately, behavior will change in a positive way when company culture embraces this philosophy.

I so often hear about entrepreneurs, leaders, and difference-makers wanting to get more results – scalable results – exponential results. They talk about their hearts being into it, but they are not driving the results they want.

The answer is simple, you have to couple passion and process to get crazy results – exponential results.

You have to be wildly committed to the goals that you set, and make progress on them every day. You cannot do this without a process that permits you to focus on them, to relentlessly execute on them.

If you want a structure to help you do this, I want to give it to you. Please go to www.PaperNapkinWisdom.com and sign up, we’ll send you the e-book that contains the secret structure that will build more scalable, even exponential results than you had thought possible.

You have so much to give, you had better start now.

Take Action is a short podcast, usually between 3 to 5 minutes long, and the focus is on the small, 1% improvements we can make in our businesses and lives. Small changes make a big difference!

This podcast will help you make small changes that will change your world, so we can together save the world one entrepreneur and small business at a time!

Based on The Book Paper Napkin Wisdom: Your 5 Step Plan to Life and Business Success … get yours now on Amazon or at Paper Napkin Wisdom.

Dr. Heidi Hanna is CEO and founder of SYNERGY, an integrative neuroscience partnership that provides brain-based training for individuals and organizations. Heidi’s publications include the NY Times best seller The SHARP Solution: A Brain-Based Approach for Optimal Performance (Wiley, Feb 2013), and the follow-up release Stressaholic: 5 Steps to Transform Your Relationship With Stress (Wiley, Jan 2014).

In addition to those accomplishments, Heidi also attended college on a full scholarship to play softball. As a pitcher, she quickly realized that athletes share a common awareness of the window they possess to perform an optimal level. She also discovered that most high-performing athletics perfected ways to recharge their energy in order to continue performing that those levels. Finally, as with any pitcher, she become intimately familiar with the pitch counts imposed upon her.

Throughout these experiences, it became clear that energy is our most important resource. In softball (and baseball), a pitch count is a regimented tool design to allow pitchers to recharge their energy appropriately. Similarly, in tennis, players only spend an average of 35% actually playing the game; the remainder is spent restoring their energy levels. As you can imagine, this tactic translates seamlessly into the non-sports world and especially to entrepreneurs.

Stress can initially provide stimulation for achievement, but prolonged periods or intense levels of stress will ultimately diminish our ability to be resilient. For entrepreneurs, installing a schedule that allows for energy restoration can be difficult and feel uncomfortable.

Physiologically, however, we are designed for it. Before the technological advance of the previous century, most humans scheduled themselves around natural daylight. With the advent of artificial light, it became easier to work beyond the limitations of nature. The advances of the last decade have exacerbated those habits further, as it is now possible to be constantly connected and consistently running at full capacity.

This eventually leads to "tolerating" life, as opposed to finding a true rhythm. As such, we must determine our own pitch count in order to recognize when we need time to recharge. Think of the process as coupling periods of strategic engagement with periods of strategic disengagement. Down time doesn't mean surfing the web, watching TV, or checking email; rather, it means allowing your mind to fully recharge. A simple start is to schedule time blocks for 50 minutes instead of one hour to automatically build in a 10-minute window for energy restoration.

Make a proactive effort to be at your peak when it matters most, rather than trying to maintain that peak at all times. Identify what's most important in order to capitalize on those moments. This can be accomplished through an "energy audit". Monitor your sleep habits (amount of time, sleep preparation and technology cut-off, positive morning rituals). Embrace nutrition - your body's fuel. Maintain a balance of movement and rest to keep from overcommitting to one or the other.

Entrepreneurs can easily fall into the trap of thinking "it's all about how much I can get done, and how quickly". The more intense the situation you prepare for, however, the more recovery time that will be required. If you enter each day with intention and remind yourself that in order to speed up, you must slow down, you will avoid that dreaded entrepreneurial pitfall: burn out.

Long-term commitment to recharging energy creates the longevity necessary to leave a legacy. Perfecting this process will even allow you to then coach your team in managing their own pitch count. Health, happiness, relationships, business all will improve.

 

Create a recharge revolution!

Warren Rustand has created, led and grown many successful private, public and not-for-profit entities. He is currently the CEO of Providence Service Corp and has a long and distinguished career serving a Chief Executive or in senior-level leadership positions with numerous other organizations. Warren is a frequent speaker on leadership, business, families, and personal development, and contributes to Paper Napkin Wisdom with the following: "One's success in life is relevant only to one's own capacity."

In Warren's experience, it is human nature - and certainly the nature of the entrepreneur - to measure one's self against others. On the contrary, true success can only really be defined through our own capability, potential, and skills (those that have been given to us and those we have developed over time). The only success that is relevant, therefore, is that which can be measured against this personal capacity or potential.

Supplemental to this idea of personal capacity is the notion that rather than comparing ourselves to others who might have more of something or be better at something, we should look to those who may be less fortunate. Not only does this allow us to recognize how fortunate we actually are, but it also enables us to mentor, support, and assist others on their own path of personal development.

Warren's experience has taught him that the greatest journey in life is self-mastery: the idea that we can control our appetites, passions, desires, and abilities and channel them in constructive ways. Rather than getting caught up in ancillary activities, we can concentrate on true progress through the following five steps:

·         1. Commit to a higher level of personal discipline

·         2. Have a purpose every day

·         3. Make intentional decisions

·         4. Make conscious choices

·         5. Answer the call to serve

Warren teaches that if we make progress with these steps each day, we become closer and closer to self mastery, which can ultimately lead to greater individual freedom. These steps are integrated and should be worked on together (rather than one at a time); they also require a significant level of proactivity, rather than simply reacting to everything around us. 

This means recognizing the three areas in which we have control every single day: our mind, our energy, and our time. By Warren's estimation, if we can manage those three consistently well, we will come close to finding success measured against our personal capacity. Warren's own personal habit is to ask himself "Why am I alive today?" Such a simple question allows him not only to discover his purpose(s) for the day, but also to schedule around that purpose in a proactive, highly defined way.

Another exercise that Warren employs is a daily, 30-minute reflection to focus the mind, split into three ten minute segments: 1) think great, positive thoughts, 2) read great, positive thoughts (i.e. not the newspaper!), and 3) write in a personal journal about the positive aspects of your life. As with great athletes and other competitors, never allow a negative thought to enter your mind as you prepare to master your personal energy. This will ultimately allow you to be the best entrepreneur, parent, sibling, etc, you can be, measured against your own personal capacity. 

In memory of John, and to support his family during this difficult time, please consider contributing to the GoFundMe campaign set up in his honor.

In Appreciation of John Ruhlin - Lessons that Live and Love On

John Ruhlin was more than just an entrepreneur; he was a master of appreciation, a man whose philosophy of valuing others left an indelible mark on everyone he met. As we reflect on his life and legacy, it's clear that John's lessons on appreciation continue to resonate deeply, influencing both personal and professional relationships.

In a recent series of conversations with some of John's closest friends—Cameron Herold, John Di Julius, Shep Hyken, and John O'Leary—each of them shared profound insights into the impact John had on their lives and careers.

Cameron Herold began the conversation by reminding us of John’s core belief: "Love Bombing." Cameron emphasized that this simple yet powerful principle was something John lived by every day. Whether in business or personal life, John believed that recognizing and valuing the people around us leads to growth—both in relationships and in outcomes.

John Di Julius echoed this sentiment, highlighting how John’s philosophy of appreciation propelled him to unprecedented heights. "His message has touched so many," John said, reflecting on how John Ruhlin’s approach to valuing people was the key to his meteoric rise. It wasn't just about gifts or gestures; it was about the genuine care John showed for everyone in his circle, something that resonated deeply with all who knew him.

Shep Hyken shared a poignant memory of John, recalling the suddenness of his passing and the void it left in the hearts of his friends and colleagues. Shep reminded us that John’s legacy isn’t just in the business strategies he pioneered, but in the love and respect he cultivated. "John lived by his words," Shep noted, emphasizing that his success was a direct result of his unwavering commitment to appreciating those around him.

John O'Leary closed the conversation with a reflection on how John’s credo—"What you appreciate, appreciates"—was not just a mantra but a way of life. John O'Leary pointed out that this philosophy was something John Ruhlin didn’t just preach; he practiced it daily, and in doing so, he inspired others to do the same.

Five Key Takeaways from John Ruhlin’s Legacy:

1. Appreciation Creates Growth: What you appreciate truly does appreciate, leading to stronger relationships and better outcomes in all areas of life.

2. Genuine Care Leads to Success: John’s meteoric rise in business was fueled by his genuine care for others—a lesson that reminds us that success is deeply tied to how we treat people.

3. Live by Your Principles: John didn’t just talk about appreciation; he lived it every day, showing that our principles should be reflected in our actions.

4. Relationships Over Transactions: John’s approach to business was never about the transaction; it was always about building meaningful, lasting relationships.

5. Legacy of Love: John’s passing is a reminder that our greatest legacy isn’t what we achieve, but how we love and appreciate those around us.

John Ruhlin’s life and work remind us that the true measure of success lies in how we value others. As we carry forward his lessons, let’s all strive to appreciate more deeply, love more fully, and build relationships that stand the test of time.

In memory of John, and to support his family during this difficult time, please consider contributing to the GoFundMe campaign set up in his honor. John was a gift to us all, and now we have the opportunity to give back to his family, ensuring his legacy of generosity lives on.

Mark Moses is one of the world's foremost coaches of entrepreneurs. After starting his first business at age 19, he went on to build and sell two firms during his entrepreneurial career and now focuses on helping entrepreneurs increase profitability and accelerate growth. In his Paper Napkin, Mark shares: "If you can't define it, you can't measure it. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it."

Whether your goal is business, personal, or other, it must be explicitly defined before you're able to truly achieve it. Ask yourself the following questions: Where do you want to be three years from now? What will it take to guarantee that happens (and how will you measure it)? What stands in the way of making that happen?

Now ask those same questions for the next year; for the next quarter. Are the goals related and are they equally measureable? This state of constant definition and perpetual measuring is the most concrete method to managing your objectives. Leave the mentality of "concept" behind and instead embrace detailed, specific objectives.

Most entrepreneurs understand where they want to be, but struggle to identify the processes, tactics, and activities that will guarantee the end goal. Common examples of concepts without specifics are: hire better sales people, improve culture, improve efficiency, deliver better service. How can you focus on something important if it is not specific enough to create tasks?

Conversely, if the goal is to grow revenue, define that growth: "from X to Y in Z timeframe". Define the initial steps it will require to achieve that goal: hire X amount of salespeople". Clearly outline the measurements along the way: X number of calls/visits per salesperson, etc". Creating such a specific and measureable plan will bring your daily, weekly, and quarterly activities into sharper relief.

A common overlooked factor of this process is that the measurements must be leading, rather than lagging. Because entrepreneurs tend to focus wholly on the "what" and frequently ignore the "how", it is more important than ever to have a system of leading indicators to hold your team - and yourself - accountable. Businesses that have embraced this philosophy average a CAGR of 50% growth in revenue per year. At the very least, you will be empowered to dramatically enhance your ability to achieve much higher or more meaningful growth rates.

Accountability is another critical element of this process. Your ability to install these improvements in process, systems, management and leadership increases, as does the engagement of your key players. Hold an annual planning session and obtain that consensus/buy-in from your team on not only your objectives, but the measurements you will use to track progress. Follow through with accountability assignments and continue with quarterly planning and weekly check-ins, thus removing the possibility of becoming distracted by micro-level issues or "emergencies".

 

Weekly progress reports are also important to allow for mid-course corrections. The corrections are "bite-size" when identified weekly, as opposed to massive when delayed until a quarterly or annual session. You have thus empowered your key players (and the organization) to truly focus on achieving long-term goals. 

Patrick Gentempo is a name familiar to those who regularly check out the blog and podcast.  I recently spoke with Patrick and he shared the Paper Napkin Wisdom, “Philosophy is the most practical tool for achievement!”  Afterwards, Patrick told me … Continue reading →

The post No Contradictions Here – Patrick Gentempo (Entrepreneur, Innovator) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Patrick Gentempo [link] is the proverbial “man of many hats.”  The biography on his website [link] details many of those hats – from National Karate Champion to soap opera actor to chiropractor to devoted husband and father – but, from … Continue reading →

The post The Most Practical Success Tool – Patrick Gentempo (Entrepreneur, Innovator) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Mikki Williams is a motivational speaker of twenty-seven years and a nine-time entrepreneur, in addition to being a trainer, consultant, coach, author, multimedia personality, and self-described mensch (Yiddish for “very real human being”).  But listing Mikki’s many labels and accomplishments hardly … Continue reading →

The post Be Outrageous! – Mikki Williams (Entrepreneur, Speaker) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Deron Quon is Chairman of California Teleservices Inc. and co-founder of menus.com and Datassential, a research company focused on the food industry.  In addition, he is my classmate at MIT’s Entrepreneurial Masters Program. Deron shared with me an interesting three-part Paper … Continue reading →

The post Three Steps to Greatness – Deron Quon (Chairman, California Teleservices Inc) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Patrick Ellis is the President of Blue Note Wines & Spirits. While he is passionate about wine, he is also passionate about family and, as I learned when I spoke with him, there are similarities in his approaches to business … Continue reading →

The post Challenge Builds Character – Patrick Ellis (President, Blue Note Wines) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Adam Robinson is the co-founder and CEO of Hireology, which produces a web-based software platform that assists companies in the hiring process from end-to-end. Initially a self-described “accidental entrepreneur,” Adam has since developed an immense passion for entrepreneurship and he … Continue reading →

The post Get Out of Their Way! – Adam Robinson (Founder, CEO of Hireology) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Dave Sanderson is a name some may recognize. On 15 January 2009, international headlines were made when US Airways Flight 1549 ditched in the Hudson River off Midtown Manhattan. As the last passenger off the back of the plane, Dave … Continue reading →

The post Brace For Impact! – Dave Sanderson (Author and Speaker) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Sonny Vu is the founder of the award-winning Misfit Wearables, who design highly wearable computing products. In addition, he is the founder and former CEO of AgaMatrix, makers of the world’s first iPhone-connected hardware medical device. Sonny’s Paper Napkin Wisdom … Continue reading →

The post Like Your Team – Sonny Vu (CEO & Founder Misfit Wearables) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Jill Lublin is a public relations specialist, international speaker, best-selling author, and self-described “messenger of messengers” passionate about helping others to create a footprint in the marketplace. Unsurprisingly, she has created a considerable footprint for herself through seminars, books, and … Continue reading →

The post Is Your Business Your Message? – Jill Lublin (Speaker, Author) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

The Magic of Mind and Story: A Conversation with Derek Selinger

In our recent podcast episode, we had the privilege of hosting Derek Selinger, a renowned mentalist, magician, and keynote speaker. Derek's career is a testament to his dedication to the art of illusion and the study of human psychology. His performances are not just about magic tricks but about creating profound experiences that challenge perceptions and connect with audiences on a deeper level.

Early Inspirations and Journey

Derek’s journey into the world of magic began at a young age. "I was always fascinated by how easily our minds could be influenced," he shared. This curiosity led him to delve into the realms of magic and mentalism, where he found a perfect blend of art and science. His early experiences were filled with challenges, but they also shaped his unique approach to performance.

The Art of Storytelling in Magic

One of the most compelling aspects of Derek’s work is his emphasis on storytelling. "Storytelling is at the heart of what I do," Derek explained. He believes that a well-crafted narrative can elevate a simple magic trick into a memorable experience. By weaving stories into his acts, Derek creates a connection with his audience that goes beyond the visual spectacle.

Derek shared an anecdote about a performance where he used a personal story to create a powerful illusion. "The story resonated with the audience, and the magic felt more real and impactful," he said. This approach not only entertains but also engages the audience on an emotional level, making the performance more meaningful.

Psychological Insights and Illusions

Derek’s deep understanding of psychology plays a crucial role in his performances. "Magic is all about perception," he noted. By studying how people think and perceive reality, Derek is able to craft illusions that challenge and expand the audience’s understanding. He discussed how subtle cues and misdirection are used to create seemingly impossible feats.

One of the highlights of our conversation was Derek’s explanation of the psychological principles behind his illusions. He described how our brains can be tricked into seeing what isn't there, and how this knowledge allows him to manipulate perception. "It's a blend of art and science," he emphasized, showcasing the complexity and depth of his craft.

Authenticity and Audience Connection

Authenticity is a cornerstone of Derek’s performances. "Being genuine builds trust with the audience," he stressed. This authenticity not only enhances the connection with the audience but also makes the performance more impactful. Derek’s commitment to being genuine is evident in his storytelling and the personal elements he incorporates into his shows.

Derek shared a touching story about a performance where his authenticity created a lasting impact. "The audience could feel that I was sharing a part of myself," he recalled. This connection made the performance more than just an illusion; it became a shared experience that resonated with everyone involved.

Adapting to the Digital Age

With the rise of virtual events, Derek has successfully adapted his performances to the digital realm. "Performing online presents unique challenges, but also exciting opportunities," he explained. By leveraging technology, Derek has been able to create interactive and engaging virtual experiences that reach a global audience.

Derek discussed the innovative techniques he uses to engage online audiences. "Interactive elements and digital tools can create new layers of engagement," he said. His ability to adapt and innovate in the digital space highlights his forward-thinking approach and commitment to staying relevant in an ever-evolving industry.

Continuous Learning and Inspiration

Derek’s dedication to continuous learning is a driving force behind his success. He draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, from classic magicians to contemporary performers. "Learning from different styles and techniques keeps my approach dynamic," he shared. This openness to new ideas and methods ensures that his performances remain fresh and innovative.

He also emphasized the importance of evolving one’s craft. "Staying stagnant is not an option," Derek remarked. By constantly pushing the boundaries and incorporating new elements into his shows, he continues to captivate and inspire audiences around the world.

Key Takeaways from Our Podcast with Derek Sellinger

1. The Power of Storytelling: Integrating stories into performances enhances audience connection and makes the experience more memorable.
2. Understanding Human Psychology: Mastery of psychological principles allows for the creation of compelling illusions that captivate and challenge perceptions.
3. Authenticity Matters: Being genuine builds trust and deepens audience engagement, making performances more impactful.
4. Adaptability in the Digital Age: Embracing technology and adapting to new platforms is crucial for staying relevant and engaging in today’s digital world.
5. Continuous Learning and Inspiration: Drawing inspiration from various sources and continuously learning new techniques enriches one’s craft and keeps performances dynamic.

Derek Selinger’s journey and insights offer a fascinating glimpse into the world of mentalism and magic. His dedication to his craft, combined with his deep understanding of psychology and storytelling, makes him a truly remarkable performer. We hope you enjoyed this episode and gained valuable insights from our conversation with Derek.

Kathy Colace is the founder and managing partner of JBN & Associates, LLC, an executive search firm with the motto “Strengthening Companies. Building Careers.” She is also the mother of three adult children (after whom her company is named) and … Continue reading →

The post A Gift to Yourself – Kathy Colace (Founder JBN & Associates) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Erin Weed is the founder and CEO of evoso, a consultancy firm that helps people to develop speeches. She has been an entrepreneur since college, when the murder of one of her sorority sisters motivated her to scrap plans to … Continue reading →

The post Digging Your Freedom – Erin Weed (Founder Evoso Inc, Author, Speaker) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Each week I’ll post a short podcast, usually between 3 to 5 minutes long, just talking about how to apply the Paper Napkin Wisdom 5 Step Plan to Life and Business Success in an everyday kind of way.

 

As I was speaking to a group of entrepreneurs about execution this week, we discussed the value of changing our Perspective as leaders to not think that we were out front, but rather out back of our teams supporting them as they charged forward.

The discussion evolved toward understanding the value of how elephants lead. While elephants have obvious size and strength, that's not how they lead. The alpha female is the leader of the herd and she leads from the back of the group using skills like Problem Solving, Social Intelligence, Openness, Decisiveness, Patience, Confidence, and Compassion to guide the group.

Make it a great week!!

 

Syed Sultan Ahmed is a first generation entrepreneur and a real change maker. His organization, EDUMEDIA, is one that enriches the lives of children and works to educate and provide life skills to children all over India. He is a … Continue reading →

The post What do You Stand For? – Syed Sultan Ahmed (Founder, Edumedia India) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Chris Eldridge is a man with almost twenty years of experience in a wide range of industries. He is the kind of person who constantly does his best to go above and beyond. As he joins us on Paper Napkin … Continue reading →

The post Three Pillars to Lead By – Chris Eldridge (Director – 4Impact Group) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Each week I’ll post a short podcast, usually between 3 to 5 minutes long, just talking about how to apply the Paper Napkin Wisdom 5 Step Plan to Life and Business Success in an everyday kind of way.

This week I visited a group of entrepreneurs for a workshop on Execution. On the way back, I had huge challenges getting back home for the weekend. Apparently there was some sort of computer error, which took a ton of time to fix and, predictably, let to me missing the flight home. 

The challenge was that 1000s of other passengers had the same challenge as I did that day.

I never quit, nor did I think of quitting ... in fact, I've never quit on anything.

This week I share why.

Make it a great week!

 

Jack McDonald is a partner at Leeza Distribution Inc., a leading supplier of premium surfaces for counter-tops, sinks, vanity tops, and wall cladding in showers. In addition to his professional work, he also volunteers as a Scouts Leader and serves … Continue reading →

The post Structure and Balance – Jack McDonald (Partner, Leeza Distribution Inc.) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Patrick Thean is a truly inspiring guy. He is a successful serial entrepreneur who has started and exited multiple companies but he is best known for helping companies accelerate their growth. Patrick is exceptional at getting executive teams and their … Continue reading →

The post Better Listen – Patrick Thean (Entrepreneur, Author, Coach) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Paige Zinn is the Principal/Owner of Jennings, a healthcare marketing firm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For the past year, Paige has been reading a book called Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. The book is meant to be a … Continue reading →

The post Are you Alpha or Beta? – Paige Zinn (Principal – Jennings & Company) appeared first on Paper Napkin Wisdom - Blog and Podcast For Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers.

Each week I’ll post a short podcast, usually between 3 to 5 minutes long, just talking about how to apply the Paper Napkin Wisdom 5 Step Plan to Life and Business Success in an everyday kind of way.

 

Had a fun, wine-filled conversation this week with someone about unlikely sources of cinematic inspiration. I've almost always gone back to this handful of movies when I feel like my belief in myself is shaken and I need a source of inspiration. 

What movies do you watch for inspiration? My top few are in the podcast ... but there are so many more (including my holiday favorite) It's a Wonderful Life, and Scrooged, that could have made the cut.

Make it a great week!

In this insightful episode of Paper Napkin Wisdom, Govindh Jayaraman engages in a profound and enlightening conversation with Genevieve Piturro, the remarkable founder of the Pajama Program. This nonprofit organization has provided over seven million pajamas and books to children in need, offering them comfort and a sense of security. Genevieve’s journey from a successful corporate career to following her true calling is detailed in her book "Purpose, Passion, and Pajamas," and serves as a testament to the transformative power of collective purpose, passion, and perseverance.

The Power of One Another

Genevieve opens the conversation by challenging the often-celebrated notion of the "power of one." While society tends to laud individual achievements, she highlights the significant impact of collective efforts. "It's not the power of one that changes things. It's the power of one another that moves mountains and moves people," Genevieve asserts. This profound realization dawned on her as she witnessed the rapid growth of the Pajama Program. It became clear that the true driving force behind the organization's success was the combined efforts of countless volunteers, donors, and supporters. Each person’s contribution, no matter how small, played a critical role in creating a movement that transcended individual capabilities.

Genevieve reflects on the early days of the Pajama Program, when well-meaning individuals would often attribute its success solely to her. While she appreciated the recognition, something about it felt incomplete. "People would say, 'Look at what you've done, the power of one,' but it didn’t sit right with me. It wasn't just me; it was all of us, working together," she recalls. This collective effort, she believes, is what truly propels movements and fosters sustainable change.

A Life-Altering Moment

The podcast delves deeper into the life-altering moment that inspired Genevieve to leave her corporate career and embark on a journey of purpose. She recounts a pivotal experience that occurred while volunteering at a shelter. One evening, she brought pajamas for the children, only to discover that many of them did not have a comforting bedtime routine. This simple act of kindness—delivering pajamas—unveiled a profound need that resonated deeply with her. "I started to see that what I thought was a small gesture was actually a profound need," Genevieve shares. The children’s joy and gratitude ignited a passion within her to provide them with the comfort and security they deserved.

This moment was not just a revelation but a call to action. Genevieve realized that her life’s purpose extended beyond personal success in the corporate world. "I knew I had to do something more meaningful, something that could truly make a difference," she reflects. This realization marked the beginning of her transition from a lucrative corporate career to founding the Pajama Program. The journey was fraught with challenges, but it was also imbued with a sense of fulfillment that she had never experienced before.

Building the Pajama Program

As Genevieve embarked on building the Pajama Program, she encountered numerous challenges and triumphs. She emphasizes the importance of staying true to one's mission and the role of perseverance in overcoming obstacles. The early days of the organization were marked by uncertainty and financial constraints. Genevieve had to navigate through these challenges with determination and resilience. "There were times when I doubted myself and the mission, but the community's support and the children's smiles kept me going," she recalls.

Genevieve’s journey underscores the significance of aligning one's work with a deeper purpose. She found that when the mission is clear and compelling, it naturally attracts the right people and resources. The Pajama Program grew from a small grassroots initiative to a renowned nonprofit organization, thanks to the unwavering support of volunteers, donors, and partners. "It was the collective effort, the shared vision, that made it possible," Genevieve explains. Her story is a testament to the impact of purpose-driven work and the fulfillment that comes from making a tangible difference in the lives of others.

Lessons in Leadership and Purpose

Throughout the podcast, Genevieve offers valuable lessons in leadership and purpose-driven living. She advises aspiring changemakers to embrace their passion, be resilient in the face of setbacks, and foster a collaborative spirit. "Leadership is about inspiring others to see the vision and work together to achieve it," she explains. Genevieve’s experiences highlight the importance of authenticity, empathy, and the willingness to learn and adapt.

Her leadership style is characterized by a deep sense of empathy and a genuine desire to make a difference. She believes that true leaders are those who empower others and create opportunities for collective growth. "It's about creating an environment where everyone feels valued and motivated to contribute," Genevieve states. Her approach to leadership is not about exerting control but about facilitating collaboration and nurturing a sense of shared purpose.

Key Takeaways

1. The Power of Collective Effort: True change comes from the combined efforts of many. The collective power of individuals working together can move mountains and create lasting impact.

2. Listening to Your Inner Voice: Pay attention to moments of compassion and opportunities for growth. These moments can lead to life-changing paths and meaningful contributions.

3. Perseverance and Community Support: Building a successful organization or movement requires resilience, dedication, and the support of a community. Stay true to your mission and rally others around your cause.

4. Authentic Leadership: Lead with authenticity, empathy, and a willingness to learn. These qualities are essential for creating positive change and inspiring others.

5. Inspiring Others: Your journey and actions can inspire others to pursue their own paths of purpose. Encourage and support those around you to make a difference in their own unique ways.

Join Govindh Jayaraman and Genevieve Piturro in this heartfelt conversation that will leave you motivated to pursue your own purpose and contribute to a better world. Listen to the full episode to hear more about Genevieve's remarkable journey and the impactful work of the Pajama Program.

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