Find Your Why and Tell Your Story: Lessons for Budding Entrepreneurs From Gerard Adams Gerard Adams wants to turn your vision into a reality.
By Aaron Price Edited by Dan Bova
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Gerard Adams exited from Elite Daily in 2015, hosts the show Leaders Create Leaders and offers wisdom and insight as the Millennial Mentor on Instagram. In short, he knows a ton about entrepreneurship and leadership, and is on a mission to share this information with the world. This desire is what led Gerard to launch Fownders, a learning platform built for entrepreneurs who want to develop the skills needed to align their purpose towards a prosperous career and lifestyle.
Read on for three key takeaways Gerard wants all entrepreneurs to learn and incorporate into their journey.
Find your why.
After his exit from EliteDaily in 2015, Gerard sought a new purpose and passion in his life. At a Tony Robbins event the phrase, "success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure," seized upon him. As a young entrepreneur he had been greatly inspired by a visit to Silicon Valley, and blown away by all of the advice and mentorship he found in the community.
A native of New Jersey, Gerard decided to bring the idea of educating entrepreneurs back home -- and Fownders was born. For Gerard, cultivating emotional intelligence and focusing on core values is the first key step to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
"You need to align personal values, purpose and what drives you – your why. Really focus on that personal growth and mindset. Focus on internal before you build something external."
By beginning your entrepreneurial journey with a focus on personal mission, the rocky road of development will ultimately be more fulfilling, more satisfying, and easier to navigate, with a strong why at the forefront of your mind.
Idea isn't enough.
You've heard it before at Propelify. Everyone has ideas. Only entrepreneurs build and monetize those ideas.
"A lot of people want to become entrepreneurs. And a lot of people have ideas. But how to actually take action, to execute that idea, to learn strategies and tactics, and then turn that idea into something profitable? That's real entrepreneurship," Gerard says.
Fownders is focused on helping budding entrepreneurs chart a path to success before they even begin. By using the lessons his previous mentors have already learned, Gerard wants Fownders to help idea generators become innovators and turn their ideas into reality.
"Being of service, offering something of real value – that's the lesson entrepreneurs need to learn along the way," Gerard says.
The next great idea you have, begin with the end in mind -- the monetizaion -- so you can craft a series of steps that will lead to success.
Personal branding is storytelling
"One of the most powerful lessons I've learned is to understand how you tell your story. To not only understand how you see yourself but to see how the world sees you," Gerard says.
By learning to craft and cultivate a personal brand that tells the story you want to tell, you will entice collaborators and customers to your product and business, in a natural way.
Interested in tweaking your own brand or image? Answer these four questions to start the process: What is unique about you or your product? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What can you share that's of value? What space or platform will be best for you to share your story?
Your brand is your story. Think about what story you want to tell as you make your vision a reality.
Watch highlights from Gerard's talk at the 2017 Propelify Innovation Festival:
