Mike Smerklo is an experienced entrepreneur, investor, and business leader driven by the desire to turn ideas into reality. Having bought and scaled a small business into a publicly-traded company worth nearly a billion dollars, he has a deep understanding of the hard work, dedication, and grit that truly powers successful entrepreneurship. Mike shares the ups and downs of his entrepreneurial journey, and why he decided to write a book to help other entrepreneurs get over their fear and doubt about themselves, and the type of company they’re trying to build.
Key Takeaways:
[2:25] Mike talks about his book and why the proceeds are going to charity!
[3:35] Mike really struggled with imposter syndrome throughout his career.
[5:45] Entrepreneurship books fall into two camps: Tactical advice or rags to riches stories that make you feel kind of bad.
[8:35] Throughout Mike’s career, he was plagued with negative self-talk and inner voices. He didn’t have a lot of good role models growing up, and his book wanted to highlight ways to get over that voice of “not being enough.”
[11:50] Self-awareness might be the most important attribute for an entrepreneur.
[14:15] How do you know if a leader has self-awareness?
[16:00] All successful business owners ask for help. There is no shame in that!
[21:25] How can leaders be more authentic?
[23:50] It’s okay to not have all the answers for your team.
[28:15] Your entrepreneurial journey doesn’t get easier, it gets different.
[32:50] As a board member, how does Mike coach his leaders to rally their people and move in the right direction?
[37:00] Struggling with a particular task? Go find someone who has done it recently. Get good people around you.
[39:00] The biggest thing an entrepreneur can do is to stay focused.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Email Todd: Todd@Dynastylc.com
Mr. Monkey and Me: A Real Survival Guide for Entrepreneurs, by Mike Smerklo