You might know him as the Power Forward for the Atlanta Hawks or one of Duke’s most memorable alums, but off the court, Elton Brand is a serial entrepreneur, who joined me during a recent visit to Chicago to share his keys to winning in the business game.

About Elton

Elton Brand is an alum of Duke University and the #1 Draft Pick of the 1999 NBA Draft class. He has garnered an impressive 16 year career in the NBA and currently plays as a power forward for the Atlanta Hawks.

He is also the CEO of Milk Media Studios and owns several tech startups.

Overview:

In this podcast, Elton dispels some common entrepreneurial myths regarding what it really takes to get your vision off the ground and offers some wise words for entrepreneurs struggling with self-doubt.

Elton’s Action Steps:

1. Do your research before partnering with others
2. Use the momentum of one success to build another
3. Bootstrap if you can; Big Investors = Big Expectations
4. Start Small; Show the Potential of Your Vision

Top Quotes:

• “There’s a lot of sharks out there; it’s their job to take your money.”
• “I was still learning the business, but I believed in myself; believed in my brand.”
• “Trust the system; Set a goal, execute, but be prepared to walk away”
• “I’ve gotten a lot of good pitches on LinkedIn. It’s a place for serious entrepreneurs”

Resource Links:

• Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/)
• From Good to Great by Jim Collins (http://ow.ly/MSwwQ)
• The Long Tail by Chris Anderson(http://ow.ly/MSwCb

Key Timestamps:

• [01:13] A Leap of Faith into the World of Film
• [01:48] Before Christian Bael was Batman
• [02:45] You Don’t Have to be an Expert to Start
• [03:30] A Gamble Pays Off
• [04:45] Building Momentum
• [05:20] Becoming a Parallel-preneur
• [06:00] Having impact with limited resources
• [07:05] Polishing your Pitch
• [8:00] Assessing Risks & Moving Past Adversity
• [9:30] Bootstrapping your startup
• [10:15] Finding the right people for your team
• [10:50] What Sharks Really Do
• [11:55] Trusting the System
• [13:37] Good Reads for Entrepreneurs

Be sure to add your comments below or via Twitter @DrShanteSays