The word "naive" often associates itself with various defeating connotations. Understandably, you may be displeased when someone refers to you as such. But for Shawn Thomas, naivete is not a flaw; it’s an asset. As an aspiring entrepreneur, that inner naivete is what drives you to take that first step toward business success in your ventures.
In this episode, Shawn shares the crucial role of naivete in paving his way to business success. He shares the ups and downs in his challenging journey and the fruitful lessons he gained from them. Finally, he enumerates several tips that you can leverage for your business and achieve success along the way.
Listen to the episode if you want to find out how naivete can set you free from fear and other barriers in attaining business success.
3 Reasons to Listen:
- Find out how the power of naivete helped Shawn create business success.
- Learn new tips and mindsets in starting a business.
- Discover how to push past fear, reach out to others, and dare to be naive.
Resources
Episode Highlights
[02:21] Meet Shawn
- Shawn is the founder of Accelerators Organization, where they mentor startups doing a million dollars in annual revenues.
- He’s also an avid wine collector and drinker.
[04:45] The Power of Naivete
- Most people relate "success" with "financial success." Business success is one thing, but success differs per person.
- Shane had various incredible experiences because of his persistence in new ventures, despite not knowing what could happen.
- His parents never discouraged him, even though they opposed his ideas.
- Naivete is powerful — and there are several positive aspects to it.
- We are all naive.
[07:04] "We're all naive. There's always something that we haven't done, something we haven't experienced — and we're naive to that. Are we going to be controlled by our fear so that we don't even see what it's about? Or, are we going to be optimistic?" - Click Here to Tweet This
[10:25] The Goal Mindset
- Shawn found that most startup entrepreneurs don't have defined goals nor do they have an idea of what business success is.
- Success can be a moving target because we’re constantly evolving.
- To help people establish their definition of success, he developed the "goal mindset."
- The seven areas of goal mindset are — spiritual life, family, romantic relationship, friendships, health and fitness, career and money, and philanthropy.
- Feeling successful in all areas of your life is the key.
[14:09] Intentionality and Luck
- He loves living his life with intent.
- Sometimes, he might take his time working toward his objectives. But once he has his eyes set on a goal, nothing will stop him from reaching it.
- Most entrepreneurs avoid the word "luck", but fortunate incidents led Shawn to greater opportunities.
- His veteran father taught him proper discipline and work ethic.
- You can be happy while striving toward your goals.
[17:13] “Even though you have goals that you’re working towards, you can still be happy today.” - Click Here to Tweet This
[19:52] Shawn’s Decade of Desperation
- He lived ten years in the lowest of the lows.
- His list of unfortunate events includes bankruptcy, bad credit, a near foreclosure of his home, and loaning money from family.
- After failing another business, his relationship with his brother went south.
- Even then, Shawn believed he would become successful and didn’t give up.
[24:17] Leveraging the Access to More
- People today are better off than Shawn was in his 20's because of technology.
- Many resources we have today were unavailable several years ago.
- With the accessibility of technology and resources nowadays, people don’t necessarily need to struggle as much as they did.
- Still, it's vital to know what information or pain points you need to search for and learn.
[29:26] Breaking Free From Fear
- People nowadays struggle with fear and a limited mindset.
- Rejection and dismissal develop a natural sense of fear that beats naivete out of people.
- Find a community that will understand, support, and uplift you.
[30:31] “Move to a better island. Get off of that island of negativity and limited mindsets, and people that don’t understand what you’re going through and what you want out of life, and go join a community. Get on an island of people that do.” - Click Here to Tweet This
[33:11] The Boy Band Story
- He joined a choir while in high school in his hometown, Alaska.
- Their swing choir flew to Southern California for a national competition and encountered a nonprofit company that held auditions to join their performance group.
- Deciding he wanted to become a rock star, he moved to Southern California and started doing auditions in Hollywood.
- He passed an audition for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
- They recorded an album, toured with the circus, and appeared on MTV.
[41:01] About Ask A Millionaire
- After his boy band stint, he thought it was time to be rich and decided to become a business owner.
- He created Ask A Millionaire to relay business mentorship.
- Everybody has a unique story, so he gets to know his mentees to offer advice respective to their needs.
[44:30] “The advice that they need. The answer to the question that they need to answer — that’s the best advice that I could give somebody.” - Click Here to Tweet This
[45:35] What to Expect When Asking a Millionaire
- At first, he was enamored with Instagram and started a channel on Periscope for live streaming.
- Eventually, he came up with the power of naivete and the slogan, “Most won’t. I will.”
- From there, he decided to start Accelerators Organization after noticing that there weren’t a lot of organizations for startup entrepreneurs.
- He usually publishes on Instagram to boost engagement and interact with his audience. However, Accelerators Organization is strictly for entrepreneurs.
[52:51] Shawn’s Ideal Audience
- The age group that engages with him the most is the 28 to 45-year-olds.
- Regardless of his demographics, he welcomes everyone needing help to reach a million dollars’ worth of revenue.
[55:04] “The zero to a million is all about mindset and helping them just understand that everything they’re going through, everybody who’s built a business has gone through it.” - Click Here to Tweet This
- Sometimes, he needs to shake people up to make them think differently. To find business success, we need to break free from limiting mindsets and beliefs.
- Having struggles is not unique.
[56:32] Some Mindset Tips
- Find someone to learn from.
- Connecting with people will benefit you more than books and resources.
- You don’t need to do everything alone.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
[01:01:09] Final Question
- Shawn is a seeker because he always seeks what inspires him and new experiences to find out where he’s going.
- As a Gemini, he’s both a seeker and a goer.
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To growing and becoming all we are created to be,
Tim
