UNCUT: The mindset secrets of top entrepreneurs – part 2

BONUS: special ‘uncut’ episode.

‘Entrepreneur Mindset’ Is A Key Input Into The Success Of Any Business Or Start-Up. In Part 2 of the Mindset Special, Three More Top Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets For Channeling The Creativity That Is At The Heart Of All Problem Solving.

Guest Bios:

Dr Rob Newman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-newman-007757/) is CEO of ASX 200 online mapping technology provider, Nearmap. (https://nearmap.com.au).

Andre Eikmeier – cofounder of $100 million online wine retailer, (https://Vinomofo.com.au) Also founder of The Good Empire and Year of the Planet.

Mike Berland (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-berland-a3968012/)– founder & CEO and image consultant, director at the Decode M (https://www.decode-m.com/) 

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Transcript
Darren Moffatt:

Hi listeners and welcome to the nerds of business podcast. My name is Darren Moffatt. I'm a director of Webbuzz, The Growth Marketing Agency. And I'm your host. It's great to have you with us for another one of our special uncut episodes. As I mentioned previously, season one on branding has finished and we're currently in production for season two, which is on the theme of product development. So, to tide us over just for a few more weeks until the new season begins, uh, we're airing a mix of uncut interviews and special bonus content from season one. Today's uncut session is part two of our mindset special where we delve into the mindset secrets of top entrepreneurs. As I may have mentioned previously throughout the branding series, I was fortunate enough to interview seven or eight top entrepreneurs from companies worth a combined $2.5 billion. And at the end of each interview, I asked all of my entrepreneur guests a deceptively simple question, what habit or mental process do they use to channel their creativity? One of the answers I got were all different. There are some fascinating common threads that I think provide a rare insight into how top entrepreneurs really think. So, if you're interested in learning how to improve your own mindset from some of the best entrepreneurs in the business, then stick around for part two of the mindset special coming up right now, we'll return in two weeks with the first episode, hopefully of season two on product development. But right now, I hope you enjoy this special edition of Nerds of Business - uncut.

Speaker 2 01:52

I love data. You need to have systems. You need to have structure. You're going to get chopped to pieces is unstoppable. We kind of hit a point where we were like, we need a medal around yourself with people who are smarter than you and Richard and you

Darren Moffatt:

Nerd of business. The first entrepreneur guest today is Rob Newman. Rob is the CEO of international mapping platform. NEARMAP have achieved a $1 billion valuation on the Australian stock exchange. And Rob himself has a long history as a successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Now, Rob has an amazing story here of how one mindset technique that he still uses today led directly to a key early breakthrough in his career that arguably set the foundation for his entire business journey... Coming to the end of our chat today, or the certainly the formal part of it. Um, last question I'd like to ask you is more of a personal question. So having chatted with a lot of entrepreneurs and, um, got a lot of close friends who own and run businesses, I find that most are deep thinkers, you know, with a restless mind. So, whether it's meditation or a nice bottle of red, occasionally, do you have a mental habit or process that you've used to channel your creativity over the years?

Rob Newman:

Yes. Running, running, running, running. So, I would say a little, let me tell you a little story. Cause it probably was part of what set me on the whole career path that I've been on as an undergrad engineer at the time. And, um, my supervisor had sent me a very complex problem to solve and, uh, and well, by this stage months working on this problem, and I got to the kind of pick of the problem and I had literally had buried my head inside that problem. And as a runner at the time still around is today. Um, and, uh, you know, I said, okay, I start frustrated and going up for a run 10 minutes into the run, a guy, that's the answer. That one insight I let the subconscious mind overtake the conscious mind. I needed a little conscious work to create the problem.

Rob Newman:

You need to think analytically, you need to think deeply, but at some point, you gotta to let go. And the run for me, 10 minutes into the run. I said, oh, if I count this little thing here that solves the whole problem, the whole problem is salt. So, then I went to a supervisor the next day and said, what about this? He said, Oh, that's fantastic. That idea, that 10 minutes into the run tending to a multi-million-dollar revenue company that sold product to telcos all around the world became an international standard and the most cited paper in academic journals for a number of years. Right.

Darren Moffatt:

I think I might get into jogging. Um, yeah, I'll give up the pies and the wine and I'll, I'll, I'll start running around the block. Um, that's, uh, you've sold me on that, Rob. Thanks for that. Um, and so how often these days, uh, you know, D do you, do you turn to that technique? You know, if you hit a roadblock, if there's a real problem that you're facing in the business, um, a challenge that you've got to solve, like, is that something you still turn to?

Rob Newman:

Absolutely. And look, you know, I'm, I'm much older now and you were kind of kind to me before in this interview, I'm probably far further into my career than the 50% of the usages did, but anyway, um, it looks, I've accumulated over 40 years of running a very large number of injuries. So, I kind of always run as well as I like, but I will get outside even in the middle of the day if I'm, if it's been a challenging morning. Um, and, uh, I'll go, okay, I'm just going to walk. I'm going to go walk for 15 minutes, see the sun, um, w you know, look, I, I care very deeply about mental health as well for, you know, it's a whole different conversation, but, um, I believe that, uh, things that create great happiness. So just coming outside, seeing the sun, creating a cleanness of mind, you know, so even in the middle of the day, I'll get out and just do a walk for 15 minutes and go, okay, just calm down. Think what, not even think clear the mind. Right. And, but I always as much as possible run home from work, um, at the end of the day, cause that clears, my head turns me into a human before I'm getting to the apartment here,

Darren Moffatt:

Superman outfit, a metaphorical Superman outfit back into that. Nice.

Rob Newman:

Yeah, exactly. And look, you know, I was dealing with a very challenging issue a month ago and I wasn't able to run home on that day for whatever reason I forget. And my wife was saying, you know, what's wrong with you. You're looking outside and looking at out the window. And you know, it took me time to realize actually I hadn't had that clarity of a run or a walk-on

Darren Moffatt:

Our second entrepreneur in today's mindset special is Andre Eikmeier. Andre is a co-founder of VinoMofo a $100 million online wine retailer. Now Andre was a delight to talk to, and he's got some firm opinions on the creative process that I think we can all learn from concept. I, my, again, one of my little pet theories is that I think most top entrepreneurs are deep thinkers and with a restless mind. Um, so if that's true for you perhaps, um, uh, whether it's meditation or a nice bottle of red, do you have a mental habit or process that you've used over the years to really channel your creativity?

Andre Eikmeier:

Uh, yeah, I have in terms of ideating, I carved out the space. So, efficiency and productivity are the enemy of creativity. You need to indulge in the space to ask the right questions and to allow your mind to wander and explore. So, I do that, but I want to say that more, the more important ritual or thing that I've had to work out is to get through is to combat the stress and the unrest of a restless mind, because I think you've nailed it in your description of entrepreneur. And I think that's perspective, keep needing to come back to perspective and place yourself forwards and go, okay, it's not the end of the world. And there is a way through it, even if it doesn't work out then, okay. That will have been this chapter in my life. Anyway, think that's vital for an entrepreneur.

Darren Moffatt:

Wow. Great answer. Thank you. Yeah. That's and you know, it really is about the time to think, and that's again, you know, like it's a fast-paced world, you know, I get it. But, um, I think it's really important to have that time and space to think because that's when the great ideas come, uh, there's almost no shortcut to that if you want. Some really genuinely sort of, um, out of the box are brilliant ideas. You've just gotta put in in the thinking time,

Andre Eikmeier:

Do you know what else? Because collaboration also does it, right? It's not so much about you carving the time out for yourself, which you need to do. So, I I'm really anti this movement around less meetings and shorter meetings. I just think if you're going to have one, that's meant to try to come up with an idea or a solution, give it the time and the space and the right people, and also create a, create a container, create a culture of safety and trust so that people can be vulnerable. It's vulnerable to get creative, you know, and then you got to create, you've got to, you got to create the space to do that, which means can't shut people down. You can't pressure them time. You can't put results suddenly and accountability on ideas at that time that comes next, but not at the time when you trying to ideate. Okay, great. So, less data, less fucking efficiency and productivity. I'm not kidding. I think these are things to consider.

Darren Moffatt:

You've got a sympathetic audience here. I think you'd probably wouldn't out. I mean, look, you know, data's important, but yeah, this stuff is, this is the stuff that builds tribes. As we, as we mentioned earlier, data doesn't build tribes.

Andre Eikmeier:

I think Donald is important to measure up correct something as it goes. I don't think data is as valuable as we think it is to identify opportunities. Or I know we use it as such and shore, but I don't think that's how you build something that you stand for, something that is consistent, and people are going to care about and talk about. Yep.

Darren Moffatt:

Our final entrepreneur in today's uncut session is Mike Berland of data marketing firm from New York city Decode M. Mike shares his secret for achieving optimal creative mindset, but a word of warning. It's not for the faint-hearted...again, the segues here are really, uh, quite interesting. Um, so what you're alluding to there is that it's a sense of restlessness. Yeah. And, and I actually find that, um, in my talks with, uh, entrepreneurs over the years, uh, and, and for Nerds of Business that most top entrepreneurs are, are deep thinkers with a restless mind. Uh, so for you personally, Mike, do you have a mental habit or process that you use to channel that creativity for your business?

Mike Berland:

Okay. You can't make fun of me when I tell you what it is cause it's, um, you're going to say that's hardly relaxing. I am an Ironman, which means, um, I do the races, um, uh, two and a half miles swim, 112-mile bike and two 26-mile run. I Ironman requires continuous data analysis for, for me for 14 hours. But for other people it can be lost or more understanding. And what's my pace, what's my heart rate. How am I eating? Right. How does my body feel? Am I hydrating to make it through? And that is the most relaxing thing because nobody really talks to me. I'm in my own head and I'm just, I'm just enjoying life and, and practicing. If you're going to ride 112 miles, you got to do a bunch of practice rides and there's really no one to talk to when you're riding a bike.

Darren Moffatt:

Wow. Okay. So yeah. So, you actually, uh, yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's the, um, computational re recreational activity of the body for, uh, for a data analytics guy. Wow.

Mike Berland:

It's fun. It's fun. And, um, it's a mental challenge. Anybody can do Ironman, but who's mentally tough enough to do it. And do you find,

Darren Moffatt:

You, you, you know, when you're sort of in that sort of meditative zone on the bike, you know, you're out there sort of practicing, do you find that that's when you get those ideas or when some of those insights like that? Aha. That's how I put that together.

Mike Berland:

They, they all come on, they all come there because I mean, it is a little boring. Yeah. Like, can you imagine, can you imagine riding your bike for seven hours? Uh, no, I cannot. I know, I know that. So, you guys say your, your mind is racing and you're making sure that the car doesn't hit you. I mean, there's a lot of stuff going on.

Darren Moffatt:

Yeah. Oh, wow. Well, thanks for sharing that with us.

Mike Berland:

And, and I told you, I told you, it's not like everybody wants it. Oh, no, I meditate. Or I fast or no, I do iron man.

Darren Moffatt:

Well, I asked that question of all my guests and it's very interesting. Um, while we're on the subject of data, there's definitely a, uh, uh, uh, some, uh, correlation, um, or, or some, some pattern in the data. A lot of entrepreneurs are either runners, um, or the, you know, they're cyclists or I haven't, I haven't had an iron man yet. Yeah. I haven't had an iron man yet, but I do get a lot of runners, um,

Speaker 3 13:27

Running the same. It's the same bag.

Darren Moffatt:

Yeah. Yeah. And it's, um, yeah, it's just sort of getting into that meditative mindset.

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