In this episode, I am joined by entrepreneur and author Mike Smerklo to talk about the mindset of an entrepreneur, reaching new levels of success, the Shape Method, the most valuable lessons of entrepreneurship, and so much more.
Show Notes:
1:30 AN INTRODUCTION TO MIKE SMERKLO & HIS BOOK
Growing up in Ohio, Mike grew up around disease, divorce, and was the first one in his family to go to college. He kicked his career off in accounting, then to Wall Street, then received his MBA, then decided it was time to give his entrepreneurial ventures a shot.
While working with his 50+ companies, he started to see consistency in NO content or help around the mental aspect of entrepreneurship. That’s why he wrote his book – Mr. Monkey and Me: A Real Survival Guide for Entrepreneurs. It speaks to the mindset of the entrepreneur.
All of the proceeds of the book go to a scholarship for diverse and underrepresented entrepreneurs!
7:50 REACHING NEW LEVELS WON’T FIX NEGATIVITY & DOUBTS
A lot of people will have a BIG goal and they think if they hit this goal – they will feel empowered! Some do, but oftentimes it’s not the end-all-be-all fix.
9:40 THE SHAPE METHOD
Self Awareness. Help. Authenticity. Persistence. Expectations
14:15 ONLY ONE LETTER DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GRIT & QUIT
There’s a lot of clickbait out there for entrepreneurs that promotes hacks and quick fixes – but Mike has never found one that worked as easily as described. Entrepreneurship is going to be hard, there are going to be amazing ups and downs, and you have to be prepared for that.
When you’re up against a wall – you can jump over it or continue to let it stand in your way.
19:20 TRADE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR APPRECIATION
We can oftentimes expect to be in a certain place or hit a certain goal in order to feel a certain way – and sometimes it just doesn’t happen. If you can shift that expectation for appreciation, it can bring so much more joy and energy to your life and your business journey.
21:52 MEDITATION
Mike wishes he spent more time meditating when he was a CEO – since then, he’s gotten more calm. Every single day, Mike does self-guided meditation with affirmations and a calming voice. It’s had a massive impact on his life! His daily routine is…
- Get Out of Bed
- Calm & Focus Through Meditation
24:30 MIKE’S MOST VALUABLE LESSONS
The first lesson Mike learned was getting great mentors and seeking help. Somebody has always done what you are trying to do – and you need to seek those people out.
The other lesson is that you don’t get what you don’t ask for. If you want something or to meet somebody, you have to ask and the world will start opening up.
30:10 GRAB MIKE’S BOOK!
Mr. Monkey and Me: A Real Survival Guide for Entrepreneurs.
Don’t sell yourself short from where you can grow and learn from. If you can learn from somebody who has been through it – you get the opportunity to learn from their trials and missteps instead of having to walk through every single one of them yourself.
