Today we are speaking with Chris Westfall, a sought-after business consultant, communication coach, keynote speaker, and the author, co-author, or publisher of eight books. Advising hundreds of thousands of leaders from high-growth entrepreneurial enterprises, Shark Tank startups, and Fortune 100 companies, he has helped create multi-million-dollar revenue streams for businesses on four continents. He is the U.S. National Elevator Pitch Champion and the author of the new book Leadership Language: Using Authentic Communication to Drive Results (Wiley, 2018).
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
- Jeffrey Hayzlett
- Brant Pinvidic
When business started difficulties overcame:
“I had to overcome my elevator pitch. I will tell you straight up I am the US National elevator pitch champion but I didn’t always hold that title… If I was going to create the transformation that I wanted I had to leave the past behind and overcome it and come to terms of it… I learned the importance of hard work and it was through that experience that it really helped to change my story so that I could change my life”…[Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
Impossible to Ignore: Creating Memorable Content to Influence Decisions Book by Carmen SimonFavourite Quote:
“It looks impossible until it’s done” Nelson Mandela
Recommended Online Resources:
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Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“don’t believe everything you think. It’s easy to get lost in thought and trapped by what seems impossible. But when you realise that you can’t believe everything that you think because what you think about a problem so often is what makes it a problem. Think about it how big is a problem when you are not thinking about it? The answer is it’s not a problem at all. The advice is not stop thinking about things but simply recognise that you are thinking and it’s because of your thinking that you see things the way that you do. When you’re thinking changes, when your perspective changes that’s when the impossible becomes possible and it is that shift in perspective that is the first step to real results”…[Listen for More]
More About Chris Westfall:
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
“There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.” Jason Fried, 37signals founder
Other Quotes From the Chat with Chris Westfall:
- “There is nothing more satisfying to me, when you are on purpose, when you are in line with the skills and talents and abilities you have been given, and you position those talents so that they are of service to others. I don’t think there is any greater gift and there is nothing more satisfying to me in my life than doing that”
- “where you put your attention is where you find your results”
- “my day-to-day routine is that I have no day-to-day routine”
- “Don’t look in your rear-view mirror unless you are planning to go that way. What lies ahead of you is out of your windshield. When you look at the future, the future is built one moment at a time and it starts with right now. And leadership, entrepreneurship, new results, new relationships, they are all exactly the same distance away from you right now. And that distance is one thought. And if you are trapped thinking about who you were yesterday, last week, 10 years ago, five minutes ago you are going to be trapped because you are missing what’s going on right now. Life happens moment to moment, entrepreneurship happens moment to moment…”
- “finding a way to think big and act bigger”
- “profit is a function of risk, and entrepreneurs of those who take calculated risks and turn them into results”
- “it looks like change takes forever but actually change happens in an instant. It’s preparing for the change and coping with the change that takes us sometimes a lifetime. But the change that you seek is never more than one thought away. And so many times we are trapped, we are trapped in our thinking, we are trapped in patterns, what people have told us, who we should be and shouldn’t be, what we can and can’t do, and the limitations and labels that others have passed on to us. But here is the thing I have discovered, just because a train of thought shows up doesn’t mean you have to ride that train. And just because people are telling you about your limitations, you can choose whether you listen to that whether you put your attention elsewhere. If you want to put your attention on taking action and for the people who you admire, the leaders, the entrepreneurs who have been successful, that success always comes in action. So, take action on your vision, take action to share your ideas with others, take action to create a compelling story and then bring that story to life in a way that’s not writing fiction but in a way that is authentic to you and to your vision. And as you walk that path towards the things that you care about, enrolling people around you to achieve your goals that is where success is found”
- “Entrepreneurship sometimes can be a lonely journey even if you are running a team or leading an entire organisation. You just have to remember it’s not all up to you.”
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