Mike Smerklo is an experienced entrepreneur, investor and business leader driven by the desire to turn ideas into reality. Having bought and scaled a small business into a publicly traded company worth nearly a billion dollars in value, he has a deep understanding of the hard work, dedication and grit that truly powers successful entrepreneurship. Today, as the co-founder and managing director of Next Coast Ventures, Mike is a champion for a new generation of entrepreneurs building disruptive companies in big markets. His new book, Mr. Monkey and Me (Scribe Media, Oct. 6 2020), is a “real talk” guide for entrepreneurs who want to cut through the noise to cultivate a mindset that supports greatness.
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
When business started difficulties overcame:
“I think the biggest thing I started with was the mental side of it. I didn’t know what I was doing. I had had some mentors and training but I really struggled mostly with impostor syndrome and I have listened to some of your shows and that seems to be a common theme for a lot of entrepreneurs. There is this idea of fake it until you make it and trying to act like you are bigger and faster than something you are, I think that’s really bad advice. For me it was really getting comfortable in my own skin and getting comfortable with being in a position of leadership and also finding a way to not let the job, which is a twenty-four by seven job drive me crazy”…[Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers Book by Ben HorowitzFavourite Quote:
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” Helen Keller
Recommended Online Resources:
- The Entrepreneur Way Podcast – Learn from successful Entrepreneurs with Free Daily podcast interviews that reveal their business success secrets
- The Tim Ferriss Show
Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“first and foremost, understand that it is going to be hard and you are going to be met with a rollercoaster of experiences… The world desperately needs you now more than ever. I think we are in a fascinating place in the world where we need innovation, we need entrepreneurs to come up with ideas to the toughest problems that are facing the world. And we need as broad and diverse a set of entrepreneurs as possible… If you have something you are passionate about and you are thinking about it stress test it with some folks that you trust but please take the risk. Know what you are getting into but we as a world and as a planet I think need entrepreneurship now more than ever”…[Listen for More]
More About Mike Smerklo:
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
“The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American dream.” Tommy Hilfiger
Other Quotes From the Chat with Mike Smerklo:
- “I was prided myself on trying to get help. But I think getting help in any way you can. What I mean by that is coaching is great if you want to pay for a coach but finding a support group of mentors and those who want to see you succeed is so absolutely critical ”
- “I like to say that everywhere you look, whatever your dream is in any field of life someone has already achieved success… Someone has gotten to the level you want to get to. So trying to find those individuals, seek them out and get some of their advice or input or listening to podcasts like this. I’ve been amazed at some of the guests you’ve had on, they’ve got such great insights. And so, getting help.”
- “Look for those who have done it before, seek them out, get their input and then apply it as quickly as you can. Because I certainly made way too many mistakes by not doing that early enough”
- “the secret to success is there is no secret to success”
- “there is no magic bullet, far from it”
- “I think if there is one thing, I would say differentiates it’s hard work. If you are considering entrepreneurship, if you are in the middle of it and you think it’s not going to be incredibly hard, daunting and you are going to have to pour your heart into it I think your chance for success is pretty low. Countering what I say hard work is not always going to win the day certainly going to help you more than just any other attribute I can think of”
- “every time, every day you are going to meet resistance”
- “life is not supposed to be planned, it’s not supposed to be easy, there is supposed to be uncertainty, there is supposed to be things that happen as you are not expected. And the more you can prepare yourself for that and challenge yourself to always be looking for what’s good in life and what you can do to contribute and how you can get better and also just be excited about the adventure. To me that’s what I hope to try and do every day of my life. I certainly don’t do it every day of my life but it’s a great reminder”
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