How To Harness Your Unique Perspective For Entrepreneurial Success
This article was originally published on Forbes.com.
One becomes an entrepreneur by thinking differently about the world. For me, this is where my left and right brain collide. Being able to think creatively and outside the box while remaining numbers- and business-driven brought me great success with my company.
Lunya has been about solving sleep problems since its inception — it started with design and turned into developing proprietary fabrics. Problem-solving is part of our ethos, inherent in all that we offer as a brand. I’d like to share some of the lessons I’ve learned throughout my entrepreneurial journey — from art history major to problem-solving executive.
Follow your passion to solve problems that others don’t see.
Great entrepreneurs have a perspective that others don’t. Combining this with skills, passion and determination enables progress and creates a garden for great ideas to bloom.
Think deeply about any hurdles you encounter as you pursue your own interests outside of work. It can be nearly anything — flying your drone, performing magic tricks or mowing the lawn. You’re bound to encounter some friction as you go about your leisure time outside the office. If that friction presents a problem for you, then it’s highly likely to be a problem for others. That’s a great foundation from which to work.
I also think that there can be great idea crossover between hobbies, life experiences and work. Sometimes a business model or mindset might deliver a great opportunity — think Tupperware creating the business model for Beautycounter.
Nurture your artistic hobbies.
I recently went to an event featuring Harvard psychology professor Adam Grant, who was speaking about nurturing original thinkers. His perspective is that everyone is born an original thinker, but people fail to maintain and nurture their unique ideas over time. He suggests artistic hobbies “train us to think creatively and give us access to new ways of solving problems.”
Grant cited research showing that Nobel laureate scientists are twice as likely to play a musical instrument as their peers, seven times as likely to draw or paint and 22 times as likely to act or practice magic. He even describes how Einstein’s theory of relativity was derived from a musical thought stemming from the famous physicist’s violin hobby.
I am a UCLA art history major and an equestrian who went to culinary school and enjoys interior design, fitness and travel. I also happen to be a CEO. If I’m proof of anything, it’s that there’s not one path to an end result. It is the diverse experiences along a journey that produce the result.
My art history education taught me about balance, history and perspective, sparking my interest in interior design. My equestrian background taught me responsibility, grit and determination. Culinary school was very regimented, which taught me organizational structure, process and customer experience. My travels enhance the bedroom retail concepts I design for Lunya. My love for fitness has taught me why wellness matters and has helped me see the correlation between performance and rest.
If you think you’re too busy to find a hobby outside of work, then your soul might already be dwindling on life support. Take action to mix up your life and be more interesting. Diverse experience makes you more robust as a human being.
If you absolutely must see the world in terms of a bottom line to your business, then know that a hobby gives you something to talk about as you meet employees or prospects. Don’t be one-dimensional — getting some space from your business will let you better see the forest for the trees.
Push boundaries with your unique background.
After hearing my varied work experience, you’re probably thinking, “Is this person legitimate?” I do have some conventional qualifications: I got an MBA, worked at a VC firm and put in time at an online media company. These experiences definitely contributed to my growth and knowledge, but it was my unique set of exposures embedded in my reservoir or experience that really set me apart.
The experience that I lacked served me as well as the experience I had. I didn’t come from a fashion background, so I was freed from constructs like “seasons” or “collections.” I was able to push boundaries in construction and development because I frankly never knew they existed.
I encourage entrepreneurs who find themselves facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles to think, “Good, if this is challenging then it means opportunity exists here.” That is to say: Reverse-engineer the thinking that makes you glad for this roadblock. If you can find a way to appreciate it, then you’ll more easily find a way over it (or around it, or under it).
I also believe purity in problem-solving can help you surmount roadblocks. If you are clear what the problem is and who is having it, then the “how” is appropriately flexible. Challenge yourself to think outside the box by asking yourself to come up with 5–10 options to address an issue and then whittle down those choices. Forcing yourself to think wide is a great way to train boundary-pushing muscles.
Be willing to learn and grow constantly.
I had never led a company before, and that made me a student of others — I was willing to learn and grow constantly. I lacked a formal clothing operations background, so I didn’t feel constraints on how to run the supply chain. That let us come up with a unique, variegated operational approach.
Other entrepreneurs can grow by seeking out mentors, networking with people who are several steps ahead in their own careers, reading and furthering their education. But nothing’s going to be as effective as when they double down on the things that are already organically interesting to them. It means they’re seeking a kernel of inner personal truth, and truth is the foundation of all good outcomes.
There is no path to entrepreneurship — it’s a state of mind. It is seeing uncommon solutions in a world of opportunity. Work hard, choose an uncommon path and forge fearlessly ahead.
