Richard Warner, host of the popular television show Georgia’s Business, and I were talking the other day about what makes a great interview. We agreed that when a guest is honest and reveals his strengths and weaknesses the interview becomes a dialogue that can impact and inspire others. When a guest, whether it be on television or radio, really shares himself and his story the broader audience becomes deeply engaged, can learn, and gain insight. So it’s a real honor when a guest opens up and let’s himself be known. Its a selfless act with a huge upside for others.
Last night (August 12, 2009) on Bold Ventures Radio, the show where each week I interview interesting entrepreneurs from all over the country, I chatted with Tate Chalk, CEO of Nfinity. The awards this company has won are too many to name, but one stands out – the prestigious American Business Awards. Just a few weeks ago, Tate was in New York City walking away with the “Stevie” for Business Innovation of the Year.
While tons of great content is shared during the Bold Ventures Radio live broadcast, often information comes out prior to the show, as I meet and chat with guests. Such was the case with Tate.
When you listen to the 30 minute interview, you’ll hear about Tate’s journey as an entrepreneur, including being an actor (rent Dodgeball), but a critical insight was shared by Tate before we started the show.
Chatting around the roundtable, I asked Tate. “Are you ever scared?”
I hope his response is as meaningful to you, as it was to me:
TC: “Of course. I’m sacred all of the time.”
BVR: “So, how do you manage through that?”
TC: “My mother told me that courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the ability to act in the presence of fear. So when I wake up in the morning, or thinking about starting a business -- at every level there is fear – scared to start a business, scared that it won’t be a success, and then, like in Hollywood, you start to meet with some success, and then what? And then when you start to have success there is a whole different kind of being scared. And then you get to a place where you’re making millions of dollars, and you have all this money on the line and when you get to a place where you’re only as good as your last hit everyone is demanding it, that’s different level of being scared. I joke with my wife that the days when we didn’t have a whole lot were a whole lot less scary. So Yeah the whole thing is scary.”
My impression of Tate is that he seizes opportunities, and he does so with courage. Acting on opportunities and being courageous are critical success factors for all entrepreneurs.
As an entrepreneur, how do you handle being scared? Let me hear from you.
No comments:
Post a Comment