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Alex Charfen is an entrepreneur and host of the Momentum for the Entrepreneurial Personality Type podcast. Today, Alex will share the four-step test to determine your EPT so you can move forward.
Successes at a glance:
Entrepreneur, Author, Podcaster, Business Coach:
CEO of The Charfen Institute.
Has helped businesses achieve multi-million dollar growth and scale.
Host of the Momentum Podcast
Alex’s story:
Alex has always been a little different. He was the unique kid that was described as “and … Alex.” From an early age, Alex felt isolated and alone. Rather than leaning into school, teachers, or classmates, Alex started reading a lot of books. Alex had one goal: to figure out where his place was in this world.
Setback failure or time when things fell apart:
Alex had a tough time growing up. He always felt alone, isolated, the odd man (or kid) out. Things got so bad he developed a stutter. This on top of feeling self-conscious, speaking with an accent, when his family immigrated to the US from Mexico. Alex was seen as a “troublemaker” and a “disciplinary problem. He was misjudged and misdiagnosed as developmentally challenged, dyslexic, autistic, and even labeled “retarded” by some of his teachers. While the world around him judged him unfit, that didn’t stop him from his quest to find out who he was and where he belonged. He wanted to find his big why; something that he couldn’t find in school or his teachers or other kids.
The “aha” moment that sparked a pivot:
At age 8 or 9, Alex went to a garage sale with his family. The family didn’t have a lot of money and were looking to buy only basic necessities. Alex spotted a collection of self-help tapes that included Tony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, and more. This was material that was worth several hundred dollars that the seller was selling for $100. Alex begged his Mom to buy them but their garage sale budget was $10. After 25 minutes of nagging his Mom, the guy got up with the box, walked over to Alex and handed it to him, saying “kid, you need these more than anyone else I’ve ever met.” Alex took them home and started listening, immersing himself even more into self-help materials. Alex then moved on to self-help books but found after reading 10 of them that they started contradicting one another. Alex decided to pivot and study successful people. He read biographies and everything he could get his hands on; trying to figure out what made them tick. Alex then made his first major breakthrough. He discovered that the more he studied success, the more he found people who looked just like him – people who were judged as odd, antisocial, misfits, or even dangerous. Alex worked with his Dad at flea markets on the weekends; getting an early start on the entrepreneurial road. From there, Alex found his calling in business, commerce, and exchanging goods and services for value. In his 20s, Alex became a Fortune 500 consultant, working with some of the most successful people in the world. Today, Alex is a successful entrepreneur, coach, author and podcaster. Moreover, he is someone who embraces his uniqueness as a source of success.
Alex’s Entrepreneurial Personality Type [EFT] test:
Caretakers: the people who like the act of taking care of others. While many automatically assume or are inclined to think they belong here, Alex quickly disqualifies many, especially entrepreneurs, from actually being caretakers with this question:
Do you enjoy changing bedpans? A caretaker is hard-wired to take care of someone and will answer yes. Caretakers are needed in this world and society. However, many will answer no, thus disqualifying them from the caretaker category. If your answer is no, move on to the next category.
Communicators: these are the people who like to communicate and specifically, to carry on oral tradition. Many will assume they are communicators. But Alex quickly disqualifies many, including those who are speakers and podcasters with this question:
Do you enjoy small talk? A true communicator will relish the opportunity for any form or size of communication, whether it is about politics or the weather. Communicators, like caretakers, are needed in this world and society. However, many will answer no, thus disqualifying them from the communicator category. If your answer is no, move on to the next category.
Coordinators: people who love fine print, contracts, committees, and meetings. These are people who thrive on organization and planning for its own sake and not because it leads towards any particular result. Coordinators are necessary for society and to keep the machine running. But Alex quickly disqualifies many, especially entrepreneurs, from this category with this one question:
How many committees have you voluntarily put yourself on (meaning you truly wanted to be on it and not bc it made you look good in the eyes of someone else)? If your answer is few or zero, move on to the next category.
Evolutionary Hunters: the only “non-C” category. These are the people who don’t fit into any of the above. These individuals have to be hunting, moving forward. They get restless very easily and are often misunderstood or misdiagnosed as problematic. They don’t fit in with most people. Their ultimate goal is to find a better way to do things and to make a better path for themselves and those around them. Alex qualifies EH’s with this one question:
Are you thinking in the present or for tomorrow? If the former, you fall into one of the C-categories.
If the later, you are part of the small percentage of the population that goes into the future, sees what might be, comes back to the present and acts on it. Moreover, you expose yourself willingly to the risks and vulnerability that come with making that vision a reality. We live in the future as opposed to today.
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Advice to past self while making a big decision:
“The amount of people whose opinion actually matters is actually a fraction of what you think it is.” So seek out the people who you respect, make you feel like you’re moving forward, and ignore everyone else.
Parting wisdom (in a few words):
“It’s all about momentum and don’t forget that as long as people like you and I are moving forward, that’s when we look gifted and create insane outcomes in the world and that’s when we are at our absolute best!”
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