Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Dean Williams is an entrepreneur, author, and L.O.V.E. consultant. Today, Dean will share his philosophy of leadership, organization, vision and empowerment so you can move forward as an entrepreneur.
Successes at a glance:
Entrepreneur, speaker, author.
Founder of Exclusive Visions.
Dean’s story:
Dean shares that he was born with two challenges: partial blindness and dyslexia. As a result, people around him discouraged him from trying or aiming for any big goals. In the beginning, Dean decided to fulfill people’s perception of him, recalling a time when he got a report card filled with D’s. He looked down at it and that’s when he adopted a “D.N.A.” or as he describes, a decisive-new-attitude to move forward. Dean decided he would no longer be defined by others’ perception of him. Dean got better grades in school and later became a chef. Dean worked at several high-end establishments, cooking for famous celebrities, including Jay-Z and Beyonce. Dean later went into banking and today, he’s an entrepreneur, coaching and helping other entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
What is L.O.V.E. – the common foundation for all leaders, past and current, who have achieved greatness:
Leadership
Organize
Vision
Empowerment
Dean’s big why:
Empowering others (the “E” in L.O.V.E.). Case in point, the Stratford to Harvard campaign, where Dean helped a young student raise enough tuition to attend Harvard University via a crowdfunding campaign. Dean didn’t take any money for this as he knew the young man needed every penny to attend school but he saw a much bigger investment than dollars in terms of this young man’s future and what he would contribute as a leader. That student is now at Harvard, working on a documentary and preparing to give a TED talk at the university.
Biggest challenge today:
Getting out of your own way: the habits, voices, and stories we tell ourselves that have been ingrained since birth. Dean has been working on this throughout his life.
Moving forward past that challenge:
Take that internal inventory and have that conversation with yourself as to what you’re really afraid of. Change the conversation and remind yourself that you’re here to help others.
Knowledge bursts:
Tip from Dean’s book, ‘Finding the Path to Financial Peace:’
Learn to save 10% of whatever you earn: put it into a pension or some kind of investment.
Dean also cites, ‘Think and Grow Rich: a Black Choice,’ by Dennis Kimbro which lays out the principle of earn-keep-grow.
Biggest financial mistake people starting out make:
Taking advice from the wrong people!
And surround yourself with the right people, as Dean says: “If you cannot change the people around you, then CHANGE the people around you.”
What does Dean do first thing in the morning that makes all the difference:
Think about two things I’m grateful for: focusing on that allows Dean to achieve balance.
How Dean is moving forward today:
Reflect and find one thing I love about myself. This helps free you from being overly concerned with how other people perceive you.
Support the Podcast:
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Who is Dean in five years?:
Dean within 5 years will have a university (Eden University) focused on four core areas: 1) agriculture, 2) STEM (science-technology-engineering-math), 3) entrepreneurship, and 4) defense strategy. Dean will be married with two kids and will be recognized for a Nobel Peace Prize in entrepreneurship.
Parting wisdom:
“D.C.C.: if you truly want to achieve anything great, if you truly want to make an impact on this world and leave a legacy, you have to apply D.C.C. You’ve got be disciplined in everything you do … You have to commit yourself every single day … You’ve got to be consistent ….”
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