You might know him as the Power Forward for the Atlanta Hawks or one of Duke’s most memorable alums, but off the court, Elton Brand is a serial entrepreneur, who joined me during a recent visit to Chicago to share his keys to winning in the business game.
About Elton
Elton Brand is an alum of Duke University and the #1 Draft Pick of the 1999 NBA Draft class. He has garnered an impressive 16 year career in the NBA and currently plays as a power forward for the Atlanta Hawks.
He is also the CEO of Milk Media Studios and owns several tech startups.
Overview:
In this podcast, Elton dispels some common entrepreneurial myths regarding what it really takes to get your vision off the ground and offers some wise words for entrepreneurs struggling with self-doubt.
Elton’s Action Steps:
- Do your research before partnering with others
- Use the momentum of one success to build another
- Bootstrap if you can; Big Investors = Big Expectations
- Start Small; Show the Potential of Your Vision
Top Quotes:
- “There’s a lot of sharks out there; it’s their job to take your money.”
- “I was still learning the business, but I believed in myself; believed in my brand.”
- “Trust the system; Set a goal, execute, but be prepared to walk away”
- “I’ve gotten a lot of good pitches on LinkedIn. It’s a place for serious entrepreneurs”
Resource Links:
- Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/)
- From Good to Great by Jim Collins (http://ow.ly/MSwwQ)
- The Long Tail by Chris Anderson(http://ow.ly/MSwCb
Key Timestamps:
- [01:13] A Leap of Faith into the World of Film
- [01:48] Before Christian Bael was Batman
- [02:45] You Don’t Have to be an Expert to Start
- [03:30] A Gamble Pays Off
- [04:45] Building Momentum
- [05:20] Becoming a Parallel-preneur
- [06:00] Having impact with limited resources
- [07:05] Polishing your Pitch
- [8:00] Assessing Risks & Moving Past Adversity
- [9:30] Bootstrapping your startup
- [10:15] Finding the right people for your team
- [10:50] What Sharks Really Do
- [11:55] Trusting the System
- [13:37] Good Reads for Entrepreneurs
Be sure to add your comments below or via Twitter @DrShanteSays
