Brian Sharp on Building, Failing and Rebuilding
“Your income will always be directly proportional to the size of the problem you can solve.”
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Brian is a B2B technology executive and entrepreneur with 25 years of experience building start-ups and early-stage companies in roles ranging from founder to c-level executive. Along the way, he has experienced great success and devastating loss (and everything in between), but fortunate to have been mentored, supported, loved, and coached by some of the best and most talented humans ever.
Currently, he serves as President for SafetyChain Software, a fast-growing SaaS startup in the manufacturing sector as well as President for a 501 (c)3 non-profit started by his kids, The Tower of Niceness that provides “niceness for those in need”. When he’s not working on building his own company and teams, you’ll find him working on his passion to help others do the same through writing on his blog (Help & Hustle) as well as hosting his podcast (High Performance Happiness) - both of which are dedicated to helping leaders balance the art of building better companies and living better lives.
He lives in Northern California with his amazingly supportive wife, 2 energetic boys, and adorable daughter (who runs the house). He’s a die-hard San Francisco sports fan and loves anything to do with board sports or water. So outside the office, you’ll likely find him with his kids on a mountain bike, on a hike, paddling on the lake, or snowboarding down a mountain at their happy place - Lake Tahoe.
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I had a really great time talking to Brian. He's incredibly open with his successes and his failures and how he's worked to improve his own life and understand his own shortcomings. I think we can take a lot of experiences from him, and Brian calls himself a builder, but then about three quarters away through his conversation, he changes it and says, in fact, he's a rebuilder. And I think if you're doing anything right, or if you're pushing yourself, rebuilding is just part of the process of building. No matter how far you get, there will always be ways you can improve what you've already done.
The only way to get butter is to start over. And I think Brian is a prime example of that. And as this conversation attests is, we could have gone for much longer than we did, and I'm looking forward to around two or even appearing on his own podcast in the future.
And so with that, everyone, please enjoy this conversation with Brian Sharp.
Show Notes:
[00:04:31] Who is Brian and what does he do?
[00:05:51] What drove Brian to entrepreneurship?
[00:08:28] Creating Value
[00:09:25] How does Erich think of himself?
[00:11:24] What is the difference between an amateur and a professional?
[00:12:23] What is Brian's Craft?
[00:15:14] Common pitfalls with starting your own business
The E-Myth by Michael Gerber
[00:18:31] Leadership
[00:21:16] Not having a college degree
[00:25:50] The winding path life gives
[00:29:28] Focusing on something for multiple years
[00:30:54] Hugh Jackman on Tim Ferriss Show
[00:35:11] Contextualizing experiences and communications
[00:36:38] 7, 38, 55 Rule
[00:40:01] Learning to ask for advice?
[00:43:33] What was it that caused the chip on the shoulder?
[00:45:47] What drives you forward?
[00:47:39] How did Brian bounce back from failure?
[00:51:53] Finding a deeper purpose
[00:52:24] Dig your heels in and owning up to your shortcomings
[00:56:26] Having a good support system
[00:58:33] Recommended books
The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler
The Algebra of Happiness by Scott Galloway
[01:00:36] Advice to someone who's had to pivot
[01:05:31] Where can people connect with Brian?
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