What I Learned about Entrepreneurship from Alex Honnold

When he talks about the film, he mentions that it would not have been possible to show the 7 previous years he spent as part of the climbing community.  It was there that he got support and launched his dream of free soloing El Capitan.

• He is part of a community that talked about and engaged in climbing; what they had done, and what they wanted to do.  Sharing what worked and what didn’t, sharing dreams and aspirations. Where he idolized the ones who had gone before and made the impossible, possible.

• Rock climbing is his passion.  He keeps a notebook documenting each climb.  His whole world is built around his craft. He’s a guy who lived in his van and climbed everyday.

• While walking around Brooklyn Boulders, he just started climbing up the wall and hanging there.  He walks on a line, practicing his balance.   He is not a celebrity, he is a guy who lived his passion and did something that no one else ever did.   I love how he admits he wasn’t the best climber in the group, but he just kept true to his craft.

• He picked the day he was ready and he climbed—he said he knew he could do it.  All those hours of preparation culminated into the perfect climb.  His confidence out weighed the risk and he was proven right when he succeeded.

• Do one thing and focus.  Preparation leads to mastery.  In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours to perfect a craft.  Alex has spent at least 10,000 hours climbing.  People who engage with that intensity enter another jet stream.  As entrepreneurs we need to identify the niche that is served by our passion, that we can be best at and engage with it whole-heartedly.

• Like Alex, we need to have specific goals.  It could be the size of our business, the gross or net profit, the number of clients, or a franchise-able model that could be sold.  Back up goals with a plan of actions that lead to the goals being accomplished.

• Then engage with that plan, document results, and improve the plan.  Build confidence that will exceed the risk.

• To assure success, be part of a community for inspiration, mentorship, camaraderie, and support.