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Hustle and Hack Your Way to Happiness with Anna Akbari

Anna Akbari is a sociologist, writer and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Sociology of Style, an image and life coaching company, and a partner in HVCK, a Silicon Valley innovation consultancy. She is a frequent public speaker and media personality and has written for and been featured by Forbes, CNN, The Atlantic, The Economist, and dozens more. Her new book is Startup Your Life: Hustle and Hack Your Way To Happiness.

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Resources Mentioned:

3 Key Points:

  1. Invest and work on the company you keep, as they reflect who you are.
  2. In work and in life, operate from your heart.
  3. Find a place for altruism and ambition to co-exist — it’s definitely possible.

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Time Stamped Show Notes

(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.)

  • [00:15] – Free Podcast Course – A free 15-day course on how to Create, Grow & Monetize YOUR Podcast!
  • [00:32] – JLD introduces Anna
  • [01:13] – Anna used to focus on being an academic, but is now focusing on being an entrepreneur and writer
  • [01:29] – Anna was a guest on Episode 118 of EOFire!
  • [02:03] – One BIG and Unique Value Bomb: My general expertise is sociology, but it can be divided into different camps
    • [02:19] – Anna channels the Sociology of Image in different entrepreneurial ways
    • [02:31] – The application of the Sociology of the Workplace for corporations
  • [02:47] – Applying the discipline in personal life to self-optimize
  • [03:15] – Anna thinks it is important for entrepreneurs to surround themselves with the right people and to invest in relationships
  • [03:40] – In a chapter of her book, Anna discusses the importance of creating Life Venture Capitalists (Life VC’s)
  • [04:00] – The phenomenon of “ghosting” is when a person just completely disappears
  • [04:30] – “Ghosting” is cutting off the opportunity for someone to become a Life VC
  • [05:25] – You are only as good as the company you keep and it is important to keep working on the company you choose to keep
  • [05:48] – JLD ends with the same quote every episode: he calls on Fire Nation to not “ghost”
  • [06:30] – Anna is challenging everyone to have a No Ghosting Policy in business and in life
  • [08:05] – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: The worst was working on a startup for 18 months that did not push through
  • [08:34] – I realized that there was another company and it was Sociology of Style
  • [09:06] – The second worst moment was after relaunching Sociology of Style and Anna acquired an existing company in Silicon Valley, but the deal halted after 6 weeks
  • [10:11] – Anna got to keep her company and they expanded to the digital realm where they were able to scale their services
  • [10:44] – Anna got to create another income stream, which was innovation consulting
  • [10:57] – JLD says the diversification of income streams is so valuable for entrepreneurs
  • [11:50] – Greatest AH-HA Moment: I stopped doing exclusively what seemed most practical, professionally, and started operating from my heart
  • [12:36] – Anna imposed a 6-month deadline to shake up her life
  • [12:55] – Anna considered working in Afghanistan as a social scientist, but the program closed — it helped Anna change her mindset
  • [13:25] – Moving to California helped Anna become the best version of herself and helped her grow her company
  • [14:01] – Anna says everyone should have a self-mantra that will help guide you to work for what you’re seeking
  • [15:20] – Anna stayed in San Francisco first, and when the business was established, she moved to Los Angeles where she really wanted to be
  • [17:03] – What is the one thing you are most FIRED up about today? – Anna’s book launched last month
  • [18:06] – Anna is working with current and formerly incarcerated people to help them become entrepreneurs
  • [19:05] – The Lightning Round
    • What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? – “I underestimated how much I never ever wanted to work for someone else again”
    • What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “Do not let ambition confuse you into thinking you can’t also be kind and to find a place for ambition and altruism to co-exist”
    • What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – “I make my own breakfast and lunch + my habit of mixing business with pleasure”
    • Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – Shyp, Instacart, UberEATS, Hotel Tonight, Bloom That
    • If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – Sebastian Junger’s Tribe
  • [24:40] – Live for the every day – for the small stuff
  • [24:58] – Connect with Anna via her website, Sociology of Style, or on HVCK.

Killer Resources!

1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!

2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!

3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!

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