The Conscious Entrepreneur

EP02: Community Engineering and Human Connection

"Entrepreneurship is a personal growth journey," says Lizelle van Vuuren.
 
Lizelle is a force in the Denver Startup Community, she’s founded her own companies, is an advisor and an investor, and now she’s exploring her passion for soccer and her mission to bring professional women's soccer to Denver.  On this episode of The Conscious Entrepreneur, Alex Raymond  is in conversation with Lizelle about her journey as an entrepreneur and the resilience and inspiration needed to build a successful business. Through her own experiences and reflections, she shares valuable insights on the importance of self-discovery, community engineering, and mental health for entrepreneurs.
 
Key Takeaways:
Being an entrepreneur is a long journey that requires resilience and self-awareness.
Belonging is a fundamental human need, and creating communities that foster belonging is essential.
The entrepreneur's journey is a path of self-discovery, where personal growth and self-awareness are key.
Work can be a coping mechanism and an escape, but it's important to find a balance and not tie our self-worth solely to our work.
A conscious entrepreneur is someone who has a heightened sense of self-awareness and connection to others, and strives to create impact while also being profitable.
 
Quotes:
“What wonderful things have you created, because you have not felt like you belong? And there's millions of people who feel the same. In fact, I think that is really quintessentially a part of the human experience and people want to belong in places and spaces. And I believe that when you belong, when you feel like you belong and you are welcomed into belonging somewhere. It untaps your full human potential. So now people who feel like they belong, whether it's in a tiny startup or a big community or in their school or adversity or in a club or whatever, now they can relax. Our nervous systems kind of take a breath and we can fully show up.” (23:06 | Lizelle van Vuuren) 
"Now I look at the entrepreneur's journey as an athlete's journey, which is to say, you cannot possibly think that you're going to be an exceptional athlete without training and stretching and eating well and doing the movement, doing the motion, doing the work, doing the exercise, whatever that might be. And it's true for an entrepreneur. You can't possibly imagine that you're going to be your best as an entrepreneur without quite literally sleeping well, eating well, exercising, training, walking, having friends, having a community, maybe going to therapy, unpacking some trauma, like all those kinds of things." (28:58 | Lizelle van Vuuren)
"Entrepreneurship is a personal growth journey." (49:58 | Lizelle van Vuuren)
"Being an entrepreneur is not a job title. It's not something you do. It's how you are. It's how you behave in the world, how you act in the world. And we need to broaden that conversation so that we're talking about all these things that really add up and that really matter." (55:45 | Alex Raymond) 
"A conscious entrepreneur is someone who with every fiber in them creates impact for people while attempting to be profitable." (57:21 | Lizelle van Vuuren) 
 
Links
Connect with  Lizelle van Vuuren:
Website: https://lizellevanvuuren.com/
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. 

EP01: How to Become a Conscious Venture Capitalist

Are you tired of the adversarial relationship between entrepreneurs and investors? Matt McCall, a seasoned VC with 28 years of experience, offers a refreshing perspective on the traditional relationship dynamics we’ve come to expect. In this episode, Matt shares his unique approach to investing, where he not only provides funding but also coaching to help entrepreneurs thrive. He believes that the key to success lies in focusing on the human aspect of business, elevating entrepreneurs to be their best selves. By investing in personal growth and fostering authentic relationships, Matt has seen firsthand how this approach leads to greater resilience and success. Discover how Matt challenges the traditional VC model and why he believes that investing in the well-being of entrepreneurs is a competitive advantage.
 
Key Takeaways:
The relationship between entrepreneurs and investors doesn't have to be adversarial; it can be a partnership where both parties work together for success.
Investing in personal growth and well-being supports the achievement of results in business.
VCs can act as guides and safe harbors for entrepreneurs, providing support and resources to help them thrive.
The concept of the Aristotelian ethic, focusing on curiosity, discipline, courage, and love, can lead to a more fulfilling and successful entrepreneurial journey.
Taking care of one's well-being and addressing internal issues, such as unsaid conversations and energy drains, is crucial for long-term success and avoiding burnout.
 
Quotes:
"Everything that I would do as a traditional coach, I do as a VC, but I do it from the perspective of making them the highest version of themselves so we can have the best success with the company." (13:58 | Matt) 
"What launched this whole thing is we interviewed,10 years ago, a hundred entrepreneurs and said, 'How do you want your VC to show up to be most helpful?" And number one, by far, they said, I don't trust any of you guys. But if I could trust you, it was who can be there on a Sunday night when the demons are running through my head." (31:56 | Matt) 
"The way that I'm thinking about it is, you know, we're putting all these demands on an entrepreneur and he or she's got 30%, they're at 30% of their capacity because 70% of it is blocked by something else. And so the work of becoming more aware, doing personal work, becoming more mindful, learning to meditate, learning tools and frameworks for communication, and so on. Those are about increasing the amount of available energy that I have to do the things that I love. And if I'm not focused on it, then I'm just burning myself down, and that's what leads to burnout, collapse, companies going poof." (35:03 | Alex)
Links
Connect with Matt McCall:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattmccall/
Website: https://somethingventured.com/
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

The Conscious Entrepreneur Trailer

Hustle Culture is ingrained into our society and teaches us that entrepreneurship is a hard journey. We blindly worship hero stories of entrepreneurs who sacrificed it all (health, happiness, family) in pursuit of business glory. But these stories are toxic models for entrepreneurs: many founders struggle with depression, anxiety, and burnout. 
 
It doesn’t have to be that way. In The Conscious Entrepreneur, we have an open and honest conversation that leads us away from misery, fear, anxiety and stress and towards happiness, health, sanity and positive relationships. We dive deep with inspiring and authentic entrepreneurs, bypassing the familiar "hero stories" for genuine insights and wisdom.
Hosted by Alex Raymond, The Conscious Entrepreneur is the only podcast that is 100% dedicated to the wellbeing of entrepreneurs.