Episode 15 - Guerrillapreneur Mastermind Interview - Entrepreneurship and Mental Illness: Come In Out The Darkness ft Alika Hope, CoFdr of R

Episode 15 is our one-year anniversary episode and we are celebrating. Sign up for our newsletter at ceyero.com for a chance to win a copy of my book, Guerrillapreneur: Small Business Strategy for Davids wanting to Defeat Goliaths. There is also an Amazon Sweepstakes in which I offer some cool electronic devices. Click the Amazon link to enter the Amazon Sweepstakes. https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/ea72b4a8346049b1. The sweepstakes ends on November 20, 2017.

In past episodes, we defined Guerrillapreneurs as entrepreneurs who integrate sharing, gig and circular loop economies into their business design as a way to conserve cash that will be invested in disruptive "Slingshot" technology. Episode 15 is a Mastermind Interview episode where I have a conversation with an entrepreneur about the issues he/she faces in his/her quest to create value. In this episode we talk with award-winning singer/song writer and musicpreneur Alika Hope. We also feature Alika's new song "In Real Life" or I.R.L. (which is how the song appears on all music outlets). I.R.L. focuses on the importance of being kind to others on social media. Alika will premiere I.R.L. Monday, November 13, 2017 on World Kindness Day. We will also premiere I.R.L. on World Kindness Day. I.R.L. starts at 41.24 on the podcast.

Hollywood and social media have glamorized and romanticized the life of the entrepreneur. As Aristotle states, "No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness." However, like other professions, entrepreneurs face immense pressure, stress and anxiety when launching their startups. Moreover, many startups are launched by solopreneurs who have no one to help them de-escalate the stress. A 2013 study by Morneau Shepell states that entrepreneurs are more likely to experience mental health conditions than the general public. The study goes on to say that mental health concerns are reported across 72 percent of entrepreneurs, compared to a mere 7 percent of the general public. A University of California study on the link between entrepreneurship and mental illness found that "49% of entrepreneurs surveyed were dealing with at least one mental illness (such as ADD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, addiction, depression or anxiety) and about one-third of entrepreneurs struggle with 2 or more mental illnesses." In Debra Carpenter's article "Genius in Madness?" she notes that "the lows of depression might give way to the smart solutions and ideas. A manic episode can sometimes enlighten. ADHD prompts fast decision making. Combined, these struggles may incubate tremendous creativity that inspires would-be entrepreneurs to take chances on their ideas."

In fact, some of the world's greatest entrepreneurs suffered from various mental issues. In his book America's Obsessives, Joshua Kendall explains that entrepreneurs and leaders like Thomas Jefferson, marketing genius Henry J. Heinz, librarian Melvil Dewey, aviator Charles Lindbergh, beauty tycoon Estee Lauder, baseball slugger Ted Williams and tech guru Steve Jobs all struggles with psychiatric maladies.

The problem with lean startups is that most don't have the self-care resources available for its employees. Unfortunately, this lack of resources is impacting the success of the startups. Fortune Magazine found that "13 percent of startups fail because of their founders have lost focus, 9 percent fail because they've lost their passion, and 8 percent fail due to founder burnout, meaning 30 percent of startups fail due to the emotional state of their founders."

According to Chris Gory, "Between 2011 and 2015 several high profile suicides rocked the startup world and brought to light the issue of mental health including Austen Heinz, a biotech entrepreneur and the founder of Cambrian Genomics, Aaron Swartz, the co-founder of Reddit; and Jody Sherman, the founder of Ecomom.

We discuss these issues Alika Hope because she wants her new song, I.R.L., to bring a(continued)

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