Discovering your ‘why’ and pursuing it relentlessly isn’t always an easy feat. In episode 9 of The Relentless, Dr. Gurner speaks with the woman who found her ‘why’ in serving start-up companies led by underestimated and underrepresented founders. Her journey didn’t happen overnight, and she overcame quite a bit of challenges along the way.
Meet Venture Capitalist, Founder, and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, Arlan Hamilton. To date, she’s worked to raise about $10,000,000 across the board for both investments and operations, but her career didn’t start there. Arlan began as a concert promoter, then switched to run a print magazine before finally becoming an entrepreneur as a venture capitalist. Arlan is clear that making this switch was no walk in the park, and by that she means it was an all-out challenge. She shared how, through the many obstacles she’s faced, she continued to push simply because she knew what she was creating needed to exist.
One interesting thing about Arlan’s career path is that there isn’t a distinct connection between any of her roles. Arlan found a way to reinvent herself mid-career and it was what she learned, throughout her journey, that helped propel her into her current role. A career path doesn’t have to necessarily be one that’s linear. Whether you have a formal education or job experience; there are steps you can take to help break into a new field. Additionally, the experiences you learn along the way, with each trial and error, could be valuable tools that may benefit you in your new journey.
What can you do when you’ve reached a point in your current career where you’re looking to transition into something different? Do you remain where you’ve built your current skillset and expertise, or do you take what you’ve learned and begin the process of learning new things and make the switch?
When asked, ‘What propels people into reinventing themselves?’ Arlan believes it’s a combination of self-teaching, authenticity, listening to yourself, and listening to what you want.
Key Takeaways:
Reinventing yourself, at any point of your career, can be a challenge. Arlan shares practical ways to help with the process:
- Push yourself further- With any new endeavor, there can be inherent challenges. Despite being homeless and sleeping in an airport, Arlan continued working to raise the capital for Backstage. At the time, she couldn’t focus on her current circumstances, but she had to continue pushing for what she believed in, which was her brand and the market it would serve. While in transition, focusing on your desired outcome and truly believing in yourself and what you want to accomplish, can help propel you through rough patches you encounter along the way.
- Develop, plan and educate- It may take time, but research and a well thought out plan can help build the foundation for your new career path. Dr. Gurner mentions a key trait she’s seen in a lot of individuals who ultimately become successful. This trait is being autodidactic; which is the ability to self-learn. Reading books, watching videos, and studying, are all ways that can help you in your newly desired field. Once you decide the direction you want to lean into, do your research. Take what you’ve learned and begin to write a plan. This will help you to stay the course and become familiar in your new career path.
- Double down on your strengths- It’s okay not to be great at everything. We all have certain skills that we are better at than others. Being honest with yourself about what you’re good at will help you focus or “double down” on your strengths. Additionally, partnering with others who have strengths in the areas you may not be the best in, can help you become more effective in your endeavors.
When asked, ‘How do you define relentless?’, Arlan’s perspective is very strategic. She believes, it’s not just about giving up when facing the seemingly impossible, but about being extremely focused on your ‘why,’ so your effort is in the right direction. Learn more about this episode of The Relentless. #jointheconversation