Sustaining Excellence Through Creativity and Downtime

Episode 178: Sol Orwell - CEO, Digital Nomad, Vulnerability As A Leader

Sol Orwell is an entrepreneur and business developer, most known for his work as the co-founder of Examine.com. He was recognized as a 2014 Game Changer by Men's Fitness and profiled by Forbes as a seven-figure entrepreneur.

Sol describes himself as semi-retired, which allows him to travel three to four months out of the year. He does not take investment money to retain control of his companies and free time.

He has stepped back from an active role in Examine.com to focus on other projects. He blogs about business development in the context of making money online on SJO.com and serves on the advisory board for Schwarzenegger.com as a health and fitness expert.

Episode 178: Sol Orwell - CEO, Digital Nomad, Vulnerability As A Leader

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The Learning Leader Show

"I did what any normal person would do – I gave the company to my #2 to run, paid him more than I paid myself, and basically became a digital nomad."

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Common themes to sustain excellence = "A deep level for creating creativity."
• Why Deep Work is so critical to Sol's success
• A typical day:
  • 2 minute cold shower
  • The 5 Minute Journal
  • A 10-15 minute walk -- "Get the brain started"
  • Get to work
  • Done with work by 2:30 every single day
• Friday's are always no work days... Just "reading days"
• The specific process Sol has taken to build a life around "creating businesses around my interests"
• The process of purchasing Examine.com for $41,000 (and why he did it)
• Putting his #2 in charge so he could travel the world and be a "digital nomad"
• The Picasso Principle
• How to create this lifestyle: Have no ego, create a blueprint, execute, trust others
• Creating a "Side Hustle" -- A how to
• Why you must "Get Started"
• The #cookielife
• Vulnerability is "when you don't know what the response will be when you put yourself out there."
• 1,000 true fans
• Why Sol does not take VC money
• Changing his name to Sol Orwell... Why?
• How travel can create empathy and why that's so important for a leader... Being grateful
• Learning Leader = Constantly learning. Have self-awareness. Take criticism, and foster the spirit to accept it
• "Luck is a function of observation"

"I think a big part of entrepreneurship is to realize that you can trust other people. You can be rewarded for trusting other people. You don't have to necessarily look over their shoulder."

Continue Learning:

• Sol's website: Examine.com
• Follow Sol on Twitter: @sol_orwell
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

You may also like these episodes:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL

Episode 073: Jay Bilas - World Class ESPN Basketball Broadcaster, Toughness, Fixing The NCAA

Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

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If you enjoyed hearing Sol Orwell on the show, please don't hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me.

Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

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