278: Andrew Schulz - Standup Comic and Entrepreneur on Insecurity, Risk, and Making Things Happen

It’s hard to imagine a profession more fraught with the potential for insecurity than that of a standup comic. Andrew Schulz says sure, it’s there - but you can’t let it rule your life or derail your career. In this candid - and graphic - conversation, Andrew, Ari, and Nick chat about Andrew’s career journey, how he’s fought to rise to the top of his profession in spite of insecurity and fear, and what it takes to make things happen - from a comedy perspective and a business perspective. He's a great example of someone who has ground out his success one step at a time. ## Andrew Schulz is like most people: He loves delegation and hates management. As Ari asked his guest, comedian Andrew Schulz how he manages his busy life and all the projects he has going, Andrew pointed to Trello as his “to-do list that other people can see,” and mentioned that he loves delegating things to his assistant but hates the stress that comes from overseeing whether she really did the things he delegated. Ari pointed out that what Andrew feels is common, and it's exactly what he should feel. He's talking about the management piece - and every entrepreneur has to learn how to offload that aspect of business in order to create space for the things they really want in life. You can find out how that looks in the life of a standup comedian, on this episode with Andrew Schulz. ## In any field, you’ve got to learn to deal with risk, insecurity, and the fear of failure. Andrew Schulz says he admires anyone who has absolutely no fear of rejection. It’s a quality that very few people seem to have. He struggles with fear of rejection regularly as he tries out new comedy routines and learns to pivot, iterate, and adapt to the realities of what is truly funny to people - but he also makes the point that every field requires a certain amount of risk. Those who are successful in their field have to face the insecurity squarely so it can be conquered. Find out how Andrew has dealt with the inevitable fear of failure so far, and what he does to keep himself pressing forward in spite of it, on this episode of Leverage. ## The freedom to do what you want comes from creating independent streams of income. In this conversation Ari asked Andrew Schulz how he is able to do the things he truly loves and Andrew pointed to a principle entrepreneurs should know very well: You’ve got to create streams of income that allow you to have the consistency and stability you need for life in order to be free to pursue the things you really want to pursue. That’s what he’s done through a handful of revenue sources - and now he’s able to say “No” to commercial or sponsorship gigs that he doesn’t want to do in order to pursue the opportunities that are bigger and more aligned with his brand as a comic. You can hear how he applies the principle to his life and see how to apply it to your situation, on this episode. ## Assume people like you. It enables you to treat people better. At the end of each episode, Ari asks his guests to share 3 things listeners can do to be more productive - and Andrew Schulz immediately shared that if you can assume people like you, you will be empowered to treat them better - and the results are nothing but good. He gives a few examples of what he means by this that help flesh out the concept, so be sure you listen and learn to be more optimistic when it comes to meeting and interacting with new people. ## Outline of This Episode - [0:03] Parental warning: This episode will be quite EXPLICIT. Be advised. - [3:03] How Ari and Andrew know each other and have reconnected. - [4:11] The road to becoming a standup comedian. - [9:11] Learning to deal with risk, insecurity, and the fear of failure. - [16:46] The importance of clearing your head through focus. - [22:10] The business side of Andrew’s comedy career. - [32:04] How Andrew’s mindset mirrors that of an entrepreneur trying to find product/market fit. - [36:15] The comedians Andr