HawkeTalk

His dream was to be the school crossing guard. He never received that honor, but it’s safe to say he’s doing well for himself.Chris Burch, founder & CEO of Burch Creative Capital and co-founder of Tory Burch LLC, was never the brightest crayon in the box growing up. But there was one big thing he had a strong understanding of — people.Now he’s a billionaire.In this episode, Erik and Chris chat about… How Chris coped with anxiety and a learning disability in schoolHow he founded his first multi-million dollar company out of collegeThe keys to his wild success in businessFor more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Growing up as a poor factory worker’s son, you’d never have guessed that Keith Ferrazzi would become the youngest Fortune 500 CMO in history.But that’s exactly what he did. Well, with the help of some key relationships that is.In this episode, Keith shares his origin story with Erik, as well as… What he learned from growing up poor in the midst of his elitist peersWhy being a closeted gay man drove him out of politics and into businessHow leaders today can ultimately change humanity through co-elevation Resources mentioned in this episode:Leading Without Authority & other books by Keithvirtualteamswin.comgoforwardtowork.comcoelevation.comThe Future is Faster Than You Think by Peter Diamandis & Steven Kotler For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes a great entrepreneur? Maybe being raised by entrepreneurs. Or maybe it’s repeating what great entrepreneurs have done before you.For Michael Loeb, founder & CEO of Loeb.nyc and former CEO of Synapse Group, it was neither of those things. In fact, his father was a famed journalist, and Loeb only looks to the future when it comes to entrepreneurship.In this episode of HawkeTalk, Erik and Michael discuss… What goes into the making of a great entrepreneurThe similarities and differences between Michael’s and his father’s pathsWhy shared services act as the Swiss Army knife in entrepreneurshipWhat Michael looks for in a new business idea For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He pushed too hard in skiing. So, he decided to hold onto the good moments of being a world-renowned rally driver.Andreas Mikkelsen knows what it’s like to have the rug pulled out from underneath him. From those instances, he learned how to be adaptive, even when things aren’t going his way.Andreas joins Erik in this episode to talk about… Why Andreas’s passion shifted from skiing to rally drivingHow he’s made the best of difficult situationsWhy it’s so important to cherish the good moments in life For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He’d started around 20 companies by the age of 12, but only one ended up mattering to Idaho-native Dan Price: Gravity Payments.Inheriting a hard-working, entrepreneurial spirit from his parents, Dan started Gravity in high school and was eventually able to implement a $70k minimum salary for his employees.In this episode, Dan shares all the twists and turns in his unique story with Erik. Plus, Dan tells about… Growing up in an extremely conservative homeHow he came up with the idea for Gravity PaymentsHow he handled negative feedback from critics of his $70k minimum wageFind Dan’s book, Worth It, here.For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The good thing about not having a role model? You can be your own.That’s what Kara Nortman, Partner at Upfront Ventures, has done for most of her life. And, it’s served her well. Early on, she thought she knew what her path was going to look like — luckily, she was wrong.In this episode of HawkeTalk, Erik and Kara discuss… Growing up with no business role models in her life, let alone businesswomenHow going back to school saved Kara from her insane work scheduleHow she’s now bringing diversity into her firm and her side projects, like Angel CityFor more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You probably knew that he started Wine Library, but what was GaryVee doing before the entrepreneurial fame? You might be surprised to learn that it’s not that different from what he’s doing now.He’s the same visionary and practitioner he was at 7-years-old, shoveling driveways.In this episode, Erik and Gary chat about… The innate people skills Gary discovered he had at a young ageWhy he’s still deep in the weeds at VaynerMediaHow he’s handled people underestimating himHis vision for his business in the next 10 yearsFor more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Failure is not not succeeding. It’s not trying.”Many successful people have said some version of this sentiment, but for some reason, it meant a lot coming from The Sopranos star, Louis Lombardi. The alternate path — and frankly, the easiest one — would have been to federal prison with the neighborhood kids.Luckily, Louis chose Hollywood instead.In this episode of HawkeTalk, Erik chats with Louis about…Growing up in The Bronx and never having a formal educationWhy Louis chose to defy the odds and get into actingHow Louis used every experience in his life as a learning opportunityFor more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the age of four, his grandfather built him a basketball court. He earned a full-ride to a private high school. He made Magic Johnson his mentor. He interned at the agency that represented him in the NBA.Baron Davis’ life has been filled with entrepreneurial opportunities in addition to athletic ones. That’s because he decided to commit himself to learning — anytime, anywhere.In this episode of HawkeTalk, Erik catches up with Baron to discuss…How he made the NBA a viable option for his careerWhy what you do off the court is even more important than what you do on itHow his life has led him to entrepreneurship and starting numerous businessesFor more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adversity being overcome makes for the best stories. Especially when it’s overcome, overcome, and overcome again.Former White House Communications Director and Founder of SkyBridge Capital, Anthony Scaramucci, knows this story well. Growing up on lower-middle-class Long Island as the son of a construction worker doesn’t shout Harvard Law or Goldman Sachs, but that was Scaramucci’s path nonetheless.In this episode of HawkeTalk, Erik and Anthony discuss…The power of perseverance in school and workHow being fired can turn into an opportunityWhy making the life you want means not caring what others thinkFind The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel here.For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.