Gold Nuggets
- Sarcasm isn’t part of Juliet’s vocabulary. It’s also her and Steve’s anniversary.
- “There are as many companies as there are entrepreneurs’ personalities.”
- “Successful entrepreneurs have a purpose.”
- “Once your purpose is clear, everything else becomes easy.”
- “Most entrepreneurs want to change the world. That is because they have the purpose that they can have an impact.”
- “Successful entrepreneurs understand it’s a journey. They understand that making money is not a purpose.”
- “If you want to build a successful company, you cannot do it by yourself.”
- “Don’t expect that the reason you started your business necessarily has to be your long-term purpose – you can change it.”
- “How many of your new years’ resolutions do you actually implement?”
- “People have a tendency to want too big of a change at once. Instead of starting big, just start small. Implement the first step until that step becomes a routine – when it’s a routine, you don’t have to think about it anymore.”
- “92% of our worries are not legitimate.”
- “If you feel like you want to write a book, write a book. It’s not easy, but it’s a good journey.”
- “I would like to recommend to entrepreneurs to take care of themselves. I’m talking about physical health and mental health. Think about your mind as a muscle – if you want this muscle to grow, it needs to recover. For the physical aspect, start sports. Take care of yourself, because if you can’t take care of yourself, how can you take care of your company and your people?”
- “If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.” – Michele Ruiz
Meet Laurent Notin
Our guest is Laurent Notin, a business coach on a quest to crack the entrepreneurship code.
Laurent is a French national who left France at the age of 23. He then lived in South East Asia for 20 years before settling in Finland in 2019. He has a passion for helping others, and dedicates his time to coaching, training, and mentoring entrepreneurs. He is also a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer.
Smart Man, Smarter Woman References
We talk about a lot in each episode; however, we don’t want you to miss a thing! Here are some key items were mentioned if you want to take a closer look.
Website Recommendations:
www.laurentnotin.com/
Book Recommendation:
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Scaling Up by Verne Harnish
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Fog of Worry by Earl Nightingale
Stay Connected:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurentNotin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurentnotin/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChnJTxJspWE3ld8oznUf9Fg
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurentnotin/
Learn more about our Cloud Accounting Services here
Transcript
Steve Loates (00:00):
Welcome, everyone, to another episode of the podcast Smart Man, Smarter Woman, a podcast for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. And thank you very much for giving us a listen today. I am Steve Loates.
Juliet Aurora (00:16):
And I am Juliet Aurora.
Steve Loates (00:18):
And we are your co-hosts. And before we get started with today’s episode, let’s hear from my wonderful co-host, the smarter woman herself, Juliet. How are you doing today, Juliet?
Juliet Aurora (00:31):
I am excellent. Thank you, Steve, for asking. It’s always so thoughtful that you always try and include me at the beginning of the podcast and ask me how I’m doing. I always say that I’m excellent or fabulous. I don’t know if I’ve ever said anything different. So we may need to change it up for our audience because they probably just say, “well, Steve is going to ask Juliet how she’s doing. And Juliet’s going to say she’s fabulous.” So, just some food for thought.
Steve Loates (00:58):
Okay, hint taken. And I did detect just a little bit of sarcasm in your voice there. Am I understanding correctly or no?
Juliet Aurora (01:07):
Sarcasm is not part of my vocabulary.
Steve Loates (01:11):
Okay. Yeah, I got it that time. Okay, we will absolutely do that then, Juliet. Thank you and Happy Anniversary, Juliet.
Juliet Aurora (01:20):
Yes. Happy Anniversary to you as well, Steve. That’s a little personal for the podcast. Plus this podcast isn’t necessarily going to air on our anniversary. So it may not be as relevant. But yes, it is the anniversary of the date that Steve and I first spoke many, many moons back. So yes, Happy Anniversary.
Steve Loates (01:42):
Okay, well, just for the record, Juliet, this date will always be important to me whether it’s relevant to anybody else.
Juliet Aurora (01:49):
Fair enough. All right.
Steve Loates (01:51):
So thank you. Anyway, our guests and our audience don’t want to listen to you and I ramble on. So maybe we better get our guests in here [crosstalk 00:01:59] and actually start going with this podcast. Again, welcome, everyone. Thank you for joining us. And I’m going to try my best with our guests name, but he’s joining us all the way from Helsinki, Finland, and apparently in the middle of a snowstorm while we’re recording this. So, hopefully, the Internet and all those other things hang in there for us. So our guest’s name is Laurent Notin. And thank you very much for joining us today.
Laurent Notin (02:31):
Thank you, Steve, well done on the pronunciation. Well done.
Steve Loates (02:37):
Thank you very much. And so, why don’t we begin our podcast. Perhaps you could tell us a little bit about your own entrepreneurial journey, how you got to where you are today. And, perhaps, what you do and how you help people now?
Laurent Notin (02:54):
Sure. So I’m a business coach. And I’m on a quest to crack the entrepreneurship code to make it simple. And so, my journey really started 20 years ago. I left France and I never came back. And I’m 44 today. And I went to Asia, initially for nine months, and I happened to stay in Asia for 20 years.
Laurent Notin (03:21):
My entrepreneurship journey has been gradual because when I started 20 years ago, I was in a small country called Laos and I started working for this little research agency. 10 staff, and I was a project manager there. And it was my first job experience. And after a year, the owners of the company, they gave me the keys of the company and they said, “Look, now we’re going to go to Cambodia. You’re going to manage the company and go on.”
Laurent Notin (03:51):
And I was like, “Okay, great. Sure.” I was 24. I had no experience in the country. I didn’t know. And this is how I started running businesses for others. And since then, I’ve always worked for entrepreneurs, real entrepreneurs, people like you guys. The type of entrepreneurs will give you the keys, they have a lot of businesses around, they give you the keys of the business, and then they tell you, “By the way, I don’t have any money. So find out ways,” and I loved it. I have just simply loved it. I had to learn it.
Laurent Notin (04:22):
I had to learn everything from the scratch on the job. My background is marketing and sales, but as an entrepreneur, [inaudible 00:04:32] but running printing businesses, I had to learn finance, I had to learn about leadership, I had to learn so many things, and I’ve just been enjoying it since. And that’s why I did 14 years in market research, from Laos, to Cambodia. And after 14 years of market research, I went into the advertising industry for four years, and there are hard shares in the company. It was a next step, I became a small, minority shareholder.
Laurent Notin (05:05):
And three years ago, a bit more than that now, I was like, “I need to do something for me. It’s now or never. I was around 40. And if I was always in stress, and if I don’t do it now, I will never do it.” A lot of people have been pushing me for years, including my business partner in this advertising agency, because suddenly, they saw something in me that I had difficulties to find. And so, I really thought about, “Okay, what is it that defines me? What is it that I’ve always really enjoyed, what I’m passionate about?”
Laurent Notin (05:44):
And there was something that always came back, when I was thinking about my experience, the fact that I was always enjoying very much teaching, coaching my staff, mentoring them, helping them grow, and seeing them achieve more things. And I was like, “You know what? I’m going to be a business coach.” And this is how I started. And then I decided to become a business coach for entrepreneurs because I used to work for them. I worked for them for 18 years. So I speak the same language, I started with six. So in a nutshell, that’s my story.
Steve Loates (06:23):
Very good.
Juliet Aurora (06:24):
Excellent. I do love the start of your journey. That you went to a new country, were going for a short period of time and 20 years have passed, and you’re in there. I would like, throughout the course of this conversation, because we don’t typically have a lot of entrepreneurs who have had experience with businesses across multiple continents, multiple countries. Usually, like us, we start a business local to us, and maybe, you’ll take your business national. But you don’t often, even if you take it internationally, you’re not physically located in the other countries that you’re providing your product or service to. So I’d love to hear, maybe it’s now if you’d like to answer the question or throughout the conversation, to learn what you’ve learned about how business owners are the same, how business owners are different. Are all of us with the entrepreneurial junkie gene? Are we all the same, fundamentally? Or do you see big differences from one country or continent to another?
Laurent Notin (07:34):
That’s a very interesting question, because that’s exactly what I’m trying to do now. I’m trying to crack that entrepreneurship code, and that’s what I’m trying to find. But, I believe that there are as many companies as they are entrepreneurs personalities, because real entrepreneurs, your company is very linked to your own to your own personalities.
Laurent Notin (07:57):
And if I look from one continent to the other from Asia versus Europe, of course they are differences, because businesses are run by people. And societies are different, the cultures are different. For example, after 20 years of Asia, I decided to move to Finland, because I wanted something completely different. I wanted like 180 degrees, and I wanted a place where it was everything was organized, everything was structured, everything worked. Because in Southeast Asia, it’s kind of chaotic.
Laurent Notin (08:42):
And you have to deal with that all day long. And it’s fun. And that’s why I stayed for so long. But after a while, it was really difficult for me to cope with it. And so I moved to Finland, what it is exactly the opposite, where people stop at the traffic light when the light is red. That doesn’t necessarily happen in Asia.
Laurent Notin (09:05):
But also I think one fundamental difference when it comes to entrepreneurship, if I look in Asia, versus if I look here in Europe, or maybe I think in the US, is that in Asia, there is no support from the government. If you’re unemployed, you don’t receive any allowances. Most of the families are entrepreneurs. They have mom and pop shops because they need to survive. So the they do have this very deep entrepreneurship gene inside inside them, which we don’t necessarily have back here in Europe or the US. Maybe in the US and Canada is a bit different because I think it’s more entrepreneurial that Europe, but in Asia, it’s very, very, very deep. Everybody wants to be an entrepreneur, because there’re already entrepreneurs in their families.
Juliet Aurora (09:59):
That’s interesting. My background is my family is originally from India. And I see the same thing in India. I think of my family members, pretty much all of them except maybe a handful own and run their own businesses. Small businesses, bigger businesses, but very few of them will work for anybody else. So it’s interesting that that is, maybe that is an Asian mentality. And maybe why you also see so many immigrants who come into Canada that when they arrive for them it’s just a natural inclination, well, I’m going to start a business, because that’s what they’ve grown up with. And you see it so often in Canada as well, I’m not sure about in the US, but it’s definitely, proportion wise, you would see that in Canada as well. That’s an interesting observation. Thank you.
Steve Loates (10:50):
Yeah. I hate to love you. One of my questions was going to be but I think you’ve answered it. I certainly going to ask what would make you move from Asia, to Finland? Because they’re so different. And now you’ve explained that’s exactly why you moved to Finland because it was so different.
Laurent Notin (11:12):
No. Well, actually the real reason is a woman.
Steve Loates (11:17):
Now, that makes more sense.
Laurent Notin (11:21):
No. But definitely, I really wanted to change I really wanted a 180 degrees change. And I didn’t want to go back to France. I’m very well living overseas. And so I thought my fiancee, she’s Finnish. So we thought, Okay, let’s go to Finland.
Steve Loates (11:41):
Awesome. Have you noticed with the entrepreneurs that you met with in Asia and the entrepreneurs you meet with in Finland. Are there similarities that you have noticed, with those entrepreneurs that are successful? Like, are there common traits or commonalities, even across different parts of the world that you can recognize and say, “yeah, that that is something that I know was successful entrepreneur must have or must be like.”
Laurent Notin (12:20):
Yes, that’s a great question. And again, that’s what I’m trying to crack. And also I’ve got a podcast, called Inter:views, Cracking The Entrepreneurship Code, and I interview my guests. And they all entrepreneurs, and I asked them like the same kind of questions. And what I’m going to say is also based on what they’ve been saying. And I would say that the number one thing that I see is that successful entrepreneurs, they have a purpose. I’m a big fan of Simon Sinek, Start with Why. And I think this is so true. Once your purpose is very clear, and your purpose in life, that is we’re talking about your why in your life, because your company is just a product of your why. Once your purpose is very clear, everything else becomes easy. Because it’s easy to know where you want to go, it’s easy to know what you’re going to say. It’s just that why, is fundamental because everything is built upon it after.
Laurent Notin (13:35):
And so I would say that is the number one thing, which is a coupled with another thing, which is impact. Most of the entrepreneurs I talk to, they all want to change the world. I don’t know if it is the case for you guys, but I’m sure the time is that you want to change the world and [inaudible 00:13:54]. And that is because they have a purpose that they can have impact. And usually it’s impact on other people. Because all in all, all companies serve people. So that I would think this is number two.
Laurent Notin (14:10):
Number three, I would say that successful entrepreneurs understand that it’s a journey, they’re there for the long term. They understand that making making money is is not is not a purpose, it’s more for result. They need money, of course to grow the business but this is not why they’re doing it. And I think successful entrepreneurs understand that. And we all have heard stories about successful entrepreneurs who sold their businesses. And then they start something again from scratch, because they are simply addicted. Because that’s part of their life.
Laurent Notin (14:55):
Maybe one thing that I would add or two more things if I may. One is cash, successful entrepreneurs, they understand that they need money. I think the number two reason why startups fail is because they have runway drive. Successful entrepreneurs know that they need money to grow, that they need to build these cash reserves. And last, but certainly not least, there is another very common, very strong thing that comes back again and again, with the people I work with or I interview. It’s the word, people. If you want to build a successful company, you cannot do it by yourself. Even if you decide to be a solopreneur. Like, I decide to be a solopreneur, because that’s my decision. But I need others to accomplish it. I need others to scale my business up. You need to surround yourself with people internally with your staff, but also externally, mentors, coaches, advisors.
Juliet Aurora (16:06):
Lots of great things in there. So I guess one thing that the situation that’s happening in the world with COVID. And so many businesses having to close their doors, and release employees. We have seen at least in North America, a surge of people who are just starting their own businesses out of necessity. That they’re doing it because they’ve lost their job, there’s no one else in that industry that’s hiring. And so they’re pivoting and so they’re starting their own business.
Juliet Aurora (16:38):
And so I think that a lot of that is some great advice for those people who are going through that transition, to take a step back and not just think about, “okay, yes, I need the money.” But think about you know, why you’re doing, what you’re doing, what your purpose is, what is the impact that you want to make? If you’re looking to do this long term. If you’re looking to do it short term until you can get another job, then I think that the mindset is going to be completely different. But now I think that because there are so many people right now in the world that are kind of out of necessity, having to start something. That that is all great advice, no matter where you are in your journey especially if you’re starting at the beginning, take a step back and think about what it is you want to do long term.
Laurent Notin (17:24):
Yes. And I can add on top of that. You said no matter where you are in your journey. You know that the way I’ve seen this with my clients. Some of my clients, have been in business for 20 years, they’ve run the company for 20 years. And at one point in time, they will lose track of their way. And as soon as you loose track… And that can happen anytime. And as soon as you lose track of your why, the fundamental reason why you started the business in the first place, you’re going to hit a wall. It happens all the time. Not only now for startup, for aspiring entrepreneurs or people who are starting a business now out of necessity, it is important to think about your why. But experienced entrepreneurs, also don’t forget to come back to go back to your why. Don’t forget to go back to what makes you, you.
Juliet Aurora (18:19):
Great, great advice. And we can certainly speak to that personally. Our business AIS Solutions, we’ve been in business for 20 years. I guess this is going to be year 21. And along the way, we lost our purpose and found that there was a fundamental change in the business once we found it. But what I find so interesting as well, is the purpose has evolved, as we’ve evolved as people. So don’t expect that the reason you started your business 10 years ago, five years ago, two years ago, necessarily has to be your long term purpose, you can change it. We changed ours probably 18 months ago, two years ago. And it’s fundamentally shifted, how we’re doing things, what we’re doing, because we as people are evolving. And so your purpose doesn’t necessarily have to stay the same as well. So no, absolutely, I agree with that completely.
Steve Loates (19:18):
[crosstalk 00:19:18] that it’s absolutely true. What it also changed for us was what we saw the future of our business looked like that… a lot of times, when you’re an entrepreneur, you get so caught up in the day-to-day and just there’s so many things going on. So the day-to-day stresses, frustrations, winds, that it’s hard to keep your eye on. And I think that was one of the things you talked about too, was on that long term journey or that long goal.Steve Loates (19:56):
And the one thing we’ve certainly done in the last couple of years as we sort of refocused our why, we also very much refocus, what do we want our business to look like in one year, two years, five years? And then what do we need to do today to make sure we’re heading in that direction. And again, as you said, it all evolved around the why, all the other things came from that. So I agree, it’s very, very important. One thing I did want to ask you is, now that you are a coach yourself, a business coach, helping entrepreneurs and working for yourself, what is it you love about what you do? Well, being an entrepreneur?
Laurent Notin (20:49):
I think, is the fact that I can… It’s the freedom I can do the stuff that I want. I can try stuff. If I fail, I fail, but if it succeeds, hey, even that’s better. And it’s really that… I’m going back to the why, I can express myself now. And it has taken me three years. Before I wasn’t daring expressing myself and having opinions. But the fact that I have to do my podcast is because I dare. And it’s because my purpose is very clear, cracking the entrepreneurship code. I love that I can express myself, I can do what I love, I love coaching, I love mentoring, I love… I used to do some public speaking. And I love all of that and I was born to do that. I know, deep down inside of me and I was born to do that. And being an entrepreneur is the way for me to implement it, to execute it.
Juliet Aurora (22:03):
Excellent. Steve, this is actually a question for you. I’d like to put the same question to you, that you provided to our guest, because I think it would be it would be interesting to hear your answer.
Steve Loates (22:17):
So I’m being put on the hot seat now.
Juliet Aurora (22:20):
Yeah.
Steve Loates (22:21):
And the question is Juliet? I just want to make sure I’m answering the right question.
Juliet Aurora (22:27):
As to what it is that you love about being an entrepreneur?
Steve Loates (22:31):
Yeah. That’s a really easy one for me. It is the freedom. It is the freedom to succeed, the freedom to fail sometimes, the freedom that I know, I really don’t answer to anyone else, but myself. I mean, I’m certainly have responsibilities but the bottom line is I answer to myself, the freedom that I truly believe I control my own destiny, which when you are working for someone else, you really don’t. If someone else controls your destiny to a large extent. And so for me, I think that was all was it from the very, very beginning. Why did I want to become an entrepreneur when I was in my 20s? And that was absolutely…
Steve Loates (23:23):
I tried working for other people. As you know, I had a number of jobs in a very short period of time. Discovered that I didn’t play well with others, that I found it very difficult to follow rules and instructions that I didn’t believe in. And so I guess I came to the realization that if I wanted to have any sort of successful business career, I would have to be an entrepreneur. And it’s always been the same that I’ve always… So it’s not been a specific thing. It’s been more of a feeling that I think as an entrepreneur, as frustrating as it can be, sometimes, there’s also nothing like it when you work, when you follow a goal. When you achieve it and have that success. There’s nothing like that feeling either. That’s it for me.
Laurent Notin (24:25):
[crosstalk 00:24:25]. If I may, while you were talking, I was thinking about something in the freedom. This is the first time in my life that I am able to choose my clients, really. And this is very important if entrepreneurs listen to us, to have to make that ideal client profile. I have an ideal client profile and I stick to it. And then I can only work with people I want to work with.Laurent Notin (25:01):
Now the negative aspect of that is that to grow, it’s going to take a bit longer because those people, I need to find them. They are hidden somewhere. But since I started, all my clients are loyal. I think I have 100% loyalty with my clients, which is absolutely fantastic, it never happened before. And for me that is one of the best ways to express my freedom.
Juliet Aurora (25:31):
I love that.
Steve Loates (25:31):
Yeah, that’s a great, great point there. I mean, that does obviously come from freedom, but you have the ability to be able to choose the people you work with, or the type of people you want to work with, that is huge. Because we all spend a big part of our life working. And so to be able to work with who you want. But I do want to come back to Juliet, you didn’t get away with it, you also must answer that same question.
Juliet Aurora (26:03):
Okay, it’s probably really easy for me, it’s control. I like to be in control. And that’s the only way that I can be. I function better, I think better, I produce better when I’m in control.
Steve Loates (26:18):
Yeah. Control might be another word for freedom, depending upon which way you look at it. Right?
Juliet Aurora (26:26):
Absolutely.
Steve Loates (26:28):
That’s great. That’s great. I think it’s awesome. I always admire people who can move from one part of the world, or even one part of a country to a different part of the country, different language, different culture. And you’ve done that more than once in… And you’re still a young guy. How do you find that kind of courage? Or does it take courage, you just have to be a little bit crazy. I don’t know what it is, I’ll just say courage. But how would you inspire someone else? Maybe someone else in our audience is thinking, Oh, I’d love a new start, I’d love to move to Europe from North America. What would you say to them to encourage them to do that and help them deal with any sort of fear they might have?
Laurent Notin (27:28):
Hmm, if I look at my experience, and why I’ve been doing it, and it’s actually I duplicate that in everything that I do, it’s the challenge. When I hit a comfort zone, it’s time for me to go to the next level. And so I challenge myself, and I love challenging myself, I love getting out of my comfort zone. And I think that is what I did when I moved countries. I moved countries four times. Now I would like to stay in Finland for a while.
Juliet Aurora (28:03):
And there’s a big difference moving cities, moving within the same country, as opposed to moving to a brand new country where you don’t necessarily know anybody. Maybe in some cases you did, where you don’t necessarily know the language. I know that both Steve and myself have a lot of respect for my father, who when he came from India, he came by himself. He was 22 years old and crossed the world. And there wasn’t as much ability and connection now through the internet and Skype and Zoom, to be able to connect with people that you’ve left behind. I still remember when I was growing up the phone calls back to India were so expensive, that it was probably once every three months that my parents could afford to call their families back.
Juliet Aurora (28:58):
So although you say you know that it’s because you need a challenge and you want to push yourself out of your comfort zone, you have to acknowledge that it requires a lot of courage to pick up and start all over again, essentially in a new country.
Laurent Notin (29:16):
Yes. And the fear of the unknown is there. But that is what drives me. I did the same with sports. Six years ago, I started CrossFit and now I’m best shape of my life. I used to be fat, I was in a bad shape. Now I am super fit. And that’s exactly the same that what happened. But I think it’s very easy to say I’m going to change. Now it’s the new year resolutions. It’s the beginning of the year. Everybody’s like, “oh, new year’s resolutions.” How many of your resolutions do you actually implement? So easy to say, “I’m gonna take a resolution.”
Laurent Notin (29:55):
But now what you need to do is to actually start. You have to switch. Yes, it starts from your attitude in your brain, you have to switch your mind. One of the things that I think is that people have the tendency to want too big of a change at once. So instead of starting big, just start small, one step after the other. Implement the first step until that step becomes a routine. When that is a routine, you don’t have to think about it anymore. Implement the second step and so on.
Juliet Aurora (30:37):
Excellent advice.
Steve Loates (30:38):
Yeah, that what you were saying there, that reminded me of the book, Atomic Habits, James Clear. If you have not read that book, I highly recommend it. Great, great book. And he talks about the same thing about how you develop positive habits by very small steps until they become a habit. And it’s a great book and a great read. I also highly recommend his weekly newsletter, maybe one of the shortest newsletters you get. And it might be one of the smartest newsletters you get. There are always some great two tips of wisdom in there. And you can read the whole thing in probably three or four minutes. So it’s one of the few newsletters, I actually look forward to getting every week. So highly recommended Atomic Habits, James Clear, great read for everyone, especially entrepreneurs.
Laurent Notin (31:40):
And if I may, again, sorry, I’m jumping in because it triggers something else in my mind. I recommend people to read The Fog of Worry by Earl Nightingale. So basically, as he has breakdown all worries by categories and you will be amazed the percentage of real legitimate worries… What is the percentage of real legitimate worries we have. It’s 8%. Which means 92% of our worries are not legitimate. And that is what we feel overrun with all the time, this fear of unknown we’re talking about. Most of the time, nothing will happen.
Steve Loates (32:28):
That’s very true. Very true. That’s absolutely true. If we spent time only worrying about legitimate things and worrying about things we actually have control over. Instead of worrying about all the things we have no control over. I think we’d all be a lot happier. But I mean, I can give that advice. I wish I was the same but I’m easier giving the advice than taking the advice. But anyway, that does bring us to one of our favorite parts of the show. And that is the smart man, smarter woman version of James Lipton’s q&a from the Actors Studio. And so if you are ready, Laurent, I would like to get started.
Laurent Notin (33:22):
All right. Let’s go.
Steve Loates (33:24):
Question number one. What one word best defines an entrepreneur?
Laurent Notin (33:31):
Easy joining.
Steve Loates (33:34):
Perfect. What profession other than your own, would you like to attempt?
Laurent Notin (33:44):
I would have loved to become a pilot. And the problem is that I’m afraid of flying.
Steve Loates (33:54):
Okay, very good. What profession would you like never to attempt?
Laurent Notin (34:02):
Banker.
Juliet Aurora (34:06):
Very definitive.
Steve Loates (34:09):
Banker or [inaudible 00:34:09] it’s usually one of those two. What sound or noise do you love?
Laurent Notin (34:17):
I think it’s the sound of the forest. Like being in the middle of the forest in summer and winter, It’s so peaceful.
Steve Loates (34:29):
Okay. What book would you recommend every entrepreneur should read?
Laurent Notin (34:36):
I have several books. But I think the one that comes out on top is Scaling Up by Verne Harnish.
Steve Loates (34:46):
Very good. We are fans of that book. That’s a great book.
Juliet Aurora (34:50):
I remember the first time that I read it. And I was going through the chapters and I was thinking, crap, I got a lot of work to do.
Laurent Notin (35:02):
Yeah, I read this book like three years ago, and I wish I had read it before when I was running bigger businesses, because I would have done a lot of things differently.
Steve Loates (35:11):
Yeah, absolutely. And our final question. When your own entrepreneurial journey is completed, what do you hope your legacy is?
Laurent Notin (35:23):
The easiest way to put it is… And as I was talking about start with why, and I’m coming back to Simon Sinek. I would like to become the Simon Sinek of entrepreneurship basically. I want a really want to leave a trace about cracking the entrepreneurship code. I really want to help entrepreneurs, become the best version of themselves and build outstanding businesses. I would hope that one day I have an academy, my entrepreneurship academy. My head, it’s growing this idea of writing a book about it. That’s really now what I want to leave behind. I guess it’s been a thoughtful leader in entrepreneurship.
Steve Loates (36:08):
Excellent answers. Awesome. Highly recommend if you feel like you want to write a book, write a book. It’s not easy, but it’s a good journey. For those in our audience that would like to connect with you What is the best way for them to do that?
Laurent Notin (36:26):
Alright, two easy ways. One is LinkedIn, you can find me @laurentnotin, or otherwise my email address, contact@laurentnotin.com.
Steve Loates (36:40):
Perfect, and I will spell the name for the audience. So [inaudible 00:36:47] get that. Laurent is L-A-U-R-E-N-T and the last name N-O-T-I-N. That’s how you can find him on LinkedIn. And before we can conclude our episode, do you have any final thoughts Laurent, that you would like to share with our audience?
Laurent Notin (37:08):
Yes, I would like to recommend to entrepreneurs to take care of themselves. I’m talking about physical health and mental health. I am talking more and more about entrepreneurs being like elite professional athletes. Elite professional athletes, they take care of themselves. They understand that they need to grow muscles, but they also understand that they need to recover. Recover physically and recover mentally. And like you said early on, Steve you said in our conversation earlier, there are we so many things that we have to deal with, we’ve got our head stuck. It’s very important that you find ways to get your head out and just recover. Think about your mind as a muscle. You want your mind to grow, this muscle to grow it needs to recover. So that’s for the mind. And for the physical aspect, start sports. Do some exercises, take care of yourself. Because if you cannot take care of yourself, how can you take care of your company and your people?
Steve Loates (38:22):
That is wonderful advice and something we could all benefit from. That’s great advice. And what about you, Juliet? Do you have any final words? Before we close out this episode?
Juliet Aurora (38:35):
Just agree with the final words that Laurent shared. I probably need that reminder more than most of the people that I know. And I’m beating myself over the head all the time saying, “no, you have to remember to take care of yourself.” So I think that is… And especially with the last year that everybody has had. For entrepreneurs it’s been a tough year. And you absolutely need to take some time, even though you may not feel that you can. You will see it tenfold come back to you, if you do take some time. So absolutely some great advice.
Steve Loates (39:11):
Oh, thank you. That’s terrific. And for this episode’s words of wisdom. I came across this quote and I actually hadn’t heard it before. But as soon as I saw it, I thought I love this, we have to share this. And so the quote is, “If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.”
Juliet Aurora (39:38):
Love that.
Steve Loates (39:38):
Yeah, I thought that was great. So again, thank you very much to our guest, Laurent. We’ve loved having you on the show. You’ve been a great guest.
Juliet Aurora (39:48):
Thank you and co Juliet. Thank you.
Steve Loates (39:50):
Our pleasure. Thank you again to my awesome co-host Juliet. But most importantly, thank you, to you, our audience for giving us a listen. We sincerely appreciate you tuning in. Hope you found some value. I’m sure you did today. If you love the podcast, please subscribe and find us in all of the normal places or you can just go to the website smartmansmarterwoman.com. Thank you. Until next time, take good care of yourself and those that you love. Bye for now.
Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0
