Advice from The Future You: Life Lessons Learned In Business
Steve Livingstone, President and CEO
If there’s anyone to look to for an example of ambition and entrepreneurship, it’s Steve Livingstone. Strategy-minded and risk-taking, this episode’s guest is the President and CEO of Aha Insurance, a successful firm that boasts game-changing technology that simplifies the delivery of insurance as easy as ordering an Uber.
Here are three lessons from Steve’s episode:
Lesson #1: It’s Never a Straight Line
Creating a business comes with many facets to consider. Too often, someone starting out will fail to consider all the necessary steps to getting started. Instead of getting discouraged, Livingstone emphasizes to take it one step at a time. From cultivating connections and doing market research on your business of choice, it’s important to take a step back and consider the big picture.
Lesson #2: Be Open to The Journey Life Can Take You On
Initially, Livingstone was aiming to earn his MBA but thought he would benefit from some work experience beforehand. Starting out in an insurance firm, he found something that became exhilarating to him. From there, he evolved through different jobs and companies, experiencing different cultures and locations, all the while observing how the insurance industry works. This all led him to the life he lives now.
“Life is too short. Make the most you can of it at every opportunity”.
Lesson #3: Value and Nurture Your Network
“You need to rely on people you trust in your world. You can’t be fearful of leveraging your network and meeting people, because that just expands your universe.”
Livingstone believes in the power of many, and while other people can be a valuable resource, you also need to see how you can be of value to others. Meeting other like-minded entrepreneurs can become a beautiful thing if you let it. People that have this in common know that everyone needs help now and then, and it’s okay to ask for it or offer it to others if you see an opportunity to pay it forward: “I think if you shy away from [asking for help], then you tend to internalize it all, and that’s a very difficult burden to bear…”.
“I think you have to really believe in yourself that you’re going to have what it takes to be successful. And it is a little bit of being fearless, but I also think it’s […] making sure you’ve done your homework”
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