4 Valuable Lessons Learned From Serial Entrepreneur, Robert Workman.

In 2016, I was honored to have the opportunity to work on causes with Robert Workman. As the CEO of Provo Craft, Robert led the company early on to become an acquisition target that eventually sold for $300M. Then there was Goal Zero, where in under 5 years it became the 9th fastest growing company in America and soon after was acquired by NRG Energy for $178M+. I worked with Robert on his foundation, Tifie Humanitarian, and new project, www.barebonesliving.com. Here is some of what I learned through spending a lot of time with him:

Start With A Cause, Then Find A Company: Robert is a firm believer that we have a responsibility to serve. He believes that we must be driven by purpose, and purpose is what amplifies the commitment, fortitude and resourcefulness necessary to accomplish greatness. Barebones Living was started with the intent to provide semi-permanent housing solutions to people displaced by disaster or war. We saw first hand in disaster zones in Nepal that there was a critical need for solutions that were more stable, reliable and structurally resilient than tarps and less expensive than rebuilding a permanent structure. We saw an opportunity to complement the energy work being done in humanitarian contexts through goal zero with shelter solutions in which those energy systems could be deployed. From there, the team looked at markets in America to determine other applications for this technology that could help drive profitability in ways that could multiply the amount of humanitarian efforts we engaged in. We started with a cause, and then found market applications that could support our commitment to it. Driven by a why, we were inspired to find our path and do even more good. Robert is a leader that drove us in this direction and reassured us that we would reach the destination he colorfully painted with his vision to change the world for the better.

Be Your Customer: The greatest lesson I learned while working in consumer products was to be the customer, and to understand the customer better than the customer understands themselves. Robert has this beautiful way of using simplicity as a tool for innovation. There were countless times when the invention was so practical and obvious I had trouble believing that no one else had done it already. He looks back - in some cases hundreds of years - to integrate features of old products into new products in compelling ways. Beyond these two observations, I noticed working with Robert that there was a keen desire to make single tools multi faceted in their use, in ways that allow customers to get so much more out of that one tool than they can with the five tools that they already have. He had this foresight partly because his hands were always in the dirt, and he expressed immense desire to improve his own experience in the outdoors. He lives the lifestyle, and he spends most of his time with others who live under the same value system. He balances this understanding with a unique ability to use intuition and vision to create timeless and beautiful products built on utility.

Learn To Say No: Great things happen with remarkable focus and discipline. Robert has mastered the ability to prioritize his time to optimize learning and maximize results. He's clear in his guidance to help you get back on track, and unwavering in his focus to build the next greatest product. Anything that doesn't help him accomplish this goal and other goals he views as top priority is a huge distraction, and he never lets distractions paralyze progress. I learned from him that there are a lot of opportunities in life, and if we say yes to all of them then the chance of us doing one thing remarkably well is very low. We need to focus and commit to that one most important project to achieve excellence.

Look inward for improvements: I came into the business eager to trigger new development. The idea of taking on new big accounts seemed like the most logical way to build the B2B channel. Yet we already had so many great customers whose experiences with us could be improved. Instead of looking outwardly and trying to bring in big new accounts, Robert forced me to consider the importance of looking inwardly to find ways to improve upon the existing customer relationships we were responsible for managing. He knew that if we couldn't excel at those relationships there was no chance at excelling at the establishment and growth of new ones.

Robert was instrumental in helping me become a better leader, follower and doer. I continue to reflect often on what I learned while on the front lines with him. What is a key lesson you've learned from one of your greatest mentors? And how has that changed the way that you do work?