5 Mistakes From 5 Years Of BeerBiceps

In August 2015, I decided to step into the world of social media as a nervous, underconfident, angry-at-life 22 year old. Was very scared about the journey I was beginning.

And rightfully so. I was an engineering grad, who knew nothing about videography, business or social media. I was sure I'd do a lot of mistakes on this journey. And I did mistakes.

But every mistake made me a better professional. The greatest high of this career has been making mistakes, learning from them and then creating content out of it.

What's the point of your mistakes if young warriors after you cannot benefit from them? Here's 5 of the worst errors that happened since 2015.

1. Equating success to Money & Numbers

Which 22 year old does NOT do this? Of course I began this career with the goal of becoming rich and famous. 

Jim Carrey once said, 'I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.'

Of course, this is something you only truly understand after you're rich and famous. But PLEASE allow me to echo this exact statement.

If you're always going to be a slave to the cash and virtual points (followers), you'll never achieve peace. There will always be someone who is richer and someone who is more famous. NO MATTER what you choose to do.

In my first couple of years of BeerBiceps I always compared myself to other YouTubers, other entrepreneurs and even my friends. It didn't matter if I was doing better than SO MANY. It mattered that few were ahead of me. Very toxic mentality that I gladly let go off from year 3 onwards. Why year 3? Because I actively began looking for mentors. They taught me the following crucial life truths.

A downside to growing up in Indian society (with it's 'Sharmaji ka beta' mentality) is that you will have an in-built sense of envy and unhealthy competitiveness. Learn to shed this off as soon as possible. 

Competition exists only in sport. If you consider someone to be your competition in any other profession :-

- You have failed to create a unique identity in your field.

- You are focussing outward. Therefore you are not putting enough energies into your own growth.

The goal for you should ONLY be the betterment of your craft and the betterment of the world through your work. From focussing on numbers, I began focussing on perfection and IMPACT creation.

Game changing for my own mental health. Game changing for the quality of my work. game changing for my growth.

2. Trusting people too much.

In year 2, I signed a contract to create a show for a shady TV producer. He was an old school friend, so I agreed despite spotting many red flags.

It was an elaborate food show, that took Rajas (my BeerBiceps co-founder) and me 6 months to write. The producer became more toxic as time passed. Eventually he stole the idea and tried creating it without us. It never got created and his production house never took off.

While karma came back to bite him, this experience made me very aware of this life truth.

"Not everyone is as nice and as ethical as you are. DO NOT trust blindly."

Don't sign contracts out of excitement and gut feelings - Media industry lesson.

Seen so many young YouTubers' careers destroyed because of the wrong kind of contracts. Just be wary of this harsh reality of this world.

As you keep growing, more people will want a piece of the pie you're cooking up. Ensure that you work on your "street smarts" just as well as you're working on your craft. 

Learn to say no to commitments that you feel are not worth it. Learn to say no to people who you don't get a good vibe from. Learn to say no to anyone who bitches, gossips and generally lacks ethics. 

For me, the best solution was getting an ethical, but badass management team (who are now co-founders) Viraj Sheth & Jalak Rawal.

I know I'm a nice guy. And I know that people often take advantage of my niceness. That's a weakness. Be aware of your weaknesses and surround yourself with people who make up for them.

3. Fearing being the 'bad guy'

Delegation is the process of giving away your own duties to capable team members. Therefore freeing up your time and playing even bigger games.

Delegation is a concept I've embraced from day 1. There hasn't been 1 day of my career where I haven't considered delegating SOME aspect of my job. Even today. I'm constantly thinking of what I can stop doing, so that I can give time to the activities that create the MOST growth (for me it's thinking business strategy, writing and coming on-screen)

But the mistake I made early on was delegating to the wrong people. 

A close entrepreneur friend of mine, Ayush Jaiswal taught me this life truth :-

When it comes to team building, always give people a chance to correct their mistakes. But keep this 'math' in mind :-

- If the hire never repeats the mistake and in fact becomes better, double down on that person (Higher salary, higher responsibilities)

- If the hire never repeats the mistake, but doesn't get better unless pushed, have faith in the person (Higher salary gradually, same responsibilities)

- If the hire repeats mistakes despite your correction, fire immediately.

The toughest moments for me as an entrepreneur are when I've had to let go of my team members. I'm extremely emotional about each member in my team, but I've also learnt this harsh truth about entrepreneurship :

'By delaying the process of firing a non-performing team member, you are being unfair to all the other team members.'

No matter how much passion and emotion you put into your work, certain aspects of business require you to be heartless and practical. While this was a bitter pill to swallow, this process of intelligent hiring and fast firing made me grow up much faster than I anticipated.

If the world is truly a 'Dog eat dog' world, be the lion. Protect your team at all costs. Which also includes being the bad guy in certain situations.

4. Accepting the limits that the world sets for you.

Going to keep this one short : Don't let the doubters get to you. Allow your work to speak for itself. 

In year 1, I began training people to make money. They called me a failed engineering grad.

In year 2, I began creating content that was beyond the world of fitness. They thought I'd failed in my own fitness journey and therefore failed as a health professional.

In year 3, I began my journey in business and put a foot outside of the 'content creation boat'. They said I'd run out of creativity.

In year 4, I began making regional content. They called me an opportunist.

In year 5, I began making podcasts. They bracketed me as an interviewer.

Every year, people have underestimated my team and me. Every year we grow faster. Dont settle for where the world wishes you'd stop. Break your own limits through honest work. Life is that simple.

5. Thinking that "Just hard work is not enough."

Man, you'll always be told that you need to learn a LOT of different things to be 'successful'. This pressure of 'learning' and accepting 'challenges' scares most people to a degree where they don't even begin.

On July 15th 2015 (A month before I began BeerBiceps), my fitness coach Binny Sreedharan told me : "JUST START. And get better as you go. Don't worry if the internet calls you fat, ugly or stupid. Allow the quantity of your work to silence the quantity of the haters."

That's all I did. I was never the most talented, most creative or most intelligent kid growing up. ALL I ever knew was hard work. This is the most endearing life lesson I've had. Your capabilities or 'talent' DO NOT matter half as much as your determination and dedication do.

My final message for you is this :-

If I could do it, you'll be able to do it. I'm no different than you are. If you work honestly and apply the same honesty to your learning process, ANY mountain is scalable. Just trust yourself and get up from your falls. Life is REALLY that simple. Lots of love & luck to you, my friend. Keep hustling.

~ BeerBiceps out.