“It's really just realizing 'look on my own, I don't have what it takes to be successful or perform at a high level.' I need other people to come alongside of me and help me." -- Grant Webster

Grant Webster (@grantwebster) is the CEO and Founder of Launch Thought, an investor in several startups, Silicon Valley consultant. Grant gravitated toward learning while being homeschooled as a kid, even checking out classic business books from the library. While still in college Grant started his own software and web development firm. The combined busyness of getting married and the growth of his business led him to drop out of school and continue his career without a formal degree. Despite this nontraditional path, Grant’s career has continued to flourish. Today, Grant is able to spend the majority of his time serving other entrepreneurs and leaders who are advancing God-inspired solutions to the world’s greatest challenges through his work in the Christian Economic Forum.

He joins Bob in this podcast episode to talk about what a coach is and why Grant invested in one. He highlights key differences between a friend, mentor, and coach, and he emphasizes the key things to look for in a mentor or coach. Additionally, Grant shares his story on his educational background, how he got started in his entrepreneurial endeavors, and the thoughts he encounters daily as an entrepreneur. Along the way, Bob and Grant discuss how to dispel fear, combat the doubt, and believe in the truth.

Notes on the difference between a friend, mentor, or coach:

-A friend is close to you, and they may be biased.

-A mentor counsels you and gives advice. They’re typically intentionally asked to mentor an individual.

-A mentor wants to see that their investment in you will be worthwhile. They’re gifting you something, so they want to see you use the gift.

-A coach can give you unvarnished and unbiased outside perspective.

-A coach can see things you can’t see.

-One coach can’t help you with everything. It’s not a one-sized all approach.

-A tennis player is so successful because they have a coach for multiple areas of their game -- their nutrition, their technique, their mental health, their strategy, etc.

-If you’re looking for a coach, don’t look for a unicorn that can mentor you or coach you on everything. Those are unfair expectations. Don’t view a mentor or coach as the end all be all.

-Look for a mentor that’s really good at something you want to learn about or improve upon yourself. However, be careful not to take everything that they are and emulate that.

-Keep in mind you are a unique individual, and you can’t replicate their whole life. You’re a different person.

-If you want a mentor, prove you’ll be a good student. Volunteer to help them. Learn as much as you can from them. Be a value-add to them.

-Oftentimes, someone you’re asking to mentor or coach you lives a busier life than you do. They’ll willingly mentor you if you’ll use what they’ve given you. If it falls on deaf ears, the doors will close.

Links in this episode include:

Executive Coach or Therapist? It’s Getting Harder to Tell the Difference, a WSJ article

Peter Thiel’s Fellowship Program, his program open to students to start their own businesses

Zero to One, a book by Peter Thiel

Launch Thought, Grant’s web development company

Antifragile, a book by Nassem Taleb

Sunk Cost Fallacy, here’s a Wikipedia page on sunk cost and the sunk cost fallacy

The OODA Loop, a Wikipedia link about the Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act process cycle developed by John Boyd, a military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel

The Messy Middle, a book by Scott Belsky

Overlap, a book by Sean McCabe

Platform, a book by Michael Hyatt

Blitz Scaling, a book by Reid Hoffman

The Customer-Funded Business, a book by John Mullins

Mailbox Money, an article explaining the concept of mailbox money

To learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.

Follow Bob Dickie on Twitter @RobertDickie

Policy is the Power behind Energy