638: Jeff Wald | The End of Jobs

One of the scariest things in the world may be deciding to leave a job and start out on your own, but that fear could be just what you need to push forward.
Jeff Wald is a writer, speaker, investor and serial entrepreneur. Jeff has founded several technology companies, including WorkMarket, an enterprise software platform that enables companies to manage freelancers. He now serves as an adviser to several companies and entities including the X-Prize’s Rapid Re-skilling Initiative. He is also the author of the #1 Amazon Best Seller, The End of Jobs: The Rise of On-Demand Workers and Agile Corporations. 
Let’s dive in and learn from Jeff if and how the entrepreneurial journey could be for you.
Things you will learn in this episode: 
[00:01 - 06:02] Opening Segment  

I introduce today’s guest, Jeff Wald

Bio

Jeff gives us a bit of his background

Math vs. art 

Growing up afraid and finding his way

Starting down a career in finance

Negative pushes from parents 

Working up in finance leading to Harvard Business School 

[06:03 - 20:35] How to Know it’s Time to Become an Entrepreneur

Jeff’s thoughts on college

An overvalued pathway

Not all people need a 4 year college

The value of trade school

What shifted for Jeff to pivot out of 9 to 5 and into entrepreneurship

From venture capitalist to his first company 

Discovering the freelance and entrepreneurial route

A waking passion to solve a problem

The hard reality you should be taking on board

Balance between safe and going all in

No clear line, don’t over analyze it

Share your ideas everywhere

From an investor standpoint

A word from our Sponsor

[20:36 - 33:01] The End of Jobs

Who you know, or what you know?

You’ll never know enough for the ‘what’

Who you know opens doors

Teaching kids how to network

Fixed vision vs. flexibility getting there

Set up your guardrails as a leader

Think about your how

No questioning the what

A connection that led to success

Meeting with Fred Wilson

When to keep going and when to call it

When people aren’t giving you money

How mentorship has impacted your journey?

No mentors, but an investor 

The importance of coaches

Building a community 

How to build your network from scratch?

Look for existing infrastructure

Look for groups and resources

[33:02 - 38:29] Closing Segment

ThE RaNdOm RoUnD

How to engage with Jeff

Links below 

Final words 

Tweetable Quotes: 
“I am scared. Scared that I'll make the wrong decisions, and will pick the right business problem. I'm scared that people will think of it and beat us, I'm scared. But that fear is a great motivator.” - Jeff Wald
“All you can bet on as an investor is you and your ability to listen and to adapt, because everything you know is wrong.You just don’t know how it’s wrong.” - Jeff Wald

Resources Mentioned: 

End of Jobs

WorkMarket

The Opportunity Network

Connect and engage with Jeff on LinkedIn and Twitter. Check out https://www.jeffwald.com/ to learn more.
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