"Embracing the Journey: From Corporate to Creative with Bijal Patel"

In this engaging episode, host Neal sits down with Bijal Patel, a dynamic entrepreneur who shares their unexpected journey from corporate America to launching a successful creative venture. After facing challenges, including an abrupt job loss while navigating motherhood, Bijal Patel discovered the power of radical acceptance and resilience. 

Join us as they discuss the importance of vulnerability, the significance of personal branding, and how to embrace your unique journey. Learn how to break free from self-criticism, own your successes, and create a lasting impact through authenticity. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or simply looking for inspiration, this episode offers valuable insights on transforming challenges into opportunities for growth.

Tune in for a heartfelt conversation filled with personal anecdotes, practical advice, and a few laughs along the way! Don't miss out on discovering how to become the best version of yourself and leave your mark on the world.

Transcript

Thanks for having me, Neal. I'm excited to be here.

00:00:45:04 - 00:01:04:14
Speaker 1
Let's go. Let's do it. All right, so. All right, where. Where can I start? I'll start with. This is. I'd never wanted to be an entrepreneur. This is like a total accident, right? Why is this even happening? So? So anyways, I can be a CEO of launch. You can be a CEO. This was not a part of the plan.

00:01:04:17 - 00:01:26:05
Speaker 1
But life gives you exactly what you need for you to grow. So five years ago, I got abruptly fired from my job after having my second baby and turned out corporate America did not like the fact that I was breastfeeding my son. And so I got the pink note. I was confused or what that meant. And then I realized at that point in time, I'm completely unemployable.

00:01:26:06 - 00:01:48:02
Speaker 1
I'm never going to go back. So for all of you listening, who are either earlier on in your entrepreneur journey or you might be scared it's too late. It's not. You can jump in. It's never it's never too late. You're running your own race. So prior to that, I had did 13 years of corporate interior design, for really big fortune 500 companies.

00:01:48:04 - 00:02:11:13
Speaker 1
And before that, I had another twist. And turn where I did computer science because like Neil, we both have jived on the fact that we had typical Indian upbringings of being, you know, second generation here. Would, why are you doing starving artist work? And so that was, you know, I was given that prescription from the get go of, like, you can either be a pharmacist or a computer scientist.

00:02:11:13 - 00:02:35:00
Speaker 1
So I picked that. And so, you know, my parents came to this country, moved to Indiana, which we just found out we have that in common. Do. It's insane. And so they came here with $8 and a dream, and they started there, you know, they did the hotel motel Patel thing. That was really typical. And so it's no interesting to me that like in life, you're going to be given these twists and turns.

00:02:35:00 - 00:03:02:17
Speaker 1
And it really comes down to like, how do you receive that curveball? And then do you throw it back?

00:03:02:19 - 00:03:23:16
Speaker 2
Yep.

00:04:01:05 - 00:04:25:11
Speaker 1
Yeah, totally. And I think that this is where our background comes into play to Neil, is that not everyone struggles with that false humility at the level that we do. So the levels is really different. And it's interesting if you're Indian or any part of East Asian culture and a lot of American culture, depending on how involved they were in the church.

00:04:25:11 - 00:04:52:22
Speaker 1
And, you know, what they believed in is depending on your family and your culture and your society's core values, you were taught to achieve great things, but then diminish it immediately because you were somehow your light getting brighter. Was diminishing, or taking away someone else's. And I'll say that that has taken me a long time to work through, to dismantle that within myself.

00:04:52:22 - 00:06:58:11
Speaker 1
But I think, more importantly, what brings me joy is helping other people, quote unquote, what I call humble flex and be able to own their wins where they're still being humble in the sense that they're not like braggadocious and turning people off or egotistical, but they are able to fully celebrate and own their light. I believe the only way that we can continue to grow and be creative is if we're willing to stand and bask in our own glory, and I think that we have to get that straight within ourself.

00:06:58:13 - 00:07:33:18
Speaker 1
Yeah. It's so interesting. It was scary and scary. Things invite new growth and so the more that we stay in our comfort zone, we are short selling the potential of our possibility. Because all growth happens at the extremities of where we are. All growth happens at the extremities. And so when you push yourself past that and sometimes it's self-inflicted or like my situation and it's externally cultivated, but it was for my favor.

00:07:33:18 - 00:08:03:08
Speaker 1
It was for my development. But this is the interesting thing, Neal, is when you talk about the concept of radical acceptance, which I absolutely love, you start to you could start to apply that to your own life by saying, everything really does happen for me in this world, not to me. So you can move from a victim mindset to a victor state to say, awesome, all these problems, issues, they're just challenge is and watch me turn them into opportunities.

00:08:03:10 - 00:08:35:06
Speaker 1
And so I look back at that moment and while it was terrifying to get fired with a job I needed with kids that were 1 in 3 years old in a dual income household, it was exactly what catapulted me in to the person that I was going to become. Through that opportunity, that challenge that turned into an opportunity.

00:08:35:08 - 00:08:56:09
Speaker 1
Yeah, great. Yep. Growth only happens at the extremities.

00:09:58:22 - 00:10:21:22
Speaker 1
You know, there were I would say like let's let's even just reframe that. Bumps goosebumps. Bumps sound like it's like hard. And there were things that were hard. But the, the visual I have of it is I feel like I was chiseled and I think that there's more chiseling happening. Like I literally see myself as like a and others like, I see this for you, Neil.

00:10:21:22 - 00:10:49:14
Speaker 1
I see this for the audience who's listening right now. I truly believe that everyone's inner greatness, their best and highest version of themselves, is right within them. I don't think that. And I'm a coach too, just like you. Mine's more branding. You're on other things. I don't think anybody's going to change you into who you're going to be, but I do think it's our job to be able to chisel out those exterior layers.

00:10:49:18 - 00:11:14:12
Speaker 1
So we can just go deeper and deeper and deeper. And it's like those Russian dolls that are concentric, and we're literally trying to get to the core where we meet our highest, truest and purest version.

00:11:14:13 - 00:11:45:07
Speaker 2
Yeah.

00:12:34:03 - 00:13:01:05
Speaker 1
Yeah. Well, Necessity is the mother of all invention. That quote by Plato. I live by that. And often times when we talk about that, like extremity and, like, you know, the chaos. Right. And chaos is what is the starting point of a lot of new creation. When you think about that frame of mind, you're really saying that, like you've hit the pain line where it's so painful you can't go back.

00:13:01:06 - 00:13:20:00
Speaker 1
So if you think about it, if your back is against the wall and you have three seconds to make a decision and it's do or die, you will actually turns out you are no longer in analysis paralysis and you make the decision. And I have this framework and, you know, it's a bit out there, so take it with a grain of salt.

00:13:20:13 - 00:13:36:11
Speaker 1
But my team and I are close enough. We can do this, but I call it the gun to the head framework, and I'm like, okay, okay. When I get a lot of explanation belabored by Roman numeral one with point A and sub point, I'm like, let's stop this gun to the head. Which one is it, a, B or C?

00:13:36:13 - 00:14:04:06
Speaker 1
Or is it none? Because you don't actually believe that we should be doing the initiative in the first place. Like where's the like, wipe this off the table option? Like we shouldn't even be doing this. Forget AB or C solution. So you will be willing to make a decision as fast as you need to. And when you realize that you've already done this a bajillion times over, you have that capability to use that same framework gun to the head.

00:14:04:11 - 00:15:18:22
Speaker 1
Boom. Do or die. What is split second? So in one side, your logical mind will give you input on the second side, your intuitive side. Well, when you start to listen to yourself more, you will understand who's talking to you.

00:15:41:13 - 00:15:45:18
Speaker 1
Oh my gosh!

00:15:45:20 - 00:16:04:11
Speaker 1
Yeah.

00:16:04:13 - 00:16:21:15
Speaker 1
All the time. There's things always not working out. I'm of the mindset that, And I train my team to do this to you. Like, if if things are always working out, if we don't have challenges, if we don't have failures, if we don't have, like, oh, my God, we should have never done this. We need a postmortem.

00:16:21:15 - 00:16:41:20
Speaker 1
We're not playing hard enough. And so I am not here to be your average Becky home. Becky, I'm so glad I made a business. And like, now look at me living life up in Italy in my freaking, like, awesome villa. Like, I'm not here for that. I'm here to create a transformational experience for the people on this planet to drive social equity in the world.

00:16:41:20 - 00:17:16:12
Speaker 1
So I'm super, super, super clear on my vision. It is enormous. And when that vision is so big, everything else just process. Everything comes like money is just energy. It just comes, is natural and it comes what I am teaching, not just my team, I'm also teaching it to myself. I'm also teaching it to my two kids who are six and eight, that if you're not willing to make the mistake and have everything go backward, you are not leaving it all out on the field and I am here to leave it all out on the field.

00:17:16:12 - 00:17:44:21
Speaker 1
I do not want one day of my life, much less a quarter, much less a year, where I continue to serve a smaller agenda and purpose, which is did I do it okay in other people's eyes? I'm not here for that. Neil.

00:17:44:23 - 00:17:47:01
Speaker 2
Brown.

00:17:47:03 - 00:17:59:12
Speaker 1
You know, those those the Indiana roots. Neil. They be they be deep.

00:17:59:13 - 00:18:46:16
Speaker 1
Who cares?

00:18:46:18 - 00:19:14:02
Speaker 1
100%.

00:19:14:04 - 00:19:27:16
Speaker 2
Yep. Yep.

00:19:27:18 - 00:19:51:03
Speaker 1
Yeah. Yeah. I like what you said there, too, because the judging that you just nailed it with what you said is that when we pass that judgment on ourselves for failing, there is no way that we can actually step out the matrix because we hold ourselves down. So how are we ever supposed to grow out of our own criticism?

00:19:51:03 - 00:20:30:16
Speaker 1
That's our shadow talking.

00:20:30:18 - 00:20:54:23
Speaker 1
100%. So I'm officially trained. Or once in a in a once upon a time as a computer scientist, I did computer programing and got a Bachelor of Science in that. Then I went and got a master's of arts in interior design. And now what I do is brand strategy for small business owners. And I have absolutely zero degree in it.

00:20:54:23 - 00:21:29:06
Speaker 1
And that is exactly why that's my unfair advantage. I am totally not trained to do this, and it makes me absolutely lethal because I do not have anybody's rules that I follow by. I don't ascribe by someone else's stuff. I'm not here backing an industry. I am quite literally putting out content related to how people can grow their personal brand, their business brands, turn their small businesses into a brand that people care about is legitimate and cohesive.

00:21:29:08 - 00:22:00:10
Speaker 1
Through my own learning, through my own time, 13 years in corporate helping, these fortune 500 companies make their headquarters easier to get the inside look into big companies like Bank of America, Johnson Johnson like names you can remember. Why do these enormous companies who have multiple billion dollars care about brand so much? So I'm literally sold out to the small business owner or entrepreneur who's like, why does this matter to me?

00:22:00:10 - 00:22:19:12
Speaker 1
And I say this all the time. If branding does not affect your top line revenue or your bottom line profit, I could give a shit about it. So all the rest of the branding people, 99% of them telling you bullshit about color psychology, I'm just not here for it because I'm not sold out to any school of thought.

00:22:19:12 - 00:22:29:20
Speaker 1
I have an independent school of thought on what and why it actually matters.

00:22:29:22 - 00:23:06:09
Speaker 1
And.

00:23:06:11 - 00:23:42:00
Speaker 2
I'm.

00:23:42:02 - 00:24:03:00
Speaker 2
Yeah.

00:24:03:02 - 00:24:20:12
Speaker 1
Yeah. Totally. Totally. Well, let me distill it down to some of the things that most people don't say, but actually work. Because it's kind of funny how that happens. Right? I don't know if they're trying to, like, keep it hidden or something behind a paywall. One of them really simply is a framework into one, one, one rule.

00:24:20:14 - 00:24:43:04
Speaker 1
If you don't have a personal brand yet, that's got any type of traction. This is my proven framework and recommendation. Proven means there's an actual track record of performance behind it. Not Woowoo, not Wawa, not pulled out of my ass for your listening pleasure. Like actually works. That looks like one platform a day on your personal page of one.

00:24:43:04 - 00:25:02:01
Speaker 1
Your personal page, not your personal page and your business page. And once a day post in the morning somewhere between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.. So one platform, one page once a day. That is how you start your personal brand. Now what is the reason we'll be usual? I don't know if I want to have a personal rant.

00:25:02:01 - 00:25:32:20
Speaker 1
I'm not a social media person. Is content really brand? Listen listen listen listen listen. If you want to be happy and wealthy like the show indicates, you need a personal brand. Because quite simply put, your personal brand will travel with you through any entrepreneurial endeavor. You have, any company you start, any new subbrand, you start any JV. You do any speaking opportunity, any event, any product, affiliate, every single thing.

00:25:33:02 - 00:25:58:08
Speaker 1
So when dudes like Alex Hermosa and Ed Millette and women like Kody Sanchez and Layla Hermosa and this whole group of like multi eight figure women are pushing personal brand and making time for content. You my friend, absolutely do have it. And the best time, the second best time to plant an oak tree is, you know, first best time is 20 years ago.

00:25:58:09 - 00:27:04:20
Speaker 1
Second best time is today. So it is so important for you to have long term wealth that is connected to you. Having a strong brand with strong brand equity and a loyal brand following.

00:27:04:22 - 00:27:26:18
Speaker 1
Yeah, I think it's great. I think, I think email lists are great. I think it's just email list is a different mode or a different container for you. Getting a social following. That's the only difference. And, like, you still have to look at you own the data on your email list, which is nice to have zero party data compared to a platform that could technically shut you off.

00:27:26:20 - 00:27:55:01
Speaker 1
It's like two modes, like you drive a vehicle. We all have drive, reverse and park in neutral. In our car. You should be able to hit every single one of those. What is this podcast? What is content? What is email marketing? What is speaking? How many times have you see an online meal where someone's like, I'm looking for a speaker who's good at this and you see like 200 comments of people desperately fighting like crabs in a bucket.

00:27:55:01 - 00:28:24:04
Speaker 1
Yo, you will never catch me on any day commenting on any single person's post, because one that's ineffective in two. If someone wants me to speak, they're going to contact me because of the personal brand and the reputation I have. So do you want to fight with 300 people to maybe get a slot on someone's stage, or do you want them to reach out to you and say, hey, I really want you to speak at my next event?

00:28:24:04 - 00:28:47:12
Speaker 1
Do these dates work for you?

00:28:47:14 - 00:29:32:04
Speaker 1
Yep.

00:29:32:06 - 00:29:41:05
Speaker 1
Yeah.

00:29:41:07 - 00:30:02:12
Speaker 1
Yeah, totally. Well, Neil Patel, my brother. No kidding. People have literally been like. Is you really your brother Mike? No, he is not. Okay. Like, no, he's not is. Patel is like the common laugh.

00:30:02:13 - 00:30:22:22
Speaker 1
It's not just like, just there's not three of us, right? So, like, we have a concept that I've dubbed called radical Vulnerability. And I just got tired of seeing the social media highlights because it made me feel terrible about myself. Like, I mean, I've only been in business five years and I've only been online for four of them.

00:30:22:22 - 00:30:45:18
Speaker 1
So four years ago in 2020, I only used Facebook once a day to post about my kids. I didn't know anything about anything, and I think that it's really demotivating to people when they see only highlight reels. And as somebody who personally, has an ongoing condition of depression and anxiety, I am just not a fan of creating more of that.

00:30:45:18 - 00:31:10:07
Speaker 1
And so what I actually do intend really is, and I really could give a shit if someone advocates or agrees with me or not. I think you will find your personal power when you really get to the point where you just stop giving a shit about what the population things, what does general population things. I don't give a flying fuck, and every piece of my content reiterates that we feel it from the energy.

00:31:10:09 - 00:31:35:11
Speaker 1
And so I call it like I radically, vulnerably post the wound like it's the wound. It is open and bleeding. It is not the scar. I am not better than thou, higher than thou have all the lessons. I'm like, hey, I'm just kind of bleeding out here. Here's some stuff that's happening. And you know what that has done that has attracted a lot of people to me because of my relate ability.

00:31:35:13 - 00:31:55:10
Speaker 1
And I think that there's going to be an enormous movement that's going to happen. That's from 2024 onward, where we see this shift away from the big gurus because people are finally tired of being like, you know what, I love you. This isn't slinging on garyvee, but I'm going to throw him out there because he has all the brand advice.

00:31:55:12 - 00:32:19:22
Speaker 1
Garyvee I don't relate to you. I don't have hundreds of employees and haven't been in business for 20 years, and I could just spit on a microphone and people would be like, oh my God, it's Gary Vee. People don't relate. They don't have a media team like Alex Hermosa that spends $180,000 a month to have their social media content to help them become omnipresent.

00:32:20:03 - 00:34:22:17
Speaker 1
What if you don't have that meal? And so people now, I predict, are looking for the leaders, the experts, the world class folks who are subject matter experts that are 1 to 5 steps ahead, not in a different stratosphere, because can I hire somebody who actually remembers, oh yeah, I went through that last month, last year, six months ago, last quarter.

00:34:22:19 - 00:34:51:07
Speaker 1
Yep. They don't. They don't. They don't. Because, like, the mountain makes you completely unattainable. And then when the gurus try as they may, to answer questions from people that are at base camp, you can see on their face that they don't remember. So there's no empathy. There's no compassion. And they're just like, they don't understand. They're like, why don't why wouldn't you just do this?

00:34:51:07 - 00:35:10:12
Speaker 1
Like, just get out of your own way. You're in your way. Okay, well, if I hear that advice any more that you're in your own way. We know, but what am I supposed to do? I would much rather have a Sherpa who's going to walk with me side by side. And it's literally back to what you were saying, Neel.

00:35:10:14 - 00:35:41:11
Speaker 1
Vulnerability is is what creates relatability. Vulnerability is what creates relatability. And so when you break down these exterior walls and these masks and these, like, fake it til you make it of the world, that's when you can open up your heart and your spirit to actually receive connection with another human being. And when you have connection with another human being, that's how you can get more in depth with who you are.

00:35:41:16 - 00:36:04:12
Speaker 1
How are you supposed to connect to yourself or source? If I can't connect to you? We are one. We are one unconscious collective. Anyway. We're one source of energy.

00:36:04:14 - 00:36:38:01
Speaker 1
We got to kneel. We have Sherpa, we have Becky Hill, Maggie, and we're from Indiana. We're just about to blaze.

00:36:38:03 - 00:36:46:23
Speaker 1
Yeah.

00:36:47:00 - 00:37:11:09
Speaker 1
Number one. Stop trying to get omnipresent when you are not singularly present. I will fight Garyvee tooth and nail on why? That is not the way. There is a time to get omnipresent. It's one by one by one. You've got to know one platform on one platform and be consistent on it. So number one, get off all the platforms.

00:37:11:09 - 00:37:32:18
Speaker 1
It is the difference between a flashlight light or a laser beam. They both emit light. One is actually effective at cutting steel. So number one get off all the platforms one platform number two, you're going to be like, well all my my people live on LinkedIn and Facebook. No, they don't. They live on bells. Pick one and go, how do you pick?

00:37:32:20 - 00:38:03:00
Speaker 1
You pick the one that you like being on more because that guides you into you showing up more. Number three, do not post in ghost if you think you're going to hire a social media team without having any clue what is your own brand of voice? What is your messaging and positioning? They will not be able to do an effective job, and it is your fault because you never provided them the branding guidelines to understand what are you all about?

00:38:03:02 - 00:39:13:03
Speaker 1
Number four, your branding is only 10% your logos and your colors and your icons. 90% of it is the brand strategy. What that means? Visualize a cake in your mind. The frosting in the decoration is only 10% the inside guts of the cake. That's the brand strategy 90%. And that is what is your brand mission, your vision, your core values, tone of voice, positioning, messaging.

00:39:13:05 - 00:39:25:15
Speaker 1
Yep.

00:39:25:17 - 00:39:42:22
Speaker 1
Yeah.

00:39:43:00 - 00:39:56:17
Speaker 1
Thank you.

00:39:56:19 - 00:40:13:11
Speaker 1
It's okay to have a new dream. It's okay to have a new dream. It's okay to have a new dream.

00:40:13:13 - 00:40:51:03
Speaker 1
What is it? What comes up for you?

00:40:51:05 - 00:41:13:01
Speaker 1
Exactly. It reminds what you're saying. I'm very much similar like that. You are? It reminds me of the book by. I'm just. I haven't read all of it, but, like, I started it, and I know it's the thing. The creative way, by Rick Rubin that is magical because it brings us back into the creative realm. And you're absolutely right.

00:41:13:01 - 00:41:38:03
Speaker 1
That's absolutely right. Is like, we're allowed to dream as kids. And then we think as adults because we're busy doing we forgot to be. And that's why, like, I'm I call myself Beagle 4.2. So every time I have a birthday, it's like a saw. A software iteration 4.3 I can't wait till five oh edition gets released like Beagle four oh is a lit compared to three Bob Joel.

00:41:38:07 - 00:41:47:06
Speaker 1
And so I'm always giving myself something to look forward to.

00:41:47:08 - 00:41:55:02
Speaker 2
Let's go.

00:41:55:04 - 00:42:16:22
Speaker 1
Oh dude. But I like butter chicken. Chicken makhani. Butter chicken. Okay. With naan. With the butter naan. Like, go get this order like make and make sure Indian people are at the restaurant. For our non-Indian viewers, if you don't see me or Neil or anybody who looks like us, they're. That is not the right spot. Okay, so you welcome on.

00:42:16:22 - 00:42:27:03
Speaker 1
You enjoy your dinner. You just need to get out and you need to find out where the Indians are at.

00:42:27:05 - 00:42:45:05
Speaker 1
Yeah. That's not right.

00:42:45:07 - 00:43:08:04
Speaker 1
Yeah. For sure. Well, you can check me out on, Facebook is my number one platform. It's just be owned by JL Dot launch. Same on Instagram. So you'll be IJA dot launch. Come check me out on socials. If you want to check out our website, it's dot. We launched design and there is an amazing brand tone of voice quiz.

00:43:08:04 - 00:43:33:09
Speaker 1
There's just a freebie there. And, people love taking that because it gives them an idea of what should my tone of voice actually sound like? You get a free report and a video and everything from that.

00:43:33:23 - 00:43:36:09
Speaker 1
Thanks for having me, Neal.