Chris Voss, CEO and Editor, The Chris Voss Show
I've been a serial entrepreneur since the age of 18, but as you'll read, I was in sales and running a business as a kid. I have been a CEO of all my nearly 30 companies, building and managing a multitude of corporations in different fields of the industry that I've either outright owned or invested in.
At 53, it's been quite a ride, and I've learned so much that I've compiled and shared in this book, hoping you will learn from my success and failures. So my story of learning to innovate, sell and take entrepreneurial initiative started as a kid. Of course, many of you know me from my social media fame.
In 2008, I established the "Chris Voss" name and brand on social media, starting with getting on Twitter early on and building influence as a leader, being at one time in the top 1000 on Twitter.
In 2009, I established The Chris Voss Show blog at TheChrisVossShow.com and my YouTube channel under Chris Voss, sharing my business and life experiences.
I also launched The Chris Voss Show Podcast and started doing podcasts. To date, I own all the @ChrisVoss profiles across social media and URLs with the exception of the .com of my name, but I own ChrisVoss.net.
The Chris Voss Show has produced nearly 4200 posts, 4000+ YouTube videos, with almost 25 million video views and an endless amount of social media content, marketing and consulting. The Chris Voss Show Podcast is closing in on about 1000 podcasts, and it's been a wild ride.
Since becoming a recognised name as a leader in social media, I've won many awards over the years, but here are some that stand out: Forbes Top 50 Social Media Influencer, Consultant, Speaker, etc. The Chris Voss Show has almost 300,000+ followers.
Top 100 Marketing Influencers.
Brand24 Top 100 Influencers.
Webinale: TOP 20 Influencer.
Top 15 Influencers of CES Show By DigiObs.
Top 50 Most Retweeted by Digital Marketers.
Top 30 Most Engaging Marketing Influencers.
My YouTube Channel has nearly 25 million views.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Facebook. Personal friends, you can hang out with anywhere in the world. It's a virtual BBQ or coffee/lunch shop.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I'm a human being on a journey to discover and learn anything that interests me.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
The freedom to pursue whatever I want and work anywhere in the world off the internet.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
It's not about the destination; it's about the journey. Life is about collecting stories, lessons and adventures.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
Looking at life from a multitude of angles, books, education, learning about everything and anything. I love my podcast. I get the front row seat and all the questions I can pepper to the top journalists, professors, authors and minds who spend 10's thousands of hours of study, and I get the concentrated version.
I learn so much, and I love it! It's a masterclass in life and thought.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
That I have survived so far, in good health and learned many of the lessons so as not to hopefully repeat them, on Facebook, I complained about the issues of turning 50, and someone schooled me to have gratitude because an aeon of other humans would have loved to have the privilege to get to 50 and never did. I was humbled. I have gratitude for my health and mind.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
Social networks. Building relationships.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Being able to question everything, see outside of the box. Hold things up to the light and see the angles and shadows.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
Again, it's not about the destination; it's the journey and being a story collector. And yeah, you gonna be fine, live it.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
People with open, brilliant, analytical minds. People with high integrity.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Music, gym, books, education, relationships, building communities and whatever I decide I want to be up to this week. I like doing many things.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
Both. I spent more time looking inward, overcoming trauma and writing my first book. I looked at it as "what can I learn from this?"
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Maybe Bobby Kennedy. He is my hero. I have always tried to influence my friends. Not sure it's ever been an official mentorship, as I learned from them.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Build for the longest haul; it's not an overnight success. Build an audience to follow you.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Failure of character that includes resilience.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve a lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring those ripples to build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." ― Robert F. Kennedy.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
I don't worship any; they are a mixture of good and bad. I don't think organisations should be worshipped.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Surviving. There are lessons in my book Beacons of Leadership: Inspiring Lessons of Success in Business and Innovation, too many to list here.