How to Find Your Identity as a Young Entrepreneur
NextPlay S1 EP1 with Casey Adams
"Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging."
How we respond when we’re met with unexpected challenges is very telling of what we will achieve in our lives. When you get knocked down, do you pick yourself up and learn from your mistakes? Or do you fall into the trap of victimhood and take away your own power to make positive change?
As an entrepreneur, unforeseen challenges are something I’m no stranger to. It could be something big, like a valuable employee deciding to quit and work for a competitor, or something small, like a deadline getting pushed back due to technical issues. Learning to face and overcome these obstacles effectively, however, is key to making progress.
In this premiere episode of NextPlay, I sat down with my good friend, Casey Adams.
Casey’s story reads like an award-winning documentary:
As a kid, he grew up being a star athlete with dreams of playing sports professionally.
Early in high school, he suffered a serious football injury, putting him in a neck brace for six months, taking him off the field for good.
By the time he was 17, he was earning more money than his parents and running his first company.
Today, at the age of 21, Casey is a successful young entrepreneur, podcaster, public speaker, author and more.
How does this happen? As Casey will tell you in today’s episode, being stripped of his “athlete” identity forced him to make a choice. He could either be angry at the world for what happened, or use his newfound free time to do something positive and impactful.
Casey has made a name for himself as the host of “Rise of the Young”, and is now moving to the next level as a media brand by co-founding MediaKits, a company that empowers creators of any kind to create a custom media kit online with real-time data and analytics.
I’m so excited to welcome you to the premiere episode of NextPlay. This web series is all about inspiring young entrepreneurs like you to embrace purpose-driven projects and companies that make the world a better place.
With NextPlay’s mission in mind, I chose to start the season off with Casey’s inspiring story. If you’re interested in learning more about finding your identity as an entrepreneur, being driven by purpose, positivity, NFTs, or making a name for yourself in the world of podcasting, I’m confident you’ll learn something valuable from this episode.
Thanks for joining me for Episode 1 of NextPlay!
Check out our merchandise from this week's charity collab NextPlay x Casey Adams!
This week, all proceeds for the sales of NextPlay merchandise go to supporting Casey’s chosen charity, which focuses on helping kids fulfill their dreams. Show your support and get yours here.
Some questions I ask Casey:
- What is it like to be more successful than your parents?
- What is the hardest thing about “making it” as a young entrepreneur?
- How do you deal with the haters?
- How do you think young entrepreneurs should approach the challenges that we’ve been facing this last year and in the year to come?
- Is there a way that NFTs can be used for impact and for good?
- What’s your best piece of advice for people trying to start a podcast?
In this episode, you will learn from Casey:
- His unlikely start to a massive entrepreneurial career
- How he used a life-changing injury as a pivoting point for positive change
- How his family supported him through his journey
"It was through actions and consistency that my parents bought into what I was doing as an entrepreneur."
- Why he tries to be a resource of positivity to haters
- Why he still feels like he’s “figuring it out” every day
- How he feels about staying true to your roots
“Whenever I receive a hateful message, I try to go out of my way to come from a place of understanding and explain my intentions.”
- How he is diving into the world of NFTs
- His best advice for new podcasters
- How he is making an impact with MediaKits
- And much more..
“A podcast is really just an excuse to have a great conversation.”
