SPI 315: How to Disrupt Yourself & Grow a Company with Whitney Johnson

Whitney Johnson is one of the Top 50 leading business thinkers in the world, according to Thinkers50. She's an expert in disruptive innovation and personal disruption, and she's here today to help us learn how to grow our businesses and understand the patterns we're going through, especially when we're starting something new. She's also giving us a seven-point framework for working through essential disruption and creating change in our lives and businesses.

Whitney's story is filled with diverse entrepreneurial adventures. She got a degree in music, and ended up in New York City. In New York she discovered Wall Street and found her way to investment banking, became an award-winning equity research analyst, and then…she disrupted herself. She became an entrepreneur and co-founded an investment firm specializing in disruptive innovation. It was there that she had a huge “aha!”—the theory of disruption she was applying to products and services could also be used to manage change for individuals.

Change is necessary and inevitable, especially in business. Did you know that pursuing a disruptive course increases your odds of success by six times, and your revenue potential by twenty? And actually, 70 percent of businesses end up with a strategy different than what they started with. You can begin to see why disruption is so critical. Listen closely, because Whitney is about to deliver a masterclass on disruption.

Speaking of startups and bootstrapping, a huge shout out and and congratulations to Nathan Barry of ConvertKit, who tweeted recently that ConvertKit has now hit $1 million in monthly recurring revenue. Huge congratulations to Nathan and the team! ConvertKit is the email service provider that I use, and if you want a 45-day free trial, go to SmartPassiveIncome.com/convertkit45. You can't get this anywhere else. They'll give you everything you need to get your email list up and growing, so check it out! [Full Disclosure: I'm a compensated advisor and an affiliate for ConvertKit.]

Next week we're continuing this theme of growing and scaling companies, bringing someone back to the show who hasn't been back in a while. The trajectory this guy has been on is insane—he's grown his company to $1 million plus! Make sure you don't miss it—subscribe and leave a review.

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Special thanks to Whitney Johnson for joining me this week. Until next time!

Today's Guest

Whitney Johnson

Disruption expert Whitney Johnson shares her strategies for disrupting your life and business in order to change and grow.

• Website: WhitneyJohnson.com
• Twitter: johnsonwhitney

You'll Learn

• Whitney's journey from music major to entrepreneur, investor, and innovator.
• Why change is inevitable and necessary, and how to know when it's time to change.
• Why persisting can be just as important as disrupting ourselves.
• The difference between market risk and competitive risk, and which you should pursue.
• What the example of koalas can teach us about what our strengths are.
• Strategies for discovering your personal strengths.
• A seven-point framework for disrupting your life and creating change.
• How to turn your constraints to your advantage.
• How to battle entitlement and embrace humility in business.
• Why stepping back is critical for personal and business growth, and more!

Resources

Note: Some of the resources below may be affiliate links, meaning I receive a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase.

• Whitney Johnson
• Disrupt Yourself Podcast
• S-Curve Locator Diagnostic
• The Million Dollar Tweet Video
• ConvertKit Trial for SPI Listeners