| Harpist Holly Thaggard founded the SPF products company Supergoop! out of a personal mission to de-seasonalize the usage of sunscreen.
While growing her company, she navigated roadblocks, pivoted her strategy, and exhausted her life savings. Eventually, after demonstrating demand for her product and leveraging her network, Holly earned the attention of an executive at Sephora, the beauty retailer. Her trip to San Francisco to pitch her product to Sephora was a turning point. Holly recalls feeling great about her presentation and the potential for partnership. But as soon as she left Sephora and before heading to the airport, she called Nordstrom to request a meeting to pitch Supergoop!. Why? She shared the following in a recent interview on the Guy Raz podcast How I Built This… “My father had this theory about doing things in twos. He always said, ‘The best time to accomplish something is after you’ve accomplished something. You’re on a high. You feel optimistic. You feel good about yourself.’ Whenever I had done something well, he would say, ‘That’s awesome, Holly. Now, what are you going to do?’” Holly’s father was right – stacking successes works. When we accomplish something, our brain releases dopamine, the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitter. And because feeling good is addictive, we are seduced to repeat the associated behavior (accomplish something!) in order to feel good again. Even simple to-do lists generate great satisfaction because checking off small tasks floods our brain with dopamine! I experienced the power of success stacking when applying for my first job out of law school. I remember spending an indescribable amount of time sending out letters and resumes. But landing an interview with KPMG was the dopamine-friendly boost my confidence needed. In a surge of audacity, I immediately called the other “Big 6” accounting firms and invited them to interview me, too! Whether you are talking to yourself, your employee, or your mentee, first celebrate the achievement, then challenge, “What’s next?” © 2023. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved. |