Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andre Hale. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Andre, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
As an entrepreneur, imposter syndrome is like this inevitable companion that you will experience. When I started my first few startups, imposter syndrome seemed to always be present. I couldn’t shake off the feeling of inadequacy and the constant pressure to do more. It was tough, but you know what? Looking back now, I see it in a different light.
Imposter syndrome turned out to be a hidden source of motivation for me. It pushed me to take risks, embrace challenges, and keep going no matter what. It was like, “Hey, you’ve got this! Go all in!”
When I think about how I overcame imposter syndrome, it really came down to the way I talked to myself. Imposter syndrome can create this negative framework in your mind, telling you that you don’t belong or that your achievements are just pure luck, not hard work. But I decided to shift that mindset. I started giving myself some grace, being kinder to myself, and actually believing in my abilities and the accomplishments I had achieved.
Sure, I still get those nervous jitters from time to time – who doesn’t? But I’ve learned to recognize those nerves as a sign of exciting opportunities ahead. And instead of letting them hold me back, I’ve learned to harness that energy and redirect it toward a positive outcome.
Overcoming imposter syndrome wasn’t an overnight fix. It took time and a lot of self-reflection. But it’s all part of the journey – and an exciting one at that.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m the co-founder and COO of OPTYO, a marketing agency meets brand accelerator for sports and fitness companies. Joining OPTYO as one of the founding members back in 2018, I’ve been been present for the significant growth of our company from Day 0 and building it into the go-to-market powerhouse it is today for sports and fitness brands. I love absolutely everything about my role and what OPTYO represents and as co-founder and COO, I have had to and continue to wear multiple hats, which is something I’ve grown accustomed to, coming from the tech/startup world. Managing a team of 7 and collaborating with our incredible clients to help them scale their companies brings me immense satisfaction. From those launching innovative products to those generating $10MM in annual revenue, our diverse client base keeps things thrilling. Also, since each client we work with falls under the sports and fitness vertical, it deeply resonates with me since I grow up playing all types of sports.
For those unfamiliar with OPTYO, what sets us apart is our deep understanding of the sports, fitness, health, and sport-tech industries. We’ve walked the entrepreneurial path ourselves, running multiple businesses, securing substantial capital, and successfully navigating acquisitions and licensing deals. With this firsthand experience, we offer our clients invaluable insights and strategic guidance. Our track record of scaling businesses, raising capital, and driving revenue growth reflects our expertise and unwavering commitment to our clients’ success. When companies in the sports, fitness, health, and sport-tech sectors team up with OPTYO, they gain access to our unique blend of industry knowledge, strategic guidance, and marketing prowess – the perfect recipe for accelerating their growth and making a lasting impact.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I would say the three biggest qualities that I pride myself on and that I am continuing to develop are initiative, creativity, and problem solving. If you combine all of these things then there really isn’t too much you can’t achieve.
Starting your own business or progressing your professional career, initiative is really what sets you apart. Initiative is all reliant on you as an individual to be motivated to take action and also take risks. There is a lot of risk when it comes to initiative because things that require initiative are likely things that have not been done before or there is no path to follow.
Creativity and problem solving go hand in hand. When I think of problem solving, it really comes down to being able to get to your desired outcome. Wether that is a clear plan or an unclear plan, if you are able to complete tasks or better yet, create processes that allow you to complete those same tasks more efficiently, you are able to build momentum and get to your end goal sooner. As far as creativity, this touches on problem solving because it can be an alternative thought process or idea that can get you to your desired end goal but by following a new unexplored path. Creativity for me is what keeps things exciting. It’s a spark within me that I feel has been the catalyst for the companies I have started and improving the businesses that I have been involved with.
Each of these qualities I believe are important skills to develop but it won’t guarantee success. When I think about what I have been able to achieve and where I am today, what’s more important than my individual skills and qualities are the collective qualities of the team around me. When I look at my team, I see an overlap of these qualities as well as additional qualities that I myself don’t have. For any readers, I would first definitely reflect on your strengths but more importantly understand your weaknesses. From there, you can identify and build a team around you that compliments your qualities so that as a collective, you have a team with every desirable quality possible.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
Honestly it’s a bit of both. Having worked with 100’s of companies and entrepreneurs, there is a lot of value in focusing on your strengths and building a team around you that is strong in other areas. OPTYO is a prime example of this as we often see companies come to us with needs in a number of different areas – digital marketing, website UX, business development etc. Since most of the founders we work with are passionate entrepreneurs wearing multiple hats, it can be overwhelming to try and be a generalist rather than focusing on 1 or 2 areas of the business. With startups time is the most critical resource, and if you are a team of 1, then your time can be spent on too many tasks which either slows progress or doesn’t get completed with the right amount of effort/detail.
That being said, the next most critical thing to a startup is capital. Starting out, capital might be on the low end so it may require a founder to wear multiple hats until a bigger team can be supported. This would be an example of looking at improving areas you are not strong in until you can get yourself or your business to a position where you can support more resources ie team. The biggest factor in making that decision really comes down to the potential return on that investment. Not just in revenue generated but also in time saved by hiring people that are specialists in that area. As an example, you could spend 40 hours watching Youtube to learn how to create a paid marketing strategy on Facebook and Instagram + another 14 hours a week to manage and launch those campaigns vs. hiring a team or freelancer that can get started right away and spend less time on those tasks and likely to get better results because they are specialists.
If you are making that decision yourself, then first look at your ability to make that type of investment in yourself and then your business, and with that you can free up your time to focus on the areas that are likely to help grow your business more, rather than putting your attention into developing skills you are not strong in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.optyo.net/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrehale1/
