We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brian Dixon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brian, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?
Once I realized the hate was coming from a place of envy, jealousy, or insecurity, I was able to reshape my approach to it. I was able to understand where it came from and empathize with the “haters.” We’ve all been there, where we look at someone doing things a bit differently and wish we had that life. As soon as you understand we’ve all stood in their shoes, it allows you to let the hate roll off your back and keep moving.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a lawyer who works with business owners and startups. There are several things that make my story unique. First, I do it all while traveling the world. When I first started traveling over three years ago, I couldn’t find any other lawyers traveling the world, which made taking the jump scary. it was so scary, I actually stopped practicing law and started ghostwriting for law firm websites and taking on other side projects. It wasn’t until my second unique point that I got back into law.
Second unique point- After the ukraine war kicked off, I felt an exceptional calling to go help. It also coincided with needing a vacation after building my freelance business for two years, without a break. So, I decided I would volunteer at an animal shelter in Ukraine. The founder, a military vet, rescued animals from the frontlines and brought them back to the shelter, where we civilians rehabbed them physically, emotionally, and mentally. Once I was there, the founder discovered I was a lawyer and asked for my help with registering the charity, negotiating contracts, and assisting with the operation of the foundation. Two weeks turned to three months and my passion for working with founders was born.
When I left Ukraine, I launched my law firm with the goal of assisting new business owners and startups.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. My ability to listen to people and connect with them. Put yourself in different situations where you can meet as many people as possible. Ideally, these people will be from different backgrounds. Sit down and listen to their story.
2. Trust. The ability to trust in myself is a must. It allows me to take risks in both life and work. The only way to develop this is by taking risks and learning to catch yourself. We are all more capable than we think and never discover our strengths until we gamble on ourselves.
3. Curiosity. The more you learn, the more opportunities you have. You can learn more about a topic, a new way of doing things, a different way of living, the list goes on. It started with being curious and open minded. Practice asking questions, ask yourself why you do things a certain way, ask strangers questions about their lives. Chances are you can learn something from each person you meet. Be curious and listen (back to point one).
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
I love working with anyone who is just starting a business. They are someone with a new business or a new idea/product they haven’t begun selling yet. Typically, these people still have the passion for their ideas, and helping them bring their dream to life is the most rewarding part of my job. It’s fun to plan a roadmap to grow their dream and work with them to build their business.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
