We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin Rouse. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.
Hi Erin, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
- Starting a business is a lonely, lonely road: Choose your friends and community wisely.
Ask Elon Musk and he will say starting a company is like “eating glass and staring into the abyss.” Ask Felix Dennis, founder of Maxim magazine, and he will describe a lonely path of continuous obstacles, sometimes seemingly impossible. Ask David Goggins, extreme athlete, and he will explain the intense focus and discipline required to overcome your darkest thoughts. Whatever the path you’re blazing, who you choose to be in your world is the difference between a step forward or quitting, triumph or failure (if you want to perceive it like that).
I just finished Felix Dennis’ book, How To Get Rich, a recommendation by Tim Ferris. He shared extensively about the mindset necessary to start businesses, and to “own” everything in order to build wealth; he says to never, ever, ever, ever give up. Sometimes, never giving up requires the knowledge within to move forward even when every other person believes it’s not going to work, that it’s better to cut your losses. Sometimes, you may be the only person with the mental toughness to move forward in the face of brick walls stacked against you.
That said, take great care in those you keep in your circle. Especially in the beginning, you will encounter long-time friends and family that unconsciously cannot support you in your business endeavor. They don’t know they’re wired to think they have limitations, and they will project these limitations onto you. It’s not about you. They’re just reflecting their own mindset. Let them go. And passionately appreciate the ones who pump you up, believe in you and help you move forward even when you want to quit.
Don’t be deterred by the “haters”, either. These are people you don’t know, but have nothing better to do than try to tear your business down. One of my favorite quotes from David Goggins: When someone tries to tear you down, disempower you, it is because you’ve already won; you are too powerful. Goggins is unique. He, on occasion, will read through his social media comments and verbally record the “hater” comments into his phone. He then adds music to the recorded hate comments and listens to it while he works out. Yep. For him, it is fuel to keep going, because he knows “he’s already won.”
I can’t say I’ve made it to this level of success or strength of mind, yet, where I can gain fuel from the haters, but this quote is written on my whiteboard I refer to daily. It’s a fantastic reminder that many people accept the limitations of their subconscious, which Dr. Joe Dispenza would say is 1 million times more powerful than the conscious mind. Sometimes our friends and family want to keep us where we are, where they are, to fulfill their expectations of what they believe life looks like.
And be prepared… Everyone, everyone, and everyone has an opinion on how you should run your business. I ask myself: Has this person built what I am working to build? What is this person’s experience, knowledge and beliefs? From here, I listen to my inner voice.
You will know which friends to cultivate, and which to let go. Alex Hormozi acutely determines those he lets go, by noticing whether the friend can only relate to him from a past perspective, who he was then, what he did then… Whereas, those he keeps close support his growth. Without these supportive cheerleaders for friends and family, the journey may never begin.
- “Be careful how you interpret the world; it is like that.” (Eric Keller)
Thoughts are things: Be conscious of them.
- What do I watch, listen to, read, etc.? Am I wiring my mind for negative or positive results? I think about this every day. I also feel about it every day. Does this media I’m consuming create feelings of happiness, joy, love, inspiration, connection… Or, does it evoke feelings of anxiety, fear, hate, distrust, anger, separation, etc. We are what we think.
- Learning from those who have blazed a path, invaluable are the autobiographies and biographies of those who have done great things. Here are my favorites: Long Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela; Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight; The Surrender Experiment, by Michael A. Singer; Greenlights, by Matthew McConaughey; Will, by Will Smith & Mark Manson; Can’t Hurt Me and Never Finished, by David Goggins; Elon Musk, by Ashlee Vance; The Everything Store, by Brad Stone; Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert T. Kiyosaki; Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius.
Also, Podcasts, like “How I Built This” by NPR are enlightening. One of the most influential stories, for me, was the interview with Sarah LaFleur. Her success in building her online clothing store, M.M. LaFleur, to over $100 Million annually was most inspiring. Other excellent podcasters are Chris Williamson, Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO), Tom Bilyeu (Impact Theory), Alex Hormozi and Tim Ferris.
- Self-care:
Exercise, supplements, sleep, diet, meditation, grounding, sun, play, and so on, are imperative for health and mindset. According to Peter Attia, the most important factor for health and longevity is exercise. Whatever your active interest, do something every day. It doesn’t need to be intense exercise, like HIIT training. Things like walking, pickleball, swimming, and golf are all valuable for health and maintaining your mindset. I like to run 2.25 miles outside every other day and do a resistance training routine on the other days. Stretching is equally as important.
Have you added supplements to your regimen? Bryan Johnson, founder of Blueprint (https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.co), takes upwards of 60 supplements along with his life-extending diet and exercise routine. Unfortunately, the typical American diet does not provide enough nutrients for optimal health anymore. And apparently, less than 50% of Americans exercise. This is a complete other rabbit hole I will not be going down for this article question on optimism. Though, I highly recommend you explore this on your own.
I have heard Matthew McConaughey mention he sleeps 9.5 hours every night, and that this sleep time is imperious to his health and happiness, as understood by his wife. And Bryan Johnson sleeps 9 hours solid as well, something he shared in an interview with Erika Kullberg. We know sleep is important, but it does vary depending on the person. Make sure you feel rested, whatever that means to you.
I like to meditate daily for at least 20 minutes. I am an experienced meditator of 10-plus years and enjoy this part of the day. Lately, I’ve been using an App, called “FitMind”, and appreciate the simplicity. Now, I am reading Psycho Cybernetics, by Maxwell Maltz, and I’ve added in visualizations. Meditation will change your interpretation of the world over time in the most beautiful way. It will change your life, if you are consistent and devoted.
Grounding and sun are 2 of the 3 elements for health detailed by Gary Brecka. What we need for health is magnetism, oxygen and light. Magnetism is fulfilled by grounding, simply walking bare foot on bare ground. Oxygenation is fulfilled by techniques of breathwork, conscious breathing. Light can be attained via the sun and/or red light therapy. Brecka says oxygen equals energy.
Play is an underestimated quality for our lives and vitality. My favorite Neuroscientist, Beau Lotto, has shared the importance of play and exploration in his book Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently, and his other interviews. Continue to be uncomfortable, do scary things and reach new boundaries you didn’t know were there.
Our beliefs steer our existence. Question your beliefs. Books to read: The Biology of Belief, by Bruce Lipton; The Hidden Messages in Water, by Masaru Emoto; and, Psycho Cybernetics, by Maxwell Maltz.
- Providing a quality, life-changing product. Have faith.
- Believing in our product has fueled these years of business. It’s well made, higher quality than any other tennis or golf apparel on the market, fashionably fun, thoughtfully designed for sports or outings, recyclable, and brings a lightness and ease to a woman’s day.
- Faith: Trust that the universe will conspire to bring your vision to fruition.
Please tell our readers about what you do, what you feel is most exciting or special about it, as well as anything else you’d like folks to know about your brand/art/etc. If relevant, please also tell our readers about anything new (events, product/service launches, expansion, etc)
Anywear Sports is the world’s most beautiful and innovative tennis and golf apparel for women. How we stand out:
- Customers report slimmed waistlines & enhanced figures
- Sustainable: we are now zero waste
- Experience quality and design above any in sportswear
- Easily access external ball pockets
- Wear it all day, everywhere (machine wash)
- Done for you matching sets and built-in bras for tennis
We recently launched a new golf collection: Modern West. Inspired by the Pacific Northwest and timeless couture, the old and the new unite into stunning combinations with all the comfort and ease for today’s golfers.
This collection also took focus on the collar. Most golf clubs still hold a dress code requirement for collars. So, I thought, let’s have some fun with it! Each collar offers a special decorative touch to our blouses and dresses, and each unique from the other. We also invented a fashion-forward, clip-on collar that attaches to most crew and V-neck tops. We offer these collars at an affordable price for the ladies who wish to just show up and play in whatever her look might be.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three most important qualities, skills or areas of knowledge most impactful in my journey and for entrepreneurs:
1. Create a team with the CIA’s 4 animal personality types: Cheetah, Fox, Lion and Bear.
2. Maintain drive and persistence of purpose with time and focus.
3. Sell something.
1. Create a team with the CIA’s 4 animal personality types: Cheetah, Fox, Lion and Bear.
It’s better done together. Our unique personality traits and skills help to build a successful, efficient, happy, thriving organization.
As specified by Dale Frohman in his article, “What can the CIA teach us about high performing SRE teams?” (June 19, 2023, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-can-cia-teach-us-high-performing-sre-teams-dale-frohman/):
- Lions – people who have a temperament to organize
- Foxes – those who have a temperament to create ideas
- Cheetahs – people who have a temperament to take action
- Bears – those who have a temperament to build relationships
Lions are natural managers and leaders symbolizing courage and power. Lions will establish and maintain organization, from people to processes, delivering efficiency and quality throughout to the end product.
“Foxes serve as the brainpower behind complex problem-solving in a team.” (Frohman) Innovation and creativity define the Fox. They will offer unexplored opportunities and create original solutions helping the organization accelerate beyond its scope.
Cheetahs are action oriented. When it’s time to execute the plan, they are on it with energy, zest, force, and opportunism. You can count on the Cheetah to get it done and quickly.
The Bear develops and nurtures relationships. If you asked a Bear where he/she would like to go on holiday, his/her answer would be, “wherever my best friend is going”. Bears intuitively understand customer needs and foster long-term relationships imperative for organizational growth.
Each “temperament” works symbiotically, harmoniously to build your business. Frohman says if your business is missing one of these animals, you will know. “As a leader, understanding this model enables you to effectively build your team, fostering a balance of speed, stability, strategy, and leadership.” (Frohman)
2. Maintain drive and persistence in purpose with time and focus.
You will be discouraged from your pursuit by a battery of distractions, roadblocks, haters, financial stresses, and so on. Stay on course with your purpose. Time and focus on the purpose will bring it into reality. This may sound obvious…
Have you heard the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham who invented a low-cost machine to make affordable women’s sanitary pads? Born in 1961 in India, he lived in poverty and left school to help support his family. When he married, he learned about a woman’s menstrual cycle for the first time. He didn’t know why it happened, or how it happened, but that most women of their economic status would have to use newspaper or old rags, neither of which were sanitary. He set out to find a solution. He spent years developing prototypes shot down by his wife. And since the menstrual cycle was a taboo subject in India at the time, she was not comfortable discussing it, let alone other women he could find to test his inventions. His wife ended up leaving him and he was ostracized from his community, as they thought him a lunatic.
Can you imagine losing everyone around you for your pursuit? Being ostracized from your community and family? Being declared crazy?
He eventually imported some feminine napkins from the USA, and his dog tore apart the package and pads. He discovered the cellulose used to create the pads and set out to engineer a low-cost machine that could make a similar product for women who needed an affordable sanitary pad.
He did it. And after 5 years away, his wife returned. He received seed money to build the low-cost machines and manufacturing he’d imagined and changed life for Indian women. He is now regarded more notably as a hero, and recognized with awards and accolades.
Colonel Harland Sanders, Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, endured many business hardships, and 1,009 rejections before he was able to establish the franchise.
Grant Cardone had a few dollars left to his name when he managed to secure a deal teaching his sales techniques, which started his business.
Sylvester Stallone was homeless before creating his success with “Rocky”.
Steve Harvey was living in his car when he got a call to perform at the Apollo, jumpstarting his career.
A recent lecture by Dr. Andrew Huberman in his podcast, Huberman Lab, titled, “How to Enhance Performance & Learning by Applying a Growth Mindset” (August, 2023), he shared about the importance of focused time and energy into a chosen subject to see results. In particular, a study with children who were either praised using adjectives, like “smart” and “talented”, or praised with verbs, like “you worked hard on that”, or “excellent focus”. The students praised with adjectives were more likely to lie about their test scores and less likely to take on new challenges. Whereas the students praised with verbs were honest about their test scores, performed better, and were more likely to take on new challenges.
Maintain a growth mindset by putting in the time and effort. Whatever your talents and skills, they are not set. You can grow and succeed in your purpose with focused energy. Muruganantham taught himself to build a manufacturing machine, and discovered the most effective materials for sanitary pads, because his purpose led him to do so.
3. Sell something.
This advice was given to me by a successful entrepreneur. It is perfectly simple, and yet it is everything at the same time.
What book has played an important role in your development and what were a few of the most valuable or impactful nuggets of wisdom?
One book that has left the greatest impression, and played an important role in my development is Long Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela. This is the story of his incredible life, about his pursuit to bring equality to the native South Africans. The greatest obstacle, his biggest challenge, the most difficult barrier in his endeavor, an endeavor that took a lifetime, was changing the mindset of the native South Africans. They believed they were in their place, that they were substandard, inferior to the white people. As long as the majority of black South Africans were of this mindset, his efforts fell short. It took him a lifetime of convincing, legal battles, leading armies, managing financial support, prison time, and beyond to break away the insurmountable forces against his cause and purpose.
One of my favorite quotes from Mandela: Be present in your own being and know that it helps and complements others. They need you to be self-aware, self-fulfilling in order to feel good.
Other books, like The Hidden Messages in Water (Masaru Emoto); The Disappearing Spoon (Sam Kean); You Are The Placebo (Joe Dispenza); and The Biology of Belief (Bruce Lipton) illustrate how our thoughts shape our lives and decisions.
Also incredibly significant were biographies about those who had built successful businesses and/or changed the world. Here’s a list of my favorites: Rich Dad Poor Dad (Robert T. Kiyosaki); Shoe Dog (Phil Knight); Relentless (Tim S. Glover); Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh); The Everything Store (Brad Stone); Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance); Into the Magic Shop (James R. Doty MD); Unscripted (MJ DeMarco); The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Clayborne Carson); Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different (Karen Blumenthal); Permanent Record (Edward Snowden); Can’t Hurt Me and Never Finished (David Goggins); The Hour Between Dog and Wolf (John Coates); The Surrender Experiment (Michael A. Singer); Will (Will Smith, Mark Manson); Greenlights (Matthew McConaughey); How to Get Rich (Felix Dennis); Burn the Boats (Matt Higgins).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://anywearsports.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/anywearsports
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@anywearsports
Image Credits
Anywear Sports
