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How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change In this podcast, one social entrepreneur shares his incredible startup story.

By Lewis Howes Edited by Dan Bova

This story originally appeared on Lewis Howes

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When a 60-foot rogue wave crashed into the ship, everyone on board thought they were going to die.

This week on The School of Greatness, Adam Braun, the founder of Pencils of Promise, shares the story of how this near-death experience inspired him to make his mark on the world.

Pencils of Promise was born then and has gone on to build 200 schools and positively impacted 200,000 lives. In this interview we talk about what it takes to be an ordinary person, have an idea and turn it into something extraordinary.

Welcome to episode 56 with the amazing social entrepreneur, Adam Braun.

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

  • About the schools Pencils of Promise has built
  • The powerful impact of bringing Mozambicans into the family
  • About Adam's life and death experience while on a Semester at Sea
  • The single question revealed in such a deep purpose
  • The value of a definite purpose
  • How lessons learned at Bain Capital supported the creation of PoP
  • To infuse your work with purpose
  • About the humble beginnings of Pencils of Promise
  • Finding the courage to pursue your passion
  • To shift your way of being to create your vision
  • About the physical existence of ideas
  • To cultivate honesty while thriving in uncertainty
  • How to build a remarkable business and team of volunteers
  • About the massive results that can be found outside of the comfort zone
  • The first step when finding one's purpose
  • What it means to "Never take a "No' from someone who can't say "Yes'"
  • Keys to getting in front of the decision makers and persuading them
  • The power of vulnerability when growing a business
  • How to get out of your own way for massive results

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Lewis Howes

Lifestyle Entrepreneur, Coach, Advisor

A former professional athlete, New York City-based Lewis Howes is co-author of LinkedWorking (418 Press, 2009) and creator of the LinkedInfluence training program.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

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