Takeaways from Evan Addams

Last week, we had the opportunity to hear from Evan Addams, GCC alum and founder of No Wait. The first topic that Adams addressed during his lecture was the “paralysis of analysis” in sales. He explained that it’s very common to “think yourself” out of action. In other words, the more you overthink a decision, the less likely you’ll be willing to act on it. Addams went on to explain that the “paralysis of analysis” is detrimental to making your goals become a reality. Many times, we are our own enemies.

Addams also discussed his personal journey as a start-up founder and the lessons he learned from his own experiences. Interestingly, Addams had to do extremely unscalable things in order to truly connect with customer needs. In the beginning stages of No Wait, Evan Addams started working at restaurants without asking for pay to find out what his target market wanted. By working at restaurants, he learned that many restaurants would lose potential customers (and lots of money!) if they couldn’t keep up with the demand. From there, he would introduce No Wait to the restaurant staff, who fell in love with its easy-to-use interface. The staff would then rave to their boss about No Wait, and before long, the restaurant would purchase his service.

Addams also discussed some other lessons he learned throughout his 20s. One piece of advice his advice is to embrace a mindset of “continued education” post-graduation. According to Addams, your early 20s is an excellent opportunity to consider the industry/direction of your prospective career and to also consider the satisfaction you’re receiving from your current career. When considering your current career, you should be asking yourself, “Am I selling out, or is this a necessary step in moving forward?” (The answer to which could be very revealing about your overall happiness and indicate your next steps.)

Having the opportunity to hear from Evan Addams and the lessons he’s learned throughout his life has been an incredibly rewarding experience. These are lessons that can be applied to any career, not just sales.