Vance Roush (Early Beta Episode #1)
(Please excuse some periods of mistimed audio, caused by the app we recorded this on)
Vance is the founder + CEO of Overflow (Overflow.co), which empowers nonprofits to access a larger funding pool through stock donations. It has wildly fast-growing tech startup that I’ve been excited about for a while. They’ve received over $10m in venture capital funding from some of the best VC firms there are.
In our very first episode, we learn how Vance leveraged his skills and values to create the ultimate purpose-driven business for him, what healthy ambition looks + feels like, and how to tap into the feeling of love and connection with yourself and others.
Show Notes
Vance came up with the idea for Overflow because he was his own perfect customer that directly experienced the pain point directly. It was supercharged by his alignment with the conviction around generosity as one of his biggest core values.
He was inspired by Peter Thiel's Zero to One, which made him think about the idea of building a monopoly and and what his ‘unfair advantage’ is in this space / founder-startup fit. Nobody has every built "The Venmo for Stock Donations" before. Vance was able to learn how to create a startup from his time at Google and then leading product at another startup.
I asked Vance about where he harnessed his bravery to pursue this big audacious goal. He said that to him, it wasn't about being brave or courageous, but being super convicted. "This is something I can't not do. I have to do it." When you're in that place, it doesn't feel like a risk. If he didn't do it, it'd be more of a risk that could turn into a regret. The sensation in that zone for him was he was "obedient" to this call rather than having to psych himself up into bravery/courage.
Vance believes doing meaningful work is less about what you do and more about how you do it. He believes that faith helps you figure out how you approach and think about things, and that a lot of breakthroughs come in the perspective shift provided by something like an ancient word.
Vance quotes a part in the Bible mentioning "fruits of the spirit" - including love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness - and incorporating those things in how one does that work on a daily basis.
He feels life travels at the speed of relationship.
He believes that when one is feeling bored, deflated, stuck, etc. - it's often because we're focused on ourselves. And that focus on ourselves is what keeps us stuck. He quotes the Bible in saying "When you refresh others - you yourself will be refreshed." When you're stuck, it could be an indication to try to think about someone else. Maybe what we’re seeking we should first give to someone else. When we do that, it's not that the problems go away, but you we ourselves in the context of a community, and it's more empowering. It doesn't just elicit good feelings, but creates a joyful environment around us. Maybe we’re still struggling, but we’re no longer struggling alone.
Most people are looking for love: to be seen, heard, and recognized. If one feels lack in that area, maybe try to give it to others.
"You can't defeat what you can't define." For example, if you're afraid, just name that reality and be honest with yourself. If you just say it, you see that emotion in plain sight.
Vance regularly reminds and rehearses his personal beliefs - e.g. "There is a God that is in control, created him, loves him, and has a plan for him.”
He believes that selfish ambition / “achievement at all cost” - is where things go awry for founders/leaders. If it's self-oriented, perhaps it’s because someone is longing for significance or recognition. He believes that many ambitious people are aiming to achieve because they want to feel loved.
When leaders already feels loved and seen, they don't need their businesses for that reason - their businesses need them. It then becomes “an ambition that's on mission.”
"I'm already loved - I'm good. I don't need a business to tell me that or to define my worth, my happiness, or my identity - I know who I am.” [slightly tweaked + consolidated quote]
We can ask ourselves “Is it selfish ambition ultimately out of need of wanting to be love - or is it a selfless ambition that's on mission for a greater purpose?”
Jared's idea for a self-reflection question: "What would I be doing / working on / pursuing right now -- if I already felt loved, seen, and acknowledged as successful?"
Vance's #1 priority for decision-making is speed, because most things are reversible -- and thus the priority is to merely decide.
Leaders are the ones that are willing to make the decision and make responsibility - they are often not the smartest on the team.
It's not necessarily that spiritual views guide Vance’s day-to-day decisions and he still operates in "normal business-world" on the day-to-day. His spirituality beliefs seem to be the underlying foundation/container.
On sharing his beliefs without making others feel alienated: "People don't care what you know until they know that you care." He speaks about his beliefs is that others first know that he cares about them and he wants to understand their story and he wants to build community with them. From that platform, he can share. “When you step off your high horse and level with people, they open up. Most people are looking for answers and want to be led. They want to look to others to make decisions that are aligned with their values.”
From a place of relational credit, he can lead with conviction and passion - being unashamed with his belief system - because there are others out there that are unashamed of their belief system! He believes that his belief system is not destructive; it's all about love, generosity, and serving others. Once people know that he's not doing it all for himself, people are willing to listen.
Additional advice - from the Bible "When you seek, you will find." He believes that one has to be seeking - and being tired of the feeling of stagnation, depression, loneliness, fear, etc. When one despises those things, they develop a desire for the opposite.
I asked him what the word "Alignment" / phrase "being in alignment" means to him: “Being authentic and consistent. And what's authentic is attractive.”