As a young entrepreneur, Michael Acton Smith had big ideas for his business.
Communicating that vision to investors was the challenge for Smith, the co-founder and co-CEO of mindfulness and meditation app Calm. The app launched in 2012, and finally found significant traction after being named Apple’s App of the Year in 2017. Now, it’s valued at more than $1 billion. Looking back, Smith says, being able to tell a great story about your brand’s future is a crucial part of selling your idea. It’s equally important, he adds, to constantly take small, actionable steps toward realizing that future.
“You do need that wild vision,” says Smith. “But you also need to get out of bed, roll your sleeves, and do that critical execution work every single day to get to each step of many steps on the journey.”
Experimenting regularly and staying disciplined about your goals can help turn a big vision into a business reality. That’s one of the key takeaways from this week’s episode of Inc.‘s What I Know podcast, featuring Smith.
