Adam Rao, CEO of Triple 20, discusses his career in creating organizations that make a positive impact on people's lives. He shares his journey from working in the church to helping people get out of payday debt, to creating new products in the financial technology sector. He emphasizes the importance of insight, inspiration, and innovation in his work. He also explores the intersection of creativity and entrepreneurship, highlighting the need to understand what people want and need in order to create meaningful solutions. He discusses the differences between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors and the importance of finding a business model that aligns with your goals. Finally, he shares his process of generating ideas by talking to people and understanding their problems and desires. Triple 20 is a company that focuses on creating trade show exhibits that prioritize empathy and solve problems.
Takeaways
Creating organizations that make a positive impact on people's lives requires insight, inspiration, and innovation.
Understanding what people want and need is crucial in creating meaningful solutions.
There is a need for creativity and innovation in both the artist and entrepreneur worlds.
Businesses should focus on meeting deep human needs and creating positive experiences for customers.
Nonprofit and for-profit organizations both have their challenges and opportunities, and it's important to find a business model that aligns with your goals.
Talking to people and understanding their problems and desires is a key part of the idea generation process. Triple 20 focuses on creating trade show exhibits that prioritize empathy and solve problems.
They believe in testing ideas, even big ones, with small components that can be tested right away.
They emphasize the importance of talking to people and getting feedback to create work that connects with others.
They believe in being a creative leader by constantly generating new ideas and solving problems.
They believe in business as a force for good, creating positive social and environmental impact while generating profit.
They value patience and long-term thinking, focusing on what they want to create over a 10-year period.
They find inspiration in classical music and talk about being conflicted over the work of Pablo Picasso.
They recommend books like 'A Whole New Mind' by Daniel Pink and 'The Power of Moments' by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.
They practice morning pages, quarterly reflection and planning, and the habit of listening to music to stay connected to their creativity.
For more about Adam go here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamrao
For more about Triple20 go here: https://triple20.co/
To get creative support and support the podcast go to www.patreon.com/shannontlkearns
For more about the books recommended in this episode, go here: https://bookshop.org/shop/shannontlkearns
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Patreon Support
08:36 Understanding What People Want and Need
28:16 Creating Trade Show Exhibits with Empathy and Problem-Solving
34:54 Patience and Long-Term Thinking
46:38 Recommended Books for Creativity and Business
53:09 Practicing Morning Pages and Reflection