“I came to this country not knowing how to read, speak or write a word of English”, with Kaivan Dave
I had the pleasure to interview Kaivan Dave. Kaivan Dave is an entrepreneur, TV host, growth marketer, and ecommerce expert. He helps brands up their game and take their ecommerce marketing to the next level.
Thank you so much for joining us! Let’s show everyone you’re a normal human being. What are your hobbies, favorite places to visit, pet peeves? Tell us about YOU when you’re not at the office.
“When it comes to being a normal human being I truly enjoy going to music and sporting events. Here are some places that are on my bucket list: Hawaii, Africa, Iceland and Colorado. I am all about being on time and when I am not in the office or working you can find me in the gym or in kitchen.”
Can you tell us something about you that few people know?
“15 years ago, I could not say ‘hello’ or ‘hi’ in English. I couldn’t speak a word when I moved here with my parents from India.”
Do you have any exciting projects going on right now?
“Over the last 365 days I’ve been working on a project called Staying Uncomfortable. It’s where growth happens. This project is about helping people grow and become a better version of themselves.”
Many people say success correlates with the people you meet in your life. Can you describe two that most impacted your success and why?
“Boss Everline is the real deal and is always pushing me to become a better version of myself. What I learned from him was that it’s not just about the physical push but it’s also about training your mind so that your body can follow.
“Bhavisha Patel is the deal. She has been supporting me and pushing me to become the best version of myself for last 11+ years. Today where I am in my life is due to her support system and I am proud to call her my best friend.”
Leaders always seem to find ways to overcome their weaknesses. Can you share one or two examples of how you work outside of your comfort zone to achieve success?
“Write down your goals each day and surround yourself with the people who are going to support you on achieving your dream. It’s very important to always remind yourself why you started on this journey.”
The concept of mind over matter has been around for years. A contemporary description of this is having mental toughness. Can you give us an example (or two) of obstacles you’ve overcome by getting your mind in the right place (some might call this reframing the situation)?
“My mental toughness is what sets me apart from everyone else. I came to this country not knowing how to read, speak or write a word of English, and today I speak in front of hundreds of people sharing my knowledge around direct to consumer marketing.”
What are your “3 Lessons I Learned from My Most Memorable Failure”
1. You can’t do it all. When I was running my first company, I was trying to do a lot by myself and I quickly realized that it’s not going to get the best out of me. So, I really focused and learned the rules and thought process behind delegation.
2. Team. It’s extremely important to have the right people on your team. I failed at finding the right people to be part of my dream team and that caused a lot of issues around trust. What I learned is to find the right people who will invest in your dreams and show how will you help them achieve their dreams.
3. Passion. Do the things that you have passion for. I tried to do a lot of different things to make money and I realized that I wasn’t happy about any of them because I wasn’t truly passionate about them. So, what I tell people is that find something that you truly care about and see how amazing the journey can be.
What unfiltered advice can you give aspiring stars regarding how to avoid common mis-fires in starting their career?
“Don’t try short cuts or cut corners. If you want to be successful in life, or want to create amazing things, it will require hard work and lot of sacrifices, but in the process learn to enjoy and remember there are no shortcuts.”
What is the best lesson you learned from your worst boss?
“Don’t ever become someone like that because you will make other people’ unhappy. That will not just affect their work life, but it will also affect their personal life due to how much they hate their work.”
What is one “efficiency hack” you use consistently in your life to keep your time and mind free to focus on your strengths and passions?
“I always focus on the why. When you know what you are doing and why you are doing it, it becomes very simple to keep things focused.”
Nobody likes to fail, and we sure don’t like to admit we failed. Can you describe a moment when you confided your most closely-held business issues/problems to someone close to you, and how the conversation(s) helped you work through the issue?
“The first company that I started in 2010 failed very successfully, and I overcame that failure by focusing on what I learned and how I was able to advance my career.”
What’s on the drawing board for your next venture?
“To get Staying Uncomfortable on Netflix and being able to impact millions of people. Along with that, creating a game where people are able to achieve personal growth and step outside the comfort zone to experience life to the fullest.”
What did we miss? Feel free to share any other thoughts or advice on overcoming failure, initiatives you’re currently supporting, any other relevant information you would like to share with the readers.
“Don’t let anything stop you; keep working. Even my inability to speak a single word of English hasn’t stopped me from running a company 15 years later.
“Read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni to learn how to create a better team dynamic that leads to real results.
“Write down your goals each day and surround yourself with the people who are going to support you on achieving your dream. It’s very important to always remind yourself why you started on this journey.”
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
- IG: @KaivanDave
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/KaivanDave
- Twitter: @KaivanDave
- Website: www.stayinguncomfortable.com
This was really awesome! Thank you so much for joining us!
