Some people must be born entrepreneurs.  It seems that more often than not, people who run successful businesses have had an interest in doing so for as long as they can remember.  Our guest today is no exception to the rule, starting his first successful business selling coke cans from his school locker.

With an inherent passion to start something from nothing and a strong desire to help people, it’s no wonder that Jarryd Burns was the co-founder of Thankyou, a brand that started out selling bottles of water for the sole purpose of raising money to help end the world water crisis.  Thankyou now has 55 products and continues to commit 100% of profits to help end global poverty.

 In this episode, Jarryd shares his experience of launching Thankyou from the ground up and how travelling to places like Cambodia and Kenya changed him forever and gave him a brand new perspective on life.  We talk about some of the ups and downs that entrepreneurs face, tips for those wanting to start their own venture and how Jarryd eventually came to the decision to move on from Thankyou to pursue his own equally exciting project, Narrative Lab.  

 Change is a scary thing for most people and during Jarryd’s transition away from Thankyou, he also experienced a house break-in and a smoke damaged house that left him and his pregnant wife with nothing.  Jarryd talks about his experience with anxiety, the importance of letting go and shares some of the tools he explored to help him get through the difficult times..

 Jarryd’s new season is a fragrant one and he is now reaping the rewards of the hard work poured into Narrative Lab, a new range of fragrances with a deeper meaning. Staying true to his desire to help people, the ideology behind Narrative Lab is to encourage consumers to set their intentions for the day, customising their fragrance to be mindful about what they want their story to be. 

 We all have the power to choose the life we want to live. This episode is sure to inspire you and is a must listen for those born entrepreneurs.

SOME TOPICS WE COVERED AND WHERE TO FIND THEM:

[3:30] - Where Jarryd’s passion for entrepreneurship began

[6:30] - How the idea for Thankyou water 

[9:00] - The humble beginnings of the Thankyou brand

[10:00] - The fairly natural way the roles within the business were formed

[12:50] - Jarryd describes their first trip as a company to Cambodia to see the water infiltration systems that they had been helping to fund and the difference that had made to the community

[14:48] - The transformational trip that Jarryd took to Kenya and how that helped put many things into perspective

[16:00] - The highlights for Jarryd during his 10 years working with Thankyou

[17:00] - How a massive social movement supporting the Thankyou campaign to be stocked in Woolworths and Coles was born

[21:00] - The tough experiences that Jarryd went through in running a startup

[23:00] - The personal struggles that caused Jarryed to eventually hang up his boots at Thankyou

[28:20] - How Jarryd put up a facade instead of dealing with his emotions and the difficulties he was going through

[30:15] - Living in “seasons” and the internal knowing that things needed to shift and it was time to move on

[32:28] - The tools that Jarryd explored to help him get through the transition from leaving Thankyou to moving forward with his next endeavour

[34:40] - What is Narrative Lab and the idea around it

[37:32] - Tips for those wanting to start their own venture

[39:54] - If you’re looking for a quick win, entrepreneurship is not for you. It’s a long road but the hard work is worth it if you’re passionate about what you’re looking to achieve

[41:00] - Advice on letting go

[42:30] - Getting to that place where you are then at peace with your decision

[44:00] - Creating room for others to continue on with the work who can bring a fresh perspective and opportunities

LINKS: 

Instagram: @narrativelabfrangrances

@jarrydburns

Websites: https://narrativelab.co/

https://thankyou.co/

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For any enquiries, feedback, and interview requests, please send an email to: podcast@livin.org

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