Finding Mentors and Learning to Pivot with Georgeana Ireland

Update: 2021-05-25

Description

In this episode, Chris talks with Georgeana Ireland, owner and operator of Ethos Contemporary Art Gallery in Newport Beach.

When Georgeana first saw her art in the window of a gallery, she was exhilarated. Unfortunately, that gallery closed and she was left with two options: give up or throw her hat in the ring. Georgeana chose the latter and leaned on mentors and ingenuity to forge and solidify her space in the art world.

Goergeana’s drive comes from a passion for her work and a desire to help other artists when no one else would. She built an incredibly supportive team around her and throughout the pandemic, when many businesses closed their doors permanently, Georgeana empowered her employees and her artists to grow.

Chris and Georgeana discuss leaning on good advice, thriving during the impossible, and the one thing that’s helped Georgeana navigate the highs and lows of business ownership.

“My greatest assets are my mentors. And so I always go to my mentors. I only ask advice from people that are more successful than me. I will not listen to anyone. People can talk until they’re blue in the face — if they’re not more successful in whatever they’re talking about, I don’t hear a word that they say.” ~ Georgeana Ireland

Main takeaways

[06:55 ] True entrepreneurs are pioneers. They go forward with no promise of a paycheck or a reward. They create their own drive.

[09:32 ] No matter who you are or what you do, you won’t be successful without strong mentors and a strong team to back you up and help you navigate the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

[12:19 ] The sign of a great entrepreneur is someone who can pivot quickly. COVID-19 is a great example of having your business model washed away and somehow managing to continue on.

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