In this episode, I catch up with Rob Hope, a Cape Town-based multi-talented digital maker who goes by many labels from designer to developer to casual surfer. With an aim to fill his day with things that inspire him, Rob’s main goal is to have a life in which he has the freedom to only take on things which challenge or offer enjoyment (like surfing). 

Complacency in content comfort

In his career, Rob found that when he was most comfortable in his career, he forgot to challenge himself. It’s “a very dangerous place to be”, as it leads to too much security in business or life; a “safe zone”. To beat the dangers of comfort, he started a Youtube show, one the hardest thing he has done in his life. 

With a deadline set (to avoid procrastinating the launch), his weekly Youtube episodes have been the most difficult, but monumentally rewarding things he has undertaken.

“Most things where I’ve dived in where things are difficult were the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.”

Plans are irrelevant but planning is imperative

When it comes to bigger picture thinking versus finer details, it’s crucial to strike the balance of both. If you focus on the macro only, you run the risk of not fine-tuning and releasing a product or service which doesn’t have the quality to be fully marketable. But at the same time, if you only focus on the small details, you can spend far too much time and energy trying to perfect something which might not be used in the way intended.

“It has to be both. My biggest problem is overthinking. Everything changes so radically when you get going and spending that time debating things that probably don’t matter is just a waste of energy. But you can’t know what your product is going to be doing years down the line. So you’ve got to get it out there as light as possible because everything changes as soon as it’s in public.”

Starting a side hustle or taking on a project isn’t actually risky business

Despite what society says, taking the difficult initial step to start a side hustle or take on a new project isn’t actually as risky as it seems. Entrepreneurs, side-hustlers, and makers aren’t that risky by nature. They’re calculated, strategic and make considered decisions. 

There’s possibly more risk-taking (whether it’s of time, energy or finance) than the average person, but they’re not random risks. All possibilities are calculated and cautious with careful thought involved.

A good entrepreneur considers the future ramifications of green-lighting a project or business.

A “Project Graveyard”: A record of failure but also lessons learnt

Rob has a list of projects which never succeeded archived in his ‘Project Graveyard’. He uses this list of failed projects to serve two main purposes:

1. To reflect on the journey of past passion projects and to remember things that have been done, even if they didn’t work out; and

2. To remind others that very few things are quick wins and that success comes from the lessons that failed projects teach.

The failures act as stepping stones to success. The motivation is designing a lifestyle by eliminating things which you don’t like doing and the Project Graveyard represents cutting out what you don’t like and allowing time for things you do like doing. It’s a symbol of every single lesson that aids to future decisions (and successes) you make later down the line.

“Stay humble and focus long-term. It’s about doing daily work consistently over time. For me, this is a lot of failures of projects I thought I might still be working on years down the line. I don’t really believe in the word luck. I get to work on things I enjoy now, and so I don’t see these as ‘failures’ because they helped me get where I am today - a place where I get to do what I want.”

Walking the talk: Your actions dictate your intent

If someone wants success, there needs to be a drive to hit that success. Not only are there few quick wins in business, but there are even fewer opportunities of luck to allow a person to thrive without effort. For example, if someone wants to build a billion-dollar business but spends the majority of their time messing around; their intent and their actions don’t really align and that billion-dollar dream is never going to be realised.

However, it’s also extremely important (and healthy) to hit the reset button to refocus and re-energise inspiration.

“But at the same time, it’s important to step away from you do as well. There’s massive value in doing something entirely different to reset from work. Being a maker, and being creative comes from being inspired, and that often comes from being away from the work.”

Different intrigue results in diversity, which leads to a full life

When starting things - whether passion projects, side hustles or businesses - there seems to be a misconception that everything in life has to be associated with it. But the layers of diversity in interests, like hobbies that are completely random and have no direct link to the business you might be building, is imperative in rounding out knowledge. Unique interests lead to interesting people. Not only are different interests crucial in taking a step back to refocus, but they are also important in building a fuller life.

“If we all consume the exact same content, the output would be the same. What makes me unique is probably just a mesh of absolutely everything I’ve done. It’s the bird-watching. It’s travelling. And that’s how you create a rich life.”

If you want to get in touch with Rob or find out more about his journey of success through failure, check out his website or find him on Twitter.