Some people think that the key to success lies within their daily routines. Do you agree with this, and if so, what is your daily routine?
Yes and no. I love my little rituals, like waking up, making coffee, reading the news, then later working out, and getting to sleep at a reasonable hour. But I also think flexibility and adaptability are really important, so I think of it more as having daily non-negotiables.
Looking back at your teenage years, did you have any entrepreneurial interests?
Because racing cars/motorsports is so expensive and dependent on funding, I’ve always been entrepreneurial in securing funding to keep racing. My first sponsorship pitch was at age 16 and was so embarrassing (I talk about it on Episode 6 of my podcast “If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer”), but it was a great first step.
I also knew that once I graduated college, I needed to find a way to make money that would allow me the flexibility to keep racing. Since I had given a TEDx talk at Stanford, I decided I wanted to see if I could create a keynote speaking career so that I could speak occasionally, earn a living, and still spend most of my time finding sponsors and racing. And I’m proud to say I’ve been a professional keynote speaker since 2015!
So I don’t know if I knew it was “entrepreneurial” at the time, but I’ve definitely always created my own opportunities and like being my own boss.
Is there a specific time of day when you feel most productive?
I usually feel most productive from mid-to-late morning through the afternoon. I’m not a morning person or a late-night person, but midday is excellent.
Do you think there is one character trait/skill that is important to have in order to become a successful entrepreneur in today’s world?
Resilience paired with an optimistic/can-do attitude. There will be so many more “no”s and naysayers than “yes”s and supporters, so you need to be quite tough.
Has being a woman in the business world affected you positively or negatively, and how so?
I think being a woman in a male-dominated space can be both a blessing and a curse, but at the end of the day it’s what we have to work with. I certainly still get frustrated by gender-based discrimination, but I also appreciate the men who step up as allies and the added attention I get when I’m successful.
What is one major goal that you wish to achieve by 2030?
I’m currently in the middle of a shift from professional racer to whatever is next, so one major goal is to build a career that gives me as much excitement and adrenaline, and pride as racing has done for the last 21 years while continuing my creative professional endeavors like keynote speaking and podcasting.
Who is your biggest influence, and why?
I don’t have one biggest influence, but I draw inspiration from many of my heroes and people I admire. This list includes my parents, my siblings, my husband, my badass friends, racing greats like Michael Schumacher, incredible athletes like Serena Williams, and entrepreneurs like Whitney Wolfe Herd.
If you could pick one female entrepreneur, who would you say is your biggest inspiration?
Ha, well, I guess I kind of answered this in the last question, but Whitney Wolfe Herd. I deeply admire her resilience, which led to her creating a purpose-driven company that she has fine-tuned, evolved, and grown, while seemingly living a pretty fantastic life. But honestly there are so many incredible entrepreneurs who are women, like Lisa Mayer, Brit Morin, Jaime Schmidt, Yam Karkai, Illana Raia, just to name a few!
What has been the most formative advice you have received and why?
My mother once said, “you may not get what you deserve, but you deserve whatever you can get.” I love this because it instills the idea that we should always keep going, keep trying, keep pushing, elevate ourselves, ask for what we want, and do so unapologetically. Especially for women, because we’re often undervalued.
What has been the most impressive/memorable question anyone has ever asked you?
A journalist once asked me if going to Stanford made me over-analytical, and if I felt that being over-analytical could be a hindrance to athletic performance since so much of competing in sports is making gut reactions, adapting, and an X-factor. That question stopped me in my tracks.
If you have siblings, are they also entrepreneurs?
I have a younger sister and brother and we’re super close! They’ve chosen different career paths, and I’ve learned a lot from them in more traditional corporate roles.
Do you think the drive to become an entrepreneur is born with or is learned?
This is a really great question! I think it can be both. People become entrepreneurs for many reasons: they discover a passion and want to develop it; they want to be their own boss; they want to spend short, intense periods of time working on a project and move on; they see a void they think they can fill, etc.
Having traits like curiosity, enthusiasm, optimism, a strong work ethic, discipline, perseverance, resourcefulness, pizzazz, etc., are all important for entrepreneurship, and those can either be innate or learned based on your environment.
CONTACT INFORMATION & SOCIAL MEDIA Racecar Driver | Keynote Speaker | Podcaster | Entrepreneur website: http://julialandauer.com Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-im-honest-with-julia-landauer/id1686900834 Speaking: https://julialandauer.com/speaking Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/julialandauer/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/julialandauer Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julialandauerracing/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julialandauer/