EP 40 - Embracing Play & Passion for a More Fulfilling Life with Will Sacks

The Alchemy of Business Show

In this eye-opening episode, we talk with Will Sacks, Founder & CEO of his company, Fulcrum Venture Accelerator. He dives deep into the value of finding your spark and prioritizing activities that give you energy, rather than the ones that sap you of it. This realization led him to build companies and help startups raise more than $40 million in funding for projects in climate, human health, education, and culture.

We follow his humble journey, from getting a life-changing experience in Burning Man to experiencing the pains of birthing his first company, all the way to helping multiple startups launch successfully and sustainably. He shares how he’s triumphed over life’s trials through his learned philosophy of “maintaining a state of playfulness”, and how you can apply it to your life and business.

Guest Resources:

1. The Fundraising Accelerator for Mission-Driven Entrepreneurs - https://fulcrumventureaccelerator.com/

2. The Anatomy of an Investor Meeting - https://fulcrumventureaccelerator.com/author/williamsacks/

3. https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamsacks/

4. https://www.willsacks.com/

5. https://www.kindara.com/

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Top Golden Insights

1. Focus on activities that give you energy, rather than ones that saps you.

2. Ask yourself, where in life do you find yourself in play? And how can you expand that area?

3. Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, but ask yourself what makes you come alive? Because what the world needs is what makes people come alive

4. Breaking through resistance is the price you pay, for the dream you say you want.

5. Business is a Team Sport. Find what you’re good at, and find other people who are great at everything else. Build a team of all-stars who can execute together

Show Time Stamps

3:36 - A life changing experience through Burning Man

• He discovered it through couch surfing (pre-cursor to airBnB)

9:30 - Charting Your Way to Empowered Family Planning: The Kindara Story

• By birthing the Kindara App, we helped others birth their babies

13:40 - Women have always been a big part of my life, and I grew with them.

• When I learned how the healthcare system treats women like 2nd class citizens, and learning how to live in tune with your bodies, he had a vision on how this could be a something.

18:00 - The Founder Institute Accelerator

20:32 - Take Past Experiences to Create Something Useful for Others

23:46 - Breaking through resistance is the price you pay, for the dream you say you want.

29: 56 What can Startups Expect at the Fulcrum Venture Accelerator Program

40:16 - The Important Element of Play in life and business

• There’s a playfulness to music, it’s free form

• Non-violent communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg, PdD.

• Don’t do anything that isn’t play

45:10 We’re launching our 7th cohort of companies by the end of June 2023

47:50 - Building a Winning Team: Treating Business like a Sport

• Ask yourself, what are the things that give me energy?

• Find what you’re good at; Find other people who are great at everything else. Build a team of all-stars who can execute together

51:16 Music & Business are like storytelling

• What makes a piece of music compelling and some not so

• Within a given genre, it’s the craft of the storytelling in the mix

• In the realm of startups, there’s a music that can be played by the founders to have their story be compelling

54:21 - Ask yourself, where in life do you find yourself in play? And how can you expand that area?

• Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, but ask yourself what makes you come alive? Because what the world needs is what makes people come alive

Guest Bio: Founder, CEO of Fulcrum Venture Accelerator

Will Sacks' life is about helping people thrive and bringing dreams to life to create a better world to live in. Currently, he embodies this purpose through his company, Fulcrum Ventures, and making music. He believes music is the universal language of healing and peace and has always felt a deep connection to sound as the language of emotion.

In previous incarnations, Will was a tech entrepreneur, spending 15 years helping entrepreneurs fund impactful companies and creating his own. He also enjoys writing and is passionate about continuous self-development, new technology, and cultural evolution.

In 2019, Will founded Fulcrum Venture Accelerator, a fundraising accelerator for entrepreneurs. Since then, he has worked with over 100 impact companies, many of whom have gone on to raise more than $40M in funding for projects in climate, environment, human health, education, and culture.

He also enjoys Burning Man, quantified self, self-development, dancing, and things that put a dent in the universe and move the human race forward.