Latest / The Action Catalyst / Always the Outsider, with Alysia Silberg (Entrepreneurship, AI, Immigrant, Mindset)

Transcript

Always the Outsider, with Alysia Silberg (Entrepreneurship, AI, Immigrant, Mindset) · The Action Catalyst

0:08
Stephanie Maas: Well, I'm super excited to be with you. So thank
0:23
you for sharing your time, I would actually love for you to
0:26
start with your background, because I think that sets a nice
0:30
foundation for where you are today, walk us through a little
0:34
bit of your background.
0:35
Alysia Silberg: So it's a wild journey, and I'll do my absolute
0:38
best to share with your listeners, the stuff that I feel
0:41
is most important in terms of their own journeys. So my dad
0:44
was an immigrant from Eastern Europe, you know, back in the
0:46
day, so he was born in 1870. Sounds completely wild. And that
0:51
was a very different time in America. So they went on boats
0:55
to South Africa, arrived in South Africa in 1929, you know,
0:58
these immigrants with just clothes on their backs. And he
1:02
was very fortunate, he had a passion, which was the arts, he
1:05
was a chemist by training. And he made his way to America, you
1:08
know, an incredibly difficult thing at the time. And he
1:10
trained under Max Factor, the makeup artist, and he became
1:14
somebody who worked on movie sets with the most famous
1:17
celebrities in the world. And I think part of my madcap
1:21
adventure inside of me comes from it comes from my dad's
1:24
journey, he had to unfortunately go back to South Africa, even
1:27
though he was successful in America. And that started a
1:31
journey for all of us in the sense that during the pot, I
1:35
created what was the world's only pharmacy and costume hire
1:38
store. And I was born into this, as I say, wild environment. And
1:43
I grew up in that environment. And whilst it was fun, it was
1:46
also incredibly difficult, because there was always a
1:49
shortage of money growing up. So he was passionate about helping
1:52
other people read it in the book, as a chemist, because, you
1:56
know, apartheid, there was no doctors for the bulk of South
1:59
Africa, give away medicines for free, he became this community
2:02
doctor. So for us, we kind of suffered the consequences,
2:05
because we were always short on money. And this whole, you know,
2:09
he died in during a car accident very unexpectedly. And then we
2:12
were going to lose the business because the business was
2:14
crippled in debt. So they were coming for the house, they were
2:17
coming for absolutely, everything we owned, I was
2:20
telling my brother was six years older than me, my mother was a
2:23
ballerina. So you know, that's the kind of skills she had. And
2:26
it was a fight for human survival. And we started just
2:29
like fighting for this business. We slept in the shop, which was
2:33
extremely dangerous. You know, like, there's a lot, a lot went
2:35
wrong. And I slept under costume rules for a long time. And we
2:39
just worked 1820 hours a day for five years, we managed to save
2:43
the business a lot with load. That's what took me on my
2:46
journey to Canada, because we wanted more my brother and I, we
2:49
were obsessed with getting to North America. And eventually I
2:53
made my way to North America. And today, I'm incredibly
2:56
fortunate. I get to invest in startups after being a founder,
3:00
I get to work with extraordinary people. And so I'm incredibly,
3:03
incredibly grateful to be in the US and to be, you know, building
3:06
startups and working with startups.
3:08
Stephanie Maas: Okay, so South Africa and then Canada. Tell me
3:11
about that.
3:12
Alysia Silberg: Sure. So we were poor. We had a very old car, we
3:15
would barely go but we had a call. And we lived in a very
3:19
dangerous neighborhood as well couldn't afford to leave. And
3:22
one night and a Saturday night we got attacked was very intense
3:25
attacking, and I got shot. My mother got beaten up, it was
3:28
harrowing, even like, even by a Hollywood movie standards. The
3:32
moment that happened, I decided I was always obsessed with
3:34
coming to America. From the day I was born. I think my dad
3:37
wanted that seat in my mind. I was like, I'm going no matter
3:40
what it takes, and my circumstances around me. People
3:43
refer to it as a dead end life. That was my life in South
3:46
Africa. And for many people, that's their lives. We got to
3:49
cap, I remember standing, bleeding, screaming my head or
3:53
screaming sight, I'm leaving, I'm leaving. I'm going and you
3:56
have to help me leave. I made up my mind there. And then I was
3:59
going to get to North America no matter what. And my brother and
4:02
I came up with a very entrepreneurial venture, where
4:05
we would create costumes, you know, from our crazy costume
4:08
shop, or the burgeoning Hollywood film industry in
4:12
Canada. Sounds crazy. But this is economics tax. So basically,
4:17
Hollywood, very expensive, create movies, New York, very
4:19
expensive to create movies. And so that at that time, they were
4:23
starting to do a lot more movies in Nova Scotia. And my brother
4:27
and I have been very good researchers. We figured this
4:29
out. And we figured out that there was a trade treaty between
4:32
certain countries in Canada, and that you could apply towards
4:35
making this trade treaty. And you can get funding and you
4:39
could build a business. And so I was shipped to Canada to go
4:42
pitch this to the Canadian government. I was 15 at the
4:44
time, and I'm telling them about this amazing, amazing, you know,
4:47
venture that they would of course, want to participate.
4:50
They said yes, they were incredible. That was my first
4:52
taste of what it meant to be in North America. In terms of being
4:56
an entrepreneur to see a well organized things are the
4:59
opportunities. And no one laughed at me when said I was
5:02
stupid, and what I experienced changed my life.
5:06
Stephanie Maas: Okay, so you did that at 15?
5:08
Alysia Silberg: 15. And it was crazy. Like when I look back,
5:11
I'm like, Wow, a grown up mature version of me it was like, I
5:14
think it was adrenaline, as well as nothing to lose. I think that
5:18
played a big role where your life is so bleak, that you're
5:21
like, I really have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I
5:25
see homelessness in America. Yeah, I live in, in Venice in
5:28
LA. And I see all those people. And I think about it every day.
5:33
And I'm like, I could be one of those people. I just happen to
5:36
be lucky enough that I had a drive to say, okay, my
5:40
circumstances suck. And no one's going to come in to rescue us
5:43
like this. And I'm going to try and I'm not going to give up to
5:46
the state that drives me. I can never forget how close we came
5:50
to having absolutely nothing.
5:52
Stephanie Maas: Tell me, I know you said you and your mom didn't
5:54
always get along. What were some of the things you garnered from
5:57
her?
5:58
Alysia Silberg: My ability to never give up? She pushed me
6:00
extraordinarily hard. I think in some respects, it almost damaged
6:04
me. I had somebody who had a very tough life, and who kept
6:09
pushing me harder, because she knew how tough life had been.
6:12
And she wanted me to to have the best life possible. Even if she
6:16
had difficulty in helping me create that.
6:18
Stephanie Maas: Has she been able to see your success?
6:20
Alysia Silberg: No. But th at's okay. I hope she's proud of me.
6:24
Stephanie Maas: I'm sure she is. Sure she is. Let's shift gears
6:28
ever so slightly and talk about technology? I just think there's
6:31
an aptitude for technology. Some people have it, some people
6:33
don't, I definitely don't have it. So that's very interesting
6:36
to me. So you're 15 years old? What technology did you have at
6:39
hand? How did you figure out that that's kind of part of your
6:43
thing.
6:43
Alysia Silberg: Thank you for your honesty, in terms of your
6:45
ability to use technology. I understand. It's ironic, but I'm
6:49
not good with technology. As funny as that may sound. I'm not
6:52
natural at this. And I think that's important. But at that
6:55
time, the Internet was so so so basic, like it was really basic.
7:00
And when you asked about Canada, you got to picture these two
7:03
kids sitting in deepest, darkest Africa, where the tip of Africa,
7:07
were at an internet cafe. The internet was not like America,
7:12
we sitting there looking on the internet, and we want to go to
7:14
Canada. And we like, um, this place looks interesting. It's
7:18
got a cute little bug. I'm not kidding with you. Okay, like a
7:21
cute little sailing boat. It's in the pictures. And it looks
7:24
very sophisticated compared to where we coming from. And this
7:28
is Halifax, Nova Scotia. And that was our interaction with
7:31
the internet, that it was like this raw thing that gave us the
7:36
ability to build all our dreams. And that was the relationship
7:41
I've owned with technology from very early on, were at each
7:45
turn, I could do a certain amount. And then it needed to do
7:48
something needed to do the rest. And it was always the
7:51
technology, there was always something that could help me to
7:55
help myself get where I wanted to stay like people like us are
8:00
involved in AI. I'm like, it's pretty simple. I'm a human with
8:03
a problem. And I've found that the technology helps me solve it
8:07
like my accent. It's hard for Americans to understand my
8:11
accent. For me, it's very important for Americans to
8:14
understand me, I want to live here, I want to immerse myself
8:17
in the culture. But in order to do that, people have to
8:20
understand you. I was like, Okay, I'm gonna get an AI coach,
8:23
I'm just going to practice and practice. I just started
8:26
applying it in every aspect of my life. And as I say, as a
8:29
woman, it started giving me leverage, and I would have never
8:32
had any other way. Because when I do things to almost make
8:37
myself small, it would help me make myself big. And so that
8:41
relationship, as I say was, again, survival allistic. But
8:44
technology showed up for me in a massive, massive way.
8:47
Stephanie Maas: Fascinating. So the things you talked about was
8:50
early on, you were willing to take these risks, because what
8:54
did you have to lose? Now you have stuff to lose. How do you
8:58
still keep that unbelievable risk appetite that served you
9:02
incredibly well, but now you have something to lose. So talk
9:06
to me about that.
9:07
Alysia Silberg: I think it comes down to our values. And I think
9:10
the thing I value most in the world is learning. I can't get
9:13
enough of learning. And I think that just drives me forward. I
9:17
feel like physically sick when I'm not learning. Like it's it
9:21
sounds insane. But it's that constant need to, to just keep
9:24
growing. And it's like I'm constantly investing in
9:27
startups. I'm constantly evolving and constantly creating
9:30
some stuff work, some stuff doesn't work, but you know, you
9:34
just keep on going. That's probably why I love AI so much
9:37
because it grows and it grows faster than me, which sounds
9:40
insane. But at the same time that keeps me on my toes. Like
9:44
the times where I run into my own barriers in terms of like
9:47
engaging with people because I've had impostor syndrome, you
9:51
know, like it's stuck. There's realities of who we are. And in
9:54
a work with the AI, I have conversations with with GPT
9:58
around this and GP He loads faster than I do. And it adapts
10:01
whilst than I do. And then I'm like, wow, that's interesting. I
10:05
have to stop, I have to think about this. I have to come back
10:08
tomorrow, what I could see it didn't stop learning, it was
10:12
comfortable keeping on going, my mind couldn't go any farther
10:15
that day. And that's been very interesting, because that forces
10:19
my mind, in a positive way to keep on growing each time I get
10:22
on a call with a founder. And each time I get to learn
10:25
something new about what they're doing to solve a major problem
10:29
in the world. For me, there's very few things that give me
10:33
that kind of joy. It's a good way to be I think.
10:36
Stephanie Maas: I think that's fantastic. So let me ask you
10:39
this. There's a ton of conversation right now around
10:43
this idea of growth mindset. And it got me thinking, do you think
10:48
the growth mindset is that nature or nurture?
10:52
Alysia Silberg: Nurture. I took it upon myself to bold like a
10:55
rewards challenge for myself, I've lived and died by these
10:58
rewards challenges. So it's like mini habits, where I'll give
11:01
myself like a walker rarely once as a reward. And I'll be like,
11:05
I'm gonna break through on this thing. And for me, that was
11:08
like, I could see I was fixed in a lot of areas. And that I never
11:12
wanted to be, I knew that to get to America. To live the life, I
11:15
wanted to feel the sense of fulfillment and joy that I
11:18
sought so much, versus the pain and heartache. And as you say, a
11:22
survivor that was still within me, even if externally it may
11:25
not have looked so much like that. And as to do that I have
11:29
to change the wiring in my brain. Trust me, it was a really
11:32
tough thing to do. But I think that was why it was very
11:35
important for me to write the book because I could see how
11:38
there was so much darkness that came with me so much pain, so
11:42
much heartache so much just like yuckiness still inside of me,
11:45
even though I was I had a lot of accomplishments. And to really
11:48
do that I had to take on a growth mindset. And I have to
11:52
say like, this is my life, like, this is what I'm going to do. I
11:55
went from I Can't to I Can, because there were a number of
11:58
times I wanted to get out. But I believe that I don't think a lot
12:02
of people who have been through difficulty, have that growth
12:05
mindset nurtured into them. But I do believe they cannot share
12:09
it into themselves.
12:11
Stephanie Maas: I think one of the things that is going to be
12:13
so relatable to you, I mean, let's face it, most of us have
12:17
not grown up in some of the extreme situations that you have
12:21
been faced with. But despite that, we still struggle with the
12:24
same things that you mentioned, the I can't, the imposter syndrome...
12:29
Alysia Silberg: I was carrying so much baggage, though, even if
12:31
I wasn't aware of it. And the idea that I put on paper, and I
12:34
highly encourage you and everyone listening, it's an
12:37
incredible exercise to actually sit down. And writable I highly
12:41
recommend anyone that thinks that they really got a gift and
12:46
they want to share it, I call it superpowers, you have that gift
12:49
yourself however long it takes just keep going, just keep
12:51
going. And as I say, it's worth it.
12:55
Stephanie Maas: That's awesome. So I love your transition,
12:57
because the next thing I want to ask about was this superpower.
12:59
What is your superpower or powers?
13:03
Alysia Silberg: Well, let me start by saying, I'd love to
13:05
know what your superpower is. Me. It started with a pair of
13:09
pink rode estates sounds insane. But I'm five years old. Everyone
13:13
around these got these rode estates, and I realized we can't
13:17
afford them. And I knew better to have off my parents was just
13:20
like, not something I'd ever do. Because I didn't want to make
13:22
them feel bad about themselves. And so that's how I figured out
13:26
the solution. But for me, I learned to fall in love with
13:29
selling like, it sounds crazy. But I learned to fall in love
13:31
with like bullying companies selling and literally of solving
13:35
someone's problem for them. Somebody has a problem. And I
13:38
can delight them with the solution. And the memories
13:40
people have of me being in the shop, and I could barely stand
13:43
over the counter. And I'd be stretching up and I'd be smiling
13:47
and I'd be selling and it was just it was like every time I
13:50
message someone on behalf one of my companies, and I'm like,
13:53
Please, we help them please, we don't you want to quit call and
13:56
say no. Like, that's all I see without it. So I think that
14:03
would be my one superpower. And I think the other one is maybe
14:06
pattern recognition. You know, being a survivor, I learned to
14:09
recognize patterns very early on, just in terms of survival.
14:13
And in terms of like, keeping safe. And I think it's helped me
14:16
a lot in terms of like, making investments and just learning to
14:21
see where the world is going, which are in and out just like a
14:24
joy to do that kind of thing. But I think pattern recognition
14:28
too. I think many people comes down to curiosity as well, where
14:31
you're like curious, hey, what's happening? And then like making
14:34
these fun predictions for yourself and practicing making
14:36
them until eventually they kind of just become like this like
14:39
game you play with yourself.
14:41
Stephanie Maas: Very interesting. Hey, one of the
14:43
things you talk about is obviously the name of the book
14:46
Unemployable. You took a career aptitude test and it said you
14:49
are not employable. How old were you when you took that test?
14:53
Alysia Silberg: I think I must have been 19 at the time, and it
14:56
had a profound effect on me.
14:58
Stephanie Maas: Like why do you think that was so profound,
15:01
because 18 or 19, you already had some successes.
15:04
Alysia Silberg: I think we have to start with, if you look back
15:06
on the circumstances, so we're blue collar, all intensive
15:10
purposes, if you look at our quality of life, not proper
15:13
writing, you know, they turned off the water regularly, they
15:15
turn off, you know, the power regularly like this was, this is
15:18
the way we learned wasn't food regularly. And so the idea that
15:21
I was able to join a fancy bank, in inverted commas fancy
15:25
sophisticated investment bank, was that to some extent,
15:29
especially in our culture, while I've made it, so I think it's
15:33
important for us, this is Jiu Jitsu. So the idea that being
15:37
Jewish going into banking was like, a prestigious thing. So
15:40
finally, I cleaned up well, for lack of a better term, you know,
15:43
like, I made my family proud. And we're finally moving into a
15:47
different class structure, I suppose. And the idea that, at
15:51
that last moment, I take this test, I've never failed a test
15:55
before I've been told my entire life, you've got to be the best,
15:58
no option, the best, and whatever cost to compensate the
16:01
best. I've been to expensive fancy Jewish school on a
16:04
scholarship. But the idea that I got told, we don't want you
16:07
here, you have no place. Yeah, you don't belong here. Once
16:11
again, you're an outsider, in your own community. So everyone
16:14
around me had, you know, been to these fancy schools being to
16:18
work in banks, it was a cultural thing, where that's what people
16:21
do. And the idea that I got told, you're an entrepreneur,
16:25
I'm thinking, Oh, no more, no entrepreneur never allowed, you
16:29
know, into the system. And your researcher, okay, you stating
16:33
the obvious these two things I can do. But I don't want to only
16:36
be able to do these things, I want to be able to hold my head
16:39
up high, I want to belong somewhere. And the idea that
16:42
I've bought the frame on my family, that was very painful.
16:45
The idea that once again, and being thrown out of the insider
16:49
club, always the outside, never the insider, it was ironic
16:53
because they were basically complimenting me. And they were
16:55
saying, well, you're very good at what you do. You have to
16:58
develop mastery at what you do, stick to what you're doing. But
17:01
it wasn't well received in that community. And that's why I
17:04
wanted to come to America. Because in this country, it's,
17:07
it's noble, to be a founder, it's noble, that if you fail,
17:10
you get up you try again, and I'm gonna judge you.
17:13
Stephanie Maas: I do think when when we're doing it, right, as a
17:17
country, we allow you to make your own club. And that is
17:21
certainly what you have done.
17:23
Alysia Silberg: It's a very special country. I think you
17:25
have to grow up elsewhere. And Americans are like, we're going
17:28
through so many problems. And I'm like, you have to grow up
17:31
elsewhere, to know how special it is. And it's very, very
17:34
special. And it's worth protecting because there's
17:37
nowhere else like, like, there's nowhere else that gives the kind
17:40
of opportunities like it's suffering, Americans are
17:43
different. Anything's possible. And the fact that you can be
17:46
building basically anything, and you always find a customer to
17:50
support you, you will always find an investor to support you,
17:53
you'll always find employees to be on your team. It's
17:56
incredible. If I could run for president and run for president
17:59
just because I want to protect the country.
18:01
Stephanie Maas: Well, I think it would be an honor to have
18:04
someone of your character run for president. I understand
18:07
there are laws that prevent that. But that would be a breath
18:10
of fresh air. So since that's off the table, what is next for
18:15
you? What are your eyes set on next?
18:18
Alysia Silberg: So I want to build a community around
18:20
unemployable of force for good at a time where as I say, I'm
18:24
very involved in AI, we've seen a lot of change in terms of the
18:27
economy. And we see a lot of, you know, tech layoffs. And so
18:31
for me, the idea that people see this as more than a book, but
18:35
more as a platform where they're like, Hey, I'm worried about
18:38
losing my job, or I lost my job, or I just want to build
18:41
something. And the idea that they see the lessons in the book
18:45
as an inspiration, and give, it gives them that sense of courage
18:50
to be like, Okay, I'm going to use this information. And I'm
18:53
going to start building because as we were talking, each person
18:56
has a superpower and use the power of internet. I keep saying
19:00
to people there 3 billion people online, you don't need 3 billion
19:03
customers with all you know, there's so many studies you need
19:06
1000, Boston was to build a very nice business for yourself, that
19:09
can sustain you in a very great manner. So the idea that people
19:14
say, Okay, I'm going to bold, I'm going to build a company for
19:18
myself. I think that inspires me beyond beyond measure. My
19:22
personal goal for myself is NSC 100,000 companies. And people
19:25
say to me, where do you want those companies founded? And I
19:28
have American 33 So Delaware based company sounds crazy, but
19:32
I'm very proud of the fact that people contribute to the US
19:35
economy pay tax and bite people in that I think it's great. And
19:38
so that's that's a big big goal for me is that I see that
19:41
succeed and you know, invest heavily in AI. I got a free AI
19:45
newsletter, which I hope people join subscribe to, they can ask
19:49
me questions. We've put a lot of work into it. I have a team or
19:52
and it's like tools, it's all kinds of things that I encourage
19:55
people to just start looking at. And people be like, Wow, that's
19:59
a bit scary. You know, I'm just starting out, I know nothing
20:02
about AI. And that's fine. Just start looking at it, if you're
20:05
interested in on, look, look at the images and be like, Wow,
20:09
that's AI generated on the cover of the book. These AI generated
20:13
images in the book are AI generated, we work very hard to
20:16
create those one of my founders. And so finding something you
20:19
interested in when it comes to the AI too, and just say, hey,
20:22
at least he's got some articles on those things. Then you read
20:25
about me message. me ask her a question. When me that's very
20:29
important, because I want people to be left behind the exciting
20:32
time to be living. So those are my priorities right now.
20:35
Stephanie Maas: That's awesome. Okay, so I know you have a
20:38
thirst to learn. I would even say it is almost for you like
20:42
breathing. It just naturally brings you joy, which by the
20:47
way, I mean, of all the things to love. That's a good one. You
20:51
love it so much people will ask you if you're on drugs, that is
20:56
saying, Wow, that is fantastic. I mean, really? Okay. But what
21:00
are your guilty pleasures? What do you secretly love to learn
21:05
about that people might be surprised or didn't know, or
21:09
whatever the case may be.
21:11
Alysia Silberg: I love learning about art, I think it's because
21:13
there's so much to understand that you don't you create your
21:17
own interpretation. But at the same time, there's so many
21:20
layers to it, like I recently watched, I'm obsessed with the
21:23
Renaissance. We're living through modern day Renaissance.
21:26
And I was just in Italy, and just celebrate the book coming
21:30
out. I learnt about some pieces by Leonardo da Vinci. And they
21:33
had as a result of the technology, there were so many
21:36
layers on this piece that no one was aware of. But the
21:39
technologies enabled us to see it. And they were like five
21:42
artworks on one artwork. And it was just so incredible, to be
21:46
able to wow, like, I wonder what he was thinking about in that
21:49
version. I wonder what he was thinking about an effort and it
21:53
was just so fascinating. And so for me, the entire house is
21:56
covered in OT and OT and audiobooks. I can never buy
21:59
enough audiobooks. So I think that's an again, the privilege
22:02
of living in the US. In South Africa. We had no art galleries,
22:06
museums, art galleries, everything was stolen. And the
22:09
idea that I can get at a home for free to an art gallery, a
22:12
different art gallery every Sunday. Wow. That's my guilty
22:15
pleasure. And I never get tired of it.
22:18
Stephanie Maas: Your humility is so sincere. And it comes through
22:22
so much in your just gratitude, which Oh, it's so endearing.
22:26
Really appreciate your willingness to give of your time.
22:30
Alysia Silberg: I think you've been incredibly generous with
22:32
your time and so thoughtful with your questions. I really
22:36
appreciate it. If people are looking for the book, they can
22:38
find it on Amazon, I think that's the easiest place to find
22:41
it. And one of the feedback is don't try to ferret like I'm
22:45
obsessed with radical open mindedness and allowed learning.
22:48
So if this stuff I can take away from the book, right in your
22:51
review, like be honest, and message me reach out to me, and
22:55
I want to engage with people. So whatever your feedback is, just
22:58
reach out to me, let me know.
23:00
Stephanie Maas: But if it's mean, I'm going to respond, you
23:01
don't need to be mean people.
23:04
Alysia Silberg: Thank you, again, incredibly, incredibly
23:06
appreciative for this beautiful, beautiful conversation.