Andrea Albright, standing in a white suit coat and smiling

"Q&A With Andréa Albright"

October 8, 2020

Book: Visionary Boss

Author: Andréa Albright

Author Bio:

"Andréa Albright, who is recognized as the thought leader publisher, is on a mission to create the next movement for authors and evolve the publishing industry and she’s not just a publisher, she is a Legacy Maker. She’s become the author of 25 books, reaching tens of millions worldwide in over 40 countries. Now, she has taken her passion for helping authors find the same success by publishing books with meaning."

1. Describe to us, what is your opinion of being on the cutting edge vs. being on the next edge?

There’s a lot of talk about the cutting edge. It’s really whatever is happening in your industry. You can take all of the current ideas, processes, systems, and even the current state of belief of how people think in an industry. When you dare to be on the cutting edge, you’re saying that you’re a trailblazer and willing to take great risks to experience something different. Something that no one else is experiencing.

It takes courage and ability to see that there’s something beyond the status quo of your industry. It’s a term that a lot of people use. I like to say that if people are on the cutting edge, they’re still part of the status quo. This is because you compare yourself to what people think, do and have created. I came up with the “next edge,” which is where you reach the cutting edge and don’t stop. You see what’s next and beyond the cutting edge.

If you can keep going beyond the next edge while everyone else is playing at the cutting edge, then you are actually in a new realm of possibilities. You're not attached to the cutting edge or anything that’s being done compared to the status quo. The next edge is the leading edge. To be a true through leader, you need to look at the next edge of possibility and innovation.

Only in this space do you truly create solutions that are unattached to what the status quo of the industry is seeking at the time. Revolutions happen here and to be on the leading edge, you need to be completely unattached to what anyone else is doing around you.

2. Who are some entrepreneurs today that you personally admire for being on the leading edge?

No one can talk about the leading edge without talking about Elon Musk. He’s the definition of the leading edge entrepreneur. He’s taking humanity to new possibilities, technology and innovation, through an economically viable process. Even governments haven’t been able to make profits on the space industry.

Here comes an entrepreneur who said he could do it better and has thrown out the technology, science and systems with space innovation and chose to say he’ll create the next edge of possibility. He’s the leading innovator of that industry.

For Tesla, he’s created a car that automatically updates on its own. With satellites launching into space, his cars will all be connected to this. In terms of visionaries, he’s so far ahead of the game.

3. A lot of people talk about their morning rituals, in reverse, what are some night time rituals you do to set yourself up for success the next day?

I start to wind down about 6:30-7:00 p.m. I turn my phone off, so if someone tries to reach me, they won’t get through. It’s my de-plugging times to allow me to recharge. There’s nothing that’s so much of a crisis that can’t take place in the morning. I then take a bubble bath with Epsom salts and essential oils. It’s really a bath and spa experience. I have Himalayan salt lamp which I turn on and then I read. It’s my reading time.

When I'm done, I get ready for dinner with my boyfriend. We watch about an hour of TV and then go to bed. Before going to sleep, I read some more. I’m asleep by 9:30 usually. When you wake up at 5:00 a.m. every morning, this is just the time to go to bed. I put essential oils on my pillow because aromatherapy helps me sleep better, put my eye mask on, ear plugs in and go to sleep.

4. What have been some of your most favorite advertising/marketing campaigns throughout the last decade?

In 2018, I saw ad campaigns taken to new heights, literally. I remember Elon Musk’s two enterprises, SpaceX and Tesla, worked together to send the first Tesla to space. The stunt drew millions of viewers, thousands of news articles and over half a million conversations.

5. What have been some of your most favorite advertising/marketing campaigns of all time?

I’ll never forget when the iPod came out around 2008/2009. The billboard said “1000 songs in your pocket. IPod.” At the time, you used to carry around CDs and your walkman, so you couldn’t run or exercise otherwise all the songs would skip. Then you can only listen to that CD.

This ad was the beginning of the digital music era. You could download music from CDs onto your computer. The fact that you could carry in your pocket, your entire music collection, completely blew my mind.

I used to have rows and rows of CDs in my room. Technology was revolutionary and this headline was brilliant. In as few words as possible, it gave you a visual image of something you never had before. It was hope, desire, curiosity and innovation all tied into one.

6. When did you first get into the habit of being body, mind, and spirit focused?

I had an awakening at 22. I had just graduated college and I was never scientifically or logically minded. Then once I graduated, I wanted to read for the sake of reading, not because I was being told to read. I picked up a book on meditation and I started to meditate.

From the very first time I did it, it led to an awakening that gave me the awareness that I'm more than my body and mind. I had this attachment to the intellect and the mind. While I still use my mind and intellect for business, life and innovation, it’s attached and combined with something far bigger.

It flows through me, instead of burning out or getting overwhelmed. If you only use your mind to navigate, it’s overwhelming. I have the integration of my mind being everywhere throughout my body and consciousness. Through meditation, I'm able to connect with my higher self. My spirit, vision and soul.

This integration with the body, mind and spirit in one present moment, you have full awareness where you aren’t attached to the path you’re on and are not anticipating the future. As a thought leader, entrepreneur and visionary, this is a wonderful asset.

7. Many entrepreneurs tend to experience burn out largely because they do not value their self-care as highly, what would your advice be to young entrepreneurs that don’t often take this part of life seriously?

You want to play the long term game. If you do this, you will have no competition. That’s what I'm experiencing right now. I’m a healthy, happy and integrated entrepreneur, which separates me from all the other entrepreneurs hustling and grinding. This hustling and grinding may work for while you’re in your 20’s and 30’s, but it won’t in your 40’s and 50s.

You’ll find that if you play the long term game while knowing that your greatest asset is yourself, then you can never be replaced. If you don’t invest in yourself, the quality of performance will go lower and lower every year of your life. I was 25 when i started my first business.

Over these past 18 years, I've seen more entrepreneurs start a business and burn out, self-destruct and sabotage themselves, than be successful. This is because they weren’t investing in themselves. Your self-care isn’t negotiable. You are bringing the vision into the planet.

If you have the vision and insight to play the long term game, prioritize self care, and you’ll find what I’m finding. The game gets easier and easier overtime. Most businesses go out of business in 5 years, so if your business lasts, you're better than 85% of entrepreneurs who fail.

8. You also talk about the importance of being a visionary boss, for bosses that aren’t good at selling their visions, what are some books or media you would suggest to help them develop this skill set?

Autobiography of a Yogi: It was originally written in 1946 and is about the life of a Yogi, who came to the U.S. in the 1920s. He was one of the first people from India to come to the states and share the ancient secrets of yoga. This book is unbelievable. I’ve been reading it for 13 years and learned recently that Steve Jobs read this book every year. If someone is looking to turn on their visionary assets, this is for you.

9. Overall, what was your writing process like for this book?

The way I created this book was by thinking about what the audience is searching for. I knew that I wanted to write about entrepreneurship, but you have to meet the audience where they are. The word “boss” comes up a lot. Be your own boss, or I’m not bossy, I'm the boss, for example. A lot of people want to be their own boss, so I wanted to use that word so the book automatically grabs people’s attention.

The visionary part is to show that you’re more than just the grind of a boss. You’re producing value with your vision. Once I had the hook and marketing angle, I thought about if I had a 10 chapter book, what 10 steps would I teach an entrepreneur who wants to become a visionary boss? I look at it as a step by step teaching process.

Step 1 is chapter 1 and so on. Once I had the content of what I wanted to teach, I thought about stories to tell about my own journey of becoming a visionary boss. I wanted these stories to be integrated into each of these chapters and lessons. I started writing and also have people on my team who interviewed me.

I shared my stories with them and once I got all my content out, I turned it over to a ghost writer. Even I use a ghostwriter. When you want to publish quickly and accurately, this is the best way to go. When I got it back, it was 250 pages and I thought it should be shorter.

I had to check myself because I always tell my clients to keep it under 125 or 150 pages. I re-edited it and separated it into two books. The first half of my content is in this book, and the other half is in the second book which is in the works.

10. What are you most excited for readers to learn about themselves while reading this book?

I’m excited for the readers to know that this power is inside of them. Everyone has access to their vision. It’s like when clouds cover the sun. It may be cloudy, but the sun is still there. It’s about removing the cloud. I hope the reader is inspired to commit to be a visionary. It’s one thing to have a vision, but to be a visionary means you’re committed to making your vision a reality. If you commit to it and hold it as something sacred, then it’s a very rewarding journey of your life; If not the most rewarding.

You’ll be tested in the way you’re meant to grow, people meant to serve you will come into your life and your vision will show up. It’ll be the compass for you to navigate to connect to your inner self. While everyone else around you may be falling into victimization or anger, you will be so grateful that you followed your vision because it's the beacon and the journey of your greatest experience in this life. When you choose to follow it and commit to it, I know you’ll have the most magnificent life.

11. What’s your best advice for getting over writer’s block?

Writer's block can show up for several reasons. It can be that you don’t know what you want to say, in which case no amount of planning to sit down and writing will help you. You have to go back to the vision process. If you lose your voice and don’t know what you’re saying, it’s because you lost this connection to your vision.

Another reason is because you have too much to say. This is what I call writeritis. Some people have been wanting to write a book for years or even decades and are finally ready. When this is the case, it all comes out at once. They regurgitate everything because it’s been stored inside for so long.

Saying too much is a form of writer's block because you get all these transcripts back and you can’t organize your thoughts. There’s just too much information. Then you don’t know what to do with all these ideas. If this is happening, you need to go back to your outline and find the 10 best steps you want to teach in one book.

You don’t want to solve everyone's problem at once, but if you can give the reader a clear transformation in a step by step process, this is what you should share. What will your readers value most? Find this. If you have too much to say, you'll never be able to edit it down to something that’s digestible.

Another way it shows up, which is the sneakiest of all, is perfectionism. When someone says they’re a perfectionist, it’s not true. It’s just a way of hiding vulnerability. It’s just another form of procrastination. People use perfectionism to procrastinate because they want to be an author. When it comes close to publishing and sharing their story with the world, they’ll find reasons why it isn’t time. The reality is that nobody cares.

I had a client who was writing his book for 17 years. He had half written chapters on his computer and blamed this on perfectionism. If you can work on this inner sense of self and say that you release all expectations, you can get it done. If you feel you aren’t good enough, you aren’t focused on the right thing.

12. What’s the best book you have read this year so far?

I’m currently reading “The Great Work Of Your Life” by Stephen Cope. The amount of research he’s put into this book is unbelievable. He’s taken points of view of ancient texts and modern psychology, everyday conversations.

The whole purpose is to see what you’re meant to do in this life. He references Dharma, which is your soul's reason for why you’re here. He tells stories about people who have missed or found their dharma. “What you are here to do will either save you or destroy you,” he says and the whole book is about this. No amount of money or prestige will cover up the reality that you aren’t aligned with your dharma. On the other hand, if you are aligned with your dharma, it’ll save you. He gives stories of people who have found their dharma, which unleashes greatness.

It’s unique for every individual. When someone has found their dharma, big or small, you can tell that’s what they’re meant to do and why they are here. I feel fortunate to have found my dharma and feel as if I’m living his book now.

13. What’s the best advice you have ever received on happiness?

It’s your responsibility to create your own happiness. Every day of your life you choose it. If you don't choose it, that’s your choice, but you have no one else to blame or depend on for your happiness. If you don’t take 100% responsibility for your happiness, you’ll always be seeking something outside of yourself.

More money, a better job, the list keeps going and going. If you expect another person to make you happy, then you’ll always be resentful. It’s up to you to cultivate what’s inside of yourself. When you decide about your happiness, you’ll attract other people who are taking responsibility for their happiness too. This is because they aren’t looking to you to make them happy. You find self-reliant human beings and end the codependency and victimization that happens when people aren’t connected to their own well-being.

14. Do you plan on writing more books in the future?

Yes. I recently interviewed someone on my TV show called Star Authority TV. This guest lives in Tokyo and has published and written over 60 books. I was blown away because I've written 26 books and I’ve never talked to someone who has written more books than me. He said, “I have a following of people who read my writing and sign up for a membership and write a book a month.”

This expanded my mind of what's possible. I always say when you're a thought leader on the leading/next edge, if you aren’t writing a book a year, then your thoughts aren’t evolving. I thought a book a year represented being a thought leader. Now I see the possibility of writing a book a month.

Thankfully I’m a publisher and have an amazing team around me who can publish phenomenal books in 90 days, which is revolutionary and incredible. It goes to show that there’s always more beyond the next edge. I thought publishing in 90 days was the next edge and now I see that the next edge is publishing in 30 days.