From Homeless Teen to America's Top Lawyer
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What does it mean to have a people-first approach in business?
The practice of law isn't just contracts or black and white, and it's not a deals first business, it's a people first business. So when people are shortsighted and they focus on the dollar or them first instead of people first, that's when problems happen. Ken Sterling is an attorney, entrepreneur, educator and the founder of Sterling Media Law. Drawing from decades of experience across law, technology, media and business, he empowers entrepreneurs, creators and organizations to navigate change, protect their interests and build lasting success in an evolving world.
You're one of America's top lawyers. Yes. That's a status that, you know, not a lot of people get to say. So talk to me a little bit about what makes Ken Sterling unique as a lawyer.
I do well by doing good. I do pay attention to people. And again, I just keep coming back to me understanding and empathizing with people is what makes me a top lawyer. And the way I approach dealmaking and the way that I live is...
It spans the globe like a super high school internet. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the bomb. It's not over until I win. The Living Your Legacy podcast. For those who live to leave a legacy. That's extraordinary. The impossible. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan. Jordan. Welcome back everybody to another episode of the Living Your Legacy podcast.
Today I am joined by Ken Sterling. Welcome to the show, first and foremost. Now you just finished recording your episode with Kofi here. So talk to me a little bit about what the audience can expect to learn about you in your episode.
Thanks for having me today. It's been a great experience with it too. And excited to share the legacy in America's top lawyer status with the world. It was actually a great session. And what I really resonated with a lot is That the practice of law isn't just contracts or black and white binary minutia. It's really about people. It's a people-first business. It's a people-first business.
How did homelessness shape Ken Sterling's perspective on success?
And it's not a deals-first business. It's a people-first business. And the truth is everything's people-first. So why shouldn't it apply to business? Everything should be people-first. It should be. And what's interesting is... let's not mistake it it is still people first it's just greedy people first so there there's always it's a people first mentality it's just people putting them people first before they people which is which is a mistake which i actually spoke about in my episode and that is that a lot of times and we're taught this in law school we're taught this in business school the duty of founder of an executive of a director of a corporation their primal duty is to the shareholders to increase shareholder value so that's fine if people only focus on shareholder value and they don't think of the stakeholders anybody who has a stake in the outcome of what's going on what's the deal that they're putting together what are the consequences of the decision that they're making when they're not considering think of
dow chemical and think of years ago with some executives thinking oh i guess we can just pour some waste on the river what's it matter and they were thinking of their shareholders they weren't thinking of kids two towns down that were going to start having health problems or that they're going to be birth defects and guess what that ended up biting them in the ass later And it hit share value and it eroded confidence in the company. So when people are short-sighted and they focus on the dollar or them first instead of people first, that's when problems happen. And the way I approach dealmaking and the way that I live is do well by doing good. You can live in abundance, the scarcity mindset thing, the fear and greed.
I'm in a huge deal right now with a big VC and a client. And it's just, it's really sad, the fear and greed that's going on in that deal, especially from the other side.
We live in an incentives-based economy, right? People follow where the incentives lead them, right? And so if your primary incentive is to increase shareholder value, what you end up doing a lot of the time and what I've seen business owners do, which has led to their downfall, is you end up following a line of thinking that is, how can I cut as many corners as possible?
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What does it mean to have a people-first approach in business?
0:00–2:25
2
How did homelessness shape Ken Sterling's perspective on success?
2:25–5:03
3
What unique experiences did Ken have in Hollywood that influenced his career?
5:03–8:00
4
Why is empathy considered Ken's greatest competitive advantage?
8:00–12:39
5
What do entrepreneurs need to know before entering VC negotiations?
12:39–17:05
6
How can businesses create lasting impact beyond profits?
17:05–19:30
7
What lessons can be learned from the dangers of short-term thinking?
19:30–20:09
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Living Your Legacy
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