Part of the Bestselling Author Business Wisdom Series
If you’ve ever listened to Lewis Howes interview someone on “The School of Greatness” and thought, “Finally, someone who gets that success without fulfillment is failure,” then you understand why his message has captivated millions of entrepreneurs. But what happens when you apply his radical vulnerability and authentic leadership principles to the messy reality of running a business?
PS – Congratulations to Lewis and his wife Martha Higareda on the birth of their twin daughters!
What Makes Lewis Howes Essential for Modern Entrepreneurs
Lewis Howes didn’t just build a business empire – he built it while publicly wrestling with his demons, sharing his failures, and admitting what most entrepreneurs won’t: that external success often masks internal chaos. His appeal rests on three pillars that resonate deeply with founders:
Vulnerability as Strength: While the business world preaches “fake it till you make it,” Howes proves that admitting you don’t have it all figured out is actually what creates breakthrough connections and opportunities. He turned his greatest shame (sexual abuse, learning challenges, career-ending injury) into his greatest strengths.
The Greatness Mindset: Howes doesn’t separate personal development from professional development. He understands they’re the same thing. Your business can only grow to the extent that you do. Your team can only be as authentic as you’re willing to be.
Purpose-Driven Success: For Howes, it’s never just about the money or the accolades. It’s about creating something meaningful while becoming who you’re meant to be. He challenges entrepreneurs to ask not “How can I win?” but “How can I serve while growing?”
Why Founders Are Magnetized by His Message
Here’s what Lewis Howes articulates that most business leaders feel but can’t say: Success is terrifying when you realize you’ve built a prison of other people’s expectations.
Entrepreneurs flock to Howes because he voices the unspoken struggles:
- The loneliness of leadership when you can’t be real with anyone
- The identity crisis when your business becomes your entire personality
- The exhaustion of performing strength when you feel like you’re drowning
- The fear that if people knew the “real you,” they’d lose respect
He doesn’t just acknowledge these struggles – he shows you how to transform them into your greatest business assets.
5 Articles Every Lewis Howes Fan Needs to Read
If Howes’ message about vulnerability, personal growth, and authentic leadership resonates with you, these articles will show you exactly how to apply those principles where it matters most – in your business:
1. “Founders: Your Business Is a Career, Not Your Identity”
Why Howes fans need this: This is the deep exploration of identity and vulnerability that Lewis would champion. Just as he had to separate his identity from being a professional athlete, you need to separate your identity from your business. This article shows you how to build a successful company without losing yourself in the process.
2. “I Hate Managing People – The Founder’s Dirty Secret”
Why Howes fans need this: Lewis built his empire by admitting what others wouldn’t – including his struggles with dyslexia and processing. This article applies that same honest admission to a weakness most founders hide: not everyone is meant to be a people manager, and that’s okay. Vulnerability about your weaknesses is the first step to finding solutions.
3. “How to Master Leadership When You’re a Team of One”
Why Howes fans need this: Howes always emphasizes that leadership starts with leading yourself. This article embodies his philosophy that personal growth must precede team growth. You can’t give what you don’t have, and you can’t lead where you haven’t been.
4. “Look for the Helpers: How to Build a Leadership Team from Within”
Why Howes fans need this: This is about finding and developing authentic leaders – the kind of people Howes surrounds himself with. It’s not about hiring for skills; it’s about recognizing character, fostering growth, and building a team that shares your values, not just your vision.
5. “From ClaimWizard Co-Founder to Public Adjusting Business Coach”
Why Howes fans need this: Just as Lewis shares his journey from broke athlete to business mogul, this personal story demonstrates how the lessons learned from building one thing prepare you to serve at a higher level. It’s vulnerability in action – sharing not just the wins but the wisdom gained from the struggles.
The Howes-Inspired Leadership Revolution Your Business Needs
If Lewis Howes evaluated your business, he wouldn’t ask about your profit margins first. He’d ask:
- Are you being honest about what’s not working?
- Is your success sustainable, or are you heading for burnout?
- Does your team feel safe enough to be real with you?
- Are you building something meaningful or just something profitable?
- When was the last time you admitted you needed help?
These aren’t soft questions. They’re the hard questions that determine whether you’re building a business that will thrive or one that will eventually implode from the inside.
The Vulnerability Challenge That Changes Everything
Howes often talks about his “mask of masculinity” – the facade he wore to hide his pain and appear strong. Most entrepreneurs wear a “mask of mastery” – pretending to have all the answers when inside, they’re struggling.
Here’s your School of Greatness business challenge:
This week, practice radical vulnerability:
- Admit one thing to your team that you’re struggling with
- Ask for help with something you’ve been pretending to have handled
- Share a failure and what you learned from it
- Tell someone on your team specifically how they’re better than you at something
- Have that difficult conversation you’ve been avoiding – but lead with vulnerability, not authority
Why Vulnerability Is Your Competitive Advantage
In a world where every business is trying to appear perfect on social media, vulnerability is what creates real connection. In a market where customers have endless choices, authenticity is what builds loyalty. In a team where everyone’s wearing masks, real leadership is what inspires greatness.
Lewis Howes didn’t become successful despite his vulnerability – he became successful because of it. The same can be true for your business.
These articles aren’t just about business strategy – they’re about becoming the kind of leader who doesn’t need to hide behind the role. They’re about building something great by first becoming someone real.
The Greatest Lesson for Your Business
Lewis Howes teaches that greatness isn’t about being perfect – it’s about being purposeful, growing continuously, and serving authentically. Your business doesn’t need you to be flawless. It needs you to be real, to be growing, and to be brave enough to lead without the mask.
The question isn’t whether vulnerability belongs in business. The question is: Are you brave enough to go first?
This is part of the Bestselling Author Business Wisdom Series, where we reveal how the principles that transform individual performance can revolutionize entire organizations. Because in the attention economy, depth is the new wealth.
This series showed you how ten bestselling authors’ principles apply to the brutal, beautiful reality of building a business. The question now isn’t which philosophy to follow – it’s how to integrate them all into your unique journey from founder to leader.
