Becoming a successful entrepreneur sounds like a dream job, but the path to the top is often fraught with obstacles. Steph Korey founded the international lifestyle brand Away in 2015, guiding the business seemingly overnight toward a massive valuation and footprint within the industry. Driven as much by her professional abilities as her yearning to push the limits of her career, Korey also cited a sense of curiosity as being one of the reasons for her success.
Curiosity may seem like a relatively innocuous personality trait, but the right sense of curiosity can lead entrepreneurs to their next level of success. Let’s take a closer look at how a sense of curiosity can foster success in the entrepreneurial field.
Targeting Innovation and Improved Engagement
Innovation is often borne of necessity and curiosity is the path by which the process travels. Entrepreneurs tend to be curious as children, latching onto their parents while asking question after question regarding this topic or that. Simple answers don’t pass muster and so future entrepreneurs will look to find out the why and the what.
An adult entrepreneur can take that sense of curiosity and wield it successfully within the field. Innovative entrepreneurs will use their curiosity as a compass to find new solutions to old problems within their industry. With confidence borne through preparation, entrepreneurs can deliver new concepts to the market.
We can look to Pinky Daga of Thriive Art & Soul as a prime example of curiosity made manifest. Pinky Daga found her entrepreneurial spirit glowing like a child. Daga says of young entrepreneurs, “They are usually those who gain success or thrive before others, by finding innovative methods to market an existing product.”
Most importantly, from the perspective of Daga, a curious entrepreneur is one willing to explore new answers, solutions, and potential applications.
Culture and Curiosity Buoy Steph Korey’s Career
Steph Korey was born and raised in a multicultural home. Splitting time between American and Middle Eastern roots, Steph would absorb every aspect of her two cultures throughout life as a child. Korey said, “It was really important to them (her parents) that we understood that there are all different types of cultures and people…”
Pointing to the global perspective, Korey believes that her childhood was integral to how she works and interfaces with life today. Despite how far she has come, Korey hesitates to say that she is done learning. Steph Korey says to aspiring entrepreneurs, “Whether you are 1 year in, 10 years in, or 50 years in, really embrace that you still don’t know 99% of what there is to know.”
One way by which Korey integrated curiosity into her career was during her time at Warby and Casper, helping to fuel branding success. Using stories to sell products, Steph Korey quickly came to understand the importance of an interesting narrative. Korey said, “They get excited about the story those brands are telling!”
