Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lyle Maxson, Co-Founder of Entheo Digital, located in Tempe, AZ, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

www.entheo.digital is introducing a new technology for facilitating non-ordinary states of consciousness: our software- SoundSelf- uses a biometric feedback loop between the voice and breath and has been measured to produce transpersonal states of consciousness after 15 minutes of immersion. Entheo is distributing SoundSelf as an adjunct to psychedelic therapy to help people prepare for and integrate their psychedelic journeys and stand-alone mental health treatment. Our customers are mental health clinicians and psychedelic therapists that are looking to use benevolent technology to create more consistent outcomes with their patients through a highly enjoyable digital drug that takes them deep into their inner world.

Tell us about yourself

I started in the virtual reality space because I realized that immersive software has the ability to address the global mental health crisis at a scale beyond anything I had seen before. I believe that transformative entertainment is the trojan horse to impact billions through highly enjoyable experiences and that immersive technology is the computing platform of the future to do just that. I started as a creative director for music festivals, creating multi-sensory activations for event attendees before stepping into mixed reality and finally going all in and creating a "games for good" VR publishing company Andromeda Entertainment. I now have 3 VR companies in the space, Andromeda, Entheo Digital, and GeniusX, a VR education platform that is a mix between Masterclass and Hogwarts in the virtual world.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

That's a tough question; something that happened literally yesterday is that two of my VR companies are nominated at the International VR Awards. One for the most innovative company and another in the "rising VR company of the year" category. Pretty cool to be there representing for two of my teams and also to be able to showcase what tech for good can actually look like. The goal of everything that I do is to move people from fear to inspiration for the coming wave of spatial computing. With all the concern around addiction, privacy and escapism, I want people to understand that we can create beautiful experiences that make you a better person along the way.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Trying to do everything yourself. The only reason I can have multiple companies and continue to create impactful products is that I find people better than me and actively work on recruiting them and making them equals. I went from being "number 1" with my creative agency as sole founder and CEO to number 2 or even number 3 or 4 in the chain of command with my VR companies. This allows me to truly step into my zone of genius, not letting my ego get in the way of always needing to control everything and be responsible for the success (or failure) of every decision.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Build for the future - as Wayne Gretsky said, he never skated to where the puck was but where it was going. Look at how to be innovative in technologies and concepts that people feel are a little "too early." You need to be early to build your company to the place it will be when the timing is right. I would rather be early than late, and I see a lot of products and services that are the same concept with a different wrapper around them.
  2. Combine disciplines - It is very hard to be the best doctor or lawyer or, in my case, VR creator, but once I found my Venn diagram of nuerohacking, VR, and gamification, I was off to the races. What is your Venn diagram for how you want to impact the world?
  3. Dial in a management system - Two of my companies uses Holocracy, and another uses ETW.com; these are platforms that allow you to track your goals, tasks, and operations in a structured way that holds everyone accountable and allows people to flourish without hand-holding.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I want everyone to know that people are working on INCREDIBLE things. The mainstream media and clickbait online have us feeling like everything is a disaster and the sky is falling. I am here to tell you that there are very smart, successful people around the world with HUGE hearts that are building companies that will help save our world and the beings that reside in it. This might not be as catchy as a "breaking news" fear-mongering headline that we are constantly being programmed with, but it is happening. From Mental health, education, sustainability, equity, accessibility, etc. The list goes on and on; once you tap into the flow of information about what social impact entrepreneurs are doing, it is hard to stay pessimistic for long. We are here, and we are working hard to make sure our grandchildren and their children have a beautiful world to inherit.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://entheo.digital/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luminouslyle/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lylemaxson/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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