The Entrepreneur Ethos

Christopher Fox

Jarie Bolander -

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Summary

Hey everyone. Stay tuned to the end of the interview where I’ll give you some actionable insights that I learned from my guest. These insights are also in the show notes. As always, thanks for listening.

Now on to my guest today, Christopher Fox, founder of Syncresis, a communications strategy firm.

Chris earned a PhD in French literature but after two years teaching, he realized it wasn’t for him. He took his research and communication skills and put them to work into digital communications and strategy, eventually founding his own firm. He’s evolved his focus to fintech and particularly to working with thought leaders in this niche, finding that his passion and skills for analyzing the complexity of French literature translates well to peeling back the layers of the complex discourse of fintech. One key factor in getting to really understand a concept, Chris explains, is to understand its context.

Chris’s main objective when working with clients is to help them connect with or rediscover their why. This not only connects them to their passion, it helps him shape their story for the external world and for their target audience. For his clients and for his own business, Chris focuses more on crafting the message and getting it in front of the right people than on trying to game SEO and algorithms.

Tune in to find out what French books Chris recommends as well as his insight into why it’s easier for people to understand credit cards than bitcoin.

Now let’s get better together.

Actionable Insights

  • Your why is your fuel. Keep asking yourself why, even after several years. This will help drive you and keep you motivated and passionate. Chris does this for himself as well as eliciting it from his clients.
  • SEO and ads can be a solid starting point, but eventually you’re going to want to focus on who you’re reaching - not how many.
  • Don’t be afraid to learn new things -- even when they are far afield from what you studied in school or did in a past career. Learning is an important part of seeing the gaps in your thinking.

Chris’s reading recommendations:

(They are all in the public domain, including some older translations, while newer translations are not):

  • Honoré de Balzac: Lost Illusions/Les illusions perdues
  • Emile Zola: Money/L'Argent
  • Gustave Flaubert/Sentimental Education/L'Éducation sentimentale
  • Marcel Proust: Remembrance of Things Past/À la recherche du temps perdu (for the more ambitious reader)

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