BRYAN WISH | THE WISH DISH
Today is about Bryan Wish and The Wish Dish.
This post is REALLY cool and I’m not saying that JUST because I know the founder. The Wish Dish is about the ability to relate to others. Isn’t that what we all search for sometimes? Being able to relate and feel like we AREN’T ALONE!? Bryan has done that with The Wish Dish. Bryan reached out to me last year about putting together a piece to share on the site. I honestly had no idea WHAT he wanted me to write about. All he told me to do was “be open. be you. be vulnerable. Share YOUR story”. So… after contemplating what that meant I started writing everything I was thinking… and I wasn’t holding back. It was okay to write about not having “it” altogether ALL the time. What is “it” anyway. I thought, if there is someone out there who reads this and can relate to me and it helps them realize that they aren’t the only one feeling that way… then I’ve “helped” someone! I had NO clue that when I wrote the story that only 6 months later I would be doing it full-time. When I hit “send” to Bryan… it was kind of scary! I didn’t know WHO would be reading it or what they would think! You can read my dish HERE!
Keep reading to find out WHY The Wish Dish is amazing and how YOU can participate and inspire others! (Don’t be shy!)
For those who don’t know, what IS The Wish Dish?
Wish Dish, (www.thewishdish.com) is a platform for people to connect through relatable stories. Since January, we have published 130 written stories and had 30,000 visitors on the site in July. We are growing every month and evolving …
We are built on two philosophies.
First, we believe in self-expression and we are working towards giving people different mediums to express themselves such as photography, video, art, and music. We realize writing is not the only way to convey who you are to the world.
Second, we believe in the power of meaningful connection. How we facilitate the creation of meaningful relationships for people is very important in our overall mission.
How did you come up with the idea of the Wish Dish?
Growing up, life always put obstacles in front of me that continued to test my will. When I entered college, I felt it was my time to prove myself for those that discounted my abilities. Therefore, I started working a multitude of jobs my first three years of college. Before I knew it, I fell on my face and hit a major burnout.
I went home for the summer going into my senior year of college and worked with a coach to help understand my past. Through my sessions, I did many transformational exercises that involved writing. I saw how powerful these exercises were to my life and how much I was able to learn.
When I returned to college my senior year of college, I wanted to give others an opportunity to experience what I had during the summer. I started to ask a few of my close friends to write on a blog called influence in October 2014 … Before I knew it, one of my friends suggested I build a website, and with a ton of help and learning … Ta Da . .. Wish Dish was conceived.
What was the initial response of people when you told them your idea?
It was hard for people to understand what I was asking them when I told them they could write for the platform. They didn’t really know what they were joining at the time. I really had to work with a lot of writers in the beginning to help them craft their content.
What do you like most about The Wish Dish and what the site does?
Every day I wake up and am able to share the story that someone else created. Not only are we able to impact them by giving them a platform to share, but we are impacting the hundreds of other people who leave with a nugget from their story that they can apply to their own life.
What has surprised you about starting up this website/idea?
How much little knowledge I had before I started about the internet and business. I have been using a computer for so many years and I am shocked at how blind I was to terms such as user interface, user experience, bounce rate, time on site, page views, cyber-secuity etc.
From a web-based business standpoint, I‘ve learned how important it is to understand how to generate shareable content that adds value to people’s lives. I’ve learned how to build a brand online from scratch.
Lastly, and most importantly, I’m shocked at how many people randomly reach out and say, “Wow, it’s so awesome what you are doing and providing for people.”
What would you say to someone who is unsure of whether or not they want to share their story or not?
Most people say, “Well, I doubt my story is as good as the other people who have been published. My answer is, “You have a story that is unique, and only true to you.Your story can could change someone’s life for the better in ways you don’t even know.
People buy into stories because they hit home on an emotional level. They aren’t facts and figures.
What advice do you have for people who are starting their own idea or business? What have you learned along the way?
To preface: by no means would I call what I have a successful business. Hopefully, one day, I can look back and be proud because I was able to make this sustainable.
I have learned to just do it, to try things. Most people are so scared to get outside what makes them comfortable. I’ve failed so many times just trying things, but those experiences helped me in ways that are so invaluable.
First you need to believe in yourself before anyone else believes in you. Second, surround yourself with good people who believe in you. There are always naysayers, I still have them today. But they don’t matter. Not one bit.
Finding Clarity & Create a roadmap: A few of the advisors on my team told me how important it is to truly understand what I really want to create. Once you have clarity over an end goal and vision, you can backtrack and take steps to figure out how to get there. Without a vision/clarity over direction, it’s hard to know the next step. And it took me about 7 months to finally figure out what I truly want to create …
Being Proactive: If you aren’t proactive, and can’t think ahead, I believe you are doomed. You always have to be thinking about 3-6-9 months ahead. Which is hard to do at first, but is critical.
Have a team: Lastly and most importantly, this platform wouldn’t exist without the team I have today. We have an amazing group of people who not only believe in this platform but work so hard. As a leader, you can’t do everything yourself, and effectively delegating is essential.
What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming year?
- Seeing how far our team can extend and evolve this idea and platform to get it closer to what I envision. Impacting thousands of lives.
- Meeting many more incredible people that are brought into my life through this platform
- Seeing the individuals on our team develop personally and professionally
- Growth … growing this platform acrsoss the country
What is one thing you can do now that you couldn’t have done a year ago?
Talk to people in a variety of different fields from technology, to legal, to web development. I’ve learned the importance of being able to talk lingo / different “languages” that other people are interested in.
Take your idea and learn how to ask the right questions about how to improve from people who are more experienced.
- “you don’t know what you don’t know until you know”
- It’s scary how much you really don’t know, so having self awareness is so important.
People might be surprised to know that…
How much effort, thought, emotion, goes into bringing an idea to life. When I get to Saturdays, a four hour nap feels like a vacation when I wake up!
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Leader, Dreamer, Believer
Thank you for sharing your inner thoughts Bryan! Check out the Wish Dish for some incredible stories!!!
Please consider sharing YOUR story with The Wish Dish. EVERYONE has something to say…
SUBMIT YOUR STORY HERE:
http://www.thewishdish.com/submit-a-dish/
xoxo, Brett
Go out there and INSPIRE!
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