Today's guest is a lady who loves to "Start With Why" everyday, but that perhaps wasn't always the case. However as soon as I heard about her daily hustle and drive to achieve a dream not just for herself, but for eight complete strangers then I knew I had to have her on the show. And so I did, back on episode 233 of Join Up Dots where we discussed the creation of her My Million To One programme whereby she was on a mission to raise one million pounds to provide housing for eight disabled children that she first met when volunteering in Africa. She was asked to help whilst volunteering in the area and quickly approached a couple of local charities who agreed to help by adopting the children and providing them a home on the proviso that she found money every year to pay for the children’s home. Seems simple, part of the start with why strategy? Well throw into the mix money for all their needs, education and rehabilitation costs – and guarantee that the money would be provided for their lifetimes then it seems daunting to say the least.. So… she challenged herself to raise £1 million – enough to build the orphanage itself and then enough money to sit in a bank, so the centre can survive off the interest payments. Now she has added even more charitable hustle and adventure into her life by starting Plucky Us, born from the people that she met previously As she says " When I was setting up My Million To One programme I set out to network with other entrepreneurs. I expected to find a lot of other people who were positive & ambitious & trying something different but I didn't: I just met a lot of people who weren't like me at all and who didn't really understand or want to help. The people that did help me to build & promote it in the end were actors, adventurers, athletes, musicians (to name a few) and only scattered amongst them were there other people establishing similar businesses. What EVERYONE had in common though was a positive, ambitious outlook, determination, drive and a desire to be the best that they could be. They were all successful, outgoing people who helped others: people who both inspired and encouraged. They did understand the start why why concept and why it was so powerful. As MMTO grew, an organic community formed around it of these wonderful people. MMTO members had become friends and they were telling me about exciting projects that they were working on and I found myself CREATING CONNECTIONS between members (introducing them to one another, forwarding each other their proposals) when I saw how they could help each other achieve their chosen goals. The members in question were often in different industries and sometimes different countries but - when presented with their hopes & dreams - it was clear how they could match & empower each other and MORE IMPORTANTLY I knew that they would also GET ON WELL because they were LIKE MINDED, OUTGOING PEOPLE. So how did this lady come to find herself in Africa volunteering in the first place? And why does she think that entrepreneurs in the business world, are unlikely to help in the same way as the creative folk are? Well let's find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Alana Hurd. Show Highlights During the episode we discussed such weighty topics such as: How Alana walked into a world of business and health issues with all the naivety that she could muster, until realising that success comes by rest as much as hustle. Alana shares the problems of building your mindset to look at No's as just one more step closer to gaining the big Yes's your business needs. Why Start With Your Why is such simple advice, but one that so many people ignore until it is truly too late. And lastly........ We talk about connecting with the super successful without care, as more often than not they will bend over backwards to help you in your pursuit for success.