5 Lessons from the Series Inventing Anna.
So who is Anna “Delvey” Sorokin? Why am I writing about her in this blog about finding yourself and becoming the person you are proud of?
Well her story, a young girl pulling all the stops (not necessarily legitimately) to get to her dream—a Soho house-like social club—made me want to know what you and I can do to reach our dreams (legitimately, of course).
Anna worked hard for what she wanted. She had a vision and did what she believed had to be done to turn that vision into reality. So what can we learn from the steps she took to get the life she wanted for herself, to turn her dream into a reality?
Here are five points we can learn from the series Netflix Series: Inventing Anna.
1. There is a science behind Fake it ‘til You Make it.
The series and the original article the series was based on—published by New York Magazine in May 2018—depicted Anna as a girl on the verge of making her very own exclusive arts club she dubbed the Anna Delvey Foundation (ADF).
Pieces of the puzzle were already laid out, the dream was solidifying into reality.
Anna’s dream was riding on the shoulders of loan applications with prestigious banks in Manhattan, such as City National Bank and Fortress Investment Group. Even without Anna shelling out equity, the banks were reassured by the “Trust Fund” in Germany and the circles that knew her.
With my 6-year bank experience, I was amazed by how close she was to reaching her dream. You could almost smell it. Even with a legitimate trust fund in place, a new name in the industry, and no prior business experience seemed like a reach. She wouldn’t even be close if I evaluated her account. A BIG factor I see that boosted Anna’s chances was her sheer dedication to who she claimed to be and her persistence to accomplish her vision.
In the series, Anna was passionate and played the part of a “fake German Heiress” to the bone. She carried herself in ways that drew people far from any doubt over the legitimacy of her backstory.
She walked around in designer clothes and was only seen in the best of restaurants and clubs. She lived as if she could afford the lavish lifestyles of High Society until she was in the circles of High Society. These circles didn’t doubt her, so neither did the banks.
Amy Cuddy in her Ted Talk explained how our body language—how we carry ourselves—can potentially change our lives in meaningful ways. According to Amy, if you “pretend to be powerful, you are more likely to actually feel powerful.” Holding power poses for about 2-minutes can make your mind feel “assertive, confident, and comfortable.”
Anna carried herself like the top 10% and thus was believed to be a part of the top 10%.
If you want to reach a dream that seems impossible right now, the best way to turn it into reality is to live it out NOW. Live in such a way that your stature convinces your mind and body that this is who you are.
This step may be too effective that Anna could no longer be convinced otherwise, even after she was caught.
Anna did not only manifest her dreams and talk about them, she lived it until it was her life (or as close to her life as it could have been). As Amy Cuddy said in her Ted Talk, “Fake it ‘til you become it.” Making it is not enough.
2. Know the Part and Dress the Part
You cannot fake it ‘til you become it if you don’t even know the “IT” looks like.
Anna “Delvey” Sorokin did the research. She knew art, fashion, the high society Manhattan scene. She knew what she needed, who she needed to talk to, and what impression the ADF was supposed to make. She knew what her target market consumed, where they went, and how to sell her story and vision.
The scene where Anna walks into an art exhibit and knows which pieces are rich with history and thus worth purchasing displayed her deep knowledge of art. Her dream ADF was an exclusive art club anyway, so she had to know her art.
In the series, Anna had to change how she looked, dressed, and carried herself when she began business negotiations with a real estate firm. This firm was to help her get funding for the desired location of the ADF.
She was no longer a young girl partying and dining with socialites for fun. She was a young woman in the middle of business negotiations, and she needed to look the part.
So she dyed her hair from blonde to an auburn red, wore glasses, and clad herself in toned-down styles and neutral colors when she visited Andy Lance’s office—the partner handling her account. On top of that, the business proposal of ADF was laid-out and detailed to the T with a well-put business plan. She knew the assignment.
This begs the question, do you know your part and how to dress the part? Do you have expert-like knowledge, or are you skilled in the field you want to succeed in? Are you ready to basically change everything about you (what you do and what you look like) for your aspirations?
As I write this, I am reminded of how little effort I am putting into things I care about, things I hope would lead me to the right path. I am so far away from being an expert in anything. I feel like I am running out of time and need to catch up.
There is no more time to lose.
3. Careless and Calculated-The Risks
The juxtaposition of Anna’s character does make one wonder if she truly was taking advantage of people, OR if she just took whatever worked until her folly caught up to her.
No one really knows but herself.
Anna was careless over each penny she spent, yet calculated with the moves she made for her dreams to come to fruition.
Although her carelessness did cost her, it helped establish the image of the socialite she needed to portray. Carelessly tipping service staff hundreds of dollars helped her get into the society she desired to be a part of.
Everything we do for our goals involves risks. Check out this article about taking risks by Fast Company.
Even if certain steps along the way may seem careless, these risks may pay off at the end (some not all). Each step has to be calculated so that you are ready when things turn sour.
In finance, a “calculated risk” weighs the consequences of risky moves. Evaluating your risks helps you with how much you are ready/willing to lose, the drawbacks to a decision, and your best way to recover. That is, next to all the positive outcomes that would come from taking risky steps.
Anna threw money around like it was confetti. She bought everything she wanted and gave the money away left and right. The chances of getting caught weighed less than all the possibilities the High Society lifestyle could get her. The network she built, the parties she attended, and the development of ADF outshined the risks from faking her wealth.
As a previous credit officer of a bank, I was always asked to look at the risks of an account before I looked at the pros. When I decided to leave my post, my boss asked me to do the same as well. Being honest with the risks of your life situations, understanding the potential loss, and knowing steps to recovery, will be very helpful as you chase down your goals.
4. Fraud is Never the Answer
Anna was sentenced to 4 to 12 years imprisonment for attempted grand larceny, larceny in the second degree, and theft of services.
She was found guilty.
She schemed her way through thousands and thousands. Her dream was so close, but it was now down the drain.
Now she carries a reputation on her shoulders. Would a bank be willing to finance any of her projects now? Coming from a bank, the answer should be NO. However, no one really knows what will happen down the line.
Obviously, one could not deny the money she earned from selling her story to the likes of Netflix and other media companies. Despite her background, money can talk. Money is money.
But fraud is fraud.
That record will be on her forehead forever, and banks work on the cusps of credit scores. Next to that, will high society still take her in their circles with her reputation? I doubt it.
Working for your vision/dream will not be easy. There we will be roadblocks and unpaved paths along the way. Like all problems, there are easy, convenient, fast solutions that are not necessarily socially acceptable, and there are harder, longer, painful solutions that are entirely legal.
The former may seem like the best choice now, but in the end, it can take you 10-years back down the road. That is the risk.
If Anna squanders all the cash she gets from her media deals the same way she lived before her conviction, does she still really have another chance at her dream?
Media deals will die down eventually. What is next? Sooner than later, people will be talking about another person who made a name through not-so-legal means. Her story may lose its edge down the road.
The people Anna took advantage of needed to be re-paid, and they were one way or the other.
I believe everything finds its place in the universe. So if you do take short-cuts, the people you might step on along the way will have their day in the sun in ways you may not even expect.
It is not worth it.
5. The power of Friends and Networking
Anna “Delvey” Sorokin knew the power of a Network, especially in High Society.
She knew what kind of people she needed to be around and who she needed to brush elbows with to turn her vision into reality. She knew how to talk to these people, gain their trust and develop rapport with those essentials to her plans.
She also knew how to get attention from the more vulnerable with her lavish lifestyle dangling money in their face to gain their trust. These people eventually cover for her when things were out of hand, paying for the likes of lavish dinners with their hard-earned cash.
Networking is a big business word referring to making connections with others for potential benefits. This article by Forbes paints a great picture of the benefits of Networking.
Working with business loans, I always knew I was in a position to network. I knew I could grow my connections with the local businessmen and gain leverage from it. I did not.
As a fresh graduate, I was shy, and I did not know how to build rapport with people I only meet once or twice a year. I knew many of these businessmen only saw me as a small pawn (disposable) in the institution, I was a little girl with a lowly title, no grandiose family background, or money to help my existence leave an impression on their minds. As the years passed, my confidence grew as I regularly engaged with more and more clients. Even so, I could not leave a memorable impression on these people as others did.
With Anna’s skill on the matter, it was not hard to believe she reached the heights she did before she got caught. Her connections brought her far. I have witnessed this firsthand in the corporate world where connections help you get hired and move up the corporate ladder. Also, I saw how personal/family connections with business circles greatly help one’s position with other businessmen.
I see now how important it is to build and foster your network for you to be successful in whatever field you may be in. One’s connections increase the chances of turning your dreams into reality.
It is time to stop hiding behind the excuse of the pandemic. The time is now. Let’s learn the skill and build the network we need to get to our goals.
Busyzi 