Blaze Your Own Trail - Episode: 16: Using Storytelling To Amplify Your Brand With Rich Cardona

Episode Date: March 23, 2020

Thanks so much for listening! In this episode we discussed: Rich in his early years His time in the Marine Corps How his company got started What his Podcast, The Leadership Locker, is all about And much more!! Connect with Rich here: Website: https://richcardonamedia.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardcardona/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richcardonamedia/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RichCardona Twitter: https://twitter.com/cardonamedia Rich's Podcast: https://richcardonamedia.com/podcast/ Follow our IG for clips and behind the scenes content: https://www.instagram.com/jordanjmendoza/ Don't forget to subscribe and rate/review the show on itunes!! Installing strategic sales systems & processes will stop the constant revenue rollercoaster you might be facing which is attainable through our 6 Week Blazing Business Revenue Coaching ProgramBook a discovery call with Jordan now to learn more! Are you an entrepreneur?Join my FREE Group Coaching Community where we have live calls, Q&A and more! Our Trailblazer Ecosystem also enables you to network with other entrepreneurs and creator hub eliminates multiple subscriptions and logins creating a one stop shop to take action!Use code: FOUNDING100 for 12 months access FREE and Founding pricing for life! (While Supplies Last)Join now! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, everybody. Hope everybody is doing okay with all that is happening. COVID-19 is still picking up. So, you know, if you're out there and you are, you know, going out and about and you don't need to be, you know, I think this should be everybody's call to action to just, you know, hang out inside. Let's do our best. Hopefully everybody has everything that they need. I'm really excited about this episode with Rich Cardona. He's an awesome guy, a former Marine, now entrepreneur, and some of the things that he's doing are super, super impactful. So I hope you enjoy this episode, and I will chat with you right after. Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Blaze Your Own Trail podcast. I'm your host, Jordan Mendoza. And I've got a very special guest today.

His name is Rich Cardona. And Rich, why don't you go ahead and tell, the audience a little bit about yourself. All right, man. I'm going to go through this bio real quick. It'll take a couple minutes. We were just joking everyone about like reading your bio, man, and like how long that takes.

So I'm going to do you all a favor and keep it real short. Served in the Marine Corps for 17 years. I retired early, got an MBA because I thought I wasn't going to be marketable at 35 years old. So I was like, I need an MBA. I got that MBA. That landed me at a lucrative retailer, which everyone knows and where you get all your stuff from. And that was what it was for a couple years.

I quit because I had it, moved in with my in-laws and decided to look into my curiosities a little bit. And it led me to storytelling with video. And now my company called Rich Cardona Media, that sounds so indulgent, but I just want to make sure I'm sticking to what I know best, which is personal branding. So that's what it is, man.

And that's what it is, everyone. And I'm happy to be here. and I really, really hope if there's at least one person that listens to this and believes some of the things I've accomplished or some of the kind of courageous, so to speak, steps that I took help, then that's a victory. Awesome, awesome. We appreciate you sharing that. So, Rich, where did you grow up?

So where did you live? And I guess grow up, I mean, we'll just do from, like, being born up until, like, high school. You know, what area? Where is that? Dirty Jersey, man. Howard Stern once said if the world, if the U.S. were a pair of underwear, New Jersey would be the skin marks. So yeah, man, I'm from New Jersey. Morristown, to be specific, it's north central, you know, a train ride, a 30-minute train ride to the city, New York City.

And that's it, man. I mean, we did that for a while. My parents were, you know, I'm a first generation American. My parents from Columbia and Honduras. We moved up to Randolph. So I was in New Jersey the whole time. the only time I left in New Jersey was to join the Marine Corps. Okay.

Awesome. And so what were you like as a kid? Were you into sports? Were you not into sports? Like what type of stuff did you get into when you were younger? Is this? Let me just ask this. Is this a G-rated podcast?

Yeah, let's keep it. Let's keep it. No. We'll keep it medium, you know. Of course. So I have to ask. That's because I was a punk. I was into sports for sure.

football, track, soccer. I love all that stuff. And while it really should help you understand and realize the team aspect of it all, I was always kind of focused on what I was getting out of it, where I could go, where it would take me. And I mean, I wasn't like an incredible athlete or anything like that, but I just, it took me a while to conceptualize like how much team teamwork means. So, yeah, I did all that stuff. But I was really, and the reason I asked that, is because I was into drugs. I mean, and by drugs, I just mean, you know, marijuana, stuff like that. I drank.

I was always drinking. I was always at parties. And I would, as I said that I just remember, I used to have a duffel bag in my closet of empty 40 bottles because I thought it was cool to save them until my parents found them. I mean, it was just like little stuff like that. I was just so completely out to lunch. And the sad thing, Jordan is, I could have been like a phenomenal student, but my

social life was far more important and I realized that was a problem as I was getting close to graduation. So before senior year, I enlisted in the Marine Corps and it's called the Dept Program, delayed entry program where basically I signed the papers a year in advance and after that, it's over. Okay. So you just made that commitment, right? I think you're looking around and saying, well, this might be a good thing to do with what I'm getting into at this point, right? 100% it was uh i i i i frequently now look back and say man i was self-aware like you wouldn't think there was it was special but without that like we would not be having this conversation we would never know each other we would not be connected on lincoln like who knows what how it would have

played out but i knew that my parents won couldn't afford to send me to college i would have blown their money if they sent me to college and had the money anyway and three i was just not I wanted to get out. I wanted to get out and I chose the Marine Corps, man, and it was a blessing. Okay, so go to the Marine Corps. So what was your favorite, if you had one, experience from boot camp? That is, I've never, ever, ever been asked that question before. I think the best experience was just Family Day. I was so, it's a day before graduation and your family gets to hang out and see the, and see the squad bay and the barracks and the doorless toilets and all that stuff, man. Like, they're just like, what?

Like, I could just see it on their faces that they were amazed that I did something like that. And as they could see all the other battalions and platoons around and how crazy it was there, I can see the look on their face that they're just like, I can't believe you did this. I'm not saying they didn't have faith, but they're just like, wow. You know, it was kind of like I stepped up and I got the validation. And it was phenomenal. And the other thing I remember is just how proud I was to wear the uniform, man. Like you don't have a lot of weight to lose in college as a high school senior.

But I was just different, man. I was just like athletic and ready. That's awesome. That's awesome. I'm sure that had to be so great, right? Family there, family get to see it. And it was probably like rich. 2.0, right? It was this next level version of yourself. And, you know, what, and it wasn't, how long was it

all together? Uh, 12 weeks, three months. Okay. So, I mean, like, and you probably are like, you know what? I mean, I can make that big of an impact in three months. Like, sky's the limit now, right? I think everyone that finishes boot camp, you've got to be pretty, pretty confident going in, right? So yes and no. So here's the thing. When you are a recruit, in boot camp, you are nothing. Like, you don't exist. I mean, the goal is to just get through. Now, when you finish what's called the crucible or an ending event,

it's like about a week before graduation, you get what's called an equitoglobin anchor, which is our symbol, our emblem. You get it, and it's supposed to go on our covers or our hats. And that meant you were a Marine now. So yes, I was like 2.0, but it was actually more like 1.001. Like, because every, every next evolution was just like the unknown, right? I had to go to infantry, like a school of infantry.

I didn't know anything about infantry tactics. I shot a weapon for the first time in boot camp. Later in the Marine Corps, I ended up teaching. I was a marksmanship instructor, which is beyond me. But, you know, it's just like life. and it's a fair comparison to the civilian world as well. As you're going through those early stages of your life, everything that's new really gains your curiosity,

but there is an element of people, I think, like high performers. I would consider you a high performer, and hopefully you would consider me one as well, that I need to do great at this. And that's just like substantial pressure because your entire career is like that, especially once I got to flight school after I got commissioned as an officer. That is awesome.

Yeah. So what would you say, you know, in your entire military career, right? You started and then went to retirement. So had to be, I feel pretty amazing to do that, right? Not a lot of people do that, even that. But thinking about that whole journey, what was, what is the one story that you find yourself telling the most? Meaning, right, because you do storytelling. You're teaching. You're teaching. people how to tell their story. And so in order to be able to do that, in my opinion, you've got to have that one go-to story, the one that you think of first when anybody asked you about something military related. This is amazing. These are questions I've never been asked. And I should have the story ready to go. I should have my own advice to be practicing what I preach. And I don't have the go-to. But I have a couple that I know I could, I mean, here's the first. I was a private when I went into boot camp. That is an E1.

That is like, there's nothing lower than a private making however many hundred bucks a month. I belong to the military. I was young. I was traveling. I was training. He was doing all these things. And there was a point when I was a marksmanship instructor that I kind of looked around. And I don't know, man.

like, I'm sure you've experienced this, but you're just like, I could do a little bit better than this. I feel like I'm better than what I'm surrounded by right now. And it wasn't an arrogance thing. I just, I just always want more. So I applied to this officer transition program and I was the only person in this battalion to apply for it, which bodes well because that's just, the Marine Corps loves initiative. So I applied to this program and I got in. And what it did was it said, sent me to Newport, Rhode Island for nine months. And basically, I got all these college credits. It was like almost finishing, it's like finishing your last half of your senior year in high school and doing your freshman year in college. And it was these three, you know, professors, calculus,

like English, everything. And because I was going on to college to get afterwards to get a degree and to become an officer, the Marine Corps said, here is your path. And it's because I applied of that program that my life changed all over again. But you're an Oregon fan. I mean, for anyone who sees this, you know, he's an Oregon guy. Like, for whatever reason, as a New Jersey kid, I was obsessed with Florida State. So the thing is, I got into this program. I went to Newport Rhode Island. I had all these choices of schools I could go to. And I ended up going to, oh, it's a long story, but I fell asleep taking my ACTs, man. It was awful because I took some allergy medicine beforehand and it like knocked me out so I like didn't even get to finish so my

results weren't good I didn't get into a lot of places I wanted they're like okay Florida state's like go to go to community college and then you could transfer over so I went to community college in Jacksonville Florida did uh did that I got you know 4.0 all the way across and then I went to Florida state now the point of the story is this you know I'm a first generation of American I might have an older sister who did not complete her bachelor's of nursing you know no one in my family really had gone to higher education. As a matter of fact, I think my father has an eighth grade education from Columbia. And I think my mother has a high school education and she ended up being a cop. And after that, just working odd jobs all over the place. So it was another opportunity to change

the trajectory of my family. And the culmination of this all is when I went to Florida State for orientation, I could literally, as I approached the stadium and walked in and, and and just looked around, I was like, my entire life is changing right now. And, you know, it's college. To a lot of people, that's nothing. But to be serving in the military, to get the opportunity to go on the military's dime to college and to become an officer, I mean, everything was changing. And again, like, I started to have that kind of cumulative confidence rolling up and then desire to want more. I'm like, well, if I could do this, what's next? It's always what's next. So yeah, man, that that for sure was pivotal, pivotal moment in my life.

And that I think my friend is your story. I think that's the one you've got to lead with now when you get asked that question because that's an amazing story. And that's what this show is all about, blaze your own trail, right? It's people that have done that. And so you're talking about retired from the military and then go to community college, right? Some people would even look at that and say like, why are you going to community?

Like you graduate, you retired as an officer and you're going to community, you're going back. Oh, let me hold you up for a second. Yeah. No, this was,

I was enlisted. Oh, this is while you were enlisted. Exactly. And this was a part of becoming an officer. So like, because they were sending me to college, I was going to become an officer.

And it still holds the same weight, though, Jordan, because, you know, I did all that. But if I wasn't an officer, than my retirement would look very different right now. You know, all that time and service would be very different. So, I mean, all the opportunity.

And then when I retired and went to go get or started my MBA as I was retiring, if I didn't have that bachelors, I would be getting a bachelor's. You know, so it's just, it's just crazy how it all worked out. But, but, you have blazed your own trail. I absolutely am unorthodox in many of the decisions I make. And I love the ones that work out. Yeah. You know, and like I'm one of those people too.

Like I thrive in chaos. You know, I just, I get energy from the, you know, the clock ticking. I get energy from having multiple things going on at once. And I actually can't focus on one thing. I mean, it's just not part of my DAA. So I definitely get, I definitely get that and having an unorthodox journey, right? Yeah, I know you get it. You told me everything right before we started.

I mean, you are on it. And it's great to be in your company because, like, I was, hey, for everyone who's watching, I love to talk about the host anytime I get a chance. And I'm complaining about sleep deprivation with the one month old. And Jordan over here has multiple children, another on the way and all kinds of other things going on. And he's still doing this. Like, that is blazing your own trail. That is saying, like, you know, I could just do my normal thing, come home, spend time with a family, and that's it. But for anyone who listens to this, this is Saturday night, it's after 7 p.m. and I was at the grocery store 20 minutes ago.

I'm like rushing home. I'm like, let's do this. But I'm like, I love it. I've never had a podcast on a Saturday, and I applaud you for that. Hey, I appreciate that, man. Check is in the mail for that, for that gracious, you know,

array of compliments there. But yeah, you know, it's, I'm a regular guy. I always tell people, I'm like, I'm a regular guy. Like, what you get with me on a podcast is the same as you get with me, you know, at a restaurant is the same

you're going to get with me on LinkedIn. You got to be the same. And I think, you know, one thing I really enjoy about your content is your authenticity, right? You're super authentic. You're always vulnerable. And in my opinion, you know, those are really, really huge strengths in human beings, right? People that can actually be okay with sharing things from the heart, right? Even though, like, it's so interesting, I've found when I've shared the most, I actually get

the most trolls, you know? And it's, it's actually, it's, it's very, very funny. It's like, wow, I just shared like three moments in my life where I could have died and then you come out and you try to troll me about that. It's like, I really feel bad for, like, I truly feel bad for them because it's, it's one of those things that like you, that's the headspace that you're in, you know. Um, so what are your thoughts on that? Because I'm sure that, you know, as much content as you create, like you're, you're bound to have people like that come out. It's, it's really funny. This, that could not be a more timely example of something that we should discuss. And that is, is, yeah, like the trolling thing, the, the, the putting yourself out there. If you make it public,

it's public. Like, there's no turning back. I mean, even if you go and delete something, it doesn't matter. So, um, you know, obviously you and I love LinkedIn and a friend of mine did an open letter to Jeff Wiener, the current CEO, not long ago. And, you know, she just talked about, you know, being harassed as a woman on LinkedIn. And then, like, before that, plenty of people came out of the woodworks and were because she made a little bit of content about it. And she got all these DMs. So I had her on the podcast and we talked about it.

So I posted about it. And, you know, it's not like I'm some, like, I don't know how to explain it. Like, I'm like, save all the women or anything like that. I love to tell people's stories, right? So I support the story. I support the courage. I support the effort. Boom.

but I got some trolls and it was really interesting because I ended up having to block the guy because he goes I mean it was just like unbelievably vulgar language for that platform to begin with but two he's like I don't need you telling me my opinion um you know she has the block button you have a block button yourself is so soft I've seen your content what are you seven you know is this is this kind of crazy now I'm gonna be so honest right now you said you know, you feel bad for them. I try in my head to feel bad for them, but I just get pissed. I, like, you know, I'm not there yet. And I'm going to get there to where I actually realize, like, that person. And I think it was a fake account and whatever. And someone was just like, hides behind that account to say whatever they want, however they want. But my first instinct is,

F you. You know, like, you know, like, you are literally validating the problem because he goes on. to talk about women on this platform and all this other stuff. Like, Ken, it was just super Boulder, man. So I wouldn't say I get trolls often, but today was an exception. And instead of being in the headspace of, I really feel bad for this guy, I was actually just kind of upset about it. The only other time something like that happened is when I made a post about someone who tried to sell me, you know, right off the bat in a DM.

and I was like, this is not how you do it. You know, I screenshot it, blacked out the name, then I posted about it. And there's a Marine, a fellow Marine. It's like, this platform is too good for you to just get all the high fives for trying to publicly embarrass someone type thing and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I was like, that's a good point.

But you know me? Me, I'm like, let me check this dude out. So I go, this person has never posted on LinkedIn once in their life. This person, you know, I looked at their activity, because I'm weird like that. And I'm like, okay, I'm like, dude, we just pop in every few weeks and just comment on something. So I wrote back, and this is not what you should do. I wrote back like, hey, I appreciate it.

We clearly use LinkedIn in different ways. I'm actually trying to prevent people who get this message from doing it because I actually thought there's a link on it. And I'm like, dude, I'm never clicking a link like that, especially if I don't know you. I was just trying to save people to trouble and be like, hey, this might be a scammer. But, you know, it's just really interesting, man. And I would say this, no matter how gracious you try to be, you know, in that vulnerable state when you get feedback positive or negative, like the only thing that actually matters is like your gut feel.

I absolutely felt compelled to maybe look at things different after I got some of that feedback. But I know where I'm at, man. Like my North Star is on point. And I definitely have some work. to do. I love what you said, man, about feeling bad and having empathy. That person maybe has a way worse life than I do. They may be like in this one bedroom apartment with barely working internet and just uses that time to just troll. I mean, I have no idea. Or they could be completely rich and unfulfilled. I don't know. But, but yeah, that's what I have to say, man. It's a really

interesting day. So timely. Yeah, you know, and the one thing is, is, you know, anger is a secondhand emotion, right? Which means that typically as humans, we don't get angry for no reason. There's usually some type of physical, emotional, psychological pain that that person's experiencing. And so I think if you can think about it, you know, through that lens and look at it that way, then, you know, you can give people a little bit more, a little bit more grace. Now, I am like a, I'm, I'm super optimistic and empathetic. I mean, those are two things about me that are, that are very indicative, especially if you, if you look at any of my content, You know, I'm all about helping people, I'm a believer in reciprocity, and I love connecting.

And, you know, that's just, that's just what I'm all about. And I really got a lot of that from my mom. Like, she's the biggest, you know, even though she's not with us anymore, she's still the biggest influencer in my life, you know? And I've shared a little bit about her story, but she was a woman that was actually born with one lung. Wow. Back in 1958, the doctors really said, you know what?

you're probably not going to live to be 18 and you're definitely not going to be able to have any kids and she ended up having five boys and she lived to 54 years old so she did you know really remarkably well with the you know the cards that she was dealt but she just went through life with with positivity and she was super nice and she was like ESPN before it existed she knew every everything about sports so you know as you can imagine all of us boys like we were super into sports, but for, you know, for me, I actually didn't enjoy playing sports as much as I enjoyed selling the beef jerky sticks and the candy bar, you know, so I was like a young, young hustler, young entrepreneur, and that's, you know, and so, but I, but I love that part

of, of journeys. So what do you think, you know, looking back to being a kid or being a teenager in high school or in college, what was it that, like, where it really clicked for you and you were like, you know what, I can see myself really having my own thing, you know, doing my own thing, building my own brand. It, it didn't happen until 37 years old. I'd be completely making it up if I told you in high school. I thought I, I needed a crutch for everything that I did everywhere. And, you know, I mean, even in the Marine Corps, I was, I was, I would, you know, it's, looking back, it's considerably successful career for sure, but it wasn't until a 37 and I quit my lucrative job to pursue passion, so to speak, which is, you know, you know, you and I know that is one of the things

that trends on a platform like LinkedIn, which is, you know, don't pursue your passion. Like, you need to be organized and this and that. Like, I literally pursued what I was passionate about and it worked out, but it wasn't until how come. comfortable. I felt doing what I was doing, which was branding executives and how I could see how comfortable they were, that I realized, this is something special. This is, this is, this is where I belong. Like, all those times when I was getting my MBA that I felt uncomfortable being in there, all the times that I was flying and I'm like, I'm not a good pilot. You know, all the times I was in the Marine Corps and I'm like, you know, I don't even know if I'll get promoted to major. You know, all the times everything that I doubted

myself like it all was flipped on its head when I uncovered this and you know what I mean it's a startup like I'm not rolling in it man like at all but what I am rolling in is just like this overwhelming feeling of how of arrival you know just this peace and working tons of hours and having a family and trying to maintain like some of this level of fitness and all these other things but it's all kind of just my mom so my mom is not like your mom or it was not like your mom she's my mom was also born in 1958 she's negative nancy she's mentally ill she's not an optimist she was not a supporter she she was the complete opposite of your mom which explains why i get angry first and she's very judgmental um but you know she always tries to give advice and it's usually just like god mom

I'm just stop, but she always says you are where you need to be. And she's right, man. No matter what the situation, like you are supposed to be right there. So now, instead of looking back at my former job, like that was the worst experience ever, which, I mean, yes, feeling wise it was, but it literally was the funnel that led me to where I am. You know, getting my MBA, which I was like, man, I shouldn't have wasted any money. Like, that was not a great experience either. I didn't feel like I belong there without that MBA, I wouldn't have got that job. Without my retirement, you know, I wouldn't have had the money to cover that private, you know, tuition. So everything aligned very late in life, not very late in life, but midlife-ish. And now I look through life with a very different lens

because of that. That's awesome. You know, and everybody's journey is different, right? I just had the pleasure of interviewing David Meltzer this week. Oh, nice. And I mean, what an amazing story he has. I definitely, if you haven't listened to that episode, folks, make sure I just dropped it, make sure you listen. The guy just, you know, he was just a powerhouse. Like he, he, like, knew what he wanted to do, and he had early success.

And then until he did, until he lost it all, right? So, you know, it's, but it's stories like that, and it's hearing your journey. right where you know you've finished school you went right into the military and while you're there you went to school like you know you did all these things and like you said it's you you are where you are right it's all part of that journey right and yeah really like knowing that you haven't arrived right like you feel like you are somewhere but you're not to the end of your destination yet right like because i look at myself and it's i tell people all the time like i feel like a rookie like i'm i'm still figuring things out, I'm learning every single day. And it's, it's always humbling when other people, you know,

kind of see you a little bit differently than you see yourself, you know, because I'm like, man, like, wow, that was super nice of you to say. But I'm still, you know, just a regular everyday guy, you know, that's on the journey just like everybody else. Yeah, man. I will say one thing on that, which is, you know, when you're in the military or when people know you're a veteran, everyone's like, oh, thank you for your service, you know. Yeah, right. You know, I used to get someone comfortable. My wife's like, just say, thank you for your support. And that is like the best answer ever. You know, it's literally like reciprocating the sentiment in a way. But that's kind of, I would say, not not abnormal to get that said to you. As an entrepreneur and to get DMs and emails and

podcast reviews and stuff like that, it's like, I've loved watching this. You've grown so much. I love the journey and you and I talked right before we started recording about like, you know, inspiring people to be like, whoa, like I might be able to do this, you know, like, you never know. Someone might start a podcast because you have one. I have one and they're listening to this episode right now. But that was self-built. You know, I wasn't part of a system, so to speak, that, you know, I mean, you know what I

mean? So because it was my. own quote unquote creation and even though it's it's getting there people knew what I was doing a year ago and now they see a year later like whoa and I'm just like cool man like that's a validation not that I need to feel good but that I know I've been putting in the work yeah yeah no I mean I'm I'm feeling the exact same way right now because I remember it's it's so funny and I don't even know if I've you know said this on an episode before but you know I originally like started a podcast back in like April or May and I like recorded two episodes and I don't even

remember what I said and it was just me talking to nobody you know and so you know shout out to whoever finds them on Buzz Sprout I don't know I didn't I didn't become a paying member so they may have deleted them by now but you never know right and and the reason why it didn't take off is because I wasn't committed to the name you know I also wasn't fully committed to doing it Like I really did not have any idea what it would take to do it. And I still am blown away of like, you know, what goes into creating the, you know, and release. Like, because you're a, you're the host and you're the producer and you're the video and the market.

I mean, you literally are everything, right? Like you said, it is, it is your own. But that's been my favorite part of the journey. I mean, I launched on January 1st. And so, you know, I'm still. And David Metzor already? Right. I mean, I'm still fresh and, you know, a rookie and I'm learning every day.

And but, you know, the one thing I'm not afraid of is I'm not afraid to ask. Like, I'll, I will ask anybody that I, you know, want to be on the show because I'm not afraid of hearing the word, no. You know, when I was coming up in the sales world at 14, I was trying to go, I went door to door and tried to get people and convince people to sign up for the newspaper. Yeah. For those you that are younger millennials, a newspaper is this. No, I'm just kidding.

Right. But like a lot of people now are like, what's the newspaper? Right? But I had to go and literally hear a hundred people a day tell me no. So like if you can do that at 14, you really start to develop this thick skin. And that's one thing that I've always had the ability to do is just not be able to hear the no is because I know the yes is coming. So let me ask you this. Because this is so important.

I think that's actually the real secrets also this whole thing, whether you're a podcaster, social media person, your job. I mean, it doesn't matter. Like being able to develop that thick skin and to just continue to just persevere is probably the biggest unwritten rule of success. Now, that being said, I want to hit on something you said. So I'm going to do a little reverse right here. You said at 14, you were doing that. What if you didn't do that at 14? And what if you went to your undergrad and then you got your MBA right after because some people are weird like that? And then you're 27 years old, something along those lines. And you don't have that. It's a different story when you're in your 20s and you're actually a grown man or woman. So what would you say to the people

out there who have not yet experienced it and they're going to? Well, the first thing I would say is, you know, figure out how you're wired, right? You know, I'm an MBTI certified practitioner. So I, you know, have the ability to debrief people on the Myers-Briggs type indicator assessment. and, you know, finding out whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, finding out if you're more of a, you know, a sensor or a thinker or feeler, right, or you're a judge or a perceiver because, you know, I really believe, now, now, everybody is way more than their type, but if you actually know the framework of how you're actually wired as a human, it makes, it actually makes life a lot easier. And it can actually not just help you with your career, like finding out what you want to do on your career path, but it actually, help you in your marriage. If you're married or if you're trying to find a significant other, it'll really teach you some things about like how you handle stress and how to deal with that. Right. So, you know, I think that is, that is a place I would start now knowing what I know, right? Is that what you're saying? Knowing what I know. Yeah. And so the other thing I would say is,

you know, take an emotional intelligence assessment, like in a baseline of where you are on the EQ scale because the one nice thing about EQ is over time, you can actually increase those EQ muscles. So if you're low on self-awareness, by doing different activities, you can increase self-awareness. If you're low on being able to actually manage your emotions, meaning you just kind of flip out immediately, you can actually do different exercises to increase that. And then also how you show up in social settings and how you maintain relationships. Those are the four buckets of EQ. and I'm a firm believer in actually working on them, right, trying to actually make changes

because you become a better version of you. Yes. That is, I would say, borderline, profound, man. And by that, I mean, like, I consider myself emotionally intelligent, and I consider that because of just the way my relationships are maintained. but you are right in the fact that there's actually like tangible ways to work on it. And if you don't, then yes, you are going to flip out every time someone shuts a door, a proverbial door in your face when you bring up a, you know, a scenario and an idea to

leadership and they could care less. You know, you will take it the wrong way. You may decrease your performance because that thing is lingering in your head because you all of a sudden don't feel valued. but you're right and that's really good homework for me because, you know, that's some stuff I need to uncover and look at a little bit. So right here on your own podcast, you just helped your guest. But yeah, I think that is absolutely one of the most critical skills, no matter what job you have, or no matter what entrepreneurial journey you've undertaken, being able to hear the word no

and just push and get over that fast and act fast, think fast, I mean, game changer. Absolutely. Yeah. And I learned this a long time ago in sales, probably in 99 or 2000 when I was working for another outside sales company. And it was, you know, no means next opportunity. Yeah. And so when you can look at it like that and when you actually, if in so this for anyone that wants to get into sales, go out and look for no. nose. Right? I mean, if you're looking for nose and all of a sudden a yes pops up, that's pretty cool, right? But you're not worried about the nose. And so, you know, it's all about, you know, it's about mindset. Like life and business is a mindset game in general, right? So if you can

have a positive mindset, another acronym I learned in sales is PMA equals OPM, positive mental attitude equals other people's money, right? Like, right? If you're positive and you, you know, I look at sales as this. Sales is a transaction built on a relationship. Right? Because if you can, people buy from people that they like, they know and they trust. So if you can build a contextual relationship with your prospect through that buying process, right? Like, that's going to lead to sales. It's not going to lead to sales every time because again, you're going to get knows. If you have that framework and you are consistent, like sales are going to happen. You're right. I mean, exactly. It won't diminish your ability to energize for the next opportunity. You know, like, you won't,

you just won't feel it. Like, you'll forget fast. You'll forget fast. And yeah, I mean, I know, I know what you're saying because I've been in that good rhythm and I've also still, even in this day and aid or not this day and age, just stage of the business. Like, dude, nose hurt? I'd be lying if I said nose didn't hurt. Of course, especially after you invest a ton of time and basically realize, like, you might have just helped them with their entire strategy for nothing. But, but like, oh, well, right? There's seven billion people on the planet. There's opportunity everywhere. Yeah, everywhere you look, there's opportunity, right? I'm a firm believer in, you know, you're just one connection away. Oh, yeah. Like you're, you're, I mean, I've, I've been building, you know,

Since I launched a show, it's like I'm building these amazing relationships with people that, like, if you would have asked me six months ago, I'd be, I don't know them. And I definitely probably won't ever know. You know, like, I don't think I'd be associated with somebody in that type of circle. And it's just crazy because people are like, man, you're, it's, you're lucky. You're like, how'd you? And I'm like, there's, there's no luck about, like, there's no luck about building relationships. Like, you have to invest time. You have to invest energy.

you've got to be authentic. Like that's how relationships are built. Relationships don't just all of a sudden you have one. Like, you know, you have to go through things in order to build. Right. That's why it's called building a relationship. Yeah, man, two things on that. Number one, if one connectionaway.com does not exist,

I would get that domain right away. And I should, I would make that your book title. I love that phrase. Like literally everything is one connection away. I might be late to the party on that. Like maybe it exists, but who knows? I love that. And then second is, you know, you mentioned something huge, which is you have to invest time in it.

I know that. You know that. A lot of people might know that. And some people might not want to invest the time. But here's a thing. When you believe that everything you've been doing, whether it's your job or whether it's your journey or whether it's your product or service, if you go into. any sale or potential relationship or lead or prospect or anything like that,

feeling like somehow, some way someone owes you something. Even if you're not like verbalizing that in your head and saying that, I know what it's like to actually like feel that. You have to flush that out because that will shine through any time you try and build a relationship because people can sense a mile away when you actually have an expectation of them. and if they can sense that you have an expectation of them, whether it's a transaction or whether it's you thinking seven steps ahead, like by knowing Jordan, this could get me on, you know,

David Messler, right? Like, if I approach, if you could sense that. And if that happens, then you've probably, unless you are super strict emotionally, emotionally unintelligent business people, that is going to sink the relationship before it even has a chance to thrive. That's exactly it. Yeah. I mean, I, I truly, like one of my things is I like helping people like I I like knowledge transfer like my full-time job is I do training and development you know so yeah I love being able to take somebody from one location and and have them end up in another place by the time you know we've had an exchange right like that to me is important because if if you help people grow you're naturally going to grow

right so if you have that you know the concept of I want to be in service to others and like you said, do it without expectation. It's amazing how things just end up coming back. Like good things just start to happen. You know? Like people don't believe that. And I mean, it's like the same thing. Dude, I'm not a super religious guy. I grew up Catholic, but I mean, I'm not super religious these days or whatever. But look, like we all know we do it. you know when something bad happens when when when when I see you know what happened with Kobe Brian and that was a huge trigger for me because I used to be a pilot and I know a lot of people who are gone that's like those days where you start praying and then it's like wait a second

like you can't just tap into that like whenever right like it has to be kind of consistent so so that being said you know when it comes to you know how you approach your relationships and how you approach like what you want for yourself like it can't just be like when something bad happens, I'm really going to like really turn it on, you know, or when something good is happening and then something falls out of the sky, then like, you, you just have to be, what's the word? You just have to really study the events that shape your life and try and make sure you learn from them and then be repeatable with all the things that have helped you thrive.

And that karmic circle that you're talking about by having no expectation and wanting to just help other people is probably oblivious to the people who just are self-centered. And I used to be one of those guys. That's why I'm saying that. I used to be one of those guys. And life was different then. And now life is, I mean, could not be better. That's awesome. And so let's talk a little bit about what you do, right? You, you know, you was telling everybody a little bit about me and saying some nice things.

thing. So the one thing that I've seen in your content, right, is like you do help people tell their stories, right? I've seen it in some of the content that you've been producing on LinkedIn and you had an opportunity to interview somebody recently at their office. Can you tell the audience who that was? And what, I would just want to know what was the experience like for you? That person was the Pied Piper of New York, Gary. Ray Vaynerchuk. My, I feel like I owe that guy like everything. That experience for me. So, so here's the thing. I actually met with him once before and I was so nervous that even with my camera and my phone, I could not set everything up. I don't even know if I pressed record

on something and whatever. And I mean, this thing was supposed to be 15 minutes. It ended up being five. This meeting, this subsequent meeting, about a year later, was supposed to be half hour, ended up being 12 minutes, which is fine, because when you talk to that guy, it feels like an eternity because there's so much packed into it. The experience is this. I talked to him, this is so applicable to this podcast and what we've talked about, which is my judgment for others. You know, I talk to him about people in the entrepreneurial space alongside me, parallel in front of me, behind me, whatever it is, and how I judge them because I feel like I'm better. And I'm just like, I could crush your, I could crush it. Like, I will, I will pass you

in the next couple months or weeks. Like, your stuff's broken, whatever, whatever. Talk to him about that. And I was like, you know, I don't want to judge like that. He's like, you're confusing judgment with being competitive. And he was dead on. Like, I was judging myself. for feeling that way, which is why I brought it up to him. And I wanted to kind of release myself from that. And dude, it's like, you don't even finish talking and he already knows the answer. It's nuts. It's nuts. But, you know, that helped me. Now, he did get me on judging. I still do. But that part was the competitive nature. Like, I'm just super competitive, man. I want so much for myself. And I don't want to get outshined by a ton of people. And that's always how I'll be. That's just the way it is.

Now the part where he categorized my judgment was when I said, when I have prospects that end up flopping. And I said, sucks for you. You know, I said that during an interview. I was like, you know, I'm like, sucks for you. You know, you could have done so much good work with me. He's like, that's judgment. And I was like, dang. And I was like, okay.

I was like, what? Where is he going? And he's just saying like, that's me judging them because I didn't get what I needed, which was a validation of getting, you know, the sale. Because I know I could help them so bad. But who cares if they say no? all right back to what you were saying like who cares no matter how much i could help them no matter how much they can afford me no matter what the circumstance it doesn't matter that's not for me to

decide and it's not for me to be judgmental on them that's literally my wife always says it's like would you get mad at someone if they put mustard on their cheeseburger instead of ketchup like you wouldn't get mad you feel like that's weird but you wouldn't get mad you wouldn't judge them i'm like yeah Yeah. So with Gary, man, he is profound in what he does and probably the most attentive person in person. With someone who's as busy as he is, he is there. Like right there with you, like does not move his eyes. He's listening and he just brings you to another planet. But that, that is emotional intelligence on another scale. I mean, I don't even know how to categorize it.

Yeah, yeah. And, you know, and what you said a little bit earlier was something that you always notice is, and he said this before, he's like, the reason why I interrupt, he's already know the answer. Like, and that's, you know, that's, that's why he interjects with it because he knows, like, he has the, like, this capacity to understand before you even get your thought across. Right. And so he's like, boom. And you're like, holy, like, how'd you do that, right? And so let's talk a little bit about your business. So for the audience. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That doesn't know what your business is and like just share a little bit about that. Absolutely. So all I do for my media business is I focus on personal branding of entrepreneurs, CEOs, and C-level executives. Because frankly, I just so deeply, deeply believe that we all have something to offer this world and that you should be visible. and the best way to be visible right now is through video. I'm already thinking what am I going to do after video because at some point it's just going to be just completely saturated.

But right now it's video. So I help people tell their story on video. And I've had just fantastic success with my clients. I mean, I literally just have to give you guys an example. There's a CEO who hired me last year in March to 2019. I looked at his year to date. year-to-date stats for LinkedIn is year-to-date stats were something like 40-something thousand views, you know, in the first 45 days of the year, you know, this many likes and shares and all this other

stuff. And I wasn't with him in the first 45 days of last year, but the numbers were in the thousands of percent increase. And don't get me wrong, this person was putting out content, but they were just doing it wrong. They weren't using video and they were just talking about. the business and the business and the business and the business. You, Jordan, are more interesting than what you do. Believe it or not, you know, that person is more interesting than his business. And you and I both know, man, like, look, we just talked about Gary Vee. If that guy comes out with another sneaker and he says, would you guys consider buying it? Like the answers, yeah, like, duh, like, that's just he could, he has the ability to straight do that because he's provided so

much value up front. But he's just talking about himself. I mean, how much does he talk about VaynerMedia? Like, how much does he talk about what goes on in those offices? He doesn't. You know, he doesn't. So, like, I actually believe that people will thrive better if they're, if they allow themselves to form virtual connections with their online audience. It's just that way, man. And, And I know it to be true. My clients know it to be true. And it's my favorite thing in the world is to just put people at ease in front of a camera. Be like, dude, I got it.

That's it, man. And it's so funny that you, you know, you brought that point up because back in April of 2019 is when I, you know, posted my first LinkedIn video. Yes. You know, my first LinkedIn video. And I don't know if you're connected with Brian Schulman, but he's, you know, he's like, The godfather of LinkedIn video, right? I mean, the guy born 100 and, you know, one and a half pounds when he was born and then ended up having Tourette's. And, you know, just his journey.

And so his initiative, What's Good Wednesday actually. I was like, man, like super positive guy. This is right up my alley, this type of content. Who doesn't want to see that type of positivity, especially in the world that we live in? And then Saturday rolls around and he does shout out Saturday. And I was like, you know what? like, man, so I got encouraged because he encouraged people to post their hashtag first LinkedIn video. And he literally inspired me to do that.

And so I think in April of 2019, I was at about 7,000 followers on LinkedIn. Pass forward to December, I had passed 20,000. This is just creating content at scale. And not even, I wouldn't even call it scale. I mean, maybe two pieces of content a day, right? But also contextually engaging thoughtfully in conversations on the platform and then taking the online offline, like meeting people and having, you know, doing things like that. And, you know, just the other day, like I just passed 30K. And it's like, how does this, you know, how does a network or a community happen?

And it's all about relationships. It's literally that's, that's all I've done. And when I look back to April to today, it's like, wow, like that was, for one, really crazy how everything just happened. But now I've launched a podcast and, you know, I'm taking my brand. Like you said, like branding is huge. And I've looked at, you know, brand and reputation, they're synonymous. And so being able to just share you, like that's what I've been doing. And so like on the consulting, and that's what I do as I help people build their brands and create content, you know, content strategy.

And if you want to start having conversations, like here's how you should start those conversations. You don't want to sell people in the DMs. It's about actually building relationships even there, right? And so there's still so many people that feel like the first thing they should do is send you a link to their product of this. service. Oh, man. And that's really, it's when it comes to social selling, it's just, it's a mistake. Now, do people get sales that way? Probably. But like, are you going to have long term and lasting relationships that way? Probably not. When it comes to social selling, look like the people who do make money by planting their stuff in the DMs and going after it,

those are people who are strictly going off a numbers game where, you know, it's like they could reach out to a thousand people a day and any percentage of that that lands them, you know, a client or, you know, sale, you know, that's, that's, that's a win for them. For people like you and I, dude, like it's just different. I want customers for CFL, man, customers for life. Like, I want these people to be like, you really need to work with risk. and you want people to say the same thing about you, and that's all kind of built by, you know, just, I hate, I am trying to think of a different word than authentic for 2020

because authenticity and being authentic is like, like everywhere. But that, just being real, that is going to just get you further, faster, and I have the patience to do it than you do too. And I know a lot of people we know don't. But yeah, man, all your success that you've had over that last, less than a year is well, I mean, well deserved, dude, well deserved. Appreciate that. And, you know, like I said, I'm just getting started, you know, just still fumbling my way

through all of the things that I'm doing. But like I said before, I mean, like, I've got plenty of time, you know, I'm one of those people that I just, I remember the like early April version of myself that was more interested in like watching consecutive episodes of Game of Thrones and, you know, investing that time that I really made excuses about that I didn't have, right? And now I just turn that time into actually focusing on things that are going to move the needle for the long haul, right? Not just like, you know, and again, like, I'm a human being. So I am going to watch some shows and things like that. But I think when you're intentional about the amount of energy that you spend on something

and how and what that's going to do for you and your business and your brand, I think that that's more purposeful in my opinion. A thousand percent. And I mean, we could finish off with me telling you this, man. Like, I've never, ever watched as little TV in my life then since I've been an entrepreneur. And this is the first year ever that I could remember that I didn't watch a full football game the entire season except a Super Bowl, like at all. I mean, it's, I'm too hungry. I'm just like excited about what I have to learn, excited about who I could help, excited about what I have to do. And that is a very different feeling than like I used to say, white knuckling my way to work, you know, post-Marine Corps. So life has changed and yeah, intentionality is everything. And that is,

that is just not a cliche. So, but yeah, but I really am grateful to be on. And just I really hope your audience got something. And you dropped knowledge bombs galore as well. So hopefully people get value and they could hit me up anytime. Absolutely. So speaking of hitting you up, where should everybody find you? Where is the best place to find Rich Cardona? I like LinkedIn is my favorite platform.

I am quickly falling out of love with Instagram because I love TikTok. But TikTok is, you know, I don't have an audience there per se. But LinkedIn is my favorite spot to be. and you can just look up Rich Cardona and it'll say, you should say video strategist on there. You know, and if you're connected with Jordan already, then it'll show us as I'd be a second level connection anyway.

So that's where I post all my content. And, you know, I literally just changed my game plan for my content yesterday. So I'm going to start a couple new things. But that's where you'll find me. If there's anything I could do for you, please let me know. I'd love to help or explore opportunities.

And Jordan, thank you so much for having me on. Hey, Rich, it has been an absolute pleasure, folks. That was Rich Cardona. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll catch you on the next episode. What a great episode with Rich Cardona. He has definitely blazed his own trail. Really excited to see all the big things that he does with his business.

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