Right About Now with Ryan Alford - The Radcast’s 400th Episode

Starting point is 00:00:00 You're listening to The Radcast, a top 25 worldwide business podcast. If it's radical, we cover it. Here's your host, Ryan Alford. Hey guys, what's up? Welcome to episode 400 of The Radcast. I'm Ryan Alord, your host. I want to thank you for the opportunity to bring you episode 400 wherever, whenever, however you are. We are your number one business and marketing show on Apple Podcasts. And hey, I always say good things come over time. It only took six years,

Starting point is 00:00:49 It only took six years, 400 episodes, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. And yes, there was blood shed in this room at some time. I'm sure I picked my finger on something. But I appreciate everyone. Sawyer, our producer. I got Cameron here, producer, assistant extraordinaire, and all of you at home or wherever you are listening to the show. It's been an honor to bring 400 episodes. I was reflecting on what to talk about. And, you know, you start to do these sorts of things and you start to think about the outline and I'm like, you know, it all felt self-serving.

Starting point is 00:01:26 Like, oh yeah, 400 episodes. Like, what is all that? How long? And it, look, it's been thousands of hours. It's been dedication. It's been two episodes a week. Rain or shine, holidays, all that stuff. And, you know, it brings a lot of reflection. but I want it to be through the lens of value and the lessons that are learned that I think transcend not only podcasting and branding and marketing, but really life in general.

Starting point is 00:01:58 And I really wanted to share not only some of my favorite clips. We've done some best of episodes. You can check those out in previous episodes where you hear some of those things. And we are going to sort of share some of the clips from some of my favorite guests. I think bringing that to the front of the timeline and episode list for new listeners is important. So we will have some of that here towards the back half of this episode. But I wanted to reflect on four things, I guess, accidentally lining up with 400. But four things, the biggest things I've learned, the biggest ahas, if you call them,

Starting point is 00:02:38 and I think the biggest value elements that can bring something to you listening, whether it be in your business, in your life, in your marketing. I think it transcends all of those. The first thing that I want to touch on is the power of conversations and the power of relationships. This show is built on two episodes a week, one of those being an interview where I bring forward some of the best in the industry for any particular field, some people that I just really think are smart or just well-known names that I think have a great business and marketing story underneath or behind the curtain of their success in entertainment or sports or otherwise. And I think what I've come to realize is how much, you know, just in 30, 45,

Starting point is 00:03:27 one hour, how the power of that conversation can lead to so many things. So one, you bring conversation brings understanding. There's two things that happen in a conversation. One, and everyone thinks it's about when you think about talking and conversation, you think about what you're saying, but what it is and what it is for me and what I think I've ultimately gotten good at on this show is the power of listening. Because when I'm on this show, I am hyper-focused on nothing but the guest, nothing but the conversation and listening to what someone else has to say, understanding how they feel and knowing their perspective. And I think the power of conversations gets lost in today's world of social media and video and so many things thrown in our face. We just rarely sit down and

Starting point is 00:04:20 have an uninterrupted discussion anymore. And I have just taken so much out of these 400 episodes. Every one of them is a dialogue, a dialogue of understanding, a dialogue of learning, a dialogue of really coming to terms with different perspectives. And the power of what comes from that has been really enlightening and refreshing for me. And what that ultimately has done is build relationships. The power of relationships has never been more apparent to me. Those come in the form of ideas sharing, learning from others, getting a new perspective. They come in the form of business opportunities with not what you know, who you know, creating connection, creating leverage, and then ultimately just the power of camaraderie. I naturally strike up these conversations with my

Starting point is 00:05:22 guests and I would say more times than not, I keep up with a lot of these same people, whether they're well-known famous artists or just a general business person. We're texting, DMing different things. And it really brings to life more. We live in such a kind of a faux digital world where things don't seem real. And the power of that conversation and those relationships becomes extremely tangible from having this show and building those relationships at a level that bring value, hopefully to the guests, but 100% for myself and making me a better person and having a bigger

Starting point is 00:06:09 perspective and learning things. And so the first one, the power of a conversation, the power of relationships. Number two, you know, we think there's this success formula. We all think, hmm, they're smarter than me. They're just, they've got something, hmm, they're smarter than me. They've got something over me. They're smarter than me. They know more than me. They're luckier than me. They just knew the right person. They got the secret inside trick. That's why they're so successful. Oh, they're good looking. Oh, they're in shape. We all think there's these things, these tangible things, but here's what I've found to be the number one determination of success. That's Mark Randolph, the founder of Netflix.

Starting point is 00:06:51 Grant Cardone, one of the most well-known real estate influencers in the country. Brad Lee. The names go on and on. These are multimillionaires, sometimes billionaires. Howard Panace, billionaire, this is the key. This is the trait of the most successful people in the world. It's not smarts. It's not looks. It's not what you think. It's grit. G-R-I-T, baby. It's grit. They don't take no for an answer. They don't stop when things get hard. They live in discomfort. It wasn't all gravy. They have grit. They love the grind.

Starting point is 00:07:38 They don't mind the setbacks. And they get after it and they push through. First idea didn't work, no big deal. Second idea didn't work, no big deal. They push through. No, it's not easy. No, it's not all rainbow and sunshine, but grit is what makes people successful. It's the power and the willingness to do things when you don't want to do them.

Starting point is 00:08:04 And it's rare. Grit is rare these days. So if you want to learn how to be successful, learn how to get grit, learn how to be tough. And this isn't like some faux tough that didn't go into the gym and working out, though a lot of successful people are in good shape because there's a correlation, right? You go to the gym, you do push-ups, you do all these. You don't want to be there. That shit sucks. But it has impact.

Starting point is 00:08:31 You see what happens when you go. You lose weight. You put on muscle. You have all these other benefits. Your health is good. You feel good. But it's hard and it hurts. But grit is what makes people successful.

Starting point is 00:08:48 and it hurts, but grit is what makes people successful. After talking with over 200 people from all walks of life, successful stars, billionaires, millionaires, grit is what will make you successful. Number three, social media is underrated, Number three, social media is underrated, not overrated. You heard that right. I don't love Facebook. Let's be honest. Facebook kind of sucks. But you know what?

Starting point is 00:09:16 It's fucking powerful. And so is Instagram. And so is TikTok. And so is YouTube. All these channels are uber powerful. They broke down the barriers and made and democratized media. Let me explain. 15 years ago, the only way to be known, the only way to grow awareness was through mass media.

Starting point is 00:09:50 TV, radio, outdoor, print, newspapers, all the brands that could afford it, the movie stars and other people that had careers that pushed them into media. That was the only way. Social media has broken down all those barriers. You can get reach and frequency organically. Anyone can become a star. It's not limited to being on television. Hell, no one even watches television anymore, really. Let's be honest. It's streaming.

Starting point is 00:10:20 They don't watch the commercials 90% of the time. But social media is underrated in its power and it's an ability to build personal branding you notice i didn't start this by saying well personal branding is underrated but you know how i feel about that but the reality is social media is underrated because of the power and the leverage that you can create with it with really no cost other than your time at first. And the number of people that are leveraging it, you would think is oversaturated, but I would say it's actually undersaturated. It's oversaturated with opinion and waste of energy on shit that you can't control. But it's way underutilized for leverage, sharing knowledge, gaining knowledge, and turning that platform into a real business career or amplifying what you're already doing. The opportunity is huge and social media is underrated.

Starting point is 00:11:35 This show was built on the power of using social media to make contacts, DMing guests, creating leverage with our own popularity. That's number three. Number four. Final. The biggest learning. One that, you know, everybody says, what would you do different? What would you go back and change?

Starting point is 00:12:03 Go big. B-I-G, baby. Look, I started this show as someone that had done a lot in marketing. Some of the best-known campaigns in the world. Working with some of the largest brands in the world. But no one knew who I was. And so I, you know, called friends and family, invited, you know, people that were great. But I kind of put myself in my own box with, well, I need to start small. And, you know,

Starting point is 00:12:39 you know, who do I can't, you know, I got to can can't have, oh my God, I couldn't DM Mark Randolph, you know, like, look, I had accomplished a lot. But because I thought my show's new, you know, who am I? We have such limiting beliefs as humans. pretty confident person starting something new that I'd never done. I realized even more and it's transcend and brought to life in so many other ways in things that we do, but you've got to go big. And this isn't just, if you want to start a podcast, this is anything that you do. Every guest that I've had, every conversation that's been had, it's reinforced that you have one life to live. You've got one opportunity to do these things. Why would you go small? And going big doesn't mean spending money, but go big with your idea. If you think you've got something, take it 10 steps further.

Starting point is 00:13:47 I haven't read this book, but a lot of people talk about it all the time. There's tenets of it out there. And I believe this now, having started some of my own companies and growing and scaling them. It's easier to 10X than it is to 2X. It's the strangest thing, but it's true. It is easier to go big than it is to play small.

Starting point is 00:14:08 Because you put yourself in these boxes, you put up unnatural barriers and you create unnatural tension when you try to play small. And that transcends podcasting all the way to business, to ideas. Obviously, you have to scale and be responsible. But you got one shot.

Starting point is 00:14:33 Go big. Those are the four key takeaways from doing 400 episodes. A lot of those transcend marketing and business. A lot of those transcend marketing and business. But I think at this stage, we've earned the right to kind of tell you a lot of things across the gamut. And I think that all those played a business. They all played marketing. The power of conversation relationships with your customers, with your people, internal, external.

Starting point is 00:15:06 The grit of successful people, how you hire, how you train, how you mentor. Social media being underrated. It's not just a box you check. It's a box that you check over and over and over again because there's so much opportunity. And finally, going big. If you're starting a show, you listen to this, you're looking for insights, become the best in your industry. Start and assume and act and play like the biggest dog in town. It's not arrogance, but if you aren't confident, no one else will be. And that's been said in everything in life. I have four sons. I teach them all the time.

Starting point is 00:15:49 And look, I want it for them bad. I'm like, son, if you're going to shoot 10 free throws, shoot 100. If you're going to do it, let's do it. It doesn't mean you have to win every contest, but go big. Finally, I'll say this. The last one plays into the future of this show. In the essence of going big, we're now going to be expanding the Radcast into a media network. You're going to see news of that.

Starting point is 00:16:23 We're going to have multiple shows. We actually already have a few shows underneath the umbrella, but it's going to be more officially branded, announced, to start to see that branding on other shows. Definitely encourage you. We'll be giving links and doing what we do best as a marketing show. We're going to market our own products and different services and other shows. And then this show will ultimately become the Ryan Offord show. And you'll see that branding. That's a natural evolution with having multiple shows underneath the Radcast media network with Ryan Offord show being a part of that,

Starting point is 00:17:00 where a lot of the content staying the same. But I didn't want to do that for vanity purposes. I mean, I thought about calling that show, the show that to begin with, but quite frankly, I just thought the Radcast was cooler. Our agency is radical. I believe in radical thinking and I didn't want it to be about me.

Starting point is 00:17:17 But at this stage with the Radcast Media Network getting bigger and this show becoming more and more about my perspective, along with guest perspectives that are tailored from my personal choices of who comes on, I think it does start to make sense. So you'll see notice of that in the coming weeks. The next time you come in, you probably won't see that on our logos or anything, but it will be coming and you will start to see broader shows underneath the Radcast network. So if you're listening, now's a good time to get on.

Starting point is 00:17:49 We have packaged all of the learnings. What's taken us six years will take you less than one because we know how to do this shit now. Process, procedure, everything streamlines systemized for how to take a show from nothing to something. And if the Radcast is any demonstration, now the number one marketing and business show on Apple with over 1.5 million downloads a month. loads a month. So again, a good time to get in touch. If you're hearing this and want to shoot me a DM on Instagram or get in touch on my website at ryanofford.com. Lots of ways to get in touch with me and Cameron or someone from our team will get in touch. If you're looking to grow your show, if you're starting at nothing, or if you're starting from ground zero, we'd love to help you. And it's a great opportunity.

Starting point is 00:18:47 To that end, I wanted to bring, you know, it's episode 400. You can check the best of episodes. But I did want to just call out a few of our favorite clips and my favorite interviews. I mean, look, they're all my babies. Look, if you're watching the video, look behind me. We've got them on the wall. That's another reflection as I look around this room and how it's grown. This wall's grown with all the guests and some of our hall of fame of favorite guests and people we've been blessed to have on the artwork that I, badass artwork that I have from

Starting point is 00:19:21 Matt Caesar, 2016 world's series champion, Matt Caesar, who's a hell of an artist. The Michael Jordan framed painting that he did. Hand by hand. Unbelievable. We're going to be working more with Matt. More news with him. He's so fucking talented. But I do want to call out a few of my favorite people and favorite clips from the show and a few nuggets as you kind of embrace this 400th episode of the Radcast.

Starting point is 00:19:54 And first, my main man, Grant Cardone. I loved having Grant on the show. It was a quick 20 to 30 remote episode, but a relationship that's been built. I touched base with Grant from time to time. He's uber successful in real estate, undercover billionaire, needs no introduction, but he really taught, you know, this is so funny. You have these multimillionaires, billionaires on the show and the simplicity, but directness of their advice is what's so both enlightening but also endearing. Grant taught us the importance of showing up and doing something, even if you don't want to do it.

Starting point is 00:20:38 Starting to think big and how to give back to someone. See, it's practical. Just listen to this clip from Grant. I know you have the 10X platform. I know you've got seven of these and five of these and four of those, but like, have you boiled it down like to the, for both yourself and maybe others, like what, what that success formula truly is? Yeah. Well, you know, I did some of that on undercover billionaire, right? Well, one is show up, show up, say yes to it. You got to show up.

Starting point is 00:21:09 Like if you don't show up, you can't get lucky. You can't get lucky. Nothing good happens. Nobody's going to come to your home, your sofa, your bedroom and give you anything. It's just not going to happen. Like you have to show up. And then once you show up, you got to show up, right? Like you got to be available for whatever you're doing, even if you don't want to show up. And then once you show up, you got to show up, right? Like you got to be

Starting point is 00:21:25 available for whatever you're doing, even if you don't want to do it. So I do stuff every day. I show up for stuff every day. I'm like, fuck, I don't want to do this, but I show up and then I act like I want to do it. Right. So you got to show up and then you got to be willing to change your mind about it because something super cool might come out of the deal. So number one, you got to show up. Number two, and while you So number one, you got to show up. Number two, and while you're showing up, you got to drop your bad attitude. Like if you're negative, bad attitude, stuff's going wrong, you lost your mom, you got COVID, whatever the hell happened. Bro, nobody needs to know about that. You got to show up and be a hundred percent. Number two,

Starting point is 00:22:04 I would tell everybody, like, I'm always looking for a 10X target. Always. I wake up every day, never satisfied where I'm at because I'm always looking for the 10X. I'm looking for, I got 4,000 or 12,000 units. I'm going to get 120,000. 120,000 units, bro. I'll be like, I could run for president of the United States. Like, I'd be a major player on planet Earth if I can get there. I don't know if I can get there.

Starting point is 00:22:28 Today, I probably doubt that I can get there. I mean, to be honest with you, I don't think I can do it. I don't know that I have enough time. I don't have enough money. But it's cool to think about it. And that's what I did on Undercover Millionaire. They said, could you build a million dollar business in 90 days? I said, no, but I could build a $10 million business in 90 days.

Starting point is 00:22:51 She's like, what? Are you fucking with me? I'm like, kind of, a little bit. But I want to go for $10 million, not $1 million. And I ended up coming up short. I did $5.5 million plus $1.7 million worth of real estate. We had $7 million in that in 88 days. And I could have probably left at 70. So, uh, so number, number two has got, you got to think big every day. I got to be thinking about

Starting point is 00:23:17 not how to get one deal. How do, how do I get 10? Not how do I get 10 people? How do I get a hundred? Like whatever it is, just 10 X to think it's ridiculous anyway. And then the third thing is give back, man. Once you start hitting or not hitting, no matter what's going on, man, find somebody you can help today. Like that, that keeps fuel in my tank. And if I'm winning, I'm going to share it with somebody. Hey man, I tried this little trick, this little thing. I did this little thing and it worked. And if I'm failing that day and I'm down and out, I'm like, let me go see if I can help somebody get up. So those three things have always been there for me. Next on my list is my man, the real Brad Lee.

Starting point is 00:24:04 Had the pleasure of going to Las Vegas. I was on Brad's show. He did me the honor and the pleasure of having and coming on the Radcast. And he really, you know, he brought it back down to earth. You know, we see the, we have these big personas and these big things.

Starting point is 00:24:21 And I think we always think that it's going to be something complicated, that success or growing your business or your brand is like super complicated. But Brad brought it right back down to earth. Just listen to this clip. He talks about the terms of the four keys to effective training and the importance of asking the right questions. Listen to this clip. Is there like a number one skill set that maybe people overlook or as often or two or three, you know, there's a specific number here, but like things that really make people great at sales? Well, when it comes to just sales, you know, there's, there's quite a few, I think people overlook empathy. They overlook the, you know, empathy being number one. I mean, a lot of times, if you just put yourself in your customer's shoes, say to them what you would want to be

Starting point is 00:25:16 told, you know, treat them like you'd want to be treated, you know, you're going to go a lot farther in sales. I think if you really want to learn to sell, learn to stop selling, right? And we're learned to sell incorrectly. We're being taught to close deals and sell people so we can get a commission or we can make a sale. When if you just stop doing that, man, instead of being a salesperson, try to be a help person. Stop selling and just start asking some questions and being interested in your customer. And then lo and behold, you'll find information that totally correlates with your product or service. And all of a sudden now, that enthusiasm and that passion kind of gets transferred to the other person and they buy

Starting point is 00:26:02 your product and service. So the way to sell is to not sell, look to help people, man. These are the four things you need to train effectively. You need good content, repetition, practice, and accountability. When I worked at the organization, I was providing repetition because I worked there every day. We were, you know, practice, drill, Repetition, because I worked there every day. We would, you know, practice, drill, rehearse. Every day we were role-playing. Every day we were repeating it over and over and over.

Starting point is 00:26:31 Repetition is the mother of learning. On this next clip, my man, one of my favorite sports, it's always a combat sport, boxing, my grandfather. I remember I was like five or six years old. Some of the few memories I have of my grandfather who passed away when I was 16. We watched boxing together. My dad, my grandfather, we'd sit around and we'd watch boxing. This was like the heyday of Tyson coming along.

Starting point is 00:27:00 Even before that, like Sugar Ray Robinson. Replays of him. But the UFC is now the king of martial artists and combat sports that you see on TV. And no one more popular than my man Bruce Buffer, the voice of the octagon. Look, you think we know how people might be. But let me just tell you, for a business and marketing perspective, Bruce is as sharp of a person as I've had in 400 episodes. He had no fewer than like five companies going on, energy drink, a liquor drink. The dude was everywhere.

Starting point is 00:27:41 And he really gave us some really interesting perspective about business and life inside and outside of the Octagon in this clip here. Where did it's time come from? Let's just say, I want to know where that came from. Let's start there. Well, you know, when I started in the UFC announcing and I've been managing my brother, Michael Buffer, you know, the legendary greatest announcer of all time, let's get ready to rumble. Um, we met late in life. And, uh, when we did, I own two companies. I had my first company when I was 19. I've been an entrepreneur ever since I've owned a variety of companies, a couple of failures here and there, but most all successes, you know, I'm proud to say. And, uh, when I met him, um, knowing that he was the announcer, he wasn and everything else, we eventually, I sold two companies and became his manager,

Starting point is 00:28:27 managing his career and everything. I wanted to announce back then we agreed I wouldn't do boxing, and I said something would come along, and boom, this is a very short version. And boom, the UFC came along, and I worked my way into the UFC, but I never wanted to be Frank Sinatra Jr. I never wanted to be, no respect to Frank Sinatra Jr., but I wanted to create my own style. I wanted to grow with the UFC to help market the brand, being the marketing and

Starting point is 00:28:50 branding person they am first and foremost before I do anything else. And I told him, I said, I need to grow with you as the announcer, but I didn't think I needed a catchphrase. I'm not catchphrase driven. I was more like, it's not what I say, it's how I say it. So it wasn't until about seven years later that his time came about. Everybody always was going, let's get ready. Let's do this. They all wanted to be Michael. I just didn't want to come across like that. I told myself if within three years I could build my own identity, my own style, I would continue. If not, I would quit because I just didn't want to be that way. So every day I wake up, and I was kidding before, but I'm serious, I look in the mirror and go, it's time. It's time to have the best day that I can possibly have. So I used to open the show saying, it's time to begin the Ultimate Fighting Championship. And then Dana White and the Fertittas bought the show.

Starting point is 00:29:40 Dana and I met. He said, I don't want you doing that at the front anymore, top of the show. And I said, fine. But then I got down to the main event, and I realized, Hey, everybody's sitting here for five hours. They watching the show, the main events about to start. Um, the fighters been training six to eight weeks with its biggest moment in their lives. This is definitely it's time. This is, this is, it's time. This is when it's going to happen. And I started incorporating it in and gradually over time, it developed to the style that I do it now, whether I'm jumping or doing whatever. I never know physically what I'm going to do until I do it because I never rehearse.

Starting point is 00:30:10 Never. I feel the energy of the crowd and I just let it fly. But when I was in Brazil and 20,000 Portuguese-speaking people said, it's time with me, I knew right then it hit. And that's when I started building it up. right then it hit and that's when i started building it up and then eventually over the last 15 plus years since then you know i've developed into products you know and many things happening worldwide and now it's time has taken on a very individual branding of itself and i plan on reaching a billion dollars in sales with its time whether it's uh sales of other not in my pocket you know sales of other, everything as I achieved over a half, half billions dollars in sales

Starting point is 00:30:48 with let's get ready to rumble. But I love my brother, but I'm a competitor and I'm going to come in first. I love it. I love it. Did you see, I mean, the UFC has had this meteoric rise in the last 10 plus years, but like, did you see that coming? I knew from the very first day I got involved, it was going to be the biggest thing in fighting sports. You know, when you're in business, you need to be able to hopefully recognize the brand, recognize the future.

Starting point is 00:31:20 I always think three steps ahead in life, like chess. I'd apply that to every aspect of business and any business I've owned or been involved in. Because to me, all business is the same. It's just the product that's different. But you've got to recognize what has the chance to be the big hit. I knew that was going to be with Let's Get Ready to Rumble. I got contacted by another company called Party Poker back when poker was not even as popular as today, who wanted me to be part of it. One of the things I regret, I didn't grab that opportunity back then because I realized online poker was going to explode. And I'm a big part of poker myself in my private life.

Starting point is 00:31:49 But when the UFC came on, yes, it was raw. It was a spectacle. It needed refinement. But I decided to stick with it, make the short money back then that I made, lose money going on trips. Everything I could do, realizing that if I stuck with this because consistency is a key in business, that I knew it would all pay off. And I have a simple theory,

Starting point is 00:32:09 and that's whenever I do business of any kind, I have a three-foot theory. Everybody around me be happy, healthy, and prosperous. And my goal is to help everybody around me get there because then it all comes back to me. So unselfishly, I've been just dedicating my life to the UFC for over 25 years as of February. I have watched you on UFC and things like that. But the emotion and like you wear it on your sleeve. Like I got to know you more, obviously studying up for this podcast and all that. But like and I love Michael. But like I have always seen this emotion in the way you enter the ring and all that.

Starting point is 00:32:42 And I'm like, there's something deeper here with you with this. And I think you just distilled it really well. And I think it shines in a lot of what you do. And I want to give you kudos for that. Thank you so much. I appreciate that. You know, a writer once said that Michael's like a fine bottle of Bordeaux, right? But I'm like a fine bottle of puncher's champ. Okay. I get out there and again, it's, you hit it on the head. Um, I'm, I attack it with passion. I get back to passion. It's one of my keywords, whether it's my feelings for my family, a girlfriend or life and business. Okay. I approach everything with passion that way in business. If I get knocked down, I get,

Starting point is 00:33:22 I stand up and like Rocky said, I move forward and punch harder than ever because you believe in yourself. The moment I can't announce the way I want to announce, if I have to start phoning it in, I'm going to retire. I'm done. Okay. Every night I walk out there, it's time to be the best I can be. And it's that kind of hunger and that kind of passion that I've kept doing what I'm doing. I'm 64 now and I won't stop. I stay in shape. I do everything I can because I train and I won't stop. I stay in shape. I do everything I can because I train and I get ready for these shows like a fighter. The moment I can't enjoy that progression, that evolutionary process, like I said, I'm done. It's time for me to find another, get up from the table and find another poker game, go put my chips somewhere else.

Starting point is 00:33:59 This next clip is actually from one of our most recent episodes, but she impressed me so much. We've had a lot of energy and excitement on the show over our six years. But Jasmine Starr was one of the most entertaining and energetic and added some of the most best value in the things that she said, the energy and passion that she talked about. You know, she's a beautiful woman. You'll see that if you watch the video. But what was so beautiful about her was her grit and her energy and her perspective on what it takes to go to the next level. Listen to this clip from Jasmine, and I think you'll be ready to run through a wall like I was. We still owe it to the next level. Listen to this clip from Jasmine and I think you'll be ready to

Starting point is 00:34:46 run through a wall like I was. We still owe it to the audience. We're going to talk about value on that, but everybody wants to know, like, why are you so damn gritty? You know, what makes you keep pushing forward? What got you? Something impacted you. Something made you that. Was it nature, nurture? What was it? Perhaps a mix of both. My father is from Mexico. My mom is from Puerto Rico. My dad came over, was like 13, 14, and then enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and earned his citizenship. So I think that growing up with that perspective as a first generation Latina, you see your dad being given the golden ticket. And I think that, you know, I won the genetic

Starting point is 00:35:25 lottery by being born in this country, but having a father who was drilled into us, like we are so incredibly fortunate to live in a country where you don't have barriers to do the thing that you want. It is on the backend of people who having the hotspot and the audacity to do something that they are unqualified to do. And so having that growing up, but then also realizing you're owed nothing. Getting into the country, congrats. Being born into this country, congrats. You're owed jack squat. Everything that you have is on the back of your willingness to do the damn work. And so what has made me gritty? Knowing I'm owed nothing. Just because I start a business doesn't mean my business should be successful just because I started a business and it's successful. It

Starting point is 00:36:08 doesn't mean I'm going to be the top 1%. If I go in and my, my perspective, just like Simon Sinek says that this is an infinite game. There's no such thing as winning in business. You can win your own game, but many of us don't even define what the game we're playing is. And so all of a sudden we play a game in our own mind where we move the goalpost. And so it's just like all this year, you know, it's like, I'm going to do my 10 million. And the minute we get to 9.5, it's like, no, no, no. I see what I need. What I really meant was 11. And then we beat ourselves up at the end of the year because we didn't do the thing that we wanted to do. What game are you actually playing? Because the minute

Starting point is 00:36:42 that we define our rubric of success, because sometimes money isn't always the goal. Sometimes the goal is, do I have more time to do the things I want to do with the people I want to do it with? It's like, what is the point of having an $11 million a year if on the back of it, you miss the people and the things that were the most important to you?

Starting point is 00:37:02 You didn't win, you lost. You just didn't know what game you were playing. So for us to actually have a conversation of like, what makes you gritty? Well, first and foremost, let's talk about what we're owed. Nothing. Let's talk about how we win, setting some goals and then working like hell to get them, but not at the cost of compromising the thing that's the most important to you. So what makes me gritty? The fact that I have simply chosen, this is the game i want to play and every time i get punched in the gut because we always do that's the sport we're literally playing emotional rugby all day every day we play rugby in our sleep i don't know about you i play rugby in my sleep i

Starting point is 00:37:37 wake up and i'm like oh my god oh my god this is the game we're voluntarily playing we signed up for it we can't complain about the thing that we want to do to get us to where we want to go. So I just think what a privilege, what a privilege that I get to wake up, go on a walk in Newport Beach, have breakfast with my daughter, have a conversation with somebody

Starting point is 00:37:59 I find intellectually stimulating where we get to help and empower other people. And then I get to go in and do coaching on the inside of social period. And then I get to create content. I get to do podcasts. What an honor and what a luxury. So if I want both sides of it, the lifestyle, the luxury, I better be able to wake up after my teeth have been knocked out and say, okay, this is the game I'm playing. I'm chosen this. What an honor and what a privilege. I better show up that way. You know, sometimes you have guests that, you know, are personal favorites or people that you watch on TV. I'm blessed to do that now.

Starting point is 00:38:30 I'm a big sports guy. I'm a big college football guy going to Clemson. And one of my favorite people on TV, Marty Smith, anchor from ESPN, has his own podcast now. But Marty's like always the most like endearing guy on tv and i was just really anxious like talk to him like it's this guy really as nice as he seems he's a southern guy does nascar does college football he's always seemed like somebody who's want to have a beer with and you know go fishing with or something and you you know what? As you listen to this clip, you know why I felt that way. If you dig a little bit deeper into hypotheticals, imagine we as human beings can change the world if we want to every day. We don't have to donate Bill Gates money. We don't have to. All we have to do is be nice. If I go into the Starbucks and I ask that barista how their day is going,

Starting point is 00:39:28 they might be having a crappy day. And if I say, man, how's your day going? He's like, ah, man, I don't know. I'm working. I'm like, what's going on, dude? You, by acknowledging them as a human being, can completely change their day. And that dude behind you in line might be having the crappy day, and now that you've changed the barista's day, the barista might change that guy's day. And then he lets somebody into traffic because he's in a better mood, and that person in traffic has a better day.

Starting point is 00:39:58 People might consider that to be so cheesy, but it's factual. consider that to be so cheesy, but it's factual. And if we just do a little bit, man, it could be, it could change so much. Here's kind of the way I look at it. And look, here's the facts, Ryan. It was an evolution over time. When I first started in this, like a lot of dudes, a lot of dudes are insecure. We pretend like we're not, but we are. And so my greatest insecurity is I like to be liked. And in our business, man, that ain't a good one to have. Because, I mean, there's a lot of people who don't like your style or don't like your haircut or don't like how you carry yourself. And that's okay. That's their prerogative to feel however they want to. OK, that's their prerogative to feel however they want to. And you can't force them any other way other than to live your life in a manner that gives you purpose and fulfillment. I grew up a music buff, like I was always playing different kinds of music. Even being a kid from South Carolina, I think I had diverse music interests.

Starting point is 00:41:04 South Carolina, I think I had diverse music interests. And nothing was more diverse than being at Clemson playing dance music from Moby. He was a hero growing up. Always respected the hell out of his sound. He looked different, acted different, but damn, his music sounded good. And you know what? Talking with him like we did just this year reinforced why I think he was successful, but also reinforced what I've learned to be true watching that money and fame don't make you happy. But don't take it from me.

Starting point is 00:41:45 Take it from this clip from Moby. Like on one hand, there is the idea that fame and wealth fix everything. But then on the other hand, there's evidence. And I would say if fame and wealth fixed everything, Donald Trump would be the happiest person in the world. Kanye would be running through a field singing happy songs. Avicii would still be alive. Kurt Cobain would still be alive. Amy Winehouse would still be alive. Chris Cornell from Soundgarden would still be alive and on and on. where we all think that fame and wealth will fix everything. But in the real world, there's no evidence that that's actually the case. And it was a really interesting challenge to not just experience that academically, but personally. And finally, this is a marketing and business show. And, you know, one of my favorite guests, he's come on multiple times. He's the

Starting point is 00:42:47 smartest guy in marketing. I don't mind saying that. I can play number two here. But in all seriousness, Christopher Lockhead, the father of category pirates and category development. Christopher came on the show a couple of times. He really gave you the framework for how to build your business, how to do your marketing and so many other actionable things. This was, if you want true like value and action that you can take, you need to go back and listen to these full episodes with Christopher Lockhead. Here's one of my favorite clips from the interview with Christopher. How many companies do you know who talk about what they sell and market

Starting point is 00:43:29 as a solution or solutions? Right. Yeah. Okay, well, here's an aha for you. Just listen to the word solution. If somebody's going to buy a solution, they need to have a problem. And one of the biggest unlocks in category design, as distinct from idiotic marketing,

Starting point is 00:43:54 is don't market your product. Market your problem. Because the bigger, more urgent, and more strategic the problem, the more time, money, and energy people will invest in solving the problem. When you evangelize the category, you don't have to say to people, and by the way, I'm one of the leaders in business dialogue podcasts, you get it for free. And it's more powerful than if you actually promote yourself or your product or your brand. You're promoting an idea you're promoting what's possible in the future for your prospect or customer that's a way more powerful thing to talk about than hey isn't my fucking carbidingulator awesome i fucking love you man all right man so as you've heard, we've been blessed to have some of the best and brightest in the business and marketing world.

Starting point is 00:44:52 That was just a taste of some of my favorite clips. Some people known, some people well known, some you might just be hearing of. But that's how it's going to be with the Radcast. We're going to bring you great perspective across entertainment, sports, business, marketing. We're going to bring these stories to life. We're going to share value in and out of business. The only way we know how. I can't be more thankful for my team, for everything, all the work this takes to bring 400 episodes to life. For everyone that listens and downloads, we are just getting started.

Starting point is 00:45:30 Here's to 400 more. And you know where we'll be, theradcast.com. You can listen to all the episodes. You can watch all the episodes. You can get all the information. And if you want to learn from me directly, join my newsletter,

Starting point is 00:45:48 RyanOfford.com backslash newsletter. Sign up. I give daily advice on marketing, personal branding, podcasting, life. Give that a shout. Join that. It's free. It's daily. Just like this show.

Starting point is 00:46:02 Give away our best advice. I'm at Ryan Offord on all the social media platforms. We appreciate you more than you know. We'll see you next time on the Radcast. To listen or watch full episodes, visit us on the web at theradcast.com or follow us on social media at our Instagram account, the.rad.cast or at Ryan Alford. Stay radical.

Right About Now with Ryan Alford - The Radcast’s 400th Episode

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.