Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening everybody.
And welcome to today's episode of the Never Peak Project
podcast.
I'm your host, Coach Ranger.
And in today's episode of the pod,
we're going to be talking about success with support
and how relationships fuel solopreneurship.
So sit back, relax, grab the beverage of your choice,
and enjoy as we talk about the importance of developing
a team outside of your organization
to help you on your journey.
Also, today is an exclusive audio-only podcast.
Now, if you hear that and you say,
what do you mean audio-only?
We do upload most of the episodes
onto our YouTube channel.
It's just RangerKeyLac.
I will put the YouTube link in the description
so that you can subscribe to us there as well.
But today's episode is going to be only on the audio
feed of the podcast.
As a solopreneur, it's very easy to feel like you have
to do everything on your own.
But really, the truth is that no one succeeds in a vacuum.
When I did my walk across the United States last year,
one of the biggest lessons that I learned
was the importance of developing a team
and having a community around you as you do big things.
So in this episode, we're really going
to be diving into the power of relationships
and entrepreneurship from your personal network
to business connections, mentors, and even the partner
that you choose to spend the rest of your life with.
I'll share some of my own experiences, practical insights,
and ways that you can leverage the support system around you
to grow your business sustainably.
So whether you're just starting out or scaling up,
this episode will help you build a network
that fuels your success.
One of the very first things that I want to talk to you
about today is the myth of the self-made entrepreneur.
Now, guys, it's really easy to idolize
the idea of the self-made entrepreneur, the person who
is in their grindset and works away in isolation,
hustling their way to success with nothing
but sheer will and determination.
But to pop that bubble, the truth
is that no one succeeds alone.
Even the most successful business leaders
and solopreneurs have relied on mentors, coaches, advisors,
and their own personal support systems
to help them navigate challenges and scale their businesses.
Now, that's not to say that everything was handed to them
or that they didn't have to work extremely hard for where
they wanted to be, but I don't want
to negate or forget about the importance of having people
as a support system or resources to help you
get from point A to point B.
Again, when I did my walk across the United States last year,
I was the only one that was walking every single day.
I didn't have a support vehicle.
I didn't have somebody behind me.
I didn't have people checking in on me necessarily
throughout the day, but I was able to develop and create
a community over time that really helped make sure
that I got from Myrtle Beach to Los Angeles in mostly one
piece.
Now, there's quite a few hidden struggles of the solopreneur.
While being your own boss does have its own perks,
like freedom, flexibility, and creative control,
it also comes with some unique struggles
that we don't always talk about while we are playing the game.
A few weeks ago, we talked about silencing the inner critic.
We've talked about boundaries.
We've talked about making the most of your referral network.
But today, I really want to talk about the importance
of having a community around you.
Because some of the struggles that we face as solopreneurs
could very well be isolation.
When you're on your own, kind of in your little office,
your chamber, like I like to say,
I'm in my $2 million office most days working on my business,
just a spare bedroom in my fiance's parents' house.
Being alone and working on the business day to day
can lead to fewer social interactions, which
could make you feel like you're disconnected
or you lack motivation.
It can also cause you to really forget the reason
that you're doing this.
Typically, when you are a solopreneur, an entrepreneur,
or somebody that is starting some kind of organization
or movement, it is around other people, the environment,
or the animals that make the world a beautiful place.
So without being able to get out there and see what it is
that you're trying to create and the people that
would be included in that, you can kind of
lose that motivation and feel disconnected.
And that can kind of lead to burnout or decision fatigue,
which can, again, almost cause a catalyzing effect where it just
speeds up that negative process.
So really, what I want to get through to you today
in today's episode is that learning to ask for help
and leaning on your network is a strength, not a weakness.
We can't be too proud to say that we
did everything on our own, which could really potentially
lead to the overall mission of the business
not being fulfilled.
I think it's about being really able to recognize
when our wants or desires to build something on our own
gets in the way of that thing being actually built.
It's almost like, what's more important,
that I do this completely alone, that I'm
able to say that I didn't rely on anybody
or that I was able to bootstrap this from beginning to end
or be able to say that the mission and vision was actually
achieved.
I am able to get to the income that I want.
I was able to create the outcomes that I really
knew that I could for my clients and that the people that I
serve are in a better place than they
were before working with me.
What's more important there?
And I think that the biggest thing
that I want you to walk away with
is that the strongest businesses are
built on strong relationships.
Whether it's through very strategic networking,
mentorship, or your personal support systems,
it is a team effort, even if you're a solopreneur
and you're the only one on that business paperwork and payroll.
So really, the first thing to take into consideration
when you're building up this network of people
that are around you and that social sphere of influence
is remember that your spouse is the most important decision
you can make when it comes at the success
you have in your life.
Warren Buffett has a quote that goes,
the most important decision of your life
is who you choose to marry.
Sheryl Sandberg and a few other folks have very similar quotes.
But really, it's just because that is a person
you're going to be spending a vast majority of your life
with.
They're going to be the ones you go home to every night.
They're going to be the ones that share your successes
and your failures with.
So you want to make sure that they are a extreme asset
and not a liability or a drain on your emotional, mental,
and physical state.
Now, sure, it can sound a little bit funny and tactical
that you're saying that the best way
to be successful in your business
is by picking someone that is good in terms of your spouse.
But really, it's deeper than that.
It's making sure that that person aligns
with your personal values, that they are into the same thing
as you are, that they're able to make very good decisions,
that you guys work well together.
Because if you're constantly fighting or causing issues
or there's just not a lot of alignment
in terms of your overall goals and vision for life,
that's going to put a drain on you and honestly them as well.
It's about making sure that since entrepreneurship
is such a lifestyle, that the other main part
of your lifestyle is beneficial as well.
And that's because when you're in a relationship,
your partner is along for the ride,
whether they signed up for it or not.
You also have to make sure that they are comfortable,
that they have an understanding of what's going on
so that they can support you the best way they can,
step up when they need to,
and that you can accurately communicate
what is going on at all times.
Now, my fiance has been one of my biggest supporters
throughout my entire entrepreneurial journey.
Whether it was the little side things
that I was doing here or there during COVID,
selling candles or doing snake bags on Etsy,
all the way to my walk across the United States
or my journey into within range
and the NeverPeak project podcast,
really she has just always been there for me.
One of the quotes that I saw somewhere else was,
your spouse should believe in you more than you do.
And I think that that really holds true
with her support and me.
It's really not even just keeping me focused and motivated,
but making sure that I am constantly reminded
of the reason why I am doing this.
If I ever feel like I am kind of giving up on something
or I don't wanna do something,
she's the first one to say, are you sure?
This is what you said that you wanted, what's changed?
And really just making sure that the decisions I made,
or the decisions that I make are not made out of obligation,
but out of choice.
And the other really great thing
is that she is a fantastic sounding board
for ideas that I have.
She's able to help me remember,
hey, you can't take on a million things at all times.
I like to joke that whenever I join an organization,
if you give me six months,
I will end up being the president of that organization.
And that's not a flex,
I think it's just because I come into organizations
really hot and excited, and people notice that,
and they take a liking to it and want me to be a part of it.
Or in some cases, they see me as the eager new guy
that they can dump responsibility on.
But she's also helped me set really clear boundaries
in my life and my extracurriculars
to make sure that I do have time
for what's going on at home,
that I have time for her,
that I have time for the animals,
that I can really focus on the other things in life
that bring me joy.
And I think the other big thing there is that
when I say that your spouse
is the most important decision you can make,
is it's not just the business side of things, right?
It's really that personal side.
It's those encouraging words after tough days,
or reminding you to practice self-care,
or see challenges as opportunities.
Really just like a ton of different aspects in your life
where they are able to help you calm down,
slow down, and be present.
I'd really say that that's probably the biggest thing
as I'm saying everything,
is your spouse is gonna be what helps you stay present
and focused on what is going on in your life.
And the same thing can be for your friends or family.
I'm a big fan of if they aren't serving you,
or if you're not serving them,
then you don't need to have them around.
There's plenty of friends that in different seasons
of my life have been great allies or great parts of it.
But as time goes on,
you just kind of make the realization
that this isn't what's best for me.
I think that that is kind of where that thing is,
where you become the five people
that you hang out with the most.
I think that is something very, very, very important
to keep in mind as you're on the journey
of solo and entrepreneurship,
is that the people that you spend time with
are going to be the people that take your time from you.
They're gonna give you the bad habits,
they're gonna give you the good habits,
they're gonna make sure that you are investing correctly,
that you're really just focused on
what you wanna create in your life,
and at the same time, you're able to give back
and help them with their goals and aspirations as well.
So when it comes to this first part,
it's really just making sure
that your spouse, friends, and family
are really locked in and you're making very conscious,
effective decisions around who you spend your time with
and what that time actually looks like.
And the other major area, of course,
is going to be the people that are more so
on the business side.
So when it comes to my company within range coaching,
I really like to focus on personal wellness
and business success.
So on the personal side,
it's your spouse, friends, and family,
whereas on the business side,
that's going to be your BNI groups,
your networking organizations, your coaches, mentors,
and really other partnerships
that are going to be effective for you.
I think that mentors and coaches
are going to be one of the greatest assets and tools
that you can have on your entrepreneurial journey.
People that have taken the journey before you
or are even a few steps ahead or way up the mountain
beyond where you wanna go
are the type of people that you wanna have on your team.
When I started walking across the United States
and planning for it,
I spent a lot of time Googling different tools,
tips, and tricks, trying to read articles,
and get advice from people
that had never really walked across the US.
And it wasn't until I reached out to people
that had actually done it and succeeded in doing it
that I got real advice and support
that actually helped me get from one side of the US
to the other.
I think it's the same exact thing in entrepreneurship.
When it comes to finding people
that are going to be good allies
and help you make things happen,
you wanna make sure that they've been there before.
So whether it is mindset, business,
or any other specific coaches or mentors,
make sure that you find people
that are going to be a good ally on your side.
And then remember that there are other networks
that can be a great asset for you as well.
Last week we talked a little bit about BNI
and the importance of using your organization
or your club as a sales team for your organization.
Being sure that you are actively showing up
to your networking groups.
Let's just pretend that you are for sure in BNI for this.
Making sure that you are showing up every single week,
that you are on time, that you are dressed professionally,
that you are hitting your 30 or 60 second elevator pitch
as hard as you can,
and that you're actually putting in the work
to do one-to-ones on a weekly basis.
You really wanna make sure that you're putting in the work
and making the most of those groups.
Same thing goes for mastermind groups
or any certifications that you're doing.
One of the tips that I got from Alex Ramosi
before I started my certification,
I got it from him as if he told me specifically,
I heard it on one of his videos,
was if you're in a mastermind or if you're in a group
or you're in a class, be the number one student.
You are paying money, you are paying time,
and you're paying attention to be there.
Make the most out of it.
There's no reason for you not to do so.
And I think that same mindset
goes towards networking events.
One of the things that I like to do
before I go to a big networking event,
when I'm feeling a little bit nervous
or kind of like I wanna back out of it last second,
is to look at my bank account,
see that I'm not where I wanna be,
and then go in there and make the connections.
Because when you are putting the work in,
you're going to get it out eventually.
What's the other thing that Alex Ramosi says
is be impatient with the inputs,
but patient with the outputs.
Really, when it comes to your network
and building up this professional support team for yourself,
is to remember that the more work you put into it,
the more positive outcomes you're going to get out of it.
I think another thing, like an extra bonus pro tip,
is to remember that when it comes to your professional
support, it's not even necessarily just people
that are in front of you.
It could be people that are authors
that have written books that are relevant to your field.
Really make sure that you are taking full advantage
of different texts, different audio books,
physical books, podcasts, whatever,
and that you're actually applying the information
that you are learning and reading.
Don't just be the people that kind of,
oh, I read 52 books last year,
and they kind of just flaunt that around
like an accomplishment.
Be the type of person that read one book 52 times
and actually applied what you have learned from that text.
I think that that is really the bigger thing
that you want to focus on,
is learning from these people,
but actually applying it later on.
When it comes to that professional side,
I'd really say that the four main things
that we focus on at all times
is to be intentional about networking.
You want to make sure that you're
maintaining quality over quantity.
A business practice that I love to reference
is more, better, new.
You really want to start off doing as much as possible.
Like right now, I am in the process
of doing more one-to-ones.
I have noticed that when it comes to the regional awards
for BNI, they give awards based off of the amount
of one-to-ones that you've done,
the amount of referrals that you have done.
Now, one-to-ones are something
that I have full control over.
I can send an email, I can have an outreach,
or I can communicate with different people
to set up as many one-to-ones as possible.
I want to get on that list of the most amount
of networking done in a year.
The reason for that is I can't necessarily control
the amount of referrals I give or receive
because it's an input or an output
that is dependent on other factors.
Whereas one-to-ones are just around,
did I meet with this person or did I not?
But now that I am at the point that I've done 50 or 60
of them in the few month period,
I really want to start focusing in on the people
that would be my power partners.
So that's where that intentionality
around networking comes into play.
It's great to have a lot of people know your name
and know what you do, but it's even better
if you have a lot of people that can refer you business,
know what you do, and the results that you apply
and can give to your clients.
The next thing is to join communities
that align with your values.
Now the big thing here is to make sure that, again,
you're putting in your time and effort
where you need to the most.
Now there have been plenty of organizations
that I've gone to a couple meetings to
that I just didn't really vibe
with the overall atmosphere of the group.
Whether it was some Toastmasters clubs
that I visited beforehand
or other adult service organizations,
you can just kind of tell when the vibes don't match
what you want to see.
It took me going to two or three different Toastmasters
groups until I found one that I really enjoyed
and appreciated, and that is the group
that I am now competing for at the district level.
So it's, again, just really making sure
that you are aware of what your values are
and what you bring to the table
so that you know when a seat that's open
is a good fit for you.
Now the next thing is to give before you ask.
Now remember that when you provide value to someone else,
even if it is not something that you have created,
people will associate that value with you.
One of the things that I like to do
for my 10, 20 whatever minute presentations
in my networking groups is to give a copy
of Alex Hermosy's $100 million offers or leads.
The reason for that is I have found huge value
in terms of the impact that book has had on
my life and my business, and I believe that
it could have that same impact on the lives of others.
I like to write a little small note in the book
when I give it to them so that they have a extra piece
that reminds them that Ranger gave them this thing.
Same thing when I go to the bigger networking events
and I give away a case of athletic brewing company brews
or anything else, those are just small things
that you can do to give value, like a physical gift
or product or something, but the best thing
that you can do is give connections or referrals as well.
What is it, it is better to give than receive methodology.
The power of giving or the giver's gain mentality
in BNI is really just, generosity is a superpower
and can really supercharge your relationship building.
The next thing is to schedule regular check-ins.
You really wanna make sure that you're nurturing
those connections for longer term periods
rather than just having one-off meetings with people
and then forgetting about them.
Now personally, this is something that I wanna work on.
I have done a lot of one-to-ones
in the last four or five months, and I am going to,
over the next couple weeks, start sending check-in emails
to all those people.
I have a one-to-one tracker that I have in Google Docs
with I think a couple hundred people's emails right now,
and I just wanna send a quick, hey,
like thinking about you, hope everything is great.
If there's anything you need from me, please let me know,
and then just hope you're having a great day.
Just something to kind of keep yourself top of mind.
Personally, I'm not going to make any asks or sells
or CTAs or anything like that in the actual email,
but just kind of something to reignite the conversation
and let them know, hey, I'm thinking of you,
I hope everything is okay.
Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
And there is something I can do to help.
That is just a way that I can further connect
with them even more.
So if that is a challenge that I'm giving to myself,
it is a challenge I'm going to give to you as well,
the listener.
This week, I wanna ask you to reach out to one person,
whether it is a mentor, friend, partner,
or a business connection, and just express some gratitude
for their support, or just do a check-in
to see how they're doing.
Because honestly, not enough of us are checking in
on each other and asking for ways that we can help
and support them.
So reach out to someone, see what you can do
to help them out.
Really, that is all that I have for today's episode.
It's really just reminding yourself that
the journey of solopreneurship doesn't have to be done
by yourself.
There are so many people out there that are just waiting
to help you, you just need to go and find them.
Relationships fuel success, whether it is
your personal life or your professional life.
So as always, if this message that you listened to today
is valuable, please share it with a friend, colleague,
or an associate, and leave a rating and review
on whatever podcast platform you're listening to.
It's going to take just a few seconds
and a few swipes of your thumb,
but it means the world to me and could help somebody else
further down the road.
There's going to be some extras in the description,
and next week is actually my one year anniversary
of starting my walk across the country.
So I'm going to release a special episode
about lessons learned from the walk
and how that applies to business,
so be sure to subscribe and stay tuned
for next week's episode of a Never Peak Project Podcast.
As always, remember, the best is yet to come
as long as you're willing to make the decision
to never settle, never quit, and never peak.
I'll see you guys in the next episode.