Welcome to Leveling Up with Lindsay, the podcast
where we dive into leadership, small business,
and everything in between. I'm Lindsay, your
host and the proud owner of White Beauty Boutique,
a space created to empower women, build confidence,
and foster meaningful connections. Whether you're
an entrepreneur, a mom, a friend, or someone
just looking for a little inspiration, this is
your space to feel seen, supported, and inspired.
Join me as we share stories, strategies, and
a little bit of life's chaos while While navigating
what it truly means to level up in starting a
business, relationship, and personal growth.
So grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and let's
level up together. On today's episode, we're
going to talk about just being yourself and how
authenticity plays a role in business, leadership,
and service. So I am so excited to introduce
Benjamin Barrett here with me, who is a financial
advisor, an active board member on the Indy Foundation,
and an inspiring leader in our community. Welcome.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for having
me. I appreciate it. If there's anything about
Ben, we've known each other for a few years now.
And from different roles and different things.
But if there's one thing that I love the most
about Ben, what he brings to the table in his
work, in his service and his leadership is you
really lead with heart and passion. That's for
sure. All right, Ben, can you share a little
bit about your background? Let's talk about financial
advising first. What led you to your career?
What led me to my career? It's super interesting
question because I left home at 18 to go play
football. I went to college. But the primary
thing was I was going to go play football. And
I started with a degree in business and I didn't
know exactly where that was going to lead. And
of all things, I failed a course in accounting.
So I walked into my guidance counselor's office
and I said, I'm done. I quit. I'm going home.
I'm taking my ball. I'm going home. And her name's
Ellen Schultz, still huge with me today. But
she said, no, you're not. You didn't fail because
you're dumb. You failed because you didn't try.
And through that conversation, I got a double
major in finance and economics, and fell in love
with telling the story of how to achieve your
goals through money. That's powerful. I was a
great advisor, honestly, too. She really helped
with your entire journey, right? I was very well
prepared to quit college and go be a construction
worker. Nothing wrong with being a construction
worker. Absolutely. But that's where I was headed.
So you graduate college. Then what happened next?
then I had to go find a job. And I couldn't find
one. Really? Yeah. So I did what I do now, which
is I picked up the phone. And I started calling
everybody I knew that had a job in the financial
realm. I picked up the phone to somebody I had
actually written a paper about in college. And
he said, Ben, you're going to hate this job.
But I got a job for you. I said, that's fine.
Just give me a job. Give me anything. And he
got me there. And I moved up the ladder quick.
I was being a consultant to financial advisors.
They would say, hey, Ben, I've got a guy. And
I would go find the solution. Like you connect
the people. I would connect the dots for them.
I love that. That makes sense with your personality
too. I saw great financial advisors. I saw average
financial advisors and I saw ones that I never
wanted to be. A lot to learn from. And then with
the good, the bad, I bet you learned a lot too.
So with what you learned from those, I'm sure
there's some you looked up to and some that maybe
you wouldn't. Like tell me about that learning
process a little bit. It was so interesting because
You could see when people were being true to
who they were and true to their clients, they
did things for the right reason. And it was never
a sale to them. I know Jimmy and Susie so well
that I'm going to put the best thing in front
of them, just like it was my mom or my dad. That's
amazing. I have actually coached sales and flipping
the script in my earlier career. We were very
successful in what that looked like was it wasn't
about the sales. It was about the people connecting
that really it's home for me. And that's a whole
different topic I could talk about for a long
time. I think it's a great thing because it's
genuine. When you want to get to know people,
when you want to connect people, there's something
really powerful about that. When, like you said,
when you're doing business the right way, tell
me a little bit about that authenticity. How
does that help? Authenticity is something that
I struggled with when I left being a consultant.
and became an advisor, I struggled with it because
I wanted to emulate the people I wanted to be
and I forgot who I was. Through the process of
being a financial advisor, you had to figure
out is it about a sale? Is it about money? Where
is it? And like you said, to start the podcast,
I lead with passion. If I'm not passionate about
what we're talking about, everybody can see right
through me. Yeah, it's funny. When you lead,
I look at you and I always like to say I'm an
open book. And I kind of feel that with you a
lot too. Like what you see is what you're going
to get. I love seeing the real, true Ben. And
I think you shine brighter because of it. I always
say when you can bring to the table. Like you
hone in on your strengths, what you believe in
and your core values. And when you bring that
to the table and how you do business or lead
in the community or as a parent or as a spouse,
when you hone in on those values and strengths,
everything else is better because of it. And
I feel like the universe listens and you know,
the universe brings people to you that should
be in your circle. And it's unique because it
took me a while. What you're saying is, I don't
have to be everybody's cup of tea. I have to
be me. What I've found is that I don't have to
be everybody's cup of tea, but I do have to be
me. And I have to do things the way I do them
and be authentic to me to bring the people I
want to work with. I love that. There's something,
part of the reason I was so excited to have been
here. You had said to me, you said, Lindsay,
a conversation that we had changed the trajectory
of my career. And I don't remember you said that
we were kind of in the run doing, I don't know
if it was India or what it was. I was like, what
does that mean? Talk a little bit about that
because it was so simple and something that I
even overlook sometimes like. how important it
is, but talk a little bit about that. I love
it. I can remember the night incredibly vividly.
We were sitting at the Witt Gallery. I had a
panel discussion with multiple entrepreneurs.
And you were on it. Your passion for your business
was so high that night. And you were so proud
of everything that white peony had accomplished.
Me sitting in a chair watching you guys, I felt.
I just want to be them. And I'm trying so hard
and I'm working all the hours, making all the
phone calls, and I couldn't figure it out. As
I left that event, you walked out at the same
time as me. I stopped you on the street and I
said, Lindsay, great job, but how do you do it?
What advice would you have for somebody starting
out that doesn't feel like they are enough? And
you looked at me and you said, just be yourself.
Easiest thing in the world to do, but to me it
was profound. From that night forward, my business
took off like a rocket ship. I love that. Honestly,
as an outsider, getting to know you a little
bit then through the last few years, I would
agree. I see Benjamin Barrett in the community
doing what you love. And I can feel the passion.
I can see the genuine you. I am so lucky to work
alongside Ben at the Andy Foundation on the board
of directors. And we can get on these kicks with
conversation about how passionate we are on certain
topics. But it's genuine, it is very genuine
and we often get on these topics and I think
it's really fun and fulfilling. My wife always
tells me when I go to an indie event, she's like,
you're so much of a better man when you come
back. It's because it is what I genuinely love
to do. I get to help people every single day.
And is my job at the Indy Foundation to help
spread the word of us? Absolutely. So tell me
a little bit like having said that, how do you
think just being yourself translates into leadership?
So you said your career took off, you come home
a better person being part of any foundation,
so just being yourself and truly honing in on
what makes Ben Ben, translate that into leadership.
Every room you walk into, you have eyes on you.
Doesn't matter who you are, people are watching
you. When you're true to who you are, your shoulders
are lifted up, you're rolled back, your head
is held high, and people know that the words
that come out of your mouth... are true and honest.
And genuine. And genuine. When those words come
out and people can see it in your body language
as well as your words, they listen. You're influencing.
You can't fake confidence. I agree. I guess technically
you can for a little bit. But in the long run,
people will find it. You're right. You can fake
it till you make it on a day to day, you know?
On a day or a moment. Like, fake it till you
make it is a strong phrase. But actually, contrary
to fake it till you make it, it's like you work
and you show up. Fake it till you make it is
one thing. But honestly, it is. that authenticity
that truly matters. And sometimes you have to
be vulnerable and open and honest. Say like,
you know, today is an off day or I don't have
that answer for you or I'm not to that level
yet, but I'm going to get there. So tell me like
with your business and that journey and growing
in your business and leadership and just gaining
confidence, what does that look like? Everything,
every opportunity and everything that I say I
don't know to. or let me find that answer out
for you is an opportunity. You either get to
make up something that you don't know is 100
% as accurate or you can go back and find it
and learn it. You're not going to become a master
overnight. Go learn it and deliver it with confidence.
It is the work that you do. So, you know, being
authentic and genuine. I'm going to repeat that
many times throughout this interview is one thing.
We just talked a little bit about fake it to
make it, but actually it's not that it's putting
the work in. I think to step up to the plate
and your most confident self first is honing
in on your values and your strengths and what
that looks like is doing the work. one foot in
front of the other. It's the work done to build
your own confidence, to build your own background
in whatever career that looks like or whatever
you're doing. It's to do the work and your personal
life as well. Don't you agree? Absolutely. You
have to do the work in your personal life. You
have to do the work. So at the end of the day,
you show your growth when the lights turn on.
You're not going to be a master at what you do
right away. Nobody's asking you to be that, but
what they are telling you. Is it the work you
do in the dark shows up when the lights are on?
A hundred percent. Let me ask you this. What
advice would you give to someone who feels pressure
to fit in instead of embracing their true self?
Like for someone with your journey and wanting
to fit in wanting to be that picture of what
you thought a financial advisor had to be at
that point. What advice would you give to someone
to embrace their true self and really hone in
on their confidence? Remember who you are. Why
you started the journey your why that's a good
one Just because you emulate somebody and just
because you look up to somebody we all have our
flaws. Mm -hmm. Absolutely So be you and be true
to you because people will follow when you're
being true. I love that Let's talk a little bit.
I didn't even have this in my mind. So you just
said this but I do love it We all have our flaws
and sometimes that's a little scary and you're
vulnerable and this and that and tell me like
day -to -day in your career, in your personal
life, there are hiccups. Like how do you manage
that? Cause you know, as a financial advisor
too, as a dad, as a dad, as a husband, how do
you manage that and still lead with confidence?
When it comes to my flaws or things that I've
made a mistake on, I am the first one to tell
you that's my fault. I don't hide from anything.
So I have employees, right? Even if my employee
makes a mistake, that's my fault. I'm not one
to ever shy away from that because we need to
make it right. I think you can always make something
right. But I think it's very important to be
real and honest. And it's OK. I think the greatest
leaders own up to mistakes. Absolutely. I think
the greatest people, we've talked about this
in other podcast episodes, but to be very mindful
of forever and continuing your own development,
but also you're very mindful of, you know, the
mistakes or maybe shortfalls. I think there's
always room to learn from little hiccups and
then to grow from that. There's a lot of lessons
learned that I think make us the people we are
today. Correct. And I think the flaws are what
make things who we are, right? Yeah. This might
be breaking free from the podcast while my grandfather
was buried. We had to go get a cremation box.
And we walked through, and we saw this one in
the back. It had scuffs. It was bronze. You could
see that was supposed to be beautiful, but it
had obviously fallen off the truck. And it had
scrapes and scratches. And every one of us looked
at each other and we'd go, that's his. Really?
That's awesome. Because our lives put scratches
in us and we change and we get better, but that's
who makes us us. Yeah, your legacy. Your legacy
is built. I didn't even think legacy was going
to come part of this, but I love that you had.
Thank you for sharing that because I do believe
that, you know, our confidence journey are genuine.
life journey. That's what our legacy is about.
You know, like I think it's not perfect. It's
not going to be perfect. And that's okay. But
I do think standing confidently in thinking about
what your legacy left behind is going to look
like. Thank you for bringing that up because
that is one of the more powerful things that
I think about a lot thanks to my grandfather,
who is a profound individual in my life. So confidence,
legacy, it all matters. Here is a Common denominator,
I think in the world that some people don't like
to talk about but many people struggle with imposter
syndrome Especially in leadership Ben. Have you
ever experienced imposter syndrome? And if so,
what pushed you through? Yeah, every person who's
pushed their comfort zone has found themselves
in a position to have Imposter syndrome, right
you think about the term if you feel like you're
the smartest person in the room go find a new
room Well every time you find a new room Like,
you get nervous. You get nervous. And you're
like, why am I here? They're so much better than
me. They're so much bigger than me. Their businesses
are better. And for me, it's every time I found
myself in that next room. I spent the last five
years going to find new people and have conversations
and introduce myself to people and have had it.
But where imposter syndrome comes in, you just
don't feel good enough. I'm not them. They've
had a business for 20 years. Their revenue is
X, and mine's only Y. They do all of this great
things and I just, I'm not them. Sure. And the
only thing that ever pushed me through was I'm
in the beginning of my story. Oh, I love that.
Nobody expected me to be on chapter 20 when I'm
on page five. one foot in front of the other
based off what you had said the trajectory of
your career is something that I hone in on with
imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome for me has
come in different waves and in different forms.
I remember the very first day I became a loan
officer at the credit union I worked at to an
executive career to owning a business and actually
it's something that came from my mom's advice
she said Lindsay just be yourself and you know
that There are times, imposter syndrome sometimes
will trick your brain into thinking that you're
not good enough, or thinking that you're not
smart enough, or funny enough, or tough enough.
But when my mom's like, just be yourself, and
they'll see. They'll see. So then I had to turn
to myself. I have to look in the mirror, whether
you look in the mirror, and you have to think,
like, what makes me unique? And this is hard.
OK, I'm going to do this for myself. Actually,
I'm going to... Please, please. This is off the
script. We don't have a script, really. But I'm
going to do this to myself, and then I would
love you to do this to your own self. OK. So
if I look in the mirror and even through young
Lindsay till now, who's still young by the way,
I am not old. If I look in the mirror at young
Lindsay today, Lindsay, and I would say what
gets me through that imposter syndrome and to
try to hone in on like kind of turning that confidence
key a little bit. Here's what even unconfident
Lindsay says. to myself. This is what I bring
to the table. I have a huge heart. I definitely
lead every day with passion, and that's something
not everybody carries. I have a big heart. I
want to do good things. I'm a good person. I
want to make the right decisions. I'm not here
to shirk. cut anybody, I'm not here to ill will
anybody. I am a good person. I'm really freaking
motivated. Those are three things that, you know,
I've had to tell myself in different ways. Sometimes,
you know, your voice is shaky, but you're like,
no, I am doing the right, I'm one foot in front
of the other and I might not have all the answers,
but I am here to do the right thing, period.
And sometimes that's all I have to do for me
to kind of remind myself. And again, that was
from younger Lindsay days till today through
different times. I had that convoys. kind of
in my head, I had to remind myself that. So if
you, Ben, hadn't worked yourself through a little
bit of imposter syndrome, whether you're looking
in the mirror or not, young Ben, until today,
what would you say to yourself? What do you bring
to the table? I genuinely care about people and
their success. I agree with that. I'm willing
to listen more than I talk. Love that. And that
third one, at the end of the day, I want you
to be the best version of you. Selfless. It's
not about me. My career has never been about
me. It's how do I make you great? That's a really
powerful leadership statement. Sometimes when
you're walking in a room with someone who's been
in business 20 years versus Ben, who's been in
business, how long have you been? We're going
on sex. Has it been? Okay. And that's a profound
amount of time. It doesn't matter the timeframe,
but depending on where you're at in your day,
sometimes you have to remind yourself of that.
And I think that really helps with your confidence.
Certainly. I think you remind yourself about
those three things. They stick true no matter
what, whether you're at a peak or a valley. If
you can stick to those three things and look
at yourself, what do I bring to the table and
what am I good at? Doesn't matter industry, your
length of time in the business. Are you at an
all time high and are at an all time low? If
you can look at yourself and say, I care about
your success. It's more about you than it is
about me. And I will always listen to you. Those
hold true in every moment in my business. And
every aspect of your life. And that's my life.
I love that. So those, you know, powerful statements
to kind of hone in on, but also like what habits
have helped you stay grounded with who you are?
I've got a five foot four person who won't let
me say anything different. My wife is my biggest
cheerleader, but she's also the person that whenever
stray from. my authentic self. She's the first
one to make sure that I'm aware of that. And
I would never be here without her. She's number
one, right? That's you can call. It's not a habit.
She's my wife, but that's number one. Number
two is. At the end of every month, when I look
at things in terms of business, at the end of
every month, what did we do? What good did we
do? And why did we do it? And that helps me reflect
back to my three points. Sure. I love that. Surround
yourself with the right people, step one. And
kind of reflection, I think, would be great.
Correct. If you really want to talk about it
in that sense, it's who do you surround yourself
with? What voices are you hearing? Are you hearing
good voices that do things for the right reason,
that align with you? Or are you listening to
the people that are cutting the corner? Well,
you always say, like, I won't cut a corner, and
I'm going to do things the right way. And we
have this conversation about perfection. Yes.
Right? Yes. But if I'm listening to somebody
that is not a perfectionist, or is OK with cutting
a corner, then I'm not going to reflect back
positively on myself. OK. I like that. And I
kind of have my own way of where this could go,
but. Team Ben, you talked about having your wife
as your backbone to ground you and say, hey,
you, be you. But also like what, Team Ben, who
do you surround yourself with specifically? It's
a great question. One of my best mentors is a
financial advisor. He's out of Oregon and I used
to sell to him. And when I became a financial
advisor myself, he calls me at 10, 10 o 'clock
in the morning or two in the afternoon. It's
two hour time. He either calls me at 8 AM this
time or noon. And we talk on the phone probably
three days a week. He helps me understand what
are you doing and how are you benefiting it.
So he's probably my number one mentor. Somebody
in the same industry as myself. Then I surround
myself with really good business owners. Me and
you talk on a regular basis. Kayla Keenan, the
founder of Indy, talk on a regular basis. Wendy
Gilk out of Gilk Services. Oh my gosh, she is
one of the best business owners I've ever met.
I talk to her every week. I'm going to have to
meet Wendy. Oh, you're going to need to meet
her. She is one of the best business owners and
the kindest souls and so true to herself. I talk
to her on a regular basis. But how I do that
is with flexibility. Not every person has the
ability to do that. But once a week, I get together
with other business owners. And we have a genuine
conversation. What's good? What's bad? What's
ugly? What do we need help with? And we have
these really in -depth conversations, but it
helps you put everything in perspective that
no matter your business or where you're at in
life, we all are dealing with the same things.
You're not wrong. Actually, I was going to ask
you so, you know, I agree. There's nothing obviously,
hence the podcast that I love more than talking
business with anybody. I love it. I could sit
for hours and talk about leadership. I could
talk about starting a business. I could talk
about it all, but you know, tell me a little
bit about on a personal level. Who are the people
that you surround yourself with? And this isn't
a trick question. I'm very curious. I think it's
a little different for everybody, but even for
myself, I have an incredible tribe of people
from all different walks of life. I think it
kind of, for me, depends upon. My truest friends
are the most amazing humans on earth, but you
do on a personal level. I have my closest go
-to best friends that you tell everything. to
and look for advice. There are my group of friends
that I know we're going to talk about leveling
up individually and on a professional level,
we're going to go there. Personally, I love meeting
with other leaders in the area because I know
that I'm going to be inspired and I know that
this conversation is going to go too long. There's
a little bit of everything for me. I feel so
grateful for just, I think everyone's tribe is
a little bit different and it's kind of, I would
be curious to know who you surround yourself
with and for someone else. That's awesome. My
closest friends. are people that know everything
about me. But number one, why they've retained.
Most of my best friends have came from college.
But why they've stayed my best friends is they're
deeply committed to their family. I love that.
We're all mild workaholics. Did you all play
football together? We all played football together.
Did you? There were seven of us that lived in
a five -bedroom house. Oh, boy. And we were all
offensive defensive linemen. Great picture. I
don't even want to know what that smell in that
house was like. Not pretty. Not pretty. But those
men, they were boys. We met as boys. We turned
into men. And if you look at the seven of us,
families first. That's crazy. Asking for something
more out of our life is second. And we're all
dads at this point. So we're all really good
dads. So you walk into my office, that picture
of all of us, our wives, and our children hangs
in my office. And people go, are those your brothers?
Pretty much. Close. Do you guys get together?
This is off a little bit of a tangent on a personal
level, but do you get together with all your
kids and wives, like all of you? Yeah, there's
two of us that live in the same neighborhood.
Oh, really? So on Labor Day every year, we all
get together. And so we all get together in the
backyard and grill everything up, and everybody's
family comes together. Throwing footballs everywhere.
Oh yeah. A game of wiffle ball breaks out and
it's very competitive. Do you guys still got
it? No. I love it. I don't know if I, maybe you
didn't know this about you, but like I didn't
play sports in college, but I really wanted to.
And my journey actually stopped for different
reasons. But anyways, I love playing basketball.
That was my entire life. Growing up, 360 days
of the year, I'd be playing basketball. Now my
children are playing sports. I did play softball.
I did play volleyball. Like that was just, my
life was sports. And now that the kids and older
it's been a while since I've really played they've
stopped believing that I ever played a sport.
I'm like, listen here. I am athletic. I can do
this. It actually motivated me to like, okay,
now it's time. I played co -ed softball for a
little bit and there were a few reasons why I
stopped doing some of the things, but I jokingly,
but I'm so competitive. One of my old teammates,
he was a college coach for a long time in a different
sport and said to Haley, he said, You know, is
Lindsay your mom? And she goes, yeah. And you
go, she was a stud in high school. And I said,
see? See? I don't got it. I do not have it now.
But I did, little girl. That's hilarious. No,
I'm just kidding. It's just kind of funny, because
I think with sports, it's incredible what that
does for you. Yeah. You know? That's a whole
other talk. But it's incredible that it has connected
with you till this day. I don't necessarily know
if it is another talk, though. Yeah, that's true.
So with sports and being your true self and where
that ever has come through, If you walk into
a locker room with people that you have, whether
it was basketball that you've run killers with,
or you've been out in the heat in August and
on a football field, if you come in and you're
lip service, and you don't believe it, and you're
not doing what you're supposed to be doing, you
can't get away with it. You're right. Do you
think so? You and I both lead. with very passionate
hearts. We love connecting with people. Maybe
that stemmed from some of our sports days growing
up. Maybe that's kind of where we learned to
move forward in passion. I think it is because
when you're trying to lead a group of athletes,
it's a complete different animal. It is. They
need to know that you are fully there. And you're
invested just as much as they are. Yeah. Well,
that is going to be a whole. The next podcast,
Ben and I are talking sports. We're going to
be like our own little sports podcast. I could
love that. We're down to the bottom here. All
right. Here's a tricky one. I've got a good question.
Ben, how do you handle moments when being yourself
feels a little bit uncomfortable or risky? Have
you walked in a room where you're a little bit
like clammed up? It's a great question. Earlier
on, I talked about how we have to go into rooms
that we don't always feel comfortable in, right?
And hair stands up on the back of your neck,
and you're just like, oh my god, why am I here?
Nervous and sweating. So is the loud, passionate,
goofy, intense person going to succeed in this
room? In those rooms, I don't hide who I am.
But I do sit back and I observe. And I am intensely
curious in those moments. Sure. I will be the
first to ask 15 questions before I talk. It's
not to hide who I am. It's to figure out where
I fit. I love that. And then I can be who I truly
am. I think that's a good point. I think as an
individual, as a leader, it's important to, like
you said, you're really good at listening. That's
a really strong skill. And that is advice I think
that you and I should give to anybody. I think
everyone can always work on their listening skills
and become a better listener, whether we're caught
up in the moment, having the best time in our
lives. Personal professional or when we're going
through rough patch, but it is so important to
hone in on your listening skills So you're walking
into room and I think that is very like it there's
nothing wrong with that in any way shape or form
and I think That more people would connect if
everyone kind of did take a moment to listen.
I like that You're mindful of it. I love that.
You know that that's how you're looking at it
I was just a sports camp this weekend And it
was like a recruitment camp and it was a D1 school.
And it was a question and answer for all the
campers. One of the players had asked, how do
you handle being nervous? You know what? I thought
the best answer from one of the D1 players was
they have triggered their brain to think that
their nervous is excitement. So they said, there
isn't a moment that you don't step on a D1 turf
or field or whatever that looks like. that you
aren't playing the best of the best in all of
the nation. And that goes to show, I think, with
business. There isn't a moment where you as a
financial advisor aren't walking into a room
sitting with the best of the best. For me as
a boutique owner or a leader in this community
with other businesses, there isn't a moment that
I'm not sitting in a room with the best of the
best or the best of the best customers. So for
me, I actually took this player's advice a little
bit. And I was like, next time I'm on stage and
I'm nervous, I'm triggering this into complete
excitement. And I think that is going to change
everything for me. But I love that you were so
mindful about walking in a room and being okay
with saying, I'm going to listen first and then
I'll find, pave my way. Well, to piggyback off
what you just said about there's always the best,
right? You're the best in my profession. Whether
somebody's trusting me with $5 ,000, $500 ,000,
or $5 million, that's a lot of money to them.
And it's my job in those scary moments to be
someone that listens, to take my nervousness
about that's their money and create excitement
for them for their future. I love that. I'm going
to flip the script with what you just said now.
So you're talking from a financial advisor perspective
in the severity and the importance of dealing
with someone's money. Well, as a consumer, if
I were to walk into your office, I got to be
honest, and I do this today. If I were to come
sit down at your desk and say, I have this dollar
amount, I have no idea what I'm doing. Let's
just say this conversation was new. And I would
walk in as consumer nervous, right? I would walk
in scared, I would walk in nervous. I would love
to take just a little minute for you as a financial
advisor to give advice. on how I, as someone
coming in to sit at your desk, would work through
those nerves? Great question. It's like you do
a podcast for a little, or a story on it too,
but you know, podcast too. Well, as a consumer
coming into a financial advisor's office, I can
always speak for myself, right? Is to know that
we're going to ask more questions than we are
going to talk. In that first encounter with you,
I call it, let's lay out your medical records.
So you go to your general practitioner, right?
You haven't seen them in a new, let's say you
moved towns. and you go to a new general practitioner,
they don't know anything about you. And you come
to me, you say you have a headache. They have
two options. Go home, take an ad bill, or refer
you to a brain surgeon. And the same is with
me. I need to ask questions to figure out where
you're going and to put your mind at ease about
the process. What's the process look like? What's
the dollar figure look like? Unpack what your
goals are and unpack what your past is with money,
right? I had a father who was always broke, not
broke, but always said he was broke. I had the
other side of my family where Either we were
eating steak or eating bologna. There was no
in -between. Commissioned parents. That's how
it ran. So I have to unpack. what you're working
towards, where we're headed, what your past is
with money, and why we're here. But that's a
lot of questions on my side where I'm asking
for you to give me a glimpse into you so I can
give you the best advice possible. So I would
say, for advice of someone coming to set up your
table, it's less pressure on the individual coming
in and sitting down. You're alleviating the pressure
on their shoulders. And you're genuinely curious
on getting to know them, to connect with them,
to make this process easier. If someone was going
to come in, And I believe that dealing with someone's
financial situation can be very scary. But I
believe when you are who you are, Ben, and you're
so good at connecting with people, just sending
that message out there. Find a good fit for someone
who you trust that is going to listen and connect
with you, right? And try to eliminate. That's
where the stress kind of goes away. Am I wrong?
The stress, I think, is there's more of a stigma
in the profession that people are there to sell
you on stuff. There you go. And I'm not wanting
to say that some people aren't there to sell
you on stuff, but when you're looking for the
right fit for you in your financial situation,
find somebody who cares about who you are and
where you're going. Mic drop. Mic drop. This
couldn't have come full circle in what you just
said and in your business because of that just
being yourself and genuinely caring about others
I think is... what makes you such a good financial
advisor. It's what makes you such a great leader
in the community. And it makes you an incredible
board member on the Indy Foundation. Thank you.
So on that note, do you have any thoughts, final
words or anything, words of encouragement for
anybody listening right now? Well, when you asked
me to be on this, I was reading a book to my
son and you had sent me a text while I'm reading
a book to my son and it's from the peanuts. And
on the last page, I'm actually pulled up here.
I have to do this. because it feels so true to
every single person. It says on the last page
of this book, so take this to heart. The best
thing to do is be the kindest and bravest, most
wonderful you. You don't have to get more complicated
than that. Be yourself and people will be drawn
to you. I love that. The universe literally was
speaking at the perfect moment for us to come
together on this podcast. As he's reading this
book and I ask him and then he sends that to
me and I was like, you gotta be kidding me. I
was meant to be, so meant to be. All right. First
of all, just want to thank you. I love having
conversations with Ben. Like I said, give us
a microphone and the rest is history. We'll probably
do this again. I hope we can do this again. But
until then, where can people find Ben? If they
want to learn a little bit more from you, if
they want advice, if they wanna see what your
journey is next, how can they follow you? You
can follow me on Facebook, Benjamin Barrett,
or LinkedIn. LinkedIn, I do a lot more of motivational
stuff. It's a Monday morning mindset, just kind
of what's on my mind on Mondays. Try to be insightful.
LinkedIn, Facebook are two great ways to do it.
Google Ben Barrett Financial Advisor, you'll
find me. Thank you so much for being here. Absolutely.
I appreciate you. Thank you for having me. I
appreciate you. Thank you for listening. If you
found this information helpful, please share
it with a friend. If you're looking for more
information on the topics we covered, please
head to the show notes below. And if you wouldn't
mind leaving a five -star rating and review,
this would help this mission and our journey
to get started. Let's make today and every day
an opportunity to level up. Until next time,
keep dreaming, keep striving, and keep making
a difference.