Rise From The Ashes

Tech Leadership Forged in Adversity with Jason Bennett

April 29, 2024 Baz Porter® Season 4 Episode 5
Tech Leadership Forged in Adversity with Jason Bennett
Rise From The Ashes
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Rise From The Ashes
Tech Leadership Forged in Adversity with Jason Bennett
Apr 29, 2024 Season 4 Episode 5
Baz Porter®

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Ever wondered how the principles of combat apply to the cutthroat world of startups? Join us as Jason Bennett, ex-special ops and now the CEO of Brilliantly Done LLC, maps out his transformation from military strategist to tech titan, sharing the pivotal email epiphany that catapulted his passion for innovation. Our candid discussion peels back the layers of Jason's personal struggle with alcoholism, revealing how his victory over addiction became a cornerstone of his desire to mentor burgeoning entrepreneurs. And as a man who finds solace in the serene Northwest wilderness, Jason's tapestry of experiences stitches together a narrative that's as inspiring as it is enlightening.

Prepare to shift gears and dissect the anatomy of resilience with a man who's navigated through life's most formidable challenges. We wade through the wisdom imparted by Jason's mentors, who've armed him with lessons in leadership that anchor his entrepreneurial ethos. But it's not all about the hard knocks; Jason also decodes the sacred daily rituals that turbocharge his productivity, from the echoes of Bruce Lee's philosophies to Steve Jobs' masterclass in the art of refusal. As you tune in, let Jason's roadmap to crafting a compelling vision serve as your beacon, illuminating the path to personal triumph and business success.

Support the Show.

Friends, our time together is coming to a close. Before we part ways, I sincerely thank you for joining me on this thought-provoking journey. I aim to provide perspectives and insights that spark self-reflection and positive change.

If any concepts we explored resonated with you, I kindly request that you share this episode with someone who may benefit from its message. And please, reach out anytime - I’m always eager to hear your biggest aspirations, pressing struggles, and lessons learned.

My door is open at my Denver office and digitally via my website. If you want to go deeper and transform confusion into clarity on your quest for purpose, visit http://www.ramsbybaz.com and schedule a coaching session.

This is Baz Porter signing off with immense gratitude. Stay bold, stay faithful, and know that you always have an empathetic ear and wise mind in your corner. Until next time!

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Send us a Text Message.

Ever wondered how the principles of combat apply to the cutthroat world of startups? Join us as Jason Bennett, ex-special ops and now the CEO of Brilliantly Done LLC, maps out his transformation from military strategist to tech titan, sharing the pivotal email epiphany that catapulted his passion for innovation. Our candid discussion peels back the layers of Jason's personal struggle with alcoholism, revealing how his victory over addiction became a cornerstone of his desire to mentor burgeoning entrepreneurs. And as a man who finds solace in the serene Northwest wilderness, Jason's tapestry of experiences stitches together a narrative that's as inspiring as it is enlightening.

Prepare to shift gears and dissect the anatomy of resilience with a man who's navigated through life's most formidable challenges. We wade through the wisdom imparted by Jason's mentors, who've armed him with lessons in leadership that anchor his entrepreneurial ethos. But it's not all about the hard knocks; Jason also decodes the sacred daily rituals that turbocharge his productivity, from the echoes of Bruce Lee's philosophies to Steve Jobs' masterclass in the art of refusal. As you tune in, let Jason's roadmap to crafting a compelling vision serve as your beacon, illuminating the path to personal triumph and business success.

Support the Show.

Friends, our time together is coming to a close. Before we part ways, I sincerely thank you for joining me on this thought-provoking journey. I aim to provide perspectives and insights that spark self-reflection and positive change.

If any concepts we explored resonated with you, I kindly request that you share this episode with someone who may benefit from its message. And please, reach out anytime - I’m always eager to hear your biggest aspirations, pressing struggles, and lessons learned.

My door is open at my Denver office and digitally via my website. If you want to go deeper and transform confusion into clarity on your quest for purpose, visit http://www.ramsbybaz.com and schedule a coaching session.

This is Baz Porter signing off with immense gratitude. Stay bold, stay faithful, and know that you always have an empathetic ear and wise mind in your corner. Until next time!

Speaker 1:

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of Rice and Yash's podcast. I'm your host, bass Porter, and it is a privilege and an honor today to have my next guest. His name is Jason Bennett and he is currently residing on the West Coast in the Northwest. He's a phenomenal human being and he has had a lot of experience with overcoming adversity in his life, and now he uses this to empower other people and entrepreneurs business owners to overcome their challenges in their businesses Without further ado and you know the straw, jason please introduce yourself who you are in the world, what your passions are and, some what your ambitions. The floor is yours.

Speaker 2:

Oh sure, hey, thanks a lot, bass, for having me on. Of course, excuse me, I'm Jason Bennett. I'm the CEO and founder of Brilliantly Done LLC. It's a growth firm of fractional chief growth officers. So my passion for the last several years I've been doing this startup and entrepreneurial thing and I've made all the mistakes. I've had some great successes and I see so many out there making the same mistakes I made and I'm very empathetic to that, and that's why my give back professionally is coaching, mentoring and helping companies, start-ups and really the founders themselves and leadership Get over the humps and avoid the blind spots that I so thankfully experienced in my journey, because we all learn from failure and if we're not learning from failure, that's a problem in and of itself.

Speaker 2:

Personally, I live in the Northwest US because I love the outdoors. Show me a trail, I'll hike it. Show me a mountain, I'll somehow get to the top of it, just to enjoy the beauty of it. There's something about it. Right now out here We've got snow on the ground, it's cloudy and gray and that excites me. I don't know what it is, but it's getting out there among nature and really just, and that's what I do. I enjoy it thoroughly. So it's about the people I'm helping in my life professionally, personally, as well as getting out into the world and taking on the world.

Speaker 1:

I love that about you, though. When you first started your career what you're doing now what was the career story? What was the epiphany of? You must do this? What was the transition into what you were doing before, into doing this now? There are two things.

Speaker 2:

First is how did I get into technology? My entire career has been in technology, specifically around software as a service, taking concepts to market and SaaS, software as a service and what we can do with that. Back in the day I was in special operations in the Army. We were over in the Middle East and, after being in the field for a good six months or more, had some rest time back in the rear, which was Doha, saudi Arabia. There was a letter waiting for me, for my dad my dad's another story, all of himself, but he was a guy that's been in computers since the 60s because he was just this wicked smart guy. He worked for Intelligence in the US Air Force and he was programming computers and all this stuff. And so I had this letter and I knew nothing about technology. This is 1997. I knew nothing about it, had this letter and it said hey, on every Air Force base in the world there's a computer lab. Go find it. When you get there, ask the guy this. Ask him how to show you to create a hotmail account First of all. Ask him how you get on the internet, create a hotmail account. Send me an email. I got an email. I did that and I got an email back from him about two minutes later and here I am. I'm 17,000 miles or 20,000 miles, whatever it is away from his home in Eugene Oregon and as soon as I got that email I was hooked. I had to know what made that happen. It wasn't so much I'm on a screen, it was. What got me, was what just made that transpire. What is everything in between him and me that made that happen in that short space of time? I just communicated over this box right, so that set my path.

Speaker 2:

Nine months later I got out of the service. I went to college for an MIS degree down in Arizona and a year before I graduated was hired by IBM. I quickly rode into a team leader position in IBM, did great things, went on, worked with Microsoft out of Dublin. So I had moved to Ireland and worked for a couple of other big shops, but it was. It always edged me. So I always realized the big corporate world really wasn't me. So I helped to start up, get off the ground in Dublin and doing that. Really that was my passion. That was a lot of fun right. That startup is still around today Made it very successful. I was the principal day one, first hire of that company and that's what kind of set me on this path. Now fast forward a couple of companies later. I helped a company in Washington DC turn around their business model and exit, and I helped a Telcom startup here in Vancouver, washington, the great Northwest. They were a hardware company and I built a SAS business unit so I can make the hardware very sticky and then expanded from there. We went global with the SAS and we got bought. So that's two exits that I was a part of.

Speaker 2:

And that's when I decided to go out on my own, because there was something missing in my life and you talked about adversities and diversities. I had a growing and serious problem with alcohol, and when you have a problem with alcohol or drugs or any kind of addiction, there's something behind that, and until you face what's behind that and you just go on in life. So I went on for most of my career and I didn't learn the things I wanted that I should have been learning. There were things I was missing, there was things I was doing. So once that exit happened, the last one, I set out and said, okay, I'm gonna go out and no matter what, I'm jumping in with both feet. I'm gonna go learn those things about building a business that I don't know. I wanna learn about the finance, everything involved.

Speaker 2:

And I did, and it was really freaking rough, cause when you jump in with both feet, you say screw it, I'm not getting another job, I'm gonna go do this. And it was tough, it was really tough. So I spent three years just getting my butt kicked left and right. I like to say I was told no a thousand times, right Until, because I'm one of these guys that I don't learn by reading. I learned by doing, and sometimes you can punch me in the nose Okay, you might punch me in the nose again, but eventually I'm gonna block that, though I learned. That's how I learned and I jumped in with both feet, spent a ton of money, lost a ton of money, all that stuff.

Speaker 2:

But then I started finding success because all the little light bulbs started going off and things started to click and I started sharing those experiences with how I absolutely did everything wrong to what made me turn around and then start. Things start moving, the income starts getting better, and then I started reaching that, those six figures I was making my whole career. And then it just goes from there and you keep going. I'm still making mistakes today, but how I got here was I'm very empathetic when I go and talk with other startups and other founders and friends and colleagues and I love sharing that.

Speaker 2:

Look, you gotta do it this way or try it this way. Try something new, think outside the box, do this. Here's what happens if you don't. I share my experience and hopefully people take it. So I'm on a mission to really I wanna help at least a hundred founders over the next five years find their lane and get to the next level. I can't guarantee that you're gonna get to all those levels because there's so many things out of your control, but that's where I'm at. It's getting to that point where I've helped at least a hundred founders get to that next level so they can maybe have that chance to really impact the world with their great ideas. And that's why I'm here.

Speaker 1:

That's why I love people like you, because you're very passionate about what you do and, on top of that, you've also been through hell to get where you are today.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Build your resilience.

Speaker 1:

Build that grit that a lot of entrepreneurs are going through right now, and also a lot of these entrepreneurs, business earners, operators are like am I doing this for the right reasons? Do I really wanna be doing this? They're on that cusp of going. I'm done, I'm giving up. I'm gonna go and find a normal quote, normal job. One of the things that makes your company unique is the fact that you have gone through hell to get where you are. Can you? Is this somebody that's really aspired in your career? Stroke life that's helped you get where you are today. Is that something that stands out? There's probably a lot of people.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and do I have to know these people or no? No, I can talk about all sorts of founders that I really admire, but some of them. There's a guy and we talk about once a year these days, we catch up on that every holiday. His name's Michael Clegg, and I haven't talked about Michael in a long time.

Speaker 2:

Mike if you hear this, thank you. And Michael Clegg comes from. He's infamous for Netgear. He went to Netgear and he built about a $600 million business unit within Netgear and he wrote so he's got a lot of street cred, if you will. And after he left that, because Netgear got out of the services industry and went basically direct to consumer and everything they're doing.

Speaker 2:

After he left that, I got an opportunity to work with him for about six months and the down to earth, no bullshit advice I would get from him has stuck with me to this day Everything from really understanding what is a value proposition to how to lead to, how to stop doing the same thing over and just take a breath.

Speaker 2:

He was really inspirational and there's more right I even since then but it's funny you asked that and he was the first person that kind of came to mind because that is right at the cusp of me getting through getting out of that last company, getting it bought and then going out on my own, and he was my first advisor for the first startup I did and I just really very thankful that I got to know him and our lives intersected for a short time, but again, whenever I'm in the Bay Area.

Speaker 2:

We go out to lunch or dinner or something and we talk once a year, if not really good inspiring guy Cause he was just one of those before everyone started talking about agile this and lean that and when all these cool buzz terms and words and growth, there's the pioneers that were really putting that stuff into practice before it ever had a name, and I would say that was him right. Just how to run a business, how to run how to manage people, how to build relationships and the understanding, the mechanics behind a business. So there you go.

Speaker 1:

No, I love that and it's interesting because that question I asked people a lot and they come up with some thought leader or somebody that everybody knows and it's interesting. You went so personal with yourself, so thank you for sharing that. When we talk about resilience, it means different things to everybody. What does room resilience actually mean for you on a micro?

Speaker 2:

level. Never, ever give up. You got to really dissect that statement because if you're looking at it from a personal basis, we all have room to grow. Jeff Bezos still has room to grow. Everybody knows that name. Founder X, y and Z still have room to grow. I have a lot of room to grow.

Speaker 2:

I spent a good percentage or portion of my life going the wrong direction. It's one of those things where you focus on the wrong things. I made a ton of money and that didn't solve whatever was going on with me. I'm almost on a quest. I'm like God. My gift to the world, my gift to the world, to my self-respect, my gift to the people around me and my family and my loved ones, is I got more to give in life than what I'm doing and have been doing for a really long time. Resilience to me is that statement. If you apply that to a business, sometimes you just got to okay, take stock, go cry about it, give yourself two weeks and then get back on the horse and try something else. I've learned all that the hard way, but I never, ever give up. That's resilience to me. I got gray hair. Now I'm still chucking along like I'm a teenager. Man, I'm out there, right. Yeah, that's it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think that's great advice for people as well, because, as I said earlier, people, especially the Stainazer I've done this for 12 months, I've not done anything, I've not achieved anything and they get a quit. And this is where Brenda, my friend, yeah, he wrote a book called Three Feet from Gold. His name was Dr Greg Reed and he's a phenomenal human being, but it tells a story about people quitting just before they have a defined success. And people do it all the time but they don't realize that they could be just one phone call away. They could be just one message away, one email away or one conversation. Brasile Bronson says it you're one funnel away. And it's building that resilience and that knowledge connecting with the right people at the right times. Don't ever give up. So I love that message.

Speaker 2:

Thanks. I just want to comment on that because it goes into the heart of when I'm working with my clients, whether it's in an advisory capacity or they're my paying clients, or whatever case may be. I'm very selective because I try and put them through the ringer. Is this person going to be able to grow? Because if you're stuck at 12 months and you're thinking about walking away, everybody and Bill Gates said this everybody needs an advisor, everybody that will. There's no BS, it's straight talk. They're here to benefit you and everybody needs an advisor.

Speaker 2:

And my thing to that person that's been there for 12 months and now thinking about walking ways let somebody else in, and with a fresh pair of eyes and an unbiased opinion, someone that doesn't know your family and play with your kids, somebody that you trust and somebody that's done it, meaning they've got background to support whatever they say. Because a lot of times we're just it's just tunnel vision. You go down a lane and you don't realize and then you blink and it's 12 months later and you've been doing the same thing over and over and it's amazing how one person can walk in and go oh yeah, turn left, not right, and then all of a sudden your world changes. It doesn't mean that tomorrow that 12 months just became successful because you went left and said right, it means you got another 12 months and 24 months and 36 months.

Speaker 2:

This stuff ain't easy, man, and a lot of us know that, that it's a grind, but if you've got a strong vision and can and some resilience and believe what you do, you know what I'm going to quote Jeff Bezos and I'm going to paraphrase because I don't remember the exact thing, but he basically said you know, being an entrepreneur is about having a vision, and when nobody else gets you, nobody else gets it. Nobody else understands it, but at your core you believe in that vision and nobody gets it. Yet your mom doesn't get it, your family doesn't, your wife, your friends, whatever. But you've got a vision that you can bring about impact and change, and so you set out on a course to do it. We all need friends that if you're not on your own and you're just or you're just not listening, right Because you put all, that's a problem. That's another kind of distinction. Anyways, I digress. These are some really cool topics that we're talking about.

Speaker 1:

I'm very passionate about Now, I mean, joe is well-gazing. This is why I like these conversations, because they also show your passion and also is giving a positive message to the audience. So if you're listening to this now and you're like holy shit, this is me, pause it, go and get a pen, paper and text some notes, because there's people out here that have done it. We're not where we wanna be by any stretch of imagination, but we have gone through failures, we've gone through setbacks, we've gone through so many challenges within our business life and our personal lives, but we're still here, we're still going, and that's one of the most defining aspects of an entrepreneur in these days. We have courage, we have resilience, but we also have a mission and we have an internal drive that is beyond any reasoning or logical thought, and that drive mainly is to serve other people, and there's many forms of that.

Speaker 1:

Some people call them lightworkers, some people call them the new age, shorter and whatever you wanna call these entrepreneurs. Coming up now, this sounds like you and you have a calling. Share this message because it will, I guarantee you, change somebody else's life, and that's worth doing. You mentioned earlier it became impossible.

Speaker 2:

What was the?

Speaker 1:

definition of you're impossible. And when did you defy the odds and prove the doubters are wrong?

Speaker 2:

I'm trying to think when I said impossible. Holy crap man turning things around.

Speaker 1:

Just give us one story where you were like, oh my God, I'm done and this is what we're gonna do.

Speaker 2:

I think that was in another conversation. Oh well, I know, I get it. That was overcoming a long life of living a certain way alcoholism for me, and so now it's been 15 years. But once I came to terms with it, that was as an individual. You look at it and go man, this is gonna be impossible.

Speaker 2:

I always saw myself as having this ability to do these things, or I can, I'm gonna be able to do this, I can do that, and it's a different world when I don't wanna harp on it. But it is one of those things where you're running from something which feeds addiction. So it's time for the facing life on life's terms things. I thought it was impossible but I went. This is a good story. I was in Las Vegas and I was down there with at the time, a really good friend of mine and she said to me she's, you're just. When you get like this, you're just this, you're evil, you're a different person Like you, even look different, you're dead. But this and that and I think that wasn't the that was the kicker for me, because it was just blah, blah, blah. And I just changed my flight and came home the next day and went and talked with some people and I set on a new path Leading up to that day. That was impossible, that was never gonna happen, and so I went down a path and it was really freaking hard. We were talking about relearn life and go back into the corporate world, and that's a whole other podcast, brother. That's a good story, but it's. It's a little sad. But talk about overcoming the impossible.

Speaker 2:

I completely changed my trajectory and my health and my life and I did it on with a decision that something's gotta change and that's it. And so I can do little micro things on it. I can do micro things like that. Ever since then that I'm, I did a course correction. Right, okay, this ain't working, because I have a knack for saying, okay, try it, then try it. Got beat up, this ain't working, what's wrong? So I asked somebody, I do the research, I look it up, I come up and I get different opinions and I get different this. But at the end of the day, we're all responsible for ourselves. So what action do I take, left or right?

Speaker 1:

But at a deeper level, you chose to become another form of a person. It gives that realization of I'm not the same person when I'm an alcoholic, I'm abusive, I'm angry, I'm violent, whatever that cause was. You heard it from that person and that set you on a different pathway. That was enough to jolt you to go holy crap, need to change and it's not become maybe.

Speaker 1:

I'll do it, maybe I won't. It's I'm going home and doing it now. That takes courage and it takes resilience to go through. I get it. I'm an extra drinker and a drug addict, so I know that the process is involved, with that change and the identity shift and how to achieve it. But it's much more than that. It's celebrating the wins. It's celebrating you again, or learning to celebrate you again, cause when you're in these places, you forget how powerful you are as a human, you forget to laugh, you forget to have fun and all of that. But when you come out, would you say, you start nurturing yourself again and building that resilience, leadership that you have in your life today. Would you say it was the case for you.

Speaker 2:

What I say. It's the case for me. Yeah, oh, absolutely. Yes, I was just thinking there too, and you and I had a we've talked before and I remember something that you had said too and on this same topic is looking at it and this is a message for everybody to celebrate the small things. Right, I got up this morning, I made my bed, I brushed my teeth and I went and I did this thing and I stuck to the routine. I said I was gonna do you don't give yourself $1,000 bonus because you did that. That's a little tiny thing that you do.

Speaker 2:

But when you have an accomplishment, when you've been struggling, you've been grinding, and you close that first deal, right, everybody knows that first dollar is the hardest dollar as an entrepreneur you're ever gonna make. Mm-hmm, nobody believes you, nobody does it. But celebrate it, celebrate with people you love, or just celebrate it. And then the next one and the next one, because there's all these milestones. But if we don't stop, take a breath in between those milestones, because the grind is what really gets us and if we're not able to To laugh and to celebrate, what's the freaking point, man? And I say that after about two years of not celebrating anything. Not doing anything, not going anywhere, just Grinding to the point that the grind is what was killing my business and celebrate the stuff right, but it's remembering to as well.

Speaker 2:

That's a problem, right? Is you got a? I don't know. However you deal with, however you organize your life, try to fit that in there. I don't know set it. Tell Siri on your hey in six months, do a review and remind yourself to smile, whatever you got to do it right. Luckily, I've got a good Companion and people around me. That to my partner in life and she reminds me from time to time. Hey, are we gonna smile or we're gonna celebrate this? We just did this, it's right, it's it's hard right.

Speaker 1:

So it's good to have these people in your life and you, if you, you're very lucky if you have that person who can really step up to the plate when you like, my god, really, we're doing this. That person just there to smack, get a grip of yourself, we're doing this and you're gonna be okay. Yeah, I always like to ask this question because I think it's very important. Can you share five tips with the audience who maybe listen to this going? Okay, what are these things? Five tips of resilience that you've learned over the years that you still try and apply Every day in your life?

Speaker 2:

five. Sure, I'm more than five, so you got to keep me on track here. The first one is for me, and I know that this works for most people and some of this is gonna sound corny, but do it. Just try it for a month. Wake up early. Wake up early and Find and build a routine. That's you time right.

Speaker 2:

Ten years ago I started getting up early. I'm gonna say early, I mean I get up why? Because I just have this time around me. I incorporate breathing, I make sure I take a shower, these. I know this is more than five points, but part of that is Wake up early.

Speaker 2:

The number one. Number two build a routine. I, to be honest, I've fallen out of my routine Recently. Let us shake up over here. We're saying but now I'm getting back into it and the whole world changes when you just get up in the morning and you have a routine. Okay, let's say that's two. Number three Block time on your calendar and don't give an inch.

Speaker 2:

What I do is I pray. And so if you were to look at my calendar right now, I have an hour and 15 minutes every lunch, every day of the week, and I have my calendar blocked. Nobody can book time on my calendar from 5 am to 9 and from noon to 1 15, and You'll find, if you try, that the minute you let somebody in that door it's like anything else, you're screwed. And then you got to work really hard, mentally, internally, to get back to it. I'd say number four, and I just Came across this a year ago. I'm gonna give a little secret I I'd like to go Google Bruce Lee quotes and I have a ton of them saved. But instead of going and finding where I say every like once a week or school, bruce Lee quotes and I'll go start looking, because there's hundreds of them, holy crap, you talk about a philosopher. Go look and you'll find immediately. You'll find One right in front of you that relates to what you're doing Right there. The next one is about a year ago.

Speaker 2:

I came across this searching for a Bruce Lee quote, and how it showed up I don't know, but it was a quote by Steve Jobs and it said the definition of an entrepreneur is saying no 1,000 times or to 1,000 things, whatever it was. That was a game changer for me. Really. My trajectory changed after Absorbing that and realizing that, because that's what it's all about if you're just starting out and even if you're rocking and rolling, it's say no, make no the default and then figure out why you need to say yes to something. But saying no to 1,000 things, I love to let myself get distracted. What's killing a startup is the founder, or the founders. They like to get distracted because it's easier than facing what you really need to do to keep the grind going. But I think was that four or was that five? But it was. But I think that statement was a game changer for me. It brought me to another level in my trajectory about a year ago because it just made so much sense.

Speaker 2:

I'm saying yes, they're from the leader in the CEO. I got to do this, I got to go solve that. No, you don't know, you don't. You have to run the company and you have to make sure that you're doing what you know. Go, look at your vision, look at your strategy. If you don't have either, you better get one and then take it serious. And then the only way to do that is to say no to a thousand things. I yeah, because everything else can wait other than those things that are most important.

Speaker 2:

If you get up early in the morning and you set a routine. Take some time for yourself. If you say no to a thousand things while you're saying no, have a plan that you can look at once a week. Just a little plan. Go get a free Trello account or something and just make a little. Where am I in 12 months? Where am I in three months? Where am I at the end of this week? What am I doing today?

Speaker 2:

It really it's a game changer, just that thing. You can get a free account. Go look at it. I'm telling you when you look at that every morning, because you got up early, you took time for yourself. Maybe you're breathing, maybe you're meditating, you're remembering that here's my role in this world, in my personal life, in my professional life. Oh, and look, I've got this calendar of things. This is what I told myself I was going to do this week, which aligns to what's due this month, which aligns to what gets me to the next 90 days, which aligns to the end of the year and then aligns to five years. If you can put that together, get it done and build your own little routine around those things. In summary, get your head straight on why you're here and what you're doing and take time for yourself, otherwise the whole thing unravels. And then it's the grind and you're walking away.

Speaker 1:

That's great advice for somebody who's just starting out and is overwhelmed and lost inspiration and motivation to do what they want to do. If there was somebody you could have a lunch with or sit on a park bench, whether it was past or present, is there anybody who comes to the wedding? And you were smiling already. Who would it be?

Speaker 2:

I'm going to rack my brain If I say the, because now I'm drawn a blank, but I don't know why. This isn't the person that I would ever think I would say this, but I would sit down with Warren Buffett. You know why? Because he's the guy. I read this story. This was 20 years ago. This story where he's in his office, he's talking with one of his executives, he drops a dime and this man is on the floor on the hands and knees looking for that bloody dime. He's the guy that gave his fortune away to charity and he told his kids you're getting nothing from me.

Speaker 2:

I want to talk to that man, not about oh, I want to. I don't want to interview him, I just want to say how's your day going? And have a conversation, because he really is a game changer, a societal, a global game changer, right or wrong, big money, little money, whatever. The guy's a genius and he's still looking for that, because that dime is the interest on a dollar for a year. If you play it, that's the guy's worth billions. He's still worth billions. I want to talk to that man Now. When I get off this call, I'm going to go damn. I should have said this, but you know what? I would love to just have lunch with Warren Buffett. That would be cool, that would be cool.

Speaker 1:

I'd like to have lunch with him as well. So, yeah, there's something to go on there. Is there anything, before we go, that you would like to share with your audience? A call to action where to find you? How does it hold a view of their wish?

Speaker 2:

Just that in a world of noise. You see all the stats on like, how many marketing things do we see a day, because of technology and all this stuff, in my world when I work with startups and I work with startups from you got 50,000 monthly recurring revenue up to you've got a good couple of million monthly recurring revenue I interject and I've got different roles I play in there. I just lost that train of thought because I went down that rabbit hole of this. So what did I want to say In a world where all you're hearing about the biggest buzzword that annoys me is growth. We've written this growth and nine times out of 10 people associated with some form of marketing, and I came to the realization a couple of years ago and that's why I started brilliantly that growth is so much more than marketing. There are so many pieces that have to come together. If you have your shit together and you understand that, you'll know exactly what I'm saying. But if you don't, what do you mean? Growth is so much more than marketing. Tell me and ask me about, because that's why I started this company and that's why we're a firm of fractional chief growth officers, if I, unless I'm just wrong, I believe we're the first firm ever of fractional chief growth. We're not CMOs by a long shot. Chief growth officers are different breed. We have multiple domains of expertise where T shaped, we look at the world differently and we know how to grow. So the point is I started brilliantly, done it's brilliantly.

Speaker 2:

Sascom and I brought on a partner about six months ago that's highly skilled. We focus on financial services technology companies that's InsureTech, fintech, and even if you're not any of those and you're just getting started out, I love meeting new people and having conversations just for the hell of it. Maybe I can help you, maybe you can help me, I don't know, but just reach out and that's it. So growth is so much more than marketing. So let's talk about it and see where you are. If I can't help you, I bet I know someone that can.

Speaker 1:

Jason, thank you very much for your time, love and also what you do in the world For everybody out there. The links will be in the bio. Go and check them out. I really encourage you to reach out to Jason and at least have a conversation with him. He's a very heart-setter guy and he knows what he's talking about within his business. So thank you.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, Baz. I appreciate the opportunity and the very thoughtful questions. Thanks for letting me express myself. It's been a pleasure. It's been a pleasure to be here, everybody else.

Speaker 1:

Thank you very much for watching or listening. Please share this message. It's free and, if you wish, please subscribe. It helps me impact more people by yourself. I'm your host, baz Porter. This was Jason Bennett. Let's have some fun and I'll see you next time. My friends, be happy, have a blessed day and stay safe and well.

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