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Welcome to another episode of Never Been Promoted. I'm here. We are here to unleash your entrepreneur. And if this is your first time, you know, listening or or watching the show here, thank you for popping in. You're gonna learn a little bit about entrepreneurship. And my goal, for anyone listening, even if it's your first time of, or the second time or more, I want you to try to find one thing from today's conversation that you can learn from. And that might be one thing for you and somebody else might learn something else. But if you can learn one thing from any conversation, it's called micro mentoring. And I want you to do this. If you do this, you'll get better at entrepreneurship. And the more times that you can learn something, even small fragments, you're taking 1% towards being better at entrepreneurship in life. And, you know, our mission, I've said it lots of times, is to help a 1000000 entrepreneurs get started, get unstuck, or just get better at entrepreneurship in life. And today we're going to do that with Rich Cruz, who is the cofounder, of WorkBalance Consulting. They're, you know, organizational change, helping you kind of navigate as your company grows, what what to do and make a better work environment. So let's meet our guests, Rich. Rich, how are you? I'm well. Thanks, Thomas. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. I appreciate you coming on today. I just want you to know specifically. I took a shower and comb my hair just for this episode. I don't normally do that. I usually just kind of half ass it. Today, I decided to step up my game. Well, thank you. I wish I could say the same. We didn't do that for you. You know, you're in HR. I feel like compelled to look my best when I get called in the office. That's awesome. That's awesome. I gotta ask you, though. How many dead points do I get for, like, being on here? Correct. So everybody, you know, if this is your kind of first time here, I award dad points randomly. Not every show, by the way. That way it makes it interesting. You will get 50 dad points for just attending. You lose 10 because you showed up late, and then you can win another 100 if it's a great episode. Okay? So Wow. I may I may waive the 10p if 1010, 1010 point v if you no. I'm just kidding. Dad points are, for those who don't know. And if you're a dad, you just just nod your head. You can take a sip of coffee and just look off into the distance and be like, I know what he's talking about. Dad points are are are fictitious or rewards that dads give children and other people in their lives that they can't spend anywhere. It just says good job. It's our it's our Gen z way of saying good job. So there you go. Thank you. There you go. Rich, you wanna set up your, your backstory a little bit and talk about, you know you know, you a little bit and how you got to becoming a co-founder?
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Yeah. Sure. So here's the deal. I, I had no aspirations of being a business person at all in my earlier years. I wanted to be an animator. That was my whole thing. I went to the place where fun goes to die for college. I went to University of Chicago, which is not where anybody goes for art, but I went there because I had a scholarship. And, you know, so I studied art there and realized that I didn't know where to go to be in animation, but I figured out how I can get into commercial art. That led into a 23 year, stint of marketing since 2,001. And, in 2019, I kinda was like, is marketing the only thing that I'm good at? And is that really where I wanna be? So I decided to get some career counseling, not career coaching, but some counseling to figure out, you know, what's my trajectory? Where do I wanna go? And then, I validated that against some aptitude tests and realized I really like working with people. I like solving problems. So I really started exploring, you know, consulting more. And I've been doing consulting since 2005 after getting my MBA. But I really was like, I think this is what I'm called to do, you know. So I, but I really like solving people problems. So I went back to Purdue, studied industrial organizational psychology. And, one of my, one of my fellow colleagues from Purdue, Cheryl Volpe, and I said, hey. You know what? We could do this. Like, everything we're learning here, she was in operations in the entertainment industry. I've been in an executive for years and also running my own part time consulting company. So we got together and we started WorkBalance Consulting last year, which is really, you know, it's it's organization development and change leadership. I have a couple of questions about your journey. 1,
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how much tagging did you do in Chicago with spray paint?
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Oh, 0. But I have, I have done a lot of cleaning tagging on my parents' garage.
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It sounds like you grew up in a very nice neighborhood. It was good. It was alright. We played hockey. I used to commercial art. I assume that means taking spray paint and just spraying it on the windows of commercial buildings. Maybe Isn't that commercial art?
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Hey. I have done murals. I did I actually that was not my first it wasn't my first paycheck, but it was one of my earlier ones, you know, where I used to do murals. Right.
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Fun stuff. Was was the garage door incident related to something you did? Like, was it retaliation? Oh. Oh, no. No. No. Like an art gang fight or something cool? No.
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Total random. And, no. This is we don't,
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we we didn't have a rumble in the in the alley. You didn't? Okay. The other question I have is your poor choices of university. Purdue was is not a good choice. Someone with Indiana University and could not have probably gotten into Purdue, to be fair. I just can't accept that as a good choice in your life. Anybody with IU knows this is fact. Anybody with the Purdue also knows this is fact. But you stick with the choices you make in life.
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I am stuck with it. You did. That's right.
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So you came to our school for fun. That's all I know. Shame. I got my daily dose of shame, and, I think you I think I deserve an extra 20 dead. You you may you just lost a 100. So you're you're a 150 in the hole now. I'm taking away the 50. It's all gone. You went to Purdue. If you guys don't know this in the world, IU, Indiana University and Purdue are only about 2 hours apart, maybe 100 hour and a half if you kind put the floor down. We don't like each other. So it's out of the way. We do and we don't. Right? But anyway, I have to get a little bit the listener. Okay. So you you you made a big decision. So, you went you went back to school with not the intent of coming out as an entrepreneur. You you said, I just want to retrain, retool, rethink something that interests me, which is which is an indicator that you just weren't fulfilled. I mean, happy is the wrong word. Fulfilled in an industry that you were already an executive in. So I think a lot of people do is they hit a certain level because they're smart and they're capable and they're like, it doesn't I don't want to do this my whole life. And you decided to go another route. And on that route, opportunistic, you met somebody that you thought you could work with. You had some shared vision. There's some divisions of labor that you could both do. I'm assuming all these things. And and you said, let's try it. You're nailing. Is is that kind of how that went? Yeah. So so were you did either you guys have spouses, partners in your lives where you're like, how to explain that one to them that, hey. By the way. Well, this isn't my first entrepreneurial journey. You still got to explain it, though. You still got, like, by the way, I know the first one was whatever it was, but we're going to do it again.
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Yeah. We're gonna do it again. And that was that was tough. That it was a it was a tough sell. You know? Honestly, the first one, that was during that pesky old recession. You remember that thing back in 2008, 2009? Yeah. Yeah. I think it was a bartender at one point. I'm kidding. Okay. That's great. Well, you know, we, we lost we lost the house. We lost the cars. We went, you know, bankrupt. It was it was not a fun thing, but my wife stuck with me. And it was, you know, coming into this, it was a lot of soul searching, The 2 of us really talking things out. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, we're sitting on the couch mapping out what does this journey look like, you know. So, I'm trying to make sure that that, my wife, Lisa, we, you know, we she's she's allowed me to stay with her for, well, this will be 24 years on April Fools' Day.
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Congratulations. Thank you very much. So wait. So to be fair, just do you have to do, like, the 411 distress if she's on the other end of the camera right now with a gun? She because you're saying some very nice things about your wife. I must make sure you're not under under duress at any point. I am I am not. You're looking off camera a little bit, though. School. And I'm I'm I'm I'm hoping that I'm getting some points. Is there a is there a Nest camera? Are you being observed? Just kidding. So you did something with your wife that, I will tell you that I probably should have done. And any entrepreneur, here's a reflection point. Map out some plan that you have, even if your partner or spouse or whatever doesn't understand it fully because it's but if you map it out, it's a good exercise for you for just checking logic with somebody who doesn't maybe get your business or know it fully. But then you have someone who's very much so impacted feeling included into the into the plan and decisions. So if shit comes along, good or bad, you can they kind of have an idea and they're not so blindsided by it. And I think what you did there, it's hard to do because you don't have the answers and you have an inquisitive spouse and a trauma that's happened before. You're going to get a lot of questions you're not going to answer, but it's better than avoiding them. And I think I think good for you for doing that because I personally should have done that and did not. That's a miss. I didn't share enough because I didn't have the answers. I just know it wasn't where I was. Wasn't where you were. Yeah, that's right. Especially if you like listening. So you might be an executive out there. I was making a lot of money, you know, north of a half a 1000000 at the point, and it was like, I'm going to nothing. That's a hard conversation too. Why don't you just get another job? And I'm like, yeah. I'm not sure I really want to work for anyone anymore. And they're like, what? And you're like, what are you what are you doing? Right in the top. And and that, you know, and it didn't quite happen so fast, but in my mind, I'm just doing whatever job till I can figure out my own thing. And that's that's how it happened. So I didn't I didn't work through that. So I really mean that as a as a point of reflection. Share with those around you some things you're doing. It's going to include them. It's going to make your life a little easier and better, And don't wait for a blowout to make that the thing to do. So good good on you, Rich, for doing that. Take me to the next steps. 1st customer. How'd you get it?
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1st
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okay. 1st customer in this business or 1st customer in this business? Yeah. In the new business. So you've gone back to school. You're on this journey. You roped your wife in early, which is good. You have a partner. How did you guys find the first customer?
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Yeah. So first customer, like a true, like, OD project right now is actually a customer that I had as a so, historically, I've been doing marketing consulting. Right? So Greater Chicago Consulting is actually my firm, and then I doing business as workbalance consulting. My first WorkBalance Consulting client is a legal firm. So she's I actually built her website, marketing and and and that type of thing. And when she found out that I'm doing this stuff, she says, oh, I put this new piece of software into our into our office. It's, like, specifically legal software. Right? It's like it's like, their their workflow. And I'm like, this looks really familiar. Like, it it's a CRM. It's a project management software. I've done this before. I can help with that. So, you know, we we we we talked it through. I met the staff, did a did a lot of I'm still working with them right now, actually, on this. We're doing some more training tomorrow. But it's it's it's a great it's a it's a great piece for us to be doing because it's really entails how the organization is, set up, what their workflows are, how everybody thinks, and then how that software plays into the organizational goals. And, and we really need full adoption of it, you know, for everybody to work together and we're getting there. You know? So it's a it's a really good it's a really cool Yeah. Well, congrats. And I think what you're,
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you drew upon your network. And so I think I think the thing to pull from that too is you were in a different industry and came back to it because you had built trust and some credibility. And and I think wherever you are in your journey, if you're not doing this already, take the time to build the network and build trust. Because if you specifically shift industries or offerings, people know you and know how you worked and operated. And if you can come to them with a different angle, they'll make the right connections for you because they'll be like, hey, this guy was great when we worked with him. He's kind of moved over to this. That in that endorsement, which what I call instantly relevant, right, that's where you become relevant to that person right away and they can kind of clear the pathways for you and then you got to just go rinse and repeat with it. Now, for an organization that you're working with, for you guys, just maybe set up who's typically an ideal kind of organization or buyer, if you will?
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Yeah. I mean, so it would be some, an organization that has a team. Right? So, you know, something that that's like at least, you know, a dozen people to a 150, 200 or so. You know, I've always historically worked for whether I'm whether I'm an executive or whether I'm a consultant. Right? I've worked for primarily privately owned businesses or companies that serve privately owned businesses. Right? So those companies that are, like, in the, you know, 10 to 200,000,000 or so, and, like, industries such as manufacturing, retail, some distribution, and, industrial professional services. I guess, you know, as I as I reflect, like, I've worked in, like, 30 different industries in my career. So, but I'm not I'm not agnostic to it. Like, I there there are some that I really click with very well, and some that, you know, I'd I'd rather not do, frankly. But, you know, if it if it involves a business owner with, you know, aspirations for selling or merging merging or, you know, exiting by giving it to, you know, a family member afterwards. You know, something like that, that that tends to be a pretty sweet spot for me, if that makes sense. Yeah. It does.
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So so no wherever where you are on your journey, right, you're gonna have to think about your organizational design, you know, if you can. So, for example, mine is more it's virtual outside of my my co-founder's CTO who who I've known before starting and lives locally with me here in Atlanta. I've never actually met any one of my people who I've been working with for 3 years at once in person. So I have a completely virtualized organization. Now compare that to maybe a company that's mature, has offices, multiple locations, people show up, whatever. What advice do you give from the organizational design that that kind of can transcend my type of org that's on a different path maybe to one that's already there? So what's what's the some of the great notions and ideas that you see are are, like, just must haves?
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Well, I mean, I think one of the most important things is is to have, you know, a a communication system and a culture where, you have open communication. I mean, I think that transcends everybody, every organization. Right? And so, you know, one of my favorite one of my favorite things that I go I come in and and and help with is is try to make sure that we have some kind of accountability structure, and and some kind of software that does it, like, you know, project management software type of deal. Right? Because that keeps everybody on in touch and on board. So when you have, the ability to do that, whether you're in office together or when or whether you're, you know, external, and and, you know, in in a remote situation. It's it's all about, you know, making sure that that the communication is there. Right? And I really think that, you know, leveraging our in person relationships, this face to face conversation, and then, like, video conferencing and stuff like that, that's like, those are 2 of the richest forms of communication because we have body language. We have, you know, the the the audio, and we have the visual part of it. So we there's this connectedness. I think that's super important. I really when I'm when I'm on with a client, I really am like, can we please turn the the the the camera on? If not, I'll come over to the office because what what what, one way or another, I wanna see, you know, who you are and what you know, what's going on. Am I making you uncomfortable or or whatever?
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You know? So I think that's super important. Yeah. Give me give me one of your kind of success cases. You know, so how did the company come in? How did you help?
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Well, let's see. I think, you know, one of the one of the most successful things that I've done is, helped with one of my clients putting in a learning management system. That was like that's like an internal training system for them. They were in the manufacturing space. So I had been working with them as a marketing person, you know, for for the last few years. Right? And then they wanted to put this thing in. And because they know how to build websites, we put together this online LMS. But it, it turned into a collaboration. Like, how am I gonna work with that team, the the team that's creating the content, and then myself who's putting this all all this stuff together. Right? So I was facilitating the discussions back and forth, setting up some of those meetings so that we had, you know, that open communication. Ultimately, we we came up with something that not only the company is still using today and and and it's and it's growing, but they've replicated across some of the other divisions of the organization. So that that I think that was another.
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What do you think your biggest lesson and compare the first one, you know, the the first entrepreneurial path to the second one. What are kind of, you know, oh my gods, moments, never again, that kind of stuff.
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Yeah. I'll never again debt finance my business.
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Now what does that mean? Explain what that means. Yep.
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Well, I started this business. I started I owned a signed company in 2006. Right? I bought, it was a business opportunity and, I took out an SBA loan against the house and everything else, you know. So, if you, you know, the SBA is not like like a they're they're not the primary guarantor on it. You are. Right? They're they just back it up. And so I the the debt service and all that stuff, I was I jumped into it too big. I think, first of all, I would not that's, you know, that finance a company if I don't have to. So, and then second, along with that, start small and grow incrementally. You know? I'm not saying that, you know, go into it, timidly because you do have to have you have to have some fortitude to to keep going. But, I think starting small and and building on those wins is probably a better strategy. I wish I would have done that. Like, instead of owning the storefront over there, maybe I started it at the house, got some clients and then moved in or even if I started it in a, I was, I was just so impetuous. I got into there and even the business model of that, of that business opportunity to change where you can go into an industrial park and your rent is, you know, a third of what you would pay for a storefront. You know, that triple net will kill you. So I, you know, that
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you you you learn these lessons as you go along, but I let's start small. Yeah. A big one. And I agree with you. So if you're gonna take investment that doesn't have a debt service, I think that's fine. And I don't say it because that's what we did, but I was okay with that. It's still you know, it's people you kinda know and, you know, you feel responsible to, and it feels like a debt, but I don't have to pay it every month. It's if I'm successful in exit, they're gonna win. And if I don't, that was their investment. And sorry, we all lost. Right? Yeah. I have completely I agree with you. I'm not a big fan of taking SBA loans unless you're buying maybe a model that can show the debt service with a, like a franchise that says, hey, good or bad, you know, your debt service will be covered and you should have some remainder. So, but it but it's relentless. Right? So it's a it's a constant punch every month until it's gone. And so unless you have some independent wealth where you're like, hey, do the debt service this and have enough capital operating to just leave it there, but then I'd be like, why not finance it with your money? Because you're it's gonna you're gonna pay for it one way or the other if it fails. Right? So Yeah. Yeah. Yep. 100% agree with that. On your second one, you started small. You kept it virtual. Right? And you you you landed a customer and then landed a couple more. And did you guys ever actually have you grown to offices, or how are you keeping it virtual? What's the current model that you said I'm gonna do then? It's yep. It's it's currently it's completely virtual. And, basically, I'm the I'm the
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Chicagoland contingent here, and and Cheryl is over in in Pennsylvania. So she she operates out there. Basically, I've got my own my own s corp, and she has her own LLC, I think it is. And, you know, so we work in collaboration on these projects under the umbrella of WorkBalance Consulting. And, you know, I'm really focused on the market here, and she's on the focus of the market over there, if that makes sense. That works nicely.
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And that's like almost like a that's true partner model where you guys are kind of pooling resources for marketing and that way you can bring other people in at some point and say, you know, a cut of what you make comes in, we should we we pull it and share it out and, yep, a lot of trust in that. What do you think is your biggest, entrepreneurial trait for you. Like, what do you think the best one is that you what's the best one for you or what do you think the best one is for an entrepreneur to really develop? Okay. Yeah. For me, I'm still working on this. But, you know, for for an entrepreneur, I think
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I think, adaptability is probably, probably the big the biggie there, you know. I mean, you gotta you you have to be able to look at the data and decide, hey. Look. I think we need to I need we need to change this up. So I there we go. Change. Right? Or the only constant out there is change. But, I think that you have to be you have to be adaptable and and, you know, with with market the market changes, people's attitudes change, technology changes.
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You need to be flexible. Yeah. Well, if you have the ability to and let me kind of clarify that. I think you have to be adaptability, not clarify. Let me just give you my take on it because I want to narrow that in because adaptability doesn't mean when the excitement of your new business turns to it's getting hard and now it's like, wow, this is really hard because you don't adapt and quit or you don't adapt to something else. It just gets you the new the new high of starting something new. It's it's knowing that you're fighting through it. You're seeing it's hard. You're seeing traction. You're repivoting functions of it. You're not abandoning it. Like, it's like there's traction, but you just know you got to focus more on one thing or do these things. That's the adaptability where that creates opportunity. And the example I show by my own is like we've done this instantly relevant from being we wanted to be a, you know, a SaaS type of company and saw that, you know, the GPT OpenAI space is moving so fast. It's like, hey, let's move to services because people need more of those around this right now and some other things with and it doesn't make sense to invest. And so we pivoted fully there. Then we've evolved since then to be more aligned to what services are our niche can do. Now, the opportunities it's created are things like Never Been Promoted Podcasts and Cut the Tie Community. Those are all also adapting to additional opportunities that further support a brand. I think of it as a triangle. Like, you have kind of 3 things working together, but at no point am I abandoning and reshifting. And that's not what adaptability. Some people take that that idea of like, oh, I see a pivot something new that's not working. Yes, sometimes. But most of the time, you just got to focus in, really do the work and find the niche or you're part of the niche or whatever market segment you've been in. And if you guys experience that, we're like, do we do something completely different or we just focus completely into one area to kind of niche it down so I can continually win customers with this problem in this industry? Or or how do you guys approach that that long winded speech? I just gave
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Yeah. Well, I mean, that that I mean, that's that's that's resilience. Right? I mean, that that that's that is, you know, it's where you're you're sticking with it because, you know, you're on the right track. But, you you know, sometimes you you you hit those bumps in the road and you you just gotta you just gotta, overcome those and and keep going. You know? So, it's that's that's the trait that I'm I'm still working on on that adaptability side is is the resilience part because, you know,
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I lost it all and you just gotta keep moving. You know? So, that's that's that's super important. You know, it's interesting. Right? But if you don't lose it all, you're not where you are now. And so the opportunity ahead of you might be greater and better lifestyle or better opportunity for earning. You didn't want to be through that, but that pain will, you know, will always be there. Right? And you'll you'll learn from it because then when you get to our you'll enjoy where you're going much more now for sure. And the fact that you're gonna get to 24 years of marriage by itself with a perfect environment is amazing. Let's just go with that. But, you know, you've you've had a you've had a couple fallout holes that you guys have navigated. So congratulations to you on that. Yep. We've rebuilt. That's great. Yeah. It's good for you. The the I always like to ask this question. What's a question I should have asked you about your journey or about your kind of your current entrepreneurial endeavor that I didn't?
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So maybe what would be a question that you could have asked me? Why did you maybe maybe the silly question is why did you, why did you think that you were gonna make a career in art?
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You know what? Because I would not ask that question. I wouldn't because it's a shame that that that truly god given a higher power given talent is given to some that you start off at a level that that 99% of the world can't even train to. And this is like someone who can sing naturally. This is like someone who can just pick up a guitar and play it right. Like artists are born with something, and if they have the ability to develop it, it's so tragic. It's tragic art that you don't have an avenue to truly make a living. Like, it's clear. Like, there's such a few people who can do it. How is that not a highly sought after? Like, oh, my gosh, I have an artist on my team. Like, I mean, it's to me, it's just disgustingly, like, horrible that there's such a gift of beauty that's not somehow commercialized. I think it's it may change over time. But, like, so so I understand because when you're in that age, like, I have a gift, and it makes me happy and it gives me confidence and then because you're still you know, you got parents and, you know, bills. But, man, that that quickly becomes like, well, that's a nice gift. That's almost a curse. So I'm gonna keep moving. So I understand it why you did. I just at the same time, I'm like, it's I'm just I don't know. I know what's kinda internally, totally traumatized, like, from, like like, how I see that. Like, oh my gosh. It seems like such a waste.
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Yeah. But here's like, so I my my my wife's a music teacher. Her two sisters are art teachers. I went to school with one of them, and, you know, all my kids are are, one is an actor. The other one's a musician. Actually, they're all musicians, but he's really into jazz and the other one is is a graphic artist, like, crazy good, you know, 16 year old. Just great. Anyway
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No one says that about their 16 year old. So good. Good for
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you. Well, you know, my my actually, my first my first business plan was not the sign company. My first business plan was actually developing, like, a career center for for creatives. That's really that was the the whole thing because it was like, you you all have these these really great talents. You can problem solve. You practice. I mean, like, you're diligent. You know, the the more more focused people I haven't met other than creatives. Right? So how can you develop some business acumen, you know, to make it? You know? And and and I still think that there there's there's there's an untapped market there, you know. So, you know, employers out there find it creative.
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Well, I'll tell you what. It it sounds like something, those those are the kind of businesses that come back. Right? So that's what your original idea was. But until you had some of the scars and experience yourself, you know, you probably can't deliver that organization as well as you could now or even 10 years from now. Yeah. And so if that's still in the back of your head as a seed, that will likely come out as a tree at some point in your in your that's and that's I like that. I mean, listen, not the autobiography, but the idea between behind this whole podcast and channel and YouTube is I truly have this passion to help entrepreneurs because it's so hard. And I really, I mean, in my soul believe we need more of them and we need less people that are working for corporations and more people creating and getting out there and learning, and and that's learning how to be their own boss. And I think That's what you're doing, man. Yeah. And I creating. Yeah. It's well, I appreciate that. You know? And who knows where it goes? You know? I'm just going and seeing who's coming
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along. The visual artifacts, the tie, the lighting,
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the the way that you present yourself. I'm I'm I'm blown away. It's it's all Listen. I'm just a little flattery. It's now my guard's up. Just want you to know that.
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Throw it right up. Look, man. I'm not selling you anything.
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So Not yet. No. Actually, speaking of selling something, pay attention. This is when he's gonna say how to get a hold of them. Rich, how do people get a hold of you, and who do you want to get a hold of you?
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Yeah. Well, what you can do is go to workbalanceconsulting.com, and, that's where you'll find more about WorkBalance Consulting, Cheryl and myself, as well as our other contributors to our blog, which is harmoniousworkplaces.com. So we started the blog with the, well, unabashed goal to be writing for some of the more popular magazines out there. And so we've invited industrial organizational psychologists and change leadership people and other contributors to to come into that. So if you can like and subscribe over at harmonious workplaces.com and find us on LinkedIn, we'd love
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that. Awesome. Thank you. You know, let let's pivot one thing to the future now. So you got I always say we're kind of time 0. You're at you're at whatever point in your life. You got some lessons learned in the past. What are you doing today to get ready for the next, you know, year, 5 years?
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Yeah. So, you know, I'm currently teaching at a local Trinity Christian College over here. And you you learn you learn through teaching. Right? And, I'm teaching marketing management, and we're literally building a business plan that's our capstone. So I've been doing that for WorkBalance. You know? So really building that that structure, making sure legally, you know, we're we're nice and solid and all that too. And, you know, it's we're I'm I'm with with my contributors, with Cheryl, we're really honing our vision for where we want to be a year out,
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3 years out, 5 years out. I don't know if I can go past that right now. But I mean, I try to do a rolling 12, and the reality is it's like a rolling 12 days. I mean Yeah. Right. Yeah. Like, that's Exactly. What can I do in the next 12 days Sure? To add a pebble? Sure. It sounds like, though, too, you're already you know, I'm hearing your I hear always hear these deeper you know, people's deeper passions are often masked. The fact they have to pay mortgages and other things. Right? And the fact that you said you wanted to do kind of the school for artists to teach in the business element so they can actually monetize their gift, I believe, is honestly a great idea. I think there are a lot of parents that would get their kids in younger with that. So, hey, listen, if you got this talent, start when you're 16. This is something kind of prework do for college. You can get through college and and or wherever it is. Right? 16 to 20 some and you haven't come in and and just just come up with a curriculum. It can be a virtual place that you're teaching. So it sounds like that actually goes down the path of learning how to teach. So I think you're setting yourself I'm hearing all the things you're indicating that you're gonna end up doing this Virtual, small, like you described, and done in parallel to what your current hustle is. And I think I've I've said this, and I think I have a video coming out pretty soon about a triangle. Entrepreneurial ADD is a real thing. Right? So, if you can get 3 things working together that are fundamentally different, your ADD will be satisfied, but they all work together to to build a really good, solid structure. And, you know, for example, mine's a marketing function that does things for people that makes money called Instantly Relevant. I have a bigger brand play and a larger give back through Never Been Promoted and the book, the podcast, the YouTube, all that stuff. And then this idea of community where I'm not in the center of it. I'm bringing people together called Cut the Tie. Those three things together allow me enough interest to bounce around, but they all work together to serve a bigger purpose, which is entrepreneurship, growth. You know, I got to live too and all the things that everyone comes between, but creating wealth for others and and opportunity. Sounds like you have it. Like, you know how to design an organization. You got real, you know, chops in entrepreneurship getting your getting your ass kicked and smacked in the face a few times and working through it. And you're learning how to teach. And I think at the center of that, you're like, I run a digital school for artists who want to learn how to become business people so they can actually monetize their world. To me, I'd blow my my daughter is an artist. She does these little Zen art things, and she just does them randomly when she's just kind of in the mood. And I always buy them from her. Right? And I've gotten them blown up, but they're so beautiful, and they're like like, she just does it, like, in 15 minutes, has this whole, like and so I buy every one of her originals just because I was like, you know, if you just recorded that and I put that to music, you have a business because people on Instagram and some people would wanna buy the originals or the one assigned print or or they're just gonna watch your videos and want to learn how to do it and you don't have to put your face and she just won't do it. I'm like, you just but if you won't listen, I'm like, you have money. You could be making it 14 right now. You could be making money doing what you do in the evenings for fun. I go, that is the most ideal job in the world.
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Yep. Yep. When you want to work I'm trying I'm trying to help my kids Right. Build websites. So, you know, my my actor, we just built his website. It's atantonioarcruz.com. I think that's what it is. But, yeah, my my little one, we're we're we're working on their website too. You know? So it's, it's, it's it's it's important for them to realize that they they can monetize those skills that they have.
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Yep. And it's just maybe different than they thought. Sometimes it's just people watching them do it, and then sometimes it might be people buying what they do or, I know there's a lot of opportunity, I think, with social media and digital world that they can do that.
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And and I made my my very first paycheck. Not really paycheck, but my very first thing I ever sold was in the 4th grade. I drew a logo for, for the, it was on a mimeograph machine, if anybody remembers those things, but it was for a letterhead. And the and the school, you know, they paid me, I don't know, $10 or whatever. But that was the best $10, man. You know? Ever. That I was Look. Ever.
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It's funny. So every time I remember the first time I get like $300 from my first company and I was working somewhere. I love that $300 so much more than my paycheck, which was way more than that. Right? And so it was like, I love that 300 just because, like, I did that. And it's such a I mean, that when you get that first one and then when you get one, it's like 10 k or you get one that's like 80 k. Like, you're like, I made that happen. And, like, they're buying into me and my idea. It's such a review leaving thing. I love it. So, listen, I know we kind of took a tangent here. I'm just conscious of time. But, Rich, thanks so much for coming on the show. Once again, how should people get ahold of you?
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Yep. Best way to get in touch with me is go to workbalanceconsulting.comorrich@workbalanceconsulting.com. You can email me there. And, also check out our blog at harmoniousworkplaces.com. And, you can connect with me on LinkedIn,
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Richard j a Cruz. That's where you'll find me. Richard j Cruz. Thank you. Thank you so much for coming on today.
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Thanks, Thomas. I appreciate it. You didn't ask me the last question.
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I'm gonna get there.
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Oh, okay. I was like, I'm I've been gearing up for this for a week. Assume you're gonna say, have you ever been promoted?
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That's right. I don't ask every time, Eric, because sometimes I just absolutely know they already have, and I'm disgusted by it. And so I'm just kidding. Yeah. Have you ever been promoted?
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I have. I'm gonna be on the outside. Yeah. I'm sorry. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But if it if it's any consolation, last time I was promoted, my boss says,
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yeah. I'm gonna promote you, but you're not getting any more money. Right. That's not really a promotion. That's a that's a title grab for the next job. You know what? Just because though you're you're never been promoted and you will be looking in the glass fogging up the windows as we're partying inside the VIP club of us not being promoted, just know your promotion was worth it.
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Well, I appreciate that.
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I don't know how to feel about this anymore. You know what? Neither do I. You've been awarded an extra 100 dad points and anybody who made it this far in the show. Thank you so much for listening. If this was your first time, I do hope it's the first of many. If you have been here before, please return. And if you got a story, reach out to us. Let's see if we can get you on the show to kind of come tell your story as well. Until we meet again, once again, this is Thomas Helfrich from the Neverman Promoter Show. I really appreciate you listening, and I hope you keep listening. Until next time, get out there. Go unleash your entrepreneur.
