Best Seller TV Interview with Ryan Crownholm, Entrepreneur and Author, "The Hustle Trap"

📚 Ryan Crownholm is a renowned entrepreneur and expert on the "hustle mentality" and its effects on success, productivity, and well-being. In this interview, we explore the eye-opening concepts and insights presented in "The Hustle Trap" and how they challenge the conventional wisdom of our fast-paced world.

🌟 In this engaging conversation, we'll discuss:

🔹 Ryan's personal journey and experiences that led him to write "The Hustle Trap."
🔹 The dangers of the hustle mentality and the toll it can take on our physical and mental health.
🔹 Strategies for achieving success and fulfillment without falling into the hustle trap.
🔹 Real-life stories and examples of individuals who have broken free from the hustle culture.
🔹 Practical tips and advice for finding balance, purpose, and success on your own terms.

Ryan Crownholm's book "The Hustle Trap" offers a fresh perspective on productivity and success that challenges the status quo. This interview is a must-watch for anyone looking to escape the hustle trap and find a more meaningful and sustainable path to success.

📖 Prepare to gain valuable insights and discover a new approach to life and work. Don't forget to like this video, subscribe to Best Seller TV, and hit the notification bell to stay updated with our enlightening interviews and book discussions.

📌 Connect with Ryan Crownholm:
Website: RyanCrownholm.com
Book: https://amzn.to/3rXiKqQ

Join us for this enlightening discussion as we unravel the complexities of the hustle culture and redefine success. Thank you for being a part of the Best Seller TV community! 🚀

#RyanCrownholm #TheHustleTrap #Entrepreneur #Author #HustleCulture #Success #Interview #Productivity #SubscribeNow #BestSellerTV

Rhett Power and Cynthia Johnson, both accomplished authors, entrepreneurs, and speakers, co-host Best Seller TV, interviewing fellow authors about their nonfiction books. With their expertise and engaging style, they create insightful and captivating conversations. Rhett's dynamic charisma and Cynthia's thoughtful approach make for a winning combination beyond mere promotion, offering viewers a deep dive into authors' minds.

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Transcript

Unknown: 0:00

Music.

Cynthia Johnson: 0:10

Hello, hello, and welcome back to bestseller TV. I am Cynthia Johnson, and I'm here with my co host,

Unknown: 0:17

Rhett power, good to be with you, Cynthia. Cynthia, Yes, you too.

Cynthia Johnson: 0:21

Rhett, and today we have a an incredible author, but I say author, second entrepreneur, serial founder. First, Ryan crown, home. Ryan is the founder of Crown capital adventures at dirt match.com, and my, my site plan.com, he's a serial founder, as in five, five startups, I believe three exits, maybe four. We can get to that in the discussion. And his book The Hustle trap, all about how the how to guide for doing less and getting more with your business. Ryan, welcome to the show. Thanks. Cynthia.

Unknown: 0:59

It's great to be here. Well, you know, I wish, I wish, I wish, Brian that I had known you way back when starting my own company, and I wish you had written this book a long time ago, because it would have really been helpful. So I'm a little annoyed now that this is out, and it helps me now, but I wish I'd have had the help back then. I annoyed with myself, right? I feel the same thing. I wish I could have written in a past life and had it waiting for me, because I stumbled for, you know, probably over a decade trying to figure this stuff out without any guidance. So, I mean, you know, I've got way too much gray here now, but, but it's here, it's here, and we have to deal in the here and now. What? And I guess that goes to what you were just saying, like, is that what inspired you to write it? It wasn't all the the hustle and the and the that sort of hustle culture there as entrepreneurs we we buy into, right? Is that what inspired it, what was, what was sort of the the inflection point that said, I gotta, I've gotta change, because this isn't working for me. Yeah. So that's why I call it the hustle trap, because it's a trap. You know, when you're first starting your business, you're running 1000 miles an hour. You're busy, busy, busy. There's no way around it. If it was easy, everyone would run their own business, but at some point that hustle starts to stop the stop the growth of your business. And so the book is really about getting over that hump to the next level of your business. And I was stuck at that hump for a very long time. I gone when I got out of the military. I got out in 1999 I started my business by 2000 while I was in college, and then I just went at 100 miles an hour for like, the next seven years, and I hit kind of a ceiling, and I was stuck there, and it was frustrating, and I didn't know what to do until I had the great fortune of getting run over by one of my own work trucks that was pulling a trailer drug me down the street underneath it, and I broke my femur and my tibia shattered, my shoulder, punctured, my lungs, broke some ribs. Had to see my femur sticking out of my jeans, not like a very pleasant sight. So that was just one act of stupidity that that ultimately ended up kind of changing the way that I do business. And so over the next two years, I had additional, like, six more surgeries. I couldn't be out in the field, working with the guys at the time, I was running a demolition company, so I couldn't go out and swing sledgehammers and drive trucks and tractors like I used to do. I had to actually manage from the outside. And those two years were really, really rough on me, because I didn't know what to do. I assumed I was going to lose my business, but I'm so stubborn. I was like, No, gonna find a way. And I found a way, and my business ended up really growing and exploding as a result of it. And so after growing it and starting several other businesses off the main business, yeah, I got, I want you to reiterate that point when you got out of slinging sledgehammers and off of the truck, so to speak, off the tractor or whatever your business grew, yeah, yeah, what? So I had to look at all of the different parts of my business. Others, the businesses are complex, and so, you know, I had to look at my people and understand, like, what it was going to take. Because before I got run over, I was probably doing five or six or six different jobs with delivering equipment. And then from there, I would go to a job site, and I'd shake hands with the guys, tell them what they had to do. Then I would go do bids through the day, and then I go to the building departments, and I would pull board building permits, and I'd be drawing my own site plans. And then I, you know, at the end of the day, I'd send my bids off. And so it turned out, but that was probably five or six jobs. And so once I couldn't do any of those things anymore, I was like, Okay, I need people, and finding people very hard. And so I over the next two years, I rebuilt my staff in a way that would serve me. And then I also looked at my expenses. So you know, what were the expenses and everything that I wasn't paying attention to before? And I found things within my expenses that actually turned into businesses. For example, we had a lot of electronics and appliances. Things that were coming through, the guys were taking into the dumps, very, very expensive to get rid of. Turned out that I could go to the California State license and I could become the recycler. And so we did that. And so we started recycling our own stuff. I thought, hey, this, this be really cool to open to the public. So I opened to the public because I got an acre and 5000 square foot yard on a pretty busy road. Got really busy. I opened a second center, and then pretty soon we were doing across the Bay Area, all of these different electronic waste recycling. So this was just from finding one expense that was really killing me. And so sometimes, if you're not paying attention and you look into your business, there's things in there that you're missing that could be great profit centers. And so that was one also looking, you know, it was 2007 the housing market was crashing. We were tied very close to the housing market. And so I did quite a bit of searches. I went on Google AdWords. It created a list of about 50 different things I could do. Launched the list out there. We started getting a ton of hits on pool removal, and that's interesting. So I said, well, let's just and enough to where it was enough to make a business out of it. And so I made a website, I hate my swimming pool.com, I built some brochures. I hired a geotech soils engineer. I just got all of our equipment team lined up to do pool removals. And so that year, we did like 18 the first year, but the next year was like 60. The next year was 150 the next year was 300 swimming pools we were taking up. So there was all these, you know, also we had, you know, it was when the housing market was crashing. There was a lot of foreclosed properties and so on. The beginning, when we hadn't got rocking and rolling of the pool thing yet, I just went to the guys and I said, Hey, are you willing to get your hands dirty? And they said, Yeah, I'm like, okay, cool. We've got connections with banks. We've got connections with realtors. Let's be a Property Preservation company. And so we did just that. And so the guys that really liked driving trucks and tractors and doing the heavy work were suddenly strapping water heaters and putting in smoke detectors and weed wag and boarding up houses, but we stayed busy. We didn't have to lay anyone out and so and this was all just me sitting, you know, like I am now behind a computer and like saying, What can I do from here? Because I'm not there, because I like to be busy. I like to work hard and and it was, it was amazing how I was actually able to pick these different things out of my business and from and I actually wonder sometimes, had I not been run over, maybe that would have bankrupt me. It would rather that, rather than the other way around. I can tell you from personal experience, absolutely, that's why I stopped you and wanted you to reiterate that, because if anybody, if that's what they take away from this, like, if you don't get off or out of your business and doing everything in it, those five jobs you're talking about, you're not going to grow. You're just not going to grow. Yeah, and it's frustrating, and I hear it over and over again, particularly from people with service related businesses. You know, they're just, they're so excited to start their own business. They have some initial success. They're so happy about the growth that they see. And then they hit somewhere around a million, maybe 2 million a year, and and they just, like, get like, I hate this thing, and then they want to sell it, and they want to do something else that I should have just stayed working for someone else. And it's just because they don't have the knowledge to push it over that hump. And that's, it's, it's hard. You know, it takes, it takes a lot, and so hopefully my book can help some people get over that hump.

Cynthia Johnson: 8:09

Wait, so I know your your experience is unique with getting out of the hustle trap, but, but what it I mean? Were there any unforeseen hurdles when, when you just, when you separated yourself from the work, like employee pushback, or like holes, things that you just didn't expect.

Unknown: 8:29

You know, it's actually the the other way. You know, instead of looking at things that were worse, things were better, it was like, I was blown away at my staff. I'm like, Oh, I thought they couldn't do anything without me there. I just assumed that if I wasn't there, babysitting there, nothing would happen, and they would just sit on their hands. And it was like, the other way around. Suddenly the guys are, like, things are getting done. And there was like, Guys, was I just, like, a, just, like, just a pain in the butt guy that just showed up on job sites, sometimes yelling, and then so they I was really impressed, you know, and I learned to have faith in the people that I hired. Now, I've been, I've always been really serious about hiring good people that I like who have good work ethic, but I think that I wasn't quite there with the trust part. And when I didn't have a choice anymore, but to trust, they really thrived, and it was just, I think that it was I was holding them back. So that was a really big one for me.

Cynthia Johnson: 9:18

Yeah. I mean, you say hiring good, good people. Just curious, are you looking for people who avoid the hustle trap as well? Like, how much hustle does someone need

Unknown: 9:28

to work around? No, no, it's the opposite. I want. I want hustlers, you know, I want to get out of the hustle trap, but I want to hire people that know how to hustle, people that, you know. I want sales, people that are, that are, you know, relentless about getting, getting this the sales, sale done. I want, you know, operations, people that want to get the job done and get on to the next one, you know. And, and I pay, you know, I pay well, and I, you know, I bonus them to, you know, for performance based stuff. But I want people who really want to hustle and build a better life, and I give them that opportunity so. And, by the way, if at some point they want to break away and compete against me, or start. Another business or something, I support them wholly. I'd like people that to use my my business as a vehicle for personal growth. So how do you you know, in saying all that it's a little bit scary to for people, even as you said, it's scary for people to step back, right? How do you do you manage your time differently now than you did before? I mean, what? How did you free up besides hiring people, were there anything? Is there anything else that you did to sort of free up time and free up your your days and your in the manager time better? Yeah, well, I think that this whole thing gave me a little bit of PTSD about, like, what if I get run over or something? What I'm going to do next time I might lose my business? What if I was in a coma? Like, what would have happened? It would have lost everything. And now I have a wife and two kids and, like, so I want to make sure that everything is set up so that if I were to disappear tomorrow, that things could continue to run, yeah, let's say for at least a few months. So that's that's changed. And so anytime that I feel like I have a job, I feel a little bit panicked about making sure that that job gets structured, put brackets around it, and put a person in it, and then and push it away. And that way, when i i found that when I get really bored as an entrepreneur, I get creative, and then I start looking at what the next thing is. And so that's why I even now I run, run a couple of different businesses, and I'm always got my hands and a handful of different things that interest me. And so that's just but I think that the biggest one is just as soon as I do start something and it starts to get traction, I want to find the quickest way to get away from it and then but to build sort of systems within it that'll let it thrive without

Cynthia Johnson: 11:40

me. You also said, like, about cash flow. And I'm curious the how you manage the growth. Like, do you know you get to a point where you're like, Okay, we were, we're about to break now we bring people on to manage cash flow. Like, how? How are you looking at, like, raising capital versus doing your bootstrapping?

Unknown: 12:04

Yeah, so, so I don't, I don't ever work for investors or VCs, you know, the demands that don't necessarily align with the way that I run a business. And so, you know, I've done some debt financing over the years to buy trucks and things so collateralized loans. But, you know, it's like, you know, the first, the first loan that I ever took to buy a dump truck was actually a student loan. I had a full scholarship to college, but they said, Hey, do you want a $14,000 loan? And I said, Yeah, actually, I do. And so I took the loan and I bought a dump truck. So, yeah, I, and that's kind of, that's the that speaks to the type of entrepreneur, as well as, like, I'm willing to throw if I have to take a mortgage out of my house, or, you know, I'm I'm going to risk my own capital, because I believe in my idea that much. And so I've yet to meet an investor or VC, or anyone that had a compelling enough argument to let them invest in my company. You've got entrepreneurs out there right now that are listening, and they're saying, Well, that sounds good, Ryan, but I can't do that in my business. What would you say to them? It depends what their businesses but you know, once you figure out your formula, and you're actually bringing in a profit, meaning, how much is it costing to acquire customer, what's left over at the end of the day? And you're willing to, you know, minimize the amount that you're taking home for yourself, that you can self finance a business quite easily, and once you have a PNL sheet that looks attractive enough, you can go to a bank and get a loan if you have to. There's other ways I've I've always been very hesitant, and now I'm also not growing unicorns. I'm not trying to grow a billion dollar company. I'm just I'm growing stuff that within the first month, generally, is profitable. You know, every business that I've ever had has been like that and and so that's my structure. And you know, I might be limited at a ten million business, and I'm okay with that. I'd rather own 100% of a ten million business than 5% of a billion dollar business with all the headaches that come with it. Yeah. And in st is the same principle. Does it apply to the you know what we were talking about earlier, which is stepping back. I mean, again, that entrepreneur is saying, you know, I That sounds good, Ryan, but I can't really step out of my business. What would you say to that person? I would say, if you're not willing to step out of your business instead of doing it intentionally, that it could happen to you unintentionally, and you you're at great risk by doing that. So if, if tomorrow, you have a mental breakdown, or you get thrown in jail, or or you get run over by a truck, or whatever it might be, your business is at risk. And so I would encourage that person to start at least experimenting. Take a Friday off, see what breaks, fix it next week, take the next Friday off, then take Monday off as well, and slowly step away from your business. Because, especially if you have a family, you know, you're risking what your legacy could be for them if something did happen. And so I'm, you know, I'm pretty serious about the message. I think you're also, you know, you're risking by working. Like that. None of my personal experience it you miss the you miss those moments with your you miss those connections you you lose connections with your family and your friends and the things that make you you. I mean, I I stopped. When I first bought that company, I stopped doing the hobbies that I really love. I stopped doing, you know, I stopped. I would miss those key moments with my, you know, with our kids. And so I think that's the other danger, yeah, yeah, it is. I think work, that work life balance is so important. I think a lot of people just prioritize their business overall else and and as a result, things start to fall away at home, meaning you now you don't have a happy place to go home to because you've created a bad environment. You don't have a happy place to go to. You don't have like that, that reprieve. And so you take that back, and so it compiles, then you bring it back to the office. The people in the office start to feel it. They're sensing your angst, you know. And pretty soon that work life balance or lack thereof, is affecting your business. It's affecting your cash flows. It's affecting all parts of your life. It's so important to create that balance just looking at like, you know, who do you want to work for? Look at a picture of John D Rockefeller compared to like, Bob Iger. Like, which one do you want to work for? Like, I'm with Bob Iger all day long. He looks happy, smiling, like, you know, he's like, like, or you got a guy with a frown, like, look, you know, it looks just like, only cares about the money, like, I just don't want to work for that guy, and I think that people don't want to. Yeah, I agree. 100% 100%

Cynthia Johnson: 16:32

also, you know, it's so funny you say that I totally get you, because I think the Bob Iger doesn't even, like, drive nice cars, or, like eat at fancy restaurants, like he doesn't do for the money or whatever. There's, like, a whole, like, you know, thread about him that's amazing that you you point him out as an example. Yeah,

Unknown: 16:47

right. Like Richard Branson, I'll go work for that guy. Like, I don't need to work for some curmudgeon, you know. And I think that people are just really learning that, like, learning that they're not willing to dedicate their entire lives to their to their profession anymore, because we saw a lot of people, you know, the baby boomers and otherwise that gave up, you know, 30 or 40 years working in professions just to retire and die. A few years later, they gave up all the good years. And I think that there's sort of an awakening to that right now, and we have to honor that as entrepreneurs. Yeah,

Cynthia Johnson: 17:15

why did you start your business? Why? Why? Why not work for someone?

Unknown: 17:20

Oh, I think I'm unemployable. I, you know, I learned this in the military. Like I'm really bad at people telling me what to do. I like to do things my own way and and I get really frustrated working on underneath other people. Even after I got out, I went and worked at some restaurants and things, and it was always I just didn't like the way that things were going. Not to say My way was right, but, but that, like they my input wasn't appreciated. And so, yeah, and also, the way in which I work, I tend to have bouts of, like, incredible inspiration, where I push my businesses forward for sometimes two or three months straight, and then I have other bouts where I'm just disinterested, and I might have to just go, go travel. And so before, when I was younger, I would leave for two or three months and I'd go travel in South America or Central America, or just go explore the world or something, I would come back with a fresh mind. And so if I were to go to an employer, it'd be like, Hey, I worked really hard for the last three months. I'm going to leave for the next couple months. They they'd probably fire me. So, so yeah, I have to work for myself.

Cynthia Johnson: 18:24

I mean, I get that. I've always felt that the even years of my life were productive, and the odd ones got a little shaky.

Unknown: 18:32

Translated that to your employer, yeah, or your employees, yeah. I also tend to, I tend to generally not work past noon. I can take meetings and things, but I know that I'm most creative between like, 5am and noon, and I honor that. And so those that's the time when I do my best work. And so if I had to sit in a desk from nine to five, I would, I would not be honoring that. I wouldn't be the best version of myself. Yeah, I, you know, the paint, my parents, you know, and family members. I just they don't get it. They're not entrepreneurs, and I, I can't tell them enough that if I did the nine to five, and I did the nine to five for a while, and I was a miserable wretch, right? Like I wasn't honoring my, my, you know, my spirit, or whatever it is, right? And I think that's the hallmark of so many really great entrepreneurs, is that they they would be awful employees and and so there's no other choice. Like, we've got no other choice. Is what we have to do. This is what we have to and I love this whole idea of, like, honoring yourself by, you know, saying, Look, I just got to go. I've got to go travel for a little while. I've got to go get my head right. I've got to decompress and come back and be the leader I'm supposed to be and the thinker that I need to be. And I think that's, I think that's brilliant, yeah. I mean, if you talk to any entrepreneur, just say, you know, when, when, where were you? When you. Had your most brilliant entrepreneurial idea. No one will ever tell you. Well, I was sitting at my desk just after my lunch break, you know, going through my emails, and suddenly, aha, the next billion dollar idea. Like, no, it was, I was out on a walk, I was sitting on a beach, I was on a hike, I was on a run. Like it was, it's, those are the places where you create space and and I think that the current work structure doesn't allow for that. Too many people wake up early. They shuttle their kids to school, they go to the office, they sit there for eight or 10 hours, they come home, they eat dinner, they go to sleep, and nothing in there is inspiring. And so I don't know how you can be an inspired person without creating inspiring space. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Cynthia Johnson: 20:42

I mean, I just going, like, the the idea of hiring hustlers and then the hustle chop, right? It's a hur doesn't want to be in an office. So so much of your story is about you had to figure out how to put the right people in places and then trust them. And, like, learn how to trust are there things that you look for in people that you surround yourself with to help you move your missions forward or your businesses forward.

Unknown: 21:07

Yeah. I mean, I, I guess the most important thing for me is, is the work ethic side. I want somebody who can work hard. I guess I care less about what their skill set is. Think skills can be, can be taught, but work ethic cannot be I think it was like 4% of people in the world are considered entrepreneurs, people who want to grow a business. That means there's another 96% of them that don't, that don't want to do it, or aren't very good at it, and so, but they want to work for somebody and be a part of something. And so if you can create something good for them, make them feel appreciated, and, you know, give them the space for growth within your company. I think it's sort of a mutual, mutually beneficial place. We don't want everyone in the world to be an entrepreneur. There's a lot of people who are great employees and that feel that thrive in that space. And that's okay, yeah, yeah.

Cynthia Johnson: 21:57

And if you, if you are one, and you're listening, it's because that, you know, you start a business, you don't realize that 99% of your job is to fire great people and inspire and encourage them, like 100% so if you had to put a framework around your book, right, like, here are the five big takeaways. Or, you know, well, what are they?

Unknown: 22:24

You know, one is, is, you know, check yourself, your your mindset. A lot of people are crippled with sort of a mindset where they either think that they can't do it or that they don't deserve it, or there's, there's certain blocks that stop people from pushing themselves forward and a lot of excuses. And so I say test your excuses, just to make sure that they're, you know that they're sometimes there's obstacles, and just make sure that you know the difference between an obstacle and an excuse. And so that was a big part. And then understanding, you know, processes and tracking. I'm very big on feedback loops. As far as within my business, you can't have a self managing business that doesn't have some sort of feedback loops that aligns, you know, your clients, with your employees, with your company, so that everybody sort of benefits from them, and then also understanding your numbers. And, you know, having, you know, I have, like a diary every day that I get in the morning that just has a handful of numbers, about 20 different data points that I just know very intimately. Look those over so I know everything is healthy, so you can't so if something does go wrong, that you're on it quickly. Because if you have a self managing business and you don't have some triggers and feedback loops inside of it, things can go ugly very, very quickly, and if you don't have a system set up to find them, then, then it's bad news. So that was a big one. And then, yeah, I mean, it's really just creating space. And read the book, there's, there's a lot of this stuff in there, yeah. What do you you talk about in the book, about sustainable business? What? What do you mean by that? Well, a business that'll, that'll nurture itself, and so so like when you grow, you could grow a solid business and and you program it, you basically set it up for a regular growth. Let's say a business has the potential. You're at a good business growing at 20 or 30% a year is realistic. Now your activities should be for the 10x opportunities. So those are the things that you're working on. So the business is going to do what the business does. It should self sustain, and it should grow, and it should be set it and forget it with with with you working on it, and being present, but only looking on the things they're going to take that sort of take it to the next 10x so that's sort of what I guess what I mean, because the business won't do a 10x by itself. It's not going to double, triple, quadruple. You know, you can't hire people that can do that for your business. At least I haven't been able to. It doesn't mean not be there. It just means be present, but be working on the key. Not all the bright, shiny, but all the keys, the key, the key, things are going to move it forward when you're inspired. So let your business do what your business is going to do, and when you find the inspiration and. You want to put in the hours, put the hours in if you, if you're a workaholic and you just want to work, work, work, find more power to you, but don't do menial tasks. And this is the problem with a lot of workaholics. If they just go in, they work for the sake of working because it makes them feel better. It's just like, it's like alcoholism or drug addiction, right? They're chasing after something that they're never going to catch up with. And so once you just set the business on autopilot and honor like, what who you are and where your strengths are. That's when you really start to see the magic happen.

Cynthia Johnson: 25:27

And the part of that stepping away from the bright shiny thing, or the easy thing,

Unknown: 25:32

or creating space to chase after the bright shiny things, you know,

Cynthia Johnson: 25:36

yeah, yeah, it's, it's that level up, like, where should you be? Is spending your time the, I think one of the some of the best moments as a business owner, the ones where my employees like, should you really be doing that? You're like, no, but this is the easy thing for me, so I just want to be over here instead of over there. Yep,

Unknown: 25:57

yeah, totally, yeah. So

Cynthia Johnson: 26:01

how many businesses are you working on right now?

Unknown: 26:05

Well, I have my investment company, and then I have dirt match and my site plan, and then I have some other projects that I'm working on on the side, and I've always got kind of a handful of them that are just my my current shiny objects. And so I run through those occasionally. I think I had told you about me and Scott Kelly had done like an NFT release, you know, just to experiment play in that area. We raised about a half a million dollars for Ukraine back when the war broke out. And so I have, like, you know, or I do stuff with defy ventures. I've got a book club I do with the guys that are, you know, when they've gotten out of prison, trying to give them some skill sets for launching their own business, or at least, you know, leveraging their skill set into into an income. And then, you know, I just, you know, I've got, I've got a lot right now, probably I've been doing more, more speaking type stuff and some books and coaching, coaching and things as well. I've got to connect. You. Do you know Damon West? I don't Damon, former prisoner that's on the speaking circuit now and does a lot of really amazing work with in the prisons and stuff that you guys would have written a couple good, best selling books. So, yeah, it's a population that I feel like I'm uniquely kind of set up to serve just because I've landed on my butt, you know, before her with absolutely nothing and sort of leverage what I had to make a living, which, at the time, I was very strong. And so I, you know, when I worked as a bouncer at a bar and and then started, you know, hauling stuff and swinging sledgehammers and that, you know, that worked for me. And so, so I think I can help, help these guys do the same. You know, they've made a mistake in their life. They've lost a part of their life. You know, maybe I could save them 10 years of fumbling around with entrepreneurship and sort of get off the ground. And so I really enjoy it. That sounds like a joy filled life, which

Cynthia Johnson: 27:55

does sound like a joy filled life.

Unknown: 27:57

I love my life, yeah, and I get to spend a lot of time with my family, me, my son, are going and doing an escape room tonight, and tomorrow night, we're going to a pirate dinner, and then we've got our motor home. We do a lot of RVing up and down the coast, around the country. And I really love I love the life that I built,

Cynthia Johnson: 28:14

and I love that you do escape rooms. They're so good not everyone. I had to trick my friends into thinking one of the bar ones just to get

Unknown: 28:24

them. My 12 year old is already smarter than me, so I try to do things that are like, more challenging, and he'll figure it out before I do as it's unbelievable how smart the kid is. And so I just try to find ways to like like. I've already reached my capacities of parents. I gotta find other things of other people that can test them. I think the next book, I mean, I love this conversation, because it really is about and I've got a friend that's written a book about designing the life you love, and I think this is what you've done, right? You've designed, aside from the hustle trap. I mean, you have designed a life that suits you, that makes you happy, that gives you that joy, right? And I think that's that, that's what the big takeaway is, right, is to is, yeah, find that joy and and, and don't lose that. Don't, yeah, don't, don't get Yeah. Anyway, that's just, I think, I think there's something about once you once you are in a position where you know, you realize that you know life is precious, and you know times ticking. And my accident could have been the end of me. That woke me up to a lot of things. And then I recently went through a cancer scare as well. I had, I was, I discovered I had stage three cancer, and had my kidney out and surgery. This was six months ago, and and it was nice, because I knew at last, least, from, you know, from when I, you know, the last accident, I'd restructured my life. I'd spent a lot more time with my family. I'd sold my business, and so I just didn't, I didn't have to, like, worry about my business and tell the people at work. I just. Just let things go on after it was all done. It's like, oh yeah, guys, I had cancer, you know, that's done now. And so let's keep moving forward. And so I was able to focus on my family and, you know, the things that were more important my family and my health and my education. And so, yeah, I went, you know, I, I think that, you know, I almost wish everyone could have, like, a near death experience at some point, because it, it really does open your eyes to, you know, life is, life is finite. You know, you've only got so much time on the planet, so don't, don't waste it. You know, time is, one of the things I bring up in the book, is time is, time is very finite, whereas money is very abundant. Nobody really knows how much money there is in the world. It's almost infinite. It's just people just print, printing machines and going crazy, and everybody is giving up all their time to chase after this, this thing, and you know, needs to be the other way around. You know, find ways to amplify your time, to make, you know, so you get your time back while other people or other systems make you your money. So,

Cynthia Johnson: 30:56

yeah, I mean, and of all that, Ryan, you just, you said my family, my health and my education, because you're always learning. I mean, these are like, just brilliant little takeaways in in the things that you say that that, if you're really listening, stand out as as a tip, this is the life. This is how you get the life you want. Always learn, set your business up, and, you know, read the book so you don't have to go through a, you know, a potential life ending scare to to get there. You can, you can just do it. But, yeah, thank you so much for for joining us and doing this and writing this wonderful book, even though it's 40 years too late for for, in our opinion, could you? Could you just let us know where we can, where we can get the book?

Unknown: 31:46

Yeah, so actually, the release date is July 24 and so it'll be available on Amazon and pretty much all places online. And also you can check out ryancrowdhome.com to learn more there and sign up for updates.

Cynthia Johnson: 32:00

Wonderful, fantastic. Thank you so much. And for everyone out there watching this is best seller TV, we will be back next week with another author and Rhett. It's always a pleasure. Ryan, I cannot wait, wait, wait to get that physical copy.

Unknown: 32:18

Thanks, Cynthia and Rhett, I appreciate it. You.