the entrepreneurs radio show 014 ron reardon

THE ENTREPRENEUR’S RADIO SHOW

Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs that Grow Your Business

Copyright © 2012, 2013 The Entrepreneur‟s Radio Show of 25

EPISODE #14: RON REARDON

Intro: You‟re listening to Diamonds in Your Own Backyard, the business owner‟s guide to success,

inspiration, and community. Where each week you will hear fellow business owners share their

inspirational stories, strategies and moments of clarity that help them find success. And now here is

your host Travis Lane Jenkins and Sandra Champlain.

Ron Reardon

Travis: Hey, it‟s Travis Lane Jenkins here.

Sandra: And this is Sandra Champlain over here. And we‟d like to welcome you to Diamonds in your

own backyard.

Travis: Hi Sandra.

Sandra: Hello Travis.

Travis: How are you doing?

Sandra: I‟m happy.

Travis: Yeah?

Sandra: Yeah.

Travis: Tell me more.

Sandra: I get to go on a trip tomorrow. I‟m going to go to Atlanta, I am going to meet up with my best

buddy Travis Lane Jenkins and we are going to take a course together on video creation.

Travis: Yes I‟m really excited. We don‟t get many chances to get together.

Sandra: No we do not, and we get an extra bonus of meeting up with a fantastic man and his lovely

wife tomorrow for dinner.

Travis: Yeah, just icing on the cake, right?

Sandra: While the extra, extra, extra icing is that man is our guest today on our show.

Travis: Yippee!




Sandra: Yippee, can I tell you a little bit about him.

Travis: Please do, I know a little about him but please do.

Sandra: That‟s why I am smiling so much because he is special to both of us. Well we have on our

show today Mr. Ron Reardon coming few hours from the George Atlanta area. And Ron is a writer, he

is a speaker, he is an inventor. And he is the owner and founder of Patents and More which he founded

in 2003. Ron helps inventors get their patents, since 2003 he has over 500 clients international. India,

Switzerland, UK, United States and I won‟t talk anymore; we‟ll let him talk but Ron welcome to our

show.

Ron: It‟s good to be here Sandra and Travis.

Travis: Hey Ron.

Ron: Hey Travis, good to hear from you.

Travis: Yeah, you are an inventor yourself aren‟t you?

Ron: That‟s correct, I got 5 issue patents.

Travis: Yeah, is that what got you into this path.

Ron: Yeah, that was kind of a journey. I was Physics major and when I went to work at a

communications company, they put me in accounting because their model at that time was they didn‟t

care what degree was, I put electrical engineers in the business office. And so being physics major they

set up accounting for me. But I end up going from accounting to IT as a programmer, leading large

teams to rewrite major systems.

Travis: When was this?

Ron: Oh well, I started in 72.

Travis: Okay.

Ron: So I head on the curve I got it to way before everybody got curve. They actually at that time they

have their own programming language called Sobel, which is kind of a one step above machine

languages. And when we were rewriting the systems we were actually going to Cobalt of course since

this time we‟ve gone to other languages.

Travis: Right.




Ron: But I was in IT long enough that I got really tired of it but I won‟t let anybody leave because they

had too much invested in our training. But finally they opened up a window and say anybody wants to

leave and I just jump in the window and went to marketing. Knowing zero about marketing but willing to

do anything other than I am running a major system.

Travis: Right.

Ron: And then from marketing went to project management and then from project management to

innovations and strategy. One day my boss said this process that we are working on, we are going to

patent for the company, we are going to learn about patents. I was like okay, so I found out that they

had this really lucrative rewards system for people coming up with ideas. They would pay you good

money, all taxes paid, if you had an idea that they have decided to patents and if they got patented and

they would pay you again so some good money all taxes paid.

Travis: Is that the business that company that you worked for would do that?

Ron: That company that we worked for, it was their innovation program.

Travis: Aha.

Ron: I‟m really creative, this a good way to increase my take home, just started sending them lots of

ideas and five of them stuck.

Travis: Were you able to keep partial ownership to some of this.

Ron: Nope. The agreement was they pay me and I will sign all the rights to them.

Travis: Ah ok.

Ron: So this is the way how it works. But anyway, so I decided that I want to go work for intellectual

property which is where the company that subsidiary that was standing all of these. They went and tell

me that I need to go pass the patent bar. So I was in the process of doing that when it came out with

the retirement offer that was too slip to turn down so I end up retiring from them then passing the patent

bar and then founding Patents and More in my own company.

Travis: Interesting. So you just took a skillset that you learned in the business that you worked in and

applied it towards building your own business.

Ron: Yeah, yeah because basically I am a creative person. I just really get energized working with

creative people.

Travis: Right.




Ron: And then our creative, it‟s kind of a natural fit of like you said taking a skillset and applying it.

Travis: So that lead me to a conversation, it‟s a conversation that we had in our last interview, what

better person that talk to about the topic of innovation than you. Because I feel like a big part of the

problem that‟s going on with many other businesses today is innovation and maybe not from the

traditional way than most people think about it. I think so many people are struggling because there

have been so much innovations in the last 7 years that a lot of business owners are left behind. Where

you at on that, do you agree with that?

Ron: Actually one more time and I will make sure I‟ll follow it.

Travis: Many business owners for the longest time if you had a great idea you could put yellow pages

at up, maybe a newspaper ad and you bring business in. And then over the last 7 years, 7 to 10 years

there have been such incredible amounts of innovation, new platforms, new marketing platforms,

squeeze pages, sales funnels, so there‟s an incredibly stiff curve in order to stay in business, to start a

business unless you find someone that understands that. And so that innovation is made it harder for if

you are not paying attention to the changes to stay in business. Does that make sense?

Ron: Yeah, well no but a lot of things buying for everybody‟s attention. As far as giving people‟s

attention there‟s a lot of clutter out there and really it‟s challenging for people to know that you exist and

you got something for them to look at because people are just really suffering from information overload

and so that‟s got to be a challenge.

Travis: Part of it.

Ron: Yeah, when you are starting a business you got a new idea in business. They may take some

time to think and to strategize because that‟s what the idea-- when I launched my business Patents and

More, I sat there and said okay I‟ve got some competition, at least I thought I did because there‟s over

600 patent agents and attorneys in Georgia alone.

Sandra: Wow.

Ron: And I was a brand staking new patent agent and I said why is anybody going to work with me, I

haven‟t even written my first patent application and I don‟t even know what to charge or how to talk to

people as far as the invention disclosure, passed the patent bar but how would people know I‟m even

here? So part of the thinking that I went through is that I said okay what are the stereo types that

people have about attorneys that they really don‟t like because as you know there are lots of attorney

jokes.

Travis: Right.




Ron: And so I said okay let‟s listen out there the patent attorneys, and I said well they charged by the

hour. People don‟t like that because they feel like if they talk for 1 minute they are going to get there for

15. I am going to go flat rate charge so that people can feel comfortable, they know what the price is

and it‟s not going to go over them. And so I said okay, you have to go to the attorney‟s office. Instead of

them coming to my office because I have been on a cable goober for quite some time and said I have a

home office, I want to go to them instead of them coming to me. Starbucks will be my office and I don‟t

think Starbucks is going to charge me for a rent. And I said you got 6 office hours, you got to go

downtown and that‟s between 9 to 4. I thought many years ago that said we dose but never close and I

said okay that‟s come be my model. Funny to work along on Saturday or meet people 6‟oclock in the

morning or 9‟oclock at night then I will do that, got to go the extra mile. I also notice that patent

attorneys, all they do is patent that‟s it, that‟s all I know its patent all. I‟m like okay I‟m going to add

some stuff to that that‟s why the name of the company is Patents and More.

Travis: Right.

Ron: I said I am going to make connections with trusted vendors in the industry that do things that I

don‟t do so that I can refer clients to people that do proto types investors that invest in new start ups,

people that do marketing, different things like that. So I will have more value I can have that they don‟t.

And then lastly I said, “Who is the perfect client for most patent attorneys?” Well, perfect client would be

a huge company that‟s got the pockets, that‟s going to want more to have multiple inventions, who is

the client that they really don‟t want? Well, that would be the individual inventor that‟s just going to have

one idea, maybe two but just probably one and have limited funds. So I said okay I will take the clients

that they don‟t want. So that was the construct that I put together of how to basically be in the position

where I would be distinct from everybody else.

Travis: So did you create an avatar?

Ron: The avatar still did not exist but the last of icing on the cake that I did, in the addition to the

convenience of going to them, I said I am going to be responsive. Normally call in attorney, if you get an

answer in a week you are really lucky. My cell phone will be my main number and I will answer the

phone when it rings.

Travis: Wow, that‟s weird.

Ron: You don‟t believe how many people especially from other clients I am not going to answer the

phone, that‟s the policy that I have.

Travis: Right.




Ron: I will call the people back within the hour, or make sure it‟s within the same day and the same

thing for per emails. And you would not believe how many people that when I call them back, the first

thing that comes out to their mouth is „Thank you for returning my call‟ and I thought hmm, that‟s a clue.

They have probably shopping and they have called several patent attorneys and none of them returned

their calls. I wish you heard an statics if you answered a call, like voice mail, if you answer within 5

minutes of them calling, there is a 22% increase chance that they are going to do business with you

after somebody else, just being prompt.

Sandra: That‟s amazing.

Travis: Pretty high enough.

Ron: Yeah, yeah I am thinking it pretty high but yeah, just answering the phone how simple could that

be.

Travis: Right.

Ron: As I continue to strategize as to how I am going to put the business together, this is back in 2003.

My business is not going to be location based, it‟s going to be round based, wherever I am is where my

business will be. So that is why my mobile phone was my main number, my laptop was my office, I do

have a 6 packs machine, I started using the e-fax and there are some other companies that do that. So

that when somebody sends me a fax to a fax number it shoots out to my email and likewise I can fax

and fax to email. And then the last thing I did was I used to company code to authorize that code so

that I could take credit card payments online. So everything I did was just totally mobile, I could be in

Singapore and still running my business.

Travis: Well, it‟s obvious that you are a thinker, so did you sit down and sketch this out?

Ron: Yeah, yeah.

Travis: You did?

Ron: Yeah, I do. It‟s just a step by step I went through this process of basically here‟s how my business

is going to operate. Here is the client I am going after. Here‟s how I am going to position myself so all

the negatives that they have about people in the industry would not exist. And I did not know it at that

time but I created a blue ocean where competition was irrelevant. I was in the area that all the existing

folks would not competing in this area, they are all going after the big fish, and they were waiting for

people to walk in the door because there is a tendency in every industry including this one of

commoditizing the products which is patent.

Travis: Right.




Ron: And so a lot of attorneys especially at big firms, the big firms would play one attorney firm against

another, tendency it would charge the least for riding the patent. They were seeing and that the prices

that they were doing were going down, down which the big companies that they have. Reverse that in

truth for me, as time is going on I have increased my prices probably 5 different times with no impact on

the number of clients coming out.

Travis: Because you help them, you offer them more total solution or if you can help them with that

specific part of the solution you connect them with someone you can. Is that correct?

Ron: That‟s correct, that‟s exactly what I do.

Travis: Yeah, and so Blue Ocean Strategy is a book, I have read that. Can you go deeper on the topic

of the blue ocean strategy?

Ron: Yeah, basically says take a look at your competition that is in the red ocean. The reason that is

red it‟s because there is so much price cutting that the ocean is full of blood from everybody. Take a

look at a put together like a cost strategy canvass, where you say, what are they offering? What do they

do? And then look at your offering and look for where your points of distinction kind of blow them away.

Really focus on your points of distinction. What examples they give of course is in Blue Ocean is the

Cirque Du Soleil. Is that they took aspects of theatre and aspects of circus and put them together to

create a whole new venue where they could charge premium prices that people would see acrobatics

and things like that but with a theatre scene and pay premium prices for it. Because the circus industry

has been going down, down, down for a whole bunch of reasons. But they were able to create

something that was totally different item and it has been enormously successful I think the artist that

created it was originally was a street performer and now he‟s a billionaire.

Travis: Oh yeah?

Ron: He did well.

Travis: Yeah, I think they do a couple of billion a year or something, don‟t they?

Ron: Yeah.

Travis: Now, the interesting part of that story that you tell there is so they took a dying business model

PETA was giving them the circus industry fit.

Ron: Yup.

Travis: Because of the animals and their shipping cost and their insurance cost, to keep and

maintaining those animals were going through the roof.

http://amzn.to/WUg5ZL




Ron: Right.

Travis: And nobody was showing up and they kept dropping their price on their ticket and so they went

in and revamp the business model they took the most expensive element out.

Ron: Yes they did.

Travis: Those were the animals.

Ron: And liability, yup.

Travis: Yeah, the liability and quadrupled the ticket price.

Ron: Oh Yeah, easily.

Travis: And had a success. It‟s unbelievable. Thereby creating a blue ocean and no longer have

competition with specifically what they do, right?

Ron: Right, and I have been to almost all of the Circus Ole shows and they keep creating new ones.

Sandra: And they are wonderful.

Travis: Yeah.

Sandra: Wonderful.

Ron: The one for talents of the Beatles that‟s nice, the one that involves water, I mean this goes on and

on all these different things they come up with. And they actually have training camps where athletes

apply and it‟s difficult to qualify, to be in the circus Ole act. It really is.

Travis: You have got to be a top level performer. You know another great example of a blue ocean

strategy is yellow tail wines. Are you familiar with that story?

Ron: Very familiar. Yeah.

Travis: Yeah, do you want to tell that story.

Ron: No, I‟ll let you tell that it. I have read it, but I‟m not that familiar. I just know that they made it

extremely easy for people who are not wine conifers, like, yeah I‟ll take this one.

Travis: Yeah, exactly. And so one of the problems with the wine industry is the amount of time that you

need to age the wine and so it‟s a very expensive from the overhead expense business, and so they

noticed that there was a large group of the market that they were not serving were the beer drinkers




and the mix drinkers. And so, they said, “How can we get to this group yet eliminate a lot of the

problems that come with wine, making wine and all of those other issues. And so they no longer have

to go through the long drawn out fermentation process. They concocted a couple of different wines that

are pleasurable and taste that you don‟t have to acquire to taste from and kind of like alcoholic Coke or

something. Ultimately, they drove the cost down. I want to say to something like a fourth or a fifth of

what they were spending and in the process seize a large share of the market that was there and those

guys are dominating. Yellow tail dominates across many levels. They just changed the rules of the

game. I don‟t know if I‟m missing some of the specific elements of that. But the more important part of

that is that they changed the strategy; I guess the rules were in their favour, right?

Ron: That‟s right. They look at the problem and said basically they have to eliminate them that made

them different. That‟s going to be distinctive

Travis: Now you were, I‟m dominating this, Sandra you want to jump in.

Sandra: No, I‟m taking notes over here. I think this is just a brilliant conversation to look at things

differently. And to look at people are not doing because I think it‟s such a human tendency of a

business owner to want to go down the tunnel of being competitive and just being priced and just want

to top on service or whatever that is that you‟re giving us this example of a blue ocean just completely

doing something above and beyond in difference. Capitalizing from that and so I am taking notes. It‟s

wonderful. It keeps adding.

Ron: In one part of the story, part of my retirement package was they paid me to go 3 months with an

out placement company to either learn how to get another job. Which definitely I didn‟t want, or I had to

start my own company. Luckily the mentor or the leader of that, I was always taking notes whatever he

says “don‟t do this, do this.” Because I am more visual than auditory so if I don‟t write it down it just kind

of goes in one ear and out on the other. And he would say, you don‟t need an office. I‟m like no to sales

so I made an office, because he talked about when he left Coca Cola he got this fancy dandy office with

a secretary and for two years nobody came to the office until finally just dragged one person and say

hey here look at my office. Okay you don‟t need an office.

Travis: Right.

Ron: That‟s pretty common now but back in 2002 it wasn‟t. Starbucks was just starting to promote a

concept of being the 3rd place, it‟s not your office it‟s not your home, it is kind of a combination of the

two. So I‟d like to talk about all the things I did that didn‟t work. All the mistakes I have made.

Travis: Oh yeah.

Ron: Especially the first year.




Travis: Oh, that would be super valuable.

Ron: Okay. My first year was dismal, really, really bad. Even though I put together pretty good strategy

it takes a while to get momentum. I mean the use of statistic on business is that if you stay in business

it‟s the 3rd year when you start to break even.

Travis: Right.

Ron: And hopefully then you go into black and everything when you start. But what kept me really

going in the first year was basically in my head a mantra where I said I will succeed with this I even find

me on the side of the road dead, failure is not an option. So over and over again I kept repeating the

words, how do I and then dot, dot, dot. So started off how do I distinguish myself from other people,

how do I attract customers to me instead of me going out and try to find clients. And these different

things like that because one of the things I knew in the past was that instead of trying to get all your

ducks on the row it is better to go out and get a duck. I had this principle that I use when I was a

teenager, I was so introvert and so shy I came up with a system of how girls would be attracted to me

and ask me for a date instead of me risking everything and asking every date and get rejected.

Sandra: I love that.

Ron: So I applied that same system when I got in business it‟s like how do I get clients to come to me

instead of me trying to run down and seize the arm of the client. So anyway I did mostly about the 90%

of what I did that didn‟t work. I tried advertising in magazine as if I was a big company. What a nice,

glossy ad all that but didn‟t get any clients that way. I sponsored a robotics team and where these kids

from high school put together robots and all that sponsored by Patents and More, no clients from there.

I went and spoke at multiple chambers of commerce, nothing out there. I spoke at service clubs, zero. I

wrote on white paper that was post in the internet and a present company excluded and I was actually

a radio host of the internet radio program for a couple of years. But that was fun and it gave a good

exposure to my existing clients it didn‟t bring any new clients in. And then I was a president of local

clubs and national clubs.

But what really, really worked was and I don‟t know how I came with this idea but it turned out to be

good fortune. The first things that I did was I took a tour to the United States of all the regional

inventor‟s meetings and met the people that were already legendary in the industry in marketing, proto

types, I‟ve seen on TV and things like that. And got to know them, got their card and I will ask each of

them what is so perfect client for you and they would tell me and I write it on the back of the business

card. And I would tell them, okay as I get clients that fit this profile I will send them to you and they

would say okay, and then I would do that. What happened over time is after I sent two or three referrals

to them it builds up to what I called „comic death‟. I think it‟s really technically called the „law of




reciprocity‟ when they get a client and says do you know where I buy those patents and I would say

yeah and I give them a contact information. And over time it took at least a year before it started kicking

in. And all of a sudden I started giving clients come to me, they were pre sold because somebody they

already knew and trusted said this is the „go to guy‟ so they came to me and I just did the assumption of

close just assuming that they already decided I am the guy and it went from there. A huge part of my

business even today continues to come from same folks that I met first year.

Sandra: Great.

Travis: Interesting. So that‟s say 2004?

Ron: Yes, 2004 when I started off.

Travis: That‟s really before and that‟s one of the things that I was talking about as far as innovations

today you can create a sales funnel that can bring multiple people from a multiple directions. First and

foremost I agree with you, like Napoleon Hill says „give before you get‟ and then things starts

happening for you. I think that is one of the mistakes that so many people make is they are so busy

trying to get that they yet to give and if you reverse that order. But one of the benefits today and I knew

that you set up new in your business is one you get a sales funnel going, there used to be a 3 sources

that could bring you 40 leads in a month. Now there are 40 different sources that can lead you 1 lead in

a month.

Ron: Right.

Travis: And so now that you have that sales funnel, how many sources do you have that bring you

business. Have you added 5, 10, 15 or where you at.

Ron: Well, I haven‟t sit down and counted them because there is this all individuals that I met overtime

and then there‟s all my existing clients a lot of them refer friends to me that say I know you got a patent

and how to use. I‟ve got all the YouTube videos out there that people can find on my channel. I‟ve got

different companies that have worked with me that I should be using Google AdWords and different

items like that so that I appear on first page of Google, I don‟t know what the number is.

Travis: Well, in most people don‟t. Let‟s say 20 people are referring you, I view that as one channel

because that‟s personal referral.

Ron: Okay.

Travis: And then so you‟ve got AdWords, and you‟ve got organic a free part of the search engine of

Google, you could have Adcenter for Bing, you could organic in Bing if you place in there, you could

have several referral networks and it‟s so easy if you start looking at the different ways that you can




bring people in to that funnel. The purpose of your funnel is to do the sorting and assisting for you. They

get to know who Ron is and how great Ron is, the things some of the steps that you know. And it also

removes some of the people that are really not ready to move forward and do business with you, right?

Ron: That is correct. Yeah because I mean that as you asked me about channels, I‟m sitting here and

thinking there‟s a company here in Atlanta called Product Development Group. What they do is people

come to them with an idea, I sat there and then I proto type it, even have connections where I could be

manufacturers and things like that and they‟ve sent me tons of business. I mean they even ask me for

tax of business cards saying when people come to them one of them that develops the products I

would give them my collar that‟s one source. And there‟s even individuals within that company that are

also freelance and do things of the side and they are also refer clients to me. There this people that

written the articles in inventor‟s digest, this people that help entrepreneurs get funding from a new

investors and it‟s another source and this goes on and on, and on and all the different people that have

companies that work with entrepreneurs or they work with investors that are bringing business in.

Travis: Right. What is the person have to, let‟s say I have a great idea, what I do, if I think if I have

something that is going to be a hit, do I call you?

Ron: Well, that‟s a process that I have automated inside of my website is that there is a video there that

says okay, you got an idea, here‟s 3 things that you need to do. And there‟s also an open button, it

would be part of that process. In the video, you basically need to do some research and when you are

doing your research you will get a no, a no and a yes in your research. And so that video develops an

intrigue because it‟s got this 3 circles there with a no, a no and a yes and I was like, hmm I wonder

what is behind that circle that says no. So behind the video I do a reveal on each one and then the first

`no‟ is, „Is it already in the market place?‟ Now you want to know all that, so I encourage people to go to

Google.com/products and let‟s say that they came up with an idea of electric car jack that you would

plug in your cigarette lighter and put it on at the car, and it would lift the car so you don‟t have to break

your back changing the tire, couldn‟t get the car up. So they go to Google.com/patents and type in

electric car jack and find out if it‟s already in the market. So that was like, okay come up with an idea

but if they did not find it there so I send them to google.com/patents where they can do informal patent

search and once again if they type again electric car jack, they find several patents on electric car jacks

which would also be a yes which is what you don‟t want. But if they get no when no then third things

they do is to see if there invention has a characteristics of a successful invention. And I developed an

interactive pdf form with 41 questions with a score 1 to 10. That they can self score their invention to

see if it‟s scores well enough to go to the next step. So that‟s the first three things that you would do if

you have an idea. And the next thing you will do is to fill out invention disclosure and contact me for

initial consultation.

Sandra: I want to invent something.




Ron: You want to invent something.

Sandra: That‟s so nice, I‟m so excited.

Ron: Yeah.

Sandra: Just great, not just the information that you are giving us but the how to, because anyone can

map on the how do I, the questions, the blue ocean all that and to whatever their business is.

Ron: Right. And then also on the website there‟s a blog, a steps going on the blog listed is a weekly

tips or something like that. And a lot of folks that I met over the years have written guest articles there.

One would say, “Do you want your products on television? Here‟s what you do.” And the other one say,

“Have you invented something that is going on, be going for children or babies? Here‟s what you need

for product safety law.” Had it put together a sales sheet, is this article after article about legends in the

industry that say if you keep looking at doing this here‟s the thing, if you want to make a killer

presentation to an investors here‟s what you got to be in your presentation for investors to get their

attention. Just educating people on a different aspect or step that I don‟t do, for how they can

commercialize the product.

Travis: Kerry Marshall uses this process it comes to mind for what you are talking about here is he has

a URL this is Facebook for me, so it‟s a brilliant URL because it‟s clear what you are going there to do

and then you answer 10 questions and it gives you a score.

Ron: Oh, cool.

Travis: That makes me think of what you are doing here, do I have a patentable idea. And so basically

what happens is she gives you a score, if you score 7 or above then you should proceed with

Facebook, if your score is between 5 and 6 ½ you need to seriously think about it, below 5, give up.

Ron: Okay, pretty cool.

Travis: Yeah, it‟s a brilliant way because I know there are a lot of people out there that are wondering

whether they have a good idea or not.

Ron: Right.

Travis: So what is the website that we go to engage with to figure out and get the answers to the

secret, free questions for their idea.

Ron: Yes. It‟s patentsandmore.com, so of course www.patentsandmore.com.

Travis: Okay. Go ahead Sandra I do not want to dominate here.

http://www.patentsandmore.com/




Sandra: Well, I am not just so sure where to go, the thing is Ron everything that comes out of your

mouth right now is new and different and you‟ve got a listening audience to thousands of people right

now. And I don‟t know what questions to ask but I have this sneaky suspicion you might have a few

things that need to be said knowing that who we have listening to us are business owners, with all kind

of things planned right now. But are there any behaviour, any instructions, anything that comes to mind

that you can really impact the lives of thousands of people in this conversation. Like what you else you

want to give because you are just a gold mine of really great value.

Ron: Well, thank you Sandra, I appreciate that. One thing I would like to say, it is important to have

someone who believes in you. That‟s where my wife held up. Because I guess back in 1999 while I was

still employed, she encouraged me to go back to college and get my MBA. And I enrolled in executive

MBA program. And I was the oldest guy in the class, I thought that my brain fully turned to peanut

butter but it turned out that I could still compete with those younger folks, I started building my

confidence because of her belief in me because she says `you can do it‟, I‟m like `really, you think I

can?‟ So it‟s really important to have some kind of support system, somebody that believes in you it‟s

kind of a foundation.

Travis: Right.

Ron: And the other thing is how you look at failure. I don‟t know with you Travis but I don‟t like making

mistakes but if you find a failure as something else, if you look at it as being a test not really a failure,

it‟s a test to look out. I think it was Pen Kennedy that said that when you are writing advertising copy

they know that 9 out of 10 of the advertising efforts are going to fall flat and it‟s a piece of pancake and

one of them will be a winner. But they view it not as failure but as test. It goes to tell me that all the

things I did wrong was one expensive education.

Sandra: Right.

Ron: And if you look at it as educational experience I suppose.

Travis: It‟s all of the above.

Ron: It‟s all of the above. I really recommend that as entrepreneurs really take time to think both at the

beginning when they put that strategy together, of how they could start their blue ocean and when they

hit the wall and when things just don‟t go well and when they have reversals which you going to have

those, reflect on why this does not work? What are we going to do next time? That‟s really the key

thing.

Travis: Right. Are you a fan of Napoleon Hill.




Ron: Yes, definitely. No question about it.

Travis: Yeah.

Ron: Actually recently got a cd series of Napoleon live series, about his live lectures and it‟s one thing

to read the book. It‟s another to hear him in his voice sharing some things that are not in the book.

Travis: You got to share that with me.

Ron: It‟s pretty incredible because I just got one of them it just blew me away. He keeps talking about

you got to have this definite purpose; I was kind of like okay let‟s find Napoleon. How do you develop

this definite compelling purpose? So he said in his talking and the second thing about going the extra

mile, he says by going the extra mile you would develop your definite purpose. Oh I‟m like `thank you

very much why you have not written that in the book?‟ Because I thought you had a start with a definite

purpose I didn‟t realize that by this practicing going to the extra mile all of a sudden your definite

purpose would be revealed to you.

Sandra: Wow.

Ron: It‟s good to go a deep dive on any author whenever you get the chance.

Travis: Ron, have you listened to Napoleon Hill‟s 16 laws of Success?

Ron: Yes, oh man it‟s powerful.

Travis: I am listening to Diana Bridge‟s version right now and I am riveted, 35 hours of audios.

Ron: Right.

Travis: And I am completely riveted, and it‟s helping me become a better person, a better business

man. He talks a lot about number one delivering more than what is ask of you. Is that what you are

talking about?

Ron: Yeah.

Travis: Giving before asking, giving before expecting to receive.

Ron: Right.

Travis: The power of focusing on the positive and letting go of the negative. You just can‟t participate in

the negative without holding your back.

Ron: That is correct.




Travis: And so I take that as, you could step in a puddle of mud and you got a decision either to wipe it

off and move on or lie down and wallow in it. And I have done my share of lying down and wallowing in

it but ultimately what made me a better person is when I finally got a hold of it, took ownership of it.

Ron: Yeah, I agree.

Travis: And then I started finding clarity in what I can do better, I steal every place some of the things I

say and do. And I think how could have I done that better, I want to let go, I want to impact in people‟s

lives, I want to help people, I want to make a difference in their lives and critiquing and finding the

negatives or what they are doing wrong is not doing any service unless critiquing or to help them grow.

But beyond that it‟s not doing me any service, and he talks about vibrating at a different level and that‟s

so true. Have you experienced that, sounds a little hokey the vibrating at a different level but he goes

on the details of the vibrations of radio and energy and power and everything else.

Ron: Yup, let me give kind of a back story on that, I am physics major.

Travis: Right.

Ron: Let me give the backstory on that to finish my story. What‟s that refreshing to me for a couple of

years is that for a long time physicist will talk about matter, physical matter, and everything? And now

more and more they are talking about energy because really what matters is a form of energy. No

question that positive energy attracts negative energy repels. I realized a couple of years ago not too

long ago that I have been so head down on working in a business that I haven‟t really connected my

personal growth and for some reason. I started subscribing the Success magazine which is something I

would recommend every entrepreneur do because the CD that comes with Success magazine as well

as the article have so many good business tips that are current and what‟s working now it‟s just a

tremendous trade. One time when I was reading one of the items I saw an ad for Jim Rohn, he is the

business philosopher. I ordered his products and was listening to it. One of the things that he had in

there just really caught my attention, he says you need to have something good to say, I‟m like have

something good to say, how do you do that? Maybe I realized I have not really put anything good into

my brain. The first things I did I started to program of not watching the news, not reading the news.

Travis: I just did the same thing.

Ron: Okay, because it‟s negative. I mean good news doesn‟t sell so all they do is put negative news

out there.

Travis: Exactly.




Ron: So I just like I am not going to watch news on television, I am not going to go to CNN online and

see what‟s happening because there‟s absolutely nothing I can do about that. And it‟s not really helping

me and the business. So I turned off the negative and then I started listening to more and more positive

cd‟s and watching more positive videos going to seminars that were uplifting and started associating

with like-minded entrepreneurs and developing relationships with people that were going forward and

were positive.

Travis: Right.

Ron: I think it was Brendon Burchard that talked about when you look at different classifications of

friends, you got old friends that you kind of stuck with, you got close friends and then you got growth

friends.

Travis: Right.

Ron: And you really need to focus on getting more of and closer relationships with growth friends.

Travis: Oh, I agree with you on that as a matter of fact that‟s where we met.

Ron: Yeah, that‟s true.

Travis: I think that‟s where we met Sandra also, right?

Sandra: It is.

Ron: It‟s exactly it. The one item I did not do would really compress how much it took to become

successful was getting a mentor. I thought I could just figure it on my own. For a long time, I was not

teachable. I think there‟s a lot of heat strong entrepreneurs out there who is not just teachable. My wife

is just over in the corner just clear her throat for not being teachable because there‟s a lot of things she

teaches me you have to do this and I wouldn‟t do it because I would be stubborn. And then when I read

it on the book or heard on CD, or another guy would tell me hey Ron, you need to do this to not start

doing it I just said okay, you wouldn‟t do it when I tell you and you learn it someplace else than you do

it.

Travis: Right.

Ron: I‟m like guilty as charge. But it is really important to have a coach and to have a coach in a lot of

different areas of your life.

Travis: I‟m so glad you said that.




Ron: Yeah, but it took me a while to come to that realization so hopefully entrepreneurs listening out

there that it resonates with them, that to go out and coaching can really compress the time on your

path.

Travis: And it didn‟t matter who is as long as you know that they‟ve got to be good, they‟ve got a

background that proves success within the realm of that you need coaching it.

Ron: That‟s right, that‟s right.

Travis: In business, getting back to a little here maybe not I am interested knowing that you are

physicist. I have something crazy happening this morning, I have multiple malfunctions. I had my

computer, my iPhone, my landline and the recording that we did earlier on another episode. All of them

were acting up and I‟m frustrated and it‟s just going so sour that I‟ve got to reach out and ask for help. I

could not even log on to the call with you because of all this issue I just decided to just roll with it and

laugh about it. But I can‟t help but wonder is if there something in me that‟s projecting this because

how come so many different things electrical equipments be going wrong that are not tied to each

other.

Ron: No, I would beg to differ on that, it‟s not something within you. I heard many, many, many years

ago, there‟s really this positive uplifting business related event that you are getting ready to go to. Your

car gets 4 flat tires, your flights is delayed and all these other stuff. All these obstacles are being put in

front of you keeping you from going to this event that you know is going to really impact your life and

your business.

Travis: Right, right.

Ron: In fact the more resistance you see to that the more of an indication it is that you are supposed to

go.

Sandra: I like that.

Ron: There is a force out there that is trying to keep you from growing and succeeding in life and you

just have to sit there and laugh like you did, it‟s kind of interesting.

Travis: Yeah.

Ron: And almost as if there‟s forces that is testing you, okay they really want this, it‟s either a test or it‟s

a force that is preventing you from getting what you need to get.

Travis: Yeah, it‟s kind like challenging me and maybe I am being tested to see if what I can really apply

what I am learning here with the 16 laws because there have been times in the past that I have to get




pissed off and I have to go and settle down. Now I just okay, even Sandra I‟m sure probably wondering

what is up with him this morning?

Sandra: I look at things not my auto pilot response might be to get kicked off not you Travis but just

when things happens but deep inside you take a minute before you give in to that and you can either go

down the road of being the victim and being kicked off or you could turn on around and say I am the

most powerful human being in the universe. And I just created this like why would I do that and to look

for the lesson, I mean it has not to be affected for too long, because Travis that‟s a lot of power

because of all that upper that certainly we don‟t want to miss this show today with Ron.

Travis: No.

Sandra: Genius, really fun too. The energy thing is something that I write about it in my book, because

there‟s woh woh I can found down to taking the camera and to smallest molecule or atom is emptied

and there‟s nothing there except vibrations and I don‟t think people really know that we are made of

nothing. It‟s the worst thing of energy. It‟s pretty miraculous world and things that we wanted that are

human machinery kicks in, hey I just started this, how about speak of fear a little bit Ron, any titbits

because I know for me a lot of things come up that could never do it, that I am afraid to do it or had it

always been easy for you to overcome fear.

Ron: No.

Sandra: We‟d love to hear it.

Ron: Oh boy, I had many examples I can give you, where this really come from I need to think it over.

Where to start, I mean I had fear, big time. I will give you one example that started even before I started

business back when I was in my early 30‟s, I was so introverted and it worked that when I had to

conduct meetings, I could not even look people in the eye and I am a meeting leader. So what I would

do is that I would prepare this really great handouts and I would read the handouts in the meeting. That

was my idea of conducting a meeting. I was taken up vibes that this is not good so I decided I‟ve got to

learn how to speak in front of the people. So I went to my boss to see if they go to that course and he

says well we had budget cuts we don‟t do that anymore but you can go join the Toast Masters, it‟s

pretty expensive but you got to pay for your own stuff so I said okay. A friend of mine has been in the

Toast Master and I notice an improvement in her presentations so I asked her you think you can get me

into this and she said yeah, I will use my influence and see if you will get accepted. Not knowing that

they accept everybody.

Travis: Right.




Ron: But anyway I go to the first meeting and all I have to do at the first meeting is talking about 12

people in the meeting and I only knew one of them. I had to stand up and say my name, where I work

and my family situation. So I stand up and my heart like triples, my voice goes up a couple of actives

and I squeak out, and I sat down and I was so mad of myself because I was in my early 30‟s and I

couldn‟t stand up in a group of strangers and say my name, and where I work and I was married with

kids. So I made a decision this is too hard I am out of here, I am not going to do this. Well luckily, this

fella got to give his first speech and the first speech is supposed to be four minutes and stuck you know

absolutely cold, where you were born, what was your family like, things that you don‟t have to

memorize. He sat in there and being sweat was dripping at his chin and his hands are shaking with his

nose and I‟m looking at that and my mind shifted. And I said you know I am mad in every sense about

this process but he is scared and he is doing it anyway. And I made the decision go do it, if he can do it

so can I. So I come back to the next week for the meeting and I have notes in my hand, my hands run

weird I am reading my notes, I am married with kids okay, I sat down. It ended up that I became the

president of the club, and then area governor and winning series speech contest in Humor Speech

contest because I was determined that I was going to learn how to speak in front of people.

And I had this image in my mind that I played over and over again, I think they called it theatre of the

mind in rehearsal where I would be in a big board meeting in my company and all of the vice presidents

will be looking at me, looking my presentation and nodding their heads and turning to each other, yeah

he is good, he is really good. And that image carries me to the entire process. Did I fear? No, I had it

big time. To give you one more example of fear kind of related to business but not. I decided at the

same time I decided to become a speaker in front of people that I would pass athletically do something

to be really proficient. At that time I was playing golf poorly, I was playing tennis poorly, and I was

canoeing okay, like water canoeing, so I decided to drop golf and tennis and to graduate from canoeing

to kayaking. So the first class I go to kayaking they squeeze you into this kayak we were out there in

mars on the lake with really cold water.

Sandra: Wow.

Ron: And we go couple of yards off shore and they say the first thing we want you to do is get another

person‟s kayak to be at a right angle to you, put your hands on their boat, lean your kayak over and put

your nose on the water and then come back up. I am good swimmer but I am wedge in this kayak

because I feel entrapped in it and they haven‟t taught us yet how to get out of the kayak. And it‟s like all

the courage I had to lean over put my nose on the water and come back up. And that night I have taken

7 people with me who don‟t know how to kayak all the two of us continue to learn the rest of them could

not handle feeling trap inside the kayak. I even have a vision in my head on the headlines in the paper

of a local boy dies drowning wedge in the kayak in this kayaking class. But I went on not to be an

Olympic kayaker but I was really good.




Sandra: Wow, it really takes something. Everything within that inside saying no, don‟t, stop, you can‟t

or people won‟t like me or this isn‟t going to work or you are going to fail but to just people anyways.

And it‟s not you are superhuman Ron or you have super powers, I want to ask you about fear because

it is so easy to see people talking or say to them of course you can do that but I can‟t but you‟ve got

everything too, it‟s just that you go to that extra step, and then Travis too, and I do too. When I can you

know what I am doing anyways and gosh, to take an action, to take a new action that you never have

before really can build up confidence to try something else new and get new more results.

Ron: That‟s true. Because what I learned with Toast Masters in fact is everything is a learnable skill.

Travis: Right.

Ron: Everything. You might not be world class but if you want to do brain surgery you could learn the

technique but that wouldn‟t take responsibility unless somebody‟s brain, everything can be learned,

everything.

Sandra: Well both of you read Napoleon Hill, I want to mention to all our listeners also we spend a lot

of time alone, I know I do drive in my car and I know as far as mentor and powerful friends I‟ve got

some really great once in my life but I am not talking to them 24/7. I can tell that both of you always

have something you‟re listening to probably in the car in your off time, if you can‟t get into a

conversation with someone to maybe pull you out of the slump or advance your growth, have

something that you regularly committed to listening to.

Ron: Yeah, definitely if we get in the car the CD should come out automatically. And you should listen

to it more than once. I mentioned the CD that counsels success magazine. I listened to it probably

about ten times before I will take it out and replace to another one because you will be surprised what

you missed the first time, the second time, and third time.

Travis: You are challenging me because I only listened to them three times.

Ron: Well, when I get the magazine, the magazine is marked it with a yellow highlighter and then I‟ll go

back with my journal and look at what I marked in yellow highlighter and write in the journal because

when you write something it really imprinted into your brain a little better.

Sandra: And there are people that are natural geniuses that can meditate and come up with some

great invention and some great idea but for most of us we tried hard we are on our own and maybe just

as simple as listening to a CD or reading something just to get that spark. Nobody can stand on top of

the cutting edge new idea. But I tell you get one of those idea you hear something in CD or you can

spark a whole new bunch of idea so really great advice for people learning.




Travis: I think the CD‟s, the circle of five is the five people you spend the majority of your time around

that affect your thought processes, your attitude, and so many other things and sometimes we don‟t

have a third or fourth or fifth person that we spend all the time around. I think one of the things what I‟m

pointing out is that you can use those parts as stand ins for your circle of influence. I know that I do in

my own life, I don‟t want to speak for you Ron but I know that do for me I spend a lot of time even

though Napoleon Hill is not alive he is still a mentor.

Ron: Right.

Travis: I know it‟s extremely the hebo lessons that come from such a prolific writer.

Ron: Yeah, I agree.

Sandra: Well, meantime we are just an hour and five minutes and I want to make sure we are not

missing anything before we wrap up.

Ron: Well, one more thing I want to leave with you

Sandra: Yes.

Ron: Because when you sit there and you look at all the things to do in starting a business or

everything I want people not to get focus on getting their desk, their filing cabinet, their fax machines,

their laptop and all those stuff. The key item when you look at first things first is to create a world class

product or service, that‟s really the foundation. It has something that produces results for your clients,

that‟s the critical thing to produce we are creative people, create that product and once you created the

product or service then you can focus on the technology, to deliberate the technology, to attract people,

the marketing of it and all that stuff but what comes first is creating that world class product or service.

Sandra: Right. Excellent.

Ron: That produces results to your clients because your clients really don‟t need more information;

they are already overloaded with information. What they want is results in their life. So create products

and services that produce results.

Travis: Right. I agree with you. When I go and help business there are two things that I cannot fix is

poor quality and no motivation or drive. I can help you refine your model, I can help you refine your

pricing and all those everything, but I can‟t fix those two other things.

Ron: Yeah.




Travis: That‟s completely for you to create the quality and the drive so that‟s very important. And

another thing that you talked about and I know we need to wrap things up, I feel like in times when I am

not at my best I let my lower self-take control and my lower self is normally that little 6, 7 year old inside

of me they once throw a feat because everything is not going on my way or I want to throw a feet

because everybody is not doing what I want them to do. And that is part of the teachings of Napoleon

Hill is to come from a place of positivity. There is a way of looking at it, you take a glass of water and

you put a tea bag in it that water turns brown so it is obvious which is stronger; the tea is stronger than

water. And so you can either choose to react in a very negative way or you can choose to react in a

positive way. And just get beyond it rather than letting it drag you down to that lower level of yourself. I

just want to point that out. I want to start closing the show with some important pointer or quotes

because we are all here to grow ourselves and improve and make a difference. One of my favourite

quotes by Napoleon Hill is „Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.‟

Sandra: Wow. Great.

Ron: That‟s powerful.

Travis: Yeah, powerful. I want you think about that, Sandra and myself are here, Ron here, we are all

here to help you make a difference in your business, in your life, in your circle of influence because

business owners matter that‟s what makes, I feel like that‟s one of the key things that makes America

great. And so I want to thank you for tuning in. Sandra what do you have to say.

Sandra: I‟d like to hear that quote one more time so that we could just wrap it up.

Travis: Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.

Sandra: That‟s great.

Travis: Do you want to do the housekeeping for me today?

Sandra: No.

Travis: No?

Sandra: That‟s your job, I want to activate that little 6, 7 year old you are as far as you can get.

Travis: Yeah, alright. I am going to see you tomorrow and you‟ll get to sassy with me.

Sandra: I want to get sassy.

Travis: So listen I want to tell you go to travisandsandra.com, of course that‟s where all the blogs are. I

know that you probably access this through Facebook or iTunes but remember at travisandsandra.com,




you can interact with us, all of our contact information is there, Ron‟s contact information once we

publish the show Sandra and I is going to give you some link and you can click on it and it will get

straight to Ron, but it‟s a great for a start for us to interact we are looking to get for videos up in there as

well, plus we have a consumer guide that is critical part of your business that you really need to start

applying. So go there to begin that process and be part of our community. Alright?

Sandra: Perfect. And as a reminder when you go to travisandsandra.com and join our community you‟ll

have access to all of this great audios. You may choose not to listen to them 10 times or you may, but

we really have recorded so very, very valuable information that maybe just the thing you need to hear

to get excited again, go back on track know you are just in right place, you are human and you really

can succeed and the areas that are important to you so thank you for joining us. And Ron an extra

thank for just being such a fountain of wisdom and fun today really appreciate you for taking the time.

Ron: Thank you for having me on here it‟s really been fun.

End of Interview

Travis: Alright guys we‟ll get you on the next episode. Take care.




How We Can Help You

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Travis Lane Jenkins

Business Mentor-Turn Around Specialist

Radio Host of The Entrepreneurs Radio Show

“Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs That Grow Your Business"

http://www.rockstarentrepreneurnetwork.com/biz-accelerator

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Small Business & Entrepreneurship