Empire State of Mind
Empire State of Mind
Unlocking Your Zone of Genius: A Discussion with JM Ryerson
Join me for an enlightening journey that lifts the veil on the intricacies of leadership, team building, and personal growth. In this episode, I'm thrilled to have an insightful conversation with JM Ryerson, a leadership and team building expert. We discuss the power of choosing the right opportunities, the importance of defining clear roles, and the state of joy and fulfillment that comes with operating in your "zone of genius."
JM shares his invaluable insights into the mechanics of his business, emphasizing the significance of maintaining a meeting cadence and ensuring everyone has a clear goal. We dive into the essence of JM's "Let's Go Win" podcast and his recently released book. His mantra is all about self-improvement rather than drastic changes. Are you ready to make incremental positive changes to better yourself every day?
In the final part of our discussion, we delve into the critical role relationships play in our personal and professional lives. JM questions the 'no new friends' concept, shedding light on the profound impact our relationships can have on our goals. We explore the challenges of significant life changes, such as moving cross-country, with JM sharing his experiences and advice. We wrap up by discussing the necessity of adapting to change, using the iPhone rollout as an example. So, tune in for a power-packed episode on leadership, team building, personal growth, and much more!
Contact IEB -
- web: www.iebcoaching.com
- email: support@iebcoaching
- social: @iebcoaching
Contact Matt -
- email: matt@dciabq.com
- IG: @the.matthew.williams
On this episode of Empire State of Mind. I have JM Ryerson with us and we're going to talk about happy, healthy and wealthy. You do not want to miss this episode.
Intro:We believe the purpose of owning a business is funding your perfect life. Welcome to the next generation of growth and opportunity in the inspection industry. This is the Empire State of Mind. Empire State of Mind Building companies with faster growth, higher profits and more time freedom. Finally, a podcast for the home inspection industry and beyond. This is the Empire State of Mind and this is your host, matt Williams.
Matt Williams:Welcome to the show. I'm so glad that you're here with us Today. We have an outstanding guest. His name is JM Ryerson. If you were at the IEB Mastermind in Houston, texas, in November of 2022, he was one of our keynote speakers. He is a phenomenal entrepreneur and coach and he is helping businesses all across the country, even maybe the world, and helping them grow with the leadership and helping their teams perform. Anyhow, welcome to the show, jm. I am so glad you're here. How are you doing today?
JM Ryerson:Brother. I am blessed. Thank you, matt, for having me and good to reconnect with IEB again. And Empire State of Mind great name of the show, by the way. I love it.
Matt Williams:Yeah, thanks, I figure we're fighting JZ for that title. Maybe as long as he doesn't do a podcast or we do a rap song, I think we're going to be okay. I'm not much of a rapper and I don't think he has a podcast, so I think we're in good hands. Yeah, empire State of Mind and that's funny because with IEB we're an inspection empire builder, although IEB has other empire. Now we're doing pest empire builder, we're doing commercial empire builder and we're starting to branch out to more divisions within home services industries and so it's kind of growing, which is kind of fun. But that really kind of dovetails into some of what you talk about with your mindset stuff and leadership and helping teams perform better. And so what does that look like for you? Like, I know you help teams perform better, but what do you do when you're doing that kind of stuff?
JM Ryerson:Yeah, you know, you and I were talking off air and the fact that really, when it comes down to leadership and team building, it spans industries. Man, it's not specific to building inspection or healthcare. I coach people in the healthcare space, I work with professional athletes, I work, and the point is it's really all the same stuff. You just happen to do it in one industry versus the other, and I know you have multiple businesses and you affirmed as much like, yeah, man, I'm really applying the same principles to each business, and so what I do is I simplify everyone's life.
JM Ryerson:My track record is, when I come into a company, we're going to double revenue in the first year. That's just how it's gone for the companies that I've tracked. Now it's the crazy part is, when I start to work with them, they're like oh, it can't be this simple. And I'm like well, it should be. If we do a good job, we're going to simplify everything, get everybody on the same page, moving in the same direction, and now our job becomes that much easier. So I just figured that out. In my first three companies that I worked in, I just kept honing in the skills, and now it's become a system that I get to use with companies and in my own, and I just I love teams and performance.
Matt Williams:That's awesome, and when you make things simple, it makes it easier for people to say yes. You know like people say no to what's confusing, and if it's like, if you've been in those situations where there's so many options and so many things and so many paths, you're like, well, I need to think about this, I need to process this. There's a lot of decisions, but when you make it simple, it's like, well, it's really easy to say yes to something that's simple because it's you understand it and it's really clear to see.
JM Ryerson:Yeah, you're aligned and what's cool. I love this. Yes, no thing, because I have the saying you know, when I work with people, every time you say yes, you are saying no to something else.
Matt Williams:Oh my gosh, that is so true.
JM Ryerson:Yeah, yeah, well, it's family, your health, building your business, and so when you get real clear on like, hey, this is what we're doing, this is my role, this is, then it's easy to to your point to say yes, like yes, this fits. Or, more importantly, nope, it's not in alignment, I'm not doing it. And so it does. It really makes everything easier. And now you get to work in what I call your zone of genius.
Matt Williams:Wow, I like that. The zone of genius. I remember you talking about that last November when we first met at that conference, and that's a great concept. I've used the phrase that everybody's a 10 and something you know. Like I'm not a 10 in bookkeeping, that's for sure, but I have a bookkeeper, that is you know, and so I'm a 10 at certain things, but like you call the zone of genius, I think I think that's so good. Do you think everybody has one zone of genius?
JM Ryerson:Yeah, Patrick Lencioni is one of my favorite authors and he believes that there's really six different areas that we work in, and his theory is you have two that absolutely A you're good at. B it fills your bucket. Then there's two areas where maybe you're good at, maybe you're not, but it doesn't do much for you. And then there's two areas where it destroys you, and to your point, with bookkeeping, oh dude, I'm the worst and I fail miserably and it wears me out. So that would be a poor example of zone of genius, Whereas team building, working on cultures that just comes second nature and I'm passionate about it and it fills my bucket up. So, yeah, man, when you figure out what you're great at, now, it doesn't, it's not work. And when you're seeing success, it's like, oh, I want to keep doing that versus not doing the stuff that you know. When you're new as an entrepreneur, sometimes you have to do that stuff, but the moment you can outsource, do it Absolutely.
Matt Williams:When I started my inspection business, for example, I slept and worked and my wife and I still talk about those days of like like she did. She didn't see me, my family didn't see me, because I just slept and worked and guess what? I was answering the phone and I was processing payments and I was running the schedule and I was running the back end dealing with compliance issues for you know, state, local, federal, all the different business stuff you got to do, taking care of all those little itty-bitty things, and I just slept and worked and I ran everything by myself. But as soon as I could offload, I started offloading and I realized that my bookkeeping got way better.
Matt Williams:When I got a bookkeeper doing the bookkeeping and I realized like when I had somebody else helping me with HR some and payroll, I got a better company to help me with that. Oh my gosh, my life got so much easier and so much better. And finding those things that are like the drags that think because there's something that in the beginning every entrepreneur has to do that in the very beginning, when you first get started, you have to do everything right you do, and it is fun when you get to help people realize hey, if you want to control everything, you're limiting your growth and I've seen it with really successful entrepreneurs, where they're like man, if I do it, the work gets done.
JM Ryerson:Well, here's the problem You're limiting how much money you can make, you're limiting how much growth you can have, you're limiting how much time you can have with your family, maybe most importantly and that, as you said, you slept, you worked. The moment you could get out of it, though, it's like, oh, give it to somebody that's better at it, it doesn't wear me down. And now you have, I think, four different businesses, which is awesome.
Matt Williams:Yeah, and I found too that if I micro, if I'm over controlling, maybe micromanaging, or if I'm too involved in the business, I actually not only limit those things but I limit the potential of those that are working for me as well and that, like I'm putting like a stallion in a pony pen and they're just the box is too small and I have this powerful stallion and they're underused and underappreciated and I found that if I don't release them to do what they're good at, they're going to go find someplace else to work where they can be. That and I'll lose good people if I don't do it, you know. And so I have to be able to empower and release people to be able to function in their zone of genius right.
JM Ryerson:You said one of my favorite words empower you, let them do it even better than you do. That's the beauty is, when you're like, if you give people rain and you here's the vision go, they are going to impress you, I promise, as long as you check in right. Don't just say, hey, go do it, I'll see you in a year. Like, check in to make sure they have adequate support, they're clear on the objectives, but to your point. Don't hold them back. Don't sit there in MicroMage say where you're screwing it up. No man, go do you. That's why I hired you and that's coming from a savvy businessman. You clearly have figured that out and it's a recipe for your success.
Matt Williams:Yeah, well, I didn't know in the beginning. You know I've owned nine different businesses and so my first business I didn't know that more. My second one, talking about my third to like figure out, like why am I running people off, like good people off. And I figured out because I'm like running trying to run their life and micromanage it. And when I realized that I need to get the right who's and empower them to do what they're doing, then like I don't have to worry about the how as much.
JM Ryerson:Yeah, and there's a great book out called who, not how, and it's by oh, so you've read it.
Matt Williams:Yeah, I mean, I have read it. I read it that concept in a different book, maybe 20 years ago, and and then just recently I saw that book and I just bought it, I just started it, I haven't finished it, so that that topic is top of mind for me right now.
JM Ryerson:Yeah, well, and it's the whole idea of the book, because Ben Hardy is the actual, the one that's doing the writing. But it's not his ideas, he's just the person doing the writing. So the book is based on exactly how they brought it to the world. And it's so true, like, look, it's because you have a great idea, it doesn't mean you should write books. Maybe you find somebody that's really good at writing books and can get your idea out there. So it's a great book for any business owner. I'm a big fan, for sure.
Matt Williams:Yeah, absolutely, it's good. And so you now, do you have a team of people that work with you now, or what? What are you up to now doing? What you do? Is it just a solo operation or do you have, like an? I got a team.
JM Ryerson:Yeah, I have a team and I have some invaluable teammates where I don't know if my business would still function if, especially, nisha, if she hears this. It doesn't work without her, like legitimately. She makes everything run, and so when I and then I have a media firm that I work with and then my wife does some of the sales, and so there's a quite a few working parts, but when it comes down to it, somebody will call me and be like hey, I want to be a guest on the let's Go Win podcast. I'm not saying yes or no, I'm saying here's the system go to Nisha and she'll she'll say yes or no. That's how much I have said.
JM Ryerson:Look, I'm not any good at it. You do a great job of it, go. And so we check in. Just like I said, every week we go through the meeting cadence, which I may or may not have covered with you guys in Houston, but you know we run our meetings so that they're extremely efficient and so everybody knows what's expected of them and there's no surprises. And if we do it well, it's like a, it's like a good sports team, that's like winning Super Bowls, like, because everybody is in their role, in their position, they know what the goal is, and so that's how we try to operate. Let's Go Win. I love that.
Matt Williams:So your podcast Let Go Win. You've been doing that for a few years now.
JM Ryerson:Right, how long you've been doing the podcast Just over three years now, and it started off as transcendent live transcend is one of my favorite words and the media firms like look, dude, everything you do is let's Go Win, let's simplify, and I was like oh, okay. So yeah, it's been three years and I love it. Man, this is my favorite thing when we get to interact like this.
Matt Williams:Yeah, so let's Go Win is the podcast you can. Is it on all the platforms like Apple and Spotify and all that stuff? Okay, yeah, I'll put a link in the show notes for this, for the let's Go Win podcast, so other people can go check that out and get more content from you, which is really cool. Now I also know you're an author. You've written, I think, two. Are you just released a third book? Is that correct? I did.
JM Ryerson:Do you have more?
Matt Williams:books than that.
JM Ryerson:No, I only have three, and the most recent one just came out, gosh, I should know the date at the end of June, early July, and it's been fun. You know, every time you release you know that you have that trepidation, that imposter syndrome where, like, I hope everybody likes it and it's been solid feedback so far. So it's been, it's been nice.
Matt Williams:That's great. I just saw it. I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Give me a spoiler alert, man. What is what is in the book? What's it about? Who's it for?
JM Ryerson:So it really is, for executives is where I started, and it's about leaders and executives. But the truth is, in 20 some odd years of coaching, I realized something that people don't like change. But everybody loves to be upgraded. And here's my example I give all the time If you're going to an airport and they move from you, from your coach seat, up to first class, are you mad? No, you're like dude, that's awesome, but it's a change. And I started realizing with my coaching clients I'm like wait a minute, I'm trying to change these human beings. I'm not going to do that anymore. Let's just upgrade a little bit. And we've become so accustomed to upgrading our cell phones, upgrading, you know, everything in our life. It's a change, but it's just getting better, and so the mantra of the company is getting better every day, and so that's what upgrades all about is really consider upgrading yourself. You know it's not change. You're an amazing human being, but could you be a little bit better? Sure, okay, yeah, I could be a little bit better.
Matt Williams:Yeah, I probably could be a lot better if you ask my wife, you know, no, but yeah, it's always like a little bit better, right, like I think I think most people and I mean, unless you're a complete narcissist, there's, there's like you know, there's things about you that you're like, yeah, this isn't the best, but you know, I'm working with it, you know, and, and I think that's awesome. I love that idea, the upgrade versus the change, because, you're right, like nobody likes change.
JM Ryerson:Well, and if we ever think we arrived, like if I'm like, nope, I've learned everything, I know that I've lost, like you're dead in the water and so that's all you know. Carol Dweck has an amazing book mindset, all on growth mindset. That's all this is. It's just say look, I love who you are, but could we be a little bit better? Just like I'm going from that Apple 12 phone or whatever it is the 15. It's got cooler features, it's got some things I really like, yep.
Matt Williams:So but it still takes a while, like even when you upgrade your phone right, that's a great analogy upgrade your phone, you get, you know, and like, if you stay within Apple to Apple right for, or Android to Android is. So if you go Apple like 12 to 15 what's is it? 15, now 16, 14? I don't know how if you got great though, the camera's a little better, not a lot it, but it's a little better, you know, and and and the speed processors a little better, the batteries a little better.
Matt Williams:At the end of the day they still make the same phone calls that they made and you can still send the same text messages that you could before, and there's a lot of the primary functions that don't really change that much. The same apps are on the new phone as the old phone, and you know, and so, but you have little changes along the way, little upgrades along the way, but either way, when you get a new phone, it takes a while to get used to it, right like. I noticed that, especially when they change from, like, the fingerprint center, search of the face thing, like your tactile motions, all have to change and but but takes a little bit of adjustment when you get that upgrade, doesn't it? And? And so I wonder it's probably the same thing in life. You have almost like pause just for a minute to like install that upgrade in you.
JM Ryerson:Yeah, it's a great point. So my son, he had a phone that, if you remember, the Apple phone used to have a home button.
JM Ryerson:I totally forgot. I forgot that you used to be able to hit your thumb on this, but he is just upgraded to this other phone because that phone finally went to. You know had to go away, yep, but to your point, yes, it is something that's maybe new, it's it's. It's uncomfortable because it's I'm not used to it. But here's the beauty, and everyone knows this if you just stop for a second, growth happens when you're uncomfortable. Now, people don't like Change and it's unknown and I'm uncomfortable. But if you consider, you know, it's just that upgrade. So if you go back and you're like, oh yeah, the home, the home button, I don't have any more, it was weird for a second, but now my life is easier because it's one less thing I have to do. That's exactly how we are as human beings.
Matt Williams:Wow. So what are some of the upgrades that maybe you've implemented in your own life over the last few years?
JM Ryerson:well, I am a huge fan of biohacking. You and I were talking off air and I literally have recently gone to the carnivore diet, and when you first say that there's, there's feelings people have. Some people are like I'm vegan and how dare you kill animals? I'm like I look, man, I love animals too. It's just it's more of a decision for my body, and so that's one of the upgrades I'm always working on is biohacking. I'm just, I'm passionate about it, because human performance being our best, feeling our best, looking our best I mean that's something I'm passionate about. So that's something.
JM Ryerson:But the you know, I guess, more business centered. I certainly have been more clear on who I surround myself with and I have a basic philosophy People either lift you up or they bring you down. I don't think there's any middle ground. I don't think there's somebody sitting on the shelf that's like, nope, I'm not lifting you up or bringing down, it's one of the other. That has been the biggest business shift where I'm like look, I'm surrounding myself with people that inspire me, that support what I'm doing, are gonna push me. That wasn't always the case, as you mentioned, with your first couple companies. That that's about company one and a half. I wasn't clear on that, and once I did, oh my gosh. Growth just became the simple thing.
JM Ryerson:So that's probably the biggest one.
Matt Williams:I love that. So there's two things. You mentioned, first, that I want to go back to the carnivore diet because, from what I understand, like you just eat meat and nothing else. Is that correct?
JM Ryerson:Yeah, man, it's, it's. When you first say it aloud you're like oh yeah, I love steak.
Matt Williams:cool, yeah, does that get well, that's a thing right once a week or every few days or something like yeah, but like breakfast you have steak for breakfast.
JM Ryerson:So I intermittent fast, so I only do two meals a day. Yeah, like today. Right now it's one o'clock, I'll probably eat it two or so, and then I you have a feeding window, two to like six or seven, but I'll only really do two meals now. Here's why I'm doing it. I feel so much better, brother, when I eat. I don't get lethargic, I don't get bloated as I was having with some of the other. Like more of a plant-based diet I would get so bloated and be uncomfortable and then I'd hit this crash. I'm not have any of that. This is like I'm. You know, I get to cook with ghee butter because I'm lactose, and top but ghee butter. I love it, and so it's it's. It is a radical shift, but the way I feel is incredible.
Matt Williams:I have not been doing it.
JM Ryerson:It hasn't been that long, man, it's, it's literally been. I'm in the hard stage. They say, like the first few weeks, yeah, it's the hardest Because you, you have zero carbs and you're in your you know. So, like you know, it's a crazy thing because you're not as satiated your stomach, but I will say, I just feel more alert. Hmm, I don't know, it's, it's been, it's been a crazy idea to shift, because I literally went 180 degrees the other way. I didn't have red meat for almost five, six, seven years because my stomach.
JM Ryerson:I've brought it back in and now it's like a staple.
Matt Williams:Yeah, so you, you mentioned like you're, you're said vegan, right, and then so, so like you, gluten-free as well. A lot, of, lot of times that goes together. So so were you. You were doing all that, no meat at all, and then you went straight a hundred percent meat. So I was a shocking shift, like a major change. I mean major upgrade.
JM Ryerson:My wife thought I was crazy when I told her. She's like what are you talking about? You haven't had red meat, hardly. You know. I've slowly introduced it the past year but, yeah, to make that shift to go from like really plant-based to now this carnivore style. And I'm curious, brother, you know what this is gonna look like, but the amount of people I've talked to and the research I've done, they're showing like heart disease going away and, and you know, losing a bunch of weight and Just performing better.
JM Ryerson:And for me, I want to live as long as I can and I want to perform at the highest level. So when I'm 80, I'm hoping I'm still out there playing pickball and being able to play with my grandkids. I Wasn't feeling that way on this other diet. So I guess the point is it's not that I'm like, oh, carnivore is the only way to go, or, you know, vegan is the way to go. I think it's whatever is best for your body and makes sense for you. And carnivore just of all the diets I've ever done, this one feels so freaking good. It's amazing.
Matt Williams:Wow, that's, that's cool. I might, I might try it. I've been tempted to try it, so you may have inspired me to maybe try that carnivore diet. I'll keep you posted.
Matt Williams:But the second thing I want to bring up is this is that the idea of the up and down right, like like when I was a kid, I remember my dad would say things like well, show me your friends and I'll show your future. You know, and and I've modified it I actually tell my kids all the time that your friends are like an elevator, they're gonna take you up or they're gonna take you down, but they're not gonna leave you the same and and so my, so I use that all the time with people that I know the elevator scenario. And then there's, like my kids. Even they have friends.
Matt Williams:Maybe and I use this my kids, because it's an easy topic but we all do. We all have friends in our life, people in our life that maybe aren't taking us up, maybe like, why can't figure out taking us up or down, and it's not that like, well, if you're not performing at the level I'm performing out, then I can't be your friend anymore. But what I've learned is, and is that, well, who's pushing the buttons on the elevator, because sometimes we have people in our life that we're inspiring up to with us, and so the difference, I think is is are they pushing the buttons or are you being the leader in this relationship? Are they being the leader in that relationship?
JM Ryerson:and yeah, and I love, I love your analogy on the elevator because it's, it's Absolutely. I'm gonna use that by the way, it's really good.
Matt Williams:Give me credit. I stole it from somebody else, so awesome.
JM Ryerson:Well, I will do my best to throw you in there. But you know what? What I would say To that point and this is what freaks people out we're really comfortable, or, let's say, it's a really close family member that they, you know they drag you down, you know they're not bringing you, you know they're not lifting you up, setting boundaries and being okay with the fact that it doesn't mean they're out of my life. I'm not even judging, I'm just not Feeling lifted up and I'm not lifting you up. Therefore, we need to maybe change the relationship slightly. It doesn't mean you're out of my life. It just means maybe, instead of hanging out Four days a week, maybe it's one, maybe it's more of a phone relationship now versus letting them into the sanctity of your home. It's a really important topic for people to to look at, because it it gets. It gets challenging when you bring family into it, but the truth is it's your life, man, it's, and you want to live your best life.
Matt Williams:You want to Succeed, you want to be careful of who you surround yourself with yeah, and I've heard that like I mean, I have teenagers, so I you know the young kids these days, you know. But I hear them talking about like no new friends, right, like I haven't ever heard that phrase, or they're like, they're on their way up and they're gaining. Like I'm just gonna no new friends, I'm gonna bring my, my, my homies, my friends with me on the way up, and that's not a great plan.
JM Ryerson:Terrible idea, terrible idea.
Matt Williams:Yeah, go ask Michael Vic, right, the quarterback. He brought his friends from when he was, you know, in the hood and he started making it and he brought those friends with them and they kept doing illegal activities under his Watch and they did the dog fighting thing. And Michael Vic and I've gone to jail because of what his friends were doing on his property With his money and everything. And, like you know, your, your, your friends will Drag you down absolutely and and it's not that he can't be friends with those people or you can't be friends with people who are there. But you're right, you got to limit that exposure and you got to put the boundaries in place and be like I'm not gonna be inspired by these people, right, like you got to be able to say I'm gonna find people around me, they inspire me and lift me up.
JM Ryerson:Well, and I actually I Understand they're thinking, because when I was 26, the first time I made seven figures in a year, I Was about 26 or 27? So on the outside, looking in Financially cool business is crushing it. But I remember saying I don't need any more friends. I remember personally saying that, wow, do you know how insane that is, how big our world is, how many amazing people are out there to ever limit yourself and and to why do that? But I do. I remember, matt. I said that and it's crazy to say it aloud now. But People get comfortable and again, you're not growing when you're comfortable. So just remember, oh, keep open.
Matt Williams:I love that. Yeah, this this past year I've made two incredible friends that are steps ahead of me in life and in business, and they have had so much influence there. They've revolutionized my life, both in business and personally, financially and Relationally, in ways that I mean I can't even communicate all the changes that that they've had, they've had on me but and the impact. But if I had been like no new friends, well, I would have not taken the time to allow those people into my life and and I'm better before it, which means my family's gonna be better for my wife and my kids will be better for it and you've got to be able to allow them when you people in your life and you got to make sure you're looking for those people that are ahead of you too. Man, I think that's such a huge, huge, powerful point.
JM Ryerson:I agree with you shoot. There's eight billion people to think that you've met the perfect group like come on right so yeah, oh, a hundred percent agree.
Matt Williams:Hundred percent agree, man. So you, I know you moved across the country and you were a West Coast kid and now you are in the Florida area. What was that upgrade like? Moving across the country like that Was that a big change? How did you adapt to that?
JM Ryerson:Yeah, so my wife grew up in Northern California and that's where we were for almost 20 years, outside of being in Portland for about a year and a half. But it was a huge shift and my wife and my kids I was the devil for the first year, matt like they were not happy about this move.
JM Ryerson:Yeah, they just left their friends, my wife and Our dream home. She had literally done everything to it and I mean it was. It's a cool home, there's no doubt, but for what I was doing I knew I was gonna sell out of one of the companies. State of California's listening. That's not solely why I left, but I wasn't gonna pay the state of California. There's no way that was happening, right.
JM Ryerson:And then our older son plays very competitive tennis and it was a huge shift. I mean we're going from again you know, one coast to the to the other sides, everything. My wife had lived in California her whole life so, yeah, the upgrade took some time to be like I can see why we did this, but it's been such a great move, man to your point, surrounded by people that have absolutely inspired me, connections that I may or may not have had, and I think that's the cool part is, when you go explore somewhere, if you're open to it, there's so much to garner. Now I'm a kid from Montana. I'm use of mountains. There's no mountains in Florida. The closest thing is like the landfill.
JM Ryerson:That's not a pretty mountain either, yeah no, it's not, but there's just no elevation change, so I could focus on that. I could tell you how flat it is, or, like you did, you're like oh bro, you got the beaches and you have palm trees. Man that beaches right.
Matt Williams:The weather there's so much right right on the Santas.
Intro:Look, I'm a fan of him.
JM Ryerson:I know he's polarizing, but I like what he does absolutely.
Matt Williams:Yeah, it seems. It seems like yeah, you know I'm not trying to go political, I'm just being trying to be funny. But yeah, you know, you know you're right to say that it's too right. So yeah, but you know, I think that's interesting. So when you have to lead upgrade in an environment, whether you're the office and the executive suite or if you're in your family Like how do you, how do you navigate Really hard, challenging upgrades, for maybe the people around you don't necessarily see it, but you do, as a leader to see, I know we need to make this change. It's gonna be hard for everybody. How do you, how do you approach that?
JM Ryerson:Yeah, it's a good, it's a great question. As a leader, I believe in radical transparency. Now, that's not mine Ray Dalio has really coined that term but it's something I absolutely Subscribe to. So I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, I'm not gonna say, you know, like we're trying to bring something in and and like sweep it under the rug like no man, here's what we're doing and why people don't like the unknown. That's when they get uncomfortable, like I don't know where you're going. Therefore, this is new. Therefore, I'm gonna push back.
JM Ryerson:Yep, but if you get buy-in on why this upgrade, how it's going to personally benefit the Executive team, the company, whoever you're working with, when you can get there buy-in in that terms, because everybody is, to a degree, self-serving how is this going to make my life better, matt? Is it going to improve it? Yes, and here's how Then people can buy in. So that's really where I go is. I'm gonna be brutally honest about it and here's why we're doing it. You, I'm not telling you it's gonna overnight be like, yes, let's upgrade. No, people resist that because they're thinking of change. But if you can get them to see the benefits, how their life will be better, when you can paint that picture. That's when people say I'll get behind you all day long.
Matt Williams:So I've read these stats before. I don't remember the numbers off top of my head, but I know that when you're trying to lead through change with a group of people, there are some that are like early adopters and they're just like, yeah, let's go. And then there's some that are kind of in the middle of the road and then there's like the I don't say the never adopters, but there's some people that are just like you can't get them all. So at what point is the tipping point of, like I'm casting vision, I'm selling this change, and then where's the tipping point that you say, okay, now it's time to start stepping in, out and acting on this change? Where's that line? Where do you do that?
JM Ryerson:Yeah, it's a great question and you're right. They show this in the tech world, the early adopters. Then you have the people that just kind of integrate, the folks that don't come along At some point. They will just be left behind or they're just not going to be a part of your culture. Now that seems really like gosh. That's so, so black and white. And now look, if everyone has committed to this and you see the purpose for the company, let's say, if you're not going to adopt it, you won't be a part of the team. Now you asked when. That's a great question and it's really a feel thing.
JM Ryerson:You know I'm a big fan of timelines like we're implementing by this time. That doesn't mean it's got to be perfect, but we're going to work on it for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days. Go back to I told you there's not a company in the world. I don't believe the system I implement will double revenue in the first year. That doesn't mean the first 90 days are like rainbows and sunshine and unicorns flying around, no man. It's like I'm not a popular guy in many of these scenarios when I walk through because you're totally disrupting everything. But when you start to see some wins and we talk a lot about momentum. When you start to see wins by moving, celebrate those wins, then people are like, oh, okay, I can see the validity here. So it's usually about 90 days is what I found in business settings where it's like Okay, I got over the shock, I was able to test it out a little bit, I'm seeing the benefit, I'm all in.
Matt Williams:Yeah, it's the people that are like the iPhone. You know, people used to wait out in line for the launch date, you know, back in the day. And then there's those people that are like, well, I'm going to wait six months and make sure they work the bugs out, you know, and that's like the vast majority of people are kind of in that I'm going to wait and see a little bit. And then you have those random people that even to this day, they're rocking an iPhone five, even though there's like an iPhone whatever 14 out, you know, and and they're like, no, it works just fine, I'm not going to, not going to upgrade, you can't make me change and and then eventually just obsolete out to where their little iPhone find doesn't five doesn't work anymore at all. And then it's like, well, now you're forced to make a change and I think you're right.
Matt Williams:I think there's just people that fall off the wagon, if you will. They fall off the truck when you're driving down the road as a business leader and owner, and it's not cold hearted, it's, but you can't, like, hold back your entire company and you can't hold back on the potential of, you know, the 90%, because 10% aren't ready to go, those 10% will kind of never be ready to go. And so then I think, like you said in the beginning, when you say yes to one thing, you're saying no to something else. If you say yes to the 10% who are never going to go along, you're saying no to the 90% that are like hey boss, let's go do this thing.
JM Ryerson:Well, and it's actually the worst thing you can do as a leader. Your job is to serve the majority. Your job is to make sure that your company is in the best space possible, not for the outliers, not for the people that are just going to say no, no matter what. So this is a fun. I mean I could go on for days on this particular subject because it's so prevalent in our world. Now I will say people, I think, are adapting faster because our world is so it moves so quickly now. But you do have some of the dinosaurs. I mean again, netflix, blockbusters the easiest example. Netflix continues to adapt and change, even after they found their way into the space and blockbuster doesn't exist anymore. That's the easiest example I give business leaders like dude, you don't want to be blockbuster. They were the king of the hill and they chose not to shift this, the market. They weren't going to do it and Netflix went way by them and now blockbuster doesn't exist.
Matt Williams:Right Blockbuster was like no people want the experience of browsing the titles and holding the cases and reading the backs before they buy it. They want to come and they had this idea in their head that this is what people wanted and they romanticized where their current reality is like the apex and they just didn't actually listen to everybody and like make the shift. They had an opportunity to shift because they had the market majority. It's the same thing like with Walmart and Amazon. Right, like Walmart had to make a huge shift to be able to handle oh man, we got this online competitor. So now you go to Walmart, you can order stuff and it can show up in two days and you can actually order it and have it at your store. And they made the big shift and if they hadn't made that shift, they would have been left behind.
JM Ryerson:Yeah, it is true. I mean, you just have to have a growth mindset. Literally, I'm telling you, if you look on my bathroom mirror, it's at the very top. Have a growth mindset always, because if you get fixed on something, you will get left behind. It's just the way the world works.
Matt Williams:Yeah, it really is. Do you see anything in the world right now that you see people like balking at that? Maybe they need to be embracing? You know, like, you know, like, I don't know, like, like, don't be the blockbuster, but what's the? What's the current thing that we're like living on now that you see the new thing coming and people are like hesitant at?
JM Ryerson:I think AI I've seen so much resistance and so much fear I'm going to lose my job. It's like, okay, let's just say that's true. Let's you have a crystal ball. You know your job's going to be completely gone. You and I were talking about copywriters, right? Maybe that is a possibility. Okay, so let's just say you know for sure it's going to eliminate.
JM Ryerson:Well, how would you use it to your advantage, Having being able to prompt AI properly? Now it's actually doing your job for you that much faster. So now you get to spend more time, you get to scale, and this is what I talk to people about all the time. I'm like look man, the genie's out of the bottle. You can be afraid of it, but it's false evidence appearing real. That's what fear stands for. So you need to see how you can work with it, Because the truth is, there will always be well, maybe not always, there will probably always be a need for human interaction to some point, the creative mind of a human being, the robots won't have it the same, and so I've watched these guys that shifted.
JM Ryerson:They said, hey, AI's here, it's doing all of my hard work. I'm just getting really good at how to prompt it. Yeah, and it's a skill set now. So, okay, you were a copywriter, Now you're a prompt engineer copywriter for AI. It's like who cares? It's less work for you and you can scale your business faster. So that's the one I see big time right now.
Matt Williams:That's good. Are you using any AI tools now in your life and if so, what are you using and how does it help you?
JM Ryerson:I use quite a bit. Well, let's say, take this episode. I know you don't do a lot of editing, but let's say you wanted to and I'm not paid by the group I'm about to say. But let's say you wanted to break this episode down. It's called Latte Social. It'll do 10 of them like that, something that probably would have taken you three or four hours, matt to truly, and we already said you're like dude, I don't have time to do that. Well, you do really good content. You ask really good questions. This should be out on whatever Instagram or TikTok or whatever you use. Well, you don't have the three hours to edit. Maybe you don't want to pay for it. Okay, cool, latte Social, boom, boom, boom and it'll be done and it's awesome. So I use that. I use chat GPT often. Yeah, there's another one, I can't think of the name off the top of my head, but we use it quite a bit and it's drastically saved hours, human capital, time, so they can work in their zone of genius.
Matt Williams:Now yeah, I use AI on the podcast. I think I've said that in previous episodes. Even that, like the, this automatically creates a transcript, you know, with AI, and then it takes a chapter markers. So in the notes, show notes, you see that the transcript as an option, the chapter markers as an option, the show notes of like a summary, it summarizes it and then it comes up with a few title suggestions and it does all that in the background and so I go through it. I got to like, review it and make sure, yes, it's right, and make sure that it's attributing the right phrases to the right people and stuff. But but overall it like it would have taken me, you know, five or six hours of work on the post side. It gets it all done and take it takes me 10 minutes now to review it and post it. And I'm starting to implement more chat GPT type stuff in Jasper's, another one I've been using for social media content.
Matt Williams:That's pretty great, and even I see companies starting to bake AI into their platforms. So big time, big time, man. Yeah. So like Canva is a creative arts platform that we use in all my companies and now they have AI tools that are starting to bake into canvas. So now, as a creator, it's like I don't have to create everything from scratch. I can create graphics and that I can direct it, but it does the actual, like finished creation part. And so, yeah, I think you're right, I don't think it's going to replace jobs, but it's going to change your job, upgrade your job.
Matt Williams:If you will, it will upgrade it, so that then now, yeah, now it's like well, now I get to focus on what my zone of genius is and allow AI tools to help fill in the gaps of where I'm I'm weak. I'll be honest, you know, when it comes to grammar and stuff like that, you know, I, I, I'm not so good at that, but, but I'm good at talking to people and doing a podcast. So you know, yes, you are here, we are man. Yeah, that's good. Dude, this is. This has been a great show. Carnivore diet you mentioned off off camera that you even did like a blood type diet and all kinds of different things, but the carnivores where it's at, I guess? Huh, right now.
JM Ryerson:As of right now, I feel healthier, I feel energized and I here's what I would say to anyone have again growth mindset, something that you think is absolutely crazy, unless you're totally against. You know, some people are like no killing animals. Okay, cool, I get that and I respect that. But I, you know, I don't have a feeling that way. I grew up Montana, I grew up hunting. That wasn't a thing for me. But if that's not your thing, then cool man, I respect that 100%. But I will say carnivore is freaking amazing dude, I feel so good, I'm going to try it out.
Matt Williams:So that's interesting how you took a kind of a big step and a big move to do a big upgrade in your life there and so deep into just finding those spots that that you can implement upgrade and the biohacking. I love that. It helps you function better and get a little bit better each day, like you say. That's the idea, man.
JM Ryerson:I love it A little better each day.
Matt Williams:Well, it's been awesome having you on the show. If someone wants to get a hold of you obviously we have a podcast. I'll put a link in the show notes. But if somebody else wants to get a hold of you, what's the best way for them to contact you?
JM Ryerson:Yeah, brother, I appreciate that. Let's go wincom All everything that I do is right there. Or let's go win 365. A lot of work in. You know the various platforms, but DM me, man, hit me up If I can help your business or you're curious about carnival or whatever. I love to interact with people, so I appreciate you having me. Matt, you do a great job. This is a lot of fun.
Matt Williams:No, I'm glad to have you on the show, so let's go win on. Is that their tag on all your socials as well? Like it for Instagram and TikTok and all the different things.
JM Ryerson:Let's go. Win 365 was the social the handle.
Matt Williams:I guess for Instagram yeah, let's go win 365, send a DM and somebody will get you back maybe even you, or what was the other gal's name? You said you couldn't run your life.
JM Ryerson:Nisha, she might. She's pretty quick, but….
Matt Williams:That's awesome, man. Well, man JM is so good having you on the show and, for those that are listening, I hope you reach out to JM with any questions that you have. Go get his books. His books are phenomenal. I've read a couple of them I haven't read the third one yet but outstanding books, and so thank you so much for being on the show. I can't wait to have you on maybe sometime in the future. Thank you, brother.
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