Building a Magnetic Brand, Embracing Change & Owning Your Zone of Genius with Ramon Ray

Speaker A: You've never been one to settle, stand down or stand still. You're a lifelong learner, energized by excellence. There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. You've got competition to outrun, momentum to build on, and your own high standards to meet. Stop now. Not a chance. At Capella University, we help you catch what you're chasing because you've always had the drive. Now go earn the degree Capella University. What can't you do? Visit Capella Edu to learn more. If you can make a dis, you can make a signature recipe and showcase it on your beautiful website that you built with Squarespace. And if you can make a stitch, you can make an outfit and put it on your online store that you built with Squarespace. And if you can hit the pose, you can teach the class that they can book on your site that you built with Squarespace. Because whatever your business, you can build it at squarespace.com use offer code EMPIRE for 10% off your website or domain.

Speaker B: Um, we are creative entrepreneurs and we also know how difficult it can be to navigate the journey of entrepreneurship. Today, you are going to unite with other creatives. Let's step out of this isolating experience as business owners, as authors, as podcasters or speakers, and let's start learning actionable tools you need to build an explosive brand. Let's start creating now. On with the show.

Speaker C: Julie, we're here with Ramon Ray.

Speaker B: Who is Ramon Ray, by the way?

Speaker C: Oh, let me tell you, shared the stage with Seth Godin, Gary V. Uh, all the Sharks. It's all the Sharks.

Speaker B: All, uh, the Sharks.

Speaker C: All the Sharks. So I want to come out. I'm going right out of the gate with this question.

Speaker B: Hey, Dom, what do you got for me?

Speaker C: Julie, what do you got?

Speaker B: That's how I met Ramon Ray. He was speaking on stage with Gary vee at, uh, VCon.

Speaker C: Okay, so already you two, you two are connecting, meeting cool people because of it. What I want to know is when you're sharing their stage, we. With all these people names we all know, do you ever sit and take away something, Ramon, where you're like, I gotta change everything right now. So is there maybe a few things or one thing that you were like, I'm going home and I'm, I'm changing. Later on, I'm going to talk about things you said to me, but are there points that maybe you changed everything because of, uh, something one of those guys said?

Speaker D: I wish I could say yes, changed everything, but I am way too distracted. To change everything. So I usually go back to my bad habits. That's one. But number two, I. I was listening to Stephen Bartlett. I wasn't interviewing him, but Stephen Bartlett of Dragon's Den, I think it is. I always forget what the name is. I think it's Dragons Den. Steven Bartlett in London and talking about simple YouTube. You know, there's so many hacks you can give, but he just said they had a maniacal focus on YouTube and focused and focused and focused on it being the best show ever. So that was number two. The third thing I can tell you a story. Guy Raz, some of you may know him. Guy Raz, his book, How I Built It. I was interviewing him. Oh at the same event that Julie was at, interviewing him with the Gary V. Con event. And walking with him down the. The stadium hallway. He said he could have been a little joking, but he said, ramon, I'm a little nervous. What should I do? And I thought it was so cute. Guy Raz. Millions of followers sold millions of books. One of the top rated NPR radio shows ever. And there's little old Ramon in a fun way. You know, Guy Raz is big and I was able to, in a fun way, school him. Like, don't worry about a guy. I got you. I'm, um, the professional interviewer. You just sit. I got you. So I thought that was pretty funny.

Speaker B: But that's the expertise of an interviewer. You make them feel comfortable. You bring out their best side. Yes. A, uh, big question I have for you just right off the bat is that you have met the biggest people in the industry. You have hosted Aspire, you have been, whatever, whatever. How do you nurture those relationships if you have met them, how do create more profound relationships with them in a business sense and even a personal sense?

Speaker D: That's a great question. And for me, I think that the people at the top, top, top level, I probably don't nurture the relationship as well as I could or should, but the focus I have is on the secondary person. Ish, as it were. So I find that. Yes. Have I met Gary Vaynerchuk? Does he know me? I was with him on his whatnot app. You know, the thing that you sell E Commerce or something. I didn't even know what not was but people you want to sell, uh,

Speaker B: used shoes and that actually what now I had right told me to do that and Gary's like loves it. Is that exactly that his app?

Speaker D: I don't know if it's his or he is like a jv or business development deal where he gets some. I don't know. He could be just using it pure, organically. But knowing him, if I were them, I'd be paying him something to be on their platform and hype it up. That's what I would do. So. But it's funny, you know, I was there and he knows my name and all that, but we're not golfing buddies. We're not, hey, Ramon, come over from house for dinner. But I know his team, so if I need to pull that card, I'm sure maybe there's some way to do it. But I think it's a great question. Nurturing relationships. I think Overall, I think LinkedIn, Julie, is a powerful way. LinkedIn is such an amazing platform that everybody should be on LinkedIn Dominique. Those who are not on Linked in Dominique, they're just losing out Dominique. Don't you think?

Speaker C: You use it every day. Uh, I'm a big believer in underpriced attention. I'm a reader of Jack Welch being first to market. I think wherever you are going, you should be the first. Whether It's TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, whatever. Be the first Ramon there. And you're going to tell us more about the celebrity CEO being. Being that there, how to make yourself a celebrity in your space. Well, I, I'm. I just got to be the best Dominic Damasky, the publisher from Pittsburgh, I can be. And that's it, you know, so be that on those platforms.

Speaker B: So why can't you be better than that, though, Dom?

Speaker C: Um, why are you all I can ever be, Julie? All I can ever be is the best me I can be. And I'm going to keep increasing that every day.

Speaker B: You said the Dominic Domaski in Pittsburgh, and I see you as way bigger than that.

Speaker C: Sorry, go on. Um, delete.

Speaker B: That's not going to get deleted, by the way.

Speaker C: Damn you. Okay, okay, so at, uh, this point, I think we've held Ramon long enough.

Speaker B: We have not long enough. You know why we haven't held him long enough? Because he understands the power of his voice. Dom, I'm, I'm, I am not disagreeing with you. We have spent a lot of time with him, but the point is, is that he has all this insider information and he, he is connected to everybody in the world, mostly everybody in the world. And I think I want to know. You want to know how to grow our business with all these connections, to be a celebrity CEO into our zone of genius. And what, what is that secret besides do it over and over and over again. Because that's what we all do. How can we monetize it in a big, bad way that we can quit our 9 to 5? Or we can just say, finally, I am a success.

Speaker D: No, I love that. I think three things. One, of course, everybody's success is going to be unique to what their success is. Some people, success, the proverbial story. I'm sitting on the bank of a river fishing and have a campfire in my dog. That's for some people. Some people, success is, I own 20 buildings and I'm a billionaire. Everybody has their own version of success. I think that's one. I think, number two, the aspect of relationships, what I like about that, Julie, is how can we maximize the relationships? I'll take the question that way, I think is, how can I provide value first? How can I? Doesn't mean you always have to do that. I do believe in selling. Selling is important. You have to be able to sell. But I think for me, the softer approach of me saying, I think podcast, that's a great way right there. Some of my best relationships. And again, I'm talking about business transactional relationships, not, hey, come to my house for dinner. I don't do that with 99% of my business relationships. But I think the aspects of, hey, Microsoft, hey, Dell. Talking to my world, the world of brand influence, which I do, is that, hey, could I interview you? Could I have you on my show? Could I invite you to my event? And they may say yes, and they build the relationship. And I think the third thing, Julie, I really think the aspect of being willing to take risks and put your own money somewhere if you can. Again, for those who don't have money, we've given some tips as ways to do it for free, but take your own money and do something with it. You know, hey, you're trying to get somewhere, invest the money and buy the ticket that costs 10,000 or 7,000 or 500 or $200. Buy the ticket and show the event person, hey, um, I'm here. Just want, you know, I bought a ticket, I got a VIP row. Can I spend five minutes with you? Afterwards, walk into the elevator and chat a bit? People won't say no to that, but oftentimes if you do the, hey, you're doing something. Can I get. Can I get a ticket? And I get it. But, you know, so those are three things I'd say, especially when you're willing to invest yourself, invest in something, and show people that I invested in and make it happen.

Speaker C: Ramon, we love you, man. We appreciate you being here.

Speaker D: It's mutual.

Speaker C: Before we let Ramon go, Ramon, we need to know where we can find you. Where can people get ahold of you?

Speaker D: Sure. Best way. Zoneofgenius.com, zoneofgenius.com and people can subscribe and sign up to my m email newsletter or check out celebrityceo.com but zoneofgenius.com leads to all places.

Speaker C: Ramon, anything else you need to tell us today? You got a final tip for this crew?

Speaker D: Well, thank you. I think I would just say, um, keep being persistent. Keep being persistent, but be persistent and make sure you're going up or down the right hill. There's nothing wrong with doing something over and over again or being persistent in something. And it's not your calling, not what you should do, not, you know, you're in the wrong seat on the wrong bus, going in the wrong direction. That's just misery. So if you're doing what you love and if you've looked at it, you know, again, we've talked about things, but you know, there's some way to monetize it and market and do something, I would just say keep doing it. Because every time you're persistent, even if it doesn't work out, you will learn from that. You'll navigate, you'll pivot, you'll be able to adjust and keep doing that and adding value and just be nice.

Speaker C: Thank you, my friend. Julie, you want to take us out?

Speaker B: Just be nice, Dom. Um, Dominique, did you hear that? Just be nice. I love this. I am so appreciative to our friend Ramon Ray. Check him out. He is going to be in your ecosystem. He is going to be a part of your life because you'll be addicted to him. Celebrity CEO Zone Genius. And come see him at CreativeCon, our flagship event that is yearly in February in Chicago. And maybe you can give Ramon Ray a hug and maybe even get an autograph for your book, which I do not have. So check him out. Follow him. Everything will be in the show. Notes. Grateful for you. And keep, uh, creating. Thank you, Julie.

Speaker D: Thank you.

Speaker B: Podcast with your favorite entrepreneurs, Julie Loken, Lauren Erickson and Dominic Damasky. Don't forget to follow us. Rate, review and subscribe to the Creative Entrepreneur podcast. Until we meet again. Keep creating.

Speaker A: There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. Stand still. Not a chance. You're a lifelong learner who's come this far. Now we are here to help you keep going further. Capella University. What can't you do? Visit Capella Edu to learn more.