Patrick Powers Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Business Podcast
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Introducing Patrick Powers
Patrick Powers is today’s guest joining us on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots podcast interview.
He is a man who has a story like so many entrepreneurs I have spoke to.
He started his life with limited idea of what he wanted to become, and even less of an idea of how to start something…in fact anything.
As he says ” I was born in Denmark it all started out pretty bad. I was very shy and introverted and had no idea what I wanted in life, except I didn’t want to be employed.
So with no real business education I started my first business at 21. Since I had no marketing know how, it only took me a year to run my business deep into the ground and go bankrupt.”
But there comes a time when you realise that after years of study at school, that most of us want to leave far behind, you need to get serious and study like your life depends on it.
You need to become an expert in something that can open doors across the world.
How The Dots Joined Up For Patrick
Patrick realised that its ok to have an amazing business idea or product, but unless people find out about it, you are dead in the water.
So with a total obsession he set to work understanding the skills required to become a top marketer.
And so successful was he at learning these skills, that he built a worldwide business and retired whilst still a young man.
And like all the greatest sportsman who find out that retirement isn’t all its cracked up to be, he returned to teach entrepreneurship and marketing and set out to create one of London’s biggest entrepreneurial communities with almost 17,000 ACTIVE members.
All from just £3,500 in total marketing costs.
As he says “Before you think I’m one of those people that think they can walk on water 24/7.
I’m definitely not.
In fact I’ve made some big mistakes that I’m quite embarrassed about.
But I’m not afraid to admit it and talk about my boo-boo’s especially because I know it can save someone else from the same ill fate.”
So why did he always know that he didn’t want to employed even as a small child?
And what were the really big mistakes and how did he mentally recover to keep moving forward?
Well lets find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Patrick Powers
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed such weighty subjects with Patrick Powers such as:
Why he decided to change his name, lose his Danish accent, and overcome his shyness as a young man before he did anything towards creating his first business success.
Why the online world needs to compliment the offline world to gain the true success. One needs the other to become fully realised which so many people fail to realise.
How hitting rock bottom is more often than not the best place to find the true starting point to a life of your dreams.
And lastly……..
How introverts and extroverts need to really focus in on their energy levels to ensure that they are recharging themselves in the right way ready to blaze big when required.
How To Connect With Patrick Powers
Return To The Top Of Patrick Powers
If you enjoyed this episode with Patrick Powers why not check out other inspirational chat with One Year No Beer, Wes Schaeffer, Dan Lok and the amazing Laura Roeder
You can also check our extensive podcast archive by clicking here – enjoy
Full Transcription Of Patrick Powers
Intro [0:00]
When we’re young, we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling. Join Up Dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here’s your host live from the back of his garden in the UK. David Ralph.
David Ralph [0:25]
Yes, hello there, everybody and welcome to Join Up Dots Episode 521. I’m all inspired. I haven’t done one of these for a couple of weeks. Now. We took a little break in the Join Up Dots world to focus in on some other stuff. And it’s all been going very well. It’s been going very well indeed. And we’ve now got an audience in Australia. Yes. Good. I might put another poll on the Barbie. I can’t apologise enough dg height that Australians if you do, please stick with me. I promise I won’t do that again. But thank you so much for listening because you are starting to learn In your thousands and it’s going up every single episode. So Australians, thank you so much. And it’s great to have you here, as it is great to have today’s guest because he is a man who has a story like so many entrepreneurs I’ve spoken to he started his life with, I suppose, a limited idea of what he wanted to become an even less have an idea of how to start something, in fact, anything as he says, I was born in Denmark and it all started out pretty bad. I was very shy and introverted, and had no idea what I wanted in life except I didn’t want to be employed. So with no real business education, I started my first business at 21. And since I had no marketing know how it only took me a year to run my business deep into the ground and go bankrupt. But there comes a time when you realise that after years of study at school, but most of us if we’re honest, want to leave far behind. You need to get serious and study like your life depends on it. You need to become an expert in something that can open doors across the world and our guest realised that it’s okay to have an amazing business idea or product, but unless people find out about it yet dead in the water, and so we have a total obsession he set to work understanding the skills required to become a top marketer and so successful was he at learning these skills, but he built a worldwide business and retired while still a young man. Now retirement sounds good. But like all the greatest sportsman who find out that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. He had an itch, and he had to start scratching that itch. So he returned to teach entrepreneurship and marketing and set out to create one of London’s biggest entrepreneurial communities. We’ve now almost 17,000 active members, all from just three and a half grand in total marketing costs, as he says, before you think I’m one of these people that they can walk on water 24 seven, I’m definitely not in fact, I’ve made some big mistakes I’m quite embarrassed about but I’m not afraid to admit it and talk about my boo boos especially because I know it can save someone else from the same ill fate. So hey, The questions Why did he always know that he didn’t want to be employed even as a small child? And what were the really big mistakes? And how did he mentally recover? To keep moving forward? Well, let’s find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up with the one and only Patrick powers. How are you, Patrick?
Patrick Powers [3:18]
Amazing, especially after that intro. Funny and it makes me sound like, quite interesting.
David Ralph [3:26]
You are an interesting guy just because I started as soon as we can connect it today. I went, Oh, I thought you were Danish, but you don’t sound Danish. So you are an interesting guy. Thank God for that.
Patrick Powers [3:38]
Sorry for all the dangerous listeners out there, but I kind of worked so I’m a little bit of a perfectionist. So like when I decided to learn English, I decided I liked the American accent, North American. So I just said, You know, I said set myself a goal that I am going to speak with a nearly perfect North American accent.
David Ralph [3:57]
Do you think and I’m gonna ask you this. Patrick to Do you think that like alien at the Australian market with my impression, do you think? I don’t
Patrick Powers [4:05]
know I think I think they’re tired of that thing. And we, you know, put put a screen for the Barbie and all that, but no, they’ll find a bit funny. I lived in Australia six months last year, so I actually got to know them very well. They’re incredible people.
David Ralph [4:17]
The only trouble with Australia and I’ve been to Australia a couple of times. It’s so far away, isn’t it? You know, I say to everyone, if people wanted us to go to Australia, they wouldn’t have put America five hours, you know, away from us. It’s coming to 24 hours. It’s such a drag, but when you get over there, it is amazing, isn’t it? It is really
Patrick Powers [4:35]
amazing. It’s worth a trip.
David Ralph [4:37]
Yeah, absolutely. So let’s start with that big question. Cut to the chase time. Even as a small child, you knew you didn’t want to be employed. Now I haven’t had one guest say that to me. Most guests will go into kind of what their mom and dad did or their uncles and Auntie’s. It’s kind of a given that you go in into employment. Why were you kind of ballsy and say Nope, I don’t want anyone to actually be controlling my time I’m going to earn my own cash. You
Patrick Powers [5:06]
know what, I actually don’t know it. And I was asked that same question not just a couple days ago in another interview, and, you know, I think I think it’s just like some people, they just kind of destined for it. And it’s kind of weird that I was destined to be an entrepreneur because I was so shy and introverted, had lots and lots of challenges with my, my perception of myself my own self worth. So it was really hard for me, but I just, I don’t know, I just looked around and business just fascinated me is Patrick
David Ralph [5:35]
Pelle is your real name, Patrick.
Patrick Powers [5:37]
I used to say it’s a real it’s anybody else’s name, but it’s not my real Danish name. Because nobody can pronounce my Danish name. So yeah, I realised that early in my life that I wanted to get outside of Denmark and create a career outside so I basically changed to a name that people couldn’t pronounce well most over most of the world.
David Ralph [5:55]
So So how did you choose that? Because it’s, you know, Patrick powers. It’s it sounds like a superhero. kind of name doesn’t. How did you choose that one? But
Patrick Powers [6:05]
there’s always been something for me about Ireland. I don’t know what it is. It’s always attracted me. I think part of it is a love fishing and fishing Ireland supposed to be just incredible. But yeah, there’s just something about Irish culture Ireland. And Patrick just I just loved the name. So
David Ralph [6:22]
I was and then how’d you get?
Patrick Powers [6:24]
Um, I was just watching a lot of
American television series and looking at the credits at the end to see names to find names and then it just, it just kind of matched Patrick powers. So that sounds pretty good. Actually, only later on I found out that that powers is also an Irish name.
David Ralph [6:42]
So as I was, you know, growing up I could have been called Patrick poner. I suppose if I was choosing what I was watching on telly all the time. Okay. That’s probably giving too much of myself away there, Patrick, I think giving too much away.
Unknown Speaker [6:57]
Yes, absolutely. Absolutely.
David Ralph [7:00]
So you are somebody that is rocking and rolling, and you are doing it globally. And what’s interesting about you, there’s so many things interesting and it’s one of these conversations, I can literally go anywhere. But you stay as a child, you were shy and introverted, but you obviously aren’t now, you can just hear it, you’ve got competence. Now, so many people that are shy and introverted will remain small and it’s one of the crying shame there’s there’s geniuses within them that never get a chance to be realised. That is the biggest journey, isn’t it to be able to change yourself mentally because once you change yourself mentally, then a lot of the other stuff becomes quite easy, or becomes easier, I suppose. How did you do that? Was that a conscious decision? Or did you just yeah,
Patrick Powers [7:43]
it was it was complete conscious decision. You know, by the way, there’s there is not necessarily a connection between being introvert and being shy. Lots of people think that introverted people are shy people are introverted and vice versa. But introverted just means that like when you want to reach out Aren’t you batteries you buy yourself with a one to choose Close, close friends. Yeah, and extroverted people when they want to recharge the batteries, they’re just around a lot of people. So it’s just a different operating system the way the mind works but but, you know, on top of that I was involved in very, very shy I couldn’t even walk up like it was a challenge for me if I was looking for the way to the station in an in a in a foreign city or anything like that, you know, and walking up to a stranger and asking for the for the weights in the station. And I just kind of bumped into a couple of books in a library I was because it was interesting. I was reading a lot of books when I was a kid and bumped into books about philosophy, personal development, sports psychology, stuff like that, you know, where you visualise the results and you can actually increase your sports results simply by visualising it so I kind of got into the into that and start start thinking bigger start thinking that there was actually possibility for me to change my my character traits or my you know, current situation Of being afraid of people. And that’s what I’ve made a decision I will not be like this for the rest of my life, I will start working on myself systematically, and and you know, step by step rebuild myself to the person I want to be.
David Ralph [9:13]
So what came first? Was it the new you or was it the business?
Patrick Powers [9:19]
There was a new me. Absolutely. One of them said, Yes. You know, because, you know, I failed. I failed my first business and I guess that’s it, man. If you count that, then the business came first, but not a successful business for sure.
David Ralph [9:32]
Because it’s interesting, these introvert business because for years and years and years, people have always said to me, oh, it’s all right, David, you do what you do. You get up and speak to people you do this because you’re an extrovert. And I just kind of bought into that’s what I was, until I had a conversation and it nailed exactly what you were saying. But I am so introvert because I recharge myself by keeping myself away from the majority of the world so that when I need myself, I can come out big and I’m kind of ready It is a real kind of battery charge. And I think that’s one of the things. But so many people fail to graphs, whether they’re an introvert or an extrovert, how they need to manage their energies because your energies have to be right. But when you’re right, it’s like on a Thursday, this is Join Up Dots day, and I’m big, and I’m ready to go. And I’m energised. But I won’t be like this for the rest of the day. Because I’m building myself up for the shows. introvert extrovert is a real sort of eye opener and people should look into it. Certainly.
Patrick Powers [10:30]
Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s important to to know your own style. So so like in situations where you do need to recharge your batteries, when you’re stressed out and whatever, then you can do whatever, you know, fits your style. And we’ll we’ll we’ll get your energy back.
David Ralph [10:43]
Right so you’ve changed yourself you’ve now superpower, Patrick powers, you’ve changed your name your or maybe you change that later. And you started with your first business at 21. Now, so many of our listeners contact us and say to us, you know I’ve got this idea or more often than They haven’t even gotten an idea like a vibe inside themselves like they want to do something more. And for our coaching we actually spend more time getting people to know themselves so that once they go, they can persevere with the difficult times you know, because it’s something that I really passionately want to do instead of following a path that somebody else has done which after a while, you get bored of it and you sold say, say it was a mistake. How did you choose that first business idea when it was your first one and looking back on it? This is like a double question. They fail because it was the wrong type of business for you.
Patrick Powers [11:35]
That’s a great question. First of all, how do I choose it? I was a landscape gardener that’s my only real education and I hated it. I disliked literally hated with a passion and and decided I was going to get into business. So sorry, first of all, I will I did decide I was going against basis but I have no idea what it was gonna be. So because of the nature of landscape gardening Which is really physically hard you do eat lay a lot of bricks do a lot of digging stuff like that. I started getting some, some problems with my back some severe pain, pain in a lower back and went to get some massage and treatment for it. And I just loved getting massages and I thought it was this is so fascinating and so valuable to people because I failed the you know, the pain go away and and feel better. So I thought this is an interesting field and I just started to study everything that had to do with holistic, holistic health. And the more I started it, the more you just got into it. I just became completely obsessed with it. All aspects of its spiritual health and the mental part of it and official call. And so it was just a natural thing for me to choose it. That’s the field that was going to be in
David Ralph [12:47]
and his obsession, a key thing for people to look at in the world of podcasting. I will hold my hands up. And don’t start me talking about podcasting because I will bore you stupid. I am obsessed With this format, is that something that when people realise that as soon as they run home at night after work, they start playing around with it. There’s something within that obsession that they can convert into a business.
Patrick Powers [13:12]
Yeah, absolutely, I would say so. It was, for me both my first business and my second field as a marketer. Because, you know, after my my bankruptcy, which came pretty, pretty quickly, I started to study what what went wrong, you know, what could have done differently? and figure out okay, what was lack of marketing and sales skills. That’s it. And so I started studying marketing and the more I studied marketing, the more obsessed I became by by that and I can see that there was a big
David Ralph [13:41]
lap over between the two of doing psychotherapy and marketing because it’s basically all about psychology is just applied to different ways. So, so yeah, so So I would say obsession is is quite important. It can also be dangerous to be if you’re too obsessed. You got to be able to see reality for what it is some People just too obsessed with their business idea and think that that’s going to be, you know, the business ideas, the only thing that will make them succeed. Yeah. And it’s very, very far from truth. It’s key what you’re saying, isn’t it marketing, you can have the greatest product in the world. You know, I’m doing extremely well now. But it took me a long time to realise that actually, I’ve got to go out and put my product in front of people. I’ve got a couple of products. I’m teaching people how to do podcasting. And I kind of thought that I would create the show and people would come to it, you know, I was naive. And it’s weird both Patrick cuz I used to be in sales up in London, but many, many years doing the cold calling. And I know, looking back on it, the customers weren’t coming to us. We were picking up the calls and we were phoning them. But in the virtual world, the online world a lot of people think but like I did don’t know, but they can create something. And if you build it, they will come.
Patrick Powers [14:54]
Yes, absolutely. So, so not true. And I think I think one of the reasons why we tend to think that way is that there is a tendency in our mind that whatever idea we get that we hope that this can change our life we it’s kind of we want to believe it and we stick to it. I think that’s that’s one of the reasons and the other one is the media we hear like the new businesses that you hear about a typically the one that is based on a new, new unique idea. Yeah, and then make that make it big and those are the kind of the stories we hear about all the time. And so we never hear about like, millions of businesses started all over the world that are completely ordinary, like open a food store or an optician or something that’s been around forever, and a very successful so like, for example, I’ve many times I use the example that like, look at pret what is pride? Like what’s brilliant about bread? Nothing. But for the International listeners, maybe we need to say that it’s a sandwich shop, right? It’s two sandwiches. They’re a little bit healthier than the other ones. It just became a massive success. Why not because of the idea, anybody can come up with an idea like, hey, let’s create some healthier sandwiches. But it’s how its marketed and how its implemented
David Ralph [16:11]
when I was up in the city many years ago, and I don’t know if they’re still there, but there was a sandwich bar called Benji’s. And it was Ben and Jean and the story was, but this guy was a taxi driver in London, and Jean, his wife and this might be a total sort of urban myth, but this is what I heard. Jane used to make his sandwiches every morning and all the other sort of taxi drivers sitting waiting for the the visitors to visit them so they could take them off the passengers. That’s the word I was thinking. He would start making sandwiches for them as well. And it’s sort of developed and Benji’s was one of the biggest expanding franchises in London. Literally every single corner, there was a Benji’s borrow, it’s not there anymore. It just kind of blew up really big, probably in the sort of 90s And then disappeared. How do people go against that? They get that idea it starts running away with them How do they stop it sort of exploding like that? Do you have any idea?
Patrick Powers [17:13]
That can be many many reasons. One is that you know, they don’t they don’t follow along with the development of the times you know, they just don’t stay on top of what’s happening in the market there are changes in in in preferences in the market like for example our recently McDonald’s had to had to close 700 700 locations and that’s simply because they haven’t been following along with the trends in the market towards more healthier choices. Right so that’s one of the reasons that many personal reasons as well in some businesses, that can be a few bad decisions and then suddenly you just boom you just out like what was the guy who was also hidden England who had a jewellery changed? jewellery store chain,
David Ralph [17:59]
Ratner’s
Patrick Powers [18:00]
Yeah, that guy made a speech. Yeah. And that speech, he was joking about something. And everybody’s kind of took him seriously about that joke. And it literally went from what a turnover of what, hundreds of millions into pounds, or like half a billion or something ridiculous to it just fell apart overnight. Right? So that could that could be so many differences, but so many reasons. But what I see most of the time it has to do with marketing. I mean, what’s this guy’s name Peter Drucker, who is widely regarded as the, the the father of modern, modern, modern management. He says that a business succeeds based on two things, innovation and marketing. Right? So those are the two things if you don’t innovate your product, if you don’t keep on improving your product and following along with trends in the market, and if you don’t market well, then you’re going to go out of business.
David Ralph [18:58]
Right. So basically, it’s the big stumbling block. I’ve seen this time and time again, people will get an idea. They create a product, they invest into it. But it’s the marketing. It’s the the knowledge of how to get it out there. And online online is great, because you can start stuff or, you know, really, really cheap. But it’s also dreadful because there’s so much information out there, you don’t know where to turn. How does somebody go from having an idea, which is really good idea to being engulfed by so many people that saying, you can use this you can use that you can do this, and in fact, not doing anything.
Patrick Powers [19:33]
Yeah, well, the interesting thing about the online is that today, there is actually so many opportunities offline because the first step in marketing is to be noticed. So unless you’re noticed, then well, nobody will see you. Yeah. And so you got to stand out and it’s so much easier to stand out offline today than it was 15 years ago. Right. So 15 years ago, you had tonnes of mail coming in you your mail slot every single day. And that’s like it’s very, very limited today. So it’s almost like if you get a direct mail, mail piece, and it’s personalised to you, it’s like, wow, this is interesting. What’s in it? You look at it. So, so it’s always about standing out and creating something that is different. And that is one of the biggest things that I think and issues that small business owners have, that they they often they try to copy too much their competition, like it’s great to copy and to look at trends that are successful. That I would say that if you don’t know what business to choose, that is a good thing to do. look at trends, okay? Because it’s in the trends. That’s where the AEC are not necessarily easy, but easier business is with less competition and great demand. But if you if you just completely do what the competition does, then why would anybody choose you? And and that is something that so many startups they don’t understand. They just again They just love the business so much. And they know that this is a quality product. And this is a quality service. And so when I asked them, so why should I buy from you? A lot of them say, well, better quality. Okay, well, okay, that is not something why why would I buy from you just because you say better quality because guess what your competition says? This exactly the same thing. So there was no reason I should buy from you if you’re new in the market. Because if you have something that is similar or the same, or appears to be the same, and there’s been somebody out there in the market for 510 15 years, and you’re brand new, I’m going to go with a guy who has been in the market for a long time. Yeah, it makes sense. So you got to find an edge, either in actual product innovation, or in in the way that it come across the name. The name itself, sometimes can just you know, the name itself of your business is is marketing.
David Ralph [21:53]
Right? I think well, Steve Jobs created the format of this show. He didn’t know but he did. By the way. We’ll hear from Steve later. But one of these amazing ones, whether it was his idea or whatever was the the iPod 1000 songs in your pocket, which, which is absolutely unbelievable. And even now, that sort of sends shivers down my spine because it is so simple, so perfect, but it’s what you want, isn’t it? You want 1000 songs in your pocket, the idea of being able to carry your entire record collection as it used to be around with you. So is that a sort of few and far between? Or, you know, are we still seeing people mimicking that kind of simplicity.
Patrick Powers [22:37]
You know, the more simple it is, the better. That’s that is for sure. And you still can succeed if you if you if you copy other companies to to large degree as long as they actually in essence of what you do stands out. So for example, in some older industries, it can be really, really hard to stand out with your marketing budget. You know, sometimes you can, you know, you can also sometimes you can come up with angles. But if you can’t in your marketing, you must be in essence of what you’re doing you must be different, you must find that edge. So, for example, one of the easiest ways to stand out and be different is, is to give great customer service, and to do it with a smile. And that is something that that is so lacking in the world of marketing is basically about finding needs and filling them. Right. So So right now, I would say like, so many people are getting disconnected from the world because they’re shopping online. And they’re, they’re just craving human contact. So if you can give them that human contact, that there’ll be an edge right and that that you can put into marketing as well that hey, you know, you’re more a better customer service and they and explaining instead of just saying better customer service, explain exactly how it is that you do it. And and let that let the do behaviours of your company speak for itself. So one of the things is specially In England, is that I would say, you know, and apologies to the to the to the English people, the customer service sucks. I mean, really, it’s really, really bad here. It’s like if you get good customer service, it’s almost like you’re shocked if you haven’t been already, if you’re in the UK go into a metro bank if you haven’t been there. Metro bank has just boomed like crazy. And it was the first High Street bank to open since what over 100 years or something. And and they’ve succeeded so massively because you actually feel that they care. They actually really smile in and I was, I was at, at a talk with the founder of Metro bank was an American guy. And he said that the number one challenge with Metro bank, in having it become successful was teaching the staff to smile. Hmm, right. How about that? So what I’m saying is that if you want to find something, a way to differentiate yourself, you can go out and do it. exactly the same as your competitors, if you just deliver it with a genuine smile,
David Ralph [25:04]
the very first job I had was with NatWest bank. And I was NatWest 41 loaf Bry head office up in London. And my very first day I sat there and they came along, and they put a big sticker on my telephone saying, smile, you’re on the telephone. And I used to think to myself, how do people know I’m smiling on the telephone? But it stuck with me. And I’m now you know, coming up 46. And it’s 30 years, and I still believe in it. And that’s one of the reasons why in Join Up Dots land, I decided very early that we were going to have conversations about hopefully, both parties will smile and the listeners are smart as well, which sort of makes it more vibrant somehow because it is it is interesting. You go to America, for example, I remember the first time I went to America and you go into a shop and they go, how are you today? And I used to think why he was asking, you know, but you know, I’m fine. I’ve just walked into a shoe But after a while you embrace it, don’t you? And I take your point totally, that when you come back into sort of England and you walk into a shop and they don’t even look up at you, you know, it’s his strange way of operating because life is built on connections. And that’s what you do very well, Patrick.
Patrick Powers [26:17]
Yeah, and one of one of the big secrets of creating great connections and succeeding and being able to lead people and being able to sell is making people feel important, and acknowledge them. Like that is actually one of the biggest unfulfilled needs in the world is the important is the need to feel important and loved and acknowledged. So if you can make people feel that then you have an incredible edge.
David Ralph [26:42]
Now, I agree with this totally. Well, let’s play some words. Now. That takes us to the second stage of our conversation. And these are words that have been said numerous times on this show, but they’re going to be heard again, this is Jim Carrey.
Jim Carrey [26:53]
My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that that was possible for him. And so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant. And when I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job. And our family had to do whatever we could to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.
David Ralph [27:20]
Now, all those words simplistic, is that something that the listener out there, they’re in their cubicle, they’re listening to the show every single day or abis, or a podcast, and they’re getting that kind of, there’s, there’s much more to life than what I’m getting. Is that one of those kind of speeches that they should listen to every day. Is there truth in those words?
Patrick Powers [27:38]
Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. It’s just like, I still get goosebumps listening to this, even though I’ve heard it many times before. And you know, I kind of lift this, but you know, I could have stopped to being a landscape gardener and later I became a taxi driver, which also became really unhappy with. But you know, you just got to do more. There’s so much I mean, we have so much more If I as a an introverted person with no communication skills can actually go out there and succeed in the world, then I bet every buddy can that really has a strong and honest desire to keep on pushing on. But but don’t don’t expect the the road to be to be completely smooth, it can take a lot more failure and a lot more frustration than you expect. So you better better get ready from the beginning to pay the price. Like for me, the first bankruptcy was just so hard. I was reaching reaching the end of my money about a year into my first business and I was owing the the oil companies money all of them so it couldn’t buy more oil and it was cold and then Marcus November, October, and I basically you know, I didn’t know what to do. And I did have a fireplace and I had a little bit of wood in the garden that came with the purchase of the house and I you know, so using that to heat the house, ran out of that that as well. And then what do you do? And I think What I did is like, well, I got to heat the house. So I actually chopped off my bed and had wood to heat for two evenings. Oh my god,
David Ralph [29:07]
life and everything you might have been warm. But what do you do, Patrick?
Patrick Powers [29:12]
Well, I was just sleeping on the mattress, of course, you know, so I was just using the wood from the bed. So, and at that point, when I cried myself to bet, I know, I’d hit rock bottom, and I didn’t know where to turn. My family didn’t have any business skills. And you know, they could advise me and the only thing that they could advise me is like, you know, get a job, get a job, get a job. So that was just a horrible time in my life. But now looking back on it, you know, today if it happened, I would be completely different. You just got to move on. You just got to look, look further. What is your vision? what’s the what’s the next thing you like? What is the problem you have? What how do you solve it? just constantly think about solutions instead of thinking about the limitations you have, just constantly move forward and do something.
David Ralph [29:53]
I’m fascinated by this rock bottom business because in the great scheme of things, I’ve never had a rock bottom I’ve just kind of naturally just, I used to use this phrase a lot, but it’s true. I’m like a twig on the mighty stream of life. And I used to just float along. And then somebody would say to me, oh, there’s an interview going round in another office, do you want to go for it? And I’d go for that, and I’d get the job. And I was always very good at getting jobs. I could go in and sell myself, you know, but it was it wasn’t my stream. It wasn’t my river, but I was on. But I’ve never had that rock bottom. I’ve had difficult times. I’ve had times that I’ve caused myself looking back on it. But is it a real key point? Do you look back at that rock bottom on that mattress and say to yourself, that’s as bad as it could have gone? Or? Yes, I could have gone deeper. But I still now know, but I can just move up, move up. Is it a good thing to hit that point?
Patrick Powers [30:48]
I think so. I think so. actually think of it I actually hit a hit a rock bottom that was further down later in my life. And that that one was the turning point. By work, okay, so Oh my god, it’s almost, it’s almost painful to think about now and a little bit embarrassing, but I was basically I was working as a temp agent. And I did that for like, three, four years. And I hated it. It was especially I was into like, kind of long term temp, temping with a specific company where we were moving furniture. So it’s just a back breaking job really, really hard labour. And so it’s just getting so frustrated with my life. And on top of that, I had a split up with my girlfriend. And, um, because I didn’t really have any money to move out. I was actually living with her and she got a new boyfriend. Right. So there was it was a horrible, horrible emotional situation to be in. And I just, I was just so desperate that I just one one evening, fell to the floor and on my knees and prayed to God, you know, take me out of this. And I don’t even believe in God. So, so you can imagine how low I was and an incredibly Cole a couple weeks later, I bumped into a business opportunity. That just, it just resonated with me, the more I looked at it, I was like, Okay, this, this is it, I’m going to go for it. And that was the first time in my life where I decide, okay, I’m going to do whatever it takes. I’m not going to let my own fears and nervousness of talking to people getting in the way, all my own excuses, getting in the way I will do whatever it takes to go out there and succeed. And I did an actually very, very quickly turned my life around. Literally in weeks, the business was going really strongly forward. And in eight, nine months, I was financially free.
David Ralph [32:36]
I’m fascinated by that two weeks, you’re on your knees and you’re praying to God, but you don’t believe in but then two weeks later, you see an opportunity. So there was a part in back two weeks where you started to look up and open your eyes again, because we all go through that mourning stage of why me I’m a good person. I don’t deserve this and they want to get over And start looking around. Do you kind of think Hang on, hang on, I was just kind of being melodramatic somehow I can’t sit there listening to Bill Collins all the time. I need to start getting going. How did you do that? In that those two weeks?
Patrick Powers [33:13]
Yeah, we just gotta make a decision to pull yourself up and look for something, you know, I hit that point where I said, Okay, this is not gonna go on anymore. I need something different and it’s not looking for something different. So as I said, it was just it was just that turning point and starting to look up and, and believing, okay, maybe there is a way let’s just start looking for at least look forward, do something about it. And that’s what I did. And, you know, that incredible opportunity came into my path that that changed my life forever.
David Ralph [33:46]
I’ll be totally transparent with you, Patrick. When I started to show as I say, I went into it naively. I really did. I bought myself. I’m going to create a show. And within a few months, I’m gonna have thousands of people listening to me and everything’s gonna be rosy. In the garden, and it kind of went that way. But now we’ll look back, there was a big part of me holding back holding back over time because I didn’t quite believe in myself enough, I was doing it. And I was doing it to the best ability, but I didn’t believe in myself enough. Once I got to that point, and I realised that actually, I think I’m pretty bloody good at this first of all, and I can do things in a way that other people can’t in podcasting, and all those kind of little germs of ideas started to come forward. I felt myself become lighter and lighter and more playful. And once I hit that, that’s when it started taking off. That the thing about flapping your wings and if you can start to fly you will really comes true but it is it’s a Lightness of Being isn’t it which makes things easier for you because you ultimately Believe in yourself.
Patrick Powers [34:52]
Absolutely. And doing what you are passionate about what you love doing, you know, there’s just it’s just amazing to do that.
David Ralph [34:59]
Now. You will see Surrounded by 17,000 active members, I always love it. But people say they’re active like they’re running around all the time. How many of those people actually in that group aren’t actually doing anything? This is the thing that I’m always surprised. I have coaching platforms, I have different things that are operating, and people will pay for it, and not actually do anything with it at all. How many of them are actually vibrantly doing stuff? And are they the people that are getting more out of it?
Patrick Powers [35:29]
Yeah, we don’t have. We haven’t ever done a survey of our members actually. So I don’t know. Like, precisely, but, you know, in just getting to know our members, and when it comes to events, I have a fairly good idea about it. And sometimes, you know, when I do do a talk, I ask people, how many people already in business here, and I would say it’s about 70%, maybe maybe even more. So. Somewhere between 65 to 75% are actually in business and the rest them are planning to be and some of them honestly, they’re just dreamers. They will never get around. Yeah,
David Ralph [36:05]
yeah, it. They’re the ones that I focus in on though. They’re the ones that this whole show was created about. And I was telling a story the other day that I used to work with this guy, and every lunchtime he would sit next to me, that is brilliant idea. I’ve had this great idea to do this. And I’m in connection with somebody and it’s all going to pan out. And then I left my company to start doing this. And he would sort of contact me and say, oh, great show, David. Yes, I’ve had this brilliant idea. And I bumped into him a little while ago, he’s still in the same price is still absolutely in the same place. And I realised that he’s going to be the great idea manga, but never actually gets off his backside and annoys me so much, because I know that life is there to be grabbed. And the only person that can grab it is the person who’s there and once you do start making conscious decisions, it’s easy, hard, and I always say bad. When you really find your thing and you Become noticed. And that’s what you said earlier, a lot of the issues of getting noticed, go out the window. And it becomes easier, but at the beginning is hard, but it’s still totally doable, isn’t it?
Patrick Powers [37:12]
Absolutely. And you just got to believe in yourself and do it. And it’s just so sad to say that people run around in circles and they have ideas and they never, never get around to, to put them into action simply because of one reason they’re afraid. They’re simply afraid of failing. And that’s just not a way to live. Because then you’ll be limited by your fear and in which is only fear. It’s only your past programming. And e programming is random. You don’t decide like early in life, what kind of programming you get, when you grow up, you have a choice, you have risk, you know, you have a choice to basically take responsibility, or to give that responsibility away. But you know, our programming early life is random. You know, some people have good programming, some people have bad programming. I had bad programming and you know, just because We have bad programming and some have more fear than others. That doesn’t mean that that’s the way that we have to stay for the rest of our life. So I’d say like take responsibility if you like kind of that person out there. I mean, take the responsibility to do something about it. Because Because even if you fail a few times, which you probably will, what you become in the process is so rewarding by itself.
David Ralph [38:22]
I was watching a Netflix documentary on Cristiano Ronaldo last night with my son, and it was all in subtitles, which was a bit of a drawback but um, the D It was amazing. But Cristiano Ronaldo, obviously the world’s greatest football player at the moment. He’s Brava who is a kind of overweight guy, basically. He could have been a better football player. And he’s he basically said on this programme last night, I could have been better than Ronaldo. But I chose not to mentally at age 21. I started thinking, Oh, a beer is okay. Every now and again. Oh, this is Oh, But Cristiano, he would leave home at 12 to go to a training even though he was terribly homesick, he knew right as a young kid, there were sacrifices to be had. And even to the point where he was standing up at these conferences, where they would present a world’s best football player trophy, and Messi would win it for years on the chart. Ronaldo was sitting there and he said, that is not going to happen again. You know that next time I come here, I am going to win. So even at that level, but he’s the top two, he still was willing to sacrifice to get to the top one. And I just found it fascinating but him and his brother had the same upbringing, but one of them ended up kind of, you know, an overweight builder basically, nothing wrong with overweight builders, and the other one ended up as the world’s greatest football player.
Patrick Powers [39:47]
Hmm, yeah, I don’t know if this story is true. But, you know, read is several in several books and heard in several motivational speakers talk about it. There was two brothers that basically one of them was an alcoholic and completely Stop his life. And the other one was a very successful businessman. And, and they’re asked about, you know, what, why’d you think you ended up in life like you did? And their answer was the same. How could I end up any other way with a father that we had? Yeah, right. And the father was kind of messed up, he had, you know, give them a pretty bad upbringing and, and, and so one of them was using the father as an excuse for giving up on himself giving up on life and the other one was using it as a reason to, to change his life and create a different kind of destiny. So it’s all it’s all your choice choices and commitment. That is that’s what it’s all about. Success. You know, that’s, by the way, it’s one thing I learned from my, from my most significant coach, that our life is based purely on the choices that we make and the commitments that we make to them. And then there’s a there’s a price and a payoff with everything. So most people are simply not willing to pay the price today. Get the payoff that they actually really want. So they choose to, to get to pay off cold, comfort and security and not you know, not face not facing your fears just staying where you are. That’s the payoff. And the price is though is that long term, they will end up unhappy, unfulfilled, and not living a life of dreams and the destiny,
David Ralph [41:25]
but the issue is a cold, most of them don’t know what they want. But that’s the big problem, isn’t it? But he goes to work, they come home, they watch Netflix, I get up the next morning and they they don’t spend enough time being aware. As I say, with my coaching, I spend a lot of time getting people to look around at what is possible and getting to know themselves. So over about a three month period, we get them to write everything they love every time they think oh I love this, jot it down everything time like no hype base, jot it down, and then the likes and then over a three month period. You can See the themes, you can see something within Bose. And that starts to give you an idea, but you might want to be you know, you might want to be a gardener, for example, or you might want to work in music or all these kind of things because there’s an essence within you and your essence, I can hear it from you, you like to empower you like to connect, and you like to be slightly risky in choices and I think there are things that like you are
Patrick Powers [42:26]
absolutely 100% I just loved I love to see that light going on in people when when they can see light at the end of their tunnel, when their business starts to improve and and then they can see Wow, I actually can live the life of my dreams and my business can come become successful. It is just such a reward. And then connecting people as well because you know more the more connections we have, the more rewarding our life is the easier businesses, the more people we know, you know, like in in times of trouble and challenge and all that you know, the ECS is To turn around
David Ralph [43:01]
that there was a lady right back in the early days and probably about Episode 70 or something, you know, we’re talking sort of early doors on this show. And after we finished recording, she said, David, she said, how’s it going with the show? And I said, Oh, it’s it’s a new show. So but I feel like I’m kind of pushing the boulder uphill. And she said to me, you’re not pushing the boulder uphill, you’re the Boulder. And I kind of at the time for a Domini understand what you’re talking and thank you very much. And it kept sort of sticking with me for 200 shows, 300 shows 400 shows, you know, and I now totally know what she means. Because it’s asked that makes things difficult, it’s asset aren’t asking the right questions. It’s not actually connecting in the right way. It’s not providing the right value. She was spot on, but actually at that stage of my journey, I was the Boulder. And once I realised that once again, it was the Lightness of Being it’s fascinating that I can have these conversations every day. people like yourself, it’s like being in therapy, Patrick. Hmm, I bet. Well, what I’m gonna do now I’m gonna play the words of the man. We spoke about him earlier, but he created a whole format of the show. And he said these words back in 2005 to Stanford University, so we’re gonna hear him again, this is Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs [44:19]
Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path, and that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [44:54]
So when you look back over your journey, obviously you spoke about your rock bottom and then your double rock Bottom, but was there a moment that we could call a big.in your life but actually, you became really close to who you are now you suddenly realised what Patrick Powers was supposed to be doing.
Patrick Powers [45:12]
Well, that was a second rock bottom and and getting into that field of digital marketing and being coached by incredible people. That that is it. And I can say that there was a, there’s a single moment throughout my career or development that that kind of revealed who I really was. It was it was very, very gradual. But But now I understand that like one of my Forte’s and one of the things that lights me up is definitely connecting people. I love doing that. And it’s actually only recently that I started to think about how to monetize that more. And it because they prior I would just like connect people and that’s great. And recently I thought, you know what, why not, you know, like, I actually found that many of the connections that I created they will be massively Success. Yeah. And, and gain a lot of money out of that. So I thought, well, you know, if I’m connecting people, they’re both making money from it, why not take some of that money? You know? So, so recently started to monetize more connecting and then getting, I think that actually more and more moving into defining myself apart as a marketer, as a connector. And
David Ralph [46:22]
so you’re kind of agent basically. Yeah. And does that excite you that ability to connect? Do you actually look at that and go, Yeah, I love and working towards stuff, but I thought was right, but now now I think this is it.
Patrick Powers [46:36]
I absolutely love it. And it’s just like, it’s a revelation to me that wow, like, you know, I have a lot of connections, people seem to trust me fairly easily. And you know, they trust my advice. And you know, if I can bring people together and make them even both of them even more successful, that excites me, and that I can actually just live from doing that or making substantial amount of income from doing that. That is just incredible.
David Ralph [47:00]
It’s funny, actually, isn’t it because you at certain points in your life, and I’m kind of going through this at the moment really, but you run away from something that you could use as a business very, very easy. I used to be a public speaker I used to stand up, do training courses, blah, blah, blah. That’s what I used to do. And when there was a part of me that says, No, I’m doing this now I’m a podcaster. I’m never gonna go back to that. Why would I want to go back to that? And now sort of two years down the line, I’m thinking it’s actually something that was fun. I actually enjoy doing them. I don’t know why I’m, I’m running away from that. So it’s funny where parts of your life do start connecting. Do you know what it is? They join up? I think it’s a Join Up Dots thing, Patrick?
Patrick Powers [47:40]
Yeah, no, I you right. Absolutely. Right. And and I mean, that that talk by the way that will be relevant in 50 years as it is today. Awesome. And it is so true. You don’t know how the Join Up Dots will join up 510 years from now, or even two weeks. Right? That is sometimes like especially things happening in my life now there’s like completely magical. And I’m just about to move back to the Caribbean again for a while you live in St. Lucia and Dominican Republic. And I just love the climate there. I’m not made for the climate, especially this this winter is just driven me nuts, you know, the fact that we are late April and we still have 13 degrees in the middle of the day. That’s just ridiculous. So things are happening. And it’s happening fast, you know, and your life can change almost instantly. Sometimes. It doesn’t necessarily always happen, but it can. So you just got to make you make yourself believe every single day that this week today could be the day
David Ralph [48:39]
And isn’t that brilliant, you know, at the core, but you could go right, okay, I’ve got this business, but I’m gonna go to the Caribbean. I take the business with me. That is amazing, isn’t it Really?
Patrick Powers [48:51]
I love it. I love being able to just travel the world. And I did that for four years with my first successful business I was I lived in a certain illusion and Dominican Republic in Spain in Canada spent tonnes of time in the US. I’ve been to 36 US states and territories. It’s just amazing to be able to do that. So basically, I want to have a business where wherever I have a good internet connection, that’s where my businesses love it.
David Ralph [49:17]
Absolutely love it. And I’ve loved this whole conversation. But of course, it comes to an end. And this is the part of the show where we bring it to an end. This is a sermon on the mic when we send you back in time to have a one on one with your younger self. And if you could go back in time and speak to the young Patrick, what age would you choose and what advice would you give? Well, we’re going to find out because I’m going to play the theme tune and when it fades you up. This is the Sermon on the mic
Unknown Speaker [49:50]
with the best bit of the show,
Unknown Speaker [49:56]
man
Patrick Powers [50:06]
Okay, so I am 15 years old. And what I would say to myself is, I would probably swear a bit, but I’m going to I’m going to attempt to leave that out. But in some something like Patrick, you just have to believe in yourself. You have way more going for yourself than you actually think you do. And you will be able to create the life that you want in the future. Also, get get off your fat ass and go out and work out and lose that weight. So you can start actually becoming more confident with women and and just work towards every single day. What you want instead of what you fear and not look at the limitations. But But going forward and create what you want. Also want you to choose to learn sales and marketing. And no matter how challenging you think it is, no matter how afraid you are of talking to strangers, you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to learn sales and marketing because that’s going to be the absolute foundation for your success for the rest of your life. Brilliant stuff. That’s it,
David Ralph [51:29]
Patrick, what’s the number one best way that our audience can connect with you sir?
Patrick Powers [51:34]
Okay, cool. I want everybody to go and connect with me on Facebook. That is my preferred they can find me on Twitter and LinkedIn as well but I’m almost never there. So Facebook is facebook.com forward slash Patrick empowers him like and Mary. And when they do, tell tell me where you found me because I get so many friend requests. So I won’t necessarily approve you unless you tell me Join Up Dots podcast. And and when you do that, I’ll give you a really, really cool gift. Actually one of my books, if you’re in network marketing, I’ll give you the book 87 ways to grow your marketing business. If you are not in business yet or in a more traditional business, then I’ll give you my book, turn your context into cash, which is all about influence and business networking.
David Ralph [52:26]
That’s brilliant. We will have all the links on the show notes. Patrick, thank you so much for spending time with us today, joining up those dots. And please come back again, when you have more dots to join up because I do believe it was so fun. Thank you so much, because joining up those dots and connecting our paths, it’s the best way to build our futures. Patrick powers. Thank you so much.
Patrick Powers [52:45]
Thank you.
David Ralph [52:49]
So what did we learn about that show? Now Patrick says it’s about enjoying yourself. It’s about smiling. It’s about making connections and it’s about working Within your super talent, and it’s fair, it’s fair every single day, you know, we’ve got community dream starters Academy. And but guys in bear, it takes some more time to actually buy into the fact of what Patrick was talking about, then actually getting the business going. That’s the problem for all of you. You are so entrenched in old routines and old way of thinking that once you can throw that off, you can literally do anything you want. And he’s doing that. And my next guest will be doing that and the one after, so think about it seriously, guys, not what you would like to do. But why are you not doing what you would like to do? And if you need any help at all, just drop us a line. We’re always available at Join Up dots@gmail.com or you can connect with us on Facebook as well. Go for it, get the life you deserve it. And we’ll see you again next time. Cheers. Bye bye.
Outro [53:53]
David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you or wants to become so he’s put together in a Amazing guide for you called the eight pieces of advice that every successful entrepreneur practices, including the two that changed his life. Head over to Join Up dots.com to download this amazing guide for free and we’ll see you tomorrow on Join Up Dots.
