Jason Treu Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Podcast
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Introducing Jason Treu
Jason Treu is our guest on today’s episode of the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots free podcast interview.
He is a man who has certainly hustled his way to the top.
Since starting his career back in 1996 when he performed the role of Assistant Account Executive for Fleishman-Hillard, it seems to me that this was a guy in a hurry.
A hurry to find his true calling, and in a hurry to then deliver maximum value to the world.
He moved through a couple of positions, and then started his first entrepreneurial venture with a self named PR Consultant company, before returning to the corporate gig and fine tuning his own personal and professional skills.
And it seems to me it was at this part of his career that the dawning realisation of where his life was heading started to take shape.
How The Dots Joined Up For Jason
Owning his own destiny, and becoming a business and social media marketing extraordinaire, specialising in teaching others to dream big and learn to overcome obstacles in order to reach their goals.
He is now a public speaker, an author, and a mentor who has helped thousands of business executives and select entrepreneurs take their company growth to the next level through motivation, reassurance, and lessons on how to use social media outlets, strategic planning, and improving communication skills.
Whilst he wouldn’t say to anyone that he was a guru, his 20 years of experience would point otherwise.
And after helping major corporate executives, including the man we hear everyday on the show Steve Jobs certainly speaks for itself.
He holds a law degree and a masters degree in communications, has produced dozens of podcasts, has made appearances on multiple television shows, and is a best selling author of a book which has sold over 30,000 copies.
So when did the dots start joining together for him, and the lost soul that most of us experience in our early careers gave way to a laser focused entrepreneur?
And looking back on his life, and through his work with many others, do we make it harder on ourselves than we should, by not truly embracing our key skills?
Well lets find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr Jason Treu
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed such weighty topics with Jason Treu such as:
How he recalls, his Mum saying dream big and then dream bigger than you possibly hope to achieve in your life…which is a true gift that so many kids fail to receive.
Why all entrepreneurs will have to go though huge struggles in their lives, but we should savour those moments as within them are the true learnings.
We discuss the stage of building a business where nothing is changing, and share what you need to do and how you need to take different actions to push on wards..
Why he is so certain that he wants to now go after the “right money”, and will happily leave cash on the table unlike his early days.
And lastly….
Why real-life friends are as important, if not more than virtual friends. And must be maintained and nurtured to ensure true life balance.
Jason Treu Books
How To Connect With Jason Treu
Return To The Top Of Jason Treu
If you enjoyed this episode with Jason Treu, why not check out other inspirational chat with Kul Mahay, Meaningful Money, Jeff Goins and the amazing Brad Yates
You can also check our extensive podcast archive by clicking here – enjoy
Full Transcription Of Jason Treu Interview
Intro [0:10]
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 [0:36]
Yes, good morning, everybody, and welcome to Join Up Dots wherever you’re listening to the show. Thank you very much for being here. This is one of those kind of halfway shows. It’s a 550. So we’re sort of moving through to the next stage towards the 600. And of course, the guests that I’ve got lined up for our 1,000th episode, he’s already lined up, he is ready to go. He’s waiting. But we’re gonna we’re gonna deal with today’s guest first because he is a man. And I would say really, I would say he’s hustled his way to the top since starting his career back in 1996, when he performed the role of assistant account executive for fleishmanhillard. It seems to me that he was a guy in a hurry hurry to find his true calling, and in a hurry to vent deliver maximum value to the world. He moved through a couple of positions and then started his first entrepreneurial venture with a self named PR consultant company, before returning to the corporate gig and fine tuning his own personal and professional skills. And it seems to me It was at this point of his career that the dawning realisation of where his life was heading, started to take shape, owning his own destiny and becoming a business and social media marketing extraordinaire, specialising in teaching others to dream big and learn to overcome obstacles in order to reach their goals. He’s now a public speaker, an author and a mentor who’s helped 1000s of business executives, and select entrepreneurs take their company growth to the next level through motivation, reassurance, and lessons on how to use social media outlets, strategic planning, and improving communication skills. Whilst he wouldn’t say to anyone that he was a guru, he’s 20 years of experience would point otherwise. And after helping many corporate executives, including the man we hear every day on the show, Steve Jobs, it certainly speaks for itself. He holds a law degree and a master’s degree in communications has produced dozens of podcasts has made appearances on multiple television shows, and is a best selling author of a book, which has now sold over 30,000 copies. So when did the dots start joining together for him? And did the lost soul but most of us experienced in our early careers, give way to a laser focused entrepreneur and I suppose looking back on his life, and through his work with many others, do we make it hard on ourselves, and we should by not truly embracing our key skills? Well, let’s find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr. Jason true. How are you, Jason?
Jason Treu [2:58]
I’m doing fantastic. How are you doing?
David Ralph [3:00]
I’m doing very well, indeed. It’s very sweaty here. It’s very hot. I’ve already told you that I might be stripping naked halfway through the show. Does that make it hotter in your experience?
Jason Treu [3:11]
It makes it scorching hot. And it’s a historic day in the UK as well. So the big votes today, so I feel like this is just a momentous occasion, for many reasons. And I was actually
David Ralph [3:25]
surprised and what Jason’s talking about wherever you’re listening to this live, or you’re listening to in 20 years time, at the moment, we’ve got a big vote whether to sort of pull out of the euro. And for the last six or seven weeks, people have been walking up to you going, are you in? Are you out? Are you in? Are you out? And it’s been a sort of bizarre sort of question that people keep imposing. And I was quite surprised that Jason, you you were into it, you you knew your stuff, because I
Jason Treu [3:50]
lining up at the polls. I mean, I was actually looking, I went to bed late, and there were people, they said lining up at the poll state vote, like in record numbers that they haven’t seen ever. So I think it’s going to be quite a huge vote over there. And I think the ramifications across the world are really much more significant than people. Many people may think.
David Ralph [4:14]
And are you a global thinker, because I’ve met many Americans. And I suppose one of the problems with America, it’s so big, there’s so much going on inside your country, that a lot of them don’t really care what’s going on outside, you know, to quote World Series is just you will guys playing your guys. Are you a global thinker?
Jason Treu [4:34]
Yeah, I used to work in many in cross across the globe internationally quite a bit. And actually, I used to go to the UK to London, but every two to three months for five years. So I think that really sort of helped broaden my global experience and how I thought about the world and how I interacted with people. And so for me, I realise all these things happening in other countries. You know, have a significant impact. I think today more than ever, I think before, it really didn’t. But I think now everything in every country is so much more attached and tied to what’s going on that I think you need to really understand what’s happening Are you really lose perspective on the world itself and how things are progressing.
David Ralph [5:18]
And that’s never been true of and in the entrepreneur world is it? You know, it’s 20 years ago, you would have been an entrepreneur, dealing with your community, your local towns, villages, or wherever. But now you’re, you know, you turn on the the computer, you connect, but well done you.
Jason Treu [5:34]
Yes, you’re connected, and you can do anything. I know, my coaching business side clients everywhere, and there’s nothing stopping me from having clients, you know, in Asia, or Europe, or the UK or wherever I’m in before that, really, it was much more difficult to be able to even find an audience there, let alone build a business that you could have that’s International. So I think in today’s world, it’s never been easier to start a business than today, for anyone anywhere.
David Ralph [6:04]
And does that make it easier? Or do you have to sort of a climatized yourself to the ways that people in different countries operate? Is there a similarity that if you’re coaching somebody in business skills, it translates easily across the globe? Or do you have to fine tune it?
Jason Treu [6:21]
I think you have to fine tune it. Because I think culturally, there are differences that make a significant impact. And I think you have to understand that. So I do think it is more difficult if you live in the United States. And you haven’t spent time in Europe to actually coach people in Europe, or the UK. And I think the same thing goes for Asia Pacific as well. I mean, having an opportunity to actually be there in those places, and spend some time gives you a significant advantage to help people through the cultural issues, I think that also play, you know, a significant part in people’s success.
David Ralph [7:00]
Why so let’s take you back in time, like we like to do on Join Up Dots, because there was gonna be a time in your life. But like all of us, you were focused on what was happening around you, you didn’t have the global mindset you with the little Jason getting on his bike playing Little League running around? What was the kind of vision that you had for your life? When you were younger? Can you imagine what the little Jason was planning to do?
Jason Treu [7:25]
Well, you know, my mom always told me to dream big and really think it you know, as big as you could go. And my mom had worked in the medical field, and she had been really successful and grew up in a really small town, in Wisconsin. And so, you know, I thought about, you know, being a doctor or a lawyer or something like that, when I was, you know, growing up, and that’s kind of the path that ultimately I went down. I didn’t really have any entrepreneurial people in my family, or really influences that guided me. So going to more, I’d say traditional route was really where my mindset was at the time.
David Ralph [8:04]
Now, your mom gave you a gift bear, didn’t she? Because most parents, I would think, play the kind of the real life, you know, you get a job, you don’t dream that is for dreamers, you know, we are people that got to pay bills. So were you aware that your mum was installing something new? Which, from my experience talking to people they didn’t often get?
Jason Treu [8:27]
Yes. I mean, I think that that and she, you know, had worked really hard to get everything she had, she did not come from a family that was very well off at all. So, you know, and she had really been sort of, I guess, an entrepreneurial in her field of what she was, she’s a nursing physiologist, and was something that they didn’t really even have when she started. And she’s still actually working now and is one of the like, the few people at her age that’s still doing the job in United States. So it’s, it’s pretty interesting to see having a parent do something at that point and travel around and really, you know, really define the field that they’re working in today.
David Ralph [9:06]
So if you sort of, Well, imagine you do spend time with your mom, does she ever say, yeah, you are where I thought you were going to be on? Blimey, Jason, this is a surprise. Never thought this was gonna happen?
Jason Treu [9:17]
Well, you know, she always pretty encouraging for the most part. So she doesn’t really say she said, I always knew you’d be successful on whatever that you do. And it’s not. And she always told me, it doesn’t really surprise me that you’ve taken the path that you have, because you always did something that was pretty non traditional outside of the norm.
David Ralph [9:35]
And is that a mindset that gives you success easily it by creating a path that other people aren’t following? Is it as simple to say that there’s less competition? So success is guaranteed?
Jason Treu [9:48]
No, not at all. I think it just it actually makes it somewhat harder because you’re taking, you know the route that most people don’t so you’re making a lot more mistakes along the way because is there’s really no guide path. And I think that’s one of the, you know, challenging things about being an entrepreneur is that, you know, you make a lot of mistakes along the way, and you just have to constantly pivot. Because you don’t know you’re being successful until you look in the rearview mirror.
David Ralph [10:16]
But if you follow people, and modelling is a great way to sort of build success, you’re still gonna make your own mistakes, aren’t you? You know, I really, I’m a successful podcaster, I put my hands up and say, my saving grace was, I didn’t listen to podcasts when I started. So I kind of made it up as I went along. So 95% of what I do is totally different from how other podcasters do it. Now, was it a mistake? Or was it genius? Was it success? Or was it failure? I don’t know. But all I do know, it’s all my own stuff.
Jason Treu [10:48]
Yeah, that’s interesting. Because I totally believe that. I mean, I think that’s really a significant piece of the puzzle. I was actually just talking, thinking about actually coaching and working with other people. And I thought to myself, one of the interesting things about doing that is that, you know, I didn’t go through a formalised programme to do this, a lot of it was just I just worked and spent a lot of time with people. So I’m really good at human behaviour and understanding how people tick. But then I also got a lot of great mentors and coaches, and I found people that were super successful. And I learned from some of the best, and that really has helped me along the path.
David Ralph [11:26]
So so let’s frame it for the listeners. What do you do on a daily basis, you wake up in the morning, you brush your hair, you brush your teeth, you set off? Do you go to an office? Do you stay at home? Are you in your pyjamas all day? How do you operate?
Jason Treu [11:40]
Well, I have, well, it really varies and what’s going on. So I have clients that are here locally, that I go and see in person, and there are ones that I do on the phone or on Skype. And then it depends because I do speaking engagements, I do a lot of radio interviews, and you know, other things like that, and TV interviews over Skype, now they’re doing even more more know those. So it really varies for you know, every single day and what’s going on. And then I write on my blog. And I mean, there’s so many things to do as an entrepreneur that there’s no one day, that’s the same. I mean, so every single day in my calendar, I look down and it’s very day and week to week two. And I love that it’s also challenging as well, because you don’t have a certain cadence and rhythm. Some days, I’m up at 5am in the morning, and I’ve got things to do till 10 o’clock at night, some days, you know, I only have a few meetings, it really just depends on the day.
David Ralph [12:37]
So how do you remain you remain focus, because I know, so many people that I speak to, they end up having the flexible life that they wanted, after being in a corporate gig for so many years, I’m gonna create my own future. And they do. But they end up almost doing micro tasks all the time, because there’s so many little things that they need to do. How do you remain focused? When you do you have that flexibility. And each day could be different from the time before,
Jason Treu [13:03]
because I keep remembering where I came from, and why didn’t like corporate America. And I know that’s the alternative. And I don’t want to have that. And I love my job I love the people that I work with, I see the impact that it has in people. And I realised that this is my gift. And the reason that I had the journey of the ups and downs was in order for me to get here. And I know that I haven’t even come close to my own potential. And I know the faster and harder that I work and work smart and get help along the way from mentors, coaches and other things, that I’ll really be able to blossom and have some fantastic experiences in my life that I will never have if I don’t put in the hard work and determination. And I think, honestly, I think that’s why so many people fail is although I think it’s so easy to start a business these days. And I think you’ve seen this too. And you’re podcasting that, you know, it’s much harder now to break through the noise. And I think it takes years of time and practice. And yeah, there’s a people there that have been overnight successes. And we see those that they’re the aberrations. And I find that most people that are having significant businesses, it’s taking them probably anywhere from you know, three to five years of evolution in order to really get where they’re getting. And sometimes even beyond that, if they’ve been doing it sort of on the side.
David Ralph [14:26]
But that’s not bad. Is it three to five years, if it’s the rest of your life doing something that you want,
Jason Treu [14:31]
no, but people, a lot of people want instantaneous access, and they don’t understand how hard work is going to be. And I think as an entrepreneur, that thing that I’ve realised is that it’s a seven day a week job. And it’s not some, you know, nine to five job that you can clock in and clock out and you’re thinking about it all the time. And I think that’s much harder and also you’re going out on your own and you’re telling everyone that you’re doing this right and i think the fear of failure and rejection is really high when you’re keeping yourself very vulnerable and open. Then. And I think that’s why a lot stops a lot of people from actually being successful.
David Ralph [15:06]
So you go, so going back in time you was a senior account, executive and rw. And then you created your own communications company, your PR consulting, Jason, true communications, which if I understood run through a couple of years, what’s about the first point of deciding what you wanted to do with your life? Did you learn from that? Because I believe it’s no longer there anymore. It’s sort of transferred into what you’re doing now. Is that right?
Jason Treu [15:33]
Yeah. So when I was working, you know, and doing marketing, I had some opportunity to work at some startups in Silicon Valley. And so I left you know, working in an agency, right, that’s a fantastic experience, I got to work with some great people. And unfortunately, the startups I worked for all failed. So on my resume, I kind of lumped them together. And that was a real wake up call to realise how difficult it is to start a business and actually make it be successful. And I was around some very smart people that had some very good ideas. And I think that that was kind of, I guess, the start of my entrepreneurial journey to really see how that all had to work together. But the challenging time was I was in Silicon Valley, when the bottom dropped out in the technology market. So part of that at that point was also, you know, survival, right, I had to find things that I could do. And I was very fortunate that I found, you know, jobs and opportunities to do things where a lot of people I knew did not, and they had to move away or had some significant problems, because they didn’t have money.
David Ralph [16:35]
Yeah, but will you lucky or we? Will you flexing the old hustle muscle? Were you getting out there and making your opportunities?
Jason Treu [16:42]
I’d Yes. I mean, definitely, I was out there hustling, and trying to find stuff. But at that time, with the few jobs that you had, there definitely was some points where I got fortunate that I made a phone call or did stuff. But again, those were all done from, you know, hustling, and not taking no for an answer and trying to do as much as I could. And just working a lot set up opportunities in during a really challenging difficult time in the economy.
David Ralph [17:13]
Because I actually find that the hardest thing of doing a show, when I launched the show, it was a huge amount of hassle, right? The very beginning to get it off the ground to get 4050 people to record with me when I said, Look, I haven’t even got a show. This is just like the starting point. So it was a huge amount of hassle. When I found that actually creating the show and developing it kind of engulfed me and then I fought my way through. But I would never say that there was anything that was lucky or fortuitous, I would say the fact that I was actually making those calls making those emails put you in that that small pool of people that could claim to be lucky. But you’re not, are you because you’ve actually, you know, you’ve fought off the competition, you’ve got to the front, and then if it comes your way is because you’re there.
Jason Treu [17:59]
Yes. And I think that’s again, I think that’s one of the biggest reasons that people are successful or not. Very, because I think that, you know, doing all those episodes you did, you learned so much, because you just did it. Right. And the more episodes you’ve done, the more you’ve learned and home this all this into more of an art and science. And that’s what most people just don’t do. And I think that’s, you know, the entrepreneurial journey. And I think that’s what separates the people that you know, really have significant businesses and love what they do and are really passionate from those people that don’t because at some point, you have to go to the depths of who you are as a person in order to reach the heights. I was
David Ralph [18:41]
playing around, there’s a website you probably know about Jason called Wayback Machine, I think it is yes. And I was playing around with the app of the day because I’m in the position of redeveloping my website and all my platforms. And in your head, you have a vision of what you want to create, and you want it to be glossy and beautiful and sexy, and had the most perfect sales funnels in it. But of course, that takes time to get there. So I to boost myself because I could see the vision but I wasn’t there I started playing around with the websites that I really love. And one of them was Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive income. And you can go back to the very first post that he did. And it was, you know, is quite simply crap. And it should be because it was the very first point. Yes, that is one of the things that holds us all back, isn’t it when you’re looking at these guys, and you’re thinking, I want to be like Jason true. You go over to his website, it looks all glossy, everything works, the links are there. But if we had that ability to almost go through the reels of your life really quickly, over maybe an hour or so and see all the time that you’re nearly by the side your bed praying because you don’t know how you’re going to pay for the next meal and stuff. That would be a godsend, wouldn’t it?
Jason Treu [19:55]
Yes. And I think that’s that’s the point, right? We all have to start from somewhere and When we’re first starting out, it’s not near as well, you know, I was actually fortunate that, you know, many people may may or may not know, Marie Forleo is pretty big, pretty big person. And I actually got coaching from her early on in her business. And I found her just randomly and I just went, remember that, you know, her website and was basically just, you know, almost like I’ve just a page. And I think to myself, it’s easy to go to a website now and look at everything and being on Oprah and all that. But at one point, she started from the same spot that everyone else who started a business was that, and the difference is, you know, she just went down her own path, worked hard, believed herself and did a lot of different things in order to find our way. And I think it’s, it’s just like you said, right, we all have to start from someplace. And that someplace in the beginning, is not that great, because we’re looking at the finished product. And I think that’s the problem in the world today that we look at, right? We see the end of the journey, we don’t really see the beginning, and the problems and the challenges and the hurdles, and the late nights, and the website iterations and everything else that go along.
David Ralph [21:02]
It’s the classic X Factor syndrome, isn’t it? American Idol, you get out there, you sing three songs, you get into a final and then you’re Madison Square Garden. And that’s the way that people want life to be.
Jason Treu [21:12]
Yes, exactly. And I think the reality is, is yes, we there are people that do that. But just like anything else, the people who are quick out of the gates and have a lot of success, at some point, they will plateau. And they’re going to have a lot of problems. Because they didn’t have that they didn’t have as much struggle as other people did in their business. They may have had it in their life, but they didn’t have it in their business. And I think that’s what all businesses go through at some point. And so you think that’s
David Ralph [21:41]
good, can I just stop you there. So you actually think the struggle is the gold.
Jason Treu [21:46]
It’s the complete gold because I think the problem is, if you take a look at just power and influence in relationships is that when you are struggling, you’re thinking about a lot of other people, you’re willing to help them. You’re thinking about being generous, you’re thinking about being you know, grateful for just the little things that you have. But when you start to get a lot of power and influencing and do well, you start to look internally, and you start to get hubris and be more egocentric. And that’s typical path that most people go on. And that leads you to plateau, because then it leads you to go to less conferences, do less mentoring, coaching and thinking that you figured it all out, right. And I think that the struggle helps you realise that it’s not just about you, and you externalise what’s going on and realising the people around you and the things that you’re doing, or what’s going to help propel you.
David Ralph [22:38]
Well, let’s play some words now. And then we’re going to delve back into this because I think this is a great learning piece for all the listeners out there who are thinking of starting something, but quite simply are unsure of where to go. This is Jim Carrey,
Jim Carrey [22:50]
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 [23:16]
Now, I’m always interested along the back of whether you’re supposed to find the thing that you love, and then go after it, or you just try everything. And then hopefully something sticks. And then you work towards a love. Does the love come later? Do you think Jason?
Jason Treu [23:35]
You know, I think it varies from person to person. I think it’s I think every person’s journey is really different. But I think that when I talk to most entrepreneurs, it’s a pretty crazy journey and the things that they’re doing to figure out what they love, and they’re just doing a lot of things and then something sticks. And they start to connect the dots, right? join up the dots, right? So that’s I think that’s what happens when I’ve talked to hundreds of people doing this. And very rarely do I find someone who’s had such a singular vision, they’ve executed on it and kept going. It’s usually very iterative in the process, and it’s a lot of trial and error.
David Ralph [24:15]
I started this journey I used to say I’ve been doing this for about three and a half years. But I’ve realised recently that I’ve been doing it for about eight and a half years because there was five years while I was still in the corporate gig, messing around with websites building passive income and sort of generally fine tuning my skills, but I never could quite see the angle. I was always just pushing it over the hill where I was starting to make a few dollars. Now I look back on it. I think I should have bought it. I should have watered those dollars and let it grow into $1 bush and then make it profitable. But it wasn’t quick enough for me. It wasn’t until I hit podcasting when I realised that actually this is something that I need to develop is something that I need to become as good as I possibly can add and I think That is when the love comes along when you’re willing to push through. And even though other people are saying, you’re doing so well, in your heart, you think, no, this is just the beginning, would you say?
Jason Treu [25:10]
Yeah, I would agree. Because it’s easy from the outside other people saying you’re doing great, but I think you know, your own potential. And you can see what’s really ahead of you. And I think that, again, is really important, because something we talked about beforehand, before we got on here is the fact that in all these businesses, what’s going to happen is you’re going to have growth, and then you’re going to plateau. And the key is, is when you plateau, what do you do, because that process that strategies, those tactics, your thinking, is going to determine how quickly you take the next leg up.
David Ralph [25:44]
When you have a plateau in your life, with your experience of coaching people, and what we were saying, before we pressed record listeners was our Join Up, Dots went off really quickly. And then it just plateaued. And for a long time, it just didn’t sort of change. But just recently, over about the last three or four months, it’s starting to go up again, it’s like it’s second coming. Now, I just mentally pushed through Jason because I had the belief that I was providing content, I was building the foundations, and it was better for people to come and find 600 shows that I could potentially listen to more than 30 shows. So I just kept on doing it. But I love the conversations. So if you are in that period in a business when you do plateau, is it just get your head down and keep on going? Or do you have to look up and go, actually, it’s time to change? What would be your opinion on that?
Jason Treu [26:39]
I think it’s both right. I think determination and perseverance is something that is absolutely critical. But I also think that you need mentors, you need coaches, you need to really take a look at your business plan on get help along the way, try some new things at it. And I think all of those things will really start to propel you to the next place. Because that point, your best thinking got you where you’re at. And oftentimes, that means that you’re going to stay there unless you get some new way of thinking, right. And oftentimes, we can’t generate that ourselves, we need outside people. So I think you know, one of the key things is really realising that that you have to start investing in yourself. And the best time to invest yourself. investing in yourself is when you’re actually on on the leg up, not when you’re plateauing. Because then the plateaus are much shorter, because you can figure ways out of it, and you realise that thinking that’s gonna need to do that you may even have to take a step back to take that next step up, and you’re much more prepared.
David Ralph [27:47]
But that’s the scary time, isn’t it? You know, we’re talking about somebody who has been in a corporate gig, they’ve decided to do their own thing. They’re gonna be bootstrapping it. And they’ve already spent some money on a website, and then they’ve spent some money on something else, and they’re trying to do everything themselves. How do they find the right person? for them? I get this question a lot. David, I want help. I want help on a certain subject. But I don’t know where to turn. I don’t want to spend 1000s and 1000s. I haven’t got 1000s and 1000s. But I need help. What would you say?
Jason Treu [28:21]
Well, something that I did was the one thing you do have either a time or money, typically one of the two. And if you don’t have the money, then you ultimate to find the time and what to do is to research out there and find the best people that do marketing in whatever niche you’re looking at, right. And then from there, there’s always up and coming people, you just have to dig down and figure out who those people are. And doing that research is what will set you free. Because you don’t have to pay the premium of getting the top people out there, you can get the people that are on the way up that are really smart, but are trying to start their own business. So they’re willing to give you a discount because they have to grow what they’re doing. And that’s something that really helped me. The other thing I found is that if you’re really passionate, and you write to people who have influence, and you’re very specific on why you need their help, and why them versus other people, you will often find that they will help you I find what most people do is they write some generic letter or it’s not very sincere, they haven’t really thought it through. And that also hurts when you’re trying to get people’s time especially people are influencers because they’re really they’re they’re the most busy people out there because they’re everyone’s asking for their time. So I think you have to really rethink your strategies when reaching out to people.
David Ralph [29:40]
So do you think it’s a broad stroke help that people need more than how to maximise Twitter streams? And is it the sort of the strategic stuff that the new business owners lack?
Jason Treu [29:55]
Yeah, I think it’s you know, you have to just figure out I think some simple strategies. And how to do some marketing and take it one step at a time, right, because you can’t solve everything. And I think you need to find some broad brushstrokes, and then do some strategic things that are more in depth on and when you start off. And you’ve just got to find some blueprint and talk to people in order what to take on. And I think that’s part of it. And then you just got to try things, right, and you’ve got to see if they’re going to work or not. And that’s why I tell most people, if you have a business, you’re really passionate about doing as a side hustle. So you already have your job coming in. So you don’t have the pressure of time. Because that’s something that’s really difficult if you dive into a small business, and you’re not sure if it’s going to work and you quit your job, because then you’re really vulnerable, because you then you have to make it work. And the pressure of time is really there. And that can be really difficult to be successful with that kind of pressure. Well, one
David Ralph [30:51]
of the parts of your career, that’s what I’ve dragged my eyes towards it was your only is four months, but you’ve as a senior communications consultant, but blockbuster, which obviously are no longer around and blockbusters for years and years, held the market. But now live streaming and Netflix and the classic story of the Netflix guy going in there being given a fee for a DVD return that he didn’t do and then saying, basically, I’m going to create Netflix and destroy it. When you look at that, is that a good learning curve of how businesses will change and will die? If you don’t move with it? Are we more able to create stuff that is flexible by being solopreneurs, than building something that becomes bigger and bigger and bigger and global like blockbusters?
Jason Treu [31:37]
I think what happens is you have to build in a culture of innovation, right? And I think the company, I think what you’re seeing is someone like Google, who’s actually probably one of the few companies that’s figured it out, right? I mean, today there’s the business is still in advertising. But they’ve diversified into doing a lot of different things yet they have not found the Grand Slam, they found what the advertising, but it’s very difficult because they have to find such a huge thing. But what they’re doing is they’re trying 1000s of things, and they’re investing in their employees, and they’re investing in small startup businesses. And that’s allowing them to really create something, I think special that’s going to last a significant amount of time. And I think that’s what people don’t do in their own business is they don’t invest in themselves, right? I mean, it’s, you’ve got to be thinking about what’s the next hill you’re going to climb? What’s the next revenue stream? What’s the next big idea that you have? Because if not, all you’re going to do at some point is just plateau in your business, right? Because I’m a coach, well, I only have so many hours in the day, in order for me to coach. So at some point, even if I were to get that filled up with all my hours, which I would never want, I can only make so much money, I can charge more people. But eventually there’s some level of a ceiling that I’m falling under. So you have to start diversifying yourself and be thinking about Okay, what is it I really want to build here? And what does this really look like? And what are some ways for me to potentially get money, right? I could go to a client and say, Hey, if I do really well, maybe I could get some stock, right? Maybe I can equity position, or I could work with a venture capital firm, or there’s a lot of things that you can do as a business owner here. And I think you have to always think about being innovative. What can I do in order to step outside the box and really think differently, and really morph my business to the next level?
David Ralph [33:28]
So did you use to pay Show me the money, but now you’re kind of showing me the right money? I’m not going to take all the clients if it means that my time is restricted, my family life changes? Are you going after the right money? Where potentially at the beginning, it was very different?
Jason Treu [33:43]
Yeah, it definitely. And I think that’s how it’s you learn that to over time, right? I mean, I think, you know, you learn and you figure out what’s the best client because that’s what happened to me, right? Because I had clients. And my business iterated quite a bit when I went out and did it completely full time. And that was something now that I’m really grateful that I rolled up my sleeve, but it’s a lot. But along the way, I had premises, right, I realised and I saw at some point before these things hit that I had to change. And I had ideas on what that might be. And they were very out of the box ideas. And I did not find other people who had the same theories about what they were doing as far as business and executive coaching. And that unfortunately for me, they actually played out the way that I wanted it to right, but now in my business now I’m thinking about Okay, well, how do I grow this business to the next level? Like what are the things I want to do? Of course, I can create digital courses and products. But what beyond that could actually help me and give me new opportunities. And I’m always searching and looking and asking for those questions. And you have to have a certain amount of time in order to do that, because that’s creative thinking. And I think that’s what a lot of business owners don’t do is really have time for creativity and innovation. And I think that if you’re so busy all the time, you’re being very active. Tactical, and yeah, you may be making money. But it’s short term thinking because you have to build that next explosion. And it’s not what you’re doing now that’s going to create that. Because I
David Ralph [35:11]
know you sort of well, just recently, actually, I’m going to put this on the stage four of Join Up Dots, we have the upper platform sort of leading into as the hub. And I was saying to my wife, 80% of my business now I can do really quickly, because I’ve been doing it for three or four years. But it’s the juicy stuff that’s gonna build the big income, faster stuff that seems to bog you down, because you’re making it up as you go along. You’re trying to it’s like the biggest jigsaw puzzle, and you’re trying to move the pieces around until it starts to take shape. And then you can get the speed. How do you not get frustrated when you know what you want? You’ve been doing it for so many years, but you’re still into that next stage of your career where you are moving the puzzle pieces around?
Jason Treu [35:53]
Because it’s really hard. I mean, I real because you got to realise that the first stage of what you did you thought about it’s kind of like, think about bands, right? They they’re, you know, many times, they have that first album with all their hits on, it’s so difficult to create the second and third album with more hits on them. Because they took them years to get that first album, right? I mean, the songs been sitting in their head. And I find that same way about business, right? It’s the first leg on what you do and how you figure that out, that you’ve been thinking about in some ways or another for a while. And I think that path is much easier. But the next one you haven’t been thinking about as much. So it’s brand new. So it’s going to be really hard, which means you’re going to have to work extremely hard and extremely long and be very frustrated along the way and want to pull your hair out and have to go out on your own meaning you’re going to be doing stuff again, that’s going to be what other people are not doing, which is extremely hard.
David Ralph [36:52]
Now, you’ve obviously got to the point now that be extraordinary is your baby’s been going for about six years. And you want to basically help individuals and teams increase their performance progress in their career, deviate from the plateau that we’ve been talking about. Could you have only done that in the last five years? Is your experience? Does it get to a point where everything comes together? And the puzzle is complete? Or could you have done that at any time?
Jason Treu [37:22]
Oh, you know, I probably at some point could have done it earlier. I just think that it’s one of the things that difficult is really if you don’t have entrepreneurial mentors in your life, making that jump to doing it on your own, is really difficult, right. And when I talk to people who have started businesses earlier, let’s say in their early or mid 20s, or even earlier, they’ve had entrepreneurial, you know, influences in their life, maybe their parents, maybe a really close family friend or a relative that’s led their way. And then you see a different level of people that started businesses in their 30s 40s and 50s. who haven’t. And I think then it’s a whole different ballgame to jump into this because you have to take that leap of faith on your own. You may have seen other people but you didn’t have that influence early on going on. So there’s a lot of distractions in your own mind. And your own mind saying I can’t do this, you know, it’s not realistic, I’ve got this full time job, you know, all those limiting beliefs come into there. So I definitely think there is kind of two paths people go on. And I think that you just got to realise, and this is a difficult journey, no matter where you’re at, but you just have to, you know, you’ll take the jump when you take the jump, and you just got to embrace it and just run with it.
David Ralph [38:43]
So so you have you had the dark night of the soul when you’ve been crying in the bathroom, screaming at the ceiling.
Jason Treu [38:50]
Of course, I mean, and that probably many times like that there’s not just one night. And I think that’s an ongoing struggle for people who want to create extraordinary things in their life. Because they know it’s out there. They just don’t know how to get there. And you have to go down that path and that tunnel where there’s no light, and you have to believe in yourself and believe in your journey and believe in your dream. And typically, there’s really no one else that’s that can do that. There’s no one else that can do it for you. Right and you can have support groups and help. But ultimately, it has to be you and that is those lonely nights or those lonely weeks and months and periods of your life. There’s a lot of doubt. And there’s a lot of challenges going on.
David Ralph [39:37]
Because I’m ploughing through Richard Branson’s Biography at the moment. And he was a bit of a boy in the early days. He was a rule breaker. He went to prison for a night You know, he would do anything to sort of get a deal. But there was no doubt about it. But he was born entrepreneurial, you know that they say is it genetics or nurture? And he seemed to just have that spirit in him today. Do that. Now I know you’ve worked with people like Steve Jobs, and some of the sort of big boys out there. Is it as simple as to say that you’ve got to be kind of born that way, you’ve got to think in a certain way? Or can you develop the skills to get to the top?
Jason Treu [40:15]
Or you can develop the skills? I mean, think about this way, a newborn baby does not lead other people. I mean, you learn these things, and you can learn anything. I mean, I tell that to all my clients, I mean, leadership and management are all learned behaviours. And you may not be a great leader, but you can turn into one. It’s just how bad do you want it? And what are you willing to do? And what are you willing to give up? And I think it’s, that’s the difference. And so anyone listening to this, the reality is you can do anything that you want, if you’re willing to put in the hard work and time and also willing to give up things along the way. And if you’re not, well, then you won’t. I mean, it’s pretty simple.
David Ralph [40:59]
What What have you given up because I’ve certainly given up things on television, never watch television, I’ve given up my friends more often than not hardly ever see them anymore. I’ve given up a lot. And now I wouldn’t class, they were sacrifices. I just felt that it was something that cleared the decks. What would you say?
Jason Treu [41:17]
I mean, I’d say a lot of the same things, right. It’s a lot of time. For me even this summer. Right now. I’m doing a website rebranding and overhaul and doing a lot of things right now. And you know, my friends are going on vacations and doing all these things. And I’m sitting here working, right. So it’s, it’s definitely much more challenging to do things. And I, you know, I find my spots because I’m an extrovert. But the more the times, now, I’m having to spend time working on all these things. And I realised that, you know, if I want to be successful, and I want to get to the next level, something has to give. And that means you’ve got to work really hard. And oftentimes, you’ve got to put in seven days a week in order to do this. So you do make some sacrifices along the way. But I think it’s necessary to propel you forward, because I think what happens then, is that, you know, I’ve got, I’m going in the fall to Harvard to spend two days, you know, with some great professors, and leadership and communications, I’m going to University of California, Berkeley in December, to spend some time in leadership, I’ve got a bunch of things that I’m doing that are amazing learning opportunities that I would have never been able to do before, which is then also going to help propel my business in my career and help my clients. So you know, I’m spending money there versus going on vacations and taking trips. But for me, that’s exciting. Because I know that all of those things are going to really help me create the business that I love the most and get up every day, like I am now passionate about it. But I need to be more passionate and be continuing to figure out how I can deliver a better service how I can create a bigger business and more opportunities for myself.
David Ralph [42:57]
And did you have a wife and kids?
Jason Treu [42:59]
I don’t?
David Ralph [43:01]
Is that a blessing? Because I actually I find that the biggest struggle, I know that if I was a single guy, it’d be a breeze really, because I could just do it whenever I want. But to balance the family life, especially when you’ve got kids who want you. Do you look at your situation and go Yeah, actually, I’m, I am pleased. He’s just me. And I can get things done in my own time.
Jason Treu [43:22]
Well, yeah, but I need so I mean, I’m an extrovert. So I need friends, and I need other people. So there’s a lot of demands on my time to do things. And if you don’t spend time with friends, then you have no one and then you’re a hermit train. And that’s no way to live your life either. I mean, you need to have relationships. So Well, yes, I don’t have a life to spend on spending that time with other people. It’s not just like I haven’t I say, Well, I don’t really need to do this, because otherwise I won’t have anyone in my life. And I’ll be all by myself. So you do have costs as a human being that you have to engage with other people. So I have to be doing stuff on the weekends here. And there with might mean, my friends because if I don’t, like I won’t have people that I you know, get to know and spend time with and I’ll lose touch with everyone else around me. And then it doesn’t matter what this business is successful or not, and won’t have anyone to share with or spend time with. So, you know, that’s why I think is a marathon, not a sprint, and you can’t get everything done all the time in like a short period of time. It’s gonna take longer because you have to have these connections in your life with people. I mean, otherwise, what’s the point?
David Ralph [44:23]
Yeah, absolutely. I remember Episode One of Join Up Dots. I actually said to this guy, you know, do you ever get lonely? You’re sitting in front of a computer all the time. Do you ever get lonely? And I thought it was a great question to ask. And he said, No, I never do. And now I feel the same. I have more conversations probably now and I don’t see anyone. I just get a voice come through my computer. You know, virtual friends. Are they as good as real friends? Do you have to have real friends? You do.
Jason Treu [44:51]
I mean, I still think it comes down to all the automation all the social media. I think what’s really hurting people is they’re losing the ability To communicate have social skills and emotional skill sets in person with people, right? It’s kind of like you’ve got to think back and go back in time and realise there’s you know, those that’s a lost art. And I think it’s very important to have it because just like anything else in life, I mean to people that you actually see face to face, you have a better relationships with, right? I mean, it’s not like you have a marriage where you’re on the phone with her all the time, you actually have to be in person, right, seemly into her kid. So I think if you take a look at it that way, I think you need to have face to face contact with people. And I think as an entrepreneur, that’s what you’re seeing, really the advent of these conferences, these masterminds are seeing things that people now invest in or spending money on, because they can get to know people, they can spend time with them in a concentrated period of time. Because ongoing, it’s very difficult, but they can find the time if they have to for a few days or a week.
David Ralph [45:53]
Absolutely. Well, I’m going to bring on the man that we’ve already mentioned earlier. But he created the whole theme of the show, which leads me nicely to ask you the big question, what is your big.is Steve Jobs, of course,
Steve Jobs [46:07]
it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was 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 [46:41]
So I would imagine that you buy into those words, but um, are they words that actually will keep on being true? Where will we be listening to those in 100 years and still think yes,
Jason Treu [46:52]
they are words of the ages completely. Because it’s the same thing we talked about work you know, before is that you have to take leaps of faith in life. And I think the people that really get it, and I’ve realised this is you have to take the leap of faith, not for the landing, right not for getting an outcome but for the experience. Because most times when you take a leap of faith, you won’t get the outcome that you find, and you’ll have to pivot off it. And I think if you value experience in your life, you’re going to be successful if you if you get too attached to those outcomes, right, you won’t. And I think that’s what Steve Jobs is saying. Like, you’ve got to try these things, and you won’t know you’ve been successful until you really are. So you’ve got to believe in yourself and constantly innovate constantly be creative, right? You have to be your number one biggest fan, and you’ve got to believe in yourself more than anyone else, or you won’t be successful, whether that’s personally or professionally.
David Ralph [47:46]
So what is your big story? When you look back over your life? Jason? Was there a moment that you went? Yeah, this is it. This is it, I can pinpoint This is when things started to go in a direction that you are now.
Jason Treu [47:59]
You know, I think it was probably, you know, four or five years ago, and you know, my father passed away. I had my Australian cattle dog that I got, I had for 14 years passed away. So my best friends and I spent so much time with. And then I had someone who I really cared about deeply had some significant mental illness that I had to help with and kind of let her go out of my life. And she’s really close to me. And then you know, I had a falling out with my business partner who I started a business with. And you know, it was just all these things that happened. And I kind of I would say, hitting rock bottom. And at that moment, I had to really make a decision on where I had to go in my life. And I realised that I had really been settling in a lot of ways. And being Robin and not Batman, meaning that I wasn’t really taking a full leadership position. And really taking the bull by the horns all on my own, I was kind of having to get a business where I was working with someone else, where I was living someone else’s dream and on my own and creating it. And I just had to really find my own inner strength and my own voice and really just start down on that path. And you know, ever since then, it’s been extremely hard and difficult, but I would never be here today if it were not for that. And I think that’s, you know, for me probably the pivotal point in my life.
David Ralph [49:22]
Well, this is the part of the show where we’re going to send you back to the beginning of your life. This is the 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 Jason, what age would you choose and what advice would you give? Well, we’re gonna find out because I’m going to play the theme and when it fades you up. This is the Sermon on the mic.
Unknown Speaker [49:49]
Here we go with the best bit of the show.
Jason Treu [50:09]
So I’d say that probably when I was out in Silicon Valley, that to really have really followed more of my entrepreneurial dreams and believed in myself and started out much earlier on that path. And I think that’s really what the advice I would I would give is, believe in yourself, take that leap of faith. And don’t worry about the outcome or what other people are going to think. And leave the self doubt behind. Because if you do it, you will be successful.
David Ralph [50:43]
Jason, what’s the number one best way that our audience can connect with you?
Jason Treu [50:46]
Sure, they can go to my website, that’s be extraordinary.tv. That’s be extra ordinary.tv
David Ralph [50:55]
will have over links on the show notes. Jason, 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 that by joining up the dots and connecting our past is the best way to build our futures. Jason, thank you so much.
Jason Treu [51:11]
Thank you.
David Ralph [51:14]
Jason Treu. And it was about how about seven on a Thursday morning in Dallas. And he said to me, he’d already done two or three radio show interviews already. So that was about the fourth one. And you could see that he was in his zone. He knew his answers. He knew how to deliver. And not only comes by putting yourself out there and doing it, and every single one of you out there has got something in you that you are an expert in and you can deliver what that world is waiting for. You just got to find the app and you you’ve got to find where to place your knowledge and your experience. And then it becomes very easy. Thank you so much for listening to Join Up Dots. I’m going to be coming back next time on episode 551. Not sure who we’re going to be speaking to, but I know it’s going to be a good one. Cheers. Bye bye.
Outro [52:06]
David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you or wants to become. So he’s put together an 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.
