Welcome to the Join Up Dots business coaching podcast interview with Ryan Hanley
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Introducing Ryan Hanley
Ryan Hanley is our guest today ready to be interviewed on the Join Up Dots podcast.
He has a similar background to myself….Insurance, but don’t let that turn you off to what will be another great show.
With Insurance being just one thing on his resume, Ryan Hanley is full on busy, as he creates an online marketing production line, that is simply exploding on all platforms.
Type in his name and you will find him actively participating as a blogger, public speaker, Podcaster, Internet marketer, published author and recent father to a new son.
But weaving a theme through all these different areas, it is obvious to see that at heart he is a storyteller, and a very good one at that.
How The Dots Joined Up For Ryan
He creates content that not only inspires, but assists his avid followers with building their online lifestyle and money making ventures.
Without doubt he has certainly conquered the fear of starting, and taking the kind of action that halts so many people as they search for their dreams.
But how far has Ryan progressed towards his goals?
Where would he mark himself against where he wants to be?
Well let’s bring onto the show to start joining up dots, as we discuss the words of Steve Jobs with the one and only master of Content Warfare Mr Ryan Hanley.
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed such weighty topics with Ryan Hanley such as:
Why you need to put in the hours, even if they are unsocial hours, to start seeing progress towards your goals and dreams!
How he hated his first few jobs, but knew that there was always going to be something better waiting for him!
Why it is so important to celebrate the small successes you make in any venture you undertake!
How having a child really made him focus on his future more than anything else!
And lastly……
How Ryan Hanley can see the same traits in himself now, which he had as a small child, and knows that they are his core strengths that will lead to success!
How To Connect With Ryan Hanley
Return To The Top Of Ryan Hanley
If you are inspired by the conversation with Ryan Hanley, then check out the amazing Cameron Brown, Kristin Addis and Dan Lok
If you want our whole collection of shows then jump over to the podcast archives here
Audio Transcription Of Ryan Hanley Interview
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]
Welcome to another episode of a Join Up Dots. This is Episode 24. And this is where we sit with the motivational zigs and zags, and we find out how they have reached their peak of success. Maybe they’re already maybe they’re halfway up. But I’m sure there’s going to be stumbles and falls on the way. And today’s guest, I suppose really has a similar background to myself insurance. But don’t let that turn you off to what will be another great show insurance doesn’t have to be boring. We’ve insurance been just one of the things on his resume. He’s fallen busy, as he creates an online marketing production line that is simply exploding on all platforms. Type in his name into Google, and you’ll find him actively participating as a blogger, public speaker podcaster, internet marketer, published author and recent father to a new son, so congratulations to you. But weaving a theme through all these different areas is obvious to see that at heart, he’s a storyteller and a very good one at bat. He creates content that not only inspires but assists his avid followers with building their online lifestyle and money making ventures. Without doubt, he has certainly conquered the fear of starting and taking the kind of action that holds so many people as they search for their dreams. But how far has he progressed towards his goals? Where would he Mark himself against where he wants to be? When it’s time to find out as we bring onto the show the one and only master of content warfare? Mr. Ryan Hanley, how are you today? Sir?
Ryan Hanley [1:54]
It’s such a pleasure to be here. I gotta say you have leveraged Fiverr for everything that is absolutely word that intro is fantastic.
David Ralph [2:03]
I like did that myself?
Ryan Hanley [2:05]
Did you really? That is amazing. I loved it.
David Ralph [2:08]
I didn’t. I just learned lying skills from fibre.
Ryan Hanley [2:12]
Well, you did say that you are a corporate trainer. So lying is actually in your job description.
David Ralph [2:17]
It is actually isn’t it? I’ve always said that to people. I’ve always said that. Training, or as in public speaking is just about kind of lying with competence. There’s there’s a lot of the things that you talk about in any presentation, which are factually correct, because it is a training presentation. But then it’s the extra stuff. It’s this kind of showbiz, which is the kind of lies and embellishments that make it memorable. Now you’re
Ryan Hanley [2:44]
maybe embellishment is a better word not alive. embellishments, embellishments. Well aside lies.
David Ralph [2:51]
I’ve been doing it for 30 years and a half the things I’ve said I’ve done I haven’t but who cares? They don’t know. I don’t know.
Ryan Hanley [2:57]
I think of that. Pinocchio, commercial.
Man, it’s like Geico or something Pinocchio makes a makes a bad motivational speaker where he’s telling the guy how much potentially as and his nose can bear? I don’t know, people that probably haven’t seen that.
David Ralph [3:11]
But. But it’s a key point, though, isn’t it? You know, I like these conversations, because I can go wherever. And with that one, how much because you’re a public speaker, how much when you stand up there is actually the real Ryan Hanley. And how much is this person that has kind of been created to be able to exist in that environment.
Ryan Hanley [3:34]
I’m going to say that when I in front of an audience, I actually am as close to 100% who I am as a human being, versus, at least at other times in my life. Now maybe now I’m starting to take actions that I’m becoming more the person that may be I was supposed to be that I didn’t know that I was 10 years ago. And I know a lot of this is what we’re going to talk about today. But public speaking is one of the things that that when I did it for the first time, I said, Here I am like this, this is who I really am I really am this person who’s walking through the crowd who’s interacting with people making eye contact, you know, extracting information and answers and, and kind of coming off the cover question like this is who I really am. And if it wasn’t for dipping my toes into the public speaking waters, I may not actually be on this call with you today and may not have done the things that ultimately had us connect. So public speaking is one of the things that I am most thankful for in my professional career. Can
David Ralph [4:40]
you remember the first time that somebody said, Ryan, I want you to stand up and say a few words and how you felt inside at a moment? Was it kind of Yes, let me add them? Or was it Oh my god.
Ryan Hanley [4:52]
So I would say that the very first time was probably in some context of sports, I was always fairly good at baseball, and football. And, you know, and I’m not trying to be like a humble brag or whatever. But I ended up being captains of the team. So you give presentations in that regard. And I always love that. But somewhere between when I stopped playing sports, and I got into my corporate career, there’s like that, that on bridled passion that you have when you’re on any type of sports field that you can’t get in the business world like you are, you can, but it’s hard to find. And it was very hard for me to find. So in I want to say it was 2010 900 venture 2010 or 2011. randomly, did unsolicited I was asked by a local insurance organisation. So I was working as a sales professional doing digital marketing kind of adding night, in addition to what I was trying to do as a boots on the ground producer, and one of the local associations saw that and said, Hey, we’d love to you to come share some of that stuff. It was the very first time I stood in front of an audience to help them understand a concept. And I immediately knew that it was something that I wanted to be part of my life for as long as I possibly could.
David Ralph [6:16]
Well, I haven’t met many people that can say that, you know, that the person that they see is 100% the person who you are, because I am certainly as I say sort of in in the introduction and stuff, I create a persona that isn’t quite me is like a kind of graphic equaliser where I put up certain parts of myself and bring back certain parts of myself. And certainly, the person who is out there doing the do in front of crowds, is certainly not the person who is at home with the kids on a daily basis, there’s probably elements, but it’s a kind of extended version of it. So I find it fascinating that you can just be you up there.
Ryan Hanley [6:53]
You know, I think that it
I think some people really enjoy it. I think some people may find, I don’t want to say off putting but may not necessarily be their favourite style. But I tend to, you know, when I’m coming up with a presentation when I’m walking myself through it, you know, when I’m going over my notes tonight before, you know things that I’m saying to myself are authenticity, transparency, and honesty, and we’re talking about lying and embellishing and stuff. And a lot of that is kind of tongue in cheek because you know, one of the hallmarks of what I tried to do is be brutally honest with their questions, especially because of the topics that I talk about, which are, you know, revolve around the ideas of how do we find our audience, tell our storey and kind of win the battle for attention online. You know, kind of my, my branding, and all in the context of digital marketing and different things. And there’s so much misinformation in that world, so many people’s slinging things that audiences will pay for because they don’t understand the terminology. And I just said from the very beginning, I’m not going to be someone who’s chasing trends and and trying to push my next book. And and, you know, at the expense of what is actually working. So I I’m brutally honest with people when they ask me questions, and I tried to make my my presentations as interactive as possible. And then at a certain point, certain size crowds make that harder to do than, than others. But when possible, I try to be as brutally honest as I possibly can up there. And and that’s the type of person that I am, you know, I’m Goofy, I’m funny, I’ll tell you, whatever you want to know about me. And I’m very honest. And the public speaking kind of taught me that it was okay to do that. And then people would respond, maybe if the first audience didn’t respond to that, I would never have found this. Yeah, but they did. And that’s the way that I’ve moved forward ever since.
David Ralph [8:54]
So I’m having these conversations on a daily basis. And when you said at the beginning, that you you kind of found you’re part of you, you knew what you should be doing. Everyone says, Well, everyone has been saying, once you find your unique self, the actual real, you, then you’ve already won part of the battle. And it’s really strange how people can’t see who they should be, even though by all that person until something happens in their life, or they get pushed into a direction, or just something occurs randomly, when they actually realise who they should be all along. It’s really quite strange that.
Ryan Hanley [9:33]
Yeah, it it’s a funny thing. And my storey is probably very similar to a lot of the other storeys that you’ve heard, you know, listlessly floating through the ether, trying to figure out kind of, you know, job to job unsure of who I am. And, and, you know, I always thought that because I was reasonably intelligent, reasonably outgoing, that some, you know, at some point success would just happen. And then I hit my early 30s. And
David Ralph [10:06]
how old are you now, but Ryan? 3033? Oh, cuz I’m looking at a picture of you on Skype. And you look at the 22. I Yeah,
Ryan Hanley [10:15]
I know. I mean, if we were standing in front of me, you think the same thing. You’ve got
David Ralph [10:19]
genetics, you’ve got good genes.
Ryan Hanley [10:22]
It’s a blessing and a curse? I mean, people tend to be like, Oh, that’s great that you look young. And at the same time, they’re like, but we don’t believe anything that you’re saying, yes, you look so young. You know, but the point is, I, you just for me, it wasn’t one event. Like for so many people, I know that it is. And I think my storey would be much more interesting. If it was one event, but I don’t think I’m alone in the draw of knowing that there was more out there that was within my grasp, and just kind of, I just needed to kind of reach down and in, take what I knew I was supposed to do. I just kind of got fed up one day and said, I know this is what I’m supposed to do. I sat down with my wife and I said, You know, I, I, I want to move forward with this different path. It’s similar to what I’ve been doing, but a little different. It’s going to be my own business. And and this is what we’re going to do. And she was on board. And as soon as she was on board, then it was like pedal to the floor. And it’s been that way ever since.
David Ralph [11:27]
Is it really important for an entrepreneur to have a partner that understands, because I believe a lot of partners kind of support the individual because they love the individual, but they don’t really get what they’re about and what they’re trying to achieve.
Ryan Hanley [11:45]
Yeah, I would agree. I think that, you know, even in my own wife’s case, I think that she I don’t think that it’s her nature to do this kind of thing. I don’t think that she would ever make this jump. Partially because she works for the the insurance agency that I worked for is also her father’s Insurance Agency, her entire family works there. So when I stepped out, I was actually stepping out of a family business, which was a big step. But thankfully, everybody was on the same page. And it worked very well. But she, I’m lucky in that she could see inside me that something was off. And that the moment I brought this up to her, you know, I could just you know, she told me later on that she just could hear in the way that I was talking and seeing the way that I was holding myself that this was the path and she never questioned it and hasn’t sense.
David Ralph [12:37]
So in your insurance, you actually pulled the boss’s daughter?
Unknown Speaker [12:42]
Yes, I did.
David Ralph [12:44]
It was a brave career move or have a full heart.
Ryan Hanley [12:47]
Well, thankfully, I already had her in the bag before I came to the agency. Oh, ok. So to certain extent, I was
David Ralph [12:55]
she was already on your resume?
Unknown Speaker [12:57]
Yes, yes.
Unknown Speaker [12:59]
Yes, you was.
David Ralph [13:00]
Now, the key thing on that when you were saying that is the word jump, you jumped? Did you? Did you feel like it was a jump from your your role was? Was there a risk? Did you know it was going to pan out? Or was it just leaping into the unknown? Because in the early days, you’re about will Episode 24. But we’ve actually recorded about 50 episodes now, after the daily basis. And the first probably about 12 to 15 episodes. Probably about half of them kept on talking about the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when Harrison Ford has to step off into the unknown. And Ben he finds like a bridge. I don’t know if you remember that on the way to
Ryan Hanley [13:42]
do anything with Harrison Ford pre like 2005 is fantastic. Yeah.
David Ralph [13:48]
And so many people kept saying to me, I felt like a vaccine, but I didn’t know whether I was going to plummet to my death or what but I knew that I had to do that. Did you feel like Indiana Jones, you were stepping into the unknown? I kind
Ryan Hanley [14:05]
of feel like my foot is still up in the air? To a certain extent. But um, no, I’ll tell you this is what I’ll say. Is that, um, to a certain extent, yes, there is this part of me that is anxious about what’s happening. And and to a certain extent, David, you know, I’m still in very much in this transition, this is still me going full time, Full Tilt into my own digital marketing, speaking and consultancy is still I’m still very much in that transition. This is only been the last few months that I’ve gone full time, up until this point, I’ve been I’ve had this, you know, Shadow career that I’ve worked from 9pm til 2am in the morning, you know, and then somehow make it look like I’m doing it during the day. Yeah. And going full time, there’s obviously some anxiety that that that surrounds it, but at the same time, there’s so much more energy. You know, it’s like, I feel like I’m waking up in the morning with like rocket fuel in me. And I don’t know how I know how else to describe it other than where before it, there were times when my finger struggled on the keyboard or I you know, task, you know, I’ll do this tomorrow. Those that the energy is there, like I now have the path. And I think for so long, I didn’t have a path I had 15 different things that I thought someday might work out. And now that I have one path, and I can take all the energy that I have inside me and point it in one direction. I kind of feel like, like, what was I doing the previous 33 years, if I can’t get this, if I can’t now that I’m focused, if I can’t get this to work, like, like, what am I really doing? So I’m not, I don’t feel like I’m gonna fall, I’m pretty sure that there’s going to be something there. When my foot hits the ground.
David Ralph [15:54]
That is a blueprint for all the listeners out there, because the avatar of the show. And I say this overtime, is the guys out there that maybe are in their second job where they’ve gone through college, they’ve gone into the first job excited and then found out that they didn’t really like it. So they go into the second job, oh, this is going to be better. And then they feel know there must be more to it than that. And this is the whole kind of avatar of the show. And for you to say that you’ve got rocket fuel on you because you found the thing that inspires you. It’s out there, isn’t it? It’s out there for everyone. Because I feel that at the moment, I could do these conversations 24 hours a day. Okay, there’s a lot of editing, there’s a lot of stuff that sort of box you down afterwards, but the actual talking, I love it. I absolutely love it. I feel like I’m doused in rocket fuel, and I could get up at one o’clock in the morning and work all the way through till one o’clock in the morning. And then go again. You know, it is amazing when you find that thing that you suddenly think, Blimey, I should have done this 1015 years ago. The energy levels go off the scale, don’t me. Well, David, you know, here’s the thing is that that
Ryan Hanley [17:00]
when you like we all have, we all have things that we’ve done in our life, right? Like I started out when I first got into college, the first job I could get it was absolutely friggin awful. I hated every second of being there. I could at one, I’m a huge baseball fan. I hated this job so much. And it was so awful that I could quote all I think there was approximately 979 major leaguers. I could I could quote you every single one of their statistics for that season at that current that you can just say to me like, you know, Greg Jeffries. Well, he’s playing for St. Louis. He’s playing second base only part time he’s got about 17 RMB. I mean, that’s where I was in my career. And that’s how awful it was. And what was and like you said, What? I was doing research for a finance company. So basically, people who owed money to this finance company, I used databases, which are like the shiniest thing that can even believe these things exist. Like I would find people like through different always there. I can’t tell I hate even talking about it. I feel like a sleazebag. But I was 22. So, and the job got me to Washington, DC, which was amazing place to live. But um, you know, and so I exactly what you just said, I said, Okay, well my next job will be bet that’ll be the one that taken I got to know. So I found a better job sort of working that work there for three years got to the end of three years. I said Holy crap, like I hate this. And it’s the same thing again, just doing different work. took another job, you know, and I’m talking about, you know, bigger companies. Now I’m working for American Express in their finance department in the financial district of Manhattan. I mean, this is big time stuff. And I don’t know if you’re familiar with AJ Leone.
David Ralph [18:48]
Yes. I’ve got him coming on my show.
Ryan Hanley [18:51]
Yeah, so he’s, he has really a pretty fantastic storey. And he said something in a interview with Sweeney Rao, who does the used to be blog cast FM. Now it’s the unmistakable creative podcast, there’s another great individual, if you’re looking for another guest. He’s fantastic. But so AJ was on 3ds podcast. And I was listening to that. And AJ said, The Sweeney asked him how he made the jump, right, the jump. And he said, I was given a raise, that would have locked me into a position in that world he was working in Manhattan for I think a venture capitalist or, you know, the executive doesn’t matter, but would have, it would have given me an amount of money that I would have never been able to leave. And I didn’t want that. And I was in a similar position, I was starting to get to a point. And in American Express, where I was going to make an amount of money, that I was going to have a very hard time leaving there. And I hated every single day, and I hated myself for going there. Like I literally would walk to work every day, like looking at the other buildings going I bet something cooler is happening in those buildings than the one I’m about to walk into. Yeah, and nothing to do with American Express. It’s just my personal flavour did not mesh well with with them. And then I started selling insurance. And that was exciting for a little while, because now you’re selling and you’re kind of your own man, and you keep what you kill. And I just realised that I wasn’t passionate, then you know, and you’re just like, Oh, my gosh, like, when am I going to find this thing? I’ve been in the corporate world for 10 years now. And I still haven’t found like who I am, and you start to get frustrated and discouraged. And then I started blogging. And then I did my first speaking engagement. And then I did my first podcast episode. And then I felt like I was on fire. And it took two and a half years. But you know, now I have my own company. And I have a couple clients, things are going great. And I feel like I feel like my own. I’m my own man. And like I said before, I’m in my own direction. So that storey is played out. I mean, I think I can’t tell you, I’m sure that women face the same struggles. But I’ll tell you just from being a guy and talking to other guys, the number of 20 or 20 something year old men who go through that exact same process, there is light, you just have to keep searching, and I feel bad for the ones that give up because those are the people that are ultimately unhappy.
David Ralph [21:19]
Yeah, I think you’re absolutely right. I’m going to play Steve Jobs speech in a moment, because it emphasises what you were saying, having trust and faith, but you’re going to find something that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. But I can tell you that when I got my first job at the age of 16, or 17, I went through college, it was 17. And I started working in the City of London, in in a sort of head office building. Every day, I went in there and I thought to myself, this is going to be my last day, something amazing is going to happen. And I didn’t quit corporate land until I was 43. But every single day that I went in, I just kind of fell. But there was something more to life, but I just couldn’t see it. And as it kind of built up built up built up, I realised that I’d go into pubs and I’d be talking to people, and I’d be going you can do anything you want. You can do this, you can do that. And really, I would just kind of speaking to myself. And it wasn’t until I actually listened to myself one day saying these words, I realised, God, I’ve got to do something
Ryan Hanley [22:19]
now, but I’m doing something I realised it was almost there all along. But it was like frosted glass, I couldn’t quite see the path. But I needed to go, did I jump? Not really did I just kind of run out of steam where I was probably. But now it’s full steam ahead and it is full steam ahead. And because you never gave up. See, that’s the thing is you never gave up on that dream. And that’s, that’s what crushes me when I talked to people is the people who just have said, I’m going to be okay, nine to five. And my thing is going to be that 13 TV shows that I can talk to you about when I come over to your house for chips and dip. And like I guess there’s nothing really wrong with that. I guess that’s what makes you happy. But I just have a really hard time believing that that’s what people actually want. I feel like they’ve given up and from what you just said listening to your storey. And you know from you know, we were talking a little before before we started recording and and my own and the other storeys that I know, you chose yourself. And that’s James altitudes book I don’t know if you’ve read that yet. They’ll have a should you would love it you will choose yourself by James out sir amazing book. And basically what he just says is the people who find happiness are the ones who choose themselves and whether it’s moving up through a corporate organisation, but just saying I’m never going to let there be a ceiling to my to my ascent, or it’s, or it’s going off on your own or finding something like this. But it’s all about choosing yourself
David Ralph [23:52]
isn’t selfish, choosing yourself to think I know
Ryan Hanley [23:55]
the only person you can choose is yourself, right? I mean, this isn’t talking about choosing yourself like I’m going to put my needs before someone else’s or or be self ish. It’s just saying that I am responsible for my own path. No one is going to like the you know, the CEO of American Express was never going to come down the escalator, tap me on the head and say, Come on, son, you’re coming up to the sea level, right? Like, that’s not going to happen. If I want if that was my dream, then I needed to make that happen. You know, this is my dream. I’ve always been an educator, I’ve always been a teacher and a storyteller. And the only reason I’m not a teacher in public schools is because I couldn’t handle you know, making, you know, the only making $60,000 is a maximum my entire life. Yeah, but um, the,
Unknown Speaker [24:43]
the
Ryan Hanley [24:45]
now that I get to teach and do it on my own terms, it’s a completely different world. And I really get to be the person that I wanted to be. So I don’t think that it’s selfish. I think that it’s taking ownership for your life and your own happiness.
David Ralph [25:00]
A powerful statement, isn’t it? Because I think I was halfway between selfish. And being selfless. You know, I want to do something on a daily basis, but really does motivate and inspire and the your conversation, the things that are coming out of your mouth. If they’re not inspiring at least one person out there, then I can’t believe it. Because it is such a truth. What you’re saying, you can be happy, you can enjoy yourself, you can earn more money than you possibly thought was possible. But you’ve got to take action, you got to do it on your own.
Ryan Hanley [25:38]
have to you have to it because no one else is going to do that for you. I mean, that’s that is the thing, what you described with the Glatt with the foggy glass, what the life that I was living until I decided to choose myself and take this step forward. Was that somewhat you were you just said it, you said something great is going to happen today? Where’s that going to come from? Who was going to do that for you, it was never going to happen. You know, I mean, no one is going to walk was going to walk into your office and grab you by the hand and take you to that awesome thing. You had to finally get to a point in your life where you were ready to do that awesome thing. And now you’re doing it, you have this fantastic podcast that you’re running every single day talking to amazing people having great conversations feeling fulfilled. I mean, you chose to do this, no one was going to make this happen except for you. And now think about the way that you feel about yourself and the way that you feel about your life and how colours are brighter and sounds like and all this sounds like abstract and kind of weird. And, and people who aren’t in this place are saying, you know, this kid is out to lunch, and I can never get there. But I promise you when you find that thing. It’s amazing the way the world looks, it just looks different. It looks like opportunity. And I don’t know how to describe it in any better way.
David Ralph [26:57]
Things just become easy tonight.
Ryan Hanley [27:00]
Yeah, least easier. Yeah, a little bit.
David Ralph [27:02]
You know, I’m gonna play Steve Jobs. He mentioned it twice now. And I haven’t quite got there. But I’ve got so much to talk about. That’s the problem. But I think at the moment, one of the things that I’ve got a problem with is I’ve been used to working incredibly hard hours incredibly hard work to earn, earn a living. Now I’m doing something that is almost playful and fun, and you know, enjoyable beyond belief. And I’m earning a living and I can’t even I’m still in that balancing of Hang on. I shouldn’t be I shouldn’t be earning a living doing this. I shouldn’t you
Ryan Hanley [27:36]
feel guilty? Don’t Yeah,
David Ralph [27:37]
I do. I feel I feel at the moment, I haven’t progressed enough in this role to actually say I am worthy of it, I feel like somebody is going to reach in, turn off the microphone and say get back to the real world because this isn’t how things should happen. And it’s really strange, because I know on one side of things, I’ve worked bloody hard to get to this point. And I’ve taken huge risks and huge action. And I have been as you were working from nine, eight or 9pm to 2am each night and stuff, getting up morning, working weekends, going on family holidays, and for odd days working on my businesses trying to get it going. So I know that I’ve worked really, really hard, but there’s still that kind of guilt. Now it’s starting to come together. I’m thinking to myself, this shouldn’t be this easy. I should be struggling somewhere here. I shouldn’t be able to choose my time and go off and play with the kids in the afternoon. And and have these amazing conversations each and every day is it is that devil, an angel sitting on your shoulder. And it’s a real sort of self limiting belief system that we all have to break down. And even when you are starting to see an element of success, you still have that don’t you, you still have those kind of little doubts going, Oh, somebody’s going to stop this, oh, it’s not going to go as well as you want it to be. It’s weird how humans do that themselves.
Ryan Hanley [28:53]
It is the failing I have the same. I look at it as a as a as a failing, I fight every single day. And every time I hit publish, I think to myself, Oh, you know, even stupid little things. Like I spend a lot of time on Google Plus, it’s where I share my thoughts, right I this is more technical blogging kind of thing. But I, my my philosophy is I put my thoughts on Google Plus, I put my resources on my on my site. The reason I do that is I just really like Google Plus for testing thoughts and conversations. And that’s a different discussion for a different day unless you want to get into that. But even these hundred and 50 to 350 word thoughts that are mostly just riffs or rants or, or just things that I need to get out of my head. Every time I hit publish, I think to myself, people going to like this, or you know, is my is my as my audience going to appreciate this? Are people going to think that this is weird or different? Or off topic? Are they going to unfollow me every single time. And I know that there I mean, the rational side of my brain knows that that’s not the case. I know that people follow me because I’ve been doing this for a year now. I mean, if if someone’s been following me for a year, and I could there’s nothing that I can post today that they that would throw them off that much. But I still have that thought. And I think that if you can harness those feelings, they are extremely powerful, because they’re part of that rocket fuel, right? Like in the back of your mind, you’re you’re never content with your work, you’re always trying to get better. You’re always trying to push the limits. Because you’re saying to yourself, you know, I can do better, I can do better, I can do better. If you let that if you let that overwhelm you, if you let that kind of take over, then it’s extremely limiting. And it makes you do worse work. It makes you second guess yourself. But if you harness it in a positive way, I mean, I think that’s how the best become the best is they just never, even when you stop needing more money, even when you start needing more time in your life. It’s more about the art of the thing. Whatever your thing is, if it’s speaking, writing, podcasting, interviewing, you just keep doing it and trying to get better because you love it.
David Ralph [31:09]
incremental gains. I think that’s what you’re saying, sir? Yeah, yeah, yes. Little by little, we can Join Up Dots. See, when I did that as a perfect segue, right? I’ve mentioned
Ryan Hanley [31:19]
him you’re very good at this, you may have done this once or twice
David Ralph [31:21]
before, I might just well I’ve done in a previous life. I’m talking about previous lives. I’m Steve Jobs said a few words in in, unfortunately, his previous life. So I’m going to bring him in, because I’ve mentioned him two or three times now. And it’d be unfair to leave him hanging on anymore. So Steve, are you there.
Steve Jobs [31:38]
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 leaves you off the well worn path.
Unknown Speaker [32:11]
And that will make all the difference
David Ralph [32:13]
with your dots. Brian, where were the ones that helped you believe that you are going to create your own path?
Ryan Hanley [32:23]
That’s a it’s a really interesting question.
You know, I think, you know, if I want to really go back a lot of it starts is rooted in, in being an athlete. I was never content. And some of this is weird kind of Eastern, you know, it’s interesting that I have that I have today, but it was never content, just being a player on the team, I had to be a captain or a co Captain or I would just I had to be I had to step forward, I was always willing to, to, you know, do the extra lap, you know, take the extra push ups do the extra Rep. I was I hated being just another person in the crowd. Like the thing that that that like crushes my chest is the thought that I’m just another face in the crowd, I never wanted to be that. Just I couldn’t think of a worse destiny. And if and if I don’t go up, if I end up going down when this journey is over, that will be my hell will be just I’ll just be another face and a million in a crowd. And then that will be the rest of my eternity. And I think that I was searching for how to make that happen. And I allowed different things to distract me. But it always came back to I could never handle just being another face in the crowd. And I look at Little things like joining the campus Judicial Committee of a I never had no interest in politics. I had no no interest in in government, you know, being part of any type of government body. But I somehow saw an opportunity to be on the Supreme Court of my college. And I joined my freshman year and I ended up being part of, you know, about 37. You know, I’m doing air quotes court cases for the college in which the in peer reviews. In my work, I always tried to pick these abstract niches inside these organisations. In none of them ended up being fulfilling, which ultimately gets me to where we are today. But when I look back, it was this, this, this. I just never want it to be another face in the crowd. And even today, I can’t, I can’t like if I go to watch someone speak, I stand up in the back of the room, I stand on this, like I just being just another person of the masses to me, not that there’s anything wrong with that, right? For the people. You know, I just personally I’ve never wanted to be that person. I’ve always wanted to kind of stand out and be different and be my own man and feel like I made my own decisions and live my own life. And
and I think that’s what has ultimately driven me to the position that I’m in today.
David Ralph [35:14]
It’s it’s amazing when I’m listening to you talk that it resonates really strongly with me. Because I had those same feelings. I remember going to school and if everyone had to wear black because the uniform was black, I’d wear grey. And if everybody was doing a certain something, I would do something different. And it wasn’t ever a decision to be different. It was just how my body operated. And even through corporate land. I used to get phrase of Oh, you’re a maverick. And it used to really annoy me I used to be no I’m not a maverick. I come in here every day I do my work. I do it as wet as I possibly can. And I go home, I don’t call this company any problems. And you’re getting great value out of me blah, blah, blah. And they used to say yes, but you’re a maverick. Now I’ve left I actually think yes, I was a maverick. And I would go back now and wear that badge of honour, because I realised it was playing to the same strengths that that four year old five year old or 13 year old had all the way through, but I couldn’t see it at that time. And it’s only since I’ve stepped away from corporate land. And I’ve got time to reflect. And you do reflect having these conversations on a daily basis. It’s like It’s like being in therapy in many ways. I feel like yeah, laying on a couch and sort of like just opening my heart up. Because it is it’s it’s amazing when you talk to somebody like yourself, and until tonight we’ve never spoken a single word together. But you suddenly think my God, this chaps over in America. I’m in the United Kingdom. Are we any different? No, we’re not. We’re not any different at all. He looks a lot younger, and he’s probably better looking than me. But other than that, it’s the same. It’s the same storey
Ryan Hanley [36:56]
I got a very boring accent though.
David Ralph [36:59]
No, you accidentally didn’t. I like the American accent. It’s very easy. I just think that everyone’s a cowboy.
Unknown Speaker [37:07]
Yeah.
David Ralph [37:09]
Is this Is that good?
Ryan Hanley [37:11]
I’m gonna let you and that’s, we’re not all cowboys. Some of us are. Some of us are not but um, yeah, I characters. I named my kid Duke after john wayne. So I do have a little bit of that cowboy thing going on.
David Ralph [37:25]
And it was a gale. You have a harsh barber? Yeah, it’s a sink or swim. Yeah, it’s gotta be it’s not that Johnny Cash song The boy named Sue or something? If you have the girl named? Yeah, absolutely. How is being a father because that that changes you doesn’t it that changes your perspective on life. And when you suddenly realise that, not only are you having to put food in a little person’s mouth, but literally every way that you operate, they pick up on it dunno, they pick up on the vibes? How it? How is that mean? How old is Duke now?
Ryan Hanley [38:03]
He is five months old. And it is not a coincidence that my transition to owning my own company, and being my own man coincided very closely with his birth. He was about a month old. And I looked at him and I said, How can I teach this kid to be his own man to be successful, to be hard working to be the thing that he wants to be whatever that thing ends up being? If I’m not doing that myself, and that sounds like real motivational speaker ish talk. But it is the God’s honest truth that I held in my arms feed numb at some ridiculous time of night. And maybe I was a little delirious. And that’s why this came to me because I hadn’t slept in a month. But I looked at him and I said, How can I teach this kid? What to be his own person, if I’m not living that life? You can’t I would be you know, it would be it would be insincere to teach him the things that maybe I wasn’t taught growing up. And then I’ve had to learn over these first 33 years. I you know, I want to instil those principles into my child. And, and, and help him at least deal with some of the emotional strain, prepare him for some of the emotional things that you go through. And you know, and he’s gonna have to find his own path. But I can’t give him that advice, if I’m not living that way to begin with. And he was a big, big motivation. For me taking the step and making the move. And I come home and I look at him every day. And I say to myself, like, I’m going to have some advice.
Unknown Speaker [39:43]
Yeah, I sink or swim.
Ryan Hanley [39:45]
Okay, I have something to tell
David Ralph [39:46]
you. But it’s a strange thing that because if you listen to a fellow podcast Entrepreneur on Fire, john Lee Dumas, he does a daily podcast. And he’s, he’s done 600 700 million shows by now, whatever. And one of the things that he he saw a theme running through, of how many entrepreneurs suddenly got the urge to do it or knew it was now when a baby was on the way it was almost like the back was against the wall. And it was now or never, and he says, an absolute strong theme, with men suddenly going, what is now? Because there’s a bump.
Ryan Hanley [40:25]
Yeah, I agree. I mean, it makes you look at your life differently. It’s easy to make excuses for yourself when it’s just you. But when there’s somebody else involved, even, you know, especially when it’s a child, it’s hard to make excuses to a kid. Because when the kid looks at you, with those eyes, and you, you can’t lie to I mean, you can, you know, I guess some people can, but I just couldn’t, you know, I looked at this kid, and I just said, I gotta do it. I’m not going to be able to be a good father, if if I don’t take this chance, and I don’t, I don’t try to live this life and see how it feels. And
I won’t be able to be what he needs. And hopefully, hopefully it works. I think it will. I feel pretty confident.
David Ralph [41:11]
But I think you would as well, I certainly do. I think you’ve got too much momentum already.
Ryan Hanley [41:18]
Well, I’d like to, I’d like to think so, you know, somewhere I tried to be, I tried to be realistic about these things. But I would like to say I would like to think that I’ve I’ve spent the last two and a half years building an audience and giving, giving, giving, giving, giving and, and now it’s time to kind of balance that out a little not that it’s time for me to take take take take take, but it’s time to balance that equation and, and give and take a little bit too so that I can I can feed my family.
David Ralph [41:45]
In the introduction, Ryan, I said, but how far has he progressed towards his goals? Where would he Mark himself against where he wants to be? If I said to you, at the moment now, since you started this entrepreneurial journey that you’re on, one 10 one being you haven’t made any movement at all to 10 being you have absolutely nailed it. Where would you say you were on that timeline?
Ryan Hanley [42:07]
like three, probably
David Ralph [42:09]
really, because it sounds to me, you’re more than about six or seven from from what you’re saying? The fact that you
Ryan Hanley [42:16]
have very lofty goals for what I would like to achieve. And that’s why I say three, not. If If one, if zero is doing nothing, and one is starting, I would like to say that, you know, three, four, maybe somewhere in there, I guess it’s all kind of relative, but I have some very big things that I want to do. Specifically in the insurance industry niche. And places that I you know, there’s places that I want to speak, I want to speak in some of the largest halls in the in the country or possibly in the world, I’d like to I’d like to speak internationally if I can, and, and that’s going to take a lot of work. And it’s going to take a lot of effort and focus and practice and failing and screaming up and learning and coming back. And if I get to where I ultimately want to be, then I think I’m at about a three, but to be happy. I’m probably at about five or six,
David Ralph [43:13]
I think you’re a bit hard on yourself. I think you’re I think you’re one of those guys, even when you’re sort of lying on your deathbed, and you’ve got, you know, millions and millions of pounds, and you’ve got a major multinational company, but he’s providing value to people and everything has been done for the right reasons. I think he would still leave and not go Mr. Hanley I’ve done well, it’d be a wish I could have just done that.
Ryan Hanley [43:42]
You might be that might be right. I I haven’t maybe I haven’t progressed that far in my in my Self Realisation journey just yet. But uh, but you could be right about that. I definitely. I, you know, I was reading a post by Seth Godin the other day. And it was something to the effect of celebrate the small successes. And I don’t think that I you know, I came home and I asked my wife about that. And I said, Do you think that we celebrate the small successes in our lives, because she’s a very driven person too.
David Ralph [44:17]
And,
Ryan Hanley [44:19]
you know, we both came to the realisation that we didn’t, we didn’t think that we did enough and that we needed to more. And for some reason, we went out and bought an expensive bottle of wine to celebrate our next small success that we haven’t drank. And even though we’ve had some, we haven’t actually followed our own advice. But um, I think that, I think that it’s important to celebrate the small successes. And then one of the things that I want to do more in my life is, when things happen, even small things that are positive momentum on that snowball rolling down the hill, acknowledge them, whether it’s just taking a second and in your head, Hey, that was something that good and moving on, or it’s having a glass of wine out of a out of a nice bottle when you get home. You know, I think all that is really important, because it gives you a moment to kind of notch the board so that as you move forward, you can look back and say, Hey, I did that thing. And I did it then and now we’re here and there’s growth. Otherwise, you it’s hard to tell how far you’ve grown.
David Ralph [45:26]
I want everyone listening out there today to jot that down, celebrate the small successes, especially if you’re just starting to get things going. Because it’s so easy to project to the finished article, the sort of global domination of whatever you’re trying to achieve. And because it’s so hard, and it’s so far away, you just lose momentum. But if we did do more of that, and I’m not very good at doing that at all celebrating the small successes, I’m kind of as soon as I achieve it, I’m on to the next one, I don’t sort of spend any time reflecting. But if we did, and we we, you know, set a weekly target. And on that Friday, if we did achieve what we were going to do go off to the pictures or spend a nice evening with your partner or something like that. I think people would achieve a lot more in life. And it’s only because we create goals that are almost unrecognisable to us at the point of when we’re starting. But the momentum never gets going.
Ryan Hanley [46:24]
I think it’s an ego thing. And I know it is for me because I have one of the things I constantly have to team with a bullwhip at times is is my own
David Ralph [46:34]
thing coming back. Yes, I’m a big fan. So but you shouldn’t have a whip in the house?
Unknown Speaker [46:42]
Well, it depends where the whip is, okay, if
David Ralph [46:45]
that’s what we’re going to call you.
Unknown Speaker [46:48]
Well,
Unknown Speaker [46:50]
now, where was I going with
Ryan Hanley [46:51]
that oh is on is we set goals because of our ego, right? Like I say, hey, I want I want to speak at at, you know, let’s say Radio City Music Hall in New York City. You know, that’s an amazing goal to be able to have a, a message that that platform is willing to accept. That’s an amazing goal. But for me, currently, I’m getting on the stage at Social Media Marketing World or content marketing world. And being in being a featured presenter at one of those at one of those conferences would be an amazing accomplishment, something I’d be very proud of. And but we set our goals because of our ego, we set these goals really really far and really, really big and so that we can go to the bar the next barbecue and say, This is my goal, I want to speak at Radio City Music Hall. And everyone’s like, Oh, that’s such an amazing goal. That’s so fantastic. You know, you’re going to be so successful. But when really a more realistic goal and more achievable goal would be this, this they’re smaller thing, but doesn’t sound as good. So we don’t like to tell people that goal. But if you focus on that smaller goal, and then bang, you hit that smaller goal, now you kick it up to the bigger one, you’re just going to be more successful. I mean, I’ve read too many books that have that have give that exact advice. I mean, that’s not an original thought by me. But But our ego doesn’t always allow us to do that. So it’s definitely something if we can take a step back and, and and think about the bigger picture, can say, Here’s five goals that get me to my really big goal, and celebrate each one along the way. I think that will all you know, you’ll, there’s definitely gonna be more success because it’s easier to hit the smaller goals.
David Ralph [48:38]
Absolutely. I just before we come to the end of the show, which is the Sermon on the mic, I’m going to ask you one question. And I wrote it down, and I put it in a line. And I’ve been looking at it all the way through the episode. But I think it’s now the time to bring it up. Okay, what scares you? Oh,
Ryan Hanley [48:56]
jeez, that’s a good question. Um, what scares me? What scares me is probably what I was talking about before, my biggest fear is never standing out, is getting to the end of my life, having my body of work, just kind of being lost into the diverse, right, I just never having made a dent in any way. And, you know, in a, in a larger sense. I mean, I know, with my children and my family, you know, I try very hard to be a good father and a good husband, and I’m, and I’m, hopefully we’ll be able to make a dent with them. But, you know, in a larger sense, if I don’t make a dent, if there’s no mark, like I, you know, I have that classic, you know, kind of, by masculine desire to have some sort of impact on the world. And, you know, and then when you will you when you’re, when you’re gone, people say, he was here, and he did this thing, and it moved us this much. And just being another guy would be, is really scary to me.
David Ralph [50:13]
I don’t think you’re ever going to be just another guy. I think you think you’ve got too much passion, too much heart and too much. charisma, really, I think it just oozes from you, is that a good word to use? Probably not. But it does, it just comes out. And if you’re like this, every time you stand up, or every time you write a blog post, now one day, you’re going to be a success, you’ve got to be because you’re providing too much value without even knowing it.
Ryan Hanley [50:42]
I appreciate that very much. Thank you.
David Ralph [50:45]
So let’s see what kind of value you can provide to your younger self. Because this is the part of the show, when we allow you to go back in time, like a young Marty McFly and have a one to one with your younger self. And you can choose whatever age you would feel comfortable speaking to your younger self.
Ryan Hanley [51:02]
And I actually want to change my answer that the Sermon on the mic kind of scares me I’m kind of
David Ralph [51:08]
you can sing it, you can sing it if you want.
Unknown Speaker [51:12]
It says
David Ralph [51:14]
once again. So I’m going to play the music and when it drifts off, I’m just gonna leave it up to you to go back in time, and what kind of advice would you give young Ryan?
Ryan Hanley [51:48]
So my advice would be to Ryan of about 13. And I would tell young Ryan, that very soon, you’re willing, you have to make adult decisions between the things that you feel inside your gut, your passion, your head, the way that you want to live, and the way that you feel like you’re supposed to live, and don’t allow the pressures of the way, the path that is, you know, the way things are supposed to happen. Don’t allow that to dictate your decision making and do the things that you want to do. And, and, and really do them. Because the classic path of high school college corporate job is here to waste a lot of time and spend a lot of wheels and you can get into things that you’re going to enjoy a lot sooner. If you just kind of follow the your intuition and the things that you’ve thought for a long time. And and that’s pretty much what I’ve been telling wise words indeed, and really been stay away from Lindsay.
David Ralph [53:00]
She was she was awful. Well, I could say the same thing myself. She got around that Lindsay?
Ryan Hanley [53:10]
Go, she might wouldn’t be surprised if she made it across the
David Ralph [53:12]
Yeah, she might be listening. Now. Who knows? Well, it’s been an absolute delight having you on the show today, Ryan and it’s one of those episodes, I wish that you could just keep on going on and on and on. Because you really were dropping nuggets of gold on us on a on a second by second basis. And as I say to all the guests, if you’ve got anything in the future that you want to come back and share with us, please do so. Because the beauty of the theme Join Up Dots is it’s about connecting our history. And our histories are continuing to grow. And I believe looking back, connecting those dots. joining up those dots is the best way to build our future. Ryan Hanley.
Ryan Hanley [53:48]
Thank you so much. Thank you David’s been such a pleasure man.
Outro [53:53]
David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you are 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.