Strength, Failure and Service. 3 Valuable Lessons (Video)
Ramon Ray, founder of SmartHustle.com, was interviewed by Jay Scherr where they discuss discuss the importance of knowing your strengths, why it’s important to make yourself available to “serve”, and how entrepreneurs can learn a lot from failure. See the full interview and the overview of their discussion below.
Know Your Strengths
One of the most interesting things about this interview is that Ramon Ray believes in understanding your strengths, and it can save you a lot of time and energy. Mr. Ray understands his strong points, and he points out to Scherr that he might not be an expert when it comes to “finances or strategy” – but he knows the importance of branding and image with respect to a thought leader and/or organization.
Ray points out that if he gets involved in something, it has to feel “fun”, and that he’s into “firepower” situations. This is one of the reasons that he enjoys speaking to crowds, but he also recognizes that he isn’t the “deep and introspective guy.” The fact that Ray understands himself is what has allowed him to tap into niches that are not only profitable, but purposeful.
The Importance Of “Serving”
Both Ray and Scherr pointed out that it was essential that small businesses think about their networks and how they can reconnect with individuals, whether they are peers, past clients, or potential clients that you connected with in the past. We all know that a reliable network has helped out countless business owners, and it’s even more crucial in the wake of a global pandemic. Ray believes that going back to your network and re-evaluating your past connections can be an important way to increase revenue.
However, one of the great things about this interview is that Scherr and Ray agree that “serving” other people is paramount. Ray admits that he DOES want to make money, but he has empathy, and he wants to make sure that he is delivering tangible results. He also emphasizes the need for “connection”, and that business owners should consider “more humanity” when it comes to dealing with people in general.
At the end of the day, you can make money, AND help people at the same time! Entrepreneurs and business owners should begin by asking their connections how they are holding up in the wake of the coronavirus, for example. Both Ray and Scherr point out that it’s also time to make more connections, whether through Slack chats, Zoom calls, or virtual conferences of some kind.
Framing Failure
The last great takeaway from this interview is that Raymond Ray doesn’t believe in “failure” if you learned from it! He believes that often, we don’t understand why a specific strategy or approach failed. He compares it to someone who jumps into a swimming pool without water. Once you do it and realize it was a mistake – you can clearly hop out of the swimming pool, fill it with water, and try again!
The only way business owners REALLY “fail” is if they don’t understand HOW and WHY they failed. If you can learn from your failures, you can adjust, figure out how to overcome your challenges or obstacles, and ultimately succeed. Ray ends with this gem: “If it’s something that you can fix – it isn’t a failure. You just did it wrong.”
Written by the Smart Hustle editorial team