By Ryan Blair
CEO & Founder, PathConnect
Hey Donny D fans, first I want to thank you for the huge response I received from the show last Wednesday. I get thousands of emails asking for help, and of course I can’t answer all of
them. I would say that I’d like to answer all of them, but that would be a lie. Trust me, some of the mail I get is downright bizarre. Aside from the randomness that clogs my inbox every day, there are also a lot of authentic inquiries. I’d like to focus on three questions I recently received, and give them the answers they deserve.
The first that comes to mind is a young Entrepreneurial Leadership student who sent me a letter asking how to deal with the doubters he was surrounded by, and overcome his own discouraging personal fears. My answer is this—we all face obstacles, but ultimately you are responsible for your own decisions. Don’t use external elements as an excuse. Unless someone is qualified to give you advice, you cannot let their negative opinions affect you. For instance, I have a learning disability. A lot of people told me I wouldn’t make it, and yet I did. How did I make my disability my advantage? A simple change in perspective and now people think I have some special talent. Well I do. But so do you! I believe we all do. So I ask you, what makes you special or unique? Once you figure that out, spend the rest of your life refining and strengthening it.
Another common question I get from business owners is—how do I stand out to investors who are bombarded with people like them seeking capital? The best example I can think of is a young man who made himself noticeable by using persistence. Six months I ago he saw me on my first appearance on Donny Deutsch. I agreed to speak to him, but he wasn’t ready. The second time around, he saw me on the show again and heard me say that you can never be too persistent. So he used my own words against me and immediately wrote in. He wrote, “You said be persistent…” Now it would be inconsistent if I didn’t speak to him. He used my advice about being persistent and listening, and has earned a second chance. So guess who’s getting a call next week? Jay, if you’re reading this—be prepared.
The third question I’d like to address is about the current economy versus our health. Because I’m the CEO of a company in the health sciences industry, I come across this question quite frequently: what is the price of health? We are in a recession, people are getting laid off, we are dealing with foreclosures, and a large portion of the population can’t afford to buy health insurance or afford expensive gym memberships. The answer is that we need to be using preventative measures to safe guard our health. There are cost effective methods, products and systems out there that provide solutions to the price of health dilemma. Especially as entrepreneurs we don’t have the luxury of waiting until we are sick, because that’s when it is the most expensive. The cost of being sick can’t be measured!
In my experience, I’m at my best when I’m healthy— and when I’m at my best, I make money. When you are sick you’re not creating, growing and enthusiastic. So put your health first! Sometimes you have to be creative. When I’m on the road, many times the hotels I stay in don’t have gyms. So what do I do? Push-ups, sit-ups, run, jumping jacks, jump rope. It’s not profound, I’m just committed to my health. The true answer to these questions is simple. Quit making excuses, you have all the tools you need to put your health first. As Coach Dale Brown often says, “If you need a helping hand, look to the one at the end of your arm.” Keep the emails coming! Ryan@pathconnect.com
- Ryan