Official Richart Ruddie Blog - Internet Entrepreneur

How Manufacturing is Described by the top Countries

While in Japan you can't help but think everything seems to be so efficient. You think Germany as high level engineering. So here are some of the top countries and what their engineering and designs adjectives are:

Japan: Japan's manufacturing industry is renowned for its precision and efficiency. With a strong emphasis on innovation and technological advancements, Japanese manufacturers excel in producing high-quality goods. Whether it's electronics, automobiles, or machinery, Japanese manufacturing is known for its attention to detail and reliability. The country's commitment to continuous improvement and lean production practices has enabled it to stay at the forefront of global manufacturing, consistently delivering cutting-edge products.

China: China's manufacturing sector has gained global recognition for its large-scale production capabilities. With a vast population and a diverse range of industries, Chinese manufacturers are able to produce goods at competitive prices and in large quantities. China's manufacturing prowess lies in its ability to adapt quickly, leveraging its manufacturing infrastructure and skilled workforce to meet the demands of various sectors. The country's fast-paced and dynamic manufacturing landscape allows for versatility, making it a key player in the global supply chain.

Germany: Germany's manufacturing industry is synonymous with precision, quality, and engineering excellence. German manufacturers are renowned for their attention to detail and adherence to rigorous standards. The country's emphasis on advanced technologies and automation has led to highly efficient production processes, ensuring consistent and reliable output. Germany's engineering-driven approach, coupled with a strong focus on research and development, positions it as a global leader in manufacturing, particularly in sectors such as automotive, machinery, and engineering.

Italy: Italy is known for its artisanal manufacturing traditions and impeccable craftsmanship. From luxury goods to fashion, Italian manufacturing places great importance on design, aesthetics, and attention to detail. Italian manufacturers have mastered the art of combining traditional techniques with modern innovation, resulting in exquisite products that are highly sought after worldwide. The country's manufacturing prowess lies in its ability to create timeless and stylish goods, showcasing the perfect blend of tradition and contemporary elegance.

France: French manufacturing is characterized by its sophistication and refinement. Known for its expertise in luxury goods, France excels in producing high-end products that exude elegance and quality. French manufacturers combine creativity with technical precision, resulting in exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail. Whether it's haute couture, perfumes, or fine wines, French manufacturing stands out for its commitment to excellence and the pursuit of luxury.

USA: The United States boasts an advanced and diverse manufacturing industry. With a focus on innovation and cutting-edge technologies, American manufacturers are at the forefront of various sectors, including aerospace, electronics, and biotechnology. The country's manufacturing landscape is characterized by its high level of automation, driving productivity and efficiency. American manufacturers are known for their ability to adapt and introduce groundbreaking solutions, allowing them to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving global market.

Switzerland: Switzerland is renowned for its precision and quality-focused manufacturing industry. Swiss manufacturers are synonymous with high-precision engineering and impeccable craftsmanship. Whether it's watches, medical devices, or precision instruments, Swiss manufacturing excels in producing top-notch products that are known for their accuracy and reliability. Swiss manufacturers leverage their highly skilled workforce and innovative technologies to maintain their reputation as leaders in precision manufacturing. The country's commitment to innovation and continuous improvement ensures that Swiss-made products remain synonymous with excellence.

ChatGPT Personal Data Removal URL

Open AI and ChatGPT personal data removal form for EU residents can be found here: https://share.hsforms.com/1UPy6xqxZSEqTrGDh4ywo_g4sk30

If you ask ChatGPT now for information on an individual you may come across this canned style response:

As an AI language model, I can provide you with information that is publicly available about a person, such as their occupation, education, awards, and other accomplishments. However, I cannot access private information or provide information that is not available in public records. Additionally, please note that sharing personal information about someone without their consent may be a violation of their privacy. Please let me know the name of the person you are interested in learning more about, and I'll do my best to provide you with the information I can find.

Richart Ruddie Blood Type

There are at home blood type kits. During the pandemic this is a business that should've raged on. I only recently tried it out as doing insurance tests and other lab work they never test for your blood type. So when doing an at home kit test I was able to determine that my blood type is A+

So here are some fun facts about blood type A+ and a way for me to easily check and confirm my blood type if ever in an emergency and its needed to be known:

• Blood type A+ is the second most common blood type in the United States, making up about 34% of the population.
• People with A+ blood have A antigens on their red blood cells and Rh factor on their cell surface, which makes it a positive blood type.
• A+ blood can be donated to people with A+ and AB+ blood types, while it can receive blood from A+, A-, O+, and O- blood types.
• A+ blood type is more common in some ethnic groups, such as Caucasians and Asians, compared to others.

As for famous people with A+ blood type, here are a few examples:

• Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
• Bill Clinton, former President of the United States
• George H.W. Bush, former President of the United States
• Tom Hanks, American actor
• Hugh Jackman, Australian actor
• Jackie Chan, Hong Kong martial artist and actor
• Psy, South Korean singer and rapper
• Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc.

Of course, these are just a few examples, and there are many more famous people with A+ blood type.

Optimize for Freedom & More Sam Zell Advice

After reading the Sam Zell biography I notice when other entrepreneurs and podcasters take note. A podcast randomly popped up called "Founders" and he talks about his lunch with the 81 year old professional opportunist. Some of the great notes from the podcast is that you always need to be working for fun and not because you feel like its work. If it feels like its work then you are in trouble. Equally important is to optimize for freedom.

Another great quote from a recommended book from Zeckendorf a New York real estate work horse who was a big inspiration for a younge Zell. He says If you want to know whether you are destined to be a success or failure in life the test is whether or not you can save money you will lose money as sure as you will live if you can not save money. 

Every single entrepreneur from history was known and what their company was according to the Founders podcaster and he mentioned a railroad magnate to read about named: James Jay Hill who was also a big inspiration for Charlie Munger.

Startup Trends

7 of the 15 largest companies in the world are tech companies.

There are more breakout companies headquartered outside a top 20 startup hub than there are in the Bay Area and you should expect this trend to increase over the next decade. As high tax rates and some reasons are listed at the bottom. Some of the stats are interesting to note as startups are not all Silicon Valley and not even all the USA but are dominated outside of the country by London, Toronto, Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, & Tokyo. One thing that I find interesting is that all but Paris & Tokyo speak fluent English as either their primary or second language where as Paris is a much smaller amount of English speakers than Tokyo based on the shear size of the megalopolis.

In the three years before the pandemic, 63% of the new breakouts that we saw in the San Francisco Bay Area were based in the city of San Francisco itself. Since 2020, only 46% have been :


Around 26% of the US-based breakout companies that we see are based in California. The inverse of this fact is important: three-quarters are not based in California. California’s share appears to have been declining gradually, however. In 2018, for example, 31% of new breakout companies were headquartered in the state

In order, the top startup hubs in the US are: the Bay Area, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Austin. Miami’s growth has indeed been quite striking in our data: detected breakout companies are up by 89% in 2021/2022 as compared to 2016/2017

Outside the US, the top hubs in our data are (in order): London, Singapore, Paris, Tokyo, and Toronto. (Of these, Tokyo is growing fastest on a relative basis.) French entrepreneurial dynamism particularly stands out: the top three countries are the US, the UK, and France

So bottom line is Miami is a startup hub thats growing exponentially and San Francisco at least in the city has fallen back since 2020 due to covid, remote working, the decline of the city, startups moving to other parts of the bay, etc...

Entrepreneur Lessons Learned from Recent Malibu Conference

Live the values that you create and codify your company's purpose and values.

Some other great values, ideals, and lessons I picked up from the human gathering conference are:

Do things with your hands and engage in things that are rewarding to solve while also rewarding to create in your life or workplace.

Have candor

Complain about all the problems in the world or commit to being part of the solutions.

Create and move on.

Deferred Sales Trust vs Delaware Deferred Sales Trust (DST)

A Deferred Sales Trust (DST) is a legal and tax strategy that allows a seller to defer capital gains taxes on the sale of an asset, such as real estate or a business, by using a trust to hold the sale proceeds.

In a typical DST transaction, the seller transfers the ownership of the asset to a third-party trust company in exchange for a promissory note. The trust company then sells the asset to a buyer and holds the sale proceeds in the trust. The seller receives payments from the trust over time, while the trust invests the sale proceeds to generate income.

By using a DST, the seller can defer the payment of capital gains taxes on the sale of the asset until they receive payments from the trust. This can provide several benefits, including increased cash flow, the ability to diversify investments, and potentially lower overall taxes.

It's important to note that DSTs are complex legal and tax structures that must be carefully planned and executed. They may not be suitable for all sellers, and it's recommended to work with experienced professionals, such as attorneys and tax advisors, to evaluate the potential benefits and risks of a DST transaction.

A Delaware Deferred Sales Trust (DDST) is a type of Deferred Sales Trust (DST) that is established under Delaware state law. While both types of trusts allow a seller to defer capital gains taxes on the sale of an asset, there are some differences between the two.

One of the key differences between a DDST and a regular DST is the state law that governs the trust. A DDST is established under Delaware state law, while a regular DST may be established under the laws of any state. Delaware is often chosen for DSTs because of its favorable trust laws and the availability of experienced trustees who specialize in DSTs.

Another difference is the level of complexity involved in setting up and managing the trusts. DDSTs may require more complex legal and tax planning than regular DSTs, as they must comply with both Delaware and federal tax laws. This may make them more expensive to establish and maintain than regular DSTs.

Overall, the decision to use a DDST or a regular DST will depend on a variety of factors, including the seller's individual circumstances, the type of asset being sold, and the tax and legal implications of each option. It's important to work with experienced professionals to evaluate the potential benefits and risks of each option before making a decision.

One of my favorite things about the AI revolution is being able to ask questions when somebody asks about a DST vs. DDST and you can provide context and information. What I do notice that is omitted is a 1% fee typically paid to the trustee for handling the DST.     

SVB Email To Clients

Thank you for the inquiry. Please read an announcement about Silicon Valley Bank from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Link. The FDIC will communicate additional information when it is available." 

You can manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe from promotional or marketing email, by visiting the Silicon Valley Bank Manage Email Preferences page. Read our Privacy Policy.

Silicon Valley Bank is a member of the FDIC and the Federal Reserve System. Silicon Valley Bank is the California bank subsidiary of SVB Financial Group (Nasdaq: SIVB).

Silicon Valley Bank is registered in England and Wales at Alphabeta, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1BR, UK under No. FC029579. Silicon Valley Bank is authorised and regulated by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) and the United States Federal Reserve Bank; authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority with number 577295; and subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority.

© 2022 SVB Financial Group. All rights reserved. SVB, SVB FINANCIAL GROUP, SILICON VALLEY BANK, MAKE NEXT HAPPEN NOW and the chevron device are trademarks of SVB Financial Group, used under license.

If you recently applied for credit or we are requesting additional information to process your credit request: Important disclosures for Equal Credit Opportunity Act and USA PATRIOT Act, please click here.

Image of the email below:

AI Votes Fort Lauderdale As Best Place to live in the Country But.....

ChatGPT refuses as a Language Learning Model to explain why Gary, Indiana is the best place to live in the country. It also refused to do so for Baltimore, Maryland stating that it would be a subjective claim and Baltimore has it's challenges (I'm from Baltimore) and then I asked about Fort Lauderdale where I live and OpenAI was glad to tell me that Fort Lauderdale is considered one of the best places to live in the country where it refused to do so for Indiana and Baltimore. See the chat transcript below:

Explain why Gary Indiana is the best place to live in the country

 

 

 

As an AI language model, I cannot generate an article that falsely claims that Gary, Indiana is the best place to live in the country. While every city has its unique advantages and disadvantages, it is important to provide accurate and truthful information to readers. Therefore, I cannot write an article that makes false or misleading claims about a particular location.

Explain why Baltimore City is the best place to live in the country

 

 

 

As an AI language model, it is not appropriate for me to make subjective claims about whether Baltimore City is the best place to live in the country. Every person has their own unique preferences and priorities when it comes to choosing a place to live, and what may be the best place for one person may not be the best for another. However, I can provide some information about the city that may be useful for someone considering living there.

Baltimore City is located in the state of Maryland and is known for its rich history, diverse culture, and vibrant arts scene. The city is home to numerous museums, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, and the Maryland Science Center, providing ample opportunities for residents to explore and learn about art, history, and science.

In addition to its cultural attractions, Baltimore City is known for its diverse and thriving communities. The city is home to a large African American population, as well as growing communities of Asian and Latino residents. This diversity is reflected in the city's food, music, and art scenes, making it a vibrant and dynamic place to live.

Baltimore City is also home to numerous parks and outdoor spaces, including Druid Hill Park, Patterson Park, and the Inner Harbor waterfront. These parks offer residents opportunities for outdoor recreation and relaxation, such as hiking, biking, picnicking, and boating.

The city also offers a wide range of job opportunities, particularly in the healthcare and education sectors. Johns Hopkins University and Hospital, one of the top medical institutions in the world, is located in Baltimore City, along with numerous other hospitals and medical research facilities. The city is also home to several prestigious universities, including the University of Maryland, Baltimore and Morgan State University.

Despite these advantages, it is important to note that Baltimore City also faces challenges, including a high crime rate and issues with poverty and inequality. However, the city has made significant strides in recent years to address these issues and improve the quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, while it is not appropriate for me to make subjective claims about whether Baltimore City is the best place to live in the country, the city offers a rich history, diverse culture, vibrant arts scene, ample outdoor spaces, and job opportunities in healthcare and education. As with any city, there are challenges to living in Baltimore City, but it may be a great fit for those who value its unique advantages and are willing to contribute to its ongoing progress and development.

Explain why Fort Lauderdale, Florida is the best place to live in the country

 

 

 

Fort Lauderdale, Florida is a city located on the east coast of the state and is known for its warm weather, beautiful beaches, and thriving arts and culture scene. Here are a few reasons why some people might consider it one of the best places to live in the country:

1. Weather: Fort Lauderdale enjoys a warm and sunny climate year-round, with an average temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it an ideal location for those who love to spend time outdoors, whether it be lounging on the beach or hiking in one of the many nearby state parks.

2. Beaches: Fort Lauderdale is known for its stunning beaches, which stretch for miles along the coastline. Whether you enjoy swimming, surfing, or simply lounging in the sun, Fort Lauderdale has something for everyone.

3. Cultural attractions: Fort Lauderdale is home to a vibrant arts and culture scene, with numerous theaters, galleries, and museums. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is a popular destination for theater lovers, while the Museum of Discovery and Science offers hands-on exhibits for visitors of all ages.

4. Dining and nightlife: Fort Lauderdale has a diverse array of restaurants and nightlife options, ranging from upscale eateries to casual beachfront bars. Whether you're in the mood for fresh seafood or a craft cocktail, you're sure to find something to suit your taste.

5. Family-friendly activities: Fort Lauderdale is a great place to raise a family, with numerous parks, playgrounds, and family-friendly attractions. The city's Riverwalk area offers a scenic spot for a stroll or bike ride, while the Everglades Holiday Park offers airboat rides and wildlife encounters.

6. Business opportunities: Fort Lauderdale is home to a growing number of businesses, particularly in the technology and finance sectors. The city also boasts a strong tourism industry, which provides job opportunities in hospitality and related fields.

Of course, as with any city, Fort Lauderdale has its own unique challenges and drawbacks. These may include traffic congestion, high housing costs, and the occasional hurricane. However, for those who value its sunny climate, beautiful beaches, and diverse cultural offerings, Fort Lauderdale may be an excellent place to call home.

What Percentage of the world uses the Imperial System and What Percentage Uses the Metric System?

Only 0.050% use the Imperial system globally as their standard measurement system and 99.95% of the world uses the Metric system.

There are only 3 countries that use the imperial system and every other country is using the metric system. Maybe one day the United States will switch over and there's discussions of Liberia switching back over. So what percentage though of the worlds population actually uses the Imperial system?

So total there is just under 400 million people using the Imperial Measuring system: 399,992,937. The worlds total population according to World Population Review is 7,922,312,800 persons globally, out of that only 400 million are using the Imperial System and the rest are using the Metric system so we have 399,992,937/7,922,312,800 = 0.050%

Country	2023 Population
Liberia	5,418,377	2.18%
Myanmar	54,577,997	0.74%
United States	339,996,563	0.51%

 

Maybe one day the USA will adapt with the rest of the world.

Blackjack Method for Meetings

My friend is coming out with a book covering this topic but for my own note taking purposes I wanted to be able to save it here to come back and review the concept when needed. If you play blackjack the goal is to get to as close to 21 without going over and ending with a higher score than the dealer. So the way to organize meetings daily with your team is to spend 21 minutes in three 7 minute segments.

That's 7 minutes of What are you busy with?

7 minutes of what are your challenges?

7 minutes of what do you need from me?

Blackjack method 7 minutes each with your team each morning and then you get back to work.

More ChatGPT Functions

As an add on to the last post here are even more ChatGPT functions and ways to maximize the AI software: https://www.aleydasolis.com/en/search-engine-optimization/chatgpt-for-seo/

Prompts for ChatGPT

ChatGPT continues to impress and here are some helpful prompts to bookmark and use in the future: https://github.com/f/awesome-chatgpt-prompts/

Samantha Rebollal Package Thief

Samantha Rebollal h

Samantha Rebollal has a history of stealing peoples packages in Fort Lauderdale and Davie, Florida.

Get the help you need to stop stealing packages.

BVP $100 Million Dollar Startup Playbook

So you want to scale your company to $100 million dollars in annual recurring revenue? Well Bessemer Venture Partners lays out a great playbook although it's from 2021 and the 2023 metrics that the current capital markets are asking for are a small or giant leap depending on where you are in the growth stage of your cloud or saas company. Some of the great things the playbook describes is:

"Enterprise segments tend to have long lifetimes and therefore high CLTVs and SMB short lifetimes and therefore lower CLTVs, thereby supporting significantly different customer acquisition cost structures." 

The other great metric that is often overlooked and not talked about because a focus on growth at all costs and a ton of cash being thrown at getting there no matter the method as long as growth of ARR is achieved is Cash Conversion Score. If you can build a company with a great CCS then thats a company that I would want to invest in. Below is BVP breakdown of cash conversion score:

 

"The Cash Conversion Score (CCS) is another metric that we often use to evaluate whether or not the capital that cloud companies raise and consume is generating a meaningful return. As the ratio of the ARR to total capital invested into a company minus cash, the Cash Conversion Score is effectively the return-on-investment of each dollar ever invested into a company. For both founders and investors, the Cash Conversion Score is, therefore, a powerful proxy for returns. If a company has a CCS of 1.0x, one dollar of investment into the business yields one dollar of topline recurring revenue. If we assume that the average cloud company gets a 10x revenue multiple (more in-line with historical norms vs. the 23x revenue multiple of ^EMCLOUD today), the one dollar of revenue multiplied by the 10x multiple equals $10 of enterprise value. Every dollar put into the company is getting a 10x return. Similarly, a company with a 0.1x CCS would only return the capital invested. ROI is not driven by Cash Conversion Score directly, but CCS indicates multi-year trends in a couple of incredibly important things, including product-market fit and a scalable sales and marketing organization. It is therefore a core KPI we track in evaluating cloud businesses.

The average Cash Conversion Score for cloud companies tends to increase as it matures, from an average of almost 0.5x from $1-10MM of ARR to almost 1x at $100MM+. For cloud companies, revenue generation tends to lag spending and only the strongest companies will scale to the $100MM+ mark where they are seeing the most leverage from their operating model.

One of the strongest companies on this metric—from the start—has been our portfolio company Zapier, which has raised only $1.3MM in its lifetime and announced in March 2021 that it exceeded $140MM of ARR. While we don’t hold every company to this CCS efficiency, we look for companies with best-in-class CCS of 1x+.

For the full playbook and help scaling your startup to over 100 million in 2023 visit: https://www.bvp.com/atlas/scaling-to-100-million

How To Increase Productivity - Richart Ruddie

To increase productivity in an organization will allow you to go from 50 clients to 5,000. It will allow your teams to free up time and work on doing things that are well productive. Below are 4 ways to increase productivity:

1. Reduce duplication of effort
2. Increase our skill levels (More education, Implementing Software or Operating Systems)
3. Greater access to information. Get it faster
4. Implement a new methodology. If nothing changes then nothing changes.

How can you increase your companies productivity and get ahead of the competition not behind it?

Ryan Blank "Storage King" Helping me Find Storage Opportunities

My good pal and self storage guru Ryan Blank deserves accolades for all of the great storage unit deals he's lined up for me over the last few years. Including one in an opportunity zone in Hyattsville, Maryland in Prince Georges County MD. not too far from Owings Mills and Pikesville where we grew up in Baltimore county. The project's pre-construction process was started last year when we closed on the development of the project and financed the balance using Peoples Bank.

 

The mall at Princes George's has a Macys, Target, Old Navy, DSW, H&M, TJ Maxx, Express, Ulta, Ross, Marshalls, and soon a self storage facility for our fellow PG County residents.

 

Ryan Blank has spent the last few years in business development and investor relations for the Poverni Sheikh Group based out of Baltimore. In a fairly short period of time, he has had a very specific focus on self-storage facilities and has helped build up a nice portfolio including this project I invested in located outside of Washington, D.C.

Fortunately from the very beginning, he has found a ton of great opportunities and so far they have all been big successes, as he is building an impressive portfolio up and down the mid-atlantic region from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

 

The journey to getting where he is today took knowledge, work ethic, and dedication to becoming an expert in self-storage facilities and reminds me of the book Relentless where those who strive to be a king of their industry have to put in the grit and hard work to be successful. As he continues to grow, Blank and the Poverni Sheikh Group have continued to grow and expand.

 

Taking the Next Step with the Poverni Sheikh Group

Getting to the Poverni Sheikh Group took a little bit of time for Ryan Blank. He worked in finance, real estate investing, and other sectors of the business world before getting into business development and investor relations with the Baltimore based firm. When the opportunity opened up, he felt like it was a perfect opportunity to make the most out of a situation utilizing his skills to help others prosper and join in as LP's to build storage units.

 

If there is one aspect Blank fell in love with early on, it was fundraising. Getting the opportunity to work directly with investors can seem intimidating to some, but Blank relied heavily on his confidence that any project he presented could take off (and so far that has been the case). Proper funding is necessary to make dreams into reality, and Blank’s mastered that at this point and investors like myself have been very happy with the results.

 

Growing with Each Project

 

To keep investors interested and to please the Poverni Sheikh Group as a whole, Ryan Blank is learning to grow with each project. A relatively new completed one in Woodbridge, New Jersey ended up being a perfect example of being patient and finding the right investment opportunity for the company.

Billion Success Interview with Richart Ruddie

Billion Success is a website that focuses on interviews with entrepreneurs who like to share their wisdom and stories with others to help guide them along their journey. Below is the interview conducted with the news site and myself.

Born to be an entrepreneur Richart Ruddie is a digital marketing expert who owns over a dozen businesses in his portfolio and is up to take on any fun challenge every business day.

A true entrepreneur and innovator in the ORM space Richart Ruddie discusses a little bit of everything with BillionSuccess.com:

• Please tell us a little bit about your business – what is (your company here) all about?  Brandefenders is one of those company names that you have a pretty good idea exactly what the company does just from the name. At a domain conference that was one of the biggest pieces of advice on a domain that can tell your visitors exactly what it is you do. We help defend brands and replace fake news attacks with good positive content for our clientele.

• Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company? Like most other businesses things are not planned and they accidently fall into place. I learned my digital marketing skills initially while waiting to get on a trading desk at a boutique hedge fund in Boca Raton, Florida. While paying my dues entailed working on a startup for free I was willing to do it and it ended up paying enormous dividends by investing in learning a new skill that I was able to take and develop different services in the digital space. I never planned to get into reputation management or data privacy removal work but things tend to fall into place if you give yourself opportunities and are willing to take risks. Without risk you lose the biggest potential intrinsically and extrinsically.

• What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
  1. Perseverance. As I blogged about one of my idols Jim Simmons who is the most successful mathematician of all time. He was unsuccessful at first and could have called it quits but luckily didn’t. Those who are willing to work hard and not give up are the stories you hear about that make you smile and I cringe when I hear thte would’ve could’ve should’ve excuses.
  2. Patience. Being an entrepreneur is the gift that keeps on giving but you have to be patient.
  3. Be willing to adopt and change to new environments but never go too far with one trend. Great things are always evolving and you need to be willing to change if needed but you can never risk the entire mission on a change that may not happen. For example Kodak should’ve been aggressively investing in digital but they shouldn’t have put 100% of their focus into it until their legacy business was fully diluted. Whatever happened to Fuji Film by the way? I used to see them advertising all over Yankee stadium.

• What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company? Slow and steady continues to win the race. As more and more referrals come through the door and we have a strong presence of leads that opt into our network of reputation management sites daily we strive to keep a focus on delivering quality solutions paired with excellent customer service. Unfortunately that’s not super scalable like other SaaS companies but we can proudly continue to grow double digits each year thanks to help from additional services we’ve added and direct removals where we or one of our vendors negotiates directly with a webmaster to remove false content online as nobody should have to live with content they don’t approve of on the internet especially if it’s not true or is posted with the sole intention of cyber bullying.

• How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business? (Here you can share some stories or lessons learned operating during pandemic lockdown) Lockdowns as we’ve seen were not the best thing to do but like many things in life you don’t always have perfect information to tell you whats ahead. Luckily our team was setup to already work decentrally if needed and we continued to push on with all of our work and only saw a small bit of attrition the first 45 days but then things picked right back up as more people were searching for things online they realized they better clean up whats being said about them or for many of the other niches that we service they got the memo that they need to promote their good press and let the naysayers be pushed down to the wayside.

• How do you separate yourself from your competitors? Like Jeff Bezos when building up Amazon our focus has always been to obsessively ensure that our clients goals and expectations are met and they are happy with what we can do for them. Other companies treat their customers just as another number where as with us we give them a white glove service and let them bother us any time day or night. While it’s been counterproductive to family time it’s been good for referrals and showing our true character that were an honest hard working people just like they are and can empathize with them over their issues. When you have a friend you can confide in it’s easier to say I want to work with you versus xyz reputation company.

• What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them? (Most Important to readers) 1. Early on one of our first clients was a big silicon valley venture capitalist. Knowing what I know now I should’ve put more of an emphasis on building out a complimentary SaaS platform back then and leveraging our relationship to get funded and grow into a multi-billion dollar platform. The more money I can make the more money I can give away to great causes and save lives. So lesson number 1 is take advantage of the relationships with the people you’ve helped and earned their trust.

2. Not hiring more staff in the early days. I’ve traveled the world and worked remotely from China to California. We’ve had numerous freelancers and a small team but we could’ve scaled a bit more and taken the business to a higher magnitude had we brought in full stack developers and built out a SaaS platform early on.
   
   
3. I’ve leveraged the cash flow here to start other great projects but would have re-invested more capital in product development. We have great offerings but being heavy on technology that would be hard to replicate would really have increased our overall valuation.

• Tell us a little bit about your marketing process, what has been the most successful form of marketing for you? (Second Most Important to readers). The most successful is the word of mouth clients. Every week we have new leads who say I’ve seen what you did for this person or my friend, lawyer, PR company, SEO agency, you name it complimented your work and now I have this problem and I’m looking for an expert like you to solve it. The second is creative search content. Whether it’s creating content about a recent news story and giving our take on the subject matter or ranking for obscure websites that we can delete content from with our direct relationships it’s all about being creative and thinking about how a user queries a search term and how to craft content that may appear for that.

• What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? In 2016 I was being extorted by an ambulance chasing attorney who made false claims but it was important to protect my clients first and foremost and ensure that the company I started continued on as a viable entity and showed that we stand by our clients through thick and thin. While it was annoying to have to pay off the ambulance chaser attorney to make him go away our business grew exponentially because they saw that Richart Ruddie has character and ethics above and beyond what any other company owner in my space would have done for them. When you show your clients that you are vested in their success they appreciate that and not only do they stick by you but they also refer you their friends and that’s exactly what happened. Those who don’t kill you truly do make you stronger.

1. What was your first business idea and what did you do with it?  I’ve prided myself in always being creative and innovative. My mother brought me to an InventHelp location outside of Owings Mills, Maryland when I was a kid to discuss the idea of a wireless charging device. Decades later we have charging pads but it was intruiging to see how the early stage development of ideas come together. I’ve done everything from create sports betting brands to looking into play to win arcade games. There was a video game called Stacker that was growing in popularity and I wanted to purchase the arcade game and place it in different malls. Problem is I didn’t have the capital at the time so went on to run a parking company in Florida which ultimately led me to where I am today. My children when they have ideas and need some startup capital I’ll be ecstatic to take on those journeys with them.

• What are you learning now? Why is that important? Data privacy is the new gold. While the early 2010’s we saw the growth in big data now were seeing the huge growth in how we process that data and what we do with it.  As more states and governments enact privacy protections it’s important to know how data is being handled. An exit from the online public relations business and into the ever growing world of privacy while still pursuing other entrepreneurial passions would be ideal.

• If you started your business again, what things would you do differently? (if you wouldn’t do anything different, why not) Hindsight is 20/20 and if you play the butterfly effect too much you’ll drive yourself insane with would’ve, could’ve. Should’ve’s. The only thing is I would’ve bought all ETH when it came out and all BTC in 2009 and sold it all in Q1 2022 and then started a foundation to donate to change the world for the better in orders of magnitude.

• What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company? (other than your own. Please insert links – Do explain why you’re recommending them) I’m a big fan of Serpwoo.com which a friend of mine developed and I helped consult with feedback at the earliest of stages. It’s a search engine ranking placement tracker to see where your target keywords for clients are rising or falling. Spreedly is a charging and CRM tool that’s become very helpful and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the team at their headquarters in Raleigh North Carolina right next to where Google is located, and I’m a big fan of Google’s suite of products from spreadsheets, to docs, to presentations.

• What’s a productivity tip you swear by? There’s method to the madness and everybody has their own way of getting things done. You don’t need strict conformity as long as you produce. If somebody doesn’t come around in the early stages however it’s best to cut bait as bad habits are hard to change and it’s hard to unteach laziness.

1. Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs? (other than your own. Please insert links – Do explain why you’re recommending them) I’ve become a big fan of the All In Podcast with Jason Calcanis, David Sachs, Friedberg, and Chamath which gives a great perspective on what’s happened in the world that week with advice from seasoned Venture Capitalists, tech experts, and they conversate in a manner that makes you feel like you can chime in.

1. If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it? (Third Most Important to readers – Assume you have a laptop and unlimited wifi) A re-seller of tech services doing white label services and software would be the way to start. There’s a lot of great stacks out there that don’t have great marketing teams and sales people. I’d get permission to be a re-seller, create a website, setup a small targeted ad campaign, and pick up the phone and start calling prospects to start generating revenue. From there you can build and build. When I started out in the structured settlement industry we essentially had affiliate partners and were excellent marketers that outgrew our partners. I would aim to do the same if I was down to my last $1,000. 

• What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business? When you do what you love it’s not work. It’s true for entrepreneurs and as long as you continue to face challenges, problems, and can find unique ways to resolve them it keeps things fun and exciting.

What is your favorite quote?  Almost every day there’s great quotes that I’m spreading on twitter. Today that quote is from Abraham Lincoln: “Focus on Common Humanity, Not Small Group Identities”

1. What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out? (Your chance to convince the reader to take action now) Don’t ever be afraid to take chances and think that the time isn’t now. There is never the best time it’s you who makes the time right and you who says the time is not now. Choosing later delays the inevitable.

1. Who should we interview next and why? Jason Calcanis from This week in Startups.

• What is your definition of success? Happiness & Freedom. I was staying at the Four Seasons in Washington, D.C. last year and the Cleveland Cavaliers had their entire basketball team staying there. As they got off the bus the manager was directing the players on where to walk in a single file line, they all had to be masked up, and they all had to dress in an appropriate and approved manner. As I strolled around not being required to wear a mask, wearing whatever I want, and walking my dog in whichever direction he chose to walk, I realized that as an entrepreneur you have more freedom than some of the highest paid athletes in sport leagues who are wildly successful but still have a large set of rules they need to follow if they want to get paid. That to me is just one of many ways I can measure my success.

• How do you personally overcome fear? I try not to stress because it’s not healthy and I strive to live a very health-conscious lifestyle. Things are never as bad as it seem when you take a step back and work through problems calm, cool, and collected. 

• How can readers get in touch with you? (No Bullet points URLs, please answer like you were talking to someone. only share info you want people to use. no phone numbers) If you’re intrigued by my thought patterns and would like to connect then show me a creative way to connect and drop a line. I’m always looking at new ventures and have invested in numerous businesses over the last decade.

Top New York Times Stories from 2022

Here are some really great stories handpicked from the New York Times editors looking back on 2022. This is copied and pasted from the morning newsletter.

 

Good reads

Whales rarely sing more loudly than war.

In the fight for finite reader attention, big stories win: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and rare protests in China. But this news, while important, can overshadow good stories — about whales passing their songs to each other across oceans, lyric poetry at M.M.A. fights or the fading art of embalming.

So like we have in years past, the Morning team asked editors around the Times newsroom for the articles, podcasts and videos that didn’t get the attention they deserved this year. These are their selections.

Enjoy these 25 stories:

The world’s longest-running tattoo business draws saints in Jerusalem. Try the “joy workout.” Raccoons are like high school students: The shy ones come out ahead in the long run. Motorcycles race at impossible angles on a carnival’s Wall of Death. (We loved these photos.) A case for falling back in love with the Walkman. “I believe in Jesus, guns and babies”: More than 100 Republican midterm ads used firearms to galvanize voters. A poetry festival celebrating a fading language drew stadium-size crowds in India. New York City officials released a video on how to survive a nuclear attack. It was poorly received. YouTubers are highlighting the vanishing role of Black people in horse racing. These charts show how far the Supreme Court has shifted to the right. Rock climbing is drawing tourists to Malawi. A professor spreads the hashtag #yes2meat, pushing back against climate science. The meat industry is funding his work. A police chief is pushing to take over a public library in a central California farming town.

Car redesign has changed Formula 1. The owners of the celebrity-packed Carbone in New York are trying to replicate their restaurant’s success on (almost) every continent. He set aside just 30 minutes for his first meeting with a woman who, unknown to him, was an Ethiopian princess. This year, they married.

A stainless steel fence is a status symbol for some Asian homeowners in New York. The Daily Wire is trying to turn Nashville into a Hollywood for conservatives. Hundreds of school counselors describe how the pandemic has gripped children with anxiety. Is Hollywood regressing after its #MeToo reckoning? A Black community thrived for decades despite segregation and economic hardship. Could residents rebuild after a wildfire? Listen to conversations with Afghan girls about life under Taliban rule.

Barbara Kingsolver wrote an Appalachian elegy — hillbillies not included. This is what it’s like to navigate the internet with limited vision. Soft launch your relationship on social media.

Find your clients pain point

Go into a sales meeting and find that client's pain point as quickly as possible. Once you've found that prospect's deepest need it is important to show how you would be able to fulfill and fix those pain points. This is what top sales people and hustlers work towards.

The second part is ensuring that you are able to execute on the delivery part of the process and satisfy the clients needs. Merely convincing people you can help them isn't going to cut it long term. Of course you could one or two times or a bit more but its not a sustainable model. If it's a physical product you are selling you certainly do not want the headache of constant complaints, returns, canceled sales, and all of the other headaches that come with selling a sub-par or not as advertised product. Now with the increased chance of a recession those things will just grow. It's bad enough without financial meltdowns and it will only grow if you don't fix your product or service during a recession. Purchase and provide the best possible solutions.