Official Richart Ruddie Blog - Internet Entrepreneur

That Famous Steve Jobs Quote Every One Should Live By

Quora can be highly addicting. They send you random questions and answers. One that popped up on my feed on the anniversary of his death on October 5th roughly 10 years and a month ago. It talks about how the Apple Founder reached the pinnacle of entrepreneurship. Creating a company from idea to being one that impacts every part of the world and employs thousands of people. People talk about success in these trends but his was joyless in the end. Wealth was one thing but health he was without. Would Steve Jobs have given up his entire wealth and if a theoretical time machine existed would he go back in time and given the opportunity to be healthy, beat his rare form of pancreatic cancer, and be alive today but in exchange he could not be wealthy and would not have the joy of starting Apple Computers? Instead of dying at 56 he would be alive today as a healthy 66 year old...

The line he says about reading a "Book of a Healthy Living" yet. Whatever stage of life we ​​are in now, we will eventually face the day when the curtain falls. Here is the quote below:

"I have reached the pinnacle of success in business. In the eyes of others, my life is the epitome of success. However, apart from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is just a fact of life. I'm used to.

At this moment, lying in my sick bed and remembering my whole life, I realize that all the accolades and wealth that I was so proud of, have paled and become insignificant in the face of impending death.

You can hire someone to drive the car for you, to make money for you, but you can't have someone to carry the disease for you. "

Lost material things can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when "Life" is lost.

When a person enters the operating room, they will discover that there is a book they have not finished reading "Book of a Healthy Living" yet. Whatever stage of life we ​​are in now, we will eventually face the day when the curtain falls.

 

From the Steve Jobs quote another reader chimed in as I don't believe the below was said by Jobs but talks about money and life. A great book for anybody who resonates with this would be Peter Singer's The Most Good You Can Do. It discusses Effective Altruism a principle we should all consider.


"Honey Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends are very important. Appreciate those around you.

As we grow and, therefore, the wiser we become, we slowly realize that wearing a $300 watch or a $30 watch both say the same time ...

If we own a Crypto wallet

from 3 ETH or 30 ETH, the amount of money inside does you no good at the grave

Whether you drive a $150,000 or $30,000 car, the road and distance are the same and you will arrive at the same destination.

Whether you drink a $300 or $10 bottle of wine, the hangover is the same; whether the house we live in is 900 square feet or 3,000 square feet, the solitude is the same.

You will realize that your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world.

Whether you fly first class or economy class, if the plane goes down, it goes down anyway. Isn't it Ironic don't you think?

Therefore ... I hope you realize, when you have companions, friends and old friends, brothers and sisters, with whom you chat, laugh, talk, sing songs, even talk about little things - Appreciate them because they are the most precious thing you have ."

The road to success is paved with mistakes well handled

The road to success is paved with mistakes well handled. The definition of business is problems. Success lies not in the elimination but in the art of creative profitable problem solving the best companies solve problems most effectively. Best companies are problem solving machines.

Actions Express Priority

QOTD: Actions Express Priority.

Sam Altman Teaches You To Ignore the Haters and Focus on what matters

Sam Altman one of the greatest people born in 1985 like myself had a mini tweet storm with some great advice and tips related to strategy, business philosophy, and the importance of ignoring the haters and focus on things that matter while ignoring the fluff. Here are the quotes from @SAMA and a few from myself below:

The sooner you can learn to ignore the haters, the better.

Avoid the temptation to become one or surround yourself with them—it’s fun in the short term, but they are almost never successful at anything other than social media. It is very hard to do good work without being optimistic, exceptionally determined, and intellectually curious.

Ideal goals are ones that you hit, but just barely. Setting goals that are always a bit too much of a stretch is demoralizing—people want to be on the winning team, and you want to be winning at life. Write your goals down, professionally and personally. Set and maintain high standards.

If you have to be hard on people, do it with love and a genuine wish for them to improve. Praise people when they hit the standard. The strongest teams have a lot of diversity of thought but do not have much diversity of values or goals. There are exceptions, but the people at the top of almost any field worked very hard to get there. Be skeptical of people who tell you that you don’t have to work hard if you want to have an exceptional career unless they have exceptional careers. The best way to get people to help you is to first help them. The second-best way is to be working on something interesting. Have long staff meetings and short 1:1s. It’s much better for information flow and alignment. Don’t overschedule yourself. Don’t have long meetings except for really important topics, and then have very long ones. Try not to have large meetings, but if you have to, try having large meetings be partially in writing. Compounding success (which means “growth” in the case of an early-stage start-up) solves almost all internal problems, particularly hard ones. Try committing to one day per week (for me it only works on a weekend, but some people do it on Fridays) where you work in a long uninterrupted block to catch up on the previous week and prepare for the next. Focus on what matters. Cut all the BS. A few from Richart Ruddie with some help along the way: "True leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders. Empower those around you to shine and watch your collective success grow." "Remember, growth often feels uncomfortable at first. Embrace the discomfort as a sign of progress, not a reason to stop." "Consistency is key. Small, daily efforts are often more impactful than sporadic grand gestures." "Diversity in thought leads to innovation, but unity in purpose is what drives a team towards success." "In your pursuit of success, remember to enjoy the journey. It’s the small moments and lessons learned along the way that truly enrich your experience." "The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B. Adaptability is a silent superpower in the journey of success." "Your network is your net worth. Invest in building meaningful relationships, not just for what they bring, but for what you can contribute." "Leadership is not about being in charge; it's about taking care of those in your charge." "Failure isn't the opposite of success, it's part of success. Every failure is a step closer to the win." "Balance is not something you find, it's something you create. Juggling personal and professional life is an art form of its own."

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.

Richart Ruddie Quote of the Day

Sometimes you hear a good quote and you want to jot it down so you don't forget it. Today's quote of the day for Tuesday November 15th, 2022 is:

"Life really teaches you how to live it if you can live it long enough"

One of Rich Ruddie's Favorite Quotes

Quotes can be inspiring and give you a new sense of motivation. Sometimes they explain a situation when there are no words to say. Here's one of my favorite quotes and the reason why is below:

"There is no reality except the one contained within us. That is why so many people live such an unreal life. They take images outside them for reality and never allow the world within to assert itself." Hermann Hesse

Hermann Karl Hesse was a 1946 Nobel Prize winner from Germany. The German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painters works crossed multiple continents. His best-known works include Demian, Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality.

As there is no reality except the one we create and as we do things in life that the general response is "you can't be serious" or "that can't possible be real is it?" is often asked and it's important that we all live a life that feels unreal because it will push you to do bigger and better things in your lifetime and make your mark on the world.

What are you doing to change the world?

-Rich Ruddie

Quotes for the weekend on Satisfaction

Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the UK, on the connection between action and satisfaction:

"Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's a day you've had everything to do and you've done it."

Source: Quoted in "As I Said to Denis: The Margaret Thatcher Book of Quotations"

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​II.

Philosopher Alan Watts on mistakes:

"Regard yourself as a cloud, in the flesh, because you see, clouds never make mistakes. Did you ever see a cloud that was misshapen? Did you ever see a badly designed wave? No, they always do the right thing. But, if you will, treat yourself for a while as a cloud or a wave and realize that you can’t make a mistake whatever you do. Because even if you do something that appears totally disastrous, it will all come out in the wash somehow or another. Then through this capacity you will develop a kind of confidence. And through confidence you will be able to trust your own intuition."

Source: Taoism: Way Beyond Seeking​

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1 Question For You

Think of the best coach, teacher, or leader you ever had. What can you learn from them?

Think of the worst coach, teacher, or leader you ever had. What can you learn from them?

Finding Your Groove

If you follow my thought philosophy you'll recognize that I often talk about the importance of finding what works for you. In many cases those with the most potential don't achieve it due to being distracted by other wants and desires. Whether it be their own or their families pressure to point them in a direction they may not be meant to flow in.

So follow your efforts and follow your groove and flow where your energy and talents reside. Here's a quote that resonated that made me think of that:

"We all of us have limited amounts of energy, and I am sure the people who are successful have learned, either by instinct or consciously, to use their energies well instead of spilling them about. And this has to be different for every person, writers or otherwise. I know writers who go to parties every night and then, recharged instead of depleted, happily write all day. But if I stay up half the night talking, I don’t do so well the next day. Some writers like to start work as soon as they can in the morning, while others like the night or—for me almost impossible—the afternoons. Trial and error, and then when you’ve found your needs, what feeds you, what is your instinctive rhythm and routine, then cherish it."

Husband and wife combo, Benjamin Zander, a longtime conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and Rosamund Zander, a family therapist, on the power of point of view:

“Every problem, every dilemma, every dead end we find ourselves facing in life, only appears unsolvable inside a particular frame or point of view. Enlarge the box, or create another frame around the data, and problems vanish, while new opportunities appear.”

Sam Zell Am I Being Too Subtle Notes

I'm a professional problem solver and after reading Am I being Too Subtle he is one too. A great entrepreneur doesn't just recognize problems but provides solutions.

Sometimes you read a book and you feel like you know the person writing it. Books that resonate with you can have a lasting impact and help develop your career mentally, emotionally, and socially. This is one of those books where I kept on pausing to take photos of pages to take notes so that I can come back and do this post for when I want to pull up these quotes & ideas that he mentioned. Another book that I recommend that shared great life skills and advice is Stephen Schwartzman from Blackstone's book that I read first and found it interesting that he said he knew to get out and liquidate all of his real estate in 2008 when Sam Zell the king of real estate was getting out but at the end of the day Zell clarifies what what down and why in his book.

When people ask me what I do it's often a difficult question to answer since my life entails so much and there are multiple answers that I typically give one of which was similar to something he talks about in the book and Sam Zell says it perfectly: I'm a professional opportunist!

So here are the notes that I want to remember in perpetuity in permanent ink:

Sam Zell's first business was not actually apartments at The University of Michigan but rather he was in the magazine importing business buying and reselling playboys. This is where he learned one of the most important rules of business.

• Where there is scarcity price is no object. The basic tenet of supply and demand is the core principle of business philosophy
• If you teach your children that having fun is frivolous and drill into them diligence and intelligent discussions and education you will breed a winner.
• Be comfortable standing apart rather than searching for a common denominator with others
• Embrace the tendency to go against conventional wisdom 

Sam realized that he didn't take orders from leaders well and was meant to be one not take orders from one. So setting the record was the path he created.

Meritocracy was a big learning experience at summer camp in Wisconsin. Another book I love Ray Dalio's principles is huge on meritocracy as well.

• The basics of business are straight forward. It's all about measuring risk. If you've got a big downside and a small upside RUN. If you've got a big upside and a small downside DO THE DEAL.
• Always make sure you're getting paid for the risk you are taking on and never risk what you can't afford to lose
• Keep it simple a scenario that takes 4 steps vs 1 step is one that provides 3 more failure points.
• Opportunity is very often embedded in the imbalance between supply and demand.
• It could be rising demand against flat or diminishing supply or flat demand against shrinking supply.
• When there's an imbalance look where the two lines will intersect and then determine whether it is cheaper to buy or to wait.
• Be an owner, act like an owner, and when it comes to your investments, do everything you can to make sure everybody is aligned.

When there is too much reliance on outsiders who don't have enough skin in the game that creates problems.

• Companies need engaged owners and staff members
  Owners are willing to give up short term benefits for long term gains.
• An owner uses their vision to steward a company and guide management
• Owners do whatever it takes for management, their teams, and company to succeed while working with others who have skin in the game and ensuring their interests align

A leader can not let his emotions impact his stability. Have methods that keep you steady.

My saying is to remember your ABC's - Always be calm, cool, and collected. In Ray Dalio's book he talks about the importance of mental health and having a clear mind. Working out, running, or yoga. In the case of Sam Zell he's an adrenaline junky who loves Skiing and riding motorcycles.

• Look for micro opportunities from macro events. In Sam's case it was the deregulation of the radio industry where he struck gold and found a 1,237% return off of Jacor. Look for big picture influencers and anomalies that will direct the course of industries and companies.
• First mover advantage requires conviction in regards to his distressed asset fund and timing is everything in regard to accepting an offer to sell Equity Office. Don't allow your personal feelings to interfere with your investments or your duty to your shareholders.
• Sentimentality about an asset leads to a lack of discipline.
• Chairman of everything and CEO of nothing. Sticking to what your good at: Vision, Direction, Strategy.

Behind The Deals Chapter

• Stick to where you can add the most value. Sam spends his day listening to other people, He then asks questions, probes, and comes up with potential solutions.
• Pick great people to run your companies and in Sam's case he doesnt involve himself in the day to day but stays close to those who do. This is a very similar strategy and mindset that Warren Buffet has with Berkshire Hathaway.
• The Radius Theory of business  - Your ability to succeed is ultimately limited by the number of people between you and the decision. The farther away from you the decision is made the less you control the risk.
• You get buried when you delete too much or don't delegate enough

Culture is King, it's the heartbeat of your company. Meritocracy and open "kimono" policy.

Best predictor of success isn't IQ or being a rocket scientist but rather

1. Drive
2. Energy
3. Attitude
4. Judgement
5. Conviction
6. Passion
7. Cut to the center of an issue
8. Assess a problem and see what the risks are and then dissect it but don't get caught up in the numbers

Progress, improvement, and forward momentum. Like Michael Jordan in basketball he made everybody else better.

See opportunity and convert it to something tangible.

 

• Be on the lookout for anomalies and disruptions in a market or company. Be able to recognize the psychology of market extremes which can lead to attractive points of entry.
• Any event out of the ordinary is like a beacon telling you there's a new opportunity emerging.
• Be a good listener it can make all the difference in getting something done when somebody says no.

Immerse yourself in the life of a project and the book concludes with this:

An owner is consumed with making the most out of what he already has. An entrepreneur is always looking for a new opportunity always reaching.

While I have family in Chicago that is close with the grandchildren of Sam Zell I have never met him personally but had such glee from this book that I've called them up to see if they can help me get the book signed by Sam himself and thats how you know a book really resonated with you and you loved it. 

Quotes for the spring

CEO and Sales Trainer talks about how you can master the sceience of sales with the right traits, mindset, and behaviors that can create a dynamic sales floor. David Hoffeld's top take away and quote is: "One mindset that seems to matter more than others in sales is a growth mindset. So this is the idea that you treat your sales skills and abilities like a muscle that must be continually developed. This makes you more resistant and resilient when bad things do occur on lost sales calls. It also gives you an unfair advantage over others because no matter what happens, you're focused on growth." Jousha Yaffa an award winning Moscow correspondent top quote and take away is: "It's been common knowledge for several years that many journalistic and academic articles, often cite the high degree of popularity for Putin, himself, who see approval ratings of well above 60%, often above 70, even into 80% range. It's my argument that this is actually passive support and people are really in favor of the status quo and stability. They don't necessarily have any great affection or enthusiasm or loyalty to Putin, himself. That it's more about a lack of credible alternatives, as most Russians see it."

Quote of the day from Genius Richard Feynman

Theoretical physicist and genius Richard Feynman has some great life advice and he had a very storied career. He was a famous code breaker and I had the pleasure of reading one of his great books which is a fan favorite. None the less todays quote of the day comes from him and is as follows:

"Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn't matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough. Work as hard and as much as you want to on the things you like to do the best. Don't think about what you want to be, but what you want to do. Keep up some kind of a minimum with other things so that society doesn't stop you from doing anything at all."

If you read my Richart Ruddie blog about following your efforts and Mark Cubans advice it is in line with this just a prequel version of his life advice. So do what you love and you will get paid for it if you're great at it.

Try and Test Out Ideas No Matter How Good or Bad Quote

From the former partner of Jim Simmons Rennaisance Technologies Leonard E. Baum (1931-2017) who co developed the Baum-Welch Algorithm said:

"Bad ideas are good, good ideas are terrific, and no ideas is terrible."

So come up with ideas and eventually one or two may be a good one that works. Whether it's in science, business, or life. Try and test out ideas. Have that scientist and experiment mentality and you will be successful in real life.

Negative Advice is Exponentially More Valuable than Positive Advice

Negative Advice is Exponentially More Valuable than Positive Advice. You learn more from peoples failures than their successes but yet we don't see articles and books titled: How I Screwed up 10 times so you don't have too...

French Quote: Marcel Proust Real Act of Discovery on Richart Ruddie Blog

"The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes". Sometimes you hear a quote and it speaks to you and other times you hear a quote and you laugh or brush it off. After finishing the book Practically Radical by William C. Taylor the co-founder of Fast Company Magazine talks about what sets and transforms companies. He educated me about DaVita a Dialysis company that I've noticed all over the world but never understood what they did as well as Threadless a T-Shirt company we used to talk about all the time and the early days of Netflix.

The book ends with Proust's quote on seeing with new eyes and speaks volumes to being able to recognize in a time like this we need to all look at things with new eyes and find solutions that you traditionally wouldn't come up with.

 

-Richart Ruddie

Don't Follow Others if You want to be the best

Quote of the day from James Clear that simply says that those who thrive and are the absolute best in their industry don't follow others but find their own path. Most of the time this path is obscure. Think Steve Jobs and his inventions or Edison or Einstein..

 

"If you want to be in the top 1% of a particular domain, then you can’t take your cues from and follow the social norms of 99% of people.

This is harder than it sounds. We are wired to imitate. The further you want to climb, the more carefully you need to construct your tribe."

Everybody has to find a path and method that works for them.

 

Quote of the day

Enjoy the spring weather of May and remember this quote from DJ AM: "Starve the ego. Feed your soul"

 

 

2017 - What to Expect

What to expect in 2017? What we learn about predictions by looking back at prognosticators is that nobody has a clue of what will really happen but the best thing we can do is roll with the changes and adapt the best we can.

You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you

Jeff Bezos says it best with inspirational quotes and advice on failing and growing your failures. If you're not failing you're not trying hard enough. Come up with difficult tasks and make good and bad headlines to succeed and innovate in the world.

One reason why people don’t like failure is because it’s embarrassing, Bezos added. He described a toddler trying to put a square peg in a round hole for hours, without success. But it doesn’t keep them from trying and trying. That’s how they learn.

“We all have that when we are little, but as we get older, somehow it’s not as cool to fail,”

For the full Geekwire overview and article go here: http://www.geekwire.com/2016/amazon-founder-jeff-bezos-offers-6-leadership-principles-change-mind-lot-embrace-failure-ditch-powerpoints/

Clinton vs Trump Debat Number 2- Wait But Why

In case you have not read the satirist but realistic version of last nights debate between Hilary Clinton and Donald J. Trump then you may want to sit down and have a read: http://waitbutwhy.com/2016/10/second-presidential-debate.html

When you are writing things as a satirist and bringing laughter to a subject like this stuff it can really put a smile on your face as the comments from the posts readers say.

Writers and journalists typically use their powers for evil and to hurt good people. It's very nice to see a positive spin on this.

What are your thoughts on the Wait But Why piece? Send me an email or comment below.

 

-Richart Ruddie

Quote of the Day - Greatness

Quote of the day about striving for greatness. "Someone once told me to not bite off more than I can chew. I said I'd rather choke on greatness than nibble on mediocrity."

No confirmation on the originator of the quote but if you know shoot me an email to give credit where credit is due. Strive for greatness like Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk.

Quote of the Day - Journey Related

"When your focus is only the road, your journey is likely to stall and dreamy destinations never arrive." Those focused solely on the bottom line or making money will find headwinds along the road. Grow yourself and your wealth exponentially.

How to get a celebrity to feature your product

Received this inquiry on how to get featured for a product and company that I invested in. The details of Angela's inquiry are below. What are your thoughts on her pitch and the templated email that was sent with just one word inserted:

 

My name is Angela Owens, I am the Brand Manager at Celebrity
Connected. We specialize in connecting companies, like yours, to
celebrities at gifting suites to celebrate various award shows. I
wanted to reach out to you personally as I checked out your website
and absolutely LOVE your products!

I would like to feature "INSERT NAME OF COMPANY I AM SPAMMING HERE" at our next gifting
suite. You can expect to meet over 100 celebrities and chat, take
photo/video, and promote
your brand to each celebrity individually. Basic participation package
includes a 10 x 10 show space, 4 passes to the gift event, and rights
to media taken. The event information is as follows:

Honoring the MTV Movie Awards®  on April 9th 2016 in Los Angeles:
Participation fee: $5,000


The day of the event will begin around 7AM when sponsors will have a
chance to set up their space. The show starts around 10:30 when the
celebrities start checking in with our talent department and walk the
red carpet into the gift suite. You will be personally gifting each
celebrity and be able to gather media. You will own the rights to any
media captured, so it is important to keep the camera clicking! In
addition, you will also be able to ask the celebrities to endorse your
business on various social media outlets where you will reach
thousands of followers. If timing is an issue we do have a few more
events this year as well.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns or if you
would just like a more in depth explanation of how all of this works.
I can be reached at 657-900-2059. Thanks for your time…I look forward
to hearing back from you and hopefully working together very soon! A
response would very much be appreciated :)

Best Wishes,
Angela Owens.


Angela Owens
Brand Manager
Corporate Office:
701 S. Parker St STE 2400
Orange, CA 92868
Office: 657.900.2059
Fax: 888.958.0552
Email: [email protected]

The MTV Movie Awards® is a registered trademark of the MTV Network®.
Celebrity Connected is not authorized by and is not associated with the MTV
Network ®, The MTV Movie Awards ®, or any of its official partners or
vendors.

Jamie Dimon on Africa Banking - Helping Future Generations

In Jamie Dimons October 19, 2015 interview with Bloomberg he talks about the future and bankings growing role in the importance of worldwide prosperity. On the Bloomberg interview he talks about the importance of ignoring and not worrying about quarterly earnings. Dimon is here for the longer term and even says well beyond his time here.

With 250,000 employees and 150 countries around the world Dimon says that its impossible to fight the U.S. Government and be dragged through the mud but he is so intelligent that he says he will never jeopardize his company for ego or for an indictment of some sorts. He has been an integral part of saving this countries banking system and obviously does not receive the credit from the U.S. government for all he has done. When you compare our financial situation to that of other countries.

Dimon also says "Im opening banks in Africa to help the next generation thinking long term and for the future. Africa is a place to bank multinationals going in. Not retail." Due to problems with government restrictions in Ghana they were unable to open a few years ago but are going back in now and corporate clients want JP Morgan chase in Africa. The governments remember that Chase helps finance large scale projects and can help a country grow and while his work is not going to directly benefit all of Africa this quarter or Chase shareholders next quarter it is for the future and that is whats so respectable. 

Three Great Words

Simplify, strengthen, and improve.

Ron Bruder

Brookhill Group Founder and founder of EFE which stands for the Education for Employment. Bruder was just on CNBC and is the type of persona that we should all aim to achieve. From successful business ventures in many different fields ranging from Real Estate, Medicine, to Oil & Gas to a more noble cause once he was financially capable with the EFE.

Bruder has the right idea and over the long run we will see the successful outcome of his mission for increasing youth employment opportunities in the middle east & Africa. EFE creates public-private partnerships with employers to train children to develop enough skills to be placed for employment with a degree of desirability.

He was named to Times 100 most influential people in the world and for great reason. Hat tip to Ron Bruder.

 

I was very lucky in my life. Kids I meet in the Middle East have the same intellect and drive as I had, but don't have the same opportunities...We can make a radical difference to their lives. Once they have a job, they feel part of society. They can become a breadwinner and maybe support eight or nine people, including their siblings.

— Ron Bruder

The Thing About Consistency

Quote of the day about consistency: "The most consistent thing about my life is that its not consistent at all"

 

-Rich Ruddie