Official Richart Ruddie Blog - Internet Entrepreneur

Richart Ruddie on the importance of Culture

Culture is great not just for business but for learning the ways of the world. Thats why there is such an important emphasis to diversify your travels. Traveling around the world to new countries, cities, provinces/states, and continents that you only hear about in books or the internet growing up. When you do so you have the opportunity to learn about how other societies operate. 

When you experience a new city it's enlightening to meet people of different cultures, try their food, view their buildings and architecture, see the spirit of the people and this helps to change your perspective from potential subconscious biases you may have had previously. When you return and meet somebody from that culture or place you've visited you now have something to talk about and the ability to relate. Outside of reading books this is a great way to build knowledge, understandings of others, and traveling and eating are a great way to live life to the fullest. 

So if you follow my ZeeMap or Mapster showcasing all the places "Richart Ruddie" has been to know that there are so many more and yet so little time to make it to them all but if there's a will there is a way.

Busiest Flight In the USA IS NOT NYC to LA

I was watching an educational video on the California High Speed Rail project and how it was announced in 2008 and here we are in 2022 with no sign of a high speed rail but yet billions of dollars spent already. So outside of thinking the hyperloop may be a good fiscal alternative I was wondering what the top flights in the USA are as it said that the second busiest flight in the country is the Los Angeles to San Francisco route linking the city of L.A. with 19,000,000 people with San Francisco's 9,000,000 people.

So an online lists says that JFK to LAX is the number one route with 26,198 wide-body aircraft used to serve the two cities in passengers transporting 3,531,613 transcontiinental flyers over the last 12 months there are bigger aircrafts being used transporting more people but less overall flights taking off versus the LAX to SFO flights. So the real answer is Los Angeles to San Francisco is the busiest flight. If we didn't have the Amtrak on the east coast linking Boston to Washington and every city in between than it may be DC to NYC as the most flights to and from.

Drop me a line for more fun facts and quotes.

The Beverly Hills of Florida is...

Listening to the Over My Dead Body podcast in season 1 episode 1 they talk about Benton Hills in Tallahassee, Florida which is where the wealthy Florida State University staff and locals live outside of the campus. As the area is rather sleepy and quiet compared to South Florida. As Dan and Wendy Cohen discussed their life in Tally and how the Adelson family was a part of their life that led to the famous lawyer being murdered. None the less they mentioned that the sign for Benton Hills is modeled after the Beverly Hills, California sign as you can see below.

So while they have the Beverly Hills sign and it may be the nicest area off of I-10. The closest thing to Beverly Hills in the state is actually Palm Beach Florida. It's the rich playground and has a street called Worth Avenue that is on par with Rodeo drive with almost all the same shops. The biggest difference is that Palm Beach is seasonal and BH is more of a year round place to live.

The real estate prices on both coasts have similar price per square foot.

Only 45 International Tourists Have Visited Bali This Year - Not FAKE NEWS

With a 10 day quarantine and no flights into Denpasur directly it has been very hard to get into Bali this past year. With the airport just re-opening 2 months ago and flights only coming from the very polluted city of Jakarta it's not been the most easy place to visit. With the stats below you must ask yourself is this real? The answer is yes. Only 45 tourists as of October 14th visited Bali this past year. So how did 45 people even get there? Well by private Yacht.

# of international tourists Bali received in 2019 6.2 million

# of international tourists Bali received in 2020 1.05 million

# of international tourists Bali received in 2021 45

Really 45 tourists came to Bali? Is this fake news? A scam? Misinformation? NO. It's real but if Omicron doesnt take off and there isn't a new variant we would expect to see this number jump dramatically in 2022 for the Indonesian Island that I love so much. The only question is will they drop the $300 visa fee and other quarantine restrictions that have hindered tourism now that the airport is re-open?

Wall Drug's Free Water Loss Leader is the South of the Border of the Midwest

If you've ever driven from New York State to South Carolina in the 90's on I-95 then you would have noticed the hunderds of billboards promoting South of the Border. It's a tourist trap on the border of North and South Carolina with some of the funniest billboards I've ever read..Cold Today...Hot Tamale or Smash Hit at Pedros South of the Border.. After my visit to South Dakota which the locals said they classify themselves as the end of the Midwest I took a road trip out on I-90 which runs from Boston to Seattle to see Wall Drug.

Unfortunately at the time due to COVID-19 Wall Drug was closed but a recent reading about how the owner put up his first billboard during the recession of the 1930's offering free water turned the rest stop into an instant success story that will soon be 100 years in the making. Everybody gets thirsty and the price of water being free it's hard to say no to that. What happens is visitors start to shop for other items and the retail space at Wall Drug is huge so there's almost always a purchase that accompanies the free water.

Wall Drugs has been succeesful without being coy or deceptive or manufacturing faux needs and this is a message all businesses should uphold. Wall Drug just focused on something everyone wanted but no one was talking about free water while on the long lonely road. They started the conversation and consumers talked.

Bottom line and I quote "SELL THE SOLUTION, NOT THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE"

Department of Homeland Security Updates - Why am I getting These you may ask?

When you sign up for Global Entry you may end up subscribing to receive updates from the DHS. I got an email this morning from the DHS with the headline:

DHS Announces Proposed Rule Regarding Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Organizations in DHS-Supported Social Service Programs

I was thinking why am I getting this I don't remember subscribing but then remembered it may have come as a result of signing up for Global Entry 7 years ago.

 

 

The message:

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today is proposing a rule that would implement President Trump’s Executive Order No. 13831 (May 3, 2018) to remove regulatory burdens on religious organizations and ensure that religious and non-religious organizations are treated equally in DHS-supported programs. The proposed rule would ensure that DHS-supported social service programs are implemented in a manner consistent with the Constitution and other applicable federal law.

Specifically, the proposed rule provides instructions on religious liberty protections to the organizations that participate in DHS supported social service programs, including the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Citizenship and Integration Program Grant, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Emergency Food and Shelter Program, FEMA Crisis Counseling, and FEMA Disaster Case Management.

"On behalf of DHS, I would like to thank the president for his leadership in helping to reverse the previous administration’s requirements discriminating against religious organizations by saddling them with unique regulatory burdens," said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf. "Our proposed rule recognizes that religious organizations are valuable partners in the federal government’s efforts to support the public with needed social services, and that they deserve every chance to compete equally on a level playing field for federal funding and not discriminated against simply because of their religious affiliation."

 

Full details can be seen here: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/01/16/dhs-announces-proposed-rule-regarding-equal-treatment-faith-based-organizations-dhs

Ever Notice All International Terminals at the Airport Look the Same

One of the few commonalities you will notice anywhere in the world is that the international airport terminals look and feel the same. The domestic terminals however do not have the same standards across the world but rather tend to reflect the local culture of the area. From the Scoreboard style list of flight arrivals and departures, to the counters with the standard baggage scale, to the exact layout of where all the counters are looks and feels the same at all of the major international terminals that I have seen all over the world.

Just a small observation that I've noticed and haven't found that anybody has really covered this. The one small piece that I did find referenced that the architects who build the international terminals want to have familiarity for the travelers no matter where they are coming from or going to

Person of the Week Robert Marchand

Starting 2017 off on the right Cycle Robert Marchand has an impressive feat at 105 years old. Almost 100 years ago Robert Marchand was told by a cycling coach that he should give up as he would never amount to anything on a bicycle. Well here we are almost 100 years later and that coach long gone but Marchand in Saint-Quentine-En-Yvelines, France was the place where he just finished riding 14 miles in one hour and setting a new world record for his age! 

 He awaits a rival to compete against him and said he would have had a better time had he seen the current lap time. At the end of his 92 laps he received a standing ovation showing the world that you do things for yourself and do not worry about what the others say. Haters are always going to hate and try to stop you. Make up your own mind and do what you want to do as Robert Marchand has done.

The Hawaii' of other continents

I'm finishing up at top 50 experiences in the world to seek out and explore list. During the research and writing process I've discovered a few variations of "Hawaii" for other countries. In Europe there is a archipelago called the Azores off the coast of Portugal and only a 3.5 hour flight from the east coast 4 hours from London and 2.5 from Spain called the Azores and is known as Europes version of Hawaii. Due to it's location surrounded by water despite being so far north it never experiences drastically cold temperatures.

South Americas version is the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Equador and Africa has Madagascar. In Asia there are many places that would be considered competition to Hawaii.

Happy 2017!

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Newest Offering

Faster Entry through the UK border

Just recently announced is something called Registered Traveler by the United Kingdom Border Force to give faster and more convenient entry into the UK for elgible nationals from the USA & Canada. Membership of Registered Traveller costs £70 in the first year and £50 per year thereafter.

Membership of Registered Traveller includes the following benefits:

Access to ePassport gates

Use of the UK / EEA queue

No requirement  to complete a landing card on arrival in the UK

No routine credibility interview with a Border Force officer.

Visitor eligibility criteria have changed and you now may apply to join if you have made at least 4 journeys to the United Kingdom in the previous two years.  Complete details of Registered Traveller eligibility and availability can be found online at www.gov.uk/registered-traveller. 

Registered Traveller is proving extremely popular with members and to date there have been over 275,000 crossings of the border by members with extremely positive feedback such as,

“I think it is fantastic! It has made a major difference to my experience travelling as it gives me a great deal of time back.”

“Time saving and improved experience of clearing immigration.”

You can apply for Registered Traveller online now at www.gov.uk/registered-traveller.

 

My thoughts -- Do you think the Euro Zone will eventually have the same offering?

Brussels Airport a new reality

If you are flying out of Brussels airport in Belgium then you should head to the airport at least an hour earlier than you normally would. Ever since the train station attack the country is on high alert and you will find soldiers walking the streets with guns similar to what you would see in Israel and what is known as the common norm.

The uber and taxi pick up and drop off is no longer in front of the airport but rather at the bottom of the garage and you have to walk or take an elevator up and once you do you have an outside area that used to be where cars would pass through but now it's blocked off and you have the first security screening.

Once you pass through this then you can enter the airport if you are flying out, check in, and then go through security again followed by customs and a long walk to your gate.

In India if you don't have a ticket you can't enter the airport and this type of "Nudge" prevents attacks and issues at the airport. Will this one day be a common reality for all flyers. We used to be able to walk up to the gate without a ticket in the USA but that stopped after September 11th.

Rich Ruddie

Condor Airlines flying from Baltimore Washington International (BWI) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) direct for only $311.00 including one bag. Flight time is 9 hours. For those wanting to travel from the Washington D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Virginia region to Europe and know the headaches of flying on Wow Air (not recommended) then check out Condor Airlines.

Condor Flight 2075 is the one I will be taking and will leave a review of my experience. I flew from Boston on Wow Air to Iceland and can confirm that Wow Air is not fantastic or "WOW"ful they are more like Spirit Airlines. So only fly with them if you absolutely have to.

 

-Rich Ruddie

Profile Defenders

Richart Ruddie: Private Jet from London to New York

Now you can fly private from New York City to London. Just announced today on the heels of the Brexit catastrophe JetSmarter of Fort Lauderdale, Florida has announced new Trans-atlantic service launching this August. For those interested in signing up for a Jetsmarter Membership and would like to receive a discount please send me an email.

START SPREADING THE NEWS

JETSMARTER LAUNCHES TRANSATLANTIC LONDON – NEW YORK JETSHUTTLE™ ROUTE THIS AUGUST

The intercontinental JetShuttle™ service will be a great way to do business, or just jet between two of the world’s grandest cities.

TAKE A SPEEDY WEEKEND TRIP FIT FOR A KING, OR QUEEN.

Fly off to London (EGGW) from NY (HPN) on a Friday at 9:00AM, and return Sunday at 6:00PM. Or, flip it and stay the week. Your move.

JET ACROSS THE POND IN SUPREME LUXURY ON THE GULFSTREAM G IV SP.

SAVE ABOUT 5 HOURS IN TRANS-ATLANTIC TRAVEL TIME:

No TSA Security Lines and Available Helicopter Transfers to participating airports.

IT’S THE SAVVIEST WAY BETWEEN NY AND LONDON

IT’S THE MOMENTOUS TRANS-ATLANTIC JETSHUTTLE™

 

Where Luxury Meets Logic - Jetsmarter

Jetsmarter has created an opportunity for those who want to travel in luxury. For those that do not like the hassle of long TSA lines at the airport can now have the treat of flying private for only $15,000 a year with an all you can fly model. Below is an exciting email that they recently sent out and if you're looking into the possibility of joining then please connect with me on Linkedin and I will help you get a discount for joining from the marketed price.

WE’VE JUST COMPLETED OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL MONTH EVER

This validation of our new approach to private aviation is gratifying, as sophisticated flyers – like you – are recognizing the innovation and value we are bringing to an industry that was hungry for change.

On this occasion we want to share with you – members of the JetSmarter community – some news and insights about where we are going.

As you know, JetSmarter is the best option ever for flying private. We’ve done something profound – created a new class of air travel, accessed by a simple app, that offers both custom charters and unused seats on thousands of flights every day.

We’re not just offering lower costs for private aviation and making it accessible. We’ve fundamentally rewired the marketplace, which we believe is the difference between just low cost and true disruption.

WE WERE CREATED BY DISRUPTERS TO FLY DISRUPTERS.

THE WHAT, WHY, HOW

WHAT: We are re-inventing the private aviation industry for the on-demand, mobile economy by connecting people who need seats with planes that have them.

WHY: There are more people who can benefit from private aviation – and can afford to – than are taking advantage of it.

HOW: Using technology to create a new marketplace for accessible, reliable and enhanced air travel.

OUR MISSION

Create a world where private aviation serves as much of the flying public as possible.

OUR SERVICES

FIND A FLIGHT

Book seats on existing flights between thousands of destinations

CREATE YOUR OWN:

Schedule your own charter, an entire plane or individual seats

OUR BUSINESS MODEL WORKS FOR BOTH OF US

MEMBERSHIP:

We offer one tier of membership for $10,000 per year (with an additional $5,000 one-time initiation fee). This fee – which is required to use JetSmarter – gives customers access to our services, and gives us a consistent and recurring revenue stream.

Why are we telling you this? We believe in transparency, we know our members are smart business people, and we want to share this information with you because you are entitled to know it!

SEATS ON SCHEDULED FLIGHTS:

While some seats on our scheduled flights are given complementary to our members as a perk, others are also available for purchase. Members pay for seats when they run out of their allocated supply of free reservations, or when they want to purchase companion seats for non-member friends or family. A significant portion of these seats are purchased as extra seats or companion seats with a healthy profit margin.

ON-DEMAND FLIGHTS:

These are charter flights. Members can either book an entire aircraft, or can book by the seat (sometimes we call this “create your own shuttle”). When members create their own shuttle they purchase roughly 25% of the seats. This enables our members to save money by not having to book an entire plane… while giving us extra seats to put out as a scheduled flight.

So we can make a fair profit, and continue to offer value to all our members as we expand our services.

PUTTING ECONOMICS TO WORK FOR OUR MEMBERS

It’s a basic law of economics that purchasing power drives prices down. At JetSmarter we buy flight hours in bulk for some of the lowest “cost per hour” fees every seen in the industry.

Every second that every million-dollar plane sits on the ground or repositions empty represents an opportunity for the owner to make money...as long as they get paid at or below their operational cost of the plane.

We are the largest purchaser of third party aircraft hours in the world, which creates massive economies of scale and allows us to optimize “back hauls” (empty legs) and pair them with charter flights, both shared and whole aircraft.

We can do that, because we built a sophisticated pricing engine that charges our members at the sweet spot where we can make a profit. It's no different than any market where there's profit to be made by addressing structural inefficiencies.

Our efficient platform – driven by algorithms and artificial intelligence – optimizes inventory to drive down prices, create availability, and give us the resources to grow JetSmarter in the U.S. and globally.

SHARING INFORMATION AS WELL AS PLANES

We have raised more than $56 million, and this year alone we will do nine figures in revenue.

The flying public is not being well-served by existing options. We don’t think anyone would disagree.

At JetSmarter we have identified an opportunity to build a new transportation network that will rewire the way we humans look at air travel. And our growth shows that our innovation is being well adopted.

We thank you for your patronage, membership and shared quest to make travel fun again. By optimizing the world’s planes we can optimize the world’s productivity.

A seat on a private jet is a terrible thing to waste.

WHERE LUXURY MEETS LOGIC

 

Richart Ruddie Profile Defenders

If you have reputation management needs then please see the following places that have covered me through the years for Profile Defenders that include Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Wall Street Journal, The Baltimore Sun, Sun-Sentinel, The Denver Post, Forbes, and many more. In fact I am such a good brander and marketer that I had a client rank them for a famous celebrity and did such a great job that I took over all the rankings on page 1. The best part is that the client wasn't supposed to be doing that and the celebrity sued him, myself, and a few others. It's a great branding point though showcasing how good I really am at what I do for Profile Defenders clients.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_21394356/companies-spring-up-manage-online-images-and-reputations

http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2013/05/09/the-dark-side-of-reputation-management-how-it-affects-your-business/

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223128

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444840104577548982072928526

-Richart Ruddie

Me leaving Japan back in October.

Jiro Sushi 2 in Roppongi

The best sushi I have ever had in my life was at.... Jiro Sushi 2 in Roppongi an upscale Tokyo suburb. As you can see by the beautiful split piece Prawn Sushi below there is no expense spared. I found Jiro through a popular netflix documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It was in this film that a 90 year old Jiro dedicates his entire life to the art of mastering the craft of Sushi. (Read more below the image)

 

Jiro has only worked in one field in his life and thinks of himself as an artist not just a chef. He takes measures well beyond what any other restaurant owner would ever do to create the most exquisite meal you will ever have thanks to it's insane attention to detail.

He has two sons and the youngest went out on his own and started his own restaurant which is an almost exact replica of the shop in Ginza located in the Hibiya subway station. The only difference is that Jiro is left handed and his son is right handed so they are symmetrical. The Roppongi location has 8 seats at the bar and two tables each with four chairs.

My friend Marc joked that the two tables were there for guests to wait while they were told to sit at the bar. The irony is thats exactly what the tables are there for.

The lunch course is 18,700 Yen and is the best meal you will ever have. It is very hard to get into the Ginza location so I highly suggest everybody to dine and support his sons location if you are in Tokyo and would like to have the best Sushi meal of your life. My favorite pieces were the Sea Eel, Sea Urchin (I typically hate sea urchin but this was unbelieveable), The Prawn, all of the Tuna pieces, and of course the Tamago (egg). The amount of detail and thought that goes into each piece is something that you need to indulge in yourself and not for me to spoil.

If you have watched the film then you understand the importance of the Tamago and the work that goes into perfectly making that finishing piece. At the end of the meal you are invited to take photos with the chefs and they have books on Jiro which are signed by the famous craftsmen himself.

My favorite part of the experience beyond the meal was this one instance which I will write about again.

The art of Modesty

Jiro's son Takashi has been mastering the art of Sushi for almost his entire life (Jiro started when he left home at age 7 and is now 90). So with a life long of Sushi and the fact that a copy of Jiro Ono's book was signed and purchased the question was asked of his son:

Would you mind signing a copy of this book for me?

His answer was as follows:

"You think because Jiro is my father and I am his son that I can sign the book next to his name but he is Master and I am nothing but a student still. I will not be able to honor your request."

Why Elon Musk is the Most Valuable Person in the World

If there is a will then there is a way. After spending what seems like countless days reading Tim Urban and Andrew Finns Wait But Whys latest feature on How and Why Spacex Will Colonize Mars detailing with in depth precision everything from how cool it was to go to the Moon in the 60's and how excitement has waned to the most important part of the piece and why Elon Musk is the most valuable person in the world.

We are doomed. Well maybe not us today but humanity in our time here on planet earth will one day succumb to one of four possible doomsday situations. When that time comes if we have colonized and made life on a different planet then we can ensure the survival of our species.

There are people who set out to change the world but can't because of financial constraints. We have to wonder how many other people would be on missions to disrupt the world for the better if their initial successes took off as Musk's had.

Elons mission is a motivator to the entire world. He wants to give us a reason to get up in the morning and to be excited about life. Life is all about being positive and having our sights set on big goals. Saving humanity and guaranteeing our future is just one of the many huge bonuses of what SpaceX is doing and he is so damn passionate about it that he is holding off on going to Mars until he knows that without the slightest bit of uncertainty that SpaceX will carry on with out him in full capacity with people as passionate and strong willed as he.  

We all strive to be great and Musk is our Edison of today. The greatest man to ever live. Thousands of years if not millions the future will look back at this small period of time and talk about the man who saved humanity and ensured it's survival.

A whole new profound respect after reading the Wait But Why Novel on Space X and why it is so damn important. 

P.S.

If the Wait But Why Guys are reading this then shoot me a message and I will gladly donate a few hundred dollars to your cause to keep you blogging and have some other ideas for you.

The Best Places for Healthy Food in Baltimore, Maryland

California and New York certainly lead the way with an abundance of healthy lifestyle choices. Whether its a yoga studio on every block, a cold pressed juice bar, or organic restaurants. Baltimore is not quite there yet but they are light years ahead of Chicago in my opinion.

I have found a few great places to indulge in local healthy fare in Baltimore and they are:

Pure Raw Juice Bar in Federal Hill
Zias in Towson

Plant Bar in Belvedere Square (Also owned by Zias)

Nalley Fresh (multiple Locations)

The Wild Carrot

Hope this helps for those in and around the Baltimore area looking for a shot of wheatgrass or something that tastes good and is good for you :)

Eventually there will be a healthy option like the Flying Avocado in Owings Mills.