From Operator to Owner: Ral West's 6 Timeless Principles (45 Years, Multiple Exits)

0:01 Welcome to The Coaching Equation brought to you by Empire Partners and hosted by Ryan Lang and Brooke Bishop. Our mission is to help you build a profitable and impactful coaching business by cutting through the noise and all the expert advice to deliver tried and true actionable insights that you can deploy in your business today. Each week, we bring on expert guests, unveil cutting-edge tactics and strategies, and share the secrets and stories that we've gathered from working with the most successful coaching companies on earth. Welcome back to the Coaching Equation Podcast.

0:41 I'm your host, Ryan Lang, CEO and co-founder of Empire Partners. And I am joined today by one of my absolute favorite guests. It's actually her second time on the show. Visionary business leader, systemization expert, Raoul West is in studio with me today. Rao employs over four plus decades of entrepreneurial experience. She and her husband have founded several businesses, one notably achieving eight figures in annual revenue before being acquired by Alaska Airlines. Rao has invaluable experience in scaling businesses, mastering the art of effective systemization.

1:23 She's a master of practical implementation as well. This is not just business theory. Thank you. And the thing I love the most about this lady is that she lives the life that everybody wants to live. She and her husband live in Alaska. When they're not jet setting all over the place, she spends months in Europe. She's got a home on Maui. And in this episode, Raoul shares her six principles to building a successful business.

2:07 This is a perfect roadmap for building a business that is not only profitable, but scalable and profitable. building the lifestyle around it that you really want and deserve. So buckle up. Let's get into it. This is Raoul West right here on the Coaching Equation podcast. Welcome back to the Coaching Equation podcast. I'm your host, Ryan Lang, CEO and co-founder of Empire Partners. And I've got a lovely lady in studio with me today. Raoul West, good to see you, gal. Hey, Ryan. Great to see you again. I am so excited for this. You know, I loved our last episode so much. And honestly, it's kind of wild to think about.

2:47 That was, I mean, that was a year ago, I think. Oh, pretty. Yeah. More than that. Yeah. I can't believe that. Time flies. But this is long overdue because I've been chomping at the bid to get you back in here. And I'm excited to get rocking today. Yeah, lots has happened since we last met on a podcast. No kidding. There has been a lot happening, so much happening in your world. And you've got, I'd love to, before we dive into some of the pieces of what you've been working on, because there's so much to share. I've been I was thinking in just in preparation for this episode.

3:30 I have so many conversations with entrepreneurs, small business owners. And one of the things that I feel like keeps coming up is. People, I mean, yes, there's, we all run into stuck point at the very beginning when we're trying to figure it all out at the start. But I talked to so many people that have started, they've had enough success to not quit. But like we've talked about before, they basically realized they bought themselves a job forever. And now they're going, holy shit, this isn't what I signed up for when I was, you know, when I thought I was going to be running my own business.

4:11 And where do you feel like where do you feel like that stuck point occurs? You know, when when we're sort of at that spot where we're stuck between operator and true owner and transformational leader. Yeah. Well, it's going to be different for each person, but I know for myself, that kind of occurs when I realize that I'm not having fun. You know, this is a ton of work and it's a grind. And I, you know, I can't see the forest for the trees. And I'm just in it above my eyebrows.

4:53 And I was like, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Why aren't I having fun? I started this because I had this passion and I really wanted to do stuff. And now I'm stuck in a bunch of minutiae. And that's the point at which it's time to step back. Take a breath. Take a breath. Take a breather and take a look at what is really happening. And for me, I also need to take a look again at what my future goal is, what I want my life to really look like. And can I get there from here doing what I'm doing? And if the answer is no, then you need to make some changes.

5:36 And a lot of those changes have to do with how you're doing things, what kind of help you're getting, what kind of leverage you're using. And also, you know, do you have really the right product? And, you know, sometimes you need to make some bigger changes than just procedural. But yeah. These are such I love kind of the thought process steps that you just laid out for people. Go back and grab that as we think about leverage and we think about right product. Did you ever have a moment in your business? Because that's really an interesting one. We all fall in love with our own creations, right?

6:18 And I think it's a little tough sometimes when you got, when it's not always the case, but oftentimes we realize that we've, we've kind of got the proverbial ugly baby, you know, uh, did you ever, did you ever have, did you ever, forgive the phrase, but ugly baby, never had an ugly baby, but did you, did you ever have a situation like that in your business where you realized the product just wasn't quite right? Absolutely. Yeah. Tell me about that. I've been with it once. I was with it. Well, I had that experience just recently, actually, where I realized that I was beating myself up and working myself to the bone. And it's like, somebody slapped me upside the head and said, what are you doing?

7:03 Yeah. And I had to stop and say, oh, wow, I might be chasing the wrong thing here. And I need to adjust the product, not an entirely different product, but maybe make some tweaks and some adjustments so that it fits better into what I really want to create for the future. So I think that. The passion that you have when you start a business, that doesn't necessarily go away. But sometimes your passion needs to be redirected. What is the execution piece that needs to be adjusted so that it better aligns with what your true passion is?

7:46 And yeah, you need to step back and make the adjustments and don't be afraid to do that. Sometimes our ego gets in the way and we're like, oh, I can't stop this because I'm committed and I said this to myself. I'm a quitter. I may keep going no matter what. And then I stop and go, oh, wait a minute. Does that really make sense? Yeah. Why would you keep pushing this boulder up the hill with your nose when you could stop and pick the different boulder that wouldn't be quite the job? Yep. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, we all need to do that. I've got almost 45 years of experience and I still run into this and I still have times where I have to remind myself to use my own principles that I teach.

8:34 I mean, what a perfect segue. You just put the ball in the tee for me because we were talking recently and you kind of shared that you've got six principles that are the foundation of successful business. So would you be willing to share those with us here? Yes. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Awesome. And these six principles are really those that have been in play for me for, you know, 20, 30, 35 years. And the thing that's cool about them is that even though technology changes and your strategies and your, you know, types of execution might change, but the principles are still the same. You know, they're just rock solid.

9:14 Buckminster Fuller, we call them generalized principles. Yeah. They're just true in all cases. And they apply to all businesses, any size, any industry. And the foundation of them, of course, is systems. But beyond that, you need to have data tracking. And that's something that I'm working on right now in my business because it's been a little bit elusive as to what's the data that I really need to be tracking. Because sometimes we get into tracking some data and say, oh, look at all these numbers. Aren't these great? Mm-hmm. Yeah, but what are they really telling me? Are they going to really help me move the needle? And if I watch this particular statistic, what's it going to help me do in terms of making decisions?

9:59 Because those are the statistics that you want to track is the kind of things that are going to help you make a better decision. Like I was just telling somebody the other day that if they're tracking decisions, There are returns or responses to a particular lead magnet in the digital space. Lead magnet. So you're tracking the numbers, how many responses that you're getting. So maybe the numbers aren't really what you want. So then you change, get a different lead magnet, and then you track those numbers. And then you compare. And is the new lead magnet doing better? Yeah. Or if it's doing just a little bit better, but not still great enough, okay, then try another one.

10:42 And then you're just tracking and you keep comparing. And it's a process. And sometimes it feels kind of tedious at times, but it's what you have to do. Now, back in the day of 20, 25 years ago... business, we were tracking data. We had reservations agents that were taking bookings on our flights that we were operating to Hawaii, Alaska. And so we were tracking the number of calls that came in every day, the dollar volume that was produced per call, how long each call was, how long the hold time was for people, you know, trying to get a hold of one of our reservations agents. And we were able to monitor that in terms of customer service because we were getting complaints.

11:23 People were staying on hold way too long, you know, half hour, an hour, whatever, on hold. And it's like, oh, wow, okay, we've got to fix this. So we were tracking very closely. Very precise data. But that was data that we were actually looking at and making changes. OK, this means that we need to hire more people. And we even had a reader board that we could look at, you know, who was on the phone, how many minutes they'd been on the phone and how many calls were in were in the queue and all that kind of stuff. And it was cool technology. And this was, gosh, over 25 years ago, like 35 years ago. I will say this. There has never been an easier time than today to track your data. Yes, yes, that's true.

12:06 So really, the key is not, you know, how to do it, but which data to track. Yeah. Yep. I want to ask a question on this because I firmly believe that data is power. And as you said, it's about... being able to make decisions and speed to decision in business is everything. So you've mentored so many entrepreneurs and seen so many different businesses. How do you, what do you say to somebody who is, you know, who doesn't love the numbers and is totally resistant to this kind of thing? Like, uh, Raul, you know, look, yeah, I get it. But I, look, I'm a, I'm a great, I just want to go run my business. You know, I, you know, what do you say to somebody like that?

12:49 Try to find somebody who does love the numbers and get them to support you because you can't run a business well without the numbers. Yeah, you can do it. You can just try to shoot from the hip and, you know, do your best guess and all that. But unless you really have the numbers, you're not going to be as successful. So if you don't want to do it yourself, fine. Find somebody who will. And there are people out there that do that. I appreciate that so much because I think that that frame in and of itself, like we don't have to run from the thing that we don't love. It's a necessity if we want to be successful. And, you know, that's I can't remember who said it.

13:30 And I'm sure it's been said by many, but business is a team sport. And it's exactly why we're not meant to or need to do this 100% on our own. We get those people that do the things that we don't love. In fact, I ran into somebody through all my networking. She's got a doctorate in data analysis for business. And that's what she specializes in doing. Oh, my gosh. Bring her into your business and she could set up all the metrics, tell you what to measure, and then help you analyze the numbers. So you don't even have to know. So, yeah, you know, get to leverage. Use her. I love that. Love it. All right. So we got systems. We have data tracking. About number three.

14:11 And leverage. You got it. Yeah. And there's so many ways to get leverage. It's such a cool concept because really leverage just means doing more with less. So, you know, one of my favorite leverage tools is education. Yeah. you know, those mentors go, go to those courses. I mean, that's why I do a lot of Tony Robbins courses because, you know, I learn it's like, you know, drinking from a fire hose, you go to one of those things and you're, you're psyching it up for 12, 14 hours a day, but my God, it's so much. So invest in yourself, invest in, in education and hire mentors, hire coaches. And, you know, even those of us who are coaches and consultants need to have coaches and consultants.

14:52 So do that. And, of course, another way of getting leverage is to delegate, have some team members, whether you don't have to have employees. Personally, I don't ever want to have another W2 employee in my life. But I love having team members, so I'll find contractors that can do the work for me. And then comes the trick of how to delegate in such a way that you get what you want. Because I had too many people telling me, yeah, I tried that. And then I hired so-and-so and I did that. I had a VA, Rashidi. You know, they couldn't do the job and I just ended up just taking it back and doing it myself. I was like, okay.

15:34 Well, you know, you just aren't doing it properly. It's kind of like when you measure the wrong number. You have to go about it recognizing that there's an art to delegating. And so one of those pieces is that you have to spell out in minute detail what you want done, what it should look like. You know, what is that picture of a good job? Yeah, what success look like. Yes. And when you need it done. Yep. And then you have to build into it a process to, I think Tony Robbins calls it clarify and verify. Clarify and verify. Yeah. Make sure that they understand and compare it right back to you.

16:17 What I heard you say was, what you want is, and you want it done by... And, you know, until you get that, you're not absolutely sure that they understand what they need to do. So, you know, if you could put it in writing, great, but, you know, somehow get that feedback. And then give yourself a reminder. to check back with them, whether it's a week later or two weeks later or whatever, but periodically check back with whoever that is, whether it's another company or another person and say, okay, give me an update. What's the status on this project? What's going on? And then you might be able to catch something that's maybe hit it in the wrong direction before it's too late.

16:57 So, yeah. And I'll just give you a quick story about that. Please. There was an executive who had a very important document, very time sensitive, and had to be in the hands of the recipient within two days. So he went to his assistant and said, here, this needs to go out immediately. So the assistant took that document and put it in the mail immediately. Okay. snail mail so what would have happened whoops if that executive had said this needs to be out immediately and they need to receive it within two days so use the fedex or the express mail or whatever vehicle will get it there within two days yes would the result have been better i love that And if you're listening to this right now, if you've screwed up a hire and or didn't get what you wanted out of it, go back and listen to the last like three minutes because it's a little mini masterclass on how to do it right.

18:04 How do you help someone who's in a spot right now where they're going, yeah, Raul, look, this sounds great. I want to be able to do that, but I can't afford it. What can't you afford? I hear this all the time. All the time. I can't afford to bring somebody on. Okay. So here's the thing. If you're looking to your future and what you want your future to be comprised of, you have to look at, you know, like what revenue it is that you're seeking for the future. And then calculate the value of each hour of your time based on your revenue potential.

18:45 Now, if that revenue potential is, you know, let's say it's $500 an hour, hopefully, and you can pay somebody $20, $25, $50 an hour to save you an hour so that you could spend that hour making sure that you hit that revenue goal, can you afford it? Or how can you afford not to? Hmm. I don't have anything to say to that. I hope you took that to heart. You, I can't afford it, folks. Yeah. I mean, you know, I haven't cleaned my own house in, God, I don't know how many years. It's not that I don't know how.

19:25 I certainly do. But I just don't want to. And my time, I can pay somebody $40, $45 an hour to clean my house. That's what I'm going to do. Because I hope I'm worth more than that. Yes. Amen. You know what? It's, it's funny. You mentioned that. I know, um, we're both big fans of, uh, Dr. Benjamin Hardy and his work. And I remember, I remember the first time that I listened to and read who not how, and my, my head about popped off my shoulders when Ben said that Dan Sullivan's housekeeper had an assistant. I was like, okay. It's, now, now this is, this, this is exciting.

20:10 I'm like, there's people have gone way further than, you know, uh, than you think you can go when we get, I mean, that's, that's awesome. But that, it shows you, I, I love this concept too, because for all the things that we're trying to do in our business, or even for entrepreneurs, it's not just a business. You just gave this beautiful example of not cleaning your own, you know, not cleaning your house. I Oftentimes as entrepreneurs, that's the first step. It is getting the person to go mow your lawn or clean your house or do a wash and fold on your laundry. Or do your bookkeeping. Or do your bookkeeping. Amen. Get help with your social media.

20:51 Yep. Use AI. You know, you don't always have to hire somebody. Yep. AI is very cheap. Yep. AI as a who. And gosh, I'm saving hours and hours and hours by using AI to just help me pull together an outline for this presentation that I need to do. I know this. But, you know, I've uploaded all of my content because since we had our last podcast, I completely written and recorded an eight-module course. It's hours and hours of my content. So it's all uploaded into, you know, chat GPT, So I just go to chat and say, okay, from my content, pull out this, this, this, and this, because I need to give a presentation about this.

21:36 And, you know, so it'll spit it out. And then I'll say, yeah, okay, but you forgot this story. And I'll go back to it. And so then I'll say, oh, you're right. And it adds that story. But, you know, still in 30 minutes, I've got the whole outline for a presentation that I'm going to be doing a LinkedIn live thing. And so, yeah, no, it's it's still me. Yep. But just I'm just speeding it up. It's like, you know, putting putting me on fast forward. Heck, yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent. So basically, we we have a friend in common who talks about multiplying time. Oh, yeah. Yep. And that's how you do it.

22:16 You get something like technology or someone to shorten the amount of time that you spend doing something. Yes. Yep. And then then you can use your time on higher level things like working on your business and creating more revenue. You know, find the things, identify the things that are really the needle movers that only you can do. And focus on this. And anything else needs to get delegated or needs to be handled some other way. So that's that whole leverage piece. Love it. And then the next thing is the culture, which, you know, you need to create your own culture for how you want things done and what your values are.

22:57 And like for me, my culture is everything has to be excellent. Excellent. And everything has to be elegant. And, you know, professional, because that's that's my image. That's who I am. And if I'm not producing products that have that excellent, elegant, professional touch, that's not me and that's not what I want. Yeah. First of all, honesty and responsibility and all that other good stuff, too. Well, and all of those things. You know what I love about what you just said is that I think a lot of times we hear buzzwords like culture and values and things like that.

23:37 And what I love about what you just said is as you rattled off your first three, excellence, elegance, and professional, I'm going to say that. That to me, that just sums you up to me. And that that's what. Yeah, that's what we're aiming for, though, right? That's when we know we've nailed it and it actually means something. How do we. If this is something, when we think about culture. A lot of people that are listening to this show have come from jobs, corporate, something like that. They're getting into business ownership and entrepreneurship.

24:18 They perhaps haven't been, you know, maybe they've led a small team in corporate or something like that, but certainly haven't had employees or contractors or virtual assistants of their own. How do you kind of begin to establish culture even when you're small? Because I kind of feel like a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that, well, that's not something I need until I have an office and I can slap it on my wall. Ah, no. Yeah, you don't need an office or a wall because you have a culture. Yeah. Oh, culture is not a thing.

25:00 It's a feeling. And it's an essence. So it's not a thing. It has to come from inside you. So you're not going to, it doesn't matter. I mean, yeah, it's nice to have a sign that says this is my culture statement or this value statement. But it doesn't mean anything unless it comes from within you. And sometimes we just forget to ask ourselves. What is important to us? What are our values? Like I know when I'm editing something that, you know, my VA with the help of AI and something comes out that's not true.

25:48 It doesn't line up with my actual experience and my values are I'm not putting anything out there that isn't accurate and true that I can stand behind because that's part of my professionalism and excellence thing is that I want to be able to stand behind everything that I put my name to. And if it doesn't reflect the truth accurately, I'm not doing it. So that is, you know, I don't I don't know that I really need to put that on a wall. I just need to live it. I love that. How do we get if we let's just say that we we can take your advice and we live our culture.

26:30 How do we how do we get that to permeate through, you know, our organization when we start to build a small team? Yeah, well, that's where communicating it comes in. And I think we have to remember what we're communicating with our actions. And there are some people that will say, my values are blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know, like say being trustworthy is my value. But then you watch them do stuff that's, ooh, that's kind of slimy. Or that's really not acting in integrity to do that. So you have to have consistency between what you say and what you do.

27:13 So one of the ways that you're communicating your culture and your values is how you act and how you talk. So that's all the first thing. Now, being able to put it in nice statements that you can share in writing or in a staff meeting or whatever, that's wonderful. But, you know, it starts with walking the talk. That's leadership. That's leadership. Lead by example. I love that. And everyone wants to check yourself, you know? Yep. Am I being true to myself? Yep. Well, I, boy, I agree with that so much. And I appreciate that you mention it because I think that even when we have values that are more deeply rooted and we feel pretty in tune with those values, we're still human.

28:00 And there are times where we get a little bit out of alignment, you know, and that consistent, that consistent evaluation of, hey, am I showing up that way? Am I loving my values? I think it's really important. Yeah. Yeah. So, okay. So systems, data tracking, leverage, culture, where do we go next? Team. Team. And all of the above flows into team. You can't have a good team if you don't have the systems that allow the team to operate efficiently. And you have to be able to track the data. You know, how is the team performing? You have to be able to give the team tools leverage.

28:41 have the technology and have the systems that allow them to get their job done. It does no good at all to have a team tell them to get this job done and then not give them the tools. I feel like, say, go build a house and not give them a hammered ball client. Nope. So you have to have that and then you have to imbue your culture into that team. And that's from the very get go. It happens when you are first doing the interview before you hire anybody, whether it's a contractor or an employee. When you bring somebody on board, you need to make sure that they understand who you are, what your company stands for and what you'll stand for, what you'll put up when you're in.

29:24 That's another thing that we did was we sort of had this policy of we're going to fire them before we hire them. You know, we're going to let them know what is just not going to fly. You know, do this, you do that, you're out of here. And that just makes it easier for them. They can deselect themselves. If they don't feel like they're comfortable with that kind of an environment. But, you know, you want to set up, you know, a culture of accountability and you want to have that accountability flow through to the team so that the team knows that they're accountable for their actions and for what they produce. They're not just there putting their butt in the seat for so many hours a day. They actually have to be productive and that this this is what productive looks like in this organization.

30:07 Yep. I, I was speaking of production. We both could probably think of plenty of companies, big and small and everywhere in between, that have been able to get production, but also have a tendency to burn through workers because they haven't been able to get people to really be on mission. They're not doing it with their team. How can we create an environment in our business where we can still stand as a leader, And understand that, hey, you know, the buck still stops here, but I'm not, you're not working for me per se.

30:50 We're on a mission together. How do we do that? Okay. That's called alignment. Yeah. And being that I live in Alaska and everybody probably knows that there are dog sleds in Alaska. Yeah. So picture a dog sled team in the harness in front of the sled and the dogs decide to pull in different directions. Where do you think that sled's going to go? Yeah. Yeah. You need to make the alignment is making sure that all the dogs in the team are headed in the same direction. And there's a lead dog, you know, telling them this is the direction we want to go in. And so one of the ways that you make sure that you have alignment in a team is to create common objectives, like a destination that everybody wants to reach.

31:37 Yeah. And one of the ways that we did that was making sure that everyone understood that we operated one of our values was win-win. And the way we demonstrated that value was by sharing the wins with our team. So if we win, you win. And we want our customers to win. We want our vendors to win. We want the community to win. I mean, it was, you know, win, win, win, win all the way around. But when we shared the numbers with them and said, okay, this is what we're shooting for. And this is what, you know, the profit looks like. And this is how we get to a profit because here's our revenue and here's our expenses. And, you know, expenses need to be less than revenue and, you know, that kind of stuff. And then when we actually hit those targets and we were passing out money, they got it.

32:24 They got it. And they were very much in alignment with where the company was going. And it was fabulous. And then don't forget to celebrate. That was part of our culture. Big, big celebrations. We'd have bonus parties that were... I mean, we'd have limousines taking us to five-star restaurants and actually taking weekend trips. And I remember the best was when we took the whole company to Las Vegas for the night. Nice. You know, and we had alignment and we had a team. We called our team our Ohana because in Hawaiian, Ohana is family. And we really were a family. And that's the other part of what you just talked about in terms of companies that burn through their people.

33:05 Yeah, absolutely. There's a value missing there, and that is respect for the individual. And we respected, you know, this was family. So we looked at them as people, not just a tool to get what we wanted, but they were people and they were part of our family and we took care of them. And then they took care of us. And next week, I'm going to be in Anchorage and we're having a reunion of the. Oh, cool. And it's it's been almost 18 years since we saw. Wow. Oh, my gosh. Now that I mean, that's something else. Well, congratulations on that.

33:46 I mean, that's something. Boy, of all the things that I know about you, you have a lot to be proud of. But that's that's that's extraordinary. Don't hear that very often. That's really cool. It's really cool. Yeah. Okay, just in the interest of time, number six, the cherry on top of the sundae. Customer service. You know what? I figured out that we really wouldn't be in business if it weren't for our customers. What a novel concept. That's it. It dawned on me, why aren't we making them number one all the time?

34:28 Because they're the reason for our existence. So, and I actually, I don't really like just the term customer satisfaction. I want to delight our customers. Yes. Absolutely delight them. And what do you do to delight a customer? You do something that will not only deliver what you say you're going to deliver and do it well and take responsibility when you screw up, those kinds of things, but surprise them every once in a while with something that was unexpected. Recently, I was on an Alaska Airlines flight. I'm a loyal Alaska Airlines traveler, of course. And the flight attendant gave me a handwritten note.

35:09 In fact, I've got it right here. I keep it on my desk. It's a little much to me. A handwritten note thanking me. That's so awesome. Thank you for being a loyal flyer with Alaska Airlines. You know, and happy Mother's Day. I hope you have a beautiful weekend. Aw. I mean, I was so cool. Yeah. I mean, I travel over 100,000 miles a year. I've never gotten a handwritten note before. Just totally delighted me. Now, that was a surprise. And what else can we do to surprise our customers in a nice way? Yeah, that's beautiful. We're big fans around here of Will Gadara's unreasonable hospitality.

35:55 I don't know if you've read that yet, but... Not yet, but I think I would be totally aligned with it because, you know, I travel the world and I have experienced some absolutely beautiful customer service on many occasions. And I've also had crap. Just, you know, like, and, you know, most of the time when I get crap service, what I do is I look at that situation and go, oh, there's a system that's missing. Yep. Where there's a culture piece that's not in place. And it doesn't, usually it's not the person. It's the system or the culture. It's the system. Yeah. And that's what's to blame.

36:35 And that, you know, the fish stinks at the head. So, you know. That's well said. And I think it really is. All of what you're saying right now leads me to, you know, that concept of how people feel and the way that we remember how we feel, how you felt when you got that handwritten note, you know, from Alaska Airlines. I mean, that's that that's it at the end of the day. And I also one of the things I hear you talking about, too, is not just. I think we can get very reactionary to this. A lot of times somebody has a negative experience and we kind of scramble around to try to fix it.

37:15 And we call that customer service. And I think there's a very big difference between doing it reactively and doing it proactively, where you're consistently seeking out new ways to surprise and delight and level up your service and level up the way that people feel after they interact with you or your service or your product. Well, and the more you can anticipate the need, the better you are. And yes, and sometimes all it takes is acknowledging how they feel. Like, I understand your frustration. I would be frustrated too. Let me see what I can do about this. Yes.

37:58 That's huge. And so many times people are not trained to do that. It really is. So good. Well, so I'm just going to recap this. We've got systems, data tracking, leverage, culture, team, customer service, six principles that are the foundation of any successful business. I want to know the last time that we actually got together, you were starting to put some stuff together and you've been busy. So tell us what you've been up to in the last year, Raul. Oh, well, I completed the creation of my entire course and recorded it. And it's online and live for anyone. I started a mastermind.

38:40 I became a bestselling author. I've done over 60 podcast interviews and I've had articles published in media and a newsletter on LinkedIn and a YouTube channel. So, yeah, there's just a few things in a year. And by the way, I just want to say, uh, people listening to this don't know. I, I joke around with you a little bit cause I'm always like, where's Waldo? Uh, I mean, This lady is jet setting all over the place, doing wonderful things all the time, enjoying life. So think about that entire year, year's worth of resume that she just spouted off.

39:20 It's not like she's been locked in an office. And that's one of the things I appreciate the most about you is that you go, you enjoy your life, you soak the marrow out of it and you still get a whole lot of stuff done. It's amazing. We've had a six week trip to Europe, a month long trip to Europe, another month with family and a family wedding. And yeah, yeah, no, not nose to the grindstone all the time. Not at all. Well, I and what I'm really excited about is I can't wait to come back and we don't need to make it another year this time. I think we can do it sooner than that. But I can't wait for the next time I come back because I know right now you're you're you're just getting started.

40:02 And I know there's going to be a major accelerator on what you're doing. Tell people right now if they you've got such a wealth of knowledge. And I think one of the things that I appreciate the most about somebody like you, Raul, is that. You know, in business, business is hard. It just is. It's not complicated per se, but it ain't for the faint of heart and it isn't easy. And I think one of the fastest ways that we can accelerate getting to where we want to go, the business we want, the life we want is to learn from people who have been there, done that. You've done that and a whole lot more over the last, you know, years. 30 to 40 years. So if somebody wants to learn more about what you're doing or possibly engage you to help them with their business, where can they go to do that?

40:51 I think the easiest thing is to go to ralwest.com slash letstalk. Reach out to me and we'll talk about where you're at and what you might need. Because I do have a breadth of products from an online course to a mastermind or, you know, even perhaps one-on-one consulting. So reach out to me and let's talk. That's beautiful. And lastly, especially since you are now a bestselling author, where can people go grab the book and what's the name of it? OK, on Amazon.com. It's called Unshakeable Stories to Anchor You Through Life's Storms. Mm. Amazing.

41:32 All right, Ralph. Ah, this is so good. I always feel like there's not enough time for these because I could just go on for like two, three hours with you. But thank you. Thank you. I want to honor you for number one, choosing at this stage of your life. So many people at this stage of their lives, having had the success that you've had, would just ride off into the sunset and I want to honor you for the way that you're digging in and going out and helping mentor other entrepreneurs and business owners because it's so needed. And you're such a wealth of knowledge. I love the way that you call it tight, but you are such a genuine and loving and caring person as well.

42:14 Grateful for your friendship. And I can't wait to just have more people get impacted by you because I think, you know, the world is in for something when they get a load of what you've got. So thank you for being you and all you're doing. Thank you so much, Ryan. I appreciate it. You're welcome. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Coaching Equation podcast. Until next time, take care. Thank you for listening to this episode of The Coaching Equation. Please hit subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. And if you got value out of this episode, we'd be so grateful if you would share it out with a friend and leave us a review on iTunes or your favorite platform.

43:01 To learn more about Empire Partners or to inquire about working with Ryan and Brooke, please visit www.empirepartners.io forward slash go.