August 5, 2025 • 41 mins
“Growth doesn’t come from what we know, but from how we apply what we learn.” — Rhett Power, Paper Napkin Wisdom
If you’ve ever felt “over-read and under-done,” this one’s for you. In Episode 278, entrepreneur, executive coach, and Forbes columnist Rhett Power sits down with Paper Napkin Wisdom to remind us that ideas don’t create results—implementation does. Rhett’s napkin is deceptively simple: growth lives in the gap between learning and applying. That gap is where courage, accountability, and consistency turn knowledge into outcomes.
A quick snapshot of Rhett’s journey illuminates why he cares so much about application. He co-founded Wild Creations, transforming a startup toy company into South Carolina’s Fastest Growing Business and an Inc. 500 honoree, with dozens of national product awards along the way. That run taught him the difference between “knowing” and “building.” Today, he channels those lessons as CEO and Co-Founder of Accountability Inc., where he coaches founders and executive teams to operationalize what they learn—so it shows up in revenue, resilience, and culture.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Govindh Jayaraman (00:03):
Rhett power. Welcome to paper napkin wisdom. I'm excited to have our conversation today.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (00:09):
I mean, I'm so pleased to be here, so I I look forward to it.
Govindh Jayaraman (00:13):
Yeah. So it's actually really cool the way the fan is turning gently in the background. It looks like you've got this little halo over your head, which is really great, especially considering you're a napkin. So growth doesn't come from what we know, but from how we apply what we learn.
(00:33):
Why did you share that with me.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (00:37):
You know, I probably should have learned that lesson.
you know, early in my life, but it took me until my thirties to really really have that sort of crystallize for me. And it was.
you know, as as thinking about this
show and listening to to your your previous episodes, I knew that question was going to come. So you know, I thought about it.
(01:00):
And
It really, the 1st thing that really came to mind is that that crystallized for me when I started my 1st company, and it was you know the backstory is that we had I worked for the Us. Government overseas and spent most of my early career overseas
and quit that job to actually start a company with a friend.
(01:22):
And you know, what we learned was that the stakes were just higher.
you know, when you own a company and you have, you're responsible for payroll, and you're supporting people, and you're supporting and doing
what you do for your customers and and you you have so much more at stake. And and so, you know, mistakes were costly when you make a mistake, and you didn't learn from it.
(01:46):
Well, those are those are business killers.
And and so, you know, I really learned that we had to learn from our mistakes, we had to learn and not repeat them. And so I think that's why that has been so important for me
that you know, the last 20 or so years is, you know, growth really does come from applying what you what you learn. And and that's because you're not
(02:12):
at this stage when you own a business, and when you're running a business.
and you've got so much on the line.
You have to. Otherwise you fail. I mean, that's why businesses fail. So yeah.
Govindh Jayaraman (02:26):
You know, one of the things that I think is really powerful, and it jumped out to me.
When I saw your napkin 1st Rhett was
the word learn at the end. I mean, it felt like it was bigger than the rest of the words. And and you're using that word really, intentionally, and you brought it back up again. Even in answering your question. And the question.
(02:50):
learning from what's happening is really key.
and we don't do that well, right like we're not good at that learning part, we're kind of slow with that learning part. How did you? How did you turn on that learning muscle? Or how did you practice that learning muscle? Because it's tough, because part of it is also as an entrepreneur. You have to tune certain things out. But you have to really be tuned in to learn on other things.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (03:22):
I think. I think that going back to the the
the business is, you know, we we almost failed, and we were really on that edge, and for probably 2 or 3 years.
And you know, I know it's a cliche. And and people.
(03:45):
Yeah, it's a cliche. I'll just. I'll just say that we we didn't succeed until we started
thinking and actually working on the business and being strategic.
learning from everything that we had done, you know. For years, for our 1st few years we worked in the business so much
(04:07):
that we never had time to learn to your point.
We never had time to think. We never had time to be strategic. We were always doing.
and when we, when we stepped out of that, when we were were able to pull ourselves kicking and screaming out of that day to day.
making those deliveries which look I I we had to go through that
(04:31):
we had to go through that because we needed to learn the business we needed to learn the customers. We needed to learn the pain points, the the objections we needed to have all that we needed to learn that.
But taking that learning and then applying it is what what we were lacking. And when we did that.
I mean it. Just the light bulb went off like our growth, exploded.
Govindh Jayaraman (04:54):
When you start to apply what you learned and right. But you can't do that
from behind the wheel of the delivery truck.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (05:03):
No.
Govindh Jayaraman (05:04):
Right, because you're just on the treadmill. And I think that this is what a lot of us get caught up with in the early stages of business is, we're seeing this stuff. And we think we can just outwork it
right? Yeah, right? We think that we can. Just oh, I'll just put in another
couple hours, and all of a sudden you're you total up the hours, and you're at 28. You're at 30. It's like holy crap! What am I doing.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (05:31):
I mean, I've even said that I've even said nobody's going to outwork me. I have said that.
Govindh Jayaraman (05:36):
Right.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (05:36):
I mean I have. I have said that
I mean, you know, years and years ago I'd say that that was my mantra.
Govindh Jayaraman (05:43):
It's a badge of honor for a lot of starting entrepreneurs right and not just starting.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (05:47):
100%.
Govindh Jayaraman (05:47):
I know. I know entrepreneurs that have scaled some pretty badass big companies.
but they're just. I'm going to die on the treadmill. I'm going to outwork you, and
and when you do that you don't have the room to apply what you learned. So what I find really interesting about your story is, you said
you know you didn't really grow until you got out of the business, and it is so cliche.
(06:12):
you know, working on the business, working in the business. But when you made that transition to be able to isolate some time
to apply what you learn by working on it.
how? How did things change? How did you? 1st of all, let's let's stop and say, how did you make that time? Where did that realization come from? What was the moment when you said, Oh, I can't keep on doing this.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (06:34):
I mean, I I mean, here's a here's the the story of that is is, I stopped doing everything that made me me right. I like music. I like good food. I like being on the water. I like, you know. I'm a pretty active person.
but when you stop all that, and you. You're not eating well, you're not sleeping. Well, you're not making great decisions, right? You're you're in that. You're on that treadmill, and you're you've got it on, you know. 20 right?
(07:04):
We were tired and burned out, and
you know, and we had a a couple of really good people in our lives that said, Hey, this this isn't working
right, and you look at the bank account. It's not working. And when the discussion is Oh, I have to go back to Afghanistan to make money
(07:28):
right. I have to go back and and go back to doing something that I enjoyed, and I loved.
But to make this work. I've got to go back and to fund this, to continue doing this, to live our dream here. I've got to go like, take a contracting job over there. So there were some inflection points really like health wasn't great.
like.
(07:48):
you know. I'm tired. I'm burned out, and this isn't working, and we're not on the plan that we thought we were on.
Those were the points where we said, Look, we've got to
do something different. We've got a, and
we got a lucky break. Here's the thing, too.
We got.
We were down to probably our last 4, 3, or $4,000. We went to toy fair in New York
(08:14):
at the behest of a customer who begged us to come, and we said, Look, we don't have the money to come.
We're gonna have to sleep in our van. If we come to New York we can't afford to be in New York. We can't even afford a booth. We finally were able to get a booth during the back of the Javits Center for Toy fair, and like a horrible little table. And but we walked out a 10 million dollar company. So all of a sudden, because this customer had
(08:38):
been elected as the the chair of the the National Small Toy Store Association. She went in in their annual general meeting and like said, Look, this is the only product working. You gotta buy it.
you know. We we walked out of that, scratching our heads, thinking, God, how do we? How are we gonna do this now? Because now we have 400 stores that we got a service. So we it actually forced us to get strategic. And it forced us to actually
(09:05):
get off the truck and then and start working on how we were gonna solve this new, wonderful problem that we had.
and all of those things sort of combine at the same time. And it just forced us to take action, step out, hire some people to help us do the things that we shouldn't be doing.
teach them how to do it, and then then actually solve the problem, how we were going to fulfill these orders, how we were going to get the credit to fulfill those orders, how we were, gonna you know, move the company forward, and that's what pushed us out of the the day to day into the strategic. We had to figure out how we were going to ship all that stuff, you know, we had to figure out
(09:43):
how to set up a production line to service all that new new business. So it actually forced us to do. And that's it wasn't.
And I say, kicking and screaming, it really was. It was all of that combined that forced us to to be strategic. And it wasn't.
It wasn't a decision I made. It was it was circumstance. Thank thank goodness.
Govindh Jayaraman (10:04):
Right.
I want to. I want to. I'm laughing about you sleep in the truck because I remember when I was building my business, and I'd be going back and forth to other cities, and there were times when I couldn't afford hotels all the time. And so there were 2 tactics I had one was to leave strategically
early enough in the morning that I would be driving in the early hours, and then I'd change into a suit in a parking garage, and then go do my meetings, and then come back down Nap in the car and drive back. And and that's how it looked like I could make those 8 o'clock meetings, but I would be leaving my town, you know, at 1112, 1, 2 whatever, just to organize myself that I was going to arrive on time and and be able to do that. So
(10:51):
I know what that feels like. The the other thing that I think is a really interesting thing is
you said that you caught a lucky break. You got the big sale that forced you and you. That's the word you used forced you to solve different problems. It forced you out of the truck
to solve how you're going to fill those orders, how you're going to get the credit to fill those orders. How are you going to handling shipping? How are you going to handle all these things?
(11:19):
Can we do that before we're forced to
like we can. Right, can't we?
Could. We could just decide to solve those other problems.
Hmm!
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (11:29):
I don't know.
I don't know, is it? Is it? That's a great question. I can't. I don't have an answer for it. I don't know that I would have.
I don't know that I would have not just run it in the ground.
trying and trying and trying to solve all the problems myself, trying and trying trying to go out there and make the sales. You know. I I don't know. I
(11:54):
Is it in our nature? I'd throw it back, you know. Is it an entrepreneur's nature to
want to give up?
I I now I do now, because I know
it's easier now to do that
right. But early on the 1st business I don't know. That's a good question.
Govindh Jayaraman (12:13):
Right. I think I think, though, that one of the things that we need to learn and apply is how.
how, not just to take over everything.
And it's it's kind of what makes us entrepreneurs.
but doesn't make us really great business people
(12:33):
right? And there's a big difference between.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (12:36):
Different.
Govindh Jayaraman (12:36):
Between those 2 things. So.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (12:39):
Big difference. Yeah.
Govindh Jayaraman (12:40):
So now that you've learned that, Rhett, I think it's 1 of those things you can't unlearn. Once you learn. Once you learn how
to
set people up with the system, tools and structures they need, and then follow through. Hold them and treat them as accountable. You can't unlearn how to do some of those things, it becomes a different pattern.
(13:02):
How
how does that look for you like? Is there? Is that? Is that still? Do you feel like there's the pull to take over anymore. Or do you feel
like you've got a good balance.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (13:16):
I've got a good balance. I you know what I did learn about that is.
you know, early in my career I was never much of a control person.
I became a control person in that 1st business.
And what I've I learned about myself is
that's not who I am, and that's not what I who I want to be. And so I
(13:39):
I have learned to to let go. But I it's also not my natural state to hold on tight to everything.
Govindh Jayaraman (13:45):
Hmm.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (13:46):
I actually
I'm not a really. I'm not a detailed person. I've learned that about myself, too. I'm not a detailed person. I'm a bigger picture person. I'm a relationship person. I'm a strategic thinker.
I I never liked the part of the business to make sure that John showed up to drive the truck. I never liked the part of the business to make sure
(14:10):
the production line was running smooth, and the and the you know, the things were working on time. I like that was never my strong suit. And and so, naturally, yes, I actually.
it's pretty easy for me to delegate. It's pretty easy for me to teach. I'm a teacher by heart, and so I like to teach people how to do it, but I don't like to make sure I'm not a real detailed person. I'm not going to get in the weeds of every little thing.
(14:41):
and I like to inspect I like to look. I like to make sure things are doing what we're supposed to be doing and how we're supposed to be doing it. But I don't like
making sure you're doing your you know
that you're doing everything you're you know. I'm not a detailed person in that way. So it naturally yes.
Govindh Jayaraman (14:58):
So I think there's a really interesting thing that that comes from that, because you talk about
what we know versus what we learn. And that's another part of the napkin.
I think there's what you know about yourself and what you know about how you like to work and what your strengths are, and you just talked about that a little bit. But I don't think that's the only thing you're talking about. Growth doesn't come from what we know comes from how we apply what we learn. There's a distinction between what we know and what we learn.
(15:28):
What does that distinction mean to you?
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (15:31):
That's a really good question.
I think we off. We often know a lot.
Are we consistent in applying it?
Are we?
And this goes back here. I'll I'll say this to me.
(15:53):
That leads me into all kinds of thought, a a whole nother rabbit hole of?
Are you doing things based on your values? Are you doing things?
and you're making decisions based on your values. Are you consistent in applying those values to decision making
(16:14):
so for me
to me, what I know is important, but applying it and and then kind of rambling here. But I think
I I think we're often not consistent in what we what we know and when, how we apply that, and and how we teach people what we know?
(16:42):
So that they can learn from us.
Does that make sense? I don't know if that.
Govindh Jayaraman (16:48):
Yeah, I think I think what you're what you're saying is
applying. What we learn is not just sticking rigidly to what we know, but
applying it, getting feedback about it, working with your team, adjusting what that is. And so and and again it goes back to you, got forced into different thinking. You got forced out of the delivery truck
(17:16):
and you had to solve other problems. And
when you started solving those other problems you were
forced to learn something and then apply those learnings which probably changed the way that truck was driven probably changed. It wasn't done the way Rhett was doing it, you know.
(17:36):
Probably the driver wasn't sleeping in it, either, on the way to a New York toy show, right? So there's a whole bunch of things that you.
you solved you adjusted.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (17:46):
Yeah.
Govindh Jayaraman (17:46):
And I think I think that
being intentional about that's really important, right? I think we have to create a feedback loop where we can learn from what's happening. And it sounds like you're really diligent about that.
How? How do you
stay close to the ground with your team? Because as much as you're empowering people. It doesn't sound like you're saying, Okay, just go off. And this is how to do it. You're you're more engaged than that. You're teaching. What does that look like.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (18:16):
It's funny, just right before this this
conversation I was having a coaching call with a coo.
Who and that company's grown through massive growth, right? And and he's in this new phase of his professional career where he's not doing. And he's inspecting right. And and that's a huge transition for him. It's hard. It's been actually, really hard. We were talking about how he spends his time. And he was like, what happens when
(18:46):
I'm I'm on a phone call, and it's a 2 h. I've got a 2 h block scheduled, and I listen the 1st 15 min, and they're doing everything right.
I don't need to spend the next 2 h on that call.
What do I do with my time?
You know? So I it is. It's a challenge. But I I think it's being present. It's letting people know that you're there. It's showing up, it's.
(19:12):
you know, sitting in our meetings. It's walking through the warehouse or the the office. It's having those water, cooler conversations. It's it's being around and talking to people intentionally. I have a client.
and this is a wonderful example. He
he's got about 2 or 180 people in his organization, and he goes to lunch with somebody every day that he's in town.
(19:39):
and it could be somebody on the cleaning staff. It could be somebody on the line. It can be somebody in in finance or somebody in marketing, but he goes to lunch with somebody every day and so that every year he gets to sit down with everybody in the organization
right? He's not doing all their jobs. He's he's removed himself from a lot of the of that type of work. But he's keeping in touch, and I and that's what I do. I don't. I don't go to lunch with everybody, but I sit down and talk to everybody in the organization.
(20:09):
and it's important to know who they are as people. It's important to know who they are as professionals, what they want to accomplish. And, more importantly, what feedback do they have for me?
Govindh Jayaraman (20:22):
I think that's really powerful, because, applying what you learn. Also, you talked about the teaching part, but coaching is a big part of that. And you you talked about coaching clients. But you're also talking about that from the construct of coaching your team.
And and there's really
to coach somebody really need to have 2 things. You need to have a challenge. You know, there's a challenge.
(20:44):
But at the same time you need to have a connection.
And I think people overlook the value of connection, and the the better the higher the challenge, the higher the connection you need to have. You can't challenge somebody
with whom you have no connection, right? Like. So it sounds like you're really intentional about making sure that you're connected, and it doesn't have to be a lunch. It doesn't have to be. It has to look like you. It has to feel like you. It has to be authentic, doesn't it?
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (21:10):
It does absolutely. And and people have to.
Feel you have to build a culture, I think, where people feel like they can. They can give you
honesty. And you look, I I realize, CEO, I'm not gonna get. I'm gonna get the the sugar coated version of it
right? A lot of times.
(21:33):
but I can still learn from that conversation, and if I can read between the lines, or if I can
put that together with another conversation somewhere else. You know, I learn a lot.
And and people, I think what people do is they appreciate that
and appreciate that they're being heard. And I think that's an important part of of leadership. Today. I know a lot of people say, that's those are soft skills. But I think they're actually critical skills.
Govindh Jayaraman (22:03):
Yeah, right? They do sort of like diminish the value that you know. Accountability is hard. No, it's it's curious. And another CEO. I was talking to a CEO just a little while ago. He's talking about how he was
uncovering another conversation, and just didn't feel right. So what he did was. He said his spidey senses were going off, and and he got curious. He just got more curious about the conversation, and it sounds like that's what you're talking about.
(22:32):
but that doesn't come in passing, dropping a bomb on someone's desk, walking out the door.
It comes from again. This is this is what we learn. This is how we learn. We learn from our team right.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (22:46):
Right, we know what we know right? And when we learn it, and we put that knowing and that learning together.
then we we find solutions. We find we find the problems and we have. And we can find solutions in that. And I think that's great, great, a great connection. You just made.
Govindh Jayaraman (23:03):
Right, and that that forces us out of the truck again. Like using that metaphor, it gets us out of the truck, gets us out of being in something.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (23:11):
And working on it, and.
Govindh Jayaraman (23:14):
Isn't, isn't growth about to some degree
solving challenges, solving problems, finding the opportunity in the problem and moving through it in some way? Isn't that part of it?
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (23:28):
I think so. I think it's going back to what we just said. I think when you can put knowing and learning together, that's growth. I think it's like a.
you know. No plus learn plus, you know, equals growth. I think maybe maybe we can times application
right? But right?
But but
execution, right? Something like, yeah, we can. We can put probably put an equation to that or some you know little formula thing there. But yeah, I I think growth comes from all of that. And then
(24:01):
I think growth comes from also being willing
to have all those conversations willing to.
Govindh Jayaraman (24:10):
The intent.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (24:11):
Work into knowing and learning and
the execution part, I think you that that's where growth comes. I think.
Govindh Jayaraman (24:21):
So
have you always wanted to have that? I mean, you said, look, part of the knowing also is knowing who you are, knowing what your strengths are. You said? You're not a detail-oriented person, but you. You're a teacher at heart.
So it feels like in your partnership that when you were building the business that the right thing for you
(24:43):
was to connect with the people and learn from them. Get the feedback and bring it back to your team.
Is that so? You leaned into that? Am I? Am I right in hearing that.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (24:55):
I leaned into that. You know that
because I am in my business partner, was the detail oriented person of the organization. Right? He made sure the numbers work. He made sure the
the finances work. You made sure the operations worked. I went out and I created product. I actually went and did all of the sales I did the the.
(25:19):
I made sure that the production in China and and in in the Us. Was work. You know that it. Things things got produced. It got to the customers on time. I had the customer relationship. I held the customer relationship
but we were all responsible for, you know.
building, and he was just as good at the people part as he was at the numbers part, too. So we shared that. But I. But absolutely, I mean, that is part of
(25:49):
that was part of why we were successful in that company is because
we were small team we were, we couldn't get any. This was during the financial crisis. Back in the 2 thousands. We couldn't get any funding, so we had to bootstrap this the whole way. And even when we had.
you know, a 50 million dollar company, a hundred 1 million dollar company.
(26:11):
it. The banks didn't want to touch us because we were a product company. We were a consumer product company dealing with Target and Walmart and
toys. R. Us. And it was wasn't a great. It wasn't a great risk for them. And so, you know, we always had to be lean. We always had to be. And so we we
we had to build a team that
(26:33):
that that believed in us trusted us. That was the way we were able to to get talent because we couldn't and we were located in a place that didn't have a lot of toy natural toy talent. So we had to. You know, we had to build a scrappy team and
We did that by
(26:54):
believing in them, trusting in them, relying on them, really being transparent with them. I mean, we we were transparent when the numbers were were down to $4,000. We were transparent with them when we had, you know, when we were doing 100 million in sales. So you know that built
that just built trust with them, and that that we were very intentional about that because we had to, because we needed
(27:19):
You know, we didn't have a big, exact team. We didn't have a big. We didn't have a a we. Our designers weren't from the fit design school that designed toys we didn't have. You know, a Cfo that went to Wharton. We didn't, you know we didn't have the the team that a lot of these other toy, you know, these other companies were able to attract. So you know, we had to be lean.
Govindh Jayaraman (27:42):
And and you had to care a lot, and you had to learn. Because you know, why do you want the people that have the pedigree, because presumably, and it's a presumption
they learn. That's why we want to recruit them. But the other side of it is, if you build a culture around learning. You'll outpace them like you said you were scrappy.
(28:03):
So you found a way. And and the ability to be curious enough to problem, solve and learn from what's happening and adjust what you're doing.
That's a superpower. That's how the little person the little guy ends up, always winning. I love it when I talk to entrepreneurs, and we talk about a financial crisis because it feels like it's a perpetual emotion machine. It feels like we're always in a financial crisis. There's some crisis in our world, right? So that's right. So having that mindset that you're that, you're.
(28:34):
you know, working on things and learning and applying it, you know, making that connection between what we know and what we learned to find that spidey sense is really super important, right?
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (28:46):
Yeah, let me let me say one other thing, too. I was just thinking about this to answer one of your questions, like, I think growth is actually behavioral.
Because I think it's in the risk and the change. And the moment you try something new.
I think it. I think in a lot of ways for me. Anyway, I think growth is behavior and is is changing behaviors. It's learning to change those behaviors.
Govindh Jayaraman (29:13):
So it's really interesting that you say that right? So growth is in changing behaviors and and.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (29:21):
I think so.
Govindh Jayaraman (29:21):
That's really, I mean, that's really insightful.
What do you think were some of the
behaviors that changed fundamentally for you from those early days to now, when you look back. If you could give
young Rhett a gift when he started his business, what would be the behavior, growth or behavior change that you wish. You wish you could give yourself, even though you wouldn't listen because none of us listen.
(29:48):
Yeah, we're like, who's this old guy? Go go away right.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (29:52):
You took the words right out of my mouth. I wouldn't have listened. But behavioral changes, I think.
you know. Now I do not let
I have boundaries. I have boundaries around work and play health.
(30:13):
Being present in those important moments.
Relationships. I don't forget myself, and I don't forget what's important, what's really, really important.
because the business is important. But it's not it's not.
It's not everything. And
(30:34):
it's not who I am, you know I I don't. I haven't lost myself in the identity of being
You know, of being the CEO of a business or being, or, you know, a contributor to this magazine or that magazine or this book. You know this author, this I don't lose myself in any of those things.
(30:56):
I think so. Those are the behavioral changes like for me is it's making sure I'm getting to sleep, getting sure I'm I'm eating well, making sure that I'm spending time with family friends, making sure that I'm
do the hobbies and the things I really really love, that that give me the the space to be creative at business and and the
(31:20):
the break that you need to be to make better decisions. So I
I don't compromise on those those. That's the behavior change.
Govindh Jayaraman (31:28):
Yeah, but it's still got to feel good as a music fan to
find an article in Rolling stone every now and then. Right? That's got to be good.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (31:35):
Oh, oh, yeah, I go see a show.
Govindh Jayaraman (31:38):
Yeah, it's good. So let me let me
I wonder if you noticed how much you lit up
when you talked about the fact that you found boundaries.
Did you notice that your I mean the tone of voice changed and you really went into your heart? It felt like
that. Yes, growth we like. If you're listening, go and catch the video of this because Rhett really just made that connection in that moment. And that's a gift.
(32:08):
It's a gift that you're giving everybody when you share this wisdom. But it's a gift that you've given yourself
and the people you care about right big time, and that's totally changed. Everything right?
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (32:18):
Oh, I mean
yeah, if you'd if you'd have seen the the conversations at home, you know, in those times when when I'm in the van, you know, driving 200 and something 1,000 miles in a in a year, and
I don't know if we did that. But it, you know, probably
making that up, but it felt like it, you know. It was every weekend it was every every week. It was nonstop, you know. Those conversations weren't pretty.
Govindh Jayaraman (32:46):
No.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (32:46):
And I missed.
I missed some really key moments when my kids were really young and
I'm just. I can't do that anymore. So.
Govindh Jayaraman (32:56):
I think it's really important for entrepreneurs who are on that growth phase to hear this, too. It's not too late to change that right, because that was my reality. I was, you know, in the airline. I was the top tier for 10 years and all that kind of stuff, and and I missed a lot.
And then around 6 and a bit years ago, that travel schedule changed because of family emergency.
(33:20):
And I'm convinced that my kids
don't know a reality when I was traveling anymore. I mean, they've just sort of erased that from their minds. And that's a gift. So it's never too late, isn't it? Like you? Can, you can do this growth? You're never. It's never too late to grow and change those behaviors.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (33:41):
Look i, 1 of the the biggest childhood memories or most meaningful childhood memories I have
is, and I was a wrestler so, and you know, wrestling, turn wrestling matches are on like Tuesday nights and Thursday nights, or something in high school, right? And growing up, and even when you're young.
(34:02):
and what I remember
and my father traveled for work. He he went out of town. He was in the State, but he was gone during the week.
I remember him being at those matches every Tuesday night and Thursday night, pacing up and down the mat
as I went on.
(34:22):
Right, that's all I remember. I don't remember if I won or lost. I don't even remember my record. I was pretty good. I went to college to wrestle, but all I remember is him being, you know.
pacing up and down, yelling the move that I should be making at that moment right.
Govindh Jayaraman (34:39):
Right.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (34:40):
That's what I remember, and it bonus brings tears in my eyes like that is a moment that
is burning my memory, and I didn't want to give that up to my kids because I wanted to be on the sidelines, and they were playing soccer or playing music in their recitals.
That's what I wanted to be. That's the dad I wanted to be.
Govindh Jayaraman (35:00):
No, it's.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (35:01):
There!
Govindh Jayaraman (35:02):
It is emotional to hear, and I connect to that very deeply. So thanks for sharing that rep.
Something we've been doing this season is. We've been shouting out and calling out a great friend of paper, napkin wisdom. His name was John Rulin.
He gave us a great napkin, which was what you appreciate appreciates. Now he turned that into a movement, wrote a book called Giftology, renamed his company Giftology, and created a revolution around gratitude. And what we're asking all our guests to do is to sort of shout him out.
(35:41):
recognize what he gave us as a gift. He suddenly passed away, and all the more important now to continue this legacy. So is there someone that you'd like to shout out and give some appreciation to.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (35:55):
2 people or a couple of people, probably, but real quick. So I was at an event a couple of weeks ago, and a guy named Chester Elton gave this to me. It was a it was a gratitude rock
And
you know he he gave me gratitude for something that I done for him. And so thank you, Chester, for this. This is very meaningful. But I'd also like to shout out to a good friend, David Meltzer. Dave David is become a good friend, become a business partner, and
(36:30):
you know, I just appreciate his his love and his advice and his support and all that I'm doing. And so yeah, I'd give that to David today.
Govindh Jayaraman (36:42):
That's awesome, Brett. Thank you for joining me today.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (36:46):
Yeah, thank, you.
Rhett power. Welcome to paper napkin wisdom. I'm excited to have our conversation today.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (00:09):
I mean, I'm so pleased to be here, so I I look forward to it.
Govindh Jayaraman (00:13):
Yeah. So it's actually really cool the way the fan is turning gently in the background. It looks like you've got this little halo over your head, which is really great, especially considering you're a napkin. So growth doesn't come from what we know, but from how we apply what we learn.
(00:33):
Why did you share that with me.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (00:37):
You know, I probably should have learned that lesson.
you know, early in my life, but it took me until my thirties to really really have that sort of crystallize for me. And it was.
you know, as as thinking about this
show and listening to to your your previous episodes, I knew that question was going to come. So you know, I thought about it.
(01:00):
And
It really, the 1st thing that really came to mind is that that crystallized for me when I started my 1st company, and it was you know the backstory is that we had I worked for the Us. Government overseas and spent most of my early career overseas
and quit that job to actually start a company with a friend.
(01:22):
And you know, what we learned was that the stakes were just higher.
you know, when you own a company and you have, you're responsible for payroll, and you're supporting people, and you're supporting and doing
what you do for your customers and and you you have so much more at stake. And and so, you know, mistakes were costly when you make a mistake, and you didn't learn from it.
(01:46):
Well, those are those are business killers.
And and so, you know, I really learned that we had to learn from our mistakes, we had to learn and not repeat them. And so I think that's why that has been so important for me
that you know, the last 20 or so years is, you know, growth really does come from applying what you what you learn. And and that's because you're not
(02:12):
at this stage when you own a business, and when you're running a business.
and you've got so much on the line.
You have to. Otherwise you fail. I mean, that's why businesses fail. So yeah.
Govindh Jayaraman (02:26):
You know, one of the things that I think is really powerful, and it jumped out to me.
When I saw your napkin 1st Rhett was
the word learn at the end. I mean, it felt like it was bigger than the rest of the words. And and you're using that word really, intentionally, and you brought it back up again. Even in answering your question. And the question.
(02:50):
learning from what's happening is really key.
and we don't do that well, right like we're not good at that learning part, we're kind of slow with that learning part. How did you? How did you turn on that learning muscle? Or how did you practice that learning muscle? Because it's tough, because part of it is also as an entrepreneur. You have to tune certain things out. But you have to really be tuned in to learn on other things.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (03:22):
I think. I think that going back to the the
the business is, you know, we we almost failed, and we were really on that edge, and for probably 2 or 3 years.
And you know, I know it's a cliche. And and people.
(03:45):
Yeah, it's a cliche. I'll just. I'll just say that we we didn't succeed until we started
thinking and actually working on the business and being strategic.
learning from everything that we had done, you know. For years, for our 1st few years we worked in the business so much
(04:07):
that we never had time to learn to your point.
We never had time to think. We never had time to be strategic. We were always doing.
and when we, when we stepped out of that, when we were were able to pull ourselves kicking and screaming out of that day to day.
making those deliveries which look I I we had to go through that
(04:31):
we had to go through that because we needed to learn the business we needed to learn the customers. We needed to learn the pain points, the the objections we needed to have all that we needed to learn that.
But taking that learning and then applying it is what what we were lacking. And when we did that.
I mean it. Just the light bulb went off like our growth, exploded.
Govindh Jayaraman (04:54):
When you start to apply what you learned and right. But you can't do that
from behind the wheel of the delivery truck.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (05:03):
No.
Govindh Jayaraman (05:04):
Right, because you're just on the treadmill. And I think that this is what a lot of us get caught up with in the early stages of business is, we're seeing this stuff. And we think we can just outwork it
right? Yeah, right? We think that we can. Just oh, I'll just put in another
couple hours, and all of a sudden you're you total up the hours, and you're at 28. You're at 30. It's like holy crap! What am I doing.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (05:31):
I mean, I've even said that I've even said nobody's going to outwork me. I have said that.
Govindh Jayaraman (05:36):
Right.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (05:36):
I mean I have. I have said that
I mean, you know, years and years ago I'd say that that was my mantra.
Govindh Jayaraman (05:43):
It's a badge of honor for a lot of starting entrepreneurs right and not just starting.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (05:47):
100%.
Govindh Jayaraman (05:47):
I know. I know entrepreneurs that have scaled some pretty badass big companies.
but they're just. I'm going to die on the treadmill. I'm going to outwork you, and
and when you do that you don't have the room to apply what you learned. So what I find really interesting about your story is, you said
you know you didn't really grow until you got out of the business, and it is so cliche.
(06:12):
you know, working on the business, working in the business. But when you made that transition to be able to isolate some time
to apply what you learn by working on it.
how? How did things change? How did you? 1st of all, let's let's stop and say, how did you make that time? Where did that realization come from? What was the moment when you said, Oh, I can't keep on doing this.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (06:34):
I mean, I I mean, here's a here's the the story of that is is, I stopped doing everything that made me me right. I like music. I like good food. I like being on the water. I like, you know. I'm a pretty active person.
but when you stop all that, and you. You're not eating well, you're not sleeping. Well, you're not making great decisions, right? You're you're in that. You're on that treadmill, and you're you've got it on, you know. 20 right?
(07:04):
We were tired and burned out, and
you know, and we had a a couple of really good people in our lives that said, Hey, this this isn't working
right, and you look at the bank account. It's not working. And when the discussion is Oh, I have to go back to Afghanistan to make money
(07:28):
right. I have to go back and and go back to doing something that I enjoyed, and I loved.
But to make this work. I've got to go back and to fund this, to continue doing this, to live our dream here. I've got to go like, take a contracting job over there. So there were some inflection points really like health wasn't great.
like.
(07:48):
you know. I'm tired. I'm burned out, and this isn't working, and we're not on the plan that we thought we were on.
Those were the points where we said, Look, we've got to
do something different. We've got a, and
we got a lucky break. Here's the thing, too.
We got.
We were down to probably our last 4, 3, or $4,000. We went to toy fair in New York
(08:14):
at the behest of a customer who begged us to come, and we said, Look, we don't have the money to come.
We're gonna have to sleep in our van. If we come to New York we can't afford to be in New York. We can't even afford a booth. We finally were able to get a booth during the back of the Javits Center for Toy fair, and like a horrible little table. And but we walked out a 10 million dollar company. So all of a sudden, because this customer had
(08:38):
been elected as the the chair of the the National Small Toy Store Association. She went in in their annual general meeting and like said, Look, this is the only product working. You gotta buy it.
you know. We we walked out of that, scratching our heads, thinking, God, how do we? How are we gonna do this now? Because now we have 400 stores that we got a service. So we it actually forced us to get strategic. And it forced us to actually
(09:05):
get off the truck and then and start working on how we were gonna solve this new, wonderful problem that we had.
and all of those things sort of combine at the same time. And it just forced us to take action, step out, hire some people to help us do the things that we shouldn't be doing.
teach them how to do it, and then then actually solve the problem, how we were going to fulfill these orders, how we were going to get the credit to fulfill those orders, how we were, gonna you know, move the company forward, and that's what pushed us out of the the day to day into the strategic. We had to figure out how we were going to ship all that stuff, you know, we had to figure out
(09:43):
how to set up a production line to service all that new new business. So it actually forced us to do. And that's it wasn't.
And I say, kicking and screaming, it really was. It was all of that combined that forced us to to be strategic. And it wasn't.
It wasn't a decision I made. It was it was circumstance. Thank thank goodness.
Govindh Jayaraman (10:04):
Right.
I want to. I want to. I'm laughing about you sleep in the truck because I remember when I was building my business, and I'd be going back and forth to other cities, and there were times when I couldn't afford hotels all the time. And so there were 2 tactics I had one was to leave strategically
early enough in the morning that I would be driving in the early hours, and then I'd change into a suit in a parking garage, and then go do my meetings, and then come back down Nap in the car and drive back. And and that's how it looked like I could make those 8 o'clock meetings, but I would be leaving my town, you know, at 1112, 1, 2 whatever, just to organize myself that I was going to arrive on time and and be able to do that. So
(10:51):
I know what that feels like. The the other thing that I think is a really interesting thing is
you said that you caught a lucky break. You got the big sale that forced you and you. That's the word you used forced you to solve different problems. It forced you out of the truck
to solve how you're going to fill those orders, how you're going to get the credit to fill those orders. How are you going to handling shipping? How are you going to handle all these things?
(11:19):
Can we do that before we're forced to
like we can. Right, can't we?
Could. We could just decide to solve those other problems.
Hmm!
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (11:29):
I don't know.
I don't know, is it? Is it? That's a great question. I can't. I don't have an answer for it. I don't know that I would have.
I don't know that I would have not just run it in the ground.
trying and trying and trying to solve all the problems myself, trying and trying trying to go out there and make the sales. You know. I I don't know. I
(11:54):
Is it in our nature? I'd throw it back, you know. Is it an entrepreneur's nature to
want to give up?
I I now I do now, because I know
it's easier now to do that
right. But early on the 1st business I don't know. That's a good question.
Govindh Jayaraman (12:13):
Right. I think I think, though, that one of the things that we need to learn and apply is how.
how, not just to take over everything.
And it's it's kind of what makes us entrepreneurs.
but doesn't make us really great business people
(12:33):
right? And there's a big difference between.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (12:36):
Different.
Govindh Jayaraman (12:36):
Between those 2 things. So.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (12:39):
Big difference. Yeah.
Govindh Jayaraman (12:40):
So now that you've learned that, Rhett, I think it's 1 of those things you can't unlearn. Once you learn. Once you learn how
to
set people up with the system, tools and structures they need, and then follow through. Hold them and treat them as accountable. You can't unlearn how to do some of those things, it becomes a different pattern.
(13:02):
How
how does that look for you like? Is there? Is that? Is that still? Do you feel like there's the pull to take over anymore. Or do you feel
like you've got a good balance.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (13:16):
I've got a good balance. I you know what I did learn about that is.
you know, early in my career I was never much of a control person.
I became a control person in that 1st business.
And what I've I learned about myself is
that's not who I am, and that's not what I who I want to be. And so I
(13:39):
I have learned to to let go. But I it's also not my natural state to hold on tight to everything.
Govindh Jayaraman (13:45):
Hmm.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (13:46):
I actually
I'm not a really. I'm not a detailed person. I've learned that about myself, too. I'm not a detailed person. I'm a bigger picture person. I'm a relationship person. I'm a strategic thinker.
I I never liked the part of the business to make sure that John showed up to drive the truck. I never liked the part of the business to make sure
(14:10):
the production line was running smooth, and the and the you know, the things were working on time. I like that was never my strong suit. And and so, naturally, yes, I actually.
it's pretty easy for me to delegate. It's pretty easy for me to teach. I'm a teacher by heart, and so I like to teach people how to do it, but I don't like to make sure I'm not a real detailed person. I'm not going to get in the weeds of every little thing.
(14:41):
and I like to inspect I like to look. I like to make sure things are doing what we're supposed to be doing and how we're supposed to be doing it. But I don't like
making sure you're doing your you know
that you're doing everything you're you know. I'm not a detailed person in that way. So it naturally yes.
Govindh Jayaraman (14:58):
So I think there's a really interesting thing that that comes from that, because you talk about
what we know versus what we learn. And that's another part of the napkin.
I think there's what you know about yourself and what you know about how you like to work and what your strengths are, and you just talked about that a little bit. But I don't think that's the only thing you're talking about. Growth doesn't come from what we know comes from how we apply what we learn. There's a distinction between what we know and what we learn.
(15:28):
What does that distinction mean to you?
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (15:31):
That's a really good question.
I think we off. We often know a lot.
Are we consistent in applying it?
Are we?
And this goes back here. I'll I'll say this to me.
(15:53):
That leads me into all kinds of thought, a a whole nother rabbit hole of?
Are you doing things based on your values? Are you doing things?
and you're making decisions based on your values. Are you consistent in applying those values to decision making
(16:14):
so for me
to me, what I know is important, but applying it and and then kind of rambling here. But I think
I I think we're often not consistent in what we what we know and when, how we apply that, and and how we teach people what we know?
(16:42):
So that they can learn from us.
Does that make sense? I don't know if that.
Govindh Jayaraman (16:48):
Yeah, I think I think what you're what you're saying is
applying. What we learn is not just sticking rigidly to what we know, but
applying it, getting feedback about it, working with your team, adjusting what that is. And so and and again it goes back to you, got forced into different thinking. You got forced out of the delivery truck
(17:16):
and you had to solve other problems. And
when you started solving those other problems you were
forced to learn something and then apply those learnings which probably changed the way that truck was driven probably changed. It wasn't done the way Rhett was doing it, you know.
(17:36):
Probably the driver wasn't sleeping in it, either, on the way to a New York toy show, right? So there's a whole bunch of things that you.
you solved you adjusted.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (17:46):
Yeah.
Govindh Jayaraman (17:46):
And I think I think that
being intentional about that's really important, right? I think we have to create a feedback loop where we can learn from what's happening. And it sounds like you're really diligent about that.
How? How do you
stay close to the ground with your team? Because as much as you're empowering people. It doesn't sound like you're saying, Okay, just go off. And this is how to do it. You're you're more engaged than that. You're teaching. What does that look like.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (18:16):
It's funny, just right before this this
conversation I was having a coaching call with a coo.
Who and that company's grown through massive growth, right? And and he's in this new phase of his professional career where he's not doing. And he's inspecting right. And and that's a huge transition for him. It's hard. It's been actually, really hard. We were talking about how he spends his time. And he was like, what happens when
(18:46):
I'm I'm on a phone call, and it's a 2 h. I've got a 2 h block scheduled, and I listen the 1st 15 min, and they're doing everything right.
I don't need to spend the next 2 h on that call.
What do I do with my time?
You know? So I it is. It's a challenge. But I I think it's being present. It's letting people know that you're there. It's showing up, it's.
(19:12):
you know, sitting in our meetings. It's walking through the warehouse or the the office. It's having those water, cooler conversations. It's it's being around and talking to people intentionally. I have a client.
and this is a wonderful example. He
he's got about 2 or 180 people in his organization, and he goes to lunch with somebody every day that he's in town.
(19:39):
and it could be somebody on the cleaning staff. It could be somebody on the line. It can be somebody in in finance or somebody in marketing, but he goes to lunch with somebody every day and so that every year he gets to sit down with everybody in the organization
right? He's not doing all their jobs. He's he's removed himself from a lot of the of that type of work. But he's keeping in touch, and I and that's what I do. I don't. I don't go to lunch with everybody, but I sit down and talk to everybody in the organization.
(20:09):
and it's important to know who they are as people. It's important to know who they are as professionals, what they want to accomplish. And, more importantly, what feedback do they have for me?
Govindh Jayaraman (20:22):
I think that's really powerful, because, applying what you learn. Also, you talked about the teaching part, but coaching is a big part of that. And you you talked about coaching clients. But you're also talking about that from the construct of coaching your team.
And and there's really
to coach somebody really need to have 2 things. You need to have a challenge. You know, there's a challenge.
(20:44):
But at the same time you need to have a connection.
And I think people overlook the value of connection, and the the better the higher the challenge, the higher the connection you need to have. You can't challenge somebody
with whom you have no connection, right? Like. So it sounds like you're really intentional about making sure that you're connected, and it doesn't have to be a lunch. It doesn't have to be. It has to look like you. It has to feel like you. It has to be authentic, doesn't it?
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (21:10):
It does absolutely. And and people have to.
Feel you have to build a culture, I think, where people feel like they can. They can give you
honesty. And you look, I I realize, CEO, I'm not gonna get. I'm gonna get the the sugar coated version of it
right? A lot of times.
(21:33):
but I can still learn from that conversation, and if I can read between the lines, or if I can
put that together with another conversation somewhere else. You know, I learn a lot.
And and people, I think what people do is they appreciate that
and appreciate that they're being heard. And I think that's an important part of of leadership. Today. I know a lot of people say, that's those are soft skills. But I think they're actually critical skills.
Govindh Jayaraman (22:03):
Yeah, right? They do sort of like diminish the value that you know. Accountability is hard. No, it's it's curious. And another CEO. I was talking to a CEO just a little while ago. He's talking about how he was
uncovering another conversation, and just didn't feel right. So what he did was. He said his spidey senses were going off, and and he got curious. He just got more curious about the conversation, and it sounds like that's what you're talking about.
(22:32):
but that doesn't come in passing, dropping a bomb on someone's desk, walking out the door.
It comes from again. This is this is what we learn. This is how we learn. We learn from our team right.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (22:46):
Right, we know what we know right? And when we learn it, and we put that knowing and that learning together.
then we we find solutions. We find we find the problems and we have. And we can find solutions in that. And I think that's great, great, a great connection. You just made.
Govindh Jayaraman (23:03):
Right, and that that forces us out of the truck again. Like using that metaphor, it gets us out of the truck, gets us out of being in something.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (23:11):
And working on it, and.
Govindh Jayaraman (23:14):
Isn't, isn't growth about to some degree
solving challenges, solving problems, finding the opportunity in the problem and moving through it in some way? Isn't that part of it?
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (23:28):
I think so. I think it's going back to what we just said. I think when you can put knowing and learning together, that's growth. I think it's like a.
you know. No plus learn plus, you know, equals growth. I think maybe maybe we can times application
right? But right?
But but
execution, right? Something like, yeah, we can. We can put probably put an equation to that or some you know little formula thing there. But yeah, I I think growth comes from all of that. And then
(24:01):
I think growth comes from also being willing
to have all those conversations willing to.
Govindh Jayaraman (24:10):
The intent.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (24:11):
Work into knowing and learning and
the execution part, I think you that that's where growth comes. I think.
Govindh Jayaraman (24:21):
So
have you always wanted to have that? I mean, you said, look, part of the knowing also is knowing who you are, knowing what your strengths are. You said? You're not a detail-oriented person, but you. You're a teacher at heart.
So it feels like in your partnership that when you were building the business that the right thing for you
(24:43):
was to connect with the people and learn from them. Get the feedback and bring it back to your team.
Is that so? You leaned into that? Am I? Am I right in hearing that.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (24:55):
I leaned into that. You know that
because I am in my business partner, was the detail oriented person of the organization. Right? He made sure the numbers work. He made sure the
the finances work. You made sure the operations worked. I went out and I created product. I actually went and did all of the sales I did the the.
(25:19):
I made sure that the production in China and and in in the Us. Was work. You know that it. Things things got produced. It got to the customers on time. I had the customer relationship. I held the customer relationship
but we were all responsible for, you know.
building, and he was just as good at the people part as he was at the numbers part, too. So we shared that. But I. But absolutely, I mean, that is part of
(25:49):
that was part of why we were successful in that company is because
we were small team we were, we couldn't get any. This was during the financial crisis. Back in the 2 thousands. We couldn't get any funding, so we had to bootstrap this the whole way. And even when we had.
you know, a 50 million dollar company, a hundred 1 million dollar company.
(26:11):
it. The banks didn't want to touch us because we were a product company. We were a consumer product company dealing with Target and Walmart and
toys. R. Us. And it was wasn't a great. It wasn't a great risk for them. And so, you know, we always had to be lean. We always had to be. And so we we
we had to build a team that
(26:33):
that that believed in us trusted us. That was the way we were able to to get talent because we couldn't and we were located in a place that didn't have a lot of toy natural toy talent. So we had to. You know, we had to build a scrappy team and
We did that by
(26:54):
believing in them, trusting in them, relying on them, really being transparent with them. I mean, we we were transparent when the numbers were were down to $4,000. We were transparent with them when we had, you know, when we were doing 100 million in sales. So you know that built
that just built trust with them, and that that we were very intentional about that because we had to, because we needed
(27:19):
You know, we didn't have a big, exact team. We didn't have a big. We didn't have a a we. Our designers weren't from the fit design school that designed toys we didn't have. You know, a Cfo that went to Wharton. We didn't, you know we didn't have the the team that a lot of these other toy, you know, these other companies were able to attract. So you know, we had to be lean.
Govindh Jayaraman (27:42):
And and you had to care a lot, and you had to learn. Because you know, why do you want the people that have the pedigree, because presumably, and it's a presumption
they learn. That's why we want to recruit them. But the other side of it is, if you build a culture around learning. You'll outpace them like you said you were scrappy.
(28:03):
So you found a way. And and the ability to be curious enough to problem, solve and learn from what's happening and adjust what you're doing.
That's a superpower. That's how the little person the little guy ends up, always winning. I love it when I talk to entrepreneurs, and we talk about a financial crisis because it feels like it's a perpetual emotion machine. It feels like we're always in a financial crisis. There's some crisis in our world, right? So that's right. So having that mindset that you're that, you're.
(28:34):
you know, working on things and learning and applying it, you know, making that connection between what we know and what we learned to find that spidey sense is really super important, right?
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (28:46):
Yeah, let me let me say one other thing, too. I was just thinking about this to answer one of your questions, like, I think growth is actually behavioral.
Because I think it's in the risk and the change. And the moment you try something new.
I think it. I think in a lot of ways for me. Anyway, I think growth is behavior and is is changing behaviors. It's learning to change those behaviors.
Govindh Jayaraman (29:13):
So it's really interesting that you say that right? So growth is in changing behaviors and and.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (29:21):
I think so.
Govindh Jayaraman (29:21):
That's really, I mean, that's really insightful.
What do you think were some of the
behaviors that changed fundamentally for you from those early days to now, when you look back. If you could give
young Rhett a gift when he started his business, what would be the behavior, growth or behavior change that you wish. You wish you could give yourself, even though you wouldn't listen because none of us listen.
(29:48):
Yeah, we're like, who's this old guy? Go go away right.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (29:52):
You took the words right out of my mouth. I wouldn't have listened. But behavioral changes, I think.
you know. Now I do not let
I have boundaries. I have boundaries around work and play health.
(30:13):
Being present in those important moments.
Relationships. I don't forget myself, and I don't forget what's important, what's really, really important.
because the business is important. But it's not it's not.
It's not everything. And
(30:34):
it's not who I am, you know I I don't. I haven't lost myself in the identity of being
You know, of being the CEO of a business or being, or, you know, a contributor to this magazine or that magazine or this book. You know this author, this I don't lose myself in any of those things.
(30:56):
I think so. Those are the behavioral changes like for me is it's making sure I'm getting to sleep, getting sure I'm I'm eating well, making sure that I'm spending time with family friends, making sure that I'm
do the hobbies and the things I really really love, that that give me the the space to be creative at business and and the
(31:20):
the break that you need to be to make better decisions. So I
I don't compromise on those those. That's the behavior change.
Govindh Jayaraman (31:28):
Yeah, but it's still got to feel good as a music fan to
find an article in Rolling stone every now and then. Right? That's got to be good.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (31:35):
Oh, oh, yeah, I go see a show.
Govindh Jayaraman (31:38):
Yeah, it's good. So let me let me
I wonder if you noticed how much you lit up
when you talked about the fact that you found boundaries.
Did you notice that your I mean the tone of voice changed and you really went into your heart? It felt like
that. Yes, growth we like. If you're listening, go and catch the video of this because Rhett really just made that connection in that moment. And that's a gift.
(32:08):
It's a gift that you're giving everybody when you share this wisdom. But it's a gift that you've given yourself
and the people you care about right big time, and that's totally changed. Everything right?
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (32:18):
Oh, I mean
yeah, if you'd if you'd have seen the the conversations at home, you know, in those times when when I'm in the van, you know, driving 200 and something 1,000 miles in a in a year, and
I don't know if we did that. But it, you know, probably
making that up, but it felt like it, you know. It was every weekend it was every every week. It was nonstop, you know. Those conversations weren't pretty.
Govindh Jayaraman (32:46):
No.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (32:46):
And I missed.
I missed some really key moments when my kids were really young and
I'm just. I can't do that anymore. So.
Govindh Jayaraman (32:56):
I think it's really important for entrepreneurs who are on that growth phase to hear this, too. It's not too late to change that right, because that was my reality. I was, you know, in the airline. I was the top tier for 10 years and all that kind of stuff, and and I missed a lot.
And then around 6 and a bit years ago, that travel schedule changed because of family emergency.
(33:20):
And I'm convinced that my kids
don't know a reality when I was traveling anymore. I mean, they've just sort of erased that from their minds. And that's a gift. So it's never too late, isn't it? Like you? Can, you can do this growth? You're never. It's never too late to grow and change those behaviors.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (33:41):
Look i, 1 of the the biggest childhood memories or most meaningful childhood memories I have
is, and I was a wrestler so, and you know, wrestling, turn wrestling matches are on like Tuesday nights and Thursday nights, or something in high school, right? And growing up, and even when you're young.
(34:02):
and what I remember
and my father traveled for work. He he went out of town. He was in the State, but he was gone during the week.
I remember him being at those matches every Tuesday night and Thursday night, pacing up and down the mat
as I went on.
(34:22):
Right, that's all I remember. I don't remember if I won or lost. I don't even remember my record. I was pretty good. I went to college to wrestle, but all I remember is him being, you know.
pacing up and down, yelling the move that I should be making at that moment right.
Govindh Jayaraman (34:39):
Right.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (34:40):
That's what I remember, and it bonus brings tears in my eyes like that is a moment that
is burning my memory, and I didn't want to give that up to my kids because I wanted to be on the sidelines, and they were playing soccer or playing music in their recitals.
That's what I wanted to be. That's the dad I wanted to be.
Govindh Jayaraman (35:00):
No, it's.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (35:01):
There!
Govindh Jayaraman (35:02):
It is emotional to hear, and I connect to that very deeply. So thanks for sharing that rep.
Something we've been doing this season is. We've been shouting out and calling out a great friend of paper, napkin wisdom. His name was John Rulin.
He gave us a great napkin, which was what you appreciate appreciates. Now he turned that into a movement, wrote a book called Giftology, renamed his company Giftology, and created a revolution around gratitude. And what we're asking all our guests to do is to sort of shout him out.
(35:41):
recognize what he gave us as a gift. He suddenly passed away, and all the more important now to continue this legacy. So is there someone that you'd like to shout out and give some appreciation to.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (35:55):
2 people or a couple of people, probably, but real quick. So I was at an event a couple of weeks ago, and a guy named Chester Elton gave this to me. It was a it was a gratitude rock
And
you know he he gave me gratitude for something that I done for him. And so thank you, Chester, for this. This is very meaningful. But I'd also like to shout out to a good friend, David Meltzer. Dave David is become a good friend, become a business partner, and
(36:30):
you know, I just appreciate his his love and his advice and his support and all that I'm doing. And so yeah, I'd give that to David today.
Govindh Jayaraman (36:42):
That's awesome, Brett. Thank you for joining me today.
Rhett Power | @rhettpower (36:46):
Yeah, thank, you.
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