Cut The Tie Podcast with Rob Lee
What happens when you start a business with no corporate background, no MBA, and no plan—just the willingness to figure it out? In this grounded and inspiring episode, Thomas Helfrich talks with Rob Lee, CEO and co-founder of Swift Passport and Visa Services. Rob shares how he and his wife built a thriving travel document company from scratch, overcame black mold illness and a pandemic shutdown, and learned that the biggest obstacles are often in your own head.
From hand-delivering passports to airline crews, to finally building a SaaS platform after years of false starts, Rob’s journey shows that business success is as much about mental clarity as it is about strategy.
About Rob Lee:
Rob Lee is the CEO and co-founder of Swift Passport and Visa Services, a Chicago-based concierge travel document company specializing in expedited U.S. passports and international visas. Serving major corporations, airline crews, and business travelers across the country, Rob’s team navigates the complex and time-sensitive world of global travel documentation. With a background in forestry and no prior corporate experience, Rob built Swift with his wife Laurie, growing it into a nationally recognized service while staying true to a vision of freedom, purpose, and constant personal growth.
In this episode, Thomas and Rob discuss:
- Cutting ties with societal definitions of success
Rob shares how he stopped letting external expectations dictate who he should be—and how that shift changed everything. - From conservation to concierge travel services
How Rob and his wife went from wildlife biology degrees to running one of the country’s top travel document firms. - Losing it all in 2020
How the pandemic wiped out Swift’s revenue overnight—and how they used it as a chance to rebuild from the ground up. - Mindset as the ultimate growth lever
Why Rob believes the mental clarity of a founder directly reflects in the health and direction of the business. - The “old stories” that still need cutting
Rob opens up about self-doubt, worthiness, and pushing past the limits in his own head.
Key Takeaways:
- What happens in your head happens in your business
Founder mindset isn’t just important—it’s the main driver of business direction. - Obstacles are opportunities in disguise
Illness, shutdowns, and failed projects can be turning points if you approach them with curiosity instead of fear. - Life happens for you, not to you
Adopting this perspective changes how you handle challenges in both business and life. - Cut ties with old stories
Self-limiting beliefs can quietly cap your growth if you don’t challenge them.
Connect with Rob Lee:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eelbor/
🌐 Website: https://www.swiftpassportservices.com
Connect with Thomas Helfrich:
🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutthetie
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfrich/
🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com
📧 Email: t@instantlyrelevant.com
🚀 InstantlyRelevant.com: https://www.instantlyrelevant.com
Serious about LinkedIn Lead Generation? Stop Guessing what to do on LinkedIn and ignite revenue from relevance with Instantly Relevant Lead System
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Cut the Tie podcast.
Hi, I'm your host, thomasHelfrich, on a mission to help
you cut a tie to whateverholding you back from success.
As I always say, you have todefine that success on your
terms, otherwise you are chasingsomeone else's dream.
Today, I'm joined by Rob Leeout of the beautiful, windy City
, chicago.
Rob, how?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
are you I'm doing.
Great Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Take a moment, introduce yourself and what it
is you do.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
My name is Rob Lee.
I'm the CEO and co-founder ofSwift Passport and Visa Services
.
We help our clients, mainlybusiness travelers and airline
crew members, obtain USpassports and also international
travel visas to countries likeChina, india, brazil and any
other country you can kind ofthink of.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I asked this question .
Right, that's a competitivemarket.
You could just go right to thesites.
Why do they pick you?
What's the reason, thedifferentiator?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
It's getting even more doable on your own as
technology evolves, but weprovide a level of you could
call it a concierge service thatwe handhold people through the
process.
So we're providing informationon how to do it, but we're
actually doing it for people andwith the Chinese consulate,
(01:14):
it's actually right behind thewall here, right behind me.
You have to either apply inperson or use a service like us,
so we have a good space here inChicago.
We're in a couple other citiesacross the country, but we hand
deliver the documents for peopleso they don't have to come all
the way from Denver to Chicagoto submit a China visa
application.
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
I didn't know that, so that's actually quite helpful
.
So I could give you agency andyou'd walk over there and say,
hey, you want to go for avacation with your kid?
You can walk over there and go.
Got it done for you, you're set.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, exactly.
And then we do the same thingfor US passports as well.
You can do it yourself, you canapply at a regional passport
agency to get it done.
Again, you have to travel to acity where there's a passport
agency, take a day off, workmaybe two days, go in pick it up
, but we walk people through theprocess, hand deliver it and
then deliver it back to them.
It's almost like people come tous they're already kind of in a
(02:06):
, a lot of people in a franticsituation and like we can push
their worries aside, Like, oh, Igot to go to the city and go to
this government agency and wetake a lot of anxiety out of the
situation.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Mine expires in August, so I was looking.
I have to do it online now Ican't even show up.
But I was almost like thiscan't be better because it's the
government.
It's going to be like there'slike 400 steps I need to go
through online and I'm like it'sbad enough in person.
But at least I just got to showup with some documents and I
know I'm whole.
It sounds, it sounds horribleyeah, um, that's so.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
The, the online renewal, is fairly new, but
there's a lot of like facialrecognition, identity and like
uploading this and it's.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
You know there's gonna be a scan of your face and
it's a whole different ballgameyeah, and so I'm gonna try it
and I'm and I'm normally likethank god it's online when it's
the government like oh no rightright even less people to talk
to?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
oh no I just I don't know how, like they, they want
to go that direction, but Idon't know how you're going to
get someone that's I mean, I'm47, someone that's 55, 60, like
like they're going to force themto do like all this facial
recognition through their phoneand like I mean they're setting
up for the next generation yeah,totally bigger problem is like
my parents are no chance to go.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, they want, and there's nowhere for them to go.
Yeah, and and it's like wow, Iguess we're just gonna have the
senior citizens of the worldtravel anymore, because they're
like I'm not doing this tech.
Yeah, exactly, we can go downthat rabbit hole.
You probably should do a wholepodcast on this yeah, I know
there's.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, it's amazing.
I'm just getting people to notfill in the applications by hand
and fill it out on an onlineapplication.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Okay, listen, let's talk about you a little bit.
So, before we get into yourjourney and kind of the times
that you've metaphorically cutto build a business, talk to me
about what it is how you definesuccess.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Yeah, success for me, I think.
I think success evolves andchanges all the time, but I
would say, currently, successfor me is, uh, I would say
there's financial stability, but, uh, I'm, I'm actively involved
in pursuing things that have ahigher purpose for me.
(04:18):
So I'm, I'm able to work in abusiness, run a business that I
love dearly, but I'm also ableto pursue things that I want to
pursue as a person.
And I think maybe a few yearsback, success would have been a
little bit different, maybe witha different identity, like, oh,
I got a really successfulbusiness and maybe identified as
(04:38):
a business guy.
But I think in this moment orrecently, success is being who I
envision myself to be, likefinding a path to be the person
that I want to be, and I thinkit'll evolve as I get through
that, but right now it'spursuing what I want to pursue
(04:59):
and being who I want to be inthis world.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
You're a Gen Xer, so we've always thought that and
been told everything else.
You know the good thing is doyou have kids?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
No, no kids.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
All right, so I do, and it's very clear to me I have
a 16-year-old, 13-year-old and10, and I'm like I'm going to
tell them when they get tocollege level.
I'll be like, listen, we'vedefined your success to this
point.
I want you, from today, to letno one else define it but you,
and the reason is the quickeryou grasp onto that, the happier
your life is going to be,Because success is not a
(05:32):
destination, it is a sun thatyou're chasing, and the further
you get away from that light,the darker it becomes.
Yeah, exactly, so you can keeppace with where the sun is and
that's where you want to gotoward that light.
It doesn't matter what sun youchase, as long as you're chasing
toward one that you want tochase to.
And so I think what you'redescribing is great, because
(05:53):
you're like I have to getfinancial stability.
I had to build a business.
Now I did that.
Now what I wanted to findmyself on term.
So, on your journey, talk to meabout it a little bit, how you
got to you know.
Talk to me about it a littlebit, how you got to you know
being on this wonderful podcastwith Thomas Helfer and what the
big tie was that you had to cutalong the way to achieve that
success you just defined.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah, the journey started.
I really had no business being abusiness person, to be quite
honest.
In 2008, my wife and I westarted the company I have a
forest and resource conservationdegree from Michigan State and
she had a wildlife biology majorfrom the University of Montana
(06:35):
and we met in Montana and,through a wild chain of travels
and adventures, we ended up inChicago and we were both without
a job and had nothing to lose.
And we started this businessbased on having the experience
of going through using a servicelike us, and I don't think I
(06:59):
had the intention of it being assuccessful as it's become.
And you know, we've ended uphere and, as far as the biggest
tie is hands down, uh, kind ofgoing back to that success,
letting my success be defined bysociety or what other people
thought that like, oh, I shouldbe this.
Now I'm this business guy and,uh, this, this egoic identity
(07:23):
with what I should be or what Ishouldn't be, and I lost the
path for a while on followingthat sun, as you mentioned, and
that happened probably midwaythrough the business and, yeah,
that was probably the biggesttie to cut in seconds, the
never-ending cutting of ties, asyou know.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Probably the biggest tie to cut in seconds, a
never-ending cutting of ties, asyou know, the fact that you're
wildly successful withoutrealizing how you got there.
There's probably something tothat.
What I find is us analytical,strategic, really deep-thinking
types.
You're like I want to save theforest and be happy.
You're like I still do.
You were like I want to savethe forest and be happy and
you're like I still do.
The point is sometimes howpeople think in operational
(08:07):
lines, what they chase in lifeof just peace or this really
makes them great business peoplebecause they keep it simple,
because the stress of thecomplication is like you avoid
it For me.
I love that and that makes youa terrible business owner.
I've had a.
Really I don't want to say theword dumb it down, Just simplify
it.
We had a.
Really I don't want to say theword dumb it down, just simplify
it.
Yeah, we, you know we have apodcast or I help people fix
(08:27):
their lead generation problems.
I'm stop talking.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Yeah, that's exactly it, and I didn't.
I didn't also have like all the.
I think like if you come fromlike a corporate world, you know
fortune 500 place or consultantyou have all this chatter about
like how things operate at thatlevel and it's like you have
this kind of default like well,that's how it should be.
At some point it's like no, itshouldn't be, it should be how
(08:53):
you want it to be.
You know, it's like you you getwhen you come in with complete
lack of experience, as we did,you kind of form your own way
the whole way.
Granted, there's a lot ofpitfalls through there, but it's
quite the experience.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Yeah, well, okay, so you got the tie, you got your
success.
You know, interesting journeyenough to get there, you know.
But it comes down to kind ofthat moment when did you know
you were going to have to justmake that change?
Or think, did you have likesomething?
Like you know you're a bearattack to you or something cool,
or I wish, I wish I had a bearattack story.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I actually got.
I actually got.
Really I got sick.
We lived in a house that wasfilled with with black mold, oh
wow.
And I didn't realize that'swhat was happening.
This was almost 10 years agonow and maybe there's a lot of
(09:50):
mental stuff that happened withit, just because that's the
nature of mold illness.
And someone said at the verybeginning of that like, oh, this
is good that you're sick fromthis.
We had to move out of our houseand find a new house.
It actually all turned out tobe yeah, this was good because
it totally opened up, changedeverything and I realized where
I, through an illness, realizedthat there's a lot more going on
(10:14):
than I had thought.
And you know, I didn't know howbad it was until afterwards and
realized, looking back, how badI had gotten, sick-wise and you
know, it just kind of built upslowly over time and then
finally it was like, oh, I hadto change, I had to shift.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
You know I've said this many times that you know,
the man with his health has amillion dreams.
The man without his health hasbut one, and in that moment it
simplifies it again to whatactually matters.
So, moving forward, I hadn'tsurvived like those things If I
hadn't survived this, what youknow, either we have those and I
and I think, unfortunately youhave to go through that
(10:50):
sometimes too oh yeah, otherwisethings are easy.
And then, until it's not, andyou're like, oh, I've wasted my
once again, I'm not gonna godown that path.
This is your show.
There's one you know.
Talk to me about the how,because the how is when you get
it done, and so you know youhave the moment, and then you go
(11:11):
back to life.
How did you keep the how,moving it forward?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
You know.
So I got well fairly quickly,so it wasn't like a long-term
health thing.
But as I started getting wellagain, what happened was the
pandemic within a couple ofyears happened and, because
we're in the travel business,everything stopped.
So I almost had like a doublereset.
One was like a mental reset tobegin with, and then there's
(11:39):
this pandemic where we literallylost everything.
We had to furlough everyone,including ourselves, and we just
had no business for six, sevenmonths of 2020.
Including ourselves, and likewe just had no business for six,
seven months of 2020.
And that it was almost like thatnext level to all, the kind of
clear clarity that I had beforeand it was like, oh, we get to.
We didn't know what we weregoing to do, but we're like, oh,
(12:01):
we just kept dreaming that like, okay, it's going to, business
is going to come back and comeback, and we kept slowly.
We had the opportunity torebuild the business.
I don't think a lot of peopleget that opportunity in business
, but we totally had theopportunity to rebuild from the
ground up and, as 2020 or as thepandemic and things progressed
and business started coming back, I spent a lot of time on
(12:24):
personal growth, both my wifeLori and I.
I we both did just not bychoice, just kind of happened.
And there's this, all of asudden, this vast amount of
space to be able to.
You didn't you know youcouldn't socialize, so like we
started really diving within andthe clarity that came out of
that was what's propelled us towhere we are right now do you
(12:44):
hold on to that like?
Speaker 1 (12:45):
do you still draw upon that experience?
Speaker 2 (12:47):
oh yeah, like, like.
Like part of it is like oh,this is the most stressful time
ever, but a part of it's likewow, that was really amazing was
it like actually today you maylook at stuff and you're like
it's not that stressful.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Guys remember, remember the black mold years,
the black yeah, yeah, the blackplague, yeah, what's been the
impact, uh, for you or customers?
I mean like, how or how do youquantify impact?
Speaker 2 (13:14):
The impact has been with the growth of where the
business is going.
So obviously there's salesgrowth, but I've I've had, since
2018 ish, this idea to developa software like a SAS software
software as a service, and I'vetried I don't know how many
times since 2018 to get the justto get even like the nose off
(13:38):
the ground.
We don't advertise and wecontinually grow, and so we have
this strong organic reach whichwe never had Like we.
We were so in in deep withGoogle ads for so long and uh,
we don't.
We don't rely on that.
We rely on, like, total contentmarketing.
(13:58):
And uh, this application hasfinally come to fruition.
Uh, we're testing it out on oneof our major clients and we're
hoping by the middle of July,that we're using live data for
this, the first round of this,this application, and we're
hoping by the middle of July,that we're using live data for
this, the first round of this,this application.
And I guess the overall impactis that I had clarity that what
(14:18):
happens up here in my head, howmy head is, how the space is
within my, in between my ears,is exactly how the business is
going to be.
So, like, if this is cloudy,whatever the business is going
to be kind of wandering around,but without, without intention
and without you know like it's.
It's, it's such as a businessowner.
It's.
It's amazing.
This is a direct correlation tothe the path of the business.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Yeah, it is.
I like how you think with thisbecause you're drawing back upon
stuff constantly, right to doit, and then it and you're not
spending.
It's like you're spending a lotof time like over analyzing it.
You're just doing it and thenreact, and not reacting but
adjusting.
So the difference between thosetwo, like I'm looking at with
the intent of I'm going tonavigate just a little bit, as
opposed to oh, no, no, jerkreactions like no, no, that's
(15:06):
right.
Just maybe a deeper dive onthat, right, you have a vision.
What happens when the vision ofhow it should be meets data
that says no?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Yeah, I think that's happened quite a few times.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
I would have been surprised if it didn't.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Well, with this project, specifically like
financial or just like the scope, I think, kind of like with
success, like we talked aboutearlier it's like it's constant
refinement, or just not evenrefinement, just adjustment.
It's like you're following thissun or this goal that you have,
(15:45):
and there's always going to bethings that come into the way.
That's just how this existenceon earth works.
There's always something andit's like you can.
You can either use that as aroadblock or it's like oh, maybe
we have to pivot to the left tokeep going in that direction.
I think it's giving.
I've been able to give myselfspace to not react.
(16:07):
I think that was probably oneof the biggest.
If I had any regrets, I don'thave any regrets, but how often
I reacted to something insteadof taking the time to think
about it and not had a knee jerkreaction to something, and
especially when an obstaclecomes in the way.
It's like life throws usobstacles every single day and
it's like you know if you reactto, if you react to the bulk of
(16:27):
them, you're not you're not.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
You're just going to be stagnant.
You know that cheesy thing.
That is true.
Like you know life, fivepercent of you know how you
react to it, not 95 you can'tcontrol, so it's just, you might
as well control the fivepercent of let's react to it,
right, or maybe it's 95.
What you react to, it's fivepercent.
We can't the.
The point, but actually one ofthe things that came to mind
from metal I love metaphors isif your, if your path to the sun
was flat, nothing in the way,it would get really boring.
(16:54):
Oh god, you still worry abouthead-on traffic.
Right, something might smash,that doesn't change.
You know there's still risk,but it's just boring.
So unless there's like curvesand hills and mountains and some
shit falling on the roadoccasionally, you'd have nothing
to talk about and you would getthere and be like, well, that
was boring.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Yeah, exactly.
And all of a sudden you're at adestination where all of the
you know again, not to be cliche, but all the lessons along the
way through the journey.
You know like the journey is,the is, the uh is where it all
happens.
It's not the destination,because the destination is
always changing too.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
You know the destination is always changing
too.
You know it might be this, this, this big goal, but like the
destination is kind ofconstantly changing people in
the dog times.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
You know you get to the destination.
You're like pictures werebetter than I imagine.
Yeah, or or, or.
What's next now?
That's great.
What's next like within minutes?
Speaker 1 (17:43):
sorry, um, I got emotional there.
What's been, uh like, the mostgrateful thing currently in your
life?
Like, or what do you?
I got emotional there.
What's been the most gratefulthing currently in your life?
What are you most grateful fortoday?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
I'm grateful for, obviously, the fundamentals
Right now I'm grateful for I canhonestly say that you know
we're talking about thingsfalling in the path, like the
obstacles.
It's like how much let me thinkthis out I'm grateful for all
(18:27):
that I have and you know I livea life that's comfortable for me
.
All that is you know, withoutneeding to be mentioned.
However, I'm grateful foreverything that's happened where
I've grown.
I think, like you know, Imentioned an illness.
(18:48):
Like I look back.
Someone said that like, oh, thisis great, and I was like, yeah,
it was great, uh, and like justlooking at every, every
obstacle being the path and justgrateful for all that.
I'm just grateful for life inthis moment.
I know that might sound cheesyor whatever, but it's like I,
everything that happens, it'slike I, everything that happens,
it's like holy crap, this is,this is, this is great.
(19:10):
I mean, it might take it mighttake a little bit to figure,
figure out the great part, butyou know it's like yeah, I, I'm,
I'm, I'm grateful.
And then I'm, most of all, I'mreally grateful to have a.
I feel I'm beyond fortunate tohave a wife and a partner, lori,
like we've been in business for, been married for almost 20
years, been in business foralmost 20 years.
(19:31):
We've done it all togetherhighs, lows, all of it and we
still enjoy being with eachother as long as you don't teach
her golf, you won't be breakingany federal law.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
No, thank God, that's not onthe docket.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
I told my wife golf and they're like dude, you
realize that's like a federallaw, you can't do that.
I was like no, she's like.
She actually said I did a goodjob, so I don't.
But we could not be partnersLike we would be done.
It would be game over in thatmoment, Like nope, I'm fired,
You're fired, who cares?
Speaker 2 (20:01):
I'm out.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
That'd be after the morning standup movie In Things
happen for you, even whenthey're happening to you, and
maybe no one gets it right rightaway.
If anybody does, they're like amonk.
Why am I starving right now?
But I love that I take awaysometimes Pearl Jam quotes.
(20:27):
I don't know why.
Nature has its own religionright, the gospel from the land
right, and so the idea beingthat, like you just listen to
that you know story of the manof the hour, it's like you just
listen to what's around you,it's it's got its own vibe and
thing.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Absolutely.
And the whole, the whole lifeis happening for you and not to
you is like right.
You can realize that, oh man.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
I believe that what ifs are reserved for the future?
Only yes, yes, because youthink, what if in the past?
Speaker 2 (20:59):
it's like you're just what's the point oh yeah, like
the yeah, I meant that, likewe've all I, I think it's safe
to assume that most of us havebeen there, like, like, we live
in the what ifs of like, what ifI did this?
Remember napoleon dynamite?
Uh, the uncle, uncle rico fromnapoleon dynamite, he, oh yeah,
if the coach would have put mein, I would have made it.
I don't know if you rememberthat.
(21:22):
We would have won state Exactly.
Yeah, I clearly remember living.
What if I did this differently?
What if I did that?
It's like well, that's not whathappens.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Exactly, I love it.
What's kind of the biggest tieholding your business back today
?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
surprise question was yeah, that is yeah.
No, that's like that's a goodone.
Uh, I think the biggest tie isstill stories that I tell myself
about being able to dosomething or worthiness of doing
(22:04):
something, for example, thisapplication that we're building.
There's a lot of old storiesthat kind of run their courses
in the head and I think lettinggo of that or cutting that tie
of these old stories like, well,why the hell can't I have a SAS
software that's wildlysuccessful, you know, like it's
(22:25):
not, it's not reserved forsomeone in Silicon Valley or
whatever, and I think it's, it'sthe it's, it's these old
stories of saying that I'm notenough I think is probably the
biggest thing that I could cutright now.
That that will propel thebusiness, cause, like I said
before, you know it's, it's likeif I, if I cut that tie here in
my head, the business, thebusiness, will be free.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Isn't that crazy how the uh, your, the problem's
always like between monitor andthe back of the chair yeah,
Somewhere right around here,maybe, or left here right here.
But the fact that you know thatit's when, you don't know that
it's in you, and then you canjournalize it, the excuses or
fears or entitlements, if youwill, that's when it's a problem
(23:11):
.
If you've identified it, you'realready ahead of it.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Yeah, and it's taken a lot of years to get to the
point to be able to identify it.
Or even if someone suggests it,it's not like, oh, I'm not
going to resist it, but it'slike, oh, maybe that's how I am.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Yeah, Ooh, you know I like you.
So I'm 49, and I just startedADHD medicine and I go back to
my first big job, where day onemy manager goes you need to
change your personality.
And I was like you can goyourself.
How about that?
Right, I'm like.
But he was right, he nailed it,he was right.
(23:46):
I've been asked to leave aboutsix times since, right, um, so
the point being is you know, at49, I'm like maybe I should have
looked into the medicine, notlisten to my parents once I
became an adult.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Yeah, right, yeah that's a big one I will tell you
, like you're right.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
So so get out of your head, figure it out, because
the truth is uh, it's now, nowthat you've identified it is
just an excuse.
So, whatever it is, oh, totallyall right before we let's get
into this, I want you to givesome really pointed advice to a
listener and tell me who thatlistener is.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
The listener would be a person that's thinking about,
or in the midst of starting abusiness based on a passion or
just like a out of necessity.
I think that's someone that Ican definitely speak to.
And then did you say advice forthat person.
Sorry, yeah.
So what would you tell them?
And then did you say advice forthat person?
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Sorry, yeah.
So what would you tell them?
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I just exactly what we talked about the success of
the business is.
As an entrepreneur and anyleader, I think the success of
of your business is directlyrelated to the state of
wellbeing in your mind as aleader and how you, how you
perceive what's happening,whether it's happening to you or
(24:59):
for you.
I think there's this transitioneven even as a business like,
oh, why is this obstacle in theway of our growth as a business?
Well, it's also.
It's an obstacle, but it's anopportunity to to reconfigure
and, like the I just I reallylive by the code that what
happens up here is is a guyguides the business through and
(25:20):
through.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
Oh, absolutely.
And then the people around you.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Yeah, and then building the team around you
that has has a similar way ofbeing yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Yeah, no, no, no question.
Uh me some rapid fire questions.
I usually say ask what's thebest advice.
I'm going to flip it today.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
What's the worst business advice you've ever
received?
Work harder, that was like.
That was like the like.
I think I've received that frommy dad.
Pause by the way you're likework harder, that's it.
That's the answer.
Like cause, I worked hard for10, 12 years of the business.
Like that's all I thought I hadto give to the business.
And well, her work's great, butlike no that's not the only
thing.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
It drives me nuts.
Alex Hermosi is like go workevery day for the next 30 days.
I'm like let's talk to21-year-olds, because I don't
know who in their 40s with kidscan do that Anyway.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Yeah, yeah.
Work harder should betransferred to work smarter.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Now, if you could do both, yes, you will succeed.
How about just less netflix?
It's probably a better answer.
Yeah, um, you know, uh, isthere a must-read book?
You, you put on the list outthere for people yeah, I just
finished it, uh, for the secondtime.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
It was a long time ago that I read it for the first
time.
Man search for meaning victorfrankl.
I heard that one.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
It's anything you got out of it uh, it's, it's.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
it's a story, story of this scientist that got put
into concentration camps inWorld War II.
And it's not about theconcentration camps, but it's
about finding the purpose whenthere's an apparent nothingness
to find inspiration to, and it'sjust like there's always a
little guiding light to keepgoing forward.
And uh, it's, it's, it's abeautiful store.
(27:00):
The the plot line is is darkand grim, but the story of it is
beautiful.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I will definitely.
That is not on my list.
I mean, there's like 10 thatrepeat.
That's a new one.
So congratulations.
Two points for you.
If you had to go back in yourtimeline at any point and do
something different, start overwhen would that be?
And, if at all, what would youdo differently?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
I would say I'd go back to probably the beginning
of all of this, because I don'thave many regrets or any regrets
, but just I would give myselfthe advice that we've been
talking about, about how lifehappens for you, not to you,
because I lived in a way ofbeing where life was happening
(27:51):
to me and then happening to thebusiness, and I think starting
that out from the beginningwould have, could have.
Would have, could have, shouldhave changed everything you know
, but it, but that.
That that's probably.
I came into a business with a,with a, with a mind frame that
was young and you know like Iwas in my late twenties when we
started it.
(28:11):
So it's like, you know, likethere's, there's that, but I
think I would have, I woulddefinitely give myself that
advice but not change anythingelse other than that advice,
Once again quoting Pearl Jam,the wisdom that the old can't
give away.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Yeah, exactly that's a great one, I'm full of them,
trust me.
Fan Club's in 94.
Nice.
If you're a Pearl Jam person,you get two points.
Dad points, you make them up.
If you have a Pearl Jam person,you get two points, dad points,
you make them up.
If you have kids, you get likebillions.
You're like where can I spendthem?
I'm like great question.
All right, If there was aquestion I should have asked you
(28:47):
today and I didn't, what wouldthat question have been?
Speaker 2 (28:51):
What would that question have been?
What would that question havebeen?
Maybe what's?
Speaker 1 (29:03):
a tie that I'm still afraid to cut.
I probably should add it to mylist.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Honestly, that's pretty damn good.
We all have one.
I'm like you have one, I'm sureyou have one.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Actually, I'm going to add that to my list.
So we have someone in our lobbycoming in next, you're getting
that one.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
And I think it would be this, this idea that the
success, the conventionalsuccess model, and like what
success looks like.
I think there's deeper levelsof that that I get to let go of
and define what's successful forme.
Oh, this is successful, butit's like, oh, the business
(29:41):
revenue has got to be here.
And it's like, no, does it haveto be there?
Speaker 1 (29:47):
I love that I'm actually adding that in, because
the one you're afraid to cuttoday is the one that you know
you should have cut yesterday,and as your definition of
success changes, new thingsappear that hold you back from
it.
And listen, I live this andsometimes that's really.
I'm going to give you a millionpoints.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
A million, all right, you can spend those wherever
you want.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
I was actually thinking.
The question I should ask youis which consulate is the worst?
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Yeah, brazil, really, they just drag things out for
no reason.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
Maybe you put everything in three, four times,
they go faster.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Yeah right.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
All right, shameless plug time.
Who's the one person or companythat should get a hold of you,
and how do you want them to dothat?
Speaker 2 (30:42):
One company.
We work so well with businessesthat travel internationally big
groups of people traveling toAsia, overseas, india, airline
crew members.
Airline crew members that's ourspecialty.
I would say we're probably thepremier airline crew member visa
procurement company in thecountry.
(31:03):
We handle hundreds and hundredsa month.
Feel free to reach out to usAny travel questions, any
business questions.
I love talking about this stuff.
I could talk about it all daylong.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
I think that's a good point.
I realize.
Realize that, yeah, it's niceindividuals, but your biggest
value add is making sure that agroup of business people get
there safely with the rightbusiness.
So not one of them is turnedaway and they, you know, wasted
15,000 in an air firearm.
That's exactly right.
So that to me is like ano-brainer.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
We're using a firm.
Get your stuff to them oryou're fired.
Oh yeah, yeah, as an individual, we, you know we bring added
value to someone like oh yeah,this makes it easier, but for
business it's like I mean, it'soh, that's no greater.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
Oh my god can you hold team to travel to china, or
?
Oh yeah, no question, uh, thankyou, by the way.
So much for for coming on theshow today thank you.
Thank you for the opportunityyeah, listen, listen Rob Lee,
check him out.
And if you're still listening,watching you rock.
If this was the first timeyou've been here I hope it's the
first of many and if you'vebeen here before you know what
to go do you need to go outthere, cut a tie to whatever's
(32:06):
holding you back, but first tofind
Welcome to the Cut the Tie podcast.
Hi, I'm your host, thomasHelfrich, on a mission to help
you cut a tie to whateverholding you back from success.
As I always say, you have todefine that success on your
terms, otherwise you are chasingsomeone else's dream.
Today, I'm joined by Rob Leeout of the beautiful, windy City
, chicago.
Rob, how?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
are you I'm doing.
Great Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Take a moment, introduce yourself and what it
is you do.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
My name is Rob Lee.
I'm the CEO and co-founder ofSwift Passport and Visa Services
.
We help our clients, mainlybusiness travelers and airline
crew members, obtain USpassports and also international
travel visas to countries likeChina, india, brazil and any
other country you can kind ofthink of.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I asked this question .
Right, that's a competitivemarket.
You could just go right to thesites.
Why do they pick you?
What's the reason, thedifferentiator?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
It's getting even more doable on your own as
technology evolves, but weprovide a level of you could
call it a concierge service thatwe handhold people through the
process.
So we're providing informationon how to do it, but we're
actually doing it for people andwith the Chinese consulate,
(01:14):
it's actually right behind thewall here, right behind me.
You have to either apply inperson or use a service like us,
so we have a good space here inChicago.
We're in a couple other citiesacross the country, but we hand
deliver the documents for peopleso they don't have to come all
the way from Denver to Chicagoto submit a China visa
application.
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
I didn't know that, so that's actually quite helpful
.
So I could give you agency andyou'd walk over there and say,
hey, you want to go for avacation with your kid?
You can walk over there and go.
Got it done for you, you're set.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, exactly.
And then we do the same thingfor US passports as well.
You can do it yourself, you canapply at a regional passport
agency to get it done.
Again, you have to travel to acity where there's a passport
agency, take a day off, workmaybe two days, go in pick it up
, but we walk people through theprocess, hand deliver it and
then deliver it back to them.
It's almost like people come tous they're already kind of in a
(02:06):
, a lot of people in a franticsituation and like we can push
their worries aside, Like, oh, Igot to go to the city and go to
this government agency and wetake a lot of anxiety out of the
situation.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Mine expires in August, so I was looking.
I have to do it online now Ican't even show up.
But I was almost like thiscan't be better because it's the
government.
It's going to be like there'slike 400 steps I need to go
through online and I'm like it'sbad enough in person.
But at least I just got to showup with some documents and I
know I'm whole.
It sounds, it sounds horribleyeah, um, that's so.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
The, the online renewal, is fairly new, but
there's a lot of like facialrecognition, identity and like
uploading this and it's.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
You know there's gonna be a scan of your face and
it's a whole different ballgameyeah, and so I'm gonna try it
and I'm and I'm normally likethank god it's online when it's
the government like oh no rightright even less people to talk
to?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
oh no I just I don't know how, like they, they want
to go that direction, but Idon't know how you're going to
get someone that's I mean, I'm47, someone that's 55, 60, like
like they're going to force themto do like all this facial
recognition through their phoneand like I mean they're setting
up for the next generation yeah,totally bigger problem is like
my parents are no chance to go.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, they want, and there's nowhere for them to go.
Yeah, and and it's like wow, Iguess we're just gonna have the
senior citizens of the worldtravel anymore, because they're
like I'm not doing this tech.
Yeah, exactly, we can go downthat rabbit hole.
You probably should do a wholepodcast on this yeah, I know
there's.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, it's amazing.
I'm just getting people to notfill in the applications by hand
and fill it out on an onlineapplication.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Okay, listen, let's talk about you a little bit.
So, before we get into yourjourney and kind of the times
that you've metaphorically cutto build a business, talk to me
about what it is how you definesuccess.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Yeah, success for me, I think.
I think success evolves andchanges all the time, but I
would say, currently, successfor me is, uh, I would say
there's financial stability, but, uh, I'm, I'm actively involved
in pursuing things that have ahigher purpose for me.
(04:18):
So I'm, I'm able to work in abusiness, run a business that I
love dearly, but I'm also ableto pursue things that I want to
pursue as a person.
And I think maybe a few yearsback, success would have been a
little bit different, maybe witha different identity, like, oh,
I got a really successfulbusiness and maybe identified as
(04:38):
a business guy.
But I think in this moment orrecently, success is being who I
envision myself to be, likefinding a path to be the person
that I want to be, and I thinkit'll evolve as I get through
that, but right now it'spursuing what I want to pursue
(04:59):
and being who I want to be inthis world.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
You're a Gen Xer, so we've always thought that and
been told everything else.
You know the good thing is doyou have kids?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
No, no kids.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
All right, so I do, and it's very clear to me I have
a 16-year-old, 13-year-old and10, and I'm like I'm going to
tell them when they get tocollege level.
I'll be like, listen, we'vedefined your success to this
point.
I want you, from today, to letno one else define it but you,
and the reason is the quickeryou grasp onto that, the happier
your life is going to be,Because success is not a
(05:32):
destination, it is a sun thatyou're chasing, and the further
you get away from that light,the darker it becomes.
Yeah, exactly, so you can keeppace with where the sun is and
that's where you want to gotoward that light.
It doesn't matter what sun youchase, as long as you're chasing
toward one that you want tochase to.
And so I think what you'redescribing is great, because
(05:53):
you're like I have to getfinancial stability.
I had to build a business.
Now I did that.
Now what I wanted to findmyself on term.
So, on your journey, talk to meabout it a little bit, how you
got to you know.
Talk to me about it a littlebit, how you got to you know
being on this wonderful podcastwith Thomas Helfer and what the
big tie was that you had to cutalong the way to achieve that
success you just defined.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah, the journey started.
I really had no business being abusiness person, to be quite
honest.
In 2008, my wife and I westarted the company I have a
forest and resource conservationdegree from Michigan State and
she had a wildlife biology majorfrom the University of Montana
(06:35):
and we met in Montana and,through a wild chain of travels
and adventures, we ended up inChicago and we were both without
a job and had nothing to lose.
And we started this businessbased on having the experience
of going through using a servicelike us, and I don't think I
(06:59):
had the intention of it being assuccessful as it's become.
And you know, we've ended uphere and, as far as the biggest
tie is hands down, uh, kind ofgoing back to that success,
letting my success be defined bysociety or what other people
thought that like, oh, I shouldbe this.
Now I'm this business guy and,uh, this, this egoic identity
(07:23):
with what I should be or what Ishouldn't be, and I lost the
path for a while on followingthat sun, as you mentioned, and
that happened probably midwaythrough the business and, yeah,
that was probably the biggesttie to cut in seconds, the
never-ending cutting of ties, asyou know.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Probably the biggest tie to cut in seconds, a
never-ending cutting of ties, asyou know, the fact that you're
wildly successful withoutrealizing how you got there.
There's probably something tothat.
What I find is us analytical,strategic, really deep-thinking
types.
You're like I want to save theforest and be happy.
You're like I still do.
You were like I want to savethe forest and be happy and
you're like I still do.
The point is sometimes howpeople think in operational
(08:07):
lines, what they chase in lifeof just peace or this really
makes them great business peoplebecause they keep it simple,
because the stress of thecomplication is like you avoid
it For me.
I love that and that makes youa terrible business owner.
I've had a.
Really I don't want to say theword dumb it down, Just simplify
it.
We had a.
Really I don't want to say theword dumb it down, just simplify
it.
Yeah, we, you know we have apodcast or I help people fix
(08:27):
their lead generation problems.
I'm stop talking.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Yeah, that's exactly it, and I didn't.
I didn't also have like all the.
I think like if you come fromlike a corporate world, you know
fortune 500 place or consultantyou have all this chatter about
like how things operate at thatlevel and it's like you have
this kind of default like well,that's how it should be.
At some point it's like no, itshouldn't be, it should be how
(08:53):
you want it to be.
You know, it's like you you getwhen you come in with complete
lack of experience, as we did,you kind of form your own way
the whole way.
Granted, there's a lot ofpitfalls through there, but it's
quite the experience.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Yeah, well, okay, so you got the tie, you got your
success.
You know, interesting journeyenough to get there, you know.
But it comes down to kind ofthat moment when did you know
you were going to have to justmake that change?
Or think, did you have likesomething?
Like you know you're a bearattack to you or something cool,
or I wish, I wish I had a bearattack story.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I actually got.
I actually got.
Really I got sick.
We lived in a house that wasfilled with with black mold, oh
wow.
And I didn't realize that'swhat was happening.
This was almost 10 years agonow and maybe there's a lot of
(09:50):
mental stuff that happened withit, just because that's the
nature of mold illness.
And someone said at the verybeginning of that like, oh, this
is good that you're sick fromthis.
We had to move out of our houseand find a new house.
It actually all turned out tobe yeah, this was good because
it totally opened up, changedeverything and I realized where
I, through an illness, realizedthat there's a lot more going on
(10:14):
than I had thought.
And you know, I didn't know howbad it was until afterwards and
realized, looking back, how badI had gotten, sick-wise and you
know, it just kind of built upslowly over time and then
finally it was like, oh, I hadto change, I had to shift.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
You know I've said this many times that you know,
the man with his health has amillion dreams.
The man without his health hasbut one, and in that moment it
simplifies it again to whatactually matters.
So, moving forward, I hadn'tsurvived like those things If I
hadn't survived this, what youknow, either we have those and I
and I think, unfortunately youhave to go through that
(10:50):
sometimes too oh yeah, otherwisethings are easy.
And then, until it's not, andyou're like, oh, I've wasted my
once again, I'm not gonna godown that path.
This is your show.
There's one you know.
Talk to me about the how,because the how is when you get
it done, and so you know youhave the moment, and then you go
(11:11):
back to life.
How did you keep the how,moving it forward?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
You know.
So I got well fairly quickly,so it wasn't like a long-term
health thing.
But as I started getting wellagain, what happened was the
pandemic within a couple ofyears happened and, because
we're in the travel business,everything stopped.
So I almost had like a doublereset.
One was like a mental reset tobegin with, and then there's
(11:39):
this pandemic where we literallylost everything.
We had to furlough everyone,including ourselves, and we just
had no business for six, sevenmonths of 2020.
Including ourselves, and likewe just had no business for six,
seven months of 2020.
And that it was almost like thatnext level to all, the kind of
clear clarity that I had beforeand it was like, oh, we get to.
We didn't know what we weregoing to do, but we're like, oh,
(12:01):
we just kept dreaming that like, okay, it's going to, business
is going to come back and comeback, and we kept slowly.
We had the opportunity torebuild the business.
I don't think a lot of peopleget that opportunity in business
, but we totally had theopportunity to rebuild from the
ground up and, as 2020 or as thepandemic and things progressed
and business started coming back, I spent a lot of time on
(12:24):
personal growth, both my wifeLori and I.
I we both did just not bychoice, just kind of happened.
And there's this, all of asudden, this vast amount of
space to be able to.
You didn't you know youcouldn't socialize, so like we
started really diving within andthe clarity that came out of
that was what's propelled us towhere we are right now do you
(12:44):
hold on to that like?
Speaker 1 (12:45):
do you still draw upon that experience?
Speaker 2 (12:47):
oh yeah, like, like.
Like part of it is like oh,this is the most stressful time
ever, but a part of it's likewow, that was really amazing was
it like actually today you maylook at stuff and you're like
it's not that stressful.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Guys remember, remember the black mold years,
the black yeah, yeah, the blackplague, yeah, what's been the
impact, uh, for you or customers?
I mean like, how or how do youquantify impact?
Speaker 2 (13:14):
The impact has been with the growth of where the
business is going.
So obviously there's salesgrowth, but I've I've had, since
2018 ish, this idea to developa software like a SAS software
software as a service, and I'vetried I don't know how many
times since 2018 to get the justto get even like the nose off
(13:38):
the ground.
We don't advertise and wecontinually grow, and so we have
this strong organic reach whichwe never had Like we.
We were so in in deep withGoogle ads for so long and uh,
we don't.
We don't rely on that.
We rely on, like, total contentmarketing.
(13:58):
And uh, this application hasfinally come to fruition.
Uh, we're testing it out on oneof our major clients and we're
hoping by the middle of July,that we're using live data for
this, the first round of this,this application, and we're
hoping by the middle of July,that we're using live data for
this, the first round of this,this application.
And I guess the overall impactis that I had clarity that what
(14:18):
happens up here in my head, howmy head is, how the space is
within my, in between my ears,is exactly how the business is
going to be.
So, like, if this is cloudy,whatever the business is going
to be kind of wandering around,but without, without intention
and without you know like it's.
It's, it's such as a businessowner.
It's.
It's amazing.
This is a direct correlation tothe the path of the business.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Yeah, it is.
I like how you think with thisbecause you're drawing back upon
stuff constantly, right to doit, and then it and you're not
spending.
It's like you're spending a lotof time like over analyzing it.
You're just doing it and thenreact, and not reacting but
adjusting.
So the difference between thosetwo, like I'm looking at with
the intent of I'm going tonavigate just a little bit, as
opposed to oh, no, no, jerkreactions like no, no, that's
(15:06):
right.
Just maybe a deeper dive onthat, right, you have a vision.
What happens when the vision ofhow it should be meets data
that says no?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Yeah, I think that's happened quite a few times.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
I would have been surprised if it didn't.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Well, with this project, specifically like
financial or just like the scope, I think, kind of like with
success, like we talked aboutearlier it's like it's constant
refinement, or just not evenrefinement, just adjustment.
It's like you're following thissun or this goal that you have,
(15:45):
and there's always going to bethings that come into the way.
That's just how this existenceon earth works.
There's always something andit's like you can.
You can either use that as aroadblock or it's like oh, maybe
we have to pivot to the left tokeep going in that direction.
I think it's giving.
I've been able to give myselfspace to not react.
(16:07):
I think that was probably oneof the biggest.
If I had any regrets, I don'thave any regrets, but how often
I reacted to something insteadof taking the time to think
about it and not had a knee jerkreaction to something, and
especially when an obstaclecomes in the way.
It's like life throws usobstacles every single day and
it's like you know if you reactto, if you react to the bulk of
(16:27):
them, you're not you're not.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
You're just going to be stagnant.
You know that cheesy thing.
That is true.
Like you know life, fivepercent of you know how you
react to it, not 95 you can'tcontrol, so it's just, you might
as well control the fivepercent of let's react to it,
right, or maybe it's 95.
What you react to, it's fivepercent.
We can't the.
The point, but actually one ofthe things that came to mind
from metal I love metaphors isif your, if your path to the sun
was flat, nothing in the way,it would get really boring.
(16:54):
Oh god, you still worry abouthead-on traffic.
Right, something might smash,that doesn't change.
You know there's still risk,but it's just boring.
So unless there's like curvesand hills and mountains and some
shit falling on the roadoccasionally, you'd have nothing
to talk about and you would getthere and be like, well, that
was boring.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Yeah, exactly.
And all of a sudden you're at adestination where all of the
you know again, not to be cliche, but all the lessons along the
way through the journey.
You know like the journey is,the is, the uh is where it all
happens.
It's not the destination,because the destination is
always changing too.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
You know the destination is always changing
too.
You know it might be this, this, this big goal, but like the
destination is kind ofconstantly changing people in
the dog times.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
You know you get to the destination.
You're like pictures werebetter than I imagine.
Yeah, or or, or.
What's next now?
That's great.
What's next like within minutes?
Speaker 1 (17:43):
sorry, um, I got emotional there.
What's been, uh like, the mostgrateful thing currently in your
life?
Like, or what do you?
I got emotional there.
What's been the most gratefulthing currently in your life?
What are you most grateful fortoday?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
I'm grateful for, obviously, the fundamentals
Right now I'm grateful for I canhonestly say that you know
we're talking about thingsfalling in the path, like the
obstacles.
It's like how much let me thinkthis out I'm grateful for all
(18:27):
that I have and you know I livea life that's comfortable for me
.
All that is you know, withoutneeding to be mentioned.
However, I'm grateful foreverything that's happened where
I've grown.
I think, like you know, Imentioned an illness.
(18:48):
Like I look back.
Someone said that like, oh, thisis great, and I was like, yeah,
it was great, uh, and like justlooking at every, every
obstacle being the path and justgrateful for all that.
I'm just grateful for life inthis moment.
I know that might sound cheesyor whatever, but it's like I,
everything that happens, it'slike I, everything that happens,
it's like holy crap, this is,this is, this is great.
(19:10):
I mean, it might take it mighttake a little bit to figure,
figure out the great part, butyou know it's like yeah, I, I'm,
I'm, I'm grateful.
And then I'm, most of all, I'mreally grateful to have a.
I feel I'm beyond fortunate tohave a wife and a partner, lori,
like we've been in business for, been married for almost 20
years, been in business foralmost 20 years.
(19:31):
We've done it all togetherhighs, lows, all of it and we
still enjoy being with eachother as long as you don't teach
her golf, you won't be breakingany federal law.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
No, thank God, that's not onthe docket.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
I told my wife golf and they're like dude, you
realize that's like a federallaw, you can't do that.
I was like no, she's like.
She actually said I did a goodjob, so I don't.
But we could not be partnersLike we would be done.
It would be game over in thatmoment, Like nope, I'm fired,
You're fired, who cares?
Speaker 2 (20:01):
I'm out.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
That'd be after the morning standup movie In Things
happen for you, even whenthey're happening to you, and
maybe no one gets it right rightaway.
If anybody does, they're like amonk.
Why am I starving right now?
But I love that I take awaysometimes Pearl Jam quotes.
(20:27):
I don't know why.
Nature has its own religionright, the gospel from the land
right, and so the idea beingthat, like you just listen to
that you know story of the manof the hour, it's like you just
listen to what's around you,it's it's got its own vibe and
thing.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Absolutely.
And the whole, the whole lifeis happening for you and not to
you is like right.
You can realize that, oh man.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
I believe that what ifs are reserved for the future?
Only yes, yes, because youthink, what if in the past?
Speaker 2 (20:59):
it's like you're just what's the point oh yeah, like
the yeah, I meant that, likewe've all I, I think it's safe
to assume that most of us havebeen there, like, like, we live
in the what ifs of like, what ifI did this?
Remember napoleon dynamite?
Uh, the uncle, uncle rico fromnapoleon dynamite, he, oh yeah,
if the coach would have put mein, I would have made it.
I don't know if you rememberthat.
(21:22):
We would have won state Exactly.
Yeah, I clearly remember living.
What if I did this differently?
What if I did that?
It's like well, that's not whathappens.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Exactly, I love it.
What's kind of the biggest tieholding your business back today
?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
surprise question was yeah, that is yeah.
No, that's like that's a goodone.
Uh, I think the biggest tie isstill stories that I tell myself
about being able to dosomething or worthiness of doing
(22:04):
something, for example, thisapplication that we're building.
There's a lot of old storiesthat kind of run their courses
in the head and I think lettinggo of that or cutting that tie
of these old stories like, well,why the hell can't I have a SAS
software that's wildlysuccessful, you know, like it's
(22:25):
not, it's not reserved forsomeone in Silicon Valley or
whatever, and I think it's, it'sthe it's, it's these old
stories of saying that I'm notenough I think is probably the
biggest thing that I could cutright now.
That that will propel thebusiness, cause, like I said
before, you know it's, it's likeif I, if I cut that tie here in
my head, the business, thebusiness, will be free.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Isn't that crazy how the uh, your, the problem's
always like between monitor andthe back of the chair yeah,
Somewhere right around here,maybe, or left here right here.
But the fact that you know thatit's when, you don't know that
it's in you, and then you canjournalize it, the excuses or
fears or entitlements, if youwill, that's when it's a problem
(23:11):
.
If you've identified it, you'realready ahead of it.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Yeah, and it's taken a lot of years to get to the
point to be able to identify it.
Or even if someone suggests it,it's not like, oh, I'm not
going to resist it, but it'slike, oh, maybe that's how I am.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Yeah, Ooh, you know I like you.
So I'm 49, and I just startedADHD medicine and I go back to
my first big job, where day onemy manager goes you need to
change your personality.
And I was like you can goyourself.
How about that?
Right, I'm like.
But he was right, he nailed it,he was right.
(23:46):
I've been asked to leave aboutsix times since, right, um, so
the point being is you know, at49, I'm like maybe I should have
looked into the medicine, notlisten to my parents once I
became an adult.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Yeah, right, yeah that's a big one I will tell you
, like you're right.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
So so get out of your head, figure it out, because
the truth is uh, it's now, nowthat you've identified it is
just an excuse.
So, whatever it is, oh, totallyall right before we let's get
into this, I want you to givesome really pointed advice to a
listener and tell me who thatlistener is.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
The listener would be a person that's thinking about,
or in the midst of starting abusiness based on a passion or
just like a out of necessity.
I think that's someone that Ican definitely speak to.
And then did you say advice forthat person.
Sorry, yeah.
So what would you tell them?
And then did you say advice forthat person?
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Sorry, yeah.
So what would you tell them?
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I just exactly what we talked about the success of
the business is.
As an entrepreneur and anyleader, I think the success of
of your business is directlyrelated to the state of
wellbeing in your mind as aleader and how you, how you
perceive what's happening,whether it's happening to you or
(24:59):
for you.
I think there's this transitioneven even as a business like,
oh, why is this obstacle in theway of our growth as a business?
Well, it's also.
It's an obstacle, but it's anopportunity to to reconfigure
and, like the I just I reallylive by the code that what
happens up here is is a guyguides the business through and
(25:20):
through.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
Oh, absolutely.
And then the people around you.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Yeah, and then building the team around you
that has has a similar way ofbeing yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Yeah, no, no, no question.
Uh me some rapid fire questions.
I usually say ask what's thebest advice.
I'm going to flip it today.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
What's the worst business advice you've ever
received?
Work harder, that was like.
That was like the like.
I think I've received that frommy dad.
Pause by the way you're likework harder, that's it.
That's the answer.
Like cause, I worked hard for10, 12 years of the business.
Like that's all I thought I hadto give to the business.
And well, her work's great, butlike no that's not the only
thing.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
It drives me nuts.
Alex Hermosi is like go workevery day for the next 30 days.
I'm like let's talk to21-year-olds, because I don't
know who in their 40s with kidscan do that Anyway.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Yeah, yeah.
Work harder should betransferred to work smarter.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Now, if you could do both, yes, you will succeed.
How about just less netflix?
It's probably a better answer.
Yeah, um, you know, uh, isthere a must-read book?
You, you put on the list outthere for people yeah, I just
finished it, uh, for the secondtime.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
It was a long time ago that I read it for the first
time.
Man search for meaning victorfrankl.
I heard that one.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
It's anything you got out of it uh, it's, it's.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
it's a story, story of this scientist that got put
into concentration camps inWorld War II.
And it's not about theconcentration camps, but it's
about finding the purpose whenthere's an apparent nothingness
to find inspiration to, and it'sjust like there's always a
little guiding light to keepgoing forward.
And uh, it's, it's, it's abeautiful store.
(27:00):
The the plot line is is darkand grim, but the story of it is
beautiful.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I will definitely.
That is not on my list.
I mean, there's like 10 thatrepeat.
That's a new one.
So congratulations.
Two points for you.
If you had to go back in yourtimeline at any point and do
something different, start overwhen would that be?
And, if at all, what would youdo differently?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
I would say I'd go back to probably the beginning
of all of this, because I don'thave many regrets or any regrets
, but just I would give myselfthe advice that we've been
talking about, about how lifehappens for you, not to you,
because I lived in a way ofbeing where life was happening
(27:51):
to me and then happening to thebusiness, and I think starting
that out from the beginningwould have, could have.
Would have, could have, shouldhave changed everything you know
, but it, but that.
That that's probably.
I came into a business with a,with a, with a mind frame that
was young and you know like Iwas in my late twenties when we
started it.
(28:11):
So it's like, you know, likethere's, there's that, but I
think I would have, I woulddefinitely give myself that
advice but not change anythingelse other than that advice,
Once again quoting Pearl Jam,the wisdom that the old can't
give away.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Yeah, exactly that's a great one, I'm full of them,
trust me.
Fan Club's in 94.
Nice.
If you're a Pearl Jam person,you get two points.
Dad points, you make them up.
If you have a Pearl Jam person,you get two points, dad points,
you make them up.
If you have kids, you get likebillions.
You're like where can I spendthem?
I'm like great question.
All right, If there was aquestion I should have asked you
(28:47):
today and I didn't, what wouldthat question have been?
Speaker 2 (28:51):
What would that question have been?
What would that question havebeen?
Maybe what's?
Speaker 1 (29:03):
a tie that I'm still afraid to cut.
I probably should add it to mylist.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Honestly, that's pretty damn good.
We all have one.
I'm like you have one, I'm sureyou have one.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Actually, I'm going to add that to my list.
So we have someone in our lobbycoming in next, you're getting
that one.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
And I think it would be this, this idea that the
success, the conventionalsuccess model, and like what
success looks like.
I think there's deeper levelsof that that I get to let go of
and define what's successful forme.
Oh, this is successful, butit's like, oh, the business
(29:41):
revenue has got to be here.
And it's like, no, does it haveto be there?
Speaker 1 (29:47):
I love that I'm actually adding that in, because
the one you're afraid to cuttoday is the one that you know
you should have cut yesterday,and as your definition of
success changes, new thingsappear that hold you back from
it.
And listen, I live this andsometimes that's really.
I'm going to give you a millionpoints.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
A million, all right, you can spend those wherever
you want.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
I was actually thinking.
The question I should ask youis which consulate is the worst?
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Yeah, brazil, really, they just drag things out for
no reason.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
Maybe you put everything in three, four times,
they go faster.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Yeah right.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
All right, shameless plug time.
Who's the one person or companythat should get a hold of you,
and how do you want them to dothat?
Speaker 2 (30:42):
One company.
We work so well with businessesthat travel internationally big
groups of people traveling toAsia, overseas, india, airline
crew members.
Airline crew members that's ourspecialty.
I would say we're probably thepremier airline crew member visa
procurement company in thecountry.
(31:03):
We handle hundreds and hundredsa month.
Feel free to reach out to usAny travel questions, any
business questions.
I love talking about this stuff.
I could talk about it all daylong.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
I think that's a good point.
I realize.
Realize that, yeah, it's niceindividuals, but your biggest
value add is making sure that agroup of business people get
there safely with the rightbusiness.
So not one of them is turnedaway and they, you know, wasted
15,000 in an air firearm.
That's exactly right.
So that to me is like ano-brainer.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
We're using a firm.
Get your stuff to them oryou're fired.
Oh yeah, yeah, as an individual, we, you know we bring added
value to someone like oh yeah,this makes it easier, but for
business it's like I mean, it'soh, that's no greater.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
Oh my god can you hold team to travel to china, or
?
Oh yeah, no question, uh, thankyou, by the way.
So much for for coming on theshow today thank you.
Thank you for the opportunityyeah, listen, listen Rob Lee,
check him out.
And if you're still listening,watching you rock.
If this was the first timeyou've been here I hope it's the
first of many and if you'vebeen here before you know what
to go do you need to go outthere, cut a tie to whatever's
(32:06):
holding you back, but first tofind
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.