From Ideas to Action with Carolyn Hearn - The Long Game - Ep. #87

The Power of Proximity - The Long Game - Ep. #90

The room you walk into might change everything. But only if you walk in. In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Ryan shares why the power of proximity is one of the most underrated tools available to any entrepreneur, and why the biggest mistake people make with it is thinking too small about who belongs in the room. Ryan breaks down why cross-industry rooms often produce more meaningful shifts than industry-specific ones. When someone outside your world looks at how you operate and asks "why do you do it that way?", that question alone can unlock a perspective no conference in your own niche ever would.  He walks through how this philosophy shaped his own trajectory, from showing up alone in a suit to a Worcester networking event, to building some of his closest business partnerships and finding his path into real estate investing entirely through the connections made that evening. What You'll Learn: * Why cross-industry rooms produce more meaningful perspective shifts than staying in your own niche * What the power of proximity actually looks like in practice, and why it's rarely the "golden key" moment people expect * How Ryan's entire path into real estate investing started from one networking event he almost skipped * Why the mindset of someone running an eight or nine-figure company looks fundamentally different, and what you can absorb just by being in the room * How two people who met at a single event after hours went on to build multiple eight-figure companies together * Why showing up alone, not knowing anyone, is often where the most important connections begin * What Ryan set out to create with the Ascend Summit, and why the philosophy behind it goes back to this exact idea If you're someone who keeps putting off the event, the meetup, or the room you know you should be in, this episode is a direct and honest case for why that next step might be the one that changes everything. Interested in connecting? HOST Ryan Richards | Branch Manager, Northpoint Mortgage | NMLS 1987735 rrichards@trynorthpoint.com | www.financewithteamrichards.com  204 Turnpike Rd, Westborough, MA 01581 Licensed in MA, CT, FL, NC, NH, PA, RI, ME, TN Follow us on Instagram @financewithteamrichards @the.longgamepodcast #TheLongGamePodcast #FinanceWithTeamRichards Chapters: 00:00 Why Create This Room 00:30 Power of Proximity 00:41 Cross Industry Perspectives 01:26 Connections Not Secrets 02:25 Why Ascend Summit Exists 02:38 Event Stories That Changed Everything 03:26 My Networking Event Turning Point 03:52 Showing Up Alone 04:11 Meet Five People Rule 04:48 Thinking Like Bigger Operators 05:26 Bigger Problems Bigger Decisions 06:02 Your Circle Shapes Trajectory 06:22 Final Takeaways

Prioritizing People Over Profit with Jamie Sanborn - The Long Game - Ep. #89

Most people see the glam, but few see the 15-hour days that built it. In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Ryan sits down with Jamie Sanborn, owner of One Eleven RX, a med spa based in Auburn, MA, to talk about what it actually takes to build a thriving business in an industry that looks a lot easier than it is. Jamie started One Eleven RX out of pure necessity. A registered nurse for 15 years, she was climbing the corporate ladder, running operations for a wound care center, making six figures, and still felt like something was missing. She started with spray tans out of her house, bootstrapped her way into aesthetics, and built a team of 14 doing multiple seven figures annually. Her path wasn't linear, and she doesn't pretend it was.  They talk about why Jamie hires for bedside manner over skill, what it means to "eat last" as a leader, how she navigated finding a compliant medical director partnership in one of the most regulated states in the country, and why staying honest with your team is the foundation everything else is built on. What You'll Learn: * Why the med spa industry is far more medically serious than its Instagram presence suggests, and what compliance really looks like for an RN-owned practice in Massachusetts * How Jamie went from spray tans out of her house to a team of 14 doing multiple seven figures, and what the bootstrapped middle looked like * Why hiring for bedside manner and cultural fit beats hiring for technical skill every time * What "eating last" actually looks like in practice, and why it's the single best thing a leader can do to build team loyalty * How to know when you're ready to open a second location, and why opening too early is one of the most common mistakes in growing businesses * Why building a business forces you to confront your own blind spots, whether you're ready to or not * How to think about the nature versus nurture question as an entrepreneur who learned the game from watching a parent do it first If you're building a business in a service industry and trying to figure out how to grow without losing the personal touch that got you there, this episode is a practical and honest look at what that actually requires. Interested in connecting? GUEST Jamie Sanborn Founder, One Eleven RX  jamie@oneelevenrx.com | https://www.oneelevenrx.com  Instagram: @jamie.injx | @oneelevenrx  HOST Ryan Richards | Branch Manager, Northpoint Mortgage | NMLS 1987735 rrichards@trynorthpoint.com | www.financewithteamrichards.com  204 Turnpike Rd, Westborough, MA 01581 Licensed in MA, CT, FL, NC, NH, PA, RI, ME, TN Follow us on Instagram @financewithteamrichards @the.longgamepodcast #TheLongGamePodcast #FinanceWithTeamRichards Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:03 Meet Jamie Sanborn 02:40 From Spray Tans to Botox 04:53 Making the Leap 08:38 Growth Goals and Scaling 10:37 Hiring and Culture Fit 15:33 Leading with Service 19:05 Expansion Timing and Marketing 20:24 Cash Flow and Inventory Lessons 26:39 Finding the Right MD Partner 27:33 Doctor Partnership Setup 28:55 Staying Compliant 31:12 Choosing Core Services 32:53 Building Specialist Team 33:40 From Operator to Leader 35:59 Entrepreneur Mindset Reality 38:12 Injection Risks Training 39:47 Botox vs Filler Explained 44:34 Mentorship Full Circle 45:56 Advice Nature Nurture Wrap

Building The Plane In The Air - The Long Game - Ep. #88

A month in, with two new hires thriving. The only regret: not doing it a year ago. In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Ryan shares what he learned in the 30 days since bringing on two new hires, an operations coordinator and a marketing manager, and why the only regret he has is not doing it sooner. Ryan walks through the 40 to 50 hours of preparation work he put in before his new team members ever showed up: mapping his existing systems, building a central operating manual, and documenting how he makes decisions so that two people could walk in and hit the ground running. He's transparent about what worked, what didn't, and why most of the systems he built were meant to be reshaped on the fly. The real value wasn't in getting it perfect. It was in having a foundation. What You'll Learn: * Why most entrepreneurs' hiring problem is actually a systems problem in disguise * How to document your own processes before you can effectively hand them off to someone else * Why imperfect action still requires a baseline level of organization to succeed * What "intangibles" actually look like when you're hiring for a small, growing team * Why technical skill and cultural fit are not the same thing, and which one matters more * How to create enough autonomy that a new hire can contribute from day one without constant hand-holding * Why Ryan went from a team of three to a team of five in two weeks, and what that decision taught him If you're running your own business and feeling the pull to hire but keep stalling, this episode gives you a practical, honest look at what it actually takes to bring someone on and make it work. Interested in connecting? HOST Ryan Richards | Branch Manager, Northpoint Mortgage | NMLS 1987735 rrichards@trynorthpoint.com | www.financewithteamrichards.com  204 Turnpike Rd, Westborough, MA 01581 Licensed in MA, CT, FL, NC, NH, PA, RI, ME, TN Follow us on Instagram @financewithteamrichards @the.longgamepodcast #TheLongGamePodcast #FinanceWithTeamRichards Chapters: 00:00 Hiring Hesitation 00:21 Two New Hires Update 00:55 Regret And Readiness 01:37 Scaling Fast To Five 02:01 Documenting Your Work 03:08 Build A Company OS 03:55 Plans Will Change 04:23 Hire For Intangibles 05:56 Know Your Strengths 06:22 Blueprint For Autonomy 06:53 One Month In Results 07:04 What's Next Growth Plan

From Ideas to Action with Carolyn Hearn - The Long Game - Ep. #87

Most people don't have a knowledge problem. They have an action problem. In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Ryan sits down with Carolyn Hearn, a Dispositions Manager at Moss Home Solutions, a real estate wholesaling company based in Rhode Island, to talk about what it actually looks like to move from idea to action at 23 years old. Carolyn has been with Moss Home Solutions since she was 19, studying real estate at Penn State while building real-world experience every summer. Now full-time in dispositions and on her second house flip, she moves before she has every answer and figures it out on the way. Ryan and Carolyn also dig into analysis paralysis, the case for building a team before you feel ready, and what the nature versus nurture question actually looks like for two entrepreneurs who both learned the game from their dads. What You'll Learn: * Why taking imperfect action beats waiting for the perfect plan, and what it actually costs to learn on a live deal * How to use proximity to people who are further along as a shortcut that no book can replicate * Why the advice "swim with the river" beats pushing yourself into a mold that doesn't fit * What it really looks like to build a team from scratch, including how Ryan onboarded his marketing manager with a whiteboard instead of an SOP * The difference between doing everything yourself to build competence and doing everything yourself out of habit * Why gratitude and endurance work together as a mental framework for entrepreneurs at every level * How to know if your goal is big enough: if it doesn't make you smile when you say it out loud, set a bigger one If you're early in your entrepreneurial journey and still waiting until you know enough to start, this episode will show you what it looks like to build confidence through action instead. Interested in connecting? GUEST Carolyn Hearn Dispositions Manager, Moss Home Solutions  carolyn@mosshomesolutions.com | https://mosshomesolutions.com Instagram: @carolyn.real.estate  YouTube: @carolynhearn6239 HOST Ryan Richards | Branch Manager, Northpoint Mortgage | NMLS 1987735 rrichards@trynorthpoint.com | www.financewithteamrichards.com  204 Turnpike Rd, Westborough, MA 01581 Licensed in MA, CT, FL, NC, NH, PA, RI, ME, TN Follow us on Instagram @financewithteamrichards @the.longgamepodcast #TheLongGamePodcast #FinanceWithTeamRichards Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:04 Her Real Estate Path 03:55 Wholesaling Explained 05:22 Power of Proximity 07:39 Who Not How Mindset 09:48 Building a Team Fast 15:27 Flip One vs Flip Two 19:48 Lessons From Mistakes 22:45 Beating Analysis Paralysis 24:09 Mentors Dad vs Moss 27:50 Big Goals and Empire 29:49 Host Vision and Business 30:59 Why Businesses Win 33:41 Second Flip Solo 38:06 Protecting Personal Time 40:23 Atomic Habits Showing Up 42:11 Get in the Room 43:33 Starting a YouTube Channel 47:06 Advice Gratitude and Endure 51:59 Nature Versus Nurture 56:12 Final Wrap and Next Steps

Anticipating Success with Early Hiring - The Long Game - Ep. #86

Most entrepreneurs don't have a hiring problem. They have a timing problem. In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Ryan Richards discusses hiring before you think you're ready. Drawing from his own experience building out his team, Ryan breaks down why waiting until you're overwhelmed is the exact moment hiring becomes hardest, and what it costs you when momentum stalls. Ryan walks through the two traps entrepreneurs fall into when they wait too long to delegate: either they stop promoting new business to protect their service levels, or they try to do both and watch quality slip. He unpacks the "snowball" problem, where hesitation hands your competitors the time they need to close the gap.  Find the right person, build the systems together, and stop letting the fear of imperfection slow down what is already working. What You'll Learn: * Why hiring when you're already overwhelmed makes the process harder, not easier * How waiting too long forces a costly trade-off between promoting new business and serving existing clients * Why momentum is more valuable than perfection when you're in a growth phase * How delaying a hire gives competitors time to catch up on what makes your approach unique * Why you don't need a complete SOP or perfect systems before bringing someone on * The mental shift from "I can't afford to hire" to "I can't afford not to" * How to frame a new role honestly with candidates when you're building the position from scratch If you're a business owner who keeps saying you need help but keeps putting off the hire, this episode will show you exactly what that delay is costing you, and what to do about it instead. Interested in connecting? HOST Ryan Richards | Branch Manager, Northpoint Mortgage | NMLS 1987735 rrichards@trynorthpoint.com | www.financewithteamrichards.com  204 Turnpike Rd, Westborough, MA 01581 Licensed in MA, CT, FL, NC, NH, PA, RI, ME, TN Follow us on Instagram @financewithteamrichards @the.longgamepodcast #TheLongGamePodcast #FinanceWithTeamRichards Chapters: 00:00 Reflecting on Growth 01:02 The Hiring Lesson 01:45 Capacity Kills Promotion 02:16 Service vs Sales Tradeoff 03:35 Momentum and Competition 04:17 Fear and Worst Case 06:36 Building the Team Vision 07:00 Final Takeaway