Order of Man - 117： Turning Your Passion Into Your Profession ｜ Dale Partridge

00:00:00.000 I have never met a man who did not have a dream or, at a minimum, an idea for what his future holds.

00:00:05.380 But that said, I have met plenty of men who died with that dream still inside them.

00:00:09.940 And there's a lot of reasons for this, and whether that's fear or a lack of understanding

00:00:14.240 what it's actually going to take to turn your dream into a reality,

00:00:17.840 you owe it to yourself and the world to pursue it.

00:00:21.100 My guest today, Dale Partridge, shares with us how to find that passion,

00:00:24.720 identifying problems that are actually worth solving,

00:00:27.020 a three-part formula for creating workable solutions and how to turn your passion into your profession.

00:00:33.700 You're a man of action. You live life to the fullest.

00:00:36.660 Embrace your fears and boldly chart your own path.

00:00:39.600 When life knocks you down, you get back up one more time, every time.

00:00:44.080 You are not easily deterred or defeated, rugged, resilient, strong.

00:00:49.120 This is your life. This is who you are.

00:00:51.640 This is who you will become at the end of the day.

00:00:54.220 And after all is said and done, you can call yourself a man.

00:00:58.900 Guys, what is going on today?

00:01:00.260 My name is Ryan Mickler, and I am the host and founder of the Order of Man podcast.

00:01:04.380 Man, what a great couple of weeks.

00:01:06.660 The podcast is growing.

00:01:08.260 The Facebook group is growing.

00:01:10.020 The Iron Council is growing.

00:01:11.320 We've sold out our Tribe Builder course.

00:01:13.440 We're getting very close on closing out our meetup in Kansas City,

00:01:16.880 which will take place in August.

00:01:18.140 But with all of that said, I do have to apologize first

00:01:22.260 because I've had some listeners reach out in frustration over the past couple of weeks

00:01:27.020 because they don't know everything that we have going on.

00:01:29.960 And we do have a lot going on.

00:01:32.420 I am working on a solution to that.

00:01:34.140 But in the meantime, most of what is happening within the order,

00:01:37.420 I share in our Facebook group,

00:01:39.480 which you can find at facebook.com slash groups slash order of man.

00:01:43.400 And through email, which you can get access to at order of man.com.

00:01:47.340 So make sure you do that.

00:01:48.640 Again, we are coming up with some solutions to make sure you know

00:01:51.420 everything that is going on and all that we're doing.

00:01:54.040 I do want to thank you for being here,

00:01:55.980 for tuning into what I would consider the manliest podcast available on the interwebs.

00:02:00.860 As I'm sure you know by now, we are interviewing the world's most successful men,

00:02:04.980 guys like Tim Kennedy, Jocko Willink, Andy Frisilla.

00:02:08.580 We've had Lewis Howes on the show, Grant Cardone, Chris Peranto, so many more.

00:02:12.320 We are learning their lessons, the good, the bad, the ugly, all of it.

00:02:16.480 And then we're bringing those lessons straight to you.

00:02:18.460 I already told you a little bit about what's going on,

00:02:20.580 but I would first like to personally invite you to join our exclusive brotherhood,

00:02:25.520 the Iron Council.

00:02:26.920 Again, I'm going to tell you more about it during our break.

00:02:29.000 But if you feel like you are an elite, high caliber man,

00:02:32.520 you're probably wanting to surround yourself with other elite, high caliber men.

00:02:37.940 And that is exactly who you're going to find inside the Iron Council.

00:02:41.160 So if you're interested in what we're up to there,

00:02:43.240 you can go to orderofman.com slash Iron Council.

00:02:47.000 Today, guys, I am talking with Dale Partridge.

00:02:49.700 A lot of you are probably familiar with him and follow him maybe even on Facebook.

00:02:53.580 I actually started following Dale and his work years ago as I was launching Order of Man

00:02:57.700 because this is a guy that has so much to share when it comes to building a brand

00:03:01.860 and launching a business and actually making it work.

00:03:05.200 So I reached out to him when I very first started a couple of years ago.

00:03:08.680 He had just written his book, People Over Profit.

00:03:11.300 And unfortunately, we were not able to connect at that point.

00:03:14.440 But when his team reached out to me for the launch of his new book,

00:03:18.440 which is called Launch Your Dream, I jumped at that opportunity.

00:03:22.040 Some of what Dale and I talk about today are the exact,

00:03:25.580 exact strategies that I have used to turn Order of Man from

00:03:28.880 what was a side interest that I was doing in the morning and in the evening

00:03:33.380 to a multi-six-figure business in just two short years.

00:03:37.340 So I love what this guy has to share, who he is, how he shows up when it comes to being

00:03:41.360 a seven-figure business owner, a husband, a father, and just a good man in general.

00:03:46.940 Enjoy this one, guys.

00:03:49.760 Dale, what's up, brother?

00:03:50.580 Thanks for joining me on the show today.

00:03:52.300 Dude, stoked to be here.

00:03:53.660 Yeah, I know.

00:03:54.180 We tried to connect.

00:03:55.240 Gosh, it must have been.

00:03:56.340 So when did you write People Over Profit?

00:03:58.260 We wrote People Over Profit in May of 2015.

00:04:01.420 Oh, I guess that's when it published.

00:04:02.900 I mean, I wrote it a year and a half before that, right?

00:04:04.860 It takes like a year for anything to get done through a publisher these days.

00:04:07.620 It's crazy.

00:04:08.500 So that's actually when I started.

00:04:10.520 I started in, I think it was March, the end of March of 2015.

00:04:14.280 And so we weren't able to connect then, but man, I'm glad we're able to connect now.

00:04:17.740 Yeah, super excited to chat today.

00:04:19.320 So let's talk about your new book, Launch Your Dream,

00:04:21.560 which this is a 30-day course, essentially, guide, if you will,

00:04:24.460 which I really appreciate how it was written.

00:04:26.380 But the first thing I want to lead off with is passion,

00:04:28.820 because I think this is such a buzzword.

00:04:30.480 And you even addressed it.

00:04:32.080 Everybody talks about it.

00:04:33.420 Just help me understand what you mean by passion,

00:04:35.820 so that we can set maybe some framework for the discussion.

00:04:38.820 Yeah, we've impoverished the word passion in our society, right?

00:04:42.580 We've just totally stripped it and vandalized it of everything it was at one point.

00:04:46.260 Yes.

00:04:46.780 And passion is not something that makes you happy or something that makes you excited.

00:04:51.760 Like, oh, I'm passionate about chocolate.

00:04:53.500 No, that's not what it's talking about, right?

00:04:55.000 The word passion was originally defined in the Greek.

00:04:58.160 The way that it was actually used for the very first time was to describe Christ's suffering on the cross.

00:05:04.280 And we know that because that's why Mel Gibson did his movie, The Passion of the Christ, right?

00:05:08.460 The idea is the definition originally was a passion is the willingness to suffer for something that you love.

00:05:15.640 And, I mean, for me as a business owner, for anybody that's listening that's a business owner or passionate,

00:05:20.480 like truly passionate about something, you guys understand that it hurts.

00:05:24.860 You know, it actually, like, it's painful.

00:05:26.820 You know, you're actually suffering for it.

00:05:28.460 There's a problem that you need to fix, and it hurts so bad because you're constantly thinking to the solution.

00:05:33.460 You're constantly working toward creating that better ideal.

00:05:37.240 And that feeling right there, that's true passion.

00:05:39.840 Passion isn't like, oh, I'm passionate about my garden.

00:05:41.880 You know, like there's something that you really can't function without solving this problem.

00:05:46.500 It's almost like sinful if you didn't take on that project.

00:05:50.320 This makes sense, and it's certainly something that I adhere to and part of the reason we've started our project.

00:05:55.160 And I recognize that there was a need in the world, and so that's why we've done what we've done.

00:05:59.480 And certainly there are days of suffering.

00:06:01.800 So I understand what you're talking about here.

00:06:04.000 But what keeps most men from doing this?

00:06:05.880 Because I imagine everybody, and correct me if I'm wrong, has a pretty, not, I won't say pretty good idea, but has at least some understanding of what they might be passion to your definition about what keeps people from moving forward with this.

00:06:19.000 Yeah, you know, there's a lot of lies that we believe in terms of we're not qualified or we're not capable of doing certain things or we're not ready of doing these things.

00:06:28.680 And I've just learned that entrepreneurs learn by doing, not learning to do, right?

00:06:32.300 It's just one of those things that we must jump in.

00:06:34.380 Again, entrepreneurs learn by doing, not learning to do.

00:06:36.960 And a lot of men really believe that, oh, I need to go to four years of business school and go into $80,000 of debt before I know what I'm doing.

00:06:44.180 I think we're kind of starting to uncover that that's a bad idea and not smart for men to be going into debt and starting off their careers that way.

00:06:51.620 But, you know, I believe that there is a deep desire in men to turn their career into a calling.

00:06:55.980 And I believe that men are designed, intimately, biologically, physiologically designed to be providers and to be protectors.

00:07:03.940 And I think the idea of a man without a job that he loves is similar to a woman who wants a child and can't have one. 0.99

00:07:10.780 And so there's something pretty deep about that in terms of, you know, and we've seen this, right?

00:07:14.360 We've seen women that are trying to have babies, you know, with their husband and their five years going through infertility.

00:07:19.200 It's a big deal, right?

00:07:20.140 Like it's, you could see the woman's heart breaking.

00:07:22.120 And I think the same is true for a man who has a job that he hates and it doesn't have purpose.

00:07:28.560 He can't tie his work to changing the world or to creating the life that he wants or to attacking the true passions of his heart.

00:07:36.860 And so there's a huge deal there in terms of, you know, men are designed to be providers and protectors.

00:07:42.380 And when we are stripping or emasculating that out of ourselves, it really does affect us in a big way.

00:07:47.800 So, yeah, I think work is so important and not just work, but work that you love.

00:07:50.820 What is the first step in this?

00:07:52.480 I mean, let's assume that a guy has an idea.

00:07:54.640 He's probably in a career or a job that's unfulfilling, unrewarding, unsatisfactory to him.

00:08:00.300 And I think as we go through maybe the context of this book, the first thing you talk about is get ready and you have some steps in there.

00:08:06.300 What does it actually look like to get ready to get yourself in a position, whether that's financially or mentally, to prepare to make some of these changes in your life?

00:08:14.440 Yeah, you know, ideas are a dime a dozen, right?

00:08:16.240 It's really the ability to execute these ideas.

00:08:18.980 In my experience, it really does start with an idea.

00:08:22.000 And, you know, ideas for me, they're all about a few things.

00:08:24.700 One is that it's timing, right?

00:08:26.620 Is the timing right in terms of the market?

00:08:29.000 You know, is the timing right in terms of your life?

00:08:31.280 Are you prepared?

00:08:32.600 Most businesses fail and most entrepreneurs fail because of lack of personal preparation.

00:08:37.320 You know, we love to think that it's the marketing strategy or we love to think that it was we didn't understand how to do the graphic design.

00:08:44.860 And sure, sometimes people fail because of those things.

00:08:47.540 But really, in my experience, entrepreneurs and men fail because of the other stuff, the deeper stuff, the character flaws, the lack of discipline, the lack of organization, the lack of financial management, the lack of character.

00:08:59.640 Like, they still can't get up on time.

00:09:01.320 Their cars are still messy.

00:09:02.480 Whatever it is, right?

00:09:03.740 It's that deeper character is typically the flaw.

00:09:06.420 So it's a personal development flaw.

00:09:07.880 That's what's breaking people.

00:09:09.340 So the start, I always say, hey, let's start working on ourselves.

00:09:12.080 Let's start getting ourselves organized, educated, elevated, you know, in terms of a position and a place to start and grow a successful business.

00:09:20.260 The second thing, when I think about starting a business, what makes an idea really strong, besides timing in your life and timing in the market, is what problem are you solving?

00:09:31.380 And so I really think of, you know, we got to remember, guys, when we start work and we create our own jobs and we create our own businesses, the only thing you're doing is solving people's problems.

00:09:40.400 That's what you do for a living.

00:09:42.060 And so if you forget that, you get into a huge bind, right?

00:09:45.320 We're scratching our own itch.

00:09:47.060 We're not scratching someone else's itch.

00:09:48.420 We're trying to solve our own problems and create a business out of that.

00:09:52.200 So what problem are you clearly solving?

00:09:54.040 And it's got to be a good problem.

00:09:55.940 And I'm going to explain what that means because there are really crappy problems to solve that don't need to be solved right away.

00:10:01.540 Or people aren't going to pay to get solved or any of these other things that would actually create a business.

00:10:06.220 Absolutely.

00:10:06.840 So my experience is that something that is urgent, something that is required, those are really important parts of, you know, is it a required problem?

00:10:17.300 Like it needs to be solved.

00:10:18.960 Is it an urgent problem that, like, it has something that, like, there's something going on?

00:10:23.100 And also the last thing I would say, is it painful?

00:10:25.780 Is this problem painful for people?

00:10:27.720 Because if you can solve an urgent, required, and painful problem, I'll tell you what, man, you're going to sell something.

00:10:32.860 Sure.

00:10:32.960 That's one thing that I, you know, and that's, okay, what you're doing here, you know, is that you have a podcast.

00:10:38.680 And, Ryan, we know that the culture is emasculating men at every front.

00:10:43.060 The culture loves to think that it's all about feminism and the women are being, and sure, there's definitely something valid there. 1.00

00:10:48.480 But at the same time, we're getting stripped out of our culture.

00:10:51.760 And so people are feeling that, right?

00:10:53.800 It's urgent.

00:10:54.420 It's happening now.

00:10:55.300 It's required because masculinity is not something that's, like, we can just go without.

00:10:58.920 And it's painful for a lot of guys, and it's also painful for a lot of girls, to be honest.

00:11:04.040 And so, again, how can we solve painful, urgent, required problems?

00:11:09.300 Those are the questions I want you to ask.

00:11:10.840 How do you know if it's painful, urgent, and required?

00:11:13.780 Because I imagine when somebody considers starting a business, they are looking at it through the lens of their own experiences and cultures and backgrounds and beliefs.

00:11:22.140 And that may not resonate with the vast majority.

00:11:26.240 And you're out here trying to solve a problem that maybe just doesn't exist, although it exists in your mind.

00:11:32.100 Yeah, you've got to surround yourself with safe, brutally honest men.

00:11:35.860 They're going to tell you the truth about what's going on, right?

00:11:38.180 You know, I'll give you an example.

00:11:39.600 Like, antidepressant medicines are pretty urgent.

00:11:43.480 It's a painful problem, and it's required, right?

00:11:46.360 That's an example of something like that.

00:11:48.440 You know, bath salts are not, but pregnancy stuff is. 0.58

00:11:52.720 Sure, okay.

00:11:53.480 Yeah, makes sense, yeah.

00:11:54.340 So you can kind of see those things.

00:11:56.300 And so, again, just because we're passionate about something doesn't mean we get to make a business out of it as well, right?

00:12:01.580 We need to be careful to make sure that we're building a business that, sure, you know, we really love this stuff.

00:12:07.080 And if you can hit a home run where the fact that what you're passionate about happens to also be painful, required, and urgent, then that's a fantastic home run.

00:12:15.000 But the more important thing is if you want a business to work in, if you want to be a provider, if you want to actually make this thing make money, then it's more important that you're answering those idea problems than getting a perfect bullseye with your passion.

00:12:27.740 And I imagine if you spend enough time thinking about this, and you talk about dreaming as well, that you're probably going to find where they intersect.

00:12:34.300 It might not be your first thought or your first idea, but there's probably something in your life where you can find an intersection between what you're excited about and what is, like you said, urgent, painful, and required.

00:12:43.860 Absolutely, yeah.

00:12:44.660 I mean, dreaming is one of those things that we love to talk about.

00:12:48.660 And a lot of us are really bad dreamers, you know, and we need a lot of help in terms of creating, you know, what is a good dream?

00:12:55.860 What is a safe dream?

00:12:56.820 What is a realistic dream?

00:12:57.800 Because the sad thing is that a lot of guys, they'll dream a bad dream, and then it'll discourage them the fact, oh, maybe I'm not qualified to be an entrepreneur.

00:13:04.900 Like, maybe I'm not able to do this.

00:13:07.420 And it creates an experience or a filter on their mind that says, oh, you know, I've tried that before and I failed, so I'm, like, going to stay away from that.

00:13:13.740 I'm going to go back to, you know, punch the card at 9 to 5.

00:13:15.900 And so, yeah, we've got to be careful about what dreams we actually chase.

00:13:20.760 Sure, yeah.

00:13:21.580 And so how do you decipher which are the dreams that are valuable?

00:13:25.660 Is it just coming back to that formula, or is there something more at play here to decide, okay, is this worthy of pursuing?

00:13:31.240 Yeah, you know, for me, there's a few things that I've always thought about in terms of a dream that you shouldn't chase, right?

00:13:36.680 There's things like, you know, you don't want to give up what you want most for what you want now.

00:13:42.300 That's one thing is you don't want to give up what you want most for what you want now.

00:13:45.180 And, you know, I ask myself a couple questions, like, in five years, is this going to lead me to where I actually want to be, right?

00:13:52.380 And so a lot of times we get really excited or enamored with, like, this thing that we're really passionate about for, like, a short period of time.

00:13:59.800 I think most men have the results that they planned for, which is to say that they didn't plan for them.

00:14:04.180 Sure.

00:14:04.360 You know, and so for me, I've always been very intentional.

00:14:08.480 People look at our life, and they go, oh, my gosh, Dale, like, you live on this great farm.

00:14:12.120 You have this – you live in the Northwest, and you've got this great, like, view and family, and you guys do good money, and whatever it is, right?

00:14:18.340 And I go, you know this wasn't by accident, right?

00:14:20.640 Yes, of course.

00:14:21.760 Right.

00:14:21.900 But some people think it's just luck.

00:14:23.800 Yeah, totally, and we've been very careful to not get enamored with the things that we want now that will actually screw up the entire plan of what we want most.

00:14:34.680 You know, and I talked about earlier is that we've got to be careful that our dream isn't deeper than our pockets, right?

00:14:40.180 Yeah, that's a very valid point for sure.

00:14:43.660 I've seen a lot of guys just ruin their financial – they'll pull from their family's financial security to chase this dream.

00:14:50.800 Again, I just think that's irresponsible, and I think that planning and preparing – if you need to save $50,000 to start your business and do it right, do it right.

00:14:58.480 Take the time.

00:14:59.140 You don't need to start your business overnight.

00:15:00.340 It's better to take that preparation season and do that.

00:15:03.540 And the last thing I'd say, as much as we'd like it to be, life isn't a fairy tale, right?

00:15:07.300 People don't believe in bad dreams because they have to.

00:15:09.920 They believe in bad dreams because they want to, right?

00:15:12.840 And this is one of those things that they really want this fairy tale life.

00:15:16.020 Like, they think that, oh, maybe if I just kind of do it, like if I build it, maybe that'll come, right?

00:15:23.220 Right?

00:15:24.100 And so we have to remember that being honest about your dreams isn't going to hurt you.

00:15:27.840 It's going to help you.

00:15:29.520 And so you have to remember that being honest about your dreams isn't going to hurt you.

00:15:32.740 It's going to help you.

00:15:34.180 And it's going to create that safety place where you can actually look back and go, okay, we made calculated decisions that created a business that we're passionate about, that was painful, that was urgent, required problems that we solved.

00:15:44.420 It was a good dream.

00:15:45.460 It was responsible because we had financial, you know, we prepared ourselves for this dream.

00:15:49.620 And when you do that, you can stand back and go, oh my gosh, look, you know, we make $50,000 a month now.

00:15:54.220 I have more time to spend with my wife and my kids.

00:15:56.620 This is the way that we need to be dreaming.

00:15:58.380 Yeah, it's so important.

00:15:59.560 I hear what you're saying.

00:16:00.720 And this is something that I've been through exactly all the processes that I've been through.

00:16:04.280 I want to talk about building maybe an audience or a tribe for lack of a better term and really getting your message out there and resonating with other people.

00:16:13.380 Because I think there's a lot of guys who might be listening to this who have an idea.

00:16:16.900 Maybe they've dabbled.

00:16:17.720 Maybe they started a business.

00:16:18.980 But they just don't know how to share their message now.

00:16:20.840 How would you suggest we go about doing that?

00:16:23.540 Yeah, you know, so, I mean, building a platform is one thing that I just really love talking about.

00:16:28.840 You know, for me, we must build an audience before we launch a product.

00:16:33.840 Okay, so you've got to remember that we've got to build an audience before you launch a product.

00:16:37.280 Not that you can't do it the other way because you can buy Facebook ads.

00:16:40.020 But the last thing you want to do is launch a product to an empty stadium.

00:16:44.300 Right, right.

00:16:45.080 Because it doesn't matter how good or bad it is.

00:16:46.800 If nobody's going to be there, what's the point?

00:16:49.320 Yeah, so for me, I've worked really hard for several years.

00:16:53.020 Again, this is, you know, it takes five years to build an overnight success kind of story, right?

00:16:56.700 You know, we have to be very careful on, you know, I want to build a platform.

00:16:59.540 And it's long-term consistency, right?

00:17:02.700 That's what it takes to build a platform.

00:17:04.160 It's one or two or three years of consistency to build the platform.

00:17:07.820 And you're getting this, Ryan, because you have a podcast, which you produce shows every week.

00:17:11.600 And you understand that content needs to continue to roll out, right?

00:17:16.040 It needs to be consistency.

00:17:17.240 And I always say consistency beats frequency every time, right?

00:17:20.900 It's all about consistency.

00:17:22.060 Like every single week is far better than like a burst of content and then like nothing for three or four weeks, right?

00:17:27.600 And I think you say, if I remember right, something along the lines of if you can't consistently produce it, then they're just going to go somewhere else.

00:17:32.960 I've seen you say something to that effect.

00:17:35.100 Absolutely.

00:17:35.640 That's why consistency is so important.

00:17:37.300 If you don't entertain, you know, I would say educate, elevate, and entertain your audience, then you are totally allowing someone else to come and swoop in and grab that person's attention from you.

00:17:48.440 So for me, I mean, I roll out a podcast every week, you know, for the StartupCamp.com podcast.

00:17:53.220 I write an article every week.

00:17:55.080 I make sure that I'm posting on Facebook and Instagram, Facebook every single day, Instagram just about every single day, and Twitter just about every single day.

00:18:02.720 And, you know, it's work, right?

00:18:04.380 It takes – it's hard work.

00:18:05.960 The last thing I want to do sometimes is make a post.

00:18:08.760 But you have to remember that's what I do for a living.

00:18:11.520 Right.

00:18:11.940 I create content.

00:18:13.320 And we often forget that.

00:18:14.560 We think that, oh, I sell products.

00:18:15.860 No, no, no, no.

00:18:16.380 You educate, elevate, and entertain an audience of people.

00:18:20.280 You know, for me, I think a couple lessons on that that I've learned over the years – and I talk about this a ton in the book.

00:18:27.040 The biggest thing is that people follow people, not ideas, blogs, or businesses.

00:18:31.260 Okay?

00:18:31.880 People follow people, not ideas, blogs, or businesses.

00:18:36.040 And that took me a while to realize because a lot of us, we go, oh, I'm not worth following.

00:18:39.280 Right.

00:18:39.640 You know, I don't believe that I can actually create a platform.

00:18:42.060 Why would anybody listen to me, right?

00:18:43.600 Yeah, and we create these faceless startups.

00:18:47.000 And we're kind of afraid to show who we are behind the curtain, right?

00:18:50.600 And in my experience, I just see way too many incredible people hide behind their content.

00:18:54.460 They even lack the self-confidence to follow themselves, right?

00:18:58.760 You know, we know when people engage with our blogs or our music or our designs or our content is adding value to people.

00:19:06.600 But we've got to remember that value is different than connection.

00:19:09.840 Connection only occurs when the content creator incorporates their humanness and their story within their work.

00:19:15.960 And this is the beginning of a relationship.

00:19:17.340 And the only thing that's actually worth following, so self-confidence, you know, really is not taught or learned.

00:19:23.060 It's earned by realizing that your unique story is worth following.

00:19:27.080 So, men, listen up.

00:19:28.280 What I'm telling you is that you are worth following.

00:19:30.660 And it's actually you're worth following more than your business idea or your really beautiful brand that you designed or your really great photography.

00:19:38.620 Like, people want to know you.

00:19:39.640 And it's hard to believe, but once you kind of get that confidence and you become more familiar with that, the fear drops off a bit.

00:19:46.200 You know, you go, oh, okay, like I actually do have value to add to this society or to this industry or to this community of people.

00:19:52.100 And I know that's certainly been true as we've done this is the more – it's really fascinating.

00:19:55.780 The more I share myself and put my face out there and share my personal views and experiences and backgrounds, the more connection that I have with my potential audience and or customers.

00:20:08.180 So, I know that's certainly true.

00:20:10.080 One of the things that you just briefly passed over was the element that your brand has to look good, right? 0.96

00:20:15.920 And I look at what people are starting and I think, that looks like garbage.

00:20:20.300 Nobody is going to come to see what you're doing. 0.76

00:20:23.300 Nobody is going to resonate with that and nobody is going to share that.

00:20:26.720 Talk to me about your perspective because I really love your insight when it comes to this.

00:20:30.300 And this is something that I've implemented because you've shared it so much.

00:20:34.080 Yeah.

00:20:34.180 So, you know, Ryan, that my brand is pretty tight in terms of I'm working.

00:20:37.740 Absolutely.

00:20:38.180 I'm a designer though, right?

00:20:38.940 Yeah, absolutely.

00:20:39.680 So, it's a little bit easier to say because I can actually do it all.

00:20:42.580 But I work hard to make sure that StartupCamp.com and that my books and that everything just feels really quality.

00:20:49.420 And the reason is – and this is kind of – I'm going to dumb down the concept here.

00:20:54.120 People don't refer ugly, okay?

00:20:56.620 Like I'm just going to be blunt with you guys, right?

00:20:58.680 People don't refer ugly things, right?

00:21:01.460 Good design is now the norm.

00:21:04.020 The next level is exceptional design, right?

00:21:06.960 And as influencers, we have to remember we're creating content that people want to share.

00:21:13.080 And people don't want to be associated with something ugly.

00:21:16.720 And so what does that mean?

00:21:17.500 I mean everything from your headshots and your website to your social media grammar and your logo must represent beauty and intentionality in every aspect.

00:21:25.320 Great online leaders pay attention to the details.

00:21:29.720 And one thing that I always tell people is that exceptional design tells potential followers if they care this much about the smallest details, then they must care about me.

00:21:37.260 And that's what it tells you if they don't care about the small details.

00:21:39.740 Then you go, well, that's just a looking glass into the product experience I'm going to have with them.

00:21:45.340 This is almost along the lines of the way you do one thing is the way you do everything, right?

00:21:48.920 Absolutely.

00:21:49.660 Yeah.

00:21:49.900 So I look at a brand and the same thing. 0.99

00:21:51.660 I go, okay, their website sucks. 0.99

00:21:53.140 That means I'm not going to buy that leather journal that's going to suck too. 1.00

00:21:56.580 Right. 0.85

00:21:57.060 Yeah, this makes sense.

00:21:58.060 So how do you do this?

00:21:59.060 Because I think there's a lot of people, and this is really fascinating to me, that actually thinks their site or their product looks good when in all reality it looks anything but good.

00:22:07.500 Is it just a matter of surrounding yourself with people who are better than this at you or what does this actually look like?

00:22:12.860 Yeah, you know, a couple things.

00:22:13.760 So design is one of those things that it has nothing to do with the tools.

00:22:17.220 It has everything to do with your eye, right?

00:22:19.120 We have to remember that a designer is someone who can create things more appealing than someone else with the same resources, the same tools, and the same time frame.

00:22:29.960 Okay, so what I mean by that is like, okay, you give my friend who's not a designer $10,000 to decorate an office, and you give me $10,000 to decorate an office.

00:22:39.180 We have the same resources, the same time, the same tools, but mine ends up looking way better.

00:22:44.820 There's nothing changed.

00:22:45.900 It has nothing to do with the fact that one guy's a designer and the other guy's not.

00:22:49.560 Design is actually free, but it's in your mind, right?

00:22:52.780 You don't need to know how to use Photoshop.

00:22:54.580 You don't need to know how to use Illustrator.

00:22:56.180 You need to have an eye for design.

00:22:58.420 And so you need to work on training your eye.

00:23:00.740 And so, guys, what I do is I hop on Pinterest, and I just look at really great typography.

00:23:05.980 I look at really great interior design.

00:23:07.820 I mean everything because I look at fashion and style and woodworking and leatherworking and book cover designs and all these different areas.

00:23:16.520 I just kind of keep a pulse on that stuff.

00:23:19.120 You have to have kind of this highly sensitive persona to design.

00:23:22.440 And the more you develop that eye, the more you'll start to see that flow out of the things, how you buy and how you curate and what you show off and how you build and orchestrate the things that you're trying to design.

00:23:33.420 Yeah, I think one of the books that I really like is Austin Kleon, Steel Like an Artist.

00:23:39.300 Oh, absolutely.

00:23:40.140 Yeah, and I think that's what you're talking about here is looking and getting inspiration from other areas and saying, I like that, but I don't like this.

00:23:45.700 I like that, but I don't like this.

00:23:46.880 And start piecing these things together to create your own brand using what other people have put out there and made available.

00:23:52.760 Yeah, you know, design for me is – this is going to sound weird, but hopefully this will maybe help you guys – is about a heart of hospitality.

00:23:58.860 I've always defined hospitality as the act of showing someone their value.

00:24:03.200 Like that's what hospitality is, right?

00:24:04.620 So when someone comes over to your house and you don't care about them and you don't take care of them, you're not hospitable, right?

00:24:10.660 Design is the same way.

00:24:12.480 As entrepreneurs, it's our duty to show our appreciation to our customers, but more than that, it's actually to remind them of their worth.

00:24:21.020 And design is built on the heart of hospitality, churning out experiences that drive people closer to you.

00:24:26.780 For example, in business, good design tells customers that if they care about the small details, remember, they care about us.

00:24:35.360 And on the contrary, an entrepreneur whose product or customer experience fails to exceed the expectations of the customer tells people they must not care about me.

00:24:43.740 And the same is true of a clean home.

00:24:45.340 A house prepared to appear orderly or relaxing or inviting is a statement of your personal expectations, but it's also a direct expression of how valuable your guest is to you.

00:24:56.040 And so the heart of design is when people leave your business and feel better about themselves, not just better about you.

00:25:02.460 That's a huge takeaway in terms of how you develop that heart of design.

00:25:06.340 And so, yeah, how well designed is your business, its website, its products, its service, communicating value to those who purchase it?

00:25:14.100 Are they being treated as a cherished guest in your home or are they just a stranger stopping by?

00:25:18.240 And so that's how I think about it.

00:25:19.640 That's just one aspect.

00:25:20.480 Again, I talk a lot about design in the book because it's something I'm obviously really passionate about.

00:25:24.680 Outside of design, what are some other pitfalls that somebody who's wanting to turn their passion into their profession should be on the lookout for?

00:25:33.380 You know, for me, I guess the difference that I have in terms of most men is that I don't believe that if you have a multimillion dollar business and you got a massive platform and you're on your third divorce, then you're not successful.

00:25:46.380 Okay, like I don't care how much money you have, who you come home to is far better than what you come home to, right?

00:25:53.000 What we're seeing is these guys that gain the whole world and lose everything, right?

00:25:57.400 And so for me, I'm a big advocate on there's a total difference between a man who can have a million dollar business, a huge platform, and on top of that, have a fantastic marriage, have children who respect and love him, have good relationships, have his integrity, not addicted to pornography, not addicted to dishonesty or whatever it is in their life.

00:26:19.540 But to have control over their spirit, that is a totally another next level of maturity in a man.

00:26:26.220 And I know a few of those guys, a couple of them have, you know, five, ten kids, I mean, like serious responsibilities at home, also have, you know, 40 acres of property.

00:26:35.360 On top of that, they sit on boards and they have a multimillion dollar business that they're running and a marriage that's on their 30th year, right?

00:26:41.400 Like that's a totally next level type of guy.

00:26:43.760 And that's the kind of guy that I try to aim for.

00:26:46.240 And so when you're building your business, I'm just not interested in the man who is forsaking those things.

00:26:53.160 And you know what?

00:26:53.680 When you value home life, you know what?

00:26:57.580 You just get to build your business slower, right?

00:27:00.400 It doesn't matter.

00:27:01.500 That growth isn't as relevant as it is being there for your kids' games, for example.

00:27:06.560 Absolutely.

00:27:07.080 I don't get to go as fast as the guy that's single.

00:27:11.220 I don't.

00:27:11.720 And the other thing is, for the guy that's single, don't go so fast that you don't ever get to find a woman either, right?

00:27:17.740 Yeah, we see that a lot, yep.

00:27:19.180 And so for my thing is that I just don't get to go that fast.

00:27:21.700 However, when we're 50 standing side by side, sure, I might only have $11 million in assets.

00:27:27.900 Well, this guy's got 40.

00:27:29.340 Who cares?

00:27:30.040 But I got a family who's sitting next to me, and I have love, and I have depth in relationships, and he doesn't.

00:27:37.800 But it's long-term thinking, and a lot of men get lost in the pursuit of a business when they really need to be focusing on their personal lives.

00:27:46.360 So how do you begin to take what might be a side business or something that you have to be hyper-involved in, specifically with you launching this thing, to now this has systems.

00:27:56.700 It has processes.

00:27:57.460 There's organization in place so that I can create some margin in my life for these other things that I value just as much, if not more.

00:28:04.200 Remember, there's a season for intensity, okay?

00:28:07.100 But remember the word that I just said, season.

00:28:09.940 Season.

00:28:10.840 What season doesn't end, right?

00:28:12.460 No, seasons end, right?

00:28:14.580 You don't go up to your wife and go, hey, I'm going to start a business, and I'm going to be working hard for the next 11 years, you know?

00:28:19.620 Like, you know, no, you go, I'm going to be working hard for the next five months, but I promise you, honey, when this is done, I'm going to take a hard break, regardless of where I'm at in October or whatever month it is, right?

00:28:31.780 You've got to put an end date on those seasons, right?

00:28:34.280 And then actually doing it, right?

00:28:36.060 And actually do it, yeah, because, again, if you can't stick to your word, you're not a man.

00:28:40.700 These are things, like basic principles that we learned in kindergarten, and dudes are still struggling with it.

00:28:46.200 Be honest.

00:28:47.380 Be disciplined.

00:28:48.380 Be able to do what you say and say what you do.

00:28:50.840 You can't figure this stuff out.

00:28:51.680 I don't care how many beards and leather goods and wood axes that you have in your house.

00:28:56.200 If you can't do those basic things, it doesn't matter how manly you want to be.

00:28:59.320 You're not a man.

00:29:00.580 And so I look at those things, and I go, okay, this is the integrity and character of manhood.

00:29:05.300 And this is what makes great men and what makes fantastic businessmen.

00:29:09.980 Man, let me take a quick minute to tell you about our exclusive brotherhood, The Iron Council.

00:29:16.200 I have thought a lot about the times when I've been successful in life, and I've also thought about the times when I haven't been so successful.

00:29:23.540 And I can trace the difference back to building a strong network of knowledgeable people.

00:29:29.460 And that is why I launched The Iron Council.

00:29:32.520 Yes, you can read books.

00:29:33.580 Yes, you can listen to this podcast.

00:29:35.120 Yes, you can buy a course or a product.

00:29:36.800 But there's nothing that replaces the value of individual connection and what that actually brings to you.

00:29:43.020 The challenge is that most guys have a hard time finding people in their area who want to excel to the same degree that you do.

00:29:49.640 Let's be real.

00:29:50.300 I mean, you are just one of a handful of men who are willing to do what is required to have success.

00:29:55.660 But when you join The Iron Council, you'll have access to 280 other men from all over the world with their own set of experiences and background and ideas and insights.

00:30:07.020 And most importantly, they are dedicated to helping you reach your objectives.

00:30:11.580 So if you want to learn more about what we're up to inside The Brotherhood, The Iron Council and reserve your seat at the table, head to orderofman.com slash iron council.

00:30:20.760 Again, that's orderofman.com slash iron council.

00:30:24.140 Now let's get back to that conversation with Dale.

00:30:26.020 You know, I know as a lot of guys get started with this, they're in this phase of like, okay, I'm ready to launch.

00:30:32.580 I'm ready to get going.

00:30:33.580 We want to get this message out.

00:30:35.240 Talk to me really briefly if you can about messaging because I think this is important too and maybe even understanding and knowing your audience as you do this because I know this is something that I personally have had struggles with but have – I feel like I'm honing this down and have done fairly well.

00:30:51.260 But I know this is a big area for a lot of guys starting businesses.

00:30:55.040 Yeah, so a couple things.

00:30:56.360 Speak to people how they need to hear it, not how you want to say it.

00:31:00.080 Okay, that's a big one.

00:31:01.200 Remember that one.

00:31:01.800 Memorize that one.

00:31:02.460 Speak to people how they need to hear it, not how you want to say it.

00:31:05.700 This is almost like coaching, right?

00:31:07.600 Yes, it's empathetic leading, right?

00:31:09.680 Because if you're out there speaking how you want to say it and not how they need to hear it, then you're a selfish leader.

00:31:15.680 Right.

00:31:15.880 Right?

00:31:16.200 Yeah, you're not helping or assisting them get to where they want to be.

00:31:18.740 Yeah, so that's one thing is that I would say your communication must always come from a place of empathy.

00:31:23.920 That's a key to a man who understands how to run a business.

00:31:28.360 He can step into the shoes of the customer, of his employees, of the people that are following him and understand how to speak to them.

00:31:35.080 The second thing in terms of launching, people often think that launch day is the Super Bowl when in reality it's actually the first game of the season.

00:31:43.920 Right.

00:31:44.140 It's spring training almost.

00:31:45.640 Yeah, and so just remember that when you're getting ready to launch this message and you're getting out there, like, this isn't the end.

00:31:52.280 Like, this is the beginning.

00:31:54.340 We often exhaust our resources and our stress levels in the preparation phase.

00:31:59.080 But, you know, no, this is a marathon, my friend.

00:32:00.940 You are at mile three.

00:32:02.000 And so we have to really remember that as we start because a lot of us will start burnout and then go, oh, like, you know, I just missed out.

00:32:10.160 I spent all my money or whatever it might be.

00:32:12.480 Again, that's another huge part of a successful launch of your first business.

00:32:17.180 Is burning out just a product of a misunderstanding of the expectations or is it something more?

00:32:23.080 You know, burning out is, for me, is a sign of a man who's not in control of his own life.

00:32:28.000 And sure, it happens to us all, but we need to recognize the triggers pretty early.

00:32:34.140 Burnout isn't something that you fix with a weekend at the lake, you know.

00:32:37.760 Burnout is like, I need two months off.

00:32:40.520 It's the most ineffective version of yourself when you're burnt out.

00:32:44.560 You know, one thing that we did for our family for burnout, I was burning out like crazy.

00:32:48.260 I had 50 employees down in Southern California at my company and ruined my life.

00:32:52.160 You know, I was just working 80 hours a week.

00:32:53.580 It was the worst idea ever.

00:32:54.540 I know you felt like you were a prisoner, so.

00:32:56.780 Yeah, I was literally a prisoner in my own life.

00:32:59.120 And I realized that, and I was living in Southern California, and I realized that we needed to move away.

00:33:05.040 And so we moved.

00:33:06.080 I now live on a farm.

00:33:07.940 And people think, oh, is the guy in New York City more productive than the guy on his farm?

00:33:11.620 And my argument is, I think the guy on the farm is actually more productive.

00:33:14.780 And my reasoning is this.

00:33:16.080 I get to crush it.

00:33:17.960 And the moment that I start to feel stressed or burned out, I just step outside.

00:33:22.020 Right, unplug.

00:33:23.060 And like, I'm already at the vacation zone that you people in the city, like, need to plan and, like, get away for a weekend.

00:33:29.480 Like, that's my house, right?

00:33:31.020 You're there, right.

00:33:31.480 Yeah, so I actually have found that I've been far more productive living a rural life than living a city life.

00:33:37.420 Interesting, you know, finding that I've just kind of realized over the last year or so.

00:33:41.620 Yeah, I'm with you.

00:33:42.300 I mean, we live in a pretty rural area, and a lot of the guys listening to this know that.

00:33:45.560 And some of you have been here and recognize, like, oh, this guy.

00:33:48.280 Like, if I want to go shooting, for example, I go 10 minutes south, and we just go shoot.

00:33:51.980 Like, we don't need to go to a shooting range or anything like that.

00:33:54.000 So it's a pretty cool area.

00:33:55.060 And I definitely know I've seen pictures of yours.

00:33:57.540 And where you live, it's amazing.

00:33:59.120 I got a shooting range right on my property.

00:34:00.480 I got one, like, 100 yards from my house right now.

00:34:02.360 Do you really?

00:34:03.260 Yeah, I just go out any time of the day, and I just start, you know, I carry a 9mm, and I just bring it out there and boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and train with my wife.

00:34:10.560 It's awesome.

00:34:11.460 And again, yeah, just the freedom to do that kind of stuff.

00:34:13.420 I mean, I spent 27 years living in just city madness, and I'm just thinking, why the heck did it take me this long to get here?

00:34:21.180 Yeah, and I think at the end of the day, and I think you attest to this as well, is really what we're doing here and we're talking about is creating a life that you enjoy and being the designer of your own life.

00:34:32.940 As we wind down, do you have any additional thoughts on how a guy might be able to create that life, whether that's through the visualization or dreaming process or making this work or follow-up?

00:34:41.380 What does that actually look like?

00:34:42.460 Like, yeah, I think, you know, it's pretty common in the statistics of today that less men are getting married, you know, and it is harder.

00:34:49.240 The women are harder to get married, too, at this point, too. 1.00

00:34:51.540 Culture has changed it around.

00:34:53.120 But, you know, I've heard this excuse, hey, I'm just working on myself.

00:34:57.480 And I just go, the solution of ever working on yourself should never not include other people, right?

00:35:02.900 Yeah, that's a good point.

00:35:03.680 Like, you don't become less selfish by isolating.

00:35:06.760 You become less selfish by getting married, right?

00:35:10.560 Yeah.

00:35:10.940 And so for me, I just think that, like, the most successful, I guess, program that I've ever been on is marriage in terms of the fact that I've got a chance to deal with myself inside of a covenant with another woman.

00:35:25.080 You know, I'm not dealing with another woman. 1.00

00:35:27.460 I'm dealing with myself for the first time.

00:35:29.900 That's a great point.

00:35:30.820 You know, and so I just really encourage men, like, if you're a 38-year-old man and haven't been married yet because you haven't, quote, haven't found the right one, it might actually not be that.

00:35:41.340 It's actually you.

00:35:42.520 And I'm just being a little rough and a little blunt.

00:35:44.680 But my experience is that the fastest way to maturity is actually through that marriage, and it's through fathering children.

00:35:52.800 I think there's something really important that you can't learn anywhere else except for those experiences.

00:35:57.440 And I think a lot of men are avoiding those these days.

00:35:59.980 And I'm just going to encourage you guys to say – or just to try it, just to go out there and do it.

00:36:05.340 There's so much growth and beauty within those relationships.

00:36:08.800 So on that note, I want to get to the last question, which I ask all of my guests, and I think it ties in nicely with what you said.

00:36:14.900 And that question is, what then does it mean to be a man?

00:36:18.160 You know, one of my favorite quotes is by the guy that's mentored and discipled me.

00:36:23.540 The word disciple I just mean is he's fathered me.

00:36:25.740 He says, if you believe wrong, you'll never live strong, right?

00:36:30.500 If you believe wrong, you'll never live strong.

00:36:32.540 Ultimately, if you live and believe lies, your job as a man is to replace lies with truth.

00:36:40.020 And it's your job to constantly be seeking clarity and going, okay, that's not true.

00:36:47.160 That's a lie.

00:36:47.940 I'm going to replace that with this truth.

00:36:49.740 And I think the fastest way to success as a man is to identify what is not true and replace it with what is true.

00:36:57.080 It's a process that can go on until the day you die.

00:36:59.760 And it can go in every area.

00:37:01.500 It's part of being a protector.

00:37:03.780 You know, and you look at your wife and she says something, you go, no, that's not right.

00:37:08.720 No, honey, like, let me walk you through what's going on here.

00:37:11.400 Or your children, like, hey, like, no, no, no, no, honey.

00:37:13.940 Like, this isn't what that means.

00:37:15.380 It means this.

00:37:16.560 And in yourself, you know, it's easy to believe emotionally that something is true when it's actually not.

00:37:21.400 And so I think a real man has ultra clarity on life, on their outlook, on reality.

00:37:28.140 And boys don't.

00:37:29.220 You know, boys kind of get swayed with their emotions and what other people are saying.

00:37:32.980 And they follow people irregardless of their values or their morals or different things.

00:37:37.180 So I think, yeah, just the big thing is that being a boy versus being a man is that someone who has clarity.

00:37:42.460 I love it.

00:37:43.260 Powerful stuff, powerful stuff.

00:37:44.460 And we talk about truth a lot.

00:37:45.580 So it's right in line with what my thinking is as well.

00:37:47.840 So, Dale, I got to tell you, man, I appreciate you.

00:37:49.520 How do we connect with you, buy your book, learn more about the work that you're doing with Startup Camp?

00:37:54.620 Anything that you want to share with us on how to get in touch with you?

00:37:57.040 Yeah, you can pick up the book at startupcamp.com forward slash launch.

00:38:00.720 So that's easy.

00:38:01.820 I'm at Dale Partridge on every social media platform.

00:38:05.020 I have about a million people that are following along at this point.

00:38:08.140 You know, Instagram and Facebook are my main jam.

00:38:11.060 And so I post out stuff for manhood and for entrepreneurship and for family just about every day.

00:38:17.960 That's my passion project.

00:38:19.140 I definitely, I align with you, Ryan, and the mission of bringing masculinity back.

00:38:24.040 So that's definitely the easy ways to get a hold of me.

00:38:26.480 Right on.

00:38:26.700 We'll make sure we link that all up.

00:38:28.480 And I appreciate you as well.

00:38:29.760 I've been following you for years now.

00:38:31.400 I really love your messages about masculinity and manhood.

00:38:34.020 And of course, I've implemented a lot of what you've shared with Startup Camp and how to grow a business through Sevenly.

00:38:39.300 And all the things that you've done have been very, very impactful in my life.

00:38:43.460 And so the opportunity that I have to talk with you has been a real honor, man.

00:38:46.840 I got to tell you, I thank you.

00:38:47.960 And I know my audience is going to get a ton from this.

00:38:49.740 So thanks for being on, Dale.

00:38:50.800 Awesome.

00:38:51.180 Thank you, Ryan.

00:38:53.660 Man, I hope you enjoyed that episode.

00:38:55.820 If you are working to turn a passion into a profession, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of Dale's book.

00:39:02.060 It's a great read.

00:39:03.180 It's basically a 30-day guide to turning that dream into a business.

00:39:08.140 So if you're interested in that, you can pick up a copy of the book at orderofman.com slash 117.

00:39:14.100 And you'll also get the rest of the links from the show there.

00:39:17.100 In the meantime, gentlemen, check out our exclusive brotherhood again, the Iron Council and tap into a network of high caliber men who you will not find anywhere else.

00:39:26.740 We'll help you identify exactly what you want, how you're going to get it.

00:39:30.660 And we're going to hold your feet to the fire to make sure that you do.

00:39:33.500 You can learn more at orderofman.com slash Iron Council.

00:39:36.900 I will look forward to talking with you on Friday for our Friday Field Notes.

00:39:40.600 But until then, guys, take action and become the man you are meant to be.

00:39:45.240 Thank you for listening to the Order of Man podcast.

00:39:48.240 If you're ready to take charge of your life and be more of the man you were meant to be, we invite you to join the order at orderofman.com.

Order of Man - June 13, 2017

117： Turning Your Passion Into Your Profession ｜ Dale Partridge

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