Welcome back to the show, my fellow extraordinary Americans. 

Today’s guest is Richard Olson. Richard is a dynamic entrepreneur, an influential speaker, and the driving force behind multiple ventures. As the founder of Driven Solutions, he leads a venture dedicated to providing impactful solutions in fitness and life transformation. 

Richard is a visionary committed to catalyzing positive change. His journey is a testament to resilience and determination. With a steadfast commitment to pushing boundaries and inspiring transformative change, guided by core values such as community, integrity, and faith, he goes beyond conventional fitness paradigms. He envisions holistic well-being and personal growth as integral components of a fulfilling life. 

As a multifaceted leader, he seeks to inspire individuals to overcome challenges, promoting mental and physical resilience. His impact extends beyond the boardroom. He’s a motivational force on the podcast scene, with his show, guests, and others, where he delves into diverse topics, sharing insights and creating a community of growth-minded individuals.

He’s an extraordinary American, and I’m glad to have him on the show. Richard, are you there?

Yes, Sir. Here I am.

Hey, Richard, thank you so much for taking the time to do this podcast with me. It’s an honor to have you on the show.

Absolutely. It’s not, to be honest. I look forward to it.

So, Richard, can you tell the audience more about yourself and your background? How? You got started.

Sure. My name is Richard, and I own several companies now, but I didn’t start that way. I started as a 19-year-old kid straight out of high school. I went to a production floor, ended up running that company, and built it. And that was at an early age; I think by the time I built it, I was 27.

By 31, I was the President and CEO of another company I built. During that time, I also gained and then lost 125 lbs. I raised two children as a volunteer firefighter for 17 years, and since then, I’ve done nothing but run my companies and teach others how to do the same.

So, Richard, uh, that is amazing. Like you normally raise your family, you lost 125 lbs. And you’re starting all these companies. Can you tell the audience what the strategy is? What was your life’s vision over the years, from 19 to the next one or two decades, and how did it evolve?

Period. 

That’s a great question, to be honest; I didn’t have a vision until I was about 30, which is probably not the best answer. But I always knew there was something different. It was all about the people, and I wanted to do great things, whether taking people and showing them what they could do, even when they believed in themselves. 

And I was living everybody else’s life at that time. I was living a life where you go to the same bar and drink the same drink for the same people. 

And then we go to work—eighty hours a week and back. It wasn’t until I was about 37 that they clarified what I wanted, maybe 38.

And that changed at all. It went from a very poor mindset to where I’m now, where it’s abundant. It’s very fruitful, and things are fruitful at the moment. But had I not taken that path to get there, it would never have Changed. That’s right down to the weight loss. I was overeating, drinking, or dying. I had a kid and changed it all. 

And now here I sit before you, one and a Half People down, and I built a multimillion-dollar other company on my $200 laptop during COVID, and now I have a team of 11 people. And we’re global, so it’s pretty cool.

Wow, Richard. You built a multimillion-dollar business during an intense COVID. Not many people can do that. But before I get into that degree, what is the motivational factor that drives you there? I know you have a company called Driven Solution, but for you, what drives you at the age of 19?

To 37, and then what drove you from 37 to the age of 37? And, what is the motivational doctor who kept pushing you because it’s so easy to start a business and then start multiple businesses like that? You know, there’s something that pushes you from within even when there are setbacks and pushbacks, right?

Yeah, you got to be a little crazy; there’s no doubt about that. So, to be honest, from 19 to 37… Whatever it was, it was just a belief that I knew something was better for me. I and every company I was at till that point, whether I was changing oil for John Deere or milking cows on the farm, you know, I always wanted to be the farmer or always wanted to be the guy that was selling the tractor or the CEO, but I always pushed for that. A lot of that honestly came from the traumas I had as a child.

It came from stuff like abandonment issues and such. Seeking approval, which, looking back now, is more of a superpower than then, you know you can look at your childhood and go, oh, man, that was terrible. And live there, or you can say that’s a pretty cool superpower. Now, I’m building companies and changing lives, and that’s the way I choose to do it. And then you know from 37 on. It was just… Everything was crystal clear, and I could set short-term goals and chip away at them. And that’s really what’s changed a lot, and why? It has gotten clear, too, like my “why” people always talk about their why. 

And it’s easy to say it’s Their Kids.  And make no mistake about it, my girls have a lot to do with it, as do my niece and nephew and everybody else I’m trying to work with. But that’s not all of it. It was those people who gave up on you who told you couldn’t do it. It’s those people. I didn’t give you a second look for a job. Or maybe let you go, or the bullies in the school. You know, all those things add up to drive you. And that’s where I’m at today.

I’ve noticed this among many who have interviewed their “why” people said they couldn’t do it. It’s like the ultimate irony. The more they get that negative pushback, the more they push back towards it. And then it’s almost like going to the gym, and then they’re like the person, like the people saying you can’t do it, and they are like the weights. Right. 

And then, your motivation factor is, no, I can do it. And then you push back upward. And that’s what allowed them to succeed. But a lot of people, you know, like a lot. There are a lot of people out there. They get depressed because, oh, somebody else has an opinion that they can’t do it, so they don’t do it themselves. But you have to see that as a negative motivation. That should spur you on. You know, whenever you have people saying you can’t do it, you should see it as like a bunch of weights, and then you have to lift it and like and all of that.

No, I agree.

So, Richard, during your lifetime, what is the greatest lesson you learned from doing business and what it takes to be successful in business?

Boy, for me, it’s probably patience, to be honest. I’m running a gun, and my company is like anybody who knows me. My company title fits me to tee-driven solutions that will come in like a bull in the China shop, and I will change it, fix it, and make it right. I think the biggest lesson for me has been the ability to have patience and understand that everything will work out. That is the motive for me. I would say absolutely. That’s it.

I see. So, Richard, uh, so you.

So, can you tell me in the audience a little bit more about your timing, the COVID when you started your business, and how you turned it from just a $200 laptop to where it is today? What is the process you use to scale your business?

I probably did it backward, so I used a lot of hard work and grit. Mine was a little bit of luck—A little bit of timing and a whole lot of hard work. I was working with some guys or some other people. At that time, I was very focused on the flexible packaging market, and that was very hard, but then the pallet shortage happened, and through that, I was working with some suppliers who ended up honestly screwing me. They didn’t pay me. They were sending short loads. It was just not good. 

The cost of apparel went from about $5 to about $12. And overnight, I found ten truckloads which I had. You can’t see it on camera, but it’s behind me. I have a frame where I wrote that down in the notebook like I need to sit down and focus on this, and I found the truckloads developed a system around it. 

I have an operations background so that I might be a little unique. I was able to take it. A lot of people were short-staffed because of COVID. I could build in more than just the VMI or vendor-managed inventory. I could make this system work, help them fix the equipment, and then sell them a pallet. 

So, my skill set is a little different. But it was—I mean, it was a lot of late nights. It was a lot of 20. There were some days when I would drive my semi for 33 hours. I ended up buying a semi on the side with no money. I had $0.00 at that point. And then everything flipped. You know, I sold those ten truckloads. I had enough revenue to buy a summer and knew I had to do it, so I bought it. Then, I slowly added employees over the last two years and added the processes I already knew how to create.

So, when I say did it from the backward, like to me, it’s backward. I’m such an operations person. I build systems. That’s what I do and what good operations people do.

I had to learn the sales part, too. I wasn’t even a salesman at that point. That’s never what I did. I did a little occasionally, but I was never full-blown. So that, to me, was a difference-maker, and just the grit of not giving up and understanding that was, to be honest with you, the worst time of my life. I just got divorced, too. 

So, I was drinking pretty heavily. That helped me through that. I met some Amish and Mennonite communities, and they helped me.

Wow.

Looking back, A lot of stuff was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through in my entire life, and it wasn’t just business. I mean, my whole personal life, there were some suicidal thoughts in there at the same time. It’s a little different.

Oh, Richard, you went through a divorce, and like, you went through all these hardships, and in the middle of that, you were working all these hours. How do you do it? What is that factor in you that many people would want to do? They would want to have that tenacity that you have to overcome the hardships in their lives because if you can do it, anybody else can do it. So, what characteristics allowed you to push forward and succeed in business despite all these things in your personal life?

There are two answers. One of them is that you shouldn’t quit. Many people you listen to and talk to will tell you they work hard and do some of it in their minds. But I mean, there’s a different level. You have to be a little insane to do what I just did. 

And then just don’t quit, like, understand it’s going to work out one way or another at the end of the day. If you fail, you’ll still have my kids and me; we’re shopping at the Dollar Tree, a local chain here. It’s one dollar for gifts. We couldn’t afford it. But my daughter’s looking back at the pictures; we’re as happy as they could be then and as they are now. And you know, if you understand that kind of shift, it shifts you a little bit and gives you that grit you’re looking for. Don’t quit. I mean, that’s the big thing. 

And I think the other thing is just getting disciplined on that. Do not tell yourself you aren’t. If you’re going to do it, do it, and do it well. But set your standard, and it cuts into the mindset. And a whole different ball of things that I kind of work on. Through now that I never used to.

So, Richard, most people go through life with an employee mindset, right? Robert Kiyosaki’s book Casual Quadrant discusses the employee, the self-employed, the entrepreneur, and the investor.

Many people go into the employee mindset and don’t even consider starting a business. What mindset have you had that allowed you to start a business from a relatively early age instead of just working, let’s say, a corporate job or just working with a steady paycheck and living a comfortable life?

Well, I didn’t. I have worked for people most of my career and I’ll never forget one day. It was November 27th, 2017. I worked for a company, and they couldn’t keep my sales, so I just sat in my basement. I thought, You know what? If I’m not going to do it, nobody will do it. 

So, I started an LLC at that point. And that was kind of the rest of history. A year later, I divorced and was another company’s president and CEO. I can’t let go. Just that was for political reasons. Some payments were supposed to happen there, and others were happening. But then I ran into another company, and their culture was terrible. I’ve never seen people talk so poorly about their customers, their vendors, or their employees in my life. They let me go; I just didn’t fit. I’m a little too positive for that. And then I made. I’ve got it.

So, I surround myself with really good people. And one of my most amazing people is my good friend Pete. And I just remember talking to him. And if he goes rich, you’re always going to have opportunities. You’re good at what you do. Just take a shot. Just go now, you don’t. You know, at that time, I had $18,000. In the bank, I had two kids. I didn’t have a house. I was living with my dad. At 38 years old, you’re pretty much failing, and that’s when it all changed. It just really did change.

Wow. Richard, that is incredible. Well, one of the things that I wanted to ask that is connected to this is: let’s say somebody is in your position, like, let’s say they’re in their mid-30s, and they don’t know what to do with their life, like they have had a bunch of hardships or, let’s say, they’re going through personal life. Problems or their relationships are not working. They want a vision and clarity, and you and I both know that vision ultimately helps us succeed in our business. 

So, how would you go about advising a person? A person who’s going to like personal problems and everything wants to succeed in business and likes to come to you for advice.

The first thing I always tell them is to eliminate the noise. Shut down your social media. Go for a walk in the woods. Be by yourself. Find out who you are, and then start. Once you start doing that and unpacking, whatever your past traumas are, or just figure it out, you know, once you figure out who you are, you can get clear on what you want in life. So, like me, I know exactly who I am now.

I know what I want in life; honestly, business isn’t the biggest part of it. Mine’s more relationship-wise. And then you set a plan around that and just say, OK, I want to partner for 40 years. I want to build a $50 million company and another $150 million company, and I want to do these with my kids. Set your plan around that, and then filter your mind around that so you get into that whole mindset. 

I read specific books and only watch specific types of movies. I only listen to specific music with the intention of That’s where I’m going so I can show up better for a partner. I can show up better as a business leader and train people to do better in life. But you must take the movement as if we were discussing it all day. I can give you all the steps, but nothing changes if you don’t take that action.

So, you can listen to every YouTube video and every podcast you want. If you don’t move, it doesn’t matter.

So, Richard, I went to many business seminars, right? And which? One of the major themes I learned was who there is if you’re not prepared to receive it. If your mindset is not at the level where you can handle a 7-figure income right in your company, then you will never get there like you could with a 7-figure opportunity. Then you’ll still screw it up if you are in six figures. At this level, most people cannot comprehend creating a multi-million-dollar business. 

So, what mindset shift or limiting beliefs do they have to get rid of or transform to receive from the universe the ability to, like, get more opportunities to reach that level?

That is such a great question because I am studying. I study that a lot, and then I just kind of go back with my story. Four Years ago, I wrote myself a $1,000,000 check, then a $7,000,000 check, and a $50 million one. The first year, I didn’t hit it, and I looked back. 

I would have never been able to handle it, so I was frustrated, but I never would have been able to handle it. Now we’re doing OK, but you must open your mind to believe you deserve it. Then, you know, it starts with gratitude. It starts with understanding what the universe looks for but then gets down to your subconscious. 

What driving factor in your mind, whether you know it or not, stops you from believing you deserve that money or that you deserve that? You know, whatever you’re looking for in life. Whatever you’re passionate about. If you can’t get to that next level, it’s something in your mind, and you need to take steps. Whether it’s meditation or yoga, I love it. I meditate daily. I go for walks. I journal a lot. You know, I do see a counselor from time to time. I’ve got mentors. I get my mind around the right people. 

But yeah, if you don’t, if you do those steps and it starts with gratitude—little things, if you’re grateful for them—the big things will come. 

And then the weirdest thing is that I’ll like it. Just believe instead of thinking when you go to the mailbox that there will be a bill there. I think there’s a check there. Then, pay attention to what happens because there won’t be many bills in the next few weeks. More checks are coming into your mailbox. It’s the most amazing thing that happened to me. I’ll never forget talking to my dad on the phone; my check came where I was. I was down to my last down in Bitcoin. I wasn’t going to be able to make rent. My check came for—our taxes.

So, I got a tax reimbursement, and the next day, I got a check for COVID money. I’m like, oh my gosh, I didn’t expect any of this stuff. It just really is getting your mind around that, and to the point now, last year, I went backward on that, to be honest with you. I was doing well and didn’t look at my finances because I thought I had a poor mindset. I got my head back. You know what? I’m not doing as well as I thought. 

And sure enough, I quadrupled—probably even what I thought it was making. You know it was. It was pretty. It was good to the point where I had to buy a company quickly or pay many taxes. 

So, it was a neat thing, but That universe, that law of attraction, is a very real thing, and I don’t know most of it. People understand it, or even better.

They think it’s a lot, and many think it’s a bunch of woo. It’s just not real.

Oh, it’s not, no. You go to a grocery store, right? And you find some person that you find attractive, or maybe you want to talk to. I guarantee it by the end of the year. When you’re in that store, they’re inside, two or three feet from you before you even get to your car. That’s a law of attraction there. That’s not by accident. 

And that’s where you get into things like how to build a company. You get into you; you sit back in the driver’s seat but more of the company’s architect; that’s the law of attraction. Like right now, I’m. I’ve got a little House of Cards going; you know, I’ve got people in place, and things are starting to pop, and they’re not quite there, but they’re going to be because I believe. And that is the way it works.

So, Richard, I love your mindset and attitude; you just make it sound so simple. But you see, like a lot of people in the audience, they’ll probably have limiting beliefs, and they’ll probably. Believe that they don’t deserve to get this much money because they’re not worthy of it. A lot of people have issues with themselves. And I don’t know if you had to struggle with that at some point, like during your challenges and everything.

So, there are so many things that happen in life that diminish your whereabouts. It’s like the people around you or just like life just happens, right? So, how would you advise somebody affected by low self-esteem? They don’t think they deserve the good things in life or are afraid of success.

I’ll tell you the first thing I did. How’s that? I struggled with that. Are you kidding me? I was, too. I was 340 lbs. I was in a marriage. I didn’t want to be in. And two different females back-to-back that frankly didn’t deserve 5 minutes of my time because I didn’t know my value, and now. I. and it took me literally writing on a mirror or getting a vision board and looking at it every day and not caring who’s heard me. 

But I’d say it out loud: Yeah, I deserve this. This is who I am. And this is where I’m going. Then, set that intention, like writing your dream day, writing what it will be, and telling yourself you believe it. Journal it, write it. Say it out loud. I don’t care what anybody else thinks. 

When you start doing that and find people pushing back, don’t spend so much time with those people; you start realizing who influences you quickly, and everybody always wants to talk about who positively influences you. 

I have had friends around me for 25 years that have dragged me backward. They didn’t want me to do any better. Now, I have some of the most amazing friends and people I’ve ever thought of. Because of that, I set that intent. And it pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I mean, I would go to different towns. I go to different areas; I’m a six-foot-4-inch giant male. I’m going to do yoga. I did that out of my comfort zone. 

That’s why I started doing that. But I believe that was the next step because of the plan I had written, and it’s no different. But if you must, you must tell yourself that. And it takes time. Don’t give up on a week. It took me about two and a half years to get there, and I have grown like I worked hard at it.

So, the average person will probably take it—four to five years—but understand it’s where you’re going and just believe it. You have to keep saying it.

So, Richard, this is amazing. It’s a testament to the fact that you can come from any state and succeed in whatever you’re doing in life because if you can, you’re an example of somebody who, like, was overweight. You overcame that; you had difficulties in your personal life and everything else. 

So, as a continuation of this question, can you give me an example of something like this? The challenge, you know, throughout this thing you had, is how you overcame it so the audience can understand it. What is your mindset process for overcoming such a challenge?

Oh man, there were so many challenges I had to overcome. I don’t even know where to start.

What was the biggest challenge in your case? What is your mindset for us? Because a lot of people have challenges in their lives, but they just don’t think they can overcome them. They just accept their lock and faith that they think this is fated to be, but we know it is possible between you and me.

Oh yeah, I got it. I’ll tell you one: what was my hardest, believe it or not, was my financial, so I knew. I was not looking at my bank account. My bank account went from 0 to $150,000 in months—in the black. And I never looked at it. I kept throwing money in there, not knowing what was happening. Writing checks here and there didn’t matter. 

And then tax time came. And I knew I couldn’t do it alone, so I hired my friend’s wife. Bailey and she needed information, and the only way to do it was for me to sit my **** in that little apartment. I go through every single one of my bank accounts and figure out where I spent money, where I had money coming to get, and what I had left at the end. And I didn’t. I didn’t do that because I feared losing money because of the divorce. You know, we grew up poor. That was our poor mindset. And I had thought I had dealt with it. Right. 

So, I set up this grand plan. And what you realize is that you keep finding issues throughout. So you might. Yeah, I got good at operations. Well, that’s my strength. That’s natural. I got even better at sales. Well, I’m pretty personable. OK, I got that one down. Now you have the financial side. Well, if you keep kicking that king on the road, Code. It’s eventually going to bury you, or you’ve got to put a stake in it. And go forward, really stare at it, and just get immersed in the fact that you. Suck at it. But it would be best if you fixed it to move forward.

No, that’s that. That is true, Richard, but it requires a lot of self-awareness, and that’s hard to do. But if you want to be successful in business and anybody in the audience is listening, you have to attain something like a level of self-awareness, and you got it, you cannot. It might hurt that you got it, but you must push the cause by identifying it as the secret. You change who you are, then you achieve success. It comes right after you know it. 

So, Richard, if you could travel back in time and talk to your 18-year-old—a version of you—right before you started, like your first business and all that, what would you tell him? What would you advise him to do differently?

Live life like there’s no tomorrow. That’s another part of my mindset that’s shifted. Where is my door? Walking into my office. I have a funeral home signed to remind myself. Every. Day, and the reason is because you put so many fears on yourself, and it’s not that I don’t. I mean, there are times when I still do, but you start living like you’re dying, and things change in a hurry. Most people don’t at 18; I didn’t at 28; I didn’t AT 38I. Didn’t. Now I do. It changes your whole by clarifying where you want to go, not 0. Apologies to anybody; this is my life. Take my hands and go. But you have to do that first.

Interesting. And Richard, I know I’m asking many questions about mindset because I want the audience to know that mindset is everything. Yeah, actions do matter. But you can achieve whatever you want if you can transform your mindset. 

And you’re a testament to that. There are no excuses. You know, it’s all a matter of like will and understanding the right perspective.

But on a national level, Richard, our American identity is one of freedom, right? And it’s about an entrepreneurial immigrant identity. But a lot of people are struggling financially. Then, they need to do business or understand how money works. What do you think? Should our perspective be on a national level, or what should the mindset of an American be on a national level to achieve success as a nation?

Stop listening to everybody else’s version of success and start there. I think that’s a big one, especially with mindset. My version of success is completely different than yours, and it should be. We’re so quick to buy all this stuff we can’t afford. I did this with nothing. I was writing checks; I didn’t have a dollar in my bank account. 

But I was probably happier. Never in my life have I done it. I did that by not buying a brand-new truck and not buying, you know, the Stanleys of the world or the big-name brand. Even today, I won’t wear brand-name clothes unless they say driven solutions” because I’m not making somebody rich. I won’t wear it, but I think those are the big, you know, big couple of things, and so on. Your version of success shouldn’t matter what people say on social media, and it shouldn’t matter what other people think. You know, for me, I would like an abundant life.

So, my financial success will be much higher than somebody else saying, hey, I want to go off-grid and go live. Just driving around the country cool is financially going to be different. And that’s OK. I’ve got friends; I’ve got really good friends that are going to make. They want to make $5,000,000, and they want to retire, and that’s it. That’s not me, but that’s cool. That’s what they want to do because of you. I can live off the interest, so I think I can. Americans were so apt to listen to everybody else and compare themselves. And if you can somehow get around that, 

Then, I set the intention, like this is what I want. This is what. I’m. I was going to get out of life. You can change your world first, and that’s really what matters anyway.

So, Richard, that is true. But you see, like many Americans, they rely on politicians, especially during election seasons, to solve all their problems. But you and I both know, as entrepreneurs, that ultimately you are on. You’re the one who’s in control of your destiny, and it’s your mindset that will allow you to achieve success in your personal life. And you can ripple it out to others. 

So, what do you think? What is your perspective on how Americans should go about achieving success? Rely on external factors to solve their problems.

No, it’s all up to you. 100% up to you. The American dream is still absolutely alive. It’s up to you to get it. It’s not up to you to have the government get it. And the Liberal or Republican? It doesn’t matter. They’re all crooked. It matters to you. Get it. That is as simple as it gets, and it is still alive. Most people, even my friends, call my company Imaginary Corp. because they have no idea what I do, and I don’t want them to know what to do. 

But they have also seen me change fast, and that’s the big mindset. You go from a victim mindset to a victor, and the world changes like I will own my life. I’m going. I want to own my success, and you can do it. You can do it tenfold if that’s what you want to do. 

So, stop sitting on your couch and talking about CNN or what are these? News channels are telling you. Just do it. Nobody’s coming to save you. Nobody.

I couldn’t agree more, but like most people, I think they still think there’s some Messiah or savior out there when, in reality, it is our self-effort. There will be people who can teach us the way, but ultimately, we must do the work as a nation and as individuals. And then, when we do our part and help others around us, everybody’s doing the same, little by little. 

Everything starts to change. But the reason I’m asking is that many people, many Americans, think that the American dream is out of their reach. But you are a testament, like showing that it can with the right mindset. It is possible.

Yeah, absolutely. I also work on mindfulness and mindset in my American life. You know, again, it goes. I hate to say this, but. What is the American dream, right? Seriously, is it driving up Bentley? It’s not for me. I couldn’t care less. My American dream is to have an awesome life with financial freedom. I can do whatever I want. But then I have a 40-year-old person in my life like that. I’m building love with that. 

That’s what matters. To me, that might not be to you. So, I have a clear idea of what the American dream is. It wasn’t all of our forefathers back in the day. The American Dream was just to make it as a family, and now it’s. You have to have a Bentley. You have to have a Lamborghini. You have to live in the hills. You can keep those people. I don’t want them in my life. I couldn’t care less. And we could live close to him, so it doesn’t matter to me, but I know what I want, and that’s my success.

So, Richard, as you continue to show this to many people, you know that American identity is about pursuing happiness, right? People think they’ll be happy if they achieve the American dream. But from your perspective, how should people go about achieving happiness altogether?

Find you. You don’t get it from other stuff, and you don’t get it externally. Like I am. I’m single right now. They probably have a little bit of information. I want to know, but I must be whole to find the person I want. My companies need to get in a good spot. They have to be whole internally. 

And to find happiness in anything I want, I must take care of my mind. I have to take care of my body. I work twice as hard on myself as I do for my companies. It’s wild, and I have had it for quite a while. And that’s been a big shift. But. You make yourself happy, and that’s it. It’s not. It’s not your business. It’s not. You know, it’s not your money. It’s not anything else. It’s that. That’s clear to me.

I mean, it’s true, Richard. I do yoga and meditation myself. And one of the things I do is try to master the mind, and you realize that your mind goes all over the place. But if you have a calm set and are not attached to the external world, I think a lot of unhappiness comes with frustrated desire. Saying, keeping up with the Joneses, that people are looking at other people that are more successful than them, and then they get envious, and then they’re, and then what? That’s what makes them unhappy. 

They’re like, I cannot be happy until I don’t have these things. But you can be happy already in that current state, and you can go about methodically achieving your goals. But I don’t know what to do. What would be your perspective on that?

No, I agree with you. I couldn’t agree more. That’s pretty spot-on.

Keeping up with the Joneses is like having your neighbors have this and your neighbors having that. But if we attach ourselves to materialism, we will be unhappy because everything we have will eventually be taken away.

Well, and I. I don’t mean to cut you off. I think you can take it a step further because of my mistake.

When I was building my first company at an early age, I identified with that company, so my core identity as a person was with a plastics facility. It wasn’t rich; it was a plastics company. So, everybody knew everything I did. Everybody knew me for that. So, when I left there, I left. I lost my pipe, and it took me a while to realize it, but I lost. Part of my identity. Because you don’t identify with you first.

Bye. Yeah, it is. It is very important. And I’m telling this story to the audience: do not identify with things external to yourself. 

For example, you have to realize your identity has to be intrinsic to you, you know. And when you put yourself and attach yourself to all these things, eventually, when they’re gone, you lose. As you mentioned, like part of yourself. So, Richard, how do you view inflation and debt as an entrepreneur?

So, I still struggle with that a little bit, like I don’t. I understand that every dollar is in the bank. Cash. You know, with inflation, you’re losing. So, I had to build my company on cash. Everything was done. I didn’t have terms. I had to pay somebody, and then I waited 60 days and then came back.

I don’t have a lot of debt either, or I wouldn’t say I like debt. I understand many people build their companies that way, and it’s good for them. You know, that works for them. It doesn’t work for me, so. What do I do? I was as dead as possible because I have low overhead and high revenue, so there became an issue.

So, they end up buying things you don’t necessarily need. But you know, I like to like and keep a lot of Cash On hand. So, then, you’ll know when you’re playing that inflation game. You know, someone argues. It’s probably not the smartest decision, but you know the stroke of a pen and write a $50,000 check. There is a lot of cash out of my account, so I would like to keep it that way. I’m just learning how to work with them, you know, listen to me talk like you think I don’t have it all figured out. By the way, nobody does. 

I’m still learning how to use a line of credit. I don’t love it—I just don’t. I’m so used to having a large lump sum of cash that I can just come from and take and add to. So, to be honest with you, I’m still learning all that.

That’s interesting, Richard, because, yeah, whenever I ask a lot of entrepreneurs about everything, they have so many different views on inflation and debt, as some people love it. Some people hate it. Some people believe that to get your company’s Excel, you must go into debt or make investments. Have strategic debt. 

Some people suggest that to combat inflation, you must invest in precious metals or all that stuff because purchasing power is going away. So, there are different views on this matter.

So, I will add on that, though you have brought that up now. So, like I don’t, I have financial people that work with me. I have many, but I don’t invest in anything but myself.

And here’s why: I can put a dollar into gold. And now maybe golden bags. Any step right, taking any stock and your rate of returns between 6 and 12% on a good day, I can take that same dollar and driven solutions, and I can make between 20 and 40 points on that day and then do it again tomorrow. So why would I invest in a stock market in somebody else’s hands?

Wow, Richard. That was a profound statement right there. Like many, you gave the gist in one sentence. Many focus on the stock markets—this market, that market—but ultimately, what you’re saying is to invest in yourself and start your own company.

Yep. Oh absolutely. And I would have loved to train you to do it because it’s fun for me now. Oh yeah, absolutely.

No, like that. That is profound, Richard. I’m glad you said that because everybody focuses on other companies, but you’re saying focus on your own company and focus on that. Invest in yourself. And I completely agree with you. 

And then, which brings me to the next question, Richard, can you tell me and the audience a little more about driving? Solutions and the premise of how it started and what it is about.

Yeah. So, I own a couple of different companies for Driven Solutions. Driven Solutions is a packaging company. I started it by collecting free stuff. Believing it or not and then reselling it. I had a guy who needed some products moved to his warehouse. He said solutions drive you; get rid of it. 

So, I did, and they started selling it. Through that, I got into selling what my core focus would have been: flexible packaging. And then I got it. The pallet shortage, which I talked about, hit. And they got really heavy on the pallets, and right now, we’re at about 90% pallets, which is where I wanted to play. But I knew. About a year and a half ago, during this transition,

I needed to build the company first because it was just me at the time, and then second, I needed to diversify. So, as a business leader, you have to be able to stand above the weeds and go, oh, what’s going on here? Well, the pedal market is going to crash. It’s going to go back to normal. So, my couple’s $1,000,000 revenue will go down, and I can’t afford anything. 

So, I hired. There are three different staff members, two of whom are sales reps, and you guys attack the medical market, the food market, and the all-flexible package. While I still focused on pallets, I brought somebody else in to do the pallets. So, it’s working out pretty well. 

So, we do anything from medical-grade packaging to vertical form fill and seal. We work with many different food companies, and the biggest cheddar producer in the world works with us. And then I get to work on the little projects. I’ve got one person we’re trying to make it more common, pulverize it. Then, we can make it into another form of resin we can use in plastics for greater sustainability. It’s pretty unique, but that’s what we do, and we take a lot of young people and train them how to run their businesses. 

My ultimate goal, to be honest with you, is to franchise this thing and take people like me who, you know, didn’t know how to run a business and were in those plants focused on building companies for somebody else who didn’t care about them. Train them to run and franchise a business, and then we’ll do the supplier side. We’ll handle the operations side. All you have to do is return to that plant and sell it to them. And there’s a really big goal there. And I’m working with some people actually to do that right now.

That is amazing, Richard. Are there any projects you have right now that you want the audience to see?

I kill a bit because the NDA says I can’t go too far, but one of them is that we’re working on an autoloader. It’s a couple. $1,000,000 project. It’s for cheddar cheese. They take cheese and fill it into one of our plastic bags, which sit on the shelf for up to two years without molding. Another really big one we’re working on right now. It’s a coal bag, so it’s got a poly liner in it. It’s like you go, and you get charcoal, but this has a plastic liner, and that’s a $7 million project, too. So, we could go from a couple million to 15 to 20 within the next year.

So, Richard, this is amazing. What’s everything that you’re doing? So, how can the audience connect with you and learn more about you and what you’re doing? Also, if they wanted to be coached by you, or if they wanted you to help them in their own business, how would they connect with you?

It’s funny you bring that up. So, connecting with Driven Solutions, you can find us at drivensol.com. We’re on Instagram-driven solutions. On Facebook-driven solution, and then we’ve got my email: rich@drivensol.com. I’m the president and CEO. 

But I’ve also got fitness slash life coaching. It’s called One Fitness, and I’m getting into more life coaching overall, but I want to take CEOs. And train him on how to be a better CEO at work. But a person at home, because I’ve got the whole top to bottom where most people don’t. You can find all the same stuff, but that’s one thing, and then I’ve got my Deadlines Trance podcast.

That is amazing. Richard and Richard, I’m so grateful you took the time to do this podcast and give me and the audience an understanding of the mindset and how to succeed in business because you make it sound so simple.

It sounds so ridiculously simple, but let me see. And it’s like, it’s like a matter of fact. But no, I’m just. I’m just like, you’re just like, yeah, I just do the $50,000 check. There’s that. And, like, no, it’s not. 

I’m so glad you came here and showed us the mindset and understanding of how to succeed. I hope you come back to this podcast at a later time.

Yeah. I’d love to let you know whenever I’ll be back.

Time. Thank you, Richard. I appreciate that. And I want to conclude this podcast by letting my fellow extraordinary Americans know that, hey, look, there’s something extraordinary within every one of us. We must awaken it and unleash it until next time. Bye for now.