Being an entrepreneur

One of the greatest things about being an entrepreneur is getting to play by your own rules, but it’s never an individual sport. As a keynote speaker, I get to work with all types of businesses. Without fail, I’m amazed at the unique path that each one took and the relationships that inspired them along the way.

Being a sports broadcaster for the Kansas City Royals puts me in the unique position of getting to share stories about each player’s road to the majors. No two are ever alike, but I’m yet to tell one that doesn’t acknowledge the people who helped them get there.

The common denominator is relationships and the communities they build, which are just as important to success as anything. Enter one recent guest of mine, who is serious about making those relationships fun. He’s a big picture thinker whose success strategies aren’t just proven, they’re supercharging the entrepreneur community. Meet Paul Kirch, podcast host turned founder of the exclusive think tank that’s like rocket fuel for your business.

He calls it BOSS Academy, but most just call it awesome. What began as a simple ambition to bring like-minded professionals together has evolved into a growth acceleration platform that packs a major punch. With a master mind set on collaboration and his own set of rules, he’s facilitating successes one breakthrough at a time, leading his clients from W2 to Working for You.

SINGLE: Early Inspiration 

Small ranch towns like the one Paul grew up in offered great examples of many things. But being an entrepreneur wasn’t one of them. His aunt and uncle motivated him at a young age. And from then on, he knew that running his own business was what he wanted in life. He landed a great job out of college and excelled in it. But he couldn’t help but feel like each step up the corporate ladder was one step further away from his dream.

Forcing circumstance to align with his vision wasn’t a long term fix, but it did allow him time to sharpen – even master – his sales skills. And in 2009, an unexpected acquisition was just what he needed to leave his old career behind and finally pursue the one he was meant for. “Instantly I was thrown into a role where I could be creative, I could give back, I could serve and I could make a difference,” he said. “It’s been an incredible journey and one that’s led me to some amazing places.”

DOUBLE: Entry Level Entrepreneur

Paul never could have imagined that his decision to attend a networking event would become a defining event in his career. The speaker that day was a subject matter expect…maybe a little too expert for the audience’s skill level. During the Q&A, Paul was quick to help some peers articulate their questions and confusion. This got the attention of the event’s keynote, who happened to be the General Manager of a radio station in nearby Dallas.

She graciously gave him the floor, a business card and an invitation to make a guest appearance on her show. Within a week, it turned into an invitation to host his own. He called it BOSS Academy Radio. And although the drive time opportunity was incredible, his clients were in New York and California, not the Texas market he was reaching. The solution? Podcasts. So he made the pivot and within two years, had a Top 10 business program.

TRIPLE: Golden Hour 

“It used to be, if you build it, they will come. But it doesn’t really work that way anymore,” Paul noted during our interview. He explained that the response your content receives within its first hour on social media is critical. This is the window of opportunity when algorithms determine how much exposure it will get. To make the dynamic work for – not against – him, Paul and the community at BOSS Academy have one simple tactic. They like and comment on each others content to earn them earn more traffic…and more algorithm exposure. It’s an intentional act of support that not only breaks through saturation, but lifts each other up along the way.

HOME RUN: The Zone of Excellence

One of the challenges of being an entrepreneur is finding a way to continue moving the needle. Nobody is there to push you to do better so you have to find ways to push yourself. And it’s also important to remember that what works for one person in the community might not work for the next. Every day, business owners should ask themselves what makes them want to get up and do more. It’s the fuel that gets you to the Zone of Excellence, that place where your best work happens. Identify what motivates you and make time for it every day.

Listen to the full interview here or tune in to Rounding the Bases every Monday and Thursday, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Learn More About Being an Entrepreneur From Joel

Book Joel Goldberg for your next corporate event. He draws on over 25 years of experience as a sports broadcaster. In addition, he brings unique perspectives and lessons learned from some of the world’s most successful organizations. Whatever your profession, Joel is the keynote speaker who can help your team achieve a championship state of mind.

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Full Transcript:

Joel Goldberg 0:00
Welcome into Rounding the Bases presented by Community America Credit Union: Believe in Unbelievable. My name is Joel Goldberg. Thanks for joining for another episode of RTB. Quick shout out as always, to my friends at Chief of Staff, Kansas City, they really get it. They are recruiting firm, they are placing employees all over the country, not just here in Kansas City. What I love most about them and my partnership with them and some of the work that I do with them in terms of culture and, and teamwork is that they just understand people it’s always about people. So check them out chiefofstaffkc.com. Really appreciate their support and that of Community America. Today’s guest is this is serious about making business relationships fun. He’s a big picture thinker whose business ownership success strategies aren’t just proven, they’re super charging the entrepreneurial community. Meet Paul Kirch, podcast host turned founder of the exclusive think tank that it’s like rocket fuel for business. He calls it Boss Academy. That’s all caps BOSS, Boss Academy, but most just call it awesome. What began as a simple ambition to bring like minded professionals together has evolved into a growth acceleration platform that packs a major punch. With a master mind set on collaboration and his own set of rules, he’s facilitating successes, one breakthrough at a time, leading clients from W2 to working for you. And I’m even willing to have a guy that went to the University of Nebraska, on the podcast. Somewhat reluctantly. Just kidding, of course, because Nebraska wasn’t even in the Big 10 with my Wisconsin Badgers when Paul and I were in school. Paul, thanks for joining Rounding the Bases.

Paul Kirch 2:03
No, but we were pretty much dominating the Big Eight back then. So

Joel Goldberg 2:06
Now you dominate no one.

Paul Kirch 2:09
That hurts. That hurts.

Joel Goldberg 2:11
And I and I apologize, by the way, too, because you know, the bulk of my listenership is within my region. It’s of course across the country and around the world. So I apologize to all Husker fans out there. That was a, a cheap shot. And I know that we have a lot of Husker fans of the Royals in this neck of the woods too. It was just a nice, I need to extend the olive branch now to you.

Paul Kirch 2:33
Well, I don’t mean to break your heart here. But keep in mind that if we wanted to go see professional sports, Kansas City’s where we came, so we love that town. So, you know.

Joel Goldberg 2:45
I will tell you that when Husker fans show up at the ballpark, I’ve already sabotaged this whole podcast, what am I doing? But when Husker fans show up at the ballpark they are as loud and passionate as anybody. That that was true years ago. That’s still true. Still true now post Alex Gordon. But I’ll tell you, when Alex Gordon was playing, it was like you heard from every single person at the stadium that was there to see Alex Gordon, there’s so much pride there, which I always which I always loved and still love too. So little cheap shots at my friends from Nebraska but actually great people and regularly filling up Kauffman Stadium.

Paul Kirch 3:23
Don’t forget that instinct for knowledge. That’s why we weren’t proudly, so.

Joel Goldberg 3:27
I know, I know. I’ve heard this many times. Alright, let’s let’s dive into this a little bit. You and I were fortunate to meet earlier this summer. And I’m, I love what you’re doing. It’s It’s really exciting, exciting stuff. But I think and I say this so often the guests that you know that this has been an interesting journey for you. You didn’t, you didn’t begin this thinking of starting Boss Academy. It’s something that manifested well along the way. And interesting to me, in your case, that a lot of people nowadays are shifting into, hey, let’s start a podcast. Let’s well you did that. You already did that. It’s almost like the reverse. Right? A lot of people then say, Oh, well, maybe I’ll add a podcast to the mix. Tell me about this journey of yours.

Paul Kirch 4:10
Yeah, well, it’s, it’s really interesting. So I grew up in a small town in western Nebraska. And, yeah, I bleed red, all the way through. So from the beginning, but, you know, I wasn’t really surrounded by entrepreneurial examples. My dad was a teacher, my mom stayed home. And we lived in this small town of 365 people. So I surrounded by ranchers, and then there just wasn’t really any real examples of people running businesses. I had an aunt and uncle that inspired me but I always knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur and I don’t know where they came from. But, you know, I tried little things here and there. And when I went to college, I ended up landing this great job in market research and I always had this burning desire to start my own company, but the more that I continued to work, the more that my career advanced and the more I thought it was never going to happen. But there was always a part of me that just felt unfulfilled. But man talk about fear holding me back, I thought, there’s just no way. So I thought, well, the closest thing to entrepreneurial role is a sales role. So I thought, you know, you kind of, can be almost like your own boss. So I went into sales. And it was a great move. For me, I learned a lot about sales, I really went all in, I studied the science of it, I started becoming a sales coach and sales leader. So when I did start my first company in 2009, I started by taking that leap of doing sales, coaching and consulting. But I would have never done it except for the fact that I was part of this acquisition for the company that I was with at the time, I absolutely love this company. And I was married, and my wife was pregnant. And I’m miserable under the new ownership. And I kept getting job offers because I was trying to leave, I ended up negotiating out of my contract and would apply for some jobs, and I’d get offers, I turned them down. And she’s like, You either need to take one of these jobs or go start this company you’ve always wanted to start. So I always jokingly say that her size six shoe pushed my backside off the cliff. And it allowed me to take that leap. But it was really a huge blessing because it allowed me to open up this side of me that I didn’t even know existed, you know, I never felt that was a really creative or innovative person. But instantly, I was kind of thrown in this role where I could be creative, I could give back I could serve and make a difference. So it’s it’s been an incredible journey. And it’s one that has led me to some amazing places.

Joel Goldberg 6:45
Yeah, and, and, I think, the sense that I get from you and the time that we spent in advance when we met each other through Berta Garcia, who is a past guest of this show, and just an amazing and very thoughtful connector too, so i want to, I want to shout out to her on that. But you know, right away, I saw a mutual love not just for for podcasts, and you have to have a business podcasting background, but but for a love of culture. And and then I was really interested in what you have done what you are doing with Boss Academy. I sense in meeting you that that’s kind of your pride and joy. I mean, beyond the family, of course and the kids and you know, the personal side that that Boss Academy is your pride and joy right now, am I reading that right?

Paul Kirch 7:34
Well, you know, the old phrase, If you love something, and you set it free, and it comes back, it’s yours. If, if if it doesn’t, it never was. So in 2014, I was at a networking event, and I had the opportunity to the speaker was kind of talking over the head of a lot of people in the audience. And she was she was great. But the audience was really not as skilled as she was, you know, at the level she was speaking to. And so during the q&a, I was actually helping some people in the audience who asked questions that were having confusion, and she was gracious. She kind of turned it over to me. And people started asking me questions afterwards, this woman handed me a business card, because I love what you had to say. Would you ever consider coming on one of the shows on my radio station, I’m the general manager of this radio station over Dallas. Said I’d love to be a guest. A week later, she calls me and she says, Look, I looked you up and after what you said, we want to offer your own show. And so I started this show called Boss Academy Radio is kind of this idea had for a long time. And that show, I ran this live radio show for a year as drive time in Dallas it was great, but I’m like, I’m not really doing a lot of business in Dallas. Most of my clients were, you know, New York, California, places like that. So I said, maybe podcasting is the next avenue. And so in 2015, I started doing podcasting. And in 2017, I ended up on a top 10 Business Podcast list, which was amazing. Now, ironically, at the same time, as I’m having success there, my personal life is kind of falling apart, divorce or getting divorced. I was married to somebody that, you know, we saw life differently. And we were going our separate ways. I became a single father overnight trying to run two businesses. Something had to give. So I put the show on hold. And I always regretted that decision because Boss Academy, like you said, it’s it’s something I’m passionate about. It’s an area where I served. When I gave that up. I really felt I was giving up something personal but at the time, I was in a little bit of personal turmoil. And so over the last few years, I never really gave up on this idea of Boss Academy, but I knew I wanted it to be more than a podcast. So last year I started talking to a business coach about when I felt most fulfilled and felt there was the most opportunity, and it all kept coming back to Boss Academy. So we launched this community that has turned into this, this amazing place where we’re impacting a lot of lives of entrepreneurs and small business owners that are finding that, you know, we shared the same four walls, it gives us a place where we can learn from each other and really inspire each other. And so we have this Friday call, we call our entrepreneurial Think Tank. And it’s a place where we just dive in deep on subjects and and, you know, today we were talking about the idea of taking risk in our marketing risk in our business. And all I could think about was, when, in 2017, I avoided taking risk. And that risk is something that I wish I would have been willing to take, because it would have probably led me to here faster, but I’m grateful that I can actually be a part of this community and inspire other people.

Joel Goldberg 10:52
So I was thinking about this, it’s interesting to me, because there are a lot of communities like what you’re doing. A lot of mastermind type of groups that, you know, in every city all over the place, by the way that this is something that I didn’t even know existed before I started my business because I was so insulated in this, this amazing television world and baseball, and it’s a great place to be, don’t get me wrong, but I had no idea even, you know, once I became a motivational speaker, and I never understood the amount of networking that went on in the real world and mastermind groups and all this type of stuff. But as I, as I hear you describe this group, and I haven’t been in on the group yet, I told you before we came on, that I will get on soon. And as you know, the cast of baseball season makes me more or more all over the place that I would like to be. However, what struck me with with this group is, and I don’t know if this is the right observation, I’ll let you pick it up, is it feels like you almost have the ability to do a talk radio show. You know that that that this podcast and that you were doing before Now correct me if I’m wrong, become sort of an intimate discussion group at a at a much higher level. Is that in any way true?

Paul Kirch 12:11
Well, it’s interesting, you say that, and, and I will step back and say that there are a lot of networking groups or a lot of mastermind groups. But I think the approach we’re taking is a little different. This idea that Think Tank is one thing, but there’s also what we call the collaboration zone. And we’re allowing people within the community to really not just connect and network but to collaborate together, sharing the gift of excellence. And we do some deep dives that are in the form of an interview where actually extract not who you are not what you’re selling. But what it is you’re actually doing for people and showcasing that in really creative ways. So within the community, people can learn what Joel Goldberg does and why I would want to work with him. But then externally, people can actually come to the collaboration zone and actually connect with these people and either buy their products or find ways to interact with them. So it is different in that regard. But yeah, the idea of doing the the deep dive talk show is is part of what we want to do, but I want to keep it internally within the community instead of just trying to do a broadcast that, I mean, we’ll do some of that. But keeping it within the community, it makes it really a special benefit to members.

Joel Goldberg 13:28
And it’s unique, right? I mean, it’s unique to what you’re doing, unique to them. So tell me a little bit about some of the topics that are coming up. And so this is, at least in my world, this is sort of the, you know, the content side, the producer side, that you’re always thinking of something new, something challenging, something thought engaging. Whether in my case, that’s for an audience, and I’m lucky to have great producers, and no different with this podcast to finding interesting guests that people can learn from this, as you said, it’s more intimate, it’s smaller, it’s engaging. And I think I’m guessing to people, people are willing to be vulnerable. And there’s, there’s just it’s just a higher level of connectivity, and purpose. So how are you coming up with your ideas? And what are some of the topics you’re talking about?

Paul Kirch 14:16
I think that one of the greatest things that we can do as entrepreneurs is sometimes be very selfish in our approach, but selfless in our actions, right? So, and I say selfish in my approach, when it comes to interviews. I’ve always asked questions that I want to know, you know, if I’m interviewing you, I don’t just ask questions that are you know, canned questions. I’m asking questions that my curiosity is really driving so within the community, there’s a lot of of the topics start from a place where it’s like, man in my business, I’m facing this I’m sure other people are facing this. Let’s talk about it. But early on, we had a gentleman that started coming to our calls on a regular basis and he had this product called the Admanity Protocol. And this is an amazing assessment I’ve never seen like, it’s an assessment takes five to seven minutes to go through. And what comes out is this amazing brand report that gives you all the upsells, downsells, keyword metaphors, all these things that allow you to emotionally, emotionally connect with buyers. And I love the product from the beginning. And it was really something that I thought, Man, I want to find other resources like this for members. But as I started to get to know, Brian Gregory, the president of that company, I said, What if I start offering this to my members as an incentive when they come on board? So we we worked out a deal there. And so when people come on board, they get this copy of the Admanity Protocol. Well, what it’s turned into is, it’s not meant to be a commercial for them. But it’s meant to be just an example of an area where we can do a deep dive where most people they market to the conscious mind of a buyer. But most buyers buy subconsciously. And so we talk about those things, our product can do this, and, and it has this feature, and it has all these wonderful things. But that’s not what people buy. That’s not what attracts them. That’s not what allows them to get emotionally connected to you. And so one of the topics that we dive into a lot is how do we do a better job of emotionally connecting with our buyers, which is giving our members a huge advantage in the marketplace, you know that you’re seeing it in the way they they create their social media posts, their website, copy and ads? They do? Because they’re getting something that’s different. And so that’s just one example of the types of things that we do that is more of a deep dive than just a topic of, hey, what struggle are you facing your business? We have those conversations. But that’s really secondary to the strategy that I said, I’m treated almost like a selfish approach. What do I need in my business to grow my business? And if I need it, chances are members need it.

Joel Goldberg 17:01
Yeah, and I don’t, I don’t view it necessarily as selfish. I think I view it as being self aware, is, especially if you are constantly learning new elements, new needs new, just scratching the surface every day, if you feel like you’re just scratching the surface, because you have so much more to learn. That should never end and when you have a as massive of a network as you have, you’re constantly meeting new people and learning new things, right. And so, so it just, it feeds itself. I’m glad you brought up Admanity, too, because that’s a connection you made for me with Brian Gregory, he will appear on this podcast a little bit after you but recording with him in a few weeks. And I did take so it’s a little plug for them. I did take their five to seven minute survey. And quite frankly, I haven’t digested it all yet because it was so comprehensive. But I started reading it. I’m like, Whoa, wait, yeah, yes, that’s me. How do they know that? So pretty cool stuff. But that’s, that’s one of the fun pieces of this too, right is just the amount of people that you meet and it continuously expanding network, I would imagine.

Paul Kirch 18:16
Yeah. And you mentioned Berta, and she’s a great example of just a phenomenal connector. I’ve always been a good connector in my business. And throughout my career, when I’ve made the effort. And I say that because there’s been times when I’ve been more self absorbed focused on certain areas of my business, and I’m not doing that outreach. But one thing that’s been amazing, getting back into Boss Academy is I’m in a business now where I’m a big part of what I have to do is make connections and it’s just opened up so many doors. In the last year that I’m, I’m really kind of floored is to see what’s happening to me, but also the people that I’m making connections with and making introductions to and and it, I think, is one of the blessings that we have an opportunity to have as entrepreneurs or self business self owners of businesses, is we do have this opportunity to pay it forward in some amazing ways. And sometimes it’s by making connections to help somebody that I think is going to benefit them, but then it comes back tenfold in so many ways that we don’t expect.

Joel Goldberg 19:26
Well, that’s like, I’m glad you brought that up, because I don’t I don’t know how to label it. Sometimes people want to call it karma. I don’t really know what karma is. I’m not asking for someone to explain it. I get it. But I think you you create your own karma, right, you create those opportunities. And I think every moment is an opportunity. Which you can mess up by the way too. I mean, every opportunity doesn’t mean dive in and inundate someone that means reading people and getting it right but I think that the more times you get it right and the more consistent you are The more it opens up all these other avenues and suddenly, you think, Whoa, where did that come from? Well came from what I did two years ago, three years ago, two months ago. And suddenly, you know, it works itself out. It’s very rare that this stuff completely happens by accident.

Paul Kirch 20:18
Well, no, absolutely. And I have a boss. And actually, I think he’s going to be on your show, or you’re going to interview him as well, at some point, Merrill Dobro. And phenomenal sales leader, is a great CEO. But when I worked underneath him as a sales leader, I learned so much, but one of his philosophies was always be a resource. And I loved that, because at the time, it didn’t really appreciate it, right. I was like, Okay, be a resource. Yeah, I’m gonna help people. I’m gonna do things for my clients. But I started taking that further. And I remember scheduling meetings on the West Coast, I was living in San Francisco, I was flying up to Seattle, and I was meeting with somebody that just couldn’t wait to meet me. And I was really excited because I wanted to work through a business. I show up there, and he goes, Well, he was really interested to hear what he’s have to say. But he goes, I’m also job hunting, would you help me? And he hand me his resume. And of course, at first, I’m a little bit annoyed by this. But then I realized, no, no, this is an opportunity. So I knew somebody that could benefit from this gentleman. And so I made an introduction. Next thing I know, he gets a job there. And I think nothing of it. Well, my phone rings, and it’s him, referring business to me. And next thing I know, he’s connecting other people to me. He was very grateful. And he, for the longest time, saw me as this guy who helped him when he needed it. And he wanted to take care of me. And so it it really became this way of living that I started. Well, how else can I help people? And, and ironically enough, when it becomes part of your nature, it pays off dividends, when you start to use it as a strategy for success, then it kind of backfires. Because I’ve done both, you know, because if you’re trying to use it as a tool to leverage something, it doesn’t work the way it does. If it’s something that just becomes like, I want to help this guy, I want to make a difference.

Joel Goldberg 22:18
And it feels good to specially when it works out. And I don’t mean works out for you. It works out for them. Right?

Paul Kirch 22:23
Absolutely. Yeah. That’s why I made introductions to several people, when I met you, because I knew that what you were doing was great. I knew the show is one that matters. And I also knew that they really appreciate having the opportunity to get the exposure, but also share their story.

Joel Goldberg 22:42
Right. I mean, I think everybody wins on that. And then you you know, I just love telling people’s stories. And I think that and we all have stories to tell. Right? Some are better than others. But if you dig enough, everybody’s got a story to tell. They always do. I mean, it’s you know, and that’s that’s the curiosity in us. Have there been, I’m sure there have been many moments. Whether it be in coaching, or whether it just be with with your group, where I’m, I know you’re learning all the time, where you just have some of those, I don’t know those aha moments, those inspiring moments, those reminders of why you do what you do, because we all we all need that, that that affirmation from time to times.

Paul Kirch 23:26
And it’s really interesting, when I relaunched Boss Academy in this form of the community, we started this Friday call, I did it for several months, almost doubting every week, if it was making a difference. And then all of a sudden, out of the blue, one person said, Oh, my gosh, I met so and so. And it made such an impact. And wow, what we talked about really was something that mattered to me, and, and it started being the snowball effect where I kept hearing this, and all this positivity came out of it. It just inspired me to do more of that. But you know, the other thing I will tell you that I love my whiteboard, I have a whiteboard in my office, it’s eight foot long, I could write a list a lot of stuff on it. And if I have an idea that pops in my head, I’ll write it down on the whiteboard, and then I’ll come back and visit it. And that’s, I tell you, the the ideas that have come from that are things that just fuel me but also surprised me because like I said, I don’t always feel like I’m the most creative person but then every now and then I’ll have something that’s like that aha moment. And often it’s that aha moment is what leads to the greatness where we can serve others in some really, really compelling ways.

Joel Goldberg 24:44
Those are those are great moments too. Uh, last question before I get to my baseball themed questions. Is there, right now, a topic, a theme, that just seems to be more prevalent, more common, you know, week to week for you than you’d be there seen in the past or something. There’s so much going on in the world right now, which is a silly statement to make, because there’s always stuff going on in the world. But I don’t know, these are unique times, trying to get out of this pandemic, in the work from home and what we’re all for better or worse, I hope for better, we’re all having to reinvent ourselves. It’s not always rocket science, either. Some, sometimes it’s we make it more complicated than it is. But I think there’s so much great opportunity right now, again, I think there always is, but I think that when times can be challenging or different, there’s incredible opportunity, what are some of the common themes that you’re hearing from people?

Paul Kirch 25:47
Well, look, I know your experience in the baseball world. So I’m going to reference a movie that I’m sure is near and dear to you, Field of Dreams. And the idea, if you build it, they will come that used to be the way that we could market, used to be the way we could put ourselves out there. Doesn’t really work that way anymore. You know, if you if you start to post content, on social media, often you feel like it’s, it’s a ghost town, right? It’s crickets. It’s like, there’s nobody showing up to view our posts, there’s no likes, or if there is it’s minimal. And that’s often something we would take very personally. And so this, this comes up a lot within our community. There’s a woman in our group that she started doing videos, and she wasn’t getting him really much interaction, our videos are great. She’s just got this great energy and honesty. But she wasn’t getting much traffic. And she was taking it very personally. But the truth be told is, the more people are out there posting content, the more content there is these social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter and Facebook, they have algorithms in place that determine how much traffic you’re going to see. Well, so if you post something, and nobody likes it within the first hour, well, they say, Well, maybe this content isn’t very good. So you don’t get as much exposure. But if you post content, and all of a sudden, you get a lot of people viewing it and liking it, then that post kind of blows up a little bit. And it’s really this interesting, dynamic. So we’re constantly trying to figure out, how do we stay ahead of that system? So one of the things that we talked about a lot is, as we post content, how do we get more traffic to it? And, you know, one of the things that we do is we’ll we’ll actually like each other’s posts to support that, you know, write a nice comment, because that fuels that post and gets more eyes on it. I think that’s the biggest challenge right now. You’re right, there’s a lot of opportunity. But as there’s more and more opportunity, you know, the great resignation, a lot of people leaving their jobs to start their own companies. There’s more people out there doing it, there’s a lot of noise in the marketplace. And there’s a lot of saturation of messaging, a lot of people saying the same things. So standing out is harder than ever. And that’s why I think, you know, communities like Boss Academy matter, because we can support each other, and actually find ways to get around those algorithms to support each other and get more traffic and exposure. And that’s that’s something that I think, is a topic that we’re constantly looking at what’s working, what’s not.

Joel Goldberg 28:28
That’s fascinating to me that not trying to figure it all out on your own, but almost tag teaming this, this constantly changing social media puzzle, to make it work for each other.

Paul Kirch 28:43
Absolutely, absolutely. And that’s I one of the things I say often within the community is high tide lifts all boats, and you know, I want Boss Academy to be that rising water that allows us to lift each other up and support each other because it’s, it can be a tough journey.

Joel Goldberg 28:59
So I want to hit you with my baseball themed questions. Before we wrap things up. First one now in a in a career. I also want to let everybody know and it’ll be in the show notes. And we will. I mentioned this at the end of the podcast as well. If you want to learn more about Paul or Boss Academy, you can go to Paulkirch.com KIRCH Paulkirch.com. And then you can go to bossacademy.com as well to learn more about everything that they are doing and Paul as well. What’s the biggest home run that you have in your professional career?

Paul Kirch 29:39
I’ve been very blessed. I’ve had a lot of good things happen to me in my career. But I think for me, like I mentioned earlier, it was that time when I took the leap of faith and started my own company because it was something that I never thought I would do even though it’s something I always dreamed was possible.

Joel Goldberg 29:56
Okay, Okay, how about the swinging a miss? And what did you learn from that? We’ve all got plenty of those along the way. How about a swing and a miss for you.

Paul Kirch 30:09
It’s been quite a few. But I think keeping it consistent, I’d say when I stepped away from Boss Academy, that was a swing and a miss that came around full circle. But at the time, it was a pretty big decision decision that I felt very devastated by.

Joel Goldberg 30:29
Well, it worked out, thankfully, and evolved into into what it is now today. Last question, small ball, the little things that add up to the big results, what are those little things? It’s a culture question, really, what are those little things that matter to you? What a small ball to you.

Paul Kirch 30:50
I think in terms of being self employed, or being small business owners, we have to find ways to move the needle. And often it’s the little things that we do on a daily basis, or on a weekly basis that matter. And if we’re, I’m not the most regimented person, I live by my calendar, but it’s just out of necessity. But when I find myself creating patterns of success, like starting my day off with a whiteboarding session where I look at, what’s my big why, what’s the reason I’m doing what I’m doing and determining Am I still emotionally tied to that, because if it’s money that drives you, great, but when there’s no money coming in, then what, you know, often people that are driven by money, if they have money troubles, that’s when they really struggle. So you’ve got to find that big driver that keeps you moving forward. So I’m always constantly looking. What’s my why, and what really keeps me focused on this and what, what makes me everyday want to get up and do more of this?

Joel Goldberg 31:56
And is that a regular activity for you?

Paul Kirch 31:58
It is, it is. And if it’s not a regular activity, I feel it, I feel that it really takes me out of that zone of excellence.

Joel Goldberg 32:11
It’s actually a good there’s almost a meditative quality to it. I think that self reflection of really examining and and seeing where you’re at what you’re doing, why you do what you do who you are,

Paul Kirch 32:25
Yeah, and within our community that a lot of the people belong, they talk about the daily journal. Now I’ve tried journaling, I am not really somebody that has stuck with that it hasn’t really fueled me. So I think you need to find what it is personally, that that motivates you. I know people that get up and they start their morning with prayer. And then they started with meditation, and that works for them. For me, it’s really, it has to be something that works within my my own zone, so that I can get to that zone of excellence faster.

Joel Goldberg 33:02
Understanding what works for you. I think that’s that’s an important, really important piece to it. Because I you know, first stretch I was journaling to just not consistent enough with it, and then you start putting pressure on yourself. Well, I need to do today. Well, I missed today. I missed yesterday. Okay, maybe that doesn’t work. Maybe it’s something else. And so I think it has to be something that’s realistic. And what’s realistic for one, it’s not realistic for others. want to remind everybody, two things. One, we’re going to go over for some bonus questions on YouTube. So if you just go over there, there’ll be a link in the show notes or search, Rounding the Bases with Joel Goldberg and Paul Kirch. You’ll find us over there, you can find Paul at paulkirch.com. PAUL KIRCH Paulkirch.com or bossacademy.com. Really excited that we had the chance to do this day you were kind enough to spend the time. I’m looking forward to jumping in with your crew of Boss Academy, hopefully very soon to get a better feel for what’s going on. And just to be able to, to experience all of that and know that you’ve got some amazing people there. And I look forward to that. So Paul, thanks so much for spending the time you got you got the you got the the radio podcast voice, so it’s always good to have one of those alongside of me as well.

Paul Kirch 34:19
Well, I appreciate that. I have a face for radio too. So it works out well.

Joel Goldberg 34:23
Well, me too, but they keep putting me on TV. So you know, for better or worse. I hope better. It’s all a good thing, Paul. Thanks for spending time.

Paul Kirch 34:31
Thank you Joel.