What does it really take to scale your business and leadership while staying true to your culture and values? Cybersecurity expert and CEO of ReachOut Technology, Rick Jordan, joins me, Craig Dowden, to tackle this complex question. Together, we dive deep into Rick's story to understand how a potent mix of leadership, branding and tenacity catapulted his company from a fledgling startup into a publicly traded company without a single penny of outside funding.

The road to success is not a smooth ride. It is filled with setbacks and obstacles, which require more than perseverance to take us through. We must commit to learning the lessons that these experiences provide us. Rick opens up in a very personal way, even to his own surprise, to share some of his most difficult challenges, where he questioned himself and his vision. Rather than let these obstacles defeat him, Rick sees these inevitable moments as ones where we must ‘pay the dummy tax' so we can unlock the invaluable insights gained from those financial or emotional bruises. We also celebrate reframing setbacks into stepping stones, providing a roadmap for listeners to accelerate their growth by understanding and embracing the lessons in their own errors.

We close our conversation with a powerful discussion about how rejection isn't the end of the road; it's just a detour on the path to achievement. The art of turning a 'no' into a 'yes' is something Rick knows very well, as he has done this throughout his entrepreneurial journey, where, through persistence, he has turned an initial refusal into extraordinary opportunity. We explore the necessity of taming one's ego and fostering curiosity in leadership and business to strengthen connections and enhance personal development. This episode is a mix of motivational stories and practical insights, aimed at arming you with the mindset and tools required for overcoming obstacles and cultivating success.

What You’ll Learn:

- Scaling a business with integrity and innovation

- Employee engagement is at the heart of growing a successful company.

- How to make every team member an investor in your shared vision.

- Leveraging the 'dummy tax' we pay to overcome setbacks

- Turning rejections into golden opportunities

Podcast Timestamps:

(00:00) – Introduction and Origin Story – From Start-Up to Publicly Traded Company

(13:52) - Personal Branding and Failure

(24:42) – No Is Not Forever – It Means Not Now

(35:48) - Cultivating Curiosity and Managing our Ego

Key Topics Discussed:

Mindset, Personal Growth, Vulnerability, Successful Founder, Scaling A Business, Leading with Integrity, Tenacity, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Personal Branding, Dealing with Failure/Rejection, Ego, Curiosity, Relationship-Building, Cybersecurity, Ethics, Digital Age, Learning from Mistakes.

More of Rick:

Rick Jordan is a tenacious problem-solver with a passion for hard work and Scotch whiskey. From building his first computer at age 10 to writing Best Buy's B2B sales playbook, Rick's journey is marked by a relentless pursuit of solutions. Raised in the Chicago suburbs, he learned the value of human connection and resilience from his family's struggles. After his father's passing, Rick became the head of the household, working at McDonald's and later at RadioShack, where he earned $30,000 in commissions by spotting system security issues. Today, Rick is the founder of ReachOut, a cybersecurity-focused MSP recognized for its excellence and innovation. As a sought-after speaker and podcast host, Rick continues to inspire and empower entrepreneurs worldwide.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrrickjordan/

More of Do Good to Lead Well:

Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/