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We've had some big wins at my company this year. The kind of wins that mean it's time to expand. Bringing new people onto the team isn't something I take lightly. These people are going to help shape the content that goes out into the world with my brand and my name attached to it. So when I'm hiring, I need to make sure my job listing lands in front of the best possible people. Not just good, but the best. Which means this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results when you need the right person to cut through the chaos. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com podcast podcast just go to Indeed.com podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply. This isn't your job. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs.
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I started my business as a sole proprietorship and at the time that made sense. I was just trying to get moving. But looking back I realized if I had known what I know now, I probably would have structured it as an S corp and at the start. Instead I had to switch later, which was a pain. And you know that is true of many things. There are small decisions that we would have approached differently if only we had known. But you don't have to learn from your mistakes like I did. You can do it right the first time. Under the guidance of today's sponsor, Northwest Registered Agent has been helping small business owners and entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses for nearly 30 years. They are the largest registered agent and LLC service in the US with over 1500 corporate guides who are real people who know your local laws and can help you and your business every step of the way. Northwest gives you access to thousands of free guides, tools and attorney drafted documents to help you run your business with confidence. No upsells, no selling your data. Northwest makes life easy for business owners. They don't just help you form your business, they give you all the free tools that you need after you form like operating agreements, meeting minutes and thousands of guides that explain all the ins and outs of running a business. Don't pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for what you can get from Northwest for free. Visit northwestregisteredagent.com helpwanted free and start using free resources to build something amazing. Get more with Northwest Registered agent at. Again, here's the website northwestregisteredagent.com help wanted
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free to be Happy in life it helps if you are happy at work, but sometimes that's not possible. Sometimes you can walk away and start something better. Been there, but sometimes you just can't. Also been there. When that happens, therapy can help. Our sponsor Rula helps match everyone with a great therapist. Rula considers your goals, preferences and background to provide you a curated list of licensed in network therapists who are actually aligned with what you need because they know that finding the right therapist can make all the difference. No wait lists, no frustrating back and forth. Roola makes it easy to find a mental health provider who is accepting new patients and appointments are available as soon as tomorrow. Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high quality therapy that's actually covered by Insurance. Visit rula.comhelpwantedtogetstarted that's R U L A.com helpwanted you deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget.
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This is Help Wanted, the show that makes your work work for you. I'm Jason Pfeiffer, Editor in chief of
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Entrepreneur magazine and I'm money expert Nicole Lapin. On Tuesdays Jason and I answer the help and help callers solve their work
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problems and on Thursdays I give you one way to improve your work and build a career or company you love.
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And it starts now.
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Today I want to tell you the greatest lesson I've ever learned about kindness. But let me start with a moment that I deeply regret. I spoke at a conference a few years ago and afterwards a man came up and said hello. He was carrying a copy of my book which he had just bought and he handed me a copy of his which was a self published thriller. I'll read your book if you read mine, he said super pleasantly. If I have the time. I replied. I regretted it immediately. Why did I say that? My words were pompous and cruel and self important. It still pains me to think that somewhere that guy thinks I'm an ass. And you know what? With good reason. Because I was an ass. I have spent a lot of time wondering why did I say that? And it's not just me of course we all surprise ourselves with selfishness or the wrong words. I am sure that out of your mouth have popped things. You were shocked you said. Today I'm going to share a mental trick that I now use to steady myself and ensure that I am always the person I want to be, no matter the interaction. It is a critical tool for anyone who wants to be viewed as steady, reliable, and always gracious. And it all starts with lessons learned from two of my favorite entertainers. This is the trickle down effect of kindness. All right, we're going to get back to the question of graciousness and kindness in a moment, but first I need to tell you about Kevin Smith. If you were a teenager in the 90s, you probably know that name. He is the filmmaker who created Clerks, Mall Rats, Chasing Amy, and more. He was Silent Bob in all those movies, as well as the writer and director. Anyway, when Kevin was five years old, he and his dad were walking along a pier and passed Peter Marshall, who was then the very famous host of Hollywood Squares. Kevin's dad called out, hey, Peter. And Peter Marshall smiled and said hello. And that was it. And to Kevin, that was magic. Peter could have ignored them, but he didn't. And Kevin thought to himself, if I'm ever famous like Peter, I will be just as gracious. Then Kevin grew up to become famous, and he kept his word. I heard Kevin tell that story on a podcast recently, and it jolted a memory for me because I had a moment exactly like it. And it taught me the same lesson. Except my moment wasn't with Peter Marshall. It was with Kevin Smith. When I was in college, I was obsessed with Kevin Smith, and I was desperate to meet him. So I went big. I took over the student speakers bureau at Clark University where I went to school. And then I spent the entire year's budget bringing Kevin Smith to campus. The day arrived when Kevin was coming. I was so nervous. Then he showed up. He was super nice. He took photos with students and just kind of hung out. Then he stood on stage answering questions for five hours. Afterward, he and I walked back to his car together, just me and this guy that I had idolized. And as he left, I remember thinking, if anyone cares about what I have to say, for the rest of my life, I will be as gracious as Kevin Smith, just as Kevin thought about Peter Marshall. And then I developed the career that I have. And I have been able to mostly live up to that promise, except for the times I slipped up, like with that guy at the conference with the book, which I wanted to fix, which brings me to the next entertainer, the Rock. Years later, I interviewed Dwayne the Rock Johnson and his business partner, Danny Garcia. We talked about connecting with audiences, and I told them the story I just told you about the man handing me his book and the mean thing that I said in response. And they had a Story just like it. It was 1998, and Dwayne was struggling to transition from wrestler to actor. He and Danny were at dinner talking about this, and some fans approached him. Excuse me, but can we have your autograph? They asked nervously. And Dwayne was not in the mood again, he was struggling at that time. He was upset. He wasn't feeling good. He looked at them coldly. He said, sure with a huff, like, oh, sure. The fans grew regretful. They started apologizing, but Dwayne signed the thing and handed it over and they shuffled away. Then Dwayne and Danny recognized the horror of the moment and they did something really brilliant. They imagined that whole situation, moment by moment, from the fan's point of view. They imagined those people having a date night away from their kids, a special dinner, and then they look up and see the Rock, which makes the dinner extra special. And they start up debating, like, can we approach him? Should we approach him? They decide this is a once in a lifetime chance. So they get up and they nervously do it, only to be disappointed. Dwayne told me this. He said I had an opportunity to make them feel so good. And instead they walked away apologetic and feeling awful. When the reality is I'm a lucky son of a bitch that someone would care enough to come up and ask for my autograph. That moment changed him forever. Forevermore. Duane said when he interacts with anyone, he now imagines that moment from their perspective. And this is the solution to our kindness problem. Why are we not gracious? Why do we say the wrong thing? It is because in that moment we're focused on ourselves, and therefore it's hard to focus on others. But the outside world demands consistency from us. We can't be gracious one day and selfish the next. That is bad for relationships and bad for business. So we need a way to steady ourselves, to be reliably gracious and kind and always the best version of ourselves. Duane found the way to do that. View our interactions from someone else's point of view. What do they need from us? What would make their day? What small gesture can be meaningful and perhaps even create a lifelong memory? When that man handed me his book all those years ago, and all I thought was, I'm busy and stressed. I'll never have time to read this. Well, I didn't need to say that. He didn't need to know that he was just asking for kindness and validation and recognition, and I should have been able to deliver all three. I aspire to never make that mistake again. Well, you know What? Recently, I got to tell all this to a very important person. I got to tell it all to Kevin Smith. I invited him onto my podcast and then told him about, well, this other podcast that I host called Problem Solvers for Entrepreneur, not Help Wanted. So you go check it out there. Problem Solvers. Anyway, I invited him onto the podcast and then told him how he impacted me and the lesson of graciousness that I learned from it. He was really touched, and to my surprise, he told me a version of what the Rock told me, too. When Kevin first became famous, he said it was like being on the other side of the transaction. He used to be the fan, eager for a moment with the celebrity. Now he was the celebrity receiving the eagerness of the fan. And that felt like an important responsibility. You want to provide the dream for people, he said. And he realized that with just a few simple words, he could. I believe we all have this power. You don't need to be famous like Kevin or Dwayne. After all, many people look to you for something. You, whoever you are. Maybe it's a customer, a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs a moment of your time. People look to you so want to deliver what they need and then some. Do you want to be remembered forever? Like Kevin remembered Peter? Like I will always remember Kevin. It is very simple. Get out of your head and get in to someone else's. Help Wanted is a production of Money News Network. Help Wanted is hosted by me, Jason
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Pfeiffer and me, Nicole Lapin. Our executive producer is Morgan Lavoy. Do you want some help? Email our helpline@helpwantedoneynewsnetwork.com for the chance to have some of your questions answered on the show. And follow us on Instagram at Want Money News and TikTok at Money News Network for exclusive content and to see our beautiful faces. Maybe a little dance?
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Oh, I didn't sign up for that.
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All right, well, talk to you soon.