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Speech Transcript (very little editing so not exact)

Leonard Thank you so much for coming on. Please introduce yourself to time to shine today podcast varsity squad. But first, what’s your favorite color? And why?

Unknown Speaker  2:14  

Scott, thanks for having me on. Favorite color. Favorite personal color would have to be sage. It’s home. It’s natural. It’s relaxing. Yeah, I love sage as a as a business color, though. I love teal. It’s cool. And it’s the decaf color. It’s communication. It’s authenticity. I love it.

Unknown Speaker  2:38  

I love that you said sage. I know it’s a color but my assistant on Thursdays is when I do all of my interviews, okay, and she comes in and she does sage before it sets my scene for the day of leveling off and you know, in be able to make people like you shine and that’s, that’s fantastic. So let’s get to kind of the roots of yeah, here Leonard if you don’t mind and kind of like where it started. Because, you know, you said you’ve been doing this a decade with all due respect. You look about 18 You know, so I know you didn’t start it when you were eight. But you know if you’re watching here, spot, he’s a handsome dude. Awesome smile. And but he’s also going to bring some serious knowledge nuggets. So let’s get to the roots where you started here, brother.

Unknown Speaker  3:21  

Thanks. So yeah, I look pretty young. I attribute that mostly to sunscreen. So much. But yeah, so I grew up in California in the Santa Barbara County area. And loved it love that area. Still, it’s one of my favorite places to go visit did college in Orange County, California, grad school in Los Angeles and then stayed so really worked. The Los Angeles City to really start my career. Started in law firms always been in law firms did a quick stint in entertainment, strategy consulting, but it’s always centered around law. I like to say I grew up in law, like all of my professional jobs have been in the industry. So did that in house, many different firms, business to business, consumer focused, you know, litigation, immigration and everything in between all those

Unknown Speaker  4:28  

shunts love it,

Unknown Speaker  4:30  

Shawn, why my lava? There was something about like human life and there’s so many different things like how do you control human life? Right, but law attempts to put some order to nearly everything right, whether it’s financial, whether it’s medical, whether it’s relationship oriented in or marriages, right. So law touches every aspect every rule corner of our lives, especially in America, right? When I thought about what do I want to do as, as a human, what’s going to serve me at the highest level so that I can wake up and be inspired, and energetic to do what I do every day? And I thought I want to help people, right? But I don’t like blood. So healthcare was out. And, you know, finances are fine, but give me excel. So, you know, I’m like, what are we left with? Right? I just started like, checking off industries. And so since last touches all aspects, I was like, great. I’m going to serve people through attorneys. The what I do in the agency is I help attorneys find their ideal clients better, quicker, faster. So I’m really helping that end client, but through that the firm, right short route through a law lawyer, a law firm. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker  5:57  

So with law, okay. So, you know, I’m out my day job for last 23 years, it’s been a real estate broker. And if you look at that ladder, we’re a couple rungs above attorneys and car salesmen. Okay, so, with that being said, Do you get any pushback when people that that’s asked this another way? Good, because I want to ask it without offending, you know, what I’m saying? Because, again, you know, everyone’s gonna go shit, you’re an attorney, you know. So, I do work with your digital marketing to make them shine and put a person to the face that might be in a billboard or a bus bench or something like that. Again, I know, you also worked with huge law firms too. But is that what you do kind of get put a shine and put a personality good personality with them?

Unknown Speaker  6:45  

Yeah, I would say we do exactly that. So most attorney advertising that you see is, you know, one 800, I’m in pain on the side of the bus, right? Yeah, it’s really cheesy. You know, that’s what we see the most. But even in other sectors, right, like business to business, corporate type law, it, it’s kind of the same type of thing. No one wants to spend money on legal. No one wants to have an attorney unless you’re gonna get something. And it’s still hard, right, we’re still making a decision. So everything that I do as a strategist at my agency does, in creative, we’re looking to build that relationship, because everything is based on relationships. So we are telling the story of the person, we are telling what makes makes them unique, we’re telling what makes them different than their competitors, were telling about them in a way that’s still professional still holds them as a legal expert, but also brings out their personality, because that’s what your clients are going to connect with. And that’s a really narrow line of balance. For some attorneys.

Unknown Speaker  7:58  

It’s tough for attorneys across the board, because there’s a lot of people that come to me and digital market up my level of my real estate business. And there’s a lot of people that Prop over promise and under deliver. What kind of stuff do you do to make sure that they’re comfortable when they hire you for one? And that you overdeliver?

Unknown Speaker  8:20  

Yeah, most agencies, this kind of speaks to like, what is unique about geek house that the agency I run is that I like full fledged 360 plans? Doesn’t mean you need to do everything. Of course, it all works in concert. So it’s better if you do, but the person who’s going to tell you, you need to be on social media, let me do your Instagram, right. That’s like a match and a fire. Right? If you’re not, what are we doing there? Right. The strategy if there’s no ROI, if we’re not looking at, you know, what are what are we doing? Where are we shooting? Sure, you always aim before you shoot, right? Yes. Most people in marketing do not.

Unknown Speaker  9:06  

Right. Right? They just kind of ready fire aim kind of mentality. So when you’re working with an attorney as a prospect, and you’re working to make them a client, make sure they’re a right horse for your course as well. Right? Is there any secret sauce that you use if you don’t mind sharing letter to maybe help them find their blind spot in their business?

Unknown Speaker  9:29  

Yeah, one of the things that we work with most is like identifying who you serve. Right? And that’s usually a really difficult conversation to have because you want to serve everyone. Right? So like, we see your we serve attorneys and law firms, but we also have real estate agents, right like yourself, right? We have brokers as well. We have financial service people, it’s professional services. And the thread there is it’s your selling yourself as an expert, it’s professional, you need to have a high level of understanding about what you’re talking about. Sure. So it’s hard to have a high level of expertise, when you’re talking in 50 different industries. With a real estate agent, when we work with a law firm, when we work with a financial advisor, or coach, we’re telling them zero in on who that ideal client is going to be. There’s a few of them, that’s fine. But you can’t be like Subway, where you just put a sandwich Sign Out and expect a monster, you know, doesn’t work.

Unknown Speaker  10:40  

I love that you broke it down like that. And when maybe you’re working with the professional that needs your services, is there any good question that you wish they would ask you, but never do during that discovery period?

Unknown Speaker  10:55  

I like to know how committed they are. I want to know how committed they are to growing their firm to leveling up themselves? Because any marketing any sales any, any day, really, it’s an opportunity to be seen. Right? Yes. You need to be seen. So how, how are you showing up to make sure that you’re showing up as best as you can? But also, what are you evoking out of that other person? Right? Right. They’re a very controlling type person, I need to walk into that room differently than if they’re a very supportive type person, right? The communication needs to be different. And so that’s not something that you’re really able to parse out in marketing, right? Because it’s usually at volume, right? That’s kind of the second step where when I’m working with a client, and we’re coaching through things, or you know, we’re looking at like sales strategy, something of that sort, it’s less about the product. I mean, it is always about the product, but that product is about how you sell it, right? It’s kind of like selling me the pen. Right? Right. How do you show up to sell that pen?

Unknown Speaker  12:11  

Got it. So do you? Is there any good question, though, that you wish they would ask you, but never do?

Unknown Speaker  12:19  

question that they would ask me? No

Unknown Speaker  12:28  

question I would want to know, I appreciate that. It’s something I do. Whenever I’m working with a coach, I always ask their lineage Hey, what’s your lineage of coaching to make you who you are? You know, that’s something that you know, they Why should we hire you? Or what do you expect of us? No, I just like to throw that in there a little bit. But you’re so put together I see your programs in its rock star. So have you seen the movie Back to the Future?

Unknown Speaker  12:54  

I have. Okay,

Unknown Speaker  12:56  

let’s get in that DeLorean with Marty McFly. Let’s go back to the Navy, let’s say the 18 year old better. Is there any good knowledge Nuggets with what you know now that you wouldn’t put on him to maybe not change anything? Do you live a heck of a life but make, you know, maybe help shorten that learning curve or blast through maybe just a little bit quicker.

Unknown Speaker  13:17  

I would say if I was going back to my 18 year old self, I would say double down on what you are wanting to do. Because for quite some time, I wanted to do this. Sure. And I held myself small. That’s not That’s not comfortable. I should, you know, follow the herd and get a corporate job and do these things that are traditionally safe and good and comfortable with benefits and 401 k’s and pick, you know all these great things. But as I’m looking at that now, it’s like that was great to do you get great experience doing those types of things. But at some point, you have to take ownership of your own life. And you have to say, You know what, who’s captaining the ship? Are we creating by default? Right? Are we creating intentionally? And so

Unknown Speaker  14:17  

what was that moment brother? Like? I mean that it always comes because I know mine. You know what, when really brought me into building time to shine today in 2009. I have a heck of a story with that. But what was that moment that what happened that day where you’re like, I’m just gonna do this?

Unknown Speaker  14:36  

Well, I was not 18 it was years past. No, exactly. I’m getting past that. Yeah, it was definitely past that. I think when I had graduated from business school, I had, I was consulting with clients on my own. So I had I always kind of had a small, private, you know, group of clients that I would work with even when I had an employee You’re but but it was at the time when I had the office, the window office on Wiltshire. I had all of these things. And I remember just like looking out and being like, like, this is not what I wanted to create, like the on paper I checked literally every box that I thought, you know, if you asked me years before it’s like what is what is success look like? What is that goal for you? I in boxes? And then I wasn’t happy. So I’m like, where did we go?

Unknown Speaker  15:31  

That’s almost exactly how it happened with me.

Unknown Speaker  15:34  

I think that’s what has to happen. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker  15:37  

that’s bad for Vadym would like just years apart, but just kind of like brothers are different mothers, man, this is awesome. So how do you want your dash remember that little line in between your incarnation date, your expiration date, your life date your debt? They hopefully it’s a long ways down the line, but how do you want to that dash to be remembered?

Unknown Speaker  15:56  

I would like to be remembered as someone who gave above and beyond himself and excellence. So what that looks like is being whether they’re a client, or a friend or a family, whatever. Sometimes people need that push, and they need that hard lesson or that hard conversation to be had. And a lot of times I think people will shy away from that because it’s difficult. I tried to not do that. Of course we’re not perfect. I’m not perfect. But with love being candid about your feedback, and and truly making it constructive. But but that feedback is so important. So so important.

Unknown Speaker  16:39  

If you are so well spoken and I’m not just trying to blow smoke up. Yeah, but you are that if you were to bring it up to me and be like forget man, I’m I’m seeing this and seeing this out actually listen to you because you’re not coming at me from an angle of oppression or like your dumb ass or anything like that. And that’s one thing. I appreciate it. That’s why you’re succeeding in this world. Because I mean, come on. Attorneys are egos Yeah, they’re they’re huge egos which you want that in the courtroom, you have to have that for you be able to, you know, kind of this slowing down a little bit and show them the big picture and show them the rod. I love that about you, Leonard. So what do you think people misunderstand the most about you?

Unknown Speaker  17:21  

What do people misunderstand about me? That’s an awesome question. I think I’m a pretty clear communicator. But what do people miss understand. So I’m not a great. I don’t have a high level of patience. Okay, a high level of empathy, but not a high level of patience. So look, if you’re going through something, if we’re working through it, great, but we got to be taking steps together, and I’ll feel for you, right. But I do not have patience, when, you know, things have been asked multiple times. Don’t play the victim role. Because if you can Google it, do not ask me for that. Right. Right. You know, there’s certain things where it’s like, you need to help yourself. And thank you. And some clients, you know, they have the ego, right? Are sure. Doctors, lawyers, business executives, they have that ego. That’s why they are where they are. Right? That’s awesome. But we also have to have like an angle of humility to that. And we love to bring that out. So if if they’re chugging in one direction, there’s no problem in my mind saying, No, that’s actually not going to work. And here’s why. And you either respect that and take the advice, or you can go your way and realize it’s going to fail, you know, they I don’t mean that to sound like all knowing, right, but I’ve definitely heard the feedback. You know, you ask what people might not understand for me. What

Unknown Speaker  19:06  

if you’re coming from a place of service, you know, and they hired you for a reason. You tell them they need to do something and I’m the same way with my coaching. I’m not the right horse for every horse they get ready to grind with me is my kind of affectionately say to them. I love it. So then, what if anything, keeps you up at night letter.

Unknown Speaker  19:31  

I like to get results for clients when I see a campaign not working. I know that they’re up at night that keeps me up at night. You know that there’s definitely a

Unknown Speaker  19:41  

level of

Unknown Speaker  19:45  

community that there’s a relationship, right

Unknown Speaker  19:49  

love, love, love that you said that because you know I coach West Coast clients on Tuesdays and Wednesday nights and those are my least nights of sleep. My worrying tells me that because you know I can’t Coach and I coach and I coach heart in a good way. And when I’m shutting everything down, I send them their homework and get going. It’s just like, could I have did something different? You know, I’m saying because I coach them later at night because the three hour difference. So that’s really the only thing I love that what keeps you up at night comes from a place of service. And I love that. So let’s take out of this equation, anything electronical or the basic needs of water or fire or you know, food, like what are three things that Leonard can’t live without?

Unknown Speaker  20:34  

Oh, okay, so we’re taking out Okay, so we’re not stuck on an island like Survivor,

Unknown Speaker  20:41  

right? Right. Like just but no iPhones. No, I you know, I’ve had nothing electronical and obviously no food, water, you know, stuff like that. But what can’t you live without?

Unknown Speaker  20:51  

Oh, no food or water? Okay, so coffee would kind of be right there with you, my friend. I think we have to put that as as number one. I love coffee. I you know, and it’s not just like, oh, I have to have my cups in the morning. No, we’re like artisanal about this. Like,

Unknown Speaker  21:10  

morally we gotta be mad. Why?

Unknown Speaker  21:13  

There’s a coffee shop here that I go to in sunny isles net. It’s like coffees from around the world. So I would go in there and get my standard, you know, vanilla latte without milk. One time the girl was like, Would you like to try the Columbian roast? Same everything just different bean and I’m like, sure. Let’s try it. Coffee went from a 8.5 to a 12. Very quickly. So you know, we’re wise coffee. It’s a little bit more than a drink for me. Okay. So I love that. I would have to say, what can I not do without my dog? All right, very cool. You know, you gotta have have loved ones around. And

Unknown Speaker  21:59  

people laying right here, man. Well, every time I do it, love it. They’re always around, right? Yes. Yeah. loyal and loving and forgiving. Dogs are the best. What’s number three?

Unknown Speaker  22:08  

Number three.

Unknown Speaker  22:12  

Maybe attorneys for business?

Unknown Speaker  22:18  

Yeah, I mean, I guess. Clients, right? I

Unknown Speaker  22:21  

think you need community man. I am not trying to put words in your mouth. I think community is pretty important to you, just like it is. So then what is Leonard’s definition of a life? Well,

Unknown Speaker  22:33  

if you get up every day and you’re in energetic about what you’re doing, if you’re slugging through, whether you’re a CEO or the janitor, right? If you’re slogging through the day, there’s something else out there for you to do to get involved in something of that

Unknown Speaker  22:54  

live in that passion. Absolutely love that. Time to shine today podcast varsity squad. We are back with my good friend Leonard shiner from Geek house and letter. We’re gonna meet up on a date probably pretty soon. And we could probably talk 1520 minutes. On each one of these questions. I’m gonna ask you, but you got five seconds with absolutely zero explanations. You’re ready to level up?

Unknown Speaker  23:17  

Let’s do it.

Unknown Speaker  23:18  

Let’s do it. Learn what is the best leveling up advice you’ve ever received.

Unknown Speaker  23:23  

Leveling up advice I’ve ever received would be to stay true to yourself.

Unknown Speaker  23:28  

Yes. Sure. One of your personal habits that contributes to your success.

Unknown Speaker  23:34  

get adequate sleep every night. Yes.

Unknown Speaker  23:37  

So you see me walking down the street and I forget his he looks like he’s in his doldrums a little bit. Is there a book you might hand me to make sure I’m reading?

Unknown Speaker  23:48  

Get out of your own way by Bob Macintosh.

Unknown Speaker  23:50  

Yes. Very good. What’s your most commonly used emoji when your text?

Unknown Speaker  23:56  

Depends on who my attacking who? I think. Perhaps the heart emoji

Unknown Speaker  24:02  

people are purple heart. Okay. Okay. I’m just gonna ask what color nickname was growing up?

Unknown Speaker  24:08  

Lenny. Leo, Lenny Jo.

Unknown Speaker  24:13  

Love it. Just checkers or monopoly?

Unknown Speaker  24:18  

Oh, if it’s with my brother, we’ll do checkers if it’s with the family or friends. Monopoly

Unknown Speaker  24:28  

beautiful. Go to ice cream flavor.

Unknown Speaker  24:33  

Oat Milk. Brown, it’s oat milk. Dairy, which is a vegan diet. And what is that? It’s coconut. It’s like the soy. toffee and chocolate.

Unknown Speaker  24:51  

Yeah, very cool. Very cool. Man. There’s a sandwich name, the Leo shiner. What’s on that sandwich?

Unknown Speaker  25:00  

Woof a good green or hummus type spreads are lots of veggies Of course. We’re going to take the falafel balls and smash oh there you go to fry them and put them on.

Unknown Speaker  25:17  

Love it. Love it. favorite charity, no organization like to give your time or money to.

Unknown Speaker  25:23  

There’s an organization called dress for success, okay? And they help people who are not as fortunate as some other people and they get them dressed so that they can look nice on interviews.

Unknown Speaker  25:36  

Love it, love, love that man, I do the same kind of for veterans, you know, here in Palm Beach and get them ready. Beautiful. Thank you for doing that. And last question. You can elaborate a little bit on this one letter. But what is the best decade of music 60s 70s 80s or 90s?

Unknown Speaker  25:52  

Best Music 90s 90s

Unknown Speaker  25:54  

Awesome. Awesome. Oh, yes, you go. There you go. I kind of I graduated in 1990. Right. So 80s was kind of my jam, you know, but I was in the military. And then I love the garage bands and the kind of grunge and the hip hop that kind of rolled out in the 90s as well. So it’s kind of a mesh for me. So what are how can we find your brother?

Unknown Speaker  26:16  

Best place is on the web as on our website, Geek house.com. So go geek g k and then houses H A U S. So go geek house.com.

Unknown Speaker  26:29  

Love it. Love it. And is there anything that I believe that you got a few maybe masterclasses or anything that’s coming out? And maybe you could share with us?

Unknown Speaker  26:40  

Yep, we are actually putting together right now. And it’ll be beginning in a few months, the beginning of August, we are putting together the law firm growth Master series. So it is free for anyone to attend. And that Master series is going to bring together a whole host of experts all centered around growing law firms. And we could map that over to you know, any professional service type firm. But we’re centering on law firms and everything from marketing sales, accounting succession planning the whole gamut.

Unknown Speaker  27:17  

What is that rolling out your thinking?

Unknown Speaker  27:19  

It launches the beginning of August.

Unknown Speaker  27:22  

Beautiful, beautiful, awesome to be one last solid here letter. But can you leave us with one last Knowledge Nugget that we can kind of take with us internalize and take action on

Unknown Speaker  27:35  

systems and processes make your life easier to achieve the goals that you want. So if you look at a goal, you know, it’s like looking at a hamburger. How do you eat a hamburger bite by bite? So that big goal that you have? What is the action that you can take this month, this week, a day now to be able to achieve that and start working towards it? Because most apps towards your goal is better than 50 steps in circles Thank

Unknown Speaker  28:05  

you for saying that. I love it I love it my coaching is that’s exactly how I coach and squad we got an awesome I don’t know if we really call it a masterclass is more kind of a conversation about how my good friend Leonard helps people, law firms, other companies really level up, you know, he grew up in law, but any reminding us that law is part of pretty much everything in human life, you know, how how to control things? Well, Allah in Leonard’s words, you know, put some order into life. And I love that, you know, he serves people really, you know, through attorneys to help them find their ideal clients, you know, looks to reminds us to look to build relationships by telling the story of the attorneys, okay, what makes them unique and different from their competitors. So if you’re an attorney out there, and you’re listening, let me make a warm introduction to my good friend Leonard here, you know, he puts together 303 60 plans to work in concert with what you have to help you love. He’s not making you change. He’s taking what the good parts of you are. He goes deep, he identifies who you serve. You don’t want to serve everybody who’s going to find a niche with you that’s going to help you level up. It’s going to zero in and dig deep. You know, if you’re kind of stuck out there, Leonard wants to remind us to double down on what you’re wanting to do your passion. A lot of people get froze. Leonard and I both went through that, you know, he had his time looking out the window and venture I you know, I have my time in Detroit. So what the hell am I doing this for? You make that plan if you don’t know how, once you get your asking here and ask for help, and get somebody out there that will help you do that. You know, he’s gonna remind you reminded someone that gave above and beyond himself. My friend Leonard is planting trees that he’s probably never gonna sit in the shade of because of his attitude of wanting to help you level up. You know, he’s known as somebody that has clear command dictation a high level of empathy, a low level of patience, but he does even with that he has a really good angle of humility, when he’s talking to you about things that you really need to change. You know, his life well lived is, you know, living your day energetic about what you’re doing, not slugging through. Because if you’re slugging through, you’re not doing what your creator was putting you on this earth to, to, to really attain, you know, in these rises. Lastly, this system, the privacy prophecies make life easier to attain but don’t do it all at once. Like we tell it say here at times shine today inch by inch, it’s a cinch by the yard, it’s hard. And that’s exactly what you know letters, I believe you say that you know, two steps towards something is better than 50 steps towards frickin whatever, you know, because you’re not really zeroing in and lettered you level up your house, you level up your wealth, you’re humbly at your hunger. I love it that you’re local here. We got to connect and collaborate on something. And I just love your guts. Brother. Thank you so much for coming out. I can’t wait to see you again. Perfect. Thank

Unknown Speaker  31:00  

you so much, Scott for having me.

Unknown Speaker  31:01  

You bet. chanson Hey, thanks so much for listening to this episode of time to shine today podcast. proudly brought to you by Southern Nugent real estate real estate excellence, who can be reached at 561-249-7266 and online at www dot Sutter in nugent.com. If you’re a business owner or professional who would like to be interviewed on time to shine today, please visit time to shine today.com Flash guest. If you liked this episode, please subscribe on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, I Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts. There’s a link in the show notes to our website. Also there you will see a recommended resources. We hope that you will support our show by supporting them. If you like where you’ve been listening to, it’d be great if you could just give us a five star rating and tell your friends how to subscribe while you’re at it. I’m your host Scott Ferguson. And until next time, let’s level up it’s our time to shine

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