Consistency:

December 3, 2019 / Unstruggle Mindset / Leave a comment

THE SECRET KEY TO A MASSIVE FOLLOWING

Me messing around in my wife’s shirt. A little snug. But the message is clear. LOL

It is no secret in starting a business that at some point in time, your content is going to speak for your business. Many of motivational speakers talk about the influence social media has on a small business. Even before you launch an actual business, you can use the content posted on social media, to build your brand and establish a name for yourself. That is where my journey began. In just a few short months, I have been able to obtain a few hundred followers across the social media platforms.

This can be as simple as just posting a picture on Facebook or Instagram. Posting a selfie while going through your day-to-day gives your followers insight into how you do things, as well as what you do. This can help inspire others to follow your actions and therefore, build a trustful relationship between you and your followers. But what happens when your followers fall in love with you and your “business” but search for new posts and find nothing?

It happens. We all get busy. Whether you miss a post for the day because your child has a sporting event. Or you don’t shoot a new video for your YouTube channel because you got sucked into a great movie on Netflix. I’ve done it! But what does this do to your following? Consistency is the number one thing that followers look for. Without consistent material, your followers lose interest or your number of followers starts to plummet. Even as I write this blog post I am guilty of this as well. My last blog post was weeks ago and I have tried again and again to sit down and write but never made the time. That is not how I want my business or my personal brand viewed.

So What Exactly Happens When You Are Inconsistent?

Consistent content has more benefits for your small business/personal brand than many realize. In this section, I’m going to dive deeper into this subject based on what I have learned along my journey and what I continue to see day in and day out. First of all, allow me to offer an example. I follow many people on YouTube. I have my reptile videos that I love to watch in order to learn about certain species like Brian Barczyk, Dav Kaufman, Brian Kusko, Snake Discovery, etc. and I also have my daily inspiration and motivational videos I watch like Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Evan Carmichael, etc. If I were to say go onto Brian Barczyk’s channel on YouTube and see he didn’t post a video for that day, I’m going to move on to another channel. If I come back the next day to the same, eventually I’m going to forget about the channel and find somewhere else to get my information from. So not only does inconsistency lose people’s attention, but it also loses people all together! Luckily, Barczyk is there 365 days a year for my viewing pleasure.

SPONSORSHIP OF CONTENT

Brian Barczyk, YouTuber and Reptile Enthusiast, Owner of The Reptarium in Michigan

Because of his consistent vlogging and successful career, Barczyk, pictured left, has been able to obtain not only followers, but sponsors. Businesses everywhere, in any profession, watch for people that they like and believe would be great to advertise their products. In the reptile community, some large sponsors include Zilla Labs, Freedom Breeder, ZooMed, and many more. With consistent content, a large following, and added value to your audience, you could land a sponsor for your page. Sponsors will pay you in order to advertise their product on your content. You can have a vlog, blog, podcast, website, or any type of content sponsored. Sponsorship can also bring the possibility of free product. For example, if my YouTube channel got enough attention and a company felt I was worth sponsoring, they may send me their product for free in exchange for a promotion on my page. Of course, my YouTube channels just launched and I currently have minimal followers, this is one of my goals.

Pre-selling Your Product or Service

Another benefit from having a large collection of content, is trust. Your followers build a trust in your knowledge and your product/service before it is even offered. So if you have an idea for a business, or you want to turn your passion into a business, start a social media page especially for this topic! Invite your friends and family to like and follow the page to give you initial followers. This is a great platform in which to build on for future success. Not only will your followers consume your content, but if they like it they will share it with their friends and family bringing in more followers. Common sense, right?

The only issue is this will not be easy if you are not posting content when you mean to. If you mention that you will be posting daily, post daily. If you mention that you will post weekly, post each piece on the same day, at the same time. When the time comes to offer a product or service, people will already love you and your product and it will make it that much easier for your business to be successful. YouTube is a great platform to make this happen because with the right keywords, you can gain a massive following very quickly.

MONETIZATION

Many internet celebrities, especially YouTubers, have made money just by posting content alone! This is called monetization. Basically with monetization, the platform in which you post your content will pay you. This is usually in CPM in which advertisements are placed throughout content, and you are paid by the company per click on the advertisement. This can lead to a steady income if you have hundreds or even millions of subscribers. Simple concept, right? post your content, run an advertisement in the video, and get paid. This in itself can turn into a business for yourself on top of product/service sales. Different platforms have different requirements for monetization so I would advise looking into the platform you post on the most.

In Conclusion…

Posting content is easy! Almost too easy. But consistently, not so much. As I have said I am also guilty of not posting for days, or even weeks (this blog for example.) But you will be seeing much more of me throughout 2020! I have a weekly schedule to post my content and I hope to help as many people as possible in 2020. I appreciate you for taking the time to read this blog post! For more, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube. I also have a Podcast “gRYnd Tyme with Ry the Reptile Guy available on Spotify, RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, PocketCasts, Breaker, Overcast, and Anchor.fm! Please let me know what you thought of this entry and I look forward to growing with all of you!

Aspire to Inspire: Inspiration is Everywhere

November 7, 2019 / Unstruggle Mindset / Leave a comment

Welcome back! If you are reading this, I would like to say thank you so much for your support! You may be reading this because you too share the dreams of being your own boss and earning a living doing what you love. You came to the right place! If you follow me on basically any social media platform, you have seen me say “Inspiration is everywhere!” This is completely true. But, how do you fine tune your brain to find it? Yesterday, I released an episode on my Podcast “gRYnd Tyme with Ry the Reptile Guy” about just this. The episode is titled “The Five Things I Am Implementing to Change My Life.” (If you would like to listen to this episode and the other episodes, link is below) Today, I am going to dig a little deeper into this as far as where I find my inspiration daily. So let’s dive in!

1. BUDGETING

My number one thing that I have implemented in order to better my life is a strict budget. When I say strict, I mean STRICT! There is room for my bills, and a small amount to invest into my business. That is it. What in the hell does this have to do with inspiration? Nothing inspires you more than having more money! That’s partially why we’re in this position isn’t it? By saving, you increase your contribution to your business, taking one giant leap towards earning what you’ve always dreamed. For the aspiring entrepreneur, saving is key. Not to mention the ability to give your family all of the necessities without the fear of running bankrupt! So budgeting was a must for me at this time.

Least Expected Motivation

I wanted to take a quick moment to share an inspiring moment I had just today. I won’t go too far into detail, as it is not my story to tell. An older woman that I work with recently found out she has breast cancer. Could you imagine? Living your day-to-day life and one day everything just crashes in front of you. But, back to the story. Initially, she took a leave of absence from work for two weeks for testing and such. After the two week period, she returned to work. Now, my job is not an easy one. I, as well as three others, run a print press for a label printing company. We work twelve-hour days, on a cold concrete floor. It becomes very physically exhausting. It has now been a month since her diagnosis. This past Friday, she left work early in order to receive radiation treatment. After about three hours, she RETURNED TO WORK. That’s right, she left to go get her treatment and returned to work afterwards! Now I have been blessed to not have had to even think about, let alone be diagnosed with cancer, but I can imagine that type of treatment does not leave the body in a working condition. And today, she did the same thing! I thought to myself, if she had the determination for this job enough to go through the toughest moments possibly of her life, what could someone with that amount of determination do for their own business? And just like that, I was inspired. Sure, she never meant to inspire someone. I don’t know if she just simply returned to work because she couldn’t afford to miss it. But it inspired me. See, inspiration is everywhere!

Inspiration via Media

Unless you live in a cave or under a rock, which I’m guessing you don’t because you are reading this, you have some sort of connection via social media. The internet and its many, MANY players are loaded with sources of inspiration. Number two and three of the five things I have implemented to change my life come from this source.

2. Meditation/Spiritual Healing

I have began my journey into meditation and spiritual healing within the past few weeks and I have to say, it is NOTHING like what I expected. I literally feel like a new person just because of this! I began by searching YouTube for information on the topic where I found Master Sri Akarshana. (Link below) This guy is amazing! His channel is filled with knowledgeable videos about meditation, the law of attraction, manifestation, and entrepreneurship. It’s the whole package for people like you and I! Again and again I watched his videos, took notes, and implemented his recommendations. This is where the spiritual healing comes in. I learned about the law of attraction and how if you project negative energy into the atmosphere, you are going to attract negative energy and a negative outcome. If you release positive energy, well you can probably guess. That’s right! You attract positivity and therefore positive things start happening. I know, it sounds silly. Trust me, I thought it was weird too! But ladies and gentlemen, this actually works! I take five to ten minutes of my day and set that time aside for myself and meditation. Instead of focusing on not having a nice house or fancy car, I have learned to become grateful for what I have through meditation. But don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself!

https://www.youtube.com/user/EricHoOfficial

The third thing on my list of improvements is I focus on watching more inspirational videos. YouTube is loaded with people who make videos everyday for you and I. Their entire channel is dedicated to the Entrepreneur of every level. Every morning while I get ready for work and on my commute, I listen to videos from Evan Carmichael’s channel. With over two million subscribers, it has to be good right? It is! Evan posts videos for entrepreneurs and includes input from many industry leaders. With icons such as Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Grant Cardone, Gary Vaynerchuk, Mel Robbins, and the list goes on and on, sharing their steps to success. I highly recommend Evan’s channel for anyone, especially if you are trying to start your own business.

Visit Evan Carmichael’s page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ModelingTheMasters

I often listen to Gary Vaynerchuk as well just because he is so down to earth and grateful to have followers. He is not your average CEO. Most of his videos are filled with profanity, but who cares! We are all adults here. But his words of wisdom are priceless. I have actually read one of his books and working on the second one. The first book I actually listened to via Audible called “Crush It!” and it was a great piece of literature. I am currently reading another book called “Crushing It”. Both have a lot of great information for marketing as well as brand establishment. I recommend these books for you! Yes, you. No! Don’t turn around, YOU! Check them out!

Here is the link to Gary’s YouTube channel as well:

https://www.youtube.com/user/GaryVaynerchuk

But with these videos, you have to do more than just watch them. I take notes, pause, rewind, watch again, and take more notes. Then after I watch a video I ask myself “How can I make this work for me?” Which leads to more research. As a matter of fact, you can thank Gary for these words you are reading now. He inspired me to stretch out and make this blog, as well as my podcast, and YouTube vlog. Social media marketing is huge! And I learned that from Mr. Vaynerchuk.

10X THE WORK ETHIC

Boom! If you have never heard of him, Grant Cardone is the man with the plan! I have been following Grant now for going on three years. I stumbled over his content back when I was starting out in selling life insurance. It was my first sales job and I had no experience. So I researched. I found four books, all written by Grant. The first book I read was “Be Obsessed or Be Average”. Once I was finished with that one, I got into “The 10X Rule”. Holy hell! I can tell you now the 10X Rule is a must have for any entrepreneur. It’s all about taking the effort you put in, and multiplying it by ten! Making your business adventure an obsession. By the way, I’m not getting paid by any of these gentlemen for this little shoutout/book review so that will tell you how much I enjoyed them. I then ventured into “The Closer’s Survival Guide” and “Sell or Be Sold.” But I couldn’t lock it down in the sales game. Do you know that feeling you had as a child when you were slacking on something you were supposed to do and your dad walked in and caught you slacking? That’s almost the feeling I get when I watch Grant Cardone’s videos. Because I did fail. I failed hard. I made under $1,000 in three months selling life insurance. So I quit and went back to an hourly factory job. If you are an Entrepreneur or wanting to start your own business, Grant Cardone is the kick in the ass you need to keep you going.

Visit Grant’s channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/GrantCardone

Consider these links homework if you haven’t visited them before. Then let me know what you think!

Still Not Inspired?

If you are more of a “find my own way” person, well first of all good luck! Secondly, there are a lot of things you can do yourself. I love to walk by myself. No earbuds, no conversation, no distraction. It clears my mind and gives me the chance to really think to myself. I think about just about anything on my walks.

In conclusion, what I want you to do! Today, tomorrow, right now, whenever. Look for inspiration! It doesn’t have to be a millionaire or business icon. Look around. Take a walk, talk to someone you don’t know. Look, and you will find it! So pay attention, find that inspiration, grab it, and rise! Thank you all so much for the support! I know I rambled a little bit but I wanted to get my point across. Love to all and let’s go get it!

Visit my new YouTube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCf7jhf6wBEN1AE-02ndiqQ

Please follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat @rythereptileguy

Like & Follow my wacky adventures on Facebook! Ry the Reptile Guy.

Listen to my Podcast via Anchor.fm, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocketcasts, Spotify, and Radio Public: gRYnd Tyme with Ry the Reptile Guy

I’d love to hear from you!

Welcome to my blog!

October 30, 2019 / Unstruggle Mindset / Leave a comment

Hello everyone and welcome to Ry the Reptile Guy: gRYnd Tyme! This blog is about my road to entrepreneurship. The goal of this blog is to not only serve as a written journal of my journey for myself to look back at one day, but to serve as a source of motivation and inspiration for those who are also looking to chase their dreams! gRYnd Tyme is about putting in the work, and busting your ass to get what you want out of life. Instead of waiting for life to bring it to you (which may never happen). But before we get into the nitty gritty and get our hands dirty, I’ll start off with a little introduction.

Who is Ry the Reptile Guy?

My name is Ryan Glenn, also known as Ry the Reptile Guy. I am a reptile hobbyist, a husband and father of 3. I have been collecting and keeping reptiles for going on three years now. My entire life has consisted of one crazy pet after another. Growing up, my mother was always the person to rescue injured wildlife and rehabilitate it. From a young age, I learned to care for all living creatures. I can remember our first exotic pet was a Great Horned Owl we had named Webster. I was very young then but I can remember riding my bike down the driveway with that mean bastard on the handlebars. From there, my family and I have rescued 2 red tailed hawks, 2 red squirrels (actually were pretty awesome pets!), a fawn deer we named Buck and ending up donating to Broadbent Wildlife Sanctuary down in Breckinridge County, KY, and an Opossum. I fell in love with nature and all creatures. I have spent my entire life caring for animals. So now that you know a little bit about my past, let’s talk about the future!

The Road to the ReptiRanch

I know what you’re thinking. “What in the hell is the ReptiRanch?” The ReptiRanch is a fully interactive Reptile and Exotic Animal zoo that I own. ReptiRanch is a place where any average Joe can walk in the door and learn about a new species of animal, overcome fears, experience one-on-one the beauty of these magnificent animals, and have family-friendly fun. If you are thinking to yourself, “where is this at, I would love to visit!” The ReptiRanch is currently located directly between my ears. That’s right, it is still an idea. But thanks to the things I have learned along this journey, I can envision this place as if it already exists! The ReptiRanch is my ultimate goal. Of course owning a zoo is not something that comes very easily. There is a long road ahead of me!

What Am I Doing to get There?

As I said earlier, I have been in the hobby of keeping reptiles for going on three years now. I have a small collection that continues to grow as I can. I have 5 Ball Pythons, 2 Boa Constrictors, a Corn Snake, a Carpet Python, a Leopard Gecko, and a Savannah Monitor. I plan to continue growing my collection. My first goal to turn my hobby into a business is to offer a traveling reptile show for hire for corporate and private events. The reptile shows will not only be a source of income to fund my ultimate goal, but also an avenue to spread the knowledge and experience with people about these frequently misunderstood creatures. Another avenue I am preparing to take it breeding my ball Pythons and Boa Constrictors. Now, before everyone gets all pissed off and curses me “You’re extorting these creatures for money!” I want to share a few things. First of all, if you look up anyone who breeds reptiles for a living you will find that Ball Pythons have endless possibilities of looks and are absolutely beautiful no matter what you get. (I recommend Brian Barczyk, Brian Kusko, and Dav Kaufman on YouTube for family-friendly education about reptiles and breeding. I have provided links below!) There a re thousands and thousands of reptile breeders in this world, I’m only trying to get my slice of the pie in return for my slice of Heaven. I am also planning on increasing my social media influence via YouTube, podcast, and of course this blog! I also have a Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter page (Links also below!) where you can see my animals and watch my journey via video and pictures.

What You Can Expect From Me!

While achieving my goals, my secondary goal is to motivate and inspire others to follow their dreams via social media influence. If you are to follow me, it is either because you have a dream of being your own boss, or you love animals. Either way, that’s fine with me! But for those who have dreams, I want to be here to offer encouragement, motivation, and inspiration! So I will share what I am learning, who I am listening to, what I am watching, what I am reading, and every single step I take on this journey. What is the difference between me doing so and the others who do this? All of the people that are notorious influences are already at the top of their game! They’ve done it, and they are already successful. Sure, they talk about what they did to get where they are, but you didn’t see it! Mainly because the tools available today were not available when they were walking this road. With me, I promise 100% honesty, 100% transparency, and 100% no bullshit. I’m not going to tell you “You’re not successful until you’re making millions!” I’ll be completely honest, I am starting at the bottom. ROCK BOTTOM! I live in a trailer park because of stupid things I have done and decisions I have made. But I am done being here. I am done living day-to-day clocking in, clocking out, going home, and being broke all of the time! So if you are in the same spot I am, take my hand. Buckle up, put your head down and PUSH! We are the new elite, we just don’t know it yet. So together, let’s rise and kick the shit out of this world! It’s grind time baby! Thank you so much for the support and I look forward to taking this journey with you!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4zS1wbO81p59CxKL7CQAcA Link to Brian Barczyk’s YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXbwN03hrVLmWxaN7d9u3hw Link to Brian Kusko’s YouTube channel

Like and Follow my page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rythereptileguy

Tweets by rythereptileguy

Follow me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/rythereptileguy

Check out my podcast: https://anchor.fm/ry-the-reptile-guy

You can also listen via Apple Podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, and many more!