We were lucky to catch up with Eric Walters recently and have shared our conversation below.

Eric, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve always known. In fact, that was the main part of the struggle. It wasn’t until I was in my late 30’s that I had the first hint of what that looked like. From the time I was a kid, I’ve felt like I was meant for something special. My grandmother was a huge influence on me and was very creative as well. She was a great painter. She always told me I was meant for something special. And the important part is that I believed her!

While it was frustrating seeming to not find what I was looking for I had the faith that it was there. Somewhere. Sometime. Just keep looking. I explored so many creative paths: architect, video game programmer, photographer, screenwriter. But none of them really interested me beyond the basic concept so they didn’t last long. I was skirting the line with the golden handcuffs (having a job you hate that pays well so you’re stuck) but that flame of passion kept lit, even if at times it seemed like it was really close to going out. Then in 2016, I started a music podcast with a childhood friend and for the first time, I knew I was where I was supposed to be.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

On the most basic level, I consider myself a storyteller. For nearly 10 years I worked with online students across the country to help them finish school. My main method of communication was the phone so I received tons of training in the art of conversation. Although there were many things I really disliked about those years of my life it laid the groundwork for what I do now.

Because of my personality and skills, I worked in a lot of leadership or sales roles. While the industries that I worked in were not the right fit for me I learned so many great lessons, habits, and skills in those roles that help me excel in what I do now. My heart craves free-flowing creativity but the execution of an idea is very systematic and deliberate which is why I think many creatives struggle. They don’t understand the business or operational side of it and/or don’t make an effort to understand it. I was the same. My hope was that the content would be good enough to carry the load but that’s a nearly impossible task. You HAVE to understand the business side if you want to move beyond the hobby or side hustle level. I am grateful to have met my current business partner Luke Irvin in 2018 and have learned so much on how to turn a fun side passion project into something that can be a career that provides value to everyone involved.

I think a big thing I bring to the table that people really appreciate is that I am focusing the story around the people and not necessarily the products. Instead of making the focus on reviewing beers, I made the focus on the people who are making it happen. That helped to create some amazing relationships within the industry which in turn helped the content and opportunities continue to evolve. People really enjoy the way I am able to help them tell their stories. I have even had a few breweries tell me that they have new hires listen to my episode featuring them to really understand who they are.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl This book gives me chills every time I think about it and the lesson it teaches. In this book, Frankl shares his experience in Nazi concentration camps over a 3 year period. In the most horrendous of settings, Frankl found that purpose or meaning is what helped keep many people alive. This could be staying alive to see your family or a wonderful career waiting when you are released. But meaning can also be something as small as finding a piece of thread that day. That piece of thread can help tighten your shoes just enough to reduce blisters because a blister can quickly become a major issue and this was not the type of place where you want to have a major issue. On the other hand, if someone lost hope the chances of them making it more than a day or two were not very good. This really puts life into perspective.

The E-Myth

I think this book should be required reading for everyone. It basically takes the thought that your business idea will drive the bus and turns it on its head. The key is systems and outsourcing those systems. Creating systems in every aspect of your business creates a business. If it’s all in your head then when you are gone the business is gone. You have essentially created a job for yourself. And no one wants to buy a job. I really like the way it was written because it goes back and forth between the concepts and the author consulting a client. It immediately puts the ideas into an understandable and relatable situation. Bottom line, it shows you what you need to work ON your business and not IN the business.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I am a firm believer that your mindset controls everything. Growing up outside of Youngstown, Ohio the mindset of the entire culture is very blue-collar. Your worth as a person is closely related to the number of hours of work you do and the harder the work the higher the social value. For the most part “working smarter not harder” was considered lazy. You were just expected to be part of the machine. Shut up, do the work, and suffer like the rest of us. Don’t think outside the box, just get in the box and get to work. I never bought into that. HOWEVER, that is what I was around until I was 28 and unless you make a conscious effort to not have that mindset it’s inevitable. I am very grateful for that hardworking background but I have to continue to unlearn all of these habits and mindsets that completely contradict what I am trying to do now which is create my own path on my own terms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tapthataz.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tapthatazpodcast/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tapthatazpodcast
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-walters8675309/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsJMJs3aOCVsYeiRKKII2IA
• Other: https://atasteofaz.com/

Image Credits
Luke Irvin