We recently connected with Rick Lozano and have shared our conversation below.
Rick, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I have the best job in the world! I get to help leaders, teams, and individuals unlock and amplify their talent and potential and sometimes I do it with my guitar in hand!
Now the actual running of the business?
As every business owner will tell you, it can be challenging. One of the very first things you learn as an entrepreneur is that making money isn’t the hard part. Making money CONSISTENTLY is the hard part! You have to have systems and processes in place to ensure that you are always generating business and that can take some effort and learning.
Luckily, I surrounded myself with some excellent business coaches early in my journey and they helped me immensely. If you are starting your own business, I highly recommend it.
Rick, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
For years I followed the old advice – keep your personal and your professional lives separate. I built a career in leadership and talent development as my day job and played music as a singer/songwriter/bandleader at night. And I was fine with that.
Then one day, a leader made a suggestion that changed my life. “Rick, bring your guitar to work.”
And when I did…magic!
I transitioned into keynote speaking and, with guitar in hand, began finding parallels between music and leadership, corporate culture, and engagement. I begin thinking like a musician, at work, and suddenly new connections, ideas, and ways to connect with my audience came to life.
These days I continue to help people develop into that next great space as a trainer, consultant, author, and speaker and I’m enjoying doing work that excites me and incorporates all my talents.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Well, the guitar helped, certainly! But so did the two decades of experience I brought to the table.
The real difference, though? I was approachable.
I talked to people. I attended the conferences where I spoke and built relationships with people. It wasn’t a strategic decision, per se, I just did what I’ve always done – talked to people and tried to listen and build relationships.
And it is amazing to me how (apparently) rare that is these days, people seem surprised by it.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Referrals, hands down. And this, I think, directly speaks to my previous point about building relationships. Every audience, client, and population has someone in it who might be your next customer. How you show up with everyone matters.
That said, I still build systems and processes for cold outreach and new lead generation. That has its place in every business. But I also move beyond people’s inboxes and try and have real conversations with them, on the phone and in person. Nothing builds trust faster than actually speaking with someone in an honest, open, and curious way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ricklozano.com
- Instagram: ricklozanoamplify
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-lozano/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rick_lozano
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLR4Q28PEWGaxC0NGj8ACw
- Other: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ricklozanoamplify/