Show Notes
On this episode, Ramon Smothers from RamonSmothers.com joins us to share his incredible journey of how he was able to overcome his biggest fears, how he turned his life around when everything went wrong for him, and how he was able to build a successful online business blogging.
Ramon is a true hustler story of how you can monetize your passion and turn your life around after you transition from employee to entrepreneur. Ramon started his blog RamonSmothers.com, where he started sharing all what he was going through during the transition of full-time engineer to a blogger. After hearing all the positive feedback from people who loved his story and the content he was sharing, he then took the risk to write a book to inspire others to follow his lead.
Right now, Ramon and his wife have an awesome podcast: The 2 Peas in a Pod Podcast that you must go and check out! They provide awesome inspiration, tips and tricks they’ve learned through their journey of online business.
I had a blast chatting with Ramon! He’s a super cool guy and love everything that he’s doing… I wish you the best of success man!
Video Transcript:
Wealth is the ability to fully experience life! – Henry David
Hey hustlers, my name is Christian and I’m the host of the Hustle Show. We have amazing, real, no-filter conversations with successful entrepreneurs every Monday and Thursday both on our YouTube channel and our podcast audio experience.
Thank you so very much for joining me today I’m very excited to have you here. And I’m very excited to share today’s hustling stories from Ramones Smothers, from ramonesmothers.com as he shares with us how he was able to overcome fear. How he was able to transition from being a full-time employee into a full-time blogger, started his online business, producing products and monetize on his passion and he’s been happier than ever before! This was one of those stories that I just simply had to share with you.
Before we jump into our call with Ramon, remember that all the show notes for the episodes you can find them at thehustleshow.co along with our free book club where we share and review entrepreneurial books for free and many other things that we’re working on to share and to bring up to you. And I would love for you if you would hit that “subscribe” button, either you’re in you’re watching this in our YouTube channel or your listening into our audio experience in our podcast, make sure you hit that subscribe button. It will mean the world to me and it would allow us for other people to find our show as well and help me spread this message of providing motivational content for people to take action on their ideas and to go after their passion and find a way to monetize on what they love doing. So without further ado, Ramon smothers.
Christian: Alright so in today’s episode, Ramon’s mother’s is joining us. Welcome Ramon.
Ramon: Thanks for having me man. I’m glad to be here.
Christian: Yeah, very excited to have you. You know, I was reading a little bit about your story and it’s definitely one of those hustle stories that I wanted to share with everybody on how you were from being an a full-time engineer and doing your thing, working hard and being the best you could do. And all of a sudden, your position got dissolved and you’re no longer required with the company. But I love how you came around and you started your own business with your wife and I absolutely love that and so as soon as I saw that it’s like “we got to get Ramon of the show!”
Ramon: Yes man. It’s been exciting, it’s been fun. And like I said man I’m glad you reached out to me. I love everything you’re doing over there. I love the message that you’re sending and your topics and everything man so I’m excited about this episode.
Christian: Cool yeah! I’m very excited too. So, you know, I told a little bit about how you get started into this online business craziness, but tell us a little bit you know how was the how was the feeling? How was that moment when you decided to start?
Ramon: Yeah man, I guess we can, before I get to the to the nitty-gritty, like I said, I got laid off I had been at that job for going on six years and that was the only job, the only professional job I had.
I was a field engineer in the oil field. Oil prices dropped and I was actually one of the last people to get cut come from my position. And I thought I was in the clear. We had already laid off 20,000 people at that point and then they said that they were going to lay off another 5,000 and I as like “oh, okay well”. I had made it to 20,000 I can’t possibly be the last 5,000 and sure enough my number was called.
On that day, I remember I had just returned from my honeymoon actually. I got married two weeks prior to the lay off and we had a beautiful honeymoon in Thailand. We spent 12 days out there and it was beautiful, had a good time. Actually we came home and our newly acquired home was broken into. And so that was a different struggle and hustle itself.
I was scheduled to go back to work about three days after we got home. So I’m wrapping everything up with the burglary, filing criminal reports, police reports, talking to an insurance company under my insurance and then on the day of that I was supposed to return to go back to work, they called and told me that “You don’t have to come back.”
So, I mean, this happened in the span of I get married, I get robbed and I get laid off, in about two weeks right. You can imagine the anxiety, the fear, the stressed at that point because, you know, we had we spent a lot of money on a wedding we – we had an amazing honeymoon and we had just recently purchased a new home. So I was afraid, you know, like not being able to provide, I got a new wife, we got a new house and then and it was it was scary man. And I talk about it all the time.
But the thing about it is I knew that I wanted more. The previous years, maybe for like two years before I got laid off, I had I was dragging my feet but I was looking into entrepreneurship. I had fell in love with entrepreneurship and I made some real estate investment and that was my first taste of entrepreneurship. And I knew I wanted to grow it and just be self-dependent. I didn’t want my livelihood being based on, or be controlled by anyone else.
At that point, I when I got laid off I said “you know what I’m going to take control of my destiny and I’m just going to jump here first in entrepreneurship”. It was scary, like I said, a year and a half later, I’m still living. So I guess it you know it wasn’t the worst decision in the world. Not even not even a year and a half – a year and two months and man, it feels like ten years. It’s only been a year and a few months. But like I said, I’m still here and I’m here talking to you. So I’m doing something right.
Christian: That’s awesome! I love your story and to be honest, one of the other reasons that I started the show and started to take full action is because I’m getting married in November and the wedding is expensive and I just can’t seem to catch up with other things that are going on too. So I hear you on that part.
Ramon: Oh well, congratulations!
Christian: Thank you! So the so the real estate was basically your first kind of testing the water kind of entrepreneurship thing?
Ramon: Yeah and it was the first part of like wealth building. It’s what is what I talk about and is what I preach. But that was the journey. I knew that was going to be the outlet in the future. So I invested in like long-term, multifamily duplex and where you know I’ll have two incomes coming in. Where I’m living on one side and I have some tenants on the other side and they’re paying me every month. And I knew that that was going to be my first sort of like long term way of something that I can pass down to my family, to my kids and leave a legacy based on that. So yeah real estate was that was the first investment I made as an entrepreneur.
Christian: So how did that transition from that house that you have that you were living on one side and you when renting the other. How do you transition into getting more involved in real estate?
Ramon: Well actually, now I put real estate on hold as of now. Basically because when you’re starting a business so as of course if you’re starting a business, banks want to see decent income and you know that the valleys and mountaintops of entrepreneurship so much you may be doing well, so much you can’t and especially in the startup and startup phases you know where I am and I’m still building and I’m still brand building and climbing, you know, paving my own path. But we’re still living in and I’m still actively managing that that duplex and I guess we were renting before that.
So the transition from renting to owning essentially two homes in one transaction. I’m taking care of one side and I’m in charge of the other side of the duplex. So now it’s like I had never owned the home before that. I grew up my mom. We grew up in apartments my whole entire life and so I had never knew anything about homeownership or nothing. But I knew that I wanted to make real estate work and I wanted to and I wanted to build wealth and I wanted to have passive income as well outside of my employment income. So yeah and I did that and man, the transition hasn’t even been that bad, honestly. My tenants, they’ve only called me, maybe three times in a year and a half now. They’re the nice tenants. So landlord ship is not that bad for people that starting out or that’s interested in getting into it. But you are a landlord and you are responsible for a tenant and upkeep. But it’s been fun!
Christian: Right. Well that’s very cool man. I mean that’s probably one of the things that I want to do in the future – getting to being a landlord. You know, I’ve heard a great crazy stories. So I think you’re probably the first one that says that they had a good experience on the first project.
Ramon: Yeah man. I can’t sugarcoat that. It hasn’t been that bad. So yeah.
Christian: Cool! Still how did that transition into your only business? How did you get started with that?
Ramon: Yeah man. So I was lying in bed one night and I was I’m stuck honestly after the layoff. At that time, I was looking for storefront companies to buy into. I was actually looking into existing businesses to purchase. So I was looking at washingterias – things that that that brought in passive income. Because like I said, I wanted to I wanted to generate passive income that freed up my time so that I can do other things. And so I was actually looking at storefront properties. I was looking at washingterias. I even looked at a few vending machines – things like that. Just things that require a lot of money to start and require another investment. But I was all in, I was ready to do that. And I went and I did that for maybe like two three months after I got laid off actually.
And one night, I said “you know what I’m gonna start a blog site and I’m just gonna document everything that I’ve been doing, everything that I’m feeling. I’m gonna let everybody know that that I was laid off. I’m not going back to work and I’m gonna build a successful business and Imma blog about it the entire time.” And that’s how that happened! And like I said, it was something that I knew.
It also motivated me to. And I started telling everyone I have this blog site and they started learning things that they never even knew about me, you know, as I’m typing and I’m posting articles and I’m telling them how anxious I was. How new this is to me, all the emotions that I was experiencing at that time. And I told everybody that I was always going to them I was on a document it basically – to writing and now podcasting. I’m still telling my story and I’m still taking people along with me on his journey. So that’s how that came about!
The next morning (I had that vision at nighttime) I started on my blogsite and I have fun building a website, trying to learn WordPress and doing all these things. I’ve been working on it every day since then.
Christian: Very cool! It’s definitely a lot of work to maintain.
Ramon: Man, yes! The learning curve man, just learning WordPress and then in the backend and plugins. I didn’t even know what a plug-in was when I started when I started my blog so I didn’t know how.
Christian: how are you able to figure it out?
Ramon: Google, God bless Google. It’s goldmine. And I said there’s still some people out here that that don’t use Google and I’m a mind blown when I when I talk to those people who don’t use it as faithfully as you and I.
Christian: Right, yeah right. I mean now it’s like, I mean you don’t know something, it doesn’t matter just google it! Anything. Yes that’s funny man. So what was what was the feeling when you started your blog? Did you ever have that that that feeling that “Oh my God I’m going to write this and then what is people going to think about me?” or because I know most people that’s the one thing that stopped them from starting a blog and starting anything like that. What were you thinking back then?
Ramon: Yes man. I’m glad you asked that good question because that’s one of the things that I had the most difficult time getting past. “What was anybody gonna think of me?”
I never even openly discussed income how much money I made because I kind of grew up and it was it was like “You don’t tell nobody how much money you make” you know. Maybe out of fear of someone taking it from you, asking you for whatever the case may be. And now I’m telling everybody that I don’t have the money that I used to have. I don’t have a job. I’m just blogging and I’m recreating myself in front of everybody. And that was stressful it was stressful because, like you said, “What are people going to think of me? Are they gonna judge me or they don’t think I’m crazy? Are they gonna like what I’m saying?” You know what I’m blogging about. “How’s my website gonna look? Am I even going to be interesting enough for people to follow me?” All those doubts and anxieties and everything and actually that was, I had to shoot.
Maybe like a month later I had I actually had to go to the doctor because I was having chest pains for like a few days in a row and I just sat there and chest pain because I was just so anxious and balled up inside because it was such a different thing. And I was just really, really stepping outside of my comfort zone. And that was the first time I had ever experienced that, you know what I’m saying. And that just came with a new experience doing something that I was totally new to and learning it and then seeing how everyone else was going to receive it. But that’s something that I really had to get over. I’m just thinking, just caring about what other people was going to think of me and when I was able to do that, things got a lot easier but that first those first few months I had chest pains I was a that anxious.
Christian: Yeah I mean, I know it’s very popular feeling with somebody trying to get some ideas out there because we all know that there’s haters out there and there’s always going to be that one person that is going to try to mess up your mindset. But I’m so happy that you were able to get over it
Ramon: Yeah it’s like I said. I talked about it because you have to. I notice that you have to accept it like some people. Some of us try to resist it and when we resist it that’s when it becomes worse. So I’ve learned to accept it now and even on, you know, I still get anxious form time to time. I think if your goals don’t scare you then you know your goals aren’t big enough. You know that popular saying. I’ve learned to accept my fear and anxiety but just keep pushing day to day and staying consistent.
Christian: Very cool. I like that man. So how are the first, once you decided to you know let that go, and it’s like “Okay well. It’s go time. Let’s get started with this!” How are the first six months blogging in your business and were there more chest pains?
Ramon: Well, you know what? The first six months of blogging I actually got real good feedback and it actually prompted me to write a book and so that brought on more and I and I gave myself a very demanding timeline on when I wanted to release this book and publish the book. And so that added more pressure, and of course, anxiety. So I was blogging at the same time, and writing a book at the same time and staying consistent and you know still learning SEO and how to rank on Google and keywords and everything there is to learn about learn about blogging and trying to get post. And trying to try to you know go out on forums and meet people and you know everything that comes with the hustle and grind of starting a blog site and getting it out there.
So those first six months was all about just staying focused but like hard work man! Because you kind of have to be at multiple places at one time. Like anything, if you’re not organized it could be real difficult. Because you, like I said, you have so many tasks and then you’re writing and then here then you’re trying to be here and then you’re trying to be all social media and websites. Then you’re trying to reach out to influencers to guest posts. And you know all kind of things, all kind of wheels turning and then at the same time I was writing the book and so it was it was a it was, I mean, I was I was having fun but at the same time it was I knew what I had gotten myself into and so I was just trying to maintain a sense of and a sense of calm throughout all that.
Christian: All the craziness.
Ramon: Yeah
Christian: So it sounds like you were very busy what was your schedule for the book? How long did it take you to write it?
Ramon: 31 days actually.
Christian: Wow! You were definitely on a tight schedule there. I’ve written a small little free eBook lead magnet but that was like 10 pages and it took me probably like 2 or 3 weeks. So I don’t know how you did it man.
Ramon: Right, Oh you said you got the lead magnet?
Christian: Yeah, but it took me, you know, it’s 10 pages that it took me three weeks.
Ramon: Man and you know what? And the book is only maybe the book is maybe 88, 90 pages long so it’s a real, from what I hear it’s a real easy read. But you know, you may not be like everybody else. But yeah, like I said, I had a very demanding schedule and I knocked it out in 31 days and I was and I followed a strict timeline a strict guideline and I was real disciplined about it. I set aside two, three hours every day and I just wrote, sometimes more it lasted longer than that. I went on for more than that and even on the days when I didn’t even feel like writing I just wrote anyway. So I mean that was that was real demanding but I gave myself, like I said, a real strict diet or timeline and goal to meet that and it turned out all right.
Christian: That’s good though, that’s what matters!
Ramon: Yeah
Christian: Yeah sure of it. I mean it sounds like you went through some struggles as far as you know emotions and it was actually time demanding to do the work it’s hard work. I mean trying to promote your blog post, trying to get guest postings and then trying to make a book and then launching the book. During all of this process, did you ever feel like quitting? Did that thought ever cross your mind maybe quit and just go get a job?
Ramon: No, not it not at all! Because I enjoyed every second of it like it was good. It was fun. It was exhilarating, you know, it was exciting. I was passionate about what I was writing about. I was passionate about what I was blogging about. And so I didn’t for those think about quitting and going and going back to another job because I had set a goal in my mind and I said “I’m gonna make this work and everyone’s gonna and everyone’s invited to watch me blog my way through this rough patch in my life, this rough time in my life” possibly that maybe the lowest point in my life and you know, honestly, and not one second that I did I say “you know I’m thinking about quitting and getting another job” but it was hard not to but I just stay faithful.
Christian: And I think that’s one of the biggest things that I, first of all, that’s why I asked a question because I’ve been an entrepreneur all my life but I have always gone after the money so every project is “okay what’s trending? How are we going to make more? How are we going to” yeah I mean just going after the money. And the reason why I started this is because this was my true passion so I notice the difference now.
I mean it was so hard straight trying to stay motivated when you’re going after the money and now that it’s a passion nobody’s even paying me and I’m doing it all day long! So I love that you know you found your passion and you just went for it.
Ramon: Right, exactly. And like you said, definitely when you’re when you’re chasing the money that’s when that’s when things it’s hard anyway but it becoming harder because you’re not passionate about it. You’re not in love with it you don’t enjoy it. Like you said, you just chasing the money you on to the next big next big thing. What is it called? “shiny object syndrome”.
So it’s a lot harder to stay focused when you when you’re doing it. But like you said, I loved everything I was doing and I love the feedback that I was getting and it was still at that time very demanding. You know entrepreneurship is you can’t take no days off. When I have a day off, like I can’t really relax I want to do something. I feel like I should be doing something and they come for in between now but that’s crazy. It’s exactly, like I said, you traded you know 40 hours a week for 80 hours a week with entrepreneurship you know
Christian: eah and you basically go from a salary to hundreds of hours non-paid for free! So it’s so it’s so part of it you know part of the adventure.
Ramon: Exactly and you can even imagine the high of an engineering job to the low of collecting unemployment checks for a few months and it was like “Man, I gotta make something happen!” you know look
Christian: Well I’m glad you took action and I’m glad you did but I mean I know it is hard on us and it’s very hard to be an entrepreneur. But it’s would say it’s a little easier when you have that other person supporting you and that other person a family, your friend which I know in your case is probably your wife, if I’m not mistaken how has she played a role with you in entrepreneurship?
Ramon: Oh man. It’s incredible how supportive and just inspirational and motivational she’s been on my journey. She’s an online entrepreneur as well and she and she hustles her butt off like. I’ve never met a woman who works as hard as she does and she was a nurse as well. She was a registered nurse and she was working in a hospital and she made good money but she was not passionate about that. And she is a big reason, if not the reason, why I’m able to keep going and be faithful and know that everything is gonna work out because I feed off her energy and she feeds off mine. And like you said it it’s real it’s a whole lot, I don’t want to use the word easier, but it’s a lot less stressful when you have someone; your right hand man seeing eye to eye with me and knowing exactly what I what I feel but right there to support me and believe and everything that I’m that I’m telling her like “What you think about this? “Yeah that’s a great idea! Do it.” you know and I’m like “yeah! That was good idea. Alright!”
Christian: Alright. It’s a circle. I’m exactly the same way. So my fiancé is an entrepreneur as well and I love how you know I have an idea and it’s like but I wonder if it’s good and then I go ask her I guess a good idea of course “it’s a great idea!” it’s funny how it works but it is.
Ramon: Right. Yeah man. And once you admit that and you know that about yourself. Life becomes a whole lot easier, you know, and now you can even focus with more.
Christian: Yeah absolutely. Very cool. Alright, so changing gears a little bit. We’re going to play a little hassle round where I’m going to give you a word and you’re going to whatever pops into your mind one single word, whatever it is. But if it’s a bad word we’re gonna censor it later. Don’t worry about that alright? So let’s get started. So we’re gonna start with the word: Hustle
Ramon: Grind
Christian: Work
Ramon: Hard
Christian: Employee
Ramon: Never
Christian: Boss
Ramon: Me
Christian: Rules
Ramon: Break them
Christian: Right? College
Ramon: Important
Christian: Fear
Ramon: Not real
Ramon: Strength
Christian: Strength?
Ramon: Yeah
Christian: Motivation
Ramon: Necessary
Christian: And book
Ramon: I don’t know why I grew blank right there. Get mine.
Christian: Cool there. Alright. So I think that was the most stressful part of the conversation
Ramon: Right. That was fun. That was fun.
Christian: Yeah. It’s definitely, definitely you know very interesting to hear what other people think about those things
Ramon: Right, yeah
Christian: Well I mean you know I’m very happy that you took action with your passion and you were able to, not only that, but you’re actually monetizing it. Which is super, super cool
Ramon: Yes
Christian: It’s like what I call you know doing what you like and you still get paid for it
Ramon: Right that’s right that’s what life is about
Christian: Yeah absolutely. So for all the people that could be hearing us and that they have this passion and they you know a lot of them haven’t recognized them but there’s a lot of people that know exactly what their passion but they just too afraid they don’t, you know, they can get over the fact that “what if people go I think about me?” or “Is people going to agree or disagree with what I say?” what would you what would you tell them? What hustle words would you tell them to get started or keep pushing whatever they’re doing?
Ramon: Fear is not real. I mean this is not real. We were brought up to fear things out of survival in life or death situations. If it’s not a life or death situations, don’t be afraid of it. Step into it, face it and don’t care about what everyone else thinks about it because, like I said, it’s imagined and don’t imagine your way out of your greatness. Imagine what happens on the other side of that fear. Imagine everything possible. Imagine the best possible outcome and that’s the antidotes of fear; to stay consistent, stay persisting. And then, don’t doubt your greatness, don’t doubt your abilities. Not one second.
Christian: I love it man, I love it. Alright, so before we leave is there any way that people can you know get in contact with you or can follow what you’re doing what you’re working on?
Ramon: Yes my website. Find me at ramonsmothers.com and my podcast the “Two peas in the pod” podcast. We go live every week. Live stream podcast; video podcast. Me and my beautiful wife. So if you all don’t want to see me, you all can look at her the whole podcast and we talk about entrepreneurship, motivation and a lot of inspiration on that podcast as well. Two peas in a pod podcast.
Christian: Very cool. Yeah I mean we’ll then get in the show notes too. And I did listen to a couple of episodes and they do something fun. And you can tell that she takes over the mic man.
Ramon: Yes man. She’s a natural speaker. Yeah well, she has a lot of fun doing it.
Christian: I love it. Alright well thank you so much for the taking the time to talk to me today man and I’m you know we want to share all these stories and get other people motivated to take action on whatever idea they have whatever craziness is popping in their mind just go for it.
Ramon: Yep thanks man. Thanks a lot for having me here I had enjoyed every second of it.
Christian: So there you have it! Ramon Smother’s amazing hustling story. It’s really inspiring for me to see how Ramon was able to overcome this rough patch that he went through He just got married, he had just bought a home that was burgled and on top of that he was fired from his engineering job but yet again he was able to turn his life around and build this amazing and incredible online business. And I’m just so happy for him, very happy and I wish him the best of success. And if you want to connect with him you can always visit ramonsmothers.com or you can also go to the show notes at the hustleshow.co
Thank you so very much for tuning in today remember that you can watch all of our episodes on our YouTube channel or you can simply stream it and your favorite podcast player.
Again thank you so much for taking the time to listen to the Hustle Show. I hope you tune into the household show as we will have an amazing hustling story as always. Okay?
Keep hustling!
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