007. nothing happens until you work the talk

In this compelling episode of "business is art," hosted by Ramon Estrada, listeners are invited into the world of the business artist. Ramon eloquently discusses the journey from ideation to execution, emphasizing the importance of having ideas and making them a reality through action and commitment. He shares insights from his personal experiences, including organizing an international event in Barcelona, collaborating with IESE Business School, and the challenges of making impactful work visible.

Ramon delves into "shallow work" and contrasts it with the depth and impact that true entrepreneurial endeavors should aim for. He challenges the conventional notion of busyness, advocating for meaningful, transformative work beyond mere activity. Through his narrative, Ramon explores the distinction between being an entrepreneur and a founder, underscoring the courage it takes to bring one's ideas to fruition and the reality of the entrepreneurial journey.

Highlighting the influence of Steven Pressfield's book "Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be," Ramon reflects on the physical and emotional commitment required to create something of value. He stresses the importance of presence, intentionality, and the willingness to face the unknown in the creative process.

The episode is a call to action for listeners to engage deeply with their work and to strive for innovation and legacy in their entrepreneurial ventures. Ramon's anecdotes and reflections offer a roadmap for becoming a business artist who dreams and acts to make those dreams a tangible reality, ultimately changing the world for the better.

Don't forget to subscribe to "business is art" for more episodes that blend the art of business with personal growth, innovation, and the pursuit of impact.

Creators & Guests

Host

Ramon Estrada T

Executive Coach for Founders

What is business is art?

This is a show about successful entrepreneurship.

Unlike other shows about successful entrepreneurship, only we dig into the founder’s and leaders’ journey from purpose, mindset, strategies, and tactics to making an impact and achieving exponential growth.

Ramon: 00:00

You can have thousands of ideas but you won't become an entrepreneur until something happens, until you have a company, you have recruited a team, or you start selling. Right? It's the same with an artist. Inspiration can come, but unless you show yourself and your work until you ship, you're not an artist. So a business artist is a person that must show himself or herself in the world by creating a company that creates a positive impact.

Narrator: 00:35

Business artists learn how to channel their purpose, vision and talents while navigating the proper strategies and tactics in their companies to impact the world for good. No more business as usual. I'm Ramon Estrada and this is Business is Art.

Ramon: 00:58

For the I don't know how long but a few months, I have been working on tons of things. From launching an event, international event here in Barcelona, it was amazing.

Ramon: 01:09

We had 50 coaches from 16 countries. I have been preparing my community, the business artists, the digital platform to prepare it, the concept. I have been even starting a new relationship with, learning unit at the IESE Business School and I have been doing a lot a lot of things. But nothing out of it has really been shown in the world in a consistent way. And, of course, this has created in me some sort of a frustration because at stages, at some moments, I think that I have only been busy doing many, many things.

Ramon: 01:50

And that's what, Carl Newport called shallow work in a way. Yes. I have done some things that have impacted people's lives, like this, leadership event with some partners and, I became a partner as well with an institute and many things have happened. But, honestly, have I been doing something shallow, something broad, Testing different things because of my curiosity? Or have I been going deep into something that it's new, that it's impactful in the world?

Ramon: 02:25

And this brings me to the introduction about how many entrepreneurs are there just thinking about their ideas going to Starbucks or talking to people and going to fairs and, just talking about the idea and then thinking about launching. But launching, it's easy. But really, is there a difference between being an entrepreneur and a founder? I think that the world right now, it's full of people with great ideas, enthusiasm. But when it comes to reality, to facing what really needs to be done and to show ourselves, then we are holding ourselves back.

Ramon: 03:05

And I can say that about me as well. I have launched 6 companies already. I am on the brink of 7th, and I mean, it's super exciting, right, to start something new, something fresh. But then reality happens and we start to get drained because our energy goes, somewhere else because our attention is not there. And I want to invite you to consider reading this book Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be by Steven Pressfield.

Ramon: 03:39

And it's really funny because, I mean, I don't know how many times you have heard in the same sentence the word as and the word heart. But honestly, his concept is brilliant. I have already read like 5 or 6 books of Steven and I found him, really interesting, especially, why I'm in the first one, the world of art is amazing. But put your ass where your heart wants to be starts with this aspect of, okay, we have a physical body. Right?

Ramon: 04:10

We need to have this physical presence in order for something to happen in the world. Because the world, yes, I believe that we have, different dimensions and, this has been tested and seen in the quantum physics that there's energy and there are different dimensions, but here, let's say, on the 3rd dimension where we must touch, where we are in a way, captivated by our senses. We need something physical. We need a vessel. We need an anchor for things to happen.

Ramon: 04:45

And the first part is our body. And we need to put our ass where our heart wants to be, meaning that we need to stay if you want to write, you need to write you need to take the pen and you need to start writing something on the paper. You need to have an anchor. You need to start doing things with your hands. As well as right now, I am recording this podcast and I am sitting in my office with the microphone in front of me, and I am taking the time, the physical action is requiring me requiring, sorry, from me that I do something, that I take the time, and that I am consciously and intentionally placing my energy into this action.

Ramon: 05:33

And going back into the aspects that I have been doing in for the past months and also talking with my clients and with some other people, it has been amazing that I have looked into my agenda, into my journal, and it's full of notes, full of meetings. There has been I'm I don't know how many interesting events have happened in the past weeks But am I really developing something meaningful, something that it's, you could say, a bundle of things that really create value in the world and that has made me wonder. First of all, as I was saying, I haven't taken the physical time off doing something intentional with the idea of shipping it, of delivering it in a way other than the event that I mentioned. There was this fixed date for the event and there were going to be a lot of people flying or driving or taking trains from different countries in the world. I had that intentionality.

Ramon: 06:41

So for that to happen I needed to do a lot of things physically as well as with my partners the place where the event took place you know, there was action, there was movement but also there was a space for it We need to create this event in a certain place where the interaction between these people had to happen. As right now, I am in a physical space allowing myself to do this action. So I'm not running around in different places I have this space that it's prepared for this action for this piece of art, I would call it and I hope, at least I'm doing this with this effort to really do it in the appropriate conditions for this to show in the world. The word as as Steven Pressfield mentions it, it has to do also with commitment. It has to do with really saying, okay, I will sit down, I will take the time And I am committed, not only physically, but emotionally as well.

Ramon: 07:54

I want to do it. I am eager to explore it. I am even willing to face that uncomfortable stage of not knowing how this action is going to take place, and even committing psychologically. I am thinking about this podcast episode. I was thinking about the event And even we could go into something more transcendental, even spiritual, thinking that, okay, let's see if the muse is willing to communicate through me and to say something meaningful for other people.

Ramon: 08:33

And this is an invitation that in a way, we need to bring our whole selves into this action that is taking place with a willingness to change someone or to help this person, in this case, you as a listener, into something that you want to create. Think about something that you want to see in the world. Something new, something that is personal, something that resonates with your values, something that you don't want to take to your grave. Because, my friend, we all have a due date, and this has been something that is close to my heart, because my mother passed away when I was 18 years old. I know what it feels like to, in a way, see someone full of energy, of life, of love, of things to give to pass away, to leave this planet.

Ramon: 09:36

And of course, now that I am a father or husband, I know the relevance of doing something that transcends you. And in that way, I want to be someone that is giving an example to my kids of doing something else that not just being busy, doing things that are shallow. Shallow in the way that I am doing a lot a lot of things and not many of them are really transcendental to my meaning in life. And I believe that when we show up in an in a truthful way to ourselves, then the universe conspires and something happens. You don't know how many people out of this event, out of conversations that were random in a way, but when I was totally present and aware, magical things are happening.

Ramon: 10:32

It's like a hero's journey. It's like something opens up and invites us to change, to do something that eventually brings us a learning experience, A way in which we can fight our demons to go beyond our shadow, something that is holding us back. But by doing that, by being intentional, we can transform. We can become a better self. A self not with, you know, self with a capital s.

Ramon: 11:06

Something that it's beyond the way we have been educated, the way that we have lived our lives through our experiences. Something new is being shown and that's extremely valuable because we all deeply want to grow. We want to expand. We want to experience the world. In business, this is extremely important because it seems that the culture, at least in the Western world, and I believe also in at least I have heard stories in Japan, that we all need to be busy all the time, like, trying to fulfill this expectation of our employers that we are doing a lot of things in for the company.

Ramon: 11:49

Right? And if we are relaxing, if we are not doing something that requires ourselves to concentrate, to take the time off of, the usual of the business as usual, let's say, then we have a problem because others will judge us as someone that is lazy or that it's taking time off. But if you really want to show something that goes beyond what machines, robots, or algorithms can do, you need to go deep. You need to take the time to be intentional about what you want others to see in your work, in your business. Because eventually it's about sharing.

Ramon: 12:34

It's about serving others. This is in a way the more truthful way you can do it is just doing it in full presence with an open heart, with a smile, with all your energy, and hoping it will serve the others, but not expecting anything out of it. But it's about changing the world and the ones that are innovating and doing interesting things for the world are the ones that are succeeding, are the ones that truly are building a legacy. So, my friend, I invite you to put your ass where your heart wants to be and to be yourself no matter what other people do. And let me close just with a short anecdote about last night I was watching with my son, 10 years old son, the last episode of the 3rd season of Stranger Things and suddenly this character, this boy named Dustin, starts singing with another friend the song of never ending story And this really resonated with me because in a way, I try to where I have tended to initiate a lot of things, but I never end them.

Ramon: 13:45

I never end them in a consistent way after a long period of perseverance and sometimes we do this because we are not intentional because we are not taking the time. We are not preparing the space to do what's close to our heart and we need to do all that to become a business artist. Someone that goes beyond the technique showing what's true in ourselves, building great teams, great services, great products, and changing the world for good. Godspeed.

Narrator: 14:21

Thanks for listening to Business is Art. And if you like what you heard, subscribe to the show, so you will be notified when a new episode drops. You can also check for more free resources at businessis.art or check your show notes for a link. Godspeed.