Welcome to the Rich Coach Club, the podcast that teaches you how to build your dream coaching practice and how to significantly increase your income. If you're a coach and you're determined to start making more money, this show is for you. I'm Master Certified Life Coach Susan Hyatt, and I'm psyched for you to join me on this journey.
Oh, hey coaches. Today I have something different and special for you because today’s guest is the one, the only Ryan Hyatt. Ryan, as you may or may not know, is my son. My first-born child and definitely one of my greatest teachers.
In fact, in many ways, it’s because of Ryan that I decided to become a life coach. Because as a young boy, Ryan almost drove me to the brink of insanity. I’m kidding. I was just such a stressed out mom and I hired a coach to help fix my life. And then I fell in love with coaching and then became a coach myself.
So really, I partly have Ryan to thank for my multi seven-figure business empire. You’ll meet Ryan in a second, but first, a little context. So Ryan’s never been average in any way. From the get-go, he’s been high energy, bouncing off the walls, hates to sit still. He would constantly get in trouble at school for not being quiet and obedient and was later diagnosed with ADHD.
And he almost flunked out of high school. He almost dropped out of college. He switched his college major. I don’t even know how many times. I think he says two, I think it was more. He’s never fit in in a traditional academic setting or traditional life. And he’s always been rebellious.
You know that movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? Yeah, like that. That’s my son. He’s constantly questioning authority, pushing the envelope, seeing how much he can get away with, and getting into various high jinx, many of which I cannot mention on this show.
As you can imagine, raising Ryan has been something always. As a young mom, when he was really small, I really struggled with his personality and I wondered, “How can I make this kid sit down and behave?” But as I’ve grown older, I’ve recognized that Ryan’s rebellious nature is actually his greatest gift. He will never do things the ordinary way, and that is what makes his exceptional.
I strongly believe that this is true not just for Ryan, but for you too. That thing that people scolded you about or shamed you about or currently shame you for, that’s probably your greatest gift. Alright, so the main reason I wanted to feature Ry Ry on the show today is that I’m proud to announce that age 21, almost 22, Ryan’s decided to launch his very own company.
And you know his mama is thrilled about this. So without further ado, let’s dive into a conversation with Ryan about life, school, dropping out, finding your way, and how your flaws can become your strengths. Here we go.
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Susan: Welcome, Ryan Hyatt to the podcast.
Ryan: Thank you for having me. I’m excited to be here.
Susan: Okay. So obviously my people have watched you grow up through my stories. Probably one of my audience’s, my people’s favorite stories about you is in my - did you know you’re in my first book, Create Your Own Luck?
Ryan: Yeah.
Susan: And so…
Ryan: It was the grappling hook one?
Susan: It is not the grappling hook one.
Ryan: That’s my favorite.
Susan: So the grappling hook story, for those of y’all who don’t know that one, I don’t know that I told that one, except maybe on Facebook. What happened in the grappling hook story? Do you remember what you did?
Ryan: I kept waking you up in the middle of the night and then you scared me about it. Thought you were going to whoop me. I was trying to get out of my room and the doorknob fell out on the other end. I was like, I can call my mom but I’m going to have to wake her up. Or I can use this grappling hook I just got off Amazon, jump out of my window.
Susan: Okay, so…
Ryan: So I jumped out my window.
Susan: So for those of you who - let me tell you my side of the story. So right, like you kept, as you did the entire time you lived here, would wake me up…
Ryan: Every day, 2am.
Susan: And he ordered himself, you were like, 11. A grappling hook…
Ryan: Yeah I was pretty young. Yeah, I was like 11 or 12.
Susan: Off of Amazon. His bedroom is directly above this office. He swung the grappling hook into this tree. It connected, and decided…
Ryan: It took one try. That’s how good I am.
Susan: And decided that he would jump holding onto this rope with this grappling hook. So the jumping out of the window happened during the regular workday. Because I was sitting here at this desk and heard a thump.
Ryan: I didn’t have a clock or anything and all my stuff was dead, so I didn’t know that. I thought it was like, 4am.
Susan: No. I was sitting at this desk and I heard a thump and then I heard the doorbell ring. Do you remember this? He rings the doorbell, I open the door, and my kid is standing there with like, second degree rope burns on his…
Ryan: It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt to this day. That hurt.
Susan: Yeah, okay.
Ryan: I still have scars on my hands.
Susan: So that was not the story that was in the book. The story that my audience loves about you was the GPS story. Do you know what story I’m talking about?
Ryan: I don’t want to talk about that. No, that’s embarrassing.
Susan: That actually is an amazing story of resourcefulness.
Ryan: Okay. I guess you’re right, but no. I don’t want to include that in this. I don’t want to talk about that.
Susan: Alright. So Ry Ry, you are still in college, yeah?
Ryan: Yes.
Susan: Yes. And what is your major?
Ryan: Business administration at the moment.
Susan: At the moment? What are you going to change it to?
Ryan: Okay, I’m not going to change it, but it’s business administration.
Susan: Because you have changed your major.
Ryan: Twice.
Susan: No, I changed my major four times in college. Did you know that?
Ryan: Yes I did, you told me.
Susan: Okay. So it’s all good. And you also recently decided to become an entrepreneur.
Ryan: Yeah, I did.
Susan: And so what did you do?
Ryan: I got my real estate license and I got hired on at Keller Williams.
Susan: That’s pretty exciting. Are you excited?
Ryan: Yeah. It’s really fun. I like it way more than any other job I’ve had.
Susan: So, we’ll talk a little bit more about that. So you have your first listing, which is exciting, you have buyers.
Ryan: A couple right now.
Susan: Yes. All very great. 21 years old. Super proud.
Ryan: Thank you.
Susan: A lot has changed in the past 15 years.
Ryan: Yeah.
Susan: So let me ask you something, so you’ve grown up with two entrepreneurs as parents. What do you think is different about the mom that I was as a realtor versus the mom I am today?
Ryan: You seem way happier. You like your job way more.
Susan: That’s so true. So, so true. So as a kid, you were constantly getting in trouble in school. What were the things that you were scolded about the most?
Ryan: Usually start off like I’d just be high energy in class, my teacher would get mad. Just send me to the office, then eventually they just really not liked me because I was always hyper. Then I just butting heads with my teachers and playing pranks, class clown stuff, disrupting the whole education process.
Susan: So high energy…
Ryan: I would get my work done really fast and then I’d be bored.
Susan: Right.
Ryan: Like the teacher would be explaining it and I’d just get it done because I’d read the instructions there. You can do it.
Susan: So as a mom, so for all of you moms out there with kids who don’t fit in the regular traditional education box who are raising - you were in the gifted and talented program.
Ryan: That was a rip off. There was no reason for that to even be a thing at that school.
Susan: It was a rip off?
Ryan: We didn’t really learn much and then I feel like it just makes the kids not in it feel stupid. And we really weren’t even like - we’d bring stuff to class and I don’t know, we’d have show and tell.
Susan: So my point in bringing it up though was that you would get your work done quickly, you were bored, you had a lot of energy, and the way the education system is set up is typically they don’t really know what to do, how to challenge kids like you.
Ryan: They don’t have the resources or training or anything to deal with really most schools, ADHD kids, kids with learning disabilities, anything like that. Or even kids without any kind of disability and they’re just super smart. Like I saw a bunch of super smart kids kind of burn out and taper off because they weren’t able to get the education they needed and they were stuck in that traditional public school where they could have excelled way quicker and higher if they’d been exposed to a better system.
Susan: So do you remember, there was a time, I think you were a freshman in high school, and you just wanted to drop out.
Ryan: Oh yeah I did. Oh my god.
Susan: You just wanted to be done, you just wanted to drop out. You were not passing classes. And I was trying everything I could do to get you to study and do your work and pass classes, but you would not do the things.
And eventually, we had a conversation in the kitchen where I was like, look, you want to flunk out, here’s the life path if you do. Here’s what happens if you flunk out and get no GED. Here’s what happens if you get a GED. Here’s what happens typically if you get a high school education and here’s what typically can happen if you get a college education.
And I’m like, but I can’t control what you do. So if you want to flunk out, I care, but I can’t make you care. So you go ahead. After that conversation, things turned around. So I wondered if you remembered that conversation and what you thought about it at the time and what the turning point was for you.
Ryan: First I was like, sweet, I don’t have to do school anymore, awesome. And then I was like, alright, got on my phone, billionaires without a high school diploma. Noticed one thing, they were all tech dudes, and I know my skill, my talent, I’m really bad with technology. I always break it, don’t know how to use it. Wasn’t going to be me. So I was like, okay, maybe I do need to graduate high school.
And then I got a little older and I was like, I went to online school and then I’d wait until the regular semester for my friends was about to end and then I’d do a semester’s worth of work in about two, three weeks. So, I really only had to do school two, three weeks. Yeah, probably all in all about a month, a month and a half per school year I would be actually doing schoolwork because I’d just bang it all out in like, 17-hour stretches. Get a class done per day, whole semester’s worth.
Susan: I have so many stories and one of them was remember when you did a whole semester of English and a whole semester, I think it was history, in 48 hours?
Ryan: Yeah. That was difficult.
Susan: That was difficult. So, you decided to change your approach because you recognized that if you wanted to get anywhere, you were going to have to get a high school education?
Ryan: I’d have to have a high school education or like, skills that set me apart. And again, not going to have any tech skills ever, so…
Susan: Okay. Because a lot of my audience, when I said hey, I’m going to be interviewing Ryan, what do you most want to know? And they really wanted to know like, what would you say to a 14-year-old who is struggling the way you were?
Ryan: Grades, it’s just suck it up and do it. It’s really not that hard if you do it in little 10-minute blocks. If it’s high school, your assignments, it’s not going to be that hard unless you’re in crazy AP classes. And I would also say if you’re struggling behaviorally, it’s very possible it’s not even your fault and your teachers don’t like you.
Susan: So that is like, the number one thing that kids who get in trouble say is my teachers don’t like me. And sometimes that was accurate.
Ryan: I don’t have any good advice for behaviorally because I…
Susan: Yes you do. What about physical fitness?
Ryan: That never helped.
Susan: Oh my god, getting you into boxing was a huge help.
Ryan: I had Officer Furls every single week. I never went one week without two Officer Furls. Exercise will help you with your grades though. You’ll be more focused.
Susan: So you have no advice?
Ryan: Keep your mouth shut. Honestly, if your teacher’s going to provoke you, you’re going to get in less trouble if you just walk out the room. Just go sit in the counselor’s office. They’ll let you. Every school will let you do that. Just go sit in the counselor’s office. Your counselor can get you out of so much trouble if you just tell them beforehand. Unless your counselor also doesn’t like you.
Susan: Okay. So, what’s one thing you think you learned from me as your mom?
Ryan: Well, definitely with my personality and growing up around you, there is no way in hell I was ever going to work for somebody else. So that’s pretty engrained.
Susan: So, the idea that you could be your own boss and not have to conform? Is that what you mean?
Ryan: Okay, you taught me if you have a good idea and you believe in it and you really work hard at it, you can make it happen. Because I remember when you were starting life coaching, Scottsdale wasn’t really on board.
Susan: Scottsdale as in Silver Fox.
Ryan: Then a couple years later, he was on board because you were making more money.
Susan: Wait, so you…
Ryan: But you made it happen. If you just half-assed it, it wouldn’t have happened.
Susan: You knew as a kid that he wasn’t on board?
Ryan: He said it. Yeah, I heard it.
Susan: And so that’s awesome. So you saw me work hard. So one thing that I learned from you is that if you don’t fit in the structure, so the problem wasn’t you, the problem was the structure of school. And I really carried that through. Like…
Ryan: Let’s go back actually the - when you were talking about boxing, the trouble making all that. If you’re getting into fights, boxing will help. You’re not going to want to get in a fight if you’re getting beat up by multiple people every week. If your kid gets in fights, send them to a boxing gym. He’s not going to get in fights anymore. It won’t happen. Like unless he’s actually defending himself, it will not happen.
Susan: That’s good.
Ryan: And for the kids, stress ball in class. Go crazy with it. Or a fidget spinner.
Susan: Fidget spinner. Alright.
Ryan: They used to take my fidget spinners.
Susan: I know. Remember that little box I had of little things like that for you to have at your desk? You had one teacher that wouldn’t let you have it.
Ryan: Yeah. And everybody else got to have - yeah, if your teacher doesn’t like you, everyone else is going to get to have fidget spinners.
Susan: So when you were little, I would bring you into the real estate office.
Ryan: Oh yeah. And I’d steal everybody’s payday bars out their desks.
Susan: Oh my god, I didn’t know that.
Ryan: I did do that.
Susan: Oh my god. I forgot about that. We used to get payday bars with our commission checks. And so everybody had them. And if you got paid a lot, you had a bunch of them. Sorry, Jim Cech. Let me ask you this. So you’ve been sitting at closing tables since you were probably five. When you were a kid, it was all very boring.
Ryan: Oh, I had no idea what was going on.
Susan: Right. So now as a 21-year-old, what’s the interest in real estate?
Ryan: I can be as flexible as I want to be, I can work when I want, or I mean, it’s not like, if I was serving, tuck your shirt in, all that little stuff. Yeah, I don’t - I’m not at anyone’s beck and call. I like that a lot. And my income is limited on what I can do and not anybody else, so if I’m serving, I can’t just complain all day about not getting any tables.
Susan: Right, okay. So do you have any fears about being new in this business?
Ryan: I kind of feel like I’m going to fill out something wrong, get like, I don’t know…
Susan: Worried about contracts?
Ryan: Yeah. Mess something up. But I haven’t yet, so honestly, it’s just kind of fill in the blanks. I don’t think I will.
Susan: Anything else you’re worried about? So that’s kind of normal where you’re going to mess up a contract. Are you worried about getting business?
Ryan: Somewhat, but like, eventually it’ll come and if I notice that I’m really not doing anything, I’m going to make something happen. Because I’m not just going to sit there business-less at the office.
Susan: Business-less. Well, so one of the things that I do is help people build their businesses, and I’ve been telling all my classes and clients since you and I met a couple weeks ago. So you came over and we had a marketing meeting, which was awesome. And one of the things that I noticed was Keller Williams has an awesome program called Command. And it’s really everything you need at your fingertips in terms of postcards and newsletters and…
Ryan: There’s still stuff on there I don’t even know it’s there. There’s a lot.
Susan: But one thing I noticed when you were going through, so Ryan really wanted to show me everything that was available and there was a lot of overwhelm kicking in because there was so much stuff to learn.
Ryan: Yeah, like I got flooded with a bunch of information at once. And services and technology. I haven’t even set - I did last night. I hadn’t even set one up. It’s not anything important, or super important.
Susan: Well, so something that can happen when you’re new in business is like, a lot of the overwhelm and stuff that was happening with you happens to every entrepreneur when they’re just starting out.
But what’s cool to see in your mindset, which is what a lot of entrepreneurs have to get but you - it could be because you have entrepreneurs as parents, it could be innate, but just what you just said, this attitude that I’m not going to be without business. That’s just not going to happen. I’m going to do whatever it takes. And when I asked you, why would somebody want to buy or sell houses with you, do you remember how you answered?
Ryan: I’m high energy, I remember that part.
Susan: Right. So that thing that you were shamed for in school is actually your superpower.
Ryan: I always knew this stuff I’d get in trouble for in school would not - they’re always like, you do this in the workplace. I’m like, no, they’re not - if I said “damn” at the workplace, I’m not getting in school suspension. Come on.
Susan: But right, like…
Ryan: They’re always like, oh my god.
Susan: One of the things that I talk a lot about is that a lot of the stuff that we tend to get in trouble for as kids end up being our superpowers. Like I used to get in trouble in school for talking too much. And now that’s what I’m paid to do. A whole lot of money.
And your high energy is what makes you a great residential realtor because you need a lot of energy to show houses all day, to do all these things. But something else you said about why would somebody want to buy or sell with you was you said I’m relentless.
Ryan: Oh yeah.
Susan: Relentless. Now, that is a special quality of word and relentless is what when I see an entrepreneur…
Ryan: Going to make something happen.
Susan: Right. You’re going to make something happen. And most entrepreneurs who don’t make it have not created that kind of mindset yet. That’s what’s missing.
Ryan: Well, they just got to toss themselves to the wolves.
Susan: No wolves.
Ryan: And just flounder for a bit. They’ll get it.
Susan: What’s the benefit of floundering for a bit? What do you think?
Ryan: I’m going to compare it to - okay, say you take someone, toss them in the middle of the wilderness, be like, survive. They’re either going to do it or not. Their survival instincts are going to kick in or they’re going to die. It’s like that. Get the work…
Susan: So real estate is like that?
Ryan: That’s just how I go about everything. That’s not just real estate. It’s like I’m going to do it or I’m not going to be able to.
Susan: So do or die. Ride or die. You’re a ride or die.
Ryan: I’m 100% of everything.
Susan: Okay.
Ryan: Just dress better than you. I’m dressed for success.
Susan: So Ryan showed up dressed up, dressed in his real estate attire, and I was still in my workout clothes. I’m like, I guess I better go change for our interview. You’re a VIP. Do you know that you are my very special guest? This is the 100th episode of Rich Coach Club.
Ryan: I saw that today.
Susan: Yeah. So you are a special feature.
Ryan: We’re matching too. There we go.
Susan: Look at that. Let me ask you this; so many of my listeners are parents. What’s something you wish that parents understood about what it’s like to be a young person in our world today?
Ryan: Being young now is different than being young when they were kids and they got to realize that and not everything is the same socially. And just the whole atmosphere they’re growing up in is completely different. Like if you grew up in the 60s or 70s, it’s going to be a lot different than my experience growing up in the early 2000s, 2010s.
Susan: It is interesting because it’s like, one of the biggest differences that I noticed, that I don’t think parents necessarily grasp is that like if there was bullying happening at school when I was growing up, we could go home, take our phone off the hook. That was like blocking people. Taking your wall phone off the hook. There were no cellphones, there was no social media, so we could get away from it. But today, it’s like, being connected 24/7.
Ryan: Slowed down with that mobile technology.
Susan: One of the things I ask my clients is instead of a recap, we do what’s called a pre-cap where it’s like, you decide in advance what your result is going to be. So you talk about it like it’s already happened. So if we get back together in a year for the 200th episode of Rich Coach Club and you’re my special guest, what do you want to report has happened for your real estate business?
Ryan: I want my own team started.
Susan: Yeah?
Ryan: Yeah.
Susan: So you want your own buyers agents?
Ryan: Yeah, I want a team. Pretty much, yeah. I guess I won’t really be telling them what to do, but I want to be head honcho.
Susan: Head honcho of your own real estate team.
Ryan: As head honcho as I can be at Keller Williams.
Susan: And then do you have an income goal for this time next year?
Ryan: I have no idea because I have no idea how much I’m going to make or could make. And I don’t want to be unrealistic, but if I’m being unrealistic, I’d like to make 50 million dollars.
Susan: Alright. 50 million. So I might be able to help you come up with a goal and then a stretch goal.
Ryan: Every realtor in Evansville, let me just take their listing. That’d do it.
Susan: Yeah, I don’t know that there’s 50 million dollars’ worth of revenue in all of Evansville.
Ryan: I don’t think there is either.
Susan: There is a property that just came on the market yesterday that I want you to take me to see tomorrow.
Ryan: Okay, that’s fine.
Susan: That might be your first $10,000.
Ryan: I’m always down for easy money. Let’s do it.
Susan: Your dad said he should write it up if we buy it.
Ryan: No. That happens, I’m going to come in here, just take stuff you guys don’t think it’s important, but it’s going to be really annoying when you can’t find it. I’ll move all your furniture two inches to the right.
Susan: You know what that would qualify for? I keep joking that I’m going to start a new side hustle called Instant Karma #pettyrevenge. That qualifies you as the COO of Instant Karma with an idea like that.
Ryan: I think I got the furniture thing from like iCarly or something. It was a TV show. I know that.
Susan: Thank you for being my guest.
Ryan: Oh, you’re welcome.
Susan: If people want to hire you who are local listening to this, what’s the best way to find you, Ryan? We’ll put it in the show notes.
Ryan: You can text, call me, don’t email me. I check my email, but I’ll be way slower than if you text or call me or message me on Facebook. I have like, three, four emails on my phone, so it’s just hard to get through them all.
Susan: We’ll hook you up with Ryan Real Estate, which is his Facebook page.
Ryan: Ryan Real Estate.
Susan: Alright.
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Oh, hey again. One more thing before we wrap today’s show. So one thing I hope you take away from this episode is this concept. What’s wrong with you is what’s right with you. Whatever you were scolded for or shamed for or criticized for as a child, this is probably your greatest gift.
For instance, I mentioned in the interview as a kid, people always told me I was too mouthy, too loud, talked too much, and too bossy. Well guess what? Now I get paid good money to talk on stage and talk to clients on the phone and get on TV and share my opinions and be a boss.
Another example, my friend Melissa has always loved soap operas on TV. As a kid, she wrote her own TV script, which was filled with scandalous thing, drama, sex, murder, intrigue. Word got out and the school told her you can’t write that kind of stuff, that’s inappropriate.
She was so embarrassed she literally didn’t write fiction for over 20 years. Not one single word. Well, things have changed and now she’s a professional TV screenwriter and has written several dramas for the Lifetime network.
So what’s something you were scolded for as a child or even right now as an adult? Do some people complain that you’re too loud, too quiet, too extroverted, too introverted, too bold, too assertive, too sensitive, or like my son Ryan, too rebellious, too outrageous, too much energy? Why won’t you sit still? Consider how this supposed flaw is actually a gift. What some may perceive as wrong or broken is your gold. Remember that.
Thank you for listening to today’s episode. I hope this episode made you laugh and think and maybe look at yourself or your kiddo from a different perspective. Bye for now. We’ll be back to our usual format next week and I’ll see you there.
Thank you for listening to Susan Hyatt's Rich Coach Club. If you enjoyed today's show, please head over to shyattagency.wpengine.com/cash where you'll find my brand-new money magazine. Now listen, we designed this magazine to be entertaining, educational, and help you make serious bank.
So you can download the magazine, there’s a money quiz inside, there’s an interview with one of my favorite clients who went from making no money and being served eviction papers, to making over six figures in a very short amount of time. So the magazine includes that feature, lots of resources to help you do it, lots of resources about creating wealth and investing money.
It’s pretty robust, y’all. So head over to shyattagency.wpengine.com/cash to get that magazine. And you’ll also find a link to join my free Facebook community, especially for coaches called Rich Coach Club. So bring your coaching practice and your income to the next level at shyattagency.wpengine.com. See you next week.
