https://www.listennotes.com/e/206c08959f7b4a23971c7fd70cb4ebeb

But I always found that when people are vulnerable and are authentic and real and honest about their stories, when audiences watch that, they really connect with you and relate to you and then like you and then they love you and then they want to buy what it is you have.

This is your Badass Journey podcast. I am Kareen Walsh, serial entrepreneur, growth strategist, executive leadership coach and bestselling author. Each week, I will bring you a guest or a thought that will help you align what you love with what you do in order to build that badass life and business you dream of. Hey there, listeners. Thanks for joining me today. Do you ever wonder how to create purpose-driven content and actually tell a story that creates an unbelievable attraction back to you for sharing the foundation that is your story? The reason why I ask is that it is the formula that Alex shares today to help you Focus on your story, how to best tell it, and share why that is the foundation of Icon Media and how they have served multiple brands in building their presence through video out in the world. Alex Kshnere and Jay Shetty partnered as co-founders of Icon Media, and Alex is the COO. and the powerhouse producer that has established their brand recognition and their methodology into the content building space to create marketable assets for their brands and in order to attract ideal clients by being purpose driven. So I know you're gonna benefit a lot from today's conversation. I know I did. I love talking to Alex. We could literally jam for hours. And here is an hour's worth of our conversation with some tools and tips on helping you create your story, but also with his question towards the end as he is family planning, his firstborn son is about to arrive. And he has such a great question for me and was really great to support him in this way as he's navigating how to integrate it all into his life. Let's jump into today's conversation, and I can't wait to hear the takeaways you get from it. So do not hesitate to post and tag us that you're listening, but also, if you have any follow-up questions you'd like us to answer, we would love to hear from you. So let's jump in. Hey there, Alex. Welcome to the show.

Hey, how's it going? What's the latest and greatest with you?

Oh, well, you know, I love our conversations, and I figured I had to have you on the show so that we could share what we dialogue on with listeners, because every time we meet and every time I've seen you speak, and even when Jeff, my husband, has had a conversation with you, we are left with so much value. So I want to thank you for being on today's show. And the way we like to kick things off is for you to just give an intro to of yourself, to our listeners on how you became the COO and co-founder of icon media.

Absolutely. Well, thank you so much. And, yeah, every time we speak, it's always good conversations. It's, we can go deep, we can go, you know, on, on whatever subject matters we can, we go into. It's easy to talk to you, and I love it. It's really nice. So that's because you're just such a wonderful person.

You're very sweet.

And, yeah, a little bit about me. So I went to film school at Baylor University down in Texas, studied filmmaking and digital media. and then originally from New Jersey, grew up born in New York City, raised in New Jersey, moved back up there and got into the TV business as a producer. So I worked, I started my career at CNBC on a show called How I Made My Millions. Then from there went to go work for Katie Couric at Disney. From there went to work for a startup called Al Jazeera America. I don't know if anyone remembers that, but it was short-lived. They tried to throw a ton of money, it did not work out. And then right after that, I went to go work for Arianna Huffington at the Huffington Post as a digital producer. So I kind of had this journey in my TV world from traditional broadcast television to a startup with some money behind it in the news world, then now to digital and social at the Huffington Post. And this is a unique point in my life where I met my now business partner and dear friend Jay Shetty, many people know about. He's become a huge person of influence in the purpose driven space, has like 40 million followers now on social media, has a New York Times best selling novel, a number one podcast. And I met him at the Huffington Post about five and a half years ago. And we were tasked there by Arianna Huffington to create good content in the sense of it had to be purpose driven and it had to lead with with kind of that edge of whatever we're creating, it has to enhance people's lives. And it turned out to be really good just in the engagement numbers. People really wanted to hear more about it. And that was a while ago. And this is on social media when it was still a little bit of the Wild West. A lot of the content that was living on social, I think Facebook Live barely just got introduced at that moment. People are posting cat videos and random stuff and that seemed to be going viral. But this was the first time that I was seeing more story driven, emotionally intelligent, heart centered stories, whether it was a mother creating a clothing line for her differently abled son because he couldn't fit into the clothes that were cool at school and telling stories like that, talking about green burials and what that meant and the pollutants that go into the earth from burial, like stuff that I had no, and they were hidden. Videos that I had, I would never think would go viral, millions of views were going because people were so interested in this like kind of genre of good and things that would enhance the earth. And so it was really cool. And from that, Jay and I were there for about a year. And Ariana Huffington left to start a company called Thrive Global. And then Jay and I were released from Huffington Post going, okay, we were brought in to create this beautiful vertical and it was doing so well, but it's like once that head honcho leaves and everything that they stand for leaves, you're like, oh, we don't need you anymore, even though you're great, see you later. And we're like, It happens. It happens. And Jay tells this story as well. We're both kind of like, what do we do next? And we're sitting at a Rangers game, we're living in New York City. We're sitting at a Rangers game going like, what do we do? And we're just like, we'll figure it out. Like we both don't really know. And I went to go work for a startup called Cheddar, started by John Steinberg. And I really was there from a very early stage working on their field production and branded content production side and really spearheading that. And then Jay went to go build his personal brand and we worked on some projects together, tried to sell some shows. We came really close to selling one. We were like 29 years old, maybe 28, I can't remember. It was a while ago.

What was the topic of the show?

It was called IRL in real life. And yeah, we would take real life idea or I'm trying to remember the premise. We filmed the pilot episode and we almost sold it to ABC, a division of ABC. And so yeah, it was great. Back then, this was like four years ago. And so something like, yeah, about four years ago, and we were pitching it. We actually, I knew somebody that was a pretty high level executive at a network and they're like, we want it. We ended up going to someone else and didn't, you know, and it's just this rabbit hole of different learning a lot. And so going back to my Cheddar days, so that was a startup became, that startup was really successful. I was there for about two years. Jay's brand in those two years starts blowing he starts gaining millions and millions of followers, what seemed to be like every single week. And I think it was actually to a point where big time authors, like Gabby Bernstein, that reached out to him, Tom Bilyeu, the founder of Quest Nutrition, reached out to Jay. And they said, Holy crap, we've been doing this for five, 10 years in terms of just trying to build an identity and a brand. And then also at it for a couple of years on social media, try to build an identity and a following. And Jay just seemed to be blowing by everybody. And everyone's like, how are you doing it? And the number one most important thing was video content. Stories that were emotionally connecting with people. And then the second was distribution. And so Jay approached me and saying, Hey, listen, I have these really high net worth and also successful entrepreneurs and authors reaching out to me. I have places like National Geographic reaching out to me to create content. Do you want to start a based media company? And I was kind of like, maybe, I don't know. I didn't go to business school. I wasn't an entrepreneur. I was like film school, TV, Creative production, I can work on 10 projects at once and get all these things like aligned and, you know, all that kind of stuff, more creative brain. And so I was like, okay, like let's maybe let's see how it goes. Cause I love Jay and we were good friends and we loved working together. And so I was in year two at Cheddar and I really started getting a knack for like learn the business side of what I did. more and how branded content worked and that whole idea. And so we signed our first deal, Jay and I, and I still was working at Cheddar and I was doing that. I was basically doing two jobs at once. And I was like, wow, this is a pretty nice size deal and I'm going to get a nice, decent size check from it. And it was really successful for the client, but it took up a lot of energy and time and commitment flying to LA while I was living in New York.

It's intense.

It's intense. And I just kind of came to an inflection point where I either had to go all in or just be like, nah, man, it's too risky. I have a good career. I have a little bit of stock in this new startup, but I chose a ladder. I was like, you know what? I have this feeling with Jay that was just felt right. I always say this, it didn't feel like it was going to be this big burden. It just felt like, yeah, it was gonna be risky, of course, but like, it didn't feel like there was, I was like, ah, it was more like, I'm gonna lean into this and I feel really good about it. So I quit my job, I move across country and I start my own company with Jay and my parents think I'm crazy.

Hey, we gotta take it some days, right? Like you gotta take it.

You gotta take it. You gotta it. And, and, cause they don't really understand, like my mom comes from like traditional, she works in corporate business side of fashion and my dad works in like, the meat and poultry distribution industry.

Oh my god, two really hard industries and totally different.

Yeah, totally different.

They don't foundational.

Yeah, they don't understand at all. Like, kind of like they get TV and they got like that, that side. But once I started moving into digital.

Yeah, media marketing, or media creation content, yeah, totally different.

They were like, what is social? Like, how are you making money from this? Brands pay you to create stories on on these, like they were like, so they were like, are you sure? Like you, and I'm like, no, I'm telling you, like I feel really good. And I will say once the first check cleared, they're like, oh, that's pretty good.

We'll take it.

Yeah. And so they were like, they felt a little more like, okay, okay, he's gonna have a little bit of support, but it wasn't, it wasn't, it was just like maybe half a year salary. And so we move across country, we start, Ikon Media, which is this purpose-based content creation studio. And yeah, we start signing on one, two, three, four, five clients. And then we sign on our first big publishing company, Hay House Publishing. Nice. And it just starts kind of growing and building and huge ups, huge downs, struggles of the entrepreneur. And that kind of takes me into, we've been doing Ikon now for two and a half years. and I love it. It is stressful as hell, I mean going through Corona and that whole COVID time in 2021 and still to this day hopefully looks good though. I feel really comfortable, right? It's tough like operating a business. We have 15 team members, which we grew really quickly at scaling company. And then in the middle of all of this, only after a year you've been a startup is a little nuts.

Yeah.

And that's yeah, I mean, we can we can kind of go in a couple different areas now, but that takes me into kind of where I'm at and what I do now, which is the co-founder and COO of Icon Media, which is a purpose-based content creation studio in Los Angeles.

I think, you know, what's awesome about the story of kind of going a traditional track in an on-demand market, right? Like when you come up in the TV world, that is somewhat of like an on-demand in the production of it all, but you're learning a lot of like the behind the scenes of how you tell a story. You're learning the traditional, I'll call it tech, because it's been around for longer than what we've had in these social platforms and how you actually create content and brand recognition. What I love about a theme though that showed up for you is that by meeting Jay, and this is what I heard from what you just shared, is that you saw what it feel like if everything you did was purpose driven, you know, under the guidance of Ariana Huffington in the beginning, and then realizing, wow, we can actually spend time doing what we know, doing what we love, and actually be purposeful about it. And I remember the last time we spoke and also just hearing how you approach things, there's like a story theme behind what you actually are producing. Did you learn that framework first from producing shows? How is that different from when you're in like more of a social media or content building or content creation? Like give us a little bit of that background because I'm curious.

Absolutely. No, those working at CNBC on that on the show How Made My Millions, working on the Katie show, those were all absolutely foundational and instrumental in Building up my chops, if you will, to tell a story. Because at the end of the day, emotional connection and figuring out how to tell someone's story is the most important thing. Because I don't care if you have a million dollars in media buying and a huge distribution network. If the story sucks, it sucks. Yeah. And so working at those places really helped me I learned from really great producers, top-notch editors, all the types of shots they're going to need, why they're going to need it, the right questions to ask someone when they're in the middle of an interview of trying to how do you get emotion out of someone, maybe, and drawing that out of them in the middle of an interview, trying to connect back and connect the dots of their story. That's one of the biggest things. Well, talking to somebody, When you're telling your own story, even probably when I tell my own during this interview, there's still all these dots that you don't think about because you're trying to get through it through a certain amount of time and you may not think about it. But when you put that producer hat on, you go, wait a second, you went from point A to point D. Where was point B and C? And how did that happen? And then you're like, holy crap, we're missing this. Huge emotional part of this story. And that's what it's like you're a little investigator, right? And when you're putting together and crafting these emotional stories about people's lives that you can connect other people to and go, wow, I relate to that person. It's like being a little investigator in the sense of like, you're really trying to dive deep into someone's life and understand why they do what they do and the purpose behind what they're doing. And so yeah, and then learning, and then being at the Huffington Post and finding out that you can use this talent that you've acquired over the course of the past five or six years to do more good and to really inspire people or motivate people or change someone's life. And it just felt better, honestly. It was just like, you know, there's a lot of garbage content out there and it can make people a lot of money and it also can corrupt their minds in how they think. And honestly, it can be really draining and not fulfilling. And anytime that I created something that was just, you know, put us, I'm like a normally optimistic, positive guy. So it just naturally didn't go with me. And I just found that anytime I was doing something really cool and interesting in a positive way, it was just felt better. So I went down that path. And then I just took what I knew from a storytelling perspective of really understanding of unique connecting dots that through questions, through really digging deep into someone's story. And I really start with their childhood. Like when I'm first meeting, say I'm working on a piece with an entrepreneur, a very successful entrepreneur. I really start with understanding who they are and from the very beginning, from when they were young kids. And that's when you really start to understand them, who they are, what they do, their behaviors. And it all, and then people go, and then they start circling back. Because it's all about when people watch you, so a lot of the times they just see the end product, right? They see you driving the Bugatti. They see it in the big house. They see it with 10 kids and you're all smiling, but they typically have no idea how you got there and that you went bankrupt three times or that you were divorced or that you almost committed suicide or that you were a drug addict. Like they don't typically hear those parts because most people, like me and you probably have dealt with issues or problems or whatever. Some people don't wanna talk about it, which I understand and that's totally your own decision and that you can maybe tell certain points that you feel comfortable with. But I always found that when people are vulnerable and are authentic and real, and honest about their stories. When audiences watch that, they really connect with you and relate to you and then like you and then they love you and then they want to buy what it is you have because they're like, holy shit, they were just like me, but they're just 10 years ahead of me or whatever it is. And that's the whole point of storytelling and the whole point about how do you emotionally connect and relate to everyone because you are and you were them at some point in your life. Yeah.

And then it's the relatability, right? Like you're creating that instant connection of being human behind your brand, behind your business, behind your career, or however you're showing up, you know, in, in these worlds. I would say that I know a lot of people who have hesitation on, on sharing their darker moments. because they might still have not worked through the shame around it all, you know? And there's the avenue of when you actually start talking about it, you know, and actually start sharing it, you actually are removing the shame from it because you're finding that connected moment with others who have gone through it too, that you're not alone in the darkness. And remind yourself that you're actually, you know, 10 steps ahead already, like come back to the present, as opposed to reliving the past.

Right.

It's a very interesting dynamic with storytelling. I always find for me, like if someone tries to ask me, you know, what's your story? You know, like when it's such like a broad thing.

Right. It's like, okay, how much time do you have? I really want to stick with you for three hours.

And also, it's like, I always go to the point where like what would be relevant. Like I guess I've always been, audience focused person because I am about a related connection and I read people really well, you know, when I meet them, I'm also a strong listener and I care more about what they need versus what my story might be to tell them. I'm sure I have something relatable because I've been through a lot, but that's also sometimes people can sit in that kind of overwhelm. where it's like, what do I even share? You know, so what are some of the key questions that can help our listeners if they're trying to figure out, well, how do I tell my story better? You know, what are the things that maybe we can give them as tips or things to try to help them become better storytellers?

Absolutely. So, so let's use an example. So say you are starting a business or, and you're And you're maybe a little bit confused or stuck in like, how do I... People, you know, I have this really cool product that helps with stuttering and it works and I just, people don't understand it and why I'm doing it. It's like, and where I would start with them, it's like, well, why the heck did you start this in the first place? Right. Why is it important? Well, my, Dad had a major stuttering problem and we could never figure it out and it was super embarrassing for him and I didn't want to invite my friends over to the house ever because he was really and then you're like, holy crap, like that's really powerful emotional things that happen to you as a kid. And they're like, yeah, and I'm like, do you ever talk about that? And they're like, no. And I'm like, well, you got it. That's like a great story right there. So you would invite your friends over to the house because your dad would have this really bad starting problem, which led you to start and create a product that helped him. And they're like, yeah. And I'm like, that is really cool. And they're like, Really? And I'm like, yeah. Like it kind of starts happening like that of like, ask yourself, like, why the heck it is you're doing this. And then they usually go back to a moment somewhere in their life that was impactful, that stood out to them. They're like, I'm doing it because of this person. I'm doing it because of this happened to me. and they wanted to figure out a solution to the question that they had. So it really asked herself, why the hell I'm doing it? And honestly, if you don't know why you're doing it, there's something wrong. There's an issue behind that. And that's where a lot of people get stuck. But typically it's like, why am I doing this? What's the purpose behind it? What's the origin story to the whole thing? And that's where I like to start. and we really start diving into that. And then once we target that story that inspired them to do what they do, that to me is like the first video you need to make. And you need to think about the format of which you can do it in and understanding a budget that you can work with. And that's when you start diving into, you know, do I have a lot of archival footage that I can use from my childhood or my past? Do I have photos? Can my mom or my brother or my sister or my whatever be in it to help tell it emotionally, especially if it's like emotion. And I don't, like we talked about this briefly, like we don't need to be into dark, like do really dark places for an amount of time. We can just touch on it that this was, hey, this is a really tough moment in my life. And typically it draws natural emotion from the person and I'd like to touch on it, but then I'd like to then get to, the solution. Then I came up with this thing. And it solved my problem. And I wanted to give that to other people. And then you kind of get to like, so the first question is the why. Then you figure out there's a story behind the why. And then I figure out a format that I could tell from a video format to help people visually feel what it is I'm trying to do. And then we get to a solution and then we get into an action. What do you want people to do? Okay, now they heard your story that relates to you. Now you're getting emotionally involved and they're relatable relating to you. And now you want to start them to take an action towards something, right? And that's kind of the process that we go through in storytelling.

And the building it. I love that. I think it, because it creates a conversation really like in A video format, you know, where if you were in the room with that person telling the story, it would come out, you know, naturally with a bit of a Q&A and like, you're creating the emotional connection and then the likability and then they trust you, et cetera. But now that we have all these different mediums of getting information and sharing who we are or what we're trying to put out into the world or connect with our audiences better, It's really, the video game is like nonstop now. It's really wild to see how many platforms have video content streaming and all the different formats regulation for it.

Right, yeah.

Formula matters though.

Formatting it the right way, yeah, there's a formula to it and all different platforms have different, you know, this platform, like I said, Vertical this likes it super wide this likes it with a thumbnail that looks like this. Like, yeah, that is a is part of the process as you go down the road with it. It's kind of it takes place later in kind of post production, but it is having the knowledge of understanding and it's similar some of it could be simple Google research, to be honest with you. Like, what is the best video format for TikTok? What is the best video format for Instagram? Should I be using meme bars? Should I using thumbnails, you know, power using, you know, the first five seconds being super sticky and grippy and of getting people's attention because that works like just super like small subtle things that help bring an audience in knowing those things is really important when telling a story too. But yeah, yeah, it's really cool.

I'm sure my listeners benefit from the formula you gave to just even start thinking about how to put their story together for that appropriate connection. I'm curious in your role right now and how things are going with Icon Media and what are your goals? Or how are you driving the business today? What are you hoping to accomplish in the next few years?

Absolutely.

Yeah.

We're still a startup and we went through COVID, which was really tough, especially on the production We're in Los Angeles and there were huge multi-month stall in anything production. Luckily we had a lot of stuff in post and we had a lot of clients already built up. So we were protected slightly, but it was still really hard because so Icon Media, what we do is we work with individuals, we work with foundations and we work with brands and we were really pushing hard on the brand side. And I don't know if you worked or worked in marketing and brand marketing and ad sales or media buying. But that industry got hit really hard.

Hammered.

Hammered. And people's budgets got slashed or they were, you know, stalled or cut. They didn't know what was going on. There was no, I don't know. I have no idea. I don't know if I have a job.

Yeah, there was a lot of pause in the, in the first or the second quarter of last year.

Yeah.

And the hopes that things would go back to normal. And that created a lot of stagnant decision making for a lot of businesses during that time. Yeah. They didn't, no one thought it would last as long as it has, you know.

Yeah. And so it was tough. And so I did have to release some from people from the company. I added some and then I had to release some. So we kind of had like a balance. It was kind of, we broke even, I guess, on that front. And then we went into, you know, this year really focused and going heavy and working with more brands. I think as you saw, you know, just how the world reacted, how major businesses reacted to just what is going on in society today. Gen Z-ers, and I think a lot of people in just general are demanding that these major corporations step up in what they're doing, whether we're talking about sustainability or gender equality or whatever, the role of these major corporations is vitally important to the, I think, the health and growth of the economy and how also people are making purchasing decisions. What do you do, Pepsi? What do you do, Peloton? What do you stand for? What's your purpose? Why should I buy this bike for you? Because there's, you know what? There's 10 other ones that do it. And I like what they stand for and what they're about. They're about LGBTQ rights. They're about standing up for cancer. And they express it. And you know what? 10% of that bike that I'm going to spend $2,500 on is going to.

Go to that thing.

And I know that because you did that piece of content around it that I loved and it hit me emotionally because my mom has cancer. And this is like all the things that are happening. I don't know if you watched the Super Bowl or whoever is on here, like it was the most purpose-driven ads that I've ever seen on a Super Bowl.

I was watching it.

I was paying attention, taking notes. I'm sure you were. Because I live in this space. Yeah. And I'm like, There was maybe like one third of the ads or something like that were like, had a level of purpose behind it.

Definitely.

And I knew it. I knew that was gonna happen 'cause that's how things are going. So things are going well. I think for us, my biggest focus is really growing our lead generation and that division, the business side of the business. Yeah. Because I was always so focused on the creative side 'cause that's where I come from. That's just my natural area. and really learning that, really learning things like the whole P&L process, accounting, bookkeeping. We have a team that does support us, but learning how it- yeah, how.

To leverage those numbers. Yeah, to make those decisions.

Yeah. Oh yeah, it's crazy. So that's really been my focus. Math is my least favorite subject in the world. I hate math, but just learning how things work and operate on the business side has been really a big focus. I love leading teams. I really do. I feel like that, you know, being kind of from the very bottom, starting from the very bottom as a production assistant, then working my way up pretty high. Like, I know what it feels like to be on a team and to be like the low man on the totem pole.

In each of the roles, yeah.

Yeah, in each of the roles and I know how important they all are. And I know how, you know, I felt during some of them, so, you know, I was bullied at work Before I know what that's like and never want anyone to feel that way.

No.

So yeah, I love what I do and I want to always make the team feel like they're, they have a purpose here at this business. So that's a really important thing for me. Diversity is really important to me and making sure people are happy and fulfilled in what they do. So just making sure every single day really just like, how are you? How you doing? What's going on? And working remote makes it harder.

Yeah, it's a different way of building your corporate culture for sure. And ensuring that the value system of your business is also represented in all the different ways your team now has to connect, not only with each other, but your clients. It is a new challenge as someone who helps scale and also build leadership teams and how to efficiently operate. A lot of that is, I've been been tapped a lot this year for different types of how do I actually now train my direct reports to level up with me? Because I don't know necessarily how to do that in this remote setting. And it's been really interesting to navigate that. And as a startup in the phase that you're in, where you've already proven that what you guys do has a winning formula, the scalability of it and who you want to attract to stay aligned with your principles, right? So that you're not saying yes to all the people that come to you, because if they're not a fit, they're not a fit. And everybody should be that selective if you really want to do aligned business development. But it's really cool that you have the consciousness to start to pay attention to the areas that maybe you're not so comfortable with, because your team members need to also see what it's like and those who report into you what it's like to actually go through growth spurts and then realize, okay, I tried it. It's still not for me. I'm going to rely on someone else, but I at least know how to make those decisions. You know, it's a very interesting dynamic and to be able to scale and build your business during a pandemic year. I think that has given so many new leaders, new chops much faster than if it was the status quo. Like if it was this, everything's green and dandy and money's just flowing without any challenges. Right?

Right.

Without any learning.

Right. It's such a good, there's a lot of things that I want to say about that. It's like if you don't feel the pressure of almost anything, it's like you kind of get this lackadaisical attitude. and when you feel the pressure, it's like you kind of either you're going, it's like fight or flight, like are you gonna fight and like figure it out? And that's kind of what I've been doing too, is that I want to like, I didn't know how P&Ls work and what all these things are in that, and you know, net net and this and that, and you know, sitting on top of collections and you have to really stand out, like, and you know, all these new technology platforms that are out from Gusto and Bill Pay and this thing and that thing. I'm like learning and I don't like those things. I want to get back into the grid, but I had to get out of my comfort zone to learn them to go now, okay, I know all this stuff. It's something now that I have my tool belt that I know, do I like it? No, I don't like it, but I know it because when I do grow and scale the company to a certain level, I know who I need to bring in to go run that and I can still manage them to make sure that I know what the heck that I know they're doing the right job. Yeah.

And it's also for, so you have to know enough to lead it, but also to drive decisions because as your business scales and you cannot be in every single room where things are happening, you want to be able to lead your team to know how you actually drive decisions. so that they're bringing you the information and you need to know in order to make a faster decision. That's how you build that leadership efficiency. So it's really great that you know you're a creator and a creator first, then you can dip into entrepreneurship and/or operations to lead your company well, but you also need to stay in your zone of genius to make sure you're fulfilled every day too. Like if you sit too far into that operating role, and, or into the, even the entrepreneurial role. And that doesn't necessarily fill you up as much, then you're actually showing up at a lesser value percentage that, that you could bring to the table. So it's, it's really great to hear you navigating it because I also think a lot of people ignore what they're uncomfortable in and they have a responsibility as one of the C-suite members of a company.

Absolutely. And it takes time and it takes a little bit of courage and it takes you to go, you know what? I have to do this. Like, we're hurting in this area and I can't be scared anymore and I have to go dive there, learn something that I've never done before, fail a little bit and then figure it out, right? And it does, it takes time. It's not like it just happens like in a snap of a finger. You know, you kind of like, you know what, I'm tired of this happening over and over again. Like what the hell is going on over here? I need to step over here and learn this and not be afraid anymore.

Was there anything that happened recently in that realm of, like, learning the new thing that you are like, huh, I actually kind of like that. And I didn't think I would. Did that happen at all?

Anything like that. It was, you know, you know, whiching, like, accounting firms and, like, bookkeepers, and there's, like, all this, like, stuff that happens on the back end that you're trying to, like, do and. and you're kind of trying to figure it all out and like it's kind of it's like a big headache and it's it's annoying. It's like, it's like this is annoying. But then, you know, once you kind of get a I was looking back at it though and just really happy that I just dug in part of the process between both accounting firms and also with my my CEO and everyone else involved. Like I was I'm very happy that I got involved because it allowed me to open up to like more of what was going on from like an accountant bookkeeping basis of knowing where things are going and why we're spending money here and why we're spending money there. But at like a minutiae details that I wasn't like, I knew the high level stuff and were, but I was really happy that I did that, but I didn't want to and I was afraid to. And then when I did it, I was like, it was worth the end time.

Yeah, you got more empowered.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.

That'S awesome. Thank you for sharing that. I'm always curious because I feel like for me, I find certainty when I put myself in the middle of it to learn it, even though it might be uncomfortable. And then what was my problem was that I felt, well, because I know it, I should do it. And I wasn't delegating when I needed to, and that can create burnout of sorts. And so figuring out how it works, how it operates, and then also Yeah, that's not for me. I'm gonna have someone else take care of it. It's really good for that perspective, especially as new leaders in startup industry. Absolutely. That's been so helpful, Alex. And I don't wanna take up too much more of your time 'cause I know our schedules are tight, but I would love to hear how you want people to connect with you. If they want to learn more about how they can leverage the services of Icon Media or even just connect with you 'cause they have their own questions on how do they even begin with video production content?

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. If you want to connect with the company, you can go to iconmedia.agency and there's a contact page in there and you can reach out to us. If you want, like, I'm open to giving out my email. So it's just alex@iconmedia.agency. If you want to reach out to me directly, obviously, like, if it just please only if it's like, that you like, Hey, I feel really gravitated towards what you're saying and what you're doing. I'm open, but we're all obviously really busy. So just like, be specific.

Be purposeful.

Yeah, be purposeful. Like, and what, and what you're asking, because I truly love, because I'm this way. Like, if I'm trying to reach out to some like really successful person that I look up to, like, I honestly, I will be on them because I persistently and consistently on them and just feel like, listen, like I really would love Some time with you and like, not like the, I will say the best people, they're like super six figure, 100 millionaires, billionaires in business. They will tell me, Alex, bug the shit out of me.

Right.

I am busy.

You gotta remind me.

Yeah. And you have to remind me because you and be in my ear. I will say the ones that are like, you know, they're kind of successful and like, they're, they're like, don't bother me. And I'm like, okay, like cool, like whatever. But I will say like, the Mark Cubans of the world, they will be like, dude, that are like CMOs, billion dollar marketing budgets. They have been cool and just like, dude, bug the shit out of me because I'm busy as hell, but I do not take it personally and I want to help you. And that's how I'm like, that's really cool, man. I love that because we're all trying. We're all busy. We all want to help. We want to be of service. And I think the coolest, best people are always like that. And I've been taking that on too. So, like, bug the out of it. Just tell me, like, dude, I'm so busy right now, but I will find time for you. And it's just, like, honest. You have 30. There's no, like, lingering, like, do they like me? Do they not like me? Like, and it's just, like, I'm just trying to be like, dude, that's cool, man. I'll get back to you.

We'll do it on next two weeks on Thursday at one o'clock. And I'll tell you that Alex, for those of you listening, is. He is a master at managing his calendar. That's why he is so diligently busy, because he also has a life outside. as well, but he will get you on the calendar when he does have time if there is alignment into why you are connecting.

So absolutely.

You reach out to him, tell him that you did listen to this episode, tell him at least something that you took away from listening to our conversation today and why you want to connect with him so that it is purposeful into when you have his time. I'll tell you that I cherish my time with you, Alex, because I always leave with I love nuggets of information, but just love connecting because I was born in Jersey and raised in New York. I love it. So the opposite, but I also lived on the West Coast too. So I have that bicoastal part of me as well. And it's just such an honor to share you with my listeners, but also as a thank you, I would love to give you the opportunity. If you have a question or a challenge or something that you want support on that I can support, you on today.

This is, I mean, this is coming up for me and, you know, I am going to be having a son in four months. So, I'm gonna be, yeah, I'm so excited and so happy. My fiance and I are having a little baby boy and would love tips and advice on how to balance, you know, supporting fiance and helping out with the baby and making sure that also I'm on top of work and I need to obviously companies. So what advice do you give to that?

I love it. So you said a word that I personally get triggered by, which is why I'll share it with you because I'll tell you my philosophy on when it comes to work-life balance. To me, it's integration. It's work-life integration. It's like you know yourself Holy first, like what your priorities are, how you want to show up in it all. And truly, what doesn't shift is you going into all these spaces. What shifts is the circumstance you're in. And the beauty of you having your the business and the leadership role you're in about to have a son join your family and the joys of all of that. is to really, I would say, put a vision together as to like, what do you want it to look like and feel like? What's your ideal day encompass? What even up before, like, your son arrives, just even the time with your wife and the conscious time with your son to be and how you lead your business through that. And if you can get clear on that vision of what that integrated stanch is for you daily, then you can actually put it into practice before it happens. You know, a lot of people don't allow themselves that time. You have four months now ahead of you before your son is here. And if you can take the time now to visualize it, then you can actually put it into practice before it actually happens and not shock all your systems at once. Right? so when you're thinking about the work life, right? And you're thinking about, oh, you know what? I have these standard meetings. They're always on these days. I have to make sure that I comply this way to these things and show up, blah, blah, blah. When you take your time to say, you know what? When my son is here, my mornings are gonna be with my son. And, like, if that's what's a priority for you, so that my wife can rest, get her workout routine in, get her, whatever that looks like. And then this way you're, you're dedicating your time, and then you're organizing your life and business. around what that ideal framework looks like. And then you can get inclusive about it. So after you put it down for yourself is then you meet with your wife and you say, Hey, this is what is ideal for me. Why don't you put your ideal day together for me too? So I am figuring out how to integrate and make sure I'm meeting your needs. And you do that with your C-suite. Hey guys, my child's going to be born soon and I want to prepare. So this is how I see the ideal day looking like for me to be able to be present in my home life, my family life while I'm present also with all of us as a company. So let's talk it through and let's figure out how are we going to actually conduct ourselves through it all so that I'm not creating frustration for anybody. And it is known up front that this is just how we're going to show up in it all.

Love that. Thank you so much. No, that's great. That's a great way to do it. Cause I'm like, you know, everyone's like, oh man, you're gonna get no sleep and, you know, you know, you know, feeding and up and down and rocking the chair and I know I'm gonna do all that. But then it's like, how do I then, yeah, it's a great way to vision it. It's a great, like what is ideal and how can I help? But then relating that to my team, guys, this is what I think is gonna be the most happy at first off, like, making sure I take care of my son in the mornings. I love that. And then, you know, times are free for me, at least for, you know, the time being. It's a great way to approach it of like, what does a really clear day look like for me that makes my whole life happy, which is really important.

And the self-care portion too, right? Like, so your self-care time, if let's say it's sleepless for a while, which it will be, But it's like, it still is the biggest joy because your son is with you. Like it's a different energy of sleeplessness. Like yes, you are tired, but it is full of the most unconditional love you will ever feel in your life. You know, when you're around like newborn babies, like I can't even tell you how like, I don't have children myself, but I've helped raise other people's children. I would say I've been around a lot of babies. and that there's something just so precious around that that you're still energized.

Oh yeah.

But your self-care matters, you know, in that too. So when you think about the areas to visualize for your ideal day, just make sure you include your self-care, the care for others, and then the care for your business. And if you can categorize it in those three ways, then all the different things that are meaningful to you will show up. the other part of it too is to think about what do you need to delegate and make sure is handled by someone else for at least give yourself like a time frame, like at least six months once your son is here. Because when it comes to business, especially being in a leadership role, Alex, nothing stops you from employing the support you need to have these life-changing moments. be the most meaningful for you. And I, I don't think we do that enough. So I would encourage you to do that as well.

I love it. I'm writing. I wrote all down. I wrote these notes all down, so it's great.

And hopefully it helps someone else who's going through transition and change, you know, who's listening today, too. So I really appreciate you asking that question. And thank you again for being on today on the, on the show and just spending time with me. I really I appreciate you, Alex.

I love it. Thank you so much. And have a beautiful day. Enjoy the week. And if you ever need anything, let me know. And always happy to be of service.

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