The Mastermind That Skyrocketed the Growth of Our Businesses, with Jess Burgio, Jim Carter and R.T. Custer

What is keeping you from growing your business to the next level? I'm Jess Burgio, one of the hosts here for Fast Foundations, the podcast. Between the three of us, my co host Jim, RT and I have grown several businesses scaling beyond seven figures. And you know what? Not a single one of those businesses came with a blueprint. For years we poured time and resources into our businesses from salons, tech companies and product based businesses navigating success and failures on our own. For all of us though, it began to change in 2019 when we found a community of like minded entrepreneurs and industry leaders to mentor us. That community was Fast Foundations. Just like the Mastermind, we're bringing on experts and having discussions to give you tips to not only improve the foundational skill sets you need, but to also fast track your growth. We'll dive into the core pillars of what will make your business succeed. Whether you have a brand new idea that you're looking to turn into a business, or you're already a successful entrepreneur looking to scale, this community is here to take you to the next level. Let's dive in. Welcome to the Fast Foundations Podcast. I am one of your hosts, Jessica Burgio. And joining me today is Jim Carter and R.T. custer, the CO owners of the Fast Foundations Mastermind. All three of us are your co hosts of the Fast Foundations podcast and we are so excited to get this podcast out to you. We have been talking about it for quite some time now. We know it's something we really wanted to do. All three of us have such a passion for entrepreneurship along with this Mastermind mind that we are all a part of. So welcoming you to the show. Welcoming you to what we hope to be super greatness. Jim, welcome to the show. Rt, welcome to the show.

Thank you. We're excited to be here.

Let's go, let's go.

Oh yes. RT is cracking a cold one for us because it's five o' clock somewhere.

That's how we start episode one.

I'm technically, I'm an hour ahead of you guys, so it's going to be five o' clock here real soon.

Yes. And hopefully wherever you are tuning in, you can find yourself in a lot of our stories that we share because the three of us have a very different background around Jim being in the tech world, RT being in the product based world, me being in the service based industry. So I think the three perspectives that we bring over the 20 years we've each had in our industries is going to give you such great insight as to what is possible in your business. And we're here to provide value and tools and resources to get you out of being stuck or put you into action. So, rt, can you tell us a little bit about why this podcast is so important for you to make and get out into the world?

Absolutely, yeah. So when we purchased the Fast Foundations Mastermind from Chris and Lori Harder, we basically agreed to them that we would take it and do all the things that they really saw for it, but they couldn't put the time and effort into it and couldn't focus on it. And one of the ways we thought of growing the Mastermind was to not have just like a 50 person, you know, mastermind with a couple events every year and serve just 50 people. But how can we use the collective knowledge of all the alumni, which now we have, like 350 and growing, to document all of those alumni stories and put them out for free here on a podcast and share all of that collective wisdom and what all of us have learned together through, you know, all the cohorts of the Mastermind and really? Yeah, just document that and share those stories here on the podcast.

I know, and it's. It's crazy because if you are just tuning in, you might not know who each one of us is individually. But giving you the reason why we're creating the podcast, I think is first and foremost the most important part of it. So, Jim, can you share with the audience, too, why this podcast and this Mastermind is so important and why you're a part of it?

For me, this is something that I've always dreamed to be in the right season and be in the right opportunity to be able to share what I know works with others who are just slightly behind me. And I say that not out of ego, but out of pride. And that's something that I learned not just through the Mastermind, but through connections like with you and with. With RT and with everybody else that I met in this Mastermind. What I realized is that for so many years, I just got stuck in an action because I wasn't choosing to take everything that I learned and apply it at a rapid rate. What I found is that all of those answers were on the other side of raising my hand and just asking for help. And I wish that I had a show like this. I wish that I had a format like this, a channel, a community. Years back, it would have saved me so much time, so much stress. And now to be able to take all those stories, all of those answers, all the resources that we've all collectively learned, tried Some failed and learned from those failures and applied it to success. That's why I'm so excited to be part of this and to be part of leading it with all three, with all of you, and continue to grow this program, to offer those resources, not just through the podcast, but through our online community and through our in person events and everything else that we're excited to grow this program into.

Yeah, I mean, we all have such a big vision for the roles we're going to play in this, and then the vision we see for people coming in and experiencing FAST Foundation's Mastermind as a whole. We know the word mastermind and programs and coaches and all that have been thrown around so heavily in the last couple of years, really more so in the last year. It seems like everyone's become a coach and everybody has something to sell and offer. But I think you touched on a good point, saying, I want to just teach to the people that I'm just a few steps ahead of. And that's why watching the torch get passed to the two of you to take over ownership of FAST Foundations Mastermind is so important and I think something that we need to touch on because our founders, Chris and Lori Harder, were the originators of this Mastermind. And we love to give them as much credit as we possibly can because not only did they start the program, but they also went on to create amazing podcasts that have driven traffic. And by way of watching them grow and succeed, it's kind of paved the way for us. Same way you just shared, you want to help people who are just a few steps behind you. That's what they did. And I love that we're carrying on that legacy because I think that's one of the ethos we all share, is we want to leave a legacy. We want to leave things better than we found them. All of us are parents on this podcast. I have a son who's ten and a half. Jim has two daughters. RT has two little boys. So we are no stranger to busyness. And that is one of those things that I think each and every one of us let plague us. We were prideful that we were super busy. We stayed in the busyness so we didn't have to pay attention to the personal development stuff. All three of us shared, where we were only in the doing. We weren't working on the mindset around what really would work. What do I really want out of all of this? Why am I even creating this business and what is it all for? Because if you are not rooted in Those feelings in those emotions in those decisions. It is very easy in 2022 and in this time to get distracted and to not do things at a rapid pace like Jim said, and to not take action because you're scared of failure or to spend money that you don't know what the investment's going to look like. So hopefully through these episodes and through us sharing our stories, the interviews with past alumni, we what has worked, what hasn't. You are going to get a priceless under the hood look at what has worked for people that may be in a similar situation as you so that you can hopefully skip the line and get to where you want to go a lot faster. So rt, let's give them a teeny backstory as to who you are and how you fell into enrolling in FAST Foundations in the first place so that people can understand what you're doing now because you are running a seven figure product based business, but yet here you are taking time out to teach people who still need those foundational skills in their business.

Absolutely. So you know, I founded Vortic Watch Company on Kickstarter in 2014. My business partner Tyler, and long story short, we take antique American pocket watches and turn them into one of a kind wristwatches and we've been doing that for a long time and learned a lot. I have a lot of ups and downs and roller coaster stories to share and tell and. And one of the most impactful things in my career so far has been masterminds and the coaching and support from those mastermind groups. And I think when we had the opportunity to purchase FAST Foundation's Mastermind from Chris and Laurie, it was just such a really cool full circle moment for me, especially because I was part of FAST Foundation's as a member focused on my watch company in 2019. Learned a lot, got a lot of coaching from Chris and everybody else. Just loved the whole experience. And when we found out that they weren't going to do it again, and I had partnered with Jim on our agency as my second business and our second seven figure business that we're also running, we were like, do we really need a third thing? But also can we really let FAST Foundations go away or what's it going to look like if it just stays online? We got to bring it back in person. How can we give that same experience that we all received, all of us, like I said, there's hundreds of alumni now. How can we give that same experience, if not a better one, to the next generation of entrepreneurs and just hopefully yeah, just be a couple steps ahead and teach and share. And really I think my why is seeing the room full of people grow and learn and get excited about their businesses again? Because entrepreneurship is lonely and when you do it together in a group like that, people are just reinvigorated. And that's why I did it was to find friends. It's just such an honor to carry the torch and to partner with you guys on not only Mastermind, but this podcast and our online community. Like it's really going to come together and I'm just, I'm really excited to see all of all the collective success of all the people that hopefully we can help.

Hey, I'm so glad you're here. Joining us for the launch of the Fast Foundation's podcast, I have an opportunity that can massively change your business. When I joined the very first round of the Fast Foundation's Mastermind, I felt stuck in my business because I didn't know what I didn't know. All I knew is I wanted access to more, more tools to scale my business, more examples of what's possible, and more like minded entrepreneurs looking for the same. The next round of Fast Foundation's Mastermind starts this September. This six month in person Mastermind was built for you. Join the next group of entrepreneurs that go from idea to owning their own business, from burnt out to having solid systems in place. We can't wait to see you in one of those seats. For more information, click the link in our show notes or just head to fastfoundations.com to learn more about this round and future opportunities we have coming up. Honestly, and I think I'll just touch on something you said because that is one of the also things that the three of us share is we all joined so that we didn't have to do shit on our own anymore. You can do things on your own. You can figure out things on your own. I mean, I was joking earlier. Google University is there for everybody and you can, you can literally find out any bits of information. But it's about being in community with other people who are thinking the way you're thinking and want to have the conversations that you want to have. And I think that's one of the common things we all have is we were seeking people like each other. And it is a full circle moment even to be recording this episode with the two of you because Jim and I were in the very first round of Fast Foundations back in early 2019. We connected then, stayed friends throughout the years and then you two met I think in the second round of fast foundations and to just see how we've all kind of stayed close and the communities kept us together. But it's also for people like us especially, it is crucial to have people that you can depend on that aren't necessarily in your close, close inner circle. They're people that you know are thinking the way you are, they're going through the same things you're going through. And to be able to know that those people are there because you both decided to show up to something that was scary and a little bit of a stretch of an investment, all three of us at the time, it was a huge stretch to commit to ourselves on a personal level at that time. And I mean, all of us were like, I can't even imagine, had I not committed to that, where would I be now? So you can always connect the dots. Looking back and I think this full circle moment for all three of us, there's the why has grown so much deeper. So, Jim, will you share with us a little bit too, around the same sort of thing and what kind of brought you back to this moment?

For me, when people ask now what I do, I basically say whatever it takes. And I say that because I jokingly present myself as a recovering software engineer. I've spent the last two decades coding, building not just my own companies, but building other people's enterprises. And I've built massive systems and led engineering teams. And I've had fun doing it. And I've witnessed a lot of success, but from the sidelines. And while I've tried a lot of businesses and shut a lot down and learned what I like to do and what I don't like to do, I got to the point in sort of like mid 2018 where I just knew I was meant for more and I wasn't sure what that was. So I left my objectively successful startup that I grew. That was my first seven figure business, certified B Corp, almost 50 employees. It was, it was a great, it was a great opportunity where I was at, but I just knew there was more. I needed to step into something different. And again, we talk about this, you don't know what, you don't know type of concept I was looking for the things that I just didn't know what was on the other side of asking for help. So when I found this mastermind opportunity, I thought about it a lot. I kind of sat on it. Just, we talked about this. But for me, it was finally deciding that I'm okay not knowing these certain things. And I need things like you mentioned, more friends in the business that share the same. They want to make an impact in the world. Maybe they need a little guidance. You want to have conversations with people who get you and where you're at, and it's okay that they're not in the same business. Hence RT growing a watch company and me being a coder. Right. We have two very different. Like, we're not even in parallel. We're going two different directions. But when we found that we could add value to each other, even in different industries, with different experiences, living in different states, having different ways of life, when you have those conversations with people, it opens up so much for you. So I believe I've been. I've been told by the Harders now, like, I'm the longest running member of Fast Foundations when it was in the in person events. And part of me is like, wow, did it. Did I just not get off my ass and move and do it? The other part of me was I never found something objectively better. I realized that I kept getting what I needed every time I was in it. And I fell in love with the program. And whether it was Fast Foundations or anything else, what I loved was the community, the accountability, the people who joined, the opportunities, the networking. And that gave me what I needed to not just have more confidence than ever, but to truly excel. And like RT was mentioning, when we found out that the Harders were closing the program down, there was a piece of us that we were all just kind of like, oh, man, you know, it's like a chapter closing for all of us who had been part of it, like this, this alumni. We were such a close crew. And RT and I had this very unique opportunity that came by way of a crazy idea time. And we proposed it to the Harders and just said, if you're willing to sell this to us, we will take this and we will do it better than you guys can. Because we have a big team. We're excited to pour into it. We want to do it bigger than ever before, and we're going to take everything that you taught us and apply it. And it just turned into this beautiful. This beautiful circle of opportunity mixed with timeliness. And that's where we are today. And we're excited to share all those things and also some of the stories of what didn't work, because those are equally as important. And if we can save somebody some heartache and some time by just pointing them in the right direction, sign us up.

Ooh, tell them, Jim. I agree. I Couldn't agree more because I'm like, I lived it alongside you via watching you guys on social media. And it's interesting because I think the reason for birthing this podcast is. Yes. To create some sort of funnel to introduce you guys. Listening to our Mastermind, of course. Yes. Would we want you to join it? Yes. Would we, hands down, bet that it'd be the best experience of your life? Yes. Will you walk away with new high level amazing friends? Yes. But also we wanted to give, give, give. That is just one of the things that we all love to do. And by way of free access to us through the podcast, you can submit questions through leaving ratings and reviews on Apple. By way of leaving the five star review, of course. I mean, obviously, if it feels less than, by all means. But in the review, leave us a thoughtful question that we can answer because everything's on the table right now. You can ask us any question pertaining to anything and if we don't know the answ, find you the answer and do an episode on the show about it. So we're going to just tell you the format that's going to go on. I think RT touched on it a little bit. I will be interviewing past alumni guests, asking them all the meaty, juicy, yummy questions. What was your life like before? What have you done since joining? How has things been different? Good, bad, indifferent, all the things. And then RT is going to be interviewing other Mastermind hosts, people that run other high level masterminds. And then rt, RT will be interviewing Jim on this and that. We haven't quite figured out what the name of that's going to be. Do we know? I feel like I could come up with some really inappropriate names for the two of you. It's probably Carter and Custer, right? We'll stick with the good.

Yeah, I like this or that. But yeah, I think, I think Carter and Custer is appropriate since that's also the name of our agency.

It just works.

It just works if it ain't broke. So the boys will be talking to you guys about what is better, this platform or that. Should I do this with my business or that? What's trending right now, this or that. So it'll be a great segment of Little Bits where you can find out what you should be focusing on and maybe learning something new that you're not using in your business or your back end systems or some tweaks you can make to your process that might speed things up, save you money, collapse some time in your business. They both run and have two Multiple seven figure businesses where team is a big deal. So growing a team again, anything's on the table. You can ask us any questions. Our DMs are always open, you don't have to leave a review. But we much, much appreciate it. But we wanted to just give you some insight as to who we are. So I've been in the beauty industry for 22 years. I have been a salon owner, makeup artist. I've been traveled all over the country, I've been in magazines, I've done hair and makeup for other photo shoots. And I knew at some point I had reached a cap in my business. And like Jim, I just knew that I was probably meant for more or what was the next step. I was starting to get curious after almost 20 years. So that's where this fast found mastermind came in for me was by way of the term accidental entrepreneur. I felt like, oh, that was speaking to me because though I had an entrepreneurial spirit, my mom, my mom and my dad were both entrepreneurs. I felt like being a hairdresser was a job. And though I was responsible for my own business, I didn't know or didn't go to business school, I didn't have those foundations. And so when something like this came along, it was a full body. Like yes. For me, I knew that if I didn't gift myself the opportunity to learn these things that I was going to have that mental tape on repeat that I don't know how to do that. This isn't for me. I'm not smart enough. People in my industry don't do this, yada, yada, yada. So for me it was one of those things that it was like do or die. And it was the best investment I ever made. And so to be able to come full circle. And I felt the same way when Chris and Lori announced that that last round was going to be it. Because I have been a coach inside Fast Foundations Mastermind for the last three rounds, I believe maybe three or four rounds. So getting to coach back into the group that gave me everything I feel like I have now has been so wonderful. I had no idea that I would enjoy being of service in that way. So if I'm not proof that you can go from a behind the chair, stylist, salon owner, to a coach, a speaker, soon to be author, then I don't know what to tell you because at this point, like I had that ticker tape running that I was quote, just a hairdresser. And when I joined the Mastermind, I, I didn't Own a salon yet I didn't have a podcast yet. I'm up to 120 episodes on my own podcast called the Beauty Inspires Beauty Podcast, which is for beauty entrepreneurs in the creative space. So, you know, honestly, I give all the credit to communities like this and that is why it is so important for me to stay close to what has served me and to just give back to the community. So expect to hear a lot from me. I talk a lot. I'm long winded. It's great.

But that's why we wanted you as the main host. I mean, your episodes are, are going to be stellar and you're going to gather so many of these awesome stories from all of our FAST Foundation's alumni. And on that note, I think probably everything we've discussed today so far has been begging this question of like, okay, but what is FAST Foundation's Mastermind? What the hell are these people talking about? We have our few hundred people that totally know and if you follow Chris or Lori Harder, you probably, probably are aware of what they've been promoting. But if you're new to this whole concept, you know, the first couple episodes we're going to answer the question of what is a mastermind? But the FAST Foundations Mastermind is fairly simple. It's a six month long program with two in person events on the front and the back end. Each event is about two days long and it's an immersive event where we bring in expert speakers and all these different topics and pour into the 50 some people that are in this mastermind. And in between those two events, we have a monthly zoom call where we bring in other guest speakers. We have a bonus call where we do all kinds of group accountability, sharing expert advice on certain things, group coaching, working through problems as a collective. And that's like the Mastermind component. But we also give everyone in the mastermind a coach and you work with a coach. And that's what Jess was saying is she's been a coach for longer than we've been coaches. Jim and I have been coaches as well for Chris and Laurie. And it's such an honor to be a coach in the Mastermind. But basically you spend 30 minutes a month on a zoom call, one on one with someone who's gone through this program before, someone who's been in your shoes and they can help you get to that next level in your business. And the point is, and it's all for entry level entrepreneurs, so we call that someone who's just getting started. You know, if You're a four or five or six figure entrepreneur and you want to go to that seven or eight figure mark. That's really what Fast foundation is all about. That's what the Mastermind is all about. And if the mastermind itself and being One of those 50 people is not right for you. We also have an online community that we call Vast Foundations Online. And it's only like a hundred bucks a month. So you can just hop on there and join us and just serve that community. And all our people start there and we post all these episodes and have amazing conversations about those episodes. And our third option, there's only three options. There's three of us, there's three things we're selling. The third option is to add a coach and so you can get that coach without joining the Mastermind and meet with a coach once a month. And that's kind of our middle tier option. So those are our three things that we do as Fast Foundations as an organization, at least for now. Plus obviously this podcast to talk about it and share the stories and hopefully that's helpful as far as like, okay, cool. But you know, what are these things?

I love that. And that's just a breakdown. But this podcast will always be here as a reference point for you to get to know us more, to connect with us more again, ask questions if you have them for your business. We are going to give and serve and just pour into this podcast because it is just who we are. I personally am an oversharer and I love to just talk about all the things that have worked for me in my business. And I feel like I am still so passionate after three and a half years of learning things. I mean, I'm still continuously learning things that I can just scream them from the roof. And that's why I love that we have this place as a podcast to be able to share all of these things, because like I said, you can go to Google University and figure them out. But to hear us talk about them in real time, giving real situations and in a place where you can find yourself in all of our guest stories, I feel like is so powerful. And in the next couple episodes, you guys will get to know RT and Jim a little bit better. So make sure that you stay tuned for listening to the next two. You probably just want to binge all three of these at the same time. So we're so glad you're here. We're so excited to do this work with you and we're so excited to just grow with you because that is really, truly what lights us up. Jim, do you want to give them any parting words on this episode?

You said it perfectly. We can't wait to serve y'. All. Thanks for joining us on this trip. It's going to be a lot of fun. We can't wait to share everything that we know and we hope to see you on the community.

Yes, we'll talk to you guys soon and we'll see you in the next one. Thank you so much for tuning in. For more free business tips like this, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on Instagram AST Foundations. What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Episode? We want to know. Tag us on Instagram, share this episode with a friend and leave us a five star rating and review so we can reach more incredible entrepreneurs like you. We're so glad to have you as part of our community. Go to our website fastfoundations.com for details on our next in person event. This podcast is sponsored by Carter and custer agency@carterandcuster.com.