In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews writer and voiceover artist Christopher Grant. Grant recounts a pivotal moment driving NBA legend Phil Jackson, whose conversation inspired him to quit his limo job and become an entrepreneur. He shares core advice for creatives: meticulous time management, writing down tasks, prioritizing the current work, and juggling multiple revenue streams. Grant emphasizes a disciplined "sit down, do the work" mindset, arguing that consistent effort outweighs waiting for inspiration. Reflecting on his younger self, he regrets not pursuing baseball seriously and warns against letting others' insecurities dictate one's path. He identifies laughter as the essential ingredient for happiness, citing its scientific benefits. Grant cites Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist as his favorite book, highlighting its message of purposeful, self‑crafted journeys. He also shares two favorite quotes—Mark Twain's "The secret of getting ahead is getting started" and Khalil Gibran's reflection on love's depth revealed through separation. Finally, he directs listeners to his online presence under the handle "NYC Subway Writer" across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and email.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner, and today I have Christopher Grant with us. He is a writer and voiceover artist. So welcome to the show, Christopher.
Thanks for having me, Tyler. Looking forward to it.
Of course, thanks for joining us. Uh, we'll dive in. The first question I have for you, Christopher, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Probably the best story I could think of is I was a chauffeur for a number of years and I had the opportunity to drive a lot of famous people, if you will. And one ride in particular with Phil Jackson changed the way that I think about things. Phil Jackson, he was the Lakers coach, the Bulls coach, the Knicks GM, which is when I met him. We had an interesting conversation about basketball, life, women, marriage, everything you could think of. Long story short, after that conversation, I put my 2 weeks' notice in with the limo company and started and began basically my career as an entrepreneur.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Well, see, the thing is, being in my industry or being my own boss is time management, juggling multiple revenue streams. The best piece of advice I can give to someone is to write it down, set a schedule, and learn to prioritize. But the other thing is to focus on what's right in front of you. You have a lot of things going on. Whatever you're working on in that moment should be the most important thing in the world. You're afforded a great deal of freedom, but all the responsibility falls on you. There's days where I want to take a nap or watch Atlanta on television, but then I remember how much work I had to put in to finish my book. Standing in Barnes Noble and seeing my book in New Teen Fiction, It's a surreal moment, like I'll never forget that. So I try my best to focus on that, the work that went into it, and not so much what the immediate gratification of taking a nap would feel like. I wanna get to the place where I'm relaxing on the couch, watching my own stuff on television.
Yes, and what is your best piece of overall business advice, and not necessarily industry-specific?
Sit down, do the work. I set times to write, I set times to audition for voiceovers, I set times to create my content. And with writing in particular, even if it's only a few sentences, I just sit there. I might end up reviewing what I already wrote, but without fail, I always end up pushing through and putting new things down when I am meticulous and regimented in my practices, my practice of sitting down and writing. I don't need inspiration. Eh, let's find motivation. No, it's not like that. Sit down and do the work.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
To take baseball more seriously. I'm left-handed. I had a fastball with movement. Those guys sit on the bench and make like $5 million a year into their 40s. I should have at least given myself the chance. That and stop letting people project their own insecurities on me and it having such a profound influence on my behavior. People that were afraid to try things would say, "Oh, you can't do that." And then I would say, "Yeah, they're right." Now I'm like, "Yeah, get out of here." And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness? Laughter. I love to laugh. I love to make people laugh. It's the best medicine, scientifically proven. Helps you release endorphins, serotonin, improves your heart rate. So I love laughing. I love making people laugh. And I really think that that's the best medicine there is.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Well, there's quite a few, but if I had to narrow it down to one, I'd have to say The Alchemist. You walk with singular purpose and you make your own path.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
I have two. The first one, Mark Twain, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." And Khalil Gibran, "Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." Let me tell you, you're on and on, it seems to go, you don't know what you got till it's gone. Man, I have experienced that on several occasions, and Khalil Gibran absolutely nailed it with that quote.
Yes, man, thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find you online?
Well, you can use my handle, which is across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Gmail, NYC Subway Writer. That's my handle. So it was nycsubwaywriter@gmail.com, and you can find me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, NYC Subway Writer.
Perfect, man. Thank you again for joining us. We appreciate it.
Now take care. Thank you.
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