In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews international speaker James Amps about accountability and personal growth. Amps shares a formative Navy story where a friend stole $300,000, leading to his own dismissal and teaching him the impact of one's sphere of influence and the importance of personal choices. He emphasizes that thorough research on client organizations distinguishes lasting speakers and consultants, a skill he credits to his mentor Willie Jolly. Amps advocates building relationships beyond one's industry, using golf as a networking tool, and listening more than speaking to uncover others' challenges. He advises his younger self to play golf instead of football. Regarding happiness, he argues that loving what you do is the core of fulfillment, outweighing money or family considerations. He cites "The Hunt for Red October" as an entertaining favorite and Napoleon Hill's "The Law of Success" for its insight that time is life, not money. His personal mantra is "If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done," illustrated by a bungee‑jumping anecdote. The episode concludes with his contact information (Twitter @JamesAmps, jamesamps.com).
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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.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. A very special guest, he's pretty much my neighbor, his name is James Amps. He's an international speaker on accountability issues, so welcome to the show, James.
Thank you, Tyler, appreciate that, man, and definitely appreciate what you do out here for all these authors, man. Great job, bro.
Thank you, man, I appreciate it. Appreciate what you do. As well, and I'm excited to have you on. We will dive in. The first question I have for you, James, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Man, probably what made me get into the speaking industry is our sphere of influence, the people that we hang around. It makes a big difference in the directions of people's lives. Because I joined the Navy at a young age and thought my so-called friends would always look out for me, but after one of them stole $300,000 from the Navy, man, I learned that who I hung around is who I am. And so when investigators started questioning people, um, I didn't have enough street smarts to know what was happening, and all I knew was what I saw on TV. And I, you know, I watched gangster movies, James Cagney, and the prison shows, and all they taught me was you don't tell on your friends. But when they became jammed up and started— they started interviewing them You know, they told them they were going to take 10 years in jail because of what they did, but they would only give them 3 years if they told on whoever else knew about the theft. And so, of course, I knew about the theft, so of course they told on me. So I learned a big lesson on friendship and withholding information. But, you know, I couldn't blame anyone. And this is the reason why I'm speaking today on accountability, not blaming anyone or pointing fingers. I made a choice. Not to tell, and it got me kicked out of the Navy. So our choices are our choices, but we can choose to hang around people moving forward or moving backwards. You know, both are choices. So that was a valuable lesson on choices and friendship.
That is a wild story. Thank you for sharing that.
Believe me, it was wild.
The next one I have for you, man, is what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Well, the biggest thing I learned is about research. I think I can out-research people, but the speakers and trainers and consultants who do their research on organizations they're going to— that they're going to speak to, they're the ones who will last in this industry. So, you know, you ask my mentor Willie Jolly, and he's the one who taught me to out-research everyone, and I'll make a living in this industry. Because, you know, talking to people about real issues that they are facing makes a difference. So I've gotta learn what those issues are. And if I don't do my research, then I'm just another speaker out here that's gonna be out here for 6 months to a year, and it's not really my living. I make a living out of this because I can out-research people.
Hmm, that's very good information. And what is your best piece of overall business advice, so not necessarily industry-specific?
Yeah, my thing has always been, you know, you can't be afraid to build relationships with people outside of your industry. So I just don't talk to other speakers. That doesn't do me any good. You know, I picked up golf because I want to meet a variety of people from all different backgrounds and professions. And it makes a big difference with life in general. And I believe that solid relationships is the key to longevity in any industry. And it means we have to listen more than we speak. And we were never taught to listen. So if you let people talk, they will tell you everything about themselves. And more important, they will tell you their challenges. Help people overcome their challenges. They'll love you for a lifetime.
I love that, man. And that's part of the reason I started the podcast. So I think we're in alignment there.
Yeah, you're helping people with challenges, man, and we need you.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Man, I would tell little James, James, don't play football, man. Play golf. I wish— I just wish I would have understood the importance of playing golf at an early age. We were football players. Yeah, we were taught. You know, it's just something we did. But Lil James, pick up a golf club, please. That's what I would tell my younger self. Yeah.
And, uh, in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Yeah, that's a loaded question there because I think happiness is such a moving target. But I think if a person is doing something that they truly love, that's pretty much being happy. And I love seeing people being better than they ever thought they can be, the same way you do. You love helping people to become authors, but it's the same thing. And we get paid to make people get better. And what better way to be happy? But, you know, we can talk about family, we can talk about money, but those things take care of themselves if you love what you do. It's not easy to find that one thing, because most of the time, people are out here looking to work at a job to do what? To pay bills. So they're never happy with what they do. And so it's important that we really love doing the things that we do, and we use our skills and abilities and our talents to do the things that we truly love to do. And it makes a big difference out here in the workforce.
And what is the best book that you've read, and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Uh, the best book— I mean, if it was just pure reading or entertainment, it was The Hunt for Red October. And the only reason I was excited about— after I read the book was it became a movie. So here it is, I read the book, and then all of a sudden the movie comes out. I'm like, man, I'm in heaven. I'm like, that's my book. But, you know, but if it's life purposes, then I think it's The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill. And Napoleon Hill has a lot of strategies in The Law of Success, um, on success. And but one thing that I'll never forget, he talked about time, and he said the person who coined the phrase time is money has done a great injustice to the millions of individuals who accept this maxim is true. Time and money aren't even close to being comparable. He said time isn't money, time is life itself. He said, that isn't sand sifting through the hourglass, it's your life. When the sand runs out, you don't get another turn. I was like, man. So, you know, you got to think about every second, every minute that you're out here. What are you doing? You're either wasting it or are you using it constructively? It makes a difference. So I love that stuff by Napoleon Hill and The Law of Success.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
My mantra has always been, if you want something you've never had, do something you've never done. And I think that quote keeps me on my toes, and that's why it's become my mantra. But I remember I was always afraid of heights, so I said, okay, I'm gonna do something different that I haven't done before. I'm gonna go bungee jumping to get rid of my fear of heights. So I jumped off a crane, you know, big cranes at Orlando, and lo and behold, now I'm terrified of heights. So you got to be careful about what you ask for.
Yes. Oh, I love it, man. Dude, thank you, uh, so much for coming on. The last, uh, question I have for you before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to find They can go to Twitter @JamesAmps or they can go to jamesamps.com or J-A-M-E-S-A-M-P-S.com. Perfect, man. Thanks again for joining us. It was fun.
Yes, sir. Thank you, Tyler. Appreciate you. The podcast you just heard was recorded with Anchor. If you want to make your own, download the Android or iOS app completely free from anchor.fm/podcast. That's anchor.fm/podcast.
