In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Jason Smith, a banking professional, about personal experiences, industry trends, and business philosophy. Jason shares a formative childhood story about cleaning a borrowed lawnmower, which taught him the value of going the extra mile and being a good neighbor. He then discusses the banking sector’s shift toward virtual banking, reduced fees, higher interest rates, and the diminishing face‑to‑face interaction as self‑service technologies expand, noting larger banks are closing branches and moving into retail locations with extended hours. Jason emphasizes his core business advice: always deliver on your promises, citing gratitude from clients and vendors when he follows through. He reflects on advice he would give his younger self—curb arrogance, embrace humility, and treat every interaction as a networking opportunity. When asked about happiness, he cites belief in a higher power and helping others. He highlights Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as a key influence, especially the habit of seeing situations from others’ perspectives. His favorite quote, from Samuel Johnson, underscores that confidence and integrity are the foundations of friendship and trust. The episode concludes with Jason’s LinkedIn URL for listeners to connect with him.
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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. I'm your host Tyler Wagner, and today I have Jason Smith with us. So welcome to the show, Jason.
Hey Tyler, thanks for having me on.
Of course, thanks for joining us. We'll dive in. The first question I have for you, Jason, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
So when I was 10, on a hot Saturday morning in Houston, my father asked me to walk across the street and ask our neighbor if we could borrow the lawnmower. Ours was broken or in the repair shop. And before returning though the lawnmower to the neighbor, my dad asked me to clean it thoroughly. I was a little upset and I explained. I said, well, it was dirty before we started mowing, Dad. What's the point? And he says, son, it's not about the lawnmower being dirty. It's about being a good neighbor. And of course, my mother jumped in and she said, "Well, it's called going the extra mile." And I spent a lot of time really mulling that over. And as time went on, as I grew older, I began to apply that principle both in my professional and my personal life. Hmm.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
So within the banking industry, we see more options for virtual banking. In fact, I saw a commercial or an ad I believe on Facebook yesterday. And these banks offer some great incentives and reduced fees, higher interest rates, but the ability to speak with a person face-to-face is rapidly diminishing with the deployment of these self-service technologies. Also, larger financial institutions are closing their brick-and-mortar locations, and we're starting to see this trend of larger footprint within retail locations, including grocery stores, Target, Walmart, et cetera. But the great thing for, for those institutions is we're seeing later service hours, as late as even 10 PM in the Houston area.
And what is your best piece of overall business advice, and not necessarily industry-specific?
Delivering on your promise. I've been thanked on numerous occasions by clients and vendors for simply following through, whether it's a phone call, an email, giving them a status update. For me, it's alarming to know that there are business professionals out there who aren't following through on either a promise or aren't capable of delivering.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Well, I think first I'd slap myself and say, hey, quit being arrogant, you don't know everything. And then the next, sort of sit down and explain, hey, every interaction is an opportunity to network. I was shy, a little bit of an introvert, and I didn't believe that I had much to offer as a novice in the workplace. And I passed up several opportunities because I didn't believe in myself. And there's a huge difference between humility and a lack of confidence in one's abilities.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
For me, believing in something, someone greater than yourself. That's, for me, the Lord. But also helping others, giving back in some way. There's this satisfaction in knowing that you've positively impacted someone's life.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
I actually began rereading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and the first lesson I learned was how to view a situation from someone else's perspective. Um, it taught me that there's more to a situation than simply what I see. And by being able to put myself in another person's position, I've been able to help other people better. I've been able to be a better business professional.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
It's by Samuel Johnson. He's an 18th century English poet. He says, "There can be no friendship without confidence and no confidence without integrity." And I've learned that integrity is the foundation of trust. I've built many great personal professional relationships by sort of adhering to this, to this quote or this philosophy.
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 or connect with you online?
LinkedIn.com/in/smithjasone. Smithjasone is all one word. Perfect.
Thanks again, man. We appreciate you coming on.
Hey, thanks, Tyler. Take care. 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.
