In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Jerry Thompson III, an adventurer and self‑described Renaissance man. Jerry shares a defining personal story—a one‑way move to Paris in his mid‑twenties that illustrates his philosophy that taking risks is essential for achieving different results. He explains his professional background in Lean Six Sigma and process improvement, emphasizing that entrepreneurs should map, execute, and measure tasks systematically. His core business advice centers on people: developing empathy, communication, and relationship skills. When asked what he would tell his younger self, Jerry stresses self‑compassion, urging his college self to be gentler and avoid harsh self‑judgment. He offers a contrarian view on happiness, arguing that true fulfillment comes from seeking challenging, worthwhile goals rather than chasing happiness directly. Jerry cites the psychology book Games People Play as a formative read that sparked his interest in human behavior and personal development, linking it to later influences like Think and Grow Rich. His favorite quote, from Maya Angelou—“Do the best you can until you know better, and when you know better, do better”—captures his mindset of continuous improvement and self‑forgiveness. The episode concludes with Jerry’s online contact points: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram under the handle @Jerry_The3rd.
Chapters
Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite makes the process of becoming a published bestselling author as simple as sipping your morning cup of coffee. You can learn more about Authors Unite 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 Jerry Thompson III with us. He's an adventurer and Renaissance man, so welcome to the show, Jerry.
Appreciate it, Tyler. Thanks for inviting me on.
Of course, thank you for, uh, coming on, and, uh, we'll dive right in. The first question that I have for you is, what's the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
I'd say the best story from my life so far is to take a risk. The way I kind of look at risks might be different than most, but it's pretty simple. I know that if I don't do anything different, I'll never get a different result. So pretty much I'm willing to do anything to try to have success in a certain area of life. So when I was in my mid-20s, I took a one-way trip, one-way flight to Paris, quit my job, had enough money to last 3 months, and stayed 18 months. You just don't know what's going to happen until you're willing to step out. You know, out into the world.
And what's your most valuable piece of information that we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Sure. So my discipline of training is in Lean Six Sigma and process improvement. And one thing I think a lot of people learn from is understanding process. A lot of entrepreneurs and business people in general have things they want to accomplish but never quite take the time to evaluate the tasks they do to execute those things. So having a sense of process, saying, okay, I wanna accomplish tasks A, B, and C, how do I get there? And then checking your results would be huge for especially entrepreneurs.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice and not necessarily industry-specific?
Okay, I'd say people. I think I was in my teens and my dad told me that anything I wanted to accomplish any purpose I'd have to accomplish anything big would be for people or through people. So developing, you know, your empathy, your communication skills, your understanding of people in general, I think is probably the best general business advice I could give.
I agree with that so much. And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I love this question, Tyler. It would be take it easy. I was a D1 athlete in college, and I was just so hard on myself. I was judgmental. I wasn't, you know, I wasn't easy on myself. And at the end of the day, you know, there's a big world out there that's going to be telling you what you are, what you aren't. If you're your worst enemy, you know, the person you see in the mirror, it's going to be very difficult to succeed. So learning how to find balance and, you know, forgive myself and be gentle with myself has been something I'd love to share with my college me.
And so kind of going a little different route, but in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Oh, yeah, this is another good one. You know, for me, and it's a little bit contrarian to say, I think the key to happiness is not looking for happiness. I think it's seeking a challenge that you find is worth your time and worth your energy. And I'm sure you can relate as an entrepreneur, but, you know, to accomplish what you want, not every day is going to be rainbows and sunshine. And I think some people fool themselves into thinking a career or, you know, a path in life is always going to be something positive. No, it takes work, and work is hard, and no one likes doing work. So find a goal and objective, something you want to grow into that's worth that sort of energy, that grit, that determination. And I think that feeling fulfillment will be even greater and more permanent than happiness.
And what's the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Okay. A book that stands out to me the most is an old, old psychology book called Games People Play by Eric Berne. I read this in middle school, and while I don't remember a ton about it, it was pretty much an intro into psychology and learning about people. And that really opened my mind to notice that, you know, behaviors and traits within yourself where you could change them. So that kind of opened my awareness to books like Think and Grow Rich or Rich Dad Poor Dad, because I noticed that, or I at least believed at a young age that it was at least possible to drive yourself to success by changing your behaviors and becoming a better person.
And what's your favorite quote and why?
Absolutely. My favorite quote is by Dr. Maya Angelou, and the quote is, "Do the best you can until you know better, and when you know better, do better." And that really relates back to that whole, you know, taking it easy on myself when I was younger. You know, you do the best you can with the information you have on a day-by-day basis, and That's all you can do, right?
I agree, man. I love that quote. Thanks for sharing that. And, you know, just before we let you go, man, thank you for coming on. The last question I have for you is where's the best place for people to find you online?
Sure. And I appreciate you again for inviting me on the show. You can find me on LinkedIn. My name is Jerry Thompson III. Or the best way to get a hold of me is on Twitter or Instagram at Jerry, J-E-R-R-Y, underscore The third, T-H-E, the number 3, R-D.
Awesome. Thank you again, Jerry. We appreciate it.
Appreciate it, Tyler. Thank 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.
