Patrick Ward: Writer, Marketer, And Communicator

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.

Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Patrick Ward with us. He is a writer, marketer, and communicator. Currently he's a marketing manager at Dogtown Media, which is a mobile app developer based in Venice Beach. So welcome to the show, man.

Thanks for having me, Tyler.

Of course, grateful to have you here. We'll dive into the first one, Patrick. The first question I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?

Yeah, so the best story is from when I was a soccer referee back as a young kid. When I was 14, I refereed this particular match where the crowd got very hostile, hostile to the point that we had to be barricaded inside the changing room while the cops disbanded the crowd. The crowd. And as much as that was a scary experience, what I learned from that is the value of a team. That I knew that I had two other referees with me there that, you know, had my back no matter what. And I think that's been a really important life— life lesson, I should say— going into both the world of business and even just interacting with people, you know, from a day-to-day perspective.

And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?

Within the marketing industry, the best marketing is subconscious, because I think a lot of us as marketers get into this idea of pseudo-speak and we put on marketing hats, but really the best marketing should be a conversation. At its best, marketing communicates how a solution solves a problem at a price that is acceptable to a consumer. It really is that simple.

Yes, I love it. And what is your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.

Stop treating employees like inanimate resources. I work quite a lot of hours, probably about 12 hours right now, and I'm loving it because my team values my contribution. It literally feels shorter than my last several jobs, which I was all working 8 hours.

And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?

Stop beating yourself up about not being a jackhammer. So Elizabeth Gilbert defines people as either jackhammers or hummingbirds. Jackhammers being someone who focuses very clearly on one goal and relentlessly pursues it, and hummingbirds who, you know, cross-pollinate, go across different industries. And for a while I thought I needed to have one clear defined focus, but what I've really learned the value in being a hummingbird and being open to opportunities. Ironically enough, it's the reason I'm here in the United States.

And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?

To not pursue it. Happiness for me is an outlook rather than an end goal. You can choose to do the things that you love to do, and then therefore have a positive attitude to life. And I truly believe that is what will make you happy in the long run.

Yeah, I like that answer. And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?

It's a bit of a strange one. It's The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. It's a very dark, depressing book. But what I learned from that actually is, you know, even in the depths of human misery, It shows me of why I should be grateful for the things that I have in my life. Good food, good friendships, good relationships, and really it steered me towards that positive outlook on life that I try to hold to every day.

And what is your favorite quote and why?

Not so much a quote, but an adage: "This too shall pass." And it really reflects my idea of the golden mean of Aristotle. That being that, you know, when things are really good, you should be humble. And when things are really bad, you should understand that it is only temporary. You can lean into that sadness and feel it, but that, that too shall pass and it'll be happier days in the future.

I love it, man. Thank you so much for coming on. The last one I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find and/or connect with you online?

100% LinkedIn. I'm kind of the running joke in the office of always being on LinkedIn. So that's where you'll find me.

I'm always on there too, man. So thanks again for jumping on.

Thanks, Tyler.

The podcast you just heard was made using Anchor. Ever thought about making your own podcast? Anchor makes it really easy for anyone to get started. It's a one-stop shop for recording, hosting, and distributing podcasts. Best of all, it's 100% free. Sign up now at anchor.fm/new. That's anchor.fm/new to get started.