In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Robert Rodden, the head of accounting and finance at TempMe Staffing. Rodden shares a personal story about being temporarily kicked out of his home and the loss of a close high‑school friend, reflecting on how those hardships deepened his appreciation for life and family. He then offers practical industry insight, emphasizing the value of maintaining a trusted headhunter for career moves. Rodden provides broad business advice, urging professionals to leave personal baggage at the door and give 110% effort at work. When asked what he would tell his younger self, he advises not to assume everyone is out to get you and to avoid straying too far off the beaten path. He defines happiness as pursuing passion and surrounding oneself with positive people. His favorite recent read is Robert Cialdini’s Influence, from which he highlights the scarcity principle for business. Rodden’s favorite quote is Henry David Thoreau’s “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth,” which he discovered while watching Into the Wild. The episode concludes with a plug for his LinkedIn profile under TempMe Staffing.
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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.
¡Hola! ¡Hola!
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Robert Roden with us. He leads up the accounting and finance division at TempMe Staffing. So welcome to the show, Robert.
Hey, thank you so much for having me, Tyler. How are you doing today?
Awesome, man. How are you?
I'm doing all right, I can't complain.
Great, thanks for coming on again. We appreciate it. And we will dive into the first question. The first question I have for you, Robert, is what's the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Ah, that's a great question. You know, it's not really the most enjoyable story, I guess you could say, but in my younger years, I was actually kicked out of my house for a little while and became— I wasn't homeless or anything by any means, but it wasn't a pleasant experience. Rightfully so, I deserved it. After that, after I was kicked out, you know, one of my best friends from high school actually passed away, passed away, excuse me, and you know, it made me appreciate the little things in life a little bit better and developed my relationship with my parents a lot better. So that's, you know, it's one of the underlying stories I guess I can say about that.
And what's the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Yeah, I would say everyone should have to or should know a trusted headhunter. You know, when we call you or call your company, you know, there's a reason behind it. We know something or somebody is leaving the company or is anticipating leaving. You know, it's always great to have one of us in your back pocket. Just keep in mind that there is a reason why we are calling your company.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice?
So not necessarily industry-specific, Yeah, I would say the best advice I could give, you know, don't leave your personal stuff at the door. You know, when you come in every day, give it 110% from a professional and business standard. You know, there's nothing wrong with having personal relationships, friends at the office place, but you know, don't, you know, don't bring in any baggage or anything like that when you come into work. You know, be ready and fully prepared.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Ah, that's another segment in itself, I guess you could say. Let's see, I would tell myself, you know, everyone is not out to get you. You know, at a younger age, I was very hard-headed, I guess you could say, you know, but I learned from it. It was a growing experience. There's a lot of times, you know, I beat the wooden bat, I guess you could say, and went a different direction that I wish I hadn't gone down. But everything's good to go now. I'm in a different place. I would tell my younger self to, you know, not go off the beaten path too much. That would be my advice.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Ah, I would say the key to happiness is doing something you're passionate about. Let's see, the key to happiness is surround yourself with people that make you happy. If you're surrounding yourself with nonsense, I guess you could say, it's going to come back to you and bite you in the rear end. But if you surround yourself with good people, good vibes, that is my key to happiness personally.
And what's the best book that you've read, and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
I just finished up Influence. It's called The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini, I believe. That's how you pronounce his last name. He's got a crazy Italian last name. But that's the last book I've read. And the best thing I learned from it was the principle of scarcity. People, they want what they can't have, or they want to know the unknown. So that was great for my business. Aspect of things.
And what's your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote would be, "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth," by Henry David Thoreau. I originally found it when I was watching one of my favorite movies, Into the Wild. It's slowly become my favorite quote. All that stuff is all well and dandy— love, money, and fame— but if you don't know the truth about it, That's, that's what it is. That's what has carried over for me throughout my life.
Yes, man. Thank you so much for coming on. We really appreciate it. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to find you online?
Yeah, the best place for people to find me online will be LinkedIn. From a business standpoint, you can find me at Robert Rodden, R-O-D-D-E-N, and I will be under the TempMe Staffing. That'll be the business that I'm with.
Awesome, man. Thanks again for coming on. We appreciate it.
Yeah, absolutely, Tyler. Have a wonderful day. 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.
