030: Becoming An Influencer with Ulyses Osuna

Hi, I'm Natalie Jill, Fat loss expert turned high performance coach. When odds are stacked against us, how do we shift and create everything from nothing? How do we level up when we aren't feeling it yet? Or we've had a big setback? On this podcast, I'll be talking to some of the most inspiring and courageous men and women on this planet who at their worst, learned how to achieve success greater than they ever dreamed possible. Leveling up and creating everything from nothing. 21 year old Ulysses is so much wiser beyond his years. At just 21 years old, Ulysses founded and runs the uber successful agency Influencer Press that manages publicity for influencers and several clients worth over $100 million. A couple of his clients include Ed Mylett, Ben Lee, who's created the app for Tony Robbins and Snoop Dogg, Gerard Adams, who sold elite daily for 50 million. As a kid, Ulysses dreamed of big fame and spotlight, and he was fascinated by psychology. Those fascinations, coupled with a father who taught him the value of hard work, made Ulysses a huge success at a young age. Join us today and learn how Ulysses has leveled up and created everything from nothing. Today, I am so lucky to be talking to Ulysses and I hear I pronounced his name right. So that's the first score of the day. Ulysses, thank you so much for being here today. I cannot wait to dive in to you, what makes you tick and how you've created so much out of it. What it feels like nothing. Thanks for being here.

Yeah, thanks for having me. I appreciate it. Yeah.

So, Ulysses, you are the PR person behind mega influencers like you. You are the one that keeps coming up. Your name keeps coming up behind all of these super successful influencers. And I just had to know, who is this guy? You're so young and yet so talented and creative. And I. I see that online now and I just know that wasn't always you. So I'm wondering if you could take me back a little bit and, you know, where did this start from? Who were you before that?

Yeah, for sure. So before I started entrepreneurship in general, I was always a kid that kind of like, just dreamed really, really big. Like, I'm five foot one, so I'm not that big. But when I was starting out, I wanted to become a WWE wrestler. So I would watch it on, you know, TV and I'd be like, dang, that would be so awesome. But I just knew, like, I couldn't because one of my size, so I get. Probably get wrecked out there. But like, as a kid, I was always like, I just Wanted to become the one, kind of like the one that everybody talked about, but hardly anybody became okay. And then that kind of transitioned into, like, pr. So when I found out about online marketing was about three, four years ago, and I found out about it because I saw an ad, and the ad was not Tai Lopez, but it was very, very similar. He basically talked me into, like, the dream of becoming an online marketer. You get time, freedom, you get a beautiful house, you have kids and all that type of stuff. Like, he's showcasing the world, right? The fancy cars. And as a kid, you want that, right? That's something every day, especially since I grew up in a small town. So right away, when I saw that I just made the decision, I was like, you know what? Whatever industry that I'm going to be in, I'm going to be the best in that industry.

Do you have role models in your family that would talk into that, or what was it like at home?

I didn't have. I didn't have role models in this specific, like, area, like, in entrepreneurship. But my dad always, like, from a young age, just taught me how life, how hard life was. So from an early on, like, I knew that even though I was a dreamer, like, I knew very few people actually make it. And it's tough work. Like, it's really tough work.

So you say. That's an interesting perspective. So did that come from your dad? Like, that it's a hard life and not everybody makes it. Was that from him, or is that an opinion you form? Where was that belief coming from?

Oh, yeah, that was definitely from my dad, but it's because I saw him, like, overwork his body, you know, day in and day out, just trying to provide for a better life for us, kind of.

Was he in manual labor? Was that sort of what he was doing?

Yeah, and he had, like, three jobs, and then he would do, like, a side job, like, every time he was home. He was just always working real.

So, like, really true. Hard, manual labor, hard work, like, really example of that. So, of course that was his story of the world, is that it's hard and very few people make out of it. Now, when you said you daydreamed as a kid, you said dream really big.

And I.

And I have that same experience. Was it one of those things you get in trouble for in school, like, for, like, Ulysses just tuning out? Or was this something you kind of kept quiet in private?

I was very vocal about it during high school, but as a kid, I just kind of always just wanted to be like, the best. Like, I watched the movie the Matrix and, you know, Neo, he kind of fascinated me because he was the one. So, like, in my life, I was like, you know, I feel like I am that guy. So, yeah, I wouldn't necessarily, like, speak about it at school until, like, I was in high school, but it was definitely different. And people just thought I was just messing around just because, you know, you're a little kid and you're like, yeah, you're gonna be an astronaut or whatever. But it wasn't until, like, I really made the decision where they actually took me seriously.

Got it. So what was the first job that you ever did?

I picked cherries with my friend, and.

I only did that, like, legit pick cherries?

Yeah, I picked cherries on the fields with my friend, and I did that because my dad wanted me to empathize with the people because I was telling him, like, oh, I wanted to be a millionaire and all that type of stuff. And he's like, you need to know hard work before you actually try to do any of that type of stuff. So.

Wow. So you did the manual stuff first pick cherries. Yeah, I would eat them along the way. I love cherries.

Me too. Me too.

That's awesome. Tell me that you go from picking cherries. You're in school, you're young. How do you get from that to what you're doing now? Like, how did this idea even come about that I'm going to go reach out to these big. Because you work with some pretty big deals, like, and you're young. And how did that even come about?

So right when I made the decision, like, when I found out about the ad and all that type of stuff, I kind of like, I was getting into online marketing first. So at first I was like, you know, one of the. One of the biggest ways to start off, because a lot of people like to climb the corporate ladder. Like, they like to start off small and keep playing small until they feel like they deserve to go big.

Okay.

And to me, that was never really it. Like, I don't want to start off small, climb the corporate ladder in order to get to the top. And one of the quick ways to get to the top is just to go straight for the top. Like, especially in pr. Like, there wasn't many people in that space that were personal brands. There's a lot of agencies that do pr, but nobody stuck out to me that was like, oh, there's this guy. Like, you know, this guy is a guy for pr.

Yeah. So how did that mindset even happen there, because, you know, I would think that is the standard. You have people saying, well, I need to work for an agency first. I need to do all this grunt work first. And especially with your dad telling you that message as a kid, you know, you need to work hard, put in the time.

Right.

How did you get to skip that?

I'm not sure, but I do know that I just, like, one of my morning routines and my daily rituals was to train my brain. Like. Like, I hated the fact that I had. That my dad would come home, like, just tired and exhausted from working hard. And I, like, I always knew, like, okay, there's a better way. Like, if I'm gonna provide for my family, I cannot do the same thing that my dad's doing, because I'll end up, like, hurting and not being able to provide. And even if I am able to provide, I won't be happy about it because I'll just be doing that laborious work.

Super insightful. Yeah, that's. I mean, that you had that awareness then. Yeah.

So I just had to, like, I had to retrain my brain to believe other type of thoughts. And when I saw that ad, it really gave me. It just reinforced what I already believed.

When you already believe that, where did you get that from before that ad? I mean, was it books you read? Was it movies you watched? Was it a friend? How did you even have that idea? Or did you just come up with yourself that I'm going to need to retrain my brain?

So I was a psychology nerd. So, like, I loved. Like, before I wanted to do entrepreneurship, I wanted to be a psychologist. So I just loved how the mind worked. I loved how, like, how you can kind of tell, or this was before. Right. Like, I really liked how you can tell when somebody's gonna get angry or what makes somebody tick or just being able to control. Because once you have control of yourself, then your life is pretty much in control. Like, you have that power.

Yeah. You seriously are the Matrix. Wow. That's pretty cool. I get it now. Yeah, no, that is fascinating. But not everybody has that talent where they could just, you know, they can tell that type of thing. So that's interesting.

Yeah. Yeah, it was definitely a skill I had to develop.

Yeah. See, we're psychology. So you're well read. You're understanding that. So you get this idea of brain training, and then you see this ad. So what happens now? You see this ad and you're captivated by it. It's solidifying what you know. What do you do next?

I did a ton of research. I spent two my. Two of my two years of my life only doing things that didn't matter, but building up the skills needed to kind of go into the world of priority.

What do you mean? Like, give me an example.

Yeah, so I did a lot of, like, studying how to do, like, manual coding, building websites, all that type of stuff. Stuff that I did not get paid a dime for. And now I realize was kind of a bad idea because, like, one of the first things that you should do, especially if you're running a business, is make money. Like, cash flow is the most important. And I did not focus on cash flow for the first two years. What I did focus on is training my brain, learning, constantly learning, helping people out and all that type of stuff just for, like, for free.

Yeah, but you were adding value to people imagining. And that is one of that key component. So do you say that it was a mistake because you weren't earning cash, but that adding value, did that help you get in with these people?

Oh, yeah, 110% it did. I had to do free work in order to kind of get that in because I didn't have the credibility I needed.

Yeah.

But at the same time, I should have gotten paid because I can provide value and get paid and still get that in. Like.

Yeah, you can. Yeah. How would you have done that different now? Like, looking back, because. Because that. It's one that is one of those catch 22 is, like, a lot of people will ask those questions, like, I need to start making money and you start making money, but then they're missing that whole point of adding value and, you know, doing this great stuff for people to give. To give. So you can, in order to build that relationship and that trust. So what would that balance be if you were to, like, rewind? How would you have done that?

So that's a great question. The first thing that I would do is I would look for the, like, the biggest influencers and. And instead of, like, doing it for free, I would charge them very, very minimum. Like, if I had hard costs, I would charge the hard costs, and then that's it. And then that's how I would provide, like, the free value and all that. And it wouldn't come out of pocket. And if I made a little bit of profit off of it, and that'd be great. Like the beginning way to get the beginning influencers.

That's great, actually. Then you're covering your costs. Yeah, I love that.

Yeah. And I'm not. And then I'M not like getting like big A listers influencers because they need like credibility but. Or they need you know, some sort of like track record for me to at least even be in the picture. So I would get like B list influencers or something like that. Right. Just to build up my track record. And then after that you can go straight to the influencer and then charge the premium price.

Yeah. That's awesome. So how did you figure this out? Like how? Obviously I'm assuming you were fronting money for hard costs and you're thinking, okay, this isn't working so well. So was there somebody that coached you into that or how did you get this awareness and switch it?

I didn't get the mentor for the longest time and that was also a bad idea. Like mentors are huge. But the way I, the way I found out was, I don't know, I just had that, I just had the mentality like I want to go big. And in order to go big, I don't want to work with like brick and mortar businesses around the valley or here in my city, like where it's a small town. Right. Because I'm not going to get big like that. I don't feel. Yeah, I wanted to be known. Like to me, the main reason, one of the main reasons why I joined PR is because it just aligns with who I am and what I want to be. It gives you the credibility, it gives you the fame, kind of like the spotlight, people respect you and it's like premium prices. So it's like I just knew like that's who I am and this specific niche directly aligns with who I am.

Yeah. And it does. I mean I can say just from searching your stuff online, you look amazing. I'm like, wow, this kid is killing it. Like doing it better than some of the big firm, many of the big firms. It's really, really amazing. So when did it shift? Like who was there a first client that you're like, okay, now I've made it or this is, this is the one that's going to push me forward.

Yeah, yeah, I did. I, it was Jack Bale. So Jack Vail was not, he's not in entrepreneurship at all, but as a YouTube subscriber, base of like 1point something million. So like that was like my big end kind of. Once I got, you know, Jack Vail and I over delivered for him, I was like, this is it. Like I can use Jack Bale for any type of pitch that I ever do. And. And then after that I was Able to do some free work for, like, Neil Patel. And then after that, I did paid work for Neil Patel, which Neil Patel at the time was, like, my idol. Because every time I did research for, like, online marketing, you're bound to find Neil Patel. Like, he dominated search engines.

You just said something, Ulysses, that I. As I'm taking notes, as I'm listening to you, that are just these golden nuggets. I don't even know if you're realizing that you were mentioning that you hadn't gotten paid and that was a mistake. But, like, you did point out that you were over delivering and adding value. And you've mentioned that word over delivering a few times. And that's. That's also key. Like, you're under promising over delivering, and I think that's a big key to your success that you do over deliver consistently.

Yeah, I agree. I agree. Very few people go the extra mile. Like, that's just, like, a universal rule. I feel like people actually do a little bit extra to make sure that the client feels good or that the client feels secure or any of that type of stuff. So I knew I had to be. I had to differentiate, and I couldn't just differentiate with, like, my age.

So how did you balance that feeling of a little bit of entitlement? Like, oh, I should be this. I should be getting that. And I know I'm meant for more and I'm bigger, but I'm going to continue to over deliver and do that for free. How did you balance that?

Ooh, that's a great question. I balanced it because even though I know my worth and I know my value, I know I should drop the ego when the ego is there.

Oh, another powerful prop. That's awesome. I love it. Did you hear what he said? Everyone drop the ego. That ego just loves to creep up, doesn't it, with people? Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, you're operating in the ego when you feel that entitlement. Right. When you start feeling like they owe me.

Right, exactly. Because nobody owes you anything. But you should also know your worth. Like, there is a fine balance.

Yeah. Yeah. What do you recommend to people that are struggling with that?

Struggling with ego?

Yeah, like, struggling with that. Like, they have this. I. I'm. I want to know my worth, but I want to get more, and I deserve conversation.

Yeah. Okay, cool. So I have, like, one team member that struggles with this, and I'm, like, always, like, coaching him with this. So the ego wants you to feel good about yourself. Right. Like, it's always telling you, like, no, you deserve this. You're the best, all that type of stuff. But in order for you to actually have that ego, you need to have accomplished some sort of, like, accomplishment that helps boost that ego. Can't just come from. From nowhere. So because of that, you need to know, like, in order to have that ego, you need to humble down to even do the work, to get to that place where you feel like you have entitlement.

Oh, I like that. Yeah.

Like, in order to get to that place where you feel entitled, you need to do the work in order to feel entitled.

Yeah, got it.

And that's where you drop the ego, because the ego will stop you from doing the work, which means you won't have an ego later because you won't have anything later.

Yeah. And it's also interesting. I don't know if you find it, and you probably have, because you've done so much work. Like you said, you were coding web, you were doing all that. The more you do those jobs, even later when you get bigger and you delegate and you hire and all that, it's like a whole new appreciation for what goes into that. And it just helps you excel, I think even further when you have that background of that information.

I agree. I agree. Because if I didn't, and for the longest time, I was like a die hard solopreneur, I was like, my ego was the biggest thing stopping me. Like, I thought even if I hired a team, nobody can do it better than me. We're never going to grow as big because I'm the guy that, like, again, that, like, I'm the one type thing was a blessing and a curse.

Yeah.

I realized, like, oh, I cannot do it myself.

Yeah, I get it. I get it. So what would you say drives you now? Like, what is it still that conversation. I don't want to be in that hard work spot like my dad. Like, what do you think is this drive to keep going?

Right now the drive is more. So I'm definitely more grounded now. Like, the drive now is more taking care of my family, taking care of my. The people that take care of me, which is essentially the team. And then becoming another admire, becoming another bedroom. Like, I have age to my advantage right now, so which is why I'm. I'm trying really hard now to get to that place. Because I have a lot of years to kind of get there. And I want to get there. I want to be like, for me, the biggest, my biggest accomplishment would be If I am 21, 22, and I'm seen In the same light as at Mylet and Bedros and Grant and all that type of stuff, because they're seen in that light, but they're that. You know, they're a little older. I want to be that and younger.

Yeah, but Ulysses, you are that. Like, you are Ulysses. You don't need to be them. Like, you can't be anyone else. You. You. It's what I love about talking to you is that humbleness about you. Like, you're so good at what you do, and you've really made a name for yourself. Quick. So it's not about you being somebody else. I mean, you've totally arrived at that. And you being so humble, like, that is amazing to me. Thank you to hear that. So how do you currently define success? Like, how do you know that you are successful? Or are you still trying to figure that out?

I'm still trying to figure that out. Like, I don't. I'm not sure, because I hear other people, like, some of my friends that are way more successful than me. Like, you don't ever feel like you made it? I guess. I don't know. I'm not too sure.

Okay. Okay. Have you had failures?

Oh, tons. Tons. And I have them daily. Yeah, but it's natural. If I wasn't in a position where I knew, like, okay, failures in life is actually very, very natural. And as long as you fix it, then it doesn't really matter. Like, it shouldn't. Shouldn't bring you to a place of worry or anxiety as long as you take the necessary steps to, like, you know, make them better. But, oh, yeah, we face daily, daily struggles.

Yeah. I'd love to know an example of, like, kind of what you consider a daily failure, a daily struggle. And also, I'm curious, what if you've had, like, a biggest failure when that defined you or changed things for you?

I did. I had one two years ago. So in the PR space, you're not supposed to. There's, like, three rules, okay? Not pay a contributor at any publication to write about you. That's just against you. You cannot barter with them. So you can't be like, oh, do this for me, and I'll do this for you. And then three, you can't even give them gifts. So if anybody. If you approach anybody in the writing world, you know, a Forbes or Inc. An entrepreneur, and they do one of those three things, then that's against the rules, and you can get blacklisted for that.

Interesting.

I didn't know that. Yeah, so. And a lot of People don't. Right. I didn't even know that in the beginning. And I was running a PR firm, so I got into big, big trouble with that. I was doing all three. Oh, whoa.

So like you would do it like a magazine or somebody with a big reach, you would reach out and pay, ask to pay or barter or give them gifts. That's what you were doing?

Yep. And that's why the results came in so quickly, because it was so easy to convince somebody to know about my client because I was going to give them a cut.

But weren't they in the wrong too, accepting it? If that's one of the rules?

Oh yeah, they were. They were. Especially if they write it for the publication, right?

Yeah.

So I was naive and I didn't know if they knew or not. But like, I knew it was bad towards the end. And then I really got hit with. I was being investigated.

What happened? Yeah, how did that all come down?

Yeah, so like one of the main editor in chiefs, like entrepreneur.com, they were contacting every person on my website, like they were contacting them directly, asking if, you know, if this article was gotten, was, you know, if they received that article by me. So I got one of my clients, like emailed me like, hey, like, is everything okay? Like this, you know, the main editor at Entrepreneur, like sent me this and all that type of stuff. And I think you're being investigated. And then I was like, shit. Like, you know, at the time, I'm like 19 and I'm being investigated by like these big publications and I thought I was gonna get my ass handed to me. Like I, you know, at the time, all I wanted to do is build a great business. To me, it's a win win if I get, if the contributor gets, you know, paid or if they get, if I get a barter with them and then I get paid.

Yeah.

And the client gets. It was all good and dandy, but I guess it's not how, it's not how it works.

What happened? Did you get in trouble? Did you get scared? Did you think about getting out of pr? What happened?

Yeah, I, all of that. I got in trouble. One person from like CNBC like contacted me, say they wanted to write a story about me and I was cool. And then like midway through the conversation, they said they wanted to be real and upfront with me, telling me that I'm being investigated and that this is on record and that there's tons of people that know about it and all that type of stuff. And I just Like, I just kept quiet. And then I apologized like, two, three months later, but I apologized after I made it right. So I didn't want to apologize and then say, I'm gonna do it, do everything better. So what I did is I just, like, from that moment on, I didn't barter, I didn't pay, I didn't do any of that type of stuff. And then I actually did the work the way it was supposed to be done. And I had to rebuild a lot of friendships because I lost a lot of them and I lost a lot of contacts and I did PR right. And then at the end of it, when I was. When I had done it right for a few months, I apologized to the public and then proved to everybody that from that point on, like, I've been doing it right and that, like, this is essentially what happened. Like, I was naive to the entire thing. I think because of my age, they gave me a slap on the wrist and not a full blown, like, they were going to be bad press about me.

I like that you told the truth too. You were authentic. You weren't making up a story or, you know, trying to push blame. I mean, you really just told the truth, which a lot of people are scared to do sometimes.

I was super scared because I was like, I'm going to lose. Like, this is either a good thing or a bad thing, because I knew I was going to lose a lot of friendships.

Did you lose a lot of friendships?

I did. Even to this day, I don't have, like, some of the friendships that were really genuine. They just don't want to do anything with me, not because they hate me, but because they just. They're just scared of doing, being affiliated with me.

Got it. Wow, that's a. That's a pretty big bounce back. What kind of mindset does that take to kind of overcome that? Because I think, you know, things like that happen to people and it can totally stop them in their tracks. I mean, you could have said, okay, I tried pr, that's not for me. Now I need to switch because this sucks. How did you even shift to be able to operate and go back to it and be able to be authentic? Like, how did. What did you tell yourself during those times?

Well, I knew, like, when I messed up, I wasn't in it for the short term. Like, I wasn't trying to make quick money and then, you know, leave the PR industry. Like, I was in it for good. One of my main things was, like, if I'm going to be in this industry, I'm going to be one of the best. So I knew I had to make it right, and I knew, like, I was getting great results from it anyways, you know, with the big influencer influencers and all that type of stuff. So I was like, I can't let this go. Like, this is my life.

You were committed to your vision, it sounds like.

Yeah, yeah, I committed to my vision a hundred percent.

Yeah. Do you worry about what other people think now?

Yeah, a little bit. But, like, that part hasn't. You know, what happened two years ago really hasn't come up. Like, hasn't came up at all. But even then, like, I'm gonna have. At least right now, I am kind of scared of, like, what people say about me just because, like, I never want to be. I. I don't feel like I'm. I'm that type of person. Like, I know everybody's. Everybody's gonna have haters, but to me, it's like, I feel like it shouldn't be that way. Like, I'm gonna. If I'm gonna be, you know, if somebody's gonna say something bad about me or whatever, I personally want to confront it and make it better.

Wow. Well, that's a slippery slope, Ulysses, because the bigger you get, the more money you make, the more successful you are, the more haters come about. You get more fans too, but there's more haters. And you'll learn that you unfortunately can't make everybody right, you know, and that. That's a slippery slope. It's interesting, though, that you brought that up. So you do care what they think, but right now, you're.

You've.

It's manageable to you?

Yeah, it's manageable for sure.

Awesome. Awesome. Are there days where you have self doubt about what you do or that you feel down?

There is when I don't do my morning routine or my daily ritual.

And what's your morning routine now?

So my morning routine is essentially, I wake up, I work out a little bit. I usually do cardio and then some ABs. And then I have voice recordings, three voice recordings that I listen to myself pretty much talk. And then I have a video that my team put together. And that video is meant to help me, like, get through the day. Like, they all tell me how much they love me, how much I'm steering the ship, and how, you know, just kind of boosting up my self confidence. And then throughout the day, I'm like, okay, like. Because I've seen that stuff, I'm like, all right. I have A mission Today, my mission is to make sure that my family is good, my team is good, and I have this responsibility as their leader to show up.

I love this. Okay, wait. I need. I need to dive more into this, because this is. This is gold right here. So I get the wake up cardio and abs thing, but the voice recording. What are you saying yourself on these voice recordings?

So I say, like, sometimes, like, I. It's essentially me talking to myself that, like, I know sometimes I don't want to do the hard work, but the hard work is usually, like, it's only hard in the beginning until you do it. And then after that's done, then it's like, you feel great about yourself. And then I also talk to myself, like, about, like, how I'm the one. And then I have this belief, like, whatever the mind believes or whatever you believe, the mind reinforces with evidence.

Yep.

I tell myself, like, how I'm the one and what I've done in my life to showcase that, like, yes, I'm actually that guy and all that type of stuff. So I get myself in a mood where, like, I just have this unparalleled drive and my mindset can be broken, essentially.

Ulysses, this is genius. I've never heard any. I mean, I hear people gratitude journals. They journal, they write, they have affirmations, but I've never heard anybody say that they have voice recordings that they have told themselves, speaking into that greatness, and they listen to them. How long are these recordings? And do you change them often? Do you keep the same ones?

I keep the same ones. I keep the same ones because I even have. Yeah, I keep the same ones, and they're a minute long each because it's on Facebook.

Okay.

I just record myself.

So are. These are pop. These are on Facebook there. Are they public or private for you?

No, they're definitely private. They're messaging myself, essentially. So I just have to go on my own, like, messenger, and then look up my name and then just start playing them.

This is really cool. Did you just think of this, or did somebody tell you to do this?

I thought of it because I was like, how. How am I gonna get to a point where, like, okay, I always believe this, since if I don't tell, if I don't train my brain every day, or if I don't, like, you know, work on something every day, then it's like, it's gonna. It's gonna disappear.

I'm totally gonna do this because that's what happens when you get in your funk. I Mean, you're doing it so you don't even see this. But when I get in my funk, which sometimes happens, and I'm reading affirmations, sometimes it's like, well, I just don't feel like that today. I don't believe it today. But if you're telling it in your own voice to yourself, you have to believe it, because evidence, it's you.

Yes. Yes.

Genius. Genius. And then the team video, was that your idea, or did they just do this for you?

The team video was definitely my idea. Wow.

So you said, okay, guys, I need you to write. Do a video of why I'm amazing or why I'm a great leader. What did you tell them I'm gonna do?

I was like, how have I changed your life if I have changed your life? Like, this is for me. Like, I had my video guy because he lives with me, and I told him. I was like, hey, like, I need this type of video. This type of video was meant to help me when my voice recordings don't work. So this is like a, like, plan B through, like, Z. Like, if that doesn't work, I know that I need to put myself in a position where I'm responsible for these people.

This is so incredibly powerful. I don't even know if anyone's told you how powerful these things are, but this is amazing. How long does this whole routine take? So other than the workout and the abs, Because I can take whatever. But how long does it take you to go through the voice routine and the team video?

It's about an hour. So, like, I focus like, 30 minutes on, like, just kind of, like, the working out. And then cardio workout or cardio. And then after that, I listen to the voice recordings, I get into the zone, and then I play the video. And usually the video makes me cry.

Yeah.

Like, it just gets me into that emotional state. And then after that, I'm ready to crush it.

Yeah, I would. I would imagine, because you totally grounded yourself in your day. This is. I've written all that down, and I'm doing it, like, starting tonight because that's incredible. I love that. So my next question was going to be how you adapt to bad situations. But I'm assuming if you do your morning routine and you've got this, it's a lot easier. You don't have these bad situations, Right?

A lot, A lot easier. Because I knew, like, when I was first starting out and shit would hit the fan, like, my mornings were always the worst. I would wake up, and then I just had. Because I was so vulnerable in the morning. You're so vulnerable. Like, you're not in the nothing. You just woke up. And then if you go straight to your phone, it could be good, it could be bad, it could be, you know, a lot of types of things. So, like, I learned. I was like, okay, how do I avoid that? So now no client has my phone number. Okay, I have. And that way they don't just reach me at any time.

Yeah.

Because that can throw you. That can throw you off in general.

Then you're on their agenda now. You're on their agenda and whatever's urgent to them.

Exactly. So, like, my phone is not a priority in the morning. What is a priority is my morning routine. And then after that, it doesn't matter what happens, because I know that, you know, if something bad happens, I'm going to make it right. Like, the best part about having a problem is knowing you can fix it.

This is so golden. Now. I hope everyone. You know, I've done so many interviews, and the one commonality that comes from every single person I've interviewed is a morning routine. Like, and that avoiding that phone. So it's almost like one of those things, like, how can people continue to check their phone in the morning when they know that this habit crushes our vision and gets in our way? I mean, this is, like, so powerful to be able to ground yourself however you do it in the morning first before picking up that phone.

Yeah, yeah.

And I'm sure, to me, it's tempting, I'll tell you that. Like, I. I know to do a morning routine, but it is tempting. And as soon as you go, it's like a drug addict. Right. You go, pick it up and you're like, here I am again. So, yeah, hide it, hide it. Put it in a different room. Do you leave your phone off until later in the day?

No, no, no. I just. Yeah, it just. I have no note. Like, my notifications. They'll show up as, like, notification, but it won't say name, it won't say the message or anything like that.

So I won't go, like, personally physically check it in order to find something.

Yep.

Awesome. Okay. Do you ever not feel like creating or working on clients in a day? And if you do, what do you do to shift that?

One of the biggest things I learned when I had a mentor is delegate. So, like, the three Ds, which is like, do, delegate, delete. So if I have to personally do it myself, I will. If it's something that somebody else can do, I Will delegate it, and if it's something that doesn't matter at all, just delete it from my to do list. So if I don't feel like doing something, then I will put it off into a different time where I will do it or I will delegate that out.

Now, speaking to the delegating for a second there, because how do you know, like, if somebody else can do it, but you go through that conversation of, but I could do it better, but it'll take too long to explain it to them. How do you decide that I spend.

The day and I train them? Because that one day where I think, you know, that one day where I feel like, oh, it's going to take me too long to, like, train him, and then I can do it faster, but the same problems that occur will occur, like, many, many more times. So if I can spend one day and then build an SOP where it's pretty much like step by step, where this is where you have to do. This is how you have to think about it, then I no longer have to do it after that day or after a specific time frame.

Oh, that's really good. Do you have to remind yourself this? Because I'm sure things come up throughout the day where you're like, okay, I can just do it faster. Do you have to pause and stop yourself and say, okay, this needs to go on the list of I need to take a day to train somebody.

Yes. And because I also think of, like, okay, if I really want to grow the business, I cannot be doing everything that I feel like I have to do better. So, like, right away, one of the things that pop up, like, I want to do this, but I know it's in everybody's best interest if I actually go, you know, delegate this out.

Got it. Okay. Yeah. I love that. And I think a lot of people are guilty of knowing they should delegate but getting caught in that mindset. So I like your thought process of just take more time to do it so you don't have to deal with it again.

Yep.

That's awesome. If you were to look at your habits, I know you've got this great morning habit and morning routine, and it's amazing. Do you have something else you do through the day that's beneficial to you, or is it. Is that, like, if my morning routine's in place, everything goes. Do you have, like, nighttime rituals or anything else you like to do during the day that helps you stay creative and focused?

I do. I have a nighttime ritual. My nighttime ritual is mainly learning. So Like, I'll read a book, I'll go through a course, and that always keeps me sharp because, you know, you get motivation from progress. Like, when I feel like if I'm not constantly learning, I can't be on my A game. And that just kind of helps me. Like, I just. I personally love learning. So that's part of, like, my nighttime ritual. And then. And then I'll also, like, if I read a book, I'll underline specific things. And then after that, when I'm finished with the book, I'll go ahead and I'll write it in on my laptop. And then after that, when I'm starting to do my night ritual, I'll read whatever I have. That's just the important notes. And then I won't read the book ever again.

Wow. You committed to the learning. I love it.

Yeah, I love it.

How do you spend your time outside of working and learning on that?

So Monday through Thursday I spend working, and then Thursday through Sunday I spend on me time. So, like, for example, like, like, I'll go hang out with friends, or I'll go, you know, I'll just spend me time and I have a list of things that I do for fun that'll keep me sane. Play video games. Like, I don't play video games a lot, but an hour or two, like, will help, you know, relieve that stress. Or I love going to a specific restaurant. It's called Anthony's, and I'll eat steak. Like, stuff that just, like, helps me and calms me down.

Yeah. Stuff that you enjoy doing.

Yeah.

What about your circle of friends and who you surround yourself with? What types of people do you have in that?

That's honestly super, super, super. I can't stress enough. Super important. The people that you hang out with will either determine, like, how. How good you feel about yourself, or it will be very, very toxic. And I didn't learn this until after I was hanging out with the people that were not, like, people of my team or people that share the same vision with me. Because I look at, like, other people's lives that are, like, not in, like, similar spaces. And their lives are very stressed. And the reason they're very stressed is because the people that they hang around with them are in just, like, a completely different mindset. Like, the way I built the culture for my team is, like, we love each other. We're like, ride or die. Like, if anything, if there's anything negative, we talk about it and then we fix it. Or if it's something completely negative. But that's doesn't have anything to do with, like, anything that we're doing. You don't bring it up. We just have a very loving culture. And every time I go out of that and I go into somebody else's, like, space and I see it's different, I'm like, oof. Like, I would hate to kind of be in that situation daily.

Yeah. I have two more big questions for you. The first one, I want to know. I'm just dying to know. Like, what do you think makes. If you were to somebody say, why, how did you become so successful with what you do in pr? You're with these big names, got these influencers. If there's like, and I hate to say just one thing, but, like, what do you think is the overall theme of why you thrived in this while so many other people do not?

I think I thrived because I learned that taking shortcuts doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. A lot of people have a negative connotation towards taking shortcuts in life, and it's actually good.

Give me an example of a shortcut that's like a good thing.

Okay, so, like, for example, if you wanted to, I'll just take the college route. So at least in my experience, for me, I don't have to go to college. I don't have to spend four years of my life going for a business degree when people don't even require business degrees, when what really matters in entrepreneurship is results. So when I'm looking, when I'm spending four years of my life building credibility or paying and being in debt for something that I can get outside of doing that, that's like a shortcut. Like, that would be taking the long way, which is the traditional way.

Yeah.

Another thing, another thing would be like, probably in pr. Like, if you want to do PR for corporations, you do not need to do PR for small brick and mortar businesses. You can go straight to the corporations as long as you're good at what you do.

Got it. So shortcuts can pay off. And then my final question that I ask everyone, so I cannot wait to hear your take on this, but if you were talking to somebody that's in a rock bottom spot, so they've lost everything or they are just having a really rough time. They're just. They don't even know how to start. Maybe they've gone through, you know, their own personal trauma or tragedy. Anything where they're in that. They're in that funk and they. They're not in their good space of creating. How would you like, what pieces of advice? If there's maybe three things you would tell them they can do starting today to get them to start leveling up and be able to even be able to create everything. Nothing. What would you say?

The first thing I would tell you to do is write down your wins, and that means all of your wins. Being alive, being able to breathe, having a family, whatever it is, even some sort of. Some sort of credibility. Because when you write down your wins, that whatever you wrote down, that is you, like your current. Your current situation does not define who you are. That is not you. That is a moment in time. So as long as you write down your wins, you're able to, like, reframe your brain on, like, okay, I've actually done this. Like, I'm so. And then you turn. You turn from, like, desperation to being grateful that you have a chance to get out of that situation, that you have a chance to the fact that you're grateful that you even turned your mindset around, and then you're able to go out there and do better things. Like, that's probably one of the first things I tell you to do.

Yeah, I love that.

Second thing is spend time with people that you love and then just think of, like, okay, I, like, I am loved. And because I am loved, like, I. It's a. It's my responsibility in a way to provide for the people that I love for. So a lot of it is just, like, it. A lot of it, if not the entire thing is just a total, like, reframe of, like, what you believe. Because again, whatever your you believe, your mindset or your mind reinforces with evidence.

Yes, very true. And then what would you say for a third thing?

For a third thing is take action. Because.

Take action.

Yeah, Taking. Taking action. Like, you have to get. One of the worst things you can do in time of crisis is nothing. Even if you make bad decisions, you'll be taking that action that. That will take you out of whatever situation you are in eventually.

Yeah. So freezing is the worst thing.

Just not paralysis is horrible.

Yeah. This is awesome. What is next for you? What are you working on next? Where are we going to see you? What's happening?

So the next thing that we're working on is celebrity press. So I want to be able to work with the people that, like, are on Netflix originals and all the type stuff. Because if we can do press for celebrities, then it just takes our business up another notch.

You will do it. I have no question in my head when I see what we've already accomplished already. There's no question you will be doing that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, I'm excited.

Where can people find you if they want to learn more about what you offer, what you do? They want to work with you, they want to interview. Where do they find you?

So you can find me on Instagram at Ulysses or my personal website ulyssesosuna.com awesome.

Thank you.

No problem.

Thanks for leveling up with us today. Please share this episode if you found it helpful so others can join in. And don't forget to hit that subscribe so you don't miss out on future shows. And if you would leave me a five star review. I appreciate those so much. I read all of them and it's how I know that I'm giving you information that you find valuable. And come interact with me over on Instagram @nataliejofit. I read all the direct messages and comments over there. Make it a great day. Creating everything from nothing.