388 Chris Lautenslager

Jeffrey Feldberg: [00:00:00] Chris Lautenschlager is a seasoned sales and business veteran with over four decades of experience. His distinguished career began with establishing a trading firm at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Soon after, Chris was recruited to New York City for senior positions at some of the globe's most prestigious financial and technology institutions.

Over the years, he gained invaluable insights into the inner workings of American business, offering him a profound understanding of the corporate landscape. He feverently champions the cause of small businesses' seeking to redress the imbalance perpetuated by larger global institutions. His mission is to redefine the principles of wealth and success in American society.

And before we hop into the podcast, a quick word from our sponsor, Deep Wealth and the Deep Wealth Mastery Program. We have William, a graduate of Deep Both Mastery, and he says, I didn't have the time for Deep Both Mastery, but I made the time and I'm glad I did.

What I learned goes far beyond any other executive program or coach I've ever experienced. Or how [00:01:00] about Bruce? Bruce says, before Deep Wealth Mastery, the challenge I had with most business programs, coaches, or blogs was that they were one dimensional. Through Deep Wealth Mastery, I'm part of a richer community of other successful business owners.

The idea shared forever changed the trajectory of the business and best of all, the experience was fun. And we'll round things out with Stacey. 

Stacey said, I wish I had access to the Deep Wealth Mastery before my liquidity event, as it would have been extremely helpful. Deep Wealth Mastery exceeded my expectations in terms of content and quality.

And you know what, my Deep Wealth Nation, why they're saying this is because Deep Wealth Mastery, it's the only system based on a nine figure deal. That was my deal. And as you know, I said no to a seven figure offer, and I created a system that we now call Deep Wealth Mastery that helped myself and my business partners, welcome from a different buyer, a different offer, a nine figure exit.

So if you're interested in growing your profits, preparing for a future liquidity event, if that's two years away or 20 years away, and you want to optimize your post exit [00:02:00] life, Deep Wealth Mastery is for you. Please email success at deepwealth. com. Again, that's success, S U C C E S S, at deepwealth. com. We'll send you all the information about Deep Wealth Mastery, otherwise known as Scale for Ultimate Sale. That's where you want to be. You want to be with other successful business owners, entrepreneurs, and founders just like you who are looking to create market disruptions.

And they want to lock in their financial freedom and have success and fulfillment. 

That's the 90 day Deep Wealth Mastery Program. It has your name on it. All you need to do is take the next step. Send an email to success at deepwealth. com.

Welcome to Deep Wealth Podcast, Deep Wealth Nation. I have some rhetorical questions for you. You know me, I love my rhetorical questions. Would you agree that it can be lonely at the top as a founder, business owner, entrepreneur? Can you talk to people, not really, about some of the issues that you have?

The pressure, is that getting to you? Is it putting you out there, stress wise, and you're really feeling that maybe having some bad habits that you picked up along the way? Where do you [00:03:00] turn? What do you do? Well, I'll tell you what, you're going to be a whole lot better coming out of this episode because our guest is going to walk us through all of that with an incredible journey.

So Chris, welcome to Deep Wealth Podcast. It's really a delight to have you with us. And there is always a story behind the story, Chris. So what's your story? What got you from where you were to where you are today?

Chris Lautenslager: Thank you, Jeffrey. I so appreciate the opportunity to be able to talk with your guests, be on your show, and share a conversation with you and the rest of the organization. So, my background is coming from a family that was a small business family. And anyone that's been in a small business family knows that is like another member, a brother, a sister, a sibling that business is in every aspect of your life, at the dinner table on your vacations, it's part of your existence.

And so, that's the lifestyle that, that I learned. We went, as a [00:04:00] little boy, I went to work with my father as a high schooler whenever school was out, I'd get up at four in the morning. My father owned a construction company and we'd get up at four in the morning and go to the local diner to meet with the other business owners.

Back then, it was community. Everyone went to Doris's diner in the morning to start their day. We'd have coffee and then off to the yard to start getting the construction team together to get off at the crack of dawn. And that's what my life was like. Then, And, and then circumstances happened.

My father owned a construction company, as I mentioned, in 1978, there was an oil embargo and the price of petrol products quadrupled overnight, and the construction industry stopped like that, and hundreds of thousands of businesses went bankrupt. Closed, they went bankrupt, including my father's, and it was [00:05:00] devastating to our family, completely devastating to our family.

And during the pandemic, when I saw the exact same thing happening to millions of families, to their businesses being deemed, quote, non essential, to their doors being closed against their will, to their dreams being crushed and essentially deferred for the benefit of all it brought back a lot of very painful memories, and I knew that there was going to be consequences associated with that.

So that's when I. Came out of retirement. I had a successful career on wall street and I came out of retirement. I was living in Breckenridge, Colorado at the time and said, you know what? I don't hear anyone out there being an advocate for small businesses. I don't hear anyone telling the rest of the world that it's our responsibility and our capacity to be able to support small business owners, [00:06:00] that they truly are the fabric of our communities, the backbone of our economy, and that we need to help them during this time of crisis in their lives.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Wow, so much there to unpack.

And by the way, Deep Wealth Nation, if you go to the show notes, you can pick up a copy of Chris's book. I love this. The Prosperity Loop, a wealth creation model for socially conscious leaders, their teams, and their communities. And you can't see this Deep Wealth Nation, but Chris is proudly showing the book on camera here.

So, Chris, it's interesting, you're a fellow entrepreneur, you're an author, a thought leader, you're really doing some very interesting things, you've had an incredibly successful career, and you've created Get Looped, what was the spark , and how'd you turn that idea into the reality that it is now?

Chris Lautenslager: So during the pandemic, it was, what can I do? my girlfriend, who's an entrepreneur, a very successful entrepreneur, she owns multiple businesses. She's like, you know, [00:07:00] you talk about these principles associated with why small businesses are so important and how owners, how entrepreneurs can create a better business environment.

Why don't you write about that while we're spending time together? And that's where the basis of the book came. I wrote six principles down in regards to how business owners can make their culture. Make their business a continuous, prosperous loop. So if you see the cover of my book, there's an infinity sign made up of human beings.

And that's really the secret of having a prosperous culture within your business is building an environment in which people support each other. In which people care for each other and that all starts at the top. That starts with management and some of the principles I talk about are things like paying people and incentivizing [00:08:00] people for the work that they do.

I talk, I'm not a fan of minimum wage. If you get paid minimum wage, you're going to get minimum results. I'm also not a fan of having large fixed costs, because again, I'm a business owner. I understand the concept associated with and the importance of cash flows, but there are incentives that you can create that allow People to feel like they're part of the success of the organization.

You don't want to be the only one making money out of your organization. All those people that are part of your organization are part of the creation of your wealth as the owner, as the leader. They need to be included. Another aspect that I talk about is the importance of values. And the hiring process. And I think this is overlooked a lot in businesses. When we have a slot to fill, whether it's an accounting, [00:09:00] HR marketing, sales, we often look at resumes and we're like, okay, who has the skills that can fulfill the responsibilities that we're looking to be able to hire this person for? Those are important.

Jeffrey Feldberg: but

Chris Lautenslager: The character and the values of the people that you hire are going to have a far greater impact on the overall success of your organization than just the skills that the person brings to it.

Jeffrey Feldberg: it.

Chris Lautenslager: We can teach skills. We can't teach integrity. We can't teach integrity. Honestly, we can't really teach communication.

Those are softer skills, so to speak, that are the foundation of an organization's success. And it's harder to see how those contribute, as opposed to how they don't contribute. We all know. of or have [00:10:00] experienced that really bad employee who's poisoned, absolute destruction to our organization and all it takes is one of those and they could be the biggest producer in the company but if they're a difficult human being you're going to spend so much time repairing the damage done by that person that it's worth taking the time to invest qualifying What type of character is this person?

How do they fit in with the other people on a personal basis? That's really such an important aspect of the creating success within your organization. And it's part of also, prosperity is not just about the money. It's about having fun. Okay? So again, you can have a great, productive employee. If they're a curmudgeon, who wants to sit next to them? I [00:11:00] know I don't.

Jeffrey Feldberg: don't.

So true. So true. And Chris, as you're going through that, oh my goodness, in my mind, the wheels are turning. And for starters, you're talking about the team. Some people call them employees. I like to call them the team. And if I look at my own journey, and if I look at subsequently the Deep Wealth nine step roadmap, Step two X Factors.

X Factors are what makes a business unique. One of the foundational X Factors. It's the business culture, but the business culture also comes from the team. And when you're saying about helping the team members who really are directly responsible for our future wealth, I'll share with you one of the most, how can I put this?

Really emotional times. One of the best memories I have from my exit. After the exit, sitting down with some of the team members and giving them a check. They didn't know about this. It was a complete surprise. They have this check, which was really out there in terms of the zeros on it, the lives that were changed, the trajectories that were now [00:12:00] done, that they could go out there and make a difference, and it was so fascinating to see What they did, and there were tears flowing with myself and my business partner Steve Wells and Waleuska, it was really an emotional moment.

Getting a little bit ahead of myself, but there's so much in what you're saying. At Deep Wealth Nation, we'll be talking about this in terms of Chris's book, The Six Foundational Principles, Common Vision, Cooperation and Collaboration, Value Creation, Circular Communication, Shared Rewards, and the sixth one, Assessments and Adjustments.

But let's go back to the beginning for just a moment. Chris, you talk a lot about reshaping capitalism, and for the Deep Wealth Nation, they're probably thinking, okay, look, I can control my business, perhaps I can do a few things here or there, but reshaping capitalism, I don't think I can do that. I'm just too small, I don't even know if I have the skills or know what to do.

What's going on with that when it comes to reshaping capitalism and how each of us really plays such a large role in that?

Chris Lautenslager: We do each play a role in it. And when you frame it in the manner of [00:13:00] reshaping capitalism, it sounds like a global economic concept that, that is just so overwhelming. But really, as with all things, all big projects, it starts one organization, one step, one person, one project at a time. And the fundamental concept associated with a more just, Capitalism is that the basis of everything being defaulted to increasing shareholder value. Okay, so capitalism today, ever since Milton Friedman in this, I think it was in the early 70s wrote that article in the New York Times that capitalism's only and primary focus is to increase shareholder value. That kind of gave organizations free reign to do everything possible to increase shareholder value.

Now [00:14:00] that means So many coronary decisions that are made that are detrimental to the business, to individuals, and to society overall, okay? It means detrimental to employee benefits. It means detrimental to the environment. It means detrimental to our communities. It means detrimental to the overall health of our communities. The individuals working within the organization, so when you incrementally make these small cuts, I'm not going to, I'm going to avoid paying my contributions to the local hospital. I'm going to reduce my costs, contributions. I'm going to reduce the healthcare benefits by increasing the deductible.

I'm going to maybe make a manufacturing decision That could have some negative impact on the consumers. [00:15:00] All of these can increase shareholder value.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Okay, but

Chris Lautenslager: Cumulatively, they have such a negative impact on our quality of life and our status in the world. Okay. So when we start to. Balance, rebalance on a more just and fair and collaborative basis of what is the purpose of capitalism, that it's more than just making money. you start actually taking a different perspective on the decisions that you make. So having the exercise of why are we in business and I understand that if you're a public company. That it's very difficult to be able to do this, okay, because there's activist shareholders that are out there, there are laws that are in place, there's precedents in place, people are going to force you to focus on increasing shareholder values.

That's why I'm an advocate of companies staying private. They [00:16:00] can make these types of decisions that have broader impacts than just about Increasing shareholder value, increasing profitability, increasing margins. They can make decisions in regards to what's our broader purpose as an organization. Say you're a food manufacturing company, okay?

Is it to, increase the amount of sales that you have, increase the bottom line? Or is it actually to feed the world?

Jeffrey Feldberg: Sure.

Chris Lautenslager: it's, you start taking into consideration, is it to feed the world, well then, what types of decisions can you make in your overall business,

Jeffrey Feldberg: that,

Chris Lautenslager: again, still allows you to be profitable.

I'm a capitalist, I believe companies need to be profitable, as a very successful private equity investor of mine, a good friend of mine said, no profit means no company means no purpose. Okay? So, don't get me wrong. we're not charity here in the [00:17:00] sense that we want to give away the golden goose.

We want to feed the golden goose, but there's a lot of different ways that you can feed,

Jeffrey Feldberg: or

Chris Lautenslager: utilize what a golden goose produces. To be able to support broader contributions to life and society, and as you found as a successful entrepreneur, Jeffrey, sharing that success is one of the most joyous, positive experiences that you'll carry to your grave.

When you're on your deathbed, it won't be, I had a successful exit, it's what that successful exit allowed you to do in life. That's the memory that will bring you joy as you transition on to a different place.

Jeffrey Feldberg: terms of what's there. In Deep Wealth Nation, you may be thinking, well, I'm not a public company.

This is not going to apply to me. And Chris, I'm sure you can agree, or you can tell me, hey, Jeffrey, you're off base. [00:18:00] It doesn't have to be a public company scenario when you're raising capital or liquidity venture business exit. And I've been there. And you're out there, you're making projections, you're trying to get the highest profits possible because hey, you want to move on to the next chapter of your life, you want to have that financial freedom, the pressure.

is incredibly high to cut some corners or maybe, you know what, we can do this instead of that. It's going to boost our

Chris Lautenslager: this one time.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Only this one time. And I've been in those investor meetings and in the Deep Wealth community when we're working with our now graduates or people that are going through the program and they're sharing what's going on.

I've been there and it's stressful. There, it's just human, it's human nature, hey, you know what, I want to boost my profits, I'll just do this one time, it's not going to make a big deal, and it becomes a very slippery slope. So with all of what you said, Chris, in terms of really making that difference, we're not cutting corners, we're putting the team first, making sure we're having a [00:19:00] really vibrant and thriving culture, what would be some actual steps that we can do to prevent us from going down that rabbit hole, even if we're a public company, or raising capital, or in the throes of some kind of a business exit?

So, from a mindset perspective, what should we be doing to really prevent us from going down that rabbit hole of cutting some corners?

Chris Lautenslager: Management, we always have these, our management getaways. And they could be quarterly, they could be annual, at least annual,

Jeffrey Feldberg: Huh. 

Chris Lautenslager: Or during a startup phase when we're actually creating and building our vision of the organization, we're going to spend time in regards to how do we create our product, how do we distribute our product, who's going to have what role, et cetera, all of the logistics associated with business.

But, companies, quote, have this mission statement. it Is it just, pretend? Or is it for real? Have you actually mapped out what that mission statement means? Have you actually, again, if it's to feed the world [00:20:00] or to provide

Tangible results. So what's feed the world mean?

With every type of

goal that any organization has, a year end goal, you start with the goal and then you start to break it down into what are the steps that need to be done to actually fulfill that goal. And that includes purpose.

Jeffrey Feldberg: If

Chris Lautenslager: if your purpose is to improve the health of your community.

Jeffrey Feldberg: okay,

Chris Lautenslager: What's that look like? And many of these, and what makes many of these so great is that it can be tied to personal experiences. Okay, so let's make it more concrete. I want to have an impact on supporting families that are going through having a parent or a loved one have Alzheimer's. Okay, a simple, a common one.

All right, what's that actually look like?

Jeffrey Feldberg: like,

Chris Lautenslager: How many families are we, how are we going to support those families or institutions that are [00:21:00] within our community? How many are we going to be able to support? How much do we need to be able to contribute? What steps can we do? How do we get our employees involved?

And by the way, they want to be involved. This is impacting their lives too. This is how you actually do it. Bond culture within your organization is to have a common mission that everyone can participate in that touches them. One recommendation that I talk about in the book is that if you do have a common mission, don't just have it as something that's on the wall or that you talk about at a, company meeting.

Bring Human experiences into the company, have someone who your company has touched come in and talk about the contributions that your company made to improving the lives of their parents, of their children of their neighbors in a manner that allows them to be able to actually share. Because

experience is there's often tears [00:22:00] involved and tears and emotions are what bring a company together.

Okay, it's those shared emotional experiences. Sure, we hit a new target in regards to sales, woo hoo, okay, but it's a very different experience at an annual meeting when you bring in the family of someone who struggled with some difficulty and again, it could be hurricane relief, it could be fire.

Hazard Relief. When you help families, displaced organ, members of your community be able to regain their lives, that's, these are your neighbors. This could be you. This is so impactful in creating people that want to be with your company through thick and thin.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And we

Chris Lautenslager: And we all know that every company has thick and thin.

Jeffrey Feldberg: That's for sure. So let me ask you this because as you're going through that, Actually, we [00:23:00] talk about this in our 90 day Deep Wealth Mastery Program because for most entrepreneurial companies, let's face it, we don't have the budgets of these very large companies.

And if you're bootstrapping it, like I bootstrapped my e learning company, Embanet, we don't have the budgets of some companies that have private equity as an example. And so, so many entrepreneurs think, well, how am I going to hire that amazing talent that can really move the dial, take the company to the next level?

And what's interesting, we talk about this in the Mastery Program, Glassdoor did a survey and in the survey, they asked A players, okay, why is it that you either left your position or stayed in your position when you have other opportunities that are there? And they asked the participants to rank what the criteria was.

And so, at first glance, you would think, okay, money's going to be at the top of the list. Actually, money was towards the bottom of the list, and what the survey showed, what the team members, your quote unquote employees are thinking about, it's not the money. What's the culture of the organization? What's the, to your point, Chris, what's the [00:24:00] vision of the leadership?

What's going on there? And you're absolutely right, when there's a bigger purpose. That's what our team loves to really be a part of. Who wants to just be on the same blank different day? You can fill in what that blank is. Or to be on a team, yeah, I'm making a difference. Look at what we're doing at the company to really move the dial in these areas.

And so that's what attracts and keeps world class talent. Speaking of world class talent, Chris, I know you've had the privilege of working with entrepreneurs, and some of those entrepreneurs, they can be, perhaps, celebrities or influencers. What have you noticed with them in terms of when you're working with them through GetLooped?

Maybe you're doing a keynote, they're going through some of your programs, you're doing some of your coaching. What's been the biggest lesson that you've learned from working with, I'll put it under entrepreneurs in general. It doesn't matter if they're an influencer or a high profile celebrity or you're a quote unquote regular entrepreneur, what would be some lessons learned from the trenches that you've seen?

It

Chris Lautenslager: Doesn't matter what it says on the internet, what social media, [00:25:00] how they're positioned in certain situations, every single person is a human being.

Jeffrey Feldberg: We

Chris Lautenslager: have our skills, and some people are incredibly talented and hard working and have done amazing things.

Jeffrey Feldberg: They

Chris Lautenslager: They also have their challenges,

Jeffrey Feldberg: challenges. 

Chris Lautenslager: No one.

Wants to be treated on a pedestal.

Jeffrey Feldberg: pedestal.

If

Chris Lautenslager: want to actually connect with someone who is super successful or wealthy or famous, don't treat them as a fan. Don't be a fan boy or girl, okay? Treat them as a human being, recognizing their humanity, That's how you connect with people, is understanding the trials and tribulations that they have gone through or are going through.

There's no one that's perfect. There's no one that goes through life without bumps, bruises, nicks, and cuts. [00:26:00] Okay, and as long as you respect them for their successes, fantastic,

Jeffrey Feldberg: but

Chris Lautenslager: acknowledge them for their humanity, that's the reality of how you connect with others and how we, I believe, can be successful in interacting with others.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah, so, interesting, as you're going through that and as you're talking about it. We were talking a little bit about this online. Because as entrepreneurs, we can feel alone. It's lonely at the top. We have these pressures no one really to turn to. For some entrepreneurs, the journey takes a turn and not a desired turn and this is where we're turning to different substances or habits that don't really help us.

In fact, it takes us down a different path and now we're down this other rabbit hole. It's negative kinds of things, mental health issues, addiction issues can come up. So for someone who's either been thinking about that or they find themselves that they're there, what would you say to them? [00:27:00] There's 

Chris Lautenslager: statistically speaking, and from my own experience and empirical experience in working with hundreds of others, it's almost impossible to do alone

So, you might have iron willpower. You can get up at four in the morning, you go, you do your workouts, you're at work and at your desk until nine o'clock at night, you're cranking it out, you can do amazing things.

Beating addiction, beating substance abuse, working through mental health challenges is not one of those things you do alone. And the challenge with entrepreneurs is that we're often

Jeffrey Feldberg: the

Chris Lautenslager: the person that people come to for all the answers. And when you don't have an answer in regards to substance

substance abuse,

to hide it, you tend to not share it,

it,

tend to feel [00:28:00] ashamed and embarrassed by it,

and subsequently, you keep it to yourself.

And that is it's the challenge and 

Jeffrey Feldberg: the quandary

Chris Lautenslager: that entrepreneurs have in regards to substance abuse is they don't want to

Jeffrey Feldberg: it.

Chris Lautenslager: share it with anyone or they don't have anyone that they feel they can share it with. Who are you going to talk to about this? Your wife? Your kids? Your employees? Even other entrepreneurs, I mean, you have a reputation. You don't want your company to be identified as a company that's being run by someone that's doing X, Y, or Z so shame

And hiding is just so devastating. So my encouragement to anybody. That's thinking, oh my gosh I'm drinking too much, what do I do?

I can't go to a 28 day rehab center, everyone will know. I can't go to a, the local AA meeting, [00:29:00] who am I going to run into there?

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah.

Chris Lautenslager: Funny thing associated with that, Jeffrey, is you know who you're going to run into there? exact same people that are struggling with this that you were.

The people that can help you. So, reach out. To someone that you might know that has had success in recovery, if you want, I'm happy to talk to you about any suggestions on how to find services to be able to navigate your way into recovery. Or if you've just come out of a 28 day program and you're like, I don't know what to do, this is all foreign to me, I don't feel like I fit, again, reach out to me.

You can go to my website at www get looped, L-O-O-P-E-D, get looped.com. Send me a message, send me an email, and I'm happy to be able to, for no cost. I'm not selling anything here. What I'm doing is giving you. [00:30:00] The same helping hand that somebody gave me, okay, I've been in trouble with this, I've struggled with this, I've suffered the consequences of losing a lot, and it wasn't until someone was kind enough to offer me a helping hand for no cost to them that I was able to have

A miracle of a completely new and better life.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah. And as you're talking about that, someone who's already down that path of perhaps some habits that aren't so greater, some addiction issues.

We also have people, entrepreneurs, business owners, founders, that are heading down that path. They're not there yet, but they're well on their way to do that. And I'm going to use the word selfish, because selfish in society has such a negative connotation with what I'm about to say. But as entrepreneurs, we've got to be selfish about ourselves, our mental health, taking some time out and some time off.

And as they say, every time you're about to fly, should the oxygen mask [00:31:00] you. Be put in front of you just drops down from the ceiling of the airplane put it on you first before The passenger next to you and it's just a really a great analogy If we can't look after ourselves how in the world are we gonna look after our family members our loved ones?

Our team at the company, and so when it comes to looking after ourselves, are there any insights that you can share of what's worked for you and others in your community of really getting that, let's recharge, let's restore, let's get back to better mental health, better clarity, what would be going on there?

Chris Lautenslager: So, first of all, thank you for that, Jeffrey, because you're so right. If you're drowning, you can't save another person, okay? So the first real aspect associated about this is to just be honest, okay? That's really the hardest part. If you're thinking that you might have a problem, the likelihood is you're already well down that road, because people that don't have a problem don't have those thoughts.

It's just the [00:32:00] reality. People that don't have a drinking or drug issue, don't think at night as they're putting their head down on the pillow. Oh gosh, I did it again. I hope tomorrow will be a better day. And actually, I'm just going to go carte blanche in regards to drugs. If you're doing drugs you're in trouble.

It's just that simple. I've yet to find, quote, a recreational drug user. Now, marijuana, there's a whole different thing in regards to that, but if you're doing cocaine, meth, molly

crack, if you're doing anything like that and still trying to run your business and hide it, because you're definitely hiding it.

First of all, everyone knows Okay, you're not fooling anyone. They know from the change in your behavior. You might think you're hiding it from people, but you're not. Okay? If you're doing drugs, you're in trouble, get help. That's just point blank. If you're struggling with drinking there's, first of all, [00:33:00] get honest with yourself.

Try to stop. Start reading information. Go to the classic Alcoholics Anonymous and read the big book. Okay, there's a lot of stories in there of people that are trying to figure out whether or not they have a drinking problem or not. But here's really the bottom line. Not drinking. We're not doing drugs is the greatest gift you can give to yourself.

It's not that big a sacrifice. And in fact, it's turns out to be the greatest blessing you'll ever have. How some people. Find out that they have diabetes and they have to change their diet and they have to give up something that they really love. It could be ice cream, it could be chocolate. And then they're 40 pounds lighter the next year and they're like, that was the Best thing that ever happened to me, I feel better, I think better, I act better, I have deeper connections and [00:34:00] friendships than I've ever had.

That's what awaits you when you get sober, is a lifestyle of friendship, of connection, of joy, of opportunity that you've never experienced before. Don't be afraid.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah, such great advice there. And it's so ironic because today we are more connected than we've ever been before. Study after study, though, is showing that people feel more isolated, even post pandemic when we really were isolated. It's, every year it seems, it just gets worse and worse in terms of how people are feeling and what's going on out there.

But let me ask you this, Chris, some of this is negative and it is what it is and we're going to call it for what it is, but at the same time you've seen some success stories and you've seen a difference that it's made and I love what you said when we're presented with a challenge, hey, let's take that entrepreneurial mindset, Put our full time and attention to it, we'll become a better person for it.

We'll figure it out and it'll take us to a better level and it'll really [00:35:00] be a turning of the corner for us to a better life and having a better experience. Big picture wise, as you look back so you can look forward with what you've done with Get Looped, your own personal experiences, when you're out there doing keynotes, feedback from the book, what's going on out there when we begin to follow the strategies that you're talking about and the differences that can make?

What would you want us to know? 

Chris Lautenslager: change is difficult and change is scary. And that's because we've all tried things and have gotten beaten up a little bit. One of the two aspects associated with an entrepreneur is that we failed.

you know, You read all these books, oh, I failed and I learned so much. It is not fun.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And

Chris Lautenslager: wants to do it. But here's the thing is. When you become sober or when you make changes, you don't have to do it alone, okay? One of the hardest things to do is to ask for help, one of the hardest things to [00:36:00] do is to reach out your hand, to create relationships, and it's one of the most rewarding aspects of your life.

I do some things I, hear an idea, Or I read something and I actually am a firm believer as an entrepreneur of taking action. Okay. So I realized I read recently that one of the best things you can do for yourself is to have relationships, is to have friendships, particularly as I'm getting older.

You start thinking about your legacy and, when you're at that, as I had mentioned, when you're on your deathbed, you want to be surrounded by friends and family. You don't want to be surrounded by bankers and accountants And you want to know how you get friends and family?

You take the action to create those relationships. So, one of the things that I do now in my life is, it's part of my, I have a daily ritual of things that I do that will guarantee that I win the day. And they include [00:37:00] meditating in the morning, they include some prayer, it includes reading, it includes exercise, it includes Reaching out to at least one friend a day to talk to them.

It can only be, it could be not a text, but to actually talk to them. It could be a five minute conversation. Hey, I was thinking about you while you're driving down the road. I was thinking about you, and I just wanted to call to say, I really appreciate your friendship. Okay, you need to nurture and build those bonds.

And here's again, the crazy thing, every time you reach out to a friend to build that bond, you feel better for it.

Jeffrey Feldberg: it. Yeah, so true. And what's interesting about that, there's an old saying, oftentimes, the giver gets more than the receiver. When we're helping other people, perhaps we're volunteering, or we're speaking with a friend, you come into that conversation, wow, I thought I had it bad.

Oh my goodness, look at so and so, I'm so [00:38:00] grateful to be where I am doing what I'm doing, so you're so right with that. Chris, let me ask you this, I mean, there's so many different areas that we can go down, we're starting to bump up again some time. Before we go into wrap up mode, is there a question I didn't ask, or a topic that we didn't cover, or even a message that you'd like to get out to the Deep Wealth Nation?

Chris Lautenslager: Jeffrey, I think the last thing I want to say is thank you. To all the entrepreneurs that are out there, you really are the fabric of our communities. When I give a keynote, I talk about the fact that imagine walking down a street in which there are no shops. Imagine walking into a local restaurant and they don't know who you are.

Imagine going to an organization and you're a stranger to them. Well, if you go into some of these big box stores, if you go shopping online, that's what you have. You have isolation. And as I've gotten older, I've really found that the lifeblood of entrepreneurship is the [00:39:00] human connection. That it is it's our secret sauce.

It is our superpower as an organization, is our human connection. And it's also it's the nurturing aspect of our souls. So please take advantage of it. And thank you for being out there and being in the world on a day by day basis. You are special.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah, such a great message out of Deep Wealth Nation.

I hope you're listening on that. That is pure, not gold, but platinum. So often we just get so caught up in the daily grind. We forget why we were doing this in the first place, why we started that business, the absolute difference in a positive way that we're making. So with all that said, Chris, it's a tradition here on the Deep Wealth Podcast where I have both the privilege and the honor to ask the same question to every guest, and it's a fun one.

I'm going to set this up for you. When you think of the movie Back to the Future, you have that magical DeLorean car that will take you to any point in time. Chris, the fun part is tomorrow morning, you look outside your window, [00:40:00] not only do you see that magical DeLorean car curbside, the doors open, it's waiting to take you to any At any point in your life, perhaps it's Chris, as a young child, a teenager, whatever point in time that would be, what would you tell your younger self in terms of life lessons or life wisdom or, hey, Chris, do this, but don't do that?

What would that sound like?

Chris Lautenslager: So if I could take that car back in time,

Jeffrey Feldberg: what would 

Chris Lautenslager: as it would happen, Jeffrey, today is the anniversary of my father's death. And my, I was at university when I got the call from my mom. She was in tears and saying that, Chris, come home. Your father's died. If I could take that car, it would be to go back and honor and spend time with my father.

Because we all,

Jeffrey Feldberg: I

Chris Lautenslager: I think we take for granted that people are going to be around forever. And often we're so surprised when they disappear overnight. So for all of you that are out there, if there's someone in your life that is important to you, just [00:41:00] honor them before they disappear.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah. Such great advice.

We take it for granted our loved ones, particularly the people that are closest to us when we stay or so long, and we go off to the next activity, we just make an assumption, oh, when I come back, they're gonna be there. And no one knows what this afternoon is going to bring, let alone tomorrow. So really appreciate, honor, and respect the loved ones in your life.

Absolutely terrific advice, Deep Wealth Nation. You know what, coming out of this episode, because Chris, out of every episode, we like at least one low hanging fruit, one actionable item. There's been many that you've shared. That's certainly one of them that we can add to that list before we go on to the next call or meeting or activity.

And Chris, let me ask you this. For the Deep Wealth Nation coming out of this episode, they have a question, perhaps they even want you to speak to their company, or they just want to have a conversation with you. Where would be the best place online for someone to reach you?

Chris Lautenslager: My website, www.

Jeffrey Feldberg: luke. com, g e

Chris Lautenslager: looped. com, g e t [00:42:00] l o o p e d. com.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And Deep Wealth Nation, it does not get any easier. It's all in the show notes. It is a point and click. Chris, it's official. Congratulations. It's a wrap. Thank you so much for being on the Deep Wealth Podcast. And as we love to say, may you continue to thrive and prosper while you remain healthy and safe.

Thank you so much.

Chris Lautenslager: Thank you, Jeffrey. 

Jeffrey Feldberg: So there you have it, Deep Wealth Nation. What did you think? 

So with all that said and as we wrap it up, I have another question for you.

Actually, it's more of a personal favor. 

Did you find this episode helpful? 

Have you found other episodes of the Deep Wealth Podcast empowering and a game changer for your journey? 

And if you said yes, and I really hope you did, I have a small but really meaningful way that you can actually help us out and keep these episodes coming to you.

Are you ready for it? 

The dramatic pause. I'll just wait a moment. Drumroll, please. Subscribe. Please subscribe to the Deep Wealth Podcast on your favorite podcast channel. When you subscribe to the Deep Wealth Podcast, you're saving yourself time. Every episode [00:43:00] automatically comes to you, and I want you to know that we meticulously craft Every one of our episodes to have impactful strategies, stories, expert insights that are designed to help you grow your profits, increase the value of your business, and yes, even optimize your post exit life and your life right now, whatever you want that to look like.

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So all that said. Thank you so much for listening. And remember your wealth isn't just about the money in the bank. It's about the depth of your journey and the impact that you're creating. So let's continue this journey together. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for listening to this episode.

And as we love to say here at Deep Wealth, may you continue to thrive and prosper while you remain healthy and safe. 

Thank you so much. 

God bless.