Meet Rick White
Rick White is the man! The man truly lives in the present and focuses on spreading happiness wherever he goes. He truly believes that serving customers brings the greatest wealth.
Some of his accomplishments include:
- Founding three companies that he exited at just over $3.6 billion
- Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year
- Morgan Stanley’s Master Entrepreneur
- AIGA Top 50 Brand Maker
- Winning a Grammy and being nominated for an Oscar twice!
- Having a mug for the World’s Greatest Dad (but he’s still trying to earn that one!)
If you are looking for business people to look up to, you might want to check out the profile of Rick White of Fusion-io. With partnerships across many businesses and sectors, including a well-known and high-profile one with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Rick White is a great lesson in how to set up your own successful business, especially if you are thinking of doing so in the technology industry and related sectors. Let’s take a look at some of his successes, and analyze what might have helped to make them quite so successful.
Who Is Rick White?
But first of all, let’s look into the man himself a little. If you are wondering who Rick White is, you are going to pinch yourself soon enough. He is the chief marketing officer and co-founder of Fusion-io, a computer hardware and software company that began life in 2005. He has also been involved in a range of other projects, many of a similar kind to the Fusion-io company, and he is generally regarded as a hugely successful individual in the world of technology corporations.
Although he resigned from Fusion-io in May 2013, and the company itself was subsequently bought out by SanDisk the following year, his name has lived on in that part of history as one to watch out for. Let’s look into some of his successes in detail, starting with his partnership with Apple co-founded Steve Wozniak, which ultimately led to the creation of the Fusion-io business in the first place.
Fusion-io
Fusion-io was started in 2005 as a company producing hardware and software systems being marketed for a wide range of applications such as databases and big data. One of the top successes of this company was arguably the ioDrive, which at the time was considered to be one of the fastest storage devices anywhere in the world. The company was founded by Rick White and David Flynn and based near Salt Lake City.
Later on, the company would hire Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak as chief scientist at a time when the business was a top 100 company in America. With investments from a wide range of different places such as Samsung and New Enterprise Associates, Fusion-io soon had plenty of traction to get off the ground and running, up to the point where in 2010 “The Wall Street Journal” named the company the second-most promising information technology company in the world. It’s hardly surprising that so many investors saw fit to invest in this business model. All in all, it was one of the most exciting and unique times in the world of information technology businesses and one of the most respected companies of its kind to exist.
The Legacy
Looking back at what Fusion-io did, it is easy to see why it has developed such a strong legacy. The company very quickly became a respected pioneer in flash storage cards, generally for use inside servers. This is a technology that many other people and businesses have since embraced, so in that sense Fusion-io was something of a pioneer. The company had some very high-profile clients among its accounts, notably Facebook and Apple.
Other Ventures
Of course, Fusion-io is only one of Rick White’s many ventures, albeit one of the most significant. After Fusion-io came Primary Data, a new business again set up by the duo of Rick White and David Flynn. This company received around $50 million of funding in a very short space of time and got to work on creating next-generation data virtualization and mobility technologies. Their goal was to “manage how information is stored and shared globally.” Rick White became the chief marketing office of Primary Data, which as a company was ultimately worth something in the region of $200 million.
With the goal of promoting data transfer between large separate storage silos, it looked to be a very promising path indeed, with a similar kind of focus to Fusion-io, showing once again exactly where Rick White’s skills and passions lie. With all that in place, who knows exactly what Rick White will be up to next, but we can certainly expect it to be something original and captivating, and almost certainly a much-needed new addition to the information technology industry.
Rick White Podcast Transcript
Charan: All right guys, I am rolling. And I’m with my good buddy Rick White. And this is the Lemonade Stand podcast. And if you guys haven’t known much about this podcast, well welcome on board. This is going to be very exciting. But, the Lemonade Stand podcast is a place where people can come and hear stories about entrepreneurs, creators, directors, producers, actors. People that have a dream that want to create a dream and go for it. I’m your host Charan Prabhakar, and Rick White is an amazing human being.
Charan: Now I’ve got to tell people when I first met you, Rick. Because this was the best.
Rick: Okay.
Charan: And this was not even that long ago, that’s what makes the story so great. I met Rick trick or treating actually. And when I did, I was like, “Oh my gosh. This guy is amazing. He’s unbelievable. And he’s just so full of life. So full of joy.” And then he invited me over to his house, after trick or treating. And it was a really beautiful-
Rick: Do you mind if I interrupt here?
Charan: Please interrupt.
Rick: [inaudible 00:02:35] trick or treating… is my children were too old, I guess, to trick or treat. And I still like all the free candy, right?
Charan: Of course.
Rick: So decided to go down to Target, bought a little stroller. We got the coolest baby. Remember that baby?
Charan: Got the baby.
Rick: And then took time to paint it, and even put some epoxy so it looked like there was a little drool, and put it in the little Halloween costume we had in our Halloween closet. And it was a little bear. And then, would knock doors and just say, “Trick or treat. Sorry. She’s out like a little doll.” Well, I’m being honest with them. That was my trick.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: Then I took candy, and if you remember… you joined me with Brad, we walked around. And then we would give the candy we got, to kids on the street randomly. Like, “You want some of ours? Reach into the bag.” And it was awesome, Man. We just trick or treated with a little plastic baby.
Charan: Dude. It was amazing. I remember I had not gone trick or treating in so many years. And so, I was able to experience the joy with you again. It was amazing.
Rick: That’s why I did that.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: I think that’s something in life is, sometimes we all get so caught up in what everybody else is thinking that we forget to do what we like. [inaudible 00:04:04] and I wanted to go out trick or treating. And why not? So we did.
Charan: Yeah. Rick, you know, that’s one of the things I love about you. You do the things that are honest to you, that bring you the most joy. And just my experiences hanging out with you it’s been like that all the time. It’s just been awesome fun memories. And there’s no expectations, there’s no worrying about what other people are thinking. It’s great.
Charan: And that night, after trick or treating we went to your house. You introduced me to the best sloppy joes I’ve ever eaten. I could not believe how much joy was in my mouth. It was unbelievable.
Rick: Whoa, whoa, whoa, this is a family show.
Charan: Sorry, sloppy joes, guys, sloppy joes. So that was amazing.
Rick: [crosstalk 00:04:57] sounds horrible. Sloppy joe, was the best flavor in my mouth that sloppy joe. How about we just say I made a really good hamburger?
Charan: You made a great hamburger. And then we played VR games that night. And then we watched a really scary show. I forgot the name of that movie. Do you remember that-
Rick: It’s Halloween. You’ve got to-
Charan: You’ve got to. You’ve got to. And that was my introduction to you, Rick. And-
Rick: I remember it.
Charan: It was so great.
Rick: [crosstalk 00:05:30]-
Charan: It was such a good night. And we’ve had fun, fun memories since.
Rick: Do you remember the last time we hung out?
Charan: Of course. In the mall.
Rick: We stayed at that really nice place called Shay Parks.
Charan: Yeah. That was the best. And terrifying.
Rick: [inaudible 00:05:46] park one night. Yeah.
Charan: Yeah. Rick and I slept over in a park. And you know what I loved about that whole experience, was we… I don’t know, you introduced me… and I’ve always kind of known this, but I really felt present that night. I remember as I was walking, we had a really nice walk. It was a seven-mile walk. And that whole night we were just having amazing conversations and chatting a little bit. And I don’t know, I just remember thinking I have no concerns for my future right now. I have such a joy being with you, having incredible discussions with you. It was unbelievable.
Rick: We had a lot of fun.
Charan: Yeah we had a lot of fun.
Rick: And in fact I think we had some snacks, because I [inaudible 00:06:36] a little earlier.
Charan: Yeah. We did. I think we snuck some snacks in, and it was great. Now I want to give the audience a little bit of an introduction to your background as well.
Rick: Sure.
Charan: So let’s go ahead and talk a little bit about what you’ve done in your life career-wise, and we’ll kind of jump into it.
Rick: By the way, we should probably tell people Shay Parks was, we literally slept in a park, because it was a chance to spend the night as homeless. I was in Silicon Valley hanging out with some friends, and I remember thinking, wow, they’re all… very successful. And I was starting to feel bad, like, “I need to work harder. I need to make more money.” And then I thought, “Why? I like who I am.” So we went back to the basics. And it was an important night for me. And it really did reset. It was like a big hard reset. And I loved it.
Charan: Dude. I think that was, in more ways than one. You felt like this huge reset. And you felt kind of a going back to basics. For me, it was a chance to just go back to living present. And I don’t know, I really felt alive that night. I remember thinking that. I felt so much life. I felt so much joy. And I was like, “Wow.”
Rick: So you remember every sound, and every bush, and everything.
Charan: Yeah. I know. Part of it-
Rick: Being present is terrifying, isn’t it?
Charan: Part of it was terrifying for sure.
Rick: [crosstalk 00:07:55] feel to feel homeless, right?
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: And to not have a place to go. To be there. And I remember you and I were talking. And you said, “It’s amazing. I would be happy with a tin shed and a mat on the floor right now. It could be dirt on the floor as long as it could lock.” Because it was hard to fall asleep feeling so exposed.
Charan: It’s so true. And I look back at my last year, and I think if I could look back on some of my favorite memories that’s definitely on the top of my list. Because it was just so enriching and it just made you feel so alive. And it was one of those moments where I realized, “Hey you know what people really want more than anything? Is just to feel alive.” And you helped me to experience that. And I am so grateful for that experience.
Rick: Well I was grateful for the company. Because for me, as you know, when I was 18 I aged out of the foster program, and I was homeless for a little while. And I mean, homeless as a teen doesn’t mean you’re pushing a shopping cart. It means you’re sleeping on friends’ couches, their space on the floor. But there were a few nights where yeah, I had nowhere. And I have slept in a park before. And everyone is like, “Park bench?” No. They’re sloped. Picnic table, they’re flat. [crosstalk 00:09:18].
Charan: Wow.
Rick: And so I wasn’t feeling good about myself. Like, I hadn’t achieved enough. Which is kind of a silly thing, right? Why am I sitting here comparing myself to other people. Question is, am I happy with where I am?
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: I was realizing I wasn’t happy because I stopped focusing on the good parts of my life, and what I loved, and started comparing myself to other people’s. And just focusing on what I didn’t have, instead of focusing on what I did.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: By that, by going out with me that night. We walked for miles, we found what we felt like was a safe place. We didn’t have much food. A sprinkler got me in the middle of the night. It was pretty cold. I remember we had some shopping bags to try to stay… some garbage bags to put over to try and stay warm. It was cold. There was a picnic table. And I remember you were sleeping on this kid’s playground. And it almost was like hammock, but it’s made of wood. And I’m like, “That can’t be comfortable.”
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: But what it made me realize is where I came from. At 18, this was me, at 18. And then you move forward. And I look at my life now and I’m like, “Wow. If 18-year-old me could see this, 18-year-old me would be like… Wow, I’m so happy. That’s amazing.” So I took present me, who wasn’t happy, and reset it by going back in time to let 18-year-old me look forward. And now I’m really happy again.
Rick White Talks About His Accomplishments
Charan: Yeah. Dude, that’s such a beautiful analogy. So folks that are listening, Rick who did experience a bit of that homeless period where he didn’t know where he was going, or where his bed was going to be next. And this is Rick I’m going to talk a little bit about you right now, and kind of your current accomplishments. But, Rick has since founded three companies and has exited for over $3.6 billion. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Rick: No that’s right.
Charan: Yeah. So that’s amazing, that you were able to do that. You won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur-
Rick: Well, I had a lot of help.
Charan: You had a lot of help. You had some assistance. Yep.
Rick: One of the companies had 1200 employees. So I had a lot of help.
Charan: You had a lot of help. Hey see, that’s fantastic, Man, that you were able to get a lot of support. You won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, which is a huge deal. You won the Morgan Stanley’s Master Entrepreneur. You are recognized as the AIGA top 50 brand maker, is that correct?
Rick: Yeah.
Charan: And Dude, feel free to add anything if I’m missing any of this stuff. But you also won a Grammy, and you’re also nominated for an Academy award twice. Is that correct?
Rick: Yeah, technical on both of those. Yeah.
Charan: Technical. Okay.
Rick: And I also have a coffee mug that says, “World’s Greatest Dad.” I feel like it was a gratuitous honor. I’m still trying to earn it. It’s kind of like when our former president won a Nobel Peace prize as soon as he entered office, he had to earn it.
Charan: He had to earn it.
Rick: He did. He did a great job. I’m still earning mine. So hopefully one day I’ll feel like I earned that one. But that’s the most important honor I have right now. Actually it’s my favorite thing, is just being a dad. Yeah, all those things. It’s funny you bring those up. [inaudible 00:12:32] and there’s other silly awards, that I’ve won. I don’t even know where most of them are. It’s funny, my son dragged a couple out of the garage a few months ago and put on my desk as a joke. Because literally he was going through the box looking for some of his older stuff, he’s moved out. And he found this, and put it on… because I’m like, “Eh, it’s in the garage.”
Rick: In fact, this is going to sound horrible. And I don’t mean to be ungrateful, Ernst & Young is awesome. But the first year they called me, they asked if I wanted to enter the Entrepreneur of the Year award program. They felt like I had a really good chance with my company. And I was like, “Huh, awesome. Is there any sort of cash prize?”
Charan: Okay?
Rick: No. No cash prize. No. What about swag bag? Is there a good swag bag? You know, because I’ve gotten good swag bags. Nope. No swag bag. There’s a dinner. “Oh. Okay, there’s a dinner.”
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: Yeah. So I’m going to rent a suit. And I still remember saying… I mean a tux. “You don’t own a tux?” And I was thinking, “Who owns a tux?” Right?
Charan: Yeah. You rent them.
Rick: So I’m like, I don’t know, maybe people do. I just didn’t. So I said to them, “Huh, well that’s really great. Thank you for the honor. I’m going to take a pass.” So I took a pass the first year because I thought-
Charan: No way.
Rick: Yeah. Blind. You know, for a piece of plastic. It’s like [inaudible 00:13:57] thing with some writing on it, I stick on a shelf. Somebody’s telling me I’m important. I know I’m important. I don’t need them to tell me. In fact, if you want to know if you’re doing well in business, look at your bank account, your customer list. It’s pretty simple. You could have a million awards on the wall, but then you close your doors. So I took a pass.
Rick: The next year, my business partner comes up to me, and he goes, “Guess what? We are entering the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award program to see if we’ve got a shot at winning.” And I’m like, “Oh. Great.”
Charan: Great.
Rick: So the second year we did it. We won. We won regional and national for emerging companies. But one thing we did that I was happy about, so we got on stage to take our award, and I have had printed on the back of our shirts, all the employees names. So when we took the award, we took our jackets off and turned around and said, “And they’re on stage with us, because we couldn’t have done it without them.” And that’s an important thing, too, is just teamwork.
Rick: But yeah, look. I loved the night. It was fun. It’s great we won it, you get to use it in my bio and it makes me sound important. But at the end of the day, if you look at things realistically, that’s Ernst & Young’s marketing program. They have a chance of looking at all these companies, who are submitting their financials, and what a great way to pick up customers. It’s brilliant for them. And if you think, any time someone’s trying to give you an award, it’s usually because they want to sell tickets, fill seats, do something. It’s just a business, and you just cut through the BS, and it’s funny.
Rick: So anyway, I’m rambling a bit for you.
Charan: Here’s the thing dude. Here’s the thing. You’re able to see through all of that stuff. So I think that’s really interesting. And that’s one of the things I’ve known about you. Is you’re an honest guy, you can kind of see through a lot of the fluff.
Rick: If you like yourself you don’t need someone else to tell you you’re great.
Charan: Right. Exactly.
Rick: And it doesn’t mean that I have a huge ego. I know my limitations.
Charan: Sure.
Rick: This isn’t “Golden flecks of amazing hair-
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: -with my perfectly tanned skin, and my perfectly toned body.” So from my point? No. Do I have the biggest bank account? Absolutely not. Or an amazing athlete? Are you kidding? I’m built like a Hungarian potato picker. Portly, low, and squatty to the ground. But you know what? At the end of the day I don’t care. Because I like who I am. And I wake up every day happy to be me.
Charan: Dude. That is a miracle. And I think that’s the greatest gift that anyone can have for themselves, the ability to truly like themselves. And I actually kind of want to focus on that for a lot of this podcast, is how you got to that point where you’re like, “Hey you know what? I really like myself.”
Rick: You should read that bio that I interrupted.
Charan: No.
Rick: Or does it even matter?
Rick White Talks About Growing up Poor
Charan: Dude. It’s all… this is perfect. I want to go back in time a little bit. The Lemonade Stand story is all about people’s first venture into business, or their first venture into, “Hey I want to go and make something out of myself.” Now you mentioned to me earlier that you came from Oakland, is that correct?
Rick: Yeah. The Bay area is where I grew up.
Charan: The Bay area.
Rick: It’s where my father ended up with colon cancer, he passed away.
Charan: Okay.
Rick: I had just turned 13 when he passed away. I was 12 for a few months while he had colon cancer. I turned 13 and, like, a month later he passed away. And it was really sad. I learned something pretty interesting. Because my dad’s business partner at the time was not very honest man. He took advantage of my mom’s lack of business knowledge and what was going on in the business. And I think she ended up with roughly $10,000; it was supposed to give her an out. But somehow he never turned a profit, and it was still doing extremely well and successful. And so it was a very sad moment. And my mom went back to college, and we ended up in government housing in Oakland and on welfare.
Charan: Wow.
Rick: Yeah. So we were on welfare and living in government housing while my mom went back to school to become a travel agent.
Charan: Okay. So you guys had kind of humbling circumstances due to…
Rick: Yeah, which was really weird, because when I was born, the home we had… my dad had founded with his father, the largest moving and storage company in the Bay area.
Charan: Okay.
Rick: At the time it was called White Vest Moving and Storage. So I was born into a home that had a dance floor, we had a bowling alley, of course a pool.
Charan: No way.
Rick: Yeah. Then we sold that and we ended up on a ranch, a cattle ranch in northern America. My dad was a serial entrepreneur. But being a businessman wasn’t his forte. But fortunately his wife, my mom, was very good at it. So he had a good team. Bought a cattle ranch, it was his dream. 700 head of cattle, [inaudible 00:18:48] Willits, California. Humboldt, California, they raise cattle and marijuana, under the cattle. But that’s what Humboldt county seemed to do at the time. And the cattle market collapsed. And we ended up losing the farm.
Rick: It’s the weirdest thing. I still remember the little fold-up podium on the front lawn as they auctioned everything off. And we piled into a camper and a moving truck and headed back to the Bay area. Lived in a camper for a few months in my aunt’s yard while my dad started a business again. He was a brick mason by trade and grew that business. At that time small business owners didn’t really have medical insurance. It was difficult, wasn’t common. So medical insurance wiped out; him having colon cancer wiped out any savings we would have had. And the business my dad thought he was leaving my mom, his business partner really was not a good man. And so we ended up pretty much with nothing, on welfare, in Oakland, California, in government housing, and my mom going to Chabot College.
Charan: Wow. That’s crazy. Are you an only child? Did you have any siblings?
Rick: I had half-sisters. Older half-sisters. So, yeah. So I was the only one at home at the time. It was just me and my mom.
Charan: So how did you decide that you’re like, “You know what? I don’t like the circumstance, or I want…”
Rick: Did I mention it was Oakland in government housing?
Charan: Yeah. So tell me about that.
Rick: Some people call that “the projects.”
Charan: Okay.
Rick: I get it. It’s a work in progress, so maybe it is a project. But that was not a fun place. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m… you know how people say, “Oh that person’s white.”
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: Look at me. I’m almost see-through. It’s just the way the universe made me.
Charan: Yeah sure.
Rick: And I dropped into Oakland, California, as a young man, with no friends, in government housing, and I represented something that a lot of people in the neighborhood felt victimized or oppressed by… just my skin color represented something. And I understand that. I understand that. I probably would have felt the same way. So it was hard.
Charan: Wow.
Rick: I found myself in a lot of fights. I remember… it’s funny, people said, “Did you learn to fight?” And I said, “Well, in the beginning I wanted to run.” It’s not my neighborhood. I don’t want to fight [phone rings] aunts and uncles and all of those things. I apologize, I thought I had that off.
Charan: That’s okay.
Rick: Yeah. But eventually you have to fight, you have no choice. And yeah, I remember doing a count once. And I think I definitely been in over 50, somewhere between 50 and 100 street fights.
Charan: Wow.
Rick: And the first dozen, I definitely got my butt kicked a lot. But by the end, you know exactly what to do. And it’s quite a training ground. Because you don’t want to get beat up. You don’t want to do it. You start to fit into the neighborhood, you make friends. And my nickname was “The Ghost” in my neighborhood. They called me “The Ghost.”
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: And yeah, there was a gentleman, Ramon, who kind of ran our neighborhood and our buildings. And I had to do things and sell things for him to not get beat up and not fear for my life. And you’re just not proud of those things, but you’re surviving. So why would I want to stay there? I didn’t like it. It wasn’t a neighborhood I wanted to die for. It meant nothing to me. I wanted out as soon as I could get out.
Rick: So my mother passed away a few years later of lymphoma. And I ended up in a foster family. And they were amazing, the [Saldibars 00:22:59], and I adored them. I still think of them as my family to this day. In fact my foster brother Ryan is coming out for 4th of July this year.
Charan: No way. That’s awesome.
Rick: I’m so lucky. Because there’s so many horror stories about the foster program, but I got lucky. And so I ended up in a foster family that I adored. Then when I aged out of that, I was scrambling to find a place. And I never told anyone. I never wanted to tell them, or anyone. I mean, you’re ashamed. In fact, up until recently I didn’t talk about being homeless because it had so much pain and embarrassment.
Charan: Like a stigma.
Rick: Yeah there’s a stigma to it. You know, now people are like, “Hey good for you. Look where you came from.” And I think yeah that’s great. But then there’s a lot of people that maybe haven’t made it to where they feel comfortable opening up. Or what if they are not a successful entrepreneur, but they’re a great parent, a great mom, a great dad? That’s awesome. But the world wants to judge us by our financial, like “Oh you were poor, now you’re rich,” and I constantly look at that, and fight against that. Which is why, every time you see me you always see my cheap-ass shoes that I buy. I’m not saying Walmart’s a cheap store, but… I do buy shoes from there that are under $20 generally. This shirt is from Target, and I got it on sale for $7.95, I’m quite proud of myself.
Charan: Fantastic. Yeah.
Rick: So you know, at the end of the day it’s comfortable, I like it, I like it, it’s fine. And I don’t need anyone to validate me and tell me, “Wow. Fancy shirt. You must be successful.” And it’s like it doesn’t matter.
Charan: Well let’s kind of go back. See? This is great, man. Because at some point you came… you said you were in a situation you wanted to get out. You did not like that situation. You were embarrassed. Then you went to the foster home-
Rick: I was embarrassed of being homeless until maybe five years ago.
Charan: Well okay.
Rick: I carried so much shame.
Charan: A lot of shame associated with it, right?
Rick: Try being a teenager and have a social life, or any life, and you’re homeless.
Charan: And you’re homeless.
Rick: And guess what? About 50% of foster kids age out of the system every year, even to this day.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: I guess it makes sense when you write a law and you go, “Hey, if you’re a foster family, you can’t have a non-biological adult male live in the home with foster children.” So at 17, 364 days old, you’re a foster kid. But at 17 and 365 days, you’re now a non-biological male, possible pervert, living with foster kids.
Charan: Oh man. So much shame. So how did you go from feeling that shame, that not wanting to talk about your past-
Rick: [crosstalk 00:26:03] yeah. No value.
Charan: No value.
Rick: Think about it, when you’re a kid, and you go to your friend’s house, and there’s this big mansion. You’re like, “Oh my God. You’re rich.” But in reality your friend is poor as all get out. His parents are rich. When you’re a kid, you don’t associate that. And you think, what a great family. Look at that, they’ve got a great family. And you think, “I don’t have parents. I don’t have a normal family. I don’t have a home.” And it’s hard to figure out your identity. But I’m grateful for that because those hard circumstances are who make you.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: And you figure out how to like yourself in the worst of situations; trust me, it’s a lot easier when life is easier.
Charan: So how did you start liking yourself in those worst situations that you got into?
Rick: Took a long time. I had to realize because I focused on business. So now you read my bio and you see all this business success, right? And if I could go back in time I would probably just tell myself to get down on the ground and play with my children.
Charan: Oh I love that.
Rick: Work less. And people say it all the time, but I don’t think anyone really hears it. And maybe someone who’s listening will hear. You can be successful, but don’t sacrifice family. If you’re single, you have no family, by golly throw yourself at it. Right? Have as much fun as you want, because it’s your life. The minute you have a family, now it’s time to share yourself. You have to be present and available for them. And I think by the time we had children, I was so focused on business and making money. I remember being at Disneyland not being able to get on a ride because I had a work call I had to take. And they were all on the ride and I’m waiting at the exit line on a conference call.
Rick: So yeah, success requires a lot of sacrifice. But it depends on what success you want to chase. There’s been no amount of financial success that I’ve achieved that’s brought me as much joy as my family. In fact, I don’t think there’s any greater feeling of failure than if your family is disappointed in you.
Charan: Yeah. And it’s so true. Right? I mean, I look at my life, and have I achieved the measure of financial success I’ve wanted to? No. Absolutely not. But have I been joyous? Absolutely. I absolutely have. And I think it all goes back down to relationships. It goes back down to good friendships, and family, and people that I care about, and having good memories, and having good memories with people like you. I have loved that our relationship and our friendship has nothing to do with the businesses that you’ve had or created. But just the fun memories that we’ve had together. And to me, that’s our value. That’s where I find the greatest joy. In fact I-
Rick: I always think of you as my friend who’s up for anything.
Charan: Well yeah, man.
Rick: Usually I call you and it’s like, “All right, here’s something random.” Come on, everyone called. Even Brad called you like, “Hey we’re going to blow things up in the desert, want to come?” And you’re like, “Yeah. I’m in.”
Charan: Of course. Let’s do this. And I think that’s what’s so great. I remember back when I was in high school, I had a buddy of mine who was always like, “Hey, let’s make memories. Let’s make memories.” And we used to make these home movies. Homemade movies. You’d edit them VCR to VCR. And it was so much fun. It was so ridiculous. So low budget. There was no budget. It was just us goofing around. And we’d have so much fun.
Charan: Well, after high school, he was involved in an accident and he passed away. And then I look back at those videos that we made, and they’re completely priceless now. They’re completely priceless. And I’m like, “Wow.” It was those memories, reflecting upon those things. That’s what excites me the most. And I remember when I was in school I was a pretty good student. I got 4.0’s or pretty close to 4.0’s and everything. But I spent so much time studying and working and all those things to make sure I got good grades. And I’m not regretting any of that. But I do regret the fact that I had a lot of friends that invited me to do some fun stuff, and I said no. Because I was so focused on getting the degree and all this stuff.
Charan: Again, not saying that those aren’t important. But if you’re sacrificing them for things that probably have even a little bit more value, things that really bring joy. Then, I think we’re kind of going up the wrong ladder. You know what I mean?
Rick: I totally agree with you. It’s finding balance. You know, I thought of something. It’s that night we spent the night in the park, where I dragged you into my homeless world.
Charan: Yeah, it was amazing.
Rick: That night, if suddenly someone had given us a hotel room that was warm, and a pizza arrived, and a big old chocolate cake, how much joy would you have had that night?
Charan: Oh man.
Rick: Isn’t that crazy?
Charan: It would be unbelievable. Yeah.
Rick: And it’s all a matter of perspective. And so that’s the interesting thing is, sometimes we’re too busy. And I love how you talk about present. We’re too busy looking at everybody else’s life, and comparing ourself, or just comparing ourself to our own life. I was in a park sleeping, now I’m in a hotel. I’m warm, with a pizza. Now, if I were to say, “Uh, but I wonder what Bill Gates is doing right now, and having for dinner.” Right? And the minute we stop comparing ourselves to other people and just focus on our own happiness, it changes things.
Rick: So there you go. So I was a kid, had a rough life and… I forgot. You asked me a question at a Lemonade Stand. You see this is a problem.
Charan: No worries. I love where this is going. This is perfect.
Rick White Talks About His First Business Venture
Rick: When you have people with ADD in an interview, that’s what’s going to happen. So here I am, doing some things on the street that weren’t necessarily the best. And I could sell. And I would say, I learned those because my first foray into business… and of course every kid has their lemonade stand. My dad was a brick mason by trade, so I made these little snowmen out of concrete. That I’d make with sticks and glass and sell them for a dime and a nickel on a little table. And neighborhood kids would buy them. And I’d make little car ones and stuff. But, that was probably my first business. But my first business where I started making money was I had heard about this company… of all things, a multi-level marketing company called Amway.
Charan: Okay.
Rick: And I convinced them to let me sign up with money I had saved. Because I loved to save. It used to drive my dad crazy. We’d go shopping. He’d pay me to help him clean up at a job site. I might have two or three dollars in my pocket. And we’d go to a little quickie mart, and I’m like, “Hey can I get a soda, Dad?”
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: “Well you’ve got money. You’ve earned it. Look at that. You’re a man. You should buy your own soda.” “That’s okay. I don’t want a soda.” It used to drive him nuts. And I’d be like, “No. I want to save my money.” And I still like saving my money. The value of money. And so I’d saved up money, and I joined the Amway program. And I guess I did it wrong, because I only signed up one person. And that’s because my half-sister made me. But other than that, I didn’t go try to sign people up. I literally bought catalogs with my savings. I went around my neighborhood, started expanding my route. Saying, “Hey this [inaudible 00:34:03].” I even had a little scrap piece of carpet I could show them how it cleaned. And here’s this little kid, 12-year-old kid coming into the neighborhood.
Charan: So you were 12 and you had signed up for Amway. That’s unbelievable.
Rick: I did. My dad was terminally ill at the time. He would pass away when I was 13. And he had colon cancer, and I was his in-home care nurse. When I got home from school I would help him. And then after dinner I would usually walk the neighborhood, or just before dinner. And I’d visit my route. The garage was my warehouse eventually. And I ended up doing pretty good. I would get about $3,000 a month in sales. I remember I got this pin with a little ruby on it, and all this. And people were like, “That’s amazing.” And they said, “How are you doing it?” And I’d go, “I guess I’m just walking around and showing the product.” And they’re like, “How many people in your downline?” “None.” “How are you doing it?” “I’m selling the product.”
Rick: And that was the funny thing. And it was this weird eye-opening thing where we realize, sales is an important part of business.
Charan: Absolutely.
Rick: And just get out and sell. It’s a numbers game. Just get out and sell, right? And I think a lot of times folks sign up even for multi-level marketing programs and go, “All right. And I’ll just sign up all these other people and they’ll make me rich.”
Charan: Right.
Rick: And I learned a long time ago. No one is going to make you rich. The only way you get rich because of someone else’s labor is when you align interests, so that you have a percentage of their performance.
Charan: Okay.
Rick: There you go. Now they might make you rich. But that’s because they’re making themselves rich. So no one’s going to make you rich. You’ve got to make yourself rich. So yeah, I just got out. I sold. I had a route. People would re-order. I started to expand the route. Finally my sister said, “Sign me up. That’s a lot of extra side money. You’re just a kid.” So I signed her up. Yeah, she didn’t sell anything. Because she didn’t put in the work. And I wish I had a better way of saying it. But it’s literally… it’s all these cliches you hear. When you learn it, you realize, oh, these cliches are kind of real.
Rick: Like part of the secret of success is showing up. Right? It’s like, yeah. [inaudible 00:36:13] I just showed up and sold it. I walked the neighborhood. I just did it. And maybe people are afraid of rejection. I had a friend Jimmy, and again, at any point interrupt me.
Charan: Dude. No, no, no, keep going. I love this. I love this. Sorry.
Rick: ADD and rambling is going to keep happening. So terminate at any time.
Charan: Don’t worry.
Rick: I had a friend Jimmy who taught me this. He was… Look, I really liked Jimmy. He was the greatest guy in the world. And [inaudible 00:36:41]. Don’t you love COVID Zoom interviews?
Charan: Oh man, they’re the best. They’re the best. And for those of you that are just hearing this, Kiki… is that your daughter?
Rick: Stepdaughter.
Charan: Stepdaughter. Awesome. Kiki just ran by. So…
Rick: She is awesome. She’s the sweetest little girl. Yeah, COVID interviews, [inaudible 00:37:02] all the time. But there you go. There’s my COVID interview experience.
Charan: There’s your COVID interview moment. Yeah.
Rick White Talks About Failure as a Key to Success
Rick: Yeah. So my buddy Jimmy taught me something that was really funny and stuck with me. It was… so Jimmy was one of those people that if I was setting him up on a date, I’d say he has a great personality.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: All right. He had a great personality.
Charan: Just a real sweet spirit.
Rick: The fact that I’m saying… he maybe wasn’t the most physically symmetrical person in the world.
Charan: Okay.
Rick: I mean, hey, this is me judging him. So you can kind of see the standard. Right? He wasn’t the person you would naturally look at and go, “He’s just handsome. Just off the cuff.” But he dated the most beautiful people. And one day, my buddy Donny and I are like, “Okay what’s up here? Jimmy, what is up?” He said, “What?” “You date the most beautiful women. What is it that they like about you?”
Rick: And he goes, “Well, I don’t know.” And we’re like, “Wel,l how did you meet?” And I’m not going to call her out. But this last young lady… and he said, “Okay. Well when I’m at a party, I’ll just go around asking out the most attractive people that I’m attracted to.” And I was like, “Okay.” And he’s like, “Yeah. I may ask 100.” “Okay.” “And one will say yes.” and we’re like, “So you’ll get rejected 99 times?” “Well, you can call it rejection. I always felt like every time they said no, I was one person closer to my new girlfriend.” And I was like, “Wow.” He’s like, “Yeah. It’s a numbers game. You just got to filter through the numbers to find the person that finds you attractive.”
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: I was like “Wow. Okay.” And that’s what it was. And so then it became the same with customers. You know? You just filter through people and if they say no, it’s okay. Respect boundaries. Don’t be a pushy salesman. Just share your product. If it’s something that’s going to bring them joy, or help them with a problem, awesome. If it isn’t, no worries. Thanks. Moving on. That’s one person now closer to the… you’re now one person closer to the one that’s going to buy your product.
Charan: Yeah. I love that, man. And that’s the thing, it’s like, I’ve experienced pushy sales people before. And as a result I’m like, “Oh dude.” I got this weird negative impression of salespeople. So when someone says, “Hey, Charan, you’re a great salesman,” I’m like, “No. Don’t ever say that. Please don’t ever say that.” Because I don’t want to be associated with being a salesperson.
Charan: But then I realized something. As an actor I am selling myself, right? I’m constantly selling myself. I am my own brand. And I realized for me, when I’m auditioning and creating a part, I give them my version of the character, the way I would interpret it, the way I find joy in it. That’s my version. And if people like it, great. They’ll hire me. And if they don’t like it, no worries. I’ll go for another part.
Rick: You’re now one audition closer to the one that’s going to hire you for that breakout role.
Charan: For the breakout role. Right.
Rick: And the crazy thing is, imagine Jimmy gave up at 99.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: He would have never met his next girlfriend.
Charan: His next girlfriend.
Rick: Imagine if you gave up at the 99th audition going, “I’m never going to get this role.”
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: You just missed out on the role of a lifetime. See that’s the thing. You never give up. And you just keep plugging away. Because every failure, every rejection gets you one step closer to what you’re looking for.
Charan: And you know what’s interesting as well, I love what you’re saying. I think that the thing is, is kind of going back to liking yourself. If you truly like yourself, like if you genuinely, truly like yourself, then if people say yes or no, it doesn’t matter. You keep going. But if you’re waiting for that person to say yes, to make you feel validated about yourself. Then a rejection or two and you’re like, “Hey I’m out. I’m gone. This is the worst.” Right?
Rick: Absolutely. And that’s a hard feeling, but I guess it’s important to sell products. If we weren’t tearing down people’s self esteem and making them feel like life would be better if they owned this or that, or moved here accomplished that, wore these clothes, did their hair this way. Yeah, so I guess as a society we’re designed to tear people down so we can sell them products that artificially pump them up, which is really sad. And maybe, when you have nothing, and you’re sleeping on a picnic bench, you start to see through some of that. And so like I said, I’m grateful. The pressure of life, the pressure of the world is what makes diamonds, right? And I feel like that helped me in my soul a little bit grow.
Rick: And you know there may be people watching today and go, “Wow. Yeah, I can imagine that Jimmy. Because I’m looking at Rick and he is not symmetrical. That is a very ugly man.” Hey, we all know my email right, Mr. Not Ugly. Right? But that’s all a joke, but in seriousness. I don’t care what they think, because my wife finds whatever I am, attractive. And she’s the most important person in the world for that. And that’s really what matters. After that, who cares? If everyone else doesn’t care.
Rick White Talks About the Keys to Happiness
Rick: But I’ve realized that stuff’s so fleeting and unimportant. That is a weird thing that we’ve trained people. And there’s three things we train people to look for, which is so bizarre to me. You want to know my opinion on why so many people struggle either in relationships or business, is because they’re trying to live up to ideals created by the world. I’ll say it, Hollywood or anyone selling a magazine or online content are basically trying to sell themselves something. We all know Hollywood has a bazillion sponsors that have integrated products into every scene. So something is being sold to us.
Rick: But at the end of the day, how we feel about ourselves is important. And it’s important not to judge ourself by how good-looking am I? Because the one thing I can guarantee, is you’re not going to be good-looking for long. Everyone’s looks are fleeting. All right? I had the privilege of being at Zsa Zsa Gabor’s 93rd birthday.
Charan: Okay.
Rick: In her youth she was considered a stunning model. Now, I thought she was a lovely lady because she was really sweet. But would the world have judged a 93-year-old woman the same as the 23-year-old Zsa Zsa? No. Would men have fallen over themselves to want to sit next to her, hold her hand, kiss he cheek? 93 versus 23, probably not. But we value those looks.
Rick: The other thing we value is wealth. And wealth is so fleeting as well. It comes. It goes. Look at our president, how many times has he filed bankruptcy? Right? And we still don’t know what his real net worth is. He’s a really good brand maker, so who knows. Could be in the zillions, it could be a few million. We just don’t know. But it’s fleeting. It’s irrelevant.
Rick: The last one is fame. And fame is fleeting too. I bet if we were to bring out very, very big stars from the 60s and 70s, and present it to the kids today and they’d be like, “Who?”
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: I mean, think about it. If I said, “Hey. Donna Summers. Lee Majors.” I mean these were big stars in the 70s, right? “Charlie’s Angels,” the Bionic Man. They don’t know what I’m talking about. And I can say Gary Coleman from “Different Strokes.” And they just don’t know. So even fame is fleeting. Very rarely does fame last forever.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: So those are the three things that we value, but the sad thing is all three of those will help you in a relationship. You could have a very attractive, wealthy, famous person but if they’re not kind, if they don’t care about you, if they don’t take time, if they’re not present… Are you really going to be happy in that relationship? It’s great for the moment to maybe boost your self esteem if you have low self esteem. “Look who I’m dating. They see value in me, so I must be valuable.” Which is so sad that you need someone else to validate you to feel good about yourself.
Rick: And what’s sad about that is, none of that matters when some relationship struggle, when at the end of the day it’s not what they look like, it’s not how much money they have. It’s not… and those things, especially having enough money to live is important. And it’s hard to raise a family in a park, on a park picnic bench. But once you have enough to be comfortable, to have a home, to have a car, to save up once a year maybe to go on a vacation.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: That’s awesome. So anything more than that, it’s great, but it’s not going to bring you happiness. I always think, “Hey I hope you get all that fame and wealth you want so that you can see it’s really not such a big deal.” It’s not going to change who you are inside.
Charan: And it’s so fleeting. It’s so crazy because, man, Rick, you’re speaking pearls of wisdom here.
Rick: Yeah but none of it’s going to matter, because if you’re in the thick of trying to get money or fame right now, you’ll be like, “Shut up, old man. Go to bed, old man. You don’t know what you’re talking about. You just didn’t do it right.” So I hope they achieve it, so they can be the next person you interview that tells people, you know, focus on really loving yourself, not caring what other people think, spend time with your friends and family, and then do those things that bring you joy. And if it brings you joy to work 12 or 16 hours a day as a real estate agent, by golly work 12 or 16 hours and be the happiest person out there.
Charan: Yeah. It’s interesting, because of all the situations that have happened this year, resulting in this quarantine which no one really predicted or saw, it just kind of… it happened, right? It really forced me to start looking into my own life, and start thinking about, hey what are the things that I’m pursuing and chasing that aren’t really authentic to me. And I’ll tell you, Rick, our interactions, not just the picnic bench, but even going to the mall and hanging out and riding those little things around in the mall.
Rick: [crosstalk 00:48:03] I thought they were for kids. But I want to ride one. The big furry bear. I think I rode a bear and you rode a moose.
Charan: Or something, yeah.
Rick: They’re like little electric carts. And you could rent them. And you and I had big old race around the mall.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: Did you see the look on the other adults’ faces? I don’t know why they wouldn’t do it, but they were jealous.
Charan: They were jealous.
Rick: They’d smile, they’d laugh, but they wouldn’t do it. And I thought, “Why? Who told you you had to stop having fun when you grow up?”
Charan: You know, it’s the thing, it’s like, “Who told you that you had to let go of that sense of wonder?”
Rick: We’re fun. They were fun.
Charan: Are fun. I’ll tell you.
Rick: And it was fun. And I saw the look on their face. But again, it goes back to people are so afraid of being judged. But what I thought was, I’m having fun. If you’re judging me, it’s probably because you’re jealous. And if you’re not jealous, it’s because you don’t know how to have fun.
Charan: Right.
Rick: And could I be wrong? Sure. But that’s what I tell myself, and it makes me feel good.
Charan: Yeah. Well, you know what? I’ll tell you, I decided I need to just have a lot more fun enjoying my life. That was a goal. That was a big thing that I had to do. Because I was like, “Why am I trying to pursue things, for whatever reason, because other people are saying, or the world is saying, that’s what you should be doing? That’s what is going to-“
Rick: That’s because the world is trying to sell you something.
Charan: They’re trying to sell me something. They’re trying to sell me an ideology, or whatever.
Rick: Whatever.
Charan: But when I was focusing on just having fun and joy, I found myself so much more authentic, way more authentic. And as a result, I was able to connect with people on a better level than I had before. And I’m like, “Holy cow. This feels so much more free.” This feels so much more light than trying to live a narrative that somebody else was proposing to me, if that makes sense.
Rick: It makes sense, and you get it. Everyone else is trying to tell us what we’re supposed to be. “Oh, you sold your businesses for billions of dollars. Good for you. Wow. What sort of suit are you wearing? What do you drive?” “Well, I drive a Jeep Wrangler, an older one. I like it. It makes me happy.” I buy cheap shoes, because I feel like expensive shoes are a waste because I’m hard on them. And so I do what makes me happy. But the world tells me I need to live a life. And I have to confess, the first company I sold I did that. I had a business advisor who convinced me I needed to buy a fancy watch and a few things like this. And I remember that person, after he embezzled money, and then was sentenced to 10–15 years in prison-
Charan: Wow.
Rick: Yeah. And it was interesting, because I was changing a bit. I was spending a lot of time in LA. Flying out on our private jet to some of those parties. It was interesting, my kids were home with a nanny, and suddenly he had done some thing where suddenly I had to sell my home and start over. And I did. But it was very humbling. I had to move into a rental place with my family. We had a small television on a cardboard box. And this was after I sold the company for $319 million.
Charan: Wow.
Rick: And it was just gone. And I was able to achieve that success and bring it back. Probably fifty-fold, and personally, my personal [inaudible 00:51:41] 50X, where I was before. And people say, “Wow. That’s awesome. Don’t you wish you could go back in time and warn yourself about that person? Think about how far ahead you would be.” And I thought, “Well, maybe I would have more money, maybe I wouldn’t, but I would be a terrible person.”
Rick: Because at that time I was focused on a very expensive watch, and a very nice suit, and eating at the right restaurants, and going to the right parties. I was worried about my image. And when I got humbled, it was really interesting how quickly I wasn’t invited to these parties. And I found out who my friends were really fast. And it changed me. So I would never go back in time and tell myself. Because that collapse, my financial wealth was the greatest gift the universe ever gave me. Because it humbled me in a way I needed to be humbled again.
Rick: And so, I reset, and haven’t looked back. And in fact, even when I was starting to feel bad about not having enough money. It’s like, “Oh you sold your companies for $3 billion? Well, this person just sold theirs for $15 billion. It’s too bad you ended so soon, you could have been part of this or that.” And I was feeling bad. And then you and I spent the night in a park to help me reset.
Rick: I think it’s important to reset and remember where we came from. It’s important to stop comparing ourselves to others. I think it’s important to stop trying to please others, or fit in, or fit their narrative. And now, through life, because I’m grateful I’ve lived this life, I’ve gone through a lot of hard things that I can reflect on. And that’s what’s helped me figure out what brings me joy and happiness. And I’m lucky. I’m lucky that I’ve had those hard, hard times. People that haven’t had hard times, I feel bad for them, because it’s going to be harder for them to find this.
Charan: It’s going to be much harder. And especially when they do go through a hard time, they may not make it out. You know? If they’re so deeply entrenched in a world of focusing on money, and wealth, and fame, or whatever it is. Then when it starts slipping away because it is fleeting, then they’ll be very, very disappointed.
Rick: You know, I’ve been asked to speak at universities around the country about business, and I usually avoid even interviews like this because I’m such a private person. It’s not my thing. You’re my friend, so of course I’m going to do it for you.
Charan: Yeah, of course, you’re the best, man.
Rick White Talks About His Secrets to Success
Rick: But I’ve done a few universities, just because favors, and in their entrepreneurial programs. And I remember one of the most popular questions I would get was, “How much funding do I need?” I hear underfunding companies are why they fail. I still feel bad saying, “That’s just wrong. I’m sorry whatever professor taught you that. Funding is nothing more than a band-aid to tell you that you have no customers. And it keeps you alive until you find customers. “But the true secret to success is not about funding and having enough, it’s about having customers.
Rick: In fact, I would say, never quit your day job. Never bet the farm, which means “take out a mortgage on your house.” And then work your butt off in the extra hours, find customers, keep them happy, replicate the sale. Once you’ve done that, once you have customers on a repeatable sale, people will give you money. The more customers you have, the more money they’ll throw your way.
Rick: So focus on customers, because that’s the secret to success. And then keep them happy. Keep those customers happy. Because if you keep your customers happy, they’ll reward you. And they reward you with profit. If it’s all about money for you, and making money, customers will pick up that energy. And, they’ll be like, “Oh, how do I negotiate a better price?” But if you care about them, they’re going to care about you, and go, [inaudible 00:55:24] a little more, but I love that they’ll come to my house on weekends, when I need them.
Rick: And so take care of your customers, focus on customers, that’s the secret to success. And again, it goes back to not focusing on yourself, focusing on others. Remember when we talked about, family and friends? And I want to end that thought on this little thing. You’ll let me ramble.
Charan: Please.
Rick: All right. I’m going to ask you a tricky question.
Charan: Okay, ask me.
Rick: Personal question. Do you celebrate Christmas?
Charan: I do.
Rick: Okay. So for those of us that celebrate Christmas, I do too… have you ever received a present that you just really loved?
Charan: Yeah. I’m sure I have. I’m sure I have. I’m trying to remember what it is-
Rick: Maybe for a kid it was the toy you wanted.
Charan: For sure.
Rick: Perfect toy. And it brought you joy. It’s awesome. Have you ever given a gift to someone, and they just loved it, and they were so happy? I have.
Charan: Yeah. I have. I have. Yeah.
Rick: And that feeling to me was way better than the present I received that made me happy.
Charan: Yeah.
Rick: Getting a really cool gift, that’s awesome. Giving a gift to someone that loves it. To me that feels so much better. And that should tell you what the secret of happiness is. No matter how much success, money, fame you gain for yourself, it’ll never feel as good as what you give and connect with others.
Charan: I love that, man. I love that. And I’m telling you. I think that’s probably the best way to end this podcast. Because it truly is about giving. And I really appreciate you giving me this time, and chatting with me. Again, Rick, I have loved our interactions and hanging out with each other, just because memories that we’ve had is worth to me so much more than any monetary value.
Rick: That’s how I feel too. And you know the best part about that? When you give and care about other people, they care about you, and your life becomes so much richer. And also, you’ll find more opportunities for roles, when you’re trying to get a role, say, on a TV show, more opportunities in jobs, more opportunities to meet someone that’s compatible as a companion. All the things that you want in life surprisingly come when you don’t except or demand them, but instead you just give unconditionally. People give back. It’s beautiful.
Charan: Yeah. Rick, man. I could talk to you for hours. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for the-
Rick: This guy rambled a lot.
Charan: No. Dude. I love it.
Rick: Charan, I’ve really enjoyed this a whole lot.
Charan: Yeah, man, me too.
Rick: At the end of the day, anyone listening to this podcast, you’re my friend. And if they have any other questions, forward them on, I will take time to answer any of those questions personally. One for you as my friend, but one for them. Because I want them to find happiness. I actually think… I’m selfish. It’ll just make the world a better place if we’re all a lot happier.
Charan: Yeah. Absolutely.
Rick: Thank you so much for this interview, man. I really enjoyed it.
Charan: Dude. This has been the best. Thank you so much. I always get way more than I give. Whenever I ask for these interviews, it’s always me that’s getting so much wisdom and knowledge. Thank you, Rick, you’re the best. Thanks for taking the time.
Rick: [crosstalk 00:59:07] all right take care.
Charan: Have a great one, okay? Take it easy.
Charan: Thanks so much for listening to the Lemonade Stand podcast, and we hope you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you use, to be alerted when we release new episodes. We’d also love to hear your feedback in the reviews, and if you or someone you know has an awesome Lemonade Stand story, please reach out to us on social media and let us know. Thanks so much and have a great day.