Who are you, and what do you do?
My name is Richart Ruddie. I started off as an internet entrepreneur who wanted to work in finance but was finishing college at a time when the financial world was collapsing. I was lucky enough to lean on resources of mine to get an internship at a boutique hedge fund in South Florida at a time when banks were failing wasn’t an ideal time to enter the finance job market. Since the timing wasn’t ideal I was put on a project growing a new startup that was being funded by the hedge fund. My success and skills developed over the last decade and I have expanded my horizons and diversified my investments and business holdings ranging from finance, real estate, iPhone & Android applications, software monitoring products, and reputation management.
What is one habit of yours that helps you be productive?
Communication. It’s one of the most essential keys to success. If you can’t communicate properly with your co-workers or clients then it is very hard to succeed in today’s world. Everybody has a phone and can take a few seconds to answer an email, text, or call and that makes a world of difference. Communication is key.
What is your morning routine and how does it help you get the most out of your day?
I will be the first to tell you that I’m not a morning person and have been able to find success without waking up at the crack of dawn. I’m a night owl and find myself to be the most productive working through projects at night when there are fewer distractions. When I wake up I go through emails and start to set an agenda for the day of essential tasks that I need to work on for that day.
In the last few years, what lifestyle, habit or behavior change has had the biggest positive impact on your life?
Living a very health-conscious lifestyle is important to me and something that I’ve gladly adopted that wasn’t as prevalent when I was younger. Shots of Wheatgrass, juicing, meditation and yoga are all essential to me. As Ray Dalio states in his book Principles he can resolve problems and think clearly after a good work out.
When you feel unfocused, what do you do?
I rotate onto the next project or task that needs to be worked on. Luckily there’s no shortage of work to be completed at any given time and as one task gets completed it opens up the opportunity to start
What is one piece of software or a web service that you get immense value out of? How do you use it?
Ring Central and Voice Nation. They have great phone service and provide the flexibility and ability to connect with your clients 24 hours a day no matter where in the world you are.
What is the one book you most often recommend and why?
Above I mentioned s which is an excellent read for any entrepreneur, finance personnel, and those looking for a self-help book. Principles teach you different ways to evaluate those around you and yourself to further improve yourself and your life. The last book I read was Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and I’m currently reading Bruce Lee’s book. 0 to 1 By Peter Thiel. It gives you a new way to think about business. The other all-time favorite of mine is How to Win Friends and Influence People. I’m an avid reader and miscellaneously blog about books I’m about to read as a public note for my own tracking and recording.
What advice would you give a smart and ambitious recent college graduate? What advice should they ignore?
Don’t try to predict the future. While some made millions in the crypto market few If any knew without a doubt that the currency would rise to the levels it did. If you try to predict the future you will be wrong. Take things as they come, play the cards that are dealt, and work hard. When we hire we look for those who hold the 3 H’s which are honesty, hard-working, and high aptitude.
What has been one insight or lesson that has been most helpful in your career?
I had a job making a very small salary but my boss at the time knew that I had much greater potential than being a muni-bond trader. He sat me down the last week of February and said some birds are meant to spread their wings and fly and not be locked up in a cage and I don’t want to keep you locked up in a cage not achieving your greatest potential. This was a pivotal moment that set me free and allowed me to eventually soar like an Eagle. Don’t settle and don’t be afraid to take a chance and reach your potential. You can always cut back on expenses and forgo going out on the weekends to build your business and a better life through harder work when you’re younger. I recommend you read about how D.E. Shaw hired a young Jeff Bezos in New York and had a similar break up when he went to move out to Seattle, Washington to start building Amazon.com.
What has been your favorite mistake? A mistake that in retrospect led to a great lesson and progress.
When I left my corporate job I was going back to school part-time to get a masters in Accounting as I figured that would be something I could always fall back on and would have an opportunity to further accelerate me in the business world. I wasn’t trying to make it as a DJ or an actor I just wanted a stable life after grinding it out in the “traditional” work environment and figured going back to school would be that solution. What happened however that I ended up delegating and hiring others to work on my projects and homework as I worked on my business and fulfilling client’s orders. The mistake of going back to school taught me that my skills were in hiring quality people and delegating work that I wasn’t proficient in. Having the knowledge to know that you don’t know is an essential key to success.
Project forward ten years. How will your industry or field be fundamentally different then?
What opportunities do you see? I’ll focus on the SEO field as I’ve seen that change tremendously from 2009 to 2019 and the change from 1999 to 2009 was even more drastic. Social media advertising wasn’t really a thing 10 years ago and has now taken over a large share of digital ad dollars. Ranking even number 1 for competitive terms today you have more ads and results pushing you further and further down. I see this as a growing trend and only the most highly recognized brands and sites being found at the top of the search unless you’re paying for ads. Voice searches and Google’s focus on A.I. for search results will be the biggest growing trend in search over the next decade.
What are some bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?
Everybody with a blog thinks they are an expert and can give advice. The biggest misnomer that I feel in the SEO world is that no-follow links are worthless and don’t count. Link acquisition should be thought of as beneficial beyond the benefit it may give you moving up in the search results. If you think of all links in that capacity than you will start acquiring higher quality links.
In the last two years, what have you become better at saying no to?
Definitely not to travel. This year I’ll have gone to 10 countries 8 of which I’ve never been to before. I get pitched a lot of business opportunities and link placements. Those have become easier to say no to.
What is your favorite quote, one you aim to live by?
Whether you think you can or you think you can’t your right.
If a recent graduate wanted to reach out, what would be the best way to connect with you?
Here is my Linkedin you can connect with me and send me a message.