Rio Rocket is a multi-hyphenate film, television and voice actor stars in a recurring role on the ABC TV Series For Life and motivational spokesperson for Lowe’s Companies. He also hosts the professional development podcast Design Your Decade.
What is Design Your Decade all about?
Design your Decade: Journey to the C-Suite abbreviated as DYD, is a professional development consultancy which offers personalized coaching for the development of soft skills, hard skills, leadership skills and networking skills. Our core demographic comprises of recent college graduates, new employees and middle management. The brand voice utilizes podcasting as a platform for its message.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I have extensive experience in branding, marketing and web development. I’ve spent the greater portion of the last decade acting for film, television and have worked with Lowe’s Companies as their motivational spokesperson for three years now. In addition, my experience as a voice actor has set the perfect stage to give my startup a professional and polished voice. I partnered with bilingual motivational speaker and certified Gallups Strengths Facilitator, Rosann Santos, to successfully launch an interactive podcast and professional development resource for the modern professional in 2021. Our combined knowledge and experience has also helped us create an extensive course curriculum.
What are your plans, how do you plan to grow this company?
We began with a foundational approach to the podcast as if you’re listening to an audible mini-masterclass. We released a trailer and an episode zero to explain the purpose of the podcast while we developed the course material behind the scenes. We dropped episodes one through five on the same day – quite an unusual format for a podcast. The purpose was to introduce and offer our audience instant access to the Five Pillars of Success: Strengths, Executive Presence, Adaptability, Passion & Authenticity and Networking! Networking! Networking! We are now offering executive consulting and career coaching to build the organization through both media and by word-of-mouth.
What was the biggest problem you encountered with your business and how did you overcome it?
Design Your Decade was originally intended to be the Netflix for Career Growth. The Pandemic of 2020 made filming on a video set with a crew impossible. Using the second pillar of success, Adaptability, we pivoted our idea into a podcast as the delivery mechanism. This move proved to be serendipitous since our audience of ages 18-35 are now tapping into podcasts more than ever before.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
The biggest mistake was to initially be hardwired into thinking we can only do this one way. The idea of creating a streaming video portal was so appealing in the planning stages when there were announcements of several new competitors to Netflix and Hulu. Among those were Disney+, Apple, HBO Max and Peacock (NBCUniversal Streaming Service). I wanted to go big and throw my hat in the ring by creating a streaming service focused strictly on career growth. What the pandemic taught me was that there will often be external forces completely beyond your control. You must have a backup plan and learn to adapt. Work from home is now the norm and the landscape of technology and business has been changed forever. It’s simply adapt or die.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
Our delivery mechanism for our career coaching and consulting services is via podcast but how we deliver our message in each episode is not what you’d expect in the genre. I’m a comedic and light-hearted person by nature and wanted the show to reflect my personality. We believe we have successfully married humor and education to inspire, educate and entertain simultaneously. Each episode begins with a skit. It’s usually a parody of a pop culture reference that ties into the topic. Mid-episode we run down a Top 5 List and close with a Health Tip of the Day. In between, we deliver rapid fire lessons covering various skills with the intent to keep our listeners employed and employable. We believe we have completely brokem the mold and disrupted the myth that learning is tedious, boring and lacks an entertainment component
What is one thing that you do daily to grow as an entrepreneur?
Every day I learn something. Even if it’s the smallest thing I can glean from a book, television show, YouTube video, blog post, podcast episode or live conversation. I read a great deal on Quora, which is essentially an intellectual social network with questions and answers from experts. I absorb a wealth of information and knowledge from there daily.
What are three books or courses you recommend for new entrepreneurs?
- The Magic of Thinking Big, David J. Schwartz
- Masterclass.com, Advertising and Creativity, Jeff Goodby &Rich Silverstein
- The 60 Minute Startup, Ramesh Dontha
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?
Before starting this business I wish I knew something as big as this pandemic was coming. But since that wasn’t possible I wish I knew better how to scale quickly and effectively when I first started out as an entrepreneur decades ago. Growing your business is a learning process that gives the test first and the lesson after. You learn why it’s called growing pains quickly.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
Branding, networking and word-of-mouth by far has superseded anything else I have ever implemented. A memorable brand, combined with both online and offline networking and spreading positive energy through word-of-mouth is the golden goose of marketing.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
I would spend it on R&D (Research and Development) and preliminary test marketing. This way if the idea flops you will only have lost $1000 dollars to find out instead of $100,000 or more.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Under no circumstances ever accept defeat. Failure is ok because that means you tried and (hopefully) learned why your previous effort failed. This brings you one step closer to success. But ultimate failure is to be defeated, hence give up, and for the true entrepreneur that is simply not an option.
What is your favorite quote?
Be the flame not the moth! – Giacomo Casanova. Moths just go around chasing flames only to be incinerated into ashes. Flames burn bright and are indifferent and unattached to the outcome – thus attracting the moth. Be the attraction and not led to destruction due to your attraction. Be the seducer, not the seduced.
Random Bonus: With the game on the line and 5 seconds on the clock, who takes the last shot? Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or Lebron James?
I call the play for LeBron James to take the last shot because I believe his legacy, although already awe inspiring, is not yet fulfilled. He seems to only be getting better 18 seasons into his illustrious NBA career and has not yet solidified his place on the Mount Rushmore of all-time greats with everyone. LeBron drains the game-winning shot easy.
How can we get in touch with you?
My business website Design Your Decade, my personal website Rio Rocket, or find me on Instagram and LinkedIn.
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