In this episode, Rich and John Richards discuss:

• The influence of mentorship on his entrepreneurial journey
• How radical candor transformed his approach to leadership
• Balancing work, family, and personal fulfillment as an entrepreneur
• The power of networking and negotiation in building strong relationships
• The mindset shift from short-term sacrifice to long-term success

Key Takeaways:

• Work a few years like nobody else will so you can live the rest of your life like no one else can. The early years of entrepreneurship require intense effort, but hard work should lead to long-term freedom, not perpetual sacrifice.
• Balance is intentional, not accidental. No matter how demanding a career is, carving out sacred time for family—like nightly dinners—prevents work from consuming everything.
• Saying "yes" to everything doesn’t create harmony; it often leads to disappointment. Learning to be honest and direct, even when it’s uncomfortable, fosters trust and stronger relationships.
• True networking isn’t just about collecting contacts—it’s about engaging in meaningful conversations that lead to real mentorship, partnerships, and opportunities.
• Negotiating is the most valuable activity a human can be doing at any one time. From business deals to family discussions, knowing how to communicate and find common ground is a skill that influences every area of life.

"What good does wealth and success in the business world compensate for if you lose your family and have a divorce and have a bad relationship with your children, right?" — John Richards

About John Richards:

John E. Richards is an entrepreneur, venture investor, mentor, and educator. His endeavors involve founding, operating, managing, selling, and investing in enterprises. Though he is a generalist, he mentors entrepreneurs frequently in software, Internet, mobile, blockchain, and consumer products. Most recently, in 2022 he founded Startup Ignition Ventures, a pre-seed venture fund, a natural extension of his well-known Startup Ignition entrepreneur bootcamp.

He served as Google Fiber’s Head of Operations when Google entered the Utah market.

He spent over a decade teaching entrepreneurship at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where he helped the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology to global prominence and top rankings. He has been listed as one of the Top 25 entrepreneurial educators in the United States. He was managing partner of UtahAngels, a venture investing group. He co-founded BoomStartup, a leading tech seed accelerator. He has invested in hundreds of ventures and mentored thousands.

Early in his career, he was president of a Yellow Pages publishing company and later created the first-ever online Yellow Pages that led to an initial public offering and a multi-billion-dollar valuation as part of InfoSpace, Inc. John is a frequent speaker at conferences and other events. He and his family reside in Utah.

Connect with John Richards:

Website: https://startupignition.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrichards/

Connect with Rich Woo:

Website: www.catalyst.nm.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/richwoo/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rich_woo/?hl=en

Book: The Relationship Recession - https://a.co/d/dXlXd71

Email: [email protected]