Right About Now with Ryan Alford
Why Authenticity and 'Being Known' Are the Keys to Success in Today's Media Landscape Amid 2025’s Turbulent Business Climate
Fri, 03 Jan 2025
In the New Year's special episode of "Right About Now," recorded on January 3, 2025, host Ryan Alford and co-host Chris Hansen discuss business trends, personal branding, and the evolving landscape of podcasting. They highlight the surge in gym attendance due to New Year resolutions and the importance of personal branding on social media. The duo also explores the rise of podcasting as a mainstream medium and makes predictions for Bitcoin's future. Emphasizing health and wellness as foundational for success, they encourage listeners to embrace change and leverage digital tools for personal and professional growth in 2025.TAKEAWAYS New Year reflections and resolutions, particularly regarding gym attendance. Discussion of a significant hacking incident and its implications for national security. Importance of personal branding and leveraging social media for growth. The rise of podcasting as a mainstream medium and its evolution. Predictions for Bitcoin's price and its market trends in 2025. The changing landscape of the workforce and employee retention challenges. Emphasis on adopting a lean business model for smaller teams. The critical role of health and wellness in achieving business success. Encouragement for listeners to embrace positivity and determination in the New Year. The significance of authenticity and engagement in building a personal brand. If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, join Ryan’s newsletter https://ryanalford.com/newsletter/ to get Ferrari level advice daily for FREE. Learn how to build a 7 figure business from your personal brand by signing up for a FREE introduction to personal branding https://ryanalford.com/personalbranding. Learn more by visiting our website at www.ryanisright.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: What are the New Year business trends for 2025?
What's up, guys? Welcome to Right About Now. Happy New Year as we start 2025 here on our weekly marketing and business news of the week, January 3rd, 2025. What's up, Chris Hansen? What's up, big dog? How are you? I'm good, man. Happy New Year. Happy New Year. If you're listening to this, it is the new year. We are admittedly, we do pre-record these.
But we are in 2025 when you're listening because this release on the Friday. I am definitely on the beach at this moment in time. I'm just going to place shift myself. I'm having. OK, it's around noon when we're recording this. I'm probably on my first like beer and margarita mix with some pancakes. Nice.
That's breakfast of champions, brunch of champions.
Exactly. What's cooking, Chris? In Miami, you know, like it's the new year.
New year, yeah, man. I expected Jim to be very busy with New Year resolutioners. Yes, exactly.
It's so funny. It is funny how we joke about that, but it's so true. That's why I built my own home, Jim. I'm doing it all. I got the garage. My garage has been converted because I kind of, I'm getting old, man. I know it. Like I go in and I like having some people around some humanity, but it just sort of drives me crazy. Cause like, you know, I'm not Mr. Olympia, but I got a routine.
I'm consistent. It doesn't take new years. And I walk in and I'm like, I'm proud of people. But at the same time, I'm like, damn, man, I I'm waiting for shit.
Don't have to wait on waiting for it to hurt to thin out a little bit. Come like, you know, Mark.
Yeah. February, March. Exactly. We're on a little bit of a skeleton crew. I'm in my new office. Got the wall of fame behind me. The mini big time guests we've had on our weekly guest episode of right about now. I'm standing. I do. I'm set up for the, you know, I got my mic in here, got everything. I thought this thing shining on the lights would be good.
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Chapter 2: How important is personal branding in today's media?
Chapter 3: What are the implications of recent hacking incidents?
They got President Biden's solitary history. You know, that was it. Right.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
They got his Metamucil formula for the morning.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So no new codes, just really unclassified stuff. Yeah. Nothing, nothing important, nothing to see here. Uh, and, but it did say in a major incidents quote, but non classified. I don't know, man. It's just, okay. A digital key was compromised, uh, I think my son Clayton could probably break into the State Department. I don't know.
I don't know what to believe here, but let's get that shit locked up. President Trump, let's button it up a little bit. We could buy the best hackers in the world. Can't we buy the best? It takes a criminal to know one. Let's just put them on the payroll. Maybe they do that. I don't know. That's what I saw in Born Identity, right? where I get all my government knowledge.
So... They offer the bad guys a deal and convert them over.
Yeah. What's... What's the biggest, I mean, you know, we talked last time about winners and losers, but anything like on your radar, like 2025, like, you know, we've got a few more news articles we'll talk about. I'm going to talk about podcasting. We've been talking about that a while, the Radcast Network, some exciting trends in podcasting and video, the things we've been telling you for years.
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Chapter 4: How is podcasting evolving in 2025?
Like literally, we have all the data. I'm actually even going to pull up like one of our charts of our research we've been looking at. One of our partners sounds profitable. Give them a shout out. That really show where the industry is going and what we're doing with the network with shows that come on. But here's the biggest thing.
And this may not seem like a big statement, but more people now tune in and watch podcasts than those that don't. This just passed the threshold. It was always like 30% or 40% of people, so it was somewhat niche. Now it's fully mainstream, and we can all agree, unless you got your head in the sand, that the presidential election was... in large part, determined by what happened. And it's crazy.
So this genie's not going back in the bottle. More people are doing it. Watchable podcasts are growing in popularity. One in three people now say they actively watch podcasts with videos. So, again, the two year change is significant in how this landscape is changing from just audio to audio, video and then the interplay of social media. And it can't be ignored.
Hopefully you're watching this on YouTube or Spotify or any of the social media networks. But YouTube is driving over 50 percent of podcast discovery. So you've got nearly double the next source. Next source is the internet and Facebook, 27%. So what does that mean? When people were asked how they find or learn about new podcasts, over 50% said YouTube. That's crazy, isn't it, man?
I mean, even as you're talking, I was thinking back home over the holidays, my mom was telling me, you know, she listens to a podcast every day. And she shares an office with a woman and she was telling me, oh, well, now she started listening to it every day. And what I'm thinking, all right, she's near 70 years old. And that is now her biggest source of income. entertainment and information.
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Chapter 5: What predictions are there for Bitcoin's future?
Yep.
Even my dad, he doesn't have cable. He uses YouTube TV. You know, you can call it TV, right? But it's YouTube. Even if you've got the major networks utilizing it, it's streaming. Exactly.
So, I mean, like you said, we've talked about this as long as I've been working with you, but I can, if anyone takes a pause and just look at your own life and your group of people you're around and how they're receiving most of their
data it's all through the smartphone only people i know watching a tv is because they're streaming a movie or sports yeah or sports or or or movie or like you know a netflix series yeah i mean no one is watching normal cable television no very few and even if you are watching what we used to be on and say the bachelor that's on netflix now you know yep
Half of weekly podcast consumers follow a favorite host on social media. This is that interplay. 62% of people that listen to the show follow that host on Instagram. You know what I'm saying, man? It all is the interplay of social media and podcasting combined with the power of those channels all working together. And that's what we're doing at the Radcast Network.
The biggest thing is you got all these people that are measuring audio. You got people doing measuring video. You got measurement of social media. Well, we're bringing that all together. It's called Podcast Total Influence. P-T-I, baby. Podcast Total Influence. We're branding at, we're literally bringing to bear the multi-platform impacts that podcasts have.
And you can fight the audio game all you want. But the reality is this industry with sponsors, with ads needs to be integrating all of these things in for a multi-platform experience for sponsors. And that's what we're doing. Because again, the interplay of these media is what makes it super powerful, right? And you know how I stay super powerful? I integrate it in right here, baby.
It's called X. Mark the spot, exponent. It is the energy drink that fuels right about now and Ryan Offord. And again, it's exactly what I'm saying. I'm practicing what I preach, but it's true. I only work with the brands I love. I love these guys. I love the branding. I love how clean it is. We're talking about fusion energy, adaptogens, nootropics, electrolytes, and amino acids.
Zero sugar, plant-based products. Healthy as it gets. Gives you that pep. You see it X marks the spot for energy and clean energy, which is what matters. Exponent, official energy drink of Ryan Offord in right about now. Boom. That's what I'm talking about. You need to watch that on YouTube. You got to see how cool these new cans are. Got some new flavors coming out, Chris. I'm pumped, man.
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Chapter 6: How can health and wellness contribute to business success?
That's an IOU. You might want to hold on to that one. One Bitcoin, $200,000.
That's real dollars. I mean, you know. When you got my dad starting to talk about predictions, that's a good time, right? That's when you know. And I said this six months ago. When the mainstream media starts talking about it and all these random people that haven't talked about in four years, it's not going anywhere, right? It's down a little bit. We're at 94,800 today. Big deal. Okay.
It was at 68,000 three months ago. But yes, there's all kind of wild estimates here, you know, all the way up to 200,000. I don't know. Who knows, right? I'm comfortable seeing 120, but I think with this new administration and who knows what's going to happen with banking policies and whatnot. So it's looking bright. Future's looking bright.
Yep. It said approval of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs in 2024 marked a pivotal moment, broadening institutional and retail investor appeal. 2024 Bitcoin halving event reduced supply, supporting price momentum. You know, I'm seeing everything from $120 to $250. And I think it's safe to say, isn't it, that the broader market seems to come along.
If Bitcoin's raising universally, I mean, unless it's just some crap token like what, Hawk to a Girl, whatever the fucking scam that was. Yeah. Yeah.
What do you say? A high tide raises all ships. Exactly. Yeah. So your big movers, Bitcoin, and then your Dogecoin, stuff like that, I think all that is going to rise up with it. And probably things like Doge and more of these quote unquote meme coins will have larger gains probably, but then they'll probably drop off harder as well.
Yep. So big things coming from crypto was in our winners, losers and recommendations for 2025. So it's really just another investment platform. I mean, you know, it's a legitimate place. I joke a lot about gambling and all that. It sort of is legalized gambling. It's so funny. I saw somebody joking about, you know, like brokers just are essentially bookies. I did the whole analogy, right?
Stock market bookies. We just legitimize it. We put them in suits and called it Wall Street. And, you know, but just sit up one step away from off track betting. Same skill set. Yeah. Oh, it's so funny. Like I also, you know, saw the news yesterday. Lots of CEOs turning over this year. CEO departures. Says nearly 2,000 CEOs have stepped down from their roles between January and November.
It feels like... It's a tough year in business. Tough year in business. And I almost feel like we're also like this short-termism, man. Everything. Like it's easy come, easy go. Convenience rises fast. It seems like it's all related to me a little bit. And look, we all love our conveniences. We all love this stuff. But I think that how does that relate to business?
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Chapter 7: What role does authenticity play in personal branding?
Just think people, they're impatient and they think they want change. And sometimes you got to stay the hard road. And then sometimes just, you know, it's time for change. I mean, I'm not, every situation is unique. I just think it feels like a sign of the times, right? All right. Out with the old, in with the new. And old now defined as 18 months.
And you see it with your own workforce. Yeah. With our own businesses, right? The employee turnover is, it's not someone giving you 20 years of your life. No. Like they used to in the old days, right? Now, I mean, I think most people I know, They're at a job maybe two to five years and move to the next one.
Yeah, at most.
I mean, I had a conversation with a buddy yesterday. Hey, I want to completely switch industries from real estate to software. He's bored. Yeah.
And, hey, each their own. It's fine. Yeah. It's just I'm getting more and more to this lean approach of like, okay.
I, my recommendation is, and I mean, look, once you're Coca-Cola size, different game, you know, like, but let's just say micro teams, like five to 10 people that are all highly skilled, highly smart and all pulling the same direction and building, you know, like high equity stakes and,
so that everybody's kind of rowing it and then build, you know, build your administrative, you know, overseas VAs, whatever around that.
But you have like a central nucleus of a centralized skillset, all pulling one direction with, well, I mean, that's a centralized like company, but then like five or six people that all have unique skillsets, but then building the ancillary around it, but not necessarily a company where you have 50 employees on the book. I think that's the way it is. Lean, mean, baby. Nimble. Nimble, nimble.
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Chapter 8: How can listeners leverage digital tools for growth?
Got to move quick. Got to, you know, like be able to. I just think. And again, I'm kind of painting with a broad brush that I don't mean to, but like I just think being able to move nimble. Consistent revenue the exact same way. is not consistent anymore. Like, I think you've got to be nimble month to month or quarter to quarter when you're a small business and entity.
And there's a lot of different ways that you can sort of pivot and evolve throughout a year's time across, you know, a subset of disciplines. And that's sort of what we're doing with like Radical Inc. We've got the Radcast Network, which is obviously I think the mainstay and been building that for seven years. But,
I think the ancillary things around it with ways with which to monetize when you have a group of skill sets in business services is becoming unique. It's a little volatile, but if you're nimble, you can take advantage of it. That's my thoughts on that. But lots of CEOs stepping down, except for this one. CEO of life. We're staying right here. I know.
And hey, speaking of that, getting your life right, you got to get your health right. That's what Chris and I do on Vibe Science. Go check that out. Vibe Science podcast. Got some big hitters coming up on that show as well. We're taking you to your highest vibe. Look, all this circles around. You can talk about business, talk about all this stuff and podcasts, personal brand.
All that means nothing if your health is shit. Because think about it, Chris. If The moment we do all this stuff, I could hit the lottery. We could have a big sales. We could, you know, sell one of our brands for nine figures. But does it mean anything if you're in bed with, with the flu? Like in that moment, or I mean, even worse, like, you know, something more.
So you got to take care of your health and wellness, mind, body, energy. We bring on the best guests. We're empowering you. We're navigating it for you. Like we're not, we don't know it all. We're not doctors. Yeah. We just play them on our podcast. No, I'm kidding. We don't. We bring in a lot of people smarter than us that tell you about it. So we're empowering.
It's an empowerment show on health, wellness, mind, body, energy. That right, brother? That's right. It is part of science. Yes. Check that out. Vibe science podcast. Look, it's the new year. Got hacked by China. We're not going to overwhelm you with too much. We appreciate you for listening. We know you have options. I like wearing this belt, so I'd appreciate it if you keep listening.
I don't want to have to hide it or send it to somebody. Go subscribe to that YouTube channel. Go watch us on Spotify or YouTube. You can see Chris and his pretty face with his Mark Wahlberg t-shirt on. Yes. Shout out to Mark. Municipal. Municipal sponsor. Plug. And we appreciate all our sponsors. Branded Bills, Independence Center, Exponent. Appreciate everyone for making this happen for us.
We couldn't do it without the support of the listeners, the sponsors. And I appreciate you, Chris. Likewise, brother.
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