Episode 179
Episode #174 - Bouncing Back To A Higher Aim: An Interview With Senthil Kumar
Starting over is never easy in any type of context. Whether it is with a personal relationship, a business, or going through a messy situation at work, dealing with numerous different variables can be challenging if you are not prepared to address these situations in an adequate, efficient way. Imagine the difficulties of trying to take on all of these different situations at once, which can impact your physical and mental well being. Today's guest, Senthil Kumar, Founder & Owner of SEO with Senthil, challenges the stereotypical approaches of overcoming obstacles when it comes to the business realm after experiencing much hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, but finding his renewed purpose to help business owners be discovered online. Through lessons that he shares, his remarkable story serves as a reminder that it is never too late to start over at any stage to find purpose in what you do to help others become their very best.
Guest Bio
Senthilkumar is "kind of" an obsessed entrepreneur who has been running his own businesses for the past 10 years. While running his t-shirt printing company and art studio business (which he scaled to over a million dollars in revenue using SEO), it almost ruined his health in the name of “hustle” and “temporary sacrifices”. He emptied his entire bank account when the art studio crashed during the COVID-19 pandemic and had to pay off over $100,000 in business debt as a solo founder when his team left. Today, he sold the art studio business, came out of the mess that he created, and discovered his passion of serving other purpose driven business owners who are looking to grow their business with SEO.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/senthil.kumar.96387/
Website: https://www.seowithsenthil.com/
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Intro/Outro By: Michael Dugan, Podcast Host: Voice4Chefs
Transcript
Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and
2
:determination all converge into
an amazing, heartfelt experience.
3
:This is Speaking From The Heart.
4
:Joshua: Welcome back to episode
number 174 of Speaking from the Heart.
5
:Today, we have Senthil Kumar,
another international guest,
6
:joining us on the show.
7
:Senthil, is quote unquote, kind of an
obsessed entrepreneur who has been running
8
:his own business for the past 10 years.
9
:While running his t-shirt printing company
and art studio business, which he scaled
10
:to over a million dollars in revenue using
search engine optimization, better known
11
:as SEO, it almost ruined his health in the
name of hustle and temporary sacrifices.
12
:He emptied his entire bank account
when the art studio crashed during
13
:the COVID 19 pandemic, and had to pay
off over $100,000 in business debt
14
:as a solo founder when his team left.
15
:Today, he sold the art studio business,
came out of the mess that he created, and
16
:discovered his passion of serving other
purpose driven business owners who are
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:looking to grow their business with SEO.
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:Nothing like a great redemption story
to be able to lift yourself from the
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:shadows, the ashes if you will, like
a phoenix, into what is success, and
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:Senthil really demonstrates today in
our interview a number of different
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:things that even as business owners,
even people that are looking to become
22
:better versions of themselves, they
have to learn that it's okay to fail,
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:that it can take a devastating toll,
and things that we least likely expect
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:to happen, even when we think that we
have everything in our corner, including
25
:our SEO score, can still create crisis.
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:It can still be a big driving force of
being a successful entrepreneur, but
27
:having that passion, having that hunger,
is something that I really noticed in
28
:Senthil's conversation today, and that
being resilient at the end of the day
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:is only one piece of the overall puzzle.
30
:If you find your passion, if you
find patience, especially when it
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:comes to developing that passion, not
only will you find satisfaction, but
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:you'll find happiness along the way.
33
:I think that this journey that
Senthil's been on, even from an overseas
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:perspective, definitely creates a context
in today's conversation of why it's so
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:important for us to learn from others,
even if we think that we have learned it
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:all, because we can always learn something
from the failures of others, even when we
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:think that we're a failure, we're actually
winning in the long run, and that's
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:what's more important than anything else.
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:But with that, let's go to the episode.
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:All right, we're here with Senthil Kumar.
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:Senthil, thanks for sharing
your heart with us today.
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:Senthil: Thanks for having me, Josh.
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:I'm excited to be speaking
from my heart today.
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:Joshua: You know, I have loved so many
people be on the show wanting to share
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:their heart with me, and I am just so
thrilled to have you on, because you
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:bring a unique perspective from a business
sense that I really love featuring some
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:of the success stories on the podcast,
so I already let a little bit of your
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:background known to my listeners.
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:I already let them know a little bit
about yourself, and I really want to
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:start off with this, because what stood
out to me, which we even talked about
51
:before we started, is the fact that you
have owned a company or two in the past.
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:COVID took it out, and then you
restarted a business, so I was wondering
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:if you could share a broad story for
us about what got you started into
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:the t-shirt printing company that
you had, along with the art studio
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:business, which, essentially, led
into some unfortunate circumstances,
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:which I won't steal your thunder.
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:I'll let you tell the story but- Yeah.
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:You know what?
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:You're right.
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:It is indeed fortunate, because
now of what you're doing, so
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:thank you for correcting me.
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:Senthil: Yeah.
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:Joshua: But go ahead.
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:Senthil: My whole journey in
entrepreneurship started back when I was
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:in university, so I did a program, my
degree was in business, specialization
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:in marketing, but as you very well know
in university, in school, you don't learn
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:much about real world business, and I
was in this minor in entrepreneurship
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:program with a group of friends, and
we had to start a business, and we
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:basically shortlisted a bunch of ideas
and decided to sell customized paper
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:notebooks, so what happened was we did
some surveys, and thought that while
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:we were going to get a lot of sales,
but what ended up happening was when
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:we launched these notebooks, there were
very marginal number of sales, and the
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:margins were really low, and we were
struggling to even sustain the business
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:after the minor in entrepreneurship
program ended, so towards the end of this
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:minor in entrepreneurship program that
I was in, me and my friends, we thought,
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:why not we print notebooks in bulk?
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:You know, corporate organizations,
schools, they need these kinds of
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:services, and that was when we eventually
saw the money, I guess, and saw the
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:market demand, and we went into notebook
printing, t-shirt printing, merchandise
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:printing, and a lot of these services
people were searching for online, and we
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:used SEO, which I had previously learned
in a course myself, to apply it to our
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:business, and find the shortest, most
efficient ways to rank our website, get
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:seen by the people finding these services
at a particular point of time, and growing
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:the business, so while running this
t-shirt printing business, we basically
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:scaled the entire business using SEO, and
word of mouth alone, and by the time I
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:graduated from university, we were getting
so many leads coming in from Google
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:that we had to hire a team to handle
the incoming inquiries, so things were
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:moving very quickly, and we were excited.
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:We brought in like t-shirt printing
equipment, and stuff to in-source
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:the printing, and then, we
realized that during some seasons,
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:the demand was very seasonal.
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:During some seasons, we were getting very
low demand, and we were struggling to
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:get sales, and another problem we faced
was even though we got a lot of leads in
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:terms of conversion rates, it wasn't as
high, because there were so many t-shirt
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:printing companies offering the same
service, so what we eventually did was
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:we decided to pivot and offer a service
where people could paint on t-shirts, tote
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:bags, and items, so this idea came from
my other partner, where he said that there
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:are a lot of teams looking for corporate
team bonding activities, so why not offer
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:art jamming on things like t-shirts, tote
bags, and sneakers, so again, we used SEO.
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:We ranked for the keywords, corporate
team bonding services in Singapore, and
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:we started attracting a lot of clients,
so during this point of time, the art
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:studio, which was offering a unique
service, was really picking up, and
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:we were not able to serve our clients
as well for the printing company.
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:We shut it down, and we were in
fact looking to scale, because it
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:was the year before COVID happened
where we had renovated our studio.
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:We were getting in lots of clients.
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:We even had taken business loans to
fund our expansion plans, and then, all
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:of a sudden, COVID hit and it hit our
revenue by over 80 to 90%, because we
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:were heavily reliant on large groups
coming into our studio to paint, and
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:we didn't have any online model at
that time where we could ship the
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:kits to them, and things like that.
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:During this point of time, it was a
challenging transition period.
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:Many of my team members had
to leave, even my co-founders.
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:One was my friend from university,
and then my wife as well.
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:She left the company, and basically, it
was just left with me who had to pivot the
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:business, and figure out how I wanted to
move the business, so basically, during
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:COVID, I stopped renting the art studio.
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:I pivoted the business online, and I was
also reflecting about whether this was
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:aligned with my long term goals, whether
this business was something that I wanted
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:to do 5, 10, 15 years down the road,
and that was a period of realization
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:for me that art was not really my thing.
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:I never did art myself.
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:All along, I was just chasing after
the next market that could bring in
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:the money, and I never found something
that aligned with my own interests, my
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:passion, and when I was reflecting on
this, I realized that I had a strength
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:in search engine optimization, basically
attracting needs for my businesses using
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:Google, so I thought, why not help other
businesses who might be struggling who
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:haven't got their first clients, why
not help them utilize SEO to do that,
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:and this gives me a lot more excitement,
a lot more energy, thinking about the
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:businesses I could help, the impact I
could make, and eventually, last year,
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:I had the push to start that company, and
of course, before starting that company,
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:I had wanted to sell off my art studio,
but I wasn't able to, but I found a
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:partner who could run the art studio in
Singapore, because I had to move around
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:that point as well to Australia, and-
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:Joshua: Sorry to interrupt,
but just for the record, where
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:are you actually located at?
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:Senthil: Now I'm in Sydney, Australia,
because my wife found a job here
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:last year, and we moved here.
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:Yeah.
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:Joshua: That's awesome, and
congratulations on being able to
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:navigate all that to be able to
even have more stability, even for
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:your wife and your family, so sorry.
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:I just wanted to make sure of that
for my listeners too that this is
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:all from a international perspective,
so thanks for sharing that.
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:Go ahead.
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:I didn't mean to interrupt.
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:Senthil: Yeah.
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:Thank you.
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:Thanks for asking ,as well, because
even though I had planned to sell my art
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:studio last year, and I did manage to
after I found a partner, I was bringing
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:him the clients, most of the corporate
clients, he realized that he could just
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:buy over my business, so that happened
this year, and right now, I'm able to
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:fully put my energy into one business,
which is helping other small business
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:owners to grow their business revenue
using search engine optimization,
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:so that's where I am at right now.
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:Joshua: That is incredible of just being
able to navigate, especially during some
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:challenging times and even the world for
that matter, and be able to do that, and
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:I've had a lot of people in the show,
especially, Senthil, that have talked
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:about from the perspective of revisiting,
or rebirthing, a new idea, or moving a
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:new direction as a result of the global
pandemic that we all went through.
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:I want to visit something, though,
that you said earlier about the
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:moment that revenue went down 80
to 90 percent in your business.
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:What did that make you feel knowing
that that dip was happening,
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:and that everything that you had
worked for at that time was kind
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:of coming to a crashing halt?
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:Senthil: I think for me, the
first feeling was like panic.
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:How do I keep this going?
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:How do I sustain my living expenses?
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:I think I'm very lucky to have my wife.
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:She decided to take the step as well to
support our family expenses, and things
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:like that at that time, to leave the
business, and go back into her career
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:in software engineering, and because
of that, I was able to continue the
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:business, but during that point of time
when COVID hit, I think it was definitely
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:quite a bit of like, "Oh my God.
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:What am I going to do?
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:How am I going to come out of this?
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:How am I going to earn money?
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:I need money to live."
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:Yeah.
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:That was the feeling.
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:Joshua: Navigating through all that, and
knowing that you had that support system,
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:especially from your wife, what led even
more so to go into the direction of SEO?
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:You said that's because of some of
the things that you've done for the
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:other businesses, but what made you
specifically attracted to doing that?
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:Did you feel like you had a gift in it?
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:Do you feel that you had success
with other people doing it
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:from an amateur standpoint?
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:I'm just kind of curious what ultimately
led you in that direction, because you
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:started to touch on that, but even for my
listeners, we always have these inklings
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:of these ideas that we have for our
businesses and really what we want to
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:do with them, but we also know that we
got to be unique and be able to push in
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:that direction, so could you tell us, or
maybe even elaborate more on why SEO, you
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:felt, was a good direction to leap into?
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:Senthil: I think, for me,
there were two key reasons.
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:The first reason was that in my twenties
like I shared with you, I ventured
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:into many businesses, many business
ideas, and even though there were a
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:lot of ups, a lot of successes, there
were a lot of downs, a lot of failures,
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:and I finally could put myself in
the shoes of a business owner, right?
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:I mean, when I was in university, I still
remember telling my friends that, "Oh!
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:I want to run a startup as soon as I
come out of university, like within the
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:first few months, I want to be earning
a very sustainable, high income.",
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:and getting to all those metrics
that society pressures us into, and
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:during my journey, I understood how
rough the entrepreneurship journey is.
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:Almost every single person who was in
that minor in entrepreneurship, a program
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:in my university, I think close to 95
percent dropped out of their businesses.
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:They went into-
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:Joshua: Oh, wow.
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:That's a huge percentage.
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:Senthil: So I was like, "You know
what?", and it really inspires me to
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:see people who are doing something
that resonates with them, and sticking
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:through all those tough phases in their
business, and I thought helping these
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:people will give me meaning, so that
was the first reason, and the second
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:reason was, of course, I noticed that I
had a strength in SEO, because even if
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:you could call like the first time as
luck, right, like the t-shirt printing
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:company, it happened the second time
with my art studio, so both times, and
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:just across these two businesses, using
SEO and word of mouth alone, I was able
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:to generate over a million dollars in
revenue, which a lot of businesses, even
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:in a service line, they're struggling to
scale to that stage, so I thought that
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:I could fill that gap, because there
are so many SEO agencies out there,
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:but how many of them really understand
the pain points of a business owner?
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:Joshua: I was going to say, for me, I
work with an SEO company for my ability
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:to work on coaching specifically, but even
then, I have to always measure it, and
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:I feel, especially with an SEO company,
you need to have a good relationship so
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:that you understand how to put yourself
out in the front of the pack, so I think
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:that you're saying the things that I would
it even expect to, and even for somebody
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:that is amateur to this, like being able
to have that front page is almost, like
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:in the United States, being on the Yellow
Pages, or the White Pages, back in the
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:day when we had to print phone books.
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:It's the same sort of principle,
but on a search engine for sure.
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:Senthil: So, yeah, I realized my strength,
and I realized how I could make it easier,
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:and more efficient for business owners
to get to that Google page one rankings,
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:and not just to rank for keywords that
were not going to bring them inquiries
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:and sales, but really, to identify those
profitable keywords that they could rank
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:for that could eventually bring them those
dream clients that they are looking for.
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:Joshua: Speaking of dream clients,
I know that for you, you've had now
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:multiple businesses, and I think that
even for myself, like I even say that
237
:I have this mind picture of an ideal
client that I want to work with.
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:For you, what would you say is an ideal
person that you would want to work with
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:that you would want to help get to that
next level for visibility, getting to also
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:generating revenue for their business?
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:What would that look
like for your business?
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:Senthil: I think the most important
values that will help them get
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:there are just two to three things.
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:First thing is a passion to reach more
people for their product or service.
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:The second thing is the hunger to really
do more, and do it wholeheartedly,
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:and finally the third thing is people
who have the resilience to keep going
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:even when things might be difficult in
their personal lives, or they're having
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:other challenges in their business.
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:Business is rough, right, so regardless
of the obstacles along the way, they
250
:still know that this will get me to my
end goal if I keep going, and if I have
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:that mentor, it will help me even get
there way faster, so these are the kinds
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:of people that I want to work with.
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:Joshua: I think those are
really important qualities,
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:especially with a business owner.
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:I know that sometimes, even for me, I
have those down days, but I know I got
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:to have those up days as well, so having
that balance I think that it's not exactly
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:achievable, but I try to get as close to
it as I possibly can, because there's no
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:such thing as perfection with a work life
balance, even if we're talking about that.
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:Yeah.
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:Senthil: Yeah, and I forgot to mention
this is one more very, very important
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:thing I ,realized in both SEO and
business which is patience, and not
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:a, lot of people talk about it and
you might be surprised, but in my
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:entrepreneurship journey, every time we
got impatient, we made huge mistakes, and
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:we suffered huge losses because of that.
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:We wanted to scale fast.
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:We were hungry for the money,
and it just backfires if you are
267
:impatient, if you want to kind
of forcefully move things faster.
268
:For example, we decided to take on
huge business loans without a backup
269
:plan if things fail, so these were some
mistakes we made, because we were not
270
:patient, and we didn't plan things out
properly before trying to move ahead on
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:our journey, and I think COVID taught
us all a big lesson there as well.
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:Joshua: I have to say I have continued
to fund my business personally.
273
:When I started mine, Senthil, I took
a $20,000 withdrawal from my IRA.
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:I paid for all the expenses.
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:I have not yet to this day taken a line
of credit, or even a loan for that matter,
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:because I know that my business has to
be scaled in order to do this correctly.
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:Senthil: That's, that's amazing.
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:Yeah.
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:Joshua: Yeah, and you know, it is a risk.
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:It's still a risk even to this day, but
I think for even some of my listeners,
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:and even for you, Senthil, I think we
all are learning that you're right.
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:Patience is a virtue.
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:That's number one, because that's what
I've learned in doing this, but you also
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:have to balance what the expectations
are, supply and demand, and I know, like,
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:even for my industry, being a coach.
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:There's an oversaturation
all across the world of, "Oh!
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:I'm a coach.
288
:I could do this.
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:I could do that.", and part of this
is knowing who you are, and what
290
:you offer, and I love that you know
who you are, and what you offer,
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:even through all the mistakes that
you even admit that you've had.
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:That's fantastic to hear.
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:Really.
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:Senthil: Thanks.
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:Thanks Josh.
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:Joshua: Yeah, absolutely.
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:I want to explore for a few minutes
here about your business, so SEO With
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:Senthil is the name of your business
that I see, and part of what I get as
299
:a pitcher when looking at even at your
website is people love your work, and
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:they love what you're doing to help even
those that are just starting out, so,
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:especially for some of my entrepreneur
friends, I have some people that I work
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:with on a day to day basis as business
clients, but I also work with some people
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:that are aspiring to be entrepreneurs.
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:What would you say is a piece of advice,
just one piece of advice, that you would
305
:give to somebody, regardless of what
industry they might be entering into for
306
:their business venture, that maybe you
learned the hard way, but you want to
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:pass that along as advice so that they
don't make the same mistake, or maybe
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:it's just a general piece of advice.
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:What would you say to them?
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:Senthil: Okay.
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:I think I'll make that
two pieces of advice.
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:Joshua: Alright.
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:You know what?
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:I say one.
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:You want to do two.
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:That's cool with me.
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:Go for it.
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:Senthil: OK.
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:Great.
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:Okay, so the first tip I would say
is to find a business that is aligned
321
:with your interest and your passion,
because business is tough, and there
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:will be challenges along the way.
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:You will have obstacles.
324
:It might not be as big as the ones that
I went through, but you will have your
325
:bad days, and for you to get through all
these obstacles, and challenges, and to
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:really scale your business in the long
run, and more importantly, not just the
327
:money, but to give you the fulfillment,
and happiness, and satisfaction as you
328
:are on the journey, you have to have that
alignment, and happiness in the business
329
:idea that you picked, and the second
tip would be to really have clarity on
330
:what you want to do, why you want to
do it, and how you're going to do it.
331
:During the entrepreneurship journey,
sometimes you will have a lot of pressure
332
:from your peers, from people around you
to try out another idea, maybe try out
333
:another marketing channel; do this, do
that, and then you end up just like taking
334
:on all these ideas, like 10, 20 ideas, and
you end up going nowhere, because you're
335
:just like swinging along left and right.
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:You don't have one obsession
that you're working towards,
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:and that belief that, "Okay.
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:I'm going to pick like,
for example, one channel.
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:If I pick SEO, I'm going to do
that really well, and I'm going
340
:to attract clients to Google."
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:If you make that your focus,
then make that your focus not
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:just for marketing channel.
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:It could also be for your products,
right, so when I was running the art
344
:studio, we were doing art jamming, and
at first, we were doing art jamming on
345
:wearables like t-shirts, tote bags, and
then, we wanted to scale, right, and
346
:to scale fast, so we thought, "Okay.
347
:Why not offer art classes for kids?
348
:Why not offer sand art?
349
:Why not offer this art?
350
:That art?", and then we just end up doing
so much work, and it doesn't resonate
351
:with the market as well, and it will not
move the needle for you in the long run.
352
:You might think that what you
need to do is more things, but in
353
:fact, what you may need to do is
less things, but go deep in it.
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:Joshua: Yes.
355
:I think that you trying to do so much
all at once might not be the most ideal,
356
:especially since you're trying to build
out what you initially set out this vision
357
:to do, but also, the other point of it
being too that if you dive so deep into
358
:so many multiple things, you're stretching
yourself thin, you're not going to be
359
:able to do one good thing effectively.
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:Senthil: The fundamentals is so
important here, Josh, because what
361
:I mean by fundamentals is you need
to know who is the market you're
362
:trying to serve, what is their pain
point, and how are you addressing it
363
:better than your competition, and how
can you add more value, and how can
364
:you market to this group of people?
365
:Think of it from the client perspective,
like put yourself in your client's
366
:shoes, and your potential client shoes,
and think of your business from their
367
:perspective, rather than thinking of the
business from the top down approach, where
368
:you think, "How can I make more money?
369
:How can I make more money?", right, so
reversing that whole approach actually
370
:will end up helping you make more money.
371
:Joshua: It is really essentially
reverse engineering the process so
372
:that it does work to your favor.
373
:I love that because we often think
about what's the trajectory that we
374
:want to head into, but really, you
have to also think about what your
375
:client, or who you're selling to,
is also just as important as well.
376
:Senthil: What they do, what they want.
377
:Yeah.
378
:Joshua: Senthil, we're almost at the end
of our time, and I want to ask you this
379
:final question, because it's something
that is fascinating to me with the story
380
:you shared earlier about how you got
here to also getting to where you are
381
:today, and it's the concept of the fact
that you love working with entrepreneurs.
382
:End of story.
383
:It's something that, really, is the
driving force with even why you do your
384
:business, because you want to see them
stand out from the other competition.
385
:What makes you passionate about helping
that particular group then say, maybe
386
:helping somebody else with another
type of skill that you offer, or
387
:maybe helping someone in general with
maybe starting their own business.
388
:You could be working for them.
389
:What makes you drive to
helping entrepreneurs?
390
:Senthil: As I shared earlier, one of the
hardest phases in a business is after you
391
:start that business, you have the interest
to start a business, you start a business,
392
:and then, you are stuck on how you can
scale or, even worse, like many people
393
:who start businesses, they are lost,
like is this what I want to do, and what
394
:is my long-term goal for the business?
395
:How am I going to do it, and oftentimes,
because when I was in the twenties before
396
:I was exposed to coaching, and many
famous figures like Tony Robbins, and
397
:many of these figures, or even while I
was following them on social media, I
398
:personally didn't have a mentor, a coach
who could guide me through the whole
399
:process, who could kind of shorten the
process for me, make my path smoother,
400
:and I thought that, "You know what?
401
:If I had someone like this on my journey,
then it would have made the process a
402
:lot more enjoyable.", because I remember
points in my entrepreneurship journey
403
:where I was so stressed, so overwhelmed,
working overnight, long hours, hurting
404
:my own health, and then going to the
clinic, and then spending money there,
405
:and then not being productive inside
my business, and these were really
406
:miserable, miserable days, which
is why I felt that, you know what?
407
:I don't want other business owners
who are pursuing their passion to
408
:have to go through similar parts,
so one of my strengths is an SEO,
409
:and helping them scale, even if
they are in their slightly earlier
410
:stages in their business, and yeah.
411
:That was how I got here, and that
makes me excited for you as well, Josh,
412
:because that's what you do, right?
413
:You coach people as well.
414
:Yeah, so it is a very
meaningful profession, and
415
:I'm sure you will resonate.
416
:Joshua: Senthil, I can't say enough
like the people that I've been able to
417
:influence both from a business, and a
personal capacity, because I do both
418
:personal work and professional work.
419
:It has been tremendous, and I've been
open for a little close to two years,
420
:and to find that the passion of people
that have been changed by working
421
:with me, I can't tell you enough, the
feeling that it makes me feel, and so I
422
:resonate with that, and I can understand
completely where you're coming from
423
:with the feeling that you have as well,
so Senthil, to wrap up here- Yeah.
424
:It is awesome, indeed.
425
:Senthil: And congratulations
to you as well.
426
:I am really inspired by people who do
things from their heart, and I think
427
:that's why, like even the title of
your podcast series, Speaking From
428
:The Heart, appealed so much to me.
429
:Joshua: Well, thank you for that,
and I have to say that this has
430
:been something that, even for my
listeners, this is not about me.
431
:It's about wanting to help others for
a greater good to be the best authentic
432
:versions of themselves, so thank you
for those sentiments, and Senthil,
433
:to wrap up and return of that awesome
compliment, I want to give you the last
434
:few minutes to pitch your business,
SEO With Senthil, so feel free.
435
:Let us know how we can get
in contact with you if we're
436
:interested in SEO optimization.
437
:Maybe you want to give a little bit of
your social media so that people can reach
438
:out to you too, but I'm going to give you
the last few minutes to do all of that.
439
:Senthil: Okay.
440
:Awesome, so I have a lot of freebies
for entrepreneurs who are just starting
441
:out, so the first one is my five step
SEO checklist to help you rank on
442
:Google page one, so you can find that
on my website, seowithsentil.com, and
443
:then you can just access the checklist.
444
:It's the exact same checklist that I
use to rank for hundreds of keywords on
445
:Google page one, and make over a million
dollars in revenue for my businesses, so
446
:you can check out the steps and try to
implement it in your business journey,
447
:and of course, if you have obstacles, then
I also have a one-on-one SEO evaluation
448
:call, where you can book it, and we can
explore if we can work together to grow
449
:your business to the scale that you want.
450
:I'm on most of the social
media platforms as well.
451
:You can find me on Facebook, Senthil
Kumar, and then on Instagram.
452
:It's just @SEOWithSenthil.
453
:I would love to connect
with your listeners.
454
:Joshua: Awesome, and I'll put all
of that in the episode notes too,
455
:in case you want to check it out,
but Senthil, to wrap up here.
456
:I am fascinated and enthralled with
your journey where other people
457
:would be just saying, "Forget it.
458
:I'm not going to try this again."
459
:They would have gave up because
of COVID, or something massive
460
:that happens in their life, but I
love that you reinvented yourself.
461
:You took that loss that
happened even though it wasn't
462
:anything that you did wrong.
463
:You learn from the things that had
happened, and now you're reapplying it
464
:to SEO, and you're helping others, and I
think that some of the lessons that you've
465
:learned, even though that for many of my
listeners, maybe don't resonate because
466
:they don't have their own businesses.
467
:We have to think about the fact that we
are our own businesses, so we have to
468
:always constantly reinvent them ourselves
to be better, to be stronger, to be
469
:willing to pursue excellence, and I
think for all those reasons, and because
470
:you're such an inspiration for me, even
though I just found out that you're an
471
:international guest, which is even more
awesome from a United States perspective.
472
:Senthil, thank you so much for being
on Speaking From The Heart today.
473
:It was a privilege and an honor to hear
your story, and to hear your wisdom today.
474
:Thank you for your time.
475
:Senthil: Thank you for having me, Josh.
476
:It was very nice speaking
with you as well.
477
:Joshua: I want to thank Senthil again
for being part of the show, not only to
478
:share his incredible story of redemption,
especially with the number of things
479
:that had happened, but how he was able
to scale himself, especially knowing
480
:that he was originally setting out
to be a successful entrepreneur, got
481
:derailed by forces that were unknown,
something that we have never really
482
:experienced in the hundred some years,
especially in the worldwide context,
483
:but being able to get back on, finding
his passion, something that he really
484
:enjoys doing, and being successful at it.
485
:Kudos to Senthil.
486
:Kudos to all those that are across
the world that are willing to work on
487
:their brand, building it out day in and
day out, because you can learn a lot.
488
:Not only can you learn a lot about
yourself in university, or college
489
:for that matter, if you had that
opportunity growing up, but even
490
:then, a lot of the things that we can
learn is not just in that formalized
491
:education, but in the school of life.
492
:I think that we learn skills.
493
:We grow into this bigger, broader picture
of what we think success looks like, and
494
:you can figure out that sometimes when we
think that we're too big to fail, but fail
495
:anyway, we definitely eat some humble pie.
496
:I know even for myself, starting out,
I would have never thought that the
497
:tens of thousands of dollars that I
would have needed to get started would
498
:come from an unlikely source: myself.
499
:I've poured lots of money into this
knowing that it was taking a big risk,
500
:but for many people, especially in
this climate, it has been very tough.
501
:It's sometimes very tough even as
a coach, and I know I'm being very
502
:vulnerable and sharing a little bit
about my own business finances, but
503
:the truth of the matter is is that if
you work hard, you stay consistent, It
504
:will all pay off, and it certainly has
been for me, and i'm appreciative of
505
:all the people that have been behind
me in this adventure, clients and all.
506
:For Senthil's case, that one moment
in time, that thing that can take
507
:you off the rails, especially when
you're on that speeding train,
508
:it can be a devastating toll.
509
:One of the things that Senthil even
mentioned that he indirectly talked about
510
:is how the impacts happen to the many
people that might be working for you.
511
:It might be even your family.
512
:It might be even the emotional,
mental toll that it can take on you.
513
:Even when you least expect it,
there are always ramifications.
514
:There are always things that throw us off.
515
:They don't make us feel comfortable
when they're thrown off, because
516
:we were least expecting it.
517
:Being able to boost yourself,
even in an SEO world, especially
518
:in the things that can take you
to new heights isn't just enough.
519
:You need that raw motivation, that
encouragement, that feeling that you
520
:know that you're doing the right thing.
521
:Do we all panic when we
try to recover from crisis?
522
:Of course!
523
:We will always be trying to tread
water, especially when we're thinking
524
:that we have all these things that
we're supposed to be doing in line,
525
:but it's not always easy for everyone.
526
:The journey that we're on, the things
that we go through, the motivations,
527
:the encouragement, or maybe even the
demotivation, the encouragement that is
528
:not so nice can create that big problem
that we are just pushing down the road,
529
:not giving us that big divine force that
we like to call success really happening
530
:for us, but we have to learn that it
isn't just about the battles that we
531
:fight today, it's about the long run.
532
:It's about the war that we're raging
on what we have, and I don't mean to
533
:make it such a negative context, but
we are all on a campaign to always be
534
:better; to always try to sell ourselves.
535
:Whether we're selling ourselves for
a job interview, or even selling
536
:products and services that we offer
for our businesses, let's face it.
537
:We all have a little bit of taste of it.
538
:It's just all in context and in
perspective, but trying to be easier,
539
:trying to figure out how to make more
profitability, especially when we try to
540
:cut corners, we try to make things that
are less quality, is maybe not really
541
:the best way to go about trying to win
over a customer base, and I think that
542
:even then, if you overwhelm yourself
with the small little details, and
543
:you're not focusing on what your passion
is, that's when you get thrown off.
544
:I had to learn that the hard way,
even starting out for my business.
545
:What are the things that I'm really
good at, and what are the things
546
:that I'm not so good at, that I
need to rely on others so that they
547
:can help me get to that next level.
548
:I have an accountant.
549
:I have a bookkeeper.
550
:I have a social media guru.
551
:I do have legal advice that I'm given.
552
:These are all things that, through
one source or another, I've been
553
:able to cobble those together to make
this business come alive, but it's
554
:about the passion for your service.
555
:That hunger that you really want to give
back, the quality that you deliver, is
556
:what people will remember the most, so
if you do skirt corners, if you do try to
557
:make ends meet by doing imperfection, just
note that it's going to catch up with you.
558
:If you're willing to do it over and
over again with consistent quality
559
:and direction, resilience is the key.
560
:The other key is patience, because as
even the Bible says, patience is a virtue.
561
:You have to learn the balance of
demands of today and tomorrow,
562
:being able to figure out how you're
able to just stay the course.
563
:As I even wrap up my second full year
officially running my business, I've
564
:learned so much about patience, and
it's okay if you don't get that sale,
565
:if you don't get that person that wants
to work with you, there will always
566
:be opportunities if you're willing to
keep on grinding, if you know that what
567
:you're offering is true, but really.
568
:You have to learn also that maybe
that was the right time for you
569
:to take that step back so that
you can focus on other things.
570
:The services that we provide, the
materials that we are granted,
571
:isn't just about what we are able
to share from a quality perspective.
572
:You also have to learn how to align
yourself with your business and what
573
:you want to accomplish, and that means
that you have to be able to scale.
574
:That's the key.
575
:It doesn't mean that you always need to
have a lead generator, and I know that
576
:many people would tell you that that's
crazy talk from this person named Josh
577
:Smith, but the truth of the matter is,
is that are you ready to have numerous
578
:leads that you continuously turn down?
579
:If you're not ready to take on
those leads, you're not going
580
:to be able to have success.
581
:You're going to drive yourself into a
failure model that doesn't allow you to
582
:see what you're truly capable of becoming.
583
:Instead of people thinking that you're
really good, they're going to think
584
:that you don't deliver, so being able
to meet the demands based on what your
585
:level of capacity is, is absolutely a big
deal, but you also got to be satisfied.
586
:You got to be happy with
what those results are.
587
:If you're not satisfied or
happy, of course it's going to
588
:make you very much depressed.
589
:It's going to make you feel like you
are not doing enough for your business.
590
:For the longest time in my life, even
before I started Your Speaking Voice,
591
:I had to figure out what is it that
gave me satisfaction, what gave me
592
:happiness, and I struggled with that.
593
:For many of the people that I tell
my story to for a wide variety of
594
:audiences, including most recently
at a Toastmasters club, I had to
595
:admit that I had to figure out what
it is that my passion was all about.
596
:I had to find my own voice first so that
I can share my voice now in a way that
597
:is of stronger quality, that is able
to create context for so many different
598
:types of people, but having that clarity
of what you're able to do, what you're
599
:able to offer, is something that you
have to translate to your clients.
600
:Senthil is a great SEO expert.
601
:I would certainly hire him if I needed
that kind of service, because I know
602
:that he identifies with that clarity.
603
:He knows what I'm trying to offer,
but if I don't even know what to offer
604
:when I'm trying to close the deal
with somebody that is interested,
605
:this is where it all falls apart.
606
:We don't need to be miserable, despite the
fact that we have to work for a living.
607
:We can find that passion job.
608
:We can create our own passion job.
609
:It doesn't mean that we have to
fall into someone else's vision.
610
:Yes!
611
:It is okay to do that from time to
time, especially when the going gets
612
:tough, and I've had plenty of people
that have come through my doors,
613
:and I've had conversations with,
that we discuss this type of topic.
614
:It's not easy sometimes to live life,
and you need that extra lift, you need
615
:that extra boost of accountability,
but being able to learn the skills to
616
:grow, being able to lift yourself up
from that devastating moment, means
617
:that you also have to self reflect.
618
:If you're not ready to self reflect
on what has happened, of course.
619
:It's going to be a little bit longer
for you to be able to step into that
620
:zone again, to make yourself feel like
you're worth a million dollars to be
621
:able to achieve some of the things
that oftentimes we dream that we could
622
:achieve, but we have to take our talent
to new heights, and that means that
623
:sometimes, failure is okay to go through.
624
:It's okay to take that 9 to 5 job,
flipping hamburgers, being able to prepare
625
:meals for others, wait on tables, be
part of a whole ecosystem of opportunity
626
:to serve others, but passion is what
we need to focus on in today's episode,
627
:because if we don't have that hunger,
if we don't have that willingness to
628
:really see what's above and beyond us, of
course our businesses are going to fail.
629
:Of course our families
are not going to be happy.
630
:Of course, even you and I might not be
willing to, be excited about all the
631
:things that could be and will be, on
the horizon if we're willing to change.
632
:I think that when we learn about
success, and we learn from all the
633
:various CEOs that have been able to
run successful businesses, you name
634
:them, they're all over the place.
635
:It means that we can learn from other
people's mistakes, but we sometimes have
636
:to experience those same mistakes that
those CEOs have gone through in order for
637
:us to achieve success, so for you, today,
even if you can't find that satisfaction
638
:in this instantaneous moment that you're
listening to this episode, just know
639
:that that clarity, that direction, what
you're going to offer, will not derail you
640
:from the miserable aspects of your life.
641
:Sure!
642
:Maybe you feel like it's
miserable, but you're not.
643
:It's just a matter of the context that
you live in and that the miserableness
644
:will go away, because as part of our
development, we all have ebbs and flows.
645
:We go through valleys and mountaintops
as I've talked about on other episodes,
646
:but in Senthil's case today, you
can learn that no matter what you've
647
:been through, what you're able to
accomplish, what you're able to
648
:achieve, you have what it takes.
649
:Don't let failure set you back.
650
:Don't let yourself be miserable.
651
:Just dust the dirt that's on your pants,
lift yourself back up, even if that's
652
:with somebody else, or with a job that
you might not want to stay with for the
653
:rest of your life, and just know that
progress is all I'm asking you to have.
654
:Success will come to you if you're just
willing to see yourself, not just getting
655
:to that other side, but just knowing
that's just part of life, and living
656
:life is all that I really want you to do.
657
:Thanks for listening to episode
number 174 of Speaking From the
658
:Heart, and I look forward to
hearing from your heart very soon.
659
:Outro: Thanks for listening.
660
:For more information about our podcast
and future shows, search for Speaking From
661
:The Heart to subscribe and be notified
wherever you listen to your podcasts.
662
:Visit us at www.
663
:yourspeakingvoice.
664
:biz for more information about
potential services that can help you
665
:create the best version of yourself.
666
:See you next time.
