Lessons on Leadership and Life: Tim Swift's International Journey From Owner to Employee
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Do you want to achieve a harmonious blend of business success and personal fulfillment? Are you searching for a solution to strike the perfect balance in your entrepreneurial journey? Personal fulfillment chaser turned business guru, Tim Swift, is our cherished podcast guest this week. Hailing from Australia's outback to the vibrant urban landscapes of America, Tim carries a diverse professional experience. His entrepreneurial journey was kick-started as a small business owner, where he successfully supervised a financial advisory firm. Through this adventure, he discovered the true meaning of helping others by exposing and educating them on financial literacy. Now, he graces us with his charm as an executive vice president of business affairs for a U.S.-based media company. His story is an embodiment of resilience, an enrapturing journey of transforming personal gratification into business triumph. Tim is also a volunteer of We Are Open Circle, a non-profit organization that essentially serve those that are serving people at the front lines.
“Sometimes when you actually go down a fork in the road, it's okay to stop and realize that that's not the route that you want to take. You can simply back up and then go down the other fork in the road knowing full well that, hey, I explored that path. It doesn't mean that it was bad. It just means, okay, that's not the right road to actually take for me.”
Books and Resources
How Will You Measure Your Life?
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Connect with Tim Swift:
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timdonswift/
FOR SPORTING ORIENTED: https://www.strava.com/
Haven Financial:
https://www.myfinancialhaven.com/jamiebateman/
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Speaker 0
Today, we chat with Tim Swift. He's a business executive business strategist with a strong financial and leadership background. Man, he's got a lot of knowledge, and it's just a very deep conversation about life. We certainly talk a lot about business and and, careers, but it's more about, you know, looking at your life as a whole and what's important in prioritizing. We talk about seasons in life and Tim is from Australia and moved here to the US, which was, obviously, a huge transition for him and his family, and then things did not go so well when he came to the US and, initially. And so, certainly, he's doing very well and has done very well financially. And what's interesting too with this episode is that we talk a lot about, how he ran his own business for about ten years, and then he went back into the w two world. And so I know a lot of our guests go the opposite way where they leave their w two start a business. Well, he had a pretty big exit yet he left his initial business and and went in to become, an employee again. And then he also has had a recent exit where he benefited greatly and has had some few month a few months off and has had a lot of time to kind of evaluate life and what's important. And, we talk I mean, he just he just this one's great. I mean, he repeatedly talks about how it takes a village how it's not all about him and how he's really trying to show up to allow others to be the best version of themselves. That's really his his why that drives him. This one's fantastic. You're gonna love it. Speaker 1
Welcome to the from adversity to abundance podcast. Are you an entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur, then this show is for you. Each week, we bring you impactful stories of real people who have overcome painful human adversity to create a life of abundance. A life of abundance. You are not alone in your struggle. Join us and you will experience the power of true stories and gain practical knowledge from founders who have turned pop into prosperity and weakness into wealth. This podcast will encourage you through your health, relationship, and financial challenges So you can become the hero in your quest for freedom. Take ownership of the life you are destined to live. Turn your adversity into abundance. Speaker 0
Welcome everybody to another episode of the from adversity to abundance podcast. I am your host, Jamie bateman, and I'm thrilled today to have with us Tim Swift, who's a business executive business strategist among other things. Tim, how are you doing today? Speaker 2
Just fabulous, Jamie, fabulous, as we would say. Wonderful win. Wonderful Wednesday? Speaker 0
Is it Wednesday? Thursday. Speaker 2
Thrilling Thursday. Speaker 0
It's okay. This will come out on a Tuesday. So we'll just pretend it's Tuesday. So that'd be Terrific then. Terrific Tuesday. Exactly. My family's tired of me making those comments first thing in the morning. His dad jokes. But so, Tim, obviously, You and I have had the pleasure of getting to know each other a little bit over the last couple of months. And we were chatting before we hit record here. So I know for for I'm I'm very confident that our that our listeners gonna get a lot of value out of this conversation. So I know a good bit about, your your story and and what you've been up to more recently, but the listener may not be familiar with you. So who are you and what are you up to today? Speaker 2
Yeah. Well, thank you. And and that's the first thing that needs to be said. I appreciate you having us on the, having me on the podcast, Jamie. It's a, a thrill to actually be able to sort think through some of these things and the lessons that personally I've learned. And, if there's something in there for somebody else, then then wonderful. Cool. Who am I today? Well, I think if the first thing that needs to be said, like most of us, is Yep. I'm a husband. I'm a father. I'm a son. And that's always gonna be the case irrespective of what happens professionally. That for me is always, at the at the root of it. Yeah. And it ends up sort of being the the y kind of I why I exist. As you can tell by the back sent, and I I know you know this, but just as far as putting some context to this for anyone else that's listening Native Australian, married with a couple of couple of beautiful daughters, that are in their adult years. As we say, they're still learning to adult. And, no, my wife and I live up in, the glorious Pacific Northwest, moved up here a few years ago and, you know, from professional opportunities. But who am I and what am I doing? Well, I've gone through, I guess, a transition from what was back in Australia, a small business owner, moved to the US and went into professional careers, and, and now, and the, Executive Vice President of Business Affairs for a media company. So essentially run a lot of the operations for a media company that's based in the, the western states of the US, six particular markets, and, just thrilled at the opportunity to be able to, to to work back with this organization that I happen to be at about five years ago. Speaker 0
That's fantastic. I know you have a a very strong financial background and leadership. And there's all but we could probably have six different episodes right right here right now. With the amount of knowledge that you're bringing to the table. And I I do definitely wanna focus at some point in the conversation on you know, how how and why you went from being a small business owner to joining what I believe was a larger organization And, you know, because a lot of our listeners either or a lot of our guests, I should say, previously have, gone the opposite. You know, they've gone from w two worker to starting their own business. Maybe they've had an exit but then they probably go start their own business. So I'd love to hear later, you know, kind of, like, we we talked about before. A little bit, kind of what your mindset and and and why you went the the route that you did, which may seem counterintuitive to some people. So before we get there though, let's jump back. Let's jump back to your time in Australia and and let's walk through your backstory. So talk to us about how your, you know, what was your life like in Australia? Speaker 2
Life in Australia. Well, I think we we've mentioned the most asked question that I've I've typically actually been given as why in the world did you move from Australia to the US? So going back yeah. Look, Australia. Beautiful country was born, bred there. I guess you'd say life was, pretty standard. For us. Mom, dad, three kids. I was the youngest, by far, schooled over there. Met met my wife. Well, actually, excuse me. Having been in Australia, I had the opportunity at one point to be able to serve, a two year mission. I was able to move over to the US, and, serve a mission for our church, but it was, actually serving the lay ocean refugees, the lay ocean community in Atlanta, Georgia. It was probably one of the very first adventures that I actually took. It was the first time I ever stepped out of Australia, went, experienced something with a whole different community that I'd never experienced before. And then that led me to, after a couple of years of serving with them back to Australia. I, had the fortunate opportunity of then meeting up with a couple of business partners, and we started a financial advisory firm. Okay. So that financial advisory firm started with nothing. We built it up and, built it up to assets of over a hundred million dollars under management and serving, you know, a number of high net worth individuals. Lots of lessons in that one, Jamie. When you start from nothing and build it, build a business up, as I'm sure you know. Speaker 0
I've I'm I'm continually learning lessons, with regard to starting businesses from scratch. And and, man, it's it's not always easy, but, So you did that for, about how long? Speaker 2
Oh, that was, close on ten years. Thereabouts that, it took us to actually build that. So, you know, it's typically, the, you know, the small business hockey stick starts to exist as in there's a lot of inertia that you actually need to to build up, get the flywheel happening. And at that point, it it really started to grow. That I guess culminated at a point where many of us would actually still remember, the global financial crisis. Speaker 0
Sure. Speaker 2
So heading into sort of that two thousand and seven, two thousand and eight type period. Yeah, business was, doing pretty well. Okay. Speaker 0
So let's let's back up for a second. So, I mean, you know, you did the two year mission in Atlanta. Move back. Speaker 2
Did did Speaker 0
you always know you wanted to start a business, or did you just bump into these guys and say, hey, over, you know, let let's start a business next week or what made you start a business with them and and how did you choose your your business partners? Speaker 2
Thank you. The I think one of the general threads that I've come up with in in this whole thing that we call life is it takes a village. Sure. As much as as much as I had sort of desires and aspirations to, to achieve personally, It was really because of meeting and, yeah, meeting a couple of individuals that I'd known from other situations that we were able to come together and say, oh, I have a distinct skill set. Mine happen happen to be around financial advisory. These other two partners of mine happen to be very good accountants. And, together, we complimented each other and actually then set this business up, and that's how it came about was just a couple of conversations of, oh, would this be possible? Yes. There were other things going on in the industry that said that This is actually a good business model where you're serving people, where professional, providers are actually working closely together to actually serve the needs of their clients. And we thought, let's go. Speaker 0
I love that because you're you're looking not only at what the others what everyone, the three of you individually bring to the table as far as how could you make a good team. But, but you're also sounds like you we're paying attention to market conditions, economic conditions, and and the need of others outside of your team, not just this is my This is my passion. I wanna be a financial advisor, and I don't care, you know, what the need is. So, and insights. Speaker 2
Well, I'll I'll simply say. I mean, the origin of that was the recognition of what what was my why? And, if I In fact, your questions are actually bringing a a number of thoughts that I hadn't even, again, hadn't come to the surface for quite some time, but The origin of actually why I even wanted to get into financial advice was to help other people. Okay. Speaker 0
Yeah. So just educate people and and why why how did you envision helping others through financial services. Speaker 2
Sure. So one of the necessities of life, right, is that, we have the ability to be self sufficient. How do many people have not had the schooling, don't have the same level of literacy as it relates to, you know, the financial area. Acting as a financial advisor was one of those things that I said, oh, I can actually help here. There's an and then I there innate ability, I guess, call it that, that, you know, you learn as you're growing up. Some things that you're really good at, numbers, other things that I'm not so good at words, for names. And, that lend itself to, oh, there's a distinct profession here that I can, can help people with. And, that's where joining the two together, that financial advice realm was one that I figured that I'd be able to, you know, make an impact. Speaker 0
Sure. And it sounds like you were already moving into that the toward that direction in in that direction prior to your your mission trip in Atlanta. Is that is that correct? Speaker 2
I had. I'd started a started an accounting degree at that point. Took some time out away from that, which was super valuable because, after returning, let's just say the level of my focus was greatly enhanced. You know, before that, when you start college, it's, it's always what are the other parties and things that we can actually get involved in, in fact? Let's just call it an early entrepreneurial, opportunity was actually opened up a night club. Okay. Interesting. Open up a night club in order to save the money to actually take that two year mission. And, yeah, so let's call it the first foray. The first foray was not successful. I'll say that. Only because and I would absolutely state this. There was just no alignment between ultimately what my vision was versus the values that we're actually coming out in the business, you know, a night club does not necessarily conducive to. Let's call it a service orientated opportunity. And, so yeah. Speaker 0
Well, that's the first on the podcast, as far as someone who's talking to the guest who started a night club, and I was pretty surprised just based on, what I know about you, the, you know, thus far. So that's that's interesting. So that didn't that didn't go so well from a from a business standpoint. Right? Speaker 2
It was pretty clear quickly that that was not the route. So there's another lesson in this is that sometimes, you know, when you actually go down a fork in the road, it's okay to stop and realize that that's not the route that you wanna take. You can simply back up and then go down the other fork in the road knowing full well that Hey, I explored that path. Speaker 0
Sure. It Speaker 2
doesn't mean that it was, you know, bad. It just means, okay, that's not the right road to actually take for me. Back up. Off we go down in the the correct path. Speaker 0
I think that's a difficult thing for people to figure out for all of us to figure out is when, you know, when to be kind of stubborn and persistent and And, no, I'm I'm moving toward my goal versus stop reevaluate, take in different considerations and and what might look like a a failure or or a lack of, or, I guess, a regression maybe. Speaker 2
You Speaker 0
know, actually, I just interesting. I just said that today to my wife. I said, but, you know, progress isn't typically linear. We were speaking about, some things with my son. And, you know, it's, Sometimes you gotta take one one step backward before you can go down the right path. Speaker 2
Yeah. Indeed. In fact, with another group I I I do some volunteer work with. They talk about mistakes. And oftentimes, we put that word mistake out there. But if you actually break it down, and put it more into, let's call it media or filming. It's a mistake. It simply means that you have the opportunity to do that take again Speaker 0
to do over. Okay. Speaker 2
They do over. Absolutely. Speaker 0
I love that. I hadn't heard that before. Alright. So you tried that that business that didn't go so well, but and so you back up and you go down a different path. And then you start this successful business with your two business partners. Start a business that became successful and did that for about ten years. And then what did the exit of that business look like? Speaker 2
Yeah. So there's when you're in partnership with people, sometimes there's those, let's call them crucial conversations that you need to have. We we, obviously, the podcast is adversity to abundance. Well, sometimes the abundance turns into adversity. Speaker 0
Interesting. Speaker 2
And that adversity may be something that we actually impose upon ourselves. So as, as life was going on and our business was growing, the it came to us as a family that there's simply more to life than business. And more to life than financial aspects. And, we made a decision as a family that We wanted to move from Australia, overseas, and, That ended up being that ended up being over here to the US. And so with that, meant that back to the business, what There was a crucial conversation that I had to have with business partners, which is, hey, this is what we feel is really important to us as family. And so now we need to actually look at exiting that business. And, that was, yeah, there was a process. Speaker 0
Got it. There's obviously a lot a lot, you know, there that went into that whole decision and the the process to execute on that decision. But so was it it it sounds like it was really mostly a decision. The the factors that went into that decision to leave Australia come to the US were not actually business related for the most part. Is that fair to say? It was more family Speaker 2
and Oh, yeah. So I'll I'll throw this one out there. The the decision for us to move to America was actually based on, believe it or not, a detergent bottle. Speaker 0
Okay. How so? Speaker 2
Okay. Glad glad you lost. Yes. Speaker 0
So that was a softball. Speaker 2
It was totally. Yeah. Let's just simply say that as our kids were growing up, we were fortunate to be able to travel overseas. I'll keep the story short. At one point, we were in borneo. And in borneo, you know, largely a third world country except for some of the, call it some of the cities. We were fortunate enough to go out to a turtle resort, a turtle, sort of resort. That's a that's a wrong way of phrasing it. It is a total island. It's basically where they breed turtles. On the way out, we visited a local island, and, in order to get out there. We visited a village where kids were playing soccer with a detergent bottle. Speaker 0
Oh, wow. Speaker 2
Now here's four of us. You know, privileged. I'm gonna say it this way. Privileged, lived in a a a well developed country family that loved us and all the rest of it. And we're traveling over, and we're seeing kids that are playing Totally enjoying themselves in a way that to us was just oh, this is not the way that we live. Sure. But yet they were fully happy. Mhmm. And when we talk about abundance, I guess they knew no different. Speaker 0
Sure. Speaker 2
And so Speaker 0
just briefly, it reminds me of my time in in Iraq, and we, I was in in Iraq in two thousand five, two thousand six. And we we did end up organizing a lot of, shipments of clothing and other supplies to to come over and we would go out into the, you know, different towns and hand out items. So that that they civilians were very, thankful for, but at the same time, you know, these kids were running around with no shoes and and, not not much to speak for whatsoever. And for the most part, they were very happy. Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah. Speaker 0
So anyway, that's my Oh, that that's what I relate to there. But Speaker 2
so Good to be able to relate. I mean, everyone, I think, has that has that circumstances in their life somewhere if they can see it. Speaker 0
Sure. Speaker 2
Yeah. You know, it doesn't have to be on a on an island in borneo doesn't have to be in Iraq. It could literally be actually walking down the street. Right? Someone's adversity is probably another person's abundance. Speaker 0
It's a great way to put it. So and so this just hit you all kind of what was the takeaway? Speaker 2
Perfect. So As as we're there, our girls were making the comment. They don't live like us. Speaker 0
Mhmm. Speaker 2
And I was like, yes, true. But they're happy. And let's just say, we return home and for maybe the next couple of weeks, our gal girls were of a quite a different mindset. All of a sudden, the gratitude was increased. There's, you know, a level of appreciation for what they did have, two weeks back into, you know, usual, just usual life. So what that meant was that we wanted to give our our girls a broader life experience. So what does abundance represent? So is it purely the financial elements of what a business was actually drawing, or is it actually more to life than than that? And that's what we were then seeking for is what's the greater abundance? For us then, that meant there was an adventure to be had. The adventure was, okay, removing ourselves from you know, what was largely a comfortable, you know, existence in Melbourne Australia and actually taking a journey somewhere that would allow us to grow, as well as give broader experience to our girls. And hence, we landed in Salt Lake City in Utah. Speaker 0
Got it. And, did you know what the the future would hold? I mean, of course, not to, you know, no one does on on every level, but, did you know how long you'd be in the US? Speaker 2
We did not. We did not. We started that journey simply with this is gonna be an adventure. We've gotta give it at least a couple of years to make it worthwhile, but had no clue No clue Jamie as to what it would mean. So now contextually, if you go back to two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine, you got a global financial crisis. Moved to the US. Well, the the same economic environment is still there. Can I just tell you, you know, we went from somewhat abundant circumstances? We went moved to the US. The next two years professionally were the hardest two years I've ever faced. You talk about removing professional networks. All of a sudden, you're standing solo. And needing to find new networks. The economy was not of a, you know, let's call it a booming point at that point. There was actually another some legislation that came in came into came into pass that had some adverse effects on that economy I'm sorry on that business. Our savings just were depleting dramatically as we're trying to hang on. And at one point, my wife and I turned to each other, and it's like, are we gonna have to tuck tail and actually head home? And, Speaker 0
so so you were still with the the same business. Speaker 2
I was not. No. No. Not a business. Speaker 0
So same same industry but you'd ex exited the business with your partners. Speaker 2
Correct. That's how we moved across to the US. Was there are companies in the US that actually wanted our skill set in the way that things are actually done here and and, ever, ever grateful for them and for their vision in wanting us to come across Speaker 0
-- Speaker 2
Mhmm. -- and, and help them But, yes, let's just say that sometimes you can put yourself in circumstances that are cause some adversity. Other times, you're an innocent bystander, you know, literally legislation comes down. The economy fails. Mhmm. Sure. And you've gotta wrap your head around what's going on with all of that and make make sense of it and push forward. Speaker 0
No. Absolutely. We've had guests on the show who through no fault of their own, you know, were diagnosed with, I don't know, stage four pancreatic, you know, pancreatic cancer as an example. I mean, that's, you know, or we we've had guests who have made some pretty poor life decisions repeatedly over and over and over, and that's probably largely why they were in such dire circumstances. So sounds like, you know, there were some yes. Sure. You made the decision to come to the US, and and that, you know, but but there were some external changes that occurred that you there's no way you could have seen coming. Speaker 2
All all those things, I guess, maybe collide at a, you know, in tune time Speaker 0
-- Speaker 2
Mhmm. -- to then cause you to start the question. Was this really the right decision? Speaker 0
Sure. Speaker 2
You know, when we're seeking for abundance in other areas, but yet let's call it the financial aspects. They're not playing out the way that you wanted to. It's more like, well Speaker 0
Yeah. It's it's one thing to say. Well, you know, not not that you these were your words, but, money doesn't really matter. You know, that's that's that's one part of abundance, but then when you it's pulled from you, you start to really appreciate how much money does matter in financial abundance is is real is the thing. So but for context, let's put it a little bit. You don't have to get it's it's up to you how much you wanna share, of course, but First of all, how old were your daughters when you moved? Would you answer that one if you would? Speaker 2
Ten and twelve. Speaker 0
Ten and twelve. Okay. That's good good to know. It's good context. How well were you living financially when you left Australia versus those two year the first two years when you were here? Speaker 2
Look, I would say we were comfortable. You know, you can sort of define that however you'd like. I mean, I wouldn't say that we were you know, rolling in it, whatever whatever terminology you'd like to use. Sure. And I and I hope that, you know, from I believe I've I've come to a place where there's a great deal more humility now around those those elements, but, Yeah. We we were comfortable. I think that's probably the easiest way of saying. Speaker 0
Sure. And then so you reach a point during those two years Again, we don't need to know how much money you made in those two years, but sounds like you were close. You were legitimately close to heading back to Australia and just talk talking this up as as a bad decision. Is that right? Speaker 2
Or another one of those roads that you go down and think oh, was that the wrong call? Speaker 0
Sure. Sure. Speaker 2
So unlike the night club where that one was distinctly one of alright. Back up wrong call, let's go down at path. This was one of Dewy tuck tail Speaker 0
-- Speaker 2
Mhmm. -- and, you know, reverse direction and then head back to the environment that we know that networks were there. And the decision at that point was, no. We felt like this was absolutely the right thing to do. We kinda felt that there was more of a prompting if anything to actually come to the US. Mhmm. Okay. So now break through this next barrier? How do we actually make it happen? And, I I think it once again lends itself to the It takes a village. Mhmm. Sure. The I, and I'll I'll talk, you know, personally. I cannot take, you know, credit for all of these things that just that happened to us, not at all. There are so many others that are influential and impactful on our on our lives and for that, ever, ever grateful. Speaker 0
So but how did that decision making process go with, you know, any anyone who's a business owner, whether it's you Speaker 2
know, if Speaker 0
you if you are married, I'll say that. If you have a spouse or significant other, they're gonna be heavily influenced by what you do with your business. And so how how would how that process it sounds like you you and your spouse were quite a a good team. But how did that go? I mean, were were there times where you weren't on the same page? Speak to the the small business owner out there who you know, has a spouse and and they need to make decisions that are gonna affect the entire family. Speaker 2
Yeah. Look, I I love the the direction that that one's taking. I mean, each, as I see it, each, each couple, each person, each group, whatever, is gonna be somewhat different. We happen to operate a little bit like a yinon and a yinon and a yang. Mhmm. There are I'm very fortunate that my wife has some very distinct skills, that I don't have. And, so she complements me. I compliment her. Those conversations were very much one of well. If it comes to the let's call it some of the financial, the business aspects, she's gonna trust me. Speaker 0
Got it. Speaker 2
Equally so the other direction. But, yeah, there was some I'd say some some deep conversations. What that would mean for us as, you know, a family, the impact. And and honestly, some of it If we really sort of get into it, some of it's a pride based thing. Oh, you've made the dis you've made this decision. And if it's Is failure an option? Is that the way that you're gonna be seen? And getting to a point where it's like, that doesn't matter. Take ego out of this. It's what's right for and, again, for us, it was what was right for the family. Speaker 0
For the family. Speaker 2
Doesn't matter if I actually had fall on the sword and say, yep, crappy decision. Mhmm. But, no, we decided that together, let's let's go. Okay. There was also a bit of a change of mindset in this as well because on one hand, Jamie, when we made the move, naturally there was the experiences that we wanted to have as a family, but it was also sure. We we saw that it wasn't gonna be detrimental on the financial side. If not, there was probably greater opportunity. Now I'd come from a world where it was small business and was gonna continue that route. Mhmm. Now all of a sudden, I came to let's call it a bit of a mind shift, which was one of, well, this entrepreneurial Let's call it being an entrepreneur Speaker 0
-- Mhmm. -- Speaker 2
is is not just necessarily the title or a noun that is actually more of a mindset that there were, oh, in fact, as a small business owner, I'm still part of a company. Sure. You know, it's a company. It's a company of people. And whether or not I'm the owner of it, I'm dependent upon other people in my company, Yeah. Chris is actually becoming part of a larger company and applying the same entrepreneurial mindset or nearly an entrepreneur and actually benefiting those companies that I happen to be with. Mhmm. And so at that point, pivoted, again, some wonderful individuals that sort of joined the dots for us. And, yeah, at that point, happened to join a media company there in Salt Lake City. And, wow, changed the trajectory of our, call it our life there in Salt Lake and in the US. Speaker 0
That's fantastic. And I imagine having that small business ownership experience probably allowed you to stand out from other applicants if if you were applying for a job and, you know, so I guess what I'm getting at is is for those out there who, you know, you didn't foresee this path going the way it did. Your your path going the way it actually turned out, but that small business, and all that experience was still very much relevant to your new position when you're part of a a bigger organization. So I would say just do the best do the best you can at what the at the task in front of you. And this is I'm I'm speaking to myself and everyone else. Not to say you should never take take into account the the big picture, but for the most part, you know, you don't know where it's gonna lead, and you don't know what today, how the skills you're gaining today and and the contributions you're making today are gonna help you and others in the future. So But I I love that. The fact that the entrepreneurship is is really a mindset and more of a verb as opposed to Or are you the the owner of this this company? So now you talked about the hockey stick earlier. And now is that, is that how things kinda went for you and your your family on a professional level? From there. I mean, it sounds like things were really bad for a couple years and then started to take off for you professionally. Is that true? Speaker 2
I would simply say that at the time, you asked their their ages, you know, twelve and ten and twelve. At the time, couple of years later, you're talking twelve and fourteen. Sure. Once again, there's a certainly, in my mind, there was a decision around what's most important. And what was most important was actually being present for our girls. Again, begin begin with the end in mind. Why did we start on this adventure, and it was to give our girls and our family a broader life experience. If I simply went into the let's call it full on professional realm. Mhmm. It requires focus, dedication, and that would then mean that the other areas probably would not have had the focus that it did. So Yeah. For the next, let's just call it the next. Five, six odd years. It was one of okay. Well, I'm I'll be tempered. Let's call it that. From a professional standpoint, making sure that I was able to put focus on where it was needed, and that was back on the family. Speaker 0
Okay. Speaker 2
And so there is a period where Sure. There is some growth. Let's call it that, but it's not as we would say full gas. Speaker 0
Sure. Got it. So you had some self imposed boundaries, Speaker 2
because A limiter. Speaker 0
Yeah. A limiter because you'd you'd decided what your priorities were. And, and for you, that was the family. Speaker 2
The absolutely. And it's also where when you're not full gas. Let's call it that in one area. It enables who would have certainly enabled me to be able to explore a bunch of other areas, and, hence, some of those people that are around me now that I deem to be some of my closest friends came about because of Let's call it, physical adventures, you know, that we went on, be that, you know, extreme bike rides and long runs and just things that you would say, that's kinda wacky, crazy. But there's all these life lessons that you learned from it. Mhmm. And those life lessons, I can now say, full well, apply to business and to life. So Speaker 0
had you not had you gone full gas? You would not have been able to learn those life lessons or at least not in the form that Totally. Speaker 2
Oh, yeah. With without doubt. And, you know, there's a there's a wonderful book. That Clayton Christianson wrote. Speaker 0
Okay. Speaker 2
Clayton Christianson Harvard business professor, wrote the innovator's dilemma, but this one in case was actually, how will you measure your life? That, Jamie, for me, stood out greatly because it meant it enabled or helped me focus on what was really most important. Is it really the financial aspects? No. That's that's one thing that enables all of the other things that are really the most important. And so that was one that I guess I keyed in on and made sure that I was trying to keep focus on the things that were most most important. And if Yeah. If at the end of the day, that that's I'd be happy with the end result. This is how would I measure my life? Speaker 0
What other lessons did you learn from these physical adventures that you were you were going on. Speaker 2
Oh, goodness. So let's just say, when we're talking endurance events, there are, probably put him into context. So one that comes to mind would be a four hundred mile bike ride that's, basically riding your bike for twenty four hours from sort of the north of the northern part of the of Utah down to the southern part of Utah. And, you yes. The let's go. The there's needed preparation, that when you actually participated in it. It's not just you. There's actually there's support. There's other people around you. It goes back to the whole premise of that it takes a village. Speaker 0
Sure. Speaker 2
There's other elements that when you're competing in these events, you start to say, oh, who is this about? And what's the end goal? When you're racing in these things, I have a have a photo that is embedded in my mind of the finishing line of this event. And there are four of us that are standing underneath it. These are just for myself and three other mates -- Mhmm. Speaker 0
-- Speaker 2
that completed this There were two of us that actually rode the race. There were another couple and others that actually came to join in. And then there was all of the support crew. So they're not in the photo, but my mind goes to all these other people. Mhmm. What an experience to come together and to to bond Now the choice, as you're actually riding in well, as I was riding in this race, was do I go for the win, a solo, Mhmm. One of the guys I was writing with was having, GI problems, and sort of had let's call it fallen off the fallen off the front. My choices is do I go for the wind, the glory, and try and race another guy, or No. Is it actually more important that I actually spend the time and spend the adventure with, again, this friend that I was with and also this crew. That was the choice. In the end, my choice was to focus more on the others versus myself, and they therein is just another one of those life lessons that for me, that was more important than Yeah. Getting over the finish last first. Speaker 0
No. It's definitely a a theme, of our show is is just plugging yourself into being something that's bigger than yourself and and serving something bigger than yourself. Speaker 2
Well said Speaker 0
It's not all about Tim Swift. Right? Speaker 2
That that it is definitely not. Speaker 0
But, you know, we could talk about this. It's easy to say now. And, you know, when we're hitting record, talking to podcasts, but in the moment, I don't know. I mean, it's you're you're a competitor. I I presume if you're doing a a crazy race like this, you've got that ego just like the rest of us, and and there's nothing wrong with trying to win a race. Right? That's so who knows? I I'm not sure what I would have done, to be honest with you. So it's easy for us to talk like this, but kudos to you for making that decision and and, and, and, you know, slowing back, slowing up and and linking up with the with him. And I assume you finished together, Speaker 2
We did. Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah. That was, a great thrill, great memory. I I would echo though that when you're in those when you're in the moment Speaker 0
-- Speaker 2
Mhmm. Speaker 0
-- Speaker 2
it is tough to make the decision unless you have actually made, let's call it the decision beforehand. I love that. And that that comes back to understanding what your why is. What what is your purpose? What is your mission? And when that's the case, then any of the circumstances that you actually come or encounter, it's like you've already made the decision. It's like, oh, if this happens, then that if this happens if that happens, then this. Right? So Speaker 0
-- Speaker 2
Sure. Speaker 0
-- Speaker 2
there's that's just one example of when it comes to, oh, faced with the decision in the moment. Yeah. What am I gonna do? Well, if I understand my why, then I know how to align my decision with that. Speaker 0
Yeah. That's that's awesome because, I mean, you know, if there's these types of decisions are going to to happen. Right? You you didn't know that exact decision was going to you didn't know how it would unfold, but If you approach life to, with the the view that you're going to have challenges, you're going to have tactical decisions where you have to kind of decide what your priority priority is in the moment. Well, then it's not unexpected, and you're already ready for it on some level. So you can actually make that mind set shift of even if, you know, my friend falls back due to GI problems, I can still, you know, have a successful Still a successful day, with the with the group as opposed to, what if this, what if this, what if this, you've already got that decision made. You've already made you know what your why is. So you can make that tactical decision much more easily. I love it. Speaker 2
Totally applying this maybe to business because, obviously, from an entrepreneurial standpoint, the the same, I see the same principle or concept occurring when when someone has started their own small business. I asked the question, why did you do it? Sure. Speaker 0
And Speaker 2
if if economic circumstances, you know, happen to change, and you start to say, oh, Boy, now what's my why? And what decision do I need to do? Or do I need to make relative to even call it the people that are that are reliant on me that are employed by me. Do I cut them? Do I, you know, do I lay them off? Because I'm focused on the let's call it the profit of the company. And then there at times, obviously, you know, I I say that. Not all circumstances gonna be exactly the same, but there are times where you have to say, oh, that's a really unfortunate event that needs to occur. In other instances, you may simply say, well, no. We're gonna ride through this. Because my why is, again, focused on the other people rather than let's call it the profit. Speaker 0
Yeah. I love it. It's it's okay to approach it with it. The human element in mind versus just making more money. And and this point so just reiterate for for the listener. Well, what was your why again through all of this? Speaker 2
Oh, so I hope I've refined this to a point because at one point, it was very, very squirrely. My why ultimately is to help other people be the best version of themselves. Speaker 0
Love that. That's awesome. You have refined it well. That's that's very good. Speaker 2
Well, I I hope that it's one of those things that It it you're striving for it, but it's never achievable. Speaker 0
Sure. Speaker 2
No. It's, in all circumstances. That's, I guess, you know, what I'm trying to seek for. Speaker 0
Awesome. So from we're we're gonna have to gloss over some, a few years here, but walk us through, you know, from that time period where you had you didn't go full gas for five years, whatever you said it was. You know, from that point up through today, what professionally, what has your life looked like? Speaker 2
Professionally. Yes. When it, when it was time, once our girls had actually graduated, it was full gas. I We made the decision that with the girls now, sort of, let's call it that aspect of their life done, that I was gonna pour pour more fuel on it. Yeah. And, made the move from media, into a software company. That software company, again, very blessed that, that opportunity was opened up to me. I hope that, I was able to do as best as possible by the company itself. And, you know, that led to, I guess, the last position there where I was president and chief operating officer, And, as a company, we sold out to a, another software company that actually buys vertical markets were businesses and, exited that company, a few months ago, was able to then take some time to really sort of think, okay. I've focused on, let's call it that first mountain. If you've heard that analogy, the two mountain analogy, Yeah. I've focused on the first mountain, and here I find myself in a situation of, well, gee, what's next? And, I really wanted to focus on the second mountain, which is how do I make sure that I'm less focused on me and my family, and let's call it the, you know, that singular company, but also how do I focus on others. How do I become more outward focused? Speaker 0
I actually just read the that book by David Brooks. It's really good. Speaker 2
Perfect. Well done. Speaker 0
Very good, very good book. So and the other thing that came to mind when you were speaking was that you know, life has seasons, and it's okay. You're you're not the same it'll have to be the same exact Tim Swift from birth through for the rest of your life. In other words, you can make it a strategic decision to throttle back for a while or no. It's time to it's time to pour full gas on on this, and let's let's do this. And and but you're constantly You have your priorities, but you're reevaluating along the way based on the change changes and circumstances. Doesn't mean your priorities have changed, but maybe your your tactical approach changes based on other other, other factors. Anything to add to that? Speaker 2
Well summarized. I mean, put it in business terms. We talk about a, you know, let's call it a mission that's out there that is Never changing. It's the it's the north star that we're actually focused on. The strategy to get there is gonna be based on the circumstances. You know, at the time, the tactics that you actually take day in, day out, they're definitely gonna change. And sometimes they work, and other times they don't, and you gotta pivot. Speaker 0
That's great. So with your exit, was that, you know, I guess you had some, equity ownership in the company or or how did the exit work for you personally. Speaker 2
Yeah. Look, we did. Again, very fortunate that, the the owner or the founder of that company had, had enabled. Let's call it other employees to be able to have some ownership in the company and, so, yes, so many as part of that exit, we're able to benefit from it. And, you know, with that, many have stayed with the company. Others have since left and then are going on to other endeavors. But, yeah, that was where my focus was, to be able to say, well, not only am I Do I feel value, in being able to contribute from a let's call it from a salary, from an income, regular income, but there's value in actually building an asset. Speaker 0
That's true for sure. So congrats. That's great. And then you you've had some some time off, and now you're ready for your next, the next venture. Speaker 2
So ready. And, sometimes these things don't come overnight, you know, just a recognition of what's most important. And as you're as we were just sort of, engaging with before, the what's the strategy going forward? I'm just totally jazzed energized in being able to put throw myself back into something that is very, very much values based and aligned with the the mission that I guess that I only god being able to uplift other Speaker 0
people. It's fantastic. You ready for some rapid fire questions? Speaker 2
Oh, heck yeah. Let's go. Speaker 0
Alright. What is one thing that people misunderstand about you, Tim? Speaker 2
That everything comes easy. That, I would say imposter syndrome. It's a real thing. That even for some of us that have, maybe, from the external, have seem to have some success, but, imposter syndrome still occurs. Speaker 0
Got it. What is one of your your biggest failures, regrets, maybe that we haven't touched on? Speaker 2
This is a great one to step into. I've actually asked myself this many times, and it I actually put it into, call it a theme. The the thing that I regret most are are actually when I've impacted, hurt, or have not done, as well as I would like to for somebody else. Sometimes it's something I've said, some some some way I've acted. It's maybe to put it in short, it's when I've not uplifted somebody else. Speaker 0
Got it. I think we can all we can all relate to that. If you could have coffee with any historical figure, who would it be? Speaker 2
Oh, Don't know that it that would have existed back then, but this is a pretty easy one for me, Jesus Christ. Speaker 0
Great answer. Speaker 2
Love love to go back there and actually just wow, you know, to to experience what he experienced then. I'd say that most of us would be pretty humble with the way the things that we actually the things that we have to endure these days. Speaker 0
I think, I've actually thought about the fact that I think is from adversity to abundance, no one has a better story for Speaker 2
a great, Speaker 0
you know, than he does. So if you could give your eighteen year old self some advice, what would that be? Speaker 2
Yeah. Probably relates back to, g, what are the regrets that I've had? Speaker 0
Sure. Speaker 2
Eighteen year old self always uplift others in whether that's in the way in the way that I think, what I say, what I do, If I focus on if I was to focus on uplifting others, I think I'd find myself a happier person and with less regrets. Speaker 0
I love that. A lot of truth there. If you were given ten million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with it? Speaker 2
Put it to work. Put it to work so it can actually bless others. You know, there's the whole old analogy of, you know, give a man a fish Feed him for a day, teach a man how to fish, feed him for a lifetime. For me, it comes down to take that ten million, invest it, put it into some type of business asset that's throwing off cash flow. Sure. Use that cash flow to teach a man how to fish. And it could be in many different aspects, but and and there's many great causes that are out there. But that that for me is, again, let's call it back to another parable of talents. The to speak is that, yeah, take take that ten, make it work. Don't just sort of hide it away or or, what's the right word? Not not user wisely. Speaker 0
Sure. Stewart it. Well, perfect. What is, in your opinion, what what's one of the most important personality traits that someone needs to be successful in in your industry or in entrepreneurship in general? Speaker 2
You said one. Can I give you that? Speaker 0
Go for it. Speaker 2
Humility empathy, discipline. They're what I would deem to be my three non negotiables. Speaker 0
That's fantastic. Great answer. What is one thing in your your field of expertise that almost no one agrees with you about? What's do you have any any, controversial takes on either business as a whole or or your specific industry? Speaker 2
Oh, I've I've heard this one said many times. If if if no one disagrees with you, you're not speaking loud enough. And so the one area that for me that I think is is challenging, especially when it comes to business and big business, is a profit centered mindset first. Speaker 0
Okay. Can you can you speak a little bit more about that? Speaker 2
Sure. You know, think technology And you've owned you've only gotta, you know, turn a couple of pages or do a search, and you'll see the number of layoffs that have occurred in the in the tech sector of late. Speaker 0
Sure. Speaker 2
And, that certainly doesn't put people first. There's a there's a mindset there that profit is the first thing to focus on. And, I I would love to actually invert that triangle or that pyramid. It's people first. And, some I can't say that everyone disagrees with you. That's not the case. There's many that obviously do agree, but there are still others that focus on the profit first. Speaker 0
Got it. Makes sense. If you were to start a business tomorrow, what would it be? Speaker 2
I wasn't I hadn't even thought of this one. Speaker 0
I don't always ask the this one. Speaker 2
If I was to start a business today, what would it be? Or you know what? I'm gonna I'm gonna take a, a soft answer on this one, and it would be something purely for fun. It it would be probably a bikepacking adventure company. And the reason that's the case is that drawing together, let's call it adventure that people need to take they actually really are putting themselves out there. It benefits the local community as in that creates jobs in the little micro market And it actually gets people into the outdoors and appreciative of just the great, great things that are around. Speaker 0
I love that. I need to introduce you to my my brother-in-law, actually. He's biked across the country, and he's got a similar idea. So after we after we stop here, I'll we'll chat. Speaker 2
I'll appreciate that introduction. Speaker 0
Absolutely. You mentioned at least we talked about a couple of different books. Do you have any any other book recommendations? Speaker 2
Look, top top of my reading list off the top of my head, how will you measure your life by Clayton Christensen? Phenomenal one that has helped guide me. Another one, atomic habits by James Clear. Speaker 0
Mhmm. Great. Speaker 2
Yep. And then the infinite game by Simon Synek. Speaker 0
Okay. I have not read that one. Speaker 2
Just great context. Speaker 0
That's awesome. And as as we wrap up here, Tim, so I know you've you've shared with me a little bit more about, the organization that you play a role in. The question really is how do you like to serve others? But that's what popped into my mind. Do you wanna speak a little bit about that? Speaker 2
Yeah. So I'll probably throw that into a few different buckets if I can. Sure. How do I how do I like to serve others? I mean, if I put my life into some containers professionally. There's one, and, very much. Energized by the opportunity to be back with, let's drop some names, Bonoville International, and, for the mission that they have of being a trusted voice of light and truth and uplifting other people through their media. So there's a professional side. Volunteer, I certainly have some ecclesiastical responsibilities that, you know, we we engage in, and there's one element There's also some volunteer work that I do with a, a board. So the board is the open circle foundation. And, that comes from a group called We are Open Circle who essentially serve those that are serving people at the front lines. So when you're talking about ex military vets, those that are educators that are serving, children in, in challenging circumstances, workers in the medical facility. And and these are just organizations that are trying to uplift and help people that are actually helping others. We forget that those that are helping still have issues themselves. Speaker 0
They still need help. Sure. Speaker 2
They do. Speaker 0
And like you said before, you you you can impact more people if you're serving those who are also dedicated to impacting others. Speaker 2
Totally. Totally. Totally. Totally. Fantastic. Speaker 0
Man, this is great. I know we went a little bit long, but it's because, I just had this was such good stuff. This has been this has been great, Tim. Speaker 2
I hope that there are some nuggets in there. I mean, I have totally, enjoyed the conversation. I know that we could have gone really deep into a number of those other areas, but I I hope that there's something in this for people. Speaker 0
Well, when you have we have you back on, we'll have to pick one area and go deep with it. So Tim Swift, where can our listeners reach out to you if they wanna connect with you. How can they do that? Speaker 2
Sure. I guess professionally, certainly on LinkedIn. Tim Swift, you'll find me. The other is for those that are more sporting orientated. You'll find all my adventures as well as the obligatory photo log on strava. So for, you know, platform that is typically there for, you know, for cycling for running and for, for other to sporting adventures. Speaker 0
Fantastic. Is there anything we have not covered that you wanna cover real quick? Speaker 2
Look. The the one question I always throw out there is This, what does your dash represent? The dash meaning that little dash that exists between your birth year and your death year. That one little thing, if you can answer that, I think it guides so many of the decisions. And let's call it the adversities that we actually have to go through, why we go through it, how we go through it, And, ultimately, what we define is let's call it abundance. What does your dash represent? Speaker 0
Wow. I sure hope, nobody stop listening before you drop that that knowledge bomb. That was that was very good. That was that was awesome. Love that. Well, Tim, thank you so much. I really pre we really appreciate you spending your time with us. This has been fantastic. Speaker 2
Thank you, Jamie, for having me on. It's, it's always a thrill to, to talk with you. Speaker 0
And to our listener out there, we appreciate you very much. Thank you for spending your most valuable resource with us, and that is your time. Thanks, everyone. Take care. Speaker 3
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