Jan. 16, 2024

Living the dream with author and visionary entrepreneur Craig Cooke

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Join us on 'Living the Dream with Curveball' as we sit down with Craig Cooke, a visionary entrepreneur who pioneered the digital-first approach before it was mainstream. Learn how Craig's dedication and innovative thinking turned a modest investment into a thriving online empire. From being on the Inc. 5000 list to overcoming personal health challenges, Craig's story is a testament to the power of belief and adaptability. Get ready to be motivated by his relentless pursuit of success and his unique business philosophy detailed in his book, 'Business Kung Fu.'

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> Speaker A>Welcome, um, to the living the Dream podcast with curveball. If you believe you can achieve, cheat, cheat.

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> Speaker A>Welcome to the living the Dream with curveball podcast, a, uh, show where I interview guests that teach, motivate, and inspire. Today I am joined by author and entrepreneur, the founder of Rhythmnet.com, Craig Cook. Today we're going to be talking about sticking with your dreams and having a dream, even if nobody else believes in you, as long as you believe in it. Because Craig, like I said, is the founder of Rhythmnet.com. He founded that with little money and an Apple computer. He founded it when digital first wasn't even popular. So he created a digital first company when most of us didn't even know about digital. So we're going to be talking to him about his story and all the accomplishments he achieved as CEO, uh, of that company for 26 years. So, Craig, thank you so much for joining me today.

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> Speaker B>Well, thanks, Curtis, for the kind introduction there. I appreciate it. And thank you for having me here today.

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> Speaker A>Why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself?

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> Speaker B>Sure. Well, you kind of gave the quick summary. Um, I started my company when I was 25, actually, and I went to college, uh, at, uh, Cal Poly University Pomona in, uh, Southern California. And I was a business major, and I majored in operations management and a minor in marketing. And during that time, I volunteered for what was called the Multimedia Design center. And that's where I developed a passion for technology learning programs. Like, it was like Photoshop 1.0 way back in the day. This is early ninety s and all these other similar types of programs. And then after graduation, I, uh, was learning about, uh, the Internet jumping online with AOL. Um, one thing led to another, and I combined two passions, a passion for music and a passion for technology to create something new, which was rhythmnet.com, uh, started it with a couple of friends, college friends, and we each had $1,300 apiece in a computer.

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> Speaker B>And, uh, we went at it and established the company in 1996. Back in the 20th century, a digital first company, what about that?

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> Speaker B>Right? And, uh, it was focused on marketing independent music online to kind of fight the establishment, in a sense, one of those ideas. Um, but it was a struggle. Uh, there was no broadband, no MP3 s.

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> Speaker B>There was only 30 million people worldwide connected online at the time, and everyone was afraid to buy things through their computer with their credit card.

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> Speaker B>So idea before its time, and we didn't have much money at all and no resources, and the network was very small because this is all brand new and we struggled, but we adopted, um, some new thinking and adapted the company over time, multiple times, and became a digital, um, agency, uh, servicing companies, which, uh, then grew to middle market to large enterprise companies. And over the course of time, I sold it in, uh, 2019 and stayed on for a few years as CEO, um, uh, continuing that role. And now I'm in a new chapter in life and I just released my, uh, book, uh, a couple of months ago and excited to be here and talk about it.

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> Speaker A>Well, tell us about some of the great accomplishments that, uh, you and your company achieved while you were running rhythmnet.

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> Speaker B>Sure. So one of the big things that was really neat is we hit this really great growth stride around 2011, 2012. We really started to hit a stride because it was really slow managed growth, um, all that time, um, prior, but, uh, for five years in a row, we landed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the United States. And, uh, at the time, uh, they've stated to me that only 7% of companies on the list achieve that feat to get on there five years in a row. At the same time, we also landed best places to work and top places to work four years in a row by a couple of different organizations. And, uh, we probably would have had more, but we just stopped applying, actually, because just got too busy. Uh, also, uh, in 2009. Very interesting. We took a big gamble, big risk, and bought, uh, our commercial office building rather than pay exorbitant rent that we were paying to, um, a landlord who kept raising it on us. And that was at the height of the credit crunch in 2019, when none of the banks were lending. And we worked it out and we're able to use 100% of banks money to purchase a fantastic office space, which allowed us to control expenses and grow into that, um, as we scaled up.

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> Speaker B>So that was a great accomplishment. But the big capstone was selling to a strategic buyer, a world class digital creative agency out of New York City.

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> Speaker A>Well, you also faced some health challenges because you were so focused on your career and everything that you were doing. So tell us about that and how, uh, you overcame them.

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> Speaker B>Uh, yes. So prior to starting my company, I was in great shape. I studied martial arts really intensely. And at 25, when I started the company, again, being in great shape, it carried me through a good five years, no problem. But as I got into my mid thirty s, I really started to, uh, have a downward spiral in my health because I wasn't taking care of myself. I was so all in focused on the business and just doing everything I could to get it going that I just neglected my own self care. So by the time, uh, when I hit my early 40s, um, I was really feeling just different, and I noticed it.

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> Speaker B>And then I started to take some small steps to just getting a little bit better diet and so forth, um, and some other things. But then I went to, um, a doctor, and I found out that I had a diagnosis of, uh, diabetes, type two diabetes. And that hit me like a baseball bat, like, wow, I'm only like 44. Um, 44 or 45. And here I am with this condition. Um, all right, well, I got to beat this.

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> Speaker B>So I talked to the doctor, how can I reverse, um, this? And I didn't want to take any pharmaceutical meds, um, for a number of reasons.

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> Speaker B>Essentially, I just, not a big fan, put it that way. And, um, the doctor said, well, you can do it naturally. It's just a lifestyle change. So I went about to do that, and today I've reversed it completely, naturally, because I've, uh, done a lot of self care since then, which we can get into if you like. But, um, that was a big one, and it was a big lesson for me. And something, um, I write about my book, how you really need to make sure that you take care of yourself, even though you feel that you don't have time to do it. It's, uh, essential, because if you want to be of service to others, you really have to be of service to yourself first so that you can be of service to others for a lifetime.

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> Speaker B>Otherwise, essentially, you're going to burn out and not be able to perform well.

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> Speaker A>Tell us about some of the other mistakes that you feel like you made in your career, and congratulations on reversing your health issues, by the way.

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> Speaker B>Thank you so much. Well, mistakes, um, there are so many.

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> Speaker B>Starting the company at 25, when you're young, you think you know a lot of stuff, and you don't. Experience is a great teacher. And I remember one lesson early, uh, on within the first six months when we started, uh, it was 1996, and our vendor that was supplying us with our high speed Internet line, uh, they were doing a lot of work with companies, and the gentleman mentioned to me, all right, you ready for this ride? Yeah, I'm ready. Because people that were in it knew that the Internet was going to be big. It wasn't just some, um, fad for computer, right?

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> Speaker B>And, yeah, I'm ready. All right, well, cool. Um, we talked to a lot of companies. If they need, uh, any website, uh, design services, I can send them your way. And I said, oh, thanks, that's awesome. But we're really focused on our idea of marketing independent music, so it's really not our thing to be doing that. Um, we're really focusing on this, and the lesson in that was, it's great to have focus, but if you're so focused on a particular thing and you have these blinders on, you can miss opportunities that are surrounding you. If I would have said yes, could have got some nice, um, referrals for some great projects that would have given us an injection of cash, that would have helped us with our main goal.

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> Speaker B>Um, um. Or maybe we would have just ended up shifting gears even further and gotten further faster, um, with some bigger, better clients, faster.

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> Speaker B>So that was a lesson. Focus is great.

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> Speaker B>I'm a big fan of focus. I'm very focused. But I like to think of it kind of like an 80 20 thing. Focus 80% of your time and attention on your core business, your core services, but have an open mind and have this peripheral vision so that, uh, 20% of your attention is looking for additional opportunities because they're out there.

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> Speaker A>Okay. We'll tell the listeners about your book and what they can expect to find, um, when they read it and why you decided to write it.

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> Speaker B>Okay, great. So, uh, my book is titled Business Kung Fu. I released it in mid November, and essentially the concept is, I took the lessons and principles that I learned from studying chinese kung fu, uh, when I was younger, from 17 to 25, intensely, and I still study today. But I took those lessons that I had learned at the time and applied it to my company in the way of how I structured things, my mindset, my discipline, uh, the level of perseverance that I applied. There's just a lot of different things of how I thought about the company and behaved and had my activities set in thinking strategically in the company that were based on these lessons. So the book helps explain that. And, uh, one of the first things is, for example, building a foundation. In chinese martial arts, it all starts with building a foundation, learning the basic stances, some basic punches, some basic kicks and guards and blocks and so forth. And you really have to build upon that. Once you have that solid foundation, then all its other, um, neat things can be added on top of that. So it's the same thing with your company.

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> Speaker B>You really need to build a solid foundation. And even as an entrepreneur, someone who's looking to go into business, you have to figure out, well, why do they want to go into business? And I have what's called the five elements of entrepreneurship. It's a model based on classic chinese five element theory. Those five elements are fire, earth, water, metal, and wood.

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> Speaker B>And, uh, it's a very deep, um, theory that applies to martial arts, but also medical and spiritual systems, uh, out of China.

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> Speaker B>And, uh, I've identified five elements for entrepreneurs that are passion, which passion leads to discipline, discipline leads to expertise, like expert skills, that expertise leads to confidence, and confidence leads to faith. And it's a generative cycle that builds and increases capacity over time. But it could go the other direction, too, because if, um, you start to lose your faith, for example, uh, then it could go backwards in that other cycle. Then you can start losing your confidence, et cetera, et cetera. And then there's interrelationships, uh, between the elements that I explain in the book as well. But that's like, a foundational aspect to, uh, have these five elements in balance, because that's what it's about, in balance. And the reason why I wrote the book is really, I want to, at this point where I'm starting this new chapter in life, I want to share my experience, uh, my business wisdom, uh, really, as a passion to help others. I always found great joy and fulfillment when I was help developing my team, and I would see them blossom and flourish in their role. So I really want to inspire and empower others to help them fulfill their potential. And the book is a big component of that.

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> Speaker A>Well, tell us about energetic practices.

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> Speaker A>Explain to us what that is and how it works, um, into what you do today.

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> Speaker B>Great. Thank you. Yeah. So, uh, another aspect of martial arts is what's called martial qigong. And that was my first, uh, experience with qigong, which is an energy skill. That's literally what it means, energy skill. Now, in 2014, I came across a gentleman that did medical qigong. And at the time, I was feeling very out of balance and off centered, uh, with myself, just based on the stress and pressures from running the company, balancing the needs, wants, desires of employees, clients, vendors, and then also family life.

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> Speaker B>And, uh, when I found this gentleman, he was referred to me. His name's Russ Anderson. Great guy. I saw that he did, uh, medical qigong. I was like, wow, that's interesting. Okay, I wonder if he's the real deal. Uh, I'll go check him out. And had a great session. I'd go to see him once, uh, a month, and then after six months of doing that, I found myself feeling much more centered and balanced. And then he asked me if I would like to learn how to do this, and I said yes. Absolutely.

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> Speaker B>So started studying with him in January of 2015, nine years ago. And, uh, with energetic practices, it's about cultivating energy that works with your energetic anatomy. Just like we have a physical anatomy, we have an energetic anatomy. And there's various exercises that you, um, perform to cultivate this energy, increasing the capacity for holding energy and radiance in your body, but then also getting in balance because, uh, for example, our organ systems have virtues and negative emotions associated with it. So, for example, the liver, the, uh, virtues of the liver are love and compassion and benevolence. Uh, but on the negative side, there's anger, rage, resentment. Um, and each of these, um, organ systems have these, uh, different emotions tied to it that can throw you off of balance, especially based on the stresses that we have in life, based on our interactions with people, places, situations, et cetera. So the energetic practices not only helps build your cultivation of energetic capacity, but also balancing yourself so you can feel better emotionally and mentally. Um, but then there's also spiritual aspects as well. It's a fantastic practice, and it was a game changer for me in running my company, and that's another aspect of what I'm sharing with others.

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> Speaker A>Okay, well, tell us about any current or upcoming projects that you're working on that people need to know about.

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> Speaker B>Sure. Um, the book was a big one, so now that that's done, now it's really sharing it. Right. But I'm actually currently enrolled in a doctorate program, uh, for chinese energy medicine. And I've been enrolled in the program for a bit here and I'll be finished, uh, later, um, this year in August. It's, ah, taught by a, uh, renowned worldwide master in the space. It's a fantastic program.

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> Speaker B>So that's one thing that's taken up a lot of, um, time and attention.

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> Speaker B>Um, the next thing that I'll be looking to do and sharing the message of my book and so forth is speaking, uh, engagements.

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> Speaker B>I've done a lot of speaking engagements in the past, um, but now that I have this book, it's a whole new chapter that's something that I'm gearing up for and going to be doing. And in addition to my consulting practice, because I do consulting, um, with clients, uh, I started doing that at the beginning of last year after I took a break from the company that I ran. And, um, the areas that I consult with are in marketing, communications, emphasis on digital, uh, brand development, and then leadership development. And that's where the energetic practices, uh, can come in quite a bit so.

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> Speaker A>Listeners can keep up with everything that you're up to about your contact information.

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> Speaker B>Uh, great place to get in touch with me.

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> Speaker B>Uh, two places primarily are on my website, uh, which is csquaredpro IO. That's the letter C and squared spelled out pro IO, csquaredpro IO. And then also LinkedIn.

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> Speaker B>Uh, my LinkedIn profile is Craig, uh, cook. So LinkedIn, Ncragcook. And that's cook with the e at the end. McRaig, not Craig, but Craig, C-R-A-I-G uh, cook, Cooke. And, uh, those are two great channels, uh, to get a hold of me, but you can also find me on, um, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, et cetera.

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> Speaker B>Um, but those are the two channels that I'm monitoring closely.

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> Speaker A>Okay, close us out with some final thoughts. Maybe if that was something I forgot to talk about that you would like to touch on, or just any final thoughts you have for the listeners.

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> Speaker B>Well, uh, as far as final thoughts are, one big aspect is as you're going out to pursue your dreams, times can be challenging. There's always bumps in the road. And if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Think about that, right? And life is very interesting. And these challenges, as difficult as it can be at times, at, ah, the end of the day, once you accomplish things, it just makes it even the more sweeter. But as you're facing these challenges, your mindset is so critically important.

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> Speaker B>That's where these five elements come in that I talked about earlier. One of the big things is, um, that faith. In that faith, you have to believe in yourself. You have to believe that with 100% absolute certainty that you can achieve what you're setting out to achieve. And sometimes it just means changing things up. Doesn't mean quitting, but adapting, going about something a different way. So if you're not getting anywhere, well, okay, let's change a variable. Let's, uh, bring in something new. Let's do this a different way. Let me explore this different market, et cetera, all these different variables. Uh, so don't quit. Just adapt. Believe in yourself.

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> Speaker B>And I advocate believing in a higher power.

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> Speaker B>Also, um, there can be divine guidance that comes into play at times. It happened for me, and you'll be extremely pleasantly surprised when something big happens just out of the blue, because it does. But you have to have that faith.

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> Speaker A>Absolutely. Ladies and gentlemen, check out everything that Craig's up to. Visit his website, csquarepro.com. Check him out. Pick up his book. Follow rate review share this episode to as many people as possible. If you have any guest or suggestion topics Cjackson 102 at Cox. Net is the place to send them. As always, thank you for listening. Never give up. And Craig, thank you so much for joining me today.

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> Speaker B>Thank you, Chris. It's a pleasure to be here and talking with you.

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> Speaker A>For more information on the living the Dream podcast, visit www.djcurveball.com.

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> Speaker A>Until next time, stay focused on living the dream. Dream.

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> Speaker B>Our channel.