Right About Now - Legendary Business Advice

Derrick Hayes promised his father he would open a business. Years later, that promise became Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, a Philly-born, Atlanta-built brand now franchising across the Southeast. The founder and CEO joins Ryan Alford to tell the story of going from selling Italian ice nobody understood to running a cheesesteak spot people fly into Atlanta just to try. Derrick explains what fishing taught him about patience in business, why the winners keep going without proof, and why hustling without mastering your craft just makes you a “hobby hustler.” He also shares his biggest scaling lesson: be humble enough to build a team that challenges you. He also talks about the impact of bringing a business into a community, hiring locally, and his Blue Apron program, which gives young employees a real career path. Topics Covered: The Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks origin story Patience, belief and working without proof Hustling vs. mastering your craft Scaling and franchising a restaurant brand Building the right team and advisors Community impact and creating careers POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link: https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Links & Resources: Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks: https://www.bigdavescheesesteaks.com/ Franchise info: https://www.bigdavescheesesteaks.com/franchise Big Dave’s on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigdavescheesesteaks/ Derrick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialdhayes/ Connect with Ryan Alford: Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford

Arturo Nuñez has told stories for some of the biggest brands on earth, including Nike, Apple, the NBA and Pepsi. He joins Ryan Alford to explain what separates great marketing from expensive noise, and why a customer telling your story beats anything a brand can say. Arturo shares rare stories about Kobe Bryant's savage competitiveness, Nike's open, inspirational culture versus Apple's need-to-know secrecy, and the "Bleed Blue" campaign people in India still remember 15 years later. He also predicts that AI could make apps obsolete within two years. It all ties back to his new book, The Culture Compass: Navigate the Corporate World Without Losing Yourself. Arturo makes the case that your culture and your perspective are your edge at work, and that in a world where AI has all the answers, being uniquely human matters more than ever. Topics Covered: Authentic storytelling and word-of-mouth marketing Nike vs. Apple culture from the inside Lessons from Kobe Bryant's obsession with the craft Apple's business model and the future of apps in an AI world Selling what customers actually want Culture as a business advantage Bringing your whole self to work without losing credibility POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan's link: https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Links & Resources: The Culture Compass (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Compass-Navigate-Corporate-Yourself/dp/1668032171 Arturo Nuñez: https://www.arturo-speaks.com/ Arturo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arturonunezspeaks/ Arturo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arturo-nunez-79329177 Connect with Ryan Alford: Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford

What if the most profitable car in your driveway is the cheapest one? George Madden, co-founder of Car Rental Coach, joins Ryan Alford to explain how older economy cars under $12,000 can rent for the same price as $30,000 cars. He shares how one $8,300 SUV brought in more than $15,000 in a year. George gives the honest numbers: about $1,000 a month in revenue per car, not the $3,000 people claim online. He also covers the commercial insurance most new hosts get wrong, why you should start with fewer than five cars, and how busy professionals can co-host their fleet and simply collect the check. Ryan also pulls out a lesson for any entrepreneur: document what you learn as you build, because your experience can become a business of its own. Topics Covered: Starting and scaling a Turo car rental business Choosing cars with the best return on investment Real revenue and profit numbers per car Commercial rental insurance and avoiding denied claims Theft, trackers and keeping cars rented Depreciation and tax benefits Co-hosting for hands-off investors Turning expertise into a coaching business POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan's link: https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Links & Resources: Car Rental Coach: https://www.carrentalcoach.com/ Car Rental Coach on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@carrentalcoach Car Rental Coach on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrentalcoach/ George on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-madden-b824142a3/ Connect with Ryan Alford: Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford

Is your job a "star" role or an "extra" role? Matt Britton, founder and CEO of Suzy and author of Generation AI, tells Ryan Alford that AI will multiply the impact of creative problem solvers. Meanwhile, anyone who shows up waiting to be told what to do is at risk. Matt explains why Gen Alpha, the first generation raised with AI, will bring the biggest change to business and culture since the internet. He covers why the knowledge economy is collapsing, why he'd put coding and advanced math on the chopping block, and how parents can build creativity into their kids early. Matt also breaks down the three levels of AI, from prompts to automations to fully autonomous agents that can book your family vacation. He finishes with a warning for leaders: companies that don't reorganize for speed now will be the next Circuit City. POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan's link: https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Topics Covered: Gen Alpha and the AI-native generation Why AI is replacing "extras" and 10x-ing "stars" The future of college, trade skills and the knowledge economy Should kids still learn coding and math? Why prompt engineering is already dead The 3 levels of AI: prompts, automations and agents Robotics, AI wearables and life after the smartphone Voice cloning, AI avatars and the "real human" backlash Speed, organizational design and why many CEOs won't change Links & Resources: Generation AI by Matt Britton: https://www.amazon.com/Generation-AI-Alpha-Change-Everything/dp/139430885X/ Matt Britton: https://www.mattbritton.com/ Suzy: https://www.suzy.com/ Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbbritton/ Matt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattbrittonnyc Connect with Ryan Alford: Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford

Marketing channels have changed dramatically since Jason Kocina began helping companies build websites in the 1990s, but he argues that the foundation of effective marketing remains the same. The Publicity.com partner and digital marketing president joins Ryan Alford to explain how businesses can protect their visibility as audiences move from traditional search engines to AI-generated answers. Ryan and Jason explore the evolving relationship between earned media, SEO, content marketing, paid advertising, social media, and sales automation. Jason explains why companies need documented messaging, a clearly defined audience, and consistent brand language before an agency or AI platform can market them effectively. They also discuss how skilled professionals use AI to work faster without sacrificing originality, strategy, or human judgment. This episode gives business owners a practical approach to choosing marketing channels, building authority, and remaining discoverable as search behavior continues to change. POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL HighLevel helps businesses manage leads, automate follow-up, book appointments, and use AI to keep opportunities moving. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link: https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford TOPICS COVERED Jason Kocina’s experience in digital marketing The similarities between the internet revolution and AI Declining organic search traffic Referral traffic from ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok AI visibility and the future of SEO Creating consistent company messaging Earned media and third-party credibility Public relations, paid media, and content marketing Selecting channels based on the target customer Marketing automation and sales follow-up Using AI to improve professional efficiency The marketing fundamentals that never change CONNECT WITH JASON KOCINA Publicity.com: https://www.publicity.com/ About Publicity.com: https://www.publicity.com/our-story/ Marketing Resources: https://www.publicity.com/publicity-resources/ The CEO’s Guide to Marketing: https://greenleafbookgroup.com/titles/the-ceos-guide-to-marketing LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/media-relations-inc-/ CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/ Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/