Podcaster Travis Chappell on How Adding Value Will Bring You Long-Term Success His journey from door-to-door sales to interviewing top business moguls.
In this series called Member Showcase, we publish interviews with members of The Oracles. This interview is with Travis Chappell, founder and host of "Build Your Network," a business podcast about creating genuine connections. It was condensed by The Oracles.
Who are you?
Travis Chappell: I've always had the "entrepreneurial itch," from selling trinkets in elementary school to starting a landscaping business before my senior year of high school. While in Bible college in my hometown of Lancaster, California, I started doing door-to-door sales for a solar company. I was hooked almost immediately.
I married my high school sweetheart, Jacqueline, right after graduating college. Then for the first time in my life, I moved away from where I grew up. A few years later, despite seeing some success in door-to-door sales, I realized that wasn't the path I wanted to continue down.
I dove headfirst into personal development to find a new path. After listening to a lot of podcasts, I decided to start one of my own to expand my network and learn from really cool people.
Share an interesting fact about yourself that not many people would know.
Travis Chappell: I love to travel. Even though I'm still in my 20s and grew up in a small town, I've been to more than 30 states and almost 30 countries.
What excites you the most about your business right now?
Travis Chappell: The connections! When I left the religious culture I grew up in, my first goal was to build my network. I didn't know anyone who was crushing it in business, so I was starting from scratch.
Now I get paid to have conversations with business legends, which is very exciting. I've had the opportunity to interview moguls like Grant Cardone, Kevin Harrington, Molly Bloom, Jack Canfield and more. I get fired up thinking about exponential growth when I reflect on all the amazing people I've been able to build relationships with.
What did you learn from your favorite mentor?
Travis Chappell: "The Jordan Harbinger Show" is one of the most downloaded podcast shows on iTunes. Jordan taught me that every minute of the listener's time is earned.
As a content creator, I respect the time of anyone willing to tune in to my show. My job is to constantly provide valuable content to my audience, and his advice made me take that job even more seriously.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Travis Chappell: I would tell my younger self to start a podcast way sooner than I did. The cool thing about creating content is that you don't have to be an expert — you can just be a reporter. What better way to network and learn as a young person?
I would also tell myself to get into personal development sooner. I don't regret my years of door-to-door sales because I learned a lot, but I never used my free time as wisely as I could have.
What's the biggest common leadership mistake?
Travis Chappell: Telling people what to do instead of showing them what to do and leading by example. If you aren't careful, entitlement can creep in and convince you that you're above certain things. Leading from the front is the most effective way to build trust with your team.
How do you evaluate a good business deal?
Travis Chappell: I look at the risk-to-reward ratio. I especially consider the risk involved when it comes to my time. Some deals may not make a lot of sense financially, but if something will save me a measurable amount of time, I'm much more open to it.
This is a huge reason to focus on exploding your network. Whenever I'm not confident enough to make a decision about a deal, I reach out to my mentors and friends for feedback. That almost always provides the clarity I need.
Which single habit gives you 80 percent of your results?
Travis Chappell: Adding value to others, whether that's by supporting them financially, introducing them to someone, highlighting what is important to them, or just offering free content.
That's where most of the good things in my business have come from. If you can get in the habit of adding more value than you take, you'll be surprised at the opportunities that will come knocking.
What are you working on right now?
Travis Chappell: Right now I'm working on ways to help larger companies leverage the power of relationship marketing. Nothing will provide more long-term success than the "know, like and trust" factor that comes with creating long-form content that is relevant to your ideal customer.
What do you want to be known for, or what do you want your legacy to be?
Travis Chappell: My sign-off on the show is, "Leave every relationship better than you found it." That is what I want to be known for. I would love for anyone who comes in contact with me to say that their lives improved in some way because they know me.
Most of all, I want my newborn son, Cameron, to know that he can do whatever he aspires to do — not because I tell him he can, but because he watched me do it.
