Welcome to The Lindsey Anderson Show! Today’s guest is Ricky Cedillo, a top-producing real estate agent in Oregon who has mastered social media to grow his business. Ricky shares his journey from working as a correctional officer to becoming one of the top producers in his field. In this episode, we dive into how Ricky uses social media to grow his business and build relationships with clients, even during slower periods. You’ll hear about his creative strategies for content creation, like funny reels, and how he uses direct messages to foster genuine connections with potential clients.

Ricky Cedillo is a real estate agent in Oregon with over two and a half years of experience. He’s part of a high-performing team ranked among the top 10 in Oregon. Ricky is also a certified mentor, relocation specialist, and certified real estate negotiation expert. His business is built on providing exceptional service to his clients, with a strong emphasis on leveraging social media to grow his business and connect with his community.

• Social Media as Free Advertising: Ricky explains how social media is a fantastic, low-cost way to market, allowing him to reach a larger audience for essentially no cost.
• Building Relationships Over Content: It’s not just about posting content, but about connecting with people. Engaging in DMs and nurturing real relationships is key to growing a business.
• Social Media Strategy: Focus on building relationships within your community and online groups to stay connected with your audience.
• Personal Touch: Ricky’s business thrives because he shares content that resonates with his target audience, focusing on real, meaningful connections rather than just selling.
• Consistency is Key: Even during busy periods, Ricky makes time for social media interactions, ensuring his online presence stays strong.
• Community Building: Ricky prefers using his personal social media accounts over a business page because it allows him to engage directly with his community and create meaningful connections.

• Handling Criticism with Kindness: Ricky shares an insightful story about how responding kindly to negative comments on his posts turned a troll into two potential clients.
• The Power of Comments: Ricky explains how responding to comments on your posts boosts your visibility and can lead to new business opportunities.
• Balancing Social Media and Real Estate: Managing social media while running a busy business can be challenging, but it’s necessary for continued success.

• Commenting vs. Liking: Ricky emphasizes the importance of commenting on posts rather than just liking them. Commenting adds more value and keeps you visible in your audience’s feed.
• Front and Center: Ricky compares social media engagement to being a shoe associate who stays visible, ensuring that you’re the first person clients reach out to when they’re ready.
• DMs as a Strategy: Ricky uses Instagram DMs to initiate conversations and build rapport, turning followers into potential clients.
• Commenting on Stories: Ricky engages with people by commenting on their Instagram Stories, asking questions that encourage conversation and boost algorithm visibility.

• “You can’t beat free advertising. As a small business owner, you can’t really beat that.” – Ricky Cedillo
• “Social media is about relationships, it’s not just about the content. It’s about connecting with people and having real...

In this episode, I dive into the importance of creating and maintaining a thriving business culture. My guest, Frank Smith, shares his 30+ years of experience in business and discusses how fostering a positive company culture leads to happier, more engaged employees, which ultimately contributes to greater business success. We explore how culture impacts employee engagement, company profitability, and team dynamics—especially in today’s world where remote work is a big part of the equation. If you’re an online coach or business owner scaling your business, this episode will help you create a culture that supports that growth.

Frank Smith is a business culture expert with over 30 years of experience in industries like manufacturing, retail distribution, and professional services. He’s not only run multiple businesses but has also been coaching for over a decade, receiving his coaching certification from UC Berkeley. Frank is known for his ability to shape and elevate company work environments, creating cultures where employees feel seen, heard, and valued. He combines his passion for business culture with his background in car racing, making his approach to coaching unique and effective. His methods are ideal for transformational coaching and scaling your business by cultivating an environment where your employees thrive.

• Business Culture Requires Intentionality: Without a clear, defined approach, company culture will form on its own—and it may not align with the values you want for your business. This is especially critical when scaling your business.
• Balance Between Leadership and Employee Needs: Leaders must define the core aspects of the culture but also allow flexibility in areas that matter to employees. Listening to employees is important, but not every aspect of the culture can be up for debate.
• Remote Work Requires More Effort: Remote work presents challenges for maintaining company culture. Leaders must put in extra effort through regular check-ins and intentional communication to ensure employees feel connected and valued.
• Communication is Key: Whether remote or in the office, consistent and intentional communication is essential to maintaining a strong, healthy culture.
• Employees Should Feel Seen and Heard: Regular check-ins are essential, especially in remote settings. When employees feel valued, they are more likely to contribute positively to the business and its growth.

• The Stopwatch Analogy: Culture may feel “good” to leadership, but the true measure is how employees experience it. It’s important to survey employees at all levels to ensure the culture is truly effective and aligned with the business growth.
• Flexibility and Vision: Leaders must balance their vision for the company with flexibility in areas like dress code to meet employee needs. While the company’s mission should guide the culture, small details can be adjusted to accommodate employees.
• The 16 Components of Culture: Culture is shaped by key components including purpose, vision, mission, pace, relational levels, communication style, and team interactions. These elements must be intentionally defined and nurtured as you scale your business.

• Remote Work Hurdles: Maintaining culture remotely requires more effort than in an office setting. Leaders must schedule regular check-ins to maintain connection and culture consistency.
• The Importance of Consistency: Just as you’d check in with family members if you were away, leaders need to check in with their teams regularly to foster connection

In today’s episode, we dive into team connection, leadership, and actionable strategies to foster meaningful workplace relationships with Steven Van Cohen. Steven is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, leadership consultant, and expert on creating connected cultures in businesses. He’s worked with top companies like Home Depot, Salesforce, Bank of America, and Zoom to improve team well-being and boost employee engagement. He’s been featured in major publications such as CNBC, Forbes, and Fast Company, and today, he’s here to share strategies to strengthen workplace connections and overcome common obstacles that hinder engagement, ultimately helping you create a thriving online business.

Steven Van Cohen is a leadership consultant, executive coach, and the co-author of Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams from Isolated to All In. With over a decade of experience, Steven has helped organizations like Home Depot, Salesforce, and Zoom create connected cultures, especially in remote or hybrid work environments. His focus is on reducing loneliness, improving employee engagement, and fostering deep, authentic relationships within teams. He’s been featured in prominent outlets like CNBC, Forbes, and Fast Company and is a leading expert on workplace dynamics and leadership, skills that can be applied to any coaching or business leadership environment.

• Loneliness is about the absence of connection, not people: Loneliness arises when the quality of our relationships doesn't meet our needs. It’s not about the number of people around us, but the depth of connection.
• The importance of connection in the workplace: Disconnected employees are more likely to disengage, underperform, and quit. Loneliness at work impacts productivity, engagement, and retention.
• Leaders play a key role in creating connection: As a business leader, it’s not about matchmaking but about creating environments where meaningful relationships can thrive. Leaders should set the tone and create opportunities for connection.
• Small actions lead to big results: Small, intentional efforts, like team-building exercises or 10-minute check-ins, can have a significant impact on team connection and overall performance. These strategies also work for online coaching teams and businesses looking to scale.

• Loneliness affects more than just the individual: It impacts performance, engagement, and overall team dynamics. Disconnected employees are 7 times more likely to disengage and 5 times more likely to miss work due to stress.
• Statistics on loneliness: 72% of employees feel socially disconnected monthly, and 55% feel it weekly. Disconnected teams perform 56% worse than connected ones.

• Creating opportunities for connection: As a business leader, your role isn’t to create friendships, but to create environments where trust and connection can thrive.
• Small efforts matter: Simple, regular activities like icebreakers or “crush” exercises can significantly improve team morale and connection. These small steps can help build a community for your clients or business team.
• Complacency is the enemy: Leaders must go beyond the basics and invest time, money, and effort into long-term connection-building strategies to scale their business and team dynamics effectively.

• Weekly "Crush" Exercise:
• A short, weekly activity where team members recognize and appreciate each other’s contributions.
• Builds a culture of...