In this fervent episode, Chris Lautenslager, Founder and CEO of Get Looped, shares how he champions the cause of small businesses, and helps leaders align with their true values.
You will discover:
– How Capitalism should be used for everyone’s gain
– The true cost of playing a zero-sum game in business
– The superpower every small business has (but most don’t recognize)
Episode Transcript
Scott Ritzheimer
Hello and welcome welcome once again to the secrets of the high demand coach podcast and I am here with yet another high demand coach. It is the one the only Chris Lautenslager. Now Chris is a seasoned sales and business veteran with over four decades of experience. his distinguished career began with the establishment of a trading firm at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. And soon after, Chris was recruited to the new to New York City for senior positions at some of the globe’s most prestigious financial and technology institutions. His mission today is to redefine the principles of wealth and success in American society, Chris founded get looped a platform aimed at elevating the collective prosperity of all Americans. And he’s here with us today, Chris, I know from some of the research I did, before this episode, that there’s a whole lot more to this story than what we get in this this nice little snapshot of your bio. So I’m wondering if you could actually rewind the tapes a little bit, maybe even back to your time, it growing up in an entrepreneurial family? And so of what happened in that?
Chris Lautenslager
Sure, Scott, first of all, thank you very much for having me on your show, I look forward to this conversation, we had a great number of laughs beforehand. My background started working, working from a very young age, we grew up in a family household, a small business, family household, and anyone who’s grown up in that environment knows that the entire family’s involved from the very beginning. I can remember picking up after my father, my mother helping with the phone, everyone was involved. And so that’s one of the reasons why I’m so committed to small businesses today. Because I’ve seen what it’s like for people to pour their dreams, their hopes, all of their efforts into small businesses. And when the lockdowns occurred, you know, it broke my heart to see so many small businesses being forced to close their doors. I knew that it was going to hurt a lot of people. So for me, being able to come out as an advocate for small prosperous businesses is part of a mission to as I was saying, as you had mentioned, transforming the fabric of our society. Because yeah, there was a time in this country that small businesses were defined as the backbone of this nation. And they still are they composed of over 50% of private employees are working at small businesses. So I think it’s very important that we keep them in mind.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah. And so growing up in that it’s, it’s not always easy. And there were some tragedy in your family and kind of all that set the stage for for your kind of first endeavor here on your own with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. What was the what was the culture of that? Like, what what were you driving for during those years?
Chris Lautenslager
Well, being in the United States, I really am a capitalist, I got my MBA at Northwestern and finance and economics. As I mentioned, I grew up in a business environment. So for me, being profitable, you know, benefiting from the fruits of your labor are all very, very important aspects of personal responsibility and maturity. This is how we grow as human beings by being responsible for ourselves and for the ones that we love. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have a generosity component to our souls. The richness of humanity is being able to share our wealth with others and being able to help others. But it’s the capitalist system itself that drives society’s board. So working at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange here in Chicago, commodities is actually one of those industries, that’s a part of the heart and history of the city. And it’s where wealth was created for so many different generations here. So falling into actually pursuing, going to work at Chicago Mercantile Exchange seemed like a natural course for me. And then, when technology was changing, and technology changes, so many industries in so many lives, I advocate always going forward with being on the cutting edge, if possible, I saw that electronic trading was coming to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. And I wanted to get ahead of that. And that’s when I made the transition to New York to Wall Street itself to be at the forefront of corporations that were really advanced in in in moving this technology forward.
Scott Ritzheimer
Well, one of the things that you mentioned in your book was this, this kind of mentality of if I’m winning, you’re losing. Right? Yeah. is kind of that zero sum game? How did that shape? You know, maybe even how you showed up or that world around you during those years?
Chris Lautenslager
That’s such a great question, Scott, because I think it’s a day of how people view capitalism, that it’s a zero sum game that if I’m winning, you’re losing. On the floor of the exchange, it very much was like that were worth literally fighting against each other for whatever pieces of a wealth were available. But what I found in business, is that collaboration and cooperation, making the pie bigger. And that’s really what capitalism does. It’s, it’s the exchange, it’s a, it’s not just a transaction of you get one thing and I get another, it’s, it’s a economic theory called comparative analysis, where if I’m fishing and you’re hunting, you have a skill, I have a skill, when we share those skills, we both become richer in our worlds. And that’s what real trade is. And I think that’s actually where small businesses have a kind of a secret sauce, a superpower that allows them to be able to compete against anyone, you know, that is the connection that they have with other human beings, by having the transaction in which everyone benefits. That’s what advances society. So this, I win, you lose mentality that some people ascribe to capitalism is backwards. And I think when you pursue it in that type of endeavor, we all lose as compared to AI when you win. That’s how we all can benefit from from free and fair markets.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. Now, you’ve played that game pretty successfully for quite a while. And you’ve kind of realized, hey, this, this isn’t the game that I want to win, there was something lacking in that for you, what was it? And where did you find it?
Chris Lautenslager
So I, when I was younger, and we all go through different phases in our lives, I wish that I had some of the knowledge and experiences that I’ve gathered over the decades back then, my pursuit back then, as a capitalist will was very rudimentary, I want to get rich, I want to make a lot of money. I want the house, the cars, the club, the beautiful wife, the kids, the whole package. That was really what I realized many, many years later, was what society was pushing. That was, quote, The American Dream. Once I attained, what many people would consider to be high levels of success. I was mystified at how miserable I was, well, because there’s always more, there’s always, there’s always the desire to compete, or want what other people have. So once I took a step back, and said, What is the real purpose of my life? What makes me happy? How do I define my values, not my morals, morals are right and wrong, but values of this brings me joy, this brings me happiness. And they’re different for all of us. That’s part of the joy of, of the individuality of humanity. When I was able to go through those exercises, and I teach those exercises now, so if anybody wants to go through that process, please reach out to me after the podcast. It makes life so much easier. I’ll give you an example. One of my values is freedom. And you go freedom. That’s kind of a strange one. Well, let me clarify that a little bit. I realized that ever since I was a little boy, I never liked being told what to do Scott. And individuality streak within me, that’s like, I don’t like being told what to do never have still don’t. So why was I working at really large corporations that were defined by a very structured hierarchy? Because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do. Yeah, well, it’s no surprise then that I was miserable. Once I was able to define what my values were, then it’s really easy to make choices. I don’t want to go work for a large corporation, even though there’s benefits associated with it. I’d much rather work in a collaborative, small business environment in which I have choices in which I can be involved In those choices, that’s been such a much more enjoyable choice for me in my own life. And it’s these types of understandings that allow us to be able to succeed professionally, succeed in life, succeed within ourselves, where every single day that I wake up, I’m so happy for the opportunities that are available. You know, people are like, how do I make those choices? You invest in yourself to identify what they are? And then you choose them?
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. And there’s a lot to be said a whole lot to be said, we don’t even have the time for a fraction of it about the personal benefits of that. But one of the things I noticed in some of your work is the positive benefits that go beyond just the founder or entrepreneur, why is it so important that the founder get aligned with their own values to others that are not the founder?
Chris Lautenslager
Oh, my gosh, anybody that’s worked in an organization very quickly realize is that the culture of every organization is the reflection of senior management, whether it’s from a small business, and a single owner, or a couple owners or family, it’s a reflection of the personality and the values of the owner, same look very large corporations, a corporation like Apple, change cultures, depending upon whether or not Steve Jobs was there as a CEO, or wasn’t his persona, his values became part of the entire culture of the organization. Same with Google, when Google was a entrepreneurial organization and had a focus on do no harm, the very different organization than the one that it is today, which has a hard time keeping its employees, because the culture isn’t resonating with in.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, so true. So we’ve kind of had the opportunity. If you zoom out on this conversation a little bit, we’ve we’ve seen that the challenges of a couple generations of leadership, right? Of your your dad going back to his business and the challenges he faced your time in the stock exchange of oath, and are the exchanges both in New York and Chicago? When you think to the next generation of leaders, and you think about them, looking back on our time now, what do you think they will see that we’ve done wrong?
Chris Lautenslager
I think they’ll see that we neglected relationships and relied on technology too much, you know, with AI in particular coming and going to be responsible for so many of of more routine types of research and work responsibilities. I think, the human connection, the ability to be able to share and touch and and bring joy to others is going to be a very high value. tool, that and the ability to be able to share your humanity with others is I think, going to be one of the most valuable tools and skills that any of us will be able to have.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah, I couldn’t agree more. There’s so there’s a question I like to ask all my guests, and it is this, what is the biggest secret you wish wasn’t a secret at all? What’s that one thing you wish every founder, entrepreneur leader out there listening or watching today knew?
Chris Lautenslager
That your that the best investment that you can make is in humans, the first one is in yourself, invest in yourself, it is the best investment that you can make. And the second, invest in others in your team, in your employees, in your, in your customers. When you make the commitment to other humans, or to humanity in general, it is by far the richest and best return on investment that you can make.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah, so true. So one of those investments that you’ve made is your book, The prosperity loop. Tell us a little bit about the book. Why did you write it? What what can folks hope to find in the pages?
Chris Lautenslager
So one of the reasons that I wrote the prosperity loop is I had mentioned that my father was a small business owner, and we would, I would go to work with him every single day. And one day, he was looking down, and I asked him, you know, Dad, what’s going on? And he’s like, Oh, I’m just tired of doing this every day. And I was like, how do you do this every day? And his response was, what else am I going to do? And It was so disheartening for me and I see so many business owners that have a successful business had been doing this for years and years and years and years. They don’t want to get bigger. They like what they’re doing, but they’re disengaged. And really what the prosperity loop is about is creating a prosperity, a prosperous environment within your own business that feeds you and your employees and your customers and the community. Because it’s the purpose, it’s the creation of value, more than just the transaction that brings you real joy and, and sustainability within your business. So I wrote that book, as a tribute to my father, and to all small business owners that are feeling disengaged. This is a guide book, this is a process of how you might be able to reengage yourself into the business by caring about yourself, caring about others and caring about your community. Yeah, more than just the p&l.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, so true. So true. Well, I know there’s folks listening to this episode, and every word is resonating with them. They’ve had the experiences that you’ve had they, they’re starting to see that spark. Again, as you’re laying out what’s available to us. How can they get a copy of your book and find out more about the work you do?
Chris Lautenslager
So you can find out everything in regards to the work we’re doing at Get Loop by going to www.get-looped.com. You’ll see that you can buy my book there, there’s links to a website called bookshop, which brings you to your local bookstore. I’m an advocate of supporting local local businesses. We all you know, local businesses need our support. So anytime that you can buy locally, I encourage you to do so. You can also look at the classes look at the seminars, look at the training that we have available. Please come learn more be part of the prosperous movement.
Scott Ritzheimer
I love it. Well, Chris, thanks so much for being here, folks listening head on over to www.get-looped.com We’ll stick it in the show notes make it easy for you to get to. And again, Chris, thanks for being here for everyone watching and listening to that you know that your time and attention means the world to us. I hope you got as much out of this conversation as I know I did. And I cannot wait to see you next time. Take care.
Contact Chris Lautenslager
Chris Lautenslager is a seasoned sales and business veteran with over four decades of experience. His distinguished career began with the establishment of a trading firm at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Soon after, Chris was recruited to New York City for senior positions at some of the globe’s most prestigious financial and technology institutions. His mission is to redefine the principles of wealth and success in American society. Chris founded Get Looped, a platform aimed at elevating the collective prosperity of all Americans. Chris holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Colorado and a Masters in Finance and Economics from Northwestern University.
Want to learn more about Chris Lautenslager’s work at Get Looped? Check out his website at https://get-looped.com/
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