Structuring Chaotic Minds

Chaos and Renewal: Royston's Journey from Military Discipline to Woodworking Passion

• Melissa Franklin • Season 3 • Episode 10

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What if you could reshape your life amidst chaos and adversity? Meet Royston, a tenacious individual who turned the daunting challenge of emigrating to the United States into an empowering journey of transformation. From managing his transportation business to supporting his sisters' creative endeavors, Royston’s story is a testament to the power of strategic planning and resilience. Leaving behind an established career and the comfort of the familiar, Royston offers a unique perspective on overcoming the hurdles of relocation, including the complexities of educational credential transfers and the emotional toll of starting anew.

Join us as Royston shares how a difficult upbringing and a strained relationship with his father fueled his drive to succeed on his terms. The military not only became a pathway to expedited citizenship and career rebuilding but also a crucible for developing a resilient mindset. Through personal anecdotes, Royston reveals how he navigated burnout and setbacks, ultimately finding a new passion in woodworking. His insights highlight the transformative power of channeling pain into productive ventures, underscoring the importance of balancing ambition with mental wellness.

Guided by business coaching and mentorship, Royston transitions from a hobbyist to a driven entrepreneur, showing how the right support can illuminate the path to success. As he tackles the challenges of building a business in a new country, he emphasizes the significance of mindset shifts and the ability to separate emotions from critical business decisions. Alongside these valuable lessons, Royston invites listeners to participate in a special promotion, enhancing engagement and community building. This episode is a powerful reminder of the strength found in resilience, the value of seeking guidance, and the rewards that come with an open and reflective mindset.


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Melissa Franklin:

Welcome back to Structuring Chaotic Minds, where we dive into resilience, overcoming adversity and the strategies we use to thrive. Today, we have a very special guest joining us. He's not only a client of Structure Innovations, but he's also someone who has an incredible story of perseverance, growth and mindset shifts. He's built a thriving business in his home country, he served in the military and he eventually migrated to the United States. He had to leave it all behind and start all over when he got here. Not only did he have to rebuild his life and his career, but today he's providing mentorship for new recruits in the United States Army, guiding others on their own journeys towards success. We're diving deep into how he's used his own personal experience, mindset breakthroughs and coaching with Structure Innovations to reach new heights, both in business and in life. So let's jump in, all right. So let's jump in, Royston. Welcome to Structuring Chaotic Minds. Thank you for having me To kick things off. Let's take it back to the beginning. You had a business back home in your home country before you came to the United States.

Royston Telford:

Can you tell us about that time and what life looked like before you came? So the businesses that I had back home it was a mix between a business between myself, my dad, which was a transportation business. That was one aspect and the other aspect. I worked for a radio television station for the government. So my side hustler, part-time. So my side hustle, or part-time if you may, would have been doing a lot of promo for two of my sisters that were into designing clothing. So the combination of those two that's what I did, in addition to my regular nine-to-five. That would bring that extra income and for the most part my dad managed the transportation business, since he was also a driver. He would manage the other drivers, the other modes of transport, maintenance, all that stuff and for the most part I'll be in the background. And then, as it relates to the promotional business for my sisters, it would be running ads, events that they would be attending, that kind of stuff, doing promo in that aspect.

Melissa Franklin:

What did you have to leave behind, though, when you moved here? Everything.

Royston Telford:

Everything Other than the materials, everything. The biggest one for me was all of my schooling, all of my educational prevention, because a lot of it did not transfer to the US and apparently it was when I graduated it was just about two years after then that some guidelines were put in place for third world countries to either transfer their credentials either partially and test out or the entire, whatever certifications you have. So that was the most significant thing that I struggled with a little at first, because we were told we were going to come to America. Since I was 11 years old.

Royston Telford:

And I had given up with that dream and decided to build a life in South America, in the Caribbean, and it was well. It was a very good life. I got the call when I was 28. I was in Trinidad when my mom called and said hey, the embassy reached out, so it's time to go in.

Royston Telford:

It's time to go to America but, yeah, basically left the entire life, business, everything I worked for community. For the most part, friends and acquaintances were kept in touch. Yeah, yeah, that life was a chapter that came to a close.

Melissa Franklin:

Oh, and now, with everything going on, I can only imagine the new emotional impact of coming back and forth on everything and the long wait. What was that emotional impact or practical impact in general, of having to shut down your business and then start all over, education-wise, business-wise everything as you got here in the United States? Of having to shut down your business and then start all over education wise, business wise, everything?

Royston Telford:

as you got here in the United States, and how did that affect both you and your family? So I knew I was. I was very mature by the time we migrated and you know, because of things that life threw at us, my parents got divorced, so I had to step up. I'm the eldest of five two boys, two girls so basically I had to step up and be that role model for everyone. Now, as it relates to when we migrated initially, it was myself, my two sisters and my mom that came. So I was to some extent a little bit matured and I already had a game plan in that I don't want to go into student debt, I don't want to be working three, four, five jobs to bear myself and you know the typical stereotypical hey credit, student loans and you're buried in that by the time you're finished you're just working the rest of your life off to pay that off. You're not really having a life.

Royston Telford:

So the first struggle was and I knew that before I came because I traveled a lot before I worked for the government back home, traveled a lot in the Caribbean, went to different countries, asia, china, a couple different places, london so I knew that my credential would not have worth anything here and I would have to start over. So the whole goal was as soon as everything is good or solid with my sisters and my mom all females in a new country, a new continent, as soon as they're able to handle their own work, have some type of income on their own, I was going to join the military. That was no doubt Because I looked at that package and it offered a few things that was going to get me not like crazy rich, but from where I was to where I want to go. That was going to be a significant milestone as it related but getting my citizenship early, benefiting from funding to go to school the military offers $4,000 a year to go to school Health benefits, the training that you get while you're on the job.

Royston Telford:

So, whatever certifications you earn, whatever experience you earn in comparison to someone going to college and then graduating from college and trying to get a job. So, whatever certifications you earn, whatever experience you earn in comparison to someone going to college and then graduating from college and trying to get a job now they have to gain that experience. Well, the difference is in the military if you are smart enough and you're aligned with for me I'm a 68 whiskey what is considered either a combat medic or a healthcare specialist, depending on where you're at. If we're deployed, it's a combat medic. If you're here back stateside, it's a healthcare specialist. You get that experience. So at the end, whenever you decide to get out, if you're smart enough and you do that simultaneously, you already have that experience. So you're ahead of. You know, for the most part, most of the populace here.

Royston Telford:

So that was my goal. For all those things that are offered, I have my own thoughts and culture background. As it relates to, you know, war and military and that kind of stuff Weigh out the pros and cons. That was the better overall package that I saw elevate myself pretty quickly to get back into business, to get back where I want to get to be educated in this system, to be considered educated, be educated in this system, to be considered educated, and learned a couple of things along the way and utilized a lot of, I would say, free chicken that the military offers metaphorically to get back into business. I honestly did not know what kind of business I would have been in. I had no clue, none, zero.

Melissa Franklin:

But what I knew?

Royston Telford:

is that it's a great tool for me to get back into business, for me to get back at least somewhere at the beginning of where I was back home. To give you a snapshot timeline after I finished high school I relaxed for a bit back home and then I did technical institute for a couple of years and right on the tail end of that 1920, that's when I started working for the government by the time I hit 28, I was already clawed in knees deep into that's going to be my career for everything. So, coming here and now having to start over, I had no clue what business I was going to get into.

Melissa Franklin:

Makes sense. I was literally going to ask how did you cope with your loss, but I mean it was building a business. So, thinking about that, you build a new business here and you eventually figured out what you were going to do. How did you stay resilient and keep that dream alive and can you explain like the setbacks you faced along the way?

Royston Telford:

so, um, easy, um, being resilient. I would say the military teaches you a lot about being resilient. There's a lot of classes, a lot of stuff, but I would say honestly, life made me resilient. Um, I've had, um, it was a time where I I was, I had a whole plan to kill myself. Um, because life was that hard.

Royston Telford:

Um, the home I grew up in, um, I embrace it now, now that I know different, but the home I grew up in, my dad was the only thing he wasn't to us, was sexually abusive and um, growing up, I I don't use that word anymore, but for, for this, this reason, I hated him. Um, with everything that that I believed in, I hated him and um, that led me to a point where I wanted to kill him first and then kill myself. That was the answer. Kill him first and then kill myself, that was the answer. Um, for whatever reason. At that point, that very point where I was going to execute, um, something just just told me not to. I guess that was God. Um, but I didn't. And, uh, I don't know what it was. But since then, the thought that came to me was at that point, the little that I built on was it's not that bad and at least you didn't die. So that's where my resiliency started, from that point, and I wish I'd really embodied that thought at a younger age but I might have been super reckless. But it's like what's the worst can happen Either you go to jail or you die. Now, if you think about the consequences of your actions, the better your decision-making process is going to be. That means you don't lament on it too much to hold yourself back and take an action. But you have your plan A and your course of actions, outcomes probably two or three other plans. So if that doesn't work, you just fall by, fall back. My mindset now has gotten to there's no plan B, there's no plan C. This is the plan and this will happen at whatever cost. Life is going to happen. It's going to ebb and flow. So resiliency building, resiliency started at that point.

Royston Telford:

Coming through the military, I learned, picked up a little more tricks, a little more methods of how you deal with resiliency, especially when it comes to behavioral health or mental health, because in my country that wasn't a thing At that point. It wasn't a thing. So there was no foster care system. You had no counseling to go to. You had to figure it out on your own. My go-to was video games, basketball, swimming sports for the most part because that's what both of my parents were athletes and that was my coping mechanism Transitioning here, not knowing where or what business I would have gotten back into.

Royston Telford:

I know I was going to at some point in time and I was just laying the groundwork all the time for it. And in 2016, I think it was just about July of 2016,. Through stress, a relationship that I was in, through stress, a relationship that I was in, I discovered woodworking. After looking for, I was stationed at Fort Drum, upstate New York. Well, they don't consider upstate as New York. Upstate New York. Fort Drum, one of the not so ecstatic places that you would want to go to in the military. It's number one, two or three up there. But I volunteered to go there because it was closer to family for me, six hours away, and we were close-knit. So I decided I'm going to go to Fort Drum and man, oh man, the first three to four months it was a struggle because it wasn't what I was accustomed to and it was a lot of training yeah, what you would expect from the military. So you're in the field a lot, almost nine, ten months collectively out of the year.

Royston Telford:

And then what happened to me? Because, coming up in life, that resiliency, that wanting to be better, um, disliking my dad to that extent, I wanted to be better than him in every single aspect possible and just prove him wrong. Um, because what I know now I I didn't know then and I understand to some extent. It's like he brought us up, the way that he was brought up or what he saw, what he knew was normal, what he knew. But you also have that. You know deep down inside. You know when something's wrong. So you have that power of choice. And now I know that, not now, but as I did my meditation and mature and everything. That's what I found out. But because of my mindset of being better than him in every aspect, proving him wrong, I can be way better than you are in every single aspect. I got caught in that loop of wanting to be better, striving like what's next, what's next, what's next? So with my work ethic that's something that a lot of individuals see whenever I start working for them I'm the go-to person to get something resolved intuition, thinking outside the box, improvising and making it happen.

Royston Telford:

In the military, good work gets rewarded with more work. So at Fort Drum I was usually the go-to for the medical aid station supplies, ordering supplies, basically making stuff happen, and it burnt me out a lot. So for the first three months I had something to prove as a new person coming to this unit. And then when they saw that, oh, I'm now the go-to person because I'm at that rank where I'm now getting to it's E5 sergeant, I'm now getting to a sergeant rank but I'm already functioning at two levels above and every time another unit's going somewhere or whatever, I'm the person. Hey, can you go, can you help, can you whatever? So that nine, 10 months turned into like 13, 14 months in the field at one time. But I did find time to go down to New York spend time with family there. It's about six hours travel time. And then I had family in Canada, still have family in Canada right near to the border. So that was like 30, 20 minutes and I would always be over there whenever we had that time.

Royston Telford:

So, building that bond, reconnecting with family, connecting with the family I migrated with, we were super, always close, we're still close, and with finding that, that woodworking um gift I would say that I had in 2016. I wanted to bring them into that fold after I was like, all right, this is something I saw. Oh, I'm good at my first thing, that fold. After I was like, alright, this is something I saw, I'm good at my first thing that I built. It was a sound system, a home theater system, and when that was done, I was like, no way, I just made that. So that gave me that confidence that, hey, this is something I'm good at. So I just kept doing it, just making little gifts here and there, memorabilia for family, and then I was like not really thinking business wise at that point, but it was something that allowed me to relax, to lose myself, to do this and I'm not thinking about anything else, literally not. So I lost myself in that.

Royston Telford:

And between 2016 to 2019, 2018, the end of 2018, 2019, that's when I was like, hey, I can make some money with this thing. So I turned it into a hobby. And, um, a couple years later 21, 22 it's when I streamlined everything I was like I'll make a business of this. Um, because I was focusing now on how can I tailor this to not be the regular thing out there, the regular woodworking, on posters or whatever, not really in that competitive mindset, but in that mindset where, provide something or come up with a concept that is not easily replicated out there and then something that I can pour my passion into. So between 2016 to 2019, and I realized, hey, hobby business and then 2019, 21, streamlined to business, and then 21. Now it's just been further streamlining and knowing how businesses run in America, what do I have to do? Create an LLC? Taxes? How do I separate my personal income from my business income? So that's like the timeline.

Royston Telford:

And then the last aspect of it bringing family on board. I was super hyped about it. It took off, even as a hobby. It took off even today. I would like to go to some classes, schools, but it's all self-taught. I haven't been to a class doing a lot of research, getting with a lot of people in the local populace that does the same kind of stuff, forums, all that. Local pop lists that does the same kind of stuff, forums, all that.

Royston Telford:

So wanting this to be a business and seeing how lucrative it was, how crazy it's getting, and the feel of having something that no one else has. A lot of people like that, regardless of whatever class, whatever bracket you're in, earning-wise People like to have something of good quality that nobody else has, or hey, let me show you this. So I came up with a business plan, approached my family when I say my family, my sisters, my mom and a cousin of mine and I was like, hey, this is my plan, this is where I want to be, this is where I want to go, and then targeting or honing in on the skills that everyone has. Like my mom, she's great with purchasing, she's great with bookkeeping, so I wanted her to be that aspect of the business. Another sister that I have my little sister, nikesha. I'm creative. She's on a different level. She comes up with some ideas, like, and I write them down, make notes of them, because some of it's not even out there. So she comes up with the creativity aspect and I wanted to hone in on that and tweak it and show her how to use some of the programs that I use to 3D model and that kind of stuff. And then I have another sister, nadine. She is great with computer programming, she's great with writing codes, building websites, that kind of stuff. So I kind of had her tailored to dealing with all the online streaming, social media, managing, marketing that kind of stuff.

Royston Telford:

And then my brother-in-law and then my cousin. They would also help with promoting um to a certain extent. My brother-in-law, he would be more hands-on and then he would run that portion of training, bringing individuals in and training internship. So I approached them about that Um, and between 21 to 20, the beginning of 23, it was waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, like certain things I would ask him to do, like invoices and quotes, and I wouldn't get a return in an appropriate time.

Royston Telford:

And one of the other things one of my FPs, it's procrastinating to an extent. So when it comes to business, I try, not as much as possible not to procrastinate there. So one of the things I said it's like hey, when it comes to business, I'm a different person, as when it relates to family, your brother, your son, is a different person. As when it relates to, you know, family or brother, your, your son's a different person. So, business, I'm going to push you, but, um, they, it was a delay, they didn't get on board. Um, there were, there were reasons after the other and other other reasons why you know, not now, not now, not now.

Royston Telford:

And um, I came to realize that in the whole grand scheme of everything, that everyone has a gift that they're given. You might find your, the drive, the excitement, the feel of, hey, what this gift brings to you. Some people wouldn't get that and you can't force people to accept it realistically because that's not their gift. They weren't given that gift by whatever God being, whatever it is. So it was hard for me to accept it, although I saw a lot of signs that, um, hey, onto the next, like, don't, don't spend a whole lot of time on this.

Royston Telford:

But the, the focus, the stressor was why wouldn't they want to be part of it? We're this close, it's a very close family, we're still close after that fact, but why wouldn't they want to jump on this? And I couldn't see that, hey, this is my gift, that's my passion. It's not theirs, all right. So that was a struggle for me, between 21 to 20, early part of 23. And just before I started coaching with you, that gave me a little bit more insight into that. But just before I did, a couple months before, I did Hold on pause all right.

Melissa Franklin:

So you've built a business now here in the united states. How did you stay resilient and keep that dream alive? Because you've faced a lot of setbacks trying to build this journey with your family along the way so my end goal that's that's how I stayed resilient.

Royston Telford:

Um, my end goal, that's how I stayed resilient. My end goal is seeing myself on a beach somewhere close to the water and having that business basically running itself and I'm just receiving, receiving residual income in addition to my military retirement, and that's the picture that I have in my mind. I have in my head. My storyboard kind of reflects the same. And there's always going to be setbacks. I've had a lot. There's always there's always going to be setbacks. I've I've had a lot, um, but focusing on that, that end goal, that that freedom, that financial freedom, that peace of mind, um, I always keep that in mind there, even like, sometimes I'm like, oh, I don't want to get up, and sometimes I'm like I don't want to get up, I don't want to do this, I don't feel like, you know, not really forcing yourself to get in there, but that mindset.

Royston Telford:

Some people say, oh yeah, there's no such thing as always being all positive. There's all some crazy stuff going on or whatever. But I try to look at everything now at this point. I try to look at what is there that I could have or what is there that I learned in whatever experience. It is good, bad and different. Whatever. There's something for you to learn and that I always keep coming back to hey, by the time I get to 60, 65, I want to be there. I don't want to be this 65-year-old person that's oh, I'm retired from the military, but I got a GS employee job and I'm going off after another. No, I've worked hard up until now. I really haven't had a vacation so as to say so. I want to enjoy the little of life that I have left, and that's what I keep coming back to, that's what I keep focusing on.

Melissa Franklin:

I like that. You're currently a client of Structure Innovations and you've gone through our business coaching. You know that comes with emotional talks about mindsets and such. Can you talk about how coaching helped you break through mindset and emotional barriers but actually adjusted a different growth path for you?

Royston Telford:

yes, absolutely go ahead and breathe, I'll take a breath, but no it. It was for the most part the foundation, so to say. I had that down because I did business before. But the realization of certain things like hey, do you need to move out of the mindset of a hobbyist? If you want this to be a business, you can't be thinking, acting, doing certain things in a certain way. You have to be a certain type of driven. One of the biggest things for me going through that coaching period, was the emotional ties to the business.

Royston Telford:

Right, you have to separate not completely, but you have to separate emotions from majority aspects of the business. Because if you want the business to scale, if you want the business to, are you going to do a partnership? Are you going to whatever type of LLC you're going to transition to? Are you going to sell the whole business? You have to remove that emotional connotation when it comes to, like, pricing or interacting with clients. Or can you sell a piece to somebody that you disliked a lot or couldn't work with and treat them just like a regular client, like anyone else, without bias, you know? So that was one of the big eye openers for me, um, especially when it came to pricing.

Melissa Franklin:

Um, that pricing often of an awful emotion or how this hobby I really want to do this project.

Royston Telford:

It's me, you know like, oh, this is easier, that's not, like, you know. So that was one of the biggest things disconnecting that emotional connotation from letting it take over the business. So, as Sarah, letting it be a hurdle, letting it be a block for you, one of the biggest things I learned. And then the concept of realizing hey, if you want to scale this into a business, you have to change, you have to look at things differently, you have to have different approaches.

Royston Telford:

And I see that because a lot of individuals that I speak with on forums that I follow it's a hobby and it's just a high-end hobby to an extent. They're not focused on scaling, they're comfortable with oh, I'll do this when I have some spare time For me. I have just about eight years left in the military and I want this to be, um, a great income for me when I'm done, to supplement my, my benefits. So I want it to flourish and it will flourish into that which I want. So that's that's why I I've adapted to that mindset and even sometimes there's setbacks, you're going to have these thoughts that are going to creep in and it's like you have to think about the thoughts that you're having and be conscious about it.

Melissa Franklin:

You can easily slip into right back into a hobby or lose whatever you want to stay that business owner and not the owner, or not the? Not yes, you've mentioned during coaching that maybe five years ago that some of these questions would have been way too uncomfortable. What mindset shifts have you had that have allowed you to now open up and reflect on your journey in a more empowering way?

Royston Telford:

Sharing, Sharing, I love it way, Sharing, sharing. And why I say sharing? It's and you've heard it throughout school and everything, classes and all that like ask a question because somebody else might be thinking the same thing. I want to know, but they're too shy or timid to ask or they're an introvert and they don't want to ask and then their questions never answered. So for me, what that did for me was I am, I have been super introverted, but going through a whole lot of stuff, I know now that I am not majority introvert anymore.

Royston Telford:

There are certain aspects introvert, ambivert, extrovert but sharing stuff that I've been through even before we got to this point, stuff that I've been through and I've been put in certain places, certain positions in the military, to care for other individuals, to mentor individuals. So what I started doing it's moving away from the mindset that vulnerability makes you weak or vulnerability makes you less of whatever it is. It's actually the opposite Using your experiences to share with individuals. 11 times out of 10, people open up to it when they can relate, when they see oh, you always look a bit like this, whatever package, and always have a smile on your face. You always have everything planned out all this? No, I don't. I don't, Absolutely do not. That's the outward facade that a lot of people see and, to an extent, we don't know what a lot of people are going through to get where they're at or what they're even struggling with on a daily basis.

Royston Telford:

So, for me, share what I've been through, opening up acceptance, before you move on. It's just like forgiveness too. You have to accept that this is happening, acknowledge that this is happening and not just, all right, forget it and whatever, but you still have to work on that. Sharing, wanting to put it out there hey, I'm not the total package, but hey, you can still achieve stuff once you put your mind to it. Our minds are so powerful. So that's what kind of changed my mindset wanting to share, wanting to let people know hey, you can do it too. Like I haven't done exactly what you're dealing with, but I can empathize to an extent, and then I share. This is what I dealt with, but this is where I'm at now, Like I lost everything. I had to start over life.

Melissa Franklin:

That reminds me a lot of Brene Brown. She talks a lot about like vulnerability and its power, but basically courage means you have to be willing to be vulnerable and step up in a way that a lot of people are not. Willing to put themselves in that arena and take the criticism and the judgment of other people, because that's the one that really messes with us nine times out of 10. Thinking about that, as you're providing mentorship to new soldiers because that's important to you, what impact do you really hope to have on their lives and careers?

Royston Telford:

The impact I would and I always try to have, it's having them see or develop some form of foresight. All right, you don't have to have everything planned out every step of the way.

Royston Telford:

You don't have to have everything planned out every step of the way, regardless of whatever is happening now, accept it, for what it is, but put things in places to get to that goal that you want to get to, and that's usually what I have in mind every time I approach a new soldier or I have a new soldier Before 2021,. Yes, over the last two and a half years, I've worked at the specialty unit. It's a soldier recovery unit. It's where everyone the military brings everyone at each service. This here in San Antonio Fort Sam Houston, Joint Base, Fort Sam Houston that's the epicenter of medicine for the entire military that are going through any type of whatever if they're physically challenged, amputations, injured, any type of immunodeficiency issues or whatever. This is where they come to or initial care and then at a certain point, they either transition or go back to the military if they can.

Royston Telford:

But working here, that has tested that mindset for me significantly, because you're not just dealing with soldiers that are not injured or hurt anymore and I had to change my focus of how I'm mentoring them, because my mentorship basically followed a path of hey Art. Now you're in the military, what's your goal when you get out? I know this is what the military wants for you, but what's your goal when you get out and then fix a plan to set yourself up for that To this unit. Now they might not be transitioning back to the military, they might be getting out of the military. So now it's a whole new life for them and they don't know what's next. So trying to put that into perspective, hey, foresight, plan ahead, have a plan, even though, like, oh, everything is crazy, your world's upside down, your life has changed. Everything is crazy, your world's upside down, your life has changed. It still stayed the same, but just the focus has been a little bit different.

Melissa Franklin:

Foresight, plan ahead, or at least put things in place to where you want to get. So, thinking about that, what advice would you have for soldiers or even entrepreneurs who are facing major setbacks like losing a business or starting over? How can that mentorship play a role in their resilience.

Royston Telford:

At the end of the day, if you don't want it that bad, unfortunately it's not going to happen. It has to start with that person. I can talk your girl off the whole day, but at the end of it, if you don't want it bad enough, it's not going to happen. However, some individuals require assistance. Right, and unfortunately it's not a textbook answer, it's not an algorithm. What's going to work at whichever point? Uh, you just have to try and unbiasedly try with that person and hopefully, at one point they're they're going to see, or their light's going to turn on, or they're going to click or whatever. What I would say with that, although it's up to them to want it like, you have to realize that it's not going to happen the way you want it to happen, or at least the way you expect it to happen, but you're still going to have to keep working towards it. Regardless of whatever happens, you're going to have to keep working towards it.

Royston Telford:

I kind of don't say or look at things as problems or issues. I look at it as a challenge, right? Because when we're challenged, that takes you outside of your comfort zone, and now you're in a different arena where that's not regular for you, that's not easy for you Now. You have to step up to whatever this new thing is. You that's not easy for you Now. You have to step up to whatever this new thing is.

Royston Telford:

And at the end of that, if you reflect, you're going to see you have built some kind of resilience. You've come up with some kind of concept in art how I've never dealt with this before but hey, I made it through. So now you tweak that a little. The term is oh, just don't make the same mistakes over and over again. Pay attention to what you went through, what could you take away from it, what worked, what didn't work, and you tweak it. So the next time you end up in that kind of situation hey, I've dealt with this before, or for me, whenever you engage with someone and it's something that you've been through, you can use what worked for you, for them and show them that. But just know that if you give up, that's not the answer. That's not the answer. Every situation or challenges, that's going to build something that you didn't know that you were capable of. That's going to help you to get to the next level.

Melissa Franklin:

I thinking about that. I love that we're talking about next levels and next steps. So, for individuals that are new to this country and starting new journeys, individuals that are new to the military and starting their new journeys, individuals that are new to entrepreneurship, you're stepping on your next steps. What are some just last bits of tips or feedback and information you would give to them as they're stepping into new journeys that they might be scared of venturing into?

Royston Telford:

Have an open mindset. That's the biggest thing. Have an open mindset, be willing to accept criticism. A lot of us get our egos in the way. You don't know what you don't know, and every situation is an experience. Be open to, especially if you're getting into a realm where you have no clue what's going on. Do a little bit of research and be careful of who you ask for assistance and who you approach, because you are going to have a lot of individuals that are going to have a lot to say about what you want to do.

Royston Telford:

You don't have to tell everybody what you want to do, because a lot of people always have responses. They always have these bright ideas and then, when you get down to the bottom of it, they've never stepped foot in that arena. So how are you advising me? You haven't had the experience right. So, as it relates to having that open mindset, be open to criticism One of the things in our earlier coaching sessions right? It's like I still have the mindset. I've dealt with business before. Why are you telling me this? I don't have to do that, but you have to be. Even if it's something you've done before, even if you've done it a thousand times before, you probably could be making the same mistakes.

Melissa Franklin:

99,000 to 99999 times that's always my favorite asking business owners who know they should be doing it, and it's like no that that's honestly amazing advice because a lot of people know those pieces and we should be doing them same thing.

Melissa Franklin:

But it's just that kind of reminder and thinking about it. So I'm excited about what's next for you and such military career wise, business wise, all of it. Um, can you share promos or different things that you have going on, because I'm excited about your charcuterie board and if there's other ways that I can get added into the raffle, let me know, can you?

Royston Telford:

share with the audience what?

Melissa Franklin:

you have going on right now with your business.

Royston Telford:

So sneak peek and insight. I am currently running a promotion for a custom charcuterie board and it's here. It's for having me. I didn't wait, look at that, it's nice. Yeah, this is the charcuterie board that I'm currently working on.

Melissa Franklin:

You need to send me pictures so I can share them in the show notes. I love it.

Royston Telford:

Solid cherry. It's just about two inches thick.

Melissa Franklin:

It is heavy, Don't throw it at anybody. I'm going to send you the address so you can share it with us so I can put it in the show notes If it gets lost. I'm sorry to send you the address so you can share it with us so I can put it in the notes If it gets lost, I'm sorry it happened it is.

Royston Telford:

That's a current promotion I'm working on. The drawing is going to be I think it's the 1st of December. It ends on the 29th of November. Okay, and then.

Melissa Franklin:

How do people get put into the drawing?

Royston Telford:

So how they get into the drawing, I do have it running in all my social medias TikTok, instagram, facebook, linkedin, everything. But how you get into the drawing if you're already following me, that's already one easy step, because you have to follow. If you're already following, you can get in there. So follow, like the post and you have to share the post and then you have to tag two friends. So you know, I need more exposure too.

Melissa Franklin:

I love it. I'm already following you, so if I like it, you're telling me I have to share it and tag two people. Yes, so when they share it, do I tag the people in the comments, or how do you tag?

Royston Telford:

So you can tag them in the comments. You can just as a comment. You just mentioned whoever's name or whatever. Usually it's just the at sign and whatever their handle is, their social media handle is and you can tag them on any, any one of the platforms. I do have a third party setup that, with that specific promo that's going on, it pulls any new data. It pulls from it, no matter whatever platform I have, and it consolidates it into an Excel spreadsheet so you can tag me on. You can tag friends in on TikTok, instagram, linkedin, facebook, anything. You're going to find them and it's going to pop up there. So if somebody says, oh, you didn't put me on your wheel, because at the end, I'm also using that's what I was just going to ask.

Melissa Franklin:

So how will they know if they won, or how are you going to share it?

Royston Telford:

So I'm going to do for the drawing, I'm going to do it live, okay, and I'm also using another third party app which pulls all of that information from the Excel spreadsheet Because, also with you, you can get a second entry, an automatic second entry, by sharing the post. Okay, that gives you two entries. So this third party is going to pull all those entries on Populated Wheel and that wheel. I'll use it and that's how I'm going to select the winners and I'm not going to say now, but I'm going to say on the live there's some more gifts that I'm going to throw in there.

Melissa Franklin:

It's cool. Just say my name. Say it as many people as you can. Perfectly fine Christmas gifts.

Melissa Franklin:

Well, I appreciate you for sharing your story and your vulnerability, because I know going through our programs is already painful enough only because we make you do the emotional work and thinking about that. Thank you for sharing your journey and being vulnerable, because that's not always easy for people. I appreciated the inspiring conversation about starting new journeys and visiting new spaces and I know all of our listeners will take a lot away from it as we end up closing up this episode of Structuring Chaotic Minds. I have enjoyed having our guest on today and I invite all of you to go ahead and subscribe and leave a review for us. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the show notes. Go ahead and leave us a review, and go ahead and follow us on any of your favorite podcasting platforms.

Melissa Franklin:

Stay resilient, stay focused and we'll see you next time. Thank you so much for joining me for today's episode. To catch up on the rest of the season, visit structureandchaoticmindscom or take a quick browse on your current app to see which episodes resonate with you. If you struggle with your own mental wellness or even just balancing life. We have a team of individuals at our site who can help. You can visit structureinnovationscom and find a coach or mentor fit for you. Thank you for joining me once again, melissa Franklin, on this episode of Structuring Chaotic Minds. Stay structured and smiling.

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