IAM537- Keynote Speaker Challenges People to Achieve More

Jerry ThompSon III is a professional adventurer who serves as a primary communal resource for innovative thinking, cultural exposure and guided self-development. The crowning product of his adventures has grown to be the Point Noir podcast – the only podcast production that highlights men of color and their travel experiences and also sponsors men of color to obtain passports. In its first 18 months, the dynamic show has captured the unique perspectives of 70 men, enabled an additional 17 men to claim passports of their own, and has been heard around the globe. Jerry The 3rd’s work continues to dismantle barriers and challenge those looking to achieve more from the stage as a keynote speaker, as well as continuing to host and curate the Point Noir Podcast.

• CEO Hack: Fiverr
• CEO Nugget: Consistency and having a community
• CEO Defined: Opportunity to work hard, create value and have control over your life

Website: http://www.jerrythe3rd.com/

Booking: booking@jerrythe3rd.com
IG: @jerry_the3rd
Twitter: @jerry_the3rd
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrythompsoniii/

Check out one of our favorite CEO Hack’s Audible. Get your free audiobook and check out more of our favorite CEO Hacks HERE

Transcription

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place, Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I am CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today Jerry Thompson, the third of the Point Noir podcast Jerry, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Jerry ThompSon III 0:39

Appreciate it. Thanks for having me love the opportunity to connect.

Gresham Harkless 0:42

Yeah, super excited to have you on and to connect a little bit, and learn a little bit more about you. And then before I get started, I want to jump in so you can hear a little bit more about Jerry and all the awesome things that he's doing. And Jerry Thompson the third is a professional adventurer who serves as a primary communal resource for innovative thinking, cultural exposure, and guided self-development.

The crowning product of his adventures has grown to be the Point NoIr podcast, the only podcast production that highlights men of color and their travel experiences. Also, it sponsors men of color to obtain passports, and in his first 18 months, the dynamic show has captured the unique perspectives of 70 men and enabled an additional 70 men to claim passports of their own which has been heard around the globe.

Jerry the Third's work continues to dismantle barriers and challenges those who are looking to achieve more from the stage as a keynote speaker as well as continuing to host and curate the Point Noir podcast. Jerry, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

[restrict paid=”true”]

Jerry ThompSon III 1:38

Absolutely. Let's get it.

Gresham Harkless 1:39

Let's make it a habit. So they kick everything off, I want to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story. What led you to start your business and your podcast?

Jerry ThompSon III 1:46

Absolutely. So I think of it kind of as my superhero story, I was inspired by cartoons and comics growing up. And as you know, we go through different phases. For sure. This journey began when I started working in corporate and was super dissatisfied with so much going on. It wasn't the money. It wasn't the opportunity. I was doing everything that I felt was right. But I didn't feel great about myself, I still had so many questions, I looked around, and I was like, There's got to be more.

So I put a plan together. And it resulted in me quitting my job and buying a one-way ticket to Paris, France. And that was in 2014. So I spent 18 months in Paris, France as an undocumented immigrant, traveling the world playing music because I'm also a professional musician. Being involved in the US Embassy in regions of Africa, I got to travel, I taught myself French, and I fell in love for a little bit.

And I came back to the States and tried to reintegrate into corporate and had some success. But I again had that dissatisfaction. And I realized I couldn't share all the things that I'd experienced with those who were generally around me, my colleagues didn't understand my friends from back home didn't understand.

So I created the podcast kind of on a whim to try to give the platform and opportunity for other men of color who've had this experience to share. Because I feel like there's a lot of value in just being able to have your story told just like we are on this podcast, then I also wanted to inspire any other men of color, who didn't see examples, didn't see themselves out there in the world, and maybe were intimidated or had fears, which is normal.

And I wanted to encourage them that you know, you belong here, too. If you look like me, you can also do this.

Gresham Harkless 3:23

Nice, I appreciate that. And just because I think a lot of times I say sometimes you become what you see as can be possible or your reality. And I love, you know, I felt like I don't know if you would say the same thing. But like hearing people's stories is what not only brings people together, but it also kind of, I guess lifts certain limitations. Sometimes we have to where you see somebody doing something. So you're like, hey, I can do that, too. And you get motivated to do that.

Jerry ThompSon III 3:47

For sure. The ability to see a reflection, a likeness of yourself doing something like to do helps so much. It really, like you said raises your level of awareness.

Gresham Harkless 3:58

Absolutely, absolutely. So I know I touched on it a little bit, you know when I was reading your bio, but I wanted to hear a little bit more about what we can expect on the show and some of the things you're doing now and also what we can expect in the future.

Jerry ThompSon III 4:08

Oh, man, the show has so much in it. It's a travel podcast, if you looked it up on iTunes, it's under Society and Culture and Travel. But really, it's about life. These men are talking about their life journey in, in some ways, the transformations that they go through. I was thinking about this morning, there's not one man who has come back after being abroad and has lived the same life.

These men go on to become entrepreneurs, community leaders, and just more impassioned people who have awareness, greater tolerance, they're patience. And I mean, there's not a lot of places where I can think of specifically black men, where we see that in a society where we're just having real heart-to-heart conversations, real, honest, transparent conversations, and it's in a positive and uplifting way.

Gresham Harkless 4:52

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's what I love so much about you know, having these opportunities kind of have a platform of our own whether you're creating podcasts or blog, YouTube videos, whatever that might be. And however it manifests itself, a lot of times, there's one, especially for black men, that a lot of times be one way that we're kind of seen and shown.

So it's great that you are taking on, you know, the opportunity to provide a different light and provide a different story and narrative around what that looks like.

Jerry ThompSon III 5:18

For sure. And that's a huge thing that I think about in curating and producing the show is how can we shift or pivot the narrative. And then of course, there's so much travel, you're going to learn Travel Tips, How To Save Money hacks, you will learn about different cultures, because it's not just black men. It's a lot of black men, but it's people of color, men of color.

So I have an Iranian brother on there. I have an indigenous Navajo Dine brother on the show a few Latin ex bros. And it's interesting to see how so many of our stories are related. And I think by pushing that narrative, and, you know, just changing the lens a little bit that we have greater understanding at the end of every episode, or session, we call them sessions every session.

Gresham Harkless 5:19

Okay, awesome, yeah. And I feel like every time I've traveled, I think that especially you know, being kind of entrepreneurial, is you always look how you can solve problems and sometimes a different way. And I found that every time that I've traveled, it kind of has allowed me to look at things differently.

Because you learn from different cultures and different ways of speaking. And that is, you know, when you come back home, a lot of times it helps I guess, broaden your horizons, broaden your perspective, and help you look at things in a different way.

Jerry ThompSon III 5:57

A hundred percent, couldn't agree more.

Gresham Harkless 5:58

Awesome. So I know you touched on, you know, having and being influenced by superhero comics, I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce, and it could be your superpower. But what do you feel kind of sets you or your podcast apart or makes you unique?

Jerry ThompSon III 6:36

One, we're the only podcast of this kind. And I did my research before I started the show, I wanted to see who else is out there because I was looking for platforms to share my story. And yeah, there's a ton of travel podcasts, there are only a handful of podcasts that talk about travel and focus on people of color, but almost all of them, which is awesome.

So shout out real quick to the sisters doing their thing were hosted and curated by women. And I respected that so much. And I was like, this isn't exactly the place where the opportunity was an outlet for men. And so we're the only show out there that does what we do. We only interview men, it exclusively highlights those stories, but then we also give opportunities for men of color to get their passports.

And out of all the podcasters I've met even those in the travel space. We're the only platform doing that. And to date, we've sponsored 17 men to get their passports. And that's to me if that's not a USP, I don't know what it is people ask me, how do you actually get this done so that they can also give back to their communities? And I love that aspect.

Gresham Harkless 7:36

Yeah, absolutely. And I imagine like after hearing all the stories, I don't know if it's been the experience from people that you've helped, you know, sponsor, they probably don't know how to, you know, all the times you hear all those great stories where you're like, I don't even know how to start, what's the next step to do? And it kind of sounds like the passport might be one of those first steps. And you've been able to do that outside of time.

Jerry ThompSon III 7:52

And that's exactly right. It's a first step because you've traveled some having a passport, it's good for 10 years if you were to run out the numbers for 10 years, about $116 a year. But yeah, you have to buy the plane ticket, you have to get your hostel or Airbnb or hotel like there's other things. But I wanted to set an example that we're still investing in men of color in our community because there are a lot of programs for kids and juveniles.

I think that's great. But hey, what if you just never met someone like myself or yourself or another adventure, and you're in your 20s? You might have made some different decisions. Have you seen the example? I want you to know that I care. So our passport sponsorship is only for men of color, ages 21 and up?

Gresham Harkless 8:33

Awesome. Why don't yeah, definitely appreciate that. Because a lot of times, like we talked about, you know, you don't think anything's a reality, but you don't know how to get started. But sometimes if you have that program like you do, you know, for your show, and all the awesome things you're doing that helps you to kind of push that envelope forward. So I appreciate that.

Jerry ThompSon III 8:46

Absolutely appreciate you.

Gresham Harkless 8:48

No problem. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit. And I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an apple book or a habit that you have. But what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Jerry ThompSon III 8:59

So really good question. Fiverr is a lifesaver. And right now, as I'm growing the business, growing the platform, and also my speaking platform, I use Fiverr to almost prototype things that I want to see that I'm going to probably train people later on how to do there so many skill sets, it's so affordable, you can test out podcast promotion, or an editor or somebody editing your writing or transcribing your show and say, Okay, this is close to what I want like you get an idea.

It's almost like a way to I don't want to say rent but you know, borrow an intern for a few days on a project. And I think it's a very cost-effective way for new entrepreneurs, maybe bootstrap entrepreneurs to get their feet wet without even just giving instructions.

Gresham Harkless 9:42

Absolutely, so now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this could be like a word of wisdom or a piece of advice or if you can happen to a time machine. What would you tell your younger business self?

Jerry ThompSon III 9:52

I appreciate this question for me, especially in this part of the year. With community and consistency, I have been able to be a solopreneur. Some as podcasters, understand we are often by ourselves a lot of time we interact with others. But it's it's virtual, it's digital is not the same as being in the same space.

So having a community of like-minded people who are doing similar things that inspire you that you can inspire is so helpful because I've grown up in the habit of doing everything completely solo being too isolated. After all, I didn't understand the value of community.

And just knowing that somebody else shares some of the similar struggles and successes that you do, takes a significant mental stress load off of my mind.

Gresham Harkless 10:38

Absolutely. No, I love that. Now, I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote-unquote, CEOs on this show. So Jerry, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Jerry ThompSon III 10:49

Being a CEO, to me, means having the opportunity to work hard to create value, and ultimately have control over your destiny in life. There's a lot of culture and you'll see, you know, quotes and things about being a boss and all this sort of stuff. It's not the right mindset for me, I'm in this to have control over the impact that I have on others ‘ lives, my legacy, and also my destiny, and what my future looks like.

And that's something I absolutely didn't have when I was working for others when I was in corporate America that I desired. And this is the natural path to achieve that, even though there are difficulties and a learning curve that comes along with it.

Gresham Harkless 11:29

Yeah, absolutely. He's embracing that overall process and knowing that there will be ups and downs as they are in life, but definitely in business as well. But I love that kind of perspective. And that definition, just because I usually say like, you know, we are often kind of the painter of our lives, and especially as entrepreneurs able to create our lives, create how we want it to be.

And I think once we realize that and take hold of that paintbrush, we can start to kind of develop and create that the way we see fit in that as somebody else does.

Jerry ThompSon III 11:57

Absolutely, with the opportunities that are so abundant. Again, that abundance mentality, that was a great call out that you brought up there, that it's not finding your career path, I think the future is designing your career path and having enough skill and knowledge to navigate these transitions and opportunities as you come across them.

Gresham Harkless 12:17

Yeah, absolutely. And as you touched on earlier being able to to also understand and kind of, I guess, not confined but not be run by fear as she kind of talked about because fear is a real aspect of something really big. And you understand that it's going to be there but you feel the fear you do it anyways, you understand how to manage that.

Jerry ThompSon III 12:35

Absolutely. That's that's a huge part of adventuring. And if you don't mind, one thing, you know, speaking about fear specifically reminded me of adventuring. I'm 24. I don't speak any French don't know anyone in Paris, and I'm out there. And I started learning about other black adventures, other adventures of color. And I was like, Wow, these guys sat on boats for six weeks to cross the Atlantic.

You know, that was the time when you didn't have a cell phone. So if you didn't show up, when someone expects you to be there, they just might assume you died or got robbed or something like that. It's like, wow, if they could do this and have these amazing, these rich stories, and, you know, stand for something that they believed in. I think I can make it work with a smartphone. I think I could do that.

Gresham Harkless 13:19

Absolutely, it puts everything in perspective cause I think sometimes and I say this a lot, a lot of times we don't realize like all the blessings, gifts, things that we have to be, you know, appreciative of, you know, in our hands a lot of times because we can just flip over a smartphone and do so many different things travel, listen to podcasts. Here's somebody who phenomenal thing. So I appreciate you for definitely reminding us of it.

Jerry ThompSon III 13:40

For sure.

Gresham Harkless 13:41

Awesome. Awesome. Well, Jerry, I appreciate that. Appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and listeners know. And then of course how best they can find out about all the talking you're doing the speaking engagements, your podcasts, and all the awesome things you're working on.

Jerry ThompSon III 13:56

Of course, so you know I appreciate you all listening to the community. It's an opportunity to be here and I love being on the other side of the mic. So I'm like well, I should seek out more opportunities to do this because it's always interesting discussion. But as we've been talking about I am Jerry Thompson the Third also known as Jerry the Third or Kamono Jack aka my pseudo name on the show is the show was called Point Noir.

You can find it on all podcast platforms, iTunes, and Spotify if you want to see our pretty artwork. And we're on hiatus right now but we will be launching in 2020 with some amazing shows. So make sure to follow subscribe, and leave some feedback. I love the discussion part.

You can find us on Instagram at the Point Noir show. And you can find me on Instagram at Jerry underscore the third and I also speak so as much as I am passionate about adventuring. I see travel as a huge opportunity especially right now for men of color to realize their full potential through exploring the world.

I recognize international travel is not possible for everybody but get outside of your city get outside of State we live in a huge country, explore some things, and change your perspective. And I love speaking about conquering fear and encouraging people to get passports. Let's say you're in school and you're worried about studying abroad.

If you're interested in having me speak there, tell somebody they can reach out to me at booking at Jerry the third.com, j e r r y, t h e, the number three rd.com. And I'd love an opportunity to get in front of your community, get in front of your men's leadership group, get in front of your classroom, and share my enthusiasm, my passion, and the things I've learned along the way because I believe that empowering everybody is the way that we all live in the realities we want to see.

Gresham Harkless 15:37

Absolutely thank you so much, Jerry, we will have those links in the show notes as well. And thank you for that reminder, because I think there are so many things that we sometimes lose sight of. And a lot of times all we have to do is travel outside of our comfort zone to do that.

And you know, that reminder to do that and the remainder of the house I will maybe I shouldn't say easy it is but we can take steps and know people like you and listen to people like you that can empower us to do that is a phenomenal thing to do. So I appreciate you again and I hope you have a phenomenal day.

Outro 16:06

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO podcast powered by Blue 16 media tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, And leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

[/restrict]