The Rundown with Ramon is here to help entrepreneurs build stronger businesses, become more visible, and live more intentionally. In this episode, Ramon Ray talks about the mental health crisis that’s showing up in AI chats, why “average” is officially over in business, how AI video is changing marketing, and what real wealth looks like at $1M, $10M, $100M and beyond. He also reminds us that none of this matters if we’re not taking care of ourselves and each other.

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Key takeaways for entrepreneurs:

• Millions of people are quietly struggling. OpenAI says over a million people a week are talking to AI about suicide and self-harm. That means someone around you might be in pain right now. Check in. Care.
• Your business is an asset. You lock your house and your car — protect your company the same way. Cyber attacks hit small businesses, not just big companies.
• Seth Godin’s challenge: Being “fine” is not enough. You can’t compete on price and speed against a giant. You have to be worth the trip.
• AI video changed the game. Anyone can create polished content now, so the differentiator is not production quality. It’s honesty, clarity, and human connection.
• Perfection can hold you back. Publish. Serve. Show up as you are.
• You’re allowed to change. “That’s just how I am” is not a permanent identity. You can act now and become someone new.
• Wealth is really about control. The real jump in lifestyle is when you gain freedom over your time, peace, and privacy — not just more expensive stuff.

Mental Health, AI, and Why You Can’t Ignore the People Around You

OpenAI shared data that more than a million people each week use ChatGPT to talk about suicidal thoughts, self-harm, and deep emotional heaviness. The company also said that about 0.15% of active users in a given week show clear signs of suicide planning or intent. On paper that sounds small. In real life it’s huge at scale.

Here’s what that means for us as leaders and business owners: some of the people in our world are not okay.

It may be your teammate who still shows up to the Zoom with a smile. It may be your kid. It may be you. There are people walking around in constant “low” — not just a bad day, but a constant ache, numbness, or sense of “I’m not sure I can keep doing this.”

As entrepreneurs we can get so focused on “the grind” that we forget to look up. We obsess over numbers, output, invoices, churn, funnel performance, and forget to ask the humans around us, “How are you really doing?”

The assignment here is simple:

• Notice people.
• Be present.
• Be interruptible.
• Encourage people who feel overwhelmed or in crisis to talk to someone safe. A trusted friend. A spiritual adviser. A trained therapist. A voice that can hold them up instead of letting them sink.

You are not just building a company. You are shaping an environment. Care is part of leadership.

Your Business Is an Asset — Protect It

We lock our homes at night. We lock our cars when we park. We guard our wallets and purses.

But a lot of small business owners leave their companies wide open.

Ransomware, phishing, and malware are not “big company problems.” Criminals target small businesses because small businesses often have weaker protection, less process, and more urgency. That makes you easier to pressure and easier to extract money from.

As a founder, you are responsible for protecting what you’re building:

• Your data
• Your customers’ information
• Your ability to operate tomorrow

Treat your business like the asset it is. You are not “too small to get targeted.”

Get protected with Bitdefender Ultimate Small Business Security.

“Be Worth the Trip” — Seth Godin on Why Average Is Over

Ramon brought in a powerful idea from Seth Godin.

Here’s the setup:
Customers can order almost anything from their phone without ever stepping into your space.
Your restaurant is not the only restaurant.
Your product is not the only product.
And there is always a competitor who is faster, more convenient, and cheaper.

For years, small businesses tried to win with “good, fast, and cheap.”
That game is over.

There will always be a giant competitor that is better, faster, and cheaper than you. You cannot out-Amazon Amazon.

So what do you do?

You become worth the trip.

That means:

• You are not generic.
• You are not “fine.”
• You’re not just another option in the category.
• You are the one someone will drive past 12 other options to get to.

That applies to restaurants, agencies, consultants, coaches, software companies, speakers, accountants — everybody.

This is also deeply personal. Seth Godin’s point is that you can’t just “be anyone” anymore. You have to be someone. Racing to the bottom is done. Racing to the top — to uniqueness, to memorable, to remarkable, to meaningful — is where the opportunity lives now.

For entrepreneurs, that means stop marketing yourself as “we do everything for everyone.” Pick who you serve, and be undeniable for them.

AI Video Changed Marketing Forever — Now What?

AI video has basically removed the excuse of “I don’t have the gear.”

What used to take a crew, lights, a studio, and weeks of editing can now be created in minutes. AI tools can generate polished clips on demand. Perfect captions. Perfect lighting. Perfect pacing.

That sounds like an advantage, but it also creates a flood.

Now there’s endless “perfect.” Smooth clips everywhere. Everybody looks like they have a team.

So the new competition isn’t production value. The new competition is attention and trust.

People are hungry for:

• Something useful
• Something real
• A voice they believe

That means your strategy has to shift from “How do I make this look expensive?” to “Do I have something meaningful to say?”

Here’s the trap: perfection paralysis.

• “I’ll post after I re-film it.”
• “I’ll post after I remove that um.”
• “I’ll post after I fix that wrinkle in my shirt.”

By the time you’re “ready,” the moment is gone, and someone else is already in your customer’s feed simply telling the truth.

Your face with a clear, honest message will beat a lifeless, beautiful, empty clip.

Show up. Teach something. Share the insight. Don’t hide behind polish.

Release the Story That’s Holding You Back

There’s another mindset layer Ramon talked about: letting go of the stuff you’ve been carrying.

Related – How to Talk to Children about Your Business – Balancing Work and Family Life

If you’ve been hurt, betrayed, lied to, overlooked, or disrespected, it’s easy to hold that pain and call it “fuel.” The problem is, holding poison still poisons you even if you’re using it for motivation.

At some point you have to choose to release it so you can move forward.

That’s true emotionally, and it’s true practically.

Ramon shared an example: some people are “always late.” Late to meetings. Late to opportunities. Late to life. That becomes their identity: “That’s just how I am.”

But you are not locked into who you’ve always been.

One of Ramon’s friends took action immediately on financial advice — not later, not “I’ll do it tonight,” but right there in the moment. Why? Because he knew his own pattern. He knew if he waited, he wouldn’t do it.

That’s what growth looks like in real life:

• I know my weak spots.
• I don’t make excuses for them.
• I override them in real time.

You’re allowed to change.
You’re allowed to become reliable.
You’re allowed to become disciplined.
You’re allowed to become someone new, even if nobody in your family ever was.

That is entrepreneurship. You are reinventing you.

What Wealth Actually Feels Like at $1M, $10M, $50M, $100M, and $1B

Ramon closed with a breakdown of how lifestyle changes as net worth increases — something Sam Parr has been vocal about.

Here’s the honest version:

At around $1 million net worth:

• You feel stable, especially compared to your 20s.
• You’re not panicking over every bill.
• But in a high-cost city, you’re not “set for life.” You’re still working. You’re still tied to active income.
• You’re comfortable, not free.

Around $10 million liquid:

• This is the first real unlock.
• You’re not stressing menu prices.
• You fly business class without guilt.
• You can grab a last-minute five-star hotel stay.
• You can fly a friend out just to make the trip happen.
• Life stops running you. You start running life.

Around $20–25 million liquid:

• You can spend tens of thousands a month and still grow wealth.
• You get support in place — childcare, cleaning, operations — not to “flex,” but to create sanity and protect your time and energy.
• You get a nicer home and an easier rhythm.

Around $50 million liquid:

• Privacy becomes a serious priority.
• You can maintain multiple homes, travel for long stretches, and begin to build structure around what you share and what you protect.
• You’re thinking in terms of trusts, insulation, and long-term stability.

Above $100 million:

• Friction drops out of daily life.
• You have a staffed life — assistants, specialists, operations support.
• Problems get solved without you being in every loop.
• You’re choosing projects, not chasing work.

At $1 billion:

• Money becomes institutional.
• You don’t see invoices anymore.
• You operate in legacy mode: foundations, causes, long-term imprint.

Why does this matter if you’re at $120K a year right now?

Because it reframes the target.

You don’t have to aim for “billionaire.” You can aim for “I control my schedule. I buy back my time. My life supports me instead of constantly draining me.”

That’s a powerful, healthy financial goal for an entrepreneur: controlled freedom, not just more stuff.

Your Assignment Today

From this episode, here’s the real work:

• Care about people. Someone near you may be holding on by a thread. Be present enough to notice.
• Protect the business you’re building. You would never leave your car unlocked in a city. Stop leaving your company unprotected.
• Stop trying to be generic. Be worth the trip. Be the one, not an option.
• Publish even when it’s not perfect. Your voice matters more than your polish.
• Upgrade yourself. You are not stuck in who you’ve always been.
• Define your version of freedom. Know what you’re actually building toward.

That’s entrepreneurship. That’s leadership. That’s legacy.