Episode 47: Meet Richard Walton - Wandering Serial Entrepreneur and Adventurous Surfer

The Oceanriders Podcast

Richard Walton was heading to the deep pit of the fast-paced world of business. But as soon as he starts to slow down, everything fell into place, both in his career and personal life. Today, Richard serves as the Founder of AVirtual, the leading virtual assistant company in the UK and Chairman of the fastest-growing EO accelerator program globally. His social enterprise, GVI has received multiple awards and is creating a sustainable difference while combining travel and education. Richard believes in delivering quality service and creating a culture that is motivating and fun.

In this episode, Richard tells about his many adventures, both in his business and in surfing. Listen in as he relates his experience while surfing with sharks! Also, Richard gives a bit of advice on how to slow things down and avoid all the deleterious consequences of always being on the hectic. Often, we get caught on our everyday activities and we keep going through them even if we are miserable doing them. In this situation, Richard lets us in on the secret of becoming successful. He teaches how to hire the best people, create a respected culture, win against the tough times, find a mentor and be a responsible a mentee, get help, and work remotely. Richard is big on time. He values his time, the time of his clients, and the time of his employees. And his message is: Find your purpose and dedicate every single fraction of your time to fulfill it- that’s what makes a man happily successful.

Episode Highlights:

• 02:33 The Wandering Entrepreneur/Surfer
• 06:58 GVI- Education and Travel In One
• 12:03 The Best Move
• 15:58 How To Slow Things Down
• 19:37 How To Hire The Best People
• 27:43 What Makes A Succesful Entrepreneur
• 36:29 Surfing With Sharks

Today my guest is a successful entrepreneur and surfer from the UK. His name is Richard Walton. He’s originally from the UK but has worked all over the world, sometimes in the most remote areas. He’s now living the dream in the bonny climate of Cape Town South Africa. Richard’s story is super inspirational for many reasons. First, because he was living a miserable lifestyle in suburban Britain and decided to completely flip his lifestyle around for and because of surfing. You’ll find out how he managed to build and make his startup thrive from the middle of nowhere.

“When everyone is falling around you… just keep going, but keep going with a positive attitude.” -Richard Walton

Second, because he is a pioneer of remote working, corporate social responsibility, and virtual assistance way before Tim Ferriss came out with the 4-hour workweek, Richard was busy building an incredible business and helping entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level. Richard is the founder of GVI, an e-platform linking volunteer with nonprofits and NGOs around the world and is the current founder and CEO of AVirtual, a successful virtual assistant company based in South Africa. He shares his story about how and why he created these inspiring companies.

In this episode, we dive into Richard’s exciting life story. He shares some expert advice about running and growing a business, finding talent, finding balance, and getting mentors to move your business to the next level. We also have a quick chat about the empty breaks of Cape Town and how he contemplates surfing with sharks on a permanent basis.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Take care, have fun, and enjoy the waves.

Ciao,

Imi

Connect with Richard:

• Website
• Email
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Telephone: [phone]

Resources Links:

Books

• Scaling Up: How A Few Companies Make It… And Why The Rest Don’t, Mastering The Rockefeller Habits 2.0 by Verne Harnish
• Delivering Happiness: A Path To Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh

Quotes:

• 12:40 “I've always wanted to be a surfer. I love the ocean!” -Richard Walton
• 14:18 “If you fall in love with surfing, you want to spend as much time in the water as possible. So things like strength, flexibility, and energy become more important to you than partying till two or three o'clock in the morning.” -Richard Walton
• 21:47 “Culture always starts with the founder. How you behave sets the culture.” -Richard Walton
• 28:16 “When everyone is falling around you… just keep going, but keep going with a positive attitude.” -Richard Walton
• 29:36 “Entrepreneurs are the most helpful people. You just have to ask.” -Richard Walton

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