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The Long Game by Ryan Richards
The Long Game by Ryan Richards is a podcast about how real operators think, decide, and build for the long term — and what actually happens behind the scenes when the stakes are real.
Narrated and hosted by Ryan Richards, the show pulls back the curtain on business, real estate, and investing through unfiltered conversations with operators, investors, and builders who have earned their perspective. You’ll hear what worked, what didn’t, and the decisions most people never see or talk about publicly.
This isn’t surface-level advice or polished success stories. It’s a fly-on-the-wall look at high-caliber conversations — the mental models, systems, mistakes, and tradeoffs that shape durable success over time.
Through solo reflections and deep conversations, The Long Game gives listeners proximity to real operators and the clarity that comes from understanding how the best actually think, judge risk, and execute.
If you’re an ambitious builder who wants to learn from real experiences — not shortcuts or hype — this is an invitation inside.
Welcome to The Long Game.
The Long Game by Ryan Richards
Ep. #80 | Leadership, Relationships, and Scaling Through Uncertainty with Zack Levesque
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, we sit down with Zack Levesque, Regional Vice President at Northpoint Bank, to break down what it really takes to lead, scale, and adapt in a changing market.
Zack shares his journey from top-producing salesperson to sales leader, including the pivotal moment that forced him to rethink his entire business model during a market shift. From laying off half his team to rebuilding through purchase business, this conversation is packed with real-world lessons on resilience, leadership, and taking control of what you can control.
We dive deep into the importance of relationships, not just building them, but maintaining the right ones, even when it means having difficult conversations. Zack also shares how true leaders create growth by investing in their people, leading from the front, and focusing on long-term impact over short-term gain.
What you’ll learn:
- Why market shifts expose weaknesses in your business model
- The moment that forced a complete pivot from refinance to purchase business
- What great leadership actually looks like in practice
- How to build strong, reciprocal relationships that drive growth
- Why work ethic and consistency are still the ultimate differentiators
- When and how to scale your business with the right support
- The mindset shift required to move from producer to true business owner
If you’re an entrepreneur, sales professional, or business owner trying to scale, hire, or navigate uncertainty, this episode gives you a real look at what it takes to grow through it instead of getting stuck.
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