Nick Belardo - Director of Operations, Compass | Christopher Luna, California Leaders

We wanted to capture the kind of leadership talk that usually disappears the moment the check comes. So we tried a new After Hours format, poured a Negroni, and got honest about how careers actually get built: through small roles done well, relationships that last, and the daily choice to make people feel seen.

Nick takes us from showing up in Los Angeles with $100 to learning the real meaning of an elevator pitch while working the “secret elevator” for major talent. From there, the story moves through live events, the Greek Theatre, Disney confidence, The Grove, the Santa House, experiential marketing, and eventually leadership in real estate tech at Compass. The through line is hospitality as a professional advantage: being intentional, reading the room, raising your hand for the overlooked work, and creating exceptional experiences that people remember.

We also talk marathon mindset, work-life integration, and why emerging leaders face a tougher challenge in a 30-second content world. Then we bridge into marketing strategy, brand consistency, and why print media still matters when it’s part of a true omnichannel ecosystem that matches the lived experience. If you care about leadership, networking, mentorship, customer service, and authentic human connection, this conversation is for you.

Subscribe, follow, and share California Leaders After Hours with someone building their next chapter, and if something hits home, leave a review and tell us what “small moment” changed your career.

📌 ABOUT Nick Belardo
🔹 Title: Director of Operations, Compass
🔹 Guests Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-belardo-69264666/

🔹Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickybelardo/

Transcript

Welcome To After Hours

Narrator 0:00

Welcome to California Leaders After Hours. At the end of a long day, when the meetings are over, the emails slow down, and people finally have a moment to unwind. Hosted by Christopher Luna, Mina Collins, and Bree Baker Cohen. This series invites leaders from across California to join the conversation, sharing the stories, lessons, and experiences that shape the way they lead. This is California Leaders After Hours.

Christopher Luna 0:27

Welcome to California Leaders. Today we have a very, very, very, very, very special episode, completely different from what we're used to. We still don't even have a name for it. We have a lot of special guests today. Starting with you, Nick, Brie, Mia. You guys are all awesome. Thank you so much for taking this test run with me. This new format's really important. And it really came down to an idea that we're we had talking over drinks. And we go to this happy hour, we're always hanging out, and we were like, you know, we need another reason to hang out and drink some more. So it came from you, Brie. And I told you I was gonna kick it off to you right away, but just give us some background because I don't think a lot a lot of people, especially the audience that are is familiar with California leaders and what I've done in the past, they're gonna look at this and it's gonna be completely different from what we're used to, right? So if you don't mind, just a little bit of background on on how this idea came about.

Bre Baker-Cohen 1:25

Yeah, um, I think we were sitting at City Club um enjoying a cocktail, and I've been kind of like loving your show and the format as well. Uh and kind of pitch myself as your co-host, or you know, I was like, hey, you need like a Robin, you know, and um I thought who would be a great person to have kind of, you know, I mentioned Nick Billardo, who um I've worked with for a long time, and who would be someone to bring like and speak to about, you know, and and you mentioned that was your idea, like that was someone I had been mentioning to you, and you you kind of set the tone for that, but it was like an idea that we had, and um kudos to you for bringing all that up, and you know it happened really fast, and I really do appreciate you, Nick, and and taking the time to really explore this because I don't think a lot of people will understand the dynamics.

Christopher Luna 2:28

I've had people, it'd take me two years to sit down with people because they want to see how it structured, the framework and all of that, right? So it's really hard for me to get access to people like you. And I really do appreciate you coming out on this episode, and especially in this new format, because like I said, it's it was Bree's idea, and then we're talking a little bit about it, and we always hang out after work, and I mean we do it because we're networking still, we're still kind of working, right? But it becomes something else, and we have these great conversations, we learn off of each other, and I'm like, we need to capture this. So this is intent. We made your favorite drink. Tell us, I mean, tell us what this looks

Why This Format Exists

Christopher Luna 3:05

like, and how do you feel just being here in this different layout? Because I know you've you've seen the other structure as well.

Nick Belardo 3:10

I'll start by saying just how grateful I am to be here and to have friends that say my name in rooms that I'm not in. I think that's what this is all about. For me, I'm invited to hang out with a lot of smart professionals and people. Uh, the microphone in front of us is just here to record our conversation, but I don't want to be doing this with you anytime in any place. And if you tell me there's gonna be fresh homemade Negronies anywhere, I'm gonna be there. It's still my Italian heart.

Christopher Luna 3:34

Yeah, I mean, and like I said, it's it's really incredible. We we went to go have dinner and we're sitting down, and it was hard for me to ask you questions because I hate having these conversations off the record. Because a lot of the best conversations are had, obviously, with no cameras, no microphones, but I didn't want to ask you all these questions. So Brie really spoke really highly of you. I don't know you much other than what I kind of read up a little bit, but tell me a little bit about your background. Like, how did you guys two meet and and how did that all begin?

Nick Belardo 4:02

The journey here. If uh we're gonna do the extended episode. Uh we'll start at the day I showed up in Los Angeles with a hundred dollar bill in my pocket and uh an excuse for chasing sunshine. A friend of mine was helping to open a club in downtown LA. He called me and said, Hey, do you want to move to Los Angeles with me? I had just gotten out of high school at the time and uh was ready for a new adventure. So I booked a one-way ticket to LA with no set skill set, no specific plan, a brain that was meant for dreaming, but not even a specific dream. And I got to LA and I've done just about every job a human can do to get to this point. And I think in the moment that I was taking all these different positions, which I'm sure we'll talk about in this conversation, I thought I was surviving. I thought it was a way to make money, pay my bills. And then I realized all these years later that every job, big and small, have taught me some of the most incredible lessons that play into my much larger career today. And I'm so grateful for every single one of them. And if I were to leave your audience with anything today, it's that not none of your output, none of the opportunities that you're engaging in are a waste of time if you don't let them be.

Christopher Luna 5:11

I love that. I I've come across a lot of people, I mean, just growing up, a lot of our friends working in retail or you know, they're having their first job. And like you never know who you meet, who's gonna support you. So that output is very important. And we talk about that a lot of times. You never know who's watching you. And every time I met Nia, and and when you when we talked about this, I mean Brie came up with your name with this idea too, and we're like, she is awesome, like without a doubt. You you bring so much to these conversations when we're hanging out because of your background, the the knowledge that you have, and just how you really understand the dynamics of it all. So I you know, tell us a little about how you got involved with the this group and how you know this all came about.

Nia Collins 5:55

Let's see. Um, I'll say this. Uh so my line of work is in uh in accounting. So I'm a I'm a number cruncher. However, I enjoy people. So I know that's uh, you know, a term that I've coined as of late. And so when it comes to connecting, when it comes to sharing experiences, lived experiences, professional experiences, um, to me that is just uh that's a joy. That's to me that's the that's part of my why. Right. And so to your point, with you know, all of these professional experiences uh that you don't quite know how they're going to culminate or how they're going to blend later on down the road, um, it allows for you to just have those touch touch points with people that you meet along the way and and really give you know just some fruitful feedback.

Nick Belardo 6:43

And I'm grateful that our paths have crossed prior to this show as well. And I could say you're really good at number crunching but and at peopling.

Bre Baker-Cohen 6:51

Well, thank you. That's a huge compliment. Isn't that normal for someone in like the finance world to love connecting with people the way you do?

Nia Collins 6:59

That's true. Yeah. It's a bit nuanced, right? I think with any field of choice, you have the opportunity to make it your own, right? And so it's when you connect with your strengths, and most importantly, when you pay attention to what lights the room or the feedback. I know oftentimes we think that we only have to dive into what um we think we're good at, what's right in front of us. But um it's not necessarily that our superpowers, uh, people will let you know what your superpower is if you're really paying attention.

Nick Belardo 7:30

That's a really good point.

Nia Collins 7:31

And, you know, I've just had the joy of being able to um just create a bridge, you know, between that line of work and and other opportunities that that really speak to me and allow me to shine and and pour into others.

Nick Belardo 7:45

So I read a great quote that makes me think of that, which is Are you climbing the mountain so people could see you? Or are you climbing the mountain so you could see the people? And I think when you think about the arenas you enter, the jobs you take, the opportunities you

Landing In LA With $100

Nick Belardo 7:58

pursue, if you're doing it to see the people, to see the world that it unlocks, you don't have to do it in a linear way. And you get to be the number cruncher who's also really good at peopling.

unknown 8:08

There we go.

Nick Belardo 8:09

So when you came into town with a hundred bucks, where did you go, or how did it all start?

Christopher Luna 8:13

I mean, it's I feel like it's like that classic LA story.

Nick Belardo 8:18

I had a good friend who had a couch for me to sleep on, and I think I had a two-month expiration on that. Uh, I took a job working at Club Nokia at the time in downtown Los Angeles. For you guys listening outside of LA, it was an incredible place and still is. Uh, and uh can I tell you the greatest lesson I learned in that job actually to start? I remember getting the job at Club Nokia, and they you go to this great big orientation, they do a little bit of a personality assessment, and they say, You're incredible. You're hired, you're gonna be an elevator attendant. Well today I know how important that job is to the overall operation. Back then, I I thought I could do a little bit more on it, but you know, I was humble and I needed to take a job, so I become the elevator attendant of this very secret special elevator at the club in which all the A-listers would enter. And night after night, show after show, I would stand in that elevator. And my greatest impact was pushing that button. But every time that door opened, Stevie Wonder would walk in. Every celebrity in the world that I've ever dreamed of meeting would walk in, and I would get 30 seconds to talk to these people. And I was never gushing over them, I was always professional, but I was very aware I was meeting best-in-class professionals, so I always wanted to learn lessons. So I learned the art of being really intentional with communication, asking questions that packed a punch, and leaving just a little bit of space for me to leave an impact. And I'll tell you the greatest story. So Stevie Wonder comes into the elevator, uh, he grabs your hand when he's meeting you, uh, just as a way to get to know you a little bit. We chat a little bit. I let him know that I was uh a songwriter and a singer and very passionate about music. Elevator opens, he goes on to whatever event it is. Later that night, he gets back in the elevator, hears my voice, and follows up on my dreams. Wow. Wow. And I remember in that moment thinking, in 30 seconds, I got Stevie Wonder, one of the greatest legends in the music business, to remember that I dreamed of the same thing. So I would say, as you're talking to people and connecting with people, there's a way to make every interaction super impactful. And uh, that's one of the greatest lessons I learned from my first job in Los Angeles that I still use today in my career now, which is be intentional with your word, be specific with what you want to talk about, let people know who you are, and be at peace that it doesn't always need to be a long-winded conversation. That's literally the elevator pitch. It was in motion. Did I invent the elevator pitch? You invented it. Yeah, so that that was a really cool opportunity. But what was happening in the background and uh that which forever changed the course of my life, and to answer your original question is how did I become connected to someone like Bree Baker? Well, I did that job with full force, a job that many people would have brushed off as small or as insignificant. But I pushed those buttons with passion. I pointed people in the right direction with passion, and I made an impact on people. The GM of the club at that time, uh, who's a good friend of Bree's, uh, got to know me, taught me a lot of great lessons at my time there. Bree was looking for a VIP events and sales coordinator at the world-famous Greek theater. Uh, and I had an opportunity to interview for that position. Uh, and to be clear, I don't know that I was totally qualified. I did not have a ton of experience besides the nightclub in live music. Uh, and I went and met Bree based on a recommendation from Mark, the GM of the Club Nokia at the time, and uh had a great conversation with Bree. I was probably really nervous, probably didn't have a lot to say. And I'll never forget I was doing one of my first hikes at Runyon Canyon here in Los Angeles, which, if you've hiked that uh trail, you know there's no cell phone reception. And my Blackberry at the time rings, and it's Brie Baker offering me a job at the Greek theater. And as she offers me the job, and as I go to say thank you, the call drops. And I remember doing that hike. I don't think I've ever hiked up a hill and downhill so fast to make sure that she didn't think I hung up and declined the position. But what that simple display of really hard work and making the simple task seem significant and making someone comfortable enough to share my name with a great professional like Bree unlocked my entire life story in Los Angeles and quite frankly, every other door that opened for me. Uh and forever grateful for that.

Christopher Luna 12:22

So, how did how did you hear about his name or how how did he how did he get referred over to you?

Bre Baker-Cohen 12:26

I don't know if I've ever told you that side of the story. Mark Girton and I, shout out Mark Gerton. Um, we worked together for a long time. He was the GM of Blasham Music Center, Cleveland, Ohio, where I used to work, where I met my husband.

The Elevator Pitch In Action

Bre Baker-Cohen 12:45

Um we're all from Cleveland. It all ties back to Cleveland somehow. Um he there's like a whole contingent of like music people that worked in Cleveland that came out to LA. He called me up and he was like, There's this gentleman, I don't love him. That's how Mark talks. Like, but you're gonna love him. He's not for me, he's not my kind of person, because he's a real, like, he's a real straight shooter kind of guy, but he loves Nick. Like, but it's just like Nick is just not his kind of guy. Um, I don't know if he'd love me repeating this on a podcast.

Nick Belardo 13:23

Did you know this? I'm alone every second of the time. Yeah, but I totally get it completely. And there's no lack of respect.

Bre Baker-Cohen 13:32

Out of Mark, Mark is honest. He wanted the best for Nick, and he knew that I would love Nick, and he knows that Nick and I are still friends, and like he knew that I would love Nick, and he knew that Nick would work well for what I needed, and he would never not recommend Nick. And he that's Mark, right? Like, he called me and he was like, This is your guy. He knew he knew me well enough. We worked together long enough, and he called and he was like, This is the guy you need, and he was right. And every one of my clients was like, Nick is sunshine in a bottle, Nick is everything that premium needs, every like everything that suites and partnerships, and Nick could host an event. Like, everyone adores Nick. You're watching, we would be working an event, and I'm on the radio, and I got clients talking to me, and we're handling a parking list, and my face has an expression, and Nick's like, I got it, I'm over here, I'm dealing with this. Like, he reads everything that's happening. There's not another person that could work in tandem with you like that.

Christopher Luna 14:38

I wonder if there's a book or anything about, I'm sure there are, but about the sense of hospitality. Because I think we did lose that sense of urgency and that sense of respect to to be really good hosts. And I think that's a really good position to to have sometime in your life, you know, in your life is being able to host other people. Even being a waiter, waitress, right? It's like the a lot of people just don't have that good customer service skill anymore.

Nick Belardo 15:03

There's a book called Unreasonable Hospitality. I recommend everybody reads it two, three, four times. And there's actually an activity book coming out uh this April that I'm really excited about. For me, though, what it always came down to is whatever your job title is, whatever you are doing, the way you make people feel is your greatest gift. And if you go to my LinkedIn, the top thing I write is my mission in life is to create exceptional experiences for every single person I come into contact with, so that in turn we both experience uh great people every single day. And I aim to be that great person for the stranger I open the door for at the coffee shop, for the team I manage at my current position. You've always been that way. And I bring that everywhere, and that's why it's it's not contrived, it's not overly curated, it's just that's my priority. And then I'll do the job that I'm hired to do. And I think that has always helped me make an impact. And thank you for sharing that.

Bre Baker-Cohen 15:51

Yeah, you were you were you have been that since I met you, day one. Grit endured.

Christopher Luna 15:58

And and what what's great about it is that you're not transactional about it. Like there's you're not doing it for intentionally to gain something from it. That's just who you are as a person. So I think a lot of people see that authenticity and and want to support you too in your growth. So just like this gentleman, like you wanted to support you, Bree, like you you bring such great aura and great positivity around.

Bre Baker-Cohen 16:20

In spite of whatever someone may feel they have wanted to support Nick.

Nia Collins 16:25

Yeah, I think that speaks to just like what connection is, right? Authenticity. Yeah. People respond to authenticity, right? When you're doing things from a genuine space, um, you're, you know, to your point, you're not looking for, you're not looking to capitalize off of it, you know, it's you're not going into it as um, you know, a benefit, doing a cost-benefital analysis before you actually pour into. Um, I think that is something that is is not as common these days. I agree. It's great that you're radiating that because that means that you're impacting everyone that's in your path and you know, those who are watching to really embrace that too.

Nick Belardo 17:06

If I look back, quite frankly, had I optimized on some of those things more, I think I would be in a completely different lot in life. But at this age, at this point in my life, I got what I wanted out of all that, which is a legacy of people who would say he's really kind, he's really nice, he works hard. I think I work harder than anyone around me. Uh and I'm I'm good that that's what I took from all of that. Uh we see it too much, right? The person who fakes the smile, says the thing that they think the other person is gonna want to hear, and then guess what? You can't remember the thing you said and you can't deliver upon it, and all of it goes away, it becomes fleeting. For me, I'm trying to make a legacy impact in my life uh at work, in my personal life, everywhere I am. So I think uh I don't need anything in return other than making people happy.

Christopher Luna 17:50

People always remember the person, not so much what you say or how you it's how you make them feel. But how did you get into real estate? Or how let's

Unreasonable Hospitality As A Career Edge

Christopher Luna 17:58

see.

Nick Belardo 17:58

Should I start at the Justin Bieber impersonator? Should I start as the LA Ice Crew member, the accidental signed model, uh the singer, songwriter performing on stage in Vegas? Uh there's a long journey to get here. Cut the B-roll. Cut the B-roll.

Christopher Luna 18:13

Send me those images.

Nick Belardo 18:15

I did a lot of different things uh to get to where I'm at today. Uh, how did I get in real estate? Let's start back at I'm 19 years old. This has nothing to do with real estate. That's gonna be my whole point of my career journey. Uh 19 years old. Walt Disney companies coming to Cleveland, Ohio. They're looking for their next host of AM 1260 Radio Disney. Somebody says, Nick, you have this great personality and you've got the look, you should go audition to be this radio host. Radio host, I don't have any of that experience, but I'm a yes person. So I went and I remember walking into what my memory tells me was a warehouse of sorts. And there must have been 300 other people at that audition who all looked like me. And I remember in that moment going, oh, wow. Uh so my brain had immediately adjusted the fact that I walked into a big room and I was going for something that a lot of people wanted. I was not prepared. I did not have a resume, I did not know what they were going to ask me to do, but I showed up, I gave it my all, and I ended up getting the position as uh a live radio host for Disney, which I did for a little bit, traveling around the Midwest, performing for audiences. And there's a lot of lessons we could talk about there, but I'll shelf that for now.

Bre Baker-Cohen 19:25

How old are you?

Nick Belardo 19:28

I had to be about 19 years old. 19. Yeah.

Bre Baker-Cohen 19:30

Like right before I met you?

Nick Belardo 19:31

Yeah, yeah. Uh it was the confidence boost that gave me the belief that I should come to Los Angeles and pursue something. Um, so I did that for quite a while and I loved it and really learned how to be on stage, how to sit in discomfort when no one showed up, but I still had to deliver a show, how to have a ton of people show up and be this kid that had to make all these kids have fun, but also make sure the parents thought what I was doing was great, and make sure that, by the way, the Walt Disney Company found me suitable enough. But what I started doing then distinctly in my life was studying the conversation before I got on the stage. Uh, instead of focusing on the glory of being in the public eye, which I like to do, I sat in that conference room and I studied what the sponsors were paying me to say, studying what Walt Disney Company was premiering at that time and focused on. And I would take it three levels deeper. I would learn about the sponsors, not just what was given to me on the piece of paper before I'd go on the show. I'd learn what the Walt Disney Company's larger strategy was and why, particularly, those certain messages played into that larger piece. And then I got on stage and I riffed and I shared the knowledge that I knew, and I'd come off stage and sponsors were blown away because I knew more about their product than they even expected me to. The Disney company was happy because I was making all their partners happy. And then by the way, I was making audiences happy, and it became the perfect trifecta. And it was in that moment that I learned that you can fill a cup to be good. Meaning I could have gotten up there, I could have done sung the songs, danced the dances, been charming and fun, and everyone was happy. But I wanted to make the cup run over. And that's when I started studying the strategy, the business tactic, and the bigger picture of what was going on. And then as you get really good at what you do, you get to focus on what you fill the cup with. So from Disney, I grew the confidence to move to Los Angeles with the $100 bill in my pocket, ended up randomly at the Greek theater where I was meeting countless people. But the Greek theater is a seasonal music venue, so I couldn't only work at the Greek theater. At this time, I was also really homesick. I moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland, Ohio, and I have a big, beautiful Italian-American family who I'm really close with. And when I would get homesick, I would run to a place here in Los Angeles called the Grove. For those of you who don't know what the Grove is, imagine your favorite place to shop mixed with Disney World and all the magic that comes with that. And I'd sit on a bench there sometimes for hours just because I was so comfortable. And I remember it was one certain February, something came over me to go knock on their office doors. And I always remember. I was wearing too because it was a little informal for what the company became to be. But I knocked on the door, I introduced myself, and I said, I'm really homesick. I come here eight hours

Disney Confidence To Grove Marketing

Nick Belardo 22:10

a day. The only thing is, I'm not clocking in. Is there any opportunity for me to come here more meaningfully and work for you guys? Wow. Uh, I get hired. One of the first jobs I get there is to help run the this very world-famous Santa House. So, for anybody listening, this isn't your your run-of-the-mill Santa House. This is the Santa House. It generates a lot of revenue. A lot of high-profile people bring their families through, and a lot of Angelinos bring their families here as long-standing traditions. What I learned in that Santa House changed who I am completely because I learned the mixture of magic and business. And I learned how all those pieces come together to create this undeniable experience. It's cold, weather's changing, expectations of the families are high because by the way, every single person who walks through that door, it's their first time. It was my 800th time of the day, my me and my team. But we created magic over and over and over again. And you had used the word transactional before. There is a little bit of an art of being able to be transactional to repeat an action over and over again, but to bring energy to it like it's new, because I'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for the people around me. Anyway, those sanitors opened a new opportunity for me to work for this company called Caruso, which is a deeply meaningful company in my life. It changed who I am as a professional but and a human. And I climbed the ladder at Caruso up until the point where I get asked to be a temporary office manager.

Bre Baker-Cohen 23:38

He even got me to go work over there as well. You were a very good Alf Brie.

Nick Belardo 23:43

You were a really good Alf Brie.

Bre Baker-Cohen 23:44

I didn't fit into the Santa or the Santa's Alpha Breaking. You were very good.

Nick Belardo 23:48

Sales are out the roof that year. Don't listen to her. So I get this job to be. You were great. You were on Santa's good list that year. So I get this job to be this temporary office manager. Let me tell you what I also had no business being was a temporary office manager, but I did the job and I showed up every day. I memory tells me it was like a two-month stint that I was getting. And so I go help them run this office, and all of a sudden I found myself knowing what this person did every day at this time, what that person did every day at this time, what made that person happy. I would overhear what people are talking about, not liking about the office, and I would just go fix it. And it was kind of fun for me. It was the first time I coined my phrase, the people playground. I focused less on the office, more about the people. Uh, but this is my favorite story about how I got into marketing, which will help me tell you how I got into real estate, just to bring it back to the question. This incredible, incredible professional, uh, our CMO at the time, she was busy 24 hours a day. She was an incredible mom and dedicated to her family. She had a huge job in this marketing capacity. Every day at three o'clock, she would walk into the kitchen to get something to drink, like clockwork. And I noticed it, I clocked it, I knew it was happening. At this time, I was starting to think about what did I want for my career, where did I want to go? I knew I liked people. I knew that from my experience at Disney and other places that I loved studying people and finding ways to blow their minds. And for me, that naturally became a marketing pathway. I said, Oh, I should be good at marketing, I should just go do that. Uh, no background, no formal education, but a desire. So, guess where I was every day at 3 o'clock PM? I was in that kitchen. And for those several, several weeks, the most sometimes I would get was a hello and a smile. And I smiled and I said hello, and I made sure that I was always there. And it's like the famous holiday party story. Uh, a negroni or two happens, we're at the holiday party, I see Judy sitting there, that was her name, and I walk up and I say, I should be on your marketing team. And I remember the next morning waking up and being like, too many Negronies. That was a little bit vadacious of me to do, but I did it. And uh I get called into the office, she comes in and she says, My assistant's going out on a two-week vacation. Can you fill in? So I said, Sure, I'll absolutely fill in. Thank you so much for the opportunity. And I'm her assistant. I mean, I'm sitting at a desk going through paperwork, making sure that she's set up for success. And then one day I have this packet of papers that need to get curried to her home. A lot of respect for her. She would always leave the office on time to be with her kids, and then I would make sure that her remaining work would show up at her house to take care of when they went to bed. And I'm going through this packet of papers, and there's all these post-it notes where she needs to sign something. And as I'm going through it, I see a page that calls for her signature that had no post-it note. So I take a piece of paper and I stick it in there and said, I hope this isn't overstep, but notice there wasn't a post-it note on this page. Sign this one if you need to. Well, that little above and beyond moment led to her realizing how bad I wanted the work, how attention to detail I am, how thoughtful that was. That was unreasonable hospitality in itself. And uh I got offered a permanent position as a marketing quarter on the team at the Grove, the very place where I went to find uh peace when I was feeling homesick. And I went on to work for that company for seven years in the marketing capacity. Uh it was experiential marketing focus. So it was really the art of planning experiences that drove people to the property and then built strong partnerships with the tenants of the property to drive sales to those folks. And those were the greatest seven years of my life until I got into real estate. Uh a little startup company called me seven years ago, actually nine years ago coming up on. Uh, and the recruiter said, Hi, we're a startup real estate tech company. Nobody knows who we are. Do you want to come work for us? No, thank you. Hang up.

unknown 27:50

They call again.

Nick Belardo 27:51

No, thank you. All is good. I have one bad day at Carus, so I think I had a handful in the seven years I worked there. They called me on one bad day. I took the interview and was blown away by the people I met, enthralled by the mission of a company that no one had ever heard of in this market, uh, and the opportunity to help them build it. And almost nine years later, here I am as their director of marketing and operations overseeing our Southern California, San Diego, and Hawaii regions. And the greatest group of professionals that I get to work with are my teams of marketers, of account managers, of workplace leaders. And I am now living the next version of the best years of my life

Building A Career At Compass

Nick Belardo 28:30

at Compass.

Christopher Luna 28:31

That's incredible. I mean, the crucial property is intense. I mean, their whole thing literally is like Disneyland for retail, right? They create this experience to make sure that people feel welcome there. So for you to understand all those dynamics and to understand how to navigate through all of that and be able to pick up on little things like that and how you grew into that. That's incredible. I think anyone would just want to work there for free because you learn so much, right? Absolutely. So I it it's incredible how you're able to do that from the Santa House, which my family and I go to every year. Love it. So I mean Throw up some pictures.

Nia Collins 29:06

You know, this story is so compelling because what I hear is uh you have a natural ability to look for opportunity. Not too many people have that gift. And so I'm just curious.

How To Train For Opportunity

Nia Collins 29:17

Uh, you know, what are you doing?

Bre Baker-Cohen 29:19

Yeah.

Nia Collins 29:19

Right? Looking for opportunity, right? To to me that's a that's a skill. Um, you know, just with your story, I think it's a gift because you've proved proven to do that time after time. Um just out of curiosity, what would be some how can I say how can one train their brain to look for opportunity?

Nick Belardo 29:39

That's a really good question. I I'm very fortunate does seem to come natural. Like I just see in between the lines. I would go back to that metaphor I shared a little bit earlier. If you get given a cup in life, fill the cup if you want to be good, if you want to just get the job done. If you want to be great, you have to make the cup run over. So, first thing I would say to uh an emerging leader about finding those opportunities and training your brain to do so is get really good at the job you were given. Don't cut the line, don't try to rush through that. We always hear be the student, right? So be the student and learn and get really good. Make sure no one is running on that treadmill faster than you. When you get to that point, that's when the brain can start to unlock the potential of those other opportunities. And I said it earlier when I was in the temporary office manager position. I didn't focus on the office, I focused on the people. And I think if you go into rooms and you go into opportunities and you focus on the people, hear what they're saying, hear what their needs are, hear what the problems are, there you will find the opportunities and then run towards them. And I will tell you single-handedly, if I left anybody with anything, my greatest career growth came by raising my hand for the least appealing tasks, oftentimes. The thing everyone else wanted, I would look that way and say, no one's talking about that. I would go fix it, I'd make it the best, and that is when I would grow.

Christopher Luna 30:56

And you and you did it without asking for more, I'm sure. You know, you if you're given the opportunity to step in as an assistant, obviously it's more workload, it's more, it's more responsibilities. I'm sure you didn't say, Well, okay, I'll do it, but I need more money. Yeah. You know, you you make yourself available to these organizations and they see the type of person you are. So they're gonna want you to stay there and grow. Absolutely. I'm sure.

Nick Belardo 31:16

What I'll say to that though is you don't ask for it, then do it. You do it, then ask for it. I am a huge proponent of self-advocacy, and I do think we have to ask for what we want, fight for what we deserve, uh, and I'm definitely known for that. Uh, but you do have to do the job that you want. And you have to do it not for one week, not for one month, sometimes not even just for one year. You have to prove that you're in it to win it, uh, and then you get to advocate. And I believe if you do things in the right order, you do things strategically, respectfully, you'll get what you want in life.

Christopher Luna 31:46

You prove you prove your worth, you prove your your the type of person you are, and you prove yourself to them to make that ask. But it becomes difficult is when you make that ask and they don't have the same sense of respect, you know. And I'm sure we've all had those type of jobs, right, where you it's not reciprocal. They don't have, they don't, they think anyone else, or they can hire anyone else, and they'll do the same, and they'll be the same. But it's it's very hard to get, I mean, you build teams. I mean, I think you guys all build teams, and we all know how hard it is to get good employees and have them stay motivated.

Nick Belardo 32:17

Well, and as a as an employer, you have to realize too, growth is not just up. Growth is 360. And asking for growth upwards when you haven't grown around doesn't always work. There has not been a position I've been in life, whether it's in a leadership role or coming up into leadership, where I knew everything about the environment around me. And a lot of growth is lateral, and skill set growth is important, uh, reputation growth is important, tenure is important. And when all these pieces come together and you fill that cup, make that cup run over, there's nowhere for you to go but up. But you can't just go up because when you climb that ladder without your skill sets developed, it breaks the chain at some point. And that's what I urge anybody who comes to me for career advice that way is get really good so that whatever altitude you're flying at, you're flying and not falling.

Christopher Luna 33:08

Yeah, I I had interviewed uh Stephen Chung, who I plug, he's gonna be on the cover of our magazine. Um, he talks about all these lateral moves. Now I don't know, we're having this conversation. I said, okay, wow, you had all these positions, you're getting promoted pretty quick. And he's like, No, they're lateral moves, you know. But I I became good at what I was doing, and that's what propelled him to what he is now. So it's it's funny. I I don't hear that a lot. A lot of people don't say that.

Nick Belardo 33:34

I my grandma used to always say when I was a kid, this is like a personal life lesson that plays into real life, professional life. She always would say, if you're bored, you're doing something wrong. You can be bored with certain tasks of your job. All of us have the mundane, the thing we don't love about what we have to do. But you cannot be bored in an opportunity. It means you're not finding those opportunities that we talked about earlier. It means you're not trying to up level and perfect each skill set around you. Going up can't be the only way you have fun, or you will not enjoy your career. And I find people who don't love their career are either in the wrong position or they're only focused in one direction. And you've got to find joy in all the directions because professional growth is not linear, it goes all over the place. Uh and I think that's done well for me. And I've seen the folks around me who grow uh embody that spirit as well.

Bre Baker-Cohen 34:27

Nick would um at the Greek, we had all these chairs to put out all the time. And I just when I think of you sometimes at the Greek, there you never made a task boring. Like Nick would be we'd be listening to music, but he'd be like lifting up the chairs, like working out with them, and everyone got a kick out of it because the artist would be performing and Nick would be working out with the chairs, right? My shoulders of my life came to the Greek. Give him some chairs right now.

Nick Belardo 34:52

How are you feeling after your run yesterday? Oh well, I can lift up, but don't ask me to uh kick anything right now. My legs are a little sore. Uh, but that's the exact point, right? We made something of what is quite frankly the most boring, repetitive task, and we had fun with it. Uh and guess what? When I think back on being the VIP events and sales coordinator over some of the most beautiful suites in Los Angeles, you can't have those without chairs. So while those chairs might be boring to put out, they might have been really heavy on those 90-degree Los Angeles summer days. Those VIPs have to sit, yeah. You have to this the VIPs had to sit somewhere. So that was a critical part of the operation, and that's the art of finding glory in the mundane task.

Bre Baker-Cohen 35:39

Yep.

Nick Belardo 35:40

That is a very important step to the process. Chairs in the VIP suite. You can't find that boring. Because don't put the chairs there. Have the VIP show up and see what happens. You certainly won't be bored when they're yelling at you and asking for their money back.

Christopher Luna 35:55

Yeah. I was just remembering, I think I told Bri this story, but I was at an event and uh it was like a conference, a woman's conference, actually. And you know, someone shows up late and everyone's sitting down, but they're standing in the back of the room. So I see her come in late and there's an empty chair, but it's kind of like in the middle, you have to walk through people. But I knew if she didn't sit down, she would be standing out for a long time. So I literally just walked her to her chair. That's all I did. I didn't pull it out. I don't think I pulled it out, but I just walked her to her chair, but it was kind of awkward walking between people, right? But because I was playing host and I walked her to her chair, someone that was walking back, so they're like, oh my God, Chris, I've never seen anyone, or I haven't seen anyone do that in a long time. I'm like, I just didn't click to me what that small detail means to certain people to make them feel welcome and comfortable into going into a room like that.

Nick Belardo 36:43

It's the ripple effect. You somebody witnessed you do a small act of kindness of hospitality. They were so moved that they told you about it. And guess what? They probably told three other people about it. And guess what? They probably opened the door for somebody that day or walked somebody to their chair or did something that continued that ripple. It's really important. And that help plays in your life and your career.

Christopher Luna 37:05

Yeah. Well, let me take a quick break because I want to drink some of my drink, and that sun is coming up on my eye.

Bre Baker-Cohen 37:11

Right in your eye.

Drink Break And Reset

Christopher Luna 37:12

And then I want to I want to tap into a little bit of your, I want to pick your brain on the marketing aspect because I mean it's incredible bringing in that hospitality, that experience, how to make people feel into what we're trying to create here with the show. So I'd love to kind of pick your brain on that, but just give me a couple minutes. We'll hopefully have a commercial if I have a sponsor, maybe some alcohol sponsors, right? We'll get one soon. All right, we'll be back.

Narrator 37:38

Cheers.

Christopher Luna 37:38

Salute.

Narrator 37:41

We're going to take a quick break to refresh our drinks and reset the room. When we return, the conversation continues on California Leaders After Hours. Welcome

Marathon Lessons On Mindset

Narrator 37:51

back to California Leaders After Hours. We've refreshed our drinks and we're ready to continue the conversation.

Nick Belardo 37:58

Welcome back to California Leaders. I have to say the Negroni, the second one, even better than the first. So thank you for that. Is it what did you do yesterday? How was that? So uh if if any of the B-roll shows me limping into the studio, uh I completed my first full marathon yesterday, running the beautiful Los Angeles marathon course from Dodgers Stadium to Century City, 26.2 miles. Wow.

Bre Baker-Cohen 38:23

Amazing. And you had some of your family join you as well, right?

Nick Belardo 38:26

I am surrounded by some of the most incredible people who uh it's a it's that dangerous relationship, which is I'll do it if you do it. And then we get ourselves in these situations, and uh, you know, you're definitely a product of the people you surround yourself with, and I got it right in life. So two of my cousins ran the race with me, but one of my sisters flew in to be our cheerleader, and it was such a rewarding experience from joining, by the way, less than one percent of the human population who will complete a full marathon in their life. Uh, but to do it with people who you admire so much is the best.

Christopher Luna 38:56

What how is it halfway through? I mean, tell me about that process. Like how what do you go through? Because that's not easy.

Nick Belardo 39:03

No, and the process doesn't start at mile one, it really starts 150 days ago when we started training. Uh to want to train, to wake up early, to fit it into our busy schedules. Um since last October, it's been a really intentional focus on this race. So uh I understand why so few people do it because of the prep work it takes to get there. But race day comes, it's three in the morning, alarms go off. We're fueling, we're getting ready, we're getting psyched. Uh you get to Dodgers Stadium and to describe the energy of 25,000 people who believe this crazy task is possible is so mind-blowing and so joyous and so exciting. Uh, it's almost like a bubble of delusion because when you think less than 1% of people do this, but in that moment I thought it would everyone believes in this. Everyone thinks you should run 26.2 miles. And by the way, I'm not only talking about marathons, right? We all have our own mountains that we like to climb, uh trails that we like to run. But uh miles one through eighteen went beautifully.

Christopher Luna 40:04

Is that where you get a second or a coin if you stop at 18? I forget how many miles it's because they're there because it's a new thing this year, right?

Nick Belardo 40:12

Well, it's a new thing. There was a weather event happening in Los Angeles on Sunday, extreme heat. Uh so I think out of precaution and offering people the opportunity to advocate for their bodies, you were able to peel off a little bit early and still be recognized for completing the marathon. I don't I I could tell you what it felt like. I saw you message something. Yeah. I was like following you.

Nia Collins 40:30

But the um it was like I want to say it was the high 80s.

Nick Belardo 40:33

Yeah, it was and it felt higher. Um, it was really hot. So uh me personally, I was not taking that medal if I didn't do the 26.2. Love to anybody who had to take the the alternative path. So do you literally you're running, you see people coming off, and you're like, you said I didn't look mentally, I did I didn't want to see it, but there was a little peel off that where you were able to discreetly exit the race, still get the medal. And and by the way, go run 18 miles and criticize everybody. Oh my gosh, no accomplishment. And guess what? It affects nobody else. So uh, you know, proud of everybody who was out there, and it's really exciting too because it's such a diverse group of athletes as well. You're seeing people of all backgrounds, all shapes and sizes, all doing this incredibly amazing. It's truly actually emotional. So uh that day, Miles 1 through 18, I was feeling really good. Uh 18 through 26.2. You you meet your demons, you meet your muscles, you meet your fatigue, and all you want to do is stop. And you you'll hear runners and athletes tell you, you really have to dig deep in those moments. I was talking to younger Nick in those moments. You're doing it for him. You got you have to do this. I was talking to my legs at one point.

Bre Baker-Cohen 41:45

I have a lot of questions.

Nick Belardo 41:46

Yeah, let's go.

Bre Baker-Cohen 41:48

I'm not behind you. Okay. Did you stay alongside your cousins or were they like off on their own journeys?

Nick Belardo 41:54

One of my cousins showed up to play a different game that day, and she beast moded this thing.

Bre Baker-Cohen 41:58

Uh, I I know who.

Nick Belardo 41:59

Yeah, uh, her name's Lauren, and she she was like, We'll all run together. That start line, she was gone, and uh really incredible what she accomplished. And then uh my cousin Gene and I, we actually we ran the race together, and uh it was really a beautiful bonding moment to to experience that. And Lauren and I have run races together as well, so it's something really special about pushing your physical limits and being so aligned with somebody. And uh, there's this great video of Gene and I crossing the finish line, holding hands, and then we do the classic arm up. And I think about uh just being so family-oriented one day when we're 90 years old, seeing that video of you know the cousins who stuck together. Uh, it's it's really special. I get a little choked up talking about it.

Bre Baker-Cohen 42:39

No, that's amazing.

Nick Belardo 42:40

You just have like the David Goggins in you just yelling at you the whole time. My cousin Lauren, when she hears you say David Goggins, is going to just be so happy. She is she plays him while she is running. She's such an advocate. So, David, when you watch this episode, tag low nanny on Instagram. We gotta have her module.

Nia Collins 42:58

Because I have a few other friends that participated, and uh one of the asks was to create a playlist, right? So they had this playlist, add some songs to it. Uh, did you have a playlist?

Nick Belardo 43:08

Uh what was your It's the perfect question because we started this by talking about marketing. Uh so I think there's two ways people listen to music. There are those that hear the words, and there's those that hear the music. I'm a lyric person. So when I listen to music while running, I listen to soundtracks to albums start to finish. It could be Alana Del Rey, it can be Taylor Swift, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, Britney Spears, but I will listen to a body of art because I get lost in my interpretation of that story. Uh but uh so no playlist per se, but listen to albums, Billy Joel quite a bit on the this particular race. I know who he is, greatly.

Christopher Luna 43:52

Like, I don't know who he is. Mine would be like Metallica or you get the machine or something.

Nick Belardo 44:00

No, I can get your mode. I can get on that. But more interesting, uh, for the first time really, I I turned the headphones off because the spirit of Los Angeles that day is so special but so loud. So I actually just drew from the crowd of people around me to uh build up on that energy. And uh so to answer your question, I listened albums start to finish, but for a lot of this race, I I turned the music off and just soaked in the environment around me, which was new to me, pretty motivating. I don't recommend listening to yourself breathe during a marathon. Okay. I've been holding my breath this whole show so that that doesn't happen again.

Nia Collins 44:35

What's something that you would do differently to prepare? I know with all that ill energy flowing around you, communicating with people and just kind of seeing and hearing about their journey. What would you do differently the next time?

Nick Belardo 44:47

Oh that is such a good question. This is I I'd say metaphorical and literal. Don't say yes to everything during that that concentrated period of time. I I took on a lot, uh, a lot of projects, a lot of traveling.

Bre Baker-Cohen 45:01

Should I like He's going back to get his MBA? Like he's yeah, so would it's a lot.

Nick Belardo 45:07

Yeah. So I'd probably say like uh, you know, enjoy a couple projects at once versus a million projects, but I'm never going to take my advice, but uh, it's who I am. Uh I would say train even a little bit more. I'd say of if you look at a scale of 100%, I think I completed 80% of my training protocol. I wonder what I could have accomplished had I have done it all. But life's about balance. And uh there were just times where other priorities had to take space. But uh I don't know. Overall, I'm actually kind of proud of the whole project. I'm also somebody who can make something like this really unenjoyable by attaching metrics and specific goals, and then I will obsess about it, then I will finish that race and not be happy about it at all because I didn't hit the certain thing. I really just enjoyed the moment, enjoyed the process, and it was about crossing the finish line and achieving something really special versus doing it in this amount of time, accomplishing this along the race. It was just be in the moment, do something really big. And yeah, so I think overall I was actually kind of I was pretty happy with myself. The thing that inspired me about the LA Marathon, my biggest takeaway is when I think about starting training back in October, you know, it's a progressive, progressive training. You start four miles, you get up to seven miles, then you get to ten miles, then you're running 17 miles day after day after day, and then you scale it back, you scale it up. And what really blew my mind is one Saturday I'd wake up and run 17 miles, and by mile 10, my body was getting tired, my brain was getting distracted. But you know, you would hit the 17 mile mark, and then next run is six miles, and all of a sudden that same feeling was hitting me at mile four. And I realized that our our brain plays the biggest role in all this training because how is it that I can run 17 miles but then get tired at mile four on a shorter run? And while I while I was in the middle of the LA Marathon, I get struck with this inspiration, which is our ability to achieve is directly correlated with the scale of our dream. And whatever it is you're pursuing, whatever it is you're doing, I think you got to go big. You need to be audacious and you need to think the biggest scale of what you want to accomplish because your brain will get you further. It doesn't mean you're not gonna get tired along the way. It doesn't mean you you'll even get all the way, but you're gonna get further than if you think small and dream small.

Christopher Luna 47:23

It's a 10X approach. You know, you always want to aim high because even if you do half, it's still great, right? So, I mean, how do you incorporate what you're doing into what you're doing today?

Work-Life Integration And Leadership Standards

Christopher Luna 47:34

Because it sounds like you're quite involved. I mean, you're you're you're diminishing, I feel like, the role and the space and the capacity that you're doing today. What does that responsibility feel like for you? Because that's a big PL, that's a big budget that you have to amplify your work and not just your work, but every all all these individuals that work in that in industry. Yeah. So what how what's your day-to-day or how does that feel like?

Nick Belardo 48:01

There's a book that comes to mind that I'm currently obsessed with called Radical Candor. I highly recommend that book if you are in a position where you're offering feedback to people, if you're nervous about sharing feedback, it's a really great approach to doing so. Within that book, they talk about work-life integration. I've been a proponent of work-life integration forever. And the the opposite of that would be work-life balance. When you leave work, you're done working, and you go into your personal life. I've always melded the two. Uh, and I've always looked at my life on scale. I've acted this big like I've had this level of responsibility since I was managing that Santa House. So this feeling isn't new to me. The the call to action, the inspiration to be great, the ability to lead and inspire those around me. I've been doing that for 17 years of my professional career. Today, what does that feel like? Well, first and foremost, I work for one of the greatest organizations. I'm very fortunate. Uh, I believe in our mission, I believe in what we're doing. And my blood, sweat, and tears are in this company. I've been here from the early years and helped build it. Uh I always say my job is uh being a people leader. I'm I give all my time and energy to the people who are on my teams. I don't look at them as direct reports, I look at them as peers, as colleagues, but my job is to unlock their potential. And guess what happens when you make really great people be really great? The job gets done really well. Um so I really try to lead by example, not to be too cliche about it, but I show up every day aware of what my role is, which is to be great, to be an example of greatness, to execute with greatness. Um I shared this on a show before, but when I was a kid, my dad used to always say, live your life in a way that you never have to remember what you told somebody. And I try to work that way as well. I speak the truth, I work the truth, and I am exactly who I am, and I lead by example. So there's nothing that I'm doing at work in a professional setting or on projects that I'm in where I have to remember what I said or what I did because it's just who I am, and um good is never good enough for me. Great might not even be to be quite frank. I believe that if you're gonna enter the arena, fight like hell and 10x your potential. Being the best isn't the the ultimate goal, but fighting like the best, working like the best, executing like the best means the world to me, and I don't settle for less. And I think because people see that in me, if if I'm so lucky, the people around me will emulate that as well and and hold that same standard for themselves. And to be clear, I don't expect that of people for what it gives me or the company's bottom line. It's because I believe what it gives them back is life-changing.

Nia Collins 50:38

You brought up a good point about being able to read people, right? I can I can definitely see how it aligns with most career paths, but it is uh it's a skill that isn't often discussed, right? On how how to read people, um, just understanding human behavior, you know.

Nick Belardo 50:57

How do you do it in today's world? People who are growing up in the 30-second content world where we don't connect with people in person. I'm so grateful to have been a child of the the garden hose drinking and pre-self-ambearing.

Bre Baker-Cohen 51:09

This gentleman can read my face. Yeah, my facial expression from across the room.

Nick Belardo 51:14

I truly have so much respect for the the emerging leaders in this world because understanding people is a completely different thing. We need I guess the elevator pitch comes to play because you have to make an impact in 30 seconds.

Christopher Luna 51:24

But we definitely need to rebuild that. I always think of it as economic development too. Think of all the restaurants, all the bars are suffering right now. People are not going out, they're not drinking, they're not having these moments, right?

Bre Baker-Cohen 51:35

Experiential moments are lost, right?

Christopher Luna 51:38

Yeah, and we have we have to build that back up. There's there's a there's a meaning to what we do.

Nick Belardo 51:43

I feel a sense of it coming back, though, in this city in particular. Over the last three years, I've been very vocal about just this feeling of uh the spirit that was here when I got here gone. But more recently, I'm seeing people out again with energy connecting. So I think it's about us continuing to show up. It's like that post-COVID vacancy of the office place. Someone's got to show up and show people that it matters to be at that water cooler. And if you show up repeatedly, you connect with people, then they keep coming back, and then they connect with someone else. We have to show the world that showing up, making eye contact, and going old school still plays today. We have to lean into the new stuff as well. We have to lean into the digital world, we have to lean into the social media uh space. But I'm not living my life. Not talking to you face to face, not knowing what your kids' names are, and not having all these beautiful historical experiences together, like they don't matter. Go like my Instagram, thank you.

Nia Collins 52:42

And I feel like things go full circle after a while. It's like, you know, you make so many rights, you're you're going left.

Nick Belardo 52:48

You know, it's well, speaking of Santa, do you know the psychology of why kids cry when they see Santa? Why? Why? Because for the most part, as they are learning about who Santa is, he's in a coloring book, he's on a TV screen, he's in magazines. Our brains think Santa is this tiny little figure, and then we go meet him, and he's big and he's giant, he's not what we were expecting. That's what's going to happen if we don't keep connecting with people because we think people are their Instagram pictures, their TikTok videos, but we are so much more, and we are our best versions in person. And I urge anybody listening to this show to get out there, meet people, go out to coffee with your friends, pick up the phone and have a live conversation. Don't lose the art of communication.

Relearning Real Human Connection

Nick Belardo 53:36

It's the greatest thing that humanity ever developed.

Bre Baker-Cohen 53:38

Leave a voicemail.

unknown 53:39

Yeah.

Bre Baker-Cohen 53:40

Leave the message, pick up the phone. That's a very good point, Brie. Yeah, I love hearing people's voices. I did not want to do this, even though I urged my friend Chris that I would love to be his host. I have been sweating the whole time, but I'm so glad I did this today with you guys.

Nick Belardo 53:55

Well, you 10x your potential, and now look what look where your brain allowed me to get to.

Nia Collins 54:00

Yeah, I do have a bonus question as it relates to just human connection, understanding, you know, the layers of human behavior. With your ideology when it comes to you know connecting in person and with you know marketing hovering in this social media world and online presence, how do you bridge your beliefs when it comes to you know connecting in person, you know, building these authentic relationships, and then also, you know, this marketing, general marketing perspective that's centered with online data.

Nick Belardo 54:33

Did you

Marketing As Art And Science

Nick Belardo 54:34

just like unlock my favorite thing to talk about?

Nia Collins 54:36

I you know what?

Nick Belardo 54:37

Let's go.

Nia Collins 54:38

Let's do it.

Nick Belardo 54:39

Let's get into it. Marketing is marketing is an ecosystem. So there are several parts to marketing. You'll hear me say it often. It is an art and it is a science. And it is 360. So one way I like to describe it, and I talked about this recently on a show. If I individually met with each of you and said, describe a rainforest to me, what would you say?

Bre Baker-Cohen 55:03

It's green. It's muggy and wet and green.

Nick Belardo 55:07

Yeah, humid and green. Did all of you just say green?

unknown 55:10

Yeah, we did.

Nick Belardo 55:11

Because the rainforest is one of the strongest branded things in the world. In your mind, you might be seeing it a little bit differently, but we all see it similarly. And that's where the marketing tactics and the brand come into play, the more traditional piece that you're talking about. Listen, we have to be smart digitally, we have to have a social strategy, we have to have an email campaign that goes with it, we have to show up on our own media channels in consistent ways. But when that consumer, when that audience member shows up to your brand, the experience needs to kick in. The hospitality needs to kick in. Who you said you were needs to come to fruition. And that's where the art and science of marketing come to play. And that's what I'm very passionate about. I see it too often when I'm partnering with entrepreneurs. They'll say, I want to increase my sales in this particular marketplace. And then I go review their tactics and they're spending $10,000 on a magazine that doesn't touch that zip code. And then you call that point out and they go, Oh my gosh, I didn't realize that. Uh the art and science of it. And um, it's about intentionality, it's about developing who you are first and foremost. Who are you as a brand? What are you about? Then delivering that message across the tactics, the more traditional pieces of marketing, the general marketing as you described it.

Nia Collins 56:25

I see.

Nick Belardo 56:25

Does that answer your question?

Nia Collins 56:26

Perfectly.

Christopher Luna 56:27

Yeah, so

Why Print Still Works

Christopher Luna 56:28

so I don't want you to charge me for your time now, but I'm assuming you you did a little due diligence before you stepped into the show of California Leaders. This is a brand new platform. I mean, I've I've been doing it for a little over a year, but it started with the podcast, it's growing to something else. We're gonna have a printed magazine, which people say is a dinosaur, but I think there's a need for it. What did you understand or what do you capture from that marketing perspective and that marketing view when you look at the platform as it is today? Great question.

Nick Belardo 56:59

First and foremost, the origin story is there. I understand why you're doing this, and that's in part because of the pre-research I did on you, but also because of the conversation we had at dinner the night we met, which is who you said you were and who you are aligned for me. So I think your passion for professional greatness, for the potential of building bridges between people and highlighting stories of not just who people are today, but who they were that got them there stands out to me. And I think you did a really good job uh setting the stage as to why you pursued this and why we're now talking about California leaders versus just Southern California leaders. I think the people you're highlighting are very interesting. I think you do a really great job at bringing their story out. Uh, and I think you're doing a great job. And for one year in, your operation feels pretty established, feels pretty intentional. And just from talking to you, I know that you're constantly evaluating and improving it. So I give major kudos to you.

Christopher Luna 57:55

Thank you. And you have this humongous budget from where you come from. What is your thoughts on a printed media still? Because you guys are all over the journals. You guys spend quite a bit on printed media still. What is the thought process behind that?

Nick Belardo 58:10

What if someone's not online? How are you going to capture them? But you're also online for the people who aren't reading print. It goes back to that ecosystem I'm talking about. It goes back to the magazine needs to sound, needs to talk, needs to feel like your digital ads, like your social media presence, like your email campaign, like your LinkedIn post. And when you draw a consistent through line of branding through all those tactics, you reach the wide audience you need to, and you will sing the song to the right audience member when they are tuning in. So print is not the only medium anymore, but print is not dead. Uh and you need to drive eyes to print through your digital strategy, and you need to drive eyes to your digital through your print strategy. They need to talk and they need to be intentional, they need to be aligned. Thank you. Well, make sure you send breathe a bill.

Christopher Luna 59:02

Does that answer your question? Yeah, I mean, I think it's incredible. I just you want to hear from someone. Obviously, I don't I haven't had a lot of professional cons consultations, I guess. Uh let's do one right now. I mean, uh we'll we'll definitely I'll I'll definitely love to sit down with you further and and maybe send bill, uh, breathe a bill. But I I know your time and your knowledge is you know is valuable. And to be able to sit down and capture that a little bit, um, just to validate what I'm trying to create here, to me, it's really about amplifying one another one another. I come across leaders like you, and and you guys always represent the organization you work for. And I just want to make sure that these people are represented as themselves as well. And we all have incredible stories, but how do we help amplify that? And not just in Los Angeles. If I can just do the fourth largest economy in the world, California, then we'll do a great job, right? So I think there's there's a need for it. Again, I really appreciate you coming and sitting down and talking with us and Bree for this idea and you for sitting here with us. Um

Final Takeaways And Thanks

Christopher Luna 1:00:08

we'll we'll definitely have to strategize to see if this format works. Um, I don't I haven't done too much research on what's out there right now, but to me, it's all about having some type of connection to the speakers. If people can connect with people like you, they're they're gonna want to listen, they're gonna want to learn. So I think it's it's really about just kind of getting that outside view because I feel like I've been in it a little too much. So I want to really sit down and talk about how this format can play into it because it is different. Having a cocktail, being here after hours, after work, where we all have our 905, but there's something here, right? I just need to fine-tune it a little bit more. So I'd love to pick your brain more on that.

Nick Belardo 1:00:49

Well, I'll tell you as uh one of your first guests of this format, I enjoyed the conversation a lot. It was fun to dig back into my brain and my experiences and remember what got me here. And I think that's really important for established leaders today, is to remember that the skill set, the natural ability, the grit, the hard work is what got us here today. And though things may look different at certain levels, you're still that person and you still have to visit these stories back. And there's a lot of people out there listening who are fighting for that promotion, trying to decide where they want to work and what they want to do, navigating difficult manager relationships who could listen to this and take one bit of advice and change their lives forever. The way the feeling of homesickness changed mine, the way pressing an elevator button changed my life, the way knocking on that door, asking for a job changed my life, and the way a bad day changed my life, everything is an opportunity, and uh I think you're gonna touch a lot of audience members who are looking for that opportunity for that door to open that doesn't change just the moment but who they are forever.

Bre Baker-Cohen 1:01:59

Yeah, having a good mentor relationship, someone always to call, um to be on your side has Nick, whether vice versa, you've always been there for me, um good or bad. I think it's always good to have people like that in your life when you're going through things. Um so I feel like it's always good for people to know that whatever part of your journey you're on, there's always someone in your life you can reach out to. And um whether you're having a hard time in your career or not, um remaining on your in path of integrity um in your career is always good to have people to remind you of that. And Nick has always reminded me of that on my path.

Nick Belardo 1:02:43

And thank you for saying my name in rooms that I'm not in. And his final closing advice for me is get out there in a happy hour in person. Yes, connect with people.

Bre Baker-Cohen 1:02:52

Yes, even if you're fine, yeah, mocktail or not. Yeah, you don't have to have any final.

Nia Collins 1:02:58

Well, you know, um unconvention, you know, when I I hear about your unconventional path and where you started versus where you have ended up. Um I I just think that, you know, it's it's the journey, right? But I think that ultimately, you know, success doesn't equate to linear. Um you have to embrace, you know, the ups and um, you know, the the the linear um moves, but um nonetheless there's there's just a myriad of ways to get to your end game.

Christopher Luna 1:03:34

Definitely. This is all part of it. Thank you guys for your time. I appreciate everyone being here. Uh, hopefully my drinks were okay. Next time I'll get a bartender. Yeah, it was a great new running. It was great. Oh, cheers. Thank you guys. Cheers, everybody so much. Thank you. Thank you guys. Salute.

Nick Belardo 1:03:50

Salute. What a great conversation. I love drinks after dark.

Narrator 1:03:57

Thanks for spending some time with us on California Leaders After Hours. We hope you enjoyed the conversation. Be sure to subscribe, follow California leaders, and share this episode with someone who enjoys thoughtful conversations about leadership and the journeys behind it. Until next time, close the laptop, take a breath, and join us again after hours.