Playing The Long Game with Scott Rammage

What if the connection that saves your life was nine years in the making, and you had no idea it was coming?

In this episode, Scott Rammage shares how a chain of relationships built over nearly a decade led him to the doctor who restored his health when no one else could. Scott is the owner of HireVP, a virtual professionals agency that recruits, places, and fully supports experienced overseas staff for business owners across the U.S. and Australia. He spent 17 years learning the hard way what it costs to try to do everything yourself, losing money and time with his family in the process, before building a business model designed to give other entrepreneurs the freedom he struggled so long to find. HireVP has grown entirely through referrals and relationships, with zero advertising spend. Scott lives in Dallas with his wife and sons.

The relationship that transformed Scott's life: Carl, an executive coach who mentioned his brother almost in passing at the end of their first meeting. That brother was a functional neurologist, one of only 300 in the world with that specialty. Months later, when a mysterious neurological episode left Scott non-functional for weeks and regular doctors had no answers, Carl made the call. His brother took Scott from barely functional to nearly fully recovered in four days. The chain that led to Carl stretched back nine years through three other people, starting with a client Scott met in the fitness industry.

 

[00:02:44] George Rivera: The Introduction Behind This Episode

• George Rivera connected Kevin and Scott, and Kevin calls any intro from George an automatic yes.

• Both agree a trust-based introduction beats every other way of meeting someone.

• It is proof that the right relationship cuts through instantly.

[00:03:43] What Scott Does: HireVP and the Freedom He Was Chasing

• Scott runs HireVP, placing and supporting experienced virtual professionals for business owners.

• They go beyond typical VA services by staying involved with both sides long-term.

• It is all driven by Scott's mission to give owners the freedom he spent 17 years chasing himself.

[00:04:42] Why He Does It: The Price He Paid First

• Scott started his first business in 2004 while still teaching full-time.

• He spent 17 years making costly mistakes and robbing his family of time and attention.

• His greatest joy now is shortening that learning curve for other owners.

[00:07:55] The Origin of HireVP: Hold My Beer

• A contractor told Scott he needed a VA, then said he would never succeed with one.

• He took it as a challenge, went all in on overseas hiring, and had three full-time VAs within three months.

• A colleague asked to borrow one, Scott charged a rate, and a business was born.

[00:11:40] The Breaking Point That Built a Better Model

• Scott lost 70% of recurring revenue almost overnight after buying out his business partner.

• His 17-year-old son told him he just wished his dad would finally get paid what he was worth.

• He charged a doctor $500 to find and train a VA just for her, knocked it out of the park, and kept getting referrals.

• Seeing clients fail after placement showed him full support was the missing piece, and HireVP was born.

[00:16:40] The First VA, Nine Years Later

• His very first VA still works for him and is now at university in Florida, with Scott sponsoring her.

• When asked why she enrolled, she said she wanted to bring more value back to the company.

• He calls this kind of impact the thing that feeds him every day.

[00:21:40] Carl's Brother: The Connection That Saved His Life

• Scott hired executive coach Carl, who mentioned his brother, a functional neurologist, almost as an afterthought.

• Months later Scott was falling without tripping, slurring words, and freezing mid-step, with doctors finding nothing wrong.

• Carl helped run the business for six weeks, then connected Scott with his brother, who had him nearly fully recovered in four days.

• The doctor told Scott there are only 300 practitioners with that specialty in the world.

[00:26:40] What He Learned About How He Is Wired

• The neurologist showed Scott that his drive to fix everyone's problems is the same thing that built his businesses.

• Learning to manage that wiring rather than be destroyed by it has been a major personal shift.

• He now sees it as his duty to pass on hard-won lessons so others move through similar things faster.

[00:32:22] Final Thought: Play the Long Game

• Networking well is a superpower, but most people try to force it too fast.

• His advice: slow down to speed up, and focus on the relationship, not what it might bring you.

• Someone recently messaged him about a podcast from three years ago that had already sent two paying clients his way.

 

KEY QUOTES

"I get no better satisfaction in business than helping other business owners really achieve that little bit of freedom from the chaos they created when they started." - Scott Rammage

"Don't just make a connection. Your goal with that connection should be leaving that person with something that will improve their life. No reciprocity. Have a goal of giving only, and that will absolutely work." - Scott Rammage

"Slow down to speed up. Just start meeting people and don't try to push the relationship for a connection. Push the relationship for a relationship." - Scott Rammage

CONNECT WITH SCOTT RAMMAGE

🌐 Website: https://www.hirevp.us 

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-rammage 

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scott.rammage.7 

📱 Instagram: @scottrammage

 

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