Being A Successful Entrepreneur Despite A Disability: Reginald D Sits Down With Saylor Cooper, Host Of Hope Without Sight Podcast And Creator/Host Of Real Varity Radio Station - Motivational Speech

Being a Successful Entrepreneur Despite A Disability

Reginald D sits down with Saylor Cooper, a resilient entrepreneur, author, host of Hope Without Sight Podcast and the creator of Real Variety Radio Station.  In this episode, Reginald D and Saylor aim to inspire those with disabilities to pursue their own businesses or dreams.  Saylor discusses the obstacles he has overcome, despite being blind since birth.  Saylor’s determination has driven him to keep moving forward and pursue his dreams and goals. He discusses the challenges he faced and highlights the accessible technology resources available for individuals with disabilities who want to start a radio station or podcast.

Saylor's Book, Programs and Events:

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Opt-in to our Hope Without Sight To Blissful Life mini course by texting "Bliss" to 8324816806 and start your journey to a more fulfilling life.

Featured Book Navigating Life's Challenges: Understanding Personality, Stress, and Family Dynamics by Saylor Cooper Embark on a journey to navigate the complexities of life with Saylor Cooper's debut book. This comprehensive guide delves deep into the intricacies of personality shifts over time, the dynamics of family personalities, trauma healing, and stress management in the workplace, with a special focus on the unique challenges encountered in the resort hotel business sector. It also sheds light on chronic stress in families, offering strategies to cultivate a nurturing family environment. Moreover, it grants readers insights into the hurdles of child-rearing, equipping them with strategies to steer through them successfully. A reservoir of practical strategies and invaluable insights, this book stands as a beacon for individuals aiming to transcend life's hurdles and attain success. Available in Paperback and Kindle versions on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Navigating-Challenges-Understanding-Personality-Dynamics-ebook/dp/B0CCST426G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23P7HGBJCXOU4&keywords=Navigating+Life%27s+Challenges&qid=1694104916&sprefix=navigating+life%27s+challenges%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-1

Programs and Events

Lift Your Spirit Party

 URL: https://www.go.realvarietyradio.com/lift-your-spirit-party

Description: Join us at the "Lift Your Spirit Party"! It's a space where you

Transcript

Welcome to Real Talk with Reginald D. Today I have a special guest on the show, Saylor Cooper. Saylor Cooper is an entrepreneur, an accomplished author, host of Hope Without Sight podcast, and the creator and host of an internet radio station called Real Variety Radio. Despite living with a disability, Saylor Cooper is an inspiration and has never let his disability stop him from pursuing his dream. Saylor believes that anything is possible if you put in the hard work. My goal in today's show is to encourage those who have a disability that think they can pursue their own business or dreams. Saylor is truly an inspiration and has accomplished so much and has not let his disability hinder his dreams. Welcome to the show, Saylor Cooper.
Thank you, Reginald Sherman, for that introduction and having me on. We're talking for real on this podcast, I guess, right?
That's it. We're talking for real. Saylor, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your story and how you overcame your personal challenges becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Well, first I'll say I'm not quite a successful entrepreneur yet because I haven't met my goals. I know it's one step at a time I'm going to get there. Determination has allowed me to just keep moving forward because it's not easy living with disabilities, especially blindness, because a lot of the misconceptions are in society with us. But yeah, I've been blind since birth. I'm 30 years old. Was born here in Conroe, Texas in 1993 and was not expected to survive, but thanks to a lot of support between family and friends, And of course, myself, I'm here today, and I'm nowhere near finished with accomplishing my goals, so.
That's it. So you got that drive, right? You're going to keep driving until you get it done, right? Yes, I do. Yes, I do. That's what makes us great. Can you tell us about some obstacles you have overcame having a disability to achieve your dreams? Because I think that's important with people who has a disability, is the obstacles they have to overcome and things like that. I think a lot of it probably is belief in itself.
I've always believed in myself. It hasn't been easy. I've had obstacles such as just having to get used to doing things differently, finding alternative ways to get through life every day. Finding steady employment has been a big challenge, which is my motivation of pursuing entrepreneurship, because I know I can have my own business and make it how I want it to be.
So what resources do you recommend for someone with a disability in their entrepreneurial journey and what type of resources in general that support you with what you're doing?
Oh, well, seek support from people you know, such as close family and friends, because I'm here because I've been blessed to have support by A lot of great close friends who helped me both spiritually, emotionally, financially to get where I am today. And they say you can't go about it alone, so get help.
Yeah, you can't do everything alone, man. You got to have somebody that's supporting you, back you 100%. Giving you that encouragement that keeps you going and things like that. You got to have people in your corner that's got your back at the end of the day. Exactly, yeah. Now you have your own radio station. Yes, I do. How did you start this radio station? How long ago was it?
Well, it's been on the air for over two years since 2020, our favorite year. It's been on the air 24-7. Before that, I was doing podcasts and I've always wanted to do radio all my life. And you see, the interesting thing is I've never been able to figure out how to do it in an accessible way, such as finding accessible software to do it. But, well, you know, because of my determination, a dream came true. Right now, I have a radio station that's on 24-7. It plays all genres of music you can find, along with other special programming. Indeed, I hope to expand it more by getting sponsorships and advertisers and even creating more jobs to hire more people to work on it as well.
That's awesome, Saylor. Now, let me ask you this. I know there's so much more technology today. How has technology helped you over the years doing a radio station with a disability?
It's allowed me to do what I do. Thanks to many great software, such as screen reading software that reads text on my screen. Thanks to a lot of great scripting and the tireless work of program developers, I'm able to use accessible software to host radio shows and have real variety radio to what it is today.
So somebody with a disability, because I'm all about helping somebody go to the next level with a disability. What type of technology is out there for people who have a disability starting, say, a radio station or a podcast?
Well, there's accessible software out there, such as screen reading software that converts text to speech on the screen. There's even braille keyboards. As I mentioned, the station playlist suite, which is the program I use to run the radio station, is very accessible with scripting as well. So it's very affordable, too. Nice.
Now let's talk about this. Host of Hope Without Sight podcast. Can you tell us about your podcast and why you started the podcast?
Well, my podcast is Hope Without Sight. It features people like me who had challenges in life and have overcome them and now live a life in bliss because I want people to know that regardless of your circumstances, you can live a life where bliss reigns supreme.
So we got a lot in common when it comes to the podcast because my podcast is motivational and inspirational for people to go through their struggles and go through the adversities and things like that that life gives them and live a successful, a highly successful life actually. So our podcast is kind of aligned with each other with the same message. Exactly. It does. So you have a radio station and a podcast. Which one do you love doing the most?
Oh, I would say probably the radio station. I like them both, honestly. I haven't been on my radio station as much as I should. If anything, I've been allowing it to run the automation, because if anything, I'm focusing more on building my business. And I have some events I want to share with you. You want to live a life where bliss reigns supreme? I'll put this in the chat. Please text bliss to 832-481-6806.
Okay.
Yeah.
So what kind of, cause here's the thing with me, when I started the podcast, the biggest thing for me is that I would get feedback from my listeners. That's what keeps me going most of the time. So what kind of feedback have you received from your listeners?
I receive great feedback. I'm so inspirational and make people's days. It's just great.
And it makes you keep going and keep striving because you know, you're actually changing people's lives and things like that. It sure does. Yeah. Awesome. So Saylor, what would you say to someone with a disability who are afraid to start their own business or go after their dreams? What would you say to them to change their mindset and to give them courage and make them rise up and go after their purpose?
Oh, don't be afraid because you have a purpose in life. Life can seem tough, but everybody, each and every one of us, we were put on this planet for a reason. So you got one life, live it to the full. You can make a difference in life.
You said something that is so true. When people understand that each individual was put on this earth for a reason, once you understand you are here for a reason, That's where you can understand your life. That's where you understand your assignment, where you understand that you were put here for a reason. That is critical. I'm glad you said that.
It is critical. I can't agree more because I know a lot of people who don't have determination and courage. I've been told that what I'm doing is not ordinary. A lot of people wouldn't want to do what I'm doing, which makes me proud too.
Because you're right. You're not ordinary. You're extraordinary. You're authentic. You got to be your own authentic self. You know, that's what makes you a better person is being who you really are at the end of the day. Oh, yes. And I'm very blown away, man, of everything you're doing. You're putting in the work, you're getting the results, and that's what life is all about, you know?
Yeah. One saying you said yesterday on the podcast, your last episode, don't worry about money. Money doesn't matter in life. Sure. Like I need money to support myself, but if I don't make a whole lot, as long as I'm making a difference, it's okay. That's what counts.
And if you concentrate on the difference, the money will follow you. Doors will open up for you. If you just concentrate on your assignment that you have in this life.
For sure, my assignment. Oh, thank you. Yeah, you said that in the last episode exactly. You did. You did. And that really stuck out to me. And Reginald, I heard you were even talking to your grandchildren of the stuff. How wise.
Well, that's it, man. I have to leave a legacy to my grandkids. I have to lead them some type of direction on life and get them aligned the way they should be. So when they grow up, they'll understand the steps you have to make. A lot of times people do chase money, unfortunately, but then when they lose money, then they lose their self. My thing is you work hard, you live your life in purpose, and then everything else will fall into place. Amen. Amen. Everything will fall into place. For sure. Yes. So you're doing all these great things. When you get up every day, how's your day? I mean, you wake up with a drive, you wake up like, man, it's another day for me to do this because that's how I am most of the time. Because of people who's behind me and people who supported me and things like that. When you wake up every day, that drive is still there, right?
Oh, definitely. I have a drive now. Admittedly, sometimes there are times where I'll feel like lost and discouraged because keep in mind, I've only been on this journey for a year. I'm still starting out. That breakthrough hasn't occurred yet, which I know it will, but I just need to remind myself as long as I keep that determination and work hard, I will succeed.
Exactly. As long as you keep chasing your dreams, you'll eventually catch up to it.
And I'm very thankful to a support team I have, too, because you've communicated with my VA lab, my virtual assistant. You see, nobody can do entrepreneurship alone. It's impossible.
Exactly. You have to have a great team behind you to get things done. I'm a firm believer in that.
I believe in that.
Because a lot of times I've seen people, Saylor, that start out on a journey or start out doing something that they're wanting to do and they fail because the team around them are not strong enough or they don't believe in what you're doing. They're just hanging in there just for whatever reason. But you have to make sure that you have a great team. It don't have to be family. It doesn't have to be anything like that. It could be some random friend that believes in your vision, believes in your dreams and believes in where you're trying to go. And I'm a firm believer in that. And I've seen dreams just fall apart because they don't have a support system and they actually get burnt out and discouraged or try to make it all happen. But you can't make it all happen by yourself.
No. And you also have people who don't bring you down because there are a lot of negative people out there. People just try and push you and boss you around. I mean, don't get me wrong. Some may have good intentions, but like it's the way they do it. You have to have people who encourage you, you know.
Yeah, I've had people in my life that told me that I never amount to anything and things like that for specific reasons. One, basically because I was born out of wedlock. My mom and dad wasn't married when I was born. So it's that religion thing that they were saying, Hey, you'll never be anything because your mom and dad wasn't married when they had me. But you know, sometimes you got to understand in life when people try to downplay you and things like that, there's a certain thing called a chip. that you can't wear on your shoulders. You can still love them from a distance. You can still love them. But at the end of the day, you got to realize that it's only one thing that you don't need to have. And that's for them to say, I told you so. Exactly. So I just live my life like that. I work my butt off and still working my butt off. I'm just going to make sure they can never say I told you so about me. You got it. So let me ask you this. And I'm just going to throw this out here just to mess with you a little bit and have some fun with you. Okay.
What's your favorite food? Oh, sometimes I like pizza and hamburgers.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. You can't go wrong with pizza and hamburger. That's American food there. Yeah. We love that stuff. We love that. What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like music. I like the outdoors. I just like to do calm meditation as part of my journey because they keep me grounded. So you mentioned music.
Now, what is one of your favorite songs or band? You can give me a band or you can give me a song.
I don't have one really. I just like the newest songs that come out. One of them is, I guess it's Fast Car by Luke Combs. It's a remake of Tracy Chapman's 1988 songs.
Yup. Yeah. Yeah. So Saylor, I feel, I'm going to be honest with you, I feel like you're on to something big, man. Thank you. Yeah, you own us something big. I'm definitely going to be following you and things like that. But it's something about you. I'm going to tell you something. You have a grind, and I can tell you're a hard worker. I can tell you have a good heart. Those things together is going to make you great, man.
It's going to make you great. Thank you. Oh, yeah. And if you can help promote my programs, I put all that stuff in the chat. Okay. I'm trying to launch some programs next month. All the information's there in the chat, but to sum up, it's a complimentary lift your spirit party and another one is a premium paid blissful life membership. Because you know what my word is, my vocabulary? Bliss. I like the sound of a word. It makes me feel so good and the meaning behind it.
Right. Right. That's awesome. I'll definitely be following that. For sure. Yeah. But man, you stay encouraged, man. You keep doing the good things you're doing. That's right. It's going to blow your mind. You probably reach back out to me one day and say, Reginald, man, you remember you told me this? It's happening. Yeah. I was like, yep, I remember.
Yes, exactly. And I would love to invite you to some of my events as well. Okay, that's fine.
That's fine. Yeah, I'll definitely try to make time. So Saylor, how can my listeners listen to you on your radio show, your podcast and follow you on social media?
Well, my podcast, you can get them anywhere. You get podcasts, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Real Variety Radio. You go to realvarietyradio.com. Uh, the website, just so you know, is getting a massive overhaul. Honestly, I didn't get too far with it because I couldn't do it on my own, but now I have a great web designer who's helping me. So it's going to look very good. Be prepared for it. You can also find Real Variety Radio on the Get Me Radio app. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, Saylor Cooper. And please, to start your journey to a blissful life, text bliss. to 832-481-6806. Again, that is Bliss to 832-481-6806. There you have it.
Saylan, it's been awesome talking to you. I could talk to you all night, man.
Yeah. You're a good guy, Reginald Sherman. You are.
I appreciate that. I really appreciate that. I'm supportive of you any way I can. I'm just excited about what I believe and what I feel you're going in life. You're going to do a lot of great things, man. I'm telling you, I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to saying, yeah, I know that guy.
Yeah. And you know what? I'm also becoming a speaker, an inspirational speaker. I'm working with a mental health comedian, Frank King, to give keynote speeches. I even joined Toastmasters. He and I We'll work until we get my speaking career, but it needs to be until we die trying, as we say.
That's it. That's it. Oh man, you'll do well with it. You'll do well with it. Oh, thanks. Oh, yes. So man, I really appreciate you, Saylor, coming on the show, man. I'll tell you what, we got to do this again, man. We got to.
We do.
And I want you to come on my show, too. Anytime. You just let me know, and I'll be there. You just let me know.
And so how about this? I'll send you a follow-up email tonight with all my information. I'll even put my calendar link in the email so you can schedule. And then we'll go from there.
OK. That sounds like a word to me, Saylor.
Okay. All right. Well, thanks so much for having me on.
Absolutely. Thank you for coming on my show today. You really have inspired me and my listeners and your journey and how you have overcome having a disability to achieve your dreams. I really appreciate you sharing your story. It really has blessed me. Thank you, Reginald Sherman. Absolutely. Thank you Tuning in to Real Talk with Reginald D. If you enjoyed the show, please share with anyone you feel that needs to take this journey with us on being a better you. See you next time.