Meet Jim Riley | Business Consultant, Life Coach & Podcast Host

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jim Riley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jim, how do you think about risk?
I have always been risk adverse as a business leader. This comes from my background as a professional off-road race truck driver and life long surfer. I once read many years ago that “Big wave Surfers make better CEO’s”. The point made was that due to the split second decision that must be made on a wave to take off or let the wave go by leads to quick decision making. If you took off on the wrong wave it could literally cost you your life, or if you put yourself in a dangerous situation you would have to live with that decision and figure out how to survive. The alternative is you would never know if that would have been the best wave of your life. The lesson is – having the ability to make quick, split second decisions and then living with the consequences either way helps CEO’s to make firm choices and realize that the worse thing that can happen would be less then death… I run hard and fast as a CEO and a business leader and place a lot of trust in my instinct. Most of the time it has worked out for me, on occasion I suffer the a bad decision but I don’t let it slow me down. I pivot, and work through the challenge and live with a lesson learned on what NOT to do the next time.

What should our readers know about your business?
As a Business Consultant and Life coach in my early fifties I have realized that its the “Lessons” in life that we get to pull from and add value to others. I get paid to help others avoid some costly mistakes. Its hard to pinpoint exactly which time in my career helped mold me to be what I am today. I feel that it is a culmination of all the things I have done from personal activities to top level executive positions I have held within global companies. Success comes from ones ability to pull from the past, think into the future, and have the grit to carry on through the project. I believe that it is my determination to succeed that sets me a part from others. I approach every business challenge like the “Baja 1000” race. when you and your team navigator are alone in the desert doing 125 miles an hour racing towards a finish line over 900 miles away, you very quickly realize that if anything goes wrong, you must overcome that to survive without the help of others. I also understand the thrill of victory after trying to attempt some of the hardest athletic challenges in the world. To me, winning in business feels the same, and I apply the that exact determination to achieve success as racing in the truck. Life is never easy, nor is business. If you approach business with a positive attitude and a desire to be better you will never be concerned with if its easy or not, you will just want to succeed or move on. One important lesson I have learned through my entire career, is that it pays more to help others then to be selfish. I have been a store manager for In N Out Burger, a Food and beverage Director for Booth Creek Ski Holdings, a Vice President of Public relations and Marketing for Ketel One Vodka, and owned my own tequila company Azunia Tequila, but the most rewarding ting I have ever done is to give back to the Orphanages in Baja Mexico. I have learned that through giving we can grow as individuals and build up a better place to live. That by money and efforts passing through me, others can succeed. If I would be able to start my life over, it would be on a foundation of giving to others equally as trying to succeed in business. they should always go hand in hand throughout your life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am always a sucker for nostalgia and memories of the past. I spent many years growing up in Newport Beach and hanging out with my “very cool” grandparents. We spent a lot of time in Balboa at the pier and rode our bikes down to the wedge. Whenever I have guests in town I like to relive those memories of riding bikes on the island, taking the ferry across the water and hanging out at the wedge watching the boats go by. If we are lucky there might be a big Northwest Swell pushing some overhead waves into the rocks. To me the best meal in Orange County is at Javiers in Newport Coast or the Irvine spectrum. They have become close family friends and always deliver on hospitality for all of their guests. If I have more time with my friends I like to hit up the surf in Huntington at the cliffs and stroll around downtown. Most of the restaurants in Downtown HB had supported and carried Azunia Tequila that I had founded back in 2009. The community is small and I have many friends still there running successful businesses like Jerry Zaiden at Camburg Engineering. Orange County is a great place if you can look past some of the newer glitz and glam it represents and seek to enjoy some of its roots and heritage. Since I don’t live near the water anymore, we often find ourselves camping at the Newport Dunes on the back bay, an activity that I have been doing since the late 70’s.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I had the opportunity to be a guest on the David Melzter podcast 3 years ago. The show itself was about the Super Bowl highlights from the previous weekend. If anyone knows me, they understand that I dont know anything about Football or traditional sports. David was understanding and allowed me to spend time discussing my Off Road Race career as a Rugged Radios sponsored driver and winning the Baja 1000 in the Trophy Lite Class. Based on my own success as an athlete and businessman, David began to mentor and coach me the following two years. I have excelled as a Business Consultant and Life Coach with the love and support form David and his passion to help others. Although David came later in my life, it was a critical juncture for me in my career. As for early influencers who helped mold me the bulk of my life, I would say my brother Mark Taylor did all the heavy lifting. Mark has filled many roles with In N Out Burger for the last 35 years, including President, COO, Trustee, and the list goes on. My professional career started at In N Out Burger and Mark helped shape me into one of the most successful store managers back in my day. I will never forget the lessons I was taught in leadership and values, they have followed me throughout my life.

Website: www.livelifedriven.com
Instagram: @jimrileyracing
Linkedin: Jim Riley
Twitter: @jimrileyracing
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.riley.5648
Youtube: Azunia Tequila Racing
Other: www.bajaunitedwines.com

Image Credits
Blue C Marketing