Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Raulf. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Chris, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Playing soccer definitely boosted my confidence growing up. I was pretty good back in the day. Traveling also played a role. I was exposed to a lot of different cultures and perspectives from a young age, and I realized early on that everyone has something to contribute, including me.
The biggest thing, though, was finally getting diagnosed with dyslexia. Back in the 80s, they weren’t very good at detecting learning disabilities, so I was diagnosed pretty late. Maybe the age of 14 or 15. Up until that point, I was terrible in school. They even suggested sending me to a special school. My dad had doubts about my future and wanted me to become a janitor. Once I was diagnosed, though, I realized, wow, this is really treatable. And I’m not misspelling every word!
My best friend had dyslexia, as well, and we both got help. It made a huge difference and was such a big boost to my confidence. It was hard to overcome, but just learning I could do something about it made me realize how many doors were open to me.
After that, I had the courage to embrace a lot of opportunities that came my way. And compared to my academic performance before getting diagnosed, it was night and day. I remember doing a commercial apprenticeship for the Swiss railways with my best friend, and we ended up sharing the honor of “best grad” out of the 300 people that finished the program that year. That was pretty incredible.
I think my military service also shaped my self-esteem. It was great to meet people from all walks of life. And to get through the training, honestly. Plus, I got to travel more, which was an amazing experience for a 20-year-old.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m originally from Basel, Switzerland, and I moved to the U.S. when I was in my mid-twenties. I was intrigued by online search from day one and actually got into SEO even before Google was called Google. They were called BackRub back then.
My career trajectory basically aligned with that of search engine optimization. I like to say I grew up with SEO over the decades. Since there weren’t many resources on digital marketing when I was starting out, I had to teach myself.
Initially, I worked on the client side of things. I was a marketing executive for software companies. And then, at some point, I just had enough of corporate America.
One day, I read my horoscope, and it said, “If you don’t change your life today, you’ll regret it forever.” I made the decision to quit my job. I got out of the shower with my towel around my waist, wrote my letter of resignation, and put up a website. I started my own agency; six weeks later, it was earning money. Honestly, I think it only worked because I was all in. I didn’t care if I failed; it was just something I HAD to do.
I’ve been running Boulder SEO Marketing since 2009, but most of its growth happened in the last two years alone. After teaming up with my business partner, Daniel Burns, we focused on growing the company and are now ready for the next step. This is an incredibly exciting time for tech and anything tech-related, thanks to the rapid advancement of AI.
From day one, we knew Google was going to get incredibly good at understanding content, so we’ve always focused on producing the best possible copy for our clients coupled with the most user-friendly layouts. AI is going to change the SEO landscape in ways we probably can’t even fathom yet, but the need for high-quality content will still be here. And that’s what we focus on creating at BSM by deploying hyper-focused Micro-SEO Strategies℠.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Resilience
I like to remind myself things are never as bad as they seem. Of course, it’s also important to remember that they’re never as good as they seem. As long as you swim between the lanes, you’re gonna be okay. I’ve learned that humans can overcome pretty much anything. Try not to get too excited, but don’t get too scared either. Just be realistic and take life as it comes.
2. Humility
Always treat people with respect. A lot of CEOs think they’re so much more important than their employees, but that simply isn’t the case. As a business leader, I’ve learned that I can get the most out of people by treating them like my equals, not by acting like they’re below me. The same goes for sales calls, but in the opposite direction; I try to get on the same level as the people I’m pitching to, which often means not acting like they’re above me. We’re all just human beings. That’s something I learned from my parents. I am no better than anyone else.
3. Focus
I have a great ability to focus, especially when I’m under an immense amount of pressure. In fact, I think that’s when I’m at my best. I don’t freak out or get frantic. Instead, I just remind myself that it’s all going to work out, and then I do what needs to be done.
I think it’s hard to set out to develop resilience or humility. They’re a lot like calluses in that they develop as life throws things at you. As for focus, though, that can definitely be practiced. I would say the more passionate you are about something, the easier it is to focus on it. So don’t be afraid to go all in on whatever your dream might be.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
At the time of this writing, the economy has slowed tremendously. It’s definitely scary. For us at BSM, leads have all but dried up through organic means. We’re looking at other ways to attract potential clients. For example, I’ve been doing many more speaking gigs, and we added a full-time salesperson to our team to assist with outreach. At the end of the day, it’s a numbers game, and I know we’ll get through this dry spell if we keep at it. For others who have noticed a lull in leads, I encourage you to get creative! Host webinars, do some pay-per-click ads, and consider whatever might connect you with the people who need exactly what you’re selling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://boulderseomarketing.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoulderSEOMarketing/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisraulf/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/swisschris
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bsmseo
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/boulder-seo-marketing-boulder
