For decades, the Dave Ramsey show has talked the talk and walked the walk. Over the past year, the home of EntreLeadership has unveiled the path toward their next stage of financial and business leadership.
Since its inception, The Dave Ramsey Show has focused almost entirely on the opinions and advice of one man alone, Dave Ramsey. Over the past couple of years, however, the radio show – and the brand itself – has expanded to include new personalities, new voices, and a new way of looking at the company’s future.
The most formal transition points were the name changes. Changes from the “Dave Ramsey Show” to the “Ramsey Show” and “Ramsey Solutions” were signals of the shift toward the future. The baton hasn’t been passed yet, but the team is gearing up.
On any given day, listeners and viewers can tune in to hear the show’s namesake joined by fresh, new, up-and-coming voices, such as Ken Coleman, Rachel Cruze, Christy Wright, Anthony ONeal, and John Delony. Changing the name of the show and including new members of the on-air team hasn’t been without challenges, however, as on any given day you may hear Ramsey mistakenly introduce the show as the Dave Ramsey Show. Decades-long routines are difficult to break.
The introduction of new voices apparently signaled a realization by the company that it needed to expand in a younger, more diverse direction that would outlast any one person. Again, a common theme in terms of small business growth and transition discussions. Each voice brings a specific focus to the team, and many host individual podcasts as well on the Ramsey Network.
In Ken Coleman, the company has an experienced, values-based broadcaster who focuses on career and job advice. Rachel Cruze connects with younger generations to help them “win with money and live a life they love.” Christy Wright brings strong Christian wisdom to topics such as personal and professional development, goal setting, life balance and business. Anthony ONeal hits home with the youth, teaching them about planning for college and their financial future. John Delony brings his two PhDs to the areas of relationship and emotional wellness.
Together, the group puts forth a well-balanced array of viewpoints to tackle varying areas of financial and business discussions. Some days we hear Dave Ramsey, while other days feature the new personalities with, or without, Ramsey himself. Some listeners may feel that individual programs may lack a little luster without Ramsey. However, the audience is gradually seeing greater value in the Ramsey team as a whole, and the company has clearly broadened its base with the refreshed lineup of new personalities.
The company’s look ahead shouldn’t be a surprise, being that succession plans and seeing down the road have been common themes of the Ramsey brand, and more specifically their small-business-focused business unit, EntreLeadership.
“The best succession plans are thoroughly laid out and very, very gradual,” Ramsey said, talking about family business transitioning on a recent episode of the EntreLeadership podcast. “Too many people in family businesses grab their chest having a heart attack as they fall back in the grave, toss the next generation the keys and go, Good Luck I’m done.”
Through their radio programs, live events, books, and other materials, the company has always “talked the talk” regarding planning for the future, especially in a small business eying an eventual transition. Now they are “walking the walk” live on the air.
“More is caught than taught,” Dave Ramsey and other Ramsey personalities have said more than once over the years. They are growing and planning for the future in real-time, and listeners are taking notice.
Rick Schultz is a former Sports Director for WFUV Radio at Fordham University. He has coached and mentored hundreds of Sports Broadcasting students at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, Marist College and privately. His media career experiences include working for the Hudson Valley Renegades, Army Sports at West Point, The Norwich Navigators, 1340/1390 ESPN Radio in Poughkeepsie, NY, Time Warner Cable TV, Scorephone NY, Metro Networks, NBC Sports, ABC Sports, Cumulus Media, Pamal Broadcasting and WATR. He has also authored a number of books including “A Renegade Championship Summer” and “Untold Tales From The Bush Leagues”. To get in touch, find him on Twitter @RickSchultzNY.
