Ep. 2 | The Four Pillars + The Stonecutter Principle
In this episode of the 8-Ball Podcast, host Ryan explores the "Four Pillars" essential for small business success: visibility, credibility, authenticity, and availability. Through engaging stories like the Stonecutter Principle, Ryan illustrates how connecting daily actions to a larger vision can transform your business journey. Tune in to discover how these principles can help you get out from behind the 8-Ball and achieve lasting impact.
Ep. 2 | The Four Pillars + The Stonecutter Principle
Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / YouTube
🧩 Key Takeaways
Visibility is about showing up in the right places and adding value.
Credibility is built through proof, past successes, and word of mouth.
Authenticity involves walking your talk and genuinely helping others.
Availability means being reachable and transparent with your audience.
The Stonecutter Principle highlights the importance of perspective in work.
Connecting daily actions to a bigger vision energizes and focuses efforts.
Success is about the people you help, not just personal achievements.
Documenting outcomes builds credibility and trust with your audience.
Transparency in business operations removes friction and builds momentum.
💬 Transcript
What's up everybody? Welcome back to the 8 Ball Podcast or Get Out From Behind the 8 Ball Podcast. I'm Ryan and if you caught episode one, you know this show's all about helping small businesses get out from behind the 8 ball. Today I want to introduce you to something I call the four pillars, visibility, credibility, authenticity, and availability, and connect them to one of my favorite stories, the Stonecutter Principle. Let's get into it. Pillar one is visibility.
Brilliance undercover is unlikely to shine. Think of a diamond ring locked away in a safety deposit box. Valuable, but invisible. Even the musicians who were discovered on YouTube had the courage to put themselves out there. Believing in yourself is the starting line, but other people have to see you and connect you with the problems you solve. That means showing up.
That means showing up in the right places, looking the part, and being caught adding value. Most of your clients aren't actively searching for you, so your job is to interrupt their day just long enough to help them see a problem they didn't know they had and a solution they didn't know existed. Pillar number two is credibility. Believing you're good enough isn't enough. Others have to believe it too. Saying I'm the best sounds braggy. Letting your results and your clients do the talking builds trust.
Real credibility comes from proof, from past successes, measurable results, and honest word of mouth. Everything isn't about time. It's about the number of times you've done something well. So get busy helping people, document your outcomes, serve your community, and let those receipts speak for you because credibility compounds. And make sure you're documenting the outcomes because people won't see them if you don't document them, of course.
Pillar number three is authenticity. Authenticity is walking your talk, even when no one's watching. If you truly care about your craft or your community, you show up. Not just when it pays, but when people genuinely need help. Listen first, lean in with curiosity, offer value that's worth more than them than what you charge. Success really has zero to do with you and everything to do with the people you help.
When friends, clients, or your community face challenges, step up. That consistency is what makes people believe you're the real deal. Pillar number four is availability. In today's world, availability is credibility. If people can't reach you quickly or figure out how to work with you, they'll move on. Think of it like a digital storefront. Clear hours, clear pricing, clear next steps. Transparency builds momentum and removes friction.
You don't have to give everything away, but you should map the journey so prospects always know what comes next. The easier it is for people to engage with you, the more likely they are to choose you when the moment strikes. The Stonecutter Principle. There's a story I love about three stonecutters.
and this is not part of the four pillars, but I'm gonna tie this into the four pillars once I finish explaining the story. There's a story I love about three stone cutters. A traveler asks each one of them what they're doing. The first says, I'm cutting stone. The second says, I'm building a wall. And the third smiles and says, I'm building a cathedral. Same task, different story.
The first sees monotony, the second sees contribution, the third sees purpose. That's the stonecutter principle. How you choose to perceive the process determines the quality of your outcomes. And I wanna connect it back here. Most of life and in business happens in the grind.
me restart that. So I'm going to connect it back here. Most of life and business happens in the grind. Writing posts, following up with clients, working out, fixing your website, replying to reviews, practicing yoga, meditating. Some days it feels like none of it matters, but it does. When you connect those small actions to the bigger picture or to the bigger vision, to what you're really building, that's when you find energy that lasts.
You're not just replying to a review. You're building credibility. You're not just posting on Google. You're building visibility. You're not just updating hours on your website. You're showing availability. You're not just working out. You're trying to be the best version of yourself for those people who count on you.
There's another version of this idea that I love, the story about President John F. Kennedy visiting NASA during the space race. He sees a janitor mopping the floor and asks the janitor what he's doing, and the janitor says, I'm helping put a man on the moon. True or not, that's the stonecutter principle in action. He wasn't just mopping floors, he was part of something bigger.
So when you're in the grind, you're a small business owner, a marketer, or someone just trying to get something off the ground or get through the day, pause and ask yourself, What am I really building here? Because when you connect the daily grind to your bigger vision, everything changes. Your energy, your focus, your results.
And that's it for today's episode, everyone. Thanks for tuning in to the 8Ball Podcast, or Get Out From Behind the 8-Ball Podcast, helping you get out from behind the 8-Ball one step at a time. Next time, I'm shifting gears a bit and talking about a few domain-specific lessons and the CEO test, what really separates good leaders and businesses from the ones that just look good on paper. I'm Ryan from 8Ball Consulting. I'll catch you next time.
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