Jared Rutkoff grew up in San Diego in a home shaped by discipline, service, and care. His mother, Glenell, was a nurse, and his father, David, served as a naval officer. Their example influenced how he viewed responsibility from an early age. Jared stayed active in sports, playing baseball, football, golf, and ice hockey at Rancho Bernardo High School. These experiences taught him focus, teamwork, and how to stay steady under pressure.
After graduating in 1998, he entered the Palomar College Police Academy, earning the Top Gun Award in 2000. Soon after, he joined the U.S. Navy as a Gunners Mate E5. His leadership earned him the Retired Officers Award for Leadership. The Navy years strengthened his belief in hard work and long-term discipline.
When he returned home, Jared began serving as a police officer with the Beaumont Police Department. He earned Officer of the Year in 2007 and later worked as a narcotics detective with the Allied Riverside Cities Narcotics Enforcement Team. These roles required patience, problem-solving, and reliability—qualities he carried into every part of his life.
While raising a family, Jared returned to school and earned his bachelor’s degree in History from National University, graduating magna cum laude in 2014. His commitment to learning continued through personal growth, parenting, and daily self-improvement.
Jared’s life changed in 2018 when he became a widowed parent of two children. He leaned on family, focus, and effort to move forward. He remains proud of guiding his son to acceptance at UC San Diego. Today, Jared continues to live with discipline, resilience, and a deep commitment to family and personal growth.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My day starts early because I’ve always liked quiet mornings. I make coffee, check on my kids, and take ten minutes to review my goals for the day. I learned in the Navy that if you don’t set priorities before the chaos starts, the day controls you instead of the other way around. Productivity for me comes from knowing what actually matters that day and doing those tasks first. I also leave a little room for unexpected things, something I learned the hard way as a police officer—nothing ever goes exactly as planned.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I break everything into small steps. When I worked narcotics cases, nothing happened in one big moment. It was surveillance, interviewing, paperwork, patience. I still apply that mindset. I write out the idea, strip it down to the essentials, and tackle the first small step. Once you start moving, everything else follows.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m interested in the growing trend of everyday people learning practical self-sufficiency skills—basic home repairs, first aid, self-defense, even gardening. I like seeing people wanting to be more capable and prepared.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I review my day the night before. It sounds simple, but laying out the next day’s top three priorities saves me from wasting time in the morning. It also helps me stay consistent with long-term goals.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t rush. At 18, I felt like I had to figure out everything right away—career, identity, success. I’d tell myself to slow down, take more time to learn, and not be afraid of changing paths.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I believe boredom is useful. Most people try to avoid it, but I think quiet, dull moments help you think more clearly. Some of my best decisions were made when I wasn’t distracted.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I set long-term goals and then break them into short-term checkpoints. This helped me finish my bachelor’s degree while raising a family and working full time. It also helped me stay grounded after losing my wife. Long-term direction gives you something to move toward, even during tough times.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I step outside and walk. When my kids were young and I was a widowed parent trying to balance everything, even a five-minute walk helped me reset. Fresh air, no phone, just breathing.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Reliability. In both the Navy and the Beaumont PD, people noticed when you consistently showed up prepared and steady. Reliability earned me leadership roles, trust on sensitive cases, and awards. Consistency makes people want to work with you.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Early in my police career, I mishandled a case file by overlooking a detail that slowed things down for the whole team. I owned the mistake, fixed it, and created a personal checklist system so it wouldn’t happen again. That taught me the value of double-checking everything—especially under pressure.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A simple app that teaches basic home and emergency skills through short, realistic scenarios—things like shutting off a gas valve, recognizing heat stroke, or doing a quick home electrical check. Not flashy, but very practical.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I use a basic notes app with folders. Every idea, task, or reminder goes in there. I track long-term goals in one folder and daily tasks in another.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
I like the book The Things They Carried. It reminds me of the weight people carry—not just physically but emotionally—and how important resilience is.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I enjoyed The Expanse. I’ve always liked science fiction, but this series stood out because of its realism and the way it mixes discipline, strategy, and survival—things I connect with.
Key learnings
- Long-term success often comes from small, consistent steps, not big actions.
- Reliability and steady effort build trust and create opportunities.
- Planning ahead—both the night before and in life—reduces stress and increases productivity.