1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: The views, information, or opinions express during this podcast are 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: those of Into It QuickBooks or any of its cornerstone 4 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: brands or employees. This podcast does not constitute financial, legal, 5 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: or other professional advice or services. No assurance is given 6 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: that the info is comprehensive, accurate, or free of errors, 7 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:19,959 Speaker 1: and the information presented is for general information purposes only. 8 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: Hey everyone, I'm Jennie Torres. 9 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 2: And I'm Austin Hankwitz. Welcome to Mind the Business Small 10 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 2: Business Success Stories, a podcast brought to you by Into 11 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 2: It QuickBooks and Iheartradios Ruby Studio. In every episode, we 12 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 2: talk with small business owners as they share their stories 13 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,559 Speaker 2: about the ups and downs of owning a small business. 14 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: And this is a very special episode because not only 15 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 1: is this a summer bonus episode, but we recorded this 16 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: interview with our guests in front of a live audience 17 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: at the iHeart Theater in Burbank, California. 18 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 2: Janise, this is the second time we've recorded an episode 19 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 2: live in front of a real audience in person, and 20 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 2: the experience is always so so special. Now, in this episode, 21 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 2: we sat down with Will Lucas, who's the host of 22 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 2: the podcast Black Tech, Green Money. Will is also the 23 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 2: founder and CEO of Creatio. 24 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: Will really is doing it all, and we're going to 25 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: ask him how he maintains a balanced ecosystem within all 26 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: the companies he's built and runs. And by business ecosystem, 27 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: I'm talking about how everything works together within the company, 28 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: everything from employees to customers, to quality of products and services, 29 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: to the growth of the business itself. We're going to ask, well, 30 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: how do you consider the impact of your choices in 31 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: your company? How do you define your business ecosystem? What 32 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 1: are all the things in that ecosystem? And what info 33 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: do you need before you make changes in your company? Austin, 34 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: I want to ask you about this. When did you 35 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: realize that every decision you make for your business has 36 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: a huge ripple effect, no pressure, and how did you 37 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: approach changes in your business plans or strategy knowing this. 38 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 2: That's a really good question, Jenis, and I think for 39 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 2: a lot of entrepreneurs listening right now, they might be 40 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 2: going through this where they're kind of like, wait a second, 41 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 2: did that decision over here just impact you know, an 42 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 2: outcome with this project? And I think for me, you know, 43 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: as a content creator and someone who's offering all of 44 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,959 Speaker 2: these different consulting services regarding marketing and things of that nature. 45 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 2: Whenever I started to diversify my business away from just 46 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 2: a singular business segment, I realized that they all kind 47 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,639 Speaker 2: of talk to each other, right, And so now when 48 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:38,839 Speaker 2: I think about taking on new projects, I'm always thinking 49 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 2: about where the synergies, where are they going to overlap? 50 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 2: Where two plus two equals five? Right, So I'm always 51 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 2: trying to figure out how going to be most efficient 52 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: with my time and how is you know, spending time 53 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 2: or energy on something going to positively impact something else 54 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 2: I'm working on? 55 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 3: Denis, what about you? 56 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 2: Where have you seen sort of experience as it relates 57 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 2: to making sure that ripple effects are doing good things 58 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 2: and making sure they're not doing bad things to your 59 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 2: larger business? 60 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 4: Yeah? 61 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: You know, I have a very lean team, so anytime 62 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: I make a decision to take on a new project 63 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: or launch something new, there is a huge ripple effect 64 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 1: just because of the number of people who are working 65 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: on the team. So for me, I always have to 66 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: think about is this a good return on investment activity 67 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:22,640 Speaker 1: for all of us? Because the last thing that I 68 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: want is for everyone to get so bogged down in 69 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: administrative and behind the scenes stuff that we're not actually 70 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: seeing the end result of what that original goal was. 71 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 2: Now, when you kind of do that return on investment calculation, 72 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 2: are you looking at it from a time perspective of 73 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 2: money perspective, opportunity cost perspective? 74 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm looking at it from sort of a trifecta, 75 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: if you will. I want to make sure that we're 76 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 1: having impact right, that our clients are satisfied. I obviously 77 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: want to make sure that we are making income, because 78 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: that's why we're all in business. And I also want 79 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: to make sure that my team is excited about the 80 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: work that we're doing and we're not just finding busy 81 00:03:57,120 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: work for folks. 82 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 2: Couldn't have set it better myself, Gennis, I am so 83 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 2: dang excited for everyone to hear this interview. So what 84 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 2: do you say we jump into the meat potatoes of 85 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 2: this episode. 86 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:29,159 Speaker 4: Let's do it. 87 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: Oh my, hey, everyone, we're coming to you live from 88 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio Theater here in Burbank, California. Thank you so 89 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: much for being here. 90 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 2: We could not be more excited that all you guys 91 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 2: are here right now. 92 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 3: I'm just so pumped up Yeah. 93 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 1: Absolutely, I can't believe we're in two seasons of the. 94 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 3: Show, seasons of the show already. 95 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,280 Speaker 1: Today we're going to be talking about building and maintaining 96 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: a balanced business ecosystem. 97 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 4: What does that mean? 98 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 3: Ecosystem? This is in science class. 99 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: So we're actually talking about how you keep everything in 100 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: your company working together and in harmony, because just like 101 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: a real ecosystem, when you make a change in your 102 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,840 Speaker 1: business ecosystem, that can have an impact on everything. 103 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 2: Absolutely and too help us talk about that. We're joined 104 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:25,160 Speaker 2: by Will Lucas. Will is an entrepreneur many times over. 105 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 2: He's the CEO and founder of Creatio, a marketing and 106 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 2: production agency, and the founder and CEO of Tollhouse, a 107 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 2: private member's only social club in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. 108 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 4: That's amazing. 109 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: So not only that, but Will also hosts the podcast 110 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: Black Tech, Greed Money, and in twenty twelve, Will was 111 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: appointed co chair of the Ohio Small Business Owners for 112 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: Obama Committee, part of the Obama for America campaign. Okay, 113 00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 1: so we got an expert. Everyone, welcome our special guests 114 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:17,160 Speaker 1: to the stage, Will Lucas, how you doing, what's up? 115 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:17,600 Speaker 3: What's up? 116 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 5: What's up? Hey, it's good to be here. It's good 117 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 5: to be here. 118 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 3: Thank you so much for joining us. Man, we're super excited. 119 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 5: Absolutely. Hey, how y'all doing. 120 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 4: All right? 121 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 1: Well, we have a lot to talk about, So I 122 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,360 Speaker 1: want to get right into your story. Tell us about 123 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: your entrepreneurship origin story. What made you want to take 124 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 1: the leap and being your own boss and start your 125 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 1: own business. 126 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,159 Speaker 5: Yeah. I always knew that I was going to be 127 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:43,840 Speaker 5: running my own business one day. I thought it was 128 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,040 Speaker 5: going to be in the music business, though, and so 129 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 5: I was, you know, one of those kids who wanted 130 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 5: to be a songwriter and music producer. So I started 131 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 5: radio before I got into actual business because it was 132 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 5: the closest thing in my hometown to the music business. 133 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 5: And so I met a program director for radio station 134 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 5: at a teen summit and I said, Hey, my name's 135 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 5: well Lucas. I want to be in the music business. 136 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 5: And he's like, it's just like that, and he's like, 137 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 5: you know, the best thing I can tell you do 138 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 5: is find an internship somewhere. And so there was a 139 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 5: line of young people waiting to talk to him. So 140 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 5: he said, come out to the radio station and we'll 141 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 5: talk some more. So I went out to the radio 142 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 5: station the next day and he's like, again, next best 143 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 5: thing I take you to do is find an internship somewhere. 144 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 5: Matter of fact, we need to intern here. And so 145 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 5: my internship in radio started that day, and so fast forward. 146 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 5: I just happened to be good at radio. So I 147 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 5: did it for two years. And I was in a 148 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 5: clothing store and they were playing FM radio over their 149 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 5: sound system, and inevitably the commercials come on and one 150 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 5: of their competitors came on over the air inside their store, 151 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 5: and I'm like, this doesn't make a lot of sense, 152 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 5: you know, like they need their own radio station that 153 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 5: just talks about them. Slight bulb goes off, and I'm like, 154 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 5: I just did all these years of radio. I can 155 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 5: build that. And so that was my entre. 156 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's always that kind of like for most of me. 157 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 5: Yeah, So that business is creative, the one that you 158 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 5: created custom radio station for brands. And so what happened 159 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:09,560 Speaker 5: was I had the idea for it was just a concept. 160 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 5: You know, what if I created these custom radio stations 161 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 5: for brands. And I told a mentor of mine and 162 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 5: he owns six restaurants at the time, and I said, hey, 163 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 5: I got this idea for this business, this this project, 164 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:26,119 Speaker 5: and I said, what if I created like custom radio 165 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 5: stations for brands? And he said, he guys, he was 166 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,480 Speaker 5: not a brief you know guy, he was you know, 167 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 5: can it will be a little long with it sometimes, 168 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 5: but you know when I told him the idea, his 169 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 5: eyes got big and he just said do it and 170 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 5: that was all he said. So I knew I had something. 171 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 5: And so that's the inception of creating out there. 172 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:46,839 Speaker 1: Tell me about one of the proudest moments you've had 173 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: in that journey. 174 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 5: Oh man, how many guys in the room are business 175 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 5: owners or you want to be a business owner? You know? Okay, 176 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 5: most of the room shout out to y'all because this 177 00:08:57,480 --> 00:08:59,679 Speaker 5: road is not for the faint of heart. And so 178 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 5: I think for me and maybe if you have a 179 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 5: product out there or a service out there, the most 180 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 5: joy you can get is when somebody you don't know 181 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 5: asks to purchase your product because they owe you nothing. 182 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:16,960 Speaker 5: And so it's different than when like your cousin nuanced it, 183 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 5: or your neighbor wants to support you, or like your 184 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:21,800 Speaker 5: mom is like, hey, let me pull out my change 185 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 5: out in my bra you know. But it's like, you know, 186 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 5: but when somebody who doesn't know you sees value and 187 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 5: what you built, it's the most incredible feeling, and I 188 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 5: wish that for everybody. 189 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 4: Yeah, it becomes addictive. I would. 190 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 2: You know you founded the members only social club in 191 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 2: your hometown of Toledo, Ohio. So what sparked that idea? 192 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 2: Where do you how do you go from radio to 193 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 2: hold on, let's all listen to jazz music. 194 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 5: Absolutely, And so I'm not from LA or New York, 195 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 5: and so I'm over what do they call the flyover States. 196 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 5: I'm from Ohio, and broadly, when people don't know Ohio 197 00:09:58,120 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 5: or don't know the Midwest, they think it's a going 198 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,559 Speaker 5: to cornfields and they think it is so much agriculture, 199 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 5: and it's some of that, but it's not just that. 200 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 5: And so what we wanted to do with Toll House 201 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 5: was to organize Toledo's doers and so the people who 202 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 5: were doing the work to help our community be what 203 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:16,720 Speaker 5: it could be if we got out of our own way. 204 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 5: And so toll House is a private social club and 205 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,720 Speaker 5: it's five bars, five lounges, a coffee house, there's a 206 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,199 Speaker 5: jazz club in there's coworking space twenty five thousand square feet. 207 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 5: And so we've got all these amenities to be a 208 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:33,040 Speaker 5: playground for adult professionals, because where we're trying to do 209 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 5: is organize the people's the doers. And so I wanted 210 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:39,080 Speaker 5: a place, you know, that I could go as a 211 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 5: member or as a consumer, where I knew if I 212 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 5: walked in, I was going to see somebody who could 213 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 5: change my life or I could change theirs. And so 214 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 5: it's different than walking into just a regular coffee house 215 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 5: where I probably don't need to know who you are. 216 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:52,439 Speaker 5: But if I'm walking into a place where the people 217 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:54,880 Speaker 5: here were vetted to be here, that's a room I 218 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:55,440 Speaker 5: want to be in. 219 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 2: You know, before the centerview, we're talking a little bit 220 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 2: on the lobby and I asked you. I was like, yes, 221 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:02,559 Speaker 2: like where do you live? And You're like, oh, I'm 222 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 2: actually from Toledo, Ohio, Like I live there, And I'm 223 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:07,600 Speaker 2: just like someone on your level, you'd think you would 224 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,079 Speaker 2: move to LA or New York or Chicago or something, 225 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 2: but you didn't. 226 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 3: You stayed in Toledo. So walk me through. 227 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:17,040 Speaker 2: The mindset shift that somebody at your little had to 228 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 2: make of Like, wait, I really want to build for 229 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:20,680 Speaker 2: where I'm from. 230 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 3: I want to get people where I'm from. The opportunity is. 231 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 5: Part of that, but it's also it's about finding the 232 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:28,560 Speaker 5: white space, like where is the opportunity? Yeah? Yeah, And 233 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:30,960 Speaker 5: so if I wanted to build a social club, not 234 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:32,720 Speaker 5: that it's impossible, but if I wanted to build a 235 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 5: social club in Chicago or in New York or in LA. 236 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:38,120 Speaker 5: There's a ton of social clubs in Chicago or New 237 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 5: York or LA. But the whole goal of business is 238 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 5: to find where the opportunity is. And so I'm not 239 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 5: going to try to start a business that everybody else 240 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:49,199 Speaker 5: is starting in that same vertical or the same category. 241 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 5: I want to find where's the opportunity? Where are the 242 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 5: people who want this but don't have access to it? 243 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:55,400 Speaker 5: Those are the lanes I'm trying to feel. 244 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:56,280 Speaker 3: I love that. 245 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 2: And kind of staying on this topic of toll House, 246 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,200 Speaker 2: I saw you guys just launched an app. You guys 247 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 2: have a wine club, and I saw on your website 248 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 2: something about like cigars, and so this seems to have 249 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 2: evolved a lot over you know, several years now. So 250 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,599 Speaker 2: how has the business evolved from when you started to 251 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:14,320 Speaker 2: where it is today. 252 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:16,680 Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean so toll House. You know, I say 253 00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 5: this twenty five thousand square feet. It was just a big, empty, 254 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:23,400 Speaker 5: no walls building when I bought it, and you know, 255 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 5: I kind of just let the buildings speak to me, 256 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 5: and I say, what should be here? What would I 257 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 5: want if I was a member? And so as we 258 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 5: started to build out spaces, I knew there had to 259 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:34,199 Speaker 5: be a bar, I knew there was going to be 260 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 5: a coffee house. But we just started to listen to 261 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 5: our members and like, what are the things that we're 262 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 5: missing in our community that we used to have where 263 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,319 Speaker 5: we always wanted but we never had an opportunity to, 264 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 5: you know, participate in those things. And we hadn't had 265 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:49,600 Speaker 5: a jazz club in Toledo in over ten years because 266 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:52,560 Speaker 5: they had all closed. And so I just let the 267 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 5: buildings speak to me. And then as we started to 268 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:56,840 Speaker 5: hang out and just enjoy the spaces, You're like, it 269 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 5: would be really cool if we had a coworking space here, 270 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 5: because what we found was members didn't just want to eat, 271 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:05,440 Speaker 5: and they didn't just want to hang out and listen 272 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:07,839 Speaker 5: to music, but they also wanted to work and they 273 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:10,320 Speaker 5: wanted to be able to collaborate together. And so six 274 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:13,440 Speaker 5: thousand square feet of the building is pure coworking space. 275 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:17,040 Speaker 5: So there's five conference rooms slash boardrooms, and there's you know, 276 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:19,440 Speaker 5: phone booths that you can just take you know, private 277 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 5: phone calls in. There's a theater in there, so you 278 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 5: can just relax and just enjoy yourself because you want 279 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:28,439 Speaker 5: to take that break from being on conference calls all day. 280 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 5: And so what we tried to do was fill the 281 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:33,800 Speaker 5: gap for what you missed when you were locked down 282 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:36,720 Speaker 5: over those that year in COVID, and you want to 283 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:39,200 Speaker 5: be back around people, but you also want the hybrid 284 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:41,400 Speaker 5: you know, to where you can socialize and work. 285 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's really interesting. So you know, obviously you have 286 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:46,559 Speaker 1: a lot on your plate. You're running a lot of 287 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:47,680 Speaker 1: different businesses. 288 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 4: You get a lot of moving parts. 289 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:52,200 Speaker 1: Can you describe the ecosystems for both Creatio and for 290 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: Toll House, Like how do you structure these businesses for success? 291 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 5: Yeah? So the great part currently is the Creative Office 292 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 5: is inside TOEH House. So I get to work and 293 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,080 Speaker 5: you know, I get to have both of my teams 294 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:09,719 Speaker 5: in the building and I'm creating vertical integration, I should say. 295 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 5: So my marketing company video production, website development, communication, strategy design, 296 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:18,400 Speaker 5: app development, built and does the videos and does the 297 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 5: strategy for a toe house synergy, and so my creatio 298 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:24,880 Speaker 5: team can work in the spaces that we can have 299 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 5: our board meetings and there our conference calls in there, 300 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 5: and they can enjoy, you know, the coffeehouse. So all 301 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 5: these things are completely vertically integrated. 302 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:35,960 Speaker 1: Do you think that the way that you envision building 303 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,400 Speaker 1: business is kind of separate from the type of business 304 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:41,560 Speaker 1: that it is or do you think you have to 305 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 1: build them differently just based on what type of business 306 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: you're creating. 307 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 5: Yeah, I do think it's different because the and I 308 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:51,480 Speaker 5: sort of think about that the way of how you 309 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 5: deal with people is what you need is not what 310 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 5: she needs to perform well. And so if I can 311 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 5: pay attention to what motivates you, then I can get 312 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:04,320 Speaker 5: the best out of you and you feel best about 313 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:06,400 Speaker 5: the work that you're performing. But what motivates you doesn't 314 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 5: motivate him necessarily, and so the same thing for the 315 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:11,840 Speaker 5: businesses that you build. So just because you do one 316 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 5: thing well and you perform well, and this makes you 317 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:18,240 Speaker 5: have to pay attention to what your business is asking 318 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:20,920 Speaker 5: for because your business is like a child, honestly. And 319 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 5: so the one thing one things I love. I've been 320 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 5: doing Creatio since two thousand and seven, and I made 321 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 5: a lot of mistakes along the way. So I'm not 322 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 5: here to say, like, you know, everything's great and rosy. 323 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:33,720 Speaker 3: You're going to get into those, yeah, So like this stuff. 324 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:37,400 Speaker 5: Is painful, you know, and it's lonely. And so one 325 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:39,520 Speaker 5: of the early mistakes that I know we're talking more 326 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:41,600 Speaker 5: about this, but I'll give you one because you mentioned 327 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:44,840 Speaker 5: this is I was the only employee of Creative for 328 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 5: so many years, and nobody taught me reinvesting the profits. 329 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 5: And so I didn't grow up in a wealthy family 330 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:54,520 Speaker 5: or all these things. And I didn't have a lot 331 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 5: of business mentors. I had mentors in different respects, but 332 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 5: nobody said, when you start making money, put it back 333 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 5: in the business. So when I made, you know, a 334 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 5: little bit of money, I'm like, oh, and we can 335 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 5: go put cheese on it now, we can go supersize, 336 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 5: you know, all these things like we make god money 337 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 5: now if we can put the squad extraguad, you know, 338 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 5: so we can do that. And so all those things 339 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 5: robbed the business of the oxygen it needed because nobody 340 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:21,440 Speaker 5: taught me. 341 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 2: That kind of goes into the question I had for you, right, 342 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:26,440 Speaker 2: which is, if you would ask me the first big 343 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 2: decision I'd to make as a business owner now of 344 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:31,560 Speaker 2: four and a half five years, is hiring someone, right, 345 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:34,880 Speaker 2: Hiring help is Oh, it's overwhelming. 346 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 3: It is so overwhelming, So it can be. 347 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 5: It can be. And I think we have this confusion 348 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:44,160 Speaker 5: about it's overwhelming or I don't want to let somebody down, 349 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 5: or I don't want to fire somebody, or I don't 350 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 5: want to want a mispayroll and all these things. It's 351 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 5: because we don't do it properly. And what I've learned 352 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 5: is a lot of that anxiety could be reduced. It 353 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 5: won't go away, but it can be reduced if I 354 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 5: know what I'm hiring for and it's not just in 355 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:03,479 Speaker 5: my head, but it's on paper, and I can define 356 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:07,159 Speaker 5: what success looks like. Because when you hire as an entrepreneur, 357 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:09,440 Speaker 5: you want somebody who's running around like a chicken with 358 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:11,720 Speaker 5: their head cut off like you are. And that's the 359 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 5: wrong way to hire people. Is if you're hiring somebody 360 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:16,560 Speaker 5: and you're expecting them to move as fast as you're 361 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 5: moving and do as much as you're doing, they are 362 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,119 Speaker 5: going to fail. I guarantee that because they are not you. 363 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:24,399 Speaker 5: They were not the person with this idea, They were 364 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:26,520 Speaker 5: not the person with this vision. They at the people 365 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:29,359 Speaker 5: with this energy. They here to help you and be 366 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:30,919 Speaker 5: a lone this and they may not even be here 367 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 5: to help you, but they here to get something. And 368 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:34,879 Speaker 5: so if I can set you up for success, the 369 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:38,280 Speaker 5: only way to do that is to specify and designate 370 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 5: what success looks like. And not just in my head, 371 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:43,600 Speaker 5: but it's got to be on paper. How are you 372 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:47,120 Speaker 5: measuring my performance? Because if you are saying I need 373 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,400 Speaker 5: you to be as crazy and frenetic as I am, 374 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 5: I'm not crazy and I'm not phanetic, you know frenetic, 375 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 5: So how am I going to be successful in that environment? 376 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:58,200 Speaker 5: But if I say I'm hiring you because I need 377 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:00,879 Speaker 5: five social media posts a day, I need them to 378 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 5: have these particular sort of pass taxs, I need them 379 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:05,720 Speaker 5: to have these sorts of images, I can actually look 380 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:07,800 Speaker 5: and see if you did five those media post a day, 381 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:10,680 Speaker 5: they have these specific hashacts that you gave me, and 382 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:13,159 Speaker 5: they have these sort of corresponding images. But if you 383 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 5: just say go out there and you know you see 384 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 5: what I'm doing, pick up the slacken, etc. I'm set 385 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:20,880 Speaker 5: up to fail because I don't know what I'm supposed 386 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:22,960 Speaker 5: to be doing. And therefore you're looking at me like 387 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:25,359 Speaker 5: I made the wrong hire. And you might have, but 388 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:27,240 Speaker 5: you might not have, but you didn't set that person 389 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:28,280 Speaker 5: up to be successful. 390 00:18:28,359 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 2: I want you to double click on that a little 391 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 2: bit more because I think maybe a lot of people 392 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 2: listening right now they want to make those hires for 393 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:38,280 Speaker 2: the very specific tasks and deliverables. Like I totally get 394 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:39,679 Speaker 2: that that exists, right. You can go check on the 395 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 2: social media. You can see how many code emails they send, whatever. 396 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:46,159 Speaker 2: But what about the hires that need to help with strategy, 397 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,919 Speaker 2: They need to help with you know, maybe sales decks 398 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 2: and pitching and like things of that nature. How have 399 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:52,520 Speaker 2: you navigated that over the years. 400 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 5: Yeah, So if it's me, I would start with a consultant. 401 00:18:57,080 --> 00:18:59,040 Speaker 5: And so that's somebody that you don't necessarily need to 402 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:01,600 Speaker 5: bring on immediately. But I need to make sure I 403 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:04,240 Speaker 5: know what I'm looking for because the thing about entrepreneurship, 404 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:07,160 Speaker 5: and you know, we talk about business, business and entrepreneurship 405 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 5: are corresponding but not the same, and so if you're 406 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 5: an entrepreneur like I am, I don't always know what 407 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 5: I need, and so I'm assuming I know what I need, 408 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:20,159 Speaker 5: and so I would rather bring you on as a 409 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:24,520 Speaker 5: contractor or as or maybe get an advisor to help 410 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 5: me accomplish this thing so I can better define what 411 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 5: I need. And so the worst thing you can do 412 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:32,160 Speaker 5: is bring somebody on and not know how to define 413 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 5: success for them. And so if you're not sure, don't 414 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:38,480 Speaker 5: bring that person on, but contract them out for a 415 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 5: period of time. And then so when you when you 416 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:42,520 Speaker 5: need to break part ways, it's a lot easier and 417 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:45,439 Speaker 5: you know there's no bridges burned and nobody's feelings are hurt. 418 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:47,679 Speaker 2: Well, I think something else that you breezed over that 419 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 2: I really want to emphasize is sort of in that 420 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 2: vulnerability of saying I don't know how to do this. 421 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 3: Can you help me? Right? 422 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:56,359 Speaker 2: Because I think a small business owners and entrepreneurs like 423 00:19:56,480 --> 00:20:00,480 Speaker 2: there's always a task or you know, a that we 424 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:02,239 Speaker 2: have to get over that I don't know how to 425 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 2: do it. And I've texted Genie before, I'm like, hey, 426 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:06,320 Speaker 2: what do you do for this? I don't know how 427 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:08,240 Speaker 2: you've been doing this longing to mean, what's going on, right, 428 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 2: And I think that's what's so powerful, not just about 429 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:13,040 Speaker 2: this podcast, but about the conversations we're having. Is like 430 00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 2: giving people the confidence to ask for help, right, it's just. 431 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 5: Really I mean, the thing about entrepreneurship, you typically, again 432 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:25,880 Speaker 5: another broad generalization, but entrepreneurs are typically good at something 433 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 5: and then they want to go make a business out 434 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:31,080 Speaker 5: of it. But when you're good at something, that doesn't 435 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 5: mean it's a business. Shit, it's a business when you 436 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:36,600 Speaker 5: start putting together business practices, when you start operationalizing it. 437 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 5: And so there's a difference between owning a business and 438 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,719 Speaker 5: owning a job. You're two different things. And so if 439 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 5: you want to be a business owner, then the job 440 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 5: is to get out of the machinations of running the business. 441 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,640 Speaker 5: My business is running right now, I'm not there. That's 442 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:55,040 Speaker 5: the goal. To get to a place to where you're 443 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:57,920 Speaker 5: not having to be there making the donuts in order 444 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,680 Speaker 5: for the donuts chapter run. Now, if you want to 445 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,680 Speaker 5: do that, if you want to be the artisan, that's fantastic. 446 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 5: I told my barber this, you know, about six years ago, 447 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,160 Speaker 5: because he was asking me business advice, and I said, 448 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 5: if you're cutting hair in two years because you have 449 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 5: to cut hair, you're doing something wrong. But if you're 450 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:19,720 Speaker 5: cutting hair because you want to cut hair, and he 451 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:21,840 Speaker 5: owned the barbershop by the way, But if you're cutting 452 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,119 Speaker 5: here because you want to cut hair in two years, 453 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 5: that's the place that you want to be in, not 454 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 5: because you have to do it, because you love to 455 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:32,120 Speaker 5: do it. And so if you're making donuts in your 456 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 5: donut shop because you have to. The goal is to 457 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:36,920 Speaker 5: get out of the place where you have to where 458 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 5: you got to be the one to open the doors 459 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:40,159 Speaker 5: and turn the lights on and turn the lights off 460 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:41,560 Speaker 5: at the end of the day and turn the oven 461 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:43,600 Speaker 5: to and all these things. The goal is to get 462 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 5: out of that system. You want to put people in 463 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:49,720 Speaker 5: place that can scale past you, because you, as one person, 464 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 5: can only do so much. 465 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,360 Speaker 2: Something I learned I think it was last year and 466 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,399 Speaker 2: you really emphasize it here, which was, you know, working 467 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 2: in the business versus working on the business. This absolutely 468 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:03,960 Speaker 2: and being able to go from end to on. I've 469 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 2: not yet done that, but I mean that's the goal. 470 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:08,359 Speaker 5: One hundred that's one hundred percent goal. The goal for 471 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:11,720 Speaker 5: business is to build something that's bigger than you. And 472 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 5: so again I don't want to own a job. I 473 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:17,560 Speaker 5: used to own a job when the first ten years 474 00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:21,480 Speaker 5: of Creatio, I was the one installing sound systems and restaurants. 475 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,439 Speaker 5: And I don't look poorly on those days because I 476 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,280 Speaker 5: learned so much. But you want to get out of 477 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 5: You don't want to be stuck there, and so I 478 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:32,920 Speaker 5: momish you as fast as you can, hire somebody defining 479 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:34,919 Speaker 5: what you need. It's the best thing you can do 480 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:35,640 Speaker 5: for your business. 481 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,199 Speaker 2: So kind of thinking back to those days, can you 482 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:42,240 Speaker 2: recall maybe a misstep or disruption that happened that kind 483 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:44,119 Speaker 2: of threw off the ecosystem. 484 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 5: Not documenting those were big missteps. I highly encourage anybody 485 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,160 Speaker 5: who's starting off, even if it's just you, you having 486 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:55,679 Speaker 5: a board meeting of one. You know it's just you. 487 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:59,880 Speaker 5: You've got to document. And as tech savvy as we are, 488 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 5: as technological as we become, as innovative as we become, 489 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 5: there are certain business practices that you've got to learn. 490 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 5: And you've got to learn how to pull out a 491 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:10,560 Speaker 5: pen and write something down. You've got to learn how 492 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:12,840 Speaker 5: to pull out a iPad and take a note. You've 493 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:15,239 Speaker 5: got to learn how to get your receipt and scan it. 494 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:17,760 Speaker 5: You've got. There are certain things you have to do 495 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 5: as a business person or you end up getting in trouble. 496 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 5: And so if the business and how to turn on 497 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,920 Speaker 5: the lights is not written down, then you're at risk. 498 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,920 Speaker 5: If what happens when you turning your receipts to your 499 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 5: account and your bookkeeper and your stuff is all over 500 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:39,600 Speaker 5: the place, you got a problem. And if you are 501 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 5: not setting yourself up in an organized fashion, because I understand, 502 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:46,959 Speaker 5: I'm an entrepreneur. I got four businesses and four buildings 503 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 5: all over the place. Organization is the work. That is 504 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 5: the work. Knowing my numbers is the work. And if 505 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,199 Speaker 5: I'm not documenting, and if I'm not keeping records, and 506 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 5: if I'm not making sure I'm putting operational you know 507 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 5: SOPs written on paper, we got a problem. 508 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:04,879 Speaker 3: We'll tell you what keeps me organized into a quick books. 509 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 5: Absolutely listen, I've been using quick books for twenty years. 510 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:12,679 Speaker 1: Absolutely, yeah, absolutely, So we've been talking about hiring the 511 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:15,560 Speaker 1: importance of you know, vetting your employees and making sure 512 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:17,959 Speaker 1: that they know kind of what is at stake, what 513 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 1: their mission statement is. Can you talk about how you 514 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,520 Speaker 1: create a work environment where your employees actually feel seen 515 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: and heard. 516 00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:28,560 Speaker 5: Yeah. So number one, I try to be as conscious 517 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:31,360 Speaker 5: in the interview as I can be, because you can 518 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,640 Speaker 5: see the flags in an interview and if you get 519 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:38,479 Speaker 5: a little hint like some ain't something like about that answer, 520 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 5: that's the flag. Listen to the voice in your head 521 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:45,200 Speaker 5: that says something may write about that one. And so 522 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 5: I say that to say it's paying attention to the 523 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 5: little things, paying attention to how your staff or your 524 00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:55,840 Speaker 5: potential staff is responding to things, and not glossing over 525 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:58,240 Speaker 5: it because you're so busy and you're so you know again, 526 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:00,119 Speaker 5: running all over the place. Because this is the thing 527 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:04,320 Speaker 5: about entrepreneurship is when you're building, everything needs you. And 528 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:06,520 Speaker 5: so then you get into this place to where you 529 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 5: overlook things that you shouldn't overlook just because you need help. 530 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,399 Speaker 5: And that is the worst thing you can do for 531 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 5: your business. I would rather grow slower with the right 532 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,919 Speaker 5: people or with just me, then grow fast with the 533 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 5: wrong people, because if you grow fast with the wrong people, 534 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:23,320 Speaker 5: the wheels are going to fall off. So you think 535 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:25,439 Speaker 5: you on a spring and you think you're doing well, 536 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:27,880 Speaker 5: but you're not really doing well because you're building with 537 00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:31,040 Speaker 5: you know, things that are broken. And so I would 538 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 5: hire quickly if you can, if you can find the 539 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 5: right people, but make sure that they know what their 540 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:40,640 Speaker 5: success looks like, how you're measuring them, and pay attention 541 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:43,919 Speaker 5: to the small things. Pay attention if something didn't sound right, 542 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 5: and that response you gave me in this interview, I'm 543 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 5: gonna pay attention to that because I can tell that 544 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:50,280 Speaker 5: you actually didn't do what you said you did, or 545 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 5: something's on your resume is not adding up the dayta 546 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 5: you're adding up or whatever it is. You got to 547 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:55,879 Speaker 5: pay attention to those things. 548 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:58,359 Speaker 1: So we should not hire based on vibes, is what 549 00:25:58,400 --> 00:25:59,080 Speaker 1: I hear say. 550 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 5: I think vibes matter, but I also think like it's 551 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:08,720 Speaker 5: understanding truth. And actually I'm going to pick up the 552 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,600 Speaker 5: phone and call previous employer. I need to find out 553 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:14,160 Speaker 5: are you really who you say you are. I need 554 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:15,879 Speaker 5: to know if you just didn't go back because you 555 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:17,960 Speaker 5: didn't want to go back to the job, or but 556 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:20,040 Speaker 5: did they not want you back at that other job? 557 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 5: And sometimes that's the case. It's worth it to you 558 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 5: to do the hard work. You know, my father said 559 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 5: something when I was growing up. I'll never forget it, 560 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:31,679 Speaker 5: and he said, everybody in life pays everybody pays. Some 561 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:35,680 Speaker 5: people pay now, some people pay later. I'd rather pay 562 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:37,600 Speaker 5: now so that I don't have to pay later. And 563 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 5: what I mean by that in this context is I 564 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 5: would rather do the hard work now to make sure 565 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 5: you're the right person, then pay for it in six 566 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:47,359 Speaker 5: months when I find out you couldn't do all you 567 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:48,000 Speaker 5: said you could do. 568 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:53,320 Speaker 1: Okay, So we obviously, as entrepreneurs and employers, we want 569 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 1: to kind of strike that balance between building a place 570 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,679 Speaker 1: that's a great place to work at but also be 571 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:01,480 Speaker 1: able to server clients effectively. 572 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:03,600 Speaker 3: So how do you balance them listening? 573 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:08,640 Speaker 5: That's the game, is listening to them, and they don't 574 00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:12,320 Speaker 5: always know what they're asking for either. We don't always 575 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:15,359 Speaker 5: know what we're looking for as consumers. I mean, we 576 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,639 Speaker 5: don't always know what the solution is. We just know 577 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:19,920 Speaker 5: we have a need and it is your job as 578 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,359 Speaker 5: the business owner, as the entrepreneur to figure out the 579 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:25,920 Speaker 5: best and most efficient, cost effective way to solve the problem. 580 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:29,840 Speaker 5: But the consumer doesn't always know how to define the problem. 581 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:33,080 Speaker 5: But if you're paying attention to what they say, the 582 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:35,600 Speaker 5: words they use, how they use the products that they 583 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:39,400 Speaker 5: have today, you can find solutions. If you're paying attention. 584 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 5: So the job is to be ears all day long, 585 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:46,439 Speaker 5: eyes paying attention. The job is not to talk. Your 586 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:48,359 Speaker 5: job is to figure out what people need and to 587 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:50,280 Speaker 5: be able to sayciate that need somehow. 588 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,960 Speaker 3: That I need to listen more. That's what's good advice. 589 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:57,359 Speaker 1: Coming up after the break. 590 00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 5: There are people who live and have never asked themselves 591 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:02,719 Speaker 5: what they want to be doing. And so if I 592 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:05,520 Speaker 5: know and I'm clear on what I want, I know 593 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:07,240 Speaker 5: what doesn't help get me there. 594 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:19,480 Speaker 1: We'll be right back with Mine the Business. Welcome back 595 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:23,280 Speaker 1: to Mind the Business, small business success stories from iHeartMedia's 596 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: Ruby Studio and Into It QuickBooks. 597 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:30,760 Speaker 2: You know, as we think back to when you began 598 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 2: building out your ecosystem, was the priority on the customers? 599 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 2: Was it on growing the business or was it on employees? 600 00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:43,520 Speaker 2: If you had to pick one as the most important 601 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:49,560 Speaker 2: part of your success, if this ecosystem customers, business growth, right, reinvesting, 602 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:51,000 Speaker 2: or was it the employees. 603 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,080 Speaker 5: I mean, nothing matters if you don't have somebody who 604 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 5: wants to buy your product. 605 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:55,800 Speaker 3: I was hoping you're gonna say that. 606 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,000 Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean I can have ten employees, but if 607 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 5: ain't nobody buying nothing, I got no employee, include me 608 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 5: real quick. You want to find a need or a 609 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 5: desire in the marketplace that people are willing to pay 610 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:13,040 Speaker 5: for at a level that can sustain and grow. That's 611 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:17,240 Speaker 5: the definition of business. Find a need or a desire 612 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 5: that people will pay for at a level that allows 613 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 5: you to be able to consistently produce the outcome for them. 614 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 5: And so that does not mean employees, That does not 615 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:31,520 Speaker 5: mean building, That does not mean product. That means fulfilling something, 616 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 5: satiating it because what you think is the product could 617 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:38,000 Speaker 5: actually not be the product. It could be something else. 618 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:40,240 Speaker 5: It could be a service instead of a product. It 619 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:42,200 Speaker 5: could be a product instead of a service. And so 620 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:44,760 Speaker 5: the job is to figure out, can I find a 621 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:47,040 Speaker 5: need in the marketplace or desire in the marketplace that 622 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:50,400 Speaker 5: I actually am interested in fulfilling. If you can find 623 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:53,280 Speaker 5: that match and marriage, you will go through the hard 624 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:55,959 Speaker 5: times when they get hard, because they're inevitably going to 625 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:58,880 Speaker 5: be hard, but you'll get the energy to continue on. 626 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 5: I just don't I want people to get caught up 627 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:03,680 Speaker 5: on Hey, I got the best idea, and everybody in 628 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,640 Speaker 5: here got a great idea. Everybody in here knows somebody 629 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 5: with a great idea. And some of the people you 630 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:10,920 Speaker 5: know what a great idea will never do anything with it. 631 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:13,720 Speaker 5: That's just how it works, because it ain't about having 632 00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:17,240 Speaker 5: a great idea alone. It's about having a good enough 633 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:19,040 Speaker 5: idea that people are wild going to pay for and 634 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:21,800 Speaker 5: then a whole bunch of work. That's it. 635 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:23,400 Speaker 3: I couldn't agree more. 636 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:27,000 Speaker 2: It reminds me of I'm going to butcher the quote here, 637 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,920 Speaker 2: but Alex Tramosi a guy watch on YouTube, you had 638 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:34,080 Speaker 2: a quote that was like, success happens as an entrepreneur 639 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 2: when you do the mundane things for longer than anyone 640 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:41,160 Speaker 2: imagines wanting to do that. Right, So it's like doing 641 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 2: those things that you know you're good at and everyone 642 00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 2: else is like, I don't know, I don't want to 643 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:47,080 Speaker 2: do that, but you do it for so long you 644 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:49,680 Speaker 2: become so good at it, and then and then people 645 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:52,239 Speaker 2: start buying products and services from you that I have 646 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:54,200 Speaker 2: no idea who you are because it's all word of mouth. 647 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 2: I mean, it's it's just it's it's compounding, it really is. 648 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:59,120 Speaker 5: And we live in a day and it's just for 649 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 5: people and the building, specifically with products, but it may 650 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 5: also work for services too, Like the day we live 651 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,560 Speaker 5: in the best thing you can do is build a brand. 652 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:12,560 Speaker 5: In building a brand, that means you become and you 653 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 5: present yourself as somebody that I will follow you wherever 654 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:18,240 Speaker 5: you go. If you put out a book, I'm buying it. 655 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:20,360 Speaker 5: If you put out a T shirt, I'm buying it. 656 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,360 Speaker 5: If you put out a class, I'm buying because I 657 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,520 Speaker 5: dig what you're talking about and I'm into how you 658 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,920 Speaker 5: present yourself to the world. And so it is cool 659 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,000 Speaker 5: to have a product and you will do a lot 660 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:32,760 Speaker 5: of work trying to sell that product, but if you 661 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:35,959 Speaker 5: spend the time on the brand, people will buy whatever 662 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 5: you put out. 663 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:39,800 Speaker 2: I couldn't have set it better myself. So, well, what's 664 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:43,240 Speaker 2: next for you and your business ecosystem? Here of as 665 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 2: call it eighteen twenty four months old, gro. 666 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:48,920 Speaker 5: I'm doing what I'm living my dream, and the goal 667 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,760 Speaker 5: now is just to continue growing. I don't imagine I'll 668 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 5: be doing anything different in five years that I'm doing out. 669 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:55,960 Speaker 5: It'll just be bigger. I like that. 670 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:58,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, I love that, And I love what you said 671 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:00,479 Speaker 1: about building a brand. You know that you want to 672 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:03,720 Speaker 1: kind of be associated with being the lead expert in 673 00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:06,600 Speaker 1: your industry, and I think QuickBooks is actually really good 674 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 1: at doing that because when you think about it's. 675 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:09,600 Speaker 4: Like, duh, why not? 676 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:13,440 Speaker 5: And I would say, like this last thing on brand 677 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:15,680 Speaker 5: and I'm happy to talk about whatever, like, but last 678 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:18,960 Speaker 5: thing I'll say on brand is stay on brand. Also 679 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:22,040 Speaker 5: because it is so easy to get compelled, like I 680 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:23,680 Speaker 5: tell you, Like when I told you, I did radio 681 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,440 Speaker 5: for a period of time, and then I kept getting 682 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 5: asked to do more radio stuff, and I didn't want 683 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 5: to be seen as the radio guy, and so I 684 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:36,520 Speaker 5: had to stop accepting radio stuff, and so I had 685 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:38,440 Speaker 5: to stop im seeing for a period of time. I 686 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:41,080 Speaker 5: had to stop, you know, djaying for a period of time. 687 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:42,720 Speaker 5: I loved the DJ, but there was a I was 688 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:45,520 Speaker 5: trying to change how my perception was in the world, 689 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:48,720 Speaker 5: and so I had to divorce myself from certain things 690 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:51,680 Speaker 5: because they would continue to perpetuate what people saw me 691 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:53,800 Speaker 5: as I want them to see me and respect me 692 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:57,680 Speaker 5: as a business person and a technologist. And so you 693 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,640 Speaker 5: have to protect and if you're clear on what you 694 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:02,520 Speaker 5: want to do. So I talked about being clear on 695 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:05,200 Speaker 5: how you judge your employees and etc. Are you clear 696 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 5: on you are you clear on what you want your 697 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,959 Speaker 5: life to be? Like? It astonishes me that there are 698 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:13,800 Speaker 5: people who live and have never asked themselves what they 699 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:17,600 Speaker 5: want to be doing. What do I actually want in life? 700 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:19,680 Speaker 5: So so many of us just do stuff, and we 701 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:22,840 Speaker 5: take opportunities, and we take things that may be opportunities 702 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:25,840 Speaker 5: but are not, and we just do stuff. But actually, 703 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 5: what do you want? And so if I know and 704 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:31,560 Speaker 5: I'm clear on what I want, I know what doesn't 705 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 5: help get me there? 706 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:33,200 Speaker 3: That's powerful. 707 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:36,040 Speaker 1: That's a great setup for my next question, which is, 708 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 1: let's talk to the small business owners who are considering 709 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:42,440 Speaker 1: making a change in their business structure, the ecosystem they 710 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:44,920 Speaker 1: know maybe they're reaching a point where it's hard to 711 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:47,239 Speaker 1: scale the way things are right now, or they just 712 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 1: they're evolving. So what advice would you give to them? 713 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:52,680 Speaker 5: I think at the end of the day, everything is 714 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:56,560 Speaker 5: about designing in your mind and on paper what do 715 00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:58,680 Speaker 5: I want the future to look like? And I'm a 716 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 5: big like AI guy, so so and so like. We 717 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:03,200 Speaker 5: use chat GPT for a lot of these things. I 718 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 5: type this in chat GPT the other day. I won't 719 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 5: tell you what the answer was, but I'll tell you. 720 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:09,200 Speaker 5: So I checked the answer. I say, if I want 721 00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:12,320 Speaker 5: told house to be at X number, in five years, 722 00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:14,719 Speaker 5: what are the things I should be doing now to 723 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:20,719 Speaker 5: prepare me for that? And I got remarkable answers. I 724 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:22,239 Speaker 5: think it's just still that problem. That's a good problem. 725 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 5: So if you ask chat GPT or friends and say, 726 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 5: you know, if I want to be successful in five years, 727 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:30,560 Speaker 5: I want to be at this level in five years, 728 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:33,200 Speaker 5: what are the things I should be doing now? And 729 00:34:33,239 --> 00:34:36,879 Speaker 5: so I think we live in a day where not 730 00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:40,719 Speaker 5: just information is regularly available, but ideas are readily available. 731 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:44,359 Speaker 5: And so surround yourself with people who helped to push 732 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:47,320 Speaker 5: you further than you could imagine you could have gone. 733 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:51,279 Speaker 5: And if you continue to position yourself around people in 734 00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:53,239 Speaker 5: rooms like this, and it said like y'all should get 735 00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:55,759 Speaker 5: to know each other. If you position yourself in rooms 736 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:58,200 Speaker 5: like this, you will constantly be challenged and you will 737 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:01,600 Speaker 5: constantly grow and get better. But to specifically answer your question, 738 00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:05,680 Speaker 5: business is about fundamentals always, all the time. It is 739 00:35:05,719 --> 00:35:09,400 Speaker 5: always about how we're delivering the best product to the consumer. 740 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:11,879 Speaker 5: At the end of the day, quick book thinks about that. 741 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:13,840 Speaker 5: The biggest companies in the world think about that. The 742 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:15,799 Speaker 5: smallest companies in the world think about that is how 743 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:19,160 Speaker 5: do we do that? And so it's always having that hand. 744 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:21,880 Speaker 5: The can combat to use that phrase with the consumer 745 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:24,479 Speaker 5: listening to them, they will tell you what they want. 746 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:27,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, it kind of comes back to that quote by 747 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:31,320 Speaker 2: I think it's Jeff Bezos with Amazon, right, relentlessly obsessing 748 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:35,520 Speaker 2: that's over your customer. Absolutely, So Janie alluded to it earlier. 749 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:38,200 Speaker 2: In twenty twelve, you were the co chair of the 750 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:41,440 Speaker 2: Ohio Small Business Owners for the Obama Committee, part of 751 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:43,520 Speaker 2: the Obama for America campaign. 752 00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:46,759 Speaker 3: What did that roll and tail? That's the real So. 753 00:35:46,719 --> 00:35:49,640 Speaker 5: It's advocating around the state for some of the business 754 00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:53,200 Speaker 5: policies that were alive around the time. And so we 755 00:35:53,239 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 5: had a chance to go around the state of Ohio 756 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:58,160 Speaker 5: talking to small business owners and making sure that the 757 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:03,120 Speaker 5: campaign at the time was designing policy around what Ohioans 758 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:05,000 Speaker 5: actually need. So that's what we were doing. 759 00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 2: So what did you I mean, you were surrounding yourself, 760 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:09,960 Speaker 2: I'm sure with a lot of people that were, you know, 761 00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:11,920 Speaker 2: boots on the ground small business owners. 762 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:13,280 Speaker 3: What did you learn from them? 763 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,120 Speaker 2: I mean people that you might not have surrounded yourself 764 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:17,880 Speaker 2: with in the first place, Right, what lessons did you 765 00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:19,240 Speaker 2: take and then apply to your own businesses? 766 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:19,520 Speaker 4: Yeah? 767 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:21,279 Speaker 5: And I was one of them myself too, So I 768 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:24,120 Speaker 5: was with my peers people I just didn't know before. 769 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:26,040 Speaker 5: And so one of the things that you know, I 770 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:31,600 Speaker 5: found interesting about Ohio entrepreneurs is that we are not 771 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,400 Speaker 5: afraid to get our hands dirty. We are not afraid 772 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:36,960 Speaker 5: to do the mundane stuff that you talked about. So 773 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,680 Speaker 5: you may not see our businesses, you know, on TV 774 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:43,319 Speaker 5: and then bright lights, but these are businesses that you 775 00:36:43,360 --> 00:36:46,320 Speaker 5: can't live without. And so a lot of the things 776 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:49,880 Speaker 5: that get put in to support businesses that get the 777 00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:53,520 Speaker 5: bright lights. I wouldn't much rather, you know, somebody is 778 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:56,520 Speaker 5: a mentor of mine from a distance, you know, because 779 00:36:56,600 --> 00:36:59,120 Speaker 5: I believe people that I follow are also mentors. They 780 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:02,320 Speaker 5: just don't know it. You can laugh at that. That was funny, 781 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:07,120 Speaker 5: he said. You know, like one of the greatest things 782 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:10,440 Speaker 5: about like the gold Rush is the actual money was 783 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:12,960 Speaker 5: made by the people who sold the picks and shovels. 784 00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:16,960 Speaker 5: The gold rush wasn't necessarily the people who got rich 785 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:19,200 Speaker 5: was not the people who found the gold, because everybody 786 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:21,640 Speaker 5: was looking for gold, But the people who sold the 787 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:23,880 Speaker 5: picks and shovels were the ones that actually made the money. 788 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:26,760 Speaker 5: And so I am so when I say like Ohio 789 00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:29,759 Speaker 5: small businesses. To answer your question, we're the people who 790 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:32,720 Speaker 5: make picks and shovels, and so we make life work 791 00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:35,520 Speaker 5: in places that often get overlooked. 792 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:37,839 Speaker 3: I love that. I love that answer so much. 793 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:42,080 Speaker 1: All right, So we're actually going to hop into some 794 00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:45,000 Speaker 1: audience questions, maybe a little rapid fire style. 795 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:51,040 Speaker 4: Yeah, we got. 796 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:52,919 Speaker 1: Some really great questions lined up for you. The first 797 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:56,880 Speaker 1: one is starting from business questions. 798 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:01,360 Speaker 4: What can get dating advice? 799 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:02,080 Speaker 1: What do you want to do? 800 00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:04,400 Speaker 4: All right? 801 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:08,120 Speaker 1: This first question is for Renee when starting a new business, 802 00:38:08,239 --> 00:38:12,120 Speaker 1: what is the best option, in your opinion, LLC or corp? 803 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:14,960 Speaker 1: And do you think you need to do this immediately 804 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:16,880 Speaker 1: or should you wait until money starts coming in. 805 00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:20,720 Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm not a tax advisor. I'm not a lawyer. 806 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,759 Speaker 5: I'm not so I'm gonna say that disclaimer. So it 807 00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:26,520 Speaker 5: really just depends on the kind of business. So I 808 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:28,359 Speaker 5: will say that, and that's probably all I will say 809 00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:31,040 Speaker 5: about the structure, because I'm not gonna get myself in trouble. 810 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:33,560 Speaker 5: There's people with quick books who can answer that. Sure, 811 00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:37,240 Speaker 5: But which is the one to do first? So there's 812 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:40,000 Speaker 5: different schools of thought of what you should do first. 813 00:38:40,239 --> 00:38:42,640 Speaker 5: I am of the school of thought that says, do 814 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:45,600 Speaker 5: enough to make sure you're protected, and no more until 815 00:38:45,640 --> 00:38:48,239 Speaker 5: you've got a customer waiting for it. I'm of that 816 00:38:48,239 --> 00:38:50,560 Speaker 5: school of thought. But it also depends on which industry 817 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:52,880 Speaker 5: you're in. So obviously you're going to be in healthcare, 818 00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:54,040 Speaker 5: and you got to start up in healthcare. You need 819 00:38:54,080 --> 00:38:56,640 Speaker 5: to do certain things. Regulated industries you need to do 820 00:38:56,680 --> 00:38:59,480 Speaker 5: certain things. But if you're you know, creating a new 821 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:02,560 Speaker 5: shape utter or you doing you know, creating a new 822 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,600 Speaker 5: product or this new service that isn't in the regulated industry, 823 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:08,120 Speaker 5: the most time you should be spent doing is finding 824 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:09,720 Speaker 5: somebody who will pay you. Period. 825 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:12,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it comes back to what you said before, 826 00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:14,160 Speaker 2: which was, you know, if you don't have customers, you 827 00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:17,200 Speaker 2: don't have employees, you know, everything else oxygen. 828 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 5: You can't breathe if you don't have a customer one 829 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:19,840 Speaker 5: hundred percent. 830 00:39:20,320 --> 00:39:22,520 Speaker 3: So this question is from Kristen. 831 00:39:23,239 --> 00:39:25,759 Speaker 2: What is your favorite mistake that you've made early on 832 00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:29,080 Speaker 2: in your career that had the biggest positive impact on 833 00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:30,000 Speaker 2: your success today. 834 00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,560 Speaker 5: So, as I mentioned, one of my mentors owned a 835 00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:35,480 Speaker 5: bunch of McDonald's restaurants. I didn't say what they were. 836 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:38,440 Speaker 5: They were McDonald's restaurants, and when I had the idea 837 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:42,760 Speaker 5: for Creatio, he let me test this live custom radio 838 00:39:42,760 --> 00:39:46,120 Speaker 5: station in his restaurant. What he didn't tell me is 839 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:48,000 Speaker 5: this restaurant that he let me do it and didn't 840 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,880 Speaker 5: have a sound system. And so this is my first 841 00:39:52,120 --> 00:39:55,400 Speaker 5: restaurant that I've ever put anything in, and so I 842 00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:58,240 Speaker 5: had to figure out how to install the sound system. 843 00:39:58,239 --> 00:40:00,799 Speaker 5: But also the kicker is the there was no drop 844 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:03,800 Speaker 5: ceiling between the where the office was in the lobby. 845 00:40:04,239 --> 00:40:07,920 Speaker 5: It was just drywall, and so I didn't know how 846 00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:10,160 Speaker 5: to get the wire above the ceiling to get to 847 00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:14,480 Speaker 5: the lobby. And so I'm legit stapling speaker wire to 848 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:18,000 Speaker 5: the ceiling through the kitchen of a McDonald's restaurant. And 849 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:20,560 Speaker 5: it wasn't even commercial great speaker wire. It was like 850 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:23,239 Speaker 5: car grade speaker Best Buy. So it was like, it's 851 00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:26,080 Speaker 5: such a bad faux pod to be doing, you know, 852 00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:28,640 Speaker 5: in the commercial environment. If the fire marshall would have 853 00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:31,000 Speaker 5: come in, we would have all been bad. But I 854 00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:33,319 Speaker 5: look back at that like, you know, this is I 855 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:35,600 Speaker 5: was trying to figure it out. And so if you 856 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:39,279 Speaker 5: see a McDonald's with staple holes through the ceiling, that 857 00:40:39,360 --> 00:40:40,560 Speaker 5: was probably my McDonald's. 858 00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:43,440 Speaker 1: Oh god, that reminds me of my very first like 859 00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:46,480 Speaker 1: zoom training where I was using like a laptop that 860 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:49,680 Speaker 1: was probably older than me, and the thing just froze 861 00:40:49,840 --> 00:40:52,239 Speaker 1: for like thirty minute it and the internet went out 862 00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:54,000 Speaker 1: and then the battery died and I was like, it's 863 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:56,759 Speaker 1: got to be better than this, got to be better 864 00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:57,600 Speaker 1: than this next time. 865 00:40:58,600 --> 00:40:58,920 Speaker 3: All right. 866 00:40:58,960 --> 00:41:00,799 Speaker 1: So this question is actually gonna for all of us. 867 00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:04,000 Speaker 1: I'll let you lead, will So this question is from 868 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:07,040 Speaker 1: VICKI what was the hardest part of getting your business 869 00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:07,880 Speaker 1: up and running? 870 00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:13,319 Speaker 5: Getting over fear? And so I would say, number one, 871 00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:18,280 Speaker 5: it wasn't hard. But there are so many mental roadblocks 872 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:20,759 Speaker 5: you've got to get over too, because so often we 873 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:23,719 Speaker 5: tell ourselves no, We'll say, oh, all that wouldn't work 874 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:27,040 Speaker 5: because all that, But did you try it? And so 875 00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:30,880 Speaker 5: they're particularly coming from, you know, a family where not 876 00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:33,680 Speaker 5: a bunch of people were entrepreneurs, but they had entrepreneurial 877 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:36,320 Speaker 5: dreams and just didn't go after them or didn't succeed 878 00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:39,600 Speaker 5: or whatever it was. We ended up getting in these 879 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:43,680 Speaker 5: cycles of self doubt. And I'm not going to sit 880 00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:45,720 Speaker 5: up here and say I was the most confident person. 881 00:41:45,719 --> 00:41:47,200 Speaker 5: I just knew what I wanted and I was just 882 00:41:47,239 --> 00:41:49,759 Speaker 5: gonna go. And it was out of ignorance, like I 883 00:41:49,800 --> 00:41:52,360 Speaker 5: didn't know what to add. So I'm just I'm a goer, 884 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:55,200 Speaker 5: and so I just go, not knowing which direction, but 885 00:41:55,239 --> 00:41:58,279 Speaker 5: I know I want something and I'm going for it. 886 00:41:58,360 --> 00:42:00,920 Speaker 5: But when you go on that your head at night, 887 00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:03,000 Speaker 5: I did even mention this. I should I'll say it 888 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:07,280 Speaker 5: because it's important. Two weeks before I closed on the building, 889 00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:09,680 Speaker 5: which is now toll House, I haven't once had a 890 00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:13,200 Speaker 5: nervous breakdown because I'm like, nobody in my family ever 891 00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:16,640 Speaker 5: bought anything outside of their home, and here I'm in 892 00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:20,000 Speaker 5: about to close in a couple of days on a 893 00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:24,800 Speaker 5: twenty five thousand square foot building, and I'm like, I 894 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:26,960 Speaker 5: remember sleeping on the couch that night, like because I 895 00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:30,879 Speaker 5: couldn't move, and I'm like, can I cancel the closing day? 896 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:35,480 Speaker 5: Like I'm like, I'm legit, I'm I freaked out. And 897 00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:40,800 Speaker 5: so there are moments of self doubt, there are moments 898 00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:44,719 Speaker 5: of fear that will keep you stuck. And so there's 899 00:42:44,719 --> 00:42:47,279 Speaker 5: this analogy I like to use in these moments of 900 00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:49,920 Speaker 5: you know, anybody or in room ever played football, and 901 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:51,920 Speaker 5: I'm not gonna give you a football thing. But if 902 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:55,919 Speaker 5: you'll appreciate this, So in American football, and you've got 903 00:42:55,920 --> 00:42:58,080 Speaker 5: the ball and you're running with the ball, and you've 904 00:42:58,080 --> 00:42:59,680 Speaker 5: got people trying to bring you down, to trying to 905 00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:02,759 Speaker 5: tackle you, and et cetera, the most important thing to do, 906 00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:06,000 Speaker 5: the most important thing to do when they're trying to 907 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:08,640 Speaker 5: bring you down is keep moving your feet. It is 908 00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:11,680 Speaker 5: not jukum, it is not spin. It does not run faster, 909 00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:14,040 Speaker 5: it is not none of the most important thing they do. 910 00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:15,879 Speaker 5: And no matter how many people are on you, even 911 00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:19,160 Speaker 5: if you're not moving forward, the most important thing to 912 00:43:19,200 --> 00:43:22,000 Speaker 5: do is keep moving your feet. In the face of fear, 913 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:24,880 Speaker 5: in the face of failure, in the face of the depression, 914 00:43:24,920 --> 00:43:27,120 Speaker 5: in the face of running out of money, the face 915 00:43:27,160 --> 00:43:30,200 Speaker 5: of divorce, the most important thing to do is keep 916 00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:31,439 Speaker 5: moving your feet. 917 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:32,719 Speaker 4: I love that. 918 00:43:32,719 --> 00:43:33,680 Speaker 3: That is a mic drop. 919 00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:35,040 Speaker 4: Yeah. 920 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:38,200 Speaker 1: I think for me, the hardest part of getting things 921 00:43:38,280 --> 00:43:41,560 Speaker 1: up and running is definitely learning how to let go 922 00:43:42,239 --> 00:43:44,600 Speaker 1: so that you can grow right. Because when you're thinking 923 00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:48,640 Speaker 1: about that first hire, you're still in very much solopreneur 924 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:51,239 Speaker 1: mindset where you feel like you have to have your 925 00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:55,399 Speaker 1: hands in everything, and usually your first hire is also 926 00:43:55,480 --> 00:43:59,280 Speaker 1: going to be micromanaged about you because you just don't 927 00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:01,640 Speaker 1: know how to let things go right. And you're like 928 00:44:01,719 --> 00:44:04,239 Speaker 1: hiring somebody to do something, but you're also doing it 929 00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:07,000 Speaker 1: for them, and you know that level of trust that 930 00:44:07,040 --> 00:44:09,719 Speaker 1: I think is required. You're giving a part of your 931 00:44:09,760 --> 00:44:12,800 Speaker 1: baby to be taken care of by your business, by 932 00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 1: the employee. And I think that was definitely the hardest 933 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:18,440 Speaker 1: part for me, just learning that I hired so that 934 00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:21,320 Speaker 1: I don't have to continue burning out, and just learning 935 00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:24,000 Speaker 1: that I don't need to be stirring the pod all 936 00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:26,000 Speaker 1: the time. 937 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:32,360 Speaker 2: Yes, I'm happy for you, man, I think for me, 938 00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:37,879 Speaker 2: what was you know, the hardest part was getting over 939 00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:41,560 Speaker 2: the fear of failure and failing publicly, right. I feel like, 940 00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:43,520 Speaker 2: back to what you're talking about, building a brand the 941 00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:47,879 Speaker 2: only way that you're going to be a true successful 942 00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:51,359 Speaker 2: big you know, entrepreneur, small business owners like, oh, yeah, 943 00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:53,480 Speaker 2: you're the guy with the T shirt company. You're the 944 00:44:53,520 --> 00:44:55,200 Speaker 2: guy that's got there whatever, right, and people are going 945 00:44:55,239 --> 00:44:58,400 Speaker 2: to know you from that, and if your business fails, 946 00:44:58,560 --> 00:45:01,440 Speaker 2: everyone now knows you the guy with the failed business. 947 00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:04,480 Speaker 2: And for me that was so hard because I didn't 948 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:06,080 Speaker 2: want to let down my friends. I didn't want to 949 00:45:06,120 --> 00:45:07,839 Speaker 2: let down my parents. I didn't want to let down 950 00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:10,680 Speaker 2: random people on the internet that I guess found me. Right, 951 00:45:10,719 --> 00:45:13,120 Speaker 2: But it's like getting over that hump of like, no, 952 00:45:13,280 --> 00:45:15,879 Speaker 2: this is me. I really enjoy the process and I'm 953 00:45:15,880 --> 00:45:17,480 Speaker 2: not doing this for them. I'm not doing this for 954 00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:19,440 Speaker 2: anyone but myself. I'm doing this for the journey, and 955 00:45:19,480 --> 00:45:20,160 Speaker 2: I'm in it for the long. 956 00:45:20,239 --> 00:45:22,840 Speaker 5: Hundred percent success is the journey, man, Oh, one hundred 957 00:45:22,800 --> 00:45:23,800 Speaker 5: percentcesses the journey. 958 00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:27,720 Speaker 2: Okay, So our next question comes from Kaylee. Kaylee says, 959 00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:30,719 Speaker 2: how do you define success and what kind of mindset 960 00:45:30,760 --> 00:45:35,600 Speaker 2: shifts did you make that helped you develop your dreams 961 00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:37,320 Speaker 2: to become a reality. So, like, what kind of mindset 962 00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:40,359 Speaker 2: shifts did you make to help those dreams become a reality? 963 00:45:40,360 --> 00:45:41,920 Speaker 3: As you were sort of defining success. 964 00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:45,759 Speaker 5: Yeah, so I'll start my saying, so the defining success part. 965 00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:48,520 Speaker 5: I used to think defining success wasn't like a dollar mode. 966 00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:52,160 Speaker 5: But there's an endless doll like dollar, monds always grow 967 00:45:52,280 --> 00:45:54,240 Speaker 5: no matter what scale you at, there was always another 968 00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:56,960 Speaker 5: dollar a mode. And so I like to think of 969 00:45:57,000 --> 00:45:59,200 Speaker 5: success now is do I get to wake up and 970 00:45:59,239 --> 00:46:02,600 Speaker 5: do what I want to do? What did I get 971 00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:05,880 Speaker 5: to choose the direction. I don't always get to choose 972 00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:08,799 Speaker 5: the tasks, because you know, you just have to you know, 973 00:46:08,840 --> 00:46:10,080 Speaker 5: whack a mole. You know, I have to do a 974 00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:12,120 Speaker 5: little bit of that when you run the business. But 975 00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:16,400 Speaker 5: are these problems that I chose because I chose this path? 976 00:46:16,920 --> 00:46:19,960 Speaker 5: And that's how I define success now is do I 977 00:46:20,080 --> 00:46:23,600 Speaker 5: get to work on things that I find interesting, hire 978 00:46:23,640 --> 00:46:25,680 Speaker 5: out the things that I don't want to do, and 979 00:46:25,760 --> 00:46:28,680 Speaker 5: build them for a business that I'm building. That's how 980 00:46:28,719 --> 00:46:31,960 Speaker 5: I define success today. I forgot the second part of the. 981 00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:34,080 Speaker 3: Question, the mindset shift that you had to make. 982 00:46:34,160 --> 00:46:36,560 Speaker 5: Oh so, yeah, I am a I'm a vision boarder. 983 00:46:37,160 --> 00:46:40,640 Speaker 5: And so I before I bought toll House, I had 984 00:46:40,840 --> 00:46:43,440 Speaker 5: buildings like toll House on my vision board because I 985 00:46:43,520 --> 00:46:46,360 Speaker 5: knew one day I was going to have buildings. And 986 00:46:46,440 --> 00:46:49,560 Speaker 5: so I believe that you should keep a vision in 987 00:46:49,600 --> 00:46:52,319 Speaker 5: front of you of what your ideal life looks like. 988 00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:54,759 Speaker 5: And because again, we get caught up in the day 989 00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:57,359 Speaker 5: to day mundane stuff, the stuff that keeps us busy 990 00:46:57,400 --> 00:46:59,640 Speaker 5: and et cetera, and so you can end up being 991 00:47:00,080 --> 00:47:02,520 Speaker 5: so far away from what your vision is for yourself 992 00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:04,520 Speaker 5: if you're not paying attention to what the vision looks like. 993 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:07,560 Speaker 5: The purpose of the vision board is to keep your 994 00:47:07,640 --> 00:47:10,600 Speaker 5: brain focused on this is the direction I'm going in. 995 00:47:10,960 --> 00:47:12,759 Speaker 5: And if you write it down, you're more likely to 996 00:47:12,800 --> 00:47:14,719 Speaker 5: just put it in the journal, close it up, put 997 00:47:14,719 --> 00:47:16,280 Speaker 5: it in the drawer or whatever. It's on the table. 998 00:47:16,320 --> 00:47:18,160 Speaker 5: You don't even open a thing. But when you have 999 00:47:18,239 --> 00:47:20,440 Speaker 5: a visual of it right by my mirror when I 1000 00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:22,640 Speaker 5: get dressed in the morning, it's right there I can see, 1001 00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:25,680 Speaker 5: and then I get to audit unconsciously all day long. 1002 00:47:25,719 --> 00:47:27,239 Speaker 5: Am I doing the things that helped me get to 1003 00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:29,160 Speaker 5: that place I was looking at on my vision board 1004 00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:29,600 Speaker 5: this morning? 1005 00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:31,719 Speaker 2: Well, I know this is obviously we're interviewing year, but 1006 00:47:31,800 --> 00:47:33,920 Speaker 2: this maybe think about something that I do every year 1007 00:47:33,920 --> 00:47:35,360 Speaker 2: at the end of the year, which is I write 1008 00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:37,520 Speaker 2: down on a piece of paper ten things that I 1009 00:47:37,520 --> 00:47:39,759 Speaker 2: accomplished that year, because I think as entrepreneurs, we're living 1010 00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:41,600 Speaker 2: so fast, right, Oh, I got to go do this, 1011 00:47:41,600 --> 00:47:42,799 Speaker 2: I have to go do this, and you're always thinking 1012 00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:43,920 Speaker 2: about the next thing, the next thing. 1013 00:47:44,160 --> 00:47:45,920 Speaker 3: When actuality, it's like, no, we. 1014 00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:48,480 Speaker 2: Actually accomplished a lot over the last twelve months, right, 1015 00:47:48,520 --> 00:47:50,560 Speaker 2: we should reflect and get excited about that. 1016 00:47:50,840 --> 00:47:51,960 Speaker 5: Absolutely, agree? 1017 00:47:52,320 --> 00:47:55,160 Speaker 1: All right, So this next question is from Vanessa. We 1018 00:47:55,239 --> 00:47:57,920 Speaker 1: all know that first year of entrepreneurship is make or 1019 00:47:57,920 --> 00:47:59,719 Speaker 1: break for a lot of people. So how do you 1020 00:47:59,719 --> 00:48:02,120 Speaker 1: serve the adversity in that first year? 1021 00:48:03,480 --> 00:48:05,439 Speaker 5: Realize you're not gonna make it in the first year, 1022 00:48:07,360 --> 00:48:10,400 Speaker 5: that's really it. And so if you are expecting to 1023 00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:12,920 Speaker 5: be a year in and you struck gold, it just 1024 00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:16,520 Speaker 5: doesn't happen like that for most people. And so brace 1025 00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:20,400 Speaker 5: yourself for impact. That's what it is. And so I 1026 00:48:20,440 --> 00:48:23,400 Speaker 5: was writing on the plane here, I was writing just 1027 00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:25,560 Speaker 5: kind of like some thoughts I was having because again 1028 00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:27,440 Speaker 5: I told y'all, like I go through these moments of 1029 00:48:27,480 --> 00:48:30,880 Speaker 5: like these big leaps, and everyone causes like a different 1030 00:48:30,920 --> 00:48:33,759 Speaker 5: sort of reaction. And I was thinking about, like how 1031 00:48:34,280 --> 00:48:37,279 Speaker 5: business is war in so many respects, and it's war 1032 00:48:37,360 --> 00:48:41,719 Speaker 5: against going broke, it's war against self doubt, it's war 1033 00:48:41,760 --> 00:48:43,920 Speaker 5: against most of all of us in your mind. One 1034 00:48:43,960 --> 00:48:49,160 Speaker 5: hundred percent. I agree with that. And finding success, especially 1035 00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:52,720 Speaker 5: when you're starting to get something going, is a legit, 1036 00:48:52,880 --> 00:48:56,600 Speaker 5: like scratching and clawing your way to it. It is 1037 00:48:56,680 --> 00:49:00,919 Speaker 5: survival in so many ways until it's not. And then 1038 00:49:01,040 --> 00:49:04,440 Speaker 5: once it's not, there's another level because somebody else is 1039 00:49:04,480 --> 00:49:07,040 Speaker 5: coming for it. And so there I was telling my 1040 00:49:07,080 --> 00:49:10,000 Speaker 5: wife the other day, like, there is no stasis in business, 1041 00:49:10,040 --> 00:49:13,080 Speaker 5: like either you're growing or you're dying. That's it. Now. 1042 00:49:13,320 --> 00:49:16,560 Speaker 5: You may think, Okay, we're flat, we're revenue neutral three 1043 00:49:16,680 --> 00:49:19,760 Speaker 5: years in a row. You think everything's solid, it's legit. 1044 00:49:19,840 --> 00:49:23,120 Speaker 5: You just don't see it. And so it's like dying 1045 00:49:23,200 --> 00:49:26,200 Speaker 5: slow in real life. It's like I can, you know, 1046 00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:29,239 Speaker 5: eat poorly every day and I may not see it 1047 00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:31,400 Speaker 5: for the first six months or the first year. You 1048 00:49:31,480 --> 00:49:33,759 Speaker 5: just don't see it yet, but it's coming. And so 1049 00:49:34,640 --> 00:49:37,200 Speaker 5: we have to put ourselves in the position to be 1050 00:49:37,320 --> 00:49:40,320 Speaker 5: thinking about growth at every stage because that's the only 1051 00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:42,400 Speaker 5: way business thrives is if it's growing. 1052 00:49:42,640 --> 00:49:44,760 Speaker 2: No, I totally get that right, the idea of business 1053 00:49:44,800 --> 00:49:47,759 Speaker 2: cycles and secular growth trends, and if you're operating within one, 1054 00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:50,120 Speaker 2: you want to be growing within that secular growth trend 1055 00:49:50,160 --> 00:49:53,759 Speaker 2: for sure. So our next question comes from Francis, And 1056 00:49:53,840 --> 00:49:58,759 Speaker 2: speaking of Francis that what's up, Francis, when did you 1057 00:49:58,840 --> 00:50:01,560 Speaker 2: feel like you were fine able to take a breath? 1058 00:50:01,880 --> 00:50:04,360 Speaker 3: I enjoy the fruits without. 1059 00:50:04,719 --> 00:50:10,280 Speaker 5: I don't do that. Yeah, yeah, I mean I sleep, 1060 00:50:10,320 --> 00:50:13,560 Speaker 5: but this is my thing like I love to do 1061 00:50:13,600 --> 00:50:17,480 Speaker 5: what I do. I love it, and some people will golf. 1062 00:50:17,560 --> 00:50:19,160 Speaker 5: I am mad at you if you golf. Some people 1063 00:50:19,160 --> 00:50:21,120 Speaker 5: play video games. I only play video games if I'm 1064 00:50:21,120 --> 00:50:25,359 Speaker 5: playing with my son. I love to work and that's 1065 00:50:25,360 --> 00:50:29,320 Speaker 5: what I do. And so if I'm chilling with my family, 1066 00:50:29,320 --> 00:50:32,920 Speaker 5: then I get moments of breathing. And you know, to 1067 00:50:33,320 --> 00:50:36,479 Speaker 5: use that kind of analogy. And so I don't see 1068 00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:42,240 Speaker 5: rest how most people see rest. I enjoy, I love, 1069 00:50:42,600 --> 00:50:46,480 Speaker 5: I thrive, I find joy all these things off of 1070 00:50:47,239 --> 00:50:50,600 Speaker 5: doing the work. And so yeah, I don't know no 1071 00:50:50,640 --> 00:50:52,560 Speaker 5: other way to answer that than be honest. I just 1072 00:50:52,600 --> 00:50:55,200 Speaker 5: don't do like the you finally can rest on my 1073 00:50:55,280 --> 00:50:58,000 Speaker 5: laurels and that the business run itself. Like the minute 1074 00:50:58,040 --> 00:50:59,600 Speaker 5: you do that, it is a rap man, I just 1075 00:50:59,640 --> 00:51:00,200 Speaker 5: believe it. 1076 00:51:00,400 --> 00:51:02,480 Speaker 1: That's just when they say, do what you love and 1077 00:51:02,520 --> 00:51:07,520 Speaker 1: you'll never work like that, all right. So last season, 1078 00:51:07,719 --> 00:51:10,360 Speaker 1: we asked all of our guests to share their why, 1079 00:51:10,760 --> 00:51:14,200 Speaker 1: you know, so that spark that keeps them going when 1080 00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:17,279 Speaker 1: times are tough, and even the thing that inspired them 1081 00:51:17,320 --> 00:51:18,840 Speaker 1: to open the business in the first place. 1082 00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:20,800 Speaker 4: So what is your why? 1083 00:51:21,520 --> 00:51:24,759 Speaker 5: Every piece of potential I have I want it expressed 1084 00:51:25,640 --> 00:51:28,240 Speaker 5: in the real world. I don't want to miss nothing. 1085 00:51:28,800 --> 00:51:30,840 Speaker 5: When my day comes, I want to be like so 1086 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:36,000 Speaker 5: exhausted and so tired because I gave everything to reaching 1087 00:51:36,080 --> 00:51:39,040 Speaker 5: my fullest potential. That is my why. I want to 1088 00:51:39,080 --> 00:51:43,840 Speaker 5: give every piece of creativity, every idea that is worthy 1089 00:51:43,920 --> 00:51:48,720 Speaker 5: to chase, every gift, every word of encouragement, every blessing 1090 00:51:48,800 --> 00:51:53,359 Speaker 5: to somebody, every piece of advice, every investment I can give. 1091 00:51:53,440 --> 00:51:55,600 Speaker 5: I want to give it all. I want to be 1092 00:51:55,640 --> 00:51:57,200 Speaker 5: empty when my day comes. 1093 00:51:57,760 --> 00:52:00,120 Speaker 3: We'll lucas everybody. 1094 00:52:09,760 --> 00:52:12,920 Speaker 1: We just hopped off this stage. Literally they're breaking down 1095 00:52:12,960 --> 00:52:17,120 Speaker 1: the set right now. And Wow, what an incredible episode, Austin. 1096 00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:20,160 Speaker 1: I mean, I know there were so many amazing parts, 1097 00:52:20,160 --> 00:52:21,040 Speaker 1: but what was your favorite? 1098 00:52:21,280 --> 00:52:21,880 Speaker 3: A favorite? 1099 00:52:21,880 --> 00:52:23,960 Speaker 2: You can't ask me a favorite from that interview, I'm 1100 00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:26,640 Speaker 2: my gosh. I feel like there were countless nuggets of 1101 00:52:26,680 --> 00:52:30,240 Speaker 2: information that just blew my mind. But if I could 1102 00:52:30,400 --> 00:52:33,560 Speaker 2: pick one, I think the biggest takeaway from that was 1103 00:52:33,600 --> 00:52:36,400 Speaker 2: when Will was describing all these entrepreneurs out there that 1104 00:52:36,440 --> 00:52:40,359 Speaker 2: he meets and mentors. They find themselves drifting, going from 1105 00:52:40,360 --> 00:52:42,600 Speaker 2: one opportunity to the next, not knowing what they want 1106 00:52:42,640 --> 00:52:44,400 Speaker 2: to turn into and not knowing who they want to 1107 00:52:44,440 --> 00:52:47,960 Speaker 2: be over time and having that time to self reflect 1108 00:52:47,960 --> 00:52:50,360 Speaker 2: and then build your own vision board can be very powerful. 1109 00:52:50,360 --> 00:52:53,279 Speaker 2: It's something I'm excited to do now after chatting up 1110 00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:53,759 Speaker 2: with Will here. 1111 00:52:53,800 --> 00:52:56,120 Speaker 3: But man, what an interview. What about you? What was 1112 00:52:56,160 --> 00:52:56,759 Speaker 3: your favorite part? 1113 00:52:57,160 --> 00:52:58,880 Speaker 1: You know, I love the fact that Will gave us 1114 00:52:58,920 --> 00:53:01,839 Speaker 1: permission to be obsessed with our businesses because I think 1115 00:53:01,880 --> 00:53:05,279 Speaker 1: there's sort of this like anti hustle culture that's sort 1116 00:53:05,280 --> 00:53:07,880 Speaker 1: of popping up in a weird way where we're almost 1117 00:53:07,920 --> 00:53:11,040 Speaker 1: being shamed for being like workaholics in a way where 1118 00:53:11,080 --> 00:53:13,000 Speaker 1: I'm just like, I don't feel like a workaholic in 1119 00:53:13,040 --> 00:53:15,239 Speaker 1: my business because I love it and every day that 1120 00:53:15,280 --> 00:53:18,160 Speaker 1: I get to create, it's just such a blessing and 1121 00:53:18,200 --> 00:53:20,320 Speaker 1: an opportunity. So I'm glad he gave us kind of 1122 00:53:20,320 --> 00:53:21,640 Speaker 1: permission to just be obsessed. 1123 00:53:22,480 --> 00:53:23,319 Speaker 3: I'm right there with you. 1124 00:53:23,400 --> 00:53:25,120 Speaker 2: And actually I want to double click on that because 1125 00:53:25,160 --> 00:53:28,360 Speaker 2: I think a lot of people listening right now, you know, 1126 00:53:28,440 --> 00:53:30,480 Speaker 2: if it's their partner, if it's their parents, if it's 1127 00:53:30,520 --> 00:53:32,920 Speaker 2: their siblings, you know, they might be getting some negative 1128 00:53:32,920 --> 00:53:34,359 Speaker 2: pressure saying, hey, you work too hard. 1129 00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:34,839 Speaker 3: What are you doing? 1130 00:53:35,040 --> 00:53:36,319 Speaker 2: You know, there's a lot of time and energy and 1131 00:53:36,360 --> 00:53:39,640 Speaker 2: focus going into this business, what's coming from it, and 1132 00:53:40,120 --> 00:53:42,279 Speaker 2: you know it comes back to that self reflection of 1133 00:53:42,400 --> 00:53:45,080 Speaker 2: if this was what makes you happy, then spend all 1134 00:53:45,080 --> 00:53:47,280 Speaker 2: the time in the world. Right, this is your baby 1135 00:53:47,440 --> 00:53:49,759 Speaker 2: you were talking about too. When you hire someone, you're 1136 00:53:49,840 --> 00:53:51,560 Speaker 2: kind of like giving your baby to someone else. I mean, 1137 00:53:51,560 --> 00:53:53,960 Speaker 2: that's exactly what's going on. And you are building this 1138 00:53:54,000 --> 00:53:56,239 Speaker 2: business from scratching. You should enjoy every moment of it. 1139 00:53:56,480 --> 00:53:57,080 Speaker 4: Absolutely. 1140 00:53:57,120 --> 00:54:00,160 Speaker 1: I enjoy being on this podcast with you, Austin, and 1141 00:54:00,200 --> 00:54:03,080 Speaker 1: I hope that you guys enjoy listening to it. And 1142 00:54:03,120 --> 00:54:05,560 Speaker 1: that's it for today's episode. You can find me on 1143 00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:07,920 Speaker 1: social media at jocierrodnetto. 1144 00:54:07,200 --> 00:54:10,319 Speaker 2: Podcast and you can find me at Austin Hankwitz. You 1145 00:54:10,360 --> 00:54:14,080 Speaker 2: can follow Into It QuickBooks on all social media at QuickBooks. 1146 00:54:14,239 --> 00:54:16,640 Speaker 2: To get the tools you need to start, run and 1147 00:54:16,760 --> 00:54:19,720 Speaker 2: grow your business, head to QuickBooks dot com today. 1148 00:54:20,280 --> 00:54:23,040 Speaker 1: Don't forget to follow this show wherever you listen to podcasts, 1149 00:54:23,080 --> 00:54:25,719 Speaker 1: so you can stay up to date on future episodes, and. 1150 00:54:25,640 --> 00:54:28,080 Speaker 2: We want to hear from you, so be sure to 1151 00:54:28,160 --> 00:54:29,800 Speaker 2: leave a rating and a review. 1152 00:54:30,320 --> 00:54:31,239 Speaker 3: See you next time. 1153 00:54:39,480 --> 00:54:42,400 Speaker 1: QuickBooks Money is a standalone Into It offering banking services 1154 00:54:42,440 --> 00:54:45,080 Speaker 1: provided by Green dot Bank member FDIC only. 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