1 00:00:02,786 --> 00:00:04,873 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast. 2 00:00:04,873 --> 00:00:08,811 In this show, the Texas FFA Foundation will take on a 3 00:00:08,891 --> 00:00:12,663 journey of exploration into agricultural science, education, 4 00:00:12,663 --> 00:00:15,990 leadership development and insights from subject matter 5 00:00:16,071 --> 00:00:19,669 experts and sponsors who provide the fuel to make dreams come 6 00:00:19,708 --> 00:00:19,969 true. 7 00:00:19,969 --> 00:00:22,344 Here's your host, Aaron Alejandro. 8 00:00:30,111 --> 00:00:33,152 Speaker 2: Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening or 9 00:00:33,433 --> 00:00:37,637 whenever you may be tuning in to the Growing Our Future podcast 10 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:39,445 Number one, thank you. 11 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:40,704 Thank you for stopping by. 12 00:00:40,704 --> 00:00:43,795 I meant, when you're asking somebody to give up a little bit 13 00:00:43,795 --> 00:00:46,084 of their time, you're asking them to give something away that 14 00:00:46,084 --> 00:00:47,167 they're never going to get back . 15 00:00:47,167 --> 00:00:50,124 So the fact that you're joining us, we want you to know that, 16 00:00:50,164 --> 00:00:51,948 we appreciate that and we value that. 17 00:00:51,948 --> 00:00:55,185 We also appreciate the fact that we've got this incredible 18 00:00:55,244 --> 00:01:00,642 platform, this technology that we have that allows us to bring 19 00:01:00,722 --> 00:01:04,349 subject matter experts on, to bring guests on that are willing 20 00:01:04,349 --> 00:01:08,385 to share their insights, their experiences, their expertise, to 21 00:01:08,385 --> 00:01:10,129 share seeds of greatness. 22 00:01:10,129 --> 00:01:14,503 You know, like we always say, if agriculture has taught us 23 00:01:14,584 --> 00:01:15,626 anything, it's taught us. 24 00:01:16,328 --> 00:01:18,881 If you want to know what the future is, grow it. 25 00:01:18,881 --> 00:01:20,444 Well, how do you grow it? 26 00:01:20,444 --> 00:01:23,820 You got to plant the right seeds and today we've got a guy 27 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:25,765 that's going to bring some seeds of greatness. 28 00:01:25,765 --> 00:01:28,992 It has been an honor to get to know him, it's been an honor to 29 00:01:29,031 --> 00:01:31,950 work with him and, I will tell you, it's even more of an honor 30 00:01:31,969 --> 00:01:34,099 that he's taking time out of his schedule to join us. 31 00:01:34,099 --> 00:01:37,427 Ladies and gentlemen, steve Derman, steve, thank you for 32 00:01:37,468 --> 00:01:37,969 joining us. 33 00:01:38,631 --> 00:01:39,540 Speaker 3: Aaron, thank you for having me. 34 00:01:39,540 --> 00:01:41,662 It's always an honor, definitely a pleasure, to be 35 00:01:41,703 --> 00:01:41,843 here. 36 00:01:42,444 --> 00:01:43,846 Speaker 2: You're going to learn more about Steve. 37 00:01:43,846 --> 00:01:47,712 He is the founder and creative director of Four man Furnace. 38 00:01:47,712 --> 00:01:50,340 We'll talk a little bit about Four man Furnace and you've 39 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,046 probably seen their work and we're going to talk about that 40 00:01:53,549 --> 00:01:54,209 here in a minute. 41 00:01:54,209 --> 00:01:59,626 Steve, every episode when we start, we like to ask guests the 42 00:01:59,626 --> 00:02:00,507 same question. 43 00:02:00,507 --> 00:02:05,013 So we start every episode with the same question and you get 44 00:02:05,054 --> 00:02:10,870 that question today and it is Steve, what are you grateful for 45 00:02:10,870 --> 00:02:11,491 today? 46 00:02:12,233 --> 00:02:15,319 Speaker 3: Gosh, I'm feeling incredibly grateful today just 47 00:02:15,439 --> 00:02:15,981 for family. 48 00:02:15,981 --> 00:02:18,930 I've got my beautiful daughter Tessa here at the office with me 49 00:02:18,930 --> 00:02:19,211 today. 50 00:02:19,211 --> 00:02:20,644 She's helping me at work. 51 00:02:20,644 --> 00:02:24,879 She's incredibly talented and is able to actually legitimately 52 00:02:24,879 --> 00:02:27,144 be a help here at the office even at 12 years old. 53 00:02:27,144 --> 00:02:30,272 But definitely just feeling incredibly grateful for family 54 00:02:30,293 --> 00:02:34,830 today in general my son Wesley, my wife Leandra, across the 55 00:02:34,849 --> 00:02:36,092 board, just very blessed. 56 00:02:38,020 --> 00:02:40,066 Speaker 2: That's good, I agree with you. 57 00:02:40,066 --> 00:02:43,192 And the thing I appreciate, steve, steve, is how much you 58 00:02:43,231 --> 00:02:47,701 appreciate your family and you value your family and it shows. 59 00:02:47,701 --> 00:02:51,550 And I showed the kids a picture of our family the other day and 60 00:02:51,550 --> 00:02:52,233 I said look at that. 61 00:02:52,233 --> 00:02:55,067 And they're like what I said look at that, you know. 62 00:02:55,067 --> 00:02:56,269 Look, I want you to look at it. 63 00:02:56,269 --> 00:02:59,466 And I kind of got a little sappy with them and I said you 64 00:02:59,507 --> 00:03:03,481 know, if you'd ever grew up with one, you don't understand why 65 00:03:03,542 --> 00:03:04,787 this is such a precious picture. 66 00:03:04,787 --> 00:03:11,664 Yeah, and so when you share a family, I just want you to know 67 00:03:11,685 --> 00:03:12,848 that that means something, because some people never grew 68 00:03:12,868 --> 00:03:13,110 up with that. 69 00:03:13,110 --> 00:03:15,879 And so when we get to see it, we appreciate it and we value it 70 00:03:15,879 --> 00:03:15,879 . 71 00:03:15,900 --> 00:03:18,847 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, it's the one thing that we get in life 72 00:03:18,926 --> 00:03:22,401 that we don't get to acquire or choose for ourselves. 73 00:03:22,401 --> 00:03:27,252 Either we're born into a family not of our choosing, or when we 74 00:03:27,252 --> 00:03:30,007 choose to have a family and create a family, we don't really 75 00:03:30,007 --> 00:03:34,165 have a whole terrible amount of control over how that turns out 76 00:03:34,165 --> 00:03:36,455 and the people that kind of become a part of that. 77 00:03:36,455 --> 00:03:38,282 So it's always a blessing. 78 00:03:38,282 --> 00:03:40,775 It's also a challenge, but through those challenges we grow 79 00:03:40,775 --> 00:03:41,759 and become better people. 80 00:03:41,759 --> 00:03:44,468 So, yeah, just I'm feeling it today for sure. 81 00:03:49,020 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 2: Awesome. 82 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:50,786 Well, good luck to those kids, and I know they're going to do 83 00:03:50,825 --> 00:03:51,106 good work. 84 00:03:51,106 --> 00:03:52,031 They got a good boss, so that's a good thing. 85 00:03:52,031 --> 00:03:52,532 Appreciate it, thanks. 86 00:03:52,532 --> 00:03:53,717 So, anyway, hey, listen. 87 00:03:53,796 --> 00:03:57,286 So for people that aren't familiar with Steve Durnham or 88 00:03:57,346 --> 00:04:00,233 Four man Furnace, let me give y'all a little backstory. 89 00:04:00,233 --> 00:04:06,594 So several years ago we wanted to do a project, a promotional 90 00:04:06,655 --> 00:04:10,906 project, to promote really what we see as the value of 91 00:04:10,985 --> 00:04:14,073 agricultural science education and the FFA program. 92 00:04:14,073 --> 00:04:18,512 And those of you familiar with our show and what we talk about, 93 00:04:18,512 --> 00:04:21,641 I always say if you want to be the best, train with the best. 94 00:04:21,641 --> 00:04:24,906 So if you want to be the best at something, go find the best 95 00:04:25,026 --> 00:04:28,911 out there and train with them, hang out with them, watch them. 96 00:04:28,911 --> 00:04:34,266 And we had caught word of this company called Four man Furnace. 97 00:04:34,266 --> 00:04:38,418 We got word of this gentleman named Steve Derman and we 98 00:04:38,538 --> 00:04:41,504 reached out and we started a relationship, a business 99 00:04:41,584 --> 00:04:46,173 relationship, and I got to tell you I would say this on the air 100 00:04:46,213 --> 00:04:49,786 and off the air I appreciate this organization. 101 00:04:50,007 --> 00:04:54,442 I appreciate their employees, their leadership, their customer 102 00:04:54,442 --> 00:04:54,843 service. 103 00:04:54,843 --> 00:04:58,269 They are always on top of their game. 104 00:04:58,269 --> 00:05:02,564 I love it that they listen and because they know this, they've 105 00:05:02,584 --> 00:05:05,411 got that skill of just listening with eyes and ears. 106 00:05:05,411 --> 00:05:10,870 It helps them create the products that they create, and 107 00:05:10,910 --> 00:05:12,713 it shows in what they put out there. 108 00:05:12,713 --> 00:05:17,132 But, steve, I don't suspect that you just fell into that 109 00:05:17,213 --> 00:05:18,096 seat that you're in. 110 00:05:18,096 --> 00:05:21,464 I don't believe that you just fell into being the creative 111 00:05:21,485 --> 00:05:23,247 director and founder of Foreman. 112 00:05:23,247 --> 00:05:27,682 Something tells me that there was a journey that led there, 113 00:05:28,584 --> 00:05:31,670 and so I was wondering if you might take a minute and tell us 114 00:05:32,273 --> 00:05:35,505 how did you get on this path to this journey for this company, 115 00:05:35,987 --> 00:05:39,600 for marketing and creative, and how did you end up in that chair 116 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:39,600 ? 117 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,083 Speaker 3: Yeah, so I didn't fall into the chair. 118 00:05:43,083 --> 00:05:48,447 I think it was equal parts, intention and equal parts. 119 00:05:48,447 --> 00:05:52,610 The other half of that coin is really just kind of going where 120 00:05:52,629 --> 00:05:57,913 I was led at any given moment in time and so my background is as 121 00:05:57,913 --> 00:05:59,074 a graphic designer. 122 00:05:59,074 --> 00:06:00,154 That's what I went to school for. 123 00:06:00,154 --> 00:06:04,858 I have my BA in graphic design and graduated in the late 90s, 124 00:06:05,098 --> 00:06:07,723 went to work at the time I was living in New Jersey went to 125 00:06:07,783 --> 00:06:10,769 work in Atlantic City, which was near where I lived at the time 126 00:06:11,271 --> 00:06:14,369 at a casino in their marketing department, and really was able 127 00:06:14,389 --> 00:06:19,362 to cut my teeth on just this industry that we're in creative 128 00:06:19,422 --> 00:06:23,269 services for marketing and branding and advertising and so 129 00:06:23,689 --> 00:06:26,553 really learned a lot those first couple of years working in the 130 00:06:26,593 --> 00:06:26,995 casino. 131 00:06:28,021 --> 00:06:34,226 In early 2000, moved here to the DFW area and had aspirations of 132 00:06:34,226 --> 00:06:36,742 working at an advertising agency Back then. 133 00:06:36,742 --> 00:06:41,105 To me the advertising agency life was exciting and fast-paced 134 00:06:41,105 --> 00:06:45,839 and creative and the types of clients working at an agency 135 00:06:45,980 --> 00:06:48,747 gives you access to is really exciting. 136 00:06:48,747 --> 00:06:50,192 So I did that. 137 00:06:50,192 --> 00:06:54,512 Middle of 2000, I landed a job at an advertising agency. 138 00:06:54,512 --> 00:06:57,403 So I'm going to fast forward a bunch because there was a lot of 139 00:06:57,403 --> 00:07:01,028 steps along the way there, but ended up as a creative director, 140 00:07:01,028 --> 00:07:05,317 an advertising agency, and at the same time, on the side, I 141 00:07:05,357 --> 00:07:08,286 was working with my own clients, kind of consulting on the side 142 00:07:08,949 --> 00:07:13,726 and it got to the point where both of those endeavors were 143 00:07:13,968 --> 00:07:16,834 incredibly intense and demanding a lot of my time. 144 00:07:16,834 --> 00:07:21,569 And so I'm leading a little bit into two things One, the 145 00:07:21,649 --> 00:07:25,055 founding of Four man Furnace and , at the same time, how I chose 146 00:07:25,096 --> 00:07:26,021 that name for the company. 147 00:07:26,723 --> 00:07:31,257 So at the time we were or I was going to work as a creative 148 00:07:31,276 --> 00:07:34,485 director at a pretty intense working environment and then, 149 00:07:34,504 --> 00:07:36,790 coming home and working a full-time job on my consulting 150 00:07:37,459 --> 00:07:41,805 clients, found out that my wife was pregnant with our firstborn 151 00:07:42,045 --> 00:07:47,593 this was in late 2007 and decided to quit my job. 152 00:07:47,593 --> 00:07:51,725 Something had to give and I said I'm going to quit the day 153 00:07:51,766 --> 00:07:54,860 job and I'm going to make this consulting thing, this freelance 154 00:07:54,860 --> 00:07:56,444 thing, the main thing. 155 00:07:56,444 --> 00:08:01,262 Which was really scary because there was no, you know, working 156 00:08:01,302 --> 00:08:02,764 at the agency as a creative director. 157 00:08:02,764 --> 00:08:08,762 I knew I had a job next week, next month, whatever Was working 158 00:08:08,762 --> 00:08:11,769 on some really good clients and working with some really smart, 159 00:08:11,769 --> 00:08:13,762 talented people and going freelance. 160 00:08:13,762 --> 00:08:14,728 Nothing was guaranteed. 161 00:08:14,728 --> 00:08:17,779 It was quite literally a leap of faith. 162 00:08:17,779 --> 00:08:23,071 It was what I believe to be the right decision, but definitely 163 00:08:23,170 --> 00:08:24,374 not the easy decision. 164 00:08:26,439 --> 00:08:28,264 So I knew, okay, I'm going to start creative business of my 165 00:08:28,363 --> 00:08:28,485 own. 166 00:08:28,485 --> 00:08:30,187 What am I going to call this thing? 167 00:08:30,187 --> 00:08:34,807 It needs to be memorable, it needs to attract some attention. 168 00:08:34,807 --> 00:08:38,480 People need to hear the name and it needs to be somewhat kind 169 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:39,783 of compelling and intriguing. 170 00:08:39,783 --> 00:08:43,993 But to me, it also needs to have meaning, and I really felt 171 00:08:45,144 --> 00:08:46,860 a story from the Old Testament of the Bible. 172 00:08:47,041 --> 00:08:49,307 At the time I felt like I was going through a similar 173 00:08:49,366 --> 00:08:52,160 experience, and it's the story of Shadrach, meshach and 174 00:08:52,221 --> 00:08:57,530 Abednego, when they refused to worship the king of Babylon and 175 00:08:58,111 --> 00:09:00,221 the punishment was he was going to throw them into a furnace of 176 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:00,841 fire and burn them alive. 177 00:09:00,841 --> 00:09:01,423 That was their punishment. 178 00:09:01,423 --> 00:09:03,164 He was going to throw them into a furnace of fire and burn them 179 00:09:03,164 --> 00:09:03,765 alive. 180 00:09:03,765 --> 00:09:04,687 That was their punishment. 181 00:09:04,687 --> 00:09:09,374 And so the story says that, confronted with this, they said 182 00:09:09,413 --> 00:09:18,743 to the king well, that's kind of scary and do what you're going 183 00:09:18,763 --> 00:09:18,863 to do. 184 00:09:18,863 --> 00:09:20,044 We believe we're making the right choice and we're keeping 185 00:09:20,065 --> 00:09:21,749 the leaving the results up to our God. 186 00:09:21,749 --> 00:09:23,913 And that's kind of what I was doing. 187 00:09:24,019 --> 00:09:25,686 It was scary and I believed I was making the right choice and 188 00:09:25,663 --> 00:09:26,530 I was kind of leaving the results up to our God, and 189 00:09:26,508 --> 00:09:27,010 that's kind of what I was doing. 190 00:09:27,010 --> 00:09:27,711 It was scary and I believed I was making the right choice and 191 00:09:27,688 --> 00:09:29,260 I was kind of leaving the results up to God, and so, of 192 00:09:29,302 --> 00:09:31,346 course, the story has a happy ending. 193 00:09:31,346 --> 00:09:33,231 Hopefully a lot of your listeners are familiar. 194 00:09:33,231 --> 00:09:37,467 When they were thrown into the furnace, the king looked in to 195 00:09:37,509 --> 00:09:41,263 see to ensure that they were dead, and what the Bible says is 196 00:09:41,263 --> 00:09:42,745 he didn't see three men in the furnace. 197 00:09:42,745 --> 00:09:44,227 He saw four men in the furnace. 198 00:09:44,227 --> 00:09:48,660 They were walking around unhurt , having a conversation, and 199 00:09:48,681 --> 00:09:51,951 that fourth man appeared to be an angel of God protecting them. 200 00:09:51,951 --> 00:09:56,106 And so I really clung to that story in the early years of the 201 00:09:56,147 --> 00:10:00,400 four-man furnace because it was a scary ride, like I said, and 202 00:10:00,581 --> 00:10:04,246 nothing was certain, but I was every day going to work in faith 203 00:10:04,246 --> 00:10:05,929 , trusting that I was doing the right thing. 204 00:10:08,793 --> 00:10:09,455 Speaker 2: What a story. 205 00:10:09,455 --> 00:10:14,346 I love it, by the way, and I've expressed that to Steve. 206 00:10:14,346 --> 00:10:18,288 Even off the air, I thought it was a very clever take. 207 00:10:18,288 --> 00:10:22,092 And when you know the background and you know why that 208 00:10:22,092 --> 00:10:25,566 leap of faith was so important and, like you said, it was more 209 00:10:25,605 --> 00:10:29,807 than just a leap of faith you actually felt like I'm being 210 00:10:29,847 --> 00:10:30,850 thrown into fire. 211 00:10:30,850 --> 00:10:33,008 It's something even more incredible. 212 00:10:33,008 --> 00:10:36,710 And there's a comfort that comes with faith, by the way, 213 00:10:37,419 --> 00:10:40,206 and I think that that comfort is what's giving you that 214 00:10:40,267 --> 00:10:42,412 foundation to take risk. 215 00:10:43,100 --> 00:10:46,551 And you know all successful people that I'm aware of, steve, 216 00:10:46,551 --> 00:10:50,830 they've all taken risks, yeah, and they typically, if you 217 00:10:50,870 --> 00:10:55,166 really drill down, there's always a component of faith in 218 00:10:55,206 --> 00:10:56,067 taking risk. 219 00:10:56,067 --> 00:10:59,902 And so you've already kicked this off just perfectly, because 220 00:10:59,902 --> 00:11:03,948 you know what we really want folks to gather from this 221 00:11:04,009 --> 00:11:08,282 podcast is bring on successful people and what are those 222 00:11:08,442 --> 00:11:11,751 elements of their journey that made them successful? 223 00:11:11,751 --> 00:11:15,970 Because somebody listening is going to find some seeds of 224 00:11:16,009 --> 00:11:16,431 greatness. 225 00:11:16,431 --> 00:11:18,966 You know, like we always say in agriculture, if you want to 226 00:11:18,985 --> 00:11:21,292 know what the future is, grow it Got to plant the seeds. 227 00:11:21,292 --> 00:11:22,865 So we need guests like you to share those examples. 228 00:11:22,865 --> 00:11:24,111 So somebody that's listening right now says you know, I got 229 00:11:24,131 --> 00:11:24,432 to do the seeds. 230 00:11:24,432 --> 00:11:25,518 So we need guests like you to share those examples. 231 00:11:25,518 --> 00:11:27,663 So somebody that's listening right now says, you know, I got 232 00:11:27,705 --> 00:11:31,741 to do a better job of that and I can't be so afraid of the fire 233 00:11:32,283 --> 00:11:37,873 and I can't be adverse to taking risk that everything that we do 234 00:11:37,873 --> 00:11:38,453 is risky. 235 00:11:39,179 --> 00:11:42,686 I will tell you, in the nonprofit world, you know, we 236 00:11:42,745 --> 00:11:47,453 don't live on production lines, we don't live on services that 237 00:11:47,514 --> 00:11:49,783 we get money for. 238 00:11:49,783 --> 00:11:52,870 We live on the generosity of others. 239 00:11:52,870 --> 00:11:57,121 And so when you get ready to saddle with a company and you 240 00:11:57,162 --> 00:12:00,330 say we're going to go spend a lot of money on a marketing 241 00:12:00,530 --> 00:12:05,828 company, we were kind of in there with you because we were 242 00:12:05,928 --> 00:12:09,448 really relying on faith, that we felt like we were making the 243 00:12:09,489 --> 00:12:10,131 right decision. 244 00:12:10,131 --> 00:12:13,684 We felt like there was this incredible story of the Texas 245 00:12:13,826 --> 00:12:17,217 FFA that needed to be told, and we needed to tell it in a way 246 00:12:17,258 --> 00:12:18,561 that we've never told it before. 247 00:12:18,561 --> 00:12:24,133 And thus that's how we came to know you and began working with 248 00:12:24,173 --> 00:12:26,287 your team and that relationship. 249 00:12:26,287 --> 00:12:28,528 Now, how long has that relationship been going on? 250 00:12:29,403 --> 00:12:31,860 Speaker 3: We launched that program in 2016. 251 00:12:31,860 --> 00:12:35,811 So I want to say we probably started conversations in 2015 252 00:12:35,850 --> 00:12:36,211 around it. 253 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:39,769 Speaker 2: So that's what I'm years, yeah, and it's been great 254 00:12:39,769 --> 00:12:43,288 , and again, I say this just because it's the kind of 255 00:12:43,328 --> 00:12:44,631 relationship that I like. 256 00:12:44,631 --> 00:12:47,408 They always answer the phone and they listen. 257 00:12:47,408 --> 00:12:51,125 We throw ideas, but I think, steve, would you say it's fair 258 00:12:51,144 --> 00:12:52,287 that we listen to you too. 259 00:12:53,068 --> 00:12:54,552 Speaker 3: Oh for sure, Absolutely yeah. 260 00:12:54,740 --> 00:12:58,323 You and your team are tremendous to work with, and one of our 261 00:12:58,364 --> 00:13:01,172 core values here is we have two core values. 262 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:05,067 One is do amazing work, and the other is be amazing to work with 263 00:13:05,067 --> 00:13:06,722 , and we've. 264 00:13:06,722 --> 00:13:10,917 I firmly believe if we can do those two things, then, you know 265 00:13:10,917 --> 00:13:14,004 , the work will come our way, because who doesn't want to work 266 00:13:14,004 --> 00:13:16,149 with amazing people who do great work? 267 00:13:16,149 --> 00:13:20,190 And so I think one of the when I think about be amazing to work 268 00:13:20,190 --> 00:13:23,543 with we we can break that down into a few different areas, but 269 00:13:24,125 --> 00:13:27,605 one of the things that we try to focus on is know when to give 270 00:13:27,664 --> 00:13:30,712 direction and when to take it, and I feel like your team 271 00:13:30,779 --> 00:13:31,803 understands that as well. 272 00:13:31,803 --> 00:13:35,557 They give us great direction in terms of articulating to us 273 00:13:35,759 --> 00:13:39,105 what the goals are for an initiative that we're working on 274 00:13:39,105 --> 00:13:45,023 for y'all, but when we have ideas or a perspective that we 275 00:13:45,082 --> 00:13:49,270 want to share, in response to that and collaborate on, hey, 276 00:13:49,291 --> 00:13:50,432 maybe there's a better way to do this. 277 00:13:50,432 --> 00:13:54,629 Your team is all ears and they're 100 percent willing to 278 00:13:54,708 --> 00:13:56,072 listen and to take that direction. 279 00:13:56,072 --> 00:14:00,690 So we've we've had nothing but joy in working with you guys for 280 00:14:00,690 --> 00:14:02,013 almost 10 years now. 281 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:04,384 Speaker 2: It's crazy, you know. 282 00:14:04,384 --> 00:14:05,849 Let me share this. 283 00:14:05,849 --> 00:14:08,524 You know, one of the things that I like to talk about when 284 00:14:08,566 --> 00:14:13,461 we talk about agriculture is I remember this time where these 285 00:14:13,500 --> 00:14:17,793 two young ladies this was really clever their school district. 286 00:14:17,793 --> 00:14:21,525 Every February 2nd, every Groundhog Day, they would send 287 00:14:21,567 --> 00:14:25,278 their seniors out to job shadow companies, which I thought was 288 00:14:25,318 --> 00:14:25,880 pretty clever. 289 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,828 So these young ladies come to my office and they really 290 00:14:28,869 --> 00:14:30,562 shouldn't have been in my office , they should have been in the 291 00:14:30,602 --> 00:14:33,597 director of the Ag Teachers Association, because why they 292 00:14:33,618 --> 00:14:35,864 were there was they want to be ag teachers, agricultural 293 00:14:35,903 --> 00:14:40,341 science teachers and so I let them kind of watch what we do 294 00:14:40,402 --> 00:14:40,842 during the day. 295 00:14:40,842 --> 00:14:43,048 And I finally said do y'all have any questions? 296 00:14:43,048 --> 00:14:45,561 And they said yes, we do during the day. 297 00:14:45,561 --> 00:14:46,503 And I finally said do y'all have any questions? 298 00:14:46,503 --> 00:14:46,943 And they said yes, sir. 299 00:14:46,943 --> 00:14:49,009 They said we want to be great ag teachers one day. 300 00:14:49,129 --> 00:14:50,952 What does it take to be a great ag teacher? 301 00:14:50,952 --> 00:14:54,407 And I said well, it takes three things to be a great ag teacher 302 00:14:54,407 --> 00:14:54,407 . 303 00:14:54,407 --> 00:14:56,631 I said number one do your job. 304 00:14:56,631 --> 00:14:59,565 And I said you need to listen to what I'm telling you. 305 00:14:59,565 --> 00:15:05,864 Do your job If your boss says don't dot I's, don't cross T's 306 00:15:05,884 --> 00:15:06,688 and staple in the top right-hand corner. 307 00:15:06,688 --> 00:15:08,037 You better not dot cross and you better staple in the top 308 00:15:08,057 --> 00:15:08,460 right-hand corner. 309 00:15:08,460 --> 00:15:09,846 You're going to be looking for another job. 310 00:15:09,846 --> 00:15:15,650 So number two have your own personal board of directors, get 311 00:15:15,650 --> 00:15:17,344 mentors, get people around you. 312 00:15:17,344 --> 00:15:18,207 That will make you better. 313 00:15:19,900 --> 00:15:22,629 And lastly, you got to think big . 314 00:15:22,629 --> 00:15:24,731 I said because if you can't think big, you can't teach big. 315 00:15:24,731 --> 00:15:25,346 If you can't think big, you got to think big. 316 00:15:25,346 --> 00:15:26,354 I said because if you can't think big, you can't teach big. 317 00:15:26,354 --> 00:15:28,291 If you can't think big, you can't inspire big. 318 00:15:28,291 --> 00:15:31,341 And if you can't think big, the kids in your care will never be 319 00:15:31,341 --> 00:15:31,600 big. 320 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:33,947 And they said, well, what do you mean by that? 321 00:15:33,947 --> 00:15:34,990 And I said, well, can I show you? 322 00:15:34,990 --> 00:15:35,701 And they said, sure. 323 00:15:35,701 --> 00:15:39,546 So I took them on a route through downtown Austin and we 324 00:15:39,605 --> 00:15:43,351 walked several blocks and I took them to eat lunch at a sushi 325 00:15:43,412 --> 00:15:43,852 restaurant. 326 00:15:43,852 --> 00:15:46,421 I love sushi, so take them to the sushi. 327 00:15:46,421 --> 00:15:47,783 They'd never had sushi before. 328 00:15:47,783 --> 00:15:51,660 So I'm having fun watching them eat seaweed salad and squid 329 00:15:51,681 --> 00:15:54,046 salad and eating sushi, and it was great. 330 00:15:55,028 --> 00:15:59,403 We get back to the office and I asked them I said how many 331 00:15:59,482 --> 00:16:01,268 performing arts centers did we pass? 332 00:16:01,268 --> 00:16:02,991 And they start listing things. 333 00:16:02,991 --> 00:16:04,664 I said how many museums did we pass? 334 00:16:04,664 --> 00:16:05,629 They start listing things. 335 00:16:05,629 --> 00:16:06,613 How many musical venues did we pass? 336 00:16:06,613 --> 00:16:07,355 And they start listing things. 337 00:16:07,355 --> 00:16:08,259 I said how many museums did we pass? 338 00:16:08,259 --> 00:16:11,648 They start listing things. 339 00:16:11,648 --> 00:16:13,275 How many musical venues did we pass? 340 00:16:13,275 --> 00:16:13,938 They start listing things. 341 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:19,321 I said now, how often are those places open? 342 00:16:19,321 --> 00:16:20,863 Well, mostly daily, some just on the weekend, but relatively 343 00:16:20,883 --> 00:16:21,123 all the time. 344 00:16:21,123 --> 00:16:22,705 I said now think about what y'all just said. 345 00:16:22,705 --> 00:16:26,610 All of the people that go to this all on a regular basis. 346 00:16:26,610 --> 00:16:30,575 How many of those same people make a trip to the Austin 347 00:16:30,615 --> 00:16:32,442 Livestock Show and Rodeo once a year? 348 00:16:34,025 --> 00:16:36,510 And they all looked at me and they said I don't know. 349 00:16:36,510 --> 00:16:39,544 And I said see where I'm going with this is. 350 00:16:39,544 --> 00:16:42,884 We sometimes shake our fist at the world and we say how come 351 00:16:42,903 --> 00:16:43,649 you don't understand this? 352 00:16:43,649 --> 00:16:44,414 How come you don't understand this? 353 00:16:44,414 --> 00:16:46,443 How come you don't understand agriculture? 354 00:16:46,443 --> 00:16:48,109 How come you don't understand FFA? 355 00:16:48,109 --> 00:16:48,831 And I'm sitting here going. 356 00:16:49,741 --> 00:16:52,549 We have a responsibility of taking our message to them. 357 00:16:52,549 --> 00:16:56,942 And the reason that we wanted to forge this relationship with 358 00:16:56,962 --> 00:17:00,029 Foreman is because y'all came from a background that wasn't 359 00:17:00,110 --> 00:17:04,046 just agriculture and we thought who better to help us tell our 360 00:17:04,106 --> 00:17:08,903 story than somebody who can translate our story in a way 361 00:17:09,184 --> 00:17:10,887 that helps other people really get it? 362 00:17:10,887 --> 00:17:16,044 Yeah, so I just want to give that background so that people 363 00:17:16,104 --> 00:17:20,539 understand how this relationship started, why it started, and 364 00:17:20,660 --> 00:17:24,321 you can kind of see the paralleling core values that 365 00:17:24,402 --> 00:17:28,124 drive Steve and his team are the same values that drive myself 366 00:17:28,183 --> 00:17:33,287 and our team and Team, ag Ed toward a message so we can tell 367 00:17:33,366 --> 00:17:36,709 people about this incredible story of ag science and FFA. 368 00:17:36,709 --> 00:17:43,299 Steve, have y'all enjoyed getting to learn more about ag 369 00:17:43,319 --> 00:17:45,284 science and FFA through all this experience? 370 00:17:45,970 --> 00:17:46,691 Speaker 3: Oh, it's been amazing . 371 00:17:46,691 --> 00:17:49,375 I mean ag science and FFA. 372 00:17:49,375 --> 00:17:53,163 It was really a light bulb moment in early on in one of our 373 00:17:53,163 --> 00:17:53,864 first meetings. 374 00:17:53,864 --> 00:17:57,667 Like I mentioned earlier, I grew up in New Jersey, so South 375 00:17:57,689 --> 00:17:59,693 Jersey, so it is the Garden State. 376 00:17:59,773 --> 00:18:02,460 There is a lot of agriculture in New Jersey, but I wasn't 377 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:03,903 exposed to it growing up. 378 00:18:03,903 --> 00:18:10,455 So learning the impact that an ag science education and all of 379 00:18:10,516 --> 00:18:14,019 the leadership development attributes of the FFA experience 380 00:18:14,019 --> 00:18:18,982 has on pointing young people in the trajectory of success and 381 00:18:19,022 --> 00:18:23,267 leadership was really was inspirational to me at the time. 382 00:18:23,267 --> 00:18:29,153 I had young kids and really saw the value in that, and so 383 00:18:29,173 --> 00:18:33,339 learning about the programs and you know, all of the different 384 00:18:34,261 --> 00:18:38,394 kind of areas of focus that an ag science student can go into 385 00:18:38,994 --> 00:18:44,102 that will have not only are necessary for the future of 386 00:18:44,682 --> 00:18:48,596 American society but will have a positive impact on the future 387 00:18:48,615 --> 00:18:49,862 of American society was. 388 00:18:49,862 --> 00:18:53,656 It's been really, really cool and I talk about it all the time 389 00:18:53,656 --> 00:18:57,049 with people you know when we're talking about the future and 390 00:18:57,089 --> 00:19:02,699 talking about concerns of food and environment and leadership 391 00:19:02,739 --> 00:19:06,684 and technology and technology as it applies to all these things, 392 00:19:06,684 --> 00:19:11,805 the FFA and the preparation that you guys are doing for our 393 00:19:11,865 --> 00:19:15,334 future leaders is always a part of conversation if I'm involved, 394 00:19:15,334 --> 00:19:17,659 because it's just something that I've grown to love. 395 00:19:19,041 --> 00:19:20,976 Speaker 2: Thank you and we appreciate that. 396 00:19:20,976 --> 00:19:24,071 Again, that's the reason why I like working together is you 397 00:19:24,112 --> 00:19:28,355 become a conduit, you become an ambassador for us to an audience 398 00:19:28,355 --> 00:19:31,917 that we might always know how to speak that language, but you 399 00:19:31,958 --> 00:19:34,700 can help us translate that, because in the world of FFA and 400 00:19:34,759 --> 00:19:45,032 ag science, we can talk LDEs and CDEs and SREs and we got so 401 00:19:45,073 --> 00:19:45,896 many acronyms. 402 00:19:45,896 --> 00:19:47,276 We all know what they are. 403 00:19:47,276 --> 00:19:48,492 The rest of the world's going. 404 00:19:48,492 --> 00:19:49,939 What in the world did they just say? 405 00:19:49,939 --> 00:19:53,517 And that's why we've got to have the right people that can 406 00:19:53,538 --> 00:19:57,055 help us translate that so that it can be assimilated by an 407 00:19:57,234 --> 00:19:59,200 audience that we might not have reached yet. 408 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:03,058 Yeah, that's the value that your teams bring into what we do 409 00:20:03,058 --> 00:20:03,451 have reached yet. 410 00:20:03,471 --> 00:20:04,432 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's the value that your teams bring into 411 00:20:04,432 --> 00:20:04,653 what we do. 412 00:20:04,653 --> 00:20:06,718 Yeah, and the fact of the matter is that what you guys do 413 00:20:07,018 --> 00:20:16,691 legitimately has an impact on everybody, and so it's easy for 414 00:20:16,730 --> 00:20:18,012 someone like me who focuses on communication. 415 00:20:18,012 --> 00:20:19,914 It's easy to translate that story in a way that's meaningful 416 00:20:19,914 --> 00:20:25,002 to people, because they need food and you know they need high 417 00:20:25,002 --> 00:20:29,914 quality employees and they need , you know, responsible citizens 418 00:20:29,914 --> 00:20:31,679 who understand how the world works. 419 00:20:31,679 --> 00:20:35,693 And so the need is there for for, if you want to call it, the 420 00:20:35,693 --> 00:20:38,902 product that the FFA experience delivers, but it's really the 421 00:20:38,950 --> 00:20:39,230 people. 422 00:20:39,230 --> 00:20:42,718 But the need is there for the people and their output, and so 423 00:20:42,758 --> 00:20:45,824 it's really really easy to speak to. 424 00:20:46,770 --> 00:20:50,720 It's easiest for us to do our job when in selling things 425 00:20:50,740 --> 00:20:53,434 because, look, I mean, at the end of the day, our job at Four 426 00:20:53,454 --> 00:20:56,049 man Furnace is to help our clients sell, whether it's an 427 00:20:56,151 --> 00:20:57,917 idea or a product or a service. 428 00:20:57,917 --> 00:21:02,375 And it's easiest to sell something when somebody feels 429 00:21:02,414 --> 00:21:02,795 the need. 430 00:21:02,795 --> 00:21:06,118 And part of our job for other clients is to get them to feel 431 00:21:06,138 --> 00:21:09,742 the need right, Like manufacture a need or convince them that 432 00:21:09,762 --> 00:21:10,364 they have a need. 433 00:21:10,364 --> 00:21:15,094 That maybe isn't front of mind, but the needs that the FFA, 434 00:21:16,396 --> 00:21:20,223 that kids who come through the FFA program fill are felt by 435 00:21:20,284 --> 00:21:20,664 everybody. 436 00:21:20,664 --> 00:21:24,941 They're just front of mind for business owners and leaders and 437 00:21:25,210 --> 00:21:30,142 community and people who are concerned with where food comes 438 00:21:30,202 --> 00:21:30,403 from. 439 00:21:30,403 --> 00:21:35,634 And so it's easy for us to tell your story because the need is 440 00:21:35,756 --> 00:21:38,801 there and you guys do such a good job at scale of filling 441 00:21:38,821 --> 00:21:39,123 that need. 442 00:21:40,171 --> 00:21:43,097 Speaker 2: That's awesome, thank you, you said something I'm 443 00:21:43,118 --> 00:21:45,972 going to piggyback on what you just said, cool. 444 00:21:45,972 --> 00:21:50,701 So one of the things I like to ask the kids is I say, tell me 445 00:21:50,741 --> 00:21:51,544 about your business. 446 00:21:51,544 --> 00:21:54,576 And the kids will look at me and they say, well, I don't have 447 00:21:54,576 --> 00:21:55,096 a business. 448 00:21:55,096 --> 00:21:57,211 I said, yeah, you do, you're it ? 449 00:21:57,211 --> 00:22:00,076 What time do you open? 450 00:22:00,076 --> 00:22:02,881 What kind of customer service do you deliver? 451 00:22:02,881 --> 00:22:04,845 Are you articulate? 452 00:22:04,845 --> 00:22:05,711 Can you sell me? 453 00:22:05,751 --> 00:22:08,720 And you know one of our great sponsors, carlos Guerra. 454 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:13,218 He always says no show, no tell , no sell, and he's always 455 00:22:13,278 --> 00:22:14,339 talking about cattle. 456 00:22:14,339 --> 00:22:16,554 And if you can't show the cattle and you can't tell me 457 00:22:16,594 --> 00:22:18,881 about your cattle, you'll never sell your cattle. 458 00:22:18,881 --> 00:22:23,076 Kids, you know they're our business, they're our future. 459 00:22:23,076 --> 00:22:24,801 You said it, they're our future . 460 00:22:26,550 --> 00:22:31,140 They also represent our brand and one of the things that I 461 00:22:31,220 --> 00:22:35,695 think I've seen organizations take very lightly, very lightly, 462 00:22:35,695 --> 00:22:40,469 is their brand and they don't put enough time and effort into 463 00:22:40,528 --> 00:22:42,478 creating what their brand is. 464 00:22:42,478 --> 00:22:46,919 And I've been fortunate through my career to sit through 465 00:22:46,959 --> 00:22:47,702 several of those. 466 00:22:47,702 --> 00:22:51,736 I got to sit through the development of CEV Multimedia 467 00:22:52,337 --> 00:22:55,865 and I got to watch CEV create its initial brand. 468 00:22:55,865 --> 00:22:59,032 I didn't watch that brand evolve into ICEV. 469 00:22:59,032 --> 00:23:04,884 I got to watch La Quinta go through their rebranding and 470 00:23:05,164 --> 00:23:08,972 their starburst and I'll never forget getting to watch that. 471 00:23:08,972 --> 00:23:13,001 I got to watch Mahindra Tractors when they did some 472 00:23:13,082 --> 00:23:15,031 rebranding of their messaging. 473 00:23:16,693 --> 00:23:18,817 But there's a lot that goes into brand. 474 00:23:18,817 --> 00:23:22,741 There's a lot that goes into a company's, an organization's 475 00:23:22,882 --> 00:23:28,416 brand and what I wanted to ask you is is how important and this 476 00:23:28,416 --> 00:23:30,261 goes back to the individual that's the reason why I'm 477 00:23:30,281 --> 00:23:32,538 bringing this up it goes back to you're your own business. 478 00:23:32,538 --> 00:23:33,421 You're your brand. 479 00:23:33,421 --> 00:23:36,330 Everybody that knows me on social media knows I'm the live 480 00:23:36,351 --> 00:23:37,173 your brand guy. 481 00:23:37,173 --> 00:23:38,335 Live your brand. 482 00:23:38,335 --> 00:23:42,602 What you post, what share, what you engage with, that's your 483 00:23:42,642 --> 00:23:43,002 brand. 484 00:23:43,002 --> 00:23:53,088 Steve, as a marketing professional, how important is a 485 00:23:53,088 --> 00:23:58,333 brand and what thought process goes into creating the creative 486 00:23:58,353 --> 00:23:58,893 of a logo of a brand? 487 00:23:58,893 --> 00:24:01,217 So how important is the brand and how important is it to put 488 00:24:01,258 --> 00:24:05,545 that into an image like the Nike Swish or the Texas FFA 489 00:24:05,849 --> 00:24:06,432 Foundation? 490 00:24:06,432 --> 00:24:07,193 Give me an idea. 491 00:24:07,955 --> 00:24:11,463 Speaker 3: Yeah, I always say the kind of analogy I use to 492 00:24:12,406 --> 00:24:16,715 disambiguate even what is a brand, because that word means 493 00:24:16,776 --> 00:24:20,509 different things to different people and I always what I tell 494 00:24:20,549 --> 00:24:24,196 clients who come to us for branding is your marketing is 495 00:24:24,257 --> 00:24:27,603 like asking someone out on a date and your brand is why they 496 00:24:27,663 --> 00:24:28,084 say yes. 497 00:24:28,084 --> 00:24:46,102 So your brand essentially what your brand is about it and 498 00:24:46,902 --> 00:24:51,244 develop your brand to communicate to the market what 499 00:24:51,285 --> 00:24:54,247 you're about and communicate to the market what they should 500 00:24:54,267 --> 00:24:54,907 believe about you. 501 00:24:54,907 --> 00:25:00,060 I think so many companies leave it to the market to define what 502 00:25:00,060 --> 00:25:00,742 their brand is. 503 00:25:00,742 --> 00:25:04,099 They'll just create a great product, offer a great service 504 00:25:05,032 --> 00:25:07,579 and kind of let the chips fall where they may when it comes to 505 00:25:07,619 --> 00:25:11,919 the brand, which could be great if you have a great product or a 506 00:25:11,919 --> 00:25:14,029 great service and then you're defined by that. 507 00:25:14,029 --> 00:25:19,938 But it's hard to get people to trust handing their money over 508 00:25:20,919 --> 00:25:24,163 for what you offer without a brand. 509 00:25:24,163 --> 00:25:27,775 Like I said, your marketing is asking someone out for a date 510 00:25:28,256 --> 00:25:30,682 and the brand is the reason they would say yes or say no. 511 00:25:30,682 --> 00:25:35,917 So the importance of a brand I don't think can be overstated, 512 00:25:36,378 --> 00:25:41,637 because it is the promise, it's how you communicate your unique 513 00:25:41,698 --> 00:25:42,700 value to the market. 514 00:25:42,700 --> 00:25:59,211 If it's done well. 515 00:25:59,211 --> 00:26:00,358 You can very quickly and succinctly educate your highest 516 00:26:00,378 --> 00:26:01,606 value customers about what you offer and why they should want 517 00:26:01,626 --> 00:26:02,049 it in 15 seconds. 518 00:26:02,130 --> 00:26:03,336 To me, a brand is more than a logo. 519 00:26:03,336 --> 00:26:04,201 A logo is just a very. 520 00:26:04,201 --> 00:26:07,634 It's an important but small part of a branding project that 521 00:26:07,673 --> 00:26:08,015 we do. 522 00:26:08,015 --> 00:26:11,803 Your brand is understanding who your consumers are. 523 00:26:11,803 --> 00:26:16,680 It's understanding what their goals are as it pertains to your 524 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:18,423 product offering or service offering. 525 00:26:18,423 --> 00:26:23,237 It's understanding the needs that they have, both kind of 526 00:26:23,376 --> 00:26:28,124 felt needs, their higher order needs that maybe they can 527 00:26:28,183 --> 00:26:29,045 articulate as well. 528 00:26:29,045 --> 00:26:35,076 It's creating a messaging platform that includes the 529 00:26:35,116 --> 00:26:39,823 hierarchy of how you talk about what you do, includes the tone 530 00:26:39,863 --> 00:26:45,131 of voice or the copy style in which you communicate, the voice 531 00:26:45,131 --> 00:26:47,515 , the tone of voice or the copy style in which you communicate, 532 00:26:47,615 --> 00:26:50,799 and then it also includes your logo and color palette and fonts 533 00:26:50,799 --> 00:26:51,561 and other visual assets. 534 00:26:51,561 --> 00:26:54,053 I think what a lot of people think of when they think of a 535 00:26:54,114 --> 00:26:57,647 brand is the logo, and a lot of people go to the Apple logo or 536 00:26:57,669 --> 00:27:01,922 the Nike logo or some of these iconic logos that are so great 537 00:27:02,063 --> 00:27:05,051 because they're so simple and they're so easily recognizable. 538 00:27:06,535 --> 00:27:09,800 But one of the litmus tests I always give our designers when 539 00:27:09,842 --> 00:27:12,854 we're creating a piece for a client is if you cover up the 540 00:27:12,894 --> 00:27:15,559 logo, can you still tell that it's for that client? 541 00:27:15,559 --> 00:27:17,811 So you mentioned La Quinta. 542 00:27:17,811 --> 00:27:19,959 La Quinta was one of our clients for a long time. 543 00:27:19,959 --> 00:27:23,394 It's actually, I think, how we connected was La Quinta was a 544 00:27:23,756 --> 00:27:27,742 supporter of the Texas FFA and we were doing work for La Quinta 545 00:27:27,742 --> 00:27:30,757 , and so that's how kind of we we found ourselves in the same 546 00:27:30,797 --> 00:27:35,431 sphere of influence and so when we were creating assets for La 547 00:27:35,451 --> 00:27:37,519 Quinta, we'd cover up the La Quinta logo. 548 00:27:37,941 --> 00:27:40,892 And can you still tell that that advertisement is for La Quinta 549 00:27:41,012 --> 00:27:41,996 if you cover up the logo? 550 00:27:41,996 --> 00:27:45,693 If not, then it's not a well-branded piece, because the 551 00:27:45,733 --> 00:27:49,261 colors and the fonts and the photography and the tone, the 552 00:27:49,321 --> 00:27:52,413 headline, how it reads, the emotions that it's conveying, 553 00:27:53,134 --> 00:27:59,691 all are part of the brand, and so branding is incredibly 554 00:27:59,730 --> 00:28:00,070 important. 555 00:28:00,070 --> 00:28:02,493 I mean, just get back to the simple question that you were 556 00:28:02,534 --> 00:28:02,794 asking. 557 00:28:02,794 --> 00:28:04,355 Branding is incredibly important. 558 00:28:04,355 --> 00:28:05,517 I mean, just get back to the simple question that you were 559 00:28:05,537 --> 00:28:05,676 asking. 560 00:28:05,676 --> 00:28:06,959 Branding is incredibly important because if you do it 561 00:28:06,979 --> 00:28:09,461 well and if you do it strategically, you're not 562 00:28:09,622 --> 00:28:14,126 leaving your brand up for the market to decide what it is. 563 00:28:16,090 --> 00:28:17,994 Speaker 2: That right there, steve, what you just shared. 564 00:28:17,994 --> 00:28:20,641 For a lot of our kids right, for a lot of the young people 565 00:28:20,661 --> 00:28:25,211 that listen to this, for them, the most prominent place of 566 00:28:25,231 --> 00:28:28,019 their brand right now is on social media, yep. 567 00:28:28,019 --> 00:28:31,993 And so what I tell them is is that, you know, consistency 568 00:28:32,054 --> 00:28:33,096 creates credibility. 569 00:28:33,096 --> 00:28:38,491 So, first thing is, in my world , what I like to say is you know 570 00:28:38,491 --> 00:28:40,557 , make sure your profile picture is consistent. 571 00:28:40,557 --> 00:28:43,016 That way I know I'm talking to the right person, because if it 572 00:28:43,076 --> 00:28:45,306 looks different, I'm always questioning is this the same 573 00:28:45,346 --> 00:28:46,872 person or I'm not really sure? 574 00:28:46,872 --> 00:28:49,359 You're making me guess at stuff and I don't want to guess, I 575 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:49,800 want to know. 576 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:54,338 And then, secondly, what you like, share, comment on all of 577 00:28:54,378 --> 00:28:55,823 the things that you engage with. 578 00:28:55,823 --> 00:28:58,271 That becomes part of your brand , like you said. 579 00:28:58,731 --> 00:29:01,874 So when I take your image away, I could see a comment and I 580 00:29:01,894 --> 00:29:05,016 could go oh, I know, that's Steve, it's talking about cars 581 00:29:05,076 --> 00:29:06,297 and really cool stuff. 582 00:29:06,297 --> 00:29:11,200 But you know, I think you're on to something there and I hope 583 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:14,923 people heard that that consistency creates credibility 584 00:29:15,663 --> 00:29:19,226 and you want to create a brand that's known for its consistency 585 00:29:19,226 --> 00:29:21,787 , and that consistency is the tone. 586 00:29:21,787 --> 00:29:27,290 It's what we see. 587 00:29:27,290 --> 00:29:28,634 If I hear somebody giving me a speech about things that's 588 00:29:28,654 --> 00:29:30,961 inconsistent with what they're posting on social media. 589 00:29:30,961 --> 00:29:34,718 It's going to be harder for me to reconcile those two. 590 00:29:34,718 --> 00:29:37,712 So I think there's a lot of genius in what you just shared, 591 00:29:37,772 --> 00:29:41,667 and I hope people really take a moment and drill down and listen 592 00:29:41,667 --> 00:29:44,590 to that, because that was really good advice that you just 593 00:29:44,590 --> 00:29:47,979 shared yeah, I think your, your audience too, they would. 594 00:29:48,319 --> 00:29:51,113 Speaker 3: you know there are exercises you could go through 595 00:29:51,192 --> 00:29:56,946 to to show how what you're saying lack of consistency, or 596 00:29:57,528 --> 00:30:03,541 when a brand is, uh, applied consistently, you can spot 597 00:30:03,682 --> 00:30:04,463 inconsistencies. 598 00:30:04,463 --> 00:30:05,816 They stick out like a sore thumb. 599 00:30:05,816 --> 00:30:13,883 So if somebody were to see a fake Nike ad that had the Nike 600 00:30:13,923 --> 00:30:19,914 logo on it but very clearly had the wrong messaging, even though 601 00:30:19,914 --> 00:30:23,718 it has the Nike logo on it because that brand is so well 602 00:30:25,553 --> 00:30:30,340 applied, they could spot a fake from a mile away and they 603 00:30:30,361 --> 00:30:33,915 wouldn't trust it because they feel like that's not on the 604 00:30:33,935 --> 00:30:34,176 brand. 605 00:30:34,176 --> 00:30:38,480 Somebody just slapped a Nike logo on a fake ad or whatever. 606 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:42,372 So you're absolutely right, it's that it's trusted brands 607 00:30:42,412 --> 00:30:47,618 that are are consistently kind of stewarded through through all 608 00:30:47,618 --> 00:30:49,861 of the communications, in all of the different channels in 609 00:30:49,901 --> 00:30:51,542 which they, in which they appear . 610 00:30:54,286 --> 00:30:56,586 Speaker 2: Wow, Zig Ziglar. 611 00:30:56,586 --> 00:31:01,391 You know I love Zig quotes, I'm a big Zig fan and Zig and Tom 612 00:31:01,790 --> 00:31:07,034 Ziglar have said that if they know you they'll listen to you, 613 00:31:08,214 --> 00:31:10,436 but if they trust you they'll do business with you. 614 00:31:10,436 --> 00:31:14,098 And I believe that you build that trust through consistency. 615 00:31:14,098 --> 00:31:18,021 I believe you build that trust through relationship, through 616 00:31:18,041 --> 00:31:18,642 consistency. 617 00:31:18,642 --> 00:31:21,223 I believe you build that trust through relationship and I think 618 00:31:21,223 --> 00:31:25,849 that you know, like you said, we either take charge of our 619 00:31:25,869 --> 00:31:27,115 brand or we leave it up to somebody else to determine what 620 00:31:27,135 --> 00:31:28,663 our brand is, and we may not like how they interpret our 621 00:31:28,703 --> 00:31:28,924 brand. 622 00:31:30,346 --> 00:31:30,567 Speaker 3: Yep. 623 00:31:30,567 --> 00:31:32,633 Well, and how are they going to do it, too? 624 00:31:32,633 --> 00:31:33,675 You have to think to yourself. 625 00:31:33,675 --> 00:31:37,563 They're going to do it by how you most consistently represent 626 00:31:37,604 --> 00:31:37,865 yourself. 627 00:31:37,865 --> 00:31:41,361 Think to yourself, they're going to do it by how you most 628 00:31:41,381 --> 00:31:42,244 consistently represent yourself. 629 00:31:42,244 --> 00:31:47,369 So you are branding, whether you're doing it on purpose or 630 00:31:47,390 --> 00:31:47,450 not. 631 00:31:47,450 --> 00:31:49,295 We're all in the business of creating a brand, and if we're 632 00:31:49,394 --> 00:31:53,344 leaving it up to others to define or to articulate what the 633 00:31:53,344 --> 00:31:57,233 brand is, what they're going to do is look for how do you 634 00:31:57,273 --> 00:32:01,496 consistently treat others, how do you consistently show up, how 635 00:32:01,496 --> 00:32:05,128 do you consistently dress, how do you consistently speak, and 636 00:32:05,209 --> 00:32:06,792 that's going to be what your brand is. 637 00:32:06,792 --> 00:32:13,528 So, yeah, I mean, the idea of being consistent in the things 638 00:32:13,568 --> 00:32:16,836 that are important to your brand is really really important for 639 00:32:16,916 --> 00:32:19,732 individuals as well as for corporations and companies. 640 00:32:20,565 --> 00:32:22,730 Speaker 2: Absolutely, and that's kind of where I was. 641 00:32:22,730 --> 00:32:26,261 This is why I wanted you on the show right here, because you're 642 00:32:26,261 --> 00:32:28,645 a professional in marketing, you're a professional in 643 00:32:28,685 --> 00:32:32,688 creative development and you're you're helping us understand as 644 00:32:32,748 --> 00:32:33,288 individuals. 645 00:32:33,288 --> 00:32:36,328 You know, it's like I tell the high school kids. 646 00:32:36,328 --> 00:32:40,510 If we could get to every eighth grader and tell every eighth 647 00:32:40,530 --> 00:32:44,272 grader do me a favor for the next four years, find something 648 00:32:44,292 --> 00:32:47,994 that you're passionate about and talk about those for three. 649 00:32:47,994 --> 00:32:50,056 Three things for four years. 650 00:32:50,056 --> 00:32:51,557 Just talk about those things. 651 00:32:51,557 --> 00:32:55,018 Let that be your brand, and then, when you get to college, I 652 00:32:55,018 --> 00:32:57,038 want you to do the same thing for the next four years. 653 00:32:57,038 --> 00:32:59,480 Find three things that you're really passionate, interested in 654 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:00,740 , talk about those. 655 00:33:00,740 --> 00:33:03,142 I guarantee you, when you get ready to graduate from college, 656 00:33:03,162 --> 00:33:12,929 you won't have to look for a job , because your brand will be so 657 00:33:12,950 --> 00:33:14,273 well known and so consistent that somebody will say that's 658 00:33:14,294 --> 00:33:16,824 who I want working here, because that's how they're going to 659 00:33:16,844 --> 00:33:20,746 promote my brand, going to promote my brand. 660 00:33:20,746 --> 00:33:22,190 So that's why I say that consistency and understanding 661 00:33:22,210 --> 00:33:23,874 that is so important to both a person, an organization or even 662 00:33:23,933 --> 00:33:28,148 our companies and we work with some great brands, by the way. 663 00:33:28,148 --> 00:33:31,201 We work with some great brands and we enjoy getting to work 664 00:33:31,241 --> 00:33:31,623 with them. 665 00:33:31,623 --> 00:33:35,077 I remember when we got the gift from Ford Motor Company to 666 00:33:35,117 --> 00:33:39,036 build our building in Austin Texas we got the gift from Ford 667 00:33:39,056 --> 00:33:41,025 Motor Company to build our building in Austin Texas there 668 00:33:41,045 --> 00:33:42,648 was a book, probably this thick, just on the branding of the 669 00:33:42,669 --> 00:33:46,238 oval, on the building of what we could and we couldn't do. 670 00:33:46,238 --> 00:33:51,369 So that's how serious brands are, that's how much those 671 00:33:51,450 --> 00:33:52,394 brands are worth. 672 00:33:52,394 --> 00:33:59,352 And, to your point, steve, what's more valuable than your 673 00:33:59,392 --> 00:34:00,394 own personal brand? 674 00:34:00,394 --> 00:34:08,851 Yeah, so these tools, these suggestions, these ideas that 675 00:34:08,911 --> 00:34:12,896 Steve and we're sharing through the show, those are those seeds 676 00:34:12,936 --> 00:34:15,900 that you can plant that will grow a strong brand. 677 00:34:15,900 --> 00:34:19,166 They'll grow a brand that can open a lot of doors of 678 00:34:19,286 --> 00:34:19,927 opportunity. 679 00:34:20,989 --> 00:34:22,592 Let's talk about leadership for a minute. 680 00:34:22,592 --> 00:34:26,547 Sure, because you're a leader, I would say. 681 00:34:26,547 --> 00:34:27,989 You've been around leaders. 682 00:34:27,989 --> 00:34:31,985 You've traveled the country, You've been exposed to a lot of 683 00:34:32,045 --> 00:34:33,369 different types of leaders. 684 00:34:33,369 --> 00:34:35,836 You've been in business meetings with leaders. 685 00:34:35,836 --> 00:34:40,146 If, in your experience, you could condense some of that down 686 00:34:40,146 --> 00:34:45,358 and tell young people here are three leadership tips what would 687 00:34:45,358 --> 00:34:45,838 you tell them? 688 00:34:45,838 --> 00:34:49,135 What would be three tips on leadership you would share with 689 00:34:49,275 --> 00:34:50,036 FFA members? 690 00:34:51,521 --> 00:34:53,206 Speaker 3: The first tip would just be to listen. 691 00:34:53,646 --> 00:34:58,753 I think good leaders listen, and that's not to say that they let 692 00:34:58,753 --> 00:35:03,119 the voice of other people necessarily influence the 693 00:35:03,159 --> 00:35:06,931 decisions that they make, but they listen to you mentioned it 694 00:35:06,990 --> 00:35:10,217 earlier, aaron mentors or your personal board of directors. 695 00:35:10,217 --> 00:35:14,474 They listen to their employees, people who have their finger on 696 00:35:14,474 --> 00:35:15,536 the pulse of the day-to-day. 697 00:35:15,536 --> 00:35:17,652 And they listen to the market. 698 00:35:17,652 --> 00:35:20,246 They understand what's going on in their industry, what the 699 00:35:20,286 --> 00:35:23,230 future may hold, you know, staying relevant, whether it's 700 00:35:23,289 --> 00:35:26,889 through continuous learning opportunities or podcasts like 701 00:35:26,931 --> 00:35:32,409 this one or other types of industry voices that they're 702 00:35:32,449 --> 00:35:33,152 paying attention to. 703 00:35:33,152 --> 00:35:36,469 So I think listening is a really the first thing that 704 00:35:36,489 --> 00:35:40,688 jumps to my mind, and partially because I've seen it modeled and 705 00:35:40,688 --> 00:35:45,175 partially because a lot of the less than stellar leaders that 706 00:35:45,255 --> 00:35:45,976 I've observed. 707 00:35:45,976 --> 00:35:48,860 One of the first things I've noticed is they don't listen. 708 00:35:48,860 --> 00:35:51,070 Nobody can say anything to them . 709 00:35:51,070 --> 00:35:56,275 They get defensive or they bristle when somebody does 710 00:35:56,315 --> 00:35:57,137 something they don't like. 711 00:35:57,137 --> 00:36:00,688 Get defensive or they bristle when somebody does something 712 00:36:00,708 --> 00:36:02,090 they don't like, so they don't genuinely have an open mind or 713 00:36:02,112 --> 00:36:03,173 an open ear to differing opinions. 714 00:36:03,173 --> 00:36:07,251 So good leaders listen, I think also, good leaders have a 715 00:36:07,291 --> 00:36:08,936 vision for the future. 716 00:36:08,936 --> 00:36:12,226 They see a direction and they're willing to take steps in 717 00:36:12,226 --> 00:36:12,809 that direction. 718 00:36:12,809 --> 00:36:15,777 I liken this to kind of something that I learned when we 719 00:36:15,777 --> 00:36:19,925 had our first child was this idea of a flexible routine, and 720 00:36:19,965 --> 00:36:24,117 I think good leaders have a version of that flexible routine 721 00:36:24,117 --> 00:36:24,117 . 722 00:36:24,117 --> 00:36:26,489 So the flexible routine that we learned with children is, like 723 00:36:26,570 --> 00:36:29,376 you know, there's a general model when you have a newborn 724 00:36:29,436 --> 00:36:29,737 infant. 725 00:36:29,737 --> 00:36:34,507 It's sleep, play, eat, sleep, play, eat, and it kind of is on 726 00:36:34,527 --> 00:36:36,313 repeat for the first nine months or so. 727 00:36:36,313 --> 00:36:38,686 But you need to be flexible with that. 728 00:36:38,686 --> 00:36:42,014 Right, there's a pattern, but you can break the pattern a 729 00:36:42,054 --> 00:36:44,509 little bit and still be fine, and it's good because it keeps 730 00:36:44,548 --> 00:36:49,643 you sane, but it also keeps the child kind of in the zone of 731 00:36:49,704 --> 00:36:51,550 having their needs met in the way they need to be met. 732 00:36:51,550 --> 00:36:54,306 And so I think in business it's very similar to have that 733 00:36:54,405 --> 00:37:00,181 flexible path forward, the vision for the future that can 734 00:37:00,260 --> 00:37:03,429 be influenced by market dynamics , it can be influenced by 735 00:37:04,452 --> 00:37:08,086 technological innovations, but you know you've got a direction 736 00:37:08,108 --> 00:37:11,072 because you can articulate it to your team and they can rally 737 00:37:11,132 --> 00:37:13,494 around it, which builds the camaraderie and builds the 738 00:37:13,536 --> 00:37:16,719 environment in which people can succeed and know what's expected 739 00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:16,960 of them. 740 00:37:18,385 --> 00:37:22,474 And then the third part is probably accountability, I think 741 00:37:22,474 --> 00:37:28,230 being accountable to your mentors, being accountable to 742 00:37:30,072 --> 00:37:34,346 your own moral code or promises that you've made or commitments 743 00:37:34,385 --> 00:37:37,170 that you've made, and being accountable to the team that 744 00:37:37,190 --> 00:37:43,038 you're leading, because, at the end of the day, your job as a 745 00:37:43,097 --> 00:37:44,860 leader is to make your team successful. 746 00:37:44,860 --> 00:37:47,690 It's not their job to make you a success. 747 00:37:47,690 --> 00:37:52,369 It's your job to make them a success, and so you need to be 748 00:37:52,429 --> 00:37:56,237 able to say hey guys, I'm sorry, I messed up, I made the wrong 749 00:37:56,277 --> 00:37:56,719 call here. 750 00:37:56,719 --> 00:38:00,807 Hey guys, I'm sorry, I messed up, I made the wrong call here. 751 00:38:00,807 --> 00:38:02,172 Or I know I said I was going to do this and I fell short, and 752 00:38:02,192 --> 00:38:04,197 that's on me because I either over-promised or I 753 00:38:04,277 --> 00:38:04,838 under-delivered. 754 00:38:04,838 --> 00:38:07,976 So I think accountability is also incredibly important for a 755 00:38:08,016 --> 00:38:11,349 leader, and there's probably more attributes of leadership 756 00:38:11,369 --> 00:38:13,976 that we can talk about, but those are the three that really 757 00:38:15,186 --> 00:38:18,436 come to mind right now those are strong, by the way. 758 00:38:19,829 --> 00:38:22,175 Speaker 2: And what's interesting is you bring guests 759 00:38:22,257 --> 00:38:24,965 on and you ask them that question and you start finding 760 00:38:25,065 --> 00:38:26,347 these common denominators. 761 00:38:26,347 --> 00:38:29,737 Yeah, and you know one of the ones that you said is they say 762 00:38:29,777 --> 00:38:32,027 listen, and they don't mean just with your ears, they mean with 763 00:38:32,047 --> 00:38:33,329 your eyes too. 764 00:38:33,329 --> 00:38:36,936 Pay attention, because you never know what trend you may 765 00:38:36,976 --> 00:38:38,860 spot ahead of somebody else. 766 00:38:41,288 --> 00:38:42,389 And, like you said, vision. 767 00:38:42,389 --> 00:38:44,514 I tell people all the time the one thing I've learned about 768 00:38:44,574 --> 00:38:47,820 leaders that I've worked with is they're visionaries. 769 00:38:47,820 --> 00:38:51,612 And if you can't communicate things where they can see 770 00:38:51,652 --> 00:38:55,070 themselves as the hero of the story, if you can't communicate 771 00:38:55,130 --> 00:38:59,025 things where they can see how they can be part of the solution 772 00:38:59,025 --> 00:39:03,134 or be part of a positive outcome, it's hard for them to 773 00:39:03,293 --> 00:39:04,536 unpack it and understand. 774 00:39:04,536 --> 00:39:07,148 Why am I here, why do you need me involved? 775 00:39:07,148 --> 00:39:12,139 But if you can show them that vision and help them understand 776 00:39:12,199 --> 00:39:13,327 it, they want to be part of it. 777 00:39:13,327 --> 00:39:16,996 Now, I believe it's biblical, by the way, as a matter of fact, 778 00:39:16,996 --> 00:39:20,704 of it. 779 00:39:20,724 --> 00:39:21,929 Now, I believe it's biblical, by the way, as a matter of fact, 780 00:39:21,949 --> 00:39:24,155 in 1985, when I ran for state FFA president, I took the stage 781 00:39:24,175 --> 00:39:26,362 with the quote the Bible says where there is no vision, the 782 00:39:26,405 --> 00:39:27,266 people will perish. 783 00:39:27,266 --> 00:39:30,576 I'm Aaron Alejandro with a vision for the Texas FFA, and 784 00:39:30,596 --> 00:39:32,280 that was in 1985. 785 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:35,597 And here we are today and we're still trying to create visions, 786 00:39:35,597 --> 00:39:38,610 we're still trying to find opportunities for the people 787 00:39:38,630 --> 00:39:40,235 that are going to follow in our footsteps. 788 00:39:40,235 --> 00:39:42,753 And then, lastly, I love it, accountability. 789 00:39:42,753 --> 00:39:46,554 You know there are some people that you know you got onto me. 790 00:39:46,554 --> 00:39:50,159 Well, I got onto you because I care about you. 791 00:39:50,844 --> 00:39:54,193 Exactly, I got onto you because I want you to have 792 00:39:54,394 --> 00:39:57,367 responsibility, and when I give you responsibility, I need you 793 00:39:57,387 --> 00:39:59,773 to know I need to hold you accountable for that, just like 794 00:39:59,813 --> 00:40:01,275 I hold myself accountable for that. 795 00:40:01,275 --> 00:40:03,666 So that's excellent, steve. 796 00:40:03,666 --> 00:40:05,911 I wrote them down. 797 00:40:05,911 --> 00:40:09,418 Listen, vision and accountability Good stuff, thank 798 00:40:09,418 --> 00:40:09,579 you. 799 00:40:09,579 --> 00:40:14,373 Well, listen, you know time flies when you're having fun, 800 00:40:15,414 --> 00:40:16,157 and here we are. 801 00:40:16,157 --> 00:40:19,766 We've just about wrapped up the time that we have set aside for 802 00:40:19,766 --> 00:40:22,050 another episode of Growing Our Future. 803 00:40:22,050 --> 00:40:26,367 We appreciate you taking time, steve, to come by and share with 804 00:40:26,367 --> 00:40:29,681 us, but you don't get out of here without the fun question, 805 00:40:29,862 --> 00:40:33,090 and everybody on the podcast gets a fun question. 806 00:40:33,090 --> 00:40:35,414 So here's your fun questionve. 807 00:40:35,414 --> 00:40:39,099 Tell me what is the best concert you've ever been to? 808 00:40:39,907 --> 00:40:41,471 Speaker 3: oh, gosh uh, best concert. 809 00:40:41,471 --> 00:40:42,715 I've ever been to. 810 00:40:42,715 --> 00:40:45,682 The most memorable concert. 811 00:40:45,682 --> 00:40:47,947 I think it was because I was younger and a little bit more 812 00:40:47,987 --> 00:40:48,590 impressionable. 813 00:40:48,590 --> 00:40:53,344 Early in college I went and saw no doubt at the electric 814 00:40:53,425 --> 00:40:54,465 factory in philadelphia. 815 00:40:54,465 --> 00:40:56,889 I was living in southern New Jersey at the time, so it was 816 00:40:56,929 --> 00:41:00,110 only a 40-minute drive, but this was before they were big. 817 00:41:00,110 --> 00:41:04,034 So this was a small venue, standing room only, and it was 818 00:41:04,094 --> 00:41:04,514 crazy. 819 00:41:04,514 --> 00:41:07,938 It was, I mean, like nothing I've ever been to before. 820 00:41:07,938 --> 00:41:09,480 It was insane. 821 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:11,461 It was like a crazy party. 822 00:41:11,461 --> 00:41:14,454 That was the concert I've been to. 823 00:41:14,454 --> 00:41:16,974 It maybe not have been the best musically, but, from just 824 00:41:17,639 --> 00:41:20,429 making memories, I went there with my cousin and some friends. 825 00:41:20,429 --> 00:41:21,472 It was a good time. 826 00:41:22,293 --> 00:41:22,934 Speaker 2: Isn't that great. 827 00:41:22,934 --> 00:41:24,679 I love it. 828 00:41:24,679 --> 00:41:29,094 I love asking guests that question because when you look 829 00:41:29,134 --> 00:41:33,688 at the spectrum of guests young, old, male, female, different 830 00:41:33,849 --> 00:41:37,576 backgrounds, different experiences it's fun to hear 831 00:41:38,336 --> 00:41:42,389 what music we like, to hear the experiences that we've had. 832 00:41:42,389 --> 00:41:46,237 And you know, I think sometimes we overcomplicate things. 833 00:41:46,237 --> 00:41:51,137 I tell people all the time people don't change, they never 834 00:41:51,197 --> 00:41:51,416 have. 835 00:41:51,416 --> 00:41:55,106 You can read the Bible and you'll find pessimists and 836 00:41:55,206 --> 00:41:55,728 optimists. 837 00:41:55,728 --> 00:41:57,931 You know, you'll find sinners and saints. 838 00:41:57,931 --> 00:41:58,592 And guess what? 839 00:41:58,592 --> 00:42:00,815 Fast forward to 2024 and guess what? 840 00:42:00,815 --> 00:42:03,807 You find Pessimists and optimists, sinners and saints. 841 00:42:03,807 --> 00:42:04,851 People don't change. 842 00:42:04,891 --> 00:42:08,806 I think individuals can change, but I don't think people change. 843 00:42:08,806 --> 00:42:11,652 And I think sometimes we look so hard for that silver bullet 844 00:42:12,534 --> 00:42:15,367 when really the same thing that motivates, inspires you, is the 845 00:42:15,427 --> 00:42:19,193 same thing that motivates, inspires me, yep, the good song, 846 00:42:19,193 --> 00:42:23,960 the good movie, good book, and I, you know, family, friends, 847 00:42:24,300 --> 00:42:24,800 incentive. 848 00:42:24,800 --> 00:42:28,094 And I find the same thing works with my kids, yep. 849 00:42:28,094 --> 00:42:31,639 So I think a lot of times we we get so caught up in looking for 850 00:42:31,639 --> 00:42:33,510 the magic bullet but it's really not there. 851 00:42:33,510 --> 00:42:35,391 Sometimes it's in the simplest things. 852 00:42:35,391 --> 00:42:37,251 Yeah, off there. 853 00:42:37,251 --> 00:42:38,494 Sometimes it's in the simplest things. 854 00:42:38,494 --> 00:42:42,588 Let me tell you about the no Doubt concert I dated myself a 855 00:42:42,608 --> 00:42:45,135 little bit there, I think I know who no Doubt is. 856 00:42:46,056 --> 00:42:46,498 Speaker 3: Okay, good. 857 00:42:48,505 --> 00:42:51,112 Speaker 2: Anyway, steve, thanks so much for coming by and 858 00:42:51,192 --> 00:42:51,632 sharing. 859 00:42:51,632 --> 00:42:53,418 Thanks so much for the work that you do. 860 00:42:53,418 --> 00:42:56,449 If y'all are not familiar with Four man Furnace, I'm going to 861 00:42:56,469 --> 00:43:00,012 put the link in the comments, but if you want to see some of 862 00:43:00,052 --> 00:43:04,038 their work, go to the mytexasffaorg website. 863 00:43:04,038 --> 00:43:10,331 Go to mytexasffaorg, click on our stories and watch four 864 00:43:10,391 --> 00:43:11,012 videos. 865 00:43:11,012 --> 00:43:13,657 These are award-winning videos. 866 00:43:13,657 --> 00:43:16,588 Go, check these videos out. 867 00:43:16,588 --> 00:43:20,344 They were written, helped, directed by Steve, his team and 868 00:43:20,385 --> 00:43:24,521 some other collaborators, but they are outstanding and they 869 00:43:24,541 --> 00:43:27,791 have an incredible evergreen shelf life to them because of 870 00:43:27,811 --> 00:43:29,094 the way that y'all designed them . 871 00:43:29,094 --> 00:43:31,768 So we appreciate that and you'll just see some of the 872 00:43:31,829 --> 00:43:32,650 incredible work. 873 00:43:32,650 --> 00:43:35,646 And then, when you get to Foreman's website, you're going 874 00:43:35,666 --> 00:43:38,753 to see some of their incredible work, not just with the Texas 875 00:43:38,914 --> 00:43:40,297 FFA but with other clients. 876 00:43:41,505 --> 00:43:43,050 Steve, thanks again for joining us. 877 00:43:43,050 --> 00:43:44,255 Thank you, aaron. 878 00:43:44,255 --> 00:43:47,153 For everybody else, thank you for stopping by. 879 00:43:47,153 --> 00:43:50,373 You know time is the only thing we get to spend. 880 00:43:50,373 --> 00:43:53,050 We can't save it, we just get to spend it. 881 00:43:53,050 --> 00:43:53,632 And guess what? 882 00:43:53,632 --> 00:43:57,172 You spent a little of your time with us and we want you to know 883 00:43:57,172 --> 00:43:57,293 that. 884 00:43:57,293 --> 00:43:58,315 We appreciate that. 885 00:43:58,315 --> 00:44:01,409 We appreciate again the platform where we get to share 886 00:44:01,851 --> 00:44:05,336 guests like Steve and their insights with all of the 887 00:44:05,396 --> 00:44:09,911 incredible audience that we have and we appreciate you Again. 888 00:44:09,911 --> 00:44:12,675 Like we say in agriculture, if you want to know what the future 889 00:44:12,675 --> 00:44:13,597 is, grow it. 890 00:44:13,597 --> 00:44:16,170 That means you've got to plant seeds. 891 00:44:16,170 --> 00:44:17,896 You've got to put them in place in your life. 892 00:44:17,896 --> 00:44:23,547 As Steve said, they're part of your brand. 893 00:44:23,547 --> 00:44:25,050 Make sure you're planting the good stuff so you can harvest 894 00:44:25,070 --> 00:44:25,371 the good stuff. 895 00:44:25,371 --> 00:44:27,615 And until our paths cross again , everybody go out and do 896 00:44:27,695 --> 00:44:29,067 something great for somebody. 897 00:44:29,067 --> 00:44:32,940 You'll feel good about it and guess what, along the way, you 898 00:44:32,980 --> 00:44:37,172 just might make our communities a better place to live, work and 899 00:44:37,172 --> 00:44:38,036 raise our families. 900 00:44:38,036 --> 00:44:40,452 Until we meet again, everybody be safe. 901 00:44:45,326 --> 00:44:47,311 Speaker 1: We hope you've enjoyed this episode of the 902 00:44:47,351 --> 00:44:48,896 Growing Our Future podcast. 903 00:44:48,896 --> 00:44:53,259 This show is sponsored by the Texas FFA Foundation, whose 904 00:44:53,338 --> 00:44:56,349 mission is to strengthen agricultural science education 905 00:44:56,730 --> 00:44:59,617 so students can develop their potential for personal growth, 906 00:45:00,045 --> 00:45:03,175 career success and leadership in a global marketplace. 907 00:45:03,175 --> 00:45:05,510 Learn more at mytexasffaorg.