Energy Crue
Welcome to 'Energy Crüe', the podcast that dives deep into the heart of industry innovation, entrepreneurship, and personal growth. I'm your host, JP Warren, and each episode, we embark on a journey to uncover the passions and motivations that fuel industry leaders. We're not just talking business here; we're exploring the personal drives, the triumphs, and the challenges that shape today's pioneers. Alongside these inspiring conversations, I'll be sharing my own story - the battles with imposter syndrome, the pivotal mindset shifts, and the lessons learned throughout my entrepreneurial voyage. As a certified coach, my goal is to empower you, our listeners, to break free from the barriers holding you back. Join me as we navigate both the professional and personal landscapes, learning and growing together with 'Energy Crüe'
Energy Crue
The Entrepreneurial Blueprint: Cody Spaulding's Path to Successful Startup
Have you ever wondered what it takes to jumpstart a new venture after being laid off? Join us as we delve into a stimulating conversation with Cody Spaulding, founder of Scissor Tail Pipe, who shares his exhilarating journey from redundancy to launching his own business. Tune in to hear about Cody's unique strategies for retaining clients, scaling operations, and transforming challenges into learning opportunities.
Cody's inspiring journey into entrepreneurship is nothing short of a thrilling adventure as he candidly shares his insights into starting a construction business. We dive deep into his process of founding Scissor Tail Pipe, the importance of honesty and transparency with clients, and what success truly means for his venture. We also touch upon Cody's experiences as he navigated his way through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, including the importance of staying true to one's goals and values even in the face of temptation to chase someone else's success.
As we wrap up our conversation, Cody shares his pragmatic strategies for dealing with negative feedback, finding the right support system, and staying grounded as a small business owner. We discuss how he tactfully transforms challenges into learning opportunities and his future plans for Scissor Tail Pipe. If you're an entrepreneur or hope to be one, you'll find this episode packed with valuable insights, encouraging stories and practical advice that can guide you in your journey. So, join us for an invigorating chat with Cody Spaulding and fuel your entrepreneurial spirit.
Man. I'll tell you one thing Whenever I hear those beats, that means you know I'm about to listen to some great, great conversations, All right. So thank you, Aaron, for tuning into Energy Crew Podcasts Me, your host, JP Warren. I want to thank you all out there for tuning in. We know that there's a lot of podcasts to choose from. However, you came here and if it's your first time here, welcome. If it's your second or third time, welcome home. You're back. You're back with family and that's what we're all about the Energy Family, the Energy Crew Podcast, and part of this, you know, part of this new launch of the podcast we've been doing since the summer, is getting behind industry personalities, industry leaders, talking about. You know kind of what drives them, what inspires them, what, why are they doing what they're doing and why they kind of and this one is no change in that because we are speaking with someone right now I'm pretty much asking the questions like well, why don't you take a bet on yourself and kind of pursue the entrepreneurial lifestyle? And, honestly, this is I'm looking forward to this discussion.
Speaker 2:This is Cody Spaulding, the traveling old field pipe dealer, the founder at Scissor Tail Pipe up in Oklahoma. And hey look, before we even started this. Look, you and I met. It was at the Social Octane's Golf, yeah, Games, golf, yeah, it was that. Those are all the games. Yeah, those are all. He's such a great time, those cats do such a great job and all their events. They have something coming up by the old oil and gas be party.
Speaker 2:Anyway, you and I met.
Speaker 2:I was on a whole kind of promoting kids crew because I was coming up Oklahoma city and you gave me one of these special, special hats that I look, I wear a few hats, not many, because I got a great head of hair, as I tell my daughter every day, but you keep a hat and special and this hat is always special. For some reason, Cody, maybe it's a you and I first met that I really didn't know your story back then and since then you and I have kind of talked. Every now and then we've circled each other on, you know, on LinkedIn, all that fun stuff. Oh, man, you are blowing and going. You are pretty much kind of stepped out on your own and starting your own company and all the struggles and the challenges and the and the successes that come behind that.
Speaker 2:I say today, man, you and me let's kind of have just to shoot the shit conversation, kind of talk about life as an entrepreneurial, starting your own thing, kind of where, where, whenever you're at and like and I don't know, just kind of just get around that, what do you think?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah and it's. It's quite a like the big bowl to take about a horns and to first ask you a question didn't you start your company around the same time as mine?
Speaker 2:Okay, so so I am about. I am I start? I filed for my LLC, I think, july of 21. Okay, were you doing business before that? Though no, crew club's first event was October 21st 2021. So in that, in that span, I think I was trying to do some like, maybe social media management or content creation for a couple of companies. Again, trying to figure it out. Obviously, what I had in my mind is not where we're at today, and that's the exciting part. So, yeah, I started back then to what I thought would be something completely different than we're at today. What about you? Would you start your? Would you start your journey?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I started like just a little bit before you, kind of like mid 2020, just like or maybe mid half back, half of mid 2020. But but anyways, it was like right before you started coming out with your stuff.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I remember following, like your initial things you post online et cetera, and it's been years now, but like your model has changed significantly, just from watching you, like I've even talked about it, but just watching, like what you post and what you do it's just changed like every year and mine's been done kind of the same. So it's very interesting to what happens organically.
Speaker 2:Let me ask you a question what do you think causes that change? Is it, is it for you, is it figured out? Is it kind of, uh, it's hard of kind of doing the same stuff and you kind of just want to like reinvent something new? I mean, well, how do you find your first off, your motivation to keep on doing what you're doing? And the second offer, how do you kind of, where do you find that change when it comes to your tone or to your message, or to how you're communicating?
Speaker 1:Oh, jp, that's a hard question, so that's a good we always ask the good questions here on energy crew.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so motivation is like it can come from no different places. But for me motivation comes daily, but also based on the situation. So you know, especially in solopreneur type endeavor, you know, one day your motivation may be to be free and clear from an office and a boss, and then the next day it's to make payroll and the next day is you got so much money to go to the beach. So like the motivation to do it changes every day and sometimes it's because I'm barely getting by and sometimes it's because I'm wanting to grow something big.
Speaker 2:So it just made a big deal, right yeah? No moment I'm going. No, no, no, no, I'm thinking about first. I'm looking over your shoulder and see that beautiful book energy for everyone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think everyone needs to check out that book. No, but no, I mean, that's and that's kind of the thing. So let me ask you a question what was the so previous before you stepped out doing a scissor tailpipe? What were you doing in your career? Give me the, give me the quick. Hey, I've just scrolled through your LinkedIn. Give me that. And I want to kind of hear the pivotal moment when you decided kind of bet on yourself and kind of start your own, start your own company.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I'm very similar to, like a lot of us guys that are. I've been in industry 15, 20 years, right, you have lots of different experience and long ass. So I started out fracking, ended up in drilling, just like everybody else got laid off at some point, and my father at that time worked in a Chesapeake and he worked in old country two-terler goods and it just happened within like the same two months timeframe we both got laid off and so when he was at Chesapeake he was doing something that was very similar to what I do now, and so we just had a conversation at dinner one night and decided to put it all together and do what he did as far as Chesapeake together for other oil companies, and I learned pipe specifically through that. Now that leading to my business now had some steps Wait, how long? I'm sorry, how long ago was that? So that would have been about six years ago.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you just started learning about pipe from that kind of casual conversation? Yes, okay.
Speaker 1:So he fired that company off. I was in the truck with dad day in, day out. It was just like when I was a little kid, just riding around. You know, he's a fireman, so he's days off. He's always laying tired, doing a rough job and hopping the truck. Well, now we're doing it together right.
Speaker 1:So we traveled the country, made tons of contacts, met tons of people, learned pipe and through all that, you know my dad was getting closer to retirement age and I was getting really versed in all the guests and we'll round it, especially around pipe, because now I've seen new pipe use pot and been on the drilling side, infracting side. So a big mill recruited me for digital and field services related to Pire and that was initially starting out in the Midcon region. Working into the Barnett, I managed that area for a little while and then took over the Northeast and then to a little bit in West Texas for Shell, when it kind of worked out perfect. Dad retired, I got to move on to the new pipe and learn even more about technical services. And then 2020 came and I had I think at the peak I had like 11 rigs that was directly handling all services related to OCTG for them.
Speaker 2:Okay, so within three years getting 20 rigs? I mean, so I'm thinking I'm doing the math. You said six years ago, covid was three years ago, the pandemic was three years ago, so yeah, so in three years getting 20 rigs, okay, I dig that.
Speaker 1:And then 2020 came and those rigs was a zero Right and I had no work to do at my job and we had massive layoffs. I was the first hire in that new department, so, as my boss, hey, I got no rigs, I got no work, got nothing to do. I'm sitting at home on a remote employee. I mean I might get laid off anytime soon. He said you aren't. And so well, I got to do. I got to do something. Can I start working on something on the side if there's nothing going on? He said yeah, sure. So I started dabbling in pipe.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, okay. This is such an interesting. I think this little thing right here is the difference between turning an idea into something or just having the idea fade. You know. So, when you said you were bored or whatever you weren't doing, that you wanted to learn something on stuff, and then you started kind of surrounding yourself with popping on stuff, what are you like? Tell me about that gap and I guess action, activity or whatever like that, where you're like I want to learn this. Was there a destination or is it something you just kind of want to learn? Just kind of stay on top of the game? What was the motivation to kind of continue to learn?
Speaker 1:As far as going to that newest job, yeah, so at that time, you know, it was still that typical going up the corporate ladder. I mean, I know I was working with my dad at the time and I knew that when he wanted to retire, I probably didn't want to take over that business, right? So I was still on that path of well, it's time to just move to the next job and learn more, get promotion. Yeah, the next job learn more, get a promotion. And the natural, the real story is where I decided to leave and go out on the entrepreneur route and that in 2020 really did develop that if the pandemic hadn't happened in 2020 and hadn't happened in that environment hadn't been created, I would have never started this business Me too.
Speaker 2:Man, I wouldn't be where I'm without all that stuff happening as well. Okay, okay.
Speaker 1:So, specifically for me, why it started in 2020 was I knew I had nothing going on at my job. I knew I was secure, but we only know how truthful that is right. So I wanted to start a business. That was essential, but you know how the government came out with this yeah, non-essential yeah. Exactly, yeah. So in the very beginning I wasn't even pie, but I was just like what's essential, what do I know and what's essential, and outside of all of us, because I'm already in that right.
Speaker 2:And there's it went from 1200 rigs to 200 rigs.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:So I knew that construction, things related to construction or at least related to permitting and inspections for, like homes, the residential or commercial Right, no matter what happened with the pandemic, transactions still had to occur and homes and like that massive commercial building still had to pass code to sell or be taken. Even if there wasn't homes being sold and the banks had to take them back on, there was still to be inspections. So all these buildings have to be structurally sound and that's never going to go away when there's transactions going on. So I thought, well, that's essential. And then I thought what is used in construction that I know and is pipe. So I just couldn't connect the dots. I didn't know where specifically there was good niches with good margins, so that could learn the technical side of all gas OCTG and apply that to the commercial side of of construction and everybody went I spent about six months studying micropiling and commercial piling, which is down to like the Gulf of Mexico, and what they do is it's a support structure.
Speaker 1:On the commercial side, they may use it for cell phone towers to hold the base down. For houses it goes down as simple to micropiling of like foundation repairs essentially, and they have to use steel pipe to perform those activities. But oil filled pipe is a lot stronger and the metallurgy is a lot better for erosion and corrosion. Okay, and when it's used it's cheaper than the construction and the construction companies buying brand new ASTM grade construction.
Speaker 2:But so I'm gonna slap a pause on that real quick. So let me get this straight. So, pretty much it's one of those things where it's like, okay, you see something continuing, you see a need for something that obviously is not going away, whether it's construction or coating, whatever all that stuff, You're seeing a halo. I know about pipe I'm learning about pipe a little bit more every day in ASTM so you kind of got. You saw an opportunity, number one where your oil filled background, your knowledge in the oil field, the product is gonna be stronger, cheaper to use, right and in a market that wasn't capitalizing on this stronger, cheaper source, and you're like, okay, well, here's an opportunity right here that I gotta bridge, that I gotta connect.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and even if it's a source that those construction companies were already using oil filled pipe, what I was seeing is that most of them were buying that through two or three different supply chain steps, so there was two or three markups on that material versus just one person dealing directly with an oil and gas coming in. Okay, okay. And straight off the well and then being processed for them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, yeah, so, okay. So is that the first? So tell me about the kind of the first. I guess the first found the founding months, or whatever you wanna call it. How about the we call it the figured out months of you stepping out so you've never had your own business before? Nope, okay, so this entrepreneurial spirit is relatively new and it's stemmed from the pandemics, very similar to my thing. And so tell me about the first, I guess the figured out couple of months. Like when did you kind of, I guess, say hey, look, I'm gonna do this and kind of bet on yourself and what did that look like? What did that look like inside your head and your house of Cody trying to figure this out?
Speaker 1:Okay, Well, I had three things that I knew for a fact. No matter what, I would need to be able to sleep at night to be able to go out on my own. And then it was. The three things were okay. So I wanted to have close to a year's worth of income saved so that if I have completely failed, I knew I could find another job within a year. Okay, so I did that.
Speaker 1:First, I know most people can't do that, it was hard to do. I will say that I worked side businesses while I was employed to save that money in addition. So that part I can't really help you. Just, it doesn't happen overnight. I guess I save money if you wanna follow that route.
Speaker 1:And then the second thing I needed was a customer. Right, right, I had a customer, one customer. We don't have customers, we don't have a business, so you have to go out and sell. So you gotta learn sales, you gotta go out and sell. You gotta go out and get one customer just to start. I mean you need more than one, but one start. And then for me, what I wanted was I wanted to have repeat customers. I didn't wanna be someone that just made my income off of deals, always chasing a deal. Yeah, I'm chasing a new deal, I wanted it to be. It kinda goes back to the essential business. I wanted it to be an essential business that was stable, that will always be around no matter what, and that they want the same amount of material from here, the same amount of servers, the same amount of consulting every month, year for year, until I die, and I just scale from there, okay, like building blocks. That's kinda how my brain works. So I found those three things and that's when it was time to just take off.
Speaker 2:Okay, so let me ask you a question. So, whenever you find that one customer on the stuff I'm thinking about people that are kind of in their roles right now, kind of you know, that are curious about kind of stepping out of their own, that are very curious about kind of this, this entrepreneur or soulpreneur lifestyle, whatever that is. And that's something that Ronnie Giles said with BitOut as well. He said something very interesting. He said, look, if you can find that one customer, that means you have a business, that means you have a product and all that stuff. How far along were you kind of having these conversations? Were these more theory? I don't, hey, if I started this, would you be interested in this? Or are these like hey, look, this is happening, I'm looking for my first customer? You know what I mean. Was it more theoretic conversations or were this more like, hey, this is happening, are you in or out?
Speaker 1:Well, it was more. Hi, I'm Cody Spalding. I'm the owner and founder of ZipTelPyfe. We're a distribution company. I've used tubulars in the VidCon region and it was basically being the business before the business existed and at what. And that's in. It's not hiding that I wasn't ready or hiding that I didn't have inventory. I had both of those things. It was just confidence, man, you just have to. If you go in and say, hey, I'm new, I'm really trying this out, would you help me out? I think in order for me, if I was a business owner, it'd make me a little nervous. Yeah, so I just went into just regular old sales and be honest. Tell them that you make the decisions, tell them that it's your money. Tell them always. I mean, if I can get one advice for anybody just trying to retain clients is just always tell the truth. And you never have to remember anything if you always tell the truth. So just always tell the truth.
Speaker 2:You know what. I think this is important for airlines out there, especially Southwest. I'm talking to you Like that's a great point. It's like, even if you don't know, okay, even if, like, I've always found that, even if you don't know the answer, it's okay to say I don't know the answer, and this is why I don't know the answer. But once I find something, I'm gonna let you know. When you leave people in the dark, when you leave customers, potential customers, or people in the dark when it comes to what's going on, that pisses people off. I mean, just think about, like, if your flight's delayed or if your flight can't, we're like I'm joking around about Southwest, we're not really but like, think about when something's delayed, something's canceled. I don't care if the update is, hey, passengers, we don't know what's going on, but we'll let you know Like I'd rather have something like that than be left alone in the dark, yeah, and if you're in sales and you're working with vendors, I mean I would love for vendors to work that same way too.
Speaker 1:I mean I have customers that you know. I would like them to tell me more stuff so I can help them more, and you can only do that through asking them questions. But one example had a great customer that bought out one of their competitors and moved to a whole like it took on double their business, basically overnight, and I was supplying them all their steel. So I had to figure out a way to fix that problem. It usually takes me months to acquire it still a tough bad.
Speaker 2:Good problem to have.
Speaker 1:Oh, it was an item here for months. Let's talk about on-street or not sleeping. We got it figured out. But it's another thing where it's just everybody can just be honest, always be talking, always be open. It's just helped so much.
Speaker 2:So let me ask you a question. So let's talk about kind of behind the curtain First off. How about this? No, let's talk about in front of the curtain, about your business and kind of watching it grow and kind of the major milestones maybe that you've seen and maybe lessons that kind of come along with those milestones. And then I kind of want to talk about kind of what's it like, you know behind closed doors, once you know the phone's down, the computer's down, like how, what that looks like. So I guess, starting off, let's talk about kind of what it looked like for you to scale up your business. What was important, lessons that you learned along the way, what are some mistakes that you kind of learned that. So let's kind of have an overall like 30,000 foot conversational view and I can share some of the stuff that I've learned as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Gosh, so so many things.
Speaker 2:Dude, I know here's the deal, man, like there's a lot of stuff there's. You know it's where it's like every season as an entrepreneur or a solopreneur. It's just like it's exhausting, it's tiring, it's a storm. You know it's a you expect.
Speaker 2:For me, one of the most interesting things that I've had to understand is the concept of success. Is what does success feel like? It's not that again I'll back up. You know, like, for me, like you know, for example, when I wrote that Energy for Everyone book, whenever I got you know X amount of you know operators to the table, whatever things start kind of going well and all that stuff, I have a difficult time identifying with success. Well, identifying what that feels like, because for me it's like, hey, good job, okay, well, I gotta keep going, I gotta keep building, I gotta keep doing something else, I gotta keep, I can't lose this momentum, I can't lose this steam.
Speaker 2:And for me, success doesn't bring along the good, joyous, positive, light feelings it kind of brings along the lines of first off, I need to detach my thinking of what success. I need to think of achievement. How much energy and effort did I put towards this and did I achieve what I wanted to? Versus success, because that's such a grand term and for me it doesn't sit with like hey, you did a good job. It's like hey, don't sit on your ass, keep moving forward. Or else like it's, it's, it's, it's an anxiety ball.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a weird thing, man, it's like you. So when you ask the question just about stepping stones, it's almost like I wanna limit the amount of stepping stones I want. I just wanna pick long-term goals because, just for me, you know okay, for example, right out of high school, you know what's like, what's your dream? Well, my dream was like one day, like what's the ideal, like position for me? It's like okay, I make over a hundred, over a hundred thousand dollars a year, I have a company truck, any cell phone and I have freedom. Oh man, you do, give me that I'll do the rest of my life. I never want to make another dollar. Well, now I have that.
Speaker 1:So I have to like keep in mind that, like, I have met every dream I've ever wanted and I'm happy. And so as I make goals, I have to say like, look, I can make this goal. But as soon as I decide I'm tired of working towards that goal, I have to reassess whether I still actually want that goal or not and I'm okay with dropping. Yeah, there's no point in going out and working for yourself if you're doing stuff you don't want to do. So that's my constant battle, is like I'll see someone else doing something great. He made like 300,000 more than me last year. It's like, okay, I want to do that and I start doing the process to get to that and like not pretty happy.
Speaker 2:You know it's just, everyone has different goals. You know what that's. That's interesting too because, like, that's such a great point, because it's like you know people for example, my stuff you know it's like, hey, how come you don't grow crew club? How come you know bringing more people? You know you have, you know, 15 to 20 people at your event. I got a. I Don't want to chase that. I don't want to chase the, the growth, the number. Don't. I want it to grow in a natural, organic way. But I don't want to do this just because someone else to do with that. You know that's not. I don't think that's a good. I think so. For me it's not a question of Success and you know, grown to this grand screen thing. For me it's enjoying the process, enjoying the journey and making sure it's kind of like what you said, it aligns with what you want, it's aligned with your goals, versus doing this because we're in this hustle culture. We got to compare ourselves to everyone else.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, like the park most of people I've met. There's a lot of Individual entrepreneurs in Oklahoma as well, like I've got a couple buddies that do the exact same thing I do, that live here in this state, and then same thing in Texas and New Mexico and everywhere else. But you know you have to and they've mentioned it too is why did you leave your job? You know, why are you? Why are you being an entrepreneur in the very beginning? Why'd you want to do it? And I mean the whole point.
Speaker 1:Most people just want to be doing their own thing, right? Yeah, doesn't even really come down to Growth or scale or money, and those are just later things and I think your goals change over time. You know, initially I was thinking, well, she does want to make payroll, that's all I care about, you know. And then I went way over making payroll and I'm thinking, okay, well, maybe I want to go this company, but do I want to grow it or I'm more busy, or do I want to support People and hire employees, or do I want to open a yard and have overhead and it's just a lot to it.
Speaker 2:That is a lot. Just let me ask you a question. Whenever you are kind of like, let's say, when you are at these crossroads, how do you, I guess, determine your best? You know, cody or scissor tails, best avenue forward for that moment, like is it? Is it? Is it the potential return, is a potential growth? Is it peace of mind on Europe and on your side, which is very valuable as a, as someone that owns their own business? What's the, what's the deciding factor for you?
Speaker 1:well, I had one, that it's. I've been asking myself that same question for the past. So I've been started this business three years ago it's about last year and a half, it's. You know it did really well and so I'm like, oh, I did exactly what I plan to do, and actually they do well better than I had planned for it to do. And so, you know, I just it's like I'm just waiting for there to be essentially enough capital to where it's ridiculous I'm not doing something with it and making a decision and tell them. I'm not gonna stress myself out, I like the day-to-day of going out, traveling, meeting new people, going adventures, getting lost final well-sides, you know, making deals, and I just want to keep doing that and save money until I can afford a big purchase you know, maybe it be a yard and equipment all at once, but until the the money's there, I I tried to just not even think about those, those decisions, yet how?
Speaker 2:do you handle? So, how do you handle? I guess I Mean, first off, are you stressed? Doesn't sound. It doesn't sound like you. I mean having your own company. I mean, how are you doing? By the way, how are you let's do a wellness check how you doing, oh, I'm doing great.
Speaker 1:I mean man, jp. Honestly, my stressful level Work related is maybe like the one.
Speaker 2:How that's just first off. It's not a bad thing. I mean, I'm saying hats off to you, but how? How do you keep it at a work?
Speaker 1:I just keep it simple. You know it's at the other day. It's pretty. My business is pretty simple. I tell everybody anybody could do it, you know. Anybody can go Learn, use pipe, learn you know some construction applications. Go meet the people I know and then just connect the dots and everybody wins. It's it's just a matter of making things. I think it was the four hour work week. I read yeah, there's a handful of books, but yeah, making things as simple as humanly possible. And I know that I read something on Twitter. I think it was that call and put with digital wildcatters about how he doesn't deal with like something crazy, like no, it doesn't like 10% of his email now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to get my life to that point to where I Get bored, but money's still coming in with the business, and that's a good problem, because then I can create other businesses. Dude 100%.
Speaker 2:So I think we're kind of in the same boat. We want to get to a point and yeah, like where it's like there are a lot of emails, there's a lot of this, there's a lot of that, there's a lot of little details to kind of like that we've been doing the past two and a half years or two years or ever Long it's been, and I think I would love to kind of hand it off. I would love to kind of bring people on to where I can delegate this stuff, where I literally just have to show up, connect people and kind of Connect people. That should be connected, whether it's to knowledge, whether it's through a potential job opportunities or deals or whether that looks like. But I don't want, I don't, honestly, when it comes to like all the paperwork and all the I don't. It's tough to keep on enjoying that, you know, because it's a lot. It's a lot. You miss one email. That's one thing out of a thousand. Things got to do that day and I feel bad when that happens.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'd like to meet somebody and maybe you can help me with the net because you're the network guy right, if there was somebody that you know, the entrepreneur out there that doesn't have a partner but is to that second or third step where they've got chairs and employees, maybe have a facility or like does a service like you and they have different regions with the employees that handle different regions. I'd like to talk to someone like that to see what they're supposed to get there. Because my biggest thing is I've looked at buying a Duly and a long trailer doing a hot shot company. Well, guess what beginning, who's gonna drive that? I have to? It's a long room that I can't run my pipe business and it's like, okay, well, I'm gonna grow the pipe is, so I buy these that I can't be the jobs that currently have, so just physically being places and Like. I guess my question for that entrepreneur would be what did you do To prove yourself that you could afford to hire someone under that job? Like in the beginning, do that?
Speaker 2:My wife talks about that all the time. She's always like you know, you know we need to bring someone on to kind of start. You know, you know, once you, once exact true happens, or once connection grabs, you bring someone lead the meeting. For me it's like, yeah, I'd like to, you know, but at the same time that I want to be there, I want my that's, that's, that's my baby. You know, I want to see the networks happen, I want to see the magic happen. I want, I want to be there because I think it's important for me to be there.
Speaker 2:But you're right, how do you scale up with a certain amount of time, with a certain amount of responsibility you have to do as an entrepreneur? Yeah, it's difficult, that's tough. So what are so okay? So what are some lessons that I, that that's okay, what are some lessons that could help entrepreneurs out there? So, for example, I just kind of I was thinking the other day on the flight, I Thought I, you know, does your brain have the fever?
Speaker 2:You know, I think, you know, there's so many good ideas out there. There's something I did a podcast about there's so many good ideas out there, so many good Concepts out there that never really Come to fruition. You know they don't really because they don't have the communication. So for me, I found the biggest benefit for me was the constant, constant, constant communication, repetition and the constant regurgitation of what Crew club is, what exec crew is, what kids crew is.
Speaker 2:Because I think it's like it doesn't matter how good of a product you have, if you're not repeating your story, if you're not telling the benefits You're not given, exposing the feeling of your product or service, then it's probably it's. You're not gonna have as big of a splash as you possibly could. So my Lesson out there to other entrepreneurs be make sure your product has the fever that's feeling. Make sure you're communicating the feeling. The Was it the, the feeling? I just thought about the exposure, the, the value of it, the. You got to repeat this message well, so it's, it's, there's another in there, but whatever for me is like Constantly repeat your message over and over.
Speaker 1:Yeah, relevance, yeah, I mean it's critical man Like if, if somebody doesn't know who you are, doesn't matter, they don't like you like if they don't know, you are never gonna do business with you. They never even heard of your name or met you or anything. So yeah out there.
Speaker 2:I think, mark, I think marketing is extremely important, but also it's not like, it's not, it's not saying the same message the same way. It's saying the same message Five different ways, so those five different people with five different lenses can connect to you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and getting creative with it too. That's, that's another one. I've got a tip for those new ones out there. So what I would say? Like so, to start a business, you have to have Sales and you have to have the business right.
Speaker 2:Okay, you have to walk me through this, like, yeah, let's do a little class right now. Walk me through is yeah, okay, all right.
Speaker 1:So if you're gonna go start your own business, I tell this to everybody If you're a really good salesman, pay a CPA to set up your tax resell permit, to set up your articles of of Organization, to set up your everything. Later you'll see your your tax commission account, like, set all that stuff up for you, because then all you know about is sales. And then vice versa, if you really get the business stuff, don't, don't pay and settle that up yourself until you go out and make a sale, make a sale and then go figure and then go to also fit business guy. So do both parts you have to have you know what?
Speaker 2:that's interesting. I also read something so it's like, hey, look, if you're really strong, it's something and you know your weakness. Don't try to strengthen that weakness, like that's your weakness. You should have someone, for example, for me, let's say it's taxes or CP, whatever all that stuff, but I don't need to spend three days a week learning about this, learning about this. I know that's my weakness. So if I have someone I can trust, delegate, so know your strengths and and actually work those muscles. So if you have really good biceps, keeps, doing, keep doing curls, you know, skip leg day if leg day, if that's your weakness. So pretty much like it was the lesson where it was like don't try to focus on Strengthen your weaknesses, focus on strengthening your strength and hire other people to meet the weaknesses.
Speaker 1:That makes sense, makes total sense too, because it also goes along with that concept of like the value of your time. And if you're gonna make 100, 200, $100 an hour going out making sales, then you probably shouldn't be doing your own payroll paperwork. You know you're doing that stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:So just pick the things that that you're wasting your time on that. Don't make money and pay someone else to do that stuff, do you?
Speaker 2:find it more stressful, or obviously your stress. Is that a one? Do you? Would you? Would you Well, it's like it's high sometimes, but there you go? Would you? Would you tell yourself that you would have done this earlier of 2020 and happen? Or would you have Like, for example, like without 2020? Would you have the entrepreneurial spirit? Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, I don't know if I would have started this business when I had started this business, but I think that eventually I would have started something because I got the taste. I was one of those few people that got lucky to get a taste of it. You know that kind of 5050 partner, entrepreneur, yeah. So getting that taste, maybe I want to get back in the water. So I just wasn't totally sure what I wanted to do until the crash game.
Speaker 2:I think, for me, I think an interesting mindset was for me, I think it was like a year and a half end of my journey. And that's what it is, man. It's a journey because, man, every court for me, I base my business on quarters. How do you do yours, mine's, mine's figuring out like the court and I'm survived the quarter. I hate Q4. Well, my God, dude, what a summer. Summers are brutal too, man. I deal with people. I can't get anyone out in the summers.
Speaker 2:But no, for me it was like I remember sitting there, we had an event in Austin and after that, you know, my family and I, I had my daughter and my wife and we all went to this place and Spicewood, it was Airbnb. I'm like, yeah, I work here for a couple of days. It was such a mental having that mental hurdle to be like, hey, you can do this, you can do this and you don't have to like report in anyone or it's all that stuff. That, to me, having that entrepreneurial feeling, like hey, you really are your own boss, jp, like you can do this, like that was such a cool, surreal feeling that I had. You know what I mean. Have you had those? Have you had those like aha feelings before, those like oh shit, I'm really doing this, cody, have you had those feelings before?
Speaker 1:Mine are signing up for for ridiculous like marketing events, like whether it's shooting guns or golf or barbecues or whatever. I had past employers that would never give me a budget for that stuff. So now when that stuff comes up, I'm like where's my checkbook? Like how many checks can I write for this thing? So that's my love being able to go do stuff now.
Speaker 2:Now let me ask you a question. When you see this, when you, when you, whenever you do go to that and you see this logo there, yeah, first off, did you design?
Speaker 1:this. No, there's a desert design company out of Midland. I think, okay, those hats.
Speaker 2:Okay, no, the logo and all that?
Speaker 1:Oh, you mean the logo itself? No, I went on fever for like five bucks and that's dude.
Speaker 2:I love it, it looks good, but whenever you see your logo, like all one of these, like industry shooting, like the sporting clays or the golf tournaments, how like, how does that feel for you?
Speaker 1:That's pretty cool man.
Speaker 2:It's a cool feeling.
Speaker 1:There's a lot more than mine, but it's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Well, that's just. That's just because I just posted all over social media, but it's a cool feeling, isn't?
Speaker 1:it.
Speaker 2:It's a, it's a, it's a.
Speaker 2:I feel like it's a very doom and gloom mindset as an entrepreneur. It's like I got to survive this and if I don't, I'm going to lose my house, my family's going to walk away, I lose my friends, I was like. But in reality I've found it better for me, for my mental health, for my mental states, to say, hey, look, it's not doom and gloom. If this, if this ends up, you know, not working out, shitting the bed or whatever, like that, you'll be okay, I'll find something else. You know what I mean, like that realization that's. That was a conversation my wife and I have, because I get in times where I get extremely stressed out about this and I would wake up and I want to pursue things, I want to think about things and it's it's it's challenge. It's a challenge staying grounded. I think.
Speaker 1:Do you think that? Do you think that starting your business and running it up till to now was harder or easier than you would have thought?
Speaker 2:Harder, really, yes, harder, harder. The reason why it's harder I love this, let's just have a conversation. I love this, so okay. So I found it harder. This is why the concept of what I, what, of what you know, when I started and I did the social media stuff, and then, okay, how about this?
Speaker 2:When, when, when, when crew club started, okay, it was such a concept that it was such an interesting sell, you know, because it's a lot of like, hey, I like that idea, jp, but I'm going to wait to see how this evolves. I like this, but we're not in, but there's other stuff going on. So it was kind of introducing a new newish concept. I felt like and this is my perspective it might be people out there listening to me like, jp, you're an idiot, like it's not remarkable. We'll have to find. This is my perception. So deal with my pie. You're all of them. You're all of them. Yeah, but for me, selling the concept hey, we're doing an operator, producer, focus networking events where we're not allowing a lot of everyone in. You know, this is a small group and all that stuff. You know, you got to pay for a sponsorship and all that stuff. Oh, by the way, there's no sales pitches and selling that or describing that it's not even selling, like I wasn't even selling anything, but describing that not only to the crew members you know, the service tech providers and all that stuff but also to the operators.
Speaker 2:That was extremely challenging. It's like, well, jp, what it's new? It's new and so it was so for me. I mean you talk about, when I talk about the fever, I'll constantly regard to, say, the product. You know, there's times I call people and they're like okay, wait, who's this? Again, I'm like it's JP, with connection crew or crew club, whatever. Like, okay, and what are you selling? I'm like, dude, I'm not selling them, I'm selling you to meet people, that's it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I found extremely challenging, um, yeah, to sell this new idea. That's not really a new idea, um, but I mean, since I mean just looking back, I mean I remember you talking. You know you just mentioned, you said something so great before. You're like, yeah, I've lived all my dreams and all that stuff.
Speaker 2:I remember sitting here in 2021 thinking, dude, that'd be so cool, that'd be so cool If I can go to dinner and earn a living off of going to dinner. And here I am doing it. It's like now it's like, okay, well, dinner's again kind of tiring and I don't need that much steak, but anyway, but it's like it's um. No, I think I think finally now and I think I'm at the point now with, with, with this stuff, for number one, I do I feel like I do have the confidence, you know, and I think confidence is a big I think the whole faking it till you're making it thing and give me obviously I'd like you're inside of this I think the whole faking it till you make it thing, is true, you have to fake it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I don't know if the faking, but like doing, just do it, like just do stuff you don't want to do all the time, all the time.
Speaker 2:Okay, I agree. Maybe faking is the wrong word. How about this? How about? How about being your own cheerleader or being a being a believing yourself, believing in yourself when you're really not sure if you should? Yeah, you have to over believing yourself. I feel like right now I'm at that stage where, like, okay, well, there's a lot of cool stuff in the future. I'm going to be at that crew first meeting tomorrow. I'm pretty pumped about that connection crew and now I'm going to do phase. So now I feel like I'm in this create. Now I feel like I went from a survival phase. I think every company has this. It was like survival phase. Now the baby's walking, the baby gates are off. Now it's like at this creative phase where it's like what else can I? What else, what else can I do? And hopefully, hopefully, obviously there's some financial benefit to it, but what else can I do?
Speaker 1:Right yeah, and sprinkle stuff in and then, like that's kind of been thinking the same thing as spring point in services. But I think, as you're describing like that, you're coming out of the infancy phase of your business and starting to level off, where you have security, like regular revenue coming in et cetera. Like I think that's still going to have ups and downs. So I think you just had to tread lightly, like when you start sprinkling in more customers or more services or something else over here, just, I guess a sprinkle lightly. I mean, I'm going to figure out as I go. I can't help that much, I haven't done it much.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I mean, but that's the thing I mean, you just got to figure it out and lean on your sport. I remember the conversation I had with you when we chat on the phone. It was such a cool conversation about like just life on the life on the road, life trying to figure it out, man, and it seems like you kind of got it figured out. Your confidence is you know what you're doing now, man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's, you know, the biggest turtle on that confidence part. It was just figuring out that it doesn't matter, like if you want to go out there and start a business and provide a service or a product, you may initially think like I want people to like my service or product.
Speaker 1:But that's naturally, that's not even something you should have to think about, and that's, and when someone wants to use or look at your service or product, they want to enjoy it too. They don't want to think about whether they like you as a person. So all you need to do is just get out there and show people your product or service and business will grow from there. As long as they're, again, just honest and kind, that's all you have to just be honest, fair and kind and like. As long as you just show the product and you have a good product and a good service and you're consistent and you're just kind and humble and honest, I mean it kind of runs itself.
Speaker 2:How do you handle haters? How do you handle haters? Seeing having Cody?
Speaker 1:I kind of like.
Speaker 2:I see Cody seeing what he wants. I see Cody living the American dream Do what he wants to do with that scissor tail pipe. Oh, we don't need that guy. How do you handle the haters? Yeah?
Speaker 1:I appreciate it, to be honest. I mean I've had past employees and stuff and I mean I'm not going to like name names, actually like it. You know it's just names. It's one of those things where, again, like you got to be relevant and and if, even if people don't like you or or if they hate on you, it's still more people hearing your name, right, and, and I've heard you know, when people tell me bad things about people, I don't think bad things are those people, because I have my own opinion, so I'm not going to worry about other people's opinions of me and what they tell other people.
Speaker 1:So I mean it's just haters are going to hate, right?
Speaker 2:Well, let me ask you a question. Did you have to learn that my mindset?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I did. Yeah, first off, you and I can't sit here, but oh yeah, we don't need the haters. It took me a little bit to get this mindset of what you're talking about, so keep talk about that a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's this thing about being a little guy. So you know, like I buy career paths Just to say it's all pipe and it's not. Let's just say it all. You know, start with a small company and go a little bigger, a little bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger than the next thing. Now I'm at like the second largest mill in the world and then I leave and go to little old Cody in Oklahoma, the middle of nowhere.
Speaker 1:Well, I hope I'm a city, but you know what I mean compared to the world that I was dealing with France and I'm like how would you put down? So now you're the little guy, right, and so it's harder to get into meetings and it's harder to get lunches and it's harder to get coffees and golf people in your team and you may get your feelings or, and you may think people don't like you and you may think your business is as cool and you're not as cool as you thought you were and all these things. Yeah, and I mean, yeah, like I dealt with that, sure, but like what's the best thing and the worst thing I can do for that? Like the worst thing I can do is sit in here, because sitting here doesn't make me any money at all. I only sit in here for paperwork and podcasts, right. What I need to do is get out and go meet some people, smile and make some deals right and quit worrying about it. So I don't know, that's just my attitude, man. No, I didn't.
Speaker 2:No, I didn't know if I mean for me, like you know, obviously, being in sales, you know you want everyone to like you. You know you want to walk into an office, whether you're doing a you know a breakfast run or a meeting or pitching something, or you know it's a new lunch, there's a new person there, an engineer you got to. You want people to like you, like you do. I hate, being that way it might sound like as a sales, as a salesperson, you want people to like you.
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 2:And you know, starting this company was interesting. You know, you think I've also noticed too. It's like whoever you think that your support group is like, whoever you think it is before you want your journey, that's not. It completely changes. You know what I mean. Like who you think would support you and want you to succeed and be your cheerleader. They're not.
Speaker 2:That was a weird thing that I'd learned, but no, it was kind of like. You know, for me, like whenever it comes to, you know, haters, whatever we'll just use the word haters, whatever it comes to, like that that really did bother me. You know, like it really messed with me. You know, starting this thing, I used to have to like, I used to like justify and defend myself or the value of networks, and dude after a while I think it's one of those things you said if you got a good product, good service that you believe in and you know, and you have little and you have confidence in what that, that helps kind of turn down the haters voids. You know what I mean. So no one thinks about it as much as you think the people are thinking about you. So get that out of your head right there.
Speaker 2:But no, I think, you know, I don't. It's not that I like it, you know, because it's like it's kind of such as all I'm trying to do is bring people together and connect people and try to help people out, but at the same time, it's one of those things whenever this does happen, like I, it doesn't really affect me as much anymore, and that's. That was a huge hurdle I personally got through. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, yeah, and it's like you know within a day it's. It's just your job, it's not you, yeah.
Speaker 2:I try to survive man.
Speaker 1:Like I go out to work all day and meet different people that do or do not like me, but I most do. But you know, at the end of the day, like what am I doing on the weekends? I'm still playing poker with the same guys from high school that aren't an oil and gas at all. I'm still going camping with guys from college. You know, like I don't even, sometimes on the weekends I won't talk to a single person in a long gas and that's that's my personal life, right? Like so being worried during your work week about what people think of you and if they like you, like all the way to work, just throw out the one that you're wasting your time.
Speaker 2:How do you feel, I guess, as a, as a business owner, when it comes to kind of like taking new things on or learning new things? Where do you source your, I guess, your knowledge, your information, your, your support, your guidance, your insight? Like, where is it Books, is it podcasts, is it seminars, is it support groups or is it your network?
Speaker 1:What is it? Almost all podcasts now.
Speaker 2:I, and besides energy crew podcast, keep going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I listen to all of them. Like a lot of the guys are like us on LinkedIn. If you go to, you know just geez man, I can name off probably at least a dozen. Like I follow all of them and then and it's, it's great because, especially if you start getting into, uh, analysts type stuff, so like Petro, petro nerds, I think it's what's called podcasts.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so here in total, different vocabulary than good old Cody with his general business degree from Oklahoma, and you start hearing and it just helps me with it but with you know, verbalizing my thoughts better in regards to the market and still prices and commodities and, um, yeah, so I digest pretty much everything on podcasts. I mean I spend at least 30 to 40 hours in the truck a week, so this is the okay. No-transcript.
Speaker 2:Okay, so that's okay. So you get most you that's. So you kind of turn your, your, your circumstance being stuck behind the wheel into kind of a learning opportunity. Yeah, I love that classroom, yeah, yeah, that's.
Speaker 1:And then on, most of my deals are done, like when I'm working on just where there's, on a buyer, on a sale. I've got my notepad right here in my truck. I've got my laptop right there in my truck. I got a printer in the back seat for my checks. I got my phone right here in my GPS what and I'm? I'm going to five yards or going to rigs.
Speaker 2:Oh, you have to send me a picture that that sounds, that sounds pretty legit. So let me ask you a question what's so, uh, for people out there kind of tuning in that that maybe don't know who you are, all stuff who would contact you about, about what you do like who? Who are your? Who are the your customers?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So I mean, it's real simple. I buy used tubing and casing and used to in case in to in. Casing comes from plugged wells or worked over wells, okay. So just like everybody that sells new pipe is chasing the drilling rigs, I chase the work of a rigs, okay, okay. And all gas company and you're working over a well or plugging a well, you know you have to at some point get rid of that used tubing or use it. I'm I got it comes in and offers to buy it Do you.
Speaker 2:So do you work with like those, like like P&A Organizations and all that stuff, whether that little, is that a little honey hole for you?
Speaker 1:No, I don't deal directly with them. Typically those, those plugging companies will Make an offer directly the oil company to do the work and get the pipe that comes out Okay, and then they take that pipe and resell it to me for profit and and so what I do is I work directly with the operator and make offers on the pipe once the plug in companies pulled it out.
Speaker 2:Got you Okay, all right, so and how can people contact you? Where? Where can people find you? Obviously on LinkedIn, linkedin.
Speaker 1:My email is Cody CODY at scissortelpipecom. Like the state bird my cell phone number, I'm happy to give it out 405 802 6294.
Speaker 2:I know I've done it before, but guess, hey, it's those from it.
Speaker 2:So that's why I love it, love it, I dig it, so okay. So, entrepreneurs, so talk me, let's, let's have more of a bit. So what are this? So what are the, I guess, key things that I guess that you're excited about coming up in the it's the holiday season coming up right. Always stress your Q4 is always fun. What do you look? Are you? How are you planning for, I guess, the Q4? Are you thinking of new things to tackle? Are you? Are you dreaming big? You've budgeted in this, or what are you doing in this Q4 season before the holidays as an entrepreneur?
Speaker 1:So right now, the market, the still market it's significantly dropped out. It's a buyers market, for sure, and significantly dropped, and I, I expected to stay a biker buyers market Q4 and Probably through mid Q1 at least. Okay, but prices are low. And you know, I when I say it's a buyers market, it's like a buyer that uses the material, not a seller like you know, not like a wholesale or like me. But I'm actually kind of doing the opposite of what everyone's doing. I, I'm taking all my excess capital and investing it in an inventory right now. Okay, I set aside Some other projects they can't talk too much about, but they help, yeah, I mean, they're helping keep payroll going to where I don't have to use excess funds, and so I've timed the market to where I think it'll. I think it's gonna be, it'll hold the potential dip and then it's gonna climb eventually again, I'm trying to buy inventory cheap now and hold out for it to climb again.
Speaker 2:But I've heard, I've heard Q1 in the steel side of things is gonna be, that's gonna be uptickin.
Speaker 1:Whatever that one is gonna, yeah, on the new side, at least for sure on the what on the new side.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's, that's kind of, that's kind of the word that that's kind of.
Speaker 1:I've been hearing Q, yeah it all kind of depends to what you know overseas, what happens with production levels, whether they decided kept production or increase it or keep it where they're at now, that that'll change the P&A and work over weeks. So that's all speculative, but that's you got take risk to my money. So that's what I'm trying to do.
Speaker 2:I love that man, so are you gonna be. So let me ask you a question what is the next step of growth? Look and feel like for you I.
Speaker 1:Don't know that. I have two options. I either want to start a complimentary business, such as like a hot-shot company, okay, but I don't want to drive it every day. So right, that's a hurdle. It's a hurdle I'd have to overcome, but just have to test the market and find customers and figure out if it's, you know, plot, you know right worth it.
Speaker 1:And then the second thing I really want to do is I'd like to open a yard and and have I have storage and a little bit of reclamation. I don't want to compete with the downholiards. I primarily want to do Like bandsaw and beveling type work and maybe a little bit of fab work. I'm not. I'm not technical enough, nor do I want to learn all that stuff, but I'll just hire guys to do that stuff. I'm very interested in learning about it. I just don't want to find the pipe with. I'm doing it myself.
Speaker 2:So are you, so you. So. Right now is scissor-tale is it just you? That's just me, man, I'll tell you one thing I think whenever, whenever, so whenever the First hire comes on, that's gonna be exciting day for you, buddy, yeah it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've tried to hire some guys already, but for some reason my buddies don't want to join.
Speaker 2:You know why they want to hire your buddies. How are your buddies? No, I think it's me excited time. I think I love talking to you because you know, you have that you first off. You have such a great demeanor when it comes to, you know, owning a company and figuring things out and a lot of the stuff you go through. I think a lot of people, and myself Included, relate to you know, when it comes to being your own boss, when it comes to figuring stuff out, trying to make payroll, being behind the car, being on the wheel for you know, 40 hours a week, I think it's. It's stuff that, like, I love watching, I love seeing. If you could, if you had a magic wand, or if you could spend another two hours of your day somewhere, where would that one to go to and where would the, where would the time be spent?
Speaker 1:That's our pleasure, Bro.
Speaker 2:This is you're the on a your your own boss.
Speaker 1:You tell me oh, two hours a day, I've just anything you got after two hours oh. Man, two hours a day, cannot pick winter and summer. How about that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, it's a your question, bro, okay.
Speaker 1:If it's summer and I got an extra two hours to kill, I am at the lake wakeboarding Okay, I think that. But a bunch of buddies yeah, that's your thing. Okay, yeah. And then If it's the winter and I got an extra two hours to kill, I'm probably bowling. I want to get back in. I've never been in the bowling, but I want to get into it and start competing. There's these guys in Houston that are really in the pipe and they like how these tournaments, and so I want to get into it this winter. And it's only I'm so obsessed with physically doing sports all the time is I love that winter. So I was like get a bowling this winter.
Speaker 2:I love how you start there. Yeah, I really want to get back in a bowling.
Speaker 1:Never, I've never really got all of you back into it.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love that, all right. Magic wand, magic wand, magic wand me where we're. What's gonna be happening to? To Cicero tailpipe with a magic wand, sorry to guess.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, I think that in five years I think in the five years from now I'll have a yard and probably at least four employees and I'll have another business I'll be spending most my time on and you'll just be delegating and showing up, delegating and showing up delegate that one and then building the next one until that one's ready to delegate, and just keep going.
Speaker 2:I would love to get a certain point where it's like first off, have the confidence and trust, maybe Because, dude, as like as much, really like you're holding every, you're doing everything, you're handling this, you got this, you got this, you're doing everything yourself, and to relinquish that it's to bring someone on and to delegate hey, you handle this. Now that's a weird feeling, like I don't know, like I don't know how, like it's a weird. It's a weird Feeling to do after two years of, like, growing this little baby.
Speaker 1:Well, you're growing your family. So I say just the family is the business, is your family and it's you, and as you hire, you're growing your family and growing your business.
Speaker 2:So I think, I think that's me excited times, what, what, what, what, what, what. What are the words of wisdom? Do you have to wrap this up? Or kind of predictions, outlook, insights, excitement, what, whatever you got for us, what? What is Cody looking forward to?
Speaker 1:Oh, Might say, let's see. I'll rattle off a few things on the entrepreneur side. If you're thinking about going out on your own, it's not as hard as you think it is. If you can sell something and you make a profit, you start a business. If you don't know everything else, you can call me and I'll tell you how to do it. And Then, on the market side, I would say if you have used pipe, you need to sell. Right now the pricing is not going to be as strong as it was six months ago. It just is what it is. So if your dealers are giving you low prices, it just is what it is. You want to ask me for comparative pricing? I'll give you an offer. That's, that's that. And then going in the next year, hopefully that rigpipes or that that Read count and that price stays about the same. I really don't want to see the little price go up too much more. But I don't know what's. My fingers crossed.
Speaker 2:I don't either, man. Hey, cody, it's always good chat with you, buddy, and this had a fire away. I love this thing, I love this. Hey, I don't keep many hats, buddy. I got this one of you for my brother eating. That's it I got. I got. I got this one, I got a mic umbrave one. But, dude, I love watching what you're doing. I want to stay in touch. I want to see you continue to grow, continue to, to, to Build what you want to build, man, and obviously there's anything we can do it. Any of the crews or energy crew, all that fun stuff, just let us know. But, dude, keep doing what you're doing, man. I always appreciate it and love the outlook, love the insight and we'll be in touch, man. All right, sounds good, jp, thank you. All right, thank you, and everyone out there, thank you for tuning into energy crew podcast. And let's take it away what? Let's take it away again.