Underdogs Bootstrappers Gamechangers
Welcome to the "Underdogs Bootstrappers Gamechangers" podcast, where we celebrate the relentless spirit of those who defy the odds, challenge the status quo, and make a lasting impact in their fields. Join us as we dive into the inspiring stories and strategies of bootstrappers, underdogs, and gamechangers from various industries.
In each episode, we'll explore the remarkable journeys of individuals who have built their success from the ground up. From starting with limited resources to overcoming obstacles, these entrepreneurs have mastered the art of creating something extraordinary out of nothing. Get ready to be motivated, learn valuable lessons, and gain insights into what it takes to make a difference in your own endeavors.
Through engaging interviews and thought-provoking discussions, we'll delve into the mindset and strategies that fuel the success of bootstrappers, underdogs, and gamechangers. Discover how they turned their disadvantages into advantages, harnessed their unique perspectives, and disrupted industries with their innovative ideas.
Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, a business professional seeking inspiration, or simply someone who appreciates the power of human resilience, this podcast is for you. Our goal is to empower you with actionable tips, practical advice, and a renewed sense of determination to pursue your dreams fearlessly.
Join us on this exciting journey as we explore the untold stories of individuals who have redefined the rules, shattered expectations, and left an indelible mark on their industries. Get ready to be inspired, uplifted, and motivated to unleash your own potential as a bootstrap, underdog, or gamechanger.
Tune in to the "Bootstrap, Underdog, Gamechanger" podcast and join our community of like-minded individuals who believe that anyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, can create meaningful change. Together, let's celebrate the underdogs who rise, the gamechangers who innovate, and the bootstrappers who make their dreams a reality.
In every podcast we produce, we stand by our "content for good" principle. This means that if we ever earn money from this or any of our other podcasts, we will donate 100% of the proceeds to charitable causes. Specifically, any revenue from "Underdogs" will be used to financially support new small business startups.
Underdogs Bootstrappers Gamechangers
Transforming Work Woes: Channeling Hard Work into Your Ticket to a Brighter Future
Ever wonder what it takes to turn a flicker of passion into a blazing career? Essence and Adelaide join us to weave a narrative that begins with a young girl's resolve to transform hairdressing into a business empire, and another's recognition at just 15—a partnership that has since flourished. It's a conversation that celebrates the underdog spirit and the tenacity required to reshape an industry, all while building a legacy that transcends the individual.
As we settle into the heart of our dialogue, the essence of trust and loyalty takes center stage, revealing how these virtues are the bedrock of our guest's thriving partnership. Adelaide's journey from an employee to a co-owner underlines the incredible power of nurturing potential and the organic evolution of a shared vision. We share the wisdom gained from steering a venture through the highs and lows, and discuss how stewardship and a robust work ethic are crucial for those who aspire to leave a mark on the business world.
Bringing our episode to a close, we dissect the role of passion in leadership, the kind that makes you leap out of bed in the morning, eager to face the day's challenges. Essence and Adelaide illuminate how a genuine culture fit can supercharge a team, and how emotional maturity paves the way for exceptional customer service. This is about more than just business—it's about a legacy of leadership that works hand-in-hand with the team, never shying away from the hard work that defines an extraordinary future. Join us on this empowering journey, and be ready to ignite your passion and redefine your path to success.
Hello and welcome to underdogs, bootstrappers and game changers. This is for those of you that are starting with nothing and using business to change their stars, motivating people who disrupted industry standards. This is the real side of business. This isn't Shark Tank. My aim with this podcast is to take away some of the imaginary roadblocks that are out there. I want to help more underdogs, because underdogs are truly who change the world. This is part of our Content for Good initiative. All the proceeds from the monetization of this podcast will go to charitable causes. It's for the person that wants it.
Speaker 1:Hello and welcome once again to Underdogs, bootstrappers, game Changers. Another exciting episode. I'm going to welcome back Essence and Adelaide. Thank you so much for being here. So, as always, I have somewhere we're trying to go and today we're trying to go into. You're not doing it for them, you're doing it for you and your story is beautiful. We've had that on episode eight. We'll probably dive just a little bit back into that too, and then how you guys came about. But you guys are perfect for this message that I think the opposite is being portrayed in this world and I think it's dangerous, especially to underdogs and their futures. So, without further ado, welcome and let's jump into this thing. So, essence, if you could just slightly, in case somebody didn't see episode eight, could you rehash the story of like how you started first business?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. Well, I started doing hair at a very young age and I just realized I had a great passion for it and so I kind of like didn't want to do it as much because I thought it was going to be like a hustle as opposed to something that was a viable business. But later on in my journey I actually had to change the law in the state of Arizona, which opened up the doors for me to actually do it professionally, and so I've been in the hair industry for 20 plus years. I mean, the law was changed 20 years ago, which is crazy to me.
Speaker 2:So I know I was doing here almost a decade before that. And so we're here now, you know, still growing the business, and never thought that I would be, you know, this far into it because it was just a hustle and a hobby you know.
Speaker 1:You know like I wish I could say it better Like I'm thinking about Yosemite Sam and he, like he fires the guns in the air and he's like I'm a rootin tootin. It's like you're a small business starting law changing. You know like now, school owning. You know like I think your story is amazing, thank you. So how did Adelaide come into your life, like which one of you guys wants to take over, and like enter Adelaide when did that happen?
Speaker 2:I mean, we met, I met her at a very early age. Well, her, she was really young, but she can kind of speak to it Okay, oh gosh, okay.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I was 15 and we met at church and she was like she saw my siblings and cousins hair. She was like who did their hair? And of course somebody told her it was me and she was like you did that. I was like, yeah, and then she had just opened the salon. So this is a short version. And then she pretty much just invited me to start working there and it's just been, I guess, history since then. I didn't stay at 15 and work continuously.
Speaker 3:I came in, I worked for a short period of time and then I finished high school because I was super, super, I was definitely a nerd I was into, like I was super involved in school and so I just didn't have the capacity to like do hair essentially professionally professionally at that time. But I maintained a relationship with her so I would always come and visit, stop by. And then my freshman year of college, I was trying to find a job and literally I'm like I feel so qualified and I was getting nothing. And I also realized I was being very honest about where I was and what my abilities were and I didn't know that that was like not a thing You're supposed to embellish a little bit. I didn't know that. And so me, being super honest, it was like not getting me a job and I was okay with that. But you know, god always works for us. But she had run into my sister and my sister was like China is trying to get ahold of you.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 3:And so then she called me and was like do you want to, you want to come back? And I was like yes, Like and, and I've been ever since. So it's been a continuous what? Uh, 14 years now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 3:So a continuous 14 years, but yeah, just started at 15 and then maintaining that relationship, it was always good and now literally like we're sisters and it's just the greatest.
Speaker 1:So basically, like it sounds like, so you recognized her talent.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, it spoke. I mean, when I seen the work I was just like, okay, I know that I just opened the salon and I'm looking for a potential stylist and talent. And so when I met her sister and she pointed to her and she just looked so young, I'm just like, well, I'll at least talk to her and talk to her mom and just ask her is it something that, even if she's not ready now, that she can come work in the summers and, you know, intern or something like that? And so that's how it was established? But it was the work that that drew me for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you originally were like interning there over the summers or like how did that originally start?
Speaker 3:No, I was coming in on Saturdays and just working and I was already doing hair. I had been doing hair prior to that for many years, so by then I was at least like five to seven years in like doing it a lot and, yes, I was 15. But I started really early doing like my family members hair, friends hair, my brother's friends hair, and so I had a lot of practice. But I never saw it as something that I could do professionally. And then when she like offered me the opportunity, it was just a, it was a seed at that time because I still continued through college and it never was encouraged for it to be a career, because people saw it in my life as more of a hobby.
Speaker 3:And so I didn't see it as a potential opportunity until my eyes were opened and, like, there were so many skills that I learned, disciplines that I learned being in that environment, that they carried on into college and vice versa.
Speaker 1:What's the hardest? I mean, either of you could answer this question at this point, but I'm going to focus on you. What is the hardest part about business?
Speaker 2:The hardest part about business? Oh, that's a good question.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think Think about it, because I know you know the answer.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Super clear.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, I think you know we talked about this on our podcast. It's like you know the management of people, because it's you know their lives coming into the environment that you're trying to establish, and so now you're managing people and it's like I didn't get into it for this.
Speaker 2:You know, I wanted't get into it for this you know I wanted to get into it for the craft you know, but if you're really trying to grow then you have to have people and when people come, some potential problems you know you can only grow as good as your people are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, in fact I was listening to the story of oh Hubert Packard the other day and they used to always be hiring, you know, even if they didn't have positions open, because they knew they could only grow as fast as they had good people.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, and it's like I think that's what people don't realize. You know it's like before we dive really hard into that. You know it's like and you could go to episode one we talked about employees. You know it's the hardest part about business hands down, finding good people, right? So tell me how it happened that you went from like working there to partners.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Well, really quick, I have to go back to when I was looking for her. When I was looking for her, I didn't really have space for her, so the salon is full.
Speaker 2:You know all the chairs are full, clientele's popping, but she just kept coming up in my spirit and so I think it has to do. You're talking about looking for good people and I knew she was a really solid individual and she was really great at what she did, and even though I didn't have space for her, I just felt like I needed to, you know, contact her, and so when.
Speaker 2:I did contact her. We actually had to make a makeshift station, kind of like by the shampoo bowls. It wasn't even like a place to actually have a station, but we made it work and it did work out and so it was like there was room being made. But I didn't understand at that time that she was purposed to be there for the partnership that was going to come down the line.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But when it came into partnership, it just was a natural progression. I think that we just bonded in a way that I hadn't with any of the other stylists and I had employed countless stylists over the years but it was her leadership quality that made me recognize like she has great character, she has great integrity, she's she's just has a just a value and a standard for herself. That made me feel like I can trust her.
Speaker 2:And so I think we aligned in many ways that we didn't necessarily know in the very beginning, but it was like okay, she sees a vision, and then she also has vision within herself that complements the vision, and then we have the same values.
Speaker 1:Before you guys officially became partners? Is it safe to say that, like you felt like you'd put something on her and trust that it would get done?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, we're talking like we've known each other for 17 years and 14 years working side by side, and so you know, there are areas that I just I just knew I could trust her and so there could have never been a partnership without me feeling that level of trust.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because, like, one of the hardest things like I've had in business is like knowing somebody is just going to pick this up and I don't have to circle back around on it Like people don't realize it. For business owners, that is invaluable, right, if you can leave something on somebody and know it's like law to get it done. So let me ask you this you just work there, it's her business. Before you were partners, why would you do anything above like what your actual station was Like? Why would you do more? Why would you be that go-to person? Why would you do more? Why?
Speaker 3:would you be that go-to person? I think I was that person before it was even a title involved and as she was saying, like that just was my standard and I also. I learned about my. I learned this about myself over the years. I had like a really deep rooted sense of loyalty. It was essence poured so much into me without this expectation of like oh, you owe me.
Speaker 3:It was never that, it was always. I'm going to pour this into you and, whether you give it back or not, like it is what it is, it felt like there was just this selfless pouring all the time and I felt like, if I did nothing else, let me show up and treat this baby like it's my baby. Let me show, let me do it as if it was my own, like I started to attach myself more to the vision and I really believed in it. I remember when I was even in college. I'm like, if I'm not doing hair here, I'm not doing hair anywhere. That's just how it was. It was like the only the only home for my gift. If that made, if that makes sense.
Speaker 3:And it was the one that I grew in. I developed so many skills and, like I studied every little movement, like what her fingers were doing, what her body positioning was when she's doing certain styles, how she engaged with clients, and it wasn't something like, oh, I'm going to study this, to mimic it or mock it. It just felt like, no, I'm learning so much, and there's a seed in me that just kept growing and growing as I studied these things, and so it was just taking on like I want to treat this as if it was mine, and so it was just taking on like I want to treat this as if it was mine, and I didn't even know the fullness of what that meant.
Speaker 3:until what, five years ago she well, essentially six years ago she was like what do you think about owning?
Speaker 3:And I was like I don't think about owning and like I had all intentions on being a therapist and going to school and finishing school. And she never made me feel like I had all intentions on being a therapist and going to school and finishing school and she never made me feel like I had to choose. It was just whatever God is leading you to do, like I'm with you, I support you and I felt like she genuinely did that. So it just made my decision like easier, because I felt like it was my decision and it wasn't our decision or there was no leverage with whatever that decision was. Um, so yeah, I feel like I I was able to grow and nurture so many gifts in me in a space that I could safely do that and I just I'm like I'm not going anywhere.
Speaker 3:And then it just became clear and clear like, oh, god has assigned us to each other's lives forever. It wasn't like, oh, this is just for a couple of years. And when I think that clicked, it was like we just start running. Yeah, I don't know how to describe it.
Speaker 1:How many people had you poured into that?
Speaker 3:You put me on the spot on episode eight you know, so I'm going to put you right back on the spot.
Speaker 1:How many people had you poured into and to be disappointed? And not only because, not just because, like they're not doing what you, but like maybe not living up to their potential, or you know, like how many people had you done that with?
Speaker 2:I mean I would say dozens. You know we're talking about 18 years of salon ownership. So you know it was a revolving door. People would come and go and come and go. You know it was a revolving door, people would come and go and come and go.
Speaker 2:You know, in this first probably five years I was just learning how to even lead and learning how to even use my voice and, to you know, set expectations. But after that point, when I started to set expectations, they were either living up to it or they weren't. You know some people they came in with you know motives and I didn't necessarily understand until after the fact. But when I'd seen pure intentions with her, that's when I just was like, okay, she's a keeper, but I didn't, again, I didn't put that pressure on her. It was just like when she came to me and said I'm not going anywhere, I was just like really like, where did that come from? Because I never asked or expected that of her. But when she said that and I was feeling what I was feeling, it was just like, okay, I know that you're a writer, you know and that, and that's what's so like a big message I want to get out today.
Speaker 1:It's like a lot of people are like I work at Walmart, I work at Starbucks, you know wherever it is, and I'm just going to do the bare minimum. You know, I'm just going to do the bare minimum and, like, one of my biggest things in life is, sure, big corporations take advantage of people. There's no doubt. I mean, walmart has a thing where, if you pass away and you work for them, they collect your death insurance and they don't give you any. Oh, wow, this is ridiculous. Right, this is horrible. So why work hard for a company like that? And I think people need to stop thinking about working for the company and working for themselves. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Because it does zero good to practice being a crappy worker. Right, it's like you might as well be the best damn worker. Shove it in their face and then when you leave them because you're offered better opportunities, it's going to hurt. You want to get back at Walmart. Make it hurt. You're leaving when you're a half-assed employee doesn't hurt. Yeah, you know. Yeah, here's the other side. That could happen. You're a manager, then you're a district manager, then you're CEO. Do you know how many people love this story? There is a story where the guy worked his way up from, basically, parking lot attendant all the way up to the CEO of the company and they're one of the best CEOs out there. I'm frustrated with myself that I can't remember who that is, but that is the person we want to be CEO Now. We're rooting for a Walmart when that happens. The CEO comes up about all that because they can understand everything.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:I mean, has that helped you with your management? Absolutely Coming from you know like I don't want to call it the bottom, but coming from the start.
Speaker 3:No, really Like when I came in as a freshman in college, like I didn't know how to work with clients, like in a professional setting. I had to learn all of those things. I had to learn all of those things. I had to learn what it meant to follow certain procedures. I had to learn what it meant to fit into an environment. I'll also say I know I'm an anomaly because I've never had a conventional job. I've never worked for a large corporation. I've always worked for like small business. I worked like at a nursery, a plant nursery in like Tennessee in the summer, or I did hair on my own or I worked in rare essence.
Speaker 3:So, it wasn't like I worked for anybody else to learn these things. It was. I got to come in and see it from that view, but I also knew that that that was a part of the way that I needed to learn it. Um, not again because I was like, oh, I'm going to be in this position, but I'm like I would rather know what these, these, what may seem like a lower level positions do, so that when I do become a stylist, like now, I have a greater respect. Now I have a greater understanding. Now, if I need to step in and help, I know what to do to be able to help. We always say, like just what you were saying the way you do one thing is the way you do everything. When somebody comes in, we want them to see, evaluate what the position that you think is beneath you is, and can you show up in that?
Speaker 3:Because, that's going to tell us a lot more about your character If you come in thinking you have all this pride and like, oh, I'm this bomb stylist on this, but you can't pick up your trash. Like you can't clean your mirror, you can't get down and wipe someone else's baseboard. Like our environment breeds service and service to each other, and that creates a whole different team dynamic. And so me being able to essentially do some of the tasks that the receptionist did when I first came in it gave me a way better understanding of what it means to be in the higher position then, managing people. Now I know what it means to be a receptionist. I know what it means to be a stylist. I know what it means to be a manager. Then, when I became an owner, now I'm like there's such a great, a great appreciation because everybody plays a role in, like, making this body work.
Speaker 1:That's beautiful.
Speaker 3:And then I can communicate it with real evidence, with like a real, real heart, instead of me just barking like, oh, go clean the trash, cause you're the receptionist, like that's, that's nasty.
Speaker 1:You know and like you need to be a leader worth following. Yeah, right, if you're the leader that's like, go do that. And you would never do that. Like, why should I follow you? Why should I be inspired?
Speaker 1:And this is like this story people think is stupid. Right, it's like how, like this, this goes away from anything that is logical business sense. But up until the day I sold my big company, multiple location, like huge client company, I took turns cleaning the employee bathroom, and not only that, but I had people that I paid over $100,000 a year that would take turns cleaning the employee bathroom. That is stupid. When it comes to every business fundamental right, my opportunity cost is too high. You know, it's like.
Speaker 1:But here's the thing. It's like I remember we had a manager and he had come in to manage a department and they had a bigger manager you know that was over him and he's wasn't doing anything. He's like hey, why don't you sweep that stuff up over on the floor? And the guy's like I'm a manager, you know I'm not going to sweep the floor. And the guy goes to him. He's like the boss cleans the restroom.
Speaker 1:I'm pretty sure you can sweep the floor and, honestly, that like, thought of, like always giving myself like the low job, from time to time the crappiest job cleaning the bathroom. You guess what that built? That built camaraderie. That showed him I wasn't too good to do anything. I didn't forget where I came from, you know it's like, but at the same time it was a challenge. At that point they try to beat me in the damn restroom because they didn't want the boss cleaning the restroom. You know, like there was that much respect and like it's almost giving me goosebumps that they would do that. You know they didn't want their boss to be doing that. When I would beat them in there, then I have to make sure to make it the clean. It became a challenge who can make it the cleanest?
Speaker 3:Who can the most like?
Speaker 1:yeah and that, yeah, that becomes work ethic, that becomes respect. You know, it's like when we get up here and we think we're too good to do things, shame on us. You know, there is that like working on it in your business, but I think I still think you drop in once in a while and you show them you're not afraid to do it you know it's like you show them that your boss will stand by you.
Speaker 1:And how much camaraderie does it build when you're sitting there cleaning the floors with them. Or? My favorite thing in this world is to do some hard labor, work with like employees or friends that I love and I'm talking like dirty 125 degree weather, like let's do some landscaping or let's move some stuff. I can enjoy the heck out of that. And not only that, but if I could gauge any employee that I ever had, we would do that kind of work for a couple days. I would see how well you try to keep up with me, because you're never going to be able to.
Speaker 1:I don't care how good a worker I'm going to be. I have to beat you. I have to die to beat you because I have to be a leader worth following. But at the same time, do you keep a good attitude when you're doing it, like it can be fun, if you make it fun? I know you're out there thinking that's crazy, but it's not.
Speaker 3:It can be fun if you're working with the right people, if you're working with the right people and so if you don't, if you can't, as a leader, be able to discern what their heart posture is when they come into your place like that could set you up for a whole nother experience, but we've been really fortunate to be able to, like, teach people that that's a part of our culture, but not only teach them, but demonstrate it consistently.
Speaker 3:Like essence is not above it, I'm not above it. And so then they start to communicate back to us like no, we want you to be able to have time to lead, so please let us take care of this for you, please let us do it excellently, and I'm like that's a whole, like I couldn't have imagined that.
Speaker 1:And look and that's so counterintuitive. That's what taught out there about business.
Speaker 1:You know, it's like they have that undercover boss show and all of a sudden he learns this eye opening stuff about working on the bottom level. You should have been on the bottom level from time to time before you ever had to get on the show to do it. You know, like, how can you ever understand it? It's like if I have an offspring someday that's due to take over my companies, that kid is starting at the bottom yeah Right, and he's working with his fellow employees. He's not starting at the top. I'll bring him up from time to time and we can talk about some things going on with the business, but he's starting at the bottom. His cancer building.
Speaker 3:She's starting at the bottom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Absolutely. I mean you now could grow because you brought on a partner.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Because you couldn't have grown anymore.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so now like, how do you guys eye opportunities for growth and the people that you would bring on to further growth? That's a good question.
Speaker 2:I think we know what our strengths are, right. So it took a while for me to even know Adelaide's strengths, until she was able to step into another position. And so now I'm like I'm a visionary, I'm the one that sees the big picture. I get excited. I'm like, oh, I see us in.
Speaker 2:Paris, already, you know we're talking 10 years before we even got to Paris. And so Adelaide is into the details, right, and so me knowing her strength, me knowing my strength, and then it's like, okay, as we're growing, it's easier for us to eye what we need because we know what we lack. You know what I mean. And so you know, we just continue to move along until those people come. But we actually start jotting down, okay, what do we actually need, like what can alleviate some? You know certain things in our roles that we can attract that person, and so we just wait till that person comes, because we know what's going to come at some point.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you can see it in people. You know it's whether they care or not. You know, it's like, and then it's whether they want to work for it or not. It's like you're only paying me to be there. Sure, you know. But the people that want to do beyond the only paying you to be there, those are the people we. I, I mean like I would start a business every other week if I could lay it on them and not have to worry about it anymore.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And most people in the world that have any kind of like business savvy. The more businesses I open, the more money I make. The problem is, there's only one me, exactly. So if I can't find another me to care to be a leader to, you know that if that business requires, I set you up, I invest in you. I have to be over there every other day. I can't do it. Every business I've ever had I would have never sold. If I could find somebody to step up, why would I Continue to make me money? And then let's grow this thing to the top, because I can only do so much. I think that's what people need to understand more. It's not about doing the bare minimum, because that's what you're paying to do it.
Speaker 2:Do it for you, exactly, exactly, and I think when leaders are able to identify that in a person, we know that we can elevate them, we know that we can actually grow with them and as we grow and we are able to go higher, then they can go higher as well. Yeah, you know, but when people don't see it from that perspective and they, you know then it just never works for them because they're going to carry that mentality wherever they go and they won't see the elevation in their own life because it really has to do with your own standard for yourself. It's just like do this, you'll be trusted with your own when you manage somebody else's as if it's yours.
Speaker 3:Principal stewardship.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I mean going back to that how you do something, how you do everything you know, it's like I didn't realize at the time, like I was forced into double jobs, full-time job in college. You know, I didn't realize at the time what I was building as a superhero entrepreneur, like I just thought I was, like I needed the money, I wanted to go to college to have a future. But what I didn't realize is those 80, 90, 100-hour weeks, you know, like those were actually building me perfectly to become an entrepreneur Right. One job I had was at a country club and this is the best thing that ever happened in my life, honestly, is working at that country club and I was treated horribly. They called me the help, you know. They would come in and these are the pillars of our society, you know and they would be showering off their mistress or like they would bring strippers in and throw rolls at strippers. I mean, these are the pillars of our society and I was exposed to this right. These are the wealthy people, the smart people, the people that we're supposed to look up to, and I saw them as normal, inferior human beings and I could have got a real big attitude.
Speaker 1:I would valet in the morning and then I would switch over and I would bartend at night and I could have got an attitude and I'm like I'm gonna get this car as slow as possible. Rich guy, slow as possible, you gotta wait for me. You're on my watch. Instead, I sprinted the parking lot huge parking lot, 120 to five degree weather, like you're not gonna see anybody faster on the planet, sir, than me getting your car.
Speaker 1:You know it's like and that was the way I stuck it to him in my mind it's like I am going to be the best at this that I can possibly be. And not only that, but I'm going to remember this. I'm going to remember the way you treat me. I'm going to remember this work ethic that I have and I'm going to bring that into my future business. You know, and like now, a lot of what I do. You know it's like I want to bring more people up. You know I want them to see. You know I want them. You know they need to be. These are just normal people, these pillars of the community.
Speaker 1:You know I want more people with good hearts coming up with their success. You know, and it started with valeting in a parking lot, but trying to do it as good as possible.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:So, so, like that's the message that I really really want to hit today, and you guys are perfect example.
Speaker 2:It's like had she not been a good worker, had she not cared, you guys wouldn't have had a future together. Well, I mean it goes back to like core value. So the salon is established on the core value. I live my life based off of core value, and they're not necessarily things that I just say, they're things that I expect, and so you know there's an acronym for rare and literally, like we evaluate people based on do you live up to these values? Like, if there's not alignment there, then one you can't even work here. But when you exemplify these values and we see that you're adopting them as your own, that solidifies your space. And to hire and fire off of core values, it's like, okay, integrity is a core value. How is this showing up?
Speaker 2:And you know this particular, you know stylist or worker, and if it's not there, it's just like either we can't promote you or you might be on probation. You know, because it's like you're not taking this as if you want something for yourself. We can't want more for you than you want for yourself, sure, and it's a consistent communication.
Speaker 3:It is a consistent like yielding to us demonstrating what these core values actually mean Every single day.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:In our personal lives, when we show up to work, are we showing up to work on time? Are we giving it our best? Like we believe in excellence and not perfection? And so our expectation is for you to do things excellently. If you communicate to me yeah, I want to do twists or braids or locks or whatever I want to do that style, but you want to halfway do it sometimes, then I can't trust you, then that's not integral and you're not doing it excellently and you're not representing the blood, sweat and tears. Now we done put in to train you to do it right, and so it's. How consistent are we in communicating that expectation and demonstrating that expectation?
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Like it's literally every single day and it's a battle sometimes, because sometimes I'm like I'm tired.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Am I going to push through to make sure that I am leading with integrity?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And even though I can communicate that, I'm tired and we have like a culture of like low-key over-communication, because I want you to start getting these principles, like we know that it's a training ground in there.
Speaker 3:Like what we prepare you for, what you learn in here, really is for the rest of your life, like you don't have to stay here forever. But I want you to take to learn these principles over and over again so you could just be a better leader, and so it's very intentional for us now, as leaders, to say what do I see in you? How consistent are you, and am I really living up to what I see in you?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So that I won't be a liar. And so now, like, even though it wasn't super intentional for Essence to be like, oh, I'm going to make her this or make her that, like it just naturally formed into that. Now it's like, okay, God has given us the ears and the eyes to be able to see what do we need, what do we need, what do we need to pour into and how do we do it in a way that one we're communicating it very clearly so that there's no room for manipulation, no room for speculation. But we know that there's some produce that you need to be able to have from being in our presence, being in our environment, and that's literally the goal now, yeah, if you leave, just leave better Leave better Leave transformed.
Speaker 2:Yes, you know, yeah, we just. Our goal is just to plant whatever seeds, to water whatever needs to happen. But whatever they decide to do with it is their choice.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But we just want to see people just succeed and grow, you know.
Speaker 1:I mean, I like I feel the same way. It's like I never have a problem. If you're going to go out and start your own thing, I started my own thing. I would applaud you on that and I will help you every inch of the way. Right, you know, like in fact, I will invest in you too if you're ready. But if you're like in the business, barely working, not showing up a time, and you're like, hey, I'm going to go out, start my own thing, I'm not. I'm sorry, I can't invest in that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like get ready, you really want to embrace this. You know, it's like I think, like people don't realize this a lot of owners out there. You work for the right owner, they'll invest in you, they'll help you start that second location if they feel you're ready for it. You know, but you got to learn, you got to, you got to show up, you got to be the best that you can possibly be. So that way, when you're off on your own, you know like you know it's going to take it, get taken care of yeah, yeah because we all, like, know this it's like if they're 70 when you're watching them, they're 40 on their own.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, and that's why I don't think I don't understand how people's logic works. You know, like these days, you know, I applaud the younger generation for the most part, but this is one thing I don't see. It's like I'm gonna go work for the man, I'm gonna do bare minimum, but the second I open my business, you know, like now I'm.
Speaker 3:You know it's like no, you're not going to run a marathon and you ain't never trained.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Like what You're going to hurt.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You're going to be cramping.
Speaker 2:And I think it's easy to look at a business owner from a position and not know all of all of what it takes the responsibility until you step into that role so they can run off and go and do it. Step into that role so they can run off and go and do it. And then they're like, oh, now, maybe some of the things that was happening in your business they're realizing like, oh, now I understand, because now they have to learn it on their own.
Speaker 2:And I think that was the conversation that I had with Adelaide. I trusted that, even though she hadn't been in that role, that level of responsibility, that she was going to be able to grasp it. But she still had to learn. You know, when she stepped into that role and I stepped away, there were so many things that she was like essence. I did not.
Speaker 3:I didn't know you can speak to that. Yeah, no, it was like this three-year period where her father had just passed and she needed time to grieve and I loved her enough to let her grieve and I knew that I'm like, okay, this is really, really hard, but she doesn't have capacity to be my crutch and so I'm like I have to learn this, it now, with a level of knowledge and wisdom that I just could not have had without having the space to learn it. I always say Essence throws me in the water sometimes to let me figure it out, but she know I can swim.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And she know, I'll figure out something.
Speaker 1:And she's there watching you from the shore. Yeah, like I'm going to get her.
Speaker 3:If necessary, she'll catch me if she needs to but she trusts me enough to let me learn and it made me have a much deeper like respect and love and even honor for her, knowing all the things that she had to deal with that I couldn't have even been prepared for if I didn't have to go through them by myself, have to go through them by myself, and I think that that benefited our relationship even more to where it did come to a point where I was like okay, I don't want you to see me as your little sister, I want you to see me as somebody who adds as much value in the way that I know I can add now that I would not have known a few years ago.
Speaker 3:And so it took like it literally took all of that. And so now I believe in counsel. I believe in I don't know everything. I communicate to my team. I don't know everything, but you know who I'm going to go ask, you know who I'm going to talk to, you know who I'm going to have counsel with. But for her to again trust me in that position, all of that, them three years, had to be learned. I had to go there and it was very hard.
Speaker 1:She made it look easier than it was. She sure did yeah.
Speaker 3:She made it look super easy.
Speaker 3:And she has great rapport with clients and even the people that were there before, like employees that were there before. She didn't make it look easy and I'm like I'm shaking and crying, having to let somebody go. She'd be like girl, maybe I I don't but I had to feel all of those feelings. I literally had to, and it created a different level of empathy, a different level of grace, a different level of awareness to like, see through the crap sometimes and take the responsibility of having to be God in their life. Like, yeah, let God take care of them, that's not your job. Like they not doing what they're supposed to do, you can't suffer the consequences because they don't want to.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know um one of the hardest lessons I've ever learned, you know, because it's like having loyalty to the wrong people is actually having reverse loyalty to your good people. Right, and that was the hardest thing for me. I had to reframe it that way. We talked a lot about that in episode one, but it's like by allowing these people that were not showing up, you know like like literally I would catch them stealing and things sometimes, but I'm like focused on the family they got a family can't let them go and like shame on me, you know. It's like, yeah, they're not showing up for the business and at the same point that punishes the good people.
Speaker 1:You know it's like and that's one of the hardest things you know it's like. So you know like, not always, and not always is it blatant like stealing and robbing. You know, sometimes the person just doesn't have that push and they're like well, why should I work any harder than that person? Right, and that's another trap you can't fall into, because we're eyeing this. Right. It's like when you're looking for that next location. Are you looking at Joe? I'm just going to Jill Sorry, probably Jill Jill or Joe. Are you looking at joe? I'm just gonna jill sorry, probably jill jill or joe. You know it's like I'm just gonna do the bare minimum no, never you're looking at the perseverance, I can't think of a name the motivation
Speaker 2:the you know the excitement, the joy, like I think all of those things are important, like I always tell people, if you have the passion, you have the potential and I think passion shows up in a way that just gives you this, just drive.
Speaker 2:And if you don't have a drive because we've definitely employed stylists that are just like they just drag into the salon it's like maybe this is not where you're supposed to be, maybe you can do it, but maybe that's not what you're created to do, because you don't have the enthusiasm, you don't have the joy. Maybe you need to go find that, because we only want people who truly want to be here. And if you want to be here, you're going to show up like you do, yeah, and that just shows in every area. Now, don't get me wrong. There are sometimes people come and they have to be groomed and you know, everybody has, you know, a transformation that has to take place. But then there's just times where people, they just they're resistant, yeah, and they don't.
Speaker 3:This is not the place, yeah and we we also understand too that we're not for everybody like and that could be super countercultural like a lot of people think that you have to.
Speaker 3:They're like, oh, if you want to grow, just just employ people, let people let anybody work for you. And we're like, no, no, and it will not ever happen. We, we value quality over quantity. Any day, we don't care essence, literally. She put this in my head really early. She was like you could still operate this salon by yourself if everybody left, and you know that. And for me it was like I want you and I need you, but if you don't want to, it's okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I know we'll still run. We're not necessarily going to go anywhere. Yeah, I know we'll still run, we're not necessarily going to go anywhere, but I will not compromise the quality over just having numbers, knowing that that can affect our reputation 10 years down the line just because I made a decision to get some money.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's not worth it. It compromises the brand.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, we can't.
Speaker 2:It has to be a culture fit Yep.
Speaker 1:It absolutely does, and you have to pay attention to that quick too. You know, it's like. A story that springs to mind is I had these two guys that actually met, you know, working in my business. They were some of my first employees, younger guys, so they were always going out right, and I wake up at three o'clock in the morning. The best thing for me on earth is for the business to start at like 6am, you know, like or 5am. That would be amazing for me, but couldn't get them to work on time, you know it's like. So I finally switched the hours like to 10 o'clock, like, which, which to me was like basically, like the afternoon night, basically, you know it's like switch the hours to that like do all this stuff.
Speaker 1:And I wanted to do things different. I had horrible bosses, right, kind of like I touched on a little bit. I wanted to make it this like place that was beautiful for people to work. You know, like I wanted it to be amazing, like I wanted it to be fun, I wanted it to be innovative, I wanted us to be working on cool stuff all the time Like I really wanted that.
Speaker 1:You know, like we would do like no lunch hour. You know it's like you take the lunch hour, you go off site, we'll pay you, you know. And then the next thing you know they're taking three hours, four hours, or, like the two guys I mentioned, they show up 11 o'clock. I've got tons of work to do and they're delaying the company and they're like what are you going to do about it? You need us. And so it wasn't long after that they actually took off. They became my closest competitor, closest vicinity competitor, and started a business together. And they never directly told me this, but I, when they got out there in the world, they realized it wasn't as easy as they think. They didn't impact our business at all.
Speaker 1:Yeah not a. We didn't skip a beat the time they left. Don't get me wrong. I wanted them there. I loved them.
Speaker 1:You know, like people to me, I get attached to them quickly. They're family to me and that's what's made being a business owner so tough, you know. But it's like, and so realize that out there, if you're working for a company, you know it's like. I'm not saying everybody works like us, you know. But you can find people that work like us, that want your future, and not only that, but we're smart, logical people. If we're building you, you know, like, we're building you for our future too.
Speaker 1:Like my strategy has me, I can't do everything. Your strategy has you can't do everything. I mean, I'm constrained 99% of the time because of the people, no other reason. So there's people like us out there right now that are begging to have a good person. Come in, learn and we'll teach you everything you need to know. You just got to show up with the attitude and the work ethic. You know it's like that's what's so frustrating to me. It's like there's so many of us willing. And you guys know I save failing businesses in my free time, you know I go in there, I dive in there.
Speaker 1:I was in one on Friday that I'm working with and it's like you know what they say 80% of businesses fail because of this. Like a guy the other day, there's no leads, you know like no incoming sales leads. No, it's not. 90 of businesses fail because the person quits. That is why and they've been training the wrong way most likely, you know it's like, like you guys probably know, I'm a big mma guy. I've trained it for years it's like if you go in and half-ass your training, how are you going to fight?
Speaker 1:right, yeah if you go in there and half-ass your work, your work is training you to be the business owner someday, whether you know it or not. Every piece of it right, yeah, even being a lowly valet. You know that trained me in customer service, that trained me in work ethic, that trained me in doing the hard thing, and then guess what, on top of that, it gave me. You know, it's like anytime. Business was hard. You guys can vouch for me. How hard is business?
Speaker 2:it's a challenge. It is a challenge, we have a grace for it, but it's a challenge.
Speaker 1:So every time I felt like like this little creature saying you know, like you don't want to, you don't want to do this. This is hard. You know that little creature would creep in and be like, oh yeah, you want to go back to that. You want to go back to being called to help. You know it's like that was incredible motivation. You want to go back to being called to help. You know it's like that was incredible motivation. You want to go back to splitting the 125 degree parking lot that people don't appreciate you in. Yeah, I'll stay here. I'll keep working on this thing. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:Well, I think the thing is like business ownership is leadership, yeah Right. And when we understand that that's what it is for somebody who's just starting in at the bottom of a job, if they realize that all I have to do is exemplify being a leader, meaning I'm leading myself, I'm making the right decisions, I'm doing the things that will position me, regardless of where I'm at, to get to that next place. But people who decide I'm not going to lead, or I'm not going to make good decisions or I'm not going to be responsible, they need to be managed. So either you're going to need to be managed because you're not making good decisions, or you say I'm going to be a leader and I'm leading myself first and therefore I can ascend to business ownership because I'm already doing the things that constitute a good leader.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Look at your heart of hearts. Are you only working when the boss is watching, or are you working Because that's the leader you're going to be someday?
Speaker 3:And your fruit will tell that yeah. So if you, if you say no, I've been doing this, there's no evidence that you've been doing that Like you don't have no fruit for that.
Speaker 1:Well, one of the things that, like, we're working on right now as a tech company, and so I've been working with one of the most wonderful things about my MBA program. I don't talk about it a lot on this, but I made some incredible connections with teachers that I have, and one of them is a leadership professor one of the foremost in the world, actually.
Speaker 3:And.
Speaker 1:I reached out to him, I'm like I'm scared about this huge company because I am not this yelling screaming leader. I'm not Bill Gates screaming at you in the boardroom if you do something wrong. I'm not Elon Musk, like you know, like beating you over the head because you did like this silly maneuver or something like that.
Speaker 1:I'm not that you know, and so how am I going to run this huge company? You know, or like. When I was first starting, it was like um, I had heard you had to be an asshole to be successful in business. You know it's like I was afraid of that, Cause I'm not an asshole. You know it's like, but no, like the thing is you have to find the people that work with your leadership style.
Speaker 2:That's it, yeah.
Speaker 1:And some people will take advantage of that style, Right, you know. And then they, they need a leader like Elon, leaning over their shoulder, screaming at them all the time that's, but they're never going to surpass that, Right? You know like I have to find people that work like me. You know, leave me alone, Tell me my job, help me when you can. You know I will work my butt off for you.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:You know it's like and we will do that you've proven yeah you've proven it like. How do you like? This is my point of view. I've told a couple different stories on what I. But how do you guys inspire people to realize, like, when you're sitting back in the corner, it's not the best thing you can do for your future?
Speaker 3:yeah, um, I, I definitely think. I just think of anybody who comes to essentially even work at the salon. It is, in essence, really taught me this why are you here? Yeah, what are you here to learn? And not in the sense of like, oh, why are you here and what are you trying to take from us? It is what even drew you, what connected you to us and how can we nurture that Like it's really coming at it from a different perspective? I definitely resonate with like I'm not a barker.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I could probably be too kind sometime or two. I'm very clear on what the expectations are and it's hard for me to have to like sever certain things, because I give people a lot of grace, which is not even the character that I grew up with, like I was very type a and, like you know, god done, done some work on me, but, but I feel like as a leader now I'm I'm a little gentler when it comes to certain things because I'm like I want to give somebody a chance. But I also know that if I play too much of a role in their life then I can be stopping them from learning whatever they're supposed to learn in my care if.
Speaker 3:I don't manage it well, and so it's really been like it's a dance, it's a rhythm, it's not a formula, it's not a you do this and you're going to get this response every single time it's. I get to interact and I'm grateful that we're a small business now, but we know that as we get further and further along, we still want that one-to-one contact like really have intentional time to understand why somebody's there and they might not even know.
Speaker 3:They might fully know and that's going to be up to us to be able to discern. Like what brought you here, and we're not always going to get a return on that investment, it's not always going to come back to us the same way that we've put it in.
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 3:And so it's really being able to take that gamble. I think Essence took a gamble on me. She learned to trust me, but it wasn't like she knew that off the bat. Yeah, then that taught me as a leader, I can expect that I can pour something into somebody and they're going to disappoint me in some way, shape or form. How am I going to respond to that? Am I going to fight them, or am I going to learn and then create a boundary? It's always an opportunity that leads to another opportunity, but if I don't have that perspective, it can feel overwhelming. It can feel like I'm manipulating them or they're manipulating me, and so it's learning, whatever your dance is.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And for us I'm grateful because we don't have to, like, figure it out all by ourselves all the time. We want to see people in our industry create more partnerships, create more community not necessarily be out there on their own. And for people who even have a similar disposition or leadership style as us, we believe in allowing God to just direct us to do what we need to do, and if somebody connects and resonates with that, we want to be able to offer our perspectives as an option.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because I'm sure there are, like you said, there are people out there who maybe that's just how they learn. That's just not how we teach. It's not.
Speaker 1:No, they got to find a different kind of boss Right and.
Speaker 2:I think the other thing is we inspire them to dream. So we do affirmations, we get them to think about, okay, aside from you being here, what do you see for your life? And so we get them to literally create these visions for their life of what they see, and help them to dream. And I think that inspiration helps, but also, too, what we require them to do is become self-aware, because if you have this vision, it also requires aversion, and so, yes, you want this, but then who are you going to become and what are you going to hold yourself accountable to become it? And so what does that look like in your day to day life? And so we hold them to a standard for all of the dreams, so they get excited about the dreams that they have outside of the salon or even in the salon, and so I think that that also helps them to recognize OK, in order for me to achieve this and to have this, I have to embody it, I have to become it.
Speaker 2:And so we talked to them about all of the things that you know. These are the actionable steps that you have to take. Like you know, being on time is something like it's going to require that for you to be a world traveling stylist, you know, like there are things that you know you can be an amazing stylist, but if you don't have the character and the qualities that go along with it, you can get yourself there, but you can't keep yourself there. Yeah, how will you be able to maintain it? The reason why the salon has been open for 18 years 18 years is because there's been a maintenance there. It's not like oh, I got excited and I was doing this for a day or two.
Speaker 1:No, there's a stick-to-itiveness, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:And that's the thing too. It's like every single job I've ever had in life, I've taken something away from it. You know it's like like look, even if somebody's like at your business right now and they're part time and they're going to school to be a doctor, you think that client human interaction, you think that, like, I mean there's a million things around their customer service. You know, like work ethic, showing up on time. You know dealing with stress. You know it's like when you're dealing with somebody's hair, I'm sure there's some pretty picky hair people, right yeah, probably more so than like they even care about their kids, some of them, right, you know. And so it's like those are all lessons that we're learning and if you'll embrace those, you'll actually realize that it's super efficient to explore different things and it gives you a different mindset towards things.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like I'm super into interdisciplinary studies, you know, it's like the concept that we could put 20 people in the room and I don't care where they're from, whether they own a stylist business, whether they own a landscaping company, whether they're an astronaut, we can all approach a problem differently and the, the, the, the solution to that problem could come from absolutely anybody. Yeah, there was actually an amazing um thing that I heard where, like, these doctors were working on cancer research, you know, and they were like like really frustrated, like the how to like combat cancer. And I guess this like five-star general accidentally walks in on this conference and looks at their map on the screen and he's like, well, we would approach it from all sides. That's's good military discipline and like this opened this idea that it's like we'll fight cancer from all sides. You know it's like so the idea can come from anybody. You know the experience can come from anywhere.
Speaker 1:You know, it's like how often do we have somebody, that's like somebody could be working in your business right now and like see an invention Right that could perpetuate them to billionaire status. They could meet a client right that they get along with so well that the next thing you know they're opening a salon.
Speaker 1:You know, and if they have a good rapport with you guys, they're calling you, as long as they're not a block up the street and being unfair. They're calling you from you know like and saying, hey, I don't know what to do here. I don't know about you guys, but I take that call all day long. You have any questions for me? Past employee, and I do it actually a lot. They get a hold of me. You know I help them all that I can, you know, with whatever I can. Another thing you're building while you're working.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I think that there's just a different that's a whole different heart posture for a lot of people and honestly, it requires a deep level of work. Yeah, inner work.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you have to get to a point where you're so self-aware that you know you don't want to make somebody feel like you felt before you have to get to a point where you have to heal from those past, what feel like injustices from employees or people you've worked with, to be able to continue the work. It's not easy, it's a lot of inner work, like essence literally always says like your business will only grow to the extent that you do, and it becomes like a mantra that you have to recite Am I growing? I know I want my business to grow, but can I even sustain where the company can go without my discipline, without my character? If I'm, you know, if I'm not paying attention to small like I believe in small details, if I'm not paying attention to the small details, if I'm, if I'm like, more reactionary than than I need to, then I need to learn how to be like more self-aware in those areas, and that takes, it takes a lot to get there oh yeah it really does emotional maturity you?
Speaker 2:know, people don't think that that is a part of business, but it's a huge part of a huge part of business managing people and not being, uh, you know, a canon yeah every single time something doesn't go your way, like yeah that, how you respond, is what you invite other people to respond to you in.
Speaker 3:So if you decide oh, I'm about to just yell at them and are today, that can really affect your tomorrow and affect the people that you are called to lead, Because I do believe everybody is called to somebody, the people that when we were talking about leadership even earlier, it's like as a receptionist, you are a leader. The way you do this is incredibly important. As a stylist, you are a leader, Like I am a leader in this way and I know that I have to assume this role to cover you, but you need to cover that position. You need to cover the people that are even directly under you, because there's somebody under them and it's a circle.
Speaker 3:It's not like a building you know, Like there's always this revolving sense of service and how do we assume that position as a leader? Yeah, but I think that always, that always starts with us, that always starts with that, that reflection.
Speaker 1:And, let's be fair, there's a lot of leaders and managers out there that could use a lot of work right Then. Like I worked under a lot of them, I can't think of many inspirational leaders I had in my work career you know, like unfortunately, I would love to have some. I'd still actually, like you know, like sometimes wish I could like go work under somebody that I felt was like an amazing leader and learn. I'm a constant wanting to evolve and grow person.
Speaker 1:You know it's like I'd love to work under a leader that I was like, uh, felt I could learn from and be passionate about. But if you're working under a leader that is like Not a good leader. You know it's like my thing is Work as hard as you can, grow past them For one. Or you know, like people will like There'll be other opportunities that open up for you. You know it's like and maybe that that's when you start exploring you don't stay under a bad leader forever, you know, but realize a leader that's trying to build you and realize one that's not worth following. And then I think that's where you find like your work ethic will eventually take you past that right, because the next company there probably is a leader there that will appreciate you and build you right and so, but working hard, know, and having those good, you know, like opportunities it's, I think, about the person at McDonald's all the time.
Speaker 1:It's like if you're the best damn McDonald's employee, your immediate manager might see it and not see it because they're an idiot, but somebody's going to see it and that can sometimes be the person on the other side of the counter.
Speaker 1:You know what I look for, that you know, If I'm out at a business and I see somebody that's amazing, like there's this kid that scoops ice cream at Cold Stone. I like Cold Stone and he's in there and he's singing. He's throwing the ice cream up in the air. He's catching it behind his back. This is unfortunately. I didn't have a business at the time, but he made that job unbelievable. He could have just scooped the ice cream. You know. Little customer service or whatever. No, instead he's dancing and throwing it. He is the man at this.
Speaker 1:You know it's like and I was like, if that kid was an investment, I would invest right now, because how that kid is doing this, he's going to do everything in life, that's right so there's somebody on the other side of the counter that might see that too and be like I'm taking this kid if I had like I had just sold my other company.
Speaker 1:You know it's like, but if I had a company right then I would have been slipping him a card. You know I really would have. You know it's like, and so like, realize I think if you continue to show up and do the right thing, like it's going to come around for you yeah and if it doesn't just like me.
Speaker 1:I never wanted to open my own business. I never saw that. That, like we talked about the last episode, that's for the rich white dude right, the old man, white dude, you know it's like that was supposed to be the company guy. But then then you get to the point it's like, well, I'm working past all my managers, I'm a harder worker than anybody at this place, and that's when you know it's time to go for yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know that's that's to me the answer when you're the hardest worker at the business and you're the best leader and the best you know, like at everything you do at the company. Now it's just a matter of turning the key into that business, because you got it all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. I think nothing is for nothing. I think that you know, a lot of times we work jobs to get the skills, get the tools you know develop as a person.
Speaker 1:And then you know when it's your time, especially if you already have a vision, go for it. Yeah, yeah, you know, like sometimes I kind of like don't take this the wrong way. I hope bad leaders on people a little bit. You know, don't get me wrong, I'd rather have the inspirational leader that you learn from, but at the same time you got a bad leader. Use it as motivation, work your butt off and then go out there and be a better leader yeah, learn what not to do yeah, yeah, like I think about this all the time in our bully podcast.
Speaker 1:Uh, this lady, at episode eight, the end of the season, she goes I'm just trying to be the hero that I wish I had. Try to be the leader that you wish you had. Yeah, right, you're inspiring other people and that people look to us as our leaders in our businesses. You know it's like don't be the one you got to show up every day with a smile on your face, no matter how much you're getting your butt kicked. Don't be the one that's getting outworked by your staff. Don't be the one that cares less than your staff, you know, otherwise you can't expect them to do anything. And then when you see somebody that has a good idea, that has like insight and caring and you know like I look for that like bring it, bring it out in them, right, embrace that, embrace the good idea that they just came up with. You know it's like you come up with a good idea in my company that's an invention and you're a hard worker. I'm right behind you with money and everything I can do to make it work.
Speaker 3:I love it, that's good.
Speaker 1:I want to give you guys a chance to add anything that you think we missed today. I know it's an important topic and we said it wasn't going to be a popular one, but your prime evidence of your worth at work ethic inspired your partnership, your caring inspired your partnership and now it's amazing what you guys have done and will continue to do together, and right now I'm sure you're working looking for the next person to build up so you can open the next thing yeah, so we can expand.
Speaker 2:We just look for like-minded individuals, people that have the same values that we can grow with. So, yeah, we don't want followers, we're looking for the leader in the person and we want to cultivate that leader so that leader can soar with us. Yeah, yeah, beautiful.
Speaker 3:I don't have anything to add. I think this was great and I don't have anything to add. I think this was great and I don't necessarily. I don't look at it from the perspective of it's like oh, this is just unpopular opinion. I just feel like it's for who it's for? Yeah, it's watering a seed somewhere and everybody ain't going to get the same nutrients yeah, so if you don't like it, just move on. Yeah.
Speaker 1:But if it's for you, amen, I mean, keep doing your thing, right. You know, I think back to the uh. There's a meme out there, you see, and there's the leader sitting in the chair while everybody else is pulling the weight, kind of back to ancient Egypt, look. And then there's the leader that's right out front pulling the weight. First, be that leader.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Underdogs, bootstrappers, game changers. I'm telling you life will do a lot how you show up and how you practice. Don't sit in the corner and do the bare minimum. You're being unfair to yourself, not that company. Work your butt off. Get to the next level, prove them wrong. You're practicing for your future, not for theirs. See you next time.
Speaker 3:Bye.
