The Scalability Code

EOS in Action: Solving Big Problems and Helping Good People with Josh Baird

• Matt Haney • Season 1 • Episode 10

Share episode

In this episode, Matt Haney is joined by Josh Baird, an inspiring entrepreneur and EOS Implementer. Josh shares his journey from growing up on a farm, to working in the medical device industry, and eventually becoming an EOS implementer. Learn about his experience at Stryker, where he led a massive recall project, and his transition into buying and transforming a sports dome into a community hub. Josh also discusses the challenges and rewards of implementing EOS in his own business, the value of community, and his goals for the future. 


Connect with Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-baird-718936a/

Feeling stuck in your business?

It’s ok. We’ve all been there… You simply don’t have time for vision and growth. You feel frustrated, anxious, and stuck because goals aren’t being met, processes aren’t followed, and your team isn’t on the same page. Time after time, you’re putting out fires only fast enough for the next one to pop up.

Get OUT of the Sh*t Show

Let’s build your team and guide them to the next level.

Welcome to The Scalability Code, the podcast that helps you get out of the sh*t show and start growing your business. A few times each month, you'll hear stories and commentary from visionary entrepreneurs, EOS implementers, and fractional COOs about how they've taken businesses to Level 10. And now for your host, Matt Haney.

Matt Haney:

Thanks for joining us on another episode of the scalability code here with Josh Baird, who is, uh, coming to us from the great state of Michigan. A got a Michigander here. And, uh, we're gonna talk today as we do with other, uh, visionary entrepreneurs with fractional COOs with EOS implementers. Josh is a part-time. EOS implementer has a great story from where he came in, the big med device world. To being an entrepreneur, to now being an EOS implementer. So, Josh, thanks for joining us today.

Josh Baird:

You are welcome. Thanks for having me.

Matt Haney:

You got it, man. Well, um, Josh and I share a, a, a, we, we found each other through a, a mutual connection. Ashley, uh, Hills, who Ashley will see this, um, has worked with me for a couple years and she worked with Josh for a year. Um, and a shout out to Ashley for, for helping me keep my shit together for the last two years and be in a good influence on growing my practice. And I know Josh had a wonderful experience with, with her as well. So shout out. Shout out to Ashley.

Josh Baird:

Same here. Same here. I, I miss those, uh, daily interactions. Ashley.

Matt Haney:

Awesome. Well, let's jump in. So let's give a little backstory. Let's talk about where you came from and, and you can go as far back as you want to be in a. A wee little ad if you want, or, uh, tell us how you, you know, kind of got to where you are today and your, your journey as an entrepreneur, kind of through your, your journey into EOS.

Josh Baird:

Yeah, well, I, you know, I, I'd say probably a lot of my story, I'm a farm kid at heart, so I grew up on a, on a little farm in southern Michigan, and my mom and dad had a, a nursery and landscaping business. We did a lot of different things, and I think that shaped a lot of the, I don't know, the entrepreneur in me at a young age and, um. While I wasn't involved in kind of the business side of things, I watched and was part of all the struggles. I had all these, I always had some side hustle, whether it was selling goldfish from the pond that I grew to, selling worms to waiting on customers. Like I just, I always had this, like, I had this thing for, I don't know, creating value of some sort. I didn't realize what it was at, at at the time, but, and then, and then from there,

Matt Haney:

be the first person I've ever talked to or known that sold goldfish, but I love that. I mean, hey, people are buying goldfish. We might as well grow'em and, and sell'em.

Josh Baird:

We had goldfish in the pond. Um, and I remember looking at those and I thought, this is really cool. So I went and got the, uh, we had an old horse tank, filled it up with water, put it on the sales lot that mom and dad sold nursery supplies from and slapped a piece of paper on it and set a buck a piece.

Matt Haney:

I love it. Cost of goods sold. Zero.

Josh Baird:

Yeah, that's right. The, the, the fun of catching them.

Matt Haney:

That's so good. You just, just scooping'em out with a little skimmer net and moving'em over to the, to the tour trough.

Josh Baird:

Oh no, these were blue. I mean, these were, you know, 10 inch type. Yeah. I caught'em with fishing poles and put'em in a

Matt Haney:

so great. And what were people using'em for? Putting'em in their stock ponds

Josh Baird:

You know, this was, this was bef, these were, these were the redneck days of Koi.

Matt Haney:

Yes. That's so

Josh Baird:

Be before Koi. We were cool. They were goldfish from a pond in

Matt Haney:

And then they just grow and grow and grow and become these massive fish that sit there and, uh, they've gotta be from the carp family, right?

Josh Baird:

They, they are, they're real. They're really pretty carp.

Matt Haney:

Yeah. They've got that same little mouth and same hard looking body. Interesting. I learned something new today. Coy are in the carp Family. Deep thoughts. Deep thoughts. All right. Sorry, I, I derailed you. So, grew up in Michigan on a farm. Mom and dad were entrepreneurs in the landscape business, and, uh, you are a, a, a little entrepreneur at heart as well. That's awesome.

Josh Baird:

Yep. And then, um, I don't know, I don't know how interesting life is went to Michigan State. Um. Met my, uh, love of my life there and then kind of launched into the world with this. I had this thought that I was gonna teach and coach and life has this way of zig and sagging. And,

Matt Haney:

right.

Josh Baird:

um, I left there and my first job outta school was in a, I was a foreman in a steel mill in Detroit. And that kind of, uh, I dunno, I guess my launch, my. This thing that I loved is I loved, I love kind of the intersection of really hard stuff, big problems that nobody else wanted to solve, and those things that took people, and that's kind of what I've, you know, if somebody were to ask me like, what do I love? I love, I love problems and people, and you put those two together and that's just what I, I

Matt Haney:

Yeah, gimme an example.'cause I think that's fascinating and I'm gonna pick on it for a minute. You big problems that take people to solve,

Josh Baird:

Yeah.

Matt Haney:

like gimme, gimme something that says, Hey, here's an example of what that's looked like in my career, or, I don't know. Or, or just because I agree with you and I'm, I'm gonna tag onto what you're saying.

Josh Baird:

Yeah, I, I would say, you know, probably one of the, the coolest opportunities that I had was in the, my days at Stryker and we had a, we had a large product line that got pulled from the market by the FDA and um, so I got tapped to figure that thing out. So I was essentially given, um, all the resources that I need and said, build a team. Fix this thing and bring it back to market. And

Matt Haney:

And what was the thing, like what was the challenge that, the market issue that, that you guys were facing?

Josh Baird:

yeah, so it was a, um, it was a medical device called the Neptune. It was a, think of it as a, it's kinda like a shop vac for the OR, and we had some misuse issues. We had some adverse events with. With, uh, patients. Um, essentially we had to redesign the entire thing. We had to recall every unit that we had around the world.

Matt Haney:

How many was that? More or less.

Josh Baird:

uh, so we had, we were just, uh, about 15,000 units around the world.

Matt Haney:

And you had to recall'em, which means you had to pull'em back or just tell them to discontinue using them. I.

Josh Baird:

we had to pull'em back. We had to pull'em out

Matt Haney:

them in your hands.

Josh Baird:

we had to Yep. Had to

Matt Haney:

Otherwise there's a risk they keep using them. Right.

Josh Baird:

That's right.

Matt Haney:

issues come. Wow, that is a big problem.

Josh Baird:

So we, you know, we had to stand up, you know, we stood up. Uh, I say what we kind of put together this, it was probably one of the funnest things. That was one of the harder things that we did. But one of the coolest things with a group of people that, um, we were, we were just all focused on a single goal, and that was to make sure that we. Kept people safe. We fixed this thing and got it back into, into the hands of the operating room as fast as possible. So this took us about two years in total, but we stu, we stood up call centers to deal with that. We created a network of field service techs to go out and actually put our hands on these devices and, and get'em out. We had to work through all the regulatory issues that ca were associated with that.

Matt Haney:

And what was your role in this and sort of how did you, were you operating the total project or were you, did you have, like, what was the kind of hierarchy there?

Josh Baird:

So I, you know, kind of, I became the, the whole thing. We've called it a program within the division. And so I was the program director and the objective was, um, a hundred percent focus on this like. In many cases, and we, we know the power of focus. In many cases you end up with a lot of different things that you have to do. But that was, we had one mission and it was this particular product line and making sure that we resolved all those issues. And in many ways, like we benchmarked, um, what Toyota did with some of the issues that they had, theirs were very, obviously very public. We benchmark what Tylenol did with the, uh, issues that they had with Tylenol at the time.

Matt Haney:

some recalls, wasn't there? I can't remember what those were around, but quality issues or some something. Yeah.

Josh Baird:

yep. And out of that, um, you know, really what, what we had said is that, you know, we're gonna own these issues and some of the greatest innovations come outta struggles like that. And so this one was, this one was no

Matt Haney:

How many people were on that team, more or less.

Josh Baird:

uh, uh, there were about 400.

Matt Haney:

That's crazy.

Josh Baird:

It was a, it was, uh, it was hard, but it was a. It was a blast. All at the

Matt Haney:

And where was that in your career? Like was that later in your career? Was that like kind of a milestone project for you? Or where

Josh Baird:

That was kind of a milestone project. And I would say it was probably mid, mid career.

Matt Haney:

That's so fun.

Josh Baird:

kinda the end of it. Yeah.

Matt Haney:

And you did how many years at Stryker?

Josh Baird:

Uh, so 17 years at Stryker?

Matt Haney:

various roles

Josh Baird:

Just about it? Yeah, just about everyone. Like at, um. I say that I got the, I kind of got my MBA in in quotes, my MBA, so I got, I had the opportunity to work in just about every functional area. Everything from quality to marketing. I ran RD groups for a while. I ran the service business, so I got the, I got the real life NBA, which was It was amazing

Matt Haney:

God, such a great story to be able to get to see such diversity and through, through various business units. And I'll say I, I haven't worked in a big corporation ever. I've been a small to mid-size business guy my whole life, my whole career. And I, I feel like, I do think there's certain. Advantages that come out of these bigger businesses and, and your story is one of them. I mean, the ability to to, to, you know, change departments and get to work with different leaders and different teams and, and, but still know so much about the business. I mean, what a huge opportunity for a, certainly for a young person, but for someone who wants to become an entrepreneur. Um, you're right, there's not a better, there's not a better MBA program than the one you went through, which is that of just getting shit done and figuring it out, how to make it happen.

Josh Baird:

And, and that was it. I mean, and um, along the way, you know, like you said, you get to work with different leader leaders. You get to see different styles.

Matt Haney:

Yeah.

Josh Baird:

Exposed to so many different, um, I don't know even ways to do things. I mean, another example is in that whole thing, uh, I had one of my directors come to me and said, you know, we need to invest in project management. I'm like, project management. We don't need project management. And uh, he ended up convincing me of that. And like the whole, like if you're familiar with the project management institute or anything like that, like the discipline of project management. Um, it is so important. I mean, had it not been for Todd and his name was Todd, and the things that we did there, there's no way we would've organized it. So, and he was, it was a lot of things we do at EOS today, but everything that he started with, um, he was always like, if we don't get the structure thing right first for this, we don't have a cha any chance of this working. And

Matt Haney:

Was he, uh, yeah. I have had some people that I've managed over the years that have gone through the PMP certification of professional project management, um, or project management professional. And, um, I don't have that brain, so it's kinda like seeing an artist that can paint a picture. When you don't have the skill to paint the picture, you're, you tend to be more enamored by the fact that somebody has that skill. You are like, holy shit, this person can paint. I feel that way about project management professionals because I'm like, I don't have that linear brain that can detail everything out. So when they start doing it, I'm like, I'm watching, I'm watching. Get it done.

Josh Baird:

Oh yeah. And it, he, he would do these sessions. It is kind of like, it reminds me of this, what we do with EOS, but he, I asked him, I'm like, what's, what's the one thing that you need to be successful? He is like, I need a war room. I'm like, okay, done. What do you need in that war room? He's like, whiteboards. The whole thing has gotta be whiteboards.

Matt Haney:

You are like, check, I'll make it happen.

Josh Baird:

So, so we did, and Matt, we would send, we'd spend these all day sessions and he had markers and I mean, the collaboration that would happen. Um, that was the, that was a lot of the, you know, what I would say is the magic is pulling people together, collaborating. We would, we'd have these sessions, sometimes they'd be 12 hours, and we wouldn't leave the room until we hammered through something, but we were, we were under the gun. You know, you had to, you had to solve things and you had to get it done. I called him

Matt Haney:

guys were pulling back 15,000 devices. Re-engineering, redesigning and redeploying. I mean, that's like. Would he stand at the board? Todd? Would Todd take the marker and just get up there and, and funnel? Yeah, so it's so crazy. You mentioned EOS. Obviously you and I both have a strong passion for EOS. Um, I'm gonna tell you, I just did a quarterly yesterday with a client and I was working with an EOS implementer who I know and appreciate. Shout out to JB SAA here in Austin. Um, JB and I have worked a few sessions together, but I love nothing more than being in the audience, not at the board. And part of the relationship that I've developed with these EOS implementers over my career is that I am not myself at best at the board, and they are. I. So being, I asked if, if Todd stood up and took the marker and took control, because when that happens, as you know, as a facilitator, it, it gives the room the ability to do the work that needs to be done. And as a fractional COO fractional integrator, not having to facilitate a quarterly as one of the best gifts that I think, you know, entrepreneurs can give themselves and the company.

Josh Baird:

Yeah, I, I, I didn't realize what was happening at the time, but you're spot on. I mean, um, he, he would, you know, they were selective on where they would invite me, because I didn't know this at the time, but I was a visionary. So you invite me into a room without any like, structure at

Matt Haney:

Without any floaties to float around on.

Josh Baird:

and uh, Hey, what do you think about this? And all of a sudden, you know. Who knows where we'd end up. But he would, I mean, back to your kind of point, he unlocked that room and I say that room with people because now they could participate. And he was the one that, he was just magical at facilitating the answers in the room. And I, you know, looking back on it now, uh, I don't know that I recognized it in the moment, but looking back on it now, like that was, that was the gift, the gift that he gave to all of us.

Matt Haney:

And also like you have to have a certain demeanor and a certain personality and a certain respect for everyone in the room, um, in order to, uh, you know, get those outputs and, and solve those big hairy, audacious goals that you guys are working against. And yeah, so much of that transfers to session and transfers to just leadership in general. And, um, how old were you when you started at, at Stryker?

Josh Baird:

25.

Matt Haney:

Right. So you, you were a kid, man. I mean, in 25 I was barely learning to tie my shoes, um, and, and, you know, pick up after myself and put deodorant on. Like, I can imagine you spent a, you're, you're developing years as a, as a leader and a coach and an entrepreneur and a big business like that to be able to have such a cool project that you guys are working on. I mean, unfortunate that you were in the circumstance that you were in, but you and 399 of your closest friends got in there and. Figured that shit out. That's pretty impressive.

Josh Baird:

Well, and you know that, that whole thing, when you say that too, I think this is one of these leadership things. What, what was the base philosophy is that you hire talented people, you give them what they need, they're gonna fail. You know? I mean, a 25-year-old is gonna mess stuff up. Um, but get outta their way because that's, that's how you develop. I mean, that's how you develop the future of leaders is they're developed through fire.

Matt Haney:

That's right. I totally believe that. I totally believe that. Well, gimme an example. I mean, obviously we just talked about some challenges, but, um, how long have you been an EOSI? How long have you been an implementer? When did you get through bootcamp?

Josh Baird:

so I went through bootcamp in, uh, September of 2023. So

Matt Haney:

Okay.

Josh Baird:

I, I'm gonna

Matt Haney:

Coming on two years. I.

Josh Baird:

two years this fall.

Matt Haney:

Yeah, and give me an example of some of the, the challenges that you've seen. And you may have to think about this, and, and I can, I can spur you into some things, or you can take a second to remember. I think it's, I always tell implementers to kind of think back through the last issues list that they saw or the last rocks that they established with a client. And give me an example. Uh, I don't, you know, not necessarily I need to know the context of the company, but just a, just a example of some of the rocks or issues you've helped facilitate recently.

Josh Baird:

Um, you know, I. I, I'd say the, the one that comes up over and over, um, the last, I'd say the last month I've done a number of focus days and vision building days is the accountability chart. I actually, the accountability chart is, um, many times the entrepreneur and I, I'm even, I'm gonna talk about my story. I'll come in and outta my stories. My story is a, a humbling one. You know, I leave Stryker, I have this, I have this, uh, success in corporate America. Um, I very arrogantly told everybody I was about to go embark on the funnest and the easiest thing I'd ever done. Never done in my life.

Matt Haney:

I am guessing it was neither. Just, just guessing.

Josh Baird:

no. Um, and you know, from that, from that perspective, the accountability chart, when you start to look at an entrepreneur that loves what they, I mean, they had a passion, right? Um, they love what they get to do, and now they get stuck. Um, they, they've hit that proverbial ceiling. Now what? And the accountability chart is probably one of my favorite exercises. It's a hard one in the beginning because it req, it requires you to start to change the entire way that you've thought and operated. Um, it's the rewiring your brain. And so I love the, I love the accountability chart. It's probably one of the more challenging things, but at the same time, it's probably one of the most fulfilling when you see those light bulb moments go. They start to say, say, this solves many of the issues that we're living today, because now we don't have to fight over who's doing what. There's true accountability in an organization. So, you know, kind of go there. I'd say that's one of my, you know, my favorite parts of the whole Eeo s journey.

Matt Haney:

That's awesome. Uh, it, uh, we literally, I guess all this stuff is fresh on my mind'cause we're coming out of a quarterly yesterday, but the accountability chart comes up and I think to your point, um, I don't think it comes up enough. Um, I, I always say one of my favorite things about EOS is, is the tools prompt so many conversations because Josh, I don't have to tell you. I don't have to tell you you're on track or off track directly. I can just pull up the accountability chart and say, Hey, these are your five core responsibilities for your seat. How are we doing on those? And most times people will be, wow. Um, yeah, I'm good on three. Well, what about the other two? And I'm like, by the way, I'm like, I know you're not on the other two. I know,

Josh Baird:

Yeah.

Matt Haney:

I'm helping you get there. That's the tool. The graphic helps you get that conversation going. And, uh, one of the things that I love that implementers do is during quarterlys, they, they, they bring up the opportunity to have a conversation around an EOS tool. And not by coincidence, it's generally a tool that's needed based on what they're learning about the business and the issues that the leadership team's having. Right? So you take that toolbox and you go, oh. I think we're having some issues with LMA. We roll down into LMA and we talk about it. So your point on the, on the accountability chart is sound. I, one thing I've just learned and, and have continued to say out loud, so I process myself, is to get it out more often and let it be something that doesn't hide until the quarterly. Um, rather, you know, using in part of your L 10, one of my clients on the leadership team yesterday said. I feel like in all of our L tens, all we do is IDS we, we I ds IDS issues, but we don't ever go back and look at. Um, the VTO, which was like a bong hit on my head when they said, we're not using the VTO enough, or we're not using the accountability chart enough. So, um, you know, to just jump on what you're saying, I think making sure that we're taking the time and giving ourselves the space to, to go up on the business using these tools instead of always being in, uh, focusing on issues and solving all the time.

Josh Baird:

You know, and I'd say that is another part of it, I mean, in my journey on this whole thing as an entrepreneur myself, is you spend so much of your time and your energy inside of the business and that's, that's precious when you can, if you can actually pull out, I. Then kind of fly up and, and work on the business. Um, and, and like you said, the value is having those conversations.'cause when you're in the business every day, you're not stopping. Yeah.

Matt Haney:

just so consumed by it.

matt-haney_2_02-06-2025_192447:

You are listening to the Scalability Code. I'm your host, Matt Haney, founder of Sinclair Ventures, and we help visionary entrepreneurs like you get out of the shit show and focus on growing your business. We offer fractional COO and leadership coaching services that free up that brain of yours to focus on what's next. Learn more about us at SinclairVentures. com. Now back to it.

Matt Haney:

Well, I don't think you told us about your business, your entrepreneurial business. You told us it was going to be the funnest and easiest thing you've done, but I don't think you told us what your, your current business is or, or what that, what that exercise or experience was.

Josh Baird:

Yeah, so I'll go back. I, um, I kind of thought I was gonna teach and coach, so now I get to teach and coach in a different way. So I bought a dome, so I don't recommend buying a big inflatable building. Um, but that's what we did. We bought a, a dome and 15 acres, and from there we launched. What was the vision was to create this place where we could take sports back, give it back to the kids for what it was intended for. One of that. One of those things is fun. And the, the other one is the development of life lessons, because most of us aren't gonna go make our livings off of sports in our life. And

Matt Haney:

Right. It ends after high school or middle school and you just kind of, yeah.

Josh Baird:

yep. So, so we did, you know, I, I did that. My, uh, first employee was, uh, a lady named Annmarie, who's now my integrator. Um, and I. Affectionately say that, uh, she's the reason that the dome's still standing and I'm not dead.

Matt Haney:

Shout out.

Josh Baird:

Oh, totally. Um, but you know, the, the interesting thing going into this, um, so my, where, where my story gets really humbling is that my wife was, uh, the first employee of EOS worldwide. So she, um. She built every, you know, she worked hand in hand with, with Don and Gino from the very beginning.

Matt Haney:

Wow, that's rad.

Josh Baird:

Yeah. So when I, the humble part of my story, when I bought the, the dome and the sports complex, she's like, you should implement EOS. Uh, I think it would really help, you know, I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um,

Matt Haney:

I don't need your help. I don't need that system.

Josh Baird:

I've done, I've done stuff before. I've been successful.

Matt Haney:

I led a team of 400 people. I'm good.

Josh Baird:

Yep. Um, so about three years in, I'll never forget, I just told the story today. I walked in, I had a meeting with a guy back to the farm kid. You know, I, I can outwork out will and outlast anything. It's kind of been my mantra and I looked at the guy and I'm like, I, I just need a second. And so I went and I puked in the trash can. It was just exhaustion.

Matt Haney:

Yeah. Just, just spent.

Josh Baird:

Oh, it was. And I, that night I went home and I. And just frustrated. I mean, I'm an acquire, I'm an acquired taste. Matt, um,

Matt Haney:

the feeling

Josh Baird:

I, I don't know why my wife said yes in the beginning. I don't know why she keeps saying yes. Last year was 25 years and it's just blows, blows my mind. Thanks. And so I, I'm like, I need your help. Like, this sucks. This thing that I thought was gonna be fun and freedom is, is a nightmare and just bondage. And so. We embarked on that. And by the way, Matt, every step of the way I fought EOS, like fought it. I, I, I ended up, it was like proof by contradiction. Um, and so we implemented it and I fought that whole thing through the whole implementation. But in doing that, one of the things that I realized is that,

Matt Haney:

Exactly.

Josh Baird:

and, and I, you know, I'm gonna stumble here'cause I'm embarrassed of it, but I had deprived the people that were trying to bring my vision to life of the tools that they needed to do that. Um.

Matt Haney:

man. That's vulnerability and humility right there, man. Being able to look back and say. I'm the problem. I was the problem.

Josh Baird:

totally. And, and you know, as I look back on this now, I think, you know, and I keep going back to like Anne-Marie, I think Anne-Marie desperately. She knew we were headed somewhere. She didn't know exactly where that was. Um, this thing, you know, the other thing I had this new appreciation for is the importance of core values. And that's if you establish your culture based on core values, uh, you prevent so many problems, which I didn't. I was a typical visionary. I'm like, I know somebody, I know somebody. You know, we, we built seats around people. We didn't go the structure first and then. Kind of the people second approach. And so we created, you know, I was a big part of creating a lot of chaos that started to happen in the organization. And you know, we were successful in spite of ourselves. And so that whole thing was very humbling and opened my eyes to the, I got to know small businesses and entrepreneurs at a very different level, being one myself, and just started to have a. Passion for the things that they did and the difference they were making in the communities and the families of the people they served and their employees. And so that's where I listened to my wife then faster the second time. She's like, you've proved some of this by contradiction. How about you just decide to, uh, implement, be an implementer? And I was like, Hmm, maybe I'll look at that.

Matt Haney:

Maybe she knew something about you after 25 years of dealing with your bullshit.

Josh Baird:

Can, can you imagine?

Matt Haney:

can you imagine? Yeah. I just celebrated 18 years. It was actually my.

Josh Baird:

Congratulations.

Matt Haney:

uh, my top yesterday during the quarterly, the, the professional, personal, professional win. It was certainly my, my personal win and, you know, I didn't, I don't think I realized how I, no one does. I don't think how hard marriage is and how big of a commitment is and how I. You know how much that person that's been staring at me for 18 years and yours been staring at you for 25 years, how much they genuinely know about what makes you succeed and what makes you be fulfilled. And, um, it's incredibly powerful to have your, your spouse say something and having the I. The humility to go back to her and say, you are right. You were right. And thank you. So, so that's how you got to EOS. Um, give me, gimme some industries that you've worked in. Are you a service business guy? Are you a tech guy?'cause of Stryker? Are you a hardware? What, what, what do you guys, where do you tend to see your clients fall in terms of, you know, industry?

Josh Baird:

Um, I've got kind of a broad spectrum, I would say. I love people that look, they, they get up, they roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty and go after it. So I've got, I've got machine shops, I've got HVAC company, I've got landscaping. Manufacturing, so I've, I've got a little bit of, I get to dabble

Matt Haney:

So service,

Josh Baird:

Yeah, yeah.

Matt Haney:

Yeah. I love it, man. I'm a, I'm a blue collar business guy at heart. I mean, some of the folks I've worked with recently, I had a an MEP mechanical electrical plumbing contractor that had a group of union laborers doing labor, you know, installation of plumbing and, and HVAC systems. And I love that group of people that are, that have been through it all and guys have come, gals have come up through the trade and. You know, carried a tool belt and, and now we're in an office helping to an estimate. I mean, it's just really rewarding to see those. And, and there's a different vibe. I had an aluminum manufacturer in the Northwest and people doing, um, exterior renovations of siding, uh, for high rises, like those businesses that. You know, not necessarily Main Street businesses, but they're definitely blue collar and labor driven, uh, and people focused. So you and I are very, very similar in the types of people that we attract. And, and then yesterday the client I had was a. Tech services business, still service based, um, you know, selling tech to, to clients. And there's a common theme in all of that, and that most of those folks are interested in serving the client. And they, they bring that servant mentality of the fact that we're here to deliver a service just like you and I do. Josh provide services to our clients and it's nice to be aligned with folks that, uh, understand the value of service.

Josh Baird:

Yeah.

Matt Haney:

I'm dying to know about the dome. What were you doing in the dome? What sports? What was it?

Josh Baird:

So we, it was, when I bought it, it was just golf. It was like an indoor driving range.

Matt Haney:

Okay.

Josh Baird:

Um, and we've transformed it now to a multi-sport campus. We have 30 acres. We have the dome there. We have, we have a

Matt Haney:

How many acres under the dome, how big is the dome?

Josh Baird:

Two acres is under the dome. Wow.

Matt Haney:

Okay.

Josh Baird:

Um, and we've

Matt Haney:

And it's literally kept up by air or it has a substructure.

Josh Baird:

That's it. Just air. Yep. We have, uh, courts in there. So we, we have volleyball. Volleyball is our biggest program. So we had, uh, about 45 teams this past season. Uh, we have pickleball in there. We have golf, we have golf instructors. Our. Kind of the philosophy is that there are a building block of every athlete is strength and conditioning. So build the muscle speed and agility, move it nutrition, which is part of one and two. And then the fourth is the development of those athletes as a person. So their character, their leadership

Matt Haney:

Yeah.

Josh Baird:

toolbox, and on, on top of that, we can teach any sport specific, um, training

Matt Haney:

very cool. That's very, very cool. Yeah, and I guess when it gets to be the winter months up there and it's pretty miserable. Uh, it's nice to have the dome. I bet it's busy from, for 12 hours a day during the winter.

Josh Baird:

it's, uh, it's controlled chaos in the winter. It's awesome, but you got that energy. Kids have a tendency, like, you know, they, what comes outta their mouth is pure. Um,

Matt Haney:

Unfiltered.

Josh Baird:

they have a tendency to keep you honest and, uh, keep you young. We build a, we deal, we build a miracle field on the campus too. So it's a field that

Matt Haney:

Now I'm very familiar with the Miracle League in

Josh Baird:

Are you?

Matt Haney:

Yeah, that's awesome.

Josh Baird:

so that's the best that sports has to offer. That's there. And then, and then we've wrapped that with, we've got physical therapy and sports meta on the campus, and

Matt Haney:

Very cool.

Josh Baird:

an environment where hopefully you have every resource that you need, um, to be able to have fun and chase your dreams.

Matt Haney:

How many people are kind of in your community? Um, like, I don't know, you're near a, you're south of Kalamazoo, but I don't know how big your, your community is.

Josh Baird:

Yeah, we're, I mean, the greater Kalamazoo area is a couple hundred thousand.

Matt Haney:

you're a suburb of it. You're not further down. Okay. So people would live in your area and commute in, and you're, okay. Good. So you get the whole, you know, you know, the area is an addressable market.

Josh Baird:

Yep. Yep.

Matt Haney:

That's awesome. Um, and, and you, I'm guessing, I'm predicting here projecting, I should say, you got to the point where you, you got that thing up and running and then decided, you know, through this conversation like, Hey, maybe I should start implementing. Is that to get you away from the business and let you not be, you know, Annemarie's worst nightmare.

Josh Baird:

it's twofold. Yeah. I'm a, I'm a visionary, like, you know, I get bored at times. Um, so I, you know, it's probably, I. I always say, I, I never know why I do what I do Exactly, Matt, I kind of feel my way through life

Matt Haney:

Yeah.

Josh Baird:

you know, this next opportunity came along and there's, you know, I'm working in my community, so it's kind of, it's kind of cool. Like I, I get to work with people that are clients that work at the dome and then they have small businesses and

Matt Haney:

Dude, you must see every single business owner, every single, anybody that C comes, I mean, every kid, everybody that has a kid in the winter is gonna, I mean, I'm sure in the summer too, but like the amount of just opportunities that walk through your door every day once they see what you've built. I mean, it's like a, it's a really interesting, um, dovetail into kind of what you do as an implementer and that's, that's fascinating.

Josh Baird:

I think some of this has, has been clarifying too. Like at the end of the day, what, what's one of the things I really value? Like I love community and I think that, you know, we we're losing some of that sense of community. I go back to that farm days, you know, my dad and grandpa always used to say, you're only as strong as your, as your neighbors. And you know, we relied on our neighbors much differently than we do today. And that sense. A sense of community, whether that's there in that sports community or this kind of entrepreneurial small business community. I love that. Like it's, it's something that's worth investing in and fighting for.

Matt Haney:

Man, that is so well said. And something that I haven't heard, um, articulated the way you, you put it, um, so eloquently. Just like, you know, your, your dad and grandfather say in your, your, you know, your farm's as strong as the neighbors around you that help you and, and back. Back when you had to go help, you know, you didn't have to, it was the right thing to do. If they were, I'm assuming if they were plowing or working or doing something, you'd go help them. And you know, they, you know, you're sharing equipment, you're sharing tools, sharing resources, um, I. You're right. I think we've lost some of that, and I hope that, you know, there's a, a path towards bringing us back to that. I'll, I'll segue on a really quick story. There's a, a tech guy, um, who started, um, he's actually one of the, the original founders of Twitter now X and he built that, which is basically, you know, being, bringing tech to the world so that you didn't have to communicate face to face. You made all this money a zillion dollars. Guess what his next latest and greatest tech technology is. It's bringing people back to in-person conversations. He created the pendulum all the way over here to get people to commute via electronics, and now he's going all the way back the other way. That's like, what in the hell have I done to create something that's pushing people away from each other? How do I create something that brings people together and you saying what you know you, you enjoy and what your purpose is, just triggered that with me.

Josh Baird:

We were just having, you know, we, we were just having this conversation. I, I have 60 acres here and I, I lease some of it to a farmer. Front porches used to have a purpose, like you had a front porch.'cause that's how, that's where that was the beating place. Like people sat on their front porch, you'd drive down the road and you'd stop and pull in and shoot the shit on the front porch. Like people don't do that anymore. I mean, we got the strongest thumbs in the world. We're the most connected we've ever been in our lives, yet the most disconnected on a personal to personal relationship. And you know, that's,

Matt Haney:

That's so well said and makes perfect sense as to why you built the, the, your park and why you're, you know, using that as a, as a, you know, base to use your EOS business and build community. And man, that's really special. Um, really, really special. Um, and you got a son that just graduated from college. Congratulations. And he's going to, did you say med school?

Josh Baird:

Yep. So he's a, he's a sports nut himself. He had a share of injuries in football, and now he wants to be a orthopedic guy.

Matt Haney:

That's awesome. Well, very cool. I was, I, I didn't know, I remember you said he was gonna medicine but didn't know he was gonna go, he was planning on orthopedics.'cause my question was, is what, you know, do you think he suffers from that entrepreneurial bug that you have? Which is, you think he's gonna go start a practice or you think he'll, you know, fall in with a another group and help them or what's, you know, always interested to get people's take on their kids.

Josh Baird:

Yeah. You know, he's, he's an interesting mix. He's a, actually a really awesome mix of both. My wife's name is Amber of Amber and I, um, I think he's got an entrepreneurial, he's got an adventurous thing. He loves mission work. Um, so in college, you know, we, we always kind of joke, we're in the world is Jacob right now? He was in Guatemala at one point last year. We get a call and he's on a, he's on his way to Jakarta, Indonesia, and was gone for like, so I, you know, I don't know what, you know, he has a heart for helping other people and um,

Matt Haney:

You have to, to go into medicine, especially now, man, especially now, it's harder to be in medicine than it's ever been. And the people that, uh, that succeed, um, you, they grind. I've had a very close friend who's an ER doc. He's been an ER doc for 30 years, and he has to love helping people because it's, it's brutal.

Josh Baird:

I, I said to Jacob, um, here about, I don't know, a month ago. I'm like, are you sure? Are you sure this is what you, because now's the time if you're not sure. And he is like, no, he is like, I am, he's, you know, I thought it was kind of cool. You know, one of the things that he said is he is like, doctors have been part of. Of some of my toughest times in my life, but they were there. Um, he's like, I wanna be there for people and they help me continue to do the things that I love to do. And so he is like, that's what I wanna do in

Matt Haney:

That's so cool. What another great introspective way of looking at medicine, that you got help from someone and, and that inspired you to help others. That's so cool. So cool, man. What a wise, what a wise young man.

Josh Baird:

He's, he takes after his mom.

Matt Haney:

Amber, shout out. Well, uh, listen, I love chatting with you about your, your history and your background and, and, um, yeah. I, I, I'm so great to get to know you and learn about what you're working on and, and learn about your story and, and your journey into being an implementer. And lemme ask you one question before I let you go, and you don't have to give it to me immediately, but, uh, are you going to be on track for the goals you set for yourself this year? And if so. What are the one of those goals, and if no, what are you gonna do to get towards that goal?

Josh Baird:

Oh man, that's a good question.

Matt Haney:

My job as an integrator is to ask these questions, so I'll restate it. What do you, are you on track for your goals? And if yes, what's the goal? And if no, you know, what's the goal and whatcha gonna do to get there?

Josh Baird:

Yeah. So I re kind of reestablished where I wanted to be client wise. So one of my goals is 20 clients. Um, so I would say that here's, here's the one that you as an integrator is gonna love. I'm on track minus,

Matt Haney:

on track minus, I love that. Oh, it's uh, black or white. Sir, are we either on or off?

Josh Baird:

That's right. Uh, so I think I'm on track, but I'm sputtering, I'm sputtering a little bit in business development. Um, so one of the things that I have, uh, started to challenge myself with is I, I've gotta get back into like the discipline of going to the networking events. And, you know, when I think about business development. You know, I said this to, again, to somebody today, it's not about selling. Like, I need to turn on my listening ears. Um, and just find ways, again, to go back. Like, how can I help people? How can I make this? I need to go in with the mindset of a servant. How do I go in and serve and help solve, solve a problem, or bring Reva real value and not thinking about this from a

Matt Haney:

Getting a client or selling something. Yeah.

Josh Baird:

I gotta hit

Matt Haney:

what I think what you're gonna see, and I think you're, you know, this is that when you put that hat on, the world sends things your way. You know that, that hat on of that curiosity and hey, that sounds like something I could help with, you know, regardless. And, you know, I love like you helping people, uh, get through issues and it's like, Hey, I don't need to scratch a dollar out of this deal. Like if I can help you get from A to B. Uh, great. And if that means we work together at some point even better, but that's not what I'm looking for. Um, I'm looking to do the right thing for someone like your grandpa and dad did on the farm when they need to help somebody. Um, that's really cool. So what are your, what do you, what are your business development goals? I mean, I don't need the literal goal, but like, what are you doing to kind of move that, that needle forward?

Josh Baird:

so I've gotten, I've gotten more involved in these different, um, small business round tables. So that's one of the things that I, I love to do. Um, I love to just go. So, so it's not that hard. You know, back to the, I love people. I love to just go and meet people at their businesses and just learn what it is that they do and what I could do to help. Like, there's no shortage of that. So I just call it the tour where I get to go and learn about somebody's business. If I think there's something that I can do to help, um, I'm usually looking to help. And, you know, at the end of the day, if I get to learn somebody's story and. You know, and again, and it's a pretty small community, and if I can help in, in some small way, you know, you do the right things for the right reasons and good things happen.

Matt Haney:

Yep. You get the right results. That's awesome. Well, hey, thank you so much for your time today, Josh. Thanks for joining us in the scalability code. And, um, I'll share this with you and you can share it out and, uh, I think this would be a great story for people to watch and make sure you use this as a business development tool. Um, you know, push people to, to have these conversations and, and, and look at these, look at this and read it and listen, and watch. And I really appreciate you joining us today.

Josh Baird:

Yeah. And I, you know, I would, um, I appreciate you having me here and I would love to spend some more time, and I didn't get to, I didn't feel like I get to learn anything about your story.

Matt Haney:

Well, I will tell you all of it, but all the people listening know about my bullshit, so I'm glad to hear that. My goal was to ask you questions and, uh, you answered those and I'd love to, I'd love to share more about what I do and, and, you know, I, I will take one minute, so maybe we can weave this in somewhere. so, as a fractional COO, um, for the last seven years, I've had about 17 engagements where I've worked. Coming in as a fractional, taking the EOS vision and implementing it to the ground. Um, and I love it. I love what I get to do. Um, my engagements tend to be six months to 18 months. Rarely are they Less successfully, rarely less than six months. Um, and I basically, you know, sit in that second in command seat for a period of time while we try to figure out what the longer term solution looks like to replace me. So I get to start their conversation with the visionary about, I'm not your forever. So we can have a different conversation than you can have with your forever.'cause I'm not trying to marry you, I'm not trying to stay in this forever. I'm not trying to tell you I'm gonna be here forever. I'm telling you, I'm here for this long and please take my advice, uh, on some things. Don't take it on others. But the real reason I'm here is because you know you need something different than what you had yesterday. Um, and I do my best work with people who are curious. Uh, and I do some of my worst work with people that are critical. Um, and you quickly know which way someone's going to be. So lead with curiosity instead of criticism is something I always try to focus on and try to get people to really be a part of, of, of their, their mantra, if not their core values. Um, it's really cool man. It's really, really cool. So I'd say it's part therapists. Part leadership coach, part COO part, um, you know, confidant. Um, and, you know, building leadership teams is my jam. It's what I love to do. I mean, I think I've hired 50 plus people, maybe more, and getting them in the right seat, getting them onboarded for success is one of the things that just gets me really fired up is making sure that, you know, a lot of times I get to keep the visionary in the corner. I'm like, hey. The last two people have not been successful and there's one commonality, and that's that you hired them. So let's let the team hire them and let's let us manage them and train them and then set those expectations accordingly. So hiring is something I'm, I'm really passionate about. Um, and just getting people outta the shit show. If you check on my website, I always say. You know, I'm from the shit show. I've been there, I've missed payroll, I've failed, I've flushed money, I've won, I've succeeded, I've done all of it. Um, and, uh, helping people get out of that shit show is a lot of fun. And EOS is one of the tools that helps me get there.

Josh Baird:

Yeah. That's awesome.

Matt Haney:

Cool. Well, thanks for your time, man. I really appreciate it.

Thank you for listening to The Scalability Code. If you made it this far, please follow the show on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's get out of the sh*t show together. We'll see you next time on The Scalability Code.