Well, hey there, everybody. Welcome to another edition of the Vanderblemen Leadership Podcast. I'm so excited to get to introduce you to my friends over these years. It's been, gosh, 10 years now we've been doing this, and it seems like we keep meeting new people. I've got a brand new friend that I want to introduce you to. Many of you know, Willie Robertson. Willie, thanks for joining us today. It's good to be here. What's going on? Oh, not much, man. Uh, for those who've been living under a rock for the last forever number of years, uh, Willie lives in Louisiana. Willie uh hunts ducks. Uh what else should we say, Willie, to introduce people to you?
SPEAKER_00Oh man, a couple more things, but uh that'll work. I can I can go by that.
SPEAKER_02That's awesome. I've been I'm a little ill-equipped. I don't hunt. I play golf, which is another way to spend a lot of time outside. But I found my, you know, the Texans won yesterday. We don't win much, but I've got one camouflage piece of clothing, and that's it.
SPEAKER_00That's the one you drug out, huh?
SPEAKER_02That's the one I drug out. Yeah. Yeah. It's that uh what is the month of November? Is it veterans month or NFL? So here we go. That's all you get.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you didn't you didn't have to tell me you didn't, Hunt. I could tell by that uh clean, nice, beautiful face you got there. That's that's not out in the north wind too often. Except for maybe deep in football season when the Texans are playing.
SPEAKER_02Well, you know, last many years when the Texans are playing, we we go find other things to do. Uh but this year it's a little bit better.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they're looking good. Uh yeah, I'm excited for that team.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you're not that far away from me down there in Houston.
SPEAKER_02No, we've got good Cajun food right here. There's a pretty strong pipeline from Louisiana to Texas with all the offshore stuff that goes on.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, we let a few out over there. So uh yeah, nice place. Uh always enjoy visiting down there.
SPEAKER_02That's great. So, Willie, if yeah, I I would love it if you would uh tell people a little bit how you how you guys got started. Like you kind of shot into stardom. I remember, golly, 11 or 12 years ago, I was at Judd Wilhite's church in Vegas and saw you and your dad come in and do a weekend thing on Father's Day, that sort of thing. And the wave was just starting to go, but people don't know the story. And I'd love to hear a little bit of the origin story of how you guys ended up where you are right now.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, it's funny. Um, I remember when Duck Nasty came out in 2012, and someone asked me, what's it like being an overnight sensation? I said, Well, we dad started the business in 1972, so I don't know what your idea of overnight is. It seemed like it took a while to finally uh mature and get to this level, but uh so it was a slow, uh steady climb, I guess, in the business sense. Um dad started the idea uh of building his own duck call. Um so it was right after he came out of um, you know, really a life change, uh, where he um kind of surrendered everything to Jesus, everything looked lost. Uh, we put a movie out last year called The Blind, and it kind of chronicled those years, uh, late 60s, early 70s. So when dad comes out of that, he and mom stay together um and they end up moving to West Monroe, and that's when Dad really was able to focus on in on his business and uh what he wanted to do, which was hunt ducks, and it's kind of what kept him out of uh pro football, at least. Uh he was a gifted athlete and uh kind of uh the the seasons didn't uh didn't line up with football season and duck season, so he he chose uh hunting season over football season. Um Terry Bradshaw did play behind him at Louisiana Tech and went on to uh obviously a lot of success in the NFL. And they both kind of ended up getting there, I guess, in their own ways. Um, but that's when dad kind of really started pouring into business and um uh kind of what he wanted to see with that. And so it started out just a just an operation that we ran out of our house. And so I was uh growing up, I was one of the employees. Um uh I I didn't really get paid any money, but I was one of the employees that worked for the family business. Uh so I did all the operations of Duck Commander uh up until I went off to college, which I never saw myself as really being a part of the business. I I thought I'm done with that, I'm moving on to something else. And um uh as life had it, it uh sucked me back in. When I was 30 years old, I came back to take over the business, and um he had done all the heavy lifting uh on that end, and so I came in with some new ideas and uh kind of hit it perfect timing with the internet websites coming out, and uh was able to really get us in that lane and um talk to the customers. And um Corey and I were running uh part of the business out of our home, uh just like we did when we were growing up, and that's when the idea of a TV show came along, and uh which was Corey's idea, my wife's, and uh she said, Willie, y'all should, y'all should, you and your family should do a reality TV show. And I was like, Corey, uh, we're just normal people. And she said, Willie, y'all ain't normal. And uh I really couldn't even see it at the time. Um, and uh we were approached not long after that by Benelli Shotguns, who offered us a television show on the outdoor channel, uh, which we took and uh did that show successful and business was good. Um, and I kind of thought I had you know turned the tides and it were everything was going the right direction. And uh a guy, a producer in Los Angeles, saw that show on the outdoor channel, sent an uh email to the general information box at Duck Commander. Wasn't addressed to anyone, just said to whom it may concern. I've watched your show and I think you've got a big show. Uh, I gave the guy a call and we made a sizzle reel, uh, three-minute little sizzle of uh kind of television and showed that around. And he saw it, uh, picked up two episodes, those pilots um watched those and then made uh at the time the biggest pickup they'd made, which was 13 episodes, sight unseen. They just they believed in it, so we think it's gonna be a big show. And there you go. We ended up uh doing 130 episodes of reality television, and to date it is, and I don't think it'll be beaten the way TV is now, but it's the most watched unscripted show in the history of cable television. So uh that will help you sell a lot of duck calls if you if you do that. So I learned the trick. Uh don't go after just duck hunters. There's there's another lane somewhere out there.
SPEAKER_02Well, I you know, you hit on something. We do a lot of succession planning, you know, particularly most of America's commerce is family-owned small businesses. Like that's the backbone of our economy. And it's a lot of what we do is is uh places where the founder's stepping out, the next person's stepping in, and how do you make sure that there's you don't throw away the old but get the new and that sort of thing. Talk to me a little bit, if you would, about what you've learned about stepping in, because it sounds like and looks like to me, uh you're smart, your dad's smart, but you came at things from different times in history, and and you step in and you've got new ideas. And we were talking before you if you're listening, Willie said, So do you ever go by Willie? And I said, Well, you know, once or twice in college. I probably don't want to remember that. But uh no, because my mother was stubborn, and he said, Well, my daddy was stubborn and just named me Willie. So you got a strong-willed founder who's done a good job and met Jesus, and then you're coming in with new ideas. What what was that like? What did you what do you wish you would have known going in? What would you tell people who are about to enter that season themselves following a founder?
SPEAKER_00Well, I think in our case, it was very little of it was planned out. I think when even when you think about a secession plan, you think of planning everything out, and then life, um, it just doesn't always happen that way. And so um, you know, I think dad and I were are a lot alike. Um, so we have similar personality traits, which is why we probably, which is probably why when I left, I said I'm I'm not working in this business, I got my own ideas, and so I think we both have strong personalities, and um yet um in his new way of living, you know, as far as a faith life, uh I knew I just knew the authenticity of what he had. He's a real deal, and uh his faith was very important to him, and so we shared that, and so that always kept us on the same page, and then so I had a lot of respect for him. And when I came back, I could almost see it from the outside looking in. I was able to see like kind of the genius of what he had done and um uh just kind of what he had believed in and all that, and so I was able to uh step in at first in that role just to really follow him and just kind of see what all he was um trying to do. And so I was really just kind of a right-hand man and uh traveling with him a lot. I could see that he was, you know, um, you know, he's a very uh had a commanding presence uh with people and uh really believed in it, believed in his product. So I was able to take that and then look at it from a sales perspective and probably more importantly a marketing perspective of what he had. He was he was so unique, you know, he had this long beard and this hair and kind of mysterious and uh really diehard in what he did. And so there was no phoniness there. And so I was able to take that, really market that with other companies. And probably the best thing I did was really network with other companies um to really push our brand, but also push their brands. And so I was able to go in the the hunting space and uh the outdoor world and connect with other brands uh who had uh big marketing budgets and were looking for people to push their products and especially off authentic people, and which which would end up being, you know, in the reality show. That's I think that's what people are looking for in the same way. They're looking for authenticity and people who are real, and not just you know, phonies who were doing whatever it takes to get on television. So so it all kind of came together, and it was a great training ground. None of it was kind of zero to hero, it was um over time, you know, they were able time to for things to get mature. We had done uh even before the first television show on the outdoor channel, we had made uh technically VHS tapes in the 80s DVDs of our hunts. So we'd been around cameras. Um, I think we were all good storytellers, which I think is very important. We learned that growing up, uh, just how to tell good stories. And so um our hunting videos were telling stories of the hunting season. Then once we get into television on in the outdoor channel, we were able to learn that craft there, and then to take that all the way to you know a regular cable television show and able to tell even bigger stories and then and then kind of pivot out of just hunting and go into life and children and family. And so we saw a lot of things that were uh people saw that were attractive, which was just more fruits coming out of the uh the spirit that lives in us, um, you know, love and joy and peace. And uh they saw these ideas, which which you know, I think when we started television on A and E, I don't know that they they thought that would work uh as far as reality TV. Typically that was train wreck and certainly not fruits of the spirit, it was more of uh fighting and cursing and you know, uh controversy. Uh so we were able to kind of flip the script on that and make it uh different where we were able to have fun, and that's where the comedy came in too, and people were able to laugh. And uh, and and I think probably now in these times, you probably miss that more than ever, you know, just being able to sit down and watch something laugh together without uh being so serious and um uh drama-filled. So um, yeah, that's kind of the you know, the the genesis of it where it came from and how Phil and I were able to do that. And so I was able to come in at that point, and Phil was at the point where he was able to yield that over, uh, and he could see the um you know the traits that I had that that probably he didn't have, and and honestly, he didn't even desire to have. He didn't really want to run a business, uh uh, do budgets and you know, uh pro forma and all that kind of stuff. He just wanted to hunt and uh sell enough-dup calls, and so um so yeah, we worked as a team on that and as a family and stayed together as a family. And then there were all these other family members as well, my brothers and uh other people that worked for us as well, that really filled those spots and filled those roles of uh what they wanted to do. And when I when I took over as the CEO, I think it's important to know what your people want. And it's not always money, it's not just money, it's sometimes it's other things, it's time, it's uh whatever it is that can, you know, what they're looking for. And so I just tried to satisfy those needs and um and to build the brand bigger, and we were able to do that.
SPEAKER_02And did you did you guys uh talking about you and your dad, the handoff and all did you guys ever butt heads like we had never done it that way, but dad, this is the way the world works now. Any any instances like that?
SPEAKER_00A little bit, yeah. I mean, uh they were more comical, they were more funny than they were serious. Uh I don't know.
SPEAKER_02Well now you've got my attention. I just yeah.
SPEAKER_00There never was really like a big sit-down, like, you know. Um, and I always appreciate that, appreciated that about Phil is he pretty much just said, You got it and go with it. And Phil Phil just looked at him and said, make sure I get a check, you know. So he just wanted to make sure he got paid. And I said, All right, I think I can pull that off. Um, there were some things that were funny, uh, you know, the whole idea of a website, you know. I went to dad and I said, We need a website. And because he because he's my business partner, so I'm trying to like fill him in. And he's like, A website? You know, what is that? And I said, Well, it's they go on a computer and they, you know, they can order products and Phil said, nah. He said, tell them if they want a duck call to pick up the phone and call. And I said, Well, dad, I think that they're gonna order things in a different way, which I understood. He he do he never owned a computer, so he's never had one, so he doesn't understand what that's like. He doesn't own a cell phone, so he doesn't um understand that either. Uh, so that was one. I remember um he did get a little frustrated when I told him we were no longer selling VHS tapes. He he thought I'd lost my mind. He was like, you know, what what else are they gonna watch? I said, Well, Dad, there's there's newer ones called DVDs and they're way better. You don't have to rewind them. And uh, and he was like, Oh, I think you're I think you're making a bad call on this one. And uh I said, Well, I think it's the way to go. Even uh television, he didn't, he didn't really, he wasn't warm to the idea of even doing a television show. He didn't think it would be um, he didn't think people would watch or it'd be successful. And so I think after a while, like if once I was able to kind of prove him wrong on some of these ideas that that I had, uh, I think at some point he kind of stood stepped back and said, Okay, you seem to be making it work. Uh we make more money, the brand's growing, so uh, I'll get out of the way uh even more.
SPEAKER_02And did you so now uh let me shift gears a little bit? So we started in uh 2008, really got lucky and really right place, right time, kind of took off, not because I'm good or anything. It was just a lot of circumstances that lined up that I didn't even know were happening, right? Uh and we got I quit counting at 15 different pitches for a reality show because I think everybody was trying to do reality shows review. We have seven kids, so it was like, well, let's do one about family with seven kids and running around. We helped churches find their pastor. Well, let's do like an American idol for a church, and we're like, that is that is not gonna work. It's like there's some confidentiality, but but there was a uh an allure to getting in front of the lights, but also a real concern that it would that would hurt our mission. Did you guys have concerns about cameras coming on and being having your life broadcast all over the place?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, I think anything like that, you're I mean, you have concerns, and you so you kind of look at the good things, the bad things. I think um we had some Christians who straight up told us, like, you're you're gonna ruin your family if you do this, and uh look at look at, you know, kind of look at the examples of other people that's been on television. But we really just had this um fortitude that said, well, if it's not us, then then who? You know, who like if we're not in that slot, then who's in that slot? And um, you know, I think when our show came out, it was a sort of a bright light, you know, and uh in a bunch of shows that weren't that bright or uh that wholesome. And uh we kind of stuck a flag in that spot and said, Hey, we'll take this spot. We felt very confident of who uh who we were all about, who lived in us, who, you know, are you know, not that we're perfect, but um, you know, we knew we had a message. Um in fact, when I went to dad and I said, you know, told him about this is after we had done the outdoor channel show, and then I'd talked to the producers and we looked at a show on A and E and Phil's like, nah, you know, I'm not interested in and I said, Well, Dad, I think it's a way to get the gospel out to more people. You know, we'll have a bigger platform to do that. And kind of sat in his chair and he said, Well, I didn't think about that. And he goes, Well, if it'll get the gospel out to more people, and then he gives me the thumbs up, so uh, which I think it has, I think through our books and podcasts and everything else, I think we've been able to use that. So um uh yeah, we're you know, we just weren't weren't weren't ones to shy back, and um, you know, and so I think um, you know, I can understand the people that would maybe choose not to do that. And I think we're all together as a family, we kind of we really talked about it, we prayed about it and said, hey, if it, you know, we kind of set up some boundaries and said, look, if it, you know, if it gets beyond what if we feel like we're not doing it for the right reasons, then God can take it away, you know, we can do something different. And um, and so we're launched in and we definitely saw, you know, his hand on that. So um, so you never know. I mean, you know, it's a it's um, but again, we we've you know, we felt like there was a certain in a certain way God had prepared us. Um looking back, I felt like that, you know. Um, you know, you think about like John the Baptist, like he like he was this guy who came out of the wilderness and he wore strange clothes and ate strange things, and he just had that one mission in life, which is to point people towards Jesus, and uh which he did. And so it was like God prepared and Isaiah actually prophesied about that, that he would come out and be like that. So sometimes things that are different can uh can really be in God's plan, and we felt like that uh perhaps he had been preparing us the whole time for something like this. And um, I mean, I I can look at Sadie and what the ministry she's doing. I mean, all over the world and millions of people, and so perhaps I'm just a small part of that that plays into some generational change that is able to bring that. And so um, yeah, and so I think when you see those opportunities, you know, you either shy back or you uh go into it, and you know, we're all about preaching the gospel, and so we, you know, you can see that through Jesus' ministry, how he was often around things that that people didn't see at the time were like, what's he doing? Who's he talking to? And you know, but that ability to be able to go hit the world uh where they are, which is exactly what happened with Phil. Like Phil was at a bar, a preacher went up there and went into the bar and uh shared the gospel with them, and he was able to obey it. Had had if he if they were going to wait for him to go to a church building, it never would have happened. Um so being able to go out there and you know, confront the world where it's at and uh do that, and uh what a great way to do it through a through a television show, and and then you can come out with more things, you know, even the movie and all the other things where you can teach more people. Uh, but it's really sticking to those, you know, that great commission, you know, making disciples and baptizing people and teaching people in Matthew 28, just sticking to that mission. Um, and so we felt like this could certainly be fall within that mission, and we could use that to do it in the in an even bigger way than we were doing it before. Although I will say we're still doing the same things before, it was just on a smaller scale.
SPEAKER_02Sure, sure. Now, do you uh I think about your show, and uh you know it started what 12 years ago now? I'm a little I don't know, I don't know that it get picked up now because not because of you, but like the temperature toward publicly displaying faith and trying to tell other people that should be a part of it is it's under fire a little bit right now. Did y'all did y'all feel any pressure? Did you have have to kind of oh we gotta cut that out? That's too much proselytizing, evangelizing, whatever the thing is, or how'd that work?
SPEAKER_00No, it really wasn't. I think you know, I think a lot of people would expect me to say yes, but it really wasn't the case. They really weren't uh again, once it became successful, a lot of people just get out of the way and go like, whatever it is is working. Hey, if you're looking at it from a purely business or you know television standpoint, um, but there wasn't a wasn't pushback on the prayer at the end. I mean, there really wasn't. Um, you know, we kept it in the lane. We understood what we were doing. I think the only one dad always wanted, dad, dad would say, Well, I want more preaching on the show. I said, Dad, there's uh there's another Robertson family that has a show like that. It's called the 700 Club. So, like, let's let them do that. Let's do what we do. If they want, if they want to know more, uh, they can come ask. But we don't just like I don't like things shoved down my throat. I mean, we don't shove it down your throat, but this is this is how we live. And uh, it's not a full sermon every time. But um but certainly the the elements are there and so um uh but no I think they were and I don't know I it'd be I I don't know that a show I I think it could come out. I don't know if that's um maybe in certain circumstances, but um but I find that people are they really are open and I I think even more, I think we'll see that even more where they're kind of looking for something that points people the way. I think it's obviously how you do it is uh important if you know um, but who not? It's a good question.
SPEAKER_02Well, you guys have done an amazing job of uh being disarming and authentic and at the same time being on mission trying to, you know, I say our job, and I maybe you all have the same idea. I just want to overpopulate heaven. Like that's all I want to do. I'd love to have a meeting with Jesus and say, why'd you bring all these people? Because you said so. We're gonna bring them all. Like so, how do you how do you what advice would you give business leaders who are listening today about how they can show and share their faith in a way that is winsome and not uh pushing people away?
SPEAKER_00Well, I think that um one thing I learned when the show, like when the show came out, you know, there was it was none of the things that most reality shows had at the time. So there was no cursing, nudity, fighting. Um we had a prayer at the end, and the fact that that show went to the top and became the most watched show ever, and for many years it was one of the it was one of the top shows on television. Um it showed me one thing that you don't have to be like the world to be successful in the world. And so I think for business leaders, I think we think, well, we've got to, we're gonna have to sacrifice some of our morals to be able to, you know, uh succeed in this business world. And I just don't know that that's the case. I think you can really um, you know, you can be kind to people and um have answers for them and have hope for them and have uh environments um that can be rich with you know the spirit and things of the Lord, and um, and you don't have to sacrifice those things. And and really if you think about the world, not try to be so adversarial with it, but try to convert it and try to go after it. And um, and so that would be my advice was that you know, I still think our mission's the same, you know, it doesn't change just because that that mission from Matthew 28, I think I think that's the same, and it can happen in our in our workplaces. And so I would argue that being more spiritual, more evangelistic, and more um of faith, uh, particularly in our business with our faith has does increase business, you know, and um um and I've seen that in other businesses as well where they don't they don't shy back. And um, you know, um I was I spoke last week in Hobby Lobby, and man, uh that is quite the facility. It is quite the place, isn't it? It's unbelievable. And um, yeah, and I sat with a family, had lunch with them, and you know, they don't shy back from their faith at all. And they, you know, they're good to their employees, and they're you know, I think they're um they don't make everyone be converted to the Lord, but they, you know, but they put out so many things that are helpful to people and kind to people and their employees and all that. So I think that's a another great example of someone who doesn't shy back from that.
SPEAKER_02I I I think you're right. And I think, you know, there was an age where people wanted to, let's just not offend anyone. I think a lot of people are still living in that. Oh, let's just not offend anyone. I I think what I see from the outside looking in, and and you may disagree, your authenticity and sticking to true, true to who you are, your faith is who you are. So it's the authenticity that disarms people. It's it's not a canned thing, it's not a you know, this is who I am. Jesus lives in me, and this is what we do, and you know, hope you like it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and if yeah, and if they don't, they're not, and you and we still got to get along with each other, you know, even if. And so I I think, and sometimes we're so, especially in this um cycle right now we're in, which is that we're so geared for the fight, and I think Christians get caught up in that as well, and um is is we do let a fight fuel us. And so we want to fight. We we're looking for something to fight. And um, you know, I think we just got to be careful that, and like in my new book, uh, one of the chapters is called Hope Yeller. Uh, because I think so many believers, we just we're just spewing out so much bad news, you know, and how bad it is, and bad it is in the environment, bad it is in the country. Uh, everything's so bad, and it's almost like our calling, we feel like we're called to tell others how bad everything is. Where I think we were called to give hope and called uh to give good news, which is what the gospel is, which is good news. And so I think we always need to remember we gotta have the good news flowing out of our mouths, uh, not just the bad, and um, you know, because we'll get in our buildings and yell and scream at what's going on out there, but uh very few times do we actually go out there and actually, you know, take that to other people. And so um, and so it is, it's it begins this fight, and uh and Jesus, you know, um, you know, where he was fighting against religious leaders and kind of I think the judgmentalness, but you know, he never was calling for this giant fight all the time. You know, it's really for he's looking at the world saying this is who I came for. This is you know, Zacchaeus. I came to seek and save what was lost, people who and so uh so we just gotta watch that fighting mentality that we seem to love.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I I you know I grew up going to church, but it not being very real. And then then I had an awakening and it was it got real real fast. And I I had to learn to step into this identity of being a Christian because I kind of been pushing back. Uh, those those you know, people don't have a brain, there's people that don't think, they just and I remember I used to hate the word evangelical because I thought it just made me think of of angry people. And and then I I ended up going to seminary and all this and took a class and and had to take Greek because it was required. And so uh and and realized the word evangelical literally just means messenger of good news. That's all it means. Yeah. And I had associated it with people who were mad and angry and shouting, and oh, it ought to go back to the way it used to be. And that's not it at all, man. I I and I think that's why you've been so magnetic and you've stuck, you know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think we've got to watch. Yeah, I I used to I had a sermon I did call it and that was one of the aspects was you'll hear people say, we need to go back like it used to be. And and so I'm trying to figure out what that time is exactly. Uh uh, because for whatever we think is was something good back in some decade, there was probably several things that were so bad, you know, and things that were not going that's right. Weren't good for another group of people. Um and so I think that's where it's it's getting back to ultimately our we want to get to is having uh uh where it's right. And so we've failed on so many levels here on earth, and so many levels, and I it goes back to just being, you know, what I call my book gospelers, which is just people who share the gospel with people, you know, and um and you just always have it on your lips, and you know, um uh you have good news for people, and if people accept it, that's great. And if they don't, you keep going. And you know, it's really about planting seeds. And uh sometimes I'll have conversation that may last 20 minutes, some may last two days, some may last 20 years, you know, that I have with people that I'm still talking to them, I'm still that, you know, base where they can come back and uh search for it. And maybe at a different point in their life where they come back going, you know, now I've gotten older now, you know, uh things aren't the same. And so uh maybe it can be more attractive. And um, and I think we can be successful. I think as Christians, I think even with the business and money and finances, I think we've um, you know, I think we've kind of shied back and let the world kind of own that space. And so I think we've seen the advantages of when we uh we should star, we should stick out, we should be, you know, people who are innovative and uh hardworking. And so I think we can do all those things and and still be known not by that, not by our love for money or not by our you know callousness with business. We're still known by um having the gospel on our lips and being people of faith, but also being smart at business and um and marketing and business, and uh we can use money for great things, you know, and so we can compete in those areas and not just it's kind of like what I was saying with television. If you just let the world have it all, well, you know, don't be surprised whenever that's all you get, which is what they're shoving out to you. And so I think business is the same way.
SPEAKER_02Well, it sounds like that it that uh one of my favorite things to ask, and I do want to talk about your book. When you sit down to write gospel, or uh you know, you've written books, they're not fun to write. They take forever, you gotta sit down, it's like yeah, uh, so it better be a pretty important for me. It had to be a pretty important message I needed to get out for me to write a book every time I've done it. Uh, what was the thing inside you that made you say gospel needs to be out? And and give us a little overview of what uh what you're trying to get done in the book.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. This one was this one actually was fun. I I really enjoyed this um more than any other book I've written. Uh it wasn't just a project, it wasn't just like um it was long, but it was every word uh really poured over and just wanted to make sure, you know, it's different when you feel like God's got one. He's got a message that he wants you to get out. And so that that can really change um uh really what you what you want to get out. Looking back, uh it was almost even in the moment. I felt like God was just laying this thing out for me, going, This is the time and this is what I want you to do. And there were uh a couple of different things. One was the uh uh the the first chapter was the impact of the movie. We made that movie ourselves, Called the Blind, and it was about Phil and Kay's journey. And it just struck me about their lives, and I thought, what if what if that wouldn't have happened? Like, what if no one would have shared with Phil? What would what would my life look like? And uh the answer is obvious, it would look completely different. I I'm sure I wouldn't be talking to you right now, so I don't know where I'd be or what I'd be doing, but uh, because it wouldn't have been involved with the same family, uh uh dad, I don't know that I ever would have seen him again. And so um just the impact of that, that one conversation that that guy had, you know, with my father uh at the right time and planted that seed, um, you know, really shaped the rest of my life, my who I married, my children, uh, all of those things, the business, obviously, a television show, none of that would have happened uh looking backwards. So I'm appreciative looking back, but then looking forward, I'm like, well, who is it that I could tell? Who is it that could hear this change their lives? It could change their marriage, it could change their children, their grandchildren. Uh you talk about generational change that can happen. And so uh that was part of the message I wanted to get out. Um, you know, this happened during COVID, so it was for me, it was uh I had I just stopped, you know, and like I wasn't speaking. I wasn't so life kind of got interrupted, which was I think sometimes that's important uh in whatever way. And so I was able to look at and think about uh the message I wanted to get out. I had a conversation speaking at Houston uh with uh Lee Strobble. Lee was teaching a class on evangelism um at a conference I was at. Uh I was there speaking as well, and I just beep off into his uh I didn't even know who he was. I didn't know that I'd never heard of his story, and um, and he kept mentioning a book he had written. I didn't know the book, and uh and he just talked about how uh a specific ministry of sharing the faith uh should be in in more churches than it is, uh, where it's actually training and and teaching people how would you walk through that? And uh because I think that the art of sharing our faith is becoming more and more just a lost art. Uh uh the expectations are on the pastor to do it, somebody somebody should do it. Uh, but most of us as a church don't feel like we're qualified. And then I went through a whole laundry list of excuses that we all make that we don't I don't know the Bible well enough. I'm shy, it's not my gift. It's you know, there's a lot of things that we disqualify ourselves, and so that was playing all a part. And then uh I was at at a local church here, and I'd mentioned a specific ministry. And did did we have one at our church? And they didn't. And um, like any good pastor, he called me up and said, Hey, I heard you heard you have a heart for the lost, you want to start that ministry. I said, I guess I stepped into this one, so uh uh so I launched into that. So it was fascinating to actually uh I was it was almost like I was collecting my own data from the people I was talking to, and so I was hearing their heart on um because in fact, this this particular place was like um maybe they got 3,000 members, which is a a large church. And so I went to them and I said, Well, who is it that who is known for sharing their faith? I want to write their names down so I can you know at least have my initial group. Uh, you know how many names I got? One. One name out of three thousand people. It was insane. And I thought, well, we can certainly improve on this. And um, and so then I just saw this really hunger and thirst for people who were wanting to do that, wanting to know, you know, how would you do that? How would you share that? And so I was doing that as well. And it almost like the book started just writing itself, uh, as far as what I was trying to tell people uh how to do that intentional. And uh, I didn't write the book for it's not really pastors, it's more for the church, it's more for the people, so that you can, when you're sitting with a friend or you're sitting with someone perhaps you just met on an airplane, at least gives you a starting point. I would really, you know, just a few passages that I use. I use generally about seven passages where I walk people through it, talk about their life, uh, gather their story, find out where they're at, and then um see if you can point them to Jesus, and at least they'll know some of these terms that you know in the New Testament. Um and when you do that, um there's so many other values that it'll help you, so it helps me to study my Bible more because when people ask me questions, I want to know. I don't want to have to text the pastor and say, what do I tell them here? What do I tell you, you know? And so I want to be able to find those things out for myself and walk them through that. And um, and then I put a bunch of stories in there about people that I'd share with and a bunch of you know, some comical and you know, middle of the night. It looks more like the book of Acts. And so if you read the book of Acts and watch these people as they were converted, uh notice when they happen, what time they happen. Uh these aren't Sunday morning things, you know, they're not Sunday morning at church. Uh, not that that can't happen at a Sunday morning church service, but so many of the conversations happen, you know, in the middle of the night on the weekend at deer camp, you know, all these places that I'm at with people on an airplane. Uh, and that's where these conversations can happen, and you can really get into people's lives and start that. Uh, and then what I'm trying to do is tie them to the New Testament, uh, let them read for themselves. And I don't judge, I just, you know, most of the time I don't even really know who they are. I'm just I'm sharing the good news with you. I'm following that, you know, and that's the whole case I make is from the Great Commission, Matthew 28, uh, those three principles. And from the commission, I can pull the mission. And once I'm on mission, once that's my mission, once I know my mission, uh, I find that's a lot easier knowing your mission. And so what I found is a lot of people are they're kind of off mission. And so uh uh, for instance, they may think their mission is to try to go to church as much as I can and be a good person, and that's not a clear mission in and of itself. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not one, it's not what Jesus said to do, you know. And uh uh, but yet I find so many people that's what and so they they're their lives wonky because they don't that they they're not really clear on what their mission is uh here on this earth. And so Jesus gave a pretty clear mission, and then as we see at the beginning of you know, in Acts 1 and Acts 2, I mean you can see uh the people he told that to uh started living that out, living that mission. And and the question is is were those people like were they just some super duper religious people who, you know, that's not us, that's you know, Peter, John, these, you know, but we what we see in Acts chapter 4 where when their uh the people in their community described them, it said they were ordinary and unschooled people, but yet they took note because they had been with Jesus. Like something happened, they knew something was different about them. Uh so when you get into unschooled and uh ordinary people, that's most of us. Most of us still, that's where we're at, and that's what these guys were doing. And so, yeah, just try to connect those dots to get people to where uh they can say, Hey, I'm gonna go do that. And I've heard that. People have come to me saying, Hey, I finally went and talked to my my uncle or my aunt or my a friend at work, and I've been trying to get up the courage. And man, I read that book, and you know, it really gave me the encouragement to go do that, and that's what it was all about. So uh yeah, books can be long to pull off and the promotions and all the things that go along with it, but I've never been prouder of a book, and I'm glad I was able to capture those stories down, if nothing else, just for my family and my kids to read and say, hey man, this is this is what was most important to me. It wasn't television, it wasn't business, it wasn't all these things. And I think, you know, business people, if you can get your employees like that, and if you can get your family like that, if you can get them on mission, man, it'll make a whole lot of other things better as far as that's right, you know, throughout life, you know, is when they've got that on right. The marriage is a little better.
SPEAKER_02When I was a new believer and wanted to, I was so frustrated nobody'd share their faith. I was a young pastor, I thought, you know, we ought to we ought to do a salary structure for pastors that pays them per baptism. That'd get them busy. Then I realized I remembered that's kind of what Rome did right before the Reformation. So we're gonna do that.
SPEAKER_00I can see where that could go around.
SPEAKER_02I like the idea, but yeah, yeah, that's what that's kind of what they did. As a new believer, I kind of thought, I gotta, I gotta close this deal. I gotta get them to trust in Jesus right now. What I love about your work, your life, and this book is it's not about closing the deal. It's about keeping planting the seeds, and God will close the deal when the deal needs to get closed. And that that frees a lot of people to say, oh, I don't have to like get them to sign something, or no, you know, keep planting seeds.
SPEAKER_00Plant the seed, let God, yeah, God will do the rest. And so uh, you know, I think there is something to um where how can they how can they hear unless someone tells them, you know, like we we do have to have it. Uh Paul was praying that the mystery of the gospel, or he actually asked for prayers, that the mystery of the gospel could come out of his mouth more clearly, and so and which was interesting because Paul knew the gospel better than anyone, yet he was still praying, he was still running into people who weren't understanding, and so it also says become all things to all men. Uh always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have. And so there's so many passages uh in the New Testament about sharing what it is. And uh, I think I put in the book, like, you know, a lot of people come to the Lord and they're never told that's part of the deal. You know, it's never said like, hey, now you can need to go out and and kind of make the case. What if what if it's the whole deal? The whole deal is about you've got it, that's great. You know, now it's about giving it away to people who uh to people who don't. And so again, that can be a real mission. And once that can change your whole perspective in life, you know, once you look at it through there, and probably the biggest thing is it keeps us from being so selfish, you know. Uh, because I think a lot of people show up to a building and they just want something for them, like, get me through this week, let me hear something. I want to hear, you know, let me hear some good music, uh, so that I can go out, get through my week, and I can have my quiet time, I can have my prayer time. Uh, but so much is inner reflected and not outward. And so uh, yeah, that's I think that's what dad was always about and uh still is, honestly. He's still, you know, uh, so I was able to see that model of all the stuff I saw and with honey and business and all that. Man, that was the number one thing. Uh never was a question. That was, you know, to this day, that's mostly what we talk about is uh sharing the gospel and who we're who we're talking to and uh and all that. And so he just I was able to see that and then able to take that in myself and then go even deeper in that. And it's fun, you know, just this past weekend, Sadie had a big conference of girls, and and I was able to see that same thing with my kids now doing the same thing. And I think as a as a dad and as a guy, like that's you know, it's probably the most satisfaction I can get on this earth, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. And and I mean, you I have young girls, five daughters and two boys, and uh girls who are like, oh you're gonna be a thing. Oh that's her dad. It's like our signature man. Up being, oh, you were her dad, or you were you.
SPEAKER_00No, yeah, I'm I'm mostly referencing Sadie's dad now. These people in the airport going, Are you Sadie's dad?
SPEAKER_02And I'm like, Yeah, yeah, that's it.
SPEAKER_00Which I'll take that. I'll I'll take that as a compliment.
SPEAKER_02That's good. Hey, before I let you go, uh one question I like to ask people who, you know, you've been on a bit of a rocket ride, you know, and uh you seem to have managed it well, but there's always the man, I wish I'd have seen that coming. Well, if you could go back and visit with a younger you from maybe 20 years ago, what do you what do you know now that you wish you would have known then?
SPEAKER_00Um everything. Like, I mean, I've uh you know, I probably made more mistakes uh for sure than uh certainly in business I did. Um yeah, but just no, you know, not getting so caught up in it. And I share that in the book, even in Gospeller, you know, go through how I think I said almost took my soul, you know, this whole um Duck Dynasty. And uh man, it's coming really fast at one time, and it's hard to uh it was hard as a business to keep keep that all in perspective. And I think even personally, you know, there was a lot of burden of um, you know, just been in that much limelight and the media and just all these things, and so trying to um just getting lost in that, you know, and um and I described like the fire, you know, the fire that I have, uh, which if you read the book, you'll see the fire. But you know, the well when that show was rolling, man, I said the it was like there was a bed of coals there. There wasn't any fire coming out. It was still warm, you know, but but it needed some fresh wind, it needed some more uh firewood thrown on it to uh to get it going. And so uh I think that's the you know um just to really take uh uh more advantage even at the moment of it spiritually and always, you know, keep that tether back to the gospel and back to God. Um because you can leave you can look up and you know uh you know I think in 1 Corinthians 15, which is kind of the crux of my book, you know, where Paul is describing the gospel as a reminder, but he says, you know, if if you hold firm, you know, uh to the gospel. And so you have to hold firm to that and uh you know just remember that in those times. Um I think it's easier in bad times, but I think in really good times, that's where it can kind of get away from. Oh, that's the worst. You know, when it when I I say good times saying worldly success, you know, or money, yeah, whatever fame or whatever that is, you know, uh those are the times that can really slip in. And you can look up, you can uh, you know, I talk about a boat, you know, uh, because I grew up on a river, so uh and knocking your propeller off. And you can look up on water and you can be way away from where where you were trying to where you thought you were going, and you have gotten way off course. And so uh uh so yeah, that's that's that's part of the things I think, you know. Um and uh yeah, I mean, just you know, being patient. I think that's um I think especially for people today, young people, and this is not necessarily what I wish I would have known, but it was more force, but it's just be patient, you know, and things, you know. Um I think people want it so fast now, you know, and especially my my kids, you know, and they they want this thing fast. And uh, you know, dad waited decades before this ever, and like I said at the beginning, you know, it took a long time for us to get there. And so uh just keep building it, keep, you know, and you know, as long as you're happy and content, you know, I think there's something to being content and saying, hey, we're good, you know, we don't have to keep pushing that and pressing it. I think sometimes in business we just want to drive something fast, you know, we're like it's gotta happen, you know. And if it ain't if it's not in two years, then abandon, you know, rebuild, reshape, you know. Uh but there's something to it just about sticking with it, being there year after year, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I wonder sometimes, you know, there's a uh the last time the Lord spoke before Jesus was born, I think there's about a 400-year span. Yeah, a lot of quiet time waiting on something to happen. But that's how it worked. And I and I I love what you say because I don't know, in my experience, we're kind of I would say, How'd you grow so fast? Where I said, Well, we're about to we're kind of like the 25-year overnight success. Uh we were plugging along for a long time and then things took off. But what I never saw coming was um, you know, I've failed before, and when you fall down flat on your face, you remember who you are, and you hopefully you get back up and you get going, and and it's easy to hold to faith when you're in the middle of failure. What I didn't realize was in success, I I'm tempted to forget who I am.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Or think I'm a bigger deal than I really am. Or success is much more the devil's playground in my life than failure.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I think for sure, you know, because you've got everyone else telling you, especially in my position, because because of being famous, that so many people are telling you this, and so you start believing, going, yeah, I am yeah, I did do this. And so uh yeah, you've got to be very uh cautious of that. Uh, because then it can be gone just as quickly, and it's you know, yeah, these things come and they go and they they swing or whatever. And so yeah, and I think that's the brilliant, I think to answer your question, your overall question, which is this I think it's having some of the older principles and that wisdom, you know, from dad, mom, that generation, and you're able to gap that to hold on to some of that, but also be open to some new, to the new and to uh what that is, and then as you pass that on, which is gonna happen whether you like it or not, um is that gets passed on to other people. And hopefully they can do the same way. They can look for the innovation, look for the new, but also still hold to some of those uh kind of old school principles, you know. And again, every one of them hopefully are tethered to the to the word and to the Bible. You know, they're tethered to Christ, they're tethered to God. Um, because once that gets off, then it's then it's you know, anything can happen at that point.
SPEAKER_02Tether tethered to God, tethered to the word, maybe not tethered to VHS tapes.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Some of you gotta know when to cut, uh, cut that tether, cut that rope off.
SPEAKER_02And uh that's the wisdom I'm praying for all the time is to know, you know, the message doesn't change, but the method does. So I think it takes enormous discernment to figure out what parts of things are permanent. And it's the first commandment God gave the priests in the Old Testament after all the sacrifice, this for this, and this for that, this for this, this for that. The first thing he says is now your job is to distinguish the sacred from the ordinary or the timeless from the timed. And uh that's what I hear you doing. I yeah, I love it. I think you've got a great succession story in you. I'm I'm kind of like all I have is a hammer, so everything looks like a nail, you know. But but I hear this uh how you honored your dad and how you stuck to the past, but at the same time, reach for new. That's that's the that's the trick, man. You've you've done a great job.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you. Yeah, I've been it's always uh still trying, still trying to do it even better. And then uh, yeah, even at this stage of my life and seeing what's next and what's you know what other opportunities. And so uh yeah, we're in a good spot and good, you know, like uh all my kids are uh most of them are here and uh they I can hit them all with a set of golf clubs from my house. So uh I like that that they're all near and in in some capacity, in some way, working with uh uh in the business or around our new businesses, and we have new ones coming out as well. So uh uh yeah, it's fun. And I think that you know uh that's something. And so a lot of people ask me that, um, even as a dad, you know, like how does that happen? And how do you, you know, how are you able to maintain that relationship, you know, and um, and so that again, that's what I've learned from the word, and then also with working together as family, which a lot of people can look at and be like, oh, you know, I don't want to work with my family, that would be awful. Uh, but it can be really positive, it can be good, you know, all the stuff that we can share together.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we're in the same spot. And uh I it took me a while to realize I've got a lot more time with my kids as they are adults than I ever did when they were little.
SPEAKER_00Oh, for sure. Yeah, yeah, in the same way.
SPEAKER_02Well, Willie, if uh if people want to find gospelers, if they want to hear more about you, where should they look? What's an easy place to go?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you can find the book anywhere. They're selling books, uh obviously Amazon and uh uh Willie. Uh where's my website? Willie Robertson? Willierobertson.com. Uh yeah, you can go there and uh do a lot of speaking. I'm I'm out uh speaking a lot. I'm heading out uh in the morning um doing some stuff in some prisons, and so yeah, we got another uh some more speeches coming up. So uh yeah, I just love uh uh the time I have left on the search, just trying to uh give people the gospel and be a bright light. Um that's my prayer always. And so uh uh yeah, but you can find it at any of those places.
SPEAKER_02That's great. Well, you're doing a great job shining a light, Willie. I've I really appreciate you. Appreciate you making time for us today. Thanks very much.
SPEAKER_00Thank you, William.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and thank you guys for listening. Uh uh, I hope it's helpful to you. Go to Vandercast.com. You'll get all the show notes and that sort of thing. We won't send you emails about buying duck decoys or anything else from us. It'll just be show notes, real simple. So uh Vandercast.com, thanks for tuning in. I hope to hear from you what we can do better, and also get to introduce you to even more of my friends as the days go on. Thanks for tuning in.