SPEAKER_04 0:03

And this podcast is brought to you by Waterloo, Sparkling Water, Lemon Lime with a side of Costco Sonoma Creamery Tomato Basil Pizza Crust. Um, I'm very curious to see what Connor Loykes will rate this. There are no seed oils in here. Um, quite a lot of uh good ingredients. I don't know if he's gonna like, babe, the citric acid.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Wow, you're such a freak.

SPEAKER_04 0:35

That is in here, but we've got some mozzarella cheese, skim milk, cultures, salt, microbial enzymes. Might want to look into that one. Tomato basil seasoning, and then you've got your dehydrated tomato, garlic, salt, sugar, spices, salt, citric acid, paprika extract, and natural flavors. Oh god, the net when they put the natural flavors, you just know that's a problem. Just a minute.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Can we get to the stuff that people actually want to hear about?

SPEAKER_04 1:02

Yeah, sure, no problem. Um, who am I joined with today?

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Uh, you're joined with your uh other half. C baby.

SPEAKER_04 1:11

Try my better half.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Nice, babe.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Okay, anyone earned brownie points for that one?

SPEAKER_04 1:18

Um, Mr. Uh Big L's calling me. That call's gonna have to wait because we're potting and it didn't actually stop the recording, so that's good. I'm gonna shoot him a text.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Um what's up, guys? Happy uh we're recording this on a Monday evening. Hot off the trails of a uh stressful day today. Today was Mondaying as if it was God that sparkling water's good.

SPEAKER_04 1:47

I'm sorry. There's nothing like a first sip. Alright, continue.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

Today was the most Monday of Mondays, I feel like, for both of us.

SPEAKER_04 1:58

It was a Monday. Yeah. Do you want to tell the listeners about your Monday? I mean, it's just hysterical.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Oh, sure.

SPEAKER_04 2:07

I mean, you even made a TikTok about it. And by the way, your TikTok today, hysterical.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 2:11

Absolutely hysterical.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Um, yes, I do have a TikTok uh at Mrs. JLC where You finally said it. Where I just talk about motherhood and business, um clients, you know, whatever, just kind of life in general. It's kind of like my outlet to uh get some things out that I don't get to do uh normally during the day because I'm with a 10-month-old baby that all he knows how to say is blah blah blah blah blah blah.

SPEAKER_03 2:44

So a lot of mama and dada though.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

Yeah, well, like for three days and then now he's not saying anything.

SPEAKER_03 2:51

Yeah, now he's gone rogue. He's like, I'm not a show pony. I'll say what I want to say.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Yeah, I gave you what you wanted and now leave me alone. Um, so today I had a doctor's appointment at 8 a.m. this morning. And I guess when you say 8 a.m., that means this morning. I didn't really need to clarify that it was this morning, but whatever. Um, so had a doctor's appointment. I woke up at like 7 15 and kind of just like when you have a baby, it takes so much more to get out of the house. I feel like I literally just got up, got him dressed, and then had to leave. But what did he decide to do? Uh, he pooped three minutes before we had to leave.

SPEAKER_04 3:32

So that was just And that's like an early poop for him. Yeah, you know. He's not what till like around 10-ish, 11.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

No, he normally poops around like 9, 9:30, or usually before his first nap. And um, so yeah, that little stinker, he pooped right before we had to leave. And so I asked Jake to put the do not in my vehicle. Normally I have a swivel car seat, but the do not is the one that transforms into a stroller. And I knew I had a doctor's appointment, so I just wanted him to be content and not have to like take him out of car seat, put in stroller, take back out of stroller, put back in car seat, etc. So I get to the doctor's office. I'm literally right on time, and have maybe like two minutes to spare. So I get him out of the car, um, and the car seat is not expanding into the stroller. And it's like the contraption that allows it to open up was blocked by two like seat belt type straps, which I think are for if you're like strapping into the actual car, like the seat itself and not the actual base that comes with the Duna. So, anyways, try to get it to collapse or try to get to expand. It won't. And I'm like sweating, I'm like frickin' A. Well, I'm just gonna carry him because I normally do that anyway, whatever. So I walk into the doctor's office. There's already a Karen that's in the lobby because the receptionist apparently just did not show up. And she goes, Yeah, well, there's nobody here. And I said, Well, it's just turned eight o'clock, so maybe they're just running a few minutes late.

SPEAKER_04 5:17

This is another lady waiting for service from the doctor.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

Yeah. So um I think that's how her day starts. Uh-huh. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:25

Well, there's no one here.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_04 5:27

Like are you that's how miserable your life is in the world.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

She didn't even make an appointment at the right facility. She was at the wrong office.

SPEAKER_04 5:36

That's when you should have said, You're at the wrong office.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:38

Just like a total Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 5:41

Total crab ass moment from this lady. So then I'm in the lobby, I'm waiting. I've got a pouch for Stinky so that he kind of just like stays calm and doesn't try to touch everything. Cause I'm like, okay, there's probably a bunch of sick people that roll through here. So he's eating his pouch, and all of a sudden, his new thing is like while he's eating, after he takes a bite, he just goes and just spits it all out. So I had spit up on my shoulder, which is like awesome. So I walk into the back when they call my name, and they're like, Yeah, we need you to take a urine test. I said, Oh, what? And they're like, Yep. Um, so I said, Oh, well, okay. So they're like, take as long as you need. I'm like, okay, well, I will. Um, so I'm literally in the bathroom.

SPEAKER_04 6:34

I have I would have made a joke. I would have been like, Are you worried that like my son's gonna contaminate my urine? Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 6:42

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_04 6:43

At that point, I would have just made like, I can't believe you're asking me for a urine sample while I'm holding this filthy kid that has made me filthy.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 6:53

And you just expect me to piss in this cup.

SPEAKER_00 6:55

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 6:55

Okay, got it. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

So she's like, Do you want to come back later and do it? I was like, God no, I'll just do it now. I'm already here. So I've got stinky on my left arm, and on my right arm, I'm holding the cup below me to like collect the urine sample. And I'm just sitting there in the bathroom, and I just like start to smile because I'm like, what is my life right now? Like, how is this even happening? Somehow managed to get an accurate urine sample and a straight shot into the cup, which I did not think was gonna happen because I was literally holding my 22-pound baby in my other arm.

SPEAKER_04 7:30

He's probably squirming like a fish. Oh, he was.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

And I was worried he was gonna drop his little orange toy in the toilet or something. Like, it was just not a good situation. So I walk out and I'm in the doctor's office, and he then spits up again. I'm like, awesome. And at this time, I'm literally almost like drenched in sweat because of like I'm like worried that he's wiggling. Plus, I'm like, oh my god, I'm waiting for the doctor. He's gonna start freaking out soon. Plus, like, he's heavy as frick, so my arm is getting tired. And so the doctor comes in. Um, she's like, uh, she asked me a couple questions, whatever. Get out, get that out of the way. So we get back in the car, and then immediately when I put him in his car seat, he starts freaking out. I'm like, awesome, this is gonna be a great 10-minute ride home. Walk in the door, the dogs are all howling as per usual. I look over to my left in our dining room, and there is poop and pee in there from Doodle. And I'm not gonna put the blame on her because she is on an antibiotic right now for an abscess that she has under her eye. Um, so that does cause frequent urination and like unpredicted bowel movements.

SPEAKER_04 8:48

And she's net like she never has accidents. Like she's such a good girl. Yes, she is a dumpster diver. Yes, and she loves to find any scrap of food she can. Yeah, but she does not urinate or defecate in the house.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:05

So I was like, you know something's wrong.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

Yeah. So I was like, okay, like I'll just give her the benefit of the doubt, whatever. So just not how I wanted to start my Monday, you know? So all of that, we come inside. Stinky's freaking out because he's tired now. He's like two and a half hours past when he woke up, when he should have been down for a nap. So we're uh I take him up, put him to sleep, and then immediately, guess what I get to do? I get to start work. Woohoo! Yippee guy! And I was just telling, you know, the people that follow me on TikTok or whoever sees the video that like this is just a prime example of what motherhood is like. Like you just pivot every day of your life, and all this crazy stuff always happens when like you're by yourself. So nobody's gonna believe me that like this was my life today.

SPEAKER_03 9:58

Like, you wish there was a camera crew following you around.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

And I wanted to be like, Am I being punked right now? Like, what the frick? And then, like, the doctor, when I was there, she's like, Do you want me to take him so you can do your sample? I was like, and leave my baby unattended with a stranger? No, thank you. I'd rather take him with me. Um, but anyways, I feel like that's just what like motherhood is like sometimes. You just literally and like what I wouldn't give for somebody to just like drop off coffee at my front door in the morning, just so there was like one less decision or something I had to do during the day, like that would just be friggin' fantastic.

SPEAKER_04 10:33

And just FYI, Catherine is not saying that like this is just applicable to moms, like this stuff happens to dads as well. She's fully in the know of that, but it just seems like if for Murphy's law, it always happens for the moms, and I feel like more often than not, it's gonna this type of scenario would happen to you versus me.

SPEAKER_00 10:57

It is, in a sense, though, just moms because it's always the friggin' car seat. Car seats are like the bane of mother's existence because you could be literally having a great day, and all that car seat's gotta do is like not extend so you can get your baby out or like do some stupid shit, and you're like, God damn it. This sucks. Yeah, and it just throws you over the edge. Why it's always a car seat, I have no idea, but it seems to always be like the car seat, and then of course it goes into other things during the day, like you mentioned, but like for the most part, I feel like it's always the freaking car seat.

SPEAKER_03 11:37

But what was cool is you did pretty quickly reflect on the humor of this situation. Oh, yeah, and you didn't let it have to impact your day, and you didn't turn into Karen at the off at the um the doctor's office. And I'm really proud of myself for that because she probably ran out of creamer this morning for her coffee, and that's what set her off.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

Oh my god. And I got home and I was out of Kramer.

SPEAKER_03 12:03

I am so sorry.

SPEAKER_00 12:05

So, like, I was like, are you kidding? Like, what the hell is this day?

SPEAKER_03 12:10

What is going on?

SPEAKER_00 12:11

What is going on? So, anyway, um, yeah, it was just a crazy day, but I'm really proud of myself for like not letting that get to me because in the past like couple weeks and just how like postpartum has been for me, that would be something that I would just let bother me and I would just like stew on it all day, and I would let it, you know, I would lash out at you, or I would like you know I mean you could just simply lash out of the dogs, you know.

SPEAKER_04 12:38

Like I'm not saying you would, but like that anyone, any way you can redirect the frustration, people do that, and that is completely normal. Yeah, redirection is a huge, huge, huge problem within human psychology.

SPEAKER_00 12:53

But it's like so funny because in the first like six months of Stinky's life, I was kind of afraid to go anywhere by myself without Jake because I was like, some type of stupid stuff is gonna happen to me, and like I'm just gonna have to figure it out because like I'm a mom now and I don't want to figure it out and all this stuff. And then like I start to get used to it now that like I'm home all the time and like we need to leave the house to just like go do things, and now I'm like, all right, like I'm building my muscle with it, but also I was like, of course, this would happen to me this morning. So um, anyway, that was my morning, and then Jake had a stressful morning, so we were just both kind of like, what is today? Like, what are we dealing with today?

SPEAKER_03 13:43

It was um and we're not the only ones, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 13:48

Oh, of course not.

SPEAKER_04 13:49

I was talking to Joe DePace, and he hit the nail on the head today when we were sending some voice texts, and he's like, dude, I don't know about your area, but like between the humidity and then he's like, I'm pretty sure there were some more wildfires out my way. Just he was in the path of the smoke or something.

SPEAKER_00 14:10

Because he's like Well, he's right by the bridge, I think, isn't he? Because right by where he's at is right by St. Clair Port Huron. So I think he's right by.

SPEAKER_04 14:19

Yeah, I don't know if he's that far east. He's more a little more northeast than that, I think. Oh, okay. But you know, I could be mistaken. Um I'm I'm terrible about East Side and cities and all that kind of stuff. But, anyways, he was just saying he said, dude, I had to call the day early because the smoke, he said, I I just wasn't thinking right again. And come to think of it, then a light bulb went off in my head because I didn't really feel like I was in the zone today. I just kind of felt a little off, and I was I had this horrible headache, um, like three quarters of the day. And I was like, Yeah, this is this is just how it goes. And he was talking about how he was um, we were just discussing two, like time and how valuable our time is and such, and um we'll we'll save that kind of conversation for another time because it's not really related to today's topic, but like just make sure you're listening to your body, you're listening to what your brain is telling you, and like it's okay to have those days where it's like, man, it's just a rough day, and I think that this is how today's gonna go, but you know what? I'm just gonna make the most of it. And you made the most of it. I certainly did my best to make the most of it. Um, but it's just another opportunity to be better tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 15:47

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_04 15:49

All right, babe. You had uh a pretty interesting topic idea, and I I'm all about it. So what's the meat and potatoes that you wanted to talk about?

SPEAKER_00 16:02

So obviously, we're called stripes and stories, right? So we share stories and then we talk about like the stripes part of it is kind of like the business side of things, or you know, just the personal side, whatever. Um, so today we're gonna talk about burning bridges, why you shouldn't in business relationships, whatever the case may be. So, um, Jake, start us off.

SPEAKER_04 16:31

Um, well, for me, you you realize how connected this world is and how everybody knows everybody. And what's they it's the like the n what do they call the degree of separation or something? I've heard this terminology I don't freaking know. Um where it's like there's like guys, I don't even know. It's like there's four degrees of separation or something, but of all the people 90 degrees of separation. No, I don't think it's that. This just goes to show how unqualified we are for this podcast. Um But everybody of the how many people are on the planet? Is it nine billion? There's even more.

SPEAKER_00 17:19

I think it's between like seven and eight billion.

SPEAKER_04 17:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

At least last I checked it was.

SPEAKER_04 17:23

But when you do like the math and the ratio with the connections and stuff, it is wild how actually connected all of us are. And this comes down to 8.3 billion.

SPEAKER_00 17:38

I was literally exactly on par.

SPEAKER_04 17:41

Didn't I say eight to nine billion? So if anyone was right on par with eleven. No, I said eight to rewind the tape, read the minutes back, girl. Um, but anyways.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

You guys, Jake tried to race me this past weekend outside in our front yard, and like I didn't have a brawn, and he thought that like he made some great attempt at winning. I'm like, I couldn't even run at full speed because I didn't have a brawn.

SPEAKER_04 18:07

So hold on, let's back up the train a little bit. Um, you said you wanted to race. So I was like, babe, these bad knees, I could smoke you.

SPEAKER_00 18:17

No, you said, Do you want to race to the driveway? And I was like, Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:21

So I was like, all right, you want to go on three? So I get to about one and a half, and Catherine takes off. And I'm like, okay, can you maybe go when the gun goes off, please? And so she comes back again. And I said, Okay, so we're doing one, two, three, go. Or no, no, no. She's like, no, the go is too complicated. It's on three.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

Yep. Three count.

SPEAKER_04 18:42

I said, okay, one, I barely get two out, and she takes off again. I'm just like, all right, at this point, like, this isn't even fun for me, but let's try it a third time. We've tried this twice, let's now try this thrice. And uh, yeah, I mean, I just smoked her off the line, which I thought was hilarious because I was never in.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

Okay, I didn't have a brawn. I had to hold my tatas while we were running. Like, that's not even fair.

SPEAKER_04 19:11

Honey, I didn't have underwear on. I had to hold my testicles together from flight, they're all over the place. It's not the same. But, anyways, I was never in soccer. You know, my 20-yard dash, I was not gonna be the fastest guy because my I had longer legs, but man, I'll catch you at 40, then I'll catch you at 60. You won't beat me at 100 yards. So the fact that I even beat those muscly little legs ears off the line, you should be embarrassed. Two knee surgeries. I smoked you, I wiped the floor with it.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

I let you win. Get out of here.

SPEAKER_04 19:45

Okay. Yeah. But that just goes to show how our squirrel brain goes with this podcast.

SPEAKER_06 19:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:50

But tracking back, I don't care if it's someone who works for you. I don't care if it's someone you've worked for, someone you want to work for, relationships. That is your uh key of entry. And if you don't have a solid representation or a um what's the word I'm looking for, um a solid uh history of how you conduct yourself, you're done. You're done before the race even starts. Because I was talking to Nico, little Nico Rico, uh, the other day. Um, two things about Nico. This is how small the freaking world is. Nico is 16 years old. His mother used to be a police officer, and now she's more like in the security world. She was partners for a year with Big Al's dad in Clarkston PD. Like, what's the possibility and the chances of that? Very, very slim, and now they're working under the same umbrella. But I was telling Nico, I said, Nico, when you go to meet someone new, how quickly do they judge you or evaluate you just based on how you look? And he said, Oh, I mean, within seconds. And I said, Okay, how many seconds we talk in here? And he goes, Mmm, he's goes, I don't think I understand the question. I said, Okay, Nico, you get out and you're gonna go introduce yourself to someone. How quickly are they gonna judge the book by its cover? And we've all heard don't judge a book by its cover.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Two to three seconds.

SPEAKER_04 21:38

And he's like, Yeah, two to three seconds. And I said, It's shorter than that. And he said, Well, how quickly is it? I said, It's typically within three one hundredths of a second. I said, So before a human can even blitz.

SPEAKER_00 21:51

How specific of you?

SPEAKER_04 21:52

Well, I learned this in uh psychology in college. You have two one hundredths. Of a second to make or break that person. Now, I was telling Nico, I love when I'm on a sales consultation or a landscape quote, whatever you want to call it, and I have someone that's closed off. I love it because they've probably been burned in the past by contractors, they don't know me super well, they're closing themselves off. And a lot of this you can tell by body language. And I'd be more than happy to go into further detail about this. But, anyways, normally I challenge myself when I if I notice this, I give myself 15 seconds. If I can get them to open up from a physical or body language standpoint within 15 seconds, I've got the deal closed. I just the track record speaks for itself. So and it's not that I'm just trying to discard this person, but I'm I'm also trying to show them quickly because I already lost on the 0.3 seconds, right? They're closed off. So I already failed that first less than half a second. But I want them to understand who I am and how I conduct myself. And traditionally, if I can do that within 15 to 20 seconds, you're in pretty darn good standing. So that's the fun part.

SPEAKER_00 23:25

What does that have to do with um burning bridges?

SPEAKER_04 23:29

Well, we were talking about Nico Rico, how connected the world is, and burning bridges, and like you just don't want to do that. So I just went off on a little bit of a tangent.

SPEAKER_00 23:37

Um so speaking of what Jake was saying about how like relationships are so important, Jake has an opportunity for a pretty decent sized, I would say, wouldn't you say? Decent sized government contract.

SPEAKER_04 23:55

It's a cute contract. Yeah. It's a good intro contract.

SPEAKER_00 23:58

Yeah. And a good foot-in-the-door contract. And part of the vetting process for him to get this contract has been he has to provide two people, two references essentially.

SPEAKER_04 24:12

Here we go, round two.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

Is that necessary? Sorry, go ahead. So, anyway, two references, two people that he has maintained a very close working relationship with. He has to detail, you know, what that scope of work is, and then provide obviously their contact information in case they choose to reach out to duration of time you've been with them. Yes. So when we talk about like the importance of not burning bridges, whatever it is, it specifically is very important in business relationships to not burn bridges. I mean, Jake has had issues with certain people. I wouldn't even say issues, but um what's the word I'm gonna use? Hurdles, I'll rather say, with even these people that he has placed on his recommendations list of references. However, what he does is he doesn't just give up on the relationship, he works through that with them, and then it in turn makes the relationship stronger. And now when they are, you know, when he uses them as a reference, and if they were to call either of these places, he would get rave reviews about you know the work that he's done and just his quality and his communication and his time efficiency, like all of that, and that's what sets him apart. But what I also want to talk about is like when you are an employee about burning bridges, because in my industry, specifically in the title insurance industry, because the world is so small, right? You have realtors that use title companies, you have lenders that use title companies, you have attorneys that use title companies, that's three different branches of people that you're connecting with on a daily basis. Those are all relationships that you're building. So let's say I wanted to get out of title insurance. I have an opportunity to go to work for a real estate agent because of the working relationship. I have an opportunity to work for an attorney because of the working relationship. I have an opportunity to work for a lender because of the working relationship. And when you are an employee, Jake has had two people recently that have left.

SPEAKER_04 26:36

Either were let go or choose or have chosen to work elsewhere.

SPEAKER_00 26:41

And we're all about um we are all about um sorry.

SPEAKER_02 26:49

You get a little distracted over there?

SPEAKER_00 26:51

Sorry, I just got distracted. Um, we're all about like people wanting to improve and go elsewhere or thinking that they have a better opportunity somewhere. Like go for it if that's what you feel, and if that's where you feel like your growth pattern is going, like absolutely do that. But what I think is important in that regard is to not burn bridges. I mean, you never know what could happen. You never know. Jake talked a couple weeks ago about a guy who just he reduced his pay, for instance, because he just didn't feel like when he hired him, the quality of work that he was providing was warranting the money that he originally got hired in at. And Jake and him he didn't really leave on the best of terms, let's just say that. But Jake left it on great terms. He, on the other hand, I wouldn't say left it on the best terms. And he has he came around twice, like we said a couple weeks ago, to try to like get back in with Jake. And that's the importance of leaving gracefully and not burning bridges. Is like had that situation when he left been a little different, Jake would have been way more apt to maybe give him another chance and say, Hey, I'm gonna put you on a crew, I'm gonna put you on at this rate. If you improve, then maybe I'll we can look at it.

SPEAKER_04 28:15

You get rave reviews from your co your um your team members. I see the quality of work.

SPEAKER_00 28:22

Yep. Absolutely, and it's the same thing in title insurance is is that you know, because the world is so small, you always want to leave a graceful impression on your team because of the way that like me and a couple other co-workers that I work with are, and how we would leave the company, we would never not get immediately hired back if we ever wanted to go back to the company. And I think that just goes to show the importance of what we're talking about today is just you know, it doesn't take a lot to leave gracefully.

SPEAKER_04 28:58

All you really need to do is like give a two weeks notice and then and I think you need to have clear and concise conversations too of why you're leaving or whatever, and it it takes two to tango.

SPEAKER_06 29:12

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 29:13

So, for instance, if it's a termination issue, you are very clear and concise about why you're being terminated. You know, we've discussed A, B, and C, and we you know, we we gave you all the solutions to thrive, and unfortunately, you did not follow those, and we had the same repeated behavior.

SPEAKER_05 29:32

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 29:32

So that is why unfortunately we have to terminate you. And if it's flipped and someone you know says, Oh, well, I'm leaving because of this, this, and this. Sometimes you don't even know as the employer that they were feeling this way. And it's like, wow, first off, I'm so sorry that those three things are bothering you. I didn't even know that that was an issue that wasn't communicated towards me. Or it was communicated to me, and I failed as the leader to handle those things.

SPEAKER_00 30:06

Or it was communicated to me through other people that you were talking to and didn't come directly to me with the issue that you were having. I mean, I've run into that, you run into that where people say that they're unhappy.

SPEAKER_04 30:20

Little uh, what is it called? The um telephone. Not the telephone when when people are at the water um in an office when you're either at the coffee.

SPEAKER_00 30:30

The water drug, like the water drug chit-chatter what's that what it's called? Yeah. Um, but like I've experienced it too, where like people will go around and say that they're unhappy, and then I find out through another employee that they are or aren't un like aren't happy, and then I confront them and they like don't have anything to say. I'm like, what you want to be silent now when like now I'm trying to address the issue and improve it because all you want to do is talk crap and stuff.

SPEAKER_04 30:56

And this stuff is uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_00 30:57

I get it, but like that's nobody likes constructive criticism, but or critique in general. Yeah. And so I I understand it every time I have ever talked to an employee with constructive criticism or critique, like you said, I always follow it up with, I know this is hard to hear. Nobody likes hearing constructive criticism, I sure don't. And I don't like having this conversation as much as you do, but unfortunately, this is a situation that has to be addressed. And, you know, I feel very strongly that if you're the type of person that's gonna give your two weeks and then you're not gonna follow through with your full two weeks and you're gonna call in sick or just not show up and not say anything, that leaves a bad taste for your employer. And if I was calling, and if somebody was calling me as a reference, I'd be like, I mean, I think in Michigan they changed the law where you legally can only like verify the time of employment. You can't like say anything specifically about the person, but people talk, like title company to title company, you'll be like, Yeah, this person's good, but off the record. Yeah, they know how to do their job, but like, are they gonna be a drama starter? Yeah, here's the two. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:19

Here's the T for you.

SPEAKER_00 32:20

Yep. So that's why we talk about you know, the importance of not burning bridges, is because this kind of stuff follows you everywhere. And it's not just now, it can be 10 years from now. You never know who you work with that could be in a different position 10 years from now, who you may by chance reach out to and be like, hey, I'm starting back up my employment after being a stay-at-home mom. Like, what positions do you have available? And then if you left on a crappy note or they heard have heard that you left on a crappy note, they're gonna be like, Yeah, sorry, I don't got nothing for you.

SPEAKER_04 32:56

And don't get me wrong, people are capable of change. Anyone can choose to be better. But one thing that I have heard that has stuck with me for years is Jake, just remember. I want to say it exactly how it was told to me. Behavior doesn't improve over time. It only gets worse.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

That applies to everything in life, not just business.

SPEAKER_04 33:30

So, like if you're getting these vibes from employees, employers, friends, cohorts, normally that instinctual feeling you have will play out. But don't get me wrong, we can all be having a bad day. Yeah, we can be just, you know, we we hear something and it just hit us and it struck that nerve because we're already stressed or pissed off about something else. So there are definitely those cases where you can jump to conclusions based on pre-existing factors or just a shit day. But normally your gut and your instinct it's pretty accurate. So I I just encourage you guys to one always when you get that gut feeling like, oh, I don't think this person's gonna work out, just take a second, though, to reevaluate your day, reevaluate the situation you're in with this person. Maybe that person even had a bad day, too. You don't know. Because you always want to give credit where credit's due. You always want to give a little bit of grace because we get grace every single day. But you have to be cognizant for sure, especially when you're in business for yourself. And then also if you're in like someone like Catherine's role, where you're managing a whole team, eventually a lot of this comes down to gut decisions. I mean, you look at um, I mean, it it's crazy from presidency to military. Comes with experience, right? But like for the most part, you're you're human, you're gonna make mistakes on a military attack or something like that. But your training is so into you and so embedded in who you are and your experience, you almost know exactly how this war scenario is gonna play out. But there there are factors at play that maybe you didn't consider. But for the most part, if a general is saying to his lieutenants, hey, this is how this is going to go down, and we're gonna have plan A through G. But I'm telling you more than likely, you're not even gonna have to go to plan B. Probably, I'm not a military expert, but I'm gonna go with that general who's been in the service for 30, 40 years because he's seen a lot of shit. It's just like that when you own a business. You're gonna by year five, you're gonna have a great head on your shoulders. By year 10, it it's just it's not even funny how quickly you can avoid or potentially see the burning of the bridge.

SPEAKER_00 36:25

And I agree with everything that you're saying, but what I also find very interesting is that um sorry if you can hear Doodle snoring. She's laying right next to me because she can't get up on the couch and set her legs. Um so what I also find interesting is like anything, like with the, you know, like you were saying, experience is the major part of it. So like it does come down to gut decisions, and all of your experience leads you to make these decisions right. So, like when I was managing, somebody would come up to me with a problem. I'd be like, Okay, here's your solution. But they could say this and then here's your solution for that. They could say this and here's your solution for that. It's being able to see every single which way that this situation could go, and then have a plan for that situation. And if you're an employee somewhere, I would encourage you to really like listen to that information and grasp it because you never know when it could come in handy someday. Like Jake's guys, I think that for the most part retain pretty well what he tells them. There are some guys who don't, but like as far as how he is like in a business setting, I feel like most of them can pretty much retain like what you would want to do in a specific situation.

SPEAKER_04 37:51

Yeah, and if they don't remember, either call your foreman, yeah, call the leader, and if you still can't figure it out, then call me. Yeah, I'm happy to take the call and give advice. Um, I saw a great video on Instagram, Stefano, Northern Snow in Canada, and he's a young kid, and I mean just running a multi, multi, multi-million dollar snow operation, snow removal, and then he's got the lawn care and landscaping side. But he said something that was so powerful. He said, When you stop reminding your team members of stuff, that's when you're gonna start really seeing just that trickle effect of issues. And he said, I am constantly reminding leaders and the followers of those leaders of stuff. And he goes, At first it was so frustrating. I thought we talked about this, I thought we reviewed this, but he said, if you are leading a team, you need to get used to it because you are constantly going to be repeating the same thing to potentially multiple people dozens and dozens of times.

SPEAKER_00 39:05

And it gets so annoying because like even when I would get sent probably about three or four email reminders a day of like, hey, here's a situation that I just ran into. You know, you guys need to save this for future use in like your saved emails or whatever. Or I'd send them like pointers that I would find or whatever. And it got to the point where I felt like I was being annoying because of how many emails I was sending on a daily basis with reminders, but then you still get those people that will be like, hey, what's the answer for this? And I'm like, I sent this out in an email a week ago. Like, here's the email that I sent, reread it and save it again, like I told you the first time.

SPEAKER_06 39:49

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 39:49

So, but those types of employees are not going to be the ones that, like, let's say in your instance, you typically have seasonal employees, right? You may pick up one or two for snow removal, but for the most part, you know, it's a seasonal job. And when that happens, it's all the more reason why they should be retaining the information and trying to learn from you because their job next season is not guaranteed. You could decide, yeah, I think I just want to fresh start with a whole new crew next season. They're not guaranteed a job, nobody is. So I think that when we talk about this kind of stuff and burning bridges, like that's also what's very important is like if you're in a role, like even like a temp person, you want to perform to the best of your ability because you want them to take you on permanently or just leave a good impression for whatever your next course of action is gonna be.

SPEAKER_04 40:46

Because what an honor it would be to be a rocking temporary employee. And the manager says to you, Hey, you have done a phenomenal job. Unfortunately, this role, we have either filled it internally because we're just adding uh five pounds of shit to this person's bag, you know what I mean? Um, because it's not worth them investing in the training because there's certain companies that do not want to invest in their team, and that's a shame in itself. But if you can do such a great job and give a hundred percent effort, you have not you now own that manager. That manager or that owner feels compelled to then either get you hooked up with someone else they know or give you just a raving recommendation or call.

SPEAKER_00 41:44

And to put this in perspective in all real in real terms, um, Jake's stepmom, she the company that she works for, she was letting me know when I was telling her that we had a couple positions open across our offices that she has a couple um people on her team.

SPEAKER_04 42:01

Senior directors, right?

SPEAKER_00 42:02

No, executive assistants. Oh, executive assistants that are going to be let go because they are unfortunately downsizing their team. And they tried so hard because they liked these three specific people. She tried so hard to put them in other positions, other departments where they could potentially make it work to where they could stay. And unfortunately they can't. But like to put in real time what Jake is saying, this is exactly what she did. She tried to find another position for them. She couldn't. And she's telling me, hey, like, let me give you their information so that like when this happens and they're laid off, then I can say, hey, here may be another opportunity for you that you could try just to, you know, and she doesn't have to do that.

SPEAKER_04 42:53

No, she doesn't have to, she's not required. But that's how freaking great these team members were.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

Yep. That's why he didn't feel like, whoa, I owe these people.

SPEAKER_04 43:04

Yeah, she doesn't know them a effing thing.

SPEAKER_06 43:07

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 43:08

But it goes to show when you're just a respectful and hardworking team member, doors open.

SPEAKER_00 43:17

And also, like me specifically, I've never applied for a job before, at least in title insurance. My jobs have been based on referrals because people know how I work, they know my work ethic, they know the speed and efficiency that I'm able to work in. And I'm not trying to brag when saying that, but in our points about like the like things will doors will open for you when you're a good employee and you're respectful, and you come in and you you don't even have to really go that far over what your job is. You just have to like be willing to learn something new and you excel more than not. 90% of your department or your office. And that's what happened with me. Like, I didn't even really feel like I was putting in that much effort at my company, but they just kept offering me promotions. Like other title companies would be contacting me, asking me if I was like interested in switching or whatever. And that's the type of employee that you should be. You should be somebody that strives to like always be willing to learn something new. That's the type of employee. Yes. And you know, so many people will say, you know, the important this is kind of a side tangent, but I think it's somewhat applicable here. Um, people will say that it's so important that you go to college and you expect an 18-year-old child, because you're still a child at that point, to And you're still a child when you graduate with an undergrad, just so you know to decide what they want to do for the rest of their life at age 18. So, me, for instance, I didn't finish college, but I have a real estate certification. I have my title company producer license.

SPEAKER_04 45:13

You have your associates too.

SPEAKER_00 45:14

I have, yeah, I have my associates. So I have certain like I don't necessarily have like what you would call a bachelor's four-year degree, but what I do have is different tools in my toolbox, different certifications that I've received throughout the past 12 years of my corporate working career that can transfer anywhere. And that is the point. It's like you don't have to go to college specifically to learn all of these tools that you can have for a lifetime.

SPEAKER_04 45:48

The next wave of millionaires are the blue-collar workers. Yeah, they are the trades.

SPEAKER_00 45:53

And it's all stuff that like you can learn. Like, I didn't even know what title insurance was really when I got into it, but I learned and it's a learned skill, and it's similar to like a trade. And like I went from just being a receptionist to running the office because I excelled. And when we talk about these types of situations, this is what is important is just putting in effort, just being a good employee, just treating everybody that you interact with with respect because you never know when that could come back tenfold.

SPEAKER_04 46:39

And I feel like too, you know, the Bible is so clear about you know, your left hand shouldn't know what your right hand is doing, right? You know what I'm speaking of? So wow, I can't believe I'm gonna educate you something biblically because you're I feel like so well hearsed. Uh yeah, we'll see. Anyways, you do something with good intentions and it's in your heart to do those good things. And you are doing it for you to do it. So you're not doing something nice hoping that someone sees you do something nice. You're not doing something with the hope of praise, right? Because the left hand shouldn't know what the right hand is doing. So I encourage you guys to go above and beyond because, like Catherine and I have been harping on, it goes further than what you might think, right? But for instance, you go and you help that sweet lady on your estimate, and you do something because it's on your heart to help this senior citizen, or you help that single mom in the grocery store parking lot, and it's just chaos. Whatever the scenario is, you do that because that's what a good person does. And I think that's I'm telling you, someone is going to see that, but you're not doing it because you want the recognition, but you wouldn't believe how many eyes are on you at all times. And you happen to be wearing your company shirt, or maybe you're unlettered, but you're going to your company truck, and someone saw you do something sweet like that, and then they see you get in your company truck. You're you might just get a random Google review or you might get a random call because Stacy saw you in the parking lot do this, and Stacy's best friend was looking for a landscaper. Yeah. And just happened to be that they were talking, going, you wouldn't believe what I saw in the parking lot today. This guy did this, and it just it it it improved my mood. And so I I hear stories about my own guys from other people, both positive and negative, and uh you wouldn't believe who's watching. Never burn a bridge, ever.

SPEAKER_00 49:12

But I think that too, there is a difference between being kind and doing it out of the kindness of your heart. Because I think sometimes people mistake um just being kind with, like you said, wanting recognition, or like I did this because I want people to know that I did this. Like there are kind things that you do for people all the time, and you're at your quotes when you're doing their lawn and you see an Amazon package that's you know, maybe a big product that you're like, I'm gonna put this on the back porch because I don't want them to, you know, I don't want anything to get stolen. That kind of stuff that you don't even tell them that you're doing, you're doing out of the kindness of your heart versus I think there's a difference between that and then kindness in general, which sometimes kindness in general you can do, but it is you subconsciously do it because you want recognition or you want to, or you want to be able to say in an Instagram story, I did this, and you know, this was so nice. Like the stories that you're talking about with your guys, the good ones where you know people are saying that they saw them do something, those are all stories where when you tell them, like when you would reach out to them and be like, Hey, I heard that you did this, like this was really nice that you did this.

SPEAKER_01 50:38

They're almost confused at one of the things.

SPEAKER_00 50:39

Yeah, they're like, Oh yeah, it was just whatever, like this is just what I would do, you know. Not like, oh yeah, like thanks for telling me that. Like I knew I did something nice, but you know, thanks for acknowledging it. Yeah. And I think that it's important to just distinguish that, yes, there is being kind, but there's also a difference between the kindness of your heart, which is what we're talking about, which is just truly wanting to be kind without anything in return.

SPEAKER_04 51:08

And man, that's then a tough topic to address because you want people to do things that is one Christ-like, but also it's it's from your heart. But also, like you said, I don't want people to take this as hey, do something good because you're gonna get something in return. Because all I can tell you is just when you do good and you don't expect anything in return, you always get it tenfold. It's just how the domino effect works, but it has to be but it has to be true, and it has to be true and what's the um what's the word I'm looking for? True, and um oh, the word escapes me. Genuine, has to be genuine. And I feel like too, most people can see when someone's not being genuine, but there are some people that don't always see it too. So I would just encourage you guys to also think about these actions where it's like, why am I doing this?

SPEAKER_00 52:11

Yeah, we're not talking about like a I'll scratch your back, then you'll scratch mine. Because that's just kindness, and then that's expecting something in return. So your kindness is disguised by or you're you're wanting something as in return is being disguised by kindness. It's painted. Yeah. Yeah. Which is a difference between when you know we're sitting there and Jake has a veteran that originally was quoted over a hundred dollars for his lawn because of the shape that it was in. And then he finds out that he's a veteran and he discounts it to like $70. Like that's something that he did out of the kindness of his heart because he supports the military and anybody that fights for us, but you would never hear him being like, I want something in return for that. If anything, that guy was a total headache and like would have easily he could have easily said, Yeah, we're gonna charge him the normal price, but like he didn't because he did it out of the kindness of his heart and said, We're gonna give this guy a discount because of the service that he's had for our country.

SPEAKER_06 53:26

Thanks. You're welcome.

SPEAKER_04 53:30

I mean, I mean, yeah, I just I I appreciate you saying that, but yeah, it just it is what it is.

SPEAKER_00 53:36

I've never met anybody that does more things out of the I feel the kindness of their heart than you do.

SPEAKER_01 53:42

Yeah, but you do too. You do all the time.

SPEAKER_00 53:44

Yeah, but I don't obviously don't like interact with the public as much as you do.

SPEAKER_04 53:50

So I feel like it's But if you did, I know you would do the same thing.

SPEAKER_00 53:55

Yeah, but I'm just saying, like I feel like I don't I've never met anybody, especially like in a partner or a person that I've dated that has been has done more things out of like the kindness of their heart, and I feel like that's really what differentiated you from anybody else was because I was like, wow, like he just genuinely has like a really kind heart, and those people are kind of hard to come by.

SPEAKER_04 54:22

Guys, so have a good heart and you'll land a baddie. Just a hottie. Um well, I appreciate that. That's very kind, but I also I I know if roles were reversed and you were in a more what's the word I'm looking for, like public domain, or maybe like free will domain where like you had more control versus just like an office setting, you would do the exact same thing. You know, it's just and you see all these videos on Instagram and stuff too, and I just love all the stuff I come across in the podcasts, but like it's a scientific fact that like positivity and the way you carry yourself in a beneficial manner, it just it benefits you ultimately because not only are you gonna feel good doing something for somebody else, but then it's gonna have a domino effect for them, they're gonna want to do something nice for someone else, and like this is how we shape the world, and when we focus so much less on me, me, me and more you you you and servanthood, like it it just it benefits everyone, and it's just uh it's so refreshing for yourself and those around you when you just focus on others, though you put yourself on the back burner.

SPEAKER_00 55:50

The best compliment that I've received career-wise was when I told my team that I was gonna be stepping down and then eventually leaving the office completely. And every single one of them told me that they were so grateful because I was always the one that had their back. I always supported them. Anytime they needed help, I was there. And that is ultimately the best compliment that I could have received because not only was it my job to do that, and I took that very seriously, it was my it was such a joy being able to help them. And I told each one of them individually this when I ended up stepping down, was like, I am so proud to have been a little part in your growth story. Whatever I have done to help you succeed in this business or help you gain more knowledge in this business, like that's all I could want for you. Because as a leader, I want to create people who are self-sufficient, who know how to make tough decisions, who are able to differentiate the bullshit from the real stuff. And um, so when I did end up stepping down, like that was the best compliment. So when we talk about like servanthood, it goes in all areas of your life. It's not just servanthood in relationships, it's it's servanthood in business, it's servanthood in career, like being the person that you know that anybody can come to with a question. If you don't have the answer, you're gonna figure it out for them. That's the type of influence that you can have on people that you don't even realize that you have because I didn't even know that that was the type of mark that I was leaving on all of these people until they found out that I was leaving. And now they're like, Oh my god, like what are we gonna do? Because you're always there. Even me working part-time, I'm always there. When they have a question, I approved a wire for Jamie at 5 30 because nobody else was available to do it. I wasn't even punched in, but I did it because they needed you to. They needed me, and I was there. I had a free minute, so like I'm gonna do it.

SPEAKER_04 58:08

Maybe you just become like Phil Seaver Junior, and you just kinda pop in from 9 to 12.

SPEAKER_00 58:16

Oh, yeah, do contract work.

SPEAKER_04 58:18

Yeah, yeah, and then uh, you know, then you can head off and uh ride into the uh the morning sunset with Stinky and go have fun and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 58:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 58:27

I mean, they need a liaison. They need a lot of things, and you're you're the gal for the job, but at the same time, you have uh bigger and better aspirations. Maybe I shouldn't say better. That's not nice to say. I should just say different aspirations.

SPEAKER_00 58:44

And um well, the good thing about title insurance is that it's an industry that you can always go back to because it really doesn't change much. Like the core tenants of what it is, you know, processes change, and I'm sure at some point they'll implement some type of like AI that would be, you know, have to be learned. But for the most part, I mean that's why you have people that are in their 50s and 60s that are the primary workers in this industry, is because some in their 70s in your office too.

SPEAKER_02 59:12

Yeah, you're in, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 59:14

And for uh for all of that, like it's just an easy industry to go back to. So, like, why wouldn't I want to branch out into something new and exciting and challenge yourself in a different way? When I know that I always have that to go back to. Um so yeah, I mean, but that also is the same thing that we're talking about the importance of not burning a bridge. I know that I could always go back to this company specifically. I mean, any company really with the experience that I have, but this company specifically, and be like, hey, I want a job. What do you got? And I wouldn't even have to interview, they'd be like, when can you start? You know? And that's the importance of leaving an impact on the people that you're there, and that's really what it's all about. I feel like when we talk about being Christ-like, it's all about leaving an impact on every single person that you interact with. And we try to do that. Obviously, it's very hard sometimes when you're dealing with a difficult customer or you have a difficult client. I mean, that week two weeks ago really tested me on that because I was like, I am not leaving a good footprint on these people because they have pissed me the frick off. But when you look back on it weeks later and you're like, okay, you know, that maybe was my opportunity to be kind in a situation where somebody else would have been like fuck off, you know. Um then I guess that's kind of the point of it, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:45

Yeah. Um, so to close out, being that it's stripes and stories, are there any funny stories from today? I know obviously you went into detail about uh your morning and how chaotic it was, but are there any JLC related stories today that were humorous to you from an office advent side or anything that was communicated to you by the team that was funny today? Anything that we can end it with that's just lighthearted and um yeah, so actually this happened.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:20

It started Friday and it kind of like went day to day. Um, and it's kind of also funny because this kind of shows how I'm kind of learning my muscle with like the JLC stuff. Because we got a text on Friday of a house that needed to be cut, and Jake sends me the quote I know the area of where this house is located. I know generally how much these houses are going for, because I literally just did title work on one that was like five houses down the street um a couple days prior. So I know the price, and I'm like, I don't think these people are gonna be able to afford what we're um gonna charge them, especially because they have a massive overground lawn. Um, but I'm just gonna throw the quote out there and see what happens. So I send the quote. I don't hear back, and this was Friday. I don't, and I've started doing like summarized versions of like our quoting system just because I feel like there are some instances.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:26

You already know when it's just gonna be a no. So why am I putting it in more exactly?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:31

So, like, kind of like I said, developing my muscle. So I get a um a text back on I think Saturday. Yeah, Saturday, saying, Okay, that sounds good. Um, I just need it done before the 29th because um the city is gonna be upset.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:50

So you guys obviously know how rough of shape.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:54

Yeah, if and this city is not really a city that's really on the up and up, I would say.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:00

So like if they're reaching out to you saying that there's a violation, it's gotta be bad because they don't j they don't have the manpower in their Bloomfield Hills where they're driving around for fun, going they don't have we've got six weeds in this bed and they're over six inches.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:15

Yeah, they don't have the manpower and the capacity to be able to be doing this. So if they're issuing a violation, it's it's kind of a big deal. So he goes, we need it done on the 29th. This was on like the 25th or the 26th. And I'm like, Oh, okay, well, in that case, um, you know, we would be, I think we would be able to fit you in on our Monday schedule, but I'll confirm with Jake and you know, we'll we'll go forward from there. I said, being that you are telling me that the lawn is overgrown, please know that there will be additional charges to get the lawn uh back into regular shape because we may need to double cut it, triple-cut it, whatever.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:53

And here's your rough figure of what it would look like.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:58

And I usually even do these people one better if I know the type of like area that they're in. I'm like, I will let you know before we charge the card on file what the final price is going to be, just so that they have an idea what's coming out of their account, just as a courtesy. And so the person says, I said, you know, just give me your best name and email. I will add you to our card on file system. I'll send you the link. So send them the link. And they're like, okay, just make sure like we can get in before Wednesday. And I said, Yep, I talked to Jake, he can get you in on Monday. It's not a problem at all. So we go ahead and add the card on file, and then I get a text the following day that says, Um, I appreciate it, but I don't need service anymore. I was able to find it at a uh cheaper price um and something else. And I immediately in my head, I know what the situation is. I know that what's gonna happen is he's gonna hire some rando to cut it for one time, and then in a month from now, he's gonna be in the same exact situation, which which brings me to the actual good story of the week, which was our trash guy guys. I talked about this on TikTok, but I did not, we didn't talk about it on this podcast. Our guy with the debris all over the lawn, who was just a menace of a customer, I reached out to him on Friday because Monday is his most schedule. And I said, Hey, so and so, just uh I said, You are on our route for Monday. I just wanted to make sure that to remind you that they're to of no debris in the lawn so that you can avoid any additional service charges like you had last week, because last week. He specifically asked about the additional charges. And I said things.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:05

After harping, Catherine, wondering when the crew is going to show up. Yep. And I mean, just constantly babysitting my team, wondering when everybody's going to show up. And then my guys show up. There's debris and disgusting conditions all over their yard that we ended up having to clean up. All the while, too, the day before having a pool emptied, cleaned, and refilled and saturating the lawn the day before he knows service is happening.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:39

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:39

So you guys can imagine the frustration and maybe just a little more communication might go a long way.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:45

Yep. So reach out to him, tell him that. And I said, like, thank you. Have a great weekend. So I get a text back from him maybe about a half hour later. And it was like this weird jumbled message where it was like, Thank you, but I have found I've decided to go with a different solution. Um, thank you again for the information. Thank you, bye, or something like that. And I was like, okay, well, this situation just sorted itself out because I was worried that you guys were gonna go there and there was gonna be stuff all over the lawn. Yet again, we were gonna run into the same situation, and then we were gonna have to potentially drop a customer. And whenever you drop a customer, you feel like you're always like, oh my god, are they gonna write a bad review or something? But like in the end, this worked out. He found a better solution, and like, great, because that solution works for me too.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:41

Yeah, we'd love to know what the solution is, but not our business.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:46

Yeah, so that was like my my crazy, not crazy, but just my interesting story from the past couple days was that guy. Um I don't think I have any other ones yet for the week, but it's only Monday, so I'm sure I will.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:04

Oh yeah. The humor will keep on.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:07

You gotta tell them about the uh the guy that you had today. That's a good one.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:12

The guy today.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:16

That didn't give you the address. The guy that he wanted to pay, and then he hung up the phone.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:24

Oh, yeah, it's on my Instagram story, but um at Jakes Longcare248. Had uh a call come in, took the call, and uh, you know, I think I think his mower was broke down or something, but uh hasn't cut his lawn in a month. Now I understand too, we're in the hot season, but like a month of growth.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:50

I mean that we haven't been in the hot season for a month.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:52

That could pretty be pretty gnarly. I said, Yeah, absolutely. Um, what are you located? And he tells me, and I said, Oh, perfect. We're normally in that area, I mean, Tuesday through Thursday, so it wouldn't be a problem to fit you in this week. Um, I'll have you shoot me three items of information that I need, which would be your full name, the property address, and your best email address. And he said, Okay, no problem. And he said, you know, actually Thursday works great. And like I could tell he was itching to get the lawn cut. And I'm thinking it's Monday. Why are you waiting when I just told you I have availability Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday? And he said, Thursday works great because I don't work till 4 p.m. And I'm on speaker and I'm looking at Alex like, am I hearing this properly?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:38

As if you need to be there. It's outside.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:40

Do you want to watch me cut the lawn? And he's like, Well, uh, how much does it cost roughly? And I said, You know, my office administrator Catherine handles all of that on the pricing side. Um, and I don't even I haven't even measured the property, nor has she. So I can't give you a number over the phone. And he goes, Well, I mean, like rough ballpark, and he says like 30 bucks, and then he jumps to 50. And I'm thinking, again, I don't know the size of the lot. Yeah, let alone like I'm missing so many details here.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:15

Yeah, do you have a pool? Do you have a lot of fences? Are we gonna need to bring a different mower because we have to accommodate for a fence? Like, we don't know any of the information.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:24

I said f I said fifty dollars for a lawn that hasn't been cut in a month that's overgrown? I said, well, no, I mean, even under regular conditions, that's not even close to my minimum. And he went, Oh, oh, oh, okay, okay, okay, bye.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:42

Like he just panicked. And it's like, why are you like I just don't understand? Do you call the electrician? Do you call the roofer? Do you call DoorDash? Do you call like where else can you negotiate?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:58

I know.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:58

And like just think like you can get one a price right over the phone.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:04

Like there's so many very throw out a random number, like I'm some high school kid that I'm gonna be like, oh yeah, I'll do it for 35.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:13

Small lawns 20, medium size 25, and big lawns 30.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:18

Like, there's just so many nuances.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:20

Put that money towards getting your mower fixed. Like, honestly.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:24

And like, it's just amazing how quickly people just panic. And clearly, this was not important to him for the last month. But now it's important, probably because he's getting either his neighbors commenting, or maybe he did get something from the city. I don't know. But now it's important, and now his lack of urgency is my emergency. No.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:50

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:50

No, it is not. Um, again, I'd be more than happy to have our company give you a quote, but I'm gonna need some information from you first. There, there, there's just a process to this. But he wanted a quick answer right over the phone. Okay, go ahead, call 15 other people. And I know uh 90% won't answer the phone. You'll leave a voicemail, so you'll be waiting. Then you're waiting for a two to three day response.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:17

Not to mention, if you end up hiring somebody for that cheap, then you they probably won't even show up, like that lady we had last week that was like, oh, I you guys are almost double and I've been of what I've been paying. I'm like, you haven't been paying anything because nobody showed up.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:32

Nobody's showing up. You just you just showed us your cards.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:35

You just said the hump the company you hired at whatever price it was, if it was half our price, yep, they haven't been showing up.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:44

And there we certainly understand that there people are in certain financial situations and you may only allocate a certain amount to like lawn maintenance, which is fine. But when we that doesn't give you the right to reiterate a shock factor or oh, this is this is too much or whatever. Like, no.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:06

So based on what? Based on ship service? Exactly. Exactly. We are we are very expensive compared to ship service.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:16

Oh no, it's double what I've been paying, or your price is too high, or um that price like doesn't make sense to me, or whatever they want to say. It's like, oh, because that's what you deemed was the value of this service. Like, that doesn't mean that that's what the price is. I deem that the value of my service every time I go to my hair appointment is between 60 and 90 dollars. Do you think I get charged that? No, I don't because I don't get to dictate the price. Correct. I go there and she tells me what I have to pay.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:48

Correct.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:49

And it that like I've said, like this is what do you do?

SPEAKER_04 1:13:52

Roughly how much the color is gonna be today? How much are you gonna use of that color?

SPEAKER_00 1:13:56

Yeah, exactly. Okay, wait, wait, how much mobile? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:59

How much does the color cost you?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:01

And how much are you charging me?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:02

That's the kicker, is like what I've been learning in like this industry is like this is the only one where you can negotiate or you can try to negotiate. Like, I don't understand it because no other industry you can do that in.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:19

Like, I I'm trying to think of something.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:23

The only thing I can equate it to is like when I worked at Best Buy and before I was in the Geek Squad, we would sell like open box items, which are like items that were returned, um, but that were still either just opened and they decided they wanted to go with something else or whatever. So they were usually at like a 10 to 15% discount because they were open, but still perfectly fine. We would test them before they'd go back out on the sales floor. And so you would have people that would come in and be like, oh, this is open. Like I, if it was listed like a TV for $469, they'd be like, I want to pay. Will you take $420? And it's like, no, the price is on the box. This isn't a negotiation.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:05

Like that's the discounted price for it being open. We don't, this isn't like a we're not bartering.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:11

Yeah, and this isn't a garage sale.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:13

Right.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:13

And second off, I've got someone that's probably gonna walk in in 15 minutes and buy this anyways.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:19

Yes. So no prices on the it's not like a car that's been sitting on the lot for two years that hasn't sold and like so that would be the I think that's the comparable is used cars.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:31

Yes, yes, I think that's a close comparable, but it's actually kind of not comparable because you're going off of market where you have to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:44

Yeah, that could change rapidly.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:46

You've either seen cars go for this price or you've done your research on value, so you know roughly the value. But like, in my opinion, sure, you could chat GPT or Google what is a quarter acre grass cutting cost in Michigan, and you will see a vast price difference. You'll see $30 to $150. It all comes down to the nuances of the property.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:19

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:20

The the equipment that the one company has compared to the other.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:23

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:23

If they're in as all of you guys know, there's so many factors at play, but I would say that maybe the used car market is somewhat comparable.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:32

Interesting that you mention it because it's almost kind of similar to what we were because because Jake and I were talking, we're starting to develop like snow prices for this upcoming season. And I was asking him just like the different ways that people will formulate what their price is going to be for snow. And I just happened to be like sitting there and Googling it, and there were like three different ways that people would um calculate their snow pricing. And so, kind of similarly to what you were saying, like you have the people who want to do like a per push, they want to do based on the time that they were there, or I think the other one was like um based on the inches, right? Of like, okay, if it snowed two inches under two inches, you're at this rate, if it's over two inches, you're at this rate. And um so same kind of thing where I just found it interesting that that's probably gonna be again something that people will like barter, but like the only person like that it hurts is you because the salt prices change all the time because of the demand. So if we have a year where we have a ton of ice and you need a you know, you need a ton of salt or whatever, like that one year the price went up over a hundred dollars. What was it per ton?

SPEAKER_04 1:17:55

Oh, it was honey, it was significantly more than that. Yeah, it almost uh is six tuple, is that how you say it?

SPEAKER_00 1:18:03

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:04

It was up between four to six X.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:08

And like, but you don't get to pass that on to the customer because you guys do. You do.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:13

If you have your contract set up properly, yes, if if there is a surcharge that needs to happen because there's a material shortage or whatever, you you have I mean your business, you could go bankrupt. So yeah, no, you can you absolutely can pass that on.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:32

Didn't you what did you end up doing that year? What did you did you end up like splitting the difference with the customer? Wasn't that what you did? I don't remember.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:40

I think that's what we did where if it, you know, because obviously we're making margin on the stuff we're buying. Yeah, but eventually that margin either becomes nothing, or it becomes that I'm gonna owe them money to salt for them. Right. So yeah, you just you keep this constant line of communication in between storms because numbers don't lie. So you just let them know hey, this is what I'm getting at per yard or per ton. Here's what it was a week ago, here's what it is this week, yeah, and also here's what they're projecting for next week.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:16

It's really fascinating that you always have to account for like those types of changes because like in my industry, obviously, like everything is regulated and we have like set fees, but like in this like you said, you're capped at certain things that you can charge. It's totally different for you. I mean, you could literally one week, like you're saying, and that you know, you could be charging X amount, and then you're having to increase it because the salt mines are out of salt and they're having to ship it in from Canada or wherever or the South if what they have in their storage.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:50

So the mines are never out. It's the allocation that they decided to mine.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:55

What's the thing that you were telling me? Weren't they shipping in from Canada and like the South they were taking out of their like oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:02

I mean, we for some reason when the South got hit, we were sending our salt to them. But then also you have the government and the counties that are allowed, you know, they have they get first dibs essentially. And if there's don't quote me, a million tons that are being mined, you know, let's just say 600, what did I say a thousand? What did I say? A hundred million tons?

SPEAKER_00 1:20:35

A million tons, I think.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:36

A million tons, you know, just keep it math simple. They might say, hey, six hundred thousand tons is going just to the Oakland County Road Commission or whatever. A hundred thousand tons is going there. So then that leaves you with three hundred thousand tons that's for the public or the contractors like me. And it's like based on weather patterns, we should have more than enough. Well, who knows? Clearly. The weather changes every five minutes. Oh, yeah, it was horrible. And just it's unfortunate because it screws over the middleman and it screws over the the small business owners or large business owners.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:16

It really does because like the worst thing is having to go back to a customer and being like, Yeah, I need more, unfortunately, because the price of stuff has gone up. Like we're lucky with all the stuff in Iran that has been going on that we haven't had to add like a fuel surcharge because it's kind of like it's gone up, then it's dipped back down, then it's gone up, then it's dipped back down. So it hasn't really remained super steadily high for a long period of time to where we needed to. But could you imagine like that conversation with everybody?

SPEAKER_04 1:21:47

You know, because then Yeah, but they would understand. They would understand they would understand we've been around long enough that we know how to run a business. And like if we're coming to you, it's hey, we have to do this.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:57

But also something like that, I feel like you endanger like becoming political because even though it's not, it's just gas prices, people would be like, Oh, well, I don't support it, so I don't think I should be, you know, just people find a way to like complain about a small percentage, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:14

There's there's always gonna be just complainers and victims, absolutely. But like that's just how our vetting process goes. Like, if one, the clients that we have had for a decade to 15 years, yeah, they're not gonna balk at something like that. They're not gonna balk at that because they know one, how we conduct business, but also even the newer clients, we've we've vetted you. We want to do business with you. And sure, there might be an awkward conversation or something that's not expected, but this is how we this is how we conduct business.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:49

I I I wish I could do it cheaper for you. I wish I could eat the cost, but I can't.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:56

I can't between employees, equipment, I I have to make some money here. Right. It's not a hobby for me. I'm I'm in this to be profitable. I'm sorry. But every other company, it doesn't matter and whatever industry it is, they're they're in it to make a profit.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:19

Uh otherwise the this economy would fail.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:23

And if you want to complain to anybody about profits, just take it up with the healthcare industry because we all know that they are making plenty of money.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:33

Yeah, you'll find that uh on that TikTok. That's a hot topic for uh Mrs. JLC.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:39

Definitely.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:40

So Alright gang. Don't burn a bridge. Stay happy, stay positive, smile. What do you got?

SPEAKER_00 1:23:50

Uh ditto.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:52

Yeah, uh ditto, bro.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:54

Alright, see ya gang.