You went from reps to owners, so what were some of the big leadership moments or “aha” moments you’ve had as you moved from rep to manager? That is a big change. Now, you guys are owners. Like what were some of the big “aha” moments you’ve had over the last couple of years as you have built things?
I think just taking on a full enterprise like, you don’t understand really what goes into it until you’re in it, and by the time you’re in it, it’s too late. If you knew what to do to start the journey, you probably wouldn’t. So, it’s almost better to go into it blind. Yeah, that is so true. It is all worth it in the end and I am so glad I am where I am, but it is a lot of work.
Grit
What have been the biggest red flags you have run into in the entrepreneurial world?
I think having grit was one of the things that you had to learn starting a business. I think a lot of us think that we’re running a team for a big company and we don’t realize all the systems and everything that that company offers. And then when you go do it on your own it’s a completely different environment when you have like no tools or resources whatsoever, which makes you appreciate all the small minor back-end processes. So, anyone or anywhere where there is not going to be added grit to your end goal is a red flag. Without grit, you get held back. Cause you’re just like, oh, I didn’t have to think about video editing, training platforms, payroll, accounting, and budgets, and you know? Every time you think about those things, you’re like I either get to do it or have to pay somebody to do it. Then paying somebody to do it will cost money. Then I babysit and train them how to do it because then they’re going to do it how I want it done.
Many Titles
I think a lot of people just think that entrepreneur means that you dive in and you’re going to be running a sales team. But, you’re not. You’re a sales manager, a payroll accountant, you’re in insurance, you’re in fleet management, and you’re in all these different things that you just don’t think about. So, kind of like at a certain scale, it just doesn’t make sense to put in that time, energy, and effort without trying to go big. When you get into it you’re already knee-deep before you realize what you’re into and then it’s like you’re either all in or out. Yeah, there’s like there’s probably a point I think I’ve seen most business owners get to the point where they’re like just going back to being small and keeping it super lean and simple. So many keep it small and just run out of their house and make it happen. Or, they come to the point where they have to ask, do we have to go much bigger for us to make money and do this right? You always have that thought that you’re like, I could just go knock on some doors right now. That would be such a sweet relief, compared to some of the stresses of running a big company. It’s like you don’t know what you have until you have it. Like when you’re a rep, you’re like oh man, I wish I could be in ownership. But, then when you’re in ownership you’re like oh man, it would just be so nice to go knock on a door. That life is so simple at that level versus where you are in ownership. But, that’s like being an entrepreneur. You’re either all in or you’re all out.
Be All In
You can’t half-ass being an entrepreneur. I’ve had my fair kick to the nuts over the last few probably six, or eight months. I’ve realized that I’ve been like a side hustle business, but I’m not all in. I’m like, if I was all in on those they would be great because I could lead the charge. I’m running it, but I remember my uncle. He runs these car washes. He’s just like when I started in the car wash business, he was like I got to make this work and I got to be uber-focused. His first two car washes failed because he figured they would just run themselves. He learned he had to get dirty to do it right. I affiliate with that. So, what um what do you find that’s working for you?
Once we figured this out, life was much easier for us. Don’t think we’re anywhere yet being honest, we’re only doing 500 a month, but we’re just like we’re getting started. But, that’s the thing, right? You come from a different culture. You come from the best company that sells door-to-door in the world, in my opinion, which was Vivint. Nothing’s ever been as successful, or as great of a culture as Vivint. And then when you go to create your own. It’s yours and you love it, but you always see how it can be better. Like, you’re never done perfecting your craft.
Don’t Start Alone
And so, I think with this more than anything, what we found to be successful is if you want to be an entrepreneur and you want to start a company, don’t start it alone. One of the biggest successful things that I found is finding someone you trust and who’s your equal and starting a business with them. Someone who runs this side and you run more the operation side, or you run much more the sales side were you always an operations kind of person, or you’re like I guess this is the route I’m taking and you take sales we’ll charge this together, you know? It’s weird because this is where everybody gets nervous creating partnerships, right? Everybody’s always like well, what if the partnership goes bad? What I don’t like the guy? What if he doesn’t pull his weight? Like you said, equal how do I measure equal when I always think I’m the best? You know what I mean? That’s always the problem with partnerships. You have to be humble enough to understand that you’re not the best but then also have a big enough ego to understand how good you are and find that counterpart. That’s super rare. We’ve been to a lot of business conferences and we’ve been around a lot of successful people and it’s weird. They’re like penguins. They always have their equal with them. They always bring a second guy with them. They have their group. They always have their people equal.
