In this episode, the host of the podcast reflects on his experiences in business, emphasizing the importance of culture and execution over mere strategy. He recounts a partnership in his gym business that taught him the significance of setting high standards and the impact of leadership on team performance. Highlighting the story of a gym owner who fired late employees before a meeting, he illustrates the necessity of accountability. Similarly, he shares an anecdote from his first job at Smoothie King, where a manager named Vince lowered the bar for performance, contrasting with the owner's expectations. The host concludes by stressing that in business, like in sports, alignment, effort, and consistency are crucial for success. He advocates for the value of 'soft skills' such as leadership and coaching, asserting that a culture of excellence and adherence to basics differentiates winning teams from losing ones, even with similar strategies.
"And it was like everyone showed up to practice. Everyone tried their hardest. It was the effort and the consistency and the alignment of the team that accomplished the goal."
This quote demonstrates the importance of collective effort and alignment in achieving team goals, emphasizing the significance of each member's contribution.
"The wealthiest people in the world see business as a game."
This quote reflects the mindset of successful individuals who approach business strategically, likening it to a competitive game where skill and strategy are key.
"It ended up being a horrible partnership. But that's not the point of the video. The point is what I learned."
The quote emphasizes learning from experiences, particularly from a failed partnership, highlighting that the value lies in the lessons rather than the outcome.
"And so he tells his system, he says, go outside and tell him they're all fired. And he says this before he starts the meeting."
This quote illustrates a decisive and unorthodox approach to setting high standards and expectations for team members, using shock value to enforce punctuality and commitment.
"So what he did was he reset the bar of, this is how we perform. When we say we're going to be somewhere, we're going to be somewhere at that time."
This quote captures the essence of the gym owner's message about accountability and performance standards, emphasizing the seriousness of commitments in a professional setting.
And what I have figured, and I'm going to tell you one more story, and I'm going to tell you the moral of both of them.
This quote introduces the intention to share a story with a valuable lesson or moral that is relevant to business practices, specifically regarding the follow-up with leads.
So pause on that for a second. Now, when I had my first job, actually, I think it was my first. It was my first job, I was a blender tender at smoother king, all right?
This quote introduces Speaker A's first job experience, setting the scene for a lesson learned during their time as a blender tender at Smoother King.
And between people walking in, you were supposed to mop the floor, clean the counters, just clean it, just make it look good, restock the shelves.
This quote details the tasks Speaker A was expected to perform at their job, highlighting the owner's emphasis on store maintenance and presentation.
And the manager was like, what are you doing? I was worried I was in trouble. So I was like, am I not supposed to restock the shelves? Like, I thought I was supposed to do that right now because there's no one here. And he was like, oh, yeah, you don't need to worry about that. He's like, we don't do any of that stuff.
The quote illustrates the moment Speaker A is corrected by the manager, Vince, revealing a conflict between what they were trained to do and what the manager enforces as the norm.
So I said, so do you in your business have events? Are you the Vince in your business? Do you have someone in your business that's the Vince that's secretly destroying your business?
This quote prompts listeners to reflect on their own business practices and consider if there are individuals who are not aligned with the company's goals, similar to the manager Vince in the story.
So think about the difference between both of those styles of management. I'm not saying the first is right or the second is wrong, whatever. The second one is definitely wrong.
The quote indicates Speaker A's judgment on the second management style, which they believe is incorrect, while remaining neutral about the first style.
But when you look at that, what it was setting the tone and the reason that my views on business have dramatically shifted is that I have always had a tendency to lean towards strategy, acquisition, monetization, pricing structures, and all of that stuff is important. But I think within a business, there are two components to it. You've got the smarts and you've got the hearts, and you have to have both.
This quote encapsulates Speaker A's evolved perspective on what constitutes a well-rounded approach to business, emphasizing the need for both strategic acumen and a nurturing company culture.
Real quick, guys, if you can think about how you found this podcast, somebody probably tweeted it, told you about it, shared it on Instagram or something like that. The only way this grows is through word of mouth. And so I don't run ads. I don't do sponsorships. I don't sell anything. My only ask is that you continue to pay it forward to whoever showed you or however you found out about this podcast, that you do the exact same thing.
Speaker A's quote requests listeners to actively participate in the organic growth of the podcast by sharing it with others, reinforcing the importance of personal recommendations over traditional advertising methods.
"And I think that most people overestimate the importance of smarts, myself included. And I think that there's a lot to do with the hearts."
This quote highlights the speaker's belief that emotional intelligence and passion are more critical to business success than just being smart.
"As soon as you hire first employees, you're like, no, employees can't do what I can do. It's like, well, that's a horrible belief. You should probably change that before you try and move forward."
The speaker underscores that doubting employees' capabilities is a detrimental mindset that can hinder business growth.
"It's so much more about coaching and developing the leaders of the company."
Here, the speaker stresses the importance of nurturing leadership and interpersonal skills within the organization for success.
"The people are not doing what you want them to do because they don't understand why they need to do it and why it's important, right?"
The speaker points out that employees may fail to perform well if they don't grasp the significance of their tasks, emphasizing the need for effective communication and understanding.
"And you've got people who don't want to talk to each other because they don't like each other because one guy's really annoying."
This quote illustrates how personal conflicts within a team can disrupt business operations and should be addressed.
"It would better serve you to fix that problem than to try and come up with some new strategy, right?"
The speaker suggests that resolving interpersonal issues is more effective for business success than constantly changing strategies.
"And those two stories should illustrate the difference between having a championship mentality and having a loser mentality and what might be going on in your business."
This quote compares the winning attitude in sports to the mindset required for business success, highlighting the importance of a unified and dedicated team.
"And on the flip side, you had a winning team. And it was like everyone showed up to practice, everyone t."
The incomplete quote implies that commitment and team unity are hallmarks of a successful team, which can be translated into a business context.
"The difference between the two is going to be your ability to execute and have people execute on your behalf."
This quote emphasizes the importance of not just having a strategy, but the ability to effectively execute that strategy through a team.
"Advanced people never don't do the basics."
This quote illustrates the principle that successful individuals and businesses consistently adhere to fundamental practices, regardless of their level of advancement.
"Their job is to be intolerant of anything but excellence and to reinforce that in the culture so that it's consistently executed across the company."
The quote underscores the responsibility of leaders to cultivate a culture of excellence and ensure that high standards are met consistently throughout the organization.
"I'm looking way more for character traits now."
This quote highlights the shift in the speaker's perspective towards valuing character traits and soft skills over technical expertise in their role as a CEO and company owner.
"Make sure you don't have any vinces in your business."
The quote is a direct piece of advice warning about the potential harm that individuals who do not support fundamental business practices can cause to an organization's success.