Hey, everybody, it's Brandon Dawson. Welcome to Building Billions. I have a great show today. This is going to be with a dear friend of mine, Steve Lagomarsino. We're going to be talking about what it takes as a business owner, as an entrepreneur, to start, scale and transition through your business in order to achieve your personal, professional and financial goals. And different people have different roadmaps that they take. And what we're going to be doing is talking about how Steve has actually been able to do that in the last five years. Steve, welcome to the show. Excited to be here.

Hey, everybody, it's Brandon Dawson. Welcome to Building Billions. I have a great show today. This is going to be with a dear friend of mine, Steve Lagomarsino. We're going to be talking about what it takes as a business owner, as an entrepreneur, to start, scale and transition through your business in order to achieve your personal, professional and financial goals. And different people have different roadmaps that they take. And what we're going to be doing is talking about how Steve has actually been able to do that in the last five years. Steve, welcome to the show. Excited to be here.

Brandon, how are you doing today?

Brandon, how are you doing today?

Good. Tell the audience kind of like where we started in our relationship.

Good. Tell the audience kind of like where we started in our relationship.

Well, where we started, uh, I had a successful business, and I was looking for somebody that was going to teach me how to build a more scalable business. I owned a job, I didn't own a business, and I was looking for what I thought was a unicorn. At the time, somebody that not only built a massive business was able to exit their business, but also the very important part was able to impact so many people's lives and bring the team along for the ride. So I found you in in 2019, and we started that journey in December at a ten x 360. And five years later, here we are. The rest is history. It's just been a really incredible ride and an incredible education for me.

Well, where we started, uh, I had a successful business, and I was looking for somebody that was going to teach me how to build a more scalable business. I owned a job, I didn't own a business, and I was looking for what I thought was a unicorn. At the time, somebody that not only built a massive business was able to exit their business, but also the very important part was able to impact so many people's lives and bring the team along for the ride. So I found you in in 2019, and we started that journey in December at a ten x 360. And five years later, here we are. The rest is history. It's just been a really incredible ride and an incredible education for me.

Yeah. So what I like to do, because a lot of people, you know, they think of building a business and obviously 97% of all businesses fail if they're under 125 million, there's 31 million of those businesses. 98% of all those businesses stay under 3 million. Stay small. And so these are all things we talk about. Um, but when I meet founders or business owners, they don't all just want to build their business and sell it and be done. Right. They know there's the life after the deal. There's something else they want to do or something else they want to become, or some other thing that they're inspired by in their life. And for you walk through kind of what your business looked like when you and I met and started working together, right.

Yeah. So what I like to do, because a lot of people, you know, they think of building a business and obviously 97% of all businesses fail if they're under 125 million, there's 31 million of those businesses. 98% of all those businesses stay under 3 million. Stay small. And so these are all things we talk about. Um, but when I meet founders or business owners, they don't all just want to build their business and sell it and be done. Right. They know there's the life after the deal. There's something else they want to do or something else they want to become, or some other thing that they're inspired by in their life. And for you walk through kind of what your business looked like when you and I met and started working together, right.

There is another reason a lot of small business owners want to exit their business is because it's so painful for them, because they don't know what they're doing, they don't have the business acumen. They they do not know how to build a structure inside that business. That doesn't make it a problem in their life. So what it looked like for me when I met you was a revolving door in my office of people coming in my office with problems and asking how to get certain things done in my business.

There is another reason a lot of small business owners want to exit their business is because it's so painful for them, because they don't know what they're doing, they don't have the business acumen. They they do not know how to build a structure inside that business. That doesn't make it a problem in their life. So what it looked like for me when I met you was a revolving door in my office of people coming in my office with problems and asking how to get certain things done in my business.

But how did you start? Talk a little bit about how you got to where you even had a business with people revolving through the door?

But how did you start? Talk a little bit about how you got to where you even had a business with people revolving through the door?

Uh, great question. So my dad started this business in 1982, joined the business out of college with him, and started just putting my, uh, putting my print on the business by implementing different changes into the business, bringing innovation into the business. And over time I started actually taking over the business and I acquired the business from my dad. It was my dad, and my grandfather owned the business.

Uh, great question. So my dad started this business in 1982, joined the business out of college with him, and started just putting my, uh, putting my print on the business by implementing different changes into the business, bringing innovation into the business. And over time I started actually taking over the business and I acquired the business from my dad. It was my dad, and my grandfather owned the business.

So what kind of business was it?

So what kind of business was it?

It's an electronic wholesale distribution company. So simply put, we're selling components to manufacturers in the United States. So it's a business to business type of transaction, but it's quite technical sale. So that's where my electrical engineering background was valuable because we are our personas are electrical engineers at manufacturers. Got it.

It's an electronic wholesale distribution company. So simply put, we're selling components to manufacturers in the United States. So it's a business to business type of transaction, but it's quite technical sale. So that's where my electrical engineering background was valuable because we are our personas are electrical engineers at manufacturers. Got it.

So it was your father's and your grandfather's business? Yep. Uh, you got your electrical engineering background, and then at some point, you entirely bottom out.

So it was your father's and your grandfather's business? Yep. Uh, you got your electrical engineering background, and then at some point, you entirely bottom out.

Yeah. Gave provided them a financial exit. I was their exit plan. The exit.

Yeah. Gave provided them a financial exit. I was their exit plan. The exit.

And what? And how big was the business when you took it over?

And what? And how big was the business when you took it over?

Uh, when I took the business over, we were maybe $5 million in annual revenue. Okay.

Uh, when I took the business over, we were maybe $5 million in annual revenue. Okay.

So now, fast forward. You and I meet 2019. How big is the business?

So now, fast forward. You and I meet 2019. How big is the business?

We're like 25 million.

We're like 25 million.

So it's a significant you fivex the business. That's right. Over what period of time?

So it's a significant you fivex the business. That's right. Over what period of time?

That was about eight years. Eight years, nine years.

That was about eight years. Eight years, nine years.

So the first lesson there is your parents. Your dad and your grandpa had it for how many years?

So the first lesson there is your parents. Your dad and your grandpa had it for how many years?

They 1982.

They 1982.

So they had it for a long time. That's right. And in eight years you five exed it. That's right. So first thing is, that should tell to every business owner that's sitting there that you probably have A5X in your business. You just don't know how to do it. That's right. So I come along, you've got a lot of people coming and going. You're trying to figure out how to manage this business. That's 25 million. And if your reference point was your family at 525 probably felt like a a big feat to try to manage.

So they had it for a long time. That's right. And in eight years you five exed it. That's right. So first thing is, that should tell to every business owner that's sitting there that you probably have A5X in your business. You just don't know how to do it. That's right. So I come along, you've got a lot of people coming and going. You're trying to figure out how to manage this business. That's 25 million. And if your reference point was your family at 525 probably felt like a a big feat to try to manage.

Yeah. That's right. It was, uh, it was stressful. And I knew the opportunities weren't strong for the people in my organization, and I knew it all depended on me. If I if I go down, the business is going down with me. It's not. It's not a good business. I it got to a point where I said to myself, if I was an employee and knew what I knew, I would not want to work here because it's so dependent on me being there every single day and keeping it together.

Yeah. That's right. It was, uh, it was stressful. And I knew the opportunities weren't strong for the people in my organization, and I knew it all depended on me. If I if I go down, the business is going down with me. It's not. It's not a good business. I it got to a point where I said to myself, if I was an employee and knew what I knew, I would not want to work here because it's so dependent on me being there every single day and keeping it together.

That's an interesting perspective. So you were like looking for how do I transition from it being that kind of business to something that runs itself? Yeah, because.

That's an interesting perspective. So you were like looking for how do I transition from it being that kind of business to something that runs itself? Yeah, because.

I know there's no value there. And if I were to financially exit that business at that point, it's they're buying me really. And I'm going to be stuck in that for, for quite a long time. And anybody that's going to have any sense of evaluating a business, they're going to identify that he's the he's the business right now. This is not a strong business.

I know there's no value there. And if I were to financially exit that business at that point, it's they're buying me really. And I'm going to be stuck in that for, for quite a long time. And anybody that's going to have any sense of evaluating a business, they're going to identify that he's the he's the business right now. This is not a strong business.

So you and I meet those are the things you were confronted and concerned with. We meet some things I'm talking about resonates. Yeah. We start working together. We put a plan in place. The plan in place was to move you from being the business to try to minimize the business being about you so that it had sellable future value. But in the middle of all that, what you really wanted to do was create a vehicle, a program where you could reward your best employees. You could create incentives for them to win with you and the business, and you had other things you'd like to do other than just continue your whole life in that one business. That's right. So that was the idea when we met. And the other thing I recall is you wanted to build up enough income that you can invest in things that you're not taking care of and you're not running. So we picked real estate like I did. That was one of the things I told you is I put a bunch of money with Grant Cardone, sends me a check every month, and you're like, I want to do that, too. So we sat down and devised this strategy in 2019. Walk through what types of things you had to do to change you right, in order for the business to change? And then in addition to that, what's actually happened now in the last five years, right?

So you and I meet those are the things you were confronted and concerned with. We meet some things I'm talking about resonates. Yeah. We start working together. We put a plan in place. The plan in place was to move you from being the business to try to minimize the business being about you so that it had sellable future value. But in the middle of all that, what you really wanted to do was create a vehicle, a program where you could reward your best employees. You could create incentives for them to win with you and the business, and you had other things you'd like to do other than just continue your whole life in that one business. That's right. So that was the idea when we met. And the other thing I recall is you wanted to build up enough income that you can invest in things that you're not taking care of and you're not running. So we picked real estate like I did. That was one of the things I told you is I put a bunch of money with Grant Cardone, sends me a check every month, and you're like, I want to do that, too. So we sat down and devised this strategy in 2019. Walk through what types of things you had to do to change you right, in order for the business to change? And then in addition to that, what's actually happened now in the last five years, right?

Well, there's a lot. The one thing that I had that was really important in this whole process is that I had high level of self-awareness, and I was very coachable.

Well, there's a lot. The one thing that I had that was really important in this whole process is that I had high level of self-awareness, and I was very coachable.

Yes, I would say that of all the people I've ever worked with in my career, you've been the most aware and the most coachable. For certain. That is a quality you have that I have so much respect for.

Yes, I would say that of all the people I've ever worked with in my career, you've been the most aware and the most coachable. For certain. That is a quality you have that I have so much respect for.

And I appreciate that. Um, you know, and so going in, going through that process into that journey that that ensured that I was very curious to learn. And this whole process is a learning process of learning how to build a business. And even if you are already built a business, you're going to need to rebuild it. Because if you if you were never taught how to build a business and you build a business, you probably built it improperly, and now you're going to need to be educated and find all the broken pieces And you're going to need to go through this process of learning how to to rebuild the broken pieces within your business. And in order to do that, you need to be able to be an incredible leader. And I also was not a very good leader at that point at that particular time, because you're in order to implement this, you're going to need people to do it. And in order and in order for people to do it, you're going to need number one to be a very good leader, because you're going to need to inspire them and align the work that they're going to need to do with the type of life that they want. And in order to have in order to be able to lead people to do it, you need great people. And the other component of that was designing a culture within the organization that will attract amazing people in the organization. All this I didn't have in place, I saw it right away when we started working together, I okay, I saw all the pieces missing. We identified it together and it was going to be a journey. But along that journey, I was going to need to be very committed to the process of getting educated and transferring that knowledge within my team.

And I appreciate that. Um, you know, and so going in, going through that process into that journey that that ensured that I was very curious to learn. And this whole process is a learning process of learning how to build a business. And even if you are already built a business, you're going to need to rebuild it. Because if you if you were never taught how to build a business and you build a business, you probably built it improperly, and now you're going to need to be educated and find all the broken pieces And you're going to need to go through this process of learning how to to rebuild the broken pieces within your business. And in order to do that, you need to be able to be an incredible leader. And I also was not a very good leader at that point at that particular time, because you're in order to implement this, you're going to need people to do it. And in order and in order for people to do it, you're going to need number one to be a very good leader, because you're going to need to inspire them and align the work that they're going to need to do with the type of life that they want. And in order to have in order to be able to lead people to do it, you need great people. And the other component of that was designing a culture within the organization that will attract amazing people in the organization. All this I didn't have in place, I saw it right away when we started working together, I okay, I saw all the pieces missing. We identified it together and it was going to be a journey. But along that journey, I was going to need to be very committed to the process of getting educated and transferring that knowledge within my team.

I remember when we did your key people assessments, and one of the things we identified is you had a bunch of what I call randomizing in the business. Um, and when you initiated training, the amount of blowback you're getting from some of your key people to saying, I'm not going to do that, like, that's not I didn't sign on for it. I'm not going to do it. People in your accounting department, people in your technology department, and all of a sudden you're getting some very specific key people pushing back on you that like, hey, this isn't what we signed up for. We've been here a long time. We're not going to do this. I remember you calling me going. I have every different way I could think of. I've tried to inspire these people to do this, and they refuse to do it. I said, well, the only thing you need to do now is you need to eliminate one of them to send the message that you're serious about it. So talk a little bit about how hard that first like Big Confront was for you. But once you did it, what happened after that? That's right.

I remember when we did your key people assessments, and one of the things we identified is you had a bunch of what I call randomizing in the business. Um, and when you initiated training, the amount of blowback you're getting from some of your key people to saying, I'm not going to do that, like, that's not I didn't sign on for it. I'm not going to do it. People in your accounting department, people in your technology department, and all of a sudden you're getting some very specific key people pushing back on you that like, hey, this isn't what we signed up for. We've been here a long time. We're not going to do this. I remember you calling me going. I have every different way I could think of. I've tried to inspire these people to do this, and they refuse to do it. I said, well, the only thing you need to do now is you need to eliminate one of them to send the message that you're serious about it. So talk a little bit about how hard that first like Big Confront was for you. But once you did it, what happened after that? That's right.

So number one, that's a symptom of the culture I had. And I had a culture by default. I hadn't designed that culture. And now I have a training culture on the other side of this. So when that incident happened. Yeah, I'm terrified because all I'm thinking about is I'm going to lose somebody that's valuable in the company. And if I make it, if I create new, uh, if I create a training program that they don't want to be participating in and they're a top contributor, and when they're going to just leave here, they're going to take other people with them. And so I'm, I don't have the confidence yet as a leader at that point. I don't have the confidence as a business owner that I'm going to be able to hire new people fast and bring great people in the organization. So all these fears are creeping in. They're really broken beliefs. But once you do the first one and then you start learning how to replace that person with somebody that's even a better fit that was there before. Because you're learning how to find better people, because you're committed to the process of learning how to recruit people, then then it becomes empowering and then you're okay. Now I see it. This is going to be part of the process. Some parts are going to be painful when growing is not comfortable. And the growing we're doing is we're strengthening this organization so that this organization is going to be able to have be stronger, have more sustainable growth, not depend on me, and also be able to grow in the future because we have a stronger foundation.

So number one, that's a symptom of the culture I had. And I had a culture by default. I hadn't designed that culture. And now I have a training culture on the other side of this. So when that incident happened. Yeah, I'm terrified because all I'm thinking about is I'm going to lose somebody that's valuable in the company. And if I make it, if I create new, uh, if I create a training program that they don't want to be participating in and they're a top contributor, and when they're going to just leave here, they're going to take other people with them. And so I'm, I don't have the confidence yet as a leader at that point. I don't have the confidence as a business owner that I'm going to be able to hire new people fast and bring great people in the organization. So all these fears are creeping in. They're really broken beliefs. But once you do the first one and then you start learning how to replace that person with somebody that's even a better fit that was there before. Because you're learning how to find better people, because you're committed to the process of learning how to recruit people, then then it becomes empowering and then you're okay. Now I see it. This is going to be part of the process. Some parts are going to be painful when growing is not comfortable. And the growing we're doing is we're strengthening this organization so that this organization is going to be able to have be stronger, have more sustainable growth, not depend on me, and also be able to grow in the future because we have a stronger foundation.

So. So what what I'm hearing you say, because you're speaking in present time, looking backwards. Yes. But at the point in time, that's what I was telling you. You're going to need to do if you want this present time, 100% vision and the courage now, because we're going to go back to that moment where you're like, hey, this guy, this person is like so important, right? You had to confront with them. And they were like pouncing, I'm out of here. And I remember you were like, oh my God, I don't know how many of these I can afford. I don't know how many. But you had the courage to do it. What happened? As soon as everyone else in your company who was resistant to doing the things you needed them to do, saw that you actually had the courage to take someone they knew was a top performer. Knew you were worried about losing, saw you let them leave, and then replaced them and put more intentionality on the onboarding process and created a better performing employee fast. What did that do with everyone else on your team?

So. So what what I'm hearing you say, because you're speaking in present time, looking backwards. Yes. But at the point in time, that's what I was telling you. You're going to need to do if you want this present time, 100% vision and the courage now, because we're going to go back to that moment where you're like, hey, this guy, this person is like so important, right? You had to confront with them. And they were like pouncing, I'm out of here. And I remember you were like, oh my God, I don't know how many of these I can afford. I don't know how many. But you had the courage to do it. What happened? As soon as everyone else in your company who was resistant to doing the things you needed them to do, saw that you actually had the courage to take someone they knew was a top performer. Knew you were worried about losing, saw you let them leave, and then replaced them and put more intentionality on the onboarding process and created a better performing employee fast. What did that do with everyone else on your team?

It realigns people because, look, hey, he's not going to do anything. We don't have to train. He's looking. He's not going to do anything. As soon as he does something. Oh, shit. He's serious. He's really serious about this. It's that important. He just let that person go. Now all of a sudden, everybody realigns. It becomes a lot easier. And if they don't realign. Hey, look, I replaced them. It's not that big of a deal.

It realigns people because, look, hey, he's not going to do anything. We don't have to train. He's looking. He's not going to do anything. As soon as he does something. Oh, shit. He's serious. He's really serious about this. It's that important. He just let that person go. Now all of a sudden, everybody realigns. It becomes a lot easier. And if they don't realign. Hey, look, I replaced them. It's not that big of a deal.

And what happens to your confidence when you realize someone I was key person, dependent on that was unwilling to change and follow my leadership principles. And you recognize the fact that you spoiled them in the first place because you didn't have that discipline.

And what happens to your confidence when you realize someone I was key person, dependent on that was unwilling to change and follow my leadership principles. And you recognize the fact that you spoiled them in the first place because you didn't have that discipline.

I created the circumstance.

I created the circumstance.

Yeah. So now you just chose to create a different circumstance. You're going to find the right people, align them the right way, and be more intentional about how you onboard them, and then drive to a result by inspiring them and working with them and training them like that's that's a decision, right? That's right. So you made the decision. A bunch of your people were like, uh oh, we're going to get in line. We're going to start doing the things you need to do. And then all of a sudden your business starts to significantly grow. Talk a little bit about, because it's not always when you're growing 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, whatever. It's not always like, oh, it's just so easy. It's so easy because it's a process. And every time you do something new, it's a new, new thing you have to do. And then as you get bigger, the mechanics of the different things you're making changes in either work for you or work against you. That's right. Talk a little bit about that couple of years where you were having that hyper growth, and you were making all these changes and focused on developing key leaders in your organization. Yeah.

Yeah. So now you just chose to create a different circumstance. You're going to find the right people, align them the right way, and be more intentional about how you onboard them, and then drive to a result by inspiring them and working with them and training them like that's that's a decision, right? That's right. So you made the decision. A bunch of your people were like, uh oh, we're going to get in line. We're going to start doing the things you need to do. And then all of a sudden your business starts to significantly grow. Talk a little bit about, because it's not always when you're growing 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, whatever. It's not always like, oh, it's just so easy. It's so easy because it's a process. And every time you do something new, it's a new, new thing you have to do. And then as you get bigger, the mechanics of the different things you're making changes in either work for you or work against you. That's right. Talk a little bit about that couple of years where you were having that hyper growth, and you were making all these changes and focused on developing key leaders in your organization. Yeah.

So when you grow up, you're going to break things and you're going to be re-optimizing processes that worked when we were. This level of revenue are no longer appropriate for where we're at this level in revenue. So we've got to be able to optimize and change. And during that process you're developing and you're challenging people, you're testing people, and you're seeing the people that can handle the pressure. When with leaders, leaders need to be pressure tested. And during those experiences, you see who handles the pressure and rises to the top and becomes part of the solutions, not part of the problems. And and you and you learn as a leader to develop other leaders. You develop me. Developing myself as a leader first during that process allowed me to nurture and develop other leaders. And now I've got a core leadership team here in my organization that I don't need to worry about anything. They've got it all taken care of. They're there to set everything up. They report to me and they run the organization for me. The day to day, I don't run the day. That was the big difference. The day didn't run without me. I don't run a day. The day of the organization. If you are a business owner and you're running the day of the organization, if it needs you to run during the day, if something's going to stop in the day because of you, you don't really have a business.

So when you grow up, you're going to break things and you're going to be re-optimizing processes that worked when we were. This level of revenue are no longer appropriate for where we're at this level in revenue. So we've got to be able to optimize and change. And during that process you're developing and you're challenging people, you're testing people, and you're seeing the people that can handle the pressure. When with leaders, leaders need to be pressure tested. And during those experiences, you see who handles the pressure and rises to the top and becomes part of the solutions, not part of the problems. And and you and you learn as a leader to develop other leaders. You develop me. Developing myself as a leader first during that process allowed me to nurture and develop other leaders. And now I've got a core leadership team here in my organization that I don't need to worry about anything. They've got it all taken care of. They're there to set everything up. They report to me and they run the organization for me. The day to day, I don't run the day. That was the big difference. The day didn't run without me. I don't run a day. The day of the organization. If you are a business owner and you're running the day of the organization, if it needs you to run during the day, if something's going to stop in the day because of you, you don't really have a business.

Yeah, you have a job. You have a.

Yeah, you have a job. You have a.

Job. And that's you can have a job that has $25 million in revenue. You can have a job that has $40 million in revenue, $50 million in revenue. There are plenty of business owners there, but they know it and they're there. They're stressed about it. They're complaining when they go home because they know it. And it's just it's so stressful. I can't wait to get out of it because this is just so much work for me.

Job. And that's you can have a job that has $25 million in revenue. You can have a job that has $40 million in revenue, $50 million in revenue. There are plenty of business owners there, but they know it and they're there. They're stressed about it. They're complaining when they go home because they know it. And it's just it's so stressful. I can't wait to get out of it because this is just so much work for me.

Yeah, you hear it because we have all these. I mean, since you started, you're one of my first clients. You fast forward 64 months later. We've had almost $8 billion of businesses come through this system and you know many of those people because where you fit within the organization now. So, so big goals back then. Put enough passive money away that's working for you that you could replace your income if you decided to never work again. That was a big target. That's right. Second target was to grow your business big enough that it could produce enough income, that you could share it with all your key people so that they would have the right incentives in place in order to exit you from running the day to day operations. That was target number two, and target number three was then be able to spend time doing things that you're passionate about and you love to do without being trapped in the business every day. That's right. Including in that was you wanted to move out of state. You wanted to move from Pennsylvania down to Miami or down to Florida with your whole family and be able to experience a different quality of life. Yes. 60 months now, talk about how much of that you've actually been able to transition through.

Yeah, you hear it because we have all these. I mean, since you started, you're one of my first clients. You fast forward 64 months later. We've had almost $8 billion of businesses come through this system and you know many of those people because where you fit within the organization now. So, so big goals back then. Put enough passive money away that's working for you that you could replace your income if you decided to never work again. That was a big target. That's right. Second target was to grow your business big enough that it could produce enough income, that you could share it with all your key people so that they would have the right incentives in place in order to exit you from running the day to day operations. That was target number two, and target number three was then be able to spend time doing things that you're passionate about and you love to do without being trapped in the business every day. That's right. Including in that was you wanted to move out of state. You wanted to move from Pennsylvania down to Miami or down to Florida with your whole family and be able to experience a different quality of life. Yes. 60 months now, talk about how much of that you've actually been able to transition through.

All of it. Um, As a business owner, being able to create a business where you can generate enough of cash flow that you can release cash from the business because, you know, revenue is vanity, profit is sanity. You taught me that. Um, so being able to run an extremely profitable business and release cash and put it into passive, producing, passive income producing assets such as real estate and cardinal Capital, that it covers all my expenses. Now, I could my business could disappear and work another day, and I cover my expenses for the rest of my life. So we've been able to accomplish that through Cardinal Capital. Some other real estate investments. I have enough passive income to cover all my family expenses.

All of it. Um, As a business owner, being able to create a business where you can generate enough of cash flow that you can release cash from the business because, you know, revenue is vanity, profit is sanity. You taught me that. Um, so being able to run an extremely profitable business and release cash and put it into passive, producing, passive income producing assets such as real estate and cardinal Capital, that it covers all my expenses. Now, I could my business could disappear and work another day, and I cover my expenses for the rest of my life. So we've been able to accomplish that through Cardinal Capital. Some other real estate investments. I have enough passive income to cover all my family expenses.

And that feels pretty darn good, right? Because that is your backstop. Now, you don't need to worry about selling your business for a backstop because you now have one.

And that feels pretty darn good, right? Because that is your backstop. Now, you don't need to worry about selling your business for a backstop because you now have one.

The business I don't depend on the business to survive financially. And also the beautiful thing about that is I don't run. You don't? As a business owner, when you get to that point, you're not running your business scared for your financial life, because now you're not making decisions out of fear. You're making sure you have less emotion. You have. So now you're going to you're going to take more calculated risks that you need to take. And also, if you have some challenges in the business, it's good. There's this level of stress is not going to be the experience is not going to be the same as if this was all my income, or if we go for a month where we something went wrong and we can't get cash out of the business because someone didn't pay the bills. I'm in a lot of trouble here. This doesn't exist anymore, this circumstance. Uh, the second was, uh, well, also moving to Florida, right? Getting out of a state that was going to. I lived in the northeast. It was not not a lot of freedom up in the northeast states. The weather for a few months of the year is not that nice. And I wanted to be around more successful people, more like minded people. And we made a decision to bring our family down to Florida, where we were going to have freedom, better taxes, be around more like minded people, or closer to the Grant Cardone office. So we get to go to the events and be with great people that are in this ecosystem. So that we knocked that off the list a couple years ago. Business still running, operating smoothly. Didn't miss a beat. Did that while we were even changing our ERP system and our business. But I had a leadership team taking care of that. And what was the other? Yeah.

The business I don't depend on the business to survive financially. And also the beautiful thing about that is I don't run. You don't? As a business owner, when you get to that point, you're not running your business scared for your financial life, because now you're not making decisions out of fear. You're making sure you have less emotion. You have. So now you're going to you're going to take more calculated risks that you need to take. And also, if you have some challenges in the business, it's good. There's this level of stress is not going to be the experience is not going to be the same as if this was all my income, or if we go for a month where we something went wrong and we can't get cash out of the business because someone didn't pay the bills. I'm in a lot of trouble here. This doesn't exist anymore, this circumstance. Uh, the second was, uh, well, also moving to Florida, right? Getting out of a state that was going to. I lived in the northeast. It was not not a lot of freedom up in the northeast states. The weather for a few months of the year is not that nice. And I wanted to be around more successful people, more like minded people. And we made a decision to bring our family down to Florida, where we were going to have freedom, better taxes, be around more like minded people, or closer to the Grant Cardone office. So we get to go to the events and be with great people that are in this ecosystem. So that we knocked that off the list a couple years ago. Business still running, operating smoothly. Didn't miss a beat. Did that while we were even changing our ERP system and our business. But I had a leadership team taking care of that. And what was the other? Yeah.

So so you were able. So when you first set these targets right. Having enough passive income, uh, being able to build a leadership team and not have you be the business driving it every day. Be able to actually move out of state and move your whole family and not even be showing up in the office. Those were if the if if those are lifetime goals for most business owners. Yeah. And when we were establishing those targets and those goals and then confirming the business to what does the business have to do to do that? So you can do what you want to do, right? There was a few, you know, kind of gut challenges where you're like, it almost feels unbelievable that I could actually do that. Yeah. And yet the idea that you did it in three years, and now what you've been doing the last couple of years, in addition to that, which we'll get into in a minute, when you look back on it, you realize how fast it actually did happen. That's right. And then you grew the business much bigger, right? So so the reason I bring this up is I think it's really important because a lot of people don't understand there's no context into what does Cardone Ventures do to actually help you through that process, besides setting targets and putting discipline in place? Talk a little bit about your journey of some of your experiences working with us, because the reality here is we have so many business owners come through the system, but a lot of them are just unwilling to wait the 3 to 5 years. They want it tomorrow, they want it tomorrow. They want it now. They're already burned out. They're just like, they'll give us six months. And and that transactional mindset just does not allow them enough time to calmly make the transformation to a target. Because in order for them to do that, they got to move a lot of other people, but they don't want to deal with the people, because if they lose their people, they can't get what they want. Because then and all this panic and fear settles in. So I want to talk a little bit about what you did systematically with us, so that other people that don't understand the journey right will have context to this. Yeah. So walk through like you went to the ten x 360. You you heard enough to realize this could be helpful. You hired us to engineer your business. Yes. We spent six months, seven months doing that. Then you hired us in our strategic business unit consultant to lead to manage the business. And in the middle of all that, we partnered a little bit here or there. Right? Yeah. Um, you finally have just graduated out of our managed services, our SBU. After how long were you in that program?

So so you were able. So when you first set these targets right. Having enough passive income, uh, being able to build a leadership team and not have you be the business driving it every day. Be able to actually move out of state and move your whole family and not even be showing up in the office. Those were if the if if those are lifetime goals for most business owners. Yeah. And when we were establishing those targets and those goals and then confirming the business to what does the business have to do to do that? So you can do what you want to do, right? There was a few, you know, kind of gut challenges where you're like, it almost feels unbelievable that I could actually do that. Yeah. And yet the idea that you did it in three years, and now what you've been doing the last couple of years, in addition to that, which we'll get into in a minute, when you look back on it, you realize how fast it actually did happen. That's right. And then you grew the business much bigger, right? So so the reason I bring this up is I think it's really important because a lot of people don't understand there's no context into what does Cardone Ventures do to actually help you through that process, besides setting targets and putting discipline in place? Talk a little bit about your journey of some of your experiences working with us, because the reality here is we have so many business owners come through the system, but a lot of them are just unwilling to wait the 3 to 5 years. They want it tomorrow, they want it tomorrow. They want it now. They're already burned out. They're just like, they'll give us six months. And and that transactional mindset just does not allow them enough time to calmly make the transformation to a target. Because in order for them to do that, they got to move a lot of other people, but they don't want to deal with the people, because if they lose their people, they can't get what they want. Because then and all this panic and fear settles in. So I want to talk a little bit about what you did systematically with us, so that other people that don't understand the journey right will have context to this. Yeah. So walk through like you went to the ten x 360. You you heard enough to realize this could be helpful. You hired us to engineer your business. Yes. We spent six months, seven months doing that. Then you hired us in our strategic business unit consultant to lead to manage the business. And in the middle of all that, we partnered a little bit here or there. Right? Yeah. Um, you finally have just graduated out of our managed services, our SBU. After how long were you in that program?

So it three years, three years, a little over three, just slightly over three years.

So it three years, three years, a little over three, just slightly over three years.

Talk a little bit about what it was like to have augmenting your executive team before you developed it with our basically team. And then what kinds of things would you do after you had engineered your plan with our strategic business unit to help you actually format the business, just so people have context as to what we even do here? Yeah.

Talk a little bit about what it was like to have augmenting your executive team before you developed it with our basically team. And then what kinds of things would you do after you had engineered your plan with our strategic business unit to help you actually format the business, just so people have context as to what we even do here? Yeah.

So, um, yeah, it was it's an incredible learning process, the experience I share with people. There's no college I could have attended and gotten the same education that I received over the past three years, but I needed to receive it. I didn't need to abdicate it to everybody in my team. I showed up on every one of those calls, especially in those first couple years where I was learning information for the first time. So when we're breaking down the business into different components, whether it's sales and marketing, finance and people, uh, we're, uh, operations, I'm on those calls every single week. And, and each of those calls were being educated. And we're working a plan on what we need to execute on. But I had the discipline and the accountability to get it done. And I and I was curious enough to well, hey, would I know what results I had doing it the way I knew how to do it? And I know what Brandon's results have been doing using his processes and his methodology and what they're teaching here. So do I want the same results? What do I have to lose? Well, actually, I'm going to get the same results and be stuck with a job again. Or am I going to actually Follow the advice that they're providing and implement the information they're giving me. But it's not an event, it's a process, and everyone has a different learning curve and how long it's going to take to execute. Everyone has a different level of courage and how fast they're going to make tough decisions they may need to make, because some of us will make a tough decision in 30s, and some of us will make a tough decision in two years because they got to debate it and they just can't make it. And they're making sense of why they shouldn't make this tough decision to make excuses. So the ability that that process will vary and how committed you are to making those tough decisions, doing the work, showing up every time and actually learning it. Because if I abdicated to a team who I haven't quite developed in the beginning yet, well, when they leave, where does the information go? It goes with them. And now how do I replace it? How do I how do I am I able to keep that in my business? So for for me it was learning all the different business acumen and strategies that I needed and what I needed to the structure I needed to put within the departments that were going to be capable of executing the plan that we created four years ago. And going through that process, it was and as we're doing it, everybody's the business is becoming stronger and stronger. Not only are we executing the plan, but here we are a few years later. And now I've got this team inside this organization that is incredible. That's that is creating the next level of plans.

So, um, yeah, it was it's an incredible learning process, the experience I share with people. There's no college I could have attended and gotten the same education that I received over the past three years, but I needed to receive it. I didn't need to abdicate it to everybody in my team. I showed up on every one of those calls, especially in those first couple years where I was learning information for the first time. So when we're breaking down the business into different components, whether it's sales and marketing, finance and people, uh, we're, uh, operations, I'm on those calls every single week. And, and each of those calls were being educated. And we're working a plan on what we need to execute on. But I had the discipline and the accountability to get it done. And I and I was curious enough to well, hey, would I know what results I had doing it the way I knew how to do it? And I know what Brandon's results have been doing using his processes and his methodology and what they're teaching here. So do I want the same results? What do I have to lose? Well, actually, I'm going to get the same results and be stuck with a job again. Or am I going to actually Follow the advice that they're providing and implement the information they're giving me. But it's not an event, it's a process, and everyone has a different learning curve and how long it's going to take to execute. Everyone has a different level of courage and how fast they're going to make tough decisions they may need to make, because some of us will make a tough decision in 30s, and some of us will make a tough decision in two years because they got to debate it and they just can't make it. And they're making sense of why they shouldn't make this tough decision to make excuses. So the ability that that process will vary and how committed you are to making those tough decisions, doing the work, showing up every time and actually learning it. Because if I abdicated to a team who I haven't quite developed in the beginning yet, well, when they leave, where does the information go? It goes with them. And now how do I replace it? How do I how do I am I able to keep that in my business? So for for me it was learning all the different business acumen and strategies that I needed and what I needed to the structure I needed to put within the departments that were going to be capable of executing the plan that we created four years ago. And going through that process, it was and as we're doing it, everybody's the business is becoming stronger and stronger. Not only are we executing the plan, but here we are a few years later. And now I've got this team inside this organization that is incredible. That's that is creating the next level of plans.

What would have happen if you would have just said, hey, my 5 or 6 best people, I want you to work with them and you listen to them and you do what they say and you work as a team. And what's the likelihood of any of that would actually.

What would have happen if you would have just said, hey, my 5 or 6 best people, I want you to work with them and you listen to them and you do what they say and you work as a team. And what's the likelihood of any of that would actually.

Be a disaster? It was destined to fail if I just abdicated to a team and said, hey, Brandon, your team that's going to be helping my organization and work with my team and I'm just going to go do my thing. That's a recipe for failure.

Be a disaster? It was destined to fail if I just abdicated to a team and said, hey, Brandon, your team that's going to be helping my organization and work with my team and I'm just going to go do my thing. That's a recipe for failure.

And the reason for it is, is as you experience firsthand sitting in those meetings, you actually got to watch the expression or see the results, because some of those people got changed out along the way because they were trying to control what was happening in the business, but they didn't actually know what they were doing. So at some point you get to see, wait a minute, I've put somebody in charge who's acting like they have this. I call them a camouflage tool. They act like they got it figured out. They act like they're already doing it. But now we're in the actual technical business, and you're sitting there looking at them across the face with our finance team going over financials, or our operating team going over operations or our technology team. And you're sitting there looking at it and going, like, my guy doesn't know or gal doesn't know what they're doing. That's right.

And the reason for it is, is as you experience firsthand sitting in those meetings, you actually got to watch the expression or see the results, because some of those people got changed out along the way because they were trying to control what was happening in the business, but they didn't actually know what they were doing. So at some point you get to see, wait a minute, I've put somebody in charge who's acting like they have this. I call them a camouflage tool. They act like they got it figured out. They act like they're already doing it. But now we're in the actual technical business, and you're sitting there looking at them across the face with our finance team going over financials, or our operating team going over operations or our technology team. And you're sitting there looking at it and going, like, my guy doesn't know or gal doesn't know what they're doing. That's right.

You can you get a good so you're there and you're seeing the interaction. Do I do I have the right person in place or are they are they getting this. They have the capacity to learn what they any gaps they have. Are they willing to learn it or are they going to cover it up? I've got to be involved in that process to until. Okay, now I they're the right person and now I understand it. I can explain it to them as well. Or the next person that comes in. If that person were to ever exit. So that's there's a lot of value being involved in that component of it.

You can you get a good so you're there and you're seeing the interaction. Do I do I have the right person in place or are they are they getting this. They have the capacity to learn what they any gaps they have. Are they willing to learn it or are they going to cover it up? I've got to be involved in that process to until. Okay, now I they're the right person and now I understand it. I can explain it to them as well. Or the next person that comes in. If that person were to ever exit. So that's there's a lot of value being involved in that component of it.

And what would happen what would happen if you're like, it all has to happen in six months.

And what would happen what would happen if you're like, it all has to happen in six months.

Impossible. That would be like an employee coming to a business owner and telling them, like, hey, you know, I want to be the VP of the company. And, you know, I'm a mid-level manager and it has to happen in six months that any business owner would say, that's ridiculous. It's not possible. This is a process you got to develop. So whatever's when you identify the opportunities in your business, in order for us to, uh, to be able to, uh, optimize and take advantage of those opportunities, we need to develop the, the business. And part of developing the business is also developing the people that are also developing the business. And that's going to take time. It's a process.

Impossible. That would be like an employee coming to a business owner and telling them, like, hey, you know, I want to be the VP of the company. And, you know, I'm a mid-level manager and it has to happen in six months that any business owner would say, that's ridiculous. It's not possible. This is a process you got to develop. So whatever's when you identify the opportunities in your business, in order for us to, uh, to be able to, uh, optimize and take advantage of those opportunities, we need to develop the, the business. And part of developing the business is also developing the people that are also developing the business. And that's going to take time. It's a process.

And so so is it even reasonable to think, oh, I could take my business that's struggling now for the last few years. Or maybe it's growing, but it's still broken in many areas and just expect that within six months or a year or two years, it's just going to give you everything you want out of it. And because we have a lot of business owners and you know this, you've seen them, they come in, they get all ambitious and they're all excited. They get we engineer their business. They go into our our managed services for a year and then they're like, I got it all, I'm done. But they haven't even hit any of the targets they've established for themselves, but they really have burned themselves out. Or they're questioning, why am I investing in the business? And we see what happens. As soon as they stop doing what they were doing, they go right back to what they were. Right? And they were the reason they got excited in the first place. They were frustrated. So really, what I want you because you've seen some of the most successful people come through here and you've seen the ones that have not, have not. And, and, and then the excuses come out and all these other things. What would you tell a business owner based on your personal experience, what they should suspect. What would you tell a business owner based on your own personal experience? What they should expect to do in order to make the transformation they want to have? And what are the indicators when it's time that they don't need? They've they've developed their team because for me, you had your targets when you hit all your targets is when you knew it was time that you could then go to Florida. Yeah, but if you hadn't hit your targets yet, does that mean you should dismiss yourself from the process? Right.

And so so is it even reasonable to think, oh, I could take my business that's struggling now for the last few years. Or maybe it's growing, but it's still broken in many areas and just expect that within six months or a year or two years, it's just going to give you everything you want out of it. And because we have a lot of business owners and you know this, you've seen them, they come in, they get all ambitious and they're all excited. They get we engineer their business. They go into our our managed services for a year and then they're like, I got it all, I'm done. But they haven't even hit any of the targets they've established for themselves, but they really have burned themselves out. Or they're questioning, why am I investing in the business? And we see what happens. As soon as they stop doing what they were doing, they go right back to what they were. Right? And they were the reason they got excited in the first place. They were frustrated. So really, what I want you because you've seen some of the most successful people come through here and you've seen the ones that have not, have not. And, and, and then the excuses come out and all these other things. What would you tell a business owner based on your personal experience, what they should suspect. What would you tell a business owner based on your own personal experience? What they should expect to do in order to make the transformation they want to have? And what are the indicators when it's time that they don't need? They've they've developed their team because for me, you had your targets when you hit all your targets is when you knew it was time that you could then go to Florida. Yeah, but if you hadn't hit your targets yet, does that mean you should dismiss yourself from the process? Right.

Um, can you repeat the question?

Um, can you repeat the question?

Yeah. So what would you tell a business owner that's like, they're not doing it for me fast enough?

Yeah. So what would you tell a business owner that's like, they're not doing it for me fast enough?

Well, okay. Well, number one, no one's going to do it for you. No one's going to do the work for you as a business owner. You. I knew from day one I needed to do the work because I need to learn. I need to execute. I need to implement that is on me as a business owner. So if the mindset entering this type of process or it's your business, you're not going to abdicate somebody else implementing and executing for your business, they'll buy your business. Okay. And then they could do that. But when you own your business, you need as the business owner to be able to execute and implement. That includes being on the calls and actually taking the actions needed, applying it so you can get the results that you're looking for. If you don't actually take the actions and apply, you're not going to get results. And if you're waiting for someone else to do it, it's not going to happen. And you just have you have an excuse now. Well, someone else didn't do it for me. I never waited for that. I didn't wait for someone else to do it. I didn't have excuses. And if and in a few times that I did not execute and I failed to implement, I took responsibility for it. It's on me. I didn't go blaming somebody else for it because it wasn't going to help. It was all it was. Was it going to make me feel better so I could just pass the buck along. That's not that's not going to. That's not going to work. That's not what's going to get my business, uh, stronger. That's not going to increase the improve the opportunities for the people in my organization. And if I'm as a business owner, waiting for people to do it for me, and I'm blaming others when it doesn't get done, what kind of people? Brandon, do you think you know I'm going to have working in my business? Yep. The same kind of people.

Well, okay. Well, number one, no one's going to do it for you. No one's going to do the work for you as a business owner. You. I knew from day one I needed to do the work because I need to learn. I need to execute. I need to implement that is on me as a business owner. So if the mindset entering this type of process or it's your business, you're not going to abdicate somebody else implementing and executing for your business, they'll buy your business. Okay. And then they could do that. But when you own your business, you need as the business owner to be able to execute and implement. That includes being on the calls and actually taking the actions needed, applying it so you can get the results that you're looking for. If you don't actually take the actions and apply, you're not going to get results. And if you're waiting for someone else to do it, it's not going to happen. And you just have you have an excuse now. Well, someone else didn't do it for me. I never waited for that. I didn't wait for someone else to do it. I didn't have excuses. And if and in a few times that I did not execute and I failed to implement, I took responsibility for it. It's on me. I didn't go blaming somebody else for it because it wasn't going to help. It was all it was. Was it going to make me feel better so I could just pass the buck along. That's not that's not going to. That's not going to work. That's not what's going to get my business, uh, stronger. That's not going to increase the improve the opportunities for the people in my organization. And if I'm as a business owner, waiting for people to do it for me, and I'm blaming others when it doesn't get done, what kind of people? Brandon, do you think you know I'm going to have working in my business? Yep. The same kind of people.

Well, and so this is another interesting thing. Um, clearly when there's people involved. So I have my people on my side. We're training them, we're hiring them, we're nurturing them. We're formatting them. You have your people on your side. You're hiring them. You're training them, you're formatting them. You're leading them. When my people are letting your people down and your people are letting you down and themselves down, and my people are letting me and myself down, you as a client could easily call me and say, uh, I don't want to work with you anymore because you guys aren't helping me out. And I know we had a couple conversations where you called, this is a thing. This is I just it's so important that people hear what I'm going to say right now. It's so important that you develop the confront the the understanding that when things are not working, you don't bail, right? You lean in. And I'll never forget when my team was out of your with your team and we were dropping the ball in some areas as I was bringing some people on and I was trying to acclimate them, and I had to get rid of some people and bring some new people on. There were some missed elements of what we were supposed to be doing. And you called me one day and you're like, hey, I've got some frustration that's crept in in the last 90 or 120 days. I feel like some of your people are not following through. And I know you run a quality organization and I know we're missing some things. My team is seeing it. I'm seeing it. But because I respect you and I want to be a good partner to you. Just like you would call me Brandon. If you see things in my business, you've got some holes in your business. And I think if I help you fix your holes, you can help me do things faster. And you and I came together and said, where are the holes? I made changes, and, and and we keep doing that. Now contrast that to someone who calls and complains, oh, you guys are letting me down. And I don't, because I always tell business owners, most of you have no idea how to confront your own internal problems. You just run from them. Why not practice helping and working with me when we drop the ball and see how I confront them, so that you can get a reference point of, oh, this is how Brandon took care of it. Yeah. And so you and I did that because you're growing and scaling. I'm growing and scaling. And what we did is created a cadence where it's like, what's working? What's not working? What do we need to fix? How do we need to fix it. And we kept fighting to win for me and fighting to win for you together, because we recognize that as business owners and leaders, we need each other. Yes. How do you contrast that to the people that you've actually seen? Some clients come, and then you've sat there with them and they're like, oh, they dropped some balls. So we're going to move on. And and then you see what happens to those businesses, because if they're not willing to confront me, they're probably not going to confront their own team. Yeah. Right. And if they're not helping me confront my team, how am I helping them confront their team? Because they don't have that. They don't have that relationship. Right. So talk a little bit about the importance of leaning in, confronting, having the courage to confront, and then also letting shit go and working together to solve problems so that everyone can grow and scale and integrate together as we're trying to achieve this bigger picture. Yeah.

Well, and so this is another interesting thing. Um, clearly when there's people involved. So I have my people on my side. We're training them, we're hiring them, we're nurturing them. We're formatting them. You have your people on your side. You're hiring them. You're training them, you're formatting them. You're leading them. When my people are letting your people down and your people are letting you down and themselves down, and my people are letting me and myself down, you as a client could easily call me and say, uh, I don't want to work with you anymore because you guys aren't helping me out. And I know we had a couple conversations where you called, this is a thing. This is I just it's so important that people hear what I'm going to say right now. It's so important that you develop the confront the the understanding that when things are not working, you don't bail, right? You lean in. And I'll never forget when my team was out of your with your team and we were dropping the ball in some areas as I was bringing some people on and I was trying to acclimate them, and I had to get rid of some people and bring some new people on. There were some missed elements of what we were supposed to be doing. And you called me one day and you're like, hey, I've got some frustration that's crept in in the last 90 or 120 days. I feel like some of your people are not following through. And I know you run a quality organization and I know we're missing some things. My team is seeing it. I'm seeing it. But because I respect you and I want to be a good partner to you. Just like you would call me Brandon. If you see things in my business, you've got some holes in your business. And I think if I help you fix your holes, you can help me do things faster. And you and I came together and said, where are the holes? I made changes, and, and and we keep doing that. Now contrast that to someone who calls and complains, oh, you guys are letting me down. And I don't, because I always tell business owners, most of you have no idea how to confront your own internal problems. You just run from them. Why not practice helping and working with me when we drop the ball and see how I confront them, so that you can get a reference point of, oh, this is how Brandon took care of it. Yeah. And so you and I did that because you're growing and scaling. I'm growing and scaling. And what we did is created a cadence where it's like, what's working? What's not working? What do we need to fix? How do we need to fix it. And we kept fighting to win for me and fighting to win for you together, because we recognize that as business owners and leaders, we need each other. Yes. How do you contrast that to the people that you've actually seen? Some clients come, and then you've sat there with them and they're like, oh, they dropped some balls. So we're going to move on. And and then you see what happens to those businesses, because if they're not willing to confront me, they're probably not going to confront their own team. Yeah. Right. And if they're not helping me confront my team, how am I helping them confront their team? Because they don't have that. They don't have that relationship. Right. So talk a little bit about the importance of leaning in, confronting, having the courage to confront, and then also letting shit go and working together to solve problems so that everyone can grow and scale and integrate together as we're trying to achieve this bigger picture. Yeah.

It's it's almost like I when I think about the that contrast because it's, it's so foreign to what I would do. And uh, because I know how I understand Stan how damaging that would be if that's how you're going to move through business. And I almost call bullshit on it because I feel like it's just a way to bail. It's it's like it's chickening out. That really is what it comes down to because my approach is, well, number one, I'm aware of the fact that I'm growing and scaling my business and you're growing and scaling at hyper growth here in your business. And of course, there's going to be some challenges and aware of that. There's no way that it's going to be all like perfect all the time. That is impossible. I'm never going to find anybody to be of any service whatsoever that's going to be able to help me and be perfect all the time, especially some organization as successful as yours that's experiencing a growth. There's reasons why you're successful. And, you know, I learned a long time ago never to be part of the problem, always be part of the solution. So when you find a problem, this is something my dad taught me at a very young age. And my grandfather bring solutions. So if I see a problem or a challenge or situation and I have a tremendous amount of respect and we're working together as organizations, we have mutual interests to succeed. It is in everyone's benefit to come to you and say, hey, you know what? We attempted to work it out, but I think it's at the point where I need to elevate it to you, Brandon. And here's the situation. And I think there's I have a possible couple of solutions. I'd like to share them with you, but I'd like to hear what your thoughts are. And then boom, we figure it out. And that's how you earn respect and you earn relationships and business. But if every time something goes wrong in business, you just bail. You're never going to have a network of business relationships.

It's it's almost like I when I think about the that contrast because it's, it's so foreign to what I would do. And uh, because I know how I understand Stan how damaging that would be if that's how you're going to move through business. And I almost call bullshit on it because I feel like it's just a way to bail. It's it's like it's chickening out. That really is what it comes down to because my approach is, well, number one, I'm aware of the fact that I'm growing and scaling my business and you're growing and scaling at hyper growth here in your business. And of course, there's going to be some challenges and aware of that. There's no way that it's going to be all like perfect all the time. That is impossible. I'm never going to find anybody to be of any service whatsoever that's going to be able to help me and be perfect all the time, especially some organization as successful as yours that's experiencing a growth. There's reasons why you're successful. And, you know, I learned a long time ago never to be part of the problem, always be part of the solution. So when you find a problem, this is something my dad taught me at a very young age. And my grandfather bring solutions. So if I see a problem or a challenge or situation and I have a tremendous amount of respect and we're working together as organizations, we have mutual interests to succeed. It is in everyone's benefit to come to you and say, hey, you know what? We attempted to work it out, but I think it's at the point where I need to elevate it to you, Brandon. And here's the situation. And I think there's I have a possible couple of solutions. I'd like to share them with you, but I'd like to hear what your thoughts are. And then boom, we figure it out. And that's how you earn respect and you earn relationships and business. But if every time something goes wrong in business, you just bail. You're never going to have a network of business relationships.

And to and you're never going to learn how to actually work through something, because you're going to revert back to the same people that didn't know how to do it the first time. That's right. Which is yourself. That's right. And you go back to the same behavior, which is blaming everybody else for why you can't succeed. Yeah.

And to and you're never going to learn how to actually work through something, because you're going to revert back to the same people that didn't know how to do it the first time. That's right. Which is yourself. That's right. And you go back to the same behavior, which is blaming everybody else for why you can't succeed. Yeah.

And those those people are probably not setting their employees up for success. And when they don't do a good enough job because they didn't set him up for success. They're firing him and it really the fault is the business owner. They're probably experiencing a lot of problems like that in their business, because it's just going to be a vicious cycle for them. They're going to be stuck. And, you know, even if they're getting some growth and they think they know, oh, you know what? I got growth. But can they sustain it because what are they going to where are they going to revert to. Did they really learn what they need to learn. They, they have they, they, they hit a level. But did they are they getting to levels where they've got what they need inside their organization.

And those those people are probably not setting their employees up for success. And when they don't do a good enough job because they didn't set him up for success. They're firing him and it really the fault is the business owner. They're probably experiencing a lot of problems like that in their business, because it's just going to be a vicious cycle for them. They're going to be stuck. And, you know, even if they're getting some growth and they think they know, oh, you know what? I got growth. But can they sustain it because what are they going to where are they going to revert to. Did they really learn what they need to learn. They, they have they, they, they hit a level. But did they are they getting to levels where they've got what they need inside their organization.

So now all of a sudden, because you have the tenacity to work things out, you start bringing your team along. When they come to you and they say, we have problems. You're like, yeah, let me show you how we resolve problems. Let's get Brandon's team. Let's get my team. Let's better connect the dots. Let's make sure the two business owners are aligned, and let's make sure that our equal teams are aligned and they work together over the course of trial and error and practicing and executing. Now we fast forward. It's only been 60 months. I mean, it's not like this has been ten years. No. and in 60 months my business was a startup. 60 months ago, I was a pure startup. It was my wife and I with a couple other people. Today we have 370 employees doing almost a quarter of $1 billion. Your business was entirely dependent on you being in the office every single day, doing 23 million or 24 million bucks. Now, you have been able to move two years ago. So three months into three years into that cycle, you're able to make your move to Florida. Yeah. You're able to put enough money in cartoon capital. Millions and millions of dollars, because you're much more profitable, and you're able to share the value and the upside of your company to your team, which is running the day to day operations. And what, a year ago, I think it was. Yes. You and I sat down and I said, you've done such a remarkable, remarkable job, and you've hit your targets and you do everything you say you're going to do, and you have so much credibility. And you had mastered my 15 month leadership program like every module would. Discipline participated on every one of the events, and all of a sudden you're like, I think I could add some additional value from the entrepreneurial perspective that's in your program. I'm like, yeah, I mean, bring it on. Like, you have enough credibility with me. Bring anything you want. And you came and spent some time with me to figure out how to build even better continuity. And your whole team was on the program, too, going through this. So you had what it looked like for the team to come into the program, too. And I was like, man, this is amazing. This is such a good perspective. Why don't you run it? Yeah. And you're like, oh, dream job come true. Now you get to sit with me and John Maxwell and my mentors. You get to work on programs. We go to private dinners with the people that have changed my life for 30 years. You get to the inner circle of that, and now you're part of the inner circle, right? Talk a little bit about the transformation for you, just being able to elevate yourself into something that you're so passionate about. You're highly successful. We just had Hundred and 60 business owners here say this is one of the best events they ever went to. We're launching a program for employees to model and mimic what you've been able to do and what I've been able to do, and you lead that program. Talk a little bit about that. How in 60 months you've entirely transformed yourself and put you in a different circle of people that you were reading their books about five years ago, and now you're in the room privately with them developing things?