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Transcript

OWNERSHIP IS LONELY · SliderCuts This Is Ownership Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_00: I can recall standing in the barber shop, cutting hair.
0:04
SPEAKER_00: The shop was busy, loads of clients, every barber cutting, and it felt so lonely.
0:12
SPEAKER_00: I was around so many people, people smiling, football banter, everything going on, a loud shop.
0:20
SPEAKER_00: I was surrounded by so many people.
0:24
SPEAKER_00: Yet, why did I feel lonely?
0:29
SPEAKER_00: And the reason was because I was dealing with so much in the business that nobody knew.
0:38
SPEAKER_00: I was dealing with things in my personal life that nobody knew.
0:43
SPEAKER_00: Or some may have known, but no one really cared to some degree.
0:49
SPEAKER_00: I was dealing with everything that was going on with the individuals that worked in the shop.
0:57
SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't that it was going right.
1:00
SPEAKER_00: It's not like I was just resolving all the issues and it was going right.
1:04
SPEAKER_00: So I was carrying all of these things.
1:08
SPEAKER_00: So standing there, cutting hair in a crowded space, I literally felt alone.
1:16
SPEAKER_00: And many owners have experienced this and they understand it.
1:21
SPEAKER_00: When someone says ownership is lonely, you may think to yourself, what are you talking about?
1:28
SPEAKER_00: Well, today, on the Cider Cuts podcast, which I'm still trying to work out a name for, at the moment, I think I'm gonna go with Schooled by Owners.
1:41
SPEAKER_00: Because this podcast is all about my journey, the advice I've got for you guys which want to set up your own barbershop businesses, and just talking very real, unfiltered, unedited, just talking everything, barbering, business, and in between.
2:01
SPEAKER_00: If you don't know who I am already, my name is Mark Mackyver, and this is for today anyway, the slider cuts schooled by owners podcast.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: Ownership is lonely.
2:16
SPEAKER_00: I said this to my staff or some of my staff last week, and they were like, Oh, okay, yeah, it's lonely at the top.
2:23
SPEAKER_00: And I said, No, that's not what I'm saying.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: They're like, Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know what you're saying, man.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: It's lonely at the top.
2:29
SPEAKER_00: It must be so lonely being up there by yourself.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, No, that's not what it means when one says ownership is lonely.
2:37
SPEAKER_00: So they were like, Well, what does it mean then?
2:40
SPEAKER_00: And I explained to them, which is what I'm gonna explain to you guys today.
2:44
SPEAKER_00: I said to them, first of all, do you know how many businesses fail, end up in debt, never do well, and they feel this loneliness.
2:59
SPEAKER_00: Are you gonna say that they're at the top?
3:01
SPEAKER_00: Yes, there's some businesses that do very well and they end up at the top, and yes, it may be lonely at the top, but when someone says business or ownership, sorry, is lonely, it's because it feels like you're in it by yourself.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: And it is the case because ultimately, if anything goes wrong in my business, it's on my head.
3:25
SPEAKER_00: When my staff have complaints and issues in the business, they come to me and they expect that I resolve it and sort it out.
3:35
SPEAKER_00: When I have got issues, whether it's in my personal life or in the business, who do I talk to?
3:44
SPEAKER_00: The staff don't care.
3:46
SPEAKER_00: And when I say they don't care, I mean they may show some empathy.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying that they're cold-hearted, nothing like that.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: But what I mean by that is I may have a staff member, and this has happened.
3:58
SPEAKER_00: So this happens.
4:00
SPEAKER_00: Their performance starts dropping.
4:03
SPEAKER_00: Maybe they're not showing up, maybe the attitude changes.
4:07
SPEAKER_00: And I speak to them and they can tell me things are going on in their life.
4:12
SPEAKER_00: So it's like, okay, I understand.
4:15
SPEAKER_00: So I need to start now showing some compassion, maybe give them some leave, paid leave, maybe excuse some of the wrongs which they're doing because you've explained to me everything that's going on in your world, and I'm like, okay, I hear that.
4:30
SPEAKER_00: But I said this to my staff.
4:33
SPEAKER_00: So what about when things are going wrong for me, or things are going on in my personal life as well?
4:39
SPEAKER_00: Would you excuse me not paying you?
4:42
SPEAKER_00: Or excuse me, you know, showing up really late with your payments?
4:48
SPEAKER_00: Would you excuse me not paying the bills?
4:50
SPEAKER_00: Would you excuse me say, look, things are coming on top of me, that's why I haven't paid the bills, and that's why the electricity has now been cut?
4:58
SPEAKER_00: No.
4:59
SPEAKER_00: Because ultimately, they want what I'm supposed to do to be done.
5:05
SPEAKER_00: They can say sorry for what's going on with you, and they may genuinely be compassionate towards me, but ultimately they want their payment on time.
5:16
SPEAKER_00: They want the electrics on, they want their space the way it's supposed to be.
5:20
SPEAKER_00: Everything I'm supposed to do, they want it done as it's supposed to be done.
5:25
SPEAKER_00: They don't want to hear excuses.
5:27
SPEAKER_00: But when it's the other way around, as an owner, you have to show compassion.
5:32
SPEAKER_00: You have to hear the excuses.
5:35
SPEAKER_00: Or else, suddenly, you're this horrible guy.
5:40
SPEAKER_00: Imagine they were going through this and you said they have to work.
5:43
SPEAKER_00: Or you've seen it online.
5:44
SPEAKER_00: I've seen it so many times online where you see people complaining, talking about this was going on in my life, and my owner, you know, the boss let me go.
5:52
SPEAKER_00: And everybody is on the side of the employee, but no one ever thinks what's going on with the owner.
5:58
SPEAKER_00: Maybe the owner can't afford to have you missing days or slipping up.
6:04
SPEAKER_00: Maybe your mishaps could cause that business to shut down.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: So now you're online blasting this owner, giving it to the owner.
6:17
SPEAKER_00: They're horrible, they're narcissists, they're this, they're that, everything.
6:22
SPEAKER_00: But did anyone ever stop to ask why the owner responded that way?
6:28
SPEAKER_00: And let me just be clear: in different situations, the employee may be wrong, the owner may be wrong, in some situations, nobody's wrong.
6:36
SPEAKER_00: It's just is what it is, it's just what happened.
6:38
SPEAKER_00: But I'm saying when it comes to ownership, people just don't seem to care, and everyone just thinks you got it all sorted out, and you're good, you own the business, so you know you're rich.
6:53
SPEAKER_00: And I said it to them.
6:55
SPEAKER_00: Look how many businesses fail.
6:58
SPEAKER_00: I'm eight years into owning my shop, right?
7:02
SPEAKER_00: I still got debts, I still got things which I need to cover.
7:06
SPEAKER_00: I'm not in the season or in the place I want to be in yet, but this is not like a cry for help.
7:12
SPEAKER_00: God willing, I'm gonna get there.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: I know the next the next season, the next phase of my life is gonna be that.
7:17
SPEAKER_00: I can see it, right?
7:19
SPEAKER_00: And I've done all the things I'm supposed to do, so I'm not like complaining.
7:22
SPEAKER_00: But what I'm saying is, people don't look at what the owners or what is going on with the owner, they just say, you know, they're horrible.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: There's other situations where you know people have been like, you know, this happened to me and then the owner let me go.
7:35
SPEAKER_00: And it's like, well, maybe the owner couldn't afford to keep you.
7:40
SPEAKER_00: They're like, nah, I don't care.
7:41
SPEAKER_00: Because everyone just thinks the owner's doing well until the business shuts down.
7:46
SPEAKER_00: That's why people will take, take, take from the owner, friends, family, but they'll take, take, take from the owner.
7:52
SPEAKER_00: When something is going wrong, they go to the owner.
7:55
SPEAKER_00: And listen to me, Kelek, care carefully.
7:58
SPEAKER_00: This is the position of ownership.
8:01
SPEAKER_00: So I'm not complaining.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: This is what comes with it.
8:06
SPEAKER_00: People come to me with their problems, they just want me to solve it.
8:09
SPEAKER_00: Like some of the problems people have come to me with.
8:27
SPEAKER_00: Like, actually no, I can't give you I can give you examples, but these are real stories, so I don't want to put up people's stories and I haven't thought about a way to change the story right now.
8:36
SPEAKER_00: But let me try.
8:38
SPEAKER_00: Someone came to me once, and basically they were just saying to me that they can't really work the job because it clashes with one of their other jobs, basically.
8:54
SPEAKER_00: But they want to keep the job.
8:57
SPEAKER_00: So when I was thinking about it, I'm like, okay, so they want to keep this job, but this job clashes with their other job.
9:04
SPEAKER_00: Their other job takes precedent and priority, okay?
9:08
SPEAKER_00: But they want to keep the job.
9:11
SPEAKER_00: And I remember just thinking, so what are they asking for me?
9:14
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't make any sense.
9:17
SPEAKER_00: And I remember it hit me.
9:20
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I get it.
9:25
SPEAKER_00: They want to keep this job and still get paid.
9:28
SPEAKER_00: They want to keep their other job and still get paid.
9:31
SPEAKER_00: But they don't want the job they're doing for me to infringe on their other job.
9:39
SPEAKER_00: So they just want me to resolve it.
9:42
SPEAKER_00: And make something happen for them.
9:45
SPEAKER_00: Make it happen that you know, just work it out.
9:47
SPEAKER_00: Because in this position, that's what people look at you as.
9:49
SPEAKER_00: You're a problem solver because you are.
9:52
SPEAKER_00: Doesn't matter if it's if it's irrational what they're saying or illogical, solve it.
9:58
SPEAKER_00: Things go wrong, make it happen.
10:00
SPEAKER_00: I've been sitting there in the shop and the builders and it starts raining, and the back just started leaking.
10:06
SPEAKER_00: And it's like the builders came up to me and said, Yo, yeah, there's a leak in the back, it's gonna cost you£10,000.
10:14
SPEAKER_00: And I'm standing there in the barber shop, like 10,000 pounds.
10:17
SPEAKER_00: I just opened up this shop, I poured everything I have and more into it.
10:21
SPEAKER_00: I have no money, but if I don't resolve it, the that roof is gonna become more and more moldy, and eventually I'm gonna have to do even more, and it's gonna cost me more.
10:34
SPEAKER_00: And this is a story from me already doing the roof.
10:36
SPEAKER_00: So imagine when I open up the shop, I replaced the whole roof, did the whole roof because it had holes in it.
10:42
SPEAKER_00: Imagine it didn't rain for months.
10:44
SPEAKER_00: So after the builders had run off anyway, it didn't rain, so it was cool.
10:48
SPEAKER_00: The winter season came, winter season came, suddenly it's raining, now it's leaking.
10:53
SPEAKER_00: So I didn't even know they did the bad job.
10:56
SPEAKER_00: Got to resolve it.
10:58
SPEAKER_00: People don't care where the money comes from, they don't care, just resolve it.
11:02
SPEAKER_00: I remember resolving that, and then one of the piping works busts, like in the shop, and then coming in the shop.
11:10
SPEAKER_00: I didn't actually, I wasn't working that day.
11:11
SPEAKER_00: Someone called me to say, hey, you know, the back's flooded.
11:14
SPEAKER_00: I remember I was with my son, my older son dropped him to school with my younger son who's not in nursery, so and it's like, oh, it's my son or my daughter, no, my son.
11:25
SPEAKER_00: So I have to go there getting towels by myself.
11:30
SPEAKER_00: Nobody's helping out.
11:31
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm not getting at the other people, it's my premises, it's my business, it's on me.
11:38
SPEAKER_00: All I get is a phone call saying it's leaking.
11:41
SPEAKER_00: So I have to go there, and I mean when I'm leaking, I mean the water from the ground is like about that much up from the ground.
11:48
SPEAKER_00: Just leaking.
11:49
SPEAKER_00: It's like, so I'm just there.
11:51
SPEAKER_00: Maybe I'm exaggerating, maybe it might be that much from the ground.
11:54
SPEAKER_00: About that.
11:55
SPEAKER_00: So then it's like okay, towels, squeeze, empty, squeeze, and just there, you know, my son running around, okay, hold still, this and that.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: This is what ownership is.
12:08
SPEAKER_00: You got more money going out than coming in.
12:11
SPEAKER_00: You got to find the money, pay people.
12:15
SPEAKER_00: So when people say ownership is lonely, it's not to do with being lonely at the top.
12:19
SPEAKER_00: It's just a lonely road.
12:22
SPEAKER_00: You're by yourself.
12:23
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes, especially when it comes to managing people, those could be some of the hardest situations.
12:28
SPEAKER_00: And those have been, I'll speak for myself, those have been the hardest situations for me.
12:33
SPEAKER_00: When people are being irrational, illogical, when people just won't resolve things, or when there's people who just won't do the thing they're supposed to do, when you've got emotional ties with people, when you have to let go of people that you know that is going to cause issues, when people are giving you all of the sob stories, pulling at your heartstrings, but you're looking at them saying, This is not working out, and you have to make tough decisions.
13:06
SPEAKER_00: When everybody is complaining about something, but it has to be you to resolve it.
13:12
SPEAKER_00: When everybody points at you when things are going wrong, but when things are going right, do you know what you hear from staff?
13:18
SPEAKER_00: And this is in all walks of business.
13:20
SPEAKER_00: Staff, when things are going right and a business is flourishing, staff will always say, We're the ones doing the work.
13:27
SPEAKER_00: And to be honest, I've heard it in my shop, it's not I've heard people say it, we're the ones cutting hair.
13:31
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, I cut hair as well, but you know, we're the ones cutting hair, and I've always said it.
13:35
SPEAKER_00: I need people, so I'm not here saying I don't need anybody, I need people, I need barbers for the business to flourish, but I don't need any particular barber, but I need barbers, so I'm not here being like, I can do this by myself.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: I cannot.
13:53
SPEAKER_00: So when a business is going well, and I've heard it, different businesses heard it in my business from people, you know, the murmurs.
13:59
SPEAKER_00: We're the ones doing all the work.
14:01
SPEAKER_00: Why is he taking that much?
14:03
SPEAKER_00: Why does he take that percentage split?
14:04
SPEAKER_00: Or how can he charge us this much money?
14:06
SPEAKER_00: We're the ones actually doing this, we're doing that.
14:08
SPEAKER_00: He says he does this, but what the ones doing this and we're doing that?
14:10
SPEAKER_00: All of that kind of stuff there.
14:11
SPEAKER_00: When things are going right, it's all of them.
14:14
SPEAKER_00: When things go wrong, who do they blame?
14:17
SPEAKER_00: The owner.
14:19
SPEAKER_00: If the business shuts down, who's fought is it?
14:21
SPEAKER_00: The owner.
14:22
SPEAKER_00: But if the business is going well, who's doing it?
14:27
SPEAKER_00: The staff.
14:30
SPEAKER_00: This is where it comes, where it says ownership is lonely.
14:34
SPEAKER_00: Because you've got to deal with all these things there.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: It's a thankless job.
14:38
SPEAKER_00: I came to realize that you should realize you're doing something well or doing something right in your business when they're not when the staff aren't saying anything.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: Because a lot of times the staff won't say thank you to you, even when you outwardly go out of the way from them.
14:52
SPEAKER_00: They may say like thank you on the spot, oh yeah, thanks for that.
14:54
SPEAKER_00: You know, like you give someone a bonus, they say thank you.
14:57
SPEAKER_00: But as soon as something doesn't go right, they forget everything.
15:00
SPEAKER_00: And I've had those situations, like I'll give you one, I don't want to make this too long, but this is just like talking about why it's so hard and why it's it's a lonely road.
15:07
SPEAKER_00: I remember having a staff member where I did, I really went out of my way for them.
15:12
SPEAKER_00: I'm not going to talk about the situations because it'll it'll point out I've had loads of staff, so you won't know who it is.
15:17
SPEAKER_00: So if I start talking about the individual situations, but I just know I went out of my way for them.
15:22
SPEAKER_00: And they know this because they would say it to me, yeah, you know, yeah, yeah, we appreciate it, appreciate it, appreciate it.
15:26
SPEAKER_00: All of that kind of stuff there, right?
15:27
SPEAKER_00: They even told me before, you know, and I've had it from a few people, so you don't know who it is, but they said, you know, do you know what?
15:31
SPEAKER_00: I think you've been the best boss I've ever had, right?
15:33
SPEAKER_00: Then I remember something went wrong.
15:35
SPEAKER_00: Not of my doing, but something went wrong.
15:38
SPEAKER_00: And I remember they started complaining, and the way they were complaining, it was like, rah, you'd think that I've been like a horrible person, a horrible boss to them.
15:47
SPEAKER_00: And it made me think and realize you can do a hundred things right.
15:53
SPEAKER_00: As soon as one thing doesn't go someone's way, they dash you out.
15:58
SPEAKER_00: You're just on the other side, you're like the rest of them.
16:02
SPEAKER_00: And you just got to deal with these things.
16:04
SPEAKER_00: And I've been in the barbershop where I've got so much going on in my head.
16:08
SPEAKER_00: I've been on a phone speaking to a staff member for five hours, resolving their problem.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: Another staff member, two hours, three hours, and everybody just thinks that when they talk to me, they're the only ones bringing issues to me.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: And I have to say this to them all the time: you're not the only one.
16:24
SPEAKER_00: Because everybody wants my time, my attention, everybody wants me to resolve what I got to resolve with them straight away and not realize there is so much going on, but nobody cares because what they want is what they want, and this is why I say ownership is lonely, because you're doing it by yourself, because the people around you, you could be in a crowded space, but they don't really care.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: And I don't mean it in a careless way, but they just don't really care what's going on with you, they care about what's going on with them.
16:53
SPEAKER_00: And when I explained this to the staff members last week, they said to me, Do you know what?
16:58
SPEAKER_00: I hear you.
16:59
SPEAKER_00: They made some jokes about it because when I was saying they don't care, some of the people in the shop were saying, Yeah, you guys don't care, man.
17:04
SPEAKER_00: You guys need to speak to Mark a little bit more, man, and check in on him, check in on him, right?
17:07
SPEAKER_00: Just making jokes, right?
17:09
SPEAKER_00: But they understood what I was saying.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: Because I'm not even saying to you guys that it should be any different.
17:13
SPEAKER_00: No, this is the role of ownership.
17:16
SPEAKER_00: So if you want to go into ownership and running your own barber shop or any other business, this is ownership.
17:24
SPEAKER_00: Don't expect anything else.
17:27
SPEAKER_00: You are there to run a successful business and provide jobs for other people and to provide profits and serve people.
17:35
SPEAKER_00: That's it.
17:37
SPEAKER_00: When you're doing things right, nobody says anything.
17:41
SPEAKER_00: When things go wrong, everybody complains.
17:44
SPEAKER_00: That is ownership.
17:46
SPEAKER_00: So if you want to go open up your own business, open up your own barbershop, and think to yourself, actually, it's gonna be simple, it's not going to be that simple.
17:55
SPEAKER_00: Especially when you're dealing with people.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: Because people aren't simple.
17:59
SPEAKER_00: I'm not simple, you're not simple, nobody is simple.
18:06
SPEAKER_00: So, if this is the journey journey you want to embark on, embark on it.
18:11
SPEAKER_00: But don't go into it thinking it's an easy road, and it won't be like that for me.
18:17
SPEAKER_00: Because when you speak to owners of any industry, you'll find out rah, it seems like everybody's going through the same thing separately by themselves.
18:28
SPEAKER_00: And on that note, this is why I've actually created a community group called School of Owners.
18:37
SPEAKER_00: This is for people which are embarking on opening up their own barbershop, or you already own your own barbershop.
18:45
SPEAKER_00: This is a specialist group to help and teach those how to run business, manage how to run your barbershop, how to deal with the numbers, how to deal with staff and manage people, the systems you should put in place, the payment structures, how to maximize profits.
19:02
SPEAKER_00: If you want to join, the description is in the link.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: And if you don't, all good.
19:09
SPEAKER_00: Come back next week where you can see me on Schooled by Owners, the Cider Cuts Podcast, where I talk all things barbering, business, and in between.