Latest / Shed Talk with Kevin Halliday / Fire Yourself First | Chris Jones, Expert EOS Implementer | Shed Talk with Kevin Halliday Ep. #124
Transcript
- combined.txt 100% Kevin Halliday: If you couldn't work for Kevin Halliday: the next 30 days, what Kevin Halliday: would happen to your Kevin Halliday: business and also your Kevin Halliday: income? Kevin Halliday: That question gets really Kevin Halliday: uncomfortable really fast. Kevin Halliday: Welcome to Shed Talk. I'm Kevin Halliday: Kevin Halliday and today Kevin Halliday: I'm joined with Chris Kevin Halliday: Jones, entrepreneur, Kevin Halliday: author of Relentless AF, Kevin Halliday: and an expert in EOS Kevin Halliday: Implementer. Kevin Halliday: Chris lost 70 % of his Kevin Halliday: business overnight. night. Kevin Halliday: He's built and sold Kevin Halliday: businesses. Today, he Kevin Halliday: helps owners build Kevin Halliday: companies where every Kevin Halliday: decision doesn't Kevin Halliday: have to land on their Kevin Halliday: desk. We're going to be Kevin Halliday: talking about control, Kevin Halliday: ego, and the cost of Kevin Halliday: always being needed. What Kevin Halliday: happens Kevin Halliday: when your business keeps Kevin Halliday: growing, but your freedom Kevin Halliday: keeps shrinking? All Kevin Halliday: right, Chris, welcome to Kevin Halliday: Shed Talk. Good to to have Kevin Halliday: you here. I know it's, um, Kevin Halliday: well, how was the drive to Kevin Halliday: get here? Pretty good. Chris Jones: I went in circles a few times Chris Jones: early, but yeah. Chris Jones: Excellent. No, it was Chris Jones: straight here, right close to Chris Jones: Oh yeah, Chris Jones: CoreFit Chris Jones: where I used to train all the Chris Jones: time. Kevin Halliday: that's right. Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: So it's been, that's Kevin Halliday: right. Cause you'd been Kevin Halliday: over at Corfitt and then Kevin Halliday: did that. Oh man. And Chris Jones: yeah, yeah, I love that kind Chris Jones: of training. Kevin Halliday: we've known each other for Kevin Halliday: how many years right now? Kevin Halliday: It's probably Chris Jones: Close to 20. 20 years. Yeah, Chris Jones: I think 20 in EO this year, Chris Jones: so. Wow, that's a long time. Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: So Chris, I want to get Kevin Halliday: right into this because Kevin Halliday: I think Kevin Halliday: Because one of the things Kevin Halliday: I want to know is when did Kevin Halliday: you last realize that you Kevin Halliday: if Kevin Halliday: were actually in the way Kevin Halliday: of your company? Chris Jones: I take it back, it would have Chris Jones: been when I was in EEO, Kevin Halliday: right? Chris Jones: And being surrounded by other Chris Jones: leaders that were in, I don't Chris Jones: know, hearing the different Chris Jones: experiences and stories and Chris Jones: And then Chris Jones: the analogy that hit me, Chris Jones: how Chris Jones: metaphor, whatever it is, I Chris Jones: was the linchpin in my Chris Jones: business. Chris Jones: And if you'd removed me, Chris Jones: business wouldn't have Chris Jones: survived. Chris Jones: and i'm like holy crap like Chris Jones: i've created a job not a Chris Jones: business and like i it was Chris Jones: like i'd built my own prison Kevin Halliday: and Chris Jones: i'm like i gotta change this Chris Jones: and Kevin Halliday: then how did you realize Kevin Halliday: how to change it? Kevin Halliday: Like that wake -up moment. Kevin Halliday: Like when was that aha? Kevin Halliday: yeah yeah Chris Jones: this would have been around Chris Jones: probably 08 i would say yeah Chris Jones: yeah around 08 and how to Chris Jones: to change it well I mean I Chris Jones: effed it up a lot of times Chris Jones: before I figured it out I Chris Jones: tried a bunch of things I uh Chris Jones: I recognized okay well if Chris Jones: it's not going to be about me Chris Jones: I need a system so how do Chris Jones: I make myself replaceable and Chris Jones: so I started with various Chris Jones: systems I read E -Myth by Chris Jones: Gerber uh I read I had Vern Chris Jones: Harsh's Rockefeller Habits. Chris Jones: And I made attempts to Chris Jones: staff Chris Jones: implement those systems in my Chris Jones: business. Chris Jones: And it was super painful. It Chris Jones: did not go well for me. Kevin Halliday: And then staff. Kevin Halliday: like how was staff like Kevin Halliday: I was staffed. Kevin Halliday: acceptable so here you are Kevin Halliday: you're an eo member where Kevin Halliday: this is Kevin Halliday: what i found Kevin Halliday: from Kevin Halliday: yeah from my experiences Kevin Halliday: people that are in eo Kevin Halliday: which is great okay as an Kevin Halliday: entrepreneur's Kevin Halliday: organization learning off Kevin Halliday: of other entrepreneurs and Kevin Halliday: we all have the greatest Kevin Halliday: ideas in the end Kevin Halliday: together because we're Kevin Halliday: entrepreneurs then what Kevin Halliday: sure Kevin Halliday: happens is every single Kevin Halliday: time you go to a meeting Kevin Halliday: or a forum meeting or Kevin Halliday: something like that we go Kevin Halliday: back to our staff and say Kevin Halliday: guess what we're going to Kevin Halliday: do or we go see Chris Jones: go i got the best idea ever Chris Jones: vernon yeah Kevin Halliday: we're doing it we're Kevin Halliday: implementing now this is Kevin Halliday: how it's going to go and Kevin Halliday: the guys are going oh no Kevin Halliday: here we go again he just Kevin Halliday: came back from another Kevin Halliday: retreat he just just read Kevin Halliday: the book he just did this Kevin Halliday: now you're going to Kevin Halliday: implement this because Kevin Halliday: you're implementing Kevin Halliday: some pretty major systems Kevin Halliday: especially when you have Kevin Halliday: your business lose 70 Kevin Halliday: percent overnight like Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: that's a whole different Kevin Halliday: ball of Kevin Halliday: wax so Chris Jones: Yeah, that was. Kevin Halliday: let's talk about as an Kevin Halliday: entrepreneur you're in Kevin Halliday: business okay Kevin Halliday: Yeah. and you lose 70 Kevin Halliday: Yeah, Kevin Halliday: percent overnight Chris Jones: great Chris Jones: that was a freight train Chris Jones: moment. You know, it was down Chris Jones: in San Antonio, January 8th, Chris Jones: 2012. Chris Jones: and we're at the coach's show Chris Jones: for football. Chris Jones: Big trade show, everyone in Chris Jones: the industry is there. Chris Jones: And in one conversation, like Chris Jones: 70 % walked out the door on Chris Jones: me. My major supplier, who Chris Jones: we'd built from ground zero Chris Jones: in Canada to the number one Chris Jones: market share product in the Chris Jones: country, said Chris Jones: it was over. Kevin Halliday: we Chris Jones: We couldn't tell a bigger Chris Jones: growth story. Chris Jones: Like, we were number one Chris Jones: product market share, and Chris Jones: like in the specialty shops Chris Jones: in Canada we were literally Chris Jones: 90 percent of the wall and Chris Jones: our competitors were Nike Chris Jones: Reebok Under Armour and our Chris Jones: stores were like well we Chris Jones: gotta have one peg of Chris Jones: like these other brands Chris Jones: they're kind of a big deal Chris Jones: and somebody wanted the Chris Jones: brands but like our stuff Chris Jones: Cutters was number one Chris Jones: everywhere it was nine of the Chris Jones: ten pegs for sure and they're Chris Jones: like well we Chris Jones: can't sell any more unless Chris Jones: you make more football Chris Jones: players and so we our growth Chris Jones: that was getting getting Chris Jones: smaller, right? So we'd Chris Jones: plateaued a bit, right? We Chris Jones: had a steep growth curve Chris Jones: and then it started to Chris Jones: plateau. And we couldn't tell Chris Jones: a great growth story anymore Chris Jones: other than we're going to Chris Jones: keep dominating the Chris Jones: marketplace. And there were Chris Jones: other complicating factors Chris Jones: too. It Chris Jones: was a 12 -year relationship Chris Jones: and it, you know, started to Chris Jones: run its course. And it was Chris Jones: time for us to move on, not Chris Jones: by my choice. Kevin Halliday: but okay let's ask that Kevin Halliday: question because a lot of Kevin Halliday: people have long Kevin Halliday: businesses long Kevin Halliday: business yeah yeah yeah Kevin Halliday: relationships Kevin Halliday: ships and it's run its Kevin Halliday: course not by my choice Kevin Halliday: yeah back Chris Jones: okay Kevin Halliday: so looking back at that Kevin Halliday: and getting into the Kevin Halliday: apparels like you're Kevin Halliday: saying so let's talk a Kevin Halliday: in Kevin Halliday: little bit what you sell Kevin Halliday: first so everyone Kevin Halliday: understands what you're Kevin Halliday: selling Chris Jones: the day that was so we were Chris Jones: sporting goods distributors Chris Jones: rear high -end unique Chris Jones: products the the football Chris Jones: gloves was the first one I Chris Jones: invented a football glove Chris Jones: high grip material help you Chris Jones: catch better Chris Jones: and then went to the Chris Jones: distribution route to like Chris Jones: solve a manufacturing Chris Jones: problem. Chris Jones: And then we started to get Chris Jones: really successful with that Chris Jones: and build that brand. And Chris Jones: then we're like, well, let's Chris Jones: add other products on. So we Chris Jones: became the head office for Chris Jones: Canada for these unique Chris Jones: brands. Chris Jones: So I'd go all over the world, Chris Jones: source cool products, bring Chris Jones: them to Canada. Chris Jones: So we'd started to diversify Chris Jones: off this one major brand. Chris Jones: But, you know, it's hard to Chris Jones: find good brands and bring Chris Jones: them in. And we were really Chris Jones: good with the first one. I Chris Jones: knew the football glove Chris Jones: industry really, really well. Chris Jones: And so we were really Chris Jones: successful and had a great Chris Jones: product and everything. Chris Jones: And we'd started to diversify Chris Jones: and bring other brands in. Chris Jones: And we had lots of failures Chris Jones: on that path, right? And we Chris Jones: started to get some leverage Chris Jones: with some other ones. Chris Jones: But we were only 30 % in the Chris Jones: and then Chris Jones: other products. Chris Jones: And all of a sudden, the main Chris Jones: one was done. Kevin Halliday: why did they why was it Kevin Halliday: done like they because Kevin Halliday: they could buy direct or Kevin Halliday: the And this is your Chris Jones: yeah sure as our major Kevin Halliday: right? Chris Jones: supplier and as a distributor Chris Jones: and you're in a pretty tough Chris Jones: spot right because we don't Chris Jones: we didn't own the ip anymore Chris Jones: like i shut down my own stuff Chris Jones: to do that Chris Jones: and it worked really well Chris Jones: because we grew massively but Chris Jones: at some point the utility of Chris Jones: a distributor starts to Chris Jones: diminish and we were because Chris Jones: we couldn't tell the growth Chris Jones: story then Chris Jones: well like maybe we could go Chris Jones: direct and so that's what Chris Jones: they did and they were also Chris Jones: preparing for for sale, which Chris Jones: I found out later. They sold Chris Jones: later, a year later. Chris Jones: And, you know, so that was Chris Jones: probably part of it too, just Chris Jones: cleaning house and making it Chris Jones: and it's interesting Chris Jones: simple for a new buyer. Chris Jones: And all of a sudden we were Chris Jones: gone. Kevin Halliday: because when you talk Kevin Halliday: about distributors okay Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: so back in the day and Kevin Halliday: this is like you said what Kevin Halliday: is it 15 years ago Chris Jones: That was, yeah, 2012, Chris Jones: yeah. Kevin Halliday: we go back then and now Kevin Halliday: technology's changed a lot Kevin Halliday: today but when we look Kevin Halliday: back and i look at it like Kevin Halliday: um dealers like solomon uh Kevin Halliday: that were selling ski Kevin Halliday: equipment so you'd have a Kevin Halliday: broker come in and they go Kevin Halliday: to all these stores and Kevin Halliday: they sell them once Kevin Halliday: Once they got into that Kevin Halliday: store, then they said, Kevin Halliday: well, I don't need you as Kevin Halliday: a broker anymore. I'll Kevin Halliday: just go direct to Solomon Kevin Halliday: now because now we have Kevin Halliday: it. We'll go, then the Kevin Halliday: broker's going, well, what Kevin Halliday: about me? yeah Chris Jones: yeah yeah we were that right Chris Jones: um we had a team of reps uh Chris Jones: some of them had like Chris Jones: multiple teams we'd call Chris Jones: could be a broker would be Chris Jones: get brokered. Chris Jones: another name for that or Chris Jones: agency Chris Jones: agency and so we had a team Chris Jones: of reps across the country Chris Jones: and we were we owned a lot of Chris Jones: great relationships there and Chris Jones: from the stores that we would Chris Jones: sell to the mom and pop shops Chris Jones: specialty Chris Jones: shops to the big uh retail Chris Jones: like a sport check uh sports Chris Jones: experts this kind of thing Chris Jones: and so we had Chris Jones: all these relationships over Chris Jones: with a Chris Jones: 700 door fronts across the Chris Jones: country and and the team of Chris Jones: reps to Chris Jones: to get in there. And so we Chris Jones: had a really good network Chris Jones: that way. Chris Jones: So when the product went Chris Jones: away, we're like, holy, come Chris Jones: to Jesus moment. Like, what Chris Jones: do we do now? Kevin Halliday: and that's huge because Kevin Halliday: when all of a sudden you Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Yeah. Kevin Halliday: have all those stores 700 Kevin Halliday: you've got this Kevin Halliday: and now you're going in Kevin Halliday: there 70 overnight 70%. Chris Jones: No, I was like, dude, I was Chris Jones: numb. Chris Jones: I was numb. And he's like, Chris Jones: oh, this is going to be Chris Jones: better for both of us long Chris Jones: term. I'm like, no, it's not. Chris Jones: It's good for you. It's not Chris Jones: good for me. No way, know how Chris Jones: um Kevin Halliday: did that conversation Kevin Halliday: happen yeah we were Chris Jones: well we i mean we had a Chris Jones: oh no doubt Chris Jones: meeting planned and it didn't Chris Jones: go quite as i thought Chris Jones: it was gonna go it's like Chris Jones: yeah this is done like right Chris Jones: now and i'm like uh pardon Chris Jones: like i thought we had at Chris Jones: least another year is what Chris Jones: we've been told but whatever Chris Jones: like yeah Chris Jones: yeah it was tough and so i'm Chris Jones: at this trade show and i am Chris Jones: numb like my head is spinning Chris Jones: my head's so far up my butt i Chris Jones: I don't know which way is up. Chris Jones: Like, what do I do? Chris Jones: And so I'm on my own. My Chris Jones: wife's back at the hotel. She Chris Jones: had a sinus cold and really Chris Jones: sick in the hotel. And I'm Chris Jones: like, well, I'm going to go Chris Jones: i Chris Jones: back on the show floor. Chris Jones: And I'm like, I started like Chris Jones: completely numb, walk onto Chris Jones: the show floor. Like, it was Chris Jones: like I was floating on the Chris Jones: floor. Like I wasn't Chris Jones: physically present. It was Chris Jones: crazy. and I'm walking to Chris Jones: these booths Chris Jones: and I'm like, so recent Chris Jones: events have transpired that Chris Jones: make us really hungry for Chris Jones: some new relationships to Chris Jones: bring products into Canada. Chris Jones: Like, do you have a Canadian Chris Jones: solution? Chris Jones: And lo and behold, like that Chris Jones: day I landed, Chris Jones: I started the relationship Chris Jones: that would land another major Chris Jones: supplier for us that years Chris Jones: later would buy us. Chris Jones: And Kevin Halliday: it's interesting how you Kevin Halliday: say that, Kevin Halliday: that a lot of people don't Kevin Halliday: realize you're numb. Chris Jones: yeah Kevin Halliday: Okay. You just got Kevin Halliday: blindsided hit. You never Kevin Halliday: saw it coming. Could you Kevin Halliday: change the outcome? I Kevin Halliday: should have, could have, Kevin Halliday: would have. i wish i would Kevin Halliday: have did or not but the Kevin Halliday: thing about it is you look Kevin Halliday: at it here's your lowest Kevin Halliday: point Kevin Halliday: you feel the numbness and Kevin Halliday: then all of a sudden it's Kevin Halliday: like all right mentally Kevin Halliday: how strong were you Kevin Halliday: mentally in your head at Kevin Halliday: not Kevin Halliday: that point Chris Jones: good not good but what uh Chris Jones: like there's a reason reason Chris Jones: I called the book Relentless Chris Jones: AF like that I'm like I am Chris Jones: not gonna give up like all my Chris Jones: staff Chris Jones: are relying on me like am I Chris Jones: gonna have to lay everybody Chris Jones: off I don't know like I gotta Chris Jones: do something and I didn't Chris Jones: know what um but I'm gonna do Chris Jones: something and let me I'm just Chris Jones: not ready to give Chris Jones: up yet so I just went back on Chris Jones: the show floor I'm like well Chris Jones: what about what am I gonna do Chris Jones: I'm just going to talk to Chris Jones: people and the language Chris Jones: changed I was there to find Chris Jones: new suppliers anyways but Chris Jones: I'll Chris Jones: tell you that language change Chris Jones: and because of my headspace Chris Jones: is like dude I need another Chris Jones: client so a don't be Chris Jones: desperate and be like we're Chris Jones: super hungry and they're like Chris Jones: oh really oh well let's Chris Jones: talk and so that shift was I Chris Jones: mean looking back is the best Chris Jones: thing that ever happened to Chris Jones: me in that business that Chris Jones: moment Kevin Halliday: yeah yeah Kevin Halliday: at that when you're at Kevin Halliday: your lowest, then your Kevin Halliday: greatness actually comes Kevin Halliday: well Kevin Halliday: out because you have to be Kevin Halliday: so defined and so focused Kevin Halliday: that your first sale there Kevin Halliday: is, it's not in, it's not Kevin Halliday: desperation. Kevin Halliday: It's about, I need this Kevin Halliday: and they can feel it. And Kevin Halliday: that's where the sales, Kevin Halliday: cause I can feel I need Kevin Halliday: you. And then you're like, Chris Jones: I was desperate let's get Chris Jones: really clear but I was doing Chris Jones: my best to not project that Chris Jones: you know it's like hey Kevin Halliday: like what Chris Jones: we're good at what we do and Chris Jones: I knew that. You know, we're Chris Jones: hungry. And there's a Chris Jones: difference between hungry and Chris Jones: desperate in my head. And I'm Chris Jones: like, I'm going to do my best Chris Jones: to not be desperate, despite Chris Jones: the fact that I was Chris Jones: definitely shitting my pants. Chris Jones: So, you know, let's go see Chris Jones: what we can make of this. Chris Jones: And I mean, Chris Jones: the gift of that crisis, it Chris Jones: accessed a part of my brain Chris Jones: that wouldn't have been Chris Jones: possible without without the Chris Jones: crisis. You know what I mean? Chris Jones: Like, because without that, Chris Jones: holy crap, what am I going Chris Jones: to do? Okay. How do I go at Chris Jones: this with more energy? and Chris Jones: And that was like, we're Chris Jones: hungry. Let's go. Chris Jones: That before I would have been Chris Jones: a little bit more, maybe Chris Jones: playing a little bit more coy Chris Jones: of like, yeah, we're looking Chris Jones: for, you know, another Chris Jones: supplier if it's the right Chris Jones: fit or, you know, Chris Jones: know i would have played it a Chris Jones: little bit slower um versus Chris Jones: i'm hungry we're hungry let's Chris Jones: go let's talk there's a big Chris Jones: difference in that Kevin Halliday: you mentioned about being Kevin Halliday: desperate okay what's the Kevin Halliday: difference between the two Kevin Halliday: because you you just said Kevin Halliday: you didn't want to be Kevin Halliday: desperate yeah versus Chris Jones: there's an Kevin Halliday: urgency like okay Kevin Halliday: here it is what's the Kevin Halliday: difference between because Kevin Halliday: when you're desperate Kevin Halliday: shows panic in your eyes Chris Jones: and desperate's creepy Chris Jones: okay i'm looking desperate Chris Jones: right like and so i think Chris Jones: it's where it's coming from i Chris Jones: think the desperate desperate Chris Jones: versus hungry Hungry. Chris Jones: Desperate is out of fear. I Chris Jones: am scared that I don't know, Chris Jones: like I need this. Chris Jones: Hungry is I want this. And Chris Jones: that's, that's a big Chris Jones: The Chris Jones: difference. Kevin Halliday: difference between want Chris Jones: And need. Yeah. Yeah. So, I Chris Jones: mean, in that moment, I was Chris Jones: for sure desperate. I needed Chris Jones: it. But I was like, I was Chris Jones: smart enough to know, don't Chris Jones: project that or it's not a Chris Jones: good formula. Chris Jones: and over the next few weeks I Chris Jones: got from need to want Chris Jones: mentally as well right and so Chris Jones: I I hit where I knew I needed Chris Jones: to be and that was a much it Chris Jones: was a really amazing place to Chris Jones: be of like Chris Jones: let's rebuild this and let's Chris Jones: do it right but that's Chris Jones: So, yeah, yeah yeah Chris Jones: jumping ahead Kevin Halliday: and that's jumping heads. Kevin Halliday: But what's interesting, Kevin Halliday: because young Kevin Halliday: entrepreneurs, or any Kevin Halliday: yeah yeah it's Kevin Halliday: entrepreneur, and we get Kevin Halliday: into this and people talk, Kevin Halliday: a lot of people don't Kevin Halliday: realize success isn't Kevin Halliday: about how much we do or Kevin Halliday: what we're at or how much Kevin Halliday: money we make. The success Kevin Halliday: is about how we survive Kevin Halliday: the bottom. Kevin Halliday: And our mindset at the Kevin Halliday: bottom defines what Kevin Halliday: character we'll bring to Kevin Halliday: the world as a better Kevin Halliday: human. yeah Kevin Halliday: woman, and understanding Kevin Halliday: where you were at, okay? Kevin Halliday: And I really want to deep Kevin Halliday: dive this, because people Kevin Halliday: don't realize you will Kevin Halliday: fail. it's Kevin Halliday: It's how you act when you Kevin Halliday: fail, yeah Kevin Halliday: and understanding the Kevin Halliday: difference between Kevin Halliday: desperate and needing, Kevin Halliday: okay? And which one works Kevin Halliday: for you or against you, Kevin Halliday: yeah Kevin Halliday: and where you're at. And Kevin Halliday: I'm going to talk, I'm Kevin Halliday: going to get back into, Kevin Halliday: like, not suicide, yeah Kevin Halliday: aside but we're role Kevin Halliday: but Kevin Halliday: -playing in our heads Kevin Halliday: about oh my god i can't Kevin Halliday: make yes you're worried Kevin Halliday: about your staff we get Kevin Halliday: that but there's also Kevin Halliday: another underlying i'm Kevin Halliday: worried about where are my Kevin Halliday: next how am i gonna make Kevin Halliday: my bills Chris Jones: well i had two young kids at Chris Jones: just like a mortgage Chris Jones: home and Kevin Halliday: my wife was Kevin Halliday: what's the bank's Chris Jones: gonna do Chris Jones: part -time and yeah i've got Chris Jones: a mortgage and Chris Jones: i've got debt with my Chris Jones: business yeah how am i going Chris Jones: to feed my family for sure Kevin Halliday: and then Kevin Halliday: getting out of that how Kevin Halliday: did you get out of it like Kevin Halliday: like you got it in your Kevin Halliday: head yes okay okay, I'm Kevin Halliday: going to do this. We say Kevin Halliday: that, okay? Kevin Halliday: sure We say, oh, I'm going Kevin Halliday: to be resilient. Kevin Halliday: I'm going to say, this is Kevin Halliday: what I'm doing. Okay, this Kevin Halliday: is how to do it. Guys, do Kevin Halliday: what I did. Kevin Halliday: No, no. Kevin Halliday: Let's cut to the chase. It Kevin Halliday: hurts. Chris Jones: oh dude it hurt it was the Chris Jones: most painful moment in my Chris Jones: business career 100 20 was it Chris Jones: 30 years as an entrepreneur Chris Jones: Do Chris Jones: and 95 yeah what it Kevin Halliday: it's Chris Jones: more than 30 years as an Chris Jones: entrepreneur that was the Chris Jones: single most painful moment in Chris Jones: my business career for sure Kevin Halliday: yeah you dream that now? Chris Jones: dude I am so grateful for Chris Jones: that moment Kevin Halliday: like Chris Jones: it's my relationship with Chris Jones: But Chris Jones: that event is so positive now Kevin Halliday: that Chris Jones: like let's go Kevin Halliday: when did you see that? Kevin Halliday: on in within Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Chris Jones: a year and what did i do you Chris Jones: Yeah. Chris Jones: asked i think let's make sure Chris Jones: we don't skip that because i Chris Jones: think it's Chris Jones: really important first off i Chris Jones: asked for help um from my Chris Jones: wife uh Chris Jones: my eo forum uh Chris Jones: from a mentor Chris Jones: and from my kids. Kevin Halliday: they knew where you were Kevin Halliday: as a take a family Yeah. Chris Jones: okay Kevin Halliday: because a lot of people Kevin Halliday: as entrepreneurs or men in Kevin Halliday: general or people in Kevin Halliday: general like when we look Kevin Halliday: at people Kevin Halliday: I have all the answers Kevin Halliday: it's up to me to do this Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: right okay I gotta do it I Kevin Halliday: gotta put a blank face Kevin Halliday: on for my wife I gotta Kevin Halliday: play my kids I still gotta Kevin Halliday: play I can't I can't let Kevin Halliday: them know the pain I'm Kevin Halliday: going through to do this Kevin Halliday: and Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: how did that feel going to Kevin Halliday: your kids like was it a Kevin Halliday: conversation conversation Kevin Halliday: did they know like to Kevin Halliday: bring the kids in mentally Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: for yourself Chris Jones: So they were six and nine Kevin Halliday: like Chris Jones: years old, right? Right. And Chris Jones: so they didn't know. I mean, Chris Jones: they barely knew what I did Chris Jones: for a living. Right. And Chris Jones: that's OK. They had a concept Chris Jones: of. Chris Jones: So when I came to them and Chris Jones: asked for help was I went to Chris Jones: my my forum, my mentor. Well, Chris Jones: first off, my wife in the Chris Jones: hotel. We'd like, well, what Chris Jones: do we do now? Right. Chris Jones: Then I went to my forum and Chris Jones: my mentor and said, OK, like, Chris Jones: help me see the forest for Chris Jones: the trees, because I couldn't Chris Jones: see it yet. What's my next Chris Jones: step? I had some ideas. Chris Jones: And in hearing them and Chris Jones: listening to them and Chris Jones: listening to myself and Chris Jones: talking to my wife and Chris Jones: putting it all together, I'm Chris Jones: like, I'm going to rebuild Chris Jones: this. Chris Jones: Because the value that we had Chris Jones: was not the individual sales. Chris Jones: It was the relationships. And Chris Jones: we had a lot of really good Chris Jones: relationships. And we were Chris Jones: really good at launching Chris Jones: products into Canada and Chris Jones: building a market out of Chris Jones: nothing. Chris Jones: So we're like, there's Chris Jones: something to build on here. Chris Jones: So I decided to rebuild it. Chris Jones: So we started acquiring, you Chris Jones: know, Bonet was one of the Chris Jones: companies, these portable Chris Jones: nets in the team's sports Chris Jones: world. We had CEP Chris Jones: compression, a high Chris Jones: end line of medical grade Chris Jones: compression for athletes. Chris Jones: And we're like, okay, let's Chris Jones: start to build around this. Chris Jones: And so then it became, and Chris Jones: then we landed ultra footwear Chris Jones: right after that. Chris Jones: and then we landed year buds Chris Jones: uh other order it doesn't Chris Jones: matter uh year buds and ultra Chris Jones: footwear so we went from one Chris Jones: brand with one little one to Chris Jones: four really what could be Chris Jones: premier brands for Chris Jones: our company so we were way Chris Jones: stronger by october of that Chris Jones: year like nine months later Chris Jones: but Chris Jones: it was the beginning of that Chris Jones: year as we started to land Chris Jones: these other brands i went to Chris Jones: my kids and i'm like like, Chris Jones: okay, to launch these other Chris Jones: brands and to launch more Chris Jones: than one at a time, this is Chris Jones: going to be hard. And it's Chris Jones: going to mean I'm going to be Chris Jones: on the road more than normal. Chris Jones: And so the genius of my EO Chris Jones: forum is I learned over the Chris Jones: years, like, if you spend too Chris Jones: much time in business, your Chris Jones: kids Chris Jones: punish you, you know, and Chris Jones: whether that's, they treat Chris Jones: you bad or give you a hard Chris Jones: time, whatever, like, I don't Chris Jones: need probably subconsciously, Chris Jones: but they punish you. And so Chris Jones: I'm like, I'm going to Chris Jones: to head this off at the pass Chris Jones: so I went to my kids and I Chris Jones: said dad needs your help this Chris Jones: is what happened to my Chris Jones: business and just gave him Chris Jones: the high level but I've got Chris Jones: to rebuild this thing I've Chris Jones: chosen to rebuild it and I'm Chris Jones: going to be on the road for Chris Jones: the next 12 months way more Chris Jones: than I've normally been I Chris Jones: don't want to be because I Chris Jones: want to be there for you but Chris Jones: I need your help you know Chris Jones: help me through this 12 Chris Jones: months my commitment to you Chris Jones: is that I'm only going to do Chris Jones: this elevated Chris Jones: elevator, travel for 12 Chris Jones: months after that if I I'm Chris Jones: going to build a team we're Chris Jones: going to rebuild the company Chris Jones: and after that I'll dial it Chris Jones: back and they were like okay Chris Jones: dad sure they didn't you know Chris Jones: they just Chris Jones: whatever but the amazing Chris Jones: thing and of course my wife Chris Jones: was behind the scenes making Chris Jones: all this happen was I'd get a Chris Jones: voicemail at a trade show or Chris Jones: at a marathon expo and I'd Chris Jones: get a voicemail hey dad Chris Jones: how you doing hope you had a Chris Jones: great day love you bye like Chris Jones: dude it was so powerful those Chris Jones: supported Chris Jones: voicemails Chris Jones: were everything my lifeline Chris Jones: back to where I wanted to be Chris Jones: but they supported me through Chris Jones: that Chris Jones: you know, I don't think they Chris Jones: once punished me there that Chris Jones: year and then after the year Chris Jones: we kind of we'd rebuilt it Chris Jones: like we got 90 % of our Chris Jones: revenue back by the end of Chris Jones: that year yeah like it was Chris Jones: and within Chris Jones: Within 18 months, we were 60 Chris Jones: % bigger than we'd ever been. Chris Jones: And within two and a half Chris Jones: years, we were two and a half Chris Jones: times bigger. Kevin Halliday: Wow. Chris Jones: Like, it was crazy. Chris Jones: So Kevin Halliday: you look at the 80 -20 Kevin Halliday: split, right? So Chris Jones: 80 Kevin Halliday: % of your customers, what Kevin Halliday: is it? Kevin Halliday: 20 % of your customers do Kevin Halliday: 80 % of your business. Kevin Halliday: Yeah. And you had one Kevin Halliday: customer. Well, the 70 Chris Jones: One customer, 70%, yeah. Chris Jones: % of your customers. Chris Jones: Wow. Chris Jones: Well, one supplier, right? Chris Jones: And so it was a huge risk for Chris Jones: Yeah. Chris Jones: my business. Chris Jones: business I had a phenomenal Chris Jones: mentor that Chris Jones: helped me because I could see Chris Jones: this coming like the Chris Jones: relationship was getting Chris Jones: fractured they were getting Chris Jones: more frustrated that our Chris Jones: numbers weren't Chris Jones: growing as fast as they'd Chris Jones: like because we had so much Chris Jones: success so quickly I'm like Chris Jones: we know the market there just Chris Jones: isn't more football players Chris Jones: and we dominate this market Chris Jones: in Canada in the U .S. Chris Jones: US they They weren't moving Chris Jones: as quickly. Chris Jones: But we dominated our market Chris Jones: really quickly. So I could Chris Jones: see it happening. And there Chris Jones: were other signs. There was Chris Jones: just friction where there Chris Jones: shouldn't be friction. Chris Jones: And so I'm sitting with my Chris Jones: mentor, and I'm like, this is Chris Jones: probably coming to an end. Chris Jones: It's not a matter of if, it's Chris Jones: when. Chris Jones: And he's like, do you know Chris Jones: the date? I'm like, no, no. Chris Jones: But if this survived five Chris Jones: years, I'd be shocked. He Chris Jones: says, okay, well, what's your Chris Jones: plan? Chris Jones: And so I spout off, oh, I'm Chris Jones: going to do this and this and Chris Jones: this. And he's like, bring me Chris Jones: a written plan, including a Chris Jones: budget at our next meeting. Chris Jones: I'm like, oh, okay. Chris Jones: So I did it, right? A written Chris Jones: plan, the basic bullet Chris Jones: points, a budget, what I was Chris Jones: going to do and how. Chris Jones: And he looked it over, Chris Jones: reviewed it. He asked me a Chris Jones: couple of questions. I made a Chris Jones: couple more tweaks and filed Chris Jones: it away. Chris Jones: And so here I am, transport a Chris Jones: couple, three years forward Chris Jones: to 2012. Chris Jones: in the crisis, heads up my Chris Jones: butt. Chris Jones: Wait, I got a written plan B. Chris Jones: Where is that? Where is that? Chris Jones: So when I pulled it out, and Chris Jones: there are 100 decisions made, Chris Jones: let's say, well, Chris Jones: 98 of them were good, made Chris Jones: with a clear mind with a Chris Jones: mentor that was savvy Chris Jones: business guy overlooked at Chris Jones: all. Chris Jones: And two of them were wrong. Chris Jones: Oh, well, in this situation, Chris Jones: this doesn't make sense. Chris Jones: You know, one of them was Chris Jones: like, we'd get rid of the Chris Jones: warehouse, and I'd move back Chris Jones: to my the business back to my Chris Jones: basement well that wasn't Chris Jones: feasible like how do you Chris Jones: regrow a business back Chris Jones: out of the basement like no Chris Jones: that's a dumb idea sublet Chris Jones: some of the space to someone Chris Jones: else so i'd one to say i had Chris Jones: two decisions to make instead Chris Jones: and it's Chris Jones: of a hundred that plan b was Chris Jones: just freaking gold Chris Jones: right Kevin Halliday: and it's interesting Kevin Halliday: people don't realize Kevin Halliday: because i guess it's like Kevin Halliday: a marriage okay and you Kevin Halliday: and you look at it here Kevin Halliday: you are in this marriage Kevin Halliday: you know you know that Kevin Halliday: it's something's going on Kevin Halliday: here so i Kevin Halliday: better write a plan here a Kevin Halliday: plan of attack okay and Kevin Halliday: but here's this plan of Kevin Halliday: attack clear -headed Kevin Halliday: mentor you got it you Kevin Halliday: you've laid it out now you Kevin Halliday: don't have to implement Kevin Halliday: you just put it aside Kevin Halliday: You just do this up. Kevin Halliday: where it's it's not you're Kevin Halliday: you're not proactive Kevin Halliday: you're not reactive you're Kevin Halliday: proactive not knowing that Kevin Halliday: the power of what that Kevin Halliday: actually has and then all Kevin Halliday: of a sudden here it is and Kevin Halliday: it's like Kevin Halliday: holy i did this and then Kevin Halliday: you followed that plan or Kevin Halliday: did you oh yeah yeah I Chris Jones: mean, like I said, over 90 % Chris Jones: of it was good. Chris Jones: And so, um, my oldest boy's Chris Jones: neurodiverse and he has a lot Chris Jones: of anxiety. They've gotten it Chris Jones: like really like 99 Chris Jones: percentile anxiety Chris Jones: disorder. Um, and how I Chris Jones: describe it to people to like Chris Jones: relate to what he's dealing Chris Jones: with. Like, can you do a Chris Jones: complex math problem while Chris Jones: being chased by a bear? Kevin Halliday: two plus two would be Kevin Halliday: about it Chris Jones: Right. Like maybe, maybe Chris Jones: you're You're like, I don't Chris Jones: fucking care. Like, I'm Kevin Halliday: just going Chris Jones: to survive. Well, that's what Chris Jones: living with anxiety is like, Chris Jones: right? Not a big, like, you Chris Jones: can't solve the bear. You're Chris Jones: doing nothing. So put ourself Chris Jones: into a crisis in business. Chris Jones: You're being chased by a Chris Jones: bunch of bears, and they're Chris Jones: coming from every direction. Chris Jones: So you're not thinking Chris Jones: clearly. I wasn't thinking Chris Jones: clearly. Chris Jones: But the plan was made with a Chris Jones: clear head. Chris Jones: And so it got rid of the 98 Chris Jones: decisions that I didn't have Chris Jones: to make. and okay, we'll just Chris Jones: solve these two because Chris Jones: that's all I can comprehend Chris Jones: right now anyways. Chris Jones: So that's why it was so Chris Jones: valuable. Chris Jones: And no, it wasn't all right. Chris Jones: But it, yep, yep, yep, no, Chris Jones: yep, yep. You know, like that Chris Jones: I had the capability to do Chris Jones: and my team around me. Chris Jones: I had one key guy that was Chris Jones: part of the plan. Chris Jones: Frankie was my second in Chris Jones: command, like just a key Chris Jones: person in the company. Chris Jones: He had a lot of skills. Chris Jones: And I'm like, we're gonna Chris Jones: pare it down to just the two Chris Jones: of us we're gonna have to lay Chris Jones: everybody else off I knew Chris Jones: that that was clear Chris Jones: in the plan b and so I knew Chris Jones: the plan b was Frankie and I Chris Jones: were going to rebuild this Chris Jones: and I told Frankie that Chris Jones: previous so when it happened Chris Jones: Frankie Chris Jones: and I'm like okay Frankie it Chris Jones: happened he's like oh no yeah Chris Jones: and he's like uh so uh that Chris Jones: thing you told me like are we Chris Jones: was so good. Chris Jones: still Chris Jones: good? Like, am I, is it still Chris Jones: you and me? And I'm like, Chris Jones: yeah. Chris Jones: The crazy thing is he came to Chris Jones: me a day or two later. He Chris Jones: says, I talked to my wife and Chris Jones: I just want you to know, Chris Jones: like, if Chris Jones: it's not just you and me, if Chris Jones: it's like, you could do my Chris Jones: role, you did it in the past. Chris Jones: If it's better for you to let Chris Jones: me go and you take over my Chris Jones: role too, like, I'm okay with Chris Jones: that. Chris Jones: I'm You know, I kind of Chris Jones: release you Chris Jones: going to leave you for your Chris Jones: from your obligation, your Chris Jones: obligation and promise. Chris Jones: promise. And I'm like, no Chris Jones: man, if I'm doing your role, Chris Jones: I can't rebuild build a Chris Jones: business i can't be making Chris Jones: five thousand dollar deals Chris Jones: anymore i gotta make five Chris Jones: hundred thousand dollar deals Chris Jones: and and he's like oh yeah i Chris Jones: see your point okay good i'm Chris Jones: like i'm in i'm Chris Jones: still in right but he gave me Chris Jones: the freedom to say like if Chris Jones: you gotta let me go do it too Chris Jones: right that was amazing Kevin Halliday: so that's interesting Kevin Halliday: because you're still not Kevin Halliday: you're not thinking small Kevin Halliday: and then we're a lot of Kevin Halliday: business owners and you're Kevin Halliday: doing it it's like a Kevin Halliday: startup five thousand Kevin Halliday: sounds okay no no no five Kevin Halliday: hey no no no 500 yeah Kevin Halliday: hundred thousand and then Chris Jones: i had Kevin Halliday: that's a non -negotiable Kevin Halliday: to make that Chris Jones: was the only way to rebuild Chris Jones: the business in my eyes like Chris Jones: you know sure we could have Chris Jones: grown cep and we were going Chris Jones: to right like we were already Chris Jones: on that path Chris Jones: to grow cep um to a to a Chris Jones: million dollar brand in Chris Jones: canada but it was at about Chris Jones: 300 000 400 000 at the Chris Jones: time uh but i like i need Chris Jones: multiple brands at a million Chris Jones: because i don't want to just Chris Jones: build another other cutter Chris Jones: situation where i've got 80 Chris Jones: 70 of my eggs in one basket Chris Jones: again i need multiple brands Chris Jones: that if we lose one it's not Chris Jones: a crisis moment anymore Chris Jones: because the reality is the Chris Jones: distribution market the way Chris Jones: that we had done it like it's Chris Jones: kind of the rule it's kind of Chris Jones: the way that industry Chris Jones: works suppliers think they Chris Jones: can go direct after you build Chris Jones: it to a certain level and Chris Jones: they fire you and then they Chris Jones: realize they they lose all Chris Jones: this market share and sales Chris Jones: and then they hire back Chris Jones: a distributor and then they Chris Jones: think they can go direct and Chris Jones: you know like it's this ebb Chris Jones: and flow Kevin Halliday: back and forth back and Kevin Halliday: forth Chris Jones: yeah and so as I rebuilt it Chris Jones: I'm like it's gotta I gotta Chris Jones: have multiple brands I can Chris Jones: as much as Cutters was my Chris Jones: biggest uh brand and our Chris Jones: biggest success they were Chris Jones: also our biggest pain in the Chris Jones: ass because they got jealous Chris Jones: if we would focus on other Chris Jones: brands too much I'm like Chris Jones: we were in a catch -22 so as Chris Jones: much as they were our biggest Chris Jones: revenue source they were also Chris Jones: our biggest barrier to growth Chris Jones: because they'd get frustrated Chris Jones: if we didn't have all our Chris Jones: attention Chris Jones: on them it's like yeah well Chris Jones: anyway so it was like i said Chris Jones: it was just an inevitable if Chris Jones: not when Kevin Halliday: as you're building this, Kevin Halliday: then you start going into Kevin Halliday: in going when did you make Kevin Halliday: the shift into a different Kevin Halliday: business and then decide, Kevin Halliday: was it the book first or Kevin Halliday: the other business first? Chris Jones: yeah man one of the coolest Chris Jones: things things I've learned Chris Jones: over time is, hey, I love to Chris Jones: teach. My dad was a teacher. Chris Jones: I'm the oldest of Chris Jones: 23 first cousins. I'm the Chris Jones: oldest brother, the oldest of Chris Jones: three boys. Chris Jones: I loved my dad. He was an Chris Jones: amazing teacher. And I Chris Jones: definitely, I love to teach. Chris Jones: And so I started in science Chris Jones: and education in school, but Chris Jones: science was definitely not Chris Jones: for me, but found a passion Chris Jones: for business while I was at Chris Jones: school great epiphany moment Chris Jones: like I want to be an Chris Jones: entrepreneur it's who I am Chris Jones: and so I shifted Chris Jones: into business but I kept all Chris Jones: my education stuff in the Chris Jones: background and so I knew I Chris Jones: loved to teach and so I Chris Jones: taught in spots here in Chris Jones: business and coached like Chris Jones: I've coached nine sports and Chris Jones: like Chris Jones: I love teaching and coaching Chris Jones: right and Chris Jones: then I had these meetings Chris Jones: that I would go to I'd do to Chris Jones: volunteer work. And it'd be Chris Jones: like a 7 p .m. at night, and Chris Jones: I was tired. I'm like, oh, I Chris Jones: made this Chris Jones: commitment. I don't want to Chris Jones: go. But I'm like, I made the Chris Jones: commitment. I'm going to go. Chris Jones: And so I go into this Chris Jones: meeting, and two hours later, Chris Jones: I'd walk out like full of Chris Jones: juice. I'm like, that was Chris Jones: amazing. Let's go for a beer Chris Jones: and keep talking about it. Chris Jones: And I'm like, what happened Chris Jones: in that two hours? Chris Jones: And I'm like, for me, it was Chris Jones: coaching and teaching. Chris Jones: And I'm like, man, there it Chris Jones: is again, right? Like like it Chris Jones: showed up and I'm like, what Chris Jones: if I could do that for a Chris Jones: profession? Because in the Chris Jones: sporting goods business, I Chris Jones: kind of stumbled my way into Chris Jones: it, created a product, wanted Chris Jones: to be an entrepreneur. Let's Chris Jones: invent something. Let's be a Chris Jones: distributor. And you know, Chris Jones: one thing led to the next. Chris Jones: thing led to the next but Chris Jones: I was like 21 when I started Chris Jones: dude Chris Jones: that company. Right. But Chris Jones: dude, I was 15 years, 12 Chris Jones: years into that company. And Chris Jones: I'm like, I'm a Jack of all Chris Jones: trades and master of none. Chris Jones: Like I felt like I was faking Chris Jones: it 90 % of Chris Jones: of the time I was a good deal Chris Jones: maker but operating the Chris Jones: business I was like I don't Chris Jones: know like I never felt like I Chris Jones: was great at anything in that Chris Jones: business but I loved the Chris Jones: result I loved helping Chris Jones: athletes Chris Jones: I mean it was selfish because Chris Jones: I'm an athlete and I'd love Chris Jones: to find products that I like Chris Jones: to use so it was fun that way Chris Jones: but never felt like I was Chris Jones: great at anything in that Chris Jones: company other than maybe Chris Jones: maybe like making the deals Chris Jones: later on to rebuild the Chris Jones: company. I found I was really Chris Jones: good at that. Chris Jones: So the coaching thing, I'm Chris Jones: like, well, there's Chris Jones: something, coaching teaching Chris Jones: is in me, and I get huge Chris Jones: energy from this, but I'm a Chris Jones: total amateur, right? I've Chris Jones: just done volunteer work here Chris Jones: and there. Chris Jones: I'm like, what if a Chris Jones: profession could be made for Chris Jones: this in me? Chris Jones: And not, I didn't want to Chris Jones: teach in the public system. Chris Jones: My dad did that. Chris Jones: uh Chris Jones: It wasn't the path for me. Chris Jones: Too bureaucratic. Chris Jones: i don't do well with bosses Chris Jones: um and Chris Jones: so uh could i could i make a Chris Jones: business in this well i'm an Chris Jones: amateur well how could i be a Chris Jones: coach so i i channeled all of Chris Jones: my volunteer efforts Chris Jones: into coaching and mentoring Chris Jones: and teaching opportunities Chris Jones: and built skills and so for Chris Jones: the next four or five years i Chris Jones: did that and then rebuilt the Chris Jones: company right in 2012 crisis Chris Jones: crisis and by 2014 we were at Chris Jones: a forum retreat in Tofino Chris Jones: you know Chris Jones: this great retreat we're Chris Jones: sitting at Chris Jones: the point restaurant at Chris Jones: Wiccanish Inn like looking Chris Jones: out this beautiful spot in Chris Jones: the ocean Chris Jones: and I had another like outer Chris Jones: body experience like I Chris Jones: levitated above the noise and Chris Jones: the excitement and I was like Chris Jones: somewhere else I was like Chris Jones: above the room it was crazy Chris Jones: and Chris Jones: all of a sudden everyone's Chris Jones: was like chris what's going Chris Jones: on and i'm like i'm done and Chris Jones: what do you mean you're done Chris Jones: i'm like Chris Jones: i gotta leave enteric sports Chris Jones: they're like it's been 19 Chris Jones: years what do you mean like Chris Jones: this is your identity it's Chris Jones: like it's part of who you are Chris Jones: i'm like i know that Chris Jones: terrifies me like my story is Chris Jones: bigger than this it can't be Chris Jones: this and Chris Jones: they're like what are you Chris Jones: gonna do i'm like teaching Chris Jones: coaching somewhere i mean i Chris Jones: implemented these eos tools Chris Jones: in my business they were Chris Jones: amazing there it was life Chris Jones: -changing for me. Probably Chris Jones: that, but I'm not sure. Chris Jones: But what I am clear on is I Chris Jones: got to go. Now, maybe it's Chris Jones: retreat -itis and I'm just Chris Jones: having this epiphany moment. Chris Jones: I got to do something big and Chris Jones: bold. So I'm going to sleep Chris Jones: on it. Chris Jones: And I woke up the next day Chris Jones: with more resolve than the Chris Jones: day before. I'm like, this is Chris Jones: the right path for me. Chris Jones: And so I explored crazy. So Chris Jones: that decision was made in Chris Jones: September 2014. Mike Payton Chris Jones: from EOS came and did a half Chris Jones: -day workshop for our Chris Jones: our chapter in October, like Chris Jones: the next month, like three Chris Jones: weeks later, just happened to Chris Jones: be coming into town. And Chris Jones: Gino, the founder of EOS Chris Jones: Worldwide, was in Edmonton Chris Jones: two weeks later. Chris Jones: So I called Edmonton, hey, Chris Jones: can I come to your workshop? Chris Jones: They're like, yeah, of Chris Jones: course. So I met Gino and Chris Jones: Payton within within three Chris Jones: weeks and within six weeks of Chris Jones: making that decision, I got Chris Jones: to go. Chris Jones: I'm like, Hey, like, I love Chris Jones: these tools. They were Chris Jones: awesome for me and my Chris Jones: business. Chris Jones: I'd love to teach it to Chris Jones: others. Like, what does that Chris Jones: look like? And they were both Chris Jones: awesome. And they were like, Chris Jones: yeah, like people like you Chris Jones: tend to be successful at what Chris Jones: we do. Chris Jones: They didn't hard sell me. Chris Jones: They didn't. They're like, Chris Jones: yeah, like they were just Chris Jones: real guys, entrepreneurs that Chris Jones: like helping other Chris Jones: entrepreneurs. and I Chris Jones: resonated with them and their Chris Jones: And they were both, I mean. Chris Jones: approach. Kevin Halliday: and you closed your Kevin Halliday: business down so you're Kevin Halliday: No. Kevin Halliday: you didn't oh so you Kevin Halliday: didn't Chris Jones: close it? the business down Chris Jones: No, no, no. Okay. So because Chris Jones: I'd realized I was the Chris Jones: linchpin, one of the things I Chris Jones: wanted when I implemented EOS Chris Jones: and the tool set, the Chris Jones: entrepreneurial operating Chris Jones: system, for those that don't Chris Jones: know, Chris Jones: but I implemented these Chris Jones: tools, I wanted two really Chris Jones: clear things. A, I want to Chris Jones: grow the business so it could Chris Jones: stand on its own two feet. Chris Jones: And B, I wanted freedom Chris Jones: because I wanted to go start Chris Jones: something else. I just didn't Chris Jones: know what it was yet. And so Chris Jones: I started navigating. Chris Jones: I had all these tools and Chris Jones: structures in place. And so Chris Jones: when I hit the epiphany Chris Jones: moment in 2014, I went to my Chris Jones: team and said, look, like, I Chris Jones: got to go. i'm gonna go Chris Jones: I'm going to go start another Chris Jones: business. Chris Jones: and over the next 12 months Chris Jones: we're going to fire me from Chris Jones: each seat that i sit on the Chris Jones: accountability chart in this Chris Jones: organization until i'm out Chris Jones: and Chris Jones: so over the next 12 months Chris Jones: we're just going to fire me Chris Jones: from here here here you know Chris Jones: and i'm going to teach Chris Jones: everything and off we go and Chris Jones: so i my goal my dream was to Chris Jones: stay owner of it stay the Chris Jones: shareholder collect a Chris Jones: dividend have somebody Chris Jones: or somebody else would. Chris Jones: else run it that was the Chris Jones: dream first Kevin Halliday: And the first firing, Kevin Halliday: which position was that? Chris Jones: finance finance oh yeah i Chris Jones: could do finance i have had Chris Jones: a degree in business i fell Chris Jones: into the finance seat because Chris Jones: i knew how to do it Kevin Halliday: And you hated it. Hated Kevin Halliday: it. Chris Jones: this much gas in the tank to Chris Jones: do finance i was always Chris Jones: procrastinating on it i was Chris Jones: always behind you know i was Chris Jones: doing an average job at best Chris Jones: of it my bankers told me i Chris Jones: was amazing but you know like Chris Jones: Like, they were impressed. Chris Jones: Great. Chris Jones: But, yeah, I was barely Chris Jones: covering the minimum. Chris Jones: so Kevin Halliday: when you look at this okay Kevin Halliday: understanding i'm the Kevin Halliday: bottleneck okay because a Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: lot of people don't Kevin Halliday: understand we're the Kevin Halliday: bottleneck and that's Kevin Halliday: where we all started this Kevin Halliday: conversation was off is Kevin Halliday: that when when do you have Kevin Halliday: Sure. Kevin Halliday: to let yourself go and Kevin Halliday: understand that it's okay Kevin Halliday: to let yourself go Kevin Halliday: versus the control freak Kevin Halliday: or or micromanaging or Kevin Halliday: whatever and knowing Kevin Halliday: finance very well because Kevin Halliday: Because finance is pretty Kevin Halliday: important, obviously. Chris Jones: Yep, yeah, yeah. Kevin Halliday: And then all of a sudden Kevin Halliday: getting that person in. Kevin Halliday: How did they respond to Kevin Halliday: this? Because here you Kevin Halliday: are. Kevin Halliday: We're going to fire me out Kevin Halliday: of each role. Yeah. Kevin Halliday: Okay? Kevin Halliday: Yeah, sure you are. Chris Jones: It was scary, yeah. Chris Jones: Okay? Chris Jones: Scary there was belief. Chris Jones: Like, yeah. Is that where Chris Jones: you're going Kevin Halliday: Yeah, kind of going with Kevin Halliday: that. But it's more Kevin Halliday: because here you are. Kevin Halliday: Okay, guys, this is what Kevin Halliday: we're going to do. Chris Jones: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: Now, you got EOS. Like, Kevin Halliday: you know it inside and Kevin Halliday: out. You know how it works Kevin Halliday: and stuff. So you're Kevin Halliday: implementing it into your Kevin Halliday: business. Chris Jones: Well, yeah. I mean, I knew Chris Jones: the basics at that point. Chris Jones: this no I wasn't a master. it Chris Jones: no we have the fundamentals Kevin Halliday: but each Chris Jones: but Chris Jones: yeah Kevin Halliday: yeah so Kevin Halliday: each person that you fired Kevin Halliday: no sorry you firing Kevin Halliday: yourself I use the foot Kevin Halliday: you firing yourself and Kevin Halliday: putting into that position Kevin Halliday: how hard was that because Kevin Halliday: you Kevin Halliday: you still have to grow Chris Jones: know what Kevin I probably Chris Jones: waited too long everyone's Chris Jones: like oh did you have a tough Chris Jones: time letting go of that and Chris Jones: I'm like hell no Chris Jones: I was I'd probably stayed two Chris Jones: or three years longer than I Chris Jones: should have I'm you know Chris Jones: should shoulda, woulda, Chris Jones: coulda, right? But I was so Chris Jones: ready to go. I was so excited Chris Jones: about the new path Chris Jones: that I was like, get me out. Chris Jones: And I mean, they tried Chris Jones: numerous times to talk me Chris Jones: back into the business. Chris Jones: Hey, can you come and do Chris Jones: this? And I was like, no, you Chris Jones: gotta figure it out for Chris Jones: yourself. I'll mentor the Chris Jones: person who's doing it, but Chris Jones: I'm not gonna do it anymore. Chris Jones: well but Chris Jones: Oh, but you're the best at Chris Jones: it. I'm like, I appreciate Chris Jones: that. Chris Jones: I'm building a new company. Chris Jones: Like, boundaries. so Kevin Halliday: how far back Kevin Halliday: you you think about that Kevin Halliday: okay boundaries let's see Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: okay so here they are Kevin Halliday: they're asking you to come Kevin Halliday: back i want you you guys Kevin Halliday: can lead you can make your Kevin Halliday: own mistakes and i'm okay Kevin Halliday: with yes you're the master Kevin Halliday: at it i can't go back in Kevin Halliday: and then you're watching Kevin Halliday: this and going sink or Kevin Halliday: swim guys you got to go do Kevin Halliday: it i'll help you if it Kevin Halliday: gets really bad obviously Kevin Halliday: because i'm not going to Kevin Halliday: let you die Chris Jones: Guiding, mentoring only, I Chris Jones: wouldn't jump back in. No. Chris Jones: No. Kevin Halliday: you find a lot of Kevin Halliday: entrepreneurs find that Kevin Halliday: okay i say it but i want Kevin Halliday: to come back in Chris Jones: Oh, I mean, I'd screwed this Chris Jones: up 10 times from Sunday Chris Jones: previously with things like Chris Jones: this, of trying to delegate Chris Jones: and go like, Like, oh, yeah, Chris Jones: yeah, you take this over. But Chris Jones: just run every decision by Chris Jones: me. Yeah. Chris Jones: Like, I'd screwed that up so Chris Jones: badly previously that I'd had Chris Jones: enough live firing rounds. A, Chris Jones: the control freak. Chris Jones: for you. I tried that. Chris Jones: And then I tried the other Chris Jones: way. I call it hippie Chris Jones: leadership. Like, I trust Chris Jones: you. You got it. Off you go. Chris Jones: Well, that was terrible, too. Chris Jones: like I had to find the right Chris Jones: balance and the right balance Chris Jones: was I'm here for you as a Chris Jones: guide but I'm not going to Chris Jones: save you that Chris Jones: was the balance that like Chris Jones: I'll coach and mentor and Chris Jones: advise and share experiences Chris Jones: but the ownership remains Chris Jones: yours the accountability Chris Jones: remains yours I'm not going Chris Jones: to Chris Jones: save you because I'd done Chris Jones: enough of the hero thing and Chris Jones: so Chris Jones: that wasn't effective Chris Jones: so now you're in it Kevin Halliday: okay you fired yourself Kevin Halliday: you're getting there now Kevin Halliday: you're starting your Kevin Halliday: coaching Kevin Halliday: yeah Kevin Halliday: now it's the pendulum Kevin Halliday: starting to swing now over Kevin Halliday: where was the breaking Kevin Halliday: point because are you Kevin Halliday: going to keep the business Kevin Halliday: yes you own it do you Kevin Halliday: still have that business Chris Jones: no Kevin Halliday: yeah sold it because oh Kevin Halliday: you then you sold Chris Jones: it now Kevin Halliday: that was the plan to sell Kevin Halliday: it or to keep Chris Jones: no no it wasn't the plan was Chris Jones: to keep it so when i truly Chris Jones: got into just i was a guide Chris Jones: and advisor leadership team Chris Jones: running and i Three hours a Chris Jones: month meeting, one meeting a Chris Jones: month. Chris Jones: That was the only Chris Jones: contribution to that Chris Jones: business. Chris Jones: We called it a same -page Chris Jones: in the same group. Chris Jones: meeting. Chris Jones: So Frankie was running it. So Chris Jones: Frankie grew up through the Chris Jones: business, and he was running Chris Jones: it. Chris Jones: And all of a sudden, I was Chris Jones: truly just in the shareholder Chris Jones: seat. Chris Jones: Oh, now, well, this is just Chris Jones: an asset in my portfolio. Chris Jones: like Chris Jones: Hmm, I don't like the asset. Chris Jones: I mean, the distribution Chris Jones: roller coaster, the Chris Jones: risk profile of a business Chris Jones: like that was getting worse. Chris Jones: Amazon was starting to come Chris Jones: into play just Chris Jones: at the beginning at this Chris Jones: point. Chris Jones: They're, you know, the Chris Jones: industry knowledge that I Chris Jones: knew, like, they were going Chris Jones: to become a bigger player. Chris Jones: How I didn't fully Chris Jones: understand, but was starting Chris Jones: to see some of it. Chris Jones: uh risk Chris Jones: the risk of currency the risk Chris Jones: of importing warehousing Chris Jones: shipping costs we're starting Chris Jones: to get really volatile and Chris Jones: our stores we're beginning to Chris Jones: build a habit of like what Chris Jones: are you going to do for me to Chris Jones: sell my product I'm Chris Jones: like well we're a distributor Chris Jones: like do you understand the Chris Jones: margins that we run on or Chris Jones: like razor thin like I only Chris Jones: have so much money to market Chris Jones: for you that's your job Chris Jones: And I understood that, well, Chris Jones: the bigger brands are giving Chris Jones: us these, you know, marketing Chris Jones: budgets and bringing Chris Jones: customers to our door. Chris Jones: And I'm like, wow, well, Chris Jones: we'll do our best, you know, Chris Jones: and so, but here's our path. Chris Jones: Anyways, the short story is Chris Jones: all of the risk profile was Chris Jones: increasing and the ROI was Chris Jones: decreasing. Chris Jones: Like we were running on, our Chris Jones: margins were getting squeezed Chris Jones: and we were expected to do Chris Jones: more. Chris Jones: And I didn't see anything in Chris Jones: the industry or what we were Chris Jones: doing that was going to Chris Jones: change that. Chris Jones: And I'm looking at my asset, Chris Jones: my shares in that business Chris Jones: going, I don't want to be in Chris Jones: this business long term. Kevin Halliday: So it's interesting Kevin Halliday: because now there's going Kevin Halliday: to be a question here Kevin Halliday: because Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: as an entrepreneur, Kevin Halliday: okay, you're in the Kevin Halliday: business, you're running Kevin Halliday: it, you're finance, you're Kevin Halliday: doing all the position, Kevin Halliday: you're working hard, Kevin Halliday: you're doing all that in a Kevin Halliday: bag of chips. Okay. Now Chris Jones: I was winning. Chris Jones: pull Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: yourself out of there. Now Kevin Halliday: you're the investor. Two Kevin Halliday: different stories that you Kevin Halliday: tell yourself. Chris Jones: Way different. Kevin Halliday: so how do you because how Kevin Halliday: do you look as an Kevin Halliday: entrepreneur okay as Chris Jones: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: here's this business Kevin Halliday: you're running it all are Kevin Halliday: you kidding me we're this Kevin Halliday: we're going to see this Kevin Halliday: but then all of a sudden Kevin Halliday: the investor type goes Kevin Halliday: actually no you're on a Kevin Halliday: dying train you just don't Chris Jones: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: see it i know Chris Jones: Yeah, I was so – I'm such a Chris Jones: competitive individual. Chris Jones: I've done a lot of self Chris Jones: -therapy around that. you Chris Jones: know to the to to my Chris Jones: detriment at times so I was Chris Jones: so determined so relentlessly Chris Jones: focused on Chris Jones: winning in that business as Chris Jones: the market Chris Jones: my active role that I didn't Chris Jones: take some distance from it Chris Jones: the shareholder distance Chris Jones: perspective investor Chris Jones: perspective and say is this a Chris Jones: good bus to be on a good Chris Jones: train and Chris Jones: so that was one of the real Chris Jones: key learnings for me of like Chris Jones: whoa wait a second and I Chris Jones: really don't love this asset. Chris Jones: Now, if I was committed in Chris Jones: that business at that time Chris Jones: and had that moment of Chris Jones: clarity, I'm like, okay, Chris Jones: well, how do we find a way to Chris Jones: win long -term? Because there Chris Jones: probably could have been a Chris Jones: way Chris Jones: or maybe there wasn't and it Chris Jones: would have been like, let's Chris Jones: walk away, do something Chris Jones: different. Chris Jones: But now I, you know, the Chris Jones: entrepreneurs that I talk to Chris Jones: and the leaders that I work Chris Jones: with, I'm like, Chris Jones: if you were just in the Chris Jones: shareholder seat, Chris Jones: if you were just on the board Chris Jones: of directors, Imagine you Chris Jones: were fired or you didn't work Chris Jones: there. What would you tell Chris Jones: your team to do? Chris Jones: And that's a mindset shift. Chris Jones: And it's really hard to Chris Jones: access that part of the brain Chris Jones: without practice. Kevin Halliday: do you practice that? Chris Jones: Fire yourself for the day. A Chris Jones: mental discipline of like, if Chris Jones: I didn't work there, Chris Jones: which there's a huge element Chris Jones: of humility in that. Chris Jones: You got to let go of the ego. Chris Jones: What if it wasn't about me? Chris Jones: What if it wasn't about me? Chris Jones: We hired someone else to do Chris Jones: my job. what would we tell Chris Jones: them to do and it's sort of Chris Jones: just a mental trick of like Chris Jones: shift gears of like well then Chris Jones: i think we should do this and Chris Jones: that's a really easy thing to Chris Jones: say to think that way and a Chris Jones: harder thing to do and that's Chris Jones: why it's practice right it's Chris Jones: like a meditation practice Chris Jones: you don't just master Chris Jones: So Chris Jones: meditation you practice it Chris Jones: and i would say delegation Chris Jones: i'd say thinking just in Chris Jones: the owner's seat is a Chris Jones: practice not a light switch Chris Jones: you turn on Kevin Halliday: I want to bring this Kevin Halliday: question into the same Kevin Halliday: one. So as a practice, Kevin Halliday: because from speaking from Kevin Halliday: sure yeah Kevin Halliday: experience, Kevin Halliday: I would say, okay, run a Kevin Halliday: yeah Kevin Halliday: business. Kevin Halliday: And what happens if I die Kevin Halliday: tomorrow? Who's going to Kevin Halliday: do what? Kevin Halliday: Versus Kevin Halliday: don't, you're not in that Kevin Halliday: seat tomorrow. Kevin Halliday: not that you're dead how Kevin Halliday: would you look at it Kevin Halliday: because i look at it say Kevin Halliday: oh if i'm dead here it is Kevin Halliday: well you have to figure it Kevin Halliday: out but wait a second no Kevin Halliday: you're just not going to Kevin Halliday: work for the next 30 days Kevin Halliday: what would you be like Kevin Halliday: it's like two different Kevin Halliday: questions here that that Kevin Halliday: you you Kevin Halliday: practice dying is easy Kevin Halliday: okay well you'll figure it Chris Jones: Sure. Kevin Halliday: out pull yourself away Kevin Halliday: from that question well Kevin Halliday: yes i'm away but how do Kevin Halliday: you handle that part like Kevin Halliday: what's the visual to that Kevin Halliday: part i'm trying I'm trying Kevin Halliday: to get to two different Kevin Halliday: parts here. Sure. Chris Jones: So let's tackle the what Chris Jones: happens if I'm away. Chris Jones: And a lot of entrepreneurs Chris Jones: never make it past this, Chris Jones: right? Chris Jones: People ask me what I do, and Chris Jones: sometimes I make a joke. I'm Chris Jones: like, I help entrepreneurs Chris Jones: take vacations without being Chris Jones: on their phone. Chris Jones: And they're like, huh? Chris Jones: I'm like, because how many Chris Jones: entrepreneurs need to be on Chris Jones: their phone or their Chris Jones: computer? And I was one of Chris Jones: those guys. I got a painful Chris Jones: story around that. Chris Jones: I was one of them. Chris Jones: Because if that's happening, Chris Jones: we've built our own cage. Chris Jones: right if we have a team Chris Jones: around us that has clarity on Chris Jones: a what are they accountable Chris Jones: for Chris Jones: delivering on and there's Chris Jones: multiple leaders in the room Chris Jones: the weight is shifted off of Chris Jones: just our shoulders as the Chris Jones: owner and you know and those Chris Jones: teammates the awesome people Chris Jones: want that accountability Chris Jones: they want that weight they Chris Jones: want to produce they want to Chris Jones: have impact and so give them Chris Jones: the opportunity opportunity Chris Jones: give them clarity on what Chris Jones: excellence looks like give Chris Jones: them clarity on what the role Chris Jones: is Chris Jones: which a lot of people don't Chris Jones: do that well and Chris Jones: then get them involved in the Chris Jones: conversation because Chris Jones: I mean I go on vacation now I Chris Jones: in like Chris Jones: delete email and LinkedIn off Chris Jones: my phone I don't even look at Chris Jones: it for Chris Jones: a month and the business is Chris Jones: fine when I get back now I'm Chris Jones: a professional services Chris Jones: business but I teach owners Chris Jones: the same in like different Chris Jones: kinds of businesses way Chris Jones: larger business than I'm Chris Jones: running Chris Jones: with this one the same type Chris Jones: of discipline you know if Chris Jones: they can't make decisions Chris Jones: without you like what have Chris Jones: you done to make that happen Chris Jones: especially Kevin Halliday: oh Kevin Halliday: the 30 days for 30 Chris Jones: 30 days goodness like it that Chris Jones: that's like a starting point Chris Jones: and like i don't one of my Chris Jones: mentors he said he'd leave Chris Jones: for 90 days at a time Chris Jones: every year uh amazing guy kim Chris Jones: day. Chris Jones: mcconnell yeah i mean like Chris Jones: he's like he had two they had Chris Jones: two rules Chris Jones: when him and his wife would Chris Jones: go on vacation. A, he Chris Jones: couldn't do business. Chris Jones: No email, no phone calls, no Chris Jones: whatever. Chris Jones: He said that was amazing for Chris Jones: his business because they had Chris Jones: I said, isn't that crazy? Chris Jones: to make decisions. Chris Jones: 30 days you can put off a Chris Jones: decision. 90 days, no, right? Chris Jones: The other rule was wife Chris Jones: couldn't shop. Chris Jones: You know, but, you know, Chris Jones: humorous. I don't know Chris Jones: whether that was true or not. Chris Jones: But like, Kim was like, no, Chris Jones: like I helped build my Chris Jones: leaders that way. Chris Jones: And they made mistakes. Chris Jones: And they had to figure out Chris Jones: what to do next. And, you Chris Jones: know, some of them weren't Chris Jones: right for that type of Chris Jones: leadership role and others Chris Jones: were, and they cut their Chris Jones: chops in those 90 days. Chris Jones: Right. Kevin Halliday: Yeah, sure. Kevin Halliday: Now, let's get into the Kevin Halliday: book. Kevin Halliday: Where does the book start Kevin Halliday: to come into play now? Chris Jones: So I'm a bit of a Chris Jones: storyteller. Chris Jones: And I'd be talking to people Chris Jones: about the things that I've Chris Jones: learned. Chris Jones: It's the reason I'm a coach. Chris Jones: I'm a teacher at heart, Chris Jones: right? It just, I love to Chris Jones: help people grow and change. Chris Jones: And we do that as humans Chris Jones: through story. Chris Jones: and so I'd be telling people Chris Jones: like here's my story and this Chris Jones: is how it helped me and you Chris Jones: know use it if you wish right Chris Jones: and people would just be like Chris Jones: you got to write a book Chris Jones: like you got to share this Chris Jones: it's so good and Chris Jones: um and Chris Jones: over time like I don't know Chris Jones: whether I heard that enough Chris Jones: times why Chris Jones: did I write it I just had to Chris Jones: like I don't know like I just Chris Jones: I didn't have a a choice I Chris Jones: had to I had to share my Chris Jones: story I had to share my Chris Jones: wisdom I had to you know what Chris Jones: little I'd figured out and Chris Jones: all of my Chris Jones: screw ups I'm willing to be Chris Jones: vulnerable enough to share my Chris Jones: screw ups in the service of Chris Jones: somebody else hopefully Chris Jones: avoiding that or learning Chris Jones: from that Chris Jones: and so I think the best way Chris Jones: at the time when I began that Chris Jones: journey was through a book Kevin Halliday: when you wrote Resentless Kevin Halliday: The Deadly Kevin Halliday: AF, okay, you Kevin Halliday: have, right now, so you've Kevin Halliday: written it, in In that Kevin Halliday: book, to where you are Kevin Halliday: today, what are the things Kevin Halliday: that you've changed? Kevin Halliday: That you look back in the Kevin Halliday: book, you've written it, Kevin Halliday: fast forward to today and Kevin Halliday: go, huh, I would change Kevin Halliday: Yeah, there Kevin Halliday: that today. Chris Jones: was a concept Chris Jones: I learned like writing from Chris Jones: for the school. Chris Jones: scars versus open wounds. Chris Jones: And so I wrote a whole bunch Chris Jones: of the book and it was self Chris Jones: -therapy. It was open wounds. Chris Jones: And I wrote it in the editing Chris Jones: And they had a name for it. I Chris Jones: process. Chris Jones: chucked it away. I'm like, I Chris Jones: wrote that for me. Chris Jones: the book. Chris Jones: I don't need to share that. Chris Jones: that um so Chris Jones: there was one piece of that Chris Jones: and Chris Jones: the other piece of it there Chris Jones: was still a little like the Chris Jones: name of the book relentless Chris Jones: af an entrepreneur's disaster Chris Jones: and Chris Jones: to success story like Chris Jones: it was a story right but no Chris Jones: one knows who chris jones is Chris Jones: and so unless you know who Chris Jones: chris jones is you're like Chris Jones: why would i read this book i Chris Jones: could listen i could read an Chris Jones: entrepreneur's Chris Jones: disaster to success okay Chris Jones: great but if i was to write Chris Jones: it again i'd really make it Chris Jones: about the other person like Chris Jones: relentless af how to build Chris Jones: resilience as a leader now Chris Jones: that's because that's really Chris Jones: why i wrote it but i i never Chris Jones: figured out the right Chris Jones: subtitle to really make it Chris Jones: about the other person and so Chris Jones: if i rewrote it it would be i Chris Jones: would weave my story into it Chris Jones: but make the primary about Chris Jones: the Chris Jones: about the listener about the Chris Jones: reader Kevin Halliday: Now, during the book, Kevin Halliday: yeah Kevin Halliday: okay, you wrote it, self Kevin Halliday: -therapy, Kevin Halliday: you were going through it. Kevin Halliday: Okay, now pull yourself Kevin Halliday: away from this for a Kevin Halliday: second because it's kind Kevin Halliday: of like that same thing as Kevin Halliday: in the CEO, yeah sure yeah Kevin Halliday: okay, you're going to pull Kevin Halliday: yourself as an investor. Kevin Halliday: But now we're going to Kevin Halliday: pull it into this. Kevin Halliday: If your wife and kids were Kevin Halliday: to be a chapter in that Kevin Halliday: book, okay, Kevin Halliday: and I'm sure they're in a Kevin Halliday: part of Chris Jones: of it yeah they are Kevin Halliday: Okay. But what's the Kevin Halliday: chapter that they would Kevin Halliday: write that you don't know? Kevin Halliday: Oh, Chris Jones: there's a good question. Kevin Halliday: Because that's all, and Kevin Halliday: this is fast forwarding it Kevin Halliday: to now, from what you've Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: learned, okay, the things Kevin Halliday: you know that Kevin Halliday: you don't know, when you Kevin Halliday: asked your son, okay, at Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: the point and say, I need Kevin Halliday: your guys' help because Kevin Halliday: I'm going to have to grow Kevin Halliday: my business. I'm going to Kevin Halliday: have to be away for the Kevin Halliday: year. You did. Okay. Okay. Kevin Halliday: Tells the story. It's your Kevin Halliday: book. Now, here we are Kevin Halliday: fast forwarding. Kevin Halliday: What's the story they're Chris Jones: saying? Chris Jones: Yeah, I think the story that Chris Jones: they could add to that book Chris Jones: would be Kevin Halliday: like Chris Jones: how an entrepreneur with Chris Jones: that type of mindset Chris Jones: interacts with other people Chris Jones: in society Chris Jones: like you know because I've Chris Jones: But Chris Jones: let's Chris Jones: been quite candid with them Chris Jones: and very transparent with Chris Jones: like Chris Jones: this what's going on in my Chris Jones: head Kevin Halliday: right yeah sure Kevin Halliday: go into your wife. Okay. Kevin Halliday: So your kids, the kids, Kevin Halliday: you know, your wife, you Kevin Halliday: know, Kevin Halliday: they're good. But what's Kevin Halliday: the story she said? Kevin Halliday: Because remember, she's Kevin Halliday: going through a lot of of Kevin Halliday: ups and downs just like Kevin Halliday: you are right she's Kevin Halliday: supportive she's there and Kevin Halliday: Yeah, what they would Kevin Halliday: yes you've written Kevin Halliday: about okay here she is but Kevin Halliday: what's the one thing that Kevin Halliday: from Chris Jones: that the book Kevin Halliday: that they'd add that you Kevin Halliday: today here we are the Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Kevin Halliday: book's done you did it Kevin Halliday: you've gone through that Kevin Halliday: then fast forward and Kevin Halliday: you said did you know it Kevin Halliday: was actually this because Kevin Halliday: as you get to know your Kevin Halliday: partner over 20 years 30 Kevin Halliday: years whatever that is Kevin Halliday: it's that one aha moment Kevin Halliday: go oh i didn't actually Kevin Halliday: know that Chris Jones: Yeah, I mean, I think they'd Chris Jones: have a lot to say. I think Chris Jones: the, you Chris Jones: know, I think what they Chris Jones: brought to the table was just Chris Jones: their ability to be Chris Jones: phenomenal teammates, right? Chris Jones: And how do we, like, how do Chris Jones: we trust a leader, happen to Chris Jones: be a dad, husband, in Chris Jones: difficult times? Chris Jones: and what do we do uh how do Chris Jones: we share where we're at in Chris Jones: the moment and what we need Chris Jones: not just in service of others Chris Jones: but how do we find that Chris Jones: balance of what each person Chris Jones: needs because Kevin Halliday: yeah Kevin Halliday: it would have been Kevin Halliday: difficult like go deeper Kevin Halliday: on this because i want to Kevin Halliday: really Kevin Halliday: it's kind of like the nuts Kevin Halliday: and bolts it's not like a Kevin Halliday: second marriage third Kevin Halliday: marriage 4k you give up Kevin Halliday: because we love each other Kevin Halliday: we hate each other we love Kevin Halliday: each other we hate each Kevin Halliday: other you're going through Kevin Halliday: some great and hard times Kevin Halliday: because it was never easy Kevin Halliday: anyone says oh it was easy Kevin Halliday: for my wife, easy for my Kevin Halliday: and my kids, but Kevin Halliday: kids Kevin Halliday: no, no, no, the real pain Kevin Halliday: is all of a sudden listen, Kevin Halliday: when we're at our lowest Kevin Halliday: it's easy to give up on a Kevin Halliday: marriage it's easy to give Kevin Halliday: up on, and I'm not saying Kevin Halliday: give up on your kids and Kevin Halliday: that they're but you go Chris Jones: gone Kevin Halliday: through some really Kevin Halliday: dark, dark times it's like Kevin Halliday: ugh Chris Jones: I mean, my wife's MO, she is Chris Jones: a very low risk taker. Chris Jones: So to be sitting there in San Chris Jones: Antonio and hear that 70 % Chris Jones: walked out the door, what do Chris Jones: we do? Chris Jones: Like, this is not the life Chris Jones: that she would have chosen, Chris Jones: right? She's a nurse. Chris Jones: She, I mean, at that point, Chris Jones: we had kids, so she was Chris Jones: working casual. So we'd Chris Jones: prioritized family over Chris Jones: income. Chris Jones: income so she didn't work Chris Jones: full -time well as soon as we Chris Jones: had kids so we but she's a Chris Jones: low risk taker and so to say Chris Jones: let's try and just figure Chris Jones: this out you Chris Jones: know she could probably write Chris Jones: self -therapy guides for low Chris Jones: risk takers working with Chris Jones: entrepreneurs right Chris Jones: like how do you be a partner Chris Jones: to someone who thinks like Chris Jones: let's just figure it out over Chris Jones: the next year and I hope we Chris Jones: don't lose our house like Kevin Halliday: yeah and and we're a lot Kevin Halliday: of people just give up and Kevin Halliday: go i don't want this i Kevin Halliday: yeah it's divorce rates Kevin Halliday: gotta get out of here Kevin Halliday: like because divorce rates Kevin Halliday: and you look at this and Kevin Halliday: then where they're at it's Kevin Halliday: oh it's easier to give up Kevin Halliday: than to keep going like Kevin Halliday: when you look at the Kevin Halliday: challenge that you have in Chris Jones: yeah Kevin Halliday: your partner and Kevin Halliday: then what the support Kevin Halliday: system that you have Kevin Halliday: because you've been Kevin Halliday: married for so long like a Kevin Halliday: lot of people give up easy Kevin Halliday: and then say okay it's uh Kevin Halliday: we'll figure that out Kevin Halliday: well Kevin Halliday: later no Chris Jones: yeah we're we'll be 20 we're Chris Jones: 28 years now um married and i Chris Jones: remember her mom asking me Chris Jones: like seeing me after this Chris Jones: crisis had happened she's Chris Jones: like chris i'm so sorry and Chris Jones: i'm like what are you talking Chris Jones: about i'm having a riot Chris Jones: rebuilding this and like Chris Jones: she's like i think my Chris Jones: daughter's married a nut job Kevin Halliday: right Chris Jones: like she looked at me like Chris Jones: there's something wrong with Chris Jones: you and i'm like i know but Chris Jones: she grew up in this family Chris Jones: her dad was in the rcmp and Chris Jones: chief of police and Chris Jones: um her mom was an Chris Jones: administrative executive and Chris Jones: like the aunt they were so Chris Jones: They would have Chris Jones: far from the Chris Jones: entrepreneurial world and way Chris Jones: of thinking they couldn't Chris Jones: digest how i ran and operated Chris Jones: uh they i mean anyways Kevin Halliday: oh Kevin Halliday: conversations with her, Kevin Halliday: saying, Are you sure you Kevin Halliday: want to be with this guy? Chris Jones: i'm certain that they're like Chris Jones: are you sure you're not Kevin Halliday: Yeah. Chris Jones: Yeah. Chris Jones: married Chris Jones: to putts you know like yeah I Chris Jones: mean that was probably before Chris Jones: before I mean I worked for Chris Jones: five years for free like Chris Jones: making no money as I launched Chris Jones: the business while I was in Chris Jones: school and I worked Chris Jones: part -time and as a bartender Chris Jones: to pay the bills and oh yeah Chris Jones: they thought I was probably a Chris Jones: bigger putts Chris Jones: putz back then. Chris Jones: back then uh then I you know Chris Jones: got to a certain measure of Chris Jones: success only yeah to have my Chris Jones: the rug pulled out for me Chris Jones: under me in 2012 but you know Chris Jones: they've been great actually Chris Jones: through it all it's but I'm Chris Jones: sure there were times Chris Jones: where they're like are you Chris Jones: sure you want this path Chris Jones: Yolanda Kevin Halliday: So, I've got a question, Kevin Halliday: okay. Kevin Halliday: Do you have a time that, Kevin Halliday: where people will, Kevin Halliday: businesses will come in, Kevin Halliday: and you're trying to give Kevin Halliday: them a better system? Kevin Halliday: yeah Kevin Halliday: system um did ever and did Kevin Halliday: you ever have a Kevin Halliday: conversation with the Kevin Halliday: owner that it's not a it's Kevin Halliday: not the system that needs Kevin Halliday: help and tell give me a Kevin Halliday: oh boy Kevin Halliday: story on this one Kevin Halliday: okay so give me a story Kevin Halliday: yeah yeah where here's Kevin Halliday: this most beautiful system Kevin Halliday: yeah Kevin Halliday: you're putting in there Kevin Halliday: here's how you're going to Kevin Halliday: run Kevin Halliday: it but the actual the Kevin Halliday: owner personally couldn't Kevin Halliday: go to that level like like Kevin Halliday: oh Chris Jones: yeah Kevin Halliday: yeah Kevin Halliday: how do you handle that Kevin Halliday: Give me a story on the Kevin Halliday: change. Chris Jones: so it's easy to say you want Chris Jones: to do something and it's a Chris Jones: lot tougher to do it so when Chris Jones: i have a first call with a Chris Jones: potential uh client i talk to Chris Jones: the owner and Chris Jones: i i always ask them like what Chris Jones: do you really want like big Chris Jones: goal anything you want what Chris Jones: do you really really want and Chris Jones: if they give me oh like I Chris Jones: want a hundred million Chris Jones: dollars in revenue I dig Chris Jones: deeper I'm like Chris Jones: what would that change for Chris Jones: you what's the goal behind Chris Jones: the goal like why is that Chris Jones: meaning why does a hundred Chris Jones: million dollar revenue Chris Jones: business matter to you what Chris Jones: is that going to change in Chris Jones: your life and they're like Chris Jones: whoa like no one's ever asked Chris Jones: them questions like this I Chris Jones: find and so we start to get Chris Jones: to this level of depth of Chris Jones: like what's a real meaningful Chris Jones: goal like why are we Chris Jones: talking and I record that Chris Jones: every time and Chris Jones: so if we start working Chris Jones: together invariably end up at Chris Jones: a table and we're working Chris Jones: through things and Chris Jones: you watch the I can like Chris Jones: tangibly see the struggle of Chris Jones: that owner sometimes like I Chris Jones: think I don't want to let go Chris Jones: I don't I know I should like Chris Jones: I don't Chris Jones: want to let go and then Chris Jones: sometimes they completely Chris Jones: lose consciousness of that Chris Jones: awareness and they're like Chris Jones: they'll say I want to let go Chris Jones: but actually that's a fucking Chris Jones: terrible idea and they and I Chris Jones: just watch their teammates Chris Jones: disengage and Chris Jones: I'm like they have no idea Chris Jones: what they just did to their Chris Jones: team Chris Jones: so I've I got good at calling Chris Jones: Oh, really? Chris Jones: it out and quite frankly Chris Jones: sometimes it gets me fired Chris Jones: and I'm like Chris Jones: oh yeah and it's like they Chris Jones: don't want to hear it and Chris Jones: other times I'm like hey like Chris Jones: are we aware of what just Chris Jones: happened like hey Mr. Chris Jones: Finance guy where's your head Chris Jones: at they're like well I'm not Chris Jones: talking again and the owner's Chris Jones: like what why like what's the Chris Jones: point you're just going to Chris Jones: override Chris Jones: what I say anyways and so Chris Jones: that's a bit of a those are Chris Jones: tough moments and I'll pull Chris Jones: it back to the owner and say Chris Jones: remember that thing you told Chris Jones: me what Chris Jones: what you really wanted out of Chris Jones: this and Chris Jones: most of the times they Chris Jones: remember I'm like is what Chris Jones: you're doing now getting you Chris Jones: closer to or further away Chris Jones: from that and usually it's Chris Jones: like oh my gosh i got i'm Chris Jones: getting in my own way aren't Chris Jones: i that's Chris Jones: what i see Chris Jones: that's what your teammate Chris Jones: just told you you know no Chris Jones: one's going to go on that Chris Jones: journey with you if you keep Chris Jones: overriding their decisions Chris Jones: like Chris Jones: why would you tell them what Chris Jones: to do in finance when their Chris Jones: whole expertise is in finance Chris Jones: right Chris Jones: and they're like oh Chris Jones: now you may not agree with Chris Jones: their decision but what's the Chris Jones: right way about disagreeing Chris Jones: that doesn't shut them down Chris Jones: because we need healthy Chris Jones: disagreement. But what we Chris Jones: don't want to do is tell them Chris Jones: they're an effing idiot. Kevin Halliday: so when you're talking to Kevin Halliday: a entrepreneur leader he's Kevin Halliday: in there yeah we gotta we Kevin Halliday: gotta bring a system in Kevin Halliday: that's i've been told ai Kevin Halliday: is the most important Kevin Halliday: thing ever since sliced Kevin Halliday: bread if we're Kevin Halliday: not on top of ai we're not Kevin Halliday: on top of this there's no Kevin Halliday: difference on ai and Kevin Halliday: business leadership it's Chris Jones: Sure. Kevin Halliday: it's it's the it's the Kevin Halliday: phrase of the month the Kevin Halliday: build of the month Kevin Halliday: whatever that storytelling Kevin Halliday: is. telling is, right? But Chris Jones: Yeah, yeah. Kevin Halliday: I'm looking at it as here Kevin Halliday: it is. All right, I'm the Kevin Halliday: owner. Kevin Halliday: Let's go, let's do this. Kevin Halliday: And then all of a sudden Kevin Halliday: you're coming to me to Kevin Halliday: tell me that, wait, no, Kevin Halliday: no, no, no, no, hold it. Kevin Halliday: We got to run it this way. Kevin Halliday: How do I know that I'm in Kevin Halliday: my own way? Chris Jones: how Kevin Halliday: Like, how do you bring Kevin Halliday: that to an owner to really Kevin Halliday: be conscious of, yes, I Kevin Halliday: want it. Yes, I want AI, Kevin Halliday: but I use AI because Kevin Halliday: then you say I don't want Kevin Halliday: Because people want AI, Kevin Halliday: AI Kevin Halliday: but then you do Kevin Halliday: but they really don't know Kevin Halliday: how to use AI. Kevin Halliday: So really, there's a whole Kevin Halliday: different avenue on that Kevin Halliday: equation. Kevin Halliday: But as an owner coming in Kevin Halliday: to say, okay, this is what Kevin Halliday: I want changed, but guess Kevin Halliday: what? Kevin Halliday: They can't recognize Kevin Halliday: they're in their way. Chris Jones: Yep. Chris Jones: So that's a deeper question. Chris Jones: Here's, I think, the best way Chris Jones: I can describe it. Chris Jones: When I talked about sharing Chris Jones: the weight of being a leader Chris Jones: in a business, like let's Chris Jones: take it off your shoulders, Chris Jones: some of it, off your Chris Jones: shoulders as the owner, the Chris Jones: entrepreneur, and share it Chris Jones: amongst the table. Chris Jones: well what that also means in Chris Jones: doing that is that like Chris Jones: is that the owner's box is Chris Jones: owner's box we call it Chris Jones: shareholders Chris Jones: that's different than active Chris Jones: leadership in the business Chris Jones: they're two very different Chris Jones: things like the two mindsets Chris Jones: i talked about well in this Chris Jones: room at this leadership table Chris Jones: we're all equals Chris Jones: and so the finance leader and Chris Jones: the marketing leader and the Chris Jones: owner like Chris Jones: we're not even going going to Chris Jones: call you the owner here we're Chris Jones: going to call you whatever Chris Jones: other seat you're in is a Chris Jones: visionary seat or integrator Chris Jones: seat or maybe you're the Chris Jones: leader of sales we're going Chris Jones: to call you that Chris Jones: and so when we get to making Chris Jones: decisions and hard decisions Chris Jones: we're going to go around the Chris Jones: room and Chris Jones: say what do you all think and Chris Jones: one of my jobs is helping Chris Jones: them understand how we create Chris Jones: an environment Chris Jones: environment, where not only Chris Jones: is it safe to argue with the Chris Jones: owner, different role, but Chris Jones: it's expected. Chris Jones: I say there's no passengers. Chris Jones: Like nobody here just like, Chris Jones: yeah, yeah, that's fine. I'm Chris Jones: like, well, why are you here Chris Jones: if you're just going to say Chris Jones: everything's fine? Like you, Chris Jones: you're super smart. Chris Jones: You've got life experience Chris Jones: and skills. And what do you Chris Jones: think we should really do Chris Jones: here? Chris Jones: If they won't answer that Chris Jones: question, they don't last on Chris Jones: the leadership team very Chris Jones: long. right but a we got to Chris Jones: make it safe to speak up and Chris Jones: b they're they're expected to Chris Jones: speak up Chris Jones: and so then we create an Chris Jones: environment of healthy debate Chris Jones: and Chris Jones: when Chris Jones: when you can do that where Chris Jones: everybody is firing their Chris Jones: best thoughts on a topic it Chris Jones: starts to shift the weight of Chris Jones: responsibility it's not just Chris Jones: all on the owner anymore and Chris Jones: that has huge trickle -down Chris Jones: domino effects in so many Chris Jones: areas as you can imagine this Chris Jones: is what enables us to take Chris Jones: vacations for 30 days Chris Jones: without being on our phone Chris Jones: and our leaders can do the Chris Jones: other leaders can do the same Chris Jones: thing too Chris Jones: because it's not just one Chris Jones: person dictating what's Chris Jones: happening in the business Chris Jones: anymore it's a leadership Chris Jones: team of ass kickers that are Chris Jones: all smart in their own right Chris Jones: and guess what they can kind Chris Jones: of cover for each other if Chris Jones: needed does that answer it Kevin Halliday: totally answers that and Kevin Halliday: then getting the flow Kevin Halliday: there now how do people Kevin Halliday: find you Chris Jones: uh if you search Chris Jones Chris Jones: and EOS. That's one way. Chris Jones: There's a little micro site Chris Jones: that comes up, part of EOS Chris Jones: worldwide. The other one, Chris Jones: relentlesschrisjones .com is Chris Jones: my, you know, the book and Chris Jones: the, I do some Chris Jones: speaking, but not much Chris Jones: anymore. I built the skills Chris Jones: and it wasn't the right thing Chris Jones: for me to do a bunch of. So I Chris Jones: do a little bit of Chris Jones: professional speaking, but Chris Jones: really my primary passion is Chris Jones: helping companies Chris Jones: implement EOS and then two Chris Jones: other businesses that I've co Chris Jones: -founded one with Chris Jones: this Tyler Nicolets a sales Chris Jones: relationship building how do Chris Jones: we bring our non sales people Chris Jones: to life in our business to Chris Jones: build relationships and Chris Jones: develop predictable Chris Jones: sales growth and then the Chris Jones: other businesses with my Chris Jones: youngest son Trey at 19 years Chris Jones: old we've got a little ai Chris Jones: business that we've started Chris Jones: called simple solve ai and so Chris Jones: that's Chris Jones: been a ton of fun helping him Chris Jones: through that so i have this Chris Jones: other role where i'm not Chris Jones: active in either of those Chris Jones: businesses i'm just owner's Chris Jones: seat and guide coach investor Chris Jones: role but not active in the Chris Jones: day -to -day and he'd have so Chris Jones: much fun with that stuff Chris Jones: Oh, Kevin Halliday: yeah Kevin Halliday: that is so awesome. Chris Jones: now Kevin Halliday: Now, right now, because Kevin Halliday: we're going to wrap up Kevin Halliday: here pretty quick, the Kevin Halliday: other question that I have Kevin Halliday: is, what would you say to Kevin Halliday: a young entrepreneur or to Kevin Halliday: any entrepreneur right now Kevin Halliday: starting up a business or Kevin Halliday: any business or anything, Kevin Halliday: what would you have to Kevin Halliday: say? Or what is the one Kevin Halliday: thing we haven't talked Kevin Halliday: about that you want to Kevin Halliday: sure yeah i Kevin Halliday: talk about? Chris Jones: gives Kevin Halliday: a couple scenarios here Chris Jones: think follow your passion may Chris Jones: everybody says that Chris Jones: be bad advice Chris Jones: yeah like that it's bad Chris Jones: advice or it's good advice Chris Jones: there are Kevin Halliday: because it's like you Kevin Halliday: don't go with your heart Kevin Halliday: come on Chris Jones: sorry but when you're 18 year Chris Jones: old years old you You don't Chris Jones: know shit. Chris Jones: Like, you know 10 things in Chris Jones: the world. Well, there's 10 Chris Jones: ,000 things, and you only Chris Jones: know 10. Follow your passion Chris Jones: means you're going to become Chris Jones: a video game developer. Kevin Halliday: That's why there's a Chris Jones: zillion people wanting to be Chris Jones: video game developers right Chris Jones: now. Great, wonderful Chris Jones: concept, but there's a lot of Chris Jones: people who love that. You Chris Jones: don't know yet. So I'd say Chris Jones: explore. Chris Jones: I'd say, like, passionately Chris Jones: explore things to a level of Chris Jones: depth where you start to Chris Jones: really learn it. Chris Jones: And then pay attention to Chris Jones: your energy levels of what Chris Jones: fires you up and what kills Chris Jones: you and that's going to help Chris Jones: guide you of like what's Chris Jones: worth exploring more and what Chris Jones: do we cast away and say this Chris Jones: isn't my thing Kevin Halliday: so Chris Jones: i'd say start there um that's Chris Jones: beyond just entrepreneurs Chris Jones: that's like humans uh for Chris Jones: entrepreneurial advice i'd Chris Jones: say solve problems Chris Jones: that matter and the people Chris Jones: are willing to pay for right Chris Jones: if people aren't willing to Chris Jones: pay for you don't have a Chris Jones: business you got a hobby Chris Jones: right like that's a volunteer Chris Jones: job great call it that do it Chris Jones: it for fun. But if you solve Chris Jones: problems that matter for Chris Jones: people, create big value, the Chris Jones: money will follow. And you Chris Jones: need money to be Chris Jones: successful in a business. You Chris Jones: can't achieve your mission if Kevin Halliday: be open Chris Jones: you don't make any money. Chris Jones: And, oh, Chris Jones: there was one other thread Chris Jones: there. Oh, yeah. Chris Jones: Be open to redefining what Chris Jones: success is. Like everybody Chris Jones: thinks success, a lot of Chris Jones: people think success is Chris Jones: money. Chris Jones: And then other people are Chris Jones: like, well, it's the complete Chris Jones: opposite of money. But what Chris Jones: is success? Chris Jones: Is success being a non Chris Jones: -present owner that Chris Jones: doesn't blow the company up? Chris Jones: Is success being, how do I Chris Jones: elevate into a coach in my Chris Jones: business instead of the Chris Jones: person that's the linchpin? Chris Jones: a lynchpin Kevin Halliday: is Chris Jones: Is success being, you know, Chris Jones: the king maker, right? I'm Chris Jones: actually just going to help Chris Jones: everybody else succeed in my Chris Jones: business and I don't need to Chris Jones: be the champ right like what Chris Jones: is that definition of success Chris Jones: and it's something that Chris Jones: i've learned to be willing to Chris Jones: redefine what success means Chris Jones: for me which means Chris Jones: reinvention in a way and kind Chris Jones: of letting go of the past Chris Jones: version of myself and saying Chris Jones: that that's that got me here Chris Jones: and i'm super grateful for Chris Jones: that but it's not who i am Chris Jones: anymore all Kevin Halliday: That is awesome. Kevin Halliday: All right, Chris, well, Kevin Halliday: thank you very much. You Kevin Halliday: know, like, subscribe, hit Kevin Halliday: our share button. And Kevin Halliday: thanks, Chris, for being Kevin Halliday: here on Shed Talk. Chris Jones: thanks thanks, man. The book Chris Jones: is out there. If we won, we Chris Jones: could wave Kevin Halliday: I appreciate it. Thank Chris Jones: I don't know. So Kevin Halliday: you.