September 29, 2025 • 42 mins
Let’s welcome our first guest this week, Eric Jordan, a third-party logistics broker at SPI Logistics, talking about his journey to becoming an independent agent and running a successful freight agency!
Eric shares the early grind of making 75 cold calls a day, creative ways he landed customers, and how relationships and referrals now drive half his business.
We dive into the reality of sales pre- and post-COVID, why industry specialization matters more than ever, how a support structure allows agents to move high-value freight without missing a beat, and the hardest lessons he learned about contracts, financial discipline, and protecting your business!
Connect with Eric
- Email: ejordan@spi3pl.com
- Phone: 404-993-9005
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- SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
All right, we are going to start in 3, 2 and 1.
What is up, ladies and gentlemen?
We are back.
We are live.
It is the Freight Coach podcast, the top podcast in transportation, coming to you guys every single weekday, 8:30am Pacific, 10:30 Central, to break down some industry headlines.
But most importantly, you guys provide some actual insight into what you can do with all of this information.
(00:23):
If this is your first time tuning in, welcome.
This is the real side of freight, ladies and gentlemen.
And I do say that before every single show.
And what I mean by that is this.
I only speak with transportation professionals because at the end of the day, you guys, I want to talk to the right individuals who have done what you're looking to do or who are currently doing what you're trying to achieve.
So you can take that information, apply it, utilize it, and see a meaningful difference in your business and your life.
(00:45):
And if you're watching this, you guys can already see my guests.
I got a very special guest for you guys here today.
You know, I always love talking to anybody who works in this industry, but especially ones who are, like, on the same path that I am.
Walking out on their own, trying to make it on their own, not falling into the glitz and glam of like, oh, just walk away from your salary.
It's just so great out there, you guys, just to do.
(01:05):
To do that.
And with that being said, I got my man Eric Jordan on the show today with spi.
Eric, thank you so much for taking the time to join me.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Oh, man, thank you.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
No, absolutely.
And you know, Eric, I always like.
I always like to kind of like, start in with this.
Like, how did you get your start in freight?
What brought you into the transportation industry?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Well, when I was younger, living in Philadelphia, I was working for the Liquor Control Board as a temp position, the dispatcher.
And I just wanted to learn the ins and outs of every job that I've ever worked with.
I always wanted to know the beginning, the end, the middle.
Like, I just always wanted to know everything about it.
So I moved around from accounting over to dispatch and I started working with drivers.
(01:49):
And.
And that's how I pretty much got into it.
It was kind of neat working for the Liquor Control Board in Philadelphia.
You know, they're by the state, everything for the state.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
So what was it about, you know, like, what was it where you were like, I gotta go out on my own and do it for myself?
Right?
Like, I. I think.
And this is the most fascinating thing with Anybody who's ever like walked away from a salary and like went out either, you know, it's 1099, starting their own business, because that's what you're doing, right?
Like you're walking away from the comfort of a salary, benefits and all of that stuff.
(02:25):
And you're going out to strike out on your own.
So like, what was that moment, Eric, where you're just like, I got to go for this.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I was.
It was about.
Almost 20 years ago, about 15 years ago.
I was living in Atlanta and I was working at a transportation company.
And my partner at the time, we had to move to San Francisco.
So my job.
They made it seem like, well, they said, you know what, Eric?
(02:53):
We're gonna let you do your own thing.
You can be an agent.
I had to learn all the details of that.
And they said, you know, find your own customers, move your own freight and you're good.
I think it was almost like saying goodbye, Eric.
You know, it was like, bye, you're not gonna do good.
We've never had an agent do good, so.
(03:14):
And they didn't have too many agents.
They may have had one or two, but it was like by.
Everyone was saying goodbye to me and it was, you know, I just felt like, oh, this is sink or swim time.
And luckily I got out there to San Francisco.
I walked around the house, look for different items that ship.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
And start making calls.
And then I had to be unique about it.
You know, I'm not a salesman at all.
Like that's the.
I just.
Not a salesman.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I don't making phone calls.
I don't like being turned down.
But I had to do it.
It was sink or swim.
And so I start being unique.
It was like when cell phones had first came out and they had those little cheapy cell phones.
I would go visit a customer, buy a cell phone, mail it to them, and only have my number in it and tell them to call me when you want your freight move.
(04:12):
And little unique stuff like that, you know, they were like, oh wait, this guy is serious.
And I got one of my biggest customers that way.
And yeah, it was just stepping out on my own was scary.
Like I said, it was sink or swim.
I just knew I had to do it.
But that's when I once I did that and start learning different techniques on how to get customer in the funnel.
(04:39):
I enjoyed it.
I mean, that's when I flourished, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
So what?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
I believe it.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
No, I. I feel you there.
And I. I mean what you said there, Eric, about not being a salesman, not liking the rejection, not liking all of that part that comes along with it.
How did you, how did you get comfortable with that?
Because, you know, like, I, like in most people when they hear this, they, I don't, I truly don't think that they believe me when I say this.
(05:06):
Like, I'm naturally an introvert, man.
Like I, I really like to kind of be by myself and out on my own and be to the tune of my own drum with a lot of stuff.
But like all of this is a. I've learned to become an extrovert, you know, I've learned to be able to like kind of like tap in to a different version of myself that isn't like I'm not like faking any of this, but like, this is like natural for me.
(05:30):
You know what I mean?
Like, I'm not comfortable speaking in front of people and doing all of that because just like you, man, I hate rejection.
I hate that part.
I don't like that uncomfortableness that comes along with it.
But I've taught myself over the years to kind of like really smash that emotion down and not let it bubble up because I, you know, so it's like for you, how did you overcome a lot of that when you were building it up?
(05:56):
Or how do you overcome it still to this day?
Because if you're anything like me, like, I know that voice still pops up in my head at times too.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I still struggle with it still to this day.
You know, overcoming it was, to me, it was learning the industry.
I had to really get engrossed in learning every little thing about brokerage, transportation, types of trucks, type of freight.
I had to, you know, just engross myself in it.
(06:24):
So when I spoke, I felt really comfortable to the customer and answering questions that, you know, that was always my biggest fear is they're going to ask me something I don't know or they're going to look at me like I'm not real, you know, in debt in this field.
And I had to first get completely in depth, completely knowledgeable.
(06:44):
And then I felt really comfortable.
And once I did that, I think that's when I started to shine a little.
I mean, I'm still, to me, I'm a 57, 56 year old nerd.
And I am really, I believe I am an introvert.
People say, nah, Eric, not really.
But yeah, I just wanted to be engrossed in learning all about the whole gamut of transportation in order to be comfortable to approach a customer.
(07:16):
Once I did that, approaching customers just felt easy to me.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
It's very similar, Eric.
And this is why when I talk being a niche based broker, for me, it's like it is that because it's, it's to be fully prepared for the moment because like, it's going to be a rarity at this point in my career, especially with moving the freight that I move, that a customer or prospect is going to come to me with something that like, I'm not prepared for, or I at least don't have a general idea of how to handle it and how to operate it.
(07:52):
I know how to ask the right qualifying questions.
And a lot of that confidence comes from the reps that it took for getting through and going through a lot of that.
And, and that's, you know, another big factor on why I tell people just to choose a niche and go after that for a while.
Because there's so much opportunity that's out there.
I think paralysis analysis is a very big thing in transportation.
(08:15):
You think you need to do everything because there is so much freight to move.
But I feel like as the industry progresses, I'm thinking it's going to be more and more specialized sales reps that are going to flourish.
Because anybody could sit here, you know, you look at today's day and age, for example, Anybody could sit here and be like, oh, when's it going to improve?
(08:36):
You know, why isn't it, you know, when's the market going to increase all of that stuff?
We could sit here all day until we're blue in the face.
But guys like you and I, Eric, we don't have that luxury of waiting for anything to change because, like, neither one of us have a salary, right?
Have to go out there and, you know, we eat what we kill.
So it's like for me, I'm like, all right, if I'm going to change with the times, what is one thing that I've noticed pre Covid and post Covid when it comes to freight broker sales for me personally, because, you know, I actually make cold calls every single day.
(09:07):
I've noticed the difference in receptiveness to my outbounds when I'm very specialized in why I'm calling, hey, I'm calling.
This is who we are.
We specialize in this.
I'm really just calling to introduce ourselves today and it's really kind of breaking it down and then also understanding where I'm at in the sales process.
Right.
(09:27):
The majority of the calls, that's the first time you've ever talked to somebody at that company.
So it's like, why are you going for the kill shot on the very first interaction with them and asking them for something?
I think, like, there's a.
You got to build up that familiarity there.
And like, in.
The difference is.
Is pre Covid.
You used to get the decision maker on the phone fairly easy.
(09:48):
You have a couple of.
I don't even want to call them decent.
I'll call them halfway decent conversations.
And then they're going to be like, hey, let's get you set up.
And, you know, we'll see where it goes.
You can at least complete a sentence.
I think that was the standard, and it was just a lot different.
And now once you get onboarded with somebody, again, the difference is pre and post.
(10:08):
Covid.
Pre Covid.
You get a prove it shipment really quick, right?
Like, hey, you're set up.
This one's yours.
Go.
Now you might get set up with somebody, and it could be a year or two years before you start seeing any real business from them.
And.
And I say that with confidence because that's how my book of business and my business has grown here over these past couple of years.
(10:30):
All of our growth this year, Eric, has came from existing customers and deeper selling within them.
It took us a long time to get to that point where we started moving up the priority list with them.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Right, right.
I can see that.
It's all about getting them in the funnel.
Right.
And once you have them in that funnel, you know, they start to funnel down and trickle down.
It takes it.
It takes time.
And a lot of the customers that I've been getting are warehouses that really like dealing with me and will reach out to other customers and give them my information.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Oh, wow.
So referrals.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
You've.
Yeah, I've been getting real lucky with referrals.
I mean, I would say half of my customers have been referrals.
And so it works out really well.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
That that's where it's at.
Eric, at the end of the day, that's.
That.
That, to me is like the ultimate business card that you have is when your customers are referring to other people for you to go in there and do that.
And, you know, so, like, what was some of those challenges in, you know, or let's call it this, when you went from a salaried employee to going out and becoming a 1099, what were some of those early lessons that you learned of, like, okay, crap, I can't do this, that way anymore.
(11:49):
I gotta change this.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
The early lesson was I had to learn the rates.
I was really struggling with the rates.
Like I was giving the drivers everything I had because I was just too friendly, too nice, and I wasn't thinking about, you know, my pay.
I was trying to build the business.
And so in doing that, it seemed like the drivers were like, oh, this guy is pretty nice and he's got good rates and I'm gonna stick with him.
(12:22):
And his customer was like, oh, he's pretty good.
He's pretty nice.
He's got pretty good rates and he's getting everything moved.
I want to stick with him.
So it allowed me to have the customer in trust and then friendship and then I was able to change my rates and see an income coming in.
(12:42):
But luckily I had a partner who watched me grow from becoming salary into the 1099 and allowed me to, you know, most people don't have the luxury of paying rent on from going from that, you know, so I had a partner who was like, you know what, Eric, I got you for six months.
(13:07):
So just do your thing, take your time, it'll come through.
And a lot of people don't have that luxury.
And I was pretty lucky.
And it was tough.
It was tough because you can't get a customer in six months.
I felt like I couldn't.
And it did take me a while.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
I, I think it takes a lot longer than a lot of people think, right?
And I think like, that's one of the biggest eye openers, Eric, to a lot of individuals and especially, you know, I also look at, again, this isn't every.
I try not to make too many generalized statements, but like when you go and sell right away for an established company, right, they have established relationships, you're moving freight, you might have been like seated with a couple of accounts and you know, you kind of get into it right away.
(13:52):
You have a false sense, I think, of what it takes to build a book of business.
And, and I say that because like, I worked for one of the largest freight brokers in North America for the first seven years of my career, right?
It was vastly different selling in that environment than when I went to go work for a startup and then now out on my own.
(14:14):
Vastly different, right?
Like there is no name recognition, there's none of that stuff.
And you know, again, back then it was a lot different.
There was, hey, we have all of these existing accounts, we've Moved freight with them, call them, right?
Just.
Just call them back and see what it is.
It was.
It was so different than it is now.
So I think a lot of people have a false sense of how easy it is to get business, because when you walk into an environment where there's tens, twenty, thirty, hundreds of shipments moving every single day, it's a lot different than when you're out on your own and there's nothing.
(14:46):
And you got to go out there and hunt for that opportunity.
Because, Eric, you're right.
You can.
You literally, I think to even get a customer within six months that you can move substantial freight with, you got to be making minimum 75 cold calls a day every single day for that six months.
And even then, in today's environment, you might not get somebody who has a ton of freight at the end of the day that you can grow with.
(15:09):
And so it's like, for me, it's like setting up that realistic expectation.
I think that's one of my biggest pet peeves that I see.
And again, I know a lot of people, everybody out there is trying to make a dollar, right?
Like, I'm a capitalist.
I love making money.
I'm not going to knock anybody's hustle out there on social media.
But one of my biggest pet peeves is how easy people are trying to make going out and being a freight agent, an independent agent, seem online.
(15:32):
Is.
It's like, oh, just walk away from your salary, bring your book of business over here, Everything's going to be good.
Or, oh, you know, you don't have a book of business.
Come.
Come over here and everything will be fine.
And, and I'm not saying that it's.
It's a bad environment.
I'm saying, like, I want to see more real conversations about people who maybe went out on their own with an existing book of business, they lost all their customers and had to rebuild it or something like that.
(15:56):
And again, like, I.
That's why I'll always do my show at the level that I do it, Eric, because, like, I don't have the luxury of having an easy path in the industry, right?
Like, I've had to work really hard to get to where I'm at.
And it's like, I think that's why a lot of that stuff bugs me so much, is because I'm like, man, it's not easy.
It was hard as shit for me.
You know, like, I just want to see that realistic expectation out.
(16:19):
If you're going to promote something, let them know, like, hey, this is gonna be the hardest thing you're ever going to do.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
That's right.
I.
When I first moved here to Georgia, I, you know, I had set up everything.
I was a sign in or I was, you know, doing a big bid for a big customer.
I had moved so much freight for them, and they finally decided to narrow their stuff down to only three prominent carriers.
And I just knew I was a sure win.
(16:46):
I had moved so much freight for them and I didn't win nothing.
And so I lost everything.
That was my only customer at the time.
And I was like, oh, crap, I have to go back to salary.
And I just started pulling up all the warehouses I picked up from and delivered to.
(17:08):
And I was pounding the pavement.
It was a struggle.
It was a really bad struggle.
It's not easy, you know, I would leave the house and go somewhere and meet someone and be like, oh, what do you do?
I'm like, I'm a freight broker.
Oh, I want to do that.
I've been wanting to do that.
And I'm looking at them like, if they only knew.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
What I'm going through right now, this is tough.
But it worked out.
I mean, you know, it takes time.
Nothing comes easy.
And now I love it.
Now I love telling people.
I was on Family Feud a few months ago.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Oh, what?
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Yeah, well, our family was on Family Feud.
Rerun the Jordan Family, Steve Harvey.
I knew he was going to ask me what I did.
huh.
I just knew it like I had planned playing it over and over in my head.
How to explain it?
Because when you tell people you're a freight broker, a lot of people don't get it.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
So when Steve Harvey came over to me, I was like, first of all, I'm nervous because I'm on television.
And he says, so what do you do, Eric?
I was like, here we go.
I said, I'm a freight broker.
And he said, oh, I know what that is.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Oh, let's go.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Right?
He said, yeah, I had to call on a guy like you when I had to move my cars from California to Atlanta.
We had to get a guy in between to.
To do everything because I couldn't talk directly with the drivers.
Yeah, I said, exactly.
He said, you know what?
You're a son of a.
Straight to the driver.
(18:42):
But no, it was real funny.
It was a lot of banter back and forth about it.
But the fact that he knew what a freight broker was, you know, it says a lot about us, like, we're coming.
It's almost like we're coming out of the closet.
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
More and more people are hearing about it and some people don't know, but more and more hearing about it.
My friends are really proud that, you know, I'm in the position that I'm in because I, you know, can control my own hours and everything.
But they don't realize how hard it is.
It's hard.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
No, it is.
In any real entrepreneur that I've ever met who's not trying to sell you on by signing up for their course or they're not trying to financially benefit from the relationship, they'll all tell you the exact same thing, right?
Like, it's the hardest thing that they've ever done.
There's so many more nights where it's like, you know, I think in simplest terms, 99% of the time, if you're out on your own in any capacity in business, you are wondering, is this going to work?
(19:44):
Right?
Like, you're like, fuck, is this going to work out?
Am I going to lose everything?
And then you get that 1% that you win and you're like, fudgeing.
This is the greatest thing ever, 99% of the time that you're going there, racking your brain against the wall and everything else until you get to that next win.
Right?
Like, because it's like, I say that with people and I want you to know, like, I'll never go back to working for it.
(20:10):
I'm unemployable at this point.
But I also feel like it is my duty to let people know what they're signing up for before they walk out on their own and walk away from that, you know, Like, I was out in Long beach earlier this week.
I was at a conference.
I, you know, very fortunate.
I got invited to come do my show at the event.
(20:30):
They had a phenomenal setup.
And I was going to meet a buddy of mine and I was in the Uber and were driving out there and this guy, the Uber driver, was like, oh, in California, like, there's these things that, you know, you get, you know, a discounted health insurance if you're, you know, something.
And I'm just sitting there and I'm like, I had to tell him.
(20:51):
I'm like, man, that sounds great.
But like, I'm self employed too.
I don't get that benefit, all right?
Like, I pay for my family over $1,000 a month for health insurance, dental and vision, right?
That comes out of my pocket every single month.
And it's like, if you're going to go out on your own, I hope you have a spouse that have health insurance at least.
Right?
Because like, that shit's expensive when you're self employed because like, you don't start to see any discounts in it until you have employees.
(21:17):
And then you get a group policy price and stuff like that.
And you know, again, so it's like there's so much more to know before you go out there.
And the amount of people over the years that have said, like, oh, I want to go out and try my own thing.
I always tell them, I'm like, don't quit your day job until you have actual revenue coming through.
Like, you got to work on that stuff at night and weekends until that side hustle can become a primary.
(21:41):
And there's like, there's a path to that.
But because it's so, like, you need so much more money than you think to be out on your own.
You have to be so financially disciplined when you get that money in to set it aside for taxes, emergency funds, all of that.
You gotta really be disciplined to it.
It's not as easy as just walking out and you know, bam, I started.
(22:01):
I have an llc.
I'm gonna be a millionaire within six months.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
A lot of people think that when you're, they just think you're a broker, you're making a lot of money.
But yeah, it's pretty tough in the beginning.
It's some, it's some really good, some bad struggles.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
But I think it's necessary though, Eric, like, how much more do you appreciate your customers now than you would have if somebody would have just given you those customers?
You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Exactly, exactly.
There are days where I'm like, man, I'm.
My freight is kind of low right now.
I don't have freight.
Is this really for me?
My customers don't like me.
And then the next day it'll blow up.
I'll get all this freight and I'm like, oh, I'm on top of the world.
What was I thinking?
And I feel like I go through that once a week.
I do the same thing in my head once a week.
(22:51):
And.
But I appreciate it.
I appreciate my customers.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Yeah, I'll never take a relationship in business for granted ever again.
You know, like I, for me, like, I'm very fortunate to have, you know, the advertisers that I have for the show, the customers that I have in my brokerage, and you Know, and I say that because, like, I know the flip side.
I know what bad customers are.
Like, I.
And because, like, not.
(23:16):
Not all business is good business, right?
And then, like, when you get those customers who appreciate the service that you're providing, you don't have to, like, beat down their door to get paid.
Or even worse, like, I've been stiffed out of tens of thousands of dollars, man.
And it's.
But.
But here's the thing.
It helped me learn, right?
Like, it's.
It's an.
It's an expensive lesson, but it was a lesson nonetheless.
(23:37):
And that's why it's like, I have contracts for things now.
I have all of that.
I protect my business because, like, not everybody has my best interests in mind.
But if you're going to be out there, you have to have your best interests first.
You have to be able to structure yourself to protect yourself, because not everybody's going to feel that way.
And, you know, I'm from the.
I'm from the Midwest originally, right?
So I might be a little naive at the end of the day, but, like, a handshake agreement where I'm from is worth more than a signed contract notarized by attorneys and all of that, man.
(24:06):
A handshake means a lot more.
And.
And that was a lesson that I learned out there is.
Is, hey, not everybody feels that way.
So again, it's like, no offense, but, like, if we're going to work together, I need you to sign this contract.
And again, I might be looking at it wrong, but just based on those early experiences and getting stiffed out of that money, that's what made me do this, you know, because it's like, I had my attorney sit me down and.
(24:28):
And he said, chris, we're not going to be able to recoup this.
He's like, you had no contract out there.
You have no grounds for a lawsuit.
You can prove that you work for them, but you can't prove the amount that they owe you.
And he's like, for that reason, you're done.
And I'm like, shit.
And then that cost me 500 bucks.
I had to pay him for the hour.
But anyways, you know, it was.
(24:49):
At the end of the day, though, it's those lessons that you need to learn, and I'm glad that I learned them.
But again, I feel like it made me protect this a lot more than I would have, right?
Because, like this, you know, when you go out on your own, your business is an entity in its own right.
There's a Difference between Freight Coach Enterprises, which is my company, and Chris Jolly, the individual.
(25:11):
So I have to protect that.
I have to protect the information that we have and that.
Because in.
In the.
The systems and all of that stuff, because if I don't, you know, and it doesn't work out again, I'm just.
I told myself in those moments, Eric, early on, I'm never going to be in this position ever again.
Like, I will never be in that position ever again and again.
That's one of those things that.
I'm glad it happened now because I feel like it made me a better operator.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yeah.
I mean, every day with this.
With this job, you learn something new.
But the good thing is, you know, it's.
It'll.
It benefits you in the future.
You know, it really does.
Everything that you learn will benefit you in the future in this.
In this industry.
And I'm so glad that you know, you talk about that.
(25:56):
I'm so glad you put it out there and you put it on your platform that for people that may be struggling, you know, they don't know.
They may think they're the only ones going through that right now.
And for you to talk about it and say, you know, there's some mistakes that I made or.
It's so good to hear.
Especially, you know, like I said, I didn't know any other agents.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
I just felt like I was the only one out there.
So when I hear from other agents, the struggle, I'm like, man, this.
This.
This is real.
This.
This feels good to know.
And I'm not crazy, and I'm not the only one going through this, so.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Yeah, no, you're definitely not.
And, you know, and I feel like I try not to.
Like, there's no other way to put this.
Like, I'm not trying to put this out there.
Like, I'm in it.
Like.
But, like, with the platform that I have, I feel like it's my duty to put the truth out there.
Like, I. I don't want to fabricate any of this stuff because, like, man, I spent a lot of my time thinking, like, I was the only one going through this stuff, right?
(26:56):
Like, it's gotta just be me.
I'm the only one.
And then it's like, it's that negative voice that creeps up in my head.
And so it's like, for me, it's important to put it out there because, like, dude, I do.
I want people to listen to this and be like, all right, well, fuck it.
If Chris is going through it, I'm And I am too.
Like, I'm not the only one, you know, I'm not the only one who's struggling.
And I feel like I wish more people would put that out there on their platform.
(27:21):
And there's a big difference between bitching and moaning about how hard you have it.
And like, hey, no, this is what I went through.
I overcame it.
Here's how I overcome it.
And just thinking like, oh, it's just, oh, poor me crap out there.
Like, we don't need any more of that, but we need more people to be like, no, this is what I do.
I go through it too.
But these are the things that I do to like, minimize that emotion and keep pushing through.
(27:42):
Because, like, at the end of the day, if you're going to be an agent or, you know, self employed, it's on you, right?
Like, nobody's feeding you business, nobody's feeding you revenue, and you have to go out there and fight for that.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
That's right.
I like that you put it out there.
I like your show.
I love your show for that.
You really put it all out there for people like me and others that just, you know, understand that, you know, everyone has a struggle and everyone is going through the same thing in this industry.
So to hear it is so satisfying, even though it's, you know, it's helpful.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Yeah, no, and that's the whole, like, honestly, when it boils down to it, man, like, that is just like, what I want this show to always be known for is it's like, it's just a resource.
Like, people can learn from it, they can apply this information to their business, they can see a difference and, you know, just kind of like build that bigger community of people inside of transportation who actually care about the industry, who love the industry, who want to see it flourish and drown out all the bad actors that get all the headlines, right?
(28:44):
Because it's like.
And that, I mean, it's a conscious decision that I make internally inside of my company from the media perspective of like, not going down the clickbait route that a lot of content creators can go down because it drives higher engagement in the short term.
Right?
And then I feel like you're always chasing that dopamine hit of like, oh, what's next?
(29:05):
What's.
What's terrible about freight today that we can post about.
But it's like, that's such a small percentage of the industry.
There's.
There's a large percentage of this industry that loves trucking.
They love logistics.
They breathe and bleed this industry, and they want to do the right thing.
And I'm choosing to highlight that as opposed to the other clickbait stuff out there, because, like, who benefits from that, Right?
(29:29):
Like, I joked with one of my.
One of my customers because they obviously they're.
They're involved in the industry.
They're on social.
Social media.
And I'm like, yeah, I can't print off a meme and bring it into your office to be like, bro, how funny is this shit?
You should give me freight.
Like, they're like, yeah, that's a good point.
There's a time and a place for it.
But, like, you better know your shit if you're going to come in here and talk to us.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Yeah, man, that's.
It's so good to be on that platform, to be able to put that out there to people.
I really like that.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
No, I appreciate that, man.
So, like, what's been.
Some of those things, you know, like when were up at Rendezvous and, you know, in Washington there, or, excuse me, D.C. and, you know, being in that environment around, I think that's one thing that it's tough for a business to properly market without sounding like it's a paid advertisement.
(30:21):
Right?
But it's like when you're around that environment and I mean, it's even like the other agents, like were talking before were recording here is it's like getting to know all the other agents that are out there.
And it's like there's a distinct type that comes and, like, and truly works with spi, I think, in my opinion.
And, you know, and I know that they put a lot of time and they don't just, like, let anybody come over out there.
(30:44):
And I found it is.
Is like almost everybody that I've talked to that I've interviewed on this show has always, like, hey, if you need anything, let me know.
Like, I'm here to help.
And there's like, they genuinely want to see you succeed.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Yes, for sure.
And that's what I pulled.
I mean, that's what I like.
I mean, from the moment I arrived, I was a little nervous.
You know, that little introvert in me didn't want to, you know, like too much engage.
I was nervous about engaging.
I wanted to, but I was just nervous.
But once I got down there and I.
And I just met everyone, it was the warmest atmosphere.
(31:22):
I just can't even explain it.
It was.
I walked back up to my room and thought, man, this is great.
This was One of the smartest things any company can do is to get everyone together and meet and greet because we all have stories to share.
But you know, when you know, you're working from home and especially if you're a single team, you don't have that other person to go back and forth with to kind of understand what you're going through.
(31:51):
But I just, I walked away for every day.
I walked away from, you know, so much knowledge and so much information and really feeling good about myself and wanting to talk to my customers about that and wanting to learn more and even, you know, I was ready to even go back out and try to get new customers because I haven't for a while.
(32:13):
I just got a little discouraged.
But it worked.
Is that rendezvous was incredible.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
Yeah.
No, it, it is an environment that like it's tough for me to properly articulate what that actually is.
You know, like to have people out there that genuinely want to see you win.
And like they put everything behind it too.
Like, you know, they're not like the amount of times that we've had to reach out, you know, after hours, nights, weekends, all of that stuff.
(32:47):
And the responses are almost immediate at all times.
Right.
Like obviously we're not reaching out to people at one in the morning, but I'm sure you could if you really needed something.
But you know, it's like anytime we've had a question, boom, there's answer for it.
There's no waiting.
Like they, when they say, like they treat their agents as their customers and like that environment, it's very real.
(33:07):
Like I never thought I would receive the support at this level that we have, you know, and then the ability to operate our business.
I think like, you know, the back office team, I try and shout them out every single time I possibly can.
Client care is what called internally.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Incredible.
They're all incredible.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Oh my gosh.
Like they are so quick and they, they like there's no holdups, right?
So it's like, you know, to put it into context, we do a lot of high value freight, right?
Like we do a lot of stuff that's 200,000, 3, 4, $500,000.
And we need to get insurance riders at times.
We need to get a bunch of stuff behind the scenes.
They do not slow us down.
(33:49):
That is not a handicap at all in our business.
Like they are quick, they are on top of it.
You know, same thing with like processing, billing, all of that stuff.
It is so dialed in and we are able like Again, we're a built, we're building our agency out.
We're able to pack a couple hundred million dollar punch out there in the market because of the support that we have behind the scenes and that's what we're able to deliver.
(34:16):
Right.
Like there's not going to be one thing, and this is like a point that I want anybody who's ever going to be on the fence about like going out and exploring the agent route.
Because as much as I want people to be prepared for what they are to expect, like, you also need to understand that like again my experience is with spi, you are not going to walk in or possibly onboard a customer that they're going to look at and be like, no, we can't do that.
(34:41):
They are, they are going to 100% do everything in their power to make sure it gets done right efficiently and then your customers taken care of.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
That's right.
And safe.
Like, you know what I mean?
It makes you feel really good about how they take the time out to look at, look through all the credentials for your customers.
And all of that is so good for us.
You know, even with the carrier side, you know, the vetting new carriers, that whole process is daunting to me.
(35:15):
But they make it because they do such a good job at it.
They make it so, you know, you don't feel that pressure, at least from where I came from, you know, But I just love them.
I love it.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
No, and there's no shortcuts with the carrier side of things either.
Right?
Like there's no if they're not, you know, because obviously we utilize highway inside of everything and there's no shortcuts at all.
Like the standards are very high.
If you're going to get set up with us, this is what you're going to follow.
You have to be able to prove it and go for it.
And then like, you know, again, like they're protecting us at the end of the day because every day, I swear at this point, Eric, there's another headline about another thing that happened, another cargo theft, another this, another that.
(36:01):
And knowing that the systems and stuff that we have in place, like as, as high publicity as cargo theft is getting, that's almost like the biggest selling point as a broker.
Now when you're going out there and talking to people and your prospects and your customers, hey, your freight's protected and here's how it's protected.
These are the systems that we have in place.
These are the processes that we follow, if somebody is vetted and set up with us, you got to know they went through a lot of steps to get to that point.
(36:26):
We're not just, like, sending in trucks for the sake of sending in trucks.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
That's right.
And our name is synonymous.
Throughout the trucking industry or even in the.
In the customer side, I let customers say, oh, wow.
Oh, Eric.
Oh, you're with sbi.
Oh, good job.
Congratulations.
I get that from carriers all the time.
Yeah, good job, man.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Congrats.
You know, they're a good company all the time.
I deal with a lot of freight out of California, so they're really familiar with freight all over.
Is familiar with SBI drivers, but a lot of people in California definitely familiar with sbi.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
No, absolutely, man.
So, Eric, what.
What's one thing, as we're kind of wrapping up here today?
What's one thing that you would want to give it forward from an advice perspective on somebody who might be on the fence about going out on their own?
What's one thing that you think that, like, you know, they should be like, just to go for it?
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Well, we talked about how hard it is to, you know, how tough it is to get the customers or how long it may take.
I would tell someone throughout the whole process, do not get discouraged.
It can be tough sometimes.
It can be, you know, slow those doors shutting in your face or people saying, no.
(37:48):
But don't let that discourage you.
Let that be your motivator, because there is going to be someone out there that wants you, that needs you.
There are people out there that need that type of customer service.
So I would just tell people, you know, don't just throw the pen in and don't throw the towel in and just give up.
(38:10):
Just really keep pushing, because the payoff at the end of the day, especially with sbi, is every bit worth it.
Every bit worth it.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
No, I. I agree with that.
You know, it's like, as much as I just want to level with people about what to expect when they're going out there, I also, like, it is the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my entire life at the end of the day.
And, you know, I.
If.
If there's one lesson I've learned that I think everybody should start applying, whether they're out on their own already or about to go out on their own, is.
(38:47):
Is.
You know, and I equate it down to.
And I'll always give credit for this.
It's the 75 hard program, and I did.
I'm.
I'm like day 68 right now.
This is my third time completing it.
But, but I did live.
The Live Hard program, which is like the one year long version of 75 Hard.
There's a couple of phases behind it.
And after I had finished dawned on me and again, I was like four years in business for myself at this point.
(39:13):
It dawned on me.
All I got to do is focus on today.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Right?
Speaker 1 (39:17):
All I have to do is focus on my tasks that are at hand.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
I'm sorry about that.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
It's all good.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
We'll.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
We'll edit.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
I agree wholeheartedly what you just said.
It's very beneficial.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
Yeah, it's one of those things where it's like you got to focus on the day, you got to focus on that next task at hand.
And anything that's feeling daunting for you, it's feeling daunting for everybody.
But if you just break it down to actionable daily tasks that you know are moving that needle forward every single day, that is where all the magic is going to happen.
(40:02):
Because again, it's going to take a lot longer than you want.
But if you look back because that discouragement of like, you're not making any progress, the progress shows up.
When you do just look back, you're like, okay, over these last 30 days, hey, I made 50 sales calls every single day for these last 30 days.
And you know, I've made these amount of context and you start to see that small incremental bump in progress and that's where it all is.
(40:25):
That's what that, like, those are the wins you need to celebrate early on.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
That's true, that's true.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
I appreciate your time today, Eric.
How does anybody reach out to you if they want to find out more just to kind of network with you or maybe they want you to move.
Speaker 2 (40:38):
Their freight, just feel free to reach out to me via email E. Jordan pi3pl.com or 404-993-9005 Feel free to give me a call.
I'm always around.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
Perfect.
Eric, I appreciate it, man.
Thank you so much for your time.
That is today, ladies and gentlemen.
If you guys need help finding Eric and you can't hit me up, I will gladly put you guys in contact with them.
But that's going to be it.
As always, if you got value in what you heard, subscribe to the show, you guys.
And if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, rank the show on itunes and Spotify.
Because if you saw value.
Your network's going to see value as well.
(41:12):
I appreciate you guys.
I love you guys.
And we'll be talking to you soon.
And cut.
All right, we are going to start in 3, 2 and 1.
What is up, ladies and gentlemen?
We are back.
We are live.
It is the Freight Coach podcast, the top podcast in transportation, coming to you guys every single weekday, 8:30am Pacific, 10:30 Central, to break down some industry headlines.
But most importantly, you guys provide some actual insight into what you can do with all of this information.
(00:23):
If this is your first time tuning in, welcome.
This is the real side of freight, ladies and gentlemen.
And I do say that before every single show.
And what I mean by that is this.
I only speak with transportation professionals because at the end of the day, you guys, I want to talk to the right individuals who have done what you're looking to do or who are currently doing what you're trying to achieve.
So you can take that information, apply it, utilize it, and see a meaningful difference in your business and your life.
(00:45):
And if you're watching this, you guys can already see my guests.
I got a very special guest for you guys here today.
You know, I always love talking to anybody who works in this industry, but especially ones who are, like, on the same path that I am.
Walking out on their own, trying to make it on their own, not falling into the glitz and glam of like, oh, just walk away from your salary.
It's just so great out there, you guys, just to do.
(01:05):
To do that.
And with that being said, I got my man Eric Jordan on the show today with spi.
Eric, thank you so much for taking the time to join me.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Oh, man, thank you.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
No, absolutely.
And you know, Eric, I always like.
I always like to kind of like, start in with this.
Like, how did you get your start in freight?
What brought you into the transportation industry?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Well, when I was younger, living in Philadelphia, I was working for the Liquor Control Board as a temp position, the dispatcher.
And I just wanted to learn the ins and outs of every job that I've ever worked with.
I always wanted to know the beginning, the end, the middle.
Like, I just always wanted to know everything about it.
So I moved around from accounting over to dispatch and I started working with drivers.
(01:49):
And.
And that's how I pretty much got into it.
It was kind of neat working for the Liquor Control Board in Philadelphia.
You know, they're by the state, everything for the state.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
So what was it about, you know, like, what was it where you were like, I gotta go out on my own and do it for myself?
Right?
Like, I. I think.
And this is the most fascinating thing with Anybody who's ever like walked away from a salary and like went out either, you know, it's 1099, starting their own business, because that's what you're doing, right?
Like you're walking away from the comfort of a salary, benefits and all of that stuff.
(02:25):
And you're going out to strike out on your own.
So like, what was that moment, Eric, where you're just like, I got to go for this.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I was.
It was about.
Almost 20 years ago, about 15 years ago.
I was living in Atlanta and I was working at a transportation company.
And my partner at the time, we had to move to San Francisco.
So my job.
They made it seem like, well, they said, you know what, Eric?
(02:53):
We're gonna let you do your own thing.
You can be an agent.
I had to learn all the details of that.
And they said, you know, find your own customers, move your own freight and you're good.
I think it was almost like saying goodbye, Eric.
You know, it was like, bye, you're not gonna do good.
We've never had an agent do good, so.
(03:14):
And they didn't have too many agents.
They may have had one or two, but it was like by.
Everyone was saying goodbye to me and it was, you know, I just felt like, oh, this is sink or swim time.
And luckily I got out there to San Francisco.
I walked around the house, look for different items that ship.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
And start making calls.
And then I had to be unique about it.
You know, I'm not a salesman at all.
Like that's the.
I just.
Not a salesman.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I don't making phone calls.
I don't like being turned down.
But I had to do it.
It was sink or swim.
And so I start being unique.
It was like when cell phones had first came out and they had those little cheapy cell phones.
I would go visit a customer, buy a cell phone, mail it to them, and only have my number in it and tell them to call me when you want your freight move.
(04:12):
And little unique stuff like that, you know, they were like, oh wait, this guy is serious.
And I got one of my biggest customers that way.
And yeah, it was just stepping out on my own was scary.
Like I said, it was sink or swim.
I just knew I had to do it.
But that's when I once I did that and start learning different techniques on how to get customer in the funnel.
(04:39):
I enjoyed it.
I mean, that's when I flourished, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
So what?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
I believe it.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
No, I. I feel you there.
And I. I mean what you said there, Eric, about not being a salesman, not liking the rejection, not liking all of that part that comes along with it.
How did you, how did you get comfortable with that?
Because, you know, like, I, like in most people when they hear this, they, I don't, I truly don't think that they believe me when I say this.
(05:06):
Like, I'm naturally an introvert, man.
Like I, I really like to kind of be by myself and out on my own and be to the tune of my own drum with a lot of stuff.
But like all of this is a. I've learned to become an extrovert, you know, I've learned to be able to like kind of like tap in to a different version of myself that isn't like I'm not like faking any of this, but like, this is like natural for me.
(05:30):
You know what I mean?
Like, I'm not comfortable speaking in front of people and doing all of that because just like you, man, I hate rejection.
I hate that part.
I don't like that uncomfortableness that comes along with it.
But I've taught myself over the years to kind of like really smash that emotion down and not let it bubble up because I, you know, so it's like for you, how did you overcome a lot of that when you were building it up?
(05:56):
Or how do you overcome it still to this day?
Because if you're anything like me, like, I know that voice still pops up in my head at times too.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I still struggle with it still to this day.
You know, overcoming it was, to me, it was learning the industry.
I had to really get engrossed in learning every little thing about brokerage, transportation, types of trucks, type of freight.
I had to, you know, just engross myself in it.
(06:24):
So when I spoke, I felt really comfortable to the customer and answering questions that, you know, that was always my biggest fear is they're going to ask me something I don't know or they're going to look at me like I'm not real, you know, in debt in this field.
And I had to first get completely in depth, completely knowledgeable.
(06:44):
And then I felt really comfortable.
And once I did that, I think that's when I started to shine a little.
I mean, I'm still, to me, I'm a 57, 56 year old nerd.
And I am really, I believe I am an introvert.
People say, nah, Eric, not really.
But yeah, I just wanted to be engrossed in learning all about the whole gamut of transportation in order to be comfortable to approach a customer.
(07:16):
Once I did that, approaching customers just felt easy to me.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
It's very similar, Eric.
And this is why when I talk being a niche based broker, for me, it's like it is that because it's, it's to be fully prepared for the moment because like, it's going to be a rarity at this point in my career, especially with moving the freight that I move, that a customer or prospect is going to come to me with something that like, I'm not prepared for, or I at least don't have a general idea of how to handle it and how to operate it.
(07:52):
I know how to ask the right qualifying questions.
And a lot of that confidence comes from the reps that it took for getting through and going through a lot of that.
And, and that's, you know, another big factor on why I tell people just to choose a niche and go after that for a while.
Because there's so much opportunity that's out there.
I think paralysis analysis is a very big thing in transportation.
(08:15):
You think you need to do everything because there is so much freight to move.
But I feel like as the industry progresses, I'm thinking it's going to be more and more specialized sales reps that are going to flourish.
Because anybody could sit here, you know, you look at today's day and age, for example, Anybody could sit here and be like, oh, when's it going to improve?
(08:36):
You know, why isn't it, you know, when's the market going to increase all of that stuff?
We could sit here all day until we're blue in the face.
But guys like you and I, Eric, we don't have that luxury of waiting for anything to change because, like, neither one of us have a salary, right?
Have to go out there and, you know, we eat what we kill.
So it's like for me, I'm like, all right, if I'm going to change with the times, what is one thing that I've noticed pre Covid and post Covid when it comes to freight broker sales for me personally, because, you know, I actually make cold calls every single day.
(09:07):
I've noticed the difference in receptiveness to my outbounds when I'm very specialized in why I'm calling, hey, I'm calling.
This is who we are.
We specialize in this.
I'm really just calling to introduce ourselves today and it's really kind of breaking it down and then also understanding where I'm at in the sales process.
Right.
(09:27):
The majority of the calls, that's the first time you've ever talked to somebody at that company.
So it's like, why are you going for the kill shot on the very first interaction with them and asking them for something?
I think, like, there's a.
You got to build up that familiarity there.
And like, in.
The difference is.
Is pre Covid.
You used to get the decision maker on the phone fairly easy.
(09:48):
You have a couple of.
I don't even want to call them decent.
I'll call them halfway decent conversations.
And then they're going to be like, hey, let's get you set up.
And, you know, we'll see where it goes.
You can at least complete a sentence.
I think that was the standard, and it was just a lot different.
And now once you get onboarded with somebody, again, the difference is pre and post.
(10:08):
Covid.
Pre Covid.
You get a prove it shipment really quick, right?
Like, hey, you're set up.
This one's yours.
Go.
Now you might get set up with somebody, and it could be a year or two years before you start seeing any real business from them.
And.
And I say that with confidence because that's how my book of business and my business has grown here over these past couple of years.
(10:30):
All of our growth this year, Eric, has came from existing customers and deeper selling within them.
It took us a long time to get to that point where we started moving up the priority list with them.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Right, right.
I can see that.
It's all about getting them in the funnel.
Right.
And once you have them in that funnel, you know, they start to funnel down and trickle down.
It takes it.
It takes time.
And a lot of the customers that I've been getting are warehouses that really like dealing with me and will reach out to other customers and give them my information.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Oh, wow.
So referrals.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
You've.
Yeah, I've been getting real lucky with referrals.
I mean, I would say half of my customers have been referrals.
And so it works out really well.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
That that's where it's at.
Eric, at the end of the day, that's.
That.
That, to me is like the ultimate business card that you have is when your customers are referring to other people for you to go in there and do that.
And, you know, so, like, what was some of those challenges in, you know, or let's call it this, when you went from a salaried employee to going out and becoming a 1099, what were some of those early lessons that you learned of, like, okay, crap, I can't do this, that way anymore.
(11:49):
I gotta change this.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
The early lesson was I had to learn the rates.
I was really struggling with the rates.
Like I was giving the drivers everything I had because I was just too friendly, too nice, and I wasn't thinking about, you know, my pay.
I was trying to build the business.
And so in doing that, it seemed like the drivers were like, oh, this guy is pretty nice and he's got good rates and I'm gonna stick with him.
(12:22):
And his customer was like, oh, he's pretty good.
He's pretty nice.
He's got pretty good rates and he's getting everything moved.
I want to stick with him.
So it allowed me to have the customer in trust and then friendship and then I was able to change my rates and see an income coming in.
(12:42):
But luckily I had a partner who watched me grow from becoming salary into the 1099 and allowed me to, you know, most people don't have the luxury of paying rent on from going from that, you know, so I had a partner who was like, you know what, Eric, I got you for six months.
(13:07):
So just do your thing, take your time, it'll come through.
And a lot of people don't have that luxury.
And I was pretty lucky.
And it was tough.
It was tough because you can't get a customer in six months.
I felt like I couldn't.
And it did take me a while.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
I, I think it takes a lot longer than a lot of people think, right?
And I think like, that's one of the biggest eye openers, Eric, to a lot of individuals and especially, you know, I also look at, again, this isn't every.
I try not to make too many generalized statements, but like when you go and sell right away for an established company, right, they have established relationships, you're moving freight, you might have been like seated with a couple of accounts and you know, you kind of get into it right away.
(13:52):
You have a false sense, I think, of what it takes to build a book of business.
And, and I say that because like, I worked for one of the largest freight brokers in North America for the first seven years of my career, right?
It was vastly different selling in that environment than when I went to go work for a startup and then now out on my own.
(14:14):
Vastly different, right?
Like there is no name recognition, there's none of that stuff.
And you know, again, back then it was a lot different.
There was, hey, we have all of these existing accounts, we've Moved freight with them, call them, right?
Just.
Just call them back and see what it is.
It was.
It was so different than it is now.
So I think a lot of people have a false sense of how easy it is to get business, because when you walk into an environment where there's tens, twenty, thirty, hundreds of shipments moving every single day, it's a lot different than when you're out on your own and there's nothing.
(14:46):
And you got to go out there and hunt for that opportunity.
Because, Eric, you're right.
You can.
You literally, I think to even get a customer within six months that you can move substantial freight with, you got to be making minimum 75 cold calls a day every single day for that six months.
And even then, in today's environment, you might not get somebody who has a ton of freight at the end of the day that you can grow with.
(15:09):
And so it's like, for me, it's like setting up that realistic expectation.
I think that's one of my biggest pet peeves that I see.
And again, I know a lot of people, everybody out there is trying to make a dollar, right?
Like, I'm a capitalist.
I love making money.
I'm not going to knock anybody's hustle out there on social media.
But one of my biggest pet peeves is how easy people are trying to make going out and being a freight agent, an independent agent, seem online.
(15:32):
Is.
It's like, oh, just walk away from your salary, bring your book of business over here, Everything's going to be good.
Or, oh, you know, you don't have a book of business.
Come.
Come over here and everything will be fine.
And, and I'm not saying that it's.
It's a bad environment.
I'm saying, like, I want to see more real conversations about people who maybe went out on their own with an existing book of business, they lost all their customers and had to rebuild it or something like that.
(15:56):
And again, like, I.
That's why I'll always do my show at the level that I do it, Eric, because, like, I don't have the luxury of having an easy path in the industry, right?
Like, I've had to work really hard to get to where I'm at.
And it's like, I think that's why a lot of that stuff bugs me so much, is because I'm like, man, it's not easy.
It was hard as shit for me.
You know, like, I just want to see that realistic expectation out.
(16:19):
If you're going to promote something, let them know, like, hey, this is gonna be the hardest thing you're ever going to do.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
That's right.
I.
When I first moved here to Georgia, I, you know, I had set up everything.
I was a sign in or I was, you know, doing a big bid for a big customer.
I had moved so much freight for them, and they finally decided to narrow their stuff down to only three prominent carriers.
And I just knew I was a sure win.
(16:46):
I had moved so much freight for them and I didn't win nothing.
And so I lost everything.
That was my only customer at the time.
And I was like, oh, crap, I have to go back to salary.
And I just started pulling up all the warehouses I picked up from and delivered to.
(17:08):
And I was pounding the pavement.
It was a struggle.
It was a really bad struggle.
It's not easy, you know, I would leave the house and go somewhere and meet someone and be like, oh, what do you do?
I'm like, I'm a freight broker.
Oh, I want to do that.
I've been wanting to do that.
And I'm looking at them like, if they only knew.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
What I'm going through right now, this is tough.
But it worked out.
I mean, you know, it takes time.
Nothing comes easy.
And now I love it.
Now I love telling people.
I was on Family Feud a few months ago.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Oh, what?
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Yeah, well, our family was on Family Feud.
Rerun the Jordan Family, Steve Harvey.
I knew he was going to ask me what I did.
huh.
I just knew it like I had planned playing it over and over in my head.
How to explain it?
Because when you tell people you're a freight broker, a lot of people don't get it.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
So when Steve Harvey came over to me, I was like, first of all, I'm nervous because I'm on television.
And he says, so what do you do, Eric?
I was like, here we go.
I said, I'm a freight broker.
And he said, oh, I know what that is.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Oh, let's go.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Right?
He said, yeah, I had to call on a guy like you when I had to move my cars from California to Atlanta.
We had to get a guy in between to.
To do everything because I couldn't talk directly with the drivers.
Yeah, I said, exactly.
He said, you know what?
You're a son of a.
Straight to the driver.
(18:42):
But no, it was real funny.
It was a lot of banter back and forth about it.
But the fact that he knew what a freight broker was, you know, it says a lot about us, like, we're coming.
It's almost like we're coming out of the closet.
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
More and more people are hearing about it and some people don't know, but more and more hearing about it.
My friends are really proud that, you know, I'm in the position that I'm in because I, you know, can control my own hours and everything.
But they don't realize how hard it is.
It's hard.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
No, it is.
In any real entrepreneur that I've ever met who's not trying to sell you on by signing up for their course or they're not trying to financially benefit from the relationship, they'll all tell you the exact same thing, right?
Like, it's the hardest thing that they've ever done.
There's so many more nights where it's like, you know, I think in simplest terms, 99% of the time, if you're out on your own in any capacity in business, you are wondering, is this going to work?
(19:44):
Right?
Like, you're like, fuck, is this going to work out?
Am I going to lose everything?
And then you get that 1% that you win and you're like, fudgeing.
This is the greatest thing ever, 99% of the time that you're going there, racking your brain against the wall and everything else until you get to that next win.
Right?
Like, because it's like, I say that with people and I want you to know, like, I'll never go back to working for it.
(20:10):
I'm unemployable at this point.
But I also feel like it is my duty to let people know what they're signing up for before they walk out on their own and walk away from that, you know, Like, I was out in Long beach earlier this week.
I was at a conference.
I, you know, very fortunate.
I got invited to come do my show at the event.
(20:30):
They had a phenomenal setup.
And I was going to meet a buddy of mine and I was in the Uber and were driving out there and this guy, the Uber driver, was like, oh, in California, like, there's these things that, you know, you get, you know, a discounted health insurance if you're, you know, something.
And I'm just sitting there and I'm like, I had to tell him.
(20:51):
I'm like, man, that sounds great.
But like, I'm self employed too.
I don't get that benefit, all right?
Like, I pay for my family over $1,000 a month for health insurance, dental and vision, right?
That comes out of my pocket every single month.
And it's like, if you're going to go out on your own, I hope you have a spouse that have health insurance at least.
Right?
Because like, that shit's expensive when you're self employed because like, you don't start to see any discounts in it until you have employees.
(21:17):
And then you get a group policy price and stuff like that.
And you know, again, so it's like there's so much more to know before you go out there.
And the amount of people over the years that have said, like, oh, I want to go out and try my own thing.
I always tell them, I'm like, don't quit your day job until you have actual revenue coming through.
Like, you got to work on that stuff at night and weekends until that side hustle can become a primary.
(21:41):
And there's like, there's a path to that.
But because it's so, like, you need so much more money than you think to be out on your own.
You have to be so financially disciplined when you get that money in to set it aside for taxes, emergency funds, all of that.
You gotta really be disciplined to it.
It's not as easy as just walking out and you know, bam, I started.
(22:01):
I have an llc.
I'm gonna be a millionaire within six months.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
A lot of people think that when you're, they just think you're a broker, you're making a lot of money.
But yeah, it's pretty tough in the beginning.
It's some, it's some really good, some bad struggles.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
But I think it's necessary though, Eric, like, how much more do you appreciate your customers now than you would have if somebody would have just given you those customers?
You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Exactly, exactly.
There are days where I'm like, man, I'm.
My freight is kind of low right now.
I don't have freight.
Is this really for me?
My customers don't like me.
And then the next day it'll blow up.
I'll get all this freight and I'm like, oh, I'm on top of the world.
What was I thinking?
And I feel like I go through that once a week.
I do the same thing in my head once a week.
(22:51):
And.
But I appreciate it.
I appreciate my customers.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Yeah, I'll never take a relationship in business for granted ever again.
You know, like I, for me, like, I'm very fortunate to have, you know, the advertisers that I have for the show, the customers that I have in my brokerage, and you Know, and I say that because, like, I know the flip side.
I know what bad customers are.
Like, I.
And because, like, not.
(23:16):
Not all business is good business, right?
And then, like, when you get those customers who appreciate the service that you're providing, you don't have to, like, beat down their door to get paid.
Or even worse, like, I've been stiffed out of tens of thousands of dollars, man.
And it's.
But.
But here's the thing.
It helped me learn, right?
Like, it's.
It's an.
It's an expensive lesson, but it was a lesson nonetheless.
(23:37):
And that's why it's like, I have contracts for things now.
I have all of that.
I protect my business because, like, not everybody has my best interests in mind.
But if you're going to be out there, you have to have your best interests first.
You have to be able to structure yourself to protect yourself, because not everybody's going to feel that way.
And, you know, I'm from the.
I'm from the Midwest originally, right?
So I might be a little naive at the end of the day, but, like, a handshake agreement where I'm from is worth more than a signed contract notarized by attorneys and all of that, man.
(24:06):
A handshake means a lot more.
And.
And that was a lesson that I learned out there is.
Is, hey, not everybody feels that way.
So again, it's like, no offense, but, like, if we're going to work together, I need you to sign this contract.
And again, I might be looking at it wrong, but just based on those early experiences and getting stiffed out of that money, that's what made me do this, you know, because it's like, I had my attorney sit me down and.
(24:28):
And he said, chris, we're not going to be able to recoup this.
He's like, you had no contract out there.
You have no grounds for a lawsuit.
You can prove that you work for them, but you can't prove the amount that they owe you.
And he's like, for that reason, you're done.
And I'm like, shit.
And then that cost me 500 bucks.
I had to pay him for the hour.
But anyways, you know, it was.
(24:49):
At the end of the day, though, it's those lessons that you need to learn, and I'm glad that I learned them.
But again, I feel like it made me protect this a lot more than I would have, right?
Because, like this, you know, when you go out on your own, your business is an entity in its own right.
There's a Difference between Freight Coach Enterprises, which is my company, and Chris Jolly, the individual.
(25:11):
So I have to protect that.
I have to protect the information that we have and that.
Because in.
In the.
The systems and all of that stuff, because if I don't, you know, and it doesn't work out again, I'm just.
I told myself in those moments, Eric, early on, I'm never going to be in this position ever again.
Like, I will never be in that position ever again and again.
That's one of those things that.
I'm glad it happened now because I feel like it made me a better operator.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yeah.
I mean, every day with this.
With this job, you learn something new.
But the good thing is, you know, it's.
It'll.
It benefits you in the future.
You know, it really does.
Everything that you learn will benefit you in the future in this.
In this industry.
And I'm so glad that you know, you talk about that.
(25:56):
I'm so glad you put it out there and you put it on your platform that for people that may be struggling, you know, they don't know.
They may think they're the only ones going through that right now.
And for you to talk about it and say, you know, there's some mistakes that I made or.
It's so good to hear.
Especially, you know, like I said, I didn't know any other agents.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
I just felt like I was the only one out there.
So when I hear from other agents, the struggle, I'm like, man, this.
This.
This is real.
This.
This feels good to know.
And I'm not crazy, and I'm not the only one going through this, so.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Yeah, no, you're definitely not.
And, you know, and I feel like I try not to.
Like, there's no other way to put this.
Like, I'm not trying to put this out there.
Like, I'm in it.
Like.
But, like, with the platform that I have, I feel like it's my duty to put the truth out there.
Like, I. I don't want to fabricate any of this stuff because, like, man, I spent a lot of my time thinking, like, I was the only one going through this stuff, right?
(26:56):
Like, it's gotta just be me.
I'm the only one.
And then it's like, it's that negative voice that creeps up in my head.
And so it's like, for me, it's important to put it out there because, like, dude, I do.
I want people to listen to this and be like, all right, well, fuck it.
If Chris is going through it, I'm And I am too.
Like, I'm not the only one, you know, I'm not the only one who's struggling.
And I feel like I wish more people would put that out there on their platform.
(27:21):
And there's a big difference between bitching and moaning about how hard you have it.
And like, hey, no, this is what I went through.
I overcame it.
Here's how I overcome it.
And just thinking like, oh, it's just, oh, poor me crap out there.
Like, we don't need any more of that, but we need more people to be like, no, this is what I do.
I go through it too.
But these are the things that I do to like, minimize that emotion and keep pushing through.
(27:42):
Because, like, at the end of the day, if you're going to be an agent or, you know, self employed, it's on you, right?
Like, nobody's feeding you business, nobody's feeding you revenue, and you have to go out there and fight for that.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
That's right.
I like that you put it out there.
I like your show.
I love your show for that.
You really put it all out there for people like me and others that just, you know, understand that, you know, everyone has a struggle and everyone is going through the same thing in this industry.
So to hear it is so satisfying, even though it's, you know, it's helpful.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Yeah, no, and that's the whole, like, honestly, when it boils down to it, man, like, that is just like, what I want this show to always be known for is it's like, it's just a resource.
Like, people can learn from it, they can apply this information to their business, they can see a difference and, you know, just kind of like build that bigger community of people inside of transportation who actually care about the industry, who love the industry, who want to see it flourish and drown out all the bad actors that get all the headlines, right?
(28:44):
Because it's like.
And that, I mean, it's a conscious decision that I make internally inside of my company from the media perspective of like, not going down the clickbait route that a lot of content creators can go down because it drives higher engagement in the short term.
Right?
And then I feel like you're always chasing that dopamine hit of like, oh, what's next?
(29:05):
What's.
What's terrible about freight today that we can post about.
But it's like, that's such a small percentage of the industry.
There's.
There's a large percentage of this industry that loves trucking.
They love logistics.
They breathe and bleed this industry, and they want to do the right thing.
And I'm choosing to highlight that as opposed to the other clickbait stuff out there, because, like, who benefits from that, Right?
(29:29):
Like, I joked with one of my.
One of my customers because they obviously they're.
They're involved in the industry.
They're on social.
Social media.
And I'm like, yeah, I can't print off a meme and bring it into your office to be like, bro, how funny is this shit?
You should give me freight.
Like, they're like, yeah, that's a good point.
There's a time and a place for it.
But, like, you better know your shit if you're going to come in here and talk to us.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Yeah, man, that's.
It's so good to be on that platform, to be able to put that out there to people.
I really like that.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
No, I appreciate that, man.
So, like, what's been.
Some of those things, you know, like when were up at Rendezvous and, you know, in Washington there, or, excuse me, D.C. and, you know, being in that environment around, I think that's one thing that it's tough for a business to properly market without sounding like it's a paid advertisement.
(30:21):
Right?
But it's like when you're around that environment and I mean, it's even like the other agents, like were talking before were recording here is it's like getting to know all the other agents that are out there.
And it's like there's a distinct type that comes and, like, and truly works with spi, I think, in my opinion.
And, you know, and I know that they put a lot of time and they don't just, like, let anybody come over out there.
(30:44):
And I found it is.
Is like almost everybody that I've talked to that I've interviewed on this show has always, like, hey, if you need anything, let me know.
Like, I'm here to help.
And there's like, they genuinely want to see you succeed.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Yes, for sure.
And that's what I pulled.
I mean, that's what I like.
I mean, from the moment I arrived, I was a little nervous.
You know, that little introvert in me didn't want to, you know, like too much engage.
I was nervous about engaging.
I wanted to, but I was just nervous.
But once I got down there and I.
And I just met everyone, it was the warmest atmosphere.
(31:22):
I just can't even explain it.
It was.
I walked back up to my room and thought, man, this is great.
This was One of the smartest things any company can do is to get everyone together and meet and greet because we all have stories to share.
But you know, when you know, you're working from home and especially if you're a single team, you don't have that other person to go back and forth with to kind of understand what you're going through.
(31:51):
But I just, I walked away for every day.
I walked away from, you know, so much knowledge and so much information and really feeling good about myself and wanting to talk to my customers about that and wanting to learn more and even, you know, I was ready to even go back out and try to get new customers because I haven't for a while.
(32:13):
I just got a little discouraged.
But it worked.
Is that rendezvous was incredible.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
Yeah.
No, it, it is an environment that like it's tough for me to properly articulate what that actually is.
You know, like to have people out there that genuinely want to see you win.
And like they put everything behind it too.
Like, you know, they're not like the amount of times that we've had to reach out, you know, after hours, nights, weekends, all of that stuff.
(32:47):
And the responses are almost immediate at all times.
Right.
Like obviously we're not reaching out to people at one in the morning, but I'm sure you could if you really needed something.
But you know, it's like anytime we've had a question, boom, there's answer for it.
There's no waiting.
Like they, when they say, like they treat their agents as their customers and like that environment, it's very real.
(33:07):
Like I never thought I would receive the support at this level that we have, you know, and then the ability to operate our business.
I think like, you know, the back office team, I try and shout them out every single time I possibly can.
Client care is what called internally.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Incredible.
They're all incredible.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Oh my gosh.
Like they are so quick and they, they like there's no holdups, right?
So it's like, you know, to put it into context, we do a lot of high value freight, right?
Like we do a lot of stuff that's 200,000, 3, 4, $500,000.
And we need to get insurance riders at times.
We need to get a bunch of stuff behind the scenes.
They do not slow us down.
(33:49):
That is not a handicap at all in our business.
Like they are quick, they are on top of it.
You know, same thing with like processing, billing, all of that stuff.
It is so dialed in and we are able like Again, we're a built, we're building our agency out.
We're able to pack a couple hundred million dollar punch out there in the market because of the support that we have behind the scenes and that's what we're able to deliver.
(34:16):
Right.
Like there's not going to be one thing, and this is like a point that I want anybody who's ever going to be on the fence about like going out and exploring the agent route.
Because as much as I want people to be prepared for what they are to expect, like, you also need to understand that like again my experience is with spi, you are not going to walk in or possibly onboard a customer that they're going to look at and be like, no, we can't do that.
(34:41):
They are, they are going to 100% do everything in their power to make sure it gets done right efficiently and then your customers taken care of.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
That's right.
And safe.
Like, you know what I mean?
It makes you feel really good about how they take the time out to look at, look through all the credentials for your customers.
And all of that is so good for us.
You know, even with the carrier side, you know, the vetting new carriers, that whole process is daunting to me.
(35:15):
But they make it because they do such a good job at it.
They make it so, you know, you don't feel that pressure, at least from where I came from, you know, But I just love them.
I love it.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
No, and there's no shortcuts with the carrier side of things either.
Right?
Like there's no if they're not, you know, because obviously we utilize highway inside of everything and there's no shortcuts at all.
Like the standards are very high.
If you're going to get set up with us, this is what you're going to follow.
You have to be able to prove it and go for it.
And then like, you know, again, like they're protecting us at the end of the day because every day, I swear at this point, Eric, there's another headline about another thing that happened, another cargo theft, another this, another that.
(36:01):
And knowing that the systems and stuff that we have in place, like as, as high publicity as cargo theft is getting, that's almost like the biggest selling point as a broker.
Now when you're going out there and talking to people and your prospects and your customers, hey, your freight's protected and here's how it's protected.
These are the systems that we have in place.
These are the processes that we follow, if somebody is vetted and set up with us, you got to know they went through a lot of steps to get to that point.
(36:26):
We're not just, like, sending in trucks for the sake of sending in trucks.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
That's right.
And our name is synonymous.
Throughout the trucking industry or even in the.
In the customer side, I let customers say, oh, wow.
Oh, Eric.
Oh, you're with sbi.
Oh, good job.
Congratulations.
I get that from carriers all the time.
Yeah, good job, man.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Congrats.
You know, they're a good company all the time.
I deal with a lot of freight out of California, so they're really familiar with freight all over.
Is familiar with SBI drivers, but a lot of people in California definitely familiar with sbi.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
No, absolutely, man.
So, Eric, what.
What's one thing, as we're kind of wrapping up here today?
What's one thing that you would want to give it forward from an advice perspective on somebody who might be on the fence about going out on their own?
What's one thing that you think that, like, you know, they should be like, just to go for it?
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Well, we talked about how hard it is to, you know, how tough it is to get the customers or how long it may take.
I would tell someone throughout the whole process, do not get discouraged.
It can be tough sometimes.
It can be, you know, slow those doors shutting in your face or people saying, no.
(37:48):
But don't let that discourage you.
Let that be your motivator, because there is going to be someone out there that wants you, that needs you.
There are people out there that need that type of customer service.
So I would just tell people, you know, don't just throw the pen in and don't throw the towel in and just give up.
(38:10):
Just really keep pushing, because the payoff at the end of the day, especially with sbi, is every bit worth it.
Every bit worth it.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
No, I. I agree with that.
You know, it's like, as much as I just want to level with people about what to expect when they're going out there, I also, like, it is the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my entire life at the end of the day.
And, you know, I.
If.
If there's one lesson I've learned that I think everybody should start applying, whether they're out on their own already or about to go out on their own, is.
(38:47):
Is.
You know, and I equate it down to.
And I'll always give credit for this.
It's the 75 hard program, and I did.
I'm.
I'm like day 68 right now.
This is my third time completing it.
But, but I did live.
The Live Hard program, which is like the one year long version of 75 Hard.
There's a couple of phases behind it.
And after I had finished dawned on me and again, I was like four years in business for myself at this point.
(39:13):
It dawned on me.
All I got to do is focus on today.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Right?
Speaker 1 (39:17):
All I have to do is focus on my tasks that are at hand.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
I'm sorry about that.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
It's all good.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
We'll.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
We'll edit.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
I agree wholeheartedly what you just said.
It's very beneficial.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
Yeah, it's one of those things where it's like you got to focus on the day, you got to focus on that next task at hand.
And anything that's feeling daunting for you, it's feeling daunting for everybody.
But if you just break it down to actionable daily tasks that you know are moving that needle forward every single day, that is where all the magic is going to happen.
(40:02):
Because again, it's going to take a lot longer than you want.
But if you look back because that discouragement of like, you're not making any progress, the progress shows up.
When you do just look back, you're like, okay, over these last 30 days, hey, I made 50 sales calls every single day for these last 30 days.
And you know, I've made these amount of context and you start to see that small incremental bump in progress and that's where it all is.
(40:25):
That's what that, like, those are the wins you need to celebrate early on.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
That's true, that's true.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
I appreciate your time today, Eric.
How does anybody reach out to you if they want to find out more just to kind of network with you or maybe they want you to move.
Speaker 2 (40:38):
Their freight, just feel free to reach out to me via email E. Jordan pi3pl.com or 404-993-9005 Feel free to give me a call.
I'm always around.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
Perfect.
Eric, I appreciate it, man.
Thank you so much for your time.
That is today, ladies and gentlemen.
If you guys need help finding Eric and you can't hit me up, I will gladly put you guys in contact with them.
But that's going to be it.
As always, if you got value in what you heard, subscribe to the show, you guys.
And if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, rank the show on itunes and Spotify.
Because if you saw value.
Your network's going to see value as well.
(41:12):
I appreciate you guys.
I love you guys.
And we'll be talking to you soon.
And cut.
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