September 22, 2025 • 33 mins
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What happens when your job becomes your identity? JT Harp's story of transformation from corporate executive to entrepreneurial business broker reveals powerful insights about purpose, meaning, and reinvention.
After 30 years climbing the corporate ladder at Kroger, JT reached a turning point when he realized his title had become his identity. "I was silently suffering inside," he reveals, describing the paradox of being excellent at work he no longer loved. This awakening led him to Transworld Business Advisors, where he now helps small business owners confidentially sell their businesses and transition to new life chapters.
The conversation takes fascinating turns as JT shares the emotional aspects of business sales, comparing it to his own experience selling small businesses during the pandemic. "We are fulfilling dreams," he explains, describing the profound satisfaction of helping both sellers move on and buyers step into new opportunities.
Beyond career advice, JT offers thought-provoking perspectives on our relationship with technology. "Between you and your phone, which one is the slave and which one is the master?" he challenges listeners. His observations about constant stimulation and screen addiction cut to the heart of modern discontent, suggesting we're missing the valuable insight that comes from occasional boredom.
Perhaps most compelling is JT's discovery of physical activity as a sanctuary for mental wellbeing. "I go to the gym now not just for physical health but, honestly, more for my mental health," he shares, describing how movement became essential to processing thoughts and healing from life's burdens.
Whether you're contemplating a career change, struggling with work-life boundaries, or simply seeking greater fulfillment, JT's journey offers valuable wisdom about finding purpose beyond professional titles. Ready to explore selling your business or just curious about reinvention? Connect with JT at jharp@tworld.com or 513-725-7283.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I'm your host, Dan, and eachweek we'll embark on a new
adventure, discovering memoriesand life lessons of our
incredible guests, From everydaytravelers to thrill seekers and
everyone in between.
This podcast is your front rowseat to inspiring stories of
passion, resilience and thepursuit of happiness.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride.
(00:36):
I am on a virtual road triptoday with a gentleman I have
never met in person.
We've talked on the phone,We've communicated through email
.
He lives in a neighborhoodwhere my wife and I raised our
children for about 15 years.
We don't live there any longer,but we connected through an
email list there with a guest Ihad on the show.
His name is JT Harp, and JTspent his time as a career at
(00:56):
Kroger and now he's gone on tohelp small businesses sell their
businesses.
As a business broker, I wouldassume he helps people buy them
too, and we'll find that outfrom him.
But I'm excited to talk to himand get to know him a little bit
.
So welcome to the show, JT.
Yeah, thanks so much for havingme Looking forward to our time
today.
Well, this is Dan the Road TripGuy, and really nobody comes on
(01:17):
the show unless they answer myfirst two questions before we
get to the rest, and that is,tell me about your first car
before we get to the rest, andthat is, tell me about your
first car.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, so I've got a good story about that one.
I had just turned 16.
I just got my permit that day.
My dad at the time workedpretty late so he didn't get
home until around 10 or 10.30.
Yes, I was excited about havingmy permit and, of course,
driving, but I was pretty muchready for bed.
My dad came home, congratulatedme on getting my permit and he
(01:47):
said, all right, let's go, we'regoing out and driving.
And I said, really this late,and he's like, yeah, let's do it
, let's do it.
It's a big day, 1989.
Chevy Blazer.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
We pulled out of the driveway uh drove South down
state route 104, just uh,outside of the farm there where
I grew up, about a mile or twodown the road we turned onto a
local township road and about amile into that little jaunt slam
, a giant buck hit us broadside,right on my driver's side
(02:19):
mirror door area, scared theyou-know-what out of both of us.
Sure, I saw him briefly.
My dad didn't see him at all,so you know he screamed a couple
of choice words and basicallysaid what in the hell was that?
Of course I said I thought itwas a deer.
So we pulled over I guess atthat point we're already stopped
and we assessed the damage.
We never saw the deer again,but the car ended up being
(02:43):
totaled.
Oh my goodness.
And that was my very first timebehind the wheel on my permit.
So there you go.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Wow, that's quite a story.
Now tell me you haven't hit anyor been hit by any deer since.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
No, I have not been hit by any deer since.
But my wife was actually justlast year same thing hit by a
deer driver's side.
Didn't total the car,thankfully, but obviously put
kind of a scare into her.
Yeah, hopefully those twoinstances are the last two.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, and I assume you got in another car shortly
after that.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I did.
Yeah, I transitioned to an S15GMC pickup Okay, and so I had
that for most of my we'll callit my high school career.
And then I graduated into a fewother cars after that,
including a couple of stickshifts.
So I did want to mention that.
I'm proud to say that at acouple of times in my life I did
proudly drive a stick shift,and boy were those a lot of fun.
(03:41):
I'm not even sure if we can getthem anymore.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah, they're hard to come by, but yeah, I grew up
driving those.
They're a blast.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Tell me about an epic road trip, one that just stands
out in your mind as a greatmemory.
Yeah, I guess I'm lucky enough.
I've had several Senior tripafter high school.
My buddies and I road trippeddown to Myrtle Beach with a
bunch of classmates, that wasfun Taking.
I road tripped down to MyrtleBeach with a bunch of classmates
, that was fun.
I've taken two or three roadtrips down to Florida over the
years, mainly with just friendsor my girlfriend and that wife,
two trips down to South PadreIsland from the Ohio State
(04:13):
during college for spring break,and then we have spent some
time in our career and our livesup in Michigan.
So we've been fortunate enoughto road trip a couple of times
up to Northern Michigan withfriends and extended family, and
then my wife and I one timetook an extended trip up to the
UP, which was a lot of fun.
So fortunately, no crazystories like the deer
(04:37):
broadsiding incidents that we'vementioned already.
But you know obviously justsome really good times and some
great memories with friends andfamily behind the wheel.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Yeah Well, you had your fill of fun with that buck,
so that's okay.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah, and speaking of cars and just life in general,
I'll say that you know, on aside note, we haven't gotten
into family yet, but my oldestjust started driving a couple
months ago.
So that's you.
That's a whole new phase oflife for for Kendi and I.
Uh, kendi's my wife and and soyou know he's a great kid
responsible driver.
Certainly no issues or concernsthere.
(05:13):
But I'll just say some of thebest and highest quality time
you can spend with your kids isin the car.
And and I've read some.
You know some psychology around.
You know, when you're talkingwith anyone, but perhaps
especially your children, youknow doors do tend to open up
and walls do start to come downa bit when you're in the car,
(05:34):
you know, versus maybe sittingacross from them, and I think
there's somethingpsychologically around the
dynamic of you know, eitherfacing the same direction and
you know, like I've said, notbeing face-to-face and then
maybe the dynamic of just beingin a different row, not right
next to them perhaps, especiallywhen they're younger.
I think that all equates to theconversation maybe being a
(05:55):
little less intimidating, moreinformal, more casual, and that
time is a great time to reallybond with your kids, whether
you're heading to the soccergame or to and from school, it's
a great time to really bondwith your kids, you know,
whether you're heading to thesoccer game or to and from
school, it just it's a greatenvironment for great
conversation.
So I say all that to say thatyou know, basically, you know,
at the end of May, you know,essentially overnight, that time
(06:16):
of my oldest is pretty muchgone, right, yeah, and so that's
a big deal for us and yes, it'sgreat to have him driving, he,
that's.
That's a big deal for us and,yes, it's great to have him
driving.
He loves his independence andof course, it's helped out, you
know, kendi and I with a ton ofless, you know, shuttling around
between him and his brothers,but, uh, that, that's a that's a
tough life transition because II'm starting to already miss,
(06:37):
you know that, uh, that timewith him.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Yeah, well, you'll have to, uh, you'll have to plan
some road trips.
And a crazy thing, this wholepodcast started because of road
trip three a little over threeyears ago with my oldest, who I
guess she would have been about30 at the time when she and I
road tripped Florida.
And she goes let's start yourpodcast now.
And that's when we started.
(06:58):
So, yeah, I would agree withyou, nothing beats.
We call it windshield time,that's right.
That's right, very good, well,cool.
And I usually ask people foradvice at the end, but that's
great advice to parents withkids.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Well, I've got some more for you at the end of the
call.
If we have time, cool.
Well, we'll find time.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
So take me on your career journey.
I know you worked at Kroger andnow you told me you're a
business broker.
But take me on that journey.
What took you to Kroger andbeyond?
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Sure, I'm a proud Terrace Park Ohio resident
husband and father to fouramazing boys born and raised on
a farm just outside ofChillicothe, ohio.
So that's about an hour and ahalf here from Cincinnati and
about an hour directly south ofColumbus.
So that's about an hour and ahalf here from Cincinnati and
about an hour directly south ofColumbus.
Great quality of life, you know, being born and raised on a
(07:51):
farm, strong work ethic at anearly age and just made a lot of
you know, close friends there,growing up and going to high
school there in Ross County.
I am a proud alumni of thenational football champion, ohio
State Buckeyes.
Well, there you go, and I cansay that for a few more days
here until the season starts andhopefully we can run it back.
But we'll see.
But yeah, I'm from the OhioState and I then went on to.
(08:12):
Well, actually I should take astep back.
I did start at Kroger when Iwas in high school and, just for
whatever reason, I always lovedgoing to the grocery store with
my mom, looked forward to itevery week, organized the
groceries in cart, tried toguess what the bill was going to
be added up to.
Just really fascinated by thewhole industry For whatever
reason at a really young age.
Begged and begged and beggedfor the local grocery store to
(08:32):
hire me shortly after I turned16.
And of course that was after Ihit the deer and after I got
into my second car, was a baggerfor a couple of years in high
school, then transferred up to astore in Columbus when I went
to the Ohio State, worked my waythrough college and then just
again continued to love it and Igraduated from Ohio State on a
Friday, went into managementtraining on a Monday and then,
(08:55):
just for the next really 25, 30years, climbed the corporate
ladder at Kroger, ended up invarious senior leadership roles
with the company, moved myfamily a total of nine times,
really ran hard and ran fast andloved it and I thought, you
know, I was pretty good at it.
Then, after about you know, 30years or so kind of thought it
(09:16):
was time to maybe get out of theKroger bubble and do something
a little bit differently.
Decided to take anotherleadership opportunity at a
company called Bi-Mart which isheadquartered out in Eugene
Oregon.
I was chief operating officerout there for about a year or so
and then just decided thatprobably wasn't the best fit for
(09:36):
me or my family out in Oregonactually Great people, good
culture, a lot to do out therebut it just really wasn't the
Midwest, not what we're used to,and really just kind of wanted
to get back home, closer tofriends and family, and had
always had a bit of anentrepreneurial itch.
Networked with some folks withTransworld.
Transworld is the world'slargest business brokerage firm.
(09:58):
We have offices in, I think, 28countries now with almost 1,000
brokers in the network, andit's a loose franchise model to
where I pay in for the franchiseagreement, I agree to a royalty
every month and in turn theyprovide me the branding, a CRM,
(10:18):
training and a website to startoff with.
Outside of that, totally on myown, 100% entrepreneurial, which
is really what I was lookingfor.
I've been a corporate guy,senior leadership guy with a lot
of responsibility from a peopleand profit loss standpoint for
a lot of years and really justkind of wanted to get out on my
own full time and so Transworldenabled me to do that.
(10:40):
And now we're here, right herelocally in Cincinnati, north of
Kentucky, helping our smallbusiness owners confidentially
sell at a high level.
That's kind of where I'm from,who I am and how I got to be
where I am today Career wise.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Yeah, I'll jump to the business broker in a moment,
but was there one particularposition or job at Kroger that I
mean you just woke up everymorning going.
I just love doing this.
All of them, I loved it all.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Yeah, love the company, love the people I
worked with, love the impactthat I knew I was making you
know in a positive way, both onour culture and in our employees
and leadership focus areas Ihad.
But that seems like kind of acop-out answer, but it's the
(11:32):
truth, loved every minute of itand wouldn't have changed it for
anything.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
So one particular section of the store that you're
more passionate about.
You mentioned merchandising.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Yeah, I'd say probably center store.
That's where the bulk of oursales are.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
And when.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
I say center store, that's your dry grocery goods,
your dairy, your frozendepartments, those types of
areas.
When I was in merchandising.
I spent most of my time there.
I just love to sell.
There's a lot of volume, a lotof movement, a lot of innovation
in that space, and that got memost excited.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
I ask you those questions because I went to work
at nine years old in the familygrocery store that my
grandparents started.
Now we were a small countrystore but we did a lot of.
We moved a lot of stuff throughthere and we had everything
feed, seed and hay and straw andeverything in between.
I worked there through collegeand just recently my cousin
(12:27):
decided he was going to sell.
So after a lot of yearsAnderson's Grocery went away.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Well, it's fun to sell, isn't it?
It is.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
I did a lot, but I was in charge of the soft drink
section, so I always had itlooking good and making deals.
Yeah, there you go, there yougo, there you go.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
And really just to segue our conversation, you know
that you had mentioned the saleof the business.
I can kind of hear it in yourvoice that it's a very emotional
life event, is it not?
Speaker 1 (12:57):
It certainly was, because most every trip I would
make back home my uncle wasrunning it.
By then my cousin, his son, wasthere and every trip back home
would be okay.
Now you're coming back aftercollege, right, and take over.
I didn't.
And there's been times, yeah,it's like I always had pen to
paper trying to figure out okay,could I do this part-time from
(13:20):
Cincinnati and go down two orthree days a week?
Yeah, so that that takes us tothe business broker.
Being a business broker, I'msure you are faced with a lot of
emotions when people arestarting to sell their business.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Yeah, 100 percent.
You know, to that, to thatdegree, you know, I lived it.
My wife and I owned a couple ofsmall businesses in Columbus
for a few years while I was incorporate and when the pandemic
hit, you know, we just decidedto peel those off.
And it was in corporate andwhen the pandemic hit we just
decided to peel those off and itwas going okay.
It scratched a little bit of anentrepreneurial itch we both
had, but we weren't there to runthem full time and we were
running them remote and it wasreally difficult and I learned
(13:59):
very quickly, quite frankly, howhard it is to be a small
business owner Obviously veryrewarding, but extremely
challenging and difficult.
That's what kind of called meto Transworld.
As I got to know the Transworldteam, I really thought that,
(14:30):
you know, this was going to be agreat fit for me personally and
it just so happened that thegreater Cincinnati, northern
Kentucky territories were wideopen and so it checked a lot of
boxes for me to get back, togive back, if you will, you know
, get back to Southern Ohio andreally give back to the small
business community.
Uh, you and I've kind ofalready touched on it through
(14:51):
your story, but yeah, I mean we,we love our business owners.
It's a very emotional time whenit's time to either need or want
to sell.
A lot of business brokers or,excuse me, a lot of business
owners don't know who to turn to.
Uh, they have to or need tokeep things confidential, but
they also need or want to exit.
Those are the voids thatTransworld fills and those are
(15:13):
the services, the value addsthat we provide.
We've got over 625,000 buyersin our network.
We've got a process and systemin place to reach all of those
buyers and keep thingsconfidential.
We help our business ownersnavigate those emotions that you
and I have already touched on.
We execute in a way that getsus to the closing table at a
(15:34):
fair valuation, so that way, mrand or Mrs business owner can
either finally retire or go offand do what they would like to
do within another business,simplify life a bit, perhaps
purchase another business.
Every deal is different, everydeal is different, every
situation is different and whenthe time comes, we're here for
them.
And yes, it can be veryemotional really on both sides
(15:57):
of the table because it sounds alittle cheesy, but I firmly
believe that we are fulfillingdreams.
We are getting our businessowners on to that next chapter
(16:19):
of life.
And for that buyer, nodifferent than myself a year or
so ago, perhaps that buyer, sure, I got to tell you you know I
love selling groceries.
I was really good at it.
I truly love what we do nowbecause we're making a
difference.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
That is, that's so neat to hear.
And do people come looking area?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
we were doing more looking for them, so to speak
doing some branding and somemarketing and some networking
and doing some cold calls andthat sort of thing, and we still
(16:59):
do a lot of that as we continueto build our team and build our
brand.
But now I would say that out ofall of our 65 local businesses
that we currently have for sale,over half of those are now from
referrals.
We've successfully transactedjust under 40 transactions in
the last year and a half or so.
And so now, you know, becausewe are owner first, because we
(17:22):
are people first, because of ourfoundation of confidentiality
and truly working hard for bothsides people first because of
our foundation ofconfidentiality and truly
working hard for both sides youknow, I'd like to thank and it's
kind of proving out that ourreputation's preceding us word
is spreading and you know whenthe time is right, we're getting
a lot of referrals now for thatbusiness owner that's reached
out to you know, their attorney,their financial advisor, their
(17:45):
real estate agent, their friend,to say you know what I think
it's time to sell?
Do you know someone that canhelp me?
And the goal would be, you know, for that other individual to
say you know what?
Absolutely, I've got a guy andhis name is JT, and he works
with Transworld and I'll giveyou his number, you know right,
and so that's what's kind ofhappening now, which is which is
really cool to see.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Yeah, that is cool.
Well, thanks for sharing that.
What's on your bucket list inlife?
Anything.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Yes and no Again, not to be a cop out, but I've never
really had a bucket list.
I feel like I'm living mybucket list daily, honestly.
I've got a rock solidfoundation at home.
I've got happy and healthyspouse and kids and extended
family.
I've got work that's meaningfuland that inspires me and fills
(18:32):
me up every day and that'shonestly Dan all the result of a
combination of complete luckand earned equity and I will
never take that for granted.
So where I'm at in my phase oflife, I'm just enjoying where I
am.
I don't have any major bucketlist items now.
That may change in the next 20,30, 40 years, but for now I'm
just enjoying where I am.
Don't have any major bucketlist items now.
You know that may change in thenext 20, 30, 40 years, but for
now I'm just.
I'm appreciative of where I am.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Excellent.
Well, you know what?
That's a good bucket list item,so we'll go with that.
Here's a question for you.
Imagine today you could take aroad trip.
You're heading out and youcould go with anyone, living or
deceased.
Who would it?
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, that's an easy one for me, that's my
grandparents.
I knew my dad's parents prettywell.
They live just north ofColumbus and I was very
fortunate throughout my youth tohave known and spent time with
them growing up.
Unfortunately, didn't know mymom's parents very well.
My grandpa died before I wasborn, on that side and my
(19:32):
grandma had Parkinson's thatside, and my grandma had
Parkinson's and she just reallydid not have a great quality of
life for the last 10 years or soof her life, which is pretty
much all I knew of her.
And so in general, I just youknow our society now lives a
life of abundance and thatdefinitely has its benefits, but
psychologically it also has itspitfalls.
And you know really, dan, youknow just two generations ago
(19:56):
and for, of course, thousands ofgenerations before, that their
life was all about scarcity andstruggle.
And I think that having astrong and clear appreciation
for who we are personally, astrong appreciation for all the
struggle that our parents andgrandparents and
great-grandparents lived throughjust to set us up for
(20:19):
opportunities that we have nowand you know, the high quality
life that we have now and thatwe enjoy, I just think having a
stronger understanding of who mygrandparents were and what they
went through, and being able toappreciate that is a healthy
way to go about life.
And you know, of course, on topof that too, that, uh is a
healthy way to go about life.
And you know, of course, on topof that too, you know even the
(20:39):
set of grandparents that I, thatI did know and appreciated and
love for all those years.
You know, now that you're older,we've got some life experience.
We've certainly got more wisdomthan we did 30 to 40 years ago.
You know my questions.
That I asked my grandparentsthen would certainly be
different than if I could take aroad trip and ask them.
You know different questionsnow, based on my own life
(21:01):
experience.
So I would love to pack allfour of my grandparents in a car
and, just, you know, circle theglobe with them and just
download everything they've beenthrough and just try to learn
as much as I could from them.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Wow, that's excellent .
And yeah, I can resonate withyou there.
After my parents died and Ionly had really one grandparent,
a grandma, and, as you said, Ilook back now and it's like,
okay, these are the questions Iwish I had asked back then.
Yeah, that's right, yeah,that's great.
Well, hey, let's move on toyour business owner now.
(21:36):
You spent years with Kroger.
If you could give a little bitof life advice to somebody on
how to live a good life, whatwould that be?
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I love these questions and thankfully,
because of what I've beenthrough, I'll call it really the
last, especially three to fiveyears, but perhaps beyond that,
hopefully, I've got some goodanswers here for you.
I've got really just a coupleof main points and then a couple
of quotes to wrap us up.
Um, if that's okay.
So you know the first one, as I, as I think through this.
(22:06):
I mentioned earlier that we wedon't live in a society of
scarcity anymore, but but ratherone of abundance, and if I had
to choose one, I'd certainlyrather choose the latter.
But I think what that's doingto us is it's creating a whole
new level of issues that for us,as humans, we're just not wired
(22:27):
to handle.
I say all that to say.
Towards the end of my corporatejourney, I was in this paradox
of where I was really darn goodat what I was doing but for a
variety of reasons I just didn'tlove it anymore and I was
silently suffering inside, andpart of the reason I was
suffering is because I didn'tknow it at the time.
(22:49):
But I look back now and Irealize that my job and my title
and what I did for a living hadbecome who I was, and so you
know you'd go to an event oryou'd go to a family function,
you'd go to whatever, and you'dsee anybody.
Oh yeah, hey, you're the Krogerguy.
You're the Kroger guy, you knowhow are you doing, how's Kroger
(23:10):
?
And so you know, for a whilethat was great.
And then you know again.
I didn't realize at the time,but I just I let my job turn
into my identity.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
And that's a dangerous place to be.
And you know, even beyond that,during my time at corporate, I'd
always had, as we kind ofalready touched on a real deep
meaning in my work, which formost of us, you know
aspirational folks is veryfoundational in my work, which
for most of us, you know,aspirational folks, is very
foundational.
(23:41):
But at some point a few yearsago I just I lost that
connection to the meaning andthe purpose of my true work and
that's when I knew it was timeto make a change.
And so, and even beyond that,you know I'm very time conscious
.
You know my kids are gettingolder and I wanted and felt like
I'd, I'd earned, earned at thatpoint the freedom to still earn
a great living, still trulyhelp people and yet spend my
(24:04):
days how I wanted to spend them,and perhaps not, you know, not
selling groceries anymore, right, right, just say to wrap up
that thought you know, for anyof our listeners out there that
that that are feeling a bit lost, you know, a bit empty, a bit a
bit unfulfilled.
You know, if you have theintestinal fortitude, if you
have the means, if you have thesupport at home to make a change
(24:26):
, you should, you shouldseriously think about it,
because if you're willing totake the risk and you're willing
to work hard enough to reinventyourself and find something
more meaningful in your realwork, I can almost guarantee you
it's going to be worth it.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
That is great advice and it made me think about when
you meet somebody on the streetor you're at a party or wherever
you are.
Usually the first question isoh, what do you do?
That's exactly right, and I'vekind of changed mine ever since
this podcast started and I wasdoing it before that but my
typical now is well, so what'syour story?
But thank you for that.
(25:02):
That was great.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
I'm the exact same way.
I don't ask that questionanymore.
In fact, I've got people now inmy network that I've known for
a year or so at least.
And I'm still not 100 percentsure what they do for a career
and work, and I think that'sokay.
Cause I I still feel like I knowhim as a person.
You know, yeah, what else, yeah?
Second thing, uh, you know Ikeep mentioning abundance.
(25:24):
The other point I'd like tomake is just our abundance
mentality and our society'sconcern with, uh, outside
motivation, and it's really allaround social media.
I'm really worried about whatsocial media is doing to us.
A lot of people, when theydon't have a good sense of their
true meaning, they turn tohedonism and empty pleasures and
(25:47):
time wasting, and too oftenwe're finding that now on our
phones, and I think the socialmedia and the cell phone dynamic
, the smartphone dynamic, is thepeak of abundance and I think
to a large degree it's ruiningus.
I just want to ask again anyoneout there listening just think
(26:07):
for a second about therelationship you have with your
phone.
And so, if you think about youand your phone, I have one
really big question for you andthen a couple of follow-ups.
But the big question is so,between you and your phone,
which one is the slave and whichone is the master?
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Good question.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
If you can't sit at the light in your car for 30
seconds and not scroll on yourphone, you might have your
answer.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
You may very well.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
If you get anxious when you're in a room or in a
setting and you don't have yourphone with you or on you or next
to you, you may have youranswer.
When you can't have a greatmeal with someone and just talk
without looking at your goshdang phone, you may have your
answer.
And look, dan, I'm not tryingto be preachy, I'm only sharing
(27:00):
this because I'm right therewith the rest of you.
But you know, I got to tell youI'm just life's passing us by.
As humans we're just not wiredfor constant stimulation,
constant hits of dopamine.
That's not in us to manage allthat we're supposed to be bored.
(27:21):
That's where the best ideas comefrom, that's where our deepest,
richest thoughts, our rawestemotions come from, is when
we're bored and we have time.
And if we're constantly seekingthat stimulation, those
dopamine hits from the stinkingphones, then we're miserable,
whether we know it or not.
And you can kind of see it inkids.
Like if you let, like if we letour kids on screens for hours
(27:42):
or days at a time because ofwhatever reason, and then they
unplug.
You just watch their moodswings.
It's, it's fascinating and it'sscary and it's sad.
But you know, unfortunately, inmy opinion my opinion we're too
far along as a society into thehole.
We got to figure that out.
We got to figure that out asindividuals and we got to figure
(28:03):
that out as a society, becauseI firmly believe these screens
are ruining us.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
We've got to get them plugged.
Yeah, and I would agree withyou.
And you know, I think back tomy children they're 33 and 30
now.
They didn't grow up with themand often you would see them out
under a pine tree building afort.
Yeah, and my biggest concernwith all this today is is this
real or is this fake?
(28:30):
Because now I've got to gofigure out if it's real or fake
and I'm going to spend timedoing that.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
I've got to go figure out if it's real or fake, and
I'm going to spend time doingthat, right?
Yeah Well, I mean, you know allthese topics we could spend a
whole, nother lengthy, podcaston, but I think they're worth at
least bringing up and thinkingthrough.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
We might start a new podcast, vnu, the anti-mobile
social media podcast, orsomething I don't know.
Yeah, well, I got one more foryou.
Okay, go.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Our ancestors survived by moving, and I mean,
you know, physically beingactive.
And we now live in thisabundant society where, you know
, in general, we as humans, atleast in this society, in this
country, a lot of countries areable to survive and often thrive
living a sedentary lifestyle.
(29:16):
And for a lot of us, we knowdeep down, we should be working
out, we should be eating better,we should be more active, but
we always try or tend to findreasons not to.
And I got to tell you, dan, youknow, I found my routine and I
found the gym about five yearsago Now.
(29:37):
I'd always, you know,throughout my youth and
throughout my thirties, I'd hitthe gym every now and then and
I'd play some basketball and I'dride my bike and I would do
some of those things, but I'dnever had a constant, consistent
routine.
The gym saved me.
You know I go to the gym nownot just for my physical health
but, honestly, more for mymental health.
Sure, and you know, when I'm atthe gym or when I'm playing
(29:59):
basketball, I'm there.
I would say, you know, 15% forthe physical benefits.
I'd say probably, you know, 15%for the social benefits, but
I'd say about 70% for the mental, because I'm not just
stretching or running or lifting.
I am processing, I'm gettingthrough my thoughts Honestly,
(30:21):
dan.
I'm healing from the sufferingand the burdens of life.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
And the gym is now my sanctuary.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
It's my sanctuary.
I can't function without it andI strongly believe that for all
of us that again may be down,may be kind of in a pit, may be
in a valley and are trying toget out, just get moving.
Find a routine, Find your tribe, Find something you like to do
and that can get you moving,Pretty much guarantee you you're
(30:50):
going to have a better life andyou're certainly going to have
a longer and healthier and morerewarding life because of it.
That's just what I've foundover the last we'll call it five
years, and I don't intend tostop now.
It is who I am and it is mysanctuary.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Well, thank you for sharing that.
That was great advice here andour trip's kind of coming to the
end.
But I never like to leavewithout my guest telling people
how to find them, andparticularly for you.
You're a business owner.
How do people find you if theywant to sell their business?
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah, well, we try to make it really really easy to
find us.
So you can call me anytime513-725-7283.
Or you can text me at thatnumber as well.
You can email me at jharp attworldcom.
That's jharp at tworldcom.
Of course you can find us onthe internet.
(31:47):
Just look us up at TransworldBusiness Advisors of Cincinnati.
You can look at all of ourlistings and learn a lot about
how we can help you, as abusiness owner, get you to your
next chapter of life.
We are also on YouTube, we areon all of the major social media
platforms and we are here tohelp.
So there's a team of eight ofus now.
We are all local here toGreater Cincinnati, Northern
(32:07):
Kentucky, and we would love tochat with you.
So please reach out, talk to usabout anything, small business
related or otherwise.
We'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Well, JT, we didn't know each other before this
started, but I feel like I knowyou a little better and now I
kind of feel like I want to meetup and have a cup of coffee or
something.
I don't drink coffee, but wemeet at a coffee place anyway.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Yeah, let's do that.
I don't drink coffee either,but I've become a fan of chai
tea lattes.
So if you'd like to have one ofthose with me, let's share a
chai tea latte here in the nearfuture.
Well, again, thank you for yourtime.
Thank you, dan, I appreciateyou.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
It was fun.
Thank you for tuning in to Danthe Road Trip Guy.
I hope you enjoyed our journeytoday and the stories that were
shared.
If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your own
, I If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your own
, I'd love to hear from you.
Feel free to reach out to meanytime.
Don't forget to share thispodcast with your friends and
family and help us to spread thejoy of road trips and great
conversations.
(33:05):
Until next time, keep driving,keep exploring and keep having
those amazing conversations.
Safe travels and remember youcan find me on the internet at
dantheroadtripguycom.
Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I'm your host, Dan, and eachweek we'll embark on a new
adventure, discovering memoriesand life lessons of our
incredible guests, From everydaytravelers to thrill seekers and
everyone in between.
This podcast is your front rowseat to inspiring stories of
passion, resilience and thepursuit of happiness.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride.
(00:36):
I am on a virtual road triptoday with a gentleman I have
never met in person.
We've talked on the phone,We've communicated through email
.
He lives in a neighborhoodwhere my wife and I raised our
children for about 15 years.
We don't live there any longer,but we connected through an
email list there with a guest Ihad on the show.
His name is JT Harp, and JTspent his time as a career at
(00:56):
Kroger and now he's gone on tohelp small businesses sell their
businesses.
As a business broker, I wouldassume he helps people buy them
too, and we'll find that outfrom him.
But I'm excited to talk to himand get to know him a little bit
.
So welcome to the show, JT.
Yeah, thanks so much for havingme Looking forward to our time
today.
Well, this is Dan the Road TripGuy, and really nobody comes on
(01:17):
the show unless they answer myfirst two questions before we
get to the rest, and that is,tell me about your first car
before we get to the rest, andthat is, tell me about your
first car.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, so I've got a good story about that one.
I had just turned 16.
I just got my permit that day.
My dad at the time workedpretty late so he didn't get
home until around 10 or 10.30.
Yes, I was excited about havingmy permit and, of course,
driving, but I was pretty muchready for bed.
My dad came home, congratulatedme on getting my permit and he
(01:47):
said, all right, let's go, we'regoing out and driving.
And I said, really this late,and he's like, yeah, let's do it
, let's do it.
It's a big day, 1989.
Chevy Blazer.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
We pulled out of the driveway uh drove South down
state route 104, just uh,outside of the farm there where
I grew up, about a mile or twodown the road we turned onto a
local township road and about amile into that little jaunt slam
, a giant buck hit us broadside,right on my driver's side
(02:19):
mirror door area, scared theyou-know-what out of both of us.
Sure, I saw him briefly.
My dad didn't see him at all,so you know he screamed a couple
of choice words and basicallysaid what in the hell was that?
Of course I said I thought itwas a deer.
So we pulled over I guess atthat point we're already stopped
and we assessed the damage.
We never saw the deer again,but the car ended up being
(02:43):
totaled.
Oh my goodness.
And that was my very first timebehind the wheel on my permit.
So there you go.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Wow, that's quite a story.
Now tell me you haven't hit anyor been hit by any deer since.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
No, I have not been hit by any deer since.
But my wife was actually justlast year same thing hit by a
deer driver's side.
Didn't total the car,thankfully, but obviously put
kind of a scare into her.
Yeah, hopefully those twoinstances are the last two.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, and I assume you got in another car shortly
after that.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I did.
Yeah, I transitioned to an S15GMC pickup Okay, and so I had
that for most of my we'll callit my high school career.
And then I graduated into a fewother cars after that,
including a couple of stickshifts.
So I did want to mention that.
I'm proud to say that at acouple of times in my life I did
proudly drive a stick shift,and boy were those a lot of fun.
(03:41):
I'm not even sure if we can getthem anymore.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah, they're hard to come by, but yeah, I grew up
driving those.
They're a blast.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Tell me about an epic road trip, one that just stands
out in your mind as a greatmemory.
Yeah, I guess I'm lucky enough.
I've had several Senior tripafter high school.
My buddies and I road trippeddown to Myrtle Beach with a
bunch of classmates, that wasfun Taking.
I road tripped down to MyrtleBeach with a bunch of classmates
, that was fun.
I've taken two or three roadtrips down to Florida over the
years, mainly with just friendsor my girlfriend and that wife,
two trips down to South PadreIsland from the Ohio State
(04:13):
during college for spring break,and then we have spent some
time in our career and our livesup in Michigan.
So we've been fortunate enoughto road trip a couple of times
up to Northern Michigan withfriends and extended family, and
then my wife and I one timetook an extended trip up to the
UP, which was a lot of fun.
So fortunately, no crazystories like the deer
(04:37):
broadsiding incidents that we'vementioned already.
But you know obviously justsome really good times and some
great memories with friends andfamily behind the wheel.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Yeah Well, you had your fill of fun with that buck,
so that's okay.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah, and speaking of cars and just life in general,
I'll say that you know, on aside note, we haven't gotten
into family yet, but my oldestjust started driving a couple
months ago.
So that's you.
That's a whole new phase oflife for for Kendi and I.
Uh, kendi's my wife and and soyou know he's a great kid
responsible driver.
Certainly no issues or concernsthere.
(05:13):
But I'll just say some of thebest and highest quality time
you can spend with your kids isin the car.
And and I've read some.
You know some psychology around.
You know, when you're talkingwith anyone, but perhaps
especially your children, youknow doors do tend to open up
and walls do start to come downa bit when you're in the car,
(05:34):
you know, versus maybe sittingacross from them, and I think
there's somethingpsychologically around the
dynamic of you know, eitherfacing the same direction and
you know, like I've said, notbeing face-to-face and then
maybe the dynamic of just beingin a different row, not right
next to them perhaps, especiallywhen they're younger.
I think that all equates to theconversation maybe being a
(05:55):
little less intimidating, moreinformal, more casual, and that
time is a great time to reallybond with your kids, whether
you're heading to the soccergame or to and from school, it's
a great time to really bondwith your kids, you know,
whether you're heading to thesoccer game or to and from
school, it just it's a greatenvironment for great
conversation.
So I say all that to say thatyou know, basically, you know,
at the end of May, you know,essentially overnight, that time
(06:16):
of my oldest is pretty muchgone, right, yeah, and so that's
a big deal for us and yes, it'sgreat to have him driving, he,
that's.
That's a big deal for us and,yes, it's great to have him
driving.
He loves his independence andof course, it's helped out, you
know, kendi and I with a ton ofless, you know, shuttling around
between him and his brothers,but, uh, that, that's a that's a
tough life transition because II'm starting to already miss,
(06:37):
you know that, uh, that timewith him.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Yeah, well, you'll have to, uh, you'll have to plan
some road trips.
And a crazy thing, this wholepodcast started because of road
trip three a little over threeyears ago with my oldest, who I
guess she would have been about30 at the time when she and I
road tripped Florida.
And she goes let's start yourpodcast now.
And that's when we started.
(06:58):
So, yeah, I would agree withyou, nothing beats.
We call it windshield time,that's right.
That's right, very good, well,cool.
And I usually ask people foradvice at the end, but that's
great advice to parents withkids.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Well, I've got some more for you at the end of the
call.
If we have time, cool.
Well, we'll find time.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
So take me on your career journey.
I know you worked at Kroger andnow you told me you're a
business broker.
But take me on that journey.
What took you to Kroger andbeyond?
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Sure, I'm a proud Terrace Park Ohio resident
husband and father to fouramazing boys born and raised on
a farm just outside ofChillicothe, ohio.
So that's about an hour and ahalf here from Cincinnati and
about an hour directly south ofColumbus.
So that's about an hour and ahalf here from Cincinnati and
about an hour directly south ofColumbus.
Great quality of life, you know, being born and raised on a
(07:51):
farm, strong work ethic at anearly age and just made a lot of
you know, close friends there,growing up and going to high
school there in Ross County.
I am a proud alumni of thenational football champion, ohio
State Buckeyes.
Well, there you go, and I cansay that for a few more days
here until the season starts andhopefully we can run it back.
But we'll see.
But yeah, I'm from the OhioState and I then went on to.
(08:12):
Well, actually I should take astep back.
I did start at Kroger when Iwas in high school and, just for
whatever reason, I always lovedgoing to the grocery store with
my mom, looked forward to itevery week, organized the
groceries in cart, tried toguess what the bill was going to
be added up to.
Just really fascinated by thewhole industry For whatever
reason at a really young age.
Begged and begged and beggedfor the local grocery store to
(08:32):
hire me shortly after I turned16.
And of course that was after Ihit the deer and after I got
into my second car, was a baggerfor a couple of years in high
school, then transferred up to astore in Columbus when I went
to the Ohio State, worked my waythrough college and then just
again continued to love it and Igraduated from Ohio State on a
Friday, went into managementtraining on a Monday and then,
(08:55):
just for the next really 25, 30years, climbed the corporate
ladder at Kroger, ended up invarious senior leadership roles
with the company, moved myfamily a total of nine times,
really ran hard and ran fast andloved it and I thought, you
know, I was pretty good at it.
Then, after about you know, 30years or so kind of thought it
(09:16):
was time to maybe get out of theKroger bubble and do something
a little bit differently.
Decided to take anotherleadership opportunity at a
company called Bi-Mart which isheadquartered out in Eugene
Oregon.
I was chief operating officerout there for about a year or so
and then just decided thatprobably wasn't the best fit for
(09:36):
me or my family out in Oregonactually Great people, good
culture, a lot to do out therebut it just really wasn't the
Midwest, not what we're used to,and really just kind of wanted
to get back home, closer tofriends and family, and had
always had a bit of anentrepreneurial itch.
Networked with some folks withTransworld.
Transworld is the world'slargest business brokerage firm.
(09:58):
We have offices in, I think, 28countries now with almost 1,000
brokers in the network, andit's a loose franchise model to
where I pay in for the franchiseagreement, I agree to a royalty
every month and in turn theyprovide me the branding, a CRM,
(10:18):
training and a website to startoff with.
Outside of that, totally on myown, 100% entrepreneurial, which
is really what I was lookingfor.
I've been a corporate guy,senior leadership guy with a lot
of responsibility from a peopleand profit loss standpoint for
a lot of years and really justkind of wanted to get out on my
own full time and so Transworldenabled me to do that.
(10:40):
And now we're here, right herelocally in Cincinnati, north of
Kentucky, helping our smallbusiness owners confidentially
sell at a high level.
That's kind of where I'm from,who I am and how I got to be
where I am today Career wise.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Yeah, I'll jump to the business broker in a moment,
but was there one particularposition or job at Kroger that I
mean you just woke up everymorning going.
I just love doing this.
All of them, I loved it all.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Yeah, love the company, love the people I
worked with, love the impactthat I knew I was making you
know in a positive way, both onour culture and in our employees
and leadership focus areas Ihad.
But that seems like kind of acop-out answer, but it's the
(11:32):
truth, loved every minute of itand wouldn't have changed it for
anything.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
So one particular section of the store that you're
more passionate about.
You mentioned merchandising.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Yeah, I'd say probably center store.
That's where the bulk of oursales are.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
And when.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
I say center store, that's your dry grocery goods,
your dairy, your frozendepartments, those types of
areas.
When I was in merchandising.
I spent most of my time there.
I just love to sell.
There's a lot of volume, a lotof movement, a lot of innovation
in that space, and that got memost excited.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
I ask you those questions because I went to work
at nine years old in the familygrocery store that my
grandparents started.
Now we were a small countrystore but we did a lot of.
We moved a lot of stuff throughthere and we had everything
feed, seed and hay and straw andeverything in between.
I worked there through collegeand just recently my cousin
(12:27):
decided he was going to sell.
So after a lot of yearsAnderson's Grocery went away.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Well, it's fun to sell, isn't it?
It is.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
I did a lot, but I was in charge of the soft drink
section, so I always had itlooking good and making deals.
Yeah, there you go, there yougo, there you go.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
And really just to segue our conversation, you know
that you had mentioned the saleof the business.
I can kind of hear it in yourvoice that it's a very emotional
life event, is it not?
Speaker 1 (12:57):
It certainly was, because most every trip I would
make back home my uncle wasrunning it.
By then my cousin, his son, wasthere and every trip back home
would be okay.
Now you're coming back aftercollege, right, and take over.
I didn't.
And there's been times, yeah,it's like I always had pen to
paper trying to figure out okay,could I do this part-time from
(13:20):
Cincinnati and go down two orthree days a week?
Yeah, so that that takes us tothe business broker.
Being a business broker, I'msure you are faced with a lot of
emotions when people arestarting to sell their business.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Yeah, 100 percent.
You know, to that, to thatdegree, you know, I lived it.
My wife and I owned a couple ofsmall businesses in Columbus
for a few years while I was incorporate and when the pandemic
hit, you know, we just decidedto peel those off.
And it was in corporate andwhen the pandemic hit we just
decided to peel those off and itwas going okay.
It scratched a little bit of anentrepreneurial itch we both
had, but we weren't there to runthem full time and we were
running them remote and it wasreally difficult and I learned
(13:59):
very quickly, quite frankly, howhard it is to be a small
business owner Obviously veryrewarding, but extremely
challenging and difficult.
That's what kind of called meto Transworld.
As I got to know the Transworldteam, I really thought that,
(14:30):
you know, this was going to be agreat fit for me personally and
it just so happened that thegreater Cincinnati, northern
Kentucky territories were wideopen and so it checked a lot of
boxes for me to get back, togive back, if you will, you know
, get back to Southern Ohio andreally give back to the small
business community.
Uh, you and I've kind ofalready touched on it through
(14:51):
your story, but yeah, I mean we,we love our business owners.
It's a very emotional time whenit's time to either need or want
to sell.
A lot of business brokers or,excuse me, a lot of business
owners don't know who to turn to.
Uh, they have to or need tokeep things confidential, but
they also need or want to exit.
Those are the voids thatTransworld fills and those are
(15:13):
the services, the value addsthat we provide.
We've got over 625,000 buyersin our network.
We've got a process and systemin place to reach all of those
buyers and keep thingsconfidential.
We help our business ownersnavigate those emotions that you
and I have already touched on.
We execute in a way that getsus to the closing table at a
(15:34):
fair valuation, so that way, mrand or Mrs business owner can
either finally retire or go offand do what they would like to
do within another business,simplify life a bit, perhaps
purchase another business.
Every deal is different, everydeal is different, every
situation is different and whenthe time comes, we're here for
them.
And yes, it can be veryemotional really on both sides
(15:57):
of the table because it sounds alittle cheesy, but I firmly
believe that we are fulfillingdreams.
We are getting our businessowners on to that next chapter
(16:19):
of life.
And for that buyer, nodifferent than myself a year or
so ago, perhaps that buyer, sure, I got to tell you you know I
love selling groceries.
I was really good at it.
I truly love what we do nowbecause we're making a
difference.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
That is, that's so neat to hear.
And do people come looking area?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
we were doing more looking for them, so to speak
doing some branding and somemarketing and some networking
and doing some cold calls andthat sort of thing, and we still
(16:59):
do a lot of that as we continueto build our team and build our
brand.
But now I would say that out ofall of our 65 local businesses
that we currently have for sale,over half of those are now from
referrals.
We've successfully transactedjust under 40 transactions in
the last year and a half or so.
And so now, you know, becausewe are owner first, because we
(17:22):
are people first, because of ourfoundation of confidentiality
and truly working hard for bothsides people first because of
our foundation ofconfidentiality and truly
working hard for both sides youknow, I'd like to thank and it's
kind of proving out that ourreputation's preceding us word
is spreading and you know whenthe time is right, we're getting
a lot of referrals now for thatbusiness owner that's reached
out to you know, their attorney,their financial advisor, their
(17:45):
real estate agent, their friend,to say you know what I think
it's time to sell?
Do you know someone that canhelp me?
And the goal would be, you know, for that other individual to
say you know what?
Absolutely, I've got a guy andhis name is JT, and he works
with Transworld and I'll giveyou his number, you know right,
and so that's what's kind ofhappening now, which is which is
really cool to see.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Yeah, that is cool.
Well, thanks for sharing that.
What's on your bucket list inlife?
Anything.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Yes and no Again, not to be a cop out, but I've never
really had a bucket list.
I feel like I'm living mybucket list daily, honestly.
I've got a rock solidfoundation at home.
I've got happy and healthyspouse and kids and extended
family.
I've got work that's meaningfuland that inspires me and fills
(18:32):
me up every day and that'shonestly Dan all the result of a
combination of complete luckand earned equity and I will
never take that for granted.
So where I'm at in my phase oflife, I'm just enjoying where I
am.
I don't have any major bucketlist items now.
That may change in the next 20,30, 40 years, but for now I'm
just enjoying where I am.
Don't have any major bucketlist items now.
You know that may change in thenext 20, 30, 40 years, but for
now I'm just.
I'm appreciative of where I am.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Excellent.
Well, you know what?
That's a good bucket list item,so we'll go with that.
Here's a question for you.
Imagine today you could take aroad trip.
You're heading out and youcould go with anyone, living or
deceased.
Who would it?
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, that's an easy one for me, that's my
grandparents.
I knew my dad's parents prettywell.
They live just north ofColumbus and I was very
fortunate throughout my youth tohave known and spent time with
them growing up.
Unfortunately, didn't know mymom's parents very well.
My grandpa died before I wasborn, on that side and my
(19:32):
grandma had Parkinson's thatside, and my grandma had
Parkinson's and she just reallydid not have a great quality of
life for the last 10 years or soof her life, which is pretty
much all I knew of her.
And so in general, I just youknow our society now lives a
life of abundance and thatdefinitely has its benefits, but
psychologically it also has itspitfalls.
And you know really, dan, youknow just two generations ago
(19:56):
and for, of course, thousands ofgenerations before, that their
life was all about scarcity andstruggle.
And I think that having astrong and clear appreciation
for who we are personally, astrong appreciation for all the
struggle that our parents andgrandparents and
great-grandparents lived throughjust to set us up for
(20:19):
opportunities that we have nowand you know, the high quality
life that we have now and thatwe enjoy, I just think having a
stronger understanding of who mygrandparents were and what they
went through, and being able toappreciate that is a healthy
way to go about life.
And you know, of course, on topof that too, that, uh is a
healthy way to go about life.
And you know, of course, on topof that too, you know even the
(20:39):
set of grandparents that I, thatI did know and appreciated and
love for all those years.
You know, now that you're older,we've got some life experience.
We've certainly got more wisdomthan we did 30 to 40 years ago.
You know my questions.
That I asked my grandparentsthen would certainly be
different than if I could take aroad trip and ask them.
You know different questionsnow, based on my own life
(21:01):
experience.
So I would love to pack allfour of my grandparents in a car
and, just, you know, circle theglobe with them and just
download everything they've beenthrough and just try to learn
as much as I could from them.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Wow, that's excellent .
And yeah, I can resonate withyou there.
After my parents died and Ionly had really one grandparent,
a grandma, and, as you said, Ilook back now and it's like,
okay, these are the questions Iwish I had asked back then.
Yeah, that's right, yeah,that's great.
Well, hey, let's move on toyour business owner now.
(21:36):
You spent years with Kroger.
If you could give a little bitof life advice to somebody on
how to live a good life, whatwould that be?
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I love these questions and thankfully,
because of what I've beenthrough, I'll call it really the
last, especially three to fiveyears, but perhaps beyond that,
hopefully, I've got some goodanswers here for you.
I've got really just a coupleof main points and then a couple
of quotes to wrap us up.
Um, if that's okay.
So you know the first one, as I, as I think through this.
(22:06):
I mentioned earlier that we wedon't live in a society of
scarcity anymore, but but ratherone of abundance, and if I had
to choose one, I'd certainlyrather choose the latter.
But I think what that's doingto us is it's creating a whole
new level of issues that for us,as humans, we're just not wired
(22:27):
to handle.
I say all that to say.
Towards the end of my corporatejourney, I was in this paradox
of where I was really darn goodat what I was doing but for a
variety of reasons I just didn'tlove it anymore and I was
silently suffering inside, andpart of the reason I was
suffering is because I didn'tknow it at the time.
(22:49):
But I look back now and Irealize that my job and my title
and what I did for a living hadbecome who I was, and so you
know you'd go to an event oryou'd go to a family function,
you'd go to whatever, and you'dsee anybody.
Oh yeah, hey, you're the Krogerguy.
You're the Kroger guy, you knowhow are you doing, how's Kroger
(23:10):
?
And so you know, for a whilethat was great.
And then you know again.
I didn't realize at the time,but I just I let my job turn
into my identity.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
And that's a dangerous place to be.
And you know, even beyond that,during my time at corporate, I'd
always had, as we kind ofalready touched on a real deep
meaning in my work, which formost of us, you know
aspirational folks is veryfoundational in my work, which
for most of us, you know,aspirational folks, is very
foundational.
(23:41):
But at some point a few yearsago I just I lost that
connection to the meaning andthe purpose of my true work and
that's when I knew it was timeto make a change.
And so, and even beyond that,you know I'm very time conscious
.
You know my kids are gettingolder and I wanted and felt like
I'd, I'd earned, earned at thatpoint the freedom to still earn
a great living, still trulyhelp people and yet spend my
(24:04):
days how I wanted to spend them,and perhaps not, you know, not
selling groceries anymore, right, right, just say to wrap up
that thought you know, for anyof our listeners out there that
that that are feeling a bit lost, you know, a bit empty, a bit a
bit unfulfilled.
You know, if you have theintestinal fortitude, if you
have the means, if you have thesupport at home to make a change
(24:26):
, you should, you shouldseriously think about it,
because if you're willing totake the risk and you're willing
to work hard enough to reinventyourself and find something
more meaningful in your realwork, I can almost guarantee you
it's going to be worth it.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
That is great advice and it made me think about when
you meet somebody on the streetor you're at a party or wherever
you are.
Usually the first question isoh, what do you do?
That's exactly right, and I'vekind of changed mine ever since
this podcast started and I wasdoing it before that but my
typical now is well, so what'syour story?
But thank you for that.
(25:02):
That was great.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
I'm the exact same way.
I don't ask that questionanymore.
In fact, I've got people now inmy network that I've known for
a year or so at least.
And I'm still not 100 percentsure what they do for a career
and work, and I think that'sokay.
Cause I I still feel like I knowhim as a person.
You know, yeah, what else, yeah?
Second thing, uh, you know Ikeep mentioning abundance.
(25:24):
The other point I'd like tomake is just our abundance
mentality and our society'sconcern with, uh, outside
motivation, and it's really allaround social media.
I'm really worried about whatsocial media is doing to us.
A lot of people, when theydon't have a good sense of their
true meaning, they turn tohedonism and empty pleasures and
(25:47):
time wasting, and too oftenwe're finding that now on our
phones, and I think the socialmedia and the cell phone dynamic
, the smartphone dynamic, is thepeak of abundance and I think
to a large degree it's ruiningus.
I just want to ask again anyoneout there listening just think
(26:07):
for a second about therelationship you have with your
phone.
And so, if you think about youand your phone, I have one
really big question for you andthen a couple of follow-ups.
But the big question is so,between you and your phone,
which one is the slave and whichone is the master?
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Good question.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
If you can't sit at the light in your car for 30
seconds and not scroll on yourphone, you might have your
answer.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
You may very well.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
If you get anxious when you're in a room or in a
setting and you don't have yourphone with you or on you or next
to you, you may have youranswer.
When you can't have a greatmeal with someone and just talk
without looking at your goshdang phone, you may have your
answer.
And look, dan, I'm not tryingto be preachy, I'm only sharing
(27:00):
this because I'm right therewith the rest of you.
But you know, I got to tell youI'm just life's passing us by.
As humans we're just not wiredfor constant stimulation,
constant hits of dopamine.
That's not in us to manage allthat we're supposed to be bored.
(27:21):
That's where the best ideas comefrom, that's where our deepest,
richest thoughts, our rawestemotions come from, is when
we're bored and we have time.
And if we're constantly seekingthat stimulation, those
dopamine hits from the stinkingphones, then we're miserable,
whether we know it or not.
And you can kind of see it inkids.
Like if you let, like if we letour kids on screens for hours
(27:42):
or days at a time because ofwhatever reason, and then they
unplug.
You just watch their moodswings.
It's, it's fascinating and it'sscary and it's sad.
But you know, unfortunately, inmy opinion my opinion we're too
far along as a society into thehole.
We got to figure that out.
We got to figure that out asindividuals and we got to figure
(28:03):
that out as a society, becauseI firmly believe these screens
are ruining us.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
We've got to get them plugged.
Yeah, and I would agree withyou.
And you know, I think back tomy children they're 33 and 30
now.
They didn't grow up with themand often you would see them out
under a pine tree building afort.
Yeah, and my biggest concernwith all this today is is this
real or is this fake?
(28:30):
Because now I've got to gofigure out if it's real or fake
and I'm going to spend timedoing that.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
I've got to go figure out if it's real or fake, and
I'm going to spend time doingthat, right?
Yeah Well, I mean, you know allthese topics we could spend a
whole, nother lengthy, podcaston, but I think they're worth at
least bringing up and thinkingthrough.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
We might start a new podcast, vnu, the anti-mobile
social media podcast, orsomething I don't know.
Yeah, well, I got one more foryou.
Okay, go.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Our ancestors survived by moving, and I mean,
you know, physically beingactive.
And we now live in thisabundant society where, you know
, in general, we as humans, atleast in this society, in this
country, a lot of countries areable to survive and often thrive
living a sedentary lifestyle.
(29:16):
And for a lot of us, we knowdeep down, we should be working
out, we should be eating better,we should be more active, but
we always try or tend to findreasons not to.
And I got to tell you, dan, youknow, I found my routine and I
found the gym about five yearsago Now.
(29:37):
I'd always, you know,throughout my youth and
throughout my thirties, I'd hitthe gym every now and then and
I'd play some basketball and I'dride my bike and I would do
some of those things, but I'dnever had a constant, consistent
routine.
The gym saved me.
You know I go to the gym nownot just for my physical health
but, honestly, more for mymental health.
Sure, and you know, when I'm atthe gym or when I'm playing
(29:59):
basketball, I'm there.
I would say, you know, 15% forthe physical benefits.
I'd say probably, you know, 15%for the social benefits, but
I'd say about 70% for the mental, because I'm not just
stretching or running or lifting.
I am processing, I'm gettingthrough my thoughts Honestly,
(30:21):
dan.
I'm healing from the sufferingand the burdens of life.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
And the gym is now my sanctuary.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
It's my sanctuary.
I can't function without it andI strongly believe that for all
of us that again may be down,may be kind of in a pit, may be
in a valley and are trying toget out, just get moving.
Find a routine, Find your tribe, Find something you like to do
and that can get you moving,Pretty much guarantee you you're
(30:50):
going to have a better life andyou're certainly going to have
a longer and healthier and morerewarding life because of it.
That's just what I've foundover the last we'll call it five
years, and I don't intend tostop now.
It is who I am and it is mysanctuary.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Well, thank you for sharing that.
That was great advice here andour trip's kind of coming to the
end.
But I never like to leavewithout my guest telling people
how to find them, andparticularly for you.
You're a business owner.
How do people find you if theywant to sell their business?
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah, well, we try to make it really really easy to
find us.
So you can call me anytime513-725-7283.
Or you can text me at thatnumber as well.
You can email me at jharp attworldcom.
That's jharp at tworldcom.
Of course you can find us onthe internet.
(31:47):
Just look us up at TransworldBusiness Advisors of Cincinnati.
You can look at all of ourlistings and learn a lot about
how we can help you, as abusiness owner, get you to your
next chapter of life.
We are also on YouTube, we areon all of the major social media
platforms and we are here tohelp.
So there's a team of eight ofus now.
We are all local here toGreater Cincinnati, Northern
(32:07):
Kentucky, and we would love tochat with you.
So please reach out, talk to usabout anything, small business
related or otherwise.
We'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Well, JT, we didn't know each other before this
started, but I feel like I knowyou a little better and now I
kind of feel like I want to meetup and have a cup of coffee or
something.
I don't drink coffee, but wemeet at a coffee place anyway.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Yeah, let's do that.
I don't drink coffee either,but I've become a fan of chai
tea lattes.
So if you'd like to have one ofthose with me, let's share a
chai tea latte here in the nearfuture.
Well, again, thank you for yourtime.
Thank you, dan, I appreciateyou.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
It was fun.
Thank you for tuning in to Danthe Road Trip Guy.
I hope you enjoyed our journeytoday and the stories that were
shared.
If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your own
, I If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your own
, I'd love to hear from you.
Feel free to reach out to meanytime.
Don't forget to share thispodcast with your friends and
family and help us to spread thejoy of road trips and great
conversations.
(33:05):
Until next time, keep driving,keep exploring and keep having
those amazing conversations.
Safe travels and remember youcan find me on the internet at
dantheroadtripguycom.
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