Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
the big one's gonna have.
Speaker 4 (00:02):
I bought those at Lowe's last year.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
The big one's gonna have to come out.
We're either gonna have tosplit that one or just get rid
of it.
It's way too big and I don'tknow if you split it.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
I think he's just coming late.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I think it needed down deeper.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Yes, that shrub.
That's over there, thatstrawberry hydrangea shrub.
You can't dig any further.
I don't know if that's overthere, that strawberry hydrangea
shrub.
You can't dig any further.
I don't know if that's thefooter of the building, but when
you dig you hit and it's ablock.
It's a cinder block, so it'sgoing to have to be moved at
some point too.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
So your future plants .
You probably can't get bigbushes or anything, because
you're supposed to have a big,deep hole.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I don't want anything that has to be maintained.
The original plan was hedgeclippers.
I can come through with a hedgetrimmer.
Cut it all back, and that'sthat.
Well, that's escalated quickly,oh yes.
Well, we want to pull theplastic out before we do any
mulch, yeah, so yeah, it's agood idea.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
He's waiting the next spring then no, we're gonna
start.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
We're at least gonna pull the plastic this year, and
then I think what we're going todo is we're going to re-level
the mulch for this year and thennext year we're going to lay a
layer over top of what'scurrently there, because it's
already packed down so tight,rather than trying to scrape it
all out.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
There's Nick, you made it I elected to take Maggie
to her friend's house at thelast minute.
Oh geez.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Oh, so you can't do any turning.
I came over Indian Hills, sothat's what Bethann called me.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
I'm like I don't know you were able to.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
You can turn left from Yerkesville to come in, but
you cannot turn right fromsouthbound.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Yeah, so, and then you can't turn.
What is it?
You can't turn, what is it?
You can't turn when you'recoming back from like McDonald's
or you can only turn right outof there, can't you?
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
And it changes every couple of days.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Yeah, yeah.
So I don't know if you knowwhat it's like to wait on a 14
year old girl.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Who's?
Speaker 1 (02:00):
getting ready for a sleepover to boot.
Yeah, who's getting ready for asleepover to boot.
We're on.
How many pairs of pajamas do Ineed to pack?
How many pairs of shoes?
Do I need.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
You leave Maggie alone.
Okay, nick Michael's here withus.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yeah, I like this topic.
Welcome back.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Hopefully we'll reel you back in.
I don't know, I'm kidding.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
I'm trying to steal Roger from you.
That's true I am.
Listen, if we don't get workingon that sound or any of that
stuff soon, we're not going tobe over there before Christmas.
I can tell you that.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Yeah, that's the ultimate goal.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Well, if we wouldn't keep changing the plans.
Listen, hey, did I make iteasier this time?
No, I made it easier.
You made it harder.
Well, if you wouldn't havechanged the plans, we wouldn't
have had to make it harder.
So we're working on the soundbooth that's in the gym space
right now.
So by the time I got here,roger had the outside frame done
and we were running thesupports up the middle and I was
(03:02):
standing on it and I said tohim I said does it really need
to be 16 inches higher, or arewe okay with the eight inches
high, because it's one steprather than two steps?
He goes well, if we do eightinches, we don't have to build a
step.
Saves us some labor right.
So we were short on a couple ofthe boards anyway, so we're
going to have to go buy boards.
I was like, let's just so.
I called Dan sound tech and Iwas like is there any reason we
need to be up 16 inches?
He's like well, it's nice, he'slike, but the speakers are up
(03:24):
really high in there.
He said so it really doesn'tmatter.
I said eight inches, it is.
So Roger and I had agreed thatwe were done building the base.
We need to start laying thefloor so then we can start
framing the walls.
But we do all the math to framethe walls, we figure out all
the stuff we're doing and weturn around and we look and I
start to laugh and he said what?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
There's a door for the ball pit what we call the
ball pit, where you keep thebasketball and all the
dodgeballs in the wall.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
He had cut that off so that it would open inside of
the 16 inches.
So now there's a great big gapin that hole.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
So now, we're drywalling it.
Was there any doubt in yourmind?
It would be your fault, Roger.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Nope Well, he said to me's.
I said, well, we can justrebuild the door, he goes.
No, we just need to drywall it,which is what we said we needed
to do in the first place, right, right but we didn't want to do
it, so because, neither of uslike to drywall no one likes.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
He says to me.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
He says I'll hang it if you finish it.
I'm like that's the point Idon't want to do.
I'll hang it.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
That's not the problem.
You can uh call dan dan thedrywall man.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I can yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
I don't know if he's still around.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
actually, Well, dan Burway does drywall too.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
Oh yeah, well, there you go.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah, who else.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Casey.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Casey does drywall.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Ricky McDaniel.
He's a little goofy but he doesthe best work he really does.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
We had a guy that did that whole back wall, skim,
coated that whole back wall forus, did a bunch of work.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Love him but he works the same place.
Casey does Skyline yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
And I text him to have him originally do that, and
he's like yeah, I'm not doingside jobs right now, it's just
too much.
And I was like well, we ain'tdrywalling it then.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
How about the guy down from you Dawn?
Does he still do it anymore?
Down from your dad?
Here's the thing.
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
At this point.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Roger and I are hanging drywall it's a 4x4 sheet
, it's a tiny square Finishingit to feather it out and get it
right.
Then we have to prime it andpaint it.
It's just an ordeal.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
We can talk somebody else into priming it and
painting it.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Tyler, if you're listening painting it.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Yeah, tyler, if you're listening, tyler's chief
painter, he's the paint foreman.
So when you guys are doing allthis work, are you thinking?
Speaker 1 (05:32):
are we arguing with each other?
Speaker 4 (05:33):
no, are you being advocates of the christian
lifestyle oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm trying.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
No, we don't have, we don't have any, uh like when we
anytime work on this stuff,like we don't really have.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
You're not F-bombing it.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
No, no.
Now do we get to the pointwhere we're like all right, that
didn't work.
And we sit there for 20 minutesstaring at each other like
we're going to just leave.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
We're just, we're quitting and never coming back.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Yeah Well, we felt victorious.
Today when we got to the floor,we're like, oh, we're done,
since we're only going to goeight inches.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
And then we realized, yeah there's a big hole, big
hole in the wall.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Eight by 38 by 48 hole.
Now it's 48 by 48.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Yeah, yeah, well, michael, do you want to
introduce this topic, since youwere very excited?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I don't remember exactly how you phrased it.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Well, it's right here .
What does it look like to be aChristian in the business world?
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Yeah, so I like this one simply because it's my life,
it's what I do.
I live in the business worldand I'll tell you it's
interesting, even since I agreedto come on just the stuff that
changes and what your attitudelooks like towards those things.
Um, I'm fortunate.
I work for Beth.
You're in this kind of samesituation.
Um, I work for an organizationthat was founded by three men
(06:53):
who were all on staff Actually,two of the three were on staff
at a local church local large,local church.
They um were volunteers inmedia ministry, like creative
design, senior leadership roles,so we're fortunate in that
aspect.
However, it's interesting towatch the cycles in businesses
(07:17):
who come from the church world,which is why I wanted to share.
So we started out as a familybusiness.
It's dad and two sons running atheater.
Basically, the theater world iswhat they know, it's what they
do, they know how to make peoplelaugh and they know how to pop
popcorn.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Right, so to be clear the theater came first.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
The theater was the first.
That was the brainchild, andhere's how that happened.
They realized that there'snothing to do in Amish country
after five o'clock and so theywent to a friend of theirs and
they said hey, listen, we wantyou to write, produce and be in
shows at this theater.
They rented an old warehouseand they renovated it to look
(07:59):
like the inside of a barn.
So if anybody had ever been tothe old theater, that's it was
in a giant warehouse, basically.
So then there was an opera.
They kept talking about the ideathat you know, we can entertain
them.
What about, like, we're drivingrevenue for all of these hotels
in the area.
(08:19):
It'd be nice if we could get apiece of that pie, basically,
yeah.
So the dad, one of his brotherssaid to him hey, I know a lady
that's selling a piece of land,interested in buying it, like
basically brokered a deal forhim.
So they bought a huge piece ofland and started putting
together plans to build a hotel.
Well, in the midst of buildingthe hotel, they decided to just
attach the theater.
Now they own the buildingversus leasing it.
(08:41):
They could do whatever theywanted with it and they get kind
of a fresh start.
And in the midst of that theydecided well, why don't we build
an event center?
Then we can feed them, housethem and entertain them.
And so they built this complexbasically it's three buildings
all attached that you can comein and book a room, go oversee a
show.
And it used to be that we wouldfeed you, we to be that, we
(09:06):
would feed you.
We don't feed you anymorethat's a whole nother.
That's when you, that's when youlose your religion food service
, I think anybody who works infood service.
I don't think it's possible forthem to be christian no, no, no
.
Me and beth are like no, that'shealth care I'll be honest,
like I've never in my life, I'vegot some traumatic stories from
food service.
I watched a girl this is not ajoke spill an entire pot of soup
(09:29):
in the middle of the lobby ofthe hotel, trying to take it up
the elevator, and hit one of theuneven spots in the tile and
just tipped over?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Was she okay?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Oh, she was fine.
No, she was fine.
No, she was behind it pushingit on a cart.
Hit the bump.
Thing just spills all over thefloor.
And now you've got 120 peoplethat you're about to try to feed
and you're down an entirecontainer of soup.
Guess what Doesn't end.
Well, no, so they built thebuilding Theater still thriving
(10:02):
Hotels, though not somethingthat they're super familiar with
so they had hired me in 2018 tocome on as their AGM, and I
actually passed on theopportunity because I had just
taken a leadership or taken aclass in Tuscarawas County
called Leadership Tusk, whichwas a fantastic class for me,
and I had to remain inTuscarawas County to be in the
class, so I didn't want to leave.
(10:23):
Plus, my company had paid forit.
So I was like, no, I'll wait.
Then 2019 rolled around and Ibecame senior pastor here.
When that happened, I knew Icouldn't stay at the job that I
was at, because, I mean, I was.
It's not a joke.
Me being very honest right now,which is kind of the fun of this
and you shared this before.
Yeah, I shared this plenty oftimes Every day.
(10:43):
Okay, my boss was veryparticular about when we arrived
and left from work.
It doesn't matter if your workis done.
You didn't leave until 5o'clock.
You came in at 9 and you workeduntil 5.
Sometimes you came in at 8 andyou worked until 5, but you
didn't leave until 5 o'clockever.
So at 4 o'clock I would go overto the bar we had in the hotel.
(11:04):
I'd get myself a bottle ofStella Rosa Black.
I'd take it back to my office,I would open it and I would
finish the entire bottle beforeI left.
At five o'clock and I realizedI cannot live like this and
decided I was going to leavelike that was just that.
So I resigned from thatposition.
I put in a four week notice andthree or four days after I put
in that notice, those ownerscalled me again and said hey,
listen, we've got an opportunityto have some.
(11:25):
We need somebody to help usfill in at the theater.
Would you be interested indoing that?
My wife and I went and saw ashow which was an Elvis
impersonator.
It was terrible by the way.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
It was really bad.
It was so bad.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
And then they hired me to come on, basically in more
of a consultant's situation,Like I wasn't going to be full
time, I was going to be parttime.
Long and short of it.
Within a couple of weeks I wasrunning the whole hotel.
Just happened very quickly.
I don't know how it happened,but so we?
There was really no knowledgeon their side from the hotel
(11:56):
standpoint, and so I was comingin.
I don't want to say to rescueit, but to like give them some
footing.
They would ask me questionslike well, how long should it
take to clean a?
Speaker 4 (12:05):
hotel room.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Anybody know the answer to that?
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Is it like three minutes, no Longer?
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Oh, it's a lot longer than three minutes To clean a
whole hotel room.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
Let's hope so To flip it.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
To flip a hotel room 25 minutes.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
What is it?
10 minutes 13.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Nope Half hour.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
It's 28 minutes.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Cindy used to do it, but I don't know if she ever
knew that.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Now, that also is an average based on the size of the
rooms and the time that ittakes.
But anyhow, how much moneyshould it cost for one person to
eat breakfast on any givenmorning?
The average price for breakfast?
$10.
$10.
The average price is $10.
So when you pay $189 for ahotel room, $20 of that.
(12:46):
If it's two guests, $20 of thatthey account for breakfast and
then they account for.
We pay our housekeepers perclean, so they get paid based on
the number of units that theyclean in a day's time.
But we basically take that andwe break it down and then
whatever's left over at the endof the day after you've paid gas
, water, that fun stuff anyhow.
Um, so I was there for a shortwhile.
(13:07):
Then we started buying cabinproperties.
Cabin saved us during covid.
It was what kept us alive.
But I say all that to get us towhere we are today.
Um, we so you operate threeways.
You operate as a familybusiness, which are three guys
who know how to run a theater.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
So they're still in the theater running it all.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
They are still in the entire business running it all,
do they?
Speaker 4 (13:28):
focus more on the theater.
No, okay.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
So you ask the question now are they owners or
are they owner-operators?
Do they want to be owners andstep out and let other people
run it, or do they still want tooperate some of the business?
And it's a tricky question thatthey haven't yet been able to
answer for themselves.
But the challenge is weoperated as a family business
for a long time, which meant youmove fast and you make
decisions on the fly and if youdon't like it, you change it
(13:52):
later.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Right.
So that's, you have the abilityto do that.
It's kind of how we operateright now in the church.
We'll make a decision, we'regoing to run with this.
We don't like that, we're goingto change it.
It's because we're still smallenough that we can do that.
But as you start to grow insize you have to adjust your
mindset and how you operate.
So then you move from familybusiness, small business mode
(14:14):
into what I have deemed churchmode.
So the church mode is it's alittle bit slower, it's a little
bit methodical.
You don't hold peopleaccountable because you don't
want your volunteers to quit.
You don't correct anybodybecause you don't want to hurt
feelings.
You try to like just we justoverlook it, unless they're
burning something down, we don'treally say anything and
(14:36):
everybody gets really complacentand really like laid back.
And you start showing up towork in blue jeans or maybe even
shorts and a tank top, and youstart showing up to work in blue
jeans or maybe even shorts anda tank top.
Like life, just it getsdifferent.
And then you grow to the pointto where you can't operate like
that anymore because stuff'sstarting to burn.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Yeah, Like things are changing and you're like we
don't.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
We're not holding anybody accountable, and so
they're not getting better.
The business isn't gettingbetter and now we're getting
stagnant.
When you're down 10%, you askwhy?
Well, it's because we didn't doany marketing, because we
haven't had to do marketing, andyou start to get in this weird
spot.
So then you move into businessmode, so you really start to
talk about like board ofdirectors.
You start to talk about CFOs,ceos, coos, presidents, things
(15:18):
like that.
That's a huge shift, going fromsmall business where I thrive,
because again you can move fastand you make a decision.
You don't like it change itwhen you get through church mode
.
Then you get to the, the newbusiness mode.
It changes a lot because you'restill methodical about your
decisions, because you want tolook at the overall good of the
business, but sometimes it slowsyou down to the point of being
(15:40):
detrimental.
So those three guys came fromchurch world and so it was easy
for them to naturally operate inchurch world.
Now, when we've moved intobusiness mode, there's a there's
.
I don't know this.
If they ever listened to this,they'll go.
Yeah, it's probably true, butit might sound a little harsh.
There's a trust issue.
This is our baby that we havebirthed and we have held on to
(16:01):
and we have run for all of theseyears.
How can I trust you, who is notfamily, to run this?
Because what if you decide toleave tomorrow?
If you leave tomorrow, I don'thave somebody to backfill your
role.
If I leave tomorrow, who'sgoing to do this or who's going
to do that?
We're going to have to getre-involved and we don't want to
be in that pain point, and soone of the things that being a
(16:26):
Christian in the business worldis you have to operate,
absolutely operate withintegrity at all times.
And that's the hardest thing todo.
It is so easy to take shortcuts.
It's super easy to go.
You know what I don't feel likebeing here today.
I'm gonna go home at noon.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
Yeah, well, especially with your job, for me
, yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
I go home at noon and nobody would know I was gone.
I can still get my stuff done.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
But then when you're not there and something goes
sideways, honest to goodness,it's not a joke.
I took a vacation.
I don't take vacations veryoften.
I took a vacation.
First night I was gone, one ofour units caught on fire.
No joke, oh my gosh.
One o'clock in the morning, myphone rings.
I answer it it's my customerservice manager and she goes.
Well, I don't really know howto say this, but there's one one
(17:10):
of the units is on fire.
I'm really sorry to bother you.
I'm like no, this is whatyou're supposed to bother me for
, Like you can't make that stuffup.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Right Disengage.
Yes, something happened.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
I'm dealing with that right now I'm going on vacation
next week and I'm like it'slike Nick says, all the time
it's like is it even worth goingon a vacation?
Speaker 3 (17:28):
No, it's painful when I come back it is yeah and I'm
still.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
It takes weeks to get back into I'm prepping them to
be ready for when I'm gone.
It doesn't matter back, and Iknow I'm going to be ticked off.
I agree.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
I'm still trying to dig out of the hole.
They don't cover me but yetyou'll cover for them.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
I have a great team my hotel GM that runs the two
hotels.
Fantastic.
My customer service manager.
She can run the cabins byherself, they don't need me.
But there are things that Ihave to decide that are
basically still sitting on mywhen I get there and there's a
stack of mail on my desk aboutthis thick, because it has to be
sorted, separated, coded,before it can be sent to
accounts payable.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
That's not fun.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
And you got a whole day of that, and it's the task
that I hate the most.
Every credit card charge, Ihave to go through them line by
line.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
Ain't nothing.
I hate more than those kinds ofDo you guys have your?
It's funny you say that becausemy doctor was just saying he
said when he cause he just gotback from vacation and he said
you know the since auto pay it'sgotten so much easier.
He said I used to dread thefirst day back because that's
the he said.
Anytime I would not be with apatient, I would be going
through all these bills oncredit card statements and you
know, just making sureeverything's paid on time.
But he's like, but now withauto pay it has significantly
declined so so you've alreadythought this is well.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
We've got auto pay set up to make payments uh-huh
the problem is is when you havea maintenance team of six and
seven guys and every day they'resliding their car to buy bolts,
nuts, screws yeah, door hinges,whatever.
all of that has to be coded tothe proper project property and
you're doing that.
It is my job.
Why?
Well, it's not my job to codeit.
They code it in a system calledExpensify and after they're
(19:10):
done it comes to me for finalapproval before it goes to the
accounting department for themto actually code it in the
system.
So once that's done, then theyrun all of those numbers in the
P&L and then you can look atyour maintenance line and all of
that fun stuff.
But you would be surprised.
So we have this is just like aone-off.
We have a category that'scalled supplies and that
category is designedspecifically for things that you
(19:31):
would buy for general use.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
If you buy a box of screws that is not necessarily
for a specific project but thatyou're gonna use, that would be
a supply If you buy furnacefilters, that would be
considered a supply.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
However, if you're buying a door hinge for a
specific property to repair amaintenance work order, that is
repairs and maintenance,everything's repairs and
maintenance to them.
Everything, and so it's aconstant chasing of that, and
I'll tell you, that's when Ineed Jesus.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
And you tell them several times the difference
between the two.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
I send an email every quarter, at the beginning of
every quarter.
Hey, friendly reminder, here'show this works, doesn't matter.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
That's how I used to have to watch the hygienist
would make the new appointmentfor the person.
Like whoever is sitting in theirchair right now, they would
make their appointment and pinit for the next appointment and
I'd have to see who was due forwhat.
And typically, if your gumscreening is this six months
from now, then the alternatingsix months you're going to get
your x-rays done.
They could not get that processfor the life of them, so then
(20:35):
I'd have to correct them everysingle day.
I'd have to go, look and see,and it came to a point where
they would see me in the halland they'd think I'd be coming
to correct them.
I'm like that's not my only job.
Do you think I want to do that?
Speaker 1 (20:48):
No, It'd be nice if you could just do it right the
first time.
If you could just do it right,exactly.
You won't have to see meOperate in the spirit of
excellence, okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Well, you know, it's that integrity as Christians
that when you get back onvacation.
It makes you dig in with yourheels to say okay, I know I got
to put Humpty Dumpty backtogether again.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Well, and you just do it and you know it might take
you, however long it's going totake you, but because a lot of
people would just say, well,I'll get to it when I get to it,
I really don't care for weeksbehind.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Well, that was.
That was part of my struggle.
So I took the week of thefourth.
I didn't take the whole week offI worked monday, tuesday, and
then I took wednesday, wednesday, thursday, friday off.
I took two of the boys to greatwolf lodge on wednesday.
We drove up wednesday.
They swam, did magic quest, didall of our things, spent the
(21:42):
night.
They swam most of the daythursday, and then we drove home
on Thursday.
Obviously Friday was the fourth.
Nobody was in the office so Ijust stayed home.
I still worked like even when Iwas at Great Wolf Lodge, cause
I don't swim.
So I was like, I still worked alittle bit.
But during that week somethings had happened at work that
I didn't even tell my wifeabout initially, and it was
during our Monday executivemeeting.
And this was the realizationthat we've gone from church mode
(22:04):
to business mode.
So the girl who reports to meis now running our operations
meeting, which doesn't feel good, right, like she's, I'm her
boss, like that should be my job.
I should be running this meeting, I will say this she is far
more gifted at it than I am, andnow you are now like this is my
baby.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Yes, no, no, I'm not even this is my baby.
No, no, I'm like okay, am I?
Speaker 1 (22:29):
about to lose my job Seriously, because now we're
going from what we called anexecutive team the three owners
and myself reporting to themdirectly to now me and two other
people reporting to themdirectly.
So I used to have a once a weekmeeting with them.
Every Monday I would meet from9 930 till 10.
I would meet with them and thenthe rest of my team would join
them from 10 to 11.
(22:49):
And it would be task oriented.
We'd be going through projectsand whatnot and like really
running down the thing.
And so I'm saying all of this.
I'm not proud of any of thisbecause you know, this is modern
day.
This is happening this week aswe're speaking.
We had our first round ofmeetings like that this week on
Monday, and I walked in slightlyunprepared because I had been
(23:11):
out for four days, so they hadbeen sending emails kind of
discussing what it was going tolook like, what that meeting
structure was going to look like.
Now here's the thing I don'tlike to meet for the sake of a
meeting.
If we're going to be in a roomtogether, it needs to have some
value.
There needs to be.
I want decisions made, I wantto move on.
So we get into the meeting andwe're talking about, like, our
(23:32):
core values and which do youmost align with.
And I get all of that is good,don't get me wrong.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Our mission statement yes.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
It is an absolute waste of my time is how I feel
Like, yes, it is an absolutewaste of my time.
Is how I feel Like if you don'tknow this about me already, why
are we here?
Right, yeah, but that that wasthat shift from church culture
to business culture.
And, like I saw, I knew I had tobe engaged, but I was not happy
about it I wasn't happy that Ilost my my half hour meeting,
because there are things that Igo in there and say that I can't
say in front of everybody.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Right.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
And now I have to wait three weeks, really four
weeks, to get to, and so now I'mmad right, and everybody around
me knows.
I'm mad.
When I walk into my office, Ishut the door behind me.
I always work with my door openbecause I love to talk to
people when they come through.
(24:20):
Nope, not this week.
Shut the door.
I'm going to sit down, I'mgoing to get my work done.
I'm going to get up, I'm goingto leave.
I won't talk to any of you andI'm not mad at like.
I'm not mad at any of theindividuals.
I don't like the direction.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
I'm confused and I'm scared, right.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
And I think that's a fair statement.
Yeah, the problem is is I'veallowed that to override.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
You're Christian.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
I don't want to even call it my, but what I know God
has called me to do, because hehasn't called me to worry about
those things.
He hasn't called me to stressabout it Now.
Did that force me to brush upmy resume?
Yup, sure did, and I'm notafraid to say that, like, if my
owners and when I get to meetwith them, we'll have that
conversation, I'm gonna beabsolutely.
This is where I'm at.
I'm not comfortable with what'shappening.
(25:03):
It worries me that I can't havean honest conversation with you
, because if I feel like, if Ido, it feels like or looks like
I'm telling on somebody and,quite frankly, I don't know that
I trust any of those otherpeople.
You're meeting with sure yeahlike yeah I don't know what
they're saying to you.
If they're trying to, like,take your job, maybe and I don't
even think that they wouldintentionally be trying to do
(25:24):
that but, like, well, I've askedfor this and didn't get that.
Like, I also have tasks that Ido during the day.
So there's like this reel ofthoughts that go through my
brain, and all of that comesfrom not having trusted my
previous boss, who said I had tostay until five o'clock every
day.
You had to be in by nine.
You had to stay until five.
You couldn't blink wrongwithout her saying something.
(25:46):
She would show up.
She would like there was noknocking on office doors.
If your door was closed, she'sjust coming in.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Um, it was her building.
As far as she was concerned, itdidn't matter how you felt,
what you thought like there wasno boundaries and you think this
, all your feelings come.
Oh, a hundred percent.
I have zero trust.
I don't trust anybody in thebusiness that I'm in, like in
the organization that I'm in,let alone thrive.
(26:13):
And I've done both of thosethings.
Like you watch.
People come in and within six,eight months they're gone.
Because we move fast and we'rereally, really direct about
certain things.
And then we get to church modewhere we become less direct and
we become complacent and wedon't make fast decisions and we
don't want to hurt anybody'sfeelings.
And now, as a business, we'reback to moving fast and we're
(26:34):
going to have to hurt people'sfeelings.
One of the things as Christiansthat I feel like we fail at and
I feel like we fail at this inthe business world too is the
window of accountability.
You screw up.
I need to tell you you screwedup and you need to be able to
hear it Right.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Like you screw up.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
I need to tell you you screwed up and you need to
be able to hear it right, likeif I don't like what you're
doing, I need to be able to sayto you I don't like what you're
doing, this is not how Ienvisioned this, this is not
what I wanted, and you have tobe okay with that, right like
that's a constructive criticism.
Yeah, and I shouldn't have tosugarcoat it for you so the
problem is sometimes my again,the again, the community that
we're in, that we're based in isincredibly passive anyway, and
(27:13):
so we don't like to be direct.
The problem with not beingdirect is then there's always
this confusion on am I doing agood job?
There's no feedback loop.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Right but until it's been a year Until something goes
wrong.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Over a year and all of a sudden sudden, now we don't
like any of what you did lastyear.
We don't like what happenedhere and you know, whenever this
happened, you did this insteadof doing that.
And it's this like dangerousplace.
Because now you questioneverything right, like am I in
the right place?
Is this what I want to do therest of my life?
So I think we have to shortenthat window of accountability,
not just in the business world,but in our friendships and in
our relationships.
From a Christian standpoint.
(27:54):
If we are not direct with oneanother, if we are not honest
with one another, I'm allowingyou to knowingly sin or
knowingly manipulate or dilute,whatever the truth is it's not
good for anybody?
No, it's not good for anybody,and you?
Speaker 4 (28:10):
have to be.
When you're a leader, you haveto be willing to say is it's not
?
Speaker 3 (28:12):
good for anybody?
No, it's not good for anybodyand you have to be.
When you're a leader, you haveto be willing to say, sometimes
that's my fault.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
It's my fault, oh, for sure.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
If you know like you screwed up or you know when you
have people working under youand they screw up.
Ultimately it's actually betterbecause I think most time for
me when I accept thatresponsibility I'm not as
stressed about it because I feellike because you owned up to it
(28:39):
.
Yeah, yeah because, it's likeI'm already like taking charge
of it yeah, like I'm not sayingokay, yeah, I know my, my driver
did this, or he didn't you knowhe made a mistake here,
whatever, but that's on me maybeI didn't explain it to him well
enough.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Maybe you know, at the end of the day it's on me
Just because you're showingquote unquote weakness, which I
don't think is weakness.
Yeah, it's like, I'll take careof it.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I think you're still taking charge of the situation,
so that usually helps me thehard if I get right to it and
just say you know what?
No excuses.
I'm not going to give you anexcuse why that didn't happen.
I just missed it.
We'll take care of it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
So I had a hard one just not long ago.
I have an employee who I thinkis underperforming and I was
sitting in an executive teammeeting and I voiced that very
loudly.
I was like you guys don't seethis, I see it every day.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
And the one owner looked right at me and goes well
, if you're not leading them,well, that's what's going to
happen.
Can I leave now?
Do you know what I mean?
Like that's a hard statement tohear.
But my thing is is that personrequires a different style of
leadership than I'm accustomedto.
I'm accustomed to run, movefast, send an email, make a
(29:46):
statement, move on.
I don't need to hold your hand.
But this person requires alittle bit of handholding.
They require a little bit of Idon't want to say coddling, but
it is a little bit of coddlingthey have to.
It's that constant reminder,that constant check-in, that
like, hey, how was it going?
I don't, I'm not that person, Iwant to, just I've got another
task.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
I need to move on to.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
And so I have to adjust my mindset and I have to
be more relational with thosepeople, and I don't like it.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
But there's definitely situations where you
know you've explained everythingproperly.
You even get to the point where, yep, I trust my people to do
what they do.
They do a great job.
But there's always thosemoments where you have to be
like, if I don't go down thereand show my presence?
and at least make sureeverything's going the way it's
(30:31):
supposed to be.
It's not going to end well.
Sometimes you have to take thatextra accountability to say,
yep, I'm sure everything's fine.
But I think I need to go downthere and at least be present.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
And that show of presence is a big driver for
strong employees too.
They're like, okay, he doescare, he is here too here.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
yeah, he's not just sitting in his office making us
do all the work, and you knowyeah the hard part for me in
that exact situation is um.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
So there's a.
It's a new personality profile.
It's called the working geniusand I don't remember all of the
things, but one of the roles isbeing able to basically drive
people and create excitementbehind a particular project.
That is not me.
I'm a wanderer.
I want to see like I have thegrand vision of where we go in
(31:18):
five years.
I'm the visionary for like wow,we could improve that process
by doing X, Creating that likemindset of all the long.
Yes, I can build the system andthen I can hand it off.
I don't want to have to checkin.
Are you following the system?
I don't want to have to.
I need somebody else to comealongside me and do that.
The problem is is, if you don'thave that person, it has to be
(31:39):
you.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
You have to do it flat out.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
You have to pick it up to the business.
Speaker 4 (31:52):
I still hate it.
I was going to ask was that youDid.
You have anything to do with it, but by the sounds of it it had
something to do with just thosethree?
Speaker 1 (31:57):
No, so I do think that I had something to do with
it, but I think my havingsomething to do with it may have
been adverse.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
I think they were seeing that.
Okay, so remember, when wefirst did this, I was the only
guy right.
I was running a hotel and, atthe time, 32 cabins, something
like that.
And as the cabins grew and wecontinued to acquire more
properties and we startedbuilding a customer service team
and all of these other things,it was almost impossible.
(32:23):
I was allowing the hotel to berun by the AGM and I was there.
I would pop in and my officewas there and I would ask lots
of questions and do deposits andwhatever, but ultimately was
not in day-to-day operations.
So they realized I couldn't doit by myself and we really
needed to hire a permanent hotelGM and then I could overall
(32:44):
kind of like-.
Speaker 4 (32:45):
Oversee it all, oversee the whole kit and
caboodle.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Then we bought a, a second hotel, and so now he's
running two hotels and customerservice is kind of the missing
link at this point.
We've got one guy who's in amore senior role, but he's not
super great at it, and I'mtrying to develop the team, but
as long as this guy's on theteam it's harder to do, yeah,
and so ultimately we decide tohire the girl who's now managing
customer service and she does abang up job.
(33:09):
She is an HR whiz, like.
She knows how to say.
She's corporate jargon to a T.
She has her own um coachingbusiness that she does on the
side.
So very like profesh which Idon't like.
I love her to death, but I don'tlike, because that's not me.
I want to be able to have areal conversation with you.
I don't need to talk aboutmetrics.
Can we just talk about numbers?
Speaker 4 (33:31):
yeah, right, like the conversion.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Yes, that's what I'm saying, like yeah, and I get it
that there's value in thataround a boardroom table and
maybe, but her and I don't talklike that whenever we're yeah we
, but when we get to the, we getto the room in quotations,
because that's what we call itwe all get in the room.
Um, she does that so much.
She's more eloquent than I amlike I want to stomp my foot,
yell a little bit.
(33:53):
I want to.
I want to preach yeah that'swhat I want to do.
I want to preach.
They don't want to hear thatsermon.
So I think what happened isthey were starting to see that I
was not able to effectivelymanage all of those departments
and keep them all operating well.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Which is a fair statement, because you know,
we're buying a property inanother state right now, so I'm
focused on that.
There's a huge project beingundertaken to redo all of the
photography and all of the unitsand I'm spearheading that.
There's a potential laundryoverhaul and I'm spearheading
that.
So all of these like properties, projects that are happening
yeah, I'm trying to manage those, but also manage a maintenance
team, customer service team.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
You can't oversee it all.
It's not possible.
No, it's not.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
But you know that's okay, right?
I do know that that's okay, butI don't like it.
And that's the part that I butthat's a me problem.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
That's a me problem.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
And so.
But I's the thing.
They'll tell you that, like mybiggest asset to them is, I'll
take the hill.
It doesn't matter what they do,it doesn't matter what they say
.
If they say to me hey, we'regoing to buy another hotel,
we're going to close in threedays, can you handle that?
Yep, got it.
Kick in the front door, fireeverybody, hire a whole new
(35:13):
staff and straight hours on adesk shift.
I'm going to make this happen.
They know that about me and it'sprobably one of my biggest
assets, but I can also build ateam, but here's where I fail,
and this is the biggest failure.
I fail at building culture.
I can build a team, I can buildthe system, but culture to me
is second.
It's second nature to me and itshould be second nature to
everybody else.
So our um mission statement isto create magical moments, and
(35:35):
magic is an acronym and itstands for all of these things
oh yeah, you know what I mean.
Like and it's cute and it'swonderful and it's, it's lovely,
but at the end of the day, youhave to have integrity.
If you don't have integrity,none of those things matter,
true?
I?
Speaker 3 (35:50):
mean there's a lot of people that are willing to put
in their time, like, say, I'llshow up at nine, I'll leave at
five, but in between those hoursit doesn't mean they care.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
Correct yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
Correct, and it's really.
It's really.
That's a failure of mine too.
It's hard for me to understandwhy people don't care.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
Yes, but how do we, how do we get them to care?
Because in my opinion now thismay not be the case for you and
it's certainly not the case foryou guys, and I don't know, like
company culture for where youwork.
Do you know your mission,vision, values for where you
work?
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Listen, I'm out there on my own in my car.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Well, that's my point .
Yeah, so are 70% of myemployees.
Yeah 70% of my employees don'thave office space.
They don't have a place thatthey report.
Housekeepers and maintenancedon't have a landing spot.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
They're out on the road all day long, right?
So how am I?
Speaker 1 (36:39):
going to get them to care about mission vision values
?
How do you do that?
Yeah, a front desk employee whois a they're not minimum wage,
but they're an entry levelemployee yeah, how do you get
them to care about missionvision values?
Right, because they might onlybe here for six weeks.
Care about mission visionvalues?
Right, because they might onlybe here for six weeks.
We had one girl who worked forus phenomenal, loved her to
death.
We don't offer health careright we don't have 401k.
Speaker 4 (36:59):
We don't have like well, and I feel like if you
want an overnight stay at 40 offI?
Got you boo.
Yeah, well, maybe that's wherethe missions and values start.
You know, maybe if you, if theywould invest in it, can't,
honestly, it doesn't make sense.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
You can actually say to them that you know you're not
always going to work here.
This is only your first job.
But if you don't do well atthis job, you will not get the
next job that helps you climbthat ladder.
Even when you explain all thatto them, it doesn't always sink
in Well because here's the thing, the workforce is so slim right
now it truly doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
I have a girl that we're this is.
I wish this were a joke, butit's not.
She used to work for me at oneof the hotels and she had a
mental health crisis and had toleave.
She developed a stutter becauseof this mental health crisis,
couldn't answer the phone, likethere were things that she just
couldn't do her job.
Now, when I say mental health,I'm talking like this was like
(38:01):
scary stuff.
Okay, she leaves, she starts toget better.
She gets a job at another hotelin the area.
Now I know she's working therebecause I pretty much know all
of the people.
I get the call like hey, do youknow this person?
Yes, I do.
Would you hire her?
Probably not Now.
Here's like and I can't sharewhy I would just say probably
not.
Well, now I'm out of the hiring.
Now she works at our otherhotel.
(38:21):
She's been through four hotels,but we are so desperate for
help on the front lines that youjust basically hire whoever you
can get.
Do you think that person caresabout mission, vision, value, a
warm body?
yes not at all, and so then wehave to embody it.
So I am those of you who knowthis about me it's my pleasure
you say thank you or you say yes.
(38:42):
You say thank you, it's alwaysmy pleasure.
I never say you're welcome, Inever say no problem, it's
always my pleasure.
I learned that at anothercompany that I worked for I
worked for h Gregg.
You had to say that before theywould even let you on the sales
floor.
It had to be natural.
I've never looked back.
We tried to instill some ofthose things at the front.
Just very small.
When you hear the door open,stand up and smile.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
Simple, right, can't do it.
I know you go throughdrive-thrus now it's very
difficult to get eye contact.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
I won't go through a drive-thru.
I mobile order and I go to thecounter and I pick it up.
Speaker 4 (39:17):
Because I can't.
You know what, though?
You want to hear something thatI've heard.
You are now eliminating yourchances to speak the gospel and
speak the word.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
I hear you.
I hear you, we're doingself-checkout.
I.
I hear you.
I hear you're doingself-checkout.
I hear you I'm going to take it.
I'm sorry, I'll find anotherway to do it.
Do I need to go stand on thestreet corner to make up for it
Because I'm sorry?
I'm sorry.
At least then I can check mybag before I walk out.
And the problem is, is nobodyoperates with a spirit of
excellence?
When we talk about businessesand how we should operate from a
(39:48):
Christian standpoint, the firstthing that we should teach
every employee that we have,every employee that walks
through the door, is all I askof you is that you do your
absolute best every single day.
Your absolute best is notsitting on your cell phone,
that's not your best you can dobetter.
I promise you you can do betterwithout trying.
But then we don't have a windowof accountability.
We're like, well, yeah, I knowshe was on her phone all night,
(40:09):
but we really need somebody tocover that night shift.
So if we say something, shemight quit yeah, she might, and
she might take two other peoplewith her.
But you know what, if we'restill not hitting the bar, if
we're still not making the, whatis the window of accountability
?
And then you have people whokill themselves, that you can't
reward because now everybodywants a participation trophy,
(40:30):
right?
So like I can't give a raise tosomebody on the front desk
because they might start makingmore than somebody else, because
if they talk about it,everybody wants a raise.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
But they're not supposed to talk about it In the
state of Ohio.
That is not illegal.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
It is not illegal, I'm saying it's you should just
know not to talk about it.
I encourage people to talkabout it, and let me tell you
why.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
hey, I've I've asked to discipline people for things
like being on their cell phoneand that, and they're like well,
yeah, if you, if you do that tohim, then we have to do it to
everybody else.
Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, darn skippy.
Speaker 1 (41:03):
Here's the reason I tell people to talk about their
wage, because when you come tome and listen, this has happened
with a girl one time she walksinto my office she sits, she's
honestly, she sits down at mydesk.
She starts the conversationwith and this is always the
wrong way to start anyconversation with me is I am
never doing that again about aspecific job that I had given
her.
And I looked right at her and Isaid oh, so you don't work here
anymore.
And she said excuse me.
(41:25):
I said what you just told me isyou don't work here anymore.
And she said no, I'm justtelling you I'm not doing that.
And I said right, so you don'twork here anymore.
And she got quiet and she goeswell, only do it if I get a
raise.
I said okay, so I can send youyour termination paperwork now
or you can fill that out inperson.
Like I can email it to you, youcan fill it out in person.
Which would you prefer?
She said are you firing me?
(41:45):
I said no, you just quit.
You told me you're not going todo your job.
Well, not unless you pay memore.
So you're quitting.
Am I understanding youcorrectly?
she's not getting that, you'renot getting a raise right and so
the thing was was she had heardthat somebody else.
She heard that somebody elsehad gotten a raise and she
thought she could just come inask for it and get it not how it
works.
You're half the performer.
They are right.
(42:06):
So if you want to know whysomebody else is making more
money than you, it's becausethey're doing twice the work, or
they're doing.
Speaker 4 (42:11):
They're picking up the work that you're not doing.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
Right.
So in all honesty, in my world,in my mind, people who work at
the front desk at a hotel notbusy all day- no.
Yeah, you answer the phonemaybe 10 times a day during your
shift.
You make room keys like there'slittle things you might have to
do, but why can't you mop thefloor?
(42:33):
Well, that's housekeeping's job, is it run the sweeper because
I mop the floor?
Speaker 4 (42:38):
I feel like that should be a part of their front.
It is, it was on theirchecklist.
So then, why isn't it?
Because, because there's nowindow of accountability, my
friend, because that was when Iwas the one receptionist at the
dental office that was yeah, andmy little, you know, own, I
don't know checklist that was tostock the fridge and this and
(42:58):
that and make sure if there wasany crumbs on the floor to sweep
it.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Yeah, buddy, and check the PlayStation and make
sure there's no you know littlekid smear marks and blah, blah,
blah.
We also had a rule that you hadto clean the bathrooms and they
just couldn't do it.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
Just couldn't do it.
I asked the kid behind thefront desk.
First of all, is there a goodplace to get pizza around here?
I don't know, Deliver it to thehotel.
I don't know there's lots ofhotels.
Pretty much told me to look itup online Google it.
So then I finally figured allthat out.
Got to pizza.
We needed plates and napkins.
So I go back down to asking ifhe's got any plates and napkins.
He points behind the desk.
(43:37):
He's sitting behind the desk,he points to it, so I go around
to the desk and get it myself.
It's the truth, though.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Help.
The level of service has comedown so far and it's because you
can't find people who arewilling to do it.
And I'll tell you, it used tobe that when you worked at a
hotel, when you worked at thefront desk and you had to
physically hand somebody a key,and they registered in a little
paper book and you had to do allof the things.
Life was different, right.
Speaker 4 (44:04):
Slower.
You wanted to have aconversation.
Where are you coming from?
Speaker 1 (44:07):
Yes, I was standing at the front desk of my hotel
one of the hotels yesterday andthere was a guest trying to
check in and their room wasn'tready.
It was way before check-in, itwasn't you know, it wasn't time
to check, so it wasn't a problemthat their room wasn't ready.
And they're like, well, we'vedriven a really long way and we
just really need to, and so heturned around.
I said to the front desk agentare there any other rooms of
(44:28):
that same type open that wecould put them in and then move
somebody else to their roomwho's not here yet?
There are ways to do this, it'snot hard, right.
Speaker 4 (44:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
And they wanted a specific.
That's managing.
Yes, they wanted a specificroom type and I was like, okay,
well, you know, all six of theserooms are exactly the same.
Do you have one of those empty?
Speaker 2 (44:55):
Oh yeah, I'm chatting with him hey, where are you
coming from?
Speaker 1 (44:56):
Oh, we're coming from Columbus area.
I said oh, where at, I've liveddown that way for a little
while and they're like well,we're from Pataskala.
I said oh, ironically mymother-in-law used to call it
Patalaska because she said theword was too big to read on the
sign as you drove by.
And so he said well, you know,know, a lot of people down that
way like they go to go to Newarkand and they don't, they just
don't say it right.
And I'm like, right, it's Nurk.
And he laughed and he's like,exactly.
(45:17):
And so now I formed aconnection with this guy.
It was really that easy hiswife is laughing because he and
I are making fun of these.
Like the way people say thesethings, and I shouldn't say
making fun, but like yeahpointing out that culturally he
was talking about.
we were talking about Worcesterand Worcester.
Is it Worcester or is itWorcester?
It's Worcester, it's 100%Worcester.
But we were just chatting whileshe moved that room.
(45:39):
Do you know how easy that is?
He felt valued.
His time was important.
He wasn't just standing therewatching you play at the
computer he was computer right.
Yeah, he was being I don't wantto say entertained, but there
was something that was engaginghim.
We've lost all of that.
It's the same.
At the drive-thru.
There was a kid at thismcdonald's one time.
He still works there.
I went into, I went to thedrive-thru and all I got was a
(46:01):
large coat.
Now I watched the car in frontof me as he was handing them
their stuff and he handed themthe drink and then he hands them
the straw.
Just as they go to grab thestraw he pulls it back right.
So he's being funny right, so Iwas like I got him I got his
number so I knew he was gonna doit to me.
So I pull up to the window andjust as he goes like as he puts
it out I wait for a secondsnatched it out of his hand real
(46:23):
fast and as I did it he wastrying to pull back.
I said I saw you do it to theguy in front of me and he
laughed.
I laughed and off I went.
That's the dumbest thing toremember about a McDonald's trip
.
That order was probably wrongChances are that order was not
right, but that wasn't his job,but even then, even then,
because he was willing to engagein some fashion.
I didn't care.
I don't remember if the orderwas wrong.
(46:43):
I remember that he made a jokeand it was funny.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
And you didn't care, unless they screwed up the Coke.
Speaker 1 (46:48):
Oh, if that would have been a diet Coke If it was
root beer or something Throwingit back through.
No, I'm kidding.
Speaker 3 (46:55):
Driving around, throwing it back through the
window.
We have to remind ourselvesthat it's not unchristian to
expect somebody to do their jobthat they agreed to do Correct.
You know when somebody getshired, typically there's no
surprises.
Speaker 1 (47:08):
No.
Speaker 3 (47:09):
No, you're not.
You know it's not like you'relike well, we'll hire and then
we'll see.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
And then we'll tell you what your job is.
Yes, yeah, you want this job.
It's a secret job.
Yeah, I mean you've interviewedthat person, you've had a
discussion with them, so theyknow what to expect going in,
and then all of a sudden wedon't prepare them for what we
actually expect of them.
We're like, oh, this job'sreally not that hard.
(47:32):
You're just going to answer acouple of phone calls and and
and make some reservations.
Speaker 2 (47:36):
It's really not that hard, yeah Right?
And then, when they get, there.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
I think that's there's a checklist that's three
pages long of tasks thatthey're responsible for.
I, yeah, not quite what Isigned up for.
Honestly, we did a job postingthis is not a joke and this was
not me.
I had nothing to do with this.
We posted a job posting for anovernight position and it said
love Netflix, watch it whileyou're at work.
(48:03):
Tons of applications, becauseon night audit not a lot of
stuff happens.
So literally they're sitting atthe front desk.
Someone's propped up WatchingNetflix.
Speaker 3 (48:12):
Like our guys do at work.
They're running the saw, orwhatever, and they got it
propped up watching their golf.
Speaker 1 (48:17):
It's nuts.
It's nuts and it worked, itworked.
But then they get there andthey realize oh, I don't just
get to watch YouTube or Netflixbecause there's a wedding in
house and these guests are notback in their room at 1130 at
night.
Now they're running down thehallways and I've got noise
complaints.
Speaker 3 (48:32):
Right yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:33):
So then that expectation changes and now
they're like well, wait, thisisn't what I signed up for.
I thought I was going to be anafter hours Netflix watch this
isn't fun.
Speaker 3 (48:39):
Yeah, it's not as fun as you make it sound, it's not
as fun anymore.
Speaker 1 (48:41):
Yeah, yeah, back guys um the the parable about the
the servants who, uh, wereentrusted with the bags of gold.
I want to be very, very clearthat it is no shame to make
money for other people yeahthere is no shame in that.
(49:02):
So so many people feel like theyhave to start their own
business or they have to.
If I'm cousin eddie, I'mholding out for a management
position, cousin Eddie, I'm justI'm holding out for a
management position.
Honestly, it is no shame to gowork at McDonald's.
There is no shame Like if youare in need of money.
And I told my wife this.
I said if I ever lost my job, Ipromise you I would have a job
(49:25):
the next day, and it may not bemaking the money that I'm making
today, but we're not going tolose our house.
We're not going to lose it.
Well, we can't lose our carspaid for, but we're not going to
lose the things that we havebecause I lost my job.
We're going to learn to buttondown and we're going to survive
on the money that we've got andwe're going to figure this out.
Speaker 4 (49:47):
I guarantee you I could walk over to McDonald's
right now and be hired before Ileft that building.
Speaker 1 (49:49):
Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure.
I might only be making minimumwage, but I'll tell you what
I'll put in as many hours asthey'll give me Right?
That's the difference in themindset of being willing to work
for what you have, beingwilling to earn.
Speaker 3 (50:02):
You know, and right now, of course, we're going
through a scare of all thesepeople that are losing their
benefits.
They're already trying tofigure out ways to skate the
system.
Yeah, to keep this going,instead of saying you know what,
maybe, just maybe, I need to goout and get a job and actually
you know support myself, yeah,but yeah because I've we were,
(50:24):
we were taking, we were walking.
We actually heard a couplehaving that very discussion like
oh, we could do this, we coulddo that, and we kind of like,
can you believe it?
Like people just they will notgive up on that lifestyle of
handout.
Speaker 1 (50:38):
No, no, they just won't do it I, so I there's no
shame in earning money for otherpeople.
I look at my three owners andthey are.
It's not like they'remillionaires or anything like
that, but they're wealthy men.
Good for them.
Two of them are younger than Iam Really good for them.
Right, you know they're goingto be able to retire.
(51:00):
Their kids are going to be ableto have all of the things that
you know whenever their parentsare dead and gone.
They're going to have a wealthyinheritance.
That's wonderful for them.
Just because they have itdoesn't mean I should be angry
about it and not want to earnmore.
Speaker 3 (51:09):
No, and when you're young you tend to look at those
people like must be nice.
I hear how hard it is to runyour own business or create your
own business.
Speaker 1 (51:17):
They have all of the risk If all of those businesses
were to fold today.
They lose their houses.
They lose their cars.
They're on the line foreverything.
Speaker 4 (51:25):
You know what I'm on the line for Nothing.
Speaker 1 (51:28):
I'm going to walk out unemployed and go get a job at
McDonald's this afternoon andnot to mention.
Speaker 4 (51:33):
Everyone says to Chase oh, it must be so nice
being your own business ownerand I'm sure same for jarvie and
it's like, and it's like yeahbut I can't ever clock out you
know, I'm the one doing thescheduling, I'm the one yep
that's on call and I'm the.
You know, like there's never toclock out like it.
It comes probably with morestress than yep, a normal like
yeah, quote, unquote nine tofive job, yep, you know, because
(51:55):
at five o'clock you clock outRight and maybe if he worked for
Roto-Rooter.
Speaker 1 (52:01):
He might have to be on call where there's an
emergency call.
He might have to go out twice aweek.
Speaker 4 (52:05):
Yeah, not 24-7.
Speaker 1 (52:07):
Not 24-7.
Now the beauty is he can decideto answer his phone or not,
right.
But at the same time, a goodbusiness owner is going to take
the money when you can get it,because it's not promised
tomorrow.
Yeah, and do you really want toleave somebody with sewage,
right?
Speaker 4 (52:24):
he just texted me.
Speaker 1 (52:24):
He said well, as soon as you get home.
Speaker 4 (52:26):
I immediately have to leave.
He's going to a customer whichhappens to be his father-in-law
sure so, but still I'm sorry,grandpa yeah, and law, a
customer is a customer.
Speaker 1 (52:35):
So here's what he did .
Thanksgiving two years ago, daybefore Thanksgiving, I texted
him.
I was like, dude, I got aproblem.
He's like what's that?
I'm like sewage coming up outof the floor drain in my
basement and he's like oh yeahthat's not good and I was like I
could call Roto-Root emergencyappointment.
It's going to be stupidexpensive.
I said could you come on Friday?
(52:57):
And he's like no, I'll justcome tomorrow.
He's like I got to load thething up on the truck so I don't
want to come today because itwas already late in the evening.
He's like I'll just cometomorrow.
I'm like dude, you don't haveto do that.
It's like it's Thanksgiving.
He's like no, I'd rather do itand just get it out of the way.
Dude comes the snake down thedrain.
Now I'm down there watching him, which I think he should charge
more for.
When somebody stands andwatches, he should be able to
(53:18):
charge more for that.
But I'm chatting with him whilehe's doing it and I'm watching
him doing.
He's telling me he's like I'vehad my shirt get caught in this
thing.
I'm trying to keep my cool,pull my shirt out of it because
it's like constantly twisted.
Anyhow, he gets up, he finishes.
He gets up, he leaves, leavesan invoice and it was.
It was like 350 bucks the thelast time I had Roto-Rooter
there on a standard visit it waslike $900.
(53:39):
I can't imagine what they wouldhave charged me for
Thanksgiving to do that.
And I always tell Chase I don'twant a discount, I want to pay
you what you're worth, becauseyou can't find plumbers.
Speaker 4 (53:49):
A sewer job, a sewer job call that is 350.
So he didn't.
Speaker 1 (53:54):
I told him I, that is 350 yeah, he didn't, that's and
that's I told him.
I never want to discount.
When I call you, I'm notcalling you because I want you
to do it for cheap.
I'm calling you because I wantto keep your business.
I want to keep your businessgoing like yes, I still need him
to put a water softener in myhouse, but we'll get to that
when we get to it, I guess well,as you said, you can make the
choice of not to answer hisphone or not right that's what.
Speaker 4 (54:14):
You don't answer it, and then, and then that person
will say well, yeah, I calledhim hours and he didn't answer
the phone exactly you're tellingsomebody else that and they're
like well, I won't, I won'tbother calling them, and there's
times when I'll call people andsay, listen, it's not going to
be for like a week and a half,like right now, when weitely
(54:39):
declining yeah you know like,and if you want to wait a week
and a half, I'm happy to takethe job exactly if you need it
done now.
Speaker 2 (54:46):
Yeah, it's not gonna happen, yeah so when I was on
vacation, clayton's phone he'sgot two phones.
They're always ringing, alwaysringing.
I'm like can you just put themaway?
Speaker 1 (54:53):
no, he, he sells real estate.
That's what makes his money.
Speaker 4 (54:56):
If I don't answer those phones, the next person
will.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (54:59):
Yeah.
Then, as we're on the airplaneon the way home, he said you
know you fuss about that phone,mom, but I sold four houses
while I was in Florida.
Speaker 1 (55:06):
That's what I'm saying and how much money does
he make doing that?
You know what I mean?
Yeah, and it's the same way forme.
Again, unit catches on fire.
Guess what You're answering thephone?
Get a drunk kid knocking on aneighbor's door at three o'clock
in the morning.
Guess who's answering theirphone.
Speaker 4 (55:20):
This guy.
Speaker 1 (55:21):
It's part of the deal , but I look at it as I want to
treat other people as I wouldwant to be treated If it were my
business, if this were meoperating, then I want to be
able to operate.
I wish somebody would treat me.
And I go back to just ministry.
I talk a lot about how Florenceand I the connection that we
(55:41):
used to have, and I could lookat her and know what she wanted.
She could say something sosmall to me and I would know
exactly what it meant.
Speaker 3 (55:49):
You value those things so very much and you,
just when you don't have it,when you you're missing that,
you realize how valuable ittruly is hey, our shop manager
was on vacation this week and Idon't meddle in the conduct of
the shop workers like I have mydrivers and people directly
under me, so I take care of allthat as far as shop, people
(56:11):
usually don't meddle in anythingsure yeah but I was already
kind of tired it was monday, Ihadn't slept well, so that
might've had a little to do withit.
But I looked down, clear downthe aisle, and there's these two
kids and they're wrestling eachother like picking each other
up, pushing each other, all thisstuff.
So for some reason I went allthe way down there and I got to
(56:31):
him like, if you guys want towrestle, take it outside, you
can go home.
And one kid goes oh, we can gohome.
I'm like, yeah, you can go home.
Speaker 1 (56:40):
I said you're not gonna get paid for it, but
you're home, you're not comingback.
Speaker 3 (56:42):
He kind of looked at me like, oh, I never really done
that it was almost like achallenge I can go home, yeah
yeah, but then I followed it upwith a little bit of to at least
let them know like, look, I'mnot just coming down hard on you
yeah I said you guys got tounderstand.
So the last thing I want to dois call one of your mothers and
(57:02):
tell them that you droppedsomebody on top of this beam
with a huge sharp plate stickingout of it and now I gotta call
her and tell her you've beenimpaled on this beam yeah said
that's not something I want todo.
No, and I don't think you wantthat to happen either I said you
guys got to think about stufflike that.
I said it can happen reallyquick.
Speaker 1 (57:18):
Yep, yeah, horseplay is not necessary, not here.
Speaker 3 (57:21):
Yeah, you can get hurt really bad, and it's just
like so sometimes you know, andI guess my thinking always is,
if you people can take it orleave it you know, if you you
can inst instill discipline butyou can give advice at the same
time, most of them ain't gonnatake it.
Probably when you walk awaythey're gonna laugh about it or
(57:42):
what an idiot, what an idiot.
Or you can't tell us what to do.
He's not our boss, yeah, butit's like, okay, take it or
leave it, but at least I knowthat I did what I thought was
the proper thing to do, right,and the christian thing to do
yeah yeah, and it's up to themif they.
Speaker 1 (57:55):
Yeah, if one of them decides to get impaled on the
plate, guess what?
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (57:58):
Guess what it's like you know, I tried to tell you
guys.
That's why I told you Because Icare about you Right.
I don't want to see anybody,you know.
Yeah, no, I don't want toexperience that.
So that's kind of how I think.
(58:18):
Just it's so hard to getespecially younger people to
understand anything and to takeany sort of accountability.
But you still got it.
Speaker 1 (58:21):
You still you can never say well, there's no point
doing that, there's no point insaying anything yeah, yeah, you
still have, you still have todo it.
Yeah, yeah, that's a hard onefor me, because the one person
that I have that I feel likeunderperforms.
I say to myself all the timethere's no reason to say
anything yeah, because they'renot gonna yeah, it doesn't
matter what I say, because iteither gets downline, vetoed
like they're like right orwhatever, and it just doesn't
get done, then I'm mad, but wecan't do anything about it.
(58:43):
So but I have to overcome that.
I really do like it's hard, sayit, just to say it, and the
best thing you can do is, whenyou do say it, explain why
you're saying it like yeah hey,I really feel like we need to do
this, that or the other, andhere's why I feel like this is
more productive or this is moreefficient.
It's so hard, though, to getpeople to pick it up.
Speaker 3 (59:06):
And I feel like too, if they do respect you again,
like when you're busy andsomething really important is
happening and everybody else isin on it.
If you're down there workingwith them happening and
everybody else is in on it, ifyou're down there working with
them most of the time, you'llgain their respect, and then
when you do say something,they'll listen to you, as
opposed to the guy that, well,we never see him.
He just spends most time in hisoffice and only comes out when
(59:28):
you know, yeah, so that's mosttime when you're never going to
get them.
Speaker 4 (59:32):
Yeah, because you're disconnected.
Speaker 2 (59:37):
You're building a relationship, yeah, yeah so you
lead by example basically yeahyou lead by example.
Speaker 3 (59:41):
Even then, it's still very hard.
Yeah, like I said, it's stillit's hard.
It's hard to win, you know,these, these young people's uh,
you know acceptance and theirapproval into where they think,
oh you know what you might havea point.
Yeah, you know it might beworth something to you know,
because most time I'll tell,because I tell them all the time
.
I said my guess is you don'talways want to work here well,
(01:00:03):
that's what I was about.
You're gonna want to move up theladder.
If you're gonna get married,have kids, have a life for
yourself.
You don't want to be stuck atthis.
Uh entry level job.
Speaker 2 (01:00:11):
For the rest, of your life, right?
How are you gonna live on that?
Speaker 3 (01:00:13):
yeah, so you know, you gotta, you gotta show them
that it's like and I and that'ssometimes what I have a problem
with it's like yeah, I can Iwork outside the shop, I'm a
working manager but say, after Iunload a truck, yeah, I can go
in my office, shut the door andI got air conditioning.
Hey, there have to be perks,right.
But and a lot of times I feelbad, the first, the first year I
(01:00:34):
worked there, I would not turnthat air conditioner on because
I didn't want anyone to think Iwas getting special privilege,
because I thought I'd lose them.
But I've got to the point whereI'm like you know what.
You've earned this position.
Speaker 4 (01:00:46):
Right.
Speaker 3 (01:00:47):
You didn't get here because you didn't care because
you weren't willing.
Speaker 1 (01:00:51):
Your dad doesn't own the business and you just got
that fun air-conditioned office.
Speaker 3 (01:00:54):
So you know that's been hard for me to just be like
yeah, you can enjoy some of theperks of your position because
you've worked hard for it.
Speaker 4 (01:01:03):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 3 (01:01:04):
So you know you don't have to feel guilty about this.
Speaker 4 (01:01:06):
No, beth, what were you saying?
Speaker 3 (01:01:08):
You remember it's gone now, darn it.
Sorry, that's okay.
Speaker 4 (01:01:25):
She's not talking into her microphone anyway, so
it doesn't matter.
Michael, I have to ask becauseI was talking to beth a couple,
two days ago, day and a half,about my situation at work and I
said, you know, it's just sodiscouraging because I feel I
was going to ask you like, doyou feel like your job position?
Do you feel like that wascoming from god?
like do you think that was ananswered prayer, or maybe not
even an answered prayer, butyou're like this was all god
because that's your positionthat you like I'm doing right
now three or four years ago,when you oh yeah, 100, but now
(01:01:47):
you're looking at it like wait aminute no, I here's, here's the
okay.
Speaker 1 (01:01:50):
so I'm mostly over what's happening right now, like
I was able to like reallydecompress and like think about
it and like you know what, if itis what's going to happen, you
know what I'm not going to bewithout a job, right.
Speaker 4 (01:02:03):
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
Like, I'm not going to be so for you.
When did I start with them?
I started in 2019.
Speaker 4 (01:02:09):
So I guess six years.
Speaker 1 (01:02:10):
So when I started that job again, I had put in a
four-week notice.
It was three days into thatfour-week notice when I got the
email or the text message sayinghey, we've got this thing that
we want you to come do for us.
So I had a job lined up, but myplan was full-time ministry.
And then I learned real quickthe church can't afford
full-time ministry, not withfive kids.
They sure can't.
(01:02:30):
So we knew I was going to haveto do something at least
part-time.
And we knew I was going to haveto do something at least part
time.
And that was just to make endsmeet.
And then we so when I startedout there, and then it just
continued to evolve and evolveand evolve One of the things
that I always did anytime I wasoffered a promotion or any type
of change of status.
(01:02:50):
They would say slide to theoffer letter.
What?
Speaker 4 (01:02:54):
do you think?
Speaker 2 (01:02:54):
And I'm like well you know what I think Like more
money is always better.
Right slide you the offerletter.
Speaker 1 (01:02:56):
What do you think?
And I'm like well, you knowwhat I think More money is
always better.
Right, I'm never going to tellyou no for more money, but it is
going to take away from myfamily and I would say I need to
talk to my wife first.
I would step away and I wouldcall my wife and we would talk,
and then I would usually sendthem a follow-up email like hey,
chatted with my wife, here'swhat I think.
And then we would always we'realways able to come to an
agreement.
I think what's changing now isdoing two things.
(01:03:18):
It is preparing me Okay, thisis going to sound like a lot,
this is going to sound like alot.
It is preparing me for notalways being on top, because I
have been on top in literallyeverything in my life.
For how many years?
Senior pastor of the church, Iam my mom and dad's boss.
My dad is my congregant.
I don't have a level of like acheckpoint.
(01:03:43):
I don't have a checkpoint.
So I think it's him preparingme for that.
It's humbling me just a littlebit, but I also think it's
preparing me for the next seasonof life, which, in ministry
again, I'm just kind of layingsome stuff out for you.
I don't know how long I'll behere.
I'm not saying I'm leaving.
To be clear If he calls me outof here tomorrow, that's going
(01:04:03):
to change my life and I thinkhe's preparing me for that next.
Whatever that next season isthe way that I take care of my
family, the way that I take careof my kids, being able to be
present with them.
I would have never taken threedays off in order to take my
kids to great wolf lodge bymyself, right like if my wife
ain't going, I ain't going.
Right, so there's this.
(01:04:24):
I can.
I know, I can feel that there'sa shift, so I think he is
preparing me for something thatis something far beyond anything
that I could even comprehendgood, bad or indifferent.
I think he's preparing me forsomething, something different.
Speaker 4 (01:04:36):
So, yeah, that's a good way of looking at it, cause
I, that's what I'm strugglingwith.
I'm like you know, and you guyswere here through it I'm like
this is, this is coming from God, like it was 11 years ago.
I was doing the shadowing thereand I'm like oh well, I I wish
I could work here, full time.
And now I'm like, oh my gosh,maybe I shouldn't have even
taken this job, Maybe I shouldhave just stayed at the post
(01:04:57):
office.
But I guess, you know, I justneed to look at it differently
and maybe it's all aboutperspective.
Speaker 1 (01:05:03):
It really is all about perspective, because
you're right.
What's the next season?
Maybe the next season isanother office job.
The doctor might be worse, butthe right, the benefits may be
better right whatever.
And so you're preparingyourself for your mindset, so
that you can handle thosechallenging situations.
Speaker 4 (01:05:21):
Yeah again.
Speaker 1 (01:05:22):
I don't like where I'm at right now, I don't like
what's happening, but I'm readyto embrace it.
I'm not ready to love it but.
Speaker 4 (01:05:28):
I'm ready to embrace it.
It's coming at you whetheryou're ready or not, and here's
the thing.
Speaker 1 (01:05:33):
I'm either gonna swallow it or they're going to
force feed it to me.
Speaker 4 (01:05:35):
So it's my decision.
Speaker 2 (01:05:36):
Like.
Speaker 1 (01:05:36):
I'm not going to stop progress.
Speaker 4 (01:05:39):
Right, it's yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:05:40):
Yeah, improve, you know to better yourself.
But as long as you're here,keep doing the good job that
(01:06:00):
you're doing.
Keep doing everything you'resupposed to be doing.
Don't get involved in shopdrama and all these negative
things that guess what thatcould affect what happens next.
So keep doing what you'recapable of doing.
When it's time, you'll findthat next job.
That could be the job thatyou're supposed to be at.
But if you don't do that, youmay not end up there.
Speaker 4 (01:06:23):
Yeah, and you know, like I was telling beth, like
you know, maybe I just need tosuck it up because you know I am
getting my weekends off.
I am, you know, getting thosesundays off that I wanted so
desperately, and so I just haveto look at it with a different
mindset.
And you know, it's not like it'sI say all the time, like if I
was doing this five days a weekat this and you know, and the
(01:06:44):
one girl that I work with, she'slike Sid I don't know how you
do it and I'll say it right infront of the doctor, like he's
kind of lingering too and I'mlike I mean I wouldn't do it,
but it's two days a week, youknow, and then I'll come in like
a third day for probably six,seven hours and honestly, I feel
like the pace is just as fastbecause I'm trying to get as
much stuff as done in a shorterwindow and yeah you know.
Speaker 1 (01:07:05):
But yeah, maybe it's just like the way that you look
at it the what I, what I havebeen putting through my own
brain, is that when I look at myattitude towards the situation,
that I'm dealing with you know,I go in my office and shut my
door.
What am I worried about thosepeople doing when they go to
meet with the three owners,whenever I'm not around, I'm
(01:07:27):
worried about what they'resaying.
When I shut myself in my officeand I'm not talking to them,
what do you think they're saying?
Speaker 3 (01:07:32):
He's really distant.
I don't know what's the matterwith him.
He's really he seems angry allof a sudden, like what happened
yeah and it's out of nowhere,right.
Speaker 1 (01:07:40):
Yeah, like I'm only talking to you when we have
business to attend to and I'mnot like we're not associating
outside of that so I'm in my.
Speaker 3 (01:07:46):
I'm not helping myself by maintaining that like
they might be worried they'regonna lose you right, that's
what I'm saying, like they mightbe looking at like oh, what's
going on with him?
Is he going to walk out today?
We don't want that.
Yeah, what's on his mind?
Speaker 1 (01:07:58):
Maybe they'll offer me more money.
Speaker 4 (01:08:04):
It's not always the answer, michael.
Speaker 1 (01:08:05):
Well, I was just you know, you can always hope,
though, right yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:08:12):
I truly believe that we are all where we're supposed
to be.
Speaker 4 (01:08:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:08:16):
Sometimes it takes a while to figure out why.
Speaker 4 (01:08:19):
Yes, yeah, I agree yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:08:29):
Well, you know, sometimes you look at that, you
know shop worker, that just youknow they come in.
All they got to do is go totheir station and do their job.
Nobody hassles them, nobodyasks any more out of them.
You think, man, that must benice.
Yeah, their job, nobody hasslesthem.
Speaker 1 (01:08:37):
Nobody has any more out of them, do you?
Think, man, that must be nice,yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:08:39):
But then and then you do it and you're looking for
value in life, right, but it'slike but we wouldn't be leader
if we're the leaders we'resupposed to be, yeah, we're not
going to be in that role it'sjust right.
Right, we were in that role andguess what?
We moved out of it pretty quickbecause that's kind of better
for ourselves it's just that'swho, who we are, especially
Christian people.
I mean, you're always lookingto exceed and do better, and be
(01:09:00):
an example.
So, yeah, you're going to bepicked out of the bunch, to you
know.
Take care of the next thing,given a little more
responsibility, I worked forWalmart for many years.
Speaker 1 (01:09:10):
As a matter of fact, they hired me when I was 17
years old, but you couldn't workthere until you were 18.
So they didn't know.
I and I was 17 years old, butyou couldn't work there until
you were 18.
So they didn't know.
I mean, it was on myapplication, they had my
birthday, but apparently thatperson couldn't do math, I don't
know.
So they offer me a job and thenthey call me like four hours
later and they're like hey, I'msorry, but we can't actually
hire you for another six monthsuntil you turn 18.
So on my 18th birthday Istarted working at Walmart, just
(01:09:31):
selling like I didn't have that.
That was where they put me okay, cool, whatever.
Um wasn't there very long beforethey were moving me to was
department 82.
At the time it was basicallyall the checkout, the candies,
all of the like the um impulsebuys at the front end.
Then I became the grocerydepartment manager and then I
(01:09:52):
became the inventory manager andso I inventoried all of the or
managed all of the inventory inthe store and I did.
I piloted a new inventorymanagement system with Walmart.
I got to go to Bentonville,arkansas, to pitch it.
I mean it was super cool all ofthe things that I did.
And then I decided I didn'twant to work for Walmart anymore
and I quit, with noperspectives, and I just took
(01:10:14):
some time off, just didn't workfor a little while and the store
manager from the new PhillyWalmart at the time she's
retired since she called me inOctober and she said I need a
favor.
I said okay, what's that?
She said I need you to come andrun the electronics department
through Christmas Electronics.
Count me in.
(01:10:35):
Heck, yeah, right, that was theyear the Wii came out.
I was stoked to get to go dothat.
They forgot to tell me thatthey hadn't told the department
manager he had been fired.
We're going to leave that up toyou.
He did not yet know that.
So I come in and I don't startas the department manager,
although they told me this iswhat I'm going to do, Like we're
(01:10:56):
just going to have you just getthe lay of the land.
So I do, and I know thedepartment manager.
His name was Mike.
Mike was a wonderful guy on theslow side, Like.
He just was like verymethodical about everything he
did and was not in a super bighurry.
There were TVs in the back fromlike 1997.
I mean it was rough stuff for alittle while.
We were still selling a handfulof regular screen tube TVs at
(01:11:20):
the time.
Okay yeah, rear projection waskind of like the in deal and
plasma was the newest technologyat the time, okay.
So it was some weird, it was aweird time.
And so they finally told himand he came out and they just
demoted him.
They did not fire him and he'slike do you care if I stay on?
I was like no man, stay on, allyou want, cool, great,
(01:11:41):
wonderful.
He only lasted about four daysand he was just like I can't, I
can't do this.
Speaker 2 (01:11:45):
It's not because people were like wait, you're
not the department anymore, he'sthe department.
Speaker 1 (01:11:48):
It was like it was uncomfortable for him in that
moment when I got that phonecall that they asked me to come
back and run that department.
I will never work a basic job.
It's not in me right, Likethat's the leadership skill that
I have and even if you tryRight and I have I have.
When I came to the company I'mworking at, it was supposed to
be to consult on streamliningtheir housekeeping and breakfast
(01:12:12):
departments, and it wassupposed to be three days a week
and then, all of a sudden, I'mworking five days a week and now
I'm managing an entire empireof hotels and Airbnbs.
How does that happen?
Because you don't know when tostop.
That's how it happens and Ilike, if I went to McDonald's
today and I got a job atMcDonald's, I am not tooting my
own horn, I'm saying it's justthe way that it is.
I actually scared a lady withthat.
I did a job interview for acash advance company and she
(01:12:36):
said so why should we hire you?
And I said well, probablybecause you need help doing your
job.
And she said what I said.
Here's what I've learned You'llhire me to do whatever the job
is that you hire me for.
Give me three months and you'llhave me traveling, helping you
with whatever tasks you needhelp with, because I can't stay
(01:12:57):
put.
And she laughed and hired meand guess what?
Speaker 3 (01:13:02):
That's what you did.
Speaker 1 (01:13:03):
It was true, it was absolutely true.
I won't tell the other part ofthat story, just realizing how
stupid I was at the beginning ofthat job.
Oh Lord, help me.
(01:13:25):
All right, how long was thatepisode?
Speaker 4 (01:13:26):
an hour 13 minutes had a feeling we ran over a
little bit.
All right, I do got to getgoing.
Speaker 1 (01:13:29):
Chase has a septic system oh to go pump whatever
does he really want to do it?
No that's the question.
Speaker 4 (01:13:37):
So the longer we are but he should because they're
family.
So is that why?
Yeah, he'd do it anyway?
Um, whose turn is it to pray?
Speaker 1 (01:13:49):
not mine, not mine, that's true not mine special
guest.
Not mine, okay all right, allright I'm over here trying to
bid on MacBed, do you mind?
I thought you got kicked out.
Not yet, not yet.
Speaker 4 (01:14:00):
Wait a minute.
They've definitely forgotten.
Now what are you doing?
Wait a minute.
Speaker 3 (01:14:04):
You got kicked out of MacBed.
Speaker 4 (01:14:11):
We're not going to talk about it.
I can't tell the story.
Speaker 1 (01:14:15):
Not yet, because it hasn't been resolved.
Speaker 4 (01:14:18):
It's an ongoing investigation.
Speaker 1 (01:14:19):
Yes, the investigation is ongoing and my
wife still doesn't know, shedoesn't.
Speaker 2 (01:14:27):
Oh, no, okay, Where's that integrity?
Speaker 1 (01:14:30):
Okay.
So here's the thing.
Well, because it's a surprise,it was meant to be a surprise
during baptisms, but it was asurprise.
Well, because it's a surprise,it was meant to be a surprise
during baptisms, but it was asurprise, and it was a surprise
to me instead, so I'll put itthis way I bought something that
was a little on the expensiveside, but it was going to
benefit everybody.
Speaker 4 (01:14:49):
Okay, our sweet tooth .
Yeah, it was going to benefit acouple of us.
That's how he's going to start,and Sid and I.
Speaker 1 (01:14:56):
No, this is how I'm telling the story to my wife too
, by the way.
Speaker 3 (01:14:59):
Michael, remember when I said it's okay to say
it's all my fault.
Speaker 1 (01:15:03):
Oh, it is my.
This was 100% my fault.
Don't drag it Sid.
No, no, he drug me into it.
I did, I did, I did before Ihad a business proposition.
Speaker 4 (01:15:20):
Because you may or may not have bought blank.
Speaker 1 (01:15:24):
So, um, Bethel Belongings, Sid's company, was
going to help me recover some ofmy loss.
However, the thing didn't work,and so it's a total loss.
Speaker 4 (01:15:40):
And so it's a total loss.
Oh, and so it's a, it's a.
Speaker 1 (01:15:41):
So now he's with macbeth, yes, trying to get it,
trying to get it resolved withthem and if you go about it in a
way that they don't like, theywill um suspend your account.
So but then I'm just going tobid as Sid.
So it doesn't matter, bid asSid, bid as.
Speaker 4 (01:15:57):
Sid, I think you should use Dan's, because he's
got free membership.
Speaker 1 (01:16:03):
Yeah, he's got.
I bought it too.
Oh, you did yeah, because Ibought a bunch of stuff in.
Akron.
I had to have it transferreddown.
Speaker 2 (01:16:09):
So this very expensive thing does not work.
It does not work.
Speaker 1 (01:16:13):
So here's the thing it was listed as like new,
factory sealed, factory sealed.
It was not factory sealed andit was not like new when we
opened it.
Speaker 2 (01:16:22):
But you can't return it.
Speaker 1 (01:16:23):
So here's the thing you can, but they were giving me
a hard time about it because ofthe length of time that had
passed, because we bought it butwe didn't.
We picked it up, but we didn'topen it for four or five days
it's a three-day window and sothey absolutely would not let me
.
As a matter of fact, they saidto me well, you should have
opened it while you were here,which would have been impossible
.
It took us 20 minutes to get itopen here with tools.
(01:16:46):
We would have never been able toget it open there and it
appeared to be factory sealedDid it not.
Yes, it did, but it 100% wasnot.
Speaker 2 (01:16:54):
Wow so.
Speaker 1 (01:16:57):
There we are.
There's the story.
Push the button, get me out ofhere, because now I'm going to
get in trouble.
We're editing this out, right.
Speaker 4 (01:17:03):
Yeah, as long as you know how.
Speaker 1 (01:17:08):
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day and we
thank you for your presence inthis place.
Lord, I just want to continueto lift up the businesses in our
community.
Lord, it is not easy to be asmall business, lord, it is not
easy to be a big business.
Father, I pray that you giveguidance and wisdom to all of
those who are leading peopleinside of our community and in
industries that are justsometimes difficult.
(01:17:29):
Father, I pray that you justcontinue to guide us, as we
speak, into the lives of peoplearound us.
Lord, lift us up, allow us tolift up others, but, lord, allow
us to lift up your name morethan anything.
Allow us to show the love ofChrist in all things business,
social, lord, whatever it may be.
We thank you and we praise you.
(01:17:50):
We give you all the honor andglory in the mighty name of
Jesus, amen.
Amen.
the big one's gonna have.
Speaker 4 (00:02):
I bought those at Lowe's last year.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
The big one's gonna have to come out.
We're either gonna have tosplit that one or just get rid
of it.
It's way too big and I don'tknow if you split it.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
I think he's just coming late.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I think it needed down deeper.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Yes, that shrub.
That's over there, thatstrawberry hydrangea shrub.
You can't dig any further.
I don't know if that's overthere, that strawberry hydrangea
shrub.
You can't dig any further.
I don't know if that's thefooter of the building, but when
you dig you hit and it's ablock.
It's a cinder block, so it'sgoing to have to be moved at
some point too.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
So your future plants .
You probably can't get bigbushes or anything, because
you're supposed to have a big,deep hole.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I don't want anything that has to be maintained.
The original plan was hedgeclippers.
I can come through with a hedgetrimmer.
Cut it all back, and that'sthat.
Well, that's escalated quickly,oh yes.
Well, we want to pull theplastic out before we do any
mulch, yeah, so yeah, it's agood idea.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
He's waiting the next spring then no, we're gonna
start.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
We're at least gonna pull the plastic this year, and
then I think what we're going todo is we're going to re-level
the mulch for this year and thennext year we're going to lay a
layer over top of what'scurrently there, because it's
already packed down so tight,rather than trying to scrape it
all out.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
There's Nick, you made it I elected to take Maggie
to her friend's house at thelast minute.
Oh geez.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Oh, so you can't do any turning.
I came over Indian Hills, sothat's what Bethann called me.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
I'm like I don't know you were able to.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
You can turn left from Yerkesville to come in, but
you cannot turn right fromsouthbound.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Yeah, so, and then you can't turn.
What is it?
You can't turn, what is it?
You can't turn when you'recoming back from like McDonald's
or you can only turn right outof there, can't you?
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
And it changes every couple of days.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Yeah, yeah.
So I don't know if you knowwhat it's like to wait on a 14
year old girl.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Who's?
Speaker 1 (02:00):
getting ready for a sleepover to boot.
Yeah, who's getting ready for asleepover to boot.
We're on.
How many pairs of pajamas do Ineed to pack?
How many pairs of shoes?
Do I need.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
You leave Maggie alone.
Okay, nick Michael's here withus.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yeah, I like this topic.
Welcome back.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Hopefully we'll reel you back in.
I don't know, I'm kidding.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
I'm trying to steal Roger from you.
That's true I am.
Listen, if we don't get workingon that sound or any of that
stuff soon, we're not going tobe over there before Christmas.
I can tell you that.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Yeah, that's the ultimate goal.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Well, if we wouldn't keep changing the plans.
Listen, hey, did I make iteasier this time?
No, I made it easier.
You made it harder.
Well, if you wouldn't havechanged the plans, we wouldn't
have had to make it harder.
So we're working on the soundbooth that's in the gym space
right now.
So by the time I got here,roger had the outside frame done
and we were running thesupports up the middle and I was
(03:02):
standing on it and I said tohim I said does it really need
to be 16 inches higher, or arewe okay with the eight inches
high, because it's one steprather than two steps?
He goes well, if we do eightinches, we don't have to build a
step.
Saves us some labor right.
So we were short on a couple ofthe boards anyway, so we're
going to have to go buy boards.
I was like, let's just so.
I called Dan sound tech and Iwas like is there any reason we
need to be up 16 inches?
He's like well, it's nice, he'slike, but the speakers are up
(03:24):
really high in there.
He said so it really doesn'tmatter.
I said eight inches, it is.
So Roger and I had agreed thatwe were done building the base.
We need to start laying thefloor so then we can start
framing the walls.
But we do all the math to framethe walls, we figure out all
the stuff we're doing and weturn around and we look and I
start to laugh and he said what?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
There's a door for the ball pit what we call the
ball pit, where you keep thebasketball and all the
dodgeballs in the wall.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
He had cut that off so that it would open inside of
the 16 inches.
So now there's a great big gapin that hole.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
So now, we're drywalling it.
Was there any doubt in yourmind?
It would be your fault, Roger.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Nope Well, he said to me's.
I said, well, we can justrebuild the door, he goes.
No, we just need to drywall it,which is what we said we needed
to do in the first place, right, right but we didn't want to do
it, so because, neither of uslike to drywall no one likes.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
He says to me.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
He says I'll hang it if you finish it.
I'm like that's the point Idon't want to do.
I'll hang it.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
That's not the problem.
You can uh call dan dan thedrywall man.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I can yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
I don't know if he's still around.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
actually, Well, dan Burway does drywall too.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
Oh yeah, well, there you go.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah, who else.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Casey.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Casey does drywall.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Ricky McDaniel.
He's a little goofy but he doesthe best work he really does.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
We had a guy that did that whole back wall, skim,
coated that whole back wall forus, did a bunch of work.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Love him but he works the same place.
Casey does Skyline yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
And I text him to have him originally do that, and
he's like yeah, I'm not doingside jobs right now, it's just
too much.
And I was like well, we ain'tdrywalling it then.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
How about the guy down from you Dawn?
Does he still do it anymore?
Down from your dad?
Here's the thing.
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
At this point.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Roger and I are hanging drywall it's a 4x4 sheet
, it's a tiny square Finishingit to feather it out and get it
right.
Then we have to prime it andpaint it.
It's just an ordeal.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
We can talk somebody else into priming it and
painting it.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Tyler, if you're listening painting it.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Yeah, tyler, if you're listening, tyler's chief
painter, he's the paint foreman.
So when you guys are doing allthis work, are you thinking?
Speaker 1 (05:32):
are we arguing with each other?
Speaker 4 (05:33):
no, are you being advocates of the christian
lifestyle oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm trying.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
No, we don't have, we don't have any, uh like when we
anytime work on this stuff,like we don't really have.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
You're not F-bombing it.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
No, no.
Now do we get to the pointwhere we're like all right, that
didn't work.
And we sit there for 20 minutesstaring at each other like
we're going to just leave.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
We're just, we're quitting and never coming back.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Yeah Well, we felt victorious.
Today when we got to the floor,we're like, oh, we're done,
since we're only going to goeight inches.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
And then we realized, yeah there's a big hole, big
hole in the wall.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Eight by 38 by 48 hole.
Now it's 48 by 48.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Yeah, yeah, well, michael, do you want to
introduce this topic, since youwere very excited?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I don't remember exactly how you phrased it.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Well, it's right here .
What does it look like to be aChristian in the business world?
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Yeah, so I like this one simply because it's my life,
it's what I do.
I live in the business worldand I'll tell you it's
interesting, even since I agreedto come on just the stuff that
changes and what your attitudelooks like towards those things.
Um, I'm fortunate.
I work for Beth.
You're in this kind of samesituation.
Um, I work for an organizationthat was founded by three men
(06:53):
who were all on staff Actually,two of the three were on staff
at a local church local large,local church.
They um were volunteers inmedia ministry, like creative
design, senior leadership roles,so we're fortunate in that
aspect.
However, it's interesting towatch the cycles in businesses
(07:17):
who come from the church world,which is why I wanted to share.
So we started out as a familybusiness.
It's dad and two sons running atheater.
Basically, the theater world iswhat they know, it's what they
do, they know how to make peoplelaugh and they know how to pop
popcorn.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Right, so to be clear the theater came first.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
The theater was the first.
That was the brainchild, andhere's how that happened.
They realized that there'snothing to do in Amish country
after five o'clock and so theywent to a friend of theirs and
they said hey, listen, we wantyou to write, produce and be in
shows at this theater.
They rented an old warehouseand they renovated it to look
(07:59):
like the inside of a barn.
So if anybody had ever been tothe old theater, that's it was
in a giant warehouse, basically.
So then there was an opera.
They kept talking about the ideathat you know, we can entertain
them.
What about, like, we're drivingrevenue for all of these hotels
in the area.
(08:19):
It'd be nice if we could get apiece of that pie, basically,
yeah.
So the dad, one of his brotherssaid to him hey, I know a lady
that's selling a piece of land,interested in buying it, like
basically brokered a deal forhim.
So they bought a huge piece ofland and started putting
together plans to build a hotel.
Well, in the midst of buildingthe hotel, they decided to just
attach the theater.
Now they own the buildingversus leasing it.
(08:41):
They could do whatever theywanted with it and they get kind
of a fresh start.
And in the midst of that theydecided well, why don't we build
an event center?
Then we can feed them, housethem and entertain them.
And so they built this complexbasically it's three buildings
all attached that you can comein and book a room, go oversee a
show.
And it used to be that we wouldfeed you, we to be that, we
(09:06):
would feed you.
We don't feed you anymorethat's a whole nother.
That's when you, that's when youlose your religion food service
, I think anybody who works infood service.
I don't think it's possible forthem to be christian no, no, no
.
Me and beth are like no, that'shealth care I'll be honest,
like I've never in my life, I'vegot some traumatic stories from
food service.
I watched a girl this is not ajoke spill an entire pot of soup
(09:29):
in the middle of the lobby ofthe hotel, trying to take it up
the elevator, and hit one of theuneven spots in the tile and
just tipped over?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Was she okay?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Oh, she was fine.
No, she was fine.
No, she was behind it pushingit on a cart.
Hit the bump.
Thing just spills all over thefloor.
And now you've got 120 peoplethat you're about to try to feed
and you're down an entirecontainer of soup.
Guess what Doesn't end.
Well, no, so they built thebuilding Theater still thriving
(10:02):
Hotels, though not somethingthat they're super familiar with
so they had hired me in 2018 tocome on as their AGM, and I
actually passed on theopportunity because I had just
taken a leadership or taken aclass in Tuscarawas County
called Leadership Tusk, whichwas a fantastic class for me,
and I had to remain inTuscarawas County to be in the
class, so I didn't want to leave.
(10:23):
Plus, my company had paid forit.
So I was like, no, I'll wait.
Then 2019 rolled around and Ibecame senior pastor here.
When that happened, I knew Icouldn't stay at the job that I
was at, because, I mean, I was.
It's not a joke.
Me being very honest right now,which is kind of the fun of this
and you shared this before.
Yeah, I shared this plenty oftimes Every day.
(10:43):
Okay, my boss was veryparticular about when we arrived
and left from work.
It doesn't matter if your workis done.
You didn't leave until 5o'clock.
You came in at 9 and you workeduntil 5.
Sometimes you came in at 8 andyou worked until 5, but you
didn't leave until 5 o'clockever.
So at 4 o'clock I would go overto the bar we had in the hotel.
(11:04):
I'd get myself a bottle ofStella Rosa Black.
I'd take it back to my office,I would open it and I would
finish the entire bottle beforeI left.
At five o'clock and I realizedI cannot live like this and
decided I was going to leavelike that was just that.
So I resigned from thatposition.
I put in a four week notice andthree or four days after I put
in that notice, those ownerscalled me again and said hey,
listen, we've got an opportunityto have some.
(11:25):
We need somebody to help usfill in at the theater.
Would you be interested indoing that?
My wife and I went and saw ashow which was an Elvis
impersonator.
It was terrible by the way.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
It was really bad.
It was so bad.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
And then they hired me to come on, basically in more
of a consultant's situation,Like I wasn't going to be full
time, I was going to be parttime.
Long and short of it.
Within a couple of weeks I wasrunning the whole hotel.
Just happened very quickly.
I don't know how it happened,but so we?
There was really no knowledgeon their side from the hotel
(11:56):
standpoint, and so I was comingin.
I don't want to say to rescueit, but to like give them some
footing.
They would ask me questionslike well, how long should it
take to clean a?
Speaker 4 (12:05):
hotel room.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Anybody know the answer to that?
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Is it like three minutes, no Longer?
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Oh, it's a lot longer than three minutes To clean a
whole hotel room.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
Let's hope so To flip it.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
To flip a hotel room 25 minutes.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
What is it?
10 minutes 13.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Nope Half hour.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
It's 28 minutes.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Cindy used to do it, but I don't know if she ever
knew that.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Now, that also is an average based on the size of the
rooms and the time that ittakes.
But anyhow, how much moneyshould it cost for one person to
eat breakfast on any givenmorning?
The average price for breakfast?
$10.
$10.
The average price is $10.
So when you pay $189 for ahotel room, $20 of that.
(12:46):
If it's two guests, $20 of thatthey account for breakfast and
then they account for.
We pay our housekeepers perclean, so they get paid based on
the number of units that theyclean in a day's time.
But we basically take that andwe break it down and then
whatever's left over at the endof the day after you've paid gas
, water, that fun stuff anyhow.
Um, so I was there for a shortwhile.
(13:07):
Then we started buying cabinproperties.
Cabin saved us during covid.
It was what kept us alive.
But I say all that to get us towhere we are today.
Um, we so you operate threeways.
You operate as a familybusiness, which are three guys
who know how to run a theater.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
So they're still in the theater running it all.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
They are still in the entire business running it all,
do they?
Speaker 4 (13:28):
focus more on the theater.
No, okay.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
So you ask the question now are they owners or
are they owner-operators?
Do they want to be owners andstep out and let other people
run it, or do they still want tooperate some of the business?
And it's a tricky question thatthey haven't yet been able to
answer for themselves.
But the challenge is weoperated as a family business
for a long time, which meant youmove fast and you make
decisions on the fly and if youdon't like it, you change it
(13:52):
later.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Right.
So that's, you have the abilityto do that.
It's kind of how we operateright now in the church.
We'll make a decision, we'regoing to run with this.
We don't like that, we're goingto change it.
It's because we're still smallenough that we can do that.
But as you start to grow insize you have to adjust your
mindset and how you operate.
So then you move from familybusiness, small business mode
(14:14):
into what I have deemed churchmode.
So the church mode is it's alittle bit slower, it's a little
bit methodical.
You don't hold peopleaccountable because you don't
want your volunteers to quit.
You don't correct anybodybecause you don't want to hurt
feelings.
You try to like just we justoverlook it, unless they're
burning something down, we don'treally say anything and
(14:36):
everybody gets really complacentand really like laid back.
And you start showing up towork in blue jeans or maybe even
shorts and a tank top, and youstart showing up to work in blue
jeans or maybe even shorts anda tank top.
Like life, just it getsdifferent.
And then you grow to the pointto where you can't operate like
that anymore because stuff'sstarting to burn.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Yeah, Like things are changing and you're like we
don't.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
We're not holding anybody accountable, and so
they're not getting better.
The business isn't gettingbetter and now we're getting
stagnant.
When you're down 10%, you askwhy?
Well, it's because we didn't doany marketing, because we
haven't had to do marketing, andyou start to get in this weird
spot.
So then you move into businessmode, so you really start to
talk about like board ofdirectors.
You start to talk about CFOs,ceos, coos, presidents, things
(15:18):
like that.
That's a huge shift, going fromsmall business where I thrive,
because again you can move fastand you make a decision.
You don't like it change itwhen you get through church mode
.
Then you get to the, the newbusiness mode.
It changes a lot because you'restill methodical about your
decisions, because you want tolook at the overall good of the
business, but sometimes it slowsyou down to the point of being
(15:40):
detrimental.
So those three guys came fromchurch world and so it was easy
for them to naturally operate inchurch world.
Now, when we've moved intobusiness mode, there's a there's
.
I don't know this.
If they ever listened to this,they'll go.
Yeah, it's probably true, butit might sound a little harsh.
There's a trust issue.
This is our baby that we havebirthed and we have held on to
(16:01):
and we have run for all of theseyears.
How can I trust you, who is notfamily, to run this?
Because what if you decide toleave tomorrow?
If you leave tomorrow, I don'thave somebody to backfill your
role.
If I leave tomorrow, who'sgoing to do this or who's going
to do that?
We're going to have to getre-involved and we don't want to
be in that pain point, and soone of the things that being a
(16:26):
Christian in the business worldis you have to operate,
absolutely operate withintegrity at all times.
And that's the hardest thing todo.
It is so easy to take shortcuts.
It's super easy to go.
You know what I don't feel likebeing here today.
I'm gonna go home at noon.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
Yeah, well, especially with your job, for me
, yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
I go home at noon and nobody would know I was gone.
I can still get my stuff done.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
But then when you're not there and something goes
sideways, honest to goodness,it's not a joke.
I took a vacation.
I don't take vacations veryoften.
I took a vacation.
First night I was gone, one ofour units caught on fire.
No joke, oh my gosh.
One o'clock in the morning, myphone rings.
I answer it it's my customerservice manager and she goes.
Well, I don't really know howto say this, but there's one one
(17:10):
of the units is on fire.
I'm really sorry to bother you.
I'm like no, this is whatyou're supposed to bother me for
, Like you can't make that stuffup.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Right Disengage.
Yes, something happened.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
I'm dealing with that right now I'm going on vacation
next week and I'm like it'slike Nick says, all the time
it's like is it even worth goingon a vacation?
Speaker 3 (17:28):
No, it's painful when I come back it is yeah and I'm
still.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
It takes weeks to get back into I'm prepping them to
be ready for when I'm gone.
It doesn't matter back, and Iknow I'm going to be ticked off.
I agree.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
I'm still trying to dig out of the hole.
They don't cover me but yetyou'll cover for them.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
I have a great team my hotel GM that runs the two
hotels.
Fantastic.
My customer service manager.
She can run the cabins byherself, they don't need me.
But there are things that Ihave to decide that are
basically still sitting on mywhen I get there and there's a
stack of mail on my desk aboutthis thick, because it has to be
sorted, separated, coded,before it can be sent to
accounts payable.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
That's not fun.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
And you got a whole day of that, and it's the task
that I hate the most.
Every credit card charge, Ihave to go through them line by
line.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
Ain't nothing.
I hate more than those kinds ofDo you guys have your?
It's funny you say that becausemy doctor was just saying he
said when he cause he just gotback from vacation and he said
you know the since auto pay it'sgotten so much easier.
He said I used to dread thefirst day back because that's
the he said.
Anytime I would not be with apatient, I would be going
through all these bills oncredit card statements and you
know, just making sureeverything's paid on time.
But he's like, but now withauto pay it has significantly
declined so so you've alreadythought this is well.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
We've got auto pay set up to make payments uh-huh
the problem is is when you havea maintenance team of six and
seven guys and every day they'resliding their car to buy bolts,
nuts, screws yeah, door hinges,whatever.
all of that has to be coded tothe proper project property and
you're doing that.
It is my job.
Why?
Well, it's not my job to codeit.
They code it in a system calledExpensify and after they're
(19:10):
done it comes to me for finalapproval before it goes to the
accounting department for themto actually code it in the
system.
So once that's done, then theyrun all of those numbers in the
P&L and then you can look atyour maintenance line and all of
that fun stuff.
But you would be surprised.
So we have this is just like aone-off.
We have a category that'scalled supplies and that
category is designedspecifically for things that you
(19:31):
would buy for general use.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
If you buy a box of screws that is not necessarily
for a specific project but thatyou're gonna use, that would be
a supply If you buy furnacefilters, that would be
considered a supply.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
However, if you're buying a door hinge for a
specific property to repair amaintenance work order, that is
repairs and maintenance,everything's repairs and
maintenance to them.
Everything, and so it's aconstant chasing of that, and
I'll tell you, that's when Ineed Jesus.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
And you tell them several times the difference
between the two.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
I send an email every quarter, at the beginning of
every quarter.
Hey, friendly reminder, here'show this works, doesn't matter.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
That's how I used to have to watch the hygienist
would make the new appointmentfor the person.
Like whoever is sitting in theirchair right now, they would
make their appointment and pinit for the next appointment and
I'd have to see who was due forwhat.
And typically, if your gumscreening is this six months
from now, then the alternatingsix months you're going to get
your x-rays done.
They could not get that processfor the life of them, so then
(20:35):
I'd have to correct them everysingle day.
I'd have to go, look and see,and it came to a point where
they would see me in the halland they'd think I'd be coming
to correct them.
I'm like that's not my only job.
Do you think I want to do that?
Speaker 1 (20:48):
No, It'd be nice if you could just do it right the
first time.
If you could just do it right,exactly.
You won't have to see meOperate in the spirit of
excellence, okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Well, you know, it's that integrity as Christians
that when you get back onvacation.
It makes you dig in with yourheels to say okay, I know I got
to put Humpty Dumpty backtogether again.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Well, and you just do it and you know it might take
you, however long it's going totake you, but because a lot of
people would just say, well,I'll get to it when I get to it,
I really don't care for weeksbehind.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Well, that was.
That was part of my struggle.
So I took the week of thefourth.
I didn't take the whole week offI worked monday, tuesday, and
then I took wednesday, wednesday, thursday, friday off.
I took two of the boys to greatwolf lodge on wednesday.
We drove up wednesday.
They swam, did magic quest, didall of our things, spent the
(21:42):
night.
They swam most of the daythursday, and then we drove home
on Thursday.
Obviously Friday was the fourth.
Nobody was in the office so Ijust stayed home.
I still worked like even when Iwas at Great Wolf Lodge, cause
I don't swim.
So I was like, I still worked alittle bit.
But during that week somethings had happened at work that
I didn't even tell my wifeabout initially, and it was
during our Monday executivemeeting.
And this was the realizationthat we've gone from church mode
(22:04):
to business mode.
So the girl who reports to meis now running our operations
meeting, which doesn't feel good, right, like she's, I'm her
boss, like that should be my job.
I should be running this meeting, I will say this she is far
more gifted at it than I am, andnow you are now like this is my
baby.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Yes, no, no, I'm not even this is my baby.
No, no, I'm like okay, am I?
Speaker 1 (22:29):
about to lose my job Seriously, because now we're
going from what we called anexecutive team the three owners
and myself reporting to themdirectly to now me and two other
people reporting to themdirectly.
So I used to have a once a weekmeeting with them.
Every Monday I would meet from9 930 till 10.
I would meet with them and thenthe rest of my team would join
them from 10 to 11.
(22:49):
And it would be task oriented.
We'd be going through projectsand whatnot and like really
running down the thing.
And so I'm saying all of this.
I'm not proud of any of thisbecause you know, this is modern
day.
This is happening this week aswe're speaking.
We had our first round ofmeetings like that this week on
Monday, and I walked in slightlyunprepared because I had been
(23:11):
out for four days, so they hadbeen sending emails kind of
discussing what it was going tolook like, what that meeting
structure was going to look like.
Now here's the thing I don'tlike to meet for the sake of a
meeting.
If we're going to be in a roomtogether, it needs to have some
value.
There needs to be.
I want decisions made, I wantto move on.
So we get into the meeting andwe're talking about, like, our
(23:32):
core values and which do youmost align with.
And I get all of that is good,don't get me wrong.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Our mission statement yes.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
It is an absolute waste of my time is how I feel
Like, yes, it is an absolutewaste of my time.
Is how I feel Like if you don'tknow this about me already, why
are we here?
Right, yeah, but that that wasthat shift from church culture
to business culture.
And, like I saw, I knew I had tobe engaged, but I was not happy
about it I wasn't happy that Ilost my my half hour meeting,
because there are things that Igo in there and say that I can't
say in front of everybody.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Right.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
And now I have to wait three weeks, really four
weeks, to get to, and so now I'mmad right, and everybody around
me knows.
I'm mad.
When I walk into my office, Ishut the door behind me.
I always work with my door openbecause I love to talk to
people when they come through.
(24:20):
Nope, not this week.
Shut the door.
I'm going to sit down, I'mgoing to get my work done.
I'm going to get up, I'm goingto leave.
I won't talk to any of you andI'm not mad at like.
I'm not mad at any of theindividuals.
I don't like the direction.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
I'm confused and I'm scared, right.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
And I think that's a fair statement.
Yeah, the problem is is I'veallowed that to override.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
You're Christian.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
I don't want to even call it my, but what I know God
has called me to do, because hehasn't called me to worry about
those things.
He hasn't called me to stressabout it Now.
Did that force me to brush upmy resume?
Yup, sure did, and I'm notafraid to say that, like, if my
owners and when I get to meetwith them, we'll have that
conversation, I'm gonna beabsolutely.
This is where I'm at.
I'm not comfortable with what'shappening.
(25:03):
It worries me that I can't havean honest conversation with you
, because if I feel like, if Ido, it feels like or looks like
I'm telling on somebody and,quite frankly, I don't know that
I trust any of those otherpeople.
You're meeting with sure yeahlike yeah I don't know what
they're saying to you.
If they're trying to, like,take your job, maybe and I don't
even think that they wouldintentionally be trying to do
(25:24):
that but, like, well, I've askedfor this and didn't get that.
Like, I also have tasks that Ido during the day.
So there's like this reel ofthoughts that go through my
brain, and all of that comesfrom not having trusted my
previous boss, who said I had tostay until five o'clock every
day.
You had to be in by nine.
You had to stay until five.
You couldn't blink wrongwithout her saying something.
(25:46):
She would show up.
She would like there was noknocking on office doors.
If your door was closed, she'sjust coming in.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Um, it was her building.
As far as she was concerned, itdidn't matter how you felt,
what you thought like there wasno boundaries and you think this
, all your feelings come.
Oh, a hundred percent.
I have zero trust.
I don't trust anybody in thebusiness that I'm in, like in
the organization that I'm in,let alone thrive.
(26:13):
And I've done both of thosethings.
Like you watch.
People come in and within six,eight months they're gone.
Because we move fast and we'rereally, really direct about
certain things.
And then we get to church modewhere we become less direct and
we become complacent and wedon't make fast decisions and we
don't want to hurt anybody'sfeelings.
And now, as a business, we'reback to moving fast and we're
(26:34):
going to have to hurt people'sfeelings.
One of the things as Christiansthat I feel like we fail at and
I feel like we fail at this inthe business world too is the
window of accountability.
You screw up.
I need to tell you you screwedup and you need to be able to
hear it Right.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Like you screw up.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
I need to tell you you screwed up and you need to
be able to hear it right, likeif I don't like what you're
doing, I need to be able to sayto you I don't like what you're
doing, this is not how Ienvisioned this, this is not
what I wanted, and you have tobe okay with that, right like
that's a constructive criticism.
Yeah, and I shouldn't have tosugarcoat it for you so the
problem is sometimes my again,the again, the community that
we're in, that we're based in isincredibly passive anyway, and
(27:13):
so we don't like to be direct.
The problem with not beingdirect is then there's always
this confusion on am I doing agood job?
There's no feedback loop.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Right but until it's been a year Until something goes
wrong.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Over a year and all of a sudden sudden, now we don't
like any of what you did lastyear.
We don't like what happenedhere and you know, whenever this
happened, you did this insteadof doing that.
And it's this like dangerousplace.
Because now you questioneverything right, like am I in
the right place?
Is this what I want to do therest of my life?
So I think we have to shortenthat window of accountability,
not just in the business world,but in our friendships and in
our relationships.
From a Christian standpoint.
(27:54):
If we are not direct with oneanother, if we are not honest
with one another, I'm allowingyou to knowingly sin or
knowingly manipulate or dilute,whatever the truth is it's not
good for anybody?
No, it's not good for anybody,and you?
Speaker 4 (28:10):
have to be.
When you're a leader, you haveto be willing to say is it's not
?
Speaker 3 (28:12):
good for anybody?
No, it's not good for anybodyand you have to be.
When you're a leader, you haveto be willing to say, sometimes
that's my fault.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
It's my fault, oh, for sure.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
If you know like you screwed up or you know when you
have people working under youand they screw up.
Ultimately it's actually betterbecause I think most time for
me when I accept thatresponsibility I'm not as
stressed about it because I feellike because you owned up to it
(28:39):
.
Yeah, yeah because, it's likeI'm already like taking charge
of it yeah, like I'm not sayingokay, yeah, I know my, my driver
did this, or he didn't you knowhe made a mistake here,
whatever, but that's on me maybeI didn't explain it to him well
enough.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Maybe you know, at the end of the day it's on me
Just because you're showingquote unquote weakness, which I
don't think is weakness.
Yeah, it's like, I'll take careof it.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I think you're still taking charge of the situation,
so that usually helps me thehard if I get right to it and
just say you know what?
No excuses.
I'm not going to give you anexcuse why that didn't happen.
I just missed it.
We'll take care of it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
So I had a hard one just not long ago.
I have an employee who I thinkis underperforming and I was
sitting in an executive teammeeting and I voiced that very
loudly.
I was like you guys don't seethis, I see it every day.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
And the one owner looked right at me and goes well
, if you're not leading them,well, that's what's going to
happen.
Can I leave now?
Do you know what I mean?
Like that's a hard statement tohear.
But my thing is is that personrequires a different style of
leadership than I'm accustomedto.
I'm accustomed to run, movefast, send an email, make a
(29:46):
statement, move on.
I don't need to hold your hand.
But this person requires alittle bit of handholding.
They require a little bit of Idon't want to say coddling, but
it is a little bit of coddlingthey have to.
It's that constant reminder,that constant check-in, that
like, hey, how was it going?
I don't, I'm not that person, Iwant to, just I've got another
task.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
I need to move on to.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
And so I have to adjust my mindset and I have to
be more relational with thosepeople, and I don't like it.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
But there's definitely situations where you
know you've explained everythingproperly.
You even get to the point where, yep, I trust my people to do
what they do.
They do a great job.
But there's always thosemoments where you have to be
like, if I don't go down thereand show my presence?
and at least make sureeverything's going the way it's
(30:31):
supposed to be.
It's not going to end well.
Sometimes you have to take thatextra accountability to say,
yep, I'm sure everything's fine.
But I think I need to go downthere and at least be present.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
And that show of presence is a big driver for
strong employees too.
They're like, okay, he doescare, he is here too here.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
yeah, he's not just sitting in his office making us
do all the work, and you knowyeah the hard part for me in
that exact situation is um.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
So there's a.
It's a new personality profile.
It's called the working geniusand I don't remember all of the
things, but one of the roles isbeing able to basically drive
people and create excitementbehind a particular project.
That is not me.
I'm a wanderer.
I want to see like I have thegrand vision of where we go in
(31:18):
five years.
I'm the visionary for like wow,we could improve that process
by doing X, Creating that likemindset of all the long.
Yes, I can build the system andthen I can hand it off.
I don't want to have to checkin.
Are you following the system?
I don't want to have to.
I need somebody else to comealongside me and do that.
The problem is is, if you don'thave that person, it has to be
(31:39):
you.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
You have to do it flat out.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
You have to pick it up to the business.
Speaker 4 (31:52):
I still hate it.
I was going to ask was that youDid.
You have anything to do with it, but by the sounds of it it had
something to do with just thosethree?
Speaker 1 (31:57):
No, so I do think that I had something to do with
it, but I think my havingsomething to do with it may have
been adverse.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
I think they were seeing that.
Okay, so remember, when wefirst did this, I was the only
guy right.
I was running a hotel and, atthe time, 32 cabins, something
like that.
And as the cabins grew and wecontinued to acquire more
properties and we startedbuilding a customer service team
and all of these other things,it was almost impossible.
(32:23):
I was allowing the hotel to berun by the AGM and I was there.
I would pop in and my officewas there and I would ask lots
of questions and do deposits andwhatever, but ultimately was
not in day-to-day operations.
So they realized I couldn't doit by myself and we really
needed to hire a permanent hotelGM and then I could overall
(32:44):
kind of like-.
Speaker 4 (32:45):
Oversee it all, oversee the whole kit and
caboodle.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Then we bought a, a second hotel, and so now he's
running two hotels and customerservice is kind of the missing
link at this point.
We've got one guy who's in amore senior role, but he's not
super great at it, and I'mtrying to develop the team, but
as long as this guy's on theteam it's harder to do, yeah,
and so ultimately we decide tohire the girl who's now managing
customer service and she does abang up job.
(33:09):
She is an HR whiz, like.
She knows how to say.
She's corporate jargon to a T.
She has her own um coachingbusiness that she does on the
side.
So very like profesh which Idon't like.
I love her to death, but I don'tlike, because that's not me.
I want to be able to have areal conversation with you.
I don't need to talk aboutmetrics.
Can we just talk about numbers?
Speaker 4 (33:31):
yeah, right, like the conversion.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Yes, that's what I'm saying, like yeah, and I get it
that there's value in thataround a boardroom table and
maybe, but her and I don't talklike that whenever we're yeah we
, but when we get to the, we getto the room in quotations,
because that's what we call itwe all get in the room.
Um, she does that so much.
She's more eloquent than I amlike I want to stomp my foot,
yell a little bit.
(33:53):
I want to.
I want to preach yeah that'swhat I want to do.
I want to preach.
They don't want to hear thatsermon.
So I think what happened isthey were starting to see that I
was not able to effectivelymanage all of those departments
and keep them all operating well.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Which is a fair statement, because you know,
we're buying a property inanother state right now, so I'm
focused on that.
There's a huge project beingundertaken to redo all of the
photography and all of the unitsand I'm spearheading that.
There's a potential laundryoverhaul and I'm spearheading
that.
So all of these like properties, projects that are happening
yeah, I'm trying to manage those, but also manage a maintenance
team, customer service team.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
You can't oversee it all.
It's not possible.
No, it's not.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
But you know that's okay, right?
I do know that that's okay, butI don't like it.
And that's the part that I butthat's a me problem.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
That's a me problem.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
And so.
But I's the thing.
They'll tell you that, like mybiggest asset to them is, I'll
take the hill.
It doesn't matter what they do,it doesn't matter what they say
.
If they say to me hey, we'regoing to buy another hotel,
we're going to close in threedays, can you handle that?
Yep, got it.
Kick in the front door, fireeverybody, hire a whole new
(35:13):
staff and straight hours on adesk shift.
I'm going to make this happen.
They know that about me and it'sprobably one of my biggest
assets, but I can also build ateam, but here's where I fail,
and this is the biggest failure.
I fail at building culture.
I can build a team, I can buildthe system, but culture to me
is second.
It's second nature to me and itshould be second nature to
everybody else.
So our um mission statement isto create magical moments, and
(35:35):
magic is an acronym and itstands for all of these things
oh yeah, you know what I mean.
Like and it's cute and it'swonderful and it's, it's lovely,
but at the end of the day, youhave to have integrity.
If you don't have integrity,none of those things matter,
true?
I?
Speaker 3 (35:50):
mean there's a lot of people that are willing to put
in their time, like, say, I'llshow up at nine, I'll leave at
five, but in between those hoursit doesn't mean they care.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
Correct yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
Correct, and it's really.
It's really.
That's a failure of mine too.
It's hard for me to understandwhy people don't care.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
Yes, but how do we, how do we get them to care?
Because in my opinion now thismay not be the case for you and
it's certainly not the case foryou guys, and I don't know, like
company culture for where youwork.
Do you know your mission,vision, values for where you
work?
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Listen, I'm out there on my own in my car.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Well, that's my point .
Yeah, so are 70% of myemployees.
Yeah 70% of my employees don'thave office space.
They don't have a place thatthey report.
Housekeepers and maintenancedon't have a landing spot.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
They're out on the road all day long, right?
So how am I?
Speaker 1 (36:39):
going to get them to care about mission vision values
?
How do you do that?
Yeah, a front desk employee whois a they're not minimum wage,
but they're an entry levelemployee yeah, how do you get
them to care about missionvision values?
Right, because they might onlybe here for six weeks.
Care about mission visionvalues?
Right, because they might onlybe here for six weeks.
We had one girl who worked forus phenomenal, loved her to
death.
We don't offer health careright we don't have 401k.
Speaker 4 (36:59):
We don't have like well, and I feel like if you
want an overnight stay at 40 offI?
Got you boo.
Yeah, well, maybe that's wherethe missions and values start.
You know, maybe if you, if theywould invest in it, can't,
honestly, it doesn't make sense.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
You can actually say to them that you know you're not
always going to work here.
This is only your first job.
But if you don't do well atthis job, you will not get the
next job that helps you climbthat ladder.
Even when you explain all thatto them, it doesn't always sink
in Well because here's the thing, the workforce is so slim right
now it truly doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
I have a girl that we're this is.
I wish this were a joke, butit's not.
She used to work for me at oneof the hotels and she had a
mental health crisis and had toleave.
She developed a stutter becauseof this mental health crisis,
couldn't answer the phone, likethere were things that she just
couldn't do her job.
Now, when I say mental health,I'm talking like this was like
(38:01):
scary stuff.
Okay, she leaves, she starts toget better.
She gets a job at another hotelin the area.
Now I know she's working therebecause I pretty much know all
of the people.
I get the call like hey, do youknow this person?
Yes, I do.
Would you hire her?
Probably not Now.
Here's like and I can't sharewhy I would just say probably
not.
Well, now I'm out of the hiring.
Now she works at our otherhotel.
(38:21):
She's been through four hotels,but we are so desperate for
help on the front lines that youjust basically hire whoever you
can get.
Do you think that person caresabout mission, vision, value, a
warm body?
yes not at all, and so then wehave to embody it.
So I am those of you who knowthis about me it's my pleasure
you say thank you or you say yes.
(38:42):
You say thank you, it's alwaysmy pleasure.
I never say you're welcome, Inever say no problem, it's
always my pleasure.
I learned that at anothercompany that I worked for I
worked for h Gregg.
You had to say that before theywould even let you on the sales
floor.
It had to be natural.
I've never looked back.
We tried to instill some ofthose things at the front.
Just very small.
When you hear the door open,stand up and smile.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
Simple, right, can't do it.
I know you go throughdrive-thrus now it's very
difficult to get eye contact.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
I won't go through a drive-thru.
I mobile order and I go to thecounter and I pick it up.
Speaker 4 (39:17):
Because I can't.
You know what, though?
You want to hear something thatI've heard.
You are now eliminating yourchances to speak the gospel and
speak the word.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
I hear you.
I hear you, we're doingself-checkout.
I.
I hear you.
I hear you're doingself-checkout.
I hear you I'm going to take it.
I'm sorry, I'll find anotherway to do it.
Do I need to go stand on thestreet corner to make up for it
Because I'm sorry?
I'm sorry.
At least then I can check mybag before I walk out.
And the problem is, is nobodyoperates with a spirit of
excellence?
When we talk about businessesand how we should operate from a
(39:48):
Christian standpoint, the firstthing that we should teach
every employee that we have,every employee that walks
through the door, is all I askof you is that you do your
absolute best every single day.
Your absolute best is notsitting on your cell phone,
that's not your best you can dobetter.
I promise you you can do betterwithout trying.
But then we don't have a windowof accountability.
We're like, well, yeah, I knowshe was on her phone all night,
(40:09):
but we really need somebody tocover that night shift.
So if we say something, shemight quit yeah, she might, and
she might take two other peoplewith her.
But you know what, if we'restill not hitting the bar, if
we're still not making the, whatis the window of accountability
?
And then you have people whokill themselves, that you can't
reward because now everybodywants a participation trophy,
(40:30):
right?
So like I can't give a raise tosomebody on the front desk
because they might start makingmore than somebody else, because
if they talk about it,everybody wants a raise.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
But they're not supposed to talk about it In the
state of Ohio.
That is not illegal.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
It is not illegal, I'm saying it's you should just
know not to talk about it.
I encourage people to talkabout it, and let me tell you
why.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
hey, I've I've asked to discipline people for things
like being on their cell phoneand that, and they're like well,
yeah, if you, if you do that tohim, then we have to do it to
everybody else.
Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, darn skippy.
Speaker 1 (41:03):
Here's the reason I tell people to talk about their
wage, because when you come tome and listen, this has happened
with a girl one time she walksinto my office she sits, she's
honestly, she sits down at mydesk.
She starts the conversationwith and this is always the
wrong way to start anyconversation with me is I am
never doing that again about aspecific job that I had given
her.
And I looked right at her and Isaid oh, so you don't work here
anymore.
And she said excuse me.
(41:25):
I said what you just told me isyou don't work here anymore.
And she said no, I'm justtelling you I'm not doing that.
And I said right, so you don'twork here anymore.
And she got quiet and she goeswell, only do it if I get a
raise.
I said okay, so I can send youyour termination paperwork now
or you can fill that out inperson.
Like I can email it to you, youcan fill it out in person.
Which would you prefer?
She said are you firing me?
(41:45):
I said no, you just quit.
You told me you're not going todo your job.
Well, not unless you pay memore.
So you're quitting.
Am I understanding youcorrectly?
she's not getting that, you'renot getting a raise right and so
the thing was was she had heardthat somebody else.
She heard that somebody elsehad gotten a raise and she
thought she could just come inask for it and get it not how it
works.
You're half the performer.
They are right.
(42:06):
So if you want to know whysomebody else is making more
money than you, it's becausethey're doing twice the work, or
they're doing.
Speaker 4 (42:11):
They're picking up the work that you're not doing.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
Right.
So in all honesty, in my world,in my mind, people who work at
the front desk at a hotel notbusy all day- no.
Yeah, you answer the phonemaybe 10 times a day during your
shift.
You make room keys like there'slittle things you might have to
do, but why can't you mop thefloor?
(42:33):
Well, that's housekeeping's job, is it run the sweeper because
I mop the floor?
Speaker 4 (42:38):
I feel like that should be a part of their front.
It is, it was on theirchecklist.
So then, why isn't it?
Because, because there's nowindow of accountability, my
friend, because that was when Iwas the one receptionist at the
dental office that was yeah, andmy little, you know, own, I
don't know checklist that was tostock the fridge and this and
(42:58):
that and make sure if there wasany crumbs on the floor to sweep
it.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Yeah, buddy, and check the PlayStation and make
sure there's no you know littlekid smear marks and blah, blah,
blah.
We also had a rule that you hadto clean the bathrooms and they
just couldn't do it.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
Just couldn't do it.
I asked the kid behind thefront desk.
First of all, is there a goodplace to get pizza around here?
I don't know, Deliver it to thehotel.
I don't know there's lots ofhotels.
Pretty much told me to look itup online Google it.
So then I finally figured allthat out.
Got to pizza.
We needed plates and napkins.
So I go back down to asking ifhe's got any plates and napkins.
He points behind the desk.
(43:37):
He's sitting behind the desk,he points to it, so I go around
to the desk and get it myself.
It's the truth, though.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Help.
The level of service has comedown so far and it's because you
can't find people who arewilling to do it.
And I'll tell you, it used tobe that when you worked at a
hotel, when you worked at thefront desk and you had to
physically hand somebody a key,and they registered in a little
paper book and you had to do allof the things.
Life was different, right.
Speaker 4 (44:04):
Slower.
You wanted to have aconversation.
Where are you coming from?
Speaker 1 (44:07):
Yes, I was standing at the front desk of my hotel
one of the hotels yesterday andthere was a guest trying to
check in and their room wasn'tready.
It was way before check-in, itwasn't you know, it wasn't time
to check, so it wasn't a problemthat their room wasn't ready.
And they're like, well, we'vedriven a really long way and we
just really need to, and so heturned around.
I said to the front desk agentare there any other rooms of
(44:28):
that same type open that wecould put them in and then move
somebody else to their roomwho's not here yet?
There are ways to do this, it'snot hard, right.
Speaker 4 (44:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
And they wanted a specific.
That's managing.
Yes, they wanted a specificroom type and I was like, okay,
well, you know, all six of theserooms are exactly the same.
Do you have one of those empty?
Speaker 2 (44:55):
Oh yeah, I'm chatting with him hey, where are you
coming from?
Speaker 1 (44:56):
Oh, we're coming from Columbus area.
I said oh, where at, I've liveddown that way for a little
while and they're like well,we're from Pataskala.
I said oh, ironically mymother-in-law used to call it
Patalaska because she said theword was too big to read on the
sign as you drove by.
And so he said well, you know,know, a lot of people down that
way like they go to go to Newarkand and they don't, they just
don't say it right.
And I'm like, right, it's Nurk.
And he laughed and he's like,exactly.
(45:17):
And so now I formed aconnection with this guy.
It was really that easy hiswife is laughing because he and
I are making fun of these.
Like the way people say thesethings, and I shouldn't say
making fun, but like yeahpointing out that culturally he
was talking about.
we were talking about Worcesterand Worcester.
Is it Worcester or is itWorcester?
It's Worcester, it's 100%Worcester.
But we were just chatting whileshe moved that room.
(45:39):
Do you know how easy that is?
He felt valued.
His time was important.
He wasn't just standing therewatching you play at the
computer he was computer right.
Yeah, he was being I don't wantto say entertained, but there
was something that was engaginghim.
We've lost all of that.
It's the same.
At the drive-thru.
There was a kid at thismcdonald's one time.
He still works there.
I went into, I went to thedrive-thru and all I got was a
(46:01):
large coat.
Now I watched the car in frontof me as he was handing them
their stuff and he handed themthe drink and then he hands them
the straw.
Just as they go to grab thestraw he pulls it back right.
So he's being funny right, so Iwas like I got him I got his
number so I knew he was gonna doit to me.
So I pull up to the window andjust as he goes like as he puts
it out I wait for a secondsnatched it out of his hand real
(46:23):
fast and as I did it he wastrying to pull back.
I said I saw you do it to theguy in front of me and he
laughed.
I laughed and off I went.
That's the dumbest thing toremember about a McDonald's trip
.
That order was probably wrongChances are that order was not
right, but that wasn't his job,but even then, even then,
because he was willing to engagein some fashion.
I didn't care.
I don't remember if the orderwas wrong.
(46:43):
I remember that he made a jokeand it was funny.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
And you didn't care, unless they screwed up the Coke.
Speaker 1 (46:48):
Oh, if that would have been a diet Coke If it was
root beer or something Throwingit back through.
No, I'm kidding.
Speaker 3 (46:55):
Driving around, throwing it back through the
window.
We have to remind ourselvesthat it's not unchristian to
expect somebody to do their jobthat they agreed to do Correct.
You know when somebody getshired, typically there's no
surprises.
Speaker 1 (47:08):
No.
Speaker 3 (47:09):
No, you're not.
You know it's not like you'relike well, we'll hire and then
we'll see.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
And then we'll tell you what your job is.
Yes, yeah, you want this job.
It's a secret job.
Yeah, I mean you've interviewedthat person, you've had a
discussion with them, so theyknow what to expect going in,
and then all of a sudden wedon't prepare them for what we
actually expect of them.
We're like, oh, this job'sreally not that hard.
(47:32):
You're just going to answer acouple of phone calls and and
and make some reservations.
Speaker 2 (47:36):
It's really not that hard, yeah Right?
And then, when they get, there.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
I think that's there's a checklist that's three
pages long of tasks thatthey're responsible for.
I, yeah, not quite what Isigned up for.
Honestly, we did a job postingthis is not a joke and this was
not me.
I had nothing to do with this.
We posted a job posting for anovernight position and it said
love Netflix, watch it whileyou're at work.
(48:03):
Tons of applications, becauseon night audit not a lot of
stuff happens.
So literally they're sitting atthe front desk.
Someone's propped up WatchingNetflix.
Speaker 3 (48:12):
Like our guys do at work.
They're running the saw, orwhatever, and they got it
propped up watching their golf.
Speaker 1 (48:17):
It's nuts.
It's nuts and it worked, itworked.
But then they get there andthey realize oh, I don't just
get to watch YouTube or Netflixbecause there's a wedding in
house and these guests are notback in their room at 1130 at
night.
Now they're running down thehallways and I've got noise
complaints.
Speaker 3 (48:32):
Right yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:33):
So then that expectation changes and now
they're like well, wait, thisisn't what I signed up for.
I thought I was going to be anafter hours Netflix watch this
isn't fun.
Speaker 3 (48:39):
Yeah, it's not as fun as you make it sound, it's not
as fun anymore.
Speaker 1 (48:41):
Yeah, yeah, back guys um the the parable about the
the servants who, uh, wereentrusted with the bags of gold.
I want to be very, very clearthat it is no shame to make
money for other people yeahthere is no shame in that.
(49:02):
So so many people feel like theyhave to start their own
business or they have to.
If I'm cousin eddie, I'mholding out for a management
position, cousin Eddie, I'm justI'm holding out for a
management position.
Honestly, it is no shame to gowork at McDonald's.
There is no shame Like if youare in need of money.
And I told my wife this.
I said if I ever lost my job, Ipromise you I would have a job
(49:25):
the next day, and it may not bemaking the money that I'm making
today, but we're not going tolose our house.
We're not going to lose it.
Well, we can't lose our carspaid for, but we're not going to
lose the things that we havebecause I lost my job.
We're going to learn to buttondown and we're going to survive
on the money that we've got andwe're going to figure this out.
Speaker 4 (49:47):
I guarantee you I could walk over to McDonald's
right now and be hired before Ileft that building.
Speaker 1 (49:49):
Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure.
I might only be making minimumwage, but I'll tell you what
I'll put in as many hours asthey'll give me Right?
That's the difference in themindset of being willing to work
for what you have, beingwilling to earn.
Speaker 3 (50:02):
You know, and right now, of course, we're going
through a scare of all thesepeople that are losing their
benefits.
They're already trying tofigure out ways to skate the
system.
Yeah, to keep this going,instead of saying you know what,
maybe, just maybe, I need to goout and get a job and actually
you know support myself, yeah,but yeah because I've we were,
(50:24):
we were taking, we were walking.
We actually heard a couplehaving that very discussion like
oh, we could do this, we coulddo that, and we kind of like,
can you believe it?
Like people just they will notgive up on that lifestyle of
handout.
Speaker 1 (50:38):
No, no, they just won't do it I, so I there's no
shame in earning money for otherpeople.
I look at my three owners andthey are.
It's not like they'remillionaires or anything like
that, but they're wealthy men.
Good for them.
Two of them are younger than Iam Really good for them.
Right, you know they're goingto be able to retire.
(51:00):
Their kids are going to be ableto have all of the things that
you know whenever their parentsare dead and gone.
They're going to have a wealthyinheritance.
That's wonderful for them.
Just because they have itdoesn't mean I should be angry
about it and not want to earnmore.
Speaker 3 (51:09):
No, and when you're young you tend to look at those
people like must be nice.
I hear how hard it is to runyour own business or create your
own business.
Speaker 1 (51:17):
They have all of the risk If all of those businesses
were to fold today.
They lose their houses.
They lose their cars.
They're on the line foreverything.
Speaker 4 (51:25):
You know what I'm on the line for Nothing.
Speaker 1 (51:28):
I'm going to walk out unemployed and go get a job at
McDonald's this afternoon andnot to mention.
Speaker 4 (51:33):
Everyone says to Chase oh, it must be so nice
being your own business ownerand I'm sure same for jarvie and
it's like, and it's like yeahbut I can't ever clock out you
know, I'm the one doing thescheduling, I'm the one yep
that's on call and I'm the.
You know, like there's never toclock out like it.
It comes probably with morestress than yep, a normal like
yeah, quote, unquote nine tofive job, yep, you know, because
(51:55):
at five o'clock you clock outRight and maybe if he worked for
Roto-Rooter.
Speaker 1 (52:01):
He might have to be on call where there's an
emergency call.
He might have to go out twice aweek.
Speaker 4 (52:05):
Yeah, not 24-7.
Speaker 1 (52:07):
Not 24-7.
Now the beauty is he can decideto answer his phone or not,
right.
But at the same time, a goodbusiness owner is going to take
the money when you can get it,because it's not promised
tomorrow.
Yeah, and do you really want toleave somebody with sewage,
right?
Speaker 4 (52:24):
he just texted me.
Speaker 1 (52:24):
He said well, as soon as you get home.
Speaker 4 (52:26):
I immediately have to leave.
He's going to a customer whichhappens to be his father-in-law
sure so, but still I'm sorry,grandpa yeah, and law, a
customer is a customer.
Speaker 1 (52:35):
So here's what he did .
Thanksgiving two years ago, daybefore Thanksgiving, I texted
him.
I was like, dude, I got aproblem.
He's like what's that?
I'm like sewage coming up outof the floor drain in my
basement and he's like oh yeahthat's not good and I was like I
could call Roto-Root emergencyappointment.
It's going to be stupidexpensive.
I said could you come on Friday?
(52:57):
And he's like no, I'll justcome tomorrow.
He's like I got to load thething up on the truck so I don't
want to come today because itwas already late in the evening.
He's like I'll just cometomorrow.
I'm like dude, you don't haveto do that.
It's like it's Thanksgiving.
He's like no, I'd rather do itand just get it out of the way.
Dude comes the snake down thedrain.
Now I'm down there watching him, which I think he should charge
more for.
When somebody stands andwatches, he should be able to
(53:18):
charge more for that.
But I'm chatting with him whilehe's doing it and I'm watching
him doing.
He's telling me he's like I'vehad my shirt get caught in this
thing.
I'm trying to keep my cool,pull my shirt out of it because
it's like constantly twisted.
Anyhow, he gets up, he finishes.
He gets up, he leaves, leavesan invoice and it was.
It was like 350 bucks the thelast time I had Roto-Rooter
there on a standard visit it waslike $900.
(53:39):
I can't imagine what they wouldhave charged me for
Thanksgiving to do that.
And I always tell Chase I don'twant a discount, I want to pay
you what you're worth, becauseyou can't find plumbers.
Speaker 4 (53:49):
A sewer job, a sewer job call that is 350.
So he didn't.
Speaker 1 (53:54):
I told him I, that is 350 yeah, he didn't, that's and
that's I told him.
I never want to discount.
When I call you, I'm notcalling you because I want you
to do it for cheap.
I'm calling you because I wantto keep your business.
I want to keep your businessgoing like yes, I still need him
to put a water softener in myhouse, but we'll get to that
when we get to it, I guess well,as you said, you can make the
choice of not to answer hisphone or not right that's what.
Speaker 4 (54:14):
You don't answer it, and then, and then that person
will say well, yeah, I calledhim hours and he didn't answer
the phone exactly you're tellingsomebody else that and they're
like well, I won't, I won'tbother calling them, and there's
times when I'll call people andsay, listen, it's not going to
be for like a week and a half,like right now, when weitely
(54:39):
declining yeah you know like,and if you want to wait a week
and a half, I'm happy to takethe job exactly if you need it
done now.
Speaker 2 (54:46):
Yeah, it's not gonna happen, yeah so when I was on
vacation, clayton's phone he'sgot two phones.
They're always ringing, alwaysringing.
I'm like can you just put themaway?
Speaker 1 (54:53):
no, he, he sells real estate.
That's what makes his money.
Speaker 4 (54:56):
If I don't answer those phones, the next person
will.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (54:59):
Yeah.
Then, as we're on the airplaneon the way home, he said you
know you fuss about that phone,mom, but I sold four houses
while I was in Florida.
Speaker 1 (55:06):
That's what I'm saying and how much money does
he make doing that?
You know what I mean?
Yeah, and it's the same way forme.
Again, unit catches on fire.
Guess what You're answering thephone?
Get a drunk kid knocking on aneighbor's door at three o'clock
in the morning.
Guess who's answering theirphone.
Speaker 4 (55:20):
This guy.
Speaker 1 (55:21):
It's part of the deal , but I look at it as I want to
treat other people as I wouldwant to be treated If it were my
business, if this were meoperating, then I want to be
able to operate.
I wish somebody would treat me.
And I go back to just ministry.
I talk a lot about how Florenceand I the connection that we
(55:41):
used to have, and I could lookat her and know what she wanted.
She could say something sosmall to me and I would know
exactly what it meant.
Speaker 3 (55:49):
You value those things so very much and you,
just when you don't have it,when you you're missing that,
you realize how valuable ittruly is hey, our shop manager
was on vacation this week and Idon't meddle in the conduct of
the shop workers like I have mydrivers and people directly
under me, so I take care of allthat as far as shop, people
(56:11):
usually don't meddle in anythingsure yeah but I was already
kind of tired it was monday, Ihadn't slept well, so that
might've had a little to do withit.
But I looked down, clear downthe aisle, and there's these two
kids and they're wrestling eachother like picking each other
up, pushing each other, all thisstuff.
So for some reason I went allthe way down there and I got to
(56:31):
him like, if you guys want towrestle, take it outside, you
can go home.
And one kid goes oh, we can gohome.
I'm like, yeah, you can go home.
Speaker 1 (56:40):
I said you're not gonna get paid for it, but
you're home, you're not comingback.
Speaker 3 (56:42):
He kind of looked at me like, oh, I never really done
that it was almost like achallenge I can go home, yeah
yeah, but then I followed it upwith a little bit of to at least
let them know like, look, I'mnot just coming down hard on you
yeah I said you guys got tounderstand.
So the last thing I want to dois call one of your mothers and
(57:02):
tell them that you droppedsomebody on top of this beam
with a huge sharp plate stickingout of it and now I gotta call
her and tell her you've beenimpaled on this beam yeah said
that's not something I want todo.
No, and I don't think you wantthat to happen either I said you
guys got to think about stufflike that.
I said it can happen reallyquick.
Speaker 1 (57:18):
Yep, yeah, horseplay is not necessary, not here.
Speaker 3 (57:21):
Yeah, you can get hurt really bad, and it's just
like so sometimes you know, andI guess my thinking always is,
if you people can take it orleave it you know, if you you
can inst instill discipline butyou can give advice at the same
time, most of them ain't gonnatake it.
Probably when you walk awaythey're gonna laugh about it or
(57:42):
what an idiot, what an idiot.
Or you can't tell us what to do.
He's not our boss, yeah, butit's like, okay, take it or
leave it, but at least I knowthat I did what I thought was
the proper thing to do, right,and the christian thing to do
yeah yeah, and it's up to themif they.
Speaker 1 (57:55):
Yeah, if one of them decides to get impaled on the
plate, guess what?
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (57:58):
Guess what it's like you know, I tried to tell you
guys.
That's why I told you Because Icare about you Right.
I don't want to see anybody,you know.
Yeah, no, I don't want toexperience that.
So that's kind of how I think.
(58:18):
Just it's so hard to getespecially younger people to
understand anything and to takeany sort of accountability.
But you still got it.
Speaker 1 (58:21):
You still you can never say well, there's no point
doing that, there's no point insaying anything yeah, yeah, you
still have, you still have todo it.
Yeah, yeah, that's a hard onefor me, because the one person
that I have that I feel likeunderperforms.
I say to myself all the timethere's no reason to say
anything yeah, because they'renot gonna yeah, it doesn't
matter what I say, because iteither gets downline, vetoed
like they're like right orwhatever, and it just doesn't
get done, then I'm mad, but wecan't do anything about it.
(58:43):
So but I have to overcome that.
I really do like it's hard, sayit, just to say it, and the
best thing you can do is, whenyou do say it, explain why
you're saying it like yeah hey,I really feel like we need to do
this, that or the other, andhere's why I feel like this is
more productive or this is moreefficient.
It's so hard, though, to getpeople to pick it up.
Speaker 3 (59:06):
And I feel like too, if they do respect you again,
like when you're busy andsomething really important is
happening and everybody else isin on it.
If you're down there workingwith them happening and
everybody else is in on it, ifyou're down there working with
them most of the time, you'llgain their respect, and then
when you do say something,they'll listen to you, as
opposed to the guy that, well,we never see him.
He just spends most time in hisoffice and only comes out when
(59:28):
you know, yeah, so that's mosttime when you're never going to
get them.
Speaker 4 (59:32):
Yeah, because you're disconnected.
Speaker 2 (59:37):
You're building a relationship, yeah, yeah so you
lead by example basically yeahyou lead by example.
Speaker 3 (59:41):
Even then, it's still very hard.
Yeah, like I said, it's stillit's hard.
It's hard to win, you know,these, these young people's uh,
you know acceptance and theirapproval into where they think,
oh you know what you might havea point.
Yeah, you know it might beworth something to you know,
because most time I'll tell,because I tell them all the time
.
I said my guess is you don'talways want to work here well,
(01:00:03):
that's what I was about.
You're gonna want to move up theladder.
If you're gonna get married,have kids, have a life for
yourself.
You don't want to be stuck atthis.
Uh entry level job.
Speaker 2 (01:00:11):
For the rest, of your life, right?
How are you gonna live on that?
Speaker 3 (01:00:13):
yeah, so you know, you gotta, you gotta show them
that it's like and I and that'ssometimes what I have a problem
with it's like yeah, I can Iwork outside the shop, I'm a
working manager but say, after Iunload a truck, yeah, I can go
in my office, shut the door andI got air conditioning.
Hey, there have to be perks,right.
But and a lot of times I feelbad, the first, the first year I
(01:00:34):
worked there, I would not turnthat air conditioner on because
I didn't want anyone to think Iwas getting special privilege,
because I thought I'd lose them.
But I've got to the point whereI'm like you know what.
You've earned this position.
Speaker 4 (01:00:46):
Right.
Speaker 3 (01:00:47):
You didn't get here because you didn't care because
you weren't willing.
Speaker 1 (01:00:51):
Your dad doesn't own the business and you just got
that fun air-conditioned office.
Speaker 3 (01:00:54):
So you know that's been hard for me to just be like
yeah, you can enjoy some of theperks of your position because
you've worked hard for it.
Speaker 4 (01:01:03):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 3 (01:01:04):
So you know you don't have to feel guilty about this.
Speaker 4 (01:01:06):
No, beth, what were you saying?
Speaker 3 (01:01:08):
You remember it's gone now, darn it.
Sorry, that's okay.
Speaker 4 (01:01:25):
She's not talking into her microphone anyway, so
it doesn't matter.
Michael, I have to ask becauseI was talking to beth a couple,
two days ago, day and a half,about my situation at work and I
said, you know, it's just sodiscouraging because I feel I
was going to ask you like, doyou feel like your job position?
Do you feel like that wascoming from god?
like do you think that was ananswered prayer, or maybe not
even an answered prayer, butyou're like this was all god
because that's your positionthat you like I'm doing right
now three or four years ago,when you oh yeah, 100, but now
(01:01:47):
you're looking at it like wait aminute no, I here's, here's the
okay.
Speaker 1 (01:01:50):
so I'm mostly over what's happening right now, like
I was able to like reallydecompress and like think about
it and like you know what, if itis what's going to happen, you
know what I'm not going to bewithout a job, right.
Speaker 4 (01:02:03):
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
Like, I'm not going to be so for you.
When did I start with them?
I started in 2019.
Speaker 4 (01:02:09):
So I guess six years.
Speaker 1 (01:02:10):
So when I started that job again, I had put in a
four-week notice.
It was three days into thatfour-week notice when I got the
email or the text message sayinghey, we've got this thing that
we want you to come do for us.
So I had a job lined up, but myplan was full-time ministry.
And then I learned real quickthe church can't afford
full-time ministry, not withfive kids.
They sure can't.
(01:02:30):
So we knew I was going to haveto do something at least
part-time.
And we knew I was going to haveto do something at least part
time.
And that was just to make endsmeet.
And then we so when I startedout there, and then it just
continued to evolve and evolveand evolve One of the things
that I always did anytime I wasoffered a promotion or any type
of change of status.
(01:02:50):
They would say slide to theoffer letter.
What?
Speaker 4 (01:02:54):
do you think?
Speaker 2 (01:02:54):
And I'm like well you know what I think Like more
money is always better.
Right slide you the offerletter.
Speaker 1 (01:02:56):
What do you think?
And I'm like well, you knowwhat I think More money is
always better.
Right, I'm never going to tellyou no for more money, but it is
going to take away from myfamily and I would say I need to
talk to my wife first.
I would step away and I wouldcall my wife and we would talk,
and then I would usually sendthem a follow-up email like hey,
chatted with my wife, here'swhat I think.
And then we would always we'realways able to come to an
agreement.
I think what's changing now isdoing two things.
(01:03:18):
It is preparing me Okay, thisis going to sound like a lot,
this is going to sound like alot.
It is preparing me for notalways being on top, because I
have been on top in literallyeverything in my life.
For how many years?
Senior pastor of the church, Iam my mom and dad's boss.
My dad is my congregant.
I don't have a level of like acheckpoint.
(01:03:43):
I don't have a checkpoint.
So I think it's him preparingme for that.
It's humbling me just a littlebit, but I also think it's
preparing me for the next seasonof life, which, in ministry
again, I'm just kind of layingsome stuff out for you.
I don't know how long I'll behere.
I'm not saying I'm leaving.
To be clear If he calls me outof here tomorrow, that's going
(01:04:03):
to change my life and I thinkhe's preparing me for that next.
Whatever that next season isthe way that I take care of my
family, the way that I take careof my kids, being able to be
present with them.
I would have never taken threedays off in order to take my
kids to great wolf lodge bymyself, right like if my wife
ain't going, I ain't going.
Right, so there's this.
(01:04:24):
I can.
I know, I can feel that there'sa shift, so I think he is
preparing me for something thatis something far beyond anything
that I could even comprehendgood, bad or indifferent.
I think he's preparing me forsomething, something different.
Speaker 4 (01:04:36):
So, yeah, that's a good way of looking at it, cause
I, that's what I'm strugglingwith.
I'm like you know, and you guyswere here through it I'm like
this is, this is coming from God, like it was 11 years ago.
I was doing the shadowing thereand I'm like oh well, I I wish
I could work here, full time.
And now I'm like, oh my gosh,maybe I shouldn't have even
taken this job, Maybe I shouldhave just stayed at the post
(01:04:57):
office.
But I guess, you know, I justneed to look at it differently
and maybe it's all aboutperspective.
Speaker 1 (01:05:03):
It really is all about perspective, because
you're right.
What's the next season?
Maybe the next season isanother office job.
The doctor might be worse, butthe right, the benefits may be
better right whatever.
And so you're preparingyourself for your mindset, so
that you can handle thosechallenging situations.
Speaker 4 (01:05:21):
Yeah again.
Speaker 1 (01:05:22):
I don't like where I'm at right now, I don't like
what's happening, but I'm readyto embrace it.
I'm not ready to love it but.
Speaker 4 (01:05:28):
I'm ready to embrace it.
It's coming at you whetheryou're ready or not, and here's
the thing.
Speaker 1 (01:05:33):
I'm either gonna swallow it or they're going to
force feed it to me.
Speaker 4 (01:05:35):
So it's my decision.
Speaker 2 (01:05:36):
Like.
Speaker 1 (01:05:36):
I'm not going to stop progress.
Speaker 4 (01:05:39):
Right, it's yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:05:40):
Yeah, improve, you know to better yourself.
But as long as you're here,keep doing the good job that
(01:06:00):
you're doing.
Keep doing everything you'resupposed to be doing.
Don't get involved in shopdrama and all these negative
things that guess what thatcould affect what happens next.
So keep doing what you'recapable of doing.
When it's time, you'll findthat next job.
That could be the job thatyou're supposed to be at.
But if you don't do that, youmay not end up there.
Speaker 4 (01:06:23):
Yeah, and you know, like I was telling beth, like
you know, maybe I just need tosuck it up because you know I am
getting my weekends off.
I am, you know, getting thosesundays off that I wanted so
desperately, and so I just haveto look at it with a different
mindset.
And you know, it's not like it'sI say all the time, like if I
was doing this five days a weekat this and you know, and the
(01:06:44):
one girl that I work with, she'slike Sid I don't know how you
do it and I'll say it right infront of the doctor, like he's
kind of lingering too and I'mlike I mean I wouldn't do it,
but it's two days a week, youknow, and then I'll come in like
a third day for probably six,seven hours and honestly, I feel
like the pace is just as fastbecause I'm trying to get as
much stuff as done in a shorterwindow and yeah you know.
Speaker 1 (01:07:05):
But yeah, maybe it's just like the way that you look
at it the what I, what I havebeen putting through my own
brain, is that when I look at myattitude towards the situation,
that I'm dealing with you know,I go in my office and shut my
door.
What am I worried about thosepeople doing when they go to
meet with the three owners,whenever I'm not around, I'm
(01:07:27):
worried about what they'resaying.
When I shut myself in my officeand I'm not talking to them,
what do you think they're saying?
Speaker 3 (01:07:32):
He's really distant.
I don't know what's the matterwith him.
He's really he seems angry allof a sudden, like what happened
yeah and it's out of nowhere,right.
Speaker 1 (01:07:40):
Yeah, like I'm only talking to you when we have
business to attend to and I'mnot like we're not associating
outside of that so I'm in my.
Speaker 3 (01:07:46):
I'm not helping myself by maintaining that like
they might be worried they'regonna lose you right, that's
what I'm saying, like they mightbe looking at like oh, what's
going on with him?
Is he going to walk out today?
We don't want that.
Yeah, what's on his mind?
Speaker 1 (01:07:58):
Maybe they'll offer me more money.
Speaker 4 (01:08:04):
It's not always the answer, michael.
Speaker 1 (01:08:05):
Well, I was just you know, you can always hope,
though, right yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:08:12):
I truly believe that we are all where we're supposed
to be.
Speaker 4 (01:08:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:08:16):
Sometimes it takes a while to figure out why.
Speaker 4 (01:08:19):
Yes, yeah, I agree yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:08:29):
Well, you know, sometimes you look at that, you
know shop worker, that just youknow they come in.
All they got to do is go totheir station and do their job.
Nobody hassles them, nobodyasks any more out of them.
You think, man, that must benice.
Yeah, their job, nobody hasslesthem.
Speaker 1 (01:08:37):
Nobody has any more out of them, do you?
Think, man, that must be nice,yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:08:39):
But then and then you do it and you're looking for
value in life, right, but it'slike but we wouldn't be leader
if we're the leaders we'resupposed to be, yeah, we're not
going to be in that role it'sjust right.
Right, we were in that role andguess what?
We moved out of it pretty quickbecause that's kind of better
for ourselves it's just that'swho, who we are, especially
Christian people.
I mean, you're always lookingto exceed and do better, and be
(01:09:00):
an example.
So, yeah, you're going to bepicked out of the bunch, to you
know.
Take care of the next thing,given a little more
responsibility, I worked forWalmart for many years.
Speaker 1 (01:09:10):
As a matter of fact, they hired me when I was 17
years old, but you couldn't workthere until you were 18.
So they didn't know.
I and I was 17 years old, butyou couldn't work there until
you were 18.
So they didn't know.
I mean, it was on myapplication, they had my
birthday, but apparently thatperson couldn't do math, I don't
know.
So they offer me a job and thenthey call me like four hours
later and they're like hey, I'msorry, but we can't actually
hire you for another six monthsuntil you turn 18.
So on my 18th birthday Istarted working at Walmart, just
(01:09:31):
selling like I didn't have that.
That was where they put me okay, cool, whatever.
Um wasn't there very long beforethey were moving me to was
department 82.
At the time it was basicallyall the checkout, the candies,
all of the like the um impulsebuys at the front end.
Then I became the grocerydepartment manager and then I
(01:09:52):
became the inventory manager andso I inventoried all of the or
managed all of the inventory inthe store and I did.
I piloted a new inventorymanagement system with Walmart.
I got to go to Bentonville,arkansas, to pitch it.
I mean it was super cool all ofthe things that I did.
And then I decided I didn'twant to work for Walmart anymore
and I quit, with noperspectives, and I just took
(01:10:14):
some time off, just didn't workfor a little while and the store
manager from the new PhillyWalmart at the time she's
retired since she called me inOctober and she said I need a
favor.
I said okay, what's that?
She said I need you to come andrun the electronics department
through Christmas Electronics.
Count me in.
(01:10:35):
Heck, yeah, right, that was theyear the Wii came out.
I was stoked to get to go dothat.
They forgot to tell me thatthey hadn't told the department
manager he had been fired.
We're going to leave that up toyou.
He did not yet know that.
So I come in and I don't startas the department manager,
although they told me this iswhat I'm going to do, Like we're
(01:10:56):
just going to have you just getthe lay of the land.
So I do, and I know thedepartment manager.
His name was Mike.
Mike was a wonderful guy on theslow side, Like.
He just was like verymethodical about everything he
did and was not in a super bighurry.
There were TVs in the back fromlike 1997.
I mean it was rough stuff for alittle while.
We were still selling a handfulof regular screen tube TVs at
(01:11:20):
the time.
Okay yeah, rear projection waskind of like the in deal and
plasma was the newest technologyat the time, okay.
So it was some weird, it was aweird time.
And so they finally told himand he came out and they just
demoted him.
They did not fire him and he'slike do you care if I stay on?
I was like no man, stay on, allyou want, cool, great,
(01:11:41):
wonderful.
He only lasted about four daysand he was just like I can't, I
can't do this.
Speaker 2 (01:11:45):
It's not because people were like wait, you're
not the department anymore, he'sthe department.
Speaker 1 (01:11:48):
It was like it was uncomfortable for him in that
moment when I got that phonecall that they asked me to come
back and run that department.
I will never work a basic job.
It's not in me right, Likethat's the leadership skill that
I have and even if you tryRight and I have I have.
When I came to the company I'mworking at, it was supposed to
be to consult on streamliningtheir housekeeping and breakfast
(01:12:12):
departments, and it wassupposed to be three days a week
and then, all of a sudden, I'mworking five days a week and now
I'm managing an entire empireof hotels and Airbnbs.
How does that happen?
Because you don't know when tostop.
That's how it happens and Ilike, if I went to McDonald's
today and I got a job atMcDonald's, I am not tooting my
own horn, I'm saying it's justthe way that it is.
I actually scared a lady withthat.
I did a job interview for acash advance company and she
(01:12:36):
said so why should we hire you?
And I said well, probablybecause you need help doing your
job.
And she said what I said.
Here's what I've learned You'llhire me to do whatever the job
is that you hire me for.
Give me three months and you'llhave me traveling, helping you
with whatever tasks you needhelp with, because I can't stay
(01:12:57):
put.
And she laughed and hired meand guess what?
Speaker 3 (01:13:02):
That's what you did.
Speaker 1 (01:13:03):
It was true, it was absolutely true.
I won't tell the other part ofthat story, just realizing how
stupid I was at the beginning ofthat job.
Oh Lord, help me.
(01:13:25):
All right, how long was thatepisode?
Speaker 4 (01:13:26):
an hour 13 minutes had a feeling we ran over a
little bit.
All right, I do got to getgoing.
Speaker 1 (01:13:29):
Chase has a septic system oh to go pump whatever
does he really want to do it?
No that's the question.
Speaker 4 (01:13:37):
So the longer we are but he should because they're
family.
So is that why?
Yeah, he'd do it anyway?
Um, whose turn is it to pray?
Speaker 1 (01:13:49):
not mine, not mine, that's true not mine special
guest.
Not mine, okay all right, allright I'm over here trying to
bid on MacBed, do you mind?
I thought you got kicked out.
Not yet, not yet.
Speaker 4 (01:14:00):
Wait a minute.
They've definitely forgotten.
Now what are you doing?
Wait a minute.
Speaker 3 (01:14:04):
You got kicked out of MacBed.
Speaker 4 (01:14:11):
We're not going to talk about it.
I can't tell the story.
Speaker 1 (01:14:15):
Not yet, because it hasn't been resolved.
Speaker 4 (01:14:18):
It's an ongoing investigation.
Speaker 1 (01:14:19):
Yes, the investigation is ongoing and my
wife still doesn't know, shedoesn't.
Speaker 2 (01:14:27):
Oh, no, okay, Where's that integrity?
Speaker 1 (01:14:30):
Okay.
So here's the thing.
Well, because it's a surprise,it was meant to be a surprise
during baptisms, but it was asurprise.
Well, because it's a surprise,it was meant to be a surprise
during baptisms, but it was asurprise, and it was a surprise
to me instead, so I'll put itthis way I bought something that
was a little on the expensiveside, but it was going to
benefit everybody.
Speaker 4 (01:14:49):
Okay, our sweet tooth .
Yeah, it was going to benefit acouple of us.
That's how he's going to start,and Sid and I.
Speaker 1 (01:14:56):
No, this is how I'm telling the story to my wife too
, by the way.
Speaker 3 (01:14:59):
Michael, remember when I said it's okay to say
it's all my fault.
Speaker 1 (01:15:03):
Oh, it is my.
This was 100% my fault.
Don't drag it Sid.
No, no, he drug me into it.
I did, I did, I did before Ihad a business proposition.
Speaker 4 (01:15:20):
Because you may or may not have bought blank.
Speaker 1 (01:15:24):
So, um, Bethel Belongings, Sid's company, was
going to help me recover some ofmy loss.
However, the thing didn't work,and so it's a total loss.
Speaker 4 (01:15:40):
And so it's a total loss.
Oh, and so it's a, it's a.
Speaker 1 (01:15:41):
So now he's with macbeth, yes, trying to get it,
trying to get it resolved withthem and if you go about it in a
way that they don't like, theywill um suspend your account.
So but then I'm just going tobid as Sid.
So it doesn't matter, bid asSid, bid as.
Speaker 4 (01:15:57):
Sid, I think you should use Dan's, because he's
got free membership.
Speaker 1 (01:16:03):
Yeah, he's got.
I bought it too.
Oh, you did yeah, because Ibought a bunch of stuff in.
Akron.
I had to have it transferreddown.
Speaker 2 (01:16:09):
So this very expensive thing does not work.
It does not work.
Speaker 1 (01:16:13):
So here's the thing it was listed as like new,
factory sealed, factory sealed.
It was not factory sealed andit was not like new when we
opened it.
Speaker 2 (01:16:22):
But you can't return it.
Speaker 1 (01:16:23):
So here's the thing you can, but they were giving me
a hard time about it because ofthe length of time that had
passed, because we bought it butwe didn't.
We picked it up, but we didn'topen it for four or five days
it's a three-day window and sothey absolutely would not let me
.
As a matter of fact, they saidto me well, you should have
opened it while you were here,which would have been impossible
.
It took us 20 minutes to get itopen here with tools.
(01:16:46):
We would have never been able toget it open there and it
appeared to be factory sealedDid it not.
Yes, it did, but it 100% wasnot.
Speaker 2 (01:16:54):
Wow so.
Speaker 1 (01:16:57):
There we are.
There's the story.
Push the button, get me out ofhere, because now I'm going to
get in trouble.
We're editing this out, right.
Speaker 4 (01:17:03):
Yeah, as long as you know how.
Speaker 1 (01:17:08):
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day and we
thank you for your presence inthis place.
Lord, I just want to continueto lift up the businesses in our
community.
Lord, it is not easy to be asmall business, lord, it is not
easy to be a big business.
Father, I pray that you giveguidance and wisdom to all of
those who are leading peopleinside of our community and in
industries that are justsometimes difficult.
(01:17:29):
Father, I pray that you justcontinue to guide us, as we
speak, into the lives of peoplearound us.
Lord, lift us up, allow us tolift up others, but, lord, allow
us to lift up your name morethan anything.
Allow us to show the love ofChrist in all things business,
social, lord, whatever it may be.
We thank you and we praise you.
(01:17:50):
We give you all the honor andglory in the mighty name of
Jesus, amen.
Amen.
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