How Authentic Relationships Transform Business with David Ask

What if the biggest barrier to your success isn't lack of opportunity, but the insecurity holding you back from showing up?

In this episode, David Ask shares his remarkable journey from a small-town Minnesota vocal major to a successful entrepreneur with products in 3,700+ retail stores including Home Depot and Lowe's. Through his thermostat guard invention and his work as an author and vocalist, David reveals how the power of authentic relationships, especially through the Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind, transformed not just his business, but every area of his life.

David reflects on overcoming crippling insecurity, the mentors who saw his potential before he did, and why "just showing up" as your authentic self is the real superpower in business and life.

 

[00:02:22] Meet David Ask

• Kevin introduces David to the Million Dollar Relationships Podcast

• Shout-out to Juliana Starky for the connection

• The power of right relationships opening doors

[00:06:13] The Music Revelation

• Discovering music wasn't about the craft, it was about connection

• Using music as a tool to help people look within and "look up"

• Why a vocal major who rarely goes to concerts or buys records makes perfect sense

[00:10:20] The Thermostat Guard Story

• A brother-in-law's phone call that changed everything

• Working in real estate group for Verizon overseeing five states and 75 stores

• Identifying a pain point: thermostat guards with keys people kept losing

• Learning injection molding, overseas manufacturing, and supply chain management from scratch

[00:13:20] The Power of Revealing Others' Riches

• Benjamin Disraeli's quote that defines David's mission

• Loving to see the uniqueness and strengths in others

• Meeting Dr. Andy Garra (Carl's Jr. founder's grandson) in mastermind

[00:16:29] Overcoming Insecurity

• Suffering with insecurity his whole life

• Thinking success was for people with "the Midas touch"

• How insecurity almost prevented him from joining Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind

[00:20:21] Million-Dollar Relationships: Aaron Walker