April 22, 2020 • 34 mins
John Corcoran, Director of Attractions for Ripley’s Believe It or Not! shares his favorite exhibits, what gets him up in the morning, and the one thing that goes a long way toward not only a fulfilling career but getting a Raise at your job.
John talks about his career and his passion for “making sure families have a great time on vacation." Then we dive into chatting about “if you’re passionate about what you do, some bosses will see it as loyalty, some will see it as dedication, or hard work but talking the talk and walking the walk is very valuable.”
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
John (00:00):
I got hit in the head with a wrench and I was bleeding all
over.
Oh yeah.
I said,"do you really count thatas not me being with the
company?"
Amanda (00:15):
Hey there Raise Up Nation, you are not going to
believe this, you thought wewere having fun before, but we
are raising the bar.
Our guest today, my new friend,Mr.
John Corcoran, is it Corcoran,is that correct?
Did I say it right?
Excellent.
Has nearly 40 years' experiencein the entertainment industry
with Ripley's entertainment.
Ripley's entertainment is thelargest, and fastest growing
(00:40):
international chain of museumtype tourist attractions in the
world.
In the past 25 years, thecompany has grown from 12
attractions i n four countries,to a hundred plus attractions in
11 countries.
And John's current role is theenviable role of attraction
development director.
And he's going to tell us moreabout that for the 31 Ripley's
(01:01):
believe it or not's auditoriumsaround the world and a n e twork
of over a hundred properties,which have seen over a hundred
million guests since 1933.
He provides leadership programand project management and
talent development for bothbrands.
John, thank you so much forcoming on the show.
I'm honored and excited to chatwith you today.
(01:23):
How are you doing?
John (01:26):
I'd say under the circumstances we're in today,
I'm doing just, wonderful, quitethe introduction there.
So I hope, I'm able to fulfillall those glorious sound bites.
Amanda (01:36):
It's all the truth.
It's all the truth.
So, I'll ask you real quick.
You're in Florida, right?
Is that right?
John (01:46):
Orlando.
Amanda (01:46):
Yeah.
How's it going in Florida?
Everything that's going on.
John (01:51):
Do you know the term of the day, flatten the curve?
In Orange County, which is whereOrlando sits, we seem to be
doing quite well.
I would say more thanflattening, but, a little bit
out on the down-slope.
Most people seem to be payingattention.
Florida often gets the news formaybe having some outliers of
society, shall we say, but sofar most folks are being behaved
(02:15):
, and it seems to be helping,which is good.
Amanda (02:18):
Oh, that's awesome.
That's how I feel like it is uphere in North Carolina, too.
We're really trying to flattenthe curve.
We've been in self isolation,ourselves for about four weeks
now.
And so we're navigating whatit's like to live with each
other all the time, So that'sbeen pretty interesting for our
relationships, but it's also,there's been some good things,
(02:40):
like a slower pace and, I'mhoping, I don't know.
I'm hoping that we eventuallyall come out of this on the
other side better, but it willtake a little while, more or
less.
I feel like.
John (02:54):
That's my hope.
I have seen some good things.
Also, I'm on a board of our HOAand I see some community spirit
coming back.
I see people out walking aroundthe community, or biking or,
sweeping out the garage.
And sometimes people just kindof come home, close that door
and stay inside.
And, some sensing a little bitof community, you are talking to
your neighbor maybe from 10 feetaway, but they're talking to
(03:16):
their neighbor, which is a goodsign.
So, I think you're right.
There's g oing t o be some goodcome out of this.
It looks a little bleak rightnow, but I think there's will be
some good come out of it, andthat, that'll benefit us in the
long run.
Amanda (03:30):
Yeah, that's true.
Well, are you ready to talkabout helping folks make the
most of where they are, and kindof where they're going?
John (03:37):
I am ready and hopefully can provide a little bit of help
for them.
Amanda (03:41):
That would be awesome.
So before we start, I know youprobably get this all the time,
but please, please tell me whatis your very favorite Ripley's
exhibit?
John (03:50):
Well, I do get that question a lot, and I can tell
you that the answer is differentall the time because it's often,
it's often, often influenced bywhat we've gotten recently.
So, it's cool stuff, andRipley's has such a wide
collection that sometimes peopledon't realize we have
historically significantobjects.
When John Wilkes booth shotAbraham Lincoln that night in
(04:14):
Ford's Theatre, he was carryingmatching Derringers, Ripley's
owns one of those Derringers,kind of thing.
A recent purchase that's supercool is we bought a collection
of passports of Neil Armstrong.
So, and they're spectacular in that they kind of show his life.
I mean at t he first one, he's astudent, and hardly goes
(04:36):
anywhere.
And then he gets something, Ididn't even know exists, it's
called a special governmentpassport.
And he got that when he wastraining for the Apollo program,
and training to be an astronaut,I should say.
And then, he got a diplomaticpassport when he was in the
official Apollo program becauset hey did a lot of training in
Ecuador and stuff like that.
And, then post that, he had allkinds of travel, he started
(04:59):
traveling the world givingspeeches about this amazing
journey on the moon and allthat.
So, it's not just a document, itreally kind of tells s ome life
history.
Still, one of my all-time superfavorites though is a board that
has been painted.
And there was a gentleman whospent about 15 years painting a
(05:19):
board.
So, everyday i t's just alittle, it's a little piece of
board, I think it was a t wo bysix and he would paint it two or
three coats every day.
And what's really cool is whenyou cut it, you get this
beautiful rainbow sectionbecause he used a gallon of
white paint, and then a gallonof blue paint, and then a gallon
of red paint.
So, there's about 7,000 coats ofpaint on this board.
(05:43):
So, the board is an inch andthree fourths thick, and the
paint is six inches thick.
So, it's just a, it's a reallycool visual and it's just a
great reflection of people justwanting to do their own thing.
And this guy just painted thisboard and he's created this
really unique, cool piece with awonderful story.
And a great demonstration ofwhat people are willing to do to
(06:07):
be different.
Amanda (06:08):
Yeah, that's interesting that you would even think to do
something like that though.
Right?
Like I'm going to paint thisboard and it's going to create
this beautiful piece of artthat's like, expressive in a
unique way.
John (06:20):
Yeah.
The classic beauty is in the eyeof the beholder.
So, it's wonderful that we getto celebrate that part of
humanity.
Amanda (06:27):
That's true.
So, my friend Neil, he said that, this is the only job you've
ever had, which is going to besuper interesting to our
listeners because that's whatwe're all about.
Finding the best jobs andgetting paid what we're worth.
And you obviously feel like thisis a good one.
So what do you love so muchabout Ripley's, tell me a little
(06:49):
bit about this journey, I guess,of where you started in and,
where you are now?
John (06:53):
Sure, a small clarification, probably the only
real job I've ever had.
I did own businesses for a whilesort of thing.
So, it was a summer job incollege.
I got hired at a seasonal, minimuseum that the company had to
take tickets.
I, it's a funny story that Itell people, I needed an easy
job because I had broken my handworking at a grocery store,
(07:17):
which was my high school collegetrade, coming up was I worked at
grocery stores, s o, I broke myhand.
So, I needed something easy todo.
So, I got hired to take tickets,and clean the glass, and that
was something I could do with acast on my h and.
So, it worked out okay.
And it just worked up fromthere.
A little bit of hard work, andsome things we'll talk about
(07:38):
today, and got into themanagement training program and,
moved to about 10 or 15different attractions around the
country.
I got started buildingattractions.
I got put in charge of all ofour development, got put in
charge of all of our operations.
Actually left, did some thingson my own for a w h ile, a nd
then came back ki nd o f j ustfor more creative role.
So, working more in developingand improving those products we
(08:00):
have.
Amanda (08:01):
That's amazing.
So what has been kind of yourfavorite position as you've
moved around?
John (08:06):
Well, operations is interesting and, bless the
people who do it, but, if youget a chance to be in a creative
role and you like that, that'sreally the thing to do.
I mean, I always jokingly say noone ever stands in front of a
business and says,"I put fourand a half percent on the profit
margin there," but people willstand in front of something and
say,"I built that." And, sohaving that ability of making
(08:31):
things better, so great guy inour industry and, he says,"look,
we have a wonderful job," ourjob is to entertain people, and
we don't pollute the skies orpoison the rivers.
So, my job when I get up in themorning is to make sure families
are having fun when they're onvacation.
That's, that's a pretty goodjob.
(08:52):
You still have to do reports andsafety things and all that.
But that's ultimately, that'sthe reason we get up in the
morning.
That's a pretty darn good reasonto get up in the morning.
Amanda (09:03):
Yeah.
So, whenever you kind of startedembarking on this journey with
Ripley's, what do you feel likeset you apart?
It sounds like you've moved upthroughout the ranks and you've
worked really hard and so, whatdo you feel like was the
difference maker for you?
John (09:21):
I feel like it was at that very first stop because I got
hired to, like I said, taketickets and clean the glass.
And it was interesting in that,Ripley's owned the business, but
we were on someone else'sproperty and it was an amusement
pier.
So, you could either, the wayyou came into the attraction was
you bought tickets.
(09:42):
Think back to the old days whenyou went to the amusement piers,
and the roller coaster was fivetickets, and the merry-go-round
was two tickets.
And so we took those p iertickets, and then at the end of
the day, the p ier would comeand take that bag of tickets,
and then they would send us areport saying how many tickets
were in there.
And I remember getting thereports sometimes and going, I
thought we were a lot busieryesterday, things like that.
(10:03):
So, I found a turnstile with acounter on it, hidden sort of
like in a closet in the back.
And so I installed thisturnstile, and then each day I
would write down the numbersthat were on the turnstile, and
I would compare them to thenumbers that the pier was giving
us.
And I started sending that to myboss and saying, look, I think
(10:23):
there's something wrong here.
So, he went, wow, guys, lookingafter my money k ind o f thing.
So, and again, I think, look, Ithink a lot of it was hard work
because, I found some suppliesand tools and when I got the
cast off my hand, I startedpainting stuff on the slow days.
There wasn't a whole lot to doand I was getting paid by the
hour, so I didn't mind coming inan hour early and paint, and
(10:45):
something t hat, that seemedlike a good job.
So, y eah, so I think it wasthat caring and willing to work
hard, that'll go a long way.
Amanda (10:55):
Yeah, absolutely.
I feel like intuition that we'rein kind of with COVID-19, that
there's a lot of people that areworking from home, working
remotely.
And then there's a lot of peoplethat are searching now for
employment.
So I feel like whenever we talkabout getting a raise, or
(11:17):
approaching your boss that nowis not necessarily a good time
to go and have those types ofconversations, but it is the
right time to kind of go aboveand beyond.
Do you feel like that could be,I don't know that that might be
true or not right now in thissituation?
John (11:34):
Yeah, no, I think it is certainly, I think, for the
listeners, maybe make some notesand bring it up in a few months,
c ause I'm not sure if now's thetime to do it.
Most pays are g oing the otherway.
But I think that yes, I thinkyou can stand out as, loyal and
dedicated and, your big questionabout, what do you do to get a
(11:55):
raise?
And I m e an, my answer is, makeyourself worth more, whether
that's through working moreharder work, learning something,
p roving that you can do this,can you do two jobs because
then, I mean, granted so manyhours in a week and yo u g o t t
o f ind that life work balance.
But if you have the skill tocover a couple of jobs, then
(12:16):
maybe there's some value therefor the company, that sort of
approach.
But if you're passionate aboutwhat you do, then i t just comes
through.
I mean, some people see it asdedication.
Some people se e i t as loyalty, some people see it as
hard work, but if you'repassionate about it, it's w hat
you talk about, and you w alkthe walk, and you're willing to
(12:38):
do that, then it comes across.
And I think that's going to really help you a lot in t he
long term.
Amanda (12:45):
Yeah.
Do you feel like you've alwaysbeen passionate about your
position, your roles?
John (12:50):
Definitely.
Yeah.
I think when I first left thatlittle museum and, got
transferred to our managementtraining program, I remember,
the manager of the museum comingin at 8:30 in the morning and I
was sitting at my desk and hesaid,"Oh, John, I thought you
had the night shift." And Isaid, well, I do, but I just had
nothing else to do and I gotlots to do here, so just came
in.
So, I was supposed to work thethree to 10 shift, but I just
(13:14):
worked all day sort of thing,young and single, that sort of
thing.
So, if you're not in thatposition, make sure you find the
right balance.
But, that can certainly go along way.
Amanda (13:26):
So, what is your best advice or you feel like, for
somebody that's feeling a littlebit undervalued, wherever
they're working right now?
John (13:35):
It's a funny word because it got a bad name for a while,
but, propaganda, are you provingthat you're worth what you think
you are?
You know, and it doesn't meanyou have to write up a list and
send it to your boss every weekof all the cool stuff you did.
But, uh, but you might be doingweekly reports, so are you
framing those correctly so thatyour boss sees that, look,
(13:59):
you've set a goal, you'vereached that goal, maybe even
exceeded that goal or taken onsome other things on the side.
I know in my weekly report Ihave a few departments, that I
take care of, but I alwayslisted other.
Yeah, it's just, when you'vebeen around as long as I have,
(14:20):
they will ask you to take a lookat a few things.
So, my boss likes to say, stickyour nose in this.
So, I always try to list that,right?
Because it shows that, look,I've got this variability and
I'm willing to step out and do alittle bit more.
And I am doing this a little bitmore so that my list is not only
maybe what you've agreed to do,but maybe a little bit more so,
(14:42):
working harder, and you don'thave to tell people you're
working harder, but you justhave to show them the results.
Probably the best you can do.
Amanda (14:52):
Yeah.
Because I mean there are somepeople that they're working
harder, but they're workingsmarter too.
Like they find new ways to dosomething that they've been
doing.
And that can be super valuable.
I feel like.
John (15:04):
Agreed, especially if that working smarter, is saving the
company some money because youhave found a more efficient way
to do something or reduce thecost on something then,
obviously, that increases yourworth.
So, you got to find thatbalance.
There are people who just keepworking harder but not doing it
the right way.
And, you just, you'll never getout of the hole at that point.
Amanda (15:26):
Yeah.
And you just get frustratedalmost, I feel like, because
sometimes it is a lot of hardwork, but it's smart work, and
it's innovating, and it'shelping who you're working with.
How is Ripley's doing right now?
I know you guys are a museum.
I mean, are you guys doing okay?
John (15:47):
I believe we have 113 attractions and 111 are closed.
So, it is not, it's certainlynot a great time.
Like many companies, we've hadto go through some rough times
here with some, with somefurloughs and everything.
We sort of held on as long as wecould, but, at this point, not
(16:10):
knowing quite where you are,what's around the next corner.
So, we had to make some toughdecisions this week.
And we are trying to beopportunistic with the crew we
have here,"said what's that workwe've always wanted to do that
we can't do because ourattractions are open 365 days a
year." And, we've made acommitment to make sure that
(16:32):
when we do reopen, everyattraction has three coats of
wax on the floor and everycarpet is steam cleaned, because
those are the kinds of thingsyou really can't do when you run
the hours we do.
We have attractions that areopen 15 hours a day, 365 days a
year.
So, it's hard to do some of thatwork.
So, we're trying to beopportunistic where it's safe to
(16:53):
do so, in following thegovernmental guidelines, and
that varies by region, andeverything.
I think we're, to some extent,we may be coming out the other
side as I believe our attractionin Korea has now reopened.
So, maybe it's a rolling cycle.
We'll see.
But, certainly, certainly a waysto go.
Amanda (17:14):
Are you guys working on anything right now that you're
hoping future in the next threeto five years?
John (17:20):
We are, we've continued that work because we know, at
one point, we'll have to dothat.
It'll be interesting when itcomes back.
We think to some extent, peopleare going to want to get out and
do stuff.
They're going to want to do itmaybe in a little bit different
environment, making sure it'ssafe and social distancing.
So, we're taking a look at that.
(17:41):
How can we adapt our attractionsto make people feel comfortable
about that?
But also, that, to some extentit might be a competitive
market.
People maybe won't have as manydollars and if they're going to
decide where they're going tospend their hard-earned dollars
to entertain their family.
So, we want to make sure that,that we've got something unique
and it's the best possible way.
Amanda (18:02):
So, that sounds awesome.
So, I typically ask the gueststo share kind of their best war
stories about getting a raiseand whether it's you or someone
else that you know.
What's your favorite favoritestory and can you tell me a
little bit about what happened?
John (18:19):
The first thing that comes to mind was not quite a raise,
because it actually had to dowith some severance.
When I did leave the company fora while, did some stuff on my
own as I mentioned.
But that first job I had workingon that little amusement pier,
for the sake of payrollconvenience, I didn't
(18:40):
technically work for Ripley's,reported to them, but I was on
the other company's payroll.
So, I never got service time forthat.
So, when there was some talk ofseverance, they pointed out my
service time and I said,"Well,no, that's not right.
It should be this".
And the VP at the time said,"no,sorry, that doesn't count."
(19:00):
Well, the fellow that waspresident at the time, at this
time, was a vice president whenI was, when I worked at that
facility one year when we wereclosing it up, because it was a
seasonal attraction.
We were trying to weatherproofthe attraction and small
industrial accident, I got hitin the head with a wrench and
was bleeding all over.
I was fine, I was fine, but itwas a memorable situation.
(19:25):
So, I went to the president and,we were just sort of telling war
stories and I said,"Hey, Iremember that time I got hit in
the head with a wrench and I wasbleeding all over.
Oh yeah.
I said,"do you really count thatas me not being with the
company?" And he said,"well, no,of course not." So, I used
(19:47):
emotion to draw a reaction fromsomeone and got myself a couple
more year's service time.
So, yeah.
So, it was using a little bit ofemotion to sort of, point out
you r, l oyalty to company.
Amanda (20:06):
Yeah.
So, maybe a little bit of a flawin the thinking almost with the
service time.
Like because you did, you workedhard for them.
John (20:13):
Exactly.
Yes, exactly.
So, I think the other things, Igenerally look at are changes in
situation, can you documentsomething for me?
I've moved around a lot, so Ialways had to look at cost of
living indexes going from onemarket to another.
You know, maybe if you'reassistant manager one place,
you're getting to be a managerin another place and it comes
(20:35):
with an increase in salary,that's wonderful.
Is it an increase in true salaryor, did you look at cost of
living index?
Because sometimes t he samedollars might not buy you as
much.
So, always, always be aware ofthe situation, if it's a job
change that requires something,I mean, it could be anything
from, dress, to equipment, thosesorts of things.
(20:57):
So, just make sure that you're,comparing what the job is and
where the job is too, where youwere and making sure any
adjustment i n salary isappropriate as well.
Amanda (21:08):
Yeah, I like that.
Do you ever recommend talkingabout kind of the perks, like
vacation time or anything likethat when you're having those
raise conversations or theperformance reviews?
John (21:23):
I do, I think that sometimes, some things are very
much fixed, the company, you getthree weeks of vacation and you
get at five years, those sort ofthings.
So, sometimes those aredifficult for, a supervisor to
change, just because it's acompany HR policy, those kinds
of things.
(21:44):
Yes.
But, no, I think that's a goodway to add a little bit more on
value.
Some companies really try tostick to a pay structure
because, if you're a level 17manager, that's what the pay is.
So, how can you get somethingelse out of that?
You know, informal dealssometimes can have some value to
(22:06):
them, without sharing too much,because maybe not everyone i n
my company has the same informaldeals I do.
But, no, I think that's, a wayto do it.
I know staff that's worked forme, we've done maybe a small
equipment purchase somethinglike that, something along that
line, it's a laptop, right?
(22:28):
So now, you haven't changed yoursalary structure.
You've helped someone out, it'sstill a business expense, you've
just made their job easier.
And I'm saying laptop back wheneverybody had a desktop only
kind of thing you spring for alaptop for someone.
So, some things like that Ithink yes, perks or something.
It certainly, if you work for asmaller company, things like
(22:51):
vacation are different, I knowpeople that have done the, I
call it the Northern workweekwhere, you work a little bit
longer Monday through Thursdayand you get a half a day off on
Friday, because you want to goout and enjoy, and it's a summer
thing, so you get a half day offin the summer, doesn't mean
quite as much to us in Florida.
But, I know some people havenegotiated that in, so, that
(23:16):
could be really important to youif you like to go camping on the
weekend sort of guy, then, youthink about the perks that you
don't have, direct cost to thecompany.
There's certainly, some benefitthere, whether it's flexible
working hours or, those sorts ofthings.
Amanda (23:34):
Yes, and I like the laptop, I think some people will
do cell phones or small littlethings that they can help people
out with that, it's notnecessarily pay increase, but it
is something else that improvesyour work and life.
A little bit.
John (23:51):
Just this week I've been offering employees on the sly,
and you'll have to wait to putthis podcast up for a little
while, but I've been offering,toilet paper.
Okay, so I was cleaning out someof our warehouses and found
something close to a hoard.
So some of the staff, I waslike,"Hey, how are you doing
(24:14):
there?" I have some now, it'sthat commercial rough stuff.
So, it's not perfect, it'scertainly has some perceived
value right now.
Amanda (24:27):
It definitely does.
It's a hot commodity.
I know that even up here it'sreally hard to find it in the
stores.
So, I can't even imagine inFlorida right now.
John (24:36):
Yeah.
It's just sort of funny thingwhat goes, we're used to panic
buying down here because ofhurricanes, but this has been a
little bit different with thetoilet paper going first.
It's kinda crazy.
Amanda (24:50):
Yeah, I know they're making it as fast as they can
right now it seems like, so I'mhoping that we can get it back
and distributed out toeverybody.
Is there anything else thatyou'd kind of like to add to the
national conversation aboutgetting a pay bump, you think?
John (25:08):
Well, for some people now that are changing jobs, I think
one of the biggest opportunitiesyou have is at that hiring
meeting, because sometimes,companies do a blanket policy
and they say everybody's gettinga 2% raise this year.
That happens sometimes, butyou've probably never had more
(25:30):
of a chance to influence yoursalary than you do on the day
you are hired.
You know, where, you'reinterviewing for a position and
they say,"Hey, the position pays75," there's no better chance
than to right that day to say,"Look, I think I'm really go ing
t o n eed 80." And becauseremember for the next five, 10
(25:51):
years, however long you staythere, you're going to get 2 or
3% and that, that's just goingto compound over time.
And, I think that a lot ofcompanies, sit down and say,
"okay, we're going to hire thisperson and well, what's the pay
range?" And they say,"70 to 80,"and they offer you 75, and maybe
they really got 80.
And I think you can probablyhave the most influence over
(26:15):
that on day one.
Sometimes salary is a, you'llget this to start and then in 90
days it goes to this.
So, maybe it's that 90 dayadjust number, that you're
talking about.
But I think that first day, thatthere's probably a real
opportunity to have asignificant influence.
I think if you've been therethree, four years and they say
we're going to give you a$4,000raise, I think it's really hard
(26:36):
to say I'd like nine.
Right?
Cause all of a sudden, thatseems like 120% and five out of
75 when you start it, that's a,that's a little smaller number
might be a little morepalatable.
So, really, really focus onthat.
A lot of people are happy to, Igot that job now, but that's a
good chance to really influencewhat you really earn for the
(26:59):
next, because it's not five thatyear.
It's five every year.
You're there.
Amanda (27:04):
That's true.
That's true.
I didn't think about it thatway.
That's the first time thatanybody said it like that.
John, I really liked that.
Do you interview?
Do you interview and hire?
John (27:16):
I do.
So, yeah.
So, I'm generally we, whensomeone comes on board our
company, we interview them a lotand we have a lot of people
interview them.
We have a unique culture, so welike to make sure they're a good
fit.
Generally, by the time someonegets to me they have the
qualifications.
So, a lot of it is about,getting the right fit and then,
(27:40):
understanding how well they canfulfill that role within our
company.
So, I would say most people, youoffer them a number and they're
happy with that.
You know, sometimes it's basedon what you advertised and the
sort of things, to some extent,can be a little bit impressed by
the guy who says,"gee, I wasreally thinking this." Because
(28:03):
it shows you that, he's willingto speak his mind, because you
want that.
If you're working on a projectand you've hired someone for an
expertise, well you really wantthem to speak their mind, that's
why you're hiring them.
So, maybe demonstrating that inyour hiring session, that shows
off a quality to your futuresupervisor.
Amanda (28:23):
A lot of people are talking about the fit and the
culture.
Is that really, you're sayingit's really important at
Ripley's as well?
Like if you mesh almost with theteam and, the company.
John (28:37):
Yes, it could be we have a unique culture, I think that,
we've hired some folks, inhindsight that were, technically
a perfect fit for the job, butjust not the right fit.
I mean, again, we're ultimately,we're in the family
entertainment business and wemay need an IT guy, or an
accountant, but that's thebusiness we're in.
(28:57):
We live a service culture.
We're here to take care of ourguests.
So, even if you're running thewarehouse, you got to think like
a service culture.
Well, look, we need to get thatpiece out because our guests are
expecting to see it.
So, that fit's super important.
You may have a small companyand, maybe the culture is just
you, but, if you don't get alongwith that person, then, you're
(29:20):
not going to create a great teamdynamic to grow that business.
And I think that's everyone'sgoal.
Amanda (29:27):
Yeah.
And it makes it just a lotharder to collaborate and for
everybody to pull and push inthe same direction.
So, I love that we're shiftingmore and more to how important
the culture is as part of theseconversations and just where
you're going to work and whatthat looks like during the
(29:48):
interviewing process.
I love that.
I love that.
John (29:52):
It's important.
So, that's another thing I tryto take a look at with my staff
and when I've interviewed, orhad salary reviews is, what's
the goal and what's my rewardfor getting there?
So, sometimes I don't, to someextent, often your job is only
(30:14):
worth a certain amount.
You can be really, really goodat that.
But to some extent, look, ifyou're a cashier in the grocery
store, you're never will make,$200,000 being a cashier in a
grocery store.
It's just the job w hen youcan't influence the sale that
much, you can be the best clerkthat could be and you could get,
(30:37):
inflationary raises and thosesorts of things.
But there may be a cap to yourjob.
So, make sure i n t he salaryreviews you're having a
discussion about, well look, Ithink I can also do this and
therefore if I get that, isthere some reward for it.
Maybe part of an incentivepackage or a bonus package.
I t may not always be straighttied to salary because maybe you
(30:58):
can't do that every year.
But try to have that agreementof, ask your boss.
I mean, if you're making$75,000and you say, what do I need to
do to make a hundred?
Because, they may tell you that,the job's not worth it or well
then you need to be able to dothis and this and therefore you
can become a department lead andthat job pays a hundred.
(31:20):
So, make sure there's a trueunderstanding between you and
sometimes it's a difficultconversation, but make sure
there's a true understandingbetween you two, this is where I
want to go, what do I need to doto get there?
Is it more education, is it moreexperience, is i t taking on
more responsibility?
But this is where I want to be.
Tell me what I need to do to getthere instead of just saying,
okay, you're going to go from$75to$80 thousand this year.
(31:42):
We find out what you need to doto get, where you want to be.
Amanda (31:45):
Yeah, yeah.
I love that.
So, John, this has been amazingand I am so grateful that you've
taken the time to talk to us.
I can't wait to see some of thenew attractions whenever this
all, we'll get back to, tonormal, more or less and
Ripley's will be one of thefirst places that we take our
(32:06):
kids.
And if you've enjoyed your timetoday and feel like you're
getting some value, pleaseconsider sharing the podcast
with your friends and yourfamily and subscribing.
You can even take a screenshotand share it on your social and
then tag me at Amanda LeFever sowe can connect.
John, I just want to say thankyou again one more time.
John (32:26):
If listeners are looking for little something to do to,
they could check out our socialmedia stream.
We've been, posting lots of funstuff.
You can actually see me in atour of our warehouse, so that's
up on our Facebook page.
So, get a behind the scenestour.
Strongly encouraged.
(32:46):
If you're a star Wars fan,that's all I'll say.
Amanda (32:50):
Nice, that's awesome.
I did not know that.
Are you guys on Instagram too?
Or is it all on Facebook?
John (32:57):
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok.
We've got it all.
Yeah.
Amanda (33:02):
So are you TikTok'ing?, Are you doing some TikTok
videos?
John (33:05):
I have a TikTok account now because I follow the company
and my daughter is making someinroads on TikTok and she's
excited about that.
So, trying to be young and hipto always need to keep in touch
with what our audience is.
Sort of an old guy who has beenaround forever and, I rely on a
bunch of younger people in ourdepartment to tell me what's
(33:27):
hip.
But try to be cognizant of thefact that you're not hip so that
you can, you can have someonetell you what it is.
Amanda (33:34):
That's amazing.
So are you doing the video?
Are you doing dance videos John,I need to go look.
John (33:40):
Oh, no John TikTok dance videos?
Amanda (33:46):
That's awesome.
Well, I will definitely checkout Ripley's on Facebook and
Instagram, you said Twitter aswell and follow along.
That's really cool that you'redoing warehouse tours.
All the little sneak peaks, somebehind the scenes.
John (34:01):
Definitely to entertain the folks while they're at home.
So, hope everyone is stayingsafe.
Really, really unique time.
So, enjoy your time with yourfamily.
Stay safe and if you get theopportunity when you do get out
and vacation and your near oneof our attractions, try to see
if you can.
We just promise you a nice,family friendly environment, and
to have a great time on yourvacation.
Amanda (34:22):
Yes, we will definitely becoming too, and I appreciate
it so much John, and I hope youhave a great night and I will
talk to you soon.
Thank you.
I got hit in the head with a wrench and I was bleeding all
over.
Oh yeah.
I said,"do you really count thatas not me being with the
company?"
Amanda (00:15):
Hey there Raise Up Nation, you are not going to
believe this, you thought wewere having fun before, but we
are raising the bar.
Our guest today, my new friend,Mr.
John Corcoran, is it Corcoran,is that correct?
Did I say it right?
Excellent.
Has nearly 40 years' experiencein the entertainment industry
with Ripley's entertainment.
Ripley's entertainment is thelargest, and fastest growing
(00:40):
international chain of museumtype tourist attractions in the
world.
In the past 25 years, thecompany has grown from 12
attractions i n four countries,to a hundred plus attractions in
11 countries.
And John's current role is theenviable role of attraction
development director.
And he's going to tell us moreabout that for the 31 Ripley's
(01:01):
believe it or not's auditoriumsaround the world and a n e twork
of over a hundred properties,which have seen over a hundred
million guests since 1933.
He provides leadership programand project management and
talent development for bothbrands.
John, thank you so much forcoming on the show.
I'm honored and excited to chatwith you today.
(01:23):
How are you doing?
John (01:26):
I'd say under the circumstances we're in today,
I'm doing just, wonderful, quitethe introduction there.
So I hope, I'm able to fulfillall those glorious sound bites.
Amanda (01:36):
It's all the truth.
It's all the truth.
So, I'll ask you real quick.
You're in Florida, right?
Is that right?
John (01:46):
Orlando.
Amanda (01:46):
Yeah.
How's it going in Florida?
Everything that's going on.
John (01:51):
Do you know the term of the day, flatten the curve?
In Orange County, which is whereOrlando sits, we seem to be
doing quite well.
I would say more thanflattening, but, a little bit
out on the down-slope.
Most people seem to be payingattention.
Florida often gets the news formaybe having some outliers of
society, shall we say, but sofar most folks are being behaved
(02:15):
, and it seems to be helping,which is good.
Amanda (02:18):
Oh, that's awesome.
That's how I feel like it is uphere in North Carolina, too.
We're really trying to flattenthe curve.
We've been in self isolation,ourselves for about four weeks
now.
And so we're navigating whatit's like to live with each
other all the time, So that'sbeen pretty interesting for our
relationships, but it's also,there's been some good things,
(02:40):
like a slower pace and, I'mhoping, I don't know.
I'm hoping that we eventuallyall come out of this on the
other side better, but it willtake a little while, more or
less.
I feel like.
John (02:54):
That's my hope.
I have seen some good things.
Also, I'm on a board of our HOAand I see some community spirit
coming back.
I see people out walking aroundthe community, or biking or,
sweeping out the garage.
And sometimes people just kindof come home, close that door
and stay inside.
And, some sensing a little bitof community, you are talking to
your neighbor maybe from 10 feetaway, but they're talking to
(03:16):
their neighbor, which is a goodsign.
So, I think you're right.
There's g oing t o be some goodcome out of this.
It looks a little bleak rightnow, but I think there's will be
some good come out of it, andthat, that'll benefit us in the
long run.
Amanda (03:30):
Yeah, that's true.
Well, are you ready to talkabout helping folks make the
most of where they are, and kindof where they're going?
John (03:37):
I am ready and hopefully can provide a little bit of help
for them.
Amanda (03:41):
That would be awesome.
So before we start, I know youprobably get this all the time,
but please, please tell me whatis your very favorite Ripley's
exhibit?
John (03:50):
Well, I do get that question a lot, and I can tell
you that the answer is differentall the time because it's often,
it's often, often influenced bywhat we've gotten recently.
So, it's cool stuff, andRipley's has such a wide
collection that sometimes peopledon't realize we have
historically significantobjects.
When John Wilkes booth shotAbraham Lincoln that night in
(04:14):
Ford's Theatre, he was carryingmatching Derringers, Ripley's
owns one of those Derringers,kind of thing.
A recent purchase that's supercool is we bought a collection
of passports of Neil Armstrong.
So, and they're spectacular in that they kind of show his life.
I mean at t he first one, he's astudent, and hardly goes
(04:36):
anywhere.
And then he gets something, Ididn't even know exists, it's
called a special governmentpassport.
And he got that when he wastraining for the Apollo program,
and training to be an astronaut,I should say.
And then, he got a diplomaticpassport when he was in the
official Apollo program becauset hey did a lot of training in
Ecuador and stuff like that.
And, then post that, he had allkinds of travel, he started
(04:59):
traveling the world givingspeeches about this amazing
journey on the moon and allthat.
So, it's not just a document, itreally kind of tells s ome life
history.
Still, one of my all-time superfavorites though is a board that
has been painted.
And there was a gentleman whospent about 15 years painting a
(05:19):
board.
So, everyday i t's just alittle, it's a little piece of
board, I think it was a t wo bysix and he would paint it two or
three coats every day.
And what's really cool is whenyou cut it, you get this
beautiful rainbow sectionbecause he used a gallon of
white paint, and then a gallonof blue paint, and then a gallon
of red paint.
So, there's about 7,000 coats ofpaint on this board.
(05:43):
So, the board is an inch andthree fourths thick, and the
paint is six inches thick.
So, it's just a, it's a reallycool visual and it's just a
great reflection of people justwanting to do their own thing.
And this guy just painted thisboard and he's created this
really unique, cool piece with awonderful story.
And a great demonstration ofwhat people are willing to do to
(06:07):
be different.
Amanda (06:08):
Yeah, that's interesting that you would even think to do
something like that though.
Right?
Like I'm going to paint thisboard and it's going to create
this beautiful piece of artthat's like, expressive in a
unique way.
John (06:20):
Yeah.
The classic beauty is in the eyeof the beholder.
So, it's wonderful that we getto celebrate that part of
humanity.
Amanda (06:27):
That's true.
So, my friend Neil, he said that, this is the only job you've
ever had, which is going to besuper interesting to our
listeners because that's whatwe're all about.
Finding the best jobs andgetting paid what we're worth.
And you obviously feel like thisis a good one.
So what do you love so muchabout Ripley's, tell me a little
(06:49):
bit about this journey, I guess,of where you started in and,
where you are now?
John (06:53):
Sure, a small clarification, probably the only
real job I've ever had.
I did own businesses for a whilesort of thing.
So, it was a summer job incollege.
I got hired at a seasonal, minimuseum that the company had to
take tickets.
I, it's a funny story that Itell people, I needed an easy
job because I had broken my handworking at a grocery store,
(07:17):
which was my high school collegetrade, coming up was I worked at
grocery stores, s o, I broke myhand.
So, I needed something easy todo.
So, I got hired to take tickets,and clean the glass, and that
was something I could do with acast on my h and.
So, it worked out okay.
And it just worked up fromthere.
A little bit of hard work, andsome things we'll talk about
(07:38):
today, and got into themanagement training program and,
moved to about 10 or 15different attractions around the
country.
I got started buildingattractions.
I got put in charge of all ofour development, got put in
charge of all of our operations.
Actually left, did some thingson my own for a w h ile, a nd
then came back ki nd o f j ustfor more creative role.
So, working more in developingand improving those products we
(08:00):
have.
Amanda (08:01):
That's amazing.
So what has been kind of yourfavorite position as you've
moved around?
John (08:06):
Well, operations is interesting and, bless the
people who do it, but, if youget a chance to be in a creative
role and you like that, that'sreally the thing to do.
I mean, I always jokingly say noone ever stands in front of a
business and says,"I put fourand a half percent on the profit
margin there," but people willstand in front of something and
say,"I built that." And, sohaving that ability of making
(08:31):
things better, so great guy inour industry and, he says,"look,
we have a wonderful job," ourjob is to entertain people, and
we don't pollute the skies orpoison the rivers.
So, my job when I get up in themorning is to make sure families
are having fun when they're onvacation.
That's, that's a pretty goodjob.
(08:52):
You still have to do reports andsafety things and all that.
But that's ultimately, that'sthe reason we get up in the
morning.
That's a pretty darn good reasonto get up in the morning.
Amanda (09:03):
Yeah.
So, whenever you kind of startedembarking on this journey with
Ripley's, what do you feel likeset you apart?
It sounds like you've moved upthroughout the ranks and you've
worked really hard and so, whatdo you feel like was the
difference maker for you?
John (09:21):
I feel like it was at that very first stop because I got
hired to, like I said, taketickets and clean the glass.
And it was interesting in that,Ripley's owned the business, but
we were on someone else'sproperty and it was an amusement
pier.
So, you could either, the wayyou came into the attraction was
you bought tickets.
(09:42):
Think back to the old days whenyou went to the amusement piers,
and the roller coaster was fivetickets, and the merry-go-round
was two tickets.
And so we took those p iertickets, and then at the end of
the day, the p ier would comeand take that bag of tickets,
and then they would send us areport saying how many tickets
were in there.
And I remember getting thereports sometimes and going, I
thought we were a lot busieryesterday, things like that.
(10:03):
So, I found a turnstile with acounter on it, hidden sort of
like in a closet in the back.
And so I installed thisturnstile, and then each day I
would write down the numbersthat were on the turnstile, and
I would compare them to thenumbers that the pier was giving
us.
And I started sending that to myboss and saying, look, I think
(10:23):
there's something wrong here.
So, he went, wow, guys, lookingafter my money k ind o f thing.
So, and again, I think, look, Ithink a lot of it was hard work
because, I found some suppliesand tools and when I got the
cast off my hand, I startedpainting stuff on the slow days.
There wasn't a whole lot to doand I was getting paid by the
hour, so I didn't mind coming inan hour early and paint, and
(10:45):
something t hat, that seemedlike a good job.
So, y eah, so I think it wasthat caring and willing to work
hard, that'll go a long way.
Amanda (10:55):
Yeah, absolutely.
I feel like intuition that we'rein kind of with COVID-19, that
there's a lot of people that areworking from home, working
remotely.
And then there's a lot of peoplethat are searching now for
employment.
So I feel like whenever we talkabout getting a raise, or
(11:17):
approaching your boss that nowis not necessarily a good time
to go and have those types ofconversations, but it is the
right time to kind of go aboveand beyond.
Do you feel like that could be,I don't know that that might be
true or not right now in thissituation?
John (11:34):
Yeah, no, I think it is certainly, I think, for the
listeners, maybe make some notesand bring it up in a few months,
c ause I'm not sure if now's thetime to do it.
Most pays are g oing the otherway.
But I think that yes, I thinkyou can stand out as, loyal and
dedicated and, your big questionabout, what do you do to get a
(11:55):
raise?
And I m e an, my answer is, makeyourself worth more, whether
that's through working moreharder work, learning something,
p roving that you can do this,can you do two jobs because
then, I mean, granted so manyhours in a week and yo u g o t t
o f ind that life work balance.
But if you have the skill tocover a couple of jobs, then
(12:16):
maybe there's some value therefor the company, that sort of
approach.
But if you're passionate aboutwhat you do, then i t just comes
through.
I mean, some people see it asdedication.
Some people se e i t as loyalty, some people see it as
hard work, but if you'repassionate about it, it's w hat
you talk about, and you w alkthe walk, and you're willing to
(12:38):
do that, then it comes across.
And I think that's going to really help you a lot in t he
long term.
Amanda (12:45):
Yeah.
Do you feel like you've alwaysbeen passionate about your
position, your roles?
John (12:50):
Definitely.
Yeah.
I think when I first left thatlittle museum and, got
transferred to our managementtraining program, I remember,
the manager of the museum comingin at 8:30 in the morning and I
was sitting at my desk and hesaid,"Oh, John, I thought you
had the night shift." And Isaid, well, I do, but I just had
nothing else to do and I gotlots to do here, so just came
in.
So, I was supposed to work thethree to 10 shift, but I just
(13:14):
worked all day sort of thing,young and single, that sort of
thing.
So, if you're not in thatposition, make sure you find the
right balance.
But, that can certainly go along way.
Amanda (13:26):
So, what is your best advice or you feel like, for
somebody that's feeling a littlebit undervalued, wherever
they're working right now?
John (13:35):
It's a funny word because it got a bad name for a while,
but, propaganda, are you provingthat you're worth what you think
you are?
You know, and it doesn't meanyou have to write up a list and
send it to your boss every weekof all the cool stuff you did.
But, uh, but you might be doingweekly reports, so are you
framing those correctly so thatyour boss sees that, look,
(13:59):
you've set a goal, you'vereached that goal, maybe even
exceeded that goal or taken onsome other things on the side.
I know in my weekly report Ihave a few departments, that I
take care of, but I alwayslisted other.
Yeah, it's just, when you'vebeen around as long as I have,
(14:20):
they will ask you to take a lookat a few things.
So, my boss likes to say, stickyour nose in this.
So, I always try to list that,right?
Because it shows that, look,I've got this variability and
I'm willing to step out and do alittle bit more.
And I am doing this a little bitmore so that my list is not only
maybe what you've agreed to do,but maybe a little bit more so,
(14:42):
working harder, and you don'thave to tell people you're
working harder, but you justhave to show them the results.
Probably the best you can do.
Amanda (14:52):
Yeah.
Because I mean there are somepeople that they're working
harder, but they're workingsmarter too.
Like they find new ways to dosomething that they've been
doing.
And that can be super valuable.
I feel like.
John (15:04):
Agreed, especially if that working smarter, is saving the
company some money because youhave found a more efficient way
to do something or reduce thecost on something then,
obviously, that increases yourworth.
So, you got to find thatbalance.
There are people who just keepworking harder but not doing it
the right way.
And, you just, you'll never getout of the hole at that point.
Amanda (15:26):
Yeah.
And you just get frustratedalmost, I feel like, because
sometimes it is a lot of hardwork, but it's smart work, and
it's innovating, and it'shelping who you're working with.
How is Ripley's doing right now?
I know you guys are a museum.
I mean, are you guys doing okay?
John (15:47):
I believe we have 113 attractions and 111 are closed.
So, it is not, it's certainlynot a great time.
Like many companies, we've hadto go through some rough times
here with some, with somefurloughs and everything.
We sort of held on as long as wecould, but, at this point, not
(16:10):
knowing quite where you are,what's around the next corner.
So, we had to make some toughdecisions this week.
And we are trying to beopportunistic with the crew we
have here,"said what's that workwe've always wanted to do that
we can't do because ourattractions are open 365 days a
year." And, we've made acommitment to make sure that
(16:32):
when we do reopen, everyattraction has three coats of
wax on the floor and everycarpet is steam cleaned, because
those are the kinds of thingsyou really can't do when you run
the hours we do.
We have attractions that areopen 15 hours a day, 365 days a
year.
So, it's hard to do some of thatwork.
So, we're trying to beopportunistic where it's safe to
(16:53):
do so, in following thegovernmental guidelines, and
that varies by region, andeverything.
I think we're, to some extent,we may be coming out the other
side as I believe our attractionin Korea has now reopened.
So, maybe it's a rolling cycle.
We'll see.
But, certainly, certainly a waysto go.
Amanda (17:14):
Are you guys working on anything right now that you're
hoping future in the next threeto five years?
John (17:20):
We are, we've continued that work because we know, at
one point, we'll have to dothat.
It'll be interesting when itcomes back.
We think to some extent, peopleare going to want to get out and
do stuff.
They're going to want to do itmaybe in a little bit different
environment, making sure it'ssafe and social distancing.
So, we're taking a look at that.
(17:41):
How can we adapt our attractionsto make people feel comfortable
about that?
But also, that, to some extentit might be a competitive
market.
People maybe won't have as manydollars and if they're going to
decide where they're going tospend their hard-earned dollars
to entertain their family.
So, we want to make sure that,that we've got something unique
and it's the best possible way.
Amanda (18:02):
So, that sounds awesome.
So, I typically ask the gueststo share kind of their best war
stories about getting a raiseand whether it's you or someone
else that you know.
What's your favorite favoritestory and can you tell me a
little bit about what happened?
John (18:19):
The first thing that comes to mind was not quite a raise,
because it actually had to dowith some severance.
When I did leave the company fora while, did some stuff on my
own as I mentioned.
But that first job I had workingon that little amusement pier,
for the sake of payrollconvenience, I didn't
(18:40):
technically work for Ripley's,reported to them, but I was on
the other company's payroll.
So, I never got service time forthat.
So, when there was some talk ofseverance, they pointed out my
service time and I said,"Well,no, that's not right.
It should be this".
And the VP at the time said,"no,sorry, that doesn't count."
(19:00):
Well, the fellow that waspresident at the time, at this
time, was a vice president whenI was, when I worked at that
facility one year when we wereclosing it up, because it was a
seasonal attraction.
We were trying to weatherproofthe attraction and small
industrial accident, I got hitin the head with a wrench and
was bleeding all over.
I was fine, I was fine, but itwas a memorable situation.
(19:25):
So, I went to the president and,we were just sort of telling war
stories and I said,"Hey, Iremember that time I got hit in
the head with a wrench and I wasbleeding all over.
Oh yeah.
I said,"do you really count thatas me not being with the
company?" And he said,"well, no,of course not." So, I used
(19:47):
emotion to draw a reaction fromsomeone and got myself a couple
more year's service time.
So, yeah.
So, it was using a little bit ofemotion to sort of, point out
you r, l oyalty to company.
Amanda (20:06):
Yeah.
So, maybe a little bit of a flawin the thinking almost with the
service time.
Like because you did, you workedhard for them.
John (20:13):
Exactly.
Yes, exactly.
So, I think the other things, Igenerally look at are changes in
situation, can you documentsomething for me?
I've moved around a lot, so Ialways had to look at cost of
living indexes going from onemarket to another.
You know, maybe if you'reassistant manager one place,
you're getting to be a managerin another place and it comes
(20:35):
with an increase in salary,that's wonderful.
Is it an increase in true salaryor, did you look at cost of
living index?
Because sometimes t he samedollars might not buy you as
much.
So, always, always be aware ofthe situation, if it's a job
change that requires something,I mean, it could be anything
from, dress, to equipment, thosesorts of things.
(20:57):
So, just make sure that you're,comparing what the job is and
where the job is too, where youwere and making sure any
adjustment i n salary isappropriate as well.
Amanda (21:08):
Yeah, I like that.
Do you ever recommend talkingabout kind of the perks, like
vacation time or anything likethat when you're having those
raise conversations or theperformance reviews?
John (21:23):
I do, I think that sometimes, some things are very
much fixed, the company, you getthree weeks of vacation and you
get at five years, those sort ofthings.
So, sometimes those aredifficult for, a supervisor to
change, just because it's acompany HR policy, those kinds
of things.
(21:44):
Yes.
But, no, I think that's a goodway to add a little bit more on
value.
Some companies really try tostick to a pay structure
because, if you're a level 17manager, that's what the pay is.
So, how can you get somethingelse out of that?
You know, informal dealssometimes can have some value to
(22:06):
them, without sharing too much,because maybe not everyone i n
my company has the same informaldeals I do.
But, no, I think that's, a wayto do it.
I know staff that's worked forme, we've done maybe a small
equipment purchase somethinglike that, something along that
line, it's a laptop, right?
(22:28):
So now, you haven't changed yoursalary structure.
You've helped someone out, it'sstill a business expense, you've
just made their job easier.
And I'm saying laptop back wheneverybody had a desktop only
kind of thing you spring for alaptop for someone.
So, some things like that Ithink yes, perks or something.
It certainly, if you work for asmaller company, things like
(22:51):
vacation are different, I knowpeople that have done the, I
call it the Northern workweekwhere, you work a little bit
longer Monday through Thursdayand you get a half a day off on
Friday, because you want to goout and enjoy, and it's a summer
thing, so you get a half day offin the summer, doesn't mean
quite as much to us in Florida.
But, I know some people havenegotiated that in, so, that
(23:16):
could be really important to youif you like to go camping on the
weekend sort of guy, then, youthink about the perks that you
don't have, direct cost to thecompany.
There's certainly, some benefitthere, whether it's flexible
working hours or, those sorts ofthings.
Amanda (23:34):
Yes, and I like the laptop, I think some people will
do cell phones or small littlethings that they can help people
out with that, it's notnecessarily pay increase, but it
is something else that improvesyour work and life.
A little bit.
John (23:51):
Just this week I've been offering employees on the sly,
and you'll have to wait to putthis podcast up for a little
while, but I've been offering,toilet paper.
Okay, so I was cleaning out someof our warehouses and found
something close to a hoard.
So some of the staff, I waslike,"Hey, how are you doing
(24:14):
there?" I have some now, it'sthat commercial rough stuff.
So, it's not perfect, it'scertainly has some perceived
value right now.
Amanda (24:27):
It definitely does.
It's a hot commodity.
I know that even up here it'sreally hard to find it in the
stores.
So, I can't even imagine inFlorida right now.
John (24:36):
Yeah.
It's just sort of funny thingwhat goes, we're used to panic
buying down here because ofhurricanes, but this has been a
little bit different with thetoilet paper going first.
It's kinda crazy.
Amanda (24:50):
Yeah, I know they're making it as fast as they can
right now it seems like, so I'mhoping that we can get it back
and distributed out toeverybody.
Is there anything else thatyou'd kind of like to add to the
national conversation aboutgetting a pay bump, you think?
John (25:08):
Well, for some people now that are changing jobs, I think
one of the biggest opportunitiesyou have is at that hiring
meeting, because sometimes,companies do a blanket policy
and they say everybody's gettinga 2% raise this year.
That happens sometimes, butyou've probably never had more
(25:30):
of a chance to influence yoursalary than you do on the day
you are hired.
You know, where, you'reinterviewing for a position and
they say,"Hey, the position pays75," there's no better chance
than to right that day to say,"Look, I think I'm really go ing
t o n eed 80." And becauseremember for the next five, 10
(25:51):
years, however long you staythere, you're going to get 2 or
3% and that, that's just goingto compound over time.
And, I think that a lot ofcompanies, sit down and say,
"okay, we're going to hire thisperson and well, what's the pay
range?" And they say,"70 to 80,"and they offer you 75, and maybe
they really got 80.
And I think you can probablyhave the most influence over
(26:15):
that on day one.
Sometimes salary is a, you'llget this to start and then in 90
days it goes to this.
So, maybe it's that 90 dayadjust number, that you're
talking about.
But I think that first day, thatthere's probably a real
opportunity to have asignificant influence.
I think if you've been therethree, four years and they say
we're going to give you a$4,000raise, I think it's really hard
(26:36):
to say I'd like nine.
Right?
Cause all of a sudden, thatseems like 120% and five out of
75 when you start it, that's a,that's a little smaller number
might be a little morepalatable.
So, really, really focus onthat.
A lot of people are happy to, Igot that job now, but that's a
good chance to really influencewhat you really earn for the
(26:59):
next, because it's not five thatyear.
It's five every year.
You're there.
Amanda (27:04):
That's true.
That's true.
I didn't think about it thatway.
That's the first time thatanybody said it like that.
John, I really liked that.
Do you interview?
Do you interview and hire?
John (27:16):
I do.
So, yeah.
So, I'm generally we, whensomeone comes on board our
company, we interview them a lotand we have a lot of people
interview them.
We have a unique culture, so welike to make sure they're a good
fit.
Generally, by the time someonegets to me they have the
qualifications.
So, a lot of it is about,getting the right fit and then,
(27:40):
understanding how well they canfulfill that role within our
company.
So, I would say most people, youoffer them a number and they're
happy with that.
You know, sometimes it's basedon what you advertised and the
sort of things, to some extent,can be a little bit impressed by
the guy who says,"gee, I wasreally thinking this." Because
(28:03):
it shows you that, he's willingto speak his mind, because you
want that.
If you're working on a projectand you've hired someone for an
expertise, well you really wantthem to speak their mind, that's
why you're hiring them.
So, maybe demonstrating that inyour hiring session, that shows
off a quality to your futuresupervisor.
Amanda (28:23):
A lot of people are talking about the fit and the
culture.
Is that really, you're sayingit's really important at
Ripley's as well?
Like if you mesh almost with theteam and, the company.
John (28:37):
Yes, it could be we have a unique culture, I think that,
we've hired some folks, inhindsight that were, technically
a perfect fit for the job, butjust not the right fit.
I mean, again, we're ultimately,we're in the family
entertainment business and wemay need an IT guy, or an
accountant, but that's thebusiness we're in.
(28:57):
We live a service culture.
We're here to take care of ourguests.
So, even if you're running thewarehouse, you got to think like
a service culture.
Well, look, we need to get thatpiece out because our guests are
expecting to see it.
So, that fit's super important.
You may have a small companyand, maybe the culture is just
you, but, if you don't get alongwith that person, then, you're
(29:20):
not going to create a great teamdynamic to grow that business.
And I think that's everyone'sgoal.
Amanda (29:27):
Yeah.
And it makes it just a lotharder to collaborate and for
everybody to pull and push inthe same direction.
So, I love that we're shiftingmore and more to how important
the culture is as part of theseconversations and just where
you're going to work and whatthat looks like during the
(29:48):
interviewing process.
I love that.
I love that.
John (29:52):
It's important.
So, that's another thing I tryto take a look at with my staff
and when I've interviewed, orhad salary reviews is, what's
the goal and what's my rewardfor getting there?
So, sometimes I don't, to someextent, often your job is only
(30:14):
worth a certain amount.
You can be really, really goodat that.
But to some extent, look, ifyou're a cashier in the grocery
store, you're never will make,$200,000 being a cashier in a
grocery store.
It's just the job w hen youcan't influence the sale that
much, you can be the best clerkthat could be and you could get,
(30:37):
inflationary raises and thosesorts of things.
But there may be a cap to yourjob.
So, make sure i n t he salaryreviews you're having a
discussion about, well look, Ithink I can also do this and
therefore if I get that, isthere some reward for it.
Maybe part of an incentivepackage or a bonus package.
I t may not always be straighttied to salary because maybe you
(30:58):
can't do that every year.
But try to have that agreementof, ask your boss.
I mean, if you're making$75,000and you say, what do I need to
do to make a hundred?
Because, they may tell you that,the job's not worth it or well
then you need to be able to dothis and this and therefore you
can become a department lead andthat job pays a hundred.
(31:20):
So, make sure there's a trueunderstanding between you and
sometimes it's a difficultconversation, but make sure
there's a true understandingbetween you two, this is where I
want to go, what do I need to doto get there?
Is it more education, is it moreexperience, is i t taking on
more responsibility?
But this is where I want to be.
Tell me what I need to do to getthere instead of just saying,
okay, you're going to go from$75to$80 thousand this year.
(31:42):
We find out what you need to doto get, where you want to be.
Amanda (31:45):
Yeah, yeah.
I love that.
So, John, this has been amazingand I am so grateful that you've
taken the time to talk to us.
I can't wait to see some of thenew attractions whenever this
all, we'll get back to, tonormal, more or less and
Ripley's will be one of thefirst places that we take our
(32:06):
kids.
And if you've enjoyed your timetoday and feel like you're
getting some value, pleaseconsider sharing the podcast
with your friends and yourfamily and subscribing.
You can even take a screenshotand share it on your social and
then tag me at Amanda LeFever sowe can connect.
John, I just want to say thankyou again one more time.
John (32:26):
If listeners are looking for little something to do to,
they could check out our socialmedia stream.
We've been, posting lots of funstuff.
You can actually see me in atour of our warehouse, so that's
up on our Facebook page.
So, get a behind the scenestour.
Strongly encouraged.
(32:46):
If you're a star Wars fan,that's all I'll say.
Amanda (32:50):
Nice, that's awesome.
I did not know that.
Are you guys on Instagram too?
Or is it all on Facebook?
John (32:57):
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok.
We've got it all.
Yeah.
Amanda (33:02):
So are you TikTok'ing?, Are you doing some TikTok
videos?
John (33:05):
I have a TikTok account now because I follow the company
and my daughter is making someinroads on TikTok and she's
excited about that.
So, trying to be young and hipto always need to keep in touch
with what our audience is.
Sort of an old guy who has beenaround forever and, I rely on a
bunch of younger people in ourdepartment to tell me what's
(33:27):
hip.
But try to be cognizant of thefact that you're not hip so that
you can, you can have someonetell you what it is.
Amanda (33:34):
That's amazing.
So are you doing the video?
Are you doing dance videos John,I need to go look.
John (33:40):
Oh, no John TikTok dance videos?
Amanda (33:46):
That's awesome.
Well, I will definitely checkout Ripley's on Facebook and
Instagram, you said Twitter aswell and follow along.
That's really cool that you'redoing warehouse tours.
All the little sneak peaks, somebehind the scenes.
John (34:01):
Definitely to entertain the folks while they're at home.
So, hope everyone is stayingsafe.
Really, really unique time.
So, enjoy your time with yourfamily.
Stay safe and if you get theopportunity when you do get out
and vacation and your near oneof our attractions, try to see
if you can.
We just promise you a nice,family friendly environment, and
to have a great time on yourvacation.
Amanda (34:22):
Yes, we will definitely becoming too, and I appreciate
it so much John, and I hope youhave a great night and I will
talk to you soon.
Thank you.
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