July 21, 2025 • 38 mins
Freedom, discipline, and intentional growth—these seemingly contradictory concepts form the powerful foundation of sustainable success in business and life, as explored by Jared Ledford and Eric Olson in this reflective Steel Kings episode.
Drawing inspiration from Independence Day, the hosts peel back the surface of entrepreneurship to examine what truly drives fulfilling work. "If you get to the point in your life where you do what you love every day, you'll never work a day in your life," Jared reflects, connecting the passionate joy of kids playing baseball in "The Sandlot" to the satisfaction they've found in the shed and steel building industry.
The conversation takes a compelling turn as they discuss the concept of "pruning"—intentionally cutting away what's not bearing fruit to create space for new growth. Both hosts share candidly about difficult business decisions that initially felt like risks but ultimately cleared the path for their current success. "When you clean your slate off, now you can write on it," Eric observes, highlighting how removing unproductive elements creates clarity and new possibilities.
Perhaps most practical is their insight on maintaining consistency through the inevitable ups and downs of sales cycles. Rather than riding emotional highs and lows, they advocate for steady discipline—doing the same productive tasks daily regardless of immediate results. As John Maxwell wisely noted and Jared quotes: "The secret to your success is found in your daily routine."
Community involvement emerges as another cornerstone of their approach, with both hosts actively engaged in local chambers of commerce and events. They challenge listeners: Whatever your position is right now—good, bad, or indifferent—you can do something today to change your tomorrow. This commitment to incremental, consistent action has transformed their business and can do the same for yours.
Ready to bring more intention to your business approach? Connect with the Steel Kings at thesteelkings.com and discover how disciplined routines and strategic pruning might be exactly what your business needs to thrive.
To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.
This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: J Money LLC
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
INTRO (00:00):
Hey, this is Joel Oney at J Money in the heart of the
Buckeye State, and I want topersonally welcome you to
today's episode of the SteelKings podcast with my good
friends Jared Ledford and EricOlson, better known as the Steel
Kings.
Be sure to check out jmoneyllc.
com for financing solutions foryour buildings.
(00:21):
And now let's get back to theSteel Kings podcast.
Jared Ledford (00:26):
Hey, hey, what's going on, guys?
This is Jared, and over thereis Eric.
We are the Steel Kings back atyou with another episode.
We are on episode 21.
Bro, how is that even possible?
Eric Olson (00:41):
I don't know how it's possible.
I thought we was just on 17,but maybe 21.
21's a good number.
Jared Ledford (00:48):
Yeah, bro, yeah, so I've got my headphones fixed
for everybody out there, soyou're not getting blasted by
the music.
I did get my headphones and mymicrophone configured properly,
so I'm hoping you can hear meloud and clear, bro.
How are you today, man?
It is July the 3, the third.
It is beautiful outside in Ohioand, uh, I think I'm better
(01:09):
than I deserve this morning.
How about you Eric?
Eric Olson (01:12):
Doing great, regretting not doing yard work
earlier because I'm gonna do.
Yeah, I know I gotta trim thebushes.
I've gotta, I gotta pull someweeds out tomorrow morning.
Man, it's 90 degrees, can'tescape it.
Jared Ledford (01:26):
Yeah, it says it's 80 right now, it's 11:28,
and it says it's going to be 86today.
So, if you are in the Ohio area, find an air conditioner.
So, we are coming at you, man.
It is July the 3rd.
Like I said, tomorrow is thefourth of July, man, and I
thought we'd start out talking alittle bit about that.
(01:48):
Um, I think we're both.
You know, we use the we'rered-blooded Americans kind of
talk, but we love our country.
Um, for the longest time, atour old shop, I had a
constitution hanging outside myoffice.
I don't know if you knew thator not, Eric.
Eric Olson (02:03):
No, I saw it.
Jared Ledford (02:06):
I had a constitution and we always have
the flag flying somewhere.
I remember very vividly one ofthe best times I had at the shop
was getting the American flaghung with your dad.
I was thinking about that theother day.
I was thinking about that theother day.
You're missing your dad man, Imiss him, and I know.
(02:27):
Thinking about that the otherday, I was thinking about that
the other day, you're missingyour dad man.
I mean I miss him, and I knowyou miss him.
Father's Day was a couple weeksago.
Yeah, I was thinking about thatbecause it was a good memory.
We've got a program in mycommunity where I live, where
the Optimist Club comes andactually puts American flags in
your yard so you donate money tothem.
You donate money to them everyyear and then they bring an
(02:49):
American flag, like 4th of July,Memorial Day, veterans Day, all
of the major USA holidays andyeah, I was just thinking about
that this morning and gettingexcited for a long weekend.
And yeah, what about you man?
What's 4th of July do for Eric?
Eric Olson (03:07):
bro last.
For three straight years Iwasn't in Ohio, so last year was
the first July that I was inOhio, um, and you know somewhat
of a long time.
I got engaged a year ago.
I think it was a year ago,maybe not today, but the next
(03:29):
day or so Was it the 5th.
Jared Ledford (03:33):
Yeah, I think it was the 5th I got married.
Eric Olson (03:38):
I don't remember it was a good day.
I remember I was at theBrookville community picnic,
which we'll talk about today.
We was watching the Brookvillecommunity picnic, which we'll
talk about today.
Um, we was watching the epicfire work display.
Um, we got epic.
Uh, oh man, I got a funnel cake.
I remember that funnel cakethat person had.
So, like you know, fourth ofJuly for Americans I just think
of like slip and slides,sparklers, like tank tops, like
(04:03):
A tank top is a thing.
It's a huge thing Kids.
Jared Ledford (04:08):
There's a real famous scene and I think you'll
know the movie I'm talking about.
The movie that I'll watch withthe kids this weekend is the
Sandlot.
I think that they have the verybest July 4th firework sequence
.
If you're a baseball fan or ifyou're a, you know, if you were
born in the early 50s or 60s,the Sandlot is probably one of
(04:33):
my favorite movies anyways.
But the you know America theBeautiful by Ray Charles, that
scene where Benny runs through.
You know all the kids have beenat the party and this is the
way the world used to be right.
You know that American, thatnostalgic.
You know there's a block party.
They're out in the street, thateverybody in the community is
(04:54):
out there, they're having a mealtogether and Benny and all the
kids run because it's the onenight of the year that they can
play ball at night and feel likethe big leaguers because
they're playing under the lightsof the fireworks.
And I mean, what a.
Eric Olson (05:10):
That's a good scene of that movie, man.
You know what I mean.
It's relatable.
Jared Ledford (05:16):
It's so relatable .
Eric Olson (05:17):
You can see it right .
Jared Ledford (05:19):
I mean, you can see it in your mind.
If you've seen that movie andyou listened to that 35 second
clip I just gave you, you'reseeing it in your mind and being
young and being excited and thefeeling of that youth, the
feeling of that excitement whenyou were, you know, when you
were young and feel, in a sortof way, to do that thing that
(05:39):
you love to do.
And I bring that up because youknow this is the.
You know, this is one of thosetimes of the year where the guys
in the shop get a couple daysoff and you know, all of our
manufacturers are on vacation.
Eric Olson (05:52):
They take their vacation they rolled they rolled
their sidewalks up for twoweeks.
Jared Ledford (05:57):
They don't just, they don't just say goodbye,
they say yeah.
They say not right now likethey.
They don't even have ananswering machine, it seems.
They, uh, they come back to amess after July 4th holiday.
But I was thinking about that.
I mean, I was reflective alittle bit this morning and just
thinking of that and you know,I just wanted to share that with
you.
I thought that was a nice man.
Eric Olson (06:18):
That movie is just everything a 12 year old boy
should want in their life is abig old fat chew carnival rides,
playing ball, staying out late,you know, hyping up some big
bad dog.
That's really not that big,yeah, that's the whole.
Jared Ledford (06:33):
That's the whole, that is the whole premise of
the movie don't make thingsbigger than they need to be
right, don't make things, don'tmake things, don't exaggerate in
your mind.
So, I mean you know, and we canrelate that to what we do,
right?
So, I get up every day, and notthat I'm running through the
streets or anything, but I lovewhat I do here, and I think
y'all know that I've talkedabout that on the podcast and it
(06:56):
reflects in my day to day.
I love what I do here at DaytonBarnes.
I love doing the podcast withyou, eric.
I love what we're doing withthe pole barns at Five Rivers.
I just love what I'm doing rightnow in my life, and it
motivates me to get up and getmoving every day.
In a way that's a little bitfaster than it would be if I
wasn't motivated.
And if you get to the point inyour life where you do what you
(07:17):
love every day, you'll neverwork a day in your life.
You know that's the, that's thebig gimmick that everybody
sells you on and I think for mepersonally, I couldn't be
happier in the position that I'min currently and that scene in
that movie is reflective of that.
They were loving baseball somuch that the second that they
got to feel a sort of wayplaying under the fireworks like
(07:38):
they were big leaguers.
And I think about that movie alot because it is truly one of
my favorite movies and I musthave watched it.
I don't know, I must have woreout the VHS tape of that when I
was a kid because I think Iprobably watched it.
That one and Wayne's World Ithink Wayne's World we've talked
about that, eric Wayne's Worldis like my other favorite movie
(07:58):
and that one is just funny towatch on a weekend for no reason
at all, just like you knowwe're like steel buildings, but
Wayne's World yeah, yeah, thereyou go, so party on, party on
eric well, I was just thinkingof when squints went up the high
dive.
Eric Olson (08:15):
Yeah, and he's flirting with Wendy Peppercorn,
yeah or no?
No, it wasn't squints.
Yeah, it was.
Yep, no, no squints.
Well, it was no, no Squints.
Well, it was also the cannibal,the freckled guy I can't
remember his name in the movie.
Jared Ledford (08:33):
But he Vertrum, vertrum.
I don't remember his name inthe movie, but the tall, the
call kid with glasses, the goofylooking one, the one that
disappeared at the end of themovie.
They said he disappeared.
We never saw him again.
Never saw him again.
Yeah, no, never saw him again Iwas.
Eric Olson (08:48):
It was like the.
It was like the uh, the chubbyredheaded guy.
That was like hi, ladiesremember that you did the
cannibal yeah, uh forget, he sethim up.
He set him up.
Jared Ledford (08:57):
Yeah, he's uh, you want to know something, I
think Porter.
Eric Olson (09:01):
I remember Porter Porter.
I remember Teen Knight.
I remember on 4th of July wewould go to Melody Pool for Teen
Night.
Yep, Yep, there you go.
Now I'm just thinking aboutsummer memories.
But Teen Knight, there, Iremember doing cannonballs there
I remember eating six hot dogswalking down to that gas station
.
Yeah, marathon, yeah.
Jared Ledford (09:23):
So that is Patrick Rennarick.
Rena played Hamilton Porter inthe movie, the Sam Hamilton
Porter, and I think you know the.
The most famous, the mostfamous, uh, the most famous
person in that movie wasprobably James earl jones at the
time and he plays the Mr.
Myrtle yeah, yeah.
(09:44):
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Jared Ledford (11:01):
It's a very adult-themed movie for kids
Because as an adult, you canwatch it and think, oh okay,
they're talking about racism,they're talking about the strife
and the struggle in the 30s and40s and they're talking about
how life was in the 50s and 60s.
And you look at it now andyou're thinking, oh man, this is
idealistic and we yearn forthat time and a lot of it, and
(11:26):
I'm going to get on my soapboxfor a hot minute, so just bear
with me here.
I think a lot of it has to dowith community, right, and we
talk about.
You know, every time I tell youguys goodbye, I'm telling you
guys to go out and be a goodadvocate in your community.
I'm a big, strong, firm believerthat being an advocate in your
community will lead to a better,happier, prosperous life for
you, because people all the timelive places and they don't know
(11:48):
anybody that they live with.
They don't know anybody thattheir neighbor's with, and
that's not how it used to be.
You used to be able to go outon your front porch or go out on
your street when I live in mycommunity.
I'm trying, but most of thepeople there are not exactly the
most friendly Most of the time,you know we've got a nice
little community at the end ofour one road.
(12:09):
But other than that, I meanit's just the world's such a
changed place, man, it's such achanged place, and I really, you
know, if we, if we all, wouldbe a little bit nicer to each
other.
You know, maybe take, you know,maybe take Jesus's approach to
it.
You know we need to get back toWWJD a little bit more we need
some bracelets, yeah we needsome bracelets, man.
(12:31):
What happened to those?
Eric Olson (12:32):
we use a bracelet.
Hey, heather, heather has themall I'm staring at a bag.
Right now, I could see a bag.
We're going to, we're going to,we're going to Belize to tell
uh, we're going to some town, uh, four churches there to preach.
Um, in two weeks I am literallygoing to be in front of some
bro, like dream come true.
You know uh, so I know what youmean and tie it back right.
Jared Ledford (12:55):
I mean you know you guys are listening like, oh
okay, you're talking aboutbaseball today.
You're talking about you know,you're talking about um going
and preaching.
Maybe that's not your speed,maybe you're not a baseball guy,
maybe you're not into church,and that's okay too.
Find what motivates you andmake it a part of your everyday
life and bring it into your work.
I mean we're talking mainly toshed guys.
(13:15):
Right, most of the guyslistening to this are either
shed sales or shed manufacturing.
We're starting to get into somesteel guys too.
But I mean, the reason that I'mhappy when I wake up in the
morning is because I love what Ido, and I motivate myself.
I've got a nice setup here atthe office.
Obviously, I've got theequipment necessary and some of
(13:36):
it comes down to investing inyourself, believing in yourself.
If you're sitting on a lot andyou're struggling, man, reach
out to somebody, ask for somehelp, maybe look at somebody
else.
I mean, certainly, if you'reselling sheds and you're
struggling, certainly yourmanufacturer is going to have
some sort of guidance for you,even if you're working for a
smaller manufacturer.
Maybe you are that smallmanufacturer, but I mean there's
(13:59):
certainly more people out theredoing what you do than you
think there are.
I was shocked when I went toshed expo for the first time and
started to meet some of you andreally got to put faces with
names and I was like, wow, youknow, this is a lot deeper than
I was really thinking it was.
You know, don't let people befooled by the fact that you know
(14:20):
we've got the smallest,rinkiest, dinkiest shed lots all
the way up to these massivemega conglomerate shed lots.
Now I am just blown away bysome of these lots that I see
when I drive around.
Like man, you guys are killingit, and rightfully so, man.
I mean that's the industry,right, if you can continue to
get better.
A rising tide raises all boats,right, eric?
(14:41):
I mean that's the saying.
Yeah, that's the saying.
Yeah, that's the saying.
So, I don't know, man.
I wanted to talk.
I wanted to talk a little bitabout what we do over the fourth
of July.
I wanted to motivate everybodyto have a great and happy
holiday.
I know you're going to behearing this after.
So basically, for us it's oneof those things where, hopefully
, you had a really happy andhealthy fourth of July and
(15:03):
you're jumping back in on yoursales process when you hear this
in a couple of weeks.
But for us, man, we just keepplugging along.
We've had everybody in theoffice this week, we've been
pumping leads, we've beenclosing deals and hopefully
that's what you guys are doingtoo.
And I think one of the thingsthat people do often is and we
(15:24):
got a guy, we know we've got aguy on our team.
That's kind of like this, andyou know we've tried to motivate
this guy on our team.
I think Eric will know what I'mtalking about.
You get in these really goodgrooves and you sell, you sell,
you sell.
And all of a sudden, oh man,you know, I got, I got this, I
got this money and I don'tnecessarily need to sell this
week.
And then, all of a sudden, whatwas a really high time in your
(15:46):
life?
What was a really high moment?
Man, I had all these sales, Ihad all this money.
Now, all of a sudden, I'vetaken two weeks off work and I
haven't sold anything.
I don't even have anything inthe pipeline.
Now, all of a sudden, I'mstruggling for a, eric, because
we got a, we got a couple guys.
We've lost that.
(16:06):
You know, we pride ourselveshere.
I personally pride myself onretention.
The people who are meant to behere stay here.
I almost never lose anybody,but the people that we lose
interest in the job.
Not interested in Dayton Barnesor me.
It's never performance related.
It's never performance related,it's always.
(16:29):
Can you continue?
I mean, you guys know you'relistening to us you sell sheds,
you sell metal buildings, yousell pole barns.
You know what it's like.
You know it's.
It's a cycle.
It's up and it's down.
One minute You're selling fivebuildings.
The next minute you don't sellnothing and you're feeling down
on yourselves and you're feelingkind of in the.
You know in that spot wherethis and what I think that Eric
(16:56):
and I have figured out in ourminds and in our lives here in
the shop is that we just have tokeep going, even on those days
when it doesn't feel likethere's much for us to do.
Eric Olson (17:03):
When you're busy you thrive because you're busy, and
when you're not busy you shouldbuild and try to get busy.
And so, I think a lot of peoplethey get frustrated when you've
got to reproduce.
You know like for some reasonI've been able to get a handful
of sales every month.
There's two weeks where I won'tget enough not too much and
then I'll get three in a row.
(17:24):
Three weeks goes by, and Ithink it just matters.
It matters to me specificallythat I do the same things every
day, because if I fall on thehardness of discipline, then the
fruits just come.
(17:44):
But it's not the destination.
The destination is just doingdiscipline.
You're just doing discipline,doing the hardness on, you're
falling on that, and then thesales just come.
You don't really even care,like tomorrow might be the
busiest day of my life, butthat's okay because the next day
might not be that busy.
So, you don't really.
I don't really have apreference, I don't really care.
I just take what the what'shappening, take what the defense
(18:07):
is giving you.
Jared Ledford (18:08):
I guess good yeah , I was looking here as you were
saying that.
I was looking here as you weresaying that because I was
looking for something that I'veread before.
You'll never change your lifeuntil you change something you
do daily.
The secret to your success isfound in your daily routine.
That's a John Maxwell quote.
That's it, man.
You know, to me, to me, that isthe.
That is, the precipice ofsuccess is micromanaging it down
(18:33):
to the smallest nuance, thesmallest nugget.
I'm going to wake up at thesame time every day.
I'm going to have my clotheslaid out from the previous night
.
I'm going to make sure that I'mready to walk out the door by
this time every day.
I'm going to make sure that Iarrive to the office by this
time and then from there, I'vegot a daily task list that I
(18:54):
apply myself to every day justto make sure that those tasks
are taken care of.
And you know one of the guysthat we know, um, who actually
has been on the podcast JW.
He's probably the mostdisciplined guy I've seen as far
as a daily routine.
This is a guy who still keeps ahandwritten log, um, a
handwritten log of all of hisdaily tasks and things like that
(19:16):
and he I mean his successspeaks to that right.
I mean the fact that he's asyoung as he is and has done as
much as he has speaks to thefact that he's going to be,
continue to be successful.
And those are things that youknow.
I learned from a lot of it.
From you, eric, you know.
Working alongside you for theseyears is watching you be
disciplined, watching you bestoic, I think, in a lot of ways
(19:39):
, is probably the way that Iwould describe you and I's
temperament most days thesetimes.
You know, this time, what doyou think, bro?
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Eric Olson (21:22):
Man, I don't know, man, there's so much going
through my mind because I'm likeI know it's a big topic, man,
it is Well I think it's when doyou start?
I'm less emotional for severalreasons.
One is that so much hashappened in six years.
(21:43):
Last year was just ridiculous.
Last year it was every monthsomething bad happened.
I don't want to interpret it asbad.
Something happened that createdanother thing and I think I
lost my emotional reaction tothings.
I think everybody has crap thathappens to them, like my dad
passing away.
(22:04):
I got focused, I got married.
I didn't try to seek validationfrom a human being.
I could care less about humanbeings, what they had to say
about me or what they weresaying about it really honestly,
because so much was happening.
It was almost like I was beingpruned, like you know you're
being pruned into becoming.
Because here's the value whenyou're not emotional about your
(22:26):
doings, dealings with businessand your personal relationships,
your job, your family, yourinterests like when you're not
emotional, you think straight.
And when you think straight,you think straight.
And when you think straight,you can make better decisions
over the long course.
And that's better, because thenin those like in that
non-emotional state, it's likeyou can just think straight yeah
(22:48):
, and then honestly, when youget emotional you don't like it
you're like, oh, I need to backup.
I can't be, I can't make adecision right now because, man,
I'm too, I'm too amped up weknow, we know that Jesus says to
take away the branches thatdon't bear fruit.
Jared Ledford (23:03):
Oh yeah, right.
Eric Olson (23:04):
Jesus says don't take away the branch.
Jared Ledford (23:07):
Take away the branch that doesn't bear fruit.
Prune the branches that do bearfruit so they will bear more
fruit in the future.
I think I've I've given you thepreface, I.
I can't recall the, the verse.
You might know it a little bit,and that's john, that's the
dude.
Eric Olson (23:21):
I did uh uh jw when he was 16 I gave a message on uh
, bro, and that, and that'swhether you're a crish or not.
I was thinking.
I was thinking about that notshoving it down anyone's throat,
but like in life, just ingeneral, like if you have
something that's not producinggood for you, you should cut it
off.
Jared Ledford (23:39):
But yeah, yeah, yeah it's pretty it's pretty
when we talked about this right,including people yeah, yes, yes
, you can prune.
You can prune individuals.
Yeah, that's exactly right.
If you look at your life like abig tree and you have seasons,
leaves come, leaves go, butbranches grow and start to break
(24:01):
and grow in different ways,things like that, and this is
obviously a very weird analogyfor those of you that are not
you know in the word Jared andEric at their best but I'm yeah,
but I mean, you know, the thingabout it is if, if you look at
the, the, the tree of life thatEric and I have together as a
partnership in this business, wehave cut heavy limbs off this
(24:22):
tree that have.
you know, when you cut a limboff a tree, you risk the tree
itself.
You have to make sure youmaintain the tree.
The body of the tree has to bemaintained and loved and cared
about and that's where Eric andI, over the last couple of years
, have had to really bigbranches in our lives that were
really anchors, you know, quitehonestly, big pieces of our
(24:46):
lives, and we had to create newpathways, new branches that now
have all of these newopportunities.
And if we hadn't done thatpruning at the time, if we
hadn't made resolute, cleardecisions as a team, I don't
know where we'd be quitehonestly.
Certainly, we certainlywouldn't be doing this podcast
that's for sure.
Eric Olson (25:06):
I agree on that.
In the five rivers, like Caleb,Caleb Grimes.
You guys met him last episode.
He was over at my houseyesterday.
I'm to get a side concrete toour driveway, but man and him
and I was talking about the samething.
Man, how everything lines uplike that Because, like, when
you start to make decisions thatare tough, like what you're
alluding to, the blessings onthe other side of it it's good,
(25:29):
and you wouldn't get it withouta clean slate, and so when you
clean your slate off now you canwrite on it, and so that's
right.
Jared Ledford (25:34):
You remember.
Eric Olson (25:35):
Hey, you know what?
That's a weird analogy.
Uh, so I was talking about this.
You remember?
I remember um, in in ninthgrade at North one high school I
had a guy named Mr Hake.
We hated each other.
Oh, I think he hated me.
I definitely didn't like the guyand I remember and I'm like I'm
not saying I'm old, but westill had a chalkboard in that
room and I remember you had toget two buckets of water, the
(25:57):
two pails, and one was yoursponge, the dirty sponge water,
and then the other one was likethe clean water, so you'd wring
it in the other one.
Yeah, nothing looked more likenothing packed a punch better
than fresh chalk on a on a on aclean chalkboard.
It was, and I remember just youjust going like your science
(26:19):
teacher's classroom is like theboard's just spilled, you can't
follow it, all the handwriting'scrappy and sideways and doesn't
make any sense, and so when youstart to take off the branches
like, you're providing space forsomething new to, and, and it
normally has got a lot moreclarity than the previous thing.
Jared Ledford (26:39):
Yeah, you try to I.
I think that that analogy isperfect for what we're talking
about, because think of theblackboard.
Right, you've got all thatwriting like you're talking
about.
It's messy, you erase it andyou write over top of it.
It still isn't clear.
It still isn't clear, and ericknows this about me.
God, grant me the serenity tochange the things I can.
Eric Olson (26:59):
Yeah.
Jared Ledford (27:00):
That's my.
You know, I mantra that I lostmy dad, um God, 15 years ago Now
.
It's crazy to think about itand you know, that's why I mean
honestly, I probably think aboutEric's dad more than anybody,
but Eric maybe his family.
But I think about that because,you know, I never had that
relationship with my dad thatEric had with his, and I
(27:28):
struggled for a long time toovercome that in my life.
You know, now, with threedaughters who I just love I mean
, I just love my kids I can'timagine not being with them, I
can't imagine not doing thingswith them and being there for
them all the time, and thethought of not seeing them makes
(27:48):
me hurt inside.
And you know, I don't know why.
I said that.
It was just something.
Something you said touched meon that thought and I wanted to
share that with you guys becauseI mean, I know there's a lot of
you know, for me personally,I'm putting in a lot of time,
Eric's putting in a lot of time.
You know I was just.
You talked about the picnic.
I'll talk about that a littlebit.
You know I'm on the board ofdirectors for the local chamber
(28:09):
of commerce in our community.
I'm on the park board.
You know I'm volunteering inthe community.
I'm trying to be a betteradvocate and I'm trying to do
what I say.
That way I can be a goodexample to those around me,
especially my kids.
I want to be a good example tomy daughters and I want them to
really enjoy where they live.
And what we were talking aboutbefore we got on the call was
(28:32):
the community picnic and youbrought it up, eric.
So we go to the communitypicnic.
Obviously, I'm busy doingChamber of Commerce stuff.
The Chamber of Commerce putsthe picnic on, but we bring a
shed down and we make a big dealout of it and we really like
doing that.
And this time of the yearreally reminds me of that too,
because we're getting busy doingthat.
I know you're excited, butyou're going to Belize and
(28:53):
you're doing.
I mean, bro, you got tons ofstuff coming up.
Eric Olson (28:56):
I mean we're just and pull barns.
Yeah, you know, like you know,and tie back to the episode
content, which is it's the daybefore fourth of July.
We live in a great, we live inthe greatest country in the
world where you can makedecisions without persecution.
You might catch some flack fromothers, but whatever, if you
haven't been back bit in yourlife, keep living, because it's
(29:18):
going to come.
But, man, we're out here on apodcast running our business.
One thing that I ran into thismorning, literally at two or
three hours ago, was a guy fromChurch's house getting some milk
.
I buy raw milk from the guy.
He is getting a pole bar, notfrom us.
He had already made thepurchase and, uh, but saw the
(29:42):
kit, saw that it's from uh, Iknow who it's from, so I was
interested to see the finalproduct.
But he had a metal building, sohe bought a.
He bought a metal building froma dealer in Middletown, so two,
two people shot I can'tremember the names.
They used to post on Facebook alot, but they went out of
business and they sold theirdemo and it was a 30 by 40 with
(30:05):
a 12-foot lean-to with two 9 by8 roll-up doors, and he bought
it for $16,000.
And it's sitting in his frontlawn and I was like, not put
together, not put together.
Oh man, why Dang you made thatguy's day.
(30:29):
He probably went to the casinowith all that cash.
Jared Ledford (30:31):
He took that $16,000 and ran into the night,
didn't he?
We haven't been able to get ridof demos.
We can't give them.
We can't give them suckers away16k he said.
Eric Olson (30:42):
He said he had a guy offer 10 and I was like you
should take 10 yeah, you shouldtake you should definitely take
10.
Jared Ledford (30:51):
You should take 10 and be it be okay that you
got the 10.
Eric Olson (30:54):
I mean, dang, I said I think you get more money out
of it if you built it.
So, when someone comes to lookat, they're like okay, because
this thing's, that's awesome oh,my goodness, that's tough.
Jared Ledford (31:04):
That makes my, that makes my chest hurt.
Man, that makes my chest hurt Ilook at it, bro.
You don't even know the error Idon't, man, I don't get it.
I mean, I think a lot of it.
I mean, honestly, man, I youknow, when I think about fourth
of july, that was when I, when I, when eric and I talked before
the call, before we jumped on todo the podcast, I was being
(31:28):
reflective and I'm still beingreflective, I still keep going
back to this like veryreflective kind of day for me.
Yeah, and you know, to me it'sI don't know.
I am very thankful to livewhere I live.
I'm very glad and blessed andblessed beyond measure to really
be where we're at and be in aposition to talk to you.
(31:51):
You know, if you're listeningto my voice right now, I want to
be something that you enjoy andyou know I threw the emails
down.
We got the Steel Kings podcast.
It's thesteelkings.
com.
Check us out on the web.
We got our emails If you wantto hear something specific, if
this kind of stuff is scratchinga little bit more of your itch.
(32:13):
We love talking about stuff likethis.
I mean, we love getting raw andreal.
Talking about you know, I thinka couple episodes ago we talked
about Shaq Um, talking aboutyou know, I think a couple
(32:37):
episodes ago we talked aboutshack.
You know we're talking aboutthe sandlot.
You know, obviously this isstuff beyond the shed.
Talk beyond hard to get contentwhen you don't get feedback as
much as you might like to.
If there's something specificyou want to hear our opinion on,
we're not shy.
If you want to get on here andtalk with us, we'd love to have
you as a guest.
We're going to be interviewing Ithink this is something new for
(32:59):
you, eric we're going to beinterviewing Rodney Creech.
He is an Ohio state rep.
We're going to talk a littlebit more about steel tariffs.
We're going to talk aboutbuilding regulations and how
that works from a state level,how you might be able to make an
impact in your community thatway.
But he is a very good friend ofmine and I've really enjoyed
(33:23):
getting to know him over thelast couple years.
We're going to have him on thisepisode.
We're going to have him on nextweek.
So, when you are hearing thispodcast, get ready for a real.
We'll have a lot of reallyvalid content.
Especially if you're in theOhio area.
He'll be able to speak from areal place of authority on that.
We're really blessed andhonored to have him on the
(33:45):
podcast.
What do you got for us, Eric?
We're right at closing time.
Man, believe it or not, we'veactually already got there.
We're there.
Eric Olson (33:54):
It's been 32 minutes .
It's been 32 minutes.
I always tear up at sportsgames where there's a flyover.
Yeah, you know that that bringsthat always brings a tear to my
.
You brought my dad.
I just looked up the picture onfacebook of him with his back
to us and man, it just.
(34:16):
I'm not sad anymore, I'm justlike man.
I I appreciate that.
That is a nice touch.
I know today was a littlesentimental it really wasn't
about metal buildings too muchbut we are grateful hearts and
man.
I'm so thankful I live in thiscountry.
I can't wait to keep going.
But, man, this weekend, drivesafe, don't drink and drive.
(34:38):
Please do not drink and drive.
You don't want DUIs, youcertainly don't.
Man, and just be safe.
I've seen some crazy Facebookreels of people lighting
fireworks off and then theirhouse blew up.
Jared Ledford (34:51):
Yep, I'm going to do some housekeeping really
quick.
I've got a couple of ad copies.
I'm going to throw them to youat the same time.
Big thanks to the guys over atCold Spring Enterprises.
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(36:21):
Jmoneyllc.
com, and tell Joel that we sentyou the Steel Kings.
I can tell you.
I want to finish up this weekthanking him.
I talked to Joel last week.
He said that you guys have beenactive.
He said that he appreciated hisposition here on the podcast.
He's just done a lot for usover the last couple of years.
We're reflective and we'rethankful today, but I want to
(36:43):
give him a special shout out.
I mean it when I say it.
He is a.
He is a real, real friend toEric and I and Dayton Barnes.
He believes in what we're doinghere with the steel Kings
podcast.
He really, he really believesin you guys too.
He wants to be a helper foryour business.
(37:04):
I think I think that's all I gotfor you guys this week.
I really want you to get out inyour communities and make a
difference.
Man, you live in the greatestcountry in the world.
You should be thankful everyday that you wake up and you
draw breath.
Whatever your position is,whether it's good, bad or
indifferent, you can dosomething today to change your
tomorrow.
And I can tell good, bad orindifferent.
You can do something today tochange your tomorrow.
And I can tell you, man, um,I've lived that mantra and that
(37:27):
creed now for almost two years,and if you really focus on what
you want, man, if you reallyfocus on what you want, you can
get what you need.
So that's it.
Eric Olson (37:36):
I appreciate you guys, yeah, I appreciate you
guys.
Jared Ledford (37:39):
Yeah, I appreciate you guys very much.
We will be back actually nextweek.
We will be here with Rodney andwe will be talking more steel
buildings and woodshed-relatedtalk, but in the meantime I'm
Jared.
That guy over there is Eric.
We are the Steel Kings and weare beyond blessed today.
Eric Olson (38:00):
Tell your dad you love him.
Tell your dad you love him.
Tell your dad you love him.
Tell him you love him.
Jared Ledford (38:05):
I'm going to echo what Eric said Go Reds, we will
talk to you guys later.
Have a great week, peace out.
OUTRO (38:15):
Before you go, the J Money team wants to thank you
for listening to today's SteelKings podcast.
Remember, money is king and ifyou need a financing option on
your portable wood sheds orsteel buildings, we are here to
help.
Just check us out at jmoneyllc.
com for more information anddon't forget to catch the next
episode of the Steel Kingspodcast and have a great day.
Hey, this is Joel Oney at J Money in the heart of the
Buckeye State, and I want topersonally welcome you to
today's episode of the SteelKings podcast with my good
friends Jared Ledford and EricOlson, better known as the Steel
Kings.
Be sure to check out jmoneyllc.
com for financing solutions foryour buildings.
(00:21):
And now let's get back to theSteel Kings podcast.
Jared Ledford (00:26):
Hey, hey, what's going on, guys?
This is Jared, and over thereis Eric.
We are the Steel Kings back atyou with another episode.
We are on episode 21.
Bro, how is that even possible?
Eric Olson (00:41):
I don't know how it's possible.
I thought we was just on 17,but maybe 21.
21's a good number.
Jared Ledford (00:48):
Yeah, bro, yeah, so I've got my headphones fixed
for everybody out there, soyou're not getting blasted by
the music.
I did get my headphones and mymicrophone configured properly,
so I'm hoping you can hear meloud and clear, bro.
How are you today, man?
It is July the 3, the third.
It is beautiful outside in Ohioand, uh, I think I'm better
(01:09):
than I deserve this morning.
How about you Eric?
Eric Olson (01:12):
Doing great, regretting not doing yard work
earlier because I'm gonna do.
Yeah, I know I gotta trim thebushes.
I've gotta, I gotta pull someweeds out tomorrow morning.
Man, it's 90 degrees, can'tescape it.
Jared Ledford (01:26):
Yeah, it says it's 80 right now, it's 11:28,
and it says it's going to be 86today.
So, if you are in the Ohio area, find an air conditioner.
So, we are coming at you, man.
It is July the 3rd.
Like I said, tomorrow is thefourth of July, man, and I
thought we'd start out talking alittle bit about that.
(01:48):
Um, I think we're both.
You know, we use the we'rered-blooded Americans kind of
talk, but we love our country.
Um, for the longest time, atour old shop, I had a
constitution hanging outside myoffice.
I don't know if you knew thator not, Eric.
Eric Olson (02:03):
No, I saw it.
Jared Ledford (02:06):
I had a constitution and we always have
the flag flying somewhere.
I remember very vividly one ofthe best times I had at the shop
was getting the American flaghung with your dad.
I was thinking about that theother day.
I was thinking about that theother day.
You're missing your dad man, Imiss him, and I know.
(02:27):
Thinking about that the otherday, I was thinking about that
the other day, you're missingyour dad man.
I mean I miss him, and I knowyou miss him.
Father's Day was a couple weeksago.
Yeah, I was thinking about thatbecause it was a good memory.
We've got a program in mycommunity where I live, where
the Optimist Club comes andactually puts American flags in
your yard so you donate money tothem.
You donate money to them everyyear and then they bring an
(02:49):
American flag, like 4th of July,Memorial Day, veterans Day, all
of the major USA holidays andyeah, I was just thinking about
that this morning and gettingexcited for a long weekend.
And yeah, what about you man?
What's 4th of July do for Eric?
Eric Olson (03:07):
bro last.
For three straight years Iwasn't in Ohio, so last year was
the first July that I was inOhio, um, and you know somewhat
of a long time.
I got engaged a year ago.
I think it was a year ago,maybe not today, but the next
(03:29):
day or so Was it the 5th.
Jared Ledford (03:33):
Yeah, I think it was the 5th I got married.
Eric Olson (03:38):
I don't remember it was a good day.
I remember I was at theBrookville community picnic,
which we'll talk about today.
We was watching the Brookvillecommunity picnic, which we'll
talk about today.
Um, we was watching the epicfire work display.
Um, we got epic.
Uh, oh man, I got a funnel cake.
I remember that funnel cakethat person had.
So, like you know, fourth ofJuly for Americans I just think
of like slip and slides,sparklers, like tank tops, like
(04:03):
A tank top is a thing.
It's a huge thing Kids.
Jared Ledford (04:08):
There's a real famous scene and I think you'll
know the movie I'm talking about.
The movie that I'll watch withthe kids this weekend is the
Sandlot.
I think that they have the verybest July 4th firework sequence
.
If you're a baseball fan or ifyou're a, you know, if you were
born in the early 50s or 60s,the Sandlot is probably one of
(04:33):
my favorite movies anyways.
But the you know America theBeautiful by Ray Charles, that
scene where Benny runs through.
You know all the kids have beenat the party and this is the
way the world used to be right.
You know that American, thatnostalgic.
You know there's a block party.
They're out in the street, thateverybody in the community is
(04:54):
out there, they're having a mealtogether and Benny and all the
kids run because it's the onenight of the year that they can
play ball at night and feel likethe big leaguers because
they're playing under the lightsof the fireworks.
And I mean, what a.
Eric Olson (05:10):
That's a good scene of that movie, man.
You know what I mean.
It's relatable.
Jared Ledford (05:16):
It's so relatable .
Eric Olson (05:17):
You can see it right .
Jared Ledford (05:19):
I mean, you can see it in your mind.
If you've seen that movie andyou listened to that 35 second
clip I just gave you, you'reseeing it in your mind and being
young and being excited and thefeeling of that youth, the
feeling of that excitement whenyou were, you know, when you
were young and feel, in a sortof way, to do that thing that
(05:39):
you love to do.
And I bring that up because youknow this is the.
You know, this is one of thosetimes of the year where the guys
in the shop get a couple daysoff and you know, all of our
manufacturers are on vacation.
Eric Olson (05:52):
They take their vacation they rolled they rolled
their sidewalks up for twoweeks.
Jared Ledford (05:57):
They don't just, they don't just say goodbye,
they say yeah.
They say not right now likethey.
They don't even have ananswering machine, it seems.
They, uh, they come back to amess after July 4th holiday.
But I was thinking about that.
I mean, I was reflective alittle bit this morning and just
thinking of that and you know,I just wanted to share that with
you.
I thought that was a nice man.
Eric Olson (06:18):
That movie is just everything a 12 year old boy
should want in their life is abig old fat chew carnival rides,
playing ball, staying out late,you know, hyping up some big
bad dog.
That's really not that big,yeah, that's the whole.
Jared Ledford (06:33):
That's the whole, that is the whole premise of
the movie don't make thingsbigger than they need to be
right, don't make things, don'tmake things, don't exaggerate in
your mind.
So, I mean you know, and we canrelate that to what we do,
right?
So, I get up every day, and notthat I'm running through the
streets or anything, but I lovewhat I do here, and I think
y'all know that I've talkedabout that on the podcast and it
(06:56):
reflects in my day to day.
I love what I do here at DaytonBarnes.
I love doing the podcast withyou, eric.
I love what we're doing withthe pole barns at Five Rivers.
I just love what I'm doing rightnow in my life, and it
motivates me to get up and getmoving every day.
In a way that's a little bitfaster than it would be if I
wasn't motivated.
And if you get to the point inyour life where you do what you
(07:17):
love every day, you'll neverwork a day in your life.
You know that's the, that's thebig gimmick that everybody
sells you on and I think for mepersonally, I couldn't be
happier in the position that I'min currently and that scene in
that movie is reflective of that.
They were loving baseball somuch that the second that they
got to feel a sort of wayplaying under the fireworks like
(07:38):
they were big leaguers.
And I think about that movie alot because it is truly one of
my favorite movies and I musthave watched it.
I don't know, I must have woreout the VHS tape of that when I
was a kid because I think Iprobably watched it.
That one and Wayne's World Ithink Wayne's World we've talked
about that, eric Wayne's Worldis like my other favorite movie
(07:58):
and that one is just funny towatch on a weekend for no reason
at all, just like you knowwe're like steel buildings, but
Wayne's World yeah, yeah, thereyou go, so party on, party on
eric well, I was just thinkingof when squints went up the high
dive.
Eric Olson (08:15):
Yeah, and he's flirting with Wendy Peppercorn,
yeah or no?
No, it wasn't squints.
Yeah, it was.
Yep, no, no squints.
Well, it was no, no Squints.
Well, it was also the cannibal,the freckled guy I can't
remember his name in the movie.
Jared Ledford (08:33):
But he Vertrum, vertrum.
I don't remember his name inthe movie, but the tall, the
call kid with glasses, the goofylooking one, the one that
disappeared at the end of themovie.
They said he disappeared.
We never saw him again.
Never saw him again.
Yeah, no, never saw him again Iwas.
Eric Olson (08:48):
It was like the.
It was like the uh, the chubbyredheaded guy.
That was like hi, ladiesremember that you did the
cannibal yeah, uh forget, he sethim up.
He set him up.
Jared Ledford (08:57):
Yeah, he's uh, you want to know something, I
think Porter.
Eric Olson (09:01):
I remember Porter Porter.
I remember Teen Knight.
I remember on 4th of July wewould go to Melody Pool for Teen
Night.
Yep, Yep, there you go.
Now I'm just thinking aboutsummer memories.
But Teen Knight, there, Iremember doing cannonballs there
I remember eating six hot dogswalking down to that gas station
.
Yeah, marathon, yeah.
Jared Ledford (09:23):
So that is Patrick Rennarick.
Rena played Hamilton Porter inthe movie, the Sam Hamilton
Porter, and I think you know the.
The most famous, the mostfamous, uh, the most famous
person in that movie wasprobably James earl jones at the
time and he plays the Mr.
Myrtle yeah, yeah.
(09:44):
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Jared Ledford (11:01):
It's a very adult-themed movie for kids
Because as an adult, you canwatch it and think, oh okay,
they're talking about racism,they're talking about the strife
and the struggle in the 30s and40s and they're talking about
how life was in the 50s and 60s.
And you look at it now andyou're thinking, oh man, this is
idealistic and we yearn forthat time and a lot of it, and
(11:26):
I'm going to get on my soapboxfor a hot minute, so just bear
with me here.
I think a lot of it has to dowith community, right, and we
talk about.
You know, every time I tell youguys goodbye, I'm telling you
guys to go out and be a goodadvocate in your community.
I'm a big, strong, firm believerthat being an advocate in your
community will lead to a better,happier, prosperous life for
you, because people all the timelive places and they don't know
(11:48):
anybody that they live with.
They don't know anybody thattheir neighbor's with, and
that's not how it used to be.
You used to be able to go outon your front porch or go out on
your street when I live in mycommunity.
I'm trying, but most of thepeople there are not exactly the
most friendly Most of the time,you know we've got a nice
little community at the end ofour one road.
(12:09):
But other than that, I meanit's just the world's such a
changed place, man, it's such achanged place, and I really, you
know, if we, if we all, wouldbe a little bit nicer to each
other.
You know, maybe take, you know,maybe take Jesus's approach to
it.
You know we need to get back toWWJD a little bit more we need
some bracelets, yeah we needsome bracelets, man.
(12:31):
What happened to those?
Eric Olson (12:32):
we use a bracelet.
Hey, heather, heather has themall I'm staring at a bag.
Right now, I could see a bag.
We're going to, we're going to,we're going to Belize to tell
uh, we're going to some town, uh, four churches there to preach.
Um, in two weeks I am literallygoing to be in front of some
bro, like dream come true.
You know uh, so I know what youmean and tie it back right.
Jared Ledford (12:55):
I mean you know you guys are listening like, oh
okay, you're talking aboutbaseball today.
You're talking about you know,you're talking about um going
and preaching.
Maybe that's not your speed,maybe you're not a baseball guy,
maybe you're not into church,and that's okay too.
Find what motivates you andmake it a part of your everyday
life and bring it into your work.
I mean we're talking mainly toshed guys.
(13:15):
Right, most of the guyslistening to this are either
shed sales or shed manufacturing.
We're starting to get into somesteel guys too.
But I mean, the reason that I'mhappy when I wake up in the
morning is because I love what Ido, and I motivate myself.
I've got a nice setup here atthe office.
Obviously, I've got theequipment necessary and some of
(13:36):
it comes down to investing inyourself, believing in yourself.
If you're sitting on a lot andyou're struggling, man, reach
out to somebody, ask for somehelp, maybe look at somebody
else.
I mean, certainly, if you'reselling sheds and you're
struggling, certainly yourmanufacturer is going to have
some sort of guidance for you,even if you're working for a
smaller manufacturer.
Maybe you are that smallmanufacturer, but I mean there's
(13:59):
certainly more people out theredoing what you do than you
think there are.
I was shocked when I went toshed expo for the first time and
started to meet some of you andreally got to put faces with
names and I was like, wow, youknow, this is a lot deeper than
I was really thinking it was.
You know, don't let people befooled by the fact that you know
(14:20):
we've got the smallest,rinkiest, dinkiest shed lots all
the way up to these massivemega conglomerate shed lots.
Now I am just blown away bysome of these lots that I see
when I drive around.
Like man, you guys are killingit, and rightfully so, man.
I mean that's the industry,right, if you can continue to
get better.
A rising tide raises all boats,right, eric?
(14:41):
I mean that's the saying.
Yeah, that's the saying.
Yeah, that's the saying.
So, I don't know, man.
I wanted to talk.
I wanted to talk a little bitabout what we do over the fourth
of July.
I wanted to motivate everybodyto have a great and happy
holiday.
I know you're going to behearing this after.
So basically, for us it's oneof those things where, hopefully
, you had a really happy andhealthy fourth of July and
(15:03):
you're jumping back in on yoursales process when you hear this
in a couple of weeks.
But for us, man, we just keepplugging along.
We've had everybody in theoffice this week, we've been
pumping leads, we've beenclosing deals and hopefully
that's what you guys are doingtoo.
And I think one of the thingsthat people do often is and we
(15:24):
got a guy, we know we've got aguy on our team.
That's kind of like this, andyou know we've tried to motivate
this guy on our team.
I think Eric will know what I'mtalking about.
You get in these really goodgrooves and you sell, you sell,
you sell.
And all of a sudden, oh man,you know, I got, I got this, I
got this money and I don'tnecessarily need to sell this
week.
And then, all of a sudden, whatwas a really high time in your
(15:46):
life?
What was a really high moment?
Man, I had all these sales, Ihad all this money.
Now, all of a sudden, I'vetaken two weeks off work and I
haven't sold anything.
I don't even have anything inthe pipeline.
Now, all of a sudden, I'mstruggling for a, eric, because
we got a, we got a couple guys.
We've lost that.
(16:06):
You know, we pride ourselveshere.
I personally pride myself onretention.
The people who are meant to behere stay here.
I almost never lose anybody,but the people that we lose
interest in the job.
Not interested in Dayton Barnesor me.
It's never performance related.
It's never performance related,it's always.
(16:29):
Can you continue?
I mean, you guys know you'relistening to us you sell sheds,
you sell metal buildings, yousell pole barns.
You know what it's like.
You know it's.
It's a cycle.
It's up and it's down.
One minute You're selling fivebuildings.
The next minute you don't sellnothing and you're feeling down
on yourselves and you're feelingkind of in the.
You know in that spot wherethis and what I think that Eric
(16:56):
and I have figured out in ourminds and in our lives here in
the shop is that we just have tokeep going, even on those days
when it doesn't feel likethere's much for us to do.
Eric Olson (17:03):
When you're busy you thrive because you're busy, and
when you're not busy you shouldbuild and try to get busy.
And so, I think a lot of peoplethey get frustrated when you've
got to reproduce.
You know like for some reasonI've been able to get a handful
of sales every month.
There's two weeks where I won'tget enough not too much and
then I'll get three in a row.
(17:24):
Three weeks goes by, and Ithink it just matters.
It matters to me specificallythat I do the same things every
day, because if I fall on thehardness of discipline, then the
fruits just come.
(17:44):
But it's not the destination.
The destination is just doingdiscipline.
You're just doing discipline,doing the hardness on, you're
falling on that, and then thesales just come.
You don't really even care,like tomorrow might be the
busiest day of my life, butthat's okay because the next day
might not be that busy.
So, you don't really.
I don't really have apreference, I don't really care.
I just take what the what'shappening, take what the defense
(18:07):
is giving you.
Jared Ledford (18:08):
I guess good yeah , I was looking here as you were
saying that.
I was looking here as you weresaying that because I was
looking for something that I'veread before.
You'll never change your lifeuntil you change something you
do daily.
The secret to your success isfound in your daily routine.
That's a John Maxwell quote.
That's it, man.
You know, to me, to me, that isthe.
That is, the precipice ofsuccess is micromanaging it down
(18:33):
to the smallest nuance, thesmallest nugget.
I'm going to wake up at thesame time every day.
I'm going to have my clotheslaid out from the previous night
.
I'm going to make sure that I'mready to walk out the door by
this time every day.
I'm going to make sure that Iarrive to the office by this
time and then from there, I'vegot a daily task list that I
(18:54):
apply myself to every day justto make sure that those tasks
are taken care of.
And you know one of the guysthat we know, um, who actually
has been on the podcast JW.
He's probably the mostdisciplined guy I've seen as far
as a daily routine.
This is a guy who still keeps ahandwritten log, um, a
handwritten log of all of hisdaily tasks and things like that
(19:16):
and he I mean his successspeaks to that right.
I mean the fact that he's asyoung as he is and has done as
much as he has speaks to thefact that he's going to be,
continue to be successful.
And those are things that youknow.
I learned from a lot of it.
From you, eric, you know.
Working alongside you for theseyears is watching you be
disciplined, watching you bestoic, I think, in a lot of ways
(19:39):
, is probably the way that Iwould describe you and I's
temperament most days thesetimes.
You know, this time, what doyou think, bro?
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Eric Olson (21:22):
Man, I don't know, man, there's so much going
through my mind because I'm likeI know it's a big topic, man,
it is Well I think it's when doyou start?
I'm less emotional for severalreasons.
One is that so much hashappened in six years.
(21:43):
Last year was just ridiculous.
Last year it was every monthsomething bad happened.
I don't want to interpret it asbad.
Something happened that createdanother thing and I think I
lost my emotional reaction tothings.
I think everybody has crap thathappens to them, like my dad
passing away.
(22:04):
I got focused, I got married.
I didn't try to seek validationfrom a human being.
I could care less about humanbeings, what they had to say
about me or what they weresaying about it really honestly,
because so much was happening.
It was almost like I was beingpruned, like you know you're
being pruned into becoming.
Because here's the value whenyou're not emotional about your
(22:26):
doings, dealings with businessand your personal relationships,
your job, your family, yourinterests like when you're not
emotional, you think straight.
And when you think straight,you think straight.
And when you think straight,you can make better decisions
over the long course.
And that's better, because thenin those like in that
non-emotional state, it's likeyou can just think straight yeah
(22:48):
, and then honestly, when youget emotional you don't like it
you're like, oh, I need to backup.
I can't be, I can't make adecision right now because, man,
I'm too, I'm too amped up weknow, we know that Jesus says to
take away the branches thatdon't bear fruit.
Jared Ledford (23:03):
Oh yeah, right.
Eric Olson (23:04):
Jesus says don't take away the branch.
Jared Ledford (23:07):
Take away the branch that doesn't bear fruit.
Prune the branches that do bearfruit so they will bear more
fruit in the future.
I think I've I've given you thepreface, I.
I can't recall the, the verse.
You might know it a little bit,and that's john, that's the
dude.
Eric Olson (23:21):
I did uh uh jw when he was 16 I gave a message on uh
, bro, and that, and that'swhether you're a crish or not.
I was thinking.
I was thinking about that notshoving it down anyone's throat,
but like in life, just ingeneral, like if you have
something that's not producinggood for you, you should cut it
off.
Jared Ledford (23:39):
But yeah, yeah, yeah it's pretty it's pretty
when we talked about this right,including people yeah, yes, yes
, you can prune.
You can prune individuals.
Yeah, that's exactly right.
If you look at your life like abig tree and you have seasons,
leaves come, leaves go, butbranches grow and start to break
(24:01):
and grow in different ways,things like that, and this is
obviously a very weird analogyfor those of you that are not
you know in the word Jared andEric at their best but I'm yeah,
but I mean, you know, the thingabout it is if, if you look at
the, the, the tree of life thatEric and I have together as a
partnership in this business, wehave cut heavy limbs off this
(24:22):
tree that have.
you know, when you cut a limboff a tree, you risk the tree
itself.
You have to make sure youmaintain the tree.
The body of the tree has to bemaintained and loved and cared
about and that's where Eric andI, over the last couple of years
, have had to really bigbranches in our lives that were
really anchors, you know, quitehonestly, big pieces of our
(24:46):
lives, and we had to create newpathways, new branches that now
have all of these newopportunities.
And if we hadn't done thatpruning at the time, if we
hadn't made resolute, cleardecisions as a team, I don't
know where we'd be quitehonestly.
Certainly, we certainlywouldn't be doing this podcast
that's for sure.
Eric Olson (25:06):
I agree on that.
In the five rivers, like Caleb,Caleb Grimes.
You guys met him last episode.
He was over at my houseyesterday.
I'm to get a side concrete toour driveway, but man and him
and I was talking about the samething.
Man, how everything lines uplike that Because, like, when
you start to make decisions thatare tough, like what you're
alluding to, the blessings onthe other side of it it's good,
(25:29):
and you wouldn't get it withouta clean slate, and so when you
clean your slate off now you canwrite on it, and so that's
right.
Jared Ledford (25:34):
You remember.
Eric Olson (25:35):
Hey, you know what?
That's a weird analogy.
Uh, so I was talking about this.
You remember?
I remember um, in in ninthgrade at North one high school I
had a guy named Mr Hake.
We hated each other.
Oh, I think he hated me.
I definitely didn't like the guyand I remember and I'm like I'm
not saying I'm old, but westill had a chalkboard in that
room and I remember you had toget two buckets of water, the
(25:57):
two pails, and one was yoursponge, the dirty sponge water,
and then the other one was likethe clean water, so you'd wring
it in the other one.
Yeah, nothing looked more likenothing packed a punch better
than fresh chalk on a on a on aclean chalkboard.
It was, and I remember just youjust going like your science
(26:19):
teacher's classroom is like theboard's just spilled, you can't
follow it, all the handwriting'scrappy and sideways and doesn't
make any sense, and so when youstart to take off the branches
like, you're providing space forsomething new to, and, and it
normally has got a lot moreclarity than the previous thing.
Jared Ledford (26:39):
Yeah, you try to I.
I think that that analogy isperfect for what we're talking
about, because think of theblackboard.
Right, you've got all thatwriting like you're talking
about.
It's messy, you erase it andyou write over top of it.
It still isn't clear.
It still isn't clear, and ericknows this about me.
God, grant me the serenity tochange the things I can.
Eric Olson (26:59):
Yeah.
Jared Ledford (27:00):
That's my.
You know, I mantra that I lostmy dad, um God, 15 years ago Now
.
It's crazy to think about itand you know, that's why I mean
honestly, I probably think aboutEric's dad more than anybody,
but Eric maybe his family.
But I think about that because,you know, I never had that
relationship with my dad thatEric had with his, and I
(27:28):
struggled for a long time toovercome that in my life.
You know, now, with threedaughters who I just love I mean
, I just love my kids I can'timagine not being with them, I
can't imagine not doing thingswith them and being there for
them all the time, and thethought of not seeing them makes
(27:48):
me hurt inside.
And you know, I don't know why.
I said that.
It was just something.
Something you said touched meon that thought and I wanted to
share that with you guys becauseI mean, I know there's a lot of
you know, for me personally,I'm putting in a lot of time,
Eric's putting in a lot of time.
You know I was just.
You talked about the picnic.
I'll talk about that a littlebit.
You know I'm on the board ofdirectors for the local chamber
(28:09):
of commerce in our community.
I'm on the park board.
You know I'm volunteering inthe community.
I'm trying to be a betteradvocate and I'm trying to do
what I say.
That way I can be a goodexample to those around me,
especially my kids.
I want to be a good example tomy daughters and I want them to
really enjoy where they live.
And what we were talking aboutbefore we got on the call was
(28:32):
the community picnic and youbrought it up, eric.
So we go to the communitypicnic.
Obviously, I'm busy doingChamber of Commerce stuff.
The Chamber of Commerce putsthe picnic on, but we bring a
shed down and we make a big dealout of it and we really like
doing that.
And this time of the yearreally reminds me of that too,
because we're getting busy doingthat.
I know you're excited, butyou're going to Belize and
(28:53):
you're doing.
I mean, bro, you got tons ofstuff coming up.
Eric Olson (28:56):
I mean we're just and pull barns.
Yeah, you know, like you know,and tie back to the episode
content, which is it's the daybefore fourth of July.
We live in a great, we live inthe greatest country in the
world where you can makedecisions without persecution.
You might catch some flack fromothers, but whatever, if you
haven't been back bit in yourlife, keep living, because it's
(29:18):
going to come.
But, man, we're out here on apodcast running our business.
One thing that I ran into thismorning, literally at two or
three hours ago, was a guy fromChurch's house getting some milk
.
I buy raw milk from the guy.
He is getting a pole bar, notfrom us.
He had already made thepurchase and, uh, but saw the
(29:42):
kit, saw that it's from uh, Iknow who it's from, so I was
interested to see the finalproduct.
But he had a metal building, sohe bought a.
He bought a metal building froma dealer in Middletown, so two,
two people shot I can'tremember the names.
They used to post on Facebook alot, but they went out of
business and they sold theirdemo and it was a 30 by 40 with
(30:05):
a 12-foot lean-to with two 9 by8 roll-up doors, and he bought
it for $16,000.
And it's sitting in his frontlawn and I was like, not put
together, not put together.
Oh man, why Dang you made thatguy's day.
(30:29):
He probably went to the casinowith all that cash.
Jared Ledford (30:31):
He took that $16,000 and ran into the night,
didn't he?
We haven't been able to get ridof demos.
We can't give them.
We can't give them suckers away16k he said.
Eric Olson (30:42):
He said he had a guy offer 10 and I was like you
should take 10 yeah, you shouldtake you should definitely take
10.
Jared Ledford (30:51):
You should take 10 and be it be okay that you
got the 10.
Eric Olson (30:54):
I mean, dang, I said I think you get more money out
of it if you built it.
So, when someone comes to lookat, they're like okay, because
this thing's, that's awesome oh,my goodness, that's tough.
Jared Ledford (31:04):
That makes my, that makes my chest hurt.
Man, that makes my chest hurt Ilook at it, bro.
You don't even know the error Idon't, man, I don't get it.
I mean, I think a lot of it.
I mean, honestly, man, I youknow, when I think about fourth
of july, that was when I, when I, when eric and I talked before
the call, before we jumped on todo the podcast, I was being
(31:28):
reflective and I'm still beingreflective, I still keep going
back to this like veryreflective kind of day for me.
Yeah, and you know, to me it'sI don't know.
I am very thankful to livewhere I live.
I'm very glad and blessed andblessed beyond measure to really
be where we're at and be in aposition to talk to you.
(31:51):
You know, if you're listeningto my voice right now, I want to
be something that you enjoy andyou know I threw the emails
down.
We got the Steel Kings podcast.
It's thesteelkings.
com.
Check us out on the web.
We got our emails If you wantto hear something specific, if
this kind of stuff is scratchinga little bit more of your itch.
(32:13):
We love talking about stuff likethis.
I mean, we love getting raw andreal.
Talking about you know, I thinka couple episodes ago we talked
about Shaq Um, talking aboutyou know, I think a couple
(32:37):
episodes ago we talked aboutshack.
You know we're talking aboutthe sandlot.
You know, obviously this isstuff beyond the shed.
Talk beyond hard to get contentwhen you don't get feedback as
much as you might like to.
If there's something specificyou want to hear our opinion on,
we're not shy.
If you want to get on here andtalk with us, we'd love to have
you as a guest.
We're going to be interviewing Ithink this is something new for
(32:59):
you, eric we're going to beinterviewing Rodney Creech.
He is an Ohio state rep.
We're going to talk a littlebit more about steel tariffs.
We're going to talk aboutbuilding regulations and how
that works from a state level,how you might be able to make an
impact in your community thatway.
But he is a very good friend ofmine and I've really enjoyed
(33:23):
getting to know him over thelast couple years.
We're going to have him on thisepisode.
We're going to have him on nextweek.
So, when you are hearing thispodcast, get ready for a real.
We'll have a lot of reallyvalid content.
Especially if you're in theOhio area.
He'll be able to speak from areal place of authority on that.
We're really blessed andhonored to have him on the
(33:45):
podcast.
What do you got for us, Eric?
We're right at closing time.
Man, believe it or not, we'veactually already got there.
We're there.
Eric Olson (33:54):
It's been 32 minutes .
It's been 32 minutes.
I always tear up at sportsgames where there's a flyover.
Yeah, you know that that bringsthat always brings a tear to my
.
You brought my dad.
I just looked up the picture onfacebook of him with his back
to us and man, it just.
(34:16):
I'm not sad anymore, I'm justlike man.
I I appreciate that.
That is a nice touch.
I know today was a littlesentimental it really wasn't
about metal buildings too muchbut we are grateful hearts and
man.
I'm so thankful I live in thiscountry.
I can't wait to keep going.
But, man, this weekend, drivesafe, don't drink and drive.
(34:38):
Please do not drink and drive.
You don't want DUIs, youcertainly don't.
Man, and just be safe.
I've seen some crazy Facebookreels of people lighting
fireworks off and then theirhouse blew up.
Jared Ledford (34:51):
Yep, I'm going to do some housekeeping really
quick.
I've got a couple of ad copies.
I'm going to throw them to youat the same time.
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Jmoneyllc.
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I can tell you.
I want to finish up this weekthanking him.
I talked to Joel last week.
He said that you guys have beenactive.
He said that he appreciated hisposition here on the podcast.
He's just done a lot for usover the last couple of years.
We're reflective and we'rethankful today, but I want to
(36:43):
give him a special shout out.
I mean it when I say it.
He is a.
He is a real, real friend toEric and I and Dayton Barnes.
He believes in what we're doinghere with the steel Kings
podcast.
He really, he really believesin you guys too.
He wants to be a helper foryour business.
(37:04):
I think I think that's all I gotfor you guys this week.
I really want you to get out inyour communities and make a
difference.
Man, you live in the greatestcountry in the world.
You should be thankful everyday that you wake up and you
draw breath.
Whatever your position is,whether it's good, bad or
indifferent, you can dosomething today to change your
tomorrow.
And I can tell good, bad orindifferent.
You can do something today tochange your tomorrow.
And I can tell you, man, um,I've lived that mantra and that
(37:27):
creed now for almost two years,and if you really focus on what
you want, man, if you reallyfocus on what you want, you can
get what you need.
So that's it.
Eric Olson (37:36):
I appreciate you guys, yeah, I appreciate you
guys.
Jared Ledford (37:39):
Yeah, I appreciate you guys very much.
We will be back actually nextweek.
We will be here with Rodney andwe will be talking more steel
buildings and woodshed-relatedtalk, but in the meantime I'm
Jared.
That guy over there is Eric.
We are the Steel Kings and weare beyond blessed today.
Eric Olson (38:00):
Tell your dad you love him.
Tell your dad you love him.
Tell your dad you love him.
Tell him you love him.
Jared Ledford (38:05):
I'm going to echo what Eric said Go Reds, we will
talk to you guys later.
Have a great week, peace out.
OUTRO (38:15):
Before you go, the J Money team wants to thank you
for listening to today's SteelKings podcast.
Remember, money is king and ifyou need a financing option on
your portable wood sheds orsteel buildings, we are here to
help.
Just check us out at jmoneyllc.
com for more information anddon't forget to catch the next
episode of the Steel Kingspodcast and have a great day.
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Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com