August 8, 2025 • 60 mins
Michael Flinner spent 17 years building a successful logistics company—only to walk away and start from scratch with something completely different: The Fluff, a premium pickup-and-delivery laundry service in Central Ohio.
We get into the unsexy realities of building something sustainable, why convenience is the new currency, and the importance of staying “in the mud” when you’re laying the foundation of a business. We talk pricing psychology, narrowing your audience, and how to keep climbing new mountains without burning out.
And somewhere along the way, Michael turned the tables and started asking me the questions—which got me a little fired up (in the best way).
If you’re an entrepreneur in the dreaming stage, stuck in the messy middle, or staring down the next big climb, this one’s packed with perspective, strategy, and a few laughs.
#TheKeriCroftShow #TheFluff #PodcastNowLive #EntrepreneurLife #ColumbusOhio
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Hey there you beautiful badass.
Welcome to the Keri Croft Show.
I'm your host, keri Croft,delivering you stories that get
you pumped up and feeling likethe unstoppable savage that you
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Speaker 3 (01:54):
Can I possibly get water?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
No, we do not.
That's fine what we like here.
We like your throat to getreally dry.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I saw a beer in there , we like people to cry.
We like you to sweat Do youwant a beer, I could probably do
both.
No, I'll do La Croix would beperfect, are?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
we out of poppy?
I don't even like poppy.
Can I have a La Croix?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
I decided I don't.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
I cracked one open at my house and I was like this
doesn't even taste good.
Or maybe I'm just mad at herbecause she sold her company for
a billion dollars and she's hotand like whatever sponsored by
yeah, why am I?
Speaker 3 (02:34):
giving them.
Maybe they'll sponsor us, younever know michael flinner, my
friend.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Welcome to the kerry cross show kc.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
I'm excited, I'm excited.
Thanks for having me thanks forbeing here.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
so did you always know you had mentioned to me
when I put that picture up ofmyself when I was six, you sent
me a dm and you're like, oh myGod, same.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
So you knew from a very young age about that age,
six or seven years old, and wehad a like a spare bedroom at my
parents' house.
That was like a toy room andI'm the youngest of three.
(03:09):
So as we got older it justbecame kind of a whatever
hangout room and I remember inthe summers or maybe even after
school, but there was a cardtable in there and I would set
it up and have paper on there.
You know, to go out and like,find paper and books from the
living room, bring it in andhave pencils and pens and
everything all lined up and Iwould pull an old 1980s metal
chair in there and sit behindthis card table and I would just
(03:30):
be a boss.
I had no clue what that meant,but I was pretending that I was
running this company.
So I don't know that I wasexactly entrepreneur in that way
, but it was like that businessmindset, I think, from the early
stages of it.
(03:50):
And then I think, yeah, throughthe course of probably high
school and college, you kind ofstart putting your head on a
swivel like, well, how did thatperson I was always intrigued by
, because I come from a verysmall town, I was always
intrigued by the quote unquotesuccessful business person who
created the business, whocreated something from scratch.
Um, and then, as I got older,it really blew my mind Like wait
(04:11):
, that never existed, like theyhad this aha moment one day and
they started dreaming and then,you know, work their butt off,
and so so what was your firstbusiness and your first aha
moment?
first business and your firstaha moment.
Well, like every kid washingcars, mowing lawns and um, but I
think that kind of led into youknow I had other ideas I just
(04:32):
never followed through withbecause I thought I was supposed
to go to college.
I was supposed to, you know, beliving society's view of what
the path was, and I think that'ssomething that's very freeing
for, like, a lot ofentrepreneurs is like, our path
is not like everybody else's,and so when we realize that, you
(04:53):
know, it can be very lonely andisolating to think that, well,
I don't think like my friends atthat early, you know, and if
you're 22, 23 years old andyou're like, or even younger,
like 18, 19, going into college,you're like, well, this isn't
for for me, I'm a collegedropout, so that's why I said
that, and so it took a few years, and even into, you know,
probably into my mid to late 20still I was like wait a second,
(05:13):
like it's okay, I thinkdifferent and, um, so yeah,
that's when I launched my firstcompany.
I was 26.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
And in what industry?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
In logistics, transportation and uh logistics.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Were you passionate about making money?
Was that it?
Was it like?
That was the like?
I can't imagine you being likeI'm so passionate about
transportation and logistics,but was that it Like?
I'm going to build this empire?
We are going to build thisempire, and is that what kind of
drove you Like?
You're like, yes, we're goingto make money.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
I think when you're that young, you don't really
know why exactly.
You just uh, it seems excitingto I mean you know why?
Because it's the biggest thingwas like being on my own,
creating something on my own,and you know, it can be that old
adage of like be my own bossand wake up and do what I want
to do every day.
Well, you quickly learn yeah,you or, I guess, your own boss,
(06:00):
but you wear a lot of hats inthe beginning and I think once I
got into it, I realized that Iloved looking at all these
industries that we served andwondering how they started.
I was just so curious.
And that's when, like fullentrepreneur kicks in, right Of
like wow, I got to see 10different companies this week
and how they, you know, shiptheir products and it just blew
(06:22):
my mind how they were alldifferent.
They're all started somewherethird, fourth generation, summer
, first generation.
But I thought it was reallyneat how, you know, everyone
started with the same dream andtook a huge risk, and so I just
getting to learn you know moreabout the customer base we had.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
So you were doing this logistics thing for like 17
years.
You decided you're done thing.
For like 17 years you decidedyou're done and now you're doing
the fluff, which is completelydifferent.
It's laundry service.
So walk us through the thoughtprocess that you had in terms of
okay, I just had the, I didthis for 17 years.
I'm going to do somethingdifferent.
(06:59):
Like, what kind of ideation didyou go through?
How long did it take?
What made you decide to land ondoing laundry for people?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yeah, I just it was time for me to move on and try
something new, right, to getcreative again and look to
something new.
And I was on YouTube one nightand you know I've talked about
Cody Sanchez and she's a beastand she had put an investment
into a laundry company in Austin, texas called the Fold and I've
(07:29):
always thought, quote unquote,passive income industries were
interesting, right, laundrycompanies, laundromats, car
washes Until you get in them,and I don't think anything is
truly passive.
But this was different, wherethey really shined on the pickup
and delivery aspect and againit goes back to like truly
serving the customer, makingtheir lives easier.
(07:49):
I was like I'm in, so I watchedthis.
I probably watched that YouTubevideo 18 times in like a week
because I would pause and theywould show financials, I would
zoom in OK, how does this work?
And I would Google the ownersand figure out how they were
doing things.
And there was a few otherarticles and as time went on,
there was more press releases onthem and you know they, they
grew really fast and ultrasuccessful and Mark Blastkamp is
(08:12):
one of the entrepreneurs thatstarted that.
And finally, I think it's likeanything else you know you
talked about at the beginning oflike people with these crazy
ideas in their head and there'sfour seasons and that's the
first one.
I call it right.
It's the dreaming season, whenit won't leave you alone.
I think you're supposed to, andyou can call it God, the
(08:32):
universe, wherever you want, butthere's always a tap on your
shoulder.
Every so often you look over,and for me it was like I could
be traveling to a city andwalking down a sidewalk in
Florida and there was a pickupand delivery van.
I'm like, am I supposed to dothis?
Right, like?
I have a dozen examples likethat and I think when you hear
that whisper over and over again, it's just it's time to act on
(08:53):
it.
And for me it was.
It was a little hard to go backto the beginning, right Cause,
as you remember those days, thefirst time, the first couple of
times, maybe and um, it can beand it can be painful, but what
I've realized now in my 40s isit's kind of what we make it and
kind of, you know, I enjoy itmore, I take it slower.
What are some of these thingsteaching me, versus just
(09:16):
muscling and powering throughand not really looking at the
bigger picture?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Was part of you like holy shit, like like so I've
spent 17 years buildingsomething.
I'm walking away.
But now I'm looking at thisother mountain and I'm getting
like I have to start the climball over again.
But isn't that part of the likeallure, in a way?
If you know part of you's like,ah, damn, I have to climb this
mountain again, you know,starting at ground zero.
(09:42):
But then the other part ofyou's like, oh, I'm gonna climb
this, and now I'm not startingat ground zero.
But then the other part of youis like, ooh, I'm going to climb
this, and now I'm not sharingthis with anyone.
Now, this is all mine, not interms of money or greed, but in
terms of just the wholeexperience.
You know, because I thinkowning a company with a partner
I don't care what anyone says,I've been there it's just
different.
So to have the opportunity tothen climb this mountain on your
(10:08):
own, I don't know, there's alot of freedom.
It's also very scary.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
It is kind of a sick and twisted way that we think
about it.
Right, like wait a second, I'mgoing to go back up that
mountain, but it's so fun.
And the same aspect of how didyou word it one day and I think
I DM'd you back like I'm goingto see how I put this puzzle
together or something like that.
And it is, it's, it's a, it's.
It's fun when you, when youmake it fun, I guess if that
(10:34):
makes sense, and but that washard, right, like I, I know what
that mountain looks like.
I was at the top of it, I guessI could say Um wasn't.
Long after that, I saw a videowith David Goggins say, if you
find yourself at the top of themountain, it's fine for you to
find a new mountain to climbRight.
And so I felt like those wordsechoed for like weeks and I was
like, okay, I got to go go backdown and start climbing again.
(10:57):
And but you're right, it's,it's new, it's refreshing, it's
you know something that I'mcreating and building a new team
, building new ideas, learningfrom new mistakes.
So yeah, it can be veryexciting.
I think we also have to remindourselves that, at least at this
phase, this new company is justto give myself and anyone that
(11:21):
might be in the same position.
Give yourself tons of grace of.
I don't care how long you'vebeen in this game.
Like you're going to makemistakes, and this is the first
time you may be.
It's my first business toconsumer venture.
Right, like all these differentthings could come into play and
just go along with this journey.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
So it's called the Fluff and it's laundry delivery.
Where are you doing all thelaundry?
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Right now we have partnered up with a facility
near campus, centrally located,which is nice close to 71.
I wanted to, and I started in afacility before that which was
fine.
This one has got plenty of roomas we grow.
We're not going to like takeover the place.
And then I've really built agood rapport with the owner.
He's amazing and so that wasbig to find a relationship with
(12:07):
the owner and find one thatwasn't too busy in the hours
that we were going to need itand that we were going to also
flood the thing.
So right now it's working.
We're growing pretty fast.
So he and I are watching thatclosely to see you know what
step next steps might be.
But yeah, it's a.
It's a facility right here nearcampus.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
And you have a delivery truck outside that's
wrapped, I mean you're committed.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
You're driving that puppy around all day long.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
All in, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
So do you deliver it?
Speaker 3 (12:34):
I'm the driver.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
I know you deliver it to Kimmy, but I didn't know she
had some special access.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Yeah, she gets owner access delivered Right.
Access yeah, she gets owneraccess delivered Right.
No, so the beginning I'm a firmbeliever in.
You know there's a couple ofdifferent ways I could have done
this right, like I could havewent out and raised a campaign
and hired 10 people I didn'treally need, and including
driver.
And I just come from how Istarted.
The first, you know, gig waslike let's get in the mud, let's
(13:04):
see how this thing works.
And I got to tell you there'sno better way.
When you look back a year,three years, five years from now
, when all the procedures are inplace, that you had to put in
like that I'm putting in nowmakes sense.
Right, it's a big trial anderror, but you're not going to
know unless you're swimming inthose waters in the beginning.
And so you know, am I going tobe driving this van forever?
(13:25):
No, but am I having fun with itnow?
Right, we're shooting contentwith it and and you know you got
to just swallow pride in theego and be like I'm in and you
know, embarrasses my 17 year olddaughter when she sees this
thing.
She goes.
I feel like every time you'rein it, driving through Bexley,
like I see you with my friendsin the car.
I'm like well, you should wave.
Tell them I'll give them apromo code.
(13:46):
Right, let's go.
Let's get their parents onboard.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I mean, but that's okay.
So lesson for an entrepreneur Imean, that's neon light.
For me in my mind is if youcan't get in on the ground floor
and do all the things, what areyou even doing?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Yeah, I spent like three nights ago, you know,
single dude on his couchshopping for best price per
ounce on soap that's good soap.
You know I don't want thecheapest.
Yeah, that's what I.
Yeah, but you know stuff likethat.
And you know I've got anawesome team.
I've got a couple people inside, you know, doing the wash dry
fold, which they're amazing andI'm so lucky to have found them.
(14:26):
But, yeah, like I'm doingeverything else the driving, and
we don't have routes set up now, so we're trying to figure that
out.
And you know, stuff getsdropped in overnight and you got
to be able to pivot the nextmorning.
And it's fun.
I'm having fun with it, knowingthis isn't forever.
But how am I gonna?
How am I gonna direct and leadand tell future drivers how it's
supposed to be done if I'm notin it right?
(14:47):
Like we have this motto withFrancis and Jasmine, the two
awesome team members I had withme and it's I'm going to get
T-shirts made with this.
But the repeat business is builton the folding table and I tell
them, like you guys are rockstars, look, boom, this customer
came back.
Boom, this customer came back.
Boom, this customer came backBecause the machines wash, dry
the clothes, right, but therepeat business is built on that
(15:10):
presentation when they openthose bags.
And so I'm like this is all youguys right, and so that will be
the future message to thedrivers too.
Like nobody wants you knowsomebody that looks sloppy shirt
untucked, in a bad mood,walking in their flower beds,
driver, right.
But I have to have all theseexperiences to know and start to
build rapport with thecustomers to know.
Like, okay, now I know, when westart hiring drivers, I can
(15:32):
kind of set the stage of what'sthe expectation.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Well, I think social media glamorizes
entrepreneurship and you have somany people who are looking at
whatever it is on social mediathat someone's curated and
everybody, of course, like ohyes, I would love that, I would
love to own this business orhave this glamorous life.
I think they forget themillions of steps that it takes
to get there and if, like so,you have no choice but to drive
the truck, you have no choicebut to be on the ground floor,
(16:04):
because without you building it,there would be no ground floor.
It's like people's perceptionsor idea of what it really takes
to build something sustainablewith heart, and that matters.
I mean, you better love it.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Carrie.
I launched in February Verysoft launch.
I took my daughter on springbreak in March and I knew, going
into it if this thing works.
And here we are in July, thatthis statement was going to be
true.
I'm not going to have avacation for a while and that's
okay.
I'm okay with that.
Right, like I've been blessedto travel and I've done a ton of
(16:39):
that, am I going to ever?
Yeah, it's going to happenagain, but yeah, I'm in this
chapter you're right where it'sglamorized a lot of what it's
really not.
And not that it's awful, it'sjust part of the journey and
it's season one, phase one,which can go, and they could be
like that for 20 years for somepeople who just want to be small
(17:00):
business owners and they don'twant to expand and have other
people come in and take over.
But for me it's fun for now andyou just have to know some of
these sacrifices are going to beworth it and it's not forever.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Okay, michael.
So I do feel like laundryservice is like if you had a
list of things to take off yourplate.
Whether you're single mom,single dad, married, both of you
work, it doesn't matter.
Laundry is a pain in the ass,and so I feel like it is right
for the picking.
You have the fluff, you'redoing the laundry service, but I
(17:36):
think it's also there's there'shurdles to overcome, right,
like it's your laundry.
That's a little intimate.
Um, people like it to smell acertain way, they want it to
like.
I just think there's nothingmore intimate than like me
giving you my laundry.
So help me get, help me getover the hump there to like.
Why would I decide to let youdo it?
Speaker 3 (17:57):
And it's a newer service, so a lot of people
quickly adapt to it.
Like, this makes sense.
I get it, let's go.
And for those that don't, Ithink the the facts of where
we're at in today's society withtime is.
You know we just dropped thison Instagram yesterday or the
day before where you know theaverage load of laundry for for
(18:18):
residential machines right Is isis three hours, right, so you
wash it and you dry it.
Those are usually 40 to50-minute cycles and then you're
going to do the thing everybodyhates, right?
We're going to act like we'regoing to get out of the dryer
right away.
We might let it sit there andhave to rerun the dryer, but no,
you get out of the dryer andyou start folding it, which most
people just can't stand.
(18:39):
But it's three hours and sothat's one load hours, and so
you know that's one load, and soyou imagine a family of three,
four, five people, it's.
It's interesting how I get inthese conversations.
Never thought I'd be talkingabout this much laundry with
people, but like I literallyhave a conversation with mom and
she'll say thank God, you guysare doing this.
I spend six hours, seven hours,a week, on laundry.
(19:00):
I do it every day for an hourif I keep up with it and if I
don't.
You know we're seeing a lot ofpeople, like a lot of our
regular customers, especiallythis time of year coming off a
summer, and you know camps andvacations.
I mean they're dumping threeand four large bags because it's
overwhelming.
I mean you know what it is.
You're like you get back from avacation You're like, oh my
(19:21):
gosh, like how am I even goingto?
And so that's our biggest thingis, is it's going to save time?
And if you and if you can savetime and you know most people
are intentional with theirchildren like, okay, let's go to
the park, let's go on a walk,let's go to the pool, like I
don't have to worry aboutlaundry, and you know it's
school starting, you knowafterschool activities and
little kids and you're you knowbossing them around town and
(19:43):
sports and camps and clubs, andeverybody gets home at 10
o'clock and goes, oh, you don'thave any clothes, you don't have
the shirt you want to weartomorrow, you don't have the,
and for some parents they don'thave the uniform right, they
need it turned in 24 hours, andso it's just kind of this common
theme that I'm noticing withparents and singles too.
Right Like I can think of oneyoung professional we have and
(20:04):
I've talked to him and he's likeI'm traveling all the time.
You know, he gives us theaccess code to his building,
we're up, he leaves his bag inthe hallway.
He's traveling all the time.
When he gets back from three,four day work trip and he's got
another one in two days hedoesn't want to do laundry and
so I think it's it's a commontheme for both singles and
families.
Is time a?
Speaker 2 (20:23):
common theme for both singles and families is time.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
So prediction from you.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Where is this at in five years?
Speaker 3 (20:30):
I don't know if I said five years when I'm about
to tell you, but my best friendfrom back home, who loves 90s
rap and R&B just as much as youdo, I've told you about him.
He and I were texting one nightand I said something like let's
get this bad boy up to 12.
I was showing him pictures ofthe van and I said 12 vans and
he said no, you're going to have50.
(20:52):
I was like OK, I don't knowabout that, but who knows, in
five years I don't think itwould be out of the question to
say I kind of gauge it indelivery vans, because that's
how my nerdy math works behindthe scenes, because I know how
many pickup and deliveries thatis.
But I think it's severalhundred customers.
I think it's, yeah, probably 10to 12 vans and I think we're
(21:17):
leaning into another market.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Oh, okay, so you have all those vans, just for
Columbus.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, leaning into anothermarket in Ohio Makes sense.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I think the natty would be good.
Oh nice, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
A lot of dirt, a lot of dirty laundry in the natty, a
lot of stuff coming out of theriver.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
So what?
Let me ask you.
So you were in this season oflike how long you've had the
Keri Croft show A little overtwo years.
What was?
Do you remember what thefeeling?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
was like going into the very first episode.
I think overall it felt verynatural because I knew I always
had wanted to do a show.
Of course you have those littlevoices in your head of like,
what are you doing?
You're in your home office, youdumb ass.
Who wants to listen to thisshit?
This is going to.
But I think that the enjoymentof it and just really genuinely
(22:07):
wanting to sit down with thepeople that I sat down with, I
think that sort of uh was louderthan the imposter syndrome you
know.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
So that's a great.
Next next question is is?
I feel like imposter syndromeis talked about a lot.
I don't know that entrepreneursare talking about it enough
though.
I think a lot of people forcontent are.
But that's a good segue intowhat would you tell a young
(22:37):
entrepreneur coming into thisBecause you're coaching and
advising people.
A lot of it is like I don'tknow, Carrie, I've never started
it.
Most people are like I don'tdeserve to start a company
because I've never started acompany before.
So I'm like what do you tellpeople with imposter syndrome?
Do it anyway and never expect.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
It's not a thing that goes away.
So imposter syndrome, that'slike the I don't know this fancy
name that we've put on justbeing a human.
It's self-doubt, it's you havethe good, the bad.
You have things you're great atthings that you suck at, and so
we all have internal dialoguethat goes on that continuum all
(23:14):
day long, every day.
And so to think that somehowthat's going to be something you
can take a pill and just cure,you're constantly I don't care
who you look at they'reconstantly doubting themselves
in certain ways.
Now some people have built themuscle the more that you.
Here's how I would coachsomeone is first, you have to
have the belief Before you doanything.
(23:36):
If I don't believe I can do it,I'm never going to put myself
on stage to do it.
So I have that internal beliefthat has to outweigh the
internal critic right.
So now I believe I believe inmyself enough to take that first
step and to have that, takethat action.
What that belief does is itbuilds my confidence right.
(23:56):
So now I'm not even really.
I know it, I know I can do it.
Now I'm doing it, and now thislittle muscle is growing as I'm
doing it.
And the next thing, I know I'mdoing it.
And now this little muscle isgrowing as I'm doing it.
And the next thing I know I'msuper confident.
And what does confidence do?
It builds momentum.
So it's belief, confidence,momentum, let's fucking go.
And so if you realize that, noone's special that everybody
(24:18):
starts in that place of beinglike I'm a dumbass.
But the people who win do itanyway.
You fight through it and thenguess what happens?
Does that voice go away?
It probably doesn't.
But the belief, the confidenceand the momentum are so loud.
The people who figure out, inspite of themselves, how to
(24:39):
believe, build confidence andget the momentum to go, go and
they're consistent with it,those are the ones that are
going to win.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Yeah, because what is it like?
90% of the thoughts we thinkaren't true anyways, and it's
you know, they're allself-deprecating and I think the
more you have, then, too, themore you create.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
And this is what I've noticed with my clients,
because a lot of people don'thave structure, they don't have
a system, Like this person thatcame in last week.
Uh, she's a newbie and she'sbuilding her brand and her
business and she's like well, my, you know, people tell me
they're at work, they're likejust post.
I mean what?
A?
You know?
No one means anything by that.
(25:19):
Yeah, Just post.
But if you don't have, if youdon't pull that back and have,
like okay, first of all, why,why am I doing any of this?
Okay, that's a whole separateconversation.
Now you understand that andyou're aligned with it.
But now you have the wholeprocess and system side, right.
So what is your specificinfrastructure to not only
(25:41):
posting?
But how are you marketing?
Posting is one pillar of yoursystem.
It's one, one small part of thewhole, and once people can see
that and go, oh wait, I actuallyhave like a, a foundation here
and a rhythm.
This is how it works.
Then you look back at justposts and you're like okay, like
what made you want to startthat?
(26:03):
So as I, when I ended mybusiness relationship and I and
I, you know, spent 10 amazingyears at SOS, just incredible I
made myself and that's part ofwhy I started the show where I'm
like let's just do somethingyou enjoy, without hooks,
without revenue, like let's justdo something you enjoy to just
kind of bridge whatever is goingto happen.
(26:25):
And in doing that, it led me tomany conversations and just
really great authentic momentswith people, and so I allow
myself to listen and I was like,well, wait, what was I really
doing at SOS?
Like what really happened there?
Right, and what really happenedthere was I met someone who had
(26:46):
this idea that was a total kindof it was like this ball of
Christmas lights, you know howit.
Like you couldn't even figureout what was going on, right.
It was just this, very thisthing and I saw potential in it.
It was a name and a couple ofclasses and I was in a space I
was going through infertility.
I wanted something that broughtme joy and I love to work out.
(27:10):
The rest is history.
And so I helped to create thebelief, the confidence, the
momentum in what became Systemof Strength, along with my
business partner.
We did that and I was like thatwas the most.
That was what I enjoyed so muchabout that process and that's
the part I feel like where I Ishine.
(27:30):
I can help people do that.
And then I was like, okay, andso, as I've been doing this show
, I created man Eater Media andone thing led to the next and
then people are asking mebusiness advice or asking
questions and I'm like, well,why am I not making this the
thing?
And I guess I didn't want.
I think I was in this ideationphase for so long where it's
(27:53):
like you don't want to jump backinto a relationship, like when
you're in a partnership with abusiness.
It's like a marriage, and so Ihad a lot to work through just
emotionally and just kind offiguring things out.
What did I do right, what did Ido wrong?
You know all thatself-reflection stuff, and so I
just didn't want to jump intoanything.
(28:13):
But that's just kept what.
It's just what kept happening.
You know people are just.
You know what questions arepeople asking you, what are
people coming to you for, whatare people asking for guidance
on?
And I'm like, okay, captain,obvious, this is what you should
be doing.
Right Is helping people buildthe thing.
And so that's when I sat backand just started to design, what
(28:39):
I felt like are theseentrepreneurial prototypes, and
it just kind of all goes intothis journey and, as luck would
have it, people are.
They like it?
They seem to like it.
And so we have, like I said,just have been taking clients
and we've soft launched it andI've just really been again in
that phase of just enjoying,enjoying it.
I'm having so much fun, whetherit's so we have a product that's
(29:01):
called Brand and BuildBlueprint and that's like for
someone who wants to build theirpersonal brand or if they're
going to be doing a solopreneurthing or even with their
business.
It's like stepping back andreally figuring out like how to
brand this thing, what are yourreasons, what's aligned and then
what's the process.
So we have like a left side anda right side.
The left side is all the ooeygooey, like the alignment and
(29:24):
the values and everything, butthen you have to take that
through some kind of assemblyline in order to build something
sustainable.
So you have that right side.
That is then the plumbing andthe electric and the systems
that you have to have to takethat stuff through to really do
the thing, you know.
So that's one, that's oneengagement that has been just
(29:47):
like really taking off.
And then I have a couple ofclients right now in the
build-out phase, which isthey've built something really
great.
So I've got the Balanced ChildMethod and she is a really
talented entrepreneur and she'sready to scale this thing across
the country, and she's ready toscale this thing across the
(30:20):
country.
And so our philosophy with thatis really it's simple in this
thing for so long.
And you build all these sopsand you're, you've got all this
stuff everywhere and, asorganized as you try to be,
you've got duplicity, you've gotgaps, you've got all kinds of
stuff.
So, like liking, it's like agarden.
Your garden may have all kindsof weeds and shit and like, so
you, and then, when you want toscale, you're in like go mode.
(30:43):
Yeah, but the first thing thatyou should do as a smart
entrepreneur is step back andsay, ok, current state, what are
we doing?
Really well, what needs help?
So so we like to call it likewhat needs to be true before we
move forward like that.
And you spend a lot of timethere and it's been really cool.
So there's like there's sixprototypes, and actually there's
(31:05):
almost seven now, becausethere's another one which is
like basically burnout and I'mI'm finding these, though, from
people, so I didn't just sitdown in a in a silo by myself
and go, which I could have,because just for my journey I'm
I'm basically meeting withpeople and listening and helping
, and then I'm like, oh wait,this is actually a prototype.
(31:29):
And it's true because thisperson is sitting here with me,
and this is the phase thatthey're in.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
So you have really prototypes, clients, real-life
examples from the dreaming stageto mountaintop burnout and
everything in between.
Yeah, wow.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
And I will say another thing too that's
interesting is there is onethat's called blocked, and
what's cool, because I've beenalso very it's been complicated,
because I spent 10 years at SOSand there was so much fitness
and mindset and you know I'm allabout sort of the mindset, and
(32:06):
so there's a mixture of mindsetand business that goes into the
B lab and so there's this personwho's blocked and they haven't
even really found the idea yet.
Where they are is they're kindof miserable self-loathing
because they know they can domore, they know that they are
(32:26):
meant to do more and they ideate, but they're so stuck in either
toxic relationships internally,externally their habits, like
they are stuck underneaththemselves and they have to get,
they have to sort of do somework there before they can
really get to like okay, wait,here's my idea.
(32:49):
And I see I'm starting tovisualize a starting line.
So I also have, like from myexperience with SOS, sort of
these philosophies that I canhelp people who are blocked.
It's like you know, yourcurrent version of you versus
the ideal, and it's again, it'sthis bridge and you say okay,
(33:12):
let's get real honest about thecurrent version of you, let's do
an internal external audit,which is very powerful.
You know, an internal audit isbasically what the fuck you're
doing, but externally is whoyou're surrounding yourself with
, removing the title fromwhether it's mom, dad, whomever
and putting feelings.
How do you feel around them?
How do they make you?
What's the energy right?
And then you look at all ofthat and you put a positive or a
(33:33):
negative and you start to lookat it and you're like holy shit.
Well, no wonder I can't get outof my own way, because between
my bucked up habits every daythat I'm completely
rationalizing, and the externalpeople I'm allowing myself to
hang out with, how the fuck am Iever going to get to the
starting line to be the bestversion of me?
How am I going to do that?
So that person who's blockedneeds some mindset work.
(33:57):
Right, they need to siftthrough some of that and I get,
as you can tell, very passionateabout that.
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Speaker 3 (36:04):
Because great hair days shouldn't be rare two
things that fall, so you're nottelling them, you're really
showing them.
Yep, that's why it's a lab.
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
So what I.
So here's another thing, too,that is really I have spent.
When I tell you the amount oftime in this torture chamber,
the only person who knows is thegirl to my right and probably
my husband, because this isn'tabout making money Like, okay,
of course, do I have goals?
I have revenue goals.
Do I want to make?
Do I want this to befinancially successful?
(36:37):
Fuck, yes, anyone out there whoisn't.
If that's not one of yourpillars, I probably would shake
you, but it's one More than that.
I want to feel like I'mcontributing and making a
positive impact in people'slives.
And so, at the end of the day,I was like I don't want to do
(36:58):
this, like check a box course,or I don't want, and there's no
shame, but it always fell flatto me.
An interactive like streettherapy session meets, business
workshop meets we sit downtogether and look at your shit
and real time it.
I really want you, michael,when you're done with this, I
(37:21):
want you to be a part of theB-Lab community.
I want to connect you andnetwork you with people who I
really feel like are going toadd value.
And I want, two years from now,I want to still be connected
somehow to you and to know that,like, we have done something
really cool.
You know, it's very important tome that this makes a difference
(37:45):
for somebody and so far it'sbeen, and we're still tweaking
stuff, right.
So these interactions,especially when you're doing
like a build out, like so ifyou're an entrepreneur and
you're still tweaking stuff,right.
So these interactions,especially when you're doing
like a build out, like so ifyou're an entrepreneur and
you're like, you know, I'vereally thought about opening in
a new market or I want to expand, that's not a conversation
we're going to have in two hoursand then I walk away.
Right, I'm not going to giveyou some canned thing on my
(38:07):
agenda.
It's more like, hey, let'sfigure out exactly what this is
for you and what would add themost value, and then we sort of
map out.
But it's very interactive, it'svery workshoppy Lab.
That's why we call it the lab.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
More intimate and custom.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
And then B, of course , is I mean name it.
Name a word, business, buildbrand, badass, believe, belong
brain, body.
I mean you could name a millionbees that I was like, oh shit.
Well, what else could Ipossibly call this but the bee
lab?
I love that.
Biggie.
Biggie.
Booyah.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
I think the Cary Crawford is Biggie.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
You know.
So I'm excited, I'm reallyexcited about it and I mean
we're looking at a mini sharktank here.
Potentially.
That's.
That's too Like when I look at.
You know, like you say, withthe fluff, like your five year
vision or whatever, having acouple leaning into a market and
have one of my longer termvisions is like they're not all
(39:11):
going to align.
I'm not going to want to investin everything, but could there
be, Could there be someone outthere who you know?
Maybe we align farther thanjust a B-Lab engagement, you
know?
I mean, you never know.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
You never know.
You said multiple times and Ilove this is the best version of
themselves.
I've really unpacked that a lotin this past two years of my
life Because I don't think tooyou're really in it.
You realize how much power thatis.
I think we have so muchuntapped potential if we can
(39:46):
maneuver and manage a lot oflittle things of.
You know the whirlwind thatgoes on upstairs and what does
it look like for Carrie toperform as the best version of
herself every day.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
I love that question because I mean I have such a
great answer.
But like I've been working verydiligently toward this answer,
so and I've talked about this acouple of times I have in my
sauna I have a like there's apiece of wood that goes down
vertically and so I put actualpost-it notes.
Now they've I've upgraded topost.
(40:20):
Actually, there was a clientthat made me um, she had her
daughter make me, uh, laminatedcolored ones, so it looks a
little bit better than that.
Now, the top ones what I woulddo is I would visualize mentally
they would be in my head.
Now they're just there.
So the top one is MF.
Okay, and it's not motherfucker.
Speaker 3 (40:37):
It's my initials.
Thanks, Carrie.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
Actually I'm soft launching my obsession with you.
I just literally, it's what Ithink about every day.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
That's why you lit up when I asked that question.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
So it's me first, right.
And so in in that first columnis like OK, what does me first
mean?
It means being as healthy as Ican be.
Am I exercising?
Am I trying to put good thingsin my body?
Am I trying to keep habits atbay that I know I can have a
propensity towards?
What are the answers?
(41:07):
And you stay, you stay withthat.
Just, you stay there in the MFand you start thinking those
things through Am I doing a goodjob?
Where do I need to be better?
What do I need to be leaninginto?
Because I'm not going toperform the best I can for my
kids, for my husband, for mycircle, for the business or
anything, if I'm not doing thosethings first.
(41:28):
And so when you start to dothis, this visualization, you
start to then draw it in, right,so I know what the habits are,
I know how many times I'veworked out, and that just draws
you back to okay, carrie, likewe're doing great or we have
some work to do.
And then the second one below isI, I, I see, invest in, wait.
I, I see, invest in your innercircle.
(41:50):
So your inner circle is yourfamily, you know, and then those
close people around you.
But that's after doing thislike external audit, like who
really are those close peoplearound you?
And that's a hard one to dobecause you may find yourself,
you know, thinking so how areyou investing in those people?
(42:11):
So for me, right now, I have twoyoung children and I have a
husband.
So it's like am I being present?
What are we doing this summer?
Let's go to Cedar Point, okay,make memories.
Let's go to the lake.
So you're literally remindingyourself, sitting watching this.
I see you're like okay, theseare my people.
What have I done for thisperson?
How do I invest in theiremotional bank account?
(42:33):
What can I do to surprise anddelight that person?
Really, like, just, these arethe people.
Everyone else's noise, whoever'smade it on this list, what can
I do?
And I'm not saying every singleday you're trying to figure out
how to like, drop something offon somebody's door.
You just know who these peopleare and over time, if you
haven't really thought aboutthat person for a while, okay,
(42:54):
what's going on there?
It could be a text message, itcould be whatever.
And then after IIC is BYE,build your empire, okay, and
that one I can spend a lot oftime on, and I know that's a
flaw, and as I get older I'mlike why are you spending so
much fucking time here?
Like that's one way to likekind of get yourself to stop,
(43:15):
you know, because it's like okay, you can't spend all your time
with the business stuff, soagain, maybe the exercise that
day is like skip that onebecause you're constantly
thinking about that right.
And then the last one is improvethe atmosphere, ita.
And so how is the Build yourEmpire?
How is that aligning to thevalues, the purpose, the legacy
(43:36):
I want to leave for my kids?
You know, like this lemonadestand, for example.
This lemonade stand, for me,has everything to do with what
Dane is seeing and giving backand also being entrepreneurial.
And then also the community.
It's like we can do somethingso fun, it doesn't take that
much heavy lifting, it feels sofreaking good.
(43:58):
And then for me to find a newerentrepreneur, like Zach and the
Scatterjoy Project, I'm like,oh, I'm getting behind you all
day long.
So those are the four things.
And then what's really powerfulwith this and I think we can
all use a lesson from this ifsomething doesn't belong in one
of those four squares, get itthe fuck out of your head, get
(44:22):
it out, and that's the most.
First, if it's not invest inyour inner circle, if it's not
build your empire and if it'snot improving the atmosphere, it
doesn't belong.
Everything else is noise.
Everything else is noise yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:39):
So you had empire in there, but do you?
I feel like this is a fullcircle where, into the majority
of that, at least the beginningof it, was the best version of
Carrie, and I totally,wholeheartedly agree with this.
It was family first, right, howdid I show up best for my kids?
But I'm also going back tothese case studies, or whatever
(44:59):
you want to call them, thatyou're doing with the B Lab,
where you have the dreamer first, all the way up to someone at
mountaintop getting burnout,stuck, whatever.
I feel like they all could beencompassed in there too, right.
Because especially with thedreamer and the startup is your
mind is like I have to beeverything to everyone.
Everyone's a customer,everyone's a vendor.
(45:21):
I have to be right.
But it's like if you could juststay in that and it's not like
we're have tunnel vision whereI'm not willing to be expand and
and and.
When I come across anopportunity, take advantage of
it.
But I think, man, what greatadvice Do you see it that way
too to pass on to some of thepeople in the B lab is like, if
you stay in this, in thesecomponents, all the boxes get
checked, everything's important,everything else is noise and
(45:42):
you're going to grow this thingbased on what's important to you
.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
Well, so it's funny you say that because the so you
have blocked which we talkedabout.
And blocked is like kind of preokay could be all mindset, but
the real, the beginning, is thefirst prototype.
It's called beginning and youjust hit it on the head and it's
a solo cast that I want to dosoon, because if you're doing
your job with someone in thebeginning, the first thing we're
(46:07):
talking about so, if somebodyhas the idea, if somebody has
just started or they're gettingready to just start their
business, the first thing we'regoing to talk about beyond like
the alignment and the why youmay already have, that is do
(46:28):
best piece of business advicesomeone could have ever given me
.
I didn't get it early enoughwith SOS.
When you are a beginning babyentrepreneur, you want everyone
to like you.
You want you think this productis or service is the most
special thing.
It is a child, it's a baby andthat's what makes you good.
(46:54):
But if a savvy business personwho's been there can say to you
you're going to make even moreimpact if you get laser focused
on the person you are meant toserve, that is a complete game.
It changes your wholetrajectory or it saves you years
of pain and effort and tryingto.
You know you want thedemographic to be everyone and
(47:16):
so if you're doing your job,helping someone in the beginning
, that's one of the first thingsyou talk about.
The next thing you know, you'relike holy shit, things could be
so much easier.
Because I don't want to servedicks, I don't want to serve
assholes, I don't give a shitabout most of these people
because they don't care about myproduct, my service.
I want that like small pool ofincredible people that I can
(47:42):
actually make an impact with.
And the next thing you knowyou're like oh my God, it's a
completely different game.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
Well, and if I could add, you're going to confuse
your audience, you're going toconfuse your team.
Who are we?
Uh, rory Baden has this awesomeanalogy, talks exact speaks on
exactly what you just said.
Aim small, miss small.
Right, if you are honed in,truly laser focus on your target
audience, target goals, targetreason, target communities.
(48:08):
I mean.
Everything else is, is, is,else, is outside of that circle.
And it's funny, you're likethis.
20 years ago I might havelistened to this, but I've had
more than not a lot, but maybe acouple of people say, in the
past six months, right, leadingup to the launch and stuff,
we're building up the technologyand stuff.
You know what you should do,michael, you should also team up
(48:29):
with DoorDash and you coulddeliver people's groceries while
you're on the way to theirhouse with their laundry.
And I'm like, yeah, now, 20years ago you would have
listened.
The people pleaser wouldprobably been like, oh really,
they'll like me more and there'smore revenue.
No, that's not what we'reserving, that's not what we're
doing, right, but it kind ofreminded me of what and what an
awesome gift you can give tosomebody in the beginning stage,
(48:50):
because they don't have thatexperience to know that here's
another gift for that person.
Speaker 2 (48:56):
Never listen to one, not one.
I'm not even going to give anexception.
You don't listen to one personwho hasn't done something that
you want to do.
Everybody's well-intentionedright.
So I'm going to go listen touncle Joe, who thinks it's a
good idea to have or marketingmyopia where it's like no, it's
like you.
(49:16):
Listen to the people who havedone what you want to do.
Get yourself in rooms withthose people, go to chat, gpt
and figure out who the fuckthose people are and just get
really, really obsessed.
That's what you do.
Speaker 3 (49:31):
Oh, it goes back to that mentorship community, right
, like, go find them, yes, andif you find the true ones, they
want to help you back.
I mean they want to help you.
You talk a lot in this platformabout different subjects and I
think the more we open up toothers.
But I think small business andentrepreneurs are supposed to
look at like you have all theanswers and I know what I'm
doing and I just think you knowsomeone's especially first
(49:53):
starting out like look at thatguy who started that company.
you know your, your parents,friend or your neighbor, your
uncle, and go ask him how theydid it you know, and I believe
that a really successfulentrepreneur for doing it for
the right reasons is begging youfor to ask them, because they
want to share with you theirknowledge.
They're proud of you forwanting to start something on
(50:14):
your own, so they are just aseager to help you as you are
eager to you know, you'rethirsty for that knowledge.
So I think you know reaching outand then going, finding other
peers that are maybe in the sameseason.
Right, maybe you're in thedreaming phase, maybe you're in
the launch.
Uh, maybe you're scaling ormaybe you're, maybe you're
mountaintopping, like I don'tknow what to do next.
I think, just reaching out toother people who are, you know,
in those same shoes and juststart collaborating on what
(50:37):
they're doing next or howthey're getting through it.
And I had some amazingconversations over the past 20
years with entrepreneurs who arein completely different spaces
than I was.
We had nothing in common, youknow, as far as like the
products or the services, butour problems were the same.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
Oh yeah, so in common , you know, as far as like the
products or the services.
But our problems were the same.
Oh yeah, so say you goteverything in common, yeah,
except the widget.
Yeah, except the widget.
You know another thing in thebeginning?
Well, actually that's not true,it's not.
It's not just beginning.
So the, the build out too we'redoing.
I mean, you can have theselessons in in multiple of these
prototypes.
It depends on, like, what youknow, what specific situation.
But something that keeps comingup is pricing psychology, and
(51:12):
I'm going to do a solo cast onthat too, because I'm very
passionate about it.
Figuring out your pricing modelis insane.
It's like people are so they'resluts, we're sluts, we're
insecure.
It goes back to how you feelabout you know yourself or what
you would buy.
It's like no, here's the bestpricing advice I could possibly
(51:39):
give anybody, just for theinterest of time here Is,
instead of looking at yourproduct or your service and
saying, okay, it costs me this,I'm going to add this onto it
and I'm going to charge this,yep, right, what is the
perceived value of your productor service?
A lot of people don't have theconfidence to think it's worth
(52:01):
what it is.
I mean, we talk in very, we gogranular, yep, we talk
psychology.
We also have to remember likeand so many entrepreneurs do
this, because I experienced thiswith my previous company I
would have arguments aroundapparel and what we would be
charging for apparel, and Iwould get this back like well, I
shop at Old Navy or I shop here.
(52:22):
I would never pay like $78 forthis hoodie.
That isn't how you set up yourpricing in your business.
I don't give a shit how muchyou're going to spend.
Going back to like who you'reserving, what we just talked
about in terms of like reallyfocusing in who's that person,
what are they spending?
Cause I promise you like,unless you want to be in like a,
(52:45):
you know like dollar tree typeenvironment where you're like
super cheap and you're doing itfine, but if you want a premium
ish product, you know, like youdon't I'm you have to figure out
what is that person, how dothey perceive your brand, what
are they willing to spend on?
And, by the way, I hate to likecan I remind people, there are
(53:06):
people like me out there whofeel like if it's too cheap, I
want to poke a hole in it, Iwant to pay a little bit more
for it.
So if you haven't, if you're anentrepreneur out there and you
have not done sort of a deepdive on like the psychology of
your pricing model, the why,like, where you're trying to fit
in in the market, I highlyrecommend doing it.
(53:27):
Unless things are going well andyou've kind of figured it out,
if things feel clunky and you'relike shit, like I'm not making,
like whether it's the B lab orsomebody else, step back and
like have those conversationsand do that deep dive.
There's nothing more important.
It's how much money you'remaking per.
Speaker 3 (53:45):
Well, it's what?
What's the market gonna?
What's the where are they goingto perceive?
So I come back to this a lot inthis example.
I've had conversations withentrepreneurs about this.
15, maybe now 20 years ago, twodudes had this idea.
I think we can make really nicecoolers and sell them for $400.
Yeah, right, like Yeti at thetime are you kidding me?
(54:07):
When, like, who was it Coleman?
And like the little push neonbuttons on the side and push for
$40 at one, like you're going10 X with that idea.
And here we are today.
Right, I'm heart first.
Right, I feel like the fluff iswhat better way to serve people
than cleaning their laundry?
But when I knew, from a purebusiness standpoint and like the
(54:29):
need when it comes to like thesale, I was in a hurry to go
somewhere and I was leaving and20 minutes before I leave, my
son says dad, can you order me,jimmy John's?
I say order you, jimmy John's,and before I was walking out the
door it came, it was delivered,whatever, and I got the alert.
I looked down and it was right,cause this whole thing was
(54:51):
already like fresh in my brain.
So a text or an alert that younormally don't look at,
especially when you're kind ofin a hurry.
I looked down and the $8 subwas like $19.50.
Why?
Because it was convenient.
Oh and, by the way, when I saidI was in a hurry, I was going
to get in my Uber.
So it's like all theseconvenience factors come in
(55:16):
right, like the market's goingto pay what's convenient and I
don't know.
I always come back to that JimmyJohn's story.
It was at the right time at theright place.
I'm like, oh, that's what wewant to pay for.
And back to your like, sell meon.
You know, it's like time, whatare?
And I don't know.
I think that's, you know, the78 dollar sweatshirt, if it's a
quality item and it's at apremium facility.
Speaker 2 (55:36):
Yeah, they're gonna look at it and go oh, this is
carry shop, this is premiumstuff here, yeah you know, I
mean it's, and there's just somany things you're just so quick
to want to like hurry up and doit and everyone and people,
just they don't take the time tostep back and really create a
strategy or a philosophy aroundsome of these things that would
(55:59):
just save them.
So, and that's what I want todo is like I want to help people
either avoid landmines or, likeyou know, course correct yeah
you don't have to stay doing itthe way you're doing it.
Because you are doing it thatway, you know it's like you
don't my biggest pet peeve.
Speaker 3 (56:16):
Why do you guys do something like that?
Speaker 2 (56:18):
because we've always done it.
Speaker 3 (56:18):
We do it this way because we've always done it.
Speaker 2 (56:21):
Like you know, I can't stand it and listen if
it's working, if you can show mesure, if it's working, great.
But like there are so manythings that could just refine,
finesse and guess what.
Increase profitability, becausethat's the king profit.
If you want to be more of apremium to, but you're kind of
(56:42):
selling yourself, what have youdone here?
It's hard to recoup from thatIf you're constantly doing sales
or you're constantly you'redriving your like.
Take a step back and like let'slook at this thing and how can
we make your life moreprofitable, more aligned, how
can we make it better?
You know, I think people havethey're prideful, they don't
(57:02):
know what they don't knowthey're, they're in the grind
and they don't realize.
Like you can't, when's the lasttime you've you've spent money
on coaching for yourself or yourbusiness?
That's one of the one of thetop things you could possibly do
for yourself.
Whether you have a business ornot, what kind of coaching or
what kind of opportunities areout there for you for growth?
(57:24):
You know like, spend some moneyon that.
Speaker 3 (57:27):
Open your eyes like widen your lens Blows my mind
that in 2025, people think I'mcrazy because I go to therapy
every two weeks.
What's are you okay?
What's wrong?
Nothing, maybe right.
Maybe there's some days thereare something, but it's like why
can we go to the gym and lookat our physical health and not
take the same approach.
Or mental health.
We're doing check-ins, we'redoing, hey, 30,000 feet, what do
(57:48):
you see?
Where's blind spots?
How can I be better?
Same with like a seminar orlike coaching or business
coaching.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (57:55):
Cause.
You cause, I think, I think, alot of people out there.
If you're being really honest,you're holding really close to
this baby that you've, thatyou've created, right, and you
don't want anybody calling itugly, yep.
And so guess what I'm going todo?
In a very loving way, I'm goingto call it ugly.
If there are things that areugly, I'm also going to tell you
the beautiful things about it.
You know, but you got to getout of your own way, and that's
(58:17):
another thing too.
When you have built somethingfor, let's say, a decade, and it
is time if you do want to scaleit, you know no one gives a
fuck in another market whatyou're doing here.
You could have a cult life likefollowing and everybody loves
you.
Nobody knows you, and so youmay have to do things.
(58:38):
Now I'm not saying, lose the.
You know the brand identity.
Of course, brand is going to bethat much more important, but
you're going to have to dothings like figure out how to
sell it, how to like get beatthrough the door, how to create
awareness again, going from zeroin some of these markets, and
so you have to change.
You're like oh, we're so great,we're this really, because
(58:58):
nobody knows who the fuck youare there.
So how are you going to, howare you going to get those
people to feel the way they feelhere?
It doesn't just happen.
Speaker 3 (59:08):
Well, it's a lot of hoping and wishing that I want
my ugly baby to look like thator go do those things.
Yeah.
Well, the only way you're goingto be able to do it is, you
know, the work putting in theactions.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (59:18):
I could talk about this all damn day.
Well, you just can you tell.
Speaker 3 (59:21):
You said alignment.
I'm like I could go on for anhour more about that.
Speaker 2 (59:23):
It's crazy.
So I wish you nothing but thebest of luck.
I really feel good about this.
I think your branding I'm abranding snob your branding I
would give like nine and a half,if not more, out of 10.
I was very impressed, like thecolor, I like the name, I just
like everything you got going on.
I like that you're willing tojust, you know, roll up your
(59:45):
sleeves, make it happen, and Ijust my prediction is pretty
much in line with yours for youin the next five years, I think
you're going to have a lot oftrucks.
Thank you A lot of trucks andthank you for coming in.
Speaker 3 (59:56):
Thanks for having me, Carrie.
Speaker 2 (59:57):
You're single I am.
Speaker 3 (59:59):
All right, here she goes.
Speaker 2 (01:00:01):
Hey, listen, there's a lot of angles here.
You're single and ready tomingle.
Hey, get it.
Listen, ladies, get in before.
He has about 100 trucks okay.
This is what.
I'm saying he's a one-truck manright now.
So you know, timing iseverything.
Thank you, michael.
Thanks, keri, and if you'restill out there following your
girl.
Follow me on YouTube, spotify,apple or wherever you get your
podcasts.
(01:00:21):
And until next time, go to theFluff app, get some laundry
service, let me know how it goes, and keep moving baby.
Hey there you beautiful badass.
Welcome to the Keri Croft Show.
I'm your host, keri Croft,delivering you stories that get
you pumped up and feeling likethe unstoppable savage that you
are.
So grab your coffee, put onyour game face and let's do this
thing, baby.
Face and let's do this thing,baby.
(00:31):
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Speaker 3 (01:54):
Can I possibly get water?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
No, we do not.
That's fine what we like here.
We like your throat to getreally dry.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I saw a beer in there , we like people to cry.
We like you to sweat Do youwant a beer, I could probably do
both.
No, I'll do La Croix would beperfect, are?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
we out of poppy?
I don't even like poppy.
Can I have a La Croix?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
I decided I don't.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
I cracked one open at my house and I was like this
doesn't even taste good.
Or maybe I'm just mad at herbecause she sold her company for
a billion dollars and she's hotand like whatever sponsored by
yeah, why am I?
Speaker 3 (02:34):
giving them.
Maybe they'll sponsor us, younever know michael flinner, my
friend.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Welcome to the kerry cross show kc.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
I'm excited, I'm excited.
Thanks for having me thanks forbeing here.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
so did you always know you had mentioned to me
when I put that picture up ofmyself when I was six, you sent
me a dm and you're like, oh myGod, same.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
So you knew from a very young age about that age,
six or seven years old, and wehad a like a spare bedroom at my
parents' house.
That was like a toy room andI'm the youngest of three.
(03:09):
So as we got older it justbecame kind of a whatever
hangout room and I remember inthe summers or maybe even after
school, but there was a cardtable in there and I would set
it up and have paper on there.
You know, to go out and like,find paper and books from the
living room, bring it in andhave pencils and pens and
everything all lined up and Iwould pull an old 1980s metal
chair in there and sit behindthis card table and I would just
(03:30):
be a boss.
I had no clue what that meant,but I was pretending that I was
running this company.
So I don't know that I wasexactly entrepreneur in that way
, but it was like that businessmindset, I think, from the early
stages of it.
(03:50):
And then I think, yeah, throughthe course of probably high
school and college, you kind ofstart putting your head on a
swivel like, well, how did thatperson I was always intrigued by
, because I come from a verysmall town, I was always
intrigued by the quote unquotesuccessful business person who
created the business, whocreated something from scratch.
Um, and then, as I got older,it really blew my mind Like wait
(04:11):
, that never existed, like theyhad this aha moment one day and
they started dreaming and then,you know, work their butt off,
and so so what was your firstbusiness and your first aha
moment?
first business and your firstaha moment.
Well, like every kid washingcars, mowing lawns and um, but I
think that kind of led into youknow I had other ideas I just
(04:32):
never followed through withbecause I thought I was supposed
to go to college.
I was supposed to, you know, beliving society's view of what
the path was, and I think that'ssomething that's very freeing
for, like, a lot ofentrepreneurs is like, our path
is not like everybody else's,and so when we realize that, you
(04:53):
know, it can be very lonely andisolating to think that, well,
I don't think like my friends atthat early, you know, and if
you're 22, 23 years old andyou're like, or even younger,
like 18, 19, going into college,you're like, well, this isn't
for for me, I'm a collegedropout, so that's why I said
that, and so it took a few years, and even into, you know,
probably into my mid to late 20still I was like wait a second,
(05:13):
like it's okay, I thinkdifferent and, um, so yeah,
that's when I launched my firstcompany.
I was 26.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
And in what industry?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
In logistics, transportation and uh logistics.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Were you passionate about making money?
Was that it?
Was it like?
That was the like?
I can't imagine you being likeI'm so passionate about
transportation and logistics,but was that it Like?
I'm going to build this empire?
We are going to build thisempire, and is that what kind of
drove you Like?
You're like, yes, we're goingto make money.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
I think when you're that young, you don't really
know why exactly.
You just uh, it seems excitingto I mean you know why?
Because it's the biggest thingwas like being on my own,
creating something on my own,and you know, it can be that old
adage of like be my own bossand wake up and do what I want
to do every day.
Well, you quickly learn yeah,you or, I guess, your own boss,
(06:00):
but you wear a lot of hats inthe beginning and I think once I
got into it, I realized that Iloved looking at all these
industries that we served andwondering how they started.
I was just so curious.
And that's when, like fullentrepreneur kicks in, right Of
like wow, I got to see 10different companies this week
and how they, you know, shiptheir products and it just blew
(06:22):
my mind how they were alldifferent.
They're all started somewherethird, fourth generation, summer
, first generation.
But I thought it was reallyneat how, you know, everyone
started with the same dream andtook a huge risk, and so I just
getting to learn you know moreabout the customer base we had.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
So you were doing this logistics thing for like 17
years.
You decided you're done thing.
For like 17 years you decidedyou're done and now you're doing
the fluff, which is completelydifferent.
It's laundry service.
So walk us through the thoughtprocess that you had in terms of
okay, I just had the, I didthis for 17 years.
I'm going to do somethingdifferent.
(06:59):
Like, what kind of ideation didyou go through?
How long did it take?
What made you decide to land ondoing laundry for people?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yeah, I just it was time for me to move on and try
something new, right, to getcreative again and look to
something new.
And I was on YouTube one nightand you know I've talked about
Cody Sanchez and she's a beastand she had put an investment
into a laundry company in Austin, texas called the Fold and I've
(07:29):
always thought, quote unquote,passive income industries were
interesting, right, laundrycompanies, laundromats, car
washes Until you get in them,and I don't think anything is
truly passive.
But this was different, wherethey really shined on the pickup
and delivery aspect and againit goes back to like truly
serving the customer, makingtheir lives easier.
(07:49):
I was like I'm in, so I watchedthis.
I probably watched that YouTubevideo 18 times in like a week
because I would pause and theywould show financials, I would
zoom in OK, how does this work?
And I would Google the ownersand figure out how they were
doing things.
And there was a few otherarticles and as time went on,
there was more press releases onthem and you know they, they
grew really fast and ultrasuccessful and Mark Blastkamp is
(08:12):
one of the entrepreneurs thatstarted that.
And finally, I think it's likeanything else you know you
talked about at the beginning oflike people with these crazy
ideas in their head and there'sfour seasons and that's the
first one.
I call it right.
It's the dreaming season, whenit won't leave you alone.
I think you're supposed to, andyou can call it God, the
(08:32):
universe, wherever you want, butthere's always a tap on your
shoulder.
Every so often you look over,and for me it was like I could
be traveling to a city andwalking down a sidewalk in
Florida and there was a pickupand delivery van.
I'm like, am I supposed to dothis?
Right, like?
I have a dozen examples likethat and I think when you hear
that whisper over and over again, it's just it's time to act on
(08:53):
it.
And for me it was.
It was a little hard to go backto the beginning, right Cause,
as you remember those days, thefirst time, the first couple of
times, maybe and um, it can beand it can be painful, but what
I've realized now in my 40s isit's kind of what we make it and
kind of, you know, I enjoy itmore, I take it slower.
What are some of these thingsteaching me, versus just
(09:16):
muscling and powering throughand not really looking at the
bigger picture?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Was part of you like holy shit, like like so I've
spent 17 years buildingsomething.
I'm walking away.
But now I'm looking at thisother mountain and I'm getting
like I have to start the climball over again.
But isn't that part of the likeallure, in a way?
If you know part of you's like,ah, damn, I have to climb this
mountain again, you know,starting at ground zero.
(09:42):
But then the other part ofyou's like, oh, I'm gonna climb
this, and now I'm not startingat ground zero.
But then the other part of youis like, ooh, I'm going to climb
this, and now I'm not sharingthis with anyone.
Now, this is all mine, not interms of money or greed, but in
terms of just the wholeexperience.
You know, because I thinkowning a company with a partner
I don't care what anyone says,I've been there it's just
different.
So to have the opportunity tothen climb this mountain on your
(10:08):
own, I don't know, there's alot of freedom.
It's also very scary.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
It is kind of a sick and twisted way that we think
about it.
Right, like wait a second, I'mgoing to go back up that
mountain, but it's so fun.
And the same aspect of how didyou word it one day and I think
I DM'd you back like I'm goingto see how I put this puzzle
together or something like that.
And it is, it's, it's a, it's.
It's fun when you, when youmake it fun, I guess if that
(10:34):
makes sense, and but that washard, right, like I, I know what
that mountain looks like.
I was at the top of it, I guessI could say Um wasn't.
Long after that, I saw a videowith David Goggins say, if you
find yourself at the top of themountain, it's fine for you to
find a new mountain to climbRight.
And so I felt like those wordsechoed for like weeks and I was
like, okay, I got to go go backdown and start climbing again.
(10:57):
And but you're right, it's,it's new, it's refreshing, it's
you know something that I'mcreating and building a new team
, building new ideas, learningfrom new mistakes.
So yeah, it can be veryexciting.
I think we also have to remindourselves that, at least at this
phase, this new company is justto give myself and anyone that
(11:21):
might be in the same position.
Give yourself tons of grace of.
I don't care how long you'vebeen in this game.
Like you're going to makemistakes, and this is the first
time you may be.
It's my first business toconsumer venture.
Right, like all these differentthings could come into play and
just go along with this journey.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
So it's called the Fluff and it's laundry delivery.
Where are you doing all thelaundry?
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Right now we have partnered up with a facility
near campus, centrally located,which is nice close to 71.
I wanted to, and I started in afacility before that which was
fine.
This one has got plenty of roomas we grow.
We're not going to like takeover the place.
And then I've really built agood rapport with the owner.
He's amazing and so that wasbig to find a relationship with
(12:07):
the owner and find one thatwasn't too busy in the hours
that we were going to need itand that we were going to also
flood the thing.
So right now it's working.
We're growing pretty fast.
So he and I are watching thatclosely to see you know what
step next steps might be.
But yeah, it's a.
It's a facility right here nearcampus.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
And you have a delivery truck outside that's
wrapped, I mean you're committed.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
You're driving that puppy around all day long.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
All in, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
So do you deliver it?
Speaker 3 (12:34):
I'm the driver.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
I know you deliver it to Kimmy, but I didn't know she
had some special access.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Yeah, she gets owner access delivered Right.
Access yeah, she gets owneraccess delivered Right.
No, so the beginning I'm a firmbeliever in.
You know there's a couple ofdifferent ways I could have done
this right, like I could havewent out and raised a campaign
and hired 10 people I didn'treally need, and including
driver.
And I just come from how Istarted.
The first, you know, gig waslike let's get in the mud, let's
(13:04):
see how this thing works.
And I got to tell you there'sno better way.
When you look back a year,three years, five years from now
, when all the procedures are inplace, that you had to put in
like that I'm putting in nowmakes sense.
Right, it's a big trial anderror, but you're not going to
know unless you're swimming inthose waters in the beginning.
And so you know, am I going tobe driving this van forever?
(13:25):
No, but am I having fun with itnow?
Right, we're shooting contentwith it and and you know you got
to just swallow pride in theego and be like I'm in and you
know, embarrasses my 17 year olddaughter when she sees this
thing.
She goes.
I feel like every time you'rein it, driving through Bexley,
like I see you with my friendsin the car.
I'm like well, you should wave.
Tell them I'll give them apromo code.
(13:46):
Right, let's go.
Let's get their parents onboard.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I mean, but that's okay.
So lesson for an entrepreneur Imean, that's neon light.
For me in my mind is if youcan't get in on the ground floor
and do all the things, what areyou even doing?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Yeah, I spent like three nights ago, you know,
single dude on his couchshopping for best price per
ounce on soap that's good soap.
You know I don't want thecheapest.
Yeah, that's what I.
Yeah, but you know stuff likethat.
And you know I've got anawesome team.
I've got a couple people inside, you know, doing the wash dry
fold, which they're amazing andI'm so lucky to have found them.
(14:26):
But, yeah, like I'm doingeverything else the driving, and
we don't have routes set up now, so we're trying to figure that
out.
And you know, stuff getsdropped in overnight and you got
to be able to pivot the nextmorning.
And it's fun.
I'm having fun with it, knowingthis isn't forever.
But how am I gonna?
How am I gonna direct and leadand tell future drivers how it's
supposed to be done if I'm notin it right?
(14:47):
Like we have this motto withFrancis and Jasmine, the two
awesome team members I had withme and it's I'm going to get
T-shirts made with this.
But the repeat business is builton the folding table and I tell
them, like you guys are rockstars, look, boom, this customer
came back.
Boom, this customer came back.
Boom, this customer came backBecause the machines wash, dry
the clothes, right, but therepeat business is built on that
(15:10):
presentation when they openthose bags.
And so I'm like this is all youguys right, and so that will be
the future message to thedrivers too.
Like nobody wants you knowsomebody that looks sloppy shirt
untucked, in a bad mood,walking in their flower beds,
driver, right.
But I have to have all theseexperiences to know and start to
build rapport with thecustomers to know.
Like, okay, now I know, when westart hiring drivers, I can
(15:32):
kind of set the stage of what'sthe expectation.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Well, I think social media glamorizes
entrepreneurship and you have somany people who are looking at
whatever it is on social mediathat someone's curated and
everybody, of course, like ohyes, I would love that, I would
love to own this business orhave this glamorous life.
I think they forget themillions of steps that it takes
to get there and if, like so,you have no choice but to drive
the truck, you have no choicebut to be on the ground floor,
(16:04):
because without you building it,there would be no ground floor.
It's like people's perceptionsor idea of what it really takes
to build something sustainablewith heart, and that matters.
I mean, you better love it.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Carrie.
I launched in February Verysoft launch.
I took my daughter on springbreak in March and I knew, going
into it if this thing works.
And here we are in July, thatthis statement was going to be
true.
I'm not going to have avacation for a while and that's
okay.
I'm okay with that.
Right, like I've been blessedto travel and I've done a ton of
(16:39):
that, am I going to ever?
Yeah, it's going to happenagain, but yeah, I'm in this
chapter you're right where it'sglamorized a lot of what it's
really not.
And not that it's awful, it'sjust part of the journey and
it's season one, phase one,which can go, and they could be
like that for 20 years for somepeople who just want to be small
(17:00):
business owners and they don'twant to expand and have other
people come in and take over.
But for me it's fun for now andyou just have to know some of
these sacrifices are going to beworth it and it's not forever.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Okay, michael.
So I do feel like laundryservice is like if you had a
list of things to take off yourplate.
Whether you're single mom,single dad, married, both of you
work, it doesn't matter.
Laundry is a pain in the ass,and so I feel like it is right
for the picking.
You have the fluff, you'redoing the laundry service, but I
(17:36):
think it's also there's there'shurdles to overcome, right,
like it's your laundry.
That's a little intimate.
Um, people like it to smell acertain way, they want it to
like.
I just think there's nothingmore intimate than like me
giving you my laundry.
So help me get, help me getover the hump there to like.
Why would I decide to let youdo it?
Speaker 3 (17:57):
And it's a newer service, so a lot of people
quickly adapt to it.
Like, this makes sense.
I get it, let's go.
And for those that don't, Ithink the the facts of where
we're at in today's society withtime is.
You know we just dropped thison Instagram yesterday or the
day before where you know theaverage load of laundry for for
(18:18):
residential machines right Is isis three hours, right, so you
wash it and you dry it.
Those are usually 40 to50-minute cycles and then you're
going to do the thing everybodyhates, right?
We're going to act like we'regoing to get out of the dryer
right away.
We might let it sit there andhave to rerun the dryer, but no,
you get out of the dryer andyou start folding it, which most
people just can't stand.
(18:39):
But it's three hours and sothat's one load hours, and so
you know that's one load, and soyou imagine a family of three,
four, five people, it's.
It's interesting how I get inthese conversations.
Never thought I'd be talkingabout this much laundry with
people, but like I literallyhave a conversation with mom and
she'll say thank God, you guysare doing this.
I spend six hours, seven hours,a week, on laundry.
(19:00):
I do it every day for an hourif I keep up with it and if I
don't.
You know we're seeing a lot ofpeople, like a lot of our
regular customers, especiallythis time of year coming off a
summer, and you know camps andvacations.
I mean they're dumping threeand four large bags because it's
overwhelming.
I mean you know what it is.
You're like you get back from avacation You're like, oh my
(19:21):
gosh, like how am I even goingto?
And so that's our biggest thingis, is it's going to save time?
And if you and if you can savetime and you know most people
are intentional with theirchildren like, okay, let's go to
the park, let's go on a walk,let's go to the pool, like I
don't have to worry aboutlaundry, and you know it's
school starting, you knowafterschool activities and
little kids and you're you knowbossing them around town and
(19:43):
sports and camps and clubs, andeverybody gets home at 10
o'clock and goes, oh, you don'thave any clothes, you don't have
the shirt you want to weartomorrow, you don't have the,
and for some parents they don'thave the uniform right, they
need it turned in 24 hours, andso it's just kind of this common
theme that I'm noticing withparents and singles too.
Right Like I can think of oneyoung professional we have and
(20:04):
I've talked to him and he's likeI'm traveling all the time.
You know, he gives us theaccess code to his building,
we're up, he leaves his bag inthe hallway.
He's traveling all the time.
When he gets back from three,four day work trip and he's got
another one in two days hedoesn't want to do laundry and
so I think it's it's a commontheme for both singles and
families.
Is time a?
Speaker 2 (20:23):
common theme for both singles and families is time.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
So prediction from you.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Where is this at in five years?
Speaker 3 (20:30):
I don't know if I said five years when I'm about
to tell you, but my best friendfrom back home, who loves 90s
rap and R&B just as much as youdo, I've told you about him.
He and I were texting one nightand I said something like let's
get this bad boy up to 12.
I was showing him pictures ofthe van and I said 12 vans and
he said no, you're going to have50.
(20:52):
I was like OK, I don't knowabout that, but who knows, in
five years I don't think itwould be out of the question to
say I kind of gauge it indelivery vans, because that's
how my nerdy math works behindthe scenes, because I know how
many pickup and deliveries thatis.
But I think it's severalhundred customers.
I think it's, yeah, probably 10to 12 vans and I think we're
(21:17):
leaning into another market.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Oh, okay, so you have all those vans, just for
Columbus.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, leaning into anothermarket in Ohio Makes sense.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I think the natty would be good.
Oh nice, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
A lot of dirt, a lot of dirty laundry in the natty, a
lot of stuff coming out of theriver.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
So what?
Let me ask you.
So you were in this season oflike how long you've had the
Keri Croft show A little overtwo years.
What was?
Do you remember what thefeeling?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
was like going into the very first episode.
I think overall it felt verynatural because I knew I always
had wanted to do a show.
Of course you have those littlevoices in your head of like,
what are you doing?
You're in your home office, youdumb ass.
Who wants to listen to thisshit?
This is going to.
But I think that the enjoymentof it and just really genuinely
(22:07):
wanting to sit down with thepeople that I sat down with, I
think that sort of uh was louderthan the imposter syndrome you
know.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
So that's a great.
Next next question is is?
I feel like imposter syndromeis talked about a lot.
I don't know that entrepreneursare talking about it enough
though.
I think a lot of people forcontent are.
But that's a good segue intowhat would you tell a young
(22:37):
entrepreneur coming into thisBecause you're coaching and
advising people.
A lot of it is like I don'tknow, Carrie, I've never started
it.
Most people are like I don'tdeserve to start a company
because I've never started acompany before.
So I'm like what do you tellpeople with imposter syndrome?
Do it anyway and never expect.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
It's not a thing that goes away.
So imposter syndrome, that'slike the I don't know this fancy
name that we've put on justbeing a human.
It's self-doubt, it's you havethe good, the bad.
You have things you're great atthings that you suck at, and so
we all have internal dialoguethat goes on that continuum all
(23:14):
day long, every day.
And so to think that somehowthat's going to be something you
can take a pill and just cure,you're constantly I don't care
who you look at they'reconstantly doubting themselves
in certain ways.
Now some people have built themuscle the more that you.
Here's how I would coachsomeone is first, you have to
have the belief Before you doanything.
(23:36):
If I don't believe I can do it,I'm never going to put myself
on stage to do it.
So I have that internal beliefthat has to outweigh the
internal critic right.
So now I believe I believe inmyself enough to take that first
step and to have that, takethat action.
What that belief does is itbuilds my confidence right.
(23:56):
So now I'm not even really.
I know it, I know I can do it.
Now I'm doing it, and now thislittle muscle is growing as I'm
doing it.
And the next thing, I know I'mdoing it.
And now this little muscle isgrowing as I'm doing it.
And the next thing I know I'msuper confident.
And what does confidence do?
It builds momentum.
So it's belief, confidence,momentum, let's fucking go.
And so if you realize that, noone's special that everybody
(24:18):
starts in that place of beinglike I'm a dumbass.
But the people who win do itanyway.
You fight through it and thenguess what happens?
Does that voice go away?
It probably doesn't.
But the belief, the confidenceand the momentum are so loud.
The people who figure out, inspite of themselves, how to
(24:39):
believe, build confidence andget the momentum to go, go and
they're consistent with it,those are the ones that are
going to win.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Yeah, because what is it like?
90% of the thoughts we thinkaren't true anyways, and it's
you know, they're allself-deprecating and I think the
more you have, then, too, themore you create.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
And this is what I've noticed with my clients,
because a lot of people don'thave structure, they don't have
a system, Like this person thatcame in last week.
Uh, she's a newbie and she'sbuilding her brand and her
business and she's like well, my, you know, people tell me
they're at work, they're likejust post.
I mean what?
A?
You know?
No one means anything by that.
(25:19):
Yeah, Just post.
But if you don't have, if youdon't pull that back and have,
like okay, first of all, why,why am I doing any of this?
Okay, that's a whole separateconversation.
Now you understand that andyou're aligned with it.
But now you have the wholeprocess and system side, right.
So what is your specificinfrastructure to not only
(25:41):
posting?
But how are you marketing?
Posting is one pillar of yoursystem.
It's one, one small part of thewhole, and once people can see
that and go, oh wait, I actuallyhave like a, a foundation here
and a rhythm.
This is how it works.
Then you look back at justposts and you're like okay, like
what made you want to startthat?
(26:03):
So as I, when I ended mybusiness relationship and I and
I, you know, spent 10 amazingyears at SOS, just incredible I
made myself and that's part ofwhy I started the show where I'm
like let's just do somethingyou enjoy, without hooks,
without revenue, like let's justdo something you enjoy to just
kind of bridge whatever is goingto happen.
(26:25):
And in doing that, it led me tomany conversations and just
really great authentic momentswith people, and so I allow
myself to listen and I was like,well, wait, what was I really
doing at SOS?
Like what really happened there?
Right, and what really happenedthere was I met someone who had
(26:46):
this idea that was a total kindof it was like this ball of
Christmas lights, you know howit.
Like you couldn't even figureout what was going on, right.
It was just this, very thisthing and I saw potential in it.
It was a name and a couple ofclasses and I was in a space I
was going through infertility.
I wanted something that broughtme joy and I love to work out.
(27:10):
The rest is history.
And so I helped to create thebelief, the confidence, the
momentum in what became Systemof Strength, along with my
business partner.
We did that and I was like thatwas the most.
That was what I enjoyed so muchabout that process and that's
the part I feel like where I Ishine.
(27:30):
I can help people do that.
And then I was like, okay, andso, as I've been doing this show
, I created man Eater Media andone thing led to the next and
then people are asking mebusiness advice or asking
questions and I'm like, well,why am I not making this the
thing?
And I guess I didn't want.
I think I was in this ideationphase for so long where it's
(27:53):
like you don't want to jump backinto a relationship, like when
you're in a partnership with abusiness.
It's like a marriage, and so Ihad a lot to work through just
emotionally and just kind offiguring things out.
What did I do right, what did Ido wrong?
You know all thatself-reflection stuff, and so I
just didn't want to jump intoanything.
(28:13):
But that's just kept what.
It's just what kept happening.
You know people are just.
You know what questions arepeople asking you, what are
people coming to you for, whatare people asking for guidance
on?
And I'm like, okay, captain,obvious, this is what you should
be doing.
Right Is helping people buildthe thing.
And so that's when I sat backand just started to design, what
(28:39):
I felt like are theseentrepreneurial prototypes, and
it just kind of all goes intothis journey and, as luck would
have it, people are.
They like it?
They seem to like it.
And so we have, like I said,just have been taking clients
and we've soft launched it andI've just really been again in
that phase of just enjoying,enjoying it.
I'm having so much fun, whetherit's so we have a product that's
(29:01):
called Brand and BuildBlueprint and that's like for
someone who wants to build theirpersonal brand or if they're
going to be doing a solopreneurthing or even with their
business.
It's like stepping back andreally figuring out like how to
brand this thing, what are yourreasons, what's aligned and then
what's the process.
So we have like a left side anda right side.
The left side is all the ooeygooey, like the alignment and
(29:24):
the values and everything, butthen you have to take that
through some kind of assemblyline in order to build something
sustainable.
So you have that right side.
That is then the plumbing andthe electric and the systems
that you have to have to takethat stuff through to really do
the thing, you know.
So that's one, that's oneengagement that has been just
(29:47):
like really taking off.
And then I have a couple ofclients right now in the
build-out phase, which isthey've built something really
great.
So I've got the Balanced ChildMethod and she is a really
talented entrepreneur and she'sready to scale this thing across
the country, and she's ready toscale this thing across the
(30:20):
country.
And so our philosophy with thatis really it's simple in this
thing for so long.
And you build all these sopsand you're, you've got all this
stuff everywhere and, asorganized as you try to be,
you've got duplicity, you've gotgaps, you've got all kinds of
stuff.
So, like liking, it's like agarden.
Your garden may have all kindsof weeds and shit and like, so
you, and then, when you want toscale, you're in like go mode.
(30:43):
Yeah, but the first thing thatyou should do as a smart
entrepreneur is step back andsay, ok, current state, what are
we doing?
Really well, what needs help?
So so we like to call it likewhat needs to be true before we
move forward like that.
And you spend a lot of timethere and it's been really cool.
So there's like there's sixprototypes, and actually there's
(31:05):
almost seven now, becausethere's another one which is
like basically burnout and I'mI'm finding these, though, from
people, so I didn't just sitdown in a in a silo by myself
and go, which I could have,because just for my journey I'm
I'm basically meeting withpeople and listening and helping
, and then I'm like, oh wait,this is actually a prototype.
(31:29):
And it's true because thisperson is sitting here with me,
and this is the phase thatthey're in.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
So you have really prototypes, clients, real-life
examples from the dreaming stageto mountaintop burnout and
everything in between.
Yeah, wow.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
And I will say another thing too that's
interesting is there is onethat's called blocked, and
what's cool, because I've beenalso very it's been complicated,
because I spent 10 years at SOSand there was so much fitness
and mindset and you know I'm allabout sort of the mindset, and
(32:06):
so there's a mixture of mindsetand business that goes into the
B lab and so there's this personwho's blocked and they haven't
even really found the idea yet.
Where they are is they're kindof miserable self-loathing
because they know they can domore, they know that they are
(32:26):
meant to do more and they ideate, but they're so stuck in either
toxic relationships internally,externally their habits, like
they are stuck underneaththemselves and they have to get,
they have to sort of do somework there before they can
really get to like okay, wait,here's my idea.
(32:49):
And I see I'm starting tovisualize a starting line.
So I also have, like from myexperience with SOS, sort of
these philosophies that I canhelp people who are blocked.
It's like you know, yourcurrent version of you versus
the ideal, and it's again, it'sthis bridge and you say okay,
(33:12):
let's get real honest about thecurrent version of you, let's do
an internal external audit,which is very powerful.
You know, an internal audit isbasically what the fuck you're
doing, but externally is whoyou're surrounding yourself with
, removing the title fromwhether it's mom, dad, whomever
and putting feelings.
How do you feel around them?
How do they make you?
What's the energy right?
And then you look at all ofthat and you put a positive or a
(33:33):
negative and you start to lookat it and you're like holy shit.
Well, no wonder I can't get outof my own way, because between
my bucked up habits every daythat I'm completely
rationalizing, and the externalpeople I'm allowing myself to
hang out with, how the fuck am Iever going to get to the
starting line to be the bestversion of me?
How am I going to do that?
So that person who's blockedneeds some mindset work.
(33:57):
Right, they need to siftthrough some of that and I get,
as you can tell, very passionateabout that.
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Speaker 3 (36:04):
Because great hair days shouldn't be rare two
things that fall, so you're nottelling them, you're really
showing them.
Yep, that's why it's a lab.
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
So what I.
So here's another thing, too,that is really I have spent.
When I tell you the amount oftime in this torture chamber,
the only person who knows is thegirl to my right and probably
my husband, because this isn'tabout making money Like, okay,
of course, do I have goals?
I have revenue goals.
Do I want to make?
Do I want this to befinancially successful?
(36:37):
Fuck, yes, anyone out there whoisn't.
If that's not one of yourpillars, I probably would shake
you, but it's one More than that.
I want to feel like I'mcontributing and making a
positive impact in people'slives.
And so, at the end of the day,I was like I don't want to do
(36:58):
this, like check a box course,or I don't want, and there's no
shame, but it always fell flatto me.
An interactive like streettherapy session meets, business
workshop meets we sit downtogether and look at your shit
and real time it.
I really want you, michael,when you're done with this, I
(37:21):
want you to be a part of theB-Lab community.
I want to connect you andnetwork you with people who I
really feel like are going toadd value.
And I want, two years from now,I want to still be connected
somehow to you and to know that,like, we have done something
really cool.
You know, it's very important tome that this makes a difference
(37:45):
for somebody and so far it'sbeen, and we're still tweaking
stuff, right.
So these interactions,especially when you're doing
like a build out, like so ifyou're an entrepreneur and
you're still tweaking stuff,right.
So these interactions,especially when you're doing
like a build out, like so ifyou're an entrepreneur and
you're like, you know, I'vereally thought about opening in
a new market or I want to expand, that's not a conversation
we're going to have in two hoursand then I walk away.
Right, I'm not going to giveyou some canned thing on my
(38:07):
agenda.
It's more like, hey, let'sfigure out exactly what this is
for you and what would add themost value, and then we sort of
map out.
But it's very interactive, it'svery workshoppy Lab.
That's why we call it the lab.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
More intimate and custom.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
And then B, of course , is I mean name it.
Name a word, business, buildbrand, badass, believe, belong
brain, body.
I mean you could name a millionbees that I was like, oh shit.
Well, what else could Ipossibly call this but the bee
lab?
I love that.
Biggie.
Biggie.
Booyah.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
I think the Cary Crawford is Biggie.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
You know.
So I'm excited, I'm reallyexcited about it and I mean
we're looking at a mini sharktank here.
Potentially.
That's.
That's too Like when I look at.
You know, like you say, withthe fluff, like your five year
vision or whatever, having acouple leaning into a market and
have one of my longer termvisions is like they're not all
(39:11):
going to align.
I'm not going to want to investin everything, but could there
be, Could there be someone outthere who you know?
Maybe we align farther thanjust a B-Lab engagement, you
know?
I mean, you never know.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
You never know.
You said multiple times and Ilove this is the best version of
themselves.
I've really unpacked that a lotin this past two years of my
life Because I don't think tooyou're really in it.
You realize how much power thatis.
I think we have so muchuntapped potential if we can
(39:46):
maneuver and manage a lot oflittle things of.
You know the whirlwind thatgoes on upstairs and what does
it look like for Carrie toperform as the best version of
herself every day.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
I love that question because I mean I have such a
great answer.
But like I've been working verydiligently toward this answer,
so and I've talked about this acouple of times I have in my
sauna I have a like there's apiece of wood that goes down
vertically and so I put actualpost-it notes.
Now they've I've upgraded topost.
(40:20):
Actually, there was a clientthat made me um, she had her
daughter make me, uh, laminatedcolored ones, so it looks a
little bit better than that.
Now, the top ones what I woulddo is I would visualize mentally
they would be in my head.
Now they're just there.
So the top one is MF.
Okay, and it's not motherfucker.
Speaker 3 (40:37):
It's my initials.
Thanks, Carrie.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
Actually I'm soft launching my obsession with you.
I just literally, it's what Ithink about every day.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
That's why you lit up when I asked that question.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
So it's me first, right.
And so in in that first columnis like OK, what does me first
mean?
It means being as healthy as Ican be.
Am I exercising?
Am I trying to put good thingsin my body?
Am I trying to keep habits atbay that I know I can have a
propensity towards?
What are the answers?
(41:07):
And you stay, you stay withthat.
Just, you stay there in the MFand you start thinking those
things through Am I doing a goodjob?
Where do I need to be better?
What do I need to be leaninginto?
Because I'm not going toperform the best I can for my
kids, for my husband, for mycircle, for the business or
anything, if I'm not doing thosethings first.
(41:28):
And so when you start to dothis, this visualization, you
start to then draw it in, right,so I know what the habits are,
I know how many times I'veworked out, and that just draws
you back to okay, carrie, likewe're doing great or we have
some work to do.
And then the second one below isI, I, I see, invest in, wait.
I, I see, invest in your innercircle.
(41:50):
So your inner circle is yourfamily, you know, and then those
close people around you.
But that's after doing thislike external audit, like who
really are those close peoplearound you?
And that's a hard one to dobecause you may find yourself,
you know, thinking so how areyou investing in those people?
(42:11):
So for me, right now, I have twoyoung children and I have a
husband.
So it's like am I being present?
What are we doing this summer?
Let's go to Cedar Point, okay,make memories.
Let's go to the lake.
So you're literally remindingyourself, sitting watching this.
I see you're like okay, theseare my people.
What have I done for thisperson?
How do I invest in theiremotional bank account?
(42:33):
What can I do to surprise anddelight that person?
Really, like, just, these arethe people.
Everyone else's noise, whoever'smade it on this list, what can
I do?
And I'm not saying every singleday you're trying to figure out
how to like, drop something offon somebody's door.
You just know who these peopleare and over time, if you
haven't really thought aboutthat person for a while, okay,
(42:54):
what's going on there?
It could be a text message, itcould be whatever.
And then after IIC is BYE,build your empire, okay, and
that one I can spend a lot oftime on, and I know that's a
flaw, and as I get older I'mlike why are you spending so
much fucking time here?
Like that's one way to likekind of get yourself to stop,
(43:15):
you know, because it's like okay, you can't spend all your time
with the business stuff, soagain, maybe the exercise that
day is like skip that onebecause you're constantly
thinking about that right.
And then the last one is improvethe atmosphere, ita.
And so how is the Build yourEmpire?
How is that aligning to thevalues, the purpose, the legacy
(43:36):
I want to leave for my kids?
You know, like this lemonadestand, for example.
This lemonade stand, for me,has everything to do with what
Dane is seeing and giving backand also being entrepreneurial.
And then also the community.
It's like we can do somethingso fun, it doesn't take that
much heavy lifting, it feels sofreaking good.
(43:58):
And then for me to find a newerentrepreneur, like Zach and the
Scatterjoy Project, I'm like,oh, I'm getting behind you all
day long.
So those are the four things.
And then what's really powerfulwith this and I think we can
all use a lesson from this ifsomething doesn't belong in one
of those four squares, get itthe fuck out of your head, get
(44:22):
it out, and that's the most.
First, if it's not invest inyour inner circle, if it's not
build your empire and if it'snot improving the atmosphere, it
doesn't belong.
Everything else is noise.
Everything else is noise yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:39):
So you had empire in there, but do you?
I feel like this is a fullcircle where, into the majority
of that, at least the beginningof it, was the best version of
Carrie, and I totally,wholeheartedly agree with this.
It was family first, right, howdid I show up best for my kids?
But I'm also going back tothese case studies, or whatever
(44:59):
you want to call them, thatyou're doing with the B Lab,
where you have the dreamer first, all the way up to someone at
mountaintop getting burnout,stuck, whatever.
I feel like they all could beencompassed in there too, right.
Because especially with thedreamer and the startup is your
mind is like I have to beeverything to everyone.
Everyone's a customer,everyone's a vendor.
(45:21):
I have to be right.
But it's like if you could juststay in that and it's not like
we're have tunnel vision whereI'm not willing to be expand and
and and.
When I come across anopportunity, take advantage of
it.
But I think, man, what greatadvice Do you see it that way
too to pass on to some of thepeople in the B lab is like, if
you stay in this, in thesecomponents, all the boxes get
checked, everything's important,everything else is noise and
(45:42):
you're going to grow this thingbased on what's important to you
.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
Well, so it's funny you say that because the so you
have blocked which we talkedabout.
And blocked is like kind of preokay could be all mindset, but
the real, the beginning, is thefirst prototype.
It's called beginning and youjust hit it on the head and it's
a solo cast that I want to dosoon, because if you're doing
your job with someone in thebeginning, the first thing we're
(46:07):
talking about so, if somebodyhas the idea, if somebody has
just started or they're gettingready to just start their
business, the first thing we'regoing to talk about beyond like
the alignment and the why youmay already have, that is do
(46:28):
best piece of business advicesomeone could have ever given me
.
I didn't get it early enoughwith SOS.
When you are a beginning babyentrepreneur, you want everyone
to like you.
You want you think this productis or service is the most
special thing.
It is a child, it's a baby andthat's what makes you good.
(46:54):
But if a savvy business personwho's been there can say to you
you're going to make even moreimpact if you get laser focused
on the person you are meant toserve, that is a complete game.
It changes your wholetrajectory or it saves you years
of pain and effort and tryingto.
You know you want thedemographic to be everyone and
(47:16):
so if you're doing your job,helping someone in the beginning
, that's one of the first thingsyou talk about.
The next thing you know, you'relike holy shit, things could be
so much easier.
Because I don't want to servedicks, I don't want to serve
assholes, I don't give a shitabout most of these people
because they don't care about myproduct, my service.
I want that like small pool ofincredible people that I can
(47:42):
actually make an impact with.
And the next thing you knowyou're like oh my God, it's a
completely different game.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
Well, and if I could add, you're going to confuse
your audience, you're going toconfuse your team.
Who are we?
Uh, rory Baden has this awesomeanalogy, talks exact speaks on
exactly what you just said.
Aim small, miss small.
Right, if you are honed in,truly laser focus on your target
audience, target goals, targetreason, target communities.
(48:08):
I mean.
Everything else is, is, is,else, is outside of that circle.
And it's funny, you're likethis.
20 years ago I might havelistened to this, but I've had
more than not a lot, but maybe acouple of people say, in the
past six months, right, leadingup to the launch and stuff,
we're building up the technologyand stuff.
You know what you should do,michael, you should also team up
(48:29):
with DoorDash and you coulddeliver people's groceries while
you're on the way to theirhouse with their laundry.
And I'm like, yeah, now, 20years ago you would have
listened.
The people pleaser wouldprobably been like, oh really,
they'll like me more and there'smore revenue.
No, that's not what we'reserving, that's not what we're
doing, right, but it kind ofreminded me of what and what an
awesome gift you can give tosomebody in the beginning stage,
(48:50):
because they don't have thatexperience to know that here's
another gift for that person.
Speaker 2 (48:56):
Never listen to one, not one.
I'm not even going to give anexception.
You don't listen to one personwho hasn't done something that
you want to do.
Everybody's well-intentionedright.
So I'm going to go listen touncle Joe, who thinks it's a
good idea to have or marketingmyopia where it's like no, it's
like you.
(49:16):
Listen to the people who havedone what you want to do.
Get yourself in rooms withthose people, go to chat, gpt
and figure out who the fuckthose people are and just get
really, really obsessed.
That's what you do.
Speaker 3 (49:31):
Oh, it goes back to that mentorship community, right
, like, go find them, yes, andif you find the true ones, they
want to help you back.
I mean they want to help you.
You talk a lot in this platformabout different subjects and I
think the more we open up toothers.
But I think small business andentrepreneurs are supposed to
look at like you have all theanswers and I know what I'm
doing and I just think you knowsomeone's especially first
(49:53):
starting out like look at thatguy who started that company.
you know your, your parents,friend or your neighbor, your
uncle, and go ask him how theydid it you know, and I believe
that a really successfulentrepreneur for doing it for
the right reasons is begging youfor to ask them, because they
want to share with you theirknowledge.
They're proud of you forwanting to start something on
(50:14):
your own, so they are just aseager to help you as you are
eager to you know, you'rethirsty for that knowledge.
So I think you know reaching outand then going, finding other
peers that are maybe in the sameseason.
Right, maybe you're in thedreaming phase, maybe you're in
the launch.
Uh, maybe you're scaling ormaybe you're, maybe you're
mountaintopping, like I don'tknow what to do next.
I think, just reaching out toother people who are, you know,
in those same shoes and juststart collaborating on what
(50:37):
they're doing next or howthey're getting through it.
And I had some amazingconversations over the past 20
years with entrepreneurs who arein completely different spaces
than I was.
We had nothing in common, youknow, as far as like the
products or the services, butour problems were the same.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
Oh yeah, so in common , you know, as far as like the
products or the services.
But our problems were the same.
Oh yeah, so say you goteverything in common, yeah,
except the widget.
Yeah, except the widget.
You know another thing in thebeginning?
Well, actually that's not true,it's not.
It's not just beginning.
So the, the build out too we'redoing.
I mean, you can have theselessons in in multiple of these
prototypes.
It depends on, like, what youknow, what specific situation.
But something that keeps comingup is pricing psychology, and
(51:12):
I'm going to do a solo cast onthat too, because I'm very
passionate about it.
Figuring out your pricing modelis insane.
It's like people are so they'resluts, we're sluts, we're
insecure.
It goes back to how you feelabout you know yourself or what
you would buy.
It's like no, here's the bestpricing advice I could possibly
(51:39):
give anybody, just for theinterest of time here Is,
instead of looking at yourproduct or your service and
saying, okay, it costs me this,I'm going to add this onto it
and I'm going to charge this,yep, right, what is the
perceived value of your productor service?
A lot of people don't have theconfidence to think it's worth
(52:01):
what it is.
I mean, we talk in very, we gogranular, yep, we talk
psychology.
We also have to remember likeand so many entrepreneurs do
this, because I experienced thiswith my previous company I
would have arguments aroundapparel and what we would be
charging for apparel, and Iwould get this back like well, I
shop at Old Navy or I shop here.
(52:22):
I would never pay like $78 forthis hoodie.
That isn't how you set up yourpricing in your business.
I don't give a shit how muchyou're going to spend.
Going back to like who you'reserving, what we just talked
about in terms of like reallyfocusing in who's that person,
what are they spending?
Cause I promise you like,unless you want to be in like a,
(52:45):
you know like dollar tree typeenvironment where you're like
super cheap and you're doing itfine, but if you want a premium
ish product, you know, like youdon't I'm you have to figure out
what is that person, how dothey perceive your brand, what
are they willing to spend on?
And, by the way, I hate to likecan I remind people, there are
(53:06):
people like me out there whofeel like if it's too cheap, I
want to poke a hole in it, Iwant to pay a little bit more
for it.
So if you haven't, if you're anentrepreneur out there and you
have not done sort of a deepdive on like the psychology of
your pricing model, the why,like, where you're trying to fit
in in the market, I highlyrecommend doing it.
(53:27):
Unless things are going well andyou've kind of figured it out,
if things feel clunky and you'relike shit, like I'm not making,
like whether it's the B lab orsomebody else, step back and
like have those conversationsand do that deep dive.
There's nothing more important.
It's how much money you'remaking per.
Speaker 3 (53:45):
Well, it's what?
What's the market gonna?
What's the where are they goingto perceive?
So I come back to this a lot inthis example.
I've had conversations withentrepreneurs about this.
15, maybe now 20 years ago, twodudes had this idea.
I think we can make really nicecoolers and sell them for $400.
Yeah, right, like Yeti at thetime are you kidding me?
(54:07):
When, like, who was it Coleman?
And like the little push neonbuttons on the side and push for
$40 at one, like you're going10 X with that idea.
And here we are today.
Right, I'm heart first.
Right, I feel like the fluff iswhat better way to serve people
than cleaning their laundry?
But when I knew, from a purebusiness standpoint and like the
(54:29):
need when it comes to like thesale, I was in a hurry to go
somewhere and I was leaving and20 minutes before I leave, my
son says dad, can you order me,jimmy John's?
I say order you, jimmy John's,and before I was walking out the
door it came, it was delivered,whatever, and I got the alert.
I looked down and it was right,cause this whole thing was
(54:51):
already like fresh in my brain.
So a text or an alert that younormally don't look at,
especially when you're kind ofin a hurry.
I looked down and the $8 subwas like $19.50.
Why?
Because it was convenient.
Oh and, by the way, when I saidI was in a hurry, I was going
to get in my Uber.
So it's like all theseconvenience factors come in
(55:16):
right, like the market's goingto pay what's convenient and I
don't know.
I always come back to that JimmyJohn's story.
It was at the right time at theright place.
I'm like, oh, that's what wewant to pay for.
And back to your like, sell meon.
You know, it's like time, whatare?
And I don't know.
I think that's, you know, the78 dollar sweatshirt, if it's a
quality item and it's at apremium facility.
Speaker 2 (55:36):
Yeah, they're gonna look at it and go oh, this is
carry shop, this is premiumstuff here, yeah you know, I
mean it's, and there's just somany things you're just so quick
to want to like hurry up and doit and everyone and people,
just they don't take the time tostep back and really create a
strategy or a philosophy aroundsome of these things that would
(55:59):
just save them.
So, and that's what I want todo is like I want to help people
either avoid landmines or, likeyou know, course correct yeah
you don't have to stay doing itthe way you're doing it.
Because you are doing it thatway, you know it's like you
don't my biggest pet peeve.
Speaker 3 (56:16):
Why do you guys do something like that?
Speaker 2 (56:18):
because we've always done it.
Speaker 3 (56:18):
We do it this way because we've always done it.
Speaker 2 (56:21):
Like you know, I can't stand it and listen if
it's working, if you can show mesure, if it's working, great.
But like there are so manythings that could just refine,
finesse and guess what.
Increase profitability, becausethat's the king profit.
If you want to be more of apremium to, but you're kind of
(56:42):
selling yourself, what have youdone here?
It's hard to recoup from thatIf you're constantly doing sales
or you're constantly you'redriving your like.
Take a step back and like let'slook at this thing and how can
we make your life moreprofitable, more aligned, how
can we make it better?
You know, I think people havethey're prideful, they don't
(57:02):
know what they don't knowthey're, they're in the grind
and they don't realize.
Like you can't, when's the lasttime you've you've spent money
on coaching for yourself or yourbusiness?
That's one of the one of thetop things you could possibly do
for yourself.
Whether you have a business ornot, what kind of coaching or
what kind of opportunities areout there for you for growth?
(57:24):
You know like, spend some moneyon that.
Speaker 3 (57:27):
Open your eyes like widen your lens Blows my mind
that in 2025, people think I'mcrazy because I go to therapy
every two weeks.
What's are you okay?
What's wrong?
Nothing, maybe right.
Maybe there's some days thereare something, but it's like why
can we go to the gym and lookat our physical health and not
take the same approach.
Or mental health.
We're doing check-ins, we'redoing, hey, 30,000 feet, what do
(57:48):
you see?
Where's blind spots?
How can I be better?
Same with like a seminar orlike coaching or business
coaching.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (57:55):
Cause.
You cause, I think, I think, alot of people out there.
If you're being really honest,you're holding really close to
this baby that you've, thatyou've created, right, and you
don't want anybody calling itugly, yep.
And so guess what I'm going todo?
In a very loving way, I'm goingto call it ugly.
If there are things that areugly, I'm also going to tell you
the beautiful things about it.
You know, but you got to getout of your own way, and that's
(58:17):
another thing too.
When you have built somethingfor, let's say, a decade, and it
is time if you do want to scaleit, you know no one gives a
fuck in another market whatyou're doing here.
You could have a cult life likefollowing and everybody loves
you.
Nobody knows you, and so youmay have to do things.
(58:38):
Now I'm not saying, lose the.
You know the brand identity.
Of course, brand is going to bethat much more important, but
you're going to have to dothings like figure out how to
sell it, how to like get beatthrough the door, how to create
awareness again, going from zeroin some of these markets, and
so you have to change.
You're like oh, we're so great,we're this really, because
(58:58):
nobody knows who the fuck youare there.
So how are you going to, howare you going to get those
people to feel the way they feelhere?
It doesn't just happen.
Speaker 3 (59:08):
Well, it's a lot of hoping and wishing that I want
my ugly baby to look like thator go do those things.
Yeah.
Well, the only way you're goingto be able to do it is, you
know, the work putting in theactions.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (59:18):
I could talk about this all damn day.
Well, you just can you tell.
Speaker 3 (59:21):
You said alignment.
I'm like I could go on for anhour more about that.
Speaker 2 (59:23):
It's crazy.
So I wish you nothing but thebest of luck.
I really feel good about this.
I think your branding I'm abranding snob your branding I
would give like nine and a half,if not more, out of 10.
I was very impressed, like thecolor, I like the name, I just
like everything you got going on.
I like that you're willing tojust, you know, roll up your
(59:45):
sleeves, make it happen, and Ijust my prediction is pretty
much in line with yours for youin the next five years, I think
you're going to have a lot oftrucks.
Thank you A lot of trucks andthank you for coming in.
Speaker 3 (59:56):
Thanks for having me, Carrie.
Speaker 2 (59:57):
You're single I am.
Speaker 3 (59:59):
All right, here she goes.
Speaker 2 (01:00:01):
Hey, listen, there's a lot of angles here.
You're single and ready tomingle.
Hey, get it.
Listen, ladies, get in before.
He has about 100 trucks okay.
This is what.
I'm saying he's a one-truck manright now.
So you know, timing iseverything.
Thank you, michael.
Thanks, keri, and if you'restill out there following your
girl.
Follow me on YouTube, spotify,apple or wherever you get your
podcasts.
(01:00:21):
And until next time, go to theFluff app, get some laundry
service, let me know how it goes, and keep moving baby.
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