February 5, 2024 • 18 mins
Our latest episode on the Phenomenal Business Growth Podcast highlights the inspiring journey of Bill Corridan, a member of the Inner Circle, and his three-decade-long successful entrepreneurial adventure in the carpet cleaning industry. Starting his humble beginnings with roles in the postal service, Bill established and scaled Prestige Carpet Care from the ground up.
Bill opens up about the trials he faced while maintaining his business, working relentlessly seven days a week for seven years. He confesses the realization of feeling like a slave to his own business that eventually led to an important shift in his business strategy.
Joining the Inner Circle, Bill decided to focus on honing his leadership qualities and grew to understand the value of teamwork. His challenging yet crucial transition from a solo pioneer to leading a team has been a significant part of his journey. Acknowledging the improbable permanence of his physically-demanding job, he wisely takes a step towards securing his business's future.
The episode also pertains to an engaging discussion about embracing the inevitable process of aging and adapting to change, more so in the professional sphere. The guests not only reveal their humorous anecdotes concerning self-discovery and aging, but also share their admiration for the phenomenal business coaching by Howard Partridge.
The exchange further extends to their interaction with renowned small business expert, Michael Gerber. They delve into the influential lessons from Gerber's philosophy and its beneficial impact on their businesses. To wrap up, they recount their experience with the Inner Circle and stress the significant influence of such programs in terms of knowledge and growth opportunities.
Stop Being A SLAVE To Your Business! Transform it into a Predictable, Profitable, Turnkey operation so you can have more Freedom in your life!Get Your FREE Training Session Here -
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To reach Howard Partridge: howard@howardpartridge.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello, everybody. Jim Klauck here on the Phenomenal Business Growth Podcast.
Another Inner Circle member joining me here on the program, Bill Corridan. How are you doing, Bill?
I'm doing phenomenal, Jim. I really appreciate the opportunity here.
I'm laughing because you said the right word, phenomenal.
(00:21):
Some people say, I'm doing good, I'm doing great, I'm doing fine.
And I said, excuse me, you should be doing phenomenal or better than phenomenal.
So true. It's ingrained in us.
Absolutely. So before we get into talking about the inner circle,
I want to learn more about you and your business.
I understand that you've been working in people's homes, cleaning carpet for 30 years.
(00:47):
We actually just completed our 30th year. Yeah. Started in November of 93.
So I've been at this quite a long time. How did you get into the business?
You know what like like you always
hear these stories it's either going to be desperation or inspiration
i i used to work for the postal service right and
(01:08):
um out of high school i started going to
college and taking classes and kind of really didn't know what i wanted to do
i was going to be a realtor at one point i started that and then i just kept
you know i couldn't settle on one thing joined the postal service and um god
i was there like a week and i'm like i am not going to retire doing this. This is not my future.
(01:31):
And I just started experimenting with other ideas and I just came across wanting
to start my own business.
I don't know exactly why it was carpet cleaning, but I did.
Initially, it was going to be a business with my brother and I had this idea
where we were going to do it together.
And he backed out at the last minute and I was already down the road researching
what I needed to do to start a business, what kind of of equipment I needed and all that.
(01:56):
And, and I just kept at it. That was in 93.
I started with the post office in 88. So it took me five years to kind of figure
out what kind of transition I wanted to do.
Started with prestige carpet care in 93. And it took me up till 2000.
And I was, I was literally working like seven days a week from 93 to 2000.
(02:16):
Just trying, just trying to build it up. And then in the year 2000,
I felt comfortable that I had enough of a clientele where I could resign from
the post office. That's what I did in the year 2000.
And I've been at it full time ever since. But all in all, it's been 30 years.
Yeah, congratulations. So
it sounds as though you may be or may have been a slave to your business.
(02:38):
We hear Howard Partridge talking about that all the time.
Would you say that's fair at some point you were a slave or maybe still are?
Oh man, that, that hits home so much.
Was, still are, that, that's hence joining the inner circle that I just got to a point.
Yeah, no, I worked too damn much and it's just, it's always been that way.
(03:02):
I get that from my, my dad and my grandfather, but big time slave to the business.
And at some point you realize that that's not the way to go.
So it's got to be better. That, that's why I joined the inner circle to learn
those systems and learn how to, how to do it better.
You couldn't be in a better place. A company of your size transitioning the
way I believe you want to transition, which is actually add people to your team,
(03:28):
because right now, everybody, we're looking at the team. It's called Bill.
Bill's the team. And what Bill is working on is growing and basically replicating
things he does with new team members.
And he's asked Howard and his team at Phenomenal to help him out with that.
And you've been on board for nine months now at Inner Circle?
(03:52):
Yeah, I'm new to this. Coming up on nine months almost, yeah.
My head is still spinning, but it's getting a little more manageable.
It's a lot, but it's awesome. It really is.
So specifically, what are you focusing on now through Phenomenal Business Coaching?
Is it the systems? Is it team leadership? Where are you?
(04:15):
It would be systems and leadership, or probably leadership and then systems,
because it's always been me.
30 years, and the trap is it's a successful business.
It's done really well, and I'm more on the higher end, or actually am the higher
end here in our service area.
(04:35):
But when it's all about you, it's you. you
if you break down or you you know you
want to retire someday go on vacation and i mean
all that it's just it's not going to happen if you don't
have a team member so it's going to be leadership that that's
the focus and then putting in system systems um because
i never had that it was all in my head so we're starting to
(04:57):
do that little by little but it's it's leadership and system that that's that's
the need that's the focus i give you a lot of credit for someone who's been
operating a business by himself for 30 years and now is willing to allow people into his business,
meaning employees, team members, that's a big step for some people who may be
(05:21):
exiting their business at your age.
You and I are the same age. So I understand exactly where you are.
We were born the same year. Okay. So I understand what you're going through,
and I give you a lot of credit at this stage of your life and business to take that step,
(05:43):
which is a big step.
And you, of course, know numerically that you don't have another 30 years cleaning carpets.
You may not even have another five or 10 years yourself, right?
Because it's physically draining. training um and you know you and i don't have
our young bones and joints anymore.
(06:04):
Correct you know you know you're right um it just
got you know this is something that i in the back of my
head i knew for i think once i hit 50 i
started thinking like how am i going to retire how am i going to
sell this business it's like i said it's a
good business we we do really well but how am i
going to sell it if it's just me and um i
(06:24):
think like i said when i hit 50 that became came that was
on my mind more and more and then I just decided I
had to do something because you know you next thing you know you're getting
closer to 60 then it's I mean I
have friends and I'm sure we all have friends that are um well in this industry
still doing the work in their 60s or get you some of them like 70 and it's that
(06:47):
that was not going to be me um but I needed to plan for it so that's why I finally
jumped in with the inner circle so it's I'm excited it's but it's It's hard, Jim.
It's a lot. 30 years, just me and everything in my head and my way of doing
things. It's a whole different mindset.
And I mean, not to say it's easy at all. It's hard at times,
(07:09):
but it's necessary. I know I have to do it and we're getting there.
It can be difficult. It might be or seem a little overwhelming as well.
And when we do things for decades ourselves, we're used to that.
(07:29):
So someone who's never been married at now 57 saying, hey, how would you like to get married?
You're like, oh, that means I have to change things. So I'm not doing things
by myself. Oh, no, we need to share.
What? Oh, yeah. Yeah. And I need some attention.
And that's what your people are going to need. You're going to have to share
things, train them and be there for them, whether it's business or personal,
(07:52):
because if if they have a problem like a sick child, that's your problem.
And so you didn't have to worry about these things before. Mm-hmm. No, correct.
And these are all skills that I'm realizing that I didn't have before or in a lower capacity.
So I'm learning all these things because, like I said, owner-operator,
(08:14):
I know Howard started in that capacity and a lot of business owners do.
Do, but it can trap you, man, if you don't get out of it because you have a
good life and the money is coming in and you have your help,
knock on wood, but there's no guarantee that it's going to keep going that way.
I agree. In your type of business, if you want to do it all yourself,
(08:40):
you should probably have an exit plan by 50.
And that's assuming that everything goes right and you didn't break your back
doing something at 40, you have a physical job.
And when you have a physical job, whether you're a plumber or you're a roofer,
you clean carpets, whatever it may be, if you can't physically do that, then you have a problem.
(09:03):
Now, if you're a CPA or an attorney and you don't really need to move very quickly,
you can do it from a desk task in anywhere in the world probably today.
And so you really need to be in good physical shape.
And unfortunately, I found out something, Bill, you may not know this,
(09:24):
but as we get older, things don't work as well physically.
I happened to stumble into that in my 50s.
I thought I was going to be different than everybody else. So when I was a kid,
no joke, when I was a little kid, like five years old, six years old,
and I saw my grandparents, I just thought they were a different species or something.
I just thought they were old people. Like I didn't think I was going to be old.
(09:45):
I was a kid and that's what I was.
My parents were like a different species and then the grandparents.
And I'm like, huh, this is the way it is. And then I found out when I was about
40 that I'm going to get old too. Took me that long.
And, uh, and you know, and here we are.
And I think this is a perfect time for you to do this because any further along.
(10:08):
Is probably too far along.
It could be. It could be, Jim. And I'm two weeks removed from a torn meniscus
on my left knee. So I'm dealing with that surgery.
I just had, it'll be two weeks tomorrow, actually.
Five years prior, I had the right knee done. So yeah, the physical ailments
(10:30):
that you were talking about, they're there and it's going to happen.
It's going to happen whether, you know, like you're talking about a physical
job, but just one little tweak or moving a certain way.
So all that is just another reminder that I need a team. I need systems.
I need to get out of my own way and, and, um, you know, take a step back.
(10:51):
So that that's a focus for sure.
So on a regular basis, you are on a coaching call, correct?
Correct. And who is your coach? Christian. Christian.
Great. As a matter of fact, I have a call here later on this afternoon,
I think 2 o'clock or 2.30.
Okay. He's great. He's great.
(11:13):
All right. Well, when you talk to Christian, tell him I say hello. I will.
I want to talk a little bit about Howard Partridge and the phenomenal business coaching inner circle.
I've known Howard for over 15 years, and he's truly phenomenal.
A lot of energy. he he's like the the the father figure in the group so if you've
(11:39):
ever been to an inner circle event,
that's just you know the way it is it's a big family it's
a great community and for those of you who are
watching this who are thinking of learning more i
suggest that you contact Howard and
his team and all that information is in
the show notes of this podcast and come
(12:01):
visit visit and get to meet some
great people such as bill and all
the other great people i mean there's great speakers like at the
last event Michael Gerber was there okay so you know yeah that um we were at
that conference so that the last one uh was was my second one we went in may
and then the last one with Michael Gerber I got to shake his hand got a
(12:25):
picture with him and oh my like, God, that was amazing.
And like Howard was talking about on his webcast, I mean, when Michael got up
there to speak, man, it was, you couldn't hear anything in that room. It was just.
Michael Gerber. I mean, you could hear a pin drop. So, it was really cool.
(12:46):
Really, really cool. It's just such a really good community.
And, you know, the first conference we went to, I mean, you can feel it right away.
It just takes a few minutes being in that conference room and having people
come up to you, introduce themselves and, you know, make you feel welcome.
And it's just a different vibe. Exactly what you're talking about,
(13:07):
Jim. It's just, it's a family.
It truly is. As a matter of fact, sometimes you will see three generations in the room.
It could be the mother and father that started the business,
the middle-aged family, if you will, and maybe their children are with them, young children.
It is really that type of community.
(13:32):
And Howard has a very big heart. He loves everybody and he wants everybody to win.
And everyone in that room is a winner. So, you know, you talked about Michael
Gerber and I've known Michael for some time. He's a great guy.
When I first met Howard within that first year, he invited me to an inner circle
(13:56):
conference meeting and his main speaker,
keynote speaker at that event was Zig Ziglar.
Wow. I got to meet Zig Ziglar. How about that? That was cool. That's amazing.
(14:16):
Wow. Yeah. And that was a couple of years before Zig passed.
And it was such a great opportunity and an honor of mine to meet him.
He spoke on stage, went to the back of the room to sign books.
And I got to shake his hand and say to him, Zig, you changed my life.
(14:39):
He really did.
He spoke to me back in the day when I had cassette tapes in my car.
And he would be there all day long with me while I was driving around doing my job.
And getting to meet him
was a thrill we hear a lot about him today
we get to see his son tom um
(15:02):
and other family members and it
you know it'd be a great treat if he were still here today because at Howard's
events you see Zig on stage on the banner he's he's just always there and he's
He's so part of it because Howard has plugged himself into the Zig Ziglar Corporation.
(15:26):
The way that was with you meeting Zig Ziglar back in the day,
that was probably similar to how I felt meeting Michael Gerber.
I told my wife, I go, this is the guy for small business owners to learn how
to put systems in. He's a guru.
This opportunity was, you don't know how many more chances you're going to get.
(15:49):
It was great. it was great yeah so i know Michael
personally he's 87 years old he doesn't travel that much
anymore and you get to see him in Houston because he lives
in Houston he used to be
in california so um it it
is a treat being able to see him because like i said you
know he told me he said jim i don't travel that much anymore and um
(16:11):
so if you have a
chance to ever see him it'll probably be locally and you
know he and he did great on stage for an 87 year
old guy okay i think he did great on stage
don't you oh he he was outstanding he
he definitely brought it it was really good
yeah he was up there sat on a stool
(16:32):
and didn't look at one note everything off
the top of his head yeah the the one thing that
he said Jim that kind of uh stuck in my
head i think i mentioned it on one of my pods
is that he he said you know what i
know you better than you know yourself because he's
been there right he knows how the how the small
(16:52):
business operates and how we think and the owner operator and trying to get
out of your own way and put in systems and i go man he he sure does so yeah
i don't know great he does he he's an icon in the field of small business And
if you don't know who Michael Gerber is,
Google him and you need to read the E-Myth.
(17:16):
And he's written about 30 different E-Myth books, but the E-Myth Revisited is
the one that you probably should start with. Bill, I could talk to you all day.
Unfortunately, we have to go. Do you have any closing comments or thoughts about
you and the inner circle?
Yeah i i would just say you know another good friend
(17:38):
of mine is Jim Bardwell and when i was thinking about
joining the inner circle Jim i go i feel like
I need to do this and I'm kind of do i have time
you know do i have time he goes you know what i remember
his advice just do it he goes the people that do it their thing is they always
say is why i do it earlier so if you're if you're on the fence about you know
(18:00):
get yourself to a conference and And you'll realize that you're in the right
place and all the systems, everything's there.
You just got to dig in and do the work. And it's a lot of hard work,
but you're in the right place, like what you're saying, Jim.
It's a great opportunity for sure.
Bill, well said. Once again, thank you so much for joining me today.
(18:21):
Thank you for the opportunity. Take care now.
Hello, everybody. Jim Klauck here on the Phenomenal Business Growth Podcast.
Another Inner Circle member joining me here on the program, Bill Corridan. How are you doing, Bill?
I'm doing phenomenal, Jim. I really appreciate the opportunity here.
I'm laughing because you said the right word, phenomenal.
(00:21):
Some people say, I'm doing good, I'm doing great, I'm doing fine.
And I said, excuse me, you should be doing phenomenal or better than phenomenal.
So true. It's ingrained in us.
Absolutely. So before we get into talking about the inner circle,
I want to learn more about you and your business.
I understand that you've been working in people's homes, cleaning carpet for 30 years.
(00:47):
We actually just completed our 30th year. Yeah. Started in November of 93.
So I've been at this quite a long time. How did you get into the business?
You know what like like you always
hear these stories it's either going to be desperation or inspiration
i i used to work for the postal service right and
(01:08):
um out of high school i started going to
college and taking classes and kind of really didn't know what i wanted to do
i was going to be a realtor at one point i started that and then i just kept
you know i couldn't settle on one thing joined the postal service and um god
i was there like a week and i'm like i am not going to retire doing this. This is not my future.
(01:31):
And I just started experimenting with other ideas and I just came across wanting
to start my own business.
I don't know exactly why it was carpet cleaning, but I did.
Initially, it was going to be a business with my brother and I had this idea
where we were going to do it together.
And he backed out at the last minute and I was already down the road researching
what I needed to do to start a business, what kind of of equipment I needed and all that.
(01:56):
And, and I just kept at it. That was in 93.
I started with the post office in 88. So it took me five years to kind of figure
out what kind of transition I wanted to do.
Started with prestige carpet care in 93. And it took me up till 2000.
And I was, I was literally working like seven days a week from 93 to 2000.
(02:16):
Just trying, just trying to build it up. And then in the year 2000,
I felt comfortable that I had enough of a clientele where I could resign from
the post office. That's what I did in the year 2000.
And I've been at it full time ever since. But all in all, it's been 30 years.
Yeah, congratulations. So
it sounds as though you may be or may have been a slave to your business.
(02:38):
We hear Howard Partridge talking about that all the time.
Would you say that's fair at some point you were a slave or maybe still are?
Oh man, that, that hits home so much.
Was, still are, that, that's hence joining the inner circle that I just got to a point.
Yeah, no, I worked too damn much and it's just, it's always been that way.
(03:02):
I get that from my, my dad and my grandfather, but big time slave to the business.
And at some point you realize that that's not the way to go.
So it's got to be better. That, that's why I joined the inner circle to learn
those systems and learn how to, how to do it better.
You couldn't be in a better place. A company of your size transitioning the
way I believe you want to transition, which is actually add people to your team,
(03:28):
because right now, everybody, we're looking at the team. It's called Bill.
Bill's the team. And what Bill is working on is growing and basically replicating
things he does with new team members.
And he's asked Howard and his team at Phenomenal to help him out with that.
And you've been on board for nine months now at Inner Circle?
(03:52):
Yeah, I'm new to this. Coming up on nine months almost, yeah.
My head is still spinning, but it's getting a little more manageable.
It's a lot, but it's awesome. It really is.
So specifically, what are you focusing on now through Phenomenal Business Coaching?
Is it the systems? Is it team leadership? Where are you?
(04:15):
It would be systems and leadership, or probably leadership and then systems,
because it's always been me.
30 years, and the trap is it's a successful business.
It's done really well, and I'm more on the higher end, or actually am the higher
end here in our service area.
(04:35):
But when it's all about you, it's you. you
if you break down or you you know you
want to retire someday go on vacation and i mean
all that it's just it's not going to happen if you don't
have a team member so it's going to be leadership that that's
the focus and then putting in system systems um because
i never had that it was all in my head so we're starting to
(04:57):
do that little by little but it's it's leadership and system that that's that's
the need that's the focus i give you a lot of credit for someone who's been
operating a business by himself for 30 years and now is willing to allow people into his business,
meaning employees, team members, that's a big step for some people who may be
(05:21):
exiting their business at your age.
You and I are the same age. So I understand exactly where you are.
We were born the same year. Okay. So I understand what you're going through,
and I give you a lot of credit at this stage of your life and business to take that step,
(05:43):
which is a big step.
And you, of course, know numerically that you don't have another 30 years cleaning carpets.
You may not even have another five or 10 years yourself, right?
Because it's physically draining. training um and you know you and i don't have
our young bones and joints anymore.
(06:04):
Correct you know you know you're right um it just
got you know this is something that i in the back of my
head i knew for i think once i hit 50 i
started thinking like how am i going to retire how am i going to
sell this business it's like i said it's a
good business we we do really well but how am i
going to sell it if it's just me and um i
(06:24):
think like i said when i hit 50 that became came that was
on my mind more and more and then I just decided I
had to do something because you know you next thing you know you're getting
closer to 60 then it's I mean I
have friends and I'm sure we all have friends that are um well in this industry
still doing the work in their 60s or get you some of them like 70 and it's that
(06:47):
that was not going to be me um but I needed to plan for it so that's why I finally
jumped in with the inner circle so it's I'm excited it's but it's It's hard, Jim.
It's a lot. 30 years, just me and everything in my head and my way of doing
things. It's a whole different mindset.
And I mean, not to say it's easy at all. It's hard at times,
(07:09):
but it's necessary. I know I have to do it and we're getting there.
It can be difficult. It might be or seem a little overwhelming as well.
And when we do things for decades ourselves, we're used to that.
(07:29):
So someone who's never been married at now 57 saying, hey, how would you like to get married?
You're like, oh, that means I have to change things. So I'm not doing things
by myself. Oh, no, we need to share.
What? Oh, yeah. Yeah. And I need some attention.
And that's what your people are going to need. You're going to have to share
things, train them and be there for them, whether it's business or personal,
(07:52):
because if if they have a problem like a sick child, that's your problem.
And so you didn't have to worry about these things before. Mm-hmm. No, correct.
And these are all skills that I'm realizing that I didn't have before or in a lower capacity.
So I'm learning all these things because, like I said, owner-operator,
(08:14):
I know Howard started in that capacity and a lot of business owners do.
Do, but it can trap you, man, if you don't get out of it because you have a
good life and the money is coming in and you have your help,
knock on wood, but there's no guarantee that it's going to keep going that way.
I agree. In your type of business, if you want to do it all yourself,
(08:40):
you should probably have an exit plan by 50.
And that's assuming that everything goes right and you didn't break your back
doing something at 40, you have a physical job.
And when you have a physical job, whether you're a plumber or you're a roofer,
you clean carpets, whatever it may be, if you can't physically do that, then you have a problem.
(09:03):
Now, if you're a CPA or an attorney and you don't really need to move very quickly,
you can do it from a desk task in anywhere in the world probably today.
And so you really need to be in good physical shape.
And unfortunately, I found out something, Bill, you may not know this,
(09:24):
but as we get older, things don't work as well physically.
I happened to stumble into that in my 50s.
I thought I was going to be different than everybody else. So when I was a kid,
no joke, when I was a little kid, like five years old, six years old,
and I saw my grandparents, I just thought they were a different species or something.
I just thought they were old people. Like I didn't think I was going to be old.
(09:45):
I was a kid and that's what I was.
My parents were like a different species and then the grandparents.
And I'm like, huh, this is the way it is. And then I found out when I was about
40 that I'm going to get old too. Took me that long.
And, uh, and you know, and here we are.
And I think this is a perfect time for you to do this because any further along.
(10:08):
Is probably too far along.
It could be. It could be, Jim. And I'm two weeks removed from a torn meniscus
on my left knee. So I'm dealing with that surgery.
I just had, it'll be two weeks tomorrow, actually.
Five years prior, I had the right knee done. So yeah, the physical ailments
(10:30):
that you were talking about, they're there and it's going to happen.
It's going to happen whether, you know, like you're talking about a physical
job, but just one little tweak or moving a certain way.
So all that is just another reminder that I need a team. I need systems.
I need to get out of my own way and, and, um, you know, take a step back.
(10:51):
So that that's a focus for sure.
So on a regular basis, you are on a coaching call, correct?
Correct. And who is your coach? Christian. Christian.
Great. As a matter of fact, I have a call here later on this afternoon,
I think 2 o'clock or 2.30.
Okay. He's great. He's great.
(11:13):
All right. Well, when you talk to Christian, tell him I say hello. I will.
I want to talk a little bit about Howard Partridge and the phenomenal business coaching inner circle.
I've known Howard for over 15 years, and he's truly phenomenal.
A lot of energy. he he's like the the the father figure in the group so if you've
(11:39):
ever been to an inner circle event,
that's just you know the way it is it's a big family it's
a great community and for those of you who are
watching this who are thinking of learning more i
suggest that you contact Howard and
his team and all that information is in
the show notes of this podcast and come
(12:01):
visit visit and get to meet some
great people such as bill and all
the other great people i mean there's great speakers like at the
last event Michael Gerber was there okay so you know yeah that um we were at
that conference so that the last one uh was was my second one we went in may
and then the last one with Michael Gerber I got to shake his hand got a
(12:25):
picture with him and oh my like, God, that was amazing.
And like Howard was talking about on his webcast, I mean, when Michael got up
there to speak, man, it was, you couldn't hear anything in that room. It was just.
Michael Gerber. I mean, you could hear a pin drop. So, it was really cool.
(12:46):
Really, really cool. It's just such a really good community.
And, you know, the first conference we went to, I mean, you can feel it right away.
It just takes a few minutes being in that conference room and having people
come up to you, introduce themselves and, you know, make you feel welcome.
And it's just a different vibe. Exactly what you're talking about,
(13:07):
Jim. It's just, it's a family.
It truly is. As a matter of fact, sometimes you will see three generations in the room.
It could be the mother and father that started the business,
the middle-aged family, if you will, and maybe their children are with them, young children.
It is really that type of community.
(13:32):
And Howard has a very big heart. He loves everybody and he wants everybody to win.
And everyone in that room is a winner. So, you know, you talked about Michael
Gerber and I've known Michael for some time. He's a great guy.
When I first met Howard within that first year, he invited me to an inner circle
(13:56):
conference meeting and his main speaker,
keynote speaker at that event was Zig Ziglar.
Wow. I got to meet Zig Ziglar. How about that? That was cool. That's amazing.
(14:16):
Wow. Yeah. And that was a couple of years before Zig passed.
And it was such a great opportunity and an honor of mine to meet him.
He spoke on stage, went to the back of the room to sign books.
And I got to shake his hand and say to him, Zig, you changed my life.
(14:39):
He really did.
He spoke to me back in the day when I had cassette tapes in my car.
And he would be there all day long with me while I was driving around doing my job.
And getting to meet him
was a thrill we hear a lot about him today
we get to see his son tom um
(15:02):
and other family members and it
you know it'd be a great treat if he were still here today because at Howard's
events you see Zig on stage on the banner he's he's just always there and he's
He's so part of it because Howard has plugged himself into the Zig Ziglar Corporation.
(15:26):
The way that was with you meeting Zig Ziglar back in the day,
that was probably similar to how I felt meeting Michael Gerber.
I told my wife, I go, this is the guy for small business owners to learn how
to put systems in. He's a guru.
This opportunity was, you don't know how many more chances you're going to get.
(15:49):
It was great. it was great yeah so i know Michael
personally he's 87 years old he doesn't travel that much
anymore and you get to see him in Houston because he lives
in Houston he used to be
in california so um it it
is a treat being able to see him because like i said you
know he told me he said jim i don't travel that much anymore and um
(16:11):
so if you have a
chance to ever see him it'll probably be locally and you
know he and he did great on stage for an 87 year
old guy okay i think he did great on stage
don't you oh he he was outstanding he
he definitely brought it it was really good
yeah he was up there sat on a stool
(16:32):
and didn't look at one note everything off
the top of his head yeah the the one thing that
he said Jim that kind of uh stuck in my
head i think i mentioned it on one of my pods
is that he he said you know what i
know you better than you know yourself because he's
been there right he knows how the how the small
(16:52):
business operates and how we think and the owner operator and trying to get
out of your own way and put in systems and i go man he he sure does so yeah
i don't know great he does he he's an icon in the field of small business And
if you don't know who Michael Gerber is,
Google him and you need to read the E-Myth.
(17:16):
And he's written about 30 different E-Myth books, but the E-Myth Revisited is
the one that you probably should start with. Bill, I could talk to you all day.
Unfortunately, we have to go. Do you have any closing comments or thoughts about
you and the inner circle?
Yeah i i would just say you know another good friend
(17:38):
of mine is Jim Bardwell and when i was thinking about
joining the inner circle Jim i go i feel like
I need to do this and I'm kind of do i have time
you know do i have time he goes you know what i remember
his advice just do it he goes the people that do it their thing is they always
say is why i do it earlier so if you're if you're on the fence about you know
(18:00):
get yourself to a conference and And you'll realize that you're in the right
place and all the systems, everything's there.
You just got to dig in and do the work. And it's a lot of hard work,
but you're in the right place, like what you're saying, Jim.
It's a great opportunity for sure.
Bill, well said. Once again, thank you so much for joining me today.
(18:21):
Thank you for the opportunity. Take care now.
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