April 1, 2025 • 25 mins
Welcome to the Young Entrepreneur Syndicate—the podcast where innovation meets inspiration, and every episode feels like a fun, engaging chat with friends.
Your hosts, Jim Riley and Rod Kuntz, are not just seasoned entrepreneurs; they’re expert storytellers with real-world experience in coaching, consulting, start-ups, fundraising, and crafting vibrant workplace cultures. Jim and Rod keep it real, sharing lessons learned from the trenches with humility, humor, and a focus on paying success forward. Every episode is packed with relatable stories, actionable advice, and a good dose of fun that’ll make you feel like you’re right there in the room. Whether you’re scaling your business, optimizing for profitability, or navigating failure, Jim and Rod have your back. So, if you’re ready to learn, laugh, and level up, you’ve found your tribe. Welcome to
Young Entrepreneur Syndicate with Jim Riley and Rod Kuntz—where you’re not just listening, you’re part of the conversation!
Find out more at: https://www.youngentrepreneursyndicate.com/
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-answer-is-yes--2903418/support.
Your hosts, Jim Riley and Rod Kuntz, are not just seasoned entrepreneurs; they’re expert storytellers with real-world experience in coaching, consulting, start-ups, fundraising, and crafting vibrant workplace cultures. Jim and Rod keep it real, sharing lessons learned from the trenches with humility, humor, and a focus on paying success forward. Every episode is packed with relatable stories, actionable advice, and a good dose of fun that’ll make you feel like you’re right there in the room. Whether you’re scaling your business, optimizing for profitability, or navigating failure, Jim and Rod have your back. So, if you’re ready to learn, laugh, and level up, you’ve found your tribe. Welcome to
Young Entrepreneur Syndicate with Jim Riley and Rod Kuntz—where you’re not just listening, you’re part of the conversation!
Find out more at: https://www.youngentrepreneursyndicate.com/
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-answer-is-yes--2903418/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to the Answers Yes Podcast, where we interview some
of the most interesting people that have said yes to
opportunities in their life.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
We hope that through these stories you can learn to
create your own destiny by saying yes. Along the way,
join us as we explored the new series, governing topics
such as passion, integrity, and art work. I'm your host,
Jim Riley, and I hope you enjoyed these interviews as
much as I do.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I believe that everyone has an important message work hearing. Hello,
and welcome to the Young Entrepreneur Syndicate. Welcome to the show.
Rod Coon's good to see you, Buddy.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Good to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Jim as always, as always, here we are another show.
I've got some topics.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Topics plural. No, you always can be along with something,
but but multiples, this could be interesting.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
It's just gonna be one. So hey, it's spring. Kids
are out, you know, spring break. It's awesome to you know,
see what's happening around town and all these busy bodies.
We're going to a play tonight and so we'll enjoy
some good family time and joy. What's out there in
Montana right now? Why that's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Oh my gosh, you did a post. I think it
was either today or yesterday, and it was this is
why we put up with winter. Yeah, for days like today.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Well yeah, not true.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
One good day can make up for three months of
bad days. It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Well, I was enjoying my pasture and my horses are
out there eating and it was just the perfect angle
where I could see them in the foreground and the
Swan Mountain range as well as Glacier in the far background.
It's like, wow, this, this was worth putting up with
some winter. And then I walked into the garage and
my wife just got home. She goes, did you see
the alka cross the street. I'm like, no, I didn't
(01:56):
know they were there. And so I got my little
side by side with my daughter. She drove us and
lo and behold there was seventy one in the herd,
three three bulls, and you know, just awesome to see.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
That was your actual video. I thought that was a
post that you had reposted or something from somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Nope, across the street from my house.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Wow, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
It's so fascinating because if you think about those animals,
Okay and Elka is a big animal, a herd of
seventy one coming through the neighborhood. Here they are lingering,
feeding off the pasture, and in a blink of the
eye they're gone. Like where did all those animals go?
In a blink of I literally gone. And you know what,
(02:38):
they'll be back tonight because they usually will linger about
two weeks coming and going. And yes, we've got trees
and forests and stuff. But it's just fascinating to me,
like how fast they're gone.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Yeah, they and I even I learned this about white
tailed deer that they usually live within a one mile
area of where they were born. Think about that. I mean,
they're not like and it's like, why don't you see them?
What you do in town? You know we have deer
even here in town. Yeah, yeah, they stay, they stay close,
(03:08):
but they they're a migratory animal, but they they also
I don't know, they get used to where they're at. Right.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Well, my daughter was asking, She's like, why are they here?
I said, well, they've probably been migrating through here the
last fifty hundred years. Yeah, all they know it's instinctal form.
We've just built some homes up and around their area.
You know, and the more that gets disrupted, the less
frequent we see them. Even the six years I've been
here now we've seen less of them. But it's it's
(03:38):
just amazing. I mean, God's creation is unbelievable when you
get to experience it firsthand through creatures and nature. I
think that's why we're always talking about the weather here
in Montana because it's just so fascinating. And I think
the lesson in all that rod is appreciate just, you know,
the glory of the things that we have. I don't
(03:58):
care where you're at, where you're listening from, I can
find something beautiful and just about anywhere that I've been,
you know, including some of the biggles. Absolutely, you know,
and so appreciate where you're at, what you get to
see and do and the value of the place that
you call home. Its pretty awesome, it is, indeed, And
that's where you can get your inspiration and your I
(04:20):
don't know anything you need to get motivated, yea, to
feel good, you know, just take a moment, breathe it in.
Absolutely absolutely, Well, let's hop into today's topic before we
get too far off on a different agenda, and so
that the topic animals. The topic is what problems do
(04:42):
you solve in your business? What problems do you solve
in your business? And you may recall or remember writing
that topic down. That's part of our Young Entrepreneur Syndicate
schedule of discussions that we do. We focus on the
soft skills in business and oftentimes will have these types
the questions that we'll teach around. And we've been doing this.
(05:04):
How many years have we been doing this? Now?
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Three in April, three in April, So three.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Years we've been promoting the soft skills in business. And
Rod did some pretty extensive research to understand for you
to understand now that most colleges don't teach the soft skills.
So the question of the day is what problems do
you solve in your business? And what I love about
this right is that it does bring purpose to what
you're doing, you know, and it also allows you to
(05:33):
evaluate that business and say how well am I doing it?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
I always love just real life examples on things. And
so I think I mentioned you before we got on
the air. I went to the car wash. Now, if
you're listening to this from the city, you go to
a car wash. Some of you grabs your keys, they
run it through, and then they're drying it and vacuuming
it for you when you're done. Well, here in Montana
we don't have that. You go to us elf Serve
(06:00):
car wash. There is one that you can drive through,
but you still have to dry it yourself and vacuumate
yourself when you're all done. Anyway, so I went to
one of those spray and washes. Now, the reason why
I picked the particular one that I went to today
is because I'd been there before. They have an RV
side where it's outside of the bay. You can spra
(06:21):
your RVs off, horse trailers whatever. And while I was
there doing my RV about a year ago, I met
the owner of the place. He had just bought the place,
and so you know, we were just talking business because
that's what we do, right And I said, hey, I'll
try to come here, you know, I'll try to support you.
And I came again maybe a month later, and it
was like the best soap in town. The water was hot,
(06:42):
place was clean. I'm like, I love this place and
I don't go that often. Anyways, I went back there
today for all those reasons. This is it. Well, I
should say I've been there twice recently about a month
ago and today. A month ago. The experience was terrible,
cold water, no pressure, soap partly came out. Place was dirty.
(07:05):
I went there again today and experienced the same thing,
including which I never paid for as a vacuum. The
vacuum hardly worked. And so my point of bringing this
up under today's topic is in the beginning, when this
person bought this business, he was solving problems. He created something.
You know, it was fresh, he was excited, you know,
he had that pride of ownership. And when I went
(07:26):
on there, like you know what, this guy is the
best soap in town, water pressure. You know, I'm gonna
come back. And like I said, I came back again,
well recently. So now we're about a year later, it's gone.
And I said to myself literally leaving there, I probably
won't come back. And the reason why he's not solving
my problem. I can't clean my car without soap. I
(07:47):
can't vacuum it without vacuum pressure, you know. And maybe
I only spent eight dollars, but ever, you know, it's
more about the time too. I took the time to
go somewhere you know and commit to this purchaseicular location,
put the money and do the thing. And so now
it's like, well, I don't want to waste the time
in the future or the eight dollars or whatever it
turned out to be if it's not going to be
(08:10):
as good as it was. And so when you look
at your business, put it in am I solving the
problem mindset for my customers? You know? And will they
return because I've solved it at a level that they
expect based on the standards that I've put out there.
And I just feel like that's a very relevant, simple
(08:32):
story of my own experience of their missing the boat
on solving my promise today. Right, So, I don't know,
what do you think?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Well, I'll tell you this. You've just made me think
about this in a whole different way because while you're
telling me the story, I'm thinking about two things. Because
people need to know they have a problem. Well, first,
now back up on that. You see this all the time.
You get a survey, you finish a phone call, you
finish a meal, you finish whatever it is you're doing today.
(09:02):
You go to the doctor, we will do our survey.
You can't get off the phone with anybody without well,
please take our five question survey. It'll just you know,
do that do this? Well, here's the thing. I never
do surveys. I don't. I just I refuse to do
a survey. And you just you made me realize why
I don't do them right here.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
They don't do anything about it.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Well, two things. Number one, you shouldn't have to wait
for someone to tell you you have a problem to
know you have a problem. That is, if you are
an entrepreneur and it's your business, you should not have
to wait for someone to tell you what's wrong. You
should know what's wrong your employees or you should know
what's wrong before anyone else sure, including a customer. And
(09:45):
that's what really these surveys are scapegoats. People, companies, corporations
using surveys are scapegoating the process. Their managers, their supervisors
should be talking to the employees, to their staff and
saying what are you hearing?
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Are you?
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Are you living up to standards? They should know without asking.
And then every once in a while you might get
a written comment where someone says, hey, I had a
bad experience. You shouldn't be out there fishing for good
compliments or waiting for bad ones, you should be on it.
And and that's what I'm a man. You just fired me up, Jim.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Let's stay let's stay on topic. Because surveys, I mean, yes,
that does help indicate if you're solving a problem. But
along those lines, you know what gets me really bad
on surveys, and I don't mind doing them once in
a while. For the companies, I know it's kind of
a stretch for them is when you go to a
dealership or other big company and there and they're like, hey,
(10:48):
you're going to get a survey. Could you give us
a good grade? It's like, what, I'm gonna give you
the grade that you deserve when I leave here, and
I'm not. I haven't left yet, but like they're already
prompting you, like, hey, you know, we we get paid
more if you give us a good survey. L like,
just give me the best you got and you can
assume that that survey will be good if I fill
it out right. So, and yeah, I do believe that surveys.
(11:13):
The reason why people do them is they think that
they're learning so that maybe they can solve their problems.
But to your point, Ron, you should already know exactly.
So I consult a lot in the restaurant industry because
I spent a lot of years in that business, and
people just like, well, I don't know why I'm not succeeding. Well,
how much time are you spending there? You're the owner,
(11:33):
how much time are you spending there? And what I've
come to find out is most people turn their businesses
over to managers and staff, and I don't know what
they're off doing. They're busy, according to them, off doing
other stuff. But you know, the most successful restaurants that
I know, and I'm talking about there's a company that
I did some work for a consultant for for a
(11:54):
couple of years. They're one location in southern California. Actually no,
they're three locations, make two hundred They gross two hundred
million a year, okay, And it's like, well, what's secible,
what's the secret to their success? They do have amazing
food and they are top of class, and you wouldn't
expect that this this style of restaurant could generate that
(12:18):
much revenue. But what I will tell you is that
the dad who's in his sixties works every single day
on the floor in the restaurant and his two sons
work the other two restaurants. So you could walk into
any one of those three restaurants at any given time
just about and run into and talk to a family
member that oversees that operation to make sure that they're
(12:40):
delivering the value to their customers when they walk through
the door. When you're paying fifty five dollars for a filet,
it's going to be good. They're right there to make
sure that you're happy. And so I just think that
people missed the boat when they have the opportunity to
do something about it, you know, well, and to.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Get back to what you originally said, what are you
doing to fix your problems? Number one? You have to
identify it. So that's where I got off on the
survey tangent, you know, identifying a problem. But the point
is you should be looking for if you're looking to
improve all of your processes, that's where you will find problems.
(13:23):
And it may not even be a big problem yet,
but if you're looking for ways to improve processes, you
will uncover things that will eventually be a problem, that
will be problematic. And you have to always be looking
at things from the customer's point of view. You know,
if you walked into a store fresh right, a retail store,
(13:45):
and you were looking for something. Let's say I want to,
for example, shoelaces today. Where am I going to find them?
M h? I mean where you find that? And if
you ask somebody, are they going to say it's not
my department? How long is it going to take you?
You know? And if you're a mom and pop and
I'm not talking Walmart, because they'll tell you what asle
(14:06):
and what shelf and everything they're on if you just
google it right or go onto their app. But if
you're a small mom and pop and you don't know
where things are and customers can't find it logically, or
your staff can't help someone get exactly what they want quickly,
you're missing it. That's a problem, right, Yeah, So approach
things from the customer point of view. And I don't
(14:27):
care what business you're in, construction whatever. We've had this
discussion about service, service industries and that sort of thing,
and it amazes me how many times I'm sorely disappointed,
and I figure, I'm just a regular guy. I don't
walk in like a white glove, like a expert looking
(14:48):
for trouble, you know, I figure. I'm just an ordinary guy,
but it's amazing to me how many times I'm disappointed
and not underwhelmed, but disappointed.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Right, so let's let's just say the topic one more time. Right?
What problem are you solving you in your business? And so,
I think what we've really covered is are you delivering
on the expectations that people have when they walk in
the door or whatever your door looks like. It could
be a phone, could be an email, could be the internet.
(15:18):
Are you solving their problem? And if so, at what
level are you solving it?
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Right?
Speaker 1 (15:23):
We talked about customer service and the use of surveys, good, bad,
are indifferent, you know, but are we really solving problems?
And does the problem solving your doing match the marquee
on your building? Right? You know, if it says hot
delicious donuts and I walk in and I get a
(15:45):
donut and it's eight hours old and it's cold and dry,
clearly you've missed the mark. You're not solving the problem
of why I walk in? And I just I don't
think people put enough weight into their original business plan,
their original why the original goals As they start to
(16:05):
travel down that road and the tarnish you know, the
polish wears often turns to tarnish. Right, It's like, let's
get back to what problem am I solving in my business?
Speaker 3 (16:20):
I think I think if we all approached it, you
brought it up earlier when you've talked to the gentleman
with the car wash and he had just purchased it. Right,
if we walked into our businesses every day like, Wow,
I get to open my business today. You know, that's
my it's my first day. I actually did a post
about that today. It's somebody's first day, you know, and
(16:41):
I look at it. Give yourself a little grace first,
because you're not going to know everything. But if it's
your first day, you should be excited. You should be enthusiastic.
You should be wanting to put your very best into
everything you do. So approach it like your brand new
business owner. I don't care if you've had it fifteen years,
if it's been in the family and you know you're
the third generation man. This is the first day for you.
(17:04):
You know. If you approach it like that, with that
kind of enthusiasm and fresh eyes, it keep your spirit
fresh too. Well.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
That on top of understanding you're being hired or somebody's
utilizing your services or buying your products because you're solving
a problem for them. Right. As an example, you just
hired somebody to do some windows for you. Right, your
problem is you either have old windows, leaky windows. You
want to read, you know there's something that you're trying
(17:34):
to get through, and you've hired an outside expert. I've
got some work I want to get done around my
house that I have no clue of how to do it,
but I want to get it done. So I have
a problem. If those vendors come in to your doorway
and sit down and talk about what your needs are,
and they approach like, hey, I get to solve Rod's
problem by a craft, a skill and a resource that
(17:56):
I have. How much more gratify find will that be
for you? And like you said, treat every day like
it's your first day. Just started this business. I used
to love doing this in my when I was in
the tequila business, nothing would excite me more all the
way till I sold, which was eleven years later, when
(18:16):
somebody would send me a picture of one bottle on
a bar somewhere that I had no idea where it was.
At the name of it never been there, and they're like, hey,
look I found your product here in Florida, you know,
South Beach at such and such bar. There it is.
I would just get chills inside, like, oh my gosh,
how awesome that I was able to create something that
grew beyond my personal reach and I was you know,
(18:41):
and even that I'm solving a problem. The bar was
probably looking for a good product that they wanted to
feature and slid mine in there and they sell it
for a profit. Right, How great is that? I mean,
if you look like you said, with the fresh set
of eye, somebody hires you to install new windows? How
great is that that? Like? Wow, I still got it.
People are still hiring me. They want to use me
(19:02):
for my services and my expertise, you know, solving problems
with the smile. Happy to do it and give the
best service.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Possible and get involved with your customers. Oh yeah, I
think you know too many people. Just let that go.
I'm gonna give you a real quick example of this.
Their Black Rifle Coffee added a where are you from? Map?
Have you noticed that they have a big map right
(19:29):
when you're walking out the main entrance? Okay, okay, not
the back entrance with the dining area, but out of
the main entrance on the left, there's a big map
on the wall and it's got pins in it. Where
where where do you come from? Where did our customers
come from? And it is it's cool. It's like, wow,
look at that. People came from Florida and they came
to a you know, Black Rifle Coffee in Montana. And
(19:49):
I bet it left an impression, right, I mean, it's
kind of a big deal here, right. And I looked
over at the board and I thought, wow, there's nobody
from Eastern Montana on there. I'm from eastern Montana. I'd
put a pin on the board. There are no pins,
but there were no pins to put on the board.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Oh okay.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
I would have had to have stolen a pin from
somebody else and put it on there. So it's like, okay,
so here's a brand new thing. That's cool. I'm looking
at I'm thinking, oh, this is great.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Man.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
I want to participate and I can't, And so there's
kind of a little I was excited to see it,
and I thought, this is good. You're getting people engaged
and tied in. It's like, man, they stamped your board, right,
but I couldn't stamp it because it.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Right.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
So I mean, it's it's we have to remember that
if we're going to go in, we have to go
all in. And it's details that make the difference.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
I'm going to touch on this because it's been bugging
me for a while, and you're right, it's the details
that make the difference. And I'm not going to pick
on Black Rifle. I am a customer of theirs. I
meet there once or twice a week. I continue to go.
I like their just black coffee, and I like it
black where I think. And this is a really good
lesson if you're listening and you own a retail venue
(21:06):
or a service based business where you can interact with customers.
If you own a place like that, don't forget to
engage with your clientele. Okay, I've met the owner a
few times. His car's there almost every day, so you
know he's there. He produces a podcast in the back
of the venue. I do believe, But you know, I've
(21:28):
never he's never I've never seen the owner, or any
of the managers for that fact, walking around going hey,
how's your coffee, Hey, how's your day? Hey, do you
need anything Can I get you a napkin? You know whatever? Right,
no engagement from the staff outside of the register and
or handing your drink out. They have a golden opportunity
(21:50):
to take the loyalty that they already have. Be in
Black Rifle. They don't have a lot of venues around
the country, so it is fairly unique, and I think
that's why you get people stopping in from random place
like they have a black Rifle here. But how much
better would it be if a team member all the
way up to the owner once in a while, walked
down and said, Hey, how's your food, how's your experience?
(22:10):
Thanks for coming in. Can I get you an apple
junior refeel whatever that looks like? Would make all the
difference in the world and would take that loyalty from
a six out of ten to a ten out of ten.
You're right, you know so, I even companies that appear
to be doing everything right could be better or they're
(22:33):
missing a big mark that they could hit right. And
so I know that's a little bit off topic of
solving a problem, but.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
That is a problem. That is a problem when when
you start, when the next new coffee shop opens up
and their their clientele starts drifting away. Yeah, I'll tell
you because I could. I could go to another coffee
shop where you and I first started doing business together.
We could go to another coffee shop just as easily
do one thing wrong. And I'm going on righteah.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Well, and by the way, my wife told me about
I can't remember the name. And this goes for any
small town. It happens all the time. There is a
new coffee shop on main Street, could be across street,
third maybe or.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Second Katie corner from Glacier Bank.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Yes, do you know the name of it?
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I don't. It's something odd, Gona.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
We're gonna have to look it up and give a
little shout out here. But that is a family owned
and operated coffee shop. I have not been in. The
girls have been in for some pastries and especially coffee.
Said it's awesome, right.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
I'll have to try it out.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Yes, And so now they have an opportunity. Like you said,
they could still customers away because of their service and
their owner interaction with their customers. So I'll have to
drop by. We'll give them a little shout out on here.
So I think we've beat this horse to death.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Not know. I think We've just scratched the surface on this.
To be honest with you, I think we could have
a whole another session on this. But I like where
we started. I like where we ended, So yeah, I
do too. So thanks thanks for playing along road.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Appreciate it. And if you're listening like what we're talking about,
I'd love to hear some of your topics. I'll throw
them at Rod. I won't tell them in advance like I,
you know, always shock them with what that is. Hey,
we're gonna be at Montana Camp in May May twenty first,
twenty second, and twenty third. We are some featured Speecher
speakers Day two at Montana Camp. It's happening at the College,
(24:28):
which Rod, that's what a great venue to have.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Oh my gosh, the walk Holt Center is phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Yes, it's an incredible resource in early class. If you're
looking at for an excuse to come to Montana, right off,
come on up here, go to Montana Camp three days,
you know, three days of business, roll into the weekend,
go see Glacier, go find some ELK whatever. But we'll
be speaking there. It's Montanacamp dot org Montana Camp dot org.
(24:54):
Or if you want to be a member of the
Young Entrepreneur Syndicate, go to that website, Young Entrepreneur Syndicate.
We'd love to have you. Lots of fun, lots of
you know, our group has grown beyond measure in some cases,
and I'm so thrilled to have started this with you
Rod three years ago and to keep going.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Yes, it's again. We're just scratching the surface, Jim.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
Love it all right, Everybody, have a good one. Share
the show if you like it.
Welcome to the Answers Yes Podcast, where we interview some
of the most interesting people that have said yes to
opportunities in their life.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
We hope that through these stories you can learn to
create your own destiny by saying yes. Along the way,
join us as we explored the new series, governing topics
such as passion, integrity, and art work. I'm your host,
Jim Riley, and I hope you enjoyed these interviews as
much as I do.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I believe that everyone has an important message work hearing. Hello,
and welcome to the Young Entrepreneur Syndicate. Welcome to the show.
Rod Coon's good to see you, Buddy.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Good to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Jim as always, as always, here we are another show.
I've got some topics.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Topics plural. No, you always can be along with something,
but but multiples, this could be interesting.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
It's just gonna be one. So hey, it's spring. Kids
are out, you know, spring break. It's awesome to you know,
see what's happening around town and all these busy bodies.
We're going to a play tonight and so we'll enjoy
some good family time and joy. What's out there in
Montana right now? Why that's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Oh my gosh, you did a post. I think it
was either today or yesterday, and it was this is
why we put up with winter. Yeah, for days like today.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Well yeah, not true.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
One good day can make up for three months of
bad days. It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Well, I was enjoying my pasture and my horses are
out there eating and it was just the perfect angle
where I could see them in the foreground and the
Swan Mountain range as well as Glacier in the far background.
It's like, wow, this, this was worth putting up with
some winter. And then I walked into the garage and
my wife just got home. She goes, did you see
the alka cross the street. I'm like, no, I didn't
(01:56):
know they were there. And so I got my little
side by side with my daughter. She drove us and
lo and behold there was seventy one in the herd,
three three bulls, and you know, just awesome to see.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
That was your actual video. I thought that was a
post that you had reposted or something from somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Nope, across the street from my house.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Wow, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
It's so fascinating because if you think about those animals,
Okay and Elka is a big animal, a herd of
seventy one coming through the neighborhood. Here they are lingering,
feeding off the pasture, and in a blink of the
eye they're gone. Like where did all those animals go?
In a blink of I literally gone. And you know what,
(02:38):
they'll be back tonight because they usually will linger about
two weeks coming and going. And yes, we've got trees
and forests and stuff. But it's just fascinating to me,
like how fast they're gone.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Yeah, they and I even I learned this about white
tailed deer that they usually live within a one mile
area of where they were born. Think about that. I mean,
they're not like and it's like, why don't you see them?
What you do in town? You know we have deer
even here in town. Yeah, yeah, they stay, they stay close,
(03:08):
but they they're a migratory animal, but they they also
I don't know, they get used to where they're at. Right.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Well, my daughter was asking, She's like, why are they here?
I said, well, they've probably been migrating through here the
last fifty hundred years. Yeah, all they know it's instinctal form.
We've just built some homes up and around their area.
You know, and the more that gets disrupted, the less
frequent we see them. Even the six years I've been
here now we've seen less of them. But it's it's
(03:38):
just amazing. I mean, God's creation is unbelievable when you
get to experience it firsthand through creatures and nature. I
think that's why we're always talking about the weather here
in Montana because it's just so fascinating. And I think
the lesson in all that rod is appreciate just, you know,
the glory of the things that we have. I don't
(03:58):
care where you're at, where you're listening from, I can
find something beautiful and just about anywhere that I've been,
you know, including some of the biggles. Absolutely, you know,
and so appreciate where you're at, what you get to
see and do and the value of the place that
you call home. Its pretty awesome, it is, indeed, And
that's where you can get your inspiration and your I
(04:20):
don't know anything you need to get motivated, yea, to
feel good, you know, just take a moment, breathe it in.
Absolutely absolutely, Well, let's hop into today's topic before we
get too far off on a different agenda, and so
that the topic animals. The topic is what problems do
(04:42):
you solve in your business? What problems do you solve
in your business? And you may recall or remember writing
that topic down. That's part of our Young Entrepreneur Syndicate
schedule of discussions that we do. We focus on the
soft skills in business and oftentimes will have these types
the questions that we'll teach around. And we've been doing this.
(05:04):
How many years have we been doing this? Now?
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Three in April, three in April, So three.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Years we've been promoting the soft skills in business. And
Rod did some pretty extensive research to understand for you
to understand now that most colleges don't teach the soft skills.
So the question of the day is what problems do
you solve in your business? And what I love about
this right is that it does bring purpose to what
you're doing, you know, and it also allows you to
(05:33):
evaluate that business and say how well am I doing it?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
I always love just real life examples on things. And
so I think I mentioned you before we got on
the air. I went to the car wash. Now, if
you're listening to this from the city, you go to
a car wash. Some of you grabs your keys, they
run it through, and then they're drying it and vacuuming
it for you when you're done. Well, here in Montana
we don't have that. You go to us elf Serve
(06:00):
car wash. There is one that you can drive through,
but you still have to dry it yourself and vacuumate
yourself when you're all done. Anyway, so I went to
one of those spray and washes. Now, the reason why
I picked the particular one that I went to today
is because I'd been there before. They have an RV
side where it's outside of the bay. You can spra
(06:21):
your RVs off, horse trailers whatever. And while I was
there doing my RV about a year ago, I met
the owner of the place. He had just bought the place,
and so you know, we were just talking business because
that's what we do, right And I said, hey, I'll
try to come here, you know, I'll try to support you.
And I came again maybe a month later, and it
was like the best soap in town. The water was hot,
(06:42):
place was clean. I'm like, I love this place and
I don't go that often. Anyways, I went back there
today for all those reasons. This is it. Well, I
should say I've been there twice recently about a month
ago and today. A month ago. The experience was terrible,
cold water, no pressure, soap partly came out. Place was dirty.
(07:05):
I went there again today and experienced the same thing,
including which I never paid for as a vacuum. The
vacuum hardly worked. And so my point of bringing this
up under today's topic is in the beginning, when this
person bought this business, he was solving problems. He created something.
You know, it was fresh, he was excited, you know,
he had that pride of ownership. And when I went
(07:26):
on there, like you know what, this guy is the
best soap in town, water pressure. You know, I'm gonna
come back. And like I said, I came back again,
well recently. So now we're about a year later, it's gone.
And I said to myself literally leaving there, I probably
won't come back. And the reason why he's not solving
my problem. I can't clean my car without soap. I
(07:47):
can't vacuum it without vacuum pressure, you know. And maybe
I only spent eight dollars, but ever, you know, it's
more about the time too. I took the time to
go somewhere you know and commit to this purchaseicular location,
put the money and do the thing. And so now
it's like, well, I don't want to waste the time
in the future or the eight dollars or whatever it
turned out to be if it's not going to be
(08:10):
as good as it was. And so when you look
at your business, put it in am I solving the
problem mindset for my customers? You know? And will they
return because I've solved it at a level that they
expect based on the standards that I've put out there.
And I just feel like that's a very relevant, simple
(08:32):
story of my own experience of their missing the boat
on solving my promise today. Right, So, I don't know,
what do you think?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Well, I'll tell you this. You've just made me think
about this in a whole different way because while you're
telling me the story, I'm thinking about two things. Because
people need to know they have a problem. Well, first,
now back up on that. You see this all the time.
You get a survey, you finish a phone call, you
finish a meal, you finish whatever it is you're doing today.
(09:02):
You go to the doctor, we will do our survey.
You can't get off the phone with anybody without well,
please take our five question survey. It'll just you know,
do that do this? Well, here's the thing. I never
do surveys. I don't. I just I refuse to do
a survey. And you just you made me realize why
I don't do them right here.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
They don't do anything about it.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Well, two things. Number one, you shouldn't have to wait
for someone to tell you you have a problem to
know you have a problem. That is, if you are
an entrepreneur and it's your business, you should not have
to wait for someone to tell you what's wrong. You
should know what's wrong your employees or you should know
what's wrong before anyone else sure, including a customer. And
(09:45):
that's what really these surveys are scapegoats. People, companies, corporations
using surveys are scapegoating the process. Their managers, their supervisors
should be talking to the employees, to their staff and
saying what are you hearing?
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Are you?
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Are you living up to standards? They should know without asking.
And then every once in a while you might get
a written comment where someone says, hey, I had a
bad experience. You shouldn't be out there fishing for good
compliments or waiting for bad ones, you should be on it.
And and that's what I'm a man. You just fired me up, Jim.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Let's stay let's stay on topic. Because surveys, I mean, yes,
that does help indicate if you're solving a problem. But
along those lines, you know what gets me really bad
on surveys, and I don't mind doing them once in
a while. For the companies, I know it's kind of
a stretch for them is when you go to a
dealership or other big company and there and they're like, hey,
(10:48):
you're going to get a survey. Could you give us
a good grade? It's like, what, I'm gonna give you
the grade that you deserve when I leave here, and
I'm not. I haven't left yet, but like they're already
prompting you, like, hey, you know, we we get paid
more if you give us a good survey. L like,
just give me the best you got and you can
assume that that survey will be good if I fill
it out right. So, and yeah, I do believe that surveys.
(11:13):
The reason why people do them is they think that
they're learning so that maybe they can solve their problems.
But to your point, Ron, you should already know exactly.
So I consult a lot in the restaurant industry because
I spent a lot of years in that business, and
people just like, well, I don't know why I'm not succeeding. Well,
how much time are you spending there? You're the owner,
(11:33):
how much time are you spending there? And what I've
come to find out is most people turn their businesses
over to managers and staff, and I don't know what
they're off doing. They're busy, according to them, off doing
other stuff. But you know, the most successful restaurants that
I know, and I'm talking about there's a company that
I did some work for a consultant for for a
(11:54):
couple of years. They're one location in southern California. Actually no,
they're three locations, make two hundred They gross two hundred
million a year, okay, And it's like, well, what's secible,
what's the secret to their success? They do have amazing
food and they are top of class, and you wouldn't
expect that this this style of restaurant could generate that
(12:18):
much revenue. But what I will tell you is that
the dad who's in his sixties works every single day
on the floor in the restaurant and his two sons
work the other two restaurants. So you could walk into
any one of those three restaurants at any given time
just about and run into and talk to a family
member that oversees that operation to make sure that they're
(12:40):
delivering the value to their customers when they walk through
the door. When you're paying fifty five dollars for a filet,
it's going to be good. They're right there to make
sure that you're happy. And so I just think that
people missed the boat when they have the opportunity to
do something about it, you know, well, and to.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Get back to what you originally said, what are you
doing to fix your problems? Number one? You have to
identify it. So that's where I got off on the
survey tangent, you know, identifying a problem. But the point
is you should be looking for if you're looking to
improve all of your processes, that's where you will find problems.
(13:23):
And it may not even be a big problem yet,
but if you're looking for ways to improve processes, you
will uncover things that will eventually be a problem, that
will be problematic. And you have to always be looking
at things from the customer's point of view. You know,
if you walked into a store fresh right, a retail store,
(13:45):
and you were looking for something. Let's say I want to,
for example, shoelaces today. Where am I going to find them?
M h? I mean where you find that? And if
you ask somebody, are they going to say it's not
my department? How long is it going to take you?
You know? And if you're a mom and pop and
I'm not talking Walmart, because they'll tell you what asle
(14:06):
and what shelf and everything they're on if you just
google it right or go onto their app. But if
you're a small mom and pop and you don't know
where things are and customers can't find it logically, or
your staff can't help someone get exactly what they want quickly,
you're missing it. That's a problem, right, Yeah, So approach
things from the customer point of view. And I don't
(14:27):
care what business you're in, construction whatever. We've had this
discussion about service, service industries and that sort of thing,
and it amazes me how many times I'm sorely disappointed,
and I figure, I'm just a regular guy. I don't
walk in like a white glove, like a expert looking
(14:48):
for trouble, you know, I figure. I'm just an ordinary guy,
but it's amazing to me how many times I'm disappointed
and not underwhelmed, but disappointed.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Right, so let's let's just say the topic one more time. Right?
What problem are you solving you in your business? And so,
I think what we've really covered is are you delivering
on the expectations that people have when they walk in
the door or whatever your door looks like. It could
be a phone, could be an email, could be the internet.
(15:18):
Are you solving their problem? And if so, at what
level are you solving it?
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Right?
Speaker 1 (15:23):
We talked about customer service and the use of surveys, good, bad,
are indifferent, you know, but are we really solving problems?
And does the problem solving your doing match the marquee
on your building? Right? You know, if it says hot
delicious donuts and I walk in and I get a
(15:45):
donut and it's eight hours old and it's cold and dry,
clearly you've missed the mark. You're not solving the problem
of why I walk in? And I just I don't
think people put enough weight into their original business plan,
their original why the original goals As they start to
(16:05):
travel down that road and the tarnish you know, the
polish wears often turns to tarnish. Right, It's like, let's
get back to what problem am I solving in my business?
Speaker 3 (16:20):
I think I think if we all approached it, you
brought it up earlier when you've talked to the gentleman
with the car wash and he had just purchased it. Right,
if we walked into our businesses every day like, Wow,
I get to open my business today. You know, that's
my it's my first day. I actually did a post
about that today. It's somebody's first day, you know, and
(16:41):
I look at it. Give yourself a little grace first,
because you're not going to know everything. But if it's
your first day, you should be excited. You should be enthusiastic.
You should be wanting to put your very best into
everything you do. So approach it like your brand new
business owner. I don't care if you've had it fifteen years,
if it's been in the family and you know you're
the third generation man. This is the first day for you.
(17:04):
You know. If you approach it like that, with that
kind of enthusiasm and fresh eyes, it keep your spirit
fresh too. Well.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
That on top of understanding you're being hired or somebody's
utilizing your services or buying your products because you're solving
a problem for them. Right. As an example, you just
hired somebody to do some windows for you. Right, your
problem is you either have old windows, leaky windows. You
want to read, you know there's something that you're trying
(17:34):
to get through, and you've hired an outside expert. I've
got some work I want to get done around my
house that I have no clue of how to do it,
but I want to get it done. So I have
a problem. If those vendors come in to your doorway
and sit down and talk about what your needs are,
and they approach like, hey, I get to solve Rod's
problem by a craft, a skill and a resource that
(17:56):
I have. How much more gratify find will that be
for you? And like you said, treat every day like
it's your first day. Just started this business. I used
to love doing this in my when I was in
the tequila business, nothing would excite me more all the
way till I sold, which was eleven years later, when
(18:16):
somebody would send me a picture of one bottle on
a bar somewhere that I had no idea where it was.
At the name of it never been there, and they're like, hey,
look I found your product here in Florida, you know,
South Beach at such and such bar. There it is.
I would just get chills inside, like, oh my gosh,
how awesome that I was able to create something that
grew beyond my personal reach and I was you know,
(18:41):
and even that I'm solving a problem. The bar was
probably looking for a good product that they wanted to
feature and slid mine in there and they sell it
for a profit. Right, How great is that? I mean,
if you look like you said, with the fresh set
of eye, somebody hires you to install new windows? How
great is that that? Like? Wow, I still got it.
People are still hiring me. They want to use me
(19:02):
for my services and my expertise, you know, solving problems
with the smile. Happy to do it and give the
best service.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Possible and get involved with your customers. Oh yeah, I
think you know too many people. Just let that go.
I'm gonna give you a real quick example of this.
Their Black Rifle Coffee added a where are you from? Map?
Have you noticed that they have a big map right
(19:29):
when you're walking out the main entrance? Okay, okay, not
the back entrance with the dining area, but out of
the main entrance on the left, there's a big map
on the wall and it's got pins in it. Where
where where do you come from? Where did our customers
come from? And it is it's cool. It's like, wow,
look at that. People came from Florida and they came
to a you know, Black Rifle Coffee in Montana. And
(19:49):
I bet it left an impression, right, I mean, it's
kind of a big deal here, right. And I looked
over at the board and I thought, wow, there's nobody
from Eastern Montana on there. I'm from eastern Montana. I'd
put a pin on the board. There are no pins,
but there were no pins to put on the board.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Oh okay.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
I would have had to have stolen a pin from
somebody else and put it on there. So it's like, okay,
so here's a brand new thing. That's cool. I'm looking
at I'm thinking, oh, this is great.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Man.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
I want to participate and I can't, And so there's
kind of a little I was excited to see it,
and I thought, this is good. You're getting people engaged
and tied in. It's like, man, they stamped your board, right,
but I couldn't stamp it because it.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Right.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
So I mean, it's it's we have to remember that
if we're going to go in, we have to go
all in. And it's details that make the difference.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
I'm going to touch on this because it's been bugging
me for a while, and you're right, it's the details
that make the difference. And I'm not going to pick
on Black Rifle. I am a customer of theirs. I
meet there once or twice a week. I continue to go.
I like their just black coffee, and I like it
black where I think. And this is a really good
lesson if you're listening and you own a retail venue
(21:06):
or a service based business where you can interact with customers.
If you own a place like that, don't forget to
engage with your clientele. Okay, I've met the owner a
few times. His car's there almost every day, so you
know he's there. He produces a podcast in the back
of the venue. I do believe, But you know, I've
(21:28):
never he's never I've never seen the owner, or any
of the managers for that fact, walking around going hey,
how's your coffee, Hey, how's your day? Hey, do you
need anything Can I get you a napkin? You know whatever? Right,
no engagement from the staff outside of the register and
or handing your drink out. They have a golden opportunity
(21:50):
to take the loyalty that they already have. Be in
Black Rifle. They don't have a lot of venues around
the country, so it is fairly unique, and I think
that's why you get people stopping in from random place
like they have a black Rifle here. But how much
better would it be if a team member all the
way up to the owner once in a while, walked
down and said, Hey, how's your food, how's your experience?
(22:10):
Thanks for coming in. Can I get you an apple
junior refeel whatever that looks like? Would make all the
difference in the world and would take that loyalty from
a six out of ten to a ten out of ten.
You're right, you know so, I even companies that appear
to be doing everything right could be better or they're
(22:33):
missing a big mark that they could hit right. And
so I know that's a little bit off topic of
solving a problem, but.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
That is a problem. That is a problem when when
you start, when the next new coffee shop opens up
and their their clientele starts drifting away. Yeah, I'll tell
you because I could. I could go to another coffee
shop where you and I first started doing business together.
We could go to another coffee shop just as easily
do one thing wrong. And I'm going on righteah.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Well, and by the way, my wife told me about
I can't remember the name. And this goes for any
small town. It happens all the time. There is a
new coffee shop on main Street, could be across street,
third maybe or.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Second Katie corner from Glacier Bank.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Yes, do you know the name of it?
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I don't. It's something odd, Gona.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
We're gonna have to look it up and give a
little shout out here. But that is a family owned
and operated coffee shop. I have not been in. The
girls have been in for some pastries and especially coffee.
Said it's awesome, right.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
I'll have to try it out.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Yes, And so now they have an opportunity. Like you said,
they could still customers away because of their service and
their owner interaction with their customers. So I'll have to
drop by. We'll give them a little shout out on here.
So I think we've beat this horse to death.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Not know. I think We've just scratched the surface on this.
To be honest with you, I think we could have
a whole another session on this. But I like where
we started. I like where we ended, So yeah, I
do too. So thanks thanks for playing along road.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Appreciate it. And if you're listening like what we're talking about,
I'd love to hear some of your topics. I'll throw
them at Rod. I won't tell them in advance like I,
you know, always shock them with what that is. Hey,
we're gonna be at Montana Camp in May May twenty first,
twenty second, and twenty third. We are some featured Speecher
speakers Day two at Montana Camp. It's happening at the College,
(24:28):
which Rod, that's what a great venue to have.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Oh my gosh, the walk Holt Center is phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Yes, it's an incredible resource in early class. If you're
looking at for an excuse to come to Montana, right off,
come on up here, go to Montana Camp three days,
you know, three days of business, roll into the weekend,
go see Glacier, go find some ELK whatever. But we'll
be speaking there. It's Montanacamp dot org Montana Camp dot org.
(24:54):
Or if you want to be a member of the
Young Entrepreneur Syndicate, go to that website, Young Entrepreneur Syndicate.
We'd love to have you. Lots of fun, lots of
you know, our group has grown beyond measure in some cases,
and I'm so thrilled to have started this with you
Rod three years ago and to keep going.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Yes, it's again. We're just scratching the surface, Jim.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
Love it all right, Everybody, have a good one. Share
the show if you like it.
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