The Company Next Door

This week Ete sits down with Candy Will, aka Butterscotch the Clown, and owner of Candy Entertains Kids and a founding member of Family and Variety Entertainers (FAVE). Candy is 68 years-old, a California resident, and mother of former guest, Mike Will.Some big takeaways from this episode:Completely ridiculous, out-of-nowhere events can cause problems for your business.When Pennywise-wannabes get stabby in real life.When Conan parodies you with a nasty clown.Networking within your industry and learning from your peers will up your game.Taking classes, making friends, talking extensively with people who do what you want to do, going to conventions, entering competitions, becoming a board member in industry groups, and teaching classes will help you grow and put you in contact with people who can offer random opportunities.Jumping into business before you really know what you're doing can sometimes work.In the beginning “I didn't know what the heck I was doing.” She may have started out painting faces with acrylic paints but it got the ball rolling. Now most of her gigs are for face painting.You can figure a lot of things out as you go.There are things you about clowning you've never considered.4-H has “clown leaders.”Quality face paint is not cheap.Balloon animals are a great idea until the kids start crying. Beware of grass.For clowns at parties, parents' expectations are more of an issue than unruly kids.There are three categories of clowns.

Today, Ete sits down with entrepreneur Mike Will of A Great Clean, located in Heber City, UT. Mike is a passionate musician (check out Mike Stance and Unfailing), a pug owner, a heat-hating snowboarder, and owner of a successful carpet-cleaning business. Ete and Mike met in a hot tub at the beautiful Mountain Valley RV Resort in Heber City, UT.Big ideas from this episode:A “free roaming spirit” can lead to entrepreneurship.​​I kind of was able to connect that idea of that free roaming spirit, of wanting to be out in the world sharing a message, with my idea of also wanting to manage myself without needing someone else to tell me what I need to do every day. And so the idea of music led me straight to entrepreneurship.Claim the right name the right way.I realized that I hadn't trademarked it properly…and ended up losing the company to another company that is very popular in this area…Sometimes you have to let go and start over.…I was contacting attorneys and finding out that I did have a case. What I realized then was that it was going to become a case of the deeper pockets. I needed to have money to go to court. And I realized I needed to take a step back from something that I had been focusing on every day for three years. And it was actually kind of a relief.Shift your focus when you need to.And I just started moving in the direction of, okay, I need to focus on one thing at a time now, because if I spend this time trying to build another clothing company…I'm just gonna spend so much energy and not really give what I need to to the business that's actually going to put money in my pocket. And so when I realized it was time to focus on the carpet cleaning, I just did what I need to do.Your business needs to work for you, so  only work with the clients who will honor that.I've been doing this now, for three years, four years that I haven't been answering my phone, my business has not suffered for it. I have found the clients who are willing to work with me in the way that I'm asking them to. And in that sense, I'm allowing the people who are good for me to come into my life.Charge what you're worth.I started off at 25 cents a square foot...then realizing as I got better, that that is the the poor man's carpet cleaning. You know, like, if anybody's charging you 25 cents a square foot, they don't know how to charge what they're worth, or they're beginning,You might not need employees.But I've also had employees that I've trained and spent time training–time and money–and to have them leave and realize, Oh, now I've built my business up to this point, a now I either need to find somebody that I can train again, or what I took a deeper look at is, if I was to just handle this on my own, which I know I can, would I  make more money.Connect with yourself, be yourself, and believe in yourself.…have a meditation practice, a way to quiet the mind a little bit in order to hear what the heart is telling you…that's been one of the ways that I've truly been able to connect with that belief and self.Do what feels right to you. Don't let anybody tell you what the right way to be you is.So when you hear self doubt come up in the mind and you know, in your heart, you want to experience what life has to offer you, in order to receive what it is that you want, you've got to believe in yourself.

A full year and thousands of miles in the making, Season 3 has officially come to a close. Today Ete takes a look back at some of his favorite moments from this season. He's had the chance to speak with entrepreneurs from across the country and across industries, small business owners who are still in elementary school, to those who have their sights on retirement. This episode is dedicated to remembering their stories and the things they taught us. With gratitude to all the great people we've met–who've shared their time and a bit of themselves with us, and to all of our listeners, we present our Season 3 Recap.Interviews from Season 3:Scott Abbott: Pronexis + Founder of Five Star Painting (Springville, UT)Nick Coleman: Ivan Carfax (South Jersey)Doug Trace: Trace Photo Studio (South Jersey)Jace Kandle: Lake Kandle (Sewell, NJ)Steve Castellano: ANS Construction (South Jersey/Philly)Steve Poponi and Dave Downham: Gradwell House Recording Studio (Haddon Heights, NJ)Dean Johnson: Healthy Homes Pest Control (Palmyra, VA)Debbie Wilds: Shear Wildness (Goochland, VA)Joey Maxwell: The Studio Creative Group (Deland, FL)Britton Frankel: DynoClimb (Deland, FL)Chelsea Conrad: Bodhi + Sol Spa (Deland, FL)Ryan Begin: KG Showroom (Ormond Beach, FL)Liz Robinson: Ted's Shooting Range (Queen Creek, AZ)Carter and Keaton Fife: Fife Bros Poop Patrol (Gilbert, AZ)Spencer Owens: Bell Rock Finance (Mesa, AZ)Gavin Hallock: Kash Financial Services (Gilbert, AZ)

Today Ete sits down with Gavin Hallock, founder of KASH Financial Services located in Gilbert, AZ. Kash provides advisory and consultancy services for business projects and improvements, external CFO services, and cash flow management for businesses.Gavin has more than 15 years of experience working with small to mid-size companies. He has a BS in finance from Arizona State University and a Master's degree in accountancy from University of Phoenix. He also has an IRS Enrolled Agent designation.Gavin is married and has 3 children. He enjoys running and cycling.In this episode:On finding his business idea“I always analyze things. Because part of being a commercial banker, I was always talking to business owners, asking them the questions. Hey, why did you struggle in this? or Why are your margins down in this? Or why are they up? And what are the reasons? I'd always ask the why. And so in the back of my head, I was always like, hey, these business owners need help, they need some advisory help...that right hand person to be there to help them excel.”On clientele"So from the beginning, I thought, oh yeah, I could take on all these different clients. And and now I've realized like hey, you can take on clients, but you really need to take on the right clients."On networking"I've developed relationships with many different local business owners, where they provide the solutions, and then I can use that as a network and help these customers find the right solution at a good price."On business ownership"And it's kind of funny because, like, it's a different stress when you own a business than when you work for somebody.""I always analyze things. And sometimes you get this analysis paralysis, but you can't do that as a business owner. You have got to be like, alright, this isn't working. I got to move forward with this."On mindset"And you can't beat yourself up as a business owner. You can't. You have to continue to move forward. "On unexpected paths and pivots"But to me, it's that the pathway that I took to get to where I'm at today, it's allowed me to, to learn so much, and also have this big skill set… ""Maybe in six months, I have to pivot and do and do something a little bit different. And that's what I've learned from the beginning. I've only been in business, like really in business, for like, eight, nine months. And then you always have to pivot, until I think you establish yourself. And I hope this is the path. But who knows...""Yeah, I think you always have to take a pulse check and say, hey, what, what's going on? Is this working? If it's not working, then maybe what things might work, and kind of toy with that while you're still doing what you're doing."On getting ideas"When I'm out there on a hard run. Like say I'm doing intervals or whatnot, the only thing you can do is just say like, Okay, I gotta get through this. But like, as soon as you're done, you're resting...that's when my biggest ideas come out. Or if I'm driving on a road trip with my wife, ideas start coming to me because the kids are back there watching movies and I'm there with my wife and and that's when you're just driving and there's no other distractions."Advice for Entrepreneurs"First thing, if they want to get into business, I would hope that they have meditated about or prayed about it.""Don't think that it's gonna happen overnight.""Set those goals out there, even if they're lofty, but celebrate the small milestones.""Just do it. Just keep at it because consistency builds results."

Meet Spencer Owens, co-founder and Principal at Bell Rock Finance,  which provides investment financing—acquisition and renovation—for fix & flip, commercial, construction, and land/lot real estate projects. Bell Rock is located in Mesa, AZ. In this episode:2007: "Yeah, great time to start a wealth management, financial planning type of an office." (6:04)Changing strategy to fill the "hole in the market." (10:47)"It's okay to not know how to do everything.": "Surround yourself with people who know things and do things that you can't do." (13:01)A "business divorce:" "Our interests weren't aligned to the owner had a different vision for where he wanted to go." (14:53)"Yeah, probably should have hired a trademark attorney when we signed up for our name." (17:54)Competition grows: "When I started lending, there was one big name in town. And now there's dozens. And so and we're all battling..." (21:23)The differentiator: "speed and convenience." (21:53) "When you call Bell Rock Finance, and speak to one of us, you're speaking with an owner, you're speaking with a decision maker." (23:45) "We have a process":  "I can go run our systems and our tools, and I can get you an answer within an hour." (24:19)"This business is work hard strike while the iron's hot. Be wise with your own own income, save as much as possible. And just keep doing it as long as the market will support it." (26:57)"I have friends who are in corporate and they'll they'll take a week off and worry free stress free. That looks nice...But then you look at the the ceiling that you're put on, the income ceiling, the progress ceiling, whatever you have in in those positions."And I think having a hobby, having an outlet is absolutely paramount and important in everybody's lives." (31:41)"We've had some some crazy experiences where people have really wronged us. And we've had to, you know, get lawyers and trudge through those those sticky situations, but it's just head down, grind through it, and have faith in your in your passion in your vision that you will get through it and that it'll be better on the other side." (32:17)

Meet Carter and Keaton Fife of Fife Bros. Poop Patrol. (You can email Fife Bros. Poop Patrol at jacquie.m.fife@gmail.com). Carter (10) and Keaton (7), sons of Rusty Fife interviewed on Season 2 Episode 1, are by far the youngest guests who have been on the show. The 2 brothers own and operate a dog poo pick-up and removal service in Gilbert, AZ.In this week's episode:Serial Entrepreneurs: salsa and poo (and citrus) removalPreventing a Turf War: respecting boundaries and territories A growing clienteleMarketing Secrets: your Mom on Facebook and flyersKnow your expenses (about $14)Picking up 4 weeks of poo at the house with 4 bulldogsMa'am and Sir: showing respectDouble Check for Poo: offering great serviceTime Management: baseball, play, and pooWord of Mouth: Brittany's beer-drinking party neighborsSaving up means “good kid money.”Dreams: architecture, professional baseball, and shoe salesA Phil Knight fanGreat Advice: get help, quality service, be kind to your clientsThe elevator pitch“Sometimes you're just gonna have rude people…”Failure doesn't have to be “sad.”Two kids define success.You can start a fire with a pee bag.Survival essentials? Root beer floats and a bed. Alternatively, water and an AR-15.

Meet Liz Robinson, co-owner of Ted's Shooting Range, located in Queen Creek, AZ. Ted's Shooting Range offers firearms educational classes, and includes a gun range, a retail firearms store, and a dive shop.Some topics of discussionA multi-faceted business: classes, range, and retail (5:27)Shooting as a skill that offers a level playing field (8:19)A sales boom: “Liberal” first time gun buyers (12:17)A perspective on guns: “It's a tool of a sport that I love to use.” (13:44)For traumatized women, guns can help them “feel like they're getting control back of their life.” (15:36)2020-2021: millions of new gun owners (17:24)A woman-owned company: earning a place in a predominantly male industry (36:18)Women gun owners: “we don't treat them like they're stupid” (37:40)Race and gender politics in business (throughout)Guns and the current political climate (throughout)Business lessons and ideasA serious responsibility: when you have to say no to a customer (18:05)A partnership between two very different people is a good thing (20:12)“If you have an employee that just is not working out, don't don't hold on to them for too long.” (22:15)Personnel issues: “I listen to my employees a lot, not just the management, it's the employees.” (22:13)“I won't tolerate racism.” “Won't tolerate it in my employees. I won't tolerate it in my customers.” (22:36)“Lead by example, how you treat them is hopefully how they're gonna treat the customer.” (28:37)Success is “how I feel inside.” (30:10)Franchising hesitancy (30:48)“Be flexible. Because you never know where a good thing is gonna come from.” (33:24)“If you're so rigid, it's going to just in some cases, I think it just destroys businesses” (34:15)Miscellaneous interesting stuffWho the heck is Ted? (:34)“When I was eight, I was a janitor.” (2:48)A toy gun under her pillow (6:40)“My kids starting shooting at 3 and 4.” (7:06)

Meet John Walters, co-owner of the newly launched Mister Bermuda in Georgetown, TX, and founder of several landscaping/mowing, lawn fertilizing, tree care, pest control, and snow removal businesses in New Jersey, Utah, Texas, and Alaska. Discussions and InsightsFormal education is not for everyone (3:18)Starting businesses when you don't know the business (4:34)All you need: “Third grade math and I don't know what grade work ethic.” (5:10)Starting businesses is a skill that can be learned through practice. (8:23)The challenges of life as a serial business starter. (8:40)“You can always take a client base and do something with it.” (10:15)The formula: “You show up when you say you're gonna show up. You do what you said you were gonna do. You charge what you say you're gonna charge.” (11:06)Manual labor and contemplation (22:59)How and why to build a network of friends in the business. (27:42)There's a huge difference in clients from different areas. (33:58)Seeing the value where others can't. (35:58)Just follow your instincts. (37:17)Mentoring: 14 guys in business. “You don't have to know everything to teach it. You just have to know what you know, and teach that.” (42:40), (53:13)Growing older while operating a small service business (47:42)Avoiding burnout: Spend your time where it's most needed. (50:47)Miscellaneous“Not that you're going to be the life of the party, but you go to a party and everybody's gonna have questions about the trees.” (19:13)How Ete got into the business: “You don't have to pay him. Just take him and work him.” (20:48)“Two things overrated in this country: orthodontics and academia.” (46:11)Career Attention Deficit Disorder (52:17)

Meet Ryan Bégin, co-owner of KG Showroom, located in Ormond Beach, FL. Ryan and his father, Laval, own and operate KG, a brick and mortar showroom and online retail store where "you'll find a large selection of quality brands for the kitchen and bath and dedicated showroom specialists to help coordinate your projects." The StoryGrowing up around the extended-family businesses. (The Bégins are coming up on 50 years in the kitchen and bath industry.) (4:10, 12:05)Architecture school at UF.  (17:51)From Modern Age to Kitchen Gallery: The late 80s economy and changing from factory to storefront (24:08)Trading architecture for international economics (25:56)Looking towards the expat life in China (27:19)An important epiphany: “And then it dawned on me, I didn't want to do that.” (28:09)Commission sales: “seeing how risk affects your daily life” (30:24)A bookkeeper goes MIA. “She had bled our family financially dry.” (31:59)Finding “the place I felt I could help the most…” (42:47)A “short term” position change (43:44)From business boom to The Great Recession (47:26)Taking it personally: digging out of the business' debt for 3 years (44:15)Becoming an owner (48:23)Ideas and InsightsConnect to the community: look back, not just forward (5:40)The trend: people want “real” again (6:20)Is automation a threat? What COVID taught us. (7:45)When technology helps: fax machines for everyone! (10:57)Information and access control: two-way protection (38:50)Not the typical entrepreneur: a methodical style (20:14)“If you're willing to do something well”: the money will come, the business will come. (21:30)Frank Lloyd Wright: a business owner as conductor (22:34)The employee culture of “you don't want to get caught” doesn't work. (41:51)The “undying hope” of the entrepreneur: “There's never a “no” in my future.” (49:37)One “huge hurdle”: incorporating technology (50:50)Trusting your gut: The ultimate tool for learning and growth (53:59)The review process is critical: “what decisions have we made here? What am I doing? And what am I not doing?” (59:25)Own the consequences. (1:03:10)Success: "knowing that you're on the right path." (1:06:00)Miscellaneous Fun StuffOrmond Beach: birthplace of speed (not the movie), and playground of Hudson Hornet (1:20)“I thought I was going to be a meteorologist. I laugh about it now but–. I wanted to study meteors.” (15:11)“‘Does anyone know what that's called?' I said, it's a heat low. And he said, ‘Who said that?' And that was my that was my claim–that was my day of fame right there.” (18:12)“Sometimes…I want to go off on a homestead and build furniture.” (102:59)“I'm gonna bring her [sourdough] starter with a field of wheat around me.” (1:12:33)

Meet Chelsea Conrad, Holistic Health & Nutrition Counselor and owner of Bodhi + Sol, a holistic wellness center located in Deland, FL.In this episode:Getting to Business OwnershipA musical theater degree, acting, and a cutthroat property maintenance company (4:32)The stress of constant rejection leads to a new passion. (16:56)A Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor (18:03)Changing the trajectory of a childhood dream: mourning one passion and focusing on another (19:42)“Together, we make a whole brain”: business partnership dynamics (8:45)A right-brainer learns Quickbooks (11:19)When business partners part ways (9:58)Bodhi and SolThe Tree of Life and the Sun (:56)A Holistic Wellness Center: not just a spa (1:33)Something different: All-inclusive treatments (47:34)The Blending Bar (48:16)Sales: it's about helping, no sales quotas, just education and suggestions (27:14)COVIDClosed for 3 months and heartbreaking decisions (9:34)Irony: being stressed out and forgetting self-care as a wellness spa owner (36:10)Sound healing (36:18)“Reinserting my passion back into being a business owner” (37:16)“Really be rooted in the community." (56:44)“We want you here.” “I still have my job. I want you to have yours too.” (1:02:14)Advice for EntrepreneursYou need support: “Surround yourself with other people who can recognize you for who you are and what you really need and listen to them.” (40:10)“Go for it. Follow your heart. Follow your dreams.” (41:56)"There will always be things that hurt but to always be pushing forward toward happiness.” (42:50)Defining Success"People walk in here feeling one way and they float out with a smile feeling different and that for me is why I do this." (43:54)Helping clients “feel taken care of just truly, truly taken care of.” (49:33)“Success for me is it's one person at a time, feeling better walking away, saying, Oh, my gosh, I feel so much better now.” (51:29)"I really take pride in the little wins. And those all feel like successes. And so then my overall picture feels very successful.”(52:20)“If we can all work toward finding our own inner peace, through the turmoil, and allowing that light to shine out…It goes back to our own self care so that we can let that light shine so that can ripple out to other people." (45:32)Other Fun Stuff“I was kind of a terrible two year old and would scream constantly, which is why I think I can sing now.” (3:30)Playing a 12 year-old boy in a nationally touring musical production (15:22)

Meet Britt, owner of DynoClimb, located in Deland, Florida. DynoClimb is a unique climbing gym with a mission "to create a dynamic community of climbers, adventurers, and fitness enthusiasts." In this episode:Growing Up"Sketchy" climb at Galleons (1:17)A 13 year-old cuffing and hemming suits (12:58)A born entrepreneur: selling his family their own stuff (13:45)A midwest minister father who was British and grew up in India (14:11)How Climbing HelpsBlocking out distractions, disconnecting from outside world, focus, "trance," "zenned out" (2:36)Functional fitness (3:21)Excitement? Fear? Both. (3:37)Empowerment (4:01)Kids and confidence (4:31)Decreasing overstimulation in kids on the spectrum, kids with ADHD (5:18)Becoming a climbing community: it's a lifestyle. (6:09)Teaches that Micro-details make the difference. (6:22)Business Lessons From ClimbingSolving routes, solving problems through your strengths (7:02)"Gravity is inevitable": "the master has failed many times more times than the apprentice has even tried." (7:47)Beta: analyze your opportunities and move (9:02)Micro-details: "It's that tiny little detail that are gonna push you to that success." (10:10)Read your route ahead of time: Vizualization (27:18)Building Dyno-ClimbDinosaurs and a leap of faith (19:39)A big issue: construction (29:16)Finding the right market. And the winner is: Deland, Florida? (21:21)Getting started: A business plan, research,  an SBA loan and family funding (25:36)Can we meet the expectations? (31:43)Operations: Getting those well-oiled systems going. (32:55)Tying in with local businesses (33:50)Michelle: Branding and risk mitigation (45:14)COVIDThe 2020 rollercoaster (35:21)Humbling community support (35:45)Leadership required (37:20)Using transparency and confidence to gain trust (40:01)Miscellaneous Good Stuff"Thanks for the adventure, Daddy." (24:54)Alex Honald: what the best climbers can do (27:55)The kilter board is awesome. (46:51)The "Breakfast Burrito" and "Something's Always Wrong, TN." (49:45)Deland is one of the skydiving capitals of the world? (51:52)

Meet Joey Maxwell. Along with his wife, owner of The Studio Creative Group, an Emmy award winning "company dedicated to producing spectacular visuals on screens both big and small," located in Deland, FL. Joey is a former commercial airline pilot and voice actor, and is currently a cinematographer and director for his own business,  as well as a very involved supporter and contributor to the Athens Theatre in Deland.This and more in today's episode:Benefits of a small town business location (1:37)Doing what you love on the side (6:37)The downsides of a good corporate job (7:12)A spouse as a work partner (8:31)A true team mentality: how a group drives creative achievement (9:10)The importance of getting an outside, objective perspective (10:30)The benefits of aiming to create a "dream job" for everyone (14:22)A work relationship can actually help a marriage grow (11:59)Money as motivation (16:11)Fulfillment as motivation (17:16)Making your passion your career (17:43)Benefits of a family business (19:18)You can't teach your kid to live your best life if you aren't. (19:18)The satisfaction of being an entrepreneur (24:08)The Stress (25:27)Ups and downs: not having a consistent income (25:28)Entrepreneurs have to forecast and plan ahead for lean times (26:44)When you get busier than you're ready for (27:37)Working with clients on creative projects: it's tricky (28:30)Guiding a theater through COVID (30:24)What's it like to win an Emmy? (34:26)Imposter syndrome is a thing. (42:03)Entrepreneurs as artists (42:26)Easing doubts: validation makes a difference (40:17)During COVID The Arts are even more critically important (45:37)Crowd funding equity campaign: building a community arts center co-op (48:04)“Creators are responsible for everything important.” (57:27)You need to progress, or why do it? (1:00:16)"Journey, but journey hard.": Advice for a young entrepreneur (1:01:44)Success? Dreams were fulfilled because I was there. (1:04:09)Don't stop, don't pause. Shift. (1:06:22)

Meet Debbie Wilds, owner of Shear WildnessCheck out these topics:Building a community and relationshipsIf you were waiting...everybody would just talk. It was like a little community meeting place. (20:53)When you come here...I want you to meet your neighbors, I want you to feel comfortable and I want you to have fun. (21:20)It's just like a real culture of care. (23:28)Not every hairdresser is a great hairdresser. But they still have people in their chair. And that's because they've made a connection with that person. This business is about making a connection with people. (25:18)I tried to be compassionate, maybe more of a friend than just just somebody that standing behind the chair cutting your hair. (49:00)You have to have trust...and you cannot break that bond. I can say no to the picture that they bring me off Pinterest and say, "That's not gonna work for you," you know, or whatever. So we do that. We're real honest. (1:10:37)Losing a clientIt hurt me when people left and went someplace else. But I realized now, as I've grown, you know, maybe we just didn't make the connection...(25:39)Find out why they disappeared...if it's something that we have done wrong, that's a learning point. That's something that we can turn around. (49:25)Work as a callingI feel like that's my gift. That and I know that God has sent people here to just sit in my chair one time just to hear a word of encouragement. (24:01)I had to...just realize that this is this is who I am. I have been given a purpose. (39:38)I feel like maybe I might have been born to do this. (14:53)COVIDWe had to get a storage unit and we pull everything out of here... We had to come back in and make sure that everything was six foot apart...you couldn't get the screens, you couldn't get the PPE...(44:56)Because I feel like we're losing that human connection. And, and I think that COVID has brought out the fact that we need it. (51:02)Hairstyle EvolutionIt was just the beginning of men infiltrating the women's salons..." (52:13)And then the 80s...You couldn't get big enough hair. You just permed over top of perm...Oh, the 80s your hair could not be shiny cuz it was dead. (54:46)And then you know, we kind of went through where they started to get sleeker and...you had...the real sharp cuts and very precision cutting. (55:14)I've been through the mullet. Oh my goodness, the mullet. (55:29)Passing on the TorchI feel like it's probably going to be like a death to me, you know, something that I'm going to have to work through. (59:59)Biz AdviceYou have to know that it's not a 9 to 5. Having a business is 24-7. It does not go away at all...That probably has been one of the hardest things on my family." (41:25)You have to be able to think outside the box. And you have to be able to deal with people that think outside the box and think differently than you. (43:56)Misc Good StuffI went to high school and the first day that I got there when it was time to go home I missed my bus. And I was like, oh Lord, I don't even know my address. (3:35)My first year I had to take a I had to go get my chest X ray to make sure that the lacquer that I was using, which is hairspray, but it had it was I mean, truly, it had lacquer in it. (53:13)If you are stuck on an island, grab your lipstick. (1:04:21)We were going to do Lamaze, which, let me tell you people, just get the shot.  (1:05:50)I wouldn't take a chicken with me. That is for daggone sure. (1:07:59)

About DeanOwner of Healthy Homes Pest Control located in North Central Virginia.Husband, and father of 5Experience in construction industry, IT, programming, data analysisBig Ideas from This Episode Customer care is their core value. And they mean it."We know all of our customers."(1:33)"Our main value is that we care about people. And we express that care through pest control."(11:33)"I've taken calls at two o'clock in the morning." (11:49)"We want to meet that need and take care of your problem. (16:50)"And that's really what I define as success, when you can touch somebody else's life and it makes them feel better."(33:11)"I think we should earn your service every month by being good at what we do, by keeping our word and fulfilling our promises." (39:51)They know what they don't want to be."There are companies out there and their business practices are, I just don't feel they're very people centered...They hire kids who go out and knock doors and this hard, arm twisting sales process to sign folks up and service is secondary to them." (14:19)"We don't do contracts. We sign you up and we provide service for as long as you want us. We don't want you to keep us as your pest control company because we're gonna beat you up if you try to quit. We want you to keep us because we're doing a good job." (38:53)Customer care drives success."We've had explosive growth this past year in spite of COVID. And I think that's because we provide good service, we try to respond to inquiries almost instantly, during business hours, even even into the evening, we respond promptly when people have an inquiry. Existing customers know they can call us." (14:42)"Customer service is really the key, I think, to our success." (14:56)Finding and managing employees:"So what we're looking for are people that share our main core value, which is that concern and that care about people." (22:39)"Put the employees first and let them know that you've got their back, that you care about them." (23:04)"I think it's important that everybody in the organization is on board with that purpose, they all are rowing in the same direction, and have that same vision." (37:16)"You have to build a culture that is in harmony with that vision...Then you have to live it. Your people have to see that you believe what you say." (38:13)Challenges "Sales early on, when you first get started, there's no recognition out there of who you are, you're kind of starting cold from scratch. And the first few months, picking up new customers went kind of slow and didn't go as fast as we planned. And we were kind of chewing through our savings..." (35:57)For Entrepreneurs"The thing I discovered is that most folks in this business and similar home service businesses just can't figure out the customer service. (16:07)"You have to have that passion, that visionary, entrepreneurial spirit, that spark that makes you makes you go. Then you need technical expertise." (47:29)"I don't know that every person needs to go to college and get a business degree, but it sure as heck wouldn't hurt you to take an accounting class, yes, or two or three, or a finance class. Those things have been immensely valuable to me. Or a business law class or two." (48:21)"You need a good accounting firm, you need a good lawyer, you need to develop a relationship with your banker. Getting access to capital is very difficult for small business, especially a business...where most of your value is in an intangible asset." (49:05)"You need to have a plan for how you're going to grow." (52:15)

About Gradwell House6400 sq ft facility converted from a Masonic lodge into a recording studio with multiple recording rooms and rehearsal spacesAbout Steve and DaveFrom South JerseySound EngineersOwners of Gradwell House facilityHusbands and FathersWere members of Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right BA Start The Parts of Business They LoveOwning and working at a hub “full of people who are all doing music industry stuff with so many people that are doing what you're doing." (7:06)“Dave and I have been recording bands for 20 years. We don't record anything else. I mean, very little else...everything else is rock and roll bands. Dude, how cool is that?” (12:40)“Doing this stuff is an incredibly good fit for my personality.” (14:34)“It's just such a nice feeling to not have that weird doubt in what you do or whether your day is going to be good or bad because you don't like the thing you're about to go do.” (16:24)Being recognized for “the technical level, the cleanliness, the professionalism of the staff.” (31:28)The Hard PartsBurnout (11:59)“When you're first starting out your clients suck, too...You're working with garbage. Yeah. So that can grind you out.” (12:12)COVID: "So the pandemic hits, and we went from every room having, you know, between two and four hours, five nights a week to all of the rooms having zero hours, seven nights a week, like zero." (37:04)The Metal Core moment of the 2000s. “Metal core almost ended it for us.” (41:07)Major Insights The space where you do your work and invite clients matters. A lot. On several levels. (8:56)“Take every single dollar you get and put it in the bank, and then take it out with your debit card or take it out with a withdrawal.” (20:33)"Put it on paper.” (21:59)“Very consciously, the idea with this place is...there's the diversity of revenue stream.” (35:11)Once you have created something, you need to do “the promotional aspect”, “the legwork”, the “backend.” You need an “entrepreneurial spirit.” (51:21)“So even if you rub weird personalities, even if you have a sometimes you do drop the ball...If you prove that you are always dependable, they always come back.” (57:47)“The classic idea of if you build it, they will come is 100% not true. The most untrue thing you've ever ever heard.” (58:15) “Get really good at one thing [at a time].” (1:04:25)Start out minimal. (1:05:20)“Entrepreneurs are always so boastful about what they did, all this great stuff. It's like, yeah, but listen, I could not have done this without my wife.” (1:08:41)“Just be humble dummy.” (1:11:23)“There are operating expenses, man. You're going to break stuff...Guess what, it sucks. There's nothing you can do about it. Just go take care of it.” (1:14:21)Miscellaneous Good Stuff"My wife found this really sketchy warehouse in Gloucester City for like 700 bucks a month. And it had a junkyard dog and everything." (3:26)"Honestly the only reason I wanted to record is because there was nothing else that sucked as little as that...Every other job I've ever had sucked. So that one easily sucked the least." (9:28)The second interview to describe live sound engineers as “bitter” people. “Like no one ever seems happy necessarily doing it.” (10:04)The “Sad Guy” in the band. (44:16)The multiple releases of William Eilish. (52:26)Ete is an 8 out of 10. (1:16:03)"Falafel's just so eatable...so eatable every day, every day." (1:17:38)

Today Ete sits down with Steve Castellano of ANS Construction.About SteveOwner of ANS for 34 yearsBorn and raised in South PhillyMarried to Cheryl for 24 yearsFather of 2Serial EntrepreneurMember of the LDS churchWhat helped him get to where he is todayAccepting jobs he didn't even know how to do...yet. (6:34)Partnering with people who could do the job. (7:23)Passion for building business. The drive to “conquer the world.” (10:07)Focusing on small jobs. (10:20)Loving the chance to work on new problems every day. (12:40)Building trust in customers. “Most of my customers ask for the price after I'm done the job.” (15:20)Believing in himself: “I always knew that I was willing to go out and work for it...I wasn't worried about it.” (17:27)Knowing the legacy he wants to leave behind: “He did what he said he was gonna do and most of the time he gave you more than he promised you.” (44:16)Thriving on stress: “I love the stress. If you ask my wife, she'll tell you, I'm not happy if I don't have it. I thrive off it, it keeps you sharp.” (46:39)Faith: “Have God in your life. Yeah. Rely on God. Rely on Christ.” (53:13)Memorable learning experiences (mistakes) and hard things along the wayLearning to bid jobs: “You lost a lot. You learned a lot.” (12:05)Dealing with a franchise owner who “would rather see a store close, or the store suffer than to be wrong.”(35:38)The client who almost made him walk away: “I told her husband, I cannot deal with your wife anymore. She's, she's brutal.” (45:01)Burnout (and the fix). (50:10)Learning to reign in his ego: “Yeah, in my younger days, if I got an argument with a customer, they owed me money, you know, I thought it was cool to tell them, you know, keep the money, I don't need it. I got plenty.” (51:49) Major Insights “The bigger the job, the bigger the risk, the smaller jobs, the smaller the risk.” (10:07)Forget references. The question is, “How long have you had your phone number?” (14:29)“...In today's world...if you cheat somebody, they're gonna know it.” (15:20)Find a “small” but meaningful way to signal to customers you care about the job you're doing. (16:20)Diversify. (18:44)Lose the ego: “Whoever knows the most in the room is the smartest guy in the room, and they should take the lead.” (23:10)Sometimes you need to fire customers. Maybe a lot of customers. (24:22)Develop a gut : ) “I use my gut a lot...I read people.” (26:30)Concentrate on making happy customers even happier. (27:02)Be the guy in “I got a guy.” (27:35)Stop wasting time. Prepare. (28:10)Success = “wanting to go to work instead of having to go to work.” (51:08)Franchises: make sure you do this. (39:51)Miscellaneous Good StuffGrowing up with 50 houses on his block, knowing all his neighbors, playing on asphalt fields (:54)Steve admits to lying. At least twice. (6:54)Maybe the best business ever: “I got to sit at the bar and drink a couple of beers for free. And I got to make money while I was hanging out with my friends. Yeah, I got to watch the sports I got to play pool in the back. And I was making money.” (19:54)This list of jobs and businesses: dealer in Atlantic City casino, selling sneakers, working in Philly City Hall, working for a contractor, doing kitchens and bathrooms for Sears, his own construction company, opened a kitchen at a bar, ran a lawn company, real estate investment, partner in a soft pretzel store franchise.

Today Ete sits down with Jace Kandle of Lake Kandle.About JaceSouth Jersey nativePartner at Lake Kandle, a family-owned 86-acre destination campground and swim club in it's 60th year24-7 manager during the seasonBig time fan of Atomic SquareWhat helped him get to where he is todayNot starting from scratch: stepping into an established family business that was already a recognized South Jersey institution (2:02)Learning from the past: seeing what to do when you inherit $1,000,000 in debt (10:21)Education: an international business and history degree (17:23)Making the personal choice: being able to grow up in the business and then choosing to become a part of it (22:36)Outside support: trustee of NJCOA - access to good information, and advocacy through an industry organization (26:51)A restorative resource: exercise -  finding clarity through running (30:05)Understanding parents: parents with realistic expectations of kids (33:38)Purpose: enjoying the chance to work with and to help young people grow (37:21)A restorative resource: Nature: getting to connect with Nature (38:46)The hard parts: memorable learning experiences (mistakes), difficulties, and challenges along the wayManaging dozens of employees, mostly young, inexperienced teens (31:00)Dealing with unexpected problems out of his control. Feeling “helpless.” (26:17)Covid: how it affected business, feeling helpless, dealing with expectations, and questions with no answers (26:18)Challenge of learning to delegate more (34:30)Transition between the season and off-season and back (34:50)Nonstop work: Being there 24-7. Not having “a life” during the season. (20:13)Major Insights Running a small business is “a high stakes poker game. Every day.” All your eggs are “in one basket.” (23:50)You can do everything right and still have your business fail. The unexpected happens. (24:19)“Everyday ends.” (25:15)“You have to be fluid, because, you know, things change. Things change really quick...Figure out what people want.” (32:50)“Be patient...It's gonna take a whole lot of work.” (39:31)Watch your expectations for happiness. Invest in the “meat and potatoes,” not the “quick hits.” (44:34)“Happiness is feeling purpose.” (45:45)Miscellaneous Good StuffSouth Jersey is not a dump. (:24)A kid's dream: full time Sega, wiffle ball and jailbreak (3:47)First tractor accident. At 7. (14:39)Taking over the family business: “It was like Lion King...I can't wait to be king.” : ) (15:47)Trying to be an engineer. “But uh, then physics hit. And there she went.” (16:53)Yes, please: The Kandle family tradition we want to institute too. (40:06)

Today Ete sits down with Doug Trace of Trace Photo Studio.About DougProfessional photographer Husband and father of 4South Jersey nativeAn "ideas guy"An all-around highly creative personWhat helped him get to where he is todaySeeing the business and its challenges (angry mothers!) from childhood (2:25)Taking a $20,000 pay cut to get into the industry and learn his craft (10:30)Learning how to interact with clients (12:40)Specific qualities and skills he learned from his parents (19:33)A very supportive wife (28:55)Believing that life will prepare him for the next step (39:44)Memorable learning experiences (mistakes) and hard things along the wayA downside of working for someone else: wage ceilings (10:14)Working through family challenges (29:22)Burnout (31:27)Loving street photography "and then Covid happened" (37:00)Major Insights Learn to truly like your clients (12:56)People often just need to be heard. Stop trying to make a point. (17:07)Watch what's coming down the road: digital photography's impact on the industry (20:38)Nail down the process and product so you can focus on the people. (33:26)Use the unique resources and tools you have access to to differentiate yourself. You have everything you need. (43:38)Be honest with yourself and others about your abilities and strengths (45:33)You need to build a team of people who are "better than you" and not be intimidated by their abilities. (49:36)Success = "finding what you're passionate about and being happy with it." (1:00:26)"Take every single opportunity that comes in front of you, no matter how outlandish." (1:04:53)Miscellaneous Good StuffOne time long-haired metal-band rocker. (5:05)The truth comes out: "The youngest gets away with the most." (6:22)Forget the brides, Momzillas are the real threat. (15:15)"The scriptures are the Radiohead of the religious world." (1:06:50)"Youth is a time bomb that goes off when you're 40." (1:09:06)

Today Ete sits down with Nick Coleman, owner and operator of several bread deliver routes including Ivan Carfax.Ete is on a roadtrip looking for great small businesses and great small businesspeople. Today he's back in his hometown of Glassboro, NJ, visiting with good friend, and all around cool guy, Nick Coleman. Nick owns a business in an industry unlike any of the others we've highlighted in the show so far. It's an industry with its own business model, unique potential problems and challenges, and its own perks. This is an engaging look into a business that we all rely on, but don't know much about, through the eyes of someone who's finding success within it.About this episode:What sets Nick apartHe's proof that sometimes life just hands you the right business (15:54)He's in of those businesses that no one thinks about (not even he did) but everyone uses indirectly (9:52)His extraordinary candor and vulnerability (42:20 and throughout)What helped him get to the place where he isA father in law with connections, encouragement, and financing, and Nick's gratitude for that and the sense of responsibility that comes with it. (4:30)Trying different paths until he found his thing. (15:20)Dedicated study and research. (1:03:49)Memorable learning experiences (mistakes) and hard things along the wayThe many industry-specific difficulties of bread delivery. (throughout)Dealing with employees who don't care and don't work. (19:02)Realizing how quickly all the surprise expenses add up. (19:29)Getting kicked out of a store. (32:29)The customer from hell and the fallout. (37:44)Owning a business and dealing with stress and depression (51:05).Major InsightsFinding good employees is extremely difficult and extremely essential. (19:02)There are problems in every business. "It's just how you deal with them and how you...monitor them." (28:06)You have to learn how to deal with people in difficult situations, even when the issue is decidedly not your fault. Sometimes you need to "just walk away." (41:03)Let people help. Get professional help when you need it. Meditation and therapy can be life-changing. (48:08)Good sleep really matters. (52:21)Entrepreneurial success can bring guilt. You can learn how to cope with that. (53:36)You absolutely need a good tax accountant. (1:01:33)Separate business and personal legally, and do things by the book. (1:02:46)Read books, including books about businesses outside your industry. (1:03:26)Miscellaneous Good StuffIvan Carfax: it's not just a generically generated porn star name. (1:17)"I'm one of six kids. And yeah, they all have at least a master's degree, all five of them....and then there's me." (3:19)What do bread companies do with stale, unsold bread? (23:24)Speaking and driving in New Jersey. He's not in California anymore. (29:27)Snowboarding is not skateboarding. (30:57)

Today Ete sits down with Scott Abbott, founder of Five Star Painting and founder/CEO of Pronexis.Scott Abbott is a pretty big get for our little show. He's a prolific entrepreneur with some extremely impressive credentials. And considering all that he's involved with, he's got to be one busy guy. Luckily we had some back channel connections and Scott was gracious enough to spend some time with Ete. So here we are starting off Season 3 with Scott Abbott. Enjoy the episode!About this episode:What sets Scott apart?His many, very impressive entrepreneurial endeavors and successes. Here are a few highlights:Entrepreneur of the Year at the University of Manitoba and Innovator of the Year for Manitoba. (12:12)Started Five Star Painting and eventually had 150 franchise locations in 5 countries. (1:02)Started Pronexis, the top lead development & growth platform in the home service industry (36:23)Has owned multiple businesses in the past and currently owns 7 businesses, sits on the boards of 6 companies, and advises funds.What helped him get there? His Dad tossing a phone book at him. (7:17)Having confidence, even when it's “unfounded.” (17:28)Not fearing failure. (18:05)Loving the job. Never waking up and not wanting to go to work. (46:35)Support. Finding his tribe at Entrepreneur's Organization. (48:22)Doing the hard things. (52:23)Memorable Learning Experiences (Mistakes) and Hard Things Along The WayOnline fishing tournaments and bankruptcy (btw, it wasn't his fault) (11:12)Taking a Suit Job (13:52)Five Star Christmas Trees: success and the one mistake (42:46)His first employee firing (47:10)Major InsightsDo your market research. (19:56)Fill the holes with the right people. (25:34)It's always hard. As you succeed, what's hard changes. (25:59)Things are sometimes "fragile" and out of your control. (29:31)Sometimes the risks are not greater than the rewards. (30:04)Dissatisfaction can be good. (33:02)Success = Adding Value (34:02)“Excellence is only discovered in focusing yourself.” Don't be the CEO of Everything. Don't chase all the "Oh, Shinies." (43:54)People get into entrepreneurship for different reasons. Know your reason. (54:14)Invest in yourself. (55:20)Miscellaneous Good StuffGrowing up in Winter Peg: Colder Than Mars (for real) (1:56)Wim Hoffing it (4:28)He's basically Survivorman (59:07)From nosebleeds to holding Bono (1:01:17)

During Season 2 of The Company Next Door, we've had the privilege of talking to 13 exceptional people. If you've missed any of these conversations, go take a listen. You're going to want to hear what these people–just "average," friends and neighbors–have to say about their lives and businesses. You'll learn that the everyday people in our lives are truly fascinating, with surprising and remarkable stories, and honest to goodness profound wisdom. The fact that we're surrounded by such interesting people (each of whom, without fail, claim that that they have nothing to tell) never ceases to amaze us.So here we are at the end of Season 2. It's recap time. It's an impossible task to wrap up each interview into a neat, succinct little narrative so we don't even try (which is why you need to hear each episode!). But we can pull out a few things from each conversation that really struck us. In this recap, Ete dives into his favorite take-aways from this season. Hear Ete's conclusions, the accumulated wisdom of 13 great interviews, in this episode of The Company Next Door.Season 2 Episodes:Rusty Fife (Built Medical)Megan Perry (Trail Talk Provo, Heber)Dave Zimmerman (Noisebox Studios)Audrey Watkins (Elevate Nutrition and Fitness Consulting)Brett Lee (Serial Entrepreneur)Allison Page (Founder of Trail Talk)Howard Mattson (Plan One Financial Group)John Perry (Bio Green, Greene County Fertilizer, Lawncology)Tom Stone (Commercial Real Estate, Guild Mortgage)Travis Wilcox (Heber Hatchets)Tim Naval (Eco Lawn Salt Lake City)Isabel and David Dupes (The Great American Food Truck)Interview with Kyle Moody (MoodyBlu Express)

Today Ete sits down with Tim Naval of Eco Lawn Salt Lake.A single mother with 5 kids to raise on her own. An absent father. Several moves across the country. Not "much direction as far as structure." A first "job" of stealing candy from Wawa (the best of all convenience stores) and selling it to kids at school. No plan whatsoever for a future career and advisors who "advised" him little except to tell him not to do the one thing he loved. An introverted style, having to wrestle with "negative thoughts," perhaps a certain lack of confidence. "Statistically," Tim Naval tells us only half-kidding, he should have "really bad psychological issues. Maybe a lot of addictions..." But far from what could, or even should have been, today he has a thriving business, a beautiful home, and most importantly, a wonderful family life. He's got the time with his family he craves. He doesn't worry that the bills will be paid. He's got great hair. By his own estimation, "Relatively I feel like I made it...I'm happy." How did he beat his odds?Tim acknowledges with sincere gratitude the service rendered to his family by his own extended family, especially his aunts, friends, and members of his church, who all made a huge difference in his life. His faith, he tells us, gave him "a good grounding." But more than anyone or anything else, he credits the support, the examples, and the love of the main women in his life: his mother, Tracy, his wife, Carlie, and his daughter, Nina, with helping to mold him into the man he is today living a life he loves. His gratitude is heartfelt and touching.Tim recognizes the sacrifices made by his mother on her family's behalf. She worked tirelessly to give them the things her family needed and wanted. "I would see her go [to work] and just coming home and being just completely exhausted and drained. And then having a bunch of rambunctious kids that didn't help out in the house very much." These days, Tim is thankful, not only for what his mom did for him, but for what she taught him about hard work, "just keeping at it" under difficult circumstances. Then there's Carlie, Tim's wife. She supports and encourages him in his work, and pushes him to be his best. She is ambitious in her own right, with an advanced degree, and a great career as a midwife. She's a strong woman, "a workhorse," as Tim puts it, another example for him of the power of consistent effort. "You could go into the kitchen, she made homemade focaccia bread, homemade no bake cookies. And then she did that after doing like a 5 am workout, teaching online, grading, like just never stops, and is always happy. I take a lot of my cues from her." Finally, there is Nina, his 2 year-old girl. Her birth was a defining moment, a "huge turning point." He sobbed with joy when she was born, and since then, she has become his world. Nina has provided Tim with the motivation to focus, a sense of responsibility, a reason to work his hardest, to be his best. He wants nothing more than to provide a good life for her.While the women in his life have helped set him up with a good foundation, we can't forget that Tim worked relentlessly to grow his business. And that has meant growing himself, pushing himself in ways that have been uncomfortable. He "timidly," but bravely stepped into the role of entrepreneur. And he did so with humility and fortitude. He's had to learn to cope with innate tendencies that don't lend themselves to running a company. "I just don't like putting myself out there...I'm just like, very, very introverted." But he did put himself out there, and through bold perseverance, he is prospering. Tim's company won Best of Salt Lake last year. His business is expanding rapidly. It's seen remarkable growth despite the pandemic. It's all pretty inspiring.Ete and Tim, old friends, recount Tim's story on this episode of The Company Next Door.

Today Ete sits down with Kyle Moody of MoodyBlu Express.If you live in the Heber Valley chances are very good you've seen Kyle Moody. In fact, you've probably talked with him or gotten his help at the local Smith's, where he's worked for the past 13 years. Perhaps you've seen his picture on the Smith's shopping carts. Or maybe you're at the self-checkout and you can't figure out why you're not getting the mix & match discount even though you triple-checked that you have the right products, and nothing is working, you're starting to panic, and there's a good chance you just might kick the machine and walk out the door grocery-less. Then, a guy with tattoos and dark, well-coiffed hair (yeah, that guy) comes over, patiently talks you down, and fixes everything with a few keystrokes. (True story.) That's Kyle. Wherever you run into him, he always has a smile, a friendly word, and a willingness to help. This genuine and constant kindness has rightfully earned him trust and goodwill in the community.  And that has translated into support and encouragement from the people of the Heber Valley in his new entrepreneurial venture, MoodyBlu Express, a shuttle service that runs out of Heber.Kyle's childhood was full of stark and confusing contradictions. Kyle, who's home-life was split between time with his mom and time with his biological dad, describes his upbringing as living "two separate lives." At his mother and step-father's home (Kyle considers his step-father to be his dad) things were pretty normal, stable, secure. His needs were met. But when he went to stay with his father, things were quite different. His biological father was often homeless. Kyle remembers being with his bio dad and having to sleep at a bus stop because they had nowhere to go. Kyle suffered abuse. Even as he recounts these dark moments, he gives his dad credit for having a true desire to spend time with him. This is typical of Kyle. He looks for the good in people. Considering the adversity he's had to deal with, and there has been plenty, it's easy to wonder why he's filled with so much optimism, compassion, and true love for people. He points to one motivation. No description of Kyle could be written without a discussion of his faith. He wears his faith on his sleeve, with absolute sincerity and without apology. "Becoming a believer" in Jesus, he tells us, was a turning point, the turning point, in his life. It is how and why he can accept and love people as they are. In 2019, Kyle launched his business. MoodyBlu Express (the name is a nod to the nickname he'd been given by a dear friend) is a shuttle service that focuses on transporting people between Heber and the Salt Lake airport, though they provide transportation to other places as well. Kyle got his start with one vehicle, a Hyundai Sonata left to him when his grandfather died. Three weeks later, the car was totaled. Other people would have given up. But Kyle did not. The story of MoodyBlu Express is full of challenges, including some pretty major ones–the sort that leave you crying on the shower floor–that were often overcome when people came to his aid, seemingly out of the blue, and just in the nick of time. While the timing of this help might be a strange coincidence, the fact that people wanted to help him, was not. After years of sowing seeds of kindness and service to others, he was gratefully able to reap some returned kindness–help when he most needed it. And now there is plenty to show for pushing through those hardships. Business has "exploded," according to Kyle. He's been able to add more vehicles and drivers to his fleet. Online reviews are glowing. COVID has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for MoodyBlu. Kyle is excited about his prospects and looking forward to "seeing how far I can go." Hear Kyle's story in this episode of The Company Next Door.

Today Ete sits down with Isabel and David Dupes, owners of The Great American Food Truck.We often speak of each interviewee's "journey" on this show, complete with twists and turns, surprises, and unlikely coincidences. But David and Isabel have taken one of the most twisty, surprising, and unlikely routes to their present life. They have most certainly been on a "journey," trekking great distances both literally and figuratively, to the life they have now. And they had a secret weapon in meeting all challenges–their strong devotion to each other. Ete remarked on the overwhelming sense of authentic love, respect, and kindness with which they treat each other. Not a sappy sweetness, but a true concern for each other's well-being in each moment. He hoped that this would come through in the episode because it is something quite evident "in real life" and special about the couple.This journey of thousands of miles began in two very different places. Isabel grew up in Valencia, Venezuela, the third largest city in the nation and a bustling industrial hub. Her father was an economist. Her grandfather, the captain of the first ship to bring oil from Venezuela to Europe was "somewhat of a national hero." Large family, food-filled gatherings were frequent as "every little thing, we celebrate," noted Isabel. David grew up on a farm in rural Ohio where his family–two siblings and his parents–raised cattle. Generally, it was just his family. Eventually, David became a software engineer and moved to Nashville.Their two stories converged in Miami, where both happened to be vacationing. At the time, Isabel spoke very little English, and David, little, if any Spanish, but that proved not to be much of a barrier. Soon afterwards, David went to visit Isabel in Venezuela and within a year, he had moved there. As a software engineer, David was able to continue his work. Isabel became an entrepreneur. She  started walking the beach with a cooler selling her home-made gelato. When the "ice cream mafia" tried to put her out of business, she set up a kiosk to sell her frozen treats. She began selling her gelato to restaurants. It was at this time that her US permanent resident visa came in and they had to move to the US. But when Isabel received dual citizenship Venezuela became their home again. They were living an idyllic life with their children in a house they'd built on a beautiful island. And then they began to see serious warning signs. There was political instability, social unrest, food and gas shortages. Americans were targets. They began to fear for their children, so they left.Isabel and David loved Park City, but the exorbitant prices of housing led them, as it has to many others, to discover the enchanting Heber Valley. They moved to Heber. Isabel started selling Venzeuelan food at a local farmer's market. People loved it. She found a food trailer at a great price. It was equipped for cooking and selling hot dogs, corn dogs, and nachos. So they figured, why not? The Great American Food Truck was born. They knew they were onto something when their line kept pace with the venerable, much-loved Lola's food truck.Excited, they moved forward. By mid-March their truck was wrapped and they were all ready to go for the season. And then COVID hit. Everything shut down. In May they were invited to park their truck at the Mountain Valley RV Resort, which went well. They started selling at other local spots. The community has been very supportive and things are looking good for The Great American Food Truck. They hope to keep adding trucks.David and Isabel could never have envisioned this life. Standing in a cattle farm in Ohio, or a busy Venzuelan city, who could have foreseen any of it? But they are loving the life that has unfolded–twists, and turns, and surprises, and all.

Things were going so well, incredibly well. Travis Wilcox, uncharacteristically, had taken a chance and it was paying off in a big way. He is, by his own account "the most conservative person on the planet." Risk-taking is not in his nature, and even he himself seemed surprised by his desire to start a business, a very unique business at that. But something about this idea would not leave him alone. He "felt compelled to try it." After months of research, gathering feedback from family and entrepreneurial friends, creating business plans and giving presentations–perhaps trying to persuade himself as much as anybody else that this could work–Travis took the leap and decided to start Heber Hatchets.Travis got his first taste of hatchet throwing at a Christmas party. Before trying it, he, like many of us, was skeptical as to how hatchet throwing could possibly be feasible–not as a business, that was definitely not on his radar–but just the physical act itself.  Could any non-pioneer-mountain-man possibly throw an axe several feet and get it to stick into a wooden target? Multiple times? And is that fun? After actually trying it though, also like many of us, he was hooked. When he began thinking about possibly starting his own venue, he took family, and then entrepreneurs he respected, to various hatchet throwing places to give it a go. He wanted them to see what this axe throwing thing was all about. Everybody seemed to agree that it was a great time, and that Travis was on to something with his business idea. Travis moved his business plans forward.When it came time to find a location, he rented a warehouse in his hometown of Heber. The location was a bit off the beaten path, but would be a relatively inexpensive option. He would later realize that that had been a mistake–he had paid too much attention to his inner anti-risk-taker–but at the time, it seemed like keeping the overhead as low as possible was the best course of action.Before their doors had even opened, a great opportunity emerged. After Travis' daughter had set up a meeting between her father and the Provo-based escape room venue, Get Out Games. The businesses decide to form a partnership.Heber Hatchets started up in July 2018. In August of the same year, Heber Hatchets in Provo opened for business. These venues, especially in Provo, where Heber Hatches was located on the town's main strip, were incredibly popular. Hatchet throwing was a hit and the business was a success. By December of 2018, another location had opened in Logan. At the beginning of 2019, two locations were opened in Idaho, followed by one in Spokane. Another Heber Hatchets was set to open its doors in 2020 in Kennewick, WA. Everything was built out, everything was ready. Things were moving fast. And then COVID hit. The pandemic has crippled every industry that involves people getting together and Heber Hatchets has taken a severe hit. Closed for months, but still responsible for paying rent, utilities and other overhead, the business is lucky to have survived, and that was only due to earlier atypical but prudent management decisions. The weakest location (and namesake of the company) in Heber, has had to shut down, but the others remain, and have even reopened, though in a very limited, and less lucrative COVID capacity. Despite all this, Travis remains optimistic.Learn more about Travis, his story, his entertaining and unique business, the difficulties he's seen, the mistakes he's made, and the advice he has for other entrepreneurs, and Ete's obsession with The Blue Dot in this episode of The Company Next Door.

Today Ete sits down with Tom Stone, loan officer at Guild Mortgage.By the time Tom Stone finished college, he had studied accounting, physical therapy, and finally landed on sociology and behavioral science. While his choices in majors may have seemed a little scattered, there were a few things that he was certain about. For one, he knew he wanted to live in the Heber Valley, where his family had moved when he was 15, a place he absolutely loved and never wanted to leave. Second, he knew that he would never take a "salary job" because, as he put it, "I'm not gonna have someone tell me how much money I'm gonna make." Despite all the things that could go wrong, despite the lack of security in a commission type job, he was confident that, for him, removing limits was more important than hanging on to security. He was "sure about himself," not in a big-ego way, but in his ability to do whatever it took to succeed. When it came to settling on a career, working in mortgages, he said, "felt right." He wouldn't have limitations on his income, and he could stay in the Heber Valley, where he knew he could make things work, despite the potential difficulties of working in such a small market. And when he followed those intentions even further, leaving a secure mortgage job at a bank in order to start his own company, he had to battle some serious skepticism. Within minutes of each other, the first two people he told about his plan responded with "Are you stupid?" and "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." But Tom had some insight into dealing with fear. He knew that results only come from action. Some people decide to act for what they want, others just hope that things will work out. Tom would be the former. He had to push out that "first morning thought" whispering that he couldn't do it. He looked to the experiences he'd had so far in his life. He'd handled challenges before, and if he was able to do it then, he could do it now.Deciding to start his own business would certainly not be the last struggle he'd find himself in. 2007-2012 were, of course, some pretty dark times for anyone in mortgages. He pivoted, he made smart choices, he paid every bill, and got through. Now decades in, and living the life he wanted, Tom can look back and confidently say that he made the right decisions for himself and his family. "Success for me is having the time to do what you want," he tells us. In Tom's case, that means being available for his family, having the time to serve the community, and having time to ride anything with wheels. Tom has found success.Tom is uniquely poised to offer some great advice in an area that's relevant to almost all of us. If you haven't already, most of us will someday go looking for a mortgage lender. What's it like to be on the other side of the desk, to be the guy handling peoples' most valued assets, their money and their home? What can you do to help your chances of getting the loan you're seeking? What if you're self-employed? Find out in this episode of The Company Next Door.

Today, Ete sits down with John Perry, founder of Bio Green, author of the Lawncology blog and YouTube channel, and founder of Greene County Fertilizer Company.John Perry is a rockstar of the lawn care industry. If you have anything to do with lawns professionally, you know who John is and you know that he is one of lawn care's top influencers. Considering the fact that lawn care is a $100 billion a year industry and employs over a million people in the US, that's a pretty big deal. Ete, as you may or may not know, owns a lawn care company, so this was a double whammy of excitement for him--a super successful business owner and another person to geek out on lawns with.When John was 12 years old, his family moved from Houston to Park City. This was when Park City was not yet Park City, back when there were two stop lights in town. John was homeschooled which suited his need for a self-driven, self-paced education. Apart from his studies, he was also schooled in the practical, real life details of entrepreneurship. John's mom was a serious entrepreneur, and he grew up with a front row seat to what business ownership looks like. His mother started and ran several businesses, from property management, to cell phone dealerships, to owning a car rental company. One of her first business ventures was running a landscaping business. She would bring her kids along to her various jobs, so that even from the beginning, horticulture was a part of John's life.Very early on, John knew that he wanted to be an entrepreneur. He recognized that "I want to build something that's my own. And I want to make it bigger than the small pond." He learned about different aspects of business from his first jobs onward. He remembers working at ski shops from the time he was 13. There he witnessed first-hand the expansion process of a small business, from one shop, to multiple shops. He also got some experience in managing customers.He started his first business–a polymer injection company–at 22, and eventually recognized that not having residuals was a big problem. Instead of constantly seeking out new clients, he wanted to sell to an established client base. In 2005 he started Bio Green, a lawn spraying company, which would eventually boast 86 locations around the country. Here he established licensing agreements, and minimum purchase agreements for the fertilizers he was making and selling. In 2014, he started Greene County Fertilizer Company, a large fertilizer manufacturing business which allowed him to white label products and sell them to other companies.John's success owed just as much to his knowledge of soil and plant science as to his business acumen. Over the years, he had accumulated a vast amount of information about how to grow healthy plants which he wanted to share, so he decided to write a book. He started the blog, Lawncology, as a way to process his thoughts and find inspiration for the book. After a lot of coaxing from his team, he then started a YouTube channel of the same name. Both have been incredibly successful and have vaulted John to a position as one of the top lawn experts and influencers in the country, not only with industry folks, but also with the public at large, anyone with an interest in growing things.In this episode, John offers some fantastic business advice. He has plenty to say about the difficulties of entrepreneurship. He also discusses the pitfalls that the "two different kinds of people who start businesses" often fall into, how to find a great salesperson, the importance of transparency, and the idea of separating your identity from the business's identity. Hear some great stories and learn from John Perry in this episode of The Company Next Door.

Today Ete sits down with Howard Mattson, founder and owner of Plan One Financial Group.These days researchers are finding that there are specific characteristics that help people to succeed in life, in business, in everything. You've no doubt heard about the importance of "grit," and having a "growth mindset," and realizing "post traumatic growth." Howard Mattson is the poster boy for these qualities/skills, which becomes apparent when you hear a few of his life stories.As a teenager, Howard ended up in a coma, nearly died, and missed his senior year of high school. But he counts the accident as one of the greatest "blessings" in his life because of what it led to. Howard wanted to learn about investing, so he "bugged" someone in the business until that person finally relented and agreed to show Howard the ropes. Confident that he could do this, confident that he could learn whatever he needed, he threw himself into this work and realized he loved it. Despite doing all the right things, working hard, having success, and investing all his money into the company, this unbelievable (but true) story ends up with Howard making the choice to walk away with absolutely nothing. The injustice of what actually happened is heartbreaking and maddening. But what does he have to say about the events? He explains why these crazy events turned out to be beneficial in the long run. When asked about difficult times, Howard tells us that it was difficult to come up with one, because he "couldn't think of one struggle that wasn't followed by tremendous growth." Is he delusional? Is he in denial? Not at all. This is who he is. And we hope this comes through in the show. Howard has consistently decided to move forward with genuine optimism and gratitude no matter what has been thrown at him.Howard's unique strengths and abilities are no doubt a major part of why, today, he finds himself running a highly successful business, a work which he absolutely loves, while living a rich and fulfilling life outside of business, full of family (he takes Friday - Sunday off and uses it exclusively for family time) and music and art and books and travel. He's built a life around his values and desires, and it's certainly worked out for him. "I pinch myself every day," he tells us.Lest you think that this episode is all about life lessons, we must say that Howard dishes out some meaty, very-worth-a-listen insights about business in this conversation. Though he doesn't toot his own horn in this episode, Howard's company, Plan One Financial Group, is very impressive and very successful. He knows what he's talking about. If you want to build a brand with a stellar reputation this episode is a MUST listen. And take notes. From forming real relationships with clients, to what creating the right team has done for him, to finding mentors (including a different take on what they can teach you), to getting involved in coaching programs, to the 3 rules of starting and running a business that stand out to him, check out what Howard Mattson has to share in this episode of The Company Next Door.

Today, Ete sits down with Allison Page, founder of Trailtalk.Allison Page is a self-described "dreamer." She's got ideas. Lots of ideas. So many absorbing ideas that friends have warned, "we need to pull you off that cloud and into reality." Allison is also one heck of an energetic and optimistic go-getter, a doer, a woman who makes things happen. With gusto. The combination of these qualities has made her an entrepreneurial powerhouse. Plus, she's got an exceptional team behind her. She's got a clear vision. Turning her company, Trailtalk, into a national franchise is her mission right now. And odds are that she will do it.If you've heard our episode with therapist Megan Perry, then you've already had an introduction to Trailtalk. If not, go listen to it. Seriously. Okay, great. So now we all know that Trailtalk is a practice that is "taking therapy off the couch and onto the trails." Allison believes in this idea passionately and in the company she's built around it, and with good reason. It's a brilliant (and effective) approach to therapy that people are responding to enthusiastically. Thus, the originally Park City-based practice is expanding. There are now affiliates branching out to other parts of Utah and beyond. Trailtalk as a national brand is the goal and really, it's not that far-fetched.Allison truly loves Trailtalk. She talks constantly and passionately about it to absolutely anyone who will listen. Some of her friends have actually asked her to tone it down. For her, "Trailtalk doesn't turn off."  Her excitement impels her to always be marketing, to keep promoting, to advocate non-stop for her brand of walk and talk therapy.Allison Page is a Nurse Practitioner with a post-Master's certificate in Psychiatric Nursing. She grew up in the northern woods of Maine, and became a nurse. Recruited by Primary Children's Hospital, she made her way to Utah. She went to grad school and became a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She found a love for community and public health care, and a special passion for program development and a particular interest in the psychosocial dynamics of family. Even then Allison was a mover and shaker. She took it upon herself to develop several health initiatives including programs for cardiac patients, children with obesity, and homeless children. Allison found herself on the other side of the health care system when her own daughter became ill. She decided to put her career on hold in order to stay home to take care of her daughter. Several years later, she realized that she wanted to become a therapist. Back to school she went and made that goal a reality. During a stressful time, she went for a walk with her dog, realized the cathartic quality of walking in nature, and this was the beginning of Trailtalk.Allison has learned a great deal during her life and career. Hear what lessons this journey has taught her and get a sense of her wonderful energy and optimism in this episode of The Company Next Door.

Today, Ete sits down with serial entrepreneur, Brett Lee of Midway, UT. Brett has been a part of several business ventures including selling styrofoam shipping pallets in India, exporting succulents to China, and importing plants and fruit.In one of those cruel twists of irony life sometimes doles out, Brett Lee was a recently graduated MBA working in real estate, in Arizona, in 2008. And he had just bought a new house. The timing was, to put it mildly, unbelievably bad. With a wife and three kids to provide for, a drop in income, and a new mortgage on a house without financial value, Brett found himself "trying to figure life out." The answer came as clear as day: Go to China.So they did. They sold everything and bought one way tickets to China. Lugging 12 suitcases, and creating a "spectacle" along their journey, they moved to China. Brett had no job lined up. They had no real plan. What he did have–a hotel room booked for 3 days, and a whole lot of faith that something would open up–didn't seem like much. But coupled with Brett's tenacity and hard work, and a supportive wife and children, those "meager" assets proved to be enough. They found a home. Brett found a good job, again in real estate consulting, which he loves. The family thrived. They traveled to places they couldn't have had they not made that bold move. They had experiences that helped shape their lives. It was an unforgettable adventure. This is not just a fantastic story. It actually tells us a lot about how Brett has found success in his life. First of all, Brett, like many of our interviewees, has followed his deepest interests and passions into a career. As a young boy he read the encyclopedia to learn about the world's peoples and cultures and geography for fun. He still loves learning about new cultures and working internationally is a great fit. He adores business and finance. And he's found a way to incorporate these things into the work he does. He's also done this in later endeavors, like his pallet company and import/export businesses.Brett is willing to work with serious determination to make things happen. When he needed a job, he knocked on companies' doors until he found one. And when he got that job, he worked from 9 am to 2 am consistently to do his work well. Throughout his career and different business undertakings, he's kept up this ability to do whatever it takes to get things done, and done right.Like many of the other people we've talked to, he has a spouse who is supportive. Brett's wife, Meredith, an adventurer herself, shares Brett's desire to travel and understand the people of the world. When the opportunity showed up, she was willing and excited about the prospect of moving to China. Having a spouse like Meredith is part of the reason he's found success in life and he shares a real appreciation for her throughout this episode.The move to China also demonstrates a pattern of willingness to wade into discomfort and uncertainty, which is a must for any serious entrepreneur.  Brett says he naturally prefers having control over any situation, and tends toward emotional reasoning, two things he had to overcome in this case. He knew with clarity that they needed to go to China. They didn't know how it would work, but they acted, they jumped all in. The family relied on their faith that the right doors would be open to them, worked to make it happen, and the solutions came. Hear more of Brett's stories and insights on this episode of The Company Next Door.

Today Ete sits down with Audrey Watkins of Elevate Nutrition and Fitness Consulting.When Audrey Watkins started seeing signs from corporate that things were headed in the wrong direction, she followed the exodus of co-workers out of this particular nutrition and wellness company and into a new phase of life. Without knowing exactly how to start or run a business, she just went for it. She established Elevate Nutrition and Fitness Consulting and luckily, she already had clientele. About thirty or forty of her former clients followed her to the fledgling practice. What some people just starting out in business work years for, a strong client base, Audrey already had.Why? Why were these clients so loyal? Audrey explains that the answer has been the key to her success. For her, it's all about forming genuine, strong relationships. Her clients were loyal because they knew she truly cared about them and their goals. That relationship was also a driver in her clients' success. They were actually seeing the changes they were looking for, at least in part, because of this relationship. Audrey's encouragement, and authentic dedication to her clients was helping them to meet their health and wellness goals.  How does Audrey connect so well with her clients? For one, she's a people person. She loves meeting people and she truly enjoys getting to know them. This is why she does what she does. And because she cares for them "like friends and family," she legitimately wants to help them feel their best. Another of the key qualities of connection Audrey possesses is a high level of relatability. She's had a life full of experiences from joyful highs, to the downright lowest of tragic traumas. She knows the extremes and everything in between. She's a wife and a mother. She's worked at a Fortune 500 company (she has a degree in economics) and she's been a stay-at-home home. She's experienced the gratification and delight of bona fide human connection, and the shock of seeing a friend gunned down at work. Somewhere in that wide range of experiences Audrey can find a way to relate to anyone–from middle aged women, to couples trying to conceive, from brides, to athletes, to high school kids, to people in their 70's.And this relational ability is seen in her approach to nutrition and to coaching. She applies a more flexible, custom-tailored path to wellness for her clients. It's about the client's body, the client's physical and emotional needs, the client's hopes and goals. She knows each person as an individual, so she knows how to help him or her as an individual. Dogmatic nutrition approaches don't make sense to her. In fact, she describes herself as "nutritionally agnostic." Together, Audrey and her clients "shoot for longevity and quality of life," and what that looks like depends on the person she's helping.As far as the business side of things goes, Audrey had to start from scratch. She had no business operating experience or training. Legally establishing the company, and just the practical concerns of starting a business were major hurdles. Building the company website was a huge obstacle for her. She took on the challenge, and with the help of friends, got her site up and running. She's maintained her business without going into any debt, which was a must for her from the outset. And now she's got a thriving business. She does no advertising and relies purely on word-of-mouth and referrals for getting new clients.Be sure to hear Audrey's incredible stories, and her business advice in this episode of The Company Next Door.

 Today Ete sits down with Dave Zimmerman of Noisebox Studios.Dave Zimmerman, owner and founder of Noisebox Studios in Provo, UT, is a musician, music producer, and recording engineer. Just try to schedule some studio time at Noisebox and you'll realize that Dave is doing something very right. Booked out for months, without having spent one dollar on marketing or advertising during the last 5 years, the word has definitely gotten out that Dave is fantastic at what he does. Studio recording is a competitive industry. Studios are constantly popping up and studios are just as often, closing. But 15 years in, and with ever increasing demand for his services, Dave obviously has a lot of business insights to offer us. Hear what he has to say in this episode of The Company Next Door.Dave grew up watching his father going off to work each day to a job he absolutely hated, and he vowed not to let that happen for himself. In ninth grade, a drummer and pianist, already in love with music, he took a career test and was told that he should become a recording engineer. He had read that recording engineers all hated their job so he didn't put much stock in that.Between the ages of 16 and 25, Dave had at least 25 different jobs. Most were your typical teen jobs but they actually taught him a lot. Working at a Laser Tag arena, Dave came to realize that you could actually have fun and make money at the same time. You could enjoy your job. Working in fast food, he came to realize that he did not want a job requiring you to to the same thing over and over. He didn't want to do something you could master quickly and then keep doing without being challenged. Against his parents' wishes, Dave went into BYU's music program to pursue music as a career. Initially, he wanted to become a sound designer for video games. But he soon realized that, more than anything, he loved helping others with their projects, and that he was drawn to the technology parts of that process.After graduation, now married and with a kid on the way, Dave decided to open Noisebox. It was extremely difficult, required serious sacrifice and took a great deal of work. Evenings were spent at venues trying to meet bands, and the rest of his time was spent perfecting his craft, just hours and hours of learning his equipment and software, practicing, and increasing his skill and efficiency as an engineer. Within a few years, his hard work was paying off, he was making it work. And it just kept improving.Today, Dave is still in love with his job. He has a supportive wife, four kids, a beautiful studio, and more work than he can accept. How did he do it? Dave credits his efforts to see his business from a clients' perspective. He bases his business decisions on what his clients truly want and need (and it's not cooler gear). He works meticulously to bring his clients' vision into being. He also has no problem turning prospective clients away. If they don't share a focus on quality over expediency, he doesn't work with them. His reputation is the foundation of his success and he won't jeopardize that for a quick buck. His operation is impressively efficient. Though he charges more, Dave has consciously honed his skills to the point that he can do what the client requests in no time flat. His clients appreciate that speed, and taking the times savings into account, they actually end up paying the same or even less than they would have elsewhere. Dave puts in the time to keep up with technology and industry innovations so he's always able to operate at that level. Workflows and systems are important to him and he's spends the necessary time to create and improve them.Dave has had the opportunity to work with artists like GENTRI, and up and coming The People's Thieves.

Today Ete sits down with Megan Perry of Trail Talk. Megan Perry, a therapist originally from rural South Jersey--a mere 15 minutes from the town where Ete grew up--is an integral member of the team that runs Trail Talk and oversees the affiliate branches in Provo and Heber City. Trail Talk is a therapy practice started in Park City by Allison Page. While Allison was out walking, the realization hit her that her best thinking was done while out walking or hiking, especially with friends. She meshed that insight with counseling and Trail Talk was born, where sessions are conducted outside, while walking, often on Park City's trails (though they also do therapy in more traditional office settings if that's preferred). The result is a form of therapy that's less threatening to those unfamiliar with the process–less "formal" and "clinical"–and more like a walking conversation with a friend--who happens to be a trained and experienced therapist. And it provides the proven benefits that come from being in nature and from exercise. All this mental goodness is blended into a process that can really open up the client to some real relief, "clarity," and "insight." People are loving it. The practice, which currently has affiliate offices in Park City, Heber, and Provo has seen an explosion in interest and clientele. Branches in Salt Lake City and Ogden are in the works, and further growth seems inevitable. Megan has been a huge part of this success.Megan moved to the Heber Valley in 2015 from Baltimore. Working together with Allison in Park City, they built up their practice, created systems for running it, and figured out the business end of things as they went along. A year later, as Megan remembers it, Allison nudged her out of "the nest" to open and run the branch in Provo and she did so with great success. In 2018 she opened up the Heber branch, and again, people are flocking to it. Megan has found Trail Talk to be the perfect fit in pretty much every way. She loves the work she does, she loves the team she's built, she's even been surprised to find that she enjoys the business aspects of her work. Megan truly believes in Trail Talk, in its vision, and its mission. And for someone who believes that mental well-being includes aligning your actions with your deepest held values, that's saying something.Through this venture she's learned and grown a great deal. Working for Trail Talk, she finds that she has constant opportunities to learn from others and to hone her skills as a therapist. In her role as a practice-builder, she's learned the difficulty of hiring and managing employees, which she finds to be the hardest part of her job. She's had to deal with discomfort in her new role as a leader with employees looking to her for answers. She's learned the importance of surrounding herself with the right people: people who inspire and challenge her, people who live similar values, people who she can trust and lean on. On a personal level, she's discovered that the difficult periods she's had throughout this experience have tended to follow the times when she's "let go of self-care," when she's overcommitted herself, and when she hasn't set good boundaries. In this episode of The Company Next Door you'll hear more about Megan's story, about the therapy she does, about the business she's helping to grow, and most importantly, about the Philly foods Ete and Megan both miss most. Enjoy!

Today Ete sits down with Rusty Fife. Rusty, who grew up in Orange County and now lives in Gilbert, AZ, is an owner of Built Medical. The company imports medical equipment--typically mobility products--and sells them, most often to VA hospitals. They also sell products that increase sleep comfort.Built Medical is relatively new, having started about 3 years ago. But in that short time Rusty has learned A LOT of lessons about what it really means to run your own business. One of the important things that Rusty brings home in this interview is the amount of determination, commitment, and willingness to just grind out the hard parts of business ownership, that can be necessary to business success. He loves seeing his plan bloom into a real business, and he loves the freedom that business ownership can eventually provide. But cold calling, knocking doors, navigating bureaucracies, getting conversations going with the right people when you don't have the "necessary" appointments, the unglamorous parts of the sales process, until recently, are exactly how Rusty's had to spend most of his working hours. Leaving his family for weeks at a time (and Rusty's a very family-oriented guy), traveling the country in a van and sleeping in motels have just been part of the job. Because of his ability to drive through the crappy side of business, he's seeing success, and things have gotten a little easier. He knows that with time and work he'll get where he wants to be and that all this work will pay off. But Rusty is quick to remind budding entrepreneurs that they need to "be ready to get rejected," "be ready for great sacrifices," and that when the difficulties come, "you've gotta push yourself further." It's a great reminder that while business ownership can be worth the struggle, it is also very difficult.

Today Ete takes some time to revisit the 18 interviews he's done this season. He's had a blast doing them and has sincerely enjoyed the time he's had to spend with each of these people. But from the beginning, Ete has wanted this show to be more than story-time with friends and neighbors. He knew that these people had profound lessons to teach about business and life, and that each one had wisdom to offer in their own words and in their own ways. Throughout the conversations this season, the interviewees have certainly delivered in the wisdom and truth department, each with his or her own personal twist. In this episode Ete shares his big take-aways from these interviews. 

Today, Ete sits down with David Richards, general contractor, and owner of Summit Contractors.Dave Richards grew up in Island Park Idaho. His father, who was a builder, was involved in a terrible construction accident. After being thrown 50 feet, a truss landed on his arm, crushing it, and leaving him with permanent, life-changing damage. Dave knew one thing: he did not want to be a builder. He went to college and got a degree in corporate training. But of course, life has its own agenda. By the time he came to Heber in 1996 to work at a job in Park City, he was a licensed contractor with experience in both the construction/building side of the business as well as an understanding of all the technical details, the plans and specifications, that go into building a house.Flash forward to today. Dave has a very successful and well-regarded construction business, Summit Contractors. In an industry where getting paid is so highly tied to the economy at large, he's been able to weather the extreme fluctuations that have been the downfall of many other companies. He credits his faith with guiding him through those difficult times. And he's cultivated a more "old school" approach to business that has served him well through the ups and downs. He's intentionally stayed relatively small so that he can scale up and down as needed to ride out those fluctuations. He does not leverage lots of debt. In fact he pays off debt as quickly as he can. When it comes to finding customers, Dave admits that he's "not great at marketing." But he more than makes up for that by giving his clients an exceptional experience and letting word-of-mouth do the work for him. Dave focuses on making each of his clients feel like they're his number one priority. And he genuinely enjoys this. In fact, he now finds that the part of the business he truly cares about these days, where his true interest, passion, and motivation lies, is in people. In this episode, Dave gives some great tips for people who are interested in building their own homes, as well as some excellent counsel for those who want to go into business for themselves.

Today Ete sits down with Tim Morris of Park City Tree.Tim Morris has found success in a lot of places. As a kid, he learned how to work hard, a starting place for a lot of the entrepreneurs we've talked to. That industriousness, coupled with being in the right place at the right time, has helped him prosper in some wildly diverse and unique fields. When we say "diverse," we mean diverse. He's helped build flourishing businesses in the roofing industry, the tree care and landscaping industry, found some success in the entertainment industry, and is now involved in a company creating nuclear isotopes. And when we say "unique," we mean unique. At one point, Tim was poised to become a professional Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas. And the coincidences, the chance meetings and unexpected doors that have opened to feed these successes, the part about being in the right place at the right time, are unbelievable, but just crazy enough to be true. Tim Morris, as a young man, spent some time in VA and FL, but eventually came to call southern California his home. He had a close relationship with his grandfather, a contractor, and Tim got the chance to work side-by-side with him. As he worked construction with his grandfather, Tim found that he really liked the idea of being his own boss. At 12, he and his older brother started a landscaping business, where he learned how to work with a variety of clients with a variety of personalities. He spent summers repairing his grandmother's house in Mississippi. He worked in a fish house and then in fast food. And of course, all of these experiences helped him learn what it means to work hard, and gave him the chance to develop the work ethic that has served him throughout his life.After serving a mission in Michigan, Tim and his brother started a roofing company. The timing couldn't have been better. The houses in the area, having been built at the same time, all needed their shake roofs replaced at the same time and Tim and his brother were there to do the job. The company grew quickly and Tim found that he was making 10 times what his college-educated friends were making. But he also learned just how much stress can be involved in running your own company. In a complete change of direction, Tim then made his way to Nashville hoping to break into the country music scene. Tim had previously been a legitimate Elvis impersonator (we've seen him perform and he really is that convincing). With talent and the good fortune of having major opportunities fall in his lap, along with having made an important contact in the industry, Tim found himself on the cusp of signing with a major record label. The deal fell through after a shake up in the label. But in the interim, he had scored a major victory in finding and marrying his wife, Hannah. He moved back to CA, started a family, and helped the roofing company to grow. All of these experiences had taught him that doors could be opened in the most unexpected places and ways. He found that these experiences were each a stepping stone to greater wisdom, and sometimes, greater success. He gained faith that the doors would continue to open for him.And they did. In 2016 Tim got the chance to partner in Park City Tree, and he was soon able to buy the company outright. He moved his family to Heber and became a certified arborist. Once again, the pieces fell into place. Park City Tree has done extremely well and continues to attract clients and maintain a great reputation in the area. Trees have become a true passion for Tim. For him there is nothing better than taking a dying tree and making it a thriving tree. And in yet another example of opportunities opening up to him, Tim has been asked to serve on the board of directors for a company that makes isotopes that will be used to help cancer patients.

Today Ete sits down with Tanji Wolfert of Kind Wise Mind.Tanji Wolfert, founder of Kind Wise Mind, has a very personal reason for teaching mindfulness. She has experienced the benefits of mindfulness practice firsthand. Tanji grew up in Sandy, UT. At 11 years old, Tanji, the oldest of 3 siblings, suddenly and tragically lost her mother. While all the adults in her life were "falling apart," Tanji quickly took up the mantra, "I have to be the strong one." And while the just-push-your-way-through-it-and-keep-going approach to life got her through the difficulties, by her mid-thirties, she knew that white-knuckling her way through the challenges of life was no longer working. The stress of all those years trying to outrun grief had caught up with her. She fell into a pattern of getting by okay, then falling into depression and dysfunction, then regrouping, then getting by okay, then falling into depression, then regrouping, repeat, repeat, repeat. Tanji began searching for something that might help her when she came across a concept that changed her life forever, "my thoughts aren't real." As she began exploring this idea, she started seeing a new word popping up in her research: "mindfulness."Today, through her practice Kind Wise Mind, Tanji teaches people–children, teens, and adults–how to use mindfulness to improve their lives. According to Tanji, most simply stated, "Mindfulness is awareness." In many cases, this awareness includes recognizing, looking at, and challenging deeply-held, destructive beliefs and the thoughts that have fed them. "You don't have to believe your thoughts," says Tanji. "You don't have to take them seriously." The same goes for "big emotions." You don't have to live your life as if they are real, the truth. You don't have to run from them. You don't have to battle them. You just have to look at them mindfully and then let them go. Thoughts and emotions are, after all, like weather patterns, as Tanji puts it. They come and go, ebb and flow.Learning how to do this is a skill that can be developed by anyone. Tanji as a mindfulness teacher and coach, helps people learn to practice mindfulness by working with individuals, and through workshops and online classes, including the 8-week course on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. And she definitely loves her work. One of her greatest joys she finds in teaching is hearing that students/clients love mindfulness as much as she does. She also describes the satisfaction she's received from hearing students say, "I'm okay being with me." Her great passion is to bring this sort of transformation through mindfulness to the people of the Heber Valley specifically.

Today Ete sits down with Audrey Holocher of Wasatch HypnotherapyWe've had the chance to interview a lot of people who have very interesting jobs working in all kinds of fields. Audrey Holocher has started a business in a field that is definitely interesting and unique. As a hypnotherapist, she is able to help people deal with pain of all kinds, to decrease their suffering and amp up positive emotions in their lives in a way that many people might find a little woo-woo. Far from the “hypnosis” of Hollywood and stage acts, Audrey explains that her use of hypnotherapy is backed by research and is truly effective in helping people change their  lives for the better.Audrey has, like many of the people we've interviewed, taken a “circuitous” route to her current work. Raised in Washington state, the youngest of five, she learned effective and captivating storytelling from her mother, and inherited her engineer father's ability to balance pragmatism with creativity and an openness to the power of intuition. She studied food science and technology, received a Master's degree in environmental science and engineering. She worked in a lab, for an environmental consulting firm, then found her way into marketing and advertising, then market research, and website consulting. As far as career paths go, she's definitely been around the block. Outside of work Audrey developed a deep curiosity in the power of the mind. She discovered NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), and from there it was a short jump to hypnotherapy. She ended up attending the Hypnotherapy Academy of America. At this time she experienced firsthand how hypnotherapy can help people in pain. This only strengthened her belief in and resolve to practice hypnotherapy.Today she operates Wasatch Hypnotherapy. Using hypnotherapy, she helps people deal with health issues, especially pain, and all the emotional repercussions of chronic pain, like stress, anxiety and isolation. For the skeptics out there, Audrey talks about some of the research and clinical trials that show the effectiveness of hypnotherapy in specific situations. She explains that she helps people meet their goals by relaxing the conscious mind and speaking to the subconscious, “saturating” it with positive healing ideas. She helps her clients develop affirmations and imagery that help change their limiting beliefs and empowers them. It's a work that she loves and a passion she's been able to create a successful business around.https://www.wasatchhypnotherapy.com/

Today Ete chats with Amy Schulthess, owner of Wigglish. Amy has what many would consider a dream job. As owner of Wigglish, the Heber toy store with the delightful name, Amy spends her days surrounded by toys and books and excited children accompanied by their parents. And here she is absolutely in her element.One of her favorite aspects of the job is choosing and purchasing toys for the store. She hand-picks everything that comes into Wigglish. Her discerning eye for quality, creativity-focused toys that will go the distance with children, not just end up in the trash within the week, is one of the things that sets her shop apart. Amy wants the toys she sells to be the kind of toys that are lovingly passed down from one child to another, spreading a legacy of joyful play throughout families.The experience of shopping at Wigglish is another thing that truly differentiates it from other toy sellers. In the age of Amazon and big box stores, children can come into Wigglish and be drawn to what they want, physically seeing, touching, holding their potential toy choices. Amy says her staff really knows these products, in fact they have typically already bought the toys themselves. They also know and understand their clientele. Helping children, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles find that special toy is a particular gift each of the staff members have. And they love doing it.But on the business side of things, Amy and Wigglish have also run into hardships. Located outside the center of town, foot traffic has always been somewhat of an issue. Online-only toy sellers with lower prices have proven to be serious competition to this brick and mortar shop. Covid 19 has hit the store hard. But Amy and her able staff are determined to keep going.One of the greatest potential threats to the business came when Amy and her husband, who had started the company together, decided to divorce. Amy, who had enjoyed a self-described “sheltered” life of “privilege,” now had to figure out how to do everything herself, from paying the rent to doing taxes. With the encouragement of family and her extremely supportive staff, she was able to do what she need to do and be there for her three children. She has learned to run a successful business and found a new strength in herself.Amy and Wigglish provide a unique and much needed service to the Heber Valley. Please be sure to check Wigglish out on Facebook. 

Today's episode marks another first! We've now interviewed our first entrepreneur couple. Last week we spoke with Carolee Whipple (Ecolawn Heber-Midway). This time we talk with her husband, Lawrence Whipple, of Burgeon Digital Media. Lawrence's story highlights someone who's taken some unique and unexpected turns on his path: from farm boy to dance party organizer, to digital marketing expert.Lawrence grew up on a farm in Idaho, where he developed a love of the outdoors, and inherited a sense of individual freedom and a bit of a "wild spirit" from his father who quit work in a bank to become an entrepreneur. On a mission in Argentina, Lawrence gained a confidence in his abilities, learned to implement and achieve goals, and developed a faith that has informs his decisions to this day.As a student, he studied psychology. And business. And biology. And computer programming. He finally settled on physics, of all things. It was undoubtedly a circuitous route to graduation, but through each course of study he picked up an understanding of the importance of logic and a penchant for data-driven decision making. For work, Lawrence was part of a group that earned money holding large events (we're talking three to four thousand people large) mostly dance parties and concerts in Provo, UT. During this time he begin to see how powerful and influential marketing, especially social media marketing could be. In later years he partnered in a private equity group, ran social media for a movie studio, and was a director of marketing for a franchise business. Finally, Lawrence started his own digital marketing business, Burgeon Digital Media, which he still runs today. In another surprise twist, he has partnered in a yet to be disclosed business with the host of this show, Ete. 

Today's episode with Carolee Whipple of Ecolawn of Heber/Midway is a rather special one for a few different reasons. This is our second interview in a row featuring a woman entrepreneur, which we're excited about. Unlike the seasoned veterans of entrepreneurship we've talked to in the past, Carolee is an entrepreneurial newbie, just a few months into owning her first business, which gives her a unique perspective. And lastly, Carolee happens to be Ete's sister.Carolee started out in a cushy corporate job in New Jersey. After a decade of working without much enthusiasm in insurance, purely for a paycheck, she hoped to find more fulfillment when she began transitioning into substance abuse counseling. She found that she did feel better having a job that truly made a difference in peoples' lives. In 2017, she moved out to the Heber Valley where she continued her counseling training and simultaneously started working for Ete's lawn fertilization business. In what seems like a truly odd conclusion, Carolee was surprised to find that she seemed to derive the most meaning and the most joy from her work with the lawn company, which just goes to show that life is rarely what we expect and that what we really want can sometimes be found in the strangest places. In the fall of 2019, she bought the Heber-Midway with her husband, expanded her business despite the Covid pandemic, and has fallen in love with entrepreneurship. Although her business-ownership tenure has been rather short, you'll be impressed with the wisdom she's already culled and the insights she has to offer.https://ecolawnutah.com/

Today Ete sits down with Heber local, Katie Stirling. Katie is genuine, down to earth, and highly relatable and yet extraordinary in her ability to just do what she wants to do in a way that most of us would like to, but don't. She's got boundless creativity and ideas that don't stop, and just as importantly, the heart, spirit, and courage to realize them into being.Katie is a devoted mother of 4 with a master's in comparative literature, a skilled self-taught professional photographer, a creative with a love of dance and music and the arts, an outdoor adventurer, and an entrepreneur. Her business ventures include an online balance bike store, bootscootbikes.com, a photography business, http://www.katiestirlingphotography.com/, and she is now selling very cool personalized adventure and family flags at expeditionflag.comKatie's approach to entrepreneurship is especially inspiring because she insists that the way to do what she does, to make your ideas a reality, is to just start. As she says, "You don't have to know everything from the beginning." Do things one step at a time. Learn what you have to learn, figure it out as you go, learn from mistakes, and just and make it happen. She believes that getting started and moving in the right direction opens connections to the people and lessons and opportunities you need to do the thing you want to do, that thing you believe in. That formula for success doesn't require extraordinary ability, it is one that we can all follow, if we're willing. And that is exciting.Listeners of The Company Next Door can get a 15% discount off of flags at expeditionflag.com using the code, COMPANYNEXTDOORYou can also email email Katie at hi@expeditionflag.com

Ete speaks with Jeff Griffin, founder of Griffin Motivation. University student and football player, Jeff Griffin, found himself staring up from the floor of an unpainted barn. Having fallen 40 feet while painting, he realized he could not move. The young man whose identity had been wrapped up in being an athlete, with his whole life ahead of him, knew he was paralyzed. Life as he knew it would never be the same. The next several years were all about growth, dealing with discomfort, and finding strength. There was no other choice.Today, Jeff is married with four children, has a meaningful vocation which he is passionate about, and is living the service-filled, adventurous life he wants to live. He has built a successful business around the "transformational" workshops he gives to organizations, schools, and companies. He's written books and offers courses that share the "flakes" and "nuggets" of golden wisdom that his experiences have taught him. Jeff continues to touch lives and inspire others to become the people they want to become. Listen up and be inspired by this week's episode. Enjoy!https://griffinmotivation.com/Get 50% off at the Griffin Motivation shop using promo code: love

Today Ete sits down with longtime Heber Valley resident, Jeff Kohler. Jeff is a Midway native, husband, father of 5 (not 3), and entrepreneur.  He has owned and operated various businesses here in the Valley, including a brick and mortar mattress store and a video production company. In his latest venture, Marketing Videos Club, Jeff is empowering business owners to make their own professional, quality marketing videos with their smart phones. We're very excited about the possibilities this technology could open up for small businesses! (And our listeners can try it out for free! See below.) Jeff has a passion for new ideas and an excitement about business that we absolutely love. He's also picked up some really valuable and unique insights we think you'll appreciate. Enjoy!marketingvideosclub.comUse promo code 30DAYS to get 30-day free access to the site's video-making automations https://jeffkohlervideo.com/

Today Ete sits down with Dee Downing of Red Ant WorksAs a girl growing up in Michigan, Dee Downing was utterly enchanted by Nature. The banks of the river behind her house, though forbidden, became her place, and to this day she clearly remembers the solace she found there in the wild. This was the beginning of her “conversation” with Nature.Through unplanned twists and turns, life has returned her to that conversation and to the land, now on a daily basis. Dee is owner and operator of Red Ant Works, a forward-thinking Park City landscape company with a systems-based approach to landscape design, and an expert in the field of permaculture. What comes through clearly in this episode is Dee's exceptionally thoughtful approach to both landscaping and life. Her authentic love for the earth shines throughout as does her concern for people and for society. She has no qualms about engaging with the bigger questions in life, even during a relatively short podcast, and her conversation reveals a woman brimming with curiosity about everything. She looks deeply within and without as she touches on everything from consumer culture, to the hardships of single parenting, to the importance of taking a whole-system approach in many areas of life, to interpersonal dynamics, to the excitement of “planting legacies” in her work. There's plenty to glean from this episode. Enjoy!

http://www.timberidgecustom.com/Don't miss this stuff:Men having feelings. Ete talks to Paul about his ability to make people feel important and cared for. Besides the fact that it's nice to hear a couple of guys willing to get a little vulnerable, there's also an important business application here, which they discuss. Paul likes people and cares about relationships. That genuine regard for other people slides naturally into his business relationships, and informs the way he runs his company.The positive vibes. Paul says that he believes that “Positive energy breeds positive energy.” It's a really great idea and a nice phrase, but the way Paul talks during this interviews makes you believe it's more than that for him. He describes his life so far–his upbringing, his family, his team, his clients, people in general, difficult situations that have come up–with what sounds like genuine love and gratitude. Not to get too sappy, but that's a special thing, and it's something we really enjoyed about this episode.The idea of removing fences. We loved Paul's take on the builder/homeowner relationship. He says he learned early on that “construction and confrontation tend to go hand in hand.” So he worked really hard to change that in his own business. Paul describes the typical construction situation: the owner on one side of the fence with the builder on the other side. When one side wins, the other side loses. That tug of war is at the root of the confrontation mindset. Paul's company seeks to develop a team relationship with “no fence between” themselves and their clients. Their goal from the outset is to find out what the homeowner wants to do and then help them accomplish that within their agreed budget. Coming from it at this angle shows that they want to be a team. The clarity and shared goal helps to prevent the tug of war. We were really impressed by this approach.From 25 employees to one guy with a toolbelt: hello 2008. Paul tells the story of how Timber Ridge weathered the Great Recession. They almost didn't. In the very moment he decided to call it quits, an unexpected call came. Paul looks back on this time with, what else, gratitude.  A builder at heart. This is how Paul describes himself and it's the reason he is still legitimately excited about his work. He speaks of homebuilding in a really unique way: as an act of artistic creation. While most people think of building a house in terms of it's practical, science-y aspects–as an exercise in engineering–Paul focuses on the dynamic nature of the process, of composing a home through a million aesthetic choices. Very cool.The best window washer in the sixth grade. Paul illustrates the essentiality of learning to work hard with some truly entertaining stories from his youth. As one of 9 kids, Paul recalls a few times when he had to run a full-service gas station by himself as a sixth grader. Throughout his childhood he also fixed cars, logged, built wood burning stoves, and did construction with his family to help pay the bills. Today this sounds absolutely crazy, but he appreciates what he learned: how to “work hard and not just drudge through it but feel the gratification of a hard day's work.” It's a great lesson, and you'll want to share these stories with your kids, if for no other reason than to get them to stop complaining about having to pick up their dirty socks.Paul describing how he learned to “slalom ski behind a station wagon on a canal in Idaho.” Got a slalom ski for your birthday? Don't have a boat? Well there you go. Work hard. Play hard.

Don't Miss This Stuff:Here are just a few things you'll enjoy in this episode:Tracy's childhood in Flaming Gorge. An “outdoors guy” at heart, Tracy's father moved his family– including 7 kids–to Flaming Gorge in the late Fifties to realize his dream of living an outdoors lifestyle. Together, the family ran several businesses and side-hustles: from operating a gas station and convenience store, to doing local trash collection, to cleaning buildings, to running guided fly fishing trips, to anything else they could think of to make money. Eventually the family would own and operate a resort in the area complete with a lodge, RV park, adventure company, and restaurants. Natural foods store venture. Back in the Eighties, well before the natural/whole food movements went mainstream and natural food stores were a thing, Tracy was part-owner in a chain of natural food stores in AZ. Eventually the partnership would own and operate 7 stores across the Phoenix/Tucson area and find themselves at the forefront of a burgeoning industry.From natural foods to gas stations. Tracy eventually came to be part-owner in a group that owned and managed gas stations and convenience stores in AZ. At its height, the group managed and operated 52 stores. He found the gas station business to be very different from working in natural foods. Tracy shares some interesting insights and stories about the challenges of working in the industry. 300% turnover rate in one year? Yeah, that happens.Building and operating Heber City's Best Western Plus. As a kid, Tracy had to make the drive between Flaming Gorge and Spanish Fork on a regular basis. This took him right through the Heber Valley, and even as a kid he was impressed by its beauty. In 2015, he moved his family to the Valley. After a chance conversation with a friend of his brother's, who, it turned out, owned a Best Western Plus, the idea of building a hotel in Heber was born. Tracy, along with some partners, made it happen. He discusses some of the challenges and benefits of working in the hotel industry.Some great business wisdom. Throughout this episode, Tracy dispenses lessons he's learned through long experience. He discusses the realities of going into business for yourself and he doesn't mince words about the sacrifices involved: “You have to be prepared to work harder than you ever thought you would need to work.” And he discourages anyone from going all-in on the self-employment route unless they can go at least 2 years without making any money. Making money takes time. “Instant gratification,” he tells Ete, “doesn't exist in business.” And our favorite truth-bomb from this episode: taking out a $13 million dollar loan can cause some sleepless nights. These are just a couple of ideas that really impacted us during the interview, but you'll learn much more from him in this episode. Heli-skiing and Siberian Fishing Trips. Tracy is the man. He spent the day on the slopes. He's been on a 9-day fly fishing adventure in Siberia. He's preparing for an upcoming heli-skiing trip in Canada. He's one adventurous “outdoors guy” and it's just one more reason to love him.Heber City Best Western Plus

This week Ete talks to Heber entrepreneur, John Call. Even as a kid, John Call knew that when it came to making money, he didn't want to work for someone else. Why bag groceries at a grocery store or pick beans for a local farmer, when he could be doing his own thing? From selling door-to knife and scissor sharpening, to starting his own neighborhood car wash, to painting street numbers on curbs for homeowners, kid John loved the freedom and unlimited potential of working for himself. Society and fears around job security pushed him to follow the traditional career path, and he really gave it a go at BYU, but his undeniable entrepreneurial bent meant that he found side hustles–like selling “Coed Naked Family Home Evening” shirts to BYU students and bootlegged “Families are Forever” Simpsons t-shirts at the Manti Pageant–much more satisfying (and lucrative) than his fairly cush job at UPS. He was darn good at making money in more interesting, less orthodox ways. Follow John's story as he leaves a stable sales job to start Mrs. Call's candy, comes to own and then sell an even bigger Salt Lake candy and nut company, and eventually finds his way into selling shipping containers. John's story shows us the ups and downs of entrepreneurship: the thrill of cutting your own path and succeeding at making money, and the difficulty of being the one who is ultimately responsible for getting everything done right. John story includes both the excitement of turning a company around, and the frustration of helplessly watching a business deal crumbles at the last minute. It's a wild ride. And along the way John points out some truly insightful business and life lessons gleaned from his experiences. Enjoy.

This is my interview with Local Entrepreneur Dan Stead. Dan had a cooperate job for many years in Houston, TX. After the Economy crash of (08) he ended up without a job for about 18 months. He started over in a brand new industry and built an incredible company. https://naturesbalancepestcontrol.net/

I had a chance to sit down with the Lawn Ginja  (in his home) and discuss how the Ginja came to be. We also dug into his Utah service company "All Green Pest and Lawn". Jared is a blast to hang out with and built an incredible company. He has also built an amazing youtube audience with over 40,000+ subscribers and millions of views!Pest and Lawn Ginja: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAYCKLOLHHCJL__9Ys_2PDg