TheOwner'sMentalityPodcast

Sandy's Restaurant has been a staple for homes style cookin' in the Eastern Jackson County area for almost 25 years. In late February of 2015, Sandy suddenly passed away from heart attack. Hear the story from her daughter, Erika Lucas, about how she dealt with the grief of suddenly losing a parent and at the same time unexpectedly being thrust into the ownership of the restaurant. Erika will share the difficult decisions she had to make, trying to fill her Mom's giant shoes, and how she recognized her different skill set from her Mom's and used that to grow the business. One thing that is not different, is a big heart and a desire to serve and give back to the community. Enjoy this fascinating story from Erika and if you're in the Kansas City area and are looking for banquet or catering options or just want a great meal option, I can't recommend Sandy's  high enough. You can get in contact on Facebook, by calling (816) 295-1325, or just drop in 1255 SW 7 Highway, Blue Springs MO 64014 (In the strip mall behind Mirror Image Carwash and Culvers). Thanks again Erika!

Brad Chirnside worked for 14 years as a police officer before deciding to turn in his badge and stake out on his own doing HVAC work around the Kansas City Metro area. Brad recalls the days where he worked 100 hours a week doing installs during the day and selling at night, how his brother Ray's legacy built and lives on in the business, and the events that led him to realize he needed to delegate certain tasks. While he has gained a certain amount of success, he knows what it took to get there and he shares what it takes in brutal honesty. Finally, Brad shares what it means to give back to his Brothers and Sisters in Blue - both is words and action. Check out R-Mech for all your HVAC needs. You won't find a more honest group of people.

On today’s episode of the Owner’s Mentality I took a drive down to Gardner, KS to catch up Johnnie Craig, founder and CEO of Integrity Communications. Integrity has has become a key player in the communications industry bringing management control, efficiencies, asset visibility, and significant reduction in our corporate partner’s telecom spend. Johnnie will explain how their proprietary Telecom Expense Management (TEM) methodology can save your organization time and money. He also dives into how to structure an organization that is built on principles. The principles he uses to keep himself and his team members accountable include commit, communicate, accountability, TEAM, discipline, and above all else Integrity. I have been a client of Integrity’s at multiple stops along the way and can tell you they can save any company of any size money. Check them out at www.integritycsi.com and get in contact for a no obligation consultation.

On today’s episode of the Owner’s Mentality, I catch up with Keith Powell Owner of Pay-Less Office Products. Keith shares his story of humble beginnings in 1986 that included a “desk” that consisted of a door on two filing cabinets and being 8th of 8 in the Office Product supplier category in Omaha to growing into a Top 5% Independent Dealer in the Country.  It didn’t happen by accident. It happened through perseverance and cold calling. Keith shares why he believes cold calling is still one of the most effective ways to earn business, along with how being in a partnership shares similarities with a marriage, and much much more. There is a good chance Keith's company can help you with those essential supplies needed to run your office correctly with Office Products, Breakroom supplies, Facility Supplies, Promotional Merchandise, Office Furniture, and much more. Reach out and get in contact to start saving today

I recently caught up with one of my first bosses, Steve Barnes, for an episode of the Owner’s Mentality. I worked for Steve for a few years as I worked my way through college at a place called FootAction USA. I was getting ready for my big boy job and Steve was well on his way towards building his family. After the birth of his first son, he felt the best place for his family would be back in his hometown, Dallas TX. Steve joined up with his friend Randy to do some side jobs laying cable as sub-contractors in the mid 90s... Nearly 25 years later they’re still at it. Steve shares a ton of great wisdom in here, but in typical Steve Barnes no nonsense fashion we can boil it down to do the right thing, build good relationships, and hire good people. Steve gives some advice about finding the right career path, if business ownership is right for you, taking advantage of happy accidents, building solid relationships, common sense hiring practices, and how if you start down the wrong ethical road you better be willing to stay there. Steve even takes some time to call me out on my love of spreadsheets. He wasn’t wrong. If you are in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex area and are in the market for a company that specializes in network design of the physical layer and the installation of low-voltage cabling infrastructure for voice, data, audio-visual, industrial automation environments and outside plant applications, we can't recommend Superior Fiber Data any higher. To discuss how their team can help your business achieve true results, get in touch here

caught up with my good buddy John Bailey a few weeks ago. It is coming up on the 20 year anniversary when I met John in a Sprint test lab. We became fast friends and have been so ever since. There aren’t many big moments in either of our lives where we haven’t been side-by-side and for that I am incredibly grateful. I’m really proud of John for the way he has made opportunities for himself as well as taken advantage of the opportunities that have been presented to him. When I look at John, I see a guy who has picked up tools at every stop along the way, learned how to use those tools, and is currently putting them all to work for his business - Longboards Wraps & Bowls. When John first joined his partner Gilbert, they got together on Longboards Liberty as restaurant #2 to the original Longboards on North Oak. That went well enough so they opened Longboards Mission… Fast forward to today, and there are 6 in the Kansas City area. John shares a lot of great information in here – most notably, how you know it is time to make the jump from your day job to your own business, the difference between running away and running to, and how to honestly make that assessment. Plus, he brought me food, so you can bet that he will be a frequent guest! If you are in the Kansas City area, do yourself a favor and visit one of their restaurants. Better yet, have them cater your next team lunch. You can also follow along for daily specials on Facebook and Twitter

Dane Goodman is currently in the process of launching Adventure Travel Fitness. It is the lates in the culmination in a lifetime filled with Fitness, Travel, and Adventure dating back to his earliest memories. It only makes sense that his businesses would form around his passions - adventure, travel, and fitness. Dane is still in the early stage of his career, but he has learned. Listen along as Dane shares his story of growing up with a gym teacher as a parent, deciding college wasn't the path for him, turning tuition into a business, and scaling to demand while keeping overhead low. Even though he is early in his journey, he has faced some serious set backs. You'll hear about how growing too fast, selection of a partner, and not recognizing the right time to scale down can lead to disaster. Finally, you'll hear about how taking time to heal from a set back is often times the right move to make in order to move forward. The best place to following along with Dane is on Instagram or on his website  

Listen in as Andy sits down with his long time friend Tony Caudill, CEO of Aware3. Andy and Tony’s friendship dates back to their High School days, into college, to their first “big boy” jobs at Accenture, and even into today. Tony spent the first 13 years of his career at Accenture before deciding to pursue his work with Aware3. Aware3, an organization that builds apps that help community minded organizations communicate more efficiently with their Members. He shares his incredible story of how the Managing Partner he reported to at Accenture reacted, some tough questions he got from his mentors, working nights and weekends on Aware3, making the jump, what they hit on early that led to their success, the things they missed that caused a step back, his philosophy on hiring the right team, and finally what advice he would give someone considering making a career change from a corporate job to the world of entrepreneurship. If your church, school, or non-profit is looking for a better way to engage its member base, get in touch with the staff at Aware3 and find out if their app is the right solution for your needs. Take a test drive by setting up a demo And if you had something from today’s episode you really enjoyed or a key takeaway, don’t forget to thank Tony on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,  or on Instagram

Welcome to the Owner’s Mentality. I’m your host, Andy Cavanaugh. I hope you will join me each week to hear the fascinating stories of people that have opted for a non-traditional career path and ventured on their own. You’ll get a glimpse into the minds, the hearts, and the souls of the people that are involved in the World of Small Business Entrpreneurship.