1 00:00:00,660 --> 00:00:02,640 Robert Plank: Yes. Hey, welcome back to the marketer of the day 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:06,600 podcast. We are here with return guest Steven, Christopher from 3 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:10,380 wit delivers.com and we're going to be talking about all kinds of 4 00:00:10,380 --> 00:00:13,560 interesting things, from what your website needs to be doing, 5 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:15,900 what she you should be doing with your business and your 6 00:00:15,900 --> 00:00:19,500 life, without it getting, without take taking over your 7 00:00:19,500 --> 00:00:22,760 life, and to basically do the things that you know that you 8 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:25,340 need and should be doing. So Steven, glad to be talking to 9 00:00:25,340 --> 00:00:26,420 you again. Yeah, 10 00:00:26,420 --> 00:00:27,800 Stephen Christopher: man, absolutely. Thanks, Robert. I 11 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,860 appreciate the the invite back again. I must have said 12 00:00:30,860 --> 00:00:34,580 something halfway decent to get to come back on again. 13 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:37,940 Robert Plank: Yeah. I mean something like we will have so 14 00:00:37,940 --> 00:00:40,100 many things coming and going. Who knows what was even 15 00:00:40,100 --> 00:00:43,840 happening yesterday or last week or with that person, but that's 16 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,740 good, right? Like the chaos is good as long as it's kind of 17 00:00:47,740 --> 00:00:50,980 controlled chaos, or as long as we know what we're doing, and 18 00:00:50,980 --> 00:00:54,760 just before we hit record, you were talking about how it's 19 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:59,380 important to build a business that does not become like a job 20 00:00:59,380 --> 00:01:04,200 times three, and it's really easy to to to kind of get pulled 21 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,820 into something, or to embark on on a path, and then you get so 22 00:01:08,820 --> 00:01:12,120 caught up in the day to day that you just you don't even know who 23 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,240 you are anymore. You don't even know where you're headed, and 24 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,540 it's definitely not the place to be. So I mean, since this has 25 00:01:18,540 --> 00:01:22,280 been on your minds lately, what have you been doing in the last 26 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:26,000 six or 12 months? What have you been doing to avoid or maybe 27 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,360 solve this really common problem that a lot of entrepreneurs 28 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:29,720 have? 29 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,240 Stephen Christopher: Yeah, I mean, I got to the point where I 30 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,340 started to get burned out, right? Like a lot of 31 00:01:34,340 --> 00:01:38,120 entrepreneurs, I think do we can run at this certain pace, and 32 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,440 most of us tend to have a lot of good a lot of willpower, so we 33 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:46,060 can push through times of uncomfort, I think, better than 34 00:01:46,060 --> 00:01:50,260 most. But what happens is, eventually we we start to get 35 00:01:50,260 --> 00:01:53,680 burnt out. And so I just started asking the question of, what do 36 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,260 I really want this to look like? And started to have a better 37 00:01:56,260 --> 00:01:59,680 intention of, you know, what's my desire, either within the 38 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,060 business, or what do I desire more for my life? And then set 39 00:02:03,060 --> 00:02:06,720 out to create it. I mean, I had no clue how I was going to 40 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:10,320 create a business that, for so many, you know, for the previous 41 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:15,780 five years, I had been the primary driver of and run it to 42 00:02:15,780 --> 00:02:19,920 something where my goal was to be able to be completely out of 43 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:23,000 the business. And so I spent about two years, two and a half 44 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,700 years, working with our leadership team, developing 45 00:02:25,700 --> 00:02:30,380 leaders, getting, you know, the role of CEO transferred off of 46 00:02:30,380 --> 00:02:34,160 me and onto somebody else that that wanted it and was desiring 47 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,240 it, and then just slowly put it into place. And, man, I'll tell 48 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:42,760 you, it was. It's been a really interesting experience, because 49 00:02:43,540 --> 00:02:46,540 there's so many things that I ran into that I didn't think I 50 00:02:46,540 --> 00:02:49,960 would like. I didn't think my identity was that tied up in the 51 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,980 business. I thought I had pretty good separation and some decent 52 00:02:53,980 --> 00:02:58,300 self awareness about why I was doing what I was doing, but as I 53 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:02,160 had less and less responsibility, I would find 54 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,580 myself being stressed about, like, man, what is my role? 55 00:03:05,580 --> 00:03:08,880 Like, geez, the business doesn't even need me. Like, what am I? 56 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:11,820 Where's my value? Am I? Did I do anything right? Like, was my 57 00:03:11,820 --> 00:03:14,580 whole last, like, five years building this specific company 58 00:03:14,580 --> 00:03:18,480 just a sham? Like, do I even know anything? So I had all 59 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:21,740 kinds, all these kind of crazy things starting to come up that 60 00:03:21,740 --> 00:03:26,240 I had to deal with those. And I, you know, I process through 61 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,840 those pretty well. And then now I'm, I'm starting to go back 62 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,040 into the business in a very, very small role, way more on the 63 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:38,660 vision side, you know, a little bit on the relationship building 64 00:03:38,660 --> 00:03:41,620 side, but it's all things that I want to do, and the coaching 65 00:03:41,620 --> 00:03:45,700 side, and that's been that's been really fun. So I think just 66 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,480 having some sort of an intention or some sort of a desire, you 67 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:52,120 don't have to know exactly how you're going to do it, but you 68 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,640 at least need to know kind of the direction of where you want 69 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,780 to go, and then just start, start walking, find a lot of 70 00:03:58,780 --> 00:03:59,680 good resources. 71 00:04:00,460 --> 00:04:03,120 Robert Plank: And that's really interesting, that that about 72 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:07,020 this concept that, like, your your business, especially when 73 00:04:07,020 --> 00:04:10,080 you start it, it's like an expression of who you are. And 74 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:14,100 then when it it outgrows you, or you outgrow it, or like you're 75 00:04:14,100 --> 00:04:16,200 saying, like you're you're doing too much, and you're getting 76 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,140 burned out, and you have to maybe, like, detach yourself 77 00:04:19,140 --> 00:04:22,460 from it and then let things settle and then come back. It 78 00:04:22,460 --> 00:04:26,300 seems like a real, like, like a personality, identity crisis, 79 00:04:26,300 --> 00:04:29,720 just you kind of pulling yourself out of, out of that 80 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:33,560 business. And probably the last like, six or seven months, I've 81 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,040 gone through something similar, of just like, taking being 82 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:39,380 overwhelmed with, like, I'm doing all these things, but I'm 83 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,100 even more overwhelmed with the thought of not doing these 84 00:04:42,100 --> 00:04:45,160 things. So I felt like kind of stuck in both places, and then 85 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,240 slowly, every week, just shredding off these little 86 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:54,100 shards, I guess, of all these tasks I was doing. And then like 87 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,460 feeling like lost in some of these similar ways that you're 88 00:04:57,460 --> 00:05:01,740 talking about, and feeling almost almost guilt. T for not 89 00:05:01,740 --> 00:05:05,100 doing the work, but then, in another way, also feeling even 90 00:05:05,100 --> 00:05:09,960 guiltier for doing the wrong work all this time, doing all 91 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:13,680 like the low paying work, so to speak, when I should have been 92 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,140 doing more of the high level stuff that you're talking about. 93 00:05:16,140 --> 00:05:19,680 But it just seems like this is almost like a, like a months, 94 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:23,240 years long process, even just getting our heads around, just 95 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:25,820 in the way you describe it, and the way it's making me think of 96 00:05:25,820 --> 00:05:26,060 things, 97 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:30,260 Stephen Christopher: yeah, it's a really long process. Even, I 98 00:05:30,260 --> 00:05:33,080 think if you've done something similar before, or know what 99 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:35,960 you're doing, it just takes some time, you know. I mean, I 100 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,300 thought I was doing this in a previous business that I had 101 00:05:38,300 --> 00:05:41,320 started and built over like six years, and man, I wasn't even 102 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:45,580 close. And so now I get to take another stab at it, and I'm sure 103 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,000 in three or four or more years, I'm going to find all kinds of 104 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,100 other things that I was like, Oh, man. Like I didn't even see 105 00:05:51,100 --> 00:05:54,040 that, or I didn't even realize that was happening. So it's, I 106 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,040 mean, it's just life, man, it's just a, it's a never ending 107 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:01,440 evolving process of learning, right? Like, there is no finish 108 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:05,760 line in life. There's only milestones that we hit. So how 109 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:11,880 many milestones we hit is up to how willing we are to lean into 110 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:15,120 you know, I like to call it the exciting unknown. So how willing 111 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:19,980 are we to grow and how willing are we to lean into the exciting 112 00:06:19,980 --> 00:06:24,020 unknown? That's how many milestones we end up getting to 113 00:06:24,020 --> 00:06:24,260 hit. 114 00:06:25,399 --> 00:06:28,279 Robert Plank: And so to help us understand this, it was there 115 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:30,979 something specific that happened along the way, like, Was there a 116 00:06:30,979 --> 00:06:35,479 specific thing that made you do this? And as far as the 117 00:06:35,479 --> 00:06:39,499 surprises of of like, kind of reimagining all this, was there 118 00:06:39,499 --> 00:06:43,779 something specific that, like, you didn't, you didn't know that 119 00:06:43,779 --> 00:06:46,899 that was important. Or, like, were there any like moments or 120 00:06:46,899 --> 00:06:48,819 like ideas like these that came about, 121 00:06:49,239 --> 00:06:51,279 Stephen Christopher: like, when I like, when I decided and said, 122 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:54,039 Hey, I want to be out of the business. Like, kind of that 123 00:06:54,039 --> 00:06:55,839 moment? Is that what you're talking 124 00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:58,119 Robert Plank: about? Yeah, that can work. I'm just thinking, 125 00:06:58,119 --> 00:07:01,979 like, if it's more appropriate to talk about, like, what, what, 126 00:07:02,039 --> 00:07:05,459 like the breaking point, or the coming back and, like, any AHA 127 00:07:05,459 --> 00:07:08,039 with that, or just, like, just something along those lines, got 128 00:07:08,039 --> 00:07:08,159 it, 129 00:07:08,459 --> 00:07:11,159 Stephen Christopher: yeah. So the the breaking point was, I 130 00:07:11,159 --> 00:07:14,519 was just tired of doing the same thing over and over again every 131 00:07:14,519 --> 00:07:19,439 day to grow the business, and I knew that there was, I kept 132 00:07:19,439 --> 00:07:21,739 feeling pulled, that there was, like, something more, right? I 133 00:07:21,739 --> 00:07:24,859 was like, All right, man, like, this is not what I'm meant to do 134 00:07:25,039 --> 00:07:28,159 for the next five years of my life. And so I kind of went on 135 00:07:28,159 --> 00:07:31,039 this journey, right, this seeking journey to find 136 00:07:31,039 --> 00:07:35,479 something else so that that point was like a like, something 137 00:07:35,479 --> 00:07:38,479 was pulling me. And I just, I would wake up every day and I'd 138 00:07:38,479 --> 00:07:41,439 be like, Dude, this is not it. Like, this is not like there's 139 00:07:41,439 --> 00:07:44,559 something bigger or something else that I have to contribute, 140 00:07:44,559 --> 00:07:48,039 to learn, to offer, and that's what started me on that journey. 141 00:07:48,279 --> 00:07:53,619 So that journey was a journey of learning in itself, and then the 142 00:07:53,619 --> 00:07:57,339 decision to kind of come back into the business that was 143 00:07:57,339 --> 00:08:00,299 twofold. I mean, there's there were some little things within 144 00:08:00,299 --> 00:08:07,379 the company that needed what I was really great at. And so that 145 00:08:07,379 --> 00:08:10,619 was one piece. It was like, the business needed something, and I 146 00:08:10,739 --> 00:08:16,619 I had that skill set, and I liked to do it. And so I worked 147 00:08:16,619 --> 00:08:18,839 with our CEO, and I was like, All right, how do we do this 148 00:08:18,839 --> 00:08:23,239 without me stepping on toes and creating more issues, because we 149 00:08:23,239 --> 00:08:28,759 spent a long time with me creating a lot of issues. Well, 150 00:08:28,759 --> 00:08:31,759 I just, I created a lot of issues, right? The owner is the 151 00:08:31,759 --> 00:08:35,779 owner creates all kinds of issues. So the coming back in 152 00:08:35,779 --> 00:08:38,899 was partially that, and then just partially after I had been 153 00:08:38,899 --> 00:08:42,459 separated for, you know, a year to a year and a half, I was 154 00:08:42,459 --> 00:08:46,299 like, great. I'm kind of bored. Like, what, what the hell am I 155 00:08:46,299 --> 00:08:48,759 doing here? Like, I had a couple little side things that I 156 00:08:48,759 --> 00:08:53,379 started and just was playing with, and I did some, I'm doing 157 00:08:53,379 --> 00:08:56,259 some business consulting with a friend after she sold a big law 158 00:08:56,259 --> 00:08:58,959 firm. But I just recognized, okay, great. Now I have some 159 00:08:58,959 --> 00:09:02,099 more clarity about what things I actually desire from my life, 160 00:09:02,159 --> 00:09:05,159 and what things and skills I have to be able to contribute. 161 00:09:05,339 --> 00:09:08,339 So I started to smash those together and say, great, is 162 00:09:08,339 --> 00:09:13,979 there? Is there a need for those and a fit for me at specifically 163 00:09:13,979 --> 00:09:18,299 at wit that I can help with, that I'll get fulfillment of and 164 00:09:18,299 --> 00:09:21,319 enjoy? And there was, and so that's how I decided to go back 165 00:09:21,319 --> 00:09:24,799 in there, and that's just kind of how I would look at all 166 00:09:24,799 --> 00:09:28,879 projects now, of what is it that I'm great at? What are my couple 167 00:09:28,879 --> 00:09:32,479 unique abilities, and what's this kind of bigger why that I 168 00:09:32,479 --> 00:09:37,939 enjoy out in the world? And do they all align? And go for it. 169 00:09:37,939 --> 00:09:41,799 Give it a try, right? Like we don't know until we try it. So 170 00:09:41,799 --> 00:09:45,399 test it. We always have choice. We can always stop doing it. I 171 00:09:45,399 --> 00:09:49,359 can always leave wet completely. I can always do whatever I want, 172 00:09:50,379 --> 00:09:52,239 but we'll never know until we try it. 173 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,900 Robert Plank: And that right there. That's something that I 174 00:09:55,900 --> 00:09:58,540 think for a long time I was like doing it without thinking, 175 00:09:58,780 --> 00:10:01,740 without realizing it. But. Then began doing that on purpose. Is 176 00:10:01,740 --> 00:10:04,800 the whole like, make, make the test case, right? Like, do, do 177 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:08,220 the proof of concept. And it's, it's so frustrating dealing 178 00:10:08,220 --> 00:10:11,340 with, like, if you have a friend and they have an idea or they 179 00:10:11,340 --> 00:10:13,980 want to do something, and you say, well, just do it on a small 180 00:10:13,980 --> 00:10:16,500 scale. Or, like, just take the first couple of steps, or just 181 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,480 spend a week on it, or spend 30 days on it and it, and it's so 182 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,800 easy to get caught up in like Daydream land, and you don't 183 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:28,880 even know if this this idea or this product or this offer, or 184 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,360 whatever it is will even like, pan out like it doesn't. It 185 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,600 doesn't mean it's nothing to do with you. It's what everyone 186 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:39,740 else wants and and so when you're explaining kind of this, 187 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:42,460 this journey, the thought process. What also comes to mind 188 00:10:42,460 --> 00:10:45,820 is that whole concept of like, it's it's easy to give someone 189 00:10:45,820 --> 00:10:48,640 else advice, or it's easy to tell someone else how to 190 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:51,580 decorate their room, but then it's so tough to for your own 191 00:10:51,580 --> 00:10:53,560 and so it's like those two things, those two ideas, are 192 00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:56,260 sort of connected. And so when you're explaining how like you 193 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,440 you left and came back, it almost feels like that whole 194 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:03,360 concept, like it's almost like you week you, you, you got like, 195 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,200 wit we became your coaching client, almost right? And that 196 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:10,680 you had something else to jump in that was already working, was 197 00:11:10,740 --> 00:11:16,620 maybe doing things even without your, your your origination. And 198 00:11:16,620 --> 00:11:19,260 then you said, Well, now, now that I see it from the outside 199 00:11:19,260 --> 00:11:22,460 looking in, now I can jump in and kind of tweak things and 200 00:11:22,460 --> 00:11:25,160 make it better, and be the guy once again, that that causes the 201 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:25,940 problems. 202 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:28,100 Stephen Christopher: Yeah, yeah. And like, the way I'm coming 203 00:11:28,100 --> 00:11:30,980 back in is, you know, wit didn't really have, you know, wit 204 00:11:30,980 --> 00:11:33,500 doesn't really have any problems, right? It has, it has 205 00:11:33,500 --> 00:11:36,200 some opportunities, and I can fill those, you know, those gaps 206 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,320 where there's an opportunity with that skill set. And so now 207 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:44,920 coming back in, I have to be very conscious of what is my 208 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:49,720 role, right? And so, granted, I am the owner of the company, but 209 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,480 that's a role that sits way over here. You know, I don't have to 210 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:56,560 do anything to be an owner, right? Like you just, you just 211 00:11:56,560 --> 00:12:00,600 own it. So you don't have to do anything. So now I have to kind 212 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:05,100 of redefine what is my role and what is not my role. Because, 213 00:12:05,100 --> 00:12:09,360 you know, people do listen. The owner can say something and it 214 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:13,080 carries a little bit more weight in some instances, right? So, 215 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:16,320 like in passing, I can accidentally say something that 216 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:19,380 was just a thought off the top of my head, and somebody could 217 00:12:19,380 --> 00:12:22,400 actually take it and run with it as, Oh well, Steven said to do 218 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,960 this. And my CEO actually really helped me see that. Because I 219 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:30,500 was like, Oh no. Like, nobody, you know, I'm good with 220 00:12:30,500 --> 00:12:33,860 everybody, like we're all on the same page, like we're all equal. 221 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:36,980 And she's like, Look, I know that you want to think that it's 222 00:12:36,980 --> 00:12:39,740 that way, but it just doesn't quite happen that way. She's 223 00:12:39,740 --> 00:12:42,580 like, you've got to be aware of that. So she really helped me 224 00:12:42,580 --> 00:12:47,260 see how impactful some of those things can say. So I think as an 225 00:12:47,260 --> 00:12:49,720 owner in a business, you have to be a little bit more conscious 226 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:53,980 about what is your role, and kind of staying in your lane, 227 00:12:54,220 --> 00:12:57,100 and being very careful about what it is that you say around 228 00:12:57,100 --> 00:12:59,320 others, how you have conversations, can be 229 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,580 interpreted a little bit differently, and that, yeah, 230 00:13:02,580 --> 00:13:04,740 that was a big awareness piece for me. Well, 231 00:13:05,580 --> 00:13:07,800 Robert Plank: what I'm hearing from you saying that is, it's 232 00:13:07,860 --> 00:13:11,460 about boundaries, right? Like, if you don't have any sets of 233 00:13:11,460 --> 00:13:14,880 boundaries, then you might be too much one day and not enough 234 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:19,140 another day, or second guessing, or stepping on someone's toes 235 00:13:19,140 --> 00:13:21,980 while at the same time almost not doing enough, and like, 236 00:13:21,980 --> 00:13:24,680 that's been on my mind the last, like, maybe one or two months, 237 00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:27,980 especially, it's like in any kind of relationship, right? Not 238 00:13:27,980 --> 00:13:31,640 even just limited to coworkers, but just like people in your 239 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:35,600 life, like, what, what are your boundaries? And mostly, I mean, 240 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:39,140 just in your boundaries aren't even really to protect you as 241 00:13:39,140 --> 00:13:42,340 much as, like, just to protect them, right? If, like, you said, 242 00:13:42,340 --> 00:13:44,980 if you, if you're, like, running your mouth, it's probably a 243 00:13:44,980 --> 00:13:46,720 better way to say it, but just, you know, like, like, 244 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:50,740 spitballing and then, but you're unknowingly, like, you know, 245 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,500 gumming up the works for someone else, or having someone go and, 246 00:13:53,620 --> 00:13:56,440 you know, do some other task. It's like, that whole idea of, 247 00:13:56,440 --> 00:14:00,420 like, being careful about what you say and or, like, even, like 248 00:14:00,420 --> 00:14:03,180 treat, treating it like you're being recorded, and like having, 249 00:14:03,180 --> 00:14:06,540 like respect and like all these things that it's easy to say in 250 00:14:06,540 --> 00:14:10,560 principle, but then, like, you know, in practice, like you 251 00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:12,840 know, you figure out what the what those boundaries are, what 252 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:16,920 those zones are. And then now, now it's like, now you can focus 253 00:14:16,980 --> 00:14:20,340 on what you said, like what your passion is and what your 254 00:14:20,340 --> 00:14:23,660 greatness is without, without being putting out everyone 255 00:14:23,660 --> 00:14:26,660 else's fires and neglecting your own and so, so you say that you 256 00:14:26,660 --> 00:14:29,720 come back as you know, you've always, you're always the owner, 257 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:32,060 but then you came back as kind of, almost like you, like, made 258 00:14:32,060 --> 00:14:35,900 a job title for yourself. So, like, what sorts of things are 259 00:14:35,900 --> 00:14:40,720 you doing? What's your job role in wit these days? Yeah, so 260 00:14:40,780 --> 00:14:43,600 Stephen Christopher: right now we're kind of finishing 261 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:46,060 redefining this. We've been going through this process over 262 00:14:46,060 --> 00:14:49,300 the last few weeks called reimagining the company, right? 263 00:14:49,300 --> 00:14:52,480 So we've been reinvigorating certain things into it, like 264 00:14:52,540 --> 00:14:57,400 more purpose and more getting more information and input from 265 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:59,740 the leadership team about what is the vision of the business, 266 00:14:59,740 --> 00:15:03,060 what. Do we all want? Not just, you know what? What do I want 267 00:15:03,060 --> 00:15:06,840 the vision to be? I want a more cohesive, collaborative vision. 268 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,740 So as I'm coming back in right now, as we do this reimagine 269 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:14,880 reimagination exercise, there's, you know, one of my skill sets 270 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,540 is the ability to connect with people, and so some of these 271 00:15:18,540 --> 00:15:22,940 bigger relationships within the industry that we desire to 272 00:15:22,940 --> 00:15:26,240 impact. You know, we're specific to home service industry as far 273 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:30,560 as marketing goes. And there's a lot of really cool relationships 274 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,920 that are available to be built in that industry. And so now I 275 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,700 get to come back in and build some of those, rebuild some of 276 00:15:37,700 --> 00:15:43,720 those with this new kind of vision of who wit is and what we 277 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:47,680 are in the market, which is which it is marketing, but it's 278 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:51,640 marketing with a purpose. And so we're coming back in with this 279 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,340 slightly reinvigorated purpose. And so now I get to go out and 280 00:15:54,340 --> 00:15:56,800 do what I'm great at, which is just build relationships and 281 00:15:56,800 --> 00:16:00,720 talk to people and have fun and talk to them about, hey, here's 282 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:04,680 what we're doing. You know, maybe it's a fit for you, or 283 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:10,020 whatever. That's not even a big piece of it. But my goal is to 284 00:16:10,020 --> 00:16:13,200 use this position to build relationships will which will 285 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,500 naturally grow the business, which helps in sales a little 286 00:16:16,500 --> 00:16:19,440 bit, which is another thing that I'm good at. But I think more 287 00:16:19,500 --> 00:16:22,820 importantly, what it'll do is it'll help these other people be 288 00:16:22,820 --> 00:16:25,700 inspired by what we're doing, and maybe bring a little bit of 289 00:16:25,700 --> 00:16:28,220 that into their company. Because some of these people that I 290 00:16:28,220 --> 00:16:30,680 build relationships with, I mean, they're giant, you know, 291 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:35,060 multi 100 million dollar a year companies, even some up into the 292 00:16:35,060 --> 00:16:38,900 billions. So they have this massive ability to create impact 293 00:16:38,900 --> 00:16:43,360 within communities or within industries. And so if we can, if 294 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:47,020 we can show somebody what we're doing that's different, and they 295 00:16:47,020 --> 00:16:49,360 can bring that into their company, and then they can have 296 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:53,020 a deeper impact on their community, that's awesome. So 297 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:55,300 that's a lot of what I'm doing. I mean, you know, there's some 298 00:16:55,300 --> 00:16:57,820 stuff on the marketing side, like content creation. I mean, 299 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:00,840 dude, I love being on podcasts and, like, having these types of 300 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:03,420 conversations and creating Facebook videos and sharing 301 00:17:03,420 --> 00:17:06,180 information and knowledge and what's working and what's not 302 00:17:06,180 --> 00:17:11,220 working like that's fun for me, and yet it serves a need at the 303 00:17:11,220 --> 00:17:15,120 company. So they, they tend to put me on the camera as much as 304 00:17:15,120 --> 00:17:15,900 they can, 305 00:17:17,700 --> 00:17:19,260 Robert Plank: right? You're still the figurehead, 306 00:17:19,979 --> 00:17:21,499 Stephen Christopher: yeah, and actually, so that's an 307 00:17:21,499 --> 00:17:24,199 interesting point. That was one of the big things that I wanted 308 00:17:24,199 --> 00:17:27,259 out of the company. I was tired of being the figurehead. So I 309 00:17:27,259 --> 00:17:30,799 was tired of people saying, oh, call Steven, instead of saying, 310 00:17:30,799 --> 00:17:36,439 Hey, call wit. So we spent years getting me away from being the 311 00:17:36,439 --> 00:17:39,019 figurehead of the company. And so now when I'm kind of coming 312 00:17:39,019 --> 00:17:42,819 back in, we're very consciously not making me the figurehead. So 313 00:17:42,819 --> 00:17:45,279 even though I'll still build some of the relationships, we 314 00:17:45,279 --> 00:17:47,859 have some better clarity on how do we how do we build a 315 00:17:47,859 --> 00:17:51,699 relationship with wit, not with Stephen? And so we're bringing 316 00:17:51,699 --> 00:17:57,099 in a couple more people to kind of be faces of the company, and 317 00:17:57,099 --> 00:18:00,539 we're bringing in a lot more of our just the rest of our staff 318 00:18:00,839 --> 00:18:04,079 to also share information about what's going on in the industry 319 00:18:04,079 --> 00:18:09,479 and marketing, so that now it's this more cohesive wit brand and 320 00:18:09,479 --> 00:18:13,259 the faces of wit than just Steven on video all the time, 321 00:18:13,259 --> 00:18:15,959 because I don't want to get back in the same position in a year 322 00:18:16,619 --> 00:18:18,179 and be miserable 323 00:18:19,619 --> 00:18:22,699 Robert Plank: well, and I mean, I kind of, I enjoy anyway, like, 324 00:18:22,699 --> 00:18:25,339 as far as, like, the like, the YouTube channels and things like 325 00:18:25,339 --> 00:18:28,399 that, but I follow, it's more fun when there's multiple 326 00:18:28,399 --> 00:18:31,519 characters and like, or like, I mean, the characters, but 327 00:18:31,519 --> 00:18:35,059 they're real people. But like, it's like, for example, like, 328 00:18:35,059 --> 00:18:37,159 like Dave Ramsey's channel, there's like, you know, three or 329 00:18:37,159 --> 00:18:39,679 four different people. They kind of cycle through and like Dave 330 00:18:39,679 --> 00:18:42,939 Ramsey's like, the the main guy, but sometimes I get tired of 331 00:18:42,939 --> 00:18:45,759 him, and I want to hear from like the like the young guy or 332 00:18:45,759 --> 00:18:48,579 the lady, or like the African, African American man. I just 333 00:18:48,579 --> 00:18:52,419 want, like, something different and and I imagine that maybe 334 00:18:52,419 --> 00:18:55,539 even just as far as like the people's personalities in 335 00:18:55,539 --> 00:18:58,959 general, like some people might gravitate towards this person 336 00:18:58,959 --> 00:19:02,039 whose expertise is this, or who'd rather talk about that, or 337 00:19:02,039 --> 00:19:05,579 just their their mannerisms are better. Like, I mean, it's 338 00:19:05,579 --> 00:19:09,839 probably just better in general. And it feels like just it from 339 00:19:09,839 --> 00:19:13,079 the outside looking in, like, when, when it's just one person, 340 00:19:13,319 --> 00:19:16,259 I just, I wonder, like, well, what if something happened to 341 00:19:16,379 --> 00:19:19,199 him, right? Or what if, what if he got bored, or what if he 342 00:19:19,199 --> 00:19:21,739 quit? Or what if he just, one day, woke up on the wrong side 343 00:19:21,739 --> 00:19:24,679 of the bed, closes business. But if there's more of, like, a 344 00:19:24,679 --> 00:19:28,099 rotation or a cycle or a team, then you're like, okay, like, 345 00:19:28,159 --> 00:19:30,379 if, if he quit, everything would keep on going. 346 00:19:31,039 --> 00:19:32,959 Stephen Christopher: Yeah, yeah. There's this interesting cycle 347 00:19:32,959 --> 00:19:35,779 that I draw, like, especially when I coach younger businesses, 348 00:19:36,499 --> 00:19:39,979 there's a cycle around, like, you kind of name something like 349 00:19:39,979 --> 00:19:43,179 this in line with this earlier, but like, you have, you know, 350 00:19:43,179 --> 00:19:48,099 the the creation of a company, right, year and month zero, and 351 00:19:48,099 --> 00:19:50,799 then you have this building or this infant stage, right? And 352 00:19:50,799 --> 00:19:54,879 then the infant stage the owner and the business identity are 353 00:19:54,879 --> 00:19:57,879 basically the same, right? You know, I mean, it's the business 354 00:19:57,879 --> 00:20:00,719 takes on basically the owner's identity. It takes on their 355 00:20:00,719 --> 00:20:03,779 personality. The owner's the one driving the bus a lot of times, 356 00:20:03,779 --> 00:20:06,479 doing all of the work. Then you get a couple employees, and you 357 00:20:06,479 --> 00:20:08,819 start to grow a little bit, but you're still, you know, it's 358 00:20:08,819 --> 00:20:12,119 still an infant. It can't live on its own without you as the 359 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:15,539 owner. If you went away, sales would fall off, marketing would 360 00:20:15,539 --> 00:20:18,719 fall off, the deliverable would fall off for the most part. So 361 00:20:18,719 --> 00:20:21,319 you're still growing that team. So you're still, you still have 362 00:20:21,319 --> 00:20:23,659 to take care of the infant, right? You got to feed it all 363 00:20:23,659 --> 00:20:26,179 the time. It can only, you know, both of us have new kids, right? 364 00:20:26,179 --> 00:20:28,939 So that the infant can't do anything, right? It just has to 365 00:20:28,939 --> 00:20:32,119 be fed and cared for all the time. So that's like the first 366 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:35,539 five years. Then after about, you know, depending on how fast 367 00:20:35,539 --> 00:20:39,799 you're growing three years to seven years, it starts to get 368 00:20:39,799 --> 00:20:43,839 into a little bit more into the teenage years, where it wants to 369 00:20:43,839 --> 00:20:48,159 have its own identity. And so you have to at that point, like, 370 00:20:48,159 --> 00:20:51,519 if you draw this on a curve, at the top of the curve is where it 371 00:20:51,519 --> 00:20:54,999 starts to split. And so you've got to be able to split the 372 00:20:54,999 --> 00:20:58,779 owner's identity and the business identity and allow the 373 00:20:58,779 --> 00:21:01,679 business to start taking on a little bit of an identity of its 374 00:21:01,679 --> 00:21:04,919 own. Now you're still coaching it and guiding it, just like you 375 00:21:04,919 --> 00:21:07,739 would a teenager. It's going to make mistakes. You've got to 376 00:21:07,799 --> 00:21:11,279 empower leadership and give them the opportunity to, kind of, you 377 00:21:11,279 --> 00:21:15,839 know, find their own way. And then, and then you as the owner, 378 00:21:15,839 --> 00:21:18,179 have to also make sure that you know what your identity is, 379 00:21:18,179 --> 00:21:20,299 because you don't want your identity to be stuck in the 380 00:21:20,299 --> 00:21:23,359 business forever, because then you're unhappy. You don't even 381 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:25,519 know who you are. You don't get to do any of the fun stuff that 382 00:21:25,519 --> 00:21:29,779 you want in life. You're too tied to it. So it splits off 383 00:21:29,779 --> 00:21:34,279 around that, like, three to seven year type, type timeframe. 384 00:21:34,279 --> 00:21:37,459 And what happens if you don't allow that to split you actually 385 00:21:37,459 --> 00:21:40,599 start coming down the bottom side of the other curve. So 386 00:21:40,599 --> 00:21:43,239 you've seen it like, you know, 20 year old business, where the 387 00:21:43,239 --> 00:21:46,599 owners still first one in the door, last one out the door, you 388 00:21:46,599 --> 00:21:50,139 know, still micromanages every single thing, still knows every 389 00:21:50,139 --> 00:21:54,699 single client, talks to every single client and but, but it 390 00:21:54,699 --> 00:21:57,879 actually, it actually keeps the business from growing so it 391 00:21:57,879 --> 00:22:00,899 starts coming down the back of the other curve, if You don't 392 00:22:00,899 --> 00:22:03,299 allow it to start to actually split off. And that's when you 393 00:22:03,299 --> 00:22:05,939 get somebody that's been in the same business for 30 years 394 00:22:05,939 --> 00:22:10,439 running it, and they're, for the most part, miserable. And I'll 395 00:22:10,439 --> 00:22:13,439 call most people out, most people that say, oh, you know, 396 00:22:13,439 --> 00:22:16,439 but I love my business, and I love my team. I love being there 397 00:22:16,439 --> 00:22:21,979 every day, like, maybe, like, point 1% that's actually true, 398 00:22:22,159 --> 00:22:24,739 but I call BS on that. Most of it is just because you don't 399 00:22:24,739 --> 00:22:27,199 think that there's actually another way. And you've just 400 00:22:27,379 --> 00:22:30,019 programmed yourself to think that, Oh, I gotta be there every 401 00:22:30,019 --> 00:22:32,779 day or something's gonna fall apart like and you didn't take 402 00:22:32,779 --> 00:22:36,379 that risk in the early stages to actually start to separate your 403 00:22:36,379 --> 00:22:39,139 identity from the business identity, and they just became 404 00:22:39,139 --> 00:22:42,819 one, and you actually stagnated the growth potential of your 405 00:22:42,819 --> 00:22:45,219 business and the freedom of your life. 406 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:48,880 Robert Plank: That's really deep to think about, because you 407 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:52,540 always hear about how, like, how important it is to, like, build 408 00:22:52,540 --> 00:22:55,000 a team and remove yourself from the business and all those 409 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,900 things, but you only hear about it in terms of, like, one moment 410 00:22:58,900 --> 00:23:01,620 in time, right? Like, I'm so busy, there's there's people 411 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:05,400 paper stack piled high, there's like stuff all over the desk and 412 00:23:05,460 --> 00:23:08,100 but you don't think in terms of like, like, what you're saying, 413 00:23:08,100 --> 00:23:11,940 of like, like, you will hold back your business. You will 414 00:23:11,940 --> 00:23:15,180 hold back yourself. You'll hold back the the people that are 415 00:23:15,180 --> 00:23:18,960 working for you. But, and it's because at that crucial time, 416 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,980 like you're saying, when the when the curve is, if you do 417 00:23:21,980 --> 00:23:24,680 nothing, or you do the more what you're doing, it'll go back 418 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,800 down. And there's like, kind of a the liftoff point, like when 419 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:31,340 the when the spaceship, like, gets free of the the gravity 420 00:23:31,340 --> 00:23:35,060 well, of the, oh, the planet, or something like that, and, and, 421 00:23:35,060 --> 00:23:38,060 yeah, that's, that's really powerful, but also, like, really 422 00:23:38,060 --> 00:23:41,560 scary stuff that. And it's also good, because, like, for so many 423 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:45,220 years, especially like, the early on years, I heard so much 424 00:23:45,340 --> 00:23:48,520 of like, I don't know, guilt projection of people saying, 425 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,640 like, well, you should hire. Like, hire early they say, 426 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:54,520 right? And sometimes I'm like, Well, can I hire? But also, 427 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:58,420 like, add in my own gasoline, that way I can, like, you know, 428 00:23:58,420 --> 00:24:01,560 do everything I can. And so, So that part's reassuring that like 429 00:24:01,620 --> 00:24:04,500 you know, early on, we can't help but we need to put our own 430 00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:08,160 force energy into it. But you're saying that at a certain point, 431 00:24:08,460 --> 00:24:12,600 if you don't take action, when the curve is about to shift back 432 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,720 down, then you're going to end up in a place you don't you 433 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,060 don't want to be, which is the sameness, which is the the 434 00:24:18,060 --> 00:24:22,220 monotony that you were trying to escape in the first place by not 435 00:24:22,220 --> 00:24:25,940 doing nine to five, by being a entrepreneur, business owner. So 436 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:27,560 you really have to think about 437 00:24:27,739 --> 00:24:29,179 Stephen Christopher: at that point, you might as well have 438 00:24:29,179 --> 00:24:32,299 just stayed at a company and been an employee, because your 439 00:24:32,299 --> 00:24:35,539 life would probably actually be better, right? Like, I read this 440 00:24:35,539 --> 00:24:37,819 stat somewhere, and I don't remember the stat, so this is 441 00:24:37,819 --> 00:24:40,159 definitely not it, but it was, it was a very high stat, 442 00:24:40,159 --> 00:24:44,319 something like 8080, to 90% somewhere in there, percent of 443 00:24:44,319 --> 00:24:49,419 business owners never make more than they would have working for 444 00:24:49,419 --> 00:24:52,599 somebody else, but yet they put in like double the amount of 445 00:24:52,599 --> 00:24:56,199 time. So at the end of a life they would have had a bigger 446 00:24:56,199 --> 00:24:59,919 retirement, more money, and have worked less if they would have. 447 00:24:59,999 --> 00:25:02,519 Just worked somewhere else, and they most likely would have been 448 00:25:02,519 --> 00:25:07,199 happier if they could have just accepted their ego or accepted 449 00:25:07,199 --> 00:25:11,039 the fact and let their ego go that they work for somebody 450 00:25:11,039 --> 00:25:13,799 else, right? Most of its ego. Like, think about how many 451 00:25:13,859 --> 00:25:17,519 people are, like, look at a job and look at their manager or 452 00:25:17,519 --> 00:25:20,539 boss and like, Dude, I can do this better than that, right? 453 00:25:20,539 --> 00:25:24,559 And most people can't, but they think they can, because they 454 00:25:24,559 --> 00:25:27,499 don't see the whole big picture. That's why a lot of people start 455 00:25:27,499 --> 00:25:30,439 a company, and they don't have the self awareness to actually 456 00:25:30,439 --> 00:25:33,019 say, Okay, why am I actually doing this? Like, dude, if you 457 00:25:33,019 --> 00:25:37,039 just want, like, stability and the ability to earn more income 458 00:25:37,039 --> 00:25:40,659 and a little bit more freedom and creative freedom, you can 459 00:25:40,659 --> 00:25:43,839 get all of that at a job, if you're just good at your job, 460 00:25:43,839 --> 00:25:47,559 and you know, work to find the right company for you and be an 461 00:25:47,559 --> 00:25:51,219 entrepreneur at a business, so you're not having to deal with 462 00:25:51,219 --> 00:25:54,579 all this other crap that goes with it. Like entrepreneurs are 463 00:25:54,579 --> 00:25:57,279 insane, like we're crazy, right? Like we're gluttons for 464 00:25:57,279 --> 00:26:01,319 punishment, and we're just a little bit crazy. So I don't 465 00:26:01,319 --> 00:26:04,739 even remember where I was going with all this, but I guess the 466 00:26:04,739 --> 00:26:09,059 point is that, you know, make these decisions consciously when 467 00:26:09,059 --> 00:26:15,779 it comes to business, and, yeah, don't, don't go the wrong way 468 00:26:16,019 --> 00:26:19,499 just because you think that you should run a business. And don't 469 00:26:19,559 --> 00:26:22,939 follow the back of that curve all the way into the ground 470 00:26:23,239 --> 00:26:27,559 where now you've got, you know, you work seven days a week for 471 00:26:27,619 --> 00:26:31,039 30 years, and you really didn't make that much more money, and 472 00:26:31,039 --> 00:26:34,219 you just ended up with a lot of stress and a lot of excuses not 473 00:26:34,219 --> 00:26:36,679 to actually live your life in a different way that you wanted 474 00:26:37,279 --> 00:26:37,399 to. 475 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:39,500 Robert Plank: What's it seems like you said, there's the ego 476 00:26:39,500 --> 00:26:42,220 and there's like, the stubbornness too, right? There's 477 00:26:42,220 --> 00:26:45,160 the the and almost like, like, not, not wanting to face 478 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,460 reality. And, I mean, and that's a that's kind of a scary place 479 00:26:48,460 --> 00:26:51,520 to be, of, like, doing that comparison, of like, well, I did 480 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,640 my business, but if I did almost the same line of work for 481 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:58,120 someone else, but I just applied all that creative output towards 482 00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:02,460 someone else's business, then it I'm making more that way. And 483 00:27:02,460 --> 00:27:04,620 it's like, I got, I got discouraged a couple years ago 484 00:27:04,620 --> 00:27:07,380 when I read something about something like, like, the the 485 00:27:07,380 --> 00:27:10,320 ideal way to make money, like, the way to the max out is, like, 486 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,620 to be a, like, a telemarketer or something, and, like, learn as 487 00:27:13,620 --> 00:27:16,080 much telemarketing as you can, and just like, spend all day 488 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:18,120 long on the phone doing this thing you hate, and pile up a 489 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:20,640 bunch of money, and then, like, put it in an index fund. And I 490 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,300 guess mathematically, someone wrote some article of like, 491 00:27:23,420 --> 00:27:26,300 that's the way to, like, just really get a bunch of the 492 00:27:26,300 --> 00:27:28,820 commission and get a bunch of money that way. But it's, it 493 00:27:28,820 --> 00:27:31,460 sounds terrible, right? It sounds like, like, learning a 494 00:27:31,460 --> 00:27:35,180 skill you hate, and day in and day out, just to, I guess, tough 495 00:27:35,180 --> 00:27:38,660 it out for X number of years to have a pile of money. And like, 496 00:27:38,660 --> 00:27:41,740 money is really important. But, I mean, it isn't, isn't freedom 497 00:27:41,740 --> 00:27:44,980 also important and also kind of having that personal growth. And 498 00:27:44,980 --> 00:27:48,940 so, yeah, there's, like, there's so much to to think about and to 499 00:27:48,940 --> 00:27:53,080 like, to like, revisit, and to kind of just always be aware of. 500 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,740 So is there a secret to having all this kind of awareness? Is 501 00:27:56,740 --> 00:27:59,920 it a matter of, like, just having that, that free time, or 502 00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:02,760 that quiet time. Or like, how do you come across some of these 503 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:04,080 revelations you've been having? 504 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:08,400 Stephen Christopher: I would say for me, it was, it's meditation, 505 00:28:08,580 --> 00:28:12,060 right? Like quiet, taking the time to quiet your mind. And 506 00:28:12,060 --> 00:28:15,300 when you quiet your mind every single day, now, you can become 507 00:28:15,300 --> 00:28:18,840 more aware of what you're actually thinking about. So 508 00:28:18,900 --> 00:28:22,280 daily meditation, practice and journaling, I journal a ton, and 509 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:27,140 have for just over 10 years. And what I'll do is I'll just 510 00:28:27,140 --> 00:28:30,620 journal, what am I thinking about? And so by doing that 511 00:28:30,620 --> 00:28:34,160 process, I'm learning, oh, wow, like I'm thinking about this. 512 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,100 Like, all you know, a lot of us will write, like, I don't know, 513 00:28:37,100 --> 00:28:39,680 we'll write a problem or something that we think we want 514 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:43,300 to solve, right? Like, when we go journal, it's so funny. Like, 515 00:28:43,300 --> 00:28:45,880 I try to teach people to journal, and they're like, Well, 516 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:47,740 what do I write about? I'm like, I don't know. What are you 517 00:28:47,740 --> 00:28:50,080 thinking about? Right now? They're like, I'm not thinking 518 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:52,120 about anything. Like, I don't I don't know what I'm thinking 519 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,340 about. What should I be thinking about? I'm like, Okay, if the 520 00:28:54,340 --> 00:28:57,220 average human has 60,000 thoughts a day, you know, you've 521 00:28:57,220 --> 00:29:01,020 probably heard those scientific studies somewhere between 45,060 522 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:06,180 1000 thoughts a day. I'm pretty sure that in the same amount of 523 00:29:06,180 --> 00:29:09,600 time that we said, I don't know what to journal about, you had 524 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:13,320 like six other thoughts. And so there's this awareness that 525 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:16,440 starts to come out when you start journaling, and you start 526 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:19,020 to be really honest with yourself and just say, Wow, 527 00:29:19,020 --> 00:29:22,580 right now I'm thinking about I don't know what to journal 528 00:29:22,580 --> 00:29:26,840 about. And then I start to think about, gee, I wonder if what I 529 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:29,840 write here, somebody else is going to read. And I wonder if, 530 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:32,720 like, I wonder if the, you know, if I let the cat out this 531 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:35,360 morning, and I wonder if I left the stove on, like, your mind 532 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,900 will start to go down the path if you just let it and so just 533 00:29:38,900 --> 00:29:42,580 writing what you're thinking about it's irrelevant what it 534 00:29:42,580 --> 00:29:46,960 is, right? Like it's it doesn't matter how dumb it may seem. The 535 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:50,500 practice of just starting to do that will bring a deeper level 536 00:29:50,500 --> 00:29:54,400 of self awareness. And then, you know, at least for me, when I 537 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:57,520 start journaling now, now I have these really cool thoughts come 538 00:29:57,520 --> 00:29:59,740 up. You know, I have these really cool ideas that have 539 00:29:59,740 --> 00:30:03,420 been. Sitting there, like just marinating in my subconscious. 540 00:30:03,420 --> 00:30:07,560 And so after a meditation of quiet in my mind, I'm not really 541 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:11,160 worried about much and and really cool, interesting things 542 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:14,940 can come up. And look, some days, journaling is challenging, 543 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,040 right? It's like, literally, I'll just write on the page, 544 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:19,920 like, I'm mad that I'm journaling right now. Like, this 545 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:22,580 is stupid. This is a waste of time. Like, what are you doing? 546 00:30:22,580 --> 00:30:25,040 Like, you should be working right now. Like, you know you 547 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,980 should be working, even though you're saying that you don't 548 00:30:27,980 --> 00:30:30,380 think you should be working, because this is important. Like, 549 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:32,660 I literally just have a conversation with myself in a 550 00:30:32,660 --> 00:30:36,680 journal. And then now, after you start to do that more, you will 551 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:41,260 bring that into your day. And so now, when you have a 552 00:30:41,260 --> 00:30:44,320 conversation with somebody, let's say a challenging 553 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:48,760 conversation at work, right? Instead of, especially if you're 554 00:30:48,820 --> 00:30:50,920 an owner, right, and you're talking to an employee and 555 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:54,460 they're saying something that you don't like, well, now what 556 00:30:54,460 --> 00:30:57,220 you can actually start to do is, instead of just being like, No, 557 00:30:57,220 --> 00:31:00,040 you're doing this wrong. You got to do it this way. Now you can 558 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:02,760 actually say, Wait, let me ask some more questions. Like, why 559 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:05,220 is this person feeling frustrated? There's got to be a 560 00:31:05,220 --> 00:31:08,160 reason to it, right? And so now you can start to ask some more 561 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:11,160 questions and actually approach it from a standpoint of, wait, 562 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:15,000 what am I thinking? Okay, I'm mad because I should have told 563 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,340 them, actually, with more clarity, what to do. So I'm 564 00:31:17,340 --> 00:31:20,660 really mad at myself, but I just don't want to admit it. So you 565 00:31:20,660 --> 00:31:23,120 can start to have this next level. Because, I mean, if 566 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:28,520 there's one skill that I could inject people with that I think 567 00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:31,400 is the most impactful, it would be self awareness, basically 568 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:33,980 just the ability to think about what you're thinking about. And 569 00:31:33,980 --> 00:31:36,380 then the next layer is feelings, right? Using feelings as a 570 00:31:36,380 --> 00:31:41,740 guide, there's, they're an amazing guide to deeper stuff, 571 00:31:41,740 --> 00:31:44,740 but just the ability to think about what you're thinking about 572 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:45,700 well, 573 00:31:45,700 --> 00:31:48,400 Robert Plank: and even the way you describe it, it's like, it 574 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:52,960 seems like the our real thoughts are like, we're not listening. 575 00:31:53,020 --> 00:31:57,520 And it seems like it takes just that, that journaling habit, to 576 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:00,720 then begin to, like, finally tune into, I mean, it's, like, 577 00:32:01,380 --> 00:32:04,920 when I learned about like, like typefaces and kerning and fonts 578 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:08,520 and things, then when I would see, like, a poster or something 579 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:11,880 on TV and I'd see text, I'd be like, Oh, well, that's, that's 580 00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:14,640 such and such font. Or, like, you take a music class and you 581 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,760 listen to the song, you're like, Oh, now I hear the layers. Or 582 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:20,460 like, this is, you know, they're using this musical technique. 583 00:32:20,460 --> 00:32:23,540 And it's like it was always there, but then you weren't, 584 00:32:23,540 --> 00:32:26,360 like, we weren't tuned into it. And it's like, you're mentioning 585 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:28,400 about, like, all these thoughts we have during the day, and 586 00:32:28,460 --> 00:32:31,160 there's something on I mean, it's like, it's like the show of 587 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:34,280 ours. It's like, just incorrectly quoting these things 588 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:36,680 that we know are sort of true and we're on the right track. 589 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:40,220 But I heard something that was like, 95% of our thoughts are 590 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:42,760 just like repeated thoughts or something along that it was a 591 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:45,640 crazy high number. And I totally believe that, especially if 592 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:50,320 we're not tuned into just the that creativity faucet, or like 593 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:53,080 where the new thoughts come from, it's so easy to like to 594 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,380 just get stuck in that same old loop. And I mean, we all know 595 00:32:56,380 --> 00:32:59,560 people like that. We know people that are so predictable that you 596 00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:02,820 know if you if you said this, they'd respond this way. And if 597 00:33:02,820 --> 00:33:05,340 you mentioned this topic, it would remind them on that thing. 598 00:33:05,340 --> 00:33:08,040 And it's like, who wants to be that that's not a life, that 599 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,800 that's really boring. So there's, there's just so much to 600 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:13,980 think about, and so to help people kind of get on the right 601 00:33:13,980 --> 00:33:16,680 track, I mean is there, is there a place people should go to keep 602 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:20,240 this conversation going if their minds have almost literally been 603 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:23,360 blown by all the deep topics we've been talking about, and 604 00:33:23,420 --> 00:33:25,760 they want to get more from you. Where should they be going? 605 00:33:26,300 --> 00:33:28,520 Stephen Christopher: Geez, man, probably the best place to find 606 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:32,240 out, like, whatever I'm thinking about is just my Facebook page. 607 00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:34,880 So I post a ton of little videos. I'll post stuff that I'm 608 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:38,600 thinking about. I'll pose questions to people, just to get 609 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:43,360 the juices flowing. Most of it's on Facebook. I've finally been 610 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:47,080 starting to write some blogs again, so those will start to 611 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:49,420 come out. But Facebook is the best place. Like, I shoot a ton 612 00:33:49,420 --> 00:33:52,480 of little video on there. And if somebody wants to reach out, 613 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:55,480 they can reach out to me there. I love having conversations 614 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:59,320 about this stuff. I mean, if somebody says, Wow, this just 615 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:03,120 blew my mind, and it can change my life. What the hell do I do 616 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:06,240 next? And you just have nowhere else to go. You know, hell I 617 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:09,480 don't care. Shoot you a message to get to me, or just find me on 618 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:13,440 Facebook. You can put my email address in the thing, but I'm 619 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:17,040 more than happy to talk about it, because it's this is fun for 620 00:34:17,040 --> 00:34:19,620 me. Like this is one of the most fulfilling things. I love 621 00:34:19,620 --> 00:34:22,880 coaching business owners and other people and like even our 622 00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:26,180 team on this type of thing. Because I think if we can help, 623 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:30,620 if we can help individuals live lives of less stress, more 624 00:34:30,620 --> 00:34:35,180 awareness and make more conscious choices, then they're 625 00:34:35,180 --> 00:34:37,820 going to live a better life. If they're living a better life, 626 00:34:37,820 --> 00:34:40,600 they're going to turn around and serve others. If they turn 627 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:42,520 around and serve others eventually, that's how you 628 00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:45,760 change the world, one person at a time, living a slightly 629 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:49,540 better, more conscious life, making better choices for the 630 00:34:49,540 --> 00:34:52,780 big collective, you just change the world. Now, I don't know how 631 00:34:52,780 --> 00:34:55,720 to exactly do that, but I just figured, let's just start doing 632 00:34:55,720 --> 00:34:56,560 it, one person at a 633 00:34:56,560 --> 00:34:59,500 Robert Plank: time. Well, maybe with enough journaling, you'll 634 00:34:59,500 --> 00:35:03,480 get there. Right, as far as this idea of, like, you, you wake up, 635 00:35:03,540 --> 00:35:05,820 and now you know you're making conscious decisions, and 636 00:35:05,820 --> 00:35:09,480 everyone else sees how, how you've changed, and now you've 637 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:12,240 created a whole movement of, just like waking up all these 638 00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:14,400 people to this conscious life. Yeah, 639 00:35:14,460 --> 00:35:16,260 Stephen Christopher: absolutely, man, yeah. I just, I mean, I 640 00:35:16,260 --> 00:35:18,720 just noticed, like, I'm wearing this conscious Mavericks t shirt 641 00:35:18,720 --> 00:35:22,520 today. Wow. And that's, that's pretty much exactly what this 642 00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:24,740 is. It's like, this fun little brand that I've been playing 643 00:35:24,740 --> 00:35:27,620 with, and I just wear the shirt around so people like, oh, like, 644 00:35:27,620 --> 00:35:29,840 what's that? Like, conscious Mavericks. I'm like, Oh, dude. 645 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:32,300 Like, you ready? Like, get a beer. Let's have a conversation. 646 00:35:33,500 --> 00:35:39,140 So, but, yeah, you nailed it. Like, just living the life that 647 00:35:39,140 --> 00:35:43,480 you want is probably one of the best ways to serve others, 648 00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:46,180 because you're right, they'll see it and they'll start to ask, 649 00:35:46,180 --> 00:35:49,060 or they'll start to follow, like, Just live your best life. 650 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:52,420 Robert Plank: Well, I think I have been unconsciously noting, 651 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:55,420 noticing your conscious Mavericks t shirt, like, I think 652 00:35:55,420 --> 00:35:57,820 I saw it, and I was like, Oh, is that like an apparel brand, or 653 00:35:57,820 --> 00:36:00,340 was that his? Or is it someone else? And then it went out of my 654 00:36:00,340 --> 00:36:03,900 mind and kept going back in and coming back out, and so, so it 655 00:36:03,900 --> 00:36:07,740 did its job, right? The unconsciously noticing the 656 00:36:07,740 --> 00:36:11,220 conscious Mavericks. And if you two out there in podcast land 657 00:36:11,340 --> 00:36:15,300 think that any, or even better, all of this is a good idea, and 658 00:36:15,300 --> 00:36:18,180 you know that your life could be and should be and will be 659 00:36:18,180 --> 00:36:22,220 different than add Steven Christopher on Facebook. And is 660 00:36:22,220 --> 00:36:25,820 there a Facebook page, or do you feel like plugging wit, or 661 00:36:25,820 --> 00:36:27,320 anything else like that, dude? 662 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:28,820 Stephen Christopher: I mean, you can just, you should just be 663 00:36:28,820 --> 00:36:30,920 able to search Steven Christopher on Facebook. I mean, 664 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:33,320 Robert, I'll send you the link so you can put it in the show 665 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,380 notes if you want. And then, yeah, I mean, plugging wit, 666 00:36:36,380 --> 00:36:40,100 like, I don't know wit. Wit is an amazing digital marketing 667 00:36:40,100 --> 00:36:43,720 agency that we're bringing this type of stuff into the culture 668 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:47,800 of the business so that we can better impact the community. I 669 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:50,260 mean, if you need digital marketing and you own a big home 670 00:36:50,260 --> 00:36:52,720 service company, or know somebody that works in that 671 00:36:52,720 --> 00:36:56,560 space, we'd love to talk to them. But ultimately, like, if 672 00:36:56,560 --> 00:37:00,540 anything, if you want to watch what we do with wit, like on our 673 00:37:00,540 --> 00:37:03,540 social media and stuff, this is the message, similar message 674 00:37:03,540 --> 00:37:06,180 that we're trying to get out there into the world, not just 675 00:37:06,180 --> 00:37:09,000 about marketing, like we're trying to make a bigger impact 676 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:13,200 with the company, than just digital marketing, then 677 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:15,180 Robert Plank: just going through the motions. Well, okay, then 678 00:37:15,180 --> 00:37:19,680 then wit delivers.com. If you're interested in that 800-444-8957 679 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:25,100 and then, well, more importantly, and Steve and 680 00:37:25,100 --> 00:37:27,680 Christopher on Facebook, that way you can get into these deep 681 00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:30,320 thoughts and not just be struggling with with the day to 682 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:35,360 day the mechanics, because those always change. Every two days, 683 00:37:35,420 --> 00:37:38,420 Google has some update to their algorithm with artificial 684 00:37:38,420 --> 00:37:41,000 intelligence and apps and platforms making things so 685 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,900 easier. I mean, what's more important for us, mere mortal 686 00:37:43,900 --> 00:37:47,500 humans is the bigger picture. And with your bigger picture, 687 00:37:47,500 --> 00:37:50,800 and with what you and your your business, which is the 688 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:54,880 expression of yourself, turns into and becomes, at good or 689 00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:58,540 bad, hopefully good. And so add Steven, Christopher on Facebook 690 00:37:58,540 --> 00:38:02,640 to get on the right track and get that, that regular dosage 691 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:06,360 and supply of positivity and wisdom. Steven, Christopher, on 692 00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:09,240 Facebook. Anything to say as we wrap up wine down here? Steven, 693 00:38:09,660 --> 00:38:11,340 Stephen Christopher: no, man, I love it, dude. I appreciate you 694 00:38:11,340 --> 00:38:13,980 having me back on I appreciate what you're doing and spreading 695 00:38:13,980 --> 00:38:17,220 this message to people you know, just all the messages that 696 00:38:17,220 --> 00:38:19,800 you're that you're giving them and helping them with. Like, 697 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:22,520 this is, this is fantastic. Like, just keep doing this. 698 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:23,120 Thank you. 699 00:38:23,720 --> 00:38:25,820 Robert Plank: Well, likewise, you're fantastic and you keep 700 00:38:25,820 --> 00:38:27,680 doing what you're doing. Awesome, man. You.