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Gift biz unwrapped episode 66,

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If you're happy and you're looking at positive things,

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other positive things will follow.

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Hi, this is John Lee,

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Dumas of entrepreneur on fire,

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and you're listening to gifted biz unwrapped,

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and now it's time to light it up.

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Welcome to gift biz,

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unwrapped your source for industry specific insights and advice to develop

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and grow your business.

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And now here's your host,

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Sue Monheit.

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Hi there.

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I'm Sue and welcome to the gift biz unwrapped podcast.

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Whether you own a brick and mortar shop sell online or

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are just getting started,

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you'll discover new insight to gain traction and to grow your

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business. And today I have joining us David<inaudible> David and his

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wife, Melissa are the proud and smiling owners of Illinois nuttin

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candy home of Fantasia confections.

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It's been 11 years since they purchased the business.

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The couple can take credit for sweet success.

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Thanks to conscious thorough and ingenious branding efforts.

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David realized that to distinguish his company from other candy companies,

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he needed branding that not only differentiated his candy business from

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the competition,

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but differentiated his client from their competition too.

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David began his plan with a memorable ending.

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He closes every conversation with the now famous have a sweet

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day. And when people ask about how business is going,

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it's always and remains sweet.

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Eventually David earned a name change with another claim to fame,

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Fox business dubbed him the kosher Willy Wonka.

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This was all the inspiration he needed to invest in a

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complete Willy Wonka costume.

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He now shows up at select networking events,

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adorned in the purple top coat with all the trimmings he's

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currently working on his first book on the subject of branding

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and has a blog called life of the Candyman,

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where he discusses the ups and downs surprises and utterly nutty

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delights of life in a candy store.

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Oh my gosh,

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David, I just had to put all that in the intro

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because it is so exciting.

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I know we're going to just have a great time talking

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together. Welcome to the Thank you super having me.

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I really appreciate the opportunity.

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Is there anything that we should include in your intro before

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we start our contract?

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I think you covered it all quite well.

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Great. Wonderful.

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As our listeners know,

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we like to start off by asking you about what your

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ideal motivational candle is.

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It just gives us a little bit of an indirect view

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into who you are as a person.

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So David,

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if you were to describe your ideal motivational candle,

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what color is it and what would be the quote on

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that candle?

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See, that is the hardest question anybody had ever asked me.

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Well, leave it to me.

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I thought about it long and hard.

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And I realized that unlike most people that would have a

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single color candle,

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my candle would have to be with our pink and all

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the other colors that help brand us because it's,

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you know,

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you drive by my store in Skokie.

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You'll see,

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I have big candy canes in the front.

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And so my candle would be pink and purple and white

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and gold because it reflects our brand.

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And tell us about a quote that would be on that

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candle. I know I'm from Chicago and I'm a bears fan,

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but one of the greatest quotes of all time that I've

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definitely had with me since the time I've been a little

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kid is from the great coach of the green Bay.

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Packer has been some Barney.

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And I think of it all the time.

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Cause it was,

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and the quotes were,

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you know,

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really resonates.

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Success only comes before work in the dictionary or without hard

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work, success cannot be achieved.

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And it's something,

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you know,

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it's a quote that I live by because the reality is

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we all want things out of life and we all want

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things out of our jobs and our families and everything,

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but it all comes down to hard work.

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I pride myself in the fact that I work hard and

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that, you know,

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my staff works hard as well.

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And that when we say we're going to do something,

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we start a project at the beginning and we see it

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through to completion.

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I totally agree with you.

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And I'm really glad that you brought this up because I

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think a lot of people will think,

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well, going into your business is so much easier,

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right? You're not having to report to anybody.

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You can do things your way and it's just going to

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be so much better and so much easier.

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And that could not be farther from the truth.

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Would you agree?

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And he wouldn't do the thing.

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So neither own business is easy.

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I got a one word answer and it's not.

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The reality is owning your own business.

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You have the hardest boss you will ever have in your

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entire life.

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You have the most demanding boss you will ever have in

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your entire life.

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Because if you care about your business and you are your

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boss, you will put yourself through more than anybody else will

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put you through at any given time.

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Because first of all,

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legally, they probably couldn't ask you to work 80 to a

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hundred hours in a week.

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But more than that,

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and I think it's really important to realize is that you

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put certain expectations on yourself.

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You have the expectation to succeed and you have the expectation

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that you want to do it in a certain way.

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And so first you have the hardest boss in the world

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being yourself because you're always the most critical of yourself.

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But then in addition to being the hardest critical boss,

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you have being,

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you all your customers are technically your boss as well.

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And I think people need to realize that,

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that, you know,

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you need to keep your customers happy.

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And that the reality is at the end of the day,

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they are paying your check.

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And I think that's something that you need to realize There's

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so much value to having your own business.

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So there's,

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there's pros and cons,

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I guess I'd say and give biz listeners.

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I just want you to know that David currently is driving

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while he's doing this interview.

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Don't worry,

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he's safe.

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He doesn't have a mic in his hand.

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He's just talking on it a hands-free phone,

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but to fit everything in a day and to be as

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efficient as you possibly can.

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What are you doing?

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You're coming back from a photo shoot right now,

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right? We're actually working on a campaign For our website.

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Okay. So fitting things in you fit things in as you

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can. You do as much as you can.

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So Google says that you need to have video on your

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website. So we actually are getting ready to have,

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and we put together a series of 12 videos to have

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one a month during the summer.

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I mean,

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we're all in the gifting business and we all know that

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there's gifting season and then there's getting ready for gifting season.

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And that's what the summer is for me.

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We're working on the getting ready for the season.

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This is one of our initiatives this summer was putting together

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these videos.

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So you'll be able to check them out on our website

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every month.

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Oh, good.

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Well, we're going to talk about that a little bit later,

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too. First.

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I want to go back.

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A lot of our listeners,

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David are either considering a business or have gotten started,

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and it's always very beneficial to hear other people's stories.

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Talk to us a little bit about how do you identify

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it. I know you purchased Illinois nut and candy,

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but how did you identify the opportunity and decide to take

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the plunge and make the purchase of the business?

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Going back?

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I was very,

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I have a very interesting history work history and Lisa does.

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I had wanted to be a high school teacher once upon

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a time.

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And unfortunately it did not work out for various reasons.

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And that's a story for a whole other day,

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but I went from education to it,

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started doing corporate training and technical writing and technical support and

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things of that nature and worked my way up to a

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senior consultant and to a project director of the.com.

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So I'm kind of giving away my age there,

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cause I was peaking right as the dotcoms were going through

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the exciting period they were in.

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But then shortly after the dotcoms came,

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the dot bomb they referred to me in WBBM years ago,

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I was a.com

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a refugee and I was unemployed for eight months.

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I was unhappily,

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employed, working at a job that did not give me the

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creative abilities that I had when I was working for the

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dot-coms. And my wife had worked at Illinois.

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Nuts was actually called Illinois,

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not outlet when she was in high school.

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And when we heard it came up for sale,

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everybody said,

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do something you love.

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And I was not doing something I loved at that time.

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And I like eating and I love chocolate candy and nuts.

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And it just seemed like the ideal opportunity.

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And let's be real.

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I'm like the equivalent of a alcoholic in a bar,

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except I'm a candy Hollick in a candy store.

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What are the types of things you need to look at

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and consider when you're not starting out for yourself,

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but you're purchasing what someone else has created Purchasing someone else's

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business is a very scary proposition because you have what they

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say that they have and they show you their books and

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everything like that.

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And then there are certain intangibles that you just don't know.

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And I think that's really important and that you don't know

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those intangibles and you don't realize what you're walking into and

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looking back,

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there are many things that if I were doing it again,

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I would ask and your listeners are probably going to go,

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what are those questions?

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More so than the actual sales,

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the business has probably customer lists and histories of those customers.

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So it's great if you had a big month in September,

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let's say,

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but is that because you had two or three weddings,

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you can count on those families having weddings again,

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the next year you want to see more trends and it's

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not just the trend of,

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Oh, last year we did a great month.

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So there's that.

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And then there's what you really want to see the records

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and you want to see their purchasing histories.

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I didn't have a background in retail.

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My background was customer service.

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So I understood the whole customer experience.

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But from the retail components,

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I really was clueless.

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And I,

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you know,

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I'm very honest.

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I mean,

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I had no idea what I was getting into,

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I don't know,

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Own the building or you lease your building,

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but did you also look at that too?

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I was not in the finance position to purchase the building.

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The management company owns the building and I have a long-term

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lease. Okay.

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But in terms of maintenance on the building or anything that

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you'd have to do,

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I mean,

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you have to look at the whole picture of the business,

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just like you're saying,

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you're walking into someone else's agreement,

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Right? I mean,

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you know,

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you got to look at the agreement on the HVAC units.

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You've gotta look at the agreement,

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other general maintenance on the sewers and the pipes,

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which is all my responsibility.

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And you don't think about that,

266
00:10:20,330 --> 00:10:23,300
but that's really when you're manufacturing product,

267
00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:25,100
not a pretty conversation,

268
00:10:25,100 --> 00:10:26,150
but let's be real.

269
00:10:26,150 --> 00:10:30,500
We are in a industrial kitchen and we're on a schedule

270
00:10:30,530 --> 00:10:33,620
to have our grease traps cleaned on a regular basis in

271
00:10:33,620 --> 00:10:37,160
order to make sure that we have the water flowing properly

272
00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:37,760
at all times.

273
00:10:37,910 --> 00:10:39,230
These are things you don't think about,

274
00:10:39,230 --> 00:10:39,530
or like,

275
00:10:39,770 --> 00:10:39,980
you know,

276
00:10:39,980 --> 00:10:42,350
the, who are they using as an exterminator?

277
00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:45,410
Can you see the logs for what they had to see?

278
00:10:45,410 --> 00:10:45,740
You know,

279
00:10:45,980 --> 00:10:48,590
the history and now there wasn't a problem or anything,

280
00:10:48,770 --> 00:10:51,350
but that's not something I asked to see going forward.

281
00:10:51,350 --> 00:10:52,790
That's something you'd definitely want to see.

282
00:10:52,790 --> 00:10:54,140
That's not something that anybody would say,

283
00:10:54,140 --> 00:10:55,220
but you want to know.

284
00:10:55,220 --> 00:10:59,030
Was there an issue at any given time looking back?

285
00:10:59,090 --> 00:11:00,740
I didn't know the questions to ask.

286
00:11:00,950 --> 00:11:03,950
And I think a big problem is people are afraid to

287
00:11:03,950 --> 00:11:06,980
ask other people what questions they should be asking.

288
00:11:07,220 --> 00:11:10,220
Best advice I could give to you is to your listeners.

289
00:11:10,220 --> 00:11:10,940
I should say,

290
00:11:11,180 --> 00:11:15,530
don't be afraid to ask questions because the more you ask

291
00:11:15,530 --> 00:11:18,830
people, the more intelligent you'll be by learning from others.

292
00:11:20,060 --> 00:11:23,030
Honestly, if they're hesitant to answer some of those questions,

293
00:11:23,030 --> 00:11:25,880
then you should probably be a little hesitant about moving forward.

294
00:11:26,570 --> 00:11:27,020
Right? I mean,

295
00:11:27,110 --> 00:11:30,530
one of my friends was looking at a pizza business and

296
00:11:30,740 --> 00:11:33,380
he talked to a friend of his in another city.

297
00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:35,240
And the guy said him,

298
00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:38,390
the only question that you really need to know is how

299
00:11:38,390 --> 00:11:40,850
many boxes does he buy a year?

300
00:11:41,060 --> 00:11:42,950
Which I thought was a really interesting question,

301
00:11:43,340 --> 00:11:46,610
but it's something that you could kind of put into any

302
00:11:46,610 --> 00:11:47,210
other industry.

303
00:11:47,210 --> 00:11:47,840
If somebody said to me,

304
00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:50,840
how many boxes of chocolate boxes do you buy a year

305
00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:52,880
though? I don't have the number off the top of my,

306
00:11:53,140 --> 00:11:54,670
and I probably wouldn't share it either.

307
00:11:54,820 --> 00:11:56,110
That's a number I could easily get.

308
00:11:56,460 --> 00:11:58,650
And then you equate that and build that up to sales

309
00:11:59,130 --> 00:12:00,270
Because then you're able to say,

310
00:12:00,270 --> 00:12:00,600
you know,

311
00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:02,700
if they've had X number of boxes of pizza,

312
00:12:02,730 --> 00:12:04,140
X number of boxes of chocolate,

313
00:12:04,410 --> 00:12:06,630
and let's just say that it was at the lowest cost

314
00:12:06,810 --> 00:12:07,590
per unit,

315
00:12:07,890 --> 00:12:12,000
the worst case scenario their sales are at versus speculating.

316
00:12:12,330 --> 00:12:15,960
That's something I learned along the way from a friend who

317
00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:16,830
learned it from a friend.

318
00:12:17,610 --> 00:12:20,910
Did you use legal assistance to help you with the purchase

319
00:12:20,910 --> 00:12:22,410
in terms of the discovery?

320
00:12:22,560 --> 00:12:23,820
Not just the contract part,

321
00:12:23,820 --> 00:12:25,470
but discovering beforehand,

322
00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:27,900
or did you bring them in right when you were signing

323
00:12:27,900 --> 00:12:29,010
and finalizing the deal?

324
00:12:29,340 --> 00:12:31,410
We brought them in to finalize the deal.

325
00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:34,260
Okay. Cause that's another thing I know now just,

326
00:12:34,260 --> 00:12:34,470
you know,

327
00:12:34,470 --> 00:12:37,770
in looking at past businesses to sell or to buy,

328
00:12:37,770 --> 00:12:37,950
you know,

329
00:12:37,950 --> 00:12:41,160
that's another opportunity is to bring someone in who's used to

330
00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:44,820
buying and selling businesses early on now to take a look

331
00:12:44,820 --> 00:12:45,540
and help you.

332
00:12:45,810 --> 00:12:47,730
We bought a second business along the way,

333
00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:51,210
which is the popcorn business that we've incorporated into our business.

334
00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:55,740
And it also depends on who you're purchasing a business from.

335
00:12:56,130 --> 00:12:59,400
And you gotta be careful what you say about who you

336
00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:01,380
say, like when we bought the popcorn business,

337
00:13:01,380 --> 00:13:03,000
it was basically done on a handshake.

338
00:13:03,210 --> 00:13:04,470
It was done on a handshake.

339
00:13:04,470 --> 00:13:07,260
And then we had a paper document written because we knew

340
00:13:07,260 --> 00:13:08,820
the people on a social basis.

341
00:13:09,180 --> 00:13:12,960
And that was more old-school based on handshake and trust at

342
00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:13,740
the end of the day,

343
00:13:14,100 --> 00:13:15,840
buying a business is a scary proposition,

344
00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:18,540
right. Especially if you don't ask the right questions.

345
00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:19,860
Yeah. And again,

346
00:13:19,860 --> 00:13:22,620
as we're talking about being the owners of our own businesses,

347
00:13:22,620 --> 00:13:24,240
we live and die by our decisions.

348
00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:27,120
So a handshake agreement for you could have been just fine.

349
00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:28,860
You could have felt that that was perfect,

350
00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,320
but then you live and die by that decision.

351
00:13:31,350 --> 00:13:34,410
Same thing with anything that we do as business owners.

352
00:13:34,410 --> 00:13:36,210
So great information though,

353
00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:37,080
David specially,

354
00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:37,590
in terms of,

355
00:13:37,590 --> 00:13:37,770
you know,

356
00:13:37,770 --> 00:13:40,200
if you are looking at purchasing someone else's business,

357
00:13:40,350 --> 00:13:43,320
look at those things underneath the intangibles,

358
00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:44,460
as David is saying,

359
00:13:44,490 --> 00:13:46,260
not just what is on the surface,

360
00:13:46,260 --> 00:13:47,790
not just sales last month,

361
00:13:47,970 --> 00:13:49,410
even a calendar year,

362
00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:50,760
look at trends.

363
00:13:50,910 --> 00:13:53,880
And then also look at the full scope of the business.

364
00:13:54,030 --> 00:13:55,350
If it's a commercial kitchen,

365
00:13:55,350 --> 00:13:58,110
because you're in you're baking or doing whatever,

366
00:13:58,140 --> 00:13:59,790
make sure that all of the services,

367
00:13:59,820 --> 00:14:01,290
all of the vendors that they use,

368
00:14:01,290 --> 00:14:02,910
you check all of that out.

369
00:14:03,150 --> 00:14:04,830
And also the physical facility,

370
00:14:04,860 --> 00:14:07,620
if that's part of your responsibility in the lease.

371
00:14:07,620 --> 00:14:10,260
So all of those other things that you may not be

372
00:14:10,260 --> 00:14:12,210
considering, David is advising.

373
00:14:12,210 --> 00:14:13,530
I think that's very,

374
00:14:13,530 --> 00:14:15,630
very good information for us right now.

375
00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:17,580
Let's continue on and talk about,

376
00:14:17,580 --> 00:14:20,040
so now you own Illinois nut and candy.

377
00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:23,100
Let's talk about how you've built the business over the years.

378
00:14:23,100 --> 00:14:24,750
I know you have a lot to tell us on the

379
00:14:24,750 --> 00:14:27,780
branding end share with us some of your experiences as you've

380
00:14:27,780 --> 00:14:30,510
grown. The first thing I realized when I bought the business

381
00:14:30,510 --> 00:14:32,670
was, and this may sound crazy,

382
00:14:32,730 --> 00:14:35,610
but the previous owner always said he was the kosher candy

383
00:14:35,610 --> 00:14:37,050
store, which is great,

384
00:14:37,050 --> 00:14:38,520
that you're the kosher candy store.

385
00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:39,960
But at the end of the day,

386
00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,120
I want it to be more than just the kosher candy

387
00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,960
store. And my wife and I were looking at ways of

388
00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:47,130
how to grow the business.

389
00:14:47,430 --> 00:14:50,190
Well, there's a few things we realized right off the bat.

390
00:14:50,220 --> 00:14:50,910
Number one,

391
00:14:51,110 --> 00:14:53,060
we offered a lot of product in a lot of different

392
00:14:53,060 --> 00:14:55,130
niches. We offer gluten-free products.

393
00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:56,870
We offered sugar-free products.

394
00:14:57,110 --> 00:14:59,630
We offered lactose free and KC and free products.

395
00:15:00,020 --> 00:15:01,730
And we offered some nut-free products.

396
00:15:01,730 --> 00:15:02,540
So that was option.

397
00:15:02,540 --> 00:15:05,840
Number one was like building on the niches option two,

398
00:15:05,870 --> 00:15:09,710
which, and these were all things we were doing together simultaneously

399
00:15:09,950 --> 00:15:11,750
was that people buy candy by color.

400
00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:15,770
So we started marketing by color and selling the candy by

401
00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:17,090
the various shades of color.

402
00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:20,090
And then the most important thing that we started working on,

403
00:15:20,090 --> 00:15:22,790
which is something that I started working on was helping build

404
00:15:22,790 --> 00:15:25,100
our brand and helping our clients build their brand.

405
00:15:25,370 --> 00:15:26,360
We took a multi-campus.

406
00:15:27,250 --> 00:15:28,630
Okay, so you,

407
00:15:28,870 --> 00:15:29,680
number one,

408
00:15:29,950 --> 00:15:32,140
we're not going to be yet another candy shop,

409
00:15:32,170 --> 00:15:33,310
right. With another product.

410
00:15:33,310 --> 00:15:34,630
So you really identified,

411
00:15:34,630 --> 00:15:36,070
well, what are we doing differently?

412
00:15:36,250 --> 00:15:40,150
Or what are we doing that we can really enhance and

413
00:15:40,150 --> 00:15:42,250
present in terms of marketing to the world?

414
00:15:42,250 --> 00:15:43,510
So those were your niches.

415
00:15:43,690 --> 00:15:45,280
And then also the candy by color.

416
00:15:45,910 --> 00:15:48,070
I think it was also expanding and saying,

417
00:15:48,190 --> 00:15:50,170
Hey, we're not just as little candy store.

418
00:15:50,170 --> 00:15:51,250
That is kosher.

419
00:15:51,430 --> 00:15:52,150
We are,

420
00:15:52,270 --> 00:15:52,600
you know,

421
00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:54,520
largest kosher candy store in the Midwest.

422
00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:58,630
We offer all these different variety of options and we offer

423
00:15:58,630 --> 00:16:00,100
a lot of different things for our clients.

424
00:16:00,700 --> 00:16:02,140
What portion of your business?

425
00:16:02,140 --> 00:16:05,140
David is corporate business versus individual.

426
00:16:05,500 --> 00:16:06,460
It depends on the season,

427
00:16:06,490 --> 00:16:07,150
November, December.

428
00:16:07,150 --> 00:16:07,750
It's more corporate.

429
00:16:07,750 --> 00:16:09,340
Now, if you walk in the store today,

430
00:16:09,340 --> 00:16:10,510
it's more individual,

431
00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:11,350
but in November,

432
00:16:11,350 --> 00:16:12,640
December, it's definitely more corporate.

433
00:16:12,910 --> 00:16:13,690
Gotcha. So,

434
00:16:13,690 --> 00:16:13,980
you know,

435
00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:15,010
it's a seasonal,

436
00:16:15,010 --> 00:16:15,190
you know,

437
00:16:15,190 --> 00:16:15,880
there's like,

438
00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:16,150
you know,

439
00:16:16,210 --> 00:16:16,870
in this industry,

440
00:16:16,870 --> 00:16:17,380
it's all happening,

441
00:16:18,130 --> 00:16:19,360
Right. Overall,

442
00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:20,470
what would be your mix?

443
00:16:20,710 --> 00:16:21,490
Probably about 60,

444
00:16:21,490 --> 00:16:22,570
40. Okay.

445
00:16:22,570 --> 00:16:23,980
So almost pretty even there,

446
00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,970
but I don't often hear of businesses talking about how to

447
00:16:27,970 --> 00:16:31,600
help their corporate clients build their brand,

448
00:16:31,810 --> 00:16:34,300
which is then pulling on your past experience,

449
00:16:34,330 --> 00:16:35,890
applying it to Illinois,

450
00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:36,850
nut and candy,

451
00:16:37,060 --> 00:16:41,170
and then making your brand and working with you even more

452
00:16:41,170 --> 00:16:42,370
valuable. Right?

453
00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:43,450
In reality,

454
00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:46,390
you could walk into a sales call and you can say

455
00:16:46,390 --> 00:16:47,110
to somebody,

456
00:16:47,410 --> 00:16:50,500
I want to sell you whether it's traveling gift baskets or

457
00:16:50,500 --> 00:16:53,140
boxes of chocolate or whatever,

458
00:16:53,290 --> 00:16:55,660
going back to my undergrad psych degree,

459
00:16:55,810 --> 00:16:57,280
if you don't listen to people,

460
00:16:57,520 --> 00:16:59,110
you're not going to be very successful.

461
00:16:59,380 --> 00:17:02,890
And I think listening is a very important skill to have.

462
00:17:03,190 --> 00:17:04,630
And then unlike in the psych last,

463
00:17:04,630 --> 00:17:06,730
or they said you weren't supposed to offer solutions to people's

464
00:17:06,730 --> 00:17:09,820
problems when you're listening to somebody and they tell you what

465
00:17:09,820 --> 00:17:10,780
their problem is,

466
00:17:11,020 --> 00:17:12,850
you want to give them a creative way to solve that

467
00:17:12,850 --> 00:17:14,110
problem. You want to help them,

468
00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:16,720
right? You want them to feel that you're not just there

469
00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:18,840
for the quick sale and you're here today,

470
00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:22,630
Given that you are a professional on branding.

471
00:17:22,660 --> 00:17:24,160
If we have people who are listening,

472
00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:25,960
who are just beginning,

473
00:17:26,170 --> 00:17:28,150
regardless of what their business is,

474
00:17:28,360 --> 00:17:29,620
they don't really have a brand yet.

475
00:17:29,620 --> 00:17:31,630
Cause they're just bringing their product to market.

476
00:17:31,900 --> 00:17:35,100
Can you give any advice in terms of how do identify,

477
00:17:35,140 --> 00:17:37,300
define or create a brand?

478
00:17:37,330 --> 00:17:38,380
Just a couple of tips.

479
00:17:38,860 --> 00:17:41,050
So if you're looking to identify your brand,

480
00:17:41,350 --> 00:17:43,060
it really comes down to sitting there.

481
00:17:43,180 --> 00:17:46,030
And even before you come up with your name for your

482
00:17:46,030 --> 00:17:48,220
business, or if you already came up with your own business

483
00:17:48,220 --> 00:17:50,550
name, what are you trying to accomplish?

484
00:17:50,790 --> 00:17:51,960
Who's your target market?

485
00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:53,520
What is your message?

486
00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:54,960
What makes you unique?

487
00:17:55,260 --> 00:17:57,510
And I've had this conversation with lots of people.

488
00:17:57,690 --> 00:18:01,890
If you could sit down and identify those items and you

489
00:18:01,890 --> 00:18:03,270
could articulate those,

490
00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:07,290
you're much more capable of starting on your way to building

491
00:18:07,290 --> 00:18:07,680
a brand.

492
00:18:08,060 --> 00:18:09,020
Yeah. Because let's face it.

493
00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:12,680
Other people could have similar products that you do even David,

494
00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:13,670
but it's the brand.

495
00:18:13,670 --> 00:18:15,350
It's what else you bring to the table.

496
00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:17,180
You have to have a quality product for sure.

497
00:18:17,180 --> 00:18:19,130
But it's not just all about the product.

498
00:18:19,370 --> 00:18:20,150
It's what,

499
00:18:20,270 --> 00:18:22,490
all the other things that go along with it,

500
00:18:22,700 --> 00:18:23,960
the customer experience,

501
00:18:23,990 --> 00:18:26,090
the videos that you're now putting on the website,

502
00:18:26,270 --> 00:18:28,190
you as being the kosher,

503
00:18:28,190 --> 00:18:28,850
Willy Wonka,

504
00:18:28,850 --> 00:18:29,840
just the whole thing.

505
00:18:29,870 --> 00:18:33,320
All of that is encompassing in what your brand is.

506
00:18:33,590 --> 00:18:36,290
And I really think that part of your brand is you,

507
00:18:36,290 --> 00:18:37,760
but it's more than just you,

508
00:18:37,850 --> 00:18:38,510
the person,

509
00:18:38,510 --> 00:18:40,490
because the business is more than you.

510
00:18:40,490 --> 00:18:40,700
I mean,

511
00:18:40,700 --> 00:18:42,230
I might be the face of the business,

512
00:18:42,470 --> 00:18:44,780
but right now I have staff that if I walk out

513
00:18:44,780 --> 00:18:45,440
of the store,

514
00:18:45,650 --> 00:18:48,650
I know they're carrying on the same philosophy.

515
00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:49,550
This is a happy,

516
00:18:49,550 --> 00:18:50,690
cheery place to come.

517
00:18:50,930 --> 00:18:53,480
Our customers are happy to be in the store.

518
00:18:53,630 --> 00:18:54,620
And that has to come from you.

519
00:18:54,620 --> 00:18:57,650
That has to come from the top down and continually reinforcing

520
00:18:57,650 --> 00:18:59,360
it. It comes from the top down.

521
00:18:59,510 --> 00:19:03,710
It's a very hard message to put out there.

522
00:19:04,010 --> 00:19:06,020
And to be perfectly honest,

523
00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:10,220
finding the right staff is probably one of the hardest things

524
00:19:10,220 --> 00:19:10,670
you can do.

525
00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:12,620
And that's not disparaging anybody.

526
00:19:12,620 --> 00:19:13,970
Who's worked for me in the past,

527
00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:17,600
but finding the right group of people because it is,

528
00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:17,810
you know,

529
00:19:17,810 --> 00:19:19,040
it's a team and you know,

530
00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:22,460
they always talk about team chemistry and all that good stuff.

531
00:19:22,820 --> 00:19:25,370
And the professional sporting level to a certain degree,

532
00:19:25,370 --> 00:19:27,560
there's some chemistry that needs to be in the retail level

533
00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:29,870
too. You gotta have staff.

534
00:19:30,110 --> 00:19:31,250
They don't have to like each other,

535
00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,400
but they gotta respect each other and work together And pull

536
00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:35,300
their own weight.

537
00:19:35,540 --> 00:19:38,060
Yeah. Have you ever been in a situation where there's one

538
00:19:38,060 --> 00:19:41,690
person who just does not do their full job?

539
00:19:41,690 --> 00:19:44,750
So other people are having to compensate and the whole morale

540
00:19:44,780 --> 00:19:46,610
of everything just goes down.

541
00:19:46,820 --> 00:19:48,170
The second they're gone,

542
00:19:48,530 --> 00:19:50,000
everything becomes more lively,

543
00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,070
more productive work is fun.

544
00:19:52,070 --> 00:19:54,530
Again, I've definitely been in situations like that,

545
00:19:54,770 --> 00:19:57,950
but I've also been in situations where I've had employees don't

546
00:19:57,950 --> 00:20:00,650
understand how come in their mind,

547
00:20:00,650 --> 00:20:02,270
they're doing more than other people.

548
00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,690
And I try to explain to them that as a manager's

549
00:20:05,690 --> 00:20:10,910
responsibility, it's his or her responsibility to find everybody's strong point.

550
00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:12,980
Not everybody could tie the perfect bow.

551
00:20:13,350 --> 00:20:18,200
Not everybody could make a customer smile and sometimes you're better

552
00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:19,580
off having that person.

553
00:20:19,910 --> 00:20:23,450
Who's really good at making customers smile and really good customer

554
00:20:23,450 --> 00:20:25,580
service take care of customers.

555
00:20:25,580 --> 00:20:28,250
And that person who's really good at tying bows being the

556
00:20:28,250 --> 00:20:29,060
back of the shop.

557
00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:33,470
And I think that's your job as a manager slash owner,

558
00:20:33,770 --> 00:20:37,040
is delegating people with tasks that they Excel at.

559
00:20:37,310 --> 00:20:39,380
If you could make somebody a better employee,

560
00:20:39,380 --> 00:20:40,020
they'll work harder.

561
00:20:40,790 --> 00:20:42,590
I love that because the other thing is,

562
00:20:42,590 --> 00:20:44,390
is if people know,

563
00:20:44,420 --> 00:20:46,760
if they're in a job that they're not naturally good at,

564
00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:49,840
and it's a struggle and it's stressful and all of that.

565
00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:53,560
But if you are identifying just like you're saying David employees

566
00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:54,970
and where their strengths are,

567
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,360
and then allowing them to be recognized for that and proud

568
00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:01,990
of that because they tie an awesome bow or they're really

569
00:21:01,990 --> 00:21:02,950
good people,

570
00:21:02,950 --> 00:21:04,540
people up at the counter,

571
00:21:04,570 --> 00:21:08,830
interacting with customers and each person can be recognized for their

572
00:21:08,830 --> 00:21:11,380
uniqueness, with their strongest skill.

573
00:21:11,650 --> 00:21:14,650
Then nobody's really competing with each other because it all comes

574
00:21:14,650 --> 00:21:17,860
together as a whole of the experience that people are getting

575
00:21:17,860 --> 00:21:22,350
when they're walking in the store or receiving And full disclosure,

576
00:21:22,620 --> 00:21:24,450
my first X years in business,

577
00:21:24,870 --> 00:21:26,550
I wasn't necessarily really good at that.

578
00:21:26,550 --> 00:21:28,590
That's something that I've picked up over the years.

579
00:21:28,860 --> 00:21:29,820
It's one of those things that like,

580
00:21:30,300 --> 00:21:31,530
don't have somebody who's listening going,

581
00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:32,310
Oh my God,

582
00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:33,180
I'm not doing that.

583
00:21:33,180 --> 00:21:34,530
Well, don't worry neither to die.

584
00:21:34,710 --> 00:21:37,080
Just like you build your client list,

585
00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:38,070
you build your,

586
00:21:38,370 --> 00:21:38,610
you know,

587
00:21:38,610 --> 00:21:40,170
your skill set or your toolkit.

588
00:21:40,170 --> 00:21:40,830
So to speak,

589
00:21:41,310 --> 00:21:44,280
you read books and you listen to other people and you

590
00:21:44,580 --> 00:21:45,630
build on what you know,

591
00:21:45,630 --> 00:21:46,680
and as you build on what,

592
00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:47,190
you know,

593
00:21:47,370 --> 00:21:49,440
you become a better manager,

594
00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:50,940
owner, executives,

595
00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:52,710
always a work in progress,

596
00:21:52,710 --> 00:21:54,450
right? Oh,

597
00:21:54,450 --> 00:21:56,820
it's every day is a learning curve.

598
00:21:56,820 --> 00:21:57,270
You know,

599
00:21:57,450 --> 00:21:58,860
we're always learning something now.

600
00:22:00,180 --> 00:22:00,600
All right.

601
00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:02,400
So since it's a learning curve,

602
00:22:02,430 --> 00:22:06,000
take us to a time when business wasn't so great.

603
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,850
You might've been rethinking this purchase of yours.

604
00:22:08,850 --> 00:22:09,000
You know,

605
00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:09,510
give us a,

606
00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,480
a point where you were really struggling with something,

607
00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:12,690
you know,

608
00:22:12,690 --> 00:22:14,370
share with us what that was.

609
00:22:14,370 --> 00:22:16,980
And then what you did to overcome the situation.

610
00:22:17,340 --> 00:22:20,280
I look back at the almost 12 years of this point

611
00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:21,420
of owning the business.

612
00:22:21,690 --> 00:22:24,450
And there are numerous times where I said to myself,

613
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:25,320
Oh my God,

614
00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:26,580
what did I get myself into?

615
00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:28,560
And I think it's a natural thing.

616
00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:30,840
I probably bought the business at the worst time to buy

617
00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:32,610
a business in 2004,

618
00:22:32,610 --> 00:22:34,470
when the economy was not doing all that well,

619
00:22:34,830 --> 00:22:36,420
2008, it took another dip.

620
00:22:36,780 --> 00:22:41,100
And I really think that there are two ways to look

621
00:22:41,100 --> 00:22:41,340
at it.

622
00:22:41,550 --> 00:22:42,690
Everything at that point,

623
00:22:43,110 --> 00:22:44,100
I do a lot of networking.

624
00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:46,110
There was one woman who I would come home and tell

625
00:22:46,110 --> 00:22:46,680
my wife,

626
00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:47,640
she would complain.

627
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:49,080
She lost this account.

628
00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:50,460
Then she lost that account.

629
00:22:50,460 --> 00:22:53,700
And this person wasn't paying and my wife's dubbed her,

630
00:22:53,700 --> 00:22:56,340
the Dorothy downer and her name wasn't Dorothy,

631
00:22:56,370 --> 00:22:57,900
but she called her the Dorothy downer.

632
00:22:58,230 --> 00:23:01,890
And I realized by talking to my wife about this,

633
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:05,040
she was bringing her own bad karma to the situation.

634
00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:09,120
Nobody wants to do business with somebody who's always losing accounts.

635
00:23:09,450 --> 00:23:10,950
Do we all lose an account yet?

636
00:23:10,980 --> 00:23:11,970
People, you know,

637
00:23:11,970 --> 00:23:14,040
your contact leaves and goes to another company.

638
00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:15,810
The new person comes in and he,

639
00:23:15,810 --> 00:23:18,630
or she brings her vendors with them.

640
00:23:18,870 --> 00:23:19,170
You know,

641
00:23:19,170 --> 00:23:20,550
companies go out of business,

642
00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:22,230
but nobody wants to hear about it.

643
00:23:22,230 --> 00:23:24,090
That's why I say it's always a sweet day.

644
00:23:24,420 --> 00:23:24,750
You know,

645
00:23:24,750 --> 00:23:25,380
if I got,

646
00:23:25,530 --> 00:23:26,600
if I was at a networking event,

647
00:23:26,610 --> 00:23:26,910
somebody go,

648
00:23:26,910 --> 00:23:27,510
how's your day.

649
00:23:27,510 --> 00:23:29,760
And I had a really bad day and I started giving

650
00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:31,440
the laundry list of everything that went wrong.

651
00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:32,760
Do you think anybody would wanna talk to me?

652
00:23:33,630 --> 00:23:33,990
You know?

653
00:23:33,990 --> 00:23:35,070
And so if I'm having a bad day,

654
00:23:35,070 --> 00:23:35,280
I say,

655
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:35,820
it's nutty,

656
00:23:35,820 --> 00:23:37,110
what exactly does money mean?

657
00:23:37,110 --> 00:23:37,770
Who knows?

658
00:23:38,070 --> 00:23:39,000
It makes somebody laugh.

659
00:23:39,030 --> 00:23:39,330
You know,

660
00:23:39,330 --> 00:23:40,680
it's my standard response.

661
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:41,820
Either sweet or nutty,

662
00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:42,900
nothing, just men.

663
00:23:42,900 --> 00:23:43,920
It was a wacky day.

664
00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:45,180
And we were really busy.

665
00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:46,610
The phone didn't stop ringing.

666
00:23:46,930 --> 00:23:49,040
They don't have to know that I had a machine break

667
00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:50,660
that the vendor,

668
00:23:50,660 --> 00:23:51,020
you know,

669
00:23:51,020 --> 00:23:52,610
here this past week,

670
00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:53,720
we had a machine break.

671
00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:57,200
One day we had the HVAC guy laying on the floor

672
00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:58,190
for six hours,

673
00:23:58,190 --> 00:24:00,080
fixing it or replacing the part.

674
00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:02,960
And that same day we found that we had been closed

675
00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:05,360
on Monday for a Jewish holiday that a vendor left the

676
00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:08,090
pallet of candy in the alley that we had to destroy.

677
00:24:08,450 --> 00:24:09,110
Oh my gosh.

678
00:24:09,380 --> 00:24:10,310
That's not what I said.

679
00:24:10,340 --> 00:24:10,610
But yeah,

680
00:24:10,610 --> 00:24:11,360
there was an old one here.

681
00:24:12,530 --> 00:24:13,610
Yeah. It was kind of like,

682
00:24:13,670 --> 00:24:14,360
I call the vendor,

683
00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:16,340
but he can't just drop product in an alley.

684
00:24:16,340 --> 00:24:16,640
I mean,

685
00:24:16,820 --> 00:24:18,440
I was actually very happy to say,

686
00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:20,240
nobody stole a single box.

687
00:24:20,540 --> 00:24:21,440
That being said,

688
00:24:21,650 --> 00:24:24,110
there wasn't a bird that didn't miss landing on it.

689
00:24:24,380 --> 00:24:25,730
And it rained and poor.

690
00:24:25,730 --> 00:24:26,000
I mean,

691
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:26,180
you know,

692
00:24:26,180 --> 00:24:27,830
but these are all crazy things.

693
00:24:27,830 --> 00:24:28,760
So I'm going to day like that.

694
00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:29,030
I'd say,

695
00:24:29,060 --> 00:24:29,330
Oh yeah,

696
00:24:29,330 --> 00:24:30,110
I had a nutty day.

697
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:31,070
You know,

698
00:24:31,070 --> 00:24:31,760
people laugh,

699
00:24:31,970 --> 00:24:32,330
you know,

700
00:24:32,330 --> 00:24:32,690
and it's like,

701
00:24:32,900 --> 00:24:33,770
it is what it is.

702
00:24:34,490 --> 00:24:35,300
But in general,

703
00:24:35,620 --> 00:24:36,400
Now I know your trick,

704
00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:39,010
David, I'll be listening for whether it's none of your sweet

705
00:24:39,010 --> 00:24:39,880
when I ask you for now.

706
00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:41,050
But you know what,

707
00:24:41,260 --> 00:24:42,280
when you say nutty,

708
00:24:42,310 --> 00:24:43,390
it just means it was a hectic,

709
00:24:43,390 --> 00:24:43,930
crazy day.

710
00:24:43,930 --> 00:24:45,370
Doesn't mean it was necessarily a bad day.

711
00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:47,080
You're still have a business.

712
00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:48,340
You own a thriving business.

713
00:24:48,340 --> 00:24:50,200
There's always going to be issues that come up.

714
00:24:50,470 --> 00:24:52,630
So I think really what you're saying is it's a mindset,

715
00:24:53,140 --> 00:24:53,500
You know,

716
00:24:53,590 --> 00:24:54,880
and it really is the mindset.

717
00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:57,880
Cause if Monday I would even walk it around after I

718
00:24:57,880 --> 00:24:58,660
said the initial,

719
00:24:58,960 --> 00:24:59,920
Oh, expletives,

720
00:25:00,190 --> 00:25:00,520
you know,

721
00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:03,100
and I was frustrated and we stood in the alley and

722
00:25:03,100 --> 00:25:05,470
he was like 90 degrees on Tuesday when we were throwing

723
00:25:05,470 --> 00:25:06,910
this stuff away in the dumpster,

724
00:25:07,150 --> 00:25:08,140
it was frustrating.

725
00:25:08,170 --> 00:25:08,800
I couldn't let that,

726
00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:09,220
you know,

727
00:25:09,220 --> 00:25:12,250
they talk about different color eyeglasses and everything and how it

728
00:25:12,250 --> 00:25:13,270
shaves your day.

729
00:25:13,810 --> 00:25:17,260
They could have put a total dark gloomy on my day,

730
00:25:17,590 --> 00:25:19,150
as opposed to just being okay.

731
00:25:19,390 --> 00:25:20,140
It happens.

732
00:25:20,470 --> 00:25:21,730
I'm not happy it happens,

733
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:22,810
but it is what it is.

734
00:25:22,810 --> 00:25:24,280
And it's done and you move on.

735
00:25:24,490 --> 00:25:28,090
But I think too many people focus on the negative and

736
00:25:28,090 --> 00:25:30,280
it's so much easier to focus on the negative than it

737
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:31,510
is to focus on the positive.

738
00:25:31,870 --> 00:25:34,150
If you're happy and you're looking at positive things,

739
00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:35,920
other positive things will follow.

740
00:25:36,370 --> 00:25:37,930
I totally agree with that.

741
00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:39,730
If you focus on the negative,

742
00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:42,010
I don't want to say more bad stuff will happen.

743
00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:42,910
But my wife,

744
00:25:42,910 --> 00:25:43,960
I think said it put it best.

745
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:45,490
She told my kid one morning he woke up.

746
00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:46,360
He was in a bad mood.

747
00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:46,630
He goes,

748
00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:47,410
you know,

749
00:25:47,470 --> 00:25:50,950
you have the ability to wake up and you can decide

750
00:25:50,950 --> 00:25:52,270
it's going to be a good day or a bad day

751
00:25:52,270 --> 00:25:53,470
today. She's right.

752
00:25:53,740 --> 00:25:54,790
He turns it around.

753
00:25:54,790 --> 00:25:57,040
Thank God You attract what you give out.

754
00:25:57,070 --> 00:25:59,980
I really believe That go to any networking event.

755
00:26:00,250 --> 00:26:00,640
You'll see.

756
00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,100
There's people that they stand in the corner,

757
00:26:03,310 --> 00:26:04,510
not talking to anybody.

758
00:26:04,870 --> 00:26:06,220
Those are the people I walk up to.

759
00:26:06,220 --> 00:26:08,530
Cause I figured they're a prime target because they're just there

760
00:26:08,530 --> 00:26:09,250
to eat or drink.

761
00:26:09,550 --> 00:26:10,740
If they're not talking to anybody,

762
00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:12,640
maybe they're shy and who knows.

763
00:26:12,940 --> 00:26:13,960
But in general,

764
00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:15,700
people that are not talking to people,

765
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:16,840
aren't going to get people,

766
00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:17,860
have people talk to them.

767
00:26:18,250 --> 00:26:19,930
People around them are talking to them.

768
00:26:20,110 --> 00:26:21,070
More people want to talk.

769
00:26:21,070 --> 00:26:21,520
Cause they're like,

770
00:26:21,820 --> 00:26:22,810
Hey, what's going on?

771
00:26:23,110 --> 00:26:24,220
And I think that's important.

772
00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,070
It's all about how you hold yourself.

773
00:26:27,310 --> 00:26:27,640
You know,

774
00:26:27,670 --> 00:26:28,480
even if you're,

775
00:26:28,510 --> 00:26:28,840
let's say,

776
00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:30,130
if you're having a nutty day,

777
00:26:30,130 --> 00:26:31,870
just the way you're talking about it,

778
00:26:31,900 --> 00:26:33,670
instead of dwelling on it,

779
00:26:33,940 --> 00:26:35,710
it helps you fix your mood too.

780
00:26:35,710 --> 00:26:38,710
It kind of self-correct and go back into that positive trend.

781
00:26:38,860 --> 00:26:41,410
And sometimes you just need a good night's sleep For a

782
00:26:41,410 --> 00:26:42,490
good piece of chocolate.

783
00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:43,800
Oh, you go,

784
00:26:44,070 --> 00:26:44,340
All right,

785
00:26:44,370 --> 00:26:46,230
let's flip this around then David,

786
00:26:46,230 --> 00:26:48,900
and talk with us a little bit about things that you

787
00:26:48,900 --> 00:26:51,750
see that bring business into the store.

788
00:26:51,750 --> 00:26:54,330
Is there a trick you have or some type of promotion

789
00:26:54,330 --> 00:26:54,870
that you do,

790
00:26:55,050 --> 00:26:57,990
or some advice that you can give that you see moves?

791
00:26:57,990 --> 00:26:59,310
The needle of sales?

792
00:26:59,820 --> 00:27:02,510
Best thing I did was when we bought the business called

793
00:27:02,540 --> 00:27:03,620
Illinois, not outlet.

794
00:27:03,890 --> 00:27:07,670
We changed the name to Illinois and candy because candy sweet

795
00:27:07,670 --> 00:27:08,660
and it brought people in.

796
00:27:08,930 --> 00:27:10,400
But more importantly than that,

797
00:27:10,670 --> 00:27:12,740
we changed the way our store looks.

798
00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:14,300
We put a whole facade on that.

799
00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:15,800
If you're driving down Dempster,

800
00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,290
you'll see a big two big candy canes,

801
00:27:18,500 --> 00:27:20,930
a big Starlight mint on top of the building.

802
00:27:21,260 --> 00:27:25,490
And we invested a lot of money into the mural.

803
00:27:25,490 --> 00:27:29,090
That's on the front of our building and became a landmark

804
00:27:29,090 --> 00:27:29,720
in Skokie.

805
00:27:30,110 --> 00:27:31,370
So people can't miss you.

806
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:32,150
That's for sure.

807
00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:33,290
Now we're,

808
00:27:33,470 --> 00:27:34,280
we're there.

809
00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,320
Whether the village wants us there or not at this point,

810
00:27:36,710 --> 00:27:38,210
And you sparked curiosity.

811
00:27:38,210 --> 00:27:41,360
So people who haven't ever been by are automatically going to

812
00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:43,840
see you and hopefully turn that wheel and drive right in

813
00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:45,290
Which we have a lot of people do.

814
00:27:45,290 --> 00:27:45,530
I mean,

815
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:46,060
even today,

816
00:27:46,580 --> 00:27:48,560
I forgot how many years ago we painted cars.

817
00:27:48,860 --> 00:27:49,070
You know,

818
00:27:49,070 --> 00:27:50,810
now it seems like it's been painted forever.

819
00:27:50,810 --> 00:27:51,590
And I know it's not,

820
00:27:51,590 --> 00:27:53,030
I think it's like seven or eight years,

821
00:27:53,390 --> 00:27:56,180
at least one or two people a week come in because

822
00:27:56,180 --> 00:27:56,840
of the mural.

823
00:27:57,110 --> 00:28:01,040
And I know every municipality has different rules and regulations and

824
00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:02,000
they'll just Skokie.

825
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,170
Wasn't exactly thrilled,

826
00:28:03,170 --> 00:28:04,940
but they approved mine mural.

827
00:28:05,270 --> 00:28:06,350
That being said,

828
00:28:06,710 --> 00:28:08,900
you got to find a way to stand out and distinguish

829
00:28:08,900 --> 00:28:11,510
yourself. We've tried and there's gonna be a lot of people

830
00:28:11,510 --> 00:28:13,490
in the advertising world are going to be really upset what

831
00:28:13,490 --> 00:28:14,300
I say right now.

832
00:28:14,450 --> 00:28:16,520
So I apologize to them first.

833
00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:20,210
We've tried advertising on public transportation,

834
00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:22,070
radio, TV,

835
00:28:22,340 --> 00:28:24,020
print, think that's it.

836
00:28:24,380 --> 00:28:24,830
Those are the,

837
00:28:24,890 --> 00:28:25,250
I mean,

838
00:28:25,250 --> 00:28:25,490
I know,

839
00:28:25,490 --> 00:28:26,000
I know.

840
00:28:26,210 --> 00:28:26,900
And the phone belt,

841
00:28:27,170 --> 00:28:29,660
the old fashioned phone book and those,

842
00:28:29,750 --> 00:28:30,620
Oh, I forgot.

843
00:28:30,620 --> 00:28:32,030
And the mailer things that they send out.

844
00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:34,490
So we've tried all these different media.

845
00:28:34,730 --> 00:28:39,650
The best way to advertise is word of mouth referrals.

846
00:28:40,070 --> 00:28:42,080
And you got to follow the old adage of people do

847
00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:44,630
business with people that they know they like,

848
00:28:44,630 --> 00:28:45,230
they trust.

849
00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:47,180
And the more people that you know,

850
00:28:47,540 --> 00:28:49,460
and if you have a proper work ethic,

851
00:28:49,700 --> 00:28:50,750
they learn to trust you.

852
00:28:51,050 --> 00:28:52,130
And hopefully they like you.

853
00:28:52,430 --> 00:28:54,320
And that helps you build your book of business.

854
00:28:54,650 --> 00:28:56,270
Two things then with the facade,

855
00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:56,540
you know,

856
00:28:56,540 --> 00:28:58,220
the difference in the facade of your building,

857
00:28:58,220 --> 00:29:01,460
you drew attention to yourself and a curiosity factor.

858
00:29:01,730 --> 00:29:03,260
You also adjusted the name.

859
00:29:03,260 --> 00:29:06,200
So it was more representative of what you do.

860
00:29:06,500 --> 00:29:08,270
And then when people come in,

861
00:29:08,270 --> 00:29:10,910
you're offering a wonderful experience inside.

862
00:29:10,910 --> 00:29:13,130
And obviously your product is spectacular.

863
00:29:13,130 --> 00:29:15,440
I know that because I've tried it many a time,

864
00:29:15,470 --> 00:29:17,000
but it's interesting that you say this,

865
00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:17,210
you know,

866
00:29:17,210 --> 00:29:20,870
you're getting down to really the basics of being a good

867
00:29:20,870 --> 00:29:25,070
business and interesting that you'd put yourself out there in terms

868
00:29:25,070 --> 00:29:28,400
of the advertising not being as much as possibly you would

869
00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:29,600
have wanted it to be.

870
00:29:29,870 --> 00:29:30,950
What do you say David,

871
00:29:30,950 --> 00:29:31,820
about social media,

872
00:29:32,150 --> 00:29:33,080
Social media.

873
00:29:34,290 --> 00:29:35,930
There's a lot to say about social media.

874
00:29:36,410 --> 00:29:39,380
Okay. Make it a one minute explanation.

875
00:29:40,460 --> 00:29:44,350
So I think social media Can definitely help and can definitely

876
00:29:44,350 --> 00:29:45,220
hurt. I mean,

877
00:29:45,550 --> 00:29:47,710
Oh, that's interesting years ago.

878
00:29:47,860 --> 00:29:50,740
I had a college intern doing my social media and remember

879
00:29:50,740 --> 00:29:51,280
bubble boy,

880
00:29:51,310 --> 00:29:53,350
that kid that went up in a balloon or something,

881
00:29:53,350 --> 00:29:54,480
supposedly. Yeah.

882
00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:57,700
Yeah. So my college intern thought it was the funniest thing

883
00:29:57,700 --> 00:29:59,050
in the entire world and wrote,

884
00:29:59,380 --> 00:30:01,480
what would you take in a balloon if you were stuck

885
00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:02,950
in a balloon or I think,

886
00:30:02,950 --> 00:30:03,600
I don't even remember what,

887
00:30:03,610 --> 00:30:05,110
how high after whatever.

888
00:30:05,110 --> 00:30:06,280
Cause it was so many years ago.

889
00:30:06,630 --> 00:30:07,200
So she's buying,

890
00:30:07,230 --> 00:30:09,900
trying to be creative and play off of something that was

891
00:30:09,900 --> 00:30:11,370
pertinent in the news at the time.

892
00:30:12,420 --> 00:30:13,740
And all of a sudden,

893
00:30:14,010 --> 00:30:15,090
everybody in anybody,

894
00:30:15,090 --> 00:30:16,590
cause she posted like seven 30,

895
00:30:16,590 --> 00:30:17,370
eight o'clock at night.

896
00:30:17,670 --> 00:30:20,460
I started getting emails and texts left and right.

897
00:30:20,580 --> 00:30:21,450
And I'm sitting here going,

898
00:30:21,450 --> 00:30:21,660
you know,

899
00:30:21,660 --> 00:30:22,470
what's going on?

900
00:30:22,770 --> 00:30:25,560
And then I started reading through what people were sending me

901
00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,830
and I had like one person say you're a disgusting person

902
00:30:28,830 --> 00:30:29,670
and you know,

903
00:30:29,670 --> 00:30:30,720
Lottie, Dottie die.

904
00:30:30,730 --> 00:30:31,380
How could you,

905
00:30:31,380 --> 00:30:32,850
I'm never shopping your store again.

906
00:30:32,850 --> 00:30:33,210
And I'm like,

907
00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:34,440
what, what did I do?

908
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:35,850
So I like knew the person,

909
00:30:36,150 --> 00:30:36,360
you know,

910
00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:37,140
through networking.

911
00:30:37,140 --> 00:30:37,950
And I responded like,

912
00:30:38,220 --> 00:30:39,210
can I ask what I did?

913
00:30:39,540 --> 00:30:40,800
And she said that post,

914
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:42,180
you just put out there and I'm like,

915
00:30:42,510 --> 00:30:44,160
okay, let me apologize.

916
00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:45,660
I have a college intern working for me.

917
00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:47,040
What did she put out there?

918
00:30:47,340 --> 00:30:49,200
And she told me,

919
00:30:49,650 --> 00:30:49,920
I was like,

920
00:30:49,950 --> 00:30:52,350
Ooh. So we get to take the down and apologize.

921
00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:53,700
So, you know,

922
00:30:53,910 --> 00:30:54,780
social media,

923
00:30:54,930 --> 00:30:56,790
you need it because you need it.

924
00:30:56,790 --> 00:30:58,980
Nowadays could bite you in the tail.

925
00:30:59,310 --> 00:31:00,720
If you have the wrong post out there,

926
00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,300
you have somebody that's really angry at you or at your

927
00:31:03,300 --> 00:31:05,910
business. It can bite you in this bottom side.

928
00:31:06,210 --> 00:31:07,260
That being said,

929
00:31:07,530 --> 00:31:08,490
it's a necessary evil,

930
00:31:08,490 --> 00:31:10,890
unfortunately. And you got a budget for it.

931
00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:12,660
You budget for it in terms of ads,

932
00:31:12,690 --> 00:31:14,340
are you running like Facebook ads?

933
00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:15,720
I don't Know.

934
00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:16,190
I don't pay for,

935
00:31:16,580 --> 00:31:17,130
but you know,

936
00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,400
So you budget for it in terms of someone having somebody

937
00:31:20,460 --> 00:31:21,210
on your staff,

938
00:31:21,210 --> 00:31:22,090
helping you,

939
00:31:22,470 --> 00:31:22,650
I mean,

940
00:31:22,650 --> 00:31:25,170
and your staff are bringing in an external company to help

941
00:31:25,170 --> 00:31:29,280
you or like I'm doing the videos right now that falls

942
00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:30,390
under the social media budget.

943
00:31:30,750 --> 00:31:31,590
Right? I mean,

944
00:31:31,590 --> 00:31:33,000
I don't think in this day and age,

945
00:31:33,060 --> 00:31:35,940
even if you're a local location,

946
00:31:36,150 --> 00:31:38,910
you can do without some type of website presence,

947
00:31:38,940 --> 00:31:39,150
you know,

948
00:31:39,150 --> 00:31:42,000
whether it's your own website or a Facebook page or an

949
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:42,810
Instagram page,

950
00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:44,850
whatever, you have to have something online.

951
00:31:45,300 --> 00:31:45,510
I mean,

952
00:31:45,510 --> 00:31:46,170
I'll be honest.

953
00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:47,820
You need to have a website.

954
00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:49,890
You need to have all that stuff.

955
00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:50,940
At least in my opinion,

956
00:31:51,270 --> 00:31:52,530
because if you don't,

957
00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:54,360
you're missing out on an opportunity.

958
00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:57,480
If people Google you and you don't have anything,

959
00:31:57,480 --> 00:31:58,350
then when it comes up,

960
00:31:58,620 --> 00:31:58,980
you know,

961
00:31:58,980 --> 00:31:59,820
it, it's interesting.

962
00:31:59,820 --> 00:32:03,060
My nephew graduated the other day from eighth grade and you

963
00:32:03,060 --> 00:32:04,980
know, they have the different quotes and they have the video

964
00:32:04,980 --> 00:32:06,420
montages. And what have you.

965
00:32:06,690 --> 00:32:08,700
And one of the kids in his class,

966
00:32:08,700 --> 00:32:09,900
I thought it was the funniest thing.

967
00:32:10,290 --> 00:32:12,930
One of the kids said something along the lines of mom

968
00:32:12,930 --> 00:32:13,290
and dad.

969
00:32:13,290 --> 00:32:14,790
I don't know how you survive without Google.

970
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:17,160
I think they're right though.

971
00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:21,000
The reality is how many times do you use Google a

972
00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:22,200
day? A lot.

973
00:32:22,470 --> 00:32:23,220
I can't count.

974
00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:26,550
And I think she was trying to be funny and everybody

975
00:32:26,550 --> 00:32:27,840
laughed. Cause it was funny,

976
00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:29,430
but there's a certain truth to it.

977
00:32:29,430 --> 00:32:32,520
So the reality is whether you want to be in social

978
00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:33,210
media or not,

979
00:32:33,540 --> 00:32:34,980
you have to do it.

980
00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:37,800
You have to bite the bullet and Yeah,

981
00:32:37,830 --> 00:32:38,940
it's a different world out there.

982
00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:39,980
Sure. Yeah.

983
00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:41,360
Even with a brick and mortar,

984
00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:42,860
you need to take the next step.

985
00:32:43,300 --> 00:32:43,870
I agree.

986
00:32:44,230 --> 00:32:44,530
All right,

987
00:32:44,530 --> 00:32:47,560
David, we're going to swing now into our reflection section.

988
00:32:47,770 --> 00:32:49,510
So this is a look at you and just some of

989
00:32:49,510 --> 00:32:53,200
the things that you do yourself or call upon within yourself

990
00:32:53,230 --> 00:32:54,550
to make you successful.

991
00:32:54,820 --> 00:32:58,420
If there's one trait of yours that just comes naturally,

992
00:32:58,420 --> 00:33:01,240
that you tap into throughout your day,

993
00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:02,230
what would that be?

994
00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:06,220
The trait that I tap into is hard work and it's

995
00:33:06,220 --> 00:33:08,770
the motivation that drives me to succeed.

996
00:33:09,220 --> 00:33:13,640
I don't like to lose and winning doesn't necessarily mean getting

997
00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:14,440
into somebody,

998
00:33:14,770 --> 00:33:17,920
but it definitely means that if you take on a project

999
00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:20,890
and you promise somebody something that it's a win for you

1000
00:33:20,890 --> 00:33:21,670
and your client,

1001
00:33:21,940 --> 00:33:25,750
when you deliver what you promised in a positive light.

1002
00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:29,860
Yeah. I would agree with you totally there.

1003
00:33:30,130 --> 00:33:30,340
You know,

1004
00:33:30,340 --> 00:33:32,080
I heard something and I'm just going to slip this in

1005
00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:33,670
here about competition.

1006
00:33:33,820 --> 00:33:36,430
You don't have to be out trying to better your competition

1007
00:33:36,430 --> 00:33:38,200
because sometimes your competition,

1008
00:33:38,230 --> 00:33:39,550
when you're a hard worker,

1009
00:33:39,550 --> 00:33:42,280
like your talking about David is yourself.

1010
00:33:42,670 --> 00:33:44,800
All you need to do to be successful is to be

1011
00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:47,140
a little bit better than you were yesterday.

1012
00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:48,310
I would agree with that.

1013
00:33:48,310 --> 00:33:48,520
I mean,

1014
00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:52,240
I think that if you're willing to work hard and you're

1015
00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:57,340
willing to give it 180% or 200% or whatever that magic

1016
00:33:57,340 --> 00:33:58,840
number is that everybody talks about,

1017
00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:00,850
you're more likely to be successful.

1018
00:34:01,540 --> 00:34:03,850
That may be a good thing for those of us who

1019
00:34:03,850 --> 00:34:07,960
have our own businesses and know that a majority of people

1020
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:10,570
who start their own businesses because they think it's going to

1021
00:34:10,570 --> 00:34:11,290
be easier.

1022
00:34:11,290 --> 00:34:12,460
They can make a ton of money.

1023
00:34:12,460 --> 00:34:14,710
It can be all theirs because it goes into their pocket.

1024
00:34:14,950 --> 00:34:17,020
They don't have to deal with let's say,

1025
00:34:17,020 --> 00:34:19,960
or they don't deal with the pallets that get left in

1026
00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:20,530
the alley.

1027
00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:21,490
Any of that,

1028
00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:23,410
they're not going to be successful.

1029
00:34:23,770 --> 00:34:24,070
You know,

1030
00:34:24,070 --> 00:34:26,380
and those of us that do that put in the hours

1031
00:34:26,380 --> 00:34:29,620
that work hard to continue to grow our companies because let's

1032
00:34:29,620 --> 00:34:30,070
face it.

1033
00:34:30,310 --> 00:34:32,980
Your company can't continue being today.

1034
00:34:33,010 --> 00:34:34,480
What it was five years ago,

1035
00:34:34,540 --> 00:34:35,530
the world has changed.

1036
00:34:35,530 --> 00:34:36,760
You have to change with it.

1037
00:34:37,030 --> 00:34:38,560
So you're always evolving.

1038
00:34:38,770 --> 00:34:41,560
But those of us who do are miles ahead of other

1039
00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:42,940
business owners who don't,

1040
00:34:42,940 --> 00:34:44,200
who want to take the easy route.

1041
00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:44,950
Yeah. I mean,

1042
00:34:45,010 --> 00:34:46,390
I I've told this to people,

1043
00:34:46,390 --> 00:34:46,660
you know,

1044
00:34:46,660 --> 00:34:47,230
they come in,

1045
00:34:47,230 --> 00:34:48,160
we've had some kids like,

1046
00:34:48,190 --> 00:34:48,430
Oh yeah,

1047
00:34:48,430 --> 00:34:49,630
I want to own my own business.

1048
00:34:49,990 --> 00:34:51,520
And the first thing I always tell somebody,

1049
00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:53,230
if they say they want to own their own business,

1050
00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:53,860
I'm like,

1051
00:34:53,980 --> 00:34:55,090
do you like hard work?

1052
00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:58,690
And if they looked at me and they're like,

1053
00:34:58,720 --> 00:34:59,740
Oh, but it's easy.

1054
00:34:59,950 --> 00:35:02,770
I laugh at them because owning your own business is not

1055
00:35:03,140 --> 00:35:06,190
easy. There's a lot of hard work.

1056
00:35:06,460 --> 00:35:09,010
I knew that I had to do a lot of things

1057
00:35:09,010 --> 00:35:10,900
today. I was in New York this morning,

1058
00:35:10,900 --> 00:35:13,600
before four 30 and it's not even Christmas season.

1059
00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:15,950
And you had to be on because you were videoing.

1060
00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:18,490
I had to be on and I had to be on

1061
00:35:18,490 --> 00:35:20,680
for the videos I had to be on for this.

1062
00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:22,930
Right. And I knew it had to be done today.

1063
00:35:23,290 --> 00:35:24,880
So I left while the birds are singing.

1064
00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:25,450
It's all good.

1065
00:35:25,750 --> 00:35:26,500
That's all good.

1066
00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:27,100
All right,

1067
00:35:27,100 --> 00:35:28,720
David, besides Google,

1068
00:35:28,720 --> 00:35:31,150
because you've already brought that up wonderfully already.

1069
00:35:31,390 --> 00:35:34,990
Is there any other tool or anything else you pull out

1070
00:35:35,050 --> 00:35:38,760
during your Workday to help you productive or to create some

1071
00:35:38,760 --> 00:35:41,250
balance? And maybe you're going to say it's a piece of

1072
00:35:41,250 --> 00:35:42,090
chocolate. I don't know.

1073
00:35:42,150 --> 00:35:43,860
But what would another thing be?

1074
00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:44,930
Let's see,

1075
00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:46,430
chocolate popcorn,

1076
00:35:46,430 --> 00:35:47,390
nuts and Google.

1077
00:35:51,100 --> 00:35:53,630
I think also talking to other people,

1078
00:35:53,810 --> 00:35:54,770
other business owners,

1079
00:35:54,770 --> 00:35:55,730
talking to my wife,

1080
00:35:55,730 --> 00:35:58,190
who's my business partner sometimes saying,

1081
00:35:58,190 --> 00:35:59,870
Hey, I got the following going on.

1082
00:36:00,050 --> 00:36:03,410
I think it's okay to ask somebody their opinion and ask

1083
00:36:03,410 --> 00:36:04,430
somebody else for advice,

1084
00:36:04,820 --> 00:36:06,650
get another perspective or something.

1085
00:36:06,830 --> 00:36:09,860
And sometimes you just need to talk to somebody else.

1086
00:36:09,860 --> 00:36:13,460
Who's not even working for you or a customer and you

1087
00:36:13,460 --> 00:36:14,570
need to have somebody you can say,

1088
00:36:14,570 --> 00:36:17,810
Hey, the following just happened and you believe it,

1089
00:36:17,810 --> 00:36:20,600
or what should I do the following just happen?

1090
00:36:20,630 --> 00:36:23,120
Or do you have a suggestion or how do you think

1091
00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:23,960
we should handle?

1092
00:36:24,290 --> 00:36:27,320
I think talking to other people and asking for help is

1093
00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:27,830
a good thing.

1094
00:36:28,820 --> 00:36:29,360
Good point.

1095
00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:30,920
I mean that doesn't make you weaker.

1096
00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:31,910
And as business owners,

1097
00:36:31,910 --> 00:36:34,340
we don't have to claim to have all the answers either.

1098
00:36:34,550 --> 00:36:35,480
It'd be nice if we limit,

1099
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:36,020
that's not true.

1100
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:37,280
Yeah. And also,

1101
00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:37,460
you know,

1102
00:36:37,460 --> 00:36:39,140
just getting someone else's perspective,

1103
00:36:39,140 --> 00:36:42,380
who's a little bit farther away from the situation can be

1104
00:36:42,380 --> 00:36:43,130
very enlightened.

1105
00:36:43,700 --> 00:36:44,690
Yeah. And it's definitely,

1106
00:36:44,690 --> 00:36:45,050
you know,

1107
00:36:45,410 --> 00:36:48,830
taking those three steps back and that's sometimes when you call

1108
00:36:48,830 --> 00:36:50,240
somebody else and be like,

1109
00:36:50,240 --> 00:36:51,860
Hey, what are your thoughts on?

1110
00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:53,420
Or how would you tackle?

1111
00:36:53,660 --> 00:36:53,900
You know,

1112
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:54,740
it helps.

1113
00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:59,090
Absolutely. Is there a book that you've read lately or any

1114
00:36:59,090 --> 00:37:04,220
other source of information that you tap into that our listeners

1115
00:37:04,220 --> 00:37:05,480
would also find value in?

1116
00:37:05,690 --> 00:37:06,890
I haven't read it recently,

1117
00:37:06,890 --> 00:37:08,000
but I've read it in the past.

1118
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,250
And I pull it out every so often and I refer

1119
00:37:10,250 --> 00:37:10,790
to it a lot,

1120
00:37:11,030 --> 00:37:13,130
the E-Myth and I don't know who wrote it and I

1121
00:37:13,130 --> 00:37:15,170
apologize to the author for not remembering him.

1122
00:37:15,260 --> 00:37:16,190
It's Michael Gerber.

1123
00:37:16,190 --> 00:37:16,970
It's a great book.

1124
00:37:17,330 --> 00:37:17,750
Go ahead.

1125
00:37:18,050 --> 00:37:19,610
I think what's interesting about the email.

1126
00:37:19,610 --> 00:37:19,940
It says,

1127
00:37:19,940 --> 00:37:22,220
it talks about a very important concept.

1128
00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:24,890
It talks about working in your business and working on your

1129
00:37:24,890 --> 00:37:26,480
business. And too often,

1130
00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:28,190
as small business owners,

1131
00:37:28,460 --> 00:37:31,160
we spend too much time working in our business and not

1132
00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:32,570
enough time working on our business.

1133
00:37:32,930 --> 00:37:36,050
And I think that if you take anything away from what

1134
00:37:36,050 --> 00:37:39,080
I say today is that when you look into your day

1135
00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:39,890
and I get it,

1136
00:37:39,890 --> 00:37:42,440
there's a holiday season when we're working in our business.

1137
00:37:42,500 --> 00:37:43,400
And that's what it is.

1138
00:37:43,700 --> 00:37:44,270
But really,

1139
00:37:44,270 --> 00:37:46,430
if you could find some time during the course of any

1140
00:37:46,430 --> 00:37:47,330
day to say,

1141
00:37:47,330 --> 00:37:49,040
how could I improve or what could I do better?

1142
00:37:49,340 --> 00:37:52,250
I think you'll be a much happier person and your business

1143
00:37:52,250 --> 00:37:53,450
will be that much more successful.

1144
00:37:53,900 --> 00:37:56,570
I highly endorsed this book as well.

1145
00:37:56,570 --> 00:37:57,920
And I'm glad you brought it up.

1146
00:37:57,950 --> 00:37:59,690
It is absolutely true.

1147
00:37:59,690 --> 00:38:03,320
And especially very applicable to people who are listening to this

1148
00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:04,340
who are in the gifting,

1149
00:38:04,370 --> 00:38:06,440
baking, crafting industry.

1150
00:38:06,620 --> 00:38:09,050
And so do you consciously throughout your day,

1151
00:38:09,170 --> 00:38:09,560
I mean,

1152
00:38:09,580 --> 00:38:12,200
I I've known you for a little while and it seems

1153
00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:15,530
like you are very frequently working on your business,

1154
00:38:15,530 --> 00:38:16,790
not in your business.

1155
00:38:17,030 --> 00:38:17,210
You know,

1156
00:38:17,210 --> 00:38:18,200
it depends on the time of year.

1157
00:38:18,500 --> 00:38:20,450
Okay. So you flip flop back and forth,

1158
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:22,310
but you consciously know where you are,

1159
00:38:22,370 --> 00:38:23,900
which Right.

1160
00:38:23,900 --> 00:38:24,260
I mean,

1161
00:38:24,260 --> 00:38:26,900
during the month of December where I'm getting everybody's gifts out

1162
00:38:26,900 --> 00:38:27,260
the door,

1163
00:38:27,620 --> 00:38:30,200
I'm consciously working in the business,

1164
00:38:30,740 --> 00:38:31,010
you know,

1165
00:38:31,010 --> 00:38:32,150
I'm not trying to build it.

1166
00:38:32,150 --> 00:38:33,860
I don't have any great marketing ideas.

1167
00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:35,230
If my wife calls goes,

1168
00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,630
I got the greatest idea and it's December,

1169
00:38:37,630 --> 00:38:37,960
you know,

1170
00:38:38,050 --> 00:38:38,980
ninth or 10th.

1171
00:38:39,340 --> 00:38:40,360
I'm like awesome.

1172
00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:45,340
Email it to me and I'll look at it January 3rd.

1173
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,240
Right. But I think it's very important also to know that

1174
00:38:49,240 --> 00:38:51,580
there's times of the year where,

1175
00:38:51,670 --> 00:38:53,560
or I'll even come up with a great idea.

1176
00:38:53,710 --> 00:38:54,970
Sometimes not as often as my wife,

1177
00:38:54,970 --> 00:38:56,770
she's definitely more creative than I am,

1178
00:38:57,040 --> 00:38:57,520
but you know,

1179
00:38:57,820 --> 00:38:58,780
you come up with an idea.

1180
00:38:58,780 --> 00:38:58,990
It's like,

1181
00:38:59,020 --> 00:39:00,280
Oh, that's a really good idea.

1182
00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:02,080
And I put it in my calendar and say,

1183
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:05,200
work on X and then it'll pop up like a month

1184
00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:06,010
later, like,

1185
00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:07,240
Oh, I forgot all about that.

1186
00:39:07,270 --> 00:39:09,430
And then it gives me something to do those that are

1187
00:39:09,430 --> 00:39:11,440
entrepreneurs that are going to come up with these ideas and

1188
00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:12,640
you don't have time to work on them.

1189
00:39:12,970 --> 00:39:15,010
It's okay to put them in a notebook or in your

1190
00:39:15,010 --> 00:39:17,050
calendar or something and get to them at a later point.

1191
00:39:17,050 --> 00:39:18,750
Yeah. But I think what you just said,

1192
00:39:18,750 --> 00:39:20,130
there is really important too.

1193
00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:22,110
Don't let that great idea get lost.

1194
00:39:22,110 --> 00:39:22,290
You know,

1195
00:39:22,290 --> 00:39:23,730
if you're in the middle of December,

1196
00:39:23,730 --> 00:39:26,610
when it's all physical activity movement,

1197
00:39:26,610 --> 00:39:27,600
getting orders out the door,

1198
00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:27,930
et cetera,

1199
00:39:27,930 --> 00:39:31,050
and a great idea comes up already have a system for

1200
00:39:31,050 --> 00:39:33,300
me, it's my notes app on my phone,

1201
00:39:33,510 --> 00:39:36,570
but have a system to capture that idea because it may

1202
00:39:36,570 --> 00:39:37,830
never come back to you again.

1203
00:39:38,040 --> 00:39:38,670
I use outlook.

1204
00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:39,810
Perfect. Yeah.

1205
00:39:39,810 --> 00:39:41,400
One, whatever the system is,

1206
00:39:41,430 --> 00:39:41,760
you know,

1207
00:39:41,820 --> 00:39:43,450
just find something so that you,

1208
00:39:43,450 --> 00:39:43,710
you know,

1209
00:39:43,710 --> 00:39:46,620
or if you're in the car driving or you're at an

1210
00:39:46,620 --> 00:39:48,150
event, even if it's just a party,

1211
00:39:48,150 --> 00:39:50,310
those ideas can be so fleeting.

1212
00:39:50,550 --> 00:39:51,480
And then you're later like,

1213
00:39:51,510 --> 00:39:51,840
Oh Mike,

1214
00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:52,620
what was that?

1215
00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:53,880
I can't recall.

1216
00:39:53,880 --> 00:39:54,420
What, what did I,

1217
00:39:54,420 --> 00:39:55,230
what was I thinking?

1218
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:57,480
So we'll give busy listeners.

1219
00:39:57,510 --> 00:39:59,730
The E-Myth is a fabulous book.

1220
00:39:59,730 --> 00:40:00,840
If you haven't read it,

1221
00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:03,240
I would totally endorse that.

1222
00:40:03,450 --> 00:40:05,580
And just as you're listening to the podcast today,

1223
00:40:05,610 --> 00:40:08,790
I know that E-Myth is in an audio book.

1224
00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:11,400
I've teamed up with audible and you can get an audio

1225
00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:14,130
book, just like the E-Myth for free.

1226
00:40:14,190 --> 00:40:16,140
All you need to do is go to gift biz,

1227
00:40:16,140 --> 00:40:18,540
book.com and make a selection there.

1228
00:40:18,690 --> 00:40:20,820
That's gift biz book.com.

1229
00:40:21,210 --> 00:40:22,140
Okay. David,

1230
00:40:22,140 --> 00:40:24,540
I'm going to challenge you now to dare to dream.

1231
00:40:24,900 --> 00:40:26,820
I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.

1232
00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:31,440
It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.

1233
00:40:31,650 --> 00:40:35,070
This is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable Heights

1234
00:40:35,070 --> 00:40:36,540
that you would wish to obtain.

1235
00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:39,630
Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.

1236
00:40:39,900 --> 00:40:41,130
What is inside your box?

1237
00:40:41,640 --> 00:40:45,180
So the quick answer is the winning Powerball tickets.

1238
00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:48,570
And how much is it worth this time?

1239
00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:49,770
Oh, well I'm mad,

1240
00:40:49,770 --> 00:40:51,360
greedy, whatever it was last week,

1241
00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:53,400
it was like a hundred million or a hundred million or

1242
00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:54,300
a half a billion.

1243
00:40:54,300 --> 00:40:54,810
I don't know.

1244
00:40:55,110 --> 00:40:56,130
Okay. Something like that,

1245
00:40:56,340 --> 00:40:57,130
something like that,

1246
00:40:57,160 --> 00:40:57,330
you know,

1247
00:40:57,330 --> 00:40:59,480
you could like have your retirement set for,

1248
00:40:59,490 --> 00:41:00,810
you can take care of your staff,

1249
00:41:00,810 --> 00:41:03,360
make sure their retirement's all set for make sure your kid's

1250
00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:05,700
college and very tired and set for.

1251
00:41:05,970 --> 00:41:06,570
So, you know,

1252
00:41:06,690 --> 00:41:09,840
the winning lottery ticket or Powerball would definitely be the,

1253
00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:11,490
a magical ticket.

1254
00:41:11,940 --> 00:41:15,600
Realistically being that it's like one of a absurd number,

1255
00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:17,610
what would be the magical gift?

1256
00:41:17,970 --> 00:41:18,240
You know,

1257
00:41:18,330 --> 00:41:19,830
that's a really good question.

1258
00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:22,680
And I think the gift would be,

1259
00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:23,910
and this might sound,

1260
00:41:23,910 --> 00:41:24,180
you know,

1261
00:41:24,270 --> 00:41:25,560
from one extreme to the other,

1262
00:41:25,770 --> 00:41:27,060
the ability not to,

1263
00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:30,000
I really have to say it's the ability not to get

1264
00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:33,230
jaded and not to lose the positive spin that I'm able

1265
00:41:33,230 --> 00:41:33,950
to put on things.

1266
00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:37,460
Because if I lose that positive spin or I start getting

1267
00:41:37,460 --> 00:41:39,770
jaded I'm toast on one hand,

1268
00:41:39,770 --> 00:41:39,920
you know,

1269
00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:43,610
you talk about the impossible dream of winning the big tickets.

1270
00:41:43,850 --> 00:41:44,090
You know,

1271
00:41:44,090 --> 00:41:44,810
the other hand,

1272
00:41:44,990 --> 00:41:48,200
not getting jaded and not losing that positive spin on things

1273
00:41:48,530 --> 00:41:52,310
is also equally important because if you don't have that positive

1274
00:41:52,310 --> 00:41:54,980
spin and you don't have any ability to keep finding it,

1275
00:41:55,220 --> 00:41:55,730
and it's hard,

1276
00:41:55,730 --> 00:41:57,740
there are days where it's a tough one,

1277
00:41:57,950 --> 00:42:00,950
but digging deep and finding the good inside of every day

1278
00:42:01,130 --> 00:42:02,210
keeps you going in the right direction.

1279
00:42:02,500 --> 00:42:03,610
Gift biz listeners.

1280
00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:07,180
It's the journey along the way that feels fulfilling and successful

1281
00:42:07,180 --> 00:42:10,300
too. Not just the end result of a successful company.

1282
00:42:10,450 --> 00:42:12,190
David, I don't know if you'll agree with me or not,

1283
00:42:12,190 --> 00:42:12,940
but you know,

1284
00:42:12,940 --> 00:42:14,230
when you're talking and someone says,

1285
00:42:14,230 --> 00:42:15,070
well, what do you do?

1286
00:42:15,070 --> 00:42:17,500
And you're able to speak with pride that you own a

1287
00:42:17,500 --> 00:42:21,010
business you've owned all facets of that business,

1288
00:42:21,010 --> 00:42:22,210
the highs and the lows.

1289
00:42:22,210 --> 00:42:25,600
And you can stand proud because you've had to endure so

1290
00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:27,190
much to get to where you are,

1291
00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:29,770
what would be the single best way.

1292
00:42:29,770 --> 00:42:33,100
If people wanted to know more about you or Illinois,

1293
00:42:33,130 --> 00:42:34,060
nut and candy,

1294
00:42:34,180 --> 00:42:36,460
where's the best place for them to reach out to you?

1295
00:42:36,970 --> 00:42:39,160
It's definitely a good org website to learn more about us.

1296
00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:45,880
That's easy to Canberra and I can personally email info is

1297
00:42:46,330 --> 00:42:48,550
not that com or do the old fashioned way.

1298
00:42:48,550 --> 00:42:49,450
Pick up the phone,

1299
00:42:49,810 --> 00:42:55,180
call the store (847) 677-5777.

1300
00:42:55,180 --> 00:42:58,060
Say you heard me on the podcast and if I'm not

1301
00:42:57,640 --> 00:42:59,530
available, my staff will get me the message.

1302
00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:00,730
And I promise you,

1303
00:43:00,730 --> 00:43:02,890
I return all my phone calls and emails,

1304
00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:04,720
Super well gift biz listeners.

1305
00:43:04,720 --> 00:43:06,880
As you also know if you've been following me for a

1306
00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:08,650
while, there's a show notes page.

1307
00:43:08,650 --> 00:43:10,660
That's connected up with this episode.

1308
00:43:10,900 --> 00:43:13,480
It will have all of the information just in case you're

1309
00:43:13,480 --> 00:43:14,140
out and about.

1310
00:43:14,140 --> 00:43:17,170
And weren't able to capture any of the information in terms

1311
00:43:17,170 --> 00:43:18,010
of contacting.

1312
00:43:18,310 --> 00:43:19,750
And if you're in the area,

1313
00:43:19,750 --> 00:43:23,140
you absolutely have to stop by and try some of David's

1314
00:43:23,140 --> 00:43:26,620
product. I personally endorse most the English toffee,

1315
00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:29,320
FYI. It's my favorite.

1316
00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:33,880
I super appreciate you taking some time fitting us into your

1317
00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:34,540
day, David.

1318
00:43:34,750 --> 00:43:37,750
I really appreciate all that you've shared with us today.

1319
00:43:37,750 --> 00:43:40,870
Some pretty interesting things that we haven't talked through before yet

1320
00:43:40,870 --> 00:43:41,710
on this show.

1321
00:43:41,980 --> 00:43:45,100
So much success to you and Melissa,

1322
00:43:45,100 --> 00:43:45,850
of course,

1323
00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:48,100
and may your candle always burn bright.

1324
00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:49,510
Thank you so much.

1325
00:43:50,830 --> 00:43:56,020
Very sweet to you and your listeners Learn how to work

1326
00:43:56,020 --> 00:43:58,420
smarter while developing and growing your business.

1327
00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:02,160
Download our guide called 25 free tools to enhance your business

1328
00:44:02,170 --> 00:44:02,680
in life.

1329
00:44:02,890 --> 00:44:06,640
It's our gift to you and available@giftbizonrap.com

1330
00:44:06,640 --> 00:44:07,690
slash tools.

1331
00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:10,060
Thanks for listening and be sure to join us for the

1332
00:44:10,060 --> 00:44:10,930
next episode.

1333
00:44:12,670 --> 00:44:15,610
Today's show is sponsored by the ribbon print company,

1334
00:44:16,300 --> 00:44:18,940
looking for a new income source for your gift business.

1335
00:44:19,180 --> 00:44:23,560
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1338
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1339
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1340
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Check out the ribbon print company.com

1341
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for more information after you listened to the show,

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if you like what you're hearing,

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make sure to jump over and subscribe to the show on

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iTunes. That way you'll automatically get the newest episodes when they

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go live.

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And thank you to those who have already left a rating

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and review by subscribing rating and reviewing help to increase the

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visibility of on-ramp.

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It's a great way to pay it forward,

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to help others with their entrepreneurial journey as well.