Glenn Harper: Welcome everybody, another episode of the aspiring
entrepreneurs, the Harper and Company way, I'm Glenn
Harper. Kind of kind of run this show a little bit.
I got my sidekick here, Julie, what do you do, Julie?
Julie Smith: I'm the barista.
Glenn Harper: Oh, that's right. So that's perfect.
So she's in charge of really everything except what I say.
We got a special guest today in the studio.
We got Don Ross, a National Guard pilot, a financial
adviser, good friend, great financial adviser and just an
all around great American.
Hi Don, how are you?
Don Ross: Hurrah. Hurrah.
Glenn Harper: All right. What? You're dressed in your fatigues today, what
you got going on?
Don Ross: Oh, I was just going to do some of my Army Reserve
obligation. You know, you've got to do so many, so many
hours a year and something that full time.
So.
Glenn Harper: So I think at some point you used to fly something in the
military.
Don Ross: Well, I flew Hueys and Blackhawks, but I retired from that
in 07 and re-enlisted in '18 because I missed it.
Julie Smith: So what did you miss about it?
Don Ross: The the guys and the guy, you know, other fellow soldiers
and just wearing the uniform, it's it's a privilege to wear
the greatest uniform in the world, British military uniform
in the world. And so, yeah, I love it.
I'll be fifty nine and I got to be out one more year.
Glenn Harper: We don't talk about age on this show.
How do you how do you find time to do your real job, which
is a financial advisor?
Correct? Want to give a little plug on what you do and how
you do it?
Don Ross: Well, we we do retirement planning.
We help people make sure they have the proper income plan
portfolio, a state plan tax plan and predominantly
retirees, those that are 50 to 60 or, I say, retired within
five to 10 years retiring.
Are you in shape?
Basically, the question I get, Hey, are we on track?
So we look at their portfolios and help them make sure they
have the right plan in place.
Glenn Harper: What's their biggest question?
They ask you.
Don Ross: Will I run out of money?
I want to avoid paying too many taxes.
And what if I get sick?
Glenn Harper: Those don't sound like complicated questions at all.
How did you learn to, you know, answer those questions and
prepare them properly?
Don Ross: Ojt on the job training.
Thirty three years.
You know, I mean, everybody, that's the unique thing of
what we do, and we are an independent fiduciary.
So it's our job to build you the best plan and each couple
or individual, you know, work with a lot of singles,
widows, widowers, everybody situation's unique.
Glenn Harper: Got it. How did you on the on the job training?
How did you decide? Did you work for a company before you
went on your own or did you always start off as an
entrepreneur?
Don Ross: No, that's the one of the big firms, which is usually
recommended. And then you can see the light and either you
want to be part of that big firm that has a very.
Most of them have a very distinct philosophy on how they
want you to advise clients.
So it wasn't a big fan of that.
That's why I went on my own
Julie Smith: As you decided to make that decision and you were pivoting
towards that. Did you have a mentor or did you have someone
who was kind of helping you think through that and what
that kind of looked like?
Don Ross: Nope, just took the leap.
That's part of being a risk taker or an entrepreneur is
like, you have faith and you just go do it.
And there's two options you're going to do it or you're not
doing it. It's all. I understand it.
Glenn Harper: So I suspect that's the same as flying helicopters, either
you can or you can't.
And it's really complicated to do it, but you've got to
make the decision that you can do it and you just have to.
You have to succeed, right?
There is no there is no option for failure or setback at
all.
Don Ross: Yeah, I mean, it's really about it's really I think you know
about fear. You know, some people are like, Oh, I couldn't
do it. I need the systematic paycheck or something like
that, but back to the helicopters.
My favorite part of flight school is who wants to be the
first student in the front seat?
And I'm like me, you know, it's like,
Glenn Harper: Let's do it. Do you think you're a program that way, like
when you are were born?
Or is that something that throughout your growing up, you
just kind of recognize that you want to be independent?
You don't like to be told what to do.
You want to do it your way.
Or is it something that you kind of evolved into later?
I mean, you feel like you had those tendencies when you
were young?
Don Ross: I must have, because when I was about 12 years old, I stole
my dad's lawnmower to start cutting the neighbor's yard.
And then I did the following neighbor the next neighbor
down.
Glenn Harper: And that's like when you take it.
Don Ross: I had a trailer behind my bike, going down the street to the
neighborhood. I grew up in a suburb of Columbus and Upper
Trunk, and I, you know, I used that self-propelled mower
and then I built that into a business.
But here's where it really hit me is I'm a I'm a busboy at
Luby's, which is like a burger joint.
Yeah, like a fish's.
And I got my first paycheck and I realized the paycheck was
less than me cutting to neighbor's yards.
Get it! I had more money that way.
Less taxes, yes.
And I was like, Wait a minute, something's not right here,
and I kind of rendered my well, I don't know what it's
called. Then I was 15 years old.
I said, Hey, I can't do this anymore.
I'm going to quit and built my business into a company that
I sold and started in the financial services.
Glenn Harper: When you say you build a business that was the landscaping
company like,
Don Ross: Yeah, sort of lawn care, build that up to a lawn care
landscaping business.
And then I sold that in 87.
Glenn Harper: How old were you at that time?
Don Ross: I sold in 87.
I was twenty four.
Glenn Harper: So you did this for about 10 years.
The landscaper?
Don Ross: Well, I mean, I started as a lawn care and then probably in
college and I was, you know, enlisted in the military too.
At 18, so I was in college and.
My head and I really built it up.
Glenn Harper: Did you have a bunch of employees or subcontractors?
Don Ross: Yeah, at four four.
Glenn Harper: So that's a kind of a big deal at that age.
So you definitely had tendencies growing up that you just
knew how to figure it out.
Don Ross: I didn't think of it. I just did it.
My my father sold steel for Bethlehem Steel, and he'd
always, always, always, always wanted to be self-employed.
And when he retired, he finally did that.
He started a couple of businesses and did well.
And so it's in the blood.
But the years of, you know, raising a family of six kids,
two dogs and a wonderful mother of mine, he couldn't really
afford to.
He didn't, actually.
He didn't. 69. He left Bethlehem for a while to go start a
steel company in Williamsport, PA, and it was just it just
didn't work. And they took him back, you know, great
blessing. But he, you know, it's got to be in his blood.
Glenn Harper: So it's kind of probably weird that most people can't
comprehend the fact that at 15, 16, 17, you're running a
business with four employees making money because that is
was terrifying.
But it just seemed like an automatic thing to do, and it
was way better than going working for the man.
It just hard. People just can't comprehend
Don Ross: That I've seen.
Think of it. I just did it.
Yeah, I just did it. And you just don't think about it.
Glenn Harper: And when you decided to sell it, it was because you're done
with being a landscaper or you want to do the next best
thing or.
Don Ross: Yeah, I always wanted to be in a financial service.
So eighty seven was a fun year.
I bought my first house.
All my landscaping business started in the financial
services.
Glenn Harper: So and then from the financial services, nobody really.
We always find generally entrepreneurs always have some
sort of mentor or somebody that they hook up with that kind
of just takes them under the wing and gives them some
secrets and just kind of helps them along their way.
Did you have anybody like that?
Don Ross: Yeah, I was. I started one of the big firms.
I don't know if I need to say the name, but.
And then you're paired up with a mentor.
But he I was we just didn't connect.
He was he was two, which is good.
He was to buy the book, but I wanted to go out, you know, I
was walking the halls of a horseshoe medical school, you
know, recruiting young doctors.
He's like, Oh, you got to do a process.
I'm like, I don't do processes.
You know, I'm walking the halls.
Hey, you need a financial advisor, you need a financial
advisor. And long story short, I mean, two years later, I
sold that book because I went back in the military to go to
flight school, so I started over three times.
Glenn Harper: When you start over like that, you look at yourself in the
mirror and go, What is wrong with you?
Don Ross: Most of our producers entrepreneurs would never say that
Glenn Harper: When I say, what's wrong with you, just I said, like a
tongue in cheek your leadership and laughing at yourself
and going, I can't believe I'm doing this again, but I can.
I can't imagine you doing something different working for
somebody else at that time because you just you just knew.
No.
Don Ross: And that's kind of the funny thing is, wait a minute, dude,
you're also in the military.
Well, not full time. That's why I didn't go full time.
I probably would have punched out a commander.
So that's kind of funny, but I do like the regimen of of
the military.
Which is kind of ironic for an entrepreneur.
I mean, it really is I'm.
Julie Smith: You definitely have to follow a lot of processes, so it
feels like you get your fill of that and then you kind of
go rogue over here.
Don Ross: Maybe I had a couple of commanders that didn't like my kind
of free spirited thinking, but in aviation, which that's
what I did for many years, that's processes that I love.
I love flying. And because.
There is a process, but on the other side of what I've done
for 30 some years, I don't like processes, so some of the
financial services business. My number one process and only
goal I care about is are my clients getting the best value?
Gotcha. Right? I mean, you've known me a long
Glenn Harper: Time, long time. And it seems like the the military and also
what you're doing in your financial advisor role.
You are really a big team guy like, you know, you can't do
it on your own. I think that's probably one of the reasons
you like the military. You got a whole team that's got your
back. And when you went on your own as a financial advisor,
you didn't really go on your own.
I've known you long enough that you always surround
yourself with good people, good relationships that kind of
augmented what you do for a living and kind of supported
you with your strengths and weaknesses.
They would augment that. Is that a fair statement?
Yes.
Don Ross: I mean, I am part of a network of independent advisors
around the country, and we share best practice with each
other. We're all entrepreneurs.
A lot of them left big companies like I did.
I have some colleagues that were former schoolteachers, but
one of them said years and years ago he goes, And I like
this line, he goes, I ain't very smart, but I surround my
people myself with the best of the best.
Glenn Harper: I think that's a fair statement.
You've always had an incredible again, you're just a
relationship guy. I've been privileged to know you for a
long time and you just know everybody.
You're like, You walk in, you're like the mayor.
And but. But that served you well because again, I don't,
you know, entrepreneurs before they make the jump or when
they're deciding on that to do it or not, they're just
they're very scared. But then once you make the commitment
to do it, there is no turning back.
I mean, you don't. It's OK to start every day negative.
It's fine because it's going to work out, OK, what do you
feel like? That's a fair statement.
Yeah.
Don Ross: You know what, I you know when I watched the Shark Tank?
Mm hmm. I see some people up there plugging stuff like, Are
you kidding me? But if you believe in it, it doesn't
matter. I mean, they're trying to sell the sharks on some
things, like for lack of better grammar.
Ain't nobody going to buy that, and they either all fight
over it or they're all like, there's no way but that person
or that couple, whoever is up there, they believe in that.
And that's all that matters, whether they go bankrupt or
they make millions of dollars.
That's the beauty of being an entrepreneur, because you you
did it.
Glenn Harper: Do you feel like, you know, we see entrepreneurs that we've
been privileged enough to hang out with them for like 32
years and thousands of them, and they all have these kind
of tendencies and you're either going to do we call do
business where you're kind of doing all the work and
running the whole show and doing it kind of solo.
And then eventually you make a transition to one to build a
business. Where do you think you're at in your journey?
Are you still doing business or are you trying to
transition to building a business?
Where do you think you're at
Don Ross: My financial services?
Yes. I'm still looking for new clients, but I'm not looking
to have 15 employees.
Glenn Harper: Is that what you mean? Well, like it seems to me in the last
few years you brought in some talent to kind of take over a
lot of those roles that you used to do and all the
paperwork. And so you're not maybe you're still doing sales
and the relationship side, but you've handed off a lot of
those duties, correct?
Don Ross: Oh, 100 percent.
And because I have a succession plan too, I don't want my
client. You know, I always say this my my wife, Joni, you
know, she hates when I say it.
But if I stroked out tomorrow, I don't want my clients
being left in the. You know, on their own alone, right?
Or, yeah, I mean, that's important to me, so we have junior
adviser and some other staff.
Glenn Harper: But you do have aspirations to be, you know, manage, you
know, $20 billion and and be like Bobby Axelrod or you more
like a small boutique.
Don Ross: I sit down with my clients one on one.
We call each other, text each other.
We celebrate birthdays and all that.
I don't want to be a and I have colleagues that, you know,
they want to bring in $100 million a year.
That may not mean anything to you or the listeners, but
that
Glenn Harper: Seems like a lot of work.
Don Ross: I want to sit down with one on one and not, you know, not
bring you on as a client.
And then maybe I'll see you in four years.
I mean, I bring on clients that haven't talked to the
adviser in two years and they have big, big accounts.
Julie Smith: So it seems to me like you're just relationship driven and
you've kind of figured out how to bring in a team and put
those people around you to do the things so you can
continue with the relationships, but maybe take a step back
from the day to day.
Don Ross: Yeah, yeah.
I know I could step back from day to day, but my clients
know they can call or text me.
That's important to me, you know, doing paperwork.
I mean, I'll screw it up. I don't go into the database.
You know, that's Joni.
I never touch that. No, no, no, no.
So I just like being with people, and I got that from my
dad.
Glenn Harper: Would you suggest, you know, a lot of entrepreneurs, you
look at the ones that are just doing the grind.
They they love being an entrepreneur, but they are just
burnout. They're not really having fun because they haven't
figured out how to delegate and empower their team around
them. If there's anybody I know, nobody has more fun at
what they do than you.
Why is that? What is it an attitude thing?
Is it just because you've been blessed with that gift of
gab and just your thing?
Or is it because you have a great team?
Why is it that you have so much fun doing doing your
entrepreneurial journey?
Don Ross: Well, in my my eyes, it's easy.
What I do.
But most people are like, you're talking about people's
life savings. That seems pretty scary.
Well, it is, but if you don't embrace it and have done it
for many years, that's that's why it's it's it's easy.
I don't know.
Glenn Harper: It's funny.
Don Ross: You say to me, like if I think about what you do, I'm like,
you know, my eyes are crossed, but that's what you do.
Just like, you know, the the airline pilot or the
kindergarten teacher, I mean, it's all about having the
passion for it, then it's not work.
I mean, you've heard the old, you know, if you love what
you do, you work a day in your life.
Glenn Harper: But I mean, I know you well enough to.
I don't think you go to the go to the office every day and
call it work. I don't think you look at it that way.
You go and have some fun.
You help some people out.
You do. Your thing is that, you know, like I said, how long
did it take you to develop that swag?
Because again, when you first started out, you know you got
to make a paycheck. You got to raise family.
You got to do those things.
When did it switch over where like, Wow, this is fun.
Let's not worry about it. Let's just have a good time with
it.
Don Ross: Oh, many years ago.
Long time, because it's always what I want to do.
That's why in 87, I sold business, bought my first house,
graduated college, finished my first enlistment, started in
the financial services, always wanted to do it.
I don't know a buddy of mine.
Years and years ago before I even started, he was I wanted
to be like him. He's still in the business.
We talk once or twice a year.
And so it's like, I wouldn't know what else to do.
Glenn Harper: So there is no end game, right?
You're not going to like, retire tomorrow.
I can't imagine you're not running.
Don Ross: Oh my gosh. No, we I mean, Saturday by noon, I'm like, Let's
go, let's go. And I've already played paddle tennis for two
hours, you know, so. No, but that's why I have a succession
plan in place, which I think every small business owner
should have. So you don't leave your clients hanging, not
that they would, but that's the way I look at it.
Glenn Harper: It makes you sleep good at night.
A lot of entrepreneurs, they also have these tendencies to
want to start up other business and do and do other things.
Do you have any of those tendencies?
Are you happy with where you're at?
Don Ross: I'm happy with where they're at, where I'm at, because
here's what happened in 1989.
I was thinking about going this, and I did actually go and
work on Capitol Hill for a while.
I want to do that. I want to do this.
My dad looked at me and I'll never forget this.
And he's still alive.
Ninety one years old.
He goes, Hmm, sounds like a great idea.
You're going to be a jack of all trades and master of none.
And what that means is you if you don't focus on what your
core business is.
And then they'll all be mediocre.
I mean, all right, let's say you want to open up a little
corner restaurant. Well, Glenn's attention is going over
there. What's going to happen to Harper and Co.?
Correct? Unless you have, I mean, unless you have a really
good team in place, which I know you have a great team.
But I don't think my personal opinion is since I'm, you
know, not a very smart guy is you need to do what you do.
And if you want to do other hobbies, do hobbies correct?
Glenn Harper: And I think that comes down to when you lie down trainers,
when they make the switch to actually building a business
that can also almost run without them or they don't need
the day to day attention, it's more like once a week meet
your board of directors or whatever, then you can do those
other endeavors. But you don't ever want to get rid of the
mothership because that's when the provided everything
right. I can't imagine you just walking away from that.
Don Ross: I would say, I mean, there's some great companies in this
city and around the country, in the world that these men
are women have built this company.
And then and then they put a team in to run it.
But they did it that way or they built it to sell it.
I don't even have aspirations to try to start anything
else.
Glenn Harper: Yeah. No, that's fine, that's fine.
Don Ross: That sounds like work.
Glenn Harper: Yes. We don't want any part of that.
This is having too much fun.
What is your do you have like a.
A dream client that you would like to on board or a dream
business deal that you bring on board, that you're going to
advise them on who is like, you could go that person or
that company if I could just get that there, there are
investment accounts.
Is that something that you think about it at all or is it
like whoever comes along that were before?
Don Ross: Absolutely. Every time we do a review with a client, I had
three yesterday and and they leave, they give me a hug
high. Five me in the meeting was five minutes business.
15 minutes. What are you doing?
What are you catching up with? I'm like, I say to Joni, How
do we duplicate them?
And you know, we're so we're still out looking.
We get some great referrals.
And that client, if you if you want to know what it looks
financially, you know, they they've saved half a million
dollars to two and a half million.
That's that's who we serve very well.
Ten up.
They need a different planning level I'm not interested in,
but the kind of clients, they're just salt of the Earth,
you know? I mean, I retire a lot of cops and I don't know
how far your podcast.
Obviously, your podcast could be anywhere
Glenn Harper: Hundreds of millions of people worldwide, multiple
languages.
Don Ross: But as far as central hire, I retire a lot of police
officers. I mean, you want to talk about salt of the Earth,
OK, guys, schoolteachers, entrepreneurs, military.
But I look at the kind of people they are and they they
benefit and they can. They take value with what we provide,
and we're a collaborative effort, and that's why we
celebrate their birthdays.
We do fun stuff together and they're like family.
Glenn Harper: And the reality is, you know, if you're not producing the
desired results for them from the financial advising side,
getting the appropriate returns, managing risk, ensuring
that they've got their cash flows, they go to retirement,
you know, they would leave. So obviously you're doing that
well, but then you're going a little bit further and you're
doing more of a personal relationship.
Oh, yeah. And is that something that obviously you've
always done it that way? But do you did you have to pivot
at some point and go, wait a minute for me to really get my
name out there and do these things even better?
I've got to go and kind of modify how I do that
relationship. And is it more sincere?
Is it more genuine?
Is it more surface level?
You know, how do you how do you, you know, navigate that?
Don Ross: I just regardless of whether we're out doing workshop events
or getting referrals, I just I just be me.
I mean, for me, pretty straightforward.
Glenn Harper: Gotcha. Do you feel like we look at every entrepreneur they
have? Like, there's something that they're just really,
really good at, you know, obviously hand eye coordination
with helicopters a little bit different than the average
person. But you know, from a financial advisor standpoint
is it's something that is your superpower that you can
predict the market or is your superpower, that you can
predict relationships and you can provide a valuable, you
know, consistent return.
What do you think your superpower is?
Don Ross: Creating a really good relationship with that client,
because if you look at in our industry the reasons why
people leave and advisor, you brought it up a couple of
times return.
That's like fourth or fifth on the list.
I mean, we all want to get everybody thirty five percent a
year on their money, but it's just not realistic.
I mean, look, why not look at the first few first few weeks
of this year? We're we're down, but my clients understand
that we're going to have that roller coaster ride and we've
built that into their plan so they don't have these high
expectations. And I've showed them an income plan or the
rest of their life that they're not going to run out of
money if they're not.
And so they don't get wrapped up, you know, with the
markets.
Glenn Harper: Do you find, you know, I love asking financial advisors this
question because it's kind of fun.
Do you find that, you know, if you have a client, they've
got x dollars with you and you're kind of controlling the
narrative on how that works and how it's invested with your
portfolio managers and how you operate that.
And they come to you and say, Hey, look, I want to take
out, you know, 10 percent of this and go make a alternative
investment or start a business or something like that.
Are you are you very you get supportive of that.
You try to understand it more or do you try to have them
get some advice on it?
Or you're like, No, no, that's the stupidest thing I've
ever heard.
Don Ross: No, a I look at it.
This is their money.
And if they don't enjoy, it has no value in.
And when we're getting to know each other, I'm asking all
kinds of future questions.
The biggest thing I'm helping people do is how to buy a
second home. What most people want?
Yeah, because remember, they're mostly retired and they're
not looking to really start a small business now on this
side. There's a few that want to be consulting because
they're experts on what they've done.
In fact, I think I sent a few to you and yeah, they can
take their expertise from the companies they they retired
from and set up, you know, hang out their own shingle.
And that's fun.
I'm all about quality of life.
The money will take care of itself.
It's how do we make sure you're confident you can spend
your money and not be freaking out and waking up at 3:00 in
the morning? So that's what we're about is quality of life
and the rest of the things will take care of themselves.
Glenn Harper: Have you ever, you know, not one time so far in this entire
talk? Have you ever talked about profitability, lifestyle
making money?
It's all you're just doing what you love.
Was that always the case?
Was the money ever motivation?
Because obviously you do what you do.
You're obviously you're successful at it.
Did you ever do this for the money?
You just do it because you enjoyed it?
Don Ross: I guess I never thought of that.
I never thought of it now, obviously.
I've been doing this a long time, I've created a very
comfortable lifestyle.
But. I guess I didn't think about it as a money, because
since day one, you know, cutting that first yard for a for
a for compensation, I just did it because I did it on my
own. I. Someone wasn't directing me,
Glenn Harper: I guess, to further elaborate, like when you became the
financial adviser and said, Okay, I'm going to do this.
This is my calling.
So if I could just get $100 million under assets under
management and I can make a million bucks on that or I want
to make five hundred million under asset make you know?
Did you have a a number or did you just go?
Don Ross: I'm not a really good planner, as you know, planning as far
as that.
Glenn Harper: What? Hey, cut that out of there.
I can't have that in here.
Don Ross: I so sometimes I have a little trouble with goals like not
how many clients you want to get, but hitting certain
numbers because certain how much I want to have under
management. I mean, I don't want to criticize anybody that
does, because then it's like, All right, if I don't get you
as a client today, I'm going to miss my numbers.
To me, that means I'm not focusing on you.
I'm thinking in the back of my head a goal I got to hit.
I mean, goals are important, but you're the only thing that
matters right now, and I'm talking to you as a potential
client. You know, I don't do that.
Glenn Harper: Is it fair to say like the military basically gives you all
the structure, all the fallback, all the the goals,
everything has to happen a certain way there.
And now when you go do your quote entrepreneurial journey,
you're kind of just like, I just want to do what I want to
do. I want to help people and the money will come.
I think that's what you're basically trying to say.
You never really set a goal that I want to make x per year
or had this many clients.
Don Ross: Yeah, I agree with that.
Glenn Harper: One hundred percent, which is a very common theme with
entrepreneurs. They do it because they love it, not because
they want to make well, we're all over
Don Ross: The place, you know, our minds.
That's why we need someone to keep us like that and think
like a journey. But that's why it's still to this day.
Kind of funny to say, wait a minute, military.
Entrepreneur. Yeah, it's it's kind of bizarre.
I can't really explain it, I just I just do it, just do it.
I don't know that someone wants to really take my blueprint
and try to start a business off it.
Glenn Harper: Believe it or not, I think most people do.
Julie Smith: Speaking of blueprint, do you feel like as you've went
through this journey and I feel like you, you've just done
it and you've been very successful it just doing it.
But have you ever had to pivot or fall forward or is there
something you would maybe give the listeners that said,
Hey, I kind of went through this if I look back, I would
have maybe done this.
Don Ross: Uh, as far as me, maybe, you know, a couple of times I sold
my book and left the big firms, I always think back I
started with a buddy who's one of the top in the country
now with this big firm.
I mean, he did a different route.
He acquired other small businesses, but I don't think
there's anything I would do differently.
Other than maybe a little bit more focus, I think I that's
a couple of times I sold my book.
It was because I was attracted to do something else over
here and that was when I sold my book meaning.
I sold it to another adviser in the big firm because if I
took those clients with me, it would hurt them financially.
Based on the investments they were in and things like that.
I think that's what you're asking, and that's the only
thing I would have done differently.
Julie Smith: Or is like you got into the entrepreneur and maybe you were
building your business.
Is there anything like I would have hired a team quicker or
I would have maybe put this process in place or I would
have maybe done this a little bit differently?
Don Ross: Yeah, don't. Don't be afraid.
I mean, if I'm giving direct advice, don't be afraid to
hire really good people.
Because they can take and run with some, some some of the
minutia things while you're focusing on the big picture.
And I'm assuming that's exactly how you guys do it.
You've got to focus on the big picture.
You're not necessarily doing the teeny little return
things. I mean, I don't know exactly, but hire good people
and it's an investment.
You know, they they always say, take time to hire and fire
fast.
Julie Smith: And something you said that I think really rings true is
it's an investment.
It's not a cost.
You're not looking at your team as a cost.
You look at them as an investment.
And I think that's such a great mindset.
Don Ross: You know, it's like when people talk about a renovating
their kitchen, I'm like, That's an investment.
Where do you spend all your time in the kitchen?
Invest in a great kitchen.
So, you know, depending on what kind of business anybody
starting, bring on a great person and spend that money
because it'll pay dividends.
Glenn Harper: And we we see that entrepreneurs that start out, if they
would just. And that's why we talk about the mentor and the
team and surround yourself with good people because
there's, you know, the key component of running a business
as you need your, you know, we feel like you need a good
CPA advisor.
You need a good financial advisor, you need a good banker,
you need a good attorney, you need these people because
people think they cost too much.
Not going to help you. But if you have those kind of team
behind you right away, literally, that's the shortcut.
Like, you don't have to go through five, seven, 10, 15
years of absolute anarchy when all you had to do is invest
a little bit up front and you'd have had paved the way to
be certain success.
I mean, you're not going to fail because of something
stupid. You may suck at your, you know, whatever you do for
a living, but you're not going to your business isn't going
to suck when that's a big deal, right?
Julie Smith: You use that f word. We don't use that on here.
Glenn Harper: I use this fail.
Oh yeah. Oh, sorry.
Don Ross: Well, actually, I have colleagues that believe failure is
the greatest.
Julie Smith: Well, we call it pivoting or falling forward.
Don Ross: Rather, pivoting was a COVID thing.
Julie Smith: No, no, no, no, no.
We don't
Glenn Harper: Do that. We don't talk there.
Don Ross: The narrative?
Glenn Harper: No, it's we call it the school of hard knocks because
Julie Smith: We don't believe entrepreneurs really fail.
Never you. Everyone just kind of pivots or falls forward or
falls into something kind of different.
Oh, we get it. You only you only fail if you quit.
And I don't think any of us are quitting.
Don Ross: No, I got, you know, did you ask a question in there?
Julie Smith: Sorry, I caught him off guard.
Glenn Harper: Sorry. No. It was just the the ability.
Like, do you feel like when you first started, you had that
you got that advice up front to do these things?
Or do you kind of feel like you kind of watched the mentors
do it a little bit and you kind of knew what you needed to
do and and you were able to handle that, OK?
Don Ross: Yeah, it's all about being around good people.
That's why I say OJT on the job training now being that I'm
part of an independent advisor network group around the
country, I think the best I would say if you're starting in
the, I don't know, the siding business, I would network
with the siding guy four counties away or maybe two states
away and share ideas on what's the latest and greatest
thing on siding or shingles.
Or maybe you're going to be in the paving business, or
maybe you're going to start a, you know, I bought a home
health care business many years ago.
I bought a franchise.
My dad ran it. What that means is you're getting expert
advice from someone that's done it.
So I think, you know, I'm sure you network with other CPAs.
Glenn Harper: Not initially because, you know, a lot of business owners
are scared traditionally to talk to their competitors.
And that's not the case because you're you and you only do
it your way. And that other person does it their way.
They can't be you and you can't be them, right?
Don Ross: Two of my best friends and you know, one of them fairly big
car dealer here in town, a Ford guy and another friend of
mine, the Chevy Guy, both behemoths and what they do, their
best friends. They share ideas.
They're not competitors.
You'd think that, but they're really not.
But the mindset of most people is, Oh yeah, we're
competitors.
Glenn Harper: Nope. Do you do a lot of a lot of social media stuff or you
have an online presence at all?
Or are you just more of a relationship guy and referral guy
that way? Or do you put put your word out there all over
the internet and everything?
Don Ross: Joanie handles that Instagram, Facebook.
We put out good content.
You know, we have a weekly Friday video, which I think
you're going to be on here pretty soon, by the way.
Awesome. And so, yeah, we have a social footprint.
So it works.
That's how people find us.
There's all these Google rating things, and we have people
that say, You found you on the web.
I'm like, OK, because we come, we're first below some of
the ads, right?
The ads that are on the, you know, the Meryl's, the Wells
Fargo and all that.
And that has to do with ratings.
I don't know how that works, but
Glenn Harper: Now that's way beyond our pay grade.
Do you have any other advice that you would want to give an
entrepreneur that just starting their journey, whether
they're 14, 18, 20, 30, 50, maybe the dreaded 60?
Don Ross: I don't know if his advice you can give an entrepreneur
because if it's in your blood or your DNA, it's it's done.
You're going to you're going to do it.
But I would say stay focused and always do what's right for
your client or whatever, whoever the end user of what your
service or product is.
And you'll never go wrong.
Glenn Harper: Be true to that passion.
Well, Don, appreciate you coming on today.
It's always a pleasure sitting down and talking with you.
Glen Harper signing off Julie.
Julie Smith. All right.
Take care.