The Alimond Show
Welcome to The Alimond Show --join us as we share our entrepreneurial guests' stories, uncover their secrets to success, and explore the unique paths they've taken to build thriving businesses in our community.
In each episode, our host, Aliyah Dastour, sits down with a diverse group of local business owners, from the corner cafe to the boutique shop, from tech startups to family-run enterprises. We peel back the curtain to reveal the trials, triumphs, and transformational moments that have shaped their entrepreneurial journey.
Discover the passion, perseverance, and innovative thinking that fuels these businesses, as well as the challenges they've overcome along the way. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking inspiration or simply a curious listener interested in the stories behind your favorite local spots, The Alimond Show has something for everyone.
Our guests share their experiences, insights, and valuable advice that can empower you to turn your own dreams into reality. We discuss topics like marketing strategies, customer relationships, community engagement, and much more, offering practical takeaways you can apply to your own business or career.
Join us every week as we celebrate the unsung heroes of our local business community and explore the vibrant tapestry of entrepreneurship in our area. Tune in to The Alimond Show and get ready to be inspired, informed, and motivated to support and nurture the businesses that make our community thrive.
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The Alimond Show
Dave Anderson - Thriving Entrepreneur & Business Coach of Business Bully LLC
What if your accidental start in a childhood hobby could lead to a thriving career? Join us as we sit down with Dave Anderson, the resilient owner of Business Bully LLC, who began his journey in radio at the tender age of nine. Dave’s story is a powerful testament to overcoming adversity—from his unexpected entry into media to facing homelessness and emerging as a successful business coach. With 22 books to his name, Dave shares not just his entrepreneurial wisdom, but also personal anecdotes that underscore the importance of relentless problem-solving and forward momentum.
In our conversation, we tackle the profound impact of self-doubt and how it can stunt our potential, drawing inspiration from an emotional moment in the movie "Trolls." We reflect on the necessity of pushing through life’s challenges, like the loss of loved ones, to maximize our potential and inspire others. We then shift focus to the pursuit of happiness over wealth, featuring the incredible success of young YouTuber Ryan, who turned his passion into a $30 million-a-year career. This episode is a treasure trove of insights on embracing failure, overcoming fear, and creating a life that genuinely excites you. Don’t miss this compelling dialogue that encourages you to prioritize joy and fulfillment in every endeavor.
My name's Dave Anderson, I own the Business Bully LLC and I am a business coach that helps people with marketing, finding their voice and getting to the money.
Speaker 2:Wow, and how did you get into this business?
Speaker 1:Kind of by accident. I started my career in radio at nine. I wound up retiring at 34 because I saw that a lot of my ideas were making money, that I wasn't getting a piece of. Yes, and I was giving people advice and they started making more money than I was making and I was like, yeah, no, I need to get some of this money.
Speaker 2:But we need to back up for a minute on that. How did you start in radio at nine?
Speaker 1:Everybody says that, but nobody questions the Olsen twins Quite by accident. I was at a school where I wasn't allowed to take the test to skip grades and I got frustrated and my mom was like, yeah, you're smart, but you still have to kind of follow the rules. So not doing your homework as some type of Gandhi like protest isn't going to fly, and she took everything out of my room. I had a brother who was very um, let's say what's the word I'm looking for. He was the type of person that felt so bad for me. He went and got me a radio and got me a phone and snuck it in while my mom was working, and so I'd use it when my mom was working and then when she came home, I'd hide it and I was turning into a radio station that had a show about kids it was called Kids Corner and I called in and Curly Neal from the Globe Charters was like, hey, that kid's amazing, you should hire him. And that's how I got my start.
Speaker 2:So you actually went to a radio station every day.
Speaker 1:Every day after school.
Speaker 2:And what would you talk about?
Speaker 1:Well, things that kids cared about. Sometimes it was cartoons, sometimes it was toys, sometimes it was current events and politics.
Speaker 2:I feel like that's so rare back. I mean I know there's so many kids now that have you know, but in the 80s it was unheard of it was like oh my god, that's so you know, but I, um, I was busy living life, not trying to necessarily make history.
Speaker 1:I was just a kid who found his way into a cool situation and how long did that last? I did that until I was about 15 and then tv came calling and and I did a show called Candy Kids Club which was on CBS Saturday morning, and that was great and I did that.
Speaker 2:What kind of a show was it? It?
Speaker 1:was sort of like Kids Corner, but it was more based on teenagers and the things that teenagers liked, and so I would go to red carpets or I would like review toys or talk about different comic books, and I got to go like Marvel and DC and you know, talk to the writers.
Speaker 2:I feel like you were like the original YouTuber.
Speaker 1:You know what? I never thought about it like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like 20 years too early, but you know what are you going to do. I had a good time and it was a fun childhood, even though you know I grew up poor. But I had these amazing experiences and so I think I was uniquely blessed to develop the talents that I was able to develop from that experience.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so where did that lead you? Where was the next chapter?
Speaker 1:Next chapter found me in college and because I'd already had radio experience, I wanted to intern. I got an internship at a company called Radio One and six months after that internship I became an associate producer of a morning show and that was incredible and that wound up leading me up and down the dial and down the dial. I've lived in 19 states, did a lot of, you know, production promotion, being an executive producer, being an on-air talent, doing syndicated radio, all those types of things. And I wound up at one particular point, homeless, because it got tough, you know, really tough. I washed up in a gas station sink for a while it was, it was crazy, but the thing was I said I'm never going to be here again and I'm going to make sure that was the low.
Speaker 1:And like, thank God, you know, my kids never experienced anything like that and thank God I'm able to keep people from experiencing things like that. But it put a different kind of bravery inside of me, a different kind of resilience, where I don't. Nothing that will happen to me will be as bad as washing up in a gas station sink or sleeping in between two tractor trailers in a Walmart parking lot you know, in my truck. And so when you realize that your rock bottom can never possibly happen, the only thing you focus on is how to get further up and how to move in a more positive direction, and that's that's what I do. I'm not saying that things are roses in springtime all the time, but I will say that problems have solutions and they're not met with complaining. You know you got to find a way to make it work and if it's not that bad, you don't really have a problem. You have an issue that needs to be solved.
Speaker 2:So how did you find your way out of that?
Speaker 1:My brother again. It's always my brother.
Speaker 2:Sounds like he was a good protector.
Speaker 1:He was. He was a cop, he was my hero, he's an amazing guy. And he was like where are you living right now? And I was like, well, you know, I'm kind of sleeping in my truck. And he said and I could literally feel him jumping through the phone like if you don't get your behind he didn't say behind I'm sure.
Speaker 1:I wound up staying in his garage until I got myself together and you know, I started working and really writing my books and figuring things out and slowly but surely compound interest. Over time I was able to do quite well for myself, yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:And how many books do you have under your belt?
Speaker 1:22.
Speaker 2:22 books.
Speaker 1:Yes, no, I can't name them all.
Speaker 2:What are they all about?
Speaker 1:21 of them are about business and sales and marketing and resilience and empowerment. And I wrote one book that was like a novella and I realized that you know, I'm not a fiction writer, You're facts.
Speaker 2:I'm really good at facts.
Speaker 1:Fiction, not so much. So you know, for me, I think, a lot of times people just kept asking me questions about what things they should do, how they should move, how I'm able to just go and do things without perceived fear, and I said, you know, I'm just going to write, I'm just going to write a book about it, you know, and so I was going to ask you what inspired you to, yeah, to write those books.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's different things, you know, sometimes I see people do things that are just completely ridiculously stupid and I'm like you have no common sense. Oh, common sense ain't common. There's a book, and then there were people who would come to me all the time Mr Anderson, I can't sell like you. Like, I don't have that thing where I'm charming and have the gift of gab and da da, da, da, da da, and selling is slimy and it's and it's deceptive. And I said, ok, who's the least slimy, deceptive person in history? Oh, jesus. So I write a book on how to sell like Jesus would, and I wrote a book called Sell it Like Jesus. It's my best seller out of my best sellers, and I try to find ways to turn what people say on its head and go out factually and prove them wrong or show them that it can be done if they're willing to do it.
Speaker 1:We live in a microwave society. Now, everybody wants everything. Society now, everybody wants everything right now. Everybody wants the reward, but nobody wants to put in the work. Very few people want to put in the work. Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die to get there. And I'm at a point in my life where I want to show you that it's possible. What you do now that you know it's possible is completely on you. But you can't say that you weren't exposed to the possibilities.
Speaker 2:Oh, I like that that. You can't deny that you were had opportunities in front of you and you chose not to to take them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, everything's an opportunity.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Right, you know I, um, I got really depressed from being homeless and dealing with what happens in the entertainment industry and just what happens in society with people. Sometimes people get hurt down on their luck, whatever the case may be, you know, and people don't understand how hard it is to get out of that. And I'm my mom's child. So I ate my feelings and I bloomed up to 561 pounds.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, everybody says that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know I'm 249 now and I'm smaller than I was my freshman year of college.
Speaker 2:How does that feel?
Speaker 1:Weird.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like I look in the mirror and I'm like who is that guy? Do I have a man bun?
Speaker 1:You know what is happening, what is going on here, I'm going to Target and getting a shirt and not trying it on, you know. So it's little things that people take for granted, and I tell people all the time feeling normal is a superpower. We downplay normal because we see people do extraordinary things or we love superhero movies and we don't realize that being a normal man or being a normal woman is a phenomenal achievement. You know, not having to worry about all the things that come with disease, with obesity with you know addictions, whether that's food addiction, like I had, or opioid addiction, or alcohol or drug addiction. There's so many things to just feel, nothing that need to be celebrated, that grossly go uncelebrated, and so I'm like I've done. I've literally lost two and a half human beings. There's nothing that we can't do. We're in the greatest era in human history. We have the most knowledge, we have the most resources. We have the most knowledge. We have the most resources. We have the most people.
Speaker 1:Do you know what happens when you get a bunch of people in the room? Chaos, if it's not organized. But what can happen is people can get in touch with what can be the best version of themselves. You know, you can't really see things clearly when you're in the frame, and so I'm a big believer that if we focus on being solution oriented not trying to fix everything for everybody, but being who you are and then surrounding you with people who specialize in the things that you're not good at, you can be phenomenal. You can achieve those things that feel impossible. You can pull yourself up by the bootstraps even though I don't like the term, I think that there's a lot that can happen if we just give in to our possibilities.
Speaker 2:Well, it sounds like you've done just that, like you brought yourself from a really bad situation into bettering yourself and your life, and for yourself and for your family.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you're doing public speaking engagement.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Now tell me about that. Where do you speak and what kind of things are you speaking about? What kind of businesses are you targeting? Tell me a little bit about that.
Speaker 1:Sure, I primarily speak to sales organizations, corporations. I do some colleges and universities, but I talk about the limits we put on ourselves before we start. I have a nine-year-old, her name is Devlin, and we recently found out Beautiful name yeah, it's a Gaelic name.
Speaker 1:It means strong and fierce, and she is every bit of that. But here's the funny thing when you have a young child, you tend to watch their entertainment, because they take over the TV and they take over the radio. And one day we're watching trolls and I just start bawling, crying, and my wife and my daughter go what's going on? Why are you crying? And I said that is what everybody does.
Speaker 1:So there's a scene in the movie where the um the Bergen, or the troll, the ogre, is in love with the King, but she's a scullery maid and she's like well, no, he's not going to look at me. And the trolls say well, we can make you a jumpsuit. And she's like well, what good is a jumping suit if I don't have good hair? They're like we're trolls, we can make hair. Yeah, but I don't know what to say. For every solution she found another problem, but she desperately desired to have the attention of the King. And what happens in society is we have a desire, but our problems and our negative self-talk outrule the exploration of the possibilities, of what it takes to make that happen, and it just. It gave me just immense sadness and, like you shouldn't cry at a kid's movie. But it wasn't about the kid's movie, it was about. This is what we do, and how many people are dying from an unlived life? Right, you know?
Speaker 2:and for me. You probably got upset because of what message that was sending to your daughter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm like yeah, no, no, you can't, you can't go around. It's okay to have a complaint, it's okay to have a problem, but what's your solution? And so many people have this cathartic mentality that all they want to do is complain about it, but they don't ever want it solved. A lot of people don't want their problem solved, they just want to complain about the problem. And I'm like no, you can complain a little bit, that's okay. It's just like you see these movies right where somebody comes and he's like a killer and he lays waste to people. He's like I'm going to give you three days to mourn your dead. And it's like ooh, okay, three days After that we're going back to war. I'm going to let you bury your dead, get your affairs in order and then we go back to war.
Speaker 2:Yeah, affairs in order and then we go back to war. Yeah, right, like you can take this time it's okay to grieve.
Speaker 1:Yes, then you gotta move up, onward and upward, right I lost my brother, who, and I tell people, when you have a brother, a big brother, a hero, and you were raised in the same home and you have a certain understanding, it's like speaking a language that only you and that other person speak and then, when that person goes, the language automatically dies and then you start to run down all the things that you wish you had have said and you would have said, and all the hugs you didn't give and all the hey. I'm just calling to tell you I love you. I know you're busy. And once I got past the fact that my brother died way too young and I got past the fact that my brother died way too young and I got past the fact that I felt I didn't say I love you enough, then the reality of my life with my brother set in, and it was. He knew I loved him. I call him and tell him I loved him all the time.
Speaker 1:Whenever I saw him, I hugged him. We had amazing adventures together. We had a phenomenal childhood. We were poor, but we had each other.
Speaker 2:It sounds like he was a great influence on your life.
Speaker 1:He is. I tell people all the time that, in order to build up a level of confidence, I was cosplaying my brother for the first 18 years of my life, because that was my example. He wasn't afraid of anything, he was charming, he knew how to talk to people and until my belief in myself kicked in, I took my brother's belief in me and the example that he led by being who he was, and I think that's how you learn. And my brother wouldn't want me sitting around crying about it. He would want me to go out here and thrive. And that was the thing. Like I would do something amazing, like, hey, I'm on CNN. He was like, oh, that's cool, but you did that already. What's next? And I'm like the rest of the world is like yo, cnn. He's like so what else you got?
Speaker 2:What are you going to do next?
Speaker 1:You know, and that's the thing he never let me settle, if anything, just as a business coach, as a speaker, as a tribute to my brother, I never let anybody settle for one little victory when there's so many more victories to have. And the reason I know there's so many more victories to have is because, donna, you're not dead yet. Thank goodness. No, absolutely. I'm sure your husband and your kids would be devastated, but the truth of the matter is there's more to be done.
Speaker 2:There is.
Speaker 1:And we have to go after it, because this life is a gift and we don't know how long we have, but in the time that we have we got to maximize it. Does that mean there's some days where you just throw up, you know, throw in the towel and lay on the couch? Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:You know, but nine times out of ten you need to be after it, because your destiny is tied to a whole bunch of people you will never meet, who are going to use your example as the example of what's possible for them. And you're doing them and God a disservice by not showing up. And that's what I talk about when I talk to audiences of all sizes, when I talk about how to close a deal, when I inspire people to reach down deep and sell more when they don't think that they can. I want people to understand that possibilities are endless and excuses are finite.
Speaker 2:Oh, I like that. Yeah, very well said, and I love hearing about your brother and what an influence he was on your life, and I believe that, if what we've been taught is true, our loved ones are looking down on us and proud of us every day and know how much that we love them, because I know how many people struggle with. I didn't get to say this or I didn't get to say that, but I believe they're watching and looking down on us and proud.
Speaker 1:Right yeah.
Speaker 2:Tell me a little bit about where you see this all going. Wow, 22 books. You're going to write more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to write more. I'm actually working on a follow-up to Sell it. Like Jesus called Jesus the Influencer, and I'm writing another book in tribute to my brother Aaron, called what my Brother Taught Me, and both books are about thinking on how you move forward, what you do, how you go about making things happen, and the thing about you know Jesus the influencer is when you think about it. Jesus rocked the world without a cell phone. His reputation was so amazing. He did big spectacles, and so when you talk about an influencer, 2000 years after his death and ascension, he's still influencing people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, there's $33 million in tithes and offerings every single Sunday. One of the richest places in any neighborhood is the church, you know. The other part of that is his merch game is unstoppable, right. His ability to still get subscribers right Followers, to come and get tied to that message is important. And then you know when it, when it comes to the book about my brother's life and the influence on me, it's about all of those lessons that we would have you know doing dishes at the sink or playing basketball Like I. You know I was always a fat, chubby kid, so like, running up and down the court, not a thing. And so my brother was like we're just going to develop a really good perimeter shot.
Speaker 2:And so.
Speaker 1:I can shoot a three pointer from damn near anywhere. So he took my limitations and still found the strength, and for me, the only thing that I want is to have the opportunity to grace more stages and help more people and help entrepreneurs who feel stuck get unstuck. Whether that's through coaching, whether that's through a course, whether it's through one of my books. I want to show people that you can do more than just what you're doing, and you should feel excited about your possibilities more than you should be dreading your limitations.
Speaker 2:I love that. I was just going to ask you as we wrap up here are there any last parting words you'd like to leave us with a mantra that you live by? You've already given us so much great advice.
Speaker 1:I think the main thing for me is no matter whether you're black, white, male, female, gay, straight whatever you believe, the truth about life that unites us all is that no one's getting out of it alive. You got to die to leave here, but what will you leave from living? You know what are you doing with your life? Are you happy? Are you looking at your life and saying, wow, I'm making an impact, I am doing the things that I've always wanted to do. I am doing the things that I've always wanted to do. If you get up every morning, every Monday morning, the heart attack rates rise.
Speaker 1:Between six o'clock and nine, because people are going to jobs that they hate. Hmm, I never wanted to be a person that went to a job that he hated. When something is no longer fun to me, I ain't doing it. Yeah, and I think we got a. There's a kid, literally right now, making 30 million dollars a year on YouTube reviewing other people's toys. His name is Ryan. He doesn't manufacture anything. So if an eight-year-old kid or I think he's 12 and I don't know how old he is, but he's still much younger than everybody in this room If this kid can make $30 million reviewing toys, there's no limit to what you can do.
Speaker 1:So you don't have the right to be miserable when you can make a choice. You just got to stop being scared. Yes, it's scary. No, it's not easy. Yes, it's going to take work. Yes, you will fail. There's no such thing as a fail-free life, right? So I want people to understand that it is better to go for it and be happy making I don't know 50 grand a year than making 200 grand a year and you hate your life so much that you take it out on your spouse, you take it out on your kids, you take it out on the world. I want you to live the life that when you go to sleep you feel mad because you're living your dream and we don't do that enough.
Speaker 2:Right, kind of flip the narrative a little bit, absolutely. Thank you so much for coming in today, dave. I loved speaking with you and I loved hearing your story.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for having me. This has been fun I really like this set. This is so nice the lighting is good.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you, we kind of dig it, yeah, no, I mean you should keep doing this. This is cool, yeah, I.