Scott Joseph reveals the secrets behind his successful entrepreneurial journey, offering listeners invaluable insights and practical advice. From drawing early inspiration from his father's auto industry career to founding and growing J&L Marketing, Scott’s story is a masterclass in resilience and adaptability. Join us as Scott shares the critical moments that defined his career, including the pivotal transition from direct mail to digital marketing, and how he navigated the uncertainties of this shift with the support of a trusted managing partner.
Transitioning the reins of J&L Marketing to a managing partner was a major turning point for Scott, yielding immediate positive results. This episode delves into the emotional and psychological battles entrepreneurs face when stepping aside from their ventures. Scott’s reflections on the importance of recognizing when to move on and finding new purpose, such as his mastermind group Me Plus Ultra, provide a thought-provoking look into the complexities of maintaining passion and drive in one's professional life.
Balancing personal life and business ambitions is a recurring theme in Scott’s story. He candidly discusses the sacrifices required for success, especially during tumultuous times like the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode promises valuable lessons on prioritizing family, leveraging sales skills, and the importance of mentorship, featuring lessons from high-profile figures like Tony Robbins. Scott’s experiences remind us that true wealth is found in the quality of life outside of work, making this episode a must-listen for anyone navigating the intricate dance of entrepreneurship.
Our mission here at Elevate Media is to help purpose-driven entrepreneurs elevate their brands and make an impact through the power of video podcasting.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all our episodes or videos on the Elevate Media and Elevate Media Podcast YouTube channels. https://elevatemediastudios.com/disclaimer
Scott Joseph reveals the secrets behind his successful entrepreneurial journey, offering listeners invaluable insights and practical advice. From drawing early inspiration from his father's auto industry career to founding and growing J&L Marketing, Scott’s story is a masterclass in resilience and adaptability. Join us as Scott shares the critical moments that defined his career, including the pivotal transition from direct mail to digital marketing, and how he navigated the uncertainties of this shift with the support of a trusted managing partner.
Transitioning the reins of J&L Marketing to a managing partner was a major turning point for Scott, yielding immediate positive results. This episode delves into the emotional and psychological battles entrepreneurs face when stepping aside from their ventures. Scott’s reflections on the importance of recognizing when to move on and finding new purpose, such as his mastermind group Me Plus Ultra, provide a thought-provoking look into the complexities of maintaining passion and drive in one's professional life.
Balancing personal life and business ambitions is a recurring theme in Scott’s story. He candidly discusses the sacrifices required for success, especially during tumultuous times like the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode promises valuable lessons on prioritizing family, leveraging sales skills, and the importance of mentorship, featuring lessons from high-profile figures like Tony Robbins. Scott’s experiences remind us that true wealth is found in the quality of life outside of work, making this episode a must-listen for anyone navigating the intricate dance of entrepreneurship.
Our mission here at Elevate Media is to help purpose-driven entrepreneurs elevate their brands and make an impact through the power of video podcasting.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all our episodes or videos on the Elevate Media and Elevate Media Podcast YouTube channels. https://elevatemediastudios.com/disclaimer
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast with your host, chris Anderson. In this show, chris and his guests will share their knowledge and experience on how to go from zero to successful entrepreneur. They have built their businesses from scratch and are now ready to give back to those who are just starting. Let's get ready to learn, grow and elevate our businesses. And now your host, chris Anderson.
Speaker 2:
Welcome back to another recording of the Elevate Media Podcast. I'm Chris Anderson, your host. Today we're going to be diving into the journey of Scott Joseph. He's founded and been a part of multiple businesses. He is the host and I love this podcast name the Business Bourbon and Cigars Leadership Retreats and Podcasts. So he's done a lot in the business world auto marketing, everything you can think of. So we're excited to have him on to dive into his journey and just learn from him. So, scott, welcome to the Elevate Beauty Podcast.
Speaker 3:
Chris, thank you very much. I appreciate being here.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, glad to have you here, Looking forward to diving into your journey. I mean, you started, I believe, in auto dealerships and worked your way up to starting your J&L marketing company. You know what was that like, that transition from going from like kind of a corporate job Actually, it was reversed, reversed.
Speaker 3:
Okay, it's reversed, it's reversed. So I always so just long story short always wanted to be in the auto business. My dad my dad was selling vacuums at Sears and got into selling cars and then eventually worked his way up to where he was running a store. And so our lifestyle changed and at this point I'm very impressionable. I'm a young kid then going up into high school, college age and our lifestyle changed dramatically because the auto industry provided him a level of income that we just probably didn't even think about prior to that, and so you enjoy some of the conveniences and comforts that come along with that, and so I always wanted to get into auto, and my path just took me to the agency path first, which allowed me to make the money to buy the store that eventually well, that's still so.
Speaker 2:
You know you've done all that. I mean. So you had the agency and then bought the dealership, built it up successfully, now growing value of over 500,000%, if I remember reading that correctly into your podcast, your retreats, and now the founder of Me Plus Ultra. Were you always entrepreneurial? Was it something that? Was it just a lifestyle you wanted? What kind of got you super intrigued to kind of owning and running and founding the businesses?
Speaker 3:
I think I've always wanted to do my own thing. You know I mentioned that I wanted to get into auto. The plan was never to really buy my own stores, the plan was to run it, and so I think you have, if you're going to run a business, you still have to have an entrepreneurial I think mindset that comes with that. So I never envisioned myself just doing some type of nine to five, and so I guess the answer to your question is yeah, I think I've always had that entrepreneurial spirit in me. Sure.
Speaker 2:
So you know you've done that. You've had the marketing agency, now the founder of Me Plus Ultra. You know, obviously entrepreneurship is not easy. It can be simple, but it's definitely not easy. Thinking back on your journey, is there a moment in time you remember was a super critical, crucial moment of make or break Maybe I shouldn't do this but you stuck with it or something you had to overcome that was really big.
Speaker 3:
Well, I think the only time I thought maybe I shouldn't do this would have had to been with J&L Marketing right out of the gate. You know, three or four months in, because I put every penny I had into that, I saved up into it and it wasn't gaining as much traction initially as I thought it was. Or, you know, it's never as easy as you play it out in your head, and I was only 22 when I started it, so I was probably naive to what it would actually take. I had to grind, I worked really hard. I just felt like the success would come a little bit easier. Where I may have thought, you know, is this the right path? But not in a serious way. I think I always thought right at the moment, yeah, just normal stuff. I never actually ever thought this isn't for me. Now I will say later in life. You know I bought the dealerships.
Speaker 3:
I'm fortunate that, you know, through J& J and L marketing we sold our. Our core business was automotive, so I was very familiar with what it took to have a successful store and to really grow it, and so I knew I needed to get a managing partner on board that that was going to be there for the day-to-day operations and he does a phenomenal job. I joke with him all the time. This is the easiest business I've ever been a part of um, mainly because he does all the hefty heavy lifting right and he's just a phenomenal partner.
Speaker 3:
And but with the agency there was a stretch. Um, I think maybe when we started doing our pivot. We still do direct mail, but 85% of all our revenue from that agency's all paid media, digital marketing and I think when we went through that pivot there was a two-year, three-year stretch where I really doubted do I still have what it takes as it relates to this agency to keep moving forward? I think, if for where you're going with that question, I think that would probably be the closest time where those thoughts creeped in a little bit.
Speaker 2:
Sure, what got you past that and made you realize, okay, we're going to continue this Because, I mean, there's always a time where you can, you know, change direction, pivot, let something go, but you kept with it. So what was that kind of moment for you?
Speaker 3:
Well, at this stage in my life, when this was happening, the agency had already been around for you know, 15. Okay, well, 20 years, and had done very well. The dealerships are now, are all cranking, yeah. So if I'm taking, if I'm being true to myself and I am doing a true self-assessment here, I don't know is it related to the agency if I still had that fire to relearn what I needed, to learn, uh, and start over from a product standpoint. I understood, did. I can go out today and I can get all kinds of appointments for our sales team and our president because I know enough to get that done and I can. I can and I believe in what we're doing. But if I had to explain to someone that actually knows digital marketing what they needed to do, I couldn't do that.
Speaker 3:
I rely on the team here, right, and so I think there was a period of time there where I was running, I was responsible for the day-to-day operations of J&O marketing. I was fortunate enough. I sat back and I said I was fortunate enough. I sat back and I said why am I allowing this to frustrate me, bring me down to where? It's not enjoyable for me, some of the things that used to excite me had become mundane as it related to the agency. I said I'm enjoying what I'm doing. The dealership world brings me no headaches.
Speaker 3:
So what's the difference? I said, well, the difference is I've got a managing partner that's involved more than I am and I don't get in his way, and I was getting in the way that I was having. So with J&L. I had a president, but I had a foot in and a foot out and he's got his way of running things and I have mine and I think we got along great. But I was getting in his way, and you can't have two people running the ship. And so I and I, just I sat back and I said, well, the difference? I said the problem is me, and so I stepped aside and let him go full steam ahead, and it was almost instant. And let him go full steam ahead, and it was almost instant.
Speaker 2:
That's awesome and that's a lot, you know. Isn't that the truth, though? The problem is me. I think most of the time, our problems come from internal, from ourselves, correct?
Speaker 3:
Well, every entrepreneur, especially if they're successful at some point, there's going to be a time where it might be time to move on, because you've grown past it and I think that time had come for me. With what I'm doing now, on Me Plus Ultra, I'm working harder today. I mean, I got to go all the way back into the 90s to find the same type of grind that I've got going on today, but it doesn't feel like a grind to me. Yeah Right, I'm enjoying it. All the things that we talk about with entrepreneurs, especially newer ones, working through the night, um, sometimes no sleep, sometimes just a couple hours. I don't have to do that, but it doesn't like I'm enjoying it and it brings me a lot of joy doing what I'm doing now. So I think I just lost that with what I was doing and it was time to move on, but I delayed it because I think sometimes ego gets in the way.
Speaker 3:
Especially, there's a lot of people that have become successful and they think they don't really have comfort zones and they're risk takers and things like that and what happened was I had achieved more than I thought I would when I first started in my entrepreneurial journey and I got comfortable and I knew it was time to move on and start something else. But I think there's an ego play that comes in and you start to wonder can I do it again? Especially at this stage of my career, do I want to do it again? That's where it's really important. If you're going to make that change and pivot to something else, you really got to make sure it's the right thing. You really got to make sure it's the right thing, because I got to tell you if this was not the right thing what I've done now on the mastermind group, it would not be successful.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, because I think. Yeah, it would be too hard. You almost have like the old saying the Cherokee. You know two wolves inside fighting. You know they're, they're fighting one another. And he asked which one, which one wins, and the you know the head honcho was like the one you feed, and it's kind of the same thing, like if you're doing one thing but you're like mindset and stuff's against it, like they're battling each other.
Speaker 2:
And so, like I told me when I started Elevate, like I didn't want to do editing, I didn't want to cause, we started with just video podcasts and I do full video production. But I was like I don't want to do this, like I don't like doing all the time it is. Until I changed my mindset of like what's the benefit to our clients? Like how does this help them? Like when I made that shift in my mindset, I I saw it different, my perspective changed and you know I enjoyed it more because I knew what the impact we were doing, what I was doing back when I started by myself, was having on those companies. So and that's something a lot of our church don't necessarily think about is having those battles like and having to change those mindsets and and make sure they're sometimes don't want to let go of what they started to create something new because they felt like a failure.
Speaker 3:
Well, j&l marketing has been around now 30 plus years, since 91. But at this stage, right where I started to feel this inside, let's say at the 20, 25 year mark side, let's say at the 20, 25 year mark and make no mistake, this was, you know, I say the tough part was a two or three year period, yeah, but what I was battling internally is probably more of a 10 year period. Right, because I just started Me Plus Ultra last October. Okay, so I had been doing the business bourbon and cigar leadership retreats for a few years prior to that. So which is kind of started getting me into this direction of wow, I really love this.
Speaker 3:
But towards the end of of my true involvement in the day-to-day operations of, say, j and O marketing. Yeah, you know you're not happy, you know you're headed down the wrong path, and so a lot of times you don't want to admit to yourself that this is no longer my thing, this is no longer what I should be doing. You don't want to admit that. So what you say is we're not growing fast enough, I've got to grow more. So you start thinking of ways to stay involved and it must be that I'm just not happy with the status quo or where we've plateaued to. I need more of it and, quite honestly, the more you get, the more miserable you become and it's like it's a weird dynamic. And so I was fortunate and, quite honestly, I'll tell you how I made the switch. I told you the self-assessment of you know, that's the simple approach, but you know, I had a with the agency.
Speaker 3:
I had a podcast called move crush count. I had a person reach out to me on on linkedin and she was over in london and she was trying to sell me because she worked specifically with men between the ages of like, say, 45, 55 year old, 55 years old who were CEOs or owners of their own business, who were in a similar spot, who felt a little stuck. And you know, I'm like no, I'm not interested, I don't, I never like that. On on, it was like a first. She committed the cardinal sin against me, which is connect and then send me that right.
Speaker 3:
But she phrased it in a way that grabbed my attention. It did grab my attention and it was hitting where I was. Yeah, um, and so I thought you know what, you know everybody, we all think everyone's just like us, right? So I I thought this might be a good podcast for my show. So I brought her on the show um and and I was streaming that show live actually and then recorded it and dropped it later yeah but my wife was watching the show and I came home and I said, did you pay attention, did you watch the show?
Speaker 3:
And she goes, yeah, what did you think? And I said, something tells me I need to work with her, um. And so my wife was like, yes, cause she could tell, right, our wives, our spouses, they know, um, she goes. Yeah, I think you should. And so I started working with her online Jay Tepley is her name, by the way, I'll give her a quick plug and we were making progress online a couple times a month, but I'm very I get distracted easily.
Speaker 3:
I get distracted easily, sure. And so the first thing is she, she goes. We need like 10 to 12 days just uninterrupted time all day long. And so we actually took a trip to Costa Rica. My wife gave me permission to do this, actually and I mean we woke up, you know, I woke up five, 30, did my exercise stuff. Then we had then met her for breakfast and I got to tell 30, did my exercise stuff, then we had then met her for breakfast. Um, and I, I gotta tell you, I mean it was bell to bell, it was exhausting, working on myself mentally, but I walked, I walked out of that clear, I came out with a complete bit. I came out with my. I knew what I wanted to do. I then came back and in three days I had my business plan for me, plus ultra, done. Um man, I was excited about it, and that's how it happened that's awesome.
Speaker 2:
I think it's important to take those like internal assessments. Sometimes, I think, especially uh, for those listening who are early on in their business they're doing, they're wearing a lot of hats, doing it all themselves I can feel overwhelming. But you know, I think finding a moment just to to reconnect with your, with yourself and your mind, and make sure you're you know, because I mean there are sleepless nights, there are sacrifices you have to make to have the success, and so taking time to have those moments are important as you're building it. Because, like with Elevate, like we're young still, um, because, like with elevate, like we're young still.
Speaker 2:
You know I started 2021 and, um, you know, I've had growth. Obviously I'm a little impatient, so I'd like to be a little bit faster, a little bit farther along, but it's been, I mean, fantastic to see the growth and super blessed to like start doing. Started with with me doing everything and being able to have now a team of contracted employees doing things, so I don't have to do everything and start to pick up even more momentum and just trying to keep that going. But even now, it's like I've learned to be able to take, you know, maybe a day and hang with my two little ones, who are just under three and about to turn one and so, and having that recharge and those moments to just kind of refresh, because that's what it's about, right, I mean, for me, entrepreneurship is to be able to have that. That's what I want, and so if I'm not doing it now, I mean that was the whole point all along.
Speaker 3:
So part of what I did down in my trip with her is she made me write a personal mission statement and one of the things you just brought this up, and and and trying to find that balance. And when you're, by the way, you're in your first three, four years here two, three years it's hard to find that balance. And and uh, and I'm very mindful of the balance that's required between the comforts and the conveniences I enjoy now because I've been in business a long time, done well, yep, I enjoy now, because I've been in business a long time, done well and the growth that's needed to actually live the mission that I have for myself. So to live my purpose first off, I believe in creating your own purpose, but to live a life that's fulfilling it requires growth, it requires time, it requires sacrifices, but I'm very mindful of making sure I'm not going to give up the things I now enjoy, right, and so there's that balance.
Speaker 3:
I'm curious for you, like you know what. So 21, that's coming right out of, that's right off the heels of COVID, right? And I don't know when you started in 21. So 21, so I don't know if it's like all right, the lockdowns and the lockouts and the social stuff is kind of past now and we're yeah, into 2021.
Speaker 2:
I quit my job in 2020 to try to figure out how to start a business, so that was a great time, um, and yeah, and then 2020, kind of you know, face faces, a big part of me just heard god saying hey, like look, this is what I've been giving you, like lean into it and that's what I did and it's been gross since. But yeah, um, into 2021 so that's awesome.
Speaker 2:
I'm very happy to hear that yeah and like having that and that was a big thing, like I I always call a harmony, because I feel like there's no balance in it all. You just kind of have to mesh it together as best you can, um and like, but still like. And I heard you probably know Alex Ramosi, uh, or I've heard of them, if not, he's just big in the coaching marketing space. He said, like you're going to have to sacrifice, you're gonna have to miss ballet, you're gonna have to miss soccer games. And I'm like like no, I said that's one thing I won't sacrifice, because that's like the reason I'm doing this. Yes, I'll, I'll sacrifice, you know, a workout every now and then, or or sleep some hours, um, but like you have to remember, like you have to choose what you'll sacrifice.
Speaker 3:
Well, Well, that's what I was going to say. You are sacrificing something, right? So if you're going to the soccer game, you're sacrificing that potential sale or whatever it might be, that project getting done soon or whatever it would be. There's always a sacrifice and I think in the end you have to do. There's a difference between choosing correctly because that is your purpose, that's what fulfills you, yep Versus the entrepreneur that's not that successful and says they're choosing to do that and really it's more about just justifying why they're not growing or succeeding. There is a difference in one is truthful, one is not Right, and really it's more about just justifying why they're not growing or succeeding. There is a difference in one is truthful one is not, and so I think.
Speaker 2:
I applaud you for that. Yeah, no, I appreciate that, because I know I could probably be farther along in profit, revenue, all that growth, if I was to spend 24 hours a day, every day, on business. I know that. But you know, then, my relationship with my wife and my kids, you know, are what they are and that's more important to me. Um, and so I'll slow down the success just a little bit to be able to have that still. Um, and that's just personal, some people don't agree with that, but that's all right. Um, so for you, like, what was something like you know, know, do you have an? I mean, now, obviously you've been doing this a long time Did you have anything like that when you started, though, like a non-negotiable, like this, I'm not going to sacrifice this or were you kind of all in? I know you're younger, 22. I'm 33.
Speaker 3:
So a little bit different in age, but I am not naive or foolish to think that there were advantages that I had, and it's the reason I started at 22. Sure, I still. I still living at home. Talk about not having all the. So the big advantage I had starting at 22 was you're a little bit more fearless, but you're fear. It's easy to be fearless when you're living at home. You don't have the overhead or expenses or the responsibilities that someone like yourself, who might be 30, married kids, probably a mortgage, whatever it might be Right, I did not have that and I did not have a wife at the time. I had me and it was just gung ho and so that's a big that's an. It's easier to do that. I feel like I thought I was a risk taker but, looking when I look back, that's not a risk, that's just.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, oh yeah, just yeah, yeah, oh yeah. Man, I look back at my like 2020, like I was, we didn't have kids yet. We were about to be pregnant because he was born in 2021, like a month before I started elevate. But covet hit and it was like I was bringing mostly revenue and maybe student loans and house payment and stuff like that. It was like, and then the kids were born and it's like whoa, like yeah you gotta keep going.
Speaker 2:
Those are different decisions, yeah, so yeah, yeah, I can't think of bigger risk and stuff. I mean I still take some, but yeah, it's like if you were talking to someone starting out. You know they're maybe in the nine to five still and they have a side house they're trying to build. How do you, how do you guide them? Or what call or motivation do you give them? Because that's a lot to having a nine to five and family and trying to build a side hustle that become full time. Like, how do you motivate them to keep going forward when things are hard?
Speaker 3:
I, I think you, you have to be very you have to understand this. If you're building a company, it doesn't really matter how good your product is. That all matters, yeah. But none of that matters if you can't sell it yeah. And so the other advantage I had I came from the auto industry and I felt like I knew. You know. People came to me and say, well, you don't know anything about running a business. All right, my dad told me you'll be back here because I was working with him at the store and you'll be back here in three months.
Speaker 3:
All right and people ask me well, how are you going to do this? And I said I can sell, I can learn the rest. Yeah Right, I need to sell and I knew the importance of taking care of my client. Right, and you know the terms, client experience and all that type of stuff wasn't, but I understood the importance of retaining my client and resigning them. And back then there wasn't. It wasn't a reoccurring revenue model. When I first started this, I was starting over every month because the business I came from and the auto business I didn't understand the reoccurring revenue model.
Speaker 3:
So selling was a focal point and, quite honestly, if I go back into those first 10 years of J&L marketing, we were a sales organization disguised as a marketing company. We had rules and I had things that I had set up that gave us clear advantages over people we competed against. But, make no mistake about it, we were successful because our sales team was just rock solid. We trained them consistently. We had we. We got lucky in the sense that we had processes. Without knowing I had to set up processes, I worked, I worked out basically marketing and sales processes.
Speaker 3:
Looking back, I'm like, oh that, that that worked. No wonder we were doing this right. No wonder we were retaining and re-signing clients Constantly worked on the product side. But if we had not had those systems in place, from a sales and marketing thing, up front would not have mattered. And so if someone's starting off and they've got a good idea, if they can't sell it it doesn't matter. So the first thing I would encourage them to do is, if they can't sell, they might want to consider partnering up with someone who can. Yeah, you know, because if nothing gets sold, you have no business.
Speaker 2:
So where would you suggest like do you have someone you learned from for sales? Now that you listen to, where could people go.
Speaker 3:
So it's always funny, right? Do you interview salespeople Some? Yeah, all right. I mean, one of the most common things I'd hear when I would interview people whether it's right out of school, younger salespeople. Maybe they don't have a lot of experience and keep in mind when I'm starting the company, that's what I'm attracting. I'm not attracting the guy that's got five to 10 years of experience. They're not going to work for a startup. That and I'm 22 years old. Maybe that's a limiting belief on my end.
Speaker 3:
Once I had a proof of concept within the first couple of years and people were making money. Yeah, then I was able to. They were coming to me, but initially that wasn't the case. And the most common thing is well, I'm a people person. What does that mean? It doesn't matter, you can create great relationships and you can be a people person. That doesn't mean you can sell. And so the answer to your question is um, in the first couple years, I was exposed to tony robbins anthony robbins, yep, and in about year three, I had a couple good core sales people doing all right, they're making money.
Speaker 3:
But we finally had an opportunity to bid on something and sell somebody for one of the manufacturers. And I want to say it was Toyota at the time and this would have probably this one deal could have tripled our entire revenue for the year at that point. We didn't get the deal and I remember asking them after the fact I wanted to know why and they felt like they said they did not feel we were big enough to handle that account or that project or campaign at the time. Yeah, and I knew who got the deal and I knew we were a better company and I knew we would have produced better results. Yeah, so I knew it wasn't that it was that we couldn't sell it. So I knew it wasn't that it was that we couldn't sell it. We weren't as good at selling our solution in a way that made them feel confident in us that it could happen, at least not as good as the company that got the deal Right.
Speaker 3:
And so I had been exposed to Tony Robbins and I did some workshops and some things like that and read a couple books. And I did some workshops and some things like that and read a couple books. I loved his foundational selling model in the sense that it's more psychology based, it's not just this standard stuff. And so I found a company out of Chicago that facilitated a lot of his sales. It was very specific to sales training. I took our people up there. They loved it, and then you come back and you try to practice it. Right, you do, I don't do it, and you're not like you get it conceptually. But until you really start practicing it and get it to where it's like breathing to you, where it's subconscious, you're not that good at it. And so I convinced the company up there to sell me the rights to be able to.
Speaker 3:
I bought the tapes and I had this sales team every single month, the same videotapes. We would go literally once a month, thursday 9am to midnight, and that was Thursday, friday, saturday, sunday four straight days of marathoning the same videotapes. The same role plays, the same over and to the point. After two years the sales team was make a good buddy and they had enough more, say I was going to listen to them and they were like we can't listen to any more Tony Robbins stories, especially the same ones. So eventually that went away. But I've got people that if I talk to those same sales people now they say things it's instinctive to them. Um, they became so good.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, and that's why I say we became a sales or we were a true sales organization, which allowed me to put my focus on constantly evolving the products, the service we were providing. Right, the sales team I didn't even have a sales manager, they were that good, I didn't have to motivate them, it was an internal drive. So there were things we did that I didn't have a big strategy and plan in place prior to all that, but I paid attention to the market, I paid attention to what our clients were saying and I was willing to adjust quickly to satisfy those needs. And when I say clients, I'm also talking about internal people. You know our, our internal sales team and our internal people. Hey, we need to do this. Our clients are saying this, we should do this so that drives innovation in terms of your product and your service. And at the same time, I'm listening to them like what's it going to take to motivate and inspire them and incentivize them to want more and get more? You know there was a turning point.
Speaker 3:
One time we did a big pay change, pay plan change, and that never goes over. Well, right, but it had to happen. And I remember our top rep at the time said and this is another lesson I learned, by the way. Yeah, he goes, you know, here's why I don't like it. But if you would do this, I'm telling you right now I could, I could. He was pumped about that and it was a change that made sense. Yeah, and I was like, huh, I will do that. And I'm going to tell you something. Here's what happened. Here's the lesson learned. I didn't have to sell the rest of the team. He did it, it's his idea. He sold the whole team on this thing and they all our volume increased 50% in one year. All right, and we didn't do anything other than that change, that pay plan change.
Speaker 3:
So I had the big change, but because of this one move, they were able to do things that not only helped the customer but allowed them to make a lot more money too. And so, all of a sudden, they were like I mean, I had guys staying until seven, eight, nine. These guys 20 to 26 years, making high six figures without a manager. I mean, so my cost point, my overhead in terms of my employee count, was very low. Yeah, but I just had a self-driven, very inspired team and it freed me up to do the other things that needed to be done for sure. That's awesome. Listen to your people, yeah, and, more importantly, if you can find a way to have them, be the advocate. So you're not the one saying why this change is needed and why it will be successful, because most people not every employee listens to that um so that's awesome.
Speaker 2:
And then you know you you had that success there, listening to your people, and then now you I mean you've. You've learned so much through the years, starting me plus ultra. You know, like you said, you've, you've just been enjoying the whole process. But how has this been different versus what you've done in the past? Is there, is there much? Are you seeing some more roadblocks or obstacles that you've had to overcome now versus things you've done in the past I had to.
Speaker 3:
There's always the capacity you know you have on a new company. You have no processes, so you've got to build all the processes, document it. You've got to do all those things. It's all the same challenges, you know. Getting clients to pay attention and pick up the, whether it's pick up the phone, hit the click here button, whatever we're doing online, improving engagement, whatever it might be, all the same challenges exist. The channels might be a little bit different than when I first got into business in the early 90s. Some are easy, some make it much easier and then some just there's a lot more to learn. But either way, uh, to me the challenges are the same in business.
Speaker 3:
And you know, with J and L, we had clients. We had Shell Oil as a client. Uh, I mean, here's a top what five, maybe five company in the world, um, and we're sitting at dinner with them and they're talking about the challenges they have. Right, and in the back of my mind I'm sitting there saying, well, this is the same challenges. I got at J&L Marketing and you guys are thousands of times larger than what we're dealing with, but we all have the same challenges how do I find salespeople? How do I make them better? And, by the way, it's not limited to salespeople. How do I find more employees? How do I retain them? How do I improve my client retention? How do I get more new business? How do I improve the ROI for my marketing effort? I mean, it's all the same.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, just different scale.
Speaker 3:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
So what? I go ahead. No, I was going to let you finish.
Speaker 3:
Well, I was going to say the difference here is this grind goes back to the way when I started j and I didn't feel like a grind. Um, it is, but it doesn't feel like it. You know my wife will tell me there are times I'm staying up late. My wife will be like, hey, you know she wasn't there in the beginning when I was. You know I, when, when I started J&L, I said I said, honey, the difference between this and staying up late when I was still in the half in, half out on the J&L side, is that stressed me. I was doing that because I felt I had to which I didn't appreciate and I didn't like and I grew to resent that. I said I'm getting on a project here and I'm staying up because I want to get it done.
Speaker 3:
I love it yeah I said there's a difference and she's like she goes. Yeah, but you love me too, so make sure you get the bet, so yeah for sure.
Speaker 2:
So that's a little different there, but uh, which is good. No, it's awesome. Have that like the excitement of what you're doing and it's a. Then maybe find someone who can do the piece that you're trying to do, that You're not excited about in the business, or maybe correct Pivot a little bit to to match that what you want.
Speaker 3:
You're going to go through a period where you got to get it in financial shape to be able to do that Right, and once that's happened and we're there now, on me, plus ultra, I am, I'm recognizing okay, um, this is taking me away from the things that are really moving the needle and really important plus I, it's a little mundane to me. I don't need to keep doing that um. So yeah, that's, that's already started yeah, it's like for me.
Speaker 2:
it's like getting to the point where, like, I can trust the team to show up and do the video production side of things, upload the stuff and the editors do their thing. Where I don't have to come on set or on site if I don't want to, I enjoy it, I enjoy being around that atmosphere, but I can choose not to and they can still get it done.
Speaker 3:
Let me ask you a question, if I can ask you something. Sure, let me ask you a question, if I can ask you something. So you're a new entrepreneur a couple years in and you just described something I think every entrepreneur that's growing runs through, and so I would never have been able to do this with J&L. It requires a tremendous amount of trust in your team, either, whether it's a person or a team, right? Um, how did that come?
Speaker 2:
for you. I'm curious as to how did that develop for you to where you could finally let go? Yeah, it was. There was definitely, there's definitely friction um with it.
Speaker 2:
But I I would, first of all, whatever reason, whatever reason, um, my mindset was always like you can't do this by yourself forever, like. And so from the beginning I knew like I had to find the right people at the right times for different things and thankfully I found them on the journey and, and sure, with that, I always tell people like we're still small, so like our profit market because of that, because I'm bringing on people like like I'm not seeing a whole, like I'm not rich, I'm not like financially, monetarily rich because I'm putting back in the business for the people working, but for me, like that gives me more time with the kids, which makes me rich, uh. And so, uh, there was still some some friction with it. Like I remember when I brought my first uh guy to edit because that's what I did not want to do, um, it was, it was super. I was like super nervous because he was not in the, he was not in state, he's not in the us, he's outside the us. Um, I was nervous, I was like I don't know and he's still with us. He he's freaking, amazing, like God shout to you, appreciate you, man, if you're listening to this.
Speaker 2:
And then you know the other people we brought on the team, like they just all and that's another thing too is when you're bringing these people on, like they need to see the vision, especially early on, like they need to see the vision of the company and they need to see you as a leader that can provide that future with it. Because you know business you're going to have ups and downs and when you're a small business, those ups and downs can look a lot scarier to people who don't understand. And so, like helping them understand the vision and getting them in on that was was helpful, um, but yeah, the friction I had was there and so it was definitely growth for me to let that go Um, and then just give feedback where I could to help them improve Um and it's it's, it's grown a lot better, which is helpful.
Speaker 3:
So I I am curious to see in the next three to five years how many more people like yourself become entrepreneurs. And I say that because of this. You did it, because you wanted to. Yeah, um, I think there's going to be a half to scenario and that's either. It's going to be disastrous for some, um, and work out very well for others, and here's what I mean by that.
Speaker 3:
You know, I don't know how much you're paying attention to. First off, I pay no attention to news because I don't want any bad in. However, in the industries I'm in, I do pay attention to those news, right? And so I'm sitting here watching Stellantis lay off all kinds of engineers Yep. And what triggered this thought in my mind is what you said your editor is offshore. They replaced these engineers with offshore engineers for $53,000 a year, all right. Yep, google just laid off a ton of workers and replaced them all with offshore people. Yep. And so and here's where I'm going with this when COVID struck and what inspired, and here's what happened with Google, and it's happening across the board in a lot of companies.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
Everybody started working remote right.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
So we're working remote, that relationship I'll get there. We're working remote and a couple things happen. Now it's time and the business leaders, owners whatever it might be, depending on the size of the organization are sitting there saying you know what? We need to get people back in the office. The camaraderie, the collaboration, the morale, the culture of our company is shifting in a way that I don't necessarily like it, and maybe we're not as efficient, maybe we're not as productive and maybe we're not as efficient, maybe we're not as productive and so the workforce obviously would love to stay at home, right, and do that.
Speaker 3:
So there's this battle and Google finally had a comeback. Elon Musk did it at Tesla, I mean. So you're doing this thing, and now what happens is when you're not working at the office, as an employer, I'm sitting here what used to sit there and say you know what? I'm willing to pay more because they're in office and I can see what's going on, my morale, my culture, the collaboration efforts. It's just easier for me. I don't know how good I have. The belief was before I have trouble managing or leading that remote workforce, right. Well, now our own people have shown us that we can still do that.
Speaker 2:
Yep.
Speaker 3:
Except, well, heck us that we can still do that, Yep. Except well, heck, if I'm going to work remote, why?
Speaker 2:
am I paying you a hundred to?
Speaker 3:
150,000, when I can get somebody for 50? Right or 20. A lot of times, 24. Right and and quite honestly, and sometimes the work ethic is stronger and better Right, um, I have I for me, plus ultra, I have an offshore person as well. That helps me. Phenomenal, yep. And so I think what's going to happen is, as some of these people are laid off and or phased out, somehow they're not going to be able to just go get the next job Right. And so now you have a choice you can either get a job for a lot less somehow they're not going to be able to just go get the next job Right and so now you have a choice you can either get a job for a lot less Right that probably requires you to show up every day or you can start and do your own thing.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
And I. So I I think at three to five years it's going to be interesting.
Speaker 2:
It's going to be interesting, that's for sure. Be interesting, it's going to be interesting, that's for sure. Um, yeah, it's, it's headed that way for sure. So, but I mean, Scott, this has been great conversation. I, you know a lot of great insight from you, know someone who'd been decades in entrepreneurship and business and and so I'm appreciative of your time and sharing everything you did. And, uh, for those who want to connect with you, find out more about what you do and learn from you, where's the best place for them to do that?
Speaker 3:
Well, I'm all over social so I'm active, especially on LinkedIn, Facebook. I reactivated my Twitter account or Instagram account, so I don't have a lot of followers there anymore, but Instagram as well. But the easiest way to reach me is probably to reach out to meplusultracom and go there and try to connect with us.
Speaker 2:
Absolutely Awesome. Well, yeah, if anyone listening wants to connect with Scott, learn more from him, do that, Go do that. And he's doing a lot of great stuff and has done a lot of great things.
Speaker 3:
And so again, Scott, thank you so much for being on the Elevate Media podcast today, chris. I truly appreciate it. It was a fun conversation. Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to the Elevate Media podcast. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. See you in the next episode.