The Hardest Questions We’ve Ever Answered

[00:00:00] Speaker A: This episode was a little bit different than our normal. We took all of the questions you guys have asked us and we answered them raw. We let it all hang out. We did not hold back. [00:00:12] Speaker B: Business, personal, you name it, we talked about it. And Brit even had to find one thing that she liked about me. That's got to be worth watching on its own. [00:00:21] Speaker A: Enjoy the show. [00:00:22] Speaker B: Here we go. Welcome to Hrothen Stars Tonight. Looks like you are up for the very first question. [00:00:35] Speaker A: Shaking it. [00:00:36] Speaker B: I know, I know. This is. We have to give away control. I think that's probably what we're struggling with. Anyway. Let's do it. What were you most scared of when you were young? And do you still have this fear? Has your personality changed since then, or are you mostly the same? [00:00:53] Speaker A: I am 100% the same as I was when I was younger. I mean, I hope I've evolved, but I don't think my personality changes. And if I had to answer this, to this day, it is still leaving potential on the table and not maximizing just my life and what I can do. And I don't want this to sound cocky. And it's going to come. It's going to sound cocky, but it's not the intention. And I'll explain. [00:01:25] Speaker B: Well, you have a podcast so you can be cocky. [00:01:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, here. So I felt like even when I was young, I was born to do something extraordinary. And I don't mean extraordinary in the way of fame or success. It was like I knew that I was going or I could help a lot of people. And it was like I was given every opportunity for my parents. I was just in this position where I was like, I can do something extraordinary and I need to, like, I feel. Oh, I have. I've told you this before, like, continually in indebted to my parents. Like, they. Because they gave me so much. And, like, I have to be able to do so much with this life. And I still really feel that pressure today. And I still feel like there's just so much I haven't done and so, so much potential I haven't lived up to. And that really scares me. Like, I do not want to leave this earth without knowing. I did everything I could and was resourceful and just. Just did it all, you know, the best I could do it and that. And I. And right now I feel like I've done so little and I've just scratching the surface. I'm like, how am I going to get from there to where I know I should be? And I think about that every day, and it's still like just this constant. It's a. It's a thought that literally does not go away in my mind. [00:02:42] Speaker B: What's the earliest that you remember that right when you're little? You don't necessarily. I mean, you said that's been around for a long time, but when you're little, there's only so many things that you've identified that you can do. Can you remember something when you were little or how that manifested into it, whether it was a sport or at school or helping a friend, or can you remember how far back can you go really, and how that manifested? [00:03:03] Speaker A: I mean, I would just say, like, even from soccer, just like, I, you know, I, I should be on the World cup team. Like, you know, like, that thought was so. And I never was. And that's like part of, Part of the fear. Am I never gonna get going to get there? I don't know. I just feel like. And I'm not a particularly religious person, but it's almost, it's like feel like this calling to be like a vehicle for, for something great, but it's like to help other people. I've always told you, like, there is nothing more rewarding than feeling like you're, You're. You're helping people. But I. But on a much larger scale than I would even know how to get there. But I feel like that's where I should be and need to be and was given the opportunity to be there. It's a little bit hard for me to artic. Does that make sense? [00:03:46] Speaker B: It does. I think one of the questions, if there's a danger in that, it would be how do. Do you ever get there or will you ever actually arrive at anything that feels like peace? [00:03:56] Speaker A: It's a battle. That's a battle. And I don't have it figured out well. [00:04:00] Speaker B: And there's time. I mean, who knows? There's. There's lots of. Lots of time. But I think, you know, that, that hamster wheel thing, you know, when you start, when you start talking about that, it could have a hamster wheel effect where. And that's okay. Like, I mean, as long as you can rest at least somewhat, comfortably in that space and. Or you love it, right? If it's energizing, then. Then who cares if you ever get there and if you're always striving to help people. I think Alicia Wilson, one of our guests, had that type of mantra where she was energized by that. And it would never feel like work. [00:04:27] Speaker A: It doesn't. And I am, I am so happy. Like I'm very like happy and get joy out of a lot of things. But a lot of what I feel like I need to do to, to get where I feel like I should be is very uncomfortable, very hard things, which of course is very taxing on you physically and emotionally. So it's like, how long can you do those things and how sustainable is that and will you continually be in that wheel? And I don't know, like, I don't see myself ever not feeling like that. But at the same time I'm, I am very happy and I, I am energized by it. So all that to say. I've got a lot to figure out, I guess. [00:05:03] Speaker B: I think we all do. [00:05:05] Speaker A: Right back at you. Same question. [00:05:07] Speaker B: So I, this is a little bit later. So I don't know that I had these feelings. Actually. My father would tell you I'd never had a feeling like this. But I was afraid of not being prepared and, and I, and I think that finally caught up with me or I recognize that later in life and to the point that the dreams that I have that I remember most is when I am somewhere and I'm not ready. So I have dreams constantly about playing baseball for the Orioles and I can't find my glove. Nightmares even, or. Yeah. Or, or the other one is this is, this one's crazy. And if you're a psychologist, please put this on the board so I can have some kind of an understanding. Put these in the show notes. I am the quarterback of the football team and my hand is not large enough to grip the Wilson Duke football. [00:05:54] Speaker A: Oh my gosh. [00:05:55] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So I don't know if that's a preparation thing. Your hands are as big as they are. But to this day, preparation, preparation. I stress it, soapbox it to my teams and I am. And the worst thing is if I'm unprepared, I'm a God awful mess in the moment. And if I'm prepared, I believe I'm about as good as one can be. So it's one or the other. There's not this middle ground. Am I Now able, at 54 years old with some experience, able to fake it for some bars? I am. But that doesn't change my internal feeling. I know if I'm prepared, others may not quite pick up on it because I do have, you know, a lot of experience. But to this very day, I mean, if I lose sleep, it's because I, I'm having some type of a dream that they would have Me unprepared in some way. [00:06:46] Speaker A: Quick question for you. Has that ever, has that ever kept you from quick action or you know, quick because sometimes you've got it, you've got to make risky decisions or you've got to get in there and just do it. We always talk about like not being paralyzed by the decision. Sometimes it's quick action. You've got to get that business going, whatever it is, and you're not always full, fully prepared and you won't be a lot of times. Has that ever hindered your ability for quick action? [00:07:14] Speaker B: It's a great question. No, because I actually separate them when I'm talking about preparation. They're normally for events that are more staged or structured or scheduled. Whether that is a proposal, a presentation, a speech, a panel or something where I am expected to deliver. I'm expected to deliver and maybe, maybe, maybe I'm having a psychology moment on my own. Maybe it's for instances where I have to deliver for other people as related to starting the automation division or any number of other decisions I've made. No, it wasn't like I had to wait for that moment or until I felt like I was prepared more for things that would have structure or some type of delivery wrapped around them. So good question because I never actually parsed it down to that level. No, actually in those situations I have more of a, of a ready, fire, aim mentality. But if it's about a big proposal or, or a big presentation, that preparation pieces is the type of things that haunt me. [00:08:19] Speaker A: Question number two. Outside of your family, who has been the biggest influence in your life that helped you to get to where you are today? [00:08:27] Speaker B: Early in my career in 1999, Arnold Arnold's factory Supplies then was in a very, very tough financial position. My father had died a few years earlier and we were doing okay. My brother in law left the company early in that year and we were struggling. I wasn't quite able to get it to work the way that I wanted to work. And a consulting company pitched me on the right day and I remember it was called American Management Systems and fast forward we bought into the program and I was so lucky that we got a consultant whose name was Jim Worthington who was an absolute pro. He was from Louisiana, he was a CPA by trade and he came in and ran the project and really taught me a lot. I got a like a personal one on one mba. It cost us a small fortune. It did, but the benefits were there. There's any number of things to this very day that are still, that are still part of our company that we took out of that 1999 engagement. And it gave me enough confidence wherewithal to be able to start to talk the talk and walk the walk. And why that was important was in talent acquisition. It was shortly thereafter that I hired a guy named Steve Anders, who was a CPA by trade and really a turnaround specialist. I didn't know it. He hadn't really figured it out. He came on board. I hired my first VP of ops, a guy named John Rixum. So it was all. It was that, just that momentum that allowed me to start to say things that resonated with people because I was only selling a vision. I mean, we were in a hole on, on Hanover street. So I wasn't able to, you know, it was purely about selling the vision because there wasn't much to see when you looked around in those days. So that's number one. And number two was our attorney when I was younger. His name was Bob Kern of Whiteford Taylor. And he taught me a really important lesson, a lot of them. But there was one that to this day, and it was never do something without a business purpose in business. And the, the scenario that, that resonated most, we were trying to buy my sister's stock back in Arnold's factory supplies in those days. And you know, I was just going to go ask her or something that seemed very simple. And you know, he was very intentional about saying, well, Mick, we really need to have a business case for this conversation. I mean, sure, you could just ask, but it'd be better if we had a business case. And we did. There was actually a business case that was very palpable. I wasn't, I wasn't experienced enough be smart enough to know it or see it. And he said, well, no, this is a need that we have that would have shareholder involvement and we should go talk to her about this. And if she decides that she's not on board, then there may be an opportunity for her to sell the shares instead of engaging as a shareholder. And that's exactly what happened. So those would be two that I, that I would point to. [00:11:18] Speaker A: Those are good ones for me. Younger in life when I was call it 1213. And I've talked about him before is Coach Quinn. It was my soccer coach and, and he was the first person that really helped me develop. I loved the game of soccer before I met him. He was my first club coach. So we were more on like high level soccer. We were traveling and that's really where I developed my skill and my passion for the game. And he was someone that was never about winning. He was all about creativity in the game, finding the love for it, doing the things that bring you joy, like the little flicks, the little trick shots, the things that just like, were fun. And he was never like, I'm gonna put the best 11 girls on the field and we're just gonna win 10 nothing. He was like, I'm gonna make sure every girl in this field finds their strengths and gets better with their weaknesses and just finds like that love for the game. And if it weren't for him, I'm not sure I would have been able to develop my soccer career the way, the way it actually unfolded and because of what I was able to do in the game of soccer, so much of that translated to business and where I am today and all of those skill sets and experiences and, you know, me working with so many different people on the field, coaches, diversity, it just really helped me evolve as a human. And all of those skill sets have translated into business. And I really believe he had so much to do with setting that foundation up. So that's number one and number two is actually you. And that's not surprising. We've talked about this before too, but in a lot of ways you have changed everything. So business, I've told you this before, like, you definitely helped me to think a lot bigger than I ever would have and that allowed me to think outside of these, a smaller lane. And I've done so much more in business because of it. But way beyond just the business side, I think I just like, on the love and personal connection, like I, I had never experienced that. I never thought I was going to get married. We have a child now. Like, none of that would have happened, I don't believe, if I hadn't met you. And I, I, I did, I don't know, I'm not a real believer in like there you have one soulmate, but I still don't know if we had, if we hadn't met, if I would be married or have kids, like, I tend to think I wouldn't. So I think as a human, you know, when you get married and you become a wife and when you become a mother, you really evolve as a human. And I feel way more well rounded than I ever have in my life from just like all, all of those experiences. And I contribute that to you. So I would definitely say, I mean, that's an easy answer for me. [00:14:15] Speaker B: Well, thank you. That's amazing. Let's go off camera so I can cry. Here's a good one. And I. I'm really interested to hear on this one. When did you know, Brit, that I was the one that you were going to marry? [00:14:32] Speaker A: When did I know you were the person I was going to marry? Really early on, I would say, when did I know? I can say I knew right away, but I knew right away that we were very aligned. I knew that we were gonna be in a relationship, but married's a whole different story. I think the answer to this would probably be about five and a half months in, when. Right before or right around when we decided to move in together. I think for me, when we had that discussion was like, this sucks being apart. Like, I don't want to live out of. Out of a suitcase. We were having a cocktail at a bar, and you're like, move in. And I'm like, okay. And then the next day, we moved in together. Like, it was that. And I think at that moment, I knew that we were going to get married. Like, I wouldn't have wanted to pick up my whole life and move in with somebody that early. And it was just like, at that point, we were both older. I knew myself. You knew yourself. And it was not even a conversation. Like, that's typically a bigger conversation. Okay, we're move in together. I mean, I had never lived with anyone before, at least in a relationship. And so I just think that moment was like, yeah, this is happening, and I'm excited about it. And, like, this isn't even a discussion. And that's why I felt like the rest of our relationship, it's like, yeah, we're going to move in together. And, yeah, we're going to get married. And we know. I know it. You know it, and it's great. And it's. It's. It's not that, you know, like, those decisions weren't hard. So I think in that moment, make. That was probably, like, our first big decision and how easy it was and how early it was. I. I knew then. [00:16:14] Speaker B: Yeah. And I'll just. I'll. So you used the word alignment. I'll just. Yes. Stand the hell out of that. Just some. Some milestones along the way. We met on March 23, which was the first day of spring, and it snowed, which was pretty cool. And then, you know, we aligned around soccer and Blanton's and the prime rib. So those were three things that were. Were easy and. And I remember taking you to one of my favorite places on Earth. I think it was June 6th of that year, we went to Nashville, where I was spending a tremendous amount of time working with a customer. And it was actually. And I'm not a date guy, but. But these. I remember it was actually after we went and watched the Ravens play Buffalo on September 9th. [00:16:53] Speaker A: But I mean, that's pretty like two. Two and a half months into our relationship. Three. We were already going on, like, traveling together, which is early when you first meet somebody. [00:17:01] Speaker B: Yeah. And. But I think you're right, though, as experience and at our. But. And I think there was one thing I remember, too. I was also okay, as it relates to the. The marriage. The marriage word. Marriage. [00:17:13] Speaker A: Marriage. [00:17:13] Speaker B: Marriage. [00:17:14] Speaker A: Marriage. [00:17:14] Speaker B: The marriage word. If. If we had been engaged for an extended, extended period of time, that would have been okay if we got married in a, you know, very quickly. The pandemic made it hard. We did try to get married a number of times, but our mayor wouldn't keep the city open long enough for us to get married. So we finally said it and flew to Tennessee because they were open the whole time. They didn't. And neither Alabama, Florida and Tennessee did not have a wedding. [00:17:38] Speaker A: Wedding. [00:17:38] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So we finally said we went back to the very first place we went together and got married. So it was early. I mean, I think I had to get my head around the idea because I was pretty well conditioned or maybe I was just protecting myself that I probably wouldn't ever get married again. It's just. Just because the demands of the business, who was I ever going to align with? You know, I was going to end up blowing up every relationship by choosing this first. And I don't think I ever realized that there would be somebody that I could be with that I. That I wouldn't, you know, that I could have this and that and all that. Understand would be so synergistic and, and not even that supportive. Wildly overly supportive. So, yeah, early. That was pretty easy. [00:18:17] Speaker A: All right, what do you like most about me? [00:18:19] Speaker B: Oh, any. Any limit on the segment? No, most. Most is a singular word. Yes. Yes. Gosh, let me narrow it down. Give me a second. Your. Your drive and your singular focus. I. I don't know that I've ever. I don't think I've ever met anyone as tenacious as you are. Whatever you do, you do a thousand percent, whether in. In soccer for the longest time. And then, you know, you made a very conscious decision to end that career and go into the career called business, and then, you know, do the hell out of that still to this very day. And then as soccer started to, to relax a little bit. Your need for competition. So after having a mox, a mox of the mox. That's the mox I think is really appropriate here. The mox. Then, then you know the most intense mother of all time is related to support and, and making sure mox has what she wants. And now you're running 32 mile races every couple a few months and are gonna run 100 mile race. And. But every morning, you know, it's 3:00 clock and you know my lazy ass will be laying in bed because I feel. No, but, but seriously, I mean even if, even if I roll over, Nick. [00:19:37] Speaker A: Wakes up at 4. [00:19:38] Speaker B: So. But even when I roll over at 4, there are some mornings I'll be like, she gotta be over there. We were both really tired last night. We both dragged ass into this bed. She gotta be over there. And sure enough, I roll over with one eye flat gone out of there. And I was so asleep that I didn't even hear you leave. So that's how asleep I was. And of course you. No, that, that, that tenacity is just like few things I've ever experienced. And it's my favorite. [00:20:04] Speaker A: Thank you. [00:20:06] Speaker B: Well, what do you like most about me? [00:20:08] Speaker A: That's a weird question. [00:20:09] Speaker B: That is a really weird question. Yeah. Yeah. Thank whoever wrote this one. Thank you. [00:20:14] Speaker A: And I also recommend you sit down with your partner or spouse or girlfriend or boyfriend and do this activity because this is. [00:20:20] Speaker B: We could turn this into a home game. The McBride uncomfortable question home game. And you guys. And you two get to play first. [00:20:27] Speaker A: So I'm not just saying this, this is, this is hard to choose because I have like a few things that are up there. But here's what I'm going with. And it's not the only thing, but it's, it's up there. It's definitely up there. So I love. [00:20:42] Speaker B: Here's the thing too. We're both so embarrassed by what. Because this is going to be complimentary nature. We couldn't be more uncomfortable with this. Whoever did this too. Like, we don't do this. We don't do this. This. Yeah, compliments. We don't do this. [00:20:56] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:20:57] Speaker B: Exactly. So we don't do this. So you, you, if you know us, then you just absolutely blew our out of the water. Yeah, exactly. So now I have to sit here and be like, oh Jesus, hurry up, hurry up. I'm so. [00:21:08] Speaker A: I'll keep it succinct. So here's what, here's my favorite thing about you. I love the two sides. And I don't mean, like, you have two personalities. You are who you are, through and through. But I need someone who is assertive, demanding, hard working. And you are. And I think anybody that works for you will know, like, Mick is demanding. It's because he works harder than everybody here, or at least just as hard. And you ask a lot of people and you do not back down. And with anybody, it doesn't matter if you're talking to the president or the CEO of the biggest company or anyone. You are who you are and you have expectations and standards and you hold that line. And I listen to the way you communicate with people. I've never heard anybody be able to communicate the way you do. You have like, just this knack with anybody to be able to connect and communicate. And sometimes it's hard. You have never backed down from the hard conversation, which I just. There's very few people in life who can do that. But you have this way where you can turn that off and you can be home and you are this like softer teddy bear. [00:22:34] Speaker B: Like something stop the cameras. No, like, they can't know. [00:22:38] Speaker A: You know, like, you can get super emotional and like, feel things so strongly and get like, really emotionally tied to songs or shows or stories. And it's like you've got this whole other side. Because if you just had the one side, while I would admire it and respect it and I'm definitely like, drawn to it, I. I think I'd be missing like that softer side. But you don't see that dual thing, for lack of a better word, in most especially males. And you are I. And I. I contribute that to you being so secure in who you are that you are able to lean into that like, really softer side and be vulnerable and em. And just. Just like show that side to me with. With just totally open, totally raw. And that combination for me is just like everything. I never imagined I could find that in somebody, but that is definitely. [00:23:34] Speaker B: Thanks. Quick break from the show. If you're enjoying the episode. The easiest way to help support our channel is to subscribe. [00:23:41] Speaker A: We're pushing to hit 1,000 subscribers so we can get monetized and bring even more amazing guests on the show. [00:23:48] Speaker B: Well, drop a comment with who you think we should interview next. And back to the show. [00:23:53] Speaker A: How has becoming parents reshaped your perspective on success? [00:23:57] Speaker B: It had. I don't know that it's actually reshaped my perspective. I will say. I will say that what it's done is it's created very important and critical space in my life to be successful in a lot of things. I mean, I think part of the danger of being a business owner is having so much of your identity tied up with, with what you do and, and, and listen. And I have done that for a very long time and in a good way. Right. I mean, when I was going through some tougher times, it would have been easy to get attracted to something else. Right. I could have been drinking this, I could have been snorting that, but I had, I had this to invest myself in. And by this I mean Arnold packaging. And, and that was wholly focused. And of course, the girls, you know, and, and they were critical and super important, but as they get older, you know, they're present less and less and, and they're not trying to be less present, they're just living their lives and then, but at the same time, you end up with this void or, you know, this space that, that while they're growing, they vacate for that period of time. So I would say I've been a parent for a long time now, 23 years with, with, with Brooke being the oldest. I think it's. And then, you know, making this the second lap around the track, as I call it. With Mox, I think I've learned to, to, to create a lot more space in there and not be so singularly focused on one thing. But this is the important part because it wouldn't be sustainable otherwise while still being, I believe, excellent at the first thing. Right. I didn't have to give all of this up right. In the process to be able to also be good at other things, you know, to be a great parent for a fourth child and to try to continue daily to be a better parent and better parent for, for Brooke and Grace and Liv. So. And I think if there's anything that it's become a lot more evident with, with the arrival of mocks. And just, just part of that too is the recognition about how precious your time is and how managing your time to be able to, to get it all done and not have to sacrifice anything is so important that you have to become a lot better at that. So I'm not sure it hasn't reshaped my perspective, but it's taught me to value a much wider lane of success than I did when I was younger. [00:26:25] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree too. I don't, I don't think my perspective on success has changed, I don't think. But gosh, I've changed so much. I think the way I go about approaching success has changed like Just when, when I'm definitely more focused on serving others and like, you know, when you have a child, you get the greatest joy is being there to support and love your child and give you what you need and see them develop. And that definitely has been something that I now feel deeper, especially for my, my, my colleagues, my employees. Like everybody in my life, I just, I, I feel more like gratitude towards them wanting to help. And I think that become, comes when you become a parent like that, that is your life and you, you, you get so much from that. But I wouldn't say like my actual, like you said, my perspective on success has changed. It's just how you get there and your, my approach to that has changed. That's not a great answer. [00:27:33] Speaker B: Well, I think I want to add to that because I've never really paid, I've never. I do strongly believe that success is an external thing, that the success is judged by other people where excellence is more internal. So I never really focused on the idea of success because I believed it was external. And if someone thought I was successful that was fine. But I didn't really get that much out of it versus excellence and striving internally to be great to what my level of greatness was. So I'm not sure that I've really paid that close of attention me, people say by, by, by all accounts Mick is successful. And to that I would say thank you. But, but really, so what, you know, for me it's more about, it's about excellence and the internal aspect of it that I, that I value and pay more attention to than success. [00:28:15] Speaker A: I want to add one more thing to that. I, I think also when I'm doing things in my business or even run anything I'm doing professionally or personally, where I have goals and I am constantly in my head I am thinking about her. And it definitely keeps me accountable and also keeps me more on like, is this morally right? Is this ethical? Would I want her to make that same decision? And I think about that a lot more, a lot more. So not only does it keep me, I think, more motivated, more driven, more like less likely to quit, but also it's like making the right decision. Not always the easy one, but the right one. What I would consider the right one with her in the back of my head. And that is definitely a thought that I just didn't have before I had. [00:29:04] Speaker B: Her moving right along. [00:29:05] Speaker A: The question everyone wants to know, balance. To maintain such a strong relationship while being so busy running two businesses and having a 15 month old, that's Easy. [00:29:17] Speaker B: It's one word. It's just communication. And, and that's, that's, that's much easier word to say and a much harder thing to deliver. But it's just, it's, it's communication. But there's some things about that that really work in the presence of communication. Right. Without communication, it wouldn't work at all. I mean we, we would be, you know, we'd be doing two different things and, and with the demands of our lives, even though we have mocks as an intersection point, there's a lot of couples that have their children as intersection points, but it is the single or lone intersection point. So in the presence of communication, there's just, just so many things. One of the things that we do, and I've refer to this a lot on here, if you listen to our podcast, it's the difference or that we each do half of the whole and like. Well, yeah, what else would you do? Well, what you. Else you could do is you could do 100% of half. And I have seen any number of relationships along the way. I will, I am going to give you a total example. Yeah, I'll get any number of relationships along the way where, let's just say the wife is raising children and, and, and taking care of the home, you know, and valuable. Right. Neither of these are about valuing one over the other while the husband is, let's just say, working and earning and providing. Simple, simple split. And you can create this situation where no one is doing 100 of that half and the other one is doing 100 of the other half where you know, mom change. And these are legit, right? I'm not stereotyping anything. Mom changes all the diapers, mom makes all the food. Mom gets everybody to school. Mom gets everybody to bed. You know, Dad's out of the house early. Dad goes to business meetings, dad travels for business trips. Right. So. And you end up creating this quasi parallel path which does have some intersections and those intersections, if you're not careful, could look like soccer games on Saturday. Right. Or, or practice or whatever. So I think one of the big difference or what allows us to maintain such a strong relationship is that we both do half of the whole. And if they're. And it's never perfectly 50, I mean, you change a few more diapers than I do, I pull a few more weeds than you do. Right. Or whatever those things are. But net, net, it's half of the whole. So if you, if you take communication a very high level and you, and you Wrap in that type of mentality. That's a great start. And then I will just say the other thing is your personality is such that you never hold a grudge, right? Even if we are off for a second or we have a choice word for each other, it's over. Like, it's literally over two seconds later. [00:31:55] Speaker A: It's really funny because when you told me this, it was last week, you were telling me that I was thinking in my head, you are the one who always makes us talk. If. If there's even. This is really rare, but if there's something like some kind of tension, you're the one who always initiates. And make sure we get over it in, like, five minutes. Where you were like, you. You think that's me, right? And I've always been like, that. You're the one. Because I could go. I feel like I could go for days. Not with you, but in the past, like, all right, well, fuck you. I'm. I'm. [00:32:25] Speaker B: We'll. We'll talk at some point in the. [00:32:26] Speaker A: Future when you're ready to say you're sorry, and I'm good. I. For weeks. This is turning into a game. [00:32:31] Speaker B: Yeah. No, no. So that's. That helps. I mean, there was a great, great saying I heard earlier. You know, as long as both of you don't want to be divorced at the same time, it'll work. And that's, you know, nothing. This. That's. That's super, super over the top in this situation. But it is the truth, right? I mean, where we just have a relationship where, you know, things are incredibly imperfect. Anytime you have two mammals in a small space and then throw in a third really demanding mammal named Mox, but anytime we're off for a split second or. And usually it has to do with one of us having a different expectation, which usually always relates back to communication. So it's all. It's all wrapped in that communication word. For sure. [00:33:07] Speaker A: I. I want to add two things to. I couldn't agree more. And. But I want to add two things. And I was going to say we're a bit lucky, but I don't think that's right because I think so much of this was intentional. When we first met, we were very intentional because you weren't looking for somebody. I wasn't looking for somebody. So. And. And that helped because there was. There was no, like, desperation or I. I need to compromise with who I'm with. And so when we got together, it was so, like, we were so aligned and we knew each other. We started from business and, like, so we knew when we got into a relationship, we had already been doing business together and knew that side of each other because I think it can. It can be hard when you're starting your relationship just love itself, and then business gets involved and it's like, well, this wasn't part of, like, the initial relationship where it was just like, like all lust and lore and we were going out to dinners, and it's like, that's not real life. We met in a very real life situation and fell in love with each other doing business together. And. And so. And we were intentional about, like, being very aligned. And I think when you have two people, which is rare, where it. We are both able to do 50%, like, financially, we contribute. I. We don't know what the exact number, but, like, 50%. You're contributing to the finances. And I am like, we're There it is. And that. So that reduces a lot of, like, tension and argument, I think, because we are both capable of. I mean, what is it? What do people get divorced? It's like money, money, sex. [00:34:39] Speaker B: And parenting. [00:34:40] Speaker A: And parenting. [00:34:41] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:41] Speaker A: And like, we're able to do all. Well, I hope we can do sex. 50. That'd be weird. If not. [00:34:47] Speaker B: Well, if you figure out another way, I'm in trouble. [00:34:49] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:50] Speaker B: But talk about not needing holy. [00:34:52] Speaker A: But, like, you know, finances and parenting, like, we. With. With the schedules we've created because we both own businesses, we do have a little bit of autonomy. So we can both be 50% in parenting. We can both be 50%. So that is just. That makes this thing easier where we're able to do everything together. Like, we have created a life where, like, we can work together, we can parent together. We're both capable of it, we're both able. And our lives are structured that way, so. And a lot of people are not in that situation. Last thing, and I'll just touch on this really briefly, because I would be remiss if I didn't. We have a very big support system right near us, like, right around us at all times between, you know. Well, I don't have family. [00:35:33] Speaker B: Yeah, sure, yeah. Our family's there to help out and give us a minute when we need it. I think it's the idea that you've mentioned intentionality about our relationship. It was, you know, neither of us needed the other. We both wanted the other. [00:35:44] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. [00:35:45] Speaker B: And I was thinking about a lot of thoughts I have when we interview guests, but Carter talked about, you know, he's only away from his Family for business. And they have a unit. And I was thought, yeah, Carter, hell yeah. Like you have a unit. We have a unit. Like we have a really great unit. [00:36:02] Speaker A: That'S important to touch on. It's like making those decisions. You are not going off to a business dinner. You might, but like I'm invited, like you, if, if I have an important business meeting and it's outside of the typical work hours where we have help from our au pair. I'm not going to go. Unless you're gonna go. And, and maybe Moxie's being, you know, it's. When she's being babysit, we don't do anything. We don't go out typically unless it's Thursday nights when Moxie's at her grandparents house. Like everything we do outside of work is together. Or at least you and me. And when she's with family. [00:36:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:37] Speaker A: And I think that's like an important decision you have to make. [00:36:39] Speaker B: Right. [00:36:40] Speaker A: If we want to make. [00:36:41] Speaker B: If we divide, it's intentional and it's to conquer. [00:36:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:43] Speaker B: Like that's exactly how we, how we show up. [00:36:45] Speaker A: Up. Yeah, good. That was a good question. [00:36:46] Speaker B: Yeah, great question. What advice would you give to couples who want to work together without burning out? And what small habits do you practice daily to keep your relationship strong? [00:36:57] Speaker A: I would say while it really does work for us, and it might sound hypocritical because we just spent 10 minutes talking about why that really works for us, I don't, I don't think it's necessary to have a great relationship. And I don't think everybody should work together. I think there are some people that are not meant to work together because I have heard plenty of couples say they love having very separate careers and very separate lives and they love not bringing work back into the home. And it's almost like an oasis away from work. So I think you have to decide a, that that's something that you even want, truly wants. And it sounds like the person asking this question maybe, maybe does want that. But I want to be clear. I don't think it's the only way, but it's certainly a way that really does work for us and we love. So the advice I would give is, well, one thing that's really, really nice is we're communicating all day, every day, so we don't have to come home at the end of the day and catch up for an hour. And it's like at that point you don't really feel like talking. You're tired and it's like catch me up on the last 12 hours of your day. We're, we always know what's going on and that really does allow us to get so much deeper in conversation. It's never a catch up, it's never a debrief like I already know. Now we're getting, we're getting deeper. So it's, I would say that constant communication like let your partner in to your wins and your losses and your challenges in work. If you guys truly both want to work together, they're going to want to hear that and not only hear that, be a part of it. They might not have the technical expertise to help you get through it. But certainly as a sounding board or support system like, and you've a cheerleader. [00:38:38] Speaker B: A simple cheerleader is a huge help. [00:38:39] Speaker A: So it's like, it's like be open, let that person in, share with them things that you might not normally talk to about them. That's outside of their expertise. They don't need to know. They can just be a great sounding board for you. And I think that's one step and it all, it all comes back to communication all the time. Right. And then also being really intentional about supporting your partner's wins and being there during their losses too. But I would say like making a big deal of some things where like being there for them because it matters. Like I know if you get a big contract or whatever or even a small contract, but it's like a great new customer you've been after. Like it's worth talking about, it's worth engaging, it's worth listening, it's worth asking about it. Like those things mean a lot. That, and you can be very intentional about that if you just pay attention to what, what's important to your partner in their work. [00:39:28] Speaker B: Yeah. And, and I will add to that just a couple of things. One, when you are sharing the wins with your partner, especially if you're early in the relationship, pay attention to how they experience them. I think males and I can, I can stereotype males because I am one. I think males have a harder time with that. I've had, you know, females that are friends along the way and I know you had this experience prior to us meeting where a win for the female was a competitive situation for the male, you know, unable to at times really embrace that and celebrate it. So I would say even if you're early in your relationship and there looks like a potential that you're going to be working that closely together, I pay really close attention to how your wins were experienced. I mean Are they truly celebrated? You know, are you, are you stacking top on, on top on one or the other? Are they, are they. [00:40:21] Speaker A: Driving each other? [00:40:22] Speaker B: Yeah, you're driving each other. Where you know what, you know, we say all the time, one plus one equals five for us. And the thing I just mentioned, just a little bit of a distinction. You know, we don't work for the same company, which is we work together. We have a supplier customer relationship. We literally share an office that's separated by a sliding door. But there is some great things about you running your business and, and being able to create and, and, and, and make choices around the nuances. Your team works more remote than mine does, just things like that. So we do have the ability to make some great choices for our individual organizations. We, we're not in a position to really be hammering head to head on. I say the ship goes this way and you say the ship goes that way and it's the same ship and, and it does put us in a position to be complimentary. When you are guiding your ship as the captain and I can give input and I might be able to give you some experience about what happened when I took the ship left and suggest maybe it should go right and you can do the same back for me and maybe in a different way because your experience is different. But, but those are a couple of things and just some distinctions. I mean if you're, if you're truly, you know, Smith Co. And you're Mr. And Mrs. Smith, that could have a little bit different dynamic look than what we do operating out of a same business and having a ton of synergies. But we do have that autonomy too, which is, which is, which is helpful and a little different than being, being Smith and Smith. [00:41:46] Speaker A: That's a really good point. Yeah. I mean people ask us all the time, like why don't you start a business together? Well, a, people think Taylor and Arnold are so much more similar than they are. They're not even the same. [00:41:56] Speaker B: But the shingles hang together. Right? That's it. That's as close as that. [00:42:00] Speaker A: Like, I don't want maybe, maybe eventually one day we would but like right now we don't, we don't want to. Like, we, we really like having our own business businesses. It works really well. One thing to point, point out that is one of the things I missed and I might have even mentioned as my number one favorite thing about you that I love is it is hard for males to let their ego down and even, even want a female that could contribute 50%. Financially, specifically. And to say, like, there's. There's literally, like, no jealousy, no ego, like, I support you 100% if you outrun me in anything, like, I am here for it. I love it. And, like, seriously mean that. Be so unselfish and so supportive in everything. And that's really hard to find in a male. And sorry, males, it just is. Like, you guys have egos, and you. And it's just the way society's always been. Like, you have been put in this position where you feel like you've got to be, like, the leader and the head of the household and the breadwinner and all these things. Like, that's just reality. Anybody who says it is and is lying. [00:43:05] Speaker B: You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna. I'm gonna do a Jon Stewart camera four moment. Do you know what that is? [00:43:09] Speaker A: No. [00:43:09] Speaker B: So, John S. We go. All right, young males, I want you to meet me at camera four. The word of the day is sugar mama. Learn it, look for it, embrace it, do whatever you have to do. The word of the day is sugar mama. Thank you. [00:43:25] Speaker A: We've talked about this before. I mean, that's like, you. You just. You. You have allowed for that, which is. Allow me to grow into, like, that. That space. And I've had relationships before where I didn't even tell him about my wins because he would be so insecure about it or would feel like it was like, well, I. I don't want him. This to be a competition. Like, and then you. [00:43:46] Speaker B: Yeah, then you'd shut down the celebration of your wins on behalf of your. [00:43:49] Speaker A: Yeah. And no, truly. [00:43:51] Speaker B: So it sounds like madness when you articulate it out loud. [00:43:53] Speaker A: It does, but it's harder to do what you do. I think then you're giving credit for. So that's. And that just comes back to, like, total security in who you are. [00:44:04] Speaker B: It's part of being old. Yes. Camera four, meet me. No, just kidding. Now we don't have their camera for a moment. [00:44:10] Speaker A: All right. It was gonna be. [00:44:11] Speaker B: It was gonna be for the ladies. About old dudes. No. [00:44:15] Speaker A: Hey, I mean, there is something that's worked about that. [00:44:18] Speaker B: Sure. [00:44:18] Speaker A: Not old. [00:44:19] Speaker B: Yeah, no. [00:44:20] Speaker A: But a little bit old. [00:44:21] Speaker B: It's the fact that females are 16 years older than males in maturity. And there it is. That's exactly how it works. [00:44:27] Speaker A: Works. [00:44:27] Speaker B: I finally caught up to you. Anywho. All right, here we go. [00:44:31] Speaker A: Question or yours? [00:44:32] Speaker B: I don't know. I think. Is it you? Yeah, it's probably. Yeah. [00:44:34] Speaker A: When it comes to forming new connections in your industry. What are the best ways to go about it and what have you found to be the most successful? [00:44:42] Speaker B: Get out of the office and go find like minded people. And, and so there's any number of concurrent circles of like minded people. So there are people that are interested in business, you know, and it may not be exactly your business, but it's business that's a great way to, to, to make connections in and out of your industry and you'll, you'll recognize that, you know, you don't have to have that many things in common like business alone because there's just any number of overlapping challenges and successes and opportunities that will resonate with any number of different audience members. You know, I sell, we, we, we talk a lot about when I'm training for sales. There's products and services and they're emotional and non emotional. So products and service is easy. Emotional means you're spending your own money, non emotional means you're not. So even if you're in a room, let's just say the opposite of me who sells a non emotional product, bubble wrap, they're spending their own someone else's money and I'm with someone that's selling an emotional service, life insurance. There's a lot of things that we can connect on and I can learn from. The great thing about being on the different edges of that of that quadrant is I have the most to learn from the person that's selling an emotional service and they have the most to learn from a person that's selling a non emotional product. So one way is to get out into, into rooms of business and then when you want to start to bear down on subject matter expertise then I would be looking for industry groups. But, but the number one thing that's across all of that is you've got to get out and do it in a three dimensional way. I do love two dimensional world like podcasts and things like that as learning platforms and what a great way to consume information. It's better than radio and audio because I have a hard time focusing on that. I, I like the camera aspect of it so those are great. But as it relates to, to making connections, I, I strongly believe even though a little less efficient, it's best done in the three dimensional world. [00:46:44] Speaker A: I have two. One is, I mean pretty, pretty, pretty standard I think, but worth mentioning. Warm intros are always better than cold. So if you can, if there, if there's people you want to connect with and you know somebody who knows them, reach out to them and get A warm intro. I know if somebody is saying, hey, this is my friend John. You guys should meet. I think I'm way more inclined to meet or talk to that person than if somebody just randomly approaches me. That's like a really easy one. Very like. Like tactical. You can just do that right now. Actionable. Item number two is, I think, being so honest and vulnerable. And I am in this moment right now, as we're building the DC business, I'm actually going about asking people for orders that they don't need to place through us. And I'm saying a couple hundred dollars is fine. I'm literally. I've literally been doing that the last two days and just being so honest. Like, listen, we have a new business. We have no credit history. We are working towards a certification. We can't get the certification if we don't have proof of sales. And I'm looking to you and our established relationship to help me. Can you please purchase a couple hundred dollars of material and get us going? And I promise you it'll pay off in the long run. And like, just. Just being so wide open with people and so honest and raw, I think that is a really good way to elicit, like, people want to help. And especially if they can tell you're just being so honest. No ego up no front. And especially if you do want something, you're just, like, asking straight up for what it is. I'm not saying that's a great way to meet people is to immediately ask for them, but I think my point is just being just you. You don't have to be an expert. Like, it's okay to be new, and it's okay to be like. And not only k. Encouraged to just be very open about. About that. Like, people will help if as long as you let them. [00:48:34] Speaker B: Yeah. I think the word vulnerability is a lot more welcome than it was when I was a lot younger and being closer to older generations where, you know, it was stiff upper lip, young man, and that whole thing. And yes, if you ask people for help, they gener. It's amazing how much they will help you. [00:48:50] Speaker A: And straight to the point, too. Like, you don't have to dance around anything. Like, I'm really looking for your help and here's why. [00:48:54] Speaker B: Yeah. And there's nothing about that would have you in a lesser position. Right. Or being condescended to as part of that process. Not at all. I think humans innately want to help other humans. [00:49:03] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay, next up, what's one skill every entrepreneur should master that often gets overlooked We've talked about this all the time, is just consistency, repetitions, it's commitment to, it's the excellence of the mundanity. It's doing the things that matter day after day after day. The best entrepreneurs in the world, I believe, are most of the time not the smartest. They are not on the outer edge of anything. They just show up and do the same things really well that move the needle, have the biggest impact on that needle, move it the most, and they're able to do it more and more often and more consistently than anybody else. [00:49:54] Speaker B: Yeah, and my skill, I'm gonna, I'm gonna use this word and then I'm gonna, I'm gonna blow it up is communicate. We talked about that. And you, and you talked about, you know, your love for my ability to communicate. But I think when I say the community, the word communicate, most people think about talk. Well, communicate. Of course, if you're communicating, you're talking. No, I want you to focus really more on the listening side. So one of the skill that entrepreneurs need to master is listening. I mean, old one, right? Two years, one mouth, listen twice as much. But it's a lost art to listening. And I think a lot of entrepreneurs, especially if they're new to business, for some reason there's this attraction to talk because talk means no and no means cred. And there's that whole continuum of that that I think is just a terrible start versus listening. And I know some of the, the smartest and most capable people that I know and, and definitely around here too, they listen. It could almost be viewed as to a fault at times. After a while it's like, are you ever going to say anything? Well, when they finally do, it was worth waiting for. [00:51:04] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:51:05] Speaker B: We have another saying around here. It's, you know, how smart someone is, not by their answers, but by their questions. And after our best and brightest listen for a long time, the next thing out of their mouth is still likely a question. It's not an answer. So, so, so communicate. But, but focusing on the listening side of the communication process, it's a good one. [00:51:27] Speaker A: How do you decide when to take a big risk versus when to play it safe in business? [00:51:34] Speaker B: I'll tell you some situations when, when I, when I feel like I am in a position to take a big risk versus make a different choice. Maybe it's play it safe. It may or may not be exactly play it safe. It might be something that's measured. Usually it's when we're up against asset or resource constraints, we're out of space, we're out of this, we're out of that. And there's going to be investment of some kind that's needed and it could be a million dollar piece of equipment, it could be a 10 year lease for extra space that through the 10 years has a $7 million price tag associated with it. So I think when I am called to make what I would consider decisions that are associated with big risk, it usually has some type of an asset or an investment associated with it. And that's why it would feel risky because I'm signing on the line or making a commitment in some way. Could be a financial commitment, could be a time commitment, you know, things along those lines. So in those moments, and they're all very unique and very individual as you're doing the diligence around that choice and, and what is the investment and what is the commitment and what is, and it could be sacrifice. If it's time, what is the sacrifice? I'm generally trying to, to rely on data and, and really objective inputs as much as possible. Of course there is an emotional side that you're human that's just interlaced through, through mammals. But I would say, you know, you go through that analysis, you take as much time as you can. Not so much that you miss the opportunity, but you take as much time as you can. And as much time might be when you arrive at your decision and that could be quick or it could be when you're up against a deadline to make that decision. But I would say, you know, after taking as much time as you can, could be two seconds, right? It could be two days, could be two months, then, then you make the very best possible choice and you go, and you don't look back and you don't regret, you don't second and you don't, and you don't second guess and you go and, and listen. And if it turns out in retrospect that you were wrong because a significant portion of the time you were going to be imperfect for sure. And sometimes you're going to be flat wrong. And you know, and your job is to learn from that and have a good understanding. If you do the proper diligence when you get it wrong, you'll at least have the outcome to align exactly with your choices. And that's the best way to learn is if you didn't do the diligence and you were wrong. You never know why you were wrong. But if you thought it out and you were, and you were calculated and what, what you did when you got it wrong, you could stand those up to each other and you'd be able to point almost line for line how you missed and you'd be better at it next time. [00:54:24] Speaker A: I wish I had a. I wish I could tell you I was really strategic with this and I'm just simply not. I, you're, and I've talked about this, you're way more data driven, way more objective. I definitely lean more on like the subjective, intuitive side of things. I'm not saying I don't look at numbers. I do, but I rely on a lot of what like my gut and heart are telling me and move forward really fast in that direction and go head down. And that has worked out for me. Now I will say I think it's more than that. I don't think I'm lucky. I think that I understand the decisions I'm making and like, those feelings are supported by, you know, when someone. We're taking this big risk right now of starting like a D.C. business, I, I do know it will work despite, like us taking all these massive risks. We've already done it over here. But I'm not necessarily like, like, I don't exactly know what the market is. I don't know the exact numbers or like the opportunities that are out there, all of that. But what I, I'm so confident in my ability to, when I make a decision, turn up like a switch and go head down and 100%, don't look back, don't ever look back in the rearview mirror until it is across the finish line. And I think part of that, as you, as you alluded to a little bit, even if the decision is not a hundred percent right, if you are the person that can go harder and faster than anyone else to get there, a lot of times you'll be able to make it successful even though it might not a hundred percent been on target. So I think I, I often rely and lean into my ability to just like go and get it there, even if it's like, has to be very forceful, even if it's running through a lot of walls. So I'm not sure if that was exactly what the question was, but that's what like, my approach to. Once I make that decision. [00:56:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I would offer just an observation and it goes back to you making the choice to start Teglar Construction Supply. You were taking a lot of inputs because we've talked about. I mean, when I said, why did you make the leap to launch your own business? One of your first answers was, I was watching all of the building that was going on in the area that was supported by public funds of some kind, tiffs, whatever it was. And I noticed an inadequacy of supply on that side. And I knew it because people were calling me to supply and I wasn't even a supplier. So it was evident that demand was outplacing supply, and I wanted to insert myself. That was very, very calculated. And you're. You may not have sat down over 25 spreadsheets, but that was very calculated in you listening and understanding that demand was far outpacing supply. And the supply that was there was undergunned and pretty pathetic and. Or inadequate in spots. [00:57:15] Speaker A: So I will say, I think, I'm. [00:57:17] Speaker B: Sure you remember those moments as much as an onlooker would. [00:57:21] Speaker A: Right. I think I'm very good at reading people and circumstances and environments and understanding what's going on. And it might not be looking at, at the actual numbers or data or spreadsheets, but I can understand, like, holistically what's going on pretty well. Like, I do trust my intuition very much so. So good. [00:57:44] Speaker B: Me. Brit, do you think entrepreneurs have a responsibility to give back to their community? [00:57:51] Speaker A: I don't think so. I don't think. Do I want to be somebody that gives back to my community? Absolutely. Is that important? To me? Yes. Do I think it's the responsibility of entrepreneurs? Not necessarily. I think a lot of entrepreneurs go into business and create something, something great. Hopefully it benefits the community, but I don't necessarily think that's a responsibility of that person. They might be making a greater impact some other way. And I almost. This is an interesting question. I almost relate it to athletes. Like, athletes are expected to be these, these mentors and role models. And like, that's not what they signed up for. They're. They are really good at. They're fast and they can dunk a ball and they've got a, an engine that never, like, they've got all this skill set and they became a really good basketball player and they are the best and they got recruited and they're going to go professional and they're going to support their family that way, and that's their life. And they didn't sign up to be your mentor. That's, that's. And, and I think that's okay. I think, I mean, like, yeah, I think, I think that's okay. And I think in this situation, it's okay. Like, if, if giving back to your community is not something that you want to do, it's not what you signed up for. You signed up to sell this product or this service and you were hopefully clear about that, and that's that. I mean, am I off base? What do you think? [00:59:17] Speaker B: No, I think. Yeah, I agree. I, I understand. [00:59:19] Speaker A: You don't have to agree. [00:59:20] Speaker B: No, I don't. I don't know. I know I definitely don't have to agree, but, but I do in any number of ways. My hope would be, and maybe this is Pollyanna as, but everybody has something to give back to their community because everybody has time, resources, everybody has a skill of some kind. It might be different, it might be more, it might be less, but time alone is such a, such an amazing contribution that I'm not sure that it's relegated exclusively to entrepreneurs, I think to wait around, if you will. And, and, and, and by the way, if we're talking about entrepreneurs, because allegedly they're always successful and therefore have extra resources that they should be giving away or giving back is not the truth either. There's many, many entrepreneurs that, that don't make it and do get crushed. And most. Yeah, the vast majority. And they're actually in the community and might even need more help than other community members, depending on how big of a bet they placed or how big of a risk they took. If they, you know, they got it wrong and they sign the I dot as we talked about, and they're homeless. And that happens. Yeah, that. Absolutely. [01:00:22] Speaker A: I also think it's important to define not, not to get too in the weeds here, but define community. Community could be like your family. It could be your, your company. It could be, you know, the city you're in. Like, it's, it's important. And I think if you're, if you do, if. Because all businesses, I, I believe are selling some kind of service or product, if you really build a great business, a byproduct is going to be benefiting a community. Right. In some way. [01:00:46] Speaker B: Yeah. With the 85 people that work in it, their children. [01:00:48] Speaker A: Right, right. So I think if you really just focus, because I don't know if I'm necessarily focus. Let's call Community Baltimore. Like, I don't. While we have a lot of projects in Baltimore, I don't know if I'm all the time thinking about, let's give back to Baltimore, but if we do a really good job, I'm hiring people in Baltimore. We're serving projects in Baltimore. Like it's a byproduct. It just comes. If we just focus on, on doing a great job in your business. [01:01:09] Speaker B: Now, now that said, we do happen to be entrepreneurs that do that, you know, and I would say if you want advice on, if you want to do that and you're an entrepreneur, how do you, how can you be successful at it despite having limited time, resources to give in certain spots and you're running a business, I would say to pick something that you're very closely aligned with, you know, it's got to be in the lane of your business. You know, I, I, I love kids and animals and I love coaching and training and teaching. So for me, you know, serving on the board of Junior Achievement, along the way, just giving some examples of things that might have you with a chance of success where every time you have to give your time, you're not groaning and moaning because you're outside. So I would say if you are an entrepreneur and that's important to you and you want a chance to be successful and you're not constantly missing and resigning from boards as somebody that did that early in their career, you'd find something that was closely aligned and was, was rather interwoven in your day to day activity so that they too can live harmoniously with all of the other responsibilities that you have. [01:02:13] Speaker A: I think that's the only way you can, it can work, period. The last thing I'll say on this, I will say I don't feel like I really had the ability to give back to community until I had a business. Because the reason, and I believe I, I got more of a voice because I had a platform and because of that I was able to make a much bigger impact. So if you are an entrepreneur and you are able to be a business, you are able to build a business, realizing that you can utilize that business as a platform to give back. When I realized that I'm like all of a sudden I have a voice and people are listening to me now like I have the same ideas as before. I had the business and same opinions and perspectives. But now that I have this thing called Tigler Construction Supply, I have cred now and I have a platform and thus I can use that to impact greater. That's a real thing. It just is. So if you are somebody in like in a position where you do have a platform now, whatever that platform looks like, whether it's a business or social media now and, or both, and giving back is important to you, you have what you need to be able to do that for. [01:03:20] Speaker B: Sure, sure. Yep. [01:03:22] Speaker A: My turn, I think it is. How do you define legacy and what do you want yours to be? [01:03:30] Speaker B: Not a Big legacy guy. I'm really not, I, I that, that word. I don't know if I've really gotten my arms around the definition of it. I could tell you what I do try to do day in and day out and it's pretty simple. Just leave it better than I found it. [01:03:45] Speaker A: You were going to say that. [01:03:46] Speaker B: Yeah, I've never, I've never had this, but I think legacy is for other people to decide. So the idea that I would have an effect on my legacy doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. It would have me, would have me setting this end game or this end goal and somehow striving towards that daily, weekly, monthly or in some time increment. So for me, legacy will be much more defined by somebody else that's not me. So to spend any time on it, I don't, I don't think about it. Actually. The word legacy in our business has a really bad connotation when you think about quote unquote legacy systems. It means that they're proprietary, they suck, and you can't get away from them for a bazillion dollars. So I've the word legacy probably just because I grew up in that space. If something was legacy, it normally meant you were handcuffed by it and it was limiting your ability to be agile. So that's one thing that resonates with me for legacy. But I don't, I don't do that. I mean, I tend to live very much in the exact now. I mean there's the now and then, there's the exact now and I think I tend to live really much in the exact now. So if you're doing that or if that's how, how you're, you're wired like I am, then I would just attempt to leave it better than I found it. Every single situation, like the room that I walked into and then growing out from there, the business, the interaction, the relationship, the whatever it is, I would just attempt to leave it better than I found it. [01:05:08] Speaker A: I experience legacy differently. I, I, Legacy is important to me. I think I, I haven't thought much about it, but I do want to leave a legacy and I think that that is important. When I think about what legacy means to me, a lot of the roles I find myself in I think are a little bit of a trailblazer. Just, just in being a female and doing some of the stuff like you know, in being in construction and leading construction company in the most male dominated, you know, industry in the world. And I stopped talking about that. Because honestly, I started getting sick of it. It's like it doesn't matter. But I think what it does is it exposes a lot of females to just different opportunities, opens their eyes. And if I can create a life where especially now that Moxie's here and the older girls that they're seeing me do so many things like even run a hundred miles, it's like, well, a mom and a business owner can potentially do. Even I don't do it that I signed up for. It's just like having the courage to do. Do things a little bit differently that maybe somebody could have never imagined was even possible for their lives. That. And that inspires them to be able to try. And if I. When I'm gone, if people can think of me and like the life I lived to derive the inspiration or courage, I think is the better word to be able to do things that they didn't necessarily wasn't like, right in their path or thought was possible, then I think that's the legacy I. I would want to live. It has nothing to do with, like, my last name or the actual business witness. It's more of, like, just a bigger vision and mission, I think. [01:06:43] Speaker B: Yep. And we'll never know either way. [01:06:46] Speaker A: We won't. Yeah, I. I will. I'll be up there in heaven looking. [01:06:50] Speaker B: That's right. Yeah. Not me. Anyway. [01:06:53] Speaker A: Next Religion. Next episode. [01:06:57] Speaker B: This week we're delving into religion and politics in one. [01:07:02] Speaker A: That was fun. That was awesome. Thank you so much much for listening to this episode. We had so much fun with it. There will be another question and answer episode, so please hit us up with all the questions you have. We'll wrap them all into another episode coming soon. [01:07:15] Speaker B: Yeah, and that was really fun. So thanks for being here for the whole thing. And please remember, keep us going. One simple request. Subscribe. Subscribe, subscribe. That's actually three requests, but I know you can handle it. Stop. Now hit that button. And we'll look forward to seeing you soon. [01:07:29] Speaker A: We really, really do appreciate it. Thank you. [01:07:37] Speaker B: Welcome to H. Probably talks for the superstars tonight. [01:07:41] Speaker A: Tonight. [01:07:42] Speaker B: Incredible.