Podcast – Page 3

Dollar Town Milford

Episode 101 Liz Cheek – Dollar Town Milford

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Liz Cheek is the General Manager of Dollar Town in Milford, Ohio. Here are some highlights from her story

What do you believe?

Customers are very important but treating your employees like family is the best way to take care of your customers

How is your business different?

Dollar Town works to provide fair and reasonable prices on all their products
More importantly, they want to build relationships with their customers and not just look at them as transactions

How can we help you?

Come to the ribbon cutting event on December 20th, 2018 at 4pm. 796 B Main Street, Milford, Ohio 45150
Follow Dollar Town on Facebook @ Dollar Town Milford

Episode 100 – Faith

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Our Thursday morning group is studying the book of Romans.

Who dedicates an hour a week to meet with a bunch of guys to study some ancient book? At 6:30 AM! Why?

Today, I got a glimpse.

This morning my good friend Gary shared a story of how he continually beats himself up over his inaction. You know, he doesn’t do what he should.

He wasn’t moving forward and taking action because he was afraid of failing. Afraid he couldn’t keep his commitments. He was worried it would upset his comfortable lifestyle.

As our discussion progressed he had an epiphany. You could see his eyes light up as he proclaimed, “It all comes down to faith.”

His problem was a lack of faith.

So it is with me.

Most of my failures can be traced to lack of faith. Better said, I lacked confidence. I was afraid.

Last year I wrote about my fear of public speaking. I told the story of how I totally bombed giving a presentation to my peers at work. How I was so worked up prior to my speech I literally couldn’t hear the speaker before me. My fear, lack of faith, totally derailed my performance.

I had similar experiences when I officiated my niece’s wedding, and at my book signing, and at my Impact Club event.

Recently, I realized that I will have to address this fear of public speaking. It is unavoidable.

You see, as I grow my business I’m going to have speak publicly. I have a book to promote, and real estate agents to train. I have a weekly podcast to do. I am developing a storytelling class for my local board of REALTORS®, where I will be the instructor. Additionally, I have four Impact Club events per year where I am the presenter. Wow!

Unavoidable. Must. Face. This. Fear.

My solution was to begin a daily Facebook Live show. I started back in August and today I will do Episode 100.

Wanna laugh? Go watch Episode 1. They are all posted on Facebook at Loveland Advice Givers Business page.

You know what I learned? The BIG lesson?

It ain’t about me.

Broadcasting live, just like public speaking, requires you to stop focusing inward, but instead, focus outward. Focus on the audience. What can I do for them? How can I bring them value?

Once I stopped focusing on me and my performance and instead focused on the audience, I relaxed, my fear subsided, and my show improved.

It’s all about them.

Life ain’t about us. It’s about our family, our friends, and our neighbors.

Building our faith requires a focus on others.

Episode 099 – Opinions

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Saturday Theresa and I purchased a coffee table. Not just any coffee table, but one of those lift top tables. You know, where the top raises up to make it more convenient to use a laptop or maybe have lunch.

The kind folks at Bond Furniture helped me load it into my pickup truck but when I got home and started to unload, I realized this was too heavy for Theresa. I needed help.

Who to call?

In my life, almost always, the person that pops into my head is my brother Michael Adams. Mr. Reliable. Mr. Always-Says-Yes-First-And-Asks-Questions-Later.

As we pulled the table off of the truck he realized why I had to call him, this thing was heavy! But getting it off of the truck was step one. Of course the table was destined for our guest room on the second floor, which meant we had to navigate a narrow set of stairs, and two narrow doorways.

If you want to be entertained, just watch my brother and I try to solve a problem together. The insults begin to fly. The dialogue is quite colorful.

“No, dumbass, we need to do it this way!”

That line has been used by both of us multiple times in our relationship. Of course directed at one another.

You see, my brother Michael is opinionated.

His brother is opinionated.

We argue with vigor, but unlike most people, we don’t get offended. In fact, we try to offend one another. We call each other names. We get loud.

Ultimately, it’s just good natured banter. We know, that no matter how stupid his opinions are, that we will still be brothers. Still love one another. Still be there for one another.

Over the years we have learned that when the argument is over, it’s business as usual. No harm. No foul. No animosity. It’s part of our special relationship.

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all could state our opinion and know that the person on the other end of the conversation would not get offended?

We all have opinions. There’s no way we can all see the world in the same way. Although someone else has an opinion different than ours, it’s important that we don’t judge them. We don’t know their history or their struggles. Maybe they are right. Maybe they are further along in life and have a better perspective.

But, what happens when their opinions are aimed at us? When we are criticized? Ridiculed? Judged?

The thing that annoys me the most in business is that people allow the opinions of others to be a roadblock to their success.

I’ve seen this play out with real estate agents.

Early in an agent’s career it’s very difficult to convince folks you can be trusted with what is for some their most expensive asset–their home. After enough negative responses from the general public and many times their own family, the agent loses confidence. Doubt and fear immobilizes them. They become disillusioned and quit.

They fail because they are consumed by the opinion of others.

How should we respond?

I believe the answer lies within us.

I believe that inside each of us is a light.

A voice.

A vibration.

A song.

A poem.

A painting.

I believe our art, our craft, needs to developed and shared.

The opinion of others be damned.

May we all become more interested in developing our life-song than consumed by what others think.

My brother Michael would approve of this message.

Episode 098 – Simplify

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I’d like to share with you an image I have for my future life. It’s an image I meditate on often and it helps me clarify. I call it, “future me.”

Back from the hardware store, I’m pulling into the long gravel driveway in my old Chevrolet pickup truck with two dogs. White t-shirt and faded blue jeans. Red Wing boots, Hank Jr. on the radio. Warm spring day, my sweetheart waiting on the front porch and ready with the coffee. Kids are coming over today.

My future is less, not more. My future is simpler.

How do I get there from here?

Let’s explore.

Yesterday, I made it back to the gym. I’ve not been consistent since I broke my leg, but slowly I’m returning to my previous healthy ways.

It felt good to get up early, lift some weights, shoot some hoops, and to try something new–the steam room.

Protip: Try the steam room! Especially if you suffer, like me, with various aches and pains.

Exercise is important, but it’s not as important as the ACTUAL daily routine. You see, it’s the habit itself that has the greatest impact.

Dr. Jordan Peterson is a Canadian psychologist. Recently he wrote a book called the 12 Rules For Life. Through his book and his YouTube channel he’s built a following of mostly young men who look to him for advice.

“Clean your room!” Peterson implores.

In other words, don’t worry about changing the world just yet, first get your affairs in order. Clean your room!

Daily habits, like the trip to the gym, is the equivalent of cleaning your room. Same with diet. Same with reading. Same with prayer. Same with business.

I’m putting together next year’s business plan. I’m super excited as I have a brand new structure with brand new positions and will be adding four or five new agents.

What should we do? How can we achieve our goals? What activities should we add?

My answer to the business growth question is the same answer to my health goal question. It’s the same answer as it is with my spiritual growth question. It’s the same answer as it is with my financial goals question. It’s the same as the image of “future me.”

Simplify.

You see, most answers in life are not complicated. The best solutions are typically the simplest solutions. It all comes down to fundamentals.

Baseball coaches teach you athletic position, balance. Football coaches teach you blocking and tackling. Good basketball coaches teach you defense and rebounding. It’s all fundamentals.

Business, and life, are no different.

My plans for next year come down to executing the fundamentals. In 2019 I will focus on the daily habits that allow me to be the leader I hope to become. Simultaneously, I will be teaching those same fundamentals to the agents and clients in my care.

Simplicity.

Not big complex plans, but fundamentals of caring for clients and keeping our promises.

Plans that create an environment that values relationships. Plans that value people.

Yeah, in 2019 I will pursue simple.

You know, like future me and his two dogs.

Episode 097 – Porch Project

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Today, I used the front door of my house for the first time in a while.

It’s a disaster!

Paint peeling. Porch flooring falling apart. Two rocking chairs faded and blistered. That porch, including the floor, trim, doors, are all less than three years old! I guess that’s what happens when it’s exposed to ultraviolet rays from sunrise to sunset.

Frustrating.

My plan was to have the porch floor replaced and porch painted back in the early fall. I purchased a power washer, paint, materials and got as far as unpacking the power washer. That project, two months later, is still undone.

Why?

Life.

My fall calendar reveals the mystery.

Orlando, Florida for a weekend business conference. My son’s wedding. (the nerve) A trip to Grenada for another conference. Client showings. (darn customers)

Looking back at my life, I’ve plenty of undone, well intended goals. Porch projects you might say.

This pattern of undone “porch projects” started when I became a father.

Basketball sign-ups, practices, and games meant the house wasn’t as clean as it could be. Baseball season meant my grass was taller than my neighbor’s. Soccer tournaments meant my gutters were neglected.

Something changes in you when you become a parent, your work, although important, gets put in its proper place–not first, but a solid second.

My houses might not have ever been perfect, but I rarely missed a game, or recital, or school award ceremony.

Here’s to porch projects to remind us of what’s important.

Episode 096 – Maps

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Hillsboro, Ohio has a very special resident–my precious mother.

Sunday was her birthday.

Each year, I make it a point to visit on her special day.

Normally, I take her out to eat and give her the most valuable gift in my possession, my time.

My brothers and sister get mad at me because I don’t coordinate with them.

Truly, I don’t want them there. Sounds harsh doesn’t it?
But, why would I deny my mother the opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with her favorite son?

A few years ago, they caught onto my scheme and invited themselves, and it’s turned into a group event. Ugggh!

This year I almost missed it. I won’t bore you with the details, but my pain from a healing broken leg kept me in bed most of Saturday and I forgot to call and coordinate with my mom.

Sunday morning, Theresa and I decided to drive to Hillsboro unannounced. While driving I called and discovered she was not at home, she was at lunch with her children. WTH?

“You’ll hear them before you see them.” said Theresa says as we entered the restaurant.

Sure enough. You will hear them. My brothers, sister, and I are great storytellers. Animated storytellers. Funny storytellers. LOUD storytellers!

My sister Veronica had us in stitches as she shared a story of a time she got lost driving. She took a wrong turn and ended up in the middle of nowhere while my brother Michael guided her back to civilization via telephone.

Her story reminded me of a time where Theresa and I were driving to Houston when suddenly I realized we had missed an exit and were headed to Florida instead of Texas!

Both of these instances happened before GPS was common. Back then we used foldable paper maps, and it was a lot easier to lose your way.

Maps, in life, are a necessary tool. Nay, an indispensable tool.

Today, I have a training session for a new tool for my business. In essence this tool is a map, only it’s designed for my business.

For years I have taken great care of my clients. Over the years I developed certain methods and certain philosophies that I use to give them excellent results.

Now that I’m ready to bring more associates into the company, I will need to share those methods and philosophies with others. The problem? How do you impart 16 years of experience to a new person? How do we get the same results for a client if we have an agent who only has 1 or 2 years of experience?

Maps.

Better said, systems. Detailed and documented methods. But how do you go about it?

Software and the internet have the answer. My new partner has a complete systemized approach to building standard operating procedures into your business so new people can understand the way we think, the way we operate, and the way we protect our clients. Regardless of the experience level of an associate, Bastion Realty can provide a great experience, thanks to great maps.

Life is a journey. Where life goes is up to us. If we are willing to decide where we want to go we will first need a map. With the destination settled and map in hand we can then plot the most interesting course.

Happy birthday to my mom, Marilyn Jean Bergfeld, and thanks to my very entertaining storytelling sister who reminded me that it’s human to make a wrong turn.

Episode 095 – 1 Percent Daily Improvement

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My buddy Nick and I met Saturday for coffee, as we do every week.

We’re reading the book Love Does by Bob Goff. (Protip: if you want to change your life, this book would not be a bad place to start.)

To say we’re reading the book is not an accurate portrayal. More like, we’re studying the book. Underlining key phrases. Seeking understanding. Just looking for an idea or phrase that helps us progress, if even just a little bit.

Just a little bit.

My journey over the last few years has led me to understand the power of small incremental improvements.

Just 1% daily.

James Altucher is an author, podcaster, and entrepreneur who introduced me to the 1% rule. The following is an excerpt from his post on the subject:

“I wish I could go back and tell myself one thing: nothing is going to change for you tomorrow.

Diets don’t work tomorrow. But every diet works.

Habits don’t change in a day. But 1% a day makes every habit work. Every.

The reason is: they work if you do a little each day. If you relax and give yourself permission to only improve a little each day, then a good habit works.

It’s permission to improve. It’s also permission to fail. Because when you first start something, you’re on day one.

If you want to succeed at anything, you have to give yourself permission to fail twice as much as you thought you would.

If you insist, I need to change RIGHT NOW, then it won’t work. You’ll only get worse.

If you insist the habit changes tomorrow, then the habit will certainly fail.

Coolio, the rapper, wrote lyrics every day for 17 years before having a hit.

Commander Hadfield, the astronaut, improved his skills every day for 20 years before getting into space.

Kurt Vonnegut wrote every day for 25 years before he had a major bestseller.

Even Mozart, despite being a prodigy, wrote music for 10 years every day before becoming a true master.

Improve a little each day. It compounds. When 1% compounds every day, it doubles every 72 days, not every 100 days. Compounding tiny excellence is what creates big excellence.

You can’t be a master in one day. You have to improve a little every day.

Picasso created 2 works of art a day. That’s 50,000 in a lifetime. It adds up.

“But it’s too late for me!”.

No, it’s not. Compounding creates fast results.

If I read 5 pages a day from non-fiction books, then in a year I will have read 1830 pages of knowledge. And each page I read will build upon the pages I’ve read before.
And it’s 1830 pages 99% of people won’t read. Most people don’t pick up a book after age 20.

If I write 1000 words a day, then in one day that’s nothing. In one year that’s the equivalent of 6–8 novels.

Also you can also decrease 1% a day. We can say, “aww, it’s only one day. Don’t pressure me!”

Such an easy choice. It seems trivial. 1% up or 1% down. But it sneaks up. And then we’re old and lonely.

Every day matters.”

You can read the entire post at https://jamesaltucher.com/2015/08/habits-one-percent/

This idea is powerful. Just 1% improvement daily equates to a 37 times improvement over the course of a year.

The question becomes, improvement of what? Improvement for what? What thing can I do daily that’s worth improving every day?

My storytelling mentor is a guy by the name of Ryan Fletcher. He’s the guy who inspired me to write my book, and also the guy who introduced me to James Altucher.

Ryan convinced me to begin storytelling daily as a way to improve my craft. My daily storytelling makes me 1% better daily, which over time has made me a better writer. A better businessman. A better husband. A better human being.

Here’s to mentors who challenge you to grow. Here’s to friends who come along for the journey.

Incremental improvement, just like Nick and I every week.

My gift to you today? Go buy “Love Does”, by Bob Goff.

Episode 094 – Leverage

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Leverage

Did you know it’s illegal to scale Mt. Everest alone?

In 2017 the Nepalese government banned solo climbing the tallest mountain on Earth.

297 people have died scaling Everest. One shouldn’t try it alone. To climb the world’s highest peak, you need a team.

Business is no different.

Recently, I made the decision to scale my real estate brokerage. You know, grow.

The problem?

Real estate, or any service business, is difficult to scale.
It’s been done the same way for years.

Get licensed. Grow a practice. Add an assistant. Get a brokers license. Add more agents. Help them do the same.

The problem? Retention.

According to studies, most agents fail in the first year and by the fifth year over 80% of new agents are out of the business.

Why?

Running a real estate practice is expensive. It’s a full fledged business that requires commitment.

Commitment of time and money.

Licensing, local board membership, multiple listing service, insurance, and continuing education is just the beginning. Fixed costs, regardless of your success.

Now you have to market your services. Business cards, signs, websites, brochures are just the beginning.

Once you procure a client you have to show up. Open houses, showings, meeting stagers, photographers, and before you know it you’ve invested real time and money yet still haven’t made a sale.

Finally, your client purchases a house so it’s payday, right?

Well, sort of. Closing is 45 days away!

You get the point.

Not only is it difficult to get agents through their first few years, but once they’ve established themselves, other brokerages take notice and begin to recruit them. Almost always these agents can find a broker who will charge less for their fees.

What’s a brokerage to do? What’s the secret to building a sustainable business? One that solves the retention problem?

Like a mountaineer who decides to tackle Everest, a business leader needs to tackle business problems with a team.

A team is stronger than an individual. You take talents from multiple people and apply them toward a common goal. Team is equivalent to leverage.

I could easily grow my business by recruiting, just like the others. But then I would have a company full of individuals, all pulling in their own direction. Ultimately, they will all find their own way.

What if they each had teammates?

These teammates leverage time, talent, and training.

How do you scale Everest?

Leverage.

Episode 093 – Good Vibrations

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Almost nightly, I have an amazing dream.

In the dream I fly anywhere I want to go. Yes, I said fly. You know, leave the gravitational pull of Earth and elevate. Only in my dreams I don’t need wings, I just decide to fly.

These dreams are so real. So intense. You should hear the discussions with people as I travel gravity–free from place to place. Seriously, it’s movie quality dialogue.

The last two nights, another element has been added, another superpower you might say.

This new superpower is vibration.

Yes, vibration. Let me explain.

In the dream, I’m not flying. Instead, I’m walking. Through the grocery store. In the streets of the city. People everywhere.

Inside of me there is a hum. A vibration. The vibration can’t be heard by anyone but when they come into contact with me, they FEEL it.

The vibration is good. It’s wholesome. It’s health, prosperity, and good intent. It flows through me with no effort on my part.

Everyone who comes near me immediately gets healed. Their thoughts change from negative to positive. Instead of despair they now feel hope. Just by being near the vibration.

As real as the flying dreams are, my vibration dream last night was tenfold. I woke up this morning and shared the dream with my wife.

While trying to describe to her the intensity of vibration dream I remembered what I told her just last night as we were on our way to dinner– “I have a comic book inside of me,” I said.

“You what?”

“I have a comic book inside of me,” I repeated. “I have a new superhero whose story needs to be told.”

This new superhero has an inner vibration. An inner calm. Energy from deep within.

This hero’s superpower is to bring order from chaos. His vibration, when harnessed, affects people who come near the energy.

Per his daily routine he strolls into his favorite diner for morning eggs. He notices a young lady deep in discussion with her boyfriend. Her intent? To lie. Influenced by the proximity of our hero, she feels something stir inside of her. A quiet voice emboldens her to tell the truth.

This new superhero settles to place his order. He observes an angry man in the adjacent booth who begins to verbally abuse his waitress. Turns out she gets the order wrong. Suddenly an overwhelming sense of empathy overrides his anger as he quietly tells her– “it’s okay, we’ve all had those days.”

Abused as a child, our hero finds this superpower as he turns inward to deal with his despair.

Like many introverts he discovers the joy of reading. His favorite subject in school? Science.

Encouraged by his seventh grade science teacher he becomes infatuated with biology and physics and their relation to the human mind.

He learns, according to physics, anything is truly possible. This understanding, this belief, fuels the growth his inner vibration. He learns to feed and harness the power.

Kind of a cool character, don’t you think? Can you see the storylines develop? How he becomes the person you call when war breaks out, or when there is a volatile hostage situation.

I like this new superhero. I think he brings something new. I think he can make the world a better place.

Just like our new superhero, I too, believe that anything is possible.

Literally.

I’m not even kidding. Not a bit. It’s my mindset. My go-to philosophy.

Maybe I’ve watched too many movies, read too many comic books, listened to too many songs, but I truly think all things are possible.

Just believe.

Here’s to inspirational dreams and good vibrations.

Episode 092 – Expectations Minus Reality

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Today was one of those days.

I have them once in a while.

One of those days where the list on my desk is the same at the end of the day as it was when I started. Incomplete.

Distractions.

Phone calls. Emails. Busy work.

Everything except what’s important.

Most days I have full days start to finish, busy with contracts, client follow up, agent follow up, showing homes.

Today was different. There were no appointments. No specific deadlines. No homes to show. So, I didn’t push very hard. Didn’t push through the projects on my list.

Today I should have written the job description for my new employee. Today, I should have uploaded the video from my last two podcasts. Today, I should have published my newsletter. Today I should have recorded a training video for a new agent who is joining in January.

Instead, none of that happened.

You see, I work alone. No boss. No one to hold me accountable. Sometimes I can just push things until tomorrow. Which is what I did today.

I wish I had a boss.

Some of you are probably thinking I’m crazy. Some of you have a boss you cannot stand. In fact, you probably wish you didn’t have a boss at all.

Well, I’ve got news for you, having a boss is not the worst thing in the world.

Working on a team is so much more gratifying than working alone. At least you have a coach to keep you focused on what’s important. Someone to get the most out of your efforts. Someone to push you out of your comfort zone. Someone who helps you to grow.

If only I had a boss.

The reality is that I do have a boss. A horrible boss. A highly critical, high expectation, no BS boss.

Me.

A total tyrant.

Way harder on myself than any boss I’ve ever had. Harder on me than on anyone I’ve ever managed or coached.

When dealing with others, I’m a totally understanding and encouraging figure, but to myself I give no excuses and expect perfection.

After a day of imperfection I sat down my wife at dinner.

She was feeling guilty about a relationship gone bad, through no fault of hers. I said to her “The gap between expectations and reality lives unhappiness. Your expectation of that person is too high.”

Turns out the advice to her was one also meant for me.

I’ll leave you with a thought from the great poet and storyteller Ray Wylie Hubbard–”And the days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations those are the good days.”