People: the ONLY Strategy

Our Business Philosophy

Since January 2014 we have increased our revenue 257% and our net income by 3,000%

I don't type that to brag or to seem impressive. Honestly, I don't really care about the numbers.

I only type it for two reasons.

1. Hopefully, it will make you want to read the rest of this article
2. To show you that this people stuff works!

My goals at the beginning of this entire journey were to be the biggest, the best, and to create a behemoth company that would rival any powerhouse.

Well, after 5 years of self-examination - I've / We've realized that's not really the case.

In a world where everyone wants to be bigger - we've realized one thing.

We really just want to make sure work doesn't suck.

That's it.

It's pretty damn simple.

We feel that if we can create an authentic, engaged work culture filled with humility and love - that we can positively impact the world.

We visualize all 90 of our people driving to work thinking:

1. I love what I do.
2. I love who I do it with.
3. I have a voice.
4. I can make an impact.

It's that simple.

We feel if we can do THAT - then we can create an amazing foundation - for people of all walks of life - so that when they drive home, they will touch their children, spouse, parents - even the person at the McDonald check out line - POSITIVELY.

We want to do everything humanly possible with our resources to positively impact the human beings on our team.

To hug them, to love them, to cherish them.

To cry together. To laugh together. To fight together. To love together.

If we can accomplish that - no matter what dollar of revenue we hit - we will be ecstatic.

We have learned a lot about ourselves and how we want to run this organization over the last 8 years. And I wanted to share with you our simple but effective (we think) philosophy.

1.Have a purpose

Who are you? What are you all about? And it doesn't have to do with money! When it's all said and done, and you're sitting on your deathbed - what are the memories and the things you will remember?

Is it the stuff? The things? The money? No.

It's the people. The relationships.

Business doesn't have to be brutal like the stuff you watch on CNBC. It can be fun. It can be delightful, actually. It can energize you every single day. Not bring you down and crush your spirits.

But you have to know why you exist. You have to truly understand what you are all about and why you do the things you do.

There is nothing more important.

Figure that out, and you can achieve something very special.

Miss out on it, and it will just be another job. An occupation.

Yes, you can truly love what you do and get excited to come to work every single day.

So work hard on finding your purpose - it took us 5 years to find ours. We worked on it until it was authentic - and it came from the heart. Once we found it. Look out world!

So find yours. There is nothing and I mean nothing more important.

2. Core Values

This is the guiding star leading you through the dark dessert. what values do you cherish as a company? What values are true and come from the heart - not to give you a competitive advantage in the workplace.

But DEEP down in your soul, what do you value?

It doesn't matter what values you have - it's that you HAVE VALUES.

Everyone is different. And everyone is going to have tons of different values.

But you are looking for 3-5 SHARED VALUES.

People love to talk about "culture."

What I've learned about culture is this....it's really just an obsession with your shared values. And I mean obsession. you don't create them with a consultant and put them on a plaque in the conference room. You obsess over them.

They are the filter for every single decision in your company.

You hire on them. You fire on them. You promote on them.

And when I mean hire on them - I mean like insane, crazy obsession with making sure that NO ONE gets into the company that doesn't hold those shared values.

And when I mean fire on them - I mean even if you have a team member who is #1 in sales for your entire industry - the best of the best of the best. Lebron James type talent - if they don't line up with your core values, they CAN'T be on the team!

We have done this before! Branch Managers & high impact sales and operational leaders.

Dude, its hard!

But if you let these people slide, you are choosing performance over values. And thus making you fake. If you aren't authentic and real with this stuff just dont even try to do it.

If you aren't willing to make decisions based on values NO MATTER WHAT the consequences, then you just don't get the importance of core value obsession.

Are you willing to make a core values decision that costs your organization $500,000?

We have.

Obsess over them. Make them real. Choose them over everything.

3. Courageously Candid & Humbly Confident

The goal of any great company is to get the right people on the bus. The wrong people off the bus, and then to get them into the right seat.

Once you do that, you make sure that all these amazing human beings have a voice! You must encourage them to speak out. You must encourage them to be courageously candid. to enter the fire.

THIS IS HARD.

People are very reluctant to open up and speak freely and honestly. Why? Usually because of unpleasant experiences in other companies full of politics and bureaucracy.

You must be crazy about encouraging candidness. Be frank!

Say what you mean and mean what you say and SAY IT LOUD!

AND NO MATTER WHAT - Do NOT hold back!!!

This is where humility comes in!

If you create an organization based on humility - people will open up MORE. Trust cannot be achieved without vulnerability and humility. You absolutely must find people that are humble. That love constructive criticism. People that want to continuously improve.

Here's the thing about "learners" - they are usually VERY humble. That's why they want to learn more! They are curious and because of that they are very open to feedback. Their #1 concern is getting better and they understand in order to get better they must be around other people THAT ARE BETTER THAN THEM.

They want to learn from them!

This is humility!

When you have an organization filled with these types of people, then and only then you can achieve the act of speaking out! Of entering the danger and being courageously candid.

So its two-fold.

First - bring people into the company who have humility. And second, encourage them like a mad person to speak out!!

Because of the humility, it will reciprocate. Back and forth feedback. Feedback brings about a bunch of vulnerability. And when you have humility and vulnerability - you get TRUST!

And folks, TRUST is #1!

I've learned this much...

There is no success without trust.

4. STRUCTURE

Once you find people that have humility and are courageously candid - you must GIVE THEM A PLATFORM to air out their issues!

You must create tangible mechanisms! you can't just SAY you want to be better and solve issues - YOU MUST CREATE mechanisms - literal things that occur weekly, monthly, yearly etc - for the rest of all time!

Dude, this is work. And work is hard. And there are tons of issues and frustrations. It's not only okay to have issues ITS GREAT TO HAVE ISSUES!

But you must have a PLATFORM for people to air these things out.

Weekly meetings, quarterlies, one-on-one conversations - these are all type of platforms where issues must fall!

And then you work to solve those issues!

But the structure must come first. And you have to have multiple ways for every single person in the organization to air out problems, issues, and frustrations!

5. ISSUES SOLVING

Once you air out issues, problems, and frustrations - you have to SOLVE THEM! Without solving them, they just hang in the air and cause people to get more frustrated!

Put them to bed for good!

How do you do that though?

You must have departmental weekly meetings that don't suck! Ones that solve issues!

Air issues. Present them. Work hard on solving them. Be passionate about your issues!

Create TO-DO's that solve the issues! And hold those TO-DO's accountable.

We use EOS. The issues solving track is an unbelievable tool to help solve issues!

There are probably a million different ways you can solve issues - but the point is TO SOLVE THEM! Once they are aired, you attack them like LeBron James attacks the rim! Go after them and intentionally solve them as a group! Pull TO DO's from those talks.

And remember, it's okay to disagree and fight in meetings! My goodness passion is a good thing. Go after these issues with energy, passion, and desire - Dude, you guys are all there for the same reason - to make the company better so you can positively impact people. We know you are humble individuals - you are team first - SO GO AFTER IT. yell, scream, cry, hug - but no matter what you decide when you have solved those issues and walk out of that room YOU ARE A TEAM!!!!

6. COMPANY IMPROVEMENT

Solving company issues makes the company better!

When you have issues, problems, and frustrations, and AND YOU SOLVE THEM... the company gets better!

Every single time you solve an issue, you make the company better.

And over time, week after week, quarter after quarter, year after year - you will become a well-oiled machine!

You will see that you are getting pretty damn good as a company. Because of this process. You just continue to rock-and-roll every single week solving issues and getting better. THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS. this is the grind! And THIS IS HOW YOU BECOME GREAT!

Dirk Nowitzki is one of my all-time favorite athletes.

At the beginning of his career, all he could do was hit threes as a spot up shooter. Once teams started taking that away - he worked on driving to the basket.

Once they started taking away that, he worked on his dribble drive pull up jumper. Once they took away that he started working on his post up game. Once they started double teaming him on the post he worked on passing out of the post.

He continued solving issues.

He was never the most gifted. He was never the most athletic. But he worked harder than anyone on his "issues"

He got better and better and better... slowly.

And eventually beat Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade on his way to an NBA Championship.

This is no different than the journey you are on now.

Issues show up. You passionately call them out. You work your ass off and try to solve them.

And over time you get so damn good that you become GREAT!

It's that simple!

Just continue to work hard and grind it out THE RIGHT WAY - with humility and love, and

you will become great!

7. COMPANY IMPROVEMENT FEEDS YOUR PURPOSE

When the company improves - guess what?!

You create happier employees!

This creates happier customers...and this allows you to make more money!

***********AND HERE'S THE KEY TO THE WHOLE DAMN THING********

Making more money allows you to reinvest IN YOUR PURPOSE!!!!!!!

When we make more money, we get to spend more money on our people!

It's that simple!

We spend most of the money we make on making sure work doesn't suck!!

Okay, now we can spend $40k on a big huge Christmas Party in Dallas with every single employee and their spouse!

Okay, now we can spend $20k on massive warehouse cool down fans, so the guys are not hot as crap in the summer.

Okay, now we can give out more raises!

Okay, now we can give out more and bigger bonuses!

Okay, now we can spend money to get a better 401k program

Okay, now we can bring in a personal finance expert to talk to the team every quarter.

And maybe the best of all...

Now we can hire more people!!

I mean, this is what it's all about!!

The money you make by continuously improving feeds your purpose - whatever that is - it's directly related! It's just a loop that goes round and round and round. Its glorious!

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I know I Am young. And I know most of you guys out there know much more than me on this stuff. This has just been MY experience and what I've learned over the last 8 years.

But for the first time in my career I feel like our company, and myself has clarity. Like it's this crystal clear understanding of who we are and why we exist. And its breathtaking. its beautiful. It makes me want to cry sometimes.

I come to work every day charged up and excited to figure this whole life thing out with this team. Who I love dearly with my entire heart.

The faces, oh the faces. Those smiling, beautiful faces.

I hope I could bring value to anyone out there. I know that people don't write much anymore and just make videos. But I just felt so passionate about this I wanted to get it down on paper - and pour my soul into anyone who may find this meaningful to their lives.