The Business Guide
Just a regular guy that decided to quit his stable job and start a business. After successfully being in business I've learned a thing or two, unfortunately the hard way. I've created this podcast to share my successes & failures and to talk about the "real" ins & outs of business. I'll be personally sharing my stories along with guests.
As Business Owners we wear so many different hats and we have so many different struggles, we will breakdown those struggles together and talk about how we've overcome them and how it's shaped us to be better. If your a business owner currently going through a struggle, I hope this content helps!
The Business Guide
Secrets to Entrepreneurial Success: Shane's Journey
Curious about what it takes to transition from a regular job to owning a thriving business? Join us as we sit down with Shane Blanchard, an entrepreneur who transformed his career from an insurance adjuster to the owner of a successful environmental testing company. Shane’s journey is filled with unexpected opportunities and key moments of motivation that pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap. Tune in to hear about his initial struggles, the drive to overcome obstacles, and the serendipitous connections that propelled his business forward.
Balancing the demands of a growing business and family life is no easy feat, but Shane shares his strategies for achieving this delicate equilibrium. Learn how he maintains a structured schedule to ensure quality time with his family, even as his business evolves. We dive into practical self-care tips, like incorporating workouts into your weekly routine and understanding the cyclic nature of business seasons. Discover the mindset that helps Shane and his team navigate challenges on the fly, ensuring that personal and professional responsibilities are met with harmony.
Navigating government regulations can be daunting, yet Shane offers invaluable insights from his experiences with agencies like Cal OSHA, Federal OSHA, and the EPA. Listen as he explains the importance of networking and building relationships to stay ahead of regulatory changes. Shane also shares his secrets for maintaining work-life balance, emphasizing the need to set boundaries and find ways to decompress. From practical advice on managing after-hours communication to the importance of enjoying the entrepreneurial journey, Shane’s insights are a treasure trove for aspiring business owners.
Hey everyone, what's going on? It's Jonathan Wagner and this is the Business Guide podcast. Today I have a guest on the show, shane Blanchard. Really excited to have him here and really just dive into the ins and outs of business and what he has kind of gone through. So, without further ado, this is Shane. I'm going to give him an opportunity to you know, introduce himself.
Speaker 2:All right. Yeah, Jonathan, thanks for having me. I've been in business now about eight and a half years. I run an environmental testing company. We do asbestos, lead and mold testing. Started off working for a company. Well, actually, let's go back. I started off as an insurance adjuster and from there work got slow. I met a guy that happened to be doing this type of job. We hit it off and he said, if I ever needed a job, to call him. So a few months went by and I ended up calling him and worked for them for a few years and then decided I wanted to go off on my own.
Speaker 1:Nice, nice. So really starting that? Let's go back to when you started your journey Like what was the kind of the? You know you're working for the man and then you've decided like hey, I'm tired, I want to start my own business. Like what? Like initiated that starting Because I think on the show, like we've got a little bit of mix, we've got some business owners definitely listening, but we also have inspiring entrepreneurs. So I definitely want them to know that we all go through this different like mind shift, change into like hey, I no longer want to be an employee and I absolutely want to be a business owner. What was that for you?
Speaker 2:What was that journey like? So for me I guess it could be pretty similar to somebody who's unsure because, to be honest, when I left the company the testing company I worked for for a few years I just originally went back to being an adjuster because I had a handle on what I wanted to do, but I was unsure about taking that leap. So I was like, you know what? I'm just going to go back to what's comfortable. I'm going to be an adjuster and see if down the road, something pops up to make me want to take that leap. So I went back to being an adjuster and then an opportunity came up where a guy needed testing. You know it happened to be for a family member and they called me and they're like are you still doing that? And I said no, but I have my license and another family member, you know. It all kind of came together all at once and I was like, well, I'm just going to take the leap and see what happens.
Speaker 1:So it sounds like some pieces kind of fell into place and then you were just like your hand was forced, Like I got to start my own business, I got to make my thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like originally, when I left the previous company, like I learned everything that you needed to in order to, like, start, but I had never done anything like that, so I I didn't know what to do. Like how do you start? What do you? How do you even begin? How? How do you start a business Like I?
Speaker 1:like to say there's no like. I mean there's ample videos I mean this podcast is an example but I feel like my thing that I would always tell people is I don't have there's no book on like. This is how you start a business A to Z and this is everything you're going to deal with. Sounds like you kind of went through the same thing.
Speaker 2:That was it. Like I didn't know where to start or what to do, first or second or third. To do first or second or third? It just so happened that a job opportunity came up and I took it and I kind of just went from there. I'm like, I guess I'll figure it out as we go. Fitfo, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, obviously running a business is not, you know, it's not as easy as I think some people make it out to be. I mean, I think it's funny that you know in business how many times people are like oh you know, you've got it so easy, or you've got employees or whatever it is. You know, I think that as business owners we have to. We're kind of essentially the cheerleaders when we have employees and we always have to keep them motivated and we're always motivating, you know, kind of everybody, motivating the customers, motivating our staff. What keeps you motivated?
Speaker 2:And specifically, like you know, sometimes, when times are tough, like what keeps you motivated and kind of what's your thinking, the motivation I mean mainly comes from, you know, wanting the will to succeed. I guess I mean you don't want to let yourself down In my case I don't want to let my family down, you don't. You got all these surroundings. But it ultimately comes from inside of, like that personal drive of if things are slow, then what can I do to either be productive during the time or what can I do to expand a little bit and create something for myself? You know, it's just the motivation to have the drive to keep going.
Speaker 1:Motivation for the family for sure. So, guys, obviously this is the first episode with a guest, definitely excited that he's here. I have I have some challenges that that I've put together for our guests that are going to be coming in. I kind of give them a list of these different challenges and then have them pick out what really speaks to them. Shane has kind of crafted his questions so he doesn't know the questions that I am going to ask, but they are specific to him and what he goes through with his business. Now, before I get into the challenges, I want to mention something about Shane.
Speaker 1:Now I spoke about this on another episode, which I think it was the art of networking and how important it is. And you never know when you are going to run into somebody that is going to kind of make your business or be a big part of your business as far as maybe referring jobs or customers or whatever it is. And I think with Shane, this is a good example of when other businesses fail. There are other businesses that will come in and take your spot, so you always want to be on your game. When I first met Shane I'm going to go back to the infant times full disclosure. My business uses Shane's business and I think when you know that initial kind of meeting with Shane was so he does testing, it's very important in my industry. We need it done all of the time.
Speaker 1:I had another business that I was dealing with for quite some time and over the probably about a year or two I became increasingly frustrated. There were issues and I could tell that the business owner that I was kind of connected with was no longer connecting with me and my team and goals. And one night in particular there was a conversation that I had with that business owner and it was a heated conversation. Essentially it was a huge referral stream into his business and he wasn't thankful whatsoever. So I was personally kind of affected, just kind of hurt like gosh, I don't know what's going on here. And so we actually had an emergency call come in.
Speaker 1:This is years ago and I decided to take that emergency call at eight or nine o'clock at night and at this point I knew that I needed a testing company. I had had another testing company that I could have called, but somebody did introduce me to Shane on that project. They had used Shane for their projects that they had worked on not kind of in our industry and me and Shane connected there. So you never know when you're networking, like I mentioned in that show before, you always want to be networking, you always want to improve your circle. For Shane's, you know, it just kind of fell into his lap that I was looking for a testing company. He was willing to take that. But as we have kind of grown our businesses together, you know it's key to have somebody that supports my business and I support his business. So definitely key that the success here is making sure that you know your businesses thrive together but always leave the door open to networking. Do you have a second version of that story you want me to tell, or?
Speaker 2:do you want to tell? That's pretty accurate. I don't think I ever got the details of how you got my number.
Speaker 1:That's, that's the details right there. You know, I'll share the name later too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's nice to hear. Um, yeah, I think the the key thing to networking, because what I remember most about I think it was either our first or second meeting was I could just be myself. And I think that's like the key to networking, because you don't want to come in like guns blazing, like this different person, because then you have to keep that up, like you be yourself, and then your, your clients like you for you, and you just continue that relationship of you know you're cool with each other, your friends or whatever the case might be, or they just like you. You know you're cool with each other, your friends or whatever the case might be, or they just like you. You know, then that's that's the big thing, because you put on this act and then you know, kind of like what you're talking about earlier, then you just disappear and you know don't, don't carry on the relationship. Then that's when you get replaced.
Speaker 1:The networking is all about relationships. We spoke about on that, on that episode, by the way. If you haven't seen it, go back and take a listen to that episode. But, yeah, definitely important. Keep those, you know, keep those relationships. But this is your business. When you create these businesses, so you get to be who you want to be and as new business owners, we're willing to do whatever it takes. But I think as you start to establish your business, this is where you know it kind of gets in motion of look, this is who I am and this is trickling into the business and you can be yourself and finding people that recognize you for yourself ends up being more successful. Now, I do know the part kind of the backstory of that too, and I do know that there was, you know, somebody that kind of was referring you work and didn't really support you. So, um, yeah, it's important to just make sure your network is network of people that you can trust.
Speaker 2:So, moving on to that, to the to the oh okay, yeah, go for it, go for it. Just remembering more and more of that I, I, I think the first job was in Camarillo and it was a flooring job, but the second one was a clearance over in Oxnard. We, we talked for the whole clearance.
Speaker 1:I know exactly what you're talking about Two and a half hours and, knowing you now I can't.
Speaker 2:It's hard to get two and a half hours with you, but that was like our first, first time hanging out and we just talked and I gave you the whole backstory and just tried to be myself. And the biggest thing that I've learned with networking is you just got to be upfront and honest. Like you, can't you learn from other companies, like you could say bigger companies, I guess, that they make all these promises. Well, you can't. There are a lot of false promises is what I'm trying to say. So you just take the approach of I was just upfront, you know, like this is how long it takes. I know everybody says they can do it in this amount of time, but it's just not realistic, you know. And then you're more receptive to that because it's like, well, that's fine, I can't have my guys here until tomorrow, you know anyway. So what's the point of doing that?
Speaker 1:And it's not going to happen anyway, you know, I think when you're real with people, you get real responses back, and the people that are asking for unrealistic stuff, then that ends up in failure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause some people will come to me and ask for those promises that the other companies would give them, and when I respond and say no, they kind of like have that moment of like well, yeah, I guess the other company couldn't do it either, so maybe it's not a real thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I just try to keep it upfront and honest and like this is how long it takes and this is our process and we get it to the lab at this time and they take a minimum of this long to get it done and you should hear from me at this time, tomorrow, you know, or the next day or whatever the case is. But I just that two and a half hour conversation was a lot of unloading and honestly, I think, a really good talk. Like you learned basically my origins all in one conversation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and making time for those. I mean I I I've spoken in another episode that you know networking with a particular energy, a gentleman for me, that kind of changed my business. I ended up meeting on my birthday. I put the priority of taking a break from what I was doing to meeting with you know somebody that I could network with, and it was successful for my business and almost immediately. So, take the time, build your network. We are here today because we are in the same network and we've become friends. Our businesses use each other. We're able to both thrive, so okay.
Speaker 1:So, starting with the, challenge, starting with the challenge Number one. So work-life balance, and we have spoken about work-life balance a little bit in the podcast before. Specifically, how do you balance?
Speaker 2:the two. It took a while. So at first I was by myself and working alone is what I should say and there was no balance. I got up, you know, let's say 6.30 in the morning, went straight to the office, got what I could done and then usually by 7.30, 8 o'clock I was on the road, and come back at 6.30, get more stuff done, try to get home and put the kids to bed or, you know, handle stuff around the house. There was just I had no plan. Stuff around the house. There was just I had no plan.
Speaker 2:And then I started to realize when, when you look, when you take a breath and you look around and you're like well, why, why are we not having as much fun or why are we not? Well, it was me and I had to figure out like, okay, so I need to make like a schedule or something, some kind of plan to implement my family, or trying to remember back to when I started, it was me and my wife and our stepdaughter, and shortly after I started we had our first kid together. So I had to start planning. Okay, so instead of me going straight to the office in the morning, maybe I can have breakfast and then take off on the road and then, when I get home, have dinner and then go back to the office after that. You know, implementing time for the family within grinding and getting all my stuff done, that I needed to get done. So once I started doing that, then I started to figure out like, okay, got the family taken care of, at least to the extent that I could. It's like I need, you know, got to take care of myself too. So I would start working out and I would try to.
Speaker 2:I tried to figure out like it wasn't realistic you know some people work out every day. It wasn't realistic. I there was no way I could possibly do that. And you start like we were on the road a lot. I started listening to podcasts about fitness and there was this guy that was preaching like three days a week, you work out three days a week, that's all you need, you know, an hour. So I'm like I think I can dedicate an hour to working out three days a week. You know, when you think about seven days in a week, three days, I can manage that. Somehow I'll find an hour in there somewhere.
Speaker 2:So then I started implementing working out into the family life and the work life and you just you just kind of have to feel it out as you go, like where are you lacking? Like maybe you're spending too much time at home and not enough time working. It's like the real balancing act of figuring out. You got to figure it out as you go, like maybe work slow and you're spending too much time at home and you're like, well, I should be out talking to people or making phone calls, and or I'm making too many phone calls, I'm I'm bugging people, I'm sitting at my computer for no reason, like I could be spending time with the family, or so break, break break off the two, cause I think sometimes people get, you know, obviously in that work-life balance people also get where they're either giving too much time to their family and not enough time to the business, or vice versa, you've got a thriving business but there's not much of a personal life.
Speaker 1:Now in my story, when I started my business, I was single, didn't have my family yet, so I mean I was able to really kind of grind. So, you know, coming into somebody that started a business and had the family and, you know, grew a family with the business, I mean that poses a unique kind of challenge, if you will, that you kind of went through of, just like I took a piece here and I knew I had some downtime and then moved it over here and kind of yeah, it's a true balancing act.
Speaker 2:I guess that's why it's in the name of it, but you just figure it out on your own. You take the pieces that you feel like you're lacking and where can I put it into this other side to make improvements.
Speaker 1:Nice, nice, you fit foe. Now that's the second time I've said that. Do you know what it?
Speaker 2:means I have no idea. Okay, okay so.
Speaker 1:I use kind of a. What is it an acronym? I don't know when it's abbreviated Acronym. Yeah acronym when it's short, so we use that around my office. There's actually signs around my office. If you've been there, we have FITFO. Drop me a line in the comments if you want to know what FITFO stands for You're going to make them comment.
Speaker 1:I got to make them comment because I have to say these episodes are not marked explicit, so I don't want to say it, but hit me up, I'd love to hear from you guys. Alright, shane, challenge number two.
Speaker 1:What a tease man yeah, what a tease. What a tease. I mean you'll get it when the episode ends. But challenge number two is seasonal fluctuations. I was also struggling with that before when we were talking about that. But I mean managing a business. Obviously when you're super busy, you've got your peak times and maybe you're hiring or adapting to that, and then obviously businesses slow down and have seasons. How do you handle that? Businesses slow down and have seasons.
Speaker 2:How do you handle that? That was one of the biggest shocks of I won't say like in the beginning, because in the beginning you're building and, like you don't really you're trying to get the clients to keep you busy, so you don't really notice those seasonal fluctuations in the beginning. But once you get a good amount of clients that are feeding you work and then all of a sudden they're not, you start to freak out of like well, did they stop using me? What's wrong? And then you learn that our industry has seasons and I'm sure every industry is different, and for us it's like when November, december hit, everything slows down and you just learn that that's the way it is, because you got Thanksgiving, christmas, all the holidays in between there, that nobody wants to get stuff done to their house and they'll just push it off until January. And that's typically why January, february are just crazy off to you know. You're like where did all this come from? Well, it's all the people that were holding back November, december, um, but anyway, uh, dealing with the fluctuations, I, I just started to learn that, like, how does our industry operate? It's seasonal in the sense of like, okay, well, we're in the construction industry technically and you start to learn when people are getting stuff done and when they're not getting stuff done and you just learn how to deal with it.
Speaker 2:And actually one of the guys that has a testing company that's been open for I think like 25 years gave me one good line that you know I kind of stick to, especially when my employees are like man, we're slow, what's going on. He told me that, um, enjoy the slow times because when you're busy, you're going to wish you did so. I'm like, well, that makes a lot of sense, because when you're slow, you forget about how busy you were and you don't enjoy that. You start freaking out about well, it's slow, what am I going to do? What do what am I going to do?
Speaker 2:In reality, it's just a seasonal fluctuation of like there's just not much going on right now and then it picks back up and you didn't enjoy any of the time you had to either catch up on things like send out, catch up for us, catch up on reports or catch up on whatever we need to do that we maybe we got behind on when it was busy. So I just try to keep that in mind. I'm like when it gets slow, I go maybe spend some more time with the family or plan a trip or something you know. Take a Thursday and a Friday off when and when we're busy. I can't. There's that work life balance Exactly. It all kind of goes together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, and and and for use. For everyone that doesn't know our particular industry I mean, mine is definitely tied into Shane's here, but it is definitely a feast or famine business. So you're eating real good or you're not eating at all, but yeah, I like that. I like that. Take a break when you're busy, make that money, make those connections. But you know, when you slow down, take a minute to digest it. Don't freak out. A lot of us freak out. I'm sure you freaked out when you were first in business. I freaked out when I was first in business. But just build, make sure you've got that cash flow on hand. Make sure that you're building, you know, building kind of that bankroll so you can survive through the slow times but be able to take a break. And again, going back to networking, make sure that now you're also catching up on that networking. So pretty cool how you've kind of you know, been able to deal with it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the slow times too. I mean go get lunch with people, people like lunch. At first I'm like, well, I can't spend money right now, like we're slow, like what am I doing? But then you're just keeping those relationships fresh. Like the people you're having lunch with are probably slow too you know, we're all in the same industry but you just take advantage of the slow times and enjoy them. So, like you go have a nice lunch with somebody and hopefully your clients you know, you like I know a handful of them, maybe maybe not, but uh, you take them, take them out to lunch or go golfing or do something, and just enjoy the slow times. Because when you're busy it's like you can make that phone call, but there's no time for lunch, there's no time for golf. Like you can't. You can't do that when you're, when you're slammed, you're stuck in your office or you're running around or checking on jobs.
Speaker 1:Capitalize, for sure on the slow time and I like what you mentioned there too about, as you know, that you pull back maybe spending money when it's slow and, by the way, I do recommend that when it is slow. But one thing that you know when we get slow, I've been able to capitalize on not pulling back on advertising. That is crucial and, remember, your network is your advertising circle. So, yeah, you are slow, don't, you know, always have money to go eat with somebody? It's a couple bucks at lunch that could literally make your week, your month, your year. So, you know, make sure you got money lying around for that.
Speaker 1:But for sure, utilize, utilize the slow times yeah.
Speaker 2:That was one of the one of the things that I had. I learned kind of the hard way. I guess, uh, just just start putting money away, like somewhere you can't see it. You know, like you log into your business account and you're like, well, we're doing good, but you try to make a point to put it into a different account that when times get slow you've been putting money away. So you got that little cushion to the side of Can I pull it back out? Yeah, just in case something happens.
Speaker 1:I got this over here I am a firm believer in that too. I like to have automatic transfers. I transfer it to an account that I don't touch unless it is a slow time. That account is still money for the business to use. It's not necessarily a savings account I treat my savings account different but that is definitely an operating account that we tap into when it is slow.
Speaker 1:Okay, so moving on to challenge number three.
Speaker 1:Now, guys, this is going to be a super fun, but yet boring. But I also think and I say boring because I think it sounds boring but if you've been in business, there are some regulations that you have had to comply with, and when you're new in business, or inspiring to be in business, these are things that can kind of keep you up at night to make sure, hey, am I doing everything I can, or whatever it may be, and I'm just going to chime in on my side of it is like in your industry specifically what you do. One of the things that I was really scared of was actually calling in a testing company. I was really nervous to deal with a testing company, even though I wanted to make sure. You know, I checked my regulations, I knew what I needed to do, but I didn't want to sound like a rookie and so I was actually kind of scared, not knowing that this is actually a strategic relationship. So you want to make sure that you get these you know these questions answered, but without further ado.
Speaker 2:This is specifically local government regulations and how you navigate the different local versus state, maybe federal and Shane has wanted to talk because his industry happens to be highly regulated, say like three main regulatory agencies that we have to know about and know how they're. They have different wants and needs and requirements and you basically just they all say different things for the same, for the same topic. So you're like which one do I do? You say that this percentage is okay. And when I say percentage, like for our testing, the percentages matter. So if it comes back below a certain percent, you know the contractor can do it one way and if it comes in over they have to do it another way, all based on these regulations. So one regulation will say you know, this percentage is fine if it's below that, but then you switch over, so that's a federal regulation. And then you switch over to the state regulation and it's a lower percentage. And you're like well then, which one is it?
Speaker 2:Because I have one that complies with the federal but not the state, and then one that conflicts with OSHA over here, because we have to follow Cal OSHA and federal OSHA and EPA and they're all different. So you just pick the strictest regulation out of the, however many you're having to deal with. For us it's, I think, three, um, and you take the strictest one and that's what you follow and it you have something to reference. You know, like, this is it's an OSHA regulation, we have to follow it. You know there and people is it's an OSHA regulation, we have to follow it. You know there and people will tell me all the time like, but the EPA says it's 1%. I said yeah, but Cal OSHA says it's lower. So we have to follow Cal OSHA, because you can't comply to the EPA and not comply to Cal OSHA. So you're.
Speaker 1:You're always, I mean, in your regulatory board, if you will. You've picking, you've picked to just, you know, cancel out the noise from other agencies and use the, the agency that regulates you the most, obviously, making sure that it, you know, checks the boxes of the other ones. But, um, you know, how was that for you when you first got started, I mean, did you feel overwhelmed, did you feel like I hope I'm doing it right? I mean, where were you able to consult? I mean, you know, I'm really talking to the people too, I mean, on this podcast. I think that you know there's probably some hesitation. Maybe they've started a business and they feel like there might not be, you know, following the laws correctly, and that can be scary, but you know, I mean one.
Speaker 1:The internet is a massive resource but, I mean, how were you able to, kind of you know, figure it?
Speaker 2:out. You, you gotta have somebody to lean on, somebody with experience, and I didn't have anybody specific when I started. I had one person when I started and then it kind of grew like, as you make these relationships, because not only do we have those those big three that I talked about, then things vary from county to county. So then there's an agency below OSHA and EPA called every county has like an air quality management or air pollution control district that they want. They have their own set of wants, they have a checklist and every city, every county, I'll say, has a different checklist.
Speaker 2:So you make these relationships with people and this kind of goes back to networking. I guess, when you're talking to somebody and they just throw a little tidbit in, like hey, when you're in Santa Barbara, they changed their regulation that you have to do this. Now you know. Or you send a report to a contractor and they're like, hey, I just want to let you know. Like over here you have to do it like this.
Speaker 2:And it was very nerve wracking at first, but then you kind of learn that as the years go on, like with when a certain client calls you, that memory comes back in your head of, ok, if this isn't Santa Barbara, I'm going to make sure I do this and this to make sure we comply with the Santa Barbara regulations on top of OSHA and EPA and, you know, making sure everything's in line it all. They all have the same bones. They just have different details that they want. So you just it's nerve wracking, but once you do it, let's just say five times then. Then you know you got got the hang of it and you just remember, because when you're running the business you got to keep all that in your head and it's just like a want of yours, like I want to know all of this so that when an employee calls or a client calls I can give the answer.
Speaker 1:And I I this, this. This is again. I know I keep referencing my other podcast, but this is reminding me of the Start Small, think Big episode. Check that out if you guys have not already checked that out. But this is where, when you start smaller and like we talked about in that episode, different services and things talked about in that episode. You know different services and things, but in this example, this is really showing when you start small, you're able to get these tidbits. You're able to fill your brain with the knowledge that you need to navigate these regulations. Now, I know most of the listeners probably aren't highly regulated. Shane, I know that you are highly regulated, so I think that this was a good one to touch on. But you know, sorry if it was boring, I mean.
Speaker 2:I mean, I hey, we warned you guys.
Speaker 1:I warned him. No, I think that anytime we talk about government regulations, anybody and everybody will always get bored. But you know, important lesson here is you were able to navigate around around the regulations. You've been able to successfully run your business. So don't get caught up in. And just my takeaway is don't get caught up around the regulations you've been able to successfully run your business.
Speaker 1:So don't get caught up in and just my takeaway is don't get caught up in the red tape. Figure out how to cut the red tape, move past it. So moving on. That was the last of our challenge questions, but this is just going into a personal question. We already spoke about work-life balance, but specifically I want to know, shane, how do you switch it off, like I have a problem with it. How do you just completely get out of work mode and switch it off and be there for your family?
Speaker 2:It's really hard because we have cell phones.
Speaker 1:Don't check your emails in the middle of the night.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I try to not bring work home. So when I leave the office and I get home, I just try not to talk about work and that kind of helps me turn it off. You know, if the phone rings, I walk away and answer it. I still consider that being turned off because I'm just answering the phone and I put it away and I walk back in and hang out with the family and not talk about my phone call or not talk about an email I just read, you know. Or if I had a rough day and I can't shake the frustration, or I'll just go work out or say I need, I need a few minutes, I'm going to go to the driving range or, you know, do something that helps me turn it off. So when I go home, I think it's really about just giving your attention to the family. You know, when you get home, that's turning it off. It's like do they have your attention or are you sitting with your face buried in your phone? You know, sending emails or taking phone calls, making phone calls.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's a little easier once it's after, like I think, seven o'clock, seven 30, because maybe not for you, but for me that's my prime time. Yeah, after a certain time, most of the voicemails, I stopped answering the phone. Unless it's you or a client, you know. Unless it's a buddy, you know it's different, but I won't answer the phone. And then the next day, when you listen to those voicemails and again, this all depends on the type of business you're in, but for me, like when our labs closed, like I can't really do anything- anyway, yeah, there's really nothing much you can do until the next day.
Speaker 2:So like when I listen to these voicemails the next day, most of them are always hey, I just want to. You know I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow. I know I'm calling late, you know, this is what I'm hoping to find out. So then I started learning like people are understanding of after hours. So then I started learning like people are understanding of after hours and so, because of that, my brain kind of okay, I'm going to give my attention to the family because people are understanding it's after a certain time, like I'll call them tomorrow or I'll email them back tomorrow.
Speaker 1:And I think it's important to maybe get your network to understand I know he mentions that I like to call. Occasionally I call. I will say, occasionally I call, but for the most part I do like to. I think and this is in your network and I've seen this with some other people that are in our industry that may or may not be on this podcast later, but it's giving them their space. Like there there is like a like an approach of like hey, I want to talk to you as a buddy right now, but for work stuff like let's talk about it in the morning, and most of my work calls if I can, don't go out until 9 o'clock anyway. So making sure that we all have that space is important. So advice for the listeners that are listening to this is looking, you know, looking back at you know everything you've been in through business, everything you've done to get here to where you're at right now. What is one piece of advice that you wish you really had when you started your business?
Speaker 2:Oh, I wish you were more specific because there's like a lot of stuff in different areas. Um, it's not a jab at you, I just I'm trying to one piece of advice. I wanted to throw a wrench in this. Yeah, you did. I mean it's hard, you gotta. You gotta get yourself to a point that you can enjoy. You have to always enjoy what you're doing. That's number one. Like you can't, and I did, like I like being in this industry, like I was raised in this industry, so I enjoyed what I was doing. So the late nights and you know early mornings and you know lack of sleep, I enjoyed it. You know early mornings and you know lack of sleep, I enjoyed it, you know. So the biggest piece of advice would be like, don't get frustrated with yourself and just enjoy the process, because if you put your head down and you work and you enjoy it and you make the pro you know you make networking a priority and make good relationships and enjoy making those relationships, then it's going to build itself.
Speaker 1:I guess, enjoy the journey along the way.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because I mean, I'm thinking of something. Just as you said that my industry is a 24-hour industry, I am since past going out and responding, I don't respond anymore. Industry I have. I am since past going out and responding, I don't respond anymore. But you know, I think when for us, when we would get a call at two o'clock in the morning, you know you're waking up, you're frustrated, you're tired, you're, you know you're working and your head is buried into that. But some of the memories that I actually have and I talked to this to my business partner quite often is I actually miss those days of that journey, of being there and experiencing that. So I guess, enjoy the journey along the way, enjoy the journey.
Speaker 2:And then the second piece would be be open to help, because I held out for the longest time thinking I could do it all by myself, because my uncle, who's in the same industry, is still, by himself, different mindsets though.
Speaker 1:Different mindsets and everybody has their own road, different mindset.
Speaker 2:but then I also learned he does the same thing as me, but it's different. He's doing legal cases and he can move slower. Yeah, he doesn't have to turn it around like that, but be open to help. Because I held out for I'm going to say six and a half years, maybe seven years, of working by myself and finally someone I can't remember who pushed me into hiring someone. But I didn't want to do it. I'm like I can manage by myself. Um, and turns out I couldn't.
Speaker 2:And once I got help, you know I hired my first employee. I mean it helps that he's great. You know he came from a background of already knowing what he's doing and he's a good dude and he was able to kind of mesh with how I wanted to do things. But you got to be open to help. Like you think you can do it by yourself and you don't want to spend the money on somebody to come in because you think, like I'm just gonna lose money by having to pay somebody, but ultimately, like by having that person, it makes you more productive and you're you're able to expand or grow the business beyond what you were doing by yourself. You know you're still busy because now you're managing somebody but the help is key because it's just a thought, like it's stubbornness, that you can do it by yourself. Maybe there's certain fields you know listeners that have jobs, that it's a solo job and again different direction too.
Speaker 1:I think that everybody's direction is different in business and I think for you know the people that inspire to grow, it is okay and it goes back to that podcast episode of starting small but thinking big. And you know, going out there and doing the grunt work and being there and knowing, hey, I want to do this and putting it in your plan. But I remember, I remember those conversations and those conversations of hiring and that was kind of the story. When you know you are in business and your goal is to expand the business and I've had that conversation with people before. But specifically in your case, like that ledge that you're on of, like I really know I need to do this but I am kind of scared of the unknown. But once you're in the unknown now, and now it's known look how quickly you hire somebody else.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Because now it's like oh look, they actually benefit my business and this is helping my business.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's kind of crazy, once you take the leap that you're like I guess I should have done this sooner of crazy, once you take the leap that you're like I guess I should have done this sooner, you know, and it also it it all kind of happens when it needs to happen too, because I wanted to hire one guy, uh, and it didn't work out, yeah, and so I'm like, all right, I'll just keep going by myself randomly at a party and meet this guy networking, networking, and he's in the same industry as me, he's working for a different company, and he straight up told me he's like you know, I'm not really looking, you know, but I'll keep you in mind. And I said that was cool, you know, like we kept in contact and one day, you know, he's like are you ready for me? Because, like you know, things changed and I was like I guess, so let's do it. And you know, going strong for trying to think we're in July, so just over a year, you know, but it was all organic.
Speaker 2:You know, like you try to think, think of like well, I got to get somebody from someone else, or it just kind of happened. You know, like I didn't push him, he wasn't ready to leave. Something happened and he was ready to leave and just kind of all fell in.
Speaker 1:That seems to be your, your, your story of your, of your business is the pieces fall in. Yeah, sometimes the pieces don't always fall in, but pieces are just kind of falling into place here.
Speaker 2:Right, that's really cool, you know, and I've heard your stories too, where you know certain people don't work out. But you tried, you know, and for me it just so happened that I found somebody, that the piece fell in and it worked.
Speaker 1:Try and don't be afraid to fail. Do not be afraid to fail.
Speaker 2:You need the help. Yeah, you know, no matter what industry, it's like two minds are better than one, because when you get stuck on something, it's like you got somebody to bounce something off and then all of a sudden your brain clears up and you can figure it out much faster. For sure, for sure.
Speaker 1:Well, guys, I think Shane, faster, for sure, for sure. Well, guys, I think, shane, this has been such a killer episode. We got some good insights from you and super stoked that you are here on the first episode of having a guest. So I really appreciate you being here. I really appreciate you opening up. Remember, guys, the goal of this podcast is you're not alone in this industry. We've all been through it. Business owners all think alike. If there's a problem you're dealing with, odds are another business owner in your circle has dealt with it and it's okay to talk to each other about the problems and it's okay to open it up. It helps you get a good understanding. So, thank you, shane. I appreciate you being here. Thanks for having me. All right, guys. Well, I want to thank you for listening.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you guys taking the time to listen to the Business Guide podcast. Let me know what you think. I know I mentioned earlier, mentioned some stuff in the comments FITFO, I don't think, on the podcast. We do have a YouTube channel where this is going, so that's why I say comments, but I do know that I set up a little text me, text me what you think. I'd love to know what you think about this episode and moving forward in the comments or that text message thread, let me know what you think, let me know what your thoughts are, let me know what you want to hear on this show. If you have questions or something you're dealing with, I'd love to be able to go over them or get somebody in here and have them as a guest where we can go over that for you. So until next time, appreciate you guys listening. Thanks for tuning in.
