EP38: Business Pressure, Good or Bad?

Don't make me get hungry now. Look, this is self-inflicted pressure is what I'm talking about. And see, what's tricky is like... everything's going smooth, everything's perfect. And then you're like, hey, I'm going to push this. I'm going to get this deadline done. I'm going to bite off a whole lot more than I can chew. But I love bubblicious gum and I'm going to go for it, right? Well, that's when the other pressures show up. They rear their ugly faces. And then you have other pressures from maybe employees not showing up or maybe a project having a difficult time or something like that. And I guess the reason that this was on the top of my mind tonight, Brad, is because you just moved your building. That was like self-inflicted pressure, right? Maybe there were some outside elements that kind of like led you to make that decision, but ultimately you're like, yep, I'm going to go for it. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to bite off all this. And then you have other pressures of business, phone calls, and people want to talk to you and got to get to the job site. And oh yeah, you still got to be a dad and, you know, have, be home for dinner with the family. So that's when there's a balance because like when everything's going perfect, you bite off a bunch. And then everything else hits. If you're not prepared for it, it could be stressful.

I wanted to talk about some of the pressure I created, the self-inflicted pressures. We have our art show coming up this weekend. We do it once a year, every November. You know, this is self-inflicted pain, you know, like it's an event. We want to like support the community and get people to come in and see our place. You know, people that haven't been here in three, four, five, six months, they show up and they go like, oh my God, look at all the stuff that you've done. But when I see things, I see things undone, you know, things that are turned over, like the boneyards looking out of control. Even though from the outside people come in, they see all the cool things that we've done. So then I apply all this pressure to me to get these. to get certain things done, right? And so it kind of made me think about like Thanksgiving, right? So we're busy, we're entrepreneurs, we bought off more than we chew, we're doing all this stuff, we have hobbies. And then all of a sudden it's like, Thanksgiving's coming and, you know, I don't keep a perfectly clean house. So I'm like, oh my God, I got to get all this projects done before the family gets here. And so it's kind of fun for me because I laugh at my wife. I'm like, hey, we actually get a really super clean house every Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter, these big holidays. But there's a lot of pressure before that, right? So that's kind of how it feels for me doing these things. But we level up. Every time we do this, it's like we're making these big changes. We're making a roof done on some containers and all of a sudden it looks more presentable. And it's just like when you really sit back and go like, wow, I've really grown a lot because of all the pressures that I've put upon myself. And I think it's important that as entrepreneurs, we have a good perspective of what each of those pressures will. accomplished for us. And then we have to be very selective on the pressures that we take in. Like, you know, when your friend's like, Hey, can you help me move this weekend? You're like, well, no, this is really not a very good weekend. I got the art show coming up. I got a lot going on. You know, I'll let you borrow my truck. You know, like there's a certain amount of time where you have to say no to certain things.

You know, some of the things I just want to dabble in other things, right? But I do remember in 2008, you know, the economy was getting sideways. It was crazy. And my company diversified in order to stay alive, right? And so it put me in a lot of categories of... service and service and repair, design, consultations, maintenance, you know, construction, remodels, like all that stuff in my craft, right? So prior to 2008,2003, we were very specialized. Then when 2008 came, I diversified to maintain the company and the business. And then so you have that. that scar is on you. It's like etched in you. Like maybe I need to stay diversified to be able to withstand the next one. Right. So sometimes when you diversify too much, I feel like you can dilute what you can accomplish in all the other categories. And then if you were very, very specialized. Right. And so, but I don't like to be diluted. I don't like to have a diluted. I don't want to say a diluted product because I still think we put together a nice product. But what I'm trying to say is, you know, I feel like we could do better. You know, is that what I'm, you feel what I'm saying? It's like, cause I'm, a lot of the stuff we do is artistic and like, I feel like this, this artist part, like I could have done a little bit better.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, like, well, the piece of art that I deliver, if you will, right. I mean, the client might be super satisfied with everything else, but sometimes I'm trying to, to just deliver. a better product, you know, a nicer looking waterfall. And that's all in my head, right? That's all my, my craftspin stuff, right? But sometimes, well, this is how it could affect other people. So maybe I don't get to calls as fast as I could because I'm stretched a little bit too thin. I'm training a new guy. We got a new machine and I want to make sure the crew's trained on it, you know, well. And then so I get back to the office late and all of a sudden the calls are getting a little bit later than they should be. And so like that, that affects, that dilutes that. design element, the sales department, if you will, right? So that's what I'm saying. It's like, if I spent all the time in sales, then maybe it would be diluted where my guys wouldn't be quite as efficient because I wasn't there to help with that part of it. So it's like, it's like this rubber band effect tug of war. Well,

Well, let me shift this.

But the shift is, okay, that's an artistic thing, right? If the client's happy, then they're not shy on the experience. If I'm not getting to the calls in time, or maybe I'm getting home a little bit late and I wasn't able to have dinner with the wife, so that starts to get diluted. And so that's where it really comes out, right? It could be like, oh, Eric, you know, you're just being too artsy-fartsy. Get over it. You're fine. But when you're not getting the calls back fast enough, if you're not getting, you know, your receipts turned in correctly to your office, and then they're like, Eric, where's the receipts? Like, it's been, you know, two, three weeks, and now these are all stacked up. It's going to take us longer. So like... Things get diluted across the board when you apply all these pressures, right?

Well, but again, I think I screwed up by taking it to that, like, hey, the artsy, fartsy bullshit, right? And it really is. It's like, if you're not getting the calls done on time, you're not training your paperwork in time, you're not getting the drawing done on time or whatever like that. That's when those pressures start to build up and it even applies more pressure. But I was kind of... building on like when I diversified and then I was doing all those things. And then in 2012, we took on manufacturing and then we took on distribution and like, you know, then, you know, we get the ranch and then my wife wants horses and like now she's going to do horse training and we're doing wildlife rescue. We're doing all these things, right? This is all pressure created by myself to just create a fun experience for my family and myself. And sometimes, you know, my normal friends come up to me and they're like, I don't even know how you do it all. It's like, seems impossible. And sometimes I ask myself like today, Like I was just ripping my hair out trying to get everything done. Like, why do I, how do I, I'm not doing all this stuff. How do I get this done? But after the art show's over, it's always this big deal. Like whether we did a pond tour or something like that, when it's all said and done and dust settles, it's always like this great feeling like, wow, we pulled it off again. We leveled up.

I mean, I don't want to relate it to diamonds. I mean, but it is, that's, that's one of the things, you know, I'd like to think I'm a diamond in the rough. You know, I'm not a diamond yet. I'm still under pressure. Hopefully I pop out the other side, a diamond.

I might, I just might. Brad, I'd like to, I'd like you to share this story with the audience. Remember when we were in Florida and we, connect with Ed Milet, that really powerful talk. And he talked about, you know, when he gets to heaven and he meets God and he has a conversation with him. You remember that conversation?

I thought it'd be more powerful coming from you than me, but...

Well, you can take over for me if you catch it up. But Ed's whole thing is, you know, when he gets to the pearly gates and he meets God, God's going to show him who he was supposed to end up as. And he doesn't want to fall short of that. Remember that story now?

Well, it's basically like, you know, every time you tell yourself no, or, you know, hey, I don't want to work out today, or hey, I'll just take it easy, or hey, I'll relax. You're selling yourself short, right? And so Ed's whole story is he's like, I want to get to heaven and I want God to be like, wow, you outdid what I thought you were supposed to be. He said, the last thing I want to do is get there and go like, this is who you were supposed to be. And look how you ended up. Like you could have been, you could have done so much more. Of course, it's coming from Ed Milet. It's way more powerful, but that resonates with me. I think about that a lot.

What a terrible place to be. Jeez.

I don't remember that one.

Listen, sometimes I get caught between the... I'm not exactly where I want to be. And I feel like I should be a lot farther along than I am already. I get stuck between that and that whole thought process of like, you're right where you're supposed to be right now. I struggle with that sometimes.

Well, I mean, I think there should be a delicate balance between there. You should have a little bit of that pressure, that internal pressure, so you go harder. I mean, I think that balance is important. Hopefully, when you're way farther along than you are currently, you'll still have that person biting at you, chewing on your ass to keep going, get harder.

I think this is important. You know, I shared some on Instagram this past week. I shared some pretty tough moments that I had in business. You know, I know you remember it, but a lot of people reach out to me like, wow, dude, I can't believe you even shared that. That was pretty tough. That was real. Like, I don't think I'd have the balls to do that. I really... want to know what your audience thinks. I want to know, I want to get some feedback from that. Right. So, I mean, I've done that for a long time over, over the years, sharing successes and failures in business and life, you know, on, on all the storytelling platforms that I do, whether it's Facebook live or Instagram stories, Snapchat, whatever, uh, TikTok and all that. I, I just feel like it's not all rainbows and unicorns. And what I, the reason I wanted to press this tonight, Brad, is to like, let the audience know that. we deal with it too, you know, and we're still going to deal with it when we're way farther along than we are now. It's just all a part of entrepreneurship.

Yeah, for sure to that.

No, I just want the audience to know, like, most of us are going through that. It's a constant battle. It's, you know, not alone. You know, again, we've talked about mental health and this whole thing. You know, and there's those moments where you, like, want to break down. Like, you're at the end of the rope, right? I just think that it's really important for listeners to realize that we're human too. We're going to go through it. They're going to go through it. When we get to the other side, we want to level up. We're going to have to throw that rope out again and go to the end of it.

I think that, you know, going back to if you're really planning your day out, if you're tackling the most important things in the morning to get things done, you know, if you can feel like you won the day by like, you know, noon or one or two o 'clock, and even if the rest of the day kind of spins out of control, you know, you still got a good day in, right? So if you're always chipping away and the statistics are climbing up, like you're going up the ladder. Even though you go up like two or three steps like we've talked before and you take a step backwards and to recoup and then you wake up the next morning and start it again and take another couple steps up the ladder as long as we're continuing to climb. That's the important factor. But I do think it's important that everyone realizes it's important to create those pressures and then figure out how to attack them. And as you were saying about getting depressed, I mean, I think... We've talked about the mental health in here. I mean, I know a lot of contractors get super depressed, like super down. I just worried that a lot of them, you know, need help getting out of that depression. They need a big win somewhere down the line. So I just, I think some focus is in order here to chip away daily at these things.

Yeah, that's the best. And that's what I'm trying to say. People have to find that balance. Entrepreneurs, contractors, they have to find that balance. They have to take those steps. And sometimes when you take that big step, it feels like a big old mouthful of bubble gum. You're chewing on a big old thing, but you just got to focus on the little micro steps to get you closer to finishing that piece out like your puzzle, right? Now you have the recording room, you'll be able to get out of the house, you'll have room for your office staff, all that stuff. I mean, it looks super clean.

I'm not going to argue with you.

Well, you know, I mean, it's just interesting because right now I set some hobby goals and, you know, now they're just, they're their own little animals, man. You know, like on my fish room and my bonsai arena, like those goals, they're supposed to make me get relaxed, but I'm trying to push those to the next level. And now what I've taken on to relieve stress and create. fun experiences after work and on the weekends and stuff, now it's stressful because now I'm trying to take that to another level. And so it's like, dude, what are you doing? What are you thinking, Eric? How come you're doing this to yourself?

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. It's just, unfortunately, my sideline fun stuff is all living shit. So it's like, I can't just... shelf my fish room like, I just don't want to shoot for the next couple of months or I'm going to take six months off. It's like my whole fish room needs attention. And then I got all these bonsai trees. I mean, that's like, I need to get some things that I can put on the shelf for a little bit. And I do like shooting guns.

Don't talk to me like that.

know what? Don't say that to me.

Hey, one of my... dear friends. He's, you know, he's been in building ponds as long as I have 20 years and he lives in the mountains and when it snows, he just takes off. You know, he, he's super lean. He makes good money and, you know, he travels the world and he's doing triathlons all, he trains all the time. I mean, he's, I think he's living a pretty, pretty good life and he's super lean and, and careful with his business, you know, and on here, on the flip side here, you know, I got. a lot of employees and I got a lot of liabilities. And so, I mean, I'm still happy doing fun stuff, but it's fun to see him. You know, we started at the same time and we've led two totally different paths.

Well, and I would like to add the legacy that you want to create. I think that's an important factor as well. Because I could live a perfectly amazing life. I could lose all my employees and live a totally amazing life. But leaving the legacy would not be there. you know, it'd be harder for me to be there.

Yeah.

for sure. I mean, I hope I can go another 50. Yeah.

Peace.

My business was my hobby and now, you know, it's my business. So it's like, I'm trying to leave that legacy behind and teach the things that I learned and all that stuff, all my experiences, you know? So that is part of what I want. And I think that's interesting because, you know, my buddy that I talked about. And this is crazy because there's so many different factors. And I think this can, maybe people can relate. His family is very wealthy. I'm sure when his family passes, he doesn't have to worry about anything. You know, he's going to have these amazing homes and all this stuff. So for me, I didn't have that. My dad, you know, when he passed, he lived in an apartment. He didn't have anything, didn't leave me anything, you know? So he doesn't have the pressure of like, hey, what am I going to do when I'm 60? He's probably going to be fine, you know, because of his family, you know? And then... 10 years ago, he went through a pretty bad divorce. You know, I've been with the same woman. And so he's like living a little more free. Like, hey, I don't want to be pent down. I don't want to pay too much child support. Like all these things, these factors weigh in, right? And so externally, you look at the two people, you're like, wow, that guy's really got it going on. He doesn't have all the stress of all these employees, but we have very, very different lifestyles. See, we have very different circumstances in front of us as well.

True. True. Well, I mean, hopefully that name is tagged to it. But part of my fabrication and my patents and stuff like that. But now it's hammer and grind. I want to help mold some young contractors and maybe some old contractors that have been screwing up and help make some changes. Yeah,

And my question is, are you doing it enough? Are you doing too much? You know, and how do you know that? I mean, I don't really know. People are going to have different breaking points as well, right? People, I mean, I think I've worked well under pressure, you know, a good part of my life. You know, I think I do, I work pretty well under pressure. And some people just don't. So they have to go at a different pace. And I wanted to also talk about Steve Jobs and Gary Vee. Because they're very different personalities. And I know Steve, he was a monster to work for. He applied a lot of pressure. You know, Gary Vee's 180 degrees. He wants to be the biggest building in town, but do it with kindness. And where Steve Jobs was like, just really brutal on his people. And I love both of those guys.

Well, again, it's just, it's two very different people. They're very different personalities. You know, like Steve died early, had cancer. Was that due to his mental status and the way he applied pressure to everyone and got mad at people and like that tension, right? There's probably, he's probably lived with tension a lot where Gary doesn't do it as much. You know, he's a little bit happier. So that's curious is like, you know, they're very different people, different times, whatever. But is Gary going to live to be 103? That internal pressure didn't create the stress inside of him, that constant tension, right? It's a little more happy environment.

But... Gary still goes at it for, you know,18 hours a day. He goes hard, you know? So just because he's telling you that doesn't mean he doesn't apply it on himself. You know, he's doing a lot of things. Will he be a trillion dollar company like Steve before he passed? It's hard to say. I don't know. Different times. Different technologies.

Yeah, learn when to say no. You know, try and manage that stress. Try and have some fun hobbies on the side. Maybe stick away from the fish and the bonsai because there's a lot of work. I can't step away from those.

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