Next Level Pros - #100: Owns a Jet AND Gives Away 50% of Profits😳

Episode Date: May 13, 2024

Welcome to a new episide of The Founder Podcast.  Join us in this episode where Lauren Von, CEO of Quintessa Marketing, shares her journey of integrating deep-seated generosity with business success. From giving away half of her company's profits to the impactful changes it has brought within her team and community, Lauren’s story is proof to how business can be a powerful force for good. Join us to discover how generosity has not only shaped her business strategy but also fueled its growth to incredible heights. Highlights: "We still give away half of our monthly profit, something that we've just committed to, and it's funny because we've grown more doing that. Our employees are more bought in; it's really changed the trajectory of Quintessa and our employees." "Giving away 50% of your profit, that's painful, there's a lot of pain in that. But what's amazing is, I have helped more because I felt called to mission work at a very young age." "This will be a billion-dollar company. I get very clear on my vision. You don’t like my team? Great, I’ll go find the best. I'll go find it and scale it." Timestamps: 00:41 - The Genesis of Giving Half the Profits 01:05 - Giving on Employees 03:10 - Committing to Regular Generosity 05:20 - Largest Donation: A Milestone of Generosity 08:15 - Childhood Inspirations from Parents 14:00 - Using Business for Greater Good 19:37 - A Decade of Leadership 25:04 - Bringing on Strategic Leadership 32:56 - Implementing the EOS System 38:08 - Power of Employee Involvement Looking to scale your business? Want to learn directly from the same team that helped me sell my last business for 9 figures? Click this link below to check out how you can work with us. https://nextlevelhomepros.com/grow-home-service-vsl Join my community - Founder Acceleration ⁠https://www.founderacceleration.com ⁠ Apply for our next Mastermind:h⁠ttps://www.thefoundermastermind.com⁠Golf with Chris h⁠ttps://www.golfwithchris.com⁠ Watch my latest PodcastApple- ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-founder-podcast/id1687030281S⁠Spotify- ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1e0cL2vI1JAtQrojSOA7D2⁠YouTube - @thefounderspodcast

Okay, so Lauren, you got to tell me about this mission that you have of giving away half your profits. I think that's probably the thing that is like so compelling and exciting to me about what you're doing. Started the month before COVID. I was listening to a sermon at Life.Church in Oklahoma City talking about being irrationally generous. And at that time, I was making little to no money, but I felt super compelled and just really encouraged after that to do it. So COVID hit like 10 days later. My husband and I were talking and I told him like, hey, I want to give away. And so I'm like, tell me what I can do. And he's like, well, you can give away half your profit, but wrote the check. How much was that first check? So first check was like $1,700.

And so you committed to doing this like on a monthly basis? I did. The whole point was, hey, we're going to give away half, whether it's half of a day of profit, half of a week or half of a month, like do something, right? Like just change what corporate responsibility is. So we still give away half of our monthly profit, something that we've just committed to. And what's funny is we've grown more doing that, I say, and we've had like our employees are more bought in. It's really changed the trajectory of like Quintessa and our employees too. I don't know why I'm getting emotional, but... Guys, welcome to another episode.

Super excited to bring you Mrs. Lauren Vaughn. She's the founder and CEO of Quintessa Marketing. They are a personal injury marketing company worth hundreds of millions of dollars. She is a faith-based mother of five that is dedicated to the mission of giving 50% of her profits. How would you feel about giving away 50% of your profits? Does that scare you? Imagine a world in which you did so and made more money, flew a private jet, and had incredible success in all areas of your life. You're not going to want to miss this episode, so tune in to Miss Lauren Vaughn. Okay, so Lauren, you got to tell me about this mission that you have of giving away half your profits. I think that's probably the thing that is so compelling and exciting to me about

what you're doing. Yeah. So I started the month before COVID. I was listening to a sermon at Life Church in Oklahoma City, and it was the pastor from Watermark talking about being irrationally generous. And at that time, I was making little to no money, but I felt super compelled and just really encouraged after that to do it. This was 2019. So yeah, so this was right whenever, so COVID hit like 10 days later. Yeah. So, uh, in the sermon, my husband and I were talking and I told him like, Hey, I want to give away, like, can I give away half our revenue? And he's like, you don't make 50% profit. He's like, yeah, that, that doesn't work. No, that math doesn't matter. And he, you'd have to have

some pretty incredible margins. I know. Pull that off. You know, I was a reactor. And so I'm like, tell me what I can do. And he's like, well, you can give away half your profit. And, uh, so the first time that I was actually due to cut the check was April 1st from March profit. And I had just gotten like termed from some lawyers and employees that quit because COVID happened. We didn't even know if we were going to be able to stay open. But wrote the check. How much was that first check?

So first check was like $1,700. Okay. So something really, and it was like to the penny. It was probably like $1,715. Something, I was very literal. And so you committed to doing this like on a monthly basis? I did. Okay.

Because at least for me as a business owner, I'm like, well, it's really hard to even understand profits. Well, you know, when you have an incredible accounting team, it takes, you know, 10 to 15 days to actually close out a month, right? And so like, I guess maybe the math was pretty simple at this time. Yeah. Well, you know, you have like four employees and not that much revenue coming in. It's pretty simple.

Now it takes a lot more because we have about 100 employees and trying to see what it is. But we've kind of figured it out. So that's also why we started Give50 because the whole point was, hey, we're going to give away half. Whether it's half of a day of profit, we're going to give away half, whether it's half of a day of profit, half of a week or half of a month, like do something, right? Like just be, just change what corporate responsibility is. So we still give away half of our monthly profit, something that we've just committed to. And what's funny is we've grown more doing that, I say, and we've had like our employees are more bought in and it's really changed., I say, and we've had, like, our employees are more bought in, and it's really

changed, and I mean, the trajectory of, like, Quintessa, and just, I think, our employees, too. Yeah. Have there been months that you haven't been able to write a check? So, I step out in faith, and I actually write the check before I get the income. Oh, wow. Yeah, so that was, like, kind of the new way to challenge. So, we normally. So you project what, what your profit's going to be this next month. And yes. So has there been a time that you haven't turned a profit? Yes. Okay. And how did that go down? You know, I just trusted that it was going to work out and see if we changed her. I mean, I'm a, I'm a gut person. And so I'm also though, knowing like, is it us? Is it like, is something changing?

Could we have done something different? Were we stewards of what we were given? Like, I mean, we really dig in into it, but yes, there have for sure been months, especially as we've been growing the company. Like there are times that you just don't profit as much because you're putting more back into the company and into technology or whatever may have you. So what's the largest check you've cut on a monthly basis? Half a million. That's pretty awesome. Yeah. So half a million, meaning that you made a million bucks that month.

That's fantastic. Yeah. And so going from, you said 1,700 was the first one? So essentially a net profit of 3,400 to a million bucks based on this mission over the last five years? Yes. Okay. So you said that this was, you know, revealed to you or you felt inspired during a church sermon or whatnot.

But where would you say, like, this desire to serve and give back really originates? You know, I'd say at the DNA level, I always saw my mom and dad be very generous. So I was raised— my family, they're strong Christians. But more than that, my dad, he started his own company whenever I was born. So I've seen him have grit and still give away and still be generous. And so- So what were some of the things that you saw from your parents that really touched your heart and inspired you? So the biggest thing, I'd say it's Sam's. I don't know if you guys have Sam's, but it's like a Costco, right? Sam's Costco. And so, uh, my dad saw a lady behind us and she had a bunch of Build-A-Bears in there, uh, in her

shopping cart. And he was like, what is it for? And he was like, oh, I'm going down to the burn unit to be able to give these Build-A-Bears. And so my dad told the guy, he was like, hey, how many does she have? And he was like, add on 20 more. How much is it? I'm writing the check. And he's like, don't you dare tell her until I'm out the, and then he's like, hurry. And I'm like, what just happened? Like, what are you doing? And, and he didn't ask for any, like didn't want any notoriety or anything from it. And how old were you at the time? I'd say probably seven or eight. And really just stuck out as a core memory.

Yep. And then he always tithed. He always showed us like writing checks. 10% no matter what. No matter what. And there'd be times that he put us in a private Christian school. So like it was hard for him because he was his only employee. So it all came down to him. So he would work. He's a solopreneur. He's out hustling, figuring out how to make a buck, didn't really know how to leverage himself, but was a very giving and trusting man. Yeah. That's pretty awesome. So you saw him tithe.

What were some other examples that like happened in your life that really stick out as a core? So they would always just commit to if our school needed anything or if our church needed anything, like, hey, we need—there's a family that's in need. They were always the first to just volunteer in whatever capacity it was. So they always were volunteering at the church or helping out in some way, shape, or form. And then if anyone needed anything, like, oh, they don't have enough money to hire movers, let's go do it. So of course we hated it, right? We were like, oh, great. Like, here we go again. We have to go do this. But growing up, it was really cool to be able to see that.

Yeah, that's awesome. There's actually, so three reasons why I was really excited to have you on the show. So that I really resonate with. So one, you're from Oklahoma. Oklahoma holds a very dear, I don't know why I'm getting emotional, but a very dear place in my heart. Um, that's, uh, as a, as a 19 year old kid, I, you know, I, I went and I gave up what every other 19 year old is, is doing and, and, uh, um, dedicated my life to, to Jesus and, and serving him. And, and, uh, so, uh, spending, spending two years out there, I really got to know the people really well. And I love my Hokies. Yeah, they're good people. I don't know why. Obviously, that is very important to me. So that, the fact that your mission of giving back, I was raised very similar. And I don't necessarily have an exact mission like you do, which is awesome.

And I'm excited to figure out how I can back your mission and figure out and be a part of it. Because, yeah, similarly, I was raised, but we definitely didn't have any money. My dad was a school teacher. My mom was a stay-at-home mom with seven kids. But, yeah, I saw over and over again the way that my parents gave, right? And, like, you know, tithing wasn't ever a question, never a question. And then in our church, we do something called a fast offering where you fast once a month and you give up what you would have spent on food and you give it to the poor. And so that was, and my parents, you know, once again, my dad made max, I think, $60,000 a year growing up.

Wow. And every single month I'd see him give an offering, which was outside of like $300. And I mean, we're talking about like 6% of his income in additional offerings outside of his tithing. With seven kids. With seven kids. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then just like so many experiences over and over again, like similar to like your Sam's Club experience, right?

And I think a cheat code for entrepreneurs or just humans in general is giving, right? Very. And I said this on another podcast. it's actually one of the most selfish things you can do. And it sounds weird to say that, but the reason why it's selfish, it gives, like you receive so much when you give. And it's like the best feeling, the best reward, the best return, the best karma, whatever you want to call it. Yep. Right? Comes back tenfold.

It comes back tenfold. And like most people never, never experienced that. And if they do, it's a very, you know, a very limited basis or whatnot. And so I really love that you're doing something that is, that is painful, right? Like, cause 50% of profits, that's painful. It's painful. There is lots of pain in that. But there's also, to me, like what's amazing is I have helped,

because I was called, I felt like, to mission work. Yeah. Very young age. And what's funny is one of the people that we donate to is a, their goal is to get the Bible into everyone's hands across the world. Yeah. And they're doing that through technology. And it's the YouVersion, it's the Bible app.

And what's funny is they were able to show me the ROI, meaning how many people downloaded it from every dollar I give. So there's a mathematical equation that I get to do every month that shows me, hey, it's, you know, 10 cents a download. And I've been able to help reach more people through that than I could have ever being in the mission field. And so, you know, God's just used like this idea of what I thought was going to be into something so much greater. Yeah. Yeah. That's so awesome. So it's interesting in my church, we have what we call callings,

right? Which is like where we're asked to go and serve in a certain type of like a position in the church for free. Like we don't, no paid clergy or anything like that. And, you know, for years I kind of struggled with it. I just kind of had some basic callings and I always wanted to like do more or whatnot. But then I came to a realization that I think you've come to is like, I, if as an entrepreneur, I, I have the ability to share the word, like as I gain influence and, and power and money and everything like that, if I use those things for good, right? Like I can be a greater missionary. I can be like missionary than I would ever be able to be just full-time, whether it's trying to preach in front of a congregation or out serving or whatnot,

like money allows us to leverage our own person, which I know if I was a full-time missionary, I would not have any money, and I would only be able to be just one-on-one or one to a few that could gather or whatnot. And so I think there's so much power in being able to leverage the resources that we've been blessed with. Yeah. I mean, listen, if you told me growing up I was going to work with personal injury lawyers, I'd be like, what? what does that even mean? Right. Right. But I mean, it's allowed being able to be in here and bring a little bit of light into the industry. Um, and again, we're not perfect, but the goal is to be better. Yeah. And, uh, to show people something

different for people to ask why. That's awesome. And so clearly you've been really successful, right? Making, I mean, a million dollar month month. That's fantastic. Most business owners would only dream of being able to hit those type of numbers, right? And it's something that we've had in common where both of us have been able to run successful businesses. I mean, to the point where today we're both sitting here in Vegas, you flew in on your private jet. That's super cool. That's actually the third reason why I wanted to. So I had a private jet for a couple of years and really grew an affinity for just the convenience and those types of things. And so after I sold my business, we sold our jet and kind of shift in, kind of looking for the next thing in that in that direction but um

so you really started so based on some of the things i've read like you started your business before then before 2019 yes so kind of give us a little bit of the journey of kind of i mean sounds like the first initial years were just kind of like getting by, and it wasn't really until you made this dedication that I'm going to go and give away half of my profits every month that it really took off. So can you walk us through kind of the journey of building this incredible empire that allows you to fly here privately and do all these cool things? You know, everyone sees the highlight reel, and no one sees like everything else that happened.

And so, I mean, one, I'll tell you that I had really the hand of God over me, like since we started this, but it was in 16. So I was married to my ex-husband at the time and I had a one-year-old, so Ruby. And what, pretty much what I wanted to do was I was going to work in real estate with my mom. I had worked with someone else and I was doing agency work. So TV commercials, SEO, things of that nature. Worked as a COO for a law firm in Newport Beach in California. A COO or a CEO? COO.

Got it. And so I pretty much learned just from not having a degree, you know, finding out just kind of experience over experience, like what personal injury lawyers needed, what the problem was, and then how to solve the problems. And I found out that solving their problems were very, like, I mean, it paid a lot of money. And so I figured if I could be the best at that, I just didn't like how people operated because they didn't have a lot of integrity. And so I was like, if I could do this better, right? Like, and if I could have freedom to be with my daughter and not travel and be that mom,

like what, what would that mean? Like, what would that do? And so how many years did you work for other people in the, under these positions? Oh, eight. So, oh, eight to 16. Okay. So eight years. Which I think is, is very important for like the listeners and viewers to really understand like that time has to be put in.

And I think right now in 2023, 2024, there's like the TikToks and the reels preach like, you know, go out and start your hustle early on. Yeah. You know, start your business. If you're not a millionaire by age 21, you're failing, like all, you know, all these things where what I find more common with success is the things that like what you went through and what I went through in my career, which is more of like a paid education. Oh yeah. Right. Like actually putting in the time, the grit, figuring out things, how things work, not that just there for the paycheck. Right. So I think the opposite is true. Like you shouldn't

just be anywhere just for a paycheck, right? Like a job should not just be a job. You won't last. Yeah. You've got to look at it. Like, what can I learn? How can I develop? Who can I study from? Like what, who's doing it right? Who's doing it wrong? And like both good and bad education. Cause it sounds like you, you saw some negative things going on in the industry that you're like, I don't want to do that. Right. Right. And your name gets associated with it. Right. And so then, I mean, and all you have in life is your name. Yeah. So you've got to dig out of it too. So what would you say like some key takeaways or principles that you took from those

eight years of paid education? There's a lot. You know, you never want to compromise your integrity. Yeah. And so I would say that to me was my biggest thing because I was, I didn't have an education and that was held over my head. I walked away whatever the economy crashed. And so I didn't have a college degree, so I couldn't get hired. I was running, you know, a multimillion dollar firm. I couldn't even get hired at Paycom, which is one of the largest, you know, providers in Oklahoma. I was rejected.

Wow. Right. And, and to me, that was held over my head of like, well, you can't go anywhere else. And you almost become a victim of your own surroundings of like, well, maybe I can't. So I would just like, I probably should have gotten out sooner. Right. I should have had more because there is just the, the negative words you hear, you start believing them. So I would just say that like, don't compromise your integrity. And then two, like no one enough is enough. Like

when you draw your line in the sand, like don't keep pushing it, like be done. So those are probably the two most important. And then I can tell you a million ways how not to run this company. Right? So were you given any good examples of how to run it properly? I'd say no. So you just had a lot of like negative experience over and over again. I know exactly how I didn't want to run the company and I did everything the opposite. You know, it's interesting because both can be great teachers. Yes. teachers. And a good friend of mine, Clinton Sparks, he talks about the way he was raised

was the perfect example of a father what not to be. And so he just took notes over and over again, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to do that. And then just formulated a game plan of everything that he would do. And in turn has been an incredible father, been very successful in business, but completely different than what he was raised. And so, but at the same time, there's other people that have had great examples. One of my great mentors in building my business

was Todd Peterson from Vivint. And like I studied everything he was doing, every move and why he did what he did and how it worked. And so it's just interesting how, you know, you can have two ends of the spectrum and learn the same lesson. Yeah. Well, and I think what's hard too is like one, this company had never been done before. So there weren't really a lot of mentors. And then I was also going through a divorce. So I was like a minnow with sharks. So I got taken advantage of quite a lot. And, and there were not, there's not really any females. And then the females that are in it,

they're not, they don't own it or they're a lawyer or there was like intimidation. I mean, so it was really like, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm going to figure it out. So you launched this business as a single mother? Yes. Okay. And how many years later did you get married? So Leo and I met in 18 and then married at 19. Okay.

So three or four years later? Yeah. Okay. Got it. Got it. And so like, tell me about the struggle those first few years, doing it on your own, figuring it out, not really having a perfect example. Like what, uh, yeah, give us some color to that. You know, um, I mean, I got my bank

account shut down multiple times because I didn't have enough cashflow. So I had to take these payday loans, but like the sharks, like the MCAs, right. So there was that one point where I was spending 50,000, either 50,000 a month or 100,000 a month in payback. I mean, and it was daily. And so- How much revenue were you doing at that point? I mean, not that much. Like it was bad. I mean, so I think we were probably at about a million a year in, but still, I mean, our cost of goods sold was like 50, 60%. You have that coming through. But the problem was I didn't have, I mean, I had no credit. I had no loans. So did you end up losing it all? Did you have to, I mean, you made it through. We made it through, but it was, but like banks did

not want me. Like I, so I, I would literally be able to like, sometimes I'd be able to run credit cards. Next time I'm like, I need to go cash a check and it needs to be able to be in Oklahoma. Like it was hard. So I'm sure a lot of attorneys were like, so what were, what were some tough decisions you had to make during this time of like, do I buy this or do I pay this bill? Like what? So there were lots of times I went and ate over at my mom and dad's because, uh, so we had a system where it was like green, yellow, red, meaning like green. I could take my daughter out to eat yellow. We had to eat at home and red, meaning like green, I could take my daughter out to eat. Yellow, we had to eat at home.

And red, like had to go to mom's. And so that was how I knew. And we still operate green, yellow, red. Obviously, they mean different things now. But like something so. Green, fly the jet whenever you want. Yellow, once a month. Once a month.

And red is like sell. Sell the plane. Got it. That's great. No, but there was a lot of lessons like that. I mean, financially, I never laid off anyone. So that was one thing that I never wanted to do. How many people did you have working for you during this time?

At the max, probably 20. And I was the only one running it. And so that was a pretty big, I mean, because it was just our sales floor, like the call center, but I never wanted to lay them off. So that was something that I really committed to. So that was hard. Like I would pay them before I paid myself. Um, is there anything that you would have done differently as far as like maybe had a partner or hired an outside consultant or a coach or invest in a program? Is there anything like that that you would have done? I would have found my COO faster. So I feel like I was so scared someone was going to steal my idea because I had multiple people who did, like who tried and went out and became a competitor. I had lawyers who worked with me and then became a competitor. And so I would say finding that

number two, I wouldn't have partnered with someone because I just, you know, sometimes you can't explain why you do it. And, like, you don't want to have to worry about someone else of, like, holding you back or something like that. But finding someone to help scale and grow the company, like the first person I let in to actually help me was my husband because he was the first person that, like. So he was before your COO.

He was, yeah. He came in and he helped actually scale out the company. And the reason why I loved it because like Leo is so, uh, he's from Piedmont. Like it's like country. Like he did not, like I drove up in a G wagon and he was like, Hey, I like your Jeep. I'm like, first of all, like, first of all, like I worked really hard for that. Right. But he did not care. Right. And so he didn't. Wasn't impressed. No. Yeah.

And so I, it almost pissed me off more. Right. And, but he was like, I want to, like, you have something phenomenal. Like, I want to help you grow it. And he actually invested in me. And it was the first person that was invested in me instead of like my things. Yeah. So that, uh, so he was the first person to really scale it out.

Right. Right. Now it's, it's interesting. These are similar feelings that a lot of first-time entrepreneurs go through from a standpoint of, like, I don't want to give up control. I've got to be able to do it all on my own. Or even this, like, thought of, like, competition. Oh, yeah.

So what would you say to the people that are feeling similarly about competition? Like somebody's going to steal my idea. Like I don't want to create my competitor or so on and so forth. What, what kind of advice do you give to that person? So we've really invested in our hiring process. So we do a survey assessment. That's the only EEOC approved survey to be able to, for pre-interview screening. And so we've really invested into that. And it pretty much tells you if someone is right at the DNA level to be in this role. So for instance, if someone is applying to be your VP of sales and they have no drive for sales, like it's, you're going to spend 90 days waiting for them to show their true colors. And so this, that's really

helped us one. And then two, I'm, uh, we have an entrepreneurial operating system, EOS that we use traction. And so that was big because I was able to set clear expectations and really articulate like, okay, we're not hitting the numbers we all agreed on. So when did you guys start implementing EOS? That was in 21. Awesome. Yeah. Awesome. But the survey assessment was just about six, seven months ago. Oh, just recently. Oh yeah. And it's, but we went from 34 employees to a hundred. In the last six months. Yes. Holy smokes. Yeah. We stripped it down. Fantastic. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. So for the listeners, if you guys haven't watched the episode that I do with Gino Wickman, the originator of the EOS system, go ahead and watch that.

It's a fantastic interview. It's a prelaunch of his new book he just released. Have you read his new book? No, it's already on order. Awesome. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah, Gino's awesome.

We had an experience. Have you ever met Gino or interacted? No. Did you hire one of his people to come and implement? That's so cool. So fun story. I reached out to Gino through LinkedIn, and he texted me. I love that.

And this was like two years ago. And I'm like, Gino, I know you probably don't do this, but what is it going to take to get the man in our door? Right. And he's like, oh, I have people that do that. I, you know, I kind of sold off the U.S. implementation and there's 500 people you can, you know, handpick from them. I'm like, no, Gino, we want you. You're the guy. You're the guy. And this is back when we had the jet and, and I'm like, what's it going to take? He's like, well, my day rates or my, my speaking fee is this. If you pay

me my speaking fee, I would come and spend a day with you. Uh, and I said, or he's like, maybe, maybe I'd consider it. I'm like, well, what if we send our jet out to pick you up and bring you back? And so that, that's what we ended up doing. So me and my, my partner, we, we flew out, we spent, we spent four hours flying from Detroit to Washington, held them, held them, held them, held them hostage. It was like so good. Spent all day with our team and then sent them home. But, uh, but yeah, so anybody, I mean, obviously you're a big proponent of, of, of EOS. Um, how has that transformed your business? Well, I think one as an entrepreneur, you're the visionary, right? So the visionary is the big vision. You come in every day, like new idea, right? And it keeps you in line and it keeps a culture of accountability.

And then also it keeps you clear on projections because, you know, one day you think, Hey, I'm going to hit 10 million. And the next day you're like, actually, but know, one day you think, Hey, I'm going to hit 10 million. And the next thing you're like, actually, but I can hit 30. It's like, no, no, no. We've said, this is the number we're hitting. We're hitting this number. You can't change the goalposts. Like this is what we're doing. So it keeps everyone in balance. And I really liked that. And then also I know exactly from reports every morning that I get at 10 AM from Delilah, like I know exactly where the company is. from Delilah. I know exactly where the company is. Scorecard coming in.

It's great. I know exactly where the company is, and then it tells me the indicators of what's working, what's not. And then you become a subject matter expert in the company as opposed to becoming personal. It's like, no, this is what we're supposed to do, and it's not being done. Let's fix the problem. As opposed to being a bad person or feeling personal. Right. So how long did it take? Cause the implementation of a program like U.S. and there's a lot of programs out there, right? Like similar to U.S. that, uh, you know,

just running good KPIs and reporting and culture and, you know, good SOPs and all this stuff, right? How long did it take for you guys to, like, really implement and grasp onto the EOS system? I would say EOS is great if you have the right people. Right. So if you have the wrong person in the wrong seat, right? Like, that's one of the big things we talk about, like, right person, right seat. Right. But I would even take it further, like, right personality.

Because that was really the problem like we had people that i'm like they're a good person but they cannot do this role like what is happening and we were right person wrong seat oh man and then so when we did the survey assessment when we started that we found out 80 of our staff was inductive meaning if they didn't have a list in front of them every day which i am not going to do that that they didn't have a list in front of them every day, which I am not going to do that, that they weren't going to be successful in that role. Right. And 80% of our roles were deductive. So we literally had to change every single person in a lot of our client facing roles. Right. And then once we stripped that down and then really started, it fanned the flames, I think, with EOS.

Because then we're like, okay, this is the right person. We know exactly what we need now. And then we're seeing it work and click. That's awesome. That's awesome. So I'm assuming inductive and deductive is from this assessment that you guys do. It is. Cool.

Cool. Tell us more about that. So Culture Index is who we use. And so what it does is it talks about, there's four dots. Okay. And it talks about like who you are as a person innate, like at the DNA level, it says who you are, DNA level, and then who you feel like you have to be at work. So for me, I am, uh, 99% of the world is more patient than me. My husband is 99% more patient than the world. So we are the exact opposite. Um, I, uh, have a really high a meaning like I want to win like at all costs and I have

no patience. So I know when high, what does a stand for? So a is the autonomy, right. And wanting to win. And then, um, and then the B talks about like your social ability. So like how, like a lot of people, some, some people want to be around like they're introverts or they're extroverts or they're ambiverts. Ambiverts meaning you can turn it on when you want to, or you could do, you know, either or. And so it goes through and really tells you who this person is. Right. So if someone is an introvert, they're not going to be good with clients. Right. Right.

If someone is really great at socializing, but they don't really care about winning, you don't want them on your cell phone. They're going to want them to go to coffee 20 times before they even pitch them. Great in customer service. Great in customer service. But we're here to make sales.

Right. And so it was great going through it. And then we started educating all of our people on it. Yeah. And then they were like, oh, so I'm not a, I'm just in the wrong role. And so then we were able to move people around of like, Hey, let's put you here. Let's see how this works. And it really helped with everybody. Yeah. I am a big, like nerd when it comes to like a personality, you know, assessments and stuff. One of the big ones that I love is the disc assessment.

Are you familiar with that one? Yes. Yeah. And so what was the name of this one again? So this is Culture Index. Okay, Culture Index. Yeah. Sweet.

Yeah, like once we began to understand the disc assessment for all of our employees, that was an absolute game changer for sure, right? Understanding that like for an incredible salesperson has to have some D, some sort of dominant characteristic because they're the ones that get people to make decisions. Right. They push them to the limit to be able to get it where the I, as you're talking about, is like just influence. Right. Like they're the ones that are going gonna go if they're only an i and don't have any d right they're gonna go to coffee 20 right 20 different times and it's just like oh you're just too nice of a person right like and so yeah it's it's so so interesting we we actually do uh one of the things that we do for our audience is we give

them free diss assessments because we're so like, you know, like this whole like assessment world is so imperative understanding right person, right seat, right. That, uh, that Gino talks about with his EOS program is a absolute game changer. So let's, let's dive back into the, the giving away 50% of your income. Cause this is like really intrigues me. Um, so you're, you're doing it with Bible.com, giving away these Bibles, which is absolutely fantastic. I think a great mission. What other ways, because I'm assuming that's not where all your funds are going. No. So WeVersion Bible app is one. We partner with Life.Church as well. And then we also partner with like the infant crisis services

and their goal is to make sure that no child goes hungry, right, or has lack of clothing. And so we partner with them. We also partner with Remerge. And so Remerge takes women who have nonviolent felonies and help rehabilitate them. We actually help hire them too into Quintessa because just because you've gone through something doesn't mean it should define you, right? Like you may have had a bad life, home life growing up, whatever may have you. And so that's one of the things we're all about changing.

So there's a lot of female things that I'm sure that you're kind of seeing. And then we've recently partnered with Make-A-Wish. And so actually this Thursday we have like one of the first people we're going to help with in Oklahoma to be able to make his wish. He wants to go shopping. That's awesome. Which I was like, yes. We'll take someone shopping. Yes, I will take you shopping.

You can get whatever you want. So what kind of stuff? So obviously it sounds like your partner is some incredible people. Yeah. Are there things that you and your employees do to have boots on the ground to actually be a part of the experience? Tell us about that. Yeah. So what we've started to do now is we've actually made it to where our employees can take PTO, like not in their normal PTO, but just like we'll give it to them.

And they can go and partner with any charity that they want and go and volunteer for the day. So that's one thing that we started to do. and partner with any charity that they want and go and volunteer for the day. That's awesome. So that's one thing that we started to do. And then also, like, with the – we did, like, boots and ball gowns. We bought, like, a really big table. We invited everybody, and we got to see them and be a part of it. Right. So we're really trying to make Quintessa understand, like,

and the people and the employees there, like, this is more than just you. Right. Right. So we really try to tie their why to our why. Yeah. And we've been able to do that. Yeah, that's an absolute game changer for culture, right? Oh, yeah.

Like, when they're not just there for a paycheck, when they understand there's a physical, an economic, an association, a spirituality aspect, right, that all ties in. And, like, when a company can provide that, right? Like now you have this crazy amount of trust that you've built, that people want to go to bat for you. They're willing to put in the extra time and the effort because they really understand like, yeah, this isn't, this isn't just a paycheck, right? My employer allows me to take time off and go and serve and give back and be a part of these these

great programs yeah one of uh one of the things that very similarly once again we didn't have like 50 goes to but you know there was a lot of different things that we would do from a standpoint of uh around thanksgiving all of our employees would go shopping on the company card and and we would we would provide hundreds of families with thanksgiving dinner and same thing for christmas we'd team up but one one of the things i always tried to do was like get their boots on the ground so they could actually see it happening not just hear about it not just say oh i think we're doing these cool things and it sounds awesome but like actually being part of that change being part of that giving back. And, um, once again, I think these

are like just the, uh, the tricks are not, not only the tricks, but the, uh, what, what I call them just like what, what brings real success. Well, and I think it's strategic. I really do. Right. I mean, so what's funny is we were like, you know, you give away half why I'm like, and I explained, I'm like, this is what I felt away half why I'm like, and I explained, I'm like, this is what I felt called to. But also like, I am like, I'm a business owner too. Like I see our employees buy in more from what we're doing. Why would I not want to keep doing this?

Right. Right. And then also too, we're able to tie our why to their why. So we're able to help change their lives. Yeah. So these are people that don't have a college degree and they can make $120,000 a year. Right. In Oklahoma. And in Oklahoma, you don't need much. Yeah. 120 is, you know, 200 everywhere else. I mean, it's nice. And so our goal is like, we are going to just change our employees' lives and we're redefining like what it looks like to

hire too. I love it. I love it, man. Your, your mission is like everything that I preach. And so like once again, when we talked on the phone the first time, I was like, man, like there much alignment that I see in what you're doing and what I believe about success and everything like that. What a wonderful compliment. I appreciate that. Yeah, it's awesome. I've appreciated, Lauren, your time today. Where is, like what's next? So obviously you're building this business. How can we help you go and accomplish the same mission?

So we've recently launched Give50.org. So it's all spelled out, Give50.org. And so we are actually having companies take the Give50 pledge. And so it's committing to giving 50% of your profit, and whether it be a day, an hour, a week, a month, something, right? Or if you're a new entrepreneur and you want to commit to doing it, I will actually help you to figure it out.

Like I will help you figure out your problems. And so I recently spoke in an event and we had the first 20 companies take it. I love it. And so I was so excited. Now our team's like, oh crap, like we need, we need people to help scale and grow it. I love it. And so I was so excited. Now our team's like, oh crap, like we need, we need people to help scale and grow it. So, um, so that's what I'm really passionate about right now. You know, I'd say that is really big for me. And then, you know, right now, like I'm mom and wife and just doing all of that and trying to spin all the plates. Balance it all. It's great though. I love it. It's wild.

Five kids, right? Five kids. So also another thing that we connect on, I have five kids. Whenever someone hears that I have five kids, they're like, what? How's that? How's that even possible? I know I get asked, they're like, what religion are you? I'm like, why does that matter? But I mean, it's just funny. It's always a question. Well, the reason they usually ask, because it usually is a sign of a religious person, right? Like I think there's something to say about like having an eternal perspective of family and everything else and like the value that our posterity and kids bring to us. It does. And I'll tell you too, like I tell everyone, like if you look at my husband, you'd understand like he's very attractive.

So that's another reason too. I love it. I love it. I love it. So give50.org, spelled out 50 or the number? Yeah, spelled out. Okay, give50.org. I think that's a fantastic.

Anything that scares me I think is incredible, right? It pushes you. Yeah, for me when I hear that, I'm like, I believe in giving, but do I believe in giving that much? Yeah. It's uncomfortable. Yeah. It makes me uncomfortable just going through the mental exercise of thinking, okay, how

can I give 50? Yeah. Right. And I think anything that pushes you and makes you think that way is going to lead to production, which eventually blesses you in so many other ways, right? Private jets. Yeah. Well, and what's funny is because we have five kids and people will ask why. And I'm like, listen, time is money. And I decided a long time ago, because I missed enough of rubies kind of growing up. I was like, I'm not going to miss any more time.

So I'm going to work harder and sacrifice more to be able to have this because I can come and do this or meet a lawyer or go to a charity event and then tuck my kids in for bed and be there for dinner. And that's a big thing for me. Yeah. So what's, so the, the next big thing, pushing that mission, you're a mom, do you, where, where do you see Quintessa gone? So Quintessa, you know, last year before we kind of changed all of our leadership, we actually went through a process. And so, um, we went through the process. I was, cause I was done. Yeah.

I was over it. And, uh, got all the way to the finish line, had multiple offers, nine figure offers. And I was at the global leadership summit, eight months pregnant. And I leaned over to my husband and I said, we need to pull the process. And he was like, are you feeling okay? Are you sure? Are you sure?

Because that payday sounds dope. I know. He's like, we're done. And I was like, yeah, but I was like, I haven't had a boss in 10 years. Right. But then also I said, I won't be able to give half. And when they gave the offers, they were like, love you, love your husband, love the idea.

Don't love the 50%. Yeah, don't love the 50% and don't love your team. And you just want to like yell at them and be like, this is the reason we have success. Yeah. And I did not like in my gut. Like I don't know if you ever get like red and splotchy like on your neck whenever you feel like something's wrong. This is the reason we have success. Yeah, and I did not, like, in my gut, like, I don't know if you ever get, like, red and splotchy, like, on your neck whenever you feel like something's wrong.

And I was like, this is just, like, to me, whatever you want to say, I was like, this isn't right. So I pulled it, and then I was like, you know what? This will be a billion-dollar company. Like, I get very clear on my vision. And so I went out, and I'm like, you don't like my team? Great, I'll go find the best. Like Like I'll go find it and scale it. So we went out and find some just amazing top tier talent. And what's funny is they didn't come in for the salary. They came in for the give 50. Like that's what brought them on. And these are guys that were at Goldman Sachs and match.com,

like top talent. And so they're now scaling the company and they know like, this is the big vision. And so we are really pushing that. So I think Quintessa, you know, the goal is for, I say world domination is the easiest thing to say, but we don't want anyone to be able to look in personal injury without seeing Quintessa and we're getting there. Man, I love it. I think, you I think just the principle of sacrifice, right? Like sacrifice brings forth whatever you're going after. And a lot of people never get to the point of understanding. I know private equity is real hard.

It was like looking at empty eyes. They were like, you want to do what? I'm like, it's okay. Yeah, you don't get it. It's fine. Well, thank you so much for inspiring us with your vision. Guys, go on over to give50.org. Check it out.

And if you feel so called, make the pledge. Super exciting. I am feeling it. Once again, it's scaring me, which is also an incredible way to, like I said, to identify for me that it's probably the thing I need to do. So thank you so much, Lauren, for your time. Where's the best place to follow you and follow your vision and your direction? So Instagram, so at thelaurenvon,

so V-O-N is the easiest way to follow me and kind of keep up with that and get 50. I love it. Thank you so much. Until next time!