REAL AF with Andy Frisella - 337. Q&AF: Self-Starter Employees, Making Promises To Your Team & Advertising Your Business

Episode Date: July 18, 2022

In today's episode, Andy answers your questions on the best way to build your employees into self-starters, how you should approach making promises to your team, and when's an appropriate time to start paying to advertise your business.

What is up guys, it's Andy Purcella and this is the show for the realest, say goodbye to the lies, the fakeness, and delusions of modern society. Welcome to motherfucking reality. Guys, today we have Q and AF. That is where you submit the questions and I give you the AFs. Yeah. So where do they submit? Guys, email these questions into askandyandandyfusella.com. For those of you that don't know, this was originally the MFCEO project. It was the number one entrepreneur personal development podcast on iTunes for a number of years. And we converted it to Real AF back in 2019 to talk about a more wide range of topics. Now, if this is your first time listening, today we're going to answer some questions uh other shows that we do on this channel we do cti which is cruise the internet

we throw up three headlines we break down uh the lies and the delusions of those headlines and we bring them to reality man you see how i did that shit it's crazy that is fucking that is seven years eight years of practice just tying shit together on the fly. Then we have real talk and real talk is where I go for like five to 20 minutes or so about a topic that is going to benefit you if you decide to listen and apply. Then we have full length. Full length is where I bring on an interesting guest, successful guest, someone who kicks ass.

We talk about how much ass they kicked, how they did it. And then we also tie in how you could do it too. Because the biggest lie that we're told as human beings is that those things are for other people. All of you have the potential. All of us have the potential. We just have to apply the skills. So with that being said, today is Q and AF and there is a fee like always.

And the fee is very simple. If you like the show, share the show. If the show made you think, share the show. If you said, Hey, fuck that guy, share the show. If you learn something new, share the show. We getting it. It's real simple. Share the show. I could sell you a whole bunch of shit based on the size of this show. I could make eight figures on this show real easy just running ads for companies. But I'm not answering anybody and I don't want you to think that I do.

We don't do that and I ask that you share the show in return. I think that's a fair trade. Well, I got some good ones for you, bro. No way. You do? I know, man. Surprising. Let's get into this, man number one andy i have someone on my team who is a hard worker but only when i give them specific work to do how do you take someone who has a lot of potential and inspire them to take initiative instead of having me

to feed them every single task that is a difficult skill to install into someone who doesn't have it. Just being upfront, honest. It's the idea of initiative. Yeah, to have initiative, right? Like you, there's people who execute really well when you tell them what to do. And then there's people who execute really well on what needs to be done of what they observe needs to be done. Those people are 10 times more valuable than the first set. That would be one thing to explain.

I try to explain that to people around the office here who ask me pretty often, what can I do to accelerate my career? Well, the biggest thing that you could do to accelerate your value in any position, whether you're an entrepreneur, whether you're an entrepreneur, no matter what, is to learn to identify the problems and then execute on those problems with effective solutions without having to be directed. The last part is the important part, without having to be directed. That's what executive level employees do. Okay. When we go into an executive level meeting, because your goal, if you're an entrepreneur

or an entrepreneur should be to be in that room, right? Like you're going to be there by default if you're an entrepreneur, but you may not have 10 people in there with you if you suck. Right. So you got to be, the goal is to be in that fucking room. All right. If you're trying to get there as an entrepreneur or an entrepreneur, you have to learn to identify the critical problems that need to be done. And you have to execute with an effective solution without being directed.

Because when the CEO walks into that room and he says, this is what we're doing. He is not going to break down or she is not going to break down every effective because when the CEO walks into that room and he says, this is what we're doing, he is not going to break down or she is not going to break down every specific detail of every specific task. They are counting on you to do that. If you have the wrong person in the room that needs to be direct on every single detail of every specific task, they will soon to be not in that room. That's the nature of how this works. And I think just making your employees understand that they are infinitely more valuable when they can identify problems, take action on them in the best way that they know how. Now, are they going

to make mistakes? Fucking right, they're going to make mistakes. But if you have a good set of people with good character and they have the intent that we're going to solve problems for people, then they are naturally going to do most of the time the right thing with maybe some tweaks. And every time they fuck it up, which they will, that's an opportunity to invest in their education by teaching them the lesson. That's how they improve. Right. invest in their education by teaching them the lesson. That's how they improve, right? And if you fuck it up with a customer, the truth is, is that when you have a disgruntled customer and you make it right over the top, they become a bigger fan of you anyway. So usually you could salvage that relationship if you're doing and operating in good faith, doing the right things. So really from a manager's or a leader's point of view, this is an education problem.

This is a vision casting problem. This is you painting the vision for that employee, uh, or those employees that they are to do, uh, what needs to be done without being directed to do it. If they want to get to the highest value position in the company, which is most likely anybody that's worth a shit's goal. Okay. That's real. Let me follow up on that, Andy, because I mean, you're a builder of people, right?

When it comes to seeing your employees, when they take initiative, right, or they're following these core values, what's the reward system like, right? Because like with the standards because i mean it's like you have these standards and it's like these are this is what what's expected right yeah yeah do you reward people for things that are expected right right right right i mean we don't that's not what we do here right like i don't believe in fucking giving a trophy for fifth place right like motherfucker you're either winning or you're not you're either the best or you're not and those levels of performance are expected here or you will fail to be here

yeah that's the reality so you know we've gotten to a place in society where everybody's getting rewarded for shit they should be doing anyway right like fuck bro right that ain't the way it works in reality to be fucking winning yeah you're supposed to work hard right you're supposed to eat right you're supposed to take care of your body you're supposed to be fucking winning. Yeah, you're supposed to work hard. You're supposed to eat right. You're supposed to take care of your body. You're supposed to put the good information in your brain. You're supposed to have ambition. You're supposed to take care of your family.

You're supposed to pay your bills. You're supposed to do all these things. And just because you do them does not make you an exceptional human. This is an entire problem that we have culturally across America. We've gotten to the point where being a decent motherfucker and just handling business is somehow extraordinary performance. That's great news for those of you who are younger and looking to build a life because most people ain't trying. And if you become moderately successful,

which is easier to do now than it's ever been because you have less competition, you are able to stand out even more and accelerate that through your life. The truth of the matter is, this is the greatest opportunity for people that want to fucking win ever in the history of fucking humanity. Okay? Everybody's doom and gloom. Bro, I'm excited. Everybody's scared. I'm fucking excited.

Because I know one thing for sure. When it's not cool to win and everybody's not trying, that means there's lots of opportunity for me. There's lots of opportunity for you guys. And you could choose to either go after it or you could choose to be like everybody else. I know what I'm choosing. I'm not eating motherfucking crickets. I'm eating fucking steak.

And so is everybody with me. That's it. Man, that's fucking real shit, man. It's real. Question number two, guys. Andy, question number two. What's your take on making promises? OK, do you make them? Do you stay away from them? I find it harder each day with all the craziness going on in the world because of outside factors and things that aren't in my control are changing so quickly. So in a time like now, is it okay to make promises to your employees or customers?

Or guarantees, I should say. I prefer deals. I prefer deals over promises. Promises promotes entitlement. You owe me this. Deals are how reality works. You scratch my back. I scratch your back.

If you handle this problem, this is what I'll do. If you do this, this is where you go. If you do this, you get a pay raise. If you do this and you take care of this big issue, you get a promotion. Those are the things that I like to do. I don't like promises. Those are, these are deals. And I like to be very straightforward with them. This is what I will do. If you do this, do you agree? Yeah, I got it. When that's done, it's a deal. And that's it. That's how I've always operated.

You know, I feel like when you make a promise, people hear it in a different way. Like when you say, oh, I promise you I'm going to do this, that now all of a sudden I owe you this and you just get to keep doing whatever it is you do. Right. So you're asking me for something that is extra, right? In most cases. Yeah. And you're not going to do anything in return, that's not the way the world works, bro. Now, sometimes someone's coming to me, and they are an exceptional performer. They are already exceptional. They're already handling the problem.

This goes back to the first question. When they come to me and they say, hey, can I do this? I say, yes. There is no deal. And sometimes when they're an exceptional, exceptional performer, you, can I do this? I say, yes. There is no deal. And sometimes when they're an exceptional, exceptional performer, you know what I do? I know you know what I do because you see me do it. I go into their, wherever it is they work

and I fucking give them a raise. I give them a promotion. Every single fucking man in this room has fucking experienced that. When you do good, the ceo the manager the ownership the leadership should try to recognize that on its own that keeps morale high because nobody wants to never be recognized so if you're not paying attention and this comes down to gratitude for your employees right like you should be grateful that these people believe in you and believe in

your mission and believe in your vision. They are willing to dedicate a big part of their life to that. And when they work hard and they stand out and they do things, the attitude should be to proactively push them forward, not make them come to you groveling for shit. That's the truth. Now most people don't operate that way and that's why when you walk into fucking first form it's a whole different game than fucking any other

company on this planet yeah i got pointed out today i'm gonna say this i i got pointed out that i should never say we're the next nike because nike is fucking bullshit compared to us the truth is we're 10 times better than these motherfuckers right now that's a fucking fact i challenge you to use our shit whatever it is that we make we're a little company comparatively we do better our people are better our culture is better we care more our products are better that's the fucking way it is so i'm not going to say that anymore just want to make that clear that's real yeah no that's real shit let me ask you real quick how do you uh on the idea of of being for your employees, as you mentioned, like showing that gratitude.

We're going to do shit that's never been fucking done, bro. That's what we're going to do. Like what these other fucking companies have done, they haven't even fucking scratched the fucking surface of what we're going to do. Because what we're going to do, the we're going to do the culture will be so strong and so healthy and so good that will actually change the fucking world okay and started a little vitamin shop so yeah that's don't fucking quit anyway yeah so but you mentioned you know be showing gratitude for your employees and the work they're putting in and all that.

How do you, I hate the word balance, but how do you balance that gratitude for your employees without making them become these entitled little crybabies like we see in all these other companies? Well, they have to genuinely be earning it. Yeah. The reason people become entitled is when you praise them when they don't deserve it because you feel like you're supposed to. Okay. Yeah.

Yeah. Don't fucking praise people when they didn't do a good job and they don't become entitled right this is this starts with this parenting culture that we have oh little johnny you didn't fuck at 17th place he's so special bro you're a shitty fucking player bro you suck you were 17th out of fucking 17, bro. That's it, yeah. Like, that's what we should be telling our kids. And you know what, John? We'll go in the backyard and we get home.

We'll fucking practice. Yeah. Extra reps. Yeah. And you know what? We'll practice tomorrow. We'll practice next day. And then you know what?

Next weekend, Johnny gets fucking eighth place. Okay? He's not getting 17th place anymore. Right. Okay? This is how fucking eighth place. Okay. He's not getting 17th place anymore. Right. Okay. This is how fucking people learn. So, so if you reward terrible behavior in your fucking work environment,

expect the terrible behavior to continue. Damn, man. Listen, here's the reality. Most people couldn't even fucking work because they couldn't handle the fucking standards. Yeah. Yeah. No, that's real shit, man man i was telling the leak that the other day i'm like

it but it is amazing too though how contagious high standards is well you know what they will make and break when you're around a bunch of fucking hard-working motherfuckers that want to win and be good and build a great life uh it's easy to stay on that standard because you don't want to be it's dude it's like being on a team it's the idea you're not gonna be the motherfucker that's like walking during sprints when everybody else is hustling balls exactly like exactly it taps into the need of self-belonging that humans have innately but that can go good or bad it could be a positive way there's a lot of people out here that have like 10 employees in their office right and they're

like these typical you know fucking corporate woke motherfuckers. And they're listening to this show thinking like, how the fuck can I turn these people into those people? You fucking can't. Be real fucking serious about it. You can't. These are people. You have to have people that in their fucking heart want better for themselves. Yeah.

If they don't have that, there's nothing you can do. Period. Now, there's nothing you can do. Period. Now there's plenty of people out there that do that. Plenty. But are you willing to live to the standard that's going to attract those people into your business? And the answer is usually no, because most business owners want to fucking show up at fucking one and leave

at two 30 and go play fucking golf all day. Yeah. And then go to fucking the lake on Thursday and come back on Monday. Right. Okay. Right. So the, that's what they want, but they also want what, what, what we have.

And those two things, that's like fucking polar opposite things. You can't have it. Yeah. So like your leadership reflects the quality you want to know an honest fucking assessment of your own fucking self look at how your company performs look how your people perform that's an that's an honest look in the mirror of your own standards because it's the fucking truth and most of these motherfuckers won't fucking look it's their fault it's society's fault nobody wants to work no everybody's lazy bro you're fucking lazy little shit bro

real shit guys are people want to be inspired dude they want to be inspired to live a higher standard if you're not living that yourself you cannot fucking inspire anybody to do that zero so look look at your people what do they look like how do they behave what do they eat what do they do what are they like everything about them because that's you yeah that's the's the truth. When I look at my people, I'm fucking proud. It's real shit. It's real shit. Guys, our third and final question for Andy,

Andy question number three. I started my business six years ago and I have built it to a one and a half million dollar in revenue from strictly word of mouth. That's awesome. I want to continue growing the business and everyone is telling me marketing and advertising is the way to go. Are there things that I should be careful of when starting to pay for advertising?

Absolutely. Absolutely. This is a good question. And that guy, that man or woman who ever wrote that is smart. Here's the fucking thing that entrepreneurs don't understand. All marketing does is increase the amount of visibility that you have.

Okay. So if you have, this person said six years, right? Yep. Okay. Here's the advantage. This,

this person has you. Some people like heard the revenue number and they fucking laughed, right? They're like a million and a half after six years you know all these fucking 18 year old fucking dumb fucks online talking about how they're fucking yeah they're laughing right yeah but here's the reality and this is why that motherfucker is going to win that just asked that question he just or she i'm gonna say he he just went through six years of fucking gauntlet ass shit. Six years of fucking lesson after lesson after lesson after fucking lesson.

Okay. Do you understand how many skills that person learned during that six years to generate that one and a half million dollars? Probably most of the skills they're going to need for the rest of their career now they will continue to learn but just like when you first start exercising the results come really fast yeah it's the same way with entrepreneurship so what's really happening here is and this is this is great this person has now invested in the processes and the skills and the understanding and how to handle the customers and making all the mistakes. Right. And they've got the word of mouth going in the right direction so that the word is spreading in a positive way or else they wouldn't have the sales.

Right. Okay. So now if they go out, this person goes out and pays for new attention. All that does is accelerate the amount of people that see his brand. And then that accelerates the positive word of mouth that that person has already invested in creating. So what that, this person who asked the question is in a position to greatly benefit from effective advertising campaigns. So yes, a hundred percent for this person, but where should you watch out? Here's where you watch out. The person who's one year

in, it doesn't really know shit or they're fucking one month in or six months in or fucking even three years in. Right. And they're like, fuck this. I want to go from, from a hundred thousand dollars a year. We're struggling to fucking $100 million. And I got this guy who's going to come give me $10 million and we're going to pour it all into marketing. And this happens all the fucking time. This is why all these companies raise all these hundreds of millions of dollars and then they go broke later.

It's because they don't have the infrastructure to actually service the customer. So what happens is they go out, they tell everybody about how great they are. A customer orders, has a terrible experience. And then with the ability for people to spread word of mouth now, which is instant, it ruins their company. So when you go to scale your advertising budget up, you have to understand that if you want to last a long time and continue to grow, there can be no holes in your bucket. You have to have a good product. You have to deliver what you say. You have to go above and beyond.

You have to make sure that it works. You have to get your customer, whatever the fuck it is that they're after. Okay. And you have to do so in a way that they talk about that all has to come before you scale the ads, unless you're going to become one of these fucking knuckleheads who has to switch products every six fucking days because people won't buy it twice because they got scammed. Right. And to me, that's not even a real business

they're jumping from thing to thing to thing to thing they're going to be doing it forever and like dude eventually you know you run out of people smart motherfuckers take those skills and they go build a fucking little machine and then they use that to accelerate the machine and make it worth hundreds of millions of dollars yeah you know what i'm saying fucking real so essentially what you're saying is you if i'm doing a hundred orders today right and i want to get to a thousand orders today i gotta make sure i got the employees together i got everything ready to be able to handle yeah but more so dude it's it's it's leveraging the word of mouth yeah like the person said like we've done it all through word of mouth so so that tells you

right there that customers are telling other people about this person's business. Yeah. Okay. That means that they have the core fucking, uh, result that they need to create before they put eyeballs and attention traffic into their biz. Yeah. Okay. sense yeah and then if it goes out and let's say they didn't have that and let's say that every time they ordered it took fucking five weeks to get an order um you're always out of stock uh shit isn't what it says it is it's not the quality it says so they you know they're because they haven't plugged all these holes right like i'm not saying those problems don't exist in every business because you have to learn like you're going to go through a learning process just be preemptive about yes but the problem is is if you put

attention on all that bad shit the customer doesn't give a fuck they go out and they say yeah don't order from this motherfucker because they they fucking take seven weeks to ship the product their product isn't what they say it is blah blah blah blah blah and then all of a sudden the whole world knows not to order from this company and it's over yeah okay and this is why i always say we live in an age where um technology is our biggest asset but also our biggest liability if we're not ready in understanding of how to use it yeah it's fucking real see what does that make sense 100 100 because like dude you if like like bro it's it's it's real simple bro would you want a million people looking at your before picture or or a million looking at your after picture i have for sure okay it's real

simple yeah like it's it's that's what the customer wants to see by the way right they want to see the they want to have a good experience they want to fucking get a great product they want to get it quickly they want to have a uh you know a friendly knowledgeable people to help them the product should exceed what they think it's going to be etc etc etc etc and then once you have all that shit you can pour all the fucking traffic on it you want and it'll explode yeah right yeah and then and then that comes into the a different conversation of okay well how do we handle that growth and scaling and all these other things but the point is is like don't put the fucking cart before the horse right don't think that because advertising will either help you scale or it will expose you for for being

shit right and so you know don't don't be in a hurry man plug all those holes in your bucket learn take the time to learn the lessons um and this is all assuming that you're trying to build a lasting brand which you should be right right? That's how it works. And that's reality of how it works. So learn the lessons, be patient, take time, test, you know, see what works, see what doesn't work. Listen to your customers, try to preemptively solve those problems

that are frequent problems, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Get to a point where you're comfortable that the story like like this person, is a positive story, and then start advertising. That's fucking real, man. That's the way to do it. That's real. Whoa.

That's fucking real, man. Well, guys, Andy, that's three. Let's go pay the fee. All right, guys. Appreciate it. Please share the show. Went from sleeping on the floor. Now my jewelry box froze.

Fuck a pole, fuck a stove. Counted millions in the cold. Bad bitch, booted slow. show.