Your Transformation Station - 5. Family Business & Field-Tested Success Tips with Chuck Owens

Episode Date: February 27, 2020

Running a business is one thing. Running a business with integrity is something else entirely. In this conversation, Gregory Favazza sits down with Chuck Owens to explore what it takes to succeed in a competitive industry while staying grounded in family values and personal character. Chuck shares his best tips on success in the field, including: – How to build a business based on trust and reputation – The mindset required to thrive in a competitive market – Why family values matter in leadership and decision‑making – The habits that separate consistent performers from everyone else – How to maintain integrity under pressure – The importance of service, honesty, and long‑term relationships Connect with Gregory: Website: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com/apple Spotify: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com/spotify YouTube: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com/youtube RSS: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com/rss Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com/facebook Instagram: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com/instagram TikTok: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com/tiktok Twitter/X: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com/x Pinterest: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com/pinterest LinkedIn: https://www.ytsthepodcast.com/linkedin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your transformation podcast. I'm your host, Greg Favazzo. Welcome to the show your transformation podcast. You've grown up differently than I have, but I'll tell you what, Greg, both our paths is taking us the same place. We're both just trying so hard to become what we want to be. I don't know. I don't even know if I've grown up yet.

Hell, I don't know. Nobody's told me yet, right? Well, I know in my heart what I want, and I know what I want to see, and I know what I want to do. So I just have to make the right decisions and follow my dream. And that's what America is. It's a dream. Other thing I think, Greg, is in transforming, watching people transform, is when people are making a bad decision, people need to stand up and say, that's wrong. Have you noticed that people today don't want to say you're wrong or I disagree? Now, you, you're very strong, the time I spent with you, you have a very strong personality. Most people don't have that, Greg.

most people would never do what you're doing by the way and you sit there and try to look trying to watch people transform you're a student you're a student you're constantly trying to learn so wherever that came from it's good stuff man ladies and gentlemen this is your host gregg favaza and this is your transformation podcast first off i would like to say and celebrate with you guys it is national pistachio day oh it's the night that just keeps on smiling at you. That is our guess. It's Chuck Owens.

Sneak peek on Friday. If you've not, go ahead and check that out. Podcast sneak peek with myself and my why. I don't know why I'm still doing that. I haven't asked him yet. But this is what your podcast is about. It's surpassing expectations that we hold in ourselves and going much further in life to exceed and go beyond your latent potential.

If you have not subscribed to the show, Go ahead, hit that subscribe button. I got great content that's underway. I'm supposed to be meeting with a shaman healer this weekend. My experience that I'm going to go through with the healing process. I am quite excited and I will let you guys know and we'll get her on the show and she can go down to the details, the nitty-gritty details. We can talk about my personal experience. Oh boy.

Deep, dark demons inside that might have to come out one way or another. It'll be good for us. all right? I hope. He owns his own business, Windows Floors and Decor. This guy is amazing. I had to have him on the show because I never have met somebody takes over 200 phone calls a day. And that's not even just to find the right numbers. He looks at life how every individual should look at life. He is passionate towards his family and his occupation and he places emphasis on those two before his own self. I believe we can learn a lot from Chuck Owens. And that's why he's on this transformation podcast. And he is here for you and your transformation. This is your transformation podcast. Let's

dive into this interview. Chuck Owens, he is a founder of Windows Flores and the Corps and Regional broker for Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas, Kansas, Kansas. Well, if we take care of both cities, yeah, I'm taking it. Yeah. Well, Chuck, welcome to the show. Thank you, Greg. Glad to be here. Greg, I guess I'm an entrepreneur, completely 100% self-employed. I've been doing the same thing now for 22 years. I started with Carpet Direct a few years back in Colorado and just seemed to fit. And I've been doing it ever since. Recently, I got into the window treatment business and I opened up Windows 4s and Decor.

And it's kind of a startup. It's just kind of getting rolling, but it's starting to do pretty well. I just take care of people's floor covering and window treatment needs. And pretty simple deal, I manage about 130 salespeople. I spend my day trying to help people, you know, develop people. Chuck, how do you develop those 140 plus people? You know, I'm not one of those guys that looks for people doing stuff wrong. I look for people doing things right.

You always look for their strengths, don't focus on their weaknesses. That's how I've tried to live my life. I've really been self-employed since I was about 18 years old in one way or another. I never really had a boss since I was a kid. I look at myself as growing up pretty fast, and I really enjoy it. And I love my country. I love capitalism. I love America. And I enjoy people. I enjoy meeting people and talking to people and helping people. You know, I think that's the secret to what makes America great is that we always are reaching out helping people. And that's what we're here to do.

The reason why you are on this show here with us today is for you to share your words of wisdom. In the moments that I've spent my time with you, I have learned so much from a life that I thought I've learned already much from. And there's still more room for not just me to grow, but anybody to grow. And the fact that I was able to take away so much from you, I feel the rest of the world can do that exact same thing. No matter what place we are in life, there is always room to adapt to a better new well-being and pain it forward through the law of respirosity. Chuck, I appreciate you being here with us. I appreciate you too great. Thank you for saying that. Well, I can't take the credit for all that, because I've been around great people and, you know, everybody from my parents to my grandparents,

and I've been blessed to be on good leadership most of my life. And because of those things, I guess it rubbed off. You know, my thought process has always been, and I learned this from somebody else, too. You are who you associate with, you know. Yes. You associate with good people, and you try to practice what they practice before long. It wears off. and you become a product of your environment. And so that's what I've tried to live my life now. Am I perfect? Absolutely not. I've made a thousand mistakes.

I probably made a bunch today. I just don't know anything. But, you know, in doing so, I've been, my life has been blessed so many ways. Even when I was struggling, it was blessed. The growth process is much, you go through way more growth when you're struggling and then things are great. When things are great, that just means that you're getting ready to go through another door that opened up and there's going to be struggles on the other side. But I look forward to those struggles. I can't wait for the next challenge because in doing so, you're rewarded in so

many ways, not just financial, but in every way in your life. So I think that I can't take credit for all that's happened to me because I've had great people around me that have helped me in the whole way. So Chuck, how did this life begin as an entrepreneur? Where did it start? You know, my parents, my mom and dad, they met in high school. They were high school sweethearts. And they graduated in 1966. And they got married that summer on the courthouse steps in a little town in Colorado. And my dad opened up his first business on Main Street in Florence, Colorado. And he opened up an up an upholstery shop. And I came along about three years later. I have seven brothers and sisters in my family. And we grew up on the streets of

Main Street in Florence as my parents were entrepreneurs. You know, he had a hardware store and a furniture store and an poultry shop and an appliance store. And because of those things, I grew up watching my parents, I tried a car about a living, being self-employed in a small town. There was a lot of good times, but there's also a lot of tough times, you know. The 70s and the 80s were during the recession and all kinds of wonderful things happened to. I mean, the Berlin Wall got taken down. next to Mr. Ronald Reagan.

But anyway, long story short, my dad struggled. He went from doing very, very well to one day being a bus driver, picking kids up at a bus stop and dropping them off at school for the local school system. You know, he was a city councilman, and he sat on the board of water board. He sat on the planning board for the Fremont County planning his zoning board. He was a part of the volunteer fireman. You know, he's so all those watching him do those things taught me. One thing for sure, and that is he was one of the hardest working people ever met in my life so far.

And number two, he was always dedicated to what he did, not only his to his family, but also to his community and to the people around him. He spent more time helping people than he ever did taking from people. So all those struggles and watching him, I kind of grew up in that, and I decided at that point that's the path I wanted to take, whether it was good or bad. sometimes it wasn't that good. But I decided at that point, I just was ready to carve my own way in the world. I left home at a very young age. And at that point, that's what I desired to do. And that's what I've done.

You know, one way or the other, it worked out. Like I said, I've been through a lot of struggles, but it's definitely made me who I am today. Okay, so you left home at a young age. When exactly did you leave? I was about, what, about four months before my 16th birthday. Me and my dad had a falling out. And I love my dad, by the way. He's in my life today.

And he lives about 10 minutes away from me. And he's one of my best friends now. But growing up, we struggled. I was the oldest boy. It's a lot of pressure. My parents were going through a lot of struggles. And, you know, I learned that you can only have one rooster. There's only one rooster in the hen house.

and he wanted to be the boss, and of course he was the boss. And so whether it was, I think he was fair, but he was stern. And so at that point, being this, I guess, bullheaded as I am, I decided at that point it was time for me to move on. I regret those decisions sometimes because I missed out on a lot of stuff with my sisters in school and things like that, but I left home. I was blessed in another way. I got to move in with my grandparents for a couple of years, getting my, through high school.

And, you know, that relationship has since then, I look back on that. I don't hold any grudges or animosity. In fact, the best thing ever happened to me. You know, it's exactly what I needed to make me a man. You know, I was, I growing up in that environment, I felt like my dad created the whole world for me. It was so much fun. I had such a great childhood. And he really was good to me.

He taught me to hunt and fish and build motors and cars and racing and no, we had such fun. But yeah, so I was gone out of the house. But long story short, I ramble sometimes. Oh, no, no. Don't make it short, Chuck. Don't make it short. I was gone out of the house about a little before my 16th birthday. And so at that time, I moved a whole 11 miles away with my grandparents.

My grandpa, Logan, is probably one of the dearest. people in my life. I miss him so much. She passed away in 2012, but he was one of the absolute best men I've ever known. Not only did he have more integrity in his little finger than most people have in their own body, and he was one of the kindest souls I ever met, but he just wasn't all-around, just good person, simple man. He made a living for his family. He actually worked at a concrete plant as a welder, and boy, was he a welder. He could build anything out of metal. And he was married to my grandmother. They were married for, I mean, their whole lives. He got drafted right after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. He headed off to Georgia to basic

training and ended up in England and was involved in the great push across France. He got off the second wave in Normandy. Chuck, can we pause real quick. I know this is getting really. really good in what you're telling me. But how does a kid at age 16, right before 16, no, this is really interesting. Can we look into this a little bit? Because I really want to understand how you were feeling, what was going on in your head at that very moment you decided you had enough and you just went for it. Yes. So there was quite a falling out. And, No, you know, actually my dad didn't want me to leave, and he tried to force me to come home.

Actually, I was arrested for taking my vehicle. The course wasn't mine because I was completely 18. And so since I was Chuck Owens and he was Chuck Owens, everything that I owned, he owned. Looking back, it was kind of funny, but it sure wasn't funny then. Chuck, is this when you gotten emancipated? Yeah, I was emancipated. A very young age. You know, and looking back, you know, believe it or not, I have a great relationship with my parents today.

And they're in my life actually now. They live not too far from me. So, you know, it's been a benefit to have them close. My dad's struggling health-wise. My mom's struggling health-wise now so I can be close to him. So I don't hold any animosity. But it sure was, it was hard for me to get over that. For a long time, I did hold a lot of that inside.

But I've been able to overcome that by, you know, just basically a lot of motivation. speakers and a lot of reading and studying and and trying to self-improvement. You know, I seem to find challenges every day, but it's not how you, it's not the challenge. It's just how you overcome and how you spend your life to become the best you can be. I've always lived by that. I remember you mentioned me a couple stories as far as once you started the transition process on your own, you started working with gumball machines. Is that correct?

Yeah. So I, you know, growing up, back to that, everybody had a job. When we got older, as got into our early teens, my parents didn't want us out running around town. So they opened up an arcade. And they named it after my youngest sister, which was named Bobby Joe. And so they called it Bobby Joe's Family Fun Center. And in that building, there was pool tables and jukeboxes and, you know, dartboards and, and video games and a snack bar and all those things.

Well, my job in the arcade was to fix the equipment if it broke. At that time, I learned the value of a dollar. I also saw, man, those quarters and those machines were a lot of quarters going to those machines. So I started looking for a way to make my own money. What we did is my parents started putting those machines out in campgrounds. And even though I wasn't old enough to drive, my dad let me drive the backroads and I'd run around all those campgrounds and go and collect all the money. And when I saw how that worked, I decided the money that I earned to start buying my own equipment.

At that time in my life, I had a few public gun machines and different places, doctor's offices and grocery stores. And it did pretty darn well. As I got older, I left. After I graduated, I left Florence and Canyon City and moved to various different places for different reasons. And when I came back, I was 20 years old, there was a company buying called New Music Company. And so I went to work for new music company for about six, eight months, and then ended up becoming a partner in it. And then I went from having a few bubblegum machines on the street to be in the probably the third largest coin operator in the state of Colorado. So it was quite an adventure.

There was so much going on. You know, in the music and game business, I really enjoyed it. In fact, I, you know, at one time I was the president of the AMOA Association, which is the music game operators of America for the state of Colorado. And so I was really active in that business and really was aggressive. And we really grew our business successfully. And again, you know, life kind of changes things. It just what became more important at that time is, even though I, at times I really felt like I made a mistake. But it also doors open that I do know this for a fact that you can be successful or anything you want to be if you just put your mind to it.

It's, you know, talent and success is spelled. It's a four-letter word. It's W-O-R-K, you know. You have to work. If you work hard, you can have anything you want. And so. But why'd you walk away from it, though? Well, at that time in my life, I became a single dad.

I went through a divorce. And I ended up taking the responsibility of my two daughters, the two girls. And so they were both very young. And I don't know if you can imagine trying to fix a jukebox at midnight in a bar when it's broke. It's a little hard to do that with a baby. know, and so the girls were very young, so it was time for me to do something different. And so at that point, I made it, the money wasn't worth the not being able to be there for those two kids. And so here was just the decision I made at the time to do something different,

but had better hours. And so I got the foreign business. Okay. Yeah. Long story short, that's pretty much how it was. No, don't make it short. We love all the nitty-gritty details. I know there's a lot of great nitty-gritty details inside there. There's a lot of crazy stuff that happened in that news and game business, though, looking back.

I mean, we did dark tournaments all over Las Vegas. You know, we flew teams out. One time I had about 60 teams went out to that, what they called the World Championships in Las Vegas. It was a very successful time in that business with electronic dartboards. Today it's not as popular, but back then it was, you know, we had over 150 teams in a county that had less than 30,000 people. It was quite a big group, but looking back, it was a sure it was a lot of fun. We got to travel, and we made a lot of money and made a lot of people happy.

But it did open the doors at that time for me to be able to learn. to manage people and you'd be able to learn to manage my time because it was being 10 places at once, which I really needed to be at that time my life. I just couldn't be. And that's the other reason I chose to get out of that was because I'd have to focus so much on that business. I would never have time to focus on those kids. And they really needed me at the time. Chuck, let's backtrack. Let's go back because you mentioned your grandfather was going off to Normandy. Can we go into that? Okay. So yeah, my grandpa, Logan, had met my grandmother, and they were courting at the time. And it was an amazing courtship because he worked for a guy by the name of Gay Johnson, which opened up lots of, there was Johnson travel centers all over the country. I believe all over the country. I mean, I wasn't around in their late 30s, early 40s, but he worked for Gay Johnson. And those were the type of gas stations where he'd pull up and they'd have five guys run outside. One guy checked the tires. One guy. guy checked the oil, washed the windshield. Well, his job in time, he got a promotion and he got to

drive an old Model T pickup over the top of the pass from Fruta, Colorado, all the way over to Grand Junction, and he would take all the big truck tires over. They recap them, and then he'd drive him back the next day so that they could put them on the trucks, because, of course, back then, it was either by train or my truck that products and services got moved. And he had met my grandmother and little Fruit of Colorado. And their dates would be, she would ride with him over the top of the pass, and they'd stop on top of the pass. And of course, Colorado has beautiful mountains. And they would go in and have a picnic lunch and talk, and that was their dates. Well, one thing led to another in the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. And at that time, they had just bought a little lot on 3rd Street and

Fruit of Colorado. And on that lot, they were going to build a house. And they started to build the foundation and on that piece of property there was an old chicken coop so they cleaned the chicken coop out and they actually put a floor in it and little windows and i never saw the chicken coop by the way these are stories that were shared with me and they lived in there while they were building their house well after he got drafted um she had to move home back to richatown kansas where her parents were at and she worked for Boeing helping with the war effort and he headed off to basic training He got off on the second wave in Normandy and fought across France. One of the stories he shared with me was, is, of course, he believed in the effort because, you know, it was a bad time in the world, and he wanted to do his part.

And his job was to repair phone lines on telephone poles to get communications back to France. And he was in communications, so he helped stretch phone lines to the front line during the battle trying to take the beach. you know, the army moved across France and defeated the Germans, he would help get communications back up. So he was protected by two snipers and he spent his day on the telephone poles, stretching a cable. I've heard about those people, or that MOS, I'd say, their lifespan's not that long. Isn't that right? Yeah, he was a very dangerous job. Very, as an amazing guy.

Of course, he didn't talk much about it until later in his life, pretty close to the end of his life. He shared these stories with me. He lived in McKinney, Texas, is where he passed away in a care facility down there, and my grandma both. And he shared a lot of this with me in his final days. But one thing he did share was he was in France, and this taught me a lot in life. The mail finally caught up to the Army. You know, back then, of course, we didn't have a mail like today. And so he got a letter that was about four months old and found out that my grandma had the fever and that they didn't know if she was going to make it.

And also found out he was going to be a daddy. So my grandma was pregnant with my dad's oldest sister. And at that time, he had more to fight for than just he wanted to go home, you know, to be with his family. So he made it back and what a life they had. I mean, they were such an example for me and my life and the marriage that they had and the friendship they had. And the life they had was just amazing. Someday I'm going to write a book about them because they literally were America's sweethearts.

They were awesome. Tell me about, you know, the thing is her purposes. Real quick. Wasn't there a point that your grandfather, he didn't receive those letters that he thought at one point your grandmother was. She was dead. Yeah. The male was, didn't catch up to him for like four months.

And the letter was already two months old. So they made it sound like in the letter. I've never read the letter. I don't think the letter exists anymore. I'd love to find it. I have a few of his things. But, you know, the news was old enough that he really did think that she had passed away. And, of course, she was sad.

But, you know, sometimes in life, he told me, you know, that's what he needed to get home. Because some days when he woke up, it wasn't the, you know, the sun wasn't shining, the chert. Birds weren't chirping and he didn't know what today brought, because there was a lot of, you know, It was a war. He was in the heat of battle every day. So he was right there with his brothers. Chuck, would you say those two were your most influential mentors as of yet? I would say as far as transforming into what I would say is manhood, definitely.

You know, my dad still does. That's so many qualities. He really is a good man. I didn't agree with him all the time. And there's times that. But I'd say my personality, I definitely relate to my grandfather. just because I you know he was just a very it's just a good you know to be honest if I could be half of the man he is I'd be I'd be doing really good be the change in the world that you want to be

you know quit trying to try to be just be the change in the world that you want to you want to be this is your transformation podcast we will be right back hey ever thought about launching your own podcast where do you even start I can personally tell you there are a lot of moving pieces in That's why I use Buzz Sprout is today's innovative hosting platform, the simplest way to getting your podcast up and running. Fun fact, Buzz Sprout, they've already helped over 100,000 podcasters. It's the simplest way to getting your podcast right in the major platforms. I'm talking Apple, Spotify, Google, and so much more. Buzz Sprout will include a great-looking website, audio players that you can drag and drop in other websites,

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and help support our show. Buzz Sprout. It's today's way to podcast. Now let's get back to your Transformation Podcast. would you guys think of this episode so far chuck is an amazing individual right i hope you guys are enjoying the show if you have not done so already hit the subscribe button and let's begin your transformation start surpassing your expectations it starts with your why now let's get back to the show try every day to be a better person you know to do more to do your part because you're only here for a short time and you know so that's what i've always tried to do let's get up every day

and try to bring joy instead of pain, try to help people instead of hurt them. Anybody can hurt people, anybody. It takes a really big person to help people. If you want to be great, you help people. There's a book written by Jim Collins, and it's called Good to Great. And he talks about in that book, he talks about, you know, transforming a business from a good business to a great business. And I think that goes along with people, too. I think everybody has good in them.

But to be great means it's a lot of self-sacrifice. It's a lot of struggles. But in the end, you get a lot of blessings, a lot of things that you got to live through that made you leave your mark on the world, you know? And I guess that's what I hope to do is leave my mark on the world. But it's a better place because I was here. Chuck, I'll be sure to link that into the show notes for our audience to find. Now, let's transition off the emotional stuff.

And let's talk about how you got into carpet. Well, one day I was in the musing game business and the next day I was in the carpet business. And so what I did is I had some things I had to clean up just like in any business when you're closing anything down. You know, along the way I was in the restaurant business and the bar business. I've done all kinds of stuff in my life. But I can tell you that this business has been a lot easier because there's a lot more structure with the carpet business. It was kind of there was a lot of structure. when I was in business for myself and the restaurant business and the bar business and the

musing game business I kind of had to make it up as I go, you know, which was good for me because I learned a lot, but the carpet business is a lot simpler of a format. So all I did was sell. Now the position I'm in Kansas City, being the regional broker, I don't sell much anymore. I actually manage people. So I have salespeople, but I do have the largest sales organization. in our company out of 19 cities in Kansas City and I have really good salespeople here. And that's there too.

And that usually consist about how many phone calls a day, Chuck? I take easily 300 to 300 to 350 phone calls a day. I spend about 9 to 10 hours a day costing on the phone. Oh my gosh. It has its perks. It has its perks. Yeah, you get, you know, thank God for unlimited phone call plan. Otherwise, I'd be broke.

Hey, Chuck. So did you have any mentors in your life other than, of course, your family, but anybody that made a major impact on you during your transition from adolescence into young adulthood? Absolutely. So one gentleman, when I was in the music and game business, a gentleman that by the name of Bertie Halterson, and it's probably one of the best businessman I've ever known in my life. He shared so much with me. He spent a lot of time across the table from him,

and he taught me a lot of just another man of integrity. You know, I don't know where Bertie's at today. I haven't seen him for years, but I do know that Bertie has, he taught me so much about being a young business person. After that, I would say he held probably highest marks in my life. He was probably the smartest business person I've ever known up to the point that I met Earl Crouch from Carpet Direct. Earl spent a lot of time molding me and helping me.

You know, I've always had a natural sales ability, so it was easy for me to go sell. But then he started, he trained me a lot to, you know, to negotiate and to, he was a great negotiator. He taught me to go negotiations and he taught me how to, just no fear. I mean, in any situation I was put in, I just knew I could handle it. So a lot of leadership was, he taught me a lot about leadership. He gave me confidence that no matter what it was, I could pull through a lot of life lessons there. That was young. I mean, I was one of the top salespeople in the company and broke a lot of records and held those records for, you know, several years.

And I was in my early 20s, you know. And then since then, you know, I now negotiate all the pricing for a company for all the products. And I run our national meetings and our broker's meetings and I emcee all over events and things like that. And I wouldn't have been able to do that if it wasn't for all's inspiration and his guidance. Did he teach you how to handle angry customers or did that just come natural to you throughout your process? I've, you know, if that's always, I've always been the guy they send in to calm everybody down just because I think that, I think I learned those skills from my grandmother. She was always wise and there's never a reason to, like I said, anybody can hurt anybody. But if it comes to that, then you have to do what you've got to do.

That's what we're all taught, right? But up to that point, usually anger is caused by misunderstanding. anger is caused by people that either have fear or some other thing that's inside of the anger part. And so I've always been able to just calm people down. Not because I'm good at BSing. It's because honestly, honestly, and some people would think that. But honestly, it's because human, you know, people just need to know how much you care. And they want to know that you're sincere and that you're there for them.

And then you'll do whatever's in your power that you could do to help them. you can fix everybody's problems. But, you know, it's too bad that, you know, World War II or World War was started by one bullet, right? It's too bad they wouldn't have somebody right there to just cool it. But cool, warheads don't prevail in certain situations. So that's why they send me. That's my job is to go and calm people down. I have nothing to gain by hurting people.

We have everything to gain by helping them. So I think that came from my grandma because she was good at it. Or maybe it's just, I don't know. No, Earl was stern. Earl kind of reminds me of President Trump. You know, he's just, this is my way or the highway type guy. Bertie Halterson reminds me of, he reminds me of somebody that's always willing to go in there and try to make things work for both sides.

So I think I had, those two mentors, I think I had the best of both worlds. You know, Earl was stern and, you know, he'd lose a million dollars to prove himself right. you don't. So maybe that's where it came from. I don't know, Greg. That's a good question. I have to think about that. Was there like a pivotal shift in your mindset when you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Because I remember when you were telling me throughout your process of just starting out, you were going to seminars, you were reading tons and tons of books and just eating it up. But what was that primary driver behind you that was making you go through all that process to adapt and to becoming an entrepreneur? Well, I think it was a desire to be, I've always wanted, I was always into self-improvement and there's always to be, you know, I think some of it's a competitive part in me, you know, but at the same time I want, I've always been, if I'm going to do it, I want to do it right. And the details do matter.

You know, in sales, they say details kill because sometimes you can over some. and you push people away. But if it comes to planning, details are very important. And so they're doing seminars, seminars and training and reading and stuff, you can learn so much from other people. And most of all,

you can learn so much from other people's mistakes. You know, I remember you at one time said, hey, I want to learn all about this because you're a student. You want to know, because you know,

you can learn from, we can learn so much from history because we can go back and never make this. same mistake twice even though as human beings we do you know it seems like we're getting ready to make some more right now i'm sure but what we have to do is we have to spend our time sharpening the saw you know um that's what franklin covey you know mr covey says you got to sharpen the saw every week sundays are a planning day you know the christians we believe that you know that's a day of rest

there's other cultures me but there's always have to have a day of planning to sharpen the saw So that's what I was doing. I constantly was sharpening my saw. Still on today, I have so much more to learn. Any new material that comes out, I spend a lot of time. Thanks to a good friend of mine, I learned about Audible. Didn't know about that because I still bought $35, $40 audiobooks and put in my car and drive down the list of CDs. I could not believe I saw that when you, we can get that all for a dollar.

I have hundreds and hundreds of audiobooks. And so I learned, that's what I've done. I'd rather listen to that than music because it inspires me. If I'm getting ready to go do a speech somewhere or go somewhere to do something for our company, I always pop in something motivational to get the motivational juices pouring. You have to constantly have that going through your system. You've got to sharpen the song every day. You know, you've got to track what you've done.

You've got to plan for success. You know, you're not born with, people aren't born salespeople. People become salespeople. People become leaders. You know, you get gifts that you're born with, but it's your job to sharpen the saw and smooth out the edges and become what you're really meant to be. And only you know that. Only we know what we're capable of.

And we can only expand that if we work to become better. So that's what I do. I've always wanted to be better, you know. No, I really think that. I don't know. You know, I'm just a simple guy. I don't have a, I really don't have a college education. Do I regret that now?

You know, I probably could use one about now for sure by now. I mean, I've made so many mistakes. But along the way, those mistakes made me who I am. You know, I'll just continue to try tomorrow when I get up just to be better, you know, and help the people around me to become good, too. You know, advice is like advice. Sometimes, you know, you don't want people's advice, but I was also taught you take the good and you keep it and you throw the bat away.

You know, you have two people sitting at a table. One's a Democrat and one's a Republican. Both of them have the point of view. Now, me being a Republican, I may think I'm right. And that Democrats on the other side, that Democrat, because I just categorize him as that person, right? But what if he's right too? So how do we, who's going to be right?

and we walk from the table. Do we really have to be right? We really have to have to, I agree to disagree because maybe I don't see your point of view and maybe you don't see mine, but that doesn't mean we're still existing in the same planet and trying to make it better. Now, when war breaks out tomorrow, of course I'll support my country, you know, because I'm an American, but that doesn't mean I have to go to war over somebody that has a different opinion. That means that that person's true to their convictions too. I'd much rather spend my time with a man that's true of their convictions, somebody you know you can depend on versus somebody that has a different point of view and I disagree with him so I don't like them. That's not wisdom. Wisdom is understanding

the other person's side and supporting them and their beliefs, even though maybe it doesn't match yours, you know, you don't have to spend time with them. You don't have to like them, but you certainly don't have to hurt them. Like I said, anybody can hurt anybody. So that's been my, that's been what I try to live by. Am I good at it? Not at all. Not at all. You know, I watched the State of the Union the other day and I about fell over. You know, I was like, that was the worst example of, I mean, unity ever seen in my life. I was disappointed in our government. But my job is not to judge them. My job is to decide what I believe in and stand up for that. No, Chuck, that's very inspirational. And I believe I hear the laundering going on, or is that just me?

So anyway, I know I'm getting out of course surgery. No, no, no, no. This is what the show's all about. I do believe that, you know, the thing is, is I think that we have a chance to make the world a better place for our children. And the reason I believe that is because we are all after the same thing. All of us want a better life. All of us want to find whether it's money or it's whatever it is. We all want some kind of just recognize, leave our mark behind or help people, whatever it is.

I mean, look at all these great people that never had anything, Gandhi and Mother Tristan, look at the mark that made on the world. You know, all those people now. And I believe him. And that guy that believes in rainbows and butterflies, are you kidding me? I love the second amendment. I get up every morning. I'm proud to be an American. Chuck, if I can ask you some, if I can ask you, how could we get, I probably already know the answer to this question, but how could we get everybody on the same page?

going after the same goal when we have more than one side of opposed opinions. How do we get that? What would you think, exactly? Leadership, it'll never, I don't think there's a way in the world that it'll ever be a complete peace because people are, let's face it, look at the people on Iran right now. They support their government, even when there's something bad, and then 10,000 them get trampled on during a, you know, they're mad because a, you know, they're mad because a, a lot of, leader that died that was a bad guy and killed thousands of people. And the next day they're back

to rioting on their government again. You can get anybody for a short amount of time believing anything. Ra, rah, rah, ra, get them all fired up. And then after the adrenaline dies, it's like a Red Bull, you know. You feel really good up to the point that it doesn't affect you slow down. You know, the sugar rush is over. It's only a temporary high. I completely understand. So you have to, yeah, go ahead. Opposing sides, you mentioned earlier, is living by example, how would you relate that into your transformation and to you becoming the man you are today? Like, did you always live that way? When was that defining moment when you decided I need to live my life as the person I want to be today so I can be the person I'm expecting to be in the future?

If you aren't who you think you are or want to be, you've got to act like you are until you become that person. Every day you have to strive to be better, every day, which means you've got to train yourself to do that. That's why we send our children to school from kindergarten to 12th grade and then offer college after that is because they give them a basic or a foundation of education, but along the way it's too bad our teachers aren't teaching them all the other things they need along the way, which is self-improvement, how to manage money, all the things you don't learn in college. I mean, we have so many smart kids out there that are so dumb at managing money, because they don't know what to do with the ones. They get it, you know, and so why do we do

that? Because the thing is, is our society says that they got what they needed. I think what we have to do is it starts at parents at home. We have to spend our time teaching our kids to every day get up and think they're better so they become better. Don't give them an excuse why they're wrong, show them why they're right. Quit beating them up for the things they do wrong and start telling them about the things they do right. I'm more focused on what that kid's doing right than what he's doing wrong because doing wrong, he already knows he's wrong. He already knows he's wrong because of whatever reason it could be because he's embarrassed to go to school and his shoes he wears. It could be something as simple as that that changes his whole mood for that

day. Adults, let's face it, most 90% of adults out there are not happy in the job they are in today for whatever reason it is. Sometimes they just don't even have the courage to walk up and ask for that raise. You know how many people that deserve a raise that never ask for it? The boss probably would have given it to them, but they don't know how to communicate. So I believe that's what it is. We have to train our people. America was great and strong because America is great. America is great because we believe we're great. We believe in a greater purpose. That's what I think. My opinion is, is our people have been. put into a bunch of robots now. We just get up, home to work, home to work, home to work, home to work, home to work, home to work, you just dig a rut all day long, back and forth. They go down the same road to work, go through the same stoplight, they pull up to the same building, they show up at the same time, they go to lunch at the same place, and we train them to think that way because they're like a bunch of robots. We've got to get outside the box. They've got to start expanding and helping and training them to be better people, to feel better.

about themselves. They're probably already great people. I should have said become better people. Understanding that they're better people, but that's my opinion. I like that, Chuck. For those people out there that they actually want to make a change in getting out of that run, what is some very exceptional advice that you would recommend to them and what is some advice they should ignore? step out of the box tomorrow tonight starting right now turn the TV off and grab a book go to the library that doesn't exist anymore because you can get audible go to the library get something that helps you move on to the next level get your belief up you may not have a lot of money but try to step outside the box help somebody tomorrow i'm not into this whole thing about rainbows and butterflies

Like I said, I mean, I'm not trying to be a, you know, I'm not Gandhi. I'm not Mother Teresa and I wish I was because, you know what, they're great people. But I do know this. I can make a difference to the people in my own home every day. You don't have to slap that dog upside the head. Maybe you should try to pet it on the top of the head and give it a treat for doing something right, like sitting when you tell it to, you know. So I look at human beings the same way is if you walk out the door and you scream at the guy

cross the street because he's a dumb idiot that can cut you off. The thing is, is what that guy sees in that is immediately he responds, right? Or what if he reacts? There's a response to it, which is, I'm so sorry. Or there's a reaction,

he flips you the bird. Which one do you expect? When you scream at somebody, what you deserve is the reaction. Let's hope that he responds and says, you know what? I'm sorry, Chuck. I didn't need to catch off. And at that point, maybe the bad day that I woke up with that morning, I'm in a bad mood,

all changed because that person had the courage to respond instead of react. So that's what I'm talking about. It starts in the home today. It starts with a, you know, I don't think that our, I think all in all, 95% of people are good. And they want to be good. It's a lack of opportunity. And sometimes it's a lack of training. So I think it starts in the home grade.

I think we've got to go back. Look at all the superstars that are born in bad situations. Most of them are athletes. All of a sudden, they don't have a chance, but they're really good at basketball or football. But watch what happens to them later in life. What people do they become? What do they do with the money they earn?

Are they out? What are they doing with it? Are they doing good things or bad things? Now, it's their money they can do whatever they want to with it. But what about the kids that are watching that athlete? Is that athlete a good example for them or a bad example for them? And they're a bad example. So what I'm thinking is, is it starts in the home.

It starts with us going back and supporting our people and trying to help them become better. You know, that's all. I hope every day when I get up, I hope I've done the right things for my children and told them, you know what? You can do it. Not that you can do it. Can't is a terrible word. Can is a great word as long as they're doing it right. And if you're living right, you don't have to worry about being an example, bad example.

example. Now, have I lived right always? I don't know. Heck no. But I try every day to live right now because I had nothing to gain by hurting you. I have everything to gain by helping you. Because it's my story. I get to write the book because it's mine. Teach him to write the book. I like that, Chuck. I really do. What about some bad advice to ignore? Bad advice to ignore. I think that, uh, I think that, uh, bad advice to ignore is, every time I turn on a radio and I hear somebody's campaign,

I'm getting off on a, because it's election year, so I guess that's where I'm headed. And I hear somebody ripping the opponent apart, you know, don't do this, don't do that. It's because people take what they just heard

and they store that in their brain, the next thing they start believing the same way. The first story they tell when they get to work is whatever they hear. I don't like that guy. I can't believe it did this and this and this. And then somebody walks in and says, oh, no, he's a great guy. Oh, their opinion changes. We're a bunch of sheep, you know.

So I think you have to educate yourself and make the right choice. Spend more time listening than talking. Spend more time understanding before you throw something out to the person beside you. Because you could be that conversation could change that person's life. Now, if everybody thought that way, we'd all be Einstein's, right? They don't. People love drama. Let's face it. We love drama. We love the fight. We want to be in the fight. It's adrenaline. It's a high. That's why people do drugs, you know, because it's a high. They're really excited right now, but they wake up the next morning with a bad hangover, you know, and they feel terrible for two days. I'll never do that again. But guess what? Next weekend, they do it again. Why? Because they're trying to escape because they're just not happy. I think what they have to do, good advice would be this, is stand up for what you. you believe in, be true to your convictions, and spend your time improving yourself and helping the

others around you. God didn't make us to be stupid. It doesn't mean you can't be rich. Just take your money and use it for what's good, you know? Support your family. Invest right. Spend your time helping people instead of hurting people. That's my opinion, Greg. I got off course there, but you asked me a simple question. I had to go into that. This is a politics. I'm trying to get all political. Sorry. No, Chuck, you're good. You had me right into a trance. you caught me off guard. How can our, how can our viewers get in touch with you if they wanted to find out any more information about you and what you do? And if they want carpet, how would they be able to get in touch with you? Chuck, 0869 at iCloud.com. Okay. I'll be sure to,

I'll be sure to link that in the show notes. What was that one again, Chuck? It's Chuck. 0869 at iCloud.com. Okay. Chuck, if I can have one more question, for you. Looking back, how were you able to trust your own prophecies and the approaches of overcoming short-term setbacks that led and remained, that led you to remain focus on your long-term goals? Craig, and I don't want to get all religious here, but, you know, to be honest with you, I think just by the grace of God, buddy, because I certainly don't belong. I don't, I don't, deserve to still be here by any means. I think by the grace of God, I was able to pull through and somebody told me on time, your life is yours by design.

So, you know, you design your life. So go make it happen. So you get to make all choices, all the decisions. We're all entrepreneurs because every day we get up, whether it's money or running a business or what it is, get up there. You get to make those own choices. And for some reason, my goofiness, I just been blessed. I don't deserve it. I know I don't.

But I do know this that I want to give back to those I love and care about because, I mean, I really feel like that's what I'm here for. I feel like that I've been blessed in so many ways that I just want to share. Not money, not those things. I'm talking about kindness and being there to help people and trying to do my best. I'm not Mother Teresa. I'm not running around trying to preach to people. I just think that that's what we've got to do. It's got to stand up for what we believe in.

And you know what? There's a side of me when I believe I'm right. We'll stand up for what I believe in. But I also respect that the other side, I'm a true, I mean, I'm a true patriot. I love my country. You know, sometimes we have to be willing to listen. So I've tried to live a good life and I've tried to do what's right, even though I screw up all the time. I don't know, Greg. I don't know why I'm still here. I just know I'm glad I am because it's been a great ride and I've really been blessed in so many ways. times I haven't had a lot of money and times I haven't had a lot of things but I always had the people around me that were most important that's enough for me at times I'm just like anybody else I like stuff and things but at the same time if I have that I'm I'm pretty dang happy my grandpa my grandma my folks and my family my brothers my brother my sisters that people are close to me that's

that's my wealth and I love those guys I do anything for thank you Greg thanks for your time Thank you, Chuck. Chuck Owens, everybody. Thank you for all the Who has listened. And if you have not subscribed, hit the subscribe button. I'm going to keep telling you. Hit it. You know why.

Hit the subscribe button. Stand by to find out how many missed calls Chuck missed out on for the last 45 minutes to the hour. I mean, your phone's ringing off the hook as we speak, probably. How many missed calls do you have right now? Let's see. 13. 13. Oh, that's, it's, yeah.

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