Happy New Year Week! We sincerely hope you enjoy your holiday and some time to reflect back on one roller coaster year!
In this week’s podcast, we bring back the next guests from each podcast to have them remind us about what success means to them. Each guest and their episode is listed and linked below.
- Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor – How to Create World Class Customer Service
- Brian Mac Mahon, Expert DOJO – How I’m Giving Away $1 Billion
- Frank Agin, AmSpirit Business Connections – Networking Your Way to Success
- Scott and Sharon Specker, Five Star Painting – How to Go from Corporate Employee to Top Franchisee
- Gregg Sargent, Gregg Sargent Coaching – How This One Thing Could Double Your Profit
- Kay and Shi, Squeeze In – How to Recover When Things Don’t Go As Planned
- John Francis, Johnny Franchise – Why You Need a Board of Advisors
- Shafik Mina, 2inspire, Mad Science and Crayola Image Arts Academy – Finding Opportunity in Unexpected Places
If you are ready to talk about franchising your business you can schedule your free, no-obligation, franchise consultation online at: https://bigskyfranchiseteam.com/ or by calling Big Sky Franchise Team at: 855-824-4759.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Hey everybody. Before we get started on today’s podcast, we wanted to invite you to take a quick short surveys, to help us make the podcast even better for 2021. The survey I promise is super simple, and it’s only going to take you about three minutes to complete. At the end of the survey, if you decide to put your email, you’ll be entered in for a chance to win an Amazon gift card. So one other thing, the survey is only going to be live until about, I think it’s January 11th is the date. So speak now, or forever hold your piece on giving us feedback on how you want the podcast to go in 2021 and beyond. The survey link is in the show notes, right at the top. We’re going to leave it right there. Just click on that, enter it. Again, takes you about three minutes. We so greatly appreciate it. Now time for the podcast.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
You’ve worked hard to build your business, and now it’s your time to grow. Welcome to the Multiply Your Success podcast. I’m your host, Tom DuFore, CEO of Big Sky Franchise Team, and a serial entrepreneur. This is another closeout session to the 2020 podcast series. If you recall from last week, we are doing a replay on what each guest on the podcast had to say, when we ask them the question, what does success mean to you? So this is a continuation of that. Before we jump in, I did want to ask a quick question, and that question is about reflection. Have you reflected back on this year, personally, professionally, spiritually in all aspects of your life, have you reflected back on what has ensued in 2020, and taken a look to see what good things have come. What you’ve learned, and other wins and losses along the way.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
So if you have not, please take some time to reflect back before we jump full force into the New Year here. So this is a pre Happy New Year session. This’ll be our last podcast of 2020. Please take some time to reflect back as we are doing with our own podcast here. Next week will be our final reflection back on 2020. Then on January the 11th, I believe will be our first launch. We’ve got some awesome guests up coming into 2021. So first up for today’s reflection back is Nancy Friedman, who is the founder and CEO of the Telephone Doctor. If you recall, she provides out of this world, customer service training and expertise for companies looking to improve customer service. Here’s what Nancy had to say about what success means to her.
Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor:
Success just means being happy, in my opinion. It’s not money in my mind. Yes. I love to make money. I love to buy things, what woman doesn’t. But if you had me on the chair and said, “We’re going to do bad things to you Nancy, what is success?” You got to be happy. You got to make people happy. As trite and silly as that sounds, the best compliment I can get is, “You made me laugh, Nancy. You helped my day.” That to me it’s fabulous. At the conferences, people older than me come up and say, “I thought I knew it all, but thank you.” So if we can give one or two tips, or techniques that help a business, and help a small family owned business, or like I say, international paper uses our products. That’s not a small family owned business, okay?
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor:
We get many, many clients like that. So small or large, it’s affordable, reliable, fun, et cetera. And you’re a very good host.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Thank you so much for that Nancy. Our next guest that came up was Brian Mac Mahon, who is with Expert DOJO. If you recall, his company is the investment group that’s investing in 10,000 entrepreneurs around the world, and giving each of them a minimum of $100,000 each, and acting as a business mentor. Here’s what Brian had to say about what success means to him.
Brian Mac Mahon, Expert DOJO:
So look, there are milestones and then there are success, right? Our milestones involve our companies making it through. Our milestones involve us getting really good returns on those companies, so that we don’t lose our money, and we don’t lose shareholders money. But really success is the place I started at the beginning of the show. It’s the knowledge that we have enabled, or being part of the journey for every entrepreneur everywhere in the world to have an equal opportunity to be able to start something and be successful. No matter where they come from, what they look like, or whether they’re men or whether they’re women. That’s the ultimate success. The beautiful thing about that is that, I do believe that life is not about happiness necessarily. I don’t think it’s about trying to wake up in the morning, and make sure that your happier person and the next person.
Brian Mac Mahon, Expert DOJO:
I believe fulfillment is a huge cup that when full just feels great. So going along that journey, and I say this because so many people believe they want to go on this journey, because they want to make a ton of money. And a ton money does not make people rich. They believe they want to go on this journey because they want to work less hours, and in truth, it’s been proven that working less doesn’t even make you happy, right? But if you were fulfilled with what you have done in your time on this planet, then you are everything, that is every single cup filled to the brim. So being on this pursuit of every entrepreneur, everywhere in the world, having an equal chance to be able to just do the righteous and awesome thing, it’s a beautiful fulfillment cup. Which for me is filled while I’m on the journey, while I was thinking of the journey. While I’m on the journey, and when we finish the journey.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Thank you for that, Brian.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
The next guest we had on our podcast was Frank Agin. Who’s with AmSpirit Business Connections, which is a networking franchise, a national networking franchise. He’s also a podcast host for the Networking Prescription or Networking RX. Here is what Frank had to say about what success means to him.
Frank Agin, AmSpirit Business Connections:
It’s interesting, I think about this often, taking me back to this whole story that got me into this. I went to play college football and I played for this gentleman head to George. He recruited me such as it was, it was division three. There’s no scholarships. But I was his third recruiting class. 25, 26 years later, he retired. There are 500 guys that come back for his retirement, for his last game. Just literally on the field, welcoming him on the field for his last game. I think about that often. Here’s a guy who probably never made six figures as a coach, right? He taught at a division three school.
Frank Agin, AmSpirit Business Connections:
Never really got wealthy. I’m sure he’s got a decent retirement. But we always think of success as being about money. He’s just the perfect example of, it’s not about money. It’s about living life on your own terms. He wanted to be a college football coach, and he was a college football coach. He impacted the lives of hundreds of men, inner city people, rich suburb kids. He’s got three very successful boys himself. That’s really the definition of success. Is just having that influence. It’s not about money. [inaudible 00:11:49] doesn’t make trailers that follow coffins. I think that’s a Zig Ziglar thing, and it’s true.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Frank Agin, AmSpirit Business Connections:
You can’t take it with you. So there’s always going to be somebody out there with more money. But just having impact. Having the ability to do what you want to do, and having impact on others. Really trying to help others have a better life. That’s how I look at success.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Thank you again for that Frank. Our next guests on the podcast were Scott and Sharon Specker. If you recall, they were the top performing franchisee for Five Star Painting. Scott and Sharon, a husband wife duo that share what success means to each of them. So first up was Scott.
Scott Specker, Five Star Painting:
For me, I think it changed as the business grew. For me it was making sure my wife felt safe, and felt comfortable with what I was doing. I ripped her corporate safety blankets away. That was a big deal. Now it means, it’s really that we’re staying true to ourselves, to our faith, to who we are, to our children, that I can hold my head high. Hold my head high when I walk into Public, and see neighbors and his house painted. People we’ve done business with and earn thousands of dollars from them. So it’s a big deal. We work in our community, we live in our community. So for me, it’s really just being able to honor God, and to be really happy, I think.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Next was Sharon Specker, who shared what success means to her.
Sharon Specker, Five Star Painting:
For me, it’s putting out a good product, being proud of the product that we put out. It is having a faith family balance. Work-faith family balance. Faith, family, and work all tied together, and just being able to be financially secure. Debt-free is great. Financially secure for our children, and for retirement. I mean, that is the meaning of success to me.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Well, thank you, Scott and Sharon for sharing what success means to you. We always appreciate having you guys on the show. Next up was Gregg Sargent. If you recall, Greg Sargent, he had actually built, and became the number one Chem-dry franchisee and Marketer of the year out of 48 countries. He won that award, and he built his own independent business. He’s now a coach and consultant in the mitigation and restoration, and carpet cleaning industries. Here is what he said about what success means to him.
Gregg Sargent, Restoration Made Simple:
Success is having time with your family, and providing for them. For me, it was always, “Oh, when I’ve got another truck and hired another person,” that was like this dopamine fix. It was as high, I was being successful. But when I actually deposit money into my account, and when my employees are making a whole lot more money than they did before, anywhere else they’ve worked, and they have time to be with their families. With our 10 children, yesterday we had four kids running cross country. We had two doing football, one doing soccer, two doing tumbling.
Gregg Sargent, Restoration Made Simple:
I mean, it gets to be a little crazy, but the struggle I’ve had, and the success where I finally feel like, is when I’m actually providing for them. But then I also get to be a part of their life. For us, the success is when we see a guy who goes, I literally just had someone sign up this week that said, “Greg, I’m either going to sell my franchise, and go do something else. Or I need you to help me turn this thing around, and double my profits.” That for me is when I get the high, is when somebody else says, “I actually own a business now. Not a job.”
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Our next guests on the podcast we’re Kay and shy. If you recall, they run the Squeeze In, which is a growing franchise system of breakfast and lunch restaurant. They are sisters that spend most of their waking time together. Personally, professionally in running the company, in doing all of the different business activities that they are involved with. Here’s what each of them had to say about what success means to them. So Kay went first.
Kay Salerno, Squeeze In:
Me first. I think success to us means holistic harmony. It means that not every day the laundry pile gets folded, but every day you go to bed happy, and that you go to bed grateful. I mean, maybe not happy, but you’re at least grateful, and you’ve got that sense that you understand that things are going to go in your direction. I think success it looks like not necessarily… it’s not, not worrying about the future, or not having problems. It’s being strong enough to continue to bear the burden of the blessings that we ask for.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Here is what Shiela had to say about what success means to her.
Shila Morris, Squeeze In:
Success really means that we feel energized by what we get to do on a primarily consistent basis, and finding the good in everything. As Tony Robbins says, happiness equals progress. So just making progress towards having more impact, being able to bring more good into the world. There’s enough bad people out there that have a lot of money. That are doing bad things with that a lot of money. I want to cast votes for good people who have a lot of money, and do good things with that money, and with their influence. So success really looks like making progress towards that goal, and equipping and empowering as many others as we can along the way.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Well, thank you so much that Kay and Shi. It was so great to have you on the podcast. Our next guest was John Francis, who talked about why you need a board of advisors. He talked about the benefits of having an advisory board. He’s had tremendous success in all aspects of franchising. Here’s what John had to say about what success means to him.
John Francis, Johnny Franchise:
I think success means to me that, I get to do what I want, the way I want. I feel pretty blessed, really, very blessed, very lucky. I work from home because I want to be around my kids. I still have young kids, and I get to manage my own schedule, right? I mean, I have plenty of work to do, and lots of clients, and lots of opportunities. But I manage my schedule best I can so that I have that freedom and flexibility to, I guess, do what I want, and when I want. Not always, but for the most part, I have the ability to do what I want the way I want. I think that’s success.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Well, thank you for sharing that, John, and we were so grateful to have you on the podcast. The last guest we’re going to share his interview with you today was with Shafik Mina, who’s the president of 2inspire, which is the parent organization for the Mad Science group, and Imagine Arts Academy by Crayola. He talked about some opportunities that came in unexpected places if you recall, about the business he started when he was in college, and took off. Now he is running a global children’s education, and inspiring the next generation of children. Here’s what he had to say about what success means to him.
Shafik Mina, Mad Science, 2inspire:
I believe that you got to be a well-rounded person, and that means as a family-man, I want to be the best husband I can be. As a father, I want to be the best father I can be. As a leader at work, I want to be the best leader I can be. So success for me is being the best I can be in all the different roles that I play in my life. It’s not just about financial success, or it’s not just about recognition in my career. It’s trying to balance all of these different roles that make up who I am on any given day. That to me is success. I know it’s not maybe as clear as an answer, but it’s balancing all of those, and making sure I give each one of them their due and my best. That’s what I can do. I can only bring my best to the table in those different roles.
Shafik Mina, Mad Science, 2inspire:
From a career perspective right now, for the benefit of your viewers, for us success is to see Mad Science remain the dominant player in the marketplace in science enrichment. It’s to grow Crayola Imagine Arts Academy, which has been on a phenomenal run, we launched this in September of last year. We are at 19 franchises already, and to add more brands to our roster. Our goal is to be a house of brands. We want to be number one, or number two in every category we get into. So that’s success from a career perspective, but that’s just one of the silos that make up a person. They’re not just about their career. They’re about everything else too.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Shafik, thank you so much for being a guest on the podcast. Again, that was just fantastic. Now we’re going to go ahead and wrap up the show. As we did last week, we’re going to go ahead and bypass the three key takeaways, just because I think that all of the recap and summary, and just little snippets from each guest in and of itself, all of these are the key takeaways from each podcast. So I think this is great, but we are still going to do a win-win. Here is today’s win-win. So today’s win-win is reflection. The final episode of 2020, I want to make sure that you are taking some time to reflect. Having some time and peace and quiet, to think about what happened over the course of the past 12 months. The good, the bad, and the ugly, and everything in between.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
For you to think about that on a personal level. Professionally with your business and your companies. On a spiritual level. Think about how all of these things intertwine and play with one another, and what you can learn from it, what you can take from it. And don’t lose sight of those experiences, because it’s going to help shape the trajectory of where you’re going into 2021. So that’s the episode today, folks. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks for being here. We look forward to seeing you and having you back in 2021. Please share this with your friends, family, or anyone else you think may be able to benefit from it. Happy New Year.
