Devin the Genius, An Entrepreneurs Curse, A PVHT Jail Break, Protection from the Glare of Life
“The type of person you are is usually reflected in your business. To improve your business, first, improve yourself.”
Good morning my friends and enemies; how are you? I’m fine, slept great, now it’s time to cleanse some thoughts.
My day started with a call from my doctor’s office; the blood work looked excellent; in the words of my doctor, “whatever you are doing, keep doing it.” It was like getting a stamp of approval on life; here we grow!
I left here, went a few blocks to the north to meet my new friend Devin, who owns a growing company; at 23, he might be one of the brightest young men I’ve met in some time. We worked on a software product his company designed; he has four more to launch next year; he has more than 100 employees, working on some strategy for my two companies, and will return next week for 5 hours of power. We are going to automate our prospecting system. Once I master it, I’ll share it with others and help other insurance agencies grow in future years.
I left there and headed to Muncie, IN. I met a friend and client for lunch. The Roots Burger Bar is our choice these days. We met and talked about family, business, life. I saw the manager Phil and the owner Scott; we chatted briefly, all navigating this unique time. My friend said he was anxious; he had been building his company for 20 years; I’ve watched him grow his machine year by year, but now he is thinking about doing something else. I stated, “that is the entrepreneur’s curse, build it only to get distracted with another idea.”
In times like these (Grohl – 98), it is essential to talk regularly with other entrepreneurs. Find like-minded people and see how they are processing these daily curve balls and strikes. Open honest conversation about how you are doing, how you feel, and assess the other’s state of mind. Through mutual experience, we can collectively find balance.
I left there and headed to Beautiful Parker City, Indiana. My hometown, where my parents sired me, where I spent 40 years of my life. I ducked into my world headquarters and chatted with my brother and our operations manager. We caught up on the happenings in the community. What has closed, some movement of people from point A to point B.
I snuck over to my friend Melissa; I’ve known her since 7th grade, she’s cut my hair for 30 years, we caught up as well. We talked about retirement, life insurance, our futures kids’ weddings. We covered a lot of ground. A client arrived, I had to run to my next appointment, a long time client and friend.
I arrived a little early; we had to do some work on the account; we did well. I was proud of our work. We talked about current events, cupcakes, and buttercups and then dove into numbers. We reviewed everything; we agreed to make some tweaks, look at some options. Many of my clients have been with me 20 years plus, we have had ups and downs, but there is a trust level emanating from both sides. I genuinely love my work.
I headed back down to our Indy home; I met my Queen, grabbed our kids’ birthday present, and drove 20 minutes to her house. We met her, young Josie, her beau, and his entire family. They had Chick Fil A cater; it was rather remarkable. We had a friendly chat; presents were opened, the hit of the night was a Panini machine, aka a Quesidellia maker.
We hung around for a couple of hours; we both had to get up early today, so we were home by 9:00, immediately in bed, and asleep by 9:30. I clocked about 4 hours of drive time a long day of driving; I’m working like it’s 2019!
Our pup, Parker Van Halen Thompson, is rather intelligent. We bought a lovely ORVIS crate, it has a zip front, and when we left for our kids, we put her safely in her home. When we returned, she had gotten out. She had been running in the house for 2 hours, no significant issues, but how did she escape? She came upstairs with us for a few moments, the Queen put her back in her crate, and within 5 minutes, she was back up in our room looking like, “Ha, I broke the code!”
She figured out how to unzip the zipper using her webbed feet. The Queen figured out if you zip to the center, she is incapable of escaping, well, for now. We could have got a stupid dog; fortunately for us, we got einstein. Well, we will see, but as of now, I think this dog could do calculus.
Another day of appointments, meeting strangers, I’ve met more new people this year than in any year in my history in the industry, and this year has been a year of personal and professional growth. A year of expanding our firm to a virtual platform, a year of investment in new tools to help us perform like a major league team. We picked up some great talent and are well-positioned for 2021.
We will end the week strong, meeting with some new friends, maybe bringing some new folks into our family. We had a great week; our team is humming; I can see a future, a future so bright, I had to get those glasses that turn dark when you go outside. Those glasses now have a puppy’s teeth marks; she’s smart, but not perfect.
We are positioned for a market uptick or downturn. Just tell us the rules; we will follow them and exploit them in our favor. We have built a magical, mystical glimmering machine; it’s ours to grow or keep the same size. Our team is silly; I liken our team to the band of Chicago making fantastic music. Like Chicago, some of us older folks are starting to see the younger folks’ growth, it won’t be long before some new faces make decisions, and my Queen and I will sit in the background watching the explosion of our “baby.” For now, I just wear my puppy teeth marked dark glasses and hope to avoid the glare of life.
"The type of person you are is usually reflected in your business. To improve your business, first, improve yourself."