Mark: Welcome to unsuitable on Rea Radio, the award-winning financial services and business advisory show that challenges your old school business practices and the traditional business suit culture. On this show, you’ll hear from industry professionals who will challenge you to think beyond the suit and tie while offering you meaningful, modern solutions to help you enhance your company’s growth. I’m your host, Mark Van Benschoten.
Over the last couple months, we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing some amazing, talented, intelligent people, and today we’re so proud to be celebrating the release of our 50th episode of this podcast. Unfortunately, this episode is bittersweet for me because it will be my last one of these as official host of unsuitable. Maybe they’ll have me back as a guest. Have no fear; I’m leaving this show in good hands, but more on that later. Today we’re going to highlight some of the very best pieces of advice some of our past guests say they’ve ever received or given. We’re also going to hear some excellent tips that they continue to pass on to their clients. Stay with us through today’s compilation episode, I’m sure you’re going to hear one or two insights you can put into action today.
Hi there, I’m Mark Van Benschoten, and I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. The secret’s out. I will whisper this again, in a sensual manner.
Rebecca, for our 50th episode, we’re having a compilation of advice that maybe either you received or you’ve given to colleagues related to business.
Rebecca Weiand: I think one that I’ve been given and always try to follow is, never be satisfied. The moment you’re satisfied …
Mark: Complacent.
Rebecca Weiand: You’re not trying to do better or improve or looking for the next big thing for your business, so never be satisfied.
Mark: Great advice, thank you.
David Shallenberger: I don’t know if it counts as advice, Mark, but I would just say, “Let’s try it.” Right out of the Rea Way, fail forward, that’s how we get better, so let’s try it.
Mark: I think that’s advice, I think that’s great advice. Thank you, David.
David Shallenberger: Thanks Mark.
Mark: Mike, we’re having a 50th episode compilation of the advice that maybe you’ve given to clients the most that you would like to share with us today.
Mike Stull: I think the piece of advice that I often go back to is: keep it simple. Really focus on the basics. When we think about healthcare in general, you can get so caught up in what’s new and what’s flashy that you forget about the simple things. That’s really where if we’re going to improve healthcare, it has to start at the very basic levels.
Mark: You don’t understand it, you should ask the question.
Mike Stull: Right. The thing that’s added the most years to the average lifespan in America is a very cheap, generic drug used to treat blood pressure. When you really think about that, it’s not all the new, crazy technology that you hear about, it’s these simple things that have been around for a long time, and I think we lose focus of that, and the same for business. When you think about just the pace that we run on from a business perspective, it’s real easy to lose focus on the basics in terms of building and maintaining relationships with colleagues and clients. I always go back to, that’s something that we always need to give ourselves a check and say, “Are we keeping focus on the basics?”
Mark: Great advice, thanks Mike.
Ryan Dumermuth: Mark, that’s a great question, and I wish I could answer it with just one quick bit of advice or tidbit. It’s so specialized because every client is so different that it changes depending on the client, the situation, the moment. I can’t pick just one thing.
Mark: Are you going to turn it to Kirk and make him answer it?
Ryan Dumermuth: I’m going to turn to Kirk and let him answer it. I think that’s important to understand is that I don’t can my advice or can my tips just to try to use it over and over.
Mark: You don’t have them in a postcard in the back of your pocket and say, “Oh, today’s Tuesday, Tuesday’s advice is … ?”
Ryan Dumermuth: No postcard. It’s experience, and then it’s going with your gut I guess.
Mark: Well that’s probably it right there. “Going with your gut.” I have to put words in your mouth. Kirk, what piece of advice have you gotten from Ryan that maybe you value the most? Not maybe value, but you do value?
Kirk Spillman: I think it’s a culmination of things as Ryan alluded to there. As I reflect over the years, there is a piece of advice that we often chuckle about after we talk, and it’s, be careful what you wish for. That’s just a way of saying, “Have you thought this through? Are you sure? Is this the best choice?”
Mark: Right. You want to make sure you don’t do things twice also.
Kirk Spillman: Exactly. We laugh about that on occasion, be careful what you wish for.
Mark: That’s great advice. Thank you, gentlemen.
Brian, in recognition of our 50th episode, we’re asking our guests as to one piece of business advice that they’ve received or maybe that they’ve given that’s really profound or they find themselves adhering more times than not.
Brian Harr: Oh boy.
Mark: Very thought provoking. Some people have said, about relationships, Jeff Lacy talked about the importance of relationships.
Brian Harr: I am a complete …
Mark: Maybe you can email it to us, and I’ll read you email.
Brian Harr: Okay. All right.
Mark: What’s one piece of advice that you give people before they get started in? What gets them over the top?
Brian Harr: That’s a good question. Man. I’m having a total blank.
Mark: That’s all right.
Brian Harr: If I had to pick one thing that really matters to me in business over the years the more that I’ve begun to recognize is passion. Whether it’s something I’m doing with my business, something, when I’m interviewing employees, is trying to identify are they passionate about what we’re doing, passionate about their role in it and the role that they serve? I think without that, you get into a grind, it gets monotonous, but if it’s something you’re passionate about, you’re going to find a way to work through that.
Mark: It’s a great point. Thank you very much Brian.
Ashley, we’re celebrating our 50th unsuitable podcast. We’re asking people who’ve sat in your seat, what’s one piece of advice that you’ve given over time or one piece of advice that you’re really really proud of?
Ashley Matthews: I would say one piece of advice that I give my clients often is, let us help you.
Mark: That’s great advice.
Ashley Matthews: Open up your business, open up your books, open up everything. Let us learn about it and let us help you as much as we can.
Mark: Don’t be embarrassed. Show us your …
Ashley Matthews: Right, we want to see your true colors.
Mark: Correct. We can’t help it, right? We can’t put a Band-Aid on it if we don’t know where the sore is.
Ashley Matthews: Exactly.
Mark: Thank you very much.
Do you have anything you can share with us?
Melane Howell: Absolutely. I give this piece of advice to almost every single client of mine, and it’s very simple. If something happens that you need to call your attorney, please call me as well, because you would be surprised at how many things that you call your attorney for also have tax consequences.
Mark: That’s a great piece of advice. Thank you very much.
Melane Howell: You’re welcome.
Mark: We’re doing a little compilation for our 50th episode, and we’re asking our guests if they can provide some advice either they received or given that they think is very profound that they want to acknowledge.
Jeff Brindley: I guess I would say that, you cannot expect, in retail especially, you cannot expect your employees to make your customers happy unless you’ve been willing to make your employees happy.
Mark: I think that’s great advice. Probably because it’s not, I would think, not just retail, it’s very hard to put on a smiling face and get out there and get knee deep in the shit when you’re employees unhappy and expect them to make somebody else happy.
Jeff Brindley: That’s true. I mentioned retail, because it’s such, as you’ve learned in your couple months with us, an extraordinarily high percentage of our people touch our customers face to face.
Mark: Yes, they do. Great advice, thank you very much.
Jeff Brindley: Thank you.
Jeff Lacy: I think overall, and I said it earlier, but it’s the relationship part. I believe it’s to treat everyone as you would want to be treated yourself. I try to say that to my kids as well as other people that look at me as a mentor. I believe that’s the important thing that I can offer.
Mark: That’s important. To reflect on that. Sometimes we struggle with that, and to be honest with that and say you’re sorry when you have to.
Jeff Lacy: Exactly.
Mark: Thank you very much, Jeff.
Jeff Lacy: Thanks.
Mark: Angie, for our 50th episode, we’re having a compilation of advice that you’ve given most frequently to clients. Something that you think is very profound. Would you like to share that with us today?
Angie Isakson: I think the most profound thing that I can tell a client, or I’ve told a client is perhaps that people are important. People are first. If your employees are happy, if you’re happy, you are going to have a better environment, more productivity, more efficiency. I think that would be it that people are first.
Mark: Great advice. Thank you very much.
Angie Isakson: Welcome.
Mark: Anything stick out over your career?
Gene Spittle: Boy, there’s so many of them, Mark, I don’t know where to start.
Mark: We’ve got a lot of time, Gene.
Gene Spittle: I was thinking about that, and it probably comes down to, more than once I’ve been able to identify personnel issues within an organization, outsider looking in, and everybody’s wondering why things aren’t working the way they should be working. Many times those are siblings of the owner, or relatives. I’ve been pretty blunt. A few times said, “You’re not going to like this, but I feel you’re son or daughter is the problem, and once you get him or her out of there, things will get better.” I’ve probably given that 2 or 3, 4 times over the years and it worked. I didn’t get fired by the client. That’s the good thing.
Mark: That speaks to you, Gene, as a practitioner, as a service provider, for saying the difficult thing, for recognizing it. It’s not your, “Here’s your audit, here’s your tax return, here’s a piece of advice that’s important to your business.” I commend you on doing that. That’s very impressive.
Gene Spittle: Thank you. That’s what we try to do. That’s who we are.
Mark: That’s who “Gene Spitale” is.
Gene Spittle: “Gene Spitale”, yes.
Mark: Thanks Gene.
Gene Spittle: Professional golfer.
Mark: Very exciting.
Brad Circone: 104. Give me something.
Mark: Check, check. 1, 2, check.
Speaker 17: I miss your unicycle.
Speaker 16: Do you wear tight shorts when you ride that unicycle?
Speaker 15: All right, give me something.
Mark: At the beginning of today’s program I said I was going to be leaving this podcast in good hands. That is a true statement. I’m going to give you some more details about that transition right now. In fact, in the spirit of this episode, not only am I going to name my replacement, I’m going to help him get started out on the right foot by sharing some tips that I’ve learned over the last year as host of this podcast. Your new host is no stranger to unsuitable. He’s already been featured on 2 episodes as one of our cash flow gurus. Not only is he incredibly intelligent, he’s funny, has a great relationship with everyone he meets, and I believe he has the personality needed to keep this good thing going. Please welcome the new host of unsuitable on Rea Radio, Dave Cain.
Dave: Thanks Mark. Could you go into that little intro more and talk about how amazing and talented and intelligent I am going forward?
Mark: That’s a one-take line, Dave. Dave, it’s great to have you here. Before I give up the host mic, you have to listen to me for a few more moments.
Dave: Okay, we’re listening.
Mark: I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this. I’ve had a great time with it. A great group of people supporting you, helping you with this. Please enjoy it. Have a good time. At times it can be nerve wracking, you don’t know what you’re going to say, you don’t know what the next question is going to be, you don’t know how you’re going to get an episode to last 20 minutes. Just enjoy that. Whatever it is it is, it’ll be great.
Dave: Thanks Mark, those are great words of advice. I do want to congratulate you on the awards and the ratings that you receive for this program. They’ve been off the charts. I think we have to shout out at the production crew. They’ve done a great job. By the looks of things, looks like they were out pretty late last night celebrating the awards and the ratings.
Mark: I agree, this looks a little shabby.
Dave: Hopefully, we’ll get them all squared away for the next episode. I do want to share some parting words with you. When Derek Jeter came to bat for the last time, I was sad. When Walter Cronkite signed off, I was sad. When Johnny Carson signed off for the last time, I was really sad. The fact that you’re signing off for the last time, I’m not really that upset about that.
Mark: Thanks Dave. I take that as a compliment that you feel comfortable that you can say that with me. In theory right now, I’m a client.
Dave: You are. You’re right, clients are always right. Mark, we’re looking forward to continuing the relationship and best of luck to you. If I may, can I sign off in honor of you?
Mark: I’d be honored if you did. Thank you.
Dave: I want to thank to everybody for tuning into today’s episode of unsuitable and hope you will continue to join us in future episodes. We have some great topics and guests coming your way. If you want to learn more about Rea, you know the drill. Google Rea & Associates. That’s spelled R-E-A. Look at our website. Our marketing and growth department has done a great job. There’s some great tools on there to look at. Certainly, don’t forget to subscribe to unsuitable on Rea Radio on iTunes and SoundCloud. Until next time, I’m Dave Cain, we’re unsuitable on Rea Radio. Thanks for listening, don’t forget to take that tie off.