Yeah, went from sleeping on the floor, now my jewelry box froze. Fuck up boat, fuck up stove, counted millions in the cold. Bad bitch, booty swole, got her on bankroll, can't fold. That's a no, headshot, case closed.
What is up guys, it's Andy Frisella and this is the show for the realest. Say goodbye to the lies, the fakeness, and delusions of modern society and welcome to motherfucking reality. Guys, today we have Q&A. That's where you submit the questions and we give you the answers. DJ is going to tell you how you can submit your questions.
Yeah, guys, we want your questions. Please email them in to askandy@andyfresella.com. That's one way to do it. You can also check the link in the description below, uh, submit your questions there, or just drop them in the comment section of the Q&A videos on the YouTube.
Now guys, if this is your first time listening, we do have other shows within the show. We have Cruise the Internet, we call it CTI. Uh, that's where we put topics up here on the screen. We talk about what's going on, we speculate, and then we talk about how we the people have to solve these problems going on in the world. Sometimes we also have Real Talk. Real Talk's just 5 to 20 minutes of me giving you some real talk. And then we have 75 Hard Versus. 75 Hard Versus is where people who come on the show who have completed 75 Hard and transformed their lives— if you're unfamiliar with 75 Hard, I don't know where you've been, but It is the initial phase of the Live Hard program, which is the world's most famous mental transformation program ever. And you get that for free at episode 208 on the audio feed. It's only on audio. It's not on YouTube. You can also get a book. The book is called The Book on Mental Toughness. You get that at andyforsella.com. It has everything that is inside the Live Hard program plus a whole bunch of extra content about mental toughness, why it's important, how to cultivate it and use it in your life.
Now, the book is not free, by the way, but if you're someone who likes to know the ins and outs and all the details like I am, it's a hell of a book. With that being said, we are the biggest show in the world that does not run ads. And we do that for a very simple reason. I never want you to think that what I'm saying is being forced or paid for me to say. I'm going to give you my honest takes. And so in exchange for that, I ask very simply that you help us grow the show. If the show makes you think, if it makes you laugh, if it gives you a new perspective, if you learn some shit, do us a favor and share the show. All right. So don't be a hoe.
Share the show.
What's up, man?
Salutations.
Greetings, greetings, fine shits. Konnichiwa.
Mitsubishi soy sauce.
I speak Kawasaki Toyota. That's right, that's right.
Dave's like, I can understand them. What's going on, man?
Nothing, dude.
Yeah, beautiful day, dog. Yeah, beautiful day out here. It's, uh, it's great.
It's, it's been good the last 2 days.
It's been all right.
You know, I wasn't planning on it being great because, uh, we were called for like storms and shit, but it's been It's been perfect.
It's coming tomorrow. I think it's coming.
Hey, it can come on Monday and Tuesday, man. I will take the weekend.
Yeah, weekend tonight.
You know, we're both out riding today. This is Sunday, by the way, we're recording this. It is. A lot of people been asking me, they've been asking me about all the bike content I've been putting up and they think that like that's new to me, right? I'm getting a lot of, you know, it's okay, but a lot of people saying, hey, be careful, wear a helmet and this and that.
Wear your seatbelt.
Yeah. Look, guys, I've been riding bikes since I was 8 years old. All right. Dirt bikes. I've had a street bike literally since I was 17. Yeah, the entire time. And I have multiple bikes. And that bike that you guys have been asking about, that's not a new bike. I've had that for over a decade. The reason that you've never seen me post about it is because for a while I took a hiatus from riding motorcycles.
Mm-hmm.
And the reason that I took a hiatus from riding motorcycles is because I have a lot of people who depend on me. And we are to a point now where the companies are pretty much self-sustaining. I'm not the CEO anymore. I do help with things. Um, but if something were to happen to me, we'd be okay. Mm-hmm. So I'm back to doing shit that I actually want to do. And so I just want to let you guys know that because I've been getting lots of questions about it.
It's not a midlife crisis.
No. Yeah, no, it's something I've always been into. And for a while there, it was just something that, you know, we had to start taking precautions, you know, things that people don't think about. Like my brother and I never fly on the same airplane. My business partner and I never fly on the same airplane. These are things that we do to ensure that if something were to happen, everything would be okay. And, uh, you know, I gotta live a life too, man, and these are things that I enjoy. So I just wanted to mention that because a lot of people have been asking me about it.
Now, it has been a minute, but how's it feel?
You know, the first day I was out, it felt a little— it was— I was a little wobbly. Um, I got— you know how, like, when you first start getting— it felt like when you first start riding, kind of, on the road, where you're like, you're you're kind of— it's kind of not relaxing because you're like, yeah, you're nervous. But really, after like 30 minutes, dude, it all went away. Everything came back.
Yeah.
And I feel good. There's nothing else like it. There really isn't. I mean, I'm still a car guy. I love cars. I'm always going to love cars way more than bikes. But it is a totally different thing.
It's something about just strapping a fucking powerful engine between your nuts. Well, there's just something there.
I'm used to that, so.
Oh, yeah, yeah. There's something there.
No, I'm just saying, dude, like, uh, there's just nothing I can— like, there's nothing else. Like, it's a different thing. And, um, you know, I think for all you guys that ride, you know, my recommendation will always be, you know, try to stay out of traffic, dude. I think, you know, riding is an amazing thing. It's very fun. Um, but riding through the city and on the highway and in traffic and lane splitting and all that shit, bro, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of 100%. And, you know, just, just be smart.
Oh, yeah. So, oh, yeah.
I know there's guys that are listening right now. I'd be like, you're a pussy if you don't lane spit and ride it every day and ride it. Okay, well, then I'm a pussy. It's like, you know, whatever you say, but it ain't worth being stupid. I've had a number of friends over the years who have passed away from bikes.
Same.
Yeah, dude. And it's, it's something that, you know, the minute you don't use your fucking brain, you could be a fucking mark on the asphalt and, you know, people are wearing a t-shirt with your fucking face airbrushed on it.
That's right.
You know what I'm saying? That's right.
So that's right. Now, dude, it's what I've had to mature a lot from riding.
Yeah, I was especially with kids.
Yeah, you got kids and shit. But like, when I first started riding, the amount of side mirrors that I fucking punched off. Well, just from being a fuck—
you know what I'm saying? Sometimes people deserve it.
Some people do.
That's the other thing. You guys that don't ride, You don't understand what you're doing when you get close to a bike or you're riding its blind spot. It all it takes is one fucking time of a slight mistake. It's not like a car where you're like, oops, you motherfuckers that text and drive and don't pay attention.
Assholes.
You are fucking assholes. And on top of that, give them their space. Don't ride up on their back. You know, give them plenty of room and, you know, be courteous and watch out.
You know, like, I got cut off like twice just on the way here.
I know, dude.
You know what I'm saying?
People just pulling out. It's way more dangerous than it used to be. Before texting, it was so much easier to ride because people were paying way more attention. Yeah, but now you got all these cars.
Were not as fast back then either, right?
Oh yeah, we had buggies actually. Yeah. Yeah, you know, we had buggies. It was a lot easier when it was horse and buggy.
That's right. Yeah, Model Ts.
Nah, man, it's just annoying how unaware and how disrespectful drivers are to riders, you know? It's like, dude, fuck you guys.
Yeah, no, for sure.
So unless you're on a road bike, then fuck you.
That's right. Yeah, well, that's a whole different conversation.
Road bikers, cyclists, you got motorcycles. I'm talking about motorcycles. The road bikers There's something wrong with y'all, you know. You don't— you know what I'm saying?
Is that the next stage?
I guess.
Is that where we go next?
I guess.
You know what I'm saying?
No, I fucking—
we get, we get the skin-tight suit, the helmet.
That will never happen.
Fucking clicky shoes.
Yeah, they own the road.
That's right, that's right. Fuck, man. Hell yeah, dude. Well, guys, listen, it's gonna be a great show. Uh, I got 3 good ones for you. All right, let's make some people better today, guys. Andy, question number 1. Hey Andy, DJ, the team. I'm about to turn 21 here in a few weeks, and I've been working on myself a lot last couple of years, uh, getting ready for the real world— my mindset, my fitness, etc. I'm finishing school next semester with a degree in accounting. I have a good place to work lined up. Things are going really well. What I am struggling with is when I'm around certain friends or even family, um, I feel like I don't fit in. I don't feel like I fit the same. I came from nothing. Most of my close family is slightly overweight and they continue to make bad decisions. I just chose not to, thanks to your help and all that you do. I don't want to think I'm better than anyone, but I also don't want to shrink back and stay comfortable. How do you handle that without becoming arrogant?
What is arrogant? Arrogant. Arrogant is a label that they're giving you because you're trying to improve yourself, trying to improve yourself and be better and build and create and become what you see inside of you is not arrogant. That doesn't make you better than them. That's just how they perceive it because they're not doing fucking anything. Okay. So when they say that to you, you have to understand that it means nothing. Okay? It means nothing. Nothing. You should give it zero energy. You should think about it 0%. You should really just understand that those people are going to be the exact same place, the exact same people doing the exact same things when you are 41 that they are now when you're 21. You have to understand that. So anything that you take from them, that is anything other than, hey man, I really, you know, whatever I can do, I know I don't know much, but I'll help you any way I can. I hope you make it. Let's make it. And they cheer. Anything other than that is probably terrible information. Terrible information. Unless, which is rare, they are willing to tell you why they they haven't been able to be successful and be honest about it.
But most people aren't. Most people make up stories. They talk about, you know, how they got screwed over or the, you know, the challenges that they weren't able to overcome or the victimhood that the world has bestowed upon them. And these people are cancerous to the mindset and the drive and the ambition that you have. Anybody out here listening, if you have goals and you have dreams and you want to be better and these losers call you arrogant, you have to understand that that means fucking nothing. Arrogant is when you're overestimating your own importance and your own abilities. And dude, all you're doing is trying to be better. Yeah, that's not arrogance. Okay, come to me in 10 years or 5 years when you're making a few million bucks a year and you think you're Elon Musk, and I'll tell you, you're an arrogant fuck.
That's right.
But that's coming from me.
That's right.
That's coming from someone who's further down the road. You should never listen to people who are not further down the road with you when it comes to criticism, because their criticism comes from a place of insecurity. It does not come from a real place. Okay? And you have to understand, these people will sell themselves on these stories that are total bullshit about why they never became who they wanted to become. And they will sell themselves so hard on that story, they will eventually pretend that's what they wanted. They will say that they will take pride in being the same. I'm the same motherfucker I was as a— as I always was. Well, dude, that's pretty terrible.
It's not good.
The whole point of trying to go through the journey of life is growth and improvement. And progression and tapping your God-given potential that you were gifted with and bringing that into the world. And if you're bragging about being the same as you were 5, 10, 20 years ago, your mind is fucked up. You don't understand what's going on. Okay? So you should give these people 0% of your thought and your energy. Zero.
Fuck, man. Yeah, I never switched up.
Oh, bro, I've always been the same. Yeah, that's your whole fucking problem, dude. Yes. Like, have you figured that out yet? You're drinking the same place, you're talking to the same people, you're living in the same town, you're working the same job, you're fucking exactly the same. In fact, all this change is that you've gotten fatter and dumber and grayer and older and worse. So you're not actually even the same. You're worse than you were. And then they'll brag about it like it's some sort of, you know, badge of honor. Oh, I'm the realest motherfucker out there because I'm the same. No, you're a dumbass. Okay? You're a dumbass and you don't understand. And you've sold yourself and manipulated your own mind into believing that somehow doing nothing with your life is some sort of thing to brag about. You're— there's nothing about you that's cool. Like, that's not cool.
No, man. So stay on the path. Yeah, stay with it. Yeah, yeah. I love it, dude. Ah, is it interesting too?
I'm sure— I don't like—
do you see it? I feel like that culture, especially with the young guys, right? Like, it's kind of like they're getting it, you know what I'm saying?
Oh yeah, listen, the, the American ambition culture, the hard-working culture, the want-to-win culture is back in full swing with the young men and young women. It's fucking awesome. It's coming And, you know, you got to understand the reason that they don't like— the reason that young people struggle with this at 21 years old is because they don't have the perspective of someone who's 40. They don't— they don't know someone who's 40 who has gone down the path that they wanted to go down, that they were intended to go on. That person literally watched their best friends the people they at one point cared the most about waste their entire lives. They've seen it. Okay. But when you're 21, you can't see that. You don't understand where these people are going. But I'm telling you, that's what happens. And those people that are saying that same shit, I'm sure a lot of what I just said resonated with a lot of people, right? Man, that's true. People do brag about staying the same. They do say it's real. No, that's not real. Real is saying, hey, I'm where I'm at and I'm not where I want to be and I'm willing to do whatever the fuck it takes to get there and I'm going to do it.
And then doing it, that's some real shit. That's real man shit. Okay. Real man shit is not living the same life over and over and over again for 60 fucking years and then, you know, struggling your whole life, bitching your whole life, complaining about your whole life and then acting like you chose it. Okay. Like you wanted it. You didn't fucking want that. You're a liar. You're lying.
Fuck, dude, I love it.
Yeah, it's just weak-ass shit, bro.
I love it, bro. I love it. Hell yeah, man. Guys, Andy, let's get another question in, man. Uh, guys, any question number 2? Andy, I'm 29, I work in tech sales, uh, and I've had a couple really good years financially, uh, way better than I ever expected this early. The weird part is the things I thought would make me feel accomplished money hitting my numbers, the recognition, they don't hit the way I thought they would. Uh, it's like the high is shorter every time, and then I'm right back chasing the next thing. It makes me wonder if I'm chasing the wrong stuff, but I don't really know what else to chase. Did you go through that, and were you technically— where you're technically winning, but it doesn't feel the way you expect it?
A thousand percent. Oh yeah, okay, thousand percent. Okay. Every single wealthy person, if they have any kind of introspective ability, goes through this. All right. In the beginning, when I was young, when I was 19, when I started in business, bro, I wanted boats and hoes and money. Okay. Like, that's what the fuck I wanted. I wanted to make a lot of money. I wanted to have cool shit. I wanted to have hot girls. I wanted all the shit that all the young men want. Okay. And that's what I wanted. All right. So I worked and worked and worked and worked and worked and worked and worked. And eventually I got to a point where I made a lot of money. All right. And that was about, for me, um, as you guys know, my first 3 years I made $0. My next 7 years I made $695 a month. For a total of $58,380. In my 11th year, I made $180,000 and I thought I was rich. And then the year after that, I made 7 figures and I've never made less than that since then. Okay. So in 2000, this was— so that would be 2011, '12.
In 2014, '15, I had more money than I ever could imagine. Having because of what I had just been through being broke. Right.
That's a big change.
Huge change. Huge change. And I also hadn't like really upgraded my lifestyle. So I was like, I was stacking cash.
Oh yeah.
All right. So I got sick, I got pneumonia, and for the first time in 14 years, I missed a significant amount of work. I missed 17 days of work. Okay, workdays, not, not just weekends, like Monday through Friday. So it was like, you know, 2 weeks, 2 full weeks, right? Or 3 full weeks.
Yeah.
And I was so sick, dude. I had pneumonia and it was really bad. And anybody who's had pneumonia knows, like, it is terrible. And I was laying on the couch and I was watching movies and, you know, just sitting there. And I watched, you know, I could pull up my banking app on my phone and I could see the money going in and I watched my money keep going up. Everything was going good, but I was fucking miserable because I was at home pretty much alone for all that time. I didn't see anybody at work. I didn't— I didn't get to socialize. It was bad. And like, I was very depressed and it like clicked. Because up until then, money was the focus of the reason I started, for the most part. Around 2010, I, I kind of had a— you guys know the story where I had this deal where my intent really switched, and that's when we started making money. But that's not, that's not part of this conversation. So I never understood, like, you, you know, you hear about these people that have everything and then they like blow their brains out.
And you're like, what the fuck, dude? You had everything. Why the fuck would you do that? You have to understand, they didn't have everything because everything— they were used to everything. So it's like when you go somewhere and it's brand new, you know, if you go to Disneyland the first day, you're like, holy shit, this is fucking amazing, right? The next day, Disneyland's probably a bad example. But the point is, if you go there for 200 days in a row, it's just what it is. All right. When you buy a new house and you go to the new house, you're like, oh my God, I love my house. It's so amazing. 2, 3 years later, you're— it's just home.
Just home.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So you get acclimated to the things around you. And this is why these wealthy people who have no goals, no ambition, no, no purpose past the point of making money get so depressed. All right. Because, dude, let me tell you something, and I've seen this shit. There's nothing more depressing than going to these rich people parties and seeing everybody wear the big jewelry and the nice watches. And by the way, I like the shit. It's not my fucking purpose in life, you know? And they're taking all the group watch shots and, It's like, dude, aren't you guys tired of this shit? Like, like, and you know, like they're drinking the expensive champagne and everybody's hobnobbing and dude, it's just like, honestly, it's just fucking gay. Like it really just is like, that's the only way I could say it. And it's very sad. It's very sad because a lot of these people are very empty, but it doesn't have to be that way. It doesn't have to be that way. And it's not supposed to be that way. So when I was sick, I had this revelation. I'm like, oh, this— even though I wasn't the wealthiest guy, I was wealthy for me.
Yeah.
And, you know, I had out— I had out-earned, you know, anybody that I personally knew, anybody in my family. And for me, like, I was like, dude, this is what you're— this is what I always, you know, was supposed to do. And it dawned on me, like, at this really— like, in a really, like, hard way. I said, fuck, this is why they kill themselves. This is why. And I realized that I needed to figure out how to make that go away. And so what I, what I realized is that there are 3 things that you have to do in order to continue to feel what you're looking for, which is fulfillment, your ambition, your drive, not complacent.
Yeah.
Okay. So the 3 things— well, the first thing I figured out was I had a bunch of people who had worked very hard for us that had helped us build this business. And I said, okay, they helped me, I got to help them. And that was like the first thing I thought. Okay, so it changed my purpose from me to them, just like I did in 2011 when we changed the purpose from me to the customer, which is what set the business on the track in the first place. So I did the same thing for my employees. I said in my mind and in my heart, I said, okay, this isn't about you anymore. It's about them. All right. And so I switched that focus, which gave me more purpose. And there's 3 things that you have to have. Okay? You have to have— actually, 4 things. One, you got to have the right intent. Is the intent on yourself or is it on others? Okay? And if your intent is on yourself with your customers, you're going to lose. If your intent is on yourself with your employees, you're going to lose. Okay? It's a two-way street.
And if you focus on them, they will give to you and vice versa. That's how it works. So you got to have the right intent. Where's your intent? Is your intent on you? I would bet if I'm talking to you, your intent has been on just getting you some motherfucking coin. That's what it's been. So audit your intent. All right. The next thing is there's 3 things that you have to have in order to feel happy on the process. Okay. And that's something that's very important for people to understand. Yes, the money's cool. Yes, the success is awesome. But you know what I love the most of anything that I do is coming in here and being around the team. Yeah, I love it, dude. I'm here every single day. I was just talking. I think out of the days that besides the times I've been out of town, I've probably in 6 years, I've probably missed less than a week of days here. Okay. And that's Saturday and Sunday. So I'm here every day because I love being here and That leads into what, what I'm going to talk about here for a second, which I think you all need to pay very close attention to.
All right, there's 3 things that you need to have that will bring you fulfillment and happiness. One, you have to have a purpose. Okay, humans are meant for a bigger purpose. They're not just meant to trade some of their life for some money and then go spend some shit. That's not what it's about. Now, I love all the shit. I've got all the cars. I've I've got a cool, you know, I've got cool properties. I do whatever I want. I love this shit. That's my lifestyle. That's my standard. Okay. And I'm not changing it, but it's not, it's not anything more than life experience. It's just, it's how I choose to want to live. Right. I'm talking about real purpose. Okay. What is your purpose? What are you building? What are you creating? What are you, what are you, pursuing? Who are you becoming? All right. And why?
Yeah.
All right. So you have to have a real purpose. And if your purpose is just to make some money, eventually when you get it, you're going to feel how you're describing. All right. And everybody who makes money feels this way in the beginning and some never correct it. So this is very important for you guys to hear because I'm sure you're going to get to a point where you're making a lot of money if you listen to the shit that I tell you. If you don't, You might not, but I'm going to tell you, if you listen to shit I tell you, you're gonna win. So you got to have the purpose. Okay. The second thing is you got to be grateful and have gratitude for where you are at the moment. All right. Understand you may not be where you want to be, but you are a hell of a lot better off than a lot of other people. And you're a hell of a lot better off than the worst case scenario. And it doesn't matter how bad things are for you right now. It could be a lot worse. Okay, so even if you're at rock bottom, you're not really at rock bottom, bro.
It could get a lot deeper. All right, be grateful for where you are and grateful for the opportunity to move forward and look at the small things. Even when I was broke, dude, and didn't have shit, part of my daily prayer at night was always, thank you, God, for making me who I am, and I wouldn't trade places with anybody on the planet. I love who I am, and I love who you made me, and I love the people in my life. And I would never— I, and I mean this, dude, I would never trade with anybody. I wouldn't trade with anybody on this planet. I like being me. I love the people in my life. And I've always felt that way, even when I didn't have any money. Okay? So you got to be grateful. And the last thing is, you have to practice discipline. You got to be able to cultivate the ability to control the things that you are in control of. These are very simple things that dictate most of the outcome of our life. Okay? This is what you eat. This is what you drink. This is what you put in your mind.
This is who you associate with. These are simple things with a few other things that you are in control of that dictate most of your reality. All right. So you have to cultivate the ability to be disciplined. This is the whole point of 75 Hard and the Live Hard program. It's about teaching you that discipline is not a trait that people are born with. It's a skill. And it's also a perishable skill that you have to continue to invest in over time. If you can do these 4 things together, audit your intent, figure out what your purpose is, and make it bigger than yourself. Much bigger. And by the way, you're going to have to redo your purpose many times over the journey because you're going to get to the point where you're at again, where you're going to feel like, well, yeah, I'm doing this, but it's, it's, it's, you know, I'm kind of, I'm kind of— well, then fucking make it bigger, bro. All right? You got to continue to make the purpose bigger as you go. This is why these wealthy people fucking are so miserable, because they don't do that. They get to the point where they're— they buy a $30 million house and they got an airplane and they got a boat and they got all this shit and, and they, and they fuck.
What do they do? They fucking drink all day. They drink, start at 11:00 in the morning. They— their life becomes a wreck. And, you know, it's— there's no way to live.
Yeah.
Okay. And by the way, that's not all wealthy people. That's just people that don't figure it out. There's plenty of people that figure it out. So this whole fucking idea that all the fucking brokies say about, oh, rich people are so unhappy, like they'll say this shit on Instagram. Yeah, but are you happy? Well, are you fucking happy? Right? Like, like, oh, are you happy eating fucking ramen and driving a shitbox and living in your shithole apartment? Are you happy? Right, right. Like, you're not— you don't have to have one or the other. You don't have to be poor to be happy. You can be very wealthy and be happy if you understand that that's not the focus of your entire life. And actually, the way that you become wealthy is by having a big enough purpose that changes enough people or serves enough people that they trade you the money for it. You just don't understand the game. All right. So You got to have the purpose. You got to be grateful for where you are, like I explained. And then you've got to be able to be disciplined. And if you could combine those 4 points, it will remove the feeling that you are having, which is very common amongst people who be— when they start making real money.
Yeah. Did I want to ask you this too? On the point of being grateful and practicing gratitude, right? Because you mentioned like you did it when you were— when you were poor, when you didn't have anything. Is it harder to be grateful when you're poor versus when you're rich?
You don't know what— you don't know what it's like to be rich. It's just you're grateful. You know what I mean? Like when you're poor, you don't fucking know. And when you're rich, you know, and you're like, yeah, this is awesome. But okay, you know what I'm saying?
Like, I got it. Okay.
No, it's not harder. It's, it's, it's, it's not. No, no. The answer is no. The thing is, is sometimes when people get rich, they forget to be grateful because they get immune to the life that they have, which is exceptional. So when things go wrong, they get angry and then they bitch and they cry and they forget about what it used to be like. Yeah, right. So, and dude, I want to drive this point home before we move on to question 3. But dude, you do not have to be poor to be happy. That is a, that is a poor people thought process that justifies their own inaction and their own willingness to go down the harder path. And that's why they say things to people who are doing things like this man is doing, where he's out building his life, becoming who he wants to be. And then, you know, those— he'll go out and buy a nice house and buy a nice car and do the things that you do when you get some money. And people are going to say, oh, I bet he's not happy. I bet he's not happy. That's just them like discounting what they could have been so it doesn't hurt them as bad.
You know?
So, yeah, that's the truth.
Yeah, they're full of shit, dude.
Fucking true.
Full of shit, bro. Listen, you cannot—
I would argue you can't be happy when you're poor. If you're being real.
No, you can't be fucking hard. You can be because someone don't have some— here's where you can't be happy, okay? You can't be happy when you have ambition and you have goals and you're poor. If you are, if you are poor and you don't have like bigger goals and your goal might just be to, you know, do your life, you know, some people listen, man, not everybody's ambitious. Not everybody has big goals. This show isn't for those people. Okay? Those people should go listen to music and just be happy, dude. The— you could be happy. But, but you can't, you can't have goals and ambitions and be poor and be happy.
Yeah.
You see what I'm saying?
Yeah. You got to pick, pick something.
No, no, they don't even do. Listen, man, some people have never, ever, ever had anyone in their life tell them that they could have anything more than what they have. Okay. I was talking to my buddy Parker, and Parker owns a business. And he's a young man. He's, he's under 30. And he has an employee that was like in his 40s. And they were doing like, he was doing one-on-ones. And he said, okay, well, what do you want? And he's like, what do you mean, what do I want? And he's like, well, what do you want out of your life? And he's like, well, you know, I, I don't know. Like, I, what do you mean? Like he could not comprehend what Parker was asking him. And finally, Parker got him to say, well, I'd like to have a nicer car.
Yeah.
Okay. Which is a great start. That's a good place to start. And then the guy paused and looked at him and said, nobody in my whole life has ever asked me that. Nobody has ever asked me that. And we have to understand that there are a lot of people that have never had anyone make them believe that they could be fucking anything more than what they are. And a lot of times those people go through their whole life and do— to be completely honest, those people are happy because they've never been told they could have more. So they don't desire more. So they just do their life. And that is okay. But if you have ambitions and you have goals and you stay poor, you're going to be in fucking agony your entire life.
That's so real, bro. It makes me think too. It's like, you know, it's— they're fine with like— I mean, this goes into CTI. You guys heard of that tonight. But like, I mean, it's easy to fucking— they have no problem convincing a kid they can be you know, opposite genders.
Yeah.
Convincing them that they can go fucking achieve some shit.
Yes, sir. That's all about control, bro. It's all about control. They don't tell us what we're capable of because if they teach us what we're actually capable of, we become too powerful to control. It's the same reason that taxes are the way they are. They can print as much money as they want. So why the fuck are they taxing us? Well, they tax us because if they don't, We will become too financially power— powerful to actually be controlled the way they would like to control us. So you have to understand that the system that we live in is in complete contrast to what they tell us America is actually about. This is the whole reason we do CTI, by the way. Okay. What they say America is about and what it actually is are two different things. Our job is to wake enough motherfuckers up and get enough people aware and dedicated to becoming personally excellent in all areas that it shifts that culture back to what America is supposed to be.
Yeah, absolutely, dude. Absolutely, guys. Andy, let's get to our third and final question here. Uh, question number 3. Uh, Andy, I created my flooring business about 2 years ago and I'm starting to get really busy to the point where I need to start hiring some guys. My question is, how did you handle the pressure of hiring people for the first time? Your first hire, how long ago was that?
Oh, I mean, we had to have people help with the store. I mean, immediately.
Yeah.
Like our first people that helped, they were like our good friends. These are people that just came in when they could. They work shifts. I'm very grateful for those people. You know, they came in. They, they helped us. They believed in us. We didn't have any systems. We didn't know anything. But they stood there, did their best, and we wouldn't be there without those people. So we had to have those kind of people in the beginning. Sometimes we couldn't even pay them, dude. You know what I mean? Sometimes pay was taking them to dinner, you know, like, and the dinner was free because we knew the guys. So like, so, so we had a lot of people, you know, as much as we talk about like most people didn't believe in us. We had a handful that did, and I'll never forget those people. And they were just our friends. Okay. So, but hiring our first real employee, a lot about— so my biggest lesson in business came from opening our second store. All right. We— it took us 5 years to open store number 2. All right. And the reason it wasn't because we couldn't do it financially, we could have made it work.
The problem was, is that we didn't like, we did not, we were so terrified of all of the things that could go wrong. We were terrified that they would steal. We were terrified that they wouldn't show up for work. We were terrified that they would, you know, do all kinds of crazy shit that you're scared of right now, right? You're like, oh, well, what about this? What about that? What about this? Listen, man, get in your fucking car and drive down the fucking road and look. Look how many businesses there are. Look, look at all the business. Thousands of them in your fucking city. Do you really believe that you're the only motherfucker that can't fucking hire someone and get them to work for you? Do you not? You see what I'm saying? It's an irrational fear.
Yeah.
Okay. Now, are you going to be great at it in the beginning? Probably not. Are you going to get some good people by accident? Yeah, you will. And here's the thing you have to understand. Most people want to be part of something. Most people want to win. Most people want to feel fulfilled. Far more people leave their jobs because they don't feel like they're contributing than they do for pay. All right. People want to do things. Your mission is to figure out how, if you want to be good at it. Okay. Now you can hire people and they will come in, they will work for you. And then when the next opportunity comes, they leave. And all this shit like that's what normal companies do. Yeah. If you want people to come in and you want them to care and you want them to dedicate themselves and you want them to get better and help you build something special, you have to paint the vision in a way where all of their hopes, all of their goals, all of their dreams are possible under the umbrella of this vision. The big vision can't just be, you know, Steve's Construction.
It can't be that like, hey, you guys are going to work for me. I'm going to make most of the money and, you know, then you can fuck off and go home, drink beer. That can't be what it is. All right. What it needs to be is, hey, we're going to build the best construction company ever. We're going to go— we're going to start here and then we're going to go to this next place and we're going to this next place. We're going to start building decks, then we're going to go to concrete, then we're going to go to houses, then we're going to go to this. And you have to see this vision out in front that is so big that these first key guys especially, and really all your people, can see themselves living their life inside of that. And then you got to do it, okay? Because if they figure out that you're just fucking blowing smoke, they're going to leave and they're going to fucking hate you. All right? So you have to understand People want to be a part of a team. They want to win. Most people are good.
Most people are not bad. We've had thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of employees, and the number of bad ones out of thousands is probably like 100. It's, it's a very, it's a very fractional number over the— now I'm talking about over the years. Okay. Now, have everybody stayed? No. But my goal has always been if they leave and they go somewhere else, I want them to look back and say, hey, that was a very critical part of my career where I learned the most that I could learn. And then they take those skills and go be some— some great at something else.
Yeah.
Okay. And if you have that attitude, if you have a big vision, you care about your people, you help them win, you're helping them grow their dreams, bro, you're not going to have a problem, man. But if you just try to do this thing where you're trading their labor, their labor for money, it's going to fucking suck and you're going to hate having employees. Everybody tell— like, we, you know, in Arte Syndicate, we get a lot of people and they come in like when they're in the beginning and they're like, fuck, it was so much easier when I didn't have employees. I fucking hate having employees. Well, yeah, they probably hate having you as a boss too, if you think that, you know what I'm saying?
No shit.
Like, real talk, dude. I love are people like, they're my fucking friends. I don't know, maybe they, maybe, maybe, maybe they're fucking smoking, blowing smoke to me, but I feel like they're my friends, you know? And it gives me, it gives me, you know, fulfillment and I enjoy it and I love being around the team. And I think that's— I mean, dude, you're going to spend so much of your time doing this business. Why would you not want to be surrounded by a great culture of great people that you enjoy being around where you're helping them win? And you're grateful for them and they're grateful for you. See, that's, that's, that's good leadership, bro. That's how you build things. You know, we talk about ethical entrepreneurship and unethical entrepreneurship, like, like these people who are like these far-left communist people, like the, the, the way they think of entrepreneurship, they're actually correct. Okay. And what I mean by that is this. When they look at a company, let's say, you know, a big giant Globo Corp, Amazon or whatever, just for example. And they see, you know, 14,000 people get replaced by robots in the warehouse.
And, you know, they're, they're cutting people off. I'm not saying— I don't know if Amazon does this, but they're cutting people off before their benefits kick in or whatever. And they say, fuck capitalism. Well, yeah, they're correct. Okay. But ethical capitalism and ethical entrepreneurship works really good. Okay. Because those companies, those are the companies like what we do where we're sponsoring local teams, we're building buildings in the community, we're doing what we can for the city. We're being a part of the culture. We're trying to make things better. And the big companies that don't do that, though, you know, while I do not agree with these fucking people, I don't want to make it sound like that. They only understand that part. Of the, of the, of the capitalism and entrepreneurship. And then they get fooled by the people that fucking lead them into thinking that's people like us. It's the mid-level people. No, we're talking about the richest motherfuckers on the planet. We're talking about the 5 or 10, you know, kings of the world right now that own everything because they own all the money. You want to be mad at people? Be mad at those fucking 10 people.
Yeah. Don't be mad at your local guy who's trying to make it and create jobs and do the right thing and sponsor your team. Teams and your communities. Those are the people that create the fabric and the support of the actual community. So when you run the company that way and you do it for real, you don't just talk about it. You have zero problems finding great people. So like, dude, back to the original thing. You, you have an irrational fear because you lack the confidence because you haven't done it yet. But I want you to get in your car right now, drive down the road, and look at all the fucking companies and then remember what one man can do, another can do. Okay? You're not the only person in the history of business that's going to have a hard time getting employed like you. Come on, dude. Yeah, it's not real. It's not a real concern.
They're going to fuck up the floors.
It's not. It's not a real concern. Yeah, they're going to do that.
Yeah, they're going to do that. Yeah.
Yeah. By the way, all the things you're afraid of, they're going to happen anyway.
Yeah.
Okay. But, but every time it does, you get better and you learn how to avoid that next time, which is investment in your skill set, which allows you to move to a bigger and better place over the course of time.
Yeah.
So look, guys, you know, I understand it. It cost me 4 years. Okay? That fear. That's why I said it was the biggest lesson I ever learned, because it cost me the most time. It cost me 4 years of my life. That means I could be where I'm at now, 4 years younger. What's that worth?
Yeah.
So, so that fear cost me that. And that's how you have to think about it.
Follow up on this because you actually have an example. Uh, and I know Firstborn for sure, you know, the, the mailroom to CEO story, right? And one of, one of your longest employees now who started, I think when you opened up that the next set of stores, he's now like the president of the company, right?
Yeah.
And then like, so how, how, how, how was that? Buy-in belief, I guess, day one with him, you know what I'm saying? Like, how hard was it to kind of convince him?
It wasn't hard because we set the big vision and we worked our fucking ass off to make it happen.
Yeah.
And we did it together. So like, that's the other thing. You got to participate.
Yeah.
If you're leaving it, you know, if you're leaving on Thursday and coming back on Tuesday and going to fucking fish, they're going to fucking hate you. You're not going to have any— you're going to— you can't do it that way. It won't work.
It won't work.
You got to participate.
What would you say the percentage of business— businesses out there that are visionless versus the ones that are— that have a solid vision in place?
It depends on where they are in the life cycle.
Yeah.
Okay. In the beginning, when it's founder-run, founder-led, and those people built the company, those people have big vision and they actually really care. And what happens is 2 things. One, those companies either get bought out, um, or acquired, and their new leadership comes in and it starts to become a machine that they try to milk everything out of and then eventually destroy it, probably. Um, or the founder passes it down to their kids. Okay. And when you're in a second generation or third generation business, those people don't have the understanding of what it took to build it the same way. And it gets further and further removed for, for to where you go. Okay. So, you know, if they pass it down to their kids and their kids were able to like see them work and they maybe they were there and they were around it when they were a kid, they will care, but they won't care like the founder cares because they fucking haven't gone through it. Okay. But then when it gets to the third third generation, those motherfuckers are clueless. Okay.
And like, yeah, there's real examples.
Like, bro, come on, dude. Like, I see fucking dudes online that are third generation entrepreneurs and they're talking about how big their company is and they're pretending, trying to act like they built it. And it's like, dude, I can fucking smell your inexperience and your dumbass entrepreneurship fake bullshit. Through the fucking cell phone. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, you're not fooling anybody that knows better. So, you know, you got to be careful, man. Like, when these people tell you— when you see their airplane, you see their house, and you see their, their lifestyle, and, you know, and then they're telling you some story about how they did it, man, look that shit up. Because a lot of times what you're going to find is they didn't do shit. They just got it handed to them. And those are the people that end up ruining and degrading and becoming visionless as you describe. So always in the beginning they have vision. They have to, to become what it is they want. But the way that you lose it is through acquisition. Now, sometimes you get acquired and it gets way better because they pick the right partner to partner with or acquire the company.
Sometimes they pick one and that company's total— that's their total intention is to milk it dry. All right. But all I, I have— I'm not saying always, but I would say 99% of second and third generation there's, there's, there are examples of this, but they're just very few and far between.
Yeah.
You know, if you are— and by the way, if you're listening right now and you happen to— because who inherits something or handed the reins to something, you have to understand that you are getting that not to destroy it or take it for granted.
You are getting that to as All right.
But if you take the company from one place and it fucking skyrockets into the next, you know, stratosphere under your leadership, you're a fucking hell of an I have a number of friends who were, you know, they were born into business, they took over the business, and then they see it as a very serious obligation to honor their family And, you know, a lot of those guys, you know, I have a number of friends, you know, I got probably got 10 or so, 12 business owners that I'm friends with that are in different places in that situation. And when you talk to them in private, one of the things they really struggle with is like they always feel like, you know, well, I, you know, insecure almost like because I didn't do it and they think everybody's judging them. But you guys, you got to understand, like when you take something, like if it goes from 0 to 10 million and then you take it from 10 to a billion, you're fucking great. Okay? You did. Like, you should feel great. Even if you took it from 10 to 100 or 10 to 50, you did your part.
You took something and you were a great steward of it and you should feel good about that. And, and those of you that have never, you know, like there's a lot of people say, oh, These guys were born in this situation that, you know, they were born on third base and they hit a fucking— and they think they hit a triple. Not the great ones. The great ones have something to prove. The great ones want to earn it. And that's why those guys win. And sometimes those guys are actually the best operators because they paid such close attention to the, to the, the person in their family that came before them that they have a lot of skills that they really shouldn't possess at their age.
Yeah. Okay. Yeah, hell, that's a big chip.
Yeah. So you have to, you know, there's nuance to everything for sure.
Yeah, for sure. Love it, man. Well, guys, Andy, that was 3.
Yep.
Hell of a way to start a week.
Yep. We will see you guys on CTI. Don't be a hoe. Yeah.
Went from sleeping on the floor, now my jewelry box froze. Fuck a boat, fuck a stove, counted millions in the cold. Bad bitch, booty swole, got her own bankroll. Can't fold, that's a no. Headshot, case closed.
On today's episode, Andy answers your questions on how to grow without drifting away from friends and family, how to find fulfillment after achieving major goals, and what to know before hiring your first employee.