Behind the Toolbelt
Behind the ToolBelt is a live, raw, and uncut podcast that brings real, unfiltered conversations about business, leadership, and the entrepreneurial mindset. Hosted by Ty Cobb Backer, CEO of TC Backer Construction, this live show features industry leaders, innovators, and experts sharing their experiences, strategies, and insights. From building successful companies to overcoming challenges, each episode offers valuable perspectives for entrepreneurs and business owners and leaders looking to grow, and make an impact.
Behind the Toolbelt
Transforming Struggles into Strength: Unleashing Resilience and Growth in Work and Life
What if you could transform your daily struggles into a source of strength and success? Tune in this week as we peel back the curtain on the relentless world of live, unedited podcasting. I share my personal journey of managing health challenges like hypertension, and how lifestyle changes, such as exercise and diet, have been pivotal. This episode is a testament to the power of perseverance, tackling procrastination, and balancing the hustle between work and personal life. Together with guests who embody the same tenacity, we celebrate the resilience forged from life's ups and downs.
Building a supportive work community takes center stage as we explore the power of camaraderie and mutual mentorship in propelling growth. We highlight stories that showcase the necessity of aligning roles with evolving responsibilities and the importance of transparency in addressing personal issues that impact work. Leadership isn't just about guiding others; it's about nurturing an environment that avoids gossip and focuses on positive interactions, as illustrated through a compelling anecdote about my colleague Glenn and the transformative mindset of 'whatever it takes.'
With a spotlight on challenging comfort zones, we emphasize how embracing discomfort can catalyze both personal and professional growth. Inspired by influential mentors like Ed Mylett and Andy Frisella, we discuss the dynamic interplay between different leadership styles and the value of setting high expectations. This episode is a call to action against complacency, urging a mindset that continuously seeks the next challenge. From the evolving role of technology to the irreplaceable value of human connection, "Behind the Tool Belt" is a journey of self-mastery, resilience, and exciting future projects on the horizon.
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And we are live. As my good friend Nick Perrette would say. Welcome back everybody to episode 256 of Behind the Tool Belt. Thank you for joining us on this Wednesday edition. Today we have another special guest. Stay tuned and we will be back after our short intro from our sponsors.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Behind the Tool Belt, where the stories are bold, the conversations are real and the insights come to you live, raw and uncut. Every week, host Ty Cobb-Backer sits down with game changers, trailblazers and industry leaders who aren't afraid to tell it like it is no filters, no scripts, just the truth. Please welcome your host of Behind the Tool Belt, ty Cobb-Backer.
Ty Cobb Backer:Chewy, that gave me goosebumps. It really did that last part there. It was good. Good job, vic. That's good stuff right there.
Ty Cobb Backer:Welcome back everybody to our weekly edition of Behind the Tool Belt, episode 256. Four more episodes. We will be at five-year mark. 260, 260 weeks in a row. Come hell or high water, suited up, showed up, found guests sometimes good ones, mostly great ones. Every now and then we had one that wasn't so good. But here we are. We made it through it. I've learned a lot over the years.
Ty Cobb Backer:You know the live, raw and uncut version of this. I think most people that do podcasts do. Do. You know an edited version? They record it.
Ty Cobb Backer:And this has been live every week, no matter how I felt, no matter how our guests felt most guests, I don't think anyone's ever backed out. We may have had to reschedule and enough notice in enough time. You know they. They let us know like hey, whatever, um, you know, schedule conflict or something like that along the lines. But I mean we big shout out to everybody that's ever come on the show and those that that continue to keep coming back. Like you, mike, um, I look forward to this because we knew you were coming up here this week and I thought, you know what, what better time, because we always have a good conversation about real stuff. Yeah Right, like where we're at, where our thinking is, and you know you are cut from the same cloth that I am. You know, run, run hot. You know nonstop run hot.
Ty Cobb Backer:I went and had my my blood pressure taken the other day and the lady she did it three times and she actually had a second nurse come in and do it again and I was afraid they weren't going to let me leave. And I'm cracking jokes there though she was kind of nervous a little bit. I'm like, listen, I just run a little hot. And she was like, hot, I'll be damned. Like you're cross borderline, stroking out on me over here. I'm like, listen, it's, we're good, I'm good, okay. So a couple of years I've been, they've been struggling with it.
Ty Cobb Backer:I was diagnosed, I guess, with hypertension and runs in my family and we, we got on a prescription and I was actually on two. I was on a beta blocker and and something for my blood pressure changed my eating habits and things like that, started exercise and I was able to come off the beta blocker because it was doing something weird to me like I just felt sluggish. It was just I didn't feel well from, I was doing more harm than good and uh went on this you know, double down, actually, I should say, on my exercising and what we eat, how often I eat when I eat, what time of day I eat. Right, that plays a lot in it for me, anyhow, because if I eat real late it kind of kills my metabolism. You know what I mean Laying in bed, snacking and stress eating and shit like that, and I I'm still guilty of that, but not as often as, not not as much food that I consume, but, um, anyhow, you know, just uh, trying to take care of myself and doing this week in, week out, no matter how I feel, right, I think that was the point that I was trying to get to.
Ty Cobb Backer:You know, there are days that I just don't want to suit up and show up, and Vic and I were testing the sound out and I was talking about, you know, just acting as if I was on a podcast for a minute, and I was talking about you know, get off your dead ass and do something about it, especially when you know the days you don't feel like it. Right, there are days that I just want to go home and hide under the covers, right, like, just don't do it. Especially the days that I don't feel like doing it with, the days I don't feel like working out are the days I have to do it, the days that I don't feel like taking care of myself or family business or professional business. I have to double down on those days. Those are the days I have to double down because it's going to be there. It's going to be its ugly head tomorrow. It'll still be here. You know, now I feel even worse. Now I feel even more overwhelmed because I didn't deal with whatever it was I needed to deal with today.
Ty Cobb Backer:And I think so many people procrastinate and they're kind of like, oh, there's always tomorrow. Right, there's a time and a place for that. There really is a time and a place, and I guess I'm of that hustle culture, right, wrong or indifferent. I'm known for burning the candle at both ends and just going in at it and working myself to death, and I think there's a time and a place for that too. For sure you know what I mean. There. There is definitely a time and a place for that work-life blend. You know different seasons of your life. Right that we go through, right, like we. You know, when things are good, then they go bad, and and, and I am a firm believer in, you know, good times make, make, make weak, weak men and and bad, difficult times make strong men and, and that's kind of something that I've tried to, you know, um, relay to my children. You know what I'm saying.
Ty Cobb Backer:My, my, jake, jacob, 33 year old. Jacob is an entrepreneur, he's a tattoo artist and if, if, one thing that we see eye to eye on is good work ethic. There's not many things that we did over the years. He probably thought the same, felt the same way about me as I did with my dad. Yeah, right, like I, I despised him for for a long time, but now he's, he's, he's one of my biggest mentors, right, because of his, his work ethic and nonstop work.
Ty Cobb Backer:And and, uh, I'll, the day that I stop working on something, it's probably the day that you're putting me in the ground. Um, so I believe in hard work. It's who I am, it's what I do, it's what we do, it's who I am, it's what we do, right, yep, um, and, and I think there's a lot of people out there trying to figure out how to get like too busy, trying to figure out how to get out of work instead of just putting the work in right, especially on those difficult. And there was many days that shit has hit the fan here at the office where it was like I man, if there was a day that I was not going to get on this podcast, today would be, the day.
Ty Cobb Backer:You know what I mean Like just got the worst news. You know I got to compose myself, get my shit together, drop to my knees a couple of times, like God, please remove this from me for a minute. You know what I'm saying. Give me the strength and the courage to, to, to move forward with whatever the outcome is. I'm sure there's something that we're we're going to gain from it, right? New insight, a lesson learned, a standard. A new standard will be born. Right, there's a gap in the system, you know, and and I think that's kind of what we want to touch on here a little bit is the standard.
Mike Torrao:Yeah, I mean it's it's. It's funny that you say that like complacency is is where for me it's it's a terrible place to be. I mean absolutely terrible. And the days, it's funny, where you hear motivation, people are like I'm just not motivated and motivation I've heard it's, you know, talked about many times and motivation is just, you know it's bullshit because it's there some days. But when it's not, like you said, the days you don't want to get up, you don't want to do the gym, you don't want to do your daily routines, the things those are.
Mike Torrao:The day where progress is made is getting up and getting it done, and I I struggle with it on a daily basis. I'm like I don't want to do this today. I just don't, especially when you're, when you're in, when you're in the grind and you're building stuff and you're working and you're just tired and you're just like I just don't feel like doing it and sometimes you just got to sit there and you just gotta be like well, I know what happens when I don't do it. So get your ass up. Yeah, let's go All right.
Mike Torrao:And progress is made through those days, because the days that you feel good, that are the easy days. Oh, yeah, I feel good today, blah, blah, blah, and I'm doing the thing, but today I didn't want to do it. We know we have to do it, yeah, and even if it's whatever it takes. You know, I've listened to Goggins and he's like man. I'd sit on the edge of my bed for 30 minutes before I put on my shoes, like talking myself out of going running. You know what I mean. It's like it doesn't matter what it takes to get there, just get up and get it done Something. It might not be the best workout, it might not be the best whatever, but at least we're making progress and getting through that. And that is where, uh, I feel like that's where diamonds are made, man.
Ty Cobb Backer:Yeah, that's where success is built, yeah Right, that's where self-confidence is built, that's where low self-esteem is smashed. Yep, you know, in those days where you're lacking the faith, the courage, the strength, the motivation, is the days, and you know, and on the opposite side of that spectrum too, you know, the days that were it feels like everything's going good and that we're starting to get this figured out. That's when you actually need to double down as well. You know what I mean, because you can't again, you'll become complacent. That's not. There's never, really no time to coast. There's no, there's no, there's no destination. I mean, you know no finish line. I guess it's a that's, it's a journey, that that we're on here, at least the mission that I know you're on, the mission that I'm on. Yeah, we have a why. We know what we're fighting for. We know that there's battles, there's going to be someone and and some lessons learned. I don't look at them as as losses or there's. You're either winning or you're learning. Yeah, right, and we got to look at it as you know what. What are we? You know why not. Why is this happening to us? But why did this happen to me? But why is this happening for us. You know, baker was talking about that a little bit yesterday. You know when, when things pop up, I've conditioned myself. It might not be my first. Two point, three, second thought, right, you know. But but about two.7 seconds after my first initial knee jerk thought, I start thinking okay, why is this happening for us? You know, when you can think like that, like you might not see it right there, and then at that that exact, precise moment, but that's where KPIs are born, that's where the SSOPs are born. And just to iterate, what an SSOP is right, because I came up with that this morning, pam was taking notes and I was, like, make sure you add an extra S to that. And she kind of looked at me a little funny, like she knew there was a point to it, but she didn't know what it was yet. And SOPs are standard operating procedures, right. And SSOP is the standard system, operational process, and that's what we have here. The standard is what the standard is.
Ty Cobb Backer:And again, not just individuals but entire companies can become complacent, or departments, and maybe not necessarily all, but I think there's, there's some that that are still hustling and killing themselves over here, where there may be a group of people over here that that are complacent and resting on their laurels. They, they feel like they've put their time in, they've already earned it, and it's like the rest of us are, are still motivated and haven't forgot that. Why, you know, like, why we're here, we're having an impact on ourselves. We're having impacts on our families. We're having an impact on those families that we work with. We're having an impact on the community that we, with it within, we, we live within, right, um and and like we can't coach.
Ty Cobb Backer:There's a lot of people that are relying on all of us, everybody in this building, everybody, each building, each building, each facility, everywhere, like are relying, whether it's homeowners, our coworkers, our kids, our family.
Ty Cobb Backer:You know what better blessing to to be able to travel with you, with your daughter, and then Jana rolls in here with our granddaughter, right, like I mean, if I needed it, if I needed a reminder, today it walked through that door unexpectedly, right, you know what I mean.
Ty Cobb Backer:Like this is why I'm here, this is why we're doing this stuff, and I think people get in this rut of, like, you know, they either aren't all in, they're kind of one foot in and one foot out, and they're more consumed with the stuff outside of work. There's never usually a work-related problem. It's usually a home or an outside work issue that they're bringing to work. And I think, if you can have that open, transparent community right where at least there's one person that they can talk to comfortably, whether it's, you know, just a coworker or their, their supervisor but I think I think, and I know you're open-minded enough to to to hear them out I I've I've heard you talking to. You know you're coaching, you're coaching your team. It's just what we do. We've got to coach our team and Vic can coach, sam can coach. We all coach each other. To a certain extent, we all mentor each other.
Mike Torrao:And that's. That's the type of camarader that noise and it brings I mean, we talked about it earlier of like the people that you surround yourself with, um, and when you say it you sound like an ass. You know you're like I like, my standard is this, my family standard is this, and everybody around me I'm holding them to this standard, um, because not only for myself, cause I have to hold myself to a standard or I'll be like I really like being lazy and eating food and I could very easily be 600 pounds stuck on a couch somewhere. There's no doubt about that.
Mike Torrao:But if I have the standard of, those are the things I'm trying to accomplish. These are the people that I put around me and if those people around me are willing to to live up to that standard, as I grow, I'm pulling everybody with um and people just I don't know if it's complacency, I don't know if it's it's probably complacency, laziness, um, and then they just want to chirp about uh, all this guy, he works all the time and you know, blah, blah, blah. And it's just like you listen to everybody out there that has accomplished major things in their life. They didn't accomplish them in 30 or 60 days. Now it's decades.
Mike Torrao:Sometimes everybody is different. Your timeline is different from my timeline. Sometimes I feel like I'm like man, I've been doing this a minute, yeah, haven't I won yet. But then I have to take a step back and look at what I've, what I've won, and in the gossip, the, the chatter, whatever that is, yeah, that's not about me. Yeah, that can't, it can't affect me, I can't let it in, um, and you have to kind of take that and remove that from from your circle, from your piece, if you will, or derails your mindset and you're thinking about this over here when we're not focused on, on the, on the goal ahead of us, totally, totally.
Ty Cobb Backer:Two things. When you were talking earlier, you know, whatever it takes, um, that jogged my memory. I don't know if it was a couple of years ago. Um, we were, we were moving Glenn, were moving Glenn into more of a, not that he wasn't in a managerial position, but we were. We were giving him more, more to do Right, and I was having everybody at that time. We, every now and then we have everybody right after their job description and we'll do a time study and stuff like that to just see what they're doing. And I think some people think it's us sticking a microscope up their butt, but it's really not. We're just trying to be more efficient and lean.
Ty Cobb Backer:And Glenn was struggling. He came to me. He was like dude, what do you want me to put down? Like, what is my job description at this point in time? And I said to him whatever it takes, whatever it takes, that's your job, whatever it takes. And and I was grateful to just hear you say, because you get that right Like I can't tell you exactly, yes, mike, you just got to figure it out.
Ty Cobb Backer:Sometimes, bro, like I can't, I won't, I maybe sometimes, if you ask me, hold your hand, I'll pat you on the butt, I'll give you a hug. But, like bro, we're in this together and we're we're building the wheel. We're not trying to reinvent a wheel, we're just we're building the wheel here together. And I swear to God, I saw a paradigm shift happen to that man when I told him, whatever it takes, like he hit the ground running with that, like he that's all he needed was like that, that affirm, that affirmation or that, not the affirmation, but just confirm with me like rails off, like I'm, I'm the man, right. Like you are the man, yeah, you go. You, whatever that takes, you know, and, of course, we. That's why we have core values. As long as you stay within that playground, yeah, you can't fail. And then, if you do, then right, there's a gap that we need to be filled and we'll. We'll tweak what we need to tweak along the way, but as long as you're there.
Ty Cobb Backer:The other thing is so funny that we were talking about and it's probably why I brought up the word gossip. Do you care if I read you something real quick? Do we care? Okay, let me, I'm going to read something. It's pretty, it's pretty profound actually, and it's for tomorrow. I read today's. I read a daily affirmation book by John Maxwell and he cuts out little clips. The guy's got 84 books, okay. So he put a book together for a daily affirmation. And tomorrow's is actually about avoid gossip. Is the title Okay and I'm going to try to see this here.
Ty Cobb Backer:It says it's been said that great people talk about ideas, average people talk about, talk about themselves. Small people talk about other people. That's what gossip does. It makes small people. It makes people small Sorry, I can't read this very well. They really.
Ty Cobb Backer:There really is no upside to gossip. It diminishes the person being talked about. It diminishes the person who is saying unkind things about them. It is even diminishing the listener. It is even diminishing the listener. That's why you should avoid not only spreading gossip but also being a recipient of it. If you stop people from unloading gossip on you, it will make you feel better about the person who's being talked about as well as about yourself. Besides who, whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.
Ty Cobb Backer:British prime minister winston churchill said when the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber. Good leaders are like eagles they soarar, they inspire, they fly high and they don't talk just to hear themselves. They don't vent about someone to others to make themselves feel better. Sorry, I can't see. I should have brought the book out here real quick. I'm almost done now. If they have a problem with a person, they go to that individual and they addressed the issue directly. Never thought, never through a third person. They praise publicly, they criticize privately and they never say anything about others they wouldn't want to hear. They wouldn't want them to hear because they probably will. Now, that's from the book, the 360 leader, 360 degree leader. Do not engage in gossip or allow anyone else to draw you into it.
Ty Cobb Backer:Okay, I'm guilty, totally guilty, but I'm grateful that I read this, because that's the person I'm trying to be. I'm trying to be that eagle, right? I'm trying to praise publicly. I'm trying to criticize or scold or discipline, whatever privately. Do you know what I mean? I'm trying to be that person. I'm trying not to talk about myself. I'm not trying to talk about other people. I'm trying to talk about ideas, solutions, things of that nature, right, like being a part of the solution and not the problem, right? And I think a lot of that starts with my mindset, and and and this is what kind of stinks too, because what can also cause. Um, gossip is my ideas, and I have to be cautious because not everybody's on my side. Yeah, you know what I mean and that's the thing. That kind of sucks, and we talked a little bit about this before the podcast.
Ty Cobb Backer:It's like you know, life's too short for me to surround myself around people who don't encourage me or don't get inspired by being around me, because not only just that, but I want to be encouraged and inspired by those, and influenced and encouraged, you know, and inspired by those that I'm surrounding myself with. And there was, there have been people that when I have spoken to them or I had conversations where I've just felt so drained after the conversation. It's like you're asking me for help but you already know everything, but then and then you go and just do it your own way anyhow, which is okay to a certain extent, but don't ask me for help. Or if I see you struggling and and I'm writing your paycheck, like I'm not trying to be control freak or dictatorship, but it is also my job to make sure it gets back on the rails too but if you're not, if I can't work with you and critique what it is that you're doing, then what kind of relationship. Is that? You know what I mean? It's, it's almost tiring.
Mike Torrao:No, it's, it's 100% tiring and it's uh, it's crazy. Um, like, some people just can't think critical. Think, maybe and I mean critical is probably not the right word to put in front of it but like, think on their own. You, you, you have to micromanage every step of everything they do. And, and you know, that's tiring, that's super, super tiring.
Mike Torrao:I'm the kind of guy like I've learned from adversity and mistakes. That's how I learned the best. Unfortunately, that's how I learned the best. Um, unfortunately, that's how I learned the best. Uh, and that's you.
Mike Torrao:You look at everything that I've personally been through in my entire life and and at one point in time, I'm like man, why am I, why am I put through this? And as I got older, I'm like well, the only way to look at it is I can either wallow in in the poor me, or I can use the mistakes and the things that I've been through to gain momentum forward. And now, as I get even older yet and longer in life, I use my mistakes or things that I've been through to help others come up. That's the only reason. If I don't look at it that way, I'll get into the what was me? I got, I didn't get a fair shot, you know all that kind of stuff, but I've never heard awesome stories from people that didn't come out of adversity. So, like, put me through it. Like put me through it, and whether I I feel like I have the story or I feel like I have, sometimes I get the imposter syndrome and I'm like do I really? Have I been through enough, have I accomplished enough to even talk about these things? And I kind of pull myself back and like I don't want to be, you know, I don't want to be somebody out here just spouting in microphones and haven't accomplished anything in life or haven't done anything. Or you know, cause you have those people all over the place and I've never wanted to be a hypocrite. I always want to, you know, hold myself accountable, and that's what running teams does for me. Actually, people don't realize, like, the accountability that everybody else has for me, because I can't tell you, ty, you need to eat right, you need to go do this and you need to, the accountability that everybody else has for me, cause I I can't tell you, ty, you need to eat right, you need to go do this and you need to go do that. If I'm sitting on the couch eating potato chips every day. You know, and that's that's how my mindset, you know kind of works.
Mike Torrao:Um, and just the joy of like trying to make people better. I didn't know for so long what I didn't know, and I know I've talked about it before. I'm like what we're capable of and that's what my standard, my standard, is. I am not, I'm not accepting anything less than this and I'm going to keep bouncing that standard up as much as I can and holding everybody to that standard.
Mike Torrao:Around me, people look in. They're just like he's, he, I can't talk to him. He like I'm scared to talk to him and I'm I don't know he's. He's always like upset or it's like I'm, I'm not upset about anything. I'm super passionate. I'm focusing on whatever that end goal is and that's what I'm focused on and nothing other than that.
Mike Torrao:Um, and if, if you take me away from that, you've got if, if, if I'm giving you a hard time and I'm holding you to a higher standards because I give a shit, if I don't care what you do and I'm letting you over here, that's when you may need to be like, ah, I don't think he cares, I don't care, like I won't spend two seconds or the the, the breath to have a conversation, if I don't care. If I'm having a conversation with you, I'm pushing you to be better or trying to help you become better, without telling you what to do, but just hey, like this is what I've been through, this is what's worked for me. I've had hours worth of conversations of people in this company with this is just what I've been through. This may help, it may not, and people are like, well, this has really helped me. Try to get through these things. That's the only thing I'm trying to do here is I can. If I can do it, I know anybody can do it.
Mike Torrao:So I have to keep getting better, so everybody around me can keep getting better, so we don't ever hit that ceiling. Because if we ever hit that ceiling, we've already got those people coming up and they're like, oh what, we're not winning anymore. Now they're going to move on. And eventually that's probably going to happen, cause I mean, I don't know, maybe I'm 90. I'm still trying to get better. I don't know, you know what I mean, but always going to try to learn so I could always keep bringing people with me and those you'll find the right people that want to be inspired, that want to be pushed, and I don't think we as a society push each other enough. I think we need to push everybody. We should push everybody to be better at all times. I mean, that's what would make you know the world way better of a place if we all had higher standards. You know the world way better of a place if we all had higher standards. And at least for my, setting myself and standards, that's what I've found.
Mike Torrao:The difference of where I was even a year ago to now is is different, you know, and I've got a long way to go, for sure you know what I mean. But just that of like almost exactly a year ago, you know well, that was, you know, probably 75 days, almost 75 days. Before that I started 75 hard. I was almost 300 pounds and I'm like dude, I'm done, like I'm sick and tired of this. I got a good frame. I'm 46 years old, my wife's 32. I got to make sure I, you know, don't look like an old fat slob and you know my, you know way younger than me.
Mike Torrao:And um, then, as I did the 75 hard program and really dialed my stuff in, I was reading books and and just listening to, you know, other successful people around me and I'm like these guys that are super successful, like they're hardcore, making sure they're as healthy as they can be eating not perfect, but not, you know, we're not going out to the bars, we're not drinking alcohol, we're not doing the stuff that that that turns all of our you know, motivation or discipline down. Um, we just don't have room for it, you know. And and that 75 days put me in a whole different you know, just with eating habits. Now, again, I'm not perfect. I love food, but I've haven't gained one pound since I got off that and I've stayed in semi the same shape.
Mike Torrao:I don't work out as much as I'd like to and things like that, but that kind of their seasons where I have time for that and I don't have as much time for it, but overall, where I look and my eating habits, eating habits have stayed and I'm like, all right, so now this is a habit. So I'm going to do another round, I'm going to choose a different habit and eventually these habits will become habits and it's the way that you live your life. And, like we talked about, our base standard is here. Once we can meet that base standard. All it is is just be good at becoming better, even if it's, you know, a small percentage or 1% of better at a time. You're still going upward and you're still making progress. But you got to find out where this, you know that that line is, that standard for you is and what you want to accomplish, and and you just got to go and be willing to put in the endless amounts of work that it takes to get there.
Ty Cobb Backer:Yeah, and I think I think over time too, it doesn't. It doesn't appear to be work anymore. Like you said, it becomes a habit. It's not. It's not really it's a habit, it's a lifestyle. Yeah, you know, it's a lifestyle change.
Ty Cobb Backer:And man you said, you said so many good things there that you know, and we want to be able to motivate people and it's tiring for those that kind of just kind of sit on the sideline and and ride on the coattails and and and stuff like that. And I've been through the ringer, I've kept people around me entirely too long, but it's kind of like you know, and you know I hear the same thing too where people don't want to knock on my door and not want to ask me questions and and and stuff like that, and it's like I'm kind of not flabbergasted by it. Um, not that I have like an open door policy, but like text me real quick, make sure I'm not in a meeting or anything like that. You know I'll always carve time out and I might seem irritated, and I said something to Amanda this morning. It's like I'm not irritated with you whatsoever. Unfortunately. You're just catching a a little fumes from whatever it was that I was. I was inundated with at the time. But give me, give me 2.3 minutes to kind of like change gears real quick and listen to what it is that that that you're saying to me so I can actually hear you.
Ty Cobb Backer:But I think once people get to know us, they know what our purpose is. Like we're not mean, we're, we're, we're driven people. We run hot, continuously run hot, and and want to see others around us succeed too. And I like how you said that, like if I didn't care about you, I wouldn't push you. Yeah, when, when I and I like how you said that like if I didn't care about you, I wouldn't push you. Yeah, when, when I, when I stopped pushing you is when you really need to worry. All right, like I saw something that or I'm tired of. You know that that you're not willing to put into work and and this is thing too Right.
Ty Cobb Backer:And and I understand the, the imposter syndrome and just just for the record, mike, if, if, for any reason whatsoever, you wouldn't be on this podcast, if I felt like you were phony and haven't had an impact. There are a lot of people out there that that are either on stages or have a podcast or a radio show host or whatever that that hasn't experienced or ran multiple crews or people led people. You know there's just too many of that, too much of that out there right now and one of the main reasons why you're on here is because you're not that individual. You have impacted many lives and continue to and doing that self-improvement right. Like. You have to continuously work on yourself because, whether it's an ego or pride thing, it's like I can't have this thing outgrow me For sure, either right, because once we get there and it's kind of like when I'm done putting the work in on myself, that's where the leadership stops, that's where it ends, right. So you got to continuously educate yourself, continuously push yourself, you know, continuously find different ways to improve your, your, your physical appearance, your mental state, right, mental toughness, read books, listen to podcasts, and you know what's cool about this. No one's going to give this stuff to us. I'm not saying that you don't give me good feedback on, like, who you're listening to or what.
Ty Cobb Backer:One of the first questions I start asking people when I run into him, like I I ran hunter um came to visit us at top flight. The first thing I asked him was is what are you reading right now? Right like that's. I want to know what he's reading. Right, you know what I mean, like and and he gave me a couple suggestions and and I asked him that a couple years ago, when I first met him at a revolt retreat and he said to me the first book, he said it was Relentless, by Tim Grover. You need to read that. Okay, I listened to the entire book on the way home from Gatlinburg, tennessee. The whole way, I mean, I didn't stop. I only stopped to pause to stick my foot straight up Lauren and and and Glenn's ass after I listened to it, cause it had me so fired up, um, because, again, that was the standard standard is. What standard is? Um, I'm trying to think of the other book that he he recommended to me, but my point is like we have to continuously keep growing.
Ty Cobb Backer:There's, there's, there's three books, three daily affirmation books, that two, two of which I start out first thing in the morning with. I read Ryan holidays daily. Dad, I bought one for my daughter Mackenzie. It's not just for dads, um, it's for anybody. That's a parent. Super good book. I shared it with um Amanda this morning. Um, it's very neutral thinking. Um, it's good. It's not one to the left or to the right, it's just he's. He's a nowadays, he is a what do you call it? A modern day stoic. Just good, good insight. If you're in any Marcus, you're really a stuff, or anything like that. I highly recommend reading anything from Ryan Holiday.
Ty Cobb Backer:You know somebody turned me on to him, holiday. You know somebody turned me on to him, I can't remember who, but I've read just about all of his books, right and, and applied at least a little bit of something from from his books, his literature, into my life. Right, and I look at these books as as basic texts, like when I was in high school. Unfortunately, I didn't like school, you know, I, I, I didn't excel well, I didn't apply myself, I was bored. I don't know if it was because it was just boring or my. I was a dreamer, daydreamer, where I was daydreaming out the window.
Ty Cobb Backer:I don't know what the case was, but today, what's cool about this getting back to the cool part is is that I get to be very specific on what I want to obtain right, what, what I want to take in what? What small media outlets do I want to listen to who? Who do I want to follow. Who do I want to be my mentor from a distance, right like ed my let's been my mentor for five years. He doesn't even know it. Yep, you know what I mean. And, ironically enough, a year ago I hired a coach first coach I've ever had that I'm actually paying for. Guess who his mentor is Ed Milet. Ed Milet and Andy Frisella. He's a part of the something syndicate, the RJ syndicate.
Ty Cobb Backer:Yeah, so he's a part of that. He just got an award this year from Andy and Ed.
Mike Torrao:Oh, wow.
Ty Cobb Backer:Small world, right. Just gave me goosebumps saying that, right, but that's what I know. If I want to be that CEO, right Cause I, I put that in my signature. Now it doesn't stand for what everybody thinks it stands for. I put chief energy officer in there because I'm the guy that's got to show up every day with a smile on my face, even when I don't feel like putting a smile on my face, and bring the energy, bring the inspiration, bring the empowerment, yep, right. And some days I have to keep that door closed. Some days there are reasons why that door is closed. You know what I'm saying, but I'm not running home and putting my tail between my legs and I do try to leave here at a decent time. Today I get up, I wake up with rocket, I hang out with rocket.
Ty Cobb Backer:My priorities are different than what they were a year ago, like you were saying. You know, even two years ago, five years ago, 10 years ago, my priorities have definitely changed. I've grown, I've matured, I've identified. I'm on this journey of this self-mastery. I guess, as Pedro Koolian would talk about self-mastery, you know what I mean and it's like when you think about that, it's kind of like okay, I run hot. I know the type of person that I want to be. I'm not who I am, but I'm definitely not who I used to be. Okay, and I know who I want to associate with. Yeah, right, I need to carve out those that I and I need to figure people out too. Like I know who. I can spend three minutes with tops max Right, I love them to death, but I can only do three-minute increments and that's okay. But there's other people that I can spend entire weekends with, that I just love being around, and you're one of them. Vic's one of them, chris Baker's one of them. There's Jana, obviously. It's been a 15-long year weekend that I've been with Jana. She's my best friend. We have a slumber party every night. No matter where we are together, we have a slumber party every night. She's my best friend. Right, and and life is too short to to to surround ourselves with people that I mean.
Ty Cobb Backer:I'm not asking you to be as driven as I am. For sure, I wouldn't expect anybody to do that, right, certain people, okay, now you might. I just put that expectation on. I expect you to be as driven as I'm. Good, okay, just put that expectation on. I expect you to be as driven as I'm. Good, okay, vick, you're not off the fucking hook either. Bud, okay, so, but you know what I'm saying. You are the people that I talk to on a daily basis. Like we have to run at the same temperature, yeah, like all the time, like we have to be, and that's why it's so easy to work with you guys, because it's like it's not really an argument. I don't know if we have ever argued, have we disagreed on something? Probably, but we both seen each other's side of it. It's kind of you know what. Yeah, it does make sense. Let's try it.
Mike Torrao:If it doesn't work, fine well for sure, and that's the one. I mean that's just growth, right? I mean I couldn't have 15, 20 years ago. That ain't happening. Yeah, I mean I wasn't, it was all that shit don't make no sense and you know, and it's like you have to be able to listen. Um, and it's funny.
Mike Torrao:You say run hot because it's like I listened to uh andy the other day and he was like I deal with these people and that's the only people I deal with now in these businesses, because they're the only people I can deal with. It's it's funny because in where I'm at now and know I'm more on the forefront of sales teams and dealing with them, you know everyday basis, and it's coming to the point to where it's like I am driven and most people don't understand me and there's only certain people that I'm starting to bring in and I was like I got to deal with you guys because you understand what I'm doing and I and and and, just because I say a certain thing, or I don't smile when I do it, or I don't pat you on the ass every five seconds, or something like that. It's not, I'm not pissed, I'm not mad, I'm not. You know, I'm not firing you, I'm not doing either thing, but other people don't understand that. And for you know, jamie and I've been together for 12 years and it's taken her 10 to even get to understand me, cause I I wear everybody calls it RBF, um, but it's like when I'm, when I'm dialed in and I'm driven into my like, I'm not mad, I'm not pissed, I'm not anything.
Mike Torrao:I am focused on what my, what I'm here to accomplish. I don't I don't hear the outside stuff and unfortunately, in my life, that's just. I'm here to accomplish. I don't hear the outside stuff and unfortunately, in my life, that's just. I'm focused on what I'm focused on. You know, not getting any younger. I've got 10 years left in my goals to, by the time I'm 55, to start being able to pull back and enjoy some of the things that I've hopefully, you know, been able to accomplish in my life, and now's the time.
Mike Torrao:So let's go forward momentum, um, and but only there's only certain people that get it. You know what I mean and, yeah, there's only certain people that will understand. Uh, you can understand me and understand why I do what I do. And if people ask me all the time like how do you do that, I'm like I have no idea. I can't give you a step-by-step of this is how I do it. I know I get up in the morning and I put my pants on like everybody else, but as of there, I have. No, I have no clue. It's just, things have to get done. We got to figure it out. We deal with with problems and you got to listen to the problem and you gotta come up with a solution like that. And over the years you just got, you just get good at it.
Mike Torrao:Um, but people don't really understand the whole running hot thing and you can't mesh with a lot of people like it's, it's my circle's super, super small, just because some people don't understand what I'm doing or why I'm doing it. Or you need to enjoy life, or you need to have a work-life balance and you need to, you know, do this, that and the third. And it's like I thought for a long time the work-life balance thing was a real thing. It's not. It's not a real thing. It's intention is is the real thing? I'm pretty sure that was an Ed Milet podcast I listened to with intention, like do these things with intention? So it may not have.
Mike Torrao:I have five hours for my family. Today I may only have three, but when I'm with my family, let's be intentional about that. When I'm at work, let's be intentional about that and that kind of sets that up. You know what I mean. And I run hot just like you every single day. Yeah, home, work, sleep. I sat up at three o'clock this morning. I'm rolling in my head conversations in my head. You know what I mean. It's just, that's just the way that it is and there's nothing I'm going to do about it. But that's also what it's going to put me in places that you know. Uh, other people don't have the drive to, or won't? You know? I don't want to say don't have it, don't have it, choosing on themselves. They don't have it, they don't want it. Yeah, for that reason, yeah, you know. So, like, I'm okay with it for now.
Ty Cobb Backer:Yeah, you know, I guess it could be a lonely place.
Mike Torrao:Yeah, it definitely can be. Sometimes it's getting. It's definitely different, Uh, as I was able as able to, um, control more of my emotions, Um, I used to call it passion, Like I get so riled up and I'm so passionate about it, and I don't remember who I listened to, but I was listening to a podcast and they were like, and they were like no, that's not, that's not what it is. You just can't control your emotions and, uh, anger has always been an issue with me, from you know, when I was a kid and the way that you I mean you were brought up in the old school construction, just like I was yeah, it's it's way different, Um, but you can't run people like that.
Mike Torrao:It's way different, Um, but you can't run people like that. People don't have respect for you. You know, you have to be able to be stern, um, and say things without yelling and screaming and doing all those kinds of things. So it's taken me a long time to get better at dealing with my emotions, Um, and that kind of puts things in the perspective and being able to, you know, being able to deal with people a little bit better has brought, you know, it's you don't run as hot as out of control. Yeah, but that's the growth that we talk about. Every step, every day. You're trying to just become a little bit better. It's something that you know you're not good at.
Ty Cobb Backer:You're trying to become better at it, yeah for sure, man, and and uh, I like this topic because I, I used to run things with an iron fist, and that's how I was brought up, that's how I was raised. Um, things were different back in the day. And and uh, you made a comment to me the other day that you know, I, I, I show a little more grace than probably I don't even want to say most people, but being, I guess, in the position that I'm in right now, and I think what has happened is, is that not that I've necessarily learned how to pick and choose my battles, but I guess I've come to realize that I don't have to throw a hammer through the wall every time something bad happens. Do you know what I'm saying? And, and I used to act out, I mean, I would say things. I, you know, I, I used to think that I wanted people, I wanted to be known for not taking any crap. You know what I mean. It was like walking around with, like almost like a chip on my shoulders. If you're not working as hard as me, you need to get out, get out of the way, you know? And, and not that there's anything wrong with that, that'll get you so far. You know what I mean.
Ty Cobb Backer:But it's like now I have to lean on other people and I have to understand that people are going to make mistakes, yeah, right. And I have to show grace during those times of mistakes and errors, because it's like the pot calling the kettle black, right, like I've made so many mistakes and errors over the years, I still do and still will, and that's why I call them. I call them lessons. I just I'm either winning or I'm learning, right, and I have to show enough grace to everyone else to learn, right. It doesn't mean I have to be happy about they made a mistake. You know what I mean.
Ty Cobb Backer:But there there's times that that there needs to be a stern hand at the helm during rough seas Right, and I know. I need to know when to turn that on and when to turn that off. And I need to also know people on which approach I need to take with those people. Right, because if, if a lot of people know that I'm frustrated or upset, I usually don't have to scream or holler.
Ty Cobb Backer:Now there are times I have to make the comment of like, okay, is this one of those moments that I need to punch a hole through the wall? Like is that what you guys want to see me do? Regardless if that's a horrible statement to make, but it's sometimes you just got to figure out a way to get your point across without actually punching the hole in the wall. Do you know what? What I mean, and not that I have done that recently, and it's been over a decade or so since I've actually I think janna's the one it's known for throwing salt and pepper shakers across the room, putting holes in the wall. Sorry, honey, um, but um, you know, there's just certain ways and, honestly, how you got to think about, like, how important is it really?
Ty Cobb Backer:yeah sometimes like, and got to stop taking myself so damn serious too at times too. Do you know what I'm saying? It's like, and this is like okay, if, if they continuously keep making mistakes and errors, then okay One was it lack of training? Right, we got to look, we got to look around and make sure, cross all our T's and dot all our I's, right, was it lack of training? Is it incompetency? Is it lack of respect?
Ty Cobb Backer:Because I think at some point in time it just becomes that, like, I'm just going to do whatever it is I want to do anyhow and screw the standard For sure, screw the system, screw the operation, Screw the process, right, like. But you got to identify that first. Do they have a learning disability? I talk about this all the time and I'm empathetic for that. Right, I totally get like.
Ty Cobb Backer:I, I learn a little bit differently than most people, right, and I think you and I probably learn the same way, and I don't know if it was the way that we were raised or what, what, what the problem is, some people show something one time too, and it doesn't. You could just tell them how to do it and they can just go do it. But me it's kind of like let me see you do it. Okay, give me the hammer Now let me try it. You know what I mean. I'm that kind of. I need that kind of teaching, to be taught that way.
Ty Cobb Backer:So I look at like okay, how is this person? You know, and there's different generations too, like in our company there's, there's four generations. We got baby boomers, right, there might even be more. Now we've got baby boomers Okay, we got the Denny's, the Howie's, you got the Vicks that are right on that cusp of Gen Z, gen Xers and baby boomers, regardless they're, you know, they're, they're, they still fall within that timeframe of. Of baby boomers, okay, we goters, we got millennials, we got z's and I think we're even coming up on wise gen, gen generation, y now I don't even know the name.
Ty Cobb Backer:Yeah, well, I know, mckenzie and them are are the z's right and I think rocket, and them are now like the wise that are coming into the workforce.
Ty Cobb Backer:Now you know what I mean. So, like there's four or five different generations of people that operate differently and need to be handled, talked to, treated differently, right, you know? And figuring that out, that's that's. That's some of the self mastery that I'm talking about. Do I really even care about people? Yeah, yes, I do. Ok, well then, I need to know, not only do I need to learn how do I tick, but how do they tick, what motivates them? Cause it's not always money, it's not always money. Yes, money helps, money's great, money's everything, but, like the environment in which we live in, I think, is more important than anything. Yeah, okay, and this is the thing.
Ty Cobb Backer:Most people will stay in a city shitty situation because of comfort, for sure Of of of, and then would rather stay in a city shitty situation because of comfort, for sure of of of, and then would rather stay in a horrible relationship, knowing damn well that would be the best thing for them to do is leave that relationship. But we'll stay in it because of the fear of being alone, the fear of rejection, the fear of, um, that remorse, that loss, that fear of loss. Fear of that remorse, that loss, that fear of loss. Okay, and and that's. Those are all the same feelings that we feel when we get demoted.
Ty Cobb Backer:There's a pivotal transition. What, even if it's good transition, even if it's good growth, even someone's pushing me that there's always this fear factor and like, oh, my God, they're taking this, like they, they get complacent and they get stuck in this job security thing and it's kind of like, well, because and this is the thing I had to learn right Like if I do everything, I know it's going to be done right. So I thought, okay, but then I need to learn how to let go of some certain things. And this is where it's kind of like where the grace started to come in Right, started to come in right. A little bit for me was like I need to let them make mistakes, because that's how they're going to learn. Hopefully it's not very costly, okay, hopefully we can get through it.
Ty Cobb Backer:If we can get learn something from, hopefully we discover something that needs to go into the kpi or we need to develop another process, another ssop, right, and and through that growth and through all of these trials and tribulations of my own self, and I'm sitting here tiring myself out just thinking about all the shit that I actually do deal with on a day-to-day basis, and that's something I had to work on, I guess is what I'm trying to insinuate here, or allude to, is that there's a time and a place to grab the helm right and and and and get through rocky seas, but there's also a time and a place where we just need to be empathetic and and show grace, because I think, like you said, you'll get much further with grace, but then you also can't go too far with that, because then you can just get taken advantage of.
Mike Torrao:There is definitely a gray line to that and, uh, I mean, jamie and I are completely opposite sides of spectrum. Um, when it comes to like, you know I'm hard nosed. She finds a good in everybody, um, which there's value in all that. Um, you know it's, it's. I can say to her hey, look, like you know this person's. You know you, we don't draw a line in the sand like people are going to start taking advantage of things, and that is a that's a line that you got to keep strong.
Mike Torrao:You know, there are certain times where I'll reach out to her and I'm like, hey, I need you to deal with this person in this situation, because I know that they need to be dealt with in a certain way, that I may not be able to stay things or do things, and I and I don't want to come off in a wrong, in a wrong tone and you know, um, but it's like you definitely have to figure out how people tick and and what, what their weaknesses and, uh, you know what are their strengths and and how they learn training sales guys. We not everybody learns the same, yeah, so that's why I think we you know we I've always been like it's awesome to have online universities and the online stuff, but it's also you got to have this part of it too, because you're doing somebody a disservice If you're only giving them a computer. If you give me a computer and tell me learn everything off your computer, get down the street and good luck.
Ty Cobb Backer:Yeah.
Mike Torrao:I'm probably going to fail at it because I'm that's not. That's not what I'm. You know how I learned well, but other people can take that and they can run with it. So you got to give everybody you know a little bit of both sides of it so they can succeed. And then, and sometimes you do have to be like hey, is this one of these times like that I need to kind of lose it a little bit for you to understand what's going on. Um and uh, and even though I have kind of like a simple face and it looks serious all the time, there's definitely a difference into when like this, like okay, enough is enough, we need to fix this stuff up. Um, and be being stern. I've gotten pretty good at being stern and people know that I'm not yelling and screaming and, and you know, most of the time it's like they're more of afraid not to live up to my expectations than they are of actually making mistakes. But I've learned that I got to say hey, we are going to make mistakes and it's okay, it's going to be okay, we're going to work through those moments. I've got good at fixing mistakes, you know. So there's really nothing that I'm worried about if somebody makes a mistake that I can't fix, yeah, um, so let's make them, let's make them early, let's learn from them and and and and we're going to be good to go. Um, and it's still.
Mike Torrao:I feel like sometimes I put a lot of pressure with expectation on people, um, and I've sat and had to think about that in the moment and I'm like I'm not willing to not put those expectations on you because nobody else is so do they really care as much as I do? Because I want you to be better. And it's not only sales, it's not how many you sell, it's in everything that we do and the outside, because sales and what we do, it all coincides with, with our life, or our life. If we're better out here, we're better in here and vice versa. It all goes together. Um, and I had an issue the other day where somebody came to me and they, you know, were saying uh, you know, somebody was afraid to talk to me and and I and I thought it might not go back to'm like, dude, are you being too hard?
Mike Torrao:Again, here you go, like you know. And I had to work through that and I was like you know what? No way, like I haven't yelled, screamed, punched holes in walls, flipped things over. And you know, years and years ago I've done those kind of things and I'm not willing to back down my standard because you're uncomfortable because of my standard, because if you're willing to get in that uncomfortable space, that's where the magic happens. And it goes back to what you were saying.
Mike Torrao:People are, they're willing to stay here, whether it's a bad situation or not, because they're comfortable, but in the uncomfortableness of whatever you're dealing with or whatever you're going to do, that's where things happen, that's where magic happens, the same way as the days that you don't want to do the thing, do the thing because that's where progress is made and that's what happens, up to a point where, like, okay, well, we've got this part figured out, let's go, let's get uncomfortable again, because we're going to go back through that and we're going to continue to keep growing and whatever, you know, whatever we're dealing with at that time.
Ty Cobb Backer:Yes, no, I agree. And then quitting becomes too easy. You quit something once that it just becomes that much easier to quit something else after that. You know, I've learned that too and I've watched people get comfortable quitting. You know and we talk about this all the time get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Ty Cobb Backer:And Vic and I had this conversation a little while back. I don't remember what it was, but it was like man, this is getting comfortable. It scared me. It might have been I don't remember what it was, maybe I was about to show, and you know it's like okay, well, that scares me a little bit. You know, months earlier I was like when is this ever going to get easier? You know what I mean. But here we got through whatever that adversity that I was faced with a couple months ago, where I was like you know what, when is this just going to become comfortable? You know what I mean. And then, months later, you know I ground through it, kept suiting up, showing up, kept suiting up, showing up. That became a habit. Right, I'm getting more comfortable with whatever that was.
Ty Cobb Backer:But then that scared me, like, oh shit, like I'm starting to feel too comfortable doing this now. Step your game up now. Yeah, me like, oh, like I'm starting to feel too comfortable doing this. Now, up your game up now. Yeah, like, now it's time to step. We, we, what's next? You know done, done next. Like, move on. Like I had a conversation with rocket this morning, you know what I mean. Like, don't ride on that award that you got last night. Put that on the shelf, man, that's done next. Yeah, right, like now it's the time you double down.
Mike Torrao:we just had that conversation, you know, through a conversation I just had with uh, with um, with one of the sales managers, and then it like kind of like an epiphany hit me and it's, you know, it's. I've always, I always say I'm like I'm a winner, I'm going to win right, somehow, some way I'm going to win. It's not the winning for me, it's the I don't want to lose, I don't want to lose, I don't want to lose like I'm scared of losing more than I'm, more than I love winning. I don't really feel the wins like. I mean, I see them cool, it is what it is. Now, what's next? Because I just don't want to lose, um, and and it's, I don't know, it's what gives you the resilience and and to keep going, yeah, every single day. But it's, it's what I don't know, it's what gives you the resilience and to keep going every single day.
Mike Torrao:But it's, it's what keeps pushing me forward and whatever you know, you, like you said you can't take that award and you can't ride that because that is going to go away. Right, I don't ever want to get in. I don't ever want to be I'm not a an awarder stager. I don't, I can. I'm good with the backside backside, I'm good with the hustle. I'm good with, I'm good with that. I don't need to be front side of anything or pats on the backs or anything like that. Um, and I think some of that comes from because I don't ever want to take this thing and just be like I made it, because then you're, you're done, you know it's over if you've made it. But people say what are your, what's your end goal? I mean, my end goal for now is here, but I know it will be what's next after, after we've reached this part, and what's next after that and what's next after that? Cause, complacency is scary. Yeah, like it's definitely scary.
Ty Cobb Backer:It is a scary place to be, you know, and you know that's that's not where progress happens. You know what I mean In that comfortable state that we may feel at times. Now don't get me wrong, I love a good Sunday morning, you know. Don't don't waking up in my house. You know what I mean. At home. Being at home, like this past weekend, was great but I didn't sit still. You know what I mean. We got things done around the house. We accomplished. It actually felt like Saturday felt like two days in one because of the amount of stuff that we got done, because I hadn't been home. I felt like for a minute on a weekend had a whole weekend. I there was a couple of Sundays I actually got home on a Sunday but, um, this past weekend was was just it was it was good. But this past weekend was just it was good.
Ty Cobb Backer:But when you were saying about the awards thing I think it was last year or two years ago we ended up going to Austin, texas. A group of us went down there to receive our Master Elite President's Award down in Austin Last year. They booked out. I don't know how they book out, but if you don't like, sign up for it the year before, like it like they run out of space. So last year we weren't able to go for some reason because they ran out of space. So it was our first year that we ever went to. We've been Master Elite for a minute, but somehow we were able to get down to Austin and participate in the ceremonial activities, right, and we dressed up nice. A group of us Vic, tina, john, sandy, glenn, heather, jana, myself went down there and you know no, sooner we got off the stage I'm like texting brad, like what do we got to do next year? Do you know what I mean? Like done next? Great, you guys, hold on. It was just they didn't even have our award. There was the same award everybody was taking a picture with and months later it was male, or brad might have brought it to the shop months later our actual crystal it was. It's a nice award. I love them, don't get me wrong, and it it's good to use for Homer.
Ty Cobb Backer:When they come in here they say, oh my gosh, you got triple excellence award three years in a row. Yeah, that's what we do, that's, that's the standard. You know what I mean? That's just what we do. Like I'm not looking forward to that award to celebrate the moment, right Cause, unfortunately, I can't. Like.
Ty Cobb Backer:I'm already thinking, as I'm walking upstate, that to receive this award, I'm already thinking about next year. Yeah, I'm already thinking about like, well, what can we do to better this? What did we do wrong? You know what I mean. Like what could we do to perform better at a higher level? And like this, is it like that's just the triple excellence? Fortunately, they, they've changed some things. So we have some other things.
Ty Cobb Backer:Within you know, the I don't know. Within you know, being a master lead, there's different layers now levels to that that we can succeed in. But like I, just that's. I think that's the thing. It's like, yeah, what I did 10 years ago don't mean, don't mean anything. And when you come across those people that that state like that's how we've always done it, that's the problem. Yeah, no, this is how we've always done it. For argument's sakes, there may be a time and a place to use that statement. Okay, I can't think of one off the top of my head right now, but but I'm sure there's something like yeah, that's just how we've always done it, but I think that's within that, that's where the problem lies that's. That's you being complacent, being entirely too comfortable, riding on your laurels, and no wonder there hasn't been any growth. Yeah, we've been in business for 50 years, but that's the way we've always done it. Well, that's probably why you've stayed at that monetary value that you guys stayed at. I'm not saying it was wrong.
Mike Torrao:Yeah.
Ty Cobb Backer:But you, there wasn't much growth, so you've repeated the same exact day day over day, over day over day. So you don't technically have 50 years of experience. You have one year of experience repeating the same exact thing over and over and over for the past 49 years. So I always take that into consideration. When someone says I have 30 years of experience doing something, I always kind of like dissect that a little bit and ask them questions so like, what have you actually done over 30 years? Right, like, have you just had one years of experience with 29 days of repeating? That's how we've always done it over the past 29 years, because technically that's not 30 years of experience. Have you evolved with the times? Have you evolved with the technology? Have you evolved with the new technologies and products and things that have come out?
Ty Cobb Backer:Just like AI right now I don't use it every day. Like some people like can't work without it. Right now they've already ruined themselves. Like like the gps in my car has we? I think we talked about this the other day, you know what I mean. Like I can't go anywhere in the country without the gps anymore. I have I'm ruined, right, right. Like I even forget, like the three digit numbers on on on a highway right, like I know, 81 odd number, two digit odd numbers run North and South, the um even numbers run South, east, east to West and, like the three digit odd, I think is a bypass. But like I forget, like I'm, I have to think about this. Like I, I, I forgot because the GPS is rooming.
Ty Cobb Backer:Well, I'm afraid for me personally, on my day-to-day activities, that if I'm using chat GBT and I'm not saying there isn't a huge place for it, you know what I mean, whether it's editing soft, editing videos and and, uh, creating SEO, blogs and stuff like that because if you're not and this is my point, my point is there is a huge place for it. But I guess my warning was is don't use it to the extent where it's going to mush your brain, where you don't know how to think for yourself, without asking chat GBT how to fucking tie your shoe, okay, things for stuff like that editing videos, content, stuff like that If you're not using it for that, you're not probably doing the amount that other companies are doing. Yeah, already, it's a tool. Yeah, it's definitely a tool and a resource that if you're not taking advantage of that tool now and if you haven't already, probably for the past 24 months, you're probably not being noticed on Google, right? You know what I mean.
Ty Cobb Backer:But if you're not capable of evolving with the times and stuff like that, yeah, we used to have people write our blogs for us, would I say. That's how we've always done it. Now, that would be dumb. Why would I still have people writing blogs for us, right, blogs for us, right, when, when chad, gbt or some form of ai is producing 100 times, 100 x the amount of blogs that is going out everywhere across the internet right now for our company? Do you know what I mean?
Ty Cobb Backer:So the experience that we have, I can truly say and feel confident myself that, yeah, I got 30 plus years of experience in the industry because I've evolved with it, I've changed with it. Did I like some of it? Not all the time, right, but, but I have. I've been open-minded enough to get company cam, whatever the case might be. You know what I mean. When, when GAF came out with the HDZs, how stupid would it be of me to say, no, we're sticking to natural shadows. I grew up with the timber lake, the timber line. Yeah, we're only sticking with the timber line and organic felt paper. Right, we're not going to use a synthetic. I mean, that would just be our, our competition or our worthy rivals would be outshining us tenfold by now if I was that simple, yeah, and thought that narrowly, you know.
Mike Torrao:I mean like you'd be dust in the wind at this point absolutely so.
Ty Cobb Backer:You got to evolve with the times, with the change, with with the technology and the products that that were, that are out there today and continuously searching for the next. Do you know what I mean? You got to keep your eyes open and know what's coming next. I don't. I can't think of anything right now. Ai is the biggest thing that might be the next. You know, dot-com bubble I don't know what the hell if it's going to make the world come to the end, to the end that some people are thinking like chat GBT is going to no longer.
Mike Torrao:Vic's got to have a job and we won't need Well, that's something I've known, I've hear all the time and like in the sales space and there's like, oh, ai is going to, you know, take sales away. That's such horse crap. Because people like, as we get into more technology and the more of the Zoom meetings and we went through COVID and Zoom people are thriving to see people, right, I know there's things like instant quotes and there's people that have programs out there that they're selling over phones and all this kind of stuff and they're doing this, this thing, and I'm like you know, eventually, like people want to be able to have a conversation with somebody in real time and read their body language, be able to read who they are, before they give them tens of thousands of dollars to do whatever, or even more to do whatever project. That is not going to go away. I mean it may, there may be people that will do things that way, but it's going to be on such a small scale and you can see, I mean just with the way I want to use the election, not going to crazy politics. But people at some point in time are like enough is enough and the technology thing is definitely going to get there to where, like we want. We want interaction. I want to be able to read you. I want to.
Mike Torrao:I've had conversations with you and I'm like there's things that I tell people and talk to people about in person. I want to be able to read the body language. I want to be able to read who they are. Look them in the eyes, and that's never, ever going to go away. I have look them in the eyes. That's never, ever going to go away. I have more conversations in a grocery store now that I ever have my entire life and I look super mean in a grocery store because I want to get in and get out. But, like people are having conversations hey the tattoos, or hey this or hey that and you have a conversation with people, um, and I don't, that's never going to go away. Yeah, I mean I don't want to say never, but at least for a very communication's never going to go away.
Ty Cobb Backer:I mean I don't want to say never but at least for a very, very long time. Yeah, communication is never going to go away. You know, face-to-face communication is never going to go away. Now, having said what you said, too, there will be a group or generation of people that would want to buy a roof online, of course. So we have to accommodate that as well. We have to have the tools and resources to be able to provide an instant quote.
Ty Cobb Backer:Yes, you know, for people to, because some people don't even like to go to a car dealership. They go shopping for cars on sundays because they don't want to deal with people, because because that's how those sales people might interact with people when they come on to a car dealership. You know what I'm saying, but you know. So you need both. You need to have an online presence so people can check prices and do this and do that, and Kelly Blue Book it and all this stuff. But that's also for a lot of car dealerships say like there's really no room to negotiate, no more, because everybody knows what the price of everything is, so the margins are slim, so that I don't want to say it's ruined, because people always need automobiles, so there will always be using new car dealerships, always. You know what I mean. They're just always well, but how they have to conduct business today has to be different than it was five years ago.
Ty Cobb Backer:Do you know what I'm saying? And that's what I'm talking about. That's my point. Like, if you're not keeping up with that, that that's why a lot of these is, dover was like the capital, the used car capital, when you go up 74. Now it's not like it used to be, is it? And I think some of that has to do with because of not evolving with the times. Yeah, you know, or maybe covid, I don't know. The lack of vehicles. I don't know if there's like this lull where the you know there's a lack of used vehicles to sell at the auction or what I?
Mike Torrao:I don't know, but they did something wrong well, people don't have to travel to go out and look, we're gonna go look for cars today. Yeah, we can do it online and you're and your car dealership is there and you have all the stuff. And they make the phone call. They're like, hey, they can see everything there. And then now we're going to get, we've made our decision, we we're going to go here and buy, right, and sometimes with car lots, you don't even need to. You can buy over the phone, they'll deliver it to you right, almost like an Amazon.
Mike Torrao:But if you don't have that and you're expecting in 2024 for people to drive out and there are going to still be people that do that I drive through car lots on Sundays because I don't want to deal with sales people to look at things. Yeah, it is what it is, yeah, um, but if you're expecting that to happen, that's your only business. That may I mean not may. It's definitely gonna push you out of business, because those times are not gone, but they're way less, because it's everybody's busy. Um, the creature comforts the amazons that it's at like it's an amazon world today, man and that's you.
Mike Torrao:And, like you said, whether you like it or not, I'm not a fan of the amazon, I'm not a fan of those things, um, but it's just the times, and, and you have to stay with those times. Uh, to an extent you know what I mean um and uh, and if you don't like, you're just going to be, you'll be pushed to the side and and uh, and won't be relevant any longer.
Ty Cobb Backer:Exactly, billboards are still useful. You know, digital marketing is definitely if you're not doing it. But there are still some things and, for argument's sake, sometimes if you don't leave the basics, you don't have to go back to them. You know, there are basic things, core values, whatever it might be, traditional ways of of marketing and getting yourself out there, but the combination of both is definitely the way to go, regardless of what it is that we're talking about right now, because the marketing could be maybe anything. Yeah, it could be anything, anything, anything. So, anyhow we're it's, it's 125, so I feel like we didn't. It's got to be over an hour. I don't know exactly what time. We started hour and 13 minutes into it. Okay, so let's, let's wrap this up and get everybody back to work. Thank you guys for joining us, hopefully on your lunch breaks today, especially you TC backer people up. I'm just kidding, just kidding. But, mike, thank you for everything. I'm going to give you public recognition right now. Appreciate. Thank you, brother, thank you okay, thanks for having me.
Ty Cobb Backer:You're welcome, um, and thank you for everybody. If you haven't liked, love, subscribe, share, uh, put in the comments a topic that you guys might want us to talk about next week or or weeks to come. Um, I know we got 21 turkey salute coming up next week, next Wednesday. That's going to be off the chain. The expected amount of dishes served is roughly right around 1,000. We're changing some things up there. We're going to be cooking all of the food on site, all of the sides. So all of those people that we've pushed away in the past that wanted to help, like, come down, help out. We're cooking the, the mashed potatoes. We're doing the corn stuffing, everything at the church, which should also make it easier for us doing two locations next year If we keep it all self-contained.
Ty Cobb Backer:So big shout out to Mark Jones and his team over there, who's getting us the food, and his what is it? The safe serve cert or whatever the hell it's called, so we can serve food healthy to everybody. And and his expertise in the food industry. He'll be there, his team will be there. From jcb um events, I believe, is the name of his company, with his food trucks and stuff like that. They're going to be helping out pushing that. So we're already thinking about next year done, it's already over with right, it's already over. We're talking about next year already. We're going to be hosting one on the East side and now I'm holding myself accountable, I putting it out there the side and West side will host to next year and I think it's going to be a lot easier with us cooking the sides and everything ourselves that way. So we're looking forward to that.
Ty Cobb Backer:I think that's Wednesday the 27th, which will actually be episode 257. So we're four episodes away from our five-year mark 260, episode 260, which is December 18th, I believe, the week before Christmas. So that'll be a special, very special event. I'm not going to share with you what it is that we're doing or where we'll be streaming live from yet, but that will be a special edition. So you're going to want to tune into that as well. And I think, as far as some other stuff, we got a whole lot of stuff Beyond the Tool Belt's, got a lot of other stuff getting ready to come up. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag yet, but stay tuned. So till next week, stay safe, take care of each other and we'll see you next week.
