Just Get Started Podcast with Matthew Yahes

Matthew: Oh, very I mean, I think that is when I started on the entrepreneurial path. I mean, it’s really that simple. I was like, go in 2009. So, youknow, during the downturn, the big economic We had and, you know, a series of events before. And after real you set me up on the, on the paths entrepreneurship and I think really it’s, it has to do with a piece of advice. Igot, you know, for my uncle’s a very successful guy. He said to me, I was very upset when I got let go. It was the first time that ever happened to me. I’ve survived the 2000 year 2000, all those layoffs, multiple rounds, and I got laid off because someone didn’t like me and the end of the day, to do with performance and I was told that pretty much. So in what happens because you can love a company but they can’t love you but I can’t love you back and if you think about that, what it really was really saying to me is Hey, kid, you it’s not your business. Therefore, tomorrow, how much time and effort you put in it doesn’t matter how much you care about the business. The set your the second or you need to go, you’re going to go and, you know, It was a nicer way of saying it, but it really resonated with me and after that, I haven’t had any real jobs. So

it it out. 

Brian: It is interesting, though, because, and that’s actually an interesting point, because I think about it with, you know, the full time jobs. I’ve had it’s like, I’ve become so loyal to the company and you want it to succeed and you want to pour your –your heart and passion. And then just like we saw, you know, over the past year with the pandemic, all of a sudden you know the –the your job one day she’s gone. You know, for no Rhyme or Reason besides just the economy. Maybe goes down and you and I know folks have to make those tough choices.

But the reality is, you could have been the greatest performer in the world, but for whatever reason, your division Your Role got eliminated, youknow. 

Matthew: No or your business is gone. Imean, so I haven’t –no, I have brought small businesses, one of them is in weddings, you order how well that’s going. Imean, you know, they’re– they’re just things out of your control that –that caused you to evolve, right? And if you have a choice in my opinion, have a choice. You can either say woes me. Oh my God, I got laid off. Oh my God, my business. You know, the wedding industry is basically legal now, you know 2008. Oh my God, the financial Says, or you can say, okay, this is really terrible, right? Like, you know what happened to me? Thanks. But I’m going to take a step back after I kind of, you know, just stop grieving about whatever just happens, you know, take a minute, but I want to take a step back to okay. Well, how do I use this to my advantage? To actually do something else or something I’ve always wanted to do or something that

you know, take advantage of some opportunity, right? So there’s opportunity. In every crisis in my opinion. And you know for me to doubt, you know, when I got laid off covid, these are all business opportunities for me, terrible things have happened, but it was a business opportunity to Pivot and grow into something else. Right? And I think a lot of people now are facing that right there. Like, go from their jobs because –because of covid. And, you know, while it’s absolutely terrible, right? That doesn’t mean, Some good can come out of it for yourself. 

Brian: Yeah. Well so how did you do that in 2009? And you mentioned obviously has some great advice from your uncle but how did you overcome that? Because you were always working for other companies. So now it’s like oh my gosh what am I going to do was your first thought to go back and work for another company or did you just decide –like pretty quickly? Like all right I got to figure out something on my own.

Matthew:  Yeah so is –interesting. It’s a really interesting path so I the time was working for the Chicago 2016. A bid and so this is – try and bring Chicago, you know,the Olympics to Chicago. And I was fortunate enough that my boss at the time. He was my client was mortified that this would that I got a, he was Furious that I got fired and so I got laid off, and if I guess it’s layoff getting laid off and getting fired. I guess I to me are kind of the same thing, right? You’re no longer at the company. So I got. So I got like, oh, and he just hired me as a consultant right away, just come work for me. No problem, right? And so, I was on my own as a contractor was my first taste of Entrepreneurship on my own because I did not have a company. I had a client, right? And I was a solo operator after we lost the bid. What happened was I right? You know, this is says to the important to me. I’m going out properly. My old company about two months later. My partner. So I was like go by someone who’s more. In your who didn’t like me, my partner loves me. He says, hey, do you want to come back as a contractor and it’ll be to exonerate your previous actually was like two and a half. So either believing the getting laid off because I exited right as a contractor. Now, again, my first days in the second case entrepreneurship as a sole operator, I was making more money than I ever had before.

Brian: Hmm. 

Matthew: And so that gave me an idea inkling of, wait a second. If you do this on, meaning operate on your own. There’s a lot more money to be made, potentially, hmm, and so after that, I did and my client actually for the big, he was a very senior restaurant industry guy, top five guys. In the industry, big company you would know, youknow, the names. He said, I’m going tobe calls me up and says, hey, I’m going to start a company

for in the restaurant we sort of restaurant company. We’re going to go National with raise a bunch of money and all this. Do you want Want to join me. I need someone who can just get stuff done. Want to be one of the people you want to start the company with me. So I was one of four people. I was the most Junior got a team. We started a company spent four years growing it to it. Was 16 14 locations in Six States and you know that was– that was my first company I created, right? But it was all about relationships and things. I’ve built a table and honestly out of the recognition I had when I got laid off, right, maybe I can make more money and do something different and rely on myself, other rather than rely on others to give me employment.

Brian: Interesting. Yeah, yeah. And you start to realize like when you pull back the, you know, all the, I guess the things we don’t even question when we’re working in Corporate America. Don’t even question, just kind of show up every day. You do your job, you leave, like all these things, like, wait a minute, why can’t I be doing something? Because, I think some of the challenges,lot of folks have been If you had this is because you had mentioned, obviously had a good rapport, right? People respected, you, you, you obviously got to ask back which mean you did. Good work. It’s sometimes when you’re surrounded by people that aren’t doing as much, it almost pulls you down at times. I found, youknow, like you want to kind of go above and beyond sometimes. So, I think, when you can control your own thing, you’re allowed to set that expectation, right? That culture.

If you will for yourself for people, you hire etcetera. Would you agree with that or –

Matthew: A hundred percent. I think as of Or they give the great thing is, I get to make the rules, that’s it. However, I want to run my company, whatever culture I want to create, whoever Iwant to hire, I get to do that. And I think you’re right when you’re in a company, just kind of just go along. This is the way things are. This is the culture and your Junior, right? You know, especially when you’re starting out, right? And you don’t have an opportunity to affect anything, you just have to just go along to get along. And what I like about entrepreneurship is I get to create what I want to. Create under the rules. I want to create. All right, if I want a contract to say to be a certain way, I have that, right? If I want to run the business and I want to give extra benefits to people, Idon’t have to ask anybody, I just want to do something nice for team. I get to do it. There’s no corporate nonsense. And so look, there’s a lot of freedom but I think an entrepreneur, since there’s also a lot of risk, right? Like

you know, you’re really going out there. You’re trying –you’re hustling and you know, It’s a minute to get it right? 

Brian: Yeah. Now so when did this idea, because so I’m assuming they, are you doing anything with the restaurant stuff that you were doing many years ago? You’re out of that.

Matthew: Okay, that was a. What look when a guy like my former boss asks you to start a company with him and he’s you know really up high. Right? Like you know he said he was number two in a comp one of these companies you should say yes. Like I do nothing about the restaurant industry. Right? So extras I can be done with that. I’m out. Like I never want to start a restaurant. Never want to start a restaurant, it’s a brutal industry. 

Brian: Yeah, so with the Extend Your Team stuff you’re doing, when did that idea pop in your head? When did you see a need for this in the market? What was the do, remember that ideation process? 

Matthew:Yeah, so okay. It’s not an original idea. So it’s essentially a virtual assistant company, right? It’s not an original idea. So what happened was after I left the restaurant business, I did some entrepreneurship. You know, I joined All different startups in Silicon Valley, right? Very short steps. But one of them was a company that had I came in as interim COO L4 company with, that was 450 people for that, 400 assistance and fifty internal voice. I’ve never known like about out. Virtual assistants outsourced, executive assistants, they were all the u.s.

 right? And they were at the time. A big name in the industry and I thought this was really where things were going for EA’s because I saw a downsizing in Corporate America where people didn’t want to have a staff. EA, they wanted just someone outsourced. So I thought this was a great idea but I thought you know, he Executive Admin was the idea that this was phenomenal. Unfortunately, the company was capitalized incorrectly and in the Staffing industry. If you ever want to go out of business quickly while you’re growing you have people pay you after the –at the end of the month versus the first of the month. Because you have to pay salaries so you better have that funding. So if you’re not profitable and you’re all of a sudden you’re growing, you need more and more money to make payroll. And you know, so what? Unfortunately, that’s the way they had structured it within three weeks I found out they were completely undercapitalized and they were sold for pennies on the dollar because they couldn’t make payroll. And but the idea always stuck with that, there was a phenomenal idea fast-forward to I ended up buying an e-commerce business My portfolio of four sites. Isaid one of them was in the wedding business and in the e-commerce industry and internet industry. It’s very common to have virtual assistants but these are five dollar an hour people in thePhilippines. That’s typically a– It’s just very low level. But you hear people talk about this all the time, like it’s, oh my God, it’s then greatest thing. Well, I went down this path of low-level people and it just really takes you down thi,  dark whole of pain because you’re trying to have Ju–, people are junior help you from another country, help you run your business. So that doesn’t work right. And I, so I saw what the, you know, the Executive Admin company. I was COO of, I saw that experience and my own experience, and I combined it to say there’s a better way

and why not just higher higher level people from the Philippines? There your virtual assistants, but they actually can do all the work that the Americans can do and then some for third of the price, And it’s just all I would I said is why don’t I actually get people like you Brian who happened to live in the Philippines and have them work for American companies. It’s that’s really not rocket science but it turns out right? So it’s you know that people

are very into it because they are getting better help that they can ever afford like you know someone’s 15 years project manager, 20 years division head for like 20 bucks an hour and so it just works and it helps people. Grow their business. 

Brian: How did you find? So you mentioned the other folks that were like, three, four, five dollars an hour. Obviously, this is a different breed of individuals. How did you find those? How did you uncover who those people are? How do you vet those individuals? 

Matthew: Sure. So it’s very is a bit of a crapshoot to be honest with you. Like now I can do it because I have a team and they vet. But when I was doing here, you know myself, I just went there a couple, very popular websites one Is onlinejobs.pH, people can go there, you can go put up a job, a job description and then you’re going to get, you know, a thousand people applying. And you just cycle through a lot of people hiring and firing. That’s really it. Imean, you know, the,

youknow, I think one of the things that people should think about as they start, their business is what pain points do you have? And what did you solve for yourself? Right. So in this case, I created a business because I solve the problem of low level people, and I ended up hiring someone with high level to run my business. And I was like, oh my God, this is the best thing ever. And one from working 14 hours a day to 32. Now, maybe an hour a week on that business and, you know, but I solve the problem for myself. So I tend I have, you know, a real visceral understanding of the pain points and I think as an entrepreneur You do something like that. You solve a real problem for yourself. There are alot of you’re not special right there. A lot of people the same problem. You just go do it for other people. 

Brian: Yeah. What did what would you find? What was the biggest hurdle getting it off the ground? Because, obviously had that experience of being at that one company obviously some of the Lessons Learned several. What was your hardest point of actually getting it spun up?

Matthew: Yeah, so I think well, step back a little bit, it’s even the spinning up of the virtual assistant agency. Really wasn’t hard because Ialready had someone to help me, right? And so you say, getting your first customer, that’s typically the hardest thing. I had the concept, I had someone who could recruit in the Philippines for me, because she was working for me already, right? So that wasn’t difficult, but step, but but making the jump to get to. That point was difficult. So, to the point where I had to believe that I can find someone better

like, hey, I can hire someone in the Philippines to Who can do high-level work – that pain point was actually because of my life. So the story is, we were going to check in on a family vacation and what she said is, hey, by the way, I really hope you’re not working. On this vacation. It’s a family vacation with my parents, hope and wife’s talk. I do, if you’re married, you married? 

Brian: I used to be 

Matthew: okay, you know, this very much. So 

Brian: yes, 

Matthew: Hope is Not hope it’s a direction. It’s like. Yeah. And so I said, sir, cycle for hire some of the Philippines to run your business. At the time, I had a bunch of people, I was getting 14-hour days, you know, a bunch of people in the Philippines but they just create a lot more work for me because the hand-holding, right? So I said, honey, I can’t hire some in the Philippines to go run a 4000 order, a month business and makes, you know, millions of Asia are.

 It’s just that I can’t find that person. She looks at me and she says, it’s a hundred million people in a country. There’s going tobe That can do the job, just stop it. Meaning like, hey, by the way stopping. So egocentric and Americans, then trick, that you think skills are only here, right? All right, honey, and I paid a lot of lip service. Let me go figure this out. It’s been two months interviewed 100 people reviewed five? Six hundred resumes Whittle. It down to 10 and I found someone who is Chief of Staff for a hundred person company.

 I convinced her to work for My 16 person company and she just kickedbutt. Honestly,  I hired her within a week, she took over 80% did everything 80% perfect. I went on vacation, no problems and getting to that point was tough, leave a better way was possible and it only took an extent took an external factor for me to believe that I can get the talent I needed in another country.

Brian:So we’re you going or coming in from the extender team standpoint, as you’re eliminating, the 500 interviews for people to whittle it down, you’re helping them whittled down. On themselves to get to the right people, would that be accurate? 

Matthew: So, there’s that plus there’s other things like, you know, we’re going tobe health care. We’re giving Medical Dental like internet. We coached both the client and the, the team member to make sure it’s successful. So, you know, add in the fact that it’s, you know, cross cultural Stuff. Plus working me style Stuff, Plus other factors that sabotage Outsourcing relationships. all the Time we actually. Now I have– I have over like basically overhead and I people who are skilled and help in setting this up correctly, and making sure it’s currently working on going and there’s all the whole other things but that’s the value. We create the way I like to look at it is we’re not on a cost center for the people, where profit Center. And the reason I say that is because it frees people up from real work, so then they can grow their business. I think, is entrepreneurs, our job is to grow our business. I always didn’t realize that, by the way, like I thought, my job was to operate a good business and yeah, to a point but I think our jobs entrepreneurs, grow grow our businesses like you make money doing this, you don’t make money, you know, editing the podcast right and everything else should be given to someone else. And so I like to think the people that our clients invest in are actually helping them grow their business. 

Brian: Yeah. well kind of reminds me of, you know, Tim Ferriss. It’s used to say, you know, says this a lot of know if you filed Timber out, but like how do I get myself out of the business where I can still technically run, if I’m not there? So building the systems in place to make it actually run as a profitable business, but like where I’m not the bottleneck is how he said it, youknow. 

Matthew: Yeah. And I would like level one up one so I can he was talking about in the 4-Hour workweek. Like he’s talking about five dollar an hour, you make it, you know, bulletproof checklist Chuckles Chuckles Chuckles. What I like to say, is level at up, right? And get someone who could do that for you. It’s the whole nother different gets. Its it never like, it wasn’t really possible so when he did it, you know, he did the 4-Hour workweek and talk to my virtual assistants and this is Guy, obviously is Tim Ferriss, right? He’s Pioneer. But where I

what I think is possible now is the type of people that will come work for a foreign company has completely changed and covid. This is right. Opportunities, Covid change the word the way the world Works read. While Imats were all virtual assistants now. All remote. So in that environment as an entrepreneur there are endless opportunities to help other people and to create a business, right? And I think you know, all the people listening, like think about that for a second, we’re getting, youknow, it’s, you know, covid happen to be good for this industry virtual Services right remote workers. It’s great. It’s but what other opportunities are there? Where people aren’t going to office five days a week? And how does that change work? How does that change society there? There are definitely multiple many, many, many multi-million dollar businesses that are going to come out of coke and these aren’t just covid tests like actual businesses, because the structure of the world is changed.

Brian: Yeah. – yeah. No, that’s a good point. Why now, like one at one of the things, just the highlighter underscore I guess, is you had mentioned, because There’s a lot of as you mentioned, there’s other companies out there that do like virtual assistants and you can match people up. But I like what you were talking about is where you all are actually doing the coaching side of your actually, how it seems like marriage counseling like yours, you’re helping that part of it. It’s not just matching people up, but it’s actually making sure it’s a successful partnership as well, which has to be important, because there has to be some cohesiveness right between individuals, especially if they’re across the world.

Matthew: Yeah, and I think that’s very well said 

Brian: When you look at someone that is starting a business so let’s just doesn’t matter what the business is. But if you if you look at someone that starting the business, what is the opportunity? I guess it, what you’re talking about opportunity terms of covid, but what is the opportunity in terms of things? They should be thinking about now, like, movie stuff 123 that they should be considering as they go forward.

Matthew: lWhen you start a business. I my opinion first thing is validation. We all have ideas, right? So start a business. You can print your product, right? And so create your product and then try to sell it to someone. You know, you’re probably is service or whatever it is, you know? So just do that, like, get your first customer, it’s going to be people, you know,

that’s the first thing you should do when you start a business, right? You have an idea, validating it by getting someone to buy it, and if you can’t get anyone to buy it, Dan it’s not a good idea. 

Brian: Are folks going through like Market testing for that. Or is that just to your point? Hey, if there was a pain, there’s probably a business they or how do you suggest any of you go down that path? Is there anything you’d coach them on? 

Matthew: Yeah, I would say. Just call a honestly call up all the people, you know.

So if for your first, your first customers are going to likely be someone, you know, tell everyone, your idea, okay? So that everyone is talking about oh my God, someone’s gonna Steal my idea right now, I stealing your idea. I mean, heck, my idea of like what you talked about the most unoriginal idea, I’m literally in like 10 most proud of histories of the, you know, now. And I’m just like, I’m just gonna do differently, right? It’s not really original, right? And I’m just, I have twist, right? So tell everyone, your idea. And then ask people, just, hey, if I started this, What do you think? Great, they say auto-awesome–, would you be a customer? That’s it. And that’s how we go about it. No Market testing, it was it for most of us, right? Unless you’re coming with a Silicon Valley bank account, you’re not going to sit here and do Market testing, /p ages, apply fifty thousand dollars in marketing, stop that stuff. Right? Okay, let me okay, so my virtual assistant is now it’s a little unfair because I had someone working for me already who can Student recruiting I had, I think I started with like $1000 to $1500 and I just said, okay to my team member for my other business, so you can say, that’s unfair. Okay, so make her salary for a month and that’s your starter cost, right? So but it’s only a few thousand dollars and then I said to everyone, I started talking to ever, Iknow about it in my network and they said, hey, if you Can actually do this. I’d be a customer. Great, I went out and find someone right now. I take like security deposit that the search deposits and all sorts of stuff. But I said, look, if I can find someone, would you do this? They said yes, and I didn’t ask for money upfront, I didn’t ask anything, I delivered then, okay, great? You know, it’s an agency. So you’re going to pay me for the person. I find right there on my team so and so forth. But I did the For free and I delivered right and I you know that’s you know another thing people should think about don’t necessarily charge until you get results, right? I didn’t charge anyone till I got a better person, right? So Iactually did what I said I was going to do. And then my first 10 customers will all people. I know

I did not go outside my network. It was like customer 11 or 12. We are. I finally had to move. That was scary, by the way the first time, Someone, I didn’t know it. All right, do I hear it? So, I have an idea, okay? I’ll make you a little bit of money, but then it’s like to, I actually there’s a market for me, right? And that was a little scary when I had to get that first person, that was harder. And how I did that, I did that on LinkedIn. That’s, that’s how I did it. 

Brian: Yeah. How did you guess from the mental side of things? If you could talk to, you had a little bit, like, Believing that you could actually do it believing. Hey, this is more than just some friends and family. I’m doing some fun stuff for making a few bucks to actually scale it, to take it to where it is. Today, I caught was there any kind of self talk that you went through or any practices, you did to kind of help give yourself a confidence or It wasn’t. 

Matthew: Listen, so this is my third company,right? The lot first one, Idid with VC funny though. The second one I did on my own, I bought when I did this one. So, it’s cry. So, there’s something to be said about burning the bridges, and you have no choice, right? So, my large e-commerce business became much less large during covid because there are no weddings as 80% of my rank, right? And so, I, Isaid, okay, I say that business. That business will be fine. I will go come back.It’s coming back because of the vaccines Isaid, well here’s my choice, I’m job get a job right? Ihad this conversation before. I have this idea, I can make it work. It’s an idea, I don’t know, but my Alternatives get a job which I definitely do not want to do. Right? I don’t think a jock, so I’ve been but Ilike, hey, you gotta do what you do and so I said let go. I’m just going to do it. And I just said, this is what  we’re going to do and it was scary. So mentally, how do I prepare? Why, I felt another choice. But I think also, as an entrepreneur, you have to be rationally– rationally optimistic. You have to believe in yourself, to even take the plunge, right? You have to think you’re smarter than you probably. Are you better than you are and that you have Secret Sauce to pull? Whatever this is off. So I can’t say, I’m really psyched myself, – any mental exercise. Although I have did start meditating. So that’s

the other thing I would that would say, meditation. Absolutely, it’s been critical to getting with the business off the ground because especially during covid, right? Where’s a lot of stressors? I have a business that’s not doing well. It allowed me to be present and clear of mind and it sounds hokey because I’m not a meditation guy. Right. 

Brian: But obviously you are now, you know, 

Matthew: I think that meditation. Is it just for me, my mind is going

a million miles an hour. I think what that allows you to do is just it, just slows it all down. And so if there’s a mental practice, you should do, it’s that psyching yourself up. Just gotta believe in yourself. Imean, there’s no reason. There’s no, look, there’s no reason you can’t be a multi-millionaire ability and billionaires probably a lot harder. But like, you know, he’s he can’t be that multi-millionaire, right? There’s no reason the people who are wealthy and Rich. I’m not any different than you are. Either not special, right? Iknow people who are insanely wealthy, who are maybe not even smart. Great. Like it’s really doesn’t matter. So why can’t it be you? And you just have to believe that that And be you, they don’t know anything more than you. The people that are doing this just because it hasn’t been done and you have a different choice. That doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. Maybe they don’t see what you see. 

Brian:  Yeah, it’s good point. I circled something over here on my notepad, that to come back to and about pricing. So obviously you said you’re kind of giving it away at the beginning, which I think is a great practice when you did start charging, how did you know what to charge? It was that just an ask or is that a you make it up and I say, I hope. 

Matthew: Yeah. So let me just a little bit. So what I do now when I do before was charged a non-refundable deposit, a start, the search, hmm? Right. So for us to even go, look for someone for you.

 I take a deposit and if you ghost me, I don’t give you your money back. If you come on as a client, Ijust credit you the full amount to your first invoice, right. When I first started, I didn’t do that. I said, I’ll do this for. You don’t have to pay me. Let me go, let me go try. Now once we found someone that has to be –, you know, the way when we did pricing as Cost Plus so that the person costs us this to pay every month plus our expenses plus profit margin, right? And so, you know, over time you adjust that use try more still, trying to figure out what the exact amount is have an idea in my head of what I want,but I think you just you just got to learn and figure out how you’re going to To make less at the beginning and then let’s listen client Number one on a margin basis is a lot less profitable than client number 60, right? Client number one, gave me a chance and that’s okay. Even if you like are not making the money, you think you should make,

I knew it wasn’t enough money. Like, I knew it wasn’t like, I’m not, but, you know, you have to learn and understand the value, by the way, you need experience. Some was giving you a chance, right? You know what? They’re giving you a chance by the way, that’s worth a lot of money, but that my first client, maybe I wouldn’t be here today. Yeah, so price thing Ithink you gotta just feel it out. See what’s reasonable, you know do what you know do work, you know if it’s service-based business maybe do based on performance

you know some people get it. Some people don’t I mean I had you know I spoke with some of the other day. I said, listen, you know you’re new. I’ll give you a fat referral fee. For everybody, you can execute on to give it to me but you’re new into what you’re doing. But I so I can’t pay up front but I’ll give you, you can make more money this way. You know he didn’t take it but for me I would have said, yes, I would have cared his. Yes, let me perform. If I know I can do when I say I can do. Yeah I’d perform no .

Brian: Just one or two more questions for you and I’m kind of curious on this at what point. Because again, let’s say you’re putting on the –you have the microphone here you’re talking to someone that’s just starting a business. So, we’re thinking about starting at, what’s the Tipping Point when they really should be, or what are some things that could be breaking down in their business that they should be considering help and not doing everything themselves? 

Matthew: Yeah, so obviously, you have to have revenue.

Well, you don’t have to ever ever you, maybe, you haven’t enough money to start a business without revenue. But let’s just say, for most people, you have to have Revenue, right? Or profit. I should say, not just rabbit profit, because who cares? About wrapping you any profit? And so The I think it’s the point where you are your growth is impeded because you can’t focus on growing. You have to focus on doing. That’s the point where you need help, truthfully, probably you need it before hands.

But most people, most people won’t be able to recognize that you have to hire ahead and of your need. Like it’s Look, it’s even hard for me. We have five recruiters Right. It’s ahead of what I need right now, but I know I’m gonna need. It’s hard. It was hard to make the decision to be honest with you. So most people won’t hire ahead but at a minimum the second you were impeded from growing. You’re doing you’re doing more than spending time on growth. That’s when you actually have to hire help

because other people can do probably 80% of the test. 

Brian: Yeah, so to be Crystal Clear again, so it doesn’t get lost in translation when you’re say the doing that’s like those just the to do list items, that kind of you know. No, just get it done. You know, I gotta, I gotta update you to do Financial stuff. Whatever it is like, things in are helping the sales growth is kind of just to make the business, you know, to kind of stay afloat. Iguess in terms of day-to-day activities is that what you’re saying, right? 

Matthew: So let’s just say,

you know, and this is so it’s really anything that does not require. So let’s say your the client, Brian’s experience or knowledge, right? Anything that doesn’t quite add.Those two things you out, you get to someone else. Right, that’s it. And that can be project. Management could be client manager. Most people, my client manager. I would never do that. My clients expect me to actually answer every email. No, they don’t like just stop clients. Do not expect you to answer like an information request.

 They don’t expect you to act. Like you know sales people like says sales prospects. If you said oh my you know my assistant or my chief of staff is going to send you something, no one’s like, oh my God. How come is it? It isn’t you like for me? Let’s hear my client. You are your sales call you say Madam an let’s do it. Okay. From that point on, I do not speak to you unless you want to speak to me why? I had no value. I don’t add value in writing up job, description. I don’t add value, send you the job description, how to add value in searching for someone, I don’t add value scheduling interviews, right? I suppose, I don’t have to died onboarding. My value is creating a system that enables you to be successful and part. That is having other people to do the work, right? You’ve never heard of one, but you can’t name one person. One person who’s successful, like famous entrepreneur or business person where they just they’re on their own you ca– you can’t.

Brian: you may not see it but behind the behind the curtain, there’s people helping out. Yeah, there’s –

Matthew: just look at politicians, right? You see the politician? Right. But after that you think the politicians really write the laws? No theydon’t. Their staff does really the politicians again. Maybe Imade the law. All right. But you know even if the like this a spokesperson for Richard Branson you know like obviously they’ve massive T’s is Richard Branson actually doing work?

No he’s not. 

Brian: So let me ask you this that and I’m by the way. I’m not going to allow you to use your uncle’s advice. You can’t use that because we already already. Used it, but I want you to go back to your younger self. Don’t you go back to your younger self and you’re trying to give one piece of impactful, advice. I like to say it has to fit on aPost-It note like I can just stick on my computer, I can stick on my mirror to get me and it doesn’t to be motivated but it could be a thoughtfulness

on my journey. Who are you sharing her? What kind of advice you sharing with your younger self? 

Matthew: I would say for me, in particular, start earlier being start my entrepreneurial –entrepreneurial Journey earlier. That’s what I would tell my younger self, not, everyone should be in Corporate America. And I’m one of those people. I’m just not, I’m not a fit. So that’s my advice. I would say, start earlier, know yourself,

know your strengths and weaknesses and you know, What up, when I came out of college, entrepreneurs were not glorified like they are today, right? It was small business owners, right? And I was more inclined to go that path. Although I learned a lot of things along the way, including going to graduate school, but what I’m doing now is much more personality fit. So here –,here’s actually here’s actually something more succinct,

don’t focus on product Market fit It focus on business entrepreneur fit or career person fit? Do. What’s right for you to not think about what’s right for someone else. 

Brian: Yeah, that’s a great that’s a great point. And would you and kind of Iguess it could be on both those fronts but our are you– are you encouraging folks to and we can call it aside Hustle but even just trying projects before they get out and kind of run Full Throttle like to see if they actually liked it and it’s something they could see themselves doing for

a full-time gig.

Matthew: Smarter people than me. You should do that. I didn’t do that but Ihighly recommend it. I think. You’re going to work a lot of hours but you know, side hustles are great, entry way to jump in to just dip your toe. It I listen, I spent a whole bunch of money and I’m on my own andI bought a business, right? It was a portfolio,

not a smart thing to do. I just, I like not smart. It would have been smarter to actually do what you suggest, as start small, dip, your toe in. See, if you like it, if you’re good at it right. This also, you can Get in, I’ll be good at it right. Like you know like e-commerce for me is the wrong business but I jumped in and burn the bridges and you know I was floating in the ocean don’t recommend that but you know yeah I would say dip your toe in.

 Why not spend next? Its look it so and it’s okay to like you’re going to work extra hours. Oh my God. Youknow, when am Igoing to have time to see my friends or whatever? Well that’s the price you want to, you want to try something new. You want to be an entrepreneur and you don’t want to just jump in. You’re going to have to have two side hustle. 

Matthew: Yeah, absolutely. We’re working everyone to find you online. Where’s the best place to connect? Check out content, you know, say hello, whatever. It is sure LinkedIn. I am on LinkedIn. I’m sure you have my the name of my together spelling.

My name is the only Matthew Yahes on LinkedIn and you know reach out. Listen if you want to talk about entrepreneurship, you want to talk about General business, Business. You want to talk about, Outsourcing just say hello. I’m always happy to talk to people whether or not your client. 

Brian: That is a lot of fun. Excited to have you on and definitely the with the story you shared my notes can be helpful for a lot of folks listening and so thank you again, I appreciate it. 

Matthew: Thanks Brian. Been fun.

Brian: Well, I hope you all enjoyed that. Great interview and thanks again for stopping by to just get started podcast, grateful to have you here and if I could just make one quick ass, Before you run along on your day, you know, I grown this podcast organically over the last three plus years and it’s from the great listeners that pickup, youknow, a quote or a key learning or just enjoy the entertainment of the podcast and they share it out to their audience, they leave a review on Apple podcast, whatever it is and I’d ask that for you as well.

If you’d made it to this point in our listening in a lot of the podcast platforms that you listen on, have a share button right there where you can share it out to your audience. Various platforms. So I would be so appreciative if you wouldn’t mind taking a quick second to do that if you really enjoyed this episode. So thanks again. Happy to connect online. I always love to meet new people. So if you want to go to my website, Brian, Andre co.com or connect with me. I’m at Brian on Draco, basically, everywhere on Instagram, Twitter,

even clubhouse, that new app that’s out there you name it. So follow me online and certainly look forward to Connected further. I hope you all Have a great day, a phenomenal week and we’ll talk to you soon. Take care.