Duke of Digital
Duke of Digital
009 - Lessons My Father Taught Me about Business with Arnold Meert
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In this episode, the Duke interviews his father regarding some of the core business lessons taught to him as a boy.
Brian Meert
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All right . They say you can tell a lot about a guy by sitting down with his parents. Today, I've got my father here on the podcast to tell you everything about how the Duke of Digital came to be. Presented by AdvertiseMint
Speaker 2The Duke of Digital will guide you through the rapidly changing landscape of digital marketing social media and how to grow your business online. Ro submit a question for the show text 3 2 3 8 2 1 2 0 4 4 or visit dukeofdigital.com . If you need an expert to fix your adds the friendly team at AdvertiseMint is ready to help visit AdvertiseMint. That's mint .com or call 8 4 4 2 3 6 4 6 8 6. to grow your business.
Speaker 3Here's your host Brian Meert.
Speaker 1All right I am excited today I have got a very special person in my life to be on this show which is my father Arnold Mears and I am glad and welcome to be here .
Speaker 4It is delight to have a wonderful son by the name of Brian who does incredible thing.
Speaker 1I've paid him 20 bucks to say that. So what's interesting is I was like hey dad I've got this podcast I want you to be on the podcast where you come do it . And he was like hey what's a podcast. And I was like I love that even more . You're like I'm too busy or whatever it is these little new technology things you guys are doing .
Speaker 5I'm so thank you very much for taking the time to come and be here on the show . I I really really wanted to run through a variety a couple of different stories that you know you and I talk about all the time or that we've had as memories . But what I've realized over the last couple years especially in doing business is how lucky and blessed I was to have a father and some of the things that you did in my life that I just thought were normal or you know it was just whatever was going on . And and later on in life to realize whoa I really lucked out to have someone that taught me a certain thing or steered me a certain way . And that's what I wanted to run to a couple of fun stories that we could go through on that today and be able to share that with with our listeners. So you know to begin . Tell us you know where where you're from what you do . Fill everyone in on all the details in 30 seconds .
Speaker 4Think about it you were born in Wisconsin near the Green Bay Packers stadium grew up in Miami Florida . I spent my college years roaming around the U.S. and wound up in Sacramento California where I've been for the last 40 years Go Kings they never win much but we love them . Yeah . So anyway I worked for Kaiser Permanente . It's a health care company and I'm a nurse anesthetist and I've been doing that with them for 40 years now and still going strong.
Speaker 6I love it . It is crazy to think of you know 40 years at a career and that's we'll get into that . I've got some questions about that. What some interesting facts is you're saying that you said you grew up in Green Bay. If there are any Packer fans there . There was one summer when my parents like we're gonna go take you where we grew up and my dad was like Yeah we grew up near Lambeau Stadium . We drive up to a house that is kitty corner from Lambeau Stadium meaning you could get on the roof and look through kind of the split in the stadium and see the players on the field . And I was like you could watch football from your house .
Speaker 1He's like Oh yeah I told you we grew up next the Lambeau Stadium was like it's literally next to Lambeau Stadium . And I love that .
Speaker 7I had creative parents who actually at the age of eight and nine let me walk by myself or with a brother or sister or cross and we would go in the gate for the media and walk up and down the stairs and watch the ballgame from the stairs .
Speaker 5So you get down the stairs but you just go cruise around inside the stadium. I love that.
Speaker 4We just parked cars in our front yard till you couldn't put any more in Nice .
Speaker 6OK well I want to jump in .
Speaker 5You know you guys had one of the stories that I remember you telling me was about the element of how you chose your career meaning what made you want to go into the medical field . And I remember you saying something about when you were a kid there was another person that you know in his dad worked in the medical field . Is that right. Was that right.
Speaker 4Very much so my parents very highly encourage medical . They thought that was a good service to humanity . So I came from a strong encouragement that area and I had two classmates in high school whose dad both of their dads were nurse anesthetists and I didn't know what that was . I had to ask him and I just remember sitting there in surgery and there watching surgery and they're doing anesthesia and I would just love to do that. That sounded exciting and thrilling . And I said that's what I want to do . Having no clue of where I was going or what that journey would take .
Speaker 8Nice . Okay. I I always loved that because there was a moment that you were like . I saw it from an early age because I mean I feel like there's a lot of people that today are like I don't know what I wanted to do with my life . But at an early age you kind of knew that was the direction you wanted to go.
Speaker 4It was one of the directions but it was a highly sought after one it paid decently it wasn't a real high paid job but it sounded like something I would enjoy something I'd never done something exciting thrilling. I get to work with doctors and see surgery and see the insides of people and I don't know some people would run from that . I ran toward that guy .
Speaker 8I think is incredible. I mean technically for anyone that's listening you know you are the one that puts people to sleep when they operate . So if there is someone that's giving you a hard time or talking too much you just pull their out .
Speaker 9Some people like the profession because they don't have to talk to their patients the whole time .
Speaker 1I love it because there was a time when I was growing up that I thought I wanted to go into the medical field as well.
Speaker 8I remember asking you can I come as a kid and watch you work . And you were like You know you technically can't do it until you're 18 but then I can bring you into the operating room and when I turned 18 I was like Dad I want to go see you know like Okay let's do it. And I remember we went to the hospital one time and there was only one time and they were operating on a brain and you were like you have lucked out . It's like you have won the lottery. This is incredible . I don't see a lot of these . They're operating on a brain today and so I go in and they bring in this lady and there's two things that shocked me from that one was that the doctor pulls out like a little buzzsaw a mini buzzsaw which was the exact same one that was at Home Depot and that's where they get their jewels from like I was expecting like these space age .
Speaker 1And it was like something from home depot .
Speaker 8And I remember he cut a little triangle in her school and you know I got tweezers with pliers pull that was cool and there is you know what looks like just kind of a like spaghetti but he got a little fiberoptic tube and put in there and it was on his giant flat screen TV and as he's going in to do the you know to find whatever it is he needed to fix . It's just like spaghetti hitting up against the plasma TV but a huge was all bloody and areas like as he pushed the fiber optic again . And I just remember being like woozy like oh man I gotta I got to sit down I get know if good idea.
Speaker 1And then I remember the doctors that were in the room were like Hey aunt Oh yeah you've got a winner there that guy is gonna not going to make it long . And I remember them joking and me and I was like I'm not going to I'm not gonna make it I had to go sit down because of the blood .
Speaker 8It was tough. And that was the day I realized I was probably going to go into business.
Speaker 9We all have our different are different takes and how things go.
Speaker 4And yeah there was it was a clipping of a brain aneurysm which is way down the center of the brain and it's a very delicate surgery and takes a lot of anaesthesia specialty because we've got to drop the blood pressure very low right when the doctor clips it . And so it was I was doing a lot when you were watching and I can remember the doctor actually saying Brian come up here and look through the microscope look down in the middle see this that and the other and showed you different stuff because he had kids that were your age at the same time and he could identify .
Speaker 5And I remember him being like Come look and I'd be like peeking . Okay go I thought it like it was it was rough . I just I don't know I just don't do well with blood . It's weird . It's always always been that way .
Speaker 10That's OK. Not everybody is meant for medical .
Speaker 11One of the things that I have gotten from my friends are people that know you is that you always seem to be abundantly happy or like just happy with life happy with everything . And it's something that I would agree with them on . I've had that as an example of someone is going through life that just has a good frame of reference on a some things are not a big deal and focus on what matters and you just generally seem to be happy and that was something that I wanted to ask you like is there . Where does that come from inside of you.
Speaker 8Like what fuels that because there's a lot of people that the days that you know I'm just like and you know in the business world there's all sorts of things that are happening back and forth and unexpected things or you could be doing great and then something happens in your you know your business takes a turn and you've got to try to scramble to figure things out there's a lot of hustle at with ups and downs emotional ups and downs you know physical ups and downs a lot of that goes on but you always seem to be happy is that just are you good at hiding the moments when you're upset or you know is there a secret there that we can share with others.
Speaker 7I don't know that I'll have one specific secret I think life consists of a lot of different things that all come together either in your past or your attitudes or your approaches or the resources you read and look at and follow that guide you in a direction I grew up with parents that were extremely positive they wanted nothing negative in my life they didn't want to ever have me hear an argument a fight anything that was bad they very much limited when TB came out they very much limited because they didn't want me hearing things that were ugly or nasty or seeing people being killed and so I grew up in a very positive extremely positive environment that was I think very strong and affecting me and saying you know I saw my parents desires they're there and I began and is easing up to teenagers and into young adult began to realize that there was a lot of good in the positive and the negative really drew me down . And so what do I want to do with my life . I want to stay on the positive side. I do want to be in the negative side that's drawing me down that's hindering me that's keeping me from being successful this keeping me from being happy . Yeah .
Speaker 8You know I think one one story that I remember is I remember you coming home and I remember how old I was that I was still in high school and you came home and said there the position the leadership position in my department is open and I was like Dad Hey are you going to do it . Like are you going to jump in and take it . You get to be the boss you get that means you get to sit back until everyone else what they do this is gonna be great . And I remember your answer you like no I don't want to do it . And I was like Well I don't understand. Like for me I like it doesn't compute like you always just go up until you eventually become you know the president has or you know you make your way to the top . And I remember your answers you like . I'm happy doing what I want . And the boss a lot of times comes with headaches and fights and arguments and a lot of elements that go back and forth and there's some things that I'm really happy . I like doing my job I like being able to walk out and not have it follow me home . And I remember like you just said it and then you walk out of the room and I was like like I had just spoken to a man on a mountaintop getting wisdom that goes like like you can be happier not going to the top because you know very much you know an American I think society it's all about you know going up in and making your way up the ladder but you were like No I'm extremely happy where I am and I want to keep that I want to preserve that. Any thoughts on that.
Speaker 12Definitely . One looks at their skills and their abilities and realizes you have some and you can make others happen and you can . You can work on different areas to become very successful. I realized that in the world of anaesthesia what I did incredibly best was giving anesthesia supervisory work I could do OK I could manage . I would be probably a mediocre person is a boss but as a nurse anesthetist that was my area of expertise and when I looked at my colleagues I stayed near the top of the realms of the kinds of cases the difficulty the cases. How you came through how your patients came through . And no I'm not here to say I'm better than somebody else .
Speaker 4I can say that now but I realize that that is where I would do my best and I had seen this and other people who had opportunities to advance and they said you know what . This is where my gift is . And rather than sitting in an office and just managing things I can be extremely productive here and do a great to meet service to the world to society to my profession and to myself .
Speaker 8I liked it . I think that's what they refer to is like playing to your strengths which is you know if you are at a seven or eight of something like you can work your way to a nine or 10 but if you're at it two or three of something you know even if you work hard at it you know you'll most likely be a five or six which is still again kind of mediocre. I actually love . I love that . That was you focused on what was what you were the best at and was like How do I get that to a 10 level or to the very cream of the crop in my industry when I was looked up to in my profession as a leader .
Speaker 12I got a lot of questions coming to me saying how do you do this how do you manage this case . How do you do that. I worked very closely with a lot of physicians in tailor making cases to work for them the anesthetic to work for them . And so this was an area that I excelled in and I really didn't want to leave that nice one.
Speaker 11One of the things I wanted to to get to is your number . This is what I would rank as your number one piece of advice you have given me in my life meaning of all the pieces of advice. This is the one that's come out multiple times and I would think risen to the top . You ready. Do you know what it is you have to tell me.
Speaker 1OK OK . So this is good .
Speaker 8So this would be a phrase that you said to me on numerous times where I'm talking to you about a situation on man or either something with school or relationship or you know business as we'll sit down and have conversations and you say choose your battles .
Speaker 5I would think that's the number one piece of advice I've gotten from you . So walk me through where that came from and what's your kind of mindset behind that piece of advice .
Speaker 7I don't know that's an age old saying that I've heard in many people on different times when we were growing up and you were little . We listened to a lot of success tapes a lot of different stories . We went to seminars and other things . It was repeated commonly there . And as I heard that I began to watch and I would see people who would fight worthless battles and spend horrendous amounts of time and energy and by the time it was all done they had wasted a year of their life . And I said I only have so many years I want to spend it on productive things not non-productive things. So as a consequence you begin to look . You begin to see and you say OK I choose to fight this battle or I choose not to fight it or I choose to work it in a way where in we have a win win situation I'm in the middle of one right now I get called yesterday we own an office building and we leased to a couple of units are leased to lawyers and one of the lawyers was to have a bunch of tenant improvements done while the guy who did them did half of Moody's and finished the other ones didn't say boo . And now all of a sudden we got a letter from the lawyer saying OK I want decreased rent because these weren't done that that other than I get a call from my management company . And I look now and say OK what do I want to fight in this battles. I've got a management company that's incredibly good . And here one time they messed up I've got a tenant who I'd love to keep and keep happy. Is it worth it to compromise a little bit here or do I be the hardcore and say I'm going to fight this battle and I was our error and I didn't know about it but that's OK do I fight my management company or do I bite this one and just take it . And when we got down to the dollar amount the dollar amount was not that significant . And I said OK I want to keep my good management company I want to keep my in my tenant happy I'm going to have to bite this one. So it's a battle I choose if I want to say not to fight or fight in a way that didn't involve a lot of money and time and energy and hopefully we come out with a win win win .
Speaker 8I love . It's just crazy how you know that has been planted and embedded inside of me and there's been numerous occasions where I want to fight for something like I know I'm right . I know that I would probably win but I look at the scenario and I'm like and it's just going to be a long battle and I'm going to fight for this little piddly something at the end of it or just the pride of knowing I was right and it's just it's I think it leads back to the element that is so adamant with you which is happiness . And I think that's one of the best ways to remain happy is to pick the battles that you want to fight . And I would generally say 80 to 90 percent of them probably shouldn't have been fun or there is a way that you can get to a middle ground or just be like hey you know what you win this one and walk away . Now when those 10 to 20 percent do come up this time to fight I put on the war paint and run out like Braveheart because then I have all my energy that it's been on the other 80 and I'll go in and dominate and be like this is it . I'm in and know I'm in and making you know the moves happen and you know just come at it with a ferocity that that helps me get to where ultimately I win . But I think it's something that has always stuck and I don't tell a lot of other people that advice . But it's one of those things that has just gotten me very very far in business and every time I see it play out I'm like and that is just a good nugget piece of advice when I was in New Santa seizures Goldman we're going back free seven years not long time ago .
Speaker 12One of my instructors walked up to me early on and looked at me in the face and said listen I don't know if you're cut out for this profession or not . There are some things and watching the way you react and act that doesn't look like you have confidence in yourself and I went like wow I spent all of my time trying to get into a position . I finally got into school . It's hard to get in . And here I am and I've got one of my professors saying maybe you're not good enough . Maybe you should just quit . And I said to myself This is a battle I want to fight and I went home and I said OK what do I need to do to look confident to give confidence to the people I work with . To the patients I talked to and I stood in front of the mirror and I would go to work and I would listen to doctors talk to their patients before surgery and I'd come home and say what was the tone of voice . What were the words they chose. How did they pause . How did they react . How did they do everything . And I'd stand in front of the mirror and talk to myself and listen and say Are you speaking with confidence. Are you speaking with authority . Are you speaking like you really know what you want to do. And it was one of probably the major changing points in my life because it taught me I needed to look at myself in the mirror and make improvements so I could be what I really wanted to be. That was a battle we're fighting now .
Speaker 11You mentioned that right there and there's only there's been one time you've told me this story . One time in my entire life .
Speaker 5So 40 years on this planet is only one time it's when I was going through extremely difficult time . We went up I think to Lake Tahoe . We were walking around maybe they have a helicopter . It was like a firefight and they let us crawl around in it and jump into policy and take some photos .
Speaker 13But you told me that and this goes I have a point after this and you can correct me if I'm wrong but there was a teacher you were a male nurse studying and there was a teacher that kicked you out or wanted to kick you out of the program because you were male. Is that true.
Speaker 4It's very true . Now we've got to take a moment that is not today that was 50 F three years ago and we lived in a different time and culture . And sometimes you have to look back and realize that men were not generally nurses back then there were only a few of them . They were considered kind of different and weird because you went into a female profession . And there were a lot of people who had very much strong concerns about that.
Speaker 13So my point here would be I have friends that get a parking ticket and I will hear them complain about that and how the world is unfair and everyone's out to get them for the next four years and years and years you had someone who is like because you're male . I'm going to find a way to kick you out of a school . And I remember because in this story they did did it work . They they did actually kick you out. Yeah .
Speaker 4There were three of us men in the nursing program and we flipped to a different hospital in a different location . And the first time the evaluation came around the chief nurse over the program there didn't like men and we didn't know this . And she booted all three of us out and then we were promptly told by all the other female nurses and nursing students that this happened every single time and it was it hit us blindsided . Nobody said anything before that.
Speaker 11So what I love is what you said at the end of this story which to some people this would be a monumental you know issue of me . I was treated in fairly . This is wrong . This is not right . I should seek justice . And you were like in this story you're telling me is up in Lake Tahoe . You're like . They kick you out . And I had a shock. I feel like you got to be kidding me. Who is this lady. Where do we find her. Let's go back and confront her like that's what's going through my head . And you were like No I just . I went and went to another hospital another school . I enrolled in another school and got in and finished my program as if it was nothing . And it moved on from that whatever. That's one person's opinion of whatever the scenario is they're behind me . And you were off and moving as if you that that big issue to you was the littlest of tiny speed bumps at the time it was a big speed but OK.
Speaker 10I mean nobody can forget the first time I've been kicked out of school you know . So it was like that was . That was a big deal to me . But you look at the support people you have that help you change and look at the way you think of things . And I call it my parents and said I just got kicked out of school for being a male nurse and I am tired I'm angry I want nothing to do with Ozzy or OK .
Speaker 9I was angry for a short time period is very angry and with irony like five minutes or what. Like I know a couple of days . OK.
Speaker 7I my parents says listen hold on. Don't do anything stupid and give us tomorrow. We'll go look think things through we'll call you back in the morning . They call me back in the morning and says you know what . There's this other school . It's not far away . I think you can get in it's a brand new school they're just starting it's it's a two year nursing school again . And so I gave them a call out of respect to my parents and they said you know what we'd like you come on up . I had to wait for the money for a bus ticket from my parents. I said it was going to hitchhike and they wouldn't let me. So I had to wait for the money from but went up there and in actuality it turned out a better experience up there. It was a school I fit in better with I excelled better and I had to repeat a few classes . But by the time I was done repeating those classes I was super at what I was doing because I had heard it twice . I learned it twice and I was far ahead of my other students and our colleagues in the nursing program. It gave me the confidence to begin to move more aggressively and readily in life and be more successful at what I did .
Speaker 11It was just shocking to me because it seemed like just a little you know bump for you you know what would your advice be for other people that have had something you know horrific or unfair or just wrong or happened to them and you know you know it happens in life and I wish that the world was perfect and it's not and part of you know in going through business I realized man. Life isn't fair and life isn't perfect . But but bad things still happen to people. What's your advice to those those people.
Speaker 7Number one I had parents a support person so them be parents . You've got support people . That's why it's good to have friends in a profession . Friends in the business that you can turn to and say How do I pick up . How do we move on from this. There is never such an event that totally destroys you. In other words you've got potential to turnaround to pick up move on . You're going to have chance too . Did you learn something from it . Are you going to move on from it. Those are the kinds of things you've got to focus on and when you put your focus on how do I turn this around and be successful now how do I move beyond this. Yes it will hit me blindsided I wasn't ready for it . Yes I cried I felt bad you know but we turned in what you gonna do is allow a bad situation to turn around and become a good one and you may have to search and find the right people to help you become successful that's good that's great .
Speaker 11Great answer is that fascinating. Let's .
Speaker 13I want to pivot for a minute and talk about something that's near and dear to my heart which is the fact that when I was you guys put me to work I felt like I was like Hey mom dad I'm going to kindergarten and you're like and you go to work afterwards .
Speaker 5It wasn't that bad .
Speaker 13But if I look at it early age you were always structuring life has work and you need to be a part of that .
Speaker 5And you know for me I just you know as a kid you growing up there was there's definitely play and I would say an element of our home was you know get the work done and then let's go play. So there was always a really good upside at the end of ever doing the work but I always remember that you guys put me to work at an early age meaning like I had a paper out I feel like when I was like eight or 10 I remember standing on the street corners selling candy bars like if they were to have you know fundraiser at school you after every day of school like I'd pick them up grab a box let's go and you guys you or Mom would sit with me and be like Go ask that person go talk to that person and just keep emphasizing the power of work and getting out there and trying to hustle me with a paper route . I remember you guys would drive me the first couple times and make sure I was safe and when I got big enough to put me on a bike and say Go do it .
Speaker 12But the upside of that was that at the age of probably 10 or I was 10 and 12 I forget I was young I had a paycheck I had money coming in and that as a kid and I remember what you guys let me do as you let me spend it how ever I wanted to and all of a sudden now boom baseball cards bubble gum video games whatever I wanted in my world I was like I can make this happen you know the paycheck was at a time you know as a paper boy but I remember feeling that power of I can do whatever I want you know what made you guys want to be like hey work is important and we're going to you can sit and play video games which you allowed me to do at times you're like hey you can play your games for a moment but there also is an element of work that's going to be in your day at some point I believe that within the growth of the human brain we have times that speech becomes very important in the speech center grows and it therefore you have good ability to speak multiple languages if that's what's going on at that time period in your life and I believe that there is a work phone call in a work zone or worth work part ethic part of your brain that if you discover that work is fun and beneficial you it's there for life and as we grow up we need to not be afraid of work work by definition with the physics is the expenditure of energy my heart works every second of my life my brain's working every moment I'm awake it's using up energy and those are all good things we decide to go on vacation . Well that's energy to get planning to get ready to pack to go to meet different deadlines and different things . That's all expenditure of energy and we don't think of that as expenditure of energy . We can go work out in the gym because we need to look good feel good something we expend a lot of energy but now we come to work and we say oh it's expended energy oh boo you know I don't want to do this this is hard . This is horrible . It's another form of expenditure of energy and if you find things that excites you things that drive you things that you enjoy or you turn what you do into an enjoyment then life suddenly work is not a problem and you if you learn at an early age then lo and behold that's just a part of you and it doesn't it's not like something you have to learn I know so many people that are scared for their first job and they're 20 something before they get there and they don't want to do it and they keep finding excuses . And if you start off at an early age . Dancing dancing is a part of your life you know and if you start off at an early age working looking working will just be a fun part of your life.
Speaker 14Now I'm trying to think back because how did you teach it to me that it was fun because I like the paper out I remember we sit up late at night folding paper and we have to get up early in the morning to be able to get them out . You know even standing on the street corner sometimes it was cold they're trying to sell candy bars. How did you make that fun. Like I don't remember. I remember the moments of you know it being coal . Been like I'm tired and we're delivering papers and it feels like it's take forever. Was that something that you ingrained or it was just something of let's do it . And I feel like almost the jobs that I had were generally short jobs meaning something that could get done. It wasn't like go take out the trash which was a five minute job but it wasn't something that was like a three hour job he'd be like . I mean doing the paper out I think we signed up for one and then we picked up another one . And I think eventually got to three as I started . And that would take me two to three hours probably to deliver all the papers . And it was twice a week that I would do that one .
Speaker 7I don't know that you always had fun with it but our goal was was to make it not something mean and miserable . Not something I wanted to give. But OK we're going to have a benefit out of this you can have some money to spend and we're willing to put time and energy with you so that you develop the concepts of work and we're good work habits and how you stick with it and every day we were out there you couldn't skip a day you know . So it was like okay there's some structure to this . And then you know part of work that's fun is is enjoying it with the people you're with . And you sit down and you talk and you laugh while you're folding papers and maybe you don't remember that you maybe remember you do it in the front entryway.
Speaker 11We would all sit down as I guess as a family when we get in and do it together and we would hang out and file papers and then maybe maybe it was fun. I guess what's interesting is you know in my life I have just gotten to a place a lot of people associate work with pain or work with misery . And if I have ever had a job that I'm like oh man this is horrible . I'm like that's out I'm out . I'll go find another job and find something .
Speaker 5And even jobs like I've worked in cafeterias I've been a janitor. But with those jobs it was always with other people were like Ah here we go . Races to see who can get all the trash cans on their floor and quicker stopwatch goes now boom and we're running around right like it's the Daytona 500 emptying trash cans and our boss is like are you guys crazy you're not going to get paid as much . And we're like it doesn't matter because we want to go play basketball as soon as we're done . Like it was something that was always we would even if it was something that seemed monotonous we would try to find a way to be like hey life is short let's enjoy this . And I think that that is something now that I think about it has taken me far because I won't do work that I don't enjoy . If I'm not enjoying it I'm like Dad's got we've had a couple of clients you know in advertising that you know are rough to work with or haven't done their stuff but they'll try to blame it on on us or just very toxic people or companies to be around . And I've had to fire them and which it seems crazy cause I'm like I want to get more clients but if it gets willpower I mean I'm having fun and I'm edits it sovereignity to part ways and I've never ever regretted that once any one of those the minute it goes out like I'm like oh maybe won't make as much money but I'll go home that night go to sleep wake up the next day I'm like I'm so much happier because I made that decision .
Speaker 12Yeah it's it's one of those things that you look at it . You have the ability and we all have that ability to turn something that isn't good into something fun and that becomes creative . And some people just refuse to do what they want to be toxic and they want to have a toxic and you need to move away from the toxic environment . And you got to say you've got incredible brain use it . How can I make this more enjoyable. How can I make it work better how can I do it quicker . What can I do it with fun . Who can I have fun with here . And you don't want to say I'm having fun at work because most bosses don't want you to have fun they want you to be . If you're having fun you're wasting my time and my money . But the reality is is you can turn a lot of things into fun with the personalities with the fun with the challenges by looking for ways to do things in fun ways.
Speaker 5So I liked it. I liked that . All right . I've got another question for you .
Speaker 8This is something that you did when I was little and I know you felt like I was now that the movie's come out I was being Inception and you thought you probably haven't seen that movie . It's about some guys and they they make people go to sleep and then they can get into their dreams and they do stuff that makes them change their perspective on something .
Speaker 5But they do it in their subconscious. So I feel like as a kid you would go around the house and put up posters of like set your goals are dreams are you know a goal with a deadline . You know things is always different quotes are that were everywhere and I wish there was one that you put right in front of the toilet . So every day when I would sit down and go number two I would see this same business quote and it was crazy . I remember as a kid I wish it was something that was a look. But that was it . I just read that again and again every day because there was this is before cell phones we need to display these cell phone where we go to the bathroom but this is all I had . And now I realize years later oh my gosh my dad was inception in me putting these little goals in here be the boss and go after your dreams and you know reach for the stars . All of those were just you know put in the house that I did you know you were like how we're gonna we're making a little a little CEO here .
Speaker 9No we we hadn't didn't have a focus on that. The reality was is that that time period in my life I was looking for success . I was looking to be successful and I was needing those posters as much as I was there. Oh well it was for me but it was also for family as well . You know your mother was responsible for the notices this is aim your stream and that kind of thing . They health the health and hygiene kinds of you.
Speaker 10And she would throw up some posters in the bathroom too about how to love more more deeply in the ways you can do that . Now your dad was the one who is responsible for the success ones you know . And I must have run through 10 or 15 of those over the years and if you remember them all in different bathrooms we even had them in our bathroom I'd stick them up in my bathroom in front of me . He probably didn't go there and didn't know that. And sometimes the ones out of my bathroom would go into your bathroom but sometimes they'd have two or three things sometimes I think I had one when they had 20 things on it once and different colors each one was a different color and stuff to try to attract attention each one of them being saying that you can take and help form good principles and ideas of success off of. So that was just something that came partly of my need and I wanted to share that because I wanted my family to be successful too and to have I'd rather have good thoughts and successful thoughts going into your head than just garbage.
Speaker 11So if there's someone out there that wants to be a business owner wants to to you know go further does putting posters up in their world and in their proximity . Is that something that you think will affect their long term success or is it something that is just like it's putting up what you want .
Speaker 10Like years ago posters were the success thing today . Maybe posters today it may be just everyday you're getting something as a text message or something or someone .
Speaker 15Yeah yeah social media type of things that give you success items success things to look at to focus on and stories to go with. I think we're more involved than just a one line saying today you have a saying and you have a story to go with it which is maybe what this podcast is about to.
Speaker 5I hope so. OK so another story this is about dealing with difficult situations and there was a time when we took a trip down to Costa Rica on a volunteer trip which was something else that you guys did is you always trying to get me to volunteer to see the world a lot of times we did it where we would go to third world countries and I think I got a lot of exposure that you know in America we have things very very good . Even if you're not doing well in America you are still in the 1 percent of people on planet Earth and we were down in Costa Rica . It was the last day of the trip were there for two weeks . I think building a community center or church . We finished a project we go to a water slide that's at a base of a volcano. That's where they filmed Jurassic Park. I think part of it where all all these kids . I was a sophomore in high school. We're all going down the slides and it was my idea to be like hey let's all go down at the same time so we get like 10 kids . The Count of three we all jump into this slide like a water slide . It wasn't very long . I'm going down . It was fun until the moment where we all come out and it shot out maybe about four or five feet off the water right. You'd come out you'd shoot out in the splash in the water so I'm coming now and I realize I am going to hit the guy right in front of me . So as I shoot out I kind of twist a little bit and hit him with my back and the guy right behind me comes in full force kneels me right in the stomach with his feet I can't breathe . I mean the wind's knocked out of me . I come out the water huffing and puffing . I still can't breathe . I get up I can barely start to breathe . I get on the side and everyone is like you are as white as a ghost and they pulled me aside take me to a hospital . Long story short I ended up rupturing my spleen out in the middle of Costa Rica where there wasn't a lot of medical attention . And I remember going I was not unconscious but super loopy threw a lot of it . As we go to clinics and the like we need to operate . And then we're like Let's go to the hospital or there's a machine that we need to use and we're driving on bumpy roads at any point time that like if you move him he could die if his I guess I got a hematoma which is like a little pinch of it where it was weakened and about to burst . And if your spleen burst then you can die could you bleed internally . All right . OK . So we're doing this and you were there on the trip . And I remember going to a place where they were like We want to operate or we needed to come back and you had to make a call and the group was leaving to come back to America and you were like . And Michael Keaton was at the airport . This was nineteen ninety five . And he was in. He'd just been in Batman . So I'm in the airport . I can barely move in a wheelchair with a little I.V. hooked up to me we're trying to get me back on play and I remember Michael Keaton I was like OK Batman I don't feel good I know you remember that . And then an earthquake happened right. Well while we're at the airport hanging out . So if Michael Keaton if you're listening I was there in that airport when the earthquake happened in a wheelchair . And I think it did come up and be like What's up Batman. So anyway so when that's happening I remember it being a crazy stressful time because people were telling you your son is about to die if we don't operate right now and this is in Costa Rica and you're like I want to get him back to the states and back and forth and eventually you made the call too. I think it was a lifeline like a air ambulance but then they turned around and you're like Get him on the plane let's go . I
Speaker 11go back to the hospital . And I ended up staying in the hospital in Sacramento for like two weeks while I recovered with no operation . So it ended up turning out great but in that there was an element of going through an overwhelming situation that didn't look like either outcome was good. How do you make decisions when that happens .
Speaker 7That's a big question. There was a lot involved with that the story could take us hours to just tell Sheriff that we're not going to do that right now . But no sometimes things work out providential early in the right sequence the right group of people the right things going on and we had a number of those happening there . When you first got sick we knew immediately I had another E.R. nurse with me and we knew immediately that you ruptured spleen because you had shoulder pain and you don't have shoulder pain because you weren't hit in the shoulder but it's called referred pain. We went to the nearest clinic got an I.V. took you to this hospital it was called the hospital had no hospital beds it had no operating room it only had a few beds in an emergency room under what we would call a carport with open walls and they wanted to take you into a room and operate and they didn't have a blood bank and you probably would've needed blood to make it through an a surgery and that we had to look very seriously and they came to me in question mean with an interpreter and says we want to take him into surgery we're going to go in right now we've got everything set to go . And at that moment I got a call from the nurse that was on that your nurse and I said here's what they want to do . I'm not comfortable with it .
Speaker 15And she said to me Arnie don't do it and that's what it took right that point to say I'm not going to do this . And at that point they said OK we're kicking you out of the hospital . And we said we're to get transportation to San Jose the capital . And they said we're not going to help you sign all these documents that say we're not responsible because we think you'll sue us. So it was one of those things the right people at the right time the right kind of things to do.
Speaker 8Do you follow the omens just in life and kind of you know I guess in any scenario you've got to weigh the options the pros and cons and you just make a decision do you wait . You know in that one it was you know the time the clock was ticking meaning I might not have made it if a decision went one way or the other .
Speaker 11You know in that was it just did his instincts take over . Or is it like well hey let's stop for a minute let's analyze and do the steps or is it just we're going left everyone let's go.
Speaker 10Well at that point we had to make a decision and I didn't feel comfortable having them. I had the experience of being in surgery seeing many spleen victims done in emergency situations and knew what it involved . And said you know this is bigger than what they have the ability to do here . And even though somebody is willing to try it I'm in a third world country .
Speaker 11So I had it been me and then like we need to operate on someone's spleen I'd like you to do it .
Speaker 1Sure yeah. Sounds great . Let's get him over and follow that guy out.
Speaker 10Fix him up and it might have turned out well and you might have done what fine with it without your spleen at that point . But we didn't know and you make choices . We were with with a religious group and we did a lot of praying and a lot of people praying and we think that God led in a lot of the decisions that were made on that trip . We got down to the hospital in San Jose and they sent us to the wrong hospital we got there they didn't have an ultrasound they didn't have a C.T. scan they couldn't see anything about your thing and they wanted to send us to another hospital that was an hour and a half away . And the group was leaving for America and we sat down and prayed at that point and God directed us to take you home on the plains or we we snuck an I.V. in your arm and we had an I.V. we got a bunch of bags and that was before TSA . So we were able to sneak you on the plane hiding the I.V. And we gave you a bolus of that and I had some medicines and stuff along with me to help you if we had trouble and we just watch the clock all the way home to me . And I kept saying okay we're halfway to the US if we had to do an emergency landing we'd be in San Diego . And then I was relieved . I didn't want to land in Mexico or Mexico City which would tell you that but as good as Costa Rican that is the story of how you saved my life .
Speaker 8That might have in it that would have been the end of the road for Brian if you had and you hadn't made that call.
Speaker 10Well we hope so you know . We want the best for our kids and we make decisions and we don't always know what the time but they're the right ones or not but in the long run it came out of good ones . I love it . Excited for that.
Speaker 11All right. Two last questions. The first one . Is there anything in your life that you haven't done yet that you want to do and you didn't know this question was I give you an idea that one I didn't . I didn't . Is there anything like on the bucket list or things like me . I really I want to do that and I haven't done it yet.
Speaker 10I'm probably the only thing is travel and more mission trips. We do a lot of mission trips and go to third world countries and help and and I want to continue doing that. You know that's a big deal for me.
Speaker 11Where where have you where would be the next place that you want to go . You haven't been to any countries .
Speaker 7Nothing off the top of the off the list what I'm looking for is my wife Laura who's been to ninety six countries and I want to get to 100. So I'm looking at different ones . We made to the Galapagos here before long and Ecuador .
Speaker 8I would dress up like a Eskimo and take her to Antarctica . Have you guys been to Antarctica.
Speaker 15No what's that's on my bucket list . But Laura is not excited about that because she gets seasick easy and she doesn't want .
Speaker 6She's scared of the trip across that she's afraid like a helicopter there and touch down or go chasing penguins .
Speaker 9Not quite . Got it under the boat right. I do the ball right. Oh yes . That's Antarctica is one of my bucket list thing . It's only four more to go with I get to one. That's incredible .
Speaker 10That's what Laura not me I'm in the 60s but Laura's in the close to 100 .
Speaker 11Got to get out there more . Yeah . It's not working as much .
Speaker 15So that's one of the things the gifts you give make you happy and one of the keys of happiness is giving gifts . Yes we give some to ourselves . But the more you give to others the greater happiness you get within yourself . And I think mission trips starting early on when our kids were very young doing those we've continued to do probably an average of one to two a year for the last 20 years . Puts a perspective in us and there's something about giving to somebody who really needs it that makes you happy and worthwhile inside and I don't mind working extra to support these trips and to support other people going on these trips and that come some of my happiness in my life . I don't have to work now I could retired but I'm still working and I'm enjoying it because I support . We just finished supporting a school in an island called Saul told me Africa . We built a great school there that's being used as teachers from Brazil because it's Portuguese and they're kids there now can get a first class education first world country type education which wasn't there before. I love that . So why I look at that and that drives me to work on another one to work on one yes we're going to Peru in three months to work on a school there . I'm way down in the desert in the southern part of Peru. That's wonderful. So those are the kind of things that excite me that get me going that that I enjoys is that constant a little bit of giving because that giving brings me in side happiness that I don't get from other things .
Speaker 8I don't I don't remember getting an invitation to that one .
Speaker 9So we're going to have to talk about that later has to do with the baby coming along or something . The schedule is full for the next couple of days .
Speaker 5All right . Last question. Any final words of wisdom for other business owners out there. I know you've had a successful career . You've got multiple businesses that you run or operate in real estate in other areas. What would be your parting words of advice to other entrepreneurs other business owners people may have successful businesses people that may be just starting out today .
Speaker 12What would you what would you want to say to them getting you know part of our success as a family has been the fact that I've got to work some overtime and we've used that money for our kids for travel getting outside the US teaching our kids about abroad giving them a broader base of what what society is like and what the world is like .
Speaker 15And then they know more better where they fit. But I wanted to start very early on investing in real estate instead and we were spending our money on private education and on college and other stuff and it wasn't until you kids were out of college that I finally began to have money to invest and I was very fortunate because one of my very best friends lectured on health topics and on financial topics and we were we were together we were always talking about finances how to get ahead how to save money here how to how to do this how to make two to house payments together and only you have to pay an extra 20 bucks down the road somewhere you gave you all the secret tips he gave me a lot of stuff and it was like a mentor because we were always talking that he was always reading more than I was on that I was reading anaesthesia he was reading finances but we'd talk and he'd share a lot and it put a lot of good things in my mind so having a good mentor having someone to search for that one find that one spend time together we didn't start investing into real estate until later in life . I wanted to but we had to wait till I wanted to be secure I didn't want to walk into a business that I was going to fail at OK I didn't want to go in losing money and so we had to wait until we began we got to the place that we could start saving money and put a significant amount down and then eventually we got to the place we bought our houses or properties with cash . And that gave us the success getting out of debt was probably one of the key things that really pushed us up above and beyond. Once we no longer had that debtor is servant to the lender kind of attitude . It was like OK we've got money how do we want to spend it now what are we going to do with this OK let's save and let's get something . The very first property that we ever bought was because my wife was good friends with the people across the street they died she knew their son their son looked after the House but he didn't have what it took to go to real estate agent to sell it . And finally she started talking to him he says I want to sell it but I don't know how or what to do. So we stepped in and no we weren't a killer deal we got an average good price for the house but we bought it. Do the things that were wrong with it fixed it up and have had a good rental for the last 20 years now . Wow. So it was one of those things that that when we paid cash for it and we're able to take off and start going and then from there with the second house was leaves you the next one was easier.
Speaker 11I mean it sounds like the advice you're you're giving is sometimes success takes time and that's OK.
Speaker 8Like its building blocks and it took some time for you to be able to handle some other elements that it took some time for saving and then it took some time for putting that together to be able to make the next stage of the next business that you want happen.
Speaker 15Very true. You know we didn't get rich quick . We weren't the type that went out there and two years later we were millionaires . But the part about it is we put together a solid portfolio little by little by little found good renters found good management companies and other kinds of things. So it happened step by step .
Speaker 6I love it. Well after this I'm going to go buy you a lottery ticket . Let's see if we can get really quick well done it one way we'll do it the other way and see if that works .
Speaker 8All right well thank you so much for being on this show. It's my pleasure. It's fantastic to be able to chat with you for an hour and just you know talk stories and and get advice . I hope the people listening have found this valuable . It's amazing this father . You know my father saved my life. It's just it's interesting to see how much you know how blessed I've been to have a person that is so focused on these core elements that I just thought were normal growing up and it wasn't till later that my friends were like Yeah . No. Our dad's never said that to us or never did that or you know they they were just doing something else and it wasn't. Well let's help you get a job or work hard or go see the world so you can have a different perspective on life. So thank you very much for me.
Speaker 9You're welcome now. But a lot of fun .
Speaker 1Wonderful. Well that's it . And we'll catch you on the next episode.
Speaker 3Thank you for listening to the Duke of digital podcast with Brian Schmidt. Want to network with other business owners . Join our exclusive group at Facebook dot com slash groups slash Duke digital . Fancy the Duke diva five star review on your favorite podcast app and you could be mentioned on the show . The Duke of digital was produced by at the Mint and recorded in Hollywood California. All rights reserved.