Entrepreneur | Learn How Clay Clark Helped Long-Time Business Coaching Client & the Founder of www.TWAPhoto.com Tim Whaley to Systemize, Organize & Double the Size of His Business

Audio Transcription

Well, Thrive Nation, we are the Thrive Time Show. What we do is we help businesses grow their business owners to grow their businesses. The purpose is to create time freedom and financial freedom. And we’ve had a longtime client that we’ve worked with, and this is sort of like our exit interview because he’s actually exited the business. And so he’s at the other end of the rainbow, or he got to the top of the mountain, or he hit it or he hit his big goal. And I’m honored to call him a friend and a long time client. Tim Whaley, welcome on to the Thrive Time Show. How are you, sir? I’m doing outstanding, Clay. Thank you for having me on. Can you tell everybody, how did you first hear about what we do in terms of business coaching? I first heard of you through your podcast, actually. So I started listening, was very intrigued. Actually, you had built and sold businesses in the industry that I was in. So it seemed like a natural fit to inquire about coaching. Yeah. And once we connected and you did your, I’m not sure if it was an onboarding interview or it was more of a, you were going to determine whether or not we were a good fit. I think that was it. But once we did that, I was hooked and was really hoping that you would take me on as a client, which you did. Now, before I met you, I mean, you’d been in business for a long time and one would say you’re probably the dominant resource or one of the top providers in your industry before we even met. Could you tell the listeners how implementing the Dream 100 system impacted your business growth? Oh my gosh, so within just a few short years, it doubled our revenue, plain and simple. So Dream 100 was by far the secret sauce for our success and really the reason why I was able to exit my business ahead of schedule. So just a brilliant program, makes total sense as a company. company, it’s one of the few marketing slash advertising outlets that you have total control over. It’s not like you’re on Facebook, which owns Facebook, or Google, which owns Google. You own the system. You make it work, and great things happen. Now, with the Dream 100, you have to identify the vendors that you want to refer you, or the prospects that you want to refer. You have to identify the ideal and likely buyers that you want to refer you, and then you have to reach out to them consistently. And you guys have done a phenomenal job at doing that. What were a couple of the challenges of persistently reaching out to people to get them to refer you guys a business? Well, a couple of things. One, you just really have to find the right fit. You have to find the right employee or employees. Because really, when you’re going out there, you need somebody who’s obviously great at building relationships, and that’s a lot of different people. But what I found is you also just need a hunter-killer. So it’s not necessarily somebody who’s very personable and great with people, but somebody with those qualities, but also just has a, like I said, a hunter-killer, just wants to, has a drive to bring business in. You find that person and they just make it happen. We were fortunate enough to find a couple great employees who were just very good at that. Now that you have sold the business, you’re going to stay on as an advisor to make sure that the brand is successful and that sort of thing. What does it feel like to be on the other side of the rainbow or to be at the top of the mountain or to be on the other side of selling a business that you started so many years ago? Well, Clay, it’s only been six weeks. So obviously some mixed feelings there, but if I had to put it in one word, I would have to say freedom. Okay, yeah. So it feels pretty darn good. And my wife and I are very excited. And obviously we’re still helping the new ownership transition and whatnot. So there’s stuff we’re doing and stuff to be done. But overall, when you’ve been hitting it hard for 33 years, and then all of a sudden you don’t have to, it feels pretty darn good, not gonna lie. Now, Robert Kiyosaki, the best-selling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, I recently interviewed him and he had me on his show and it’s been kind of fun to connect with this guy who wrote the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series. And it’s just fun to connect with him. And he’s been talking borderline obsessively on his show recently about, it’s not what people say, it’s what they do. You need to watch people do, not what they say. And I think a big thing about having a business coach or a personal trainer if you’re into fitness, is if you’re into fitness, you need to have a nutritional plan, you need to have a workout plan, and then you need someone to hold you accountable. And if you’re a business owner, you need to have a business plan, you need to have weekly actions that you need to implement, and then you need to have some accountability. How has having a business consultant or a coach to guide you down the path, how has that impacted you? Tremendously. So there’s a running joke between my wife and I. I will often say I’m the most consistently inconsistent person you want to meet. So historically I’ve been the guy who starts this, goes for a little while and then, you know, I’m like a squirrel, right? I see the next great thing and I’ll go after that for a while. So I’m an artist, right? I’m a photographer first and business guy second, I guess. So you have helped corral my artist brain. And having the weekly accountability calls and the action plan has definitely helped me stay focused on what needs to be focused on. So yeah, it’s been life changing. Nothing short of life changing. Now I want to pull up something real quick and get your thoughts on this because you and I have worked together, I think for about three years or is it, how long did we work together there before you exited the business? Do you know? We started in 2019. So 2019, okay. So we’ve worked together for quite a while there. And so 2019, wow, so that’s almost five years, four and a half years or so But if we do a search for carpet cleaning quotes, you know, I’ve worked with one particular brand for 14 years I think almost 15 now and they have 271,000 Google reviews so for 14 consecutive years I’ve been talking to the same ownership about you have to gather Objective Google reviews from your ideal and likely buyers. You have to get reviews. After you clean the carpet, you have to gather video reviews and Google reviews. We talk about it every week. It’s just like bamboo. I keep coming back every week. You can’t kill it. I come back every week talking about the reviews. In a world now where people go online to look stuff up, this has been a powerful tool for Oxifresh.com. It’s grown from a handful of locations and out of 500 plus locations. How has gathering objective Google reviews and video reviews impacted your sales process? Well, I feel like it’s a one-two punch, Clay. So Dream 100 and the reviews work hand in hand. So the majority of our business comes from the Dream 100, but that’s one referral source. So our couples will be referred by, you know, venues, but they wanna check us out. So they’re gonna go online and look for our reviews. So, you know, not only do you have to have a ton of reviews, but you have to have a ton of five-star reviews. And so, the referrals plus the social proof on Google brings them in. Final questions I have for you, then I’ll be done harassing you here, is you now have got all the systems, the scripts, the website, the ads that work, the Dream 100 system going. And so to give people some clarity, you now have a turnkey marketing system in place. I mean, you have a Dream 100 system that works. You now have an online advertising program that works. You now have a sales process that works. It’s all documented. It’s all systemized for the new owner. So what would you say for anybody out there that is maybe thinking about coming to one of our in-person workshops or scheduling a free 13-point assessment with myself or a member of our team? What would you say to somebody who’s kind of on the fence about maybe coming to a workshop or scheduling a free 13-point assessment? Get off this fence. Just get off the fence. Bottom line, you know, you’ve helped make my company sellable, right? So those systems is exactly what made our company attractive to the buyer. They were looking for a company that was highly successful that they could then take and scale. And our business qualified because of we’ve done over the last five years. So yeah, I would not hesitate. I’ve told anybody who’s ever asked me about my coaching relationship with you and your organization, I said I wouldn’t hesitate. Never in a million years. You have literally changed my life as a result of what you’ve taught me. You know, you have got to come to Tulsa one of these days here. So I know you guys are going to enjoy your retirement or whatever it is you’re doing. But at some point, if you ever get the bug and you ever start a new thing or you’re ever in the Tulsa area, I really want to see you guys. You have my cell phone number. We can talk whenever. But I just want to tell you, it’s been an honor working with you. And it’s been so exciting to help you hit your goals. And I know you’ve worked 30-plus years to go on this dream vacation lifestyle that you’ve built. What would you say to anybody out there that has a business and they feel, my final question for you, they feel overwhelmed by all the systems they have to build and they’re not at the top of the mountain, they haven’t sold the business yet, it isn’t systemized and all they see is perpetual chaos. What would you say to that person? Just take the next step, right? Every journey begins with the next step and that next step should definitely be contacting you guys. If they just do that, the rest will take care of itself. You make sure of that. Tim, it’s an honor serving you again. I appreciate you very much and don’t be a stranger there, sir. You got it. Thank you, Clay. Take care, Chief. Bye. Bye. The Thrive Time Show, two-day interactive business workshops are the world’s highest rated and most reviewed business workshops because we teach you what you need to know to grow. You can learn the proven 13 point business system that Dr. Zellner and I have used over and over to start and grow successful companies. We get into the specifics, the specific steps on what you need to do to optimize your website. We’re going to teach you how to fix your conversion rate. We’re going to teach you how to do a social media marketing campaign that works. How do you raise capital? How do you get a small business loan. We teach you everything you need to know here during a two day, 15 hour workshop. It’s all here for you. You work every day in your business, but for two days you can escape and work on your business and build these proven systems so now you can have a successful company that will produce both the time freedom and the financial freedom that you deserve. You’re going to leave energized, motivated, but you’re also going to leave empowered. The reason why I’ve built these workshops is because as an entrepreneur I always wish that I had this. And because there wasn’t anything like this, I would go to these motivational seminars, no money down, real estate, Ponzi scheme, get motivated seminars, and they would never teach me anything. It was like you went there and you paid for the big chocolate Easter bunny, but inside of it, it was a hollow nothingness. And I wanted the knowledge, and they’re like, oh, but we’ll teach you the knowledge after our next workshop. And the great thing is we have nothing to upsell. At every workshop, we teach you what you need to know. There’s no one in the back of the room trying to sell you some next big get-rich-quick, walk-on-hot-coals product. It’s literally, we teach you the brass tacks, the specific stuff that you need to know to learn how to start and grow a business. And I encourage you to not believe what I’m saying, and I want you to Google the Z66 auto auction. I want you to Google elephant in the room. Look at Robert, Zellner, and Associates. Look them up and say, are they successful because they’re geniuses, or are they successful because they have a proven system? When you do that research, you will discover that the same systems that we use in our own business can be used in your business. Come to Tulsa, book a ticket, and I guarantee you it’s going to be the best business workshop ever and we’re going to give you your money back if you don’t love it. We built this facility for you and we’re excited to see you. And now you may be thinking, what does it actually cost to attend an in-person, two-day, interactive, Thrive Time Show business workshop? Well, good news, the tickets are $250 or whatever price that you can afford. What? Yes, they’re $250 or whatever price you can afford. I grew up without money and I know what it’s like to live without money. So if you’re out there today and you want to attend our in-person two-day interactive business workshop, all you got to do is go to Thrivetimeshow.com to request those tickets. And if you can’t afford $250, we have scholarship pricing available to make it affordable for you. The number of new customers that we’ve had is up 411% over last year. We are Jared and Jennifer Johnson. We own Platinum Pest and Lawn and are located in Owasso, Oklahoma. And we have been working with Thrive for business coaching for almost a year now. Yeah. So what we want to do is we want to share some wins with you guys that we’ve had by working with Thrive. First of all, we’re on the top page of Google now. Okay. I just want to let you know what type of accomplishment this is. Our competition, Orkin, Terminex, they’re both 1.3 billion dollar companies. They both have 2 to 3 thousand pages of content attached to their website. So to basically go from virtually non-existent on Google to up on the top page is really saying something. But it’s come by being diligent to the systems that Thrive has, by being consistent and diligent on doing podcasts, and staying on top of those podcasts to really help with getting up on what they’re listing and ranking there with Google. And also we’ve been trying to get Google reviews, asking our customers for reviews, and now we’re the highest rated and most reviewed Pescemon company in the Tulsa area. And that’s really helped with our conversion rate. And the number of new customers that we’ve had is up 411% over last year. Wait, say that again. How much are we up? 411%. So 411% we’re up with our new customers. Amazing. Right. So not only do we have more customers calling in, we’re able to close those deals at a much higher rate than we were before. Right now our closing rate is about 85% and that’s largely due to, first of all, like our Google reviews that we’ve gotten. People really see that our customers are happy, but also we have a script that we follow. And so when customers call in, they get all the information that they need. That script has been refined time and time again. It wasn’t a one and done deal. It was a system that we followed with Thrive in the refining process. And that has obviously, the 411% shows that that system works. Yeah, so here’s a big one for you. So last week alone, our booking percentage was 91%. We actually booked more deals, more new customers last year than we did the first five months, or I’m sorry, we booked more deals last week than we did the first five months of last year from before we worked with Thrive. So again, we booked more deals last week than the first five months of last year. It’s incredible, but the reason why we have that success is by implementing the systems that Thrive has taught us and helped us out with. Some of those systems that we’ve implemented are group interviews. That way we’ve really been able to come up with a really great team. We’ve created and implemented checklists. Everything gets done and it gets done right. It creates accountability. We’re able to make sure that everything gets done properly, both out in the field and also in our office. And also doing the podcast, like Jared had mentioned, that has really, really contributed to our success. But that, like I said, the diligence and consistency in doing those in that system has really, really been a big blessing in our lives. And also, you know, it’s really shown that we’ve gotten the success from following those systems. So before working with Thrive, we were basically stuck. Really no new growth with our business. And we were in a rut. The last three years, our customer base had pretty much stayed the same. We weren’t shrinking, but we weren’t really growing either. Yeah, and so we didn’t really know where to go, what to do, how to get out of this rut that we’re in. But Thrive helped us with that. They implemented those systems, they taught us those systems, they taught us the knowledge that we needed in order to succeed. Now it’s been a grind, absolutely it’s been a grind this last year, but we’re getting those fruits from that hard work and the diligent effort that we’re able to put into it. So again, we were in a rut, Thrive helped us get out of that rut, and if you’re thinking about working with Thrive, quit thinking about it and just do it, do the action, and you’ll get the results. It will take hard work and discipline, but that’s what it’s gonna take in order to really succeed. So, we just wanna give a big shout out to Thrive, a big thank you out there to Thrive. We wouldn’t be where we’re at now without their help. Hi, I’m Dr. Mark Moore, I’m a pediatric dentist. Through our new digital marketing plan, we have seen a marked increase in the number of new patients that we’re seeing every month, year over year. One month, for example, we went from 110 new patients the previous year to over 180 new patients in the same month. And overall, our average is running about 40 to 42 percent increase, month over month, year over year. The group of people required to implement our new digital marketing plan is immense, starting with a business coach, videographers, photographers, web designers. Back when I graduated dental school in 1985, nobody advertised. The only marketing that was ethically allowed in everybody’s eyes was mouth-to-mouth marketing. By choosing to use the services, you’re choosing to use a proof-and-turn-key marketing and coaching system that will grow your practice and get you the results that you’re looking for. I went to the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry, graduated in 1983, and then I did my pediatric dental residency at Baylor College of Dentistry from 1983 to 1985. Hello, my name is Charles Colaw with Colaw Fitness. Today I want to tell you a little bit about Clay Clark and how I know Clay Clark. Clay Clark has been my business coach since 2017. He’s helped us grow from two locations to now six locations. We’re planning to do seven locations in seven years and then franchise. Clay has done a great job of helping us navigate anything that has to do with like running the business, building the systems, the checklists, the workflows, the audits, how to navigate lease agreements, how to buy property, how to work with brokers and builders. This guy is just amazing. This kind of guy has worked in every single industry. He’s written books with like Lee Crockrell, head of Disney with the 40,000 cast members. He’s friends with like Mike Wendell. He does Reawaken America tours where he does these tours all across the country where 10,000 or more people show up to some of these tours on the day-to-day. He does anywhere from about 160 companies. He’s at the top. He has a team of business coaches, videographers, and graphic designers and web developers, and they run 160 companies every single week. So, think of this guy with a team of business coaches running 160 companies. So, in the weekly, he’s running 160 companies. Every six to eight weeks, he’s doing Reawaken America tours. Every six to eight weeks, he’s also doing business conferences where 200 people show up, and he teaches people a 13 step proven system that he’s done and worked with billionaires, helping them grow their companies. I’ve seen guys from start-ups go from start-up to being multi-millionaires, teaching people how to get time freedom and financial freedom through the system. Critical thinking, document creation, making it, putting it into, organizing everything in their head to building it into a franchisable, scalable business. One of his businesses has like 500 franchises. That’s just one of the companies or brands that he works with. So, amazing guy. Elon Musk, kind of like smart guy. He kind of comes off sometimes as socially awkward, but he’s so brilliant, and he’s taught me so much. When I say that, Clay is, he doesn’t care what people think when you’re talking to him. He cares about where you’re going in your life and where he can get you to go. And that’s what I like him most about him. He’s like a good coach. A coach isn’t just making you feel good all the time. A coach is actually helping you get to the best you. Clay has been an amazing business coach. Through the course of that, we became friends. My most impressive thing was when I was shadowing him one time. We went into a business deal and listened to it. I got to shadow and listen to it. When we walked out, I knew that he could make millions on the deal. They were super excited about working with him. And he told me, he’s like, I’m not going to touch it, I’m going to turn it down. Because he knew it was going to harm the common good of people in the long run. And the guy’s integrity just really wowed me. It brought tears to my eyes to see that this guy, his highest desire was to do what’s right. And anyways, just an amazing man. So anyways, impacted me a lot. He’s helped navigate. Anytime I’ve gotten nervous or worried about how to run the company or, you know, navigating competition and an economy that’s like, I remember we got closed down for three months. He helped us navigate on how to stay open, how to get back open, how to just survive through all the COVID shutdowns, lockdowns. I’m Rachel with Tip Top K9, and we just want to give a huge thank you to Clay and Vanessa Clark. Hey guys, I’m Ryan with Tip Top K9. Just wanna say a big thank you to Thrive 15. Thank you to Make Your Life Epic. We love you guys, we appreciate you, and really just appreciate how far you’ve taken us. This is our old house, right? This is where we used to live years ago. This is our old neighborhood. See, it’s nice, right? So this is my old van and our old school marketing and this is our old team and by team I mean it’s me and another guy. This is our new house with our new neighborhood. This is our new van with our new marketing and this is our new team. We went from 4 to 14 and I took this beautiful photo. We worked with several different business coaches in the past and they were all about helping Ryan sell better and just teaching sales, which is awesome, but Ryan is a really great salesman. So we didn’t need that. We needed somebody to help us get everything that was in his head out into systems, into manuals and scripts and actually build a team. So now that we have systems in place, we’ve gone from one to 10 locations in only a year. In October 2016, we grossed 13 grand for the whole month. Right now it’s 2018, the month of October. It’s only the 22nd, we’ve already grossed a little over 50 grand for the whole month, and we still have time to go. We’re just thankful for you, thankful for Thrive and your mentorship, and we’re really thankful that you guys have helped us to grow a business that we run now instead of the business running us. Thank you, thank you, thank you, times a thousand. The Thrive Time Show two-day interactive business workshops are the world’s highest rated and most reviewed business workshops because we teach you what you need to know to grow. You can learn the proven 13-point business systems that Dr. Zellner and I have used over and over to start and grow successful companies. We get into the specifics, the specific steps on what you need to do to optimize your website. We’re going to teach you how to fix your conversion rate. We’re going to teach you how to do a social media marketing campaign that works. How do you raise capital? How do you get a small business loan? We teach you everything you need to know here during a two-day, 15-hour workshop. It’s all here for you. You work every day in your business, but for two days you can escape and work on your business and build these proven systems so now you can have a successful company that will produce both the time freedom and the financial freedom that you deserve. You’re going to leave energized, motivated, but you’re also going to leave empowered. The reason why I’ve built these workshops is because as an entrepreneur, I always wish that I had this. And because there wasn’t anything like this, I would go to these motivational seminars, no money down, real estate, Ponzi scheme, get motivated seminars, and they would never teach me anything. It was like you went there and you paid for the big chocolate Easter bunny, but inside of it, it was a hollow nothingness. And I wanted the knowledge, and they’re like, oh, but we’ll teach you the knowledge after our next workshop. And the great thing is we have nothing to upsell. At every workshop, we teach you what you need to know. There’s no one in the back of the room trying to sell you some next big get rich quick, walk on hot coals product. It’s literally, we teach you the brass tacks, the specific stuff that you need to know to learn how to start and grow a business. I encourage you to not believe what I’m saying, and I want you to Google the Z66 auto auction. I want you to Google elephant in the room. Look at Robert, Zellner and Associates. Look them up and say, are they successful because they’re geniuses? Or are they successful because they have a proven system? When you do that research, you will discover that the same systems that we use in our own business can be used in your business. Come to Tulsa, book a ticket, and I guarantee you it’s going to be the best business workshop ever. And we’re going to give you your money back if you don’t loan it. We’ve built this facility for you, and we’re excited to see it. And now you may be thinking, what does it actually cost to attend an in-person, two-day interactive Thrive Time Show business workshop? Well, good news, the tickets are $250 or whatever price that you can afford. What? Yes, they’re $250 or whatever price you can afford. I grew up without money and I know what it’s like to live without money. So if you’re out there today and you want to attend our in-person, two-day interactive business workshop, all you got to do is go to thrivetimeshow.com to request those tickets. business workshop, all you got to do is go to thrivetimeshow.com to request those tickets. And if you can’t afford $250, we have scholarship pricing available to make it affordable for you.