Business Coach | Dr. Z’s 10 Rules of Business Rules #6-#10

Audio Transcription

 

In this episode Business Coach, Clay Clark, and Dr. Z bring on Kat Graham of Barbee Cookies to help break down Dr. Z’s 10 businesses rules.  You do not want to miss out on this episode!

Learn The 10 Business Rules From The Business Coach

Podcast Transcript

Voice Over: And now, broadcasting from the center of the universe and the thrive15.com world headquarters, presenting the world’s only business school without the BS, with optometrist and entrepreneur, Dr. Robert Zoellner, and the former Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the year in your ear, Clay Clark. It’s The Thrive Time Show on Talk Radio 1170. Three, two, one, boom.

Clay Clark: Oh, yes. Tulsa, welcome back to the Thrive Time Show. This is your audio dojo of mojo and the place that you go to learn how to start and grow a successful business. My name is Clay Clark and I am a business coach. I’m the former SBA Entrepreneur of the Year. What does that mean? I mean, “Okay, you just said it but what does that mean?” It means I was a former Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the Year.

If you’ve ever gone to apply for a bank loan, typically, the loans you get are called SBA loans or Small Business Administration sponsored loans. The SBA is a government organization that helps advocate the growth of small business. I sail that to say that my wife and I have been very blessed and fortunate to have started and grown a numerous successful businesses in the Tulsa area.

What we want to do is we want to invest our time and our energy on really giving back and to say thank you to the city of Tulsa in the state of Oklahoma, and really teach you as the listener how to start and grow a successful business as well. My wife and I, we believe so much in mentorship. Everybody has to have a mentor. A guy who has mentored me from afar and in up close and person is the guy right next to me. It’s Dr. Robert Zoellner. Sir, how are you?

Dr. Robert Zoellner: Hello, happy Tuesday, Thrive Nation. It’s an honor to be here. We’re so excited that you’ve tuned into the show today. We’re actually wrapping up. I have 10 main business points. When I give a speech and people are like, “What are your secrets to business? What’s your secret sauce?” I have 10 points and of course, a bonus 11 because I’m always going to give you a little bit more than you want. You know what I’m saying?

Clay: Here’s how I see you using your rules, these rules in business. I see it as– If you ever been around Dr. Zoellner, there’s three superpowers the man has that are profound, that I always pinch myself and I’m like, “I can’t believe I just witnessed that.” One is, you have unbelievable time management skills.

Dr. Z: Got to get her done.

Clay: Two, you have unbelievable decisiveness. Like once you get all the facts, you act.

Dr. Z: Make a decision.

Clay: Three is you’re able to take motion or action without emotion. It’s not that you’re an emotionless cyborg but you’re able to just act. I think a lot of it’s because you’ve taken the time to distill the things you’ve learned through your career of business, some of the mistakes you made and you’ve put it into a system now and you have these 10 rules. It’s almost like when you encounter these daily situations in business that we all encounter, you’re able to make these quick decisions and manage your time effectively because you have these rules.

We talked on the first, yesterday, about your first five rules. If you missed it, you got to go to thrivetimeshow.com to listen to it again because the first five rules that you laid out in your upcoming book called The Business Pig and on yesterday’s show are profound. But today, we are getting into rule number six through ten. Rule number six–

Dr. Z: Wait a second. Let’s do a little quick recap of yesterday’s show because that will lead us into– because we’re going through six through ten today. One to five was yesterday. Clay, would you recap those for the audience?

Clay: Yes, sure. Rule number one, “Pigs get fat, hogs get butchered.” Z, what does that mean?

Dr. Z: That means don’t be greedy. You listened to show yesterday. We really break it down and marinate over it. We have some great quotes from some very famous people and it deals with greed in business.

Clay: Rule number two, “Be the pig at breakfast, not the chicken.” What are we talking about?

Dr. Z: That talked about commitment. Your level of commitment as an entrepreneur, if you’re listening out there and you say, “I want to start a business.” I’m telling you right now, you’ve got to be committed to it. That’s what that segment– that’s what we talked about that and had a lot of fun breaking that down.

Clay: Rule number three, “Know when to cook that pig.”

Dr. Z: It’s all about celebrating. It’s all about the journey of business. It’s all about celebrating it with your staff and being kind to your staff and say, “Hey, listen, let’s set a goal and when we hit it, let’s party a little bit, let’s celebrate a little bit.”

Clay: Now, rule number four, badding clean up was “The piggy bank.”

Dr. Z: The badding clean up, it’s a grand slam hopefully. The piggy bank is delaying the gratification and saving some money because if you’re going to start a business, you need a ward chest, i.e. money, i.e. capital.

Clay: Rule number 5, that’s cinco, “Rule Cinco.” Showtime, “Blue ribbon pig.”

Dr. Z: Hey, listen, bad stuff happened. When you’re dealing with a customer, you can’t let the bad stuff that happened affect what you deal with that customer. You might say, “Hey, my friend called me a bad name last night, it truly upset me.” You got to shake that off, it’s showtime.

In other words, you’ve got to shake off, you’ve got to wash off the mud. You’ve got to present yourself ready to go. As a business owner, you’ve got to be high and tight in showtime because that appointment you have to sell your widget or that customer that just walked in the door, called on the phone is the most important thing in the world to you right then and there. You can deal with the mud and the bad stuff, the negatives, the problem, you can deal with that when you’re away from the business transaction.

Clay: Now, we move on to rule number six.

Dr. Z: Drum roll.

Clay: This just in, here we go. It’s “Big pig eats first at the trough. The big pig eats first at the trough.”

Dr. Z: What does that mean?

Clay: What are we talking about? What does that mean?

Dr. Z: In business, this is going to sound weird and a lot of people don’t understand this. We’re going to break it down today and make sure you get it. As the business owner, there’s this triad of things. There’s different categories of people that are in the business. There’s the business owner–

Clay: The owner.

Dr. Z: There’s customers and there’s employees.

Clay: There’s the three, the triumvirate there.

Dr. Z: The triumvirate. When you own your business, you’re going to have you, listening right now, the thriver. We’re going to have to start that business and grow it but you’re a component. You’re one of these one things. Then you’re going to have employees. Then you’re going to have what we call customers, i.e. the people you’re selling to. So many times, people get the wrong order of who gets to go– what’s the most important and who gets served first.

That’s when we, big, big pigs– It’s funny now if you think about it. But the big pig, he walks into the trough. He looks down to trough and he goes, “I think I want him, I get to choose.” Or, “I like to slop down here a little better.” He walks over there and– because all the little pigs are waiting for him to get to his spot. Once he gets on his spot, everything’s fell in.

Clay: I have some questions that I want to-

Dr. Z: -We’re going to break all of that down. Don’t worry. We’re not leaving you out just at the trough.

Clay: I want to ask this question because I know specifically. I have talked to a thriver who has a construction company. They get calls on their cellphone from people who are having an emergency all the time. If you’re in construction, you know what I’m talking about. Maybe installed an air conditioning unit for a customer last year or you did some plumbing for them or you built a house for them and people have problems 24/7.

The customer will call them at night, weekends. They are small business. The business owner is to a point now where they’re in their 50’s. They are continuing to react literally seven days a week because they have been in Tulsa for a long time. Seven days a week, there’s always an emergency and they’re always on call. By the way, Z, they don’t make any money. I’d ask them, “Why aren’t you guys charging more money? Why aren’t you guys charging more?” A, and B, “Why are you personally available 24/7?” I want to relate that to your optometry clinic because your optometry clinic is open. Is it not seven days a week?

Dr. Z: Yes, it is.

Clay: How do you, A, balance making money? B, how do you offer great quality support to your customers without you personally doing it? What advise would you have for these guys?

Dr. Z: Well, training, checklist, making sure you have the right order of management in place and the people that are responsible. In other words, when the alarm goes off on the weekend, I’m not the first one called. I am called but I’m not the first one called. What I’m saying is here’s the thing, here’s the take away from rule number six. If you’re listening out there and you own the business, I’m going to let you know a little secret. I’m going to let you know a little inside knowledge. You are the big pig at the trough.

Clay: [whispers] I am the big pig at the trough.

Dr. Z: Listen, if you’re not number one in your business, if you’re not making money, if you’re not satisfied, if you’re not being taken care of, if you don’t have enough profit coming in, guess what happens to the business. “Boom.” It shuts down. Many people own the business, then they put themselves last. They don’t make enough profit because “I don’t want to charge too much for my thing and I just don’t want to– I’ve found a problem to solve. The problem’s the biggest thing and the most important thing” It’s not. You and the health of your checkbook and the health of your mental checkbook, that’s your brain, is the most important thing.

Clay: There’s a thing behind that concept. Because if you put yourself first or I see a lot of entrepreneurs who are listening right now, you have maybe — Let’s just go to the Small Business Administration. They did research on this and they showed that in the city of Tulsa, 65% of the jobs that are created in Tulsa are created by small business owners. 65%–

Voice Over: You’re listening to The Thrive Time Show on Talk Radio 1170.

Clay: You have a staff of six people. It’s more likely you’ve got six people or ten people and not 400. When you then do things where you say, “Hey, guys, we’re open seven days a week but I will be off on Saturday and Sunday.” You work on Saturday and Sunday. You’re working five days a week but you’re going to

work Wednesday through Sunday.

I’m going to work Monday through Friday because I’m the owner. I’m going to be off on the weekend. The employee or the team member goes, “Well, how come? That’s not fair. You get the weekend off and I have to work every weekend. That’s not fair.” How would you respond if you were asked that question from an employee?

Dr. Z: I understand it’s your choice. That’s the deal. That’s the job. You could either take the job and work it with a good attitude and be happy about it. I’m going to pay for it or you know what? I’m sure. Applebee’s or Arthur Greene I may need your chick flay, or there’s another job that if you can get a different schedule, then have at it, but that is the job and the days that it will work and I need you have a good attitude and that’s where it is.

Sometimes you find people that actually work in the weekends is because they go to school or they– That’s the only time they can work. There’s a right fit out there for the schedule but don’t give up the fact that you’re the big– You look at them, say, “Oh, I’m so sorry. You’re right. I’ll work the weekend. You only want to work Monday through Thursday and a half day Friday? Well, that’s fair. If that’s what you want.” That’s what I see sometimes, maybe not that extreme, but I see sometimes-

Clay: No. I see it that extreme [laughs]. Coaching client. I see that extreme and I see it more so. I see these people who are working in the construction business. Literally, a customer calls them at 8:00 PM. They answer the phone.

Dr. Z: Boom.

Clay: They give a call and such and such construction. They go, “I hate to call you at night, but I have an emergency and I need you to come out.” Then they come out and they fix the problem. They solve the problem. Then the customer goes, “Hey, since we use you all the time, can we go ahead and not pay for this repair?” They go, “Yes, sure.” I see it all the time.

The customers abuse them, and then on Monday after the work at all weekend, the employee says, “Hey, I can’t come in today. I have a problem going on. Can you fill in for me?” The owner says, “Yes.” I see them being abused by the customer, being abused by the employees. This is the– Whatever this is the business-

Dr. Z: You get fired up about it. Come on now.

Clay: This is a rule that I teach my coaching clients all the time. I say, “Listen, you can expect whatever you accept.”

Dr. Z: Correct.

Clay: That is so hard to do; to change the expectations of what you’re willing to accept.

Dr. Z: Here’s the thing; most people start a job when they think it’s a popularity contest. There’s another star in that job. They’re starting a business and like, “I just want to be like me. I just want to be loved. I just– Gosh I sure hope I don’t disappoint anybody.” Folks, you’re starting a business. It’s about making profit. It’s about growing it and it’s also about keeping your sanity, keeping a plan, and also understanding that you are the big pig at the trough.

You get to choose. You get to pick. It’s your business. You’re the boss and sometimes making that transition from a coworker, trying to get along with everybody to an employee, to have this, to have that. You’re the boss. You’re the hefty as we say.

Clay: Now Z, when we come back, I want to really get your feedback on this because this is not a political show and we’re certainly not going to get into politics today. During the election season, one of the things that politicians like to do is they like to throw out the concept of, “I’m going to be the candidate that breaks the disparity between the executive pay and the employee pay. I’m the one who’s going to bridge the gap.

I’m the one who’s going to bring income equality. I’m going to make sure that those executives and those business owners, those entrepreneurs, they’re not making ten times more than the average employee. I’m going to be the one who comes in there and who bridges the gap in income disparity. I will spread the wealth because that’s my job. I’m going to make sure that people aren’t getting huge bonuses.”

Meanwhile, they’re making huge bonuses on the backs of their employees who work so hard. I want you to give some feedback out there to the entrepreneur who almost is starting to feel guilty that they’re making three, four, five, six, maybe even ten times more than the average employees.

Dr. Z: We’ve got a great show and so much to talk about. Stay tuned. Thrive Time Show.

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Clay: All right. Thrive nation. Welcome back to your inspiration station. This is your audio dojo of mojo. My name is Clay Clark and the former SBA Entrepreneur of the year and a business coach, and Z. Dr Z, do you know who is here? Do you know who is snuck into the box that rocks my friend? Can you feel the aura and the presence of this magical princess of greatness?

Dr. Z: Well, I tell you what, while you were listening to the commercial just a few minutes ago, I was indulging and now I’ve got– I’m on a sugar high. It’s hard to measure. My sugar count is like off the chart. I just had one that would– What was it? Sentiment, the sentiment cookie, the sentiment–

Kat Graham: Haley’s heavenly sentiment roll cookie.

Dr. Z: We love having Kat on the show, the Barbee Cookies because she brings us. I’ve got the box right here.

Clay: Yes, you do. If you’re on Facebook live, you can see the box right now.

Dr. Z: I’ve got the box of goodness and there’s a couple missing out here, Clay. I just pounded them on the break. I had the little Haley’s ta-ta-ta-ta-boom.

Kat: Cinnamon roll cookie.

Dr. Z: Yes, I’m on such a high. I can’t remember that, but it’s so good. Kat with Barbee Cookies. Welcome, Kat.

Kat: Thank you, Dr. Z. Glad to be here.

Clay: Now before we get into– We’re going to get back into Dr. Z’s rule number six. He has ten rules of how to run a successful business from his years building multiple multimillion dollar businesses. He has ten business rules and before we get back into rule number six can– If someone’s listening right now and they’ve never been to barbeecookies.com, they’ve never visited your store, where can people– Where are you located, my friend?

Kat: We’re located at 83, 93 South Memorial Drive. We’re just south of 81st Memorial in the Renaissance shopping center.

Clay: Why is a box of Barbee Cookies the perfect holiday gift for anybody out there who has any sense of class or style or patriotism really? Why is it the perfect gift?

Kat: Because they’re delicious, Clay.

Clay: Yes.

Kat: Delicious gourmet cookies. What’s better than that?

Clay: I will tell you this: we buy them all the time for clients. I recommend that my clients buy for their clients Barbee Cookies. It’s the gift that keeps on getting thrivers. You got to go in there get a box. If you’ve never been there before, they always give you samples. It’s awesome. You got to check it out. Now as we were talking about rule number six, which is, the big pig eats first at the trough, for someone who’s listening right now who doesn’t understand what this principle means, please reset it my friend.

Dr. Z. Well, here’s what it means, is that the business owner you should come first. I know it sounds weird, but if you’re not happy, if you’re not making a profit, if you’re not taking care of your needs– That’s why you started the thing.

Clay: Okay, I’m going to argue with you [crosstalk]. I’m going to argue. I’m the apple of Captain Passive.

Dr. Z: Okay. [laughs]

Clay: Z, the overhead music. I chose the playlist because I really do like that jazz bar feel but a lot of my employees don’t like it because I hate to say they have to hear the same playlist over, and over and over. Now, I’m listening to their favorite songs so that they don’t get upset at me. What would you say to that?

Dr. Z: Yes, you definitely don’t want to upset an employee because they always come in front of you. It’s their needs above yours. You let them pick their own schedule. You let them pick how much that they earn. You just let them run the place because they are your– No, no, no, no, no. You’re the big pig and that means when the farmer comes out and slaps the slop, you get to decide what do I want to eat?

What do I want– Then all the other ones gathering around you. I know that sounds weird. It’s a pig analogy and you’ve got to put yourself first. If the big pig ain’t happy, none of the pigs are happy. Trust me on that. Also, we’ve got– Also, put well who comes next. What’s the next pig at the trough? Is it an employee or a customer? This is where a lot of the entrepreneurs get it wrong too.

Clay: Who comes next? The owners first, who comes next?

Dr. Z: This is going to freak some people out but the customer comes next.

Clay: The customer comes next?

Dr. Z: Yes.

Clay: Okay, break that down for us, my friend. What you mean by that?

Dr. Z: Well, the customer can fire you any time he wants.

Clay: That wasn’t very nice at all.

Dr. Z: If you could you find– You know what? You have the right to fire the CEO of Wal-Mart.

Clay: Just taking your dollar somewhere else.

Dr. Z: Taking your dollar somewhere else. You can fire the CEO of Target.

Clay: Okay, I want to ask here. I want to ask-

Dr. Z: JC Penny.

Clay: Kat’s out there running a business, okay? She’s running Barbee Cookies. Kat, you just started off, you’re a schoolteacher. People are going, “Your cookies are so good.”

Kat: Correct.

Clay: Then, it’s like all of a sudden it’s you and a couple of people. Now you’ve got a big thriving team. You’re opening your second location. Where’s the second location going to be?

Kat: It’s going to be in the Atlas Life Building, downtown at fourth in Boston.

Clay: How excited are you about this?

Kat: Gosh, where oh it’s just craziness we’re thrilled.

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Clay: We’re going to break this down. Have you eventually created a certain decor at Barbee cookies? How would you describe the decor inside the Barbee cookies?

Kat: A shabby chic I guess you’d say.

Clay: Like barn wood.

Kat: Sure, we claimed lumber.

Clay: Okay, and tell us about the chandelier you have what’s that chandelier look like?

Kat: We have this awesome chandelier when you enter the bakery above our baby bar. We have a chandelier made of cookie cutters that customers, family, and friends brought in, signed for us and we hung it on this awesome chandelier.

Clay: Now have you ever had a moment where an employee who used to work there or who works there now did not like the hours that you had to put on their schedule? You schedule them for certain hours or you’ve had employees say I don’t like the music we’re playing or I don’t like the hours you’ve scheduled before. Has it ever happened before?

Kat: Absolutely.

Clay: Was it hard for you or is it hard for you to emotionally get through that when they don’t want to do what you need them to do? Is it harder? Talk to me about that because you’re a lady, you didn’t start off as an entrepreneur, you start off as a schoolteacher because you love teaching and now you’re the owner of a thriving business. Talk to me about it. Was it hard to do that?

Kat: That was so difficult for me to do because I wanted to accommodate their needs and I just find it fascinating listening to Dr Z and saying that the owner that their needs come first. That was like foreign to me until I became a thriver and then I realized, “You know what? I need to change my thinking or I am going to go crazy.”

Dr. Z: Crazy.

Clay: I’m going to walk you through because I know Kat and I want to tell you that Kat is with the kindest most comparing, most compassionate people. She’s kind, she’s compassionate, she’s caring, she loves people and I will tell you if you– And I’m not saying Kat’s done this. I’m saying I’m talking about myself back in my early DJ career.

I remember talking to this one DJ and I said– his name was Z, was it you? It wasn’t you and I said “So Z, what schedule do you want?” He goes, “Well, I like to be off on Saturdays,” and I’m like “You realize every bride gets married on a Saturday,” and he’s like “Yes, I do want to work a lot, I need a lot of hours just not on Saturdays.”

I actually scheduled him for Friday shows at bars and restaurants and he said, “I really would like to be done by ten.” Then, he’s going and then I need this next weekend off though because of the– you literally go crazy trying to accommodate their needs. You cannot do it, Z.

Dr. Z: You can’t and that’s why this is so liberating and you see even like for Kat saying, “I struggled with this until I finally just got my head wrapped around it and just embraced it and once to embrace it and realize that being the boss is not a bad thing and that being the boss is what you’re about and being the business owner you have to put yourself first.” I know it sounds crazy but until you do, you’re not going to be satisfied. You’re not going to be happy, and so it doesn’t put concept that’s why it’s one of my top ten.

Clay: We had a person, a new member of the team and they said, “Hey, can we listen to a different kind of music? It’s Christmas season and I’d like to listen to a different kind of music,” and I said, “Yes, in the office we listen to both kinds, RnB.” They said, “What?” I said, “That’s my favorite music,” and so because everyone gets off on Friday before Christmas. That’s the day that will play Christmas music because I personally like RnB. That’s me and it’s my business I work here.

I pay the bills so I want to listen to what I want to listen to. I just could tell you what if you own a business you’re going to be working all the time, you’re going to be going through hell to start that thing. You might as well enjoy the music they’re playing overhead, so you got to enjoy your overhead music, my friends.

Dr. Z: Embrace the fact that you are your own little Michael Jackson. Here’s a picture [crosstalk]

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Clay: All right. Thrive nation, welcome back to the Thrive Time Show. This is your audio dojo of mojo in the show that you listen to, to learn how to start and grow a business. Many of you have been listening to politics. You’ve been spending a whole year ago and “Hillary is she going to win? Trump, is he going to win? Rubio is he got away and what’s going to happen they’re going to do a recount. Do you know what’s going to happen? Immigration should they build a wall? Should they not? No. What’s going to happen?”

You’re going– I need a change. I need to focus on some things that I can learn or listen to during the day that I can actually control. I want to learn about some things, some variables that if I ever learn these principles and I apply them in my own life, I can actually begin to have success. Because Z According to Forbes 57% of our listening audience, 57% of Americans want to start a business at some point and so you have tuned into the Thrive Time Show. I’m going to tell you what, you’re in for a treat. Z, can you tell the listener about the treat that we received from our special guest today?

Dr. Z: Well, there’s multiple treats by the way. What we love to do on the Thrive Time Shows, we love to take local successful business is and get the owner on and just let them give you some of their little secret sauce or in this case secret cookie dough because we have the founder and owner of Barbee cookies Miss Kat Graham. We love having her on the show because she’s a sweet lady and a fine lady and we love her story. Her story is so awesome her testimony but also she brings cookies and they’re really really good.

Clay: Yes, we’re going to Barbee cookies tomorrow and then the next day, the next day. We just love those Barbee cookies. Now Kat, for people who don’t know who you are, tell them about Barbee cookies and how you got started in the business?

Kat: Well, I started baking about 2. years ago when I was a teacher at school and raising my kids and people on their way would just over and over again say “Kat you need to open a bakery.” I’m thinking, I don’t know anything about business and I’m raising kids and teach in school and when do I get to do that? But about seven years ago, it happened and–

Clay: When you say it happened what happened?

Kat: Well, I was in a women’s bible study actually and my business partner Kelly was in that in that Bible study with me and I just happened to say “Does anyone need cookies for the holiday?” She said, “Well, do you have a website or a commercial kitchen?” I said “No,” and she said, “Well, okay, let’s make that happen.

Clay: Next thing you knew it’s a business time, it is a business.

Kat: It’s business time, yes.

Clay: Did you start the business at a good time in your life? Was it the perfect time to start a business?

Kat: No. No.

Clay: No. For everyone listening right now and I will put you on the spot with all the details and I’m going to say for everyone listening right now there’s never a perfect time to start your business. There’s Monday, there’s Tuesday, there’s Wednesday, there’s Thursday, there’s Friday, there’s Saturday, there’s Sunday but some day never happens in the calendar and so you just started right where you were with the tools you had in now Barbee cookies. You’re on the verge of opening up location number two. Where is location number one?

Kat: Location number one is at 83rd in Memorial.

Clay: Well, and if people come in there, if they’ve never been into Barbee cookies what can they find inside there?

Kat: They can find about 25 different types of gourmet cookies, delicious gourmet cookies, and to some great folks in there, great customer service great atmosphere.

Clay: Let me say this. What better way to say I love you this holiday season than with the gift of a box of Barbee cookies go to barbeecookies.com. We are moving on. Rule Number six. Let’s deep dive in one more time. The big pig eats first at the trough meaning the owner, you got to put your needs ahead of everybody else but second here comes the customer. They are the second pig at the trough. Talk to us about why this matters to keep us in the right order.

Dr. Z: Well, it matters because here’s the deal. Part of my MO on my optometry clinic is convenience, so we’re open on Sundays. To be very honest with you, I really don’t have a lot of my employees that are saying, “Ooh ooh ooh oh I’m so glad it’s open on Sundays, that’s such a convenient day for me.” The doctors are like “Oh I want to see patients on the weekend. I want to see patients on Sundays.”

But you know what? The patients that come in that that have to come in on the weekends, “Oh my gosh, you open seven days a week.” It’s a huge thing for them. By putting the customers ahead of my employees want and now I’m able to service many more customers, many more patients and that. Also, you got to understand that the employer can’t fire you. The employer can’t fire you, the customer is the one that can fire you. It’s the customer that pays the bills.

Clay: I have a very powerful passionate story that’s very near and dear to my heart I’ll like to share about this concept.

Dr. Z: Are we go into story time?

Clay: It is going to be a story time here we go.

Dr. Z: Get on, I’m on it.

Recording: Story time.

Clay: Pretty six months ago, there is an employee in our office. We have two monitors, every employee at one screen where you can type and edit and work on what you’re working on for graphic design and then there’s another screen. We have two screens because Carnegie-Mellon research has shown that people are more effective when you have two screens.

You don’t have to minimize and drag windows. I don’t want to labor you with the point. The point is two monitors is more effective. This guy he’s watching movies on the left screen one of the movies he’s watching was American Beauty with Kevin Spacey. Have you seen this movie? Do you know about his movies, Z?

Dr. Z: Yes, it’s been a while but I’ve seen it, sure.

Clay: Okay, there is a couple of scenes in the movie that are not appropriate for an office environment and so he’s watching a movie. We have many rules one is that you can’t watch a movie during the workday, two you can’t be watching that movie during the work day three whatever. I walk up the guys said “Hey young man I’m going make sure you’re aware you can’t be watching movies during the work day. The second monitors is so that you can be more effective at your job.”

He says, “Well, I just was listening to it while I was working’’ And I said ‘’I get that but I want make sure you understand the profundity of what you just told me. I’m your boss and if I said today I want you to sprint around the building until you vomit, that’s what you would need to do because I’m the boss and don’t push back here. You need to turn that off.’’ He goes, “Well, I don’t I don’t want to.’’

We had a wedding and we had to do for epic photos that weekend. Because I’m a smart guy, I like to know I’m a smart guy. I decided “Hey, you know what? I want you to go ahead and just watch that video as much as you want. Just enjoy it, have a good time.” Another employee pulls me aside and goes ‘’Are you kidding me? You’re going to let him watch a video? The hypocrisy is watching a movie at work?’’.

The hypocrisy and then so I let the guy go take photos at the wedding with very, busy, busy weekend. October is very busy in the wedding business is busy. Then we got to the end of October and November is a slow season for weddings. You have to set them on commercial shoots and these kind of things. I pulled him aside and I said “Billy, Billy, Hey how you doing? Great. Do you want watching more movies?” He goes, ‘’Yes, I do.’’ “Great you watch from home because you are fired.” That’s the deal and then I do that all the time. It’s just like and it’s just–

Dr. Z: You said some magical things in that little story time.

Clay: Still hot about it.

Dr. Z: You are passionate, we push them but this pig stuff really doing you well and get you going.

Clay: That’s my spirit animal.

Dr. Z: But what you did is this is, why didn’t you just walk up to him and he gave you push back and said I wouldn’t stop the movie right. Why did you just fire him, right? Why didn’t you just say well get your crap and get out of here. Why did you do that?

Clay: Why used to do that as a young man and what I find was that I would end up working 24/7 seven days a week. I’m working because I’m just firing people who are not complying.

Dr. Z: Yes, so you did the right thing in your mind you fired that young man right then but you made sure you did. You went to the filter of what. I said this all the time. You went to the filter, what’s best for the business? Long term, it wasn’t best to have him here because altogether, you teach all the other employees that one, your word did matter; two, you’re an effective leader; and three, basically, they’re the box but you also showed them that you’re bigger than that and that you’re smart enough to know when to actually fire him because what’s best for the business.

Clay: Now Z, I have a notable quote from John D. Rockefeller. The world’s wealthiest man during his lifetime he says, “Every right implies responsibility, every opportunity an obligation, every possession a duty.”I’m going to sum this up for you if you’re a business owner, you have a responsibility to make sure that you are the first one at the trough and the customer is the second one at the trough and the employee is third. When we come back we’re going to deep dive into Rule Number 7. Do you want to know what Z’s rule Number 7 of business is? Well, I’d love to tell you, but you’re going to come back after the break to learn rule number 7.

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Clay: All right, Thrive nation, welcome back to your inspiration station. You can be listening politics but instead you’ve decided to learn about some things that you can actually apply in your own life. You see Thomas Edison, Thomas Edison the guy who started that little company called G-E the guy who invented the light bulb.

Some of you might be saying he stole that from Tesla actually he didn’t invent one that could be true but he also invented the recorded audio, recorded video some of you go he stole that too. Well, he has the patents on and the point is Thomas Edison says that “Vision without execution is hallucination.” Are you hallucinating or are you executing your vision? That’s the question.

Today, we’re teaching you Dr. Z Dr. Robert Zoellner his 10 rules for business. He has 10 rules he’s distilled it through his career in business and there are going to be featured in his upcoming book called The Business pig. We’re breaking it down like it down in doctors Z we have very special guest with us Miss Kat Graham of Barbee cookies. Here we go rule Number seven, pig in the mud happy as a lover not a fighter. Be a pig in the mud. Z, what are we talking about? Be a pig in the mud what does that mean?

Dr. Z: Well, here’s what that means is that if you’re a pig and you’re in the farmyard, where’s your happy spot?

Clay: Mud.

Dr. Z: Mud boom. Now you might say to yourself what does that have to do with business?

Clay: Well, I think a lot of pit pigs and business people listen to the show who on pig farms all over the great states of Oklahoma.

Dr. Z: Well, it could be that we could actually have a pig farmer listen to the show I’m sure we do all around the world right. They’re like, “Yes, this show finally, some pig love, some love for pig farmers. Know what that means is this be purposeful in your environment of your business. In other words if you’re not happy when you’re in your business, then you can’t be happy and happy is so important as a business owner.

What I mean by that is that let’s say you allow your employees to set the lightings, control the music, arrange your office, you get other people set up your environment and that’s not the way it is. The farmer does puts up water in the mud and then the pig goes he’s got a choice of either getting in it or not getting it right but he’s happy when he’s in it.

You need to be purposeful in your environment. Then what that does it leads to this. It leads to the idea now that you are happier in your environment and it’s easier to be a lover, not a fighter. When you’re happy, it’s easier to be a lover, not a fighter. We’re breaking out a couple of things there. A big concept we’re going to we’re going to–

Clay: I want to go to the Darth Vader negative side. We’ll go to Kat with a positive side. Those who know are listening, I am the co-founder of elephant in the room the men’s grooming lounge. Most of the founder of D.J connection, Party perfect which is now Party pro anyway I go on but I would like to give some examples. These are some things this one example, elephant in the room are men’s grooming lounge.

It is the self-actualization as if you have been to college and you studied Marslow’s hierarchy of needs. The bottom level is food, shelter and as you move up your goal is to be able to have self-actualization meaning that you get to live a life that you like. My brother in law he is obsessed with beard oil, beard bomb historic, barn wood hand. I was at local craft beer. He’s got this mojo hot towel treatment straight razor shaves. He’s got this whole Amish Paradise he’s working on

He’s all about essential oils and I’m telling you what the elephant in the room Men’s grooming lounge by the way if you’re listening your first haircut is a dollar the first haircut is a dollar. There’s three locations it is him.

Dr. Z: Yes, and if he were a pig, that is his little pile of mud.

Clay: That’s his mud.

Dr. Z: That’s his mud.

Clay: That seems positive. Now let’s go to the dark side. I built a company called D.J connection and one of the things that D.J connection that I had when I owned the business was I wanted every single rep to make 100 calls a day and it irritates me it. I cannot stand, I cannot stand employees who are playing video games, well who are on skateboards and doing things I just can’t stand it. When I sold the business I sold the business to somebody else and he did a great job. The business is doing very well now but we have different things that we value.

For me, if you played video games at work, I seriously would fire you and yell at you, like I would just happen to yell at you. I can’t stand it, I would seriously. If you brought a skateboard into the work floor, I would be yelling at you and you would be afraid to bring that in the office. Now, he though has that culture. He likes that kind of thing. He likes where people can play video games, they get to bring their airsoft guns to work and shoot each other in the parking lot.

He just likes to have this casual atmosphere. There’s not a right or a wrong, but I’m telling you what might sold the business. I had to wipe my hands clear because I can’t be around in office where people are riding skateboards inside the workplace.

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Clay: Because it wasn’t my dojo of mojo. Kat, I want to ask you, what is your mud – figuratively speaking – what about Barbee cookies, are you intentional about creating that you love so much.

Kat: I love that it’s a positive environment, Clay. I love that when you walk in it’s clean, it’s inviting, it smells great, because of the cookie bakery. The music is playing–

Clay: What kind of music do you like to play? Just kind of overall genres.

Kat: Well, my favorite is our jingle.

Clay: Your jingle?

Kat: Sure.

Clay: It’s a, [singing] “Celebrate life, it’s always delicious. Barbee’s cookies–“

Kat: That’s it. Nice job.

Dr. Z: Nice jingle.

Kat: That’s great.

Dr. Z: Kat, one time you told me that it’s like, you wanted it to be like, you’re walking in to your grandmother’s living room/ kitchen.

Kat: Yes, that’s exactly right.

Dr. Z: You know what? When you said that, I just got a warm fuzzy when you told me that. You didn’t like– you walking your moms and you had this aroma of cookies coming out. Your grandma was cooking. It was just like, “Oh” it was a safe place.”

Clay: If you’re not on Facebook live, get on Facebook live right now. We’re going to go through your box here.

Kat: Awesome.

Clay: Talk to me about your box. How would you describe this brown color?

Kat: That is like a chocolate brown box.

Clay: Is there a certain color of brown that’s not chocolate brown? Are there many colors that were the wrong colors?

Kat: Sure. Yes.

Clay: Does this chocolate brown matters to you?

Kat: Yes, it does.

Clay: This cover is blue, what would you call this color?

Kat: It’s like a Carolina blue.

Clay: Carolina blue is the color, right?

Kat: Yes.

Clay: If Z and I just put a navy blue that wouldn’t work?

Kat: No, sir.

Clay: The words on here says, “For God so love the world, that He gave us His one only Son. That whoever believes in Him shall not perished, but have eternal life.” John 3:16. Why is that on this box? I thought I was buying cookies

Kat: Sure, because we believe deeply in that verse, and felt like that’s part of us. That’s part of the business, so we felt that appropriate to put in in our packaging.

Clay: Now, I’m going to go ahead and try to argue with you on the air. Is that okay?

Kat: Yes, sir.

Clay: In and Our Burger, the founder of In and Out Burger, was a communist sympathizer. For those of you who don’t know that he sympathized with communism. Then he had an epiphany where he change his world view and he became a Christian. To this day, on the wrappers on a hamburger or at the bottom of the cup, he puts bible verses on the cup and the wrapper. He was so intentional that he made it in the bylaws, they could not change it ever. Even though his dead and the new ownership no longer holds that belief, he did that. I’m just saying that doesn’t mean that he’s right or he’s wrong, but In and Out Burger, if you’ve ever been to it, they’re making no innovations to the menu.

It’s the same thing. It’s actually in the bylaws, they cannot change the menu. It’s the same thing over and over, but it his mud.

Dr. Z: It is his pit if mud. It’s his business, it’s your business. You could do with it as you want, okay? Many people like, “Oh, I don’t want to” hey, it’s your playground. It’s your backyard. If you want to hose it down and make a big pile of mud, get like – a pig would like to do it – get on in it.

Clay: One thing that you’ve taught me is that you love to wear soccer jerseys.

Dr. Z: Yes. I’m wearing one right now. Italia.

Clay: Okay, and you love to wear soccer themed apparel, and I know many people that are saying– they may not say it out loud to you, maybe they’ve said it to you. You’re serving the board in the bank, so you’re in situations where maybe their professional attire that most people would wear– [crosstalk]

Dr. Z: When I went to that first board meeting with my soccer jersey on them, you should have seen the looks that I got, they’re like, “What in the– who is this character?”

Clay: Yes, and you know what? You have worn the scrubs. You’ve done that. You’ve checked that box.

Dr. Z: Right, checked it.

Clay: You’ve dressed in that professional– but now you’ve got to a point that you no longer need to. Now, you’ve created your own mud, your own atmosphere, and you’re now able to self-actualize. I just get the feeling that you don’t feel bad that you no longer even wear the uniform that you require your own people to wear.

Dr. Z: That’s absolutely correct. The second half of the pig in the mud is that when you’ve designed that and you’re laying there in the mud, it’s hard to find a pig that’s not happy. When you’re happy, I’m telling you what folks as a business owner out there, I encourage all the time to be the lover not the fighter. You can do that when you’ve been purposeful in creating your atmosphere that put you in the good mood. Because what’s going to happen is difficulty is going to arise, you’re gong to have customers that have been treated poorly. You’re going to come up with someone who wants to fight with you about something. Whether it could be an employee, it’s certainly going to be a customer at some point.

I’m telling you right there, I’m telling you when life– if you have been purposeful in creating your environment, you’re happy to be there at work. You’re in a good mood. We’re doing showtime like we said earlier in the show– I think it was yesterday that we covered that one, but to think about is, it’s easier to be a lover and not a fighter. When you’re a business owner– I’m telling you this right now, it’s so much easier not to fight, because what will happen is, is that when you have a problem, as long as you’ve taken the high road, you’ll never take the wrong road. Being nice, and being a lover not a fighter is the way to go. We’ll unpack more of that when we come back.

[background music]

Clay: Now, Thrivers, would you take the challenge? I call this the Barbee Cookies Christmas challenge. You go over there to Barbee Cookies, 83rd of Memorial, you go in there and you buy a box of a dozen cookies. If you do that, then you come over here to the ThriveFifteen.com world headquarters, I’m going to give you a free copy of my most recent book, Thrive. You can go get a dozen cookies, I’ll give you a free copy of my book. It’s going to be a game changer, it’s for this week only. It’s the pre-Christmas gift that keeps on giving. Get over to Barbee Cookies.

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Voice Over: Broadcasting from the center of the universe. Featuring optometrist turned entrepreneur, Doctor Robert Zoellner, and US SBA Entrepreneur of the year, Clay Clark. This is the Thrive Time Show on Talk Radio 1170.

Clay: All right. Thrive nation, welcome back to the Thrive Time Show. It’s business school without the BS. This is Tulsa’s only local business radio show and the dojo of mojo fosho. For many entrepreneurs out there, it’s a place where you can come to on a daily basis and listen to the business coach. You know that you’re going to get some positive training, some positive actionable education, and really it’s going to give you those step by step instructions that you need to implement to start and grow a successful business. But today, I am super, super excited about today’s show, because Doctor Robert Zoellner, has been– Z, how long have you been an entrepreneur in the Tulsa area? How long have you been–?

Dr. Z: 25 years.

Clay: For 25 years, let’s walk through your career briefly of how you built a string of multi-million dollar businesses. Your first business that you started, was what?

Dr. Z: Doctor Robert Zoellner and associates. It’s an optometry clinic, and it has two locations, and eight optometrist that worked in the business, open seven days a week.

Clay: Your second business was what?

Dr. Z: Auto auction.

Clay: Make sense. Look at the human eye all day, the retinas and the corneas, and you’re like, “I’ll look into automotive.” that makes a lot of sense. How’d that happen?

Dr. Z: Yes, you just draw, you connect the dots. It’s a long story, you know what? One of these days we may tell a story of all that, but I own, it’s called Z66 Auto Auction. Then I went to Doctor Z sleep center, it’s a diagnostic sleep center where we help people sleep at night better.

Clay: Very logical.

Dr. Z: Very logical. Then I have A to Z, which is a DME Company. What’s DME mean?

Clay: Durable Medical Equipment

Dr. Z: Well done, young man. We sell all kind of medical equipment in that. Predominantly, sleep pack machines. Because guess what, we have people over here that are sleeping and may need one and now, I’ve been this “Oh well, we can actually provide that.” I have a couple of those DME companies, and then I have a ranch south of town where I raised fur bred horses. Rockin’ Z Ranch.

Clay: You’ve invested in a bank. You’ve invested in an online education school, Thrive15.com.

Dr. Z: Yes. The Thrive15 is the latest thing, and now, we actually have a radio show. You know how I can prove that? You’re listening to it right now.

Clay: Now Z, the thing is you’ve been able to live the American dream. I think a lot people would want to say, “How much money do you make? How do you manage your time?” That’s more of a ted talks thing. We’re talking about the stuff behind the stuff, and you have distilled your 10 rules. You’ve put down your 10 rules as your 10 rules for business and we are hoping in to rule number eight of your 10.

Dr. Z: You’ve got to wrap up number seven I’m going to punch on something else there. I tell you when a customer comes to you with a problem, you can fix it little or you can wait until it becomes bigger problem because nowadays some people they just get worked up and they’s looking for an outlet for their problems and they’ve way exploded on something that they really shouldn’t have exploded that much on. Probably one of your employees did they dropped a ball and each time they’ve dropped a ball what you’ve done is you’ve taken a hammer.

I’ve got my pen which is good signifying the hammer. I’m going to hand my pen to Kat. What I’ve done is say I have made a mistake and I’m going to give you a hammer. When they swing it they hit you on the head and you say, “Oh you weren’t supposed to do that nobody swings a hammer. I know I gave it to you but you know that wasn’t very nice.” Point is that it weren’t your place you’re going to drop the ball. You’re going to drop the ball, your business is going to drop the ball when you have a problem. You can be a lover in that problem or you can be a fighter.

What I’m encouraging you to do and this is like pig in the mud because pig in the mud he’s happy, he’s loving life, he isn’t hating nobody, no time. Be a lover and address the problem head-on be kind, be nice, and fix it fast it’s going to be less expensive.

Clay: Okay, I’m going to give you several examples. The Elephant in the Room in the men’s grooming lounge. Guys coming in for haircuts and we’ve won a lot of awards for top quality haircuts and we train all the time for it and my brother-in-law is obsessed with it. I would encourage you if you’re interested right now take the challenge. Come on in it’s a $1 for your first hair cut come in and try and see if it is not a superior experience.

You know what? Occasionally, we miss the mark and occasionally we’re not perfect right? My brother-in-law is so good about responding quickly and he constantly is dwelling on this. You feel like you’re on the same motivational talk every Thursday morning because he’s going, “Guys if there’s a problem tell me immediately and I will deal with it.” He’s always preaching that to his managers.

Why is it so important that you respond quickly when there’s a customer service problem? Why do you need to respond as fast as possible?

Dr. Z: Can I tell you a horrible story?

Clay: Okay, yes, as long as it involves you and not my businesses.

[laughter]

Dr. Z: My turn my turn. We an older lady come into the office and we dilated her eyes and she had what we call angle closure attack. We opened seven days a week she goes home takes a nap wakes up and she has pain in her eye and it’s a problem. Right?

Clay: Not good.

Dr. Z: Instead of coming back in to see us, instead of calling us on the phone, of course, they panicked and went to the ER.

Clay: Go to the ER.

Dr. Z: Go to the ER. “We’re here I’ve got a problem with my cornea and my retina that’s spreading.” The ER God bless it they didn’t have an eye doctor handy so they just they were, “Oh my gosh where’s the problem.” The poor lady was in pain longer than she needed to be. She had some damage to her eye that she didn’t need to have. The people that could fix it the people that knew what was going on nobody contacted them i.e. us.

Open seven days a week doctors on call 24/7, quick phone call problem fixable we move on with life. They wait another and she’s in a lot of pain so they finally get her into an eye specialist who. I’m telling you what folks if you think of competition some of your competitors will be nice and play nice and play fairly, and some of them are going to be downright just mean.

Clay: Very Darth Vader-esc.

Dr. Z: Very mean and nasty and if they get an opportunity to put you under the bus they’re going to put you under the bus. They’ll go, “Oh so you went over to Doctor Robert Zoellner? Why I tell you what there’s three things I know about him. One is he hates his customers, the second is that he hates people, and the third is that he hates the customers who are people.

Clay: And are purposely trying to hurt people.

Dr. Z: That’s a nut joke. He gets her fixed up and he gets her revved up that she was just treated so poorly and she doesn’t know. She’s listening to this man and God bless him I’ve forgiven him and moved on in life. This lady’s daughter calls my office and says, “Listen you need to boom boom boom. You pay all this money because it’s you guy’s fault. It’s absolutely your fault. You ruined my mom’s life.” For once in my life I wasn’t a lover I was a fighter.

I owned up to it. I should have been a love she said, “You know what? You’re right, let’s fix this quickly.” I said, “It wasn’t our fault you should have done XYZ, and the hospital should have called us, and why were we da da da,” I fought.

Clay: You got pretty intense.

Dr. Z: I got pretty intense. You know what she did?

Clay: I’m going to go with sued you?

Dr. Z: Yes, they went out and found a lawyer who works with the co-contingency.

Clay: Those are fun guys.

Dr. Z: Fun guys and next again, they get served a law suit, I’m like, “This could all have been prevented.” Then, what happens is as an optometrist or physician out there. You have what we call insurance medical malpractice insurance. Guess what here again I don’t have to drive the boat on it. The insurance company steps in, “This is our money now, it’s our problem now we’re going to step into this and now you’re out of the equation. It’s our money and it’s our liability now. It’s our money out of our pocket you’ve paid premiums so now we’re going to handle this.

Clay: We’re going to get involved here that’s Smith that’s Hatch. Smith and Hatch.

Dr. Z: Smith and Hatch.

Announcer: You’re listening to the Thrive Time Show on Talk Radio 1170.

Dr. Z: Then what they said was, “Due to the cost of litigation-

Clay: The cost.

[laughter]

Dr. Z: -to the cost of attorneys, and the whole depositions, and going back and forth and all that. We’re just going to go ahead and settle with her for X amount of dollars.” I looked at her and said, “Why you’re just being an idiot.”

Clay: Because we thought over it over our expensive lunch which by the way you have to pay for.

Dr. Z: Because this is the way we do business. They ended up giving her this lady which of course her attorneys took a big chunk out of it but they ended up giving her a lot more than they wanted from me from day one. You might say to yourself, “Gosh, you were an idiot there.”

Thrive nation you’re listening to me right now and I’ll admit I was a fighter, not a lover didn’t take my own advice but you know what? I can’t affect yesterday but I can affect tomorrow.

Clay: I want to ask this Kat as you are hearing Dr. Zoellner sharing the story. What is your process because you guys have years have known. You have great reviews on Google, unbelievable reviews on Facebook, people all over the world love those Barbee cookies. They go to barbeecookies.com they go, “That flavor is so good.” Occasionally, I’m sure maybe not you but somebody in your business at one point has made a mistake. What is your process for handling a mistake or a customer complaint?

Kat: We choose to be lover not fighters that is a fact.

Dr. Z: Give me a hug.

Clay: Great professional hug is happening here on Facebook live.

Dr. Z: Sideways little Facebook hugs.

Kat: Honestly the customer always comes first every time. In fact, a problem came up last week it wasn’t our fault. A package was lost at one of our local carriers whose name I will not mention. A sweet lady called me from Oklahoma City and said, “Kat my son’s birthday is tomorrow and we don’t have our cookies,” and this is the third year in a row they’ve requested Barbee Cookies for their birthday. I called the carrier and said, “Excuse me this is the tracking number where are the cookies. We don’t know where the cookies are?”

Dr. Z and Clay: I have no idea we ate them our carrier ate them.

[laughter]

Kat: Yes, so here it is it is Friday afternoon, the twin boys their birthday is the next day Saturday morning at 10:00 AM. We drove the cookies to Oklahoma City.

Clay: No, you didn’t? You did really?

Kat: We drove the cookies to Oklahoma City Friday night. Thank you cool Stacy and those little guys had their birthday cookies. Was it our fault, Dr. Zoellner? No, it wasn’t our fault but we made it right.

Clay: Thrivers, I’m just going to tell you this right now when you work super hard to start to grow a business I know that you take pride in handling things the right way, but this is what’s going to happen there’s two things they are very predictable. I’ve done business coaching and have been a business coach for years. They are very predictable and they’re going to happen as your business grows. One you’re going to hire more people which means the people that are not you are going to be dealing with customer complaints. Two as you make more money you’re going to have less time and compassion check it out. Compassion someone should write that down.

Compassion requires time. Z, now in the urgency of the moment in the speed, you’re going faster and faster as your business is growing, you might make a harsh decision. I want you do right now and actually go and get out a sheet of paper and go ahead and write down how you are going to handle customer complaints in the call of the moment called right now. Go ahead on the commercial break. Write it down, this is how we are going to handle it. You know South West Airlines? They’ve done that and they’ve told their staff this is how we’re going to–

If for some reason someone’s flight is canceled or something is delayed this is the autonomy that you have as the front desk person. These are the rules, these are the things that you can do. Disney World has done that, Elephant in the Room we’ve done that because otherwise as an owner your team is going to call you about once a week with a problem and you’re going to be really busy and you’re going to make a harsh and rash decision that’s not the right one. Go ahead and take the time right now.

Z, why is it so important that you take the time my friend to write down how you want your teammates to handle complaints?

Dr. Z: You don’t really have to write it down. You tell someone and six months later they should be able to remember everything you told them.

Clay: Absolutely, that’s why the Bible was not written down. laughs.Wait a minute. I’m sorry, recheck my facts.

[aughs]

Dr. Z: You have to write it down because here is the deal, you want it to be the same over and over and over and six months later, you may have gone through now two or three people are doing it. If your waiting for people to tell the story, here’s what we do– murmurs something– now you tell the next person “murmurs something” and you tell the next person “murmurs something” guess what somethings going to get lost to translations, always does.

Write it down, get it in your manual, your checklist, your little book, your little happy place to go. Oh yes, I don’t know how to deal with the problem but I know where to go find the answer. That I’m dealing with the problem “Excuse me, one minute, ma’am” chuck chuck chuck go flip flip flip oh yes, and that’s what I do. I give you Barbee cookies, thank you there you go and everything’s better.

Clay: What do you say to entrepreneurs who says “Listen, in Oswald’s Bagels we’ve never written anything down for 25 years. I make every bagel myself, I don’t need to write stuff down. It’s Oswald’s Bagels. Remember? What would you say?

Dr. Z: [laughs] I would say, “Oswald, that’s why you’re the only one working and that’s why you never get a day off and that’s why you don’t make much money. Make him trust me.

Clay: Thrivers, when we come back we’re going to be getting into rule number eight. Rule number eight. What is it? We will tell you when we come back. Oswald’s Bagels.

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Voice Over: You’re listening to Thrive Time Show on Talk Radio 1170.

Clay: All right, thrive nation, you are in for an audio treat today. We have the incredible co-founder, the founder of Barbee cookies, Miss Kat Graham on the show and Doctor Robert Zoellner on the show. It is an all-star show. It’s a main event but before we get too deep into Doctor Z’s ten business rules, and by the way, you want to write each and everyone of these down. The ten business rules and if you missed yesterday’s show, we went through rules number one through five you can go to thrivetimeshow.com and listen to it again. You can find those rules but today we’re gonna be going from rule number six through ten.

But before we get into that, Kat Graham, can you just tell the listeners out there, some people are looking for a last minute Christmas gift right now. They’re going “Oh no, the countdown has begun, I must get a Christmas gift and it must be classy, and it must by good.” Kat Graham, why are Barbee cookies the perfect Christmas gift?

Kat: Because number one, they’re delicious and people recognize the box. When you take a box to a client or neighbor or a friend and they see the Barbee Cookie box and they see the blue tool that’s normally wrapped around that box, they know that you went to care and an expense to purchase that box of cookies and give that as a gift.

Clay: Z, could you explain to the listeners, I know it’s hard to explain, but could you explain the profundity of the flavor, fabulousness that when on inside your mouth when you had that cinnamon roll cookie. What was going on there? Lace your show.

Dr. Z: It was like an explosion of wonderful. It was like a leprechaun radiant on a unicorn, and took a wand and just smacked me on my tongue and then gave me a pot of gold and rode off. That’s basically what happened.

Clay: That’s what’s like in–

Dr. Z: Endorphins, dopamine firing off in my brain.

Clay: If I’m listening, Kat right now, the endorphins, the dopamine, I want to get the leprechaun, I want to get the unicorn, I want to try the Barbee cookies where can I go to do this?

Kat: You just come to the Renaissance Shopping Center 83rd in Memorial, Barbee cookies run and Kat.

Clay: 83 and Memorial. I’m going to tell you this, I’m going to plan a perfect afternoon for you right now. Step one, get over there to Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue. Get those baked beans, get the burnands, get the baked beans and then immediately drive over to Barbee cookies. Get over to Barbee cookies, be the office hero. Buy a box that rocks for your entire office team then go to Thrive Time Show. Listen to this show five to six times until your brain explodes because you need to learn these moves. Rule number seven was, be a pig in the mud. Make your office environment an environment that you want to go to.

A place where, if you were a pig, you would love being in the mud. Make your office environment a place you are passionate and excited about going to. Now rule number eight, is, we’re talking about pig-headed here Z and don’t be a fool. What do you mean when you say pig-headed don’t be a fool, talk to me about it.

Dr. Z: Merriam-Webster is kind of a thing, since 1828, defines pig-headed as will-fully or perversely unyielding.

Clay: Unyielding. Thank you, Webster.

Dr. Z: Now, examples of these are seems to be, the pig-headed person who seems to believe the facts only confuse an issue. If you are a general, and you have an army, and you’re going to war, by the way, which is not too far off if your an entrepreneur and you have a business, oh by the way, okay? Every great general in the history of great generals, have what they call a war counsel.

Clay: War counsel.

Dr. Z: Follow me with this.

Clay: I’m following you.

Dr. Z: What that means is that there’s a certain amount of brovato that comes with being a business owner, “I’m doing it my way, this is my thing, and I’m going forward with it.”

Clay: sings “I did it my way”

Dr. Z: [laughs] But the day you don’t listen to suggestions, the day that you become pig-headed, to the point– a great story, the other day on the show, maybe it was Friday, could be on Thursday show.

Clay: I felt I blocked it out

Dr. Z: Just listen to my bit. Clearly, a perfect example of being a pig-headed is a business owner. I picked on me on the order.

Clay: No, you got to pick on me.

Dr. Z: The move back in the day was the yellow pages. Sometimes you change the name of your business or you start it with an A so you could be first.

Clay: A+ Automotive.

Dr. Z: Yes, and then what you do is the size of your ad. The bigger ads came first, right.

Clay: A-Listing.

Dr. Z: Yes, if you kind half page and you want to beat him in the phone book you could go into full page.

Clay: Full page.

Dr. Z: Full page, right? Then, you go to two page, boom. You go to back page, boom. Then you go a little sticky thing on the front of your page book,take it on the front

Clay: “I got the sticky thing on the front, I’m a freaking genius, boom”

[laughs]

Dr. Z: I got that, yes, I’ve got to beat that.

Clay: “Do you want it guy.Do want to stick that on the front of your phone book? boom I’m gonna stick that right at the front right at the front of the phone book boom”

Dr. Z: Then, years later, back in the 2000s one of Clay’s employee says, “hey boss there’s a thing called the internet and like website and like google searching”

Clay: “Listen, Josh I got a stick on on the front of the phone book boom” game over.

Dr. Z: Clay was pig-headed. He was unwill-ding. He did not listen to the counselor’s suggestions. He said, “Ah that’s not a thing.”

Clay: The internet’s never gonna catch on.

Dr. Z: I got my thing, and so they know all of sudden a couple of years later, guess what happen, sales go off the cliff. In other words, it go down. That’s not good.

Clay: I swear Josh the sales are going down because of your negativity not because of the internet.

[laughs]

Dr. Z: Then, finally before the whole thing ended up in the bloody mess of wreckage and carnage and what we call closed down business, Clay finally saw the light and he said, “You know what? Maybe we need a get a website. Maybe we need some search engine optimization,” or by the way, we carried that on Friday show last week. Listen to it, Craig show. We need to embrace this new technology. We need to change with the times “but I build my business on this, I build my business on.”

Clay: “I was the king of the yellow pages. I would get a free dinner once a year at any sushi place I want with my head rep. We had a thing.” Boom.

Dr. Z: “I don’t care of Gluten-free things, I don’t care of organics, I don’t even know what that is you know. I’m just gonna make– ” You got to be flexible. You got to listen to suggestions, and I see business owners that don’t do that. They don’t listen to their own work counsel, one, they don’t have one and two they don’t listen to them. When at the bank, we have a board of director that would advise and talk and go through stuff. The guy Sean Kouplen, CEO of Regent Bank, could listen to them. Follow the instructions. Follow the direction, that was his work counsel.

Clay: I want to argue with you real quick, because I think someone is listening right now who does not quite, I want to make sure we’re getting this. You want to listen to the customers?

Dr. Z: Yes.

Clay: You don’t want to listen to the newest person you just hired at the lowest level who works in the position who’s–

Dr. Z: No, he shouldn’t be on your work counsel. He’s not what we’re getting advice.

Clay: I just want to make sure getting that.

Dr. Z: Let’s fight about this.

Clay: I just want to make sure we’re getting this here. You do want to listen to your counsel, who should be in your counsel, my man? Who should be in there?

Dr. Z: You inner circle as a business owner as you grow your business not every one of them, I know it sounds mean, I don’t want to sound mean, not every one of your employees should have access to you.

Clay: I know.

Dr. Z: You should have no more than 12 and until you’ve really grown big it should be more like four, five or six, okay? Maybe even three or four that full access to you, and then they have three, four, five, or six have access to them and you set a hierarchy within the organization. But not every single person should have access. Is that mean?

Clay: Well, it sounds a little bit mean but I’m going to tell you this because Kat Graham listens to her customers over the Barbee Cookies. When we come back, she’s going to list off just a few of the enhancements, the improvements. Some of the new flavors, some of the things she’s added since Day one. When she started, she has a certain number of cookies and a certain number of flavors but now she’s built the ultimate dojo of cookie mojo at 83rd Memorial.

Dr. Z: I like that.

Clay: She’s been listening to the customers. She’s been listening to you.

Dr. Z: She’s not being pig-headed.

Clay: Right.

Dr. Z: She listens to suggestion.

Clay: But not from everybody, just from you and the customers.

Dr. Z: Well, that’s the key word I’d want to listen to. She has key baker and the key baker says, “This time we’ve tried this. I think we can build a better mouse trap this way.” A good business owner, a good entrepreneur listens to that and they make you know what, they analyze the situation and they’re decisive, they make a decision.

Clay: You mean they get all the facts and they act, they make a decision.

Dr. Z: Yes.

Clay: Maybe. Thrivers, stay tuned. We’ll come back. Thrive Time show.

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Announcer: Live, local, now. You’re listening to The Thrive Time Show on Talk Radio 11.70.

Clay: Hello, thrive nation, my name is Clay Clark. I am joining you here on the inspiration super station. Talk radio 1170. That’s the Thrive Time Show, your audio dojo of mojo. We were just listening to some Michael Jack and now we’re back. That’s Dr. Robert Zoellner. My name is Clay Clark and to my right, we have a very special guest. She is perhaps the Queen of Cookies. She is the lady who is bringing more flavors to Tulsa than any other woman really. She is Tulsa’s Betty Crocker on steroid, this Miss Kat Graham. How are you, Ma’am?

Kat Graham: I’m doing wonderful. Thanks, Clay.

Dr. Z: You know what Kat is?

Clay: What is Kat?

Dr. Z: She’s Tulsa’s Sugar Momma.

Clay: Oh wow.

Dr. Z: She is bringing the sugar in the box that rocks.

Clay: I am going to say this. I’m not just saying this to hype up Kat. Her business– she has these great great cookies and now that she has begun to market the cookies and best thing people are hearing about the cookies. Kat, would you agree that once people tried the cookies one time, it’s game over. They come back.

Kat: Yes.

Clay: That’s the things right?

Kat: Sure.

Clay: You have samples though right there?

Kat: We do.

Clay: 83rd Memorial, you have samples available.

Kat: Correct. Yes.

Clay: If you’re listening right now, I want you to take the Kat Graham Barbee Cookies challenge. Here’s how it works. You go there to Barbee Cookies and if you buy a dozen cookies as a Christmas gift, I, my name is Clay Clark, so hold me accountable. I am going to provide you a free copy of my most recent book called Thrive and it is funny, it’s hilarious, you’re going to like it and it’s included, so just go get the dozen cookies over there, she will take care of that part.

Then come over to the Thrive15.com the headquarter and we’ll give you a new copy of my book Thrives. I’m telling you it’s going to be good stuffs, it’s great cookies, great things you can learn. It’s all available right there but Kat, talk to me about the flavor. Why is the flavor so good?

Kat: The flavor is so good because we use fine ingredients. We have great recipes and we bake what people love.

Clay: Z, was teaching us his rule number eight, which is you don’t want to be too pig-headed, you’d want to listen to the customers, listen to your counsel and you want to it as needed. When you started out Barbee Cookies, from the time you start it until now, what are some of the changes that you’ve made as result of listening to the changing needs of your customers?

Kat: Well, what’s ever get changed was providing gluten free cookies for customers.

Clay: Gluten free cookies.

Kat: Yes, and I’ll tell you, Clay. That was not on my radar. When I went into business, I was not thinking how can I provide the best gluten free cookies to Tulsans and Americans all over the country. It just wasn’t in my but after several years of people saying,” hey Kat, are you going to make gluten free cookies at any point?.” I finally caught on and, “hey, customers are really wanting gluten free cookies.” I need to spend some Sunday afternoons doing a little R & D and providing those for them. That’s what we’ve done.

Clay: I’ve also noticed that the core of your new bakery. You’ve been there two years now. Or maybe a year and a half?

Kat: A year and a half. Yes.

Clay: It is significantly upgraded, changed, enhanced from your previous location.

Kat: Correct.

Clay: What are some of the needs, visual features that can find inside your new bakery? Maybe didn’t have it in your old bakery.

Kat: Well, in the new bakery, we have what I called like a shabby sheep farmhouse look with views. We’ve repainted the lumber, beautiful white courts counter top, beautiful cabinet tree, just to give a warm grandma’s home feel.

Clay: That’s beautiful. Now again Thrivers, go to 83rd Memorial, get over to Barbee Cookies. Now Z, get into rule number nine. The three little pigs. The three legs of advertising. Talk to me, goose. Z, talk to me.

Dr. Z: I’m writing a book called the business pig. If you go to the website thrivetimeshow.com, well, yes, you could listen to all the shows we recorded as many times as you want. Take copious note and redo oh I miss that first twelve times you could listen to it. But when you pull up that website, it’s funny. There’s a picture of Clay on the left side half robotic because he’s a combination of a cyborg from some planet with human flesh.

It’s complicated and I’m on the right-hand side and I have a pig in front of me and my friends were always saying, “Is that purposeful– are you a pig farmer?” No, all my 10 business principles plus the bonus eleven you will get today if you hang in there listening to the show. All dear with farm yard analogy about pigs, right?

Clay: Yes.

Dr. Z: It’s just my move.

Clay: Now Z, I’m excited we’re very close to pulling trigger on a couple of billboards. I’m telling you that you can start to see the faces that were made for radio. People can see it. They’re going to see that pig.

Dr. Z: But the three pigs story goes something like this. Once upon a time there is an old mother pig that has three little piglets and not enough food to feed them. When they are old enough, she sent them out in the world to seek their fortunes.

Everybody listening right now well at least six out of ten, you’re thinking, “I want to go out there and seek my fortune. I want to do my own business. I want to be entrepreneur,” and this show is for you. You, in this story, are one little pig being sent out to seek your fortune. Okay? The first little pig was very lazy, that happens on entrepreneur sometimes. He didn’t want to work it all. He built his house out of straw.

Clay: He built his house out of straw. It’s easy.

Dr. Z: Yes. The second little pig worked a little bit harder but he was somewhat lazy too. He just built his house out of sticks.

Clay: I just want to build it out of sticks.

Dr. Z: I think the best part is they sang and danced and played together the rest of the day.

Clay: Okay.

Dr. Z: They did not have a good work etiquette.

Clay: They did not have a good work etiquette.

Dr. Z: The third little pig worked hard all day and built his house with bricks. It was a sturdy house completely fine house with chimney looked like its withstand the strongest wind because here is what happened. As we know the rest of the story, you know the story, you’ve heard it many times as a kid. Then, the wolf comes along and what is the wolf in this story. The wolf is your competition.

Clay: Come on now.

Dr. Z: The wolf is your competition. The wolf might’ve been like your buddy earlier on like Clay and myself started at the practice and compete against Wee. Place that guy has left and taken his list, buy the same speaker and the same fog machine going out there try to out DJ Ham in the competition. The wolf could be someone actually very close to you. You could have someone– sometimes Lee going to set up Micky’s cookies, Billy’s Cookies or–

Clay: Billy’s Cookies.

Kat: Let’s hope not.

Dr. Z: They could do it and that’s the wolf. The wolf is the competition whether you know them or not and marketing is always a key component to any business, right? We have a theory here at Thrive15.com.

Clay: Yes.

Dr. Z: -that you don’t want to rely on just one avenue of marketing.

Clay: Right.

Dr. Z: One avenue of advertising and you see the first pig, it uses straw and Billy use straw to make bricks by the way. But they didn’t complete the process and they just had one angle okay. Second pig, same thing just sticks, the third one though had multiple avenues, multiple legs we call it the three-legged stool here at Thrive 15. Where we encourage entrepreneurs to have three areas advertising.

Clay: All going simultaneously.

Dr. Z: Yes, that’s the key. All going simultaneously with a call to action, a great message, professionally done, well-placed to your target audience we’ve all the training on that on thrive15.com right? But the angle here is you’ve got advertise and you cannot be lazy and you’re singing dancing trying to do one thing and expect that to build your business.

Clay: I’m going to tell you this right now. If you’re listening to us right now and you’re going okay what’s an example, well for elephant in the room we do not stop with search engine optimization. Every single month, we invest in a search engine optimization, that’s leg number one. Leg number two, we do targeted online ads, the ads that follow you around the internet that show up on Facebook and that kind of thing. The third as we put out those $1 signs and say $1 for your first haircut and when we look at our pie chart and we go 90% of our business is from word of mouth.

I know, but we have got to get new people in because those new people will then tell their new social circles and we grow. But you’ve got to have a three-legged marketing stool. You’ve got to have a three-legged marketing system. If you’re listening right now, during the break I want you to go ahead and write down what are the three avenues of marketing that your business is using or could be using to build a balanced approach to successfully advertising and marketing your business. Stay tuned, rule number ten.

[music]

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[music]

Voice Over: You’re listening to the Thrive Time Show on Talk Radio 1170.

Clay: Hello, Thrive nation. Welcome back to the Thrive Time Show during your afternoon and I’m telling you what, we have got a final incredible segment of the show here today, you are not going to want to touch that dial. Dr. Zoellner is now going to be breaking down his rule number ten in business because you see, he’s been in business as a successful entrepreneur for 25 years. Not just in the industry of optometry, but in banking, in the horse breeding industry the niche there, he’s been in the durable medical equipment niche and a sleep center, he’s been involved in, are you involved in extermination, is this a real thing? Are you now involved in the extermination business?

Dr. Z: I helped coach and mentor my brother now he has Zoellner Exterminating. I’ve got another brother successful business he has a Zoellner chiropractic. He was trying [laughs] to figure a name for his business I said, “Dude, your last name is Zoellner, I spent a lot of money in making that name more known than not in this town, use it, you can use it.” He’s like, “Yes, good idea.” [laughs]

Clay: [laughs]

Dr. Z: Yes, mentor coach but [laughs] yes. I’ve got the sleep center, the DME company, the Auto Auction, blah blah blah, a lot of things. But the thing bout it is we don’t just read a book and regurgitate that back to you, we’ve lived the life, we’ve made the mistakes, we’ve been the mentors, we’ve been the mentees is that the word? Yes, we’ve done it all and we’re using our life lessons and practical business steps to help coach you up so you don’t make the same mistakes.

Clay: I’m going to say this real quick before we get into this final, this tenth move, this tenth rule. We’re honored to have a very special guest in the show today, Ms. Cart Graham of Barbee Cookies. Ms. Kat, how are you?

Kat: Doing great, thanks, Clay.

Clay: I’m going to say this, I’m going to brag on Kat because Kat by the way just turned 22 I think last week or so. Kat’s going to be after Barbee Cookie she’s opened her second location but after she franchises that beast and it grows the principles that you have learned to build Barbee Cookie I promise you could come into epic photography my business and you could grow that. That’s why I’ve been successful in the party rental business and wedding photography, in an advertising agency and a hair cut business and you’ve been successful in banking, every business is the same.

There is this 13 proven moves that work over and over and over but there are these ten business rules these profound principles that Dr. Zoellner has taken the time to distill because he has seen predictable patterns. He’s seen these consistent things happen over and over and if you learn these ten rules it makes it very easy to operate your business and make those decisions on a daily basis. Rule number ten is Pig Advice. Z, what is pig advice?

Dr. Z: Here’s the deal in business. I’ll tell you what, if you are a successful person in your personal life, if you are happy in your personal life, you’re more likely to be successful in your business life.

Clay: Come on now.

Dr. Z: There are some things about being a well-rounded person, having a person that enjoys life and enjoys the friendships and enjoys the family and is what we call a well-rounded person.

Clay: The kind of guy who could enjoy the free mints they provide at the old garden?

Dr. Z: Here at thrive15.com, we don’t just teach you how to be the soup-nazi.

Clay: No soup for you, no soup for you.

Dr. Z: From the shots I filled, he had a line out the door the soup shop. He was out there to serve soup and if someone offended him on that line he would say, “No soup for you,” right?

Clay: Right.

Dr. Z: If you want soup, get on line.

Clay: Exactly.

Dr. Z: He had a successful business-

Clay: [laughs]

Dr. Z: -but he wasn’t the kind of person that I think you’d want to spend the afternoon with. He’d like hey, you just go down and get a beer and watch the football game at Buffalo world that wasn’t the guy and so part of our coaching here at thrive15.com is not just business but is also just living life and living life well.

Clay: I’m going to officially make the change. We’re now called the F6 and not the F5 because we want to teach you how to have a successful. We want to be successful in these sixareass. One is faith, two is family-

Dr. Z: Boom.

Clay: -third is finances-

Dr. Z: Boom.

Clay: -fourth is friendships, five is fitness and six this just in from our home office now it’s official it is-

Dr. Z: Fun.

Clay: Fun.

Dr. Z: Yes, well-rounded person is a much more enjoyable person, you’re a much better leader, you’ve got a better handle on things, you take problems in business much easier, you deal with things and I tell you what you overall will be a better business person. This last one is a fun play on the whole being a pig, the whole book is written on pig analogy, pig stories.

Clay: Is this from Dr. Zoellner’s upcoming book, The Business Pig?

Dr. Z: If a pig were to give you advice, pig advice-

Clay: Here we go.

Dr. Z: -the pig would tell you something like, it’d say eat well.

Clay: Eat well.

Dr. Z: Because we see the pig you’re eating, and then also keep your snout clean-

Clay: What does that mean?

Dr. Z: That means keep your nose out of other people’s business. Don’t gossip, don’t spread stuff–

Clay: Hey Z, I was going through your drawer there in your desk and I found– I was just– I hope this isn’t weird, I was just going through your email.

Dr. Z: [laughs]

Clay: I was just digging through your Facebook I noticed you were logged on I just tried to get in there and–

Dr. Z: Like in our family we have a rule of thumb. If like one of my brothers calls me and wants to find out about one of my other brothers I say, “Well, call him.” Oh, that just happens.

Clay: Back to use it.

Dr. Z: Keep your snorkeling, never squeal on your friends, that goes along with that. In other words, don’t be a squeal on your friends, okay?

Clay: Okay.

Dr. Z: Another thing a pig is very curios. I think in life you go through and you’re curios if as an entrepreneur just like Kat was saying earlier about being curios and I love that she said, “You know what I did? I took several Sundays, and I got curios on how to make a glutton free cookie because that’s what people wanted.” I was like, “Can I do that?” That’s curiosity. Then, she worked on it and worked out you got it figured out now you have glutton free cookie?

Kat: Sure.

Clay: I’m curios, Kat what is your number one most popular cookie, the one that every time people have the cookie they go, “oh, Billy.”

Kat: That would definitely be Hailey’s heavenly sentimental cookie.

Clay: Hailey’s heavenly sentimental cookie.

Dr. Z: That’s what I had today [laughs]

Clay: Why do people have to have this Kat? What is the deal? What is so magical about this cookie?

Kat: It’s just so delicious.

Clay: If someone wants to get their hands on this cookies for the holidays as a great Christmas gift for their family last minute Christmas gift idea, how can they get a hold of you? Where can they find these cookies?

Kat: They can come to the bakery at 83rd in Memorial, they can go online to barbeecookies.com, they can shoot us am email on [email protected].

Clay: Z, I’m telling you what we’re getting some great advice from Kat, some great advice from you. What’s the bit of the pig advice my friend?

Dr. Z: Well, a pig will tell you to ham it up have a little fun. That’s what we do, hum it up, and also, a pig will tell you don’t wallow in life’s difficulties. The glass is half full not half empty. Don’t focus on the problems go ahead and get the solution to it and be happy and move forward in life, okay? Then, also, the last one is a fun thing is to go hog-wall, that’s what a pig would tell you, go hog-wall. Hogging, hoggy, hog, hog.

Clay: Billy.

Dr. Z: I have two of my favorite pig quotes.

Clay: Okay.

Dr. Z: I can’t end the show without this two–

Clay: Two pig quotes news just in from our home office.

Dr. Z: One of them is from one of my favorite men in history and that’s Winston Churchill-

Clay: Okay. This was the prime minister who basically stood up to Adolf Hitler during World War II.

Dr. Z: -a big deal, he says, “I’m fond of pigs, dogs look up to us-

-cats look down to us. Pigs treat us as equals. Why I like that.

Clay: You like that. It’s got a little nutty bite to it.

Dr. Z: Yes, and George Bernard Charles says this, “Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”

Clay: That right you can merry around that for a couple hours right there.

Dr. Z: You can do a whole show on that one.

Clay: Where is it the all Thrivers we got four things that you can do right now. You’ve been exposed to the ten business worlds of doctors Z. You have four moves you can do right now. Move number one is you could do nothing.

Dr. Z: Yes, you could do nothing.

Clay: A lot of people do. In fact according to, any doubt that’s out there but specifically I encourage you to Google this right now and check it out. According to CNN money 59% of Americans do not believe the American dream is possible and or doing nothing to attempt to achieve it. 59%. They’re going, “It’s not possible. I’m not doing anything that’s just life. That’s the way it is.”

Dr. Z: Breaks my heart.

Clay: Not good. We have an unbelievable opportunities Americans to go out there and to start and grow a business. You can turn your idea. Kat went from a. Kat you were a schoolteacher and now your opening up your second bakery. How exciting.

Kat: It’s very exciting.

Clay: How many weeks before you open up the second one.

Kat: About eight.

Clay: Eight! You kinda scared?

Kat: Yes, of course.

Clay: I’m excited! Wait, now the second thing you can do here thrivers is you could have thrive15.com it is the world’s best business school and by the way instead of being like $25,000 a year to go to business school. It’s like $20 a month. It’s nineteen dollars a month, and if you can’t afford it, we have a scholarship program for you. Z, if you’re in the military, what do we have for you?

Dr. Z: Everybody that signs up and pays the full price which is only nineteen dollars a month. We’re gonna give you a free membership to any military and that is active or inactive, past military service. You can get on there and apply for that and we will give you that as soon as we get, we’ve got a couple of men to cue.

So we need some people to sign up for the nineteen dollars. There a few people out there going “I want my free membership, I want my free membership” because you have that studies come out and when they get out the military they won’t fully prepare for life in the business world. That’s unfortunate and we’re helping change that with our free scholarship program for the military.

Clay: Now move number three is you can sign up for a thrive15.com in person workshop.

Dr. Z: In person?

Clay: It’s right here in jinx America on the left coast of the Arkansas river in a twenty thousand square foot facility. You come over here we’re gonna teach you time management, sales, search engine optimization at seven and a half hours a day for two days in a row, and we have a scholarship program available as well. It is the world’s best business workshop ever, I’m telling you.

I wish I would have had this when I was starting my first businesses and move number four is you could sign up for now in person one on one business coaching. We’ve distilled doctor Z. Z and I have teamed up together to make it our thirteenth point business system now. So repeatable, so duplicable that anybody could do it, and I tell it. One more thing you could do, one more thing you should do. You should tell your family that you love them by getting over there to barbeecookie Z.

Dr. Z: A box of good, I tell you if you’re bringing a box of barbeecookies in the house and you know what? You just bringing love.

Clay: Kat, what’s your website? Where could we find out more about barbeecookies.

Kat: Barbeecookies.com, Business Coach, Clay.

Clay: Barbeecookies.com and Z as always my friend. Three, two, one boom.

Kat: Nice job, guys.

[01:33:26] [END OF AUDIO]