The Huddle - Episode 15 - The Path to Success
This week on The Huddle Paul, Daniel and Jose piggy-back off of last week's episode to give their final thoughts on setting goals, and setting yourself up for success.
Create your FREE Installer profile at https://gocarrera.com and become part of the future of the industry TODAY!
GET TRAINED! Find a list of training dates here: https://gocarrera.com/resources/training/
The HUDDLE is where the flooring industry can get together and talk about everything! Lead by Paul Stuart from Go Carerra who is joined by Daniel and Jose Gonzalez from Preferred Flooring.
hey what's up everybody and welcome to
the Huddle where we come at you weekly
to discuss maintaining forward progress
in your flooring career any career for
that uh matter as we've found through
this journey uh most of the concepts
here are just uh conceptually business
just so happens we're in fluorine
uh hopefully we're able to provide some
value for you guys this week last week
was about goals and and setting them
this week uh we are going to be talking
about
um really the value and the plan to
succeed and your your goals as you work
through them the real value
is just as important in the plan as it
is the success itself so
uh really just a
um boiled down uh concept as it as we go
uh talking about goal and uh goals and
you know may
um sorry a little tongue-tied uh
achieving those goals so you know we
talked about writing them down and and
all of that so creating a plan is kind
of the next
step for any goal and
um
I'm not going to go through I mean I'm
sure we'll touch on some some ways that
each one of us plan but
I just wanted to bring up that the
um the real value as I talked about last
week and you guys discussed as well that
failure is not should not be looked at
as just this big negative thing that
that's where we learn uh that's how we
adjust and kind of get on course uh you
know they say a missile on a way you
know like a laser-guided missile on a
way to its Target
is off course about 80 percent of the
time it's always off course and
correcting as it goes right Wind Blows
it and it comes back and it's always
failing and it fails its way all the way
to that Target
and that's how we have to be we have to
believe that as long as we're moving
towards that goal as we hit failures we
just readjust and come back into keeping
that Target or that goal in in our
sights
so I'll give you an example I've I've
been working on a a large national
account deal and um I did a uh we're
we're working on a coding
um to be chemical resistant and
different things so we've worked with
many different coding uh products and um
each one of them have failed in some
Manner and just guided us to either the
next product or for example uh I read
some results uh or looked at some
results from a 24-hour test and one of
the main
products or chemicals we have to test
against is acid
well with 24 hours of this codeine being
down and 24 hours of dwell time with the
harsh chemical of acid
it has failed the coating failed so we
would expect uh you know
some level of that failure and that's
going to tell us what's next and so what
I'm saying is don't look at his negative
thing and that's kind of what this is
about making your plan but realizing
that when you get off course if you just
understand that that's not failure
that's just telling you to adjust and
get back on track to the to to that
Target so
I know I've got a lot of that that's
happened in my life and happens uh daily
I kind of accept failure as just a a
tool that's where I gain my tools and my
toolbox uh to um you know attack
different scenarios and business or or
in installation or whatever it may be so
what's your guys thoughts on that I know
it's kind of a continuation of last week
but I didn't didn't want to uh
completely abandon goals they seem to be
you know like the Paramount thing that
we should all do right
I I totally agree
um with us being co-owners and you know
we're
constantly coming up with ideas him more
than me right but a lot of the time it's
like that's that's a dumb idea and then
a lot of the time just like you know
what we're just gonna do it your way and
then when it comes down to it it's never
like a when I Told You So or I told you
this wasn't gonna work it's like
we tried we tried let's let's do
something else now and just to go back
on that too like uh you know preferred
flooring is what my third time trying to
do a flooring business installation
business uh per se but uh
it was everything that we learned from
day one from the first attempt to the
second attempt you know for the first
partnership separating from that
gentleman going on my own trying to go
the uh Women Business Enterprise route
that didn't work out uh you know trying
to have my mother become you know 51
owner that didn't work but he stepped
with the way Daniel was part of that
um whether he knew it or not he was
still part of it
um
and then we got to this right here we
already knew exactly what we didn't want
to do
um and that was because of you know like
the the perception of failure didn't
fail it just didn't work so make some
changes so that way we can all learn so
we can be better this time
um and that's really all it is is it's
hard for some people to view it that way
I know it can be tough in the mix it can
be really tough and I've got some you
know different scenarios that I could
run through uh I wanted to keep this
kind of concise on technique of getting
through those things
uh but
if you're pushing the limit or you're
pushing the barrier of what you've done
before you are going to have some
setbacks that now learning from those is
is what I'm preaching what I'm what I'm
saying we should do I know that's
difficult it's especially difficult when
money is involved yes and finances and
things like that can really stress I
know for from experience
um it can stress that your tolerance you
know if it was a rubber band it
stretched all the way out sometimes when
it comes when you add money to the mix
um so what I would say is
the plan
is part of that so you're you're trying
to make as best of a plan as you can to
achieve whatever goal
um you have in mind now
goals vary so much that we I think it
would be you could waste two hours or
use two hours of time trying to uh you
know run the run different types of
goals through this Theory but the fact
is is
if you can if you can have a good plan
you'll eliminate some of the failure
than just going at it you know what I
mean uh if you want to be
I don't know if you want to if you're a
a small business owner and you want to
double your growth well how do you
achieve that uh you don't just say okay
I'm gonna go bid twice as much work I
mean that would make sense but that
might not be the best way to go about
that goal so really making a plan
um
we we found in that kind of a realm that
monitoring our land rates with as a
commander and
type of project and stuff like that was
a good way to to look at it and plan
based off of the feedback given so a lot
of times what I'm getting at here is the
plan turns into action turns into
feedback turns into readjusting and more
action and that's kind of what the way
that I I've looked at it
um
I'm not great at executing on it I'm
good but I'm not great I got a lot of
room to improve I know some guys that do
that process and they just seem you know
one of the some of these guys just seem
like they're Superman when it comes to
like being able to adjust from a plan
that they had to reach a goal adjust and
then react
um with the same Target in mind but
readjusting
um yeah it's pretty fascinating when you
see guys at the top of performance and
you know we all know that Elon Musk of
the world if you you looked I've read
his book and if you've looked through
all the setbacks and failures and
changes and things that he had to go
through to get to the point of launching
a rocket
um I mean
I know we're not we're not launching
Rockets over here but my point is is
that readjusting and not taking that as
a as a failure so
yeah that's a
that's a hard one to get through right
everyone sees all the successes that you
have they don't understand the steps
that you take that you've taken to get
there they don't see all the failures
but one success can have a hundred
failures but as long as you have that
one success at at the end of The 100
failures because you're learning from it
and your process is going to evolve and
um to add on to what you said about the
gentlemen who are like Superman
um you know some some guys they have
that that strength where they just have
that foresight like you know they start
seeing those dominoes falling in a
pattern that they don't want it to fall
so they start adjusting before it gets
to the last Domino and then they they
you know they Veer a little bit they
help it out they help steer it the way
it needs to be done
um to experience the success they're
looking for I think a lot of that comes
from the plan itself
um I can do better at putting more
effort in the plan of a of achieving a
goal
um I think that's where I can improve to
be honest and possibly be able to course
correct sooner just like you said that
you see something's going to go wrong as
opposed to waiting for it to go wrong
um so
I would say some specific techniques
have you guys used any
um
do you guys when you set a goal or you
have something on the vision board
detract the progress versus a timeline
or have you have you started that's
something that's something that we have
to work on too was actually uh setting
dates I think right because you we set
open-ended goals like uh we want to get
here we want to have this done but then
um the vision board is kind of what what
you know put this in my head is because
we talked you know we talked last week
about baby sister and doing the vision
boards and stuff and we told the guys
hey do the vision boards
we still have a handful of guys that
haven't got it done so it's like
you guys had two weeks like there's no
reason for this like this stuff has to
be done by next week no ifs and your
butts set the date that way you have
something to shoot for cause
realistically
you know humans are procrastinators
right we're gonna wait till the very
last minute in order to get something
done
well I I read a quote that said you know
if you give yourself 30 days to clean
the house it's going to take you 30 days
if you give yourself three days it'll
take you three you know uh or three
hours I mean the point is is that in
some aggressive timelines to it
um you know how efficient you are in
that last
if we use the house the last day that
you're cleaning the house you are Ultra
efficient and really good
the 29 days ahead of that you may not
have been near as efficient like when
that deadline's there you know what I
mean
it's setting that deadline I think I
think is is a big thing and then uh
Rollin actually asked if
if any of us have sat down and built a
short-term and long-term business plan
and us we have not but I have talked to
the Small Business Development Council
because they give free classes and you
know they'll actually assign you someone
that'll actually work on it with you and
I've I've been talking to them a little
bit and trying to eventually get
something set up to the points where I
can break off and actually take some
time to do it but have we actually done
it no and you know that's something that
we need to improve on too is actually
putting something like that in place
um coming from how small we were to
where we're at now we never really
thought that we would need one but then
the bigger you get the more you realize
like man it would have been way easier
if we would have did this like five
years ago when it was just a handful of
people and we actually you don't think
about it right because we were in the
field all the time and it's like but
really we had more time back then than
we actually do right now yeah it's crazy
how that works I we kind of touch on
that I can't remember which huddle it
was but we kind of touch on that same
thing where doing it early you know
whether you're just getting started get
a bank account get an entity set up you
know doing those things early
um will come at you you'll come out
ahead and it's similar to that it took
us to several years before we did that
but we have done a few times uh short
and long-term business plans
the
short term is always a breakdown of the
long term it's like the kind of plan
within a plan is the way we've done it
in the past
um again sometimes we don't hit those
those uh those objectives and then
sometimes we've surprised ourselves so
either way you kind of just have to you
know be
um fluid in it meaning don't take
anything you know I probably what didn't
do anything Ultra great when I got
surprised and things went well sometimes
things just work out well sometimes
things just don't work out and you gotta
adjust as well but um you know so the
answer is yeah we've we have on our side
done uh short term and long-term
business uh planning a lot of that you
can do with your Banker as well if you
got a good Banker they love to do that
stuff if he's a good Banker a Hands-On
kind of guy I found those guys are
pretty
they they're pretty bought into your
business because they're helping you
finance the things so a lot of times
they have been inherent you know uh skin
in the game so to speak uh but that's
awesome you guys are going to take the
step with the small business
administration is that correct or is
that true Business Development Council
so okay
it's we got introduced
um to them through the local chamber and
then when we started looking at getting
uh certified to become a minority
business Enterprise it's something that
I never even knew existed until I
started looking into and it's like man
these guys offer a bunch of stuff at no
cost and it's like
might have to take advantage of this
sometime you get into the right programs
in the right groups there's a lot of
information at your disposal a lot of
help right but
ton and walk you through it they're
going to say
this is the direction you have to go
this is where your information is
located and yeah you got to take some
initiative yeah they'll bring you to
water but they're not going to make you
drink
yeah well I think a lot of times uh
you bring up a good point that there's a
lot of resources out there that we
probably
um
you know it it'd be helpful
if you kind of understood what the
chamber brings uh you know the chambers
involved in a lot of that and different
um you know different cities
um so a good piece of of advice might be
to get with your local chamber and and
ask about small business resources and
planning uh business planning gets
really deep past goals even because you
start really planning on
not just
financially or or size or whatever your
goals are but you're really getting down
into the nitty-gritty of how you're
going to get there and what your assets
are from uh financing standpoint and if
uh if those all align for you to
actually be able to hit that goal or hit
you know make that business plan a
reality
so it's a good exercise
um
I would just
reiterate that the importance of like
being
okay with not hitting that
it's always the touchy subject because
you want people to go at their goals
aggressively but at the same time not be
deflated if you don't hit those and I
know I keep harping on that but I've
personally been affected in the past
where you have this goal you really
think you're going to hit it and then
things don't happen the way you want
them to and it can be deflating I just
want to encourage people just to kind of
strap up your boots and realize that
that's a possibility and when it does
happen don't let it deflate you just
realize that that's course correction
and to get back on the right course
right and I think a lot of this has to
do like um we're talking about the
chamber and stuff like that and a lot of
this
kind of came our way because a friend of
mine that I went to high school with
reached out and um
his dad was vice president of one of the
larger construction companies over here
at the time and he was like hey are you
a part of the minority contractors
Association I was like I have no idea
and then he got into how it's part of
the chamber and how you know they got
this going on and then it's like
it's the information right and then you
have to be vulnerable to to actually
realize all right I have a goal but I
don't know how to get there I can
actually have resources at my you know
fingertips saying to ask questions so I
can say hey I'm kind of stuck right here
it's not even can you help me it's do
you know anyone that can help me because
their network is so vast that they know
everyone in the area and they're like
they're they're quick to put out a name
boom this person will be able to help
you out boom this person and be able to
help you out and it's a
we talk about networking all the time
and usually we're talking about you know
going to the conventions and stuff but
this is a great local networking type of
thing to where
um they do man they can kind of put your
goals into
smaller chunks like and and things that
you never really thought about so
they'll take it and be like well have
you tried this and it's like man I never
even thought of that and then that's all
you need to get going yeah it's a bad
story man they help you connect the dots
well and getting you in touch with other
people that you can communicate with
um you know the old saying your network
is your net worth and it it has to be it
has to do with be surrounding yourself
with people with like mindset and
surrounding yourself with people who are
goal oriented and being able to to
utilize uh other people's wisdom you
know
um I do a lot of quotes here but I heard
a quote that a smart man learns from his
own mistakes and a wise man learns from
others
so
um you know
if you can
kind of get to know other people that
can help you see some of those pitfalls
um in growing business then that's a net
plus so that's what you get from the
chamber right yeah and it's it's like a
trickle effect right you you start with
your goal in mind and then you meet
other people and then bounce ideas off
of them and then that's where you start
you know going all over the place right
and and readjusting and that that's kind
of what we've done and then through the
chamber we've also
um joined our local Builder Builders
Exchange and then through the Builders
Exchange there was a group of guys uh
two guys in there that
um just started a construction company
and it was like I already met one of the
guys at the gym when he worked for
another one but it was like you know
that got us talking and I was just at
lunch with them earlier today and we're
doing you know projects for them now and
it's like a lot of this networking stuff
and talking to people about your goals
that actually lead you
to expanding that like I never thought
that doing this one class was going to
lead us to I think we've done four jobs
for them this year
and uh
it's they were pretty sizable jobs
well that's where you find synergies
right that is when you're working next
to people and you you end up just things
just seem to work out those are
synergies that because you have similar
goals or similar aspirations and and
you're working with other people that
that share those uh those synergies seem
to happen and you just uh that's pretty
cool it was not a class too by the way
so just to let everyone know it was
called applied estimating applied
estimating we were the only flooring
individuals in there but
we just wanted to learn more and it led
to that it was just a class to help
educate us through the general
contractor's eyes
um for contracts and actually it was
through the through the Architects
Architects that is correct yeah wow and
the guy that was leading the class
actually like it got down to the
make sure you read everything in the
contract because they'll put line items
in there like include this in your bin
if you don't and you win the bid guess
what you're coming out of pocket for
that now yeah
yeah we did a bit of a dive on the
contracts and stuff in an earlier huddle
they can certainly
I mean make or break you and but
learning from you know the people you
get around I I think one of the things
that all this kind of plays into is
again getting involved so many times
small business owners don't believe that
they should uh take the time to to go to
these classes or to you know expand your
knowledge I would say when we when we
did the Huddle on starting your business
or expanding your business we talked
about the need to uh you know gain
knowledge education educating yourself
and you guys have obviously done that
and that's that's admirable and also
very necessary to take those next steps
it's all kind of priming the pump so to
speak to uh take you to the next level
so
I I know it can sometimes feel like you
know I can't I don't have time to do X Y
and Z and we're all in that boat like
you guys are busy you have to make the
time for that right you guys had to like
carve out the time and go yeah it goes
back to what what I like to say all the
time it's I started saying it when we
switched over from 1099 to W2 right and
it's like
we keep on saying that
I can't afford it right and at some
point we have to start switching our
mindset to we can't afford not to do it
so that's kind of what what we've been
doing and
you got to start being proactive instead
of reacting and you're reactive it might
be a little too late
um and you still learn if you're
reactive you're still learning but if
you're proactive you're making
Corrections before uh the bad situation
arises and
well you're planning planning that's all
I was going to say it goes back to
actually having a plan yeah
cool well this is gonna uh be a shorter
uh huddle than normal
um just because we really Dove pretty
deep into all these Concepts last week I
just wanted to expand on you know the
plan itself and and understanding that
the you know all these sayings the
journey not the destination all of that
stuff is because of what you learned
during the the planning and start and
that execution or the journey phase
most people get to a goal and they're
like Ah that's not as satisfying as I
thought but they really look back and
say man I learned a lot through that
process so that's what I'm encouraging
everybody to do is to kind of push
yourself to expand your limits and
um you know make a plan
realize that we're not writing down the
Ten Commandments in stone we're we're
putting our best guess is imperfect
human beings uh as to what we want to
have happen
if it doesn't happen exactly that way we
just have to course correct so
awesome well I know this was really
short this week you guys got anything to
jump in on and and uh anything to add
before we close it up for the this
huddle short week short huddle yeah just
um
I would say to everybody just just
understand that what no matter what
you're doing if you're trying to grow
expand or if you're trying to stay uh
just an individual or with a couple of
uh employees
just know that you're going to look back
and at what you've accomplished in
do yourself a favor make sure that
you're proud of what you accomplished
make sure that there is no regrets right
like don't regret anything
um do your best to try to put yourself
10 years ahead and look back
you'll you'll see what Corrections need
to be made uh it'll give you a little
bit more drive if you're not in a good
spot right now or if you want to be in a
different spot
um there are options
and I'll just say what I just said it's
uh
gotta stop saying that you can't afford
to do things you can start realizing
that you can't afford not to do them
good pieces guys good nuggets I
appreciate you guys this week and uh
we'll see you guys next week and um
I'm gonna we're gonna work to publish
what each week's uh Huddle's gonna be on
our website so we can so everybody kind
of knows ahead of time what we'll be
talking about uh we're gonna set that up
we're trying to make things kind of flow
so we should have that up before next
Tuesday we're hoping uh but otherwise
um we will will continue to be on the
Huddle uh you guys uh anybody on we
certainly appreciate you joining us and
if you have any questions
um
you know please feel free to to ask
those questions I would say the one uh
bit of uh communication here is
uh the question of Ethics when it comes
to uh all of this so I would just say
you know doing things ethically and and
trying to do things what is you know
considered to be right can can get
blurred sometimes you have to really
rely on your your morals sometimes and
and making sure you're doing right by
your cut your company your employees and
society as a whole
um uh when you're making these plans
this isn't just
a lot of times if we're planning just on
our on our uh for personal goals you
know it can feel really selfish
um
that's okay but at the same time you
gotta you gotta have a good moral
compass to what you're going against
money just gaining money I think is
where that comment came from uh is not
shouldn't be the goal I mean we gotta
you gotta do the things that make the
money as the goal and let money come
um you do good work you do qual do good
quality be trained uh do good business
practices uh that that eventually turns
into money so
um that's the best way I can answer that
question or
so all right guys well I appreciate you
joining and I'm gonna call you on the
phone after this
all right
all right thanks guys