Thursday, December 16- Tune into this week’s episode of Coffee with Jim & James. This week Joe Serrett from UPSCO Inc – Connections. For Life. joins the show.
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Episode Transcript
[0:00] music] [0:00] [0:23]
Jim: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Coffee with Jim and James. We’re really pleased to have this guest on. I have to tell you a little story about this guest. [0:00] [0:32]
Joe Serrett: I can’t wait. [0:00] [0:33]
Jim: Oh, Joe. Joe and I go back, right? [0:00] [0:36]
Joe: Way back. [0:00] [0:36]
Jim: And we have a very peculiar relationship, and I’ll give you just an example of that. I think it was Western Regional gas conference, Vegas. I go into the exhibit hall and it’s packed. I mean, it’s big though. I mean, big, rows, and rows, and rows, and rows, and 30, 40 vendors in each row. I walk into the row that I’m in and then as I’m just barely getting into the role all of a sudden from way down in the other end, we’re talking maybe, you know, 50, 60, 70, 80 feet away, you know, dozens of people in between us. This head pops out and yells, “Jimmy,” and I look, and all of a sudden, an expletive, a few expletives, come out and then a few hand gestures, right? [0:00] [1:21]
Joe: Yeah. [0:00] [1:21]
Jim: And you know, and all the vendors are like, okay, and then I do the same thing back. I’m like, “Hey, Joe.” And then we start walking down the aisle towards each other, almost like the O.K. Corral. [whistles] [0:00] [1:32]
Joe: This fight. [0:00] [1:34]
Jim: Right? And all the vendors were like, “Oh, it’s going to get real now. Be careful everybody. Watch out, everybody.” They’re holding people back and we get up and all of a sudden Joe grabs me, hugs me and kisses me on the shoulder and goes, “I’ve missed you,” and all the vendors are like, “What’s Happening Here? What is going on?” But, just pretty. [0:00] [1:50]
Joe: I’m pretty oblivious to all of that. Like, I don’t see any of the other thing. I’m really in focus on the moment, but. [0:00] [1:56]
Jim: Yeah, well, it’s a great thing with our relationship and it just goes to show, you know, we can communicate many in different ways, but that’s a way that Joe and I say, “Ready for this? Love you brother,” to each other, so. [0:00] [2:08]
Joe: Absolutely. [0:00] [2:09]
Jim: Great to have you on here. [0:00] [2:11]
Joe: Thank you, it’s good to be here. [0:00] [2:12]
James: I don’t know if this is public information yet, but I’m over at HR now. So, just, just let me know. [0:00] [2:20]
Jim: Good thing I don’t work there. [0:00] [2:22]
James: Edit button is in full effect. It’s a good setup. Joe. Good morning. How are you? [0:00] [2:27]
Joe: Good, buddy, how are you? I’m glad to be on the show. It’s, it’s weird, um, you know, talking to you guys without the other two, right? Like I, I, we’re always like a three‑headed monster. So, most of the times, when we all get together we’re all talking to, you know. [0:00] [2:41]
James: We were, we were really excited about these three episodes when we brainstormed about this and… [0:00] [2:47]
Joe: Yep. [0:00] [2:47]
James: And I’m sure we’ll do the same on y’all’s, but just because it is you get kind of accustom and almost used to the answers that your partners are going to give. [0:00] [2:58]
Joe: Yep. [0:00] [2:58]
James: You know, you just learn how Jim talks and you can almost write his scripts and flow sheets for him, you know. Just, so, it’s nice to isolate us out and have a real conversation and, and take, you know, take each one of us out of our shows a little bit. [0:00] [3:14]
Joe: It’s weird being on the other side. It doesn’t happen very often. We did it with it with, um, Jim Conkle and it was Chad, it was Chad and I, and, but it’s just really weird to be on the other side. It’s actually a little like nerve‑racking and anxious. Like I, I don’t normally feel that when I get on it, today I’m a little bit like jittery because I’m not used to be on this side of the… [0:00] [3:36]
James: But we did have like a 20‑minute pre‑show, I think, which is… [0:00] [3:39]
Joe: Yeah. [0:00] [3:41]
James: We just followed Lampa. [0:00] [3:42]
Joe: We should have just recorded that. [0:00] [3:43]
Jim: We keep saying that. [0:00] [3:43] James; Yeah. I know. That’s the real play. That’s what podcasts really do, then they sell the after show. [0:00] [3:52]
Joe: Right. [0:00] [3:53]
Jim: Yeah. [0:00] [4:00]
James: [inaudible 03:54] or something. [0:00] [4:02]
Joe: We’ll get there. [0:00] [4:02]
James: All four of our followers in one room. [0:00] [4:02]
Joe: You have four now, good for you. [0:00] [4:02]
James: I would say, I think I said it with Chad when we had him on, was, you know, Joe Rogan had four followers Monday. I mean, that’s the truth. All, everyone’s… [0:00] [4:12]
Joe: Got to start somewhere, right? [0:00] [4:13]
James: So, it’s hard. I, we have a lot of lurkers in our industry. You know, I’m on the 110. Here comes my daughter. [0:00] [4:23]
Jim: Yah. [0:00] [4:23]
James: All these episodes and it’s never happened. [0:00] [4:25]
Joe: Here we go. Hi. I’m glad to be the one. [0:00] [4:28]
James: Wave ’em, say bye. [0:00] [4:33] Layla: Bye. [0:00] [4:33]
Jim: Bye, Layla. [0:00] [4:33]
Joe: Bye. [0:00] [4:33]
James: All right, we’re live. [0:00] [4:35]
Joe: That’s how it goes, and I think that’s what makes these shows incredible that we get to always just be ourselves, and I think that’s what makes our shows so comforting for people to watch because they don’t get some weird, you know, different version of the guys that they actually know in person. So, that’s awesome that your daughter came in. Mine aren’t here today, or I would drag them all in. [0:00] [4:55]
James: I’m out, right? My son… [0:00] [4:57]
Joe: Mine are at the beach. [0:00] [4:57]
James: Well, we have today full disclosure, was the first day of school. So, my son was at school. My son, my daughter hasn’t started school yet. But, um, so, today was the first day at school. Dropped my son off and then came back to record. So, my son would be in here, as well. [0:00] [5:15]
Joe: You guys start so early. We don’t start until, um, like, September 5th or something like that. [0:00] [5:21]
Jim: That’s what we do. [0:00] [5:21]
James: Some of it was making up a bit from the storm from last year, I think. [0:00] [5:27]
Joe: Oh, right. [0:00] [5:28]
James: We missed a lot of time with that and the pandemic and everything. I think, some of it was getting started earlier, you know, making that, making that money. [0:00] [5:36]
Joe: Yeah, I mean while, it’s good to know. At least they’re are going back to school. You know, we’re a little nervous about that here in New York. [0:00] [5:42]
James: Yep. [0:00] [5:43]
Joe: But, see how it turns out. [0:00] [5:45]
Jim: Nervous everywhere about it. [0:00] [5:46]
Joe: Yeah. [0:00] [5:47]
James: Joe, let’s jump in, man. You know, you’re somebody who is pretty passionate, as Jim said, and just y’all meeting up at a, at a trade show. [0:00] [5:59]
Joe: Ridiculous. I guess you could say. [0:00] [6:00]
James: Yeah, it’s a very versatile, you know, but you’re very passionate when it comes to the industry and that’s something, you know, and being a viewer of the show or listener, or whatever you want to call it, and then seeing you on LinkedIn, and the polls, and the, you know, the facts that you share, and the stats and stuff like that. You’re passionate about our industry, and it’s not just, you know, what you sell or what you sell into. It’s really the industry as a whole, and I want to try something with you, and it may fail, you know, but I want you to sum up our industry really, in one word, if you could and I want you to try it, I know it’s tough. [0:00] [6:40]
Joe: You want me to. [0:00] [6:40]
James: Yeah, I do. I think, if you could sum up our industry in one word, and if you need some time we’ll make Jim go first, if he could. [0:00] [6:47]
Joe: No, no, I’m good. I’ve thought about that. I think about this a lot, and obviously, it’s awesome. We get to do some really cool things with some awesome people. I think we’re really like a big, a lot of people, but in a small footprint, you know what I mean? We’re like family in that way. So, we’re all extended cousins and things like that, you know, um, and like trade shows are like family reunions, is what they feel like. But, um, I thought about this a little bit because we did talk about it and in the word that I kept coming up with was dynamic as far as our industry. [0:00] [7:21] And in, so again, I told you I’m somebody that Google’s everything. So, I, I kept thinking about that word and I went online and I looked up the definition of dynamic thinking. And, originally, what, what my thought was is dynamic was really positive and very full of energy, but then I read a little bit more about dynamic and it was constant change progress and forward‑thinking. And, I felt like that word just really encompasses our industry. And, I think, all of those things are what ma‑, makes what we do so much fun. [0:00] [7:50] You know, the polls, and facts, and everything that I do is, is not, is not for me, it’s just to educate people about our industry as a whole, because we all have our certain area, right, in what we do, and you guys are over here, and we’re in manufacturing distribution. There’s so many different facets and you know about what you do, but you don’t necessarily know about what all the other things that people do in the industry. And, I think, that as I’ve gotten to learn that I wanted to share that information with people because I feel like we get really stuck in our area. [0:00] [8:21] But, anyways, dynamic, dynamic was the word that I came up with, and again because it was, it, I think, our industry is very positive and it’s, it’s just what we are all full of energy, everybody. And that’s kind of like a play on words, full of energy, right? Get it. I did leave. [0:00] [8:35]
James: Can I use that? [0:00] [8:36]
Joe: Absolutely. I didn’t even realize it until just then. I honestly didn’t even think of it. [0:00] [8:40]
James: That’s a good game. [0:00] [8:42]
Joe: But, um, I don’t know. What do you guys think? I know you, Jim. I’m, let’s just, you know, let’s see what you got. [0:00] [8:47] James; Let’s let Jim do it. I’m struggling with it. I’m going to sound like the canned guy. [0:00] [8:51]
Jim: It’s easy for me, because what do I talk about? Preach, um, herald every day, relationships. This industry is based on relationships and good things happen through the relationships. Great things happen through the relationships. And I think the key to it is is that a lot of the majority of our industry is not selfish and they don’t, they look for the betterment of people. [0:00] [9:15] So, sometimes people will come and ask James, myself, Joe, “Hey, what do you guys know about blank?” May not be in our world, but we know somebody that does that, we can connect the dots. So, those, that’s another phrase I, I use a lot, is connecting the dots and that’s just increasing relationships. So, that’s what… [0:00] [9:33]
Joe: I, I just always looked at it, like, when I came into the industry, where I wanted to be and this pairs with what you were saying, let’s remember the old, back in the day, long before our time, James, probably like Jim’s time. [0:00] [9:46]
Jim: Whoa. [0:00] [9:47]
James: That’s fine. [0:00] [9:48]
Joe: The old, the old switchboard operators. All right, and they would unplug and plug to connect you… [0:00] [9:53]
Jim: Yep. [0:00] [9:53]
Joe: With the people that you needed to, you needed… [0:00] [9:56]
James: Party line. [0:00] [9:57]
Joe: Right, you know. And, I always think that’s what I wanted to be in the industry. I wanted to be the person that didn’t know everything, but knew how to get people to the areas to help them solve problems. [0:00] [10:08]
Jim: Yeah. [0:00] [10:08]
Joe: You know, that, that switchboard operator, so to speak. [0:00] [10:12]
Jim: And you want to know why? [0:00] [10:15]
Joe: What? [0:00] [10:15]
Jim: Why. It’s because, the thank you. When that person says you, “Wow. Thanks so much. I couldn’t, it would have taken me a month to figure that out or to find that person.” [0:00] [10:24]
Joe: That, I thought it was just because I was really egotistical and like to be the center of attention, but you know, I’ll go with yours too. [laughs] [0:00] [10:31]
James: Come on, brother. [0:00] [10:34]
Joe: Come on, brother. [0:00] [10:34]
James: You know, I, er, haven’t been here as long as y’all, but for me, I miss, it’s going to sound really cheesy and corny, but, you know, I’ve kind of said it too, but it has been kind of a family for me, because, um, I had to find that, you know, and I think that’s probably where we all start galloping along. So, you’ve got like a different perspective, but for me, you know, for something that I was concerned, you know, maybe, maybe I wouldn’t fit in. Maybe I wouldn’t, you know, I would look like, you know, imposter syndrome all day long, right? Like the sitting there going, they’re going to know, because they know, you know, they’re going to know. [0:00] [11:11]
Jim: Yeah. [0:00] [11:12]
James: And, and they do, but they don’t care, you know, the fact that it’s not like where you been, but the fact that you’re here now. And, I’ve seen our industry really leaning into that a lot more. We realize how much we need new people in this industry. [0:00] [11:26]
Jim: Yep. [0:00] [11:26]
James: And the last thing I wanna do is run anyone off. And, in fact, if you bring a new vision and a new, you know, lens to it, um, you know, that, that just makes you that much more valuable. So, it’s been a family for me, for sure. I found, you know, people that I love and people that we fight with, but at the end of the day, it’s, you know, it’s… [0:00] [11:45]
Joe: Family. [0:00] [11:45]
James: Exactly, family. That sounds exactly like something. [0:00] [11:49]
Joe: Yeah, for sure. [0:00] [11:50]
Jim: I like it. I like it. Joe. Let me, let me take us down a, another path. [0:00] [11:55]
Joe: Oh, boy. [0:00] [11:56]
Jim: Oh, yeah, prepare. [0:00] [11:57]
Joe: [laughs] [0:00] [11:59]
Jim: Well, let’s talk about our world that we’re living in right now, i.e., podcast, Action for Life, Coffee with Jim and James, you know, people see us on here and they’re like, oh, that’s cool. They hop on. And, they, you know, do their thing for 20 minutes or off and easy peasy. But, you know, we know the, the stuff behind it. It’s a lot of work, you know. [0:00] [12:20]
Joe: Yes. [0:00] [12:20]
Jim: I mean, we prep, we promote, you know, we try to get guests, we get guests and all of a sudden in the eleventh hour, “Oh, I got a meeting. I can’t make it.” OK, then we were scrambling and such like that and, you know, all the extra money we get by doing these podcasts. [0:00] [12:34]
Joe: [laughs] Yeah. [0:00] [12:35]
James: All those sponsors… [0:00] [12:36]
Joe: It’s falling out of my pockets. Yeah. [0:00] [12:40]
Jim: We, we get a coffee mug, right? [0:00] [12:42]
Joe: I actually have one of those. I just don’t have it with me. I didn’t prepare properly. But, I do have. [0:00] [12:49]
James: That’s, yeah, I did see that. [0:00] [12:50]
Jim: I like that. [0:00] [12:52]
Joe: And, I have Merrill Hodges in bagger. [0:00] [12:54]
James: I know. [0:00] [12:56]
Joe: All right, anyway, so podcasting. [0:00] [12:57]
Jim: Don’t know, you know, we, we, it seems to be a passion an, and that we have and we like to do. It’s a lot of work but keep chugging along every day, but, you know what, you know, what keeps Joe centered on, you know, keeping moving forward with it and keep throwing the passion at it, you know? What centers you into that, as well as your life, you know, what’s, you know, bring this up? Because I’m sure that they probably, you know, being tonight… [0:00] [13:22]
James: Keep your life together, dude. [0:00] [13:24]
Joe: Yeah, I, like, sense of direction. [0:00] [13:26]
James: You always look so well kept. [0:00] [13:28]
Joe: I didn’t do anything, I felt like, I got a good hairdresser, er, but, er, I don’t know. It’s the, the hardest thing for me is not hard, but the most difficult thing initially, it’s easier now, is the consistency. Like, once you start something you have to keep doing it. So, when you get these great ideas to post three times a week, I’ll pull on. You have to do it every single week, or, you know, but for me, I think, more than anything and I’m going to launch into this a little bit differently. I get to work every day with my best friend, Chad’s my best friend on the planet, we vacation together. I’m close with his family. [0:00] [14:12] We talk three to four hours every single day, and to be able to do that and idea share and work with your best friend is like something that like, I don’t know if many people will ever get the opportunity to do, and it’s fun. It’s fun. That’s, that’s really what it, it boils down to. I have a ball. Um, he’s somebody that I trust with, with good ideas, bad ideas, we’re, have that open platform where we can share and I think that’s why, you know, we did a couple Expo’s, our trade shows, virtual trade shows, only talk about work. Like we did that for eight weeks straight just getting prepped for that, every single day. Six, eight hours a day. [0:00] [14:56] That’s what we were doing, working on this. Building web sites and putting content together, putting a guest list, and the curriculum and everything together, schedule, and it was never work. It was just fun, right? And, that’s how I view this show and what, or, you know, what we do on our show is that as much as it’s you put a lot into it, what I get out of it is way more valuable to me than what I put into it. [0:00] [15:25] I’ve been able, or I think we’ve all been able to meet so many amazing people that we would have never had an opportunity to meet, that like I’m going to, I’m not gonna lie to you, if COVID rears its head again and we end up not making it to AGA for some reason this year, I’m probably gonna cry, because I’m so excited to see these people. I mean, I’ve talked to James, you know, how many times in the last, you know, since eighteen months. [0:00] [15:50] James and I have never met in person, but, you know, we talked about that big hug and a kiss, you’re getting one buddy, like, and so many other people are too. And, and I think that for me, being able to, that’s what drives me is, being able to meet new interesting awesome people that I would have never had a chance to, that really truly enjoy what we’re doing, which blows me away. [0:00] [16:12]
Jim: Yeah. [0:00] [16:12]
Joe: It’s still to this day boggles my mind that people watch our show. [0:00] [16:16]
James: Same. [0:00] [16:18]
Jim: Yeah. [0:00] [16:18]
Joe: I, I’ve no idea why you would, like, I don’t know if I would watch it, like, I don’t know, but I, um. [0:00] [16:23]
James: Yeah, I don’t. I mean, I’ll be honest and you do, you, y’all are the same way? I haven’t watched every one of your shows, you know, like, there’s a lot, that’s a lot of content. That’s a lot of dedication. [0:00] [16:35]
Joe: Sure. [0:00] [16:35]
James: But, as people are, some people are, some people are just wired. They, it’s one. Some people listen to a podcast every single morning like a radio show, you know. [0:00] [16:47]
Joe: They like it. [0:00] [16:47]
James: So, one a week is nothing to them. That’s just like while they’re sitting in their car, you know, waiting for it to warm up, you know, like that’s, it’s bananas, how you mentioned, just the friendship part of it, Jim and I talked about this week, you know, we moved to Canada, trying to record multiple in days, right? And, and that’s what we’re doing now. And, what it’s done is kind of broke the dynamic a bit between us, because we had that time off, and honestly for our own mental health and more that we’re not on a call, you know, just talking about non‑podcast and non‑work stuff too. [0:00] [17:26]
Joe: Right. [0:00] [17:27]
James: And, so, we’ve proactively kind of put that back on the schedule. Worst case, whether we record or not we’ll get that sanity check and then, you know, can still kind of streamline. So, it is neat getting to do that, you know. [0:00] [17:40]
Joe: You talk about mental health, in the, in the beginning we talked about that, and with everything that’s going on, and, I think for all of us, this, our programs represent that for us. It gives us a bit of sanity and gives us at least, at least, I mean, it’s a little different now because we’re no doubt going out traveling and doing some things and more, but I mean, there were dark months, and weeks and months that were, you know, you weren’t leaving the house, and just having e‑, somebody else to confide in and communicate with, and talk to, because what you see and what we tape is a small fraction of what’s actually happening. [0:00] [18:10]
Jim: Right, yeah. [0:00] [18:10]
James: Bookended like an hour on each. [0:00] [18:13]
Joe: Right, right. [0:00] [18:14]
James: We ramp up and out. [0:00] [18:16]
Joe: Right, an, and that’s, that’s I think, the thing that you’d asked what keeps us centered, and I think that just having a dialogue and to be able to share, you know, your feelings and opinions with people that you trust and respect and care about is is really important for people to have that platform to share. And, I think, we do that for one another and I’m sure you guys do that for yourselves, as well. [0:00] [18:40]
Jim: Yep. [0:00] [18:41]
Joe: You know, one of the… [0:00] [18:42]
James: Jim does that you can, you know, for instance, we just put out a mental health series that we’re going to begin, you know, like the Seven Habits, and Seven Habits was a good example, and you know, like being able to put out those pockets of information on a whim, like, just in, you know, you just fit them in, you make it work, you, being able to package those messages and hand them out, you know, that, and nobody go, “Y sure you should be talking about that?” [0:00] [19:08]
Joe: You know, it’s funny you say that because a lot of times I feel like that on our show, we start getting off on a tangent about something. I’m like, we are not experts in this, and we don’t really know what we’re talking about. [0:00] [19:20]
James: Careful. [0:00] [19:20]
Joe: Right, careful with what we say. But, I mean, as far as I know, we haven’t like treaded too far down the wrong path, but we, um, I don’t know if it matters. [0:00] [19:29]
Jim: It doesn’t matter and I, I got some feedback, received some feedback recently at the NASS event where people that I didn’t really know said that they enjoy our shows, watching them, and they said it was like, you know, getting back to everything you were talking about here for, for the viewers sometimes, they’re like, “It’s like being at a trade show for 30 minutes. I have you guys in the background. It’s almost like being a great show here in somebody the next booth or whatever chatting.” [0:00] [19:57] It’s interesting. I’m catching up. I’m not in the conversation. But, you know, I’m gaining stuff from it, and gets back to the mental health, if this is one little avenue to help people connect, or stay connected, or feel connected, or feel part of the industry, then we’re doing great things, right, you know. [0:00] [20:17]
Joe: One of the biggest compliments I got is that, and I don’t know if I’ve shared this with you guys before or not, but we had done, done, like 15 shows, and we interviewed a guy that was an employee of ObsCo, um, and, er, he’s worked at like 20 years. And, I worked with him in the office for, you know, four or five years before I moved on the outside, four years. And so, everyday we talked a lot of time and, um, you know, he said to me, he said, he goes, “I feel like, even I know you guys, but I feel like I know you even better by watching your show.” [0:00] [20:48]
Jim: Yeah. Yeah. [0:00] [20:49]
Joe: I was like, wow, that makes me feel like really cool that that comes through that we were comfortable, and you guys are too, with sharing your lives and, you know, your daughter just came in, or your relationships, or what’s going on in your life, which humanizes our context and makes people feel comfortable. And I don’t, I think that was an unintended byproduct of what we were doing. [0:00] [21:14]
Jim: Yeah. [0:00] [21:14]
James: It really just helped us feel comfortable. [0:00] [21:17]
Joe: Right? [0:00] [21:18]
James: And, and that ended up being the stickiness of our programs is more of when we were real and in those moments, and in those tangents, you know, wait. [0:00] [21:32]
Joe: That’s what Jim… [0:00] [21:32]
James: We almost named our show “Tangent”. We were, we were going to bait people and not in a bad way, but just like what we do all the time, what people love about our shows is when somebody just goes off on one, and you’re like. [0:00] [21:42]
Joe: Yeah, this is amazing. Isn’t it amazing though that like when you started this, and I don’t know if you guys felt the same way, but when we started it, I was like, this is someone’s gonna be, what are we doing? Who’s gonna watch this? [0:00] [21:53]
James: Who’s gonna come on? [0:00] [21:55]
Joe: Like, who’s even gonna talk to us on this? And we started asking people and like, “Yeah, sure, we’ll come on.” No one had anything to do. So, it worked out and, um, I remember saying to Chad, like seven episodes and I was like, “What the hell are we going to do in another year? We still going to be doing this?” You know, what happens when, and he was like, “Yeah, we’re just going to keep doing it.” [0:00] [22:16] And, here we are. And we’re just, we’re just chugging along. I think the thing, I think the thing that’s really cool is, and I don’t know if you guys have done this, and I don’t even know if Chatter TED have done this, but I went through about three weeks ago and I watched like 15 minutes of episode 1, and like 3, and like 8, and like 12, just to see like the… [0:00] [22:39]
James: The progression. [0:00] [22:40]
Joe: The progression, an, and that’s what I’m saying, I was like, we actually gotten, like, way of, like, we’ve regressed to, in the first episode we had like nice shirts on. [0:00] [22:49]
Jim: Oh, yeah. [0:00] [22:50]
Joe: Our tee shirts and hats. I mean, Chad’s got Batman on his head in some episodes. You know, I mean, we just literally lost our minds with this stuff, it’s fun. And, and that’s for me. You know, that was the original question. You know, it’s fun. And that’s the thing that I love the most about it. I get my way more joy out of this than they ever thought that I would have. And, and I’m having a good time. [0:00] [23:11]
James: No problem. [0:00] [23:12]
Joe: Why not? Why keep, why not keep doing it, you know. [0:00] [23:14]
James: Joe, your, you mentioned it before and we’ve brought it up the polls, the stats, you know, you, you, you were in a meeting with all of us, I think, both shows and maybe even Concoli. Sometimes we have these support groups for podcasting, meetings, so that we can get everything off of our chest. [0:00] [23:35]
Joe: [laughs] [0:00] [23:35]
James: But, but you were in one of those and you were like, guys, it’s our job to educate people, you know. [0:00] [23:41]
Joe: Yes. [0:00] [23:41]
James: And, and, and, and we may have been prepping for one of the game shows and you’re like, we’ve got to get these messages out. You know, there’s great messages being shared by a lot of, er, associations, like SGA is doing a great job, I think. We were just talking about APGA and our friends over there are working on it. So, we’ve got a lot of people trying to get that information out. Joe for you, what drives that, like, you know, servant leadership is all the rage right now, right? I mean, everybody talks about that. Is it just that? Is it having a servant’s heart or what? What keeps you want to pump out those types of moment? [0:00] [24:17]
Joe: Um, it’s a good question, and you know what, and I think, so this all started for me, when we started doing this show and I realized that we had a bit of a responsibility. It’s how I felt. I felt like I had a responsibility to, to put information out for people to learn, because now we had created a platform where people had the expectation that they, they were going to come on here, and I wanted people to walk away with something, whether it be every episode or by being a follower of my page, to learn something. [0:00] [24:46]
Jim: One thing, right Joe, one thing. [0:00] [24:47]
Joe: And well, so, I’m a big fan of Gary Vaynerchuk. I don’t know if you guys follow Gary V. [0:00] [24:53]
Jim: James does. [0:00] [24:55]
Joe: Big, big fan of Gary V and, um, I watched, he puts on little clips here and there, and I watched one clip one day, and he was like, “Stop worrying about the content and worry about the, um, frequency. It’s like, it’s not about the content, it’s about the frequency and just make sure if you want more people to view you and follow you, you have to put out more content. You have to put it out frequently.” It, it doesn’t matter… [0:00] [25:18]
James: Wh‑, where you really changed my mind on what content was, right. There’s a, there’s a PDF he has out. I think it’s like, how to make 64 pieces of content off of one thing, you know. [0:00] [25:28]
Joe: He’s a genius when it comes… [0:00] [25:31]
James: And basically it’s exponential content, right, um. [0:00] [25:33]
Joe: But, but as I had said previously, it’s like for me, I, maybe I’m just pigheaded or stubborn. I don’t know, but when I said, when I said, I, when I start something, I have to keep doing it and that’s what it became, became for me. I realized very early on that I wanted, and you guys had said this earlier, is that you have a lot of lurkers. Obviously, we do too. I wanted to do engage with people. I wanted people to engage with us. [0:00] [26:00] And, the only way that I could do that was be able to come up with polls, because I learned very early on and I’m the same way, if I see a poll, I have to take. It doesn’t matter what it is. I’m clicking on it, right? So, I realized that, hey, let’s put out some polls, and make, force people, not force but engage people to, to get into a conversation, or at least play a part. And I started doing the gas facts one. [0:00] [26:23] This is a funny story. I started doing the gas facts one and it was, it was good. I was getting like three, four thousand views on each one, and, um, Chad and I were traveling, we’re headed to Lexington or Lego Kentucky and, er, didn’t have any gas things, but I was like, I gotta put something out. So, I, I was like, you know, I’m just going to put out a coffee one. Everybody can relate to coffee. Who’s your favorite coffee shop, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Dunkin Donuts, and I put it out. [0:00] [26:53] We drove for like an hour and I pulled my LinkedIn back up and I had like 8,000 views and I was like, what? So, you know, we laughed about it a little bit and then we, couple hours later I checked. I was like 14,000 views, and I had like 200 responses, and I was like, are you kidding me, over coffee? And, I realized something that moment that it wasn’t about for that instance, it wasn’t about educating just gas facts. [0:00] [27:19] I realized at that time people were having fun answering the poll because they started commenting and then like arguing, or, or whatever, or comparing or agreeing with each other, and people are having fun with that. They were engaging completely outside of me, but with each other, and that’s why now, you’ll see that I do like silly fun polls like, more frequently, because they’re not just gas because it. [0:00] [27:41] I love when people, and it’s our show, connect, right, connections for life. And, if you can find somebody in that arena and that marketplace or that platform that you can start a relationship with, that’s the whole purpose of what we’re trying to accomplish. So, and again, it’s fun. It’s really fun. And, I’m not going to lie to you when I post something and 10,000 people view it, I’m like, that’s cool. It’s cool. [0:00] [28:07]
James: It’s a lot cooler than when you post your podcasting for the week, yeah, you know, 276, and then let them says, hey, you should tag someone. [0:00] [28:17]
Joe: [laughs] You have 67 views. You should text somebody in your post. I get like… [0:00] [28:21]
James: I just did, I texted four people? Appreciate that. [0:00] [28:24]
Joe: But, you know, for me, it’s who I got to, I’m not gonna lie to you, when I started we, I had I 262 LinkedIn contacts. I never, I’ll never forget that number because Chad and Ted had like 1500 and I was like, wow, I’m terrible. I didn’t post or know anything about like that. My goal was to get as many contacts as I could. Yeah, and I think I’m up to like 3,400 now or something like that. [0:00] [28:45]
Jim: Good for you, man. [0:00] [28:46]
Joe: Yeah, so, but, I, but I didn’t know anything about like that. So, I was like, I never shared anything. I didn’t know. [0:00] [28:54]
James: Start from the bottom, you know. [0:00] [28:56]
Joe: I didn’t like know what hashtags were or Twitter, I didn’t know what was going on. So, I had to, like, learn all this stuff and I will tell you something, I’m going to give him a little bit of a tire pump is Jim Konkle. Jim Konkle helped me a lot with just some very simple suggestions about how to be more successful on LinkedIn, and by doing that we ended up getting approved for LinkedIn live. So, I owe all that credit to Jim Konkle and his words, and I actually owe James credit for putting me in contact with Jim initially. [0:00] [29:22]
James: Connections for Life. [0:00] [29:22]
Joe: So, Connections, goes full circle. [0:00] [29:25]
Jim: Connect the dots, relationships, right? Joe. I got to ask you a question. It’s been, I’ve been pondering this for days. James, weeks, maybe, right? [0:00] [29:34]
James: Weeks. When, when did I write this spread sheet for you? [0:00] [29:40]
Jim: Last Friday. [0:00] [29:41] James; Days, just days. [0:00] [29:42]
Jim: And, and James, I was, as James said, as I’m gallivanting around the country with Tammy at a NASS conference. [0:00] [29:51]
James: It’s one my wife’s sayings, I stole from her, yeah, she always says I’m galavanting and stuff. [0:00] [30:15]
Jim: When I told Tammy, she’s like, galavanting. [0:00] [30:15]
James: I feel like… [0:00] [30:15]
Jim: I travel with Tammy a lot too, she’s certainly galavanting. [0:00] [30:15]
James: And then I saw the video from Jane and I thought, he was galavanting. [0:00] [30:15]
Joe: I saw that too. She sent me that as well. [0:00] [30:15]
Jim: Let’s, let that knock it out on the internet that we have to keep that. [0:00] [30:31]
Joe: I’m not sure yet, but that’s going to be my next weeks poll. [0:00] [30:29]
Jim: You should, you know. [0:00] [30:29]
Joe: So, Jim, continue that. [0:00] [30:29]
James: That thing. [0:00] [30:29]
Jim: Joe, we’ve all been doing this for a year right now. So, the podcast Connections for Life. What has been the one top surreal moment that you’ve encountered with a guest, a topic, something, one of those pinch me type of moments where you’re like, I cannot believe. [0:00] [30:46]
James: I guess, it could be in or off the show, you know, because we have those, like, you know, you know when you get mobbed for autographs, or, you know, you can barely get off the plane. [0:00] [30:57]
Joe: That’s my problem. Um, I don’t know. That’s a cheese. That’s a tough one, you know, honestly, I think most of it, most of it’s centered around guests. Um, there’s a lot of times we’re in their story. You know, I feel a connection to them when they’re talking about their past or how they ended up there. But, I have to level with you, I think, the biggest like, aha, like moment that, hey, this is actually working, is, um, is what we’re doing with SGA. [0:00] [31:32]
Jim: Yeah. [0:00] [31:32]
James: But, we were able to transcend it into like, live, in person. [0:00] [31:37]
Joe: Yeah, and they believe in us to be able to perform that responsibility and function for that. For that for me was like a big thing, that belief that… [0:00] [31:46]
James: And if you would have, if anybody would have been on that call, you would understand what belief meant, because it was to believe in this group. Sometimes we’re funny, we just joke around. We’re like, we’ll make it up as we go. When really, we’re going to have a huge plan. Logistically, we’re going to nail it, you know, those types of things, but they’re just put that trust in. When all you have to go on is, you know, five, six guys in a box, you know. [0:00] [32:11]
Joe: Right, and we’re all going, ahh, we’ll figure it out and they’re like, yeah, they’ll figure it out, and have the trust in us to be able to do that and give us that responsibility for a big part of that show, to me was like, really, you know, got that little bit of a tingle like, holy, holy cow, like this is, this is a real thing that people want to see, you know, in person. And, they want to be a part of what we’re doing and I thought that was awesome. So, It may be that, I don’t know. There’s so many of those, those moments, I mean. [0:00] [32:41]
James: It’s all about words and stories, you know, like that’s something we’ve started. And, to think about how many times you’ve seen those markers out? [0:00] [32:56]
Joe: We used to rap that. [0:00] [32:56]
James: Before, before you even knew what they were, you know, as a kid. It’s so iconic to think of and to hear about those stories and stuff. You’re just like, what? [0:00] [33:06]
Joe: Scott, Scott’s an incredible guy. I mean, he’s a guy, he’s another one of the guests that like, I was like, what a cool individual like, you know. I feel like, I just, there’s, there’s some that just get you and Scott was one of them. You know, he gave us, he sent us shirts from his daughters Dog Threads company after. [0:00] [33:24]
Jim: Yeah. Yeah. [0:00] [33:26]
Joe: Yeah. So, I mean, it was, it was just really, he’s just a good guy, but I think there’s a lot of those moments. I mean, I think for me, I’m usually the one that books all of our guests. So, that’s like my responsibility on the show and I think when you get somebody that you didn’t think would say yes, to say yes, is like, yeah, you know, like that’s always that good feeling like, yes, I got him, you know. Even like we had Dave Shriver on from APGA, the president of APGA, and I was like, there’s no way this guy’s going on. [0:00] [33:53] Our phones going and I was like, all right, so I don’t know. There’s a lot of those moments. I guess, I could ask you guys the same thing. You know, I know it’s not really my butt, but like what were those moments like for you or what was that one time for you that you felt like, you know? [0:00] [34:10]
James: It’s a toss‑up. Like I said, the origin stories are so cool. So, like hearing those types of things for me are really neat, because like I said, I’m playing catch up a little bit in this industry, so, some of it is just realizing who people are and like, what, y’all had a story like that. And then, the other one for me, I think, is the more like bringing Seven Habits to life and now mental health, like finding a voice in the industry that’s needed. But, also uniquely, you know, mine and ours, you know, collectively get it. I don’t have to compromise on that part and I’m given permission and that freedom and like you said, the trust and belief that you can even do. [0:00] [34:51]
Joe: Yep. [0:00] [34:51]
James: Do it, like nobody asked us a drop of anything of what goes into these shows? Like no one’s trying to influence from this, like they’re letting us go. [0:00] [35:00]
Joe: Yes. [0:00] [35:00]
James: And, that is very, very rare. So, that’s kind of [0:00] [35:03]
Joe: Our company is kind of the same way. They don’t, you don’t have any… [0:00] [35:06]
James: I think, because they just probably don’t watch it. [0:00] [35:09]
Joe: That’s what I think, too. That’s why… [0:00] [35:11]
James: We have so many people that support us there. That’s so great to just see and that alone like you said, just knowing somebody trusts you that much and a product that, that’s pretty… [0:00] [35:21]
Joe: You created from scratch, you know, that’s, that’s kind of cool. I, you know, the origin story is kind of, was kind of like, I think, that was my baby. I was the one that kind of wanted that to happen. I was loved. And one of the things I like is bringing people on that are now up here, right? [0:00] [35:36] They’re presidents, or CEOs, executives, and then hearing that, you know, I started my company and I failed out of college, and you know, it, it puts some humanization around people that you look up to and you realize that everybody has a journey, and a story, and a path, and they’re not always just that silver spoon. They worked their butts off to get to where they are, and I love that part of our show and what we do. It’s the one thing that I think I appreciate the most about interviewing people. [0:00] [35:59]
James: Love it. [0:00] [35:59]
Jim: Yeah. [0:00] [36:00]
James: Joe, we finish our shows the same way, or have for the past year, but I think we would use that with all of you guys. So, we mixed it up and we did a special kind of final question with all three of you will get the same question. So, it’ll be kind of a cool montage. [0:00] [36:17]
Joe: OK. [0:00] [36:18]
James: So, hang with us. So, here’s the first one, can you describe yourself in one word and then I’ll let you explain? [0:00] [36:32]
Joe: Um, genuine, I think it’s probably the one word I’d give myself. I learned very long time ago to be who you are and don’t compromise that. And, um, you know, I think that it sometimes works, sometimes not so much. But, I think that I always hold the line of being myself no matter where I am or what I’m doing, and I try to like, for me, that’s a big thing for also, my children. I want my children to feel comfortable in that space with who they are. Um, so, I try to really hold that line. [0:00] [37:06] Right and wrong, sometimes, you know, we all make mistakes but, you know, back to Gary V again and, you know, I’m big, like I said, I’m a big fan of his, he talked to them and somebody interviewed him one day and asked him why he says the f word so much, and, and does he say it around his children? And he was like, yeah. And they’re like why? And he said, because I am who I am. That’s how I talk, and I’m not going to change for you, or you, or somebody else. I’m going to be myself, my authentic genuine self and no matter what arena that I put myself into, and I feel like I do that too, so. [0:00] [37:37]
James: We do say that word a lot. [0:00] [37:39]
Joe: I do say it. [0:00] [37:40]
Jim: I do say that word a lot. [0:00] [37:46]
James: No, that’s great. For sure, for sure. Alright. So, in the same breath, Joe, we’re going to talk about your co, co‑hosts. [0:00] [37:52]
Joe: Nice. [0:00] [37:53]
James: Describe Mr. Chad Kubo for us in one word. [0:00] [37:58]
Joe: See, this is a hard for me because I’m gonna get emotional, because it’s not wrap., I’m would say Integrity, um, Chad and I have been best friends since the day we met, got it. I knew I was going to do this. We, for those of you that don’t know, today is the 10th, Chad and I share a birthday also, which is August 12th, two days. We also the same birthday, um, and, um, but, er, he has just more integrity in his little finger than most people have. And, er. [sniffs] [0:00] [38:36]
James: I think that says a lot, you can literally just stop at one word. You don’t even have to be… [0:00] [38:42]
Joe: I, er, I look up to him a lot. [0:00] [38:44]
James: That’s awesome, man. Well, good. You can use Ted as Comic Relief. [0:00] [39:05]
Joe: Teddy is, um, the word for Teddy is, I thought about this a little bit. The word for Teddy is, um, ambitious. Mostly, you guys know that he does basketball, um, and he’s got that big program he runs for like 80 kids. He’s also involved in his church group, he’s also involved in city council, he’s also involved in a veterans group. I don’t know what another human being that spreads his time around more to so many different things, and how ambitious and committed he is to all those things. So, you know, we give him a lot of a lot of crap about being like the guy who doesn’t do anything on the show, but, um. [0:00] [39:28]
Jim: [laughs] [0:00] [39:28]
James: He does, he does wear that shirt. [0:00] [39:32]
Joe: But, he’s, but it’s true. He definitely is the one who does the least amount. But, he’s got so many other things that it’s like, you take him away from his veterans group, or his church, or his city, kind of get that, right. We kind of knew what we were come, we were coming with. I want to circle back to Chad’s because I got emotional. [0:00] [39:48] I just want to say like there’s times in your life where you have to make decisions and when you have somebody like that in your life that you can trust to always give you the right advice, um, you know, through my, um, separation, my divorce, everything with my children like he’s been rock solid to me and gave me the best advice with the best intentions. [0:00] [40:07] Right, wrong or hard to hear every single time. And, um, you know, I said it before, you get to work with your best friend and somebody that you care about and trust that much, it also has your back all the time. You don’t get many better opportunities, so. [0:00] [40:20]
Jim: Amen. [0:00] [40:21]
James: Yeah. [0:00] [40:21]
Joe: Wanted to go back to that. [0:00] [40:23]
Jim: That was good. [0:00] [40:25]
James: I could have never made it through. We would had to just shut down there. [0:00] [40:28]
Joe: I’m sorry. I’m an emotional person. [0:00] [40:29]
James: It’s good man, you care. [0:00] [40:30]
Joe: You know, I don’t care. That’s me. That’s me being genuine. I’m going to get upset. It’s going to be on camera. I, I’m okay with it. It’s just who I am. [0:00] [40:39]
James: Same. [0:00] [40:39]
Jim: Joe, thanks for opening up with us today and open it up to audience, and to really let the world see that being real and showing our emotions and our thoughts, our fears, our joy’s, our successes, all those really play a part in everything today. And, I think, we, as people need to do that more to help us during through all these times. So, thank you for being, leading by example, and that is what… [0:00] [41:06]
Joe: I just want, I just want to jump in really quick before we go. I just want to say thank you guys. [0:00] [41:11]
Jim: Thank you. [0:00] [41:11]
Joe: I don’t think you understand how much what you guys are doing and what we’re doing, um, you know, we use you guys as fuel a lot, you know. And, I think initially it was a, a little bit of competition, you know, like we’re going to show you initially very early on was like, well, you know, and then it became like, you know, we’re just friends doing something that we both really appreciate, and we respect what each each person’s doing. [0:00] [41:37]
And, I look to you guys as an example of, for a lot of things. You guys have really good content. You do a really great job with your interviews, um, your transitions, everything with your graphics are amazing, and we look up to you guys in a lot of ways, as well. So, just thank you for being that light, guiding light to us. We appreciate it. [0:00] [41:55]
Jim: We appreciate you and we appreciate like, comradery, you know. We, we gain a lot from you and it gets back to, at least my world, relationships. It’s an ebb and flow, give and take, and there isn’t anything selfish about it. It’s how can we be better to help our industry? Help people, even people outside of our industry that are watching us. [0:00] [42:14]
James: And we think it’s a deliberate thing too, we had a conversation probably three or four months ago where we said, you know, let’s go into this with an abundance mentality because what are we? It’s not like we’re selling sponsorships or, or selling products, our own products, on the show. Listen, just go at it. And that, I mean, that’s changed the way, I think, it’s changed it. Not, not that it was bad before, it just, it opened your eyes and you pull more people in, and, you know, it’s, it’s a good problem to have. [0:00] [42:45]
Joe: It is. And I, I think, you know, you kind of hit the nail on the head, like we joked about it, like all the money that we’re making, like, we do this for, we do this for absolutely zero return on. [0:00] [42:56]
James: We sleep peacefully. Selfishly, do this for ourselves. [0:00] [42:59]
Jim: We’re paid here, we’re paid here in our hearts every day, you know. [0:00] [43:03]
Joe: Yeah. [0:00] [43:04]
James: I thought you were, you were pointing at the energy of. [0:00] [43:06]
Joe: As you well know there’s a world of heart. [0:00] [43:09]
Jim: Heart. [0:00] [43:09]
James: Heart nervous. Joe, you’ve been great, man. We appreciate you joining us and… [0:00] [43:16]
Jim: Yeah, thanks Joe. [0:00] [43:18]
Joe: Thank you guys. I appreciate it. We’ll see you soon. [0:00] [43:20]
Jim: That sounds good. If anybody would like to connect with Joe on the LinkedIn platform. Joe Serratt, please do. Until next week, everybody stay safe and we will see you again. [0:00] [43:29]
Joe: That’s Chad. [0:00] [43:29]
Jim: Who’s that? [0:00] [43:30]
Joe: Chad, yeah. [0:00] [43:30]
James: Yeah. [0:00] [43:34]
Jim: I like it. Until next week on Coffee with Jim and James, we’ll see you. Joe, thanks so much. Love you brother. [0:00] [[43:39] music] [0:00]