The Hustle or Bust Podcast Project has been fun. Sporadic, but fun. We've been closing in on 50 episodes for what seems like "forever!" and we don't beat ourselves up too much, as we have a business to run! Mike & I co-host, and Dominic pulls it all together as our producer.
We often wonder, "Why do we do this?"
A few reasons come to mind:
Therapy! Sometimes Mike and I have some real pent up thoughts, and the Pod has been a vehicle for that.
The OG's. We both have a depth of experience, and we want to give something back.
The learning. We are not experts at many things, and publicly communicating our journey, what is working, and more importantly, what is NOT has been productive.
Interesting people with a story to tell. We've had a couple of comedians, a number of entrepreneurs, bigger business leaders, bankers, etc. Each has something of value to share.
Podcast Episode 48 however takes on a much different meaning. THE COMEBACK STORY.
It has small business owner implications in the areas of finding, developing and retaining talent.
But SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT?
It has literal life or death consequences. We have a drug epidemic in this country......over 100k people a year are dying due to drug overdoses. I couldn't even imagine the destruction for all those that have NOT gotten to this stage, not just for the individual, but their loved ones.
One of our own, Jimmy knows this world all too well. His courage sharing his story of recovery is tremendous. Here's a quick clip on how hard it is to CHANGE.
It is challenging to tell your TRUTH, especially those areas of your life that may be judged.
Don't we all have areas of our life we may not want to broadcast?
Jimmy takes through his life with unbelievable honesty, candor and an unbelievable sense of optimism. I can't help but think we ALL have somebody in our lives that can benefit from listening to our conversation. If you do, please share it. The full episode is below, and it can also be found wherever you get your podcasts (search Hustle or Bust, powered by PAVERART).
I've shared the challenges of running a small, specialized manufacturing business at some length. At the top of that list remains all things PEOPLE.
Finding them.
Training Them.
Motivating Them.
Rewarding Them.
Coaching Them.
Growing Them.
Retaining Them.
Celebrating Them.
And if needed, saying goodbye.
As an owner, individuals are important. But the COLLECTIVE is MORE important. That's where Culture comes into play. It's an owner's responsibility to define, shape, mold the culture. It's about behaviors. The PAVERART Values are literally on our sleeves:
Grit.
Grind.
Hustle.
Repeat.
Nothing fancy. You won't find something this raw in any fortune 500 values statement.
We make ART at PAVERART.
I sometimes call the people that pull it off, PAVER-artists.
Difficult, challenging work. It's a craft that takes time to develop.
Our work happens IRL: In the Real World.
Our world has it's challenges, and we can rattle them off left and right.
2024 represents the start of decade #3 at PAVERART. You can imagine over 20 years the experiences you can compile, and the stories you can tell. Jimmy is a story worth spreading, and we are proud of him and the journey he is on.
I've had the good fortune of owning 2 businesses and being in leadership roles at others.
I've worked with Ivy League PHD's and people that never finished high school. The older I get (and I just crossed the big 5-0!) I see less and less link to life success and happiness to a person's "credentials." It's about who you are, not what you have. Character.
The Comeback Story reveals a number of areas for owners to think about.
I can speak from experience and some battle scars when I say that recruiting from this pool of people is not easy. But I hope you would agree with me on the following:
People with a chip on their shoulder, or something to prove.......are VERY difficult to bet against. If I can help you think through this and share some of this experience, please do not hesitate to reach out.
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