SFR 116: "Managing" My First Employee...

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Crazy, I've never had to thing about this stuff before. WOO!!!

Hey. What's going on everyone? It's Steve Larsen. You're listening to Sales Funnel Radio.

Welcome to Sales Funnel Radio, where you'll learn marketing strategies to grow your online business, using today's best internet sales funnels. Now, here's your host, Steve Larsen.

How you guys doing? Have you guys ever seen those oxygen restriction masks? Those things are nuts. I bought one. This morning I went on this run and it was so much harder than I ever anticipated it being. I used to backpack a lot. I know I talked about that a couple times. When I was backpacking there was this time we climbed Pikes Peak.

If you know what that is, it's very famous mountain in Colorado. It's funny because there's a tram that takes you up to the top. It's above 14,000 feet. When you get that high, I mean, walking just takes the breath out of you. It feels like you're exercising when you're just walking. We climbed it though. We started super early in the morning, we start climbing up this thing. It's so funny, when you start getting above tree line, which is usually around 11,000 feet, meaning it's so high that trees can't grow anymore, so it's above tree line, you start getting really deliberate in the steps that you take.

It was funny because ... That was a very challenging hike actually. I liked it a lot. It was funny because, I started feeling like that this morning when I just put this mask on. If I run down to the street light, that's just a street light and back, that's two miles. Almost on the dot...

 It's funny it took me an extra five, ten minutes than it normally would because I was just sucking wind. I even had it on the lowest setting. I was like, "Good grief." I forgot my high altitude lungs are just gone.

Anyway. Anyway. Hey, I've been listening to and re-listening to all of the old funnel hacking live speeches. All of them. It's been a lot of fun. I'm almost done with the 2016 replays. I'll go back to the 2015 replays soon, then I'll go to 2017. I don't really know why I started in that order but I did. It's been a lot of fun to go back through and do that. It's fascinating to remember, "Oh yeah, remember when I had that aha, that was at this event here.

Or I remember this personal development growth piece, this happened here or there or whatever." What's interesting is to go back and listen to all the things and I'm like, "How come I never heard them say that the first time?" Right? I think it's the reason why, I mean, my two year old and my four year old I still have to say the same things to them over and over and over again. "Hey, stop hitting your sister.

Hey, be nice. Hey, be nice. Hey, hey, hey." You know what I mean? It's just human nature we all have to hear things a million times before we actually hear it.

Which I think is kind of fascinating when you think of it like that. That's why I always laugh when someone's like, "I already read the book Expert Secrets." I'm like, "That is one of the most core marketing books that is in existence today. You've only read it once?" Right?

I just re-read 108 Split Tests. I did. Okay? Why? Because there's all these things that you continue to get from it over and over and over again. Right? When they are the classics, when they're the things that change the way a market behaves, why would you not study them like crazy? Right?

I listen to an awesome course. It's by Perry Belcher. If you can't handle swearing don't listen to it. It's by Perry Belcher and it's ... Oh my gosh. Is it the Secret Selling System? I think that's what it is. That course is freaking amazing. It's like 18 hours but that is fantastic.

I'm going to go back and re-listen to that here shortly I think 'cause man that was incredible.

Anyway. I keep going back to the greats. I keep going back ... What's funny is that there's so much new material around me at all times that I have not even begun to dive into because I feel like I've not mastered some of the simple things that are right in front of me. Do you know what I mean?

I only like to learn things for a purpose. Even all the DISC tests and all the 16 personalities tests, all that stuff, that even says so in there. Right? I only like to listen and learn and study from things that I will use right now. I am not a good general learner, which has turned out to be a big blessing because I don't get distracted by all this other garbage that frankly it doesn't matter that I'm on or not. Right?

Anyway. One of the things I was picking up today and I was kind of refreshing my mind on was a book that I read in college. It's funny when you read things the first time and when you're brand new ... Not brand new. When you're not as experienced in an industry and you start reading the books from that industry, it's funny how the first few books or courses you take is just like mind blowing. You're like, "Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh that's so crazy. What?

You automate your emails out and to think all the soap opera series?" Right, that's like the most basic thing on the planet. Right? Especially for our world and what we do right?

So, what I think is interesting about this is I went through and I picked up this book that I read in college and at the time I was like, "It was really good. I really enjoyed the first half of it."

It's a book called Visionary Business by Mark Allen. I'll be honest. The first half of the book I got some good things from it. The second half got a little weird. It was talking about how the business has a soul and stuff like that. I was like, "Ah, I don't know about that." That business has a value ladder. That business has a really cool offer. Right? A sexy offer. Some false beliefs. I don't think it has a soul.

Anyway. I don't know, maybe I'm just not open minded enough or something like that. I don't know. It's fascinating though, 'cause one of the realizations I had, and this is where I'm trying to take this episode just so you know, one of the realizations that I had as I ... It was probably about three or four years ago, was that I was studying areas of business that did not apply to where I was at the time. Okay? I know I've talked about this before as well, right? Just in time learning, stuff like that. I believe it's good in phases. You know what I mean?

Every once in a while you got to just drink deeply and I can tell. I can tell. I'm not exactly sure when but I can tell that sometime soon I'm going to go through a really, really, really deep learning phase and it's going to be me primarily focusing on the seven to eight figure area. I think that my webinar's going to hit a million bucks probably summer to the latter part of the year. Somewhere in there. I think that's when I'll hit it.

Then, primarily where I've been focusing is the zero to one figure area, right? 'Cause that's where my personal thing is on right now. While I've made a million bucks for a lot of other people many times, this one of my own, that's what I've been focusing on obviously. What I realized though is three, four years ago I was studying these areas of business that I was not in. It was just general learning and therefore I was a distraction and I was literally getting nowhere.

It's fascinating 'cause I picked this book up again this morning, Visionary Business, and I start looking through the book and I start reading through it again. I was looking at just ... My habit is that if something's really, really amazing I will fold the bottom corner of the page so next time I pick the book back up again I'll look at the key points.

If you look at all my books that's one of the reasons it takes me so long to read them, but the reason why is because I can come back later and I just look at all the corners of the pages that are folded up on the bottom and I can read just that part again. I'm like, "Oh yeah, that was like the core thing of this part. Oh yeah, that was like the core idea of this one." Right? I can pick back up really quickly and refresh what I need to. It works well.

Anyways. I was doing that and I picked up Visionary Business and I started looking through and I was looking through all the little turned up corners on the bottom page and it was fascinating because there's some really interesting ... I liked some of the key parts that it teaches about management. I don't know why the heck I was studying management when I had no one to manage. Right?

You know, I saw it, just barely launched the hiring funnel. Thank you to those of you guys who are applying. I appreciate that a lot actually. Those of you guys who want to work with me, that really means a lot. If you did not hear that episode it's like two episodes before this one it's called My Hiring Funnel. You can back up and just listen to those.

Anyway. Awesome stuff...

I was looking this up again and there's these two different styles of management that it goes through. This is what it says. Okay? It was on page 68. It says, "There are two styles of management. Management by crisis, and management by goals. Those caught in the management by crisis trap are always working in the business and never have time to work on the business. Their vision of the future is lost."

I think that's fascinating. It's very much a ... You know, we should all react to crisis obviously well and try and move on but I totally understand, I totally get that. Right? Management by crisis, management by crisis. Right? Oh my gosh. We're going to have this bad thing happen and this bad thing happen and this bad thing will happen. You almost bring to fruition your fears, rather than focusing on what the goals are and that's what you bring to fruition. Right?

That's what you should actually bring to the present now and actually make happen...

I thought that was kind of interesting. The only reason I'm bringing this up is because I'm hiring people now. Right? I have actual employees. Number one, I'm an actual employee of my own business. That's how we structured it. Pretty soon my wife probably will be also and things like that, and that's great. But I have an actual employee now. You know? Now I look at this and I'm like, "Management by crisis. Huh." I've had a ton of VA's, right?

But this is my first real employee. W2 employee. Actual employee, right? I'm excited. It's going to be so fun, right? He's not starting for a little bit here but I'm super excited to have him. You guys will all know who he is. I'll introduce him. He's the man. I wouldn't have hired him otherwise obviously. We actually have quite the history together, which is kind of cool.

It's funny that that's how that's turning out. We're getting back together, getting the band back together man it's going to be awesome...

Anyway. It's going to be a lot of fun. What I'm doing though is I'm looking through and I'm thinking management by crisis. That's fascinating. How do I avoid a management by crisis scenario and instead, how do I manage by vision, by goals, right? Obviously there's times for both. But how do I primarily stay in the management by goals area?

Anyway. I thought that was kind of interesting. I can't remember, I was at a fad event or I don't know, I was coaching someone I can't remember who it was but they were asking, "How do I find good people? How do I find good people?" I know I talked about this a little bit in the hiring episode but this is the phase I'm in so I'm just kind of documenting my stuff as I'm going through here, right?

Anyway. It was fascinating 'cause I was watching Russell and I was listening to Russell and he said, "Hey, I always hire from within."

That's what he said that time when ... I mean, he sent out a whole bunch of emails. I've watched him do a lot of things like that where he hires from within. He hires from within the culture, which is why it's important to build it. Right? Expert Secrets talks about that. You build the culture. As you're building the culture you're actually having these true believers come out of the woodwork. Right? Me. Right? It's safe to say that I'm a click funnels fanatic.

People know that and he knows that and everyone knows that and that's fine and they should. It's great. But his ability to create culture is what allowed him to hire from within and that's what I'm trying to say is start thinking through hey what's your management style and things like that, but so much of it will already be dictated by how your culture has been set. Right?

Russell had to spend zero time indoctrinating me. When he hired me. He had to spend zero time teaching me click funnels. Zero time. You know what I mean? It's because I was so into it already. That's all I've been doing is looking for the individuals who are so into what I do. Right? I always say, you guys are going to get like 10% of the people who follow you to just be like the fanatics. The people that are crazy, right?

I'm sure I'll throw some kind of event. I'm sure I'll throw some kind of my own inner circle summit or some kind of coaching. Something in the future of my own, right? It'll be 10% of you that are really, really, really Steve Larson fanatics and would love to come hang out, and would love to learn the next piece, and would love to ... That's exactly what happened at the last Mastermind that we through, right? That's exactly it. You have to understand that's the natural progression but I did not worry about that or focus on it until now. Right?

Meaning I've been building the culture. I've been building all that stuff but I'm not studying management til I need it. Right?

Then again, I'm not even really studying it because they're already indoctrinated into what my vision is. Right? I want to change the world. I don't exactly know how yet but I know I do. Right? It took me a long time to have the cojones to say that kind of thing. I always thought that was kind of weird, like, "Oh yeah I want to change the world ha ha ha. Oh ha ha." Right?

I don't know why I was always timid about saying that kind of thing but not anymore. Right? I'm trying to find other individuals who are also like that. It's been kind of fun because I know those of you guys that have been applying to work with me, whether as a funnel builder, an assistant, a support person, a high ticket salesman, you understand where I'm trying to drive the ship.

That's the benefit of doing it that way, which is kind of fun. It's really fun actually. Anyways. That's all I really want to say in this episode. Start building culture because when it comes time to actually hire, you've got to be able to have that culture that's already there so that you can hire from people who are already indoctrinated. Anyway. There's another cool quote, I was looking at another one of the turned pages in this book Visionary Business.

Again, I really like the first half of this book. The second half for me got a little woo woo. I don't mind woo woo but in a business? There's nothing innately spiritual in my business itself. My logo is not speaking to me, you know? I'm the one driving it. You know what I mean? If anything it's the woo woo in me. Anyway. We can go on a whole other topic there. I'm going to pack up.

This last half of the book was a little bit weird for me but it was on page 92 about halfway down, it says, "Hire people who are passionate about their jobs and who have the suitable personality for the job.

Hire a technician for a technician's job and a manager for a manager's job." I think that's so true. Gosh, that's so true. Understand what you are innately geared to do and it's one of the reasons why I have people take the DISC test. It's one of the reasons why I have people take that 16 personalities test, why I have them film a video. If you can't film a video and put it on YouTube and give me the link, you are already not suited to work with my stuff. You know what I mean?

That makes sense. I know you all know to do that but that's the reason why I do that.

Anyway. It's been kind of fun to go through that and start looking at these different management styles, make sure I'm not managing by crisis. Make sure I'm managing through goals. It's like, "Hey, let's go here. Let's drive there." I'm trying to do it in a way where I'm not babysitting. Right? Not that I need to. Not that I'm going to have to with this guy. He's the man. I know I'm not going to have to. Right? He's the man. But you know when you were growing up, I'm sure we all did this to a degree. We're all growing up, mom and dad give you a task right? Or whoever. Your guardian, whatever it was. Whenever you were younger somebody gave you a task. It could be a teacher, right? You were given a task.

The moment that individual walked away you had such a less fire in the gut to get that activity done. Right? Same thing when I was in the army you guys, which by the way I'm finally finishing up the paperwork. I'll be out of the army here very shortly, which is very, very exciting actually.

But anyway. In the army, right? A commander or a first sergeant or someone of authority would come up and give some kind of task and everyone would be like, "Roger. Oh yeah, I'll get it done." As soon as they leave sometimes it'd be like, "Oh, okay we have like three hours to do that thing.

We really need like 30 minutes. Okay, well we're all just going to hangout for a little while and [inaudible 00:16:14]." Right? Then that person comes back and everyone acts busy again. Right? That's not the management style or scenario or culture that you want inside your business. Right?

What's so awesome is the people that I'm hiring, especially this guy, I'm so excited for him to come in because I already know that his culture and my culture together match and mix and we do well. I am not babysitting. I am not managing by crisis. I am not managing as a babysitter. Right? I'm setting the goals, I'm saying, "Let's do this. Let's do this over here. Let's take that mountain. Let's do it." I don't have to be in the room for those things to be done.

I'm so thankful for that because I can quote so many jobs and I'm sure you can as well, where that was the culture. Where as soon as the individual left, right? As soon as the individual left nothing happened. Nothing happened. That was management by force. Right? Management by crisis.

Terrible management style to be a part of that. Anyway. Those are the things kind of going through my head with this and hopefully that's helpful somehow. Understand, again, I didn't worry about any of this stuff until I needed it. I don't know if worry is the right word either but I'm not concerning myself with it until I need it. I really don't need it that hard anyway because the people that I'm hiring and bringing on are already indoctrinated. I think it almost negates some of the things that are in this book is also kind of what I'm saying.

You don't have to do all those pieces so deeply. Right? That a lot of these other management books will talk when you have a strong culture in the business and when you hire from within. That's the main key. That's all I'm trying to say in this.

It's kind of a long winded way to say it but anyways guys. Hopefully that's helpful. Thanks so much for being a listener and we are well past 100,000 downloads now. I just have not had time to actually go and create the new intro music, which I'm very excited to do.

There's something special with it that I'm trying to put in it so anyway, it will be done hopefully shortly. Alright guys, talk to you later. Bye.

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