Hidden Struggles Behind Earning More Money

Summary

Podcast Summary: Andy Elliott's Elite Mindset Motivation and Sales Training

Episode Title: Hidden Struggles Behind Earning More Money
Release Date: March 25, 2025
Host: Andy Elliott
Guest: Austin Cook, Founder of The Tinstitute

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of Andy Elliott's Elite Mindset Motivation and Sales Training, host Andy Elliott engages in an insightful conversation with Austin Cook, the dynamic founder of The Tinstitute. The episode delves deep into the often-overlooked challenges individuals face when striving to earn more money, unraveling the psychological and practical barriers that hinder financial growth.

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1. The Mindset Behind Earning More Money

Austin begins by emphasizing the crucial role of self-discipline and self-image in financial success. He explains that "becoming the best version of yourself" is foundational to attracting wealth and opportunities.

Austin Cook [02:16]: “By keeping promises to yourself, you build a strong self-image. And then people want to be around you, build a different vibration and that allows you to build influence.”

Austin highlights how small, everyday commitments, such as doing laundry or washing dishes, impact one's self-perception. Failing to follow through on these seemingly insignificant tasks can gradually erode self-confidence, making larger financial achievements more elusive.

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2. Hiring Practices and Value of Employees

The discussion shifts to the importance of hiring quality employees and the pitfalls of opting for cheaper labor. Austin argues that "the more you pay someone, the cheaper they are" in the long run because higher-paid employees tend to bring more value and productivity.

Austin Cook [04:04]: “People think how much can they afford to pay with the money they have in their back pocket? And that's the wrong way to think about it. I tell people that the more you pay someone, the cheaper they are.”

He contrasts small businesses with large corporations like Walmart and Target, noting that while the latter can afford to hire en masse, small businesses must seek "unique people, right? People that have heart, have passion, who have specialized skills."

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3. Leadership Hacks for Small Businesses

Austin introduces several leadership hacks tailored for businesses with fewer than 25 team members. The primary focus is on fostering a strong, appreciative work environment through deliberate language and actions.

a. Language Matters: Replacing 'Employee' with 'Team Member'

One of the foundational hacks is to eliminate the term "employee" from the business vocabulary, replacing it with "team member."

Austin Cook [07:14]: “One of the leadership hacks is removing the word employees and throwing it in the garbage and taking it out of your vocabulary and replacing it with team members.”

This subtle change reinforces a sense of belonging and mutual respect within the team, enhancing overall morale and productivity.

b. Handwritten Thank You Notes

Austin passionately advocates for the power of handwritten, specific thank you notes accompanying every paycheck. This practice not only shows genuine appreciation but also compels leaders to focus on the small, impactful actions their team members undertake daily.

Austin Cook [08:20]: “The number one thing people want in a small business, the number one thing people want is appreciation.”

By acknowledging even the smallest contributions, leaders can significantly boost their team's motivation and loyalty.

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4. Austin Cook’s Personal Story and Motivation

Austin shares his entrepreneurial journey, beginning with his bold decision to purchase a tint shop at the age of 19 for $105,000. This move, supported by his mother's trust, laid the foundation for his future endeavors.

Austin Cook [10:43]: “I sold my mom on letting me use my college fund to buy the business. I bought the business for 105,000.”

Despite facing significant challenges, including emotional struggles and setbacks like starting a failed clothing store, Austin's resilience and unwavering passion propelled him forward. His marriage of 13 years further exemplifies his dedication and ability to keep promises, reinforcing his leadership philosophy.

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5. Mistakes and Lessons Learned

Austin openly discusses his regrets, notably venturing into the clothing industry, which diverted his focus from his core business. However, he views these missteps as invaluable life lessons, emphasizing the importance of scalable business models and the critical role of mentorship.

Austin Cook [16:58]: “I wish I would have started listening to books sooner. Like in probably around 2016, I started picking up books.”

He credits literature and continuous learning as pivotal in shaping his business acumen and personal growth, underlining the necessity of seeking mentorship to accelerate success and avoid common pitfalls.

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6. The Importance of Continuous Learning and Mentoring

The conversation underscores the significance of continuous learning and the transformative impact of having a mentor. Austin explains how consuming knowledge through books and applying learned principles enhances confidence and drives actionable progress.

Austin Cook [18:13]: “I always feel good. I don't have anxiety as long as I know I'm working towards the next step.”

However, Austin also touches on the challenges of managing newfound ideas and the anxiety that comes with a relentless pursuit of improvement, balancing ambition with practical implementation.

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7. Building Influence Before Financial Success

A core theme of the episode is the concept of building influence before achieving financial success. Austin asserts that by focusing on self-improvement and discipline, individuals can attract wealth naturally without obsessively chasing money.

Austin Cook [22:09]: “If you focus on yourself. And what do I mean by focusing on yourself? To be specific, listen to the voice in the back of your head and do what it tells you to do on the little things... You’re gonna feel proud of yourself, and then you’re gonna become the version of yourself that's gonna attract money.”

This approach emphasizes the importance of internal growth as a precursor to external financial achievements, fostering a sustainable and fulfilling path to success.

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Andy and Austin conclude the episode by reiterating the importance of authenticity, continuous growth, and genuine appreciation in both personal and professional spheres. They encourage listeners to connect with Austin on Instagram (@TheTinstitute) for further guidance and mentorship, highlighting the availability of support for those striving to elevate their financial and personal lives.

Andy Elliott [23:00]: “Any successful person and every one of them that I've ever talked to, all of them said, if you don't do the little things, the big things will never last.”

Through heartfelt storytelling and practical advice, this episode offers a comprehensive roadmap for individuals seeking to overcome hidden struggles and unlock their full earning potential.

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Notable Quotes:

• Austin Cook [02:16]: “By keeping promises to yourself, you build a strong self-image. And then people want to be around you, build a different vibration and that allows you to build influence.”

• Austin Cook [07:14]: “One of the leadership hacks is removing the word employees and throwing it in the garbage and taking it out of your vocabulary and replacing it with team members.”

• Austin Cook [08:20]: “The number one thing people want in a small business, the number one thing people want is appreciation.”

• Austin Cook [22:09]: “If you focus on yourself... you’re gonna feel proud of yourself, and then you’re gonna become the version of yourself that's gonna attract money.”

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Connect with Austin Cook:

• Instagram: @TheTinstitute
• YouTube: The Tinstitute

For more insights and personalized mentorship, feel free to reach out to Austin Cook directly through his Instagram handle.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Andy Elliot]

Foreign. Hey, guys, what's going on? Andy Elliot. Guys, in this video, we're going to talk about only one thing, how to get paid more money. Now, every single one of you right now watching this, grab a pen, grab a piece of paper. We're probably going to give you, overall, by the time it's done, 50 ways to make more money. Most importantly, you get what you earn. Okay? People like, I want to make more money. You earn money. That's how money is made. It's earned. Am I right? And so you're going to talk right now about how people can get paid more money. By the way, tell everybody really quick who you are, the name of your company so they can get an idea, and also how they can follow you on Instagram. Maybe they can hit you a direct message after this if they want to link up with you because you're about to rip and drop heat.

[Austin Cook]

So, Austin Cook from the Tinstitute, you can find me at the Tinstitute on Instagram or the tinstitute on YouTube. And I help business owners with under 25 team members build influence.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah, by the way, built a great business out of California here with his beautiful wife. He's an absolute savage. This guy sends me a video every morning of him doing push ups, burpees, going psycho. He's amazing. But the cool thing is he knows how to build big businesses. But he's actually a firecracker, you know, I'm saying, which I didn't know that in the beginning. So, Austin, they're about to find out. Let it rip. If I was watching this right now, whether I'm a business owner, right, Or I'm just, I'm an employee working for a business. I mean, I'm an intrapreneur. How does someone get paid more money?

[Austin Cook]

So it all starts with becoming the best version of yourself. And you attract what you are. People think about you, what you think about yourself. So if you want people to think highly of you, you need to think highly of yourself. And what I found is a lot of people don't actually think highly of themselves and they have a lot of negative talk. And that's because they don't follow through with little promises they make to themselves every day. So what am I talking about when I talk about little promises to yourself? I'm talking about the things that are in your head that you might not tell anyone. So you're walking out of the house and you say, I'm going to do my laundry when I get home in your head. And you don't follow through. Well, you think on the surface that that doesn't really have an impact, but you think a little bit less about yourself. You say, I'm going to do the dishes as soon as I'm done eating, you decide not to do it. That has a little impact on what you think about yourself. And then it becomes a compounding effect against you in the sense that you start to believe that you can't accomplish the things you want to accomplish because you can't keep promises to yourself.

[Andy Elliot]

Well, so you got people that don't understand that, they're going to watch this right now. They're going to be like, okay, well that's not going to help me get paid more money. Help someone understand who hasn't made a lot of money, why that helps people get paid more money as we continue to keep going.

[Austin Cook]

So by keeping promises to yourself, you build a strong self image. And then people want to be around you, build a different vibration and that allows you to build influence. Because what I have found is a lot of small business owners, typically business owners that have less than 25 team members, they're not influential. People think that to become influential, you have to have a lot of money. You don't need to have a lot of money to become influential. You need to be able to have control over yourself. So I tell people to live hard. We've heard David Goggins say that before. What does that mean? That means living as if you have a drill sergeant by your side all day long, but without actually needing that drill sergeant. So the people I coach, I tell them to imagine having a chest cam on every day and every day when they lay down in bed, they're going to send me that footage. Would they be proud of the footage that they're sending me each and every day?

[Andy Elliot]

Or what if your family, what if your family got to review it all day long? Would they be proud of you?

[Austin Cook]

Exactly.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah.

[Austin Cook]

And most importantly, are you proud of it? Because if you're proud of it, you're going to think of yourself in a different way. Which tomorrow morning you're going to wake up with a different level of confidence.

[Andy Elliot]

Okay. All right, so let's talk about this too. We were talking about people that don't, people that are cheap hires. We talked about what they cost companies versus people that get paid a lot of money.

[Austin Cook]

They're basically free in small business. We all have thought before, and I'm guilty of this in my past, too. I can't afford a guy at x amount, say $30 an hour. I can't afford $40 now. And I tell that person, well, no shit, you can't afford that because he hasn't started yet. People think how much can they afford to pay with the money they have in their back pocket? And that's the wrong way to think about it. I tell people that the more you pay someone, the cheaper they are. Meaning the better, more talented the person is, the more they pay for themselves.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah, they bring value.

[Austin Cook]

People try to hire and get a deal on a new hire for say 15, $20 an hour and that person is extremely expensive because they can't do a project or complete something all on their own.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah, and how much business do they cost you?

[Austin Cook]

Right, but then when was the last.

[Andy Elliot]

Time a cheap employee made you a lot of money?

[Austin Cook]

Exactly.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah.

[Austin Cook]

When was the last time a cheap coach made you a lot of money? So the point is, explain what you.

[Andy Elliot]

Said about Walmart and Target. We were talking about like, you know, like when people. Yeah, but you know, Walmart and Target, they can hire by the masses, right?

[Austin Cook]

So they have different resources.

[Andy Elliot]

So they could, but they don't have unique smaller businesses. You're looking for unique people, right? People that have heart, have passion, who have specialized skill.

[Austin Cook]

They're most certainly unique. And here's another thing that frustrates me about small business owners that need help. They think that the jobs that they're giving their team should be blessed to have this opportunity. If you're in a small business with less than 25 team members, you're actually competing with a Target, a Home Depot, a Ross. And it's actually a lot easier to go work at one of those companies because you could hide out in an aisle, be on your phone, you can be in the bathroom. There's not a lot of pressure. You go to work for a small company like mine, there's a lot of pressure working right underneath the owner all day long. And owners forget that they think they're blessing their team with this amazing opportunity when for one, they're not influential because they don't follow through on what they say they're going to do. And for two, they're trying to be cheap and not pay a premium. But it's different in, you know, the top 500 companies because they have more resources. So like I was talking to you at the gym in a Target, if you do make a mistake, you're 15 minutes late, they call you into the office, they give you a write up, they threaten your job saying if you make the same mistake three times, we might let you Go. And that works because, you know they can replace you. Matter of fact, you know, they don't really need you. They can operate the store without you for a week or two while they find someone else. And in a small business, our team knows you're not going to fire me. You need me. And they also know you don't have time to hire people, because in a small company like mine, we're so transparent. Everyone knows everything. It's less than 25 people. So that's why I teach small business owners how to build influence before having financial success. And we do that through self discipline.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah. And you, and you guys wrote a book, right?

[Austin Cook]

I mean, it's not 25 leadership hacks for businesses under 25 team members.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah, let's talk about that. I think that's a big one, by the way. How to get paid more money.

[Austin Cook]

Yeah, exactly. So the foundation of getting paid more money is building more influence, which makes it easier to lead people as you become more successful. Yes, things do get easier because people want to know how you achieve success. Well, when we're young leaders, before we actually have achieved financial success, we can build influence by being the most disciplined, following through on our word. And all 25 leadership hacks go back to some way, shape or form, showing discipline, because discipline is one thing that everyone wants. Just like we all want money, we all want to be in control of ourselves. So one of the most powerful, and this is what I was telling you in the car. Out of all 25 leadership hacks, the most powerful leadership hack that'll change any small business with less than 25 team members, number one is hand. No, it's actually. I don't know where we put it in the book, but it's handwritten.

[Andy Elliot]

No, but you think this is.

[Austin Cook]

This is number one out of all.

[Andy Elliot]

25, you would say this is a way to connect with your employees on a whole different level.

[Austin Cook]

So let me back up a step. One of the leadership hacks is removing the word employees and throwing it in the garbage and taking it out of your vocabulary and replacing it with team members. That's one. So, but that. It sounds simple, but that's. Again, you have to be disciplined in removing that word and calling yourself how.

[Andy Elliot]

You feel about me when you say teammate or you say employee.

[Austin Cook]

Exactly. So that's one.

[Andy Elliot]

Or how important I am to you.

[Austin Cook]

Absolutely. So that's one of the 25 leadership hacks is removing the word employee from your vocabulary. Even when talking about other businesses. If you're talking about a competitor, you call you know, people that work for a competitor, team members as well. That takes discipline to remove that word and break that habit of using that word. And by the way, I have some people in my coaching program that have gotten called out by their team members for calling them workers, my guys, helpers. These are all things I hear in small businesses that owners refer to their team members as my guys, helpers, employees. The only acceptable terminology for people that work in small businesses are team members.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah, I love that.

[Austin Cook]

Okay, so that's one leadership hack. Like you said, the number one leadership hack out of all 25, if I can only tell my son one thing before I was dying, would be handwritten, specific thank you notes with every paycheck. And that's why some of these things you can only do with 25 team members. When you have 100 team members, it doesn't become scalable. But managers of their departments could do this and implement it.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah.

[Austin Cook]

And here's.

[Andy Elliot]

I'm gonna do this before I play this video.

[Austin Cook]

Here's the thing about this, because I.

[Andy Elliot]

Already know what it's gonna, you know.

[Austin Cook]

The number one thing people want in a small business, the number one thing people want is appreciation.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah.

[Austin Cook]

Okay. But in addition to that recognition, by doing handwritten, specific thank you notes, it requires us as leaders to focus on what our team is doing. Right. Rather than always focusing on where we wish they would improve. Because if we know we're writing handwritten specific thank you notes every two weeks, it requires us to have things to write and make it easy on ourselves. Right. When paychecks come out so we're not left, you know, trying to think of something on the spot. So my wife and I are keeping track of things our team is doing. Well. And here's the thing. The smaller the thing, the better. So if I see one of my team members pick up a piece of trash, if I see team members, you know, swap out toilet paper when it was empty, even though they weren't using the toilet that time, just for the next guy that's using it. Those are the most powerful things because we want to show our team that we notice the small things.

[Andy Elliot]

That's huge. Why are you so passionate about business owners? Right. I'm just asking because I was stuck.

[Austin Cook]

In a cycle where it's hard to lead people before you have financial monetary success.

[Andy Elliot]

Okay, walk us through your story real quick.

[Austin Cook]

Started real simple. Walked into a tint shop at 19 years old. I was in junior college. I watched the guy tint my windows. It took him 45 minutes. It cost me 75 bucks. Asked him right then and there if he would teach me how to tint. He said, no, it takes a lot longer than you think. I left. He called me back two weeks later. He said, hey, you were in here a couple weeks ago. You said you wanted to learn how to tint. Do you still want to learn how to tint? I said, yeah. I said. He said, I'll teach you how under one condition. I said, okay, what's that? He said, you got to buy the whole business. I drove down there, we talked about it, Called my mom, thought. Asked her what she thought. She said, look, go down there for two weeks straight. If at the end of two weeks, you're still interested, call me back. I said, wait a minute. So you're saying I can drop out of college if I get to go down. If I get to go down there for two weeks straight? She said, I guess so. So I went down there for two weeks straight, called my mom back. I said, I'm more interested than ever. I sold my mom on letting me use my college fund to buy the business. I bought the business for 105,000.

[Andy Elliot]

No way. That's crazy, bro.

[Austin Cook]

And at the time, my mom structured it like I was going to pay her back, and it was. It was a loan. I made my mom payments. I think the payments were, like, $2,500 a month. And then after, like, six months or so, she said, I paid for your sister to go to college. I was planning on you to go to college. You don't owe me.

[Andy Elliot]

That's cool. You had a good mom, bro. That's crazy, brother. And why does that make you emotional?

[Austin Cook]

It makes me emotional because at the time, I wanted to be here. So basically just proud of myself for being a savage.

[Andy Elliot]

It's good stuff.

[Austin Cook]

Like, it's. It's tears of joy.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah.

[Austin Cook]

Because, like, just at that time, I could remember, like, thinking, sorry. I could just remember at the time thinking, I want to go all the way to the top.

[Andy Elliot]

It's amazing.

[Austin Cook]

And so, like, we're on our journey. Sorry. We're on our journey there, but I want to help other people, like, speed that up, because it took me way longer than it should have.

[Andy Elliot]

Do you feel like that's why you started coaching, because you want to shortcut? You want to help people, have a mentor so they can have a shortcut to.

[Austin Cook]

Exactly.

[Andy Elliot]

Quick success.

[Austin Cook]

Exactly. Took me 17 years, and I'm nowhere finished. But, like, even still, if. If I knew everything I knew now, it could have probably been seven years instead of 17.

[Andy Elliot]

All right, let's talk about that. What are some things? And I love your passion. Listen me. This is why you're going to make it. This is why you made it. This is why you're continuing to change people's lives. Because you care. We're in a society where people don't care anymore and they're disconnected and they're numb. And you've stayed in the game. And so now you're wanting to help people achieve greatness. What are some things that you learned that you did right, that you think, like, never really helped you? You know, here you are later, you know, you've got this beautiful life. You can do what you want, you buy what you want, you have a good life. What are some things that you did that. That you think are things that everyone needs to know?

[Austin Cook]

Never quit. And for the longest time, like I was raised, if you just work hard, you'll get a break eventually. But, like, you know, we were working really hard, not getting a break. And then, you know, this was before even starting the institute because I didn't mention we own a brick and mortar company in San Luis Obispo, California. And then read a Russell Brunson book.com secrets and read crushing it by Gary Vee. And I remember literally slamming the book shut, going inside and telling my wife, Mikayla, that I wanted to start a company with.com in it because with a brick and mortar company, I just felt so consolidated to San Luis Obispo County. So we started. That's when the Tinstitute was born. And it's literally been everything I wanted it to be as far as being able to market to the whole world. We have fans all over the world.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah. Yeah. You have a big following. Tell me, tell me this. What was a time that you almost quit?

[Austin Cook]

Never.

[Andy Elliot]

I know.

[Austin Cook]

I never, never every. Like, I would cry a lot and I would always say, there's no place else I'd rather be.

[Andy Elliot]

That's amazing.

[Austin Cook]

Like, 2:00 in the morning at the shop, crying out of frustration. But, like, in the middle of crying, I would say, there's no place else I'd rather be.

[Andy Elliot]

So this is a side. This is the side of entrepreneurship that people don't share. This right here, like, this is the side people don't share. Like, you see on social media, everybody like, yeah, man, I killed it. And, you know, success. It rained. That's not. That's not it.

[Austin Cook]

Yeah. I wish I could say that, but with all this gray in my beard, it's like, I Can't even try to pull that off. It took me way too long.

[Andy Elliot]

How long you and your wife been married?

[Austin Cook]

13. Well, we've been together 13 years. Here's a crazy story real quick. So I bought the business in 2008. I met my wife in 2010. She had just graduated Cal Poly, second in her class in economics in three years. So she graduated a year early, second in her class in economics, Got a great job at a tech company. I sold her on quitting that and coming to work for me. And it was just me and one other guy at the time. We're probably doing less than $200,000 in revenue.

[Andy Elliot]

Good salesman. We got lucky.

[Austin Cook]

But, you know, here's the thing I want to really mention is that one thing I teach people. If you want to get your dream woman, it's a super simple formula. Do everything you say you're going to do. And if you're not going to do it, just don't say you are. And here's the thing I tell people on the first date. You could start framing it by saying, hey, I'm going to be there at 9:45. And actually being there at 9:30, you could say, hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be right back. And you can actually go to the bathroom and be right back. And so I stepped up by making promises, little promises. And then eventually it got to the point where I said, you know, I'm gonna be successful. And she's like, he's going to.

[Andy Elliot]

What's your favorite thing about your wife?

[Austin Cook]

That she took a chance on me.

[Andy Elliot]

That's huge. All right, all right, listen. How many kids you got? Okay? If someone's watching this right now, and this was how to get paid more money. Right? Okay. Would you say that your passion is a big reason why you made it? Would you. Would you say that, you know, you're proven people wrong is a big reason you made it? Would you say that people believed in you and you didn't want to let them down? You know what I mean?

[Austin Cook]

I would definitely say my passion is a huge part of it.

[Andy Elliot]

What's making you tick? To keep running hard?

[Austin Cook]

The fear of laying down on my deathbed and never getting to experience what it's like to not have to worry about money at all and knowing that someone else can do it. And I just think if someone else can do it, then I definitely can.

[Andy Elliot]

That's a fact. Yeah. So. So what's a mistake you made? That was a trap.

[Austin Cook]

I started a clothing store with a Friend. Halfway through all of this and it. In the 17 years I took a detour, I, you know, I never stopped my brick and mortar sign company. But I. We took a detour and started a clothing company. But I mean, I regret it, but I don't because I.

[Andy Elliot]

At the time, it was a life lesson, right?

[Austin Cook]

It was a life lesson. But at the time, the idea was to choose a scalable business model because, you know, the. The brick and mortar tint shop business model is very hard to scale. Not to say it can't be done, but the clothing business model, although it's compet. You have the opportunity to scale.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah.

[Austin Cook]

So that was the goal. And then once I read Russell Brunson's book Dotcom Secrets and crushing It, I was like the personal brand and using the Internet to sell e comm is the way to go.

[Andy Elliot]

A huge band, so.

[Austin Cook]

But a big mistake. I can't think of any massive mistakes other than not hiring a mentor sooner. But we were looking for mentors at the time. They were harder to find back then. Before Instagram and YouTube and everything.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah, me too. Growing up, man, I was a leaderless.

[Austin Cook]

Man for a long time, I would say. Also, I wish I would have started listening to books sooner. Like in probably around 2016, I started picking up books.

[Andy Elliot]

That's huge. So when you study, when you learn, when you develop. Right. When you have a mentor, tell me what happens inside of you in order to get paid more money. Tell me what's happening every time you learn from somebody now you coach other people, you help build this, this next generation of people, people your age, people younger. Right. I see what you do. What is. What is going on when you learn, what do you feel? Do you feel more confident?

[Austin Cook]

Traction, which within traction there's satisfaction. So like I always feel good. I don't have anxiety as long as I know I'm working towards the next step. So even literally just by knowing I listen to a book on the way to work rather than listen to music, I feel good because I know I'm taking the little steps.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah. Do you feel like something that you're always learning is being applied somewhere every day? Like you're constantly have an edge on everyone else because you just keep.

[Austin Cook]

I will say sometimes I get anxiety by learning because I get so many ideas and then I get to work and I want to implement them, but we can't move as fast as I want to move. It's like being in traffic, but being late somewhere and it's like I want to move faster but I can't move the traffic out of the way because at the end of the day, we can only grow so fast. But I don't think so. Sometimes I literally stop listening to books just to slow down.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah, most people get. Most people get on a highway and it's busy, and they want to get off the highway. You want to smash everything.

[Austin Cook]

I want to go in the shoulder and pass it.

[Andy Elliot]

I love it. All right. I want to end this with one thing. By the way, I appreciate you sharing your heart today. Means a lot, man. And I promise you, dude, everybody that's watching this right now, it's super important. You know, it's rare that you find real people. Right? You know, like, real. Like, R E, A L. Real people. And you're a real dude, man. And so I. I love this. You know, one of the first times we first started coaching together and doing stuff, I remember I thought you were real, like, a quiet guy. I really. I thought you were really quiet.

[Austin Cook]

That's because I have to suppress myself, so I don't bulldog you.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah, well, he sent this video. He's got his shirt off, and he's going. And I'm like. I'm like, who is this guy? Then I started to learn. I'm like, oh, okay. You know, I'm saying, like, we all have these, you know, my wife, I tell her, I'm like, I know I'm bipolar, ocd, acd, you know, odd, whatever. I got it all. I got everything. You know, I'm saying, it's like. I'm like. Like you said, I have a computer screen open at all times. It's like 50 tabs open. I just. I want to see all 50 at once. And, you know, it's a superpower. So if anybody ever labels you as, like, something, like, just know that's a superpower. It's basically, you were. You're born with an off switch.

[Austin Cook]

Yep.

[Andy Elliot]

There is no off switch. And, you know, it's a superpower, man. It's. It's.

[Austin Cook]

No, just like you were saying in the car this morning, it's an insult to call me normal. So anytime someone says I'm something, I go 100%.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah. I was telling in the car, we were talking about, like, if somebody's like, you're weird. You're like, thanks. Like, that means I'm not normal. Like, that is so good. 99 of the world's normal. And they don't make statues out of normal people. So I love that. Okay, so obviously. And I have add. Sorry, I forgot what I was going to ask you, but we'll. But we'll. We'll finish out here at the end with. Somebody's watching this right now. They want to change their life. They want to go to the next level. Right. You mentor, you coach people. Young guys. You have young guys, young gals. Your wife's involved in the coaching. She's awesome. She supports. I mean, obviously, you're the face of it right now, but you guys are building this thing together. I know people can set up a call with you to, you know, figure out how to scale and grow. Specifically, you help people develop. But you're really niched right now and really focus on people who want to build businesses, right?

[Austin Cook]

Yep. Businesses with under 25 team members.

[Andy Elliot]

That's right. That. That's your niche. That's your main thing. That startup, that thing that you said, you know, hey, I built this company X amount of millions. You know, it took me too long. I didn't have a mentor.

[Austin Cook]

And here's why. Because I want to help people build influence before they've achieved financial success. And you can do that with discipline, and you can do that by becoming the best version of yourself.

[Andy Elliot]

I love that.

[Austin Cook]

So you don't have to focus on the money. For so long, I was just focused on the money. Focused on the money. And I even told my wife so many times that I feel like I'm focused so much on the money that I'm pushing it away like two magnets flip the wrong way.

[Andy Elliot]

That's right.

[Austin Cook]

And so instead of focusing on the money, if you focus on yourself. And what do I mean by focusing on yourself? To be specific, listen to the voice in the back of your head and do what it tells you to do on the little things, the laundry, the dishes, the toilet seat, the trash that you walk by in the middle of a parking lot. And if you do everything that voice tells you to do, you're gonna feel proud of yourself, and then you're gonna become the version of yourself that's gonna attract money.

[Andy Elliot]

Well, any successful person and every one of them that I've ever talked to, all of them said, if you don't do the little things, the big things will never last.

[Austin Cook]

People won't think that they'll. People don't get that person once they get the money. You have to become that person before you get the money.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah, that's right. Yeah. And so people can reach out to you on Instagram. All right. And they can DM you.

[Austin Cook]

Yep.

[Andy Elliot]

Give them your Instagram.

[Austin Cook]

Instagram. The Tinstitute.

[Andy Elliot]

Okay, we'll put that up here. And then obviously, you guys can reach out. You guys can shoot him a dm. You guys can connect with him. You can ask any questions. I really appreciate you sharing your heart.

[Austin Cook]

Absolutely.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah. You really grew on me. Just. I like that. I always, always say, once you cry with somebody, now we're growing. You know what I'm saying?

[Austin Cook]

Expose the skeletons.

[Andy Elliot]

Yeah. So I appreciate you, man. I'm grateful for you. I know you're going to do big things. I always like these times because we look back in, like, three years or like, we look forward in three years, you know, and we're looking back and we're like, oh, my gosh. You know what I'm saying? Well, there was a time where. And I'll just share this with you real quick. You know, we built this big company, and I wanted to delete all my old videos. I went through this phase. I told my wife. I was like, I don't like who I used to be. Like, I actually went back, and somebody was like, dude, I was watching this old video of you, and I was like, dude, I'm deleting this. I'm like, dude, this is the worst video I've ever seen in my life. I'm like, dude, that's embarrassing. Get this off. And my wife's like, we're not deleting your past. That's not how it works. The goal is, is if you really want to inspire people, people have to see the journey. You know I'm saying? And so as we're watching this right now, you built a big business. You're building your coaching game right now. I'm excited to see where, you know, a couple years from now, where you'll be. And it's cool because we look back on these, and it's going to be awesome.

[Austin Cook]

Awesome.

[Andy Elliot]

Thanks for how many people's lives you change. You bet. All right, guys, make sure you go follow them on Instagram. We appreciate you. You guys can send them a message.

[Austin Cook]

Yes, sir.

[Andy Elliot]

DM me. Yeah. We love you guys. Have a blessed day. We'll see you in the next podcast.

[Austin Cook]

Thank you.