*The CEO Picked Up Trash (Then Everyone Else Got the Message) S2 Ep 71*

Tiny customer service habits that separate good companies from great ones Would a dirty sidewalk cost you a customer? Would a rude employee cost you a great hire? Would one ignored hello tell people your company does not care? Brian, Brad, and Matt start with three words everybody learned in kindergarten: please, hello, thank you. Then it gets bigger fast. Brad brings up the CEO of Kalahari Resorts, a guy running massive water park resorts who still picks up tiny scraps of paper himself. That is not trash removal. That is leadership. When the person at the top cares about the floor, the sidewalk, the lobby, and the guest experience, everyone else gets the message. Then the guys hit the real issue. A smudged window, a dirty walkway, a front desk that does not say hello, a customer left sitting in the lobby, a Chipotle line where nobody explains what is happening. None of those feel huge in the moment. Together, they tell customers exactly how seriously you run the business.

In this conversation you'll discover: • Why small service habits create big trust signals • How leaders set culture without saying a word • Why Matt drove out with no notice to fix one client experience face to face • Why a candidate being rude to a server tells you everything • Why you cannot memo your way into warmth

*WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS • Pick up the trash yourself. People copy what leaders repeat. • Walk through your own customer experience with fresh eyes. • Train the tiny phrases: hello, can I help you, sorry I kept you waiting. • Hire for how people treat everyone, not just the boss.

WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side. Matt Croke keeps them honest.

*THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If this is how they treat the small thing, what do they do with the bigger things?" That is the whole episode. Customers rarely say the sidewalk lost them. They just stop trusting you. Drop a comment: What's the tiny customer experience detail that drives you insane? Subscribe for cocktails, chaos, and CEOs keeping it real.

*TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Tornado warning, still recording 1:01 - Please, hello, thank you 2:53 - The CEO who picked up trash 4:21 - The dirty sidewalk problem 6:37 - Matt drives out to fix it in person 8:43 - Hotel front desk rant 10:02 - The Chipotle line problem 11:19 - You cannot memo culture 14:13 - Customer-facing means you are on stage 17:06 - The server test for hiring

*ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* Real CEOs. Real problems. No BS. Brian and Brad Balduf share what actually happens when you're running the show. Hosted by Matt Croke.

🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three tiny signals. Pick the one that matches your customer experience sin.

🍸 *THE TRASH PICKER* Brian Balduf - The guy watching the details Recipe: 2 oz bourbon ¾ oz lemon juice ½ oz honey syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters Lemon peel Shake with ice, strain over a large cube. The Vibe: A clean, sharp reminder that leaders do not walk past the problem. They pick it up, fix it, and make everyone else notice.

🍸 *THE DIRTY SIDEWALK SPRITZ* Brad Balduf - The first impression inspector Recipe: 2 oz vodka 1 oz grapefruit juice ½ oz lime juice ½ oz simple syrup Top with soda Build over ice and stir. The Vibe: Bright, simple, and impossible to hide when it is off. Just like the entrance to your business before a customer ever reaches the desk.

🍸 *THE SERVER TEST* Matt Croke - Reading the room Recipe: 2 oz gin ¾ oz elderflower liqueur ¾ oz lemon juice 2 oz chilled sparkling wine Lemon twist Shake gin, elderflower, and lemon with ice. Strain into a flute, top with sparkling wine. The Vibe: Polished on the surface, but the truth shows up in how you treat people. If someone is rude to the server, do not hire them. Make all three. Which one exposes your business fastest: the trash, the sidewalk, or the server test? Tag us.

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#CustomerExperience #LeadershipCulture #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessPodcast #CEOLife