From Stutter to 8-Figure Success: 21-Year-Old's Journey | Anthony Cirino DSH #926

Summary

Digital Social Hour: From Stutter to 8-Figure Success – Anthony Cirino's Journey

Episode: From Stutter to 8-Figure Success: 21-Year-Old's Journey | Anthony Cirino DSH #926
Release Date: November 27, 2024
Host: Sean Kelly

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Introduction

In this inspiring episode of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly welcomes one of his youngest guests, Anthony Cirino, a 21-year-old entrepreneur who has remarkably scaled an eight-figure business within just two years. Anthony shares his transformative journey from overcoming a debilitating stutter to achieving substantial financial success in the sales industry.

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Early Life and Overcoming Speech Impediment

Anthony opens up about his struggle with a stutter that began in fourth grade following a traumatic incident during a school presentation. This challenge significantly impacted his confidence and ability to engage with others.

Anthony (00:00): "My stutter was only a problem because I let it hold me back and like actually become a problem. When I just chose, like consciously to not let this be a problem anymore, it just went away."

Growing up in Ohio, Anthony avoided speaking in front of others, even emailing teachers to escape class presentations. However, a pivotal moment came in 2022 when he decided to confront his fear.

Anthony (12:16): "It was fourth grade, I was giving a presentation and I just couldn't speak. Everyone was laughing, and I was like, oh, frick, what the heck? It's embarrassing."

The Role of Mentorship: Meeting Mo

Faced with the decision to leave college and pursue sales, Anthony reached out to his former neighbor and mentor, Mo, who had previously appeared on Sean Kelly's show. This connection provided Anthony with the guidance and opportunity to enter the door-to-door sales industry.

Anthony (04:24): "Mo ran the whole company that I went to work with and stuff. I just had to reach out to him when I was getting kicked out of the house."

Under Mo's mentorship, Anthony began working in door-to-door sales in Florida, a move that forced him out of his comfort zone and into constant interaction with homeowners.

Transforming a Challenge into a Strength

Through persistent engagement in sales, Anthony discovered that his stutter, rather than a hindrance, became an asset. The initial difficulty in speaking helped him connect authentically with homeowners, leading to higher trust and sales success.

Anthony (23:35): "Having this speech impediment helped me in this industry where I wouldn't have ever understood that if I didn't take a risk."

His commitment and strategic approach led to impressive financial results, including earning $190,000 in just three and a half months.

Anthony (19:26): "April to August, I made 190 grand. Holy crap."

Business Growth: From Sales to Roofing

After gaining significant experience and income in sales, Anthony pivoted to the roofing industry in Ohio. Recognizing the opportunity to capitalize on insurance claims due to hailstorms, he effectively scaled his business, achieving over $8.5 million in revenue within the year and projecting to surpass $10 million by year's end.

Anthony (26:48): "This year we've done eight and a half million. By the end of the year, we'll probably be over 10 million for sure."

Sean Kelly and Anthony discuss the lucrative nature of commission-based work and how Anthony's sales prowess directly translates to business success.

Sean Kelly (21:04): "I would never take a salary job... you could translate commission mentality to almost any industry if you're good at sales."

Mindset and Personal Growth

A significant turning point for Anthony was rediscovering his Christian faith in October 2022, which reinforced his belief that "the only problems and limits are created in your own head."

Anthony (16:37): "I became Christian again. In the Bible, it says the Lord wouldn't give you any problem that you can't handle."

This mindset shift empowered him to view his stutter not as a barrier but as a unique trait that could drive his success.

Future Aspirations

Looking ahead, Anthony aspires to speak at conferences for youth with stutters, aiming to inspire others by sharing how his challenges fueled his entrepreneurial journey.

Anthony (28:54): "One of the things I want to do within the next year or two is speak at a conference for youth that have stutters and let them understand that what they have can help them if they are in the right vehicle, like sales."

Sean Kelly expresses his support for Anthony's goals, highlighting him as a living proof of overcoming obstacles.

Sean Kelly (30:30): "You're living proof of that, man."

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Conclusion

Anthony Cirino's story is a testament to the power of resilience, mentorship, and the right mindset in transforming personal challenges into extraordinary success. From battling a stutter to leading an eight-figure business, Anthony exemplifies how embracing one's unique traits can pave the way for remarkable achievements.

For those interested in following Anthony's journey or connecting with him, you can reach out via his Instagram @AnthonyCirino (link in bio).

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Thank you for tuning into this episode of Digital Social Hour. Stay inspired and keep striving for your own success stories!

Transcript

[A]

Was only a problem because I let it hold me back and like actually become a problem. When I just chose, like consciously to not let this be a problem anymore, it just went away.

[B]

All right, guys, one of the youngest guests I've had on out of a thousand, we got Anthony here today. 21 years old, man.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And already killing it financially, dude.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, when I graduated high school back in 2022, I basically just dropped out of college and left. Went across the country. Country to do sales. And now you jump ahead two years and I'm running an eight figure business doing it.

[B]

So wait, you left the country, you.

[A]

Said no, I pack in high school. I graduated 2022, and then June 2022, I went from Ohio to Florida to door to door sales, door to door sales. And I learned a lot doing sales.

[B]

Got it. So you just left on a whim or did you have someone there doing it already?

[A]

I had a mentor if. Do you know Mofala? Mo?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, he's been on the show. Yeah, Small world.

[A]

He, he, he's my mentor. I just had a call with him like an hour ago.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

But he ran these whole company that I went to work with and stuff. But yeah, I mean, it was crazy because I went from back in high school, I didn't really speak to people. I would literally email teachers to get out of speaking in front of the class or like, I. It was 12th grade, I had a teacher call on me and I was just like, oh, crap, why'd she call me? And then I wrote her an email and I was scared and I was like, please don't call on me ever again. Because I was stutter. And I was like, jesus sucks. And then once I treasured high school, I had a couple Division 1 Hoffers to play football and I didn't go. And my parents were like, what are you doing? Like, why don't you go to school? You have all these offers. You can go to school and you don't have to pay. And I was like, I'm not going to go to the NFL. Like, I don't want to go then. Yeah, like, because if I went to school, yes, I would get a degree, but, like, it wouldn't lead to any kind of job that I wanted. So when I told my parents that I wasn't going to school, they were like, okay, well then you gotta leave. Like, I was like, all right. So I hit up Mo and I was like, hey, pretty much I am getting kicked out of the house right now. I know, like, you hate College too. And I know that you run a hey success f full company and was do you do. I didn't even understand how you find his page. So he actually, he grew up like 12 houses away from me.

[B]

Oh, you neighbor.

[A]

When I was a kid, like, yeah, he was my neighbor. I knew him like he's about eight years older. He's in my older brother's grade.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And he'd hang out with him and I was like 12 years old. He was in high school. Well, yeah, 12. And he was probably 20 or whatever. And I'd hang out with them and I was like, hey, well I gotta hang out with them. And then I had him on like I believe Instagram or Twitter. And I was just like always like oh geez, he's. He's out doing whatever, like what the heck's this guy doing? And then basically just out of desperation, I just hit him up and I was just like, dude, what do you do? I'm pretty much getting kicked out of the house. Like, how can you help me? Like, hey man. Like. And then he had me on an interview and next thing you know I was in. In Florida speaking to people every day, doing door to door sales.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So you had to overcome your fear through going door to door?

[A]

Yeah, I went through. I remember when I got to Florida, I was like, what am I doing here? Think I was like, what is the job? I didn't know what it was. And he's like, you make a lot of money doing it. Like you can help a lot of people out. I was like, cool, whatever, I'll come. Like game have to come. I do not have a choice, basically. So I went and, and I remember at a young age, I was probably 8 to 10 years old, I had a speech. Speech therapist. Yes. And I remember I was like 8 years old. And we drew like a line down the middle on a piece of paper and it was like strengths and weaknesses, right? And it was all these things like tranx. I was like young. I was eight years old and it was just like all these things. And then the one problem that I had was my speech. And at a young age it kind of in grained it that like it was a problem and that it would hold me back in life and it would prohibit me from ever like helping people or ever being able to actually do what I want to do. And from 8 years old up until like 20, I was just like, it's a problem. It'll hold, it'll hold me back. And it was pretty scary even like, doing the podcast and this kind of tough is pretty scary too. But like my hunter to that, like, if I don't allow this to be a problem, then it won't hold me back at all. And it's just like, you probably haven't ever had a. Hey. Guest on here who has a stutter, I'm assuming, have you?

[B]

Not to your level. No, not to your level. I've had some that had like, a minor one maybe, but this sounds like something you've been dealing with your whole life.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, I've had it. And there are times where it isn't that bad, and then there are times where it is bad.

[B]

What do you think triggers that difference when it's bad versus just not as bad?

[A]

I think the main trigger is when I, like, am extremely conscious of, like, what I'm speak. Speaking about. When you speak, like, you're on autopilot, probably, and it just kind of rolls off your mouth, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But when high speak, and I try to speak in a way that I have to actually process what I want to say, that's when it happens.

[B]

Interesting. So when you have to think about what you're saying to say, okay, I.

[A]

Stutter because if I'm just like, here talking, I don't really. Isn't that weird?

[B]

That's what I notice, because some of your sentences, you're just crystal clear. But then when you have to think of the word or the thing you're thinking about, I noticed that's when it kicks in.

[A]

Well, it's just like when you speak, like I said, you're on autopilot when high speak to, like, a homeowner or a client. And it's a crypt that I've, like, used hundreds of times. It's really like, get on release, tutor at all.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

At all. Because. And I only learned that from getting over this and just speaking to people. Because, I mean, for 12 years, I'd say from. From kindergarten up until when I graduated high school, I didn't speak to people, and I would just be like, no, I'm not talking to anyone today. Like, whatever. But once I, like, had to speak and it was like, okay, like, you got to give. I was giving 20 plus presentations to homeowners like, like every day. And within that, after about one week, it was almost gone. My stutter.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. Which is crazy.

[B]

That is crazy.

[A]

And then if I, like, when I handle stuff that is pretty uncomfortable and I just handle it often and I just consistently do stuff that is comfortable, then the speech problem Kind of goes away when I do that.

[B]

That's fascinating.

[A]

Isn't that weird?

[B]

Yeah. I didn't know that about people that had a stutter. I thought you just had it in all aspects.

[A]

No. And it's pretty crazy that, like, I haven't had it my whole life. It just like kind of spawned in, like, in fourth grade. It just like spawned. And I was like, I have a stutter. I guess.

[B]

Was it like a specific incident you remember?

[A]

Yeah, it was. I. It was fourth grade, I was giving a presentation and I just couldn't speak.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And everyone was like, laughing and I was like, oh, frick, what the heck? It's embarrassing.

[B]

I can relate to this.

[A]

It just like hit like, compiled. And then after the presation, the teacher was like, hey, come here. And then was like, you have a stutter. Like, you gotta have this helped out and like, whatever. And I was like, oh, well, I guess I have a stutter. But prior to that, I don't have any recollection of, like, having a stutter.

[B]

Interesting. So it's like a traumatic incident triggered it almost, I guess, you know? Yeah. When I. Dude, when I had to give presentations in school, I would purposely either skip.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Or just take it. Zero.

[A]

Really?

[B]

That's how scared I was.

[A]

You just didn't do it.

[B]

I hated it. It was so uncomfortable.

[A]

Podcast.

[B]

I know. That's the thing, right? You got to. The biggest growth is when you overcome your fears.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So, yeah, now I'm talking, like, I'm doing public speaking now, to be honest. And like, yeah. I'm speaking at Irwin McManus's event in a couple weeks. It'll probably be the biggest crowd I've ever spoken at, so at least a thousand, I'd assume. He's got a huge church and everything.

[A]

So that's scary stuff.

[B]

Yeah, it's good though.

[A]

Like, that's.

[B]

It's good. Yeah. I'm a little nervous, but I know there's tremendous growth through that. So.

[A]

Yeah, no, I mean, that's one of like, the, like, it hit me. 2022, I would say October of 2022 is when I understood that, like, the only problems and only limits are created in your own head. Like, it isn't even real. Like, any problem or any stuff that, like, holds you back. His just created in your own head and understood that and understood that, like, the stutter was only a problem because I let it hold me back and like, actually become a problem. When I just chose, like, consciously to not let this be a problem anymore, it just went away. And it was like, it didn't hold me back from. From speaking to people anymore. Like, if you were to have hit me up when I was in high school and asked me to hop on a podcast, I'd just be like, no, there's no way. And when I. When you guys hit me up, I was just like, sure. Because it's just like, already spoken to tens of thousands of, like, homeowners in what I do. And I didn't let that hold me back with that aspect, so I can't let it hold me back from this too. So.

[B]

Absolutely. I love that mindset. Yeah, we'll get into the business side of things because you're crushing it there. So when you were at home, did you have a stutter with your parents?

[A]

For sure.

[B]

You said you had a brother too.

[A]

Yeah, so when I was around my parents, the stutter, like, wasn't bad at all. The stutter really wasn't there. It only happens again when I have to, like, consciously process what I'm speaking about when I'm around my parents or for friends is not bad. And it's because, like, I'm just kind of rolling, like, I'm just speaking and it just kind of rolls off my tongue.

[B]

That's interesting.

[A]

So if people have a cutter and they are hearing this, like, hits, it didn't, like, hold me back. Once I understood that one, One thing that happened, I would say October again of 2022 is when I became, like, Christian again. Does that make sense? And it's in the Bible that the Lord wouldn't give you any problem that you can't handle. And it's like, whatever you have happening, you can handle it. And it's like any thing that, like, you. That you question, oh, would I be able to get through it? Or any thing like that. You can.

[B]

Wow. So you rediscovered Christianity. So you went through a time when you, you.

[A]

Yeah, high school. I grew up Catholic and we went to church up until like, high school, and then we stopped and then rediscovered it. 2022.

[B]

I feel like that's common. I think a lot of people stop in middle school, high school. That's when I stopped too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just get so wrapped up with sports. And I was playing like five different sports, so. Plus I didn't like church, to be honest.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, as a kid, it's like, you know, you want to jump off the wall. Well, dude, now you got an eight figure roofing company at just 21 years old.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you have this stutter. It's like Honestly, super inspirational.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

I need to hear like, how.

[A]

So you met one.

[B]

So you worked with Mo, right? So he was sort of your mentor.

[A]

Solar. Yeah. And he is still. He's. He's my coach. Like.

[B]

Got it.

[A]

I pay him.

[B]

And then what was that next step once you were working for him for.

[A]

A bit with Mo? I worked there from June of 2022 up until April of 2023. And then I got into roofing in Ohio.

[B]

So you moved back.

[A]

Moved back to Ohio. And from April to August I was like 20 back then. Right. I made 190 grand.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

April to August. Three and a half months.

[B]

Yeah, three and a half months.

[A]

Holy crap. And I was just like, all right.

[B]

Like that's all commission.

[A]

This is. Yeah, all commission based. Like everything's just all commission. And I love that about like this industry is that like if you have a skill like you get rewarded in correlation to kill level. And like when I understood that the income that I make is directly correlated to like what, what high, like deuce. I understood that like this is the closest thing to actually honing a business without actually having to own a business.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because like if you don't produce, you don't make money. It's just like you owning a business, like you have to generate revenue to make a living. That's how it is in this as well.

[B]

That's why I personally like commission. Like, yeah, I would never take a salary job.

[A]

Never.

[B]

You know what I mean? It's not smart just because I believe in myself and I've done commission jobs in the past and done well. And you could translate commission like mentality to almost any industry too, if you're good at sales, which is what you are.

[A]

Well, yeah, I mean I went from. It hit me in August of 2022 that I was like, okay, I'm pretty good at sales. Like I can use this. And it's because like when you have a tutter, like and you speak to a homeowner or any kind of prospect, it. It like almost makes you a human to the, the homeowner and the. And if a homeowner and let's say I knocked on his home and was like, hey, what's up? And I start to tutter. He like hears me out and he's like, what's this kid talking about? I feel that if he hears it out then he's gonna do it because it's just like, it's. It's either is like an absolute no brainer. And the way that we're Doing roofing his as well. It's just like. Okay. I mean it can help me. Like why not?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So when you're in hence hails like your job when you like cold call is just to get the homeowner to hear you out. And if he hears you out, he, he's gonna do it because it's just like, dude, this makes a lot of sense.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So having these speeches impediment helped me in this industry where I wouldn't have ever understood that if I didn't take a risk though. And I wasn't like, I'm just going to do it. I got out of my comfort zone and I was just like, I'm going to do it. And then it ended up working out crazy. So.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And all.

[B]

Yeah. To your advantage, the stutter instead of like. Cuz like you said the first 10 years you thought it was like a disadvantage. You looked at it really negatively. You didn't talk to anyone.

[A]

It held me back. Yeah.

[B]

Right. So it's just a mindset shift. That's. That's really fascinating. Yeah. Dude, I'm gonna hit you up for solar. Cuz my energy bill last month. $2,000.

[A]

What?

[B]

Yeah. $2,200 in Vegas. Yeah.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Isn't that crazy?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's not like I use that energy that often. I wasn't even home half the month. I was traveling.

[A]

2,000 bucks.

[B]

$2,200.

[A]

That's insane.

[B]

Yeah, it's nuts.

[A]

That's a big house though.

[B]

I wonder what the average savings on solar are compared to electrical here.

[A]

I don't know here, but where I was doing it in Florida, it would pretty much cut the bill by like 20% at least. Least.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And keep it locked in for like 20 years. 20 plus years.

[B]

And that's where you save the most because they be raising those rates here. Oh my God. Yeah. We're getting wrecked out here.

[A]

Really?

[B]

We're the fastest raising state, I believe. Like it went up a stupid amount last year.

[A]

It's a good state to do solar.

[B]

Then you might have to explore here. Super hot out here. So there's a lot of sun. Yeah. Now you're doing roofing, which I feel like. Yeah, I want to talk about that transition because solar got kind of saturated, Right.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I know a lot of guys that got wrecked. So for you to be able to pivot was a smart move. Looks like.

[A]

I mean it's just like how I do roofing here. We do it to where if the homeowner has like a horrible hail Storm. Right. And he's got an old roof. Like, let's say usually the homes that I help, like it's about a 20 year old roof and it's like you have to replace it in the next year or two anyways. But if you have a hailstorm and it just crushes the roof, you get your homeowners in currents to actually cover the whole roof cost.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And I've had homeowners save. Okay. I had one last week on Monday. He had approved for like 120k.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

For a roof insurance.

[B]

They cost that much?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

How big was the house?

[A]

It was a big house. It was like 12,000 square feet.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

Big house.

[B]

Still. That's.

[A]

That's still a big roof. And it was about 20 years old. And he was like, if you can get our insurance to like handle this roof cost, then I'm all here for it. Because he. He didn't want to spend 120 grand on a roof. It's a lot of money out of pocket at once. And just a roof and his h cover the whole roof cost. So.

[B]

So you. Where do you step in on that to make money? Exactly. Like you negotiate that. Oh, you're the ones actually doing the roof. Okay.

[A]

And this year we've done eight and a half million this year.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

So we're close to. By the end of the year, we'll probably be over 10 million for sure.

[B]

That's incredible.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean. Yeah. You got time. You'll definitely hit that. I was just in Dallas last week and there was a hailstorm.

[A]

Yeah. Big hell.

[B]

I Woke up at 4am Heard it. Yeah. It was the second one I've ever been in. I was. Where was I? I was in a crazy one one time.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah. Hail's no joke.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That could definitely damage a roof.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And cars too. I wonder if car insurance covers that.

[A]

Yeah, it does.

[B]

It does.

[A]

Usually it does.

[B]

Wow. Damn. So I'll keep an eye out for hail storms and text you.

[A]

Hail or tornadoes, anything like that.

[B]

What states do you do this in?

[A]

I'm in Ohio. We're in Ohio. But we just had that hurricane that hit down in.

[B]

Oh, that reached Ohio.

[A]

Florida. No, it had Florida and Georgia, like pretty bad. And we're gonna head there Monday next week. We're gonna go there.

[B]

I got a buddy that Chase. Yeah, Chase the storms, Chase the storms. And he makes a lot. Millions.

[A]

Yeah. He's good money.

[B]

As soon as he sees a big storm, he flies out the next morning.

[A]

Flies.

[B]

Rents a car and then drives around Looks for damaged buildings and then finds the owner's number, hits them up.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Crazy. Yeah, I mean, it's.

[A]

It sounds fun actually, because, I mean, we had a. I mean, it was a horrible hurricane and then got ready like 112 people died from it.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

Yeah, it was bad.

[B]

That's crazy.

[A]

And homes are just destroyed. Like, it isn't only like the roof that that has to get replaced. Like, gets the whole homes, a lot of them. So.

[B]

But yeah, I was seeing some wild videos.

[A]

It's nuts.

[B]

Well, dude, it's been really cool getting to know, like, what goes on behind the scenes. Where can. Where can people keep up with you, find you, potentially work with you or work for you?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, on my Instagram, they can hit me up. I have a link in my bio that they can reach out to me on. But one of the one things that I want to do, like within the next year or two years is like to speak at a conference for youth that have, like, stutters. Like, just speak there. And I believe there's like a foundation for the youth that have a stutter and they hold like a conference once a year. So that's like one goal that I have is to speak there and just let the youth understand that, like, what they have can actually help them if they are in the right vehicle, like sales. If a kid has like a. Hey, speech problem, then, like, they need to do sales. Like, you can help them a ton.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

They can make a killing, dude.

[B]

I mean, you're living proof of that, man. You're living proof.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, it's helps out a ton.

[B]

I'll do my best to get you on that stage, man. I'll see what connections I can make for you.

[A]

That'd be sick.

[B]

Awesome, dude. We'll link your Instagram below. Thanks for coming on.

[A]

Of course.

[B]

Yep. Thanks for watching, guys. Check out his stuff below. I'll see you next time.