What's Coming up for 2025? w/Jason Richmond – DT 307

Summary

Dirt Talk Podcast Summary: "What's Coming up for 2025? w/Jason Richmond – DT 307"

Release Date: January 27, 2025

In episode DT 307 of Dirt Talk by BuildWitt, host Aaron and guest Jason Richmond delve into the strategic planning and reflections as they prepare for the upcoming year, 2025. The conversation covers a wide array of topics, including event successes, team dynamics, social media growth, personal development systems, and future aspirations. Below is a detailed summary structured into key sections, enriched with notable quotes and timestamps to capture the essence of their discussion.

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1. Reflections on 2024 and Setting the Stage for 2025

Aaron and Jason kick off the discussion by reflecting on the challenges and successes of the past year. They emphasize the importance of alignment within the business as they transition into the new year.

• Growth and Alignment:
  "We know it needs to happen. None of it's a surprise. We're not going in like, wow, this has really caught me off guard." – Aaron [02:07]

  They highlight that the company has built a strong foundation in 2024, setting the stage for strategic growth in 2025.

• Purposeful Growth:
  "We're growing not just for the sake of growing. It's growing to further the mission..." – Jason [02:27]

  The focus is on growth that aligns with their mission and adds value to the industry, rather than mere expansion.

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2. Success of the 2024 Area Dirt World Summit

A significant portion of the conversation revolves around the success of their flagship event, the Area Dirt World Summit, noting remarkable attendance and growth.

• Attendance Milestone:
  "Over 1100. Yeah. I think we had a few people not show up, just because that's the nature of being in the dirt world." – Aaron [03:22]

  The summit saw over 1,100 attendees, marking a 50% growth from the previous year’s 700 participants.

• Event Growth Strategy:
  "This is our second year, which is pretty sick. And this year we won't grow as much by design, but I think the event itself will really grow." – Aaron [03:52]

  While they intentionally limit growth to ensure quality, they remain optimistic about the summit's continued expansion.

• Feedback and Improvement:
  "We got a really good survey that we could kind of think through and be critical of the event and the experience." – Jason [04:31]

  Constructive feedback is instrumental in refining future events, focusing on logistics and attendee experience rather than solely increasing the number of speakers.

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3. Team Dynamics and Leadership Philosophy

The hosts discuss their approach to leadership, emphasizing trust and empowerment within their team.

• Trust in the Team:
  "If you're not doing it, you're leaving a lot on the table." – Aaron [36:03]

  Aaron underscores the importance of trusting team members to execute their roles without micromanagement.

• Empowering Leaders:
  "We have to figure out the present year. We're going to leverage that feedback, take it to heart and really do better." – Jason [04:31]

  Empowerment and accountability are key, with each team member responsible for their area of expertise.

• Avoiding Arrogance in Execution:
  "We've been super critical than anybody else can be critical of us." – Aaron [05:16]

  They stress the importance of self-critique over external comparisons to drive continuous improvement.

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4. Innovative Event Hosting and Sponsorships

Aaron and Jason elaborate on their unique approach to hosting events, differentiating themselves from traditional trade shows.

• Non-Traditional Sponsorship Engagement:
  "If the sponsors show up, stand at the booth, traditional way, why spend the money, don't be a sponsor." – Aaron [17:09]

  Sponsors are encouraged to engage actively with attendees beyond the conventional booth setup, fostering genuine connections.

• Collaborative Success Stories:
  "Purple Wave the roller for Dream on 3... to the tune of a quarter million dollars." – Jason [17:54]

  Highlighting significant fundraising achievements through innovative auction activities, demonstrating the event's impactful nature.

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5. Advancements in Social Media and Digital Presence

A substantial part of the episode is dedicated to discussing the exponential growth of their social media platforms and its importance in their strategy.

• Massive Reach and Engagement:
  "We’re getting about 200,000 hours watched every month on YouTube." – Aaron [34:02]
  "Instagram... 10 to 20 million accounts reached on a 28-day basis on average this year." – Aaron [34:27]

  These figures reflect the podcast's broad and engaged audience across various social media platforms.

• Personal Branding and Team Coaching:
  "If you’re not doing this, you're really missing out." – Aaron [36:08]

  Emphasizing the critical role of personal branding for their sales team and overall business growth.

• Enjoyment in Digital Engagement:
  "I love it... I really enjoy the podcast again, enjoying YouTube again, enjoying social media again." – Aaron [34:52]

  Reclaiming the fun and authenticity of digital content creation, ensuring it remains a passion rather than a burdensome task.

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6. Personal Development Systems vs. Habits

Aaron shares his insights on building effective systems for personal growth, inspired by James Clear’s "Atomic Habits."

• Systematic Approach to Growth:
  "Imagine that... We're tying a lot of things together. Talk about how you need systems. It's not habits, it's systems." – Aaron [37:59]

  Highlighting the importance of structured systems over fleeting habits to achieve sustained personal and professional development.

• Long-Term Commitment:
  "I've been deliberately building Systems now for 11 years over a decade... It's compounding." – Aaron [39:59]

  Emphasizing the cumulative effect of consistent efforts through well-defined systems.

• Enjoyment of the Process:
  "This is the first year where I've actually become just really satisfied with the process itself." – Aaron [41:15]

  Finding fulfillment in the journey of personal growth, appreciating the minimalistic and systematic approach.

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7. Dirt World Store: Expansion and Fulfillment

The hosts discuss the growth of their Dirt World Store, focusing on product offerings and fulfillment logistics.

• Product Development and Fulfillment:
  "We've done probably a thousand orders out of the office here, which is awesome." – Aaron [44:20]

  Successfully managing order fulfillment while planning for expanded product lines and improved logistics.

• Community Connection through Merchandise:
  "The more stuff we can get out into the field... the better." – Aaron [45:12]

  Utilizing the store as a means to physically connect with their audience and extend their brand influence.

---

8. Travel Highlights and Future Plans

Reflecting on their extensive travels in 2024, Aaron and Jason share highlights and outline plans for 2025.

• Global Outreach:
  "We went to Europe. We went to Australia. I've been there three times." – Aaron [50:09]

  Their travels have significantly contributed to the podcast’s global presence and networking opportunities.

• Plans for 2025:
  "We've got Japan. Whoa. South Africa. Europe for Bauma. Canada. And then a pretty good size Australia trip as well." – Jason [50:43]

  Expanding their reach with planned visits to key international markets and industry events, aiming to solidify their global footprint.

---

9. Looking Ahead: Focus and Execution for 2025

Concluding the episode, Aaron and Jason articulate their vision for 2025, emphasizing focus, execution, and continuing growth.

• Prioritizing What Matters:
  "If it doesn't matter, I'm not doing it. I'm getting away from any of that." – Aaron [30:17]

  A commitment to concentrating efforts on impactful initiatives, setting clear boundaries to maintain focus.

• Systems and Execution:
  "We just have to do it and just execute." – Aaron [41:21]

  Reinforcing the importance of executing well-defined systems to achieve their strategic goals.

• Anticipated Success:
  "We're gonna do our best. We're gonna do better. And I think 2025 is gonna be the best one yet." – Aaron [24:36]

  Optimism about surpassing previous successes through dedicated effort and strategic planning.

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Notable Quotes

• "If you're not doing this, you're leaving a lot on the table." – Aaron [36:03]
• "We've been super critical than anybody else can be critical of us." – Aaron [05:16]
• "We just do the damn work, and stuff starts to materialize and work out." – Aaron [30:18]

---

Conclusion

In this episode of Dirt Talk, Aaron and Jason Richmond offer a comprehensive overview of their achievements in 2024 and unveil their strategic vision for 2025. Through transparent discussions on event management, team dynamics, digital growth, and personal development, they provide valuable insights into building a resilient and impactful business within the Dirt World. Their emphasis on trust, execution, and purposeful growth serves as an inspiring blueprint for listeners aiming to elevate their endeavors in the industry.

For more insights and updates, listeners are encouraged to engage with the Dirt Talk community through their website and social media platforms.

Transcript

[A]

As you know, Ariat is the official Dirt Talk podcast sponsor. And at this point, we've talked plenty about their footwear, their workwear. But now it is winter, and, boy, is it cold. It was 17 degrees this morning. I had to warm the truck up. But just because it's cold does not mean the work stops. So to get the job done, you need the best, warmest workwear possible. And Ariat has a long list of outerwear, amazing jackets, pants, and other goods available now. You can shop at their website, ariat.comdirttalk that is ariat.comdirtttalk five minutes ago, got out of a budgeting meeting for 2025.

[B]

And we're gonna practice gratitude since it's close to Thanksgiving.

[A]

So excited. Yeah. Welcome to business.

[B]

Could be a lot worse.

[A]

It has been a lot worse. Okay.

[B]

So I'm feeling better all of a sudden.

[A]

It's been worse. November of last year, November the year before, and November the year before. So.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

I feel like reality is something that we're living in now instead of this, you know, kind of dream world. Like.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, it's very realistic. Yeah. But, yeah, we've. I mean, Q4, not last year, but the year before, really fucking sucked.

[B]

Terrible. Little scary, too, like, seeing the numbers, but, you know, thinking about getting the double digits and.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Eight figures and what that could look like and.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's been a heck of a year.

[A]

Yeah, it's been a good year. Yeah. I think. I mean, it's all good stuff. It's like, I'm. I'm glad we're having the conversations. We are. I think we're all aligned with what we're talking about, what we need to do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, we know it needs to happen. None of it's a surprise. We're not going in. Like, wow, this has really caught me off guard. Like, it's like, I think we're all pretty in tune with reality now.

[B]

Yeah. Product offering is right.

[A]

Products, right. Teams, right.

[B]

Mission aligned.

[A]

Aligned with mission. Brand. Like, we've got 20, 24. Build the foundation. We've built the foundation.

[B]

Yes, sir.

[A]

Now we can get a move on once we can figure some of these things out.

[B]

Yeah. And, you know, we're growing not just for the sake of growing. It's growing to further the mission, which is.

[A]

Yeah. And in, like, a strategic sense, too. Like growing. Because that's the opportunity. Not just. Yeah. Growth for the sake of growth, I think is a terrible thing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But the growth we're looking at. Yeah.

[B]

With our products and services.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Helps the industry.

[A]

Yeah. So that's all we're here to do. Maybe make some money along the way.

[B]

Good stuff. Good stuff. Well, were definitely coming off a good win with the 2024 Area Dirt World Summit.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Incredible how many people we end up having. Over 1100.

[A]

Over 1100. Yeah. I think we had a few people not show up, just because that's the nature of being in the dirt world.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Things come up unexpectedly, but we didn't. Not many people actually formally canceled, and we didn't really have that many people not show up. So almost everybody came. I mean, over 1100, over. You know, we had almost 700 last year.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that's 50 plus percent growth.

[B]

Pretty incredible.

[A]

Yeah. For our second year, which is pretty sick. And this year we won't grow as much by design, but I think the event itself will really grow, I think. All right, we've had two great events. We can have a great event now. We're going to really get the event dialed in over the next few years and make it just absolutely phenomenal, which I'm really excited about.

[B]

I do feel like the attendees and sponsors are super appreciative of what we're doing and why we're doing it, and they're giving great feedback in terms of, hey, man, this is awesome.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But also we got a really good survey that we could kind of think through and be critical of the event and the experience. And I think that's the big thing next year is, you know, not more speakers or better speakers, but really just thinking through the overall event logistics and timing and movement and experience. And the better experience we can give for those that are participating, the better.

[A]

The overall event is and the feedback is valuable. But at the same time, we're more critical than anybody else can be critical of us. We're. The first thing we did post Summit was get together and criticize the summit.

[B]

Learn and grow.

[A]

Yeah. That's what we did. So getting the feedback, it's like, yeah, this is stuff we already know. Not because we're arrogant, but because we're super critical. That's the only reason why we're here. That's how we got here, is because we're really critical. And that's the only reason why we've done what we've done over the past few years with the Summit specifically, is because we've been so critical of ourselves. And it's not. We're not looking at other events. We're not looking at other industry events. Other events. Again, not because we're arrogant. But because the competition is now the 2024 Area Dirt World Summit, that is what we have to go kick the shit out of for 2025. That's all. That's it. And I think we've always done that with. I've done that with photography, we've done that with websites, We've done that with product. Like, everything we do is, whatever we did, we have to go kick the shit out of that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, yeah, you can draw inspiration from what others are doing, but it's so easy to get sucked down these weird paths of what other people are doing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it then ruins what you're trying to do. It's so hard to go, like, I haven't really had a lot of companies to go compare our company to.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because there aren't a lot of companies like what we're doing. Like, we're doing something new. And it's been frustrating. It's caused a lot of chaos. Cause we haven't had an example, but then we've had to just figure shit out and make it uniquely ours, because there isn't. This isn't paint by numbers. We don't have the numbers. We don't even know what the hell we're painting. And so while the painting might not be as perfect as the paint by numbers, it's going to be uniquely ours. Whereas everybody painting my numbers gets the exact same fucking thing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Per my stupid example.

[B]

No. It's incredible. And, you know, everybody who's listening may or may not have been to the summit. So maybe we could walk through a little bit about the experience, not getting into too many details and boring people who weren't there. But one thing I would just start off with is I was blessed to be able to show up a little early. And when we walked into that empty space, I could kind of close my eyes in that convention center area and imagine what it was going to look like. But the fact that PXP Platinum XP had a set of plans, they had tables, they had all this stuff kind of set up. And then they were building. They built the stage, the video board, the layout, everything. They did an incredible job of setting up that event. But what were your thoughts when you walked into that empty space? And then to see what it turned into for the. For people showing up?

[A]

I don't know. A lot of people ask, like, are you surprised? And it was like, no, not. Not at all. Like, I. I am surprised that the industry trusts us the way the industry trusts us. I am surprised that everybody showed Up. I am surprised about that, but I'm not surprised the event was executed the way it was because we had a great team. And when you have a great team, you trust the team to execute and you get the fuck out of the way, it gets executed. And so it's like we did the work, we have the team. So yes, of course the result's there. Like, I'm not. Why, why would I be surprised by the result? If I'm surprised by the result? What, what are we doing? Like something's wrong there. And, and so I just think I've been thinking more and more about it as we go into the, the end of the year. So many, I don't know, it's so many people and I don't know really even know how to answer the question. But like, man, you know, it must be really tough for you to travel and do what you do and your phone must be ringing all the time and this and that. You must be so busy, so on and so forth. It's like, I'm not, yeah, my phone's not ringing. It's not. Yeah, it doesn't, it really does not ring all that much. I could go to Savannah for a week. I don't get a single call in days. If I, if I don't, I mean, I'll call you guys maybe to just catch up while I'm thinking about stuff, but that's it. Because we have this great team that we wholly trust to execute. I do my job, they do their job. So the summit, especially our team, everybody had their job. I had to do my job. That's the only job I have. You had to do your job. Dan had to do his job, Randy had to do his job. Kara had to do her job. We all did our job. I just had to worry about me. I didn't have to worry about Jason, I didn't have to worry about Kara, I didn't have to worry about Randy, Dan. Not my problem, you guys. I trust you guys. I knew you'd execute. You knew I would execute. We all just executed.

[B]

I love it.

[A]

It's so much better that way.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

I just think people are not trusting, which then creates this self fulfilling prophecy that is people acting in an untrusting way. And that may be my bullshit ignorant perspective, but so far it hasn't really got us in much trouble. It has, but big picture, it's like, why would we not do things this way? Why would we not just trust people to go do their job and treat them like adults? Why are we Gonna go treat everybody like a bunch of kids. Because that's most companies, they're treating everybody like children. That's just what it is. Which is why people like me, I start to resent stuff like that. Like all the just. And what I. And I think I talked about this on a podcast recently. It's like the safety stuff, for example. Just tell me you don't fucking trust me and that I'm a 6 year old. Just be honest with me. Don't give me the bullshit. Oh, you know, you're a number one asset. You're so important. Innovation is our top priority. You know, respect, trust, like core values. But then also we don't fucking trust you for a moment. Not even to know when you might get your finger cut. So here's the fucking rules. And if you don't follow the rules, you get fired. We're not going to say that, but that's how it works. And you know how it works. We're going to threaten you, essentially. We're not going to threaten you. But, you know, that's what happens. And I people, at least from my personality, I really resent that because I find it so disingenuous. And I get why it happens that way, but I don't want to be that way. And it's not fun to be in that environment. And now that we've been in this world, I don't want to go anywhere else. Seeing what happens in other more traditional workplaces and companies and careers is just like, oh, no, this is what you deal with. This is crazy.

[B]

Yeah. It makes me think about our values a little bit and how intentional you've been and the team has been about setting them specifically around build leaders and make decisions. You know, you can't pull off the summit in the way that we pull off the summit if we don't have leaders acting like leaders and making decisions. No, all the time. And I wasn't bothered, I wasn't called to ask a ton of decisions. Like, the team, like you said, had their roles and responsibilities, but they were leading, listening, supporting, but ultimately making decisions every day. Probably hundreds of decisions that we had no idea about.

[A]

Well, again, it's like, you know, people like, oh, wow. Yeah, you had to make so many decisions. Like, no, I didn't, I didn't. Yeah, I had very little to do with this. Very, very, very, very little. There were many more people with far more influence on this event than me. Yeah, but that's by design. That's how it should be. Like I right now, Dan and I are working through the big picture, potentially, of what the event could look like. Experience what's important. Love it. But we're not the ones to execute upon it because that's not our skill set. That's not what I'm good at. I'm not a details guy. I'm not an execution guy. I'm a big picture guy.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

So I'm gonna go do the big picture stuff and then get out of the way and let the adults do what the adults do and execute, which is more important than the big picture. The big picture is not worth anything without the execution.

[B]

Totally. We had a little bit more equipment at the exhibit hall this year that was kind of fun to walk in and see some equipment.

[A]

It was super cool. Yeah. Yeah. Caterpillar wouldn't answer our phone calls, so we called RDO and John Deere and they gave us excavators for free. Like, I think we're just getting to the point where we want to work with people that want to work with us, and if they don't want to work with us, okay, that's fine. I'm not even. I don't even take it personally anymore. Like, I say that in a joking way, like, yeah, okay. They have more important things to do. I get it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We're gonna go find tractors over here. And John Deere's been a phenomenal partner for us. Rdo.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What do you need? Two tens, brand new. Okay, cool. Have two of them sent your way. How long do you need them for? Sure. Whatever. But then we had a lot of other stuff, and we're not trying, like, we're not trying to do a trade show. We're not trying to do an association meeting. Agc, like, all that's done. Oh, that's being done. That's great. Like, go to agc, to Napa, to Con Expo. All of that. It's already being done. Yeah, we don't want to do that.

[B]

Right.

[A]

We are trying to do something completely different. Complimentary. Offer a new product that just doesn't exist, which is why we just sold more tickets in one week for 2025 than we did from October to almost July this previous year, is because it's a new product, a new offering, and we are satisfying a need in the industry that is connection, that is leadership, that is personal growth and development. That is a really tangible way to develop your team. And then when you build a new event, you get the early adopters, and then you get the sponsors that are early adopters or different Kinds of companies trying to do something different, potentially, oh, this is a new event. Maybe we'll give it a shot, which takes a specific kind of person and company. And then you put those two things together. Cool stuff happens. So I don't think we walked into this year with the intent of, let's have excavators.

[B]

No.

[A]

Or a vac truck or whatever it was. I think it just happened from a.

[B]

Mud Dog 700 from Super Products, which I had no idea, you know, what that was all about. But they were a super fun partner to be at the event. They totally got into it. They went and attended the classes, you know, they've already signed up for next year. The thing that blew me away was, like, they were like, hey, not only do we enjoy exhibiting and connecting with all the people, but we enjoyed learning from the sessions.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I think that's something that's really cool is people are sponsoring, but they are also attending.

[A]

But that's how it should be. Like, I talked to Clay about this. If the sponsors show up, stand at the booth, traditional way, why spend the money, don't be a sponsor. If that's the plan, you're not gonna get the value. It's just not gonna be worthwhile. But like, Tristan Edgevanta buys a booth, has a place for their business. He's in every session. He's getting with everybody. And he's not there to just sell, sell, sell. He's there to build relationships, which will then develop his business future state.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

An approach like that is, by a mile, the most effective approach.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So. And we want it to be wildly effective. We want it, again, just a totally different experience, product, and result.

[B]

I will say, you know, one of the highlights of, you know, for me was being able to drive the roller in which you caught me.

[A]

Candy Store. Yeah. I need to send you a vid. I need to send you that video.

[B]

Yeah. Kid in the candy store is what I. The comment might have been, but I was having an absolute blast. Dynapac jumped on as an OEM and supported the event from a sponsorship standpoint, but also auctioning off with Purple Wave the roller for Dream on 3, which just evolved way beyond our wildest expectations.

[A]

To the tune of a quarter million dollars.

[B]

Incredible. For sure.

[A]

Race for Dream on 3, which is legit, man.

[B]

So cool. I mean, such a. Such a godlike thing to just come in and to take something that we canceled the golf outing, went with the skeet shoot. Made sense, right? For all the right reasons. And Brandon Lindsay was just Faithful. And hey, this is all going to work out the way that it's supposed to. And when this came about, I exceeded my wildest expectations. But for it to be auction off a roller and then in the heat of the moment, to turn it into two rollers and for Blue Sage Services and for Sargent to jump on board and buy those, it was just such a magical moment.

[A]

And the cool thing is, though, it's like that doesn't happen at a traditional event because there is a way to do it. There's a formula we don't have that. We started with a blank sheet of paper, which is a huge disadvantage. Cause you gotta figure it out. But then a huge advantage. Cause we can say, yeah, of course, let's get you all involved. Let's have Purple Wave as the auctioneer. This will be a great. Oh, let's do it at the dinner. It's not hard. Like, you don't have to convene the event committee to figure it out. Yeah, we can. Like, you called me about it. I was like, why are you calling me? This is great. Let's do it. I don't. And I'm not the logistics guy. There is logistics involved, but that's the kind of stuff we can do, which is awesome.

[B]

So, you know, day one, we have the skeet shoot and we got pre con and that's the day that you kind of get a float around and go and see a little bit of both places. You drove me around at the skeet shoot. Any thoughts from the skeet shoot this year?

[A]

No, it was just. Everybody's having fun.

[B]

Yeah. Really cool place, about 50 people.

[A]

Yeah. Dan was thinking about what to do next year. I was just like, another skeet shoot?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't think we need to. I don't think we need to get too smart on that.

[B]

I would say we could advertise it a little bit better. You know, if there was one thing I heard from a lot of people was, man, that pre con day was, you know, incredible. But also the skeet sheet. I wish I would have known about that.

[A]

So, yeah, we're gonna do a better job with that. We're not gonna have a pre con day.

[B]

No.

[A]

To make it even simpler.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And. But we're going to make the 2025 event agenda, I think, a lot more dynamic, which will ultimately, I think offer a monster amount of value for everybody there.

[B]

More time for networking, collaboration, communication. Up and down. Not sitting too long.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

A little bit of change in the flow and overall experience.

[A]

Yeah, I think it's just going to be a better experience and more dynamic this. Which will make it way more valuable.

[B]

Yeah, totally. Totally. We're such futurists. I know that we're talking. We just had this event. We're already thinking about 25, but, man, 24 was definitely incredible from a speaker standpoint. I'm curious, I know that you had to speak as well, and there were a lot of speakers, but any of the speakers stand out for you that anything that hit home or a point or a lesson or anything that maybe jumps out? I know we had Jesse Itzler and Chad Wright and Sal Frisella and just an incredible speaker lineup. But anything that jumped out at you.

[A]

It was hard for me to listen to speakers because I was talking to people sun up to sundown. Yeah, yeah. And so, I mean, when you have over a thousand people over a three day window, that's not a lot of time for everybody. And you want to get to everybody.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so I tried to be available during speakers and I talked with people almost every time during a speaker, which is a bummer because I wasn't able to enjoy the programming, of course, but I felt like it was the most valuable thing I could do personally was to connect and engage with as many people that were there as possible. If nothing else, just thank you. Thank them for being there.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

It's a big deal. It's a big investment. It's a lot of time. It's a busy time of year. So for them just to be there, it's like the least I could do is thank them.

[B]

Yeah. A couple of quick things for me. Just kind of thinking out loud. I was inspired by Jesse. He's just such an incredible speaker. I'm just like, man, I'm gonna go run through a brick wall. But when he was talking about just the importance of your soul and whatnot, just really inspired me to kind of think through what's most important from a priority standpoint and capitalizing on opportunities and time. And then I got scared shitless from Chad Wright when he's pretty much, you know, kind of yelling at us the whole time. And then, you know, he finishes with execute, execute, execute. And I'm like, man, I feel like I'm in a build with budget meeting now.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But those two are incredible. I love Sal. You know, he's. He's kind of like Coach Sal. He walks through the values and, you know, really inspires around how they do things at first form and the standard that they set and the expectation. And it was really cool to Kind of hear him stand on stage in front of 1100 people and talking about how, you know the expectations from the bathroom. And it's like, why is he talking about the bathroom? But it's like how you do anything is how you do everything. And so when you've got that kind of standard set, it's just pretty incredible. It makes me think about job sites and cleanliness and some of the stuff that you really talked about in some of your presentation.

[A]

Yeah, it was a kick ass lineup.

[B]

Yeah. Really, really good.

[A]

Phenomenal. And the amount of. Just the quality of individual we have access to now is extraordinary.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Outside the industry and inside the industry.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Because in the audience too, we have, I think, some of the best leaders. I've been around in the dirt world.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Just world class. World class individuals.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So, yeah, it's. It's a really cool deal. I think I'm extremely happy with this year and thanks to some extraordinarily helpful feedback that just said, do better for next year from somebody in a particular company, we're going to leverage that feedback, take it to heart and really do better. We weren't planning on doing better for next year, but thanks to that feedback, that extremely helpful, extremely helpful, well crafted, two word feedback sentence, we're gonna. Yeah, we're gonna do our best. We're gonna do better. And I think 2025 is gonna be the best one yet.

[B]

Yeah, totally. No, that was a lot of fun. And I would be remiss if I didn't say this, so. Just really grateful for Herb jumping in this year from the industry, sharing some of his wisdom. Um, but, yeah, overall, incredible speaker lineup. Professional speakers, leaders of businesses, industry speakers.

[A]

We get. Sit here for six hours, totally talk. Everybody involved and the companies and the workshops and the speakers and our team, there's just, there's. It's. It really is a community effort. It. Everybody is contributing. That's right, everybody's contributing. Which. Which makes it most valuable? It's like the people that were poopy pants about it. I don't know. I don't know what they did. It's like, how. How did you get nothing out? Like, we had a lot of speakers here. How did you get nothing? Like, you have to try.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To get nothing. Or were you playing snake on your phone the whole time? Or did you get in a fight with your wife before you came and you're just pissed off? Like, I don't know what happened there. Yeah, something happened, though, because it's just like how can you. How can you sit and listen to Jesse Itzler for an hour or Herb or Sal or anybody and be like, yeah, that was a waste of my time. But, you know, some people managed, and they won't be back in 25, but fortunately, we'll sell out anyway, so we'll be all right.

[B]

Speaking of 25, we're going to be in Dallas November 5, 6 and 7 next year. It's going to be an incredible, Incredible summit. Over 500 tickets have already been sold for next year's event. It will sell out. Ticket pricing has changed. Early bird was 1995.

[A]

I don't know when this is going to air, so at this point, it's probably too late.

[B]

All good.

[A]

I mean, there might be still. There might still be tickets available.

[B]

Early Bird's gone, so we're.

[A]

So I don't know what the pricing is going to be, but that's a Good point. Dirt World.com has everything.

[B]

Attaboy. You just saved me. Thanks for looking out for me. Yeah, that's what it's all about.

[A]

We're serious, too. We're gonna sell the damn thing out 100%. And the goal is to within. I don't see why we can't get there in a few years. It sells out in a day.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then we have the event and it sells out a day. I don't want to be selling it all year. And I don't think we have to because. And again, I'm not saying that because I'm just being this arrogant asshole. I'm saying that because we are so. We're putting in so much effort. We're being so focused on how we're going to put this thing together, build the experience, what venues we're going to be having it at, location time. Like, we're thinking through everything. And we have some amazing people behind this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't see. I don't see how that's not possible.

[B]

Totally. Well, not knowing when this is going to air, we are wrapping up 2024, so I thought it would be worthy of just kind of thinking through any wins or lessons learned from this year that we might want to share or talk about. I don't know if you've got any thoughts or ideas from the year.

[A]

I've thought a lot about. Building a legitimate business is so much more fun than playing business.

[B]

Come on.

[A]

So much more fun. So much more fun.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

We spent a few years playing business, acting like we knew we were doing, being fooled by a few different things. Then we Got sobered up and ate shit for a few years. But we've built that foundation now. We've built that business and it's functioning as a business. It's making money, it's meeting goals, it's developing its people, it's solving real problems, it's building our list of great customers. It's more capable just across the board. That is so much more fun. So much more fun. And I feel like it's been our first year actually building a proper business, which I've enjoyed this year more than any other year by a long shot.

[B]

Yeah, totally. Yeah. The collaboration amongst our leadership team, our operational leadership team, just overall teamwork of not just growing revenue, but serving customers with our products and services. It's.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We finally have this incredible offering that we can really, truly help solve problems in the industry. And it's built in a scalable format, which is really what it's all about. It's trying to figure out how to help people solve those problems and more people solve those problems. So really excited about some of the things that we've done with training. This year has just been incredible. You know, launch, build with Connect, and I've been learning and growing on that. Thank goodness. I have Randy on there with me every week to do a live session that's a lot of fun and obviously delivered some workshops and all of our Dirt World stuff. And our creative team has delivered about 30 brands this year from a website and social and photography, videography, storytelling. So it's been an incredible year.

[A]

It's been. Yeah, it's just been like. Nothing's been flashy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We've just done the damn work. And when you do the work, stuff starts to. Stuff starts to materialize and work out. Yeah. And so I don't think it's been a sexy year by any stretch of the imagination, but I think that means we're doing the right things.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We were doing too much sexy stuff before. That didn't matter. And now it's like, especially me personally, I know what matters and what doesn't. Going in 25, I'm really just gonna focus on what matters. If it doesn't matter, I'm not doing it. I'm getting away from any of that.

[B]

Yeah. So knowing what to focus on, setting those boundaries, knowing what to say no.

[A]

To, I think just focus as an organization is gonna do us so much good next year. And I think it's gonna be relieving for everybody. I think it's gonna be better for customers. I think it's better for the business overall, it's just a good win, win, win all the way around. Let's get focused. Let's do a great job. If we do that, everything else will take care of itself. That's all we need to do.

[B]

That's so good. I will say I was chatting with the product team this week and they were sharing some numbers with me that were kind of fascinating. But over 200 companies on Build with training now, over 1.2 million lessons watched this year and over 25,000 users. So it's pretty fascinating to see kind of where we were and what we've been able to accomplish this year. Just the amount of training that's taking place every day is just fascinating.

[A]

Yeah, I lose track of it too, because you don't see it, which is the hard part about software for me. And even creative and everything we've done, I think that's what's so satisfying about Summit is you can see it and touch it. Yeah. It's in your hands. Yes. Which is why I was drawn to construction to begin with, is because I'm a very tangible, physical person. If I can't see it, touch it, I don't understand it. I can't conceptualize stuff if I can't see it. And it's easy to lose sight of the impact we're making. But then that's the coolest thing about storytelling, about especially software, is it does scale and does create that monster impact. And that's just really the beginning, which is really, really damn exciting.

[B]

Yeah, it's very exciting. I'm super stoked. The content's just getting better, the product's getting better, the experience is getting better. And, you know, it's just every day I wake up, watch my build with training, and gives us something to talk about. And it's exciting to see, you know, how the industry can utilize this to. To grow their people and to improve every day. So it's a lot of fun. Cool, man. So we've talked a little bit about the business and everything that's going on. Kind of a weird one, but I'm going to just kind of chat about it for a minute, is, you know, you do a lot of stuff with social and YouTube, and those numbers seem to be climbing in terms of people following along and engagement. And here recently, I saw a post from Tyler Holden, and it was of his kid sitting and watching dirt talk with a cone on his head. And I mean, the post took off for Tyler, but also just a really fascinating story to see. Everybody's starting to Follow along, including the next generation.

[A]

Pretty cool.

[B]

It's pretty fascinating, the numbers and who you're reaching.

[A]

The numbers are massive.

[B]

Talk to me a little bit about those numbers.

[A]

I don't even know. I couldn't even tell you. I know YouTube, I've been really dialed in on this year. We're getting about 200,000 hours watched every month. Every 28 days. 200,000 hours, which is. And I know that's scratching the surface. We could go way beyond that. Yeah, but that's no joke. Instagram, between 10 and 20 million accounts reached on a 28 day basis on average this year.

[B]

That's so good.

[A]

It's. I mean it's. And LinkedIn, hundreds of millions and billions of views over just an annual period. Yeah. Over a hundred thousand followers on LinkedIn. Safely over half a million on Facebook. I think more than that now. Almost a million. Instagram, I mean, it's crazy just the amount of people we're reaching on a daily basis with the dirt world.

[B]

Do you think social's here to stay for a while? Yeah, it's not going anywhere.

[A]

I don't think it's going anywhere.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

No. And I'm having fun. Like I. Even with the podcast, I wasn't having fun for a while because it became a tool and it just got started to get away from me. It's like, hey, let's get back and let's just enjoy it. And I think we've begun, at least I've begun enjoying the podcast again, enjoying YouTube again, enjoying social media again. And it's made it so much more fun. I just love it. And next year the stuff we have lined out is legit.

[B]

Well, what's interesting to me is I've heard you talk about the value of social for the dirt world, but you also just gave a great class to our sales team on the value of social for them from a personal branding standpoint, but building relationships and connecting with people and whatnot. So it's not just that you're leading by example and telling people, hey, this is a valuable tool. You're also coaching our team on, hey, if you're not doing this, you're really missing out.

[A]

Yeah. And I don't know if I was too direct in that meeting or not.

[B]

It was really good.

[A]

I'm just gonna be direct. If you're not doing this, you're leaving a lot on the table.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm not going to tell you to do it or not, but if you're not doing it, it's kind of dumb. This is a core part of your business, core part of your career. It's going to make you so much more effective, not just here but at home. When it comes to communication. This is, it should not be a negotiable. This should be a core thing that you do. And it's like, and I'm so religious about it because look around you build.

[B]

A business on it.

[A]

Yeah, this all is here because I started posting on social media every day and that's not what runs the place nowadays. But we wouldn't all be here without that. And I'm a dummy. I didn't have good communication skills when I started. I wasn't a good writer, I wasn't trained in photography. I didn't have anything. I just did it every day and have done it every day since to the tune of tens of thousands of times now. And when you do something tens of thousands of times or like with photography, you take millions of photos, you start to get pretty good at it. Go figure.

[B]

So I want to ask you, I've seen this and you kind of explained it a little bit, but it's easy to get inspired by someone like you that comes in and talks to our team or go to a dirt world summit and get inspired and you come back and get all these intentions of you're going to do it and you do it for a day or maybe two days or maybe even a week, but then you kind of get back into your old routines and I've heard you talk about your system. So how do people learn new things and then make it a non negotiable and put it into their daily practices to really get the biggest return on impact?

[A]

Well, to go to Bill of training, I was just listening to James Clear last night who's a 2025 speaker.

[B]

All right, there you go.

[A]

Imagine that.

[B]

Bingo.

[A]

We're tying a lot of things together. Talk about how you need systems. It's not habits, it's systems. In his book Atomic Habits, which I think is the best book written on habits and systems and improving and getting better, I've just built systems and it's been, I started deliberately doing it maybe at 18, so it's been 11 years now, which is like I'm 29, so I'm young. But I've been deliberately building Systems now for 11 years over a decade, which is a substantial period of time focused on systems. And it wasn't like When I was 18, 20, 22, 24, I was doing all of these things. I've built all of this over time. Yeah, but instead of saying I want to read more, I'm going to read ten pages a day. That's it. Why am I going to read 10 pages a day? Well, there's all of this knowledge within these books that I need to develop myself as a leader to get to the, to the level I want to be at with my relationships and with my business. I have to get to this level. I'm disadvantaged because I'm young, so I better learn quickly. The most effective way to learn, one of the most effective things to do is to read. So I have to do this to get to where I want to be. I've defined where I want to be. What do I need to do to get there? Cool. I have that. Why now and then? What's the system? Ten pages a day, that's it. And I have stacks of books all over the damn place that I've read. It's actually surprising to me, looking at, oh yeah, I've read that one. Yeah, I've read that one. Yeah, I've read that one. Yeah, I've read that one. Have you read this book? Yeah, I've read that book. I only read 10 pages. That's not that much. Yeah, it's really not that much. But because I've done it over a 10 year period, it starts to stack up.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's all. Doing anything significant is. It's not home runs, it's not grand slams. All that's bullshit. All that is complete bullshit. I've been around enough really accomplished people to know that they just. One block at a time, one little block at a time. And none of it is sexy, none of it is dramatic. But they've defined where they want to go, they've built the system and then they just execute. And then I honestly think a system is easier, like working out every day. I don't have to decide, I don't have to make a decision if I'm going to work out today. That's exhausting. If I had to make a decision, if I was gonna work out every day, I wouldn't work out every day. And I'm like, fuck, it's raining, it's cold, I'm tired, it's dark, I'm somewhere different. I just flew all day. There's a hundred different. I'm busy, I need to do something else. There's a hundred different. But I've just gotten rid of that so that I can just do it and just execute. And maybe it's not every day for somebody, but having that system, that is Every day it ironically makes it easier because now I don't have to make a decision.

[B]

So you've got this list of non negotiables, I assume 11 years ago, 10 years ago, when you started, it was just like a list?

[A]

No, no, it wasn't even that. It was like 11 years ago. I want to exercise more and be healthier. So I'm going to go to the gym Monday through Friday. And I would go to the gym Monday through Friday at college. Yeah, that was it. That was it. I'm gonna read more. All right. Every Saturday morning, I'm gonna go get breakfast by myself and I'm gonna read. It's not complicated.

[B]

You just started.

[A]

Yeah, it was these little things, but then they've just compounded over time. It's compounding. That's it. People just. I just don't think. Like, I was listening to Andy Frisella talk about this this morning while I was running. People just aren't patient enough. They just don't see the results. And I think this is the first year where I've actually become just really satisfied with the process itself. Like, it used to wear me out a little bit. I live above somebody's garage, still not the most glamorous place that I live in, but this year is like the first year that I've really appreciated the minimalism behind it because I know it's getting me to that next place and I know I'm on the path and I'm enjoying the process. So before it'd be like, fuck, I'm turning 30 and I still rent a room above somebody's garage in their backyard. That sucks. Like, fuck. I've worked my ass off for 10 years plus, and this is what I have to show for it. But I know that's not the point anymore. I know I'm on the path. And so now I go back, I'm like, I'm really grateful I'm living like this because it's getting me that much further ahead right now. Yeah, that much further ahead. That much further ahead. That much further ahead. And I know this is going to get me to where I want to be ultimately. Then I've come to appreciate it a lot more, which is a lot of fun, I think.

[B]

So the light bulb's going off for me a little bit. I'm starting to understand a little bit more about your vision for build with training, because I assume that that's what can be done in the dirt world. People can watch a training video every day and get better every day.

[A]

Yeah. But it's not like we're not the first ones to figure this out. I don't know how many times over has this been figured out since humans started to walk upright. This is pretty straightforward stuff.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We're just building a system, A system.

[B]

That gives them the opportunity to facilitate.

[A]

That, that's tailored specifically to this world, which is important.

[B]

That's so good. That's so good. Fantastic. Well, thanks for sharing a little bit about that. Another thing I had on my list to kind of think through is you've been dabbling with this Dirt World store. What are you doing?

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

What I'm doing is that half the fun is just kind of messing around and doing some stickers.

[A]

It's been a lot of fun. Yeah. I mean, it's been. I took it over a few months ago. We've done probably a thousand orders out of the office here, which is awesome. Stickers, hats, shirts, calendars. Now for the end of the year.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

It's been great. We've been trying to figure out the process. We've been trying to figure out the system, get rid of a lot of the stuff we had that we didn't even know we had. It was sitting in a warehouse somewhere. Pull it all in, and then I think we'll be able to grow it next year. New designs, new products, and have a lot of fun with it. I just want to have fun with it, and I want to use it as a way to connect with people. Like, it's not. We're not sitting in our budgeting meeting and saying, you know, what's going to really help us next year is this store. Like, in the grand scheme of things, it's fucking nothing. It's not even a drop in the bucket with what we have going on here.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so if it runs cost neutral, that's great. Just the more stuff we can get out in the field, into the hands of the people that listen to this podcast, that watch the vlog, that follow along on social media, that want to connect with us, the better. So that's the goal is really to extend our influence in a physical sense. And if you want to shop, feel free to go to dirtworldstore.com it's all fulfilled five feet from where I'm sitting in our office. Nashville, Tennessee, across the United States, free shipping and to quite a few different countries around the world.

[B]

Yeah. And you've been fulfilling those shipments until recent. You got a little bit of help from another Aaron E R I N.

[A]

Yes, I got help Because I just.

[B]

Can'T keep up with a thousand orders.

[A]

Well. And even if I wanted to do it, I'm gone so much that it's like, hey, yeah, sorry, I'm not packing orders the next three weeks because I'm out. That doesn't work either. Yeah, so I have, I have gotten some help, but I'm still very involved in the process. And I walk by the store every day. It's, it's right here in the office.

[B]

I just have one silly dumb question. How did you select the 12 photos for the calendar? You take thousands.

[A]

It's actually easy.

[B]

How did it go?

[A]

I build a portfolio every year. Okay, you, after doing it long enough, it's quite funny. It's like if I go out and take 5,000 photographs, if I have one really world class photograph of that 5,000, I'm pretty damn happy. And that's all you're really doing is just creating an opportunity for that one photograph. And I'm gonna like, I visited Landmark. I took maybe 3,500 photographs in three hours. It was a lot. And I edited maybe a hundred of them and sent them to them. Hey, you guys. To use, so on, so forth. But there's one photograph in that bunch. I know the photograph. I knew when I took the photograph, that was the photograph. And so I already know where those are. And I can go through my library pretty quickly to identify what's like the world class photograph. And there's not that many every year. I mean there's 12. Yeah, there's just not.

[B]

I'm glad you explained it. Cause I'm just gonna be honest, like my brain doesn't think that way. You know, maybe if I was to relate it to. I make a thousand phone calls. I can tell you 12 phone calls that were amazing this year.

[A]

It's, I think creative work is just unique. It's just different photography's. So I'm really glad I have it. It's such this, it's a special thing. The more I do it, the more I've been able to understand it. And yeah, I'll go in a year, take hundreds of thousands of photographs. And If I have 12 really world class photos at the end of the year, that's a successful year as far as I'm concerned.

[B]

Yeah, that's super cool.

[A]

But then you do it year after year after year. I mean my portfolio now is pretty world class in this very specific niche. I don't think there's anybody that has the portfolio. I do. And that's just because I've been doing it at the level I have been for enough years now, where you just start to build and build and build and build and build and build. Where it's like, now I look through, I'm like, damn. I've been around the block. And over the next five years, plus, it only gets cooler. There's only better access. Cooler places, cooler applications. It's just more and more fun.

[B]

Yeah. I will say I have been blessed and fortunate to be on a couple of dirt world sites with you. And it's interesting to watch you move around the site because you are locked in. There is no small talk. You're focused on the work, the machinery. You're moving. I have no idea what's going on in your head, but you are focused.

[A]

Sometimes I get a little worried because I can. I worry if I'm being, like, rude, because it's like, hey, if the light's good, I'm not here to talk. I'm not. I'm not, like, I'm here to. Let's get the safety meeting done with. Right. I know the hazards. I understand. I'm gonna have my head on a swivel. I've been around the block. I'm not saying that because I'm complacent. I'm the opposite of complacent. Cause I've never been to the site. But it's like, let's get on with it, because I need to get out there. But, yeah, sometimes I can. We set it up really well, nicely, so I don't get frustrated all that much. But sometimes I get really fucking frustrated.

[B]

Yeah, that's good. Any highlights from 24 from your travels that you want to share? Any unexpected highlights or anything that kind of jumped out as we wrapped the year up?

[A]

It's all a highlight. We got to go all over the United States. We went to Europe. We went to Australia. I've been there three times. Go back and forth in a few weeks.

[B]

I'm a little jealous. I've never been to Australia. I can't wait. It's on my list.

[A]

It's awesome. Went to Canada. Feel like there's somewhere else we went, but I guess not. I don't know.

[B]

Yeah, you did some good travel this year.

[A]

We did some really good travel this year. And then next year is stacked.

[B]

What does next year look like?

[A]

We've got so much cool stuff planned in the States.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

We've got Japan. Whoa. South Africa. Europe for Bauma. Canada. And then a pretty good size Australia trip as well.

[B]

Yeah. See if I can't maybe sell some extra stuff to get on one of those BOMA trips. I've never been there, so that would be.

[A]

I'm working.

[B]

That would be a good one. Yeah.

[A]

10,000 people for dinner.

[B]

All right, I'll start doing some networking, see if I can't. See if I can't get my way in there. There you go.

[A]

There you go. Awesome. We have to get back to budgeting.

[B]

All right, well, it's been fun chatting with you today. Thank you so much.

[A]

Yeah, thanks for being here. And we will be doing this more in 2025.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So if you're listening to this, this will be internal. If you have anything you want me and Jason to cover specifically, write us.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Please message us.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And from an external standpoint, because this will also be an external podcast, because why not?

[B]

Why not?

[A]

You can write [e-mail] if you want to. Want to. Want to know more about what the heck we're doing, have questions, whatever it is, send us a note anytime. And we appreciate you all listening in 2024. And we'll see you in 2025.