974. Q&AF: Forgiveness Vs Permission, Handling "Too Much" & Holding Employees Accountable

Summary

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Podcast Summary: REAL AF with Andy Frisella

Episode 974 – Q&AF: Forgiveness Vs Permission, Handling "Too Much" & Holding Employees Accountable

Release Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Andy Frisella
Co-host: DJ

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Episode Overview

In episode 974 of REAL AF, Andy Frisella and DJ dive into real-world questions from entrepreneurs and business leaders, focusing on taking initiative versus asking permission, balancing personal boundaries with customer service, and holding employees accountable in small teams. Drawing from decades of business experience (and plenty of tough love), Andy breaks down the realities of entrepreneurial life and team leadership, peppered with direct, impactful advice and memorable anecdotes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Forgiveness vs. Permission as an Entrepreneur

(Starts at 06:56)

• Question: Is it better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission when fixing a problem?
• Andy’s Take:
  • Initiative is invaluable. Employees who fix problems without being told are assets ("That drives your stock up, that drives your value up." – Andy, 09:37).
  • Intent matters: If your motive is the company’s best interest, taking action is almost always respected. Even if the fix isn't perfect, you'll learn through doing.
  • Notable Example: Andy cites a First Phorm employee, Mitch, who repeatedly took initiative and “literally created a role that didn’t even exist.” (14:29)
  • What if you get punished for it? Andy says leave – a leader who penalizes positive initiative isn’t worth working for.

“Your job is to identify problems and fix them before being told. And if you can do that, you’re going to be that much more valuable.”
— Andy, 12:17

Timestamps for this segment:

• 06:56 — The question posed
• 07:18 — Principles of valuable entrepreneurial behavior
• 13:31 — Real-world example (“Mitch” at First Phorm)
• 15:14 — Trust and leadership perspectives

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2. Handling “Too Much” – Balancing Client Service and Self-Care

(Starts at 17:05)

• Question: How to deal with feeling like you care “too much” and being unable to set boundaries with clients contacting you at all hours?
• Andy’s Take:
  • Entrepreneurship has no business hours: If you want to win, expect to have a lopsided work-life balance, especially in the early years.
  • Reframe the inconvenience: See late calls or weekend work as opportunities and privileges—not burdens.
  • Anecdote: Andy praises his jet broker Adam, who responds at any hour—one reason he dominates his industry (24:10).
  • Long-Term: Once you have strong teams and systems, eventually you’ll handle fewer emergencies, but the early grind is non-negotiable.

“If you think that you’re going to be an entrepreneur and you’re going to set these boundaries, which is so … the talk of the town these days, and you’re still going to win against somebody who is all in, you’re sorely mistaken.”
— Andy, 17:36

“What’s a bigger problem? You being mildly inconvenienced, or you having no customers?”
— Andy, 25:12

Timestamps for this segment:

• 17:05 — The question posed
• 17:36 — Reality check on entrepreneurship
• 24:10 — The story of Adam, the jet broker
• 25:12 — Privilege vs. inconvenience

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3. How to Hold Employees Accountable in Small Teams

(Starts at 25:27)

• Question: How can you hold employees accountable in a small, lean business where everyone wears multiple hats?
• Andy’s Take:
  • Daily accountability: With a small team, have daily check-ins, divide tasks clearly, and close the day with checkouts. (26:54)
  • Early-stage challenges: Autonomy builds over time as team buys into the vision.
  • Share the big vision: People need to see a future for themselves or they’ll lack motivation—without it, you’ll attract only those content to stagnate (29:30).
  • Be realistic about trade-offs: If your ambition is small (“just want my bass boat and some freedom”), expect less motivated, lower-caliber employees.
  • Anecdote: Andy recounts sharing a huge vision years ago for his companies— initial disbelief from staff, but as the vision materialized, belief and commitment grew.
  • Ultimate fulfillment: Andy reveals the success he’s most proud of is seeing people he’s worked with thrive and build good lives, regardless of whether they stay.

“The thing you’re going to be most proud of is what you did for other people and the path you gave them and how you helped them … that’s the coolest thing ever, man.”
— Andy, 41:57

Timestamps for this segment:

• 25:27 — The question posed
• 26:54 — Early days accountability practices
• 29:30 — On vision, turnover, and employee motivation
• 34:43 — Building belief over time
• 41:57 — Pride in building others' careers

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Initiative:
  “Intent matters a lot. And if you really think that something is a problem, something needs to be addressed … you’re going to be celebrated for fixing the problem.”
  — Andy (10:30)
• On Entrepreneurial Sacrifice:
  “There are no boundaries unless you want to lose.”
  — Andy (17:36)
• On Employee Motivation:
  “If you don’t have a big enough vision, you’re going to get what you get—which is stagnant employees.”
  — Andy (29:29)
• Anecdote:
  The story of Mitch, who created his own job by stepping up and showing ownership (13:31–14:32).
• Ultimate Takeaway:
  “The bigger you get, the easier it gets … you will build a supporting cast that is very capable and very strong.”
  — Andy (38:13)
• Personal Pride:
  “The thing I am most proud … is the careers we've created and seeing the people that have helped us build things, build their lives through it.”
  — Andy (41:57)

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Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Content Description | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 06:56 | Q1: Forgiveness vs Permission | | 13:31 | Example: Mitch's story | | 17:05 | Q2: Handling “Too Much” as an Entrepreneur | | 24:10 | Anecdote: Jet Broker Adam | | 25:27 | Q3: Accountability with Small Teams | | 29:30 | Vision and Employee Motivation | | 34:43 | Building belief and team buy-in | | 41:57 | What matters most: building others' careers |

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Final Thoughts

Andy’s guidance throughout the episode is unapologetically direct and reality-based. His main message: If you want to win, be ready for discomfort, take initiative, value your team deeply, and build a vision people want to be part of. Entrepreneurship is not for those seeking comfort, but for those willing to serve, sacrifice, and build—one problem, client, and team member at a time.

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Useful For:

• Entrepreneurs navigating early-stage challenges
• Leaders striving to build resilient, motivated teams
• Anyone reluctant to step outside comfort zones in pursuit of growth

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For more info:

• Visit andyfrasella.com for resources and updates on new projects.
• Episode #208 (audio only) contains free access to the “Live Hard” program.

Andy’s Fee:
“If the show brings you value … don’t be a hoe. Share the show.” (02:05)

Transcript

[Unknown Rapper]

Yeah, we're from sleeping on the floor now my jury box froze up Pole stove counted millions in a cold bad booty swole Got her own bank roll can't fold just a no head shot case Cloak, Cloak.

[Andy Purcell]

What is up? Guys, it's Andy Purcell and this is the show for the Realist. Say goodbye to the lies, the fakeness and delusions of modern society and welcome to reality. Guys, today we have Q&AF. That's where you submit the questions and we give you the answers. Now DJ is going to tell you how you can submit your questions.

[DJ]

Yeah, guys, you can do this a few different ways. You can email your questions in to ask [e-mail] you guys can also click the link in the description below and submit your questions for an opportunity to be on the call ins. You can also drop your questions in the comments of the Q and A episodes.

[Andy Purcell]

All right, so that's how we do Q and A. Now, if you're new to the show, which lots of people always are, we have shows within the show. Okay, Today, Monday is usually Q and A. F the rest of the week we're going to have cti. That stands for Cruise the Internet. That's where we talk about current events, what's going on in the world. We put topics on the screen, we discuss them, we laugh at them. We talk about, you know, what we think is going on and how we the people have to solve these problems going on in the world. All right, then we have occasionally real talk. Real talk. Just 5 to 20 minutes of me giving you some real talk. Some of you guys might call it a rant, but yeah. And then we have 75 hard verses. 75 hard verses where people who have completed the 75 hard program come on the show. They talk about how they were before, how they are now, and how they used the 75 Hard program to transform their lives. If you're unfamiliar with 75 Hard, it is the initial phase of the live hard program, the boot camp, so to speak. You can get the entire live hard program, which happens to be the most famous mental transformation program ever. You can get that for free at episode 208 on the audio feed. It's not on YouTube. Again, two zero eight on the audio feed.

You can also get the book. The book is available on my website, andy4.com it's called the Book on Mental Toughness. It's not free, but it is much more in depth than just the podcast. All right, so with all that said, we do have a fee for the Show. The fee is very simple. If the show brings you value, if it makes you think, if it makes you laugh, you. It helps you. Do us a favor and don't be a hoe. Share the show. All right. What's up, man?

[DJ]

We got live tonight. Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna wear something special for you tonight.

[Andy Purcell]

Are you? You are, huh?

I can't wait.

[DJ]

Yeah, baby.

[Andy Purcell]

You guys, show.

[DJ]

Share the show out right now. DJ will wear something very special for Andy tonight. Yeah, man. How you doing, man? You good?

[Andy Purcell]

I'm good, I'm good. You know, we just launched the. The return of the MF CEO project. And if you went to my website, andy4seller.com you will see how to get that. And it's going well.

[DJ]

That's great.

[Andy Purcell]

It's cool. Yeah, I'm really excited about the. The phases of what we've built. You know, this is just the initial phase. The next phase is incredible, and I'm really excited to get back to, you know, really helping people change things. Because, dude, here's the thing. You know, when we started real af, people were asleep. What was going on in the world? Now everybody's awake. Culture has shifted. We are moving back the other way. In some cases, I think a little bit too far. But that's the nature of the beast. And eventually we're going to find our place, you know, where we're all going to feel good and culture is going to be in the right spot. And as that starts to happen, people are going to have to start understanding how to win, because winning is the ultimate insurance against oppression. All right? When people are highly disciplined, smart, healthy, fit, intelligent, good human beings, the oppression that happens through the government is almost impossible.

To feel because you're not able to be controlled. So, you know, when we talk about personal excellence being the ultimate rebellion, I'm just excited to be able to pour what I know.

And this incredible technology that we built.

Into people to. To really help them move down the path. Yeah, I think it's the biggest thing. It's the biggest thing I've ever done.

[DJ]

Yeah, no, for sure. I think the other thing, too, that. That's really cool to see because it's not like you just started working on this last week, right?

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah. Like, this is three years, man, process.

[DJ]

And to see it come out, dude, it's awesome.

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah. You know, now you guys understand. You know, everybody's been like, where is it? Where is it? Where is it? Well, dude, we've had to redo it like 15 times because it kept evolving, and it Kept evolving, and it kept evolving. And now I'm. We're at a point where we can launch the first phase, and then over the next 12 months, the second phase has become very apparent. And, you know, I think it's going to be one of the. I think it's going to be one of the most important companies ever built, and I think it's going to be one of the most successful companies ever built, and it's definitely going to be the most impactful company ever built. You know, I spent my whole life helping people, you know, one way or the other with supplement superstores, you know, was working with people face to face to help them transform. And then we built first form, where we did that at scale across the world, then MF CEO project, where, you know, we've helped, you know, hundreds of thousands of people get their shit together and, you know, five, six years, seven years later, now those people are now successful. So. And then we just, you know, live hard and 75 hard and what we do here on Real AF. Everything I've ever done has been about trying to help people win. And that's my wheelhouse, dude. I love that. It's my favorite thing to do. And I'm excited to get back to it because the reality is, is we could talk about this stuff that's going on in society and we will continue to do so because we have a great time doing it. But the solution isn't to just talk about it. The solution is to become, create and build yourself into the ultimate version of what you can be. And that doesn't necessarily mean you have to be a billionaire or 100 millionaire. That might mean something else for everybody else, but the tech that we created.

Is impressive, dude.

[DJ]

Yeah. And whatever that goal is is gonna help you get there.

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah, for sure, dude. I'm excited.

[DJ]

I love it, dude. I love it. With Andy. You know, in the. In the. In the spirit of helping people and making people better, I have some. I have three good ones for you.

[Andy Purcell]

Oh, do you?

[DJ]

Yeah, I do.

[Andy Purcell]

You almost fumbled that line. Yeah, I almost fumbled the bag.

[DJ]

Yeah. No, we got some good ones, guys. Let's. Let's go and get the Q and A F kicked off. Question number one, Andy.

[Andy Purcell]

Andy.

[DJ]

Is it better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission when it comes to fixing a problem? As an entrepreneur? Oof.

[Andy Purcell]

Oh, it depends. I mean, it depends. Yeah. Are you really fixing it? You know, look, here's the thing.

There's never been a time in the history of me being in business where someone has Corrected something without me telling them to where I thought that was a bad thing. In fact, it's a great thing because it shows that someone's paying attention. It shows that they care. It shows that they're willing to take initiative. And as we talk about, there's three things that make someone valuable as an entrepreneur. Well, actually, four. One, can you sell? Two, can you lead? Three, can you replicate your own skill set and other people? And four, can you handle problems before they become problems? And so we're talking about the fourth thing here, all right? And.

Generally, you know, when that happens, it's a great thing. Now, sometimes you're going to think you're correct in the problem and, you know, maybe that was happening for a specific reason that you're unaware, or maybe there was something that you're missing, or maybe you don't know the whole picture. So there has been times where people have quote, unquote corrected problems that weren't actually problems, but they never got in trouble for that. That would be something that, you know, you would still value because they took initiative, but you would then coach them on, you know, hey, look, I appreciate that you went and you try to solve that problem. You did a good job, but here's how it was. And next time we're going to put this in, you know, just come run it by me or whatever, right? But the truth of the matter is, dude, is like, you know, the things that you're afraid of being an employee, you know, getting in trouble because you're doing something proactive, if you're doing something with the proper intent for the company to get better, for the team to get better, for the organization to get better, and. And you're fixing a problem, that's not a bad thing, dude. That drives your stock up, that drives your value up. So when a company or a team or organization has someone that's willing to identify a problem, take initiative to fix it, and then come in and say, hey, Andy, I found this problem, dude, but don't worry about it because I already fixed it. But here's what it was, and here's what I did, okay? And then you're either going to say, fuck, dude, thank you. That's a great job. You did awesome. Or how'd you do it? Okay, well, you did it 90% right? Let's go tweak this, right? There's never, if you work for even decent leadership, they don't even have to be great. They're going to recognize your intent, that you were working to make the company better. And you, as an entrepreneur, have to take those steps even when they scare you or especially when they scare you. Because most people just like most people that never like, build anything or do anything in life, the reason they don't is because they're afraid, dude. They're afraid of, well, what if this happens? What if that happens? What if this happens? Eventually you just got to go. Otherwise you're going to stay in the same spot. So if you're an entrepreneur and you see going on and you don't fix it, you're part of the problem. Okay? So you have to understand these things. Take a little courage. You've got to step outside your comfort zone. You have to, you know, take initiative, take ownership, fix the problem. And you're always going to fix it perfect, but you'll learn how to fix it perfect by doing that. And people who really, you know, get stagnant in organizations, it's not that they're not great, and it's not that they're not skilled. It's that they don't ever display the greatness or the skill set because they're afraid that they might get in trouble. Yeah. All right? So you have to understand that intent matters a lot. And if you really think that something is a problem, something needs to be addressed. This is not a, you know, ask for forgiveness situation because you're going to be celebrated for fixing the problem. You know.

I.

You just have to make sure that you're fixing it with the interests of everybody in the company in mind, not just for your own convenience. And that's a big thing, too. You know, I've had situations in the past where people have quote, unquote, fixed problems, but the problems that they fixed were not really problems. They were just ways for them to make their life easier. And that is the opposite of a good thing.

[DJ]

Okay, and does that include problems that they also create?

[Andy Purcell]

What do you mean?

[DJ]

Like, if I. If I have fixed this problem, but I created the problem just to fix it so I can get this, like, you know what I'm saying?

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah. I mean. I mean, I'm sure there's people that do that for sure. But, I mean, I would say that's. That's the. You know, that's a small, small, small percentage. Like, that's like saying, I'm not gonna go outside because I might get run over. You know what I'm saying? Like, it. It's such a. It's insignificant talking point.

[DJ]

Yeah.

[Andy Purcell]

So, yeah, man. I mean, look, dude, if you want to be a valuable member of an organization. Your job is to identify problems and fix them before being told. And if you can do that, you're going to be that much more valuable.

[DJ]

Yeah. Can we, can we also touch on this too? Because you know, if you're, if let's say you saw a problem and an employee saw a problem, they fixed it, they brought it to the owner, hey, look, this was it. Follow the exact plan. What should they be expecting after leaving the conversation? Right? Because I look at this, I'm okay, well, all right, cool. But like now the ownership is probably going, okay, cool. What else can this guy fix?

[Andy Purcell]

Right?

[DJ]

Like so, yeah, saying that as an employee, you mean, what is it is raised, right?

[Andy Purcell]

No, no, no, dude. The conversation that happens on the backside that nobody sees.

[DJ]

Yeah.

[Andy Purcell]

Is that what you're asking?

[DJ]

Yeah.

[Andy Purcell]

Okay. So that conversation, and I understand that's a great question. I can tell you 100% of the time what that leads to on the back end that you don't see amongst your supervisors or your boss or the owner or the founder. You know what they say? Say, that motherfucker gets it. I like that guy. I like who that guy is. Okay. I have a really good. We, we here at first form have a really good example of that. We have a guy who moved here from out of town who.

You know, started doing card writing and you know, our entry level positions and then saw a path, decided to take ownership of that path, has now created his own little, you know, area of, of promotion. We're talking about Mitch.

[DJ]

Yeah, okay. Oh, bro.

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah, so, yeah, but, but see, like. And don't let this go to your head, Mitch, but like. Because it'll ruin you. But what? No, don't. He deserves the credit. But one of the things that Mitch does very, very well is that he handles things that he thinks need to be handled and if they're handled improperly, he will say, I did this. And I'm not sure if it's the right thing, but I got this done right? And, and now he's one of the main guys that handles, you know, all of our community events and promotion events for, for Form Energy. He's built himself, you know, the beginning of what's going to be a very good career as long as he keeps going and not, you know, not let this little plug go to his head. But he's not like that. He's not, he's not that kind of guy. So I don't have a problem praising him.

[DJ]

So by simply doing that, he, he literally created a role that didn't Even exist.

[Andy Purcell]

Correct. Yeah, but that's what pushes a company forward, and that's what people don't understand. That's why one of our core values inside of our companies is take initiative is exactly right. Because you. We want people to do that. And if you own a company, you should want your employees to do that too, because if everything bottlenecks around you and your decisions, then the company can't grow. It chokes out the momentum. So, you know, and that's where trust is earned too. Right. Like. Like our leadership that any of the leaders I deal with in any of our companies, they all have this same quality. They are willing to identify a problem, take the initiative, fix it, and.

You know, handle shit.

[DJ]

They've actually fixed them.

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah.

[DJ]

And with that.

[Andy Purcell]

That trust, I mean, dude. But dude, most people are very uncomfortable doing that because at some point in time, they dealt with a shitty leader or a shitty coach or a shitty parent who, you know, they did the right thing and they still fucking got with. Right. And as an employee, if that ever happens, you know, you just want to explain yourself. You want to say, hey, I didn't mean to this up. I'm sorry, but, like, look, man, I was doing what I thought was right, and I'm trying to help the company grow. And, you know, that's that and, you know, explain yourself that way. But I honestly, dude, if I. I personally think that if you work for a leader that punishes you for doing what you think is right with the proper intent, you. You have a. You have a terrible leader, and you should probably look to remove yourself from that. Yeah. Because that same leader, when you start to step up, is gonna. Is gonna see that as a threat. And that's where people up, okay. Like, leaders really up. They don't. The reason most people can't lead is because they feel threatened when other people increase their skill set and become great. But in reality, dude, the definition of a leader is to make people great. You know what I'm saying? So you can't be, you know, pounding somebody's, you know, confidence into the ground because they're working to improve. And, you know, this is a. I think this is a dynamic that a lot of leaders really up. And this is why a lot of companies have terrible culture and terrible performance because you. They have a leader somewhere along the line that has no nuance and no ability to understand anything outside of a system. And, you know, procedures and policy take precedent over what the outcome is. And, you know, they can't build a team. Yeah. So, yeah, dude, I love it, man.

[DJ]

Yeah, I love it. Guys, let's get going to question number two. Hi, Andy. Andy. I'm 27. I've been in business for four years, and I'm having trouble balancing caring too much for my clients. I have a hard time shutting it off when they text or call me on the weekends at 8 o' clock at night. I don't know how to say no, and I don't know how to turn that off. Need some advice on this?

[Andy Purcell]

What? Do you want to win?

Do you want to win or do you want to lose? I hate to say it, but since you don't understand this, you signed up for a certain kind of life, and your certain kind of life as an entrepreneur has no business hours. There is no personal time. There are no boundaries unless you want to lose. And the reality is, is that you are blessed to have the opportunity to serve these people at 8 o' clock at night on a Saturday night, because all it does is build the positive word of mouth that you're creating around your company and your brand and yourself. So if you think that you're going to be an entrepreneur and you're going to set these boundaries, which is so, you know, the. The talk of the town these days, and you're still going to win against somebody who is all in, you're sorely mistaken. All right? So this is the nature of the game. The nature of the game 40 years ago was you walked out of the door, you shut it, and you went home and everything was perfect and you had a life that doesn't exist anymore. That's not the game we're playing. Game we're playing now is fast, quick, convenient, all the time. Solve it now, no matter what that takes. Okay? And if you're an entrepreneur and you think that.

You have the opportunity to say no to people, especially when you're getting going, you're going to lose. That's the truth. So. And if that's not cool for you, then maybe being an entrepreneur isn't the right move. And I don't say that to be disrespectful, but I say that as a matter of what your priorities are. Because having multiple priorities as an entrepreneur is the nature of the game. And you have to do the best that you can do in each situation. All right? There's been times over my life, lots of them, where I had to miss things and not little things, big things, because I was dealing with things going on in the business. There's been times where.

Man, I'm on vacation which is not very often, but there most of the time when I leave, I end up having to solve some. All right, now, don't stop now, now, now, where I'm at after 27 years, I have very competent team. But in the beginning, it was all in, all the time. Right? Now if I get a call on a Saturday night, it's a fucking problem.

[DJ]

Yeah, it's a big problem.

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah, but that was systems came way later.

[DJ]

Those systems take care of that.

[Andy Purcell]

That's right. And the better that you can make your systems in the early days, the faster you can get to that position. But that still takes time. It takes training, it takes building an amazing team that understand what you're trying to do and how to do it the proper way. But at the end of the day, for this question, the answer is this. Stop looking at those things like they're a hindrance and start looking at them as an opportunity. Because if that calls you at 8:00 on a Saturday night and he needs a pepperoni pizza, you better go get it and bring it over to his motherfucking house and bring him some, you know, chicken wings too, just as a little extra, right? That's what it takes to be successful. And this is why I always talk that most people's concept of what it takes is not in line with what it actually takes. And I don't think it's even close. I don't think that most people.

Truly have an understanding of how much more it takes to get something built. So we have to understand, dude, this is going to take way more than what you think. And the reason that you think it's not is because you grew up in a different time. You grew up where you could, you, you could talk to all your friends all over the world with a click of a button. I didn't grow up like that. Okay, you grew up where everything is instant. You know, you order something from Amazon, it could get there the same day. I didn't grow up like that. I grew up in an era where you had to order some. It took six weeks to get. Okay. No, for real.

[DJ]

You imagine that now?

[Andy Purcell]

No, but that was normal business, bro.

[DJ]

Crazy.

[Andy Purcell]

So when you don't have that sense of time.

You don't understand. There's certain things you can't rush through. Okay? You can't rush through building trust with the client. You can't rush through building loyalty with the client. That takes time and it takes repetition and it takes validation. But you can accelerate it by being available at inconvenient times. Which is perceived by the customer as way more than what anybody else is willing to do. So if I were this person, I would stop looking at that as something that's bothering me. What the fuck is it bothering you? Like, what are you doing playing video games, watching tv, what the are doing? Okay. And look at it as an opportunity. Yes, sir, I'm on it. Let me handle that for you right now, okay? And eventually, as you start to have systems and you build teams that will eventually kind of settle down, and that has its own set of challenges. Because like I said, when, when you start to build the systems and then you get that call on Saturday night, it's usually a big problem. Doesn't happen as frequently, but when it does happen, it's a lot more severe.

[DJ]

100%.

[Andy Purcell]

So, yeah, man, it's. You got to reframe how you think as an entrepreneur. And the idea that you're going to have the life that everybody else signs up for is. Is an absurd thing. Okay? And there's a trade off, all right? You're putting the risk in, you're putting the time in. You build the company, you own the asset, you're likely making the most money. And then, you know, people that work inside of these structures typically have more boundaries, more family time, more ability to enjoy their lives. And the more money you make, the truth of the matter, like, there's a lie. Here's the lie. The more money you make, the more free you are.

The more money you make, the more obligations and responsibility you have, and the more you're expected to. To be able to handle situations that are inconvenient. So there's a trade between income and convenience that people seem to miss, you know?

[DJ]

Yeah. You know, thinking like, you know, hearing you respond to this, it also makes me think, too. It's like you. And you say this all the time. I see it on a daily basis in here, but it's one, one customer at a time.

[Andy Purcell]

That's it.

[DJ]

Right? And you know who I immediately thought of, you know, talking about this was. Was Adam. Your boy Adam. Like, bro, it doesn't matter what time it is.

[Andy Purcell]

Adam. Yeah. Jet Adam. Yes. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[DJ]

I mean, like, this dude's doing.

[Andy Purcell]

This dude's doing, you know, a hundred million dollars in business. I call this dude. He. He brokers all my jets. Doesn't matter. Three in the morning, he could be in Africa, bro. Yeah, it does not matter. And by the way, you don't ever hear an attitude. It's the opposite of that. He's very grateful for the opportunity to build his business, which is why he's one of the biggest jet brokers on the planet. Okay, so.

[DJ]

And I'm sure Adam's a little bit more than four hour, four years in, right?

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah. You know, I've been flying with him for.

Probably seven, eight, maybe 10 years.

[DJ]

Yeah.

[Andy Purcell]

You know, like, and by the way, I would never use anybody else, because if I call him, I get fixed immediately. Hey, bro, like, I got to get out of here today. All right, Stand by. That's his answer for everything. Stand by. What time? It's never no. It's always yes. Always yes. And that's why he wins. Yeah. Yeah.

[DJ]

I love that, dude. Like, just circle. I mean, you should be looking at this as a privilege. I love that.

[Andy Purcell]

It is. It is a privilege. What if nobody was calling you? What. What's a. What's a. What's a bigger problem? You being mildly inconvenienced or you having no customers? You see what I'm saying?

[DJ]

I love it, man. I love it, man. Guys, Andy, let's get to our third and final question, man. We got question number three. Andy, how do you hold employees accountable? We are running a machine shop, and we have nine employees. We run lean, and people wear multiple hats to cover multiple job titles at once. But how did you do it in the beginning days? How were you able to hold employees account accountable?

[Andy Purcell]

Well, I mean, when you only have nine people, it's pretty easy, dude. I mean, I know that's. That's probably hard for someone that's never done it, but try doing thousands of people or hundreds of people. Okay? Now we're talking about systems.

Which, by the way, part of the tech that I built is going to address this problem.

For commercial applications. But anyway, that's neither here nor there. But when you have fucking five or ten people, it's real easy, dude. Especially when you're all in the same location. Okay, you got a shop. I'll just give you an example. Okay? When we were building First form, all right, when we had the. The old building over on Green park, the one that I had when I met you at the very beginning of that, we had myself, Sal, Jason, and, like, a few guys in the warehouse, and then, like, maybe three or four other people that came down to help. Okay? Will and Aaron. All right.

Let'S say we had 15 people. Okay? We would gather them in the lobby literally every morning, and we would say, okay, here's what the. I need you to do today. Here's what I need you to do today. Here's what you're doing. What are you doing today? Guy tells us, right? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. We're all doing multiple. And then at 4 o', clock, we all me s, everybody went in the back and packed boxes. Okay? And while we're packing boxes, I'm asking them. Ss asking them. Jason's. Okay, what got done? Did you call this guy? Did you get that done? Did you do this? Did you do that? And so there. There was consistent assignments and then accountability in the same day. All right? And that's super easy to do when you have everybody kind of in the same physical location. It's even easy to do if you're doing it remote. You hop on a call in the morning, game plan, hop on a call at night for 10 minutes and make sure that everybody's doing it. But in the early days, it's a day by day accountability structure. The idea. This kind of goes back to the last question, too. The idea that you could just kind of set it and forget it is. That's a fallacy. That's not how that works. You have to be on top of it for long enough to where all of your employees and everybody that's working with you, everybody on your team starts to understand the direction that we're moving, and then they will start to move that direction autonomously over time. Then you will back that up with systems, and then you will scale. All right? So in the beginning, it's. It's a day by day thing, you know, and it should be, by the way, if it's not, you're really missing opportunities to communicate, build culture with your team, bond with your team. That. That brings them in and makes them feel like they are owners of the company, which is ultimately what you want. You want everybody that works for you to feel as if this is their fucking baby. And sometimes people can't do that because they haven't created a big enough vision for the teammates to understand that there's something worth working for. And we see this a lot with little operations. Okay.

If you have an operation, let's just say this shop, okay? And he said, you got nine guys. Yep. And your goal is just to have that shop. And that's your goal. Your goal is to have the shop make a few hundred thousand bucks a year, you know, get a bass boat, live your life on, you know, do the. You know what I'm saying?

[DJ]

Like, hit the leg on the weekend.

[Andy Purcell]

Like, if that's your goal, you are going to have constant turnover. It's going to Be constant. And if you don't have constant turnover, the only employees that you're going to attract are the people who are going to be there forever with no ambition, no skill, no drive. And that's not what you want. Because when people have no ambition, no skill, no drive, and they're not committed to the vision of the company, then what a service are they offering the customers? You see what I'm saying? It's not very good. It's kind of like a take it or leave it thing. We see this every time we go to the DMV or we go to a government building government. People don't have a upward mobility opportunity the way that an entrepreneur or people inside entrepreneurs may have, which is why they behave the way they behave. There's no accountability, there's no upward mobility. They don't give a fuck. Okay? You don't want that in your business. So if you're an entrepreneur that is going to stay right where you are, you have to understand what you're going to get. Okay? You could do that. There's lots of people that do that. But you're going to get. You're not going to have a team that's operating at a high level, that's kicking ass, that's building and pushing the, the, the, the company down the pipe, making things better, making things bigger, servicing customers on top of what you know, they should go in the extra mile. These things only happen when a big vision is included and people believe in what you're doing and they can believe in what you're doing for a lot of reasons. Okay? There's people in our organization that just love helping people, which is awesome, bro. There's also people that want to make a fuck ton of money. Okay? So those people are motivated by different things, but either way, we're going to help way more people. And by the way, if you do, you're going to make more money, right? Okay? So a lot of the staleness and the stagnation that people have with their employees comes from them not being clear or even having a bigger plan at hand or thinking that they shouldn't share it because I don't want anybody to know my vision, motherfucker. You don't have a special vision. You didn't think of anything new. Everything's been done. Tell your team what the you're trying to do, the bigger the better, and then you have to follow through. Okay? If you paint the vision and you don't follow through, people are going to think you're full of this Happened to me a few times. Not because I was full of, but because it took longer than I wanted to.

[DJ]

Yeah.

[Andy Purcell]

All right. So you know, when you paint a. Like I can remember sitting back in the back of our Manchester supplement superstore in 2009, giving a meeting and telling everybody what we were going to do with first form. I have my buddy Tom Young draw up a. Which, by the way, he created the first supplement Superstore logo. Yeah. And he charged me 50 bucks. And it took me three years to pay him the 50 bucks. I didn't have any money.

But I went back 10 years later. Tom has always been a good family friend. I said, hey man, can you draw me a sketch of what, what a headquarters would look like? And I kind of like thought it out and, and showed him and, and it actually looked very much like this building. It had a big Runway up top and the offices up top that overlooked the gym and the floor. And I mean, it's very close to what we have, which goes into another topic of making sure that you're very clear about what you're envisioning and what you're pursuing, because those things do materialize. Especially if it finds out, if we find out that we live in the fucking Matrix. Like, what if. No, I'm serious. What if. What if what? This is how you should behave. What if we really do live in a matrix? And what if everything that you imagine for yourself will actually materialize if you see it in detail for long enough and then you put the application towards that. Okay. And you could see that as biblical, because it is. It's in the Bible. You could see that as the law of attraction, which, you know, a lot of people argue. Well, that's not, that's not in line with God. Well, it actually is. If God created the universe, he created laws of the universe, okay? Or you could choose to see it like we live in the Matrix and we're all computer programs and what we think of actually comes to fruition in reality. And however you think about it, you have to get real clear on the vision. But the point of what I'm getting at here is I stood in front of the meeting and I said, hey, we're going to do this and this and this and this and this. And yeah, I mean, they thought I was nuts, okay? And these are all hard working, good people. But the vision was so big that from where we were to where that was, was very hard for them to believe in. So we lost a few people, right? We gained some new ones. We Paint the vision again. The vision starts to materialize. We move into. We go from the bat, our warehouse being in the back of the Chesterfield store to a 12, 000 square foot warehouse to a 60, 000 square foot warehouse to the two buildings that we had in Green park, to this. And as that vision starts to come to fruition, people believe more and more and more. So in the beginning, when you paint the vision, you know.

I guess what I'm saying is it's going to take longer than you think, and some people are probably going to think you're full of shit. But the right people will stick and the right people will help you build it. And when those people are there, they will be there forever, and they will help you crush my guy. My best guys, our best guys, Sal's best guys. I always say, I. I'm not CEO anymore, but, you know, I still feel like, you know, I still feel like they are.

Our best guys.

[DJ]

Yeah, right.

[Andy Purcell]

All right.

They were all there in the early days, for the most part, talking 10. Yeah. Because they have seen. They came later than the first set of guys and they came in at a point where things were moving. And when things move, people start to believe. Right? And this goes into the. The thing that we always talk about. The work has to come before the belief. You have to do the work. Okay? You're going to work, work, work, work, work. Then you're going to see a little bit of a result which is going to encourage you, it's going to encourage the team. Then you're going to work, work, work, work, work, and the results going to get a little bigger. That installs more belief. Then you're going to work, work, work, work, work. It's going to get bigger than that, which installs more belief. And then you don't have a problem convincing anybody of belief. Like when we walk into the Monday meetings that we have here and we say, hey, we're doing this. There isn't people in there anymore that say, oh, well, I don't know if that's going to happen because we follow through on everything that we said we were going to do. So, you know, sometimes things do take longer, but it's a very crucial, important thing that.

Founders CEOs have to understand. Dude, in the early days, if you paint a big vision, you better do it, okay? Because you don't want to be the guy who everybody says, oh, he's full of. That guy's making promises that he's not holding up. Okay, that's. And by the way, that's not cool. Because maybe some of the guys on your team have bigger ambitions than you might have and you're lying to them to get them to stay. That's not cool, bro. You're up their lives by. By saying, oh, yeah, we're going to do this and this and this and then not doing it. Okay? So whatever vision you paint, it needs to be big. It needs to be big enough for the people inside your company to see themselves progressing inside of it. And then you have to do it. And if you do all those things, you're not going to have a problem with belief. But if you don't, you're. You're going to get what you get, which is you're going to get stagnant employees. You're going to get people that don't care about your customers. You're going to get people that show up there, take their check, go the home, and it's going to be a constant headache for you dealing with this situation over and over and over again.

[DJ]

Andy, like, okay, I do just want the lake at the, you know, the boat.

[Andy Purcell]

That's okay.

[DJ]

The boat at the lake, yeah. And I got my knife and they're killing it, dude. So, I mean, do I really need to paint it bigger? Like, I mean, we're good, right? Like, okay, okay.

[Andy Purcell]

What happens when those guys get hired away from some other company and get promised a bigger job? Because you're stagnant right now, because you're not growing to think that people are going to continue to stay in a situation when they have high ambition just because you've employed them for X amount of years. That's. That's not reality, bro. At the end of the day, people have to take care of themselves. They got to take care of their families. And your job as an entrepreneur, if you're ethical, is to create a pathway for those people to achieve that. And, and by the way, it's not an option. If you want to build something big, it's not an option. Now, you can do that. You can do. I'm not here to tell people what they should and shouldn't do in terms of what they want, but you have to understand the trade off. Okay? If you do run an operation and you're the guy says, hey, I want to make, you know, 200 grand a year. That's enough for me. Which is not, by the way. Ask anybody who makes 200 grand a year if they feel wealthy. They don't. And you're going to get a bass boat and you're Going to go to the lake and you're going to, you know, go to Wally World and all this. Um, that's okay, that's okay. But you got to understand what you're going to get. You're not going to get the cream of the crop, you're not going to get a, an amazing culture, you're not going to get this environment that you enjoy. Going to work, it's going to be pulling teeth all your life. So there's a trade off, dude. You either, the bigger you get, the easier it gets. And that's the thing that people don't understand. And not easier from a standpoint of stress or, you know, investment of energy or your skill set having to improve. It's, it's hard, but easier in the fact that you will build a supporting cast that is very capable and very strong. And I gotta be real, dude. Like, you know, in the early days, it was all about me. I wanted to make money because I was poor, bro. I didn't have any money, okay? And when you don't have any money, the only thing you can think about is having a little money, right? But the I.

The thing I am most proud, okay, I interviewed Steve Wozniak, all right, Steve Wozniak's co founder of Apple. First of all, one of the smartest men I've ever met. One of the, probably the nicest man I've ever met. Real talk, the nicest man I've ever met.

I asked him, I said, hey, hey, Steve, what are you most proud of? You know, you've invented all these things. This guy has done so much, dude, it's not even funny. Like, it's not just the Apple computer. He's done all kinds of stuff with technology that people use all over the world. And I said, what are you most proud of, dude? You've done all these incredible things that have changed culture and society. You're one of the most important people that have ever lived. That's the truth when you consider all the things he's created. And he said to me, something I'll never forget, dude. And he said, you know what I was most proud of? He's like, when I drove out of Apple headquarters, there was a big housing development. $5 million house, $5 million house, $5,000,000 house. And it was all Apple employees. He said, that's what I'm proud of. And dude, I gotta be real, man. Like, as you get mature and as you start to grow and you know, when your finances are in a good spot, the thing you're going to be most proud of is, is what you did for other people and, and the path you gave them and how you help them, even if they don't stay forever, even if they, you know, go into other places. Like, there's this big misconception that, you know, because I'm a hard person to work for, meaning I demand a lot that somehow, like, when people leave, like, I don't want them to win. You better win, bro. Because if you don't win with the. I teach you that's. I hate that. Okay. So, like, I want my people, even if they don't stay, to win. And I think I, I. Out of all the things I've accomplished, dude, you guys see all the, man, you know, I've done some amazing things, you know, and I'm not saying that to brag, it's just a matter of fact. The thing I'm most proud of is, is the careers that we've created and, and seeing the people that have helped us build things, build their lives through it. That's the coolest thing ever, man.

[DJ]

Yeah.

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah. It's the thing you'll be the most proud of.

[DJ]

That company name on that resume means something.

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah, absolutely.

[DJ]

Yeah.

[Andy Purcell]

Yeah.

[DJ]

I love that, dude. I love it, man. I love it. Guys, Andy, that was three.

[Andy Purcell]

All right, guys.

We will see you tonight. Don't forget to go to Andy Forella.com MF CEO. Check out the new project that we have going.

Yeah. And I guess we'll see you tonight. Don't be a hoe. Share the show. Yeah.

[Unknown Rapper]

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