From 25 Cents To Building A Multi-Million-Dollar Company with Howard Partridge

Summary

The WarPlan Podcast: From 25 Cents To Building A Multi-Million-Dollar Company with Howard Partridge

Introduction

In this compelling episode of The WarPlan Podcast, host Myron Golden engages in a deep and insightful conversation with Howard Partridge, a seasoned business coach trained by the legendary Zig Ziglar. Released on October 21, 2024, this episode delves into Howard's remarkable journey from humble beginnings to establishing a multi-million-dollar company, emphasizing the crucial interplay between mindset, faith, and strategic business practices.

Guest Background: Howard Partridge’s Journey

Howard Partridge opens up about his challenging upbringing in Mobile, Alabama, where he grew up on welfare in a cramped 600-square-foot shack with seven siblings. [04:10] He recounts his rebellious teenage years, culminating in a pivotal moment when he left home with literally 25 cents—a stark reminder of his impoverished start ([04:58]).

Despite these hardships, Howard's entrepreneurial spirit shone through early on. Leveraging the $3,000 wedding gift received in cash— a common Italian tradition [06:23]—he launched his first business out of his car trunk. Although his wife was initially unhappy with this risky move, it laid the foundation for what would become the most respected service company in Houston over the next 26 years ([07:46]).

Building a Business with Mentorship and Faith

A significant turning point in Howard’s career was his encounter with Zig Ziglar, a mentorship that profoundly influenced his approach to business and life. [08:49] Howard shares, “You can have everything in life you want if you'll just help enough other people get what it is that they want” ([12:33]). This philosophy not only guided his business strategies but also intertwined with his personal faith journey.

At age 27, Howard experienced a life-altering spiritual awakening that freed him from a 12-year marijuana addiction. [15:30] He describes this moment as a miraculous deliverance, similar to Myron's own experience overcoming alcoholism ([18:00]).

Key Concepts Discussed

1. Identity as the Foundation for Success

   Howard emphasizes that identity is paramount in achieving business success. “It starts with identity, 100%,” he asserts ([24:12]). He explains that understanding who you are and aligning your business goals with your life purpose is essential for sustained growth and fulfillment.

2. Failure to Implement (FTI)

   Drawing from his book FTI: Failure to Implement, Howard identifies the primary barrier to success: people not executing their plans. “The number one reason that people don't reach their biggest dreams and goals… is not because people don't know what to do. It's not because they don't know how to do it. It's just because they don't do it” ([24:43]). He advocates for deliberate action and perseverance, even in the face of setbacks.

3. The Power of Inspiration Over Motivation

   Howard differentiates between motivation (external) and inspiration (internal). “[I]nspiration is when a fire starts kindling on the inside and the headlights go on” ([28:59]). He argues that true inspiration drives deeper, more sustainable change compared to fleeting motivation driven by external factors.

4. Organization and Training

   Effective organization is highlighted as a key to reducing stress and increasing productivity. Howard advises, “If you can organize your day and prioritize and then, of course, delegate and things like that, the more that you can get done with the time that you have” ([33:14]).

   Additionally, he underscores the importance of comprehensive training in five critical areas: leadership, marketing, sales, service operations, and finance ([34:12]). This multifaceted training cultivates confidence and prepares business owners to handle various challenges adeptly.

5. Community and Coaching

   Howard advocates for the significance of community and coaching in business development. “When you have a group that you belong to, I wrote a book called The Power of Community. Every human being has a longing for belonging” ([37:56]). He believes that being part of a supportive community fosters accountability, encouragement, and continuous growth.

Insights on Business Coaching

Howard shares profound insights from his extensive experience coaching over 100 different industries across 20 countries. He explains that successful business transformation begins with a clear identity and is fueled by a strong internal vision. “[...] your life goals will determine the kind of business that you need to have” ([43:08]).

Moreover, he stresses the importance of surrounding oneself with successful individuals to gain inspiration and actionable ideas. “The reason we don't have desire is because we don't have a vision” ([26:48]). By fostering a visionary mindset, business owners can cultivate the burning desire necessary for achieving their goals.

Faith and Business Integration

A recurring theme in Howard’s narrative is the integration of faith into business practices. His book, Monday Morning Christian: How Living Out Your Faith in Business Leads to Phenomenal Success, encapsulates this blend. He shares how his faith not only provided personal salvation but also became a cornerstone of his business philosophy, enabling him to use his company as a platform for ministry and broader societal impact ([21:20]).

Concluding Thoughts: Transformation and Legacy

Towards the end of the episode, Howard reflects on how his success has transformed him. While acknowledging that his prosperity has afforded him certain comforts, he remains deeply committed to helping others achieve their own success. “[...] I really do what I do today for my team so they can reach their goals. And for my clients, I really don't do it for myself anymore” ([46:11]).

He closes with an inspiring message about recognizing one’s inherent worth and potential, encapsulating his belief that everyone is a “phenomenal product” created for a purpose ([53:03]). Howard encourages listeners to embrace their unique strengths and leverage them to build successful, meaningful businesses.

Notable Quotes

• Myron Golden [00:07]: "Your business is a mental war. Your success is a mental war. And making money is a game. And the game of money starts in your mind."

• Howard Partridge [12:33]: "You can have everything in life you want if you'll just help enough other people get what it is that they want."

• Howard Partridge [24:12]: "It starts with identity, 100%."

• Howard Partridge [26:48]: "The reason we don't have desire is because we don't have a vision."

• Howard Partridge [37:56]: "Every human being has a longing for belonging."

• Howard Partridge [53:03]: "You are phenomenal because you're made in the image of God."

Conclusion

This episode of The WarPlan Podcast offers invaluable lessons on the symbiotic relationship between personal identity, faith, and strategic business planning. Howard Partridge’s story exemplifies how overcoming personal struggles and embracing a purposeful mindset can propel one to extraordinary business success. Listeners are left with actionable insights on fostering inspiration, maintaining organization, seeking continuous training, and building supportive communities—all essential components for transforming their businesses and lives.

For more resources and to learn from Howard's extensive repertoire of books and training programs, visit HowardPartridge.com.

Transcript

[Myron Golden]

Wake up. Your competition is asleep. It's you against the world. And if you want to win, we need to get a few things straight. Your business is a mental war. Your success is a mental war. And making money is a game. And the game of money starts in your mind. This podcast exists to help you weaponize your brain through advanced marketing mindset and money concepts. To have what others don't, you need to know what others won't. Your future fortune awaits. Welcome. Welcome to the War Plan Podcast. Hey, my friend. Welcome back to the War Plan Podcast. I have a treat for you. I'm joined by a friend of mine. Honestly, I haven't talked to him in years. Not on purpose. We're just busy and went our separate ways, and I got to reconnect. Mr. Howard Partridge, a lot of you probably know who he is. He was trained by Zig Ziglar. He's been a business coach for 26 years. One of the wisest people that I know. Unbelievably successful small business out of Houston does millions in revenue. He's just impacted so many people. The ripple effect from actually being in the trenches doing it and also helping thousands of people do it. I had a treat to be able to snag him away at an event he was speaking at in Dallas, and now you get to benefit because of it. So, Howard, thank you. How are you?

[Howard Partridge]

I am phenomenal.

[Myron Golden]

That's your favorite word, right?

[Howard Partridge]

Yes, it definitely is.

[Myron Golden]

And as busy as you are on the. On the car ride over here, you mentioned you're working on, like, your 15th book or something.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

How do you squeeze that into everything else that you do?

[Howard Partridge]

A little bit every day? Yeah, just a little bit every day. And hopefully on Saturdays, have a little extra time. So this past weekend, I, you know, I probably spent maybe three hours, maybe four hours writing on Saturday. But writing the book is just the beginning. That's not the hardest part.

[Myron Golden]

Tell me about that.

[Howard Partridge]

Well, once you go through the editing process, then you got to read the whole thing, and you got to, you know, look at what the editors do to it. And then there's the publishing process, and then there's the selling process. Really, you know, you typically, at least, I don't make money on books, but money comes in because it's a lead generator, and that produces coaching clients and, you know, builds connections and things like that. And, you know, it's a business card. It's just another business card. I have a lot that I want to share with people, and I just. I'm always thinking of ideas. And I happen to like to write, and so I write all the time. And now I have. I'm working on a book right now. There's another one right behind that, another one right behind that. And those are just. Those are books that other people want me to do. And that doesn't even include the dozen that I have in my mind that I'd like to do.

[Myron Golden]

You know, it's crazy. I'm working on my first book, so I'm gonna definitely need to lean on your brain.

[Howard Partridge]

I've got a methodology for it. And so.

[Myron Golden]

Well, it seems like with business, finishing something, the last 10% takes as much effort as the first 90%.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

Is that true? Do you agree with that? Like, it feels like just finishing something is the same amount of work as the first.

[Howard Partridge]

Well, it might be, because entrepreneurs are typically starters.

[Myron Golden]

Yeah.

[Howard Partridge]

Not necessarily finish.

[Myron Golden]

Amen.

[Howard Partridge]

We start a lot of stuff, but, like, we need people to finish stuff.

[Myron Golden]

It's like, oh, shoot. I gotta actually focus on the boring details now, not just the big picture.

[Howard Partridge]

Right.

[Myron Golden]

Okay, well, could you spend a few minutes? I have a lot of questions I want to ask you, but tell us your backstory. Because you were born into a trust fund, right. You had absolutely hundreds of millions at.

[Howard Partridge]

Your disposal, like gold everywhere. Rose petals that I walked up.

[Myron Golden]

Take us back to the beginning.

[Howard Partridge]

Well, I tell people that I'm originally from la. Lower Alabama.

[Myron Golden]

Yeah.

[Howard Partridge]

And my wife doesn't laugh at my jokes either, so it's okay.

[Myron Golden]

That's a great. That's a good one.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. I grew up in Mobile, Alabama, on Welfare. There were seven kids, crammed a little 600 square foot shack. And the roof on that house was so bad that every time it rained, we had to get out all the pots and pans to catch the leaks. My mother fed us on a hundred dollars a month from the welfare department. I don't care when that was. It just wasn't a lot of money.

[Myron Golden]

That wasn't a lot of money back then either. That was nothing.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. And so when you grow up in an environment like that, at least for me, I was a rebellious teenager. Got in a fight with my stepdad, got kicked out of the house, had no money, and my friend helped me bum up 39.95 for a greyhound bus ticket to Houston, Texas. Arrived in Houston with literally 25 cents in my pocket.

[Myron Golden]

25 cents.

[Howard Partridge]

25 cents.

[Myron Golden]

True story.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

25 cents.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. I'm doing one of my conference. I'm doing one of my conferences next week, and it happens to be Called the phenomenal profits conference. And I was curious, as I was putting my slides together, how much 25 cents in 1978 would be today? $23.

[Myron Golden]

Really? Wow. That much?

[Howard Partridge]

$1.23. So that's basically what I. In today's terms. $1.23.

[Myron Golden]

You can't buy a full size milk.

[Howard Partridge]

You can't buy a bottle of water for $1.23.

[Myron Golden]

No.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. So anyway, I became a waiter and I worked in all these really high end restaurants. And I. These restaurants back then, this was in the 80s, we had a lot of, like tableside cooking. And so I would. Would like, had tuxedo on, make stuff at the table like steak Diane, Bananas Foster cherries. Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

Flam blow. What is it?

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, flambe. You know, setting stuff fire inside at that age was pretty cool.

[Myron Golden]

Yeah.

[Howard Partridge]

But I always wanted to have my own business. I just didn't have any money to speak of. I was still just making enough money, really, to pay the rent. Then I met my wife, Denise Conjet. Antoinette Panella. Now that's Italian.

[Myron Golden]

That's her actual name.

[Howard Partridge]

That's her actual name.

[Myron Golden]

Denise Kwin.

[Howard Partridge]

Antoinette Panella.

[Myron Golden]

Okay.

[Howard Partridge]

She. That's Italian. She's from New Jersey. I'm from lower Alabama. This could be a good match, right? So when I went to New Jersey with her, she told me to keep my mouth shut because I had an accent. Anyway, so you marry an Italian family, you don't get wedding presents, you get cash. And we got $3,000 in wedding money. The relatives, the tradition with the Italians is there's a little purse that's made to match the dress, the wedding dress. And it's the perfect size for an envelope with cash in it.

[Myron Golden]

Oh, really?

[Howard Partridge]

So each of the relatives would come and there would be, you know, 100 bucks or 200 bucks or 500 bucks, you know, whatever. And in it, depending on how much they liked you or how wealthy they were. Anyway, so we had $3,000. And there was a friend of the family, same age as me, 23 at the time, tooling around a little red Mercedes convertible. That got my attention. I said, I want to know what that guy does, and I want to know if it's legal.

[Myron Golden]

50, 50 chance.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, yeah, maybe less than 50, 50. And so turned out that he had his own business. So I get back to Houston after our wedding, started my first business, my service company, out of the trunk of my car and spent that entire $3,000.

[Myron Golden]

Was your wife happy about that?

[Howard Partridge]

She was not. See, you know the script. She Was not thrilled about that. You're gonna do what? With all the money that we have.

[Myron Golden]

You could have bought like a waterbed. Those are popular at the time, weren't they?

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, yeah. Well I have a friend who started with a waterbed business so yeah, there you go. Anyway, so that company over the years has become the most respected company of its kind in the Houston area.

[Myron Golden]

And um, it's true, I know many people that have actually been there, toured your guys facility, all of it. It's.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, it's excellent. Yeah, yeah. So I got that business systematized. Turnkey is very high end and people wanted to know how I was doing it. How is that building systems and, and how do I have a business that I have to actually be there? And So I started 26 years ago, I started training other people on my systems and how to do it. And so today we coach in over 100 different industries in 20 different countries.

[Myron Golden]

And you were mentored. Look for all the youngins out there, just like pause this and go binge watch some Zig Ziglar videos because he's an OG legend. All the personal development guys, even people like Tony Robbins and everybody learned from Zig. And you knew him. How does that story or meeting him was that after you were successful, how'd you go from rebellious kid that didn't know anything? And this is a very complex question to having a success mindset in the first place. Who is speaking into your life? What other things happen?

[Howard Partridge]

Well actually when I was a kid, I mean I always had this idea that I could do better than other people and I would do odd jobs to make money. I just never kept any of that money. And so when I started my business, I was a hustler. I was, you know, from restaurant training, I knew customer service, I knew how to create high end experience. And so my clients needed me there at 5am, I'm there at 5am you need me there at 9pm I'm there. And so it's really built on customer service. And then in 1997 was when my business really started to take off. I read Michael's book, Michael Gerber's book the E. Myth. He's a friend now. He's a neighbor actually. He moved actually to Texas. I don't know if you knew that or not, but.

[Myron Golden]

No, I didn't know that.

[Howard Partridge]

You should interview him on your podcast.

[Myron Golden]

Yeah, yeah, we.

[Howard Partridge]

I'll connect.

[Myron Golden]

He did a web interview for one of our CONQUER online things years ago.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, anyway, so Michael lives about 20 minutes from me now, but like a lot of people, I read the E. Myth, I did what the E. Myth said, and I built systems in my business, brought on a couple partners, and really, my mentorship at that time was mostly just through books and things like that. But one thing that really helped me was even though we had revenue coming in, we had great clients, great service, I wasn't really the best leader around. And so I started getting some leadership training and reading leadership books and things like that. So. But the way that I got connected with Mr. Zigler was I started my coaching business, and I was mainly in, you know, one niche at the time. And I met Mr. Zigler at a big event called on the Zigler Corporation. Ended up having him come and speak at my conference, got to know Tom Zigler and his daughters, Thomas, his son. And one thing led to another, and I started doing video webcasts for them. From time to time, I had lunch with Tom. And long story short, there's a whole story of this. I could write a whole book just on this story. But my coaching company became the exclusive small business coaching company for the Zig ziglar Corporation. So Mr. Zigler was still alive at that point. And, in fact, I was in Australia teaching for Zigler when Mr. Zigler passed away in 2012. So I knew him personally, and he was. What I loved about him is that he was not just the same man backstage as he was on stage, maybe even a better man, because he really cared about people. He really loved people. His favorite quote, his most famous quote that a lot of speakers use, I.

[Myron Golden]

Already know what you're going to say. Yeah.

[Howard Partridge]

And sometimes they get it wrong. Okay? But he said, you can have everything in life you want if you'll just help enough other people get what it is that they want. And so there's a whole breakdown of that quote. First of all, everybody wants the same nine things out of life. They want to be happy. They want to be healthy. They want to be at least reasonably prosperous. They want to have friends. They want to have peace of mind. They want good family relationships. They want to feel secure. They want to have hope for the future, and they want to love and be loved. And if you help enough other people get those things, have those things in their life, then you're gonna. It's gonna come back to you. So when he was here with us on Earth before he passed away, I used to tell him, I used to tease him. I said, you know, Zig, you. You stole that from Jesus because Jesus said, give. It'll be given back to you. Pressed down, shaken together and running over. And he just laughed and said, well, I know him personally, so it'll be all right. He was so witty.

[Myron Golden]

He's so witty. He's so good.

[Howard Partridge]

Just a wonderful person. I mean, we literally had to. You know how, like, people meet somebody famous and you have to pull them away because they want to just keep talking? We had to pull him away because he wanted just. He wanted to keep just talking to you. He was so interested. And he said his biggest regret was that he didn't get to know all the people that knew him, you know.

[Myron Golden]

Wow.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. My incredible human.

[Myron Golden]

My son who you just met, Maverick, my oldest son. We have a whole herd of Latimers over here, but he loves. Yeah. 314, hopefully, with grandkids. Maverick. Get busy, okay?

[Howard Partridge]

Don't change your life.

[Myron Golden]

He loves Jordan Peterson. And we went to see Jordan Peterson speak in Michigan. And I paid extra for, like, the little photo shoot. You know, you shake his hand for two seconds type of thing. And Maverick had kind of rehearsed what he was going to say because Jordan Peterson is, like, this epic guy. And so Maverick gets up there and he goes, hey, Mr. Peterson, you changed my life. And to both of our surprise, Jordan Peterson actually cared. Right?

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

So he bends over, he looks at Maverick in the eye, and he goes, in what way?

[Howard Partridge]

I love it.

[Myron Golden]

And then Maverick had no answer at all. And so it was super awkward, but he was like. And then we kept moving. Right. But it's because he actually cared. So you're saying Zig was like that?

[Howard Partridge]

He was like that, yeah.

[Myron Golden]

What about the role Faith played? You know, we talk about Jesus around here because it's kind of like the whole point. I mean, he created everything, and everything is bound together and held together through him, made by him, for him. It's epic. Quantum mechanics and solar systems and galaxies and Howard Partridge. How did that become a part of your life? And what does that mean in terms of your business?

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. So when I was a kid, we went to a Baptist church, and I heard the word. I knew the word. But, you know, as soon as I was 15 years old, I started smoking pot and just forgot all about church and all that stuff. It was just a wild kid. And When I was 27 years old, I had been married three years. I had my business three years. And this incredible, amazing. I don't even understand it to this day, feeling came over me that I needed to change. And I had three guys working with me. At the time. And the same thing was happening to them. It's just like this weird, like, almost oppressive, like, you gotta change or else, you know? And it went on for about six weeks. We talked about the Bible. We got the Bible out, we looked at the Bible, we talked about God, and it just wouldn't leave me. And about six weeks in, it was December of 1987. It was slow. It was cold in Houston, which is unusual. It was bitter cold that day. And two of the guys that worked for me were sharing a rental house. And I was over there, and we were playing music, getting high and everything. And I was just sitting on the floor against the sofa, and I started thinking about all the conversations that we had and what was happening to me. And I just said, you know what? If this is all there is to live for, I don't think it's worth it. So I made my decision to follow Christ right then and there. And I got up and I told those guys, I said, you know, we've been talking about this for six years. Or six. Sorry, six weeks. And I said, I made a decision. I'm going to follow Jesus. And they were like, yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll see. I walked out that door a different person the next day. I literally felt the weight of sin lift off of my shoulders. When I looked in the mirror, there was this glow. And I had a marijuana habit for 12 years. From the time I was 15 years old until the time I was 27 years old. It was gone immediately. I tried to quit before.

[Myron Golden]

Isn't that wild?

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, it just gone.

[Myron Golden]

It just delivered.

[Howard Partridge]

It was a miracle just delivered.

[Myron Golden]

That happened to me with alcohol.

[Howard Partridge]

Really?

[Myron Golden]

Yeah. Yeah. I actually was about to go pound about six beers in my mid-20s, because I like beer. It tastes amazing. Makes you feel good. And I heard God say, stop it. I'm warning you. I don't hear God say stuff to me. So this is a very distinct thing. But it wasn't mean. It wasn't like, I'm going to hit you with a stick. I'm an angry dad. It was, like, loving, but it was clear, and it scared me. I started shaking. I mean, I didn't tell my wife. I didn't tell anybody. I went and laid on my face in my bedroom and prayed, saying, I. I can't stop, but I want to obey. Like, yes, okay, yes, I will stop, but it's impossible, so I can't. And as I'm praying this, I literally felt something pull off of me.

[Howard Partridge]

Wow.

[Myron Golden]

And when I woke up the next Day. It's as if I had never even tasted it.

[Howard Partridge]

Wow.

[Myron Golden]

It was insane.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

There's more to that story, too, because then I started drinking again, like years, years later, and it was a whole thing. But deliverance is real. This stuff's real.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Myron Golden]

And you just had that pivot.

[Howard Partridge]

Just like that.

[Myron Golden]

Did you already have your business at that point?

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, so I had my business three years. There's several miracles that happened along, along the way. Initially, for one, my wife had gone to New Jersey to visit her parents. She hated my marijuana habit. I didn't know it until years later, but she wasn't coming back.

[Myron Golden]

She was bouncing.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. And last month, July, actually. So this is a couple months ago, we celebrated our 40th anniversary.

[Myron Golden]

Oh, what? 40 years.

[Howard Partridge]

40. That's awesome. So that was the first thing. Second. So the first thing was getting delivered from marijuana. Second thing. My wife was going to leave me. And the timing, like, when I made that decision, I talked to her on the phone and she said, well, I'm not sure really what that means, but you're going to be home at night instead of out smoking pot with the boys. I'm like, yeah, okay, that's a change. And then my dad, who never wanted to talk about the Lord, just miraculously got saved on his deathbed. That's a whole story. That was all in the first book that I wrote. And throughout most of my books, not all of my books, but a lot of my books, I tell stories about, you know, just stuff, miracles that God has done. And then a couple years ago, my publisher, I was just exchanged some emails back and forth with my publisher. He says, you know, he says, I've always wanted one of our business authors who's a believer, to write a book called the Monday Morning how to live out your faith at work. And I feel like you would be the perfect person to do that. Which, of course, I was totally floored and honored and, you know, like, okay, let me think about it. So I went out to the beach and I started working on it with my notebook, and it just. That book just literally fell out of me.

[Myron Golden]

Anointed. Just.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, it just fell out of me. So I have a book that I need to send you. It's called the Monday Morning Christian How I changed the subtitle. How living out your faith in business leads to phenomenal success. See, there's. You know, you could. You could. There's not living. There's. It's not living. Building your business God's way is the best way. It's the only way. Because if he created us, which he did, and you know him, then he's going to. He's going to lead through you anyway. So one of the major points of this book is what happens to people after they get saved. This is what happened to me. I want to go into ministry. I want to shut my business down, go travel, preach the gospel, you know, and God showed me that my ministry's in business.

[Myron Golden]

Fire right there. Yeah, you probably are from. We didn't talk about this before, but R.G. letourneau, you know, R.G. letourneau.

[Howard Partridge]

I don't.

[Myron Golden]

Oh, my gosh. I'll show you. I have a signed book by him. He's a Texas entrepreneur, but gave away hundreds of millions of dollars. He's basically the reason we won World War II. He invented the offshore oil rig. Never had more than an 8th grade education, died with 300 patents. Unbelievable. But he went to his pastor and said he had a stutter. He's like, he just felt like I'm worthless as a Christian. And his pastor said, RG God needs businessmen too. And that was like his whole epiphany.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's what that book is about. There's four parts of it. And it really. I just share how God has used my business as a platform for ministry. Team members getting saved, clients getting saved, miracles that God has done is just unbelievable.

[Myron Golden]

So awesome.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

I mean, it literally is ministry. I think. I think it's amazing. And good for you. It's so cool, the ripple effect, you know, let's talk about business coaching for a minute. Sure. Because you get to look under the hoods of all these businesses and everybody feels like their situation is totally unique. But it's like, no, like all business is the same except for a few nuance different. Lipstick on it. Right? Yeah. What have you learned working with all these people? Learned about humans, about behavioral psychology, about what motivates people, the people you've seen go from stuck to breakthrough or the people that stay stuck. What are your general thoughts on that category? You've done this a long time.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, I definitely. I definitely believe that it starts with identity, 100%. And then so I wrote a book called FTI, Failure to Implement. Right. So there's people who implement, people who don't.

[Myron Golden]

Right.

[Howard Partridge]

You're an implementer. I'm an implementer. And if you implement, even if you get, you know, 70% of it wrong and you're right. 30%.

[Myron Golden]

Right.

[Howard Partridge]

You fail your way, change your life. Yeah. Brian Tracy is A great friend of mine, really, nowadays, I was just with him in San Diego a few days ago. We're going to write a book together. He asked me to write a book with him and it's going to be all about financial success. But if you listen to Brian Tracy, he says that. He says, look, you don't have to get it right every time. But the fact is, is that when you really break it down, and what I share in FTI is that an FTI is the number one reason that people don't reach their biggest dreams and goals. Number one reason that businesses don't grow or do as well as they could is not because people don't know what to do. It's not because they don't know how to do it. It's just because they don't do it. And that's what coaching is really all about, is to help people get the breakthrough, get the perspective, and facilitate a vision so that it creates desire. Right. So in that book, I share that people only change because of desperation or inspiration. So when you're. When you're desperate, your back is against the wall. You got to take action. The problem with desperation is that once you get out of the. Once you get back in the comfort zone, you'll tend to just backslide again. Right.

[Myron Golden]

Right.

[Howard Partridge]

So somehow, if you start out with desperation, which is not a problem, you gotta somehow move all the way through the comfort zone into inspiration. Right. And inspiration is when you have that burning desire that Zig talked about, that Napoleon Hill talks about, that Brian Tracy talks about. And desire comes from a vision. And here's what I want people to hear. The reason we don't have desire is because we don't have a vision. The reason we don't have a vision is because somewhere down in our subconscious belief system, we don't really believe that that could happen, that that will happen.

[Myron Golden]

Which is probably, back to your point, an identity issue.

[Howard Partridge]

Thank you.

[Myron Golden]

Yeah.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

It's so good we didn't talk about any of this. I've noticed exactly the same thing.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

Because fear can be a really good starter. But I notice a lot of people start a company because they're running away from something, not because they're running towards something.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

And so they had a boss that they didn't like. But what's fascinating to me is they'll reach a level which is congruent with their identity, and they stay there. And. But what's so funny is someone will say, I can't grow my business. It's impossible. I Can't get new customers. But then what will happen? I call it the panic number. That's my theory, is everybody has a panic number with their bank account, and it's different for everybody. But, you know, for me, when we were poor in the trailer park, you know, if I got below, like, 200 bucks, it was like, I got to do stuff now.

[Howard Partridge]

Now it's like 2 million blow. 2 million.

[Myron Golden]

Like, whatever it is, it's. It's like. I think it's also why lottery winners, 80% of them are bankrupt within five years. There's incongruence with identity. And they're so this person that's at this level, maybe $10,000 is their panic number. All of a sudden, when they're at 9800, they move heaven and earth, solve the problem, get back above the panic number, and then relax again. Which means they could have went and got new customers and done all the things every day, but they don't. To your point, which is. It's an identity thing.

[Howard Partridge]

Right. Well, and it's also the difference between motivation, inspiration. Okay, in that case right there, that example right there, you know, motivation comes from an external source, like, wow, my bank account is going down. I got to do something. Or maybe in a positive sense, hey, if I do X, Y, and Z, I go to Hawaii or I get a new car, whatever, right? You're. You're positively motivated. But that's external inspiration is when a fire starts kindling on the inside and the headlights go on. You finally see something you didn't see before, and you're like, not just that you want it. That's one level of desire. But I gotta have that. I gotta be that. I gotta do that.

[Myron Golden]

Myron has a teaching. If you do a word study in the word desire, it basically means from the king or of the king. D D E of S I R E. Sire. Sire, meaning the good desires that you have were placed there on purpose. You know, the Bible says before the foundation of the world, God created good works for you, which means he made the stuff that we're going to do before he made us and these. These things that are in us, these visions.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

You got to know who you are to see the vision, and you got to have the vision to.

[Howard Partridge]

And you got to know whose you are.

[Myron Golden]

Know whose you are. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. It gives me goosebumps, the whole thing, because business is like. I forget I would give credit for this quote, but I don't know where it comes from. But business is personal development with A compensation plan attached to it. Some, some smart person said that, you know, because to grow in business, you have to just become a different human. Right?

[Howard Partridge]

Y.

[Myron Golden]

So I don't know, what are some other, I guess, tips for someone to overcome fti, failure to implement your book? How do they do it? How do they shake things up? How do they pattern interrupt themselves? What are a couple steps in the order of those steps to get a breakthrough?

[Howard Partridge]

There's four keys. Number one is inspiration. And the way that you get inspiration is by standing around people who are already doing what you want to do. That's why podcasts like this are great, because somebody's going to say, God, if he can do it, I can do it.

[Myron Golden]

Right, Exactly.

[Howard Partridge]

Or they'll be like, wow, that was really inspiring. That's really motivating. Like, yeah. And it gives you more energy. Right? So that's what's so good about things like this, because you've been very successful. And when people listen to your podcast and they hear your guests, they're like, they did it. I can do it. Okay. What one man could do, another can do. What one woman could do, another can do. The question is, should you? And so there's a whole thing about, you know, goals and life goals and, you know, your life purpose and everybody's life purpose is different. For example, I have a. Built a dream home in Destin, Florida is truly my dream home. And next to my favorite beach in the whole world. Three and a half miles of unspoiled beach. And I wrote a whole book just about that, you know, and, and my neighbors are super rich. Okay?

[Myron Golden]

Like, there's levels to this world.

[Howard Partridge]

Super rich. But guess what? They're never there. They're there. And some of them, when they are there on the phone the whole time, and, you know, they see me sitting out there on the beach like, there's, there's rich, there's super rich, and then there's blessed. So I feel blessed. You know, I borrowed that from someone else. They, they said, yeah, yeah, that's it. That's. That's, that's the level. I'm blessed, you know?

[Myron Golden]

Yeah, definitely something I think about because a lot of my. I feel like I live in two worlds. I have a lot of relationships with people doing really big things. But the other hand, it's just regular people. They're coaching T ball. They have a small service company, a local business, and I love these people. This is what I am, you know, and. But what I notice on the super motivated fighter jets is that the Yardstick just keeps moving in perpetuity.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, yeah.

[Myron Golden]

And then they die. Or, you know, I think some Mormon leader said, no amount of success in business can compensate for failure in the home.

[Howard Partridge]

Right.

[Myron Golden]

So they kind of trade. It's like trading your birthright for a bowl of soup type of thing.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So one is inspiration. So reading good books, listen to good podcasts, and stand around winners. Right. Because you see what they're doing and that gives you ideas and inspires you. Second is organization. Because the fact is that you're going to get better results, have more fun doing it, less stress, and get the right things done at the right time in the right way. If you're more organized, I love to ask audiences that how many of you would agree that if you were more organized and your team members were more organized, you get more stuff done? 100%. It's been said, keep your hand up.

[Myron Golden]

If you are organized, all the hands go down. Right?

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. And so I heard John Maxwell say this one time, I don't know who originated the quote, but I heard John say one time that more time is wasted looking for things that are lost than anything else. You ever been looking for your sunglasses and you pass by a mirror and.

[Myron Golden]

You go, oh, there they are 14 minutes later, right?

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. And so number two is organized because, you know, organization, because there's only certain amount of time in the day. So if you can, you know, do the whole, like, you know, the whole exercise of big rock, little rock, pebbles, sand, water, you know, that whole thing, the tyranny of the urgent. If you can organize your day and prioritize and then, of course, delegate and things like that, you know, the more that you can get done with the time that you have. So organization, third is training. Because the fact is, is that when we have more training in business, like, for example, I wrote a book called the Five Secrets of a Phenomenal Business. There's five areas in business that business owners, small business owners need to be trained in. One is leadership. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Two is marketing. Three is sales. Four is service or operations, however you want to say that. And then five is finance or administration or tracking. Right. And so small business owners haven't been thoroughly trained in those areas. So the more training, the better training you get in those areas, the more confidence you have. That's what my coach has always told me, is that training breeds confidence. Like, think of a boxer, okay? So if you've trained, you've trained, you've trained, then you step in the ring and you're ready for that fight, right? You're prepared.

[Myron Golden]

I just watched Rocky 2 with my boys two nights ago. I've never seen it.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, yeah.

[Myron Golden]

Gave me some inspiration. So. Yeah, yeah.

[Howard Partridge]

So John Wooden was famous for practice, practice, practice. Right. He said when I, we. We show up on the basketball court, you know, he'd roll up the program, sit down and just watch because they're prepared. Mr. Zigler said you're born to win, but in order to be the winner you're born to be, you've got to plan to win and prepare to win before you can expect to win. But if you plan to win and prepare to win, you can expect to win. Right. So training now, although those three things are awesome and they're true, most of that is not going to happen outside of the fourth key. The fourth key is the major key. If you're going to implement, you're going to perform. So the opposite of failure to implement is performing and performance at a higher level. Right, right. And so if you're going to perform at a high level, you need a coach. You not only need to have the desire be inspired, you not only need to have your game plan worked out and, you know, organized and, you know, all that, you not only need training, but you need to coach. The problem is, is that just one coach, is it usually enough. Because although a great coach can really help you figure a lot of stuff out, really what a coach mainly does is help you get perspective on where you are now compared to where you want to go, what that gap is, and then helping you discover ways to, you know, fill that gap. But there's one thing that's more important than just a coach, and that is a community. You and I talked about this on the way here in the car. When you have a group of coaches, a group of peers, when you have a group that you belong to, I wrote a book called the Power of Community. Every human being has a longing for belonging. And when you're part of a group of winners and you get the support, you get the encouragement, you get the accountability that you need, you're going to show up for that group, and you're automatically that group is going to help you grow.

[Myron Golden]

Yeah. Even in some, I've noticed, almost like osmosis, like proximity itself is leverage, even if you didn't become smarter or do something different, because I think belief is transferable.

[Howard Partridge]

It is.

[Myron Golden]

You can borrow.

[Howard Partridge]

That's right. Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

And so when you're in these rooms of people thinking bigger than you, even though you Feel like a fraud at first. You start to feel like you belong.

[Howard Partridge]

Right.

[Myron Golden]

You show up different. It's really. It's an identity thing again.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

Isn't it?

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. Because as a group, you're becoming something different than you are by yourself. Right. And so, yeah, community is where transformation really happens. And so that's why we do a lot of small groups. That's why you guys do a lot of small groups is, you know, you have people around you. And today, in today's world, we're connected more than ever before digitally, but we feel more isolated than ever before.

[Myron Golden]

Right.

[Howard Partridge]

And so in that.

[Myron Golden]

Very true.

[Howard Partridge]

Especially young people. Yeah, especially young people.

[Myron Golden]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I thought you were going to say the key to success was a new Facebook ads hack or something. I don't want it to do all that stuff.

[Howard Partridge]

Barely log into my Facebook half the time. I was like texting one of my people like, hey, what's my Facebook password?

[Myron Golden]

I have to do stuff. You mean I have to like put myself out there and have. Oh, man, Myron, I wanted to tell you one other thing.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

He has this teaching about the difference between transformation and conformation. Like to be conformed. The Bible says, be conformed by the renewing of your mind. Or no, no, it says don't be conformed by the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And confirmation is like, you know, General Motors stamping a quarter panel. Right. It's conforming. It's outside pressure making something in its image. Right. So it's like external. And it reminded me when you're talking about internal and external, because transformation from inside out happening to the world and all this stuff sounds like woo woo when you're just panicking financially. And I remember listening to stuff like this being like, no, like, do I use blue or red on my flyer? Like, no, no, no. What do I do right now? You know, and we do need tactics and stuff too.

[Howard Partridge]

Sure.

[Myron Golden]

So maybe is a good way to, to round out the interview. If someone wanted to get a quick win or do something like what handful of things would you tell them do this now. To either immediately shift your perspective, create more margin in their business, get breathing room. If someone's in an emergency scenario, where would you start when you're diagnosing their business?

[Howard Partridge]

Well, so if you're diagnosing a business, then the first scorecard you look at is the financial scorecard. It doesn't matter what all the reasons are. The fact is, is that if you're not making money and you don't know how to read a financial statement. You don't need to. Get my friend's book, Ellen Rohr, where did the Money Go? And then she has one called How Much Do I Charge? So at the end of the day, you have to make money in that business. Even if you're making a difference in people's lives, if you're losing money, you can't do that forever.

[Myron Golden]

Well, I think a lot of people run their business like a nonprofit on accident.

[Howard Partridge]

Right, right. Exactly.

[Myron Golden]

Whoops.

[Howard Partridge]

Wait.

[Myron Golden]

I didn't mean to do it like that.

[Howard Partridge]

Because they don't understand their numbers. So the simplest thing, like right now, like, rubber meets the road, learn how to sell. Go sell something. But money in the bank, right? Number one. But I'll say it a different way. I'll share with you the greatest business lesson that I've ever learned and the greatest life lesson that I've ever learned, the greatest business lesson that I've ever learned is that the one and only reason your business exists is to be a vehicle to help you achieve your life goals. So first, get in touch with what you really want out of life. Because building a big business, just to build a big business, might put you in a place where you're totally unhappy and you don't have any of those things that everybody wants out of life. So your life goals will determine the kind of business that you need to have. Then you need to study marketing, you need to study sales, you need to understand service, and you need to understand the financials. And if you have people, are you going to hire people? You got to learn leadership. Right? You got to learn those five secrets or five systems. Now, the next thing is, is the greatest life lesson that I've ever learned, and that is get around people who have already been where you want to be and who have a plan for you to follow. Some people just, like. It's just instinct, right? They're not sure how they did it. Just. They just see it. They feel it.

[Myron Golden]

Yes, that's true.

[Howard Partridge]

Right. And they just like, boom, boom, boom. They just blow up. Well, how'd you do that? I don't know. You just do it. You know, do this stuff. Yeah, but when you find someone who has been where you want to be and they have formulated a plan or understood the ingredients, I call it a map. A map.

[Myron Golden]

They have a framework, a map, treasure map. Yeah.

[Howard Partridge]

So what do you do when you. When you want to climb a mountain? You have a guide, right?

[Myron Golden]

I mean, that would be my recommendation. I guess. You don't have to.

[Howard Partridge]

I got the ropes. I got the belay.

[Myron Golden]

It'll be cleats. Yeah, it'll probably be fine.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. So. Yeah. So back to coaching. Back to, you know, listen, people who have been successful in your industry, people being been successful in what you want to do, most of the time, they have a high level of gratitude. They want to give back, and that's one of the ways that you can add value to them.

[Myron Golden]

So true.

[Howard Partridge]

You know, just.

[Myron Golden]

Sorry. That's just so true.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

People are intimidated to talk to successful people, and they want to talk to you a lot of time. They don't want you to, you know, can I pick your brain? Kind of stuff. But just showing gratitude. I want to recognize you on this with gratitude. So when I first started public speaking, I wanted to throw up probably for the first 50 times that I public. So the number one fear of adults in America is public speaking. Number two, fear is death. You ever heard that?

[Howard Partridge]

Yep.

[Myron Golden]

So they'd rather, you know, be in the coffin than giving the obituary or the eulogy. Right. So. But you encouraged me so much, and you're such a polished pro, and you've done it a long time. And I got to speak at this event, and Howard went right after me and 25x what I had just done on stage. And so I was discouraged a little bit, but also, like, how do you do that? And he was so kind and spent time with me, which inspired me to keep going. Like, I wouldn't be doing this. You were a marker on my journey that God had for me, that you played a role you didn't understand, that you played. So thank you. I want to honor you for that.

[Howard Partridge]

My pleasure.

[Myron Golden]

And in conclusion, the last question I have is, in what ways are you different or have changed now compared to before? All the success and not the obvious ones. But I guess what I'm asking is, did you forget what it was like? Because sometimes when we tell the story, it becomes a soundbite in our origin story. And we don't mean to, but you can forget. Does that happen to you? Have you lost hunger? Are you as ambitious now as you were before? I'm curious just to get below the surface of the polished perfect answer of, where are you at today? How are you different? What are you excited about? What freaks you out now? That type of stuff.

[Howard Partridge]

How much time do you have? 17 is the counting session after the podcast.

[Myron Golden]

Well, I, like, I tried to talk about this stuff with Tommy, too, because, yeah, Tommy, you know, everybody asks on the same stuff, and he says he Says stuff.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

And then he says the stuff. But I'm like, who. Who are you really? You know, when you got a nine figure wire transfer?

[Howard Partridge]

Right.

[Myron Golden]

What was that like? And then what are you scared of now? And yeah, I think that's important. So.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. So. Good question. I don't want to say this, but it's probably true that in some ways I probably have forgotten what it's like because I'm truly one of the most blessed people on the planet. You know, I have people to do pretty much everything for me. I have such a great team. And I mean, I just. Why do something that I don't want to do if I can pay for somebody? So I'm a little bit spoiled. My wife says I'm high maintenance, but I pay for it.

[Myron Golden]

Yeah.

[Howard Partridge]

So probably. Even though I don't want to admit that it's probably true, but I still have the compassion and the heart for people.

[Myron Golden]

You still got that dog in you from back in the day.

[Howard Partridge]

When necessary, necessary. But I probably care more about people today because I realize how good it could be for them. And they don't know it yet, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, financially, you know, so that's probably what's changed is that I just not know it. You know, there's a difference between, like, yeah, that's possible, but I know that people can change. I know. I've seen it. I've just seen too much. There is a comfort zone to be careful of because I'm not. I'm not like. Like today I don't work for money anymore. Right. So you wake up in a hotel room like I did this morning, thinking, I don't want to do this anymore. And then I walk outside and I run into somebody outside the. The elevator that's just presents this opportunity or somebody I can help or whatever. I come do this with you. We help people. You go speak and everybody's, you know, excited. But I really, really do what I do today for my team so they can reach their goals. And for my clients, I really don't do it for myself anymore, you know, and not that I'm like super rich, but, you know, so there's a little bit of a challenge there because, you know, if you're not internally motivated or internally inspired, when you have everything that you need. It's a great question for Tommy. Great question for Tommy. But Tommy's young, he's energetic, and he's got a lot of, like, goals. My goal is to sit on the beach with my grandkids. You know, I think Everything else I do is for other people. Truly.

[Myron Golden]

Well, you're living in contribution. Yeah. The thing is, I think a lot of people out there want to do that. They can't though, right? You know, when the oxygen mass drops, you have to put it on yourself before you put it on the kid. And when you're in survival mode instead of, I don't know, thrival mode, that's kind of weird and cheesy. But when you're just surviving, you can't feel, you can't have that same heart because you're trying to just meet your own needs and tread water, stay above water.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

I think you're awesome.

[Howard Partridge]

Thank you.

[Myron Golden]

You have the bracelet on that says Phenomenal.

[Howard Partridge]

Well, it actually says Mr. Phenomenal. And that is because my granddaughter made this for me. Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

That's awesome. Well, in corporate consulting, I'll sign off with this. There's this idea known as second and third order consequences, meaning everything you do has this kind of ripple effect you're not paying attention to. If you plant a tree, it will aerate the soil and drainage is better, and it will provide a house for birds. And that's not why you planted the tree. But it's still true. Those things happen. Right. And so you going from $3,000 wedding money to starting a business to your wife almost leaving you to God, meeting you at the right time, at the right place, all the decisions you made from the E myth to the thing and the coaching, to be where you are now, it's unquantifiable how many people you've helped because the direct people you've helped, like me, that's easy to measure. But how many people have I helped because you helped me? Those are second and third and fourth and tenth order consequent. I just think that's mind blowing. I want to honor you. Thank you for doing this. After a long day, do you have final thoughts? Where can people follow you? How can they get one of your many books? Sign us off, Howard.

[Howard Partridge]

Sure. So go to HowardPartridge.com, you'll get free business training. You'll get one of my books for free. 5 Secrets of a Phenomenal Business. And speaking of the whole phenomenal thing, I'll just say a couple things about that.

[Myron Golden]

Sure.

[Howard Partridge]

Okay. I like to tell people. I like to. I make friends all day long, every day. Okay. And the way I do it is I ask this question. I'll ask this question to the audience. Do you know that you're phenomenal? And people go, I mean, like, perfect Strangers, right? Check in the hotel.

[Myron Golden]

They get all weird. They're like, I don't know.

[Howard Partridge]

Check it in the hotel last night. You know, the. The front desk clerk, she's like, oh, well, you know. So you get all kinds of different answers. Well, of course I am. You know, whatever, right? So then I say, do you know why you're phenomenal?

[Myron Golden]

Ooh. You baited them.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah. Well, you're phenomenal because you're made in the image of God. As Mr. Zigler said, you're born to win, designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, endowed with the seeds of greatness. After all, God don't make no junk. You are a phenomenal product. Created be phenomenal, do phenomenal things and have a phenomenal life. So God made you for a reason, For a purpose. You're born for a purpose. God has a plan for your life. And so when you understand that you are a phenomenal product. That's the name of my corporate company. I thought it was a mistake, because when I named it Phenomenal Products, we sold information products, right? DVDs, CDs, manuals, stuff like that. You and I both did back in the day. Until my mentor came and spoke at my conference. And he said, you know, Howard's products are phenomenal, but I'm here to tell you that you are the phenomenal product. So that's what I'd like to close with. That's what the whole phenomenal thing is about, is that you are the phenomenal product. And God wants to mold you, make you. And my prayer for you is that you would live the life and have the business that God wants you to have. And I'm just a facilitator to help you get there.

[Myron Golden]

So good. Yeah. So we're all products. And if. If the product is working correctly, meaning we're not. Maybe we should talk to the manufacturer.

[Howard Partridge]

Get the manufacturer's instructions. Instruction manual, which is the word of God.

[Myron Golden]

Try to use your toaster to wash the dishes. It isn't going to work. Very good, right?

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah, it could be dangerous.

[Myron Golden]

So good.

[Howard Partridge]

Yeah.

[Myron Golden]

Go to Howard partridge.com. thank you, Howard. You're amazing. And we'll see you later. Hey, you have a mission, mandate, purpose and destiny. Love you. Bye. Do you want to weaponize your brain and turn it into a money making machine? Consider joining War Plan Coaching. You'll get thousands of dollars in exclusive courses and training, a private community, a chance to come to in person meetups at Warplan Studios, and access to myself for Q and A every single month. Want to know the best part. It's free. Plus, we'll send you a private weekly newsletter full of money making tips and cutting edge ideas. Just go to warplan.com to sign up. Hey, I'm your biggest fan. I'm rooting for you. We'll see you next time.