Obsessed With Evan Stewart: How to Unlock Your Business Potential - Solomon Investor
Welcome everyone to another episode of a Solomon Investor Podcast, where we look at the wisdom of the world's wisest man King Solomon, and translate it for the 21st century investor, covering everything you need to know between wealth, faith and excellence. I've got a special guest for you, Evan Stewart. He's a world renowned life and business strategist with a mastery in building dominant, sustainable and purpose driven lives in business. Evan, welcome to the show, my man, thank you so much for having me, I, we shared some great conversation beforehand. So I can only imagine how incredible This episode is going to be. But I'm very happy to be here. And I cannot wait to see
what this conversation takes us. So thank you, again, hey, you're very welcome in my listeners have a very clear picture of what they want. And that is, they realize that without space, they're literally upside down in their purpose, because their purpose actually came from the one who they're designed to have faith in. So this desire to be God directed, and then to actually take control of their purpose. So instead of letting life live
them, they're actually taking control of life being directed by God. And the big picture of that is, you know, what are you gonna do with it, it's through excellence is through actually transforming people, you know, turning darkness, the light. And obviously, we own an investment firm called boron capital, we actually help that come down into their actual investment portfolios, and with you, with your brand obsessed, when I saw that, man, I'm like, I have got to understand what he's doing in his conference in his Academy, to actually transform people in their mind and their emotions and their heart to actually walk out their purpose. And so I've got a question for you. Sure. Before we get into that, what was your journey, if you will, your hero's journey, the ups and downs of it, if you can give a concise picture of like what took you to this point from where you started to where you are now? Man, that's so good. And see, I knew this is why this
is why you're one of the best is because you can immediately start conversation that gets me excited. So thank you for being so bold in what you speak to, you know, my hero's journey is not over. I'm still in it, as I think we all are. I think it would be naive to believe that we're done in reality, I don't look at goals, I look at growth projections. And it's kind of
always scaling away from from where we're at. There was a phrase back in one of my other companies, when I used to be in real estate that a client had stated they were a couple who were getting into a home and it was a $2.83 million house that they were getting into, but they were selling a $500,000 house. And you know, they obviously you could tell they were younger, they had some success. And and yeah, I mean, you know, you see this everyday people that get the lift, and they said what we used to strive for, we now starve on and I thought wow, how interesting is that? That great perspective. And they had said
it in a way that was gracious, not arrogant, but it just stuck with me so little things like you're talking about about what you do is you help other people embark and create their wealth. That phrase of what we used to strive for we use or what we used to strive for, will now starve on I also think is tongue in cheek in relation to that if God is going to give you much, then it's up to your responsibility to do much with it. And so that means the hero's journey is never over. Getting back to what I was stating just a second ago. But in reality, to make a long story short, I was born into a family of an entrepreneurial spirit. My father was an entrepreneur, my
great uncle was a very successful entrepreneur, and my home was together. So I do actually like to mention that because I think that was a very important benefit. I see I work with a lot of individuals who come from all different walks of life, but I do believe that success as an adult starts with a successful home relationship and I don't negate the blessing of having two parents that that work together in the home and so I actually think that that love and that entrepreneurial spirit was the foundation of all that we built upon because I had great mentors like I could look directly to my father as he was building his business which he started when my brother and I were young. So it wasn't like I came in to you know, I'm running around in diapers and 12,000 feet you know, I mean it's it's, it's he's the epitome, the example of uncommon things beginning beginning with common people right where you go off to accomplish something great and it has very humble roots. And so
growing up I saw my father build a business, an actual business and now he employs you know, 3040 people something like that. And so it's a good mid sized business now but at the time, I mean, it was him and a couple of friends right there just building up this company in a much like night like your listeners have seen. You get into That, that momentum. And so, you know, I'm an observer. And so I started recognizing that there was this tendency to serve or offer a product or a service or do something other than have traditional employment should you want to accomplish things in life. Because the only thing I
saw in my environment was, my father says, we're going to achieve this. And yet he was the one that created the environment in which it was achieved not going to achieve this. So let me ask and let me try and figure out where I can latch into that combined with a thing to some innate creativity and excitement and drive really created an incredible entrepreneur entrepreneurial journey. And so I had these little startup businesses in elementary school out of sling and ice cream, man, you know, buy it for 30 cents, sell it for 50 cents, and then it went to fruit snacks. And then in middle
school, it was technology where we, we would buy these crates of broken technology, and we ship them off to get refurbed. And then we'd resell them as certified refurb and have you know, hundreds of percent in profit. It was funny that actually blew up, while I say blow up, you know, a little tongue in cheek respectively. Yeah, respectively. Right? I was coming home. Good. Okay. This
is, you know, back in middle school, the kids didn't have credit cards and stuff like that everybody had cash. So I'd come home with these wads of cash. And my dad actually asked me if I was selling drugs, and I was like, No, no, no, no, it's business. And I sat down, and I showed him the model. He was like, I was like, I learned it from you. And that was it.
But High School, you know, landscaping company, and that technology company went into high school as well. And but all of that to say that I got a chance to work with product and work with people in environments and cultures and start to feel out some of the basics of business before I left high school. And so when I was in college, I was in college for three semesters. And I just felt that it wasn't for me, I had
this innate desire to get into something bigger. And at the time, I had a really big ego, not so much anymore, because I've had to carry interest to get that checked. So I had two options, like I could accept the job at Target. Or I could go into real estate. So I thought, well, I'm better than that. You know, and this is me thinking so highly of myself,
I accept the job in real estate, not because I wanted to more than anything, because a lower real estate, but also, candidly, I was too arrogant to accept the job at Target. Thank God, I've been humbled a lot since then. But I get into the into real estate and day one, I have no training. I sit down and the boss or my broker at the time drops this book of binders on my desk, I was an agent for your for your listeners and says this is everyone who's called into our company in the last five years. It's like old school spreadsheets printed out from Excel. He said, call him back
and see if they're interested in buying real estate. Starting at the bottom here. I bought my little bluetooth headset I remember unboxing it from Best Buy, right? Put it in my ear and I start making the call the first person. Yeah, I'm still in the market, because I didn't realize
I started at the top, which meant I'm calling the people from like a week ago, last month, right? on the market. Sure. I'm interested in 123 Main Street, I go, Okay, I pull it up. He says How much is it? I was so naive, I didn't even know how to read the MLS sheet. So I couldn't even tell him. So we went back and forth a couple times. I didn't even I I couldn't answer any information. And so I to say that I started
not not at the bottom in the traditional sense, but at the bottom of the totem pole in regards to education experience. And it doesn't get much lower than that. Like, how much is it? I I can't even tell you? Well, obviously I'm not you might not have a lot of confidence in me as your agent. And so over the course of about seven years, six, seven years by the grace of God had an opportunity to get out of that rut, build that business into what became one of the top 1% in the in the state of Texas, a multi multi eight figure book of business in annual sales represents some of the most beautiful multimillion dollar properties and, and great individuals all around North Texas. And then that led us to identify new opportunities. So kind of a long run around a short walk type of answer, but that entrepreneurial thread. Yeah, I love your story. We have so much in common.
I think it's so valuable to understand that in someone's darkness if they grew up with unfortunately not a good household. I got actually works in that that's like when he molds and shapes someone, he's actually doing something creating a good work for them to use that influence. But on the other side of it when someone has a good, healthy environment.
A lot of times unfortunately that's overlooked as like, like you're in the minority and you got something good so you You didn't deserve it and you got it and you know so it kind of does look like it doesn't count if you're successful because you didn't come out of some hole from the very beginning of you know, the womb, but that's where my I grew up in a in a very healthy, you know, my parents loved me. I've My mom told me every day you can do it. You want, like you believe and you can achieve it, my dad told me, you know, I'm always proud of you. And there's something about for those who are in their journey of being a father or mother, there's a, I mean, there is a very clear indication of the amount of collapsing of Time of Your, your children's of the legacy of their success, by not having to go through those things. And clearly we know, by many testimonies and biographies of those who've had those hard times, you know, who had to go through all those things, of what God can, you know, mold out of the rock and turn into a diamond. But I had similar story drop out of college, not opinion of my name, you know, obviously, going into real estate, the arrogance, the ego, you know, I had all those things, God brought me into that valley. So,
very interesting. I love what God's doing in the obsessed brand. And clearly, we both had to hit a rock bottom at some point in that journey. And that's that rock bottom. I mean, back then, it was like the most hated moment of your entire life, you didn't know how long it was gonna last. But the that that point of which God's breaking you and breaking the flesh and like tearing away the, the the old man, the bad, the the old man's will the old man's emotions and thoughts, that though that moments like our biggest trophy, because you and I can go back and look and see like that part of the journey was, you know, the largest success that we've actually had. So continue. Tell me more about, you know, what is your purpose
and conviction behind the obsessed culture? So you've got this brand obsessed, you do conferences, it's an academy for sales training, growing businesses, helped me understand like, What's your purpose and conviction behind that? Well, I'll answer that. But I also want to touch on two things that you stated to, to wrap up that first part of the conversation as it relates to my father is the believer, which is I want to give my children enough to do something, but not enough to do nothing. Okay. And so, starting up those businesses and whatnot, like I had been in a situation where my friend and I had to split the cost of peanut butter and bread, because we had, so we've been in situations like that. But I think that starting there, for
those of you that are listening, that actually don't come from this struggle, and if you do, I mean even more power to you, because obviously starting with, you know, a little bit of a wound is not, not the best. But for those of you that don't, the reason that I started that way, is because I think there's an issue right now in society where a lot of people like to overplay their problems, to show that they had things worse than they did, when in reality, I think that if we just called it for what it is, if you don't start from the absolute, absolute wound, and you actually start with two feet under you will then start there, and start your story there. Because that's what people want to hear. And so I actually appreciate just to affirm you, Blake and state to what you're speaking to, I want to affirm you in that thank you also for for being bold enough to speak that because it's very easy to say like, man, I come from nothing if you don't. And then that that's not a very, not a very good conversation to have later down the road when people who have actually gone through that say, watch, so that that doesn't seem to be the case with you. There's a saying that I believe, which is that you can be called before you're competent. And oftentimes too
many of us want to, we want to recognize that we are called with in the same breath, we refuse to recognize the color. And the interesting thing is when God is trying to get your attention, he will typically use what you pay attention to to demand your attention. So great. And the more distracted you get, the more intense his demand becomes. Which means that after a certain point, something's have to break in order to get you back on track. And my break was when I was in a little, a couple 100 square foot apartment, I just I was starting to move up in my price point in real estate, but I couldn't keep the money. I just I just there were all these expenses and backlog. And I just
I was in a state of catch up. And I wasn't even really making that much anyway, but I just couldn't keep much of anything. And I'm sitting there in a target parking lot. I have to figure out how to come up with another $860 for rent, because that's all my rent was. And I just start breaking down. It's like 11 o'clock, I'm gonna have to figure out how do i do the groceries? How do I do this? How do I do this? How do I do this. And I finally had just
turned and prayed. And it was the beginning of the breaking of the arrogance and the ego to really say okay, I can be bold in my faith. But that means that I have to be meek in my flesh. And in being bold in faith, you'll be placed in situations where the only description that people have when they look at you is that you're a man that's trying to be a less authentic version of yourself and a more authentic representation of Jesus. And I think too, oftentimes, we try to be a better version of ourselves which is broken to begin with and started instead of trying to strive for what's already been proven to be perfect. So not to get off on a tangent there. But
I do think that's worth stating since since you had described that that that phrase of purpose. And to answer your question that actually goes back to, to what what we do with our way, which is I'm in, I'm in real estate. So I'm an agent, I'm brokering deals, really growing that business. And I started noticing, in my time there that there were these great, great men and women around me that were older, had more experience how to better network, I knew a woman actually who she and her husband were incredibly successful. And she herself lived in about a $6 million
home, and her friend for agent brand new agent out of the gate. And her friend listed a property and it was 12 and a half million dollars. So can you imagine being your first deal? Being uh, anyway, I was like, my first deal was like, a trap house. But that's cool. That's cool. Um, but anyway, so we have these great men and women in this environment. That are they've got all the tools, and they're just not succeeding. And it's not because they didn't want it.
But that's the only thing I really sat down. I'm a data driven person, right. So early into my career, I'm recording my conversations, I'm sitting down, I'm listening, I'm reading I'm literally getting obsessed with this ideology of, of breaking the things that I don't know, in order to move deeper into the things that work. And I'm looking around and I'm saying, Why is this not working? Mainly because I don't want to duplicate things that aren't working. But what I found was
that industries, they I thought it was just real estate, but it's not. You see it in finances, if you know you're listening to this, you're listening or you're thinking, Okay, it's in insurance, it's in real estate, it's in all these industries, what happens is, is that they become echo chambers. And so everyone starts pulling from the same pond. Well, the problem is you don't have any fresh water in the pond, the water goes sour, and it starts to infect all the businesses that drink of it. And so what I noticed is all these businesses are getting infected. These real estate agents are having the
same conversations. Hey, buddy, this is Evan Stewart. And I want to see do no one answers the phone like that anymore. Right there leaving these voicemails I saw you inquired on that. And what happens is, is that they're stuck in the echo chamber that hasn't evolved because it's never been forced to. And yeah,
died in about 1988. Great point. And so I'm looking around, and I'm saying, okay, God put me in a position to grow great business, but by boots on the ground also accomplished, great work. I'm looking around saying, Why are these people failing? And so I started to give a little bit of advice. And I was at the time, I guess you could call it coaching. But I was, you know, just answering questions. And I started noticing that the advice that I was getting with these individuals, it was being answered again, and it was being answered again. And it was
working again and again and again in these different industries. And so eventually, I started noticing, okay, there's something to this, and that that, in so many words grew into what we're doing now with obsessed Academy obsessed coffees, we took the same proprietary info that can help other people. And now we're trying to distribute it as much as possible, Blake with the ideology that an individual that they should grow profitably and realize their potential, but the way they do that is getting access to the tools that actually work. And not just the motivation, you know what I mean? Sure. So are you tapping into the rules and beliefs that run them? Can I give you a pre frame, so I run a conference called Gladiator realm, and it's transforming guys are avatars high net worth individuals who with a business, they're influential person of some sort, but whether it's their marriage, their business, their personal life? their actual broken rules are what run them subconsciously.
And those just haven't been updated, the enemy got a fiery Dart in the shield of faith wasn't up. And that fiery Dart now is building spiritual cancer, and it builds rules and beliefs. Are you actually focusing on that side? Or is it more of the optics and metrics and maybe their purpose and helping them? recalibrate priorities? So training? It just depends on? Yeah, it just depends. So there's two different avenues. When I work with people and my wife, and I work with people, a lot of times, some of the people that we work with are multi 7891 individuals that attend figure individual, I can't go to someone that's running a billion dollar company and say, here's how you run your company better. on a large scale. I mean, sure, there are little things and I
can always help on sales and tactics and things like that we can always tweak, but I haven't built a billion dollar company. So it would be rather arrogant for me to say I know what you can do better than you. Oftentimes, when we're working with individuals of a significant caliber, we look at the other areas of life. Here's how our we've been pulled away from purpose. Here's how you if you haven't even spent time to identify that here's how we can dive into your specific belief and in your specific work and combine them to see how you can live in inspiring, fascinating motivating life through things you're already doing and dig in not the existential but the tactical. When we're dealing with high level individuals.
Those are the conversations where maybe someone will hire us to come into their company and work with their 40 salespeople, but we find ourselves sitting in the conference room, working with that agent. Visual in their spouse on the relationship because the reason why the salespeople aren't working is because the relationship isn't at home isn't working, really taking that cancer back into the business because they don't know how to communicate in ways that people understand. And they're not listening properly. So now when they're with their salespeople, the same problems they're having at home with their spouse they're having with Jane and john doe in the sales, right? It's so true, that that type of thing, but for those that aren't at those, those levels where they can, where that's the issue, not that people at the top only have that issue, but oftentimes at the at the the lower end in relation to just starting out where maybe you're listening to this, you've got a one employee, or it's just you, or five employees, or you're breaking your first million or 5 million when you're in that startup phase, I believe that personal development goes out the window when bills come in the door. So first and foremost, without sounding greedy, like, Man, you got to get your money, right? I don't care if you go to the gym and go to every Tony Robbins frickin event out there. If you come home to a stack of
pink slips on the counter, you're not going to feel right about who you are, what you're doing, because it's going to take up mental real estate. It's real. So so on that standpoint, yeah, it's like, Look, if you're an ordinary individual, and you keep having all these stresses and struggles, you know, what would really help like $300,000, when you've been used to making 40 that way, you can give yourself the freedom to be creative, and think and dream, and the resources to embark deeper into the avenues in which you feel called instead of staying stuck in the minutiae of the work, like mud on your shoe. And so those two avenues depending on the perspective, the answer is, yeah, we work in both, it just kind of depends on the on, yeah, I love that. It's not a cookie cutter, you know, and the truth is, is going back to, I think what your purpose is, is, you're, in your words, reinventing that actual style.
And that's and that we've got so many things in common, that's what I do on our site is, you know, and it really comes from being God directed. Because if you're not God directed, that's why you create a cookie cutter, because you went into a deep moment of discernment on fixing yourself or someone else. And then you put that into a box. So you don't have to go into that, that deep spot of intuitiveness.
Again, and now you just sell that on a cookie cutter, and it hits some people good. And obviously the most, it just catches them at a point. And so the realization of being God breathed, having God directed purpose and passion and clarity, and, you know, when when your rules internally that run, you are calibrated, and you're actually having his thoughts and not our thoughts, then then you're actually processing taking all your tools from obsessed, and actually putting that into a more fun way that this person actually needs this, I love that, I heard that one said, It's a shame to have a thought about you, in your head that's not in God's head about you. And that's what most people do is clearly there all the fiery darts of hitting them, just like your points, start from the top down. It's the guy in his marriage that's literally eating him out, you know, internally inside from out and you can't actually go pouring out of abundance out of overflow. So, you know, he literally has to get full on the inside. And then to your other point on the
actual provision financially. That's, that's the point of this podcast is, you know, if you go into the health, wealth and prosperity world, which would totally against the health, wealth and prosperity because it's like, That's for you, not for God. So then you really lose your purpose, you lose your actual point of direction. But you actually have to have wealth. And I think God wants to give his people actual wealth, you know, in, in the word, we're very clear that God's storing up the wealth of the wicked for the righteous. So I love that you're
actually molding and shaping it with your obsessed confident that's a beautiful thing. Mm hmm. Well, it's not it's not prosperity gospel. For sure. I don't I don't believe in that. But But what and I know, you're not referencing that I'm just clarifying your shirt for the listener. But what I do recognize is that often when we think of wealth, we immediately think of finances. And, you know, spiritual wealth is not just financial, I would argue that Mother Teresa had some pretty great spiritual wealth, and yet she didn't have much money. And so I think there's a couple of things that I did
early on, as I was breaking the molds of my previous identity and trying to be more authentic, that first thing that I mentioned of, I'm constantly driven by not trying to be the best version of myself, but being a more authentic representation of Jesus first and foremost. Great does that alone does a lot. That alone does a lot. But then the second thing, and this is the dangerous, dangerous part. So if any of you are feeling really bold, maybe your life is a little too comfortable and you want to get permission for God just to kind of come in and tweak. The second one is, is I started Praying for things to be unexplainable because what happens is, is our state of the NSA, our, I'm speaking to all of you that are good at what you do, the state of default is, I am good at what I have created. In reality, you could be very
good of managing and working. So God calls us to work and calls us to be managers. But in reality, I don't create anything I happen to manage and grow the seeds that he's planted within my life. And I think often when I pray for it, lack of explainability, where I just sit there, say, listen, it has to be gone, I cannot explain lightning may strike once may strike strike twice, but 5000 times I cannot explain this, and this and this, and this, and this, and this, and this. And it doesn't mean that every conversation needs to be you know, you being an evangelist. But what it does
mean is that the reality of the conversations are rooted in the fact that a deep internal knowing that you're actually not the Creator. And I think that gives you the permission and the freedom to no longer have to be boastful to no longer have to seek that egotistical feed, because in reality there, I'm not I don't actually do anything I manage. Well, I work well, with the gifts I believe God has given me, I refine what I believe he's given me. And that's kind of it. And it
doesn't mean that you don't work, it just means that you if I have to create this better future for myself, Well, how about I stay obedient to the future that's already been laid before me, right? I believe it's in Ephesians, that you have to live a life worthy of the calling in which you have received not that you have or have not received a calling, but you have to live a life worthy. See, that's a different mindset, then I have nothing, I'm going to create something, you know what I mean? At least to me, maybe it's maybe it's wrong, but but it's well, it's a great, great point in the the heart of Christ. Ephesians two, verse six, it says that you and I are seated in Christ in heavenly places. Is
that calling? Clearly as you're saying that you're managing the calling? Like, you know, you're not it's not your will who's getting to go to the Collins, I love that direction of that distinction. Because that, that changes everything. where most people are living past present. And they're allowing their past bad decisions to affect their present decisions. You're actually saying, no, that calling is actually in the future. And now managing that would mean becoming the best
representation of Christ. Yeah, getting in the way. So I love and that's why wealth is important. Mm hmm. Yeah. Because at that point, you can actually, I mean, it's like, well, 21? Or is, let's go back to financial well for saying, No one is actually getting rid of those pink slips, like, God's desire wasn't to teach you lessons to the pink slips and the late bills. And, and so there's that there is a very important point
of that, and I love them to going into the different facets of spiritual wealth, and having capacity for intimacy and realizing like the wealth of giving out of prosperity, of the wealth of, of gifts, having patience out of, you know, being full and abundance. And, I mean, the only thing is all of the actual facets of who Christ is. spiritual wealth comes when that call and you're looking at that calling. So share with my listeners for that person who's
in their, you know, 50s and 60s, and they've actually come out of a position of working, they might have even hit what we call the natural condition of man, like a Michael Gerber says, where you fall asleep and become a machine. Yeah. How do they reconcile? How do they activate that purpose again, so that they can actually find new purpose? Maybe they've just retired, how do they actually recalibrate and, and live out that rest of their life with massive obsession? Two different points of thought on that one is existential one is tactical. So if you like the existential, you're gonna love it. If you'd
like to have to go, you're gonna love it. Just give me a second. So wait for the tactical today. So So wait for the tactical, I don't believe in motivation, I believe in being motivated by being connected with that calling. And so I always like to
give a little bit of disclaimer, I'm not a motivational speaker. Because you know what, it's more motivating than anything progress. Maybe that's really motivating. But, but I mean, first and foremost, in the existential, stop putting conditions on an unconditional love, that's the first thing because oftentimes what happens, I said, Stop putting conditions on an unconditional love, especially if you're looking for that. From a spiritual standpoint. See, God didn't ask for permission to call. So stop trying to look for permission to pick up and oftentimes what happens is, is we get stuck in our distractions and we feed the things that keep us away from Calling because we're more terrified of what life will look like if God interrupts than we are of what life will look like if he's shut out. And then at the end of the life, we have no
time to go back and fix. So not saying that I know everything I don't I'm not 60 I haven't lived that life. But what I do know early on is that the earlier and the sooner that you can stop giving yourself excuses and outs to live a life that truly would be inexcusable, a life of faith and leadership and boldness. The
better. Okay, that's the existential, the tactical is this. You had a season of your life where you've done great things, you've had a family, I'm sure you've grown businesses, maybe you've, you've accomplished much, maybe now you're entering another season in your life, where you're looking around and wondering, what do you do, it doesn't mean that you already know what your purpose or your gift is, when you're at this age. When you're 50, and 60, and 70. Oftentimes, what happens is, is you're kind of left in this new season of wandering and wilderness where you look around and say the things that I've known are now gone. And I had a house that was full, and now it's full on holidays. And I had a business
that was full, but now it's sold. Now, what a couple of different points of thought. The first thing is if you're trying to and this is just to anybody, not even this age, but if you're trying to get connected to that purpose that I always begin with, what are the things that you do with little effort that require other people much effort, the thing that comes to you naturally that to other people requires a significant amount of work. And I'm not just talking about the tactical, I'm
really good at math, okay, that's all fine and good. I'm talking about conceptual. So maybe you're not good at math, maybe what happens is, the thing that comes to you naturally is thinking things in systematic and pattern based ways. And math
happens to be a better articulation of that thought process than other mediums. For example, maybe you're an individual who you're not older, and you're stuck in an accounting job, and yet, you're always the person that friends call, whenever they need a little help navigating the emotions of their situation, maybe you have a gift to speak to the spirit of an individual. And that gift hasn't been able to be played out in your work, because you're speaking to the spirit of the numbers for the firm's financial picture instead of natural spirit of the people in your network. I'm talking about the thing that you can do that takes little effort. If I
were to put you on a stage in front of 3000 people, how could you what what is the thing that you could speak on or speak to in sound prepared without being actually prepared that type of thing. And when you can start to understand, okay, conceptually, I know my friends call when they have problems, I believe that it's because I'm really good at understanding, identifying and helping to navigate their emotions, which means I have a really high emotional ability to communicate. So therefore, conceptually, I'm good to communicate emotionally, well, then from there, what I always recommend is, you start to build areas of your life, how you communicate, how you move, what you earn, and how you earn are just as important as it relates back to that concept. So maybe now instead of working in numbers, I'm going to just start to put feelers out there if I can just start helping people in a way that allows me to feed that emotional need in their life to work that that muscle of communicating emotionally in my life, just start dipping my toe see real business is built over years or decades, not not overnight. And and when you can start moving deeper into I'm
going to really get clear on trying to navigate all of my actions to fit into this box of a concept. I want to navigate my day to day to make sure that the vast majority of my decisions fit into this box of thinking logically and articulating logically, I'm going to fit my day to day to make sure the majority of my decisions, my actions, what I earn, and how I earn fit into this box of helping people emotionally. And as you get deeper down that framework, now you have data to work with what's working, what doesn't. And you can truly start building a life around a purpose or a calling or a giftedness, because you began at the very foundational level, which is this is easy to me and hard for other people. And it's so simple, but that it's really easy to execute on, it takes a little bit of disruption, especially if you're in that state, like you mentioned, Blake of being a machine but but at the end of the day, that's how it begins to start living a life that's a little bit deeper and purpose a little bit deeper and conviction and start structuring the things that you do around the thing that you were called to do instead of living a life in, in default. So that would be my recommendation, not just for those of you that are listening that are maybe a little older, but for anybody, because I think both are applicable again, the earlier the better, in my opinion, I love that. Yeah, and
it's really good. No matter what age you are to continue to recalibrate. And as God's growing you as things are shifting, realizing as your physical bodies quit growing, but your internal diet like your internal mainframe, as needs to continue to update and whether it's the leadership skills have grown, you've got to update that inside of you because certain things have now become easier to you. And you've got to really realize that the purpose might be right before your eyes or before your nose, but you actually just haven't. You
haven't felt blessed to actually call that your purpose. And so I love that at any age. That's a really good practical, practical direction. So that's really good. Okay, gonna change directions. Are you ready? Let's do it. Let's do it. All right. For those who still have a business or growing a business, this is some key nuggets that I think you'll be really interested in. So let's talk about establishing brands. And for those of you who don't, and those that retired crowd, this is actually maybe even more valuable for you if you can actually take the word brand, and call that purpose. Because this will
actually be how you would grow that influence around what Evan just talked about, about what you're good at. So about growing and establishing brands, when someone's growing a new company? You know, one of the hardest things, obviously, is to break through all the noise and attract a specific avatar. So my question for you is, what have you done to reinvent the way you build your culture? And actually created raving fans? Hmm, that's a good question. And a loaded question. I love it. A couple of different things on that. The first thing is leading with a relational over transactional approach. And a
lot of people say that in a sales pitch, and they're actually transactional, oh, we're relationship driven? No, you're not because you only Call me when you want to get in my wallet, not when you want to be in my life. So that's not a relationship. relational over transactional means that the transaction becomes a byproduct of a vested relationship, not the goal of a relationship, okay? It doesn't mean, it doesn't mean that we have to make friends with our clients. But what it does mean is that the transaction only happens on the back of it being a truly sustainably clearly driven value for the client, to be a client. For the prospect to be a client, I guess I should say, if you want to get tangible in the terminology, the first so out of the gate, what that means is I actually don't want your money by just to take it, I started this business, I did not have to sell my $35 million real estate company. I'm just saying I was making great money. I'm in my mid 20s, we're living in the city life is good. Like we're
we're starting to, I didn't have to sell that. I do this because I want to, which gives us the freedom and the permission to say no, hey, I appreciate you reaching out, I don't think that we're the right fit for you. And the reason that we say that is not because we want to turn people away. But I only want
people in my network that align with our core values, which I'll talk about in a second. From a customer standpoint, not just employees. But also I want to make sure that I mean, look, if you're in the business of transforming lives and businesses, the best data you can produce are the lives and the businesses that have been transformed through your partnership and through your efforts to get it right. It's like back to my real estate days, man, I can hit your mailbox, all I want to I can hit your social media all I want to and retarget and Click Funnels and all of that. The person you're going to call is the agent that has a sold sign in your yard that you pass six times a day when you're going back to and from work what right Oh, man, this guy's in my mailbox, right? But this other ones in my neighborhood and actually doing business, not just spending money. That's the person you call. So better data than anything is a network of
people that are saying, Oh my gosh, I've had results here. I had this experience at the conference, my business grew 1,000%. And normal people write not Oh, I'm a millionaire. And I'm 10 million don't know what I'm talking about. I was making
$13,000 in three years and making 120 I was making $100,000. And now I'm making $100,000. But it's recurring. I'm talking about great uncommon things beginning with common people. We're obsessed again, to use that terminology with building out a structured network of people that believe in our core values of precision, responsibility, teamwork and growth, that are running towards the same mission that we have as a company to allow individuals and companies to grow profitably realize their potential and build work environments that are inspiring, fascinating and motivating. And also black and white data. Advocates like friends, keep friends in business, I may love you. But if we make a million dollars together, we'll probably love each other even more. So it's
building advocates around the results and being results driven, which starts on the front end. Hey, Blake, super glad you called in brother we can't help you. You What you're looking for is not what we do. You want SEO work? My company doesn't do that. I had somebody call him the other day. It was a big contract to be have five to $10,000 a month allocated for SEO work. Sure. I'd love that can't help you. Sorry. And yet
in the same breath, we had somebody that said, I'm really struggling to get off the ground. Hey, well, that's why you you need us not the reason why you don't is because people struggling to get off the ground and building that launching platform is what we do at this level. We are at the time she was looking into obsessed Academy. That's what we're looking for. And so to answer your question, I think that
creates advocates because when you lead with care through your actions, not just oh, we care and it's some crappy plaque on the wall that's been resting in the summer sun but no, no when you lead with Karen your actions, and show them through your actions, Hey, you know what? We're going to do business if it makes sense to do business. And, and that's a different conversation. You know what I mean? Yes, good. Let's play. Let me play devil's advocate
With that, excuse me for the month for my listener who is not intentionally wired they have some programs that would call them to reprogram some certain way they actually work. But right now I'm I'm more passive. I'm not really very intentional, like reaching out. How do you bring? How do you call out that
a Lion of Judah? How do you get them to actually be obsessed? And then create that culture? Because what you're saying is, is being an advocate, and actually like an advocate, I see as like, a defense attorney who's like defending a cause, like, how do you put again, we're talking to the person who's retired talking about that person as well, right? How do they night that? That, okay, I figured out my purpose, like, how do I reignite that and like, become powerfully passionate about it enough to actually tell people about it? And then how do I like put a flag in the ground? How do you guys do that with obsessed? Yeah, two different points of thought to begin. And just as a quick aside, we're talking about a very broad brushstroke concept here to reach the people that are just beginning and they're young. And then of course, like you said, those that maybe have retired as well, and they have a different season that they're looking at all of everyone can benefit. But
if I was strictly talking to 20, or 30 year olds, I would say here's exactly, strictly talking to 5067 year olds that say here's exactly, but so we're going to be a little more broad here, but I'll explain tactically, but it's still broad brushstrokes. So hopefully, this is applicable to you as a listener, regardless of your season. A few different things are kailia says that we don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training now, he was a general but in reality, what that means for us is that we fall to the level of our habits of our systems of our environment. So the default is if you want to stay ignited ignition like a fire goes out, which is why we have to relight the fires when we're camping. Same thing with ourselves. So if you want to stay ignited, you have to stay in the hot environment, which means that the default, right, we don't rise to the level of our expectations. I want to do more that New Year's resolution falls within seven days. No, no, it's
an environment that pushes you to do more. So I'll give you a couple of tangible examples on that. If you've already identified that purpose. The first thing is the purpose has to be defined in the mission. It has to be defined in a mission eight actual tangible mission of at obsessed Academy, we believe in creating inspiring, fascinating motivating work environments and helping individuals and companies grow profitably. Yeah, one more time. So excuse me, yeah, sorry about that, um, our our mission is to help companies grow profitably and realize their potential. And our vision is to create a world
where individuals are inspired by their potential motivated by their progress and fulfilled when they come home. Awesome. So our that's articulated very, very clearly, very, very clearly. And all of our employees, our clients know, like, we know. So the first thing is, the purpose becomes
articulated in something tangible. Okay, helping people grow profitably and realize the potential potential is a little bit ambiguous, but grow profitably definitely makes sense. And so let's, let's talk about that. And then those are the conversations that we push forward. But the second thing is, if we're creating an environment that keeps us hot, that means that it's an environment of discipline, it means that it's an environment that's defined in how you act, and all of the actions can fall back into a system that pushes you forward. So core values are a great way to do that. Before
that, we have our precision, responsibility, teamwork and growth. And simply what that means is that we have to move swiftly and with accuracy, execute fast, but not so fast that you break stuff in the china shop Not so fast, that you break stuff quickly, responsibility, hey, everything is your fault and your responsibility. And if you're going to be solutions driven for your clients, you have to be solutions driven for yourself. Don't ever come with the problem. always come with a proposed solution, even if it's the wrong solution, have a solution in hand and be solutions driven. Right. Everything is our responsibility. Right Jocko talks about in his book, Extreme
Ownership, that there's no such things as bad teams, there are just such things as bad leaders there, there are no bad teams or only bad leaders excuse, right? And you have to take responsibility for everything. Teamwork that were mission driven. And mission success is the only acceptable outcome. Second place is first loser in my opinion. So that concept of Okay, we're going to be first and what we do market leadership or we're going to be present or whatever goal we're accomplishing, we're going to do it to the best of our ability together. And then growth greatness isn't good enough. I don't care what you did yesterday, like you may have a million dollar day in my company. Well, today is gonna be a new day, I'm gonna say awesome. Hey, yesterday, I know
I don't care. Today's a new day. So the reason why I say that is because even if it's just you, or you and a partner, or spouse, or you and a company, even if it's just you, you have to have those values to lean back into. And you have to have the discipline to adhere to them. So by default, if I have a defined mission, I know where I'm running. And all of my actions align for me with precision, responsibility, teamwork and growth. That means by default, I'm in an
environment that pushes me forward regardless of how I feel, because that discipline is there and it's a very clear system to adhere to. And that's probably where I would begin if you're trying to stay ignited the problem with most people that try to stay ignited. They try to stay motivated. Brother, I'm not motivated all the time. Today I'm tired. I'm really tired today. I'm just
going to be real. I didn't want to get up this morning at all. I was like, Oh, wait, you know that that that thought in the mind can always take the day off, you can always write, but that wouldn't be taking responsibility. So I got up. So what happens is, is when you don't have the motivation, you can have the the habits and the discipline in a very strict set of rules for you, that can actually carry you forward. Now,
does it? Excuse me? Does that answer your question a little, a little better? Yeah, I love that. The strict discipline, I would say is actually built behind rules and beliefs. And so for even the person who is that more passive and less intentional, they've got to build those disciplines that you're talking about, to actually when they don't feel like being the person to call or to hold to be the advocate for their their cause their purpose or for the retired person to actually, they want to not only try to get out there, they've got to go build that and you're talking about being tied to a mission statement. I love you, you kind of you mentioned it for
a second, if it's just your spouse, your spouse, man, that's good. We call that a family crest. That's good just for a family with no business No, like, living for what's our mission, where we go in like, so then with what you're saying is, man, if I don't feel like doing something, if I can't, I must, because here's my mission. Here's the reason we're, we're alive. I love that direction. So good. Last question for you. For my listeners, those who are
building a large brand, and seeking high net worth individuals, and you know, if they wanted to be obsessed, and wanted to approach it creatively, what are your best tips on finding that high net worth individual, engaging them and then turning them into raving fans? And they would just focus on like finding them and engage them? What's your best tips on undoing that to build that culture? By so aging them? Just to make sure that I'm clear, so don't answer incorrectly? You're talking about those that are in the business standpoint, you're trying to build a network of high value prospects and clients and one Okay, okay. Well, the thought process is, at least for me, and this is what I did, starting at a very low level, and then ending in a multi multi multi millionaire, excuse me, million dollar real estate person where my average price point was well into the multi million dollars when I had finished and when it began, it wasn't, so I kind of walked that same path. So I can speak a little bit from experience here. The thought needs to begin with, you can always go down, which can always go up. So I'll give you the example I hadn't real estate, I'm known as the agent that can sell 1235 810 $15 million homes all day long, I absolutely can take the half a million dollar property. But the way that you work your way up in finishing that thought, if you are known as the agent that can only sell one and two and $300,000 homes, it's gonna be very hard for you to sell to even get the attention of the multi million. So you
begin with the presentation with the information with the education. And then as simple as it sounds, you start asking really high value questions. So I'll give you an example of what this looks like. Because you can actually refer your way to the top because the people that sold $100,000 homes from new people at 300 new people. So so things like hey, Blake, who's the most important person in your life? Or Who's your the closest mentor you have in the city? And would you be willing and open to making a connection? Right? So what happens is you start referring up, not Hey, who's your best friend comes to mind immediately, probably somebody on a similar level, because like attracts like more around people at similar levels. But if I say Hey, who's the most who's the person that's had the most impact on you this year in the city? Would you be open to making an introduction or in the area or whatever it is? Because, theoretically, right, you don't want to necessarily go across the world because it may not be applicable. But what happens is you start thinking up, who's the
person who's had the deepest impact? When you start looking with your clients, you start asking for referrals and for networking up. So man, I've absolutely loved working with you. And I appreciate the referrals. If you don't mind me asking one of the things that we're working on is really getting connected to people that inspire the people that we are inspired by because like you know, that if you're an individual that's doing great things and the people that inspire you, of course, they're they're accomplishing amazing things as well, who comes to mind is somebody in your life who maybe you'd be willing to make an introduction to that you're inspired by. And then the second thought is, and this is a little bit harder, but a great way to do it is you start building environments in which people can get connected around you. So if your thought is the person that can connect for all things around what you do, then you'll definitely be thought of as the person that can, you know, you can go to to do what you do. So things like the obsessed conference, that's an incredible way for companies to get connected.
Round us, right? It doesn't always mean that I'm going to sell to people. But I tell you what, I know some of the people that are going to that conference, some of them are worth 10s of millions of dollars, some of them are just starting out. But if everyone can have high value experiences, and it happens to be around my brand in my company, well, then what do you know, they're going to think pretty highly of edit.
Now, I'm not saying to go out and build a conference, but in a small way, it can be client appreciation parties, it can be making sure that people are thought of and cared for in your in your neighborhood, in your environment. And then of course, that final piece, whenever you ask, asked to refer up, and you'd be amazed at the quality of conversations you have, or I'm no longer referring my best friend, who may or may not be a great person to refer. But I'm really referring those that truly inspire not someone I went to high school with, but someone I'm really inspired with. And and and, in a nutshell way that that would be where I would begin because it's easy to begin, there's a lot more tactics over, you know, years of discipline that we could get into on a different episode, of course, but that's where I would begin if you're thinking of trying to expand the network, because it's simple. And more
importantly, it means that like attracts like, so you can attract people that inspire the people that maybe you're inspired by. So it's a good foundation to build upon. And that's a really good principle. You're actually talking about this primary question, having people have a primary question. And again, that still works for our people who are retired, who were actually simply just that passive investor. It was that primary question even for that mission statement? I, you know, and that statement is, you know, as you mentioned, when they're asking someone else, who do you know, that I love? You mentioned the mentor? Who is your mentor? Who's your best mentor? Do you? Are you? Would you be willing to actually introduce me to them? Bringing, I mean, now you're tapping into everyone's highest quality person, and bringing those people in, even if it's just a one on one coffee meeting, and then bringing them in? So for, for those who are my retired group, who are, you know, trying to find out what that purpose is. And you're actually, you know, as Evan is
shared, you're seeing how you could actually go do something with this purpose. You know, this quality question, having everyone bring their, their, their closest mentor, and then just having a dinner over at your house. I mean, for my people, my people, people, people, persons who are actively engaging with you have to have that serotonin flown of status, like that just engages you and makes you feel full. Man, you actually can be doing that. So just because you've retired and you've set yourself down, do not buy into this like that, you know, I'm just, I'm just now on I'm just now golfing on Saturdays. I'm not just golf,
like, No, you can go be the one who's influential who's calling darkness out and putting light in it and engaging people and making influence and I love You're talking about for those who are building a brand, having that quality question and actually talking to each person who everyone knows somebody who's in impact the lifestyle love that. It's actually quite the opposite of network marketing, and network marketing those 10s finds by nines and 9588, spine sevens, you're referring down. Networking is just building relationships with a motive, right? I mean, that's, that's all. And that's the final piece that we're talking about here is you can't have a motive. So that's the key. Great, this is not desperate. This is not Oh, Blake, I'm going to get connected with your mentor. And
then by the way, these are intimate connections. If I send you somebody that's close in my life that's inspired me this word, distinction. That's an intimate connection. So don't friggin sell them. Like, Hey, I know that blink God is connected. Now we're going to talk about No, no, no, no, it's just I recognize that the person that you inspire inspires me.
And I felt compelled to get to know you. That is the legitimate beginning and end of the statement. Remember, the transaction is a byproduct of a vested relationship, not conversation, not expectation, not networking, not cold call, not zoom call, not email relationship. So that is how it begins. And this, this will not produce revenue immediately. If
you're trying to drive revenue, just so you know, you're going to be a little bit disappointed. It will not. But you know what it will do over about two to three years because it takes a while to pop. It'll start to grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, and then the quality of relationship and revenue is exponentially larger than what you could have build upon my nickel and dime. Yeah. Evan Stewart, everybody, Evan, thank you for your time, my man enjoy the iron sharpening iron and cultivating excellence.
digging down into some quality like extracting the Lion of Judah out of our purpose and our passion and where we're going. Evan, if people want to find you, where can they find you? all my social is at real Evan Stewart. I'm most active right now on I guess Instagram. You But reality you can find me there. If you are in a business
and you would love to get connected on we have obsessed academy.com is a great place to begin, where we have our proprietary infrastructure and coursework that we've used to grow our companies. My wife and I still do private consulting and workshops and whatnot. Or if you you really like to build
that connection, then join us at the conference. We're going to be there in April this year obsessed conference.com is a great place to get connected. Come network meet people learn from the best. And regardless though, I'm just thankful that you can have me on and hopefully we were able to bring some value back to your listeners. So I appreciate the time. That's awesome. I appreciate you man. So for social you guys on social
media it's real Evan Stewart and then for the obsessed conference obsessed conference calm love that guys reach out Evans been a privilege my man really enjoyed it. And for you guys who are listeners, man process this information. This can't just be something you know that you actually intellectually. stew on. This is definitely marinated on and acted out. So for you who want that activation step of homework process, the idea of what is your mission statement, not for your business, but for you directly. It's gonna run your life. I think about the quality question that Evan brought forth, I'm actually cultivating a culture of high net worth or high quality. No souls around,
you actually want to live for a purpose bigger than themselves. And then go do something with it. Activate that and be obsessed. Until next time, this is Solomon Investor Podcast. And we're signing out. See you guys
2021-01-23 22:59
