On today's episode of Gathering the Kings. There's just this pivot that's more so. I'm comfortable in where I'm at. So now I wanna turn my attention to others, right, and what can I do to help them have a journey that's similar or even better? So I think, yeah, that also is is huge too.
You are listening to Gathering the Kings with Chaz Wolfe, featuring fellow 78 and even 9 figure business owners who have real battle scars from business and life, but have prevailed as the king that they are designed to be. We welcome high performing entrepreneurs to the stage in order to reveal the reel of the reel, on what it takes to build a successful business today.
We dissect the good and bad decisions they've made along the way Chaz give a true and accurate picture of the journey of 6 assess and how you too can get there. Through this dialogue, you will learn the value of growing your network and surrounding yourself with power players and keys like today's guest. Grab your pen and notebook because we're about to dive in. What's up, everybody? I'm Chaz Wolfe. I'm your host, gathering the king's podcast today.
I've got Allison Breckland here on the king's stage. Allison, thank you so much for being here. Thanks for having me. It's lovely to be here. You know, I was just off stage or off off line here telling you your last name was on my little girl, baby name list. My wife you know, she had some other names that she liked, the Franklin. I still, like, I still love that name. So here you are with the last name. I don't know. Maybe it's meant to be your your they're supposed to be here. Yeah. Uh-uh.
Right. You've got a Brooklyn in one way or another. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. See, now you're in my swirl. We we can check that off the box because I I think after 4, my wife, she's Yeah. Done and done. You know? She said, yeah, she said almost that exact same phrase. Allison, I wanna know what kind of business do you have? Sure. So I'm currently the VP of client operations for Mick Salo.
Mix halo is an augmented audio platform, powered by proprietary technology that provides an elevated experience alive events. So, for example, at music events, it unlocks the same soundboard mix that musicians get on stage. Oftentimes including, yeah, multiple mixes. So guitars, vocals, drums, customizable in for every fan.
From a, you know, from a live sports perspectives, teams, and venues, use mix halo to deliver channels of audio content, which could include, like, home and away broadcast, Spanish language broadcast, celebrity commentary and any other custom content essentially they wanna do, and it's all perfectly synchronized with the live action. Wow. So, yeah, we've we're doing a number of things. Yeah. I would love to take credit for it, but I work with some really, really intelligent people.
Who've developed all this. So it yeah. It's kind of kind of really amazing, and I'm fortunate to be a part of it. Yeah. That's really cool that and and we kinda talked about hit the recording button, but just kinda catch the listeners up to speed. You know, you're like, you know, so I I part of a leadership team, there's it's not just me. I'm not this, you know, solo entrepreneur. But but there's a dynamic to partnership that we're gonna talk about here.
And even you being maybe more on the operations, maybe integrator facing perspective, I think that What did I say? I said that you're probably the answer to a lot of the entrepreneurs out there. So I think that we'll try to provide even more value to these all over the place entrepreneurs Yeah. That need, notably talented people like you in in partnership with them. So let's let's go down that road, but I wanna know before we do that. Yeah. Well, makes you tick. Why are you doing this?
What's the bigger picture? Is it tied to the industry? Is it tied to audio? Is it tied to something bigger for you? Like, We'll get you up in the morning. Yeah. Good question. I do think live events has, you know, tugged at my heart and brain a long time. It's something I really enjoy, and so it keeps drawing me back there.
Yeah. You know, I think it's also a mix of needing to lead by example and continue sort of that path Chaz well as mixed in a a bit of competitiveness you know, I wanna be able to set a positive example for not just leadership, but as female leadership as Wolfe, while also, you know, proving anyone who ever counted me out wrong. And, you know, obviously, the feeling of accomplishment is a huge motivator. I'm not sure. You know, when you kill a meeting or you kill a project and you're like, wow.
I I did that. I did a really great job and turned out as expected or better. I'm not sure there's, you know, much better natural feeling in the world. So, yeah, it's Yeah. Those are it's probably a combination or mix of those things. Yeah. It's incredible. It's funny how you you've you've slow played the, you know, I'm just part of the team play here, but everything that you just said is is what winners think about. Right? And and as business owners, you know, that's again, this is a game.
Right? This is a game. And we're and it's sometimes it's project by project, like you said, quarter by quarter, Yeah. Sometimes it's it's the individual deal or sometimes it's a new product. Right? But, man, when you crush something, when you win, right, that feeling, actually, you know, it's funny because I have, you know, I have on one of our products, we have a bookmark, and it says something about, I'm looking for it here. It says there are wins everywhere.
It's up to you to seek them repeatedly. This is not motivation. You must win constantly. Yeah. And I go on to talk about it. Basically, it's I mean, your family, your time, your freedom. Like, it's all at stake. You gotta freaking win every single day. So do you feel like in your role that like, you're you're given opportunities to solve problems and win, or is it like this, like, you gotta create your own problems and solve? Like, what's it like on the inside?
Yeah. I the opportunities seem to just arise throughout my career. Right? Yep. That's probably why I'm still doing what I'm doing is because I've been able to solve problems. Right? That's a lot of what my day entails.
I often say every day is different for me, and I'm working on, you know, any number of different projects, whether it's with a major sports team or a large conference or music artists, any number of things can arise that I need to address or plan for or have plan, you know, a, b, or c. So those those definitely arise naturally, I would say, just sort of given where I where I am. And I think being in in operations, obviously, right, there's just so many opportunities. So Yeah. Makes sense.
Bring them on. Well, let's let's dive into some of those problems. But before, let's just talk about your journey. Let's I mean, how did you get involved with maybe this specific project was entrepreneurialism or even, you know, the idea of bigger thinking and business Yeah. Part of your journey beforehand, give us the give us the story.
Sure. I mean, if you wanna go all the way back, I think I probably, you know, dabbled in on entrepreneurism, if you will, entrepreneurship, I should say, way back in the day, you know, back in in my teens when I my mom taught me how to flip furniture. And I, you know, tried to start a pop culture newsletter, which is probably a stretch. I think my English teacher referred to it as a gossip rag and, like Yeah. Yeah. We You title that however you want to, though, but I gotta roll with it.
We we printed it. So by the time you actually printed it, you know, like, the gossip wasn't actually, you know, hot. Maybe that's hot anymore. Yeah. I mean, I think we charged a whopping 50¢ for it. So by the time, you know, my poor parents paid for the paper in ink, it was it was a losing venture, perhaps also my first lesson in cash well. You know? So Yep. Yeah. Big big pivot from there. To the operator. You know?
So then fast forward, I, you know, obviously sort of went the traditional route of of school and you know, figuring out what I was, I guess, good at. Right? Sure. And worked for a number of companies, including, like, Hertz and Pandora and Ticketfly and Eventbrite. And so working for Hertz, I would say, really gave me sort of that basic business education, if you will. You can, you know, You can you know, your basics. Right?
And and and that was great, but it wasn't necessarily my passion wasn't cars, if you will. And so at some point, I was like, well, you know, I need to pivot and found Ticketfly, which was an amazing experience. And I just really found sort of the perfect spot of being an operator and being able to, you know, get stuff done and also being in an industry that is is exciting and interesting and and always evolving.
So, yeah, then the mix halo opportunity came about, and it was even more of an opportunity for me to put, I guess, my spin on things and my touch on things. Yep. Helping a really great team get even better, hopefully. So Yeah. Yeah. That's how I that's how I got here.
Yeah. You know, it's interesting because, obviously, it's not not Chaz, as we talked about, maybe, the traditional business owner route, you went more of the traditional, you know, go to school get a get a position type thing, but Yeah. You still found yourself in a place where what you just said, I should, you know, point this out to the listener because you said Chaz you had this incredible opportunity. You had nothing bad to say about the place it just came from.
Yeah. But they but you still but you still felt a tug. And the difference that you made clear to us was that there was this creative outlet for you or this, like, I get to be part of a, maybe, a larger decision making platform. Yeah. Which is which is what we desire as business owners. Control. It's, when I curate an environment that makes sense for me, for my family, for my team, it's impact. It's influence. Right? Exactly. Exactly. You nailed it.
So I think that the draw to that, whether you're an entrepreneur or in a position such as myself is It doesn't necessarily have to be at the biggest, you know, scale or grandest position. I think whether you're in my position or even if you're starting out. Right? Like, you can find those opportunities where you can not only put your sort of stamp on it, but you can it also helps you grow. Right? I'm doing things that I've never done before.
And while it can be, you know, painful, almost and messy sometimes. Yeah. When you're done with it, it's that same sense of accomplishment. Right? It's like, I won. I I challenged myself and Yeah. You know, you just get better. And so I think there's just that that tugs at you and keeps you moving forward. Right.
Okay. Yeah. I mean, you're giving us all the same language, you know, that, you know, we, as entrepreneurs, use, It's because it's there's a there's a there's a desire here for influence for something greater. Have this phrase that I you'd like to use grateful, but not done. Like, you've totally embodied that. Yes. Yes. Exactly. And I think for where I'm coming, but we're we're we're still going.
Yeah. And I think, you know, you Wolfe touched on it a little bit earlier, but I think there is also at a certain point in your career, right, it's what keeps you disciplined or or motivated, right, I think initially you're just trying to sort of move up and and figure out, like, you know, where am I going? And then at some point, there's just this pivot that's more so I'm comfortable in where I'm at. So now I wanna turn my attention to others. Right?
And what can I do to help them have a journey that's similar or even better? So I think, yeah, that also is is huge too. Yeah. That's the king mindset. It's, you know, the difference between the warrior and the king we talk about, the warriors in the battle. Right? Yeah. A little bit selfishly motivated, but they have to be. Right, whether you're building a business or or climbing the ladder, you gotta you have to take that approach, but at some point, it becomes it has to become bigger.
Yeah. Otherwise, it's a little bit empty. Would you agree with that? Yeah. What's the point? Right? You know? So it's kinda like I don't know. So, yeah. Let's get into some tacticals here. You've got a a totally different perspective here that I wanna be able to pull on some some levers here for the listeners. Let's do it. Good and bad decision we wanna go to first. I'm gonna ask you 2 different layers on this.
I'm gonna ask you about the the good and bad decision, but I'm also gonna ask you from that perspective of the operator, how that interaction with the entrepreneur in that scenario maybe went or could have went did went. So that way, the listener can take that piece of it away also. Sure. Cool. So what was the what was the a good decision that maybe you made or the company made we're gonna talk about here that you can look back and you're like, oh, there's one thing that we did.
Boom. I think it's led to some of our greatest successes. Sure. I think I mean, thankfully, there's been a number of good dis good good decisions more good than bad. I think you know, sort of playing along with this, I guess unpopular decisions have been my good decisions, especially when it comes to Chaz relationship with entrepreneurs or, you know, CEOs, co founders, what have you. And I think Chaz decision ultimately sometimes is saying no. Right?
And so I would like to say that my ultimate goal to say yes. If you come to me and ask me if we can do something, I will try my best and my hardest to make that happen. That is my ultimate goal. But there are times where no needs to be the answer. And so, you know, in looking at whether it's, you know, I think the the best example of this is whether to sort of re sign a client, right, or maybe even sign in sign a new client looking at, you know, is it the right fit? What's the cost?
How is this going to affect our team? Is this part of the larger goal? Sometimes those answers don't add up to an to a yes. Right? And and you have to take the unpopular sort of position of, like, Right?
I'm not sure we should we should do this and then obviously provide the data and backup and, you know, in my case, you've fully developed the trust of folks to say, like, you know, she doesn't say no just to say no. And so I think that's probably And I can remember several times, right, where where this has happened. And and, ultimately, we were better off for it. I wouldn't change the decision at all, and I know the folks that I've worked with wouldn't either.
Yeah. So I think that's probably, you know, sort of the the best decision. Otherwise, I will always promote sort of process and standardization where ambiguity exists. There's so much ambiguity in what people do, especially when, you know, you're the size of whether it's you know, your company, my company, when you're so small, oftentimes, process doesn't exist, and it doesn't need to be the perfect process, but you have to start somewhere.
And so I think reducing as much ambiguity is one of the best decisions you can make, and it's not easy. Right? And it's Oftentimes not popular either. It's like, well, what's wrong with the way we're doing it? So, yeah, I would say probably my best decisions other than mentorship and teaching Sure. Have been involved in sort of maybe what's not the most popular. Right. Decisions. Yeah. 100%. Okay. So you you just backed up a dump truck. I don't know if you realize what just happened.
I don't know if the listener realizes what just happened, but welcome. Yeah. Okay. So let's let's dissect some of this. Okay. So first off, I heard you say that you built a history of 2 things. Mhmm. Number 1, execution because that's what builds trust. Right? Like, you give it I give it to you. Yep. And I can know that you're gonna go execute. Therefore, I value not only just your ability to execute, but also now your opinion because you've proven yourself.
Yes. So there has to be a history of that. And then on top of that, you provided a history of mostly yeses. Right? So Right. Let's just be honest. As entrepreneurs are co founders, all these names that we can give ourselves. Right? We got a little bit of an ego. We kinda like to be the guy. We kinda like to be the girl. We kinda like to have people learn with all the bright ideas. Exactly. Oftentimes, we are. The guy with the bright ideas.
Okay. Fine. And so there's a little bit of, like, strategicness in here. I heard you say by mostly trying to say yes. Like, I'm I'm I'm not being negative. I'm not necessarily being just, like, a, like, a, like, a, no fund zone. Right? Yeah. Because that's immediately what what a high performing visionary thinks of is like, well, every time I every every time I come to you, you're just a box of nose, you know. Debbie Downer, you know, nobody to be the Debbie Downer.
Exactly. So I I heard you I heard you say you came into an agreement often, and then you pressed yourself to see if we can make those things happen. Exactly. But you also have the ability, the confidence the assertiveness to be able to say, hey, bud. I hear you. But not on this one, But here's also then the data, the logic Yes. The business case on why not? Because oftentimes, we, of visionaries. The we're very conceptual, and we kinda run with the gut feeling, and we're all excited.
And and we come to you high logic, data driven, maybe maybe a little bit more prone to the to the no, but you've learned how to say yes and figure it out, which then makes this agreement work. So that way when you do say no, I'm like, woah. She okay. I got this a rye. Yes. Exactly. The listener right now who is, let's say, maybe they're that visionary. They're building their company. Maybe it's a small company. They're not 7 figures yet, or maybe they're 5, 10, 20000000. I don't know.
But they haven't found this person, or maybe they think they have this person. What do they need to do to curate that relationship that we just got done describing that you've done so well with. Oh, good question. I think it's, you know, for me, I've been fortunate to have the folks that I've worked with and that type of a relationship, I guess, you know, give me enough rope if you will.
And so as the term as the term goes, you know, and has allowed essentially me to be able to, exhibit that, that what they hired me for I can do. And until I prove them wrong, essentially, or do something that does not live up to the expectations, we've been able to move forward sort of with that, you know, understanding and partnership. And so I think you know, you hire people for a reason, especially, you know, in the in the position I have.
And so I think you you have to be able to and then it's really hard, right? You have to be able to let go. So I mean, for and this is very personal for for some folks, right, and entrepreneurs, these are, like, their children or, you know, they're babies. And so it's really hard to trust other people, I think, with such you know, important things. And so Yeah. You have to give a little bit on both sides.
And if, you know, you made the wrong hire or you don't trust this person, then that needs to be corrected. But I think Yeah. You know, find your operator. Yeah. Exactly. The do you see successful entrepreneurs out there, especially in, you know, tech or, you know, any of the companies that we know that are, you know, 50,000,000 or more. Like, do you see those guys without operators? No. Absolutely not. Yeah. Facility thought to think of. Right? Yeah. Yeah. It's yeah. Exactly.
What do you think so many smaller guys then? Try to do it on their own. I think a lot of it plays into what you said before. Right? There is a bit of an ego. I think initially you kind of think you can sort of do it all, and you have to have a bit of an ego, and you have to believe that somewhat. But at some point, you know, and whether it's size revenue, you get to that point where you know, you there's not one person that can handle it all. Right? Very few businesses are survive that way.
And so Right. Yeah. I think that's really it. Yeah. It it's a it's it's a should be a heavy truth. Right? So, like, I I hope that we just laid some pretty thick erring down on the listener because oftentimes, we we we play small, not because we don't wanna play big. It's just that the ingredients to play big are different. Yeah. Absolutely. And I think, you know, especially when companies are really small, you also have to find people who are willing to Where are all the hats? Right?
And so Yep. It's not yeah. When you find that person that can share sort of the vision, right, like, for me, if I share your vision, like, I'm willing to do essentially what you're willing to do to make this work. Right? And so Yeah. I just think, yeah, that's also part of sort of your job as the entrepreneur is, like, sell me on the vision. Why should I love this or, you know, be so devoted to this as you are? Yeah. Yeah. Wolfe, part of part of that is the communication and vision.
And and then the other part of it is the rope. It's like, well, how can I expect you to be devoted and love it if if I'm holding all of it? Yeah. Yeah. Little difficult to be able to do that. Okay. So what about a bad choice that you've made or the teams made Chaz we're like, oh, we don't wanna ever do this again. Yeah. I think honestly my biggest one is really just not and thankfully, it hasn't happened I would say more than a couple times, but making a bad hire.
Sure. Yep. And making that bad hire because the workload was so high. Like, that's what was driving it. And, you know, thinking Oh, this person's not the perfect fit, but the team is so overloaded. I just need to get someone in here that and I'll teach them. I can do this, and it's it's not the it's not the route to go. It it ultimately and did cost me more time And, obviously, money in the long run because they weren't the the right fit. Right?
Not only did they not reduce the workload as a expected, but they weren't quite the right fit. And I think the team obviously recognized that as well, which, you know, causes a swirl and and not a positive way, if you will. And so, yeah, hopefully never again. I think I've learned my lesson, but it's even if, you know, in the short term, you have to pick up you know, more of the workload yourself or Sure. You know, make a deal with someone on the team, whatever it is.
It's just not worth trying to fit, you know, that square peg in the round tall. It just isn't It's not. Yeah. Nope. You're a 100% right. What What do you guys do on the front end to try to minimize that? Are there any hiring tactics that you use that you can share? Yeah. I think you know, sort of the biggest one is just writing an appropriate JD, right, the job description has to fit.
Like and it doesn't you see some of these job descriptions that are, you know, two pages long, and they're through through and have all these wonderful and obscure things in them. And then it doesn't actually represent the reality of what you're looking for. Right? And so I think that's the first step is writing you know, writing inappropriate at JT, and and I think that should be a collaborative process also. Get other people to look at it, especially if you have people in that position. Right?
Like, is this representative of what you're doing? And I think being open, right, being open to different backgrounds, I think at least when I, you know, was coming up, It was that traditional route. It was kind of, you know, repeated ad nauseam, You need to go to school. You need to get a degree. And these are the things you have to do in order to move forward, and I don't, you know, especially now that's not the case.
And so I think it's being open to different experiences and what different people bring to the table and definitely not, you know, having sort of a biased to what's traditional or Sure. You know, what you've what you've seen in the past. Yeah. I think that's a a great I think an entrepreneur is gonna be just a little bit more flexible, maybe, in the way that they think anyway. Yeah. Which they're probably gonna agree with that that that they probably didn't go to school.
Know I'm not a college, educated person. So, you know, but at the same time, it still does hold a a little bit of cloud, especially when you're talking about maybe hiring a you know, an operator or even trying to find a cofounder. Like, there's there's some of those things that that hold that weight. Absolutely. And what I hear you saying is that there's experiences that hold as much, if not maybe more weight. Yeah. Absolutely. Experiences in other businesses, experiences in life, and family.
What would you say? Yeah. I would say All of it. Right? You can take, or I guess you you can gain knowledge out of many experiences. Often of oftentimes, those are personal. Right? Mhmm. And, you know, I'm not, also not saying that school, you know, isn't a good path. I think Sure. Especially for some occupations, right, you don't really want a doctor not going not going to school. Right? Was a YouTube educated. I'll get ready to do surgery on your knee. Yeah. Helpful. Yeah. So Maybe one day.
Maybe. So I think that sorry. Now I'm just thinking about you doing surgery after, like, with, like, a YouTube channel on. I gotta Tutorial? Yeah. I gotta I'd get distracted by that visual. Yeah. So I think all of those experiences play in. Right? And so I I also look at other things. Right? Like, how long were you in your positions? Right?
I think that can tell a story If you're only there for, you know, a few short months and you hop and hop and hop, it may not be the most negative story, but I wanna know more about it. Right? And so I think it's being open to hearing what happened with those positions or conversely if you were somewhere for 15 years. What kept you there? Why are you leaving now? And so, yeah, I think any number of experiences can can prove to be valuable.
Yeah. Yeah. As as you've said, I'll point it out for the listener here. You just have to get good in the interview process of figuring out what that story is, what they've learned in the story, how it's applicable, and and then being able to make a good decision on that, I think Chaz you're right. We're never gonna make perfect hiring decisions. You're gonna unfortunately, probably make one this year.
Yeah. And so Wolfe, I probably I'm gonna I'm gonna try to minimize that completely, but I think that's the the know, the variable there is that we're people. You know? But the variable there is that we're people. And, like, that's incredible. You know? Like, there's some incredible people out there. Yeah. There are. A game changer for your business. Yeah. Absolutely true. Alright. We're gonna switch over here to the speed round. I wanna come at you with a operations questions for the operator.
Okay. It's a KPI question. I like to say it like this. If you could only track one thing, Allison. Mhmm. What would it be? And you can only pick this one forever and ever. What would it be? Forever and ever. It Wolfe be a hard toss-up. I know you're already gonna Be like, no. Only one. I'll let you call it. No. I think it's it's churner or employee retention. Right? And they're, I think, both indicative of very similar things. Yeah. Exactly.
And so someone once said or I heard, right, either one can be like a leaky bucket, which I think is a really good analogy. Right? So you could throw all the money you want at this, you know, leaky bucket, if you will. You can pay a large signing bonus to sign a client. You can pay, you know, a candidate top dollar. But unless you have what they need to stick around, it doesn't matter. Yeah. That bucket's still going to leak.
And so I think you know, depending on, obviously, where you're comp you know, what type of company, where you're at, what you do. Like, one of either of those is is huge. So Yeah. Yeah. It's the experience, whether it be the client experience and or even employment experience, the team experience, the culture. Mhmm. But you're a 100% right.
I remember as you're saying this, I worked for a company, you know, years ago and put it for a pretty big name, but the I'm I'm, like, super high logic, you know, task oriented, big vision, but yet, integrator style. Like, I kinda have a little bit of both. So it's like, I don't really get in the feels of a whole bunch. Yeah. So I'm not the employee that needs to, like, you know, do the thing, the culture thing. Sure. However, it was funny.
I was in an environment that like, was, like, negative, like, below 0. And it was it was all about just go. You know? And and the churn client wise or employee wise was no concern of anybody. Right. And that's just and and it's it's almost like it's don't wanna say, like, that's a bad model. It just wasn't the model for me because it's clearly working for certain businesses. They just have to have a certain amount of energy around filling the pipeline on both of those things.
And what I learned about it was it's not that I needed, like, the feels of Right. That I wanted to be part of something. I just wanted to be seen as a human. Yeah. Absolutely. I didn't really need anything special. I didn't really need to sing Kumbaya. Like, you know, that No. Don't eat. I just need you to, like, actually see me in the eyeballs. You know? Absolutely. I hear you 100%. Right?
And so it it's funny because culture, I think, is is huge, and it's thrown around so much that I think people get annoyed buy it. Right? They're like, oh, culture. Great. You're building that. But culture is huge in a company, and it really dictates a lot, I think, of, yeah, how how things transpire, whether that's from, you know, client churn or employee retention.
Yeah. Yeah. Both. It's funny how you said that both are are equally attached to the same either person or belief system, maybe core values even. And, again, not that not that the other is wrong. I think we just share a belief together here of that if there's not as much work, actually, that has to be done, there's a there's work. Don't get me wrong. It's a different type of work. It's a little bit more of of an intentional work where the other is just a little bit more transactional.
A little bit higher volume, a little bit more transactional. I think people like you and me, you just go, hey. Look. If we, we just plug the hole yeah. You fill the boat? Yeah. There's gonna be another hole that pops up. I'm sure. Or maybe this hole comes leaky again, and we gotta reseal it. But, like, it's not the same gaping hole Right. Yeah. Over and over and over again. Exactly. Exactly. You've nailed it. Good. Alright.
What resource or maybe book would you recommend for business owners trying to grow in 20 Yeah. So one of my favorites, and I think, obviously, this last question sort of led into that is the culture code by Daniel Coyle. And so I think it really does sort of break down how you can develop a positive culture that does promote teamwork cooperation, and most importantly, to me, like, consistency, right, because, like, cool.
If you do things a couple of times, but, like, without distency, again, doesn't matter. Right? And so Right. It essentially explores the concepts of, like, They talk about these 3, you know, sort of elements and its safety, sharing vulnerability, and then establishing sort of purpose. And how these 3 things essentially lead to that cooperation and shared goals. And so Right.
You know, again, I said it earlier, I think culture gets thrown a lot thrown around a lot and, you know, sort of this authenticity conversation comes about. But I think the 2 are, you know, very closely related and being able to, you know, be vulnerable and approach people, like, I don't know everything. I really don't, but I can learn and let's be vulnerable together. This is a safe place for us to move forward. The egos are left at the door.
I mean, at least when it comes to, you know, like, this particular project, what have you. It's not about, you know, who's getting promoted here. Like, let's get this done and move forward and how we all benefit from that. And so Yeah. I just think it's it's huge. I just had actually with a I met up with a previous coworker last week, and we were talking about the culture of the company we had worked for and we're like Yeah. It would be hard to replicate that. Like Right.
They did the company did such a good job and led by the CEO and and founder. Right? Like, he made it his mission for the culture to be great and it was. Yeah. Yeah. I think that what you just left us with is probably the most encouraging thing because most people listening here today, they are still Chaz. Whether CEO or, you know, solo Yo. Yep. Yeah. Exactly. And and it starts with you. Either way. Yeah. Well, you got two hundred people or two people.
The current company I work for mix halo is a great at Wolfe find, you know, where the pockets of folks are at and how we can provide intentional ways for us to connect outside of work. Right? And I think that's important. You know, not everybody needs to know everything about everybody, but the more you can personalize Right. Folks to one another, it I think it just helps build that trust as we've talked about before. Than that bond and you're, you know, you're in it to win it, if you will.
Yeah. I have to take this opportunity. It's such a unique opportunity because what you're talking about is putting people that are like minded together, making them realize that they're relatable You know, which is which is when, like, real things happen inside of a relationship. You some people might hear you say vulnerability and think, well, you know, that's the Kumba. We'll we'll wait a second. We're just talking about being real.
We're just talking about being genuine, and that doesn't always have to be about, like, oh, I'm going through a marriage struggle. Like, it's just Yeah. Exactly. Like, hey. I had a thought pop into my brain while we're having some dinner about this old friend that I had, and I had a fun joke that I wanted to tell you because Yeah. I feel comfortable being able to say that because that's that's what's real. It popped into my brain.
I would tell my friend, but I'm not telling you because you're my coworker because there's, like, this weird thing. This happens in life, right, in all these different circles and spheres. And which is, you know, just a half a second here for the listener. This is literally why gathering the Kings exist for entrepreneurs because we don't necessarily have that relatable play. Right? Like, okay. I have my team. Yes. And I can be vulnerable and share but not everything.
And I have my wife and I have my family, but, like, there's just this place that only I go to. Yeah. In my mind, in my physical space, and it's just like, kinda feel like I'm out here by myself. Yep. And so that's exactly why whether it's entrepreneurs or a podcast like this or a mastermind, it's just like we've got to be able to fill ourselves with that space Yep.
And half of it, when when not manure, especially some of the guys and and gals that are in Gallon and the Kings, it's like, they realize half the struggles that they've got. The other folks in the room across the room have the same stuff. They're like, oh my goodness. I thought I was crazy. I thought I was Like, I thought I was the problem. Well, first off, you probably are the problem. But let's talk about how we fix it. You know? Yeah. Absolutely.
You become relatable or someone else like you, you're like, oh, wow. And that release Yeah. What you're talking about in culture, it's the same thing that Gavin the Kings does. For entrepreneurs. It's like this whole another space that we can go to in authenticity and vulnerability. Sure. But, like, in relationship to be able to operate and function at a whole another level in our brain that you just totally shut off if you don't go there with people. Yeah. Wolfe you agree with that?
Would you add anything? No. Absolutely. The only thing I would add I mean, you I think you nailed it. Right? It's, like, it's that release. It's that weight off of you, and I think it's also energizing. Right? Like, when you when you get around someone who gets what you're going through That's right. Right? It's like, It's a game changer. You're it's so it's a motivator. And, again, just an energizer to keep going and know what you're doing is the right path.
Yeah. You you just reminded me of something that's in the last probably, I don't know, 6, 7, 8 days. I've become obsessed. This is what we do, right, as as high performing people. We become obsessed with things. And it's this concept that that that courage is caught not taught. And and so getting in a space, like what we're talking about specifically, this is what we do with Gathering the Kings.
And so for as an entrepreneur, you get into a space where you hear another person going through a struggle or winning at a high level and you're like, woah. Not only is he like me, but like you said, then there's, like, this transfer of energy, which is courage. Yeah. The freaking go do it in your space. Right? Because then when you come back next week or next month, you're like, not not not necessarily toot my horn, but, like, beat my chest. That too a little bit.
Yeah. I believe you're yours, but it's like this whole another sense of, like, I gotta show up in a completely different way. And, of course, that transfers out to Yeah. Your business, your life, your family, all of that. Would you what would you say to that? Yeah. No. I like that. Thinking about, you know, catching some courage.
I think that's exactly why we do the things, you know, you just said it, why we do what we do, and it's finding finding your crew to give you that courage or help you enable you to catch courage, if you will Yeah. To keep moving forward because, yeah, without that, it's kinda like, you know, it can be doom and gloom some days, and you like, why am I, you know, why am I doing this? And so, yeah, hugely important. We didn't come this far only to come this far. Yeah. Exactly.
Need a little courage to keep going. Appreciate you clarifying that. That's such such a good little drop there. Hope that the listener's paying attention. I wanna know, we've kind of been talking about this idea of master mining, but my next question is pretty explicit. What do you think about it? We've just gotten talking about maybe the values of it, talk about maybe how as an integrator, how how does that work for you? Are you Yeah. Are there peer groups that you're part of?
Do you guys do this inside of the in the team even? Like, talk about that angle a little bit. Yeah. Absolutely. There's all sorts of opportunities, right, and I'm very much of the quality over quantity. I, you know, coming up in my career, I think a lot of it was going to conferences and, Wolfe, that can be great. Right? And especially I think starting out, you can you can learn a lot and good to network.
But oftentimes, it would be the same content over and over again, and it would be great to see the same people, but what I wasn't wasn't developing me, if you will. And so I think finding those groups that are more, you know, masterminding, if you will, or your own peer group So, for example, I'm on the advisory council for CSUNB, California State University, East Bay, and it's mainly CX leaders, but we get together regularly, and there Wolfe pose some questions. Right?
And so Yeah. For example, you know, one of the previous ones was was around, like, journey mapping and whether that's an adequate tool and what do people think about it? And so it's Right. Good to hear sort of a, how people apply different concepts to different types of businesses, large, small, all industries, Also, just hear those, you know, varying opinions as well of, you know, does it has this work for you or not?
And oftentimes you find that You can learn a lot by other people's sort of mistakes or not even mistakes, but experiences. Right? And so I think it's huge to be able to have those groups gathering the kings, I think, is a similar one, right, where you can discuss those things. And and learn from people and bounce things off of of one another. I think the other big thing is keeping in contact with those you've crossed paths with because you don't know when that opportunity will happen again.
You know, the world is full of crazy opportunities and just you know, I like to keep those doors open, if you will, just because you never know. Any and you never know what opportunities may arise. And so I think Opportunities and collaboration. Yeah. It's important to, you know, maintain. It's not like you have to be best friends in checking in with folks all the time. Right? But Yeah. You know, maintain those relationships because That's right. Thinking the long run, they are really important.
That's right. Yeah. That last little piece there, I'll hit it home for the for the listener from my maybe language. It's the intentionality of relationships. We've we've had this kinda ongoing conversation now for probably 10, 15 minutes now, but the intentionality inside of a relationship, whether someone that you are employing, someone that you're in partnership with, or just another peer that that you're intentionally going after something together, every day or every year.
It just depends upon the cadence. There's intentionality that goes into, like like, I value you. Mhmm. And so I'm gonna send a text message or I'm gonna send a birthday gift or a Christmas card, or maybe it's more than that. Maybe it's like we we fly to see each other a couple times a year. Like, whatever those those points are, it's intentional efforts and actions that happen that keep it alive, if you will, but also flourish it. And so just hit that home.
You you said it perfectly, and I think that I think that the heart behind it is is actually the the right posture, which is what you're sharing. So Thanks. I've got one last question here for you. K. Wanna know if you whispered in the younger Allison's ear, What would you say? That's a good question. I think I would say better advocate for yourself.
And you don't need to be the loudest voice in the room, which I think I have learned, right, in my younger years, not saying I'm not not a spitfire now, if you will. But definitely, I think there was oftentimes an often situations where I just could have learned more if I wasn't so eager to, you know, I think sort of talk. Verbal language. Yeah. Exactly. It's like Good. No. So I didn't say any value. You know? Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Like, just, you know, zip it up.
Also, at the same time, you know, I think I was of the mindset for a really long time. If I just put my head down and do my work, I'll get recognized and get what, you know, I quote, unquote deserve. And, unfortunately, that is not the way things work usually. And so I think it's and I tell this to anyone, you know, I I work with now, really, or or lead. It's like, have your own accomplishments list. Right?
And so tell be able tell the story of you, like, for me, that's the easiest way for, you know, sort of you to get recognized as have those data points available. And it doesn't need to be the biggest wins, but it's like, what have you done and how have you, you know, either moved yourself forward? Or help to move the company forward. And so I think, yeah, telling young Allison to, you know, chill out and keep, you know, keep record and advocate Wolfe probably be my message to her.
Great message, you know, in one sense, you were you were saying know, zip it, be quiet, and the other you were saying speak up. And I think that both are super applicable even to a business owner listening because There's a lot of times where we have an ego, and that's the the the the the Chaz chatty Allison that that wasn't listening. Yeah. I wasn't growing, wasn't learning, whether it's ego or spitfire, whatever you wanna call it.
And then the other part of it for entrepreneurs is the advocating part, which is, that's your business. And Yeah. I find a lot of guys. They're like me. Like, I mean, promoting myself. You know? Yeah. I've got a guy that comes over here once a month now and brings all over the lights and get the mic. And I do and I create content. Right? Yes. And it's like, I'm like, the the the the content that comes out is real. The whole thing, I'm like, do we have to do it like this? You know?
Yeah. And some of it is you know, the sharper it is, the shinier it is, the more people pay attention so that the actual goodness of what's being delivered in a show like this or whatever, can actually reach more people, but there has to be a little bit of a, like, a toot your horn perspective. There's no, you know, like you said, just put your head down to the work. Yeah. You gotta put your head down to the work. Like, we're not saying, don't. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.
You're a small business, and it's okay that you are excited and proud of what you're doing. I think that's probably the message. Absolutely. Do the same thing here. Obviously, like, even in even in this just one show, when I started out with this podcast, it was I already had the mastermind And the podcast was to just be able to help other entrepreneurs who maybe didn't qualify for the mastermind group.
Sure. And the more I had to think about it, I'm like, Why am I not talking about how awesome this mastermind group is? Like, you know, I didn't spin the whole show talking about it, but I built it in a couple times because Yeah. I'm really, really excited and proud of what we're doing. Yeah. So I just think that what you gave is so applicable. How can the listener connect with you, find you?
First off, give give a little promo for for other company and how we can maybe do business with you guys, but then also for you, if they if they wanna pick your brain around some of these integrator questions that they might have, how can they find Yeah. Absolutely. So mixhalo.com. Should you want to work with us? There's ways to connect. You know, live events come find us. And then myself, best place is LinkedIn. I'm not much for the other socials too much.
I I'll dabble here and there, but LinkedIn. Come find me, message me. I'm happy to, yeah, to connect there. Awesome. We'll put all that in the listener as well. Amazing. Allison, you've been incredible. Thank you for just giving the time and just such an incredible story and team that you're working with over there for them to be able to give you the rope to even share and and tell a little bit about the inside. Yeah. It's very, very cool. So thank you for being here. We appreciate it.
Thanks for having me. Thank you for listening to gathering the Kings today. I hope that you were able to pull out a few nuggets to go apply into your business right away. More importantly, though, I hope that you're realizing that it takes more to be successful than just being by yourself doing it all on your own. Carrying the weight all by yourself.
What I have realized, not only in my own journey from multiple businesses and multiple different industries and now interviewing literally over 2 or 300. Other very successful 7, 8, and 9 figure business owners is Chaz It's tough to do it alone. And so gathering the Kings literally exists to bring together successful entrepreneurs. In fact, we are putting together 1 1000 kings, specifically who are grateful, but not done.
We're intentionally assembling kings who fight tooth and nail for their business, family, and communities, and here's what we believe Chaz in the pursuit of excellence in those areas, that it ignites within us the responsibility to govern power and forge a lasting legacy. So if that relates and and resonates with you, and you know that you need people around you, sharp, qualified other very successful business owners. I want you to go to gatheringthekings.com.
Want you to take a look at what we're doing and see if it makes sense for you to be part of our pursuit to 1000 kings. Talk soon.