On today's episode of Gathering the Kings. If you have a problem, you lock it in your subconscious. Just lock it in there. It's gonna process and process and process and spit an answer out. You know? But it may not happen right away if you've been around long enough or even if you haven't been around enough. But if you're an entrepreneurial type mindset, then you're gonna figure it out, like, on your own and your subconscious is gonna process it for you. And it's almost gonna be, like, magic.
You know, you just kinda float. Oh, wow. Okay. So I did Chaz. Yeah. Okay. Cool. Alright. Well, just keep going. 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. 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 success 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. Hey, everybody. Chaz Wolfe coming back to you again this week with another awesome guest Justin Dawson.
This guy's been in the contracting space for 25 years. He's an OG, but, man, he's a go getter. And, a little unconventional. I love, just a creativeness Chaz, he kinda gets into a little bit here, but his mindset is right on, and, I think Wolfe genuinely help so many listeners. So if you're at that 7 figure mark, specifically if you're in the trades, but not even you don't even have to be in the trades. It's about mindset. And he gives a ton of it. So get ready. Here it comes.
Alright, everybody. Gathering the king's podcast, I am Chaz Wolfe, your host. I've got just Dawson on the king stage today. Welcome, brother. How are you? Hey. Hey. Hey. How you doing? Good, man. We we were just I gotta I gotta fill in the listeners here where we're just talking off air. One bearded man looking at another right now. But we were talking about season. Man, you've been doing for a long time. It's just not your beard that's seasoned. You are you are a a seasoned professional.
Tell us what business that you have. I'm a licensed general contractor. I basically, right now, I was doing custom bills for, like, 20 years. I've kinda switched to bathrooms because they're more efficient. I can make more money and I can get more done. Yeah. 100%. So you're in the construction, G Sea Wolfe. I think you've got a little bit of a history with purchasing real estate as well. We might get into that, but excited for you to be here, man.
Thanks for thanks for just being here and being willing to share. Thanks. Thank you. I'm I'm I'm happy to share. Good, man. Okay. So at this level in business, you obviously been doing it for, I think you said 22 years. Is that right? Yeah. I I've been building for since I was 24, and I'm almost 49. So I think longer than that. 25. Yeah. But but I was but but I've been around in my entire life. So it's kind of, a a a really long time. Yeah. It feels like it's been forever, I bet.
It actually, I kinda have. But, yeah. That's funny. I even in in my short life, you know, I've done different things for different periods of time, you know, like one business or, you know, even thinking back to school or, you know, when I met my wife, like, there's certain sections of life that you kind of break down. But what you're saying is that this piece kinda has been one big section. Like, It's like you've just been doing it for a long, long time, which I love.
It's kind of been a backdrop of my entire life, but I sold real estate for 13 years. I flipped houses for 10 years. I was actually a cook for 14 years. I wasn't and I went to culinary school. Wow. Wow. I was actually a sous chef. I remember they actually bought my gumbel recipe in 20 years ago for a $100, and they used it for 20 years after that. Wow. You know? Such a cool thing.
Okay. So my question to you now, Justin, is at this point, you've been in the game for a long time, and you've made great money. But why do you push now? Like, why are you still doing this? Why are you pushing as hard as you do? Why are you peer, growing a business still. I mean, it's what I do, you know. It's kind of, I've been pushing really hard the last few years, probably more than I have been. My son passed a few years ago.
So work is this may sound terrible, but work is kind of a therapy for me. You know? Sure. And it's something that and it's something that I'm good at, and it's something that I can spend endless hours on. And it kinda takes my mind off a lot of the reality of my psyche and how I'm feeling about other things in general. So that's sort of, yes, like, that's the answer. Yeah. I I think that first off, you the first thing I heard you say was that's how you're designed. Right?
Like, I think a lot of high performing entrepreneurs totally relate to that. They think even if I had all the money in the world, I would still be doing this or something like this because it's how I'm designed. I wanna push. It's like what brings me fulfillment And then you also I heard you say there's freedom. There's freedom in the work. There's freedom in getting lost sometimes in the process of just putting your hand to something.
Mhmm. Yeah. And and so there's value in Chaz, whether it's actually the the carpentry work or the the construction work or maybe just even leading your team. Is that do you find more of that lost space for you psychologically in in 1 or the other leading versus doing the actual work? I mean, I haven't done the actual work of years. Like, I'm like the worst builder ever. So, like, I mean, so so, like, might I ask me to build anything because your balls are gonna be crooked.
But, yeah, I mean, I literally like, no. Like, I get lost work and just say, no. It's just like I'm it's like I make my schedule of what jobs I wanna get finished and what I wanna do. And then I lock it in my subconscious and I wake up and I go. And then I get unlocked and something's done. And then I jump back in, and it's just kind of a cycle for me. You know? Yeah. A 100%. In just one one sentence, I think you dropped, like, 4 nuggets. I'm gonna try to reiterate them. To the listener.
I mean, we're you're already in here dropping nuggets, and we're only 2 minutes in. Okay. So first off, I heard you say you haven't built in a long time. Like, that is Number 1, I wasn't surprised to hear that, but the listener might be surprised to hear that. Mhmm. Right? And so why do you think that the listener who's doing the work it's so hard for them to give up that piece, like, to get to where you are, where you're like, look, I don't build anything. In fact, you don't want me to build.
No. I have a friend like that, and he's insist on building his his own stuff. He buys his tools. He's out there swinging a hammer. He owns 6 properties, and he's broke. He's broke. Like, he doesn't have any he he actually called me this morning because he's got 7 properties that are that he's getting ready to lose. Which is sad, but he pushed himself in a $20 an hour job is what he does. Right.
And then instead of paying four people $20 an hour and you making $200 an hour, he just thinks he's better off making that 20. Yeah. So I think that answered your question. Yeah. 100%.
Because that's that's most likely what's keeping him and potentially the listener right now at 6 figure mark, and they can't quite get to that 7 figure mark is because they they can't think beyond number 1, their own skill set to start to hire, or even if they've started to hire, they've gotta then press into that really and remove themselves from those things.
Was that a natural thing for you that you just started, like, putting together a team, or was it like, because you weren't a very good builder, or it was because you just you saw someone else was better. Like, why did you jump to that place and your buddy and so many others don't, do you think? Because I don't like doing the work for for 1. Like, I I don't like it. Like, I used to lay tile and cut doors and do floors. I frankly, I don't like doing the work.
It just seemed like a big waste of time to me. You know? Got it. Yeah. That's number 1. As far as getting team together, I I didn't This wasn't my planned career. Like, this wasn't what I planned. Like, it just kinda transformed. Like, I was and I bought my second house, my mid twenties, and I needed some help. And so my sister-in-law at the time had somebody who was working on their house. This was, like, 25 years ago. And then Arturo came.
He's still working for me now, like, to this day, like, 25 years later. So so, like, then Arturo came and then he brought Martin, and then it just kinda Esperardo came. He's been with me for 20 years. And then Wow. And then his brother Ron came and it's just it just kinda all kinda because I never planned on being like, oh, and I wanna be a boss and I wanna be a contract. I basically worked out of necessity and what made sense. And here I am. Yeah. Yeah. I love that perspective.
I was just talking, right before this podcast. I was interviewing a couple of real estate guys who are potentially gonna be on the show as well, and they said the same thing. It was you know, one of them had a corporate job, and it was almost out of necessity. He he had bought a house, right, in 2007. And, and he couldn't sell it. So he became a landlord out of necessity, which then turned over this whole new leaf of buying properties and then eventually get into multifamily.
And so maybe we'll be able to hear your story. But the the point is is that, you know, you you out of necessity, And and it's not necessarily this this big long plan that an entrepreneur has to have. Now you already told us that you make plans You lock it in your subconscious and you go. So I know that planning is important, but what you're saying really from a grander perspective is I just thought differently, and the pieces came together.
And and here I am, but there were some key things inside of that. So that's kinda what I wanna get to. Some good decisions, some maybe some bad decisions along the way that you did. So start maybe with just how entrepreneurship came to you. Like, from the beginning, obviously, you've thought differently if, you know, you had the perspective of thinking $200 an hour versus 20. But, like, where did entrepreneurship start for you? I started working when I was 10, and I got, like, a paper out.
I had I actually got 3 of them when I was, you know, 2. When I was 10, I had I added 2 paper outs. I had a Monday through Monday through Sunday, and I had a Wednesday paper that I would that I'll drop off. And then I'll go and I would collect the money and I would pay my bill and I would have some money and you know, I could do my paper out at any time. I wanted to do it. And and then I would go and I cut and this was in the 80, and it doesn't apply now, obviously. But Sure. Just different.
Yeah. I would go cut people's grass for 10 or 5th for, well, it's probably 5 bucks then or something. Yeah. And then, get groceries for older people, and they would pay me. You know? So it was just kinda it was just because I wanted to have my own money. I'd rather just work for my money instead of like, oh, mom, I need 20. Mom, I need 10. And I wanna stay busy. Like, I and and I hate being stagnant.
I mean, even like yesterday, like, I think I got done working 12, and I was at home for 5 or 6 hours, and I was just stagnant. And I had to force myself to sit because I I like to be doing something or something to do or something to, you know, it's just I'm just, you know, I'm just weird weird weird like that. So then when I was fourteen, I got a regular job. I I started working at restaurants. And I, yeah, I did the bus boy and the prep cook and the sous chef and the cook and the line cook.
I did every single, place play play place in the restaurant. And then when I was about 18, I had a friend of mine who was actually kind of a street guy. He kinda made his money other ways, you know, but he was like my friend. So one day, he said, well, Justin will come. I'm I'm gonna come and pick you up in my new car, and we're gonna go get breakfast. And so it was him. And all of his friends and me, and we went to breakfast. And we just, like, enjoyed the day.
You know, like, I mean, I mean, like, nobody had to go to work because nobody had a job because because everybody was hustling. And so I was like, this is what I want. Like, I don't I mean, after working a job for 4 years from 14 to from 4 no. No. From 13 to 13 to 18, and then I saw this different kind of life, or you could have your freedom, not necessarily that I wanted to do what they did, but just Right. Life. You know?
Never since then, I was like, I, like, this is and, like, this is what I want. And this is what I want. And I didn't know how I was gonna get it, but this is what I want. And then, New Year's Eve 2019 99, I had my 5th child being being born in 7 days, And New Year's Eve, I came into work, and they fired me. Dang. And I lost my medical insurance. I locked my kid on the way. I was making decent money waiting tables, but I already have my real estate license.
So it just kinda well, I don't have a job anymore, so I have my real estate license. I bought my first property already. Yeah. And then it kinda comes from there, but it's like, I don't necess it. It's the same thing. It's just kinda you you kinda go where you can make big money at. You know?
Exactly. So I I love the perspective of seeing the hustler lifestyle, you know, and and having the freedom really is I I love the the the distinction there because I think every entrepreneur thinks that same way. They think, okay, how can I have more, but the freedom of less and really the conundrum in business is that you have to press into more in all areas unto being able to create the freedom that comes maybe a little bit later Mhmm?
With the revenue and maybe some of the things that you're enjoying now of having a seasoned team and having processes in place and And, you know, maybe a little bit more money. But the reality of it is is that you probably had to jump in ship, especially at that moment when you lost your job and and you started to had to, you know, sell some more homes, you were, like you said, out of necessity, but you had to get into hustler mode. Yeah. I mean, it's always hustle book.
It's always I mean, even I woke up e even I went last week, and I know I'm gonna need to make about $3000 week. So I went and I looked at a job at 7 o'clock on Sunday night. And I told her I said, okay. It's 55100 bucks. I know I can go there on Thursday and make $3000. I can get this bill paid. You know? I hustled a meter. I hustled to get the job. I gave her the price she wanted. We're gonna go do it. You know? So it's always helpful, Moe. It's always helpful, mom.
I mean, like, no matter what, it's always helpful mom. There's But I I'm hearing you say that there's a love in it for you. Oh, no. Yeah. I mean, this is, I mean, I mean, like, this this is this is this is this is what I do. I just it's our build. I mean, I and I'd rather work 20 hours a day for myself and work 2 hours for somebody else. You know? It's just and I don't care if they were paying me a 100, well, a $100,000 an hour. I consider it, but Yeah. Especially if it's only 2 hours. Right?
Yeah. I mean, and then you set daily goals and then you accomplish stuff. And it's like Right. You know, got smiles on people's faces. You know? And Yeah. You know, there's a there's a big there's a big circle that goes round when you when you when you're doing the right thing in business. That's for sure. And it's not just necessarily about the Although the freedom, the time is usually why people get started. Right? They they they see that lifestyle.
They see the maybe it's money or a car, maybe it's, you know, the freedom, like you said, Mhmm. And so my question is from that place, right, that so what we've learned about you is that you've been a hustler kind of from day 1. You you've You've wanted to make your own money. You wanted to be self sufficient. You've wanted to grind. You're a constantly moving individual. Always an an achiever of some kind.
It sounds like And so when when you really got started in business there, like, when they fired you and you had to kinda, like, make it happen at that point, what was a good decision that you made in that process there over the next, you know, call it 5 or 10, maybe even 15 years. What what's a good decision that sticks out to you that was so like, instrumental in your story that would be really, really awesome for the listener to be able to, you know, hear and take notes on.
Well, when I first started, I was selling real estate, and I was working on my own projects. And so I didn't wanna grow past that. You know? I think tours probably the end of that 5 years. I think I did my first I think I did my first job in 2006. So about 5 years after that, basically, I was in so basically, I was in the mindset where I'm not doing anybody else's job. I'm only selling real estate. I'm only working on my own houses. That's all I'm doing. Like, I'm not gonna hit anything else.
And then people Wolfe ask me to do jobs. No. No. No. I'm not doing jobs. And then my friend is like, Justin, why don't you come do this job for me? I've seen your work. And I know you're good. And I'm like, okay. Fine. And I and I'll go do it. And so I started doing that job, and then I learned that that extra income kind of filled in the holes between my rentals and my, you know, like flipping as a cash cow. Like, you need you got mortgages. You got payroll. You got everything.
So essentially with no income coming in and everything is kinda borrowed or from a commission that I might get, wasn't really enough to run the business. So when I decided to take on this other aspect of doing jobs for other people, it was probably one of the best decisions that I made. Wow. Okay. So what I'm hearing you say below that decision, because obviously not every listener is flipping or selling or or doing construction.
What I heard you say is that you opened your mind to something bigger than what you had originally intended. Yeah. I mean, it was something that I did not wanna do. I was like, I'm not doing it. And then I'm like, well, yeah. Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna do it, and and it worked out. You know? So in that moment, I'm so curious. Was it the dollar that was like, oh, man, if I do this, I get dollar Chaz that amount, or was it I've had so many people ask me now, or, like, maybe I should reconsider?
Like, what was that tipping point for you in that moment? Wolfe, the client was actually a pretty good friend of mine at the time, and he talked me into it. He's like very, like, persuasive kind of guy, you know, and he's like, bought a house. He's like, you wanna do my town for me? You wanna do our foundation? I'm like, and he's like, Justin, are you sure? I've seen you do them. I know you could do it. I know you could do my house. Right. I was like, I've never done it easy adjusting.
Just come, come on. Come on. I'm like, okay. Fine. I'll I'll go. You know, so was there hesitancy there? Because, like, doing work for yourself and doing work for somebody else, obviously, like, there's a standard there. And what I kinda just heard you say in there a little bit of him saying, Like, I've heard I've seen you do good work. Like, he almost believed in you from an angle of doing his work maybe more than you did.
Most definitely, most definitely, because I was scared to fuck up somebody's house. Right. So, you know, so I was like, I probably I don't know if I would say that I didn't wanna do it, but probably more, like, a little bit more scared, not scared, but, like, apprehensive. You know? And he said, like, I know you can do it. Like, come do it. You know? Yeah. I started doing gels for other people. Do you think that that correlates?
I'm just I think we've struck a chord here that just, I think, so many entrepreneurs, myself included, when when you get to that moment and you and you know it's it's not that you didn't wanna do it. Mhmm. It's that you were apprehensive. You were scared. You you didn't wanna not perform. You didn't wanna not show up. You didn't wanna you didn't wanna fail. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, because, like, on my own houses, I could make a million mistakes in the world, and they were my mistakes. You know?
Like, I could fix them, but to make a mistake on somebody else's house scared me. You know? Yeah. You know, I don't I don't share usually a bunch of my own story on on these shows, but I think this is applicable for for this moment of what we've kinda pulled out here for a long, long time. I prided myself in I was the owner. Right? Like, I was a young guy. I had a lot of businesses. We were doing a lot of revenue. Mhmm. And it it wasn't just like like, when someone would say, like, oh, okay.
Like, you and your partner's own all that, I'd be like, no. It's just me. Right? And, like, there was a there was an angle of ego there of, like, no. No. I've done this, which was fine. There's nothing wrong with but I'll tell you what. What you're describing as the, like, almost like being open to other people scene. Because I I knew, like, I I was making mistakes. We all do. But, like, they were my mistakes. I could clean them up. Nobody knew about them, but me, Right?
Yeah. And so to your point here is that if I open my up Wolfe up to a partnership or if I open myself up to in or anything like that, then that means I would have to be accountable. Yeah. I I did. I didn't wanna be, yeah. You know? I didn't wanna be accountable. I did not yeah. I didn't know. I you're right. That's it. That's it. I and I relate to that, dude, because now what I'm thinking about in all of the areas that I'm expanding right now partners.
Like, I'm trying to figure out who can I do a deal with? Not like, how do I do the next deal? It's who can I do the next deal with? Or who's the investor or who's the partner or who's the person? Who's this? Who's that? Who's that? It's always the who now, and it has nothing to do with not being accountable. But probably it was just ego scared, little imposter syndrome, you know, like, I could do it for me, but not for somebody else. You know?
So you did that first job, and then Did did that, like, wipe away? Like, okay. I can do this, or was it still, like, a little bit like, I don't know. Like, tell us, could pick up the story from there. So we ended up doing a really good job on the house. The inspector was kind of a ass and made us tear the roof off and do it over again, which I found out later was a bad call, but he was just being a jerk with me, but that's all besides the point.
Yeah. But so that basically went the other way like, oh, wow. Like, and, like, I'm the best builder in the Wolfe. You know? And I still don't have, like, that much experience, but I'm like, oh, yeah. I'm gonna shit. And then that was The pendulum swung from from way over here to way over here.
Yeah. So then I go to my so then, subsequently, I would do more jobs and I was the man in my messed up job after job after job and argued with clients and just kinda had a really tough time for the next couple 2, 3 years. You know? Yeah. And then I'm Yeah. And so I think now I've kind of found balance. You know? Yeah. The complete opposite way. You know? Totally. I think that's how god has used circumstances in my life too of he gives me just a little bit of ego boost, like, I believe in you.
You can do it. And then I'm like, yeah. You know, and then and then, wait, I'm just right on my face. You know? Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Think everybody listening, if if they're not laughing right now at both of us talking about this, is they're not an entrepreneur. Yeah. You know, I mean, yeah. They've had these moments where and not and not just one. Right? Like, you don't just have one.
It's it's a daily weekly, monthly, and and thank goodness for him because otherwise, we probably have heads the size of the earth. You know? Mhmm. Yeah. I mean, I even bought the wrong funding part of the day that I go back to the store like three times. And it's I mean, I still make mistakes. You know? It's just part of this because part of the nature is part of the business. You know? Part of what you do.
Okay. Well, since since we're since you brought up the word mistakes, let's transition to the bad decision. What have you done Chaz was just terrible. I'm trying to think there's so many, but, I would say the worst, the worst, The market, this was in 2006, and the market was starting to it looked like it was going up. Early in 2006. By the end of 2006, it was completely in the dirt. So I had this property and between ego and greed, it so I I had a property.
You think I they're gonna buy it for 648,000, 628,000, which was a good price. But that was the time of condos. And you could subdivide your property and sell them for $700,000 each. It takes money. It takes time. The buyer was ready to go. I even told my wife at the time. I said, you know what? I'm gonna sell this property. I Chaz the I have this gut feeling that I'm gonna sell that I need to sell this property now, so I'm gonna take this offer and sell it, and we're gonna be great. You know?
When against my gut, kept the property, saw the greed Yeah. To get the extra dollar. And, really, it was, like, another another 50,000. It was probably a 100 or 2, but it wasn't really. So that was in, like, probably May of 2006. So I did assign that people's offer actually to after I said I Wolfe. So I kinda didn't keep my word, which I felt shitty about. Yeah. And then by October, Chaz property was worth 350,000. Oh. And I couldn't sell it, and I owe 450,000 on it.
And I still have that $150,000 in debt to my investors that I needed to pay off, which I eventually paid. But, Yeah. And then I ended up the bank took it. I lost it. You know? But if I would've followed my gut on that property, and sold it, or maybe I was practicing self sabotage because I knew I'd be great after Chaz, and I was so used to the struggle that maybe in my little mind, I wanted to keep the struggle because for some reason, I felt better about it. Right. That's it.
Sounds stupid, but No. It's a conundrum that I think that what how you even just to set it is so, like, most people have no idea. Like, we we do it to ourselves all the time. Yeah. Yeah. So that was probably the worst decision, but it wasn't from the financial aspect. It was, like, not following my gut. And knowing what I had to do and definitely a huge amount of self sabotage. Yeah. And that was probably the worst this and I never it took me years to recover from that years. Years.
The market crash of 2006. I have 3,000,000 properties go to. I have $3,000,000 worth of property go to $1,000,000 worth worth of property. So, I mean, and I would have lost a bunch of money anyway, but at least I would have had that section of debt paid. So the guy that I owed a $150,000 to about 2 years ago. He had a house that he had to do. I think I'd given him 50 or 60 along the way just to kinda keep him happy.
And so I think I've got him down to, like, 40 And so this was, like, probably 10 years after that or 8 years after it was done. And so I needed $60,000 to get the permits for this house. I'm sitting in and out because I had to build it. So I'm like, okay. Look, damn. You know what? I know I didn't pay you. You know, I need $60,000 so I can get this done. But what I'll do is I'll record the note.
I'll give you your interest on it within 6 months, and then I'm a use that $60,000 to get my permits paid, but in the meantime, I'm gonna get your house done with no charge. So, basically, I and I got my permits paid and I got him paid. I got his house done or even just like a $50,000 job. So it worked out, but Yeah. I wonder if I had to do that if I would've followed my gut the 10 years previous. Right.
Right. It's I mean, but I I mean, but then I went and Chaz the opportunity to get the $60,000 for the permits to pay for this house that I'm sending it now that I'm selling for 1,700,000. So Yeah. Wow. You know, it could be a bad decision at the time. Could turn into something else later. Totally. I don't know what we're really already fantasy. It was, like, consequential decisions, but Yeah. There you go.
Oh. I I I I you gave us the debrief also, which I I just so appreciate, from, you know, from the horse's mouth there, but the the gut thing is so big. I just wanna reiterate that for the listener. The gut isn't always right, but, man, it's right. You know, a lot of the time, And you didn't say this specifically about the gut decision, but for me and my decision making, usually my gut speaks through the voice of my wife.
Yeah. So, I would say that for the listener, listen to your gut and your Wolfe. If if both of those can go together in the same sentence, And, and then what I'm also hearing you say is that you kept your word. You held on to that relationship. You didn't burn bridges. Even though you were in circumstance that didn't turn out the way that they were meant to, you figured it out. And that's what entrepreneurs are best at. We're problem solvers, and you press in. You didn't run away. You pressed in.
You figured it out. You got him paid for. You got him taken care of. And to your point, it turned into something potentially much much greater. Like you said, you're about to sell that house for 1,700,000. I'm sure that you could pay him, you know, off three times over if you needed to, but you've already taken care of Chaz. So you're good to go. I love it. Yeah. Yeah. I love it.
Okay. So do you have any sort of, like, discipline or process when it comes to making a good decision now in your business? I mean, my thing is is that I've been very reactive. I've made, for years, I've made reactive choices because I was reacting to something. So now, basically, I'm just, like, sit the fuck down just just just and they'll do anything.
And I just sit down and I just let it process to go in circles in my head until something kinda until something kinda comes out, you know, because your subconscious, like, is amazing. It's like a calculator. You know? It's it's like a problem solver. You don't need to do anything. You're like, if you have a problem, you lock it in your subconscious. Just lock it in there. It's gonna process and process and process and spit an answer out. You know? But it may not happen right away.
If you've been around long enough or even if you haven't been around enough. But if you're an entrepreneurial type mindset, then you're gonna figure it out, like, on your own and your subconscious is gonna process it for you. And it's almost gonna be, like, magic. You know, you just kinda float. You know, oh, wow. Okay. So I did Chaz. Yeah. Okay. Cool. Alright. Let's just keep going, man.
So, I mean, so so so basically, what I do with, like, what I do with that decisions now is I just hit the fuck down. I just I just sit down and let it roll. You know? Yeah. No. It's it's so good. I I appreciate that. A 100%. I think that what you'd you've described is your reaction. Missionary piece. It's obviously emotion based and and you sitting down first allows you to process logically or even subconsciously to spit out information that makes sense first Mhmm. Then you can feel.
It's it's not wrong to feel. I had these conversations with my with my eight and six year old daughters. It's not wrong to to be upset. It's not wrong to be sad or mad or whatever the emotion is, but it's when you act out of that. Mhmm. First, without thinking, that you usually get in trouble. It's usually why I'm here talking to you right now. My daughter, you know? 100% of the time. Yeah. So, even from business, it sounds like from, you know, 25 plus years of experience.
You're saying sit down, think logically, make a sound decision. Don't react. And when you do make the right decision, you'll you'll feel that it's the right decision. You know, if you're struggling to make a decision, then it's not time to make one. Yeah. And and that in itself is the decision, and you gotta be okay with that. Mhmm. Yeah. There you go. Easy enough. Okay. You ready for the speed round? Okay. Let's do it. We're gonna hit some questions here.
One word answers, if possible, but, might, might dig in a little further. Okay. First question is if you could only pick one thing inside of your business to track, what would it be? The the happiness of my employees Okay. That's a that's a unique one. How would you or how do you track that? When they're smiling, when they get a check on Friday, and they show up every every day to work. You know? And they're saying they're still with me after 20. They keep coming back for 20 years?
Yeah. So, yeah, That's like the biggest compliment. Okay. And you're here again. It's been 20 years. You throw it up again? Okay. Great. Let's keep this party going. You know? Right. Must be a good party. Is that something that's insane? Yeah. That's awesome. I love that. You know, you had said something also too. When we were talking offline, I wanted to bring it up just because I think it a really cool perspective.
There's so many entrepreneurs that I've talked about when they when they talk about filling the pipeline and sales and tracking revenue and all these metrics, right, But when we were talking about this offline a little bit, you mentioned something that I thought just it just was something I've never heard. You said I tracked the number of jobs that I finish each week. Mhmm. And I know that, you know, roughly, I need to finish 2 or 3 jobs every week.
And it wasn't your concern wasn't how do I find the next ones? Because if I finish up all my jobs, you you obviously have good enough work. You're providing good enough experience for the client where they're referring you or you've got a marketing system down. Where new jobs are flowing to you constantly, it sounds like. Mhmm. And really what you're concerned with is finishing, like crossing the line, tying the bow, delivering the product to the client. How do you think that that's served you?
Like, just thinking back in the last couple of years, like, how do you think that mindset has served you and your business Wolfe? Because finishing up your jobs is basically opened you up for the next opportunity. So, like, say that, you know, you got all these jobs they're open and nothing's getting finished and somebody calls you with this great job that you wanna take, but you're not open because you have all this shit around you. It's like Yeah. Chaos. Yeah. You know, chaos. Chaos.
So and you can't operate. And and the operating chaos is impossible. So by finishing the jobs, you lower your chaos amount and you're open for new opportunities. I love it. Yeah. It's closed and open loops. I used this language quite a bit. And, I even shared it with my wife just a couple of days ago. I said, you know, I've got a lot of open loops right now, and I need to I need to get some close. Yeah. Because I'm because I'm right here. You know, like, I'm feeling it's it's up up top.
I just gotta close a couple things out. You know? Yeah. Right. That's huge. Okay. Next question is this. What book would you recommend that six figure owner read. Trying to get to that 7 figure mark. You know, I'm kinda like a spiritual kinda let things flow kind of person. So I Wolfe say the principles of Buddha, honestly.
K. I mean, it's just you just kinda get in the mindset to where, like, because if you're stressed and you have chaos and you're constantly thinking about what maybe is gonna happen, you know, or what could happen. Right. It's just like, I know living the moment is kind of a cliche thing. But not so much living a moment, but I was reading a inquiry the other day. And it says, operate like a log, you know, you're you're like a log and you're floating in the river. You're gonna keep floating.
You're gonna keep going unless you brought or unless somebody snatches you out to build a house. And, you know, and those 2 things you can't control. So what the fuck? Just be a log and floating. Right. Yeah. That's a that I think that's a very peaceful, perspective to have. I think Chaz, think that a lot of entrepreneurs are gonna have have a difficulty with that one. So that's good. I think that that's good perspective, especially high performers.
I mean, they're just being, I think, itself is a difficult task, for a lot of time frame. It it is. It is. Just try to just try. That's why I said. Just be. You just sit down. You're not you know, you're trying to push, push, push, just be cool. Lock it in your subconscious. And between your coolness and your subconscious doing doing all the work for you, Yeah. You're you'll be fine. We'll wait to look at your account one day. I wanna know how it got there. Okay. Next question.
Do you intentionally network or even mastermind with other entrepreneurs? You know, I don't do any advertising. I don't have a website. I don't particularly play well in the sandbox with others. My dog is great. He's he's really cool. No. I no. I mean, like, I don't Who do you bounce ideas off of? You know, it it used to be my ex wife. We don't really talk anymore. I had a couple friends that I would bounce stuff off of, but, but, one of them is not here anymore.
So, yeah, it really is just it's just kinda, lonely at the top, Yeah. Pretty much. It is. I think every entrepreneur feels that, you know, to to some degree. You know, it's why it's why, there's, I mean, there's lots of opportunities to connect out there, but that's why they exist is because it is. You it's tough to have these types of conversations with just anybody. Yeah. I mean, I just I just don't. I just Yeah. I just don't. Yeah. I I I think that that story is one of a lot of entrepreneurs.
They they just came inside. Do you know how you know how how how bad I am with not wanting to not wanting her because I went to a comedy show because I don't I didn't wanna, like, sit next to anybody at this comedy show that I went to on Saturday, so I bought myself a private table. So I went to sit so I went sits home with a sick next day. You wanted the peace while being in public. Yeah. Exactly. I wanna be around people, but not really around people. Yeah. No. Sit next to anybody.
So it was like, all these people crowded tables on there in the corner watching the show. They're like, what the fuck is wrong with this guy over here? Uh-huh. Nope. That guy over there. Alright. Last question. Okay? If you lost it all, what would you do, Justin? Oh, shit. I've I've I've already lost it all twice. I wouldn't wanna lose it a third time. I find a way not to lose it all, and I try to maintain something. But if I lost it all, what would I do?
I mean, I just, I just, mean, I can always make money. I can always buy another house. I can you can always fix whatever is broken. Yep. It would just probably extend another 10 years of my job. And and I've already lost it all place. So Yeah. Yeah. All you can do is keep going. I mean, shit. You wouldn't even go crawling a fucking hole and be dead. I mean, I mean, what are you gonna do? Shit. You go sit down for a minute, take a breath and and then go fix another house, it sounds like.
Yeah. I'll I'll go do somebody's bathroom and make $10,000 in a few days and keep moving. You know? Yeah. Yeah. Keep keep it moving. Justin, we we just so appreciate, just the laughter and and the nuggets that you've given to us here today. If someone wanted to connect with you, How do they find you? Social media, email, website? What you got? My social my Instagram is Dawson Family Farms. My email is jrkd206@gmail, or you can just Call me. 510-821-2319.
I'm pretty good about answering my phone or, you know, text. I'm pretty happy to talk to anybody. So That's awesome, man. Well, we appreciate you making yourself available to other nurse. I cast the world according to Justin, but that's kind of not really a business thing. That's kind of more of a mental health thing because I think that's most important in business is keeping your men is just keeping your mental right. Totally. Say say it again so that they can hear the name of the podcast.
The world according to Justin. There you go. Well, you did lots of ways you Chaz find Justin, and we just so appreciate you coming onto the show and just sharing, from your story, your your long history and business. Thank you for all that. We wish you absolutely nothing but success in all that you have your hand to. Alright. Well, thank you. Thanks for listening to Gathering the Kings.
We hope you got a ton of value today and learned a thing or 2 about taking your business to 7 figures and beyond. If you desire more and want a community around you to help you get there, I want you to go to Gathering the Kings dot com. That's Gathering the Kings dot com, and I want you to apply for our next becoming a king 90 day intensive We are extremely exclusive by nature as a group.
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