109 - Dreams Really Do Come True!

Did You Know  
This is Episode 109 on the Live Blissed Out podcast. Did you know that 98% of people die without fulfilling their dreams? 

Intro   
Hello, action taker. Welcome to Live Blissed Out a podcast where I have inspirational informational conversations with business owners and subject matter experts to help you get the scoop on a variety of topics. Tired of hesitating or making decisions without having the big picture? Wanna be in the know? Then this is the place to go. I'm your host Marisa Huston. Helping you achieve bliss through awareness and action. So let's get to it. In this episode, Bob Stanley shares the joy that comes with following your passion versus following a job. Bob is the founder of Bobbi Toads in Glendale Heights, Illinois. He left a secure job in the printing industry to follow a dream he had from God to invent a unique kid's sneaker. He and his daughter Jacki turned the dream into their passion, from getting a patent, finding a sourcing agent, understanding how to manufacture an unfamiliar product, coming up with a marketing plan and putting their product on the market. There's an excitement in developing something new. Live Blissed Out, listeners use promo code BoBo, to receive 20% off plus free shipping. Visit www.bobbitoads.com to learn more. The information opinions and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. This podcast should not be considered professional advice. 

Marisa Huston    
Bob, thanks for being on the show.

Bob Stanley  
Marisa, thank you for having me.

Marisa Huston  
I would really like to learn more about what you'd like to talk about to our listeners. What exactly are we going to share with them today that might make a difference in their lives?

Bob Stanley  
What I want to talk about is persistence and dedication, even in the eyes of someone new to business, and not being afraid of failure.

Marisa Huston  
Yeah, that's a big one, isn't it? You know, a lot of our listeners are business owners. And I think, Bob, that they come from a space of not really perhaps understanding the challenges that other business owners go through, because they see a lot of successful people out there sharing how they got to where they got and showing how it's possible. And then when they find themselves struggling, they feel like something's wrong with them. Like, what's wrong with me? Why can't I seem to be able to achieve what they've achieved?

Bob Stanley  
I can tell them that nothing's wrong with them. It just takes time, the right product, and the right dedication. So when we started our first business, I was 20 years old, and I quit college to do it. We would see other people in life be successful people that own businesses, and you think, Oh my gosh, I bet I can do it. Why can't I? I started a printing business with my older brother and Marisa for five years, we struggled. And we worked hard. It was always 12, 14 hour days. We worked really hard at it. And you start to doubt yourself. Because after five years of being broke, and you see other business owners doing really well, you do begin to wonder like, what's wrong with us? We're doing everything right, we're reading up on our industry and we're still struggling. Like what is wrong with us? And then after five years, we caught a really good break. There was a future customer that tested us one night and wanted to see if we would stick around and run some jobs for him. So me and my brother are both in our mid 20s and we're like, well, what else we supposed to do tonight, right?  Watch TV, maybe? The TV we both had was this little black and white, we didn't even have a screen. We would listen to sound because we couldn't afford a new TV. So we're like, okay, let's just run the job. We run this job for this person, and we deliver it the next morning. He goes, I want to talk to you guys. So he calls us into his office and he goes, I just wanted to test and see if he would actually stick around and run something at night because I wanted to see what your dedication would be to me. We're like, well, we didn't really think much of it. So then this guy sits there and he gives us enough work to run our shop for a month. And he sits there and looks at us and we're looking at each other like, Did this just happen? And he goes and I'm assuming you don't have the money to buy the paper so just see my secretary and she'll write you a check for whatever you need. And we're like, how did this just happen? This person put us on the map, and I will never ever forget them. And it teaches us a great lesson in life that you never know where your blessings gonna come from. This was truly a gift from God. You don't see it coming in, in the blink of an eye or one night sleep, our business totally changed. And then with that, success breeds success. And we were able to get one new customer after another new customer and our business just blossomed from there on out. You know, I think we had two down years in 30 years. And even those didn't really even bother us because we knew it was economy based and things just happen. So I mean our confidence was sky high. But going into that year six, I mean we're talking five years of struggling where there were nights we didn't have food, and it really makes you humble and it helps you understand what other people go through.

Marisa Huston  
The reality is you're looking at 5, 10 years or more of struggling for you to get to where you need to go. But the lesson is also realizing that you can be that person to somebody else. Meaning, when you look for that help look for those little people that need that big break. They need that somebody to believe in them to give them that chance, so that you can also help lift their spirits. So it teaches you never to forget where you came from.

Bob Stanley  
I mean, if you go through that, I don't think you ever forget where you came from. That was my first business. And then we were going really well and I was probably five years away from retiring. And the second business ends up being this Bobbi Toad sneakers that I own. And it started because of a dream I had. I was on vacation with my family and I ended up having this dream from God one night, that I was supposed to invent some little girls sneakers with embossed toenails in the cap that could be polished with nail polish. I was told the column Bobbi Toads, and I was told to help a specific charity in Chicago called mission of Our Lady of Angels. So I get up from this dream. I'm just like, boy, what the heck was that? And I sketch it all out on paper, and I'm writing down the names. And I tell my family about it. And they're like, wow, that was actually really cool. Are you gonna do it? I'm like, I don't know anything about shoes. Well, why would I start a sneaker business? So I get back to our print business after vacation. And I would always walk around a print shop and look for new customers that came in while I was gone. And as I'm walking through our shop, lo and behold, who do I see? But this charity, we're doing a print shop for that was in my dream, a new customer. And I looked down, I'm like, Oh, you have got to be kidding me. I had the hair on my arm stand up. And I'm like, Oh, this can't be true. How are we doing it for this customer. This was just in my dream. And I'm like, I really don't want to do kids sneakers. I'm pretty much on easy street right now. And I'm five years away from retiring. And why would I want to start something new? So the story in this one goes, I gave my brother's a five year notice that I was stepping down from our family business. And I coincided it with my daughter Jacki graduating from the University of Miami. Because Jackie was in high school at the time. I'm like yeah, five years down, maybe she'll be graduating. Maybe she'll want to go in business with me. So my Jacki is my business partner now. And we now sell kids sneakers. And then through that we also have another product called Bobbi Dobbiez, which are, we'll take teams mascots reduced in the three inches and we patented this feature that they can attach to like shoes, backpacks, purses, key chains, hair, necklaces, and that's our new business. The weird thing is Marisa is, I'm experiencing all the same things that I experienced when I was starting the other business. I mean, at the time, I'm like, oh, man, this one's gonna be a piece of cake, because you already learned all these other things that you needed to know for business. Well, it's a learning curve all over again. Persistence, again. We're persisting,

Marisa Huston  
Yeah, you still have skills, sure. You've been in business where you understand the basics. But now you're doing something very different. And so you're having to go through the same questions like technical things that you didn't know about sneakers, for example, or even marketing strategies, like exactly what do people want? And color schemes and things that you just didn't apply in your other business, because you were used to a process, it worked, you had a formula, and now it's like a new recipe. And you may have some similar ingredients in there but how you make it and put it together is very, very different.

Bob Stanley  
Oh, this is very different. Because even going by where I had to go get patents, and learn certain aspects of patent laws, going back and forth with attorneys. One of the big issues was finding a rubber that nail polish would go on and remove and go on again. And I'm just like, boy, why am I doing this? And if it wasn't from a dream from God, I don't think I ever would have pursued it. But we're able to help this charity. And one of the hidden blessings is that I get to work with my daughter every day. You know, she's out in LA, I'm in Chicago. But I mean, I talk to her constantly and our relationship is awesome. And I'm like, those are one of the riches I wouldn't see coming in life is being able to work with her and get to know her on such a level that we do. That's truly a blessing that can't be measured by money. So there's certain things in business that can't be measured by money, although obviously that's the reason you're in business is to make a living. But there's certain things here that I'm being blessed with that I wouldn't have seen coming.

Marisa Huston  
That's exactly right. It's opening up doors that you didn't open before. To your point. I mean, there's so many challenges when you do something like this. Since you're not familiar with certain things, you have to learn new things, and you have to explore and you have to realize that you're going to go down a path that you wish you didn't and then you're going to have to be willing to pivot and try new things. So you're experimenting as you go. And that can be very, very scary for anyone. And many people listening to us right now who are new business owners, for example. they're experiencing it right now just because that's the nature of the beast when you're starting something new.

Bob Stanley  
Oh, most definitely. And crazy as it sounds, I think we all go through it. I don't know of any of my fellow business owner friends that had an easy startup. A lot of these people were up at three, four in the morning, and sweating out every day. And you know, you'd go home, and there'd be your little kids that need to eat. Like, I'm trying to make enough money to pay rent. So I think most people do go through this. And it's a matter of persistence, and having just enough money to keep things up until things can take off. And, and being able to pivot, like you said. Try new things. Don't be afraid. Everybody fails. And it's that fear of failure that strangles your passion. I pretty much just see what happens. And there's a lot of things, I just wing it, because it's things I've never done before. Hopefully, I learn by my mistakes, and don't make the same ones twice. But you know, even with COVID. Now, there's things that are coming up that I didn't have experienced before, such as like shipping issues. Because our products are made overseas, and the shipping costs have gone up probably seven times what they were pre COVID. One of our products, we're going to start shipping here unpackaged and actually package them in the US, because it'll save me on shipping costs, just having them packed bulk in a box, versus having them already packaged there, which before would work and now it won't.

Marisa Huston  
Absolutely, Bob. And that's the thing. Is that every time you're doing something, make a decision with business. Yeah, you can learn from it and then you say, okay, this works. So we're going to keep doing this. But then all of a sudden, something happens like COVID and you're like, wait a minute, this was something that I just never anticipated. And now I've got to figure out a completely different way to make things happen. And then the other thing, too, is that when you're starting a business, you get all these people reaching out to you because they want to sell their products to you. Maybe they have things that are going to be helpful for your business. But then you're also worried because you're thinking I have a certain amount of money that I'm able to invest and I have to be very smart in how I use those funds. And I want to be able to support other businesses and I need certain things, but you have to then start to look at those things, and really be very cognizant of where everything is going. Because at the end of the day, how can you spend money if you're not making any at this time?

Bob Stanley  
Most definitely. And then the scarier thing would be that people rack up debt on their credit cards with an unbelievable interest rate attached to them. If you get to that point, that would even be scarier. We never had to do that with our previous print business. I don't even know if we would have had the credit to get a credit card. You know, we just had to make do with what we had. And it makes you appreciate when things do go well. And it makes you appreciate when things go well for other people. Because you know, the sweat equity they had to put in to get to where they're at.

Marisa Huston  
Sometimes people are so desperate, because they love their business, they really believe in it, they want to do it. There are people out there that make them feel like Oh, if you just throw in a few more 1,000 we'll help you get through it, we're going to help you get your leads, we're going to help you grow, we're going to do this and get into a deeper hole because they just don't know when to say no. And so it's that balance, right? You need to plan, sit down and really make a decision in terms of where you see things going and what your expectations are. But at the same time, you have to realize that you're not alone. Also count on really good friends and partnerships, people that you can rely on to be honest with you so that you can get the information that you need to know what the next steps are going to be.

Bob Stanley  
I would also add to that seek mentors. There's people out there that are willing to mentor you. And they've made these mistakes, and they've learned. So it's like if you can find a mentor that's been through what you're going through and possibly in the same business, which would even be better, that would be absolutely tremendous value.  Because this person doesn't mind sharing. This person has a lot of experience. And it actually feels good to help other people out. So I would say don't be shy about asking others for help. And especially if it's in the industry you're in. If they're away from your area, you're not viewed as a competitor, and nothing like learning from somebody else so you don't make the same mistake.

Marisa Huston   
That's such a great way of looking at it. I believe it's so important to ask. Mentorship is really, really valuable.

Bob Stanley  
And I wouldn't be afraid to ask other people. If you go for a mentor. money's not this mentors driving factor if this person's already successful. They don't need your money. A few $1,000 to them isn't going to make a bit of difference. They probably would get a big kick out of seeing you succeed. So I would say don't be afraid to go approach people that have the experience. Because these people have been through it and then when you become successful, you pay it forward to the next generation.

Marisa Huston  
Yes. And you can even give back in other ways. Don't you believe in collaboration, Bob? Like, aren't we collaborating right now?

Bob Stanley  
Oh, yes,

Marisa Huston  
I believe that collaboration is such a wonderful thing, because it's a win win for everyone. For example, I have a friend who has a newsletter that she puts out to all of her clients, but she doesn't want to have to come up with the content all the time. And she also believes in promoting other small businesses that might not have the opportunity to get in front of her audience. So what does she do? She reaches out to them and says, Do you have an article that might be a value to my audience? I would be happy to put it on my newsletter and send it to them. And this way, I can promote you to them and at the same time, use your knowledge to educate my readers. It's a win win for everyone. So, I really believe in thinking outside the box and coming up with ways to help each other.

Bob Stanley  
That's very giving of your friend, that she's willing to promote others like that. That's great. She's got a great soul.

Marisa Huston  
Yeah, because we're in the weeds and we're so involved in what we're doing, we forget that there's so many ways to give. And collaboration to me is one of the easiest ways to do it without having to worry that you're taking up somebody's time or you're burdening them in any way. You're creating an environment that is positive for everyone involved. 

Bob Stanley  
It is. And you can also go on certain Zoom conferences, and find other people that just want to help. And then they're looking for you to help others as well. So we all have something to give in life. All business owners have had fear at one point in their life. So that fear could come again. You could be right and on top of the world, and things will change. So be very humble. Never forget where you came from, because you never know if you're going back there. But don't be afraid to go on and find different Zoom meetings with business owners that could possibly help you as well.

Marisa Huston  
Yes, I believe in asking too. Because I don't think we ask enough. 

Bob Stanley  
Marisa, if you don't ask you don't get.

Marisa Huston  
That's exactly right. And I think that so many people are just afraid of that, because they don't want to be turned down. And then they're also afraid of perhaps what the person might think of them. You just go in with humility and say, Listen, I'm completely okay with whatever you decide, but I'm going to put it out there. And if you're willing to help or if it sounds like something you're interested in, please let me know. And have that type of dialogue because if you don't, the other person can't read your mind. 

Bob Stanley  
That's definitely correct. When we first started our business, I knew nothing about sales. Here I'm this 20 year old kid, and I'm going door to door trying to sell our printing jobs. I had no idea what I was even talking about. I guess it's like asking someone out on a date. After you go through a few times, you get rejected a few times, you kind of get used to it. So it's just a matter of getting used to it and just getting over the fear. The fear is the thing that holds a lot of people back. The thing that's even worse is having this great idea or having this business you'd want to start and then at the end of your life, looking back and having the regret. I think it's easier to get over the fear of doing something than to live with the regret of not doing it.

Marisa Huston  
You know, you talked about the fact that you wanted to make a difference in this charity, and that you were switching gears completely because you knew that this was more of a mission for you. This was something you really needed to do. What did you do with this charity to help support them? How did that evolve for Bobbi Toads in terms of where you want to go to spread happiness with your product?

Bob Stanley  
When we first started with this, I didn't really want to share our story. I was afraid of what people would think of me. All right, I had this dream from God and now I'm starting a business because of a dream I had? There was fear again. Even in my second business, I guess I was afraid. And I got over that fear when our PR person told me that the more I share the story, the more I can help other people. And she had to explain it to me because I'm like, Yeah, but I really don't like to share what we do. I don't want to seem like we're bragging that we can help other people. But then I started understanding more and more of what she was trying to tell me. So when we go into the mission, what we do is once or twice a year, we'll have events there. And we have one coming up for Christmas, where we'll donate, say 500 pairs of sneakers. And we will have a booth set up in their facility and we'll have like 10 chairs and we get like 10 volunteers and there's probably oh my gosh, 500 kids that come through and 1000 total people will come through and this might be their only time for Christmas. So other businesses will give too and these kids can come through this line. And we'll have 10 people checking out their foot size and we're putting shoes on them and it's a great opportunity. So another thing we'll do is we work with certain children's hospitals, and we'll go in there and we'll have Bobbi Toads Day and we'll go into oncology. So, for all the kids in oncology and their siblings we'll go in with the staff and we'll fit them for shoes and my daughter Jacki does these events. And it'll be a day for them to like polish up their shoes and maybe take their mind off what they're going through, which would be key. And then there's times we'll go to like natural disasters. When there was a natural disaster in Puerto Rico, we gave probably 800 pairs of shoes to that natural disaster. Or we gave a lot of shoes to the orphanages in Ghana. And these things actually helped me understand why I'm in business. It's past the point of money. It's now to the point of trying to see how we can help other people. And I guess in helping other people, we do help ourselves because there's a feeling we get from it that I don't get when we get an order. It's a different type of satisfaction from business, I'll just say that. In this section of Chicago, some of these kids have never had any shoes and you're just like, wow, this brings me back to my days, when we started the print shop where I was changing out the bottom of my shoes with cardboard, because they had holes in them. We would just change out the bottom of our shoes, and just put new cardboard in there so our feet wouldn't hit the snow. And I'm like, man, I never forgot that. So I understand where people come from. As long as you're willing to work hard, and you have a good idea and you're persistent, there can be a lot of beautiful things that can happen in business.

Marisa Huston   
And your product or beautiful, fun. Your website is so happy. I'm an adult, and I look at the shoes and I go, oh my goodness, that pair is adorable. Where's the adult side?

Bob Stanley  
Marisa, I actually did bring in women's size nine, because of my daughter. We've got kids in their 20s ordering these to go to dance clubs and festivals and dance in our lineups. So yeah, my daughter pushed that. My daughter Jacki does all the designs. She works on the website. You know, the weird thing is, we each wear like 10 hats. When I was in the printing business you know, at the beginning, I mean, I had to run all these different pieces of equipment. And now it's like I started out as a 20 year old kid again, in my mid 50s in a whole nother business. Now I'm the guy wearing the 10 hats. And at the end of my career printing, I always just had a staff to do all the thinking and I just had to make decisions. And now I'm the guy that has to do the thinking and make the decisions. But at least I have Jacki there to do everything. And she pushes me too, to learn. She's like, what would you tell me in this instance? You tell me there's nothing I can't do. She goes, well, the same would apply to you, Dad. It's coming back. It's boomeranging me here.

Marisa Huston  
And you know, the lesson you're sharing with that is that it's so important to have somebody to partner with. That you're not alone. And having your daughter with you makes a huge difference. Sounds like she inspires you just like you inspire her, and you feed off each other and help each other out so that you don't feel like you're just trying to run all this by yourself. Since many people are solopreneurs, they feel alone. They have no one to talk to nobody to bounce ideas from. So the fact that your daughter's there with you makes a huge difference.

Bob Stanley  
It's amazing what she can accomplish. And the beauty of it is I've got this young brain. So I've got someone that understands Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads. And there's times I'm like, why are we doing this? And Jacki will tell me why. You know, and I'm just like, okay. So luckily, I do have that. And then my wife is like so supportive. It's like she's always believed in me. I mean, she believes in me when I don't believe in me. Thank God, I've got this support system. And my brothers are the same way. You know, I mean, they were my partners for 30 years. And my support system is huge. So if you have a support system, I'd say that's half the battle.

Marisa Huston  
And in your case, it's your family. But many of us are not that blessed. And if you're not that blessed, seek people that will be able to inspire you and lift you up. And also be true in terms of being honest with you. Because you don't want somebody who's just going to regurgitate what you want to hear. You want somebody to tell you, from my perspective, here's the truth. Because that's going to help you grow and figure things out as you progress through the journey of running a business and making a difference in people's lives. Bob, would you tell our listeners exactly how to get ahold of you and take a look at some of these products?

Bob Stanley  
Thank you. Well that's what happens when you have dreams. Follow your dream. Our website is www.bobbitoads.com. So that's Bobbi Toads .com. And you can get a hold of me at [email protected]. I try to keep everything as simple as possible.

Marisa Huston  
I am so grateful for you taking the time to talk to us about the challenges that you've experienced and to reassure a lot of us that failure is just the path to success.

Bob Stanley  
Thank you, Marisa.

Marisa Huston  
That's a wrap for this episode of Live Blissed Out. Thanks for listening and thanks to Bob Stanley for joining us on the show. If you have a question or comment for a future episode, all you have to do is go to www.speakpipe.com/lbovm or click the link in the show notes to leave a brief audio message. If you find value in our show, please visit www.liveblissedout.com to reach out subscribe and share on social media. This show is made money through listeners like you. Thank you. So long for now and remember to keep moving forward!