1002. #TCP - Taking The Show In A New Direction!

And, you know, there's no theory on this show, you guys, this is all information that I'm applying inside of my business right now, today. And, you know, and my guests, when they come on the show, this is all of what they're doing inside of their business here day in and day out. And, you know, we are, we're going to be taking things in a little bit different, a different light here moving forward. So, you know, when I first started doing, the podcast back in 2020, it was, you know, coffee with the freight coach was what I started off with. I started off just doing one episode in a week, and then I upped it to two episodes in a week. And I did that for, you know, almost two years. And then it was, I think, 2022.

Yeah, it was in like April and May of 2022 is when I started doing the live show as well. And I was doing the live show and, the twice a week long form podcast for, you know, the last two years, essentially. And it just kind of got to the point where I needed to change something up because I'm growing a freight brokerage on top of the media stuff here because I started off doing the media while I was doing sales consulting, and then I got back into brokerage officially in January of 2023. We're an agent for SPI Logistics who, you know, they've been a longtime supporter of the show. And we jumped back in and started building that up.

And, you know, that started growing a lot, and it was tough to balance out my time between everything I, you know, it was getting to a point where I kind of felt like I was half assing everything and I didn't like that. And I had to. I had to come up with a solution of how do I continue to deliver this information every single day while being able to grow my freight brokerage? Because at my core, you guys, I'm just a freight junkie at heart. All right? I love everything about this industry. It's the only industry I've ever worked in. Since I was 18 years old. I've worked in transportation. I started out loading trucks. I loaded trucks when I was in college, you know, for like four or five years. And then I got in, and I've been a broker ever since.

So it's like I've, you know, I've been in the industry officially for, like, for 20 years now. At this point, I'm 38, and, you know, and I. This is the only industry I've ever known, and this is the only industry I'm ever going to work in. And. But I feel like from a media perspective, we need to have more practical information out there. So, you know, I paid attention to a lot of the data. I hired a marketing. I got a guy now who does all my marketing. He's an employee. He's part of my team. I don't like using the term employee because he's part of my team. And helped me a lot over these last couple of months.

Revamp everything, revamp my social media, revamp the clips, all the post edit, post episode production and taking that out and getting everything out on social media, the clips. But most importantly, taking care of my guests, because my guests take time out of their day to come on this show and put their information out there. So, you know, we want to give our guests a top notch experience with us as well. And so when we kind of went back and forth on what direction were going to go, and we just decided that because I pay attention to data, right? Like, even though I went to public school, I pay attention to data.

And our live show was where it was getting the most engagement from people who coming in on the climate, you know, the comments, you know, like Cory Buchan, he's here every single day over on YouTube. Tracy Sinclair, she's here every single day. Nick Erdman, he's been on the show in the past over on YouTube. He's here a lot, too. You know, Sonny Sharma, he's here every single day. Micah campo, Dylan Turner. And the list goes on and on that, you know, you guys are showing up every single day to this. And that's the data that I was paying attention to the most, is the people who are coming in to the comments on the show and then the messages that I'm getting from people after the show who want to remain anonymous, but, like, the feedback that they're getting.

And I know you're there, Dylan. I know you got a job to do, too, brother. But, you know, like, and that's the thing. Like, everybody's got a job to do. And, you know, people tune in and, like, the messages and stuff that I got from it, where I'm just like, you know, I got to change things up, and I got to streamline it a, for myself so I can continue to bring top notch information out there, but b, I needed to change it up because, like, I was breaking down industry headlines. And, you know, and this isn't a shot at any one organization in particular, but, like, I just got sick and tired of reading the same bullshit every single day. You know, the same, you know, the same garbage that is out there that essentially it's just clickbait for the most part.

And I'm like, well, what the fuck does anybody even do with this? Okay, cool. The market did this, or the tender rejections at that, or this port got shut down, or this technology platform. I'm like, okay, but, like, what the fuck am I supposed to do with that information? And how is that applicable to my business? And the reality is 99% of the headlines that I was breaking down have nothing to do with what the overwhelming majority of us need. Okay? The overwhelming majority of us need to, like, to focus on the basics, right? We got to produce revenue, you know, depending on the role that you're in. Or, you know what? Maybe you're a truck driver out there, or a small fleet, and you.

You need to optimize your billing, or, you know, you're a tech company out there that's got some great drayage software. You know, like, I just had my friends over at Dre inside on the show, and, you know, they have a great product that's out there, and there's multiple different facets to the industry. So we're going to be more topic focused on this show moving forward. And, you know, I put a post out there on LinkedIn earlier, but I wanted to clarify some of those things on there. So, are there going to be days where we're going to talk about an industry headline, possibly, but that's going to be very few and far between, almost never, you know, because I want to have more guests come on this show and actually talk about what they're doing in their business today.

You know, like, I see so many posts from people giving out advice that are former this and everything else. And I'm like, it doesn't say former founder that had a ten figure exit from their business or an eleven figure exit from their business.

You know, I don't see any of that information out there and I know there's a couple of them, right, that are posting content and, you know, and those are individuals that I listen to, but there's a lot of people who are used to be in the industry that have created content about this industry that I think is just very fucking misleading, from an information standpoint, in a practicality standpoint, because like, you know, I was texting with a driver friend of me, of mine the other day and I'm not going to mention his name because, you know, he's going through some right now with the broker that I'm just like, you know, it's stories like that and it's those style of conversations that is applicable to the everyday person in this industry.

You know, because there's a lot of pie in the sky information that's out there. You know, everybody wants to talk about AI. Yeah, AI is a real thing, but at the end of the day, how does that get me fucking customers? You know, like I've mentioned you guys, I move, you know, we move freight every single day. I'm talking to prospects every single day. Not one time has a customer asked me what my tech stack looks like. It's a great talking point, but the fact of the matter is, it's not required to get business, okay? It's not required to really get your business up and running. There's a time and a place for everything, but the overwhelming majority of people that are out there. We need practical business information.

I want to talk to the individuals who've built a 50, 60, $70 million company that started off on a computer one day, or that fleet owner or that successful owner operator who has made it through these times, who made the right financing decisions for their equipment, who found dedicated customers, and they've built a successful business doing it that way. And we're going to continue to do that. You know, so we're going to talk more about that style of information moving forward. It's about practical business information by people who are actively in the industry, because, you know, to be frank, you guys, I have every dollar I have ever made in my life wrapped up into this, okay? Like, if this doesn't work out, I don't have a house. I don't have a vehicle. I don't have a. Got nothing, all right?

So when I'm delivering information, it's coming from that standpoint, all right? Not a standpoint of desperation, but a standpoint of I have everything on the fucking line to make this work, okay? I don't collect a salary. Yes, I have advertisers, right? So my business has revenue that comes in every single month, but I don't have a salary coming in every two weeks. That's guaranteed. And I'm not up here talking because based on theory, I'm talking off of actual execution. My guests are coming on the show, and they're talking about actual execution inside of their companies every day. And again, we're having dialogue out here by people who are doing the thing right.

Not talking about it, not, like, so far removed from the daily activities that, you know, that, like, I just think that, you know, the style of content that I'm going to continue to bring forward here is going to be that it's going to always be centered along that. But again, most importantly, it's going to be. It's going to be based on practical information that you guys can all apply. It's going to be covering every facet of the industry. It's. It's never going to behind a paywall. I'm not going to create a course that's out there that, you know, I'm trying to sell you guys, oh, go sign up for this or anything like that. I'm not going to do that.

You know, like I said, if you guys want to support the show, click on all my advertisers links and learn more about their products, you know, or subscribe to the show and share it out there. That's how we can support the show. Because like all of my advertisers, you know, denim, who's down there, green screens, SPI logistics, tie software. I I'm very fortunate to have multiple companies come to me about wanting to advertise on this show. I'm very fortunate for that. But, and I'm very fortunate to be in a position to pick and choose who I work with. And those four companies that I just listed off, you guys are dedicated to improving this industry. They are dedicated to making the right content to keep people in business and everything else. And their product is designed to help people in their businesses.

And, yeah, they're, they're a for profit entity, you guys. So of course they have, you know, fees and you got to pay for their shit, right? It's not free, but they're all dedicated to moving this industry forward. All of those guys love this industry as much as I do. And, you know, I'm very fortunate from that position to deliver that to you guys day in and day out. And I'm going to continue to do that. We're going to get more raw in our content. We're going to get more real in our content about, you know, again, what people are actually doing out there. And, you know, I've just over, you know, putting out a thousand episodes. What I've come to realize is, you know, like April Moroni, who says here, pass along good information. I appreciate you too, April, but, like, I.

The real people out there are just looking for, you know, information that they can put in to their business. And what I've learned out there is the audience. My primary audience are operators, are entrepreneurs. They're not here because it's a paycheck. They're here because this is their livelihood. This is everything that they know. This is everything that they love. And we're going to continue to build this industry up, and we're going to continue to put the right information out there so we can build that. As I put in that post, that playbook up for people, you know, like, I want everybody to be able to tune into this show and get value from it and then not think that it's just a big sales pitch for other things out there.

I just want to create content from my standpoint, I want to talk to people who are doing things. You know, like, I'm very fortunate to have a laundry list of guests who are willing to come on this show at any given time that are actually doing the work. And, you know, we're just going to continue to build up off of that. We're going to build out a playbook for people that, you know, you guys can share out there to your audience and, you know, in your connections. And, you know, again, this is just designed to help people. Ultimately, to my core, I just want to help people. I did this show for free for like a year. I would do it for free tomorrow if everything went away.

Because, like, I truly feel like this is my calling in life, is to utilize my voice to help elevate others. You know, I truly feel like, God bless me with that. And this is the path that God wants me on. And I'm going to continue to go down this route. And, you know, my chosen field is inside of transportation, and I'm going to stay inside of transportation in that, you know, and I'm going to continue to do this. And, you know, because this, the show is a show for transportation professionals by transportation professionals like I had had said out there, and, you know, we're going to continue to do this. And then another thing, too. I do get asked this a lot. How do I become a guest on your show? To me, it's as simple as sending me a DM. Okay?

Send me a DM on LinkedIn if you want to come on this show. Again, if your. If your end goal is to sell your product, I'm not going to have you on my show. If your end goal is, hey, my product solves a pretty, you know, complex issue. I just want to talk about this, but most importantly, give pointers to people that if they're not using us and they're using one of our competitors, they can go get a better experience from their current providers. You're the type of people I want to talk to. I do need to put a caveat in there. If you are a competitor of any of my advertisers, I will not. I will not feature you on my show.

That is something that I have kept in line, and I offer that to my advertisers that I will not feature any of their competitors on this show. Because when you're with me 100%. I'm not a, I'm not a pay for play kind of guy. I believe in loyalty, and you guys can see that. You guys can see I have the same advertisers year in and year out on this show because I believe in loyalty, and they've been loyal to me as well. So that's how you get on this show. It's as simple as that. You know, and I know that there's a growing theme out there. And again, I'm not here to knock anybody's hustle about, you know, pay to play. You know, there's a growing thing that I'm seeing out there.

I've talked to a lot of young entrepreneurs, or young in business entrepreneurs here recently that, you know, they want to come on my show, and then they ask, what's the fee to come on? And the fee is nothing. All right? Again, I'm very fortunate to have advertisers on this show, and I don't charge to come on here. I want to help people win in business with that, and I'm in a very fortunate position to not do that, and nor will I ever. I just don't think that is a business model that I'm going to partake in because, frankly, at the end of the day, I, you know, there's no guarantee that they would get anything in return.

If they paid me a seat cost to come on the show for a 30 minutes segment, I want to see people get a return and, you know, and then in due time, who knows, maybe if they get a bunch of business off of, show, if they get a bunch of business after coming on the show, that's awesome. That that's what I want. You know, like, again, I'm very fortunate to have advertisers, and I'm very fortunate to have a lot of companies that want to advertise on my show as well. But, you know, ultimately, you guys, that's the direction that we're going moving forward with this, you know, where you'll probably start to see, because my guy Christian, he's my main marketing guy here. He's, he's the one behind the scenes who's making all of this stuff happen for me.

And he wants me to start creating different styles of content outside of it. More short form, stuff like that. So you'll probably start seeing some of those other styles of content on some of the other platforms and everything. But again, you guys, the freight coach podcast will for always and ever be about adding value to the transportation industry. You know, drivers, I want you on my show, all right? I want you guys to come on here that you can speak freely outside of, you know, like, I believe in the first amendment on here. You guys, you guys can speak freely about your experiences in the industry. I want more drivers to come on this show, you know, and that's how we're going to continue to build this up. Dennis Everett, my man. Good morning, sir. Jake Guerrero. What is in? All in?

It's not easy, but it gets you out of bed. It's a fact, Jake. That is a fact, man. It will definitely get you out of bed. What's going on, man? Milan, good to see you. And Katie McDermott, good morning to you. Sunny Sharma says the fee is to share the show. Don't be a ho. Share the show is what he's alluding to there. That's our guy, Andy Frisello. That indeed DJ on the real Af podcast out there. But yeah, you guys, so that's how we're going to be doing this moving forward. You know, I'm going to be, there's going to be more, like I said, more theme based. I'm going to have a shipper on the show this Friday for Q and A. Okay. So if you have any sales or operations related questions for the transportation industry, dm them over to me.

You know, real. I'm probably just going to create a, an email address where people can just email in, comments or questions and stuff like that. Because, you know, the Friday show for the most part, will be Q and a, based. And, you know, again, we'll be going through themes. I'm going to try and get as many shippers as possible to come on the show. And we will do that to try and feature them on there. Do you do sales and operations related questions for them? And, you know, we're going to be doing, you know, tech shows, tech Tuesdays, stuff like that. But again, it's going to be more topic focused on that and we will get that up and let me see here. Yeah, Sonny.

And that's another thing, too, man, about, you know, talking about the health and fitness for drivers and frankly, everybody, you know, and, you know, I need to get Mike Lombard back on the show. He's, you know, he's a former driver turned personal trainer out there, you know, Mark Manera and the driver health space. He's big into that as well. And yeah, you know, the possibilities are truly endless, you guys, on where things are going. And again, I will listen to the audience's feedback on, you know, certain topics that you guys want me to cover if there's something that's coming up in your side of the industry because again, you guys, I'm a broker. I don't know exactly what's going on in air freight or intermodal and other areas or at all times.

So it's like if you want to see that, just again, dm me, you guys, it's, that's the easiest way to do this. You know, and the way it'll go is if you dm me, we'll do a quick little intro call with each other, if I've never met you, for you weren't recommended by somebody that I know, just to kind of see if there's some synergy between us and then we'll just go from there. So you know, the topics are truly endless out there and yeah, we'll see that because like, I've had my attorney come on the show in the past to talk about, you know, contracts and everything else. I've had my CPA come on the show in the past to talk about taxes and business structure and all of that stuff as well.

So you'll definitely see more of that and we'll get more in depth on certain strategies and stuff that people can apply to into their business. So, yeah, you know, it's kind of wild to see the thousand load or thousand load, sorry, I got frayed on my mind. It's wild to see the thousand episode mark kind of come and go and, you know, it's when you first start out doing anything, you know, and this is the reason why if you want to see some of my first videos, go to my YouTube channel, they're all on there. Go to the freight coach YouTube channel, they're all on there. I never took a video down. My first podcast, I believe are still out there. I don't know if itunes or Spotify removes them after a certain time, but I have it all saved, you guys.

And you know, I, you just start somewhere with it. You know, it's just like cold calling in business. It's just like, you know, prospecting and you know, you just got to start. Then you just kind of learn how to grow as you go and there's a lot of value in fucking things up and because it just helps you learn in those moments. It really does. I think. I'm sure somebody could come up with a counterargument to this, but from my perspective, it's almost more valuable to know not what not to do than it is to know what to do. It saved me a lot in there and I've just learned over this journey of creating content that, you know, downloads can be bought. I didn't know that, but apparently they can.

You know, followers can be bought, engagement on posts can be bought, but impact out there in the industry can never be for sale. You can't buy. You can't buy impact. And that's what I'm going for ultimately. I'm going to, I'm going to impact the industry and continue to impact the industry in the right way by putting quality information out there for drivers, brokers, fleets, shippers, everybody out there to apply to their business and just know that it's coming from actual transportation professionals. At the end of the day, you guys, that's where it's coming from, there's no theory. There's never going to be any theory on this show. This is just coming from people who are actually doing the work out there because, you know, again, I come from a family of truck drivers.

My, my great grandparents, when they immigrated here from Iowa, or, excuse me, immigrated here from Iowa. That's funny. When they immigrated here from Germany to Iowa, back in the 1930s, they started a trucking company. And, you know, my grandfather on my mom's side was a dispatcher after he got out of the military. And my dad was an owner operator. He drove for 40 years. Uncle, godfathers, truckers. My, my brother in law, he's a trucker right now. And, you know, and this industry is just ingrained in me and I just want to be here for the right reasons and change this industry and improve this industry for the right reasons because this is the greatest industry on earth. This, the trucking industry is the backbone of the world economy, it is.

Transportation industry is the backbone of the world economy and I want to improve its perception out there and I want to elevate this industry in every way possible. I'm not always going to be right, I'm not always going to be perfect, but I ultimately just know that I'm just putting my best foot forward and I'm just a fucking guy who's just trying to build his american dream. At the end of the day, ultimately, that's what it boils down to, trying to build my american dream and help as many people as I possibly can along the way. But that will be it for today. Ladies and gentlemen, again, I appreciate you guys so much for the growing support out there. It's wild to think that at one point I couldn't even get 100 downloads in a month when I first started out.

And now I get, you know, 100 people who tune into this show in this 1st, 30 minutes and, you know, and I remember when I got my first thousand downloads in a month, I thought I had made it at that time. That was probably like the most proud moment that I ever had podcasting. And what's even crazier now is to see that, you know, you can get, you know, you have thousand in a month and then now it's like, there's times where I can get like two 3000 in a day, you know, and it's fucking crazy to see that. And you know, that's how I know what we're doing here is for the right reasons. And I'm not going to play any of that petty social media bullshit that's out there.

I'm just going to continue to stay on my path, stay on my journey, and that's just ultimately to help people to the best of my abilities out there. But that's going to be it for today, you guys. I got guests coming on tomorrow. I got a guest coming on Friday for that shipper Q and a show, so get ready for that. You guys dm me over those questions. And as always, if you guys got value in what you heard, subscribe to the show. You guys share it out there to your network, because if you see value, your network is going to see value as well. I appreciate you guys. I love you guys. And we'll be talking to you soon. Bye.