Annotations will appear as you listen
0:00
58:56
Brand
Vortex
Vortex is a company that makes hunting and viewing gear like scopes and binoculars. The host is saying you should pick a good brand for that kind of equipment.
Term
optics
Here, “optics” means things like binoculars and scopes that use lenses to help you see farther and more clearly. It’s the gear people use for hunting or spotting.
LIVE
Timelessandnevergoesoutofstyle.
It'sifyoucanprovidegoodservice.
Whensomebodycallstogetarealhumanbeingwho'shappyandempoweredtohelp,whentheysendanemail,howfastisthatresponse?
Howhowumhowempoweredisthatemployeetoactuallyhelpthem?
BeyondtheWrenchwithJayGaninenfromRanchway.
Ontoday'sshow,I'mexcitedtobejoinedbyJoeHamilton,presidentandCEOofVortexOptics.
WhilemanypeopleknowVortexisoneofthemostrespectedbrandsintheoutdoorindustry,Joehasbecomeknownforsomethingthatextendsfarbeyondoptics,andthat'sthecaremovement.
Care,whichstandsforcreatearareexperience,isbuiltaroundasimplebutpowerfulidea.
Everyinteractionmatters,whetherit'scustomers,employees,orthepeopleweencountereveryday.
Creatingmeaningfulexperiencesbuildstrust,strengthens,strengthensrelationships,andultimatelydriveslong-termsuccess.
Inthisepisode,Joeisgoingtosharethestorybehindthecaremovement,howithelpsorganizationsbalanceperformancewithhumanity,whybusinessesthatwininthelongrunareoftentheonesthatmakepeoplefeelseen,valued,andconnected.
JoeHamilton,welcometotheshow.
Howareyou?
I'mdoinggreat.
I'mhappytobehere.
I'mexcitedtokindofgetintoallthethings.
ButJayandIgoback,youknow,10,11years.
Andsoit'sjustgreattoconnectagainwithyou.
Andyeah,I'mexcitedtogetintoallthethings.
Vortex,care,everything.
Cool.
Solet'stalkabouthowwemet.
Uh,wewereinaclass,Ibelieve,inMiddleton,Wisconsin,uh,thatwaskindofuhaboutIbelieveitwasuhsomethingaboutnextgenerationleadership.
Anduhaswekindofsatinthatclasstogether,gottoknowyoualittlebitalongwithsomeothersintheclass.
Anduhatthetime,uhI'mnotthatbigofahunter,anduhIIyouhadtalkedaboutwhatyoudidatVortex,andIdidn'tknowalotaboutit,andsoyouhumblysharedwhatVortexdidinthisclass,andIlearnedalittlebitmoreaboutit.
AndIthinkoneofthefunnypartswasasweweleftoneday,I'mlike,waitaminute,youguysarewaybiggerthanIthoughtyouwere.
Youhadbuiltthisjustawesomebusiness,andtherewassomethingthatclickedwithwithmeintalkingtoyouwhereyouyouweresofocusedonself-developmentandandreallyimprovingyourselfuhfirstandforemost.
Anduh,Iasyoutalkedthroughthebooksthatyouread,therewerealotofthesamebooksthatIwasreadingatthetime,andyouknow,II'llneverforgetyoutalkingaboutDaveRamsey'sentreeleadership.
AndIhadreaditandreallyhadn'trunacrosstoomanyothersthathad.
So,likeitwasoneofthosethingswhereasyou'retalkingabout,I'mlike,here'sthisguythat'salotlikeme,anditjustuhclickedwithyourightoffthebat.
Soit'sjustbeensofuntobeabletoreconnectwithyouhere.
Yeah,absolutely.
Andit'salwaysgoodtoconnectwithyouknow,peoplethatarethatgrewupinfamilybusinesses.
Thatweit'slike,youknow,it'slikeit'sit'slikeitsowntherapysessionwhenweallgettogether.
100%everythingthatyougothroughforthosethatknowwhatI'mtalkingabout,youknow,you'reinafamilybusiness,ithassomanyamazingbenefitsandlearninglessons,andthenthere'syouknow,justalotoftoughstuffthatcancomewithafamilybusinesstoo.
Soitwasjustcooltohavelike,youknow,peoplewiththatsamebackgroundandanduhbutwhatoftenhappensasithappenedwithusistheappledoesn'tfalltoofarfromthetree.
Andwhetherit'sthatbusinessoranotherbusiness,youknow,it'sjustinyourDNA.
Soitwasjustyeah,itwasgreattoconnectwithyouandandanditmakessensewhyyouwouldbeandI'dbereadingthesamebooksandgeekingoutthesamestuff,eventhoughalotofpeoplearethinkingabouttheirbarbecueorheadingtothelake.
Youknow,we'rewe'rewe'rediscussing,youknow,thelatestchapterontradeleadership.
Uh100%.
Now,walkusthroughuhouraudienceisprimarilythetransportationtrades.
UhandI'mguessingalotofourouraudienceisveryfamiliarwithVortex,butforthosethataren't,uhcanyougiveusalittlebackgroundonVortexOptics?
Yeah,forsure.
Um,andokay,soVortexumiswe'vevortexbeenaroundsince2002,butpriortoVortexOptics,um,youknow,mymyuhmyfather,myparents,theyhadEagleOptics,whichisane-tailorandmailordercompany,primarilytothebirdwatchingmarket.
Theyhadhadthatforanumberofyears,andtheninadditiontothat,theyhadasingleWildBirdsLimitedstoreumthattheystartedin1986.
Theyendedupsellingthatin07.
It'sstillgoing.
Um,andsoeachone,eachbusinesssortofbegettheotherbusiness.
ButourmainbusinessnowobviouslyumisVortex,andthat'stechnicallystartedin2002.
IcanrunCliffNoteversionthroughitifyouwant.
UmIlovethestory.
Soyougoasmuchmusicasmuchintodetailsyouwant.
Yes.
Allright,cool.
Soumagain,I'llkindofmove,uh,it'llmaybestartalittleslow,butI'llmovekindofquick.
SoummyfatheruhwasinVietnamanduhdidthreetoursinVietnam,gottheGIBill,gotout,andashetoldmeonetime,hetohethrewadartatadartboardofrespectablecareersanditlandedondentistry.
Sohegoesandbecomesadentist.
He,youknow,hemeetsmymom,theygetmarried,theystarthavingkids,theywouldeventuallyhavefourboys.
I'mthetheuhtherewastwins,thenme,thenmyyoungerbrother.
SohewasadentistforIthinkroughly10years,anditwasdoitwasdoingwellbyyouknowanybusinessmetric,buthehatedbeingadentist.
Imean,hedidnotlikeit,um,didnotlikelookinginpeople'smouthsallday.
Hereallydidn'tlikethefactthatnobodywantedtocomeseehim,eventhoughhereallyover-indexedontryingtomakeitumanenjoyableexperience.
Butlet'sbehonest,nobodyreallywantstogotothedentist.
Soit'sastressfulcareer,eventhoughitwasgoingwell.
Andsowhatheandmymomwoulddoalotistheywouldgoonhikesandthey'dbringusboys.
Anduh,andthenmymomstartedtogetintobackyardbirdfeeding,andtherewasalocalWildBirdsUnlimited.
ThisisinKendallville,Indiana.
IthinkthestoreonWildBirdsLimitedwasinFortWayne.
Somydadwouldgowithherandtheywouldgetsomestuffandthey'dputitinthebackyard.
Hewasn'tlikeabirderoranything.
Um,butyouknow,veryquicklyhethoughttohimself,youknow,IwonderifIcouldhaveastorelikethis,andit'dbealotlessstressful,whichisfunnynowtothinkthatretailwouldbelessstressful,butno,that'swhathethoughtatthetime.
Andsohemadesomeinroadswiththefranchise,whichtherewasonlysix,sevenstoresatthetime.
Andtheysaidtohim,Hey,uh,yeah,wewouldloveforyoutobeournextWildBirdsUnlimitedstoreowner.
Um,wehavetoomanystores,orwehaveenoughstoresinIndiana.
Whydon'tyouheadtoWisconsin?
TheysaidyoucanhituhMilwaukee,GreenBay,Madison.
So,asyouknowthegeography,hehitsMilwaukeefirst.
It'stoobig.
HehitsGreenBay,it'stoosmall.
Andonhiswayback,circlingback,hehitMadison,andthatwasjustright.
So,astheyliketosay,inacoveredwagon,theyhadthemandthreeboysatthetime,they'dhaveafourth.
Um,youknow,theytheycameuptoWisconsinandhestartedthisWildBirdsUnlimitedstore.
Andsohewasdoingwhatalotofpeoplethatarenewbusinessesdoing.
He'sgotthreeyoungboys,he'sgothe'sgotawife,youknow.
Soheheneedstomakethisgo.
Sohe'ssleepingatthestore,um,he'sbuildingallhisowndisplays,butthestoreisdoingwell,butnottoofarintohavingaWildBirdsUnlimitedstore,hewouldhaveallthesepeoplecominginsaying,Dan,I'vegotthefeeders,I'vegottheseed.
Sometimeswegoonwalks,butIneedopticstoseethesebirdsbetter.
Andsobackthen,thisispre-internet,andsohe'ssendingeverybodytocamerastores.
That'swhereyouprimarilysentpeopletogetabinocularoraspottingscope.
Buthesoonrealizesororthinksherealizes,youknow,Imightbeabletosellthesebinoculars.
Andthesebinocularsareprettyexpensive.
Youknow,I'msellingthesesuetcakesforadollarapiece.
MaybeIifIsellthesebinocularsforacouplehundreddollars,thatwouldreallyhelpthebusinessandyouknow,helphishelphimsupporthisfamily.
Sohecallsupthebrandsatthetime,thesportopticsbrandsatthetime,andhetriestogetarepoutsohecanopenupanaccountandtheyjustlaughhimoffthephone.
Imean,they'relike,WildBirdsUnlimited,doyouguysselllikeparakeetsandtoucans?
Like,I'mnotsendingmyrepoutthere.
So,mysointrueentrepreneurialfashion,heactuallyheadstoAmericanTV,whichsoldbinocularsatthetime.
IrememberAmericanTV,yeah.
Youremember,right?
Sohebuyslike12binoculars,heputs,heclearsoutacaseinastore,heputstheminthere,andhemarksthemadollaroverwhathepaid.
So,andeverybodyknows,right?
That'snotalong-termstrategyfromaprofitabilitystandpoint,butthat'snotwhathewasworriedabout.
He'sjusttryingtoseecanI,willthiswork?
CanIactuallyselltheminmystore?
Sureenough,acoupleweeksgoby,hesellsallofthem.
Sonowhecallsthosesamecompaniesbackandhe'sarmedwithallthosereceiptsandhesaidandhetellsthemeverythingthathedid.
Andofcourse,allthosebrandsareonthephoneandthey'relike,Well,Dan,technicallyyouviolatedeveryoneofourdealeragreements,youknow.
Butyouknowwhat?
Thatwasprettyimpressiveandandprettygutsy.
I'mgonnasendmyrepout.
So,sothat'showhegotsetupsellingopticsinhisinhisretailstore.
Butwhathealsonoticedwasthattherethoseuhbrandshadalotofdifferentpricelists,okay?
Andifyouwantedthebestpriceandyouweregonnamakesomesignificantmoneyfortheinventorythatyouwerecarryingandthetimeittakestosellanoptic,um,itmighttakeanhourwithacustomer.
Hereallyneededtogetabetterprice.
Andtogetabetterprice,heneededtosellmorethanjusthissmallstore,whichiswhatledhimtocreatingEagleOptics,whichwasamailordercompany.
Andeventually,whentheinternetcamearound,hebecameane-tailor,primarilyfocusedstillonbirdwatching,buthewouldgoaroundthecountryuh,youknow,tolikebirdfestivalsandallthesedifferentthingsandhandoutacan'tcatalog.
Um,andsoverysoonhebecameknownastheindependentplacetogetsportopticsandofcoursemagnifiedhisreach.
Andthenafterawhile,hebecameknownastheopticsguywithinthefranchiseofWildBirdsUnlimited,whichwasgrowing.
Okay,sotherewasacouplehundredstores.
Theywouldcallhimandsay,Dan,you'retheopticsguy.
Ican'taffordtoopenupanaccount.
CanIgetthebinocularsfromyou?
Sohestartedtothenumtransshipororwholesalebinoculars.
Buttheproblemwasagain,themarginswerenotgoodenoughtoreallysellthemtosomebodyelseandhavethemmakeamargin.
Everybodyknowssmallmomandpop,youneedtomakeagoodmarginthere.
Yeah.
Sothatledhim,youknow,uhkindofcliffnoteitthatledhimtocreatinghisownEagleOpticslineofproductsthathesourced,thathedesigned,andthenhecouldwholesalethatbrandtoWildBirdsUnlimitedaswellassellthatbrandwithinhise-tailormaileruhuhcatalog.
Andsothatwasareallypivotalmomentbecausehehadbeenaretailerforsolong.
Whenhebecameawholesalerandabrand,hetookallthosenegativesthatheexperiencedasaretailerwithbrands,whichwerealotatthetime,andheturnedthemontheirheadandmademadethemintopositives.
So,ofcourse,likemeandthebrotherswereallworking,youknow,askidsthroughthesedifferentbusinesses,WildbirdsLimitedandEagleOptics.
Ihadgonetocollegeandwasgettingoutin2002.
IthoughtIwasgonnagotolawschool,Igotcoldfeet.
Istartedtomeetandshadowsomelawyers,andtheyallhatedtheirjobs.
SoIwaslike,Idon'tthinkI'mreadyforthis.
Somydadwassaying,hey,I'mgettingreadytolaunchthisotherpieceofthebusiness,whichwouldeventuallybecomevortex.
Buttheideaonthissideofthenewsideofthebusinesswashesaid,everythingwe'redoingwithwholesalingandeagleoptics,it'sworkingreallywell,butit'spositionedaroundbirding,it'spositionedaroundtheWildBirdsandLimiteds.
Iwanttoreplicatethat,butinanon-birdingexclusiveway.
SowehadexclusivitywithumWildBirdsandLimiteds,andanditwaseitherEagleOpticsorWildBirdsandLimitedsweretheEagleOpticsbrand.
Soin2002,weactuallystartedabunchofbrands,andoneofthemwasVortex.
Idon'tknowifpeoplecanseethis.
Thisislikeoneofmyown.
Yeah,wecanseethat.
Oh,thatisawesome.
Likeallthesedifferentbrands,andVortexwasoneofthem.
Andsowhatwedidiswesoldthoseforthreeyears,andacouplethingsstartedtokindofbubbleuptothesurface.
Numberone,wehadalotoflicenses,sowehadlikeAudubonlicensing,NationalAudubonSociety,wehadcollegiatelicensebinoculars,wehadalotofthesedifferentlicenses,andwedidn'tlikehavinglicenses.
Imean,attheendoftheday,theycanbringwhattheycanandcan'tdo.
I'lltellyouafunnystory.
Soforthreeyears,though,we'resellingtheseproducts,andwhatwouldhappenisweweresellingalottohuntinganduhretailers.
Huntingisalittlebitmoreofamasculinebrand.
Wehadsomepeopleininininouruminourfirstuhuhatuhshelteredwingsvortexwhowereinreallyintohunting,butthenthosestoreswereorderingalot,sotheeconomicsweretheretoo.
Soit'skindoflikesomepassion,interest,andthentheeconomicswerethere.
Andsimultaneously,thoselicenseswereforsortoffrustratingtodealwith,andactually,itallculminatedatatradeshowinUtah.
Weweregonnapitcha$500binocularonanAudubonbinocular,whichAudubonisourbiggestline.
Andwesatdownwiththeheadoflicensingandwepitchedthroughthisbinocular,wehadallthedatatobackitupthatwecouldsellthis.
Andshe's,Imean,she'sareallynicelady.
Shehadabig,thickNewYorkaccent.
She'sshejustlookedatusafterwesetourpitchandshesaid,Yeah,you'renotgonnadothat.
Shesaid,You'renotgonna,we'renotgonnadothat.
Uh,ifIwanteda$500binocular,I'dgobuyaNikeone.
That'swhatshe'slike.
It'saprettygoodNewYorkaccent,bytheway.
BigthickNewYorkaccent.
Andsowewerelike,weweresteamed.
Ithoughtyoucouldsearthesteakonmydad'sforehead,butsheactuallyreallydidusafavor,andIthinkshewasright.
Wewalkedbacktothehotelandwewerelike,wegottogetoutoflicensing,wegottocontrolourowndestiny,weknowwecansellthis.
Uh,peoplearebringing,Imean,alotofthoseretailerswerelike,hey,youguysdon'tneedthislicense.
Ilikeworkingwithyou.
Yourmarginsaregreat,yourserviceisgreat,yourwarrantyisgreat.
Youguysareveryexpedientwithit,areturnedemail,aphonecall.
Soyoucanjusthaveyourownbrand.
Vortexwasthenamethatwehad.
Welikedit.
ItwaskindofpositionedmoreREI-ish,butwetookallofourbestproductsacrossallthesedifferentlines.
WerebrandedthemunderVortex,andwerebrandedVortex.
Andsothatwasin05.
AndthennowthisiswhereI'llspeeditup.
Thenwewesowelaunched,andthenallthisthesehuntingretailerswerelike,hey,you'rebecomingmynumberonebinocularinspottingscopeline.
Mynumberonecategoryisriflescope.
Sowe'relike,okay,wegottogetinriflescopes.
Samethinghappenedwithrangefinders,samethinghappenedwithreddots.
Soitjustkindoflikeeverycoupleofyears,itendedupturningouttherewasanewcategorytogetinto.
Andsowe'vejust,butIthinkyouknow,oneofthecouplethingstomereallystandoutiswereallykindofhadourradarupfornewopportunities.
Alotoftimeswhenwegothitwithsomething,werealizedthatthatwasasignalthatweneededtoleaninandseeifsomethingwasthere.
So,forinstance,alotofpeoplelike,Dan,Ineedtogettobinoculars.
WheredoIneedtogo?
That'slikeasignal.
Andthenweleanintoanopportunity.
Icallthemit,wecallthemexperiments.
Sothey'rethey'remeaningfulenoughthatiftheyblowupinyourface,they'regonnahurt.
Soifmydadbackthen,ifhethose12binocularsstayedinthecase,backthenthatwouldhavehurt,okay?
Weweren'tdoingalotofbusiness,butitwouldn'thavetakenusunder.
Itwouldn'thavetakenusunder.
We,youknow,backthenhehadtheseed,hehadthefeeders.
Sosamethingwhenwetried,youknow,riflescopesandreddotsandrangefinders,allthosewereexperiments.
Wehadalotofdata,wehadalotofuhinstinctthatsaidthatthosethingsweregonnawork,butwesowewereveryhadourradarup,constantlylookingforthosesignals,leaningininanexperimentalfashion.
Soit'sbigenoughthatit'llmatterandwe'llfindout,butit'salsoit'sit'salsomeaningfulenoughitwouldhurtifitdidn't.
Um,andthenIthinktheotherpiece,whichIthinkisreallyeverybusinessandeveryperson,iswe'rereallygoodatcompoundinterests.
LikewewesowhatImeanisisyouknow,abigthingforus,wemakeagoodproduct.
Ithinkwemakethebestproduct.
Ialwayssayfromthetipofmytoestothetopofmyhead,butotherpeoplemakegoodproducttoo,right?
Imean,youcanyoucanseeadeerwithanotherbrand,youcanshootadeerthisfallwithanotherbrand.
Idon'tthinkyoushould.
IthinkyoushoulduseVortex.
Butwhat'swhat'stimelessandnevergoesoutofstyleisifyoucanprovidegoodservice.
Whensomebodycallstogetarealhumanbeingwho'shappyandempoweredtohelp,whentheysendanemail,howfastisthatresponse?
Howhowhowumhowempoweredisthatemployeetoactuallyhelpthem?
Imean,thelistgoesonandon.
Andwedidthatsimilartoyourintrowitheverycustomereveryday,dayafterday,weekafterweek,monthaftermonth,andyearafteryear.
Andsowhathappensisitdoescompoundovertime,ittakestime,youknow,andandatthebeginning,it'skindoflike,yeah,you'regrowing,andweweregrowing,butitwasslowandsteady.
Butaroundkindof2011,2013,that'swherethatcompoundintereststartedtokickin.
Andthat'swhereeverybodywaslike,Hey,whatareyoudoingnow?
I'mI'mreallystartingtoseevortexandhearaboutvortex.
Anditwasfunnybecauseitwaslike,well,itreallyisn'twhatwe'redoingnow,itreallyhadtodowiththeaccumulationofallthoseservicetouchpointsandallthosepeople,anyways.
I'llpausethere.
Iit'sjustincredible.
Imean,asyou'regoingthroughtheentirestoryandhowespeciallycredittoyourfatherforhavingtheawarenessuhearlyontotrydifferentthings,andIlovehowyoutalkabouttheexperimenting,andwe'lltalkalotaboutthecustomercaresideandandthecaremovementthatyouthatyou'reworkingon.
Idohavetoaskhowthebrandcametoplay,right?
Becauseyouseethatlogoeverywherenow,andevenIthinkI'veseencelebritiesthatIIguaranteedon'thuntarewearingthehat,andlikeit'sjusteverywherenow.
Yeah,talktalktomeaboutthebrandalittlebittoo,becausethere'ssomuchthere.
Yeah,soI'mgladyoubroughtthatup.
Thisisanotherthingthatmydadsawreallygood.
Hehereallyhadsome,Imean,stilldoes,butgreatinstinctsandwouldleanintothose.
Sosohere'sonthebrandpiece.
Sointhe80sand90sandevenearly2000s,binocularsandspottingscopesandopticsingeneralwerereallyumbrandedandmarketedasatool.
Okay,andtheyareatool,right?
Butverymechanical.
So,forinstance,brandswouldbesellingabinocularbasedoffoftheprismcoatingsandthelenscoatings.
Andsotheywouldbelike,it'saroofprismbinocular,it'sgotsilver-coatedlenses,they'reBAK4insteadofBK7,andyou'vegotuh,youknow,you'vegotumuhohgosh,what'syouknow,so,anyways,yougettheidea.
Yeah,very,verytechnical.
Now,here'sthethingmostpeoplethatarebuyingthesebinocularsforhuntingforhuntingandburning,you'regonnahavepeopleontheontheendsofthatbellcurvethataregeekingoutonthatstuff.
Mostpeoplearekindoflike,Idon'tknowwhatyoujustsaid,youknow,likeIdon'tknowwhatthatmeant.
Whatdidyoucallme?
Youknow,likeuh,youknow,andsobutandheandmydadwouldoftensay,youknow,especiallyAmericans,he'slike,Americans,uh,theywanttobelongtosomething.
Absolutely,it'sanidentitytowhotheyare.
Sotheywantsomebodytoputallthattechinthere,buttheydon'tnecessarilywantsomebodytogivethemlikeasciencequiz,youknow.
Sotheywanttosay,like,hey,thesetheseopticshavegreatedge-to-edgeclarity,greatunderlowlight,youknow,butthathe'slike,theywanttohaveagoodname.
So,sopreviousitwasveryJapaneseandGermandriven.
SonamesofproductswereBN,BD,FL,EL,okay.
Andsohe'slike,Thatthere'snoidentityhere.
Hegoes,whenyoulookatAmericancars,they'recalledlikearanger,okay?
They'recalledaMustang,they'recalledaViper,they'recalled,right?
Andhe'slike,he'slike,soyougottahave,he'slike,yougottahaveacoolname,yougottahaveanamethatkindofgivessomebodyanidentity.
Soeverythingwaskindofputuhpushedout,includingtheirinteractionswithus,asyou'repartofsomething.
SoweendupcallingitVortexNation.
Soyou'repartofVortexNation.
Soitwaslessaboutjustselling,itwaslessaboutthissterile.
I'msellingyouatool.
Weweresellingyouatool,andweweresellingagoodone.
Andwehadallthoseprismsandwehadallthoselenses,wehadallthattoo.
Butwhatwewerereallycommunicatingwaswewerecommunicatingonyourlevelwhatyouwantedto,andhewasveryadamantaboutthat.
So,fromthelookofthelogotothenameoftheproduct,tothenameofallofourproducts,likeDiamondback,Crossfire,Viper,Razor,hedidn'twantBN,BD.
Hedidn'twantthenameofthecompanytobehislastname,whichalotofpeoplesuggest.
He'dbelike,No,Idon'twantthat.
Soitwasjustreallykindofamindset.
Everythingwasamindset,whichwasgreatbecausethen,youknow,forlikeme,soI'dbelike,wegottocallthisthingVortexNation.
I'mabigsportsguy.
SoIwasthinkingPackerNation,BadgerNation.
I'mlike,wegottocallthisthingVortexNation.
Andthenitwouldalso,butthatwasanencompassedwhen,soalotofbrands,especiallyconsumerbrands,theywanttomakeareallygoodwidget.
Theywanttomarkettheirwidgetandtheywanttosellyouyourwidgetandtheydon'twanttodealwithyouafterthat.
Right?
Theydon'twanttodealwithyou.
Right.
They'relike,that'snotwhatIgotintothisbusinessfor.
IgotintomakesomethingreallygoodandI'llsellittoyou.
ButlikeI'mgoingtoburyourphonenumberonthewebsite.
I'mgoingtoburybadrightnowonthewebsitebecauseIdon'twanttohavetohearfromyou.
Iputalltheworkintheproduct.
Weweregoingtoputalotofworkintheproduct,butwewerelike,ifyouwalkedintoourheadquarters,we'relike,wewantyouhere.
Yeah.
Soeverythingwasabouttearingdownthewallsbetweenbetweenumthebrandandthepeoplethatbuythebrand.
Andfromsoeverythingmarketing-wisewasarounditwassomethingthattheycouldbelieveinandbelongto.
Isomuchtounpackthere,too,becauseIitjustamazinguhthedifferentlookthatyou'vehadatthisbusinessoverthecourseoftheyears.
Whilethere'salotofcredittogotoyourfather,IwillsayIrememberwhenwhenwehadmetandgonethroughthatclass,Idon'tthinkyoursalesteamwasverybigyet,right?
Ithinkitwasyouandmaybeanotherpersonorafewotherpeople.
Afewotherpeople.
Yeah.
Ijustrememberyoutalkingaboutlikewhenyou'dmakeasale,therewassomethingwhereyouthrewitinagarbage,threwapieceofpaperinthegarbagecanorlikerangabellorsomething.
II'llneverforgetthatstory.
Yes.
Butit'sbeenfuntowatchthatpartofitbecauseIthinkwhatyouthentookwithyouknowyourfather'svisionandandkindofhoweverything'scometogetherthere,itfeelslikeyoubroughtadifferentelementtoitfromthere,right?
Whereitwasmaybesomeofthatsalesmanshipandsomeofthatabilitytouhtoconnectwithalotofpeople.
Right.
Didyoufeellikekindofyourpersonalityalmostcomplementedyourdad'sinintermsoflikehowyouworktogether?
Idid,andhesaidthis,andIandIIbelieveit'strue.
Somydad,likehehadphenomenalinstincts,hereallyunderstoodprinciplesandhowtoapplythem.
Andifyouwerekindofwithinhisorbitphysically,soobviouslyIgrewupinthehouse,sodomybrothers,aroundthedinnertable.
I'mintheofficewiththemalot,I'dbeontripswithhimalot.
SoIwouldcatchalotofreallygoodleadershiplessons,bothbyhimleadingbyexampleaswellashimjustspontaneouslytalkingaboutwhatweweredoing.
Okay.
Whatmydaddidn'tdosomuch.
Imean,he'skindoffromtheJohnWaynestoicera,isitwouldbelike,oh,that'sawesome,dad.
Let'shaveameetingandyoutelleverybodythatit'dbelike,nah,I'mnotgonnadothat.
Youknow,like,youknow,like,youknow,andsowhatIwasdoing,likeyoutalkedaboutalotofpersonaldevelopment.
Ireallycaughtontothislawofmultiplication.
Andinorderforourcompanytomultiply,allofthatethosandthoseinstinctsandthoseprinciplesneededtogetdeployedintothepeople.
Right.
Somyjobwastokindofbethiscommunicatorofthatvision,ofthemission,oftheprinciples,ofthestories.
Thatwasalotofwhatmyrolewas.
Um,andstillis,quitehonestly.
Imean,he'sbeenretiredforanumberofyears,butreallystilltakingwhatwedidandandofcoursebuildingitintowhoyouhire,right?
Sothatwasanotherthingthatlikehehadituphere.
Hewouldhewassaying,I'mgonnaover-indexonpeople'sumkindofcoreDNAonwhotheyareandwhattheirvaluesare,andisitalignedwithours?
Hewasn'treallycommunicatingthat.
Soitwaslike,oh,okay,whatIneedtodoisIneedtocommunicatethisinawaywhereeverybodyunderstands,hey,it'sgreattheyhaveexperience,it'sgreattheyhavetheskillset,butdotheyactuallyhaveahearttoserveotherpeople?
Dotheylikethat?
Becauseiftheyhavetheskills,theyhavetheexperience,buttheydon'thavethehearttoserveotherpeople,it'sjustnotgonnaworkhere.
Right.
Itmaynotnotworkrightaway,buteventuallywe'regonnacometo,youknow,wherewe'regonnalikecollidewithoneanotherbecausewedon'thavethesamesharedvalues.
So,again,thatwasalotofmyrolewastokindofbethismegaphoneandalsoIwouldsayclarifyitumsothatuhtherewasclarityfortheorganizationanditcouldkindofhavethismultiplyingeffectasopposedtojustmaybehavingthis,youknow,onepersonwhereallofthatkindofknowledgebasewasjustatthatonepoint.
Wehadtokindofgetitouttothewholeorganization,especiallyaswe'regrowingandaddingpeople.
Howdidyougetgoodatthatpart,right?
Whereyou'reyou'relookingatmission,vision,values,you'relookingathowwehirepeopleandhowweexpectourpeopletoact.
Howdidyougettothepointtowhereyouwereabletotakemaybesomeofthosevaluesthatyourfather,yourparentsbroughtyouupwithandandreallyinstillthatinyourteam?
Becauseit'sreallyeasytotalkabout.
Likewewetalkaboutthisallthetimewithcommunication,thatcommunicationistheeasiestthingintheworldtosay,butit'sthehardestthingtodo.
Andoftentimes,especiallyinourindustry,werunacrossthatwhereemployeesareconstantlytalkingaboutIdon'tfeelvalued,Idon'tfeelIfeellikeI'mjustanumber.
Youknow,allofthesekindofcommentsthatwehearoverandoverandoveragain,whatmadeyoueffectiveinthatinthatkindofspot?
Ithinktherewasacouplethings.
IdothinkIhavesomenaturalskillsetforthat.
Iagree.
IthinkIprobablygotthat.
IImean,Igotalotofgoodthingsfrommyfather,butIthinkIgotmaybethatfrommymother.
Um,anduh,butIalsothinkitwasoutofnecessity,um,inthat,youknow,similartoyou,justhavingthisdesireandthispassiontotoforpersonaldevelopment.
Andsoyou'rereadingconstantlyonthingsandorganizationsandstuff.
AndsoIwouldcomeacrossalotaroundthat,right?
ThisI,youknow,thisideaoflike,oh,theimportanceofcommunication,theimportanceofthislawofmultiplication,theimportanceofsharedvalues.
Andsoitwassortoflike,oh,that'saningredientrightnowthatIwouldn'tsaywascompletelymissing,butitwaslike,Ican,Ihaveaskillsetforthat,Ihaveaninterestinthat,andwehaveaneedforit.
SoIthinkitwaslikeacombinationofthat.
Andandandthen,ofcourse,too,likewithfamilybusinesses.
Umyouknowthis,itit'sthey'reveryinterestingandfascinatinginthat,okay,youhavetobegoodatsomethingifyou'repartofthefamilyandinthebusiness,oryoushouldbe.
Yeah.
Butyoukindofhavetohaveyourownlanerelativetoyourotherfamilymembers.
Andthatdoesn'tmeanthatImeanIlovemyfamilymembers,anduh,andandtheytheyhavedonesomuchforVortex.
AndI'vebeenblessedinthesensethatthey'rethey'reallbrilliant.
Um,nobodyislikethered-headedstepchild,right?
Thatthatitcausesalltheseproblems,theirspousedoesn'tcomeinandcauseproblems.
Idon'thaveanyofthat.
Butthatsaid,youyoureallyhavetocarveoutyourownlaneandidentity.
Andifyou'reinthesamelane,itcanbeproblematic.
Andsothatwasanother,again,Ithinkapiecetherewaslike,okay,youknow,forsomanyyears,mydadwasleadingthecompany,right?
Andsoit'slike,Joe,you'renot,youknow,like,andthat'sokay,like,butbutbutIneededto,Ineededtohavealanetodeployallthatenergyandallthatuhstuffofmygiftingandstrengths.
Andsoitjustitworked,thatpartworkedoutreally,reallywell.
Andthen,ofcourse,again,asalwaysisthecase,youknow,andI'mnotperfect,buthehewasagreatexample,andthatwasthethingalso,regardlessofwhatI'msayingthat'scomingoutofmymouth,Ialsohadtobeagoodexampleofthat.
Otherwise,thatdoesn'tmeananything.
AndsoIthinkthatgoesforanybody,right?
Youyouknow,you'retheexamplethatyousetisisisisspeakingfarlouderthananywords.
Um,butagain,butbutwordsareneeded,youknow.
Uhyeah.
Well,andIthinkyouhitonsuchagoodpointthere.
Andevenoutsideofafamilybusiness,thisissomethingIthinkIlearnedearlyoninmyprofessionalcareerthatIdidn'titdidn'tclickwithmewhenIwasyounger,whichisthateverybodyhasadifferentskillset.
Everybody'sjustbecauseyou'restrongatsomethingmightnotuhdoesn'tmeanI'mstrongatthatsamething,right?
Andittookmesolonginmyearlyprofessionalcareertocometotermswiththefactthat,hey,I'mnotgoodatthisonething,andI'mokay.
NowI'mlikenowI'mopenaboutallofthat.
Butatthetime,itwasalwaysastruggleformetounderstandwhatmylanewas,right?
AndwhatIwasreallygoodat.
AndIIthinksomelevelofuhit'ssomelevelofmaturityovertimewhereyoukindoffallintothatlaneandyouunderstand,hey,uhnotonlyamIbetteratthis,IkindoflikethissidebetterbecauseI'mbetteratit,right?
Itjusttakessometimeandsomematurity.
Itreallydoes.
Ithink,yeah,wheneverybody'sintheearlystageoftheircareer,umthere'ssomecanbesomeinsecuritythere,right?
Forsure.
Youwanttobevalidated,youwantpeopletosaygreatthingsaboutyou,youwanttobeknownastheexpertofthis.
AndsotheironyIfindalotoftimesiswhenyou'reinthat,umtheabilitytobenotonlyhumblebutvulnerableandandandsay,I'mnotasgoodatthis,ormaybeI'llgivethisupisreallyhardbecauseyou'reyou'reyou'rewantingsomuchtheaffirmationofeverything.
Butumironically,umitreallyshowsgreatleadership,itshowsgreatwisdom,um,andit'sandit'squiteattractive,notliketheromanticsense,buttoyourteamtoseealeaderumtodothat.
IIbutIwouldalsosay,um,andIthinkyouhitonit,it'sastrengthplussomethingthatbringsenergytoyou,right?
AndsoIwouldIwouldsaythere'ssometimesyoumighthaveastrength,itbringsenergytoyou,andyou'rejustreallyearly.
Andsoyoudon'tnecessarilyhavetogivethatup,butyoucanbehonestaboutthat.
Say,hey,IthinkI'vegotsomeaptitudeforthis.
Um,itbringsmealotofenergy,butI'm22rightnow,andIknowI'mnotgonnabeworld-classatit.
So,sosoyouknow,I'mIIliketonotcompletelygivethatup.
Iliketostretchthoseskillsandgrow.
Um,butatthesametime,yeah,I'mnotI'mnotaturnkeythingrightnow,youknow.
Andso,butIthinkyouhitonit,you'llgetgoodifyou'vegotanaptitude,butitbringsenergytoyou.
Uh,andifyoudon'thavethatsecondcomponent,uhyoucanbegoodatit,butIdoubtyou'regonnaendupbeinggreatbecauseyou'llgetburntout.
Everyshop,dealership,andbusinessinourindustrydependsongreattechnicians.
Betweenthetechnicianshortage,disconnectedschoolrelationships,andlackoftrustworthyworkforcedata,itmakesitdifficultforshopstoplan,hire,andgrow.
That'swhereASCConnectscomesin.
CreatedinpartnershipwithRenchway,ASCConnectsisamembershipdesignedspecificallyforshopslikeyourstohelpyoubuildastrongertechnicianpipelinebyconnectingwithschools,empoweringyouwithtoolsanddatatoimproveyourrecruiting,retention,andperformance.
WithASCConnects,youcanconnectwithlocalschoolsthroughschoolassist,startbuildingrelationships,andsupporttheprogramsthateducateourfuturetechnicians.
Youcanalsoaccessverifieddataontechnicianpay,benefits,andlaborratesthroughtheindustrydataexchangesoyouknowhowyourshopcompareslocallyandnationally.
Lastly,youcangetprovenstrategiesforleadership,employeedevelopment,andshopmanagementthroughmembers-onlyguides,templates,andevents.
JoinASCConnectstostrengthenyourworkforceandbuildastronger,smartershop.
Learnmoreatwrenchway.com
slashsolutionsslashshops,orfollowthelinkintheshownotes.
Speakingofthingsthatpeoplearegreatat,youaregreatat,andwhenIsaygreat,likeaeliteleveloftrulycaringaboutpeople.
AndIthinkinuhoneofourconversationspriortothisrecording,youhadmentionedsomethingaboutthefearofAIandkindofhowyouknowtheperceptionisAIistakingsomuch,andthetimingwasfunnybecausethismorningbeforewehitrecordonthis,I'dreadanarticleonhowthere'sstartingtobeabalancenowbecauseAIisgettingreallyexpensive,andaccesstoAIisgettingveryexpensive.
Sonowthere'sactuallyaconversationthat'salmosttiltingbacktowardokay,maybeitislessexpensivetohavepeople.
Butininourconversation,itwasn'tevenabouttheexpenseside,itwastrulyabouthowourworldhaskindofturnedintothisautomatedkindofmachine,andthewaythatyoulookattheworldissodifferentthanalotofbusinessleaders.
AndthisissomethingthathasreallystuckouttomeasIfollowedyourcontentthroughouttheyears,isthatyou'vestucktosomesomecorefundamentalthingsofhowyoutreatpeopleinawaythatIthinkisdifferentthanmost,right?
Andnotjustinyourworld,butinmostworldsontheonthebusinessside.
SoIIwanttotalkaboutthiscaremovementbecauseitissomethingthatreallyhithomewithme.
AndI'veI'vebeenahugefanoffollowingeverythingthatyou'reputtingoutbecausetome,itjustitissopowerfulandit'ssorefreshinganddifferentthanwhatyou'rehearinginalotofmedia.
Uhsotalktomeaboutthisalittlebit.
Whatwhatdroveit?
Whatwhatisit,andandhowdoyouseethishelpingeverybody?
Yeah,socareisanacronym,likeyoumentionedearlierintheintro,createarareexperience.
AnditwassomethingthatanacronymthatIthinkI'dheardinlikethemidtolate2000s.
Idon'tevenknowwhereIhearditfrom,butIlovedit.
AndIwouldthetheyouknow,kindofcubeandpotIwassittingin.
Imean,Seamusisstillwithus,he'sbeenwithusfor28years,goingon,youknow,plus,andandsowewouldtalkalotabout,we'dhear,youknow,hearitfrommydad,we'dknow,weknewkindofliketheethosofwhatwhomademadeusus.
AndthisCAREacronymcreatorexperiencewasjustlikewe'dsayitandeverybodyknewwhatwe'retalkingabout.
Itwaslikewhenyouknowsomebodysowell,youcanspeakshorthand,andsoyouhaveyourownlanguage.
Andsoum,whenweendedupcomingtoformalizeourvision,mission,andcorevalues,thevisionforusisthebetterworldthatwewanttocreate,whichisyouknow,bethecatalystthatimprovestheworldthroughservice.
Sowewanttobeacatalystthroughservice.
Serviceisasuperpower.
Sowewantaworldwherebusinessesaremakingservicetheirsuperpower.
They'remakinggreattoolsjustlikeweare,butthey'rereallyleaningintoserviceasasuperpower,servingotherpeople.
Serviceisnotsubservient,it'sasuperpower.
Themissionishowwedothat.
Well,wedothatbycreatingarareexperience,andarareexperienceisthisunique,memorable,personalizedexperience.
Sogood.
Somebodyfeelsseen,valued,important,liketheymatterbecausetheydomatter.
Sowhenwecametoourmission,itwasactuallytheteam,theleadershipteamwaslike,it'scare.
That'swhatitis.
It'screatinganexperience,whichwasreallycoolbecauseIwantedittobethat,butIdidn'tsaythat.
Butsotheykindofcameback.
Buthere'swhatwasgoing,whatwasbeenhappeninginlikeyouknow,2018,2020,youknow,goingonisIgetalotofpeoplesaying,like,hey,Joe,like,what'sthesecretsaucebetweenbehindVortex?
Okay,canyoubeonapodcastorcanyoucomespeakorwhatever?
AndIlovedoingthose.
It'shardsometimestocarveoutthetime,butIlovedoingthose.
But,anyways,inthecourseoflikegettingasked,youknow,aboutthevortexstory,Ikeptthinking,ohthankiftobethecatalystthatimprovestheworldthroughserviceisourvision,andcreatorexperienceisourmission.
Well,really,whatweneedtodoisweneedtoactuallysharetheseprinciples,whichwedon'town.
Weputournameonthem,wewecomeupwithouruniquename,weshareourstories,butprinciplesarewovenintothefabric.
Compoundinterest,Ididn'tcomeupwiththat.
Goddid.
Okay.
Ourgoalishumanbeingsandbusinessestouncoverprinciplesandalignourselvestothem.
Butitwastosharethattosotobeacatalystsothatotherbusinessesdoit.
Andotherbusinessesdoitfirstandforemosttoserveotherpeople.
Butasabyproduct,itwillhelptheirbusinessandtheirbottomline.
Sowe'renotanti-bottomline.
I'mnotevenanti-AIorefficiency,butitisnotthemainthing.
Themainthingisservingotherpeople,they'rethecenter,andefficiencyandautomationandallthatcomesafter,whichallows,ifwecankeepourmindsetonthat,thatallowsustodeploythosethingsinanappropriateway.
SoI'lljustgiveyousomeexamplesoflikethesearejustverysimplisticexamples,buttheymightbebestusedbecauseitwillhelppeopleextrapolateintheirsituation.
Solet'ssayit'sChristmasandyou'regettingreadytosendoutbusinessChristmascardstopeople.
Okay.
Okay.
Soyou'vegotalottosend,you'vegotalotofcustomers,yougotalotofuhvendors.
Let'ssayyou'vegot300Christmascardstosend,andyou'relike,that'sgonnatakealotoftime.
Um,IknowI'llwriteamessageandthenI'llgetitprintedonaChristmascardalongwithmyname.
Andthenwe'lljustgetthemin.
Andandandactually,Icanprobablygettheplacewegetthemprintedto.
Theycanstampthemandshipthemthere.
Dunzo.
NowIcangetbacktotherealwork,right?
Well,okay,andexcusemealittlebit,andandIitmighthaveoffendedsomepeople,butjustdon'tsendanyChristmascards.
Right.
Justsavethemoney,savethepostage.
II'mgonnagiveyouasecret.
Nobodycareswhenit'saprintedChristmascard.
Totallyagree.
Totallyagree.
It'sit'svanilla,it'suhitit'snotarareexperience.
Nothing'shardatall.
Yeah,right.
Now,here'sthethingyoumightberight,youmaynotbeabletodo300.
SomaybetheChristmascardsisn'tyourcarecreatearareexperience.
ButI'llsaythisifyouwanttosendChristmascards,sendasmanyasyoucanactuallywritearealnote,ahandwrittennote.
Andoh,bytheway,letmegiveyouanothertipbecauseeverytimeIsaythis,somepeoplesay,butmyhandwriting'snotverygood.
AndI'mgonnatellyoualittlesecret,andthat'sthisnobodycares.
Theydon't,nobodycaresaboutyourhandwriting.
Whattheycareaboutisthatyoutookthetimetoputpentopaper,soyou'dbebetterservedsending25Christmascardstopeoplethatyoucanauthenticallywritesomethinguniqueinthatcard.
Ormaybeyouwanttosendall300,butyou'rejustgonnahavetocarvesometimeontheontheweekendandtheevening.
Butyou'regonnadoitwhy?
Becauseservingotherpeople,makingthemseen,valued,andimportant,andthattheymatter,becausetheydomatter,that'sacoreprincipleforyou.
Soyoucandothisinalotofdifferentsituations,andthenyoucanalsoevaluateefficienciesoverisitreallyanefficiency?
Becausereallyeffectivenesstrumpsefficiencyeverysingletime.
100%theworstthingyoucandoisbeefficientatsomethingthatdoesn'tmatter.
Andsooftenyoucanuhyoucanefficientyourwayoutofcreatingarareexperience.
Soyouhavetorealizewhatisactuallyarareexperience.
AndwhatIwouldsayisyouhavetofindmoments.
Now,sometimesthemomentcomeswheresomebodyjustcallsyou,theywalkthroughyourfrontdoor,theyemailyou,youdidn'tseeitcoming.
Youhavetohaveyourradarup.
Butyoucanbeproactiveandsay,hey,atthesedifferenttouchpoints,we'rereallygonnaleanintomakingsurethispersonfeelsseen.
We'rereallygonnamakesurethatweleanin,makesurethispersonumfeelsliketheymatterbecausetheyactuallydo.
Wemaybecan'tdoitateverymoment.
Andsothat'swherewherewhenyoudothat,okay,andhere'shere'swhatIwouldsay.
AndyStanleyuhhasthisphrasethathesays,doforonewhatyouwishyoucoulddoforeveryone.
Sohere'stheotherthing.
Alotoftimespeoplewillsay,ifIdothatonethingforthatperson,Ihavetodoitforeverybody.
Andtherealityisyoudon't.
Youdon't.
That'swhatwecalltheboogeyman.
Andtheboogeymandoesn'tactuallyexist.
Okay.
AndAndsoum,soandI'llgiveyouifyouhavetime,I'llgiveyouastoryabouttheplease.
Ilovethese,thesearephenomenal.
Yes.
Sosoyearsago,youknow,whenmydadattheWildBirdsLimitedstore,earlyintheWildBirdsLimiteddays,customercomesin,businessman.
Thisishowlongagoitwasinthe80s.
Sohe'scomingininafullsuitbecauseeverybody'swearingfullsuitsbackthen.
Andhe'sgotthisbirdfeeder.
We'lljustpretendthisisabirdfeeder.
He'sgotthisbirdfeederinhishand.
Thisthingismangled,right?
It'smangled.
Hecomesin.
Mydad'sintheback,hisemployeesareoutfront,andhe'slike,Hey,thismangledbirdfeeder,it'sapieceofjunk.
Iwantmymoneyback,orIwantanewfeeder.
Andthepeoplebehindthecounter,they'relike,Wedon'tevensellthatfeeder.
We'veneversoldthatfeeder.
Sothey'regoingbackandforthandthey'rekindofhagglingwiththisguy.
Andhe'slike,Well,mywifeboughtit.
There'snootherWildBirdsLimitedstoreinMadison.
Whereelsedoyouthinkshegotitfrom?
Right.
Sofinally,thisguygetssoworkedup,theyheadinthebackbecausehe'slike,Ineedtotalktotheowner,themanager.
Theygobackandtheyseemydadandtheyaskforhimtocomeout.
Andthisguygivesmydadthethirddegree,youknow,ontheonthisdeal,andhesays,I'msosorrythathappened.
Goesover,grabsabrandnewfeeder,handsittohim.
He'slike,I'mreallysorrythathappened.
Haven'tyouknow,pleasehaveaniceday.
Now,here'sthething.
Letmeaskyousomething.
Afterallthat,doyouthinkthatguywashappywhenhewalkedout?
Iwouldhope.
No,hewasstillupset.
Andthereasonhe'supsetisbecausehehadtohaggleforit.
Now,here'swhatIthinkhappened.
Thisiswhatmydadthinkshappened.
Iwasnotinthestorewhenthishappened.
Ibelievehim.
Thisgentleman'swifedidbuyafeeder.
ShemighthaveboughtitfromMoundsPetFood.
Shemighthave,Idon'tthink,Idon'tthinktheinternetexistedbackthere.
Shemighthaveboughtit,youknow,fromMinard's.
Idon'tknow.
Butshedidn'tbuyitthere.
Butthenhe'sonhiswayhomeandsheaskedhim,like,honey,onyourwayhome,canyoureturnthis?
Helooksup,onlyseesonebirdstore.
Andso,yes,he'sinthewrong,buthiswifeisafrequentshopper.
Okay.
Somebody'safrequentshopper.
Buthecomesinandcouldhe'vehandleditbetter.
Yes,hecouldhavehandleditbetter.
Butthethingis,ismydadrealizeswell,firstofall,there'scustomerswatchingthisandthey'rekindofbackingaway,like,uhIthink.
Secondofall,thisguy'shadtohagglesohard,he'snevercomingback.
He'stellinghiswifeIhadtohagglewiththesepeople,she'snevercomingback.
Whatherealizesisacouplethings.
One,herealizeshe'sgottocommunicatetohisemployeesabouthiswishes.
Buttwo,herealizesifIgavethatbirdfeedertohimrightaway,hewouldhavebeenhappy.
Yeah.
Andthestoryhegavehiswifewouldhavebeen,you'llneverbelievethoseguys.
Iwalkedinwithinthreeminutes,Igotanewbirdfeeder,andandandyouknow,they'rethebest.
Andsoallofasudden,repeatbusinessgetsbetter.
Thecustomersinthestorethatarewatchingus,like,whatagreatplace.
Theymightevenuptheirwhatthey'regonnapurchasethatday.
Buttheotherthingis,iswhattheemployeeswereworriedabout,andwhathehadtoteachthemistheywereworriedaboutthattherewasgonnabealineallacrossMadisonofpeoplewithmangledbirdfeeder.
Right?
Andifwedidthatforhim,we'regonnahavetodoitforeveryone,andprettysoonwe'llbeoutofbusiness.
Wegotwegot50,000birdfeedersthatwegottoreplace,right?
Well,you'relaughingwithgoodreasonbecausethat'snotgonnahappen.
Butintheinthemoment,you'reyouthinkthatway,right?
Inthemomentit'sthatway.
Soifyoucandecideaheadoftime,andbytheway,Ilikeistherealevelacustomercangotowheretheytheydeservetobefiredasacustomer?
Yes,thereis,okay.
Sobyallmeans,thereis.
Ifthey'retreatingyouremployeesbad,Imean,we'vefiredsomecustomers,notmany,butwehave.
Butthepointis,what'sreallygettinginthewaymoreoftenthannotisthisboogeymanmentality.
Andthat'swherepeopleheadstraighttoefficiency.
Andthatruinscreatingarareexperience.
Itruinsit.
You'llneverleanintosomethingthat'saone-offthingbecauseyou'resoworriedaboutgettingextrapolatingitoutandscalingitout.
Andsowhathappensisnobodyreallygetsarareexperience.
Andifnobodygetsarareexperience,guesswhat?
Yourbusinessiskindofvanilla.
BecauseIhatetosayit,it'svery,veryrarethatyoucancomeupwithatool,awidget,aproductthatistrulyuniqueandoneofakind.
Iknowweallthinkweare,Iknowit,butbutIcangoinanyindustryandthere'sgonnabesomebodyelsewhocandoit.
Andiftheycan't,they'regonnagetwithinspittingdistanceofyouprettyquick.
So,what'sthedifference?
Ishoweasyisittodobusinesswithyou?
DoIfeelseenwhenIcallin?
WhenIcallyouandmyroofjustgotmangledbecauseofthehailstorm,what'sthatlike?
What'sthatexperiencelikeforme?
DoIcallthem?
DoIgetarealperson?
IfIleaveamessage,howquicklydoIgetareturnphonecall?
Issomebodyjustjustthefacts,ma'am,justthefacts?
Youknow,Ijustneedyourinformation,youknow,orissomebodyempatheticonthephonewhensomebody'stellingyouabouttheirsituation?
Imean,wecouldgoonandonandon.
Yeah.
SowhentheWhiteHotCenterisservingotherpeople,whathappensisyoufeelbetter,theyfeelbetter,youactuallydomaketheworldbetter,onepersonatatime,oneinteractionatatime.
Andasabyproduct,you'regonnagetrepeatbusiness,you'regoingtogetreferrals,andI'lltellyou,in2026,you'regonnagetthemexponentially.
Andthereasonwhy,becauseeverybodyissowoundaroundtheaxleofAI,automation,andefficiency.
Sowe'reinin1950,whatI'mtalkingaboutmayhavebeenprettycommon.
Okay.
Thepharmacistknowseverybodyinyourfamilyandeverybodyinthetown,andthis,andthey'reaskingyou,youknow,right,rightin2026,it'snotthecase.
Right.
So,interestinglyenough,whathashappenedisyoucanactuallystandoutbydoingthesethingsthattaketimeandintentionality.
Theydon'tusuallytakealotofmoney,buttheyactuallymakeyoustandout.
I'mtellingyourightnow,I'mnotagainstAI.
There'ssituationswhereweuseAI,andIthinkwe'llcontinuetouseAI,justlikewhentheinternetcamearound.
ButifweuseAItoinsteadhandlephoneconversationswhencustomerscallin,they'regonnafeelthat.
Oh,yeah,they'regonnafeelthat.
Andovertime,that'sgonnaerodealotofthegoodwill,andit'sgonnaerodethemfeelinglikethey'repartofsomething.
Andso,so,andhere'stheotherthing.
I'vegotabunchofpeoplethatareonphonesandemails.
Thosepeoplematter.
Butifwhatallthatmattersisefficiencyandautomation,thenI'mgonnagetsoldonsomeguythatsays,youknowwhat,you'vegot45peopleonphonesandemails.
Icangetthatdownto15.
Whatareyoupayingthose?
Uh,youknow,whatareyoupayingthose27people?
Whatabouttheinsuranceforthose27people?
Whataboutallthebenefits?
Youknow,boy,you'dbesavingalot,youknow.
Andwhataboutalltheuhalltheresidualcosts,youknow,ofvariousthingsthatyouneedtohaveforthose27people?
Butyousee,forme,those27peoplematter.
Iwantthemhere.
SoImightfigureoutwaystodeployAI,butnotattheexpenseofthose27people.
Andbytheway,notattheexpenseofthe27peoplethathitthousandsandtensofthousandsofpeopleviathephoneandviatheemails.
Sothat'skindofthisidea,thiscaremovementistakingamissionofcare,turningitintoamovementtotrytoachieveourvision.
Sowe'reallaboutpeoplehavingagreatbottomlineasabusiness,gettingmoresales,gettingthispassionate,obsessedcustomerbase.
Weare,butthatcomesasabyproductofcompoundingthosecaremomentsdayinanddayout,andtrustingthatcompoundinterestiseventuallygoingtokickin.
Andguesswhat?
Itisprobablythemostrarethingin2026.
Whatisnotrarein2026isAI.
It'severywhere.
Andtherearepeoplemostlikelywhohavemuchdeeperpocketsthanyouthatareinthatarena.
SocanyoureallybeatOpenAI?
CanyoureallybeatClaude?
No,butItellyouwhereyoucanbeatthem.
Youcanbeatthemwhenyougetaphonecall,whenyouseeaperson,whenyougotoaperson'shouse,ifyou'redoingaservicecall,etc.
etc.
Youcanmakethosemomentsmatterandstandout,butyoudohavetotrulycareaboutotherpeopletodoit.
Otherwise,itwon'twork.
Ohthere'sjustsomuchgoodadvice.
Anditit'suhwhatIappreciateaboutyouthemostisIdon'tthinkinallofthegrowthofVortexandallofyourpersonalgrowth,IIfeellikeyou'rethesamepersonthatyouwereuhyouknowadozenyearsagoorso,right?
Likeyouhavemoregrayhair,butsame,same.
ButIII'llI'llneverforgetyoustandingupinfrontofthegroupthatuhourlittlegroupthatwehadandtalkingaboutyourwarrantystory.
Ofcourse,uhyourwarrantystoryisisinfamous,andit'sonethatitjuststuckwithmefromthetheearlystagesoflikelisteningtoyoutalkabout,youknow,dowealmostlikethebirdfeederthingwithyourdad,right?
Whereyou'reyou'reuhthesamethingwhereareyougonnaarguewithyourcustomersoverwarrantyorareyoujustgoingtotakecareofthem?
AndIititwasoneofthosethingsthatbackthenstuckwithmealloftheseyearsnowofjustalmostlogicallylookingatitandsaying,okay,whywhywhydowewedon'twanteverybodytobemiserable?
Likewewantpeopletoenjoyworkandbeingabletotakecareofpeople.
AndIalmostfeelatsomelevelwherewhereoneofyourtruegiftslieisthatyou'vegivenyourteampermissiontobeabletodosomeofthisstuff,right?
Whereaswhenyougotoalotofcompaniesandyousee,youknow,it'sverystructuredandandpeopleareafraidtomakeabreathbecausethey'rethey'regoingtogetintrouble,uh,you'vegoneadifferentdirectionthanmost.
AndIthinkthat'sthebeautyineverythingthatyou'vebuilt,isthatitisinareallycoolway.
Ithinkthere'sareasonwhy,youknow,IknowalotofpeoplethatworkforVortexandthey'reallverypassionateaboutthebrand.
Youtalkaboutthepeoplethatyouhaveinsidethosewalls.
Uhit'sjustuhsomuchcredittoyouandyourfamilyforwhatyou'vebuiltandbeingabletosticktoprincipleslikethisbecauseitissodifferentthansomanyothersoutthere.
SoIjustIcan'tgiveyouenoughcreditforeverythingthatyou'vebuilt.
It'sbeenfuntofollowovertheyears,andandit'suhit'sprettyspecial,man.
Well,thanks.
Iappreciateit.
IhadsomegoodteachersuhandandIgetsomegoodexamples,andobviouslywedo,wehavegreatpeople.
Oneofthethingsthatwetrytodo,whichagain,youjusttooffermaybeanothertip,isIwouldhighlyrecommendpeoplegetpeoplewhoalreadysharetheirvalues,whoalreadyhavesharedbeliefs,andthenandthenyoucangetyoucangivethemtheNorthStar,butyeah,youcanempowerthemandletthem,andI'mgladyoupointedthatout,istoletthembeempoweredandtobecreativeandtoleanintocreatingtheserareexperiences,butkindofintheirway.
Anditanditisthebestideas,theycomefromourpeople.
Um,theydon'tcomefromme.
It'sourpeoplewho,youknow,kindofseeseetheseopportunitieswiththesecustomersandtheyleanintothemandtheyelevatethesemoments.
Andagain,itmakesyourlifeuhmakeswhenyougohome,youfeelhappierabouttheworkthatyoudid.
Youfeelgoodabouttheworkthatyoudid.
Andthenum,ofcourse,again,asabyproduct,it'swonderfulthatitleadstorepeatbusiness,um,youknow,uhloyalcustomersinwordofmouthandandgrowthovertime,whichallowsyouthenwiththatgrowthandthatkindofsurplusandthatabundancethatyoucreate,yougettofunnelthatrightbackintoyourpeople,rightbackintoalltheproductsandthingsthatyoudotoserveotherpeople.
Soit'skindoflikeabigcircle.
Um,butthat,youknow,itdoesitdoeswork.
Um,youknow,we'vewetrytobehumbleaboutoursuccess,butatthesametime,wewantpeopletoknowthatuhweareanexample.
Soitdoeswork.
It'snotjustlipservice,it'snotjustfeelgoodstuff,itdoesactuallyworkasitpertainstorunningasuccessfulbusiness.
Oh,well,I'veI'vegotthecouldn'tagreemore.
Youguysareashiningexampleofwhattodo.
Uhtoendtheshow,wehavethreejustquickhittingquestionsforyou,uh,kindoffun.
Butuh,whatwasyourfirstcar?
Oh,whatwasmyfirstcar?
Ohgosh.
Uhreallyhityouout.
SoIthinkitwasatrailercamry1919uh92Camrythatallthreeoftheolderbrothersshared.
Yeah,yep.
Soitgotalittlebeatingbeforeitgottoyou.
Uhuh.
Oh,totally.
Yeah,totally.
Always.
Always.
Uhareyouamorningpersonoranightowl?
Oh,I'mamorningperson.
IIcouldhaveansweredthatbeforeIevenaskedit.
IfI'mupbyifI'mupat9p.m.,
uh,youknow,it'sit'samiracle.
Youcanaskmywife.
Uhlastquestion.
Favoritefoodgroup,orletmerephrasethat.
Favoritetypeoffood.
Favoritetypeoffood.
Ohmygosh.
Uhwell,itImeanmistake.
I'mabigsteakguy.
Icouldeatsteakmorning,noon,andnight.
Anduh,soIloveagoodsteak.
Ohman.
Well,IIcan'tthankyouenoughfortakingthetime.
You'reyou'reaverybusyperson,andIreallyappreciateyouuhuhcarvingoutalittlebitoftimeinyourscheduletojoinusforthis.
AndIjustuhIlookforwardtoseeingthefutureofVortex.
Everythingthatyou'vedone,I'vebeenjustahugefanof.
IknowalotofthepeoplelisteningwilluhalsobefansofVortexiftheyhadn'tbeenalready.
I'mguessingmostofthemhavebeen.
Souhjustreallyappreciateeverything.
Bestofluckinthefutureanduhandhopetotalktoyousometimesoon.
Well,thanksforhavingme.
Thiswasafunconversation.
ThatwrapsupanotherepisodeofBeyondtheWrench.
Ifyoulikethisepisode,pleaseshowyoursupportbyratingandfollowingthepodcast.
YoucanalsowatchthevideointerviewsonWrenchway'sYouTubechannel.
SpeakingofWrenchway,didyouknowBeyondtheWrenchismanagedandproducedbytheWrenchwayteam?
Wrenchwayisanonlinecommunitydedicatedtopromotingandimprovingautomotiveanddieselcareers.
Wehelptechniciansfindthebestjobstoworkat,andwealsohelpauto,diesel,andCTEinstructorsgetmoresupportfromlocalindustry.
Youcanlearnmorebyvisitingwrenchway.com.
About this episode
“Care,” short for “create a rare experience,” frames the episode’s core idea: human-centered service that compounds into long-term trust. Joe Hamilton from Vortex Optics shares how their optics business evolved—from retail experiments and dealer headaches to brand-building, licensing, and community. The conversation then zooms out to leadership and hiring: value alignment, communication, and serving people first. Real customer-service stories illustrate how rare care beats efficiency-only thinking, even as AI becomes common.
Original notes
Joe Hamilton, President & CEO of Vortex Optics, helped build one of the outdoor industry's most recognized and fiercely loyal brands by treating service as a competitive weapon, not an afterthought. In this episode, Joe unpacks the CARE Movement (Create A Rare Experience), why hiring people who already share your values is the foundation of delivering it, and why being genuinely human is the rarest advantage a business can have in 2026.
About the Episode
- Host: Jay Goninen, WrenchWay, [email protected]
- Guest: Joe Hamilton, Vortex Optics, [email protected]
Links & Resources
- Get notified of new episodes --> Join our email list
Join the ASE Connects Community
ASE Connects brings shops, dealerships, and schools together in one structured network to strengthen the technician pipeline. By making it easier to connect, collaborate, and support students through job shadows, internships, and classroom engagement, ASE Connects helps schools build stronger programs and helps shops develop a more consistent, local source of future technicians. Learn more:
Connect with us on social:
Beyond the Wrench
Jay Goninen
0:00
58:56