Why 90% of Business Owners Can't Keep Good Employees (Fix This NOW)

I did want to kind of talk to you guys about, you know, culture and what we have here with the Elliott Group, because a lot of people come here and you come into this building and a lot of people are like, I don't know why, but I just feel good being here. And this is not something that you can duplicate. And I think it's like, you know, when you walk in, I always make this example, like you can walk into a house and it can be the shittiest little house with like gray wallpaper and you just walk in and you just feel warm and fuzzy and it's just nice. Smells nice. You're just kind of like, I just want to be here. I just feel good, right? And then you can walk into this beautiful mansion that has all the most beautiful, most expensive stuff, and you, you know, you get fed all this food and you're just kind of like, I don't know what it is. Like, everything looks perfect, but it just doesn't feel right. Okay. No. So I see what we have right here. This is something that we can't fake. We've built this company, we've built this culture. And the thing is, what we really are is a bunch of misfits all in one building. It really is true. I mean, Andy and I are the least qualified to make it Honestly, we come from bad backgrounds. Like we just, we don't even deserve to be here. Like we're just here. We're the underdogs. Okay. So we're attracted, all the people, and you talk to our coaches, they're all great people, but they all come from some type of broken story. And we resonate with them so well because we feel like they're us and we have that same heart and that same mentality. But a lot of people are looking for qualified people to come work for them. Okay. We hire people that are products of our training, that are coachable, that are willing to win, that are willing to give up anything to be with us. And it works both ways. And we love them like crazy. People say, don't mix business with family. We have created our family and our business as one. It's the craziest thing. And that's why you feel that warm and fuzzy thing. But a lot of people are looking for qualified people. Those people are always looking for a paycheck. Those people are always looking and they're always going to— someone's always going to offer them more money. They're always going to go. Our people don't work for money. Yes, they make a lot of money now, but they didn't come here for money. Not one of them asked what they were going to get paid when they started working with us. And they're here. And that's why you feel that warm and fuzzy feeling when you walk here. Okay. Now, another thing, strong, strong culture. What does your brand look like? Talk about a little bit about brands. You know, we are Elliott. We're an army. Okay. But what do you think about when you think of Elliott? What do people think about when they think of your brand? Okay. I mentioned earlier, you can walk anywhere before we were Elliott. You can walk into the store and people are like, man, I know you guys. I've seen you somewhere. But when we moved to this little town in Fountain Hills, we'd walk into Safeway. They didn't have Elliott shirts back then. And they're like, hey, this is one of the Elliott guys. I know because he's smiling and he's so nice. What does your brand look like? What is it that your people are like? You come to Andy, you come to me, you come to anyone in our team, and you probably feel that same warm and fuzzy feeling that you feel when you come to us. And it's because we have a strong brand. We all think alike. We are— we attract like-minded people that are off for the same thing. You don't, you don't see one that doesn't quite fit in. We're all the same. And sometimes we try to change who we are as business owners to try to adapt to other people, when really you should be attracting who you are. So Andy and I We're a strong couple. We believe in marriage. We believe in honoring each other. So what happens is we attract— first it was these single guys that came in and then they saw me and ended like, hey, you know what? We want a relationship. We want a family. We see how you honor each other. Now they all have serious relationships. They're all married. They all have kids. They all live the same life because your people should be like you. And that's the best compliment you can get when you have your team and they're all trying to do and try to build a life like you, that means you're doing something right. If you talk to my son and he is respectful, then it shows a good reflection on me, just like it would with any of the people that work for The Elliott Group. What does your brand look like when people talk to your employees, when people talk to your children, people talk to anybody that is around you? That's a reflection of who you are. You should be proud of that. That's why you should pour into all of it. Define your core values is next. What do your core values look like? Make it really clear. We have them on all the walls every single day, and we look at them and we live that way. And guess what? Even the wives, we share those core values with the wives, and guess what they do? They put them in their walls in their home, because if we expect them to pick up the trash here, they better freaking pick it up at home as well, because that's a part of their identity and who they are. And it's not just when people are watching, it's when they're home and everything. It's a, it's a whole way of life. It's a lifestyle, what we have. So it's, it's very, very strong loyalty and trust. Our team trusts me and Andy, and we trust them. It's so important to be around people that trust you and you can trust them. It's such a sense of like just freedom to just be yourself and not walk on eggshells. We had the golden handcuffs as employees. We also had it as employers in the very beginning when we basically You know, we're, we're scared to be ourselves and all of this. Now we have, we trust each other. I trust my children with anybody in our team, even more than my family. And it's the craziest thing because that's who we are. And we just, it's a two-way street. We take care of each other. So that's what we, but vulnerability, a lot of time people, business owners, they're afraid to say they don't know. They're afraid to show their emotions. They're afraid to cry in front of people, dude. Andy and I have cried in front of every single person in our team., and we tell them we don't know, and we tell them that we fuck up all the time. And that's just it. We don't try to show them that we know more than them ever. We learn from them every single day. And there's so many people that just want to say, hey, I'm the boss, I know what's right, you need to trust me. And you haven't earned the trust of your people. You're going to have to earn the trust. You're going to have to show that vulnerability. Also show your leadership and be like, hey, you know what, I care about you and I'm an example. And always continue to grow and push yourself to that level But it's okay to show that side of you and they'll work harder for you. I remember there was a time when Andy was showing this really hard, really tough David Goggins, like, um, take over the world, you know, type of thing. And he was almost unapproachable and our business was doing okay. But when we came in as a family and showed people how strong we were and how much the team followed him and everybody, and everybody saw that he was also a good-hearted, vulnerable guy. That's when we really, really took off. It's crazy. Sometimes some people, you have to open up your heart and show and wear your heart on your sleeve. Don't be afraid. We've gotten hurt before many times, and it happens, and I know it's going to keep it and continue to happen, but that's not going to change me. That's not going to change him. We've gone through so much already. We've given our heart to the wrong people. Yes, who cares? We're freaking alive. God gave you a heart for a reason. Don't be afraid to use it.