The Next Level Formula with Frankie Ammons

Hey, everybody, it's Jim Johnson here, the head coach at Contractor Coach Pro and your host for Contractor Radio. And we have an amazing story for you guys today. This guy reached out to me whenever he saw Contractor Radio out there as a podcast, and he was asking, hey, how do I get on? How do I get to share my story with people? And I'll be honest, kind of have my doubts. I get that kind of stuff all the time. People saying, hey, how can I get on your show? And how can I share my thing with everybody? A lot of times those things just aren't as impactful as we would like them to be. No offense. Everybody has a good story, but Frankie's really stuck out. And so today we've got Frankie Ammons. He is. Got a few different things going on for him. He's got his own Solar Company called 320 Solar. He is a partner in a solar business in Kansas City called Casey Energy and Solar, and he also coaches solar contractors throughout the country with his solar success company. And so we're going to be talking with him today a little bit about solar, a little bit about life, a little bit about personal and organizational success. So, Frankie, welcome aboard today, man. Glad to have you.

I appreciate it, Jim. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to share some things and share my story. My motive is really just to help people understand that if I can be successful, I don't know who can't. So that's really the whole idea here.

That's interesting. That's kind of my mantra in life. Like, if I can do it, I feel like just about anybody can with the obstacles and hurdles that have had to overcome. So give us a little, like just the Reader's Digest, you know, maybe a little background. And up to this story. Like, you didn't start in the solar thing until 2016, so can you bring us up to speed there and then just tell us how it's gone afterwards? Just real Reader's Digest.

Well, I call it waking up to the sun. And yes, the punt is intended, but literally that's what happened. 1. One morning I wanted to sleep in, as most of us do and would prefer, but for some reason, I couldn't help myself but to wake up, because the heat of the sun was so crazy, it allowed me no other option but to wake up. And when I woke up, I was once again faced with the reminder that my life was a mess. And I'm literally sleeping in my car. And that's why the son woke me up, because there was no. Obviously I would not have no ac, and I'm in Florida, of course. And, you know, I would go to sleep trying to ignore my reality. And obviously, I did a good enough job to fall asleep eventually. And so, you know, thank God I had an opportunity to have some peace, at least when I slept. But when I had to wake up every morning, it was going through the depression phase of realizing my reality was I had burned bridges, I had made mistakes, and I hadn't taken full advantage of the opportunities I was given. And thus the reason why I was literally at a rest area on the side of the interstate, waking up once again in my car to the heat of the sun that obviously didn't want me to sleep in because it had other plans of itself. Little did I know, about two or three months later, I would be introduced to the idea and the opportunity to sell solar and introduce to the opportunity which I've now been blessed to do. And I took that upon myself to learn to figure out everything that I could and figure out exactly what it took to actually make this an opportunity that has forever changed my life. And so that's why I call it waking up the sun, because literally, the sun woke me up every morning, didn't allow me to sleep in, but yet it was the sun who has helped me actually become successful using solar. So that's my story. It's real. I didn't make it up. The rest area was my place in my apartment for seven months, and literally, I would put shirts and towels over my windows to try to block out the street lights, and that's how I fell asleep every night. But yet when I woke up every morning, it was a big, hard crash of a reminder that my life was a mess and I needed to do something about it. So someone introduced me to this opportunity of solar, and it has forever changed my life. And that's why I wanted to come on podcasts like this, so I can share that and let you know that if you do take full advantage of opportunities which are very plentiful out there, and then not only take advantage of it for yourself, but also for others, you will see success in ways that you probably can't dream of. And that's. That's where I sit today.

Yeah. So, you know, that's actually one of the reasons, like, as we talked before, I brought you on our purpose, or my purpose, at least, and why I exist, is to show 10 million kids that believe they can't, why they believe they can, and change that mindset that there isn't opportunity out there for Me just because I don't have the money to go to college or I don't have the grand raised to go to college where I don't fit somebody else's box or paradigm of what is successful and what isn't. There's so much opportunity. I mean, opportunity has never been better than it is at this point in time with all the different things that you can do. So I always ask this question first, so we'll get that one out of the way and then we'll get deeper into your story. But to this point in your life, what's your greatest achievement? And it cannot be. No family. Okay, no, I got to be clarified. No getting married, kids or any family stuff. Just otherwise.

Right. I think my greatest achievement is being able to duplicate some of the formula and ingredients and others. I just sat across the desk here in this office that I'm in, and I met a gentleman for the first time last night. Briefly got him some information that I thought would help him. And he did what most people do. He googled me. And when he googled me, he came across something I've taught before. I've called it, I call it the ten Sins of Success. It was on another podcast as well, EO on Fire. And the 10 Sins of Success is really just the 10 things that I think if you commit these or committing these, it probably blocks your blessing or your success. And the reason I know those is because I did those. All of them. It seemed like I was in a race to try to make sure I checked all the boxes. And I absolutely did that for a long time. And it was, it was super, super awesome to hear someone who just met me last night come across a YouTube. And by the way, if you guys want to Google it, you can just put 10 sins of success in Google. And you should be able to see the video where I talk about the ten sins. And it really just goes down the list. And he was just saying, hey, how his mindset was that he was committing most of the sins. And so the problem is, is that you have to have certain things in place. And so that's, that's one of the greatest successes is being able to duplicate what it is that was able to do, not necessarily in the same circumstances or the same scenarios or even in the same people, but with the same type of ingredient. And that is overcoming thinking the right way, surrounding yourself with right people, etc. And so I really, I really enjoy seeing that happen over and over again.

That's super cool. And they may not have to go to a YouTube channel to hear it, because I'm going to probably want to get into that at some point, because we actually talked the first time around with this next level formula. That's what we were talking about. Now, are those two things related, the next level formula and the 10 sins of success, or are those kind of two separate things?

Well, they're two separate things. The 10 sins are kind of the 10 things not to do, or if you're doing, you need to change and cut out. And the next level formula is really the formula or ingredients it takes to level, you know, get your life, business, whatever you're. You're in right now to the next level. So really, there's what I believe, things you could do, evaluate, restructure, take inventory, change, and you will see your. Your life and your business or whatever you're involved in go to the next level. Depending on really tweaking these, these, these. I think there's six. Six different steps or formulas that you can really look at. So it's. It's different, although they have some similarities and some concepts together, but definitely different.

So it sounds like kind of one we got to identify first. These 10 sins of success, like, okay, those are those things, and those are bad. Let's not do those now. Let's take this next level formula and grow from there. Does that sound about right?

I mean, yeah, you could. You could definitely say that. I mean, I. Obviously, the latest and greatest for me is the next level formula. It's something that I'm really passionate about right now because it's really some things that I've seen fruitful in my own life, and I'm even helping others really do in theirs. So definitely, if those guys want to look at the 10 sends of things that maybe they're accomplishing or not doing, that's. That's something they should look.

Oh, you're on mute, Frankie.

I would say for sure.

Sorry, I'm on my phone, somebody.

No problem. You went on mute there for a second.

For sure. The 10 sends is where you want to be.

The next level formula.

I'm sorry.

Okay, so let's say the ten sins. If we need time, we'll get to it, but we'll let people go to YouTube for that. Let's talk about this next level formula. So this concept is something that you've generated. Is it about personal success? Organizational success is something where they're combined. What's the story behind the next level?

Well, again, you know, some people feel stuck or they feel like they're In a situation where they don't know how to take the next leap, the next step, they don't know how to grow or scale. It really is a model where any scenario, if you look at these areas and make the changes necessary, you should be able to see yourself move and take those steps towards the next level. So it doesn't, it's not for one particular thing, it's for putting in place the things that I believe will help you get to that next set. So if your goal is to lose weight, if your goal is to increase your business, if your goal is to surround yourself with more like minded people, if your goal is to have a certain type of relationship, if your goal is to own certain property or whatever your goal is, if you're not having, if you don't have that goal. Now really evaluating these areas, the formula will help you get there and it certainly will put you in a place.

Where it'll be very achievable.

So let's talk formula, how does it work?

So there's some areas that you got to take inventory in and out of and then you need to make the necessary adjustments. And the areas that I talk about are, the first one is purpose. Okay, it said that any man with no purpose is a dangerous man. And really it's, it's about having no real ultimate goal, no real compass. I was that guy, I mean, I was the guy that had no real purpose. Didn't really know why I wanted to do things and didn't know, you know, how it made overall sense. And so I, you know, just like anyone with no purpose, you get tossed to and fro as the wind blows and things change dramatically and all the time because you don't really know what route you really want to take and.

Ultimately where you want to go.

So I think anyone that wants to see their life go to the next level, you got to get the purpose down. Now do you know all your purpose all at once?

Probably not.

But spend some time evaluating what your ultimate purpose is. What you, what you really want to be, what legacy you want to leave. And you know, I think it happens when you have solitude. I think it happens when you get on the mountaintop. I think it happens when you can hear nothing but hear you and hear the thing that really helps you. I mean, you probably might need to write some things down, the things you're passionate about, the things you want to work towards. But I think that's some of the things you have to do to start really finding your purpose. What are you here for? Ultimately, you're not just here to be a human being and take up space. You're here to do something that has a impact and leaves an impression. You need to find out what that is. So that's the first one. The second one.

Well, thing there, Frank. We actually help people kind of figure that out in our own coaching because that's a big part. What our purpose and our passion is to achieve amazing things is usually very difficult. So maybe a helpful hint, maybe on the people you're talking with. One of the things we'll do is we'll have them write down core words. These words are phrases that they think describe them. Whether you're honest or you're serving or you're innovative or whatever, it may be fun, adventurous. Get those core words down so you can start to see what it is that drives you. Once you figure out what drives you, you can then start to find out that person, what you may be able to serve to others. That's just one of the things we do. We do several little pieces there, but that's a quick and easy one to kind of figure out your purpose. So what's next? What's after purpose?

And by the way, this works really.

Hand in hand with your business.

Your business has to have a purpose, and it's just not profit, by the way, just so you guys know, profit is what allows you to have a purpose and continue a purpose. But purpose has to be something much bigger. It's about impact, and it's about things that you can. You can do that if you weren't there, are still there and still carry on. So this works hand in hand with that. The next thing is priorities. Most people that are trying to accomplish something at the next level have to align their priorities. I mean, you're talking about a calendar. Most people, you know that, well, you got to make your calendar a priority.

No, you need to.

You need to make your priorities your calendar. Right? You need to make sure that you're doing the things that are most important, not just randomly, but towards the next level you want to take. So if you're trying to up your income, if you're trying to expand your business, if you're trying to have a better relationship, your priorities have to match that and not just match where you're at, but where you want to go. And a lot of people don't spend the time, energy, or resources in the priorities of where they want to go, and then they wonder why they're not getting there. So my point is, is that priorities have to be in place and they have to be sorted out where you can distinctly know these are the focuses I got to take. One of the things that speaking of 10 cents of success is really abusing time. You know, people don't realize how much time is an asset.

Well, your priorities speak to that, right?

If I think time is important, then I'm going to have a priority to be on time, and I'm going to have a priority to not waste other people's time. I'm going to have a priority to make sure that my inner exchange and my days are full of actions that I need to take to make sure I maximize my days and opportunities. I used to not do that. My priorities were out of whack. That's why I was sleeping in the car. It wasn't because I was just broke. I was broke because I didn't have.

Priorities that were right.

So priorities is the next thing. So I'm going to go to the third thing and, and the third thing is this. Primary thoughts. Now, this one is deep and it's, you know, psychological, and we ain't got all day for all this. But what I'm going to share with you is, you know, your circumstances create.

The thoughts you have, and the thoughts you have create the feelings you have.

And the feelings you create create the actions you have, and the actions obviously create the results you have. It's really that simple. I know I sound very simple. I say it very simply, but it.

Really comes down to those areas.

So if that's the case, okay, if that's the case, that your current circumstances create the thoughts, and the thoughts create.

Your feelings, and the feelings create your.

Actions, your actions create your results. What do we need to change Your primary thoughts? Because that's where everything. That's where the work needs to be done. You need to really evaluate your primary thoughts, the dominant thoughts you're having, and I guarantee you we can match it.

Up to the results you got, right?

So if you think you're the best, you're probably going to do some things that help you actually be the best. If you believe. And belief is not just thinking, but it's actually doing. As I just pointed out, if you believe that you're going to make it to the next level, you're going to probably figure out how to make it.

To the next level.

But it has to be a primary thought and it has to be something you put time in and discipline. Most people that are not seeing success at the next level or going to the next level is because probably their primary Thoughts are not aligned to the next level, so they have to adjust that. So primary thoughts moving on to the next one is is really partnerships, okay? Partnerships is. Is real simple, all right? It's your relationships. It could be who you have you're in partnership with at your business, who's.

Who you living with at home, who.

You hang out with. And when you're not at home, whoever is influencing you, that's your partnerships. It doesn't mean you sign the contract. That's a partner. It's anyone that takes up your time gets to influence you. That's what I call and consider partnerships. If your partnerships are not aligned with where you want to go, you're probably not going to get there. Matter of fact, I like to say this. If you want to know your future, just introduce your friends. That's going to tell you who you.

Are and what you're about, right?

If you hang out with a bunch of knuckleheads, you're probably going to be more likely a knucklehead or at least do knucklehead type things. But if you want to become successful, at least in the area you want.

To be successful, go find those people.

We lost you on your. We lost your area.

Go try to find a way to have a relationship with them and let them be influenced you and watch your life go to the next level. Because now they're going to influence you to. To raise your game and to get you to a certain level.

Right.

Does that make sense? Can we keep going?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I was going to say on that relationship, there was a. Can you hear me fine, Frankie, Go ahead. I can hear you fine. Can you hear me okay?

All right.

We can edit that part out. No big deal. On that relationship side of things, there was a question. I learned a really good book out there that you. I don't know if you've read it before. It's by John C. Maxwell, I believe is who wrote it. Good leaders ask great questions. And the question that just really stuck out to me was, who do you know that I should know? And that'll be a question I ask you today before we get done. But maybe this will be something that as people are listening, nobody ever introduces you to the worst person. They know that's not their goal. They always want to. They want to introduce you to the next level up. Right? There's your next level.

Right.

So that's how they will do it, is they'll go, okay, I got to introduce him to somebody else. I want to introduce him to my best Friend. I want to introduce him to the most important person to me. I want to introduce him to somebody that will separate me from the herd that, that was impactful to this person. So I think that's a great question if you ask it for the right reasons. Alright, so we got purpose, priorities, primary thoughts, partnerships. Where else do we got to go with next level formula?

Well, the next level, the next part is actually platform. Okay. And platform is the same as vehicle. Whatever, you know, whatever you do, whatever platform you're in or on, obviously that's going to contribute to whether you can get to the next level. Now some platforms are great and they're very honorable, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be able to go to the next level in that certain platform. You have to do some real soul search and then real, really evaluate whether realistically it's going to take you there. I believe that if you wanted to become the number one most international hugger of the world, hey, that's great. And I'm sure there's a way to do that. But the platform and in your way to do that may have to be evaluated in a way that aligns with that. Right. So it's still going to take money to be the number one most, you know, hugger of the world. I gotta fly places and hug a lot of people. The jets don't. The jets gotta cost money. The food, the housing, the hotels. I mean, even though hugging is free in itself and it's really great to get hugged even by strangers, there's been science, science psychologists say that's a good energy exchange. I love that idea. But if I wanted to do that globally or nationally, internationally, scale that, that type of opportunity, I still have to have the right vehicle or platform to do that. So that means I'm going to not have to just master being the number one hugger. I also have to master being the number one person raising the money to, in order to accomplish that. So those things are very, you got to be realistic about that. A lot of people want to be this and that and they want to go to the next level, but they don't have the right platform or they haven't put together the right platform in order to accomplish that. So platform is very, it's very, very important for you guys to evaluate that to make sure you're in the right platform. I'm in a platform that really gets me to where I want to go. Right. I'm a. Maybe I, maybe you call it lucky. Maybe what, whatever you want to call it. But this platform I'm in, in the solar industry, it's a great platform, it's got a great opportunity, many opportunities everywhere. It's changed my life forever. I have found, I have figured out the platform that gets me to where I want to go. And so that's one thing I want to encourage you guys to do, is find your platform. And the last thing, but I think it's probably one of the most important things. They're all important, but is plan of action, okay? And don't just plan to plan, plan to act, okay? Make a plan that actually you can act on. And a lot of people overwhelm themselves and have too much of a plan too soon in the plan. So plan to make moves even by little, by inches each day. And when you do that, make sure it's digestible to your, your, your, your surroundings and your being and who you are. If you say I want to lose £100 and you want to lose £100 in six months, I'm sure that's possible. But for some people, maybe most people I don't really know, maybe that's really hard to do, right? So maybe you, maybe you make that plan of action to lose £100 more like, hey, I'm going to lose, try to lose five pounds a month until I hit that goal, right? I'm not an expert in the health world, so I'm speaking out of turn anyways. Me and the gym don't get a long. I don't know who that guy is, but he keeps showing up and trying to tell me to come to the gym for $10 a month. And I don't know why, but I keep hearing that. But my point is, is that that's his platform. Yeah, his platform, that's right. That's how he makes money to me, I don't know. But plan of action is not just writing something in a, in a journal or a planner, but it's actually making it actionable. That's the difference here. Plan of action. What can I do to actually make a move towards achieving the goal? Whether it's today and tomorrow, what can I do to move the meter forward, right? A lot of people, again, they do too much of that, if they do it at all. And then it's too much. Like they say, anything over two focuses a day becomes cloudy for the typical person, right? So two major focuses, maybe three at the most, and attack those with everything you got and see yourself begin to start moving towards the next level. So if we go back and review. We would go with purpose. We would go with priorities. We would go with primary thoughts. We would go with our partnerships, our platform, and our plan of action. If you evaluate all six of those and really make it your focus to make sure they align with where you want to go and how that might help you get there, I promise you that formula that I just talked about will begin to seem more realistic and become it will come.