A Secret from His Great Grandfather; When You Are Attacked It Just Means You Are Expanding

Welcome to this episode of the Million Dollar Mastermind. I'm Larry Weddell. And before we get started, if you want to know exactly how to win again and again, go to Wydell on winning.com webinar now to watch something I've.

Put together for you.

Now let's get going into this episode.

Of Million Dollar Mastermind. I'm really happy right now because I'm with my good buddy from Verona, Matteo Perrin. Hello, Mateo.

Hello, Larry.

Yep, it's time for us to get a podcast recorded. And, you know, last time we got up to where you had expanded pretty rapidly, up to three stores up there outside of Verona on the lake. And so, you know, we want to talk about some of the things you go, the issues that come up in expansion and adjustments you make going forward. But off camera, you and I were where I was telling you some of the things I've been going through recently. You've been telling, you know, you told me something that some good advice you got from your grandfather. Because as you go through life, you're not going to make everybody happy. The sooner you learn that not everybody's going to love you, right, the better, you know, doesn't matter what you do. You can send them roses, hundred dollar bills, somehow they just not going to like you and there's nothing you can do about it. But a lot of us get attacked. And you talked about in the last episode, when you do well, you get attacked by your competitors. You know, when I was in North Carolina, I started in Atlanta and I was a real nobody, you know, nobody knew me. I never did anything big consistently in Atlanta. But when I went up to North Carolina, we had our original surge in sales in the insurance business and the investment business. Like that. We set off a lot of shock waves in town. Pretty soon, rumors came back. I almost fell down laughing when I heard this. I said, well, this is a guy who did the same kind of criminal activity in Atlanta, in Georgia, and they took his license and ran him out of the state and he came up to North Carolina to start it all over again. I said, that's hysterical because nobody even knew who I was, you know, but it was just guys that were making stuff up because again, they couldn't compete. So they had, they couldn't admit defeat. So they had to like, oh, this is a bad guy. But you're always going to get attacked by somebody in life. First of all, they'll attack your idea or how dare you think that you could start a business or that you could do this. I Mean, you always have that. But then when you have success, you get attacked from. You can get attacked from anywhere and it doesn't matter. Sometimes you, you know, do you deserve it? You need to say, oh, my bad. I didn't realize it, but I was stepping on people's toes. I need to grow up, I need to mature. I need to learn how to say things more diplomatically. And I mean, we all go through that as part of the knocking the rough edges off and polishing us, but so you can move through life smoother. You know, it's not that you have to, but it just makes life, you know, you get, you deal with issues in a way where you're not creating more problems. But you, you were saying your grandfather had, had something, some advice he gave you about when you get attacked in business.

Yeah, I mean, I remember, you know, so he was again, 1899. Okay. He had a long way to go, went through two world wars here in Italy, in Europe and, you know, business and stuff. But one thing that he would always tell me, even when I was younger is don't take being attacked has something that will draw you down. Because when you, when you get attacked, you know, and you are a well intended person most of the time is because you're actually expanding. So, you know, let's put it this way, and this is some examples of things that I've learned from him and others. And also, I guess life myself from a lot of my clients. A lot of us, you know, we are, we have good intentions, we have the road that we want to pay for ourselves, but we have people around us who are negative. And this is probably the most key thing that I've learned from a lot of the people I've, you know, very successful people I deal with is the fact to not have negative people around you. I mean, honestly, there's. I could probably count all of my clients that are, you know, whether they're famous or not famous, but they're, they've made it in life is the people that are negative, keep them out of your life because it just pulls you down. So anyway, one thing that he was just, you know, a lesson I learned. If I get attacked and there is no reason for me getting attacked is probably, I actually smile at it and go, you know what? I'm expanding. Somewhere somebody is afraid of me or thinking that I'm an enemy or something. So, you know, they're looking at me, I'm shining. And there's negative people don't like to shine. They want everything to be Dark everybody to go.

Dark everybody to be dull.

Yes. So that was just, you know, and again, I've always felt so lucky that I was able to have my grand great grandfather around for so long, so.

Absolutely. And the thing is that it's logical, you know, you're taking a bigger piece of the market, but it even extends to this, and we've talked about it before with other, some of my other guests, is that when you do well, people feel like you're selling your soul for success. You know, like they just assume that you've got to be doing something wrong to be successful. They will not admit or will not accept. It's strange to us because most people go through their life and do not associate with greatness.

Right.

And the fact that you have the desire for greatness, and it could be greatness in business, greatness in sports, greatness in music, great in whatever you're doing. You want to have an outstanding team, have successes. You know, it's just like I was talking to our staff today, you know, and like I was telling you, the podcast, you know, the first, first year we've moved up in, you know, of all the thousands and thousands of podcasts on Entrepreneur, we moved to the like 212 in the first year out of nowhere. And my number and like 82 in Canada. It'd be interesting to find out how we are in Italy, but you need.

A translation probably for most Italian.

But I got fired up seeing how competitive my staff was about it, you know, like, okay, you know, it's like, you know, and so that's what, you know, that competition brings out the best. But when you do great things, when the competition causes you to think, think about doing this, think about doing that. Like, you went from not running a business at all to where within a couple of years you ran three stores with 22 employees. Something like that.

Yeah.

You know, what happens is a lot of those lessons you, you learn by necessity, you know, and like, when you get to that point, like every day a new situation comes up and you have to assess it right and wrong. You know, like Proverbs says in the Bible, the wise and the fool, like, you address a situation like, what's the wisest, you know, the smartest, the decision that's going to give us the best benefit long term, not just get through today, but sets us up for long term success. And you just go through and sort things out that way. And, you know, the situation will teach you, you'll teach yourself, you'll coach yourself, you know, and by looking at it and saying, what's the wise? Like your grandfather was giving you wisdom, you know, Exactly.

I mean, it's his experiences in life. And, you know, then. But, you know, I have to say, I think part of my success has always been that I've always been very curious. You know, I ask people, I'm very interested to figure out and to listen to what they have to say, but then at the end, it has to make sense for me. So, you know, but learning and listening to other people's experience and wisdom is very key, I feel. You know, as long as they, you know, again, if my great grandfather would have told me, don't do fashion, you know, it probably would have hurt. But just because it would have been my passion. But it doesn't mean that I have to listen to it. You have to gauge. You have to evaluate for yourself at the end of the day, right?

And you say, where is this advice coming from? Where, who, how did they. Why do they feel that way? Rather than just take it on face value, you know, like, a lawyer is always going to have a lawyer's viewpoint. An accountant is always going to give you an accountant's opinion. We can't afford to do it. Don't do that. You know, there's like, no, no, no, no, no. And, you know, they're not the entrepreneur. The entrepreneur has got to have the accountants, the legal people to stay out of trouble. But at some point, you know, you want the entrepreneur calling the shot, you know, and a big example of that, you know, and that's like your grandfather. You know, your grandfather was what I referred to as a serial winner because he won in spite of world wars. You know, we haven't had to face world wars, you know, you know, troops rolling out of the Alps, you know, soldiers coming into town. You know, we. We haven't had to live through that. Taking over probably his farm, his business, that. The other.

They actually, in my office, where I am right now, that's where the Nazis were staying.

Really?

Yeah. This was his restaurant back then, and they were living here. You know, they took over all his property and, you know, underneath the house, and they were. They were basically being fed at the restaurant and staying here.

Wow.

Yeah, it's. I mean, the stories he told me is crazy.

So the fact that he, you know, the principles he had, the advice that he was giving you, you look at his life, you see that he was operating off some pretty good foundational principles, because no matter what happened, he was able to bounce back and get back and keep moving forward. And so that's what we want to have. You know, we want to have wisdom to base our decisions on. And you got to understand, when you're attacked, it can be from your closest family and friends, because you get attacked for being successful. I mean, I've gone into rooms full of people in new businesses and say, tell me how your family and friends react to your success. And they all, 100% have stories of close family and friends saying, you got to slow down. You're not spending enough time with your kids. You're getting carried away. You need to back off. This is not healthy. You know, this. You know what I'm saying? And I guess you've heard some of those things yourself. But that's an attack. You gotta. That is basically verbal. They don't realize it, but that's like verbal bullying you. They are like subtle bullying you into backing off from what you know you got to do to get the things done, you know, need to be done. You want to do. You don't have to do it. You know you want to do it. And, you know, if you let them start making decisions that they're going to say, take back that suit, you know, take back that bag. Don't buy that car. You can. No, no, no, no, no, you don't need that. Drive your car for another 50,000 miles, then get a new car. And like, all of a sudden they're making decisions about your kids, about your diet, about. No, no, no, no. You got to live your life. And you'll make mistakes. But when you're successful, kind of expect attacks, because the attacks only come when you're expanding and taking new territory in your life and you got a final word to make on that, that. That idea.

Yeah. I mean, honestly, if you think about, you know, when you're winning and when you're making decisions that will put you in a winning situation or anyway move your business and your. Your vision forward, you're always going to find people who don't agree with you and who will. But the point is that I'm trying to make is also my personal lesson is try to build your foundation, your team, your inner circle with people that are positive, they believe in you, truly, not just by words. You know, they actually, like, they admire you, and you can admire them back and give them power, because. Power. If you get power from your people, you give them power, too. Yeah. So to me, that's always been, like, all my artisans that work for me. You know, it's taken me many years to find them, and it's you know, I treat them like royalty because without them, I would not be able to create my creations, actually make them in the physical universe. And it's just, you know, just have your circle of very key people that are well intended. And you know, they don't go work against you because there's enough things in this universe that work against you. You know, you want to run, your, your knees are not strong enough, the wind is against you. It's, it's cold outside. All these things, right?

Yeah. And that allows you to take attacks when you know, you got good people. You're like, over here we don't have any problems. You know, we're doing the right things because a well run business on solid principles will grow. And so we know we're on the right track. We've got a lot of excitement about what we're doing. And when the outside voice comes in to attack you, you can just say they just don't get it. But, you know, those are the same people that'll come in a year, two or three, and say, mateo, you know, I always knew you had it in you. I just, Right. I just knew you were going to, you know, do it big. I could just see it. And, you know, you just had that air about you. You know, the same people who criticize you, it would stop you from doing. It'll come in and they'll, they'll make it seem like they were your biggest boosters or all along.

But, you know, I think that's the key is turning those critic critics right to boost you. Yeah, it's like it's the fuel.

Yeah.

You know. You know, like, I go into that little town on the lake and I smile now. I mean, I used to smile before, but now I really smile because people, you know, like, no one would, would have expected or believed that a guy that has, you know, that has come from where I've come. And you know, again, I don't want to make it sound like I'm, I was poor, my family was not rich. My dad was an electrician, my mom was a stay at home mom. So, you know, we were not rich, but I did have food on the table and I had clothes. So, you know, but I'm just saying it's, you know, now I go into that town and from having three stores and I see the people still living there and working there, now I go, like, I walk in and I'm like, you know, I actually travel the world every year. I design for very famous or very exciting people, people that really I feel have made a difference in their field. And I love what I do. And it's, it's almost like, you know, none of these people could ever believe it, but it is and it's real and it can be done, you know.

Absolutely. What was your grandfather's name, by the way?

So my great grandfather was Alessandro Brintegani. And you know, I mean, it was, let's put it this way, I remember he started teaching me some stuff. I was seven years old and he would give me chores, you know.

Yeah.

And one of the things that he had started asking me to do, he was 91, he always liked to get shaved in the morning. So before I go to school, when he thought I was old enough to hold a straight razor, he'd asked me to shave him. And you know, when you're seven years old, at first you're like, come on. You know. But then it actually, I realized how important it was for him.

Yeah.

And again, and this goes back to my passion of dressing. And so here's the thing. I know a lot of people don't, may not care how they dressed, how they look, but I have something to tell you and this is something I learned from him. He was in a three piece suit, bow tie and tie and hat, top hat, a cane. Until 1990, until 98 when he passed. Okay. I never seen him dressed down at all. And he would tell me that in his era, you didn't just dress up for yourself, you dressed up for others because you respected the other people, you know, so you would go to meet your friends, you respected them, so you wanted them to look at you at your best. And they didn't have money, you know, and they didn't have 20 suits like some people have now or 30 or 50. They had maybe three suits, but they were good, you know, and anyway, he would. I'd never seen him dressed down at all. Even when he would come with us to take down peaches in the summer, you know, with my family, he would come there, take down his jacket, roll off, roll up his sleeves and have his vest and take off his tie. And I mean, it's just, it was a different era, let's put it that way. But I love the fact that they, they appreciated how they all looked. And so what I try to tell people now in my world is not like, you know, it's fine, I understand people. I'm. I'm wearing right now just a cashmere sweater. So, you know, I don't have a tie or shirt or jacket, but I Tell people, try to give yourself a look that would be appeasing to others and that shows them that you respect. You know, like, I don't go into a meeting mean flip flops and a pair of shorts because I think it's, it's just not nice for the other person. It's just I feel like I'm not respecting them. So I try to, you know, I try to fit what I'm doing. I also don't go, you know, surfing in a shirt, you know, tie and jacket and blah, blah, blah. But you have to fit the situation. That's kind of what I do with lifestyle. It's, you fit the persons, you fit their. Who they are and one, one ability. I feel that I have strong and is the fact that I, I can connect with people and that helps me really understand who they are as a person. And then where they have to go, then, you know, it's just added information. So if I know you have to go to the opera at the Scala in Milano, you know, of course you're going to have a dinner, you know, coat or, you know, a tuxedo or something, just because that's just proper. Right. And it doesn't matter whether you agree or not, it's just that's what you do.

And so we appreciate, appreciate all of this stuff. Great wisdom. You know, way in the back, there's always been serial winners. There's always been people that can take whatever life throws at them and deal with it and soon as they get a little breathing room, bounce back and regain where they were and keep moving forward. And your grandfather is a great example of that. Syria winning through world wars and things like that. Hopefully you and I will not have those problems, but.

Right, exactly.

I still will take Covid over the Nazis any day, you know.

Yes, yes, I agree.

Anyway, thanks so much. This has been great, Mateo. Look forward to next time.

All right.

If you enjoyed what you've heard and.

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