Episode #743 - Overcoming Adversity And Building A Thriving Company with Red Buisson

Welcome to this edition of the Million Dollar Mastermind podcast. This is where we pick the brains of high achievers from all walks of life and get their hard earned real world insights on winning. I'm your host, Larry Wydell. What would you say is the toughest? You know, as you were coming up, you know, surviving financially was amazingly tough, but what was the toughest for you and the biggest crisis, first, major, you know, gut wrenching crisis you can remember as you, you know, started, you know, had to come up the line where you had to just hold your faith and just, you know, stay on track.

Okay. The one, I guess that is the earliest that really hits me when you say that is. Rusty Crossland was our number one district manager in our base shop and Turley was our number one division. And Art comes down to our house one day and he's like, you know, we've got to promote Rusty and Turley. And, you know, we didn't have any guidelines for promotion to other RBPs while we were acting. Yeah. And to office managers, and we didn't, we didn't know what we were doing. And. And Art says, you know, we've got to do this, though. There's no, there'll be no compensation for you, but we've got to do this because if we don't, they're going to go get a GA contract with another company because they've proved that they're successful and, you know, in order to keep them, we've got to promote them to the same level that you are. And Bobby's like, yeah, this is great. This is going to be awesome. We're going to build this. And I'm sitting there going, oh, wait a minute, you're taking our two best guys? And through that, we didn't at that point, but later on we developed the replacement concept and the exchange concept we have in place today that make our company so successful. But at that time, we didn't have it. So we did a lot of things by trial and error.

You know, we were doing everything.

Yeah, yeah. It was just like, we tried this and if this works, we'll. We'll try something else. And if it doesn't work. And that's kind of how that all developed. But that was a scary time for me because, I mean, we're basically like starting over. You're taking our two best guys. But it worked. It worked out. Nobody's feeling sorry for us.

Yeah, yeah. Over the long haul, it worked out. What would you say you did at that time? You know, what did Bobby Do? What did you guys, you had to make up your mind to do something, to put it behind you and to move forward. That's the key to dealing with all these things. What did you do? Would you remember?

I, Bobby didn't, Bobby was never upset about it. He thought it was anything Art said. He thought it was great. You know, whenever we're doing it, this is fantastic. I was the negative Nancy. I'm like, wait a minute, I don't get this. Another thing he did in 1980, he came down to our house and these little sit downs always happened right about before Christmas. And he said, you know, he had just hired Bob Safford up in the northeast and Mike Sharp out in the, in the, in California and Doug Hartman and he's like, you know, I can't get around all these people. I can't get kneecap to kneecap. You know, I talked to him on the phone, but it's just too far and too much and we're, we're growing too fast. And so he, he said, I need you, Bobby, to come into the home office and help me and just travel around just like what I do and talk to people and build relationships with them and help. Let's build this company coast to coast. And he said, but the kicker is we don't have any, the company doesn't have any money to pay you to do this. And you're going to have to reassign everybody out of your base shop to your RV pigs. And you know, probably like, yeah, this is great. We're going to be the biggest company in the United States. We can go all over the United States. I mean, this is so excited. And I'm like, what the heck? You know, we're closing down our base shop and, and there's no compensation. You know, we're gonna, we're just gonna dribble away to nothing. And our businesses go under and, but it didn't. Our income never went down. You know, everything kept growing. And so again, you know, it's good not to listen to me because I get it wrong every time.

Well, how did it work out though? How did, I mean, you know, how did it work out? Because your training center, which is where you build your new, you know, your new blood, you didn't have to assign away. Everybody had just your training center and all. But how did it go? Did he just grow that much faster or something like that?

I mean, it, it probably would have grown a lot faster if we kept our, our base shop, but I mean, Bobby was in the home office from 1980 to 1991 when Art left and we had no base shop and things just kept, I mean it's our system, you know, our system is so incredible that it just kept building, it kept working and it's, you know, it's like those little diagrams that you always draw where three get three get three.

Yeah.

And our guys were still doing that. We weren't doing it, but they were still doing it. So it was a great deal. I mean, you know, we grew like crazy.

And what, as you move forward, what is the biggest exhilaration for you, you know, where you've got the feeling this thing is really going to take off? I mean it just, you know, there's this time in life, you know, you grow a little bit every year and you work hard and you grow a little bit. But then, you know, you're always looking like in sports you want to win the state championship, you want to be coach of the year, you want to have some of your players become all stars and get recognized. You know that, that type thing which is the kind of above and beyond recognition and a lot of times that does change your mentality and change things in your career. There are big career breakthroughs out there. And so what do you remember back as a huge career breakthrough?

I think one of the most rewarding and exciting times for us was when we promoted our first rvp. And then I mean that's like somebody that you bring into the business and they, they're like an infant. You know, they were in the same boat that we were in when we first started. And you, you identify with that, you remember that and then you see them grow and become more self confident, more successful. Being able to actually do this and then to see them become successful, it's like seeing your kids graduate from college or something with honors. You know, I mean, it's just, that's a super rewarding feeling for people. And now I guess we don't, we're not promoting RBPs anymore. But I guess it's, it's seeing these people become million dollar earners, seeing the phenols this week become $1 million earner. I mean, I remember the first time I ever met them. You know, it's just like they're different. They're different now. They're so much more self confident. They're successful, they've got a huge organization. It's just, I don't know, that's just, to me that's the, the greatest thing.

Yeah, there's a transformation that happens and it seems like it only happens from hard work and the repetitions and the, you know, but you can tell them. You know, I always used to tell people when I go into offices, I don't need to know who's been working. I can tell, right?

You know, saying numbers.

Because the people, the people who've been working are going to have some results, are going to be excited. They're going to have progressed from the last time. Know their manner, you know, their, the way they walk around, you know, they, you know, it's like activity doesn't produce excitement, but I mean, activity does produce excitement, you know, and if you are out working, it's going to show you're going to have results, you're going to have things happen. Not just the bad things, you're going to have good things happen. What are the things that you've seen that are patterns that you pick up from looking around the country and all these different people that, you know, from time to time you get to see them, you know, they come, you know, they, they'll bring teams out to meet you, and you'll see them at conventions and things like that, and you'll see them as they progress. What are some of the patterns and traits that stand out for people who become really super successful in their own business?

Well, I think the, the most apparent one is that they become more self confident, they're more sure of themselves. They, they have a, they have a plan, they have a path that they're going to go on in life. And lots of times when people come into our business, they don't have that. They're kind of like searching for something and they're not searching anymore. They found it and they've actually done well at it and they're, they're successful. I remember one time we were, again, we were with Sandy Weil, and Bobby was making a lot of money and he's talking to Sandy and he said, you know what I do with all this money to help with my tax situation? I mean, I'm just feeling like I'm paying everything in taxes that I make. And Sandy didn't hesitate. He said, start a family foundation. You can do so much good through it. And we did that. And I mean, our foundation has given away millions and millions and millions of dollars since then. And it's, it's so rewarding to see the, the things that you've been able to help with the foundations. That's a huge, a huge thing that, that is such a blessing for our company that, that we're able to do through the success of our company.

Tell me more about that. What about the foundation and the good you can do? The things. Because I imagine. I imagine you learned, you know, when he said that it was just an idea, but then when you get in, you start the fan. You, like, learn. Oh, this is what he was talking about.

Yeah. Well, you make. We make contribution to the foundation out of our income. Every year. The accountant figures out, you know, how much we can deduct from your taxes. And so we make the. The maximum amount into our foundation. And then the foundation makes contributions to different organizations. We have a board meeting and we sit down and talk about it, and. And everybody discusses and we look at what people have sent us that. That is requests for grants or contributions to their different organizations. And we decide where our money is going to do the most good for mankind. And we make decisions, and that's what. That's what we support.

Now, as you've been in the business over the years, you've had many, many different roles. Let's talk about some of how your roles have changed. What were the roles that you jumped in in the beginning when there was basically nobody else around and there was a lot of things needed to be done and nobody else to do it. And. And then what your role has become over the years?

Okay. When Bobby first got in the business, my role was mommy. I had two babies at home, so I was mommy for like a year and a half to two years. And then we decided that I would go back to teaching so that basically we could survive until Bobby became more successful. So I did that and I taught for a couple of years. And then Bobby was promoted to RVP to be the manager of the office. And we needed a. An office manager, an assistant, and we didn't feel like we could afford to hire somebody. So I was elected because I was free. So it was in the middle of the year, and I told. I was afraid of my principal. And so I told Bobby, I said, if you'll go talk to him and tell him that I'm leaving in the. At Christmas, then I'll do it, but otherwise I'm not going to do it. So Bobby went and talked to him. He wasn't scared of him. And I quit my job and went to work in the office, which was fabulous experience, you know, because you're there with the guys every day and they're coming in, they're either flying high because they've done something really well, or they're in the depths of depression because they've missed a sale or Whatever, you know, and it's, it's always exciting, it's always fun. There's tons of people coming in and out of the office all the time. I actually loved the six years that I worked in the office. But then we decided we wanted to have more kids, so we had more kids. And then I was back home being mommy again. And then I kind of reverted back to doing partner stuff and I haven't been in the office since then, but I still handle all our books and checks and stuff like that, so I'm still involved in all that.

What is it like having your kids in the business? And is that something you recommend for people that are entrepreneurs themselves?

Absolutely. We love having our kids in the business. I mean, people talk about, oh, how can you talk to your kids? You know, I mean, we just don't seem to have anything in common anymore. We have everything in common. All we talk about is the business. You know, we, we're. We always have something to, to that needs to be discussed between all of us. And it's. Is so rewarding. I remember Beau, our youngest son, and his wife, Mayor, they started dating when, when they were in high school. And one Saturday, Beau said to Mary, he says, why don't you come over this, this Saturday, come over to my parents house and we're going to, they are having some people over and we're going to play basketball and eat some fried chicken and maybe go swimming and stuff. Come over, it'll be fun. She's like, okay. And so she comes over, she pulls up in front of her house and she calls Bo on where they had car phones back then. I don't think we had cell phones yet. She calls Bo and she's like, bo, there are buses in front of your house. You know, what is going on here? That, that's how we built our business, having our people in our home. And then another funny thing that Mayor talks about is she, she said, your parents are always talking about the business, the business. And this was during the 90s when the Sopranos was big on what is this business? You know, what does your dad do? Anyway, it was, it was kind of funny back then, but now they're so involved in the business. Mayor is and Beau and, and really successful in their own right. And it's, it's just so much fun. I was talking about a while ago to see people become successful, but to see your kids do that, that's just, that's a whole nother level. It really is.

How have you been able to keep it clear with your kids that, you know, like Randy Godfrey said he was dropping off Scott, his son, at school one day and he said, you know, he said, dad, it's uncomfortable. You know, you dropped me off in the big car and, you know, and everybody thinks I'm rich. And Randy looked at him, he said, you're not rich. I'm rich. You're broke. You're broke. But how, how do you keep things clear with your kids that they need to earn their own way?

Yeah, well, that's what we were talking about while ago. Where we're talking about, you know, that's the mentality the founders feel that you're trying to pass down from generation to generation. I think with your kids it's pretty easy because they remember back when you were struggling. I remember my oldest daughter, Missy, one time, she was 6, and we were in the shoe store and she was trying on she needs a new Sunday shoes to wear to church. And she tried on this one pair, a red pair and then a black Mary Jane pair. And they were both really cute. They both fit her, they were both comfortable. And I said, well, Missy, which one do you like the best? And she said, oh, I want the cheapest one. So she is six. This, this is. These kids remember when everything had to be the cheapest one, you know, and, and so it's, it's, it's pretty easy with your kids, but then with the next generation it gets harder, I think with the subsequent generation, but with your first one, they're brought up with that, so they pretty much understand.

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