Episode 89: From Coaching Basketball to Two Plus Million Dollars a Year in Income With Executive ...

Welcome to this episode of the Million Dollar Mastermind. I'm Larry Weidell and let's get started. Today we've got a real treat. One of the biggest stars in business across the United States. He's got his hands in a lot of pies. He's got his hands in a lot of different industries and aspects of life. He's had a full, well rounded career. He's lived in many parts of the country. He's got a big successful family and his impact is unlimited. It's kind of a role model for the kind of way if your dream came true and you're able to go out there and elevate yourself and then go beyond yourself and help others, you'd want to think about having a life like Rusty Crossland. And so welcome, Rusty. Thanks for taking the time.

Well, thank you, Larry. It's always an honor to one speak with you, my good friend, and obviously to have an opportunity to, you know, share with the team some thoughts and ideas, you know, as we, you know, sort of continue down this path to try to build, you know, great leaders and continue to build our great business. So it's, it's an honor and I'm very proud to be here.

Rusty, you know, it's funny, as you started out up in New Jersey and we're trying to get going in your life and you started into coaching basketball, both you and I love basketball. I'm sure you were a lot better at it than I was, but nobody ever asked me to be a coach. I know that part. But the thing is that. Could you have imagined at that point that as a high school basketball coach, you'd wind up your career and wind up being paid more than probably 98% or 99% of all professional athletes in all sports during their professional career, could you have imagined that you would have had that kind of income, success?

Well, obviously, obviously, you know, the answer to that one. No. You know, I was born and raised in New Jersey and went to college in Alabama and had an opportunity to get a teaching and coaching job in Atlanta. And that's where, you know, I ended up. And I love what I did. I was a passionate coach. I thought at the time I was a, you know, really good coach. I loved working with the kids. I loved winning. I hated losing. You know, it's sort of interesting. I reflect a lot, Larry, on not necessarily the what, the wins that I had, but I reflected a lot on the losses. I could recall, you know, coming home and sitting in my living room and just brooding over you Know what I did wrong and what I needed to do, you know, to improve and to make sure make the same mistakes the next time. Which I think in a lot of ways was a real sort of genesis of how I approached, you know, our business. When I finally had the opportunity, when I was so fortunate enough to meet, to meet ART WILLIAMS In 1972, I loved coaching and teaching. I just couldn't make any money. And I had every part time job that you could think of, you know, just working, you know, day in and day out just to put food on the table. I knew I wanted to be somebody. I knew I wanted to do something great with my life. I just wanted someone to give me an opportunity, prove, you know, that I have the goodies inside of me to go win. And that's what happened, you know, when I met Art William.

And the thing is, Rusty, the point that people, this is really not brought out enough. Mark Cuban does a good job of it. But you got to find what you like to do, but also what you like to do, you can enjoy, you can get passion, unleash your passion, but also you can get paid doing, you know, a marketable skill.

Correct, Correct. Correct.

And so you had the professional satisfaction type things, working with kids, helping kids, teaching kids, being involved in competition and pouring your life into it. And, and dare say, I would dare to say you worked as hard as that as you ever have in this business. But the rewards just not. Were not only there, they were never going to be there.

Yeah, yeah. And that's, and that's the irony of coaching, you know, especially, you know, at the level that I was at. I mean, I certainly aspired to be a college coach. I had delusions of grandeur that I could move into coaching, you know, in a, in a big way. You know, life gets in the way, Larry. And you know, you start having kids and mouths to feed and, you know, you start really thinking about, you know, is this really good do the job for me, you know, long term. And I was motivated beyond description to become successful and build a legacy for my family and move on. I mean, I came from really humble backgrounds and my dad was a saloon singer and I had great parents. Mom and dad both worked for me, you know, in our business, you know, forever. And so that. Which by the way, was a great reward, you know, after the fact. But I just, I just saw a need to, you know, if I wanted to be somebody. And I realized that the road in coaching where I was really an uphill battle. And so I knew I needed to look at something else.

Where did you. Where do you think? I don't know if I could answer this myself, but where do you think that drive and that desire, it was beyond just making more money to. To feed the. The kids and the. And the family? Where do you think that drive came from? Was it people associated with watching people in the media or in sports in general? What, what did. What caused that?

You know, that's an interesting question, Larry, and I've often thought about that. But. But the, the town that I was raised in was really a very interesting little town because in the. In the town area was the sort of a lower middle class, middle class kind of homes and stuff like that. And then you had what we used to call the hill, where you had all of these big houses and movie stars and people, you know, with lots of money and all, all the kids that like. Like I had a bluegrass band in high school and the three guys that, you know that, that were in my band, their families were wealthy. I mean, I was, I was a. I was poverty stricken. And so, you know, I think that associating with those kind of people, you know, I. I kept thinking, you know, well, you know, I want to be that way. I want to have those sort of things. You know, I mean, in fact, you'll find it's very interesting one of my bandmates who is. Who actually is still alive and lives in California, his dad was one of the very first guys ever to own a 1965 Mustang. I mean, like, one of the first ones off the line. And everybody at school thought, oh my gosh, this guy's got to be worth gazillions of dollars. And, you know, he probably was. So I think to answer that question is I saw what it was like and realized that I wanted to be that way. I just needed to. I just needed something that was going to give me the opportunity to get there.

And did your success, you know, the whole thing about bloom where you're planted, the thing is that you've got to be where you are and you've got to excel where you are. And obviously you excelled in sports. But do you think that success in the athletic arena and in the coaching and things like that gave you a confidence about yourself that the problem is not going to be me, the problem is going to be finding the opportunity. Because I proved to myself, if I dig in, I can get good at things and I can go out and compete and win. Do you think that was an important element? Because, you know, when you showed up and started Your new business. You were ready to play. I mean, you were ready to get serious and lockdown. You had your discipline, you had your organization, you had your confidence. You didn't, you know, you weren't an excuse maker. Do you think those formative experiences, you know, even playing, I mean, there's a lot of lessons, a lot of work in being in a bluegrass band, but do you think those early formative things gave you essential confidence and knowledge of yourself that made a difference?

Yeah, absolutely, Larry. I mean, I can't. You said it perfectly, you know, I mean, I just knew that. And I talk about this all the time with our guys, with our team and everything. I mean, I just wanted a chance, you know. You know, tell our guys that, look, when I got started this business, you know, I said, you know, I wanted Art, like, to, you know, get out of my. Tell me what I got to do, get out of my way, you know, and let me go do it, you know, and if I still, you know, pick me up and put me back out on the field. And I think, you know, that mindset in my mind was the. Was the catalyst for me, you know, and people. People ask me all the time, Larry, I'm sure they ask you, you know, what. You know, what was the real driving force, you know, that kept pushing you and kept pushing. It was real simple. I never wanted to go back to the point where I started. And I know this was the same with you with Bob Turley and with Art. I never wanted to disappoint Art. I mean, I wanted him to look at me as somebody that he could count on and that I was a stud and I was going to be a part of the winning team. And so that drove me over and over, day after day after day to become the best I could be and never look. I think that's a real key factor, Larry, for guys in our business, you can't have a plan B. You got to continue to stumble forward and drive towards your goals and never look back. If you start looking back, that's a dangerous sign.

Yeah. What would you say were some things that you look back and when you were by yourself? I mean, how did that translate into what you did and how much you did? You know, what did you do that made the difference? That gave you an edge, that helped you elevate yourself right from the beginning?

Well, I think it was economics, just like. Just like everybody, you know, that gets started. I mean, I was part time for nine months, but, you know, if you recall back in those days, I mean, Everything was as earned, you know, and so, you know, you weren't making a whole lot of, lot of money. And again, I was on a 12 month teaching contract. So when I started working with Art in 1972, in June, I had June, July and August paychecks that I knew I had. And so I knew that I had to hit the door running, bust my butt for those first months because, you know, on the 91st day, you know, I was unemployed unless I was writing business. So I was driven by the knowledge that I had to make it, that I had to do it. And I think that was a real motivating factor for me that, that really kept me going. And then, you know, once you started to make a little money and realize you can do this, you know, then, then the whole concept of I can really do this and I can be somebody doing this takes over. And you just keep working, keep working, keep working, doing the things you got to do, doing the things you got to do over and over and over and over and over, you know, and continue to build. And that's really what we did. And you, and you were just like me. You did the same thing.

And the thing is, Rusty, when you say that gave me the drive, they gave me the momentum and the push. What we're talking about specifically, and those that are listening in and they're at the point they just can't get off square one or they want to launch the next challenge and they're, you know, they're, they're, they're kind of stuck. The thing that you, that, that holds people back so much is the fear of rejection. And especially when you're starting something new and you're not that great at it. So how did you get over that and deal with that fear of rejection?

I think that again, I think that's what someone. That's just an innate, you know, kind of danger in our psyche. And I realized that it was hard at first, but I realized at first that, or I finally realized that they weren't really rejecting me, they were really rejecting the things that I was saying. And so I knew then that if I got better at saying the things that I needed to say, people would accept that more. That fear of rejection, you know, would dissipate. And I again, you know, I tell our guys and gals all the time, you know, he or she who gets the most no's win, eats the best, lives in the nicest house, drives the nicest car, travels first class. You got to go through the no's before you ever get to the real yeses that will really explode your business. And so it's, it's, it's a, It's a, it's a 24 7, 365 exercise of talking to people. And that's the difference. And another thing I tell our guys is you, you got to pretend, you know, that you think about these movie stars. I love this little story. You think about these movie stars. You got this beautiful leading lady, you know, and you got a, and some, some dumpy guy, you know, was playing the part of her lover in there, and they're smooching and having a good time and you know, they're just acting, okay, you know, she really doesn't want to kiss this guy. But they're just act. Well, that's a lot of the way I used to approach the fear of talking to people that they really weren't really telling me no, was just, they just wanted to get past the things I just didn't. Wasn't telling them enough good information for them to tell me yes. And so you just got to do it all the time. Keep doing it, Keep doing it and perfect your craft and learn how to answer questions and learn how to respond. And I think it takes care of.

Itself and it does get easier to deal with once you build up some positive momentum and you have some, some successes to build up on. And if you'll stay with it, folks, if you'll just get off your ass and stay with it, you know, and, you know, I'm sure real rusty, you realized early on nobody was going to have any sympathy for you if you crashed and burned. I mean, you know, you know, you had to face this thing and you had to deal with it, otherwise you were, you were going to go back to that, that, that, that life that you did not want. And, and don't you think that's the first getting those things clear in your mind, don't you think? You know, our mental toughness is challenged a thousand, a million ways as we go through life. But don't you believe in business as being independent and functioning independently in the world over overcoming that, that initial fear of rejection, which, by the way, never really totally goes away. But don't you feel that that is the big first step to developing your own mental toughness muscles?

Oh, absolutely, you know, absolutely. And you know, I mean, I think the key again, Larry, is, is, you know, one of the great artists. Experience is the key to greatness. And so you just got to go out there and experience, you know, not only the good you know, of our business. But, you know, the sort of. The ugly of it sometimes or the crappy part of it, because that gives you, you know, the experience of understanding what you don't want, you know, versus giving you the experience of what you do want. And that's why it's so important for people not to quit, not to give up. Because it as we. I mean, a bazillion times, you know, it's the numbers business. The more people you talk to, the more no's you're going to get. The more no's you get, the closer you get to making, you know, more, getting more yeses. And it's just the numbers.

And you just have to tell yourself that and keep you, you know, and you got to keep yourself on track and not let yourself bail out on that.

That.

Rusty, thanks so much for, for this peek into your life and how you got started, how you worked through things and got yourself on track for a mindblowing career that you're continuing to expand on today. What would you say as we. As we leave this, this part, tie this up? What. What would you say is the main point that you want people to take away? How would you title this or how would you want them to remember this as a takeaway?

For me, the most important thing was, you know, my growing up experiences. Although I had a. My mom and dad were great to me. I just saw what the possibilities were and what the potentials were if I could find a conduit to get me from where I started to where I wanted to go. And I think that's a real key. Our business is how you feel and what you do about how you feel.

And the key, Rusty, not every business is for everybody. But don't you feel like if you hadn't found this opportunity, this opportunity hadn't found you, that you would have stayed on the attack searching until you had found something else, that you were not going to stay where you were.

I had made the decision, you know, in my fourth year of coaching that this was not going to get me where I wanted to go. And so if I had to, you know, stay here a while longer, you know, build up my resume a little bit, I was going to continue to look, to try to find the opportunity that was going to take me to my promised land.

And that's the key question to ask yourself, and that is if is where you are and what you're doing now and the industry you're in and the company you're in and the friends you have is that environment, are those opportunities going to allow you to go where you want to go? And if it's not, you've gonna have to start making some changes and make some adjustments and adapting. And we're gonna come back with Rusty later and talk about adapting because I, there's, there's nobody better at it than Rusty crossing. But Rusty, thanks for giving us this time and look forward to talking to you again.

Thank you, Larry. Appreciate you guys.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Million Dollar Mastermind with me. Larry Widell, if I've helped you in any way, leave us a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. For more information like this, listen to our other Million Dollar Mastermind episodes and check out my WDell Academy YouTube channel and visit us on widel on winning.com I'm the Million Dooll Mastermind. And until next time, Go, go, go.