Overcoming the Terror of Leaving Your Safety Net with Cofounder President of Muros Tricia Binder

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 wydellonwinning.comwebinar now to watch something I've put together for you. Now let's get going into this episode of Million Dollar Mastermind. This afternoon we're talking with Tricia Binder. She's fresh out of the Uber that dropped her off. She flew back from Miami. She's in Chicago. Welcome, Tricia.

Thank you, Larry. I'm so excited to be here.

Co founder, president of Muris. And I'm going to let her explain that to you. But you know, the thing about Tricia and Muris, by the way, congratulations on your great year. Just half of the way into your third year, you're into the millions again and you have matched, exceeded what you did the first two years from launch. Very exciting to see those numbers compounding and know that you're on the right track. It's, it's always nice to see that something actually works, isn't is?

It's been a really big week, a big milestone for us and we couldn't be more excited.

Well, Tricia, well, what, what I was impressed about in your background is you're someone who has paid her dues in the corporate world and you have survived successfully in that jungle of corporations and you know, a lot of stagnation, a lot of, you know, a lot of barriers to keeping the entrepreneurial spirit. And usually what happens, Tricia, is it's kind of like people who are in the army for 20 years, they, you know, I can retire in 20 years. Yeah, but by then you won't have, your soul will have been sucked out of you. You know, you won't feel like getting out of bed in the morning. Whereas if you started a business when you're in your 20s, you still got some inspiration and everything. But what you've done, I see that you've had a career working for a bunch of Fortune 500 companies, SC Johnson, Nestle, Purina, Nordstrom and all kind of different roles but all kind of different agencies, vendors, partners and a million dollar billion dollar brands and, you know, lots of experiences and contacts. And so congratulations on still having that fighting spirit and having the courage to launch out on your own. That probably there had to be some doubts when you did that.

Yes, it was terrifying. I mean, when you work for these very large companies and most of the ones, as you mentioned them that I work for are more than 100 years old. There's so many safety nets in place and there are so many decades of process and procedures and you're surrounded by brilliant and intelligent people. And when you walk away from that, there isn't that backup, there isn't that bank account, that customer network, none of that exists. And so it's very scary to walk away from a place and maybe not so much these days, but of security and something that feels kind of like a safer, you know, bigger place to be. Going out on your own is definitely a very scary step, and it certainly was for me as well.

And so how did you do that and what got you excited? When did you explain Miros to everybody and tell us what intrigued you about this unique business?

Yeah, so at Miros, we consider ourselves an art activation agency. So we're really looking to connect brands and businesses with artists, you know, like local, national, international artists, to be able to really kind of bring a different way of thinking about creativity and perspective on a brand, to really authentically connect with their audiences and their customers. And I think, you know, like, we kind of consider ourselves in some degree, we do some like out of, like a lot of out of home place making type things and we really consider ourselves kind of like an anti billboard, a very different approach to the way that a brand can traditionally connect. It was interesting to me because in this day and age where you have so many people posting photos on social media and sharing things, as a brand marketer, a lot of times you're trying to engineer that interest and that engagement and that connection that somebody has with a brand. But when you have art, there's sort of a natural gravitation in a way that it draws people in. So I really believe that there was a really special and interesting kind of niche that we could create by tapping somebody who could be considered maybe a micro influencer and leveraging their unique creativity and talents to help a brand really connect differently with their audience in the way that they maybe traditionally have thought about.

And so how did you. Is this an art business? Is this an advertising business? What is this business?

It's an interesting question. I think it's both. You know, we have about, you know, half of our business is developers on the real estate side of things. So in that case, a lot of it is, it's just, it really is art. It can be sculptures, it can be art installations, beautiful murals, like things that just bring and beautify their properties for, you know, commercial, residential, retail clients of theirs. And then the other half of our business is brands and where we really are taking a less traditional approach, or maybe you could say an old school approach to advertising where it has this kind of handmade element behind it where somebody literally is physically painting like you would have seen ads in the 50s or the 60s. And it's just, it's a very unique spin and way for them to kind of think and think about connecting with their audience. So it's definitely a bit of both.

And so let's talk about, as you move, how did you get started? What were you interested in when you started and you wound up going into the corporate world? What were you chasing at that point? Who were you at that point?

Yeah, it's funny because I've always said, like, my dream as you know, like a young girl growing up in north central Wisconsin, where there isn't a lot of big companies or big businesses, was to work for like the biggest brands. I really, I kind of had this dream of working in a big city for these big corporations. And I just believe that there was like this magic to especially like consumer packaged goods and products that like, I just experienced as a customer myself. And I just wanted to be part of, you know, something that people trusted in and were kind of enamored with. And that's really where I wanted to be. So I had a great opportunity very early in my career to be working at SC Johnson. And I loved it because I knew Ziploc and I knew Windex and I knew scrubbing bubbles and those ads and the jingles and things I can remember from my childhood. And to be kind of part of that was such a phenomenal learning ground for me because I was able to again be surrounded by such incredible people. And there was so much rigor there from a company going up against the P and GS of the world to really be thoughtful and metrics focused. And I think that set a good kind of foundation for me because I also knew getting later into my career that I really did want to go out on my own and work for myself. And so to be able to kind of have that great learning ground and kind of understand how tried and true businesses and brands built themselves and talk to customers was incredibly influential and really gave me like a great, you know, bench of knowledge to be able to bring into a world of entrepreneurship, which has been much crazier and more of a renegade cowboy kind of world. But, you know, like, having again that great foundation was, was really important to me and I'm really blessed by the amazing companies that I've been able to work with. But that was Kind of my dream. I wanted something big. I wanted something amazing. I wanted a brand that I knew and that I loved. And that's where I fortunately, got to start.

In other words, you wanted to do something great with your life, and that was the first kind of picture of how you could do that. Would that be a good way of saying that?

Yeah, that's a great way of saying it. It's really kind of what I did picture for myself. And it was, you know, amazing to be able to kind of realize that, you know, what it was.

You could see yourself being, you know, the motivated. You know, the thing is, you're supposed to be motivated to do big things. Don't climb. And I always use the example of, you take a little baby, they learn to walk, and they're wobbling all over the thing, and you take them over to the base of some stairs, the first thing they're going to do, they can barely stand up. They're going to lean over and they're going to try and hike that little leg up and climb the stairs. You know what I'm saying? We have that in us. I mean, everybody's going to make you feel bad to try and do something big, something great, something wonderful, your life, but they're just. They're in denial. You're not in denial. If you're going for something great, you know, you just turn yourself loose. I mean, you're supposed to be pursuing greatness in their life, and if they're not going to do it, they need to leave your butt alone and let you chase it. And so it's always great to hear that. That, you know, your picture of pursuing something great. Now, when you got in there, you mentioned two words, rigor and metrics. Focus. You know, it's like, you know, from, you know, looking back over the years, it's interesting. Those things were two that you mentioned. It's not an accident, you know, and that's, you know, talk about rigor, what that meant, what that means, what. How it impacted you, how it changed you.

Yeah, I think there was just such an importance around being really thoughtful and intentional about every move that you did. You know, building plans, the budgets, the forecasting, um, all of that. You had to just be so smart. Every move that you made had to be very intentional and very smart. And I think having that kind of structure where other people might, you know, not care for that, I saw the value in it and I understood how important it was to be, you know, thoughtful and. And.

Well, how do you do that? I mean, you say thoughtful, intentional, you know, like, I got a good friend of mine, real good friend of mine, asked me to write something, send something in on one of our friends and like, you know, a story about him being authentic. And it's like, I just hit a dead wall, you know, it's like. Authentic? You mean a story about him where he's not a phony? You know, so some of these things just don't register with me. I guess I came along too early. But when you talk about intentional and things, how do you get. How do you make sure you're doing that? How do you find those things? Hey, listen, there's a lot of information online, but there aren't a lot of people who have actually done something. In my case, I've actually built a successful business, has accrued over $5 billion in assets under management, and has done well even during trying times. Now, if you want to know exactly how I've done this, go to Whiteellawinning.com webinar Now, I've compressed a decade of learning into five short weeks. Just for those of you who want to give yourself an incredible advantage and are tired of waiting and watching others move up.

Yeah, I mean, I think what it really comes down to is ensuring that whatever goal you have or whatever job you're supposed to deliver, what you're doing is really going to do that. So as an example, in marketing, especially, like, I started out in digital marketing when you still had a fan gate, a Facebook page, and before they even had, you know, ads to be able to sell. And there's a lot of things, like, especially a lot of my agency partner wanted to do that were very sexy and they might seem very cool, but at the end of the day, they didn't move a bottle off a shelf. And so really thinking through, like, is this going to make a difference or does it just look cool on paper or on my resume or whatever else, is it really going to move and inspire somebody or, you know, get somebody to choose this bottle versus that bottle? It's that kind of thinking, you know, like, even when some of, like my other, you know, life at, for example, like, you know, Nestle Purina, I mean, like, there were plans out there where they might show metrics of how successful, let's say a YouTube video was. But at the end of the day, there was more engagements on those than there were cat owners in the world. So you might be entertaining somebody, but are you moving, you know, cat food off the shelf type of thing? And it just, it was having that Kind of background where you're really kind of forced to think through and like, look at again, like what, what is moving the needle? How are you measuring success? And it's not impressions, it's not engagements, it's whether or not you again are making a sale at the end of the day. So having that and kind of being, you know, required to really showcase that this idea is working or it's not, at least, you know, to be able to prove it, but you're using the right numbers to be able to showcase that. And I think that's something that I was taught very early on from those organizations and has really influenced the way that I think about tactics and strategy and what I'm ultimately trying to accomplish.

Well, let's face it, they get big because they're competitive. They get big because they got more customers. And they stay big if they stay competitive and don't get arrogant and stale and comfortable, you know, and so it's not surprising that you find that kind of competitive, competitive type energy in there. But also this other side of the corporate world is the fear of being blamed when things don't work. Because, you know, most of the time you try new things, you got it. You know, nine out of ten times it won't work or at least won't work that great. And it's the 10th iteration improvement of it to where it just explodes. And a lot of people are afraid to raise their hands up and take ownership of the situation or even say what they like. And did you run into that in the corporate world?

Yeah, I mean, you definitely will always run into that. And that's where, you know, again, like, I think the most valuable learning experiences to me were when people do have the courage to say, okay, that didn't work and here's why. And oftentimes what you saw and said was somebody inflating numbers or pulling the numbers that looked good but really weren't valuable, or again, weren't the ones moving the needle. And for me, that was always frustrating because I felt a level of obligation to do the right thing for the organizations that I worked with. And when you kind of see individuals or teams or partners or whoever that don't have that same mentality, I think it's frustrating because at the end of the day, you're only successful if you are continuing to be a leader and making the sales and whatever else. So I think like those values sometimes can be challenged or you see them not coming through. And it's also partly why I wanted to have my own thing One day I wanted to ensure that I built a culture that I was really proud of and found the right people that kind of were on the same level or on the same page as me. And so I think that that was something that you kind of watch along your career and then you determine like, well, what do you want more of? And that was what I was hoping to build when we started. Miros.

Yes. What do you want more of? And getting in that situation, you know, where you're working with a company, you get a chance, you have a lot of obligations, you have a lot of people, a lot of role models, good and bad, a lot of projects, and you get a lot of education in a short period of time if you're paying attention. And one thing, would you agree with this? Having worked with a bunch of companies, would you agree with this? And this is kind of a little speaking to the audience. If you're in a company, you're in a situation or you're running a company, a department or a team where there's a hesitancy, there's a negativity towards taking risk and, you know, a fear factor of, you know, you know, branching out, you're probably in the wrong place, you're probably at least in the wrong department, or you're probably underneath a leader who's going to go down, down, down and out. So I wouldn't hitch, certainly don't hit your wagon to that kind of star, because that's not a star. If the companies, and I talk to a lot of CEOs, the companies that do well, encourage innovation and encourage their people to take risk. And you have to have the culture where from the top, it's okay to fail as long as you're moving forward. It's not okay to hesitate. It's not okay to avoid responsibility and just go through the motions. There is an attack mindset and an acceptance of the reality that most of the things you try are not going to work perfectly the way you want it, but you're never going to learn anything and you're never going to hit on the thing that goes big unless you're trying new stuff. And so would you agree that. Have you seen that affect the growth of a company or a department? Or maybe, you know, you don't have companies inside companies with these giant companies, you know, they have their own product that they're pushing and all, but have you seen that?

Yeah, I've definitely seen that. And I completely agree with your assessment. I think a manager or a leader who is not advocating for you to try new things or learn or, you know, even if it's a small team, swapping something in or out on a website is really more about self preservation than they are about advancing the organization. And I mean, I found out, I remember we did once, we removed a single image and changed it out on my website when I was at Nordstrom Trunk Club. And it resulted in like a million dollars in saving because it dramatically decreased our cost per lead. So not enabling your team to think through different scenarios and figure out where they can test and learn can sometimes be incredibly costly to an organization and certainly to somebody's creativity and motivation. So to bring forward new ideas.

So, Tricia, how would you summarize. How would you summarize this idea of make sure. Because what you've done, you have, whether you know it or not, you have attacked every situation you've been in. And, you know, you have reached the point where, like, okay, I found a better opportunity. I'm moving on. I'm moving on. I'm moving on. One way or another, you got to move on in your life. You can't wait. Success is not going to come knocking on your door. Promotions, this or the other, if it happens, it's like winning the lottery. You've got to be on the attack. You've got to have your eyes up. And so what would you tell people about maximizing their career and their career growth? What are things, you know, a quick comment about climbing the ladder to if you do want a business of your own that you can have that happen. How would you put that in a nutshell for people? What comes to your mind?

Yeah, I mean, in a nutshell, I would say get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Because if you're, if you're not uncomfortable, you're definitely not growing. You're not changing, you're not experiencing something else. You're not pushing boundaries. So you kind of have to get used to this feeling of not being the expert or knowing all the answers. You really have to be okay being uncomfortable in new situations and recognize that when you have that feeling, you're being challenged, you're learning, you're doing something else. If you feel great and you're always like, I got all of this. And I remember always being at kind of that point, my career, it's kind of. That gave me that little nudge to be like, okay, now I think it's time to do something else. Because I feel like I've got this, like, when I know it like the back of my hand, I think it's time for. I'm not challenging myself any longer. And I think, especially if you want to go out and do something on your own, there's going to be a tremendous learning curve no matter what you do. Like, I, you know, I would consider myself a marketer by trade, but now I'm doing accounting and finances and more legal stuff, and I'm more in the world of insurance than I ever wanted to be. But, you know, these are growth opportunities for me, and I'm rounding out my experience, my skillset. And so I think, again, in a nutshell, it's just, it's getting comfortable with not being an expert and feeling a little uneasy in a situation so that you can experience new things and really grow.

Absolutely. If you enjoyed what you've heard and are dead serious about finding out for yourself exactly how this works in the real world, I've taken the most valuable business lessons I've learned over 40 years and put them into something for you to watch. Go to whiteellawinning.com webinar now in order to move up as fast as possible. I'm Larry Wydell, and I run the Million Dollar Mastermind. Go, go, go.