Self Management Thinking That Creates Success with Business Leader Tyler “Sully” Sullivan

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 here with Tyler. Sully Sullivan has got an exciting new company in the golf business, Bomb Tech Golf, and he's been able to come up with an idea, a story, a product line that got people super excited about their golf games and spending more time out there on the course. That's the thing. You've got to have things about what you're doing to keep you excited and get you excited. And so congratulations, Sully, on being able to energize so many people about their passion and their passion for golf and be able to spend more time out there practicing and looking forward to getting out there.

Exactly.

It's a beautiful day and, you know, where did. I want to ask you now about concepts that you found growing up that are concepts of winning that you kind of use to coach yourself. How do you coach yourself? What are things you tell yourself? What are things you heard along the way that gave you encouragement? There's got to be staying on track as a result of things you know and things you believe to be true and, and you believe that will work out. A lot of these things happen real early in our life or they were put in our mind, role models, things like that. But what are some of the things that operating principles, that truths that you kind of come back to regularly in your life to keep yourself on track and to keep yourself sane and to keep yourself paying the price. When you go around the corner and you don't know what's coming next, what are things that maybe you learned growing up? Maybe you've read, maybe you've seen the example you've been told by friends or family. What are some of these principles?

Yeah, so, I mean, I think just from a work ethic standpoint, my parents, and my dad in particular, you know, was the hardest working person I know. You know, he would, he's, you know, owned a restaurant, and then after working the restaurant, he would go to another restaurant job that he didn't own, and then he would steam clean carpets at night. So, I mean, the, the epitome of hard working and just, you know, I think they've always, my parents have always gone their own way with, like, not just having a job and doing Their own thing, you know, my mom owned a jewelry store, and we actually really never spoke about entrepreneurship for me. And, like, you know, they just wanted me to get a great education. I think it was just instilled in me that, you know, that hard work is just part of. Of the deal, you know, and just that, you know, because I used to pick up garbage, you know, and help him steam clean carpets when I was, like, 16. And really, that was just expected, you know. So I think just seeing that as an example allowed me, once I had some traction, just to keep going, you know, But I don't. Outside that, I don't know why I didn't quit on it, you know, just kept going. I just. I think I was also excited. I mean, it took a long time to get traction, but once I did, I just kept on feeling like I could do more. And I had no reason or experience outside of my parents, you know, seeing them grind and do their own thing. But it wasn't in the space or anything to just keep going, you know, because there was a lot of hard moments. You know, I had credit card debt. I had loans that I took out. I mean, I put us as a family in a lot of risk in the first year or two of my son's life. And I kind of use that as just, like, motivation to not give up. And I don't know. I think there's an inherent. I don't know if it's a problem with us as someone that starts this, but inherent drive and internal motivation that to never quit. You know, it's kind of like when I was in sales before that, you know, not that I liked it, but I was just hungrier and more aggressive and just would follow up and follow up and just, you know, do it because I had to, you know, now, because it's my own thing. It didn't. It just didn't feel like work, so I just kept doing it. And I think that's the thing, too, with the business. It's like, not. I'm not always working all day every day, but I'm thinking all day, every day about it. There you go.

There you go.

Two different things, you know, hey, listen.

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Yeah, there you go. And the traction, you know, you talk about, you know, I've thought about this. People say, oh, what a hero, you know, you were. You kept going during the times where the company wasn't that great. You know, all these challenges and this and the other. And what I tell them was, yeah, yeah, good for me. But the reality is I didn't have IBM or General Motors calling me up, offering me $100,000 a year salaries. Exactly, yeah, pat myself on the back. But, you know, I didn't have a lot of options. Part of it's realized when you're in that stage of trying to get. You talk about two phases which are beautiful, and that is where you're working to get traction. And then once you get traction, which is some kind of success, it creates, naturally, creates a confidence that, that you can do more. But in the beginning of racing to get some kind of positive result, you know, at some point, folks, you're going.

To have to have some success.

You know, you're not going to be able to like 80 years of chasing the dream, that never happens. At some point you got to have some kind of success and you got to focus on the things that people who are having success do. I mean, there are patterns out there, but when you feel like you're on the right track to get some success of traction, to make a breakthrough, you got to stay busy. What I hear from you is you didn't have in the beginning, you're thinking about it 24 7, but you're also working on it 247 because nobody helps. And you better be working because if you're just thinking 24 7, your thoughts are going to fade over into, oh, this might not work. You know, the odds are against me. You start thinking of the negatives rather than the next thing you need to do. And can you share any insight of plowing through that early stage of getting traction? Because you're going through it. It sounds like with your E Commerce business and, you know, we all go through it when we launch new product lines or, you know, we're always doing new things and talk about going through that stage of where you're, you're working to get traction, you know.

Yeah, I think once I had a little bit of traction, I just put internal pressure on myself to just like make it happen. I don't know how to explain that feeling, but it's like the sense of urgency in me to just get it done. And I think you either have that or you don't. And it's like I almost was getting frustrated when I had some traction and it wasn't happening fast enough. So I said, okay, well how do we make it happen faster? I said, I'll figure it out. So I literally, I call it the FIO method where no, no one at that time really had done it in this space and you know, I just had to figure it out. So if I focus and just tried and tested and just spent all my effort with a sense of urgency on it, I didn't know it was going to happen. But I luckily was able to plow through those, you know, really slow because the first year, you know, I did like 2,000 sales. It was like serious hobby. Second year I think I did 100K, which was like great growth, but still nothing. You have your cost of goods and whatever. Then when I got fired, I went from 100k to like 480k. And like, I think I had a couple bucks, not much. And then they had that. It took me like three years and plowing through and just trying to like figuring out. Then I broke a million and then I broke 4 million and then 6 million. Now we're doing eight figures. So I don't know why I've always had it in everything I've done. Just a sense of urgency and just ability to figure it out again. I'm not the smartest guy by any means. So like, you know, did I graduate college? Yes. Did it take me five years? Yeah. But in business I like it. You know, I don't think I read a book in college. I've read probably a book a week because they're all business books that are related to what I do out of college. So it's, I don't know, I think when you like something you have traction, you just, you should want to do more or it's, you know, maybe you shouldn't be an entrepreneur, maybe you shouldn't do that. But for me it just felt almost naturally like, you know, that's why I say I get frustrated but I don't have stuff to do. Even though it's a more important high level stuff I get like, I just want to always make it better, almost to a fault. So I think you got to some of its DNA and some of its mindset. But I think if you have expectations of like, hey, I'm gonna do this early days and you don't hit them, that could probably be deflating. So I had none of that. And I really loved it, you know, And I still love it. It's golf. It's not like. And if I did another company outside of, like, the agency, it would be skiing, you know, or fishing or stuff I'm already doing. And I think that's the only way to plow through. I was selling women's leggings. Guess what? I wouldn't make it five minutes, you know, so it's a very different do what you're already kind of doing as a hobby or side hustle, and that will be. Won't feel like work.

And one thing, by the way, with skiing, if you ever go to Colorado skiing, you go to Aspen, you've got. You should have my number. Now call me. I live right in the middle of town.

Oh, nice.

So let's definitely get together. And so I heard talking about this, we had a fellow move from Virginia down to Fort Lauderdale and just exploded his business with the top of the company. And I was asking about his mindset when he did that. And I said, what did you have confidence in? What was your drive? What did you. Kind of your touchstone there? And he said, well, he said, the only thing I can remember is that I just had confidence in myself to do whatever it took to figure it out and get it done. You know, I had confidence that I would keep working, you know, and that's.

80, 90% of that. That's it. You know, that's really it.

Yeah. When you say, well, I got confidence in that, I can't count on that again. Yeah, but can you count on yourself to keep working? And if it's really something you're passionate about and, you know, it's just like, you get on the road.

You'Re going.

To have a lot of steps, you're going to have a lot of miles. You're going to have a lot of boredom along the way. So what, you know, every step you're getting closer to where you want to be. And what are some of the things that inspire you? You know, when you hear that you've seen in other businesses or you've seen in other, maybe in these books you're reading yourself, things that really resonate with you and you can internalize, you know.

I think today it's different than before. I don't know if I really had a single point of like, wow, that brand's killing it. There were some small DTC brands that had gotten large, you know, like some watch company that did 100 million in sales, that kind of made me say, oh, that's possible. You know what I mean? So I think a lot of it is, is limiting beliefs and understanding what's possible and really believe in it, you know. So, like, this year in particular, you know, I was talking to some other brands that were acquired, and they're like, well, you know, you have to be a certain size, you know, to do that. And that was kind of changed my mindset of like, well, if they got that big to sell their company, why couldn't I just get that big Anyways, So I had to really believe in the goal and then make a marketing, make a plan around that goal. You know, I think that's the thing, too. It's just like it. Seeing is believing. And then after having some, you know, exposure to brands that are great brands but were much bigger than me, and they started just like I did, I said, well, why can't I do that? And now we're doing, you know, over a million dollars a month. And it was just because we have momentum, but we also, I. I put it as my North Star. So this is what we're going to do this year. This is how we're going to do it. And guess what? We're doing it. But it's, it's hard unless, you know, at the time, I was kind of the first to try to do it in golf, and direct consumer wasn't as big of a deal. And I think one thing that's interesting to note here is, like, I'm doing all these things just because it's what I'm seeing traction in. And I see a lot of people failing because they're trying to catch trends. And it's like, oh, yeah, golf right now is trending. E commerce right now is trending. But guess what? I've been doing golf and E Commerce for, for 11 years with no expectations of it trending. So now I've got some tailwinds because things are hot, but I've been set up to do that. So I think that's. I don't think it answered your question, but I think one thing to note, it's like, do something you enjoy without. Without it trending, because if you're trying to catch a trend, it's too late. And overall, to your point, seeing other people do it and having conversations with them, after I hit my, like, first million, and now that I've hit, you know, eight figures, it's like, you know, why not nine figures? You know, someone else can do it. It's, it's a, it's just a lot of limited beliefs that you go through as an owner that you have to break through. And then at some point you have to say, is that what I want? And that's where I get more. Like now I'm getting real weird but philosophical with what I want. It's like, do I need to sell a million clubs a year to be happy? You know, and that now I'm getting down a different road, you know, with my life. Like, what? Because I have the luxury to do it. Not that I can just stop working per se, but now I'm at the point where I'm like, okay, what do I do? You know? And like, what do I want after nine, 10 years running the company and still growing? What. What's my. What's the future? You know, so that's. And you know, I think that comes from me being a dad and, you know, getting older, you know. Sully, can I help you with that, please?

Because, Because I coach million dollar earners. The thing is, Sally, you got to keep growing, man. You got to stay fresh. Grow or die. If you don't grow, you start, you go stale, you go bored and you go down and you know, if you don't run, you rust. And things can always be better. And the way you stay fresh is use your. See the thing in a company, the way I. What I tell entrepreneurs is the only reason for your existence in. Associated with a company is to make it better. You know, quicker, faster, bigger, better. Because if the company is not, the company can flounder without you. The company can kind of slump without you. It can drift without you. But the only way a leader can measure their value legitimately is it grows. And well run companies grow. And the fact that if a company stalls, it is a telltale sign, Sully, that it's not being run that well as it was in the past. You see what I'm saying? And so the, the only way to stay fresh and energized is to grow some way or the other. And the moment that you reach the point where you're not interested in growing the company, sell the God bless it thing to somebody else who will grow it.

Yeah, that's an interesting point. Right now we're growing the fastest we ever have and we're getting interest in, you know, people are, you know, throwing stuff out there and looking to be interested in some things. And, you know, it's an interesting time because again, I have a. Yeah, we're just growing Crazy right now. And I'm just trying to determine again.

How did you, how did you do the E commerce thing?

How did, how did that. Again, this was, this was so, this was a opportunity that came to me. So again, I'm not, I'm not necessarily an opportunity seeker, but this was one of those things. So I started doing podcast interviews and I had a couple case studies come up. Come out on bomb tech in 2000. Shoot, 16, 17, maybe 18. I can't remember the years where they said, bomb Tech's really fast growing. They're killing it with email marketing, you know. And then people started messaging me and they're like, hey, can you help my brand? And I said, absolutely not. I'm like, this is too complicated. And then more and more people kept messaging me like, hey, you're doing really well. Can you help me? And I said, maybe I should help them. Maybe this is an opportunity. Let me not be blind to this. So I said, well, what do you need help with, like telling about your company? So I started to get a profile of like certain brands that were reaching out. And my first employee, Chris from the engineering school, who was like my hardest working. I mean, dude, he's. There's a reason he's my partner. He, he's working 100 hour weeks at Bob Tech on his own regard because he just became obsessed with it. And he was like doing all my email driving insane revenue for us. He goes, do you mind if I help him? I go, dude, I want nothing more in your life for you to be successful. He's like 24 at the time. I go, if you can help them with their email, I said, go, close them if you can and tell me how it goes. In 30 days, he closed three clients and he doubled their revenue in 30 days. That's it. Okay, what do you want to do? He goes, well, I'd like to do more of that. And I go, well, okay, let's do that. So we partnered up and he got more and more clients, Was still working at Bomb Tech and then he started closing a bunch of clients. He got up to like five, six clients, and it was clear he was getting too busy. I said, listen, we need to make a move. Like, do you want to grow this and do you want my help where I'm on the front end getting you leads, helping you build a business, supporting you, but you're doing it and you're in the business? He says yes. So we partnered up 50 50, and him and I grew that and now he really runs and owns that Company, I just help him from like a coach perspective. And now that we're, I think, our third year officially, you know, and we're still young, but we're doing about 2 million a year and it's all cash flow and there's no inventory, so it's very little overhead. So we're going to scale that up to, you know, our goals scale up to 10 million. I know we can do it. So we're on the cusp there. But that was an opportunity that came to me and I said, okay, people want it. I can't fulfill it. My first employee, who I know is going to crush it, he's got the same urgency that I do. Let's team up. And I'll tell you what, having two companies and one that's all cash flow has been a mental relief from having one company that I'm all in on. You know what I mean? So.

Right.

That's where the best thing that's happened to me. And, you know, there's. If another opportunity comes up, I'm just trying not to be blind to these things. So that was one good thing, is he was the one who told me, he goes, I'll, I'll take on those leads. And it's worked out great. And you know that we've got nine employees there and it's a very different business, service based, but we see the opportunity and we're just about to pour some gas on it. So it's really exciting to have that as well.

Well, tremendous insights. Thanks so much, Sully, and congratulations on being such an inspirational figure to so many out there in the marketplace that wonder about the possibility of doing big things and great things and new things and fighting their way into these industries that seem to be controlled by the big boys. And then we think maybe there's no room, but there's always room, you know, you got to make room. And so any last thing, Sully, that you would like to say as a last word before we, we wrap this up?

Yeah, I mean, I think whatever you're going to do, have fun and don't have expectations and don't turn into work. If you decide to go down that path, you know, do it, do it with that angle. I don't wish my path, you know, for anyone. I think everyone has to make their own path in life. And I'm just. Any of my customers who are listening from Bomb Tech Golf, thank you so much. I appreciate all the support. And then if there's any econ brands that listen, you know, we work with E commerce brands. So anyone selling direct consumer brands doing at least a million a year, we manage their email and sms@ecom growers.com or if you're a golfer, check us out at bombtechgolf.com or LinkedIn if you want to just hit me up. Love to talk business, life, skiing, whatever is going on. But yeah, I appreciate the time and hopefully my journey, not easy but if I can do it, anyone can shed some light, you know.

And one, you know, I'm going to extend this just a little. Where you say don't let it become work. It's really the freedom of not having expectations means you don't put a time limit on your success. You're not judging your result, you're not putting negative pressure on yourself to have a certain amount of things done by a certain time and you're just full following the passion and letting it turn out the way it turned out. Those expectations. I, you know, you really, I think zeroed in on something that kind of kills the joy for a lot of people. They do have expectations that cause them to turn their passion into work and it just kind of kills the whole deal. But you have a comment on that? I think you just really did a great job of pointing that out.

Yeah, I mean, I think it's just a, just do what you like, you know, I mean I think there's, there's two parts enjoying what you do and then there's just the built in DNA thing. You know, I don't, I don't know who the exact audience is but it's, it's not built for everyone to do your own thing. And I always struggled as an employee because in like the job I got fired from, I got fired because I was pushing the envelope and we were growing the company aggressively because I had my own opinions, ideas and that really was a kick in the ass to be like, wow, I really am not valued even though I doubled their sales and I really worked hard there. And that was if you're going to work hard, you might as well work for yourself. And that's just my opinion. And again, it's a golden handcuffs thing, having a job great until you're fired. Yeah, I'll never go back, so I'm happily unemployable is what I like to say. And that's, that's never going to change.

Fantastic. Thanks so much. Sally.

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.