Selling keeps you BROKE | with Kash Hasworth

The challenge with a lot of salespeople, and I see this with experienced salespeople, when you're taking so much advice from all these gurus that just create so much fluff just to fill pages, you get—

So how does someone who is in a sales role, like, focus on keeping it as simple as possible and not overthink it?

I would say, number one, I think sales is very similar to that. So the more complex you make it, the uglier the process is gonna be, the uglier the result. You know, a lot of people just really struggle.

Cash Hasworth, welcome to the Book Thinkers Life-Changing Books Podcast. How are you feeling today?

I'm great, man. How are you guys feeling?

Yeah, feeling like a million bucks, man. Enjoying the passage of time. So before we kick things off, let's assume that my audience Or our audience has no idea who you are. They don't know anything about your history, your past, your book, none of it. Introduce yourself. Tell us who you are.

Yeah, Nick, you know, I'm a sales leader. I'm an entrepreneur, published author now. And you know what I do really well, I think, is, is help businesses scale and just help sales professionals really reach the most elite version of themselves by just tapping into that untapped potential.

On page 8 of your book in the introduction, I highlighted something. Having an obsession with selling could be more damaging than helpful. So let's kick off there. Why do you think that?

Yeah, man, look, the reason why the book is titled Selling Keeps You Broke is because people make it more complicated than it needs to be. That's it. You know, I don't know if you guys are in any like sales Facebook group chats or not, But I'm in one and there's, there's, it's purely about objection handling. Okay. And the challenge with a lot of salespeople, and I see this with experienced salespeople, I see it with brand new salespeople, a lot of salespeople would rather be cute and witty. They spend more time trying to be witty than they do trying to be effective.

Hmm.

It's like everybody's competing to see who can be the most witty, and you don't have to be witty to be effective, right? You know, insulting a customer, having some jazzy reply to some objection that's a real concern and a real reservation is not going to win that customer over. So, you know, I'll give you an example. There was a gentleman in this objection handling Facebook group chat, and he He said, you know, how do you guys, how do you guys overcome when you have a customer that says, you know, I don't make decisions same day? And it's flooded with just witty comebacks of how you would overcome that, none of which I thought were very effective. But, you know, one guy said something like, um, what'd he say? Well, Mr. Customer, you know, if, if you went through a drive-through, how long does it take you to make a decision? Right, for a fast food place, insinuating that, you know, if you can make a decision on fast food the same day, that, you know, you can make a decision about a $60,000 solar system same day. And look, I'm a one-sit closer. Like, I would say 100% of my customers— it's got to be at least 99% of customers that I convert over to customers make a decision on the— on my initial visit. When I go out and sit with a homeowner and I educate them on how solar works, those that end up, you know, going solar with me, it was— it took place on the initial visit. So, you know, I'm really good at being able to extract that real reservation, overcome it, and, you know, ask for their business and close it down. You know, a lot of people just really struggle with that. And, you know, I guess that's why they think they have to Continually evolve, being witty and clever and, and just try new ways to, to close the customer down. And, and I think it's way more simplistic and easier than they make it out to be.

Yeah. Oh, Luke, go ahead.

No, I was just gonna follow up on what makes an effective salesperson then.

Well, I think it's a combination of, of a lot of things. Um, number one, you know, in the book I talk about it, The subtitle is called A Holistic Approach to Disruptive Sales Performance to Earn Big. So it's, it's more of this comprehensive kind of approach to it, but it, it, the most elite salesperson is the creator of their own opportunities, right? They understand how to close those customers down and they know how to serve those customers and be a care champ for those customers. Because once you really start to close at a high level and you've mastered being able to create your own opportunities, right? And get your leads and that sort of thing. You also have to understand how to sustain that high level of performance. So, you know, I don't think it's, it's specifically like selling. You know, a lot of times people think of selling in terms of something of, you know, what you do, but I see it as, it's just kind of who you are, not necessarily something that you do. You know, if we were to— if I'm sitting down with, with an accountant that has zero sales experience, I'm no accountant. by any means. So if I get him to sell someone on his services, he's gonna do a much better job than I'm gonna be able to, right? So it's just your wisdom, it's your experience, and it's just kind of who you are, not necessarily something that you do. But, you know, I kind of think of sales in terms of, I don't know if either of you guys have kids or not.

I do. I've got 3. Yes.

What ages?

So my oldest is 6 and my youngest is 2.

Got it, got it. So I got 3 boys, 12, 5, and 2 and a half. But, um, you know, they love watercolors. So every time they get in the bath, they have these watercolors. And, uh, I don't know if your kids have ever played with watercolors or not, but yes, you know, you take a— you drop a blue watercolor and, and it turns this beautiful blue color, and you drop a green one and, you know, it turns into this beautiful turquoise color. And, you know, you continue to add to those colors, you drop a pink and a purple and red, it becomes— the more complicated, the more colors you throw into it, the muddier it gets, right? And I think sales is very similar to that. So the more complex you make it, the uglier the process is gonna be, the uglier the result.

So how does someone who is in a sales role, like, focus on keeping it as simple as possible and not overthink it?

Read the book.

Yeah.

Look, I would say number one, focus on clarity in your message, not necessarily being cute or witty. Um, don't wing it. You know, I see a lot of people that just kind of fumble through the conversation and, and don't really have a clear direction of, of where they want to go in the conversation. And if you don't control the conversation, The customer will do it for you. So it's important to make sure that, you know, you don't leave anything to, to be weaned. So just having clarity in your process and streamline it.

Yeah, one of our first ever podcast guests, his name is Russell Brunson. He's an author, podcaster, entrepreneur, and he says a confused customer always says no. So that's why when I'm selling, I keep that in the back of my head. I want to make things as clear as humanly possible. And so when I present something, even though it takes 2 minutes to present it, I say, hey, any questions for me? And the answer 99% of the time is no. I mean, it makes total sense. And that's the kind of objective that I'm looking for. Cash, I love this idea of keeping it simple. Don't try to be too witty. When I was In college, I ran a house painting business for 2 years. And as part of that experience, I went through sales training with other people running house painting businesses. And I'll remember they taught us an objection handling framework back in the day that I still use today because it's simple and it's not witty. It's restate, isolate, and handle. So if somebody says, I'm not really sure if you can handle the job or you have the experience, I mean, you're a college student. You restate it. Okay, so you're not sure that I can handle it. I'm a college student. You isolate it with an if-then statement. If I can prove to you that I do have the experience to handle this, would you then move forward with me? And if they say no, there are other objections. If they say yes, you know what you have to handle. So you demonstrate experience, you provide testimonials, prove your credibility, and you have the deal done.

Reinforce that value. Yep.

Not fancy. You're just overcoming a simple objection. So you're totally right. I've read 1,000 sales books and a lot of people, they get a little bit too intricate with it.

Well, look, I think the reason why— it's not the salesperson's fault. There's so much fluff out there. And, you know, at the end of the day, when you have these sales gurus, like, they build their business around content. They build their business around courses. They build their, their books around, you know, just adding a ton of fluff. So I get it, you know, when you, when you're taking so much advice from all these gurus that just create so much fluff just to fill pages, you get ineffective results. But I have a very similar kind of structure, and it's one thing that I've always kind of done instinctively. Because I understood that, you know, if I'm going to close a customer down, I might have to truly extract that reservation and overcome it and just reinforce the value and continue to ask for the business. And, you know, I haven't— I've done it instinctively. I didn't always have a cute title for it. Having clear and, you know, cute titles for something helps you streamline it. It helps you train when you're responsible for other salespeople. But, um, that's kind of where the framework came from. But it's very similar to yours, but it's called the EVOC method. E-V-O-C. You extract, you validate, you overcome, you close. So, you know, going back to that example that I gave you guys where a customer said, you know, I don't make decisions same day, what I would do in that situation to be more effective, I would just simply say, look, On a scale of 1 to 10, where do you stand? You know, 10 being great, let's get it in motion, cash. 1 being get out my house. Where do you think you fall? And typically a customer will hit me with, you know, 7, 8, somewhere around there. If their interest level is really low, if they're a 2 or 3, I'm probably moving on to the next opportunity. I'm not spending a lot of time entertaining it. Um, but if they're high, okay, what's that 2, 3 points that's keeping you from actually being a 10? That's my attempt to extract that reservation. And if they say, if they kind of dance around and say, well, you know, I just really want to think about it. But if you had to put a finger on it, what do you think your biggest reservation would be? And kind of force them to, to give you that answer. And you go around in circles a couple times if need be, but once you finally extract it, they're telling you exactly what you need to overcome in order to get that deal closed. So now that they tell me it's price or that they have reservation because they don't know what happens when they move and they have the solar system on their roof and an outstanding loan amount. Um, I tackle that, I reinforce the value, and I ask for the business again. It's that simple.

So Cash, I'd like to take a couple like steps back and ask you about like, how did you first get into sales? Like what led you down that path? I know you had a stint in like doing stuff with wireless cellular phones and stuff, but I would love to hear your, your story around that. How did you get into sales?

Yeah, man. Um, so I started out, like, my first opportunity in just the corporate space, let's say, um, was working for Workforce Career Center. It was more of a, um, a youth program because I didn't have any experience. I didn't have any real positive mentors or any, any positive influence. And, and, um, so I enrolled in this youth program. I did that for about 6 months and it was basically like a youth case manager, but it was short-term. It was just to get some real experience. But shortly after that, um, I started a job in a, in a kiosk in a mall environment. So I was a part-time salesperson, and that way I consider that to be like my real first, first experience, you know, working in the workforce. And, and, um, but yeah, you know, I just came across the opportunity. interviewed with the owner. He hired me on the spot and I started the very next week. And, uh, you know, it was, it was a wrap from there. But, um, you know, at the time the business hadn't been in business for 7 months. And, um, you know, the, the owner, he had been in wireless for quite some time, but, you know, he, he got in at a pivotal point. You know, there was another, um, company that was basically going outta business and he was just backfilling all these vacant locations. And, you know, when I came in, it was growth mode. Like, he had 3 or 4 locations and that was it. And, and he was really just looking to recruit the right leadership that could help him scale up. And, you know, I came in at a, at a beautiful time because, look, I'm not the smartest guy in the room, um, by any means, but, you know, I have a fierce work ethic. And I think one thing that really allowed me to shine above those that, you know, had greater experience and, and had academic degrees and, and so forth was pure grit and just initiative alone. That's it.

Do you think you were naturally good at sales? Like when you got into that role, did it come easy for you?

Absolutely not. No. Um, but coming from the environment that I came from, I knew I didn't want to go back to, you know, the lifestyle that I was living prior to, to Penetrating the corporate space. And I had to make a, had to make a way. I had to make a way. Uh, I had to find a way or I had to make a way. And, um, fortunately, the guy that was training me when I started, he was one of the best reps in the company. Very talented, very charismatic, really good at what he did. And all I did was initially jotted down everything he would say. So he was, he could get anyone to stop that was bypassing the kiosk and talk to this guy. So I just jotted down anytime he said something witty or cute or funny and got someone to stop in their tracks, I just jotted it down and I adopted that to kind of make the most elite version of myself. And, and, um, I didn't think of it in that term at the time, but, um, you know, it's super powerful. being able to identify people that are really good at what they do and they have a skill that you want to possess, understanding that you have the ability to identify those people and those skill sets, knowing with the intentions of adopting that to make it the, the, you know, best version of yourself is really powerful for anyone that, that wants to go a place that's got somewhere to go, you know.

Well, you highlight the downsides of the opposite side of that in the beginning of the book too. I remember you said something about Like, listen, this negative energy, these people around you who are accepting mediocrity, like, even if you don't think that's impacting you, it's a net negative and you've got to be more aware of it. So how do you manage those relationships? I mean, like, if somebody listening today has a friend group or circle or family member or even maybe a spouse who's not positive all the time and maybe bringing you down, like, what are your recommendations there?

Uh, clarity, man. It just goes back to, to, you know, I think our lives would be so much easier if, if we were just clear, if we were consistent, if we were honest in our communications, you know. So setting proper expectations with those people, you know, you can love those people from a distance, but, you know, I think as long as you set clear and honest expectations of what your goals are and where you, where you want to go, You know, I believe they'll appreciate it, you know, and respect it.

So before we hit record, before we actually came into this conversation, I asked Nick about your name, Cash Hasworth. And I was like, dude, that is the— that has to be the coolest name that I have ever heard. And if you're comfortable sharing it, that'd be great. But is that your— is that your— is that what your original name is? Or did you—

Nah, it wasn't my born Given name? No. So my last name, I changed my entire name, first, middle, last.

Okay.

And it really started with my last name. And I'll tell you why. So my mother, she had me when she was 14. And my grandfather, her dad, has never been in our life. And I hadn't. So when my grandmother married one of her husbands, like she's, she's had several, but, but, um, one of her husbands adopted my mom and she naturally inherited the last name Roberson, which was my former last name. So I, I was no blood to any Robersons. I had no connection, no ties to, to the last name Roberson. And I wanted to, at this time when I was exploring changing my name, I wanted to build a name that my kids could be proud of. You know, so at the time I had 2 boys, Harlan and Skyland. So when you, when you dissect Hasworth, the H-A-S, when I was, you know, coming up with it, the H-A-S stands for Harlan and Skyland. So that's kind of the, uh, origination of the name.

Mm-hmm.

And, um, then it, it just got to, I wanted to change my full name. I wanted something that was short, that was memorable, that was one syllable. And that eventually led me to Cash St. Hasworth.

I love that. I brought it up for a couple of reasons, but the main one, you were talking about clarity and I noticed throughout your book, throughout your copy on your website, throughout your social media, you do such an amazing job at choosing very specific words. And one that stood out to me was just like that sales warrior. And I think it's so cool that even with your name, you're making this statement that's more powerful, right? Than Roberson. It's like, has worth. Not only like, it's like cash has worth, like I have worth. And you're telling yourself that every single day. So I just, I love it so much. Is that something that's been natural to you where you're like, hey, I know I need to be careful with the language I use? Like what has gotten you to this point where you're like, that the language is so important?

That's a really good question, and I've never really said in my thoughts about it. Um, I don't know.

I've—

for as long as I can remember, I've always been obsessed with words. I've always been obsessed with, with communication. Um, so, you know, I don't think it was intentional. I don't think I'm very intentional with it. Um, But yeah, you know, I do appreciate someone that can articulate something very well.

Yeah, I think you're one of those people too. Go ahead, Nick. Sorry.

Oh, I mean, it's a, it's a fun subject, like your name and how you chose it and the meaning that it has. I have told a few people this, but a lot of the tattoos that I have, they're forward thinking. They're to prime my subconscious to reroute my thinking to default to better places. And so you know, subconscious programming and neurolinguistic programming and your name. I mean, how cool is that, that it gets to provide value and new meaning? So I'm curious, did you, so your first 2 children, they had your previous last name and then you changed their last names to Hasbro?

Everybody had to have their name changed. It was a nightmare. My wife hated me.

I can only imagine. I actually go by my middle name. It's not as complex as changing my entire name, but that alone has caused like so many little issues and paperwork and everything else. So I can imagine like changing everybody's name. Oh yeah, I'm sure your wife was, um, not too, too happy with it at the beginning.

It was a fun time dealing with mortgages and bills and, you know, all that good stuff.

Yeah, well, my wife is, uh, going through that process right now since we just got married a couple of months ago. Um, real quick, speaking about language one more time, Kash, when I posted your book on our Instagram channel, it sort of took off. So I just pulled up the stats. It's had 150,000 impressions. It's been saved 11,000 times, and that's significantly above average as far as performance goes for posts on Book Thinkers. And so, and it's shared 1,300 times, liked 6,000 times. So I'm curious, what do you think captured everyone's attention? Like, what do you think it was about the language on your book cover that had 150,000 people stop and pay attention to it?

It's a great question. Um, I love seeing those results. That's freaking amazing. But, um, you know, I think it's just, um, the title is almost an oxymoron. So it kind of captures people's attention and gets them to stop and say, wait a second, What? That doesn't even make sense. So I'm guessing it's just that, man. It's, I created the title almost for like clickbait style title.

Yeah. Well, it's worked.

What do you think it is?

Yeah, no, I think it's the same thing. I've actually had a number of conversations with other authors about your title because people will ask me on sales calls, hey, what types of books pop off? What works? And I'll bring up your book as one of those examples and they'll ask me, hey, what do you think it is about this book that made so many people stop and pay attention? And same thing. I mean, you've highlighted the word broke and I would say 95% of people scrolling through Instagram have some form of financial scarcity, financial scarcity-related mindset. And so that word broke, especially being in mostly like a reddish tone. I think it just invokes a primal fear for people and they want to pay attention. That's what I think it is.

I like it.

Yeah. Luke, what about you? What do you think it is?

Yeah, I mean, I agree. I just, like I said just earlier, I'm just blown away by how well you use words. And I think words are so important. As somebody who has struggled with this negative voice over the years in my head, I have really, like, really worked hard over the last, like, 2, 3 years to change all those negative voices. And it is incredible, even that inner critic, that inner voice, as you start to change it and pick different words, how much different you show up on a daily basis. So when people, when I see people like you write a book that is so intentional and then on your website, it's so intentional, all the copy, I'm just always like grateful for it and blown away by it. So I think that, yeah, that whole, that Selling Keeps You Broke, like it's just a genius title because it does, it gets you to think like what What are you talking about? Isn't sales, isn't that the exact opposite? Doesn't sales make you wealthy? So like, what are, um, with that, with the Selling Keeps You Broke, like, why did you particularly use that wording? I know you said you tried to go for something like clickbaity, but was there, was there something more than that? Is there, you talk about, I've heard you talk about the difference between like selling and sales and maybe that's, that's a piece of it, but I'll let you elaborate on it.

Yeah. I mean, there's a clear distinction between selling. You don't get paid for selling, right? You get paid for closing. So, and once you close, you have a sales transaction. So it— I don't want people to get confused. I'm not saying that sales keeps you broke. I'm saying that selling by, by making it more complicated than it needs to be is, is really is what keeping you behind and, and keeping you in this place of average. So, but, um, yeah, I, I do want to touch on one thing.

Yes.

You know, Luke, because I'm not perfect by any means. You know, I, I certainly have a lot of flaws. And, and, you know, one thing that I've always done since I could remember, you know, I appreciate the compliments on my writing ability. And, and I've always told myself that I write better than I speak. And, you know, I've always been terrified of, of speaking from a stage and doing like these podcasts and for fear that I had to have everything written out and I had to memorize it and I really had to just perfect it because again, I have such an appreciation for just well-articulated communication. And, and, um, you know, I think it starts with you got to start telling yourself that, that you speak better than you write. So whatever, whatever negative voices that you have, just flip it and start telling yourself the, the truth that you want to be your truth. You know, I believe that, you know, who you are is who you want to be. And who you want to be is who you have to be now.

Well, you have a really cool cadence to your voice and a cool voice. So step into that 1,000%. Has, uh, has the podcast circuit helped you a little bit as far as articulating your message with your voice?

Yeah, most certainly.

For sure.

Yeah.

You know, that's why I've jumped out of there and just started doing a ton of videos and, you know, you gotta, the only time you're going to grow is when you step into discomfort, you know. I'm sure all of you guys know that. Like, it's when, when you, when you challenge and push boundaries, those boundaries expand and you get better. That's the reality.

Yeah.

So, uh, and I think that's one thing that really has allowed me to be able to sell so effectively is, you know, when I first started in that kiosk, you know, I was, I was I was a horrible salesperson. Um, but, and, you know, I'd say in a kiosk environment, like my personality, I'm more of an introvert. Like a lot of times I'm happier talking to myself than when I am to other people. You know, I'm that guy that I'd much rather be in like a laid-back lounge than some club somewhere. Uh, it's just draining for, for my personality. But, um, You know, working in a kiosk environment, like those that really thrive have a, just a high energy and, and just absolutely love talking to people. And it, it just didn't fit my personality. But I understood that if I was gonna be successful here, right? If I was gonna, you know, and make a healthy living in it and, you know, ascend to the levels that I wanted to get to within this organization. I had to make it happen. So no one pushed me out there and said, hey, you gotta, you gotta talk to X number of people a day. It's just something that I knew I had to do if I was going to be successful. So I just stepped out there, and as much as I hated it, as much as, you know, there was so much discomfort into talking to complete strangers, um, I knew that I had to figure it out if I was going to be successful there. And just started doing it, you know.

Yeah. One final thought on this for everybody listening is that in Cash's book on page 84, he has an exercise that he calls the 100-Shot Shakeup. So if you're somebody who has a tough time speaking to other people, this is a really interesting challenge. I won't spoil it or, Cash, have you tell everybody a little bit too much about it, but just know if you're listening today and you struggle with talking to other people, this is a really cool framework to follow to sort of Get out of that comfort zone a little bit more consistently and through repetition, decrease the discomfort.

1,000%. And, you know, that same exercise is one thing that, that I certainly cherished as we were scaling up the, the wireless locations. Um, so I made all of our leaders, like any new hire that was brought into the organization as, as an entry-level sales rep, Like they had to get out there and they had to speak to 100 people a day and just to step into that discomfort. And, you know, not everyone was comfortable with it and we lost a lot of employees because of it. Um, but those that truly want to be successful understand that they're just gonna have to, you know, step into that discomfort and make it happen.

I love that you are a proclaimed introvert and you still went after it because so many people use that as an excuse to not go out and do something. So do you have— did you have— I mean, you have that, um, that 100-shot exercise, but did you have anything at the time that was propelling you forward except for like this desire that, oh, I have to do this or I have nothing? Like, what was— what was— what were you thinking at the time that got you to step out, that got you to get outside of your comfort zone? Because I feel like so many people just, they don't They don't have the, the drive. They're just like, well, if I don't, you know, I can still go home and I can still sleep and I'll be fine. So what was, what was your thing that kept you going?

Man, I didn't have kids at the time. Um, you know, today my why is purely my kids and, and my wife, but I don't know, man. You know, I grew up in a rough environment. You know, prior to, to me taking on that opportunity, I was just coming home from prison. I spent 2 years in prison because of, of the lifestyle and, and, and just the people that I had around me and, and my own stupidity, you know? But I got, I would say what really shifted my perspective. And transform, you know, how I attacked what I wanted to breathe life into was just being close to death. Um, not me personally, but I lost my best friend, my childhood friend, um, shortly after I came home from prison. And, um, man, like, the guy's name is Jordan and, and, um, We were literally together every single day growing up, like to the day I got incarcerated. And, um, you know, losing somebody that close to you, it, it hurts, man. And it puts a lot of things into perspective that we only have one life here. We are gonna die. Like, that's, that's the reality of it. So, you know, for all of us, we have to live life on our terms and, and no one else's. And I decided that my terms was to be the best version of myself and to go out and win.

So if you could go talk to the Cash version of yourself prior to incarceration, uh, would he have listened to this message? Would he have listened to you? Would he have said, oh, this guy's just blowing smoke? Or would he say, hmm, maybe there's something a little bit more out there for me? How would you get through to that person?

That's a great question.

Because I'm sure there are a lot of people, let me add some more context while you think about it. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there right now who, because I wonder this a lot about, about these types of people, authors like yourself who write amazing books. It's like, would you have listened to yourself? Like what, what could get you to listen to yourself? What type of messaging?

I would like to think that I would. Um, you know, I don't want to spend 2 hours going into my story and my upbringing and whatnot, but, you know, I, I never glorified— like, it was— I inherited the lifestyle that I was living. It was just the family that I grew up in. And, um, so it's not something that idea to, to go out and have fun. And I don't know, it, it, it's tough to say, you know. Um, but you know what I would say is I've never glorified that kind of lifestyle. So I would like to say that, that I would, I would listen and take it seriously. But you know, when, when that's all that you know and that's your reality, it's difficult to say.

I think it's so impressive that someone like you who grew up in a rough environment pulled themselves out of it. So many people can't. So many people like just get lost in it and stuck in it. And, um, I'm just glad that, that you were able to, to pull yourself out. And, you know, do you think there was, there was something— I mean, you kind of alluded to it a little bit, but Do you think it was just because of something innate inside of you that you're like, hey, I know this isn't who I am, so I'm gonna pull myself out of it? Or do you think it was like learned over time as you were in this environment that you were like, eh, I don't know if I wanna keep going down this path?

Yeah, no. Um, you know, I've had people around me that they'll tell you that, you know, my thought process is, has always been what it is today. It's just, it was grounded in a much different environment and I didn't know how to escape that environment. So I, I would say it's, it's just innate, um, just an innate ability to, to, to, you know, change my results. But yeah.

That's, that's awesome. Oh, so, so now you have, uh, your company, right? It's Solar Ignite.

Yep.

Is that the right— okay. So how did you go from, um, how'd you go from selling wireless to founding your own company? Like, where can you bridge that gap a little for us?

Sure. Yeah, man. So we spent, what, we were in the wireless industry for a strong 11 years, somewhere around there, and, and, uh, did extremely well. We were the number one dealer. We were essentially like a franchise, right? I don't know if you guys have ever heard of Intellos Wireless or not, but they're like a small-scale kind of Sprint or Verizon. And, uh, they only operated in a— they had a 4-state footprint here around Virginia. And, um, we did that for about 11 years, scaled that company up. We were their number— we were the number one dealer by sales volume, so did extremely well. Intellos ended up getting acquired by Sprint. So we went through that acquisition, uh, because at that point they were basically just bringing on all the dealers that were Intellios over to Sprint, and, you know, it was business as usual. But, um, about 18 months into that, Sprint's no longer around, right? They merged with T-Mobile. So that was basically the demise of, of the company that, that I was working for. Um, and I found myself in the marketplace, you know, on— at the end of that, I was the VP of Sales, basically running the company. The owner You know, he was, he was very absentee. He let me run the company and my wife, she did payroll and HR and, and, you know, he didn't have to do anything. So, but I say that to say, this was all we knew for the last over a decade. And then immediately after he decided to, you know, sell the company and dissolve it, I was in the marketplace going from, you know, $130,000, $150,000, um, to zero over overnight, and it was like back to zero. But at this point, it's not really back to zero because you got all these bills because you, you know, adjusted to, to having that kind of income coming in. And, um, I actually started working for a solar company. It was a, uh, very large solar company experiencing explosive growth, and, and, um, did really well there. Uh, I was a sales rep for those guys for about a year and a half. And, um, I was their number one rep first year out of like 400-some-odd people. So, you know, those skills transferred over very well. But, um, shortly thereafter they went under. So at this point I had nearly tripled my income, making over $300K, and I'm back in the marketplace once again, going back to zero. And, uh, you know, at this point I decided to, to take things into my own hands. And, you know, I realized that if I want something sustainable and, and have more control over, over my livelihood, then I just need to start my own company. And, and that's, that's where it was birthed.

That's amazing. Was there a particular reason that you chose renewable energy?

Well, you know, I, I wanted something that was a no-brainer. Solar's a no-brainer to me. I wanted something that, you know, had pretty, pretty decent, um, earning potential, which solar has, and something that just has explosive growth opportunity. And solar just checked all those boxes. And I had some buddies that were already in the industry, and they had been in the industry for 6 months to a year at this point prior to me coming on. And, and, um, these guys are brothers to me, so. You know, they got me an interview and, and I was in overnight. So, uh, that was a pretty easy transition, but terrifying when, when, when it feels like your world's falling apart when, when, uh, you're unemployed, you know?

Yeah, absolutely. And, um, I think so many people just have, uh, I've talked to actually some friends recently that are like, oh, I really want to start a business, but it's like they don't know what to get into. So that's why I wanted to ask that question. Cause I'm like, oh, maybe, maybe you had some, a little bit of insight there when, so At what part of your journey did you decide, okay, I'm going to write a book?

It's always been a bucket list. I write content nearly every day. So when I sat down to actually write the book, it barely took me any time at all because I had years of content where I'd put content on paper for courses and, you know, training videos and quotes. And like, I had the framework there. Um, I just kind of had to fill in a lot of the gaps. So, you know, I've been writing this book for the last 15 years, but, um, I just never sat down and really put my head in it to, to make it happen.

Oh, I love that. The last 15 years, 15 years of knowledge condensed into an easy-to-read format and awesome formula. And I really love a lot of the frameworks that you have. We're coming up to 45 minutes, so I don't know, I was gonna ask some questions around the framework, but Nick, did you have anything that you wanted to ask?

Yeah, I mean, I guess as we wrap up here, Kash, what else can people like do with you? Uh, are there courses available? Do you plan on making any available related to your, your book? Are there more books coming? Uh, speaking anywhere? Like, what's next for you?

Yeah. Um, I don't have any courses or, or, uh, anything lined up for me personally. I do have a very big endeavor that I'm very passionate about. Um, it's gonna be targeting kids and helping expose them to information that's not traditionally taught in the classroom environment.

Love that.

So I'm insanely excited about that. Um, so be expecting, you know, follow me on, on Instagram. That's, that's where I engage the most. And, um, you know, you can also pick up some, some bite-sized nuggets to, to, uh, take your skillset, your sales ability to the next level. But to, to stay up to date on that, Be sure to gimme a follow.

Awesome, man. Yeah, we'll link that down below. Well, Luke, I know you always wrap up the podcast with your famous last question, so I know we're trying to get the pod a little bit shorter. Maybe we just hit Cash with it now.

Yeah, sure, sure thing. All right, Cash, this is the final question for you, and it's this. You pass away and all the information that you put out disappears. It goes away. Nothing that you've left is there, but You can leave the world with one single piece of advice. What would that be?

Hmm. Look, I would say, I think one thing that is, I truly believe that if you just have extreme initiative and a strong sense of, of just give a damn. Right? If you care, you'll do really well. You know, I think initiative alone is, is more valuable than any academic degree could ever imagine. So I would say take extreme initiative and, and, and also expect the same out of those that you work with and, and come across. You know, people want to be surrounded by people that care, and I believe that the easiest way to show people that you care is, is Just to take initiative when, when others are, are disengaged and care less. You know, it's, it's being proactive versus reactive.

I love that. Take initiative. Yeah. Simple, simple advice. Easier said than done. But that's definitely something that I try to, try to do in my life too, is just, just like you said, just give a damn and, and care, care about people. Well, gosh, I appreciate your time on the podcast today. It's been great getting to know you a little bit. Great getting to To learn from you. And I guess you already said go to your Instagram. Is there anywhere else that people can find you that are listening?

Yeah, I'm on all social media handles.

Okay.

So everything's at Cash Has Worth.

Easy to remember. I love it. All right. Well, thanks. Appreciate your time.

Yes, sir. Thanks, fellas.