Everyday Entrepreneur - Jason Heinritz - Wake Up Jesus People - S2 E12

Welcome everybody to another episode of the Pulpery Place Podcast Show. I'm your host, Paul H. Flowers Jr., and we're coming to you with another segment in the Everyday Entrepreneur Series. Now I've got the absolute pleasure of bringing to you The one, the only, uh, this gentleman has been a champion in the direct sales space and is now taking on a new turn with the 40 Fords Challenge. I wanna bring to you the founder, Mr. Jason Heinrichs. Jason, how are you, my friend?

I'm fantastic, Paul. How are you?

A beautiful day in proverbial Hollywood, like I love to share. Uh, though we're actually just, uh, neighbors cross-border. I moved over to Gary, Indiana by way of Chicago. And you have on a Rockin' with the Packers jersey, baby. We are property of the Packers today. All right. But there's no animosity, man. It's always love. And that's the beautiful thing about just the space that we're in, the place that we're in, is that we can always have a good, thoughtful, and value-driven conversation. Again, regardless of where we are across the globe. So really happy to have you, really happy to have the listeners more importantly. That can learn from listening to you. So let's just start off with most recently, most pressing, you know, really what's there for you right now at the seat and at the helm of the 40 Forged Challenge. If we could dive into that, what it means, where it got its origins, and where you see this thing taking off.

Sure. So, yeah, diving right into 40 Forged. So let me start off with— I'm a big Jesus guy. My, my wife and I lead young adults ministry at church. And so I've been in the direct sales field for a while. I have, you know, been a Jesus guy my whole life, but kind of dabbled in and out and, you know, kind of coasted at times and that. But what I found is that there's so many people searching for more, more happiness, more peace, more joy. And there's all these challenges for like fitness and for business and health. But there hasn't really— I haven't really seen a lot of these faith type challenges. And so basically what I did is I took 75 Hard, which is super popular, and I made a Jesus version of it, essentially. And it is just an all-out 40-day challenge to level up, uh, mentally, physically, and spiritually. And so I do find that there's a lot of very successful business people, entrepreneurs, people who are still kind of lost in their purpose or their faith or their true, like, like, um, I guess, purpose in life. And then also there's a lot of great faith people who are broke or who are, um, just not healthy. And it's— there's this— there isn't a good balance, I find, in a lot of people's lives to have all of them going well together. So this challenge— not sure how deep you want me to go into the specifics of it, but it's a 40-day challenge to get right spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Again, it's going to be always, Jason, up to you, as much as you'd like to share. Of course, we're gonna give some space at the end for the listeners to find a way to actually take part in the 44 Challenge and also how to find you through social media, etc. So with question, as much as you want to deliver, please, my friend, give the audience the value that they're listening for.

So yes.

Let's, uh, let's dive right into a couple of things. The space that you're in right now, right, your pre-launch in terms of your book that's coming out here in just a few weeks. So let's go ahead and shout out the title one time.

Yep, it's Wake Up Jesus People. The subtitle is Life-Giving Disciplines to Awaken the Warrior Within. That's coming out at the end of May. And then right now I do have the journal The journal is out and it is available. And, uh, that's— it's kind of funny how I started writing the book a couple years ago, and as I was doing it, just, I kept— God kept like these little like sprinkles of, how about this, how about that? And I just kind of listened. And so there's the journal that goes with the book, and then the 40 Forge that came out of it as well. I was actually leading a discipleship group at church for a good, uh, year, and I was giving them all this stuff and then sharing all these all these tips and just like disciplines and morning routines. And at the end, I'd give them this challenge. And as I was writing the book, I realized I don't even have that in the book. So it's funny how some of these last add-ons to the book was adding on the journal and, and adding in the 40 Forge Challenge. Um, but yeah, I'm in the phase of, um, we're in our fourth round currently of the 40 Forge Challenge. I do 6 of them a year, and we're in full force. Promote the journal and then build a launch team in the book space. So there's more eyeballs as it launches here in about a month.

Love it. I love it. Now, we're in a space now where the world is in a unique place, we'll say, when it comes to religion, when it comes to politics, when it comes to education, and all of the above. There's this crazy intersection where some things you can talk about, and others are just totally taboo. So you decided, wake up, Jesus people, was a theme, a topic, a title, and a way that you could actually bring this to the market unabashedly, quite frankly. And I'd really like to hear where that comes from for you. Where was that, that, that spirit that said that this is the title, and this is how I'm going to bring my faith to the forefront.

Yeah, totally. So when it comes to that, I do feel like, you know, Christianity has a bad connotation about it. I feel like too many people are focused on the rules and regulations of religion, which is where I feel a lot of the struggle, a lot of the judgment, a lot of the hate comes from. But if we're following Jesus, and if you watch— and if you watch The Chosen—

Chosen—

it's like, gosh, it's so good. Jesus is all about love. And you know, there's so many people that are like spiritual and they're like finding their truth and all these things that really just come down to love. And really what Jesus like wanted was love others and love him. And so as Jesus people, which is what I like to call in the, in the church I come from, likes to call us, is we aren't, we, yes, we're Christians, but what the devil wants all these denominations to hate on each other. And we're all nitpicky and hating on different things of people and how they do things and different rules and regulations. But how, how about we get to like, what we can agree upon is Jesus is the way. Um, we love him, he loves people. And the closer— and like, I feel the more I can be like him, Jesus, and less like me, the better I'm going to be. The better husband, the better father, the better leader. And so when it comes to waking up, we're coasting in life. And again, I'm generalizing, but a lot of, a lot of Christians, you know, they're Sunday Christians. And heck, even priesters, right, going to church on Christmas and Easter. And that's not the way Jesus designed it. You know, we're supposed to be doing life together in community, supporting each other, loving each other. And whether you're a Jesus person or not, just having that in your life makes life so much more fruitful. And so being able to challenge people to wake up and not coast and not be these just Sunday Christians where they go to check off the box— that's not what it is. It's, it's the relationship. It is the working to be better and, uh, dive in and learn the Bible more and pray more and worship music more and all that to help you be just a better person and better leader in general. So for sure, the book's all about waking up with morning routines, evening routines, disciplines, being courageous, doing challenges, um, just doing these things that is biblical, but also that is not a specific, just denomination specific. It's just Jesus specific. And I think most people can agree that Jesus was an amazing guy and a great leader, whether they believe he rose and died again or not. And, um, all people go to church can obviously understand that about Jesus also. So that's why, um, kind of been all up in people's face of wake up, why we're not here just to like sit around. Like, we're meant to be— to, you know, make disciples and love others and love him.

I love it. I love it. So, uh, that brings to mind a verse in scripture, Matthew 7:7, I believe. Uh, ask and you shall find. Uh, excuse me, ask and— oh goodness, it's funny, it's hit me just— he can—

you shall find.

Speaking— you shall find. I don't know why I'm getting ask, seek, and knock. Out of order, right? Um, thank you so much. All right, but ask, seek, and knock, Matthew 7:7. Okay, you know what, now I'm gonna have to, to make sure that I've got this one down, right? Because I've used it and I want to make sure that I'm not saying it out of context. Again, absolutely, absolutely. So admittedly, I hadn't, uh, my Bible on today, but right, here we go. Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened unto you. So in that, that particular verse kind of sticks out to me when I heard your share recently, only because I've of course did a little bit of research. So I know some of the history in terms of your, your career progression and the direct sales side. So that particular verse seems to have a certain marriage with your success in your direct sales company. If you would tell us how faith within a direct sales organization— and you can mention the company and your success— or mention how and how your faith has helped you to structure that organization and continue to drive it through still on today.

Sure. Yes, I'm a district manager with Cutco Cutlery. So it's high-end kitchen products and all that. And it's great. I started as a rep in 2004, like 21 years ago. I crushed it, loved it, and it's been amazing to be able to kind of be a seed plant. You know, I like to plant seeds with others and, you know, invite them to church or share with them, hey, how you can be a great manager and leader and still have a lot of faith. And also in a direct sales company, obviously with less, you know, politics and, you know, overshadowing of what the rules are, you know, more freedom as a independent contractor, you know, we're able to share about our faith and they're not coming in and I'm preaching to them, but definitely in conversations I'm bringing that up and talking about what I feel has got me through struggles, what I feel has helped keep me strong in the ups and downs of direct sales. And just like for me, my anchor, my rock is Jesus. And so it doesn't have to be everyone's. I believe it should be, but obviously everyone's on their own journey. But it's like that's got me through all the tough times and believing in things and having those biblical rocks of the verses that come to mind that keep you strong. And that when you have a bunch of nos in a row, like, hey, it doesn't matter. Like, you know, God will provide. And just going into these moments of struggle and just, man, having so much more peace and joy when Jesus is a part of it. That's for sure got me through for over two decades. But, you know, recently, I don't know if you wanna go down this path at all, but, you know, for me being a Jesus guy, you know, it's very easy in direct sales to work your butt off and to never stop working, especially as an entrepreneur. And really over the last 4 or 5 years when I just started cleansing, meaning I was focused for almost 2 decades on building my kingdom, Jason's kingdom, his success, his Hall of Fame stuff. But, you know, you— I mean, people may have heard in other podcasts and with celebrities and successful athletes that they get to that point, they're like, is this it? Isn't there more? And so I felt like after just years of grinding and building— and yes, I'm glad I worked hard. Yes, I'm so thankful for my opportunity. But just over the last 4 or 5 years, it's been a cleansing from, hey, this is my job. This is not my identity. Jesus is my identity. I'm going from building my kingdom to his kingdom and the peace and the joy that comes with that. And then being able to cut it off, especially with two young kids, 5-year-old and 3-year-old, that, hey, Daddy's done at 5 o'clock with working because I'm focused on you as my family and be able to have Sabbaths and take Sundays off. And in my 20s, it was just grind time every day. It was like 12-hour days and I loved it, but it was draining. It wasn't sustainable. And as you get older with kids and different focuses, you got to, you got to kind of, kind of change gears. And so it's been a blessing, but also a little bit of a curse, the 20s and 30s. And thankfully, I've come out of that. And now it's just amazing, flexible opportunity that I can inspire and help and lead young people. I mean, really, people of all ages, but about two-thirds of our workforce are like college age, and then still be able to have the time and income to be able to be with the church and be with the family and, and, uh, all that.

Well, let's talk about that for a bit. Family.

Yep.

How would you say your relationship in-house has been impacted over the last couple of decades by your entrepreneurial journey? And of course, feel free to transition with bringing in children and going forward and growing forward as now a family and a father of two.

For sure. Yeah. So in, in direct sales and entrepreneurship, right, we talk about having things like a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. So I find like preaching to them on what's possible and not, you know, and just giving them encouragement and also learning how to just have conversations with them. They're only kids, but still, it's sales. Everything is sales. What do you think we're doing when we're having our kids eat their vegetables and go to bed on time? Absolutely selling them. On the value of that. And I'm able to have these real conversations with, you know, the, the what's going to happen if they do or don't listen. And it's— and also with my wife as well, being able to have those conversations, just going coaching thousands of reps and having thousands of conversations with people has really helped me be more confident and aware of what's really going on here. What might they be feeling? How can we get to the root of this and how can we have a productive conversation and really kind of set them up? Because when I think about all the baby reps I've trained to sell Cutco, well, you have babies, now toddlers who like, I'm teaching them how to live and how to think and that's been super helpful. And also just to treat my house like a business, if you will, like, you know, my wife and I try to have,, you know, you know, business meetings, if you will, like meetings of what's the schedule like, what's for dinner this week, what are our upcoming trips, what's our budget, right? And if businesses have these weekly meetings or these business meetings, quarterly meetings, I mean, a marriage is pretty important. And to have that, uh, have them on the same page and plan that out, um, has been, has been great. So, um, also anything I can kind of hire out for me. My goal in the business is to elevate and duplicate myself. And so if I can pay someone less than I'm worth per hour to do something that gives me more freedom and more time with my family, well then that's worth it to me to hire and help out a young entrepreneur like Leo, our guy who does our— he is like 15 and does our yard and mowing. And sure, it's $20 or $30, Sure, I could do it, but why would I spend all that time doing that every week when I could spend more time with the family? Or if I can put my time and hours into more productive, result-producing hours than mowing, mowing a lawn, for example.

Absolutely, absolutely. And again, time is the only essentially currency that we actually have. Money is just a byproduct of how we spend it. So I'm gonna go back to a little bit in terms of the origins for you When deciding to go into the direct sales industry, was this your first direct sales opportunity? And tell us about what made you stick and stay so long.

Sure. Well, yeah, it was my first opportunity. I got a letter in the mail. I threw it away, actually threw my first letter. This is back in 2004. And then a couple weeks later, I got a second letter. So they, you know, they, they do pursue and we send out mailers to, um, to students. And so thankfully they sent a second. Letter because I threw away my first one and I got started. My parents weren't too keen on it. You know, they were a little unsure. My dad's a very blue-collar, you know, labor guy who does— he's been like an electrician his whole life. And so they were a little concerned when I started. But yeah, I didn't break any records when I started. I really struggled. I almost quit twice when I broke down. All the money I was like, like the time for training and driving to appointments and gas money and stuff, back in the day. Now we do a lot of things virtually, but it was like, man, I don't know if I can do this. And so I just, I was a hard worker. I was team captain of football and track in high school, not because I was super gifted, you know, athletically, but because I worked hard and I wanted to do my best in whatever I did. And I just, I just didn't feel good knowing I could do more and I wasn't putting forth my best effort. So That in sports transitioned into Cutco, and I was just like, man, why are all these people kicking my butt? Like, what's going on? So I kept showing up to meetings. I kept learning. I just didn't give up. And I went to conferences. I was blown away by this awesome— just, it just— Cutco became my sport, and it allowed me to see what I was worth. And what I loved is, you know, before Cutco, I was working at Culver's. $8 an hour, never got a pay raise or promotion in 2 years. And man, I could grill those burgers, man, I could mop those floors.

Absolutely.

But I mean, life skills and the feeling I got when I overcame an obstacle or when I hit the next promotion or I got that next praise at a team meeting, it just, that was, it was intoxicating. It was for sure addicting. And so, Um, that's what made me stick with it. And they have so many carrots, they have to, because I feel like quitting pretty much every month and sometimes, um, every week because it's tough. Leadership is tough. Entrepreneurship is tough. Anyone could punch in and punch out or pay someone else. There's nothing wrong with that. But it's why, you know, again, you know, it can be so rewarding and so challenging to be a leader and to be in, uh, to be an entrepreneur because it's, it's up to you. And so Yeah, it's been, it's been a fun ride, but they have a lot of carrots dangling, a lot of trips, a lot of bonuses. And now, you know, what's cool is entrepreneurship and indirect sales is, is if you build it right, right, you can, you can give yourself more time and more freedom and develop other people to help you run the, the organization as well.

Absolutely. Now with that, I'm going to touch on a few things, man. This is really good. So there is essentially A story comes to mind where a gentleman is asking for help because the area is flooding, right? And of course, there's several versions of the story. And he's asking God for help. Of course, the boat comes by first, right? You know, and then the helicopter, and then next thing you know, he's at the pearly gates asking God, hey, why didn't you help me? God's like, hey, man, I sent the neighbor to warn you, a boat to get you out of there, and a helicopter. Like, what else did you want me to do? Right, but in, in this instance, God sent that letter and said, hey, let's, let's go ahead and give Jason a second chance, right? Opportunity doesn't always knock twice. So what would you say to those entrepreneurs out there who maybe didn't get it right the first time and have the opportunity to take on entrepreneurship again? How would you advise them to or not to take that next step?

Yeah, I, so I believe when you put your mind to it, especially if you have faith as well, like a lot of things are possible that we didn't think are possible. But also we do have our own God-given gifts. And so I think it may not be that entrepreneurship isn't for someone, but that maybe that area of entrepreneurship, right? Just like there's dozens of ways to make money in real estate, right? But like, which one? You know, are you flipping houses? Are you fixing them up? Are you renting them out? Are you doing Airbnb? Like there's so many different ways to do it. So I'd say if someone really wants to get into entrepreneurship, be ready to bust your butt, kicked in the teeth, be ready to feel discouraged and to be hated on because it's different and people question going against what the norm is. But I would say don't give up if you feel like it's, you know, God's put on your heart or you have the talent for it or You just, you have a passion for it, and that's a big thing. You have to have a passion for it, and you have to make money from it too. I mean, it's great to be an entrepreneur, entrepreneur, but if you're not making money from it, unless if it's just a side hustle and you have your main income, to go all in on something can be a big risk if you don't have some backups or some other income sources. So be ready for entrepreneurship. A lot of times you lose money in the beginning, and for it to be months if not years before you start building up the, uh, the income from it. But make sure you love it and make sure then you're also good at it. So get feedback. I would say as you're getting started, if you're opening up a restaurant, get feedback on how is it. Your massage therapist, how is it? If you're a hairdresser, how is it? If you're a financial planner, right? The list could go on of how are you doing. And if the feedback is like, if it's good, well then great, you're on the right path. If it's not, question How do I become good? Or maybe I need to switch and change directions and do something different. And just because, you know, you're running a great podcast, right? Doesn't mean everyone should do a podcast and everyone should write a book. Not everybody should be in direct sales. So kind of find your niche. You know, there's lots of ways to be an entrepreneur and there's no one size fits all. Just like workouts and diets, like it's hard to give a general, here's what's right for you. You know, it's like test all this stuff to find out what, how does your body work? How does your body respond? And then adjust accordingly because not everyone should be a vegan, not everyone should be in the carnivore diet. Everyone should work out in different ways. So that's what I would say is be ready to get your, your butt kicked, but work hard and don't give up. And be aware if you have to, if you, if you have to pivot.

Well, excellent and very well said. And of course, this is The Everyday Entrepreneur, not necessarily the everyday employee. Uh, and we will promote, of course, entrepreneurship, but just like you said, it's not for everyone. And being a student of the direct sales industry, I realize also that there's a heavy amount of influence when it comes to keeping an open mind and actually mind expansion by way of personal development. Uh, could you share with us along your journey, how with Cutco specifically, some of the personal development books that were shared with you along your journey and how those have helped you to shape who Jason is today.

Yeah, I mean, there's a ton of them. There's, um, I mean, I've read, I mean, hundreds of books, I'd say. There's, um, hmm, anything specific? I mean, really just getting in direct sales, another big thing about that is it opened me to personal growth. I'd never really read a book. Before direct sales because I wanted to. It was because I had to for, for school. So when I started learning and hearing about some of these early books, and you know, there's the, you know, there's a Think and Grow Rich and the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and some classics in there. But I mean, I would say, um, yeah, I'd say, well, the Miracle Morning is a big one by Hal Elrod, and that's really like a— my Wake Up Jesus People is kind of a spin-off of that, more of a Jesus version of it. There's a lot of that kind of stuff in there. Okay. Um, that was huge. Of course, the Bible is huge for me. Absolutely. When it comes to— I mean, the— man, the, the E-Myth, um, I believe that's by Dan Hardy. That was really good. I mean, there's so many. I can look back and like, there's almost any book I've read, I've been able to take something out of it. And, and it's like, great, I read 300 pages to get that one thing out of it, but that one big thing could have been a game changer. That's where it's hard to think of like one main book that that really did it for me. Um, there are different points in my journey, different points in my career that different books helped. And I'd say just keep growing and keep finding those, those books. Keep reading. There's— it's so cool nowadays with technology, there's so much. Everything's at our fingertips to learn, a podcast or, or a book. And it's, it's, it's amazing. So there's so many, so many things out there. But yeah, personal growth is a huge part of, um, Direct Sales and, and the journey here. Because man, if I'm, if I'm limited on what I know, it's, it's not, it's not very pretty. There's a lot, a lot I still have to learn, a lot I have learned from other people and tried to implement.

I mean, at this point you seem like a very well-rounded, a very outspoken person. Again, running your family like a business, running your business in the way that it should be, and also being able to bring faith to and through every aspect of your life. So I'm curious, when it comes to speaking out boldly, you know, about faith online. Uh, yep. Have you faced any backlash, and how do you keep grounded, you know, in the face of that?

Sure. One, I would say anytime you have a strong opinion, you are going to have some backlash. And are you going to focus on the, you know, 90% that's usually positive or the 10% that's negative? That's, that's in general. I'd say when it comes to faith, I've been very strategic in who I follow and who I hang out with. So sure, I have a lot of followers or people that I don't maybe know what their religious aspect is, but what I find too is if I'm following the whole Jesus is love and I'm a Jesus person, not a Christian— or I'm not Christian, obviously— but it's like, I'm not posting things like, you're going to hell if you're supporting this. Like, that is not going to win anyone to Jesus. That's only going to turn them off. So when I'm sharing what I found to be great and how this has helped me, how this has helped me bring more peace and joy, or how this, this, this Jesus movie was really inspiring. It's hard to argue with that or to have backlash because it's a positive, it's a positive, just, hey, just so you know, or here's what I've experienced. It's hard to argue someone's story. I can't tell my story without talking about Jesus. And so to be able to say that and not be up in people's face of like against them, but yet just share my, my story, my experience. People can choose to like that or not. They can choose to follow it or not. And I've had lots of people unfollow and unfriend me, and I'm fine with that because of the people who do. That's my audience. And that's where there's for sure people who I've unfriended and unfollowed because I just— it wasn't bringing me peace and joy. That's— if you hear me a lot, that's my barometer of like What is— is this person, does this situation bring me peace and joy? If yes, great. If not, see ya. Not in a negative way or a mean way, it's just I don't have time, I don't have enough energy to, to deal with all this other stuff. And there's also people you're not gonna— right, you're not gonna be able to say the right thing to the wrong person. You can't say the wrong thing to the right person.

Right person.

Why am I going to argue with some troll or some person that is Obviously I'm not going to win them over, and maybe I'm just the seed plant for someone, right? You know, the, the harvest is plenty, right? That the field is, is large, and maybe by one post that aggravated someone, you know, they see 100 other posts and maybe finally they check out church. I don't know. But we aren't meant to— God didn't, you know, we— our job as Jesus people is not to go and win everyone to Jesus. It's just to live your best life while making a lot of mistakes, as close as you can to the way of Jesus. And as people watch and they see, and they see the marriages and the kids and the fruit and the happiness, they should want to desire that and be coming to us to ask about it. Not my one thing up in their face or one political point of view or that is going to, you know, change someone's whole whole mindset.

You brought up a family again. So we're gonna steer there for just a sec. Your father now, you share with me, you've got, again, two lovely littles. Yep. 5 and 3.

Yep.

And when it comes to being a parent, that adds a whole additional layer of complexity to everything, quite frankly, who you identify as, as a person, how you identify as a spouse, a community leader, a servant. So tell us, Jason, how is fatherhood for you? How has that shaped how you view leadership, both in a spiritual way, as well as an entrepreneurial way?

Yeah, I know what love finally is. I, I was pretty, pretty rude. I wouldn't say rude. I was pretty direct. I'm still pretty direct. Back before kids, I was way less graceful when it came to when people had family things or, or if they had kids. I just didn't get it, and then I didn't understand. So now that I have kids, I understand truly the love, um, there, but also how much, you know, it brought a whole new perspective to faith too, which I can go there for a second of, man, to just think about how much Jesus loves us now Um, like, I knew he loved us, but now when I think he, like, he loves me as much as I love my, my boys— are you kidding me? So it just brings that so much, so much more powerful. And so, um, that's been huge when it comes to just bringing more love, softening my heart too, to be a better husband, um, as well, toward, towards my wife, um, trying to be a little less cold-hearted, I'd say. Um, but then also just, just for business, it's— I'm— I've never really— I haven't seen people as a number. I've always seen them as like a person and a soul. But now even more, like, wow, like, it's so much more important of their future and who they become as a person, and if they do hopefully decide to follow Jesus, than it is how many knives they're, they're selling. And so the more I can like love on them and appreciate them and know that they're also a child of someone. And so being able to like share with parents like, no, don't worry, I got them. I know you might be a little uncertain about this direct sales job, but it is awesome. And I, you know, they're not gonna get a better, you know, I feel better caring, you know, manager and boss as well. That's not just looking out for them in the business, but as a person as a whole. And I hope whether someone works with us for 3 weeks, 3 months or 3 years that they're better off and they're a better, well-rounded person and, um, more aware of faith also, hopefully from me, if they aren't already. And that's why God has me here for a reason. I'm here in this position, in this role, at this moment in time for a reason, and I don't want to squander that.

Um, you know, you mentioned that you are here for a reason. And it gets tough. Family gets tough. Business gets tough. Jason, tell us about a time where maybe you felt like walking away from it all and what, what pulled you back?

Yeah. In faith, business, or family?

You know what, let's touch on— we're gonna go on the business side. Let's stick with the business side.

Sure. Even just a couple years ago. 2 years ago, and then this is where I wasn't joking before about wanting to quit every month, but there is at least one day where I'm like, this sucks, this is really hard. Do I want this? And every time I think about that, I think about, well, this is just leadership. Doesn't matter where I go in my wheelhouse, like I want to be a leader, I want to help and direct people. So I'm going to face these challenges in almost any business or situation. It just happens to be in go right now. And so, even a couple of years ago, there's a lot of stress, a lot of pressure in my role. And I did actually, I did, I stepped down from one position down to another. And it's so much better for my family and my peace and my joy, just the way, and this is a great example of knowing your talents. I'm a very good number 2. I'm a very good like COO. I'm a very good like person, like, but when it comes to the making all the decisions and leading everyone in, like, it's all up to me. And I'm like, there's so many ways to, to, to do this. Even in our company, there's so many different— it's like 90% the same. There's so many different ways to go about training and interviews and coaching people. And so I just was this decision fatigue and this stress and am I doing this right? Am I leading these people right? And so also COVID in there doesn't help. In 2020, having 2 kids in there doesn't help. But I got promoted to this next position. I'm like, sweet, that's what I've been going for in 2019. That's what I've been shooting for. Then I got it. And then it just was this slow or just this coast. And I'm like, man, this is really tough. And so I just like went back to when was I thriving most? When was I the most excited and doing the best? And it was as a district manager versus the division manager. And so it, for sure, I know I got judged. I know there's still people questioning, going, why did you take a step down?

Yeah.

And why, why? But it's because the, the extra accolades and, and the extra— and in direct sales, you can create your own income to a point, but losing out on a couple bonuses and things, it's like, well, not— none of that is worth— no accolades are worth my peace and my joy and my being able to be used by God in this capacity, because before I was too stressed out and too worried and not in my lane. You know, when it came to directing these meetings and doing that role, I wasn't— I had 5 years to try it out. I kept hitting a brick wall. I wasn't getting better, and I could see the writing on the wall for the next few years. I'm like, I don't think this is right for me right now. I'm not saying it never will be again, but that was for sure a time where, um, yeah, and I didn't, I didn't quit fully. And a lot of people, they run They go, I'm not doing this. I'm gonna look like a loser if I take a step down or step back. But if it's healthy for you and happy for you, who cares about what everyone else thinks? And so that was a time where, where I did, um, step down or guess, you know, quit, if you will, or wanna throw, throw in the towel. But yeah, no, now I'm happy, happy. And, um, we've had some of our, 4 of our last, 4 of our last 7 months have been our best months ever. And after I took a step down. So it's kind of interesting how, you know, maybe me, I'm more happy and joyful, maybe more blessings from God, maybe whatever you want to say it is. But interesting, we're doing the same business for 15 years and having 4 of my last 7 months being the best ever of those months. So funny how that works out. So that's, that's business. Unless you have— want to go any other direction with the business?

Let's go on the faith side too, again, because this is a show where we touch believers and nonbelievers all across the globe. And I'd love to hear again that same area of if there's been a time that you've ever, ever had to step away.

Yeah, never stepped away from faith, but for sure stepped back in my 20s. So I was born and raised in a very, very good Christian home. I was more my parents' religion and not mine, wasn't really a relationship with, with Jesus, was more of a just religion. And so non-denominational is the, is what I was raised in. Went to college for sure. Slipped a little bit, was one foot in the world, one foot out, still going to church. But that was just a Sunday, Sunday Christian. I had my, still my morals and my faith, but was partying a lot, having a lot of fun. And then, um, in 2020, or when I was 23 years old, I just, I just stepped back. I slept, I slipped back. I was still going to church, but I was for sure focused on building my kingdom. On my fun, the pleasures and the cars and the partying. And it got to be so much that I was just blinded. I was living with 3 non-Christian roommates. I got— I met this girl and I never— I thought I'd never have someone move in. And she moved in with the same house with 3 non-Christian roommates. Imagine how that went. Yeah, it was partying a lot. I was either drunk or high. I wouldn't say drunk, but I was either— I was as, as partying a little bit, as either having something in me, uh, there most nights of the week. And I was just caught up in like in that lane and pursuing all of that. And so much so that I was blinded by the partying, the sex, the fun, that I almost— I got engaged to this girl. And you know, she's great, wonderful, but definitely not in my, uh, who I really wanted to, to become. As in, once we got engaged, it started getting real, and I'm realizing, wait, I really want someone who's really positive, who's really into Jesus, who's really into dreams and growth mindset. And, and this person just wanted to stick on the party lane, stuck in the instant pleasure lane. And I realized, like, wow, I'm really pulling the weight here. And we were both pretending to be someone for ourselves and so— or for each other. So I wanted to be over here— Jesus, positivity, future, future growth. She was seen more on this end of like in the moment, party time. And we were both trying to pretend for each other. So as we got closer to marriage, um, you know, I was like, I've really drifted from my faith and this has gotten really bad. And I'm, I'm like, I'm about to marry this person who this for sure is not going to end well. And, um, my parents, my, my premarital counselors were like, if you were to marry— like, if she didn't change, would you marry her? I said, hell no. So I'm like, okay. So I cut it off. I dove back into church and dove back into personal growth, dove back into who I wanted to become, because I definitely drifted from that. And I would say almost quit it, but I definitely took my mind off of it, right where the devil wanted me— distracted in Jason land, pleasures and fun. And so this, this step was like a determining factor of, nope, look at what almost happened because I took my eye off of keeping Jesus as a number one priority in my life. And then I changed gears, um, go back into church like I mentioned, didn't date or anything for a year. Um, yeah, read, read the Bible, um, started having morning routines, all of that. And then sure enough, a year later, when I had given up some hope of finding someone, one of my old co-workers who also went to high school with my now wife Abby messaged us on Facebook and said, hey, I don't know how you two are both single, but you both post a lot about Jesus, you both post a lot about health, both post a lot about positivity. I don't know how you guys are both single. You guys should totally meet. And now we're married with two kids. So I love it. That's personal.

If nothing else, really being outspoken about what you care for can bring, of course, the naysayers. It can also bring some of the biggest blessings and best blessings that you never knew that you were prepared to take on i.e., wife now and two children. So kudos to consistently and continuously being outspoken. And that's definitely a lesson that we can begin to land the plane on. So with that, there's a few— I'll call it canned questions that I do like to ask. And Jason, I love that you again are so outspoken. But as I was doing some of my research, there's something that I didn't quite find out about you. And I just like to ask you here, Jason, what's your middle name?

Russell.

Jason Russell, JR. So Jason Russell, where, where's the story behind the Russell? Where's that come from?

It's my dad's name. Love it. And then my son Micah, his middle name is Jason.

Aha, okay. So very similar. We were passing it along.

Yep.

Passing that lineage and that legacy. Excellent. All right, and then this last minute, I really just want to be for you. You know, imagine you've got this crowd. I think right now we're in 25 countries, over 130 cities across the globe. Talk to them, Jason. Give them a message. Give them a word of encouragement. You can give them a prayer, right? But I just want you to spend a minute or so talking directly to the audience and giving them what's on your heart.

Yeah, I'd say if you are— if you're down, if you're depressed, if you're searching, if you're not happy, if you're looking for more, um, you know, look, look into the Bible, look, look into Jesus, and look into, you know, these— there's, there's so many answers out there, and there is, there, there is a truth. And so, um, things are getting crazy out there, right? And so we can see evil more clearly these days, and we can see, um, the— we can see the, the light more now these days too. And so just look at, look at the happy people, the successful people, the positive people. Look at the good marriages. Look at the— look at those, those good kids that are raised and just look at, look at the clues that are left and just, just assess. I don't have to sell you on anything, but just assess like what are they doing differently and do your best to try to move towards them. Not saying every happy and successful person is a Jesus person, but I will say that, um, when I look at, you know, the people who I find that are the most filled with peace and joy and love, there's usually, there's usually some, some, some correlation there. And so I'd say get into a great community, whether it's a church or not, you know, get into a great community of loving people who support you, people who are going to lift you up. There's too many negative people out there, there's too many trolls out there that— and life is too short to just Live it. In this, in this, there's so many people out there that are struggling and stressed and down. I'd also say you are not your past. It doesn't matter what you've done in the past. You— somebody here at church all the time is, is you are a product of your past. You don't have to be a prisoner of your past. So use my book, use 40 Forge Challenge, use, use church, use, use the, use some of the clues you're you're seeing, use those to really get out of that rut that, that you're in, or the past that you think disqualifies you from being an entrepreneur, or that, that, that you think stops you from going into a church or stops you from asking that person out. So you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are an amazing soul, an amazing person. God loves you. There's a lot of people around you who love you. And so just get around those people and find Follow those clues of success that successful and happy people are leaving because they're all out there and you're gonna find there is a theme. There is a theme and continue to pursue that. It's not gonna be easy. You know, the, the evil and the darkness, the devil wanna take you away from that and isolate you in this, in this rut, in this pit and make you think you're not enough and you aren't lovable and you can't start that business or you aren't welcome to church. But that's all garbage. Garbage. So, um, good luck and get after it out there.

I love it. Thank you so much, Jason. And if you would, go ahead and let the audience know how they can reach you, how they can find out about the book, the challenge, right? Share with us what you'd like to, uh, our best ways to keep in contact.

Yeah, for sure. So, uh, the 40 Forge Challenge, um, that can be just looked up at 40forge.com, and that's a combo of some morning routines something called a sacred start in the morning, reading the Bible, no social media, no alcohol, no substances, no porn, all these things that really hold people back. But anyway, there's the 44 Challenge. There's also Wake Up Jesus People, which is on Instagram and also the website. So that's for the journal and the book and all things positivity and Jesus. And then, yeah, just, just, just my name. Jason Heinrichs, you can look up on social medias. Feel free to follow or DM, start a conversation or support or share some stuff. Um, just appreciate you listening and hope it brought you some value.

Excellent. Absolute value. Thank you so much, Jason. And to all the listeners out there, again, we're going to have the links to his socials, book, and 40 Forge in the show notes. So definitely stay tuned. Jason, thank you again so much. It has been an honor, a pleasure, and a blessing having you here. I know that the value has been disseminated now throughout the speakers, and we're going to pray on that and stay on that. So with that, I wish you a great rest of your day. To all our listeners out there, again, it's been a pleasure, and thank you for tuning in. You can be anywhere else in the internet land of things, and you decided to spend this time here with us. Thank you so much. Enjoy the rest of your day. This has been another episode of The Everyday Entrepreneur on the Pope Replays podcast. Yo, Podcast show with your host Paul H. Flowers Jr. signing off for now until that next episode.