‘The Sale’ Author Alex Demczak on How to Lead and Grow Your Business with Trust

Transcription:

Jim Fitzpatrick:
We’re joined by Alex. So Alex, thank you so much for joining us. I also should mention that Alex as a former SEC quarterback for the Missouri Tigers you have worked with clients, including the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl. So man, as I said before we got started here, I’ve got a daughter at Ole Miss right now. My son graduated from Florida. Don’t hold that against me. Both great programs, but congratulations on all your success thus far. For the viewers that are out there that may not be as familiar with the Alex Demczak brand, as we are, please tell us a little bit about yourself and a little bit about your entrepreneurial journey.

Alex Demczak:
Yeah. Well, thanks so much for having me today and Ole Miss and Florida are great programs, so I won’t hold anything against ya. They tend to beat Mizzou whenever they come here to Columbia, Missouri. I’m just a wash up fan now. So I get to see it, see it from the stands, but right. Yeah, a little bit about my background. I was in sales for about five years and started building up this speaking business on the side and I had the chance to be mentored by John Gordon for about the last six years…

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Wow.

Alex Demczak:
…and as you know, he is just such an incredible guy. And so I’ve just tried to learn so many things from him and kind of got me started on this authorship journey where I would just be writing books on the side.

Alex Demczak:
And John and I started working on this book that we’re talking about today, and eventually this past December, actually like many of your listeners, probably as entrepreneurs, I took the full time leap. I quit my, comfortable job and…

Jim Fitzpatrick:
There you go.

Alex Demczak:
…you know what? I feel committed to this work. I feel like I’m being called to it. And so I went all in. I have a one and a half year old daughter, my wife stays home and so…

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Oh boy.

Alex Demczak:
…Yeah, it probably wasn’t the best time to do that, but I really felt called to make this jump and this leap and has been really fun the last six months of going all in on what I feel like I’m called to do.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right. That’s so cool. And you just mentioned, it might not be the best time to do it. And in fact, some would argue to say, no, now is the best time to do it. You know why? Because you’ve got to be successful. You go out there, you got to make it happen. You don’t have the luxury of another paycheck or another income or maybe, a tremendous savings account that you can lean on for the next couple of years and say, everything will work out. It’s sink or swim, right?

Alex Demczak:
Yeah, absolutely. And what I was finding is that there’s nothing wrong with having a side hustle, I don’t think.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Sure.

Alex Demczak:
But for me, to your point, I was kind of leaning on that comfortability of having that job. And so I wasn’t going all in on what I really wanted to do, which is writing books and speaking. And so to your point, it kind of does force you to be innovative because you’re like, well, got to make something happen this month.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Right.

Alex Demczak:
And so it’s been really cool to see how things, the doors that open when you do fully go all in on something. And not that I’ve done it perfectly or that who knows what it’ll look like two years from now.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right.

Alex Demczak:
But I just, continuing to just day by day, say, how can I get better today? And it’s been really fun journey so far.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s great. Now everyone knows the John Gordon name. I mean he is the one of the key motivators out there. He writes such incredible books. He’s a phenomenal speaker. We’ve had him on our show a number of times. We’re so blessed to have him on. But talk to me about how you got together with John.

Alex Demczak:
Yeah. So John came and spoke at University of Missouri when I was a walk-on football player and I was just blown away by his message. I read The Energy Bus, which is sitting right behind me on my bookshelf. I’m sure you and a lot of your listeners have read it, it sold of millions of copies. And so we just stayed in touch and I just had told him multiple times about how his books have influenced the work that I was doing in sales. And so eventually we just started talking, I started doing sales for him and would start managing his LinkedIn account and doing things to add value.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Sure.

Alex Demczak:
You know, I wasn’t getting paid. I was doing it just to add value and to be around him and to learn from him. And I think it really speaks to the six years that I’ve been doing that. We really did build this trust.

Alex Demczak:
And finally, we got to a point where we started working about this book together, and the cool thing was on both ends of the spectrum I saw how he lived with integrity and did things in the right way. And I think he probably saw that in me as well. And so when we started talking about this book together, it was a no brainer because we’ve seen it in each other. And we’ve also seen it in the different opportunities of speaking and working with clients where people are talking about building trust and especially the last few years. And what does it look like now that people are coming back to the office or maybe we’re a remote company, how do we adequately build that trust with all the distractions going on in the world? And so that’s kind of what we hit on in this book, and it’s been really fun the last month as we’ve launched this into the world and we’ve been speaking all over to see the impact that it’s already had.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s great. And as we know, the in person speaking gigs are back in full swing. Everybody wants to get back out there and press the flesh, which I don’t know if that’s a great term these days, but that’s what they want to do. They want to be going to conferences and getting back to a normal way of life prior to COVID hitting everyone was doing just that, getting an opportunity to see John live and yourself and so many other great speakers out there. And it’s so much better when it’s live, in my opinion. I think virtual programs are great and if you’ve got to do it, do it, but man, there’s nothing like going into a convention or a conference and meeting these people and getting an opportunity to spend a little bit of time with them. So, the book is The Sale, along with John, as we mentioned, talk to us about the inspiration behind the book and then what some of the takeaways you want the reader to leave with.

Alex Demczak:
Yeah. So the book is all about integrity and building trust. And so it’s a topic that, to be honest, there’s probably easier topics to write about. Like when, at first, we kind of talk about the idea, it’s like, do we go down this path? But what’s crazy is we started talking about the book. There was so many different things that popped up in the news, just even around that timeframe of integrity issues. And as we started to dig into it more and look at case studies and look at just different reports on the news and things, it’s so clear that every industry deals with these integrity issues, whether it’s a huge moral failure of a business owner, or if it’s, whatever the situation is. And so we thought, how can we write a book in a way that has a really compelling story, but also kind of attacks this cultural issue that I think a lot of organizations deal with?

Alex Demczak:
How do I build trust? How do I live my life in a way to where, when I look back on my career, I look back and know that I did it the right way and I can be proud rather than knowing like, you know what, I made all this money. I had all this success, but look at the trail, the negative ripple effect I’ve had in the process. And I think that’s the heart of the book is how do you build trust? Not only just for the short term success, but truly for the long haul so that when people look back on your career, it’s like, man, I did it the right way.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right. That’s right. It’s a very good point. And man, we have really needed to lean on trust and building trust here in the last couple of years, we need trust with our clients and our partners out there, our vendor partners and such. We also need them with our employees and our associates. Don’t we, I mean, you’ve got so many people now working from home. Man, talk about trust. You’re an employer, you got to trust that the work’s getting done and that your employee base and your team is getting the job done.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
By the same token that employee’s got to trust the employer now to say, are you going to stay in business? Are you going to cut back? Are we all on the same sheet of music here in terms of what the strategy for the company is? Sometimes when we talk to people that are working from home, they do have a concern for that, that they feel like maybe they’re outside the loop. Yeah, they’re doing the work and they’re working each day in their home office, but they lose that camaraderie. They lose that team effect that they have when they’re inside of a company that also makes them feel a little bit more comfortable about the future of the company or where it’s headed. So communication plays a big role in that. Right?

Alex Demczak:
Absolutely. And, and obviously the great resignation is such a buzzword.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Sure.

Alex Demczak:
But I think something else that to talk about is the great reconsideration, because that’s what’s truly happened with a lot of people is they’re saying, wait a minute. I’ve been doing this job for so many years. And now if I don’t trust my boss, if I don’t trust people I work for, man, there’s other employers that will hire me. And so I think that’s something for leaders that own companies it’s more important than ever to understand: are you living in a way that’s building trust with the people that you lead? You know, you think about Warren Buffet. He has an estimated net worth of like $111 billion, which is a ton of money, right? And so he, he has ownership stake in 65 separate companies, which is a lot.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah.

Alex Demczak:
And what he says about trust, he says, trust is like the air we breathe.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah.

Alex Demczak:
When it’s present, no one even notices.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right.

Alex Demczak:
But when it’s absent, you can’t help but notice. And I think that’s so true. When you’re on a team that everyone’s bought in and you can trust the people next to you, it’s a fun environment. But when the opposite is true, it’s hard to make progress of any kind. And so I think that’s the heartbeat behind the book is saying, how can you be highly successful and do a great job and be excellent in the small things, but also do it in a way where you’re proud of how you did it.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right. I spoke to one business owner and they said that trust is the new currency. In other words, that’s the world that we live in now. Whether it be with your partners, your clients, your vendor partners, your team, your employees, as we mentioned earlier, that trust is at the top of that list. If you don’t have that, nothing else in the organization is going to work. Right. Would you agree?

Alex Demczak:
Absolutely. Because if you think about it, talent, and you’ve probably heard this quote before, talent sets the floor…

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Right.

Alex Demczak:
…but character sets the ceiling.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah.

Alex Demczak:
It determines how high you can go and not only go, but stay there. And I think we all… talent might get you in the room.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah.

Alex Demczak:
You might get that job interview. You might get that promotion, but it’s truly character that sustains for the long term. And I think that’s a message that gets kind of diluted in today’s society, because everyone’s so concerned about right here, right now. Like I can see my friend has this on social media, so I should have it, right? And it’s kind of like, we’ve lost the art of delayed gratification.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Sure.

Alex Demczak:
And I think that’s something that probably my grandpa or my great grandpa, they had those philosophies and we’ve kind of lost that generationally.

Alex Demczak:
And so I think in some ways, I think we need to get that back and say, what does it look like to John Gordon? What he told me when I first was kind of mentored by him six years ago. He said, Alex, pull your head down and work hard for 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah.

Alex Demczak:
You know, work hard for a decade. And then maybe, just maybe, you can look up and know that you were an overnight success. And I think-

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right.

Alex Demczak:
That’s being lost in our whole…

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Great advice.

Alex Demczak:
Yeah. Such good advice. And I’ve tried to hold onto that and say, you know what, how can I, rather than comparing myself, because comparison is the thief of joy, how can I constantly get better each day on myself and put my head down and work and just add value to other people.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right. That’s right. So what would you say if you had to pick, what is the number one strategy to build trust and create success?

Alex Demczak:
Absolutely. Well, the number one strategy in the context of the book is integrity. Overall, the overarching rule and principle is integrity.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yes.

Alex Demczak:
But I would say the one that really sticks with people the most and the feedback we’ve got from the book is that integrity builds trust for the long haul. It sustains long term success because it’s really easy to be a one trick pony or have one success or have maybe one year that’s successful in your business. But what does it look like? Maybe if you have to do things the right way, even if for the moment, it doesn’t give you a ton of success. Maybe you don’t make a lot of money, but you’re doing the right thing. Maybe it’s you’re paying an employee more than they should be paid, because you want them to stay with you long term.

Alex Demczak:
Maybe it’s doing things right. Even if it’s not going to make your company explode overnight, but you’re saying, you know what, I’m committed to the process.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Right.

Alex Demczak:
I want to see this through. And so I really think it’s, in the book and the story of the book, the main character he has, he’s having a lot of success at work. But at home things are in shambles. His wife tells him, she pretty much says, Hey, if things don’t change, like we’re getting a divorce. And so I think that’s the message of the book as well. It’s like, don’t just have success at work, like think about your whole life. And, and what would it look like to have success in both areas at work and at home.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right. Which is what everybody struggles with every single day, right? Trying to find that balance between work and your home life. And you’re trying to keep both parties… You’re trying to keep your boss happy. You’re trying to keep your employees happy at the same time. You’re trying to make it a nice environment at home so that your spouse is pleased with you and your kids are pleased with you. And it’s a lot. It really is. It can be very overwhelming unless you’ve got some guidance with great books. Like you guys have written here with this one. So talk to us about: what are the strategies or best practices that have worked for you over the years as this young successful entrepreneur?

Alex Demczak:
Yeah. I think for me, it’s when I see the trappings of pride and entitlement, I think something that I’ve tried to do that has been huge for me, it’s just having practical accountability in place. So I have a friend, his name’s Nick, and he was over at my house yesterday. We were watching… just hanging out in the backyard. But every single week we’re in touch. We’re talking about things. Hey, how can I improve? How can I get better? Sometimes it’s uncomfortable conversations. It’s like, hey, you know what? I fell short in this area. Hey, can you be thinking of me and kind of give me the right mindset, you know? And so I think for the practical thing, that to answer your question, it’s accountability, are you trying to do this all alone?

Alex Demczak:
I don’t think we are created to do business or to live our lives alone, obviously. And so, number one, do you have accountability in place? Number two, are you measuring things? You know, like I have a goal for my business of how many speaking engagements per year I want to do. If I didn’t track it, how would I know where I’m measuring up? And so I think first you have to say, I’m going to have accountability in place. Number two, I want to make sure I’m measuring things so they can be tracked and I can get better in those ways. And three, I think for me, I’m someone who tends to just kind of probably overwork myself. And so three, I need to learn to be content. Like I said earlier, comparison is the thief of joy and the moments that I am comparing myself to others, I’m taking away the joy that I could have in my life with my family.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
So true.

Alex Demczak:
The things that I’ve been blessed with. And so I think for people out there listening, just remember, be content for what you have, cause life is truly so short and…

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right.

Alex Demczak:
…I think when you have that mentality, you’re able to appreciate your business and what you do so much more.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
There’s no question. It’s a very fine line. I happen to cross it a number of times in what drives you and you want maybe the bigger home or you want the bigger boat, or you want the better country club or you want better trips or whatever the case might be. And you’ve got to… but the life that you have could be incredible. And it’s not to say you want to shut down and not be driven for better things, but just keep your eye on what you have and enjoy it, right? I mean, so many of us are out there just like a hamster on a wheel where you’re just rolling, rolling, rolling, and spending all day. And you’re not taking time to smell the roses, as they say, and enjoy the accomplishments that you’ve got thus far, right?

Alex Demczak:
Exactly. And we actually use the hamster on wheel analogy in the book, so that’s awesome that you mentioned that. Sounds like you’ve been reading the book, which is great, but…

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Not only I’ve been reading it, everybody needs to read it. So…

Alex Demczak:
Yeah. No, thanks for saying that, but yeah, absolutely. And again, it’s like when I think about people in my life who are role models, people who I look up to, I think about a guy like Tim Tebow, I’ve been around multiple times. You mentioned the Gators…

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Sure.

Alex Demczak:
Yeah. Earlier it’s like, the average time right now in the country that people spend on their phones around is around eight hours a day, and, having been around Tim a few times and the impact that he has, he’s doing all these things.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right.

Alex Demczak:
I really struggle to believe that he’s on his phone for eight hours.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right.

Alex Demczak:
I think he’s in, he’s intentional with his time.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right.

Alex Demczak:
He has his priorities set.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
He has.

Alex Demczak:
And so, for me, I just think, man, if I want to be in some ways like that, or if I want to model some of the ways that I’ve seen other successful people do, it’s like I want to put boundaries in place. And part of that for me is even just kind of lowering the time I spend on social media, because I don’t… not that I don’t want to connect with friends. It can be a great tool, but for me, it’s like, man, I have to keep it in check and I want to be blessed and thankful for what I have. Just like what you just said.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right. That’s that’s right. Hey, I appreciate all the time, but I don’t want to let you out of here before I ask you about writemybooks.com. I think it’s a great concept. Share it with our audience and what it’s all about.

Alex Demczak:
Yeah. Thanks for saying that. Writemybooks.com. We started this company about a year and a half ago during the pandemic. And it’s a company where we have a team of writers and ghost writers and we help people write and edit and publish their books in a 16 week process. And so…

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Wow.

Alex Demczak:
…we’re really… Yeah, it’s really exciting. It’s really fun. Right now we’re helping about 15 authors that we’re currently working with and we’re helping people just steward their stories and do it well. And for a lot of people who want to get into speaking who want to share their story, this is an effective, affordable way to do it. That really kind of launches people out there. And so… yeah, for anyone listening, we’d love to talk with you. It’s writemybooks.com and really excited about the future of the company.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Absolutely. I can’t tell you how many entrepreneurs that I’ve spoken to that have talked about: well, one day when I write my book, or I’d love to go on a speaking tour when I exit my company or when I leave, maybe take a sabbatical and teach others and talk to others and other organizations. A lot of people think that they’ve got to be a really great author to write a book. And I know that at writemybooks.com, you’ll tell them no, no, no, you actually don’t need to be a great author to write a book. You need to know a great author. And I know that’s what you guys are all about also in the promotion of it and the publishing of it. And it’s a turnkey package, which is what exactly what these individuals that want to write a book have at their disposal with that website.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
So congratulations on that and the success of the new book. And of course, anything John Gordon is part of is top shelf. Obviously you guys have created such an incredible partnership. We’d love to have you back on the show to talk about some other things that are in the book, some other takeaways and other lessons that business owners and executives and sales executives and leaders, pretty much anybody, can learn from. So Alex Demczak author, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and trainer for the John Gordon companies. I want to thank you so much for joining us here on the show. Very much appreciate it.

Alex Demczak:
Hey, thank you so much for having me. This was great and I really appreciate it.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Great. We’ll show all the information on the screen for those people that want to learn more about Alex and the John Gordon companies, as well as writemybooks.com. Maybe you have a book inside of you and you just need a company like this to write it for you, which is just what they do. So Alex, thank you so much.

Alex Demczak:
Thank you so much.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Thank you.