Buyers and Builders
00:17:18 · Mikk, Nathan Lindley
[00:17:18] S0: Before we continue, you now had acquired two companies. First company had this owner, one technician. How many employees had the second company, and how many [00:17:26] S1: So, actually, the second company was pretty big. Second company had... I don't even remember now, but it was around 15 to 17 people in the company at one point. And lot of them [00:17:37] S0: in the field, how many in the office? [00:17:39] S1: Three in the office, and I think they have, like, two install crews and four techs or something like that. It was it was not a not a small operation. Even today, was still good, you know, a fairly good sized operation. Yeah. And... But it had just kinda kinda, like, slowly withered. I mean, you know, the just... The revenue was terrible. [00:18:01] S0: And on the lowest moment, it was just you and this Indeed guy?
00:18:01 · Mikk, Nathan Lindley
[00:18:01] S0: And on the lowest moment, it was just you and this Indeed guy? [00:18:05] S1: And... Yeah. And actually, I... Yeah. Yeah. And actually, I would have to drive down to Austin and run calls with him. And then I would and then I would drive back and run calls in Dallas. So I And actually, there was a time where I was even the guy answering the phone. I would be up literally up in an attic taking calls and trying to schedule the appointment for the next day. And I would be driving back and forth from Dallas to Austin, which if you don't know Texas geography, it's about a three hour drive each way. And so I'd get... I'd book a hotel. My wife and kids would be up here in Dallas. I'd just be gone for a day or two running calls in Austin with that other guy and then coming back to Dallas. And I'd, you know, try and, push as many calls for, you know, two days from now as I could and kinda cluster my Dallas calls together, then cluster my house calls together. And basically, we're just like doing that for, you know, a couple of weeks. Was it was How [00:18:59] S0: were the conversations at home with your wife and and kids? Because it's... I have kids at home as well, and it's... You were in a pretty dark place, I guess. Like, what was... What [00:19:12] S1: Every... Everything that you were imagining it being, it was. Mhmm. It was absolutely awful. It was it was the most scared I've ever been in my entire life, and it stayed that way for a while, for about two years. The... So so what ended up happening with this Indeed guy is
00:19:12 · Nathan Lindley, Mikk
[00:19:12] S1: Every... Everything that you were imagining it being, it was. Mhmm. It was absolutely awful. It was it was the most scared I've ever been in my entire life, and it stayed that way for a while, for about two years. The... So so what ended up happening with this Indeed guy is [00:19:34] S0: Before we go there before we go there, maybe you could share what were you doing during those days? Because when things like this happen, days are very, very long. [00:19:44] S1: Yes. [00:19:45] S0: So Yes. Emotionally, did you start to working out? Did you were working out? Did you have long walks? Like... Or what was going on on your head and the the [00:19:54] S1: Yeah. The conversations you must had, [00:19:56] S0: and what's going on there because it's not too many people are recovering this, I guess.
00:19:56 · Mikk, Nathan Lindley
[00:19:56] S0: and what's going on there because it's not too many people are recovering this, I guess. [00:20:00] S1: Yeah. Yeah. And honestly, is part of why I tell this story as frequently as I do because I know that there are guys out there who are in this spot. And I remember being there and be like, you know, listening to all these, you know, business books and it was just all how, you know, how great my successes have been. And then no one ever wants to share the bloodshed. And everyone has these bloodshed stories and and I feel like it's so important to to focus on them because that is the honest truth about how you get to that mountaintop is you go through some some horrible valleys. The honest truth on how I got through that is I drank a lot, and it is... It was an issue. And and my my wife ended up, you know, having to kinda sit down with me and say, hey, this is a problem. And I'm like, yeah, you're totally right. And I don't know. It was... You know, I would try working out. I ran a lot. And the running in helps sometimes, but as often as not, I... I'd get up done with my run. I'd just feel horrible. Just panic. You know? [00:20:59] S0: I I've never had this issue myself, like, shrinking. I I I just don't enjoy doing this. Yeah. I know folks who do, but I know their next day, their early mornings, till the afternoon, they are not in the best state. How was it for you? Like, Yeah. [00:21:16] S1: I don't [00:21:17] S0: care anymore, or how are you able to perform?
00:21:17 · Mikk, Nathan Lindley
[00:21:17] S0: care anymore, or how are you able to perform? [00:21:19] S1: No. It was it was absolutely counterproductive. I'm not... It was a bad way to handle it. Absolutely. And and even now, there's, like, you know, all this research coming out about how it spikes your cortisol, and and it just makes everything so much worse. And it absolutely does. You know, having obviously a deep faith background, I think there are there are, you know, spiritual ways of of handling things. But I was I wasn't handling it well. Let's just be totally honest. It was it was not my my proudest moment at all. And anyone anyone has... In fact, well, a good friend of mine right now is kinda going through that season right now. And so I'm I'm texting him daily just saying, hey, man. I'm here for you if you wanna talk, you know, and, you know, it's... It is horrible. And not everyone escapes bankruptcy. Sometimes that's part of the process. Was fortunate to not have to go through that, but that was a lot of what my Google searches were about at that point in time, know, especially with the SBA loan. [00:22:18] S0: You said you're very close with your father. What was he saying to you? [00:22:21] S1: My dad was so supportive, and he was just saying, hey. You know, if if worse comes to worse, you can move in with me, and we'll start over. You know? [00:22:30] S0: That's awesome.
00:22:30 · Mikk, Nathan Lindley
[00:22:30] S0: That's awesome. [00:22:31] S1: Yeah, it was awesome. I mean, remember too, his entire retirement was tied up in this. So that was the thing that was so much worse too, is it wasn't just me sinking my own financial future. It was me destroying my dad's retirement and my buddy's inheritance. It was... I was I was bringing down my loved ones with me. You know? It was it was awful. [00:22:50] S0: A lot to carry. [00:22:51] S1: Yes. Yes. A tremendous tremendous load. Yeah. It's awful. So [00:22:57] S0: Okay. But now you now you... We have we have Nathan who is a bit tired for last night drinking. So... But we have this guy from Indeed. So what's Yeah. What you what you guy what you guys were cooking?