The Harrow and Jett Show
Welcome to The Harrow and Jett Show — unfiltered conversations between two young business owners and Accountants who just merged their firms and are figuring it all out in real time.
If you’re a young entrepreneur, this is your podcast. We talk about the stuff nobody teaches you: creating a 10-year vision (and why you shouldn’t change the goal, just the path), staying disciplined while still having fun, learning from dumb mistakes like hiring too early, spending money you don’t have, using credit cards to “feel like a business owner,” and why paying yourself first is non-negotiable.
We share our real stories — selling golf balls as a kid, moving from Cuba with nothing, leaving cushy jobs, merging two practices, wearing all three hats (technician, manager, entrepreneur), building processes on the fly, and why having the right partner changes everything.
No corporate jargon. No theory. Just two Accountants who work with hundreds of early-stage businesses every year telling you what actually works (and what will sink you).
Perfect for ambitious founders who want to stop stressing about taxes, cash flow, and growth — and start building something that pays you and lasts.
New episodes every week. Hosted by the team at White Glove CPAs & Business Solutions.
Visit whiteglovecpas.com and let’s build smarter together.
The Harrow and Jett Show
Business Dirty Dozens Part II
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In this episode of the podcast, we dive into several common mistakes entrepreneurs make while building and managing a business. We talk about the importance of setting clear expectations with clients and teams, managing cash flow properly, avoiding the trap of “robbing Peter to pay Paul,” and why having separate business banking is essential for financial clarity.
The conversation also explores the emotional side of entrepreneurship—the stress, the highs and lows of running a company, hiring challenges, and learning from mistakes. Through real experiences, we discuss how discipline, communication, and strong systems can help business owners grow sustainably and avoid costly errors.
If you’re starting a business or currently running one, this episode offers practical insights, honest lessons, and real conversations about entrepreneurship.
Website: https://www.theharrowandjettshow.com/
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That I would serve them with this and theirs was something completely different. So now I've learned that it's beneficial for not only me, but for them too to be up front and say, hey, here's our fees. Are they if they're too expensive, they're just too expensive.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Quite frankly. Or if you don't like the expectations I'm setting, there are other options for you. Yeah. You know. Jet. Hero business?
SPEAKER_02Handor.
SPEAKER_01Let's get into it.
SPEAKER_02Let's get into it, guys. Let's get into it.
SPEAKER_01Part two of my dirty dozen.
SPEAKER_02Yes. So uh I guess this week we are uh now we are getting more up there.
SPEAKER_00We are.
SPEAKER_02We're starting something new business. Doing business net more business networking and over the last four months, probably six months, probably eight months, last year was little was crazy for me because of whenever you start a business, you lose every habit you have.
SPEAKER_01It was crazy with all of your traveling, huh?
SPEAKER_02Yes, I traveled a lot, starting a new business. I lost every personal habit. I I lost every person who habits and I kind of lost I tell people I lost myself a little bit.
SPEAKER_01It's like becoming a parent because like you lose yourself when you become a parent.
SPEAKER_02Really?
SPEAKER_01I mean, some people do. It's good that if you don't, but like you do, because you get so like overwhelmed and like lost and sauce. Whilst in like being a parent, it doesn't get better. After what?
SPEAKER_02The first kid.
SPEAKER_01I mean, yes, and but for some people, no. Some people like who I like other parents that like it's it's nauseating to hang out with sometimes because they're like I mean, and like I love my kids too. Like everyone loves their kids.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I love my kids too. Oh, you love my kids, yeah.
SPEAKER_01But no, like it's their whole personality. Okay, and like it's and I'm sure for them it sucks too. It has to. But like same for your business. Like, I feel like people probably get annoyed at me because white glove is my life too.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01But you have to like expand on that. You can't just have white glove, or you can't just have kids.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So it's so funny, like how you call white glove your baby.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And I don't look at it that way. Like, what does that mean to you? Like, white glove is a baby.
SPEAKER_01I mean, I just mean that it's like I care about like it is like it's all or nothing. Like it's not going down. This thing is like priority.
SPEAKER_02Okay, awesome. And then I guess how different is that from having how different is starting a business from having a real baby?
SPEAKER_01Not much. Lack of sleep.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Right?
SPEAKER_01I've I've been a little overly stressed, done. Experiencing things you never experienced before, done.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Obsessiveness with this thing, the baby or the business done. Yeah. What else is there? Cleaning diapers, that's the only thing that you don't have to do.
SPEAKER_02Hey, but you have you have look you have to get a lot of messes.
SPEAKER_01There are a lot of messes.
SPEAKER_02And there are more high stressful situations in a business. So now, with that being said, now as a single person, people, usually the like whenever a young married couple or a single person, they they want to have a company, they get a pet. Do you do you have a pet?
SPEAKER_00I do have a dog.
SPEAKER_02Okay, how different is having a dog from like having a baby or something, or taking care of a dog?
SPEAKER_01I mean, it depends. If it's a puppy, like puppies are a lot of work. They're like you have to potty train, then you have to clean up all their messes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01My dog, her name's Tala, she's a Pomski. She's like four, almost four.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_01Anyway, she's pretty easy, except for she's an escape artist, so sometimes she leaves the house.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Um, unwarranted, and we have to chase her down.
SPEAKER_00Oh.
SPEAKER_01Um, that's the only hard part about her. But then, like, you know, she does this and then she's so happy when I find her.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that works. You know, like uh growing up, we had this dog and we didn't take good care of it.
SPEAKER_01Well, Dan.
SPEAKER_02So and then we wanted to get rid of the dog. Yeah. And we did it. So we got in the bus.
SPEAKER_01Police were gonna come for you.
SPEAKER_02Uh it was Cuba, so police. Nobody, nobody cared about it.
SPEAKER_01Hey, no, it was in Cuba.
SPEAKER_02It was in Cuba. So uh yeah, we we took the dog. We rode a bus uh we rode a bus and then we dropped 10 stops away.
SPEAKER_01You dropped it off at a bus stop?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, like hey, be free.
SPEAKER_01Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_02Be free. So but uh that was pretty that that was a pretty thing. So but you know, I don't uh you know, I don't have a pet and I don't want that responsibility.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02But sometimes people say, hey, get get a pet and maybe you'll have to take care of it, and then once you can take care of a pet, you can take care of a baby. Is that relatable? Or or I'm like, hey, I'm taking care of white glove, I can take care of a baby.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, no, I think a lot of people have the misconception that it is, and like maybe yes, it's caring for a living thing, but at the same time, it's like it's not a good comparable because it's like an animal versus like your flesh and blood. Like when it's your baby, I agree. So different. Yeah. Because it's like you, it's like an extension of you. Yeah. Just like white glove, like your business is literally an extension of you, so it's like you have the same kind of dedication and like care like you do for yourself. Yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_02I agree. Yes, I agree. We said uh yes, I can avoid experience that feeling, it would be good. Probably white glove would suffer a little bit for the first two months.
SPEAKER_01Uh hey, you'll be out of the business by then, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, I don't know.
SPEAKER_01You may want to have them sooner than that.
SPEAKER_02That is the goal. I don't know. That is the goal. Awesome. So you're ready to get into the second part of the Derrida? So last week we left on on number six. What is number seven?
SPEAKER_01Number seven says not setting expectations. This goes for internal and external view of the business, right?
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_01So not setting expectations with clients and customers in the beginning of saying, Hey, here's the work I'm going to do for you. Nothing beyond this, unless you pay me extra money, right?
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01You're not going to call me at two in the morning on a Sunday. You're not going to call me at 10 a.m. on a Saturday. And you will not text my personal number during business hours. You will call the business phone, right? So setting those expectations before you even engage with the client is a game changer. So we are both experiencing still, and I think we've done a good job of weeding out for the most part, but we're both kind of a year later experiencing some of the havoc that we like allowed to happen. Yeah. Where clients are calling and texting us our personal phone numbers on the weekends.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01In the middle of the night. And on holidays. Just getting a call.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. No, yeah.
SPEAKER_01But internal too. I think internal expectations with your team members.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And I feel in everything you need expectations. And you need to communicate those expectations properly. And communication is really important in business. How to communicate, learning how to communicate and follow up with it, and then setting and communicating those expectations. It's really important. Right now something that happened with us is that we started the business early on and we'll take any clients and we'll do anything. Fall any client, give them our personal number to set up the pile, but that is a point where that grows really fast because phone number, a test, it's not easy to scale an email. It's more scalable in email, small business. Right now.
SPEAKER_01In a text message, like oftentimes I tell clients, I'm like, I won't see it. Like sometimes I will literally not pay attention to it, and there's no one else to go back to make sure I read it or make sure that it's actionable, make sure we responded or did something to it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Something I see often in the Hispanic community is not here in the uh in the English-speaking community, but the Hispanic community don't know how to use email.
SPEAKER_01And sometimes a lot of And a lot of our clients who are in the construction industry, like the cabinetry, like construction, things like that.
SPEAKER_02And I feel email is the language, is how business communicates. So if you are not using email properly, if you don't know how to manage Julian, yeah, you're setting up yourself for failure, and everybody in business likes email. So setting those expectations of hey, let's do business through email. If it's personal, text don't if it's personal, you can test me, but also setting the expectation like, hey, I'm on my working hours. I'm not replying. I'm not replying while while I am at work. Yeah, and then uh uh something that has been hard for me with setting expectations is just so sometimes we are afraid to be direct with people and say, hey, this is the expectation. If you don't do it, there are consequences. So how what do you think about that and how how do people get over it? Uh I have I have gotten over it a little bit, but I'm just telling myself, it's like, hey, the most important thing is me. The most important thing is me and the business. So that helped, hey, I don't care if I make that person feel bad. This is the expectation, this is I just have to follow up. How do you deal with that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so for me, it's at first it was really hard to do. And it was more so because I didn't want to lose that client. And I like people, I like talking to people, so I don't want to disappoint them. But like it's more about like losing the client, like losing the sale, like winning that person, like is that makes sense, winning their their business and like working with them. But now after experiencing issues that it's caused, not only for me, but for them too, right? Because I wasn't responsive enough or like they didn't feel like they were served the best that they could have been when my expectation was that I would serve them with this, and theirs was something completely different. So now I've learned that it's beneficial for not only me, but for them too, to be up front and say, hey, here's our fees. Are they if they're too expensive, they're just too expensive.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Quite frankly. Or if you don't like the expectations I'm setting, there are other options for you. Yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, definitely systemizing that and setting expectations for every client and don't changing the expectation for uh for any client. Exactly. Helps, helps, helps out in business, in business a lot. That that's pretty good. What is what is number eight?
SPEAKER_01Number eight, we have robbing Peter to pay Paul.
SPEAKER_02What is that?
SPEAKER_01So for those of you who have not heard robbing Peter to pay Paul, that's pretty much cash flow issues.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_01So when you rob Peter to pay Paul, you're pretty much saying, okay, this client just paid me for that big job we did. So they paid me $10,000, right? And then, or the client, yeah. And then I'm paying my employees or paying stuff for other jobs. Does that make sense? So you're yeah, so you're like, you're in a hole, like you're digging yourself out of a hole constantly. So like say someone paid you for the month of September, and then you're using that money to pay your employees for August.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right. Or like to buy your like your products for something entirely different. So like say you're you have three services, like like we do, tax, accounting, and advisory.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So say accounting is losing money. So we're pulling all the money from tax and just paying paying our accounting team. Yeah. Right. So instead, what we need to do is make it profitable or get rid of it.
SPEAKER_02That's a good point.
SPEAKER_01But for robbing Peter to PayPal, that's not managing your cash flow. So you're paying employees with September's money instead of August's money, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. That's a good point. Uh did you come up with that, or that was in a book or something?
SPEAKER_01Yes, I did. I came up with that. It was all me, robbing Peter's PayPal. No, I'm getting awesome. I'm kidding. Yeah, it it's um it's a pretty common saying, I would say, in business.
SPEAKER_02That's cute. That's cute. You should have said robbing jet to pay hero.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Hey, is that that's what we'll call it?
SPEAKER_02To pay hero. Yeah. So that that's also and I guess we're going back here, knowing your numbers, setting expectations, checking those numbers, and if you don't have good accounting or you don't know your numbers, but department, you will not realize how that is happening. And then uh, yeah, and then you just get in this store-bone, well, man, I'm losing money, but and I'm working so hard and I'm losing the money, but I don't know where I'm losing the money. So uh stopping those things uh is really is is really important and clients and clients need to pay attention uh to it, to it uh uh as well. Yeah, and then cash flow is king. Cash is king, but cash flow is king. Like if you don't have to do that.
SPEAKER_00Cash flow is cash, yes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, cash flow is cash. So how do we manage how do we manage that our firm? How do we ab do we do that?
SPEAKER_01I guess no, we do not. So to make payroll for February, right? We use J we actually do the opposite. Like we we are always a month ahead.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So we we will use January's money to start prepping for February's payroll or pe February expenses.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So right now for February, we have March's expenses in our account for the first week of March. And we're working on building up for March's payroll as well.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01And sometimes it's the same month that we actually earn payroll, but we try to in a month in advance. So usually we're like a month to a month and or to a half of a month in advance.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And we also keep a reserve, which is good. Uh anytime stuff goes house. It's always important having that that reserve just in case a customer doesn't pay or or pay or cash flow gets delayed. Instead of we get February and March money at the end of March. You know, the money's coming, we don't have enough.
SPEAKER_01It'll be here, but that reserve is very important for sure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So and something about this, and and I want to and I want to talk about the number one you said last week that was about don't using don't use debt to pay for personal expenses. Something I want to say like about this cash flow, it's really important that you try to my advice would be try to use cash flow with the own money that the operations make because and knowing your numbers, no knowing how much money you need and don't use in debt to cover those things because that keeps you hungry. And know and those things keep us hungry. And and if we know the numbers we need for next month, we we know what we're working for.
SPEAKER_01And every week ain't any extra, it's business owners, it's money in your pocket.
SPEAKER_02Yes, and yes, for sure.
SPEAKER_01If you know how much you need to make and you say, okay, I've made that, so guess what? You want to make extra, make a bonus.
SPEAKER_02Yes. You want a boat, buy a boat. Yeah, pay yourself a distribution, it's your money. Like you work for it, you host for for it, take a distribution, use it, do whatever you want with it. So awesome. So what about number eight?
SPEAKER_01Number eight?
SPEAKER_02We just talked about what is the next one?
SPEAKER_01Is lack of designated business banking.
SPEAKER_02What does that mean?
SPEAKER_01So this is something we see in a lot of minority-owned businesses, frankly, and new businesses, and it's mostly because it's lack of education. Yeah. A lot of people, I think, think, okay, I can't have a business bank account because I'm not a big business, right? I've ran into that where they're like, okay, I'm not a true business. I don't have a brick and mortar, I don't even have an LLC, which some banks do require that, but not all. Some do they want you to have just an um EIN number, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And even if you can't open up a what what is called a business bank account, open up a separate personal account or a separate credit card that you're using for all of your business expenses and your business revenue.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01Because if not, you've really opened yourself up to like you're subject to a lot of IRS questioning, right? And and even potentially putting your business to be subject to be classified as a hobby, right? And not as a true business.
SPEAKER_02Yes. And also uh yes, yes, and yes, it also makes the accounting harder because absolutely if you don't have control in an easy way, like I feel the base of good accounting is using business bank accounts and don't comming only personal fund, personal funds and business and business activity. Like if you need business, if you need money from the business, just transfer the money out of your personal account.
SPEAKER_01Or if you want to put money into the business, yeah, just transfer it from personal to business.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01And that's where coming having the same bank account for your personal and your business. Yeah. Like we, it's so funny though, how we just had the same bank that we used already for personal and business. Like that was an omen to me. That was a sign. Really? Okay.
SPEAKER_02Really? Yes. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_01Because not many people have the same. I mean, like, there are so many banks to choose from. So, like, if everything aligned up so well where we also had the same bank, yeah, and then it made it so easy to be able to pay ourselves or to invest in the business and putting money in and out. And that's a really big deal and a big tool to be able to use for sure.
SPEAKER_02Uh I definitely tell people that like the owners uh keep your business account and your personal account in the same banking. That way, on the on the banking app, you can just transfer money really, really easily.
SPEAKER_01And you're so much less likely to commingle when you can just have an easy click of the button transfer.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I agree. And then that makes accounting so much easier as well. Also, I feel having a business partner makes that process better.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Because like without the partner you can commingle phones.
SPEAKER_01Yes. But with the You have no one watching you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but with the partner, you are responsible for it. And so I I felt that was also something good whenever we join forces like, oh cool. Now I have somebody that is going to say, don't go to the car, don't spend the money on that. That is not good. And that that was one of the big things I was looking forward to because I like spending money. I'm a big spender.
SPEAKER_00I know you do.
SPEAKER_02And I like, and like you said, I credit car, so sometimes I just get too too uh too excited about it, and I just go out and spend the money on the card.
SPEAKER_01I'm a CF no.
SPEAKER_02Yes, CF no, CFO, you know. So and that is why also having a CFO uh uh and that works. Yeah, I think that's pretty good. Like we are we are rolling through this, which uh um which is a good thing because we we can we have more time to talk about all other stuff. Yeah, for sure. Well, what about then the next one?
SPEAKER_01Okay, next one is emotional management.
SPEAKER_02That's good one.
SPEAKER_01But you see this a lot and like especially in new businesses and like high stress because being a business owner is really stressful. It can be very stressful, especially if you're new to it and you don't understand business. That's like one thing that we're fortunate is that we both understood the way businesses work and they run and they function.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So it gave us a little bit of an upper hand, I feel. But I feel like most people don't understand that because they don't have the background knowledge. So they're really good at their industry, you know, whether that's like maybe being a pianist or teaching piano, then you have a piano business where you're teaching people, you don't know anything about the business, but you know how to teach piano, you know how to play piano.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So then it's like, okay, do I have an LLC? Do I need an LLC? What is an LLC? What does S-corp mean? Do I need to have that? Like these are the questions we get all the time, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And then when they get these things, like they get their personal property tax, like in the mail, yeah, their F and E tax, or their LLC gets dissolved, they're like, what's happening here?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And they start to like unravel emotionally, and then they're having confrontations with clients andor employees or making hasty decisions based on their emotional state.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And that's where I think having a little personal time, whether that's working out the gym, yeah, a little light reading time with your kids, like just a little bit of time a week where you have your self-reflection time, whether that's like what I said, working out or reading, whatever your hobby is, to be able to like download and not to make emotional decisions, you know, to get rid of those emotions.
SPEAKER_02That is a big topic. Right there. That does a very big topic. Uh that is a big topic. So I guess where have where where have you made emotional decisions in the business, or or what have been some emotional decisions?
SPEAKER_01That's a good question. And I'm sure that I have made some, but like I've been very intentional with the emotions, like very intentional because I know that that's a big problem. And I watched I watched businesses who I worked for make emotional decisions, and it like I saw it ruin businesses, I saw it ruin lots of things, employees even. So I worked really, really hard not to make those. So that's a good question. Um, and nothing's coming to mind right now, but do you have anything that I got two things here?
SPEAKER_02Uh you know, as we talked last episode about like hiring the right people and hiring aid player don't hiring some players.
SPEAKER_01I see where you're coming. You're going. We that makes sense.
SPEAKER_02I have made we have made some emotional decisions on hiring and that doesn't work. And we were we realized we were so bad at it that we had to we delegate that hey, yeah, I'm I don't want to be in charge of human resources, I don't want to be in charge of hiring.
SPEAKER_01I guess I was thinking More of like being upset or angry. But if you think about it, at that point, yes, like we definitely are emotional higher.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I feel around the business you have really good emotional intelligence. Probably more than me, I would say. Have there been a time, have there been a time where I guess your day has been so hard in the business, it has been just a tough day in the business that you have just cried? Like it's just so heavy. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_01I only cry at church.
SPEAKER_02At church? How often you cry at church?
SPEAKER_01Like almost every time.
SPEAKER_00But it's just a tough like it's.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, I get that. I get that. That that is good though. And that's good. What about that? Yeah, hey, I would tell you, like uh have there been any time where I have been too emotional that I'm like, man, you are all over the place. Like you gotta calm down.
SPEAKER_01Where you are?
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Where hey, every day. Every day.
SPEAKER_02Really? What about what about last month around January 15th? What what do you think of that day? You remember around January 15th, we we made some changes and then we were getting a lot of stuff from clients and I was really stressing out about.
SPEAKER_01Well I I think you were less emotional and more, but I mean, yeah, you were in a little tizzy a little bit. Because then we talked about it and you were fine.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01But I told you next time, like call me right away.
SPEAKER_02That's a good point.
SPEAKER_01But but I think and I think I don't know if this is like this is probably something like my grandpa taught me, like and ingrained in my brain so much that I don't even know it's there. But I just feel like okay, cool, there's a problem. Like it does not bother me.
SPEAKER_02That is good.
SPEAKER_01And that is so like people are mad about it. I'm like, cool, like, let's talk about it.
SPEAKER_02That is some thing, uh, I need to better lie, and and I need to be more like you in that sense because uh whenever something happens, I'm like, oh, this is I feel like oh, somebody's dying.
SPEAKER_01Like I think experience comes with that, but because I think I told you like the a business I worked with before, like yeah, it was always like such highs and lows of emotion. So I had to be like a regulator almost.
SPEAKER_00Awesome, you know.
SPEAKER_01So like we would have we would have owners come in and they would be up here some days, like yeah, everything was going really, everything was going crazy. And other days it was smooth and they were even.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I would tell you, whenever I was an employee, I was pretty, you know, pretty low or really hype or really positive. And I've never was really like down anytime. If I was down, I'm like, my thinking whenever I was down was this like, hey, I can always push this to somebody more like that. That is the this is above above my pay rate, and I will use that mentality, and I'm like, hey, I'm just working as hard as I can, do whatever. Like at the at the end of the day, I'm not the boss here.
SPEAKER_01At the end of the day, if I glove, it's like it falls on you. And like, see, and I think for me, I'm like, is this going like nothing that there's nothing that's going to end it? Like there's nothing, and there's nothing I can't solve. Like I haven't met a match, I can't win, you know.
SPEAKER_02That's good.
SPEAKER_01I mean, and even if it results in like people walking away, it's okay.
SPEAKER_02It's worth it, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And like you taught me that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I agree. I agree. So I'm like, hey, I don't care. If somebody leave I don't care that there is more clients, more than using that mentality.
SPEAKER_01But I mean, but it can like it can be scary to think, okay, we're trying to grow our revenue and people are walking away, or people are threatening to walk away, or people are upset with us.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And especially if it's something that could have been prevented.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But then again, it's like I think it's just perspective.
SPEAKER_02I agree. I agree.
SPEAKER_01It's prospect because things are going to happen. Like, we're not always going to be able to be there, which we're learning.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And we don't want to. We don't want to be there 24-7 to answer every call and every client who's complaining. And when we lose a client, three more walk in.
SPEAKER_02That's a good point. Yeah. And and that is a mentality to have. And then, like, whenever we lose a client, uh, we just learn from it. Like, okay, how do we avoid this? How do we get it from that? And something I tell, I tell her, something, something I want with the business, and and I have always communicated is like, I want to make mistakes fast.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_02And make sure we don't make that mistake.
SPEAKER_01Like make it early on.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. That is the song that that I listen a lot that says like, if a mistake is not a mistake until you make it twice. You know?
SPEAKER_00I like that.
SPEAKER_02A mistake is not a mistake until you make it twice. So I always try to don't make the same mistake twice.
SPEAKER_01Then because anyway when we have a big white glove building downtown somewhere, I think we should have that on the wall.
SPEAKER_02Yes. Yes. This is by Eladio Carrion. So a mistake is not a mistake until you make it twice. So that that is also I aspire to be, I don't want to make the same mistake twice.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_02And then then, like, what about on the other side the ha the highs? Sometimes that is this stuff in business where Veric. Like, do you do you feel those highs really fast that I'm basically?
SPEAKER_01I feel them, but I think that I probably feel them more temporary than you.
SPEAKER_02I believe more temporary. How how often do you get those highs?
SPEAKER_01I mean, I get them usually like if I finish a big project, like for the one resulted due diligence. I get a little like, especially when I deliver it, the client looks so clean and so nice. Oh, like it's the best feeling of the like I just sit there and I like I look at that document like more than the client will ever look at us. I just I go through and I'm like, wow, look at this. We did this, like our firm produced such good work. And we do like we do very high quality work.
SPEAKER_02We do.
SPEAKER_01Like it was really good stuff. Um so that's definitely number one. Number two is meeting financial goals. And number three, honestly, this is gonna sound silly, but like in meetings like with employees, or like if an employee like handles something and I see like their nice email, I'm like, wow. I'm like, well, this is good. This is very good. Or like in a if I like I'm in a meeting and an employee starts rattling off stuff that they did to fix something without me having to do it. Yeah, wow.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I would tell you, those highs, I have gotten it. It you get, I feel like get those highs. I got those highs. Uh I got those highs uh earlier. Yes in the business process.
SPEAKER_01I know the first time too many now, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02For sure.
SPEAKER_01I feel the first time maybe it's not as high, like it's like it's like doing a drug, like it's more like at least I hear it's more like erotic and crazy, and the first when you first try it, and then like as you go on, like your body, your dopamine receptors or whatever are more accustomed to it. Maybe that's what it is.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so and yeah, so those highs for me were whenever I got the first big invoice paid, or whenever like remember that one that we yes, that was I was like that.
SPEAKER_01It was like, hey, we're on top of the world. That happened. That was yes.
SPEAKER_02Whenever whenever we get a big client, yes, or the or biggest client, that's good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and big client is always fun, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And then uh, for example, get a shark or something, you got a shark. Sometimes whenever I am on the company's wide meeting, I'm like, man, I cannot believe we have this and suit.
SPEAKER_00The company wide meetings do make me giggly. Yes, I say laugh, I'm like, I'm like, wow, look at all these people.
SPEAKER_02Man, it's crazy that this is like 26 immigrant person, like somebody that just uh took a risk.
SPEAKER_01And I need you to get older real quick.
SPEAKER_02Yes, and I'm like, this is crazy. I'm like, it feels good, and sometimes I don't believe. And sometimes whenever the employees are doing a great job, I'm like, man, I'm so proud of that. That is so cool.
SPEAKER_01It's like being compared to them because it's like, wow, okay, good job, guys.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, sometimes I get also those highs whenever I leave the office around 9 p.m. I'm like, man, today was such a productive day. Like, like I'm the only car here in the parking lot. I'm like, I'm beating everybody out, which that's not such a good high of a high, but I'm like, hey, I'm working hard, I'm putting the hours to start out.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. And like I think just no, it's just like if I sit back and think about it, because I'm like, this is something I did. So I think I we talked about this before, like you and I. I worked in the pinnacle building um years ago now, like downtown Nashville. And before I worked there, I was in college and I parked in the parking garage there one day, and I was like watching the people go in and out. I'm like, I want to work here. Like, how cool is that? And I did by accident, didn't even realize that the business that I was gonna work for was in the pinnacle building until I went in like for my interview, and I was like, wow, this is so surreal. Then I was hired and I worked there for like five years, and I went every day to the Pinnacle Building, yeah, gorgeous building, amazing to work in. And like it was such a surreal moment. And then now I feel like white glove is the same thing because I wanted this for so long. And then to sit back and say, Wow, like I'm doing it, like we're we're able to like create something, we're creating jobs, yeah, and like we're paying ourselves very well, like handsomely, if you will.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yes, for sure. And then yeah, no, and then creating jobs. I think air high will be when when I would get that office downtown and looking and and looking outside outside would be good.
SPEAKER_01Or seeing like a big WG.
SPEAKER_02Yes, no, I want that though. I really want to have downtown a big building, I think a big WG, a 12-story building, like a WG that everyone can see. Yes, like in downtown, you drive, you drive through ontown and Nashville and see that building, outtown Miami, outtown, New York. I want that. We gotta do it. Yes, we gotta do it. That would be so school.
SPEAKER_01That that that would be like seeing a big WA for me, like downtown Nashville, would just be like Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Do you know this is very inappropriate? What I'm going to ask. This is very inappropriate, guys. So if you have a kid around, I don't I don't know if I should be asking this, but this is very inappropriate.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_02I don't know if I should ask it.
SPEAKER_00No, ask it. We can always cut it out.
SPEAKER_02So I've always wanted to ask myself, why am I asking this? I feel so. Okay, don't think wrong with me. I always wanted to ask this like, are those highs moments feelings as good as making love?
SPEAKER_01I think that's everyone's own experience.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_01With the right person, maybe not. Maybe it's equivalent, but with the wrong person it's much better.
SPEAKER_02I get it. I get it. I get it. So that's good. So yeah, that that was always a question I always had.
SPEAKER_01Good question.
SPEAKER_02And that I I don't know.
SPEAKER_01I mean it's probably pretty close though, I would say. Like again, like definitely exceeds with the right wrong person, maybe close with the right person.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I get it. I get it. No, and that and that is that's what I think as well. That is just what I think as well. I'm like, yeah, yeah, it's pretty like uh those highs are pretty like, well, let's go about that. So hey, I'm going to be asking some of more of those like really deep questions. I'm glad you ended up that way. Okay, so no, so move forward. Yeah, but there's always high end in business. You always you gotta be looking for the high end. Do you take time to enjoy those moments? Like, for example, like whenever we get the office, the sign outside, the conference room, allocatoring that whenever we got those big paychecks, like how did you react to it? What what was your first insinuation?
SPEAKER_01I think it's just like satisfaction.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01Like I just and I think is like when we when we paid ourselves that all that money, yeah, that was good. I was just like, let's go.
SPEAKER_02Let's go. Let's go.
SPEAKER_01Like, this is great. And like maybe I would treat myself, I don't know, something, but yeah, but I think if we had that building, like I don't think I don't know if I could leave. Like I might have to put a bed in there for me, like a toothbrush, a bathroom.
SPEAKER_02I get that, but I think I'll probably be doing the same thing though.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, be like, hey, just put a couple apartments on the top, you know, so we can just stay.
SPEAKER_02Oh, you can live uh in the condo across the road, you know what I mean? You can live in the condo.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that'll be even better. Because then you just look at it and you're like, it's fine.
SPEAKER_02That's good. Wg, that would be awesome. That'd be awesome. So okay.
SPEAKER_01Can you imagine like walking in that building like for the first time?
SPEAKER_02That'd be awesome. Hey, we gotta do it soon though. I really want to leave. I wanna leave, I want an office downtown.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we're gonna push we're gonna get an apartment down here too.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we gotta, yeah, we will. We gotta do it. So, okay, what about number 11?
SPEAKER_01Okay, number 11 is you'll like this one. Yeah. Ruthless time management.
SPEAKER_02That's the stuff. How do you that is something as a business owner, you have to protect your time and I've been working on it. How do you how do you go about it? How do you make sure you have ruthless time management and what does that look to you? What does that mean to you?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so ruthless time management to meme, yeah, is not spending time on the incorrect things. Things are not gonna make me money or they're not going to provide value to white glove. Why do it? Yeah, right. Like I will say, for an example, today is our business development day, right? Yes. And I went to the mall. I got a new outfit.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01Normally I'm not a big shopper. I hate shopping because it just feels like a waste of time.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Which probably a lot of women won't agree with me, but it feels like a waste of time. I hate it. So I just order. I always order or I have someone who helps me and they just order for me. And they bring me options and they're like, you know, what do you want here? It's that's actually cheaper than you think. It does sound like is yeah, it's not that expensive.
SPEAKER_00That's cool.
SPEAKER_01Um, it depends on the clothes that you buy, more so than them helping you. But but yeah, I think it's that that's a big portion of it, is like allocating your time appropriately. So if you have like a the EA having that person like filter through emails that are just like stupid emails, to be frank, like people, salespeople or like, you know, little emails that wanted to schedule a meeting. Yeah. Did I spend my time doing that? No. Did I spend it doing it when I my first year of business? Yes, absolutely. Because I couldn't afford an EA at the time. I couldn't afford someone to help me. So I had to, but I also probably worked 60, 80 hour weeks, maybe a hundred hour weeks. I was working all the time.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, so I think prioritizing your time and say, okay, these clients are making me, these are clients who paid me. They are paying, they are actively engaging, they're listening to my advice. These clients that they're worth my time. You know, is maybe um emailing back like someone who's been asking you to look at their taxes for free, like over and over again, maybe six or seven times, and never actually sending them, is that worth your time? No.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_02That that that's a good point. And I feel like yes, it's hard to do, at least for me, uh, that was something hard to do because it is hard to do. I guess I guess the same thing with you. Like, we like to be in control and knowing what is happening in every single uh thing.
SPEAKER_01And I'm still working on that.
SPEAKER_02Yes, same here. And whenever, like, whenever you grow a business, like Jeff Bezos doesn't know everything or thing that is happening in Amazon. And so when trying to start products and then it's too big, yeah, you know, it's too big. So and that's where like processes, systems fall uh fall into place. Uh, that helped with that a lot. Something that I did not realize is how much time I spent on emails. And in those emails, that is a lot of young emails, that is a lot of stuff that is not working.
SPEAKER_01There's so many meetings to schedule, so many.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And that takes like 15 to 10, 15 minutes.
SPEAKER_01Sometimes longer if you have to like think about your schedule and go back and forth with them on like when to choose and like finding the right links to send them booking links. It's just a mess.
SPEAKER_02What are some personal responsibilities that uh uh it's not worth a business owner's time? For a sample. No, I feel like laundry I've seen probably cleaning yes, cleaning laundry.
SPEAKER_01I mean cookie, I I it can go in and out because if you can't afford like nice, like like good quality, like a chef or something to come in and help you out, then I and I think I'm really a big advocate for like being healthy, like healthy eating, like like sometimes fast food or dining out, whatever.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And like exercising, but I think you're doing yourself a disservice and like your mind and your mental capacity a disservice.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah. What do you think about driving?
SPEAKER_01Driving feels like a waste of time a little bit too.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I I knew some attorneys at the old firm I worked at, and they paid for drivers so they could continue to work or do phone calls or handle things. And it made more sense because of their billable hourly rate.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that was cool. I feel that would be really cool, and that is something I'm looking forward to whenever I can I can hire a I can hire a driver. So that is something that like, for example, me with driving, there are probably better drivers out there than me. And as we are business owners, it's really easy for us to be distracted while you're driving, taking that phone call.
SPEAKER_01I'm always taking calls. I'm always taking calls. Like I literally was on a call when I got here.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Like I'm always taking calls. Yes, you know.
SPEAKER_02Do you think do you know what is one of my biggest fears?
SPEAKER_01What?
SPEAKER_02Me going to work or me going visiting to a client on my 24, and because I'm distracted.
SPEAKER_01Me too.
SPEAKER_02I'm distracted. I'm like, oh, because I'm taking care of things that I that is what's the mind too.
SPEAKER_01Like the business would suffer.
SPEAKER_02Yes. But that that is why I think like once I can afford that, I'm like, man, I'm hiring a driver. Like, uh, what what is this guy? Like uh Serhant? What is his first name? Uh the New York Real Estate Agent that uh sell it like Serhant, Ryan Serhant.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_02He has a driver and around New York City, which New York City is really hard to drive.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_02But yeah, but I feel a driver will be worth it.
SPEAKER_01How much do you think that would cost us?
SPEAKER_02I think probably we can find somebody that will do it for 780k. And if they want to be more available, probably like more often. But I feel I feel it only would be worth it if we drive a lot for business. If we have an office and we don't have to be on the road a lot, I don't think it doesn't matter. Maybe for the business development dates, yeah.
SPEAKER_01It will be maybe if we just had like one, like a shared one.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And I think that there are services like that that you can just get on trick for the day or like a couple times a week.
SPEAKER_02We need to look into it. We should look into that for like the summer. Yeah, because I will post um busy season. I will pay for it because I feel like that person is going to be paying attention. Like if if they're looking at their phone trying to do it.
SPEAKER_01I mean, it's their job, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's their job to do it. So and then that would be good. And then I feel with the rule.
SPEAKER_01And it saves us time. We can have our computer like work.
SPEAKER_02Yes. That would be a phone with uh iPhone with like what do you think? Do you think the electric vehicle, the autopilot, the copilot electric vehicle would be able to do that? Yeah, that would that would increase efficiency.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it will.
SPEAKER_01Take care of phone because, for example, like on the way here, instead of driving, I mean they have an hour and 50 something minutes in the car, almost two hours in the car.
SPEAKER_02To air drove for like 45 minutes, and that would have been 45 minutes that that could have been.
SPEAKER_01We're gonna be driving back late for yes.
SPEAKER_02So uh and I-24 is not good right now.
SPEAKER_00I 55 is the same way.
SPEAKER_02That is a lot of butthole, and I'm like, hey, like I need somebody that's paying attention or and they don't know this road. So no, I think that is something that that would be something cool uh to have, yeah, for sure. Like either like whenever whenever rich people get a plane, they don't drive the plane. Why why why why would we have any cars? And then they can work from the plane and all of that.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
SPEAKER_02And then you can get Wi-Fi and your and your staff, and then do do a lot of fun stuff. Okay, what is the can you tell you? What is the last one?
SPEAKER_01All right, lack last one is lack of change or refusal of change.
SPEAKER_02Okay, uh what do you mean by that? Can you can point it up?
SPEAKER_01The world is ever changing. So the only constant is that everything changes. Yeah. All right, my grandpa taught me that one too.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01So the only constant is that everything changes. So that being said, if you're afraid of change or you're not making changes, like whether that's software, whether that's efficiencies, or like people that need to go, or people that need to come in, processes, like products, services, if you're not changing and your business is stagnant, then it's dead.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I see it. And then right now, technology is moving so fast. And I feel now there are there are a lot of business businesses that they are not even in the technology era. In the in the they don't have a website, they don't use software to run the business, everything is still on paper, they send fax, uh faxing, and we're already now in the in the AI, ChatGPT, co-pilot era, and I'm like, man, those businesses, if they don't change or if they don't catch up fast, they are going to they die, or somebody else is going to come and and buy them out and build a lot of efficiency.
SPEAKER_01And even a lot of times they they don't even take the time to buy you out because nothing's there to buy. They do like your clients.
SPEAKER_02What about if there's business that makes really good money? I'm like, yeah, it's all by solid business, makes really good money.
SPEAKER_01I'm like, and there are like I mean we Seen some like that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And they have no software, they have nothing. But the thing is, how do you expect to reach your clients, especially in the world that's going so heavily toward tech and your clients are using tech? Maybe you're only taking cash, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And then no one can pay you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I mean, who has cash? I actually have cash today, but normally I don't have cash, right? So like nine times out of ten, no one's gonna be able to pay for your service or pay for your goods or your product. I gotta, yeah, no, I'm uh like how will they find you if you're not online? Yeah, do you expect people to find you new customers? I mean, yeah, and like it's good to have like the repeated customers, but that doesn't always last forever. I mean, 10% of them are probably going to pass away during your life of business, or probably all of them eventually, but the other 10% is going to change, you know, the store they use, the other 10% is going to, you know, move away.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right. So like you have all of these like roadblocks that are going to take away your current clients, yeah. And then you have no way to get new ones.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I agree. I agree. No, and I feel like those businesses are stagnant, they are not growing. And yeah, they just keep standing and and the and they're slowly slowing down, slowing down, slowing down. But it's always really important to stay on top, in top of technology, in top of technology. Something, something I have been thinking lately is about this keeping up, keeping up with changes. What do you think about all of this AI thing and how businesses can can do it? Uh why would you recommend businesses? What are we doing for AI? And what would you like us, what would you like the business to be doing related to AI and all of that?
SPEAKER_01I would like to use AI more on the marketing side of it. Like I have some really creative marketing ideas, business development ideas that I think would be interesting to involve AI in for us. Um, also utilizing it more on like an assistant level. The only thing with us and the branding of White Glove is that we are very people focused and client-focused, like high value brand. We want to give you very high quality service and high quality work. And to do that, I do feel like AI is not the level, nor do people want to talk to AI.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01So that's where we have like real people on our website. You can't talk to a bot, it's just not there. You just call and someone will answer if you're if as long as it's through a business, you know, business um hours or business days, yeah. Someone will answer. But I think that there's pros and cons to AI, and that's one of them, the disconnect from actual people. But I also see so much value in AI.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01And I don't mean like chat GPT or like grok, but I do think those are really helpful and they can be helpful. But for me, the number one AI tool that I use that's helpful is otter. Otter is the it's an otter AI. It's a note taker that takes notes for me during the meetings that I have, and I have a lot of them, so it's very helpful.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And later, I used to do this. Now my assistant's doing this, where she goes in and she actually will pull my previous otters and she will send an email to my clients after our meeting and say, Hey, here's what we discussed from the order, right? And you can ask the otter questions, say, Hey, what are the highlights? And it'll like give you highlights. She can email that over and like email highlights, action items to them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And then remind me to do the action items that I told them I would do, the deliverables.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And then make sure it's done before the next meeting. And then she can remind me again before the next meeting what we discussed.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. That's pretty good. It's a game changer. It is. Game changer. Yeah. It is. What do you think? Yes, I think AI, yeah, AI is going to make everybody more productive. And I think AI is going to resolve the I think AI is going to resolve the money issue we have right now. You know how like now houses are so expensive and people are not making people are not making enough money to buy a house or to afford a house. I think AI is going to solve that because I feel AI is going to bring so many opportunities for people that get with it and use it and incorporate it into their daily work. That's going to make them more productive. So companies are going to pay more money for them. And hopefully, not the productivity goes up, their salary goes up, and then now they can for a house. They can buy a house. So I think it's going to help out a lot. My encouragement to people is like keep track with it. Learn about it. I wonder in May, uh, the end of April, May, like really get to it and stay up today. And I use Oral as well, it's great. Then I also use uh the superhuman app that helps about superhuman app. Yeah, help me with my inbox. That that helps a lot. And I think that's also software. I feel I would tell people don't be scared, don't be scared about it. Just use it. It's going to increase your productivity. And AI is not taking your job because you need somebody telling AI to do something, and then we have those agents and all of that that you just need to tell them what to do and review it, you know, and then sometimes everybody has compass situations. AI is not going to take care of the compass situation and it's not gonna take in the job of an accountant.
SPEAKER_01Not yet, maybe not for 10 years.
SPEAKER_02I don't think so. I think like accountants, uh finance, every profession we evolve and and every staff there are going to be needs and all of that that people will have to that people will have to agree. So awesome. Uh this was a good podcast. Uh what are what are you looking forward over the next week over the next couple of weeks? What is what is exciting?
SPEAKER_01Okay. Interesting. Okay, I'm really excited to start releasing our new service.
SPEAKER_02Awesome.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think that's like my number one thing, my number one focus going into the next few weeks is just fine-tuning that and getting some images, some things to use for socials, things like that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know. That that will be helpful. Uh well, I'm looking forward for the next week. The same thing. I'm looking forward to launching the new services. I'm looking forward to tax deadline April 15, just getting done with it. Uh I'm looking forward, like uh we want to do employees' reviews and bonuses around May June, May June. So I'm also looking forward to it. That'll be our first time giving out bonuses.
SPEAKER_01So that would be that would be pretty nice and definitely pretty excited about like we've done little gifts or bonuses here and there, but like this will be a major one, it'll be fun.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I'll be fun. So uh yeah, I'm I'm pretty excited for those things. So awesome guys. We were wrapping up here. This was a really good episode. Hope thank you so much for uh taking the lead in this dirty dozen. This was really good. And guys, uh thank you for watching. Thank you for tuning in. Subscribe, leave a comment, and let us know if you have any questions. Also, we have released our email address. If you have any questions and you want to talk to us, uh send us an email to the email address below, and and we will reply to it as soon as we can. Sound like a plan? Thank you guys.
SPEAKER_00Peace out.
SPEAKER_02Peace out, love you guys.
