177 | The Service Industry's Best-Kept Secret: The Unconventional Approach that Leads to Success

Mar 21

[00:00:55] Chaz Wolfe: What's up everybody? I'm Chaz Wolfe gathering the King's podcast. Today I have a guest, Jesse Summerlin, here on the King stage. How you doing, brother? Doing great. How are you? You know, I'm wonderful man. It's Monday. We were just talking, going back and forth a little bit on a couple of different, topics of business. I had to hurry up quick and hit the recording button cuz you were already talking about business basics and starting all kinds of businesses and getting, getting me fired up. I had to hurry up and quick and do it, but I know you've got lots of things going on in your world, as do I. We're gonna have an incredible conversation here today, but tell us what kind of businesses that you got. [00:01:28] Jesse Summerlin: So, the, the big one, the one that started, the longest ago and I guess I suppose have had the most success, it would be, the construction company. So that's Dewal Roofing and Exteriors, and we serve the DFW Metroplex. And, from that, we've, that's still going great, still growing it, and, in the process. Been doing some other businesses that are sort of related to it. So shoulder to shoulder, that kind of help. real estate. we have some, rental properties in the, in the Metroplex. Picking up additional ones as sort of opportunities present itself. Yeah. And then doing some, uh,uh, s str r stuff up in Oklahoma as well. awesome. The B R B O Airbnb stuff, which is, yeah, it's all kind of, related in one way or another. obviously the construction company can help service the other ones, keep costs low turnover, prioritize, and. Have a marketing agency as well. Wow. and this year we'll be adding an insurance component to things. okay. That'll kind of help, in my opinion, have everything pretty well rounded, yeah. Where it's all helping each other. So yeah. Some force multipliers, but, kind of adjacent industries where, it's all kind of growing now and, [00:02:32] Chaz Wolfe: yeah. I love actually, so just a, I mean, not that this is like. super hidden thing. But, sometimes when you're growing multiple businesses like that, what, what works, what you're doing. So I'm kind of more pointing out for the listener than anything, is that when you have an individual and you serve them with a remodel or a roof, or, we were just talking about solar. I've got, I'm, I have a solar installed here today. actually one of the guys in our, gathering the Kings Mastermind Group, his company here, Royal Roofing and Solar in KC woo woo. But, all that to say, You've got this individual who has a lot of needs with their home or insurance or whatever. And so if you can, if you can develop a customer, which is what you've done, and then you recognize some of the other needs that maybe you can help them with, it's a good, it's a good horizontal way to be able to grow your business. If, if, especially if you've gone deep and you've kind of tapped the, well, if you will, in your area with that one task, and now you can help that same customer. You don't have to grow the customer list anymore. You got the list . Yep. Yeah. [00:03:26] Jesse Summerlin: So sell 'em another thing. The, yeah. What we do typically is, or at least the way we sell, is it's a, we're developing relationships. These are lifelong customers, you know, it's a value add. So That's right. If we can have a full stack process where they're like, you are the guy that we go to for all of these things, it's, it's great. So, you know, apply the same kind of approach with,doing the best that we can, giving them exactly, what they need. But, you know, it's, it's, it's not, it's not the cheapest price. It's not the, the most expensive product. It's, it's the best value. So yeah, giving them, you know, once, once they're plugged in, they understand, they're like, look, the customers that we develop are, they're, they're folks. That understand, you know, I might be paying a little bit more, but I'm getting a lot out of it. And, you know, we can, we can take them along and give them exactly what they need. It's, it's, it's been a good approach. It's sort of the long-term approach and we're, we're not trying to get it in, get out, get paid. It's, you know, we're, we're doing the, the right thing. and, uh, the business follows. It's kind of, it, it, it seems like a no-brainer, but yeah, believe it or not, especially in like, roofing or construction. There's a lot of competitors that ha it's hasn't seemed to click yet, so. Yep. Oddly enough, it's still unique. and it, it, it pays dividends. So, yeah, u [00:04:38] Chaz Wolfe: unfortunately in those industries re really, I guess it's in all industries cuz we're people, but even in construction services, home services, there's just this lack of awareness that it's not, You know, construction that I'm in, it's people that I'm in a hundred percent. And, and when you understand that piece, then it's like, okay, now I, I can build a real relationship. I can use certain soft skills that typically maybe are looked down upon and, and so what, when you don't have those, then it becomes transactional. So when I can learn how to speak, when I can learn how to add value, when I can learn how to maybe even handhold, which is really just meaning like you provided a premium experience at the end of the time. So, so yeah, they actually end up paying you. And they love it. Yes. They become raving fans, right? Like, I'm thankful that I paid you more because you took excellent care of me and I don't have to worry about you disappearing on me. Right? Yep. Yep. Yeah. We're especially in construction, especially in roofing and, and, and, and in solar. Solar's not like all across the country yet, but. Another industry where people just in and out, in and out, in and [00:05:40] Jesse Summerlin: out. Right? 100%. Yeah. We're not going anywhere. They, they, they trust us. And, we, we have a, a, like I said, I mentioned the marketing component. We, we get a lot of new, opportunities, but, our referrals are fantastic because, you know, each one of our customers has had a, like a great time, a great experience. You know, they're, they're sort of screaming our names from the rooftop. Everybody likes having a, a guy. . and we are their guy. So it's, it makes it really easy, as long as we're doing what we're supposed to be doing. So, [00:06:08] Chaz Wolfe: yeah, it's, it's so unique to how you described how it's still unique to do business like this , you would've thought that more people caught onto this. What I have found actually is there's a lot of guests that I have on the show, we're coming up on 300 episodes, but a good majority. , I would say over 80, maybe even 90% of the guests. And then for sure, everybody inside of our seven and eight figure mastermind group, we have this similarity where it's like I, I'm actually more concerned about doing it right, knowing that I'm gonna be around forever, building something sustainable, something that matters to my family, something that I get to help you, and then not just transact and be gone, but like I'm, I'm your guy. Like all these things that you're talking about, it's like this grateful but not done kind of language that we use within gathering the. We're just regular guys, but we're like crushing it. You. [00:06:56] Jesse Summerlin: it when it, it seems like a no-brainer. once, once the sort of the light bulb was going off, but, and at first it might not seem like it's paying off, but Right. Sticking to it. it, you know, you start, it's like rolling that little snowball over time. Yeah. It keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger. That's right. And you, you know, after a couple years, You might, it might feel like grinding away, but oh my gosh, does it pay dividends? Because you get that critical mass and then all of a sudden everything starts coming back and you're like, this is it. This is, you know, I'm glad I stuck to it. That's right. You know, the proof is in the pudding. and it doesn't happen overnight. But then once, once it starts coming in, you're just like, it almost, right? Seems obvious. yeah, it is. [00:07:36] Chaz Wolfe: It is. It, it's, it's funny how, like what you're saying is that it's only obvious when it's obvious. It seems obvious now, but cuz when we started, it just felt right. but unfortunately there's just a lot of people that. Aren't thinking long term is really what it comes down to, so, yep, yep. we, we've kind of tapped on this question already. We've, we've gotten into some really good stuff like super fast here, which is great. my first question's always around the why a, a deeper purpose. We've, we've kind of danced around this even a little bit around, I mean, why you're building certain things and doing it with integrity and all these things, but at the end of the day, Jesse, you've been successful is the. But yet you're still building, you're opening up, new divisions of your companies or portfolio companies this year, even. You're here on this podcast. Why, why are you doing all this even after all your [00:08:19] Jesse Summerlin: success? So, one, I'm pretty competitive. and it's not even necessarily competing with other people. It's competing with myself. So, yeah, I like to, you know, I'm always kind of trying to push outside my comfort zone. Set goals and then achieve those goals and then push further. I don't wanna limit myself, I've. Back in the day, you know, you kind of learned the hard way, I think. and fortunately over time I've kind of learned that a, a lot of the things that were inhibiting growth, were, were my own, issues or proclivities or whatever you wanna call it. and as I've gotten older and, and kind of really, you know, you can hit up against walls, you after a while, as long as you have that mindset and you continue to try and learn and grow, right. The proof is in the pudding. Again, I say that I don't want it to sound cliche or whatever, but even if it's small wins, those sort of build on each other and you know, it remodeling my own, my first house and then just seeing like, oh, oh my gosh, I can do that. And then the, the dividends that it paid, and then. Just finding something new, some new goal to achieve. And then, it, it continues to build and like, okay, well I can do that. That was a piece of cake. It seemed like an insurmountable task, but Right. I got it. So let's try something harder. Let's aim the sites higher. That's right. And, it keeps going. So the, the competitive competitiveness with myself, I'll, that's a, that's a big deal. It's also fun for me. I don't, I don't know what it is. Maybe, I'm like a glutton for pain, but I really enjoy doing these things. yeah, it's, it's, it's kind of neat and I'm my, my own boss, so having, being able to be the, the captain of my own ship, sort of steering the outcome of things, I, I like to be a doer not to have things done to me. [00:10:04] Chaz Wolfe: So, yeah, it's,Yeah. :Lot of relatable things there, I think that the listener can pull out and go, yep, that's me. Yep, that's me. I know I heard several things in there that I can agree with as well. You know, it's funny that that little piece of,glutton for pain, you know, I just settled in my spirit, maybe a few, 2, 3, 5 years ago. I don't know. but I've, I'm just putting language to it in the last probably two years that I'm a builder, you know? . Okay, fine. Yes. Whether that could be actual remodels that one of my portfolio companies does, or, or real estate. And we've done flips or we've built, you know, projects. But I'm a builder. Just like when you define what a builder is. Building teams, building businesses, building individuals, building leaders, building my wife, building my children, like I'm just a builder and guess. That's, it's just difficult. , it sounds fun like, oh, Chaz, you're a builder. Like that's great. But really what it is, is that I love the process because there's a lot of components that go into building. There's a lot of like good days and bad days, and like some things that move the needle a little bit and some things that move the needle a lot of bit. And you're like, whoa, that was awesome. And then it's like you get smacked in the face again. So it's like there's this really clear dynamic of what you. A little bit of pain, but I kind of like it, you know? So , it's another challenge, one after the other. And, so I'm just resonating to, I'm a builder. This is what I do in every aspect of my life. And actually, you probably re relate to this. Let me know what you think. But when I like settled that, then I was like, just, okay. I was like, I'm not upset about the, the default or the pain in the moment. I just know it's part of the process of building something. Would you agree? . [00:11:38] Jesse Summerlin: Sure, absolutely. Yeah. Sometimes you get, you can get smacked in the face on something there. There's always losses, especially when you're sort of pushing that boundary or getting outside your comfort zone. That's right. those are great learning opportunities. But, you know, every once in a while, if you're just like, because you, you can't always be positive and happy and like on all the time, it's, you know, we're all human. That's not really the case. It might appear that way for some folks, but That's right. The reality, the background of it is, no, that's not it. you know, every once in a while you need, an easy win. and for me as a, in, in you as a builder, I like, I like things that are tangible. So literally building something with my hands and seeing the result going from nothing to something. Right. that, that's great because it's, I've showed myself, I've, I've made progress and, that's it. It, it helps rebuild that momentum to get sort of back at it. And, You know, pat myself on the back. So it's, it's good, it's necessary and, but, but I love doing it and creating things, especially from nothing. Whether it's it's, it's a concept or, or or whatever. It's, yeah, it's a lot of fun and it's very rewarding, so That's right. [00:12:43] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah. It's that reward, you know, physically or not. Cause I definitely, don't put myself in a category of a handy individual, so you creating something with your hands looks different. for me, I'm, I'm creating something usually with my mind or maybe some, some, some energy, you know, of, of putting things together. But it's still the same thing. Mm-hmm. , whether it's someone else, in, in a, in a portfolio company doing the work and me looking at it going, Ooh, that's beautiful. We did that. Right? Like, maybe it was my thought, my vision, but, but, and you did the craftsmanship and that's great. And together we're, we're in it, but. It's that it, it is the reward. You're right. And that's why we keep, that's why we keep coming back over and over because the war, the reward is, is greater than the pain. And so, all right, let's, let's, I wanna get into your story, man. Like, you got a lot going on. You, you've given us already like just nugget after nugget after nugget. We could stop the podcast right now and somebody could just be like, dude, that guy was awesome, . So I wanna know, just give us a little bit of the journey. Like how did you start a business? How did, how's it unfolded? Give us a couple minutes just on your story. [00:13:41] Jesse Summerlin: So if, if I take you way, way back, from the, the very beginning, yeah. I would say, believe it or not, I am a, I'm a, I'm not a, an extrovert. It's, I would say I'm more of an introvert or maybe some somewhere in the middle, but certainly not an extrovert. If I'm in like a group of people trying to network with strangers or whatever. although I'm having fun, although I'm, you know, pushing myself out there, it's exhausting. yeah. And, you know, starting from, from very little, Little league I, you know, to, to have raised money. We're, we're selling candy bars, you know, single digits. Yep. Little guy getting out there trying to get people to, to give me money for something that they didn't ask for. That's right. And, it's, it's tough, especially when you're a little guy talking to adults or whatever, trying to get their money. but like the, just the experience of something, simple like that. Where, you know, I could go door to door and knock a knock, you know, a couple dozen doors, maybe get a couple candy bars. but you know, you're developing your pitch. You're, you're, you're learning to, to get outside your comfort zone. You're learning simple things like that. And then I'm like, okay. Well, let's, let's sort of fish with dynamite. So post up at the grocery store and with a little booth and have the customers come to me and then Uhhuh sell some stuff, but like a bit of leverage. Yeah. I didn't want to do it. it was terrifying for me. And, but it was, it was a great learning experience and taking, a little experience like that at that sort of age. and seeing that, again, you're, you're getting something tangible like, holy moly, like, look what's happening. Like, this is really great. It is something I didn't want to do or didn't think I could do, but now I've done it and, literally my whole life is, has been, something sort of along those lines. you know, mowing, starting a little lawn mowing company before I was old enough to just get a, a real job. that's right, and. , you know, then sort of builds on on that kind of stuff. And plus I'm all over the place. and on this podcast I'll probably be all over the place. got a little bit of D a d d I am dyslexic, so I've had to kind of overcome certain, yeah, you'd consider 'em obstacles. But honestly, I, I, to reframe it, I consider them, more of an asset because as a result, having to compensate for certain things, I've, I've naturally developed skills that other people might not have. And that's right. it makes it. those sort of things make it easier. even just simply reframing it and not using it as an excuse to not do well. Kind of, you know, flip it around and try and do, do more with it. going back to the, the kind of, I'm all over the place in college, or it was between high school, college, you know, I was, I was. We're make, I was making some money, had had jobs, having fun. they're like, what can I do to get a little bit extra beer money or something like that. I, late night infomercial, some, there's some, they're selling like some garbage, a hundred knives for a hundred dollars. I'm like, okay, this seems like a great idea. I just, I bought the knives. I was bored. I did a couple Craigslist posts and I just, I made these, I sold these, these blip, these. Junkie, knives and swords and whatever. And I probably 10 Xed my money. It was, it wasn't anything, other than sort of an experiment. I do not recommend doing this. and it was a complete waste of my time. But it was interesting. I learned a lot from it. And just little experiences like that as you kind of, Are on the entrepreneurial path. Yeah. You go the history, you learn a lot from them. So I would say any experience, even if it's like ridiculous or mundane, you're learning something from it, especially if it's a failure. the failures I would say I've learned a lot from those. those are the ones that, the painful things are the ones you remember that stick with you most. You don't, you're not having to do it a lot of times. That's right. in order for it to really make an impact, so, I don't consider a failure losing. I honestly, it, it, I consider it sort of an asset. It's something, maybe a wound or a, a scar. It's a, it's a good story to tell and it's a good thing to remember because you're probably not gonna do it again. And then it's, you know, each one of those losses that you rack up, you're. It's, it's, it's good. It's, it makes it a lot easier as thing. Now we're on that because I can avoid those things now. It's way more wins than losses. [00:17:46] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, absolutely. Well, and obviously we, I wanna get to some of those, some of those failures here in a minute. and I, I know you'll be vulnerable and share those, but you're right. You're building a history and I loved how you, first off, I thought you were telling my story there for a second with the candy bars and the mowing and. Until you got to college, then I knew we weren't talking about the same story. Cuz I, I am not a college educated person, and so you got me there. the reality though is this, you're a hundred percent right. We're talking about, I'm building a history of trial and error. Let me, let me buy some knives and resell 'em on Craigslist. That's, that's amazing. Selling candy bars at my mom's office. Like, I remember all of that. And and it builds a history. Not only. Experimenting, but inside, I now can look back and go, well, if I can do that, I can do this. And if I could have success with that, even through the failure, right, of, you know, buying some random infomercial information or stuff. What could I do if I really did it? What could I do if I like took this thing seriously? What could I do if I created an actual sales process? What could I do if I created an A client experience that leaves people knowing that I'm their guy? Like we talked about at the beginning of the podcast. What if I really do this thing? Where before is like, man, if I could do that at nine , you know, or 15 stumbling around with my mower. The sky's the limit. I, I, I really feel like for guys like you and I, we're just like, dude, I'm just now getting started still after all the success. I haven't even started really, is what it comes down to, right? Yep. So let's jump into some of these good and bad decisions, because you kind of alluded to failures and we're definitely gonna get there. I wanna start with a good decision though. What's something that you did that you can look back on, you go, okay, this, this one moment, this one decision, I did it and I do it over and over and over again because it's led me to a lot of where I am today. What. [00:19:35] Jesse Summerlin: So, so in general, the, the good, I, I would say a really good decision. and I don't know, perhaps it's, it's a little bit more general, but, but honestly believing in myself, yeah, and again, it, it, it, that might be cliche, but The being able to depend on, on myself, especially if you can't necessarily depend on other people. Yeah. even if you have a good, a great support group around you, you know, if you're, if you're not down to you Yeah. If you can't trust yourself That's right. You can't depend on yourself, then, you know, I, I don't know that you're gonna get as far as you possibly could so that, The, the focus on, on development, challenging myself and then believing in myself, that, that would be, I would say a decision that has, has really propelled me into all of the things. All of the successes that I've had. and it's, it's literally just choosing, choosing you. yeah. You know, I, I love to, to give back and, share my experiences and help others. the only reason I'm able to do that is because I've sort of focused on, you know, making sure that I'm, I'm good, I'm, I'm doing well. I'm focused on, progressing and getting. if I, if I didn't make that, that, that choice on myself, I wouldn't be able to those other things. So it, it might seem, sort of counterintuitive or selfish, but I, I don't believe it's that, yeah, you know, that decision has, has, has paid. He paid dividends and helped, you know, family, friends and, the, you know, the charities and causes that we give back to. [00:21:08] Chaz Wolfe: So, yeah, the cup can't overflow if the cup's empty, right? I mean, in essence, and you gotta take care of yourself. You gotta take care of your family. And then from that nucleus, everything flows out. And so I think it's a great principle. My follow up question to you on that, Jesse, would be, okay, so believe in yourself. We all have heard that before. Even the way that you said it was like, yes, like I'm kinda like ready to beat my chest and run through a wall, you know, like, Ooh, really? I was like, okay, choose me. Okay, fine. What's something super practical that you did, or what can the listener do right now? I need to believe in myself more. How do I do that? What does that look like today? [00:21:43] Jesse Summerlin: So the. Being on this podcast, listening to this podcast, for example, education is, a lifelong pursuit. It doesn't matter if it's it's formal or, something that's, that's been cobbled together. you know, you said you didn't go to college. I wouldn't have any idea. obviously you're, you're very bright. well articulate, successful. the college aspect of things doesn't really matter as much as choosing to learn, choosing to continue to gain knowledge. that is, 100% the, in my opinion, the most important, aspect of things. If you're not continuing to progress, you're stagnant and you're not going to, to succeed or develop. you can only get so far if. that, that learning mindset isn't there. so, you know, it's, it's one thing that I try to, to instill in, friends and family and coworkers. It's like, look, you know, we're, we're doing great. We can always do better. it's not that I'm getting down on you or anything like that. it's that, you know, we, we've, we've hit, hit this level. Let's, let's take it to this level. There's absolutely no reason why we can't. So, you know, that having that mindset is, is an extremely important and, Yeah, that's, that's the, the number one I'll, you know, I'm always reading new books, always listening to new podcasts or watching podcasts. always trying to learn. You only have so much time in the day, especially when you're working a bunch, trying to grow. I mentioned to you before we started recording, it's more vegetables instead of junk food, so [00:23:02] Chaz Wolfe: That's right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, believing in yourself obviously can look like filling what you need. Like you gave the reference of being able to give out and the, and the, even the example of the cup there. I love the learn it All spirit. We, we've got a, a member in our group, big gc, not actually very far from ya. multiple hundreds of millions. Like just a, just a fantastic business. Wonderful brand, just super great person. You know, like when you just meet somebody and you. Dang, dude, I wanna be like you. You know, and so's like, man, when when I can rub shoulders with a guy like that, or a guy like that wants to be part of a, like my mastermind group, I'm like, okay, we got some, we got some good stuff going on here. Because a hundred percent a guy like that that says, be a learn it all. Don't be a know-it-all. Be a learn it all. And he's like constantly putting himself in a situation where he's the low man on the totem pole. We had a, we had an event a few months ago, actually here at my. And he walks in. Nobody really knows that. Like they all know, like all the, you know, 30, 40 other business owners in the group, they all know, but they don't really know. Like I know, cause I've had some deep conversations with him, you know, and you would, you would just never know. He walked in, he's curious, he's asking questions. The guy that just crossed over a million who like just skirted into the group. Has no idea who he's talking to. And actually what happens is that this guy is asking this guy all the questions because he knows why he's there and he maybe doesn't need to know, like practically, you know what I need to do in the business. But he showed up because he wanted courage, he wanted energy. He's like the guy that just transferred over a million or they just got over a million bucks for the first time. He's got some battle scars like you mentioned earlier. He's like, I wanna hear the stories I wanna hear like, cause I wanna walk away and go back to my team, my big business, and I wanna take the juice right. That might be what he's, what he's, what he's after. So my point is, is that what you're saying? Believe in yourself. Kind of know. I mean what angles to take that in, but, but being a learn it all, as you mentioned, is a super easy, practical way. Podcast books getting around people like you start leveling up and you start realizing, man, I don't really know much actually. [00:25:05] Jesse Summerlin: There's always something new to learn. I mean, and, and the way how fast things are changing, especially with, you know, the option of technology, ai, all that. It's Right. You know, there's, there's a lot of competitors that we, we deal with. One of the reasons why we have success is because we're not analog anymore. You know, we've, we've cut out a lot of the, clerical work, the overhead. The additional folks that used to be, you know, having to, to do things. Yeah. We've automated it. We've, we've removed a lot of the human error and That's right. has made the customer experience much more streamlined and, and better for them. those are things that, you know, we have learned because we choose to continue trying to progress and get better. You know, even if you are. 30 million a year. you guys might be doing it old school and you could be doing 60 million a year if you just tweak a couple things. This little guy that just crossed a million, they already know that because they're starting brand new, they're starting fresh, they're learning new things. So, so yeah, for sure. It's, regardless of where you're at, I don't think you've ever arrived. there's always something new to learn, especially even from someone that you might think is, is is back there. oh yeah. [00:26:09] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, so it, it's, it, you, you mentioned it before we started, for the listener. I'm gonna talk to the listener right now. I'm gonna, I'm gonna scoot Jesse to the side here. I was talking to Jesse about promoting himself and talking about how great he is before the show started. He goes, I, you know, I might wrestle with that a little bit, Chaz, I, you know, like, I, I hear you. But that's never really been my approach to toot my horn. And I think actually a lot of people that listen to the show, for sure, the guys that are in my mastermind group were like this because, Tooting my horn. Okay, well what does that mean? Okay. Yes. I need to let people know about me. We need to, we need to be, we need grow. Having the learn it all or that humility to kind of know like where I came from, to be respectful of that, to be respectful of you and to like do business yet still not be like overbearing. I think is like a little bit of a niche, you know, people, and it's like, these are the, these are the real genuine ones over here, and it's actually, that's who I wanna be around. I don't know if you would agree with that or not, but [00:27:00] Jesse Summerlin: 100%. It's,I th I think, well, you have the, the sign in the back stay humble and hustle. I mean, that's a, it's. It's a, it's a pretty good, thing to stick to 100%. And, you know, it's, it's, it's good to be outgoing, but, yeah, and it, but you don't, you don't wanna have someone that's, that's overbearing or, or controlling or, right. again, the know-it-all you, that's no one knows at all. If you, if you have someone that, that, that comes across as, as arrogant. You know, I don't, I don't know. It's, for me at least, it's a turnoff. and it's, it's not as easy to, to sort of mind meld or, or, or find a, a common ground, um, right. Right. So yeah, I'd rather listen. Let, [00:27:38] Chaz Wolfe: so, let, let's flip the script here and talk about one of those failures you mentioned there was, there was lots of them. what was a bad decision that you made that you can share that might be applicable for the listener to stay like, Hey, stay clear. Pothole coming. You know, what, what is it, ? So [00:27:51] Jesse Summerlin: the, I'll, I'll give you a couple, one is, the first one, and I learned this early on, is, don't give up too early. I had, starting off it was kind of, again, one of those, those little, those entrepreneurial tangents. I had, come up with a, a product that, because I, I'm a. A scuba diver. And this was a, a scuba diving, piece of equipment completely unrelated to all the other stuff that we're doing. Yeah. But, came up with a, a design, on, for, for one of these components and, had, provisional patents, a working prototype and, had it sort of going chugging along. Was very plugged into the industry and, and had all these things kind of going for me. I, Was getting all this like, really good feedback. And then I got one person that I respected that was like, eh, I don't really know about that. And I just gave up. Mm-hmm. And I am, I, I kick myself for not sticking to it. Sure. and I may revisit it down the road when I'm a little bit, less busy. But, that, yeah, that was a learning experience where I, I, you know, having a little bit of negative feedback and then, Kind of, stopping before, you know, taking the, the no that it's, it's like all of the things that I, that now, you know, a, a decade and a half later, right? I, I, I regret, and I, I, I give myself a, a lot of grief for it because it was a, it was a huge mistake. It was something that could have paid dividends and it, even if it didn't, it was. It would've been a cool process to continue to learn and progress as I went down the road and I, I gave up on it too early. So, one thing, again, going back to, you know, like believe in yourself and all that, you know, re regardless of whether stick with it, Yeah, there, there, there's a lot of naysayers out there. there's a like probably butcher with a, a, kind of a, a Texan saying like, any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one. Yeah. . okay. You know, you get a lot of negative feedback, but, you know, it. It's, it's, it's, it seems harder. It's a better choice to, to, you know, pursue, to do you, you know what you're doing. stick with it. don't listen to the haters. And that was a, that was a, a, a learning experience for me. Now, you know, we, we pushed through, we, We, we don't, we don't, we don't take the, the negative feedback might be great to, to tweak things, but certainly not give up on anything. [00:30:14] Chaz Wolfe: That's a big one. that's sort of a, a more, high, I guess high level or esoteric concept, I guess. Yeah. Um, And if we can, we can talk about that a little bit more. I've also got another one that's a little bit more,yeah. Give it to us. well, and, and let me, let me, lemme say this to the listener. What Jesse just gave to you is literally in thinking grow rich as one of the 31 reasons for failure. lack of consistency or lack of persistence. And so, some of it comes down to, you had mentioned earlier, a d d I think most, most entrepreneurs diagnosed or undiagnosed. we have this ability to. Lots of things all at once, lots of projects I want, you know, like I can do a lot of things. So I think, and and so I think that some of that's just us and recognizing that we have this tendency to maybe like start something and then kind of let it fall and then, and then jump to the next thing. But the actual, like in there nitty gritty persistence that you're talking about. Is a development, like you, you, you work that muscle. And so I'd love to, give that to you if you wanna speak on that for a second. and we can move on to your next one. But thinking Real rich talks about this, I mean, it is the number one success principle book period. And, and if, if he's gonna list it as one of the reasons people fail is that you can't stick with it. I'm gonna listen to Jesse on this one and say, Hey, hey, bro, before you give up, I'm not saying that you, you don't transition or you don't pivot away from things. I think that we're saying the same thing like, There are, there are some times you gotta, you gotta listen to Mr. Wonderful and you gotta take it out back and shoot it, right? But maybe not today. Yeah, maybe you need to press a little harder before you do that. Would you agree? [00:31:44] Jesse Summerlin: Absolutely. It's, and it, it does not come naturally, at least, and it didn't for me. it was one of those things, again, sort of pushing outside the cu zone, getting beyond certain certain things. And again, it's a, it was a limitation that I was putting on myself, right? And as a result, you know, it, nothing really came of it, or at least not yet. it's. And it, it's, it's, it's a good, it's a good thing to practice. it's necessary. Yeah. now I kind of, I've gotten to the point where I, I like to, now I, I look for those things, that sort of make me feel a little like Yeah. Queasy or uncomfortable. that's right. Because then I, I know, I, I know I'm in the zone. I know I've found where I need to be in order to be progressing. it's. After, after doing it for years or challenging myself, I seek it out. If I, if I'm not feeling that, then I'm like, what am I doing wrong? Something's, something's amis, I'm too comfortable. and I'm almost having the, the opposite, reaction, which is great. This is where I want to be. Exactly. what was [00:32:42] Chaz Wolfe: that second failure that you mentioned? I want to, I want to definitely squeeze that in here. [00:32:45] Jesse Summerlin: Okay. So the, the, the second failure, and this is, again, a little bit more, I suppose constructive or whatever. Jumped in on a business venture that, with someone that the, the, the concept or the business itself was great. The partner was terrible. I learned that the hard way. And, going into a partnership, most of these businesses I start on my own by myself. this one, it was an existing business and I. Bought into it. And this was a guy that, it was kind of a friend of a friend, didn't know him as well as I probably should have. Sure. researched what I could asked around, the due diligence I suppose was lacking. The, the guy was a complete failure. as a result, the business was, was struggling. I, I learned later, unfortunately, that the guy that I bought out was the one that was, I wish, should have been my partner for sure. Sure. that was a huge mistake. yeah. You know, going into a partnership, whether you're buying into a company or starting it from the beginning, I would, I would say, know that person. Set, set those guidelines and those boundaries. Make sure that everybody has, e expectations set, right? know who you're getting in business with, because it's like a marriage and, if you, if you choose the wrong person. that's tough. It, it, it becomes a drain, a time suck, for resources and money. it was a, it was a mistake that I will not make again. Yeah. But, definitely something to kind of keep in mind, for the future. [00:34:12] Chaz Wolfe: . So, yeah, absolutely. Great, great stuff. And I think that, it's applicable, picking the right person, even hiring the right person. I mean, people in general obviously can, can disappoint. It doesn't mean that we're always gonna pick those things perfectly, but. I think that's a great, great tactic there. I wanna move on to our speed round here. I wanna come at you in a little different angle. My first one's always the same here. And it's a K P I question. I say it like this, if you could only pick one thing to track forever and ever, Jesse, what would that one thing be? Profit and [00:34:41] Jesse Summerlin: loss. I'm just kidding. Why? [00:34:43] Chaz Wolfe: kidding. . Hey, look, I've had, I've had a few hundred people say that. So No, [00:34:47] Jesse Summerlin: no. It's a, the, the p and l I'd say is obviously pretty important. that's something that, you know, if you're your CPA or whoever you have doing it isn't doing it. That's kind of a, something that I would say is, is necessary, but That's kind of an obvious thing. I don't, I don't want to. Okay. I don't wanna go with that one. Okay. Where are we going? The, this one I really like and it's unsolicited customer feedback. Mm-hmm. . So, and I say unsolicited because. I want to get, genuine, honest, opinions from how we are doing things. Now, obvi, I mentioned earlier that, you know, we're, we're very customer centric. We're, we're value focused. We're developing relationships that we want to keep, beyond. you know, just, one transaction. Yep. and, and having that feedback, whether it's, it's good. That's awesome because we know we're on the right track. the bad stuff also great because it's actionable. and we're getting it from, from someone who is. Who just experienced what we, what we've, sort of provided for them. Sure. sometimes it's, it's difficult to sort of see the forest from the trees when you're in it. You might not even be realizing that you're overlooking something that's very important. Right. And, getting that feedback from the customer, the, the person that has just received the, that that experience or that product from you, is, is, is a big one. And, The, the unsolicited customer feedback is, is incre incredibly important as we build an improve our businesses? Yeah, [00:36:15] Chaz Wolfe: I, I agree with you. It's interesting that you would pick unsolicited, and because there's not really a way to get it , and so is that even a measurement of like, if we're not getting any. Is that [00:36:27] Jesse Summerlin: like something that you pay attention to If we're not getting any, I, I would say that's also, a sign that something needs to change. Sure. yeah. You know, it, it might be great. Everybody's busy. right. Very rarely, are you going to get customer feedback unless the experience was fantastic or absolutely terrible. And, typically if someone's upset, they're, you're gonna get feedback more often than you would if it's fantastic. Sure. so. with a, with a company that has a lot of really good reviews, really good feedback, that, that's usually a good sign. That's, I mean, that's typically how I, if I'm trying to search for, for someone. Yep. that, you know, for, for a product or service, I'm gonna, I'm gonna do a little bit of research. I'm gonna see how they're rated. Do they have good, good reviews? Yeah. and. Is the substance of those reviews good? Or does it look like they just stuffed 'em with, you know, a, a bunch of garbage or friends or family or something like that? No. Like, are these, are these real reviews? so it's, I would say that's, that's important. Now we do, we do, ask for feedback, of course, but, The, the unsolicited stuff is, is the best, in my opinion. So if you're, if you're, if you're getting the feedback, fantastic. If you're not getting any feedback, you need to make an, an adjustment, because that in itself is probably a sign that you're, you're not on the right track. So, yeah. Very [00:37:40] Chaz Wolfe: good. Jesse, what, book would you recommend or maybe even a resource? You mentioned that you're a big podcast guy. what resource would you recommend for a business owner who's looking. [00:37:47] Jesse Summerlin: Well, this podcast is great. like I mentioned before we started recording, the co the, the content that I love about your podcast in particular is, a lot of the things that we discuss is actionable. So, you know, for someone that's getting started, it's, it's good stuff because, there are actual things that like, you know, In, in my position, whether, you know, you're the six figure, the seven figure, or seven to eight, whatever, you know, there are things that everybody can learn from it. That's right. another podcast I really like is, is Tim Ferris, show, that's a little bit, sort of, more, I guess conceptual or, or, but it's, it's still very motivating. yeah, again, I'm, I'm more about the vegetables than the, than the, the junk food. That's right. there, there are a couple books that I, I like. one is. range. I have it right here. Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein. Okay. that one I really liked. I, I read it last year. and it, it kind of, it, it stuck with me because, he. Turn the, the concept that, that a lot of people think of, you know, if I win, really want to get really good at one thing or, or, I wanna be great at, at x I gotta just really focus on, on that one thing and, and drill down deep. and. That, that book gives, a lot of examples. and this is, it kind of, I don't know, maybe it, it, it spoke to me a lot more just the way I am. But, I'm, I'm all over the place as we talked about, and I, I consider myself kind of a jack of all trades, maybe a master of none. But what I have, noticed is, A lot of the, the different concepts or, or things that I've, found, entertaining or intriguing or interesting, they, they, there's sort of this cross pollination aspect of things where, right, something over here impacts something over here. And, they, they come together. in, in a way that might be unexpected. but it's very helpful. Yep. and, and that book kind of goes into how, how, how kind of the culmination of learning, in, in different things, whether that's competitive or, or otherwise. it really spoke to me. I think it's a great book. Great. another one that's a little bit different would be, meditations by Marcus Aurelius. okay. It's easy read. It's only like a hundred pages, but, I am a, a, a believer in the, the stoic philosophy and yeah. those sort of things that are instilled and necessary, you know, the, the, the perseverance, sticking with something, getting through it, that pain. you know, he's, he's, The emperor, the emperor, I mean, of, of, of Rome. One of the best of the Pax Roman, you know, a, a king of kings, if you will. So I would say if you're on, if you're watching this podcast, that'd probably be a pretty good book to read. So, yeah. [00:40:12] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, that's great. I appreciate that perspective and even the usage of, the king there, cuz you're right, there's different levels, right? And, and, and I think that we all recognize that and, and we're all trying to get to the next level, whatever that is for each one of us. What are your thoughts on intentionally network? Or masterminding [00:40:27] Jesse Summerlin: with other entrepreneurs. yeah, it's, it kind of seems like a no-brainer, obviously. I, I prefer to, if I can, try to be in a room where I am, I feel like the dumbest one, if you will. sure. Because I wanna learn some stuff. I wanna challenge myself. Yeah. That's, that's kind of where I, I I like to go. I'll be, you know, in a seminar tomorrow for the next three days. Yeah. it's, you, you've always got something to learn. Pursuing that mindset, yeah. Meeting with people that are, are like-minded, um Right. Even if it's not in, in the same industry, per se. Right. you know, like what we were mentioning before the podcast, the. Business in general. there are some concepts that are,applicable to everything. You know, your foundational things, they, they, they can be applied to, to all sorts of stuff. And, that's, it's, it's incredibly important to, to be meeting new people and, and, and learning new things and getting out there with someone that, you know, even being on those podcasts is fantastic because,chatting with you is, is is fun. And, yeah, we do have a lot of similar stuff going on, and it's. It's inspiring, honestly. Yeah. It gives me a little bit of juice to, to go out and keep, keep doing more, so. That's [00:41:34] Chaz Wolfe: right. That's right. Yeah. That, that last point that you made there, even in a scenario like this where we get to rub shoulders for just a few minutes here today, it, it can give you sometimes just the juice that's necessary for just another day to keep going. Like that persistence that you talked about. and it's funny that it, it, as entrepreneurs, we don't really. People like that. I, I, at least I found in my story, it's like I operated at a certain frequency where, you know, my, my buddies, you know, or the guys that I knew at church or the guys that I knew, just it just. There's just a gap, man. Like let's just be honest. Like I'm just not like them and that's okay. Like I'm, there's nothing a about me that's better or about them. That's worse. It's just I'm different. , you're different. Okay. We're together. We're the same. We're not the same as them. Okay. So fine. So I want to find. People who are like me, not so that I can keep a narrow, like this is only what I believe, but I want to be around people who are thinking big and going after multiple businesses or going after even one business, but like, how do we take it to a hundred x? And it's like, okay, well if I can run guys like that that are like me, then it's like I start like, you know, compounding. You know, effort, like really, really quickly. Because even if I'm just in the room and I tell Jesse I'm gonna do something and I know he's gonna be in the room the next time. And I haven't done it yet. Like I, I'm gonna stay up all freaking night to get it done, whatever it was, or, or, you know, over the year. Yep. There's just so much impact when you get around, the juice Yeah. As you call it. I love [00:43:08] Jesse Summerlin: it. Yeah. And get, getting back to the, the competitive aspect of things. if I, if I can see that you're doing it, then, you know, I feel that I could probably do it, or at least I can, I should try. That's right. It's, that's right. You know, the. The guy that, that did the sub four minute mile or whatever, the, once he, he crossed that barrier. Then within months, someone else did it, but it had never been done before. It's like, as long as you can see someone else is doing it, that's, that inspiration. It's in itself allows you to, to, to rock and roll. So it's, yeah, it's, IM, it's, it's important. It's important to be around people that are like-minded. And pursuing to, to do better. Go further. [00:43:44] Chaz Wolfe: That's right. I got a question for you that might be a little bit unique. entrepreneurs that you know, have a family are listening. Some, some don't have a family, but there's this, dynamic of obsession that we all relate to. We've talked about it actually here on this show, and we go all in on things. How is it that you've been able to go all in on all these things that you have your hand to, but yet still have those other values and, and be able to press into those other areas of your life at the same time? [00:44:12] Jesse Summerlin: I would say it's not easy, especially at first, especially when you're, you're starting out in your, you're grinding and you know, you're wearing a bunch of hat. That's right. it, it's, it's, it's definitely not easy to have a, a, a good balance, right? certainly when you're younger, you got more energy, you can, you can get out there and really grind. having a good su support group, also very important. you know, a lot of my success, I wouldn't be able to do it without my wife. That's, um, that's right. She, she hustles herself. She, you know, she, she, she, she busts, her butt and. Without, without her or support, I, it wouldn't, it wouldn't be possible to, to do what I've done. And, you know, the, the thing that's important is it's not always like that necessarily, at least at the beginning when you're, when you're starting and, and, and really having to, to sort of make sacrifices. I mean, social life is out the window, but, you know, when you're, when you've got your, your eye on the prize, that, that goal, yeah, it's important. And, and now as you know, we are, we're kind of gotten to this, a level that we're at. I, I have, you know, I've hired people to do a lot of these things for me. I'm, even though it seems like I'm doing a lot more, I have more free time, more ability to, to spend with my, two young children, my wife. it's the, it, you know, when we talked about, the. The, the, the little, the critical mass rolling, that little snowball as it gets bigger, you know, the, the, it's now paying dividends and I'm seeing it, and the proof is in the pudding, and that's inspirational. But also, you know, as I transition, I'm turning 40 this year. It's, it's a big one. I'm a little scared about it, but, and I, I also, you know, instead of continuing to really grow, or, or do new things, I'm. I've set a goal for myself to kind of transition to be a little bit more, you know, give back, have more time, yeah, with friends and family and, enjoying sort of the pursuits of, all of these things that are, are, are sort of a means to an end. yeah, and it's, it, it's, it's, it's great because, Again, I'm, I'm seeing it. It's rewarding. yeah, but those, those sacrifices initially are important and you gotta stick with it. don't get discouraged because they, they eventually pay off. So, yeah, [00:46:17] Chaz Wolfe: you, you gave some really, really great dynamics there between the support of your wife as well as just, I think, cuz I think the balance word, you know, the dirty little balance word. First off, it doesn't exist like you said at, especially at the beginning, is that you kind of just have to get on the same page. You have to get into an alignment. And maybe there's certain seasons where you're dialed in here or dialed in there, but, that takes alignment. It takes her being on the same page. and then obviously along the way, you, you doing things to honor her and still be a good dad, all that fun stuff. So, thank you for that. I got one last question here for you. All right, let's hear it. You said you're turning 40 this year. I want to know, Jesse, if you could whisper in the younger Jesse's. What would you say? [00:46:57] Jesse Summerlin: try harder, faster, sooner. That's, again, going back to that, that initial mistake that I had made, yeah. In hindsight, I I, and it doesn't only have to be that one specific instance, but, starting earlier and believing in yourself, and, and trying don't taking no, those things, they, they, they'd be paying even more dividends. who knows where I'd be if, if I'd started even earlier. But it's tough. It's not easy to, to just. Flip that switch again. if you're starting early, that's great. If you're listening to this podcast, you're already on the right path. it's, you know, but that, that'd be it. Start, start earlier, start sooner. keep grinding, keep learning. because honestly, I'm having a blast. It's fun. Yeah. it might not seem like it. I'm working a heck of a lot more than I was for anybody else, but, but you know, I'm, I'm, I'm liking it. this is, , it's, I, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. So I love what you [00:47:45] Chaz Wolfe: said, get started, you know, sooner, faster, better, stronger. you didn't say get started younger. You said get started sooner. And so for even the guy who's 41 listening right now, right? You're like, go, dude, go do it. Don't wait. Do it. , [00:48:01] Jesse Summerlin: right? Yes, absolutely. It's, It's again, b believing yourself doing, making the choice. I don't, I think part of it, you know, I had a, I had a really cushy job. one of the things I was, I was an insurance adjuster for, for a period of time. extremely beneficial for what we're doing now to have that kind of knowledge. That's right. it's not an easy job. Yeah, but it had some, some really good benefits. Very cushy. I could, you know, you're, even though you're, you're grinding away for someone else, you have a nice safety net. It's kind of comfortable, it's safe. Right. right. You know, I, I. It's not my personality. I, I could not be doing it still. I, that's, I, I'm glad that I left, but certainly making a jump to out of the industry as I was kind of learning and, and pursuing to a commission only job from something that had great health benefits, great insurance, all that kind of stuff. That's right. To. You gotta, you gotta make some money. You're, you eat what you kill. Exactly 100%. And, that, you know, that, that was a leap. But, by, but by doing it, believing in myself that I could do it, it's sort of has spun into all these other things that, that, that we're doing now. and, and it's worth it. So, yeah. [00:49:09] Chaz Wolfe: Well, Jesse, man, I, I'm sure a guy like you and a guy like myself that have, a lot of similarities and differences, but I'm sure we can go for hours in all seriousness and it would be, enjoyable for the both of us. but you've been incredible, man. Thank you for sharing your story. I wanna know how the listener can connect with you. First off, if they're in your area of Texas and they need a roof, or they need exteriors, they need solar. If they need insurance, like all the things that you got going on, how can they find you? And then if they're a business owner, how can they come find you, pick your brain, you know, get some value that way. [00:49:37] Jesse Summerlin: So I'm on, I'm on LinkedIn. if you, if you message me on LinkedIn, just look up Jesse Summer. There's actually a couple of them, in the metroplex. I'm the, you're the, the Jesse Summerland. Yeah. entrepreneur, investor, father. The, if you, if you shoot me, a message or try to connect, just mention the podcast and, be happy to, to connect and answer any questions that, that anybody would have. And then, yeah, if you're happy to be in Metroplex, dwell Roofing and Exteriors is the, is the main company. have some others, and I'm sure. When, when, when this goes up, we'll, you'll list them for me, which I really appreciate. Of course. And, I'm happy to answer any questions. Happy to help, happy to, to, you know, give back. Yeah. And,you know, help other folks on their journey because, it's been fun. It's, it's, it's not over. It's still going. It's still learning. That's right. So, So, yeah. [00:50:23] Chaz Wolfe: Grateful. Grateful, but not done. Jess, you've been, yes, thanks for having me with me. Absolutely incredible. Thank you for being here. Blessings on your family, on your businesses, all the things that you have put your hand to here in 2023. Thanks for being here, ma'am. Thanks, bud.

Host Chaz Wolfe interviews Jesse Summerlin, the owner of Dwell Roofing & Exteriors and managing partner of Texoma Seed Company. Jesse shares his insights and experiences on building a business with a mindset focused on learning and growth. He emphasizes the importance of adding value to customers rather than solely focusing on profits in the service industry. Jesse also talks about the challenges of being a builder and the trial and error process of building a business. He shares lessons he learned from partnering with the wrong person and the importance of a growth mindset in achieving success.

Jesse Summerlin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessesummerlin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DwellRoofing

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