Mike Michalowicz Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Podcast
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Introducing Mike Michalowicz
Mike Michalowicz is today’s guest joining us on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots free business podcast interview.
He is the go to expert if you are looking for THE idea that ignites your life, dreams, and financial security, but feel that you need big bucks to kick it all off.
Our guest has over the last decade written three bestselling business books, proving you can start with very little capital with inspired titles such as the “Pumpkin Plan” and “The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur”.
I bet he cleaned up with that one!!!
And now he is even more famous for being “Mike Michalowicz Profit First” when he helps the world start to make a real difference to their financial thermometer.
How The Dots Joined Up For Michael
But that is not all as he is also an entrepreneur who has created from scratch 3 multi million pound businesses, and helped countless other wannabe entrepreneurs to build their own futures.
Michael Michalowicz has been a businessman, author, tv presenter, angel investor, and he even worked in a computer shop to name just a few of the things that has had his fingers on them.
Which when you now Google “Mike Michalowicz Net Worth” and see he is valued at around $5,000,000 then you might well think “Ok then why not me then?”
But it hasn’t always been plain sailing, and he has experienced both the heady highs, and crushing lows that make a story so compelling.
Well let’s bring onto the show to start joining up dots, as we discuss the words of Steve Jobs with the one and only Mr Mike Michalowicz
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed such weighty topics with Michael Michalowicz such as:
why he was mistaken for the small green monster with a big eye in Monsters Inc.!
How he changed his life dramatically after an evening of drunkenness with a work colleague!
How he believes that fear combined with a proactive approach can speed your way to success and wealth!
And lastly……….
How you do not have to be the greatest just the best in the arena you have chosen to compete in!
How To Connect With Mike Michalowicz
Return To The Top Of Mike Michalowicz
If you enjoyed this episode with Michael why not listen to some of our favourite podcast episodes such as Jack Canfield, Nick Ruiz, Sarah Caltieri or the amazing David Ralph
Or if you prefer just pop over to our podcast archive for thousands of amazing episodes to choose from.
Audio Transcription Of Mike Michalowicz Interview
David Ralph [0:00]
Hello and welcome to Episode Two. I suppose this is the podcast equivalent of the difficult second album. Are we going to achieve our aim and blaze brightly like the Beatles? Or is it going to be more like Justin Bieber from now on? Who knows? But let’s start. This is join up dots
Yes, today’s guest is the go to expert. If you’re looking for the idea that ignite your life dreams and financial security, but feel that you need big bucks to kick it all off. Our guest has over the last decade written three best selling business books, proving you can start with very little capital. We’ve inspired titles such as the pumpkin plan, and the toilet paper entrepreneur. Abedi cleaned up with that one, see what I did. Yeah. But that is not all. He has also created from scratch free multimillion pound businesses, and help countless other wannabe entrepreneurs to build their own futures. He’s been a businessman, offer TV presenter, angel investor, and he even worked in a computer shop, but it hasn’t always been plain sailing. And he’s experienced both the heady highs and crushing lows that make a story so compelling. So join with us today as we start join up dots with Mike Michalowicz. How are you sir?
Mike Michalowicz [1:41]
I’m doing doing well. I’m a little bit under the weather. So I do have a scratchy voice. But maybe I’ll seduce you. Maybe you’ll find a sexy
David Ralph [1:50]
thing. Actually. I’m already seduced. I’m a man. It doesn’t take a lot of seduction. I promise you. Okay. Oh, good. Good. Just give me a computer screen and an empty room and I’m away. So where is life view at the moment, Mike. So obviously we’re speaking live over Skype. But whether bounce Are you actually seeing?
Mike Michalowicz [2:12]
I live right outside New York City. I’m in New Jersey, maybe 20 miles west of the Lincoln Tunnel, one of the main gateways into New York City. And we are getting overtakes the second day of spring. We hopefully no more snow. It’s been the most snowy, cold winter. I think in my lifetime. I’m in my 40s it was a brutal winter.
David Ralph [2:33]
Yeah, but you Americans love the snow. Don’t you?
Mike Michalowicz [2:37]
know, I don’t know. Not me. Not me. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to come over to you. I heard there was no snow there this year.
David Ralph [2:43]
Now we’ve had no snow at all. But I’m, I’ll be honest, I went over to America in 2010. And I flew in on the fifth of February. Never Forget it. And it was the most snow I’ve ever seen in my life. And I was supposed to be doing a 700 mile sort of road trip it from Atlanta up to New York. And we ended up doing a 3000 mile run through Nashville and Indiana just to dodge the storms that we’re not pounding as pounding as pounding. Oh my god. So I promise you Yeah, I except but snow is a different ball game over there. And over here.
Mike Michalowicz [3:16]
Yeah, it seems like it is.
David Ralph [3:18]
Yeah, we get a little bit of a sprinkling. Well, it’s been a huge excitement in my house this morning. Because I didn’t realize how famous you were. Did you did you realize how famous you are?
Mike Michalowicz [3:30]
With your with your children or wife with no
David Ralph [3:33]
idea well with with my children. I’ve got a daughter called Ashley, who’s eight years old. And every morning she has say to me, daddy, daddy, who are you talking to today? And I always say the same thing. I always say to her like your English. Why are you talking in that accent? Just pull yourself together. But today, I said Well, I’m talking to a man called Mike McCallum wits. And honestly, the enthusiasm in her was amazing. It was like, I’d walked into the lounge and the Beatles had reformed and we’re playing Hey, Jude and my piano. It was like, it was like beyond anything. And I said to her, I said, Why? How do you how do you know this chap? How do you know Mike McCallum? And she said, Oh, I love him. I love him. I think he’s brilliant. When it turns out that she thought you were the little green one from Monsters Inc.
Mike Michalowicz [4:22]
Oh, that’s awesome.
David Ralph [4:23]
Yeah. So. So we if you ever do meet her live Mike, just squint a bit so that she thinks you’ve had some kind of surgery and you’ve lost the big one? Oh,
Mike Michalowicz [4:32]
yeah, that’s what I’ll do. Oh, that’s fantastic.
David Ralph [4:35]
Has anyone ever linked to you with that chat before?
Mike Michalowicz [4:38]
No, this is the first but now I know. And I am going to keep that.
David Ralph [4:42]
Yeah. So if we tell him you watch Monsters, Inc, or Monsters University, or whatever it is. You’re the chap. You’re You’re the chap at the front. But But your name is interesting, isn’t it? So So where does your name actually come from?
Mike Michalowicz [4:53]
Is Ukrainian.
Unknown Speaker [4:55]
So
Mike Michalowicz [4:57]
I’m third generation. So my, my father was the first. I’m sorry, my father’s father was the was the first generation here in the US and came from the Ukraine and hungry, all in that way, our area of Eastern Europe.
David Ralph [5:12]
And do you have to go back through it? Or is that not part of your?
Mike Michalowicz [5:15]
I’ve been to Russia. I’ve been to Russia. I’ve traveled around Europe, but just a little bit. You know, being a speaker now. I travel extensively. But I would say 90% of my travel is North America. Mexico, US and Canada. Yeah. So I want to get out you are actually but come across. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I’ve never I’ve never been to the UK
David Ralph [5:40]
at all. So shame on me. I really want to get out there. We drink a lot of promise you.
Mike Michalowicz [5:46]
Oh, totally the Canadians.
Unknown Speaker [5:48]
yet? I do.
Mike Michalowicz [5:50]
I thought I could handle myself. No way. No way. I’ve just given up. I can’t I cannot compete with anyone from Canada. And I presume no one from from England either. Well, you
David Ralph [5:58]
certainly wouldn’t be have a complete my wife. She’s a boozer how she can drink. She is fourth at 10 High, but she can drink anyone under the table. But most of the time, she’s actually under the table herself. Because she’s she’s quite small. But I I went to Pennsylvania a couple of years ago, and we went into a bar and there was all these American football players, huge, huge blokes. And I’m not the biggest bloke in the world. I’m six foot one, but I’m quite slim. And they said, Oh, don’t worry, we go and get the drinks, we’re going to get the drinks in it was about 15 of us. And they brought out like two pictures. And that’s like, you know, that’s like a starter for us over here. And right, so we finished that. And I said, Oh, she’s not gonna get some more I know, when are you Englishman you really know how to drink. And I thought, well, that’s only about half a pint a lager that so far, is. Yeah, so it’s astonishing drinking. So let’s just go back into your history, because the theme of the show is obviously about joining up the dots. And it really linked to be iconic speech. But Steve Jobs did back in about 2005 when he stood up, and he said you can only well I tell you what, we’re just play the clip and see what you think.
Steve Jobs [7:11]
Sure, of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very clear looking backwards. 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leaves you off the well worn path. And that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [7:48]
So yeah, looking back makes all the difference. Now in your life. Obviously, as I was saying in the intro, you’ve been a businessman, author, TV presenter, angel investor, has that been something that you’ve just kind of more migrated into? Or has that been something that you’ve looked back and actually consciously planned for it, because you have joined up the dots like you were saying,
Mike Michalowicz [8:08]
you know, I did plan a few things, but the majority of it was kind of morphed. So when I started out, after college, I never intended to be an entrepreneur, I never intended them in business. I didn’t want it I didn’t imagine it. But I couldn’t get a job after after finishing the university. So I, I ended up working at a computer store. And one night, my friend and I who work there, we went out for drinks. And we had half a pint and for an American we’re getting ripped were wasted already. And we’re, we’re talking about how difficult it is to work for this boss, he makes all the money yet we make all the effort. So I said, you know what I’m quitting tonight tonight. And I’m starting my own business. I left the drunken slurry message from my boss, telling him that I’m gonna start a competing business, which by the way, I recommend no one ever do that stupid. Don’t call your boss and tell him you’re going to compete with that’s what I did. And then the next morning, I actually tried to get my job back I I regretted what I said and try to x out and he said sorry, kid, you’re on your own. So at 23 I was starting my first company
because I got drunk the night before.
David Ralph [9:23]
So So when when you did that, because this is beyond sort of comprehension, really, the amount of people who would have just gone and got another job somewhere they would have gone? Well, I’ve worked in a computer store. This is what I know, I’m going to do the same thing again. But you went No, I’m going to create my own company. So it wasn’t there as you know, a fear that stopped you wasn’t it sort of in your head down saying who am I to start my own company? How did you actually go about it? I was terrified. I was I was just thinking about I still shake how scared I was, when I quit. My boss at the time, said he’s calling every single company he knows and tell telling them what a scummy thing I did to quit and leave. And he’s like, you’ll never get a job in this industry in this area again. Now the other thing is I also already got married, I got married very young and had a child already. So my wife and I had our first son. So I 23 I had to feed three people, you know, get shelter, an apartment or something. And
Mike Michalowicz [10:27]
so fear, I was terrified, that was doing this, I was more terrified that it would fail. Because I had to bring enough income for my family. So I just I got to work immediately. And I did whatever it would take to make $1
David Ralph [10:43]
do you do you think if you had an a burn your bridges, you would have still been in that computer store? Or was there a natural progression for you to actually make it on your own anyway?
Mike Michalowicz [10:52]
Um, no, I think I’d still be a corporate guy, if I could have got a corporate job. That was what I was dreaming for. I was shocked. I didn’t get it corporate job. I think I’d still be there. The irony is after growing my second company, I was very fortunate I grew to two companies I sold. My second one I sold to a fortune 500. And this was only about six, seven years ago. And after you sell your company to a fortune 500, you become an employee for that company. And I worked for them for one year in the corporate environment. The dream job I thought I wanted the day graduated college was now available for me. And it was the worst. I mean, I couldn’t stand the politics in the brown nosing. And oh, thank you, you’ve been there.
David Ralph [11:39]
I think I think many of the listeners I’m actually in that position at the moment. Oh,
Mike Michalowicz [11:45]
it’s horrible. And that was it was funny, I was making a really good income there actually is making enough money there that it was probably more than I made most of my years as an entrepreneur, besides selling my companies. That’s where I made the majority of my wealth. But even though I was making really good income, my god it drain the life out of my soul. I just my whole outlook on life was just, blah, just gray. And I knew I wouldn’t make it for long, I actually got terminated from that job I couldn’t perform. So after they acquired my acquired my business, after one year, they fired me. And that day, it felt like the greatest relief, I’ve starting over again and allowed to be an entrepreneur, again,
David Ralph [12:30]
is amazing. I’ve got big resonance with that. I was working in the City of London probably about 1015 years ago. And I was in a job that I was earning very good income. And I hated every single second of it. And it was taking me two and a half hours to get there. The job was just terrible all the way through. And I just couldn’t leave it because it was providing income all the time. And when I was, you know, made to leave, because of situations kind of almost skipped out because that decision has been taken away from me. Yeah,
Mike Michalowicz [13:05]
yeah. It’s kind of the golden handcuffs is what they call him here. In that, you know, so much money is presented to you that the fear of leaving that job and leaving that money behind means even though you may be able to follow your passion, not gonna make any money. So you have these golden handcuffs around you. We feel obligated to keep the job, because we need that money to support our lifestyle. Yeah, absolutely funny, the funny, but the funny thing is like our entire life has been compromised. I presume you were coming home unhappy. And was that mean, you know, for your wife and your kids, they see their dads unhappy, you’re basically teaching your children to, to just take it to buck up and do something you hate just for the money. It’s you know, it’s a horrible thing. We’re teaching our children, but I would never want children doing it.
David Ralph [13:53]
I was a very good liar. So I could, I had something that I called a worry tree. And as I was walking home, I could watch from the time I left the office all the way home. But once I touch this tree, or will pass his tree, it was Ben, I said no. But you can’t see this. And I had been had about 100 yards to perk myself up before I went home. So my family never really saw this or distress I was under because of this situation, then I’d leave the house in the morning, go back. And once I hit that tree again, bang, it was on me.
Mike Michalowicz [14:24]
Yeah, that’s a great technique. But you know, I even want to challenge Not that I know, a single thing about you and your family. But I wonder if they could still read through that. It’s still inside you. You know, because I know when I’m doing what I truly love to do I feel called to do. I can’t help but be light on my feet and just excited. And I think my family regardless of how much I try to fame, how I’m really feeling, I think they can read through it, at least for my family can for me
David Ralph [14:52]
do do they stop using it? Would they would they say hang on dad, hang on husband, whatever you want you as you can see
Mike Michalowicz [15:01]
both? Both? It’s very awkward.
David Ralph [15:04]
But But what they say, look, I can see a fundamental change in the way that you’re operating at the moment. Are you in a situation you like? Or would they just kind of assume that you know what you’re doing and let you go on with it?
Mike Michalowicz [15:15]
Yeah, so, you know, I said no, maybe I jumped the gun there for my children. No, they they are just taking in the information. I think they’re just kind of learning from what I’m doing. My wife. She, she calls it out. Now, when I told her I my passion really is to be an entrepreneur that I want to impact people. She supported, but she was terrified. I was terrified. Because, you know, authors don’t make any money is basically the sentiment. And she’s like, we’re not going to how we can support any form of lifestyle do we want to do? So? There was times she was definitely encouraging me to keep the corporate job. And she may not use those words. But it’s, it was a scary time making these transitions.
David Ralph [16:03]
So you were 24? You got drunk? you started your first company. Was it reasonable success quite quickly, because it seems to me within a very short period of time, you’ve created your second company.
Mike Michalowicz [16:16]
Yeah, I grew, it took about eight years, we grew it to I think within the fifth year achieved about a million in revenue million US. And then I sold it when it was about one and a half million in revenue. But you know, one big misnomer about that size, is I thought that when your business does a million dollars in revenue, you the owner or taking home something similar to that amount. I thought you make a lot of money then. And no, the reality was I was barely making any money for quite a period of time, I was actually putting money into it from savings wherever I could find. And I was definitely not living a lavish lifestyle by any stretch of the imagination. I sold the company to private equity because I actually wanted to grow it faster. I wanted to be bigger. I wanted to be a bigger top line. But the another guy that was working with there, he achieved a certain lifestyle that he enjoyed, and he didn’t want to take it any further. So we said there’s two options, either he leaves, and I’m going to buy the business from him where he buys a business from me and I leave. And we we agreed he raised some money, bought it for me and allowed me to spawn. This was my plan when I wanted to do what’s called a pump and dump, build company really fast and sell it. And this time it that’s exactly what happened.
David Ralph [17:35]
Now, me talking to you now You seem very open very at peace with yourself. You’re very sort of humble. But whatever time going through that because I think I would become to use the word quite arrogant. But I’m growing a company. I’m in charge of a company. There’s two companies going and it’s almost like I’ve got the Midas touch did did that ever occur to you?
Mike Michalowicz [17:57]
Oh my god. Yeah, I became a dick. When when I sold my second company, so my second company was in computer crime investigation. And when
David Ralph [18:08]
I started to create that, how does that idea come to you? Because I wouldn’t know the first thing I bought CSI. And that’s about it.
Mike Michalowicz [18:16]
Yeah. Wow. Yeah, that’s exactly what happened. I was watching CSI. I came back to, to meet with someone else I know and is an entrepreneur. He’s watching the same program. He’s like, you know what, we should just do this for a living. And we partnered up, I sold my interest in my first company. And we we did because CSI had it. I had no idea how to go about it. But once you stick the label out there that I’m in computer crime investigation, you just run with it, you figure it out. And that business grew explosively. Two and a half years after starting it, Robert Half International, that’s the fortune 500 artists came in and acquire the company. And that’s the exact moment david i thought i was might as I was like, look at me. Anything I start I can sell I understand that grow big businesses. I’m a genius. And just became as arrogant dick I bought cars like really expensive cars. Just to show off my my trophies and my wealth, I moved into a very expensive town, I joined the the the posh local exclusive club like this, all these things that really wasn’t the core essence of who I was. It was more of a desperate attempt this to show off, that I achieved something that was successful. And what happened was, within two years of that day, I lost everything I spent every penny, I became an angel investor, I really I like to call myself now the angel of death. I I killed business after business, I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just throwing money out the window and lost everything.
David Ralph [19:58]
So So for people that don’t know, know what an angel investor is, can you just give us a little background on that?
Mike Michalowicz [20:04]
Yeah, it’s an investor, just like you would invest in your stock market and buy stock in a large company, an angel investor buy stock in very small companies, you’re considered angels, because usually, for these small businesses, they can’t raise money any other way. Besides using the founders money, or someone from the outside who they consider an angel, that’s you. But the angels is kind of a bad term because these aren’t. These aren’t particularly noble people. These are investors just like anyone else. They put money into a business with an expectation for return. And I was just a stupid angel investor, I would put monies and money into businesses that would never make money. I didn’t even under stand the concept of the business. I just thought it was a good idea. And if you know this arrogant, Mr. Midas here was involved, it would be successful somehow, some way.
David Ralph [20:53]
Did you actually look back at that person now? And are you ashamed? Or do you just go Oh, that was just Phase I can kind of gloss over that.
Mike Michalowicz [21:03]
Oh, I’m ashamed. I’m embarrassed. I’ve told this story multiple times. Now and it’s it’s also equates my soul My soul. I the only thing I’m happy about from that phase of my life is I hope that that arrogance, addictiveness has been ripped out of me and will never return again, I consider it a disease. It got so low, David, that when I lost all this money doing, you know, quote, unquote, investing in these different things, I came home to my family, I have three children, my wife, and I finally had to fess up, that I lost everything. And I’m crying and for my family and my my children shocked. Basically, the money I made from them. I had stolen away the money I made to support our family I had now ripped away, and my daughter left the room to come back into the room with her savings piggy bank, and put it down in front of me, said daddy all support us. And that’s a humbling humbling moment. Yeah. That was the day I think that the final drip of arrogance that was removed.
David Ralph [22:14]
So the mind mechanics that sitting here now is only that person because of what you’ve gone through. Would you go through that, again, to get to the point in your life where you are now?
Mike Michalowicz [22:26]
I’m has a great question. Now. I’m very happy with where I am in my life. Now. I that was such a painful period period, I would try to avoid it at all costs. By also know I would have never learned the lessons I learned if I didn’t go through it. So I I realized looking back connecting the dots, that was the most probably the most important phase of my life. God, I don’t ever want to go through that. Again. It was so painful.
David Ralph [22:52]
Because I think actually, although you’re saying that it was painful, I think but the powerful thing that comes out about that story up, you said is the fact that you were willing to take action, everything, okay, it was sort of misplaced action. And you look back on it and say, I shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t really have the knowledge. I didn’t have the understanding. But still, you were doing something where the majority people in in life, I saw a stat the other day that it says something like 99% of people do not take action. It’s just they respond to what floats near them. So they’ll be in a crappy job. And then somebody says to them, Oh, I know a job that’s going around the corner. And they almost wait for things to happen. You haven’t you actually gone out from the age of 24. And you’ve tried different things, some that have worked, some that haven’t. But it’s made you who you are, it’s made you rounded. And I suppose in in the long term, you now know what you like doing and what you don’t like doing, which is a powerful place to be, I would have thought
Mike Michalowicz [23:51]
yeah, yeah, that’s true. I have absolute clarity, my life where I am now. I’ve defined as my life’s purpose, totally feel I am doing exactly what I meant to do. And I don’t foresee it may change. I don’t foresee for the rest of my life doing anything different than what I do now. And you’re right, all that history and experience I went through has brought me to this moment. So I value it. And I think everyone everyone listening right now we all need to identify like, why are we here on this planet? what’s what’s our life’s purpose, you know, God given herself given, however you want to derive it, we have to determine our purpose. Because once we do, it starts becoming this magnet starts pulling us forward, as I as I make decisions on a daily basis. Now, I can simply say, is this consistent with my life’s purpose? Or not? If it’s not, I don’t do it? If it is, I do it. It’s very clear on what I need to do and not do nowadays.
David Ralph [24:48]
Does it become easier once you get up that passion?
Unknown Speaker [24:52]
Oh, yeah,
Mike Michalowicz [24:53]
yeah, it becomes easier. I mean, you know, the financials still are up and down, actually had my best financial year in my life last year, doing what I’m passionate about. So you still have those trials and tribulations. But here’s the thing, when times get dark, you’re under a lot of stress where things aren’t working. There’s still that kind of beacon of light that kind of is pulling you forward, and you still know where to head because it’s your passion. When I was in my other businesses, I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t speaking to my life’s purpose. When we were in the darkest periods. I was ready to give up instantly. I was like, Oh, I’m done. I’m done. But when you Then
David Ralph [25:39]
why didn’t you give up?
Mike Michalowicz [25:41]
Well, I did. Like my first computer company was selling it was giving up. Because I I didn’t have such a close tie to it wasn’t connected so closely to my soul. I wasn’t willing to work through the the challenge line. Okay. Yeah, yeah. So I gave up the forensic company, the crime investigator coming, same thing. I, it chief I wanted to achieve I just wanted to grow real fast to make some money. But it wasn’t speaking to my heart. So when it went away, I was fine with it. If I do now fails, they’ll tear out my heart this, this is my life’s purpose. Therefore, it won’t fail not Never going to stop doing it.
David Ralph [26:20]
So So what is your day to day life? You’re saying this is where you should be. This is what I I’m on this planet to do? What are you actually doing on a daily day to day basis?
Mike Michalowicz [26:30]
Well, I’ve defined my life’s purpose, that’s the starting point is, is that I empower entrepreneurs to express their authentic self through business, meaning I want to get entrepreneurs, people that try to grow companies to have their business really become their soulmate, to fall in love with their business, and have their business serving them. So that that’s what I think my that’s my know, my purposes. So the daily routine is my strongest ability is public speaking and books. So I spend the majority of my time I do lots of public speaking, I travel all over, you know, North America, that’s telling you some some international to
speaking, and it’s spreading the word.
The books, you know, I write constantly, I’m writing my newest book right now. And those are constantly in circulation to, because it takes me a long time to write a book, it may take me two to three years to really write a book. But I put every ounce of my soul into writing what I believe to be a good book, because I know once someone reads it, if this book will resonate with their soul, if they fall in love with it, a book can serve them forever. So the majority of my days are public speaking, coordinate public speaking, or working on a book.
David Ralph [27:48]
I actually say, the majority of your day, from what I can see is actually having fun. Even if you go into if you go into your website, there’s a nice little thing on there. That’s all taken Mickey out of your name.
Unknown Speaker [28:02]
Yeah, yeah,
David Ralph [28:03]
yeah, I’m just going to play a bit now. So if anyone’s interested go over to Mike McCallum wits.com and there’s a little button there and I’m going to click it and see what you think. It’s pronounced Mike McCallum
Mike Michalowicz [28:13]
Well usually click again for some let’s say alternative pronunciations. Beer lovers call him Mike make a little bit Schmitz. Farmers call him Mike. My cow has tits. River dancers call him Mike. My clogging and splits haters and old high school friends, which may be one of the same call him mike mike.
David Ralph [28:35]
Now, but for me, that that says so much about you before I even met met you. I just it resonated but there was somebody there that was open to taking, you know, the Mickey out of themselves and having fun and being purely authentic. And it did set it out different from other websites that I’ve looked at, but a very staid, very boring, very businesslike. Is that is that your authentic self actually playing?
Mike Michalowicz [29:00]
Oh, that’s totally me. It’s totally me. Nothing gets me more excited than when I do a speaking engagement. And someone comes up and says, hey, it’s Mick lovin Schmitz, or Hey, it’s MacAllan. Because, because that’s what my friends call me, you know that this is how we are. So that absolutely is authentically me. And I believe that most entrepreneurs, most business owners put on a presence that they think the customers want, but it’s really a watered down version of their true self, or, or even a fake front. And it’s not sustainable, it means you have to be fake. If your if your website’s fake, then when you do business with people, you have to be fake and then becomes this whole fake thing. To me, it reminds me the corporate arena, so we have to be authentically ourselves, then then there’s no need to fake you never have to lie about it.
David Ralph [29:49]
But But what when do you find out your authentic self, because the point you were making is absolutely true. I’ve gone through the corporate world. And I have seen people basically pretending to be a people, they see people in a higher position and go back to how I should act because they’re in a position I want to get to. So when do you actually get to that point where you go, this is me, because I know personally, for me, the more stupid but I am is more naturally myself. So if I’m being I used to do training courses, if I was being silly, and doing it in a slightly off hand the proper way fashion, I was I was far more effective, because that was actually me.
Mike Michalowicz [30:30]
Yeah, so I, I think we have to evaluate every element of what we do. And and just ask ourselves, do I truly love this? Because I love this? Or do I like this? Because I think other people will like it. And if, if you’re the ladder, you’re being fake? We have to do it because we like it. Now here’s the here’s the valuation I do. When I set my website, I asked myself if my best friends visit my website, are they going to resonate with it? Are they going to Yes, Mike. If my best friends read my books, are they going to notice my voice within seconds? And if if the answer’s no, it’s not my authentic self. And quite frankly, I only want to do business with people that ultimately could become my best friends. I don’t want to do business with people that that don’t like who I really am. So I put my authentic self out there in every aspect. And the greatest compliments I get. This happened about a year ago, someone I ran into someone and they said, I gotta tell you, Mike, I found this book out there, the toilet paper entrepreneur, that was my first book. And I started reading it. And as I was reading this book, I was like holy cow, there was a guy new in college named Mike McCallum was to sounds so much like him. And then when the guy got to the end of the book, and he never looked at who the author was realized it was me, he’s like, Go figure. So if we’re authentic, our best friends will say, Yep, that’s who you are.
David Ralph [31:54]
You can you be too authentic and start being a caricature of yourself.
Mike Michalowicz [32:01]
I guess I mean, I guess I, I went a little bit extreme. With what paper entrepreneur specifically to be edgy. But I wouldn’t say it’s too authentic. I don’t think you can be too authentic. But I did play up my idiosyncrasies a lot. Yeah. And it offends some people, it’s too much for some people. But conversely, when you’re just trying to break into a market, I had to be edgy to get noticed. If I just came in a watered down version of myself. I would never gotten noticed. So at least for myself, I came in a little more soft mark in the beginning. But I’ve matured by still haven’t lost the the edge still there. It’s just a little bit less than tense. That’s that is true.
David Ralph [32:44]
So if we looked at mini Mike, we went back to so like a five year old Mike, would it be roughly the same as you are now?
Unknown Speaker [32:52]
Oh, totally. Totally.
Mike Michalowicz [32:55]
You know, I got in trouble at school for being the class clown. I’m not good. Actually goofing around a lot more. Now. If I wasn’t sec. But yeah, I think I’m the exact same guy.
David Ralph [33:07]
And that’s that’s powerful, isn’t it? That is a powerful place to be.
Mike Michalowicz [33:11]
Yeah, yeah, you I lost, I lost it for quite a few years, I lost it. I just, I was, I was trying to be someone else I wanted to be, I don’t know if you ever saw the movie Wall Street. I wanted to be Gordon Gekko, I wanted to be the greatest back hair. really successful greed is good guy. And that’s where by not being my authentic self, I allowed the seed of arrogance to start to grow. And then finally over came me.
But by getting back to my authentic self, it’s just, it’s just a lot cleaner lifestyle. I just love life so much more.
David Ralph [33:49]
Often, that brings us really nicely to what I think is the most powerful part of the show. And it’s what I call the Sermon on the mic. This is when I hand over the presenting duties to yourself. And you speak from the heart to the audience about the life that you believe that they can have. If I only take action, if I strive to create momentum, and as you were saying, to be the person that they are on this earth to be now, I think we need a bit of music to start this off, because this is going to be a motivational bit and Damn, so here we go.
Unknown Speaker [34:27]
Here we go. With the best the show.
David Ralph [34:43]
Now those guys have been standing there quietly for about 45 minutes now. So um,
Mike Michalowicz [34:48]
yeah, they’re really good performer. Yeah, that’s discipline, discipline. Yeah. I feel like saying, The Lord Jesus has overcome you. But
here’s, here’s where my thoughts go immediately is we all have a talent that is so strong and us and so unique, that I believe every person listening in truly is the world’s best. And the thing is, we need to identify where where the world’s best. I used to believe that there was only one world’s best. And the example would be you watch the Olympics, and someone wins a gold medal. That person whoever won the gold medal, that person, at least for now is the world’s best until someone ups them by a little bit and they become the new world’s best. But it meant that there was only one person. And the American hero is Michael Phelps in recent times, and I remember watching Michael Phelps doing a race recently in the last Olympics. And when he won his eighth or ninth gold medal. I was with my youngest son, Jake. And I said, Jake, that’s the world’s best. Like you have to just commit and devote your life to something and you can win it and you will be the world’s best. And my son said something really interesting. He looked up at me and said, Daddy, Michael Phelps isn’t the world’s best. My my classmate, Jimmy Mikkel, Dr. Fitness. And then Jake, my son was in kindergarten at the time. And I said, What do you mean Jimmy Mikkel Dorf? How’s he the world’s best? and Jake said, well, Jimmy, Mikkel Dorf can swim across the entire lake, in our town. And I said, well, Jake, if if Michael Phelps came to our Lake, he would kick yo Jimmy Michael dwarfs ass. And then my little, you know kindergartener, then it looks at me and says, but Daddy, Michael Phelps has never come to our lake. And what I realized that moment is the world is a perception. My son’s perception of the world is his kindergarten class. My perception of the world is different. David yours is to different we all have a different perception of what the world is. And then the definition of the best is different to for Michael Phelps, and maybe speed but for Jimmy Mikkel Dorf, its distance and for other kids is who can splash the highest. And there’s all these different definitions. So therefore, if there’s, if there’s an infinite number of world’s vantage points, if there’s an infinite number of ways to be the best distance speeds, Flash, you know, these are things, that means everyone has the opportunity to be the world’s best, we’ve got to pick the which world to serve. And then what’s our definition of the best. And the thing is, it’s really easy to do this. Because you are already in your world, you already know who your world is, because it’s your perception of the world. Maybe it’s your friends, maybe it’s a type of market, I don’t know, but you understand it because you’re already part of that world. And then the best part is also inside you is your authentic self. When you let yourself be truly who you’re meant to be. That is your best. When you do what you love to do most and you get energy from it. That is your best. One little hint, passion is tasks as you do them, deplete energy make you tired, they drained from you. But when you’re passionate, the more you do it, it actually builds energy as you’re doing it. Now, I’m not saying that, you know, you’re gonna be able to work through the night and all that stuff. I’m saying you’re gonna build mental energy. And yeah, you may be physically exhausted the end of the day, but your mind has been more and more stimulated. So Diana, identify the world, your world’s perception who you believe your world is, and then just be your natural, true authentic self to the most for that world. And by default, you become the world’s best
David Ralph [38:53]
couldn’t have said it better myself. Thank you very much for that. I’m just before we go. I just want to leave this probably the last bit is back to Mr. Voiceover man from your website. So let’s let’s see what he says about you. I call him
Mike Michalowicz [39:06]
Mike. Good for nothing trash sucking dirt licking turd spewing. You can lick my pits and soak in my ex wife. I hope you two are happy together. You son of a bitch mccalla. What’s your a real sob but damn it? I can’t stop loving you, Mike, you know, in a bromance sort
David Ralph [39:20]
of way. And I think I feel the same way. Mike, thank you so much for being on the show today. You’ve been an absolute delight. I know all the listeners will gain so much. If anyone wants to contact you, which is the best way to actually go about it.
Mike Michalowicz [39:35]
Yeah, come to my website. It’s Mike McCallum calm, David, maybe you’ll put up a link, but it’s m ik e m i ch AE l o w i c z.com or your best attempt at spelling on Google. And you’ll find me all my informations there plus free stuff from my books and under the blog up there some crazy videos, some TV stuff, a lot of fun or just type in Monsters Inc. Yeah,
David Ralph [40:04]
that’s the way Well, thank you very much. And as I say, I keep on joining those dots because it’s the only way to build our future.
