Building a legacy, coming through a tough childhood, being chronically online, tough jobs, cutting out sugar, mentorship, being the CEO, and much more. CEO Dave Valentine and CEO Justine Pogroske, founder of Million Dollar Branders, explore what it means to be the head of a large operation and the paths that brought them to where they are now. Get in Touch with Justine or Million Dollar Branders Company Website: www.milliondollarbranders.com Justine's Website: justinepogroskeofficial.com Email: justine@milliondollarbranders.com Instagram: @justinepogroske_official Our goal is to turn your journey into cash, and that cash into freedom. Welcome to the InWork Podcast.
Well, yeah, I think, why do you love the entrepreneurial journey?
1
00:10
It's never the same road.
6
00:12
Yeah.
10
00:13
Ever.
1
00:14
No matter what you do. And the success is uncapped. You can't get the same amount of success. Well, actually, no, you can get the same amount of success, but I think it's more, I was saying like working for someone else, but I just think when you work for yourself and you're changing lives and building legacies through other people too, I don't know, for me that's so rewarding with what I do.
2
00:36
Absolutely, yeah, it's amazing.
11
00:38
Yeah, it's fantastic.
3
00:39
So I checked you out before we brought you on and everything.
2
00:43
You stalked me and you liked it. Yeah. Yeah, well, you know, when you live online, like I do, yeah, it's, isn't that weird? That like, that's an experience that just the rest of human history doesn't have and then it's like the past 20 years, it's just like, well now we can see what everybody's doing all the time. It's so crazy.
1
01:07
My gosh. Well I was, I was watching Mad Men a while ago, a few months back, 3 Watts, yep, because I love that show. And I was just thinking, imagine if they had Tinder back in those days, or like, what would they do with them? They were naughty as it was. Like, what do you do with the now, like, Tinder?
11
01:27
Imagine.
2
01:28
Yeah, I don't know. Well, because I think, I think that there's been a shift in now. So back, I was hearing somebody talk about this and I thought it was really, really interesting just saying but they're saying like, there used to be a shortage of women, which is part of the reason why it was like oppressive and not great, like why the patriarchy occurred. And now there's a shortage of men that are seen as desirable. And so the men that are really desirable just are hooking up with all of the women that they want because they're in such small supply that it's like, we'll do whatever it takes to get that attention. And it's like so strange. Really it's slipped in like 50 years. I mean, it's just crazy
1
02:29
Wow Yeah, anyways, super let's build some let's build some high-quality men. Shall we right?
7
02:36
yeah, I I am I
2
02:38
I've talked with I've Friends that have been married got divorced and whatever and they're on the dating scene now and they're like Dave I'm just a nice guy who has a decent job. I'm not very tall. I'm not super athletic. And they're like, I get asked to, I can go on dates three times a day. Like, what?
4
03:01
Crazy.
1
03:02
Well, just because there's a high demand.
16
03:03
Yeah, there's just not that many guys
2
03:04
that are doing stuff, which is really interesting to me. Anyways.
6
03:09
Yeah, huh.
5
03:10
So you started this firm, Million Dollar Branders.
2
03:15
And one of my favorite things to ask people is, like, because obviously, just seeing like, you're driven, you're super smart, you're talented, you could do anything. Thank you so much. You are, I've watched some of your stuff,
1
03:30
I know what you're up to, you're brilliant.
2
03:32
Why do this thing? You know, because like you can do anything. You'd have great success at it. Why choose this?
14
03:44
Oh my gosh.
1
03:45
Well, I actually haven't done just this, which I'll go into with you. But this is my pure love. Like I would say it's my obsession. It's my kryptonite. It's the reason why I wake up in the morning. And it goes back to what we were talking about a bit offline, how it enables me to build legacies and legacy brands for people. So when you think of, you're helping someone to literally make money from nothing, because we're a full service agency, so if someone comes and they go, I have this crazy idea, we've literally built cat hotels and dog hotels to NASCAR drivers, to corporate CEOs, to Fortune 500. So there's nothing crazy to me when people come to me. I've had this idea. Hey, some stuff has been pretty crazy, but I think it's all in the execution. But when that client or that customer gets up for a sale, and it's their dream job, and they've been working a job they hate for like nine years, you're helping them create a legacy. So that's where I get rewarded. And it may sound corny, but I walk the walk, and I talk the talk and if I'm going to work with you it's a hundred or nothing we're going to make it work it's ride or die but I won't touch anything I'm not a hundred percent about in terms of work because I've got to be working with people who will put in the hard work too and I think it's just rewarding like I look at myself not just as an expert in my field it's almost an entrepreneurial coach and for the first time this year, I'm actually coming out with a course of my own to help people on that entrepreneurial journey because as you know, as you know Dave, it's not an easy one, so.
2
05:28
Yeah, I love that, the building of the legacy thing. That's really amazing. And I love that you're like, yeah, we just work on all sorts of crazy ideas. You know, one of the things that I've found too, Justine, is like, what you've said, and a lot of people may have missed it, is that, because some people will say it as a platitude, I believe that you mean it, we only work with people that we know that we can help.
1
05:52
Yes, a million percent.
2
05:54
Yeah, and it's one of those things where, so we do the same, and we tell people all the time, and we mean it, we will disqualify 55 to 65% of the people that book a meeting with us that want to work with us. And some people don't believe me, and I'm like, that's fine, you don't have to, but I'm telling you, that's true. And then the reason why our client retention is really high, the reason why we have lots of happy customers, is because we do that instead of going, oh, you've got a pulse and a checkbook? Cool, give us your money.
1
06:31
Don't pay. Because I think there comes a time where actually they talk about money being a tool. And the more money you make, the more it's a tool to help others. But if someone has actually got an idea that's a bit too out there, and you're not helping them by saying, yeah, yeah, we can execute by taking their money. And also, I'm quite spiritual, I believe in karma. So what you put out, you get back, right? And that's it, you gotta learn what to say no to. And that goes for people, that goes for everything.
2
07:01
Yeah, where did you, so speaking of karma, where did you get, how were you first introduced to karma? What was your engagement with that? Why do you believe in it? Tell me everything.
1
07:11
Okay, so I'm very wary this is going on the internet. No, I'm kidding. No one will hear it. So I think just honestly, and I'm not saying this to be corny, I've always been a really, really good person. But I went to a school where I encountered, I immigrated from Johannesburg, South Africa at the age of 11 and a half to Australia. And Dave, I had a really freaking tough time at school, like really tough. Like I was ridiculed, I was called bullied, I was called dumb, ugly, oh my gosh, the list goes on and on. And I'm not saying this as a sob story, I'm just saying this like, I thank those people because it literally made me who I am today. And without those experiences, I just wouldn't be who I am. But I'm always wary that there's someone going through something that you can't see on a physical level. Like just saying hello to someone, just being nice to someone, just giving a smile, saying good morning, you know, you're going to have a great day today. You look good. That jacket looks fantastic. You know, the little things like that have domino effect and it may just be that little act of kindness that changes their day or changes something that they have to deal with in that day. And it spills onto other people. But just with karma, you know, I just, because I had such a tough time myself, I've always believed in, you know, I kind of went the other way. I was like, I'm going to make sure that anyone in my position does not go through what I went through. And it was funny because, you know, fast forward, many years later I got asked to speak at my old school. And I got up on stage and I said, there are going to be many of you kids sitting in those seats who are not academic, because I went to a private school, who are not academic, who are mentally challenged with maths, but I want to tell you that you are brilliant. And you have something inside of you that's a gift. And that's the gift you need to play on, because that's the gift that's going to make you successful. Like I was brilliant in English, I loved art, I aced all my art classes, so my creative side came out and that's what I've excelled in and that's what I really tapped into. So just because we're not good at some things doesn't mean that we're not good at other things and I think that's just what people forget. But calm is just a matter of I think lifting other people. When you get a bath, great things happen to you if you're a good person in this world.
2
09:41
Yeah, and I think that that's a thing that's often missed, right, Justine? It's like, I was just telling a story about a person that I, they were in a bad way, right? They were just in a really bad circumstance that they had played a role in, but there was also a lot of things that other people had played roles in where they were just completely gutted. You know, like they lost their fortune, they, sorry, my dog decided to get up and shake.
5
10:16
He loves dogs.
2
10:17
Yeah, who doesn't love a good dog? And anyways, long story short, basically he came to me and he's like, hey, if you can give me some money, like it was like $3,000, which for me, this because it was a long time ago, it was a good bit of money. And he goes, it'll help me keep my house. I was like, keep your house? You know, and I was like, yeah, man, yeah, I got you. And. Wow, kindness. Yeah, but the thing that's crazy, Justine, is that he's repaid that kindness back to me tenfold.
12
10:51
You know what I mean?
1
10:51
I can't believe it, because you can't forget.
2
10:53
Yeah, no, you always, there's always a sense of respect and love for the person that takes care of you. And then when he decides to, you know, return that, I'm always super grateful for it. I don't expect it, but it's so kind. And so it ends up leading to this beautiful circle of us taking care of each other. I know that that, I can feel that just oozing out of you, which, ah, gosh, just seeing it's so beautiful.
1
11:23
Like, take it.
2
11:25
Yeah, no, I love, so, so good.
1
11:27
Thank you so much. It's important.
2
11:30
What's the, what are some of the things that you've done? Because being bullied as a kid is hard, and there's a hard work that goes into going. Okay. I'm not gonna use that as a That happened to me so it's an excuse for me not to do anything It's an excuse for me to be less successful than I could be What was the process and I'm sure it took time, but was the process for you to go? No That was actually something that happened for me, not to me.
12
12:03
Do you want to know something funny?
1
12:04
I'm actually reading a book at the moment called Relentless. I love that book!
16
12:09
It's a great book!
1
12:10
Yeah, I love it, and I can't believe it took me this long to find it, because no one I know has read it or found it. And I just did not think, if I'm being really honest, I didn't think about it, because I had two immigrant parents. I had to literally grow up from a very young age. So I had two jobs at the age of 11 and a half, 12. I would go to school five days a week. I'd work on weekends. I get teased for working on the weekends. Wow. You know, so I didn't think there was no option for me. If I'm being honest, you know in that book how he says, just don't think, you can't think when you're going through. Well, I think I'm a cleaner, to be honest. You know how it goes through the, for those of you, you're gonna have to read it to understand what I'm saying now, but.
2
12:58
A cooler, a closer, and a cleaner.
4
13:00
Yes, exactly.
1
13:01
I think that's partly me. And I just, I think in this world, you get one life, and you have one responsibility to be the best person that you can be. And people in this world have had much rougher childhoods than me, that have really turned their life around and got their stuff together. And in particular, like I go to the gym, right, basically five, six days a week. And I come from a bodybuilding background, not the Arnold Schwarzenegger type, like the nice bikini type, right? But I'm very disciplined and extremely disciplined with everything. Like I barely drink, I'll have like a social drink sometimes, little things like that that spill into your life. But there's one guy who goes to my gym, he's in a wheelchair, and he's there like five, six days a week, and I look at him as an example and just go, wow, like there are really no excuses in your attitude and your life. And there are these people walking around everywhere. So I believe in going back to myself, that it's my responsibility to do what I was put on this earth to do. I've been given one life and that's changed lives. Because why else am I here? What am I doing otherwise? Like there are people that need our help every single day. But I'm going to also like magnify that and say that if you don't help yourself, be the very highest version of yourself and you would know this day because I know you live in this, but you cannot help other people to the level that you want to. So that's something that I've really had to learn over time, and it's everything. It's from the way that you speak to yourself in your head, because your mind is your most powerful tool in your life. Your mind and your body. And then I would go on to say your spirit and your soul. And this is stuff that I've learned through reading, through mentors, but we just have a responsibility to do better in this world. This world is crazy at the moment.
6
14:57
It's crazy.
2
14:59
Crazy is an understatement probably. It's, yeah, I mean, it's wild.
1
15:03
And the only way to change it is to be better in ourselves.
2
15:08
Yeah.
3
15:09
Yeah, I think you're thinking about,
2
15:11
you have to figure it out for yourself first. It's like when you and I were talking about you're about to take a trip to the States and it's like every time you get on an airplane they do the flight instructions. They're like, always put your mask on first and then put it on someone that's a child or that can't do it themselves, right? And it's like, that's the whole idea here is like you do have to get yourself to a place where you're stable enough that you can actually help other people and that sometimes is a real challenge. Yes it is.
1
15:41
And it goes back to exactly, I didn't realize how aligned with that book I actually was. It was scary. It was scary reading it. It was like listening to my own voice because I never had a mentor saying, go to the gym, do this, do this. Like I've got a trainer obviously, but it's all things like that. It's like sometimes in life you're just gonna have to do things you don't wanna do. Actually, most times in life.
2
16:07
Most times in life, yeah.
1
16:09
Yeah, exactly. You know what I mean. Don't you, I'm sure you have those days too, Dave, where you wake up and you're like, I don't wanna go to work today, or I don't wanna go to gym, but that mind, you gotta switch that stuff out.
2
16:22
Yeah, I mean, and I do recommend the book, Relentless, by the way. It's the guy that wrote it trained Michael Jordan and he's trained a whole bunch of other NBA players and different athletes and different, now he's coaching business leaders and CEOs. But I think that there's, you know, one of the things that David Goggins says is he's like, before he, you know who he is. Yeah, of course you do. And he's like, yeah, you think that I want to wake up at four and go for a 26 mile run? I don't want to do that. He's like, sometimes I'll wake up and I just stare at my shoes for 30 minutes. And that's like so, one of the reasons why I'm so thankful for him is that he makes, we all feel that way.
6
17:12
Yeah, we all do.
2
17:13
Yeah, there are days where it's like, I don't want to have this call with this client because I really don't like them.
11
17:21
Absolutely.
2
17:22
And I wouldn't have sold them, but my sales team did. So now I'm left holding the bag. And so then you just go, okay, and you gear up for it. And I mean, I'm sure that you had this, but when I was in college, my wife and I got married very young. And so we were still in school when we were married and she had to do an unpaid internship and so I had to make money. And I was doing this job that paid well for the time and space that it was. I was making $17 an hour. I thought I was crushing it, man, as a senior in college. But it was absolutely brutal. And so literally I'd get to, I'd have to travel every day to go to it and it'd be in traffic. I was living in Washington, D.C. so traffic's terrible. So I'd have to leave like two hours before I needed to be to a location at like 9.30. And so I'd leave at 7.30, I'd get there. I'd usually get there early. I'd have to wait in the parking lot. And so for 45 minutes I'm just in my car going, you can do this man.
12
18:28
Oh my gosh.
15
18:29
You can do this.
5
18:30
I know that feeling actually.
1
18:31
Yeah.
2
18:32
I know that feeling. Oh really?
4
18:34
Did you have a job that was like that too?
15
18:35
Oh yeah.
4
18:36
What was it? What was the job?
1
18:38
I had so many. I worked at, actually my very first job as a kid, they looked after me really well. I used to work in a donut shop.
9
18:47
Nice.
1
18:48
And it taught me product placement. Like it actually taught me if you put those donuts there, if you put that there, it's going to sell better. Like it taught me my hustle, you know? So I had many jobs. I used to clean under the fridge at another place, like where it was just all, oh, I can't even go into it. What were some other things? I think those are really character building jobs. I had one job in my career actually working in UX design where I remember they had a, they had this river and at lunchtimes I remember you take your lunch and everyone would look at the clock at like 12 o'clock and then like walk outside and I used to call it the asylum river because everyone would just walk in a circle around this river and after that I was like never again, I don't care what it takes, I just, I will never ever have this experience again. I don't care what happens in my life. Yeah, I was like, I will go work at Abercrombie, I will reopen Abercrombie and Fitch before I have to go back to this. But anyway, those are all, you know what, it's character building, right? Like you have to go through those moments.
12
19:56
Yeah.
1
19:58
It makes you appreciate.
2
19:59
Yeah, go ahead. No, no, I want you to finish that.
1
20:04
Oh, no, it just makes you appreciate the good times in your life, you know, and the little things that literally make you grateful for being an entrepreneur and being in your job because it's awesome being an entrepreneur. I'm very biased with that, though.
2
20:20
Well, I do think, you know, one of the things that people, whenever they think about their entrepreneurial journey, I comment a lot, I'm like, you're trying to build freedom, right?
12
20:32
Freedom of your time,
2
20:33
you're trying to build freedom of your finances, freedom of your thought space, like I'm not worried about a boss and what they think of me. And- That's a freedom in itself.
1
20:47
And you can't find yourself.
2
20:53
Right, right. And I don't know about you, but I've found for myself, like in my entrepreneurial journey over the past 10 plus years, it's been like the most intensive form of therapy you could possibly go through.
14
21:08
Couldn't agree more.
1
21:09
Self therapy, group therapy.
13
21:14
Yeah.
1
21:14
I, I, I, I, I, everything.
2
21:19
Was there a moment, so I've had a number of moments in my businesses where I thought this is it, like we're going down, or I was just in such a, like one of the things I had to do was I had to fire my best friend who was my business partner in the first business and it crushed me, just absolutely crushed me. But have there been things or times where you've been like, I don't know if we're gonna make it or how we're gonna make it?
1
21:52
Absolutely, not so much that, but I went to a stage, I was so burnt out because anyone who knows me knows that I have a work, like I've got like a David Goggins work ethic. I will literally go and go and go until the death, like I really work so so hard. And also I think smart because now in today's times you just can't work only hard, right? You have to work smart. But back in the day when I used to run, I used to run quite a big team and I had written a book and what happened to me was I just had burnouts. And a lot of entrepreneurs suffer with this, but back then there was no YouTube, there was no let me jump on TikTok and see how to pull myself through this. They were basically only books and that stuff. And my health was suffering. I never drank water. The little things, you know? Never, ever. I didn't think what I was on caffeine all the time just to make sure that I had that round-the-clock work ethic, you know, and I was just supplementing a really unhealthy lifestyle with things that I was doing to, so I could manage my workload and my clients and my staff and my team. And I ended up getting it just waking up one day and just going, I can't live like this. Like, I'm in my 20s now. If I keep going like this, like I'm gonna die before the age of like 30, you know, so I was like I have to change my lifestyle and because I'm so extreme I Was going to a gym and a lot of these girls There was this one girl that walked into this gym and her body was just I was just like wow, you know I want that. What is she doing? So it turns out she did bodybuilding and I ended up finding a trainer who was incredible and I went all out and made it to basically like state championship and it was awesome. So I went through the extreme but operating at that level, I mean it taught me how to eat. I've done about five comps over a space of five years. So each comp that I've done, it's just taught me more and more to know what's good for my body, how much water to drink, what food to eat. And I eat really clean now. And I still, I will have the odd donut or M&Ms, which I love, but you know, it's a balance with my work. And I know that I'm super strict and it's put me on, I'm a schedule person. So I have to write stuff. Yeah, I'm also a systems person. I need routine and I've got to have my systems in place and I'm very OCD, but you didn't count that for me. I'm a recovering perfectionist, I would say, too. So for me, it's having that balance. You got to look after your health. Your health is your wealth. As corny as it sounds, your health is your wealth.
2
24:47
Well, it's interesting because you and I have similar stories in that way, like I got to the age of 29, I went to my doc and he was like, hey, if you don't stop, he goes, we did like tests and stuff, and he goes, you're the most stressed out person we've ever tested and you're 29, there's a problem, you're not gonna make it to 40. And at the time, similar to you, like I had a seven figure agency, and so like in the States, only 3% of agencies ever cross a million dollars in revenue so like I was winning, I was doing great, I was successful. I wasn't taking care of myself, similar to you. I would drink a pot to a pot and a half of coffee a day, and then I would not drink any water some days, and I'd just go straight to having a beer so that I could try and calm down and get into a creative space or something. And so it just was taking such a toll, and one of the first things that I did was I just went, okay, you're gonna drink one glass of water a day and you're gonna go for a five minute walk. Anything more than that is gravy. But I was just trying to get myself into a habit. And now my like, you know, seven years later, my routine for self care is exceptionally robust. It's like, man, I go for walks every day. I do polar plunges, I do infrared saunas, I lift, I drink lots and lots of water, you know what I mean? But it's hard when you're in the mode of, I gotta be successful, I gotta be successful, whatever it takes, whatever it takes, whatever it takes. And it sounds like you got to the spot too, where you went, okay, hang on, time out. Now, how do you do this in a sustainable fashion. So what are your routines like now? I mean, obviously you're power lifting, so you're going to the gym a good bit, you're eating well, but like, are there other things that you're doing to stay sane as you do what you do in the entrepreneur space as you live your life?
12
26:43
Definitely.
1
26:43
I think, you know, being around very positive people in my office, that's, I would say the people that you're around who always be around people that inspire you and lift you because it's your environment, right? It can either knock you or it can build you. And I'm cutting, even now, I'm still cutting things out of my life that are not, you can feel, you get a knock for it. When you've been in the game for that long, you start picking things. You're like, no, this doesn't match my energy. Knock, goodbye, see you later. Don't call, you know? And you just become a little bit ruthless. So I think for me, that's really important, that's what I would say. The water thing, you've got to drink water. I don't care, drink the coffee, have the coffee, but water, you've got to hydrate and take breaks during the day. I remember I used to be at my desk stuck, but my routine, I think I'm lucky now to the extent that the clients that we have are just so beautiful, amazing, great people. I'm not saying this to be... It's law of attraction. I think we're at a stage where I have really incredible thought leaders coming to me and saying, we want to work on this, we want to do that. So that's in a good place, but it takes time. And invest in yourself. And in every level, conferences, books, you need to always be reading. So I'll spend an hour a day, I'll meditate actually in the morning, meditation's really important. Just 10 minutes, 10 minutes, it's nothing, right? I'll go for my walk, I will, I always go for my walk before I eat. Then I'll eat, I'll go to work, you know, take a break at lunchtime, even if you don't wanna take a break, even if you're on a roll, you need that break during the day. Come home, you gotta do something that relaxes you. For me, I know that I'm nuts, I know I'm not normal, but gym is something that relaxes me. It's literally my kryptonite. So I'll go, I'll put on my earphones, I'll put on an audio book, I'll do that for like, you know, an hour, and then I'll come home. And also, cold shower in the morning. That's new for me, so that's something that I started.
2
28:49
How are you doing with that? Are you enjoying that?
1
28:51
I hated it at the beginning. You know when you get in the shower and you're like, oh my God, this is insane. But it's the best thing ever. Seriously, that is the best thing. One of my mentors, Ed Milet, I was listening to his book. And he said, he's brilliant. And he was just like, just give it a go. You know, just have a cold shower. That little thing just switches on your body for the day. And I'm not a morning person, by the way. I'm absolutely, I want to just let people know that those entrepreneurs who are up at 4am and you know, they're part of the 4am club, whatever you call it, that's not me. Like I'll get up at 6am. I need to work for two hours, you know, but still, I think you force yourself to do it because I don't want to be up at 6 am not to train myself.
2
29:39
Yeah, and I also think like, you know, the polar plunging thing, I started doing that this year. And I just started going, you know, I'm in the mountains, I'm in the woods. I started going into the river that's in our backyard. And I had a friend from LA, she came up, and she had just done a polar plunge a couple days before, and she was like sitting in a tub, like at a place where you do this at it's like they like set it up so it's exactly 39 degrees and she got in there and she did her thing like that was cold she came up here and I guess it was I want to say it was in March and I was like well you want to come you know polar plunge with me and my wife and three kids and she was like sure and so she went down she's like oh my god this is way colder and I was like well of course it's way colder. The water's moving. And she's like, this sucks. And I'm like, this is just a really cold shower. This is fully immersed. You're cool. It's fine.
1
30:36
I'm totally coming to a lunch in the mountains at you.
2
30:39
Oh, come on. Just, you're invited. I've got a great guest bedroom.
11
30:43
It's yours.
2
30:44
Come on.
5
30:45
Thank you.
2
30:46
I've got a gym in the shop. Like we'll lift. It'll be great. So yeah, I think that there's something to having a practice where you make yourself uncomfortable. Oh yes, I'm so glad you said that.
5
30:58
You know?
1
30:59
That's the entrepreneurial journey,
2
31:01
because that's how you grow.
1
31:02
That's right, that's right.
2
31:03
And it's hard, it's challenging whenever you're in the process, you're like, oh my gosh, this is just so intense but it's also something that's insanely rewarding you know to to sit and it's it's why I will sit in a sauna for 45 minutes at well what's the I don't know what the Celsius would be but it's it's a hundred hundred and eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit. And people are like, isn't that miserable? I'm like, oh yeah, the last 15, 20 minutes, I'm like, just breathe. But then, if you do that, then handling a difficult conversation with an employee.
1
31:53
Oh, it's nothing compared to that. When you challenge your body, I'm so glad you said that, because anyone who's listening, any of those challenges, and you listen to people like Tony Robbins, David Goggins, they all started the same way, like with a physical challenge, if you go and follow their journey. Even for me, like the bodybuilding thing, people think that it's just women getting up on stage wearing a pretty bikini. I will tell you now, I have a newfound respect for Victoria's Secret's models. Because getting on that stage.
10
32:25
Say more.
1
32:26
Oh my gosh, but seriously, getting your body, I was 10% body fat my first comps. You can imagine that. It took me nine months, I didn't touch sugar for nine months, anything. I was eating, I can't eat broccoli now, by the way. You can't eat broccoli?
5
32:44
I can't even look at it,
1
32:45
because I went so extreme. Wow. And I know people watching this are going to think I'm crazy, but I swear it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Because it teaches you a newfound respect for food and what you put in your mouth. And ice cream tastes different. I swear, like it's so much better now. And those good things in life you appreciate because when you cut yourself off from certain things, it just shows discipline. I can literally look in the street and tell you someone's discipline level just by looking at them. Because I know what it takes myself and I've been through that journey.
2
33:20
Yeah, yeah and I also, so I've done similar things where I don't eat sugar that much in general, but I've done things where I've done no sugar for like six months at a time. And when I do that, all of a sudden, I don't know if you've had this experience, but I would have like some iceberg lettuce or I would have a cucumber or I would have a tomato and I would say things like, oh my gosh, this is so sweet.
4
33:48
I know what you're talking about.
1
33:51
And people are like, sweet?
2
33:53
Yeah, this is like candy. This is crazy. And I do think that there's something that's happened to our modern palate that's given us a little bit of a distortion of what these things actually taste like. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Which is really interesting. Yes. Yeah, I love that. Okay, so you are, you've got million-dollar branders, great, great agency. I, well I've looked at your stuff. Your stuff's fantastic. You work with big clients. The work that you've done has been beautiful. Thank you so much. I've checked out your site. I'm like, this is fantastic. You guys are killing it.
4
34:36
I appreciate it.
2
34:37
Thank you. When you think about brand, because a lot of times brand is a non-word. You and I are both marketing people and branding people, but when most people hear brand, they think logo, they think website, they think business cards, letterhead.
4
34:57
I have a different definition,
2
34:58
but I'm always curious to ask other professionals in the space what their definition, how would you define brand? For me, branding is an experience.
1
35:08
It goes beyond your business. It's literally you, like you are a walking billboard. When you open your mouth, like you are your brand. It's, it's everything. It's how people interact with your logo, with your website and your online experience with you, with your team. Like, what is the legacy you're leaving behind? That is your brand. Branding is a legacy. I was speaking to someone on a podcast a couple of days ago, and we were talking about the importance of taglines. And I was saying that is your legacy. When you look at Nike and look at the little taglines that they have, those have lasted through generations. So when you're coming up with a brand or you're building a brand, you're building your legacy. It's something that's going to be around long after you're gone. And again, your online experience is your shop front. That's your global shop front to the world. Even social media now, that's again, your brand. And consumers and users are so much smarter these days. I always believe you've got to make people feel like they've met you before they've actually met you
5
36:18
in person.
1
36:19
That's that touch point, it's that experience.
9
36:21
I love that.
8
36:22
Yeah.
2
36:23
So when you're engaging with a client and they're going, all right, Justine, I need to build a brand. I don't know how to do that. How do I do that? You start walking them through it. What do you tell them it's going to take for them to build their brand out in such a way that people will identify? Oh, you're Such and such you give them a timeline or is it like hey, we're so good We're gonna help you accelerate that timeline pretty aggressively so that you get seen understood and known faster
1
37:07
It's both. I think you get to let people right because I just say if you put in the work, we'll put in the work. You know, it's how long is a piece of string? People like Gary Vee, all those people who are huge, it took them 10 years, 11 years, 15 years. So it depends on how serious you want to take it. The best analogy I can give you is a piece of real estate goes up in value, right? You buy a really good piece of real estate. If you work hard on it, you renovate it, you add a few things to it, over time that piece of property, that land should go up in value if you're buying in a good area, if you're buying a good piece of land. It's the same with a brand. That's right. If you build it right, again, you don't build a mansion on quicksand, right, because it sinks. You've got to have a very strong foundation. So if you're working with the right people and they come to me and they say, we're building a brand. It's a matter of defining the market and defining their brand so that it's something that stands out. We are masters in making something look like it's been around a long time. So that's a very reputable brand, but that's, it's brand psychology, right? And that's what people look for these days. Authenticity, they look for credibility and they want to know, I mean, your brand, it's something that you are interacting with long term. It's no longer okay, I reckon, to have just a logo or a website. You've got to have an experience, and if you don't have that, it's going to be detrimental. So we are really good at building experiences, and it goes beyond just a logo or website. It's a touch point. Every single touch point will be a wow factor, and that's what creates community when you can resonate with your audience.
2
38:54
Yeah, I love this.
7
38:56
This is great.
2
38:56
This is still in the brand space, but it's a little shift of gears. I was listening to a very prominent content creator today and he was espousing the need for more and more stripped down, authentic, transparent, not highly produced video content to go live organically. Where do you, I've heard that from a number of people that I respect. I've also heard, yes, and you still need to have the big highly produced pieces as well. Where do you fall on the spectrum of, because a lot of people are listening to this, agency owners, they're business owners, they're trying to grow their brand a lot, and they're putting out a lot of content. So where do you fall on the spectrum of not polished to very, very polished?
5
39:56
Firstly, I would say this,
1
39:58
if you're not doing video content, just get on the map, even just do a little bit. Because if clients are looking for you, the person with the video content is going to most probably get the job over you if you've done a good job with your content. But secondly, what I would say is, for myself, I never advise my clients to do anything I haven't done for myself. And with me, because it's million dollar branders, totally, because it's million dollar branders, I always believe in doing high quality content for myself. I'm not saying that's the right strategy, but you will see both from me, but you'll see more of the high quality content because it matches my brand better. But saying that, I am transitioning a bit, so you're going to see a bit of both, but I've been working up to it. So there's, I mean, you're going to get a million different for me. Okay, so I think we're living in a gratification age. So With people that all about the numbers how many likes can I get how many followers? You know, can I get but is that actually gonna matter if those clients don't convert? That's right. Like I don't know about you if I would rather have 50 dying fans that love me, that want to work with me, that love my personality, love what I stand for as a personal brand, love what I'm doing in the world, resonate with me, that are going to come with me all the way through their journey. You know, and a lot of people just care about the numbers. If you care about the numbers, then yeah, inundate the market. You're just doing it. And that will convert, I'm pretty sure that will convert to sales. Like look at Grant Cardone, right? He's done an amazing job. He saturated every freaking platform. Like you can't not see him on social media. I think that's amazing. That's relentless to me. Yes. And I take my hat off to that. But for me in particular, my belief is even, you know, with my own podcast and the way that I do my email newsletters and people can go and see, you can actually sign up on my website, justinepogroskiofficial.com. That was a shameless plug, but I'm only giving that because I want them to see the level of my newsletters because I'm a huge believer with my brand, I'd rather have quality over quantity. And that goes for every person I'll interview, people I put myself around, like you, Dave, because you're amazing, but it's just you put yourself how you see yourself. And I see everything we do at eye quality. So that's my view on that. But it may be wrong, but it's worked for me so far.
2
42:34
Yeah, I love that.
4
42:35
I love that.
6
42:36
That's beautiful.
2
42:37
Yeah, I think it's one of those things too, Justine, where it's like, this is my perspective on it. I'm like, look, what are you trying to do with your brand. And I had a friend who also owns a branding agency, wrote a brilliant book, by the way, called Your Brand Should Be Gay. His name is Ree Perez, he's based in Austin, Texas. He's wonderful, the book's great, but he talked about brand as being a desired experience, like that that's his definition. Yeah, and I think that that's one of the things that when people are like, well, do I do short form video? Do I do long form video? Do I do really polished? Do I do not so polished? It's like, okay, well think for a second about, and I know that you would take people through this too, but it's like, think for a second about who your target audience is. What are they looking for? What's their appetite? You know, what feels natural to you as well. Because I've seen some people that try and do a casual video and they just don't, there's nothing.
5
43:44
It doesn't suit them.
2
43:45
No.
1
43:46
And it's, hit the nail on the head. It's like, what resonates with you in your gut? You know, if you're doing a video, because that's gonna show on camera. So if you don't feel comfortable doing these, you know, hi guys, I'm at the supermarket, I'm buying broccoli and that video doesn't work for you, then it's not gonna work for any, you know? Just, it's not gonna produce your brand or put it on in the best light possible.
2
44:10
Bingo, and I think that it's one of those things where it's like, it's part of entrepreneurship for me has been knowing myself better. Like understanding the personality that I am, the things that I like to do that I don't like to do, because at first in my journey I was like, can I do this? Can I build up a business to seven figures? Can I build it beyond seven figures? Can I handle a team? How do I handle clients? How do I make, and so like, then when you do it, and then like me, you own seven different companies, and it's like, okay, yes, I can do it. Yes, I can do it quickly. Now, what do I want to do? And so similar to you, like, I have a passion project called the Dream Agency Quest where I help agency owners grow and scale their agency and then not have to work in it every day. Because it's not just about scaling it to seven figures plus, it's also going and do you want to have a life? And I've talked to so many agency owners that are like you and I, or at least were, where it's like, yeah, I'm doing seven figures and I'm drowning. I'm just like, oh my gosh. And so, you know, I talk to a lot of agency owners. I'm like, hey, when's the last time you took a vacation? And they go, like, where I worked? And I go, no, where you didn't work and you totally unplugged. They go, uh, I don't know, like six years ago? Okay, this is why your agency isn't growing. You've stalled because you're not, you don't have any time and space to breathe. So yeah, so I put together a program because it's my passion to help agency owners do the kinds of things that you're doing, which is like enjoying your life.
1
45:49
You gotta have both, like we could go off a bit, but you know, we could die tomorrow, then what? Like you're gonna take that stuff with you. Life is an experience, so I'm a huge believer. I really don't believe I think in balance though, which is a whole nother box of chocolates to open because I think that life I don't know anyone whose life is in full balance where they have a brilliant relationship Brilliant fitness. It's there's always going to be something out of I think right back, but it's how you manage it For yourself, that's the best experience for you. It goes for work, too.
2
46:27
Yep, I agree. Well, the last question that I love to ask Justine, and we get a variety of different responses to this one, is what are we up to here as humans? Like, we're on this spinning blue marble in the middle of nothingness, and some people talk about the faith that they have, some people talk about the faith that they left, some people talk about the science that they believe in. What are we doing here as humanity in your opinion?
1
46:59
As I was talking before, I was talking about, I think that we all have a gift and we all put on this earth. Like there is something, I guarantee whoever's watching this there's something in you that you were born with. It may be that you are good at basketball, it may be that you are good at business, it may be that you're good with people. We're all born with a gift or something that is going to elevate other people in society, otherwise why would God put us here? And I'm a strong believer in God and the universe and God has given me amazing grace in my life to get to where I'm at. But I think it's about legacy. And whoever's watching this, you have a legacy that's waiting for you. So whatever, and I'm speaking to also the people that are going through a tough time right now, because as I said, the world is going through crazy things and difficult times, and it's easy to talk about the glamor of entrepreneurship and how good life is. But what will make you great is how you handle those difficult times. And that gift is waiting for you. So your hard times are there to build you. There's that saying, God only gives his toughest battles to his toughest soldiers. And it just starts with you. So the little things, it's like what you said, drink a glass of water a day and be kind to yourself because you're here for a legacy. And there's no difference between me or you, whoever's watching this. The only difference is that I took action slowly. And slow and steady always wins the race. So I believe we're here for legacy. And help other people to achieve where they need to go, what they're doing in their life. Because that, again, is going to be like karma, as we spoke about before. And you'll be surprised what you get back. Obviously, do it with the right people and the people that appreciate you and what you stand for, but legacy, just think about your legacy.
2
48:53
Everything, yeah. Oh, I love that, that's so good. So good, Justine. So, okay, so if people want to check you out, they wanna check out your agency, where can they go to do that?
1
49:06
Sure, so you can go to milliondollarbranders.com and you can also check me out at justinepogroskiofficial.com or I'm very active on Instagram, I'm on LinkedIn. You can go sign up for my newsletter at JustinePogrowskiOfficial.com where it's got tips and tools and tricks. And I'm sure this podcast with the beautiful Dave will be on there somewhere. You can follow our journey of what's it called? What's it called when you sit in the cold water?
4
49:36
Oh, polar plunging?
1
49:37
Yeah, okay. I've got to Americanize myself, Jan.
2
49:41
Don't, please don't do that.
1
49:43
I love it. I love the Americans in America. And I've also got a podcast that you can listen to. So it's on Apple Podcasts and it's on Spotify. But Dave, I'm so honored to be on yours. And it was so great to speak. And I'm sure this is not the last we'll see of you doing amazing things in the world, so I appreciate you.
2
50:05
That's very sweet, thank you. No, I am so, you know, it's interesting because you never know how these calls are gonna go, Justine, and so you're just like, okay, I think that this person's gonna be amazing and I think that we're gonna connect, but you never know, and it's just so wonderful. It's been such a beautiful conversation. I'm so grateful for you and for the work that you're doing. It's wonderful. Y'all go check out all of Justine's stuff. All of those links will be in the show notes. All of those links will be in the show notes. And until next time, we'll catch ya.