FOUNDER #38. Real Entrepreneurs Don't Wait For Opportunities - Dodge Woodall

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1:26Print postage for certified mail, registered mail, and packages in seconds. Then schedule a pickup right from your home or office. For a limited time, go to stamps.com and use code podcast for a free welcome gift. Taxes and fees apply. Welcome to Ask Dodge. I'm an entrepreneur who's built five businesses over the last 28 years, exited two of them, and still running three today. On this show, you'll get straight-talking, real business chat with no fluff. I think we're going to help thousands of people in business. I've got my good mate with me, Marky Masters, who's going to be the co-host of the show.

1:58Dodge, looking forward to this. If there's something you guys want us to answer, send your questions to askdodge at dodgewiddle.com. I hope you enjoy, everyone. Welcome to the show, everyone. Today, we're going to look at... Right, we're going to look at mindset. We're looking at creating opportunities for ourselves. Have you ever, here's a question for you. Have you ever posted on social media platform and has anything meaningful come from just posting and waiting for something to come back to you from a social post? Yeah. Yeah, of course. Like things like that. What does that mean? Is that you wanted to know?

2:38That was a bit of a... Yeah, mate, you can put stuff out there. You haven't got to put stuff out there just to promote business as well. you can put stuff out there bigging other people up there'll be something coming back to you something coming back to you well good or bad no when I say coming back to you like a return from it someone buying something someone a return for something else yeah of course there's anyone that you've posted is like yeah yeah of course I brought in 50 new listeners from that well not even that no you brought in you might have brought in an underground sponsorship somewhere will it or 50 will it but I'm saying if you're posting something and out there and you own a festival a sponsor might come and see it a grenade might see that or you've got to remember when you're putting yourself out there there's lots of brands watching you watching you all the time and I've said before Marky it doesn't matter if they're not liking or there's a lot of voyeurs out there who are watching you and seeing what you're about and if you come across nicely and you're a good bloke and you've got a festival you know sponsors pop up and go do you know what how do I get involved you'll get a DM through how do I get involved and you just put them in contact with the right people HQ here and off the way it goes Where have your best opportunities come from over the years have they come from the relationships that are already in place or are they just from the hard work to getting something?

3:49Over a pint or a glass of red wine or a steak. It's as easy as that. That's what happened. For me, if you go somewhere and you're having a pint with someone or having a glass or someone's laid on a dinner or something like that, all of a sudden, doors open. But you have to be curious. You have to ask questions. You have to take an interest in people. So it's all about lowering our guard down and finding ways that we can be in front of other people. Don't put a guard up. don't put a guard up. If you want things to come into your way, don't put a guard up. And as well, it's just that being approachable, that thing you just said there, should we have a, coming back to what you said before, you don't say, can I pick your brains?

4:29Don't ever say, can I pick your brains? If I see someone, I get loads coming in all the time. Can I pick your brains? It's not a good way to approach someone if you want them to help or can I take you out for coffee? Just because other corporate people may say that, don't be the norm. don't be the same as everyone else because it doesn't work so i don't think so doors have opened but if the more that we can be on a level with someone and say right we're gonna we're gonna go out let's find a time in your diary can i find can we go out for lunch can we have something and don't follow up with and i'd like to pick your brains yeah yeah so it's so that that thing there of the opportunities that have come from you over the years is the the the angle for this show here is all about mindset and it's how we apply ourselves has that changed over the years for you like how you've how you've approached to get what you want is how how how definite is the way that your mind is and how there's no doubt there's not like oh i'm gonna go out of my way to get what i want and it's just it's just happened over the years mate it's exactly the same as i was a curious 10 year old as i am now just now i've got loads more contacts and loads more doors open.

5:40And you've got to think the UK is only a small little island. You know, it's not hard for, it's not hard for people to know who you are or if you're putting yourself out there on socials. We're only 60 odd million people. How do you make sure that people remember you? Just be real. Okay. Just be real. Straight talking. Cards on the table. No hidden agendas anywhere. Just this is all I do. That's what I do. Be real. People, I don't know about you, but I can spot someone real. and I can spot someone fake immediately. What are those traits? Well, the fake one, you can see them acting.

6:16You can see someone acting if they're fake. Even if I was sitting across you now, you'd know that if I was putting on a bit of a front. 100%. I would, I would, because I've been around many people, many people, like, I'm a people's person. I love people and I've seen all different characters from all walks of life over the years. So that's one of my strengths. there's a lot of stuff that I'm not strong at but one of my strengths is people and understanding people and listening and you can gain you know you can gauge someone's personality or where they are just by body language and how open they are you know I've had people in here before who sit opposite me they haven't even realised they've done it they're like that telling me a story they're telling me a story I'm thinking hold on a minute and all of a sudden 15 minutes later we get all of a sudden they've gone and they're just open okay you know so people go do go in with a big guard but i can't speak for everyone but i think i think if you just go in with a guard people can sense it and i i understand as well that i know it's a cliche but that people work with people and those those people that you get on with or where there is an understanding and where there is that just being normal and if you are the more normal you are but you still need to be known for something yeah whether you are a builder or selling homes or whatever it is, as long as you're known and you're building a reputation in a particular industry or field, and we can be relatable in that, surely that's the big win, isn't it?

7:47That's the big win. That's the big win. All you've got is your reputation. Take everything, strip everything back. What have you got? Your rep. That's all you've got. And trust and respect and all these things, you know, and these are things that are so important just in life, not just business, just in life. But a lot of the time, with the opportunities that we have, we need to kind of close that gap. So the more that we can be in front of somebody else, it's a completely different place from trying to think that where we do it, where we're miles apart on email or something else like that, when we're trying to get the attention from somebody else.

8:22You think about it when you're a kid, right, in the 80s and 90s or noughties, wherever you were, if you're listening to this, you had real friends and you had real adventures. since social media's come back they're not real friends you'll know who your real friends are just because of the amount of people that you're following or they're following or someone likes actually break it down are they a real real friend or they're an acquaintance who are the people that we can count on when we need them the most when it's easy to get carried away by following numbers yeah so those opportunities may not be there just because somebody has tens of thousands of followers or whatever it is but it's the about the um the one-to-one the opportunities happen because of who what we're known for proximity to others the curiosity that we have and it's the key here is optimism oh okay like optimistic mind having optimistic mind knowing that it can be done yeah i can do that yeah could you have a very optimistic i have done since i born i have done my mum my dad like and my sister like you we're an optimistic family you know and when you when i'm around anyone who's pessimistic you can feel the energy straight away it's very different that thing of optimism though that you kind of pick up on here is that something that's handed down is that the thing or is that just the thing that we just learned because we're just appreciative of the day you are your parents marky whether you like it or not you are your parents and if your parents are optimistic, it's going to be passed down.

9:52If your parents are kind, it's going to be passed down. If your parents are angry or whatever, violent or whatever, it gets passed down. And you should never, in my opinion, you should never, whatever age you are in life, is to look back and, my life's like this because of my parents. My life's like this. Take responsibility. You know, you can make big changes if you want them. If you're not liking the personality you are or you're not liking, yeah, you can make changes. does change come then from an optimistic look by that thing of knowing that even though you know you're riding a wave of a pandemic or something else by knowing that sun's going to shine again it's going to be good I will say things will always fall into place they do if you genuinely believe it they will fall into place it makes me think as well about clarity and being clear on what you want what's they saying you are the you are the you are the next person of the five people you hang around that's what you would be like That is very, very true.

10:50So you have to pick your friends. If you want to be around optimism, you pick your optimistic friends. If you know that you've got a friend you've known for 20 years and every time you're around the energy you're not liking, make your decision. And I think what you're going back to a minute ago, Mark, in business or in life, we've got lifestyle businesses and I've chosen it to keep it that way because I want to keep the lifestyle and still run a business rather than try to build an empire where I'm just head in the sand every day for God knows how many years and not having a home life or not having friends life and what have you.

11:27But how many people go through life not knowing what they want? A really high percentage of people, I guess. I don't know, but I'd imagine there's a high percentage of people just go through life not knowing what they really want and don't have focus to go, I want to aim at that. That's okay too. And I get it exactly. we don't want to kind of say it isn't isn't it if someone's there and they kind of choose that path there's a salary that kind of helps with that absolutely mate and you know there's a there's a something very rewarding for people who are in jobs who love their jobs I take my hat off to those people I'm like wow that is amazing when you hear people go you know I love my job I love my job okay I'm not an entrepreneur I'm not taking the risks they may be saying but they love their job they love their boss they've got a great boss they've got a great line manager They enjoy the culture.

12:17They enjoy going to work. They don't have the fear on a Sunday night of the thought of going into work. Now, that's beautiful as well. So not everyone has to jump out of their jobs and expect to be or want to be an entrepreneur because social media tells you and everyone is out there saying, you must be an entrepreneur because this is the way forward. I think it's the way forward for me. But people around me, there's certain friends. I'm like, mate, I've seen your job. How much are you getting paid? You're getting paid. And you've got a good boss. He's good to you. Happy days. Like my brother.

12:45he's got a job he loves his work loves his boss he's missing work at the same company they do really well together and they're super happy they've just come back from South America after four or five months where the boss has gone off you two go I've massive respect you please come back the doors door's there still open for you they've come back and they've been pay rise they're happy do you know it comes back isn't it it's horses for courses isn't it isn't it what suits us and how those doors open and how we apply ourselves it made me think about this what you were just talking about there is this ability to, if we're looking at mindset now, we create these opportunities for us, is that, does opportunities happen when we kind of give before we receive?

13:25By just being useful. Yes. The things by, people may say, oh God, I've got, I've got to go out and I'm talking to another group of people over here and I'm not getting anything for it. I'm not sending out an invoice. But is that an important thing? Yeah, 100%. Are there ways that you've, I guess when people people have reached out to you with just asking asking a question not related to this show but other things as well just that thing of giving back to people I'm constantly helping people I've done for years I enjoy it I enjoy helping people like Dodge what are your thoughts on this have you thought about it like that you could change someone's directory in one trajectory you can change someone's trajectory in business in one conversation and that's why these people out there who are mentors who get paid lots of money you know so and you can save lots of people money as well I enjoy doing that.

14:12Like people may come and say, I'm coming into year two and I'm thinking I'm investing 500 grand into this business. I'll be like, whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing? Just slow down a minute. Don't put 500 into that. Is that all your savings? No, I've borrowed 400 from the bank. And you've got interest rates on top of that. Yeah, and I'm a credit card. Just stop. Slow down, stop. Because if you haven't got someone to bounce off, it's quite easy to get carried away and thinking, this is what I'm going to do. Out of my way, everyone. I'm going to make this work. This as well, oh, it looks like, then this is more looking at ourselves as well, isn't it?

14:44That's what helps build us our own prowess and who we are as people. But you've got two sides there. You have the role that we serve for others and this role that we serve for ourselves in terms of, we were talking there about optimism and how we build up our own self-belief and how we apply ourselves. The more curious you are, the luckier you've become. What are values that you believe in? What are the things that are true to you that you feel like, these are the values in me. I know you said before about I wouldn't be seen as being a good bloke, but other values are around. Things like family.

15:17Of course. The things around. They're the easy things to say. They're the easy things for people to say. Oh yeah, what means a lot to you? Oh, I'm a family. Of course it is. We all love our family to bits. But the simple things of like, that's taught me since a young kid is having respect. Respect for people. Look someone in the eye, shake their hands. Knowing you're a good bloke. Knowing you're there to help someone. Like all these wonderful gifts that are seen as they're wonderful gifts and when you meet someone who is straight talking and when I see someone who's got discipline and respect and all these lovely things I spot it straight away and it makes me want to open up more to them and be in their circle and they'll be in my circle because I clock you and a lot of those people have been on the podcast certainly have been the SAS lads they've been the SBS lads or special forces like there's a massive sports people and military kind of there's pure honesty there you know and when you meet some entrepreneurs who have been there and done it and got the t-shirt and are telling you all the battle scars and the scars they've had to get to wear I love that it's not just plain sailing to get from there to there they've talked about their huge addictions they may have had for 15 years while trying to balance a family and balance running a 10 million pound or 20 million pound business and laying there at night at the end of the month not be not knowing whether they can pay all the bills for five years and all of a sudden something beautiful comes along and someone in their life and they give them a percentage of the business then it just blossoms and they're like that was worth the hard graft but someone's telling you the story cards on the table these are all about as well conversation these are conversations that you've you've built up over the years what turns these conversations into a reality being open being open saying being open so you're looking for investment they may say i'm looking for investment dodge would you invest in this company let's have a look at it that's not for me because it's not my bag i don't get excited by it but i can open a couple of doors for you if you want put them in contact step away i'm not there going to open a couple i know people who open a couple of doors you go yeah but if you two do a deal I want 1 % in the future whenever you serve that's not my bag that's not my I understand why some people do that that's not for me I just want to put people together and hopefully they do business and make a ton of money out of it or a ton of happiness somewhere you know because when you are opening doors for people karma and everything else the energy you give off like that is that people like he gives good nice contacts out I'll tell you what I'm going to give context back to him as well.

17:58Hey guys, we've been running this podcast now for five and a half years. We've had some most amazing business guests on here. Simon Squibb, Daniel Priestley, Barry Hearn. The list just goes on and on from billionaires to people who have built brands. If you want to come on the podcast and talk about your business and sit here with me in the studio and tell your story, go check out dodgewoodall.com forward slash guest and check out the three minute video. We've also left the link below as well. How do you look at being open by saying this is what I want? if I want this to work I need this to happen imagine as an investor investing into someone into someone yeah well I would only invest into someone if I truly believe in that person because I know what it takes to build a business if I truly truly believe in that person I would invest I invested myself and my wife invested about three years ago into this mental health business app called Jack J-A-A-Q dot org it's a just ask a question and I knew straight away when I met the founder I was like I really want to invest I just knew straight away and then we reinvested we reinvested we invested again last year into it because I believe it's going to be a unicorn business because it's helping the goal is to help a billion people worldwide with their mind health they call it mental health I like to call it mind health I don't like the connotations that go with mental health so that makes me feel good that I know that people who are really suffering at that moment, anxiety or stress or suicidal thoughts or whatever it may be, people do have these things.

19:31That's why you've just got to be kind because you don't know what's going on behind closed doors when people are at home. So what made you buy into the organisation? Was it the people? Okay. The honesty. When you come on the podcast, I didn't know I was going to be investing in Jack. The honesty, the cards on the table, the laughter we had. he got to a stage where he told me the journey he'd been on to raise all this money and he nearly lost it but his wife's dad invested last minute okay like he was in tears like it was real it was just real how did you discover one another I got in putting contact with him through John Reynolds okay and Steve Bolton I was on a golf course and they said I was playing around with someone and said oh you need to speak to this guy John Reynolds or Steve it was both of them I can't really remember but and then we got put in contact and I was like come down and have a chat to the owner of this he was launching he was building come and had an hour and a half conversation and it was magical it was magical it really was so but him being vulnerable and all cards on the table made me want to invest even more rather than him trying to hold things back trying to pretend he's a better businessman than he is and trying to be all business jargon and what have you it was just real do you think that's tough?

20:50100 % I don't see where it's gone I don't know where I see it's gone all wonky over the years like I don't know why people just aren't themselves I don't I don't understand that why just be yourself I've got an answer why not tell me because we live in a very individualistic society like it's for me like we see that on the social platforms that we're on that it's I have to look good you have to look good this is this is me and you what can I take from this so I have to look better than somebody else when really it may not be that. There's another side to it, which is all about feeling a part of something and collectivism and knowing that there are other people that like what you're talking about there is I want to support someone because I want this to work.

21:32I want it to work for both sides. So when it comes to mindset as a plan, not a plan ourselves any different, but how you're figuring out ways there, the answer was always in us all along, wasn't it? And you're saying if you were a bit of a downbeat, You know, he dodges a bit of a, he's a bit of a task, my. Tasking. He's looking at, you're a man as, he has got the desk by the door as the team walk out. So they're scared. I don't go in the office, mate. You know that. Where are you going? I'm just going to the toilet, Dodge. You get back here. But it's this, we have though, we've created this thing that we have to make, where does all this come from when we've created something a rod for our own backs where we are our own worst enemy and all we're trying to do is smile at the end of the week and just apply ourselves where we know the things that we are a part of the businesses that we are a part of or the projects we want to work or what do you want again we go back to a lot of people who don't know what they actually want you know you can sit down with 100 people and say what do you want what's your goal what are you thinking we go I'm just going through life that's okay too you know we spoke about this before like it's okay to be like that but it's also really really really refreshing to have some sort of goal to aim at whether you get there or not it doesn't really matter but at least you're aiming it and you're building something to get there whether you're building up your body and you're going into the gym and you're what you're feeling healthy or you're eating better or you're you're getting certain liquids on board or you're taking white bread out of your diet just see what it's like for the next two weeks and you're feeling Everything we're talking about here when we look at mindset is that the answer seems to be, well, it's within ourselves and how we apply ourselves and the people that are around us.

23:24What would be your one way someone could create more opportunities for what they're trying to do? What would be your advice? Ask more questions. Okay. I keep going back to it, mate. Be curious. Don't you? That. Like curiosity is a superpower. Ask more questions. Get to know people. Understand who, how, why. what does that work this this creates opportunities opportunities for you and opportunities maybe for that person there that you can open up a door with because you've got to know that person within a quick two minutes you might be the you might be in a lift like I was a you might be in a lift you might be queuing up for something you might be having dinner with someone it might be someone opposite you you might be sunbathing somewhere there's someone there you end up having a chat and does that rub off on people imagine if you want to start say I want to be a virtual assistant I want to be a good VA.

24:12And is it like, well, I have to constantly ask questions and I have to... I'm not saying you have to go constantly ask questions. Just take an interest. Take an interest in people. What does that do? You can make phone calls on there. And then what does that do? Yeah. So how does it... So this thing of that, the opportunities come from this disability to be curious, to talk, to be open, to kind of have the right mindset, which does take a lot of work. But I guess from your side, it was always there. I just tapped into it. It's not as though it's something like I spent a lot of money on something because I went to...

24:49I've just done it. I've just done it since a kid. I've been doing it now. I've been doing it. I just do it. I enjoy it. I like people. But I also am very aware of energy as well. What do you mean? Energy of you or energy of others? Or you? No, energy. I'm just very aware of energy around people, what energy they give off, very understanding of that. If someone's got wonderful energy, like, yeah, I like this bloke, or like this girl, this is fantastic, or there's an energy around someone, I can feel it. Because these are things that can't be taught, aren't they? No. And not taught, these are things that are inherent within us, aren't they?

25:25It's not something that, again, I've spent a lot of money on a mastermind or something else, it's something to tell me how to be an approachable person that can remember names. But this thing, all these things that we have are within us, We just need to recognise where they are to make the most of. Yeah. So it's okay to be a quiet person. But then maybe it's like where you are articulate or you can explain yourself clearly. And this is what happens with opportunities that we create is recognising the strengths that we have and also maybe these areas that we just need to spend a little bit more time with or get input and support from other people that are around us.

26:00Quiet people are fantastic as well. You don't have to be out there asking, you know, being out there pushing, asking and da-da-da-da. my wife's quiet and it's lovely because she just takes an interest in what she really likes she keeps her energy protected she's like this all year round there's no highs there's no lows she's very kind and thoughtful and loving and just a good human being the energy I've been with her 20 odd years the energy when we're around it's just lovely I love it I love her I'm obviously going to big up my missus as well I'm not just doing it to big up my wife but I genuinely love I hope she listens to this one she doesn't listen to anything mate so I can say anything I know I want it's not even Valentine's special come on Valentine you've got to listen to February the 14th surely so as I look at this I'm recognising I'm understanding that what we're talking about here is that opportunity comes from people yes everything comes from people doesn't come from an overalience and a platform or an app it's all to do with the people that we get on with we can talk to we can build a conversation with and we can find a common ground and be helpful to other people be super helpful to other people in ways some people are physically helpful with people yeah i'll come around you else and help you bang bang bang i can do that for some people can open contact some people can use their mind a lot more you know it's um yeah it's out there so it's to remember that we is is the opportunity the opportunities that opportunities that we're talking about in this show how what we bring to the table ourselves without necessarily being reliant on a piece of software or an app or anything like that so any questions that you'd like to throw out to dodge and myself don't you forget i gotta give it i can't be like the normal end is it i don't like an end of a thing and if you and if you're liking this show send us an email i gotta give it a little bit of oomph it's mr saturday night here monday to friday so if you have a question do you want to ask you want to throw in we talked about mindset today we talked about the opportunities that we make for ourselves send to ask dodge at dodgewoodle.com thank you dodge good man enjoyed that marking still waiting in line again that's time you will never get back save time and money with stamps.com Over 4 million businesses have skipped the line with Stamps.com.

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