Sir Darren Jacklin on Why Integrity Is Your Greatest Asset

Darren: [00:00:00] What I want is I want a seat at the table because proximity is power. I always share with [00:00:05] people, if you hang around the barbershop long enough, eventually you're gonna get a haircut. Okay? So if you're [00:00:10] around successful people, right, if you hang out with Tom Cruise or you're around [00:00:15] Tom Cruise, and again, I'm just But if you're around Tom Cruise a lot, eventually you're gonna be an extra in one of his movies [00:00:20] probably, 'cause you're always around and they're gonna, "Hey, I need you for, to be in this extra. Somebody didn't show up today," right? Narrator: [00:00:25] Most trade leaders are working harder than ever and still stuck. [00:00:30] There's a better way to compete, and it starts with people. This [00:00:35] is Blue Collar Smart, hosted by Hugh Hornsby, 40-year trade executive, [00:00:40] industry award-winner, and the only media voice built for leadership on both sides [00:00:45] of the trade. Every episode, one truth, one action, [00:00:50] one step forward. Welcome to Blue Collar Smart. Hugh: Good [00:00:55] afternoon. I'm here with a brand-new friend of mine, Sir Darren [00:01:00] Jacklin. And today I'm here to tell you about a new podcast, [00:01:05] a dream that I had many years ago, and it's called Blue [00:01:10] Collar Smart: Underdog Proven, Trades Tested, and Just [00:01:15] Built Different You know, the other day I was at the grocery [00:01:20] store, and a friend of mine came up and said, "Hugh, what's your, what are you doing?" And I said, "Well, I've just built a [00:01:25] podcast. I call this Blue Collar Smart." And he asked me, "Hugh, what does that [00:01:30] really mean?" And I said, "You know, it's for the trades, [00:01:35] and it's for the people that do business with the trades, but it's a lot bigger than that." Blue Collar [00:01:40] Smart is a way that you think, the way people have had to navigate [00:01:45] life. When I was 10, I was diagnosed with a head injury, [00:01:50] epilepsy, ADHD, and a, and a, a learning disorder. [00:01:55] And I learned then that I had to look at the world from a very different perspective. In the [00:02:00] ninth grade, they tried to put me in special needs, and I refused to go. But ever [00:02:05] since then, I always realized that I had this opportunity to look at the world [00:02:10] very differently. Well, today, I have got the true blue collar smart [00:02:15] thinking Sir Darren Jacklin. And I met [00:02:20] Darren through a, a, um, Marlon Mueller, who was on my first [00:02:25] podcast, and when he mentioned his name, I said, "Marlon, I've gotta have him on there." He said, "I've [00:02:30] got this friend of mine that rang the bell on Wall Street three times, [00:02:35] and he's run all these companies, and the things that he's been able to do to [00:02:40] overcome is amazing." Darren, I'm, I'm gonna s- not steal your thunder, [00:02:45] because you've got a lot. Can you tell everybody who you are, uh, why you're [00:02:50] here, and how you've been able to navigate the world in this blue collar smart [00:02:55] thinking? Darren: Yeah, sure. Well, Hugh, I'm grateful to be here. Uh, I'm Sir Darren Jacklin. [00:03:00] I'm here in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is where I'm based out of. And, [00:03:05] um, you know, I, I got to where I am today through a lot of, uh, hard work, a lot of effort, a [00:03:10] lot of peaks and valleys, and, and overcoming a lot of adversities and challenges and setbacks. [00:03:15] Um, you know, I have a fascinating backstory, a come-up story, and success stories today and stuff. [00:03:20] And the Sir actually came as a result of back in 2022 when I got [00:03:25] knighted as Sir Darren Jacklin through the Royal Order of Cappadocia out of the country of Spain. [00:03:30] I was nominated by two, uh, individuals to the Royal Order, and at the time there was over 400 [00:03:35] people globally, men and women, that were selected to be part of the Royal Order, to be knighted as a sir, a lady, or a [00:03:40] dame. And so when I first got nominated, I thought, "You know, I'm not good enough. [00:03:45] I'm not smart enough." I put other people on a pedestal thinking, you know, "Who am I?" I'm, I'm [00:03:50] just... At the time, I was 50, uh, 50 years of age, and I'm thinking to myself, "There's much more [00:03:55] qualified, more experienced people than myself." And so I had this negative self-talk going on inside my [00:04:00] head, and, uh, thinking, "Who are you?" And, um- It came as a result [00:04:05] of there's eight different categories in the Knighting, and I was chosen under philanthropy [00:04:10] and entrepreneurship. And, you know, I was a kid who barely passed public high [00:04:15] school. Uh, I was a kid who failed grade one, uh, was misdiagnosed with a learning disability and a [00:04:20] reading disability, and it was determined that in grade one that I was unfit to attend regular public [00:04:25] high school. You know, when I was one years of age, I had a sister that died unexpectedly. She was four [00:04:30] years of age. I was one years of age, so there was some childhood trauma. And so I was this [00:04:35] kid that just did not fit into a public school system. I had a lot of energy. I was very hyperactive. [00:04:40] Um, so at age seven, I started knocking on doors because of [00:04:45] trauma, because I didn't feel safe being at public school 'cause I was put into what we call [00:04:50] special education. So from grade one all the way through to grade 12, I was in special [00:04:55] education. I was labeled stupid. I was told I was a retard. I was told I was never gonna amount to much, never [00:05:00] go far, never do much in my life, and so I had all these labels. So I had a lot of negative [00:05:05] self-talk, and I had a lot of energy as a kid to burn off. And so at age seven, I started knocking on doors in my [00:05:10] neighborhood, looking to solve problems and serve my community, and I had a business called Rent-A-Kid. [00:05:15] And I would go out and cut grass, shovel snow, and deliver newspapers. And by the time I was nine years old, I hired my two [00:05:20] best friends, which 45 years later, we're still great friends to this day. And, um, [00:05:25] so, um, you know, I had a lot of, a lot of, a lot of adversities, a lot of challenges growing up, which I can share and unpack [00:05:30] 'cause there's a lot of valuable life lessons in that growing up. But I realized that as I [00:05:35] got through into junior high and high school, I really struggled with not being good enough, uh, feeling [00:05:40] invisible, feeling, um, like I don't matter And so in grade 11 I was taken out of [00:05:45] class by a guidance counselor and a schoolteacher, and they said, "Darren, based on your academic marks, you're a [00:05:50] D student. You're probably not gonna graduate from grade 12. What do you plan to do with your life?" And I said, "I wanna travel [00:05:55] the world. I wanna make a big difference. I wanna have a lot of fun. I wanna help a lot of people." And they go, "Darren, kids like you don't have a [00:06:00] university or college degree, you're not gonna go far in life." And so that really impacted me, 'cause these are my [00:06:05] heroes, these are my mentors, these are my role models, these, these men and women, these schoolteachers. And so [00:06:10] when I did leave high school, I went and did multiple suicide attempts to end my life by driving [00:06:15] my car at 85 miles an hour, 140 kilometers an hour towards a telephone pole, and I practiced [00:06:20] it over and over again. On my final attempt I got scared and I said, "I can't do this." So I [00:06:25] drove to a crisis, um, center where they were a telephone crisis line for [00:06:30] suicide prevention, and I rang the door buzzer and I turned myself in. This is back in the [00:06:35] 1990s. And one of the counselors then started to work with me. I didn't have any, uh, I couldn't pay for the [00:06:40] services, so they offered it to me, uh, as a, as a government assistance service for free. And, [00:06:45] um, so what happened was the lady said to me, "I think we're gonna introduce you to Dale Carnegie." I didn't know [00:06:50] who Dale Carnegie was, so I drove to this hotel, went to this hotel room, and here was the [00:06:55] Dale Carnegie training program. So I ended up signing up for the Dale Carnegie training program, and that ended up opening [00:07:00] my eyes up to a whole new world, whole new environment of different people. And from there, a [00:07:05] woman introduced me to Toastmasters International, which is the largest public speaking and leadership organization in the [00:07:10] world. And the Dale Carnegie training organization and Toastmasters International were the foundation for my [00:07:15] personal professional development training. And that, that was the, the catalyst that opened me up to a world [00:07:20] of new possibilities and new people and new conversations. And so I'm grateful for [00:07:25] Toastmasters International. I'm grateful to Dale Carnegie Training. Hugh: Well, I, I love that because, [00:07:30] uh, Dale Carnegie and, and Toastmasters were very staples of, of [00:07:35] my life a- at some point, but I never went through what you [00:07:40] went through, and my- mine was a challenge, and it was a big mental challenge at times. But [00:07:45] what you, what you did to overcome, um, is pretty [00:07:50] amazing. A- and do you find... Because you're, you're a founder, and we'll, [00:07:55] we'll get into some of that right now. But do you find, you know, founders [00:08:00] and entrepreneurs and people that are in business, um, a lot of [00:08:05] times are reaching for that w- what- whatever that golden ring is, and when they ring- [00:08:10] they, they hit that ring, uh, they're still, you know, [00:08:15] it's still not good enough. And is there a co- is there a- For sure ... conversation you can have with those [00:08:20] people? Because I think there's a lot of those that go on today. Darren: Yeah. So I would [00:08:25] say we're not good enough, and we're also misunderstood. So throughout our lives, we're [00:08:30] misunderstood. We don't... You know, Robert Kiyosaki wrote a bestselling book years ago called Rich Dad Poor Dad. Yeah. [00:08:35] And in his second book called Cashflow Quadrants by Robert Kiyosaki and Kim Kiyosaki, he had the [00:08:40] four quadrants. He had the employee quadrant, he had the self-employment quadrant, the business owner, and the [00:08:45] investor quadrant. And, like, I'm a terrible employee, just full transparency. Why? Because I don't like being [00:08:50] told what to do, and I like to get things done. I'm very action-oriented, very s- with speed and execution. [00:08:55] And so to me, I'm really great at, um, you know, solving problems, serving [00:09:00] people, growing and scaling things. But running the day-to-day operations, I delegate that to people that are much more qualified, [00:09:05] much more experienced than me, right? So I like to work on the business- Hugh: You, you, you, you think some of that's because of your ADHD?[00:09:10] Darren: Yeah. Probably, yeah. And I can process things at a very... You know, it's interesting you say ADHD. You [00:09:15] know what, you know what it stands for? Attention developed to a higher dimension. Hugh: I like it. [00:09:20] Very nice. Darren: Right? Attention developed to a higher dimension. My brain [00:09:25] processes things at a high rate of speed, and, uh, so... And I don't... Like, sometimes when [00:09:30] people just talk about the news, the weather, the sports, and traffic, it to me is just blah, blah, blah. Because it's the [00:09:35] same. It doesn't... When I meet people, I, I'm obsessed with hiking. I hike all over the world. It's a big passion of [00:09:40] mine. It's something I love to do. When I take people on hiking trails around the world, I like to have authentic, [00:09:45] raw, vulnerable, transparent conversations. I wanna get s- people to know people at a really deep level [00:09:50] where people are really seen as a human being. And, and, and, and people are like, [00:09:55] "Wow." They feel like they're gotten. They feel like, "Wow, this person gets me. This person understands me. You know, [00:10:00] this person can relate to me." Because I was that kid growing up that I felt misunderstood, I felt [00:10:05] not good enough, and I felt that I don't matter. You know, I wasn't the athletic kid in school. I [00:10:10] wasn't the academic kid in school. You know, I was a kid that was dealing with some childhood trauma, [00:10:15] right, uh, of, at, at a young age, of a disconnection with my mother, of feeling not [00:10:20] lovable and not worthy of love, and not good enough, and misunderstood. [00:10:25] And so I was this kid growing up trying to figure this out Hugh: Yeah, and how, how's your [00:10:30] relationship with your mother now? Is that, i- i- you know, is, is, is that still a little bit strained? [00:10:35] Darren: So we, we have a, we have a great relationship, and my mom's 78 years of age, but it's a [00:10:40] surface relationship. It's all on the surface. Nothing's deep with my [00:10:45] mother. Um, you know, um, and, and I can't go there. And my sister and I have [00:10:50] tried, you know, different ways to go there with her, but she's just a, it's unsafe. And, you know, in that [00:10:55] generation, again, I'm speculating, but that generation, they didn't talk about things, you know, deep [00:11:00] emotional, personal things. It was, you know, they protect themselves by not going there and being vulnerable. [00:11:05] Um, but I want to. So I'm, I'm, I'm training right now. I'm around different mentors, different [00:11:10] influencers to work with me to get some practical tools on how to create a safe environment to [00:11:15] really connect deeply with my mother so I can learn to... And I can also look at my blind [00:11:20] spots of what are things that I'm not seeing that are blind spots to me that allow me to become more of a [00:11:25] powerful communicator so I can have that authentic communication and conversations with my mother and other people [00:11:30] around me as well. Hugh: Yeah. And, and, and I love that because you learn from those difficult [00:11:35] times, and you learn how to deal with other people as well. What, what I love about y- you, [00:11:40] what you said is that you, you like to go deep and, uh, you know, [00:11:45] I, I like to, I like to go deep. Uh, and somehow, sometime my, my wife does not like [00:11:50] that 'cause she doesn't want to go as deep as I wanna go, but I think that's one way you get to know [00:11:55] people. And I, I really feel like the, the industry that we're in and the [00:12:00] things that are going on, that, that's how I've been able to build, um, you [00:12:05] know- build these companies, and it's, it's basically 'cause I really care [00:12:10] about people. Um, can, can you speak to caring about people a little bit and what you've been [00:12:15] able to do? And what- we'll- and then we'll jump into you ringing the bell on Wall Street, you know, [00:12:20] three times and, and some, some of that because obviously Dale Carnegie helped [00:12:25] and then Toastmasters helped, but you had some mentors along the way that, that [00:12:30] hopefully helped you look at the world just totally different than what you were looking at it before.[00:12:35] Darren: You know, I'm curious about people, and I come from a place of generosity and contribution, [00:12:40] and I like to... You know, Bob Burg wrote a book many years ago called The Go-Giver, and I used to be [00:12:45] a go-getter when I was younger. I was a go-getter. What, what can I get? What's in it for me? And what I [00:12:50] discovered from a lot of mistakes and adversities and challenges over time and different mentors was it's [00:12:55] about coming from a place of generosity and contribution, of being of service to other people. You know, I always say to [00:13:00] people in business, money changes hands when problems get solved, right? But if you wanna [00:13:05] go... So people don't have money problems in life, they have thinking problems. There's no lack of money. There's a, it's a thinking [00:13:10] problem. And so I always share with people that, you know, when we get a chance to be around [00:13:15] people, you know, we're taught as children, "Don't talk to strangers." Stranger danger. But [00:13:20] strangers have everything we want, I mean, need and we desire in our lives. And as human beings, what I've [00:13:25] realized from practical life experiences is all we are is a network of conversations, [00:13:30] right? You spoke to Marlon Mueller. Marlon introduced you, us together. I'll probably introduce you to some more people as [00:13:35] well, and that ripple of impact just keeps going through a network of conversations. Social media is [00:13:40] a network of conversations. If we look at planet Earth and we go up to the International Space Station and we look down at [00:13:45] planet Earth and we see these billions of people on the planet, all the different continents, all the different countries, we're just a [00:13:50] network of conversations. We're a web of conversations. So opportunity is getting created inside [00:13:55] of conversations. So I always say to people, start having conversations with more [00:14:00] people and just come from a place of curiosity and discovery and wonderment, and you'd be [00:14:05] amazed at what you'll discover, right? 'Cause, because the thing is, through these conversations... [00:14:10] So a lot of times people, you know... I used to think, "Oh my gosh, are people gonna like me? Are [00:14:15] people gonna accept me? Well, man, when people get close to me and they figure out who I really am and I've got some flaws, [00:14:20] man, they're not gonna like me." And so I used to play always on the defense, always be guarded.[00:14:25] And so what I realize now is, like, like, one of the things I'm working on in my life right now is, [00:14:30] you know, there's a book called The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman, and my number one love [00:14:35] language is acts of service. My number two is, uh, you know, words of affirmation. Number [00:14:40] three is quality time. Number four is gifts. And number five for me is physical touch, [00:14:45] okay? And so when people come up and hug me, it's kind of socially awkward [00:14:50] for me, and so I'm learning to do that. So the other day someone said to me, he said, "Darrin-" [00:14:55] Do you know in Vancouver they do a thing called a cuddle puddle? I'm like, "What, what is a cuddle puddle? Never heard of [00:15:00] that before." And they go, "Where people who, who, um, are uncomfortable just in a [00:15:05] non-sexual way connecting with other human beings." And so you go to this cuddle puddle on a weekend, [00:15:10] and you just sit there, and if you wanna be held or hold somebody or just connect with somebody, there's [00:15:15] boundaries and there's rules, but you can connect with somebody. So every year what I [00:15:20] do is I do something I would never, ever do in my life. So l- just recently, l- [00:15:25] last year, I went and did a pole dancing class. I signed up for pole dancing. [00:15:30] Oh my gosh, is that ever hard. That's not easy, pole dancing. This year I [00:15:35] went and did m- naked men's yoga class. Eight men completely naked, [00:15:40] no clothes. I was so exposed, so vulnerable, so terrified, [00:15:45] but I had such a profound breakthrough in my life of understanding masculinity [00:15:50] and respect for other men. So every year I do something I would never, [00:15:55] ever do to push myself. Could be public speaking, it could be taking a painting class, okay? [00:16:00] So every year I do something, right? Couple years ago I, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. [00:16:05] Never thought I could ever do it. It was an impossible goal. I had to train relentlessly for a year for it. [00:16:10] Now one of the things I'm working on right now is visible abs. So I hired an elite trainer, hired a [00:16:15] chef to cook my food, prepare my food for a meal plan, because if I am in charge of it, I'm gonna cheat, okay? I'm [00:16:20] not... I like the smell of food and I like to eat different kinds of food, but if I have a system and a process and somebody [00:16:25] preparing my food that counts all my macros and what I'm supposed to eat, I'll just follow the plan, okay? 'Cause I'm paying [00:16:30] for it. So now it's going to, like, okay, can I actually at 54 years of age [00:16:35] create visible abs? And I'm on track to doing that. Never thought I could ever do that, taking my shirt off and actually have [00:16:40] visible abs. So it's constantly doing this to grow and [00:16:45] expand and develop. But the thing is for me is it's self-actualization, right? [00:16:50] Self-actualization of human growth and potential. Hugh: Well, I, I, I think that's amazing because I'm a big [00:16:55] mindset person, and probably because I've had to overcome, you know, so [00:17:00] much. But a lot of times it's not physical. A lot of m- a lot of times it's just mental. [00:17:05] And, uh, you know, I, I love helping people. I love turning around [00:17:10] companies. I love giving people second opportunities. But a lot of times I always find that the [00:17:15] biggest person I need to take care of is myself, and the idea that you [00:17:20] can go do something that maybe you feel uncomfortable with and how that makes [00:17:25] you feel afterwards has gotta be pretty amazing. Darren: You know, it is. It's, I call it controlled discomfort. It's doing [00:17:30] things that are uncomfortable. Like, you know, to get visible abs is complete pain. I have to push through different levels of [00:17:35] pain to get the results. Um, you know, in a few days I head off to Nepal to go climb [00:17:40] Kathmandu and Mount Kailash, and, on this expedition, this 14-day expedition, [00:17:45] and that is completely uncomfortable for the 14 days with weather, with [00:17:50] terrain, with roots and rocks, uh, different country, the high altitude, all these different [00:17:55] potential risks that I'm, we're exposed to, myself and my team. But the thing is, is I, it's, it's about [00:18:00] the inward journey of how I grow and expand and develop, and so that I come back, I can be with [00:18:05] you, and I can solve problems. I can do situational awareness. I can do scenario planning, the best-case, life [00:18:10] case, and worst-case scenario. Why? Because I'm working on myself constantly. Because, you know, Jim Rohn always [00:18:15] said many years ago, Jim Rohn was a mentor and, and, um, a role model and hero to my life. He [00:18:20] said, "You know, success is not something you go out in the world to pursue. Success is something you attract [00:18:25] into your life by the person that you become." So become an attractive person.[00:18:30] Hugh: So th- that's, a- and, and I love that because I always say the be, do, and have. [00:18:35] You know, if you, if you really, if, you know, I had somebody to call me yesterday and, [00:18:40] and I said, "The first person you have to figure out, you gotta figure out who you wanna become." And, [00:18:45] uh, and so I believe in the be. You know, y- you can wanna [00:18:50] become somebody, but if, if you don't have the do, you know, you're not gonna have the have. So, [00:18:55] um, so let's talk a little bit about that because you've r- you've rung the b- [00:19:00] the bell on Wall Street, um, what, three times and, or, [00:19:05] um, and you've built these companies up. So you, you went from a very deep place of [00:19:10] almost taking your life and then, you know, finding some mentors, you know, Dale [00:19:15] Carnegie and Toastmasters and, and mentors along that way. Um, where, [00:19:20] where was... You know, how did you, how did you end up, you know, creating these companies and building [00:19:25] these companies and, and using what you do well? Because obviously you say you're not the, [00:19:30] the guy that's gonna always do it all or be the operations guy, but you have a lot of vision [00:19:35] that most people never even think about having. Darren: So I learned at a very young age that you [00:19:40] build the network of people before you need them. And I always share with people that, you know, like, like, kids [00:19:45] today, they're in school, and I go guest speak at a lot of colleges, universities, and high schools. And I always say to kids, "You've got a [00:19:50] cell phone." So what you wanna do is you wanna get a lot of contacts in your cellphone that you can be [00:19:55] anywhere on Earth and you can make calls and you can connect with people. And so, um, [00:20:00] you know, back in 2011, I, I have over 7,000 written goals for my life, [00:20:05] um, that are documented. I've been working on this for many years. I have a master plan. Um, you know, I've been [00:20:10] working on a 250-year legacy, 250-year vision. I ... For the last 20 years I've hired consultants and [00:20:15] different people to work with me on that ter- terms of master planning my life. And so what I [00:20:20] realized was is that in 2011 I wrote down in one of my ... on, on a flight from San [00:20:25] Francisco to New York on United Airlines that I want to serve on different paid advisory boards and paid boards [00:20:30] of directors of public and private companies. And so in 2013 I received a telephone call from an [00:20:35] ultra-high net worth family here in Canada, and they were in the early stages of discovery process of [00:20:40] looking at investing into a residential real estate startup company that was based out of Bellingham, Washington, [00:20:45] USA, founded by a Canadian but he was living in Bellingham, Washington, USA. So they called me up and they [00:20:50] said, "Hey, would you be willing to fly back at your own expense from Vancouver to Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, it's [00:20:55] a 45-minute flight, cover your own travel expenses and fly back and meet with us [00:21:00] and be part of our ... you know, meet with the founder of this startup company. Would you be part of it?" So I said, [00:21:05] "Absolutely." And people say, "Darrin, this is a wealthy family. Why don't they cover your [00:21:10] travel expenses?" I'm like, "It's not about that." What I want is I want a seat at the table because [00:21:15] proximity is power. I always share with people if you hang around the barbershop long enough eventually you're gonna get a [00:21:20] haircut. Okay? So if you're around successful people, right, if you hang [00:21:25] out with Tom Cruise or you're around Tom Cruise, and again I'm just ... But if you're around Tom Cruise a lot [00:21:30] eventually you're gonna be an extra in one of his movies probably 'cause you're always around him. They're gonna, "Hey, I need you for, to be in this [00:21:35] extra. Somebody didn't show up today." Right? So the thing is I fly back there, I'm with this [00:21:40] family, and I meet with this gentleman, and this guy has created a residential startup [00:21:45] real estate company that he started in 2009. Okay? This is just now a few years later. You know, we're in a [00:21:50] downturn in the marketplace. They're ... He's just limping along. They've got no money. They're building the [00:21:55] airplanes they're flying in. And, uh, he approached me and, and the family talked to me and went through [00:22:00] discovery and due diligence and they end up investing some money. They came to me and said, "Would [00:22:05] you consider being the first independent board of directors member of this residential startup real estate company?" I [00:22:10] said, "Well before I say yes I don't want it to be a conflict of interest and out of integrity for me," 'cause [00:22:15] I'm a corporate trainer at the time and I was traveling the world doing corporate training. Um, so I went to [00:22:20] all these different people and what I discovered was they said, "Don't get involved with this residential real estate startup company.[00:22:25] It's going nowhere fast. It's got no money." There was lots of big brand companies out there like RE/MAX, [00:22:30] Coldwell Banker, Sotheby's, Keller Williams, all these big brand companies that got deep financial [00:22:35] pockets and been around for decades. So I went for a walk and I thought to myself, "Okay, wait a second. [00:22:40] Who's writing the check?" This ultra-high net worth family spent a lot of time, a lot of money doing discovery, doing due [00:22:45] diligence, hiring smart people. And I thought, "Follow the money. They're writing the check." [00:22:50] So I phoned up the person. I said, "Listen, I'm in." So I joined this little company called eXp [00:22:55] Realty. You may have heard of it. And, uh, in 2013, there was the founder, [00:23:00] myself, and another gentleman, the three of us and a small team of people. And, uh, [00:23:05] you know, everybody's laughing at us, didn't think it was gonna amount to much. You know, we just had a couple hundred people in the [00:23:10] whole entire company building airplanes and flying it. We grew that company as a team [00:23:15] from a residential startup company over the next 10 years to a multi-billion dollar company, [00:23:20] and in 2018, went to Nasdaq and rang the closing bell for the first time and did over a billion dollar mark-up on [00:23:25] our first day of trading. And we grew it, at the time, to the fastest growing residential [00:23:30] real estate company on earth. And we went from- I, I remember that ... startup. [00:23:35] Yeah. It was a rocket ship. Yeah. And we went from there to- Yeah ... in 10 years from startup to 88,000 real estate [00:23:40] agents in 24 countries on five continents. Hugh: That's amazing. So how did, where did the next [00:23:45] two, where, where did the next two come from? Darren: Yeah. So got a chance to go [00:23:50] back to Nasdaq as well for eXp Realty, eXp World Holdings. So everything was to do with eXp Realty [00:23:55] and eXp World Holdings at Nasdaq. And then it was another company I was involved with. I had to go, a [00:24:00] chance to go to Cboe Exchange in Chicago and work with the opening bell in [00:24:05] Chicago with that. And I'm on a couple other paid boards right now that I'll be going back to either New [00:24:10] York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq Stock Exchange in the next while to actually ring the bell, either [00:24:15] opening or closing bell on some other companies I'm involved with as well. So I, who'd ever thought a guy, [00:24:20] guy like me growing up with my background would actually end up going to New York and ring the closing [00:24:25] bell at Nasdaq three times, the Cboe Exchange thing, help as a team member build a multi-billion [00:24:30] dollar company. And then from there, being around a lot of licensed real estate agents, a lot of [00:24:35] top producing agents and teams, and realizing that a lot of agents are [00:24:40] terrible when it comes to their bookkeeping, their accounting, their tax planning, their payroll [00:24:45] services. So three and a half years ago, a, a gentleman by the name of Carl Gould, [00:24:50] who, um, has a company called Seven Stage Advisors. He's based out of New Jersey, a very smart guy. Really [00:24:55] have a lot of respect and admiration for Carl. Um, Carl and I met through board of advisors, [00:25:00] the same guy that where we met Marlon Mueller, who we have a mutual friend with And Laura and I [00:25:05] were having dinner in Sarasota, Florida just a few years ago. We were just collaborating at a, at a board of [00:25:10] advisors dinner, a mastermind dinner, and we got talking about eXp Realty and what's [00:25:15] going on and the growth and scale and the success story of it. And then all of a sudden we got on this topic [00:25:20] about acquiring bookkeeping, accounting, tax planning firms, and so we created a [00:25:25] company. In the last three and a half years, we've grown and scaled through multiple acquisitions across the United [00:25:30] States into a multi seven-figure company called Smashing Numbers or [00:25:35] smashingnumbers.com. And we're gonna grow and scale that now to a multi eight-figure company, about 50 million annual recurring [00:25:40] revenue, and then look at an exit. It's a seven-year plan, and we're on track for that right now through multiple [00:25:45] acquisitions that we've acquired so far, and we've got multiple other acquisitions in the pipeline right now that we're in discovery and due [00:25:50] diligence to closing on right now[00:25:55] [00:26:00] [00:26:05] [00:26:10] [00:26:15] [00:26:20] [00:26:25] [00:26:30] [00:26:35] The average age right... Yeah, great [00:26:40] question. The average age of a CPA, a chartered professional accountant right now in the United States or in, in Canada is [00:26:45] 65 years of age. Him or her, they're a baby boomer, and their children don't wanna get into the [00:26:50] industry of doing bookkeeping, accounting, tax filing, or payroll services. And so what we found [00:26:55] was the problem that we're solving for is these men and women have worked for decades building their practice, building [00:27:00] their book of business, but now they wanna retire and transition, and there's no one there to take [00:27:05] over the business. So we're solving that problem by allowing them to go through a succession [00:27:10] plan. It allows us to grow and scale rapidly with smashing numbers, because here's the key thing [00:27:15] It's easier to acquire revenue than to actually create revenue. [00:27:20] That's a mindset shift for a lot of people. It's easier to ac- to create revenue [00:27:25] than to actually... Or e- e- easier to acquire revenue than to create revenue, right? So [00:27:30] we can grow and scale to a multi-seven-figure company because we're acquiring already other revenue from other [00:27:35] cash flow producing businesses. But the real mission and vision behind this is global [00:27:40] philanthropy. So when I got knighted back in 2022, I made a public global declaration [00:27:45] to be a global ambassador for mental health awareness 'cause of my own suicide attempts and my own mental [00:27:50] health growing up not being good enough, not being lovable, right, and being worthy of love. [00:27:55] So my own mental health, but also to build 100 schools around the world through Link [00:28:00] Foundation. We build schools. And so the whole thing is to have a very high level [00:28:05] liquidity event, exit for nine figures, and then take a lot of that money and put it into Link [00:28:10] Foundation to build schools all over the world to help alleviate poverty, provide access to clean drinking [00:28:15] water, food security, while enriching these children's lives by building schools. 'Cause I was a kid who struggled in [00:28:20] school, right? I didn't like school. But I realize today school is the education [00:28:25] center where you can create entrepreneurship, you can create business owners, you can teach people how to become employees, [00:28:30] and how to create opportunities that create sustainability and longevity, uh, on the earth. [00:28:35] And so that's important. So, so to me, I'm using a for-profit businesses [00:28:40] to actually create philanthropy. Hugh: Well, you know, one of the things that's happening in our industry right [00:28:45] now is the PE, and PE's not- Mm-hmm ... a terrible thing, uh, [00:28:50] because a lot of these people have built these businesses and they don't really have the s- they haven't built the systems [00:28:55] and they haven't built everything else around that. For, for those companies that are out there [00:29:00] that are, you know, they want to figure out an exit, um, they're scared, maybe they're [00:29:05] scared of PE. Um, you know, m- maybe they're just trying to figure out, "Hey, [00:29:10] you know, I turned this wrench for, for all these years, and now I, I wanna retire [00:29:15] and I don't have anybody to take it over." What kind of conversation would you have with them, Sir [00:29:20] Darren? Darren: So the biggest thing is trust, right? Confidentiality and trust. Um, so you [00:29:25] know, there's a lot of aging men and women right now that are baby boomers across North America internationally that are in that stage in the [00:29:30] aging phase of their life right now. And so in your community there's a chamber of commerce, there's women [00:29:35] in business, there's Rotary, there's different Kinsmen clubs, Lions clubs. So there's different men and women that you can [00:29:40] connect with. Sometimes there's people in your neighborhood. Sometimes there's people that are in the professional services [00:29:45] like lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects that you can have a conversation with if you know people in those [00:29:50] industries. But, and also get around people that maybe that are in your network or in your community [00:29:55] that have actually gone through a similar process. Maybe not in the same industry or maybe in the same industry. But [00:30:00] get around these different men and women because success leaves clues. And maybe take them out [00:30:05] for breakfast or lunch or dinner, or get on a Zoom or a telephone call with them, or go for a hike or a walk with them.[00:30:10] It's so important. But the key thing is, if you're thinking about transition or [00:30:15] retiring, do it now. Don't put it off because there's a lot of steps and [00:30:20] pieces of the puzzle you gotta put into place that may take weeks or months in advance to do it, [00:30:25] okay? So it's so important that you set things up well in advance. You know, I, I have a lot of conversations with a [00:30:30] lot of business owners that, that wanna retire, that wanna sell their business, because you know what? Most [00:30:35] businesses don't ever sell. They don't sell. They don't get a buyer And, um, [00:30:40] it's, it's amazing how many businesses I've looked out there that are still in the market a few years later and they're actually making a lot of money Did you, did you say, did you Hugh: say [00:30:45] maybe it's like eight out of 10? Darren: It's high. I don't know what exactly what the numbers are, but I know it's very high. Hugh: One [00:30:50] of the conversations we had offline was, um, [00:30:55] that I, that I... was really impactful for me because you're a people-based person, [00:31:00] and y- you shared to me that when you bought some of these companies, you [00:31:05] wanted to make sure, you know, that they didn't go to the grocery store, uh, [00:31:10] and run into a friend and say, "Hey, you know, I'm sorry that I sold and, and we're not... [00:31:15] you know, it's just not the same company." Can you, can you talk about, a little bit [00:31:20] about that? Because I think that's pretty impactful. Darren: At Smashing Numbers, we're [00:31:25] relational versus transactional. And you mentioned PE, private equity earlier, or venture capital or [00:31:30] vulture capital they call it. Um, you know, they're more re- they're more transactional. They're more about the [00:31:35] numbers, right? And with Smashing Numbers, we're about relationships because we're in the people business. We're dealing [00:31:40] with confidential, sensitive information, and we're dealing with a lot of emotion, uh, people's values [00:31:45] and beliefs around money growing up, right? And sometimes they don't like to pay taxes, and they don't like to...[00:31:50] you know, they don't know all about bookkeeping. And so what we look at when we do an acquisition for Smashing [00:31:55] Numbers, we wanna make sure it's a seamless process, a step-by-step process from [00:32:00] start to finish, through discovery process, through due diligence, through the transition planning process. But one of the things [00:32:05] that we, we really focus on is that we don't want... Let's say, example, we buy your, your, uh, [00:32:10] firm, Hugh, and two years from now you're in a grocery store and you're meeting one of your old [00:32:15] clients that used to come into your practice or your firm. We don't want that conversation to be in the grocery store aisle [00:32:20] saying, "Oh my gosh, Hugh, hope you're enjoying your retirement. Man, that was a complete disaster [00:32:25] of you selling your practice to that company. Oh my gosh, what a nightmare." You know, [00:32:30] "They're so disorganized, the invoicing, the billing, incompetent employees," whatever it is, [00:32:35] right? We want it to be where when you are in a grocery store and you're [00:32:40] talking to people like, "Oh my gosh. Oh, so great you're enjoying your retirement. Man, is Smashing Numbers ever [00:32:45] taking great care of us. They're doing our payroll, they're doing our taxes, they're doing our bookkeeping, they're doing our wills and [00:32:50] estates. You know, they've introduced us to a whole bunch of different professional services, uh, that ac- you know, [00:32:55] they're helping us. We've got this team now. We've got all this support and all these resources. We've saved a [00:33:00] lot of time. We've saved a lot of money. In fact, some of the contacts that Smashing Numbers has introduced us to, [00:33:05] they've, they've saved us so much time and money and energy that actually we don't mind paying the invoice to Smashing Numbers [00:33:10] 'cause we're actually getting it for free because of the money they've saved us by introducing certain key [00:33:15] people." See, that's the relationships we wanna build. We wanna help people and make a [00:33:20] difference. Hugh: With, um- The trades going through what they're going through is, is if [00:33:25] somebody was interested in having that type of conversation with you, would that be so- would [00:33:30] you, would you be willing to have conversations on that? Darren: Absolutely. For sure. Yeah, and if I don't, if [00:33:35] I'm not the one that's qualified to have the conversation specifically with scope of what they're in, I have a large [00:33:40] resource of a lot of network. I love helping people. So I'll just point you to someone who's best in class in [00:33:45] that industry that can give you really specific information. I might be able to just give you general information [00:33:50] there, but you wanna have a, a specialist, I can then refer you to somebody that in my network that can [00:33:55] really dive deep and h- and answer your questions for you. For sure. I'd love to just have people reach out to me and I'll help people for that, for [00:34:00] sure. Hugh: Yeah, and because at the end of the day, people are people, right? And, uh, I, I [00:34:05] love it. I, I've always thought about people-based businesses and, and what you're talking about, [00:34:10] um, is, is, is pretty amazing. And, you know, for me to, to, [00:34:15] to dip back to where you came from and how you've overcome, if, if you [00:34:20] had... If, if you wanted to have a conversation with somebody that maybe was having a tough time and [00:34:25] they're trying to figure that world out, uh, is there something that you would say to them to say, "Hey, [00:34:30] um- You know, I've been there and th- you know, this is what I need to do. Is there, is [00:34:35] there something that you can, a piece of encouragement that you can give them? Darren: You know, I'm about vulnerability and [00:34:40] transparency with people, so I, I share with people a little bit of my backstory. You know, in my 30s I was homeless. [00:34:45] I was on welfare for a few months in my 20s. Um, I lived in a tree house 'cause I couldn't [00:34:50] afford a place to live, so a buddy of mine had a tree house for his kids he let me live in. I was so [00:34:55] financially broke in my 30s that I couldn't afford to go bankruptcy, couldn't declare bankruptcy 'cause I [00:35:00] couldn't afford to pay the fees. So people always ask me, "Well, did you ever go bankrupt?" I said, "I couldn't afford it." [00:35:05] Um, I had an R9 credit rating. Now, most people in North America don't know what an R9 [00:35:10] credit rating is unless you're in the financial service industry, but an R9 credit rating is the worst possible credit [00:35:15] score you can get. And I went from an R9 to four years later becoming a millionaire. So [00:35:20] four years later, because I was in such... My back was such against the wall that I thought, "You know what? I am going to [00:35:25] fight back. I am not gonna die on this spot. I am going to persevere," and I attacked the hill. [00:35:30] And I just took massive action, and I turned things around in four years. And the first thing I [00:35:35] was, was change my environment. You know, 'cause if you hang out with four broke friends, you'll become the fifth. Hugh: Yeah, [00:35:40] I, I was gonna say- So I got around different people Darren: in different Hugh: rooms ... s- say, say that again, because I, I [00:35:45] don't think people know that, you know, they say the, the who, not the how. But [00:35:50] changing that environment, can, can you spend some time on that? Darren: So what I [00:35:55] realized that when I went, when I couldn't afford to declare personal bankruptcy, the people I were around [00:36:00] were, were, couldn't help me. They're, they didn't have the resources, they didn't have the skillsets, they didn't have [00:36:05] the mindset to help me turn things around. So I realized that my back was against the [00:36:10] wall and I, I was so broke I couldn't, couldn't do anything. I was eating my next meal out of a garbage dumpster in [00:36:15] restaurants behind, you know, in the back alleys. And, um, I realized that I must [00:36:20] change my life, and so no one was coming to rescue me, so what I did is I started to get around different [00:36:25] environments. You know, where do wealthy people hang out? Where do successful people hang out? So I was going to the hotel [00:36:30] lobbies. I was going to affluent neighborhoods. I was washing their windows, mowing their lawns, cleaning [00:36:35] their swimming pools, raking leaves, cleaning gutters. Whatever I could just to survive. [00:36:40] And, uh, I got around different successful people by starting hearing different information [00:36:45] and finding ways to solve problems. I would go to hotel lobbies, the Fairmonts, the Four Seasons, the Ritz [00:36:50] Carltons, 'cause I couldn't afford to stay there, but I could get a, I'd get a tea for a couple dollars, [00:36:55] or I could get a salad for, you know, 13, $15 sometimes. And I would sit there and I would [00:37:00] listen to conversations that people were having in these nice fancy hotels. And, um, and I [00:37:05] would then start to just have conversations with people. And from those conversations led to [00:37:10] opportunities with talking to a lot of different people. And that's how things turned around in four years for me. I went [00:37:15] from there to boom, turned things around because my back was against the wall. And it was scary. I had [00:37:20] sleepless nights. I w- I was stressed out. I was unhealthy. I was out of shape, didn't eat [00:37:25] properly, didn't sleep properly, all that kind of stuff. I was a mess, but I knew I was not gonna [00:37:30] stay here. Hugh: I, I... That, that's great. I, I have a thing called the yellow pad moment because my [00:37:35] mom, when I would come home and they said, "Hey, you know, you need to go to special needs," she'd, she'd say, [00:37:40] "Okay, take 15 minutes for the pity party and go upstairs and, and write down on the, the yellow pad [00:37:45] moment what you're gonna do differently." Darren: Yep. Got the yellow pad right here. Hugh: Oh, [00:37:50] do you really? I was gonna say- Yeah ... that seems like a, that seems like very much a yellow pad [00:37:55] moment. Is there another yellow pad moment that, that you have that you can share with the team? Ah, I love it. [00:38:00] I love it. Uh, is, is there- You know, Darren: um, writing... Yeah, so I'll give you an [00:38:05] example. So one of the things is with, with technology. So I have, um... [00:38:10] So with technology is you have your cell phones. So what I do is I have every [00:38:15] hour I have different, whether they're quotes or different pictures of my, my dreams of what I [00:38:20] want to acquire, I have different visions that come up every hour on my cell phone.[00:38:25] So it's a photo shuffle. And so what it does is it's constantly showing me, 'cause we spend a lot of time on our [00:38:30] cell phones, so why not s- Like, I got me with visible abs. I got me in, in, [00:38:35] in, in traveling different places. I've got me top of, standing on top of t- different mountains. I've got me building [00:38:40] schools. You know, I've got different things of me doing different things, showing me my vision of where I'm going as a [00:38:45] vision board, and every hour it changes photos on there on my cell phone. So, and then [00:38:50] writing goals down. Like I said earlier, I've got over 7,000 written goals, but the key thing is start with three. Start [00:38:55] with five goals. What is it you really, really, really, really want in your life? [00:39:00] And then what, what is it, get clear on what is it you want, write it down on paper. [00:39:05] And, you know, most people, if you ask them, "What is it you really want in your life?" The number [00:39:10] one consistent answer, Hugh, is, "I don't know." Hugh: I don't know. Darren: People don't know. Hugh: I, [00:39:15] I, I had that conversation with somebody yesterday. It's like, "What do you want?" [00:39:20] And I said, "Until you get clear, you know, you're gonna always be out there." Uh, D- [00:39:25] Darren: Yeah ... Hugh: Sir Darren, first of all I want to say thank you and thanks for the new friendship. [00:39:30] Um, I've, I've just learned a lot, uh, with you being here. Usually [00:39:35] at the very end, um, I try to come up with, I always ask, uh, [00:39:40] everybody is like what, what is ... If as soon as somebody [00:39:45] hangs up the phone or, or takes a look at this and say, "I wish Hugh would ask Darren [00:39:50] a question," um, what, what question do you think [00:39:55] the, the listeners would like to know that I did not ask you today? Darren: You know, good question. [00:40:00] Um, every human being has fear. Every human being has doubt. Every few human being [00:40:05] has worry. Um, the thing is is that successful people act in spite of doubt, [00:40:10] act in spite of worry, act in spite of discomfort, is that we all feel the same emotions. I've been [00:40:15] all over the, I've been all over this planet, many countries. You know, worked with a lot of different people all over the Earth, and I've been [00:40:20] around the most influential people, most affluent people on planet Earth but to, to royalty, to some of the most impoverished [00:40:25] people living in mud huts in Africa, in Uganda, Tanzania, you know, in Kenya. [00:40:30] And every human being deals with human emotions. And so when you're [00:40:35] experiencing something, you're going through something, could be sadness, could be loneliness, that you're not good enough, you're [00:40:40] not worthy enough. Every human being. People just, people as human beings, they wanna look good and they [00:40:45] don't wanna look bad. Right? People wanna look good, they don't wanna look bad. [00:40:50] And, and the thing is, is that realizing no matter what you're going through in life, you know, we're either [00:40:55] coming from a problem, we're in a problem, or we're heading towards a problem. That's the condition of being a human [00:41:00] being, right? So every human being is going through, coming from a problem, in a problem, or heading towards a [00:41:05] problem, and it just constantly vicious cycle over and over again. And so when you see people [00:41:10] who've got it all together, and like, "Oh my gosh, look at that person." That person is solving [00:41:15] problems that you don't know about. It could be around their health. It could be around aging parents. It could be around [00:41:20] finances, a tax audit, a lawsuit, uh, dealing with a disgruntled employee. But [00:41:25] every human being is dealing with something. Every human being is dealing with something. I've, [00:41:30] I've been on hiking trails all over the world with high-profile people. And, and if, if, [00:41:35] if, if I could tell you what the trail talk was going on, you'd be blown away by what some people are dealing with [00:41:40] in their lives, that on television or on the internet or on their social media looks like they got it all together.[00:41:45] But they're, every human being is dealing with something in their life, and so nobody has it all [00:41:50] together. Hugh: I, I love that 'cause I was just... My cousin is Bruce Hornsby, the, um, [00:41:55] piano player. Mm-hmm. He's got, like, seven Grammys, and I, I just ran into him- Yeah ... [00:42:00] um, three weeks ago. He just happened to be in town, and so I walked over and talked to him.[00:42:05] He was just on Jerry, um, Fallon's show, uh, or Jimmy Fallon's show. [00:42:10] Jimmy Darren: Fallon, yeah. And Hugh: I looked at him. I said, I said, "Bruce, do you still get nervous?" He said, "I get nervous before [00:42:15] every..." I mean, he's 72 years old. He said, "I still- Darren: Mm ... Hugh: get [00:42:20] nervous," because I was wondering, I, I just wondered. I, I was dealing with that fear. So [00:42:25] that's, that's such- Mm ... a great statement. And, um- Darren: Yeah ... Hugh: you know, I, I [00:42:30] want, I wanna, I, I wanna tell you, first of all, thanks for the, the brand new friendship, Sir Darren [00:42:35] Jacqueline. Absolutely. Your story is incredible. It's gonna help a lot of people. I can tell [00:42:40] you it's already helped me. Thank Darren: you. Hugh: And, uh- Darren: Right. Thank you ... Hugh: I just wanna say thank you. Is there anything [00:42:45] you wanna say, say to, to the, uh, the people that are listening? [00:42:50] Uh, and i- i- and if not, I just wanna say [00:42:55] thanks for coming on to the show, and, you know, thanks for the brand new friendship. Darren: [00:43:00] Absolutely, yeah. You know, I'd say that you're worthy of love. You're worthy of love, and that, uh, [00:43:05] you know, your success, no matter how you define success in your terms, is someone else's [00:43:10] miracle. Now your success is someone else's miracle. [00:43:15] So if you're successful at raising children, it's a miracle to other people to watch and observe you [00:43:20] raising your children. If you're a success in your relationship with your intimate partner, it's a miracle to other people [00:43:25] that are growing up watching you, how you have that dynamic relationship. You know, I'm [00:43:30] going to Kathmandu and Mount Kiliman- or not Kiliman, Mount Kathmandu and Mount Kailash in a few days, to [00:43:35] Nepal, and the gentleman I'm going with is 75 years a- 75 years of age, been married for over [00:43:40] 50 years to the same woman. And if you saw them, they're like, they're like teenagers. They're just madly, passionately [00:43:45] in love with each other. They've had peaks and valleys like every relationship does, but they constantly, consistently work on [00:43:50] things. And, um, I'm grateful to be in his space and his environment. So realize in your [00:43:55] life that your success is someone else's miracle, and people are always watching and observing you. [00:44:00] And so however you're living your life, there's people that say, "Man, I would love to be that way. I'd love to do that. I'd love [00:44:05] to experience that." So just keep living your life. And remember this, without integrity, nothing works. [00:44:10] The key thing is, is that be your word. Our word creates [00:44:15] our world. I learned this in my life the hard way by embellishing things in my past, in my [00:44:20] 30s, and, and exaggerating things, and I realized that I had no integrity at times and I had selective [00:44:25] integrity. And when I hired an integrity coach many years ago to do an integrity audit on my life, [00:44:30] it was the most confronting, challenging, sweating thing I've ever done in my entire life, [00:44:35] 'cause that was so ruthless what he did with, what she did with me, rather, with this integrity audit. But it gave me [00:44:40] so much freedom, because I realize now that I'm very mindful of what [00:44:45] I give my word to, because we hear in business that talk is cheap. Well, let's [00:44:50] take it a step further. Most people cheapen their talk because their words have no power [00:44:55] So if you just take on the accountability and the responsibility of just being really mindful that if you're gonna [00:45:00] say something, you give your word to something, you complete it. You do complete work, and you honor your word.[00:45:05] And if you break your word, you restore your integrity by being proactive in communication [00:45:10] and cleaning up the mess where you, where you broke your word. And you'd be [00:45:15] amazed at how many doors of opportunities will open up for you when you walk into a room and your [00:45:20] words have power. 'Cause I've met many people who, who say things but don't follow through [00:45:25] consistently with their word, and their word diminishes. And, and the thing is, what I've learned from my own life experiences, people [00:45:30] say to me all the time, they go, "Darren, you have so much self-confidence. You have so much energy. What, [00:45:35] what medication or what supplements do you take?" And I said, "You know why I have a lot of energy and why I have a lot of [00:45:40] self-confidence? 'Cause there was a period of time in my life where I didn't keep my promises to [00:45:45] myself." I'd write down a to-do list of things I need to do that day, and I didn't follow through and [00:45:50] complete them. I lied to myself, and I made a mis- made an excuse. And then the next day I [00:45:55] didn't feel worthy, and I just diminished, diminished, diminished myself. And so what I did is when I focus on [00:46:00] my personal promises, I make sure I complete them, and then I follow through on that because then [00:46:05] I don't become mistrusting and suspicious of other people. 'Cause that's what happened with me, is I become [00:46:10] mistrusting and suspicious of other people because I couldn't keep my words to myself, so why would I expect other people to [00:46:15] keep their words to themselves? Hugh: I love it. So we're gonna end on that, and I, I, uh, [00:46:20] I know that there's a lot of people out there that you're- [00:46:25] you've, today you've just made a huge difference. And I'd say you've made a huge difference [00:46:30] on, on my life in this short period of time. So I just wanna say thank you, [00:46:35] and I can't wait to have a conversation with you, you know, when you get back. And, [00:46:40] uh, you know, and we'll, we'll, uh, we'll put this up on YouTube. If somebody [00:46:45] wants to get ahold of you, Sir Darren, uh, what's, what's the best way to do it? Darren: [00:46:50] Yeah, you can go to, uh, darrenjacklyn.com. Darrenjacklyn.com is my website. If you wanna [00:46:55] read my book, it's in over 100 countries now around the world. It's Until I Become. You can go to Amazon, just type in [00:47:00] Until I Become under Darren Jacklyn, and you can, uh, read the book. It's 94 pages, a very practical book. But [00:47:05] yeah, darrenjacklyn.com or just follow me through social media under Sir Darren Jacklyn. You can find me on [00:47:10] social media channels. Hugh: Well, and then you, you enjoy your trip, and I can't wait to hear, [00:47:15] um, you know, what, what you figure out, you know, after you get to [00:47:20] the top of the mountain and come back. Uh, Sir Darren, thank you- Yeah. Thank you so much ... very much, and thanks [00:47:25] for the friendship. Darren: Thank you, Hugh. I'm grateful to be here. Narrator: Every great trade organization was built [00:47:30] by someone who chose people over price. Blue Collar Smart exists for that [00:47:35] leader. If you found value here, subscribe and share this with the operator who's ready for the [00:47:40] next level. Built different. Trades proven. Hugh Hornsby, [00:47:45] voice of the [00:47:50] [00:47:55] trades.