Misfit Entrepreneur May 2023 - 356: Nice Guys Finish First and 3 Pillars of Success with Doug Sandler

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Dave Lukas Chats with Doug Sandler

356: Nice Guys Finish First and 3 Pillars of Success with Doug Sandler

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Doug Sandler. You may have heard of Doug before as he is the co-host of the Nice Guys on Business podcast which has over 1400 episodes and 5M+ downloads. Doug and I actually go back a ways having shared the stage at several different events over the years. He has an awesome story and is a consummate entrepreneur with over 30 years’ experience.

In addition to being a best-selling author, Doug has built a number of different businesses across a variety of verticals. And one of the things that has allowed him to do that is a concrete set of principles that he has used over and over again to succeed no matter what type of business he’s focused on. So, I’ve asked him on to discuss them and share them with you as well as talk all things entrepreneurship!

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Show Notes

Doug spent 30 years as a Bar Mitzvah MC doing thousands of events. He built a nice business and what he thought was a great career. But, he realized that he was trading time for dollars and when he tried to walk away, the business began to falter. So, he decided he needed to have a better plan. First, he took the lessons he had learned in building a successful business and put it into a book called Nice Guys Finish First. He then started the Nice Guys on Business Podcast to go with the brand. As he started to interview entrepreneurs and get their wisdom, he realized that success leaves clues. So, he started a business to help people succeed in podcasting. And now many years and millions of dollars later, he doesn’t trade for dollars and works in his zone of genius.

You mentioned “success leave clues.” After 1400 episodes, what are some of the most consistent “success clues” you’ve seen across entrepreneurs?

Consistency. It is amazing how just showing up and taking action consistently makes the difference.
Have consistency in everything you do.
Create systems to ensure that consistency.
You don’t go through life wanting to be mediocre, you want to be exceptional and if you show up every day with a positive attitude taking winning steps, you will succeed.

Why do nice guys finish first?

“If you don’t think nice guys finish first, you don’t know where the finish line is.” – Gray Shandling.
Success is defined by you and can take a lot of forms. You do need to define it for yourself.
Nice guys finish first means you arrived at the destination that you chose to arrive at with the success you wanted to gain and the people you wanted to get there with.
Be on your plan – not someone else’s.

You 3 very specific pillars you’ve used to succeed, can you share those?

Be a nice guy. This means showing empathy.
Tell the truth. Show honesty.
Return any phone calls or correspondence. Work with integrity.
Empathy, honesty, and integrity.

Has there ever been a time where you violated the pillars, and it showed the power of following them?

We get back in our life what we put into the world.
The times when he has violated the pillars or ignored them is when things blow back.
Doug has taken on clients because they could pay the fees and they were the best fit. He knew that going in and it blew back on him in each instance.

Any other principles you have used to build your business over the years?

As a leader, “catch someone in the act” when they are doing things well!
Positiveness gravitates toward you when you are constantly looking for people doing the right things.
Reward fast those people that are doing things well. Even just a pat on the back.

Where do you think entrepreneurs are challenged the most and how can they overcome the challenge?

As entrepreneurs, we try to do everything.
In the Big Leap by Gay Hendricks that talks about staying in your zone of genius.
Make the decision to stay in your zone of genius. Know what you love to do and focus there.

Talk to us about what it takes to have a great business partnership…

A great partner is someone that picks up the slack that you cannot do and vice versus. They are complimentary.
Their zone of genius are complementary.
The partnership grows stronger over time.

You hate goal setting? Tell us more…

Doug likes setting his intention vs. setting a goal.
He likes to focus on the action steps.
You can only control the action steps you can take.

Why is podcast such a great way to grow their brand and market their products and services?

It allows you to connect with people to share your zone of genius.
It allows you to get the message out.
It also helps you to build great relationships.
It is a great medium for creating deeper connections.

Best advice on how to be a great podcast guest?

You being a guest great starts with you bringing value to the host and the hosts community. It’s about them.
Before you receive, give. Give a free gift to the audience out there.

If someone wants to launch a podcast, what are the steps you advise them to take?

Start with a plan in mind.
Determine why you want to do a podcast.
3 typical reasons: Build a community, grow your influence, or make money. Which is your driver?
Prioritize which of those 3 you are starting with.
Get to know your “MOM” – your market, your offer, and your message. What is your offer?
What freebie can you give to get people into your world?
Decide on your message. Will it be an interview show? Solocast/Monologue? Do you want to do panel conversation?

You were an MC for thousands of events. Are there anything you learned about putting on a great experience as an MC that translate well to doing a great show or creating a great customer experience?

It’s a given to do the basics well – know how to read a crowd, be great at switching music, lighting, etc.
But for the months leading up to each event, you have all of that time to build a great relationship with a customer, so that by the time you get to event day – they know you and know you care.
You must do everything to exceed expectations and when you make mistakes, it is showing that you will “run into the problem” and take care of them.
Winning in business is winning in relationships.

Best Quote

You don’t go through life wanting to be mediocre, you want to be exceptional and if you show up every day with a positive attitude taking winning steps, you will succeed.

Be a nice guy and share your empathy and compassion to the world and people around you.

Honesty. Tell the truth and be that person in life.

Returning your correspondence to those who are reaching out to you – integrity.

Show Sponsors

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