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Successful Life Podcast
The Successful Life Podcast, hosted by Corey Berrier, is a globally recognized show that ranks in the top 2% of podcasts worldwide. It offers expert insights tailored for contractors, focusing on business strategies, sales skills development, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry.
Successful Life Podcast
3 Steps to Carving Your Own Path: Andy Hobaica on Legacy, Sales Success, and the Power of Giving Back
After grappling with the pressures of living up to a successful parent, Andy Hobaica found himself at a crossroads of personal and professional growth. Discover how his grandfather's journey from Lebanese immigrant to World War II veteran and successful business owner inspired Andy to carve his own path in the world of sales and personal development. Join us as Andy shares his mission of giving back, from organizing events for the homeless to balancing the demands of a high-performing sales career with a fulfilling personal life.
With a focus on authenticity, Andy reveals the unexpected perks of kindness, such as media coverage and meaningful business connections. Learn how Andy adapted his sales techniques for virtual platforms during the pandemic, highlighting the significance of building trust and likability, even from a distance. As we navigate the nuances of role-playing in sales training and the creation of a strong company culture, Andy emphasizes the importance of character over technical knowledge, stressing how investment in employees' education lays the foundation for success.
Listeners are invited to reflect on their journeys, inspired by Andy's tales of resilience and intentional living. With insights into maintaining a disciplined morning routine and seizing each day’s potential, Andy encourages listeners to leave a positive impact on others. Whether through personal growth, mentorship, or simply being a hero for your children, this episode is a compelling call to action for anyone looking to make meaningful life changes.
https://www.audible.com/pd/9-Simple-Steps-to-Sell-More-ht-Audiobook/B0D4SJYD4Q?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow
https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Steps-Sell-More-Stereotypes-ebook/dp/B0BRNSFYG6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OSB7HX6FQMHS&keywords=corey+berrier&qid=1674232549&sprefix=%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreysalescoach/
Welcome to the Successful Life Podcast. I'm your host, corey Barrier, and I'm here with my man, andy Obaika. What's up brother? What up Doug? How are you? Good man, I'm super glad that we got to connect and I'm super super excited about this conversation. I always love talking to another sales guy and a guy of your caliber, from what I understand, understand is you could teach us a few things, I think.
Speaker 2:I I don't know about that, I just I. I love spreading knowledge, I love helping people, no matter what, whether it's to do with work, personal life, family, my non-profit stuff we can talk about that later but I just love helping people. So if I can do something to where I've been on a podcast recently and someone hits me up on social media, hey, don't mean to bug something. To where I've been on a podcast recently and someone hits me up on social media, hey, don't mean to bug you, but hey, I saw you on the pod when you said this man, that changed my life. That changes my life, corey. So as much new podcasts and new people I can get in front of so I can help more I just that's why I'm alive.
Speaker 1:Dude, there's nothing better than getting a call like that or getting a message like that of somebody who was just struggling. That happened to run across something that was unintentional and I call it. I don't believe anything is by accident. I think everybody, everything's by design. But, Andy, before we dive into this, because we may get carried away, tell everybody, if they don't know who you are, just a little bit about you in the background and all that good stuff.
Speaker 2:So I've said the background a lot. A quick one would be my grandfather, his family, lebanese immigrants came over to the United States. He went to grade school and high school here in Phoenix, at St Mary's, and then he got drafted in World War II just like anybody 17-year-old or older at that time. So you're drafted into the war, had to go, but at the same time Lebanese immigrants he was going to get a citizenship serving for the country. So he he went to war and you remember saving private Ryan scene on the beach when the movie started, that was battle of the bulge.
Speaker 2:My grandfather was on it. In a matter of couple minutes he lost all of his friends. I remember him telling us stories when we were kids about hey, you think all these movies are cool and war it's cool with guns and killing he goes. It might look cool but in a matter of 30 seconds I lost all my friends in my unit and I'm going to take you to this movie show you. That's no joke. So I remember I was probably like 15 at the time and I had older brother, younger brother, some cousins.
Speaker 2:He brought us all of the movie to show his Saving Private Ryan and he had to leave like middle of the movie to go to the bathroom and not come back.
Speaker 2:It was just too emotional for him. But we sat there at first thinking it was cool and at the time very gory movie and I'm like, oh my God. And then after the movie he took us all to IHOP, sat us down and showed us and said, hey, this is real, this is what really happened. But that wasn't anything close to as bad as it really was and I lost all my friends in a matter of a couple minutes and very sad With that. How grateful a veteran actually is in fighting for this country and then just knowing that from such a young age of what we're actually living for and the purpose and how lucky we really are to live in America and that's why I wear my American flag pins and just love my country. When people take advantage of that, oh, I'm oppressed or oh, my life's so hard you don't even know what you're talking about, but a little education, right?
Speaker 2:Grandfather actually got out of the war, went to Phoenix College and wanted to go to go to electrical school where the electrical school was full. So he went to refrigeration school, learned a little bit of electrical and then realized he's like, oh, I can do this. So worked for a couple random companies and then, 1952, started whole bike out of his garage in phoenix. So 72 years ago my, my dad and all of his brothers and sisters worked there over time. So so he had a family of eight kids, so everyone would work there and build a workforce, and my dad and his two brothers bought the business in the 80s. I'm 37 currently, so obviously I wasn't alive when he bought the company, but I've been working for my dad since I was about 11 years old, so I've been your standard kid that worked for his dad, that got fired five times and never got along with his father, now best friends with his dad as an adult. The whole backstory of I worked in the sheet metal shop building elbows and duct work and insulation and all the grunt work all the way up to carrying all the technicians tools up and down ladders, all the way going to RSI my senior year of high school, after football practice.
Speaker 2:When I turned 18, my dad's like military college, come to work. What do you want to do? So I just kept working. So I was a full-time technician from age 18 to 26, 27. And then, right around 29, 30 years old is when I moved into commercial sales and then residential sales and the rest is history. But people say I have a coaching business on the side and they're like who's this kid? He's coaching people. He's fricking 20 years old I'm a little bit older than that, but as well. When I walk into a classroom or I walk into a training and someone sees me and I'm undercover wearing a black t-shirt and they don't know who I am, they're like oh yeah, who's this kid? And then when they realize actually, oh wow, this guy has 25, 30 years of field experience and he actually has worked on it, installed it, sold it, managed it, everything. Because they started so young, they're like, oh, he actually made nobody talking about a little bit.
Speaker 1:Thank you for that perspective.
Speaker 2:Of course I can keep going, man, I'm a machine.
Speaker 1:No, I believe it. So I just want to pause it for a second and I want a lot of people probably look at your life. Now You're on social People see the highlights. I don't know if you show the low lights necessarily or if there are a lot of low lights.
Speaker 2:Point is I'm an open book. I've talked about it, I've posted stuff and I try to share with everyone. Every day, not every day I wake up I'm in a great mood. Today I was because I get to hang out with Corey, my man. But certain days you wake up and it's I might as well go back to bed, unless I'm willing to go a hundred percent, drop all the bullshit and move on, because your employees, yourself, your customers, everyone in line deserves 100% Corey. So, whether or not you're in the mood, you better get the fuck in the mood and make it happen.
Speaker 1:Suit up and show up. But I think when people see your life now they may think his dad had the company, his grandpa. But I appreciate the perspective of what your grandfather went through to get to start the company, for your dad to step in and then for you to step in, because that's not an easy, that's not a fucking easy road, bro. That's a that's an ultimate nightmare. We can't even really fathom what he went through to get that citizenship to be able to start this company. It gives me cold chills. To be honest with you, that's a really powerful story. What is it about? What is it about helping other people? That really soothes your soul. What is it that really drives you to keep doing that?
Speaker 2:That's a path I've been looking for every day. Buddy, it's definitely one of my love languages. Yeah, are you married, corey?
Speaker 1:Complicated, but. I'm in a very I'm in an amazing relationship.
Speaker 2:Great, great. So it really doesn't matter if you're married or not, but you're in a very I'm in an amazing relationship, great, great. So it really doesn't matter if you're married or not, but you're in a relationship with another individual, correct? Yes, have you read the love? The five love languages together, a hundred percent. There you go.
Speaker 2:So one of my top love languages is giving right. I give. I hate receiving and my friends know that like I'll have friends that show up to the gym and they're like hey, andy, I bought you something. I'm like no, you fucking did not Take it away. I don't want it. I don't want it. I hate gifts. I hate it.
Speaker 2:I don't know why, but it's a dopamine and serotonin rush in full effect. When I give right, it makes me feel like a better person, it makes me move, it makes me drive. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I'll literally go give back and go do something. It'll change my whole day around. I love the gratification, like you do, when you hear someone, that you actually helped them and it helped, or something that you said or something that you did. But it's just that little thing, and that's why I tell people why it's so much better to be successful than unsuccessful or rich than poor, because when you're successful and rich or to an extent of rich, whatever you call rich you can help more people. People are like oh, money doesn't buy happiness. I disagree, because the more money I make, the more time I can take off and help more people.
Speaker 1:But that's a different context of happiness than what a lot of people think Correct Bars and vacations, and stacking cash, all this crap.
Speaker 2:I have some nice toys. I'm not saying I'm not, I like nice things as well, but man, I could drop it all, just help more people, and I love it.
Speaker 1:That's one of the things I'm in recovery and that's one of the things that I get to do every week is to help somebody else that's coming through this process, or several people, and there's nothing better than that. You can't buy that feeling. If you could, I would have bought it, but you can't.
Speaker 2:Recovery from what Corey.
Speaker 1:Alcohol drugs Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yep, yep. So it's funny, not funny, but I was fortunate enough. I was given a gift from higher power. God, whatever you believe in, I was given a gift. I God, whatever you believe in, I was given a gift. I don't have an addictive personality. Amazing, I'm very open. People have asked me like in the past Andy, you seem like a straight shooter. You probably have never done any drugs. I'm like I've actually tried everything. What do you mean? You've done cocaine? I'm like, yeah, when I was younger, I experimented. I just got the benefit where I'm not addicted to anything, I can literally do drugs with you right now. I don't want to because I know what the after effect or the negative bullshit that's going to come from it, but I can do it right now and never do it again. I can turn it off. So I got the benefit of being able to do whatever the fuck I want and control myself, and it's a huge superpower because most people do not have that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, in some way, some shape, form or fashion whether it's food, or whether it's money or whatever.
Speaker 2:I think the only thing I'm addicted to, corey, is caffeine. Caffeine for sure, but I could do without. I just start getting headaches or whatever I do, so technically addicted to something? Yeah, caffeine and success.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%, and I think the context around the success part is important because it is what you do with what you are given, or what you, I say given by God or whatever you want to call it. We are given this opportunity to help other people through the success that we've had, and if you squander that away, then I'm not sure what happens, but I don't think it's positive.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So a little bit more on this before we move on about helping people as well as I do, You're helping me right now, I'm helping you right now. If you see that in your personal life, man, it'll always come back to you in a good way. Whether it's starting your own nonprofit, whether it's helping random people, whether it's driving to a freaking call and you see someone pushing their car in the middle of the street, pulling over and helping that person, you don't understand what that would do to your life, the relationship that it creates and then the happiness that you'll get from actually helping that person. Now, if that doesn't drive you, that's fine, but it's what drives me and it's the reason I'm successful today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I 100% believe that. So let's talk about. You did mention nonprofit, so I got to ask you what is? That? Who does it help and how do you? Yeah, tell me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's the homeless community in Phoenix, right? So I own a 501c3 QCO. So that was the big announcement I announced on Facebook and Instagram about a month or two ago that it took nine years but we finally became a QCO so people can donate to my nonprofit instead of giving money to the federal government for your taxes. So if you give money then you're able to get it back in your refund. So it's a qualifying charitable organization now through the IRS. But basically once a month we go downtown and feed and help out the homeless.
Speaker 2:Long story short, it's usually on a Sunday. So actually this coming event this month is this Sunday. So at 10 am we'll be at 12th Avenue in Jefferson and basically we'll have a line of 15 tables with tents. The first table is like Gatorade water any kind of liquid or cold or anything to drink and then it goes to non-perishable food items, like five to seven items. Then we got individual shampoo, conditioner, baby wipes, like everything that you wish you would have on a daily basis if you were homeless.
Speaker 2:So people are Andy, what should I bring? How can I help? If you woke up tomorrow with nothing in an alley and you looked up and you had nothing. What would you like to reach into your backpack and have that day? Because the life you have and the shit you have right now you don't have anymore. So what would you like to have? Some bare essentials, so that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:And we call it creating smiles on a Sunday Usually lasts about an hour. We'll usually go through 500 to a thousand people like that and, man again, it makes my entire month better and I'll have people either support it or talk shit online or be like you're just doing it for fame and like all this crazy crap. I just respond with positivity and say, hey, before you judge whether you like it or not, I just invite you to come to an event and then we can talk about how negative it is and all this bullshit. I guarantee you'll get something good out of it or you'll bite your tongue and leave because there's nothing negative about it. These people really appreciate it and they're just so happy that we come every month and I've seen people turn their lives around just from the smile they'll be put on their face.
Speaker 1:So by doing this with the right intention, which I 100% believe that was the case what has outside of reciprocity is huge right. When you do something nice for somebody, they typically do something nice back. I have a buddy that he cooks I don't know seven, I couldn't get the number wrong. He broke the Guinness book of World Records with frying turkeys and he does it every year at Thanksgiving. And what's come of that and it wasn't the intention is now the city blocks off this massive amount of area for him and he gets coverage. And he didn't do it for that reason, but because he's doing it out of the goodness of his heart, he gets a ton of coverage out of it.
Speaker 2:Agreed. No, I've been on the news. I've been multiple times. I've been in newspapers, I've been in magazines. People do articles on you. I didn't do it for that, but hey, it's going to help, no matter what. And then people say Andy, how do you sell so much? Or how do you do this and the connections? I'm like start a non-profit. See what happened. Like I didn't do it for that, but I'm not saying that volunteers that come out to my events don't buy air conditioners from me. Yeah, of course they want to freaking do business with people they trust and hello, I'm literally out there because I love it. I'm not doing it for anything else. But if stuff comes from that, it's a relationship. I'm going to say no.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it sounds like to me that you have an innate way to build trust and likability in the house, or you wouldn't have the numbers that you have, so give us a couple.
Speaker 2:I literally spend the first hour, corey, first 45 minutes to an hour. Becoming your friend, because if you can't become the person's friend you ain't going to sell shit. Right, I'm the easiest seller is becoming your friend, because if you can't become the person's friend you ain't gonna sell. Right, I'm the easiest sailor is I'll tell people stories like I got three quotes or set up three quotes to get a quote on a pool fence what the hell? Now I'm friends with the guy.
Speaker 2:But the first guy came over, he blew it out of the park. He spent 30 minutes getting to know me and talking about how nice my house was and my truck and my car. It it was all about me. And then, when it came to the sale, I was ready to hand him my fucking money. And he was good at what he did because he said hey, andy, I know you have a couple more quotes, I want to just get this shit done. I'm like you're right, I canceled the other appointments. And when he left I'm like motherfucker got me. But it's the same, do business with you, they trust you now. Wow, this guy's genuine. He actually gives a shit. I know right now, if they install that fence and it goes to hell he's going to make it right, because I know this guy. He's not just another salesperson. If you can get to that level, they'll buy anything you have to offer.
Speaker 1:I agree. So do you all do anything? I know there are some companies. Chad Peterman would a good example. He does. He's got a lot of stuff that he does virtually. Do you all, do you all dabble in that with trainers, just like with sales even?
Speaker 2:why I told you I have till 7, 10. We're doing role play right after this baby I love it in my training room. We have the door, we have the frame, we have everything. I'm going to have half my technicians in there.
Speaker 1:Role playing scenarios with customers what so do you sell via zoom?
Speaker 2:I have.
Speaker 1:Yeah, during covid I was the champion of arizona baby so tell me how the tell me the difference in I get building trust and likability when you're face to face with somebody. To me that comes fairly natural. To you it comes fairly natural. Did you find that there was a difference when you had to do it through a screen?
Speaker 2:Yeah, this probably isn't going to be the best conversation for me, because I'm going to disagree with it 100%. I don't like it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's fair.
Speaker 2:Totally, I don't think it's possible. To be honest, yeah, I'm in a huge networking group and we have 80 members. We meet every Wednesday. When they went to zoom, I stopped coming because I was getting nothing out of it, cause the human. I don't. I don't think you can connect with someone over over video Like this conversation. It's good, it's good, I like you, but I'll be honest, corey, I don't fully trust you yet. I've never met you.
Speaker 2:Fair enough to be able to read someone, I have to look at them in the eyes. I have to be in the room with them and actually understand what they're all about and to see if I can trust them. And I can do that in a matter of about 10 minutes. I'm really good at reading people, but not on a video chat.
Speaker 1:Hard. It is really hard. Yeah, I agree. I agree, it's hard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Even if you do, I don't think it's half as genuine as it would be if it was in person. And I've argued with people about this. They're like well, you're wrong. I. I'm open to being corrected, but what you're saying right now isn't doing anything for me.
Speaker 1:It also feels rushed because I have to. We're all over the country, so I have to sail via Zoom, like I don't have much choice. I get it, but it is a bit harder to connect. I'll tell you.
Speaker 2:It's going to take much longer.
Speaker 1:It is for sure.
Speaker 2:I'll connect with you if you're. So far your podcast has been great. It is for sure I'll connect with you. So far your podcast has been great. You seem cool as fuck In person. If you were this cool, we would connect in about 15 minutes. It'd be like that. Yeah, much harder over video because I don't know what you're really about. Man, you're just some guy on a podcast that a lot of people watch, that Doug Wyatt likes and respects and hey, you know what specs and hey, you know what.
Speaker 1:Let's go. Yeah, yeah, 100%, yeah, that was just really a personal question, because I do think it's a bit harder.
Speaker 2:I was forced on COVID to do it right. Forced, yeah, of course, but we had to switch it up and we did it. It was cool. I didn't like it.
Speaker 1:No, 100%. So talk to me a bit about, I think that a lot of salespeople lack preparation and I think that's something that you probably you don't lack. If you did, you wouldn't be selling. I don't know if it's five, if it's six, if it's $7 million a year, but I know it's up there. Yeah, five is going to be the minimum, five is going to be the minimum, I'll do seven this year.
Speaker 2:So you see these numbers, man, I've been seeing them recently. I just don't understand it 16 million. I'm like, yeah, where are you? Yeah, what are you doing? Is it commercial? Is it new? It's not possible, I'm sorry to say. Anyone that watches this podcast and hears me talking right now, andy hobica on facebook, andy hobica on instagram, hit me up. I would love to talk to you because if you're not bullshitting, I would love to talk to you because, if you're not bullshitting, I'd love to learn your secrets about what you're doing, because I work my ass off to get in that upper seven, eight, nine to where some people that do a little bit better than that. I'll talk to them. So, to uncover a little bit, I'm good friends with Brent Buckley.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm at like six, seven, eight. And then this motherfucker is at nine, 10, 11. I'm like what the hell? You talk to them. And then you're like, hey, dude, what are you doing differently? Even when he was working for Ken at yes, what are you doing so differently? What am I not doing? And he talked to me. I have a little bit of a cheat code. I'm like what's the cheat code? He goes we do same day, next day installs. I'm like motherfucker, no wonder I'd be fricking 10. At the time when I was doing six, seven and I was trying to get up to that seven, seven, eight, nine area, we were like four days out in the middle of the summer. When it's the middle of summer, they'll go with someone else. We've overcome that since. But I'm just saying people that are like they claim they do 16 million. I don't know how that's possible, but I'd love to hear about it. I'm not knocking you, I would just love to hear about what you're doing differently. That I'm not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because how many houses do you average on your top year? How many people do you get to see in a day? To maximize that $8 or $9 million, you don't have enough time in the day to go to any more houses.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in a summer day, if I go to five, that's a lot of fucking homes. That's a lot, bro. Average three hours per call. Come on bro.
Speaker 1:That's a lot and it would be physically impossible to do more than that, I believe.
Speaker 2:And all year round. You have no family, you have no kids, you have no life Right and who wants that? I don't. I love my free time and with my kids. It's very important to me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%. So preparation take me through how you start your day, because that's preparation, and then how you move into the workday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll tell people this and some people don't believe me. But I tell people hey, shadow me, because we can do it. Do you know who Ryan Goss is? Yeah, so Ryan with Ryan Goss's. Yeah, so Ryan with. Correct me if I'm wrong. Sales Transformation yes, thank you.
Speaker 2:Sorry, ryan, I forgot buddy, but Ryan hit me up and he's like hey, dude, I'm coming to Arizona for an event. I'd love you to come to the event, but I'd love to meet with you. I'm like it's like a four-day notice, man, I don't have any time. And he goes oh man, I really appreciate half an hour. I'm like I'll try, man, I really will. I'll take you to lunch. I'm like I don't eat lunch, I'm too busy right now. Like I just I'm good, I eat a protein bar, like shit. And then he called me out and he goes hey, I see you working out every morning, let's do that. Okay, time to call there at 340. I believe it.
Speaker 2:So, talking about someone that really wants it and wanted to create a relationship, and now we're good friends. Then I got to meet him in person, talk to him face to face, and he's a real motherfucker. I like him. So it's just good people. But so I start my day right. Every day I wake up at 305 to to 310, depending on the morning. I will allow myself to snooze for that five minutes Because technically I don't need to be up till 315, but do the 305 because sometimes a little harder. But how you stop the snooze button is have you ever read the book the Miracle Morning?
Speaker 1:Yes, I have.
Speaker 2:Okay, so same thing, right, just a little bit glitched, a little bit different for me. But I set my phone on my dresser next to my bathroom, so you're forced to get out of bed. I don't want to wake up my wife, so I get out of bed, turn off the alarm. 32 ounce glass of room temperature water next to the phone. I down the water. I forced myself to go into my bathroom. There's a sign above my mirror that says you're a bitch. I brush my teeth, wash my face, so I'm not a bitch.
Speaker 2:No-transcript head. Before all the bullshit emails, whatever I got to do, I look at that, play fetch with my dogs a little bit, and then I do a pre-workout A little bit of caffeine, a carb powder, if it's one of those days, but I get that going. Then by 3, three, 30, three, 35, I'm out the door on the way to the gym, cause I meet a group of guys at the gym every day at 4.00 AM. Seven days a week, no days off. People are like, oh, you got to take a day off. But like, a day off is cardio for me, so it really don't matter. I'm at the gym seven days a week. If I'm not seven days. If it's six days or maybe a good reason, it's the reason that I went out with my four and I'm a little intoxicated, so I go in the afternoon or whatever, but Monday to Friday especially, or Monday through Saturday, every day at 4am.
Speaker 1:Makes sense.
Speaker 2:So do that? Get my thing, come home. We talked about this. But I sit down at my desk when I come home from the gym or if I'm at work and I came to my office, like today, I sit down, I write my goals out for the day, the quarter, the year, 10 years, five years, the whole thing, and then I write down what I'm grateful for. And then I do the random text messages or phone calls, the three to five people, boom, perfect.
Speaker 2:And so you say pretty much that's my day before I actually start my actual day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, that makes sense. And so how about? So that's your, that's really your preparation and your process, that's preparation.
Speaker 2:Just get my day started right to even where I can even be in the right mindset so I can give 100% to my team, my employees, my customers, everybody and myself.
Speaker 1:I'm sure you've had days where it didn't go quite like that. How did those days go?
Speaker 2:You're talking about, like where I couldn't go to the gym and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so there's anomaly things that happen Child doesn't sleep all night, whatever. Yeah, the day doesn't go as well yep day doesn't go as well.
Speaker 2:You better snap it the fuck out and show up, because you got people depending on you. A hundred percent, a hundred percent. Just have to. You have to put that on the back burner, because people don't deserve half cory, they deserve a hundred percent agreed, totally agree. So you just have to make yourself do it. It's not the hardest thing. I've been through much worse.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a hundred percent. So you mentioned audio books. What is your? So I listen to multiple types. I mean I, I, I'm like a junkie, I'll be honest with you, yep. So what do you listen to? Is there something that you listen to, maybe on a regular basis? There's a couple of books that I'll read, listen to over and over, because I just need that reminder.
Speaker 2:So my favorite book of all time I've listened to it like 10 times is Mark Manson the Subard of Not Giving a Fuck. Yep.
Speaker 1:I got it.
Speaker 2:Anytime I get into a negative mind space, I'll start that like randomly in the middle and just listen to it, because usually like a quarter in and the rest is much, much better than the beginning of that book, if you've listened to it multiple times. But get a lot out of that and not letting the little things bother you, and that's how I live my life. But like, definitely a really good read. Listen, yeah, I've done a lot of audio books. Someone that is a little aggressive to some people but really good at sales and has a lot of haters but has a lover, a lot of lovers. Do Grant Cardone right? Some of his audio books are fire bro. I tell everyone, if you're getting into sales, listen to a minimum of five times in a row. Sell or be sold. Yeah, because the whole mindset like remember the boiler room.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:On every single transaction. On every single transaction, no matter if you're meeting someone for a lunch. You're selling someone a product. You're selling someone air conditioning. You're going over repair versus replace, whatever you're doing inside of a home, inside of a meeting, inside of a networking meeting, on a podcast, on a Zoom call no matter what happens, a sale is made. Either you sell something to the customer or they sell you why they can't do it. If you live that mindset with everything, no matter what, your life will be much better, and that's with a friendship Like. I'm going to meet someone. They may be a future client, they may donate to my nonprofit, they may do something that's going to improve their life and my life. Or they're going to sell me why they don't have enough time to do those kinds of things, or why I don't have enough time to wake up early in the morning and go to the gym, or all these different things. You're selling the negative portion instead of the positive.
Speaker 1:Yeah, same thing with your kids, same thing with your wife. Same exact thing. All right, so let me ask.
Speaker 2:That's a funny one. I've heard that say yeah, it's either you sell your child while they have to wake up early and go to school and why it's beneficial, or they sell you why they have to watch TV for 10 more minutes.
Speaker 1:That's right, Somebody someone sells something. That's right. So it looks like and it sounds from age, early age, from age early age, that you've been successful quite a bit. But I'm sure there's been some time in this process or in the last 15 years that things in your mind maybe, or things just weren't looking very good. Let's take me back to maybe one of the darker times that you've gone through.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Before I met my wife bro.
Speaker 2:Tell me about it Before I met my wife. I for five to seven years straight just dating the wrong women right, ruining my life, taking advantage of me and I was the nice guy that I'd taken advantage of, to be honest but finally found a woman, my wife Pearl, that likes nice people and likes someone that treats her well and spoils her and just does the right things, because she's a great wife, great mom. Love you, pearl. But at the end of the day, before meeting Pearl, I think my dad uncovered it over time and said the reason why you picked all these women that got you in trouble and just created all this negativity and everything bad happens to them, it's because you were picking people to help. You had to stop that and actually pick someone that you actually enjoy being around, that helps you, and then you can help them too. But I was picking projects is what it was, and I didn't know that, but I loved helping people. So I'd see someone in need and be like oh, I can help this person. Hey, they're pretty cute too, so why not? Yeah, and then it would always end up me running their life and my life to make them happy before myself, because I just was starving to help more people and then starving for that attention from someone to get it back, which I would never get it back. Even family members, right to where I'm not talking crap, but I have a brother. I have a couple friends, people that are close to me, to where maybe, if I give, maybe they'll give back a little bit. But maybe they're not that person, maybe they're just they don't get the high off of helping people. They feel like just living the normal life is normal and it just is what it is. You can't expect people to act the same way you do. Right Back to the tough times.
Speaker 2:I've had moments, just like anybody else. I've had moments just like anybody else, not like no drug or alcohol moments, but at the same time, depression moments where the reason I'm working for my dad still and struggling my ass off is because I don't want to let him down. I just want the approval from my dad and him to be proud of me. Right, my whole life Up to recently to where I get married and start doing really good at work successful, breaking records, coaching, going to seminars, talking my dad tells me that he's proud of me. It's the best thing in the world, right? You want to just make your parents proud, and it was really hard growing up. My dad's on the pedestal Everywhere I go. Oh my God, you're Louis Obaika's son. Holy crap, my dad was so high up here. I just wanted to be able to meet him halfway to where he could be like how, wow, proud he is where I. I want to be a badass too. I want my dad to think I'm a badass to where, just working my ass off to try to get to that level, and it was difficult at times, especially when he moved me from technician to commercial sales.
Speaker 2:I didn't like it, man. I was cold calling businesses walking in, trying to create relationships, get on a maintenance program, just to look at their equipment. It was hard, man, and there was times to where I could have easily asked for help, but I was too proud and didn't want to be that person that needed daddy's money to where I would be fine. So there was many times, about a year straight to, where I was eating ramen noodles and just trying to fake it that I was making it and using credit cards. So people on social media thought I was still good to go and using credit cards. So people on social media thought I was still good to go, and it is tough to where.
Speaker 2:I remember one day, man, I was maxed out on two credit cards, still going to the bar every other night to make the girls that I was hanging out with think that I was some successful guy, had a decently nice car, hadn't made my payment in a couple months and at the same time I just wasn't doing well at work because I wasn't motivated. And I remember driving and I always get a little emotional. I tell the story. But I remember driving and thinking to myself what the fuck, if any time to give up, it would be now. Now I'm not saying committing suicide, because I've never thought that, but just the thought of maybe I'll just stop trying, maybe this isn't worth it, maybe this isn't me, maybe I got to change jobs, quit working for my dad he's going to be disappointed in me. But I got to do something else. I got to do something because I have no money coming in and all these bills are stacking up. I'm just going to give up on all this and go somewhere else and just delete my life and maybe I won't even hang out with my dad anymore because he's disappointed in me. That whole thought.
Speaker 2:And then I remember getting an email and looking at it and it was a job that I had sold like eight months ago finally got funded and $8,000 was hitting my account. And I just remember driving down the street and just crying. I was getting emotional. But I just remember driving down the street. I'm like, oh, I guess that's a sign to keep fucking going. So like it was able to be able to pay off the minimum bills so I could keep going to work. They were going to show up the power to my house and I couldn't pay my electric bill to where. People go through that on a daily basis. So I love helping those people in need, but as well I'd love to be interjected with people that are almost there or there so I can motivate them, because man, people, the human brain and human person is a powerful fucking thing. You just have to know that you can actually do it and keep pushing until you actually get there.
Speaker 2:So I'm not saying that's like such a horrible thing to happen, as much things that have happened worse for people. But it was one of my tough moments to where fuck my life. I'm just going to move on. I'm just going to forget about everything. My dad's going to disown me. I just I can't ask for help. I'm just not that person. And then the money hit my account and I was like man, I'm given another chance, we can keep going.
Speaker 1:But your dad never. He never said you don't lie, I'm not proud. He never said that you're not, that he's not proud of you. He never said that you're not, that he's not proud of you. He never said that you didn't match up to what he expected. That was just your own belief.
Speaker 2:It was my own belief. And then I think the only thing on my dad. I love my dad to death. We're best friends now. But he says if he could change one thing me growing up, he would have told me he loved me more and he would have told me that he's proud of me more. He said it was hard for him because he felt like if he told me he was proud of me, that it would actually weaken me and make me work less, work, not as hard, when, to be honest, man, I was just starving for that attention. I just wanted him to look at me in the eyes and be like Andy, I'm proud of you, Like just starving for that. So maybe if I work a little bit harder, maybe I can get closer to that. You're chasing that, but you're not willing to admit it because you want to be a hard ass.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and fear sets in, and because you don't know if the answer is going to come back the way you want it to. Instead of putting yourself out there, it's just easier to keep it in sometimes, yeah, but then when you have the experience of having that conversation with him, when the time is right, yeah, when the willingness to receive that, what you were looking for, but does change things. Let's go back for a moment. You said there you felt like you had to give up, and then $8,000 came in. That was your belief. You had to get to that point, right, but if you had given up which you could have given up and who knows, we probably wouldn't be sitting here right now. Definitely not.
Speaker 1:But I think our mind, as you mentioned, is powerful and whatever you believe is typically pretty true, whatever that belief is, whether it's I don't, my dad doesn't think very highly of me, or my dad's not proud of me, or I should just give up, or I'm just going to keep pushing through to see what happens next. Because the way I see it is, I've done a lot of shitty things. I've gotten in trouble. I've been in trouble Drugs, alcohol, you name it but God, even in the darkest times never dropped me on my ass like I've never been homeless and I'm not saying that people can't get there, because they certainly can, but I don't.
Speaker 1:I think if you're willing to put the one foot in front of the next, if you're willing to take the action, and then for me it is asking for help. I have to ask for help these days because without it I can't do it all on my own. It's why I'm way smarter asking you for help. If there's something you could help me with, then I am trying to figure it out on my own, but it took a long time I think I was just too proud.
Speaker 2:Of course, especially the one person that I could actually get help from and not be judged would be my dad, but I didn't know that I couldn't be judged because I was like no, my dad's going to think I'm a fucking loser Like none of my other brothers ever asked for help.
Speaker 2:I'll be all right. Yeah, I literally would. I was okay with losing my house and car, just to not ask for help. That's how stubborn and proud I was. It was just not the best moment of my life, but, hey, it made me a much stronger person.
Speaker 1:It wasn't that long ago. A couple of years ago it was in that same spot and I wasn't totally sober, I hadn't had a drink in a long time, but I picked up smoking pot and I just didn't. My pride, my ego was just so massive that asking for help was just out of the question until I just asked for help. And so a guy Gene Slade some people hate, don't care for Gene. Gene's always. He's a good dude in my opinion. I don't know about him, his personal life or whatever. He seems to be fine. I don't know. A lot of people don't like him, but a lot of people do like him.
Speaker 2:It's the same thing, bro. So gene and I have a lot in common. We're both extremely aggressive and high energy. It turns off a lot of people. I like gene.
Speaker 1:He's cool yeah, gene, gene helped me, he helped me and it got me. Really, if it weren't for gene, I don't know that. I don't know if I'd ever got out of it. You know what I mean it just, but I had to be willing to accept and be humble enough to ask somebody else for help. That I didn't want to ask, I did not want to ask, I want to see. I can figure it out on my own is how I saw it. That wasn't fucking working.
Speaker 2:Well more power to you for asking right. You had more power than I had. You had more guts than I did, but at the end of the day, if you wouldn't have, would you be the person you are today? Probably not. So shout out to Gene Badass.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when the pain gets great enough, we change, but for me, not until then, pain's got to be pretty great. So how do you instill these things into your children? I'm sure you tell them that you're proud of them. I'm sure you tell them you love them, and do you, do you encourage them to always ask for help they're not to that age yet, okay yeah, yeah I haven't had that.
Speaker 2:I haven't had that, that opportunity yet, right, a four-year-old doesn't really understand to ask for help. So so I have a four and a two. They're little, but, man, I think God blessed me with a daughter for that reason, holy mother of God, am I an emotional wreck now? Before, I was always the most emotional one out of all my brothers. I'm more like my mom when my brothers are, more like my dad, more of a hard ass that never shows emotions. But me, I've always showed emotions. I've always been an emotional person to where I'll cry in a movie and people are like, oh, look at this pussy. I'm like at the end of the day I just it was sad, I can't control it. And as a dad, a girl dad, holy shit, game over man.
Speaker 2:I teared up last night. I remember her asking me. She says she says Papa, halloween. She wants me to go outside and show her the Halloween lights, because instead of all the lights and the blow ups out front, I go pretty hard on Halloween, all the decorations, and we went outside. Get her pants on her jacket. We go outside. She shows me where everything is, she explains all the animals and the ghosts and what they're doing and tells me like it's the first time we're ever doing it. We do it almost every night. And then I me like it's the first time we're ever doing it, we do it almost every night. And then I set up my lounge chair because my back starts hurting. I just want to see her explain more things.
Speaker 2:And then last night she comes up, walks over, pushes my hands aside, sits in my lap and just wants me to cuddle with her. And then she says I love you, papa. It's just man, just start. Just. It gets to you because this little human being loves you and will do anything for you, would just listen to you. But having a girl is just that much more on steroids, like crazy that this female little person is is looking for me for everything and, as they say, especially having a girl dad, but boy dad as well.
Speaker 2:I have a two-year-old son. If you're not your kids heroes, they're going to find someone else to be their hero. That's all it. The fuck up and be a hero for your kids. And I take little lessons that my dad has taught me over the years to be a better dad. And he said to be honest, man, I would have spent more time with my kids and worked a little bit less, and I would have told you guys every day that I love you and then I'm here for you. If you need anything, let's go. He was so focused on work He'll admit it. I was working. I was doubling the size of my dad's company. I didn't have much time to where he was gone every day at five and home at seven, so I didn't see my dad a ton growing up. We went on little trips but most of the time it was me and my brothers fighting and getting in trouble and I got attention from my dad when I would back talk my mom and he'd come home.
Speaker 1:And guess what, sometimes that attention is, regardless if it's good or bad I was just talking to maddie about this yesterday. It doesn't matter, right? You just want, as a child, you just want the attention. Whether it's good or bad doesn't matter, correct? Yeah, 100. So how do you? How? So when you're, when you mentioned that you're going to be role playing with I don't know, I guess your coaching guys or your company guys after technicians?
Speaker 2:That's why I'm dressed like a tech today.
Speaker 1:Makes sense. How important have you found? Role-playing is the most important thing, the most important.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can sit in a classroom and learn right. It's like how I do my mentoring. So I have six clients currently. I don't advertise it much because I don't have a ton of time, but people that want it bad enough and want the information I have, I'll have them wake up really early and at the end of the day. It's really good to get East Coast clients because I have five people that I have right now during the week and at 4 am for me is 7 am for them, so it's perfect, or whatever time it is for them to where it makes it easier for me, to where I get it done with my day and it doesn't actually interrupt my actual day. Yeah, I'll do it on a cardio day so I can come home from the gym real quick and do it.
Speaker 2:But basically you can teach anyone anything A process, how to greet a customer, is my truck parked in the right location? Do the filter, the white rag trick that maybe you haven't heard of the filter, the noise, anything that you're going to overcome with a customer you can learn that. But to actually do it and be bad-ass at it, what do you got to do? You got to practice, and there's nothing better than practicing in front of 10 other people that are about to do the same damn thing, cause you know that you're going to mess up and not do as good as you are in person. But if you can master role-playing as practicing are in person, but if you can master role-playing- as practicing you'll be a gangster in person, a hundred percent.
Speaker 1:And it helps out me, man, it keeps me on my toes too, just to watch my guys do it and then help out. Yeah, a hundred percent. So do you let them go all the way through the role-playing and then you critique? How does that work?
Speaker 2:We'll do different sections right. So one day we'll do the introduction at the door. One day we'll do the introduction at the door. One day we'll do the filter and white rag. One day we'll do the how to do a heat load with a customer. Walk them around the house, what to do in the attic. We'll do sections and then we'll come together after a couple months and we'll have one technician go through the whole process and then I'll have other technicians and people that are in the room like myself and we'll critique and they have to be open for improvement. Be like hey, you did really good, but you said this. I would take that out of your vocabulary Like fuck. Ok, let me write that down, let me practice on that. Yeah, because words are loud.
Speaker 2:There's a really big team culture at Hobica. Everyone's everybody's friends, so you're just taking advice from your friends. You're your friends. You're not being critiqued by someone that doesn't like you.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So from your standpoint, I think I probably know going to know the answer to this how hard is it to find new employees?
Speaker 2:It used to be really hard, now it's easy with our hiring events. Yeah, I just want people to show up that are 18 to 25, with not a ton of baggage, working for other companies. I'm not saying I won't hire those people, but I like people without baggage that know nothing about my trade. They're just a good person, right? Because you can't teach that. You can't teach someone to be a good person and to like helping people and to do the right thing. I can teach anybody technical in anything about the trade.
Speaker 1:But I think it goes deeper than that. I think it goes deeper than that. I think you don't have a problem hiring people because you have a place that they want to come and work. Correct, so tell me about that. What do you do outside of role playing, which I don't know? That people would look at that as a cultural benefit coming in, but what do you do inside of the company to attract people to want to come work there?
Speaker 2:I think, even before we get to that, it's just showing them that, hey, I'm going to send people to want to come work there. I think, even before we get to that, it's just showing them that, hey, I'm going to send you to school, pay you to sit in class because I value you and I value what you're going to be able to provide for you and your family and the life we're going to create, and in turn I'm going to make some money off of it. But I know they value the thought of that. I believe in them enough to send them to school and pay them. And then, when they get out of school, they're debt-free. Because, man, I think RSI is like 80 grand and it's nine months long. So, one, you're paying for college courses to become an HVAC technician. Two, you're going into debt. And three, while you're going to school, where's your income.
Speaker 2:Right, that's huge. But from a company standpoint, they come into the hiring event and we show the whole company history and what we're all about. First, about the family my grandfather starting it, my dad taking over. All the history of what we're all about and what we do with our core values, our motto, all the fun stuff to where, showing that we care about family and taking care of people. Everything else is second, and if you would like to be part of that culture and what we're all about and why we have such amazing reviews online and all this stuff, we'd love you to be part of our team.
Speaker 2:So it's more of like I just got done talking at Service Nation Service World Expo. Stop selling, start helping. So if you can stop selling and just help someone, go Stop selling and just help someone go buy what you have to offer. And people know that's what we're all about. We're not going after someone's wallet, we're there to help them. And then people want to pay us for our services. That's how we learn our company and they love that, especially if they've just interviewed with a big guy to where you're going to be a technician here and you're going to get paid 30% of the ticket, whether you sell a service agreement or a new compressor or a new unit, you get 30%. Go get it. You're basically making me sell shit that I don't need to sell to people, just to feed my family. But that's how the big guys have to work. They can't afford that payroll paying all those people like that.
Speaker 1:Right yeah, so do you hire and fire on core values.
Speaker 2:We hire on core values.
Speaker 2:We don't fire anybody. They fire themselves. Fair enough, explain that for me. You've heard so, doug and I. So Doug Wyatt shout out my boy, the reason why I'm on the podcast one of your friends. Me and Doug are good buddies. We think the exact same on firing right. We don't fire anyone. They fire themselves.
Speaker 2:Corey's coming to work for us, sit you down and we come up my expectations, your expectations, the goals I think you can get and the goals that you want to actually get. We write it all down and then, when we're done, I sign it. And you sign it because you're committing that you're going to do these things so I can actually pay you money and give you things that help out your family, create this amazing life. But you're going to do these things because you've agreed to it and then I've agreed that I'm watching you and then I'm going to hold you accountable right, we're in agreement here, wonderful. So maybe you ask for a raise, or maybe you tell me that you're going to leave and go somewhere else because they're paying you more, or maybe you're not performing and I need to sit down with you, or whatever we have to do and this, you're doing this, but it seems just correct me if I'm wrong seems like the outcome's not happening because of this. Is this true? Do we need a little help with this? Because, man, I'd love to help you get you back on track because the way this is looking, it doesn't really look like you want to work here, like you want to work here Again.
Speaker 2:I want you to work here. I love you, corey. I think you're a badass, I think you have a lot of potential. But you told me you wanted to do this. This was your idea and I agreed with you. So, can we get back on track? And, if any support, I'd love to help you there. If you have to have four or five of those meetings, I'm going to sit down with you the last time and be like hey, employee, but we're not doing these two things.
Speaker 2:If we have to meet again and we have to go over this again, it sounds like you're going to be turning in your resignation because you're not committing to what you told me you were going to commit. I don't fire anyone. I don't want to let you go. You told me you were going to do these things. It was your idea. So if you're not willing to commit to the ideas that you came up with and that we both agreed upon. I just, I don't think that you want to work here. So do we want to correct this? Or do we want to have you go work somewhere else because you don't want to work here anymore and it really gets into their mind Shit. You're right, I did make that commitment. I better reconnect, or you know. Yeah, you're right, I'll just quit now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that makes complete sense, sense and I love that you set those expectations, both from your standpoint and from their standpoint, because there's collaboration there, correct? Yeah, that's killer. So, look, I know we're getting short on time. Um, it's all good, man, where could, where should people find you if they want to either join I know you don't have a bunch of time to take on clients but if they do want to, I can literally have 10 people hit me up, I'll probably pick, pick one, but at the end of the day, you might be that lucky person.
Speaker 2:I deep dive heavily into coaching and role play and I call people on their bullshit. The first call that I have with someone is like a podcast. It's an hour long and I go hard on them and I'm like if this turns you off, it's not going to work because I'm a very aggressive, very intense person. But I guarantee results. I guarantee that it will help you and if you're willing to pay a little bit out of pocket, I guarantee you'll make that money back in 24 hours. If you just freaking listen to me, yeah, I have a proven system to where it's what I do on a daily basis.
Speaker 1:Sure, and I don't sell $7, $8 million a year by fucking around and not doing the right thing. That's for sure.
Speaker 2:So how would it be? Instagram and Facebook? Just hit me up.
Speaker 1:It's Andy.
Speaker 2:Hobica everywhere A-N-D-Y-H-O-B-A-I-C-A and shoot me a DM. I run all my own social media. That's one benefit is a lot of these guys that do really well. They pay a team to do it. I don't think that's very genuine. If I don't respond to your comment for a couple weeks it's because I was busy, but I will respond.
Speaker 1:Or a couple of years, not yet.
Speaker 2:Some people are like that Corey, I can't remember his name, but we'll move on.
Speaker 1:I don't like talking negatively. All good dude. Yeah, I did want to ask you if somebody wants to support the nonprofit. I think that's. I think it's a really powerful thing. Where could they find that?
Speaker 2:One bag at a time on Facebook, one bag at a time AZ on Instagram, or one bag at a time dot org and there's actually a PayPal link on the website that you can donate to and then, if you donate to it, I would send you an email in return of how much you donated and what it was for, so you can actually write it off on your taxes. The benefit of being a QCO is, if I get 30, 40, 50 people this year to donate, that'll run my nonprofit for the next two or three years to where they're just giving me money and getting it back in their refund. They're not getting it not back. It's either you're getting it in your refund or less that you owe. It's not taxable income, it's an actual deduction, just like a Catholic school or anything else that you donate to.
Speaker 1:So we just hit that value and it's going to be a game changer. That's amazing, Dude. Thank you so much for coming on today. I certainly enjoyed the conversation.
Speaker 2:And then I like leaving podcasts with something motivational line or whatever we do. I said this one recently. It's my favorite one. Whoever's listening, whoever's watching. If you enjoy this podcast, shoot me a follow. I guarantee you'll enjoy my stuff.
Speaker 2:I post a lot of motivational stuff and, again, I'm just trying to help people. I'm not asking you to sign up for my coaching. I'm saying, if you're on a level to where you're able to and you want to learn a little bit more and learn from something that's done at all, I'd love to help and my first calls for free, just to even see if we're a good fit. But I try to tell everyone if I leave this podcast right now I do my coaching calls with my guys and I leave and go to my first call or go to meet someone for training and I get hit by a drunk driver and I get killed.
Speaker 2:The last things I did was before I got killed, was woke up this morning, said bye to my wife, gave her a kiss, drove into work, listened to a podcast, talked with my man Corey, created a new relationship and did some role play. All those people that were part of that what would they say at my funeral? If you don't like those answers, change it to fuck up, because today is a new day and you can move on Always. Think that this might be my last day, might be my last hour, might be my last of everything. To where? Live your day to the fullest, don't go crazy. But, dude, it might be your last conversation with the person, maybe. Don't end it on a bad note 100.
Speaker 1:Thank you for that, my friend, I appreciate. You're welcome, brother, you're welcome.
