Speaker 1: And now, podcasting from the center of the universe and the Thrive15.com Business Coach world headquarters.
Speaker 2: Let’s go.
Speaker 1: Presenting the world’s only business coach program and school without the BS, with optometrist and entrepreneur Dr. Robert Zoellner and the former small business administration entrepreneur of the year and head business coach your [ear 00:00:33], Clay Clark. It’s the Thrive Time Show. Three, two, one. Boom.
Business Coach – Clay Clark: All right, Thrive nation, welcome back into your daily conversation, the Thrive Time show on your radio. My name is Clay Clark, I’m the former SBA entrepreneur of the year and business coach, sent here to help entertain and educate you. To help you make your wallet expand and to help you learn what you need to know to achieve your dreams in 2017 and with me on the show today, we have the man, the myth, the beard that is here, it is . Full disclosure, that’s my brother in law, and the founder of the Elephant in the Room, men’s grooming lounge phenomenon.
So, , there’s two questions everybody in Tulsa wants to know. One, where did you get the crazy idea to start the Elephant in the Room men’s grooming lounge? Where did you first get that idea, my friend?
Business Coach Client – : Years and years ago, this crazy idea of men’s grooming, in my mind, I wanted to offer Tulsa something that we couldn’t currently find. It was in bigger cities, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, New York, but you’ve got your barber shops, you’ve got your salons and spas, but there’s this hybrid men’s grooming lounge. So, weird shape of events, I was actually in cosmetology school and learning to cut women’s hair, color women’s hair-
Clay Clark: People don’t know what cosmetology school is, is that where you’re studying other planets? Or what does that mean? What’s cosmetology school?
: Yeah. Cosmetology school is the study of skin, hair, nails, it’s what your wife is spending all your money on.
Clay Clark: Oh.
: Yeah.
Clay Clark: Okay.
: Yeah, the salon. With that, there was a void, men didn’t have a place to go. Starbucks filled that void, the third place, you know, we’re doing work from the coffee shop. So, with this men’s grooming lounge, I wanted to offer guys a place not only to get their hair cut, but a place they could relax, have a uplifting conversation. The music, the décor, the smell, everything is planned out and guys are loving it.
Clay Clark: How would you describe the experience for somebody who has never been to the Elephant in the Room? I’m telling you what, as a owner and investor in the business, I’ve definitely mystery shopped everybody. I mean, I’ve gone to Sports Clips countless times, I’ve been to Great Clips, I’ve been actually to some very high end salons in Tulsa. I’ve been to some high end salons in New York, Chicago, I’ve been to them all because I want to know what they’re doing that’s so good and what they’re doing that’s so bad, so we can learn and we can improve. For people who haven’t been to all these different hair salons, like they almost have a problem, seeking out all the different hair salons, what makes Elephant in the Room different than a Sports Clips, or a Great Clips, or these different hair experiences that are already out there? There are probably some very good services out there, but what makes Elephant in the Room different than those other places?
: By the way, I love all those places, they are successful-
Clay Clark: Yeah.
: And they know their clientele, but if you’re looking for something different, maybe you don’t know what different is, but you’re just like, “Maybe there’s something different, maybe there’s something more besides spending three hours on a Saturday for my haircut and listening to this negative conversation about the woman that just got out of rehab or sending her husband to rehab, and there are screaming kids around you.” That’s what I wanted to offer, like minded people.
Clay Clark: My frustration as I mystery shopped is … Here’s my last hair cut I went. I went to a place in Tulsa and Sam, our show producer, I don’t know if you can relate to this, but I’m sitting in the chair and I’m getting my hair cut, and the lady goes, “So tell me, so how have you been doing?” It was a good conversation, “I said, I’m doing all right.” She said, “What are you doing with the kids this weekend?” I said, “I’m going to be taking my kids, we’re going on a trip to Florida,” and then, [inaudible 00:04:26], and she goes, “Let me get … So, sorry, I’ve got to get the phone.” So she goes and gets the phone and she goes, “Oh, yeah, thank you for calling such-and-such, how can I help you?” She talks to that person, it’s been probably two or three minutes, and she comes back.
I’m going, I understand it, there’s only four people that work there and the phone’s ringing. So she goes, “Okay, so what kind of style did you want?” I said, “Well I’m looking for a-” [ring 00:04:44] “Okay, let me get that.” So then she comes back and we never wrapped up what kind of style I want and she’s talked to two or three phone calls before she’s even started on my hair. I said, “What I would like is-” [ring 00:04:56]. This happened, I’m not kidding, we’re probably up to five or six interruptions, and then finally she goes, “Forget it, I’m not going to answer anymore, I’m so sorry.” So then customers are calling, but it’s almost stressful for me as a business owner to hear a phone ring and no one answer it all the time. How does Elephant in the Room solve that problem? How do it different there than a typical hair place?
: As far as what we wanted to focus on, and I’ll tell you, if you’re listening right now and you want to open your own business and you have these grand visions, it takes steps. It’s five years now and where we are today is not where we were in month one or year one, but I had a action plan of how to get there and where we’re still going. So, as far as the phones go, the customer is the most important. When they come through that door, three seconds, we need to acknowledge them, eye contact, a warm welcome, “Hello.” We actually have a call center that’s dedicated to inbound/outbound calls. You will not hear a phone ring in any of our shops.
Clay Clark: Really? Now, you said a warm welcome, does that mean that you hug people with a blanket when they walk in and you have pinion wood burning at all times, or what do you mean by a warm welcome?
: It feels like a warm blanket and we do actually have pinion wood at some of our shops-
Clay Clark: Oh, wow, okay.
: It’s just those things that make us different, but the greeting is so important. To be honest, we meet a lot of people that have different personalities that work for us, but we just say, “Hey, when you’re in our shop, this is the greeting you need to have because this is the result we want.” Just make up a character during that time when you’re at work.
Clay Clark: You know, to hammer home what you’re talking about there, Lee [Cockrall 00:06:29] who is the former executive vice president of Walt Disney World Resorts, he used to manage over 40,000 people when he was the head of Disney World. Now he’s a mentor and a partner at Thrive15.com our online school and business coach program … Which by the way, it’s only a dollar for your first month, check it out. The thing is, Lee says this, he says, “Disney World,” he says, “When you work at Disney World, it is the happiest place to work on Earth, or else.” He says, “The happiest place to work on Earth, or else,” Dr. [Zoner 00:07:00] says, “It’s showtime when you come to work. When you step through that door, it’s showtime. More sage advice you can receive from a business coach.
You’ve got to bring it, it’s like you’re on stage.” Disney went so far they call their employees cast members because they have to be on stage all the time. So Thrivers and business coach clients, if you’re listening right now, I’m telling you what, the things that are going on in the Elephant in the Room are things you could apply in your own business. So , if I’m listening right now and I’m going, “Okay, I don’t believe it, it sounds like a bunch of hoo ha, a bunch of hype, a bunch of name dropping,” give the Thrivers out there, what’s the offer? What’s the promotion? What’s the deal? If I’m a first time, I’ve never been to the Elephant in the Room before, I’ve never tried it out, what is the offer, my friend?
: I believe in Elephant so much that … I started it, but for first time visitors, it’s actually just one dollar.
Clay Clark: How can you afford to do it for a dollar? Come on. How could you afford to do a haircut the first time for one dollar?
: Well, if you can’t, I personally will pay, and this has happened before, your leave your wallet, but I will personally pay. It’s one dollar because I want every man in Tulsa to be able to experience Elephant at least once and then they can say, “Hey, this is for me,” or, “I’m going to continue my search as far as a men’s grooming, grooming professional goes and who’s going to take care of my needs.” Just call 918-877-2219, you can check out our website at EITRLounge.com.
Clay Clark: If I was eating Oklahoma Joe’s Baked Beans and perhaps I was distracted by the world’s best baked beans, what’s that website again? What’s that phone number again?
: Www.EITRLounge.com and the phone number’s 918-877-2219, it’s one number for all of our shops and we can get you located at any of our three locations, so it doesn’t matter where you are, we can get you covered, and we’re open six days a week.
Clay Clark: Now, I’m telling you what there, Thrivers and business coach clients, full disclosure, I am a partner with the business, but I encourage you, take the challenge, come check it out, EITRLounge.com, it is a game changer. What we’re talking about today though is sowing and reaping. That the whole theme of today’s show, sowing and reaping. Back in the day, if you were a farmer and you’re like, “It’s my birthday. Look, it’s my birthday. I’m not going to sow any seeds today,” well then what would happen is you wouldn’t have any corn and eventually you would die. Right now, what happens in America is we go, “Well, it’s the Thursday before the fourth of July weekend, so I’m going to take off Thursday, and Friday, and then the Monday after, and so that’s four days, and then I’m going to take off that week of Christmas.”