The Inclusive Networker
The Inclusive Networker is a podcast dedicated to helping small business owners, solopreneurs, and network marketers develop inclusive marketing and sales processes that help them authentically reach diverse audiences and subsequently grow large, diverse networks of customers, business partners, or team members.
The Inclusive Networker
Turning Athletic Tenacity into Business Success with Adam House
Ever wondered how a pro athlete's discipline translates to the unforgiving world of entrepreneurship? Adam House joins us to bridge that gap, revealing the untold synergy between commanding the field and leading in business. Through our candid discussion, Adam, a former professional sportsman turned serial entrepreneur, unfolds the playbook on how to harness leadership skills and the importance of aligning personal values with business objectives.
This episode is a masterclass in understanding the true cost of ambition—not just the financial stakes, but the personal investments and the sacrifices made along the way. Adam offers an intimate look at how maintaining strong family ties and preserving one's faith can be the anchor needed while weathering the storm of building a business. Learn from Adam's journey how to face the struggles of entrepreneurship with the perseverance of an athlete and emerge equipped to tackle your business challenges with renewed vigor and aligned values.
In this episode, we talk about the following...
1. Challenges and strategies of entrepreneurship.
2. Importance of self-awareness, perseverance, and continuous learning.
3. Building a strong foundation for long-term success, both in business and personal life.
You can find Adam on…
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhousesr/
Website https://www.adamhousesr.com/
Want more from Dr. Raymona?
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drraymonahlawrence/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/drraymonahlawrence/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/drraymonahlawrence/
Thank you for listening!
~Dr. Raymona
Hey, hey, hey and welcome, welcome. Welcome to the Inclusive Networker Podcast. This podcast is the SOS, that's all the inside scoop on systems operations and the support for women and minority-owned businesses. We help small business owners and solo-preneurs become aware of gaps in knowledge or awareness that could be keeping their networks and businesses small. We help women and minority-owned businesses to be able to support women and minority-owned businesses. So if that's you, or you want to authentically support women and minority-owned businesses, you are in the right place. But be warned you will be challenged. But here's the thing you won't be judged. I'm your host, dr Ramona. I'm the owner of the fabulous software as a service that's SaaS agency called I Engage you. I'm a speaker, coach, consultant, public health professor, wife, mom and a fierce challenger of broken systems that keep people from reaching their highest potential. I am so excited to be with you on your journey to becoming an Inclusive Networker. Let's jump right in. Hey, hey, hey and welcome, welcome. Welcome to this week's episode of the Inclusive Networker podcast. I'm your host, dr Ramona, and who am I calling into conversation today? Well, it is Adam House. I'm so excited to have Adam today. Let me tell you a little bit about Adam and then I will let him jump in.
Speaker 1:Adam House is a public speaker. He is a thought leader. He is a serial entrepreneur, a business executive, former professional athlete and an executive coach. His background offers huge insights into the world of business, professional sports and leadership. Through various ventures, adam has demonstrated the ability to navigate diverse industries, providing listeners with real world, actionable strategies for success. Beyond his entrepreneurial success, adam is driven by a set of core values, including faith, family and personal life. Adam, I love that these principles guide his approach to business and leadership. His blend of professional life and deeply held values creates an inspiring story. So, as a coach, adam succeeds in addressing the everyday challenges that businesses come across, and he brings a huge amount of experience to the table. His coaching philosophy is rooted in a commitment for two long term success, emphasizing the importance of building a strong foundation without shortcuts. So, adam, welcome, welcome. Welcome to the Inclusive Networker podcast. I'm so happy to have you today.
Speaker 2:Well, it's great to be here After an introduction like that. I don't know if I even need to say anything, so you made me feel really good. So I know it sounds like a lot of success, but the lens that I really look at life through is success is really achieved by failing over and over again and never giving up. So all of those highlights sound great, but they're filled with peaks and valleys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. So I think that's so relatable and that's something that we all deal with. And so, as you were talking about your lens and the different things that shaped who you are, tell us a little bit more about your lens. How did you get here and how do you kind of see the world?
Speaker 2:Well, it depends on the day and what my wife tells me, how I see the world. So it's really recognizing what season you're in. So there really isn't a boilerplate way to look at business or life or faith or family. There's really that self-awareness of what season am I in, what do I want to accomplish, what do I need to do to get there and am I up for it. And so right now I've had success as an entrepreneur, but I'm also advising other entrepreneurs and there really isn't a A plus B equals C answer. It's more of a self-discovery process again of where you are and what you want to do and then understanding the cost that it's going to take on you personally, in your business and your family in order to achieve those goals. And once you have that awareness, then you have clarity on what you need to do to get there.
Speaker 1:Wow, I mean, I got so many nuggets just out of that piece. So when we think about the season that we're in and I love that you said that there is no cookie cutter answer, because our lens does change, and that's such an amazing point to bring out is that we have to kind of flow with this season, right. And then you say count the cost. And I think that's so important is that, yes, our season's changed and there's different things that we need to do at a certain time, but we also need to count the cost and know exactly not exactly where we're going, but what we're doing and how much it's going to cost to make sure that we're prepared for the next season. So love that, thank you.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And it's not just financial cost, right? I mentioned, there's collateral damage. In every gain there's a loss, and so as you're gaining in your business, it can affect you personally, it can affect your family and again, it's not that those things are bad things, it's just the self-awareness of that actual cost to achieve what you want.
Speaker 1:So now we're talking about wins and losses and I know last week my guest had gone to the Super Bowl so we talked a little bit about football and all of the cool things that she did. And you were a professional basketball player and so I'm back into the sports folks this week and so that's exciting. And so tell me a little bit about you as a former basketball player and how your experience kind of just influenced your approach to leadership and then in teamwork right, because you had to be a part of a team as a professional basketball player. So tell me a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:Well, my path to becoming a professional basketball player was really backwards to what most people do. So I grew up, obviously, in the Detroit area playing basketball. Played in high school, year of college. Then I dropped out of college and decided to start my own business out of my apartment. I started with a couple hundred bucks, turned it into a multi-million dollar business.
Speaker 2:I sold that, started another company, sold that and then, after that company, at the age of 32, I had had a lot of success in business, but I still had this love and passion for the game of basketball and I told you my wife tells me how, what lens I'm looking at life through.
Speaker 2:Well, she gave me the the go ahead to pursue a dream of becoming a professional basketball player. So I was actually 32 years old, hadn't played in a decade organized basketball, trained for six months and then ended up getting invited to a combine in Dayton, ohio and ended up making the Rochester, new York razor shark basketball team. So I was 32 years old when that happened. And you asked what I learned through sports, and I relate sports and business as a very close parallel, because you got to have passion, you have competition, you have to build a team, you have to recognize the strengths of your team and your own strengths. And how do you get that music to play well together, because you can have a lot of talent? We've seen it in the NBA they put these dream teams together and they still don't win because they don't have the chemistry as a team and then, oftentimes, the right coaching that can get them all to fit together and work together.
Speaker 1:And it's funny because my son loves basketball and so he's always looking at YouTube and he's looking at all of these different professional teams and he thinks that basketball is what I call showboating, adam. So showboating is doing fancy things. After you either make a touchdown or make a basket, you're doing some kind of dance, and I always tell him no, you got to build the foundation, you've got to build the fundamentals, you got to do that shot so many times in practice that when you get out on the field or out on the court, it feels more natural and it happens more often. And so I think that's so true of business as well.
Speaker 1:Right Is that we try to do all these fancy things. We're not really setting the foundation and learning the fundamentals and all of the things that we need to do. We're not being consistent and doing the same thing over and over and over until we get it right. And so I love this idea that you talk about with teams, but I think that it also goes into business when you talk about the idea of avoiding shortcuts, right, and really building that foundation. And so tell me a little bit more about that. You've talked about avoiding shortcuts. Just elaborate on that philosophy and then how it really impacts that long term success that we're all looking for.
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, what's your son's name, jordan? Well, first of all, great name for basketball. Secondly, jordan, listen to your mother. That's great advice. Stop showboating.
Speaker 1:You're hearing it from a former professional basketball player.
Speaker 2:So listen to mom, she's right. But if you go back and study and watch guys like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, yes, the things that they're able to do are incredible. They do things that no one else could do or probably ever will be able to do, but they were very focused on the fundamentals. So I had a referee from the 2012 Olympics who watched Kobe Bryant in practice, and there was a day that he was missing shots or whatever, and he said I'm going to make 300 shots from this one spot before I leave the gym. So the whole team had to stay until Kobe was done, making 300 shots from one spot on the left side of the court. And so the point of that is is they were masters of the fundamentals their footwork, the way they dribble the ball, the way they play defense all the fundamentals are there.
Speaker 2:And once you have that strong foundation, then you're able to just build on top of that for that one to 2% that no one else could do, and the same thing applies in business. So you get an idea as an entrepreneur oh, I wanna go build this technology. And you get so focused on the top of building the penthouse suite and you haven't even laid down the foundation, you don't have a proper financial model, you don't have a business plan to go to market strategy, you don't understand how your product fits in the market and what problems you're solving. So you start building the top of the building before you have that foundation. And we all know what happens there is it eventually at some point will collapse and it's either gonna put you out of business or cost you millions of dollars when you go to exit the business.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so obviously, not having a strong foundation is a huge problem, and so, as we're thinking about the practicality of this and the advice that you could give us, so what is the advice that you could give aspiring entrepreneurs if they're just starting out, they're starting their business, and especially as it relates to those terms of building a strong foundation, what are the things that we need to do to make sure that foundation is built before we start showboating?
Speaker 2:Well, it's tough to you have to start. The first thing you do is you take action and that action is gonna give you feedback on what decisions you need to make because, having been there before, at the beginning you don't know what you're doing. So what small steps can you take forward? That'll give you feedback and then you can adjust accordingly, read and react and then continue to make better decisions down the road. But they have to understand that everything has a cost and you're either gonna pay with your time or money and hiring expert advice, a business coach, business advisor. It may be some investment upfront, but they will give you the blueprints on how to build that foundation and make sure your business is positioned for success.
Speaker 2:And I know it's tough, right? You're just starting the business. You may not have a lot of money, but you're gonna pay for it in some way, shape or form. It's time, it's lost opportunity. So hiring a business advisor can help you shortcut some of that process or accelerate that process. And the second thing is I tell my sons I have four boys, three teenagers. Oh, wow, yeah, exactly. I say other things at times, but I tell them show me your five friends and I'll show you who you are, and so if you're able to get around successful people that are where you wanna be, they're going to inspire you, show you the path and how they got there and give you an objective view on your business and you as an entrepreneur that you're oftentimes blind to see. It's tough to see your own deficiencies, and entrepreneurs are very type A and they think they're always right and they're not. So you need someone that's gonna tell you what you need to hear.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, first kudos to you to have for having three teenage boys. Are all three teenagers? You said three boys. I have four boys three of them are teenage.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so there's 17, 15, 14 and 10.
Speaker 1:Whew, okay, so I have a almost 17 year old daughter not a boy and then the seven year old boy, and so I can completely understand about teenagers, but I cannot imagine having three at one time. So that's a business in itself, right.
Speaker 2:It is.
Speaker 1:Right, yes, oh, my goodness, okay. So when we're talking about this advice and the different things that we wanna do, having that coach, you said, is the first thing. So I just wanna reiterate the points that you just said. So having the coach and then getting around people that have that entrepreneurial mindset, who are trying to move forward not your friends who don't understand business, who always have wanted to just work a job, go in and leave and not actually own a business or be a CEO or run things those people are not always the best people to give advice. In fact, they're not the best people to give advice because they haven't done what you're trying to do right. And so making sure that we get around the right people, have the right coaching and have the right support system so that we are able to move forward.
Speaker 1:So I think that that is a wonderful, wonderful advice. So we were just talking about our children. So this is something that is really, really important for the women in the Inclusive Networker community and that is balance. And so you talk about family and business and all of the different demands that we all have, and it's really good to hear somebody else say this is tough, but this is how I do it, and so how do you balance all of this? You've got the demands of entrepreneurship, your other roles, responsibilities you are, and a senior executive you have a team team co-owner all of these different things. And so tell us a little bit about your advice on balance and how you kind of bring that into fruition.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm afraid to give women any advice. No, I'm kidding.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll put that disclaimer on this.
Speaker 2:Just in general. It's come over time, like when I was. I've been married for 20 years and so I've just learned and my wife and I have grown in this, which is after. I've just had different seasons in life Like, okay, with my first business, I'm just grinding, I'm working 24 seven. We didn't have kids at the time, so it was just that constant grind and I could just focus on the business.
Speaker 2:As life changes as you get married, it's really about, and what I coach entrepreneurs again is it's communicating. If you are married, you know, and or just understanding yourself. Again back to seasons what season am I in and if it is at the right time For me to build a business, because when you are an entrepreneur, there is no work life balance. It's 24 7. That's just what it is to start a business and that's what it takes. And what I've been able to do is just communicate with my wife and my family like, hey, I'm in build mode, so the time that I Spend with you will be quality, but the quantity during that time will go down and it's again just come through Failing a lot of times in that communication to now having that self-awareness to say, okay, this is the mode we're in. This is the season we're in, and Making sure the time that I do spend with them is quality, if the quantity is is going down.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's really good advice and I think that that's important for all of us. Especially it's new entrepreneurs. You know, as you have gotten into the process and you might be making more money, the family might understand, but a little bit more. But in that very beginning, a lot of times there's not a lot of proof that this thing is gonna work. Everybody's stepping out on faith. We are trying to just figure out how we're gonna all make it happen and I think that communication pieces is so, so good and it's such an important part of what we need to do to succeed as an entrepreneur and to continue to have that family support.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and and what you just said, the faith part, right, that's one area I I never compromise in, because that is my Foundation is my faith in God and knowing that, he has great plans for me and he will fulfill those plans regardless of what Failures I may have.
Speaker 2:He will always fill the gap for me. So that's been a constant area that I don't compromise in and it makes me a better Leader as a business and makes me a better father, better husband. So I Make sure that that is the first part of my foundation and anything I do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that we don't talk about that enough, because we're always talking about the skills that we need as an entrepreneur. And I know that I was talking with Eric Thomas, who is, you know, very famous motivational speaker. He was training us in a speaking program that I do and he said it's really not your skillset, it's how your soul sit right. He said this is why I made it so much further than a lot of people, because I did the soul work, not just the skill work. And so there's so much.
Speaker 1:And I know Kane the she's a pastor she talks about the fact that if you are into the light and you are Getting all of this recognition and you haven't done what you needed to do, then the light will crush you. And so I think that that is so important for us to bring out to entrepreneurs that you can do as much skill work as you want you. Everybody can kind of have that same thing, but what really sets you apart is that faith work, that soul work that you have been doing, and that is the the true game changer, and so I think that's such an important point to bring out.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I'm big Eric Thomas fan, also love listening to him, and he talks about wanting to succeed more than you want to breathe. Yeah, any volunteers to become an entrepreneur? That's, that's what it takes.
Speaker 1:So that's what it takes right and and that's that's tough right and do it when you really think about that, cuz it sounds cute and all of that, but when you think about the concept of not being able to breathe and having to push past that, that is, it's deep, it really is deep. And so, yes, so faith, family, all of that is so important as we're building our lives as entrepreneurs. And so I want to go back to one thing, and I think this is really important to the inclusive network or community, when you were talking about avoiding Shortcuts. I want to talk about that a little bit more. I want to dig deep on that for just a minute, because I think that, as we are building our business, a Lot of people don't realize they're taking shortcuts.
Speaker 1:Sometimes they just jump up to the top. They don't, they're not willing to invest. They want people to invest in them, but they're not willing to invest. And so let's talk about what are some of the shortcuts that you normally see as Individuals are building their businesses, and then how do we avoid those particular things? So you can, you know, give us three or however many you want.
Speaker 2:Well, I, the easiest example that everyone can understand is health and fitness Right, and comparing it to that like first you see how to get great abs in 10 minutes and then someone comes out with how to get great abs in seven minutes and then it's six minutes. So we're just, it's human nature, it's American culture to try to find the path of lease resistance. And what I tell entrepreneurs? That without a struggle there's no growth. That's how you make gains in the gym. You go there to break down muscle. Yeah, tear the muscle, go, rest, recover and the muscles continue to grow.
Speaker 2:It's the same thing in business doing the difficult things are what's gonna create the growth in your business, and it's just a mindset of translating struggle equals growth and to the degree of what you want to accomplish, that's the amount of resistance that you're going to go through through the process. So it's really a mindset thing is is the shortcut that I see most people make, as they're looking for that Quick fix. I need a million followers on Instagram. I want to get a hundred thousand views on YouTube. Well, there isn't a shortcut to that. You have to be consistent and understand the compound effect, and Albert Einstein Viewed the compound effect as the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it collects it, and he who doesn't pays it.
Speaker 2:So every decision you make is building into the future self of you, and so what I will run entrepreneurs through is what's called an investment in, and cost to analysis and Every dollar that you're spending. Is this an investment in the future of my business or is it a cost to the future of my business? And there are things that just cost. It's part of running a business. But, having that awareness, am I investing in the future of my business With this decision and and with this investment? So the shortcuts I see are Trying to get build a brand on social media like that's. That's number one. People are always looking for a gimmick. Number two is lead generation. So if you're a coach or an advisor, oh, I'll fill your calendar with 30 appointments a week and all these different lead gimmicks out there. So just use your, use your brain and think if someone had a way to 10 extra business in six months, they wouldn't tell anybody, they would just do it in their own business.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the the idea of patience and consistency right. I was listening to John Maxwell and he talked about this idea of bruised trees and he said that you know, you can think about bruised trees or all the trees out in your backyard and you have an axe and you go and you hit a tree and then you move to the next tree and you go and hit that tree and you keep moving to the next tree and you hit that tree and eventually you Turn around and you look in your yard and all you have is a bunch of bruised trees. You never knock anything down because you didn't stick with it long enough, you weren't consistent enough to actually be able to make a change and to do something that was Meaningful. And so I think about that analogy all the time and and how we are as entrepreneurs, that oftentimes we have so many bruised trees. We just hit at something for a minute, we hear the next shiny object, the next gimmick, and then we go hit at that and we're just not consistent enough with the really simple Things, I mean the.
Speaker 1:What it takes to build a business or to generate leads is really not hard. It's just takes time and it takes consistency and it takes making sure that you have the system set up properly, and so I think that's such a good point that you're making is that you know, we, we hop, hop, hop from gimmick to gimmick, and we just got to be consistent and we have to to talk to somebody. Going back to your earlier point, talk to somebody who knows what they're doing, to avoid the issues of, oh, let's try this, let's try that, let's do this, and so such good, such a good point there. The last thing I want you to do is just kind of tell us about a Specific business principle or strategy. So what is it that is crucial for any entrepreneur, it doesn't matter their industry, their niche. What is it that is a great business strategy or principle that you can leave us with today?
Speaker 2:a great business principle is finding people that are where you want to be. It really is just Learning from those that have gone before you is the fastest path to success. So there really isn't a hey, do this first thing when you start a business, or here's the five things you need to do, because every entrepreneur, every product, is different I encourage people to. The best investment you can make is in yourself. It's one that will return for the rest of your life, and part of investing in yourself is educating yourself and then getting advice From other people. Wisdom is found in the Council of many, and so surrounding yourself with people that care about you as an entrepreneur, because you can't pour from an empty cup and you have to fill yourself up in order to Be able to lead other people. That's the best form of leadership, is self leadership, and that will inspire those around you. So listening to podcasts like yours your audience is benefiting greatly from what you're doing, so congratulations on that. I'm sure they're being inspired by it, and there's so much free information available podcast, YouTube's, audible books, but then also just having a real human that is has some intuition, compassion and Objective thinking is just a great starting place.
Speaker 2:Join a community of entrepreneurs is Some of the best time you can spend, because you realize you're not alone. Your struggles aren't unique to you. There are things that every entrepreneur goes through and that will give you the confidence and inspiration and successful people have the ability to transfer their energy and success into you. It builds your confidence, your passion and, when you're down on yourself, understanding that I've been broke I slept on the floor of my boss's apartment and I had my heat turned off. So I've been there. I've been the sleepless nights trying to come up with 50 grand for payroll. I've watched my stock price drop from 20 bucks to 10 bucks in a day. I've lived every imaginable thing an entrepreneur can go through, and it's in those times I find inspiration, hearing from others that they've gone through the same thing.
Speaker 1:Yes, that is so good, and so, adam, thank you for pouring into the Inclusive Networker community. This has been absolutely amazing so many great gems that you have given us today, and so I know that they are going to want to stay in touch with you, so tell us about what's your next big project? How do we stay in touch with you after this podcast is over?
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, you can see behind me. I have my own podcast called the House of Bricks, and we teach entrepreneurs how to use every experience like a brick to build a strong foundation. So you can find me on Apple, spotify, the House of Bricks podcast, adam House, and we feature NBA athletes, super Bowl champions, nba champions, top CEOs, keynote speakers so really a great list of guests and encourage people to keep listening to your podcast as well. And you can find me on LinkedIn. Just look up Adam House. I do weekly live events talking about business. So some of the questions you had for me. We go into detail, practical steps, step by step, of how to get your foundation built in your business, and you can also go to my website, adamhousesenior, so AdamHouseSRcom and find out more information there. But LinkedIn is a great way to connect with me and get more business information, practical advice on how to grow and scale your business.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, thank you, you have been an amazing guest, adam, and thank you all for listening to this episode of the Inclusive Networker podcast. You can find Adam's information in the show notes and we will see you on the next episode of the Inclusive Networker. See ya.
Speaker 2:Have me.
Speaker 1:And that wraps up another episode of the Inclusive Networker podcast. I want to express my sincere gratitude to you, our listeners, for joining us on this journey of learning and growth. Your support and engagement are truly, truly appreciated. But before we go, I have something special for our business owners out there. If you're looking to take your business to new heights, I've created a game changer just for you, introducing I Engage you. It is the SOS, that is, the systems, operations and support for your business. It is the all-in-one platform designed to ignite explosive growth for women and minority-owned businesses.
Speaker 1:Imagine a world where your business runs seamlessly, where overwhelm becomes a thing of the past and you finally have both a thriving business and a life you love. With I Engage you, you can conversationally convert leads from your pocket. You can generate sales with the push of a button and effortlessly scale your online reputation. And here's the best part you can experience the power of I Engage you with a 14-day free trial. It's time to increase your business efficiency, reduce overwhelm and step into a future of success. So head over to IEngageYoucom to start your 14-day free trial today, thank you. Thank you again for being part of the Inclusive Networker community. Until next time, keep networking inclusively and thriving in your journey of success. Take care and we'll catch you in the next episode.