840: Putting FUN first in your business w/ Pete Kusiak

WEBVTT

00:00:00.119 --> 00:00:01.102
Hey, what is up?

00:00:01.102 --> 00:00:04.511
Welcome to this episode of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur podcast.

00:00:04.511 --> 00:00:07.886
As always, I'm your host, Brian Lofermento, and I'll tell you what.

00:00:07.886 --> 00:00:16.693
You all know that I already think what I get to do is so much fun, and today's guest is a big believer that business should always be fun.

00:00:16.693 --> 00:00:18.364
So let me tell you about him.

00:00:18.643 --> 00:00:20.147
His name is Pete Kusiak.

00:00:20.147 --> 00:00:24.344
He's the franchise guru who knows how to bring the fun into business.

00:00:24.344 --> 00:00:35.112
With a track record of success owning and coaching franchises for over 20 years, Pete's innovative strategies have transformed businesses, boosting revenue and workplace happiness.

00:00:35.112 --> 00:00:41.412
His passion lies in creating organizations that are not only exciting but also irresistible.

00:00:41.412 --> 00:00:45.122
What a standard for all of us to aspire to for our own businesses.

00:00:45.122 --> 00:00:53.149
By using his fun first strategy, Pete motivates teams, improves company culture and drives sales and operations to new heights.

00:00:53.149 --> 00:00:54.549
I also wanna give a shout out.

00:00:54.549 --> 00:00:57.872
I always respect people who publish a book.

00:00:57.872 --> 00:01:06.522
It is no small feat, and Pete is the author of his new book, Drop the F-bomb in your business, which we already know.

00:01:06.522 --> 00:01:10.783
F-bomb's not going to be that F-bomb, I'm willing to bet it's going to be fun, but we're going to hear all about that here today.

00:01:10.783 --> 00:01:14.171
So let's dive straight into my interview with Pete Kusiak.

00:01:14.171 --> 00:01:20.608
All right, Pete, I am so excited that you're here with us.

00:01:20.608 --> 00:01:21.731
Welcome to the show.

00:01:22.500 --> 00:01:23.784
Thanks so much for having me.

00:01:23.784 --> 00:01:25.349
I'm equally as excited.

00:01:25.349 --> 00:01:29.049
Heck, yeah, I expect you to be If you're the guy who brings fun into business.

00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:31.626
You've got a high standard to live up to here today.

00:01:31.626 --> 00:01:34.064
So first things first take us beyond the bio.

00:01:34.064 --> 00:01:35.512
Who the heck is Beat Pete?

00:01:35.512 --> 00:01:37.600
How'd you start having so much fun doing business?

00:01:38.302 --> 00:01:49.579
You know it all started, like you said in my bio, about 20 plus years ago when I got out of college and landed a job at a children's fitness franchise.

00:01:49.579 --> 00:02:05.960
So I was just a manager at a business called the Little Gym and it was all about fun and growing skills with kids and really I had an amazing work experience Right work experience, right.

00:02:05.960 --> 00:02:12.901
So to the degree that I was invited to work for that corporate headquarters, coaching, training, mentoring other franchisees on the business model.

00:02:12.901 --> 00:02:16.270
So eventually I tease everybody.

00:02:16.270 --> 00:02:25.650
When you're around entrepreneurs and successful people and you're giving them advice and seeing them flourish, it's common to get the itch.

00:02:26.180 --> 00:02:38.241
So my wife and I decided we were going to open our own businesses back in the late 2000s and we opened three of them, three little gyms, in a five-year time span and the rest is kind of history.

00:02:38.241 --> 00:02:46.586
We built a great little operation here in Charlotte, north Carolina, to the degree where I could step back away from the day-to-day operations.

00:02:46.586 --> 00:02:57.740
I had gotten opportunities to consult and coach with other franchise brands, bringing some fun and operational experience to their franchises.

00:02:57.740 --> 00:03:04.913
And yeah, the rest has been a joy, because one day I was just reflecting about my own businesses.

00:03:04.913 --> 00:03:12.556
A joy because one day I was just reflecting about my own businesses, right, and was thinking about businesses that I was coaching and consulting over the years.

00:03:12.616 --> 00:03:14.320
And why were businesses so successful?

00:03:14.320 --> 00:03:16.044
Why were they not successful?

00:03:16.044 --> 00:03:27.189
Right, and I knew that the ones that were having the most fun, the one that had a lot of joy, passion, amazing culture, great people, those were the businesses that were winning.

00:03:27.189 --> 00:03:47.242
They were being super successful, right, including the ones that I was associated with, and I said to myself, if I could create a tangible strategy that infuses fun and work, it'd be a home run right, that this thing called business doesn't have to be such a grind, it doesn't have to be difficult.

00:03:47.242 --> 00:03:57.211
It can actually be filled with amazing experiences, so much fun, and create opportunities for your people and yourself to have really truthful workplace happiness.

00:03:57.211 --> 00:04:01.372
So that's why I wrote the book Drop the F-bomb in your Business with the fun first strategy.

00:04:01.372 --> 00:04:08.104
And, yeah, it's all about bringing fun inside of your business to create that workplace happiness.

00:04:08.725 --> 00:04:23.964
Yeah, I love that overview for so many reasons, pete, but first and foremost, we're obviously talking to so many entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in over 150 countries right now, and I already know some of them must probably be thinking, pete and Brian, this stuff is not always fun.

00:04:23.964 --> 00:04:30.089
Talk to us about those moments where it isn't always fun, because, of course, business has those peaks and valleys.

00:04:30.089 --> 00:04:38.668
I want to hear your perspective on that, because you've ridden the waves through multiple businesses of your own, through working inside of multiple different franchises.

00:04:38.668 --> 00:04:41.942
Talk to us about those peaks and valleys that we inevitably face.

00:04:42.644 --> 00:04:46.834
Yeah, yeah, thanks for bringing up the pain points.

00:04:46.834 --> 00:04:48.583
No, it's all good.

00:04:48.583 --> 00:04:56.130
Actually, it's neat because when we first started our businesses, my wife and I, it was the recession here in the US, right, the Great Recession.

00:04:56.130 --> 00:05:02.327
So you know we had obstacles we needed to overcome, obviously then in the pandemic, right.

00:05:02.327 --> 00:05:16.670
So there were certainly points in our business ownership that we had to get creative, we had to use strategy, we had to go deep into financials and make sure that we were making great decisions from an operating capital perspective.

00:05:16.670 --> 00:05:24.680
And I think for me, I was fortunate enough that the product that we had was fun, right.

00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:38.634
We still got to go and enjoy what we were doing every day make a difference in kids' lives, make great relationships with customers and make those bad days a little bit more enjoyable, right.

00:05:39.995 --> 00:05:52.444
Maybe in an industry that perhaps the product isn't as fun or as glamorous or doesn't yield necessarily to what you would traditionally call a fun environment, I say you have to find the ways to infuse that right.

00:05:52.444 --> 00:06:02.286
So, whether that's the walls, right, your decorations, your break rooms, your area for escape, make sure they're fun right.

00:06:02.286 --> 00:06:07.574
Make sure there's some levels of entertainment in there for your people to enjoy, for yourself to enjoy.

00:06:07.574 --> 00:06:11.764
I always encourage everybody to take mandatory fun breaks as well.

00:06:11.764 --> 00:06:16.762
I think that's a really important piece because there's so many diverse perspectives on fun.

00:06:16.762 --> 00:06:22.682
You know you can't just put a game board in a break room and everybody's going to play it, right.

00:06:22.682 --> 00:06:25.230
If they don't like that game, they're just going to sit there and collect dust.

00:06:25.230 --> 00:06:30.848
So make sure you find common things that everybody enjoys before you start putting those fun elements together.

00:06:30.848 --> 00:06:53.740
But you know, if there's opportunities to put fun in your operations right Whether it be through technology and creating opportunities for speed and communication and interactions with your customers so that they can have a more fun experience with you I would recommend that and certainly recommend that you do that.

00:06:53.740 --> 00:06:57.790
Customer service is a great way to infuse fun with your customers.

00:06:57.790 --> 00:06:58.310
Right.

00:06:58.310 --> 00:07:12.603
Telling jokes, little friendly competitions, things like that go a long way that maybe your product isn't quite as fun, but your customer service and the things that you're doing with your customers can be, you know.

00:07:12.603 --> 00:07:20.223
So, yes, there's always opportunities, you know, for you to look inside your business and say where can I add the fun?

00:07:20.223 --> 00:07:24.490
And lastly, I would say, your people right.

00:07:24.790 --> 00:07:36.661
And we hear about work culture a lot and I feel that if you are building a culture surrounded around fun, where you have common interests, commonalities.

00:07:36.661 --> 00:07:41.093
You're bringing people in that understand your tidbits of quirkiness.

00:07:41.093 --> 00:07:48.226
It's going to work really well because you're going to find opportunities to enjoy those interactions with each other, right.

00:07:48.226 --> 00:08:05.209
Even when times get tough, even when you have to analyze your business numbers, even when you have to hit KPIs, even when you have to, you know, do some of those harder decisions, you're still having those social interactions with a team of people that you care about but also share common interests in the things that you all like to do for fun.

00:08:05.209 --> 00:08:10.117
So it could be, you know, lots of laughter, lots of silliness.

00:08:10.858 --> 00:08:19.379
I employ a strategy called the principle of play P-L-A-Y and that's to prioritize laughter and youth, or youthfulness, right.

00:08:19.379 --> 00:08:25.062
So remember the things that make you laugh, remember the things that make you feel young, things that make you laugh.

00:08:25.062 --> 00:08:27.550
Remember the things that make you feel young, maybe the things you did as a kid.

00:08:27.550 --> 00:08:30.117
Infuse those into your, your business, and you'll, and you'll flourish.

00:08:30.117 --> 00:08:39.567
You really will, because your focus will be on finding the fun as opposed to finding a solution for something that's hard you're going to be looking for.

00:08:39.567 --> 00:08:41.072
Hey, how do we make this fun?

00:08:41.072 --> 00:08:46.961
That's our igniter question how can we make this fun in a in a tough problem how can we make this fun in a tough problem solving situation?

00:08:46.961 --> 00:08:59.240
And then you'll see that that cognitive thought opens up because you're so more creative, you're so more positive and it actually becomes fun in that process of doing the problem solving.

00:08:59.883 --> 00:09:01.727
Yeah, I love the way you answered that, pete.

00:09:01.727 --> 00:09:02.730
Find the fun.

00:09:02.730 --> 00:09:06.546
I think that's such an important thing, and I also want to call something out for listeners right there.

00:09:06.546 --> 00:09:16.068
You said even when we need to meet those KPIs, even when we need to do all of those things, this isn't an alternative to doing those essential business tasks.

00:09:16.068 --> 00:09:38.534
This is part of achieving those goals, and I think that's so important and it's also why, when you talk about the fun, first strategy, I love the fact that you somehow managed to squeeze in both the word fun and strategy, which people like to think are polar opposites in the world of business, and I personally, I love strategies, I love formulas, I love frameworks, because those are things that we can actually follow.

00:09:38.595 --> 00:09:50.885
And so for people out there who are saying, well, pete, hearing you talk about these things, having a game room, if we've got an in-person office, for example, and an in-person team, that's cool, but what does that strategy look like you talked about?

00:09:50.885 --> 00:09:52.230
Ah, that's such a cool concept.

00:09:52.230 --> 00:09:58.878
The igniter question of asking ourselves that Is this a weekly process and strategy that we implement?

00:09:58.878 --> 00:10:00.522
Is it something we think about daily?

00:10:00.522 --> 00:10:05.091
Talk to us about that actual strategic part of your framework daily.

00:10:05.110 --> 00:10:07.696
Talk to us about that actual strategic part of your framework.

00:10:07.696 --> 00:10:15.424
Yeah, you know it really, to truthfully, drop the F-bomb, the fun bomb in your business.

00:10:15.424 --> 00:10:29.802
It's a way to compound different strategies that I wrote about in the book, right From a daily dose of fun to the entire bomb of detonation right, which is kind of building up through monthly, quarterly, yearly and things like that.

00:10:29.802 --> 00:10:40.190
But I find that once you find a common interest amongst your team, right, then you can start to theme and build upon these ideas.

00:10:40.190 --> 00:10:41.192
And I'll give you a good example.

00:10:41.192 --> 00:10:45.409
I've been working with a lot of folks recently that that are big in golf.

00:10:45.409 --> 00:10:57.140
It seems like golf is huge right in in corporate america and I love that because if you have a team of people that all rally behind golf or enjoy that type of atmosphere, you can really build on it.

00:10:57.140 --> 00:11:08.725
So I encourage them that every morning somebody kind of take the initiative to send a motivational quote around golf, and you can find those online Super easy, right, and you just email everybody.

00:11:08.725 --> 00:11:11.008
You know there's a common interest about golf anyway.

00:11:11.008 --> 00:11:34.423
So they're starting their day with a dose of fun, right, a motivational quote around something they love, and then at the middle of the week they're having a little time, some break time, to do some putt putt around the office right, and then, quarterly, what they'll do is they'll find opportunities to have an event that they can go out and do.

00:11:34.423 --> 00:11:34.783
They.

00:11:34.783 --> 00:11:49.940
Most of the time it's they'll grab a tea time or something like that, make that a priority for the quarter and that all kind of culminates to the end of the year where they always find a golf like a PGA tournament that they go and visit right.

00:11:49.940 --> 00:12:03.164
So you have like this sequence of themes throughout this process where you're playing as you're actually working, achieving goals, hitting business metrics, because you're going to celebrate that toward the end.

00:12:03.299 --> 00:12:16.537
But I think the big shift in mindset that happens is when I talk with companies they're like well, we have fun, we go to these outings, we do things like that, and I said that is absolutely wonderful and I want to applaud you.

00:12:16.537 --> 00:12:23.881
But why is it always associated with the activity of hitting an achievement right?

00:12:23.881 --> 00:12:35.673
So that kind of artificial dichotomy that says if you work hard, then you can play right, or if you hit this goal, then we can go have some fun.

00:12:35.673 --> 00:12:39.842
And sometimes it's very damning right To a company culture.

00:12:39.842 --> 00:12:45.451
It's very damning to a company that if you're setting a goal too high, you're dangling the carrot of fun.

00:12:45.511 --> 00:12:56.889
I call it right, and you have to be very cautious not to dangle that carrot of fun with a goal that's not achievable, because then there's no fun along the way and people end up burning out, right.

00:12:56.889 --> 00:13:10.566
So if you find that common interest and you can infuse that into things throughout your week, right, throughout a month, throughout a quarter, and then something big toward the end, I feel like that really motivates people throughout the process, right.

00:13:10.566 --> 00:13:21.875
So and you can read about that a little bit deeper in the book and I give tons more of examples of how you can, you know, take that strategy from a timing perspective and infuse that into your day.

00:13:21.875 --> 00:13:25.081
It doesn't have to be so, so large, you know.

00:13:25.081 --> 00:13:40.725
You can start small, which just like hey, we're at minimum going to start with a quarterly fun initiative, right, and I've got my playbook built into the actual book on 60, 70 different ideas on how to inject fun into the business.

00:13:41.590 --> 00:13:43.618
Yeah gosh, a fun initiative.

00:13:43.618 --> 00:13:48.789
I like the sounds of that, Pete, and I can imagine every team benefits from having fun initiatives.

00:13:48.789 --> 00:13:55.850
And, as someone who's always thinking in quarterly terms, we run quarterly retreats here behind the scenes at the entrepreneur to entrepreneur podcast.

00:13:55.850 --> 00:14:02.253
It's it's a really actionable timeline that also always has something nearby on the horizon to look forward to.

00:14:02.253 --> 00:14:05.591
So I love hearing the way you think about that and the way you talk about that.

00:14:06.113 --> 00:14:12.644
One thing that I also find fascinating I know you touch on this in your book drop the F bomb in your business is those generational gaps.

00:14:12.644 --> 00:14:20.975
You talked about finding those common interests, and I would imagine that today's workplace has people of all different ages inside of teams.

00:14:20.975 --> 00:14:24.342
Talk to us about those generational gaps, because I know some of what.

00:14:24.342 --> 00:14:26.539
My sister, for example, is just six years younger than me.

00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:31.410
Sometimes I feel like that is a wildly different generation even than my age group.

00:14:31.410 --> 00:14:38.778
So and that's not even looking on the other side of the spectrum of people who are even further along in their careers how do you attack that?

00:14:38.778 --> 00:14:42.432
Because fun probably is a bit different across that spectrum.

00:14:43.897 --> 00:14:48.693
It can be for sure, it can totally be different, but I find that one, the common interest, right.

00:14:48.693 --> 00:14:52.264
So, whether you do, you play some games to see what the common interests are.

00:14:52.264 --> 00:15:06.760
You just you know, you're observant as a leader to see what the, what the themes seem to be with, with the talking points before meetings or in social groups seem to be, and you'll start to to to hear things that are in common.

00:15:06.760 --> 00:15:17.600
Music is a great generational, you know, right, maybe the style or the artist or things like that, but usually people can appreciate music.

00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:21.792
I found, though, that fun really is universal.

00:15:21.792 --> 00:15:30.496
It's just the, the way you go about doing it, and the games and activities that you choose are are going to be what may vary, right, right.

00:15:30.496 --> 00:15:34.554
So I think about this, right, I like card games.

00:15:34.554 --> 00:15:45.078
I actually enjoy from time to time I'll go to the casino and things like that, but I bet, if I asked you if you know how to play blackjack, you would say yeah, I could play blackjack.

00:15:45.078 --> 00:15:47.056
Well, you know who taught me how to play blackjack?

00:15:47.056 --> 00:15:54.754
My 80 something year old grandmother, right, and it's something that we bonded and connected over.

00:15:54.754 --> 00:16:03.470
We would play blackjack right as kids, or she even taught me how to play solitaire before the computer, right, we were doing it manually with the card deck and things like that.

00:16:03.470 --> 00:16:08.039
So, again, could you imagine that you found that interest amongst your team?

00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:12.113
Right, you were able to send out a survey or you played a game.

00:16:12.113 --> 00:16:19.881
If you use any of the icebreakers in my book, you can play a game at a team meeting and find common interests, right, and then you can build upon that.

00:16:20.669 --> 00:16:25.684
Cooking is another amazing opportunity to unite a team.

00:16:25.684 --> 00:16:27.509
Cooking has come up quite a bit lately.

00:16:27.509 --> 00:16:36.221
Or food right, and I have a lot of teams that have told me, oh, like we like to celebrate by going out to eat and different things and trying different foods.

00:16:36.221 --> 00:16:42.006
That's wonderful, it's a great area and it's a great unifier amongst your team.

00:16:42.006 --> 00:16:54.436
Cultural differences right, Especially if you have a diverse culture in your working environment and being experienced to different types of foods, have been really wonderful and fun for people to show pride in.

00:16:54.436 --> 00:17:00.173
So I think it's just going deeper right, and not putting a label on.

00:17:00.173 --> 00:17:20.366
This is what I declare to be fun, because there's diverse perspectives of fun right, it's your job as a leader, as a business owner, as an executive, to really dive into your team of people to dive into the business, find the things that are common amongst them, the interests that are common, and then really take that to the next level.

00:17:20.990 --> 00:17:27.884
Yeah, really well said, pete, especially because this past weekend I was in Miami with some friends and they've got kids and it was so fascinating to me.

00:17:27.884 --> 00:17:32.258
These are a seven-year-old and a 10-year-old kid and I love your example because guess what they were playing?

00:17:32.258 --> 00:17:41.156
They whipped out some cards and they were playing blackjack and I was like, all right, well, different stakes than what we as adults like to play when it comes to blackjack, but it's the same.

00:17:41.156 --> 00:17:44.692
So I love seeing that perspective and you're right, some of those things are timeless.

00:17:44.692 --> 00:17:52.939
The diversity in your culture, that's such a powerful thing, because we all like to try new things, we all like to be exposed to totally different things.

00:17:53.338 --> 00:18:00.365
As someone speaking of Miami who cannot get enough of Venezuelan food, it's those explorations that keep life fun and engaging.

00:18:00.365 --> 00:18:02.066
So I love hearing your perspectives on that.

00:18:02.066 --> 00:18:14.912
I've got to ask you because, for me personally, so many of my teams are remote.

00:18:14.912 --> 00:18:18.924
We're spread out all across the world and I would imagine that you've given so much thought to this, even though you come from the franchise world, talking about little gyms for kids, for example.

00:18:18.924 --> 00:18:19.928
But today's day and age, slack is such a core part.

00:18:19.928 --> 00:18:25.321
Slack has become the water cooler, so to speak, talk to us about how this stuff plays into a worldwide remote team.

00:18:26.349 --> 00:18:26.569
Yeah.

00:18:26.569 --> 00:18:30.833
So, first and foremost, you need to use those communication platforms.

00:18:30.833 --> 00:18:33.534
Slack is a great example, but there's so many other ones.

00:18:33.534 --> 00:18:36.955
Utilize them, use them.

00:18:36.955 --> 00:18:50.525
I find that there's some platforms that give little badges, little tokens, little images and stuff when you are achieving goals and things like that, and that seems to make things kind of fun in the process as well, achieving these little badges and stuff.

00:18:50.525 --> 00:18:56.387
So I was just recently talking with a company that had built things like into their CRM about that.

00:18:56.387 --> 00:19:15.144
So utilizing technology is going to be paramount, right, and the thing about that is, when you are working remotely and bringing people into that environment, they have to be tech savvy, right, and be able to understand those types of platforms and tools that you're going to be using.

00:19:15.144 --> 00:19:17.230
But then take it to the next level, right.

00:19:17.230 --> 00:19:26.739
I find that, you know, taking that human touch and putting that back into a remote team really makes a big difference.

00:19:26.739 --> 00:19:27.934
And I'll give you an example.

00:19:28.190 --> 00:19:29.797
I think I work remotely.

00:19:29.797 --> 00:19:44.635
I've been working remote for a long time, even though I own businesses, and it's not uncommon for me to have somebody reach out and want to sell me a product or something and they'll say, oh, let's set up some coffee time and I love the idea of coffee time.

00:19:44.635 --> 00:19:58.412
Right, because I'm a big coffee drinker and I show up to the meetings right, these, these virtual meetings and I have my cup of coffee, but my person across the screen from me doesn't have their coffee and I'm always teasing where's your coffee?

00:19:58.412 --> 00:20:01.560
I thought that we're having coffee time, so I came up with this idea.

00:20:01.560 --> 00:20:11.582
I was like you know, if we injected that and truthfully had a no strings attached, this is kind of like a mandatory fun break with a remote team and, let's say, we have a common interest of coffee.

00:20:11.582 --> 00:20:16.101
I would want to make that as spread as possible.

00:20:16.101 --> 00:20:23.220
Right, like, hey, we have mandatory coffee time where we just take 10 minutes, enjoy a cup of coffee with a different co-worker each week.

00:20:23.220 --> 00:20:29.032
Right, you could take it to the next degree to put that human touch in there, especially on a sales front.

00:20:29.032 --> 00:20:41.936
Could you imagine doing this on a sales front that I am actually going to send you door dash you, venmo you, whatever I need to do a coffee that shows up to your door before we actually chat?

00:20:41.936 --> 00:20:45.445
How would that take your operations to the next level?

00:20:45.445 --> 00:20:47.310
How would that take your customer service to the next level?

00:20:47.310 --> 00:20:55.740
How would that connect your bond with a teammate even more right, by just putting that human touch in there.

00:20:55.740 --> 00:21:04.227
There's other things besides coffee, right, food always comes to mind, but cookies, flowers, different things that you guys can connect and unify over.

00:21:04.949 --> 00:21:10.170
But I find really, music tends to be a really good opportunity for remote teams.

00:21:10.170 --> 00:21:12.203
And I'll give you another great example.

00:21:12.203 --> 00:21:36.232
I was working with a company and they had folks all around the country but through a meeting they found that they all liked the same band, right, and the reason they found that out is because each week somebody would play DJ before the meeting started and they'd have a couple songs right that they'd be playing in the background and everybody kind of got to express themselves through music.

00:21:36.232 --> 00:21:39.183
And music they're like well, they all said, oh man, we all love that band.

00:21:39.183 --> 00:21:57.142
So the company ended up paying for everybody to go to a concert of this band right when that band was traveling to their cities, and so when they were at the concert they would actually dial in and FaceTime their team and show them the concert.

00:21:57.142 --> 00:21:57.983
And here they were.

00:21:57.983 --> 00:22:01.819
So they got to experience the concert like 12 different times right.

00:22:01.819 --> 00:22:06.226
One time in person but then 11 times through their counterparts.

00:22:06.226 --> 00:22:13.855
So it really made it a great opportunity for them to bond and connect around those things.

00:22:14.201 --> 00:22:17.089
So there's ways to do it, but you have to get creative.

00:22:17.089 --> 00:22:18.727
There's so many online games now.

00:22:18.727 --> 00:22:26.384
We could be playing checkers right now online, right, if we like checkers, and you can do that before icebreakers.

00:22:26.384 --> 00:22:36.280
I find, too, that a lot of times in a remote environment the review tends to be really difficult, right, especially performance reviews and things like that.

00:22:36.280 --> 00:22:50.535
But if you could play a fun game whether it's a video game or checkers or chess, and kind of break the ice first, it just really lends to your culture, eases the tension and you're able to slide into those conversations.

00:22:50.535 --> 00:22:52.527
So there's just a couple little tidbits for you.

00:22:52.527 --> 00:22:57.593
But I think remote is definitely about technology and embracing the fun technology.

00:22:58.279 --> 00:23:01.240
Yeah, pete, hitting us with so many real-life examples here today.

00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:07.645
That's what listeners absolutely love is when you come armed with those real-life case studies and examples, and I love that blending.

00:23:07.645 --> 00:23:08.087
Here it is.

00:23:08.087 --> 00:23:17.275
I asked you a question about remote work and you talked about bringing it into the real world, and it's a term that I was introduced to last year.

00:23:17.275 --> 00:23:21.372
Of that, I think it was fidgetal, mixing physical with digital and bringing those experiences to real life.

00:23:21.372 --> 00:23:23.540
The coffee idea, I think, is absolutely brilliant.

00:23:23.540 --> 00:23:24.663
I'm going to steal that from you, pete.

00:23:24.824 --> 00:23:26.007
Yeah, I absolutely do.

00:23:26.607 --> 00:23:31.460
Yeah, I think it's such a good idea and that's why I love how so much of your book is those real life examples.

00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:34.624
So we're for sure going to talk about that, listeners, in just a bit.

00:23:34.624 --> 00:23:52.075
I know that time is flying by here with Pete, but, pete, I want to squeeze out a little bit more of your brilliance here on the air, because one thing that I always feel is an unfair advantage to people in your position as an external consultant, you walk into businesses and help them find the fun in all of these things.

00:23:52.075 --> 00:23:57.108
It's something that you specialize in is that you see behind the scenes of so many different businesses.

00:23:57.108 --> 00:24:03.240
So, with that hat on, I'm super curious to see where your eyes and your head go when you walk into a business.

00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:04.963
What is it that you're looking for?

00:24:04.963 --> 00:24:08.472
How do you even begin to spot those opportunities to inject fun?

00:24:09.299 --> 00:24:09.621
Yeah.

00:24:09.621 --> 00:24:36.848
So it's an awesome question and I think you know it's a honed skill over the years and I think everybody kind of experiences it as a consumer, right, and I think if you were to step into a business in the first week of operation, right, or their 20th year of operation, you basically get a sense of this business is on the up and up or the down and down, right by things like lines.

00:24:36.848 --> 00:24:39.969
Right, is there a line to get into this organization?

00:24:39.969 --> 00:24:42.708
Right, if it's your favorite restaurant, coffee shop, whatever?

00:24:42.708 --> 00:24:49.445
Right, the social proof concepts, the environment what does the environment look like, feel like?

00:24:49.445 --> 00:24:53.304
The customer service, what are those interactions like?

00:24:53.304 --> 00:25:03.429
Right, I think you know, from a consumer perspective, there's a lot we can learn, there's a lot we can know about a business before you know we even do business with them.

00:25:03.429 --> 00:25:06.334
Just about the social proof concepts and things like that.

00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:09.106
But I look for the culture, the people.

00:25:09.106 --> 00:25:10.771
Are they smiling?

00:25:10.771 --> 00:25:11.804
Are the employees smiling?

00:25:11.804 --> 00:25:13.348
Do they generally look happy to be there?

00:25:13.348 --> 00:25:16.728
Do they look interested in being there or are they distracted?

00:25:16.728 --> 00:25:21.008
You know, beat down, tired, all those things.

00:25:21.008 --> 00:25:30.907
The same goes in more of a corporate environment as well, right, where maybe you're not as customer facing, you don't have customers coming into the showroom or a restaurant, things like that.

00:25:30.907 --> 00:25:33.973
But the same kind of theories apply.

00:25:33.973 --> 00:25:35.782
Right, Are the phones ringing?

00:25:35.782 --> 00:25:37.846
Right, is there engagement?

00:25:37.846 --> 00:25:41.982
Is there opportunities for people to speak?

00:25:41.982 --> 00:25:48.665
Right, or is everybody just kind of centered in, zoned into computers, locked in, not kind of living in their own space?

00:25:48.665 --> 00:26:00.316
Right, because the thing about it is, if you are isolated in an area, whether it's a desk, a cubicle or things like that, what's the purpose of being in person then?

00:26:00.316 --> 00:26:08.704
Right, you want to create opportunities for people to interact and engage, especially if there's somebody coming in to experience that with you.

00:26:08.805 --> 00:26:16.218
So I think it's really important, you know, for me, when I go in that, do I see core values somewhere?

00:26:16.218 --> 00:26:18.824
Do I see people living those values?

00:26:18.824 --> 00:26:19.285
Right?

00:26:19.285 --> 00:26:20.686
Do I see smiles?

00:26:20.686 --> 00:26:22.269
Do I see healthiness?

00:26:22.269 --> 00:26:24.273
Do I hear phones ringing?

00:26:24.273 --> 00:26:26.085
Do I see lines out the door?

00:26:26.085 --> 00:26:30.160
Right, do I see customers bragging about these opportunities?

00:26:30.259 --> 00:26:45.123
I think that's the life, that's the fun, and I think when you have opportunities to create fun environments, build fun cultures with your teams, build experiences with your customers, the energy is infectious.

00:26:45.123 --> 00:26:52.536
And that's why I talk about the irresistible like cultures uh being uh fun as it can create irresistible cultures.

00:26:52.536 --> 00:26:55.784
Right, because you can't help but want to be around it.

00:26:55.784 --> 00:27:02.425
And one of the things that's really important to know, too, is that we talked about diverse perspectives of fun.

00:27:02.948 --> 00:27:20.788
But you never want to be too quick to judge either, right, because sometimes people kind of just like to join in on the fun by watching, and I wrote about this in the book that you know there's people that participate in the parade and there's people that go to the parade to watch because it's fun, and both are okay, right?

00:27:20.788 --> 00:27:23.298
So you don't want to rain on somebody's fun parade, right?

00:27:23.298 --> 00:27:27.849
If they're enjoying just watching and observing, that's okay.

00:27:27.849 --> 00:27:28.972
I'll give you a good example.

00:27:28.972 --> 00:27:38.106
Right, I'm not a dancer, but if you take me to, if my wife takes me to the club or takes me to an opportunity to dance, she can go dance and have a great time.

00:27:38.106 --> 00:27:43.631
But on the outside, looking in, I may not look like I'm enjoying myself, right, because I'm not participating.

00:27:43.631 --> 00:27:45.602
Well, that doesn't mean I'm not having fun.

00:27:45.602 --> 00:27:47.243
I'm actually having having an amazing time.

00:27:47.243 --> 00:27:51.832
I enjoy being in the music and seeing people move and things like that.

00:27:51.892 --> 00:28:26.108
So you don't want to be too quick to judge, but I think from my perspective, it is about the energy, the infectious environment that that you're creating, whether it's in a, you know, a face-to-face opportunity with customers or a corporate environment yeah, listeners, you're seeing in real time, right here, right now, how Pete's mind thinks about these things, because even hearing you, pete, bring up lines, for example, and that as an opportunity to bring fun to a business, which in turn brings it to the culture, to the customer experience, it really impacts all strategic facets of the business.

00:28:26.108 --> 00:28:28.073
I think back to Cirque du Soleil.

00:28:28.073 --> 00:28:37.526
Obviously they've figured it out when it comes to providing an amazing experience and an amazing show, and I've been to quite a few of them and I remember probably the first one that I went to in Vegas.

00:28:37.526 --> 00:28:45.970
Even when you're sitting there waiting for the show to start, they have performers undercover just walking through the crowd doing fun things.

00:28:45.970 --> 00:28:51.007
So you forget that you're even waiting for everyone to find their seat, that you're waiting for the show to begin.

00:28:51.007 --> 00:28:52.948
So there's opportunities everywhere.

00:28:52.948 --> 00:28:55.269
So I absolutely love hearing your perspective on these things.

00:28:55.640 --> 00:28:57.046
I knew we'd be short on time today.

00:28:57.046 --> 00:29:03.828
Listeners, you know that this is not the end of your journey with Pete Kusiak, because all of us are going to benefit from his new book.

00:29:03.828 --> 00:29:05.663
We're gonna talk about that in just a second.

00:29:05.663 --> 00:29:11.675
But, pete, it's always customary here on the show for me to ask our guests with your entrepreneurial hat on.

00:29:11.675 --> 00:29:15.632
There's so many things that we all need to focus on in growing our businesses.

00:29:15.632 --> 00:29:20.586
What's the one takeaway, whether it's an action or a perspective or a mindset shift.

00:29:20.586 --> 00:29:29.973
What's that one thing that you hope every listener walks away from today's session with I want everybody to walk away with workplace happiness.

00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:33.886
Find your way to improve your workplace happiness.

00:29:33.886 --> 00:29:42.300
It's important to you for your healthiness and your happiness, but it's important for the people that you serve right, it's important for your customers.

00:29:42.300 --> 00:29:46.651
So unlock the opportunity to think positively.

00:29:46.651 --> 00:29:54.906
Unlock the opportunity for you to put fun first by asking yourself the simple question how can I make this fun?

00:29:54.906 --> 00:29:57.528
And the rest will fall into place.

00:29:58.280 --> 00:30:02.960
Yes, it's not only beautifully simple, but it is incredibly actionable.

00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:11.126
So I love that igniting question that you've shared with us here today and, listeners, I for sure, am personally picking up a copy of Pete's new book.

00:30:11.126 --> 00:30:15.326
You can as well, because there's so many more of those actionable tidbits.

00:30:15.326 --> 00:30:29.347
As someone who leads a worldwide team, I'm super keen on getting my hands on new, innovative ways, because, gosh, even that one idea about sending someone with a delivery service a coffee for when you two are meeting that's an incredible idea.

00:30:29.347 --> 00:30:35.247
So, pete, I know that listeners will be just as keen as I am to check out your book and go deeper into the world of your work.

00:30:35.247 --> 00:30:40.125
So drop those links on us, tell us about your book and where the heck should listeners go from here?

00:30:40.685 --> 00:30:45.074
Yeah, check out my website wwwthefunfirststrategycom.

00:30:45.074 --> 00:30:46.603
There's great information there.

00:30:46.603 --> 00:30:47.644
There's a blog section.

00:30:47.644 --> 00:30:50.351
You can get a signed copy of my book if you want it.

00:30:50.351 --> 00:30:56.189
I'd be happy to send that off to you and write you a fun little note inside of the jacket there.

00:30:56.189 --> 00:30:58.773
You can also go to online retailers.

00:30:58.773 --> 00:31:01.290
My publisher, ballast Books, is a great place to go.

00:31:01.290 --> 00:31:09.673
They're carrying the book, but Barnes Noble online, target online basically all your major retailers are carrying the book online right now.

00:31:09.673 --> 00:31:14.692
So grab a copy, rate it, let me know what you think and let me know what you're using as well.

00:31:15.599 --> 00:31:17.670
Yes, listeners, you already know the drill.

00:31:17.670 --> 00:31:22.627
We are making it as easy as possible for you to find all of Pete's links, as well as a direct link to his book.

00:31:22.627 --> 00:31:26.205
His business website is thefunfirststrategycom.

00:31:26.205 --> 00:31:31.627
You'll find that link down below, as well as a link to Pete's book, which I encourage all of you to pick up a copy.

00:31:31.627 --> 00:31:41.446
He's given us so many actionable teasers here today as well, as there's dozens and dozens and dozens of examples of things we can implement in our own businesses in that book.

00:31:41.446 --> 00:31:47.108
So, pete, on behalf of myself and all the listeners around the world, thanks so much for joining us here on the show today.

00:31:50.601 --> 00:31:52.828
Thanks so much for joining us here on the show today.

00:31:52.828 --> 00:31:53.491
Thanks so much for having me.

00:31:53.491 --> 00:31:55.539
I had a blast Great to meet you and just wish you all the best, most fun time ever.

00:31:56.181 --> 00:32:01.744
Hey, it's Brian here, and thanks for tuning in to yet another episode of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur podcast.

00:32:01.744 --> 00:32:05.724
If you haven't checked us out online, there's so much good stuff there.

00:32:05.724 --> 00:32:14.943
Check out the show's website and all the show notes that we talked about in today's episode at thewantrepreneurshowcom, and I just want to give a shout out to our amazing guests.

00:32:14.943 --> 00:32:23.712
There's a reason why we are ad free and have produced so many incredible episodes five days a week for you, and it's because our guests step up to the plate.

00:32:23.819 --> 00:32:25.767
These are not sponsored episodes.

00:32:25.767 --> 00:32:27.374
These are not infomercials.

00:32:27.374 --> 00:32:30.866
Our guests help us cover the costs of our productions.

00:32:30.866 --> 00:32:41.826
They so deeply believe in the power of getting their message out in front of you, awesome entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, that they contribute to help us make these productions possible.

00:32:41.826 --> 00:32:50.309
So thank you to not only today's guests, but all of our guests in general, and I just want to invite you check out our website because you can send us a voicemail there.

00:32:50.309 --> 00:32:51.673
We also have live chat.

00:32:51.673 --> 00:32:56.267
If you want to interact directly with me, go to thewantrepreneurshowcom.

00:32:56.267 --> 00:32:57.690
Initiate a live chat.

00:32:57.690 --> 00:33:07.098
It's for real me, and I'm excited because I'll see you, as always every Monday, wednesday, friday, saturday and Sunday here on the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur podcast.