SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of Your Intention Matters the Podcast. My name is Paul Madot, of course. Thanks so much for being here. Today we have Bob Van Giesen. He is sales manager at a company called Get This One. Big Ass fans coming to us from the sixth in Toronto. Bob, man, how are things?

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Fantastic. It's so good to reconnect with you, man. It's been a long time.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

That was not a typo, right? It is big ass fans, right?

SPEAKER_01 0:23

It is big ass fans. And uh that is the name is very true to what we do.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

So I love it. Well, thanks so much for being here, Matt. Shead, everybody, and provide a real quick real quick introduction.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Uh okay, great. My name's Bob Van Giesen. Uh I've known Paul for the better part of, God, I get it's probably coming up on like 20 or 25 years when we started our careers together at Xerox. Um, I spent about uh almost 20 years of my life uh working at uh working in the uh copier, uh copy print industry, and uh have spent uh spent another about 30 years total doing uh various sales and sales leadership positions. Uh I started out as a street rep, uh knocking on doors, selling paper for more business forms, good Canadian company back in uh back in the early 2000s, and then uh progressed my career through various sales and then again sales leadership and marketing uh marketing leadership roles, and uh have arrived at my illustrious position with big ass fans as it sits today. So it's uh but it's been a great ride, and I've been appreciative of every opportunity and every moment that I've had.

SPEAKER_00 1:24

Well, nice to reconnect, man. And so remind me, Bob, married, father, both, neither.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Uh yeah, all of the well, yeah, yes, all of the above. Married, married for uh married for almost 20 years, two kids uh still on the payroll. One's 18, uh starting at the University of Guelph next year, the other is uh 15, going into grade 11. So getting uh getting more exciting and more uh then more expensive by the day.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

So you know, I was talking to a client earlier this morning who has adult kids, and I think they always stay on the payroll of what I was told.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

So in some way, shape, or form, it's probably true. But uh that but we love them. That's why we uh that's why it's a joy.

SPEAKER_00 2:03

Well, great to reconnect, man. Thanks so much for being here. You know, Bob, as we were talking before we hit record, the the title of this podcast, of course, is called Your Intention Matters. And that really stems from my position as it relates to mindset and sales and the importance of it, because uh as you can, I think can appreciate that uh an organization can provide salespeople with every tool and the toolkit to go dominate product training and systems training and skill set training and marketing collaterals, they can give them inbound leads as well. But if we're not wired up top mentally, ready to go, chances are as soon as we encounter resistance, we're probably going to crumble at the knees and not get what we want. And that's really where the podcast came from. And I'd love your thoughts on that take in terms of your alignment regarding my mindset as it relates to mindset.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

Well, I I absolutely agree with you. And I think um as far as it's uh as far as I can relate to um how people are trained and and and where where the mindset comes into the equation, you and I had the had the privilege of working for probably one of the best sales training organizations um of the last 50 or 60 years. I mean, the the sales training that we got from Xerox um is legendary. People always ask me, oh, you must have had all this great training. And we did. We we had, you know, I would say part probably we spent 20 to 25% of our time at Xerox, um, either whether it was on calls, whether it was in person, whether it was uh, but there was some sort of training, product training, sales training. They did a great job at that. Uh, but what really makes the had has made the difference as you go through that, I can teach you all about what you sell. You have to understand why you want to sell it. You have to understand why you're doing what you do, why, why does it matter to you? And and more importantly, beyond just, well, I need a paycheck, well, I need to, I need to make my mortgage payment this month. There needs to be a reason you're getting up and and going to work every morning. There needs to be um something that's driving your success. And I think that really comes from understanding what it is that you do well, why you're doing it, why it matters to you, uh, and then being able to take the rest of that training, encompass the product training and the skills training, which are important, uh, but really it starts with understanding why you're doing what you're doing.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

You know, Bob, I'm curious about something. As you mentioned, we've known each other for the better part of you know two decades now, give you maybe a little bit more, but I didn't know about I didn't know this about you. I was checking out your LinkedIn profile before we got on the episode here. You went to Western, and from what I could see, uh music and history as your foundation. So I don't see sales there at all in terms of your past. How did that come about?

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Uh well, I again I start I when I when I went from uh I I spent a lot of my time in high school in my early years uh loving music. Music was always a passion of mine. And so I always had the uh you know the dream of being a professional musician. And when I went to university, my I really wanted to go for um I wanted to go and study music. And my parents at the time were like, no, that's you, you're not gonna waste your time and money, and and you you have to go get some something practical. So you can't, you know, you have something practical, something you can use. So you can't study music, you have to study history. And I'm like, okay, like I'm not sure how that's gonna help me, but you know, I was a little weak-willed and I went and uh and I and I started out in the history degree. And this might come as a shocker, but I hated it. I didn't want to go to class. I hated uh I loved what I was I loved being there, but I didn't love what I was doing. Uh, and then I had an event occur in my life that made me say, okay, you know what, enough of this. I'm gonna do what I want to do. I'm gonna do what really the what drives me and what is my passion, which was mute was music. And I switched over to that. And then I spent uh the better part of 14 years um uh during university and afterwards, uh working professionally as a performing and touring musician. Uh and I did that for uh made all my money doing that, made uh you know, had had my lifestyle built around that. And it got to a point where uh you know the the lifestyle of a musician is a unique one. Um and if you're trying to cultivate relationships outside of that industry, sometimes it's hard because you know, you're waking up at, you know, one or two o'clock in the afternoon, you're going to sound checks and rehearsals and and and you're doing shows at night, and then you're going out afterwards and you're and you're making connections and you're building your business and you're building your reputation with the with the people that have hired you and the people who have come to hear you sing and play your instruments. And again, you know, the the rumors are true. Not not too many good things happen after one or two in the morning. So it's uh, you know, it becomes a more as you get older, it becomes a bit of a more difficult lifestyle to uh sustain. So when I uh when I decided that I wanted to do something a little bit more traditional, um, I had no idea because uh again, my parents' words came back to haunt me. A degree in music, unless you want to teach it, uh, it really isn't uh that doesn't help you a lot. But what somebody said to me, I I I got some counseling from a friend of mine who said, why don't you try sales? And I said, Sales? What what what the hell? How how how can I do anything in sales? And they said, dude, you've just spent the last decade of your life selling yourself. That's what you've done. And and so once I made the once I made the the connection in my head, it became an easier thing for me to say, okay, well, actually, I could do this. I, you know, I I did do this. I sold, you know, the probably one of the hardest things it is for somebody to sell is themselves, um in a in a totally legitimate way. Um but I appreciate that. Thank you. Yeah. Uh, but it's but but really say, you know, be being confident in your talent and being, you know, being asked to say, hey, you know what? Like I, you know, I will come and and I'll, you know, our band will perform for you. And for that, we require this amount of money. And to have, and then you realize, well, what was I doing? Well, I was building a business, I was selling it. So that's really where that transition came from. Bit of a long story.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

So I'm I'm curious about your passion for music. Did you have an aspiration to be like a Bruce Springsteen level? Like, was that the ultimate goal for realistically at some point? Or were you happy just being on the road and just doing your thing?

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Well, in initially, I think the you're you're the the trappings are the fame and the and and the fortune and that type of thing, but you're but you really you you realize very quickly that that that is that's not even the one percent, that is the point zero zero zero one of the one percent that gets to do that. We we were making a pretty decent living. I mean, our bills were paid, we were, you know, we were getting fed every day. There, you know, we we we made a decent living. Um, but it's uh again, it comes down to uh a lifestyle. I was actually trained classically when I went to Western. I was uh I was trained as a as a baritone opera singer. Um and you know, that was yeah, for real. Yeah. So I mean that was uh so there was a number of different roads that you can choose from that uh when you go when you get into something like that. But my uh what I realized, what I really liked about it was the creative aspect of it and the business aspect of it. That's what I really enjoyed. You know, it was great being up on stage and uh, you know, and and entertaining people. That's you know, it's a part of it. But that's that's the job. That's sort of what, you know, when you when you get out, when you get up and do it every day, that becomes almost the tedious part of it. What I really enjoyed was the, you know, the the songwriting, was the uh the arranging of music, was the you know, the the the business aspect of it when we would sit down and say, okay, you know, what you know, how much do we what do we want to do this year? Do we want to, you know, if we want to pour more in the US this year, how do we go about doing that? And coming up with the strategies and the plans on how we were gonna grow the business. So that's really what uh through the years, what I really became passionate about. And again, though it was a transferable skill that I think helped me later in life.

SPEAKER_00 9:53

You know, Bob, did I hear you correctly when you said that you sold paper before copiers?

SPEAKER_01 9:58

I did. I did. And I made I made the I made the jump. I started at uh at more, what used to be called more business forms. Uh it was eventually purchased by R.R. Donnelly, and I've somewhat lost track of it since then, but it's uh yes, something happened to it. It was someone bought it. But uh yeah, it was more uh more business forms, so with three-part forms, uh reams of paper. That's that's what they did.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

You know, I asked the question because it's funny what you said regarding where you were. You and I have a different path in terms of pre-sales. I was more on the finance credit side, economic side, York University, etc. What happened to me was I was out of work. I got laid off from a company that I was working for, and I found myself in this spot where I was out of work. And it was about a four-month window where I was unemployed, which was just brutal at the time. And so a good buddy of mine called me up and said, Hey, listen, I know you're looking for a job right now. Uh, I know a guy joining a sales team at Xerox. Why don't you go apply? I went to school with him at Western. Why don't you go? I'm like, Xerox copiers, sales. I I had sales as a very dirty word in my mind. I don't know, I don't know why I had that in my head, but what happened to me, Bob, is I took the job very much on a I'll give it a six-month uh window here to see how it goes. I had nothing to lose. I was out of work, ended up being almost 10 years of my life. But that first year in sales for me was crazy hard. Like crazy difficult. I must have mentally quit five or six times that year. If you recall at Zerx on the agency side, it was 100% commission. There was a draw, but nobody wanted that. It was more about you got to get out there, feet on the street. And I was all in. This was a new thing for me. Failure was not an option at all. And I'm so glad I didn't I didn't throw the towel in because I wouldn't be doing what today would if I'm if I had thrown the towel in at all. But I'm curious about it when you think about your selling career early on, did you take to it or was it tough?

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Um, it was it was tough to it was tough to start with. I remember my um I had to really get into the the the mindset um of being out and knocking on doors, uh trying to sell people paper, having my business card, leaving it at the reception desk, you know, asking for a meeting with somebody. And it was, you know, it's it's one of those things where it was I was very self-conscious about it. Um I, you know, I I I you know it was like, what what what am I doing? Like I don't know any I don't know anything about paper. I don't know anything about businesses. I, you know, that this is so it was very difficult for me. And then I I had some I had some early success at Moore, where I just happened to sort of stumble into a few deals that that turned out well for me. Um and then I and I I enjoyed the success, but it was I I it took me a while to get over that part about about having to really learn how to build a business and and understand what sales actually was, that it's not order taking. Uh it's actually understanding need. It's understanding why a customer wants to do business with you. It's understanding, again, your role in the in the whole process of problem solving. Um and that that that's not something I don't know that that necessarily comes naturally to people. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's something that you know people just do look into with their uh with their personalities. But I think really understanding the work of a salesperson beyond the stereotype and sometimes the negative stereotype that can come up with it, it's an important step. And and and you've got to allow yourself the grace uh for anybody that's just starting out in this business or starting out your career in sales, allow yourself the grace to really understand what your role is and how your strengths as an individual are gonna contribute to that role. Um, you know, and it so I I had some early success at Moore, and then my first year at Xerox, um, I was uh I I don't I I I walked into a territory uh that was being vacated by another person. And his parting words to me were um, I just had a career year here. I have sold everything that is gonna be sold in this territory for the next two years. Good luck.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

Right.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

And he was not lying. My first year, I I I sold, I I think I sold one copier that my first year. I don't know how I wasn't fired. I don't know how I managed to to last 14 years after that first one. Uh, but it was a real humbling experience. And that was uh, and then like you, I sort of had to think to myself, like, is this something that I really want to do? And why do I want to do it? Because it was not a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

Yeah, I can appreciate that comment, especially living behind the firewall of drugs for so many years, that it was a great company to work for for me, anyways. So it sounds like for you as well, but it also came with a lot of pressure and responsibility to make sure the number was being hit as well. And so when I think about my, you know, almost 10 years there, I that this was my path. It was a sales rep in Toronto. I was on the agent side of the coin, so I carried a bag for a couple of years. Then I moved down the path of sales rep, product specialist, sales manager. Then I became the national sales instructor. So I was running their new hire program for three years as well, mostly in Canada, a little bit in the US here and there. Then in my final stint at Xerox, I moved out to Calgary. Mike Roberts brought me out there, and I was a production specialist for a couple of years as well. And when I think about my path, one of the hardest transitions for me was when I went from sales rep to sales manager. What I quickly realized was that it's a totally different job, different skill set, different day-to-day responsibilities and requirements. And I was horrible at it, just being totally transparent. Because the way that I led was that I managed, well, this is how I did it in territory. So this is how you should do it in territory, which was a complete recipe for total disaster. And so I'm curious about your decision behind going from rep to leader.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

Well, it and to your point, it's a completely different mindset. It's a completely different skill set. Um, and mine was uh, you know, what one of the uh one of the things that I that I thought maybe Xerox could have done better in the past was uh laying out a bit of a non- underscore Xerox always laid out a career as a very linear progression, to your point. You start out as a sales rep, you become a product specialist, you become a sales manager. And then at some point after that, if you're good at being a sales manager, then maybe you're gonna be a director, maybe you'll be a VP, maybe you'll move to somewhere else and do some other job. But if you you're not if it's not something that you're set out to do, um, a lot of times your your career can take some different twists and turns. And and uh, you know, I always felt maybe sometimes people were put into a leadership position far before they were ready. I went from being a product specialist and my mind was set on being a sales manager. I remember doing the uh doing the interviews, doing the um uh the panels for being a sales manager. And every time I I I stepped up to do the panels, I bombed them. I was I I was a horrible panelist, and I never got the job, and I and I would get so angry and I was blaming everybody else. And I never took a minute to say, well, hold on a second. You keep failing at this. Maybe it's not really what you want to do. Maybe you're not actually cut out to do this. And so finally they said, Okay, Bob, we want to move you out of the product specialist role, but we want to move you into a marketing role. And I I thought I was like, oh my God, they're putting me out to pasture here. I hate this. This is the worst. I I was so angry, I was ready to quit. They dragged me kicking and screaming up to head office to do this marketing role, and it ended up being what I say, probably the best three years of my career. Um the most the most informative and influential and important years of my career. I always say they dragged me kicking and screaming into it, and they dragged me kicking and screaming out of it because I loved what I did so much. It really broadened my understanding of the business. It broadened my understanding of the importance of our role as salespeople, our role as uh marketing executives at the time. Um, it it gave me exposure to the top leadership of the company, both in Canada and internationally. Um, it was such a tremendous opportunity. And thank God I really I recognized it quickly and leaned into it very heavily. And my career was so much better served for it. So when I eventually did make the transition from uh from an individual contributor to into a leadership position, um, I was so much better um uh prepared for it, um, both from a skill set standpoint and from a mindset standpoint, because it was decided it was something that I really did want to do. I found I thought that it was something that I really would be good at, and it was something that I really could help people with and I could help the business with. Um so it really, so having that nonlinear track to my career has really led me to some some tremendous opportunities in life. And I will forever be grateful for that, uh, for for that uh abrupt uh U-turn or that abrupt uh push in a different direction, that pivot that uh that that has led me to some great things.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

You know, Bob, when you think about your career in paper and copiers, how many years was that give or take?

SPEAKER_01 19:38

Uh altogether, that would have been 20 years in that uh in that in that racket.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

So 20 years across the board, multiple companies, of course, but 20 years within the same general industry give or take here and there. You know, I was at Xerox for almost 10. And when I left, I didn't leave to go to another company. I went to start up my own business. And and that while I was ready to do it, I was in my mid-30s, I was single, no relationship, no kids, no payroll. It was just me. So that was a difficult choice because uh I liked my time at Xerox, but I felt like my time had kind of run for the most part. I I didn't really want to become a VP there. I wasn't really being groomed for that, anyways, but I didn't I didn't see myself doing that. And I wanted to bet on myself a little bit, but that took me probably six, seven months before I finally said, okay, I'm doing here's my resignation. It took me a while to kind of figure that out. It's just it's it was a long decision for me. And I know that you joined a startup at one point as well, kind of betting on yourself. And I'm curious about your decision behind that.

SPEAKER_01 20:42

Um, very similar. I made the move. Uh I I I went from Xerox to uh one of their competitors, uh Rico, back in 2014, I believe. And I and I was I was sort of at the end of uh I I was very similar to your your situation. I I felt I was at the end of um, not the end of my career there, but uh, you know, I I still thought, oh, maybe I want to be a VP at this company or something like that. But I could tell that I wasn't on the inside track for that. And I wasn't, you know, I didn't feel that those opportunities were really what they had in mind for me. Um, and so when I was offered the opportunity to move over to Rico and where that that that track was um uh more open to me, uh where I felt it was more open to me, um I made the I made the choice, I made the move. But at the end of the four years, um it really became an issue of uh very much like you, is like, well, maybe maybe it's not what I want to do. Maybe I want to try something, something new. I want to have a new experience here. Um I didn't have the entrepreneurial bug like I think you do, uh, but I I I really did want to, I wanted to try something new. I wanted to take a risk. I wanted to, because I did believe, and I do believe the skills that I learned were very transferable outside the industry. Um you know, you know, leadership is you know, leadership is a requirement, leader, you know, leadership and sales process and helping the ability to help build and Scale of business is something that is always in need and across as many industry lines. And so I thought, you know, I'll take that was the risk I decided to take on myself and go to someplace in an environment that I'd never worked in before. I'd worked in companies that had thousands of employees. This company had 25. It worked at, you know, everybody always talks about, you know, oh, we, you know, big companies that, oh, we we have an entrepreneurial mindset. We we we think like we we may be big, but we think like a startup. No, they don't. It's not until you're actually, you know, you're you're doing this for yourself, uh, as in your case, or you jump into a you know, a really fast-moving, nimble company that, you know, there's they don't take a lot of time to make decisions. Decisions get made. Sometimes they're the right ones, sometimes they're the wrong ones. And you deal with the outcome of them either way. And it's uh, you know, so that was a real uh a real shock to my system and an adjustment I had to made when I made the move. But again, it was uh, you know, a path, a step on the path that, you know, the nonlinear step on the path that has just, you know, again, informed and and and led me to some really special opportunities in my life.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

You know, Bob, as I mentioned uh earlier on in our conversation, that before I joined Xerox and got into professional selling, so to speak, I found myself on a spot where I was laid off. And that was uh it was a pretty brutal time in my career because you know, I was still living at home with mom and dad. Uh, I really didn't even have two nickels to up together, quite frankly, at the time. It was just a really tough spot. And and then also thinking about, well, what's next? The unknown, what do I do here and there? And I'm just curious about your career. Ever been in a position where you had to really dig in mentally, ever been laid off or a spot where you had to kind of figure it out?

SPEAKER_01 23:40

Absolutely, more than once. And it's uh, you know, and I think what you realize and to, you know, the the the days of um, you know, our you know, I think probably our parents' generation of, you know, you stick with one company and you rise through the ranks and you, you know, you you work there for 30 or 40 years and you, you know, you retire and on your own terms, those days are by and large gone. Um, I I think that no matter what you do, I mean it's almost, you know, you you you you strove to be in a higher position, so VP, a president or whatever, these executive positions because they were protected, as uh as a dear friend of uh mine once said, coaches don't get fired in that league. You know, and but the the reality is today is uh with the expectations of performance and uh and adaptation, coaches really do get fired in these leagues now. And you know, it's almost the higher up you go, the the higher the position, the more responsibility you have, the more is that is absolutely expected of you. And if you're not performing uh or you're not perceived to be in line with the direction that the company is going, um you're you know, the you're very vulnerable and you can end up uh you know have in in a very different life situation. Um sometimes you can be doing all the right things. You can be, you know, hey, the business is growing. You know, we're we're we're doing everything that I, you know, you're doing I'm doing everything that I was was tasked with doing. I'm I'm I'm forwarding the mission, I'm holding the torch, and it's uh I'm carrying the torch, and then it's still, oh, yep, no, things have changed and you're out, or we're changing what you're changing it is what you're doing. And it's you know, and you have to be adaptable. You can't, I I don't, I think the days of assuming that you're you're um you're involved, you're you're invulnerable and that you're not, you know, changes to affect you. If you're not prepared for it, it can be very tough when it comes. Um I'm having a great time right now doing what I'm doing. I, you know, I I I feel like I'm contributing. I feel like I'm adding value every day. Um, but you know what? I'm also uh I also know that uh you know tomorrow could you know could bring another another adventure. Um something could change that's outside of my control. And uh business conditions could change in such a way that, hey, maybe it's uh maybe it interferes with my plans. Um, you know, men plan, God laughs, and it's uh as the saying goes. And so I think it's really, really important to always be um, and again, not scared, but just, you know, again, confident in what you deliver, confident in what you bring to the table, that if something does happen, uh, whether it's voluntary or involuntary, uh, that you'll be able to adapt and move to another opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

You know, you just said something that kind of stuck me, uh struck me, and that was that you're really having a great time what you're doing today. You seem to be enjoying it, you're in a good spot. I think that matters because you know, like it's one thing to make a living and have a paycheck that's the service of lifestyle you want, but it's another thing to do that, but have fun and enjoy what you're doing as well. I think that matters as well.

SPEAKER_01 26:40

Well, I think that gets back to uh understanding what it is you're doing and why you're doing it. What's your role in in the in the company's mission, whether it's a company that you own, whether you're the owner or the you're the entrepreneur, whether you are the employee of a company, but really trying to understand why I am getting up every morning? Why am I doing what I'm doing in life? Uh, and being able to translate that into passion, and being able to translate that into uh uh you know, an energy that you know other people can uh can tap into, whether it be people on your team, whether it be your customers, uh, whether it be uh you know the the company at large, but just really understanding why you're doing what you're doing, what's driving you beyond the beyond the obvious need to get a paycheck, pay your bills, uh, but really have a uh a reason to get up in the morning or want to be here.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

Gotcha. You know, Bob, a look final last thoughts here to kind of wrap up the podcast. If you think about your your selling career over the years, from paper to copiers to cannabis to big ass fans now, and so on, you've come across a lot of people, I'm sure, over the years that have, you know, been a uh mentor to you and have been a resource to you, and I certainly have as well, thinking about my career. Any best practice or thought that has served you well or or uh suggestion or an approach that has served you well in your career?

SPEAKER_01 28:06

Yeah, it's it's to always, you know, I I I would say the the probably the the the one of the most important things uh I was I was told was to you need to have a plan every day. You need to, when you wake up, understand what are the two or three things, the two or three most important things that you want to accomplish this day. And the reason I think that's important is because before I leave every day, before I you know turn the cure off and pack up every day, I sit down with a pen and paper and I try and write down two or three things that I have to get done the next day, two or three or that I want to accomplish the next day. Uh sometimes they're you know time sensitive and and I and I have to do them and I just need to make sure they're top of mind. Um other times it's something, you know, hey, you know, I really I've I want to accomplish this project, so I'm gonna I'm gonna spend some time tomorrow. I got a bit of time. I'm gonna spend some time. That's and this is the most important thing I'm gonna accomplish tomorrow. But I think it what it does is it gives you a few minutes at the end of every day to really take stock of what I do today, what did I accomplish? Um, and you know, getting back to that, you know, intentionality behind what I'm doing. You know, did did I get done what I wanted to do today? Uh, and whether I did it or not, you know, what is going to be my intention tomorrow? What's going to be the thing that I am going to come to work, wake up, and be very mindful and be very um and very focused on accomplishing. So I think it's it's a small thing. It doesn't really necessarily take a lot of time, uh, but it's it's important, it's just to have that plan and have that focus every morning when you get up and know what you want to do.

SPEAKER_00 29:43

I love it. Thanks for sharing that. Bob, just one more question for you before we wrap up here. We're recording this on Friday, June the 5th. The World Cup is coming to town next week. Are you into it? Do you fancy Canada's chances? What's your thoughts on the World Cup? Oh my God.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

So I I am not uh I am not a big football fan. Uh I will use the proper English term for it. I'm not a big football fan. Um, I I am uh but I am I'm I'm a big passionate fan of the city of Toronto. I am so happy that the city is going to get to experience this. The traffic is going to be an absolute nightmare. The uh the it's the the infrastructure is going to be tested in ways that it hasn't been tested before. Uh, but I'm really oh yeah, but I'm really excited to uh to to take a walk downtown and just really be a part of it. I'm not going to any games. Um I hope Canada does well. My understanding of uh uh of Canada's place in the uh in the world of football is that they probably are not gonna do too well, but I'm always gonna be uh I will always be the biggest cheerleader. So I uh I I I absolutely go Canada, go Toronto. And for those of us that are living here, it's gonna be a nightmare. Just embrace it. Just have it.

SPEAKER_00 31:01

Just embrace it, is right. Well, I'm going to two games. I'm going to so Canada has the three groups, the three the three group matches. The first one's next Friday in Toronto against Bosnia. So I'm going to that game here in Toronto. I'm taking then I'm taking my son to Vancouver to see the third game against Switzerland, which is going to be just one of those games that'll be a great experience for him as well. Father-son trip.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

Oh, that is going to be so amazing. I mean, business must be good for you, man. Like these I I looked at these tickets. Those are not inexpensive.

SPEAKER_00 31:33

So I'll tell you something. Truth be told, so for so for the game in Toronto, I did buy them third party, but for the game in Vancouver, I bought them. I got put my name into the into the hat for the draw, and I got draw. So I paid face value. Oh, that's awesome. It was still no no no bargain, but it was it was not crazy subhub prices either, which uh I'm grateful for.

SPEAKER_01 31:56

Hey man, it's a testament to hard work. And I that's I'm I'm so glad. You I think you're one of the only people that I know that are actually going to this. I I don't know many people that have uh that are that are actually going to the to the games, but that'll be you're gonna love it. And uh I I when I I follow you on LinkedIn and I I I love seeing the things that you do with your kids, whether it's at playoff time, whether it's the road trips, whether it's the all the sports things. And I I I the so I'm the I can't wait to see the posts on this one. That'll be awesome.

SPEAKER_00 32:24

I can't wait and go Canada. We'll see what they can do. It's uh they they should get out of their group, but uh time time will tell. We'll see what happens.

SPEAKER_01 32:32

Absolutely, man. Well, listen, have fun, and I appreciate you having me on this. I it's been great to see you again.

SPEAKER_00 32:37

Good to reconnect, man. Thanks for your time. My pleasure. Okay, everyone, we're gonna wrap this one up right now. Remember, as I always say, your intention matters. Why? Because that's result we'll tend to that's result you'll tend to get. We're out of here. We'll do it again next week. We'll see you on the next episode.