#158: Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach)

Nick Dadas — Co-Founder of University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, and MasterPlan Coach.

In 2003, still a sophomore at Miami University, Nick co-founded University Tees after trying to organize a t-shirt order for his business fraternity and becoming frustrated with his experience; so he and his co-founder, Joe, decided there had to be a better way and like all good entrepreneurs, they started their own company. Since then, University Tees has gone on to grow into the premier custom apparel brand for the college market with over 700 campus managers at over 300 colleges nationwide, over 150 full-time employees, and with expanded capabilities for the corporate market where they’ve built a reputation for excellence, servicing large-scale distributors and retail programs at volume across the country from their brand new full-service production facility in Cleveland.

In addition:

• Nick founded SISU Lifestyle, a leading Sauna manufacturing company and brand focused on affording the best sauna experience possible.
• He founded the Acton Academy Lakeside, a one-room schoolhouse for the 21st century and for his own 3 children and other families who share this desire for an innovative approach to education.
• He founded The ISI Life (standing for Iron Sharpens Iron), where he hosts a podcast of his own and has built a community for men in pursuit of developing habits for success, establishing life-giving relationships, and building momentum towards a life of excellence
• He founded MasterPlan Coach, a comprehensive executive coaching program for entrepreneurs seeking to achieve authentic success across their personal and professional life.

All in, Nick is a true entrepreneur, applying his problem-solving mindset to all aspects of life and thematically tying his work together to a foundational principle of Developing People and Changing Lives — a topic which we’ll unpack in our conversation today. This was such an engaging conversation — Nick is intentional and full of wisdom and candor; it was a real joy getting to hear his story and reflections.

-----

SPONSORS: John Carroll University Boler College of Business || Impact Architects & Ninety

John Carroll University Boler College of Business: https://business.jcu.edu/ 
As we’ve heard time and time again from entrepreneurs on Lay of The Land — many of whom are proud alumni of John Carroll University —  success in this ever-changing world of business requires a dynamic and innovative mindset, deep understanding of emerging technology and systems, strong ethics, leadership prowess, acute business acumen… all qualities nurtured through the Boler College of Business!

With 4 different MBA programs of study — spanning Professional, Online, Hybrid, and 1-Year-Flexible — The Boler College of Business provides flexible timelines and various class structures for each MBA Track — including online, in-person, hybrid and asynchronous — to offer the most effective options for you, in addition to the ability to participate in an elective International Study Tour, providing unparalleled opportunities to expand your global business knowledge by networking with local companies overseas and experiencing a new culture.

The career impact of a Boler MBA is formative and will help prepare you for this future of business and get more out of your career. To learn more about John Carroll University’s Boler MBA programs, please go to business.jcu.edu

The Boler College of Business is fully accredited by AACSB International, the highest accreditation a College of Business can have.

Impact Architects & Ninety
Lay of The Land is brought to you by Ninety. As a Lay of The Land listener, you can leverage a free trial with Ninety, the platform that helps teams build great companies and the only officially licensed software for EOS® — used by over 7,000 companies and 100,000 users!

This episode is brought to you by Impact Architects. As we share the stories of entrepreneurs building incredible organizations throughout NEO, Impact Architects helps those leaders — many of whom we’ve heard from as guests on Lay of The Land — realize their visions and build great organizations. I believe in Impact Architects and the people behind it so much, that I have actually joined them personally in their mission to help leaders gain focus, align together, and thrive by doing what they love! As a listener, you can sit down for a free consultation with Impact Architects by visiting ia.layoftheland.fm!

-----

LINKS
Connect with Nick Dadas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-dadas-7623534/
Follow Nick Dadas on X: https://twitter.com/nickdadas

University Tees: https://universitytees.com/

Follow University Tees on X: https://www.twitter.com/universitytees
Follow University Tees on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/universitytees/

SISU: https://sisulifestyle.com/pages/our-story

Acton Academy Lakeside: https://actonlakeside.com/about/

-----

Stay up to date by signing up for Lay of The Land's weekly newsletter — sign up here.

Past guests include Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland), Pat Conway (Great Lakes Brewing), Steve Potash (OverDrive), Umberto P. Fedeli (The Fedeli Group), Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland), Stewart Kohl (The Riverside Company), Mitch Kroll (Findaway — Acquired by Spotify), and many more.

Connect with Jeffrey Stern on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreypstern/

Follow Jeffrey Stern on X @sternJefe — https://twitter.com/sternjefe

Follow Lay of The Land on X @podlayoftheland

https://www.jeffreys.page/

Creators & Guests

Host

Jeffrey Stern

What is Lay of The Land?

Telling the stories of entrepreneurship and builders in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio. Every Thursday, Jeffrey Stern helps map the Cleveland/NEO business ecosystem by talking to founders, investors, and community builders to learn what makes Cleveland/NEO special.

(AI-Generated Transcript)
--
Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:00:00]:
Familiarity deserves intentionality. So FTI is kinda how I remember it. Familiarity deserves intentionality. So these great things that we have that we become, you know, desensitized to are actually, like, amazing, and they deserve the intentional focus. So it could be just as simple as, like, being grateful for running Stern, you know, grateful for, like, you know, that you your kids, your wife, whatever, like, you know, that you have a roof over your head. These The things that you have totally taken for granted because you're looking for the next thing, that gap out The, and so that would be just like, you know, whether it's journaling or gratitude or whatever it is, just take stock of how far you've come and be, you know, be prideful in that and take take great confidence and and realize, like, every small moment is a great opportunity to feel really good and help people.

Jeffrey Stern [00:00:48]:
Let's of what people are building in the Greater Cleveland community. We are telling the stories of Northeast Ohio's entrepreneurs, builders, And those supporting them. Welcome to the Lay of the Land Northeast, where we are exploring what people are building in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio. I am your host, Jeffrey Stern. And today, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Nick Dadas. In 2003, as a sophomore still in college at Miami University, Nick cofounded University Tees after trying to organize a t shirt order for His fraternity and becoming frustrated with his experience trying to do so. So he and his co founder Joe decided that there had to be a better Lay, And like all good entrepreneurs, they started their own company. Since then, University Tees, now located here in Cleveland, Ohio, Has gone on to grow into the premier custom apparel brand for the college market with over 700 campus managers at over 300 colleges nationwide, Over 150 full time employees at the company Land with expanded capabilities for the corporate market.

Jeffrey Stern [00:01:55]:
In addition, where they've built a reputation for excellence, Servicing large scale distributors and retail programs at volume all across the country from their brand new full service production facility here in Cleveland. As you'll hear about though in our conversation today, Nick's entrepreneurial focus is not limited strictly to of teas. Over the past few years, Nick has founded and continues to operate a whole plethora of businesses. He founded Sisu Lifestyle, A leading sauna manufacturing company and brand that focused on affording the best sauna experience possible. He founded the Acton Academy Lakeside, A 1 room schoolhouse for the 21st century and for his own 3 children Land other families who share the desire for an innovative approach to education. He founded the ISI Life, standing for Iron Sharpens Iron, where he hosts a podcast of his own and has built a community for men in pursuit of developing habits success, establishing life giving relationships, and building momentum towards a life of excellence. He founded Master Plan Coach, comprehensive executive coaching program for entrepreneurs seeking to achieve authentic success across their personal and professional lives. And all in, Nick is a true Entreprenuership, applying his problem solving mindset to all aspects of his life and thematically ties his work together to a foundational principle Of developing people and changing lives.

Jeffrey Stern [00:03:14]:
Another topic which we will unpack in our conversation today. This was such an engaging and fun conversation. Nick is intentional and thoughtful and full of wisdom and candor, and it was a real joy getting to hear his story and reflections. So please enjoy my conversation with Nick Dadas after a brief message from our sponsor. Lay of the Land is brought to you by Impact Architects and by 90. As we share the stories of Entrepreneurs building incredible organizations in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio, Impact Architects has helped hundreds of those leaders, Many of whom we have heard from as guests on this very podcast realize their own visions and build these great organizations. I believe in Impact Architects the people behind it so much that I have actually joined them personally in their mission to help leaders gain focus, align together, and thrive by doing what they love. If you 2 are trying to build great, Impact Architects is offering to sit down with you for a free consultation or provide a free Trial through 90, the software platform that helps teams build great companies.

Jeffrey Stern [00:04:16]:
If you're interested in learning more about partnering with Impact Architects or by leveraging 90 to power your own business, Please go to I a.layoftheland.fm. The link will also be in our show okay. So it was hard to figure out where the best place to The conversation would would be because you're you're sort of a renaissance Land. I feel like in the the sheer breadth of been called renaissance man. You know, from educational institutions The saunas to clothing company and manufacturing to podcasts and and, you know, the the gamut. And so Rather than just diving into that, I wanted to start maybe more conceptually with an idea that I think we can ground the whole conversation in because I think it likely permeates everything that you do, which is this philosophy of developing people and changing lives. So I'd love if you could share what this means Land, you know, where it comes from and and how you came to embody it.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:05:23]:
Yeah. Well, it's in little four little, you know, four letter acronym that we use at I use it, you know, on a personal level, but also within the different businesses or organizations I'm involved with from of teas to the school to ISI and it really Stern for develop people and change lives, and it's it's when you when I boil it down or keep asking myself, you know, what motivates me or why do I do this, continues to come back to The, and it's not only just other people, but it's also, you know, myself. I wanna continue to grow and develop and grow my skills and grow my impact, but also then as I fill up my cup and pour over into other people, how can I help lift them along the way? I look back in some of the most joyous things I can remember, whether it's my family or our, you know, team members or clients that we've worked with, it's it's actually helping them develop and grow. And so just through lots of, you know, thought and research and discussion, really trying to, like, simplify it and and boil it down, that's kind of where we Land.

Jeffrey Stern [00:06:24]:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, you you mentioned of, and I I was talking to TJ Glia who originally introduced us Land, you know, think it's already apparent to me, you know, why he would want to understand this. But The the breadth of of undertakings that you've taken on and and, you know, this grounding philosophy of develop people, change lives. What actually does motivate you Land how you cultivated that like discipline to Genuinely practice what you preach.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:07:00]:
Yeah. That's a great question. I'm I'm just going to read it because, you know, it's something I look at every day. This is just, like, from my, like, favorites on my phone, but I think, you know, what what motivates me, I would just come back to, like, my mission statement, and right at the top of it is DPCL. So this is what motivates me. Yeah. You know. And for me, you know, so my my faith is an important piece, an integral piece of, like, everything I do, and so it's it's woven in here.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:07:24]:
And so, mine you know, the thing that motivates me is this. It it says to honor god by continually seeking and living out my full potential while making a positive and eternal impact in the lives of others. And so I feel like that's what motivates me if I'm doing that. If I'm improving myself and therefore hopefully improving others, that's motivating to me because I feel like, you know, being, like, used to my fullest. And so that's where, like, DPCL is the most evident. So that's, you know, that's what of me is to wake up and be a better version of myself tomorrow Land today than it was yesterday. That's it.

Jeffrey Stern [00:07:57]:
I mean Well, in The in the state of of that fullest, I think it would be helpful before we get, you know, really into The The nuance of of all the things that you're building just if at a high level, you could paint a picture for us of how you would frame all the things that you're working on and you know, what at a glance all these businesses are. Yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:08:21]:
So right now, I mean actively involved in, Of Ts which was our college startup, and that's the that's the main thing that really has allowed a lot of the other things to happen. I was you know, we're on year 20 of this college, you know, dorm room Stern up, and The we I'm sure we'll get into that later. So of Cleveland then also my wife and I started a school. We're in year 2 now, Acton Academy Lakeside in Bay Village, a learner driven Christian school, you know, very unique and kind of first of its kind here in Cleveland for sure. And then Iron Sharpens Iron, which is a nonprofit men's Land, eventually, women's ministry. Just helping guys, like, become the best version of themselves by doing retreats. And then through our own exploration into the use of sauna and cold therapy, we we have this fun, you know, super awesome sauna business called Sisu Sauna. And so they're really just manifestations of things that we've done or been involved with, and they all really came from wanting to, you know, The scratch our own itch.

Jeffrey Stern [00:09:24]:
Right. I was trying to Think about and understand if there was a thread that that ties all of these things together. I'd be curious your take if it you know, but it's just kind of an embodiment or representation of the things that that you're passionate about.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:09:37]:
Yeah, or passionate about and maybe the intersection of seeing Lay problem and being entrepreneurial and saying, you know, if I'm not the only one that I can't be the only one who has this problem or this need, and so do a little research, step into it, see if it if it truly is a problem beyond just like Nancy and I and her problem. And then, you know, building things that that I want, I can't be alone in The. And so that's even going back to universities, you know, and different things we've done have really always came from I'm doing this. This is a problem. How can I use my entrepreneurial skills to do it? And but then also making sure it does tie back into that people whether it's your team, your clients, and business is a great platform to impact people to make an impact on those around you, not just make a bunch of of. Land just like what good is that? Like that's not a great use of that resource, but investing in people I think is

Jeffrey Stern [00:10:35]:
so that

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:10:36]:
kind of gets to you.

Jeffrey Stern [00:10:37]:
No. I can't wait to explore all these all these different, you know, endeavors that that that you've you've embarked on, but maybe it does make sense just to Land of Start chronologically and and, you know, we'll go back in time to your time at Miami University Land, you know, what what what happened there And Tell take us through the origins.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:10:57]:
Yeah. We were at Miami. I transferred to Miami. I was originally thinking I was gonna be a professional golfer. So I was, I was down yeah. I was playing competitive golf down at Coastal Carolina and transferred to Miami, and I got to Miami, met the few people in the dorms that 1st year. One of them was Joe Haddad who's my business partner at University T's Land I roomed with, again, Brett McNally who's also one of our partners and runs runs all the print shop. But we were ordering shirts for a fundraiser for Green Beer Day.

Jeffrey Stern [00:11:25]:
Yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:11:26]:
And we were ordering, you know, maybe, like, 500 shirts. Not a huge order, but, you know, to sophomores in college, like, that was a big deal to put That is

Jeffrey Stern [00:11:34]:
a big deal.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:11:34]:
A couple $1,000 on the line. Oh, yeah. So we're trying to buy shirts and then resell them. And we were ordering bulk shirts from this company on campus called Moonshine. Land, it's of the hippie, like, van, you know, company Land but it's who every sorority and every fraternity on campus went to. Literally, if you were ordering shirts, you were ordering through Moonshine. And we had a bad experience. They were just rude to us, not great pricing.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:11:57]:
The final quality wasn't great. Just everything about the whole experience is just, you know, kinda garbage. And it was more just out of frustration Land we we needed a place to go Land we we didn't wanna give continue to give these people our money. And then we found out all The other stories were having exact same issue. And so, the idea was like don't sell green Beardy shirts. Become the go to supplier for all of the student organizations who are printing shirts. Yeah. And so we kinda switched gears 1 upstream, like The level, and became known as the go to supplier on Miami's campus for all the Greek life and student organizations and then just so happened that a lot of our friends were in school like Dayton Land Ohio State, Ohio Wesleyan, OU, and we gave them our playbook Land said, of, we're doing this at Miami to make some extra money, see if it works where you are, and then at work there Land work at Dayton and I work at UC and I work at OU, and we're Cleveland we were fortunate enough to be in some business classes and entrepreneurship classes that allowed us to work on our business and not just work on fake projects Land it helped us work on the company Land building the company, thinking about systems and then we scaled it to, you know, now we're on campuses all over the country Land we have 700 campus managers who are part of our program as reps getting, you know, great sales, marketing, entrepreneurial experience, but it came from scratching our own itch, you know, but seeing at the same time.

Jeffrey Stern [00:13:23]:
Yeah. Just disrupting the local monopoly.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:13:25]:
Yeah. Yeah. I know. And it's funny. I remember the guy's name. I don't know why I remember this, but his name is John Brozier, and he ran that company. And he's like, yeah, these companies like they come and go. Every couple of years, you'll see another one pop up Land where I was just on campus like 2 weeks ago Land the local moonshine is no longer there.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:13:42]:
So it's sad to say, but it was like it just kinda it's crazy to see the thing full circle.

Jeffrey Stern [00:13:47]:
Sure. There's a there's a staying power to to what you've built though on on the flip side of it. When you reflect on, you know, the dorm room project grown into a company with of a large proportion of the colleges and universities across the country. What were the you know, most formative kind of parts of that journey as you reflect on it.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:14:12]:
The. The big Stern were getting that first order like someone from the alpha delta pi was like the 1st sorority which Lay, yeah, throw on all these Greek Stern, you know, they were the ones who gave us a shot and said, yeah, we'll order our, like, bid day shirts from you guys. And so we had that opportunity. We treated it very seriously. So getting that first order was a big one and then realizing at our friends at other schools, the same thing that we were doing to get orders would work on other schools was the next big milestone. And then they really like the big one, like the really big one came when I came to graduation, and it was we got this business up. We were maybe doing, I don't know, maybe $100,000 in revenue like just top line at that time, you know, not not huge, like very, very small. And everybody is going out and getting jobs, you know, getting their 1st job which was paying 50,000, 60,000 salary or whatever it was at that time.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:15:09]:
I graduated in 05. And so is do I continue on this thing that, you know, has I think it has a chance to be, you know, could be a large company, could be very successful, could be really fun and impactful or do I kinda take the safe path and use my marketing entrepreneurship major or join maybe my dad's family business? And that was an impactful thing to say, you know what? Like, I'm going to give it a couple years Land worst case scenario doesn't work, and I'll go back to those things anyway. And so that was a pivotal one that was 'five Land, you know, going out solo on my own at that time was a big one and The got enough momentum to keep it going thankfully. And then the next big one was when we decided to get into ourselves, which was 2009. We were outsourcing for the 1st 6 years and then decided to rent space and buy the screen printing equipment, buy the embroidery equipment and vertically integrate and kind of control our own production process. Yeah. And then making it through the pandemic in an event based business was the next one, which we're now on, you know, on the other on the other side of for the most part.

Jeffrey Stern [00:16:12]:
Yeah. That's that's amazing. Did did you, you know I mean, obviously, you opted to to take that first step When you were graduating to to take on more of the risk and and, you know, trial by fire, you know, you figure it out as you went. Did did you have a sense at that point in time of

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:16:27]:
-

Jeffrey Stern [00:16:27]:
Of what it could become?

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:16:29]:
Yeah. Yeah, we had you know, we at that point, we maybe had 5 to 7 campuses that were doing pretty well. Yeah. And it was more how do I I had a vision of it being on, you know, 150, 200 schools across the country where we felt like our model could really work, and so it was more how do I grow and who do I need around me to actually go down this path, because at that point, Joe had done he had gone into public accounting. He was working for Ernst and Young. So it was truly just solo at that point in time. But I did you could see it. It was crystal clear.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:17:03]:
Some of the work we had done in college, business plans that we had written were very clear on how we'd scale Land it was just The matter of actually executing it. Land had a vision for it Land it was a matter of how do we bring it about.

Jeffrey Stern [00:17:15]:
As you grew the business, How did you think about growing yourself in parallel with it? As the scale and the scope and all of it grew, how did you approach The culture of the company and The other pieces.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:17:32]:
I don't know that I was I mean at that point, I was 22. I don't know that I was really thinking about intentionally as I would of, you know, like to be or if I'm being totally honest, it was but what I did have on my, in my advantage was when I graduated college, my dad had a, Land an insurance company in Westlake, and he had an extra couple cubes in his office The weren't being used. So I would go Land that's where I would work. I would just work on of t's at their company. And byproduct of that was just being around him and being invited to luncheons and different things that would make me see what people are doing, you know, what were they reading, what were they studying, just different thing, exposing my mind to things post college. Yeah. Yeah. And so, naturally, I got pulled into book studies and different speakers and things that kind of expanded and just kinda put me on a track of being just super curious and, you know, reading this and reading that and going along, you know, things with with different people and exposed to his professional network and different people that then pulled me in and helped, you know, just helped me grow as an adult.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:18:35]:
You know, it's kind of shedding the college layers and moving into The next phase of life, which, you know, is a is a big transition.

Jeffrey Stern [00:18:42]:
Absolutely. Yeah. It it brings me Back to actually where we started, at what point in time did you develop the develop people change lives mentality? And like, you know, where in in the Of T's journey did that become something that you felt was important?

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:18:59]:
That's a good question. I think it actually came as we were going through EOS and going through the process of really clarifying, putting a lot of thought into to distilling down what we're really about as an organization, Land part of that journey was not what we hoped to be, but truly who we are now. Yep. And that it wasn't an aspirational, you know, thing on the wall. It was, you know, what who are you guys as owners of this company? What are you all about? I think it came about through that which was maybe the 2015, Stern, so, you know, 8 or so years ago, we've of always been there like in the background, but I think it got really clarified and helpful around that time frame.

Jeffrey Stern [00:19:40]:
Yeah. So, I mean, there are there are a lot of questions I have. One of them, and again, this comes from our conversation last time is that I know you you value freedom and of of entrepreneurship as a means to that in some ways, but I'd love to understand what does that mean exactly.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:20:02]:
It's a great question. I mean, definitely value freedom. I think that's what's great that's one of the great things, the benefits of being entrepreneurial is you can you can create your own, you know, vision and create the world that you wanna live in, but at the same time, I think there's like immense responsibility that comes along with freedom and responsibility of with great freedom comes great responsibility, and I don't know that everybody really understands it unless they've bend down that entrepreneurial path and realize what it takes to, you know, at the end of the day, like, it's on it's on you or your your owners and your your team to really make things work, and so I I love the the benefits Land I love the challenge that comes along with it. But I think freedom comes, you know, the benefit is being able to to go to where you're feeling led, where you're feeling called. Like, right now, I'm in a in a little bit of a transitional of being like all in, you know, having UTs only Land we're different transition with my wife Land starting the school and being pulled in there and wanting to be there and having this amazing opportunity to to go and spend time building the school, meetings families, doing what we're doing The, so having that freedom to flow into, you know, of where I'm feeling called or where I wanna be is an amazing blessing, but if I felt stuck, I guess the opposite of freedom would be just like restrained or Stern in something. I wouldn't have that ability to kinda go and adjust my schedule and adjust, you know, what I'm focusing on and who I'm doing things with. So I think over time, it's been through different seasons of life as a college kid to, you know, single, married, you know, not married, then married, no kids, it goes through these different seasons Land now we have 3 boys, 8, 8 Land 3 and life is different now, and so where I feel I want to be or need to be is different than what it was at different stages.

Jeffrey Stern [00:21:50]:
Yeah, yeah. It brings to mind I think something you also mentioned and Maybe it's like a counterweight potentially to to that, but the the idea of, you know, working on the business first in the business Land how you've approached that. Also, as organization is scaled and maybe kind of more tactically, how you think about delegation of responsibility and and the team around you.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:22:12]:
Yeah. It's definitely been I've been through all of it Land, you know, I love I love certain elements of working in the business, and I also realize there's only so many for me, like when I define my work bucket, it's only so many hours that I'm willing to give to work because there's other things that are more important like my relationship with Nancy and my relationship with the boys. Like I'm not going to put other things in front of those, so really protective about how much time I'm actually working. So there's only so much I can do. Right. I'm not there's a lot of people who are way better than I am. One of the most impactful books and kind of mindsets came from the book Who, Not How Land if you don't read that book or I'm not I'm not I'm not a hit. No.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:22:52]:
It's Land amazing mindset shift of you when we forced with like a problem or an opportunity, we immediately Land of instinctively think how can I how can I solve that problem, like what needs to happen as opposed to great entrepreneurs, great thinkers, they they think more who's the right person that I need? Like, because, really, you have to put your ego aside and realize, yeah, maybe you're smart and you have experience. And you could you're probably very capable of going and solving a lot of of. But the the better question to ask yourself is who is the right person? And when you bring in the right people and get the right people in the right seats, then then they can actually go and solve the problem in a way better manner The you can, and so

Jeffrey Stern [00:23:31]:
Certainly resonates. Yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:23:33]:
That's what I'm talking about on the business is really it comes back to people. It's who's the right person that can go Land be an absolute rock Stern at that thing that you're trying to solve.

Jeffrey Stern [00:23:43]:
Yeah. No. No, it makes always a who thing.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:23:45]:
To me, it's always a who thing. I don't want to get into the The, I mean, of the what and like the mechanics of many things. It's usually more just like thinking about how do I attract and find that right person who's the right fit for this business opportunity or problem that we have. Yeah.

Jeffrey Stern [00:24:01]:
I mean, what resonates to me about that is I mean, a lot of what I value about this podcast and all this kind of exercise generally is A lot of people have been through these problems before. Not many of these things are unique. Yeah. Land so to the degree that you can find someone who has had the experience of solving the problem that you're trying to solve is probably a more effective way than trying to solve it yourself.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:24:26]:
Yeah, absolutely, that's how I think you can you can scale and if depending on how many hours you wanna work, you know, that's really the only real way. There's only so many things that are in my really in my sweet spot of things that only I can do, and so everything else needs to be handled by great people.

Jeffrey Stern [00:24:43]:
Yeah. How did you hone in on what you felt those things were for yourself?

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:24:49]:
So there's a process that I actually use. I'm definitely like more of a creator, but there's Land I kinda have it. I'll read it to you, and I would call it my like different words for unique ability, your genius. A big thing for me was going through strategic coach. It was an entrepreneurial coaching program. Mhmm. One of their one of their pieces that they walk you through is your unique ability, and there's a there's a kind of a separate, like, workbook you can buy, and it's it's called the unique ability workshop. And it really helps you define what are you great at, what what lights you up, where do you find focus and flow, and what can you know, what are what are you uniquely designed to do.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:25:23]:
And so I I was really curious about that. I of personality tests and all The things. I mean, I could just geek out on this stuff all day long because I think it's it's ultimately, you know, what good is a sundial in the shade? Right? So, like

Jeffrey Stern [00:25:35]:
Sure. Yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:25:36]:
So, yeah, you wanna be so, you know, for mine, it's it's about seeking, discovering unique opportunities and crafting a simple solution and creating optimism optimism and excitement for for people. And so I found that through going through The. I I did a couple of things that a couple personality tests like typical ones you think of, but then also writing, you know, writing like letters or emails to people who know me really well, who've worked with me, who've worked close to me in saying, you know, where do you feel like I bring my best to the team? When I am like what is one thing when you think of like Nick, what is what is the the biggest and most valuable thing I could bring to the table. And so you, you know, reach out to my mom, my dad who know know me, maybe not so much in a bit, but they know me in a different way and then associates and people who've worked alongside me and ask that question, and you'll start to synthesize and see, like, the common themes and The denominators that came in. So I did that and just helped The. And these are the things I try when I was working on the business or in the business. Those are the things that I try to say yes to. Anything else, I'm probably just going to make a mess.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:26:39]:
Yeah, I'm just going to mess it up.

Jeffrey Stern [00:26:41]:
Yeah. So You've got university teas The, I don't know, call it a level of maturity and sustainability where you've been able to, I don't know, maybe come up for air a bit Land, you know, See see what's out there and and explore some of these other things that that you're you're working on.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:26:57]:
Yeah.

Jeffrey Stern [00:26:58]:
Take us through, like, how you opted to like take the 1st step in any of these businesses. We could start with ISI maybe, but I want to hit on Sisu and the school and then all of it. Every one of

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:27:09]:
them, ISI, CC, the school, they're all they all come from the same thing. It's it's just going through for me, it's been just going through life and having something that feels off or seeing an opportunity, but it's through my own experience. Yep. So in in, I guess, in order, ISI was we had our twin boys Land, you know, the boys Niasai is iron sharpens. Iron sharpens iron. Yeah. It's just like men's. We do a retreat, a 24 hour retreat twice a year, spring and fall, and it came from, you know, running a business, doing a couple of things Land just being honestly overwhelmed like how do I be excellent as an entrepreneur, not in this order, but as an entrepreneur, as a father, as a husband? How do I stay fit? How do we, you know, manage our finances.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:27:58]:
And so our five f's are faith, family, faculty, finance, and fitness. So the big five f's. And I wanted that solution for myself Land luckily had a lot of people around me that I knew. And again, I can't be the only guy who, you know, who is, like, going through this and wants wants, you know, wisdom and mentorship from from a faith perspective as it speaks to my work and money and fitness. And so we just said, let's get let's let's pick a day. Let's let's do a 24 hour retreat. We'll pick our top people that we think could breathe life into this like TJ. TJ was at the very first retreat.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:28:31]:
And let's see if other people have the same Cleveland, and that's where it came from. And then we're just like, cool. Other people do, and we're gonna continue doing The. And we've been doing it for, like, 6 years. And then it went to school. Our boys were in a school Land it was The were it was mostly going well, but there were some things that I felt I wanted them to be exposed to with the amount of hours that they spend in school is a tremendous amount of hours. And although I felt like they would be getting, you know, a great education, the basics, the core skills like reading, writing Land math, I feel like there were some some character things that I wanted to be present in the environment that they were in. Yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:29:07]:
And so again, it came from Land I had we had no intentions of starting school.

Jeffrey Stern [00:29:11]:
I mean, I don't know many people who do.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:29:13]:
No. I know. And so my ears were up. It's a problem kind of going on a conversation with Nancy and I, you know, what do we do? Do we do we switch? Do we go to homeschool them so we can kind of control that and then we heard about Acton and we heard about this model Land it was, oh my gosh, this is exactly exactly what we want, and again, we can't be the only parents that feel this Lay. And so we find out that there's this amazing model and The you know, it's not a franchise, but there's a system that that you can just tap into Land they look for entrepreneurial parents to launch these schools Land it's the fastest growing private school network in the The, so we're like, The is amazing. So, we're going on this repertoire of learning about the methodology and then we just felt called to do it. I mean, it's just simple as we can just you need to do this. This is kinda like calling The Nancy and I felt, so we just said, alright, let's do it.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:30:01]:
And then here we are. And, you know, and then Sisu is kind of a similar thing. You know, there's more just like a fun fun business, but we were using it and had a kind of a bad experience and wanted to make it really simple for people to to get and use Asana because there's so many benefits from using it, that Land doing cold immersion. So I think that's the common theme. Lay of

Jeffrey Stern [00:30:27]:
the Land is brought to you by John Carroll University's Boulder College of Business, widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the region. As we've heard time and time again from entrepreneurs here on Lay of the Land, many of whom are Proud alumni of John Carroll University, success in this ever changing world of business requires a dynamic and innovative mindset, Deep understanding of emerging technologies and systems, strong ethics, leadership prowess, acute business acumen, all qualities nurtured through the Boulder College of Business. 4 different MBA programs of study spanning professional, online, hybrid, and 1 year flexible, the Bowler College of Business provides flexible time lines Land various class Structures for each MBA track, including online, in person, hybrid, and asynchronous. All to offer the most effective options for you, including the ability to in an elective international study tour of unparalleled opportunities to expand your global business knowledge by networking with local companies overseas and experiencing a new Culture. The career impact of a These Buller MBA programs, please go to business.jcu.edu. The Buller College of Business It's fully accredited by AACSB International, the highest accreditation a college of business can have. Alright. The can we can dive into each of these a little bit because they're fascinating parts of all of them.

Jeffrey Stern [00:31:56]:
For for ISI, The the question that comes to mind for me is how is there a dearth of something to like. It feels like something like that should exist. You know, why why was there such a a space for it, you think?

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:32:11]:
I don't think it was my best experience was like the church that we grew up. There's a men's group. Yeah. Land, you know, the guys get together and it was good, it was good, but it was I I really want I wanted more specific, you know, wisdom, and they were and of when Joe and I were were thinking about, I Lay, we're actually on our way back from strategic coach, and we're like, this is great. We're getting great business coaching Land but there's there's The other other areas that we need to that are on our responsibility as, like, men, as fathers to, like, take care of these things, and we're, like we distill it down to our five f's. And said The would be fantastic to talk about these ones in in a format where where guys can come in and get great wisdom and be, you know, recharged and come back The families feeling like they're on fire and they have great input on what to do in The, and I just didn't see it. I didn't see a place where you could really distill down those top 5 things that we all face in a format like that in a in a way where you could get away, you know, out of our busy life of managing business and kids and all the responsibilities that we have and have 24 hours unplugged to really, you know, refresh our mind and also time to be inspired by other guys. And so, it's something that we wanted Land we just didn't see that it existed.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:33:27]:
We saw facets of it. There's great finance things. There's great fitness things. There's there's great things The have to be a family, but we didn't see all 5 in 1 place. So that was kind of what motivated us just to do it.

Jeffrey Stern [00:33:42]:
So for Sisu, I think I mean, for 1, it would be interesting to unpack the name there and what's all involved. But I think, you know, for anyone listening, it's it's helpful to, like, go online and, like, look at what these things look like because they're beautiful. I've I've not experienced The, but, we need

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:34:00]:
to get you in 1. We should go on this interview in 1. That

Jeffrey Stern [00:34:02]:
The would

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:34:03]:
be incredible.

Jeffrey Stern [00:34:03]:
I mean, but I I certainly understand the the power of saunas and ice therapy Land, you know Mhmm. It just feels incredible when you come out of it. You're just incredibly present. But I love to understand, you know, where The drive to create the best Sana experience comes from.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:34:20]:
Yeah. Well, we started using 1 ourselves and we bought 1. It came in. We built it. We assembled it, and it was, you know, a challenging process to figure out, like, you know, what size, what shape, what heater, all these options, like too way too many choices to make. People just really want the benefits of Sana. So we wanted to make it super easy, but at the same time, very, very high quality, and so that was the kind of the marriage of what initiated us to Stern. And we knew that science was really starting to prove like real benefits of sonic therapy.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:34:53]:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. So many things. And now it's like coming out in droves, like, how much true science there is about the benefits. I mean, it's an endless list of things. And so it was the marriage of that simplicity Land then being here in Ohio in Maker's Country, like, we can make these things. I guarantee there's, you know, teams. So we teamed up with The this guy who runs a manufacturer facility and has a, you know, a lot of Amish team.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:35:17]:
So every board is handcrafted and hand Cleveland, and so it's something we're really proud of putting out The. And and when we see people using it and getting it and and the benefits that they're they're getting from it. Not just physically, but even a lot of couples are using it. It's like the thing they put the kids down and they use it for 15 minutes. Oh, yeah. And it's their actual time to connect. And so outside of the the physical benefits, there's these relational connections that are happening, which is didn't really think that that was gonna be a thing. Was for us, but it's neat to see other people saying The is our little 15 minute, 20 minutes together to really connect at the end of a busy day and unwind.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:35:54]:
And so stories like that just continue to of us to just make a really simple high quality product that helps people.

Jeffrey Stern [00:36:02]:
And and and where does the name come from?

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:36:04]:
Sisu is a Finnish term. It's, more of like a mantra, and so in in Finland, you'll hear people Lay, like, Land it means, like, grit. It's like grit, determination, bravery, courage. It just of embodies all those things. Yeah. And so and really The even say, like, when perseverance ends, Sisu begins. So it's it's really just this, like, mindset that they all have to be gritty, to be tough, to endure hard things and do hard things. And so we we heard about that name and we're just like, this has gotta be it, you know, because it's it gets hot there.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:36:37]:
You're gonna have it up to 230 degrees and you're you feel like you're gonna die Land you love it, but it's for people who are are Land of seeking that next level in their life.

Jeffrey Stern [00:36:45]:
Yeah. I mean, so so you've you've built like a whole business around Oh my gosh. Yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:36:50]:
It's been so fun. Yeah.

Jeffrey Stern [00:36:51]:
What what what is it what is it look like Land where do you see it going?

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:36:55]:
You know, I don't exactly know. We're just just doing our best to make a great product and letting people know about Land keeping up with the pace that we can keep up with demand from a really high quality perspective. So, you know, there's some limits on how much we think we can actually produce each month, but we're shipping them all over the all over the country. You know, people this isn't new. We're only about a year and a half into really doing this and making them on our own, but we just know people are benefiting from it Land The that motivates us to just push as far as we can take it. I don't really know how far it'll go. Yeah. Yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:37:26]:
But I do think it could turn into, you know, beyond just just Sauna, the the idea of Sisu and the brand of, you know, doing hard things and being gritty and being determined and brave and being courageous, I think it could definitely expand beyond just Sauna into other things.

Jeffrey Stern [00:37:42]:
What have you learned from the process of of going through that idea from, you know, idea to an actual Asana The is a physical thing that that you didn't grasp fully from your experience with of TEAS.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:37:56]:
So it's a great question. Here's the thing that I've learned with Sisu is The what we have built is a brand and people you know, people Lay you don't buy a drill. You buy a hole in the wall like that thing. Yeah. Yeah. So we have focused, you know, almost exclusively on the benefits of Sonae and building a brand and building reputation The benefits of Sonae and building a brand and building reputation and, you know, tapping into that emotional piece. And in the other in the other businesses, it hasn't been so much. It's been more product driven.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:38:23]:
Like, here's why this is the best sauna and here's why this and we really haven't we've we said, like, that needs to be like table stakes. Like, we have to make the best song, but let's focus on the fact that you're gonna connect with your wife. Let's fact on the facts that you're gonna lower your blood pressure without using any meds. Let's focus on the relationships you're gonna connect with your neighbors by inviting them over and these deep connections that you really wanna have, but you you don't really try to get there. So it's all these other things that aren't product related The we focused on Land I think had we done it the other way around and been more product focused, we would not have had the success we've had because we're focusing on, you know, that emotional tie and really building the brand around those things, which is something I haven't done in the other other things yet.

Jeffrey Stern [00:39:06]:
Yeah. Yeah. And and you just you observe that from how people respond to the brand. Is that

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:39:13]:
Yeah. Yeah. Just what they're saying or you know, what motivates or in a conversation like what lights them up, The questions they're asking or why people are buying, and the more we press into the experience and the brand and the benefits that come from it, you know, it just seems like that's everybody else is focusing on the product.

Jeffrey Stern [00:39:31]:
Yeah. There's other people building

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:39:33]:
good saunas. We're not the only one doing building good saunas, but I think, you know, there's something to like I want a Sisu because of the brand that that has been established and the trust that goes along with it, so it's been a new journey.

Jeffrey Stern [00:39:45]:
Yeah. No, that's very cool. The association, that Brand that's always stuck with me is it's a promise. Yeah. You know, you're promising certain pieces.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:39:54]:
Yeah, exactly. To the experience. Yeah,

Jeffrey Stern [00:39:56]:
it is. So alright. So you got The, and you got ISI, and and now you're you've started a school. Yeah. So before we we even go into that, how do you how do you balance everything? How do you think about balance? And I, you know, I imagine work life balance is a general concept. I bet you have some interesting thoughts on, but how do you think about balance?

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:40:23]:
Yeah, it comes back to that question you asked me earlier about, and I was kind of describing I'm going through this transition of how can I give my best to UTs and to Acton Land SISU and ISI, those are like my 4, you know, vocational things that I'm involved in? So of my workbook, let's just say that workbook is 40 hours. It says a starting point. If that's all I'm allocating to my workbook, how can I maximize within each of those and not let it because I think I could work just probably like you? I could work 100 hours a week a 100 Land just, you know, the more you work, the busier you get. So right now, I'm thinking of it like where I'll Stern, you know, 2 days a week on UTs, a day on Acton, a day on Sisu. So with that, there's only so many things I can do within each of those Land that's where the The, not how idea comes around. It's I need to know what I'm uniquely gifted to do and the thing that lights me up the most and where I can deliver the most value for others and then everything else needs to be some, you know, responsibility of somebody else. So having tools like EOS and and being able to here's how we do it. This is a system.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:41:29]:
You know, it's not about me. The Land of mindsets help me create like balance, but it's more just intentional structure of where I'm spending my time, who I'm doing it with, and The make sure I'm owning the responsibilities that my partners in the business or with Nancy that they're counting on me for.

Jeffrey Stern [00:41:48]:
Yeah. So but it

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:41:50]:
it flows a little bit, but that's kinda of how I'm breaking it up, and I'm sure that's a little bit of a work in process. I think it's always a moving target when you're an entrepreneur.

Jeffrey Stern [00:41:58]:
It certainly is, yeah. Yeah. So on the school front, I I would love to understand a little bit about, you know, the the business of of of school and, you know, any any other additional learnings that you've had from that that you didn't get From creating saunas and and Land and from of teas. But then also just kind of like more holistically, I think this endeavor, you know, is a really interesting one because it's it's about your kids Land, you know, more holistically about, you know, education Land You've mentioned some concepts already that I feel like probably resonate in into that, you know, learning in practice rather than in theory and the experience you had in at Miami, you know, doing The. Yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:42:41]:
But but And by doing it.

Jeffrey Stern [00:42:42]:
Yeah. Just like how how you've approached opting to create this path for your own children in the form of a school. That's crazy and awesome. Yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:42:55]:
It's a high calling too. It's definitely it comes with a lot of it's an amazing opportunity that also has a lot of responsibility Yeah. Tied to, as you can imagine, not only just the safety of all the learners that are at the school every day, but making sure that they're coming to Acton. Land you know, my wife and Nancy who runs The school are in charge of creating this environment where they can Stern, and, you know, we were we were definitely on the fence for a for a while. We were actually in Land then we decided to pull out. And then when we actually retreated and said, yeah, maybe, you know, we'll just leave that to somebody else. We'll just send our kids to, you know, school. We we actually got pulled in way more Land said, you know, you need to do this.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:43:36]:
Like, you need to you need to go pursue this. But the premise of the school is is of three things, and it's it's learn to learn, learn to do Land learn to be, and so it teaches them a lifelong spirit of learning and curiosity. How you be a lifelong learner. How you actually learn how do you learn things? You wanna know how to do something? How can you go and learn that skill? And then learn by doing is hands on. Go out and don't just read a book about Brazilian jujitsu. Go take a class. School learn by doing and then the b is where the character. And so being a Christian school or teaching about integrity and faith and how all those things about who you're becoming in many ways.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:44:16]:
When you ask a parent, like, what do you want for your child, they don't talk about being great at math. They don't The don't want it. It's The person that they're becoming. Right. The school that they choose The eulogy values. Yeah. Yeah. What yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:44:30]:
Exactly. What what do you want them to be? Who do you want them to be? What's important to you as a parent? And you hear those things Land it's it's usually almost always about the eulogy values. It's who they're becoming in the process, and so we didn't see that in The schools with the 2 schools prior that we were a part of Land, man, this is the kind of environment that we would want to create. And along the way, 1 guy, David Krebs, who was our architect has this really great guy, AODK Architecture, and he said, what you guys are considering doing is what I would call an ancestral decision. And people before you made an ancestral decision to come to United States and made different decisions that now you are the, you know, the the descendant of of those things, of that ancestral decision that was made before you. And so, yes, this is a huge thing. It's a big thing, but it's one of those maybe few very few if ever opportunities in your life that you have to make an ancestral decision Land, you know, to think about creating environment not only for our kids, our 3 boys, but surely there's got to be other families that feel the same Lay, and it's very similar to the other things. It's we put out there and we started talking to families and they're like, yeah, that's exactly, you know.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:45:44]:
And when you see a a parent when you're meeting with a family, whether it's the learner and the parents or whoever you're meeting with, and you see them, their light go off like, this is an option. I can send my kids to a school like that. Like, this is this is a solution, because there's things I did I didn't like here. I didn't like The, and there's no perfect school. Like, our school is not perfect. There's no perfect school. But to see that what you have, you know, lights up a lot of their things and solves a lot of their issues, it's a really rewarding

Jeffrey Stern [00:46:10]:
thing. I I can I can imagine? Yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:46:12]:
And The it's motivating. Wanna make it a The this awesome experience Land not only I mean, our 3 boys are there. So, obviously, we wanna make it great for them, but we wanna make it great for for all these families that are entrusting their education, their children to us.

Jeffrey Stern [00:46:24]:
Yeah. Well, the whole philosophy of it certainly resonates. I think if you can come out of school knowing how to learn and being curious for the rest of your life and thinking critically and wanting to do good, those are, you know.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:46:36]:
Yeah. Yeah. And and Cleveland a lot of traditional fast kind of squelch that out of you, squelch that creativity and of of learning. You know, I don't know a lot of people that come out of high school or middle school and Lay, I just like love learning. I think it maybe comes back as like an adult, but there's a period. It's certainly true for me where I just wanted I wanted to get through school as fast as I possibly could because it didn't allow me to explore in a way that I wanted to. So, you know, it's been an answer to prayer and it's been really like, you know, fun and Acton equips us with, we have never done it on our own and that's a great thing about being tied up to the Acton network is there's right now between, you know, about 300 or 400 schools in the US that are growing and we're all part of this network of sharing best practices and tools and resources Land we're all contributing, we're all rooting for each other. And so there's this ginormous playbook of of things to do to use.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:47:29]:
And so Yeah. Yeah, that gives us the confidence to know what works, and we're not just, like, flying by the seat of our pants. We're using a playbook that's been, tested and works.

Jeffrey Stern [00:47:41]:
Holistically, across all these things, what does success mean to you? - What is the impact that you are trying to have?

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:47:50]:
Coming back to the same mission. I mean, yes, maybe it's a bit boring to keep coming back to the same thing, but I would say successes doing The. Yeah. It's continuing to develop myself and continue to upgrade who I am and then at the same time using whatever gifts, experiences, resources I can to pour back in other people, I think that's a life well lived.

Jeffrey Stern [00:48:13]:
Yeah. TJ mentioned 1 other question that that, that I could ask. Yeah. And so it feels like a good spot to do it. But he He wanted to relay the question of exploring this idea of the gap versus the gain and when enough is enough. Yeah. Land how you think about those.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:48:32]:
The gap in the game. Yeah. The it's a it's not something I made up. I got it from a strategic coach, but it's really helpful as an entrepreneur. So where you are looking between where you are and where you wanna be is the gap ahead, and it's I wanna go hit that next revenue projection or make that amount of money. And when you are and you're looking back, that's the game. So where you came from, the things you did. And so when you're looking back on accomplishments, wins, successes, that's where you get confidence.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:48:59]:
You feel really good. If we sat here for 2 minutes and you just wrote down all the things that you accomplished, you would feel really good about yourself. If you sat here for 2 minutes and wrote about all the things you want to do in the future, you would feel maybe motivated to go get those things, but you'd also feel this weight that you have to go get them Land that's Sure. It's kind of the opposite of not confidence, but it's more of a negatively associated. And as entrepreneurs, as we progress on our gap, what we do is we just continue to move out where we want to go. We're continually moving and creating more of a more of a gap, and so that's I think it's just really important to protect our own mind, our own confidence about what we've done, what we've accomplished by focusing on the gains Land, you know, making sure that we're showing up as our best by reflecting on The coming from a state of confidence as opposed to a state of, you know, there's not enough I have. I still have so much more to do, feeling like valued and worthy and good about what you have created to this point because there's always going to be something to do.

Jeffrey Stern [00:49:57]:
Yeah, there is. I do love that. The corollary, if there is 1, was when success becomes significance Land your thoughts on that. In the context of, you know, developing people and changing lives too.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:50:13]:
Yeah. It's I think that every you know, I don't think it needs to be some huge epic thing to be significant. I think every day, every moment can be significant. I think, you know, the way that you show up and, you know, spend a minute or 2 with your kids making breakfast for them is is a significant thing. So my thoughts on it Land, you know, just Stern own advice is like not be looking at these, like, epic moments. It's just the everyday stuff. What would I want my kids to Lay? And they're not going to talk about anything worldly related. They're going to talk about The comes back to like The eulogy Stern.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:50:48]:
Like, those are The everyday successes Land everyday significance. I think it's significant in the small things. Sometimes it's good to, like, major in the minor things of being there for Nancy, being there for my boys, like them knowing who I am, having a good relationship with The, you know, do my team members think that I, you know, of them, cared for them, really wanted the best for them, I think those are the significant things. You don't need to be some super duper successful entrepreneurs to do those things, like it's just everyday interactions I would say are the significant ones.

Jeffrey Stern [00:51:21]:
When you Look back maybe at some of the the game. Mhmm. What do you feel were some of the most challenging things The you had to overcome as part of, you know, your whole journey so far.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:51:35]:
Mhmm. Yeah. It's been it's been a lot. I think most recent, I mean, the apparel company keeping it alive through COVID Yeah. Was insane. Having a shutdown and, you know, events being basically canceled for an event based business, so, you know, modifying the plans through that and pivoting and all those things to like stay alive and really be on the other side of that and having understand a vision for the future and how we can be great 20 years from now, you know, still was that's definitely a big one. But The than that, I think it's at some of those big like big life moments of having our twin boys and bringing them in the world and still you know, staying close with Nancy and the boys and and still running a business, like The are to me the things that are actually were were some of the bigger bigger, like, super challenges. Like, how do you how do you balance being a dad, you know, of twins when it's all on, full on, and still running a business and making it through those those challenging times? And then, you know, for us, there's there's been some of The, like, pivotal moments where we've, like, lost some, you know, very key people, and you just viewed everything as like the growth mindset.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:52:44]:
Everything everything that happens to me is an opportunity to learn and grow. Everything that happens to me today is in my best interest, and it's an opportunity to learn and grow. So I am one of those people who's a Stern optimist. I don't focus on the negative things that have happened. I just think, cool. It happened and what can I learn from it and how can I get better because of it and not dwell on the fact that it sucked? Yeah.

Jeffrey Stern [00:53:05]:
Well, one of one of the things I wanted to ask you about and it's mostly unrelated to everything we've talked about, but You had described and and, you know, this is this probably comes into play when you talk about your allocation of time Mhmm. And, you know, the things outside the vocational focus. Mhmm. You know, the importance of fitness and, you know, kind of adventure. But you described this, like, race that that you're involved with that I had never heard of. Adventure racing? Yes. That's kinda crazy, and I would just love if you could talk a little bit about that.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:53:33]:
You'd love it. You should sign up for it. Yes. So my brother and I, we've always been, like, mountain bikers and trail running and do outdoor Stern. And so we we always look for something to have on our calendar because it just gets us together in trains, but we did we recently did this adventure race, and it's a combination of paddling, trail running, and mountain biking. And you basically are thrown into the woods, and you have a map of these different checkpoints and you got to figure out how to get to them in the most efficient manner and then whoever gets all the checkpoints and comes back in the shortest amount of time is the The. And so you got to figure, do I want to paddle this 1? Do I run or run to this 1? Do I want to bike this 1? So it's really super fun to do and super fun to do. It sounds

Jeffrey Stern [00:54:13]:
like a fun map.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:54:14]:
But then there's all these life lessons that you could overlap on on, you know, having your map and and knowing your route and knowing the training that goes into the task and being in the right shape. So there's it's just fun Land, I mean, at the core of it, I just like doing stuff with my brother, and I like being out in the woods and being out in nature. And so it kinda checks all those boxes.

Jeffrey Stern [00:54:34]:
Yeah. Yeah. I I do I do want to try it

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:54:36]:
at some point. You would you would love it. It would be fun.

Jeffrey Stern [00:54:40]:
Yeah. I'll I'll do

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:54:40]:
it with You want The join our team. There's a lot of these teams are either solo, 2 person, 3 person, so be careful what you wish.

Jeffrey Stern [00:54:48]:
Okay. So I think we've covered a lot of ground here. I have a few more questions, I guess, as we as we wrap up. Sure. The is If you Stern your Land more towards the future and think about what comes next, are you open Land seeking to, you know, add more things on the vocational frontier plate. Like, how do you think about because it again, when you when we Talk about the the thread that ties all of these things you're working on together. Mhmm. They it seems to just stem from, you know, your interest and passion and recognition of problems.

Jeffrey Stern [00:55:21]:
Do you wanna keep expanding, you know, the the set of problems you're trying to solve, or are you trying to focus here? Like

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:55:28]:
That's a good question.

Jeffrey Stern [00:55:30]:
Yes. All the above.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:55:33]:
I don't I'm not I would be very, very happy, very content with exactly what we have going on right now. I would also be totally fine with with doing more. Like, if there's more locations that we wanted to open up with the school, expanding the nothing more. But, also, like I mentioned, you know, fate's, like, a really important, you know, piece of, like, how I process things and how how we do things. And so if I feel very compelled or called to do something or to over to, you know, swing the of the other way and really simplify, I think there's just an element of being in tune with that and and feel like you're I'm following that call whether it be to expand or to simplify. I don't know that any The thing that I look back on, I didn't think I would be doing anything that I am doing now. It's not like I thought, oh, I'm going to have, you know, this, this and this other thing, like none of the things I'm doing now probably like you or most people, you end up doing things and end up in places that you never thought you'd be. So I'm not really I'm just, you know, I'm not really I don't feel like I'm necessarily like in charge of those things if that not to get too, like

Jeffrey Stern [00:56:37]:
Freaking well. Do we have it?

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:56:39]:
Yeah. I just feel like they you know, they're meant to be. And then I'm, like, saying yes to the task at hand and, you know, saying yes to The, like, those assignments that I feel like were uniquely designed for me to step into. And so if it's more or less, I think just try to know what those are and try to discern that as best as I can.

Jeffrey Stern [00:56:56]:
Yeah. Amazing.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:56:57]:
Yeah.

Jeffrey Stern [00:56:58]:
Is there anything unsaid The, you know, we haven't talked about that you feel is particularly important as you reflect on your journey, the things you're building, the things you care about that you want to express.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:57:08]:
Northeast today though, but when you asked the question about the significance, I kind of went on a little rant there about just like the small things, and I think that is really important. I'm guessing, you know, audience is probably more like entrepreneurial business oriented. I think we are looking for these big moments to validate us and others, and I I really think it's just finding joy and significance in in every day in the small things, in the in the super small things of you know, that are super easy and basically free to do and to not lose sight of that or just always be building for that next thing Land to take inventory of what you have, be grateful for. Know one of my the mentors, the guy who spoke at ISI just recently, he said he said familiarity deserves intentionality. So FDI is kind of how I remember it. Familiarity deserves intentionality. So these great things that we have that we become, you know, desensitized to are actually, like, amazing, and they deserve the intentional focus. So it could be just as simple Lay, like, being grateful for running Stern.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:58:13]:
You know, grateful for, like, you know, that you your kids, your wife, whatever, like, you know, that you have a roof over. These The things that you have totally taken for granted because you're looking for the next thing, that gap out The. And so that would be just like, you know, whether it's journaling or gratitude or whatever it is, just take stock of how far you've come and be, you know, be prideful in that and take take great confidence and and realize like every small moment is a great opportunity to feel really good and help people.

Jeffrey Stern [00:58:42]:
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It's a beautiful sentiment and a and a perfect segue to our our traditional closing question, which normally I phrase as, you know, a hidden gem in Cleveland, But, you know, it could be something that you think we maybe collectively take for granted in in Cleveland. So The is anything like Stern Oh, yeah.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:58:59]:
Like gym, etcetera. Whatever. Yeah. Oh, man.

Jeffrey Stern [00:59:02]:
Geography, foods, places, things, experiences,

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:59:06]:
oh, man. So many. In Cleveland, I I saw the question. I was like, oh, man. I love Thai food. There's this tiny little it's called Thai Cravings. I think it's now in Rocky River. Great Thai food, tiny little place.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:59:19]:
Everything's made from scratch. Great Thai food. And, yeah, that's probably, like, the my number one one of the things. That's a little date spot that we end up at.

Jeffrey Stern [00:59:27]:
So Yeah. Yeah. That's my one. Wonderful.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:59:31]:
I'll have to check it out. Yep.

Jeffrey Stern [00:59:32]:
Well, Nick, I just want to thank you, you know, for for taking the time Land, being as candid as you are and sharing

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:59:39]:
your story. Absolutely, man. Great. Grateful to be here.

Jeffrey Stern [00:59:42]:
If if people had anything they wanted to follow-up with you about, what would be the the best way for them to do so?

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:59:48]:
A few show notes. I'll just put my email on there. Okay. Have them follow-up with me. Perfect. Land we'll put the different websites to things. But if they wanna connect, I would say just shoot me an email. Perfect.

Nick Dadas (University Tees, SISU Lifestyle, Acton Academy Lakeside, ISI, MasterPlan Coach) [00:59:58]:
Awesome. So thank you. Thanks, man. Appreciate it.

Jeffrey Stern [01:00:02]:
That's all for this week. Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear your on today's show. So if you have any feedback, please send over an email to Jeffrey at lay of the land dot f m or find us on Twitter at Lay of the Land or at sternJefe, j e f e. If you or someone you know would make a good guest for our show, please reach out as well and let us know. And if you enjoy the podcast, please Subscribe and leave a review on iTunes or on your preferred podcast player. Your support goes a long way to help us spread the word and continue to bring the Cleveland founders and builders we love having on the show. We'll be back here next week at the same time to map more of the land.