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This podcast was born from a belief that meaningful growth doesn’t happen overnight. The things that really matter—in life, business, art, relationships—often take time, patience, and unseen investment. And yet, we live in a culture that constantly pulls us toward immediacy: fast food, AI, and overnight success stories.
But the reality is:
Anything truly worth building usually takes time. Success doesn't arrive in an instant.
We take the time to ask our amazing guests, what are the things that are worth putting in the time and investing in, even if we don’t see results for a long time?
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Speaker: [00:00:00] Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Bamboo Method Podcast, Investing in the Unseen. It's a show about the day-to-day things, the small things that add up over time. Often it can go unnoticed, but over time they make a big difference.
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Today's a special episode. I'm on this side.
Speaker 2: You're
Speaker: on this
Speaker 2: side. Again.
Speaker: Yay. Yes. Yay. Just me and Sam.
Speaker 2: Thanks
Speaker: for cheering. Applause. Yeah, I was cheering for myself. Yeah, you... Uh, I'm- Wade's excited to be here ... yeah, I'm
Speaker 2: excited
Speaker: to be here. I'm excited to be here. I like having conversations with you, Sam.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Um, just you and me. Usually we have a guest.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker: Uh, and we love being able to interview people who walk the walk.
They put in the work every day-
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm ...
Speaker: and, uh, for, for awesome results. But today, you and me are chatting.
Speaker 2: That's right. Yeah. I'm excited about it. Um, as we say, oftentimes the things that matter most take time.
Speaker: Yep. [00:01:00]
Speaker 2: So thinking about that, I'm curious, and would love to hear from you, you've been in business, out doing your own thing, entrepreneuring- Mm-hmm
running
Speaker: your
Speaker 2: own business, freelancing, owner/operator, for four years now?
Speaker: Uh, yeah, just about four.
Speaker 2: And-
Speaker: I, I had a part-time job for the first year, year and a half, but-
Speaker 2: Okay ...
Speaker: but yeah.
Speaker 2: Okay. What do you feel like have been some of the biggest lessons learned or takeaways? This could just be things that have impacted you as a person or things that you have learned to have a successful business.
Speaker: Yeah. Well, first of all, successful feels like a little too big of a word. I don't know if I describe exact, but- Yeah.
Speaker 2: You don't have your part-time job yet,
Speaker: again ... I do not have another part-time- Then you're
Speaker 2: successful ...
Speaker: thank you. Yeah. So yep, paying rent, buying groceries, uh- Heck yeah ... yep, on, on work I'm doing myself.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Um, should be stated that you are also an entrepreneur. Um, but we did kinda wanna start the conversation off with my experience. It is funny talking about [00:02:00] entrepreneurship on the podcast 'cause my gut reaction is I don't know anything about entrepreneurship. And, uh, I don't know what I'm doing. Even me being self-deprecating just now, I'm like, "I'm not successful."
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Um, but it's like, well, I have been doing it for a few years at this point- Yeah ... and I am buying groceries and paying rent, so it's like it- Yeah ... I have to be experiencing some amount of, um, success. And so it, yeah, it's just so funny, like, thinking about the Bamboo Method. It's... It can be hard to put a finger on exactly what that is.
Um, it can feel, day in, day out, looking back, kinda like, "What have I been doing?" And so upon some reflection, I think the first thing I'd say to that would be saying yes a lot. Um, I've had a couple clients I wish I didn't say yes to, but also I learned a lot from that, you know? And so I think being able to say yes as much as I could early on has given me a lot of opportunities to make connections- Learn a lot.
I [00:03:00] know on a previous podcast I mentioned my major audio mistake I made at one point in my career. Uh, I won't go into that again, but basically, you know, you don't learn something like that. You only make that mistake once.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: And so- Yep ... uh, I think saying... And I wouldn't have made that mistake, I wouldn't have learned from that if I didn't say yes to the things that I did to get to that point.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Um, even the clients that I feel like were bad clients or maybe it was a bad experience, a lot of that came back to me. Um, I didn't communicate very well on the front end. Mm. And I think a lot of the bad experience, bad client, whatever, probably could have been avoided if I was more clear on the front end.
I know we talked a lot about clarity in a previous episode, too, but, um, yeah. Saying yes to a lot of things. Um, saying yes to you, you know, originally. Sure. You waking me up from my nap in college- Yeah. ... and saying, "What are you gonna do with the rest of your life?" And me just saying, "What? I just woke up from a nap."
[00:04:00] Uh, but it, that was a yes in that moment that I said- Yeah ... "Yeah, I'm, I'm willing to learn from you and take a chance and learn how a camera works." Um, but really learning about storytelling, learning about, uh, human connection. Saying yes to other directors. You know, I've been on set with a couple other people, and everyone does it differently.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: And so, you know, saying ye- saying yes has been kind of the, the avenue to learn.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: And, uh, one of the best parts about being an entrepreneur, owning your own business, is that you get paid to learn. You know? Yeah. Instead of like, you know, I, I graduated from college and, you know, got a couple thousand dollars in debt for all the stuff I learned.
Yeah. And, you know, I, I'm super grateful for my college experience and I, um, would do it all over again, but, you know, owning a business, it's super stressful and I, you know, there are days that I wish I got a paycheck every two weeks, you know? But in the end, I am [00:05:00] just learning still. Um, but can be a little more painful learning, like the audio mistake.
Yeah. But, um, I'm getting paid to learn.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: And that's pretty awesome.
Speaker 2: Heck yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I th- I think entrepreneurship is, it can be easy to, uh, be like, "I'm not an entrepreneur." Yeah. And I have those exact same feelings. Uh- You know? I don't identify really as an entrepreneur myself. Mm-hmm. Um, but I think it really does just boil down to, like, saying yes.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2: And maybe not, like, explicitly to, like, a request-
Speaker: Mm-hmm ...
Speaker 2: but really entrepreneurship is seeing a problem and being, saying yes to the like, "I will help solve that problem." I
Speaker: can do something about that.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. And, and the reality is generally it's like, "I'm not sure how we're gonna do it now."
Yeah. Uh, but I'm saying yes, saying that we can get there.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And I think that's often what- makes a good entrepreneur is the willingness to say n- yes before you actually know the path.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2: Um, the, uh, common phrase [00:06:00] that I've heard about entrepreneurship is you're building the plane- ... on your way down.
Speaker: Sure, yeah.
Speaker 2: And, um, and I, it, you know, it's kind of a joke and, but I think there's some truth to it. Obviously, you wanna know a little bit about, um, how to f- fly maybe-
Speaker: Yeah, I'm not gonna say- ... before you
Speaker 2: jump.
Speaker: I'm not gonna say yes to someone that says, "Can you fly this plane?" Like, literally, like- Yeah ... yeah, I'm not gonna agree to that.
But maybe someone saying, "I have this event." Yeah. "Could you take a video of it?"
Speaker 2: Yep. "
Speaker: Yeah, I think so." Like, "I made this graphic. Can you animate it?" "Yeah." "How much does that cost?" "Oh, well, let me just think about that." Yeah. And, you know, come up with numbers and, uh, you know, for the most part I've gotten to a, a decent place.
I feel like I'm getting paid, uh, the amount that I want to, but all that is just a learning process, and saying, saying yes to that moment. Yeah, I think solving a problem, um, even for me, someone, uh, [00:07:00] someone I knew had their own business, and he just wanted a video about it. Asked me, "Is that something you do?"
At that point, it was not. I had never made a video for a business. Um, but in the moment, I, I mean, obviously working with you for a little while at that point, I'm like, "Well, Sam does that a lot." Like, I think I can, I think I can get there, and I can get help when needed. And, uh, that's another thing, having...
asking for help. Um, that's a huge one- Mm ... for me as a business owner. Um, I mean, from you, gotten tons of experience and help from you over the years, and then being able to pay it back a little bit even, like you also asking me for help
Speaker 2: too. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And-
Speaker 2: Yeah ...
Speaker: um, yeah, reaching out to people you know. Uh, even, like, thinking about lighting, I didn't know anything about lighting, but we had Ted.
He's episode number one of The Bamboo Method. Yeah. Well, I guess episode two. First guest on The Bamboo Method.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: I learned a ton [00:08:00] from him. It's like- Oh, yeah ... "Hey, we're having this... We're filming this commercial." First of all, said yes. Yeah. "Can you make this commercial?" "Yes."
Speaker 2: Yep. "
Speaker: Can I do lighting?" "Ooh, maybe."
Speaker 2: Yeah. "
Speaker: But I know a guy," right? Yeah. Like, I'm gonna ask Ted. Yep. "Ted, can you do lighting?" And then he does an amazing job. And so I think, uh, not doing it by yourself. There are a few projects I did that I, looking back on, it's like, man, I should've just asked for help, you know? Mm-hmm. Like, we got there, and it all turned out.
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: But if I had just kind of got over myself a little bit, like it's okay that I don't know how to do everything- Mm-hmm ... uh, would've been better.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: I would've, I would've been more proud of the work we did. Um, not to say that I wasn't, but- Yeah. Anyway, ask for help. That's another big takeaway, and that's something that I need to do more
Speaker 2: of still.
Yeah. Yeah. What are some of the scariest yeses that you've, you know, you felt like, "Oh, boy- Yeah ... what did I just [00:09:00] say yes to?"
Speaker: Yeah. Um, I mentioned, like animating a graphic. I did a... One of the biggest project I've, projects I've worked on, um, was a series of animated ads, and at the time I had never done anything to that scale.
And, uh, by scale I mean just quantity. Like I think, you know, there are f- six different graphics, and every single one of those graphics had five or six sizes. So, you know, in the end I'm making like 30 to 40 different animated graphics. And, you know, in that moment, I said yes to, "Can you do that?"
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: "Yeah." And then it's, "Okay, how much does that cost?" It's like, "Okay. Wow." And then I give a number and he's like, "Great. Let's do it." Yeah. It's so funny how like, uh, we talk about this a lot. It's always a rollercoaster of... Pricing is such a rollercoaster.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: And, um, the part-time job I had for a while was with [00:10:00] a guy named Dave who has a shelving business, his own business, and I learned a lot from him as an entrepreneur.
And, uh, he told me that pricing is the hardest thing you'll do as an entrepreneur. Mm. Owning your own business, like it's just so challenging, and I, I definitely agree that that's gotta be one of the most challenging. Anyway, so like you get to the point where you come up with a number, you send the quote off, and it's like, "I hope that s-
I hope that makes sense. I don't know." Yeah. And, and I don't know what's scarier, if they say no or if they say yes.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. It's like, if they say no, that's a huge bummer, you know, I missed out on an opportunity, you know, work, et cetera. But says yes, I have to do that now. Now you
Speaker 2: gotta go do it.
Speaker: Yeah. So, sent the number off, he said, "Great. Let's do it," and I just had to start working on it, and, uh, that was scary. That's one of the scariest ones.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. But-
Speaker 2: And, and it went well, right?
Speaker: Yeah, it went really well. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Super fun project, great team to work with, and, [00:11:00] um, yeah, it was super fun.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Yeses can be scary.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Um, I, I know I can absolutely identify and have a similar experiences of many projects where I said yes, and I was like, "I sure hope it's yes." I hope that went through. Was
Speaker: I lying? Yeah. I don't know. Yeah. Might've been lying.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: No.
Speaker 2: And, and I mean, the, yeah, the emotional rollercoaster of- Okay, like, what's the least amount I'm willing to do this for?
But then I stop to do it, and what's the mo- what do I think it really is worth, though, and what feels better? And
Speaker: There's no way they're gonna say yes to that,
Speaker 2: so. There's no way, yeah. And, and then, and then sometimes you just lobby it out there, and they're like, "Yes." And you're like, "Should it have been more?"
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And it's just an emotional rollercoaster. Yeah. Which kind of brings us to, um, you know, pricing-
Speaker: Sure ...
Speaker 2: is a unique thing as an [00:12:00] entrepreneur- Mm-hmm ... as a freelancer, as a business. And I know for myself, I've had a long history of, of different pricing techniques and- Sure ... approaches. Um, what does that look like for you now?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: It's a
Speaker: leading
Speaker 2: question.
Speaker: I think you can answer that, uh, as well as I can. Um, I mean, pricing is something that we've spent a lot of time on, intentionality on the last, last, over the last year.
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And, uh, with Lune, um, the video production company we run, and, uh, we ultimately decided to be transparent about pricing.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: And that journey is just starting. Mm-hmm. And so I, I think we'll, we'll check back in, uh, next year maybe to see how, how it goes. Yeah. But ultimately, the clarity, we felt, outweighed the risks.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: The negative risk. And-
Speaker 2: Talk
Speaker: about
Speaker 2: the risks. Sure.
Speaker: What are the
Speaker 2: risks?
Speaker: Well, I mean- And
Speaker 2: what does that mean, to be transparent?
Speaker: Sure, yeah. Transparent meaning if you go on our Instagram right now, you can see how much for kinds of videos that we make cost.
Speaker 2: Our core [00:13:00] videos.
Speaker: Core videos. Yeah. Obviously, we, you know, everything can be custom. There's no... Every project is different, but many projects fall into a couple different buckets, and we put a price tag on those buckets.
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And, um, you know, risks include undercutting. You know, someone's like, "I do branding videos, too. I'm gonna do it for a dollar less." Obviously, that's a bit of an extreme example, but- Yeah,
Speaker 2: yeah ...
Speaker: they very well could.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: And, but in that, I think just trusting that what we create is worth the price we put on it.
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Um, it's worth our time. It's also worth it for the, for the business owner or the nonprofit, that video has that value.
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Um, and hopefully delivers, you know, more than that- Yeah ... in, in return on that value. Uh, it's also a risk just 'cause it's vulnerable.
Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. It's
Speaker: just- Very vulnerable ... it was just super scary - Yeah
to, to put a number out there.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Um, you know, there's some people that [00:14:00] have reacted and said like, "Really? You charge that much?" Meaning like, "That's so expensive."
Speaker 2: Mm.
Speaker: There's been other people that have said, "Really? You charge that much? Are you sure?" Yeah. Like, "Are you making enough money from that?"
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: And so it's funny the mix of reactions that- Yeah ... you know, come from that. Uh, and it is fairly unique to put- Yeah ... to put pricing on a service-based business. I mean- Mm ... obviously- A menu example is a little bit, uh, simplified, but- Yeah ... if you go to a restaurant and there isn't a number next to the, you know, number four BLT, like, I don't really know if I wanna take, like-
Speaker 2: Yeah
Speaker: if I get the check and it was $45, like- Yeah ... that's kind of a bummer. Maybe it was worth it. Yeah. Maybe it wasn't. But either way, I'd like to know on the front end probably.
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And so same goes for making videos. Price is, it's one of the most important factors in the decision-making process. And so obviously, the quality of the work is up there, very super important, the experience, um, what [00:15:00] the product does are all important, but ultimately, how much is it gonna cost me and how long is it gonna take, those are probably top of mind- Yeah
for the person making that decision.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we've had a lot of... It's been interesting, the responses. Even just telling people, "Yeah, we're gonna share our pricing," some people are like, "Ew, what?" Like, "Oh, you share it? Like, well, like, do you think that's a good idea?"
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker 2: And I, and I know I've seen a lot of people, like, who would just highly advise against it, you know.
Yeah. Some big names in business or freelancing, um, might miss an opportunity to have a conversation 'cause it scares people off, and you don't- Sure ... get to do the full sales process of, "Well, here's the value." Could go against some of the classic pieces of advice in the process, where it's, you know, talk about the value and get them hooked, and then, then give them the price when it maybe- Yeah
doesn't matter so much 'cause they really want it. Um, but- By
Speaker: that point, the price won't even matter. They're gonna want it so bad.
Speaker 2: It's
Speaker: like- Maybe that happens. Maybe, yeah. I don't think that happens to us very
Speaker 2: often, so. Yeah. And I think the [00:16:00] conversation can still circle around value. It really comes down to value.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: But I think the conversation's gotta make sense all the time, not when you're just in the emotion and heat of it.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: You know? I think one of the conversations we had was we don't want people to just feel excited in the moment, and that's when we'll get them to sign the contract.
Speaker: Yeah, sign right now
Speaker 2: before they leave.
'Cause if they're not gonna sign tomorrow too, then, you know, I don't know. I, I don't feel great about that. Yeah. I want you to be excited today and tomorrow and- Yep ... and confident in the process. And, um, we can still have a conversation, and we're hoping it opens more conversations because you know what you're getting yourself into-
Speaker: Yeah
Speaker 2: in this conversation, and transparency is, I think, always really helpful. Everyone always has budgets. I've only really once, you know, maybe it's a good story. Maybe it's a story for another day. I only really ever once worked with someone where budget didn't come up, and it didn't matter. And it's like everyone has a budget, and it matters.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And whether we talk about it now or later, it's gonna be a factor.
Speaker: It's
Speaker 2: gonna come up. And if I, if [00:17:00] we delay it, then it's like it's still gonna, you know, come up. It's the same thing, uh, we had an experience, you know, in some of the stuff we were working on with our house where it's like we got this catalog for all this stuff, and like, "Well, where do I find the prices?"
He's like, "Well, tell me which one you want." I'm like
Speaker: Uh-
Speaker 2: Price really matters in that- Yeah ... conversation.
Speaker: I don't want it if ... Yeah, I may not want it once I know- Yeah ... the price. Yeah.
Speaker 2: And like, I'm like, "I can tell you right now what our budget is, and you just tell me all the ones that fit in that."
Speaker: Right.
Speaker 2: Um, it'd be easier if I could just see it up front.
Mm-hmm. And it's like y- I'm not gonna get swayed and fall in love with this one and just pay more money. And maybe some people will.
Speaker: Sure.
Speaker 2: But I just think that's pretty rare.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2: And I think it's the same thing in business, that people aren't just gonna get swayed because of the emotion and excitement of it all.
They have a budget, and let's start there.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, even, uh, Chris Do comes to mind. I think we could have like a Chris Do counter for-
Speaker 2: Yes ...
Speaker: for our podcast. But, uh, he, you know, I... We aspire to be like Chris Do someday. You should look him up if, if you have, if you don't know about him, but, uh, [00:18:00] chances are if you're listening to this, you might.
Um, but- The
Speaker 2: future. The future. Chris Do- Yep ... is the, the future.
Speaker: Without me. Yeah. And, uh- Yeah ... he talk, he kinda like imitates a, a conversation with a client and, and, uh, you know, he asks like, "What's your budget?" And like, "Well, oh, we don't know. We don't have one." He's like, "Okay, so this is gonna cost $100,000."
"Whoa, $100,000? That's way too much." He's like, "Okay, so you do have a budget." Yep. Like, I'm never gonna be bold enough probably to say it like that.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: But it all goes to show, yeah, you do have a budget. I mean, maybe it's not, uh, to the cent-
Speaker 2: Yeah ...
Speaker: but you probably have a range in mind. Choose a range. "Yeah, I'd like to keep it under $5,000.
I'd like to keep it under 2,000." You know, whatever that is.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker: Uh, you probably have a ballpark in mind. Mm-hmm. And it's, it creates clarity and it, you know, even if it just avoids some awkwardness, you know? I think that's worth it. Yeah. It's like if, if we can start the conversation off with, "Hey, when you work with us..."
They may not even... They may see the pricing on Instagram, see it on [00:19:00] our website, uh, before they ever even talk to us. They have a number range in their mind. They're gonna be working with Loon. It's gonna be probably somewhere in the 2 to $10,000 range. Obviously, there's projects that are smaller, there's projects that are bigger.
Most projects fall somewhere in that range. And even if that's a big spread, that's helpful to know. It creates clarity, and it can help the business owner make a decision, the nonprofit make a decision.
Speaker 2: Absolutely. So let's talk about our production company, Loon Production House, which is what we operate together.
Um, Loon produces the Bamboo Method podcast. We can go back to Wade, things you've learned running a business, and you talked about saying yes is important, asking for help is important. How do you know when to say no?
Speaker: Good question. Um, I think one, first thing would be capacity. I mean, if [00:20:00] maybe it's a no for now, if you're just...
You know, for me personally, if I'm just booked full and I know I'm gonna be busy, busy for, you know, couple months, maybe couple weeks- Um, being able to say no for now I think is important. I think saying yes to everything, yeah, I've just ... I can't say yes to everything.
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Um, I'd also say that I have to come to a no, for me personally, if it just isn't a project that aligns with my values, with who I am.
Speaker 2: Mm.
Speaker: Um, there's been a couple times that I've said no to things that, uh, yeah, could be a good project, but the, the business that the project would be for just doesn't align with, with me. Mm-hmm. And that's okay. And I think, uh, you know, as a business owner, that's something I do have the agency to, to turn down and make that decision.
Mm-hmm. Doesn't happen very often. I think it's only happened once actually. So that'd be another example, is just alignment. [00:21:00]
Speaker 2: Yeah. Is there anything you wish you would have said no to? Besides my call five years ago.
Speaker: Yeah. No. No, I'm glad I said yes. Um, yeah, there was, there was one, I mean, I mentioned it earlier, that was just kind of a rough project.
But honestly, I think it did mostly boil back, boil down to me not having clear expectations on the front end.
Speaker 2: Mm.
Speaker: So I think the problem may not have been me saying yes. The problem was more me saying yes and then not creating clear expectations on what was gonna actually happen-
Speaker 2: Yeah ...
Speaker: when the project started.
Speaker 2: Sure.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And it's, it may not just be one yes, right?
Speaker: Yeah. '
Speaker 2: Cause now there's, there's expect- what are the yeses within the yes?
Speaker: Yeah. What did I say yes to? Yeah. There may be some things in there.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And which can create maybe a structure in where you don't have to be the one to say no.
Speaker: Sure.
Speaker 2: Just say, "Yes, but here's what that looks like."
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: So you create some parameters.
Speaker: Sure.
Speaker 2: And then, you know, both parties have to be willing to that, [00:22:00] willing to move forward with those expectations that are clear and what you're comfortable with. So it's not just a yes or a no, but it's, you know, w- what are you saying yes to and how far does that go?
Speaker: Mm-hmm. And
Speaker 2: how can you create a space where maybe you're not the one saying no to it? Um- Yeah ... that can still feel hard.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Um, 'cause you feel like you gotta say yes to everything, but you gotta be comfortable with it and it has to be beneficial.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, there, there's a handful of other projects that I think I said yes that n- I don't necessarily regret the initial yes, but the, the implications that I said yes to.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Um, maybe it was budget. Said yes to a budget that really didn't make sense. Mm-hmm. But in the moment, it was, you know, a bit of that scarcity mindset. If I say no-
Speaker 2: Yeah ...
Speaker: you know, that's it. I'm done. You know? Yep. That was my last opportunity and... or thinking, like, that'll never come up again or maybe, uh, you know, the budget that was proposed, it's like, if I don't say yes to that, that's as much as I can go.
Did I ask that though? [00:23:00] No. I could have asked. Like-
Speaker 2: Yeah ...
Speaker: hey, I, you know, for a project like this, it costs this much. And at the time, I just didn't know that, first of all. But then also I don't think I had the confidence to- communicate that to
Speaker 2: the client Mm-hmm
Speaker: And so even though the initial yes, there's nothing wrong with it, um, for this one project I'm thinking about.
Uh, but it just ended up being way, way, way out of scope, uh, in the end. And, and, uh, you know, I was just working kind of all night for a little while there, and, uh, project ended up being fine, and everything... Everyone was happy, but I said yes to things that I didn't realize I was saying yes to- Mm-hmm
scope-wise, budget-wise. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2: Some of that is just you learn those things over time. I think that even comes back to- Yep ... the pricing side of things.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker 2: You really can have a firm pricing that doesn't change when you know what it takes to get it done.
Speaker: Yep. And- Is that the time... Yeah, 20- Like, looking back, hindsight is 20/20, I had no idea that that was way under [00:24:00] budget.
Speaker 2: Yeah. At
Speaker: the time, I thought that was, like, the most money I'd ever made on one project.
Speaker 2: Yeah
Speaker: Which it was. Yeah.
Speaker 2: But looking
Speaker: back on it- You didn't realize
Speaker 2: what it was gonna take to get there ...
Speaker: It's like, yeah, I probably could've... I sh- if I, if I were to value my time the way I probably should have in the moment, probably would've cost double, maybe triple-
Speaker 2: Yeah
Speaker: of what I ended up getting paid.
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: But I just didn't know that at the time.
Speaker 2: No. Yeah, you don't know. And, um, and time can feel like, ah, you know, squishy. It's like, I could put a little bit more time in there. I could stay up a little later. I'm getting the money. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I'm getting the money. That, that feels good, and that can feel exciting.
Um, but then as you are able to refine a little bit more, you realize, oh, it's, you know, we might have to change some structures. Mm-hmm. And, um, which, y- yeah, comes back to the transparency of putting all the pricing out there. It's like you gotta have firm numbers. Yeah. Gotta be confident in that structure.
Speaker: And know why you have those numbers.
Speaker 2: Exactly. Yeah. And so I know for me, there was a long time in my operations where every single time, it's like different pricing 'cause it's just, like, [00:25:00] customized pricing 'cause-
Speaker: Start from scratch every project ... I'm still
Speaker 2: start from scratch every project. And every project might have a little bit of differences, so there's might be some of that warranted.
But overall, it's just me trying to figure out what is it gonna take to make this happen.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And honing my craft and craft in a way to replicate it more easily and know what it's gonna take to get to the finish line, to get across it.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: And it, I mean, also comes full circle to what I started with was being a business owner, I'm paid to learn.
Yeah. And even though I got paid a lot less than maybe I should have for that, I still got paid, and I still learned a lot. And-
Speaker 2: Yeah ...
Speaker: if I can keep that attitude about it, then it was a great experience in that way.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker: That I just, I was able to learn from it and get paid a little bit along the way.
Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I love that you brought up the word attitude.
Speaker: Sure.
Speaker 2: What kind of mindset do you feel like you have to have pretty consistently, maybe there's multiple mindsets, that help you be successful as an en- entrepreneur?
Speaker: Yeah. I think you have to be an [00:26:00] optimist. I mean, if I was a pessimist, I would've stopped doing this a long time ago.
Sure. That, uh- Like, I actually can do this, or there will be more work to be done. Uh, there w- I will get more clients. Um, so I think you have to be an op- optimist. I think you also have to be humble. I think many times I can feel like, "Oh, yeah, I know all about that," and, um, be dismissive or, or, uh, maybe arrogant, but I can't afford to be arrogant.
You know, as a business owner, I have to continually be humble and learn and ask for help- Mm-hmm ... as I mentioned before. Uh, those... I think being humble, being an optimist, um, and also just think being kind, if that's a mindset. I mean, goes a long way to just be nice to someone as- Yeah ... a business owner. Yeah.
I mean, I'm, I'm a business owner, but also the people I work with are oftentimes the business [00:27:00] owner as well. They're in the same... you know, on a, on a similar but different journey than I am. And so I think being kind and, and seeing the people who are behind the businesses I'm working with-
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm ...
Speaker: goes a long way into the mindset of being an entrepreneur for me.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: It can be so easy to have different expectations, sometimes higher, sometimes lower- Sure ... for other people. It's like, "I want you to have your crap together." Yeah. "And it's okay if I don't." Yeah. Or on the flip side, it's like we can be really hard on ourself and just not on other people.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: We think, you know, they've ar- they're okay, they've arrived, and I'm just, like, stuck in the crap trying to figure it out.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2: But all that to say that, like, being kind and acknowledging that they're in the same... We're a... A lot of us are all in the same boat. We're all just figuring it out. We're all just saying yes and solving problems.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And I think that's a big deal. And being able to see each other in those perspectives goes a long way.
Speaker: Definitely.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Being an entrepreneur [00:28:00] is definitely investment, um, I think in our own future, but also just the future of our communities and the people around us.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And, um, I think it's a beautiful thing. I think it's a necessary thing. I just always have a lot of admiration for people who say yes and take those risks, take those jumps, um, 'cause it's truly what we need.
That's where innovation comes from, solving new problems, and better ways to do life, and where we can really just, like, add more value. Mm-hmm. One of the things I talk about with my kids is like, "Find a way to add value to the people around you, and you'll be successful."
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And I think, uh, that's, that's what the saying yes is.
I'm just gonna bring more value, so.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Love that. Great. You're crushing it.
Speaker: Thanks.
Speaker 2: I'll- You too ... as a biased - Yeah. Not so much of a just a bystander, but, uh, working with you, crushing it. Um, so I think there's a lot of good stuff, um, unsaid about the four years that you've, you've, uh... what [00:29:00] you've done and, and where you're at.
And, um, I know for me just being able to be next to you, excited about the- Four and many more years ahead.
Speaker: 4D.
Speaker 2: 4D.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. Um, we really appreciate all of our listeners, the time that you spend. Um, if, uh, you haven't watched, um, go check out the videos. If you haven't checked out our Patreon, it's a way that you can listen to a little bit more content.
You can also support us. Um, this is something we love to do, but also is something that we put time and energy into, and so it's a way that you can support this if you enjoy it. And, um, there's a way there to subscribe to our Patreon and give some support for what we're doing here. And, uh, we will see you at our next episode.
This has been The Bamboo Method podcast, investing in the
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