****Please forgive any and all transcription errors as this was transcribed by Otter.ai.****

Alex Demczak 0:00

Hey, I'm Alex Demczak and you're listening to A Shark's Perspective.

(Music - shark theme)

Kenneth Kinney 0:21

Welcome back and thank you for joining A Shark's Perspective. I'm Kenneth Kinney, but friends call me Shark. I am a keynote speaker, a strategist, a shark diver, host of this show, and your Chief Shark Officer.

Kenneth Kinney 0:34

What matters most in life and work, especially when trying to sell? Is it selling at any cost or maintaining your integrity and exhibiting the trust and character that you your customers and others expect is a pursuit of financial success more important than your family? Then what is the number one strategy to build trust and create success?

Kenneth Kinney 0:56

Alex Demczak is a speaker, the CEO and Co-Founder of Streamline Books, a former SEC quarterback, and the Wall St. Journal bestselling coauthor of The Sale: The Number One Strategy to Build Trust and Create Success.

Kenneth Kinney 1:10

And on this episode, we will discuss quarterbacks in the SEC, throwing the yellow flag for a year, writing a fable with John Gordon, working in sales, integrity and building trust and character, what leadership requires in a title, writing books, Bengal and Sumatran tigers, tough products to sell, throwing the rolls, Dave Ramsey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dabo Sweeney, and a lot lot more.

Kenneth Kinney 1:31

So let's tune into a Missouri tiger with a tiger of a shark on this episode of A Shark's Perspective.

[music]

Kenneth Kinney 1:43

Alex, welcome to A Shark's Perspective. If you would, tell us a little bit about your background and your career to date.

Alex Demczak 1:49

Shark thanks for having me. It's an it's an honor and I've heard many good things about your show. So it's great to we just met in person. It's great to be on your show. But yeah, my name is Alex Demczak and I live in Columbia, Missouri. And that's where I played college football, the home of The Tigers, for any of your Mizzou fans that are listening out there. I don't know if you have any of those

Kenneth Kinney 2:08

but Missouri doesn't have any fans.

Alex Demczak 2:11

You know, now that we're in the SEC, you know, we're I will say we are recruiting very well right now. I think we just signed the number three kid in the nation. So shark you better be watching out those Missouri Tigers this year. So it could be it could be exciting year, but I yeah, I came from corporate America or I did sales for five years. And as I was in my sales job after I finished playing college football, I enjoyed my job. It was a you know, lucrative It was a fun job. But on the side as a side hustle, I started doing speaking engagements. And so for about long story short for about five years, on the side, I did a side hustle, doing speaking engagements or training or workshops. And during that time I started writing books. And December of 2021, is when I took the full time leap, I quit my full time sales job to do essentially my own sales, which is you know, full time speaking as a keynote speaker and as an author. And so, man, there were so many things that I learned in corporate from a sales perspective than I'm using as a full time entrepreneur. And so I'm really excited to talk about some of those things today because there's such a parallel, but man, it's I just think the whole message of selling what you believe in finding something that you feel called to, and then just pursuing it. I'm just really passionate about that message. Because I think there are a lot of people who are in jobs who maybe are just going through the motions, or they think okay, someday I'll do this. The Life is short. And I just love talking with people about what it looks like to really pursue what you feel called to do.

Kenneth Kinney 3:47

You played in the SEC, let's go back to that. You played for the Tigers. You were a quarterback. What was that experience? Like? Because that'll be the spot where you but you were not a starter? Correct?

Alex Demczak 3:57

Yeah, not a starter? Yeah, absolutely. I was part of the team. I had an incredible experience. And I'm still you know, I was at practice the other day a huge supporter of the program. And so just a quick story on what happened at Mizzou, so life was good. My freshman and sophomore year, we were transitioning from the big 12 to the SEC. All life, I really had no complaints in life and going into my junior season. I walk into one of the meeting rooms and the coach, one of the assistant coaches looks right at me and he says, Alex, we have over scholarship that quarterback we are bringing in someone to take your spot. And it was like my world. You know, my mind is racing. I'm like, wait a minute, what does this mean? And he said, he said, Alex, you have two options. Option number one is your cut from the team like thank you, but no thank you, you're done. Option number two is you can stay on as assistant, volunteer coach, no pay, and he's like, by the way, you need to decide right now you want to do and so as you can Imagine as a rising junior in college, I'm thinking like, I've given my life to this thing, all my best friends are on the team. And so, in that moment, I said, I guess I didn't know what to say. So I was like, I guess I'll stay on as a coach. And I remember walking shark, and we're walking out of that room. And I remember walking past the person who took my spot. And I remember parking my truck and just honestly letting loose just crying feeling humiliated. Like here, here. I had all these, you know, kid from a small town with all these dreams and, and here's how the story ends for me. And I show up to my first practice thinking, I'm going to have you I'm like, You know what, I'll be positive, you know, like John Gordon energy, but you got to be positive. You know, I'll make this coaching thing. I'll give it a go. And I show up the first day thinking I'm going to have this awesome coaching role. Well, I walk into the facility, and one of these assistant coaches, he walks up and he says, Let me show you what your job is going to be. And he hands me this yellow practice flag that like a referee would throw. And essentially, he says, when someone jumps offsides, in practice, we knew we needed to take this flag and throw it on the ground. And, like it was as boring as it sounds, right? Like I would literally, you know, before practice, I'm printing off copies for the coaches, I'm doing all these things, all these small things. And for my entire junior season, that was my reality I was on in street clothes. While all my buddies were living out their dreams, I'm throwing this darn flag. And that was a trial for me that year. And I told the coaches, I said, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get back on the team, my senior year. And I you know, I remember, you know, I'm in St. Close, I'm running with the quarterbacks running sprints. After practice, I'm trying to do anything I can to be part of it. And full circle. I got back on the team, my senior year, we went to the citrus bowl, we beat Minnesota, it was an awesome experience. But why I share that story with your listeners is when I look back at all of my years as a player, but then the one year that I was throwing the darn flag, I made a way bigger impact that year than all my other years as an athlete and my message now to companies and teams that I speak to is that leadership requires no title. And I think then that message is so important for all of us in that it doesn't matter who you are at work where you're on the depth chart, where how you stack up, but what matters is you showing up with excellence each day and so I don't do it perfectly. I didn't back then. But that's kind of my message. And you know, I spoke to a school yesterday, speaking to another organization tomorrow in Iowa, and it's such a, it's so fun for me to be able to share that story. When at the beginning I was embarrassed like I was I was kind of humiliated to be like, Yeah, I got cut from the team. But what I realized shark is that in sharing that story, you just resonate with other people who also have stories themselves and and there's this humility that comes with it that you just meet people that are moved by it, maybe your trial or your shortcomings. So that's a little bit about me and my message man and, and just what I love sharing with people.

Kenneth Kinney 7:53

Yeah, that's way too noble though, because I would have taken the flag, put it on one of John Gordon's book and books and thrown at it. The other the, you know, the guy that took your spot as hard as I could. But yeah, let's talk then about the sale. This book that you co wrote with John Gordon, which will lead a lot into sales today. How did you get on his radar? What was the process like of co authoring a book with someone who's written a ton of bestsellers?

Alex Demczak 8:22

Yeah, so my senior season when I got back on the team, John Gordon came to Mizzou spoke to the athletic department. So that's where we connected. And I just straight up told him, I said, Look, when I grow up, I want to do what you're doing. It's kind of what I told him. And I said, Is there any way that I can learn from you?

Kenneth Kinney 8:40

Wait, you were this is what year? You were in college, and

Alex Demczak 8:43

this would have been 20? Yeah, my, my senior year 2014 2014. Yeah, so that's when we met

Kenneth Kinney 8:50

no aspirations of being a coach.

Alex Demczak 8:53

I thought about being a coach in college, I thought about coaching. And I did end up coaching for one year out of college as a offensive coordinator in high school. So I did go that route one year, but I had, I took a public speaking class my senior year at Mizzou, and so that kind of intrigued me. But when I read the energy bus, John's book and heard him speak in person, I said that right, there is what I want to do. And so John's response is pretty much like I like your driver, like you're, you know, you're initiating this conversation, are you willing to work for free? And I said, Sure. And so I started managing his LinkedIn account and doing outbound sales for him, which you know, is can be tough as a speaker to call on people and say, Hey, do you want to have someone come speak and you know, so it was tough, but I just learned and I started making some sales and, and so then it turned into me speaking for John and so if he couldn't be an event, I would go speak on the energy bus or training camp or one of his best selling books that you mentioned. And I just loved it. I was like, this is for me the dream job and so we were out in California in 2019. For one of his power of positive leadership events. I highly recommend. If any of your listeners have aspirations to get leadership training, go to one of those vents. Were there Roma Downey is at our table she was from she was the star off Touched by an Angel. Arnold Schwarzenegger walked through the lobby, I guess he worked out at this hotel there, Daniel Jeremiah from NFL Network was there all these really cool people that I met at this leadership training? And John asked me, Hey, what's the next book that you're working on, and we started talking about the sale. And what's really unique about and I'm sure we'll get into this, but the message of the sale, you know, to fable, but it's all about integrity, and building trust and building character. And so what's really unique that John and I still talk about to this day is that, you know, for the last seven years, you know, I've essentially identified a mentor in my life. And he's mentored me, I've tried to be a sponge and just learn as much as I can. But then we, we built it, we wrote a book together on building trust and integrity. But we've kind of seen that in each other, right? Like, I didn't just come to him one day randomly and say, hey, I want to write a book with you, or, Hey, it's like, it was battle tested. Like for the last seven years, we've seen it in each other. I've seen how he's ran his business, and led his teams with integrity. He's hopefully seeing the same in me that when we came together to write this book, it was like, This is so cool, because it's both of our perspectives, both of our stories in this one story, which is the sale.

Kenneth Kinney 11:12

So the book, the sale, the number one strategy to build trust and create success. I'm not going to try to oversimplify the story of the book here, but in tell me where I'm wrong. But basically, a salesperson, who's got the normal struggles at home and life and everything else in a family business. Turbo technologies, if I remember correctly, is in a, an ethical dilemma where he is trying to make a sale that will give him a huge commission, but at the cost of his own integrity, and that of his company, and what his grandpa had founded and how he struggled with with that. So did any of that come from not that you ran into a $7 million Commission, which was part of the story, but had you run through those kinds of situations where someone was trying to push you to not use your integrity, to be fair to customers in the companies you represented?

Alex Demczak 12:00

Yeah, that's a great SparkNotes version of the book you just gave. So thank you, for that for that was awesome. But yeah, the main character, his name is Matt. And in the book, we tried to make it so that everyone that reads the book, and in some way relate to Matt. And so I think for me in my life, you know,

Kenneth Kinney 12:19

I want to know how much you related to Matt, though.

Alex Demczak 12:21

Yeah, that's, that's where I'm going with this, because I really did. And I feel like in some ways, Matt, there's there's definitely a lot of me in that in the sense that when I was in sales, I always I recognized myself that I would get a sales commission. And then I would say, okay, instead of being thankful for that commission, I'm thinking, how can I double it next month, right, and it was this constant thing that I never could be content and quote that I try to try to live by, is, Comparison is the thief of joy. Comparison is the thief of joy. And so what I recognized in myself is that I had really unhealthy habits. I'm up until answering emails at crazy hours of the night, I don't have these healthy habits, I'm, I'm stressed, I've had to deal with anxious stuff, because I'm doing so many things at once. I'm trying to juggle all these balls. And what I had to realize is that I had to niche down to what I felt called to do and so absolutely, there was parts of Matt's character that I definitely resonated with in that, you know, that chasing money or putting work before family or Yeah, I mean, yeah, I think there's, you know, the whole climax of the book, like you mentioned is, you know, Matt, you know, has the chance to make the $7 million commission which shark? I don't know about you. But for me, that's a lot of money. Maybe for you. It's more than

Kenneth Kinney 13:37

my normal commission, but just to hear, but yeah, just

Alex Demczak 13:42

a smidge. Yeah. But so, you know, that's life changing money for most people, right. And so he has this opportunity. And what's crazy is, you know, in in the way that that his team will be lacking integrity, he's not even the one doing it. He just knows it would be happening. And he's turning a blind eye. And I think for a lot of people in sales, or just in life, that opportunity presents itself a lot. And I think, yeah, I think the main character meets this mentor named Randy in the book, who teaches him these laws and principles about integrity. And so yeah, without giving away the ending to your listeners, it either way, whatever ends up happening, you'll have to read the book to find out. It's it's the growth that comes through some of these principles and the growth that comes through the mentor ship that that ultimately helps the main character make the decision on what to do it because what happens is in the moment, he starts rationalizing, you know, like many of us do, it's like, if something we think is a shortcut sounds good. It's like, you start rationalizing on why you should do it, right. But it's, it's not the best for you in the long term. But in the short term, you have short sighted thinking, right? And so it's such a big part of the book is what does it look like, for the long term to sell with integrity to to make a difference to think okay, how am I going to look back on the situation and I think I As we think like that, and as we do that in our lives, whether it's sales or in life, we're going to be content, we're going to be happy with the decisions we made when we have that thinking, right? Rather than, Hey, how can I make this the quickest commission from this client or this prospect, not even treating them like a person, we're just treating them like a transaction, they can feel that right where they know it, they can sense it. And so I just think there's this integrity based selling. That is just when you're when you experienced that, like when I think about people who have kind of sold me on a product or service that I need or want, it feels nice to invest in that when they do a good job. And so I think that's the part of the message too, is you're not just a sales rep, you're a people rep, you're someone who is helping people solve a problem. And you're helping give them a tailored solution to that problem.

Kenneth Kinney 15:50

obviously want to encourage everybody to read this book, because like you said, you don't want to give away the ending. There are car chases, there's explosions, aliens, a three headed shark, none of that, but I'm just making up but it's, it's it's a great ending, it tells a tells a great story. It sounds like every show on Sci Fi, probably. But yeah, on that network, but you know, you tell the fable the journey. And I'm curious, did you run into because the way you're describing it resonates with even people that we've all worked for, but your evil sales VP fits pretty much every evil villain and every comic book movie as well. It was, you know, describing that person and how they push you into that they can be supportive and manipulative. But at the cost of integrity, it seems so easy for so many people to rush through just not even thinking about it. And I'm curious how that evolved with you now, as you've grown in your own career, where you start pushing that to front and center, as opposed to it just being a word integrity.

Alex Demczak 16:50

Yeah, that's a good point. And you know, Warren Buffett, what he said about trust, he said that this quote that I really enjoy, he says A trust is like the air that we breathe, when it's present, you don't even notice it. But when it's absent, you can't breathe. You can't help but notice it. And it's so true. Like when you're on a team, or you're in sales, and you're around people that you can't trust. It's not fun, like you don't, it's not doesn't work well, right. You know, Tony Dungy, the Hall of Fame NFL football coach, who's this renowned guy, everyone loves him, no matter if you're a colts fan or not, or a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, you love the guy for what he does and what he stands for. And one of the things he says about integrity, he says, integrity, is doing what's right, versus what's convenient, right. And I think to your point, it's like, we have so many opportunities as leaders, as sales individuals, whatever you do, to compromise our integrity, and these small little things that we think, oh, you know, what, this won't affect anyone. And a lot of times, we don't even realize how much it affects us, when we do those things, right? When you maybe make a promise or you you set out to do something, but you don't follow through, you're also breaking that promise with yourself. And I think, you know, everyone wants some type of growth, you know, if you think about revenue growth, or you want to fill your sales pipeline, but I think a lot of people focus so much on the growth, they neglect the steps that get them to the growth, right. So being a person of integrity, right, and which leads to being congruent, like when people look at your life, and they see the way that you lead the way that they that you live, is there something different about you, you know, because I know for me, when I'm around people who I look up to and respect, I'm like, there was just something different about that person, like, I've had the chance to interact with Tim Tebow a few times. And it's like, when I'm around that guy, there's just an IT factor that he has, and there's a humble, there's a, I mean, just, they just so many cool qualities about a guy like that, where I'm like, Man, that's how I want to live and lead my life, you know, and so then you know that, that being having integrity, being congruent, that leads to trust, you know, people can trust you. And when people can trust you, they want to do business with you, they want to be friends with you. And that ultimately leads to growth, which can be revenue, profit, it could be relational growth, spiritual growth, all these things that start with first, being a person with integrity, and that flows to so many other things in life.

Kenneth Kinney 19:16

I love that you brought up revenue and I want to jump into that in a second. But I also really love the way we're discussing this we think of words like integrity, I hear this a lot in marketing speak with empathy and these words congruently they can sound so nebulous, and people don't know really how to apply them in their life. But they have such a such a real impact if you can figure out how to assemble those pieces. But if you you know the ethical part aside, which sounds weird to say, how does the story like the sale help you or teams, if you will, the ones that you speak to increase sales in your business and what you do? Yeah, it's a great question. There are so many people I know who they're not thinking about ethics and integrity. They're only thinking about making the numbers for this month. If you tried to go back and explain to your sales manager, it was just hard for me to be. I couldn't show him I couldn't show him enough trust. So I didn't feel like it was right to make that sale. That's, that's such a hard thing for people to understand and even comprehend when it's more complex than that. But no,

Alex Demczak 20:15

that's such. That's such a good word. And I think you're so right, because it's almost like this the way I think of what you just said, is a a slowdown to hurry up, right, in the sense that how often as a salesperson, do you take time to think about what do I actually stand for? What am I selling a product that I actually believe in. Because if those things are not true, right, and you are not, or you are Miss, interpreting, or miss representing what you're selling to someone, right, that will affect you. And not only will it affect you are the person you're selling it to, but you're not going to sell it as well, when like, I think about it like this, when I became a full time entrepreneur, and now what I sell is myself and my speaking and the impact it can have, and in the books that I write, if I do not believe in what I'm doing, I'm not, I will not have success, because I believe that no one can probably sell me better than I can sell myself, right. And that's just the mentality I have. So I think as a sales rep was working for a company or your own business doesn't matter, when you make the decision, and you know, fully full and well I believe in not just the product, but the value, the value that provides well then that changes everything. Because if you believe it, then all of a sudden, you know, now you're just helping people fit that that need, right and you're and you're providing the value I think about there's this famous TED talk. I think it's Jia Jie Yang, he talks about, he has a company called rejection, I believe it's rejection therapy. And he did this test where 100 days where he, he just wanted to get rejected. Have you seen that? Yeah, yeah. Seems like a great guy. I haven't met him. I've just seen his stuff. I want to give him a shout out on here. Because for 100 days, he came to America and he said, You know what, I want to know what it's like to get rejected over and over again. So he'd like go up to a store, counter and be like, Hey, can I borrow $100, like at a gas station? And they're like, no, he's like, okay, and he walked away. But he kept learning these tactics about rejection. And he learned that you can truly remove the emotion of rejection, right. And so, as you said, that I thought about when you know, what you stand for, and you know, what you believe in the value that you or your team are providing, it's really easy to sell, selling becomes easier. But you're also going to be way more effective, right? Because you're now you're now, when I think about like the high net worth people that I interact with people who are have built amazing businesses and companies. And I just try to learn as much as I can from those people, what I realize is they are very good at spotting value. Like they're not always looking for the biggest discount. But when they when they see value, they know how to spot it. And I think that's a big part of why they are, where they're at in their careers in their lives. Because they, they can sift through the marketing, the noise, all that stuff and say, I'm going to invest in that person, because I can spot value. Like I think about the best coaches I've had in sports. You know, they didn't know how to get the right people in the right seats, because they're like, I know how to tell value. You know, I think about a coach like Dabo Sweeney, one of the best coaches in college football, he is great at identifying value, having met him a few times, it's unbelievable to be around a guy like that. And so to answer your question to come full circle, when you know what you stand for, when you believe in the value you're providing, sales becomes easier. And you're in it's easier, it's an easier transaction for your prospects, because you're not selling them something. You're providing something for them.

Kenneth Kinney 23:53

It's been a while I remember when it was but it was J I think JIAJ ai AMG. Yeah, it's a really interesting 100 days. So tell me about streamline books.

Alex Demczak 24:04

Yeah. So shark as you know, as you know, this as a speaker, you go out to get you meet some amazing people. And almost every event, I will go to someone who, you know, they would get my book and they would say, Hey, I have a story I'm working on too, or I have a book and I didn't really have a resource to point people to. And so two years ago, when I quit my full time job, I co founded streamline books with my co founder will Severns. And it's just unbelievable man in two years time. Just the team we've been able to bring around us. It's just super humbling. But essentially, we have a 20 week proven process where we help people write, edit, and publish their book, whether that's someone comes to us with part of book that's partially done, or they say, hey, they need help with ghost writing where they do we do interviews with them, and we have a writing team that writes the book for them and collaborates with them. So we have about 45 writers and editors. If someone's listening is like, oh, I want to write a book someday essentially, in that 20 week process you get a writer in editor in a project manager, so you get these three people on your team that guide you through that 20 weeks. Obviously, we do design, it's a turnkey publishing process in the sense that we do it all for you. And then at the end of that 20 weeks, the book is published. And you're able to go out and monetize it, use it for your business, use it for sales, whatever. And so, man, we're just super humbled to get to do what we do, we get to help people share stories move stories forward, we just published a book from an individual last week and awesome guy, he's, he's spent 15 years in prison. And now he's wants to share his story. And he has a business and he's super successful now. But he talks about the redemption story of, you know, what he's been through, we just did a sales rep who has this amazing recruiting company. But now he's using this book to gain clients. And so for him, his book is the business card. So I encourage any of your listeners, whether it's through streamline books, or just through someone else, write your book, write your message, because, number one, it's a way to make an impact on people's lives. But number two, it's just a, it's a credibility piece for your business, in your, in your expertise in your, your wisdom, like think about how life how short life is, you know, whether it's your kids or grandkids, like when you write a book, they're always going to have that, you know, they're always going to have something from you that you've put out there in the world, and it's not gonna ever go away. And so and that's, that's what we get to do. And we're super just humbled and to because really, we're helping people share their message and share their story with the world.

Kenneth Kinney 26:25

Alex is every one who appears on this show A Shark's Perspective with a guy nickname shark, what is your favorite kind of shark and why?

Alex Demczak 26:33

Shark? That's a great question. I would say the Hammerhead because number one that's just a cool name. And it's just you know, I'm sure. I don't know much about sharks like you do, but I'm guessing that that's a pretty aggressive shark. I don't know. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I feel like the Hammerhead just the name sounds aggressive. And so I guess when I think about a salesperson who's going out and making the sale, I think about a hammerhead who's just constantly making the sale. What do you think of my answer?

Kenneth Kinney 27:00

I think that's great. hammerheads are one of my favorite by far. It's the most unique of all of them. It's the quasi moto. But Alex, it's a special time the show are you ready for the five most interesting and important questions you're going to be asked today other than a silly sharp question. I'm ready. Let's do it. All right, here we go. You played for the Missouri tigers, the mascot and this one is a good trivia stumper is the is the Mizzou Tiger. Is it a Bengal tiger or Sumatran tiger?

Alex Demczak 27:28

Holy smokes. So we're talking about Truman the tiger right? At Truman, the tiger give me the options one more time.

Kenneth Kinney 27:34

Bengal or Sumatran?

Alex Demczak 27:37

I feel like you put my mind wants to say Bengal but I feel like you put that one first. So I would pick it so I'm gonna go with the second option.

Kenneth Kinney 27:44

Okay, it's Bengal. It was nuts. And it was one of those silly ones. I had no idea. Like, if you were to ask me my own school, my own alma mater is a tiger. And I'm 72% sure it's a big ol now I gotta go look it up afterwards. That probably wasn't fair. All right. Number two. We're talking about sales, tough products to sell. Would you rather sell life insurance or vacuum cleaners?

Alex Demczak 28:13

Man, I think I would rather sell vacuum cleaners. And here's the reason why. Why no insurance guys, they make a lot of money. But I don't know. I used to read a lot of Dave Ramsey. I listen to his entree leadership podcast, and he always talks about don't ever do whole life health insurance. So I don't know. I just feel like there's probably some stigmas where people put their guard up on that thing. So I feel like if, if I can go into a house and show them the quality of a vacuum cleaner, and be like, Hey, this is going to change your life. I'll take my chances there.

Kenneth Kinney 28:44

Did you ever meet Dave? Because it was nice to

Alex Demczak 28:46

hear ya hear a testimony on the book and yeah, I did. I learned

Kenneth Kinney 28:50

you know, little people nobody heard of so.

Alex Demczak 28:52

Yeah, I met Dave at his facility last year. Amazing company. Yeah, amazing guy.

Kenneth Kinney 28:57

Did you cut your credit cards afterwards/

Alex Demczak 28:59

I unfortunately didn't. I didn't tell him about that. I had a credit card in my wallet. So hopefully he doesn't judge me on that one. But

Kenneth Kinney 29:05

I will this number three is a Missouri reference. Something that I read about that you that you referenced. So let's say you go to Lambert's famous for the for throw in the rolls. Would you rather eat the chicken fried steak? Or the meatloaf?

Alex Demczak 29:23

Well those are I guess I'll say meatloaf but the fried okra is very good as well.

Kenneth Kinney 29:29

You had me an okra Yeah.

Alex Demczak 29:31

No, that's a great place and if you ever in Springfield Missouri you have to go to Lambert's they are no literally you'll just be sitting there at dinner and all of a sudden you look up and someone that works on staff there will be throwing a roll at you and like they're really good rolls they got the and also asked for sorghum molasses when you go there.

Kenneth Kinney 29:51

Oh nice. There you go. First sorghum molasses reference on the show. They you know they got a good restaurant down in folly too, but it's not the same. Yeah, down out Inside Gulf Shores, but it's the one in Sikeston is the bomb. Alright, number four chapter I think it was six was about vacations. In the sail, it talks about his wife, Kendra, see, until I read this thing, Kendra, he's gonna go take a vacation, spend time with family, stop worrying about work and everything else, that you got kids. And if you were taking a vacation today with a family, would you rather take them to Disney World or Six Flags?

Alex Demczak 30:27

Wow, that's a great question. Eventually, we want to do both, but we live an hour and a half away from Six Flags. So with a three month old boy and a two and a half year old girl. I mean, from a practicality standpoint, I would say Six Flags are so close. But Disney has definitely a few years once they remember it. You know, we have a lot of our friends who take like their four month old to Disney and I'm like, Hey, good for you. But I just don't think they're obviously not gonna remember that. So, in a few years, we'll do Disney but Six Flags. I have some good memories there as a kid in St. Louis. And, but Six Flags,

Kenneth Kinney 30:59

Six Flags is more of a ride experience. Whereas Disneyworld is $1,000 you go into debt before when you go to you know that that experience and with everything else is another one.

Alex Demczak 31:11

That's so true. And it's like, you know, with with two young kids, it's less of a vacation. It's more of a trip as well.

Kenneth Kinney 31:18

Oh yeah, that's true. All right, number five. And the most important question that you're going to be asked today is biscuits or cornbread.

Alex Demczak 31:26

Biscuits and Gravy.

Kenneth Kinney 31:28

You pick but it's biscuits, warm bread, whatever.

Alex Demczak 31:32

I'm gonna say biscuits just just because I'd throw some gravy on there. And yeah, I can't can't beat mom's home cooking, or my grandma's. So I gotta go with biscuits, and I'm going to add some gravy on there.

Kenneth Kinney 31:42

Well, it's closer if you live in, if you've been to Lambert's several times, cornbread for me is not a good throwing bread, whereas the best

Alex Demczak 31:51

That thing would crumble right in your hand right as you throw.

Kenneth Kinney 31:54

exactly. Alright. So Alex, where can people find out more about you about streamline books about getting a copy of the sale and everything else?

Alex Demczak 32:01

Yeah, yeah. So my website is Alexspeaking.com. And then if you want to write a book, we're actually doing what I'm calling the shark discount if you want to write a book. And if you ended up connecting with us, and we had to write in your book, we'll give you a shark discount for being on this podcast. And you can find us at write my books.com. That's right, my books.com

Kenneth Kinney 32:24

it was a great URL. All right, Alex, again, thank you very much for being with us today on the sharks perspective.

Alex Demczak 32:30

Thanks so much shark it's an honor. And thanks so much for having me.

[music]

Kenneth Kinney 32:38

So there was my conversation with AAlex Demczak, a speaker, the CEO and Co-Founder of Streamline Books, a former SEC quarterback, and the Wall St. Journal bestselling coauthor of The Sale: The Number One Strategy to Build Trust and Create Success. Let's take a look at three key takeaways from my conversation with him.

Kenneth Kinney 32:58

First, what a great line to remember, in reference to leaders. Alex said leadership requires no title. And further on what matters is showing up with excellence each day, you don't have to be perfect each day, you just have to try.

Kenneth Kinney 33:12

Second. Another reminder, never be too busy comparing yourself to others and robbing yourself of joy. Take time to enjoy the moment.

Kenneth Kinney 33:20

Third, let's think about the word integrity. It's often just a word out there in the ether. But what does it mean to you? We have so many opportunities to compromise our integrity. But we don't even realize the ripples in the waves that it creates. Alex said and I'm paraphrasing here, they focus so much on the growth, but they neglect the steps that got them to that growth. Sometimes we just say these words, but what do they mean? Do you slow down to make them mean something?

Kenneth Kinney 33:45

Got a question, send me an email to Kenneth at a shark's perspective.com.

Kenneth Kinney 33:49

Thank you again for the privilege of your time, and I am so thankful to everyone who listens.

Kenneth Kinney 33:54

The number one strategy to build trust and great success might just be this show. I'll tell myself that anyway. So please join us on the next episode of A Shark's Perspective.

(Music - shark theme)