Restoring the Datsun business across Canada

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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Countess podcast.
[00:06] SPEAKER_01: All right ladies and gentlemen my name is Rivers Corbin and I am the luckiest man alive because I get to hang out with entrepreneurs from Atlantic Canada.
[00:16] SPEAKER_01: That little space in the world that is doing magic with entrepreneurs in four provinces.
[00:21] SPEAKER_01: Population less than 200 sorry two million people but just really doing some magical journeys and like my guess today is the real deal and I actually put that into the into the name section because I have known Ross Parks for centuries.
[00:42] SPEAKER_01: It's really been that long and I can say that one our friendship is very deep but also our passion for forging our own way forging our own path making it work our way and being just an incredible entrepreneur.
[01:01] SPEAKER_01: And so straight from Arizona today is Ross real deal parks welcome to Canada's podcast the Atlantic Canada section real deal good to see you do.
[01:15] SPEAKER_00: Red to see you man it's always good to see you.
[01:17] SPEAKER_01: Thank you thank you well we're going to go through an interesting journey ladies and gentlemen and because I don't have a script for this conversation.
[01:24] SPEAKER_01: And most conversations I get into with our with our guests I try not to but this one is very interesting for me because I never really understood what Ross does but I know he does it in a very impactful way that is building a quiet little.
[01:42] SPEAKER_01: Deepdom and parable whatever you want to call it out of can't feel Nova Scotia.
[01:48] SPEAKER_01: And I want to learn more about it too so Ross I want to know about your car business and I'm going to let you take it from there.
[01:57] SPEAKER_01: Q real deal tell us about your car business and don't tell us about what you're doing now kind of lead into that first year to two years where you said I'm going to do this and then we're going to talk about the momentum we're going to talk about things and what makes it work what makes you tick and why can't feel is the area not all can't feel by the way.
[02:19] SPEAKER_01: Go go action but and I know that you will feel that close enough but anyway back to you I'm talking go for it.
[02:27] SPEAKER_00: Rivers let's let's go back a drop a couple things here just so we can remember them as we go forward when I was three years old.
[02:33] SPEAKER_00: Living in theapolis Valley which is where I'm back to just be careful what you wish for sometimes my parents bought me a little datson die cast car.
[02:42] SPEAKER_00: So that's when I was three years old and I collected die cast all along so there that's a little drop.
[02:47] SPEAKER_00: You know my marketing background and media background all that kind of stuff up until up until until 2000 and 10 or 11.
[02:56] SPEAKER_00: I had basically collected cars that's in the old Nissan cars that was my little you know I had a car to I was restoring them myself.
[03:06] SPEAKER_00: And in 2000 I got a die cast one sound these are the reason these are starting to be the real deal.
[03:11] SPEAKER_00: Yes I'm going to be the real deal so that's where my that's where my memory anchor came from is why you know people say why dats is why I bought this die cast coming out of three and it kind of just state my mind.
[03:21] SPEAKER_00: But in 2010 I got a call out of the blue from a gentleman who who said listen I understand you guys run a curb club the Nissan Dats and curb club back in Atlantic Canada.
[03:31] SPEAKER_00: I'm losing my storage space in the apples Valley now at the time I live 27 years in Halifax the biggest sample on the East Coast and Bruce said to me listen I like to I'd like to retire to the valley I currently live overseas I've been teaching for years.
[03:47] SPEAKER_00: But I've got these cars on the boat to lose a storage space for and I said okay all started looking around for a building.
[03:53] SPEAKER_00: Well we found this building in north out north side camp of Nova Scotia to house at the time in 2012 by the time he moved back his 20 cars in my 30 cars put him our personal collection.
[04:05] SPEAKER_00: Well when we looked at the building the building with house 197 units or vehicles well of course you know me what boom it didn't take much.
[04:14] SPEAKER_00: We had the deal man here the real deal why don't we sell the spaces so we've turned a we turned it old chicken farm that was 40 years old back in 2012 repainted bright car club you know car firm we call it now we refer to it as Datson North white blues greens we re epoxy the floor we insulated the walls and basically bought these four buildings that I would when I call up the code if you would yes and started a car started the rental business their storage business that fall.
[04:43] SPEAKER_00: So I was still in Halifax in 2012 13 14 15 well in the fall of 2015 I said to my other half I said Kimberly would you like to retire and she goes well what would that look like as well you know you sell your big house in Halifax at the time she had been watching tiny house you know the tiny house buildings and stuff from the last tiny house nation really called it.
[05:05] SPEAKER_00: And I said where are we going to put this house she goes well down in the down the firm like you've got water septic water septic power and we'll move down there and if I keep continue to work part time and we'll move Arizona you know for the six months of the winter time.
[05:21] SPEAKER_00: So what happened was we got set up in the valley in the summer of 16 and the restoration business on the side has continued to grow I mean that continues to grow.
[05:35] SPEAKER_00: You're talking about more with the storage business.
[05:38] SPEAKER_01: Yeah so what first of all I can I just buy your first.
[05:41] SPEAKER_01: You're that's in that so 30 that's in cars first of all why did you keep getting that's in cars.
[05:50] SPEAKER_01: Did you do anything with them did you look at them did you send them and go what did you do with 30 that's in cars I was I restored a few somewhere bought as restored.
[06:03] SPEAKER_00: I've done it just as a side I'm the largest importer of that's a Nissan vehicles in Canada and we became like the company is called Zed Sport Canada started in 2006 with a couple of other partners.
[06:15] SPEAKER_00: Of which now you know the company but they were very much involved in helping and Bruce in 2010 actually assisted as well but that whole that's something just became you know that was our brand I mean right.
[06:27] SPEAKER_00: We knew that vintage was going to kick in we knew the rear wheel drive and it's really interesting because you know me I'm an old dinosaur in 2014.
[06:36] SPEAKER_00: We've been doing this for six or seven years we may be up to like 200 cars at that point in time and cars were running out we used to go to the to the call us border bring back six or eight at a time fly to Boston drive the whole.
[06:46] SPEAKER_00: Daxons all 240s 262 all Zs we specialize in 70 to 78 what they call s 30.
[06:55] SPEAKER_00: Cars which are 240 60s and 80s in 2000.
[06:59] SPEAKER_01: This is important.
[07:01] SPEAKER_01: You specialize in that that those brands but they're all that's not just cars they're that's encouraged of the of the 439 cars I've done yeah 80% would be that's an underneath.
[07:15] SPEAKER_00: So love it okay so this is this is niche focus ladies and gentlemen added very very best so in 2014 J Leno did a big special on 240 that he bought there was magazine articles to move from a Haggard of course then you've got this cumulative thought process and all of a sudden supplies going down and demand is going crazy so in 2014 we are having a hard time getting cursed we started a division called.
[07:45] SPEAKER_00: Big monster builds which basically we're taking big monster inches like a 3024 or 350 shabber and L.
[07:52] SPEAKER_00: Two water whatever might be and putting them in these cars because kids in Montreal Toronto they and who were the big cities for most part because I was getting 40 or 50 calls every week from my website wow.
[08:03] SPEAKER_00: But in 2014 which I get is interesting and I say old dinosaur because you've got in this world yesterday yesterday your dinosaur if you're not keep if you're not keeping up.
[08:12] SPEAKER_00: Right in 2014 I got a call from a 15 year old male and what is very interesting if we go back marketing wise target wise in 2006 when we started this the average caller was 62 years old and they were man okay in 2014 now my marketing shift online changed a little bit but the bottom line was it just blew me away the air so so time out again yeah I'm out again as you can see ladies and gentlemen tired and rough this man because of the passion he's got along the dead.
[08:42] SPEAKER_00: So what do you mean by the marketing shift so talk about that so the in 2005 six seven were looking to be into this in 1970 to 73 in 2006 how old was that person when they got their first answer 16 17 so in 2016 so obviously that target would be after that pay had one now I got some available cash you know I got to spend all money I can buy myself a toy yeah that one on for the first five or six years but in two years
[09:12] SPEAKER_00: in 2014 my average caller was 20 years old what's up I talked to a 15 year old male in Toronto one night yeah and you know me well now I get on my I was pretty direct I said that Chad what is the name was I said let's not mean to be rude career otherwise but what does a kid no offense what does a kid at 15 what a 46 year old car for yeah
[09:40] SPEAKER_00: and rivers it was the most learned conversation I ever had love this lesson and this is part exactly this was Ross don't you don't you know they're on video games the fast and the furious we play them every night we can build them up to a thousand horsepower I mean he's the very well drive their vintage you can do drifting you could do exactly it was like wow and you didn't see it did you you had to listen to see it I had to listen to see it and I was like
[10:10] SPEAKER_00: from that point forward and I hadn't really taken in the school what was about to happen especially last two or three years but in 15 16 and 17 it was like service that 15 to 20 year old market and again a lot of the fathers bring in the background the parents from the background is for us helping out but I was talking to the kids which I thought hey this is pretty cool you know a guy who's in his 50s talking to a kid that's 15 I mean this is neat like the passion of the industry
[10:39] SPEAKER_00: because totally we all we all thought the current industry was going to be you know because it's true 23% of people are not in their license 23% of people not buying cars therefore they've not you know say they're collecting them
[10:51] SPEAKER_01: I'm going to win them now so I can just sorry I was going to tell you that again you're one of my greatest friends so you're to you're a 52 year old man talking to a 15 year old boy imagine what it's like when he gets off the phone and his parents say who you talking to
[11:06] SPEAKER_00: we're just a 52 year old man from oh it's coach and and he is and he is flying invariably I speak to both parents because they're involved right I say hey Ross you think this is a good car for him to get this a good match for Matt you think this is a good match for Chad
[11:21] SPEAKER_00: and we will go through that process so you know what it's like rivers being a business yourself and the reality is you have thousands of phone calls or hundreds of phone calls to find that handful of people that you really want to surround yourself with and that's the same with this car restoration
[11:36] SPEAKER_00: and car I can call a car adoption business that we had across Canada so anyway since then it's been nothing but mostly you know I'd say 90% 15 to 25 year old males from a cross country in most of those big markets so it's gone crazy but you can't find the
[11:54] SPEAKER_00: curves now that's the thing that's the course well that's the case with the used car industry let alone that we just talked about that chip shortage I mean you can see what I use cars going to the roof that's going to
[12:05] SPEAKER_00: hopefully you know come back down a little bit but for this I was just a bear Jackson last week and we go every the Wednesday during the week
[12:15] SPEAKER_00: giving an idea there was a 1964 Datson 320 pickup truck that I swear to you six years ago I could have bought for $4,000
[12:25] SPEAKER_00: yes and it went for $55,000 so right now it happened East German porches
[12:33] SPEAKER_00: put it up for you know Toyota super is all the Honda's all that stuff are now having its day because let's face it the big block the big
[12:40] SPEAKER_00: three have had their day already yeah it's just slowly going away so I can see that trend but I I really didn't
[12:48] SPEAKER_00: recognize the trend of that 15 year old when they when they started making those phone calls and
[12:52] SPEAKER_00: parries about wanting to get a Z or the Southwest US it was it was really exciting and I know there
[12:56] SPEAKER_01: and we're continuing to be excited about it yeah and and and is the reason still the same so 15 to 20 is the reason
[13:02] SPEAKER_01: because it's gaming it's I want to car like that game or that player in that game or whatever that's the that's the underlying
[13:09] SPEAKER_01: rationale I mean they want to get car but that's just driving the conversation I think it is video video gaming is definitely been a key component to it
[13:18] SPEAKER_00: and then you throw in the things like rear wheel drive drifting as you know is big for kids I mean they're got sports now for drifting two cars together and all
[13:24] SPEAKER_00: that kind of stuff but I think it's just the fact that the car is so iconic because there's really no brand like it that has you know when they brought it to the shores of America I mean Americans were looking for a two
[13:38] SPEAKER_00: little sports car that compete with a Porsche Jaguar yeah yeah the cost and that's why they sold so many of them so yeah so let's
[13:46] SPEAKER_01: let's not underestimate it to hear ladies and gentlemen the passion that's coming out from from Rossi or two I mean that's you know
[13:54] SPEAKER_01: I hear stories all the time where the opportunities there the opportunity there the opportunity but if you're in it for a long term with an entrepreneur and you're not happy
[14:03] SPEAKER_01: with you mean it starts off the date is good but ultimately if you're not in love with that date long term you're going to want to leave that relationship
[14:13] SPEAKER_01: and so I just want to love the passion coming through it's driven by something feet you can't explain it you just know there was a connection and you are driving that whole hard so how do you how do you I mean sounds like
[14:29] SPEAKER_01: marketing really is based on word of mouth right now are you doing anything for for marketing because you are a marketing
[14:37] SPEAKER_01: I'm going to call it I'm going to call it educator not one an educate you know all about that marketing world do you do anything in that space to drive that conversation right now
[14:51] SPEAKER_00: well this is an interesting time for for our interview because last two years I have spent
[14:59] SPEAKER_00: and the previous years of that doing nothing but other people's vehicles and I hate to disappoint on this call
[15:07] SPEAKER_00: but the reality is I think starting in summer 22 it's going to be restoring some of the things that we talked about before is it
[15:13] SPEAKER_00: I'm not getting to my own stuff and you know I mean I'm 55 56 here coming the next month the reality is that
[15:20] SPEAKER_00: there's you realize that if you had 30 cars there's no way you're going to restore them all you can't you can maybe
[15:25] SPEAKER_00: answer seven at the most yeah so I'm going to concentrate on my own stuff but dance your question
[15:30] SPEAKER_00: the Facebook and some generic things we were on Instagram and but I had a real
[15:38] SPEAKER_00: interesting year this past year when there was a I had a guy that I knew for 50 years like you and I have
[15:45] SPEAKER_00: known each other from high school that was in the radio business who had a I he probably wouldn't mind me
[15:51] SPEAKER_00: saying that he was depressed and down in 2018 and kind of disenfranchised with the media business
[15:57] SPEAKER_00: came to me and said hey I've underworked in the farm with you and you know we've been fast friends
[16:01] SPEAKER_00: and fast together ever since helping me with my multi-locations which will get into as far as
[16:04] SPEAKER_00: as business and we had a a stepson that came and visited during the summer of 19 and was a car guy
[16:13] SPEAKER_00: and wanted to do this stuff and unfortunately it didn't work out well for us we had to part ways in
[16:20] SPEAKER_00: the fall of 21 but the whole experience of it taught me that I can't have it more than the person
[16:31] SPEAKER_00: I'm trying to bring into this and it was whole it was this whole thing of you know what I'm talking
[16:35] SPEAKER_00: about Rivers most of us who have our own businesses the value is in us unfortunately most
[16:42] SPEAKER_00: times in Ross goes away the business is going to so when I saw this 25 year old kid and I used that
[16:48] SPEAKER_00: with all respect when I saw him loving the curves and wanting to do fabrication wanting to do
[16:54] SPEAKER_00: painting wanted by all of it because nobody wants to do it anymore the person the person I have is
[16:58] SPEAKER_00: 36 years of business he's got someone businesses he could work till 85 and he's the only one of my
[17:03] SPEAKER_00: handful of people that are doing restorations when I saw this young guy come along if I'm man this
[17:08] SPEAKER_00: is my way to not from a monetary standpoint but simply to pass the torch yeah yeah of course
[17:14] SPEAKER_00: to keep the car restoration stuff alive and when that fell apart last fall that's when I had this
[17:21] SPEAKER_00: you know what I'm gonna work on my own stuff with my guys that I have internally and and keep going
[17:26] SPEAKER_00: but I want to skip my I want to skip your post to stay going because I got to turn a light on the room
[17:32] SPEAKER_01: he's getting darker man okay first of all uh when's your birthday in March man
[17:41] SPEAKER_01: one five that's so interesting I'm two five that's so interesting it is interesting and Rod
[17:49] SPEAKER_00: reams is March the ninth Brad bootlear is March 24th Jeff Ainsley is March the seventh I mean
[17:55] SPEAKER_00: you have all these people that I currently have in my circle a huge little our born in March which
[18:01] SPEAKER_01: is another aside it's interesting yeah that'll be a good party at the farm before we make that
[18:06] SPEAKER_01: so um I want to talk about next steps but you've touched on something here and ladies and gentlemen
[18:11] SPEAKER_01: I I knew this conversation that my boss and I have talked hours before about just stuff and you
[18:18] SPEAKER_01: talked about depression and I know this is not about the person's name or anything but you know
[18:23] SPEAKER_01: that depression can be quite prevalent amongst entrepreneurs and I'm not talking about you I'm
[18:31] SPEAKER_01: talking about your friends I've gone through depression a few other friends that we've got and
[18:37] SPEAKER_01: I know my extended sort of like talk about talk about mental health and your journey as an entrepreneur
[18:45] SPEAKER_01: and how you kind of you know you eat right can believe the vegan and so on but is there any
[18:54] SPEAKER_01: anyone wisdom from Mount Sinai or any other thing is you know how do you
[18:59] SPEAKER_01: I'm a believer it's it's it's gonna happen unless you actually protect yourself from it happen
[19:04] SPEAKER_00: can you talk about that I think you're I think you're right on it's it's one of those things you
[19:09] SPEAKER_00: only talked about the four cues the quotients of IQ creative and emotional and adverse and spiritual
[19:14] SPEAKER_00: the key components um when I as you know I mean I was very depressed in 2005 I mean I lost a
[19:20] SPEAKER_00: major loss against the competitor yep um and not to talk about that but I mean again it's
[19:25] SPEAKER_00: her it's personal reference of answer your question is that I think that if you if you've surrounded
[19:33] SPEAKER_00: yourself with people who believe in you with people who um know what your strengths and traits are
[19:40] SPEAKER_00: you know I look back to 2006 when I slept for 90 days 120 days and I finally got a call
[19:46] SPEAKER_00: after not losing the business but certainly writing a big check and and going down the tubes
[19:52] SPEAKER_00: of that publication side yep you got a call from Chris Boone the owner of day night signs and
[19:56] SPEAKER_00: Dartmouth and uh Chris knew that I probably wasn't ready to be because I'm a I'm a note side sales guy
[20:01] SPEAKER_00: I'm a front end guy but I just do it I just couldn't do it I was barely getting out of bed and
[20:06] SPEAKER_00: temporarily it's okay I don't know what you're doing man so Chris Boone calls and says hey
[20:12] SPEAKER_00: get in here it's all incoming calls from Toronto all the advertisers agencies you can do it for a
[20:16] SPEAKER_00: year you know blah blah and he was I I can't stress enough you know obviously you were there
[20:21] SPEAKER_00: and Brian was there and Steve Fezgo all these people but it was the Chris Boone that reached
[20:26] SPEAKER_00: in my house and pulled me back into so I think you have to have you have to have that I mean
[20:31] SPEAKER_00: but the bottom you know the bottom line is you've got to get up off the ground and I you I
[20:35] SPEAKER_00: heard you talk about it a lot with regards to you know you've got to fail to win you I mean
[20:40] SPEAKER_00: it sounds like so cliche but you have to if you don't have these little setbacks like the one I
[20:46] SPEAKER_00: had last fall you don't learn from that in order to get to that next step and the reality is
[20:52] SPEAKER_00: look at it this way I mean I'm an Arizona I spend the winners I have a comfortable situation I mean
[20:58] SPEAKER_00: hey yeah things are good you know we eat well we talk well we have a great talk to California
[21:03] SPEAKER_00: once we do we do cars back and then you know it really works part but the reality was that we
[21:09] SPEAKER_00: we wouldn't have that without the support of people around us so yeah including including a good
[21:17] SPEAKER_01: spouse I really I really I really mean that along the journey that's very very powerful so
[21:23] SPEAKER_01: thanks for letting me do that little segue in that I think it's an important piece
[21:27] SPEAKER_01: of a big advocate I too slept for I slept for 90 days and and took me a while just to walk more
[21:35] SPEAKER_02: than one time around the block it's a totally journey but wouldn't you agree I mean it's
[21:41] SPEAKER_00: if you look back to both of our careers the reality is that you know Rod Reeves says it best
[21:48] SPEAKER_00: to me every day hey the decision you make in terms of the life you lead I mean that's just the
[21:53] SPEAKER_00: best that the adult is saying so the reality is if I hadn't lost that two million dollars let's say
[21:58] SPEAKER_00: in 2005 six yeah if I hadn't gone through that I might not be talking to you on this interview
[22:04] SPEAKER_00: I wish I know I know what I mean so you have to you have to know that all of those are for some
[22:09] SPEAKER_00: sort of reason yeah but for someone that says you don't you know locks that part of it I don't think
[22:14] SPEAKER_00: they're I don't think they're accurate you have you make your own lock a bit you have to get
[22:18] SPEAKER_00: out and keep going and keep it up but you know there there is a little bit of luck in mall no
[22:24] SPEAKER_00: question but the support structure you have around you is very critically up we're really critical
[22:28] SPEAKER_01: my like again thanks for letting me do that a little bit of a term but it's an important one
[22:31] SPEAKER_01: for both of us to talk about it so talk about talk about multiple locations you mentioned not
[22:36] SPEAKER_00: just a little while ago talk about that well you know what's interesting is no matter what I've done
[22:43] SPEAKER_00: on the on the marketing and advertising side anybody anytime calls me even to this day
[22:49] SPEAKER_00: it's always and this I think is the entrepreneurial absolute thing you have to have in your mind is
[22:54] SPEAKER_00: because people kind of niche themselves into you know do you only deal with that's is no no I
[22:59] SPEAKER_00: deal with any curve that doesn't matter to me I deal with there you know in the scene with you
[23:02] SPEAKER_00: know whether it's wrapping a car whether it's doing a bus every whether whatever it might have been
[23:07] SPEAKER_00: sure I can do that and I was part of it so I mean you know I think sometimes we discount our skill
[23:12] SPEAKER_00: sets and we and we kind of put ourselves into a little bit of a loop so in 2017 we came back from
[23:18] SPEAKER_00: Arizona after a first lunar and I was visited by an ex high school friend an old high school friend Peter
[23:23] SPEAKER_00: Clark who owned a checkered firm in Burwick you know took him in the street and he just you know
[23:29] SPEAKER_00: and this is in May of course River so all the curves are coming out of the burn as it is it like
[23:34] SPEAKER_00: you check out his nine curves go like what are you doing yeah these are chickens what are you doing
[23:39] SPEAKER_00: here I'm like oh yeah we've got a storage business and you know I kind of brought him up the speed he
[23:43] SPEAKER_00: goes listen my parents are sold or sold or quote that back in two thousand but we don't do
[23:48] SPEAKER_00: chickens anymore we've got these ten beautiful buildings they're active you want to fill them out
[23:52] SPEAKER_00: and I'm like so my point of this whole thing is I follow through some of this stuff is the
[23:58] SPEAKER_00: opportunities I always heard from a friend of mine in the city in Halifax he goes never refuse
[24:04] SPEAKER_00: to go to a meeting or a party because you don't know what's going to happen you ever meeting
[24:08] SPEAKER_00: here you don't know and you know I learned how to save with my with my father taught me how to
[24:13] SPEAKER_00: be a neighbor at all but my mother taught me how to talk to anybody anytime anywhere I don't you
[24:21] SPEAKER_00: large groups of people I've been on the radio been fired three times and you know yeah just just
[24:25] SPEAKER_00: as an aside I think this is really critical and the important understand is that I've been fired
[24:31] SPEAKER_00: three times yeah and I'm very good friends with each one of those people that let me go
[24:38] SPEAKER_00: one of my favorite lines is this sometimes you're the problem
[24:46] SPEAKER_00: look and it's and it's true the ability to look in the mirror and go
[24:53] SPEAKER_01: this is happening this is happening three times it's got to be me I got a friend of mine he even
[24:58] SPEAKER_01: threw some of his things is really young and somebody pulled him this problem this problem this problem
[25:03] SPEAKER_01: this problem this problem and his buddy pulled him aside he says Randy did you ever notice who's
[25:08] SPEAKER_00: at the scene of the crime looking the mirror the burrowic expansion started in 2018 we filled
[25:17] SPEAKER_00: their buildings up we we started another one in West Hans now we're filling their buildings up and
[25:23] SPEAKER_00: and now storage these are strictly winter storage for boats car trailer any toy that you might have
[25:30] SPEAKER_00: and what's interesting to me and I guess this is going to be broadcast I mean I'm sure that the
[25:34] SPEAKER_00: other two partners wouldn't mind me hearing this or anybody out there I don't care because
[25:38] SPEAKER_00: you know as well as I do being on the marketing side as a marketing guru for both of us
[25:43] SPEAKER_00: we teach people don't want to be marketing experts they want to be better plumbers they want to be
[25:48] SPEAKER_00: better you know whatever that might be they want to be better at what they're doing they don't want
[25:51] SPEAKER_00: to look they want to they want to have some idea yeah so now I'm getting calls from people now we
[25:56] SPEAKER_00: have these three different locations and I think let's let them back up for a second in order to
[26:01] SPEAKER_00: look after this type of business I quickly learned that I'd had to do within 10 or 15 minutes of
[26:06] SPEAKER_00: where I live because it's very expensive to do things like I couldn't have on a Halifax I couldn't
[26:13] SPEAKER_00: or Windsor I couldn't run it it's too far away and it would be a perspective perspective give
[26:18] SPEAKER_01: to give to people so listen this from across Canada yeah Windsor is like a half an hour away 40
[26:24] SPEAKER_00: Windsor is 30 minutes up the road ironically which is where a third location is because yeah
[26:29] SPEAKER_00: uh you know what what's interesting to me I know we're all over the map which we knew we wouldn't be
[26:34] SPEAKER_00: but what's interesting to me is that the gentleman at Windsor said to me because the deal is
[26:42] SPEAKER_00: it's a it's a management agreement you to the owner of the business as in the clerks for example at
[26:47] SPEAKER_00: Lone Pine Farm or West Hance Realty with Kevin they don't do anything I don't want them near the
[26:54] SPEAKER_00: buildings at all I don't want them to tell you vehicles I don't want them to hook up anything no
[26:57] SPEAKER_00: power generators no battery disconnects no washing like people's no crap nothing you tap and
[27:02] SPEAKER_02: you get 50 cents from it all wow right now honestly and I've had this happen and so of you in
[27:12] SPEAKER_02: your past wow we're all full here this I did 40 grand you know this winter um I I couldn't
[27:21] SPEAKER_00: I just get Ross out of the picture yeah yeah keep it keep it myself yeah which is a possibility and
[27:28] SPEAKER_00: it's and I you know skin out my nose I have a year-to-year agreement blah blah blah go but here's
[27:32] SPEAKER_00: what I've learned and I think this is really I think this is a critical absolutely important
[27:39] SPEAKER_02: the fact that you don't realize how good how well you're doing a particular thing until you
[27:49] SPEAKER_00: listen to customers come in and say and then I'm not you know I'm not blowing myself up here the
[27:55] SPEAKER_00: reality is we you know I've got four or five key guys that are with me doing this stuff all the time
[27:59] SPEAKER_00: and they gotta know exactly what we're doing every day as far as bargaining space you know and the
[28:03] SPEAKER_00: customers all say the same thing can you can you do this in Halifax we're right now this is the
[28:10] SPEAKER_00: best place I've ever been to and I mean the marketing the marketing part of my journey was
[28:18] SPEAKER_00: completely invaluable I mean it was one of these things where as I looked at the storage business
[28:26] SPEAKER_00: what does everybody else do now what do customers expect what do customers more importantly what are
[28:33] SPEAKER_00: the problems frustrations you've heard that one of the problems frustrations and all these is where
[28:36] SPEAKER_00: the things that really they don't like and we fix those yeah and so applying the marketing that
[28:43] SPEAKER_00: you and I both know to this particular situation has worked famously I mean it's been it's been
[28:50] SPEAKER_00: incredible to simply apply the principles of the customer experience to this particular and this
[28:58] SPEAKER_00: is not and this is not a complicated business but I'll tell you one thing you back a $60,000
[29:03] SPEAKER_00: portion against a wall and scrape the paint off it you're not going to make it for year number two
[29:07] SPEAKER_00: because you're right in $10,000 check to get a painted I mean this is there's a lot of risk involved
[29:11] SPEAKER_00: too right so it's very important for everybody to understand what we're doing so now I'm getting
[29:16] SPEAKER_00: calls from people who are opening storage businesses in Nova Scotia I got one in Hilden I got one in
[29:20] SPEAKER_00: Cape Bretton I got one in Halifax and I think there's one more that called O to the blue but through
[29:27] SPEAKER_02: customer connections and everything else I like to open a storage business in in Tura would you
[29:33] SPEAKER_02: come up a consult with me to get it started so I mean it's been believed in what do you say what do
[29:40] SPEAKER_01: you say because you said you can't go within 30 miles because the business won't work no so I
[29:45] SPEAKER_00: can't do it I can't so what I what we're doing now is Paul and I are Rod and I will physically
[29:54] SPEAKER_00: say I had a Rod for me good guy will physically go to Turo and train the staff got it
[30:03] SPEAKER_00: and hold that that sticks and I get my fee to do that or whatever and I and I leave because again
[30:10] SPEAKER_00: you can't do anything without that 15 20 mile radius because it just costs you know there are
[30:15] SPEAKER_00: certain things that you know there's a there's a policy and procedures little little pamphlet
[30:20] SPEAKER_00: that we put together and it's 20 things that never happen on the car farm or never happen at a
[30:25] SPEAKER_00: storage business these are all obvious drop dead things you never drive a customer's car off the
[30:29] SPEAKER_00: lot you know I mean all kinds of you never park with those two people you know there's all kinds of
[30:33] SPEAKER_00: things but it's interesting that you know in 2016 or 2012 when we started the business never did I
[30:41] SPEAKER_00: think I sincerely because you know me I was kind of on the downside didn't maybe you're ready to
[30:45] SPEAKER_00: set up for retire and or at least semi and in 2012 it was just a place for my 30 cars and all of
[30:52] SPEAKER_00: a sudden it was like what are these empty spaces well you might have to sell them and then it moved
[30:56] SPEAKER_00: into 2015 where you know Peter Clark would you like to do our building and it's just a book to
[31:01] SPEAKER_00: the size that I'd like to do it but you know as you look at this from a opportunity standpoint is that
[31:08] SPEAKER_00: there's always going to be toys to store there's always going to be inside things that people
[31:11] SPEAKER_00: want to put away for years to come and I think that someone you know someone could probably take over
[31:18] SPEAKER_00: what we're doing now so that's what I'm in the middle and then I reference that at the beginning
[31:23] SPEAKER_00: of our conversation is I think I'm going to basically slow down for many important I'm done doing
[31:27] SPEAKER_00: dance with the video yeah basically look after my own backyard and attempt to look for a sale for
[31:34] SPEAKER_00: the firm in the next three years of which I've had two offers already one for material one for
[31:39] SPEAKER_00: Halifax to sell everything because good friend of mine Halifax came to me and said I don't think you
[31:46] SPEAKER_00: recognize the value of what you have here you have four properties to live in that's worth
[31:51] SPEAKER_00: X number of dollars you have all these buildings and you have these other two management contracts
[31:56] SPEAKER_00: which if they continue to go generate X number of dollars for the business plus the restoration side
[32:02] SPEAKER_00: and plus the all the other things little things you have on the go and it's all about connections
[32:08] SPEAKER_00: you're the one that has the built-in value of connections I just can't call rivers Corbett and say
[32:14] SPEAKER_00: hey you know because I don't know rivers I just can't call Ferrell Jordan and go hey would you
[32:17] SPEAKER_00: restore my car I I don't have these can I can't call dats and soeth down here in surprise Arizona
[32:22] SPEAKER_00: and go Greg can I park four or five Zs at your house and have them serviced by Jason your tap so I mean
[32:29] SPEAKER_00: entrepreneurship is definitely about making all of those connections but 90% of the journeys
[32:35] SPEAKER_00: just getting up though isn't it it's just getting out that's what frustrated me with this last
[32:38] SPEAKER_00: little failure we had last fall was all this up I mean think about rivers all this opportunity laid
[32:45] SPEAKER_00: at this person's feet business business pretend to 12 years yeah hundreds of thousands of dollars
[32:53] SPEAKER_00: in in business and good kid but just couldn't get his head around what and it wasn't my expectations
[33:02] SPEAKER_00: it was what do you want to do with this so I can put together a consultive approach to hold
[33:09] SPEAKER_00: your feet to the fire and when help feet the fire it just it just didn't happen which I still
[33:14] SPEAKER_00: to this day feel bad about but it is what it is I can't want more than somebody else now if you don't
[33:21] SPEAKER_01: if you want more for them than they want it for themselves it's not gonna happen the other thing
[33:25] SPEAKER_01: a lesson learned in the stats showed is that most successful entrepreneurship journeys start with
[33:29] SPEAKER_01: people in their 40s not in their 20s not in their 30s the smart 30 year old or 20 year old
[33:34] SPEAKER_01: we're starting to build a business we'll bring in the 50 year old in the 40 year old because of
[33:38] SPEAKER_01: the connections because of the scars because of the depressions and all that stuff because they know
[33:43] SPEAKER_01: that you're ready they know the road they know the road so a couple of things come up with this
[33:47] SPEAKER_01: conversation first of all thank you I could keep going as you know but we're an audience of entrepreneurs
[33:56] SPEAKER_01: here our attention span won't last for days with us that's the first other two point of
[34:01] SPEAKER_01: conversation you know before I forget I want people are leaning how do I hang out with you they
[34:07] SPEAKER_01: want to want to know more about you what's the best way for them to hang out with you I would say
[34:12] SPEAKER_00: email zsportcanada gmail.com certainly welcome to do a face time call you know anything like that
[34:19] SPEAKER_01: zoom on link dinner anything like that I am on link den you yeah Ross Perks let it go to go to your
[34:25] SPEAKER_01: man take about the other thing I want to tell you my friend and you talk about connections is that
[34:30] SPEAKER_01: I was having a conversation with with my lovely partner Samantha this morning about friends in
[34:38] SPEAKER_01: that inner circle and the people you can call and they're going to be there for you and and no
[34:45] SPEAKER_01: questions asked you can count on they've been through battles with you you've been through good times
[34:49] SPEAKER_01: they've been with bad times you know where I'm going with this you my man are one of them who are in
[34:54] SPEAKER_01: my inner circle we don't talk a lot but I'm always I want you to know you are in my inner circle
[35:00] SPEAKER_01: for all the right freaking reasons and so thank you man so much Ross for hanging out with me today
[35:06] SPEAKER_01: it's always I was a little bit worried because he was running a little bit technologically walking
[35:12] SPEAKER_01: on me and I said oh no here we go he's going to claim oh I couldn't get on we got we got it we
[35:20] SPEAKER_00: got it done but I I really want to thank your rivers I mean I missed you know I've got a short
[35:26] SPEAKER_00: list as you probably do of people that you may not see very often I think I think what entrepreneurs
[35:32] SPEAKER_00: really have to look for again is you better look back and never forget where you came from I
[35:37] SPEAKER_00: mean the reality is that how could I ever be mad and I use that term lightly how could I ever be
[35:43] SPEAKER_00: mad at a mel Cooper who showed me the road to entrepreneur you know in C.C.O. South how could I ever
[35:47] SPEAKER_00: be mad I remember score but who has done so many things to help me zag instead of zipping
[35:52] SPEAKER_00: I mean your favorite line you know the Brian bullies have been there so you're right there are
[35:56] SPEAKER_00: handful of people that you can't say enough about that you could call out of the blue and those are
[36:02] SPEAKER_00: the people that keep you and I going and you and I pumped up to get to another day so I love
[36:09] SPEAKER_01: your priorities yeah thank you so much you know I said enjoy yourself in California go hang out
[36:14] SPEAKER_01: with this man say what's what's the name of the company again at you said East Coast it's called
[36:19] SPEAKER_01: Z-Sport Canada Z-Sport Canada Z-Sport Canada but your your email is East Coast up isn't it?
[36:27] SPEAKER_01: No it's a Z-Sport Canada a Gmail guy yeah all right love it you're awesome you're going to be
[36:34] SPEAKER_01: anyway love you man you go through yourself we have touched thanks everybody good luck everybody take care