Overcoming Addiction and Financial Struggles to Launching a Successful Web Design Business with CEO Justin Rule

Speaker 1

00:00

 I love this episode and you will too. Justin's rule is who we got a chance to chat with Justin is the founder of launch kits.com which started out as Sparrow. They build websites. He's he and his team have built over 700 plus websites, and he's doing really well in his business. Now he's an Airbnb host as well. And, you know, Community leader in his town in Pennsylvania. Vania but it hasn't always been abundance. Really for Justin, he gets pretty vulnerable on this one. We talked about how he was born death and had cerebral palsy and somehow was healed. He also addresses an addiction that he had for 20 years toward the end of the episode here, and he talks a lot about the ups and downs of becoming an entrepreneur. Not making much money. Going back to having a To job and then relaunching as an entrepreneur and kind of being able to Pivot. And ultimately, one of the biggest takeaways, I think in this one is not focusing on yourself so much instead of focusing on Pleasures for yourself or whatever you want to do, whatever you think is the best thing for yourself, but really focusing more on adding value to others, adding value to your family, adding value to your community. And to your clients in business tons of Awesome nuggets. In this one, Justin's is just a real. Genuine guy, you can tell and I thoroughly enjoyed our chat. I know you will as well.

Speaker 2

01:41

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Speaker 1

02:12

 Welcome to the form adversity to abundance podcast. Are you an entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur? Then this show is for you. Each week, we bring you in paxville stories of real people who have overcome painful human adversity, to create a life of abundance. You are not alone in your struggle, join us, and you will experience the power of true stories and gain practical Knowledge, from Founders, who have turned poverty into prosperity and weakness into wealth. This podcast will encourage you through your health relationship and financial challenges, so you can become the hero in your quest for freedom. Take ownership of the life, you are destined to live turn your adversity into abundance. Welcome everybody to another episode of the form adversity, to abundance podcast. I am your host Jamie Bateman, and I am joined today by my friend, Justin rule. Justin, how are you doing today?

Speaker 2

03:16

 I am doing great. Jamie, thanks for having me on the show.

Speaker 1

03:19

 Yeah, Justin is the founder of launch kits.com Justin speak to the listener out there as to kind of who you are today and what your business is up to.

Speaker 2

03:30

 Awesome, man. Well you did first part of my name is Justin, so I Launch kids where the highest rated web design company in the country. We have over 700 clients worldwide on 66 countries. So we love helping entrepreneurs. Get a live.

Speaker 1

03:47

 Online. That's awesome. That's so cool. So before we jump into your backstory what's kind of? How do you guys work? Oh, just a little bit. What's your typical client look like, what do you offer them?

Speaker 2

03:59

 We're typically working with either, I have a good idea entrepreneurs or I have been doing this thing and never had a website and our kind of stick is we can have you live in 5 days with the website, Google business profile kind of take care of all that nerdy, heady stuff, so that you can look great.

Speaker 1

04:17

 Online. And in the interest of full disclosure, I launched kits. I am a client and you guys have done a fantastic job with our website. So Justin, it's not all about websites and an abundance. We're going to get there, but we got to jump into your backstory. We're going to, we're going to dive into some of the adversity you have been through, and I know. It's a muddy swamp. You sure you want that? Well, maybe we will have you back on for multiple episodes, depending on what we Into but let us jump in. I mean, what's what comes to mind when we when I asked you about personal adversity that you have been through?

Speaker 2

04:59

 Well, the stuff that I can deal with this probably more of what, you know, I remember when we had five kids now, so before.

Speaker 1

05:09

 Number 5 K, enough said we could have.

Speaker 2

05:12

 Said, right? How do you run a business with five kudos to my wife, that's how you do it. Lee. Now, I can remember. I mean, people always interested the like learned. I was born three and a half months early. Way, two and a half pounds. I was born deaf with cerebral palsy. There're crazy stories back there. But you know that adversity, God took care of and some cool Miracles and.

Speaker 1

05:38

 Yeah, that's wild. That's.

Speaker 2

05:39

 Check on my baby pictures are not very pretty.

Speaker 1

05:43

 I don't have.

Speaker 2

05:43

 Cute baby pictures.

Speaker 1

05:45

 Yeah I imagine you don't remember much from that directed.

Speaker 2

05:49

 I take zero credit of. Yeah, any of.

Speaker 1

05:51

 That will say, it was your strong mindset at that time. So what do you got you?

Speaker 2

05:55

 Through? That's funny. The doctor told my mom, the very thing that's going to help me survive as a very thing that will make you. Wish he didn't wasn't a lot some days.

Speaker 1

06:04

 But I was a little bit hard-headed.

Speaker 2

06:06

 Yeah, a little bit like ciotti entrepreneurial trait, little bit hard.

Speaker 1

06:11

 Headed for sure, that's true. Okay, so that mean that's a lot. That's a lot of right there. Yep, go ahead.

Speaker 2

06:18

 Well, When you said, when you said adversity, I can remember there was a I would step away from a job. I was at my wife and I are on the same page to step into this new thing, take this entrepreneurial leap and I remember at the end of that year, my accountant dude, ladies my kind of statements that down. I had four kids and he just straight out. Look me now, he's like just it and are you guys, okay, get it because we have made twenty-four thousand dollars a year with four. Kids and I said, my answer was, I am all right man. I only had to ask a friend to help pay the mortgage.

Speaker 1

06:55

 Once well, okay, so you had already made the leap from W to entrepreneur. Is that what you're saying? And the first year was, was fairly Rocky from a financial standpoint. I.

Speaker 2

07:08

 Wish. I wish. I could blame it on the first year. I think so be. By the time I was like 35 I had 22 jobs between High School. I say 50. I was probably that was probably I don't know maybe job 18 or 19 at that point.

Speaker 1

07:27

 So you're not the best employee is no.

Speaker 2

07:29

 Man. I mean In fairness to myself some of those were like simultaneous positions, right? Like sure, I had started a nonprofit that was doing like breakdancing in the schools and cool. Cool. After school programs at the same time, you know building websites on the side or Yeah, working for a teacher in a school, you know? So.

Speaker 1

07:53

 It sounds like you're not afraid of hard works, but maybe you kind of like to run the show a little bit? I don't know.

Speaker 2

08:02

 I like having the freedom to inject my ideas and that's a better way to put a scenario. Yeah.

Speaker 1

08:08

 So walk us back before you get into the kind of the I think the financial struggles that you faced, what was going through your mind. Really, you know, and I know you said you and your wife were on the same page but walk us through that may be the year or two before you really decided to make that leap. What did that look like from a family standpoint and what did that look like from a mindset standpoint?

Speaker 2

08:32

 Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, even just the decision to like, alright, we're going to have one kid. We're gonna have two kids. We're gonna have three kids like as a, you know, should you know, I will just say traditionally, you know, I wanted my wife to be able to fulfill her passion which was to stay at home and raise. Kids. So, you know, you're thinking. All right. Look how do I get a job that ensures that stability for her? Sharam, it's a lot of pressure. Yeah, in like, you know what, that looks like, sometimes it like in my journey was, you know, I studied oceanography in college, right? So okay, no website background there, you know, worked on the beach, you know, taught some science in high school, but I was like, man, Do I make this stuff work? And sometimes what that look like is I was doing the, you know, managing the New York Times USA Today Depot, if 4 AM in the morning in a 4 PM I was going out with a vending machine company filling up vending machines like just trying to make it work, you know, Cheryl, you know, that career was, you know, a year or so. And I am trying to sell like, medical supply products to chiropractors, you know, it was all this like how do I do what I need to do? So Those people I love can do what they want to do as well but certainly there was some of like man this would be super fun to do this. Not really worried about that Financial ramifications but this would be fun to let me try this career. Let me try this job selfish. Honestly some of that is selfish, right?

Speaker 1

10:08

 Like yeah, I mean, well, I say yeah. Like I am judging you but it's you have this. I think that's a really interesting question in for everyone. Is had it? Well, what Your path. Should I take, what, what business, what type of business should I start some people? Have on one end of the spectrum, say, just follow your passion, just do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. That's fine. Except that if you haven't considered whether or not, you're actually adding value and bringing something to the market place that people will pay for it might not end well for you financially. And you know, you may end up hating what was a hobby that you love. Left. And then on the Other Extreme is like, Oh no, just Chase, whatever's, you know, paying as much as possible and don't consider your own happiness. Obviously, I think for most people somewhere in between, you know, is the best approach. But okay, so it sounds like you tried a lot of different things and, you know, and then so. But right up to that point where you made the leap. Okay, I am an entrepreneur now, what did that look like?

Speaker 2

11:17

 Well, so I had part of that Journey you know again and got to bring my spouse into it. Is that like every time I say, hey I am going to jump and do this and it doesn't work or it puts us further in debt, right like that degrades trust. And so sure that some lifestyle things I was doing like I was I was sucking man. I was sucking as a husband, as a leader as a provider of more than just dollars, right? Like at the end of the day it's not just about bringing home. Money in a bank account, right? It's like being president helpful and contributing to those in the community that those you're very close to your family, right? So we had thankfully by God's grace gone through a lot of sifting through crap and building rebuilding trust in the relationship between my wife. And I so that when we were at that point where you, so I had been in my seventh year of teaching at the school, so I was a teacher and The principal this high school, and I am a loving it mans. We're dealing with adjudicated boys that's like do these are people kicked out of high schools. They're all sent to my school, and I am like yes like I love working with these people, these are cool cats like they actually know that you have to have purpose Beyond just being on the next social media. Like the video like you got actually contribute. They kind of felt the sting of bad decisions. Yeah. So they knew all right man I got it. Most of them thought I got a change. So I was loving every day, it is but the same time in the back of my mind, there was this you know I had run a non-profit prior for 10 years, I love working with like you know Urban Youth had these cool ideas about how we could just maybe do education and empowering people differently and it's the same, but I am running a school. And I am loving it. And so why would I jump off that boat? If that's the first, like, steady boat, I had been in but my wife and I were on the same page. Oddly that like man, it just feels like it's time. And it feels like there's something more for you on the other side of this. So that was the like hey if we're actually finally in agreement on this, you know, put all those other like 15, you know, ping pong jobs in the background, we're on the same page that it makes sense. Us to jump off and start this Academy. This new thing that was brewing in my head.

Speaker 1

13:53

 Maybe it's a sign. Yeah. And being on the same page was a big snake. Yeah they're better. Go now before one of us changes our mind. Yeah. So and so at this point you were okay. The financial struggles are one thing our financial challenge I guess to is one thing but you said you weren't maybe the best. Father and husband or you could you dive it such on that for a minute?

Speaker 2

14:23

 Sure man. I mean addiction had robbed a lot of my life and I didn't really know there was freedom and so just discovering that in my journey that I don't have to live as a, you know, reaction to feelings or reaction to impulse and that there's a greater truth. And, you know, I found that from My personal journey I found that freedom through Jesus Christ bringing Freedom, into my life. And that, you know, ability to say you know, just work just working through that. You know, when those things are either, I would say either present or passively present right there. They're influencing decisions you're making. Ultimately that's like life being all about me. So life been all about me looks like, hey, if I want to do this job, I will do it. To buy that thing. I will buy it if I am going in debt, that's on me. But it's yeah, that you wake up and realize. No, it's not like you're in dead. You're not happy. You're not present. Yeah, so that was a big part of them in, you know, at least in, again, my story. You know, not maybe everyone that was around. Me was aware of what my wife and I were chugging through.

Speaker 1

15:46

 Hmm, gotcha, yeah. Now it's and, and many of the guests we have had on their stories. They're all very different, but in a lot of cases, that kind of transformation or real turnaround came from taking the focus off of themselves and their own. You know, that's not to say you should never Ever experience pleasure or you know live in abundance life for you personally, write, but I found in listening to people's stories is that's when they started to, really be able to pursue a life of impact and growth and purpose is when they stopped, you know, really, just focusing on themselves. And if you plug yourself into something bigger than just Justin, no offense, absolutely not. So, okay, so cute. Yep.

Speaker 2

16:43

 So it's crazy. So we stepped. So, I tell my like CEO to school. I am like, hey man, you know, I want this transition. Well, but look, I am going to be stepping out to do this thing. And, you know, God is blessing. We stepped out into like fundraise and start marketing promoting this thing and what that's the year like that was the year. I was referring to the beginning. Like the end of that year, man, I didn't Meet my fundraising goals. I didn't successfully. I had a cool looking website. I knew how to build a website but like just it just wasn't.

Speaker 1

17:17

 Working. So what were you trying to build? Justjust to be clear again, what was the division?

Speaker 2

17:23

 So, we were calling Coolidge Academy Calvin. Coolidge is a president had written this fantastic book. I came across, I don't even like to read unlike history the time. But one of those like, you know, right time, right place and I read this thing where he wrote about the true needs of Patient. He said the true needs of Education are not to just empower the intellect, but to empower the soul into the say that you have educated without impacting, the soul is to not have educated at all. And it was like, wait, Calvin Coolidge. Our president said.

Speaker 1

17:54

 This, that's really good. Yeah, that's actually let me just sorry. Just didn't. I was on a podcast for a couple of years about mortgage note investing and it was great, Chris 70, and I co-hosted a podcast. Is awesome. I loved it, it was great, but the end of the day, I found that it was largely intellectual or largely kind of focused on the mechanics of mortgage note investing, which is, you need to know if you're going to be successful in that space. But that's exactly, I hadn't really thought of it like this until right now. But that's exactly kind of that. What you just said is I wanted to start a show that touched more on the human side and really more to the sole right? Still bringing a practical element to the show and Listener and some practical solutions for their problems but also that kind of deep down, why that inspiration? So anyway so that was your okay so you and your you're launching an academy from based on Calvin Coolidge's the inspiration you got from that. And then what happened. Well.

Speaker 2

18:59

 So the idea was that we'd raise up apprentices, you know, in different trade, like digital marketing did things where we call them Second Chance, Learners, right? Like to design a website for Example if you say hey I can build you this great website, no one says cool, what's your background you ever been in prison and did you ever use drugs? No one says that you walk into someone's house to like paint their house or provide a same or in-person service. People might ask you that they might care about that. So I was like man, there's a lot of great people out there that may be of made choices in their past that are sort of Hostage incur helding, holding hostage the future. How's the concept? And so, Yeah, the end of that year like I said man twenty-four thousand dollars for kids I literally did ask my friend for the mortgage once I said dude I am working. I am trying. I am almost like grind and I like that word. I don't like the word grinding is entrepreneur. You grind up people that near you the love you when you grind that's my it's good point. Well I but so at the end of that was crazy is I had built a website for Or an entrepreneur locally who had an idea. And I feel like one of my gifts is, I am able to hear and understand the idea and helping turn into fruition for people, he's not. So I built this website for him that kind of brought legs to his idea and his vision. He started this business in a Headhunter. What I will a CEO of a local digital marketing company in Lancaster said reached out to me said, hey you built that website? You know, come work for me. And I was like, well, okay, I made twenty-four thousand dollars last year.

Speaker 1

20:40

 Right? This isn't working over here. Let me when you entertain this, this new opportunity, got.

Speaker 2

20:46

 It and to pause right there and say I feel like to be a successful entrepreneur. Yes, you have got to have Vision, you have got to have a desire for sort of impact and be a little stubborn to bust down some walls sometimes, but you have to be willing and humble. Correction. And so someone offering me a job when I left the job to do the entrepreneurial thing is like, yeah, would seemingly be opposite pure. But if we're if we kind of shut up our own self.

Speaker 1

21:19

 Yeah. Maybe your ego at that point. Yeah. Right.

Speaker 2

21:23

 You know what? I can learn some things from you guys. You have been doing this for a long time. Sure.

Speaker 1

21:29

 Okay, now that's a I mean and it's everyone's journey is different but it's that's a critical piece for Everyone's if they're an entrepreneur or even not, but just knowing when now this is I am going to stay the course. I am going to bust through this. I am locked in. Yeah. Is that there's a time to do that as well? Absolutely versus. No, I got to take in the information that's around me that are signs and I need to Pivot. There's no one-size-fits-all answer to that but it's okay. So you pursued so you took a job right with a website. Company Building Company and then what happened from there?

Speaker 2

22:10

 Well, he hired me as a project manager and anyone that knows me knows Justin doesn't manage anything that lasts more than a few weeks. Well, so it was pretty quickly clear there that like is not a project manager but I can I got a good design Sense on me on what looks good. So I started kind of leading his Creative Design Team there. And in that process I learned a lot. I learned about the mechanics of like you No agency and serving customers and sales and I can remember I learned about also what I would want to do. If I sort of ran a company sadly or Better or Worse, based on what maybe someone else was it wasn't doing, I got a little bit, add Jamie for your audience. So like say just say that made me think of when I was in college I became an RA the only inspiration to become an RA for me was ya jerk are a that I had on my floor.

Speaker 1

23:06

 Yeah.

Speaker 2

23:07

 So bad. I am like I can do this better. Well I think a lot of.

Speaker 1

23:10

 Entrepreneurs have similar story. You know, we created a Loan Servicing Company because we were so fed up with the servicing companies we'd used now I have it's not easy and it's a work in progress and so it will humble you pretty quickly but will but no it's I can appreciate that. You're like, okay I can do this part of this business better? Yeah, right.

Speaker 2

23:35

 It was more for me. Like for example, I remember selling 180 thousand dollar website to a client and I came back and my boss gave me a gift card to Starbucks as the appreciation. And you know, that's humbling are you know, I didn't. I said thank you but I was thinking man. This now there was an opportunity for such the maybe generosity or expression, older, you know, of maybe a different thing there. So yeah, what happened over time in that experience for about maybe 18 months? I was there was, I was realizing what I wanted to do. The, I loved the cell, I love the entrepreneur, I love the Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Mom and Pop Shop. I love not. But I love these people that are building something because They want to have a meaningful impact again in family, and Community. When you sort of get a little bit too big in my humble opinion. Yeah, your vision becomes more like, maybe how do I want to impact maybe culture or Society or people make statements that Echo across, you know, zip codes or whatever would be and that's just a not me. From that's not. It is certainly where I start.

Speaker 1

25:00

 Thinking. Sure.

Speaker 2

25:02

  and I was like, dude, we got to be able to do this cheaper better faster different than these hard-earned like even a plumber's like a typical agency, right? I mean, not to get into the yeah. Why at all? But I just wanted to bring something that's more like impactful.

Speaker 1

25:19

 Right in my ideas. I do agree that once at least for me if I think to globally and maybe it's my own limiting beliefs. Or something, but I don't have as much control or more impact. Is it better like you said? I just can't influence things. You know, that it's like as much on the global scale as I can start with the kind of outside of me, but more but closer to me than some International, you know, world, peace or something, which I am all for. But, so I am with you that it's let us start with the community, the, your family and To be around you and kind of more of a Grassroots approach. So that makes sense. So, okay, so you went what happens at this point?

Speaker 2

26:08

 So at this point just because I wanted to be somewhat of Integrity to my boss, I started you know, he was kind of elevating me in that company to sort it with aligned with kind of his goals and one of the other guys that I met was a CI, he was a CFO, we realize our passions were alive. In that way, the like, help a different type of client. So we went to our boss, and we said, hey man, you just gotta be honest with you. Like we have been talking a lot of dreaming, a lot about what it looks like to help, kind of the little guy the underdog. So I don't think we're going to be here in like a year. I think something's going to grow out of this. I think we're going to step out of the boat and short version of that is two days later. We were told we don't have a.

Speaker 1

26:52

 Job on Monday. Wow. So try trying to be as honest And open as possible. I guess backfired a little bit.

Speaker 2

27:02

 Yeah, Ryo. Again, back to our wives were on the same page of like Hey we're going to go. We're going to talk to him who knows what's going to happen. So that's just a big thing of having someone in your corner. That is like, you know, you're just all out there on an island. It's sometimes hard.

Speaker 1

27:16

 To survive. Sure. So, so you lose your job. Yeah. So.

Speaker 2

27:22

 We yeah, and I don't want to yeah, that was a very Faith filled weekend because we had a two-year non-compete. We knew what we wanted to do but exactly how we do it. And, so I mean, I could tell you, you know what, maybe I would tell you a little insight into that boardroom discussion. So I am they're being told not that, I am being fired because that would require like some (HR) stuff to human. I am told that my job, I don't need don't have that position. On Monday. So I understood there was a nuanced going on there, and I needed to just sign this paper. That's all I needed to do. And I am I just didn't. I am thinking like, you know if your this is your father, my God, what on Earth like how on Earth am I going to do anything starting next week. If I got a knock to your non-compete like I just have to sign this paper. This doesn't feel.

Speaker 1

28:26

 Right like so your two options just what were you two options?

Speaker 2

28:30

 Two options were to just not show up on Monday. The paper that I was signing. Well, I could sign a paper that said the risk.

Speaker 1

28:39

 Of yeah. Yeah, non-disclosure stuff, right?

Speaker 2

28:43

 Yeah. Well just said, essentially luck will pay out your vacation pay Concha. We're all good with. It was kind of validating the. Hey, you did come to me and say that you didn't want to work here anymore. A little bit of construed reality. Here is the thing that I feel like to encourage entrepreneurs, listening, you're faced in a situation and you don't know what to do what's right to do. You're thinking of you know maybe your goals whatever my two cents from that experience and many cents is. So just keep waiting. Like it's okay to wait. Entrepreneurs. Don't always have to be moving shaking going forward. I seriously Jamie I waited in there probably at least a half hour, so much that the CEO had another employee. Man and say, just you got me to send you rather walk out of you sign, but he had to go to another meeting. Okay, so now I am sitting there, and I am like, praying, I am like, dude. God, I don't know what to do here and I thought hit me and I feel like that's what happens when we wait, and we allowed just, you know, when we make decisions out of a place of maybe piece or confidence as opposed to reaction.

Speaker 1

29:54

 Yeah, and create that space, right? Yeah. And.

Speaker 2

29:57

 So the thought came to me. Hey, ask. The boss if I can write down the people I had known that I had introduced my business to, you know, that had said no. Because if I have got a non-compete at least I could go to those people that I know had said no. So I got to write down all the names of like 15 leads that I had brought into the business that had said, no, and that then became the first doors I knocked on Monday.

Speaker 1

30:27

 Well, it's a I think the one takeaway to is Not just I said, what were your two choices? But Choice number three, right, you created a third choice, third option. So it's not always, I mean, I know, I get locked into this, you know, these binary ways of thinking sometimes. And, but, okay, so you created a third option, and so.

Speaker 2

30:50

 What happens, what happens when they say red or blue pill and you say, hey, write them both.

Speaker 1

30:55

 Right. Um, Ravens fans, I will go purple. But, um, So then. Okay, so your Monday, what does Monday look like then?

Speaker 2

31:03

 So Monday and that situation as it would have been Adam was out for two weeks. The guy that launched out with, he was also told to hours later he never job on Monday. So you know, in full transparency, the name of launch gets initially with Sparrow and it's that's because the day that day Adam had in his like, just personal Bible reading time he liked to do before coming to work. He had read. Hey, don't worry about what you eat, what you drink, what you wear, God even provides for The Sparrows, think of them. They don't have to worry. So don't worry about tomorrow, will worry about itself. And so he's like, hey Justin, we should name our company Sparrow. I am like, let us .

Speaker 1

31:42

 Go man.

Speaker 2

31:45

 So yeah, but he's out on vacation for two. All right I am gonna try and figure out and knock on some doors here, your website up and.

Speaker 1

31:55

 Easy for him to say when he's on vacation. I.

Speaker 2

31:58

 Told him. Hey, go on vacation man. We don't want to start this thing with a frantic lack. It's a guys like a poverty mindset, right? We have worked to make this.

Speaker 1

32:09

 Work right? Actually on that, do not worry passage in the Bible. I used to read that as encouraging, right, which I don't, I think, I think it should be encouraging, but I used to Read it as like a no, don't worry. But I actually think it probably was meant more intentional. Like do not worry, you know, like intentionally do not worry your and kind of take control of that worry and really Let It Go. But anyway, that's my little sermon. So, okay, two weeks. So as we walk through kind of the first maybe year of the sparrow / launch kits, would what? Look like.

Speaker 2

32:55

 Well. So the first, I mean, the first two years look like, you know, under that mountain can be been kind of surviving like doing things that we wanted to honor, you know, the boundaries. And so we would just do you know someone said hey can you do this? We would say yes and again that's a little bit of a trap of an entrepreneur, right? You start a business to do X people say, hey, can you do why? And you're like.

Speaker 1

33:21

 Sure did I need money, right? Absolutely.

Speaker 2

33:25

 So that was a little bit of the first two years of like, surviving a little bit learning how to work with a partner. Everyone said, don't launch with a partner, but we loved it, man. I love, I am a huge proponent of partnership as long as two things are in place. One is, you have got same goals until you have got, you know, complementary or skill set, so that you're both not trying to do. All.

Speaker 1

33:49

 Things. Absolutely.

Speaker 2

33:51

 So that was a great, two years. We didn't really have our identity because we were like I said, we were kind of doing what we could. So after that, when we were able to finally like dream of like, okay, how do we honestly we started doing websites like everybody else? It's right. Like from a price point standpoint, from a deliverable standpoint from the whole pitch process. I mean, it was, it was fun in the sense that it was our own baby. So I think we had, you know, one or two interns or employees or some things, by that time and It was fun to be able to like, say, alright client. Ex wants a website. How do you want to do this? Like, this is now we can actually write our.

Speaker 1

34:34

 Own sort of yeah. You have that freedom.

Speaker 2

34:36

 Right? Yeah. And again, in that you just learn a lot, you're forced to, you know, I think most entrepreneurs, and I am a fan of this most entrepreneurs will have an experience at some points like this, where someone says, can you do X and you say, Sure, I can do acts. What really what you mean is by the time I have to deliver on exile him figured out how to do it right. I have friends in construction and Landscaping, they say that all the time. Yeah.

Speaker 1

35:06

 There's a fine line between, you know, they could till you make it versus.

Speaker 2

35:06

 Yeah.

Speaker 1

35:12

 Yeah. I guess completely lying about what you have done before versus hey pushing the boundaries and going beyond your comfort zone and pushing yourself and knowing that you can figure it out. You know, I think those are two different things but sometimes easily, you know, mixed up.

Speaker 2

35:31

 Yeah, I quit too. Like, if I decide I am gonna run a marathon, I start telling people, look, I am running in the Boston Marathon on whatever date never run a marathon. But I tell people I am going to do it because I know that I am going to get in a position to be able to do it. Sure. And so in this particular situation in the real estate market I don't know five or something. How many years back that would Now, probably 10 years back now, but they, they switch the way that they feed real estate data into websites, and that broke everybody's website. So an agency came to us and said, all our websites are broken. None of our feeds are working. Can you fix it? He said, sure. They actually they, they pulled the biggest for firms in my area. We were one of them that through a relationship came to the table. And so this is just like me and Adam just like, I mean, we come in. I was probably wearing this right now, and we're like, hey, here's Besides you have done, here's the work, we do. Here's the price point would be, we can solve your problem in two months. Yeah, we got you covered. We walked out with the deal, we even got the call on the drive home that we got the deal. We had sort of spy we were like but I think that the thing that Echoes when you're an entrepreneur you just have to be genuine. Like don't try and like if you're not a suit and tie guy don't put on student, I walk into a bedroom. Yeah, but we knew at least we could work with a team and deliver on what we had said. So, that was a kind of fun. Those types of things. Define the first three or four, Years of sparrow is it was yeah, launch kids Concept in really come into a little later, but yeah. Yeah. I think it's like we said about working on your business with people learning that like, sales side of Entrepreneurship, just the delivery.

Speaker 1

37:19

 Deliverable. Yeah. That's a whole different beast. And you know, like I never thought of myself as a marketing guy or sales guy, but it's if you're, if you own a small business, you're in marketing.

Speaker 2

37:33

 That's.

Speaker 1

37:33

 Good, whether you like it or not. And so that side of things has really started to interest me a lot more because you get into like psychology and really, that's where you're trying to listen and try to add value, right? It's not just slimy sales stuff. It's actually trying to meet a need and solve a problem for people. So, okay. So what did the business itself? Look, I guess how did it grow up until today, when you know how? Year has from when you launch Sparrow 22. Now, how long has that been?

Speaker 2

38:06

 Yep. So we're just over eight years old. Okay now nice. So yeah, a few years back, we went through a transition where some of my like Adam. We're still good friends is offices right over on the other side of this building. Like he's a nerd though and that was a fun. Like I was a creative, he was a nerd like yin and yang and people love that and I think when you're Building websites. You can you need both? The can't just be pretty. It's got to be functional. Can't be functional like yeah sure it's Gotta look good or at least look authentic Patrol. So we had done that for a while, but he wanted to kind of keep doing the nerd thing and right about that time and this would be in if you 33 years ago, you know. This is, this is another thing, helpful thing for entrepreneurs is we started as a partnership and there's nothing wrong with partying, you know, I am the right time good terms, don't keep forcing stuff, you know, and in a business relationship where there's just different goals and ends in mind. So he went a lot more freedom of what he was doing. And so, you know, I bought how bought out his half of the company, and we work together. Still like he's still a nerd when I need a nerd and I still get to build websites. But we'd also started something that birth launch kits which was like, man, we have built a ton of websites. You know, every time I build a financial advisors website or a Home Services website, there're patterns here like there're similarities. What if we actually made really smart like kind of Frameworks templates based on similarities? We know customers look for, and then we can just offer them weigh less. Because we're starting at a 50-yard line, instead of on a whiteboard from.

Speaker 1

39:57

 Scratch. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, that.

Speaker 2

40:00

 Concept it was the birthing of launch kits. Got it. And I will really a whole different way to do business for us.

Speaker 1

40:08

 I will interview Adam next to get his side of things. Exactly. I am just cutting, but okay, so that's really cool. So you bought him out now. I mean, you know, previously you'd been struggling financially, I mean and, you know, prior years. So how were you able to buy him out? How to I mean just how to how'd you make that work?

Speaker 2

40:29

 Yeah, I mean again what I have imposed the idea I wasn't even sure I went home. The next thing only has it Yeah, but those first three four years of sparrow had been really good. You Revenue. In fact, we had a full-time again. When I say business totally shifted, it really totally shifted like additional Sparrow, traditional agency, full-time salesperson going out, commission-based getting sales leads, I mean, we were on podcast back then about how fast we were growing as a start-up web design company because we were charging lat. Last but just the way we were able to close it. Anyway, it was just we had a pretty streamlined process. Sure. So you know, financially, we were like I had four years after leaving that job and Fallen flat with 24,000 for kids. I now had a fifth kid but like I don't really know exactly at the time. What my income was brought. Maybe I was like three times. I don't know, 75 pounds maybe dollars like but I could pay bills the nothing to worry about it. And that was a blessing. So yeah, as a matter of figuring out, how do I get a loan? How do we know this business? Yeah. To the bank want to do that based on. Yeah, you got to put some personal skin in the game. That was definitely a new even for my wife to say, like again, think of the perspective, right? Like you have been bouncing around, a while all different kind of things, you have only been doing this for like, three four years. Do you want to do it all in and here is the defining conversation? I remember Exactly where I was on my porch, my wife, man wife's a wise thing. Entrepreneurs you got listen your wife, sometimes, God told me, husbands or husband? Sorry, I apologize. But your spouse is able to see your blind spots in perspectives and things. You literally don't see every day, like, this is specifically. So, isn't it true like from a business Acumen or strength side? So my wife says, the Justin look, I don't think you could build this car from scratch but I do believe that you can keep the oil changed and keep it on the road. So I like approve and I think we should move forward with taking this next leap of faith and that really was true. Like I needed sort of Adam, the mechanic to help me like build this thing. Yeah, so that's where sort of we had some confidence of like, all right, I can keep the summon Red Dragon saying you really put the Gasps.

Speaker 1

43:07

 In so, conversely did Adam, maybe not need your skill set as much anymore as well for what he was trying to accomplish.

Speaker 2

43:16

 Yeah, I mean he's wanted to nerd out on deta detail and strategy and gotcha, building and launching we're at, like, I told you the beginning. I am not a big project manager, man. Like if I can find out how to build and launch you in like a week or two.

Speaker 1

43:30

 We have a great relationship, got it. So, what does your business look like today? Not so much the actual Services that you provide yet. But what it, how many, what's your team look? Like, just, what's the overview of your peek behind the curtains with your business?

Speaker 2

43:48

 Yep. So long skates, we have got nine people here including myself half of those people are full-time. Couple of them are part-time and a couple more contract employees. We're all the live here in Pennsylvania on the United States built serve supported here all in Pennsylvania. And yeah, we have got some developers full-time Riders designers support team. Yep.

Speaker 1

44:15

 Awesome. What's, what's the future of your business? Look like.

Speaker 2

44:20

 You know, we want to keep shaking up how people get online from a financial perspective. Like I think entrepreneurs should be able to get online with something that helps them be found for less than 1,000 bucks all day long. I don't think they should pay. Arms and legs for support and updates and all that. I, I can't stand. That's a nice way. I can't stand the agency model of like charging per hour. You know, per request a minimum time, period tasks, like all that stuff, I just feel like entrepreneurs deserve better. Well, I am getting from where we were to, there was in itself. A like we started launch kids when we started. Yeah, just like a Fee service and flaafy support it like really low service. Fees was like wait how do we do this? How do we create a monthly recurring Revenue that supports employees?

Speaker 1

45:18

 Yeah and allows you to buy those Starbucks gift cards to thank them. That's.

Speaker 2

45:24

 Right. Oh my gosh. So yeah. So our big thing now is like we have a really well oiled machine of both researching and designing, smart templates getting. So from like the constant feedback we get, if you when I said were the most reviewed highest rated web design company, the country you read reviews, people are like you made this so easy. I thought this is gonna take hours. I don't even have to. Like I had to talk to you like twice and you guys nailed it. Like, yeah, I just, I just love being able to impact Somebody by getting them in front of potential customers, and I didn't make them pull a 401k right.

Speaker 1

46:05

 With philosophy and Entrepreneurs. Don't want. You know, I deal with a lot of different systems in my mortgage note business and different software and different things. It's like, and could I learn this other system? Yes, I probably could you know, right? But I don't want to become an expert in building a website. I mean it's just not. I mean so you know most entrepreneurs are very busy, and they just want, you know they just want it done and you guys know how to deliver so that's great. Great.

Speaker 2

46:38

 We tell people if we're not we tell people if like, hey, we don't do that or yeah, I have got an uphill battle here that you can't climb. Just the website. You got to be able to throw paid ad money. I am sure do that and a I just don't think you should do that unless you're in it for a long haul, you know. So we try and you just really honest because it's about helping that person not about closing a lead, that's surely different mentality. Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1

47:05

 Again, focus is on them. Then. Not on you, right? It's on adding value to someone else. All right, so I have got some rapid fire questions here for you. What's one thing that people misunderstand?

Speaker 2

47:17

 About you?

Speaker 1

47:21

 I am not.

Speaker 2

47:22

 Really. Not as weird add is, I might think I just care about a lot of different.

Speaker 1

47:32

 Things. Gotcha.

Speaker 2

47:34

 Passionate about the city I live in. Oh, I am passionate about entrepreneurs passionate about my journey to freedom, but that doesn't mean I am not fully into whatever, I am into at the moment. Got it.

Speaker 1

47:47

 Makes sense. We may have touched on this already but what's one of your biggest failures or regrets? Something you'd like it. Do-over on, if you, if you?

Speaker 2

47:56

 Could. Mmm. Do-over man, I wish I was a better husband from day. One that relationship is golden. So taking care of the person that you're entrusted to live life with his a big.

Speaker 1

48:09

 Deal, love it. If you could give your 18 year, old self some advice, what would it be?

Speaker 2

48:17

 Oh my, you don't have to have it all figured out when you go to When you leave that High School stage or whatever, you know. Yeah be cool with the ups and downs and the roles like just enjoy the journey while you're on the journey, don't stress about the 20th.

Speaker 1

48:34

 Land. Awesome. So other than Calvin. Coolidge who is you could have coffee with any historical figure? Who would you choose?

Speaker 2

48:44

 Oh man it would be Coolidge from outside of Coolidge. You know, George Washington Carver. I read his book by remembers his story and nice. My dude.

Speaker 1

48:58

 Cool. If you were given ten million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with it? So I am going to just wrote you a check to.

Speaker 2

49:05

 I would help the town. I am in Elevate, its people and its places. I would also probably give half of it to some of the organizations that helped me learn what it was like to live.

Speaker 1

49:16

 Free. So, what would those be that look women, men?

Speaker 2

49:23

 We like literally organizations. Yeah. Proven men are proven Ministries, is what they're called now, is that just a tremendous help? You know, for the finale? I mean, I spent 20 years in addiction to pornography, and it's just like, heroin and depending on whom you talk to, they think that addictions of permanent play on your life. And the truth is, it's not, you can reset your mind, reset your heart and experience Freedom, no matter what it is. So yeah, it's not very blessed by Allah. Of people that shared true.

Speaker 1

49:57

 Thank you for sharing. That's not easy to be vulnerable about that, but I appreciate it and I know our listener. I am sure that will resonate with some listeners if you had to write a book this year. What would you write about?

Speaker 2

50:12

 Hmm. Maybe I would finish the book that I started on said, topic. Which I have titled surprised by freedom. I think a lot of people plan to live their lives and managing With like a victory Minds, the right that I just need to keep fighting, keep fighting on once an addict, always an addict and I just firmly believe that is not what we have is hope is that there's Freedom, which is the death of a struggle where, you know, and not to like Sidetrack the anything like I think of it this way. Some people grow up like in your teens, they like cursing like a sailor and All this stuff but you asked the 30 and 40 year old versions of that person. Hey man, you struggle like still cursing like a sailor. Like oh no. I mean that was my, it was in my younger days. Well, if you can go from something that you lived every day, then and justly not even thinking about it. Now, why isn't that true of other sort of struggles that humans go through? And, so I just yank that I was surprised by freedom. I didn't expect to be able to live a life. I am living.

Speaker 1

51:23

 Now. So what is the key to is there a key? Or what's the main principle is? It is about letting go and surrendering or how do you move past that addiction?

Speaker 2

51:36

 I believe I mean, I don't know how I can do that. Answer in 10 seconds, but I think we have to address Pride in the role that Pride plays. And I think we have to be willing to repent because we understand, not just because we're afraid of consequences, but because we have an understanding of the, the actual sort of depravity of that thing and I willing to part ways.

Speaker 1

52:04

 Yeah, I think there's a we could do a whole episode. So don that question. Yeah, it's and there's a lot there. So back to your business before we wrap up here. What's one thing that your that's a challenge right now that you're.

Speaker 2

52:16

 Working through? Hmm, the challenge is continuing to provide like service over the moon like, mmm, you know, when you now that we have got over 700 people, it's like, how do I make sure that everybody that needs help is getting it quickly? And not just check off the list but like, wow. You know, how do we keep doing that?

Speaker 1

52:42

 Well, sure. I know you guys are always very responsive with us, so I can vouch as a client, we're very satisfied. What's a one thing in your field of expertise that most don't agree with you? About one position that you hold that's different within your.

Speaker 2

53:07

 Arena. I think launching fast is better than launching. Perfect.

Speaker 1

53:14

 Mmm, so good.

Speaker 2

53:16

 I think I just saw I just seen it. Like you love must launch this basic powerful Rock and I think what they're supposed to or not or whatever? Just saw the guy blew up half-way through in like, but when you're launching online, the thing is, I have seen so many people in my previous experiences, you launched four to six months later because everyone's arguing about what it should say on the about page or how do we say the service and like you just lost four to six months of indexing with Google? So launch launching quick is watching /? Yeah, absolutely. I think it's Perfection is the enemy of progress or something like that so you go awesome. What is a book or two that you'd recommend for my listener.

Speaker 1

54:03

 To be personal or business related book. I mean.

Speaker 2

54:09

 I really like Jim Collins good to great. I have read a couple of times, it's just good inspiration, fisherman, business side of things. I am again. Personal huge book is finally free great book. Just about the Journey of freeing yourself from vices another book. Yes, trying to think of a it's on my bookshelf. It's Comment. Okay, I am Big John Aldridge fan. If anyone knows John, I would like Wild at Heart. So some good content. He's written about just Living this whole life.

Speaker 1

54:46

 So describe for us the you work with different business owners and entrepreneurs. What's your typical avatar look like? Who do you serve in the business world? And what, what do you offer specifically?

Speaker 2

55:01

 Sure it's usually entrepreneurs kicking off or existing small business owners, and so we don't really have a niche. You know, home service providers are big. Obviously, they need to be found locally and online. We study six, different verticals. Pretty carefully to bring smart products to market for them, you know? So, like But what we offer them is again, like we can flip their old website, or we can get them live with a, with a new website in five days and set up all their Google profiles. But the big thing is providing unlimited ongoing support. So like, that's the thing is like anything. You can't just put it up and expect it to withstand the weather, right? You kind of have to maintain. So our big thing is like, we never You know you pay an ongoing small fee for like hosting and support and all that, but we're never going to send you another bill. Another invoice like we just helped. We just train you. We teach you who support you and that's kind of what we want to do.

Speaker 1

56:09

 Well, awesome. So Justin, where can our listeners find you online?

Speaker 2

56:15

 Yeah, you launch gets.com, find us on all the popular media channels. You look up launch, gets you might have to look up Sparrow websites. We have been working on getting the brand all switched but yeah, you will find us online an if you don't find Us online, then that's a big problem. Yeah.

Speaker 1

56:31

 That's yeah. I have to find you guys a company to build your website. That is clapping, right? So, awesome. What have we not talked about that? You want to throw out there?

Speaker 2

56:44

 I don't know, I just for your listeners just understand that you my two cents is that abundance isn't about, you know, some figures and in that I mean we're excited to cross some of those boundaries as a company but I promise you that every person that well they say there's a there's nobody in this world that will say that the money has made them. Happy desert element of security. Yes, if you ask my wife, it's nice to know the mortgage is going to get paid this month. Sure. But abundance is to me about living the more whole free life. That did you get when you're serving again, those you love and the community that you have been placed in? I think that's when we really feel satisfied at the end of the night. Not because we look on our app and see how much is in the bank account. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1

57:44

 I would, I couldn't agree more. I mean, I do think money is important and that, you know, stewardship of money is, it's a real thing. It's not something to ignore and not acknowledge, and I think there's its worth pursuing, but it's not only about money and, you know, you can certainly make arguably a bigger impact if you have more money, right? But at the end of the day, it's not just about Stockpiling a bunch of cash. It's bigger than that. It's bigger than I think that's been a theme of this episode is taking the focus off of yourself and looking toward others to serve your clients, your family, your community and kind of lifting everyone up as you have as you grow in your own abundance. So man, Justin we have covered a lot of ground here. You know, just the difficulties that your birth and then your addiction you spoke about and then you know, the financial struggles ups and downs and kind of wind and when to leave your W-2 when to go back to a W-2 business Partnerships and how to approach that, and man, this has been awesome. So Justin rule launch kits. I really appreciate you taking the time and it's been great.

Speaker 2

59:07

 Appreciate you Jamie. Thanks for doing this for listings to learn and yeah hope that you have a continued rest of your day going. Well.

Speaker 1

59:14

 Man. Awesome, thanks into the listener out there we appreciate you spending your most valuable resource with us and that is your time. Don't forget to check out the our new website adversity to abundance. That's the number to adversity to abundance.com. Sorry, you didn't create that one, Justin. Well to talk offline. Take care everyone, it's good. Thank you for spending your most valuable resource with us your time. Thank you for spending your most valuable resource with us your time. If you like the show, please share it with your friends and fellow podcast listeners, one entrepreneur to time. If you like the show, please share it with your friends and fellow podcast listeners, one entrepreneur to time. We can change the world. We can change the world. See you next time. See you next time.