In fact...
I loathe the idea of coaches.
I grew up playing sports, with a bunch of has been coaches, or sideline dads, barking orders and yelling shit they couldn't do themselves.
I see a ton of "coaches" basically doing the same.
They are "gurus" of this and that, yet their bios are filled with shit like, "I was a broke waitress, and now I'm a best selling author and coach"
Well, no shit! So, what experience are you going to bring to the table when it comes to me and my businesses?
...you gonna bring me my food and write a book about it?
You don't need a coach...
But, you do need help. You need an advisor. You need a person that has been there and done that.
You need a person that has tried and succeeded.
You need a person that has tried and failed, so that you don't have to!
I firmly believe, "You don't know, what you don't know."
So how do you fix that?
Simple.
Surround yourself with people that know shit that you don't.
Then pick and choose what's best for you.
Again. You're a fucking adult. Make your own decisions.
I will be here to help you navigate the business journey.
Who is Joseph Haecker?
First off, I've already accomplished my life's greatest achievement. I was a single parent, who raised two amazing guys. They are now independent, free-thinking, adults, with jobs, relationships and their own lives.
So, anything on top of that, is simply icing on the cake.
When my kids were in elementary school, I was parent.
When they were in junior high, I was coach.
By high school, my role shifted to, mentor.
This gave them the freedom to develop into the humans that they wanted to become. My job was to introduce them to people and experiences, so that they could learn a wide range of life's options.
Parenting is a great metaphor for business...
Kids grow up. And they should.
Many parents raise "dependent children". You know them. they are the parent that complains about their kids, but still gives them everything they ask for.
That's not parenting. And that's not the way you build a business.
Your kids and your business go through phases. When they are young, they depend on you for food, safety, security, and nurturing.
But, they soon learn to walk and say "No".
And they should. They are growing up, and now it's time to let them discover, fall, cry, and try again. Your job is not to wrap them in a safety blanket and prevent any and all harm. Your job is to let them know it will be ok.
Then, in a blink of an eye...Your kids and your business is off to college, or moving into their first apartment.
Yup, they are still broke. And they will definitely make stupid decisions.
They may not call you, or even want your help.
They are independent and trying to figure out who they are, on their own.
As a parent and a business owner, this is the phase of life when you need to redefine who you are and what your new role is.
And, if you're lucky, either you will enter into a new phase of life and business where you are renewed and re-energized.
Or, you'll realize that it's time to move on and discover a new adventure.
Your business, just like your kids MUST grow up. It MUST take on it's own personality and direction. If you don't let your business grow up and evolve, with new leadership, new thinking, more risks, sleepless nights, and tearful moments...They you have missed out on the journey of life.
The world is always changing. Your business must grow too.
Just like a healthy parent, you need to get out of your company's way and let it become the business it is meant to become.
Now that my kids are grown...
I say this on podcasts and interviews all the time. "I already did my most important thing. So, if I were to get hit by a bus today, I'm good. But since I'm not dead, I might as well go fuck shit up!"
In simple terms, I have a high risk tolerance.
So since 2012, I have done a lot of random shit. I have stayed up until 5:30am taking whiskey shots with Julian Lennon. I'm hung out with celebrities, launched several startups, raised just under $4.5 million in startup capital, exited out of 3 businesses, designed two of the world's largest chandeliers, launched podcasts, hosted events, and learned how to navigate them all.
I regularly meet with 3-5 startups per week, advising on their businesses or concepts.
I have re-invented myself, tried, succeeded, failed and learned the inner workings of so many industries in such an extraordinary amount of time, it is amazing.
And I have build up the craziest network of friends because of it.
I've learned...
Nothing really matters. And that we over complicate things trying to live up to a false expectation of our own lives.
As business owners, there are laws. Sure.
But those laws don't dictate every little detail of your business. In fact, as a business owner, you have a surprisingly wide range of possibilities.
The problem is...You don't know, what you don't know.
When my kids were little, I didn't care about their grades. I earned mine. This was their turn to earn theirs. But I looked at grades differently than most parents. When I was little and brought home a failing grade, my mom would say that she was "embarrassed" about my grades.
When my kids brought home a low grade, it was simply an indication to me that they didn't raise their hand and ask for help.
And as adults, we do the same thing.
We get behind, or in over our heads, and instead of simply raising our hand and saying, "I need help." We power through, hoping that something will change, or nobody will notice that I'm behind.
I'm not a great parent. And one day, when my kids say, "Dad, will you go to counseling with me?" I'll say yes. And when I'm there, I won't make up excuses because "I did the best I could with what I had..."
The truth is, I both didn't know, what I didn't know...and I in fact did NOT do the best I could. I just barely got by.
I like to say, that my kids "survived" my parenting. If they were a plant or a gold fish, they wouldn't have made it out alive.
My name is Joseph Haecker...
I may not be a fit for you.
But if I am. And you are a fit for me...
Then, I can help you hit that pause button, take stalk of your business, implement a strategy that will help you and your team prepare for that next phase of your journey with entrepreneurship.
I don't know if you realize just how unique you are.
I believe that 100% of us were taught to be "employees". Event the Presidents and CEO's of massive corporations were most likely not the founder. And so, even in their highest of positions, even they are employees of businesses.
But you.
You went out into the world. Dove deep into the unknown. And started your own business.
THAT, right there...is amazing!
Now that your business is making a recurring profit, you have been putting out fires and growing.
Now, it's time to stop.
Let's take a breath.
Let's take a sober look at where your business is, and where you want it to go.
Then, let's put a plan in place and build the business you need for the next phase of growth.
