From Pig Farm to Oilfield

Meet Host, Mary Grothe

Mary Grothe is a former #1 MidMarket B2B Sales Rep who after selling millions and breaking multiple records, formed House of Revenue®, a Denver-based firm of fractional Revenue Leaders who currently lead the marketing, sales, customer success, and RevOps departments for 10 companies nationwide. In the past year, they've helped multiple 2nd stage growth companies between $5M - $20M, on average, double their MRR within 10 months, resulting in an average ROI of 1,454% and an average annual revenue growth eclipsing $3.2 million.

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Mary Grothe: Welcome to the House of Revenue®. I'm Mary Grothe the Founder and CEO. I love scaling companies to their first 5 million then 10, 15, and 20. If you've reached a revenue plateau and aren't sure how to get past it, you're in the right place. Listen in as we interview CEOs and solve their most pressing revenue challenges, if you want to be on our show, or want to learn more, connect with us at houseofrevenue.com.

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I feel like this is starting to become a personal podcast. Maybe one day, I'll have a guest that would have any yet. Feedback seems to be good five episodes in on our second season. But if you hate it, or have good constructive feedback, let me know. Today, there's something I'm passionate about sharing. And it stemmed from my attendance at church last week. The pastor was sharing a message that I don't think it was landing for everyone. I attend Cole Church. They let people speak up. They actually pass the mic around. So it's very collaborative in the audience. Somebody shared a story because I think he was also picking up on the fact that not everybody was picking up what the pastor was laying down if you know what I mean. He told a story that resonated with me so strongly. I hope I can do it justice for you today because it's really what's creating the motivation for me to record this episode.

The man in the audience told a story, and maybe this is like an old wives’ tale, or maybe this is real, or maybe you've heard it, maybe it'll be life-changing for you. I don't know. He told a story about a farmer. In Texas, he had a pig farm, which pig farms. Sure, you can imagine they are just gross, right? They're dirty. They're disgusting. It's mud and whatever. Pigs are cute, but they're also super dirty. So apparently, this pig farmer had been struggling for years to make the pig farm work. And it's a dirty job. It was stressful, strenuous, just hard to maintain. And the moral of the story was this pig farmer only ever focused on the president, which was there what the pig farms the challenges. And apparently, in the story, whether it is real or not, there, underneath that land, was oil.

This pig farmer was just focused on the day-to-day and the president getting through every day, in the dirt, in the gross, in the challenges this whole time. He had the deed to this land, which had oil, which, as we all know, is far more valuable and lucrative, and he didn't know. If you think about how this stood out for me, if we've already been given the deed, the trust, do that massively rich oil that is lucrative and opens up massive doors for us. We've already been given the deed to that. Is that oil field existing in our business, and all we are focusing on is the dirty pig farm? Enough to get by and be so buried in the dirt, challenges, mud, and the stress of the day-to-day? We can't even see and tap into this deed of what is below the surface? What is sitting there waiting for us has already been given to us. We are not tapping into who we were created to be - to open that up to have all of those blessings and to have the growth, success, and what we can do with our team.

Although it stemmed from church and was a biblical message that was very much about what God has for you, and you're not tapping into it. If you're just sitting playing on the surface and playing it safe with what you know, like where's the actual submission, obedience, and really accepting everything that he has for you. So that was the message at church. Translating this into just our daily lives as CEOs, we have an oil field sitting underneath our business. We are not doing what we need to do to tap into that access. I thought that to become the next version of ourselves, we have to let go of who we are right now. It's tearing up the old to make room for the new.

You can't have a different result by doing the same thing - call that the definition of insanity, expecting different results. But by doing the same thing, it just doesn't happen. You know, the law of seed planting, what you plant into the ground is the harvest that you'll reap. What are you planting into the ground? Frustration, drowning, stress challenges, Woe is me. Those are the seeds you're planting into the ground. That is the harvest you will continue to reap. So you have to plant different seeds. You have to enhance yourself to advance your outcomes. Are you doing that? Well, let's dig into this a little bit further. There's this concept of renewing your mind. Your thoughts play such a huge part, if not everything, really into how you show up for your day. What you tell yourself is your truth.

A lot of what you tell yourself is based on a story you create when facts and information enter your being. How are you starting off your day? Are you consuming media and doom and gloom? Where are you getting information from? How do you control your emotions? Are you letting yourself get triggered? And so your days just tough from the get-go? Because the first piece of information enters your mind, you have already made up a negative story. Everything from there, have you ever had those mornings by 9am? You just want to go back to bed and start over. Like nothing good could come from this day. I know I've been there. I've had that. But I can trace it back every time like I created that outcome. I created that because of how I allowed myself to react instead of responding. You need to renew your mind if you want to consistently get great outcomes. I am the happiest and healthiest. By the world's definition, the most successful I've ever been.

But in my heart and soul definition, also the most successful I've ever been my own personal faith-based definitions. It doesn't come from just happenstance. It comes from being obedient, disciplined, structured, having a good heart, being kind to people, having grace, being super smart, learning, curious, and asking questions. But also not sitting still by having action and urgency by assembling great teams, just being a good human being. All these things are not circumstances or happenstance. They're by design because the seeds were planted into the ground. As a CEO, owner, executive, I asked you the outcomes you're experiencing right now, your pig farm, your day in the life, what have you not been doing to tap into the oil underneath your feet? Underneath your land? Underneath your business? Why, how, who, and what is not happening to allow you to tap into what was really destined for you, on your path, and what you were created for?

Some of this stuff might sound a little bit mushy. You know, I'm a Christian woman, I try to stay a little agnostic here and how I speak, but I speak for my truth. I live it every day. And so I know what is true and present for me. So I feel comfortable and confident sharing as I know, I start my day being centered and grateful. I wake up, and I'm just so happy that I've been given another day. You realize none of this is guaranteed. I wake up in the morning, and I'm so thankful I get up around 5 am, and God's given me another chance to do something that makes other people's lives better. Immediately when I wake up, I have gratitude because you know how many people didn't wake up today or won't see tomorrow. There's a lot but if you're here today, like figure it out, do something with your day. That's pretty productive in life, giving for yourself or others, your family, your people, your teams, your clients, like get your head on straight when you wake up. Get your head in the game, you're owed nothing, but you are given today receive that as step number one. Get the gratefulness in your heart.

If you feel like in the morning, when you're grumpy already, you check your phone, you see a bunch of not-so-great news all in a row. Maybe it's the media, maybe it's your email, maybe it's your slack messages. Who knows what it is, maybe your spouse or significant other or one of your kids is grumpy? Well, you get to choose if that will make you grumpy or not. You can choose to feed into that, or you can be of great counsel and a great ear and give them grace. Help them through that speak words of wisdom to them, give them the love and the comfort in their own battle or challenge that they're fighting.

You have an option right out of the gate, and how you want to start your day, planting good seeds. If your thoughts, words, and actions are seeds, and you're putting them into the ground, they are the harvest. You will read what you're putting on the ground and think about everything you do. Every micro decision, action and thought, and every word was spoken that comes out of your mouth. Every time you react instead of responding like those is all seeds. You just put them all on the ground, and you're going to get an outcome from that. Enhance yourself to advance your outcomes. It starts with you. We were created as very, very remarkable, powerful human beings. We've been given great responsibility. That's how we receive and how we show up. How you show up is then what is laid upon others that receive you and experience you. The way you show up, potentially impacts, and dictates how 10, 20,000 10,000 other people's days go.

Wow, that's a lot of responsibility if your head is not in the game. Yikes. Yeah. I start my day so thankful that I even have the day I think about the immediate blessings around my house. Waking up in a bed, the roof over my head. I'm thankful that I have the energy to start my day and that I have my health at 5 am. I can start busting out admin work slacking with some of my East Coast employees to keep connected to them. Hammering through the inbox and administrative work so I can hop through that shower super-fast. Be available for that early morning zoom meeting with my prospects and clients, East Coast or Central Coast. Be done by 7 am so that I can be with my son, make breakfast, make his lunch, and be with my husband while we're all getting ready to head out the door at 7:30. Taking my kid to school. Having that precious time with him for 12 or 13 minutes, we're singing along to the radio or chatting.

He's very inquisitive right now at five years old asks me a lot of questions. Boy, I am thankful that I'm present and answering those not distracted. Not thinking about 100 other things, or having my note and my phone. That I'm present with him, realizing that he's coming to me because he trusts me. He's asking me big life questions as he's starting to figure out all these things that are happening in life. He's five, and he's just exploring. He's learning just started kindergarten. I have an opportunity to answer those questions rooted in my truth, rooted in love, kindness, and empowerment for my son. At five years old, what I'm speaking to him is starting to transform him, and it's starting to set the stage for the rest of his life.

Think back. What are your earliest memories and how did your parents speak to you? By the way, mine isn't so great. I had to spend over a decade after separating from my family, healing from the wounds of the words spoken over me and the atmosphere I grew up in. I will not screw that up for my kid. He will be met with attention and love, kindness and truth, and calmness will be present with him. So that he doesn't have to spend a decade undoing harm and crap and things that just about destroyed me. That's intentional time. Then I get to start my workday.

I take myself back-to-back to back-to-back all day long. I am tasked in every meeting, every moment, every email response, every slack message, and every piece of hallway chatter, turning material around, chatting with a team member, answering a question. Every moment of my day is a seed that I plant in the ground. It should not surprise me with everything that results from how I act and how I am during the day. Understanding the power, "Holy Moly people." With the power we have, we have influenced these team members. They look up to us. I'm speaking about breathing life into my five-year-old son. I have the opportunity to do that now for 20 people, counting you as a CEO. How many people do you have? As a wife, a mom, a husband, a dad, a brother, a sister, anyone influences your community. Your friend’s group, you have a responsibility. You need to get your head in the game.

If you have the expectation of being better, stronger, more brilliant, kinder, more loving, more impactful, more successful than you are today. You have to make room for that. You can't get that doing what you're doing today. You have to tear up who you are today and make room for the new you have to rip up the old to make room for the new. So what are your commitments? And who is holding you accountable? You have to hold yourself accountable. Yes, there are coaches, friends, peers, and spouses. You can have some peer accountability, you can have that, and that is good. But you have to take ownership of who you're becoming and what you're doing. If you make excuses throughout the day, maybe it doesn't sound or look like an excuse, or you think it's an excuse. Still, it's just a challenge or frustration that you have to start journaling and writing that down.

Can I tell you about some of the challenges and frustrations slash excuses I've said over the years? That? I don't have time for that. That's a big one for me. I don't have time for that. I can't get it all done. Those are two big ones I'll start with. Do you know how I created room to get everything done in my life? Do you know that I work from 8 am to 2:30 pm every day? How is that possible? Three and a half-million-dollar company? Well, we're at a run rate of about four and a half million right now. But 27 employees, 20 clients, a wife, a mom, a friend? How do I do it all? Some days are easier than others. Here's how I got there; I made a list. I did my own time management exercise, I listed out everything that I did in my personal life.

As a wife and a mom, I listed out everything I wanted to do that I wasn't yet doing, and I made the perfect list. Everything that I want to be doing and I'm capable good at doing. If you're an EOS attraction person, it's that getting it one at capacity to do it. I mean, that chart for myself, also made that chart for myself at work. I looked at every task and function I was taking on as a CEO. I wrote it all out. I made a timeline for the tasks and functions of the business that I was not going to hang on to long term. I created a timeline that identified who would take it over, when they would take it over and how to train them to take it over expectations outcomes. I created pathways of visibility to the data I needed to see to feel like I was still presently involved in that task without having to do the work.

But I didn't sacrifice visibility because clearly, anything I'm taking on is important to the business, and it's far critical. I'm not going to do the work anymore. I have to make sure I can retain the visibility to understand whoever is doing the work that is working in it successfully and have access to the metrics. I made that list. It's taken me about 15 or 16 months since March of 2020.

When the world came crashing down, you've heard my story. I changed; the business changed. At that time, I was gifted the opportunity to reconnect with my son and husband, who were neglected for the first two and a half years of scaling this company. I made a commitment to them, my employees, my team, and our clients that I would rebuild this company. I was going to rebuild it in a way that everyone was honored. I did it the right way. We've done tremendous work as a team over the last 18 months or so, 16, 17, and 18 months. I can't do math very well.

Anyhow, I made the path, and I wrote it down. It was visible to me. It was attainable. Everybody was in the know. I have what I have today because I'm disciplined and obedient to being a good person, serving people, and being present. Going back to what we talked about at the beginning of this, God gave me today. He didn't have to. God's going to get you, he's going to get you, you'd be gotten by now. But I'm here. Why would I waste this? Why would I be a bump on the log? Why would I be lazy? Why would I make someone's life? Not great? Why would I create more work for people? Why would I be a pain in the butt? Why would I be a bottleneck? Why would when someone experienced me, their day be worse? Why would I ever do any of those things? That sounds like a horrible day. Well, you know what? When I'm not conscious, little effective in every single moment of the day. Those things happen.

You know, I get triggered. Yeah, I know. I'm a human being; I get triggered. A team member brings something to me. I don't love this scenario. If I'm not present, committed, patient, calm, and listening, do you know what happens? That fleshy human side of me rears its ugly head, and I could react at that moment? Guess what that does? That team member who brought that to me has to experience the version of myself I don't want to be. Then, that can affect and ruin their day. It can make them feel down on themselves. It can make them question their worth and their ability to do the job. It could please fear in them that they've disappointed me or let me down. It could cause them to potentially not want to bring things to me in the future because they are afraid of how I will react. Sound familiar? Ever been there? Not good.

Get your head in the game. You said yes to being a CEO; you have to say yes to your team and people. By golly, it's not going to be perfect every day, I get that, but I've also learned to just own it, embrace it, and apologize. We call it responding passionately, at least that's what I call it. Sometimes I get a little worked up. I get a little passionate. It's when I'm not taking care of myself when I'm tired of running too hard. It's very cyclical. There are no surprises in my life. The outcomes I experience directly result from my thoughts, words, actions, behavior, and emotional state, just how it is like clockwork. If I'm not taking care of those items, and I'm not actively present, guess what happens? I react, and I quote-unquote, "respond passionately."

Sometimes I interrupt a team member. I speak over them. The amount of passion that comes out in the response, the fast pace, and my talking, the inflection, the tone, nobody deserves that. Why would I ever speak to somebody that way? It's because I am not taking care of myself at that moment. Not owning the responsibility in my head is not in the game. When I'm doing that. I'm rundown. I'm tired. I'm reacting. Yuck. Think thankfully, those moments are very few and far between at this point. I have experienced the beautiful outcomes of discipline and obedience to be a good human. Great things come from that and how you honor and respect and serve and respond to people got to get your head in the game.

You can start in the morning; you make decisions, and you choose. You will make 100, maybe 1000 tiny, small decisions throughout the day on how you show up and respond to people. As a result of that, you have an opportunity to impact a lot of people's lives. If you go ruin someone else's day, do you know they may go ruin three other people's day? As a CEO or a boss, if you are not kind to your people, people will have a bad day. Do you know what happens? Who then receives that? Their husband, wife, or significant other, their kids? Then, who receives that once it's poured on those people? What about their friends, their coworkers, who cut a lot of responsibility?

I hope that you found this message encouraging today. My hope is that you understand if you're currently a pig farmer. You're stuck in a mess, dirt, grunge, the day-to-day, and doing enough to get by. You just can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, you're tired, you're worn out, and you're not acting the way you want to. People aren't receiving the best version of you. You have the deed to the land. You have this oil underneath your feet, and you have abundance. You have success waiting there for you. But you have to be diligent, obedient, and open to receiving that. Get your head in the game, renew your mind. Rip up who you are today, making room for your future self. You have to enhance yourself to advance your outcomes. Go find your oil.

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Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you're interested in being on our show or want to learn more about how we can help you scale your company, connect with us at houseofrevenue.com or with me Mary Grothe spelled G-R-O-T-H-E on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.

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