Welcome to Networking Unleashed, building profitable
connections. Today's conversation is one I've
been looking forward to because it hits at the
intersection of grit, growth, and relationships
that truly matter. Our guest has lived through
moments that would have sidelined many people.
Instead, he took those experiences. both from
military service and personal setbacks, and built
a leadership approach grounded in clarity, discipline,
and measurable progress. He helps others rise
above uncertainty with intention, create businesses
that last, and surround themselves with people
who lift them higher. He's not about hype. He's
about real results. And he's here to share how
resilience shapes the way we connect, work, and
succeed. I really want to welcome Tevin. You're
like a brother from another mother. We have a
kinship. And yes, you have the military behind
you, which we all thank you for. But you're just
one of us, right? I would like to introduce Tevin
to the podcast. And why don't you give us a little
bit about your background and how you got here
today? Absolutely. And I really appreciate it,
Michael, because it's an absolute pleasure to
be here and being able to speak to everybody.
And so to give you a basic about me, let's start
from the beginning. I actually came from a very
poor beginning. I was adopted when I was a youngster.
And from there, what ended up happening was I
got over to an adoptive family, which was absolutely
wonderful. I appreciate them for taking me in
and taking on the challenge of me. But from there,
it was definitely a little bit more difficult
than I think they originally anticipated. And
so with that was, there were situations where
we were, the living conditions were kind of subpar.
Let's put it that way. Not a lot of clothing.
There was a lot of re -wearing, a lot of different
types of things. We don't have to go too far
into there. I think we can get the picture from
that. But then eventually when I was 12 years
old, I got my first job. And I started to learn
some basic, basic things. During this time. Somebody
that was supposed to be very close to me had
said something and it stuck with me. And they
said that you are useless. You are going to be
worth nothing and you'll never do anything. So
that right there, I was 12 years old. And so
that was, let me tell you, I took those embers.
in those flames and i put them inside and they
have fueled me since because from that very moment
oh and i also to even just pour a little bit
more salt in that they said that you'll never
find yourself a spouse or anything no woman would
ever want to go ahead and marry you one day you
don't have any skills you're worth nothing so
with that being said i from then on i learned
how to work on vehicles i learned the construction
space i got myself into landscaping. I started
learning all types of blue collar work. I figured
out how to get into business. I started, heck,
I was in middle school and I was selling little
desserts and everything and help selling different
kids. And I was pretty much reallocating their
lunch money. And so right into my pocket. So
I learned those basic skills when I was younger.
And it wasn't that anybody was there to teach
me. It was more, or less survival instinct. And
so I took a lot of those skills into my adulthood.
When I was 17, I was kicked out of my home formally.
And that was due to them no longer wanting me
in their home. I had maybe $5 to $20 to my name.
I had a small twin size mattress with me as far
as my possessions go. That went along with a
small box of just random knickknacks and whatnot.
But that mattress had been with me for probably
the better part of a decade. And before that,
someone else probably had it for a decade because
I remember getting that bed. I thought it was
the coolest thing ever, but I actually picked
it up from the public dump. And so with that,
I found somebody gracious enough to take me in.
I had to pay rent. I didn't have rent money.
And I was paying like $50 a month for a room.
I literally couldn't afford anything whatsoever.
And so from there, I ended up in a situation
where I was trading labor for a place to live.
And I worked for their business. And then one
day they looked at me, they're like, what are
you going to do with your life? Because this
situation ain't going to last for very much longer.
And so I ended up joining the National Guard.
And so that was my introduction into the military.
And I'll tell you what, Michael, I found myself
in basic training. And I'm not going to lie to
you. Right before I even shipped out, somebody
said, hey, where are you? You're supposed to
be at the airport. I'm like, what? For what?
They're like, yeah, you've got to go to basic
training. Huh? What's that? And they're like,
son, report to the airport immediately. And then
so I ended up going over to basic training and
the AIT that followed it. And so after all that,
I got back over to the state of New Hampshire.
I was now officially in the military. I was a
private first class at the time. And so it really
just went from there. to me going to college
and then also simultaneously i went to the police
academy became corrections officer for the state
of new hampshire over at the state prison and
then one day i remember i was at the training
for the summer time all the national guardsmen
have to attend about two weeks out of the summer
and this platoon sergeant he comes up to me he
says hey tevin yeah you don't belong here Huh?
I'm like, what do you mean? And he's just basically
proceeded to tell me, look, you've got some unique
sets of skills that I haven't seen before. And
at the time I thought he was kind of yelling
at me in a way, or there was disapproval and
I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. But
eventually he said, go try out for something.
more challenging, where you will be able to be
satisfied with what you're doing. You're special,
man. And that was it. We left the conversation
at that. Now, I ended up peeling back layers
on that later on. And one thing led to the next.
I tried out for Special Forces. I ended up getting
picked up. I was selected. And then after that,
two years later, I don the Green Beret. After
having gone through a series of very difficult
things throughout that course, it was very challenging
mentally and physically, and at times spiritually,
just due to the fact that I was so far displaced
from everything that I knew. And I was just thinking
in my mind, wow, this is so different. But I
liked it. I liked it a lot, Michael, I'll tell
you. After going through all that, I ended up
opening several businesses. And along the way,
I figured out that I had a very special gift
for helping people. And I was talking to somebody
one day and they were like, I don't understand.
Don't you need to like go ahead and wait for
things to just come to you? And that's I told
them we had a very good and colorful conversation.
I was like, no, because. Nobody owes me anything.
And that in a way is, it's freedom. Because now
that's, I didn't really expect fairness anymore.
I unlocked ownership in myself and my own actions.
It's responsibility. It isn't heavy. It's empowering.
And so when you accept full ownership excuses,
they truly do disappear and clarity shows up.
And so now here we are. In a nutshell, how I
got here. Was pretty. I'd say a pretty good story.
It's I think back to the way I started the military
and I the way I went in and everything else.
I thought my was a very good and colorful story
until I heard yours. OK, so mine doesn't even
compare to yours. So I'm not going to go into
what mine was. OK, so I am just going to hit
you with a few questions. Right. So let me start
out by saying. Many people see networking as
surface level. How did adversity change the way
you connect with others on a deeper level? I
love that question. Here's the thing. When I
connect with people, I really am trying to develop
something that is super authentic, real. It's
not that I'm trying to get something out of them.
I really do believe I'm a stern believer. I think
this would be the better way to say it, that
everybody has something to offer. Everybody,
everybody. I agree. Every single story matters
in everything that somebody does. I was actually
at a very interesting event with John Maxwell.
And he had. spoken about something that was very
religious in nature but to give you the short
and sweet of it everybody has the ability to
convey a message and what's really cool is that
every single person has a different level of
ability to go ahead and convey said message they
have a different stage for it and so Some people,
they have a massive stage, think Hollywood, or
think like a massive following or gathering that
they have cultivated over time. And I think that's
great. But the networking overall, I really do
try and never forget that everybody has something
that is important and is likely a key. puzzle
piece inside the overall puzzle that we're all
trying to put together over time. And it's 2025,
2025 years. And we're still going. Absolutely.
You have to put yourself in their position. It
may not be that important to you or something
that you're working on, but if you turn it around
and if you're them, it's important to them. And
it's important what we call active listening.
If you listen to them properly, if you listen
to what they have to say, don't think about the
next thing that you have to say. Think about
what they are telling you. And then you repeat
back some of what they said and say, if I understand
you correctly, X, Y, Z. And they'll say, yes,
that's exactly what I'm talking about. And that's
the reaction that you want to get. Because when
you say authentic, authenticity, that's really
like a buzzword that keeps getting thrown around
all over the place. But if you truly believe
it, if you truly believe it, if you're being
your authentic self, you're being authentic to
the person that you're speaking with, and they
will feel it. Yes. They will feel that they are
being listened to. And that's such a big difference.
And I can go into that a whole lot more, but
I'm not. Okay. All right. All right. You face
situations where perseverance was non -negotiable.
What habits do you now use when building new
business relationships that come directly from
those experiences? Ooh, tying those two together.
Okay, Michael, these are good things to think
on. One thing in particular that I like to say
is doing things with intention. Before I begin
doing something, it could be as basic as just
developing a relationship kind of thing. I'm
thinking about them as holistically, not just
now. Keep in mind, when perseverance, I'm trying
to go ahead and follow through with something
and be continuous at it and ensure that there
is an outcome. And I'm hoping that it's going
to be a good outcome, of course. But with that
being said, one thing that I'm doing during that
time is that holistic approach. What I mean by
that is I'm making sure that I am really there
and part of the conversation. There's different
types of listening. And so I love thinking about
level one listening, level two, level three,
anywhere from hearing the background noise that's
going on, but then being able to still just take
in the environment all the way down to like exactly
how you were saying it, being able to almost
regurgitate some as far like a little bit of
mirroring and then ensuring that everything is
being understood. And then really just completely
zeroing in. I don't know what's going on around
me. I only see you. And so to go back to finishing
answering that question, I'm thinking about their
family. I'm thinking about the conversation that
we're having and how it's going to impact you,
how it's going to impact me. I'm thinking of
things, second and third order effects with a
lot of these. And so. This is something that's
really helped me integrate, really building up
these relationships in business and taking the
same principles as from perseverance and then
bringing them over into this arena. And I'm also
practicing self -discipline. I'm practicing self
-control and ultimately respect. And because
that's just, and I like how you nodded there
because. I feel as though there's a lot of people
who don't implement some of these things. And
I'm not saying that this is the only method in
which that one could go about using and then
be successful. I think there's many different
ways of doing it, but I think that this one has
worked for me. Absolutely. Bob Berg wrote about
this in one of his books, Go Givers. It is truly,
he's a remarkable man. As a matter of fact, I
had him on a podcast a few episodes ago. And
he just, he practices everything that I truly
believe in and what I practice. So if you practice,
and if you practice just giving, right? Don't
think about receiving. When you go to a networking
event or sitting down with somebody, you figure
out how you can help that person. And really
what I came up with was, I like you. I like what
you do for a living. I like how you do it. How
can I make you more successful? Yes. How can
I be a good referral source for you? And if I
did my job correctly, they'll say, Mike, I don't
even know what the hell you do yet. And you're
already trying to make me more successful. And
yes, that's exactly it. So give. Try not to receive.
So what goes around comes around. You will receive,
but you have such a much better feeling if you're
giving. Absolutely. All about providing that
value. How can I be of value to you? Yes. Yes,
absolutely. And that goes on with LinkedIn, with
social media and everything else, but we'll get
into that later on. Okay. When someone is rebuilding,
professionally or personally, What approach should
they use to restart their network with intention
instead of desperation? Wow. I really like that
question. Rather than desperation. Yes. Intention
versus desperation. There's something here. So
if you're rebuilding something. Say we take me,
for example. Tevin, let's go ahead and just knock
down everything and let's just rebuild. Let's
rebuild your entire identity. What I would say
is I would have that strong foundation of what
we were just talking about being of value to
others. Because there's something interesting
about humans. And it's that we're very naturally
and not saying 100 % of humans, of course. But
instinctually, we are very community based. And
so with that being said, think of it as it takes
a village. And so if, and we've all experienced
this. especially in grade school, for example,
where that one child who's inside of that little
play area who's bullying all of the other ones
and boasting about everything, they don't often
have a lot of people around them. It could be
because they were cultivating fear amongst their
peers. It could be that they were being disrespectful.
which that one's huge. And there could also be
a slight inclination that they're becoming a
loner, that they don't want people, that they're
pushing everybody away. And for some people,
it's a coping mechanism of sorts, because everybody
has different life situations going on, and that
may provoke something like that. But the way
that I would do it... is I would start with being
a value to others and showing people that, hey,
I really am here to help you. And by me helping
you, you know, this amazing friendship that we're
forging will actually slowly refine myself. Because
if I can serve others, right now I'm teaching
myself, okay, there is etiquette, which that's
an interesting word that... I haven't actually
heard anybody use in a while. But there's all
those different types of communication skills
that are being developed. It furthers into my
personal three rules, which I've already went
into a little bit, self -control, self -discipline,
as well as respect. But then one of the biggest
ones is character. Building up these things.
It may seem a little silly, but from the outside
in, what I've noticed is that people do pick
up on it. Simple acts such as smiling, those
ones, like little things like that, they really
do go ahead and stack up on one another. And
so over time, I noticed that if I were to go
ahead and redevelop myself by doing this over
time, it would probably get recognized as being
positive. And people may gravitate naturally
towards that. And it's not because of coercion.
It's not because of any malicious intent or anything
like that. It's just simply being a good human.
And people like that. I know for some people,
it's kind of like a newsflash, but it's something
that took me a long time to really figure out
because I went through all those stages. I went
through times when I thought that being a loner
was better. I thought that building by myself
was going to get me farther. in life than anything
but what i slowly realized is that all those
people who were fully content with what they
were doing and competent and they were showing
all of these amazing traits i realized wow they're
very community oriented they are not selfish
they are always looking to give back and people
see it and they want to be a part of it and i
hope that It was a good explanation. Absolutely.
And it all comes down to something as simple
as body language, right? You said smiling. And
that's the first and foremost, whenever anybody
meets anybody or is in a networking event, would
you rather talk to somebody who's smiling or...
They're always upset like this. It's a whole
different concept. Or if they're open as opposed
to being closed, if they're standing shoulders
straight to you or they're talking to you like
this and looking at everybody else in the room,
paying attention to your. So. All of that stems
from exactly what you were saying. If you put
all of this together, and it's no easy thing.
Somebody can't just say, oh, you know what? Those
guys were right, and that's what I'm going to
do tomorrow. This is something that's got to
be practiced, that you've got to do. And listen,
I always say, talk into a mirror. See when you're
speaking with somebody, right? Practice smiling.
I do a lot of workshops. And I always have the
customer service people come in with the salespeople.
And I say, put a little mirror next to the telephone
and smile as you're speaking with them because
you can almost see the smile come through the
phone. You know, it's all about that. And I've
had some very good results, but all of this comes
down to you, how you're personified. It's all
that body language. And when I coach the CEOs,
CMOs, CIOs, all the C -suite executives, I tell
them, you've got to do all this because if I
teach the people on the bottom, the salespeople
and everything else, but I don't show you, what
is that going to do for the company? That means
that you're going to go back to doing the same
old thing that you always did, and you're going
to undo everything I taught them. So it's a whole
give and take, but I digress. Okay. Yeah, I love
those points though. Yeah, it's so important.
And listen, by me being a speaker and going out
onto the road and everything, I've got a thousand
of these points, but this is a podcast. I'm trying
to put everything around you. Okay. What's one
principle from your military background that
you believe every entrepreneur should apply when
developing professional connections? A principle.
One principle. Yeah. Now, I want to tell you,
now, I've gone up through the ranks. I was the
law enforcement flight chief of my group. There
are many skills that I have, but I'm asking you
to give me one principle from your military background
that you believe every entrepreneur should apply
when developing a professional connection. Ooh.
So thinking about, I guess we could say, I have
so many different ones, so many different ones.
But I think that one thing I will go with, and
it's one of probably the most basic and foundational,
is slow is smooth, smooth is best. But if we
were to go ahead and peel that back a little
bit, for those who are thinking, I'm not entirely
sure what that means, but another way to think
of it would be, Don't rush under pressure. If
you can focus on precision and discipline and
fundamentals, then you're good. Because rushing
ultimately gets people hurt. Calm execution saves
lives, can save relationships, can save all types
of friendships and opportunities. There's a preservation
around it. And just think. As a takeaway for
this one small principle of slow is smooth, smooth
is fast, speed, it comes after competence, not
before it. Very good. And I will second that
whole thing that you just said, because I had
three other things in my head, and you just picked
out something completely different, but so in
tune to what the question was. That was perfect.
Okay. When someone feels stuck or defeated, how
can the right connection become a turning point?
And what steps helps that happen? So when they're
stuck. Yeah. I felt stuck. I've hit that wall.
Yeah. Many times. Yeah. And I would say there
are certain friendships and people that you can
just somehow. See them is in almost think, wow,
where were you the entire time? Because that
one person can go ahead and just say that one
thing that you just hadn't thought of. That also
ties back into every person matters. And everybody
has a very key piece of input and things. If
you were to panic in a situation like this. it's
likely going to create a mistake. And when you're
stuck, that's usually when, that's what I'm talking
about, that panic right there, that's what creates
the mistake. But if you can stay calm, it's going
to create that clarity. Now that one person right
there that may have that one piece of input for
you, that could change everything. And so as
far as where you can go from there, Now you have
the opportunity to master those basics until
they're absolutely automatic for you. And no
matter what it is that you're doing, it's all
going to show up naturally once those reps are
all getting completed one after the next. And
that one person, that one connection could have
been that one thing that solves it. There are
people out there. I'm not quoting anybody in
specific. But I will paraphrase an article that
I had read not too long ago. And there was this
individual who had, I believe, a net worth of,
I want to say, $1 ,000. And that was everything
that they had to their name. And that net worth
was all liquid asset. There were no physical
assets. And they spent, I believe, $900 -something,
and it was wasted. Now, I'm not saying that it
was wasted. They quoted it as being wasted. Now,
again, this is just paraphrasing the story. What
ended up happening was they went to a party or
a gathering, a celebration perhaps. And during
this entire situation, what happened was they
were standing in the corner, but they were still
smiling. And you know how sometimes when people
stand in a corner, they're usually mokey. For
their facial expressions, it really says all.
And so what ended up happening was somebody went
up and they commented on the fact that, wow,
you're in a corner, but you're happy. What's
going on? And they're like, oh, you know, like
those nervous people. They make joke on joke
on joke, but they don't know what else to do.
That was that person's survival instinct. Somebody
else had picked up on it. and wanted to go ahead
and lend a hand so they had a very warm conversation
now that person who was standing in the corner
nervously smiling is now i believe worth over
15 million dollars that one conversation was
all that person needed and that conversation
was i would love to go ahead and get a cup of
coffee with you and from there everything changed
i don't know The details of the story or the
rest of what happened during that conversation
over coffee, I'm assuming something very good,
though. Absolutely. I want to take your mindset
of what that story said, okay? And I want to
put it into a LinkedIn conversation. You can
ask for, if you're struggling and you want to
get hold of someone, Contact them on LinkedIn.
Say, look, I'm really interested in your company
or your corporation. I would just like to pick
your brain. Would you have 15 minutes for me
or grab a cup of coffee? And 99 times out of
100, they're going to say yes. Because A, people
love when they talk about themselves, but they
love to help somebody else. Now, I've been fortunate
where I've had two or three of those phone calls.
They said, look, I'd just like to pick your brain.
Would you mind if I bought you a cup of coffee?
Not at all. I went out and had a cup of coffee.
But I told them, what do you want to know? Because
I'll tell you anything. But that's the way it
all starts. So if you don't have that one person
that you can always turn to, to always give you
that kind of a straight way of looking at it,
if you need that alternate way, just... Pick
a brain. Pick somebody's brain. Because A, you
never know where the information is going to
come from. But you're going to make somebody
else feel better. And they may know somebody
who will help you. Everything happens in a circle.
And everything happens for a reason. My mother
said that for my whole life. Whenever anything
really bad happens, just listen. Don't worry
about it. Everything happened for a reason and
you will be better. And I'm like, oh yeah, sure.
But it was proved to be correct almost every
time. But the point of the story is if you have
that person to contact, to call, to email, to
something, anything, just to get that little
bit of advice, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid
to do it. Just go out and do it. That's all.
Okay. What do people misunderstand most about
discipline in networking, and how do you teach
them to approach it differently? The first thing
that just came to mind is they feel as though,
now for some people I don't want to be attacking
or anything like that, but they see it as tasking.
They see it as a job. And for some of us, we're
like, oh, I already have a really busy schedule.
I got to go ahead and now find time to go network.
I've got to drive time. I've got kids. I've got
martial arts classes. I've got yoga. I've got
this. I've got that. We've all got things. We
really do. Yeah. But the thing about it is that
ultimately a closed mouth. is not fed so one
way that i would say to go ahead and shift the
mindset is not i have to go do this event over
here i have to go ahead and go participate in
this networking event and meet people and pass
out business cards that i had to pay for i get
to go meet these people i get to go meet some
incredible individuals in my own community who
are making ripples through all of the town folk
here. That is pretty special. Now, to even bring
it to another level, imagine you thought to yourself,
gosh, I get to be a part of this. And when I
go ahead and think of things like that, because
we all do it, even us as coaches and speakers,
we sometimes are, as the parents would say, okay,
kid, preach. As we're saying these things to
other people, sometimes even us, we go ahead
and forget about the lessons. Our selves are
teaching others. And so I found myself, of course,
100%. I am so far from perfect. I will never
be a perfect person. But I will absolutely strive
to make everyone smile and deliver absolute pure
value to others at all times. And so with that
being said, I have found myself slipping before
in the past and really all the time in different
ways. And I have to realign the way that I'm
thinking. And just remember, this is an opportunity
to do something good. Or who knows, even for
some folks, depending on where it is that you
are with whatever you've got going on, it could
be an opportunity of greatness. And now that's
pretty dang cool. And then who knows? What if
it's something so amazing? Oh my gosh, Michael,
could you imagine? What if Fred over here is
about to... Go do something, and this is actually
going to solidify his family and their success
for generations to come. My goodness, my head
blown. All you need is that one thing, that one
thing that will just twist just in your favor,
and you'll never know unless you go out there
and intentionally network. Yes. Intentionally
go out and meet those people. You make the conversations.
You make the conversation about them, not about
you. You try to give, not receive. You just have
a good time. Just imagine the weight that gets
off your shoulders by you being able to go there
and do this. It's a wonderful feeling. And that's
what I try to promote. So yes, everything you
just said, yes and yes, it's just intentional
networking and it will all go away. Okay, so
now you talk about clarity. How does someone
decide who they truly need in their circle instead
of just gathering a large list of contacts? Well,
the decision point. Yeah. When you wake up in
the morning. When you wake up in the morning,
does there feel like there's a weight lifted
off your shoulders? Or does it feel like the
weight fell on your shoulders? That right there
is how I tend to look at it. And the reason for
that is because, generally speaking, before one
goes to bed, now, generally speaking, A lot of
people I have spoken to do something similar
in nature or at least have the intent of doing
something to ultimately reprogram their mind
while they sleep. But most folks want to go to
bed happy, satisfied, something of the sorts.
Now, how do I get there? It could be that somebody
performed a prayer. It could be that somebody
wrote down, I know that some people have thought
journals right beside their bed. And so that
way they can write down maybe affirmations or
they can write down simple things that they must
do the next day or just things that they are
thankful for. So when you wake up, are you dissatisfied?
Okay, let's follow that. Why? What's going on
there? Let's go ahead and really lift up the
hood and see, is it you're not achieving what
it is that you want to achieve? Okay. Why is
that? All right. Now we start off with the problem.
Now we're moving down the chain. So it's okay.
The people I was hanging out with, they always
want to party. Ah, interesting. There we go.
Now we're finding something here. They're breaking
down. Why are they always partying? Oh, I don't
know. Because that's all they ever do. Okay.
I understand. Some people, they like doing certain
things. What other friends do you have? What
other relationships have you been working? And
by working, I'm not to say that, oh, I got to
go ahead and do this. It's just more of the less
way of asking, okay, what is going on? And then
if they happen to maybe think, I don't have any
other friends. Interesting. Okay. What are we
doing in order to get friends? Are you going
out and just like little socials or are you going
out to? These networking events, what do you
have going on? So that is how I begin figuring
out my own circle. I'm not necessarily making
it like on the disc where we have all those different
types of behavioral analysis quotients. And I'm
not necessarily putting friendship in all those
little circles. I'm taking some of the knowledge
of that and I'm thinking to myself, okay. And
some people are going to think about this very
over analytically. Others are going to go ahead
and just take a brief look at it and be like,
okay, they could see like, all right, yep, this
friend wants to party all the time, never wants
to do anything constructive, never really wants
to hang out anywhere other than Bach. And so
that is how I start to really look at the circle,
engage whether or not are these productive friends
or are they non -productive friends? Are these
people? that I should go ahead and continually
add to my circle? Or should I maybe go ahead
and take them out of the circle and plug in other
people that actually make me want to go ahead
and stand up on my two feet like a bipedal creature
that we are, and then make sure we're marching
forward to whatever it is that we're trying to
achieve. And so that's how I go ahead and look
at that. That's a very good way of looking at
it. The people you surround yourself with, it's
so very important to the person who you want
to be. Because if you want to be, I want to be
this great person, but you're hanging out with
the people who always want to drink and go to
bars and everything else, they're holding you
down, right? So you have to befriend those people
that will help you. get to where you want to
go. Not saying you're going to kick out those
old friends. You have friends for 30 years. You're
not going to kick them out of your circle. You
just won't pay that much attention to them. And
you pay attention to the people that will help
you, unless you're that happy. If you're that
happy with going out and drinking and canoodling
and whatever else you're going to do, that's
fine. Yeah, that's awesome, man. If you want
to get ahead, then you surround yourself with
people like that. Yes. Very good. Very good.
Okay. What's one story where perseverance led
to a meaningful relationship? And how did that
relationship change the course of a mission or
a business result? I've got quite a few of those
ones. Let's see. Just give me an easy one. Yeah,
we can definitely go with an easy one. I can
go ahead and do that. College. Let's talk about
college. College was an interesting time. For
some people, it's a really tough adjustment.
It's something that makes you feel a little uncomfortable.
But other people, they're just like, I was born
to be in college. We got a little bit of all
mix going on. Me, though, I was fairly neutral.
I understood at the time that college is what
was needed for my career trajectory at the time.
It wasn't something I was in attendance for on
a daily basis just because I wanted to go ahead
and just be with the cool kids or just doing
it just to be there or anything like that. One
thing that I really aspire to do was because
this is when I was learning foundational skills
for business. And yes, I had those experiences
growing up, don't get me wrong, but this was
more or less when I was actually introduced to
textbook. examples and techniques so i was really
beginning to implement other strategies that
i was no longer self -developing but i was developing
by way of listening to the instruction of others
and so there were a couple of people who i had
met and there was a business opportunity that
i was introduced to during my time in college.
And so what I ended up doing was I kept talking
to the lead person and I kept asking, prompting,
hey, I know I'm good enough to go ahead and help
you out. Let me help you. Let's be friends. I
kept pushing and pushing. And I was doing all
of these things because I was trying to really,
at the time, I just was like, let me get rich.
Let me get what you got. And so I didn't have
many other thoughts aside from that. But what
I started to realize is that when I was pushing
forward in a way of just, oh, hey, I want to
just get like stacks on stacks, so to speak.
It was, even though looking back, the business
structure itself wasn't really sound. The person
was very confident with what they were doing.
And they saw me as not really caring about anything
but. money. And they picked up very quickly on
that. It was very instinctual, which I've noticed
even during regular casual conversation, people
will notice. People will notice that that's all
that you care about, or if you're disingenuine,
or if you are having something that we all call
a secondary agenda. And it's very easy to see
through. Now, With that being said, I started
to shift my mindset there. It was like, wow,
okay. If I really want to go ahead and put myself
in this position, I need to be a value to this
person. I need to bring them value. And then
if they see that I'm bringing them value, they're
going to perhaps see value in me. And so that's
when the tide started turning. So we started
that and I kept persevering. I kept pushing and
I changed and they commented on it. actually
a few months in. They said, wow, I'm seeing something
different in you. You're developing. And I said,
gosh, that's so cool that you noticed. Thank
you. And so that right there really helped me
self -propel into the next echelon of things.
But it was quite the experience because I thought
that I had it all together. I thought that I
was leaning forward with the right foot the entire
time. but I actually had two left feet. And so
that was probably one of the biggest turning
points for me was that little, it was a silly
little business concept to looking back, but
it taught me so much. Yeah. The, the one thing
that I'm getting from the whole, your whole story
is that you learned one thing. And that one thing
was patience. You learn. That if you gave, going
back to what we were saying before, and you were
patient, you didn't just come right out saying,
look, I have this to sell, this to sell. You
said you gave them value and you waited for them
to see it. You waited for them to reciprocate.
So it taught you patience. And that patience
is what got you ahead. So that's what I got out
of your whole story. Absolutely. Okay. So how
do you stay focused on the bigger goal of growth
while still being genuine and supportive in the
moment when talking with new people? This is
about to be a heavy one. Yeah. Not necessarily
emotionally, but I'll tell you what. Remember
Big Papi in baseball? Yeah, of course. Now you've
got great divisions here on baseball fans or
nothing. But he does come from the area that
I was at. So it's definitely natural that I bring
him up. So keeping the big picture in my mind
at all times is super important. Matter of fact,
I wish you could see it, but up on a wall over
here, I've got something that says stick to the
plan. Stick to the plan. Great, great advice.
Yes, because there are going to be so many distractions.
But if you can go ahead and just stick to the
plan that you personally created, you'd be surprised
at what type of success you can go ahead and
experience. And even when I'm developing those
new relationships, I'm always thinking of like
that overarching thing, stick to the plan. meet
these individuals here, see who thinks very similarly,
whose values and goals align with myself, and
think about the level at which you could all
elevate one another. In order to achieve your
all individual goals, because we all do ultimately
have individual goals, whether it's emotionally
or spiritually, relationally or monetarily. It's
all really going to come to a culmination of
we want success. And yes, success looks different
for everybody, how I just described. And so if
you can go ahead and one, stick to your plan.
And then two, be able to just still Charlie Mike
through all of this. And Charlie Mike is a military
term for continue mission for anybody that who
doesn't necessarily know. But if you can go ahead
and find a way to make those two dovetail one
another, I think that you're going to go ahead
and really be able to smile before you find yourself
sleeping at night. Absolutely. Absolutely. And
it's funny you said that. I've had a little symbol
on the side of my computer for about 15 years.
And what is it? It's a Nike symbol. Just do it.
Yes. Just do it. And that's it. Every time I
get stuck or whatever else, I just look at that
and say, look, just do it. Just do it. And so
everybody has that little bit of something. You
have that up on your wall. I have it on my computer,
something where you can see it all the time.
And it reminds you to just stick to the plan
or just do it or just it's something. But as
long as it motivates you, I don't care if it
says X, Y, Z. If it motivates you, then you're
going to do it. All right. So let's bring this
podcast full circle. If someone listening today
wants to elevate their standards, strengthen
their mindset, and build relationships with more
intention, what is the first concrete step that
they can take within 48 hours? I'm going to say
this. Stabilize yourself before you try to scale.
Refine. Before you try to sell, sell a product.
Sell ideas that you have. Sell whatever it is.
And I always will say, control first, speed second.
Absolutely. Absolutely. Listen, this is a great
conversation. Practical, real, honest, and packed
with ideas, people can apply immediately. If
this episode struck a nerve, good. That means
you're ready to elevate your standards, rethink
the way you build your circle, and show up with
more purpose. To our guests, thank you for bringing
your experience and your heart to this space.
To everyone listening, take one insight you heard
today and use it in your next conversation. That's
how progress starts. Until next time, keep showing
up, keep building strong relationships, and keep
turning conversations into opportunities. Tevin,
before we go, how can anybody or somebody get
hold of you? Because they liked you so much,
they want to be coached by you, or whatever the
reason, what's the best way to get hold of you?
Absolutely. Thank you so much, Michael. I appreciate
you asking that. And very easy to get a hold
of myself or my team. which inadvertently is
getting a hold of me. And that is going on to
Facebook or LinkedIn or Instagram. And you can
find my brand Momentum Mastery. That right there,
if you go ahead and interact with the page or
the group, or you send a direct message, it's
all going to go ahead to the same space, which
is over to my domain. And then you can also go
over to tevinmollett .com. Fantastic. Kevin,
thank you so much. You're a great guest. Thank
you again. Thank you so much, Michael. I appreciate
your time and your efforts here. Well, hold on,
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