Why Staying Comfortable Is Holding Your Shop Back | Kent Bullard, John Firm and Dawn Sloas

Dawn Sloas (0:08)

Don't think of it as I can't be who I want to be because of those things. When it could be, I can be who I want to be because of those things. Because I went through that trauma. Because I learned what I needed to do. And the other big thing that I always try to teach them is comfortability kills.

If you are always comfortable, you are not growing. If you are always in the same track, nothing is ever going to change. I try to make sure that they understand that being uncomfortable doesn't mean that it's a negative thing.

Jeff Compton (0:50)

So, we're all on our phones trying to get this Friday morning going. Hey, folks, Buckaroo, Buck and Bob here as we all know.

Jeff Compton, Jaded Mechanic.

John Firm (1:02)

Good morning, everybody. How's everybody doing?

Jeff Compton (1:04)

Kent?

Kent Bullard (1:05)

Hello, everybody. Happy to be here.

Jeff Compton (1:08)

Yeah, bright and early this morning. You're not a morning person for you. This is like three o'clock in the morning for you, right?

Kent Bullard (1:14)

Yeah, just about.

Jeff Compton (1:16)

Golly.

From the west coast all the way here, mountain time zone. Yeah, that's two and a half hours. Yeah. Geez, you had a cup of coffee yet?

Kent Bullard (1:23)

Are you working on it? I'm working on it right now, yeah. Cold brew, though. Cold brew. It's got more caffeine in it.

John Firm (1:29)

See, I did not know that.

Kent Bullard (1:30)

Much more caffeine. Yeah.

Jeff Compton (1:32)

It'll, like, kick you in the ass hard.

John Firm (1:34)

Really?

Kent Bullard (1:35)

Yes, it will.

John Firm (1:36)

Because I'm used to everybody around here, like, even like when I was sitting down having breakfast with Frank this morning, and he's from up in Canada like me, he's not a coffee drinker.

He wakes up every morning when he makes his wife coffee, but he doesn't drink it. We were sitting there talking about how, like, I grew up in a family that, like, they- Drank coffee. Oh, nine o'clock at night, they drink the coffee before they go to bed, like, they had no problem. So I just grew up in it, and I cannot function in the morning if I don't have at least a couple cups of nice strong coffee. So for the iced coffee, I've never really tried that way. I mean, we have some pretty Tim Hortons up in Canada, you get ice caps and stuff like that. But that almost straight cold brew like that, I've never tried it.

Kent Bullard (2:15)

It's really nice because it takes out a lot of the bitterness.

Jeff Compton (2:17)

Okay.

Kent Bullard (2:18)

And so you can taste the flavor a bit. But if you're used to hot coffee, it's definitely different.

John Firm (2:22)

And more caffeine in the cold stuff.

Kent Bullard (2:23)

It has more caffeine in a cold brew.

Jeff Compton (2:25)

Well, here lately, you guys have been seeing me walk around with a toothpick in my mouth.

Here's the trick, guys. It's called Lucky Toothpicks. Okay. And they're infused with caffeine, B6, B12.

I don't drink as much coffee as I used to. No more to suck on that old toothpick. And like old bull haulers used to do, you know? They had a little magic in their toothpick, you know? So yeah, it's cool. Kent, tell us a little bit about you, why you're here at ASTA, and what's going on in your world?

Kent Bullard (2:58)

Well, I'm going to be teaching Saturday morning.

Those who've taken my class know me. I teach a lot of process.

Jeff Compton (3:05)

You're a big process guy. He told me that this morning. Yeah, I think he was saying, get your shit together, John.

Kent Bullard (3:12)

Here's how we can schedule this. You can put this together.

Jeff Compton (3:14)

Our old books ain't worth a damn.

John Firm (3:16)

No, well, that's it. Yeah, you're joking like you and I are sitting here writing our schedules on paper and your lovely niece made us a PDF. Yeah, we both downloaded and they can't find one of us.

Kent Bullard (3:25)

No words.

So we're trying ASTA. It's a great show. Yeah. I love this show. There's some, you know, personality to it. It also feels very personal as well. Yes, very connected, great community. But yeah, I can't.

Jeff Compton (3:42)

You will bet you. What about you?

John Firm (3:45)

Yeah, you went on a hunting trip.

Kent Bullard (3:47)

Oh, go on a hunting trip. The infamous Mr. John Firm, my first ever hunting trip with John Firm.