COVID had just hit.
My employees line up outside my office. And I’m freaking out: “Are they going to resign? Am I going to be left alone here?”
I’m sweating so much that my assistant can smell it from the other side of the room.
The first employee enters the room, avoiding eye contact.
He sits in front of me, tries to utter a few words and pauses to think for another second.
So I say: “Hey John, what’s going on?”
“Tommy, I know the situation with COVID isn’t easy. But I don’t want anyone to get fired. We’re a family here. If needed, I can cut part of my salary to help.”
Not gonna lie to you. That caught me off guard.
And John wasn’t alone. One by one, they all entered the office and offered to help the company.
That was the moment I had an epiphany:
“This is the #1 reason for my success. It’s why I’ve been doubling every year… I’ve built a company where everybody can win.”
My team was up for a big sacrifice because they knew that if we made it, there was an opportunity for them to win as well.
And I still remember the words from one of my technicians:
“Tommy, you’ve elevated the lives of everybody here. Last year I finally bought a house thanks to A1. And I have many other dreams to accomplish in the next few years. So I’ll do whatever it takes now to help us go through this turbulence.”
Since that episode, I made a promise to myself…
That I’d share with other business owners how they can Elevate their businesses too.
How they can stop being a firefighter, build a team that gives a damn about their companies, and scale without having to work like a madman.
Because by doing that, I’ll help Elevate the whole industry.
Which is my goal with my new book Elevate: Build A Business Where Everybody Wins.