The team discussed the key highlights from the recent January training for RFG franchisees, including:

• Spending ~2 hours on active listening and communication skills, using interactive games to demonstrate how often people get distracted or stop listening

• Incorporating humor and personal stories into a presentation on the importance of providing detailed estimates, with the "Top 10 Worst Estimate Requests" being a hit

• Conducting a "blind spot" exercise where franchisees interviewed close business partners to get feedback on areas for improvement

The group explored the nuances of building a personal brand versus a business brand on social media. Key points included:

• Avoiding oversharing personal financial details or victories, as that can backfire and distract from the core business message

• Positioning oneself more as a spokesperson for the contracting.com brand, rather than the individual, to maintain authenticity and focus

• Leveraging the team's expertise and stories to create valuable content, rather than just the founder's personal narrative

• Recognizing that a smaller but highly engaged following is often more valuable than a large but disinterested audience

The discussion shifted to the importance of cultivating a "stakeholder" mentality rather than just optimizing for shareholder metrics like follower count. Key insights included:

• Viewing the audience as stakeholders in the contracting.com mission, rather than just passive consumers

• Drawing parallels to Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway, where the brand and mission have outlasted the individual

• Recognizing that some followers may actually be detrimental if they don't align with the core values and vision

• Focusing on building a cult-like following of true believers, rather than just maximizing vanity metrics

The group explored the potential impact of contracting.com's mission to raise industry standards, including:

• Short-term benefits to customers but potential long-term backlash from contractors if the bar is raised too quickly

• Risks of a "race to the bottom" as contractors try to undercut each other, leading to consolidation and capital intensity

• The need to carefully manage the pace of change to avoid alienating the existing contractor base while still driving progress

The meeting concluded with a recap of the key takeaways and next steps, including:

• Amer committing to position himself more as a spokesperson for the contracting.com brand rather than just a personal brand

• Exploring ways to leverage the team's expertise and stories to create valuable content, rather than just the founder's narrative

• Maintaining a stakeholder-focused mindset and cultivating a highly engaged, mission-aligned audience rather than just optimizing for vanity metrics

• Carefully managing the pace of industry disruption to avoid alienating the existing contractor base while still driving progress

The meeting begins with Austin, John, and Amer introducing themselves and sharing their current locations - Austin is in Istanbul, Turkey, John is in Vancouver, and Amer's location is not specified. They discuss the significant time difference between their locations.

Austin describes his positive experience in Turkey so far, noting the friendly and vibrant energy of the country. He also mentions the prevalence of hair transplant surgeries, which he finds interesting.

Austin discusses the logistics of planning the upcoming January training in Turkey, which will bring together 59 people from two countries. He shares his excitement about the opportunity to meet and train with people he has worked with remotely for years.

Austin describes his successful strategy for overcoming jet lag, which involved carefully managing his sleep schedule and using melatonin. He is proud of how well he has handled the time zone change and long flights.

John and Amer share their own experiences with jet lag, with John noting that he has never struggled with it, even on long flights. They discuss how jet lag affects people differently and the importance of finding the right travel strategy.

The group discusses a conversation Jordan had about the unique challenges of coaching and managing Gen Z employees, who may struggle with a lack of direction and a sense of apathy towards work. They explore potential reasons for this phenomenon and consider ways to better support and engage this generation.

Amer shares his insights on what makes a great presentation, drawing parallels to the emotional impact of music and film. He emphasizes the importance of incorporating personal experiences and vulnerability into presentations to create a deeper connection with the audience.

Austin reflects on how he can apply Amer's advice to the upcoming sales training, focusing on how to make the content more personal and meaningful for the participants. He is inspired to find ways to convey the "why" behind the training and to infuse his own experiences and passion into the delivery.

The meeting begins with casual conversation and banter between the participants, including discussions about escape rooms, hockey, and travel.

Austin provides a detailed overview of Canada's recent failure at the World Juniors hockey tournament, including the team's lack of practice, controversial coaching decisions, and the backlash from fans. He highlights the significance of this tournament for Canadian hockey pride and development.

John shares his experience taking the Landmark advanced course, including how the online format has advantages over the in-person version, the personalized nature of the sessions, and the powerful concepts he's learning around shared agreements, reality vs. perception, and taking accountability for mistakes.

John opens up about a personal "act" he has of hiding and covering up his mistakes, tracing it back to a childhood experience of wetting the bed. He describes how he's been working to overcome this act, including having vulnerable conversations with his wife and former employee Max.

Amer provides suggestions for John on how to better incorporate the Landmark teachings into his daily life, such as having accountability partners, writing down his insights, and using visual cues or reminders.

Amer and Austin engage in lighthearted conversation, discussing topics like Amer's encounter with an attractive woman at a smoothie shop, and Austin sharing stories about the recent upset victory of Latvia over Canada in the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Austin provides detailed context on the tournament format, Latvia's historical performance, and the factors that led to their surprise win over the heavily favored Canadian team. He highlights Canada's overconfidence, lack of discipline, and the standout performance of Latvia's young goaltender.

Amer shares insights from a study commissioned by Bill Belichick that examined the common traits of elite athletes like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Tom Brady. The key findings include obsessive preparation, mental toughness, intrinsic motivation, adaptability, leadership, and fearlessness under pressure.

Amer and Austin discuss how the principles from Belichick's study could be applied to building high-performing teams in a business context. They explore ideas around maximizing resources, optimizing the "operator" experience, and the importance of nurture vs. nature in developing talent.

Amer reflects on his tendency to be direct and impatient in conversations, and how that can negatively impact his relationships. He acknowledges the need for more intentionality, patience, and acting from a place of love rather than negative emotions.

Amer and Austin wrap up the conversation, noting the time and Amer's upcoming meeting with another friend, Austin Walker. They agree to end the call and continue their discussion at a later time.

Austin and John discuss their excitement for the upcoming Christmas season and the cold weather in their respective regions. They reminisce about fond memories of skating on frozen lakes and playing pond hockey.

John shares that he has found a better balance between his coaching responsibilities and his investing activities. He discusses the physical distinction between his work and home environments, and how this has helped him be more focused and productive at the office.

Austin outlines several significant changes happening in his business, including the launch of a new franchise (Decify), the integration of the Lebanese accounting team, and a shift in how the sales coaching is structured with Sully focusing on larger franchises.

Austin shares insights he gained from a financial advisor about strategies for aggressively paying down a mortgage, including taking advantage of the ability to make lump sum payments of up to 15% of the mortgage value per year.

John discusses the challenges in the condo market in the Okanagan region, including the significant oversupply of new condos being built and the collapse in condo prices. He explains why he and Trisha have decided to hold onto their condo and rent it out rather than sell it.

Amer shares his interest in learning more about project management best practices, citing examples from the video game industry. The group discusses the potential benefits of implementing an intranet system to better organize and manage the company's resources and processes.

Austin outlines a key goal for 2025 - to create a centralized intranet system to better manage and distribute the company's resources and documentation across the franchise network. The group also discusses Amer's plans to collaboratively set 2025 goals for his business.

Amer and John discussed their personal experiences and strategies for maintaining healthy relationships. John shared his experiences with his partner, Trisha, highlighting the importance of open communication, setting boundaries, and addressing unworkable situations. He emphasized the need for both partners to be self-aware and willing to make adjustments for the relationship to thrive. John also mentioned the importance of having a balance of positive and negative interactions in a relationship. The conversation ended with a discussion on the different attachment styles and how they can impact relationships.

John discussed his recent exposure to a podcast featuring a real estate agent turned investor, Meet Kevin, who has a high energy and different approach to investing. John found it fascinating to learn about a different perspective on luxury cars and their value, as explained by Ed Bolin, a former Lamborghini salesperson. Ed's approach to investing in cars is similar to a value investor's approach to stocks. John also mentioned a video of a Ferrari being driven into a body of water, which he found interesting as it affects the car's future value. The group also discussed the Ferrari's ban on certain individuals, including Tyga, due to their actions. John concluded by appreciating the long-form podcast format, which allows him to learn about different perspectives and approaches to investing, even if he wouldn't typically consume the content in a video format.

In the meeting, John shared his recent trip to Waikiki, Hawaii, where he stayed in an Airbnb and enjoyed the local food and attractions. He also discussed his interest in analyzing business revenue, using the Cheesecake Factory as an example. He estimated that the store could be grossing over $100 million in revenue, based on its size and customer traffic. John also mentioned his habit of playing an over-under game with his wife, Trisha, where they try to guess the number of staff working at a given time. The conversation ended with John sharing that the Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki was the second largest in the world by revenue and square footage.

John, Austin, and Amer discuss the revenue and operations of the Cheesecake Factory location in Honolulu, Hawaii. They estimate the store generates around $50 million in annual revenue based on its square footage of 14,000 interior square feet and high sales per square foot compared to the chain's average. John calculates the labor costs alone could be over $12 million per year given Hawaii's high minimum wage. They conclude this single location likely operates as a multi-million dollar company with multiple managers overseeing its massive sales volume driven by tourists and locals alike.

Austin, John, and Amer discussed their experiences with Chat GPT and Google Calendar. Austin and Amer shared their methods of using Chat GPT, including uploading documents and using the voice feature to ask questions. John expressed his appreciation for Chat GPT's ability to provide large chunks of data quickly, but noted that it could be limited by processing power. They also discussed the potential benefits of using the paid version of Chat GPT, which allows for more document uploads and processing power. The team also discussed the usefulness of Google Calendar for scheduling and the potential benefits of using Calendly for scheduling meetings. Towards the end of the meeting, Amer and Austin had to leave for other obligations, but expressed their appreciation for the meeting and looked forward to the next one.

Austin asks Amer about his approach to emotional regulation and mindfulness practices. Amer explains how meditation helps him become more aware of his emotions and respond to them with greater clarity and calm, rather than getting caught up in them. He shares insights about the importance of not identifying too strongly with thoughts and emotions, and being able to observe them with detachment.

Amer and Austin discuss how mindfulness and emotional regulation can be applied to professional conversations and interactions. They emphasize the importance of bringing a calm, present state of mind to meetings and interactions, rather than getting caught up in tension or judgment. Amer shares examples of how he tries to maintain this mindset, such as leaving work stress at the office before going home.

Austin shares insights from his colleague Gabe on best practices for designing engaging and effective training programs. Key elements include: assessing trainees' existing knowledge, building training content to address common gaps, incorporating interactive elements like group discussions and role-plays, and providing opportunities for hands-on practice and feedback.

Amer and Austin reflect on their past experiences with video games, including Amer's history as a trophy hunter on PlayStation. They discuss how gaming can become an unhealthy distraction, but also how it can provide opportunities for personal growth and learning, if approached mindfully.

Austin and Amer discuss the concept of advent calendars, which are a holiday tradition where you open a small gift or treat each day leading up to Christmas. Amer is unfamiliar with this tradition, and Austin explains the excitement and anticipation it creates.

Austin shares that he recently completed a 1.5 month period of not drinking alcohol, and discusses his Whoop fitness tracker data showing his sleep patterns and recovery levels. They analyze the data and discuss how Austin's sleep and health have been impacted by travel and other factors.

Amer expresses interest in understanding Austin's approach to time management, scheduling, and delegation. They discuss Austin's use of Google Tasks to organize his to-do lists and priorities.

Amer shares his perspective on the difference between management and leadership, emphasizing the importance of creating structure and systems (management) versus inspiring and empowering people (leadership). He discusses how this applies to building a successful business and team.

Amer and Austin complete a "blind spot" exercise where they ask each other questions to uncover potential areas for self-improvement and growth. This leads to a discussion about the value of self-awareness and enrollment when trying to influence others.

At Austin's prompting, Amer shares the revenue and growth numbers for his business over the past few years, demonstrating impressive year-over-year increases. They discuss the importance of focusing on the full story beyond just the top-line revenue figures.