In the Loop with Andy Andrews

Several weeks ago, we mentioned SportyCitrus.com and the response was overwhelming. We brought Andy’s son, Austin, into the studio today to answer questions about how he started his company and what he is working toward for its future. Here are some excerpts...

 

How did this business start?

Sporty Citrus began after a hurricane blew away our house and all our trees when I was young. We wanted to replant trees that actually did something useful, so we planted a couple citrus trees.

I really liked taking care of our trees, and as I learned more, I started taking care of other people’s trees.

 

How did you come up with the idea to help other people with their trees?

Originally, the plan was to just help people in my neighborhood. The neighbors’ trees were not producing fruit and the trees wouldn’t grow.

 

What is the difference between you and a landscaper?

A landscaper sees something wrong with a tree and will treat every problem the same. That’s fine for making it look good, but that is not what you need to do to make it produce fruit.

 

Where did the name come from?

I grew up playing sports, and the word “sporty” just kind of stuck.

 

In the full episode, you’ll discover how Austin got his first customers for his business.

 

**************

This from Andy:

 

Austin is a perfect example of someone who has found a passion, pursued that passion, and found a revenue stream for it.

 

I think Austin really got the idea that he could do something like this when I was writing The Noticer Returns. Jones is dealing with some people having a hard

time finding jobs, and he recommends starting a business out of a sincere pas- sion. I think the first thing Austin said to me about his business idea was, “I think I know something I want to do that would be valuable to other people.”

 

There is a special deal going on between now and May 31. You can get Austin’s Personalized Pot Plan for $24.50—that’s half-off—until May 31. All you have to do is put “In the Loop” in the subject line of an email and send it to Austin@SportyCitrus.com.

 

More information on Sporty Citrus’ Personalized Pot Plan can be found at ? http://www.sportycitrus.com/pricing.

 

I work with Austin sometimes. He doesn’t pay me and I can’t get him to fire me! Join us next week, when we’ll have Austin with us again and you can hear more about my side career working for my son. 

 

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

  • Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
  • E-Mail: InTheLoop@AndyAndrews.com
  • Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
  • Twitter.com/AndyAndrews
Direct download: ITL182__How_Austin_Andrews_Started_a_Business_Out_of_His_Passion.mp3
Category:Podcast -- posted at: 10:34am CDT

On this week’s episode, I talk about how parents can train their kids to tell good stories in a conversational setting.

 

The most important thing when telling a story is to be interesting.

  • Don’t be boring!
  • Make sure that you speak correctly.
  • The way someone talks can get in the way of a listener’s mental process when having a conversation.

 

Around our house, people get points for being clever or witty.

  • We read witty things, and when somebody discovers something clever, we share it with one another.
  • Figuring out good questions to pose is essential.
  • If you want to raise children who can hold an interesting conversation, they must have good questions at the ready.

 

You cannot get away with not knowing how to communicate effectively and be a functioning adult in society today.

  • You and I know a ton of people who inadvertently go through their lives expecting the worst to happen.
  • I want our boys walking through life appreciating the humorous and clever things.
  • A common question in our house is, “What was the funniest thing that happened at school today?”
  • In the end, it’s all about creating memories.

 

In the full episode, I discuss what to do if your teenager doesn’t talk to you.

 

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

  • Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
  • E-Mail: InTheLoop@AndyAndrews.com
  • Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
  • Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

 

Direct download: ITL181__How_to_Help_Your_Child_Become_a_Great_Conversationalist.mp3
Category:Podcast -- posted at: 5:00am CDT

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question asking if the teen years are too late to get kids to start reading.

 

I am dealing with this every day with adults.

  • I was 23 when Jones found me under the pier and gave me biographies.
  • Nobody ever told me, “Let me tell you why you want to read this.”
  • We’ve all heard that experience is the best teacher, but I think somebody else’s experience is the best teacher. This is why reading biographies is so important.

 

While living under the pier, I went through periods of fear and periods of boredom.

  • Jones told me that the books weren’t biographies but rather tales of romance, mystery, and adventure.
  • I grew up hating history, but it’s a passion of mine now.
  • I believe that sometimes people do not think things through to their foundation; many have surface-level thoughts about what they do and don’t like.

 

It’s amazing to me how many people will say, “Well, I don’t like to read.”

  • You mean you’ve never read something that made you laugh out loud, or cry?
  • I’ll ask just a couple questions, and it turns out that there is something they’ve read, whether it’s a magazine, newspaper, etc., that deeply affected them somehow.
  • So what you’re telling me is that the other books you’ve picked up are boring!
  • Find something you like to read!
  • Whatever your interest is—whether you’re a teen or a retiree—many have probably written about it, and someone has probably written about it well.
  • Regardless of their age, find your children a book or article they’re interested in, and they’ll want to read it.

 

In the full episode, I reveal the trick I use to get my kids to read whatever I want them to read.

 

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

  • Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
  • E-Mail: InTheLoop@AndyAndrews.com
  • Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
  • Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

 On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on how to get your kids to take your advice.

 

Kids tend to listen to somebody else before they listen to their parents.

  • There are tons of adults who have quit learning and thinking years ago.
  • If you want your kids to listen, you better make sure you are a person worth listening to.
  • If we want kids to be open to our advice and seek wise counsel, we must be wise counsel.
  • Wise counsel includes the timing of when you say things and how you say them.

 

I am a friend to my boys, but I am also their parent.

  • Be friends to have tons of conversations.
  • Talk about what they want to talk about.
  • We want them to have the opportunity to teach us.

 

I’m not a fly fisherman, but I have a son who is really interested in it.

  • When he shows me something, I ask how he does it or where he learned it, and all of a sudden he is giving me a lesson.
  • A great majority of parents spend most of their time disciplining or warning their children, and kids get tired of it.

 

One of the worst things you can do in marketing is to market all the time.

  • Your product may be valuable, but people will avoid you if they feel bombarded.
  • One of the best things you can do is to give value and help with something unrelated.
  • You can then mention what you’re selling every now and then, and it doesn’t make people want to avoid talking to you.
  • This concept can and should be applied to parenting as well!

 

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

  • Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
  • E-Mail: InTheLoop@AndyAndrews.com
  • Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
  • Twitter.com/AndyAndrews
Direct download: ITL179__How_to_Get_Your_Kids_to_Take_Your_Advice_Seriously.mp3
Category:Podcast -- posted at: 10:42am CDT