Seller Club Podcast
Seller Club Podcast
Episode 96: Prep for Q4 - An Episode On Purpose
Q4 is gearing up to be really busy for sellers, which isn’t unusual, and sometimes its the busy-ness of the business that burns us out. That’s why part of our Q4 prep should be reconnecting to our purpose. Why are we doing this business? Is it for flexibility and freedom? To provide for our families? To have greater financial security, pay off a big debt, save or invest, monetize a passion or hobby, learn a new skill, so something positive for the planet? There are all kinds of purposes behind all kinds of eBay stores. We’re talking through this topic thanks to a great article by Dr. Jordan Grumet (aka Doc G from the Earn and Invest Podcast) - linked below!
Doc G’s Article:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-regret-free-life/202508/you-arent-a-product-of-the-5-people-you-spend-time-with
If you love podcast content created for eBay sellers, don’t forget to follow us @sellerclubpodcast and @ebayforsellers and @sellerledger on Instagram.
Hey, hey, everybody. Welcome to episode 96 of the Stellar Club Podcast. Let's drop that beat. Hey guys, welcome to episode 96.
SPEAKER_02:We're back again.
SPEAKER_00:We're all back.
SPEAKER_02:We're back at it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we are. We really are. We're always at it, you know? So much behind the scenes.
SPEAKER_02:How are we start? How are we starting today? Like how how's Ken's week? Or how Ken, how are you? How's sourcing? How's listing? What are we starting with today?
SPEAKER_03:Well, just to give you a quick update, um, I was um blessed enough to be picked to represent again this year's uh advocacy day. Uh we call it DC Fly In to represent small businesses, particularly the online sellers that sell on the eBay platform. So we did talk to our state's representative, uh the policymakers. Um there were 13 sellers uh that they flew in this year, and so uh it was you know full day of meeting, um meeting with eBay employees as well at the same time, and then the executive, um, you know, our CEO Jamie Ayanoni went there as well and uh took some selfies again. So it was fun and um selfies there didn't happen, right? Yeah, uh I told my wife JC I said one day I'm just gonna have uh you know an album of selfies with Jamie. Yeah, yeah, so it was it was good. Um no, it was it was good to kind of like share our story of small businesses that um kind of like just to remind them that there are small businesses in your state uh specifically. Um I just realized there is uh 1.1 billion GMV that small businesses is helping Ohio with.
SPEAKER_01:Wow, that's pretty good.
SPEAKER_03:So that is pretty good. So they can't ignore us. Right, yeah, so they can't ignore us. So that was kind of like the the kind of like the angle that we were uh telling them that there are this many thousand of eBay sellers in your district or in your state, yeah. Um, and this is all the revenue that everybody's bringing in. So that was that was that was cool, and you know, practicing our um um ability to reach out and uh have access to our representatives and our senators and you know say what's up to them.
SPEAKER_00:Totally.
SPEAKER_02:Also fight against Veroes, etc.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, part of it. I did not go this year, but we're still I'm still involved with the that whole team as well, and it's really awesome work. And if that's something you're interested in, you're listening to this, like please check out our show notes, talk to us, DM us, we'd love to.
SPEAKER_03:We'll put a link, we'll pull a link out there for the S band. It's called Small Business Ambassadors Network. If you want to be a part and be a voice of your um what do you call it, district and state. Uh make sure you sign up. Yeah, it's our boy Yinka was part of it as well. Oh, as a matter of fact, our boy Yinka won the Yinka Fan Club Podcast.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, gosh.
SPEAKER_03:Yinka won the advocacy seller award this year. So um Anna won it last year.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, I was just looking at it on my shelf. It's the Advocacy Leadership Award.
SPEAKER_02:Congratulations, Inka. That's like only only the best of the best leadership awards.
SPEAKER_03:And I am convinced that if you hold that trophy, you will somewhat cry. Yeah. Because as muscle-looking Inca was, he was able to uh you know shed at least a tear. And made everybody in the room cry. Oh my goodness. So that was I'm crying right now. Yeah, me too. We love that. So uh well deserving, well deserving. This guy's doing um yeah, you know, a lot of work for us because um, you know, especially with him being really close to DC, he's especially the Mr. Last Minute if a representative or some somebody important wants to see some sellers. Uh Yinka's always been available for them. So that's always good. And he would be that guy that I want to represent. And also a lawyer, so he knows what he's talking about.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, me too. Just outstanding character, very articulate, like a real seller that has a passion for it. He's like literally like the perfect poster child for it. So I'm so happy for you, Yinka. I know you're listening to this because you listen to every episode of your fan club podcast.
SPEAKER_02:So very happy for him. I think also representing Texas was um Profit First Reseller. He's like a he has a YouTube channel. He has glasses, blue eyes. I don't know his real name though. I just thought that's the first one.
SPEAKER_03:Dan, Dan, Dan. I meant Dan. Yeah, yeah. He said he had YouTube.
SPEAKER_02:He had YouTube connecting all the dots right now.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Oh, how how did you know of him?
SPEAKER_02:Um, I just saw some couple of his videos. He kind of talks while he's like sorting things out, prepping items. Um that guy. Oh, yeah, yeah, that's him.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it is. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:He seems super uh super chill, very good. Yeah, very cool.
SPEAKER_03:Um I talked to him, I talked to him a little bit, and um that's what he said. Like, I said, Are you on YouTube? It's like, no, man, I'm on Instagram. It's like, and he's on YouTube, and he's like, Man, I want to be on Instagram. So pretty pretty cool moment. Pretty cool moment. Yeah, he actually sat next to Inka. And he sat next to Jamie as well. So it was me, Yinka, Dan, and Jamie and Crystal on the other end. So that's very cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good guy, good guy. Yeah, you got good representation for for uh for Texas.
SPEAKER_02:There we go. Yeah, he said that he almost he does a lot of like uh electronics and stuff like that. So he's always like sorting, he gets them in like bulk and yeah, like clean them up and test.
SPEAKER_03:Vintage video video consoles, stuff like that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, controllers, stuff like that.
SPEAKER_00:Mr. Elbow Grease, yeah, yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, we know all that work that goes into that. For sure. No joke. So that's pretty cool. Yep. That is cool.
SPEAKER_00:So I've had a busy week not gallivanting around the Capitol, although I would have loved to have gallivanted around the Capitol again. It's so fun. But um, I'll just sorry, I'm totally butting in, but I don't remember if I've actually said this on the podcast yet. But I officially have been moving into eBasement 3.0. Um, I'm renting a space, which is the basement of my friend's small business building. But guys, the great news is it's a walkout basement, so there's no stairs.
SPEAKER_03:Which is so this will be the will be the first time in a long time that you're not going through stairs.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, and that I'm not uh completely working from home because I have to now go 0.7 miles from my house. Wow, 0.7 miles. Yeah, it's very close. But um still great.
SPEAKER_03:That would be a great walk. 1.4 miles a day at least. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I walk I walk around my neighborhood all the time. So unless I have to carry stuff, a lot of stuff, I will probably imagine carrying all this stuff. I know, like here's a giant bin of like whatever. I'll have to get a wagon or something.
SPEAKER_03:Oh a wagon would be great.
SPEAKER_00:That wouldn't be dorky at all.
SPEAKER_03:No, no, no. That would be so anna.
SPEAKER_00:It's been, you know, moving stuff again, but not nearly on the scale of moving like my whole house. So it doesn't really count as moving, in my opinion. But anyway, it's been a lot of work cleaning it up and getting it organized, but it's been great. It's like at least 10 times the space that I have now. Really affordable, higher ceilings, too. Higher ceilings, so much potential. Also, things that storage units generally don't have, like Wi-Fi and bathrooms and like lots of really good overhead lighting. So I actually could run my whole store from out there, but for now I'm keeping my shipping station at home. I'll probably process inventory at home for a while still until I kind of get a good setup in both places. But so far, so good. I'm absolutely loving it. And I have so much room to grow, which was the whole point of doing it because I'm ready to keep growing my business again. Like my my um like revenue has grown a lot this year in my store, but my inventory is actually the smallest it's been in a long time. So I want to bulk that back up and hopefully also obviously the revenue with it. But I needed more space to do that. So here we are, and I'm that's a huge prep for Q4 that I'm well.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I was gonna say congratulations for making some headway and some changes and some improvements to the operation. Right. And as part of our series, talking about Q4 prep, definitely you've done something that would allow you to acquire more inventory and process more inventory. Oh, yeah. And um, our next prep for Q4, we've talked about you know getting connected with your community, making sure that um you are in the loop with all the updates and you know, also just build your support system around you through the community. Uh, last week we talked about all the different tactical things that we could do differently. A lot of it was just setting up good foundation and you know, little tweaks that we have learned from last year, and also part of that we talked about sourcing and how eBay seller capital could help you acquire more inventory on Q4. In this episode, Anna, why don't you tell him what we're talking? Where are we trying to upgrade or are we doing for prep as far as Q4 would be concerned?
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. So Q4 is gearing up to be a really busy time for sellers. Normally it's pretty busy, wouldn't you agree? I don't know anybody who has doesn't have a busy Q4 really, but so that part's not unusual, but I think it's the busyness of running a business that really burns us out. And so, in that, that was kind of my thought process of wanting to do a mindset episode where we really talk about something that will help us keep from burning out. And that thing is reconnecting to our purpose. So, like, why are we doing this business in the first place? Like, there are all kinds of purposes um behind all kinds of different eBay stores or you know, e-commerce businesses. So, just to name like a few, it could be flexibility or freedom, time freedom, right? It could be to provide for your family, um, having greater financial security or paying off your student loans, like Glenn did, or saving or investing, monetizing a passion or a hobby that you love, learning a new skill, like trying to keep stuff out of the landfill, doing something positive for the planet. Like there's literally so many purposes. I rattled those off. And there's that's like a tiny fraction of the really driving purposes that people have for their stores for running their stores, right? And devoting all the time and effort it takes to do that. So this was all coming to my mind a couple months ago because I read this article, and I'm gonna link to the article in the show notes, but it was written by a personal finance podcaster that I follow, and this topic really immediately reminded me of all of our journeys. And I thought, oh my gosh, Cellar Club needs to discuss this because I think it totally speaks to all of us. But um we're not gonna like read the article word for word on here, but in case you want to read it, and of course you can find it in the show notes. But the the podcaster I'm talking about, his he goes by the name Doc G, Dr. Jordan Grummet, and his article is called Are You Really the Average of the Five People You Spend the Most Time With? And he just published this in August. So, like I said, it was, you know, a little over a month ago, a month and a half, maybe that I read the article and thought, oh my gosh, we've got to talk about this. And so as I kind of was, you know, had that on the back burner in my mind when we're talking about Q4 prep, I thought this is a great opportunity for that. So I'm gonna like walk you guys through some of the ideas that Doc G writes about in this article. And I just want us to discuss it because I'm so curious about I don't know, just your insights and how this applies to you. Um you know, going back to the whole foundation of this podcast, uh, something that I love for us to do is kind of exchange our wisdom and our experience from our very different perspectives with our different stores and our different journeys. So this is another great kind of way to do that. So let's just let's just start with kind of the premise of that he's that he states in the title. So have you heard of that idea before that you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, yep.
SPEAKER_00:So like I think that became popular. He talks about this in the article, but I think that became popular in like the 80s and 90s. And um a lot has changed since the 80s and 90s about proximity. And you know, the idea here is that the your proximity to other people shapes your character, but it also shapes your success, right? Like applied to kind of business and personal growth, it's all about like your success, right? If you're surrounding yourself with not successful people, you're very unlikely to become successful, and like also the opposite is true. So, what do you think about that? Like, he kind of makes the case in this article, Doc G, that in terms of physical proximity, we're more disconnected than ever, you know, like we are on social media, we're not we're in really disparate places, and we're we're a perfect example of that right now because we're recording this from Ohio, Illinois, and Texas, and here we are spending spending time with each other, but we're really not in proximity in the traditional sense. So, what do you think about that? How do you think that has like impacted your sense of community or that you know the pe quote unquote the people you spend the most time with? Just how different that is from like the 90s.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, well, I think that's what's kind of like what what you guys have just said too. It's that's what's kind of like suffering right now is just that in-person feel in touch. Like people don't really know how to communicate with others or get I don't know, like that. It's just like a weird feeling, like they're they're just so lost and they feel like I guess more nervous, anxious to even have like a conversation. I know one of the examples is like back in like 2000s or like late 90s, they used to have like video game tournaments and stuff like that, right? So you're playing somebody in Mortal Kombat or Madden or something, and so when you lose, you're literally l looking at the other person that just won and you're gonna take your L like you would.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and so some there's some trash stalking uh in close proximity.
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. And so, even back in the 90s, if you want to go to like arcades and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's so true.
SPEAKER_02:And so I remember my brother was telling me that they had, I don't know, something in Austin, when he used to live in Austin, this wasn't even too long ago. They had like a Tekken tournament or they had something, and just so many people just did not want to do it because they thought it was gonna be like weird playing somebody in a separate room with a headset on. Not not being right next to them, you know, like arm length, you know. I just found that very weird.
SPEAKER_00:Can't smack 'em. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_02:So wait, what's missing that now to where you can't even talk to anybody because you're you know, you're not gonna do everything right. If you lose, you lose. I mean, it is what it is, but I think people have this fear now of just talking to somebody, period, you know, maybe just having a conversation or open a relationship, you know. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Well, and as much as there are, you know, people putting themselves out there on social media being quote unquote authentic, it's like there's still like an extremely performative nature to what they're doing. Like even when they're like intentionally not being performative, the fact that it's one of the things that's they intentionally did it. Yeah, right. And the fact that it's they choose what to show, and you know, it's like one side, like you're observing them and you're internally comparing yourself to them or whatever. It's not like the same as we're all like in person in the same space, like engaging in the same thing or having a back and forth in real time that's like all five senses. I don't know, it is it is way different, right? And I mean, there's really interesting research on that. Doc G even talks about some of that how this the influencer culture kind of has led to just people feeling more isolated and more anxious, and it's exactly in line with what you're saying, yeah. And like it's convenient in a way, it's like miraculous almost that we can have all this access or influence of each other from so many different places at any any point in time, but it's like not it's not like holistic like it would be if it was in person, right?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I I think one of the things is it complete. Yeah, one other thing I could add is for me and how I look at you know, like the technology, the internet, um I've always um viewed it as an addition, not as a replacement. So, you know, like I would still prefer a close proximity, contact, and conversation with you know people, and then I can video call you.
SPEAKER_00:Right, it's like the follow-up or something like that. Right, like the supplement.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, yes. That's kind of like how I I view it. Kind of like, you know, like you know, like my parents are still in the Philippines, so obviously, realistically, it's hard to meet weekly, you know, in person, but we do meet yearly, and the supplement of it is you know, we we're on video calls, you know, weekly.
SPEAKER_00:So that's why you had to track down Glenn in real life after as you learned from him on YouTube.
SPEAKER_03:No, a hundred percent. I I'm not kidding. No, I I I think that that's I guess before even explaining what I did, that's what literally what I just explained, right? Like I've watched this guy on YouTube for so long, I've interacted on through chat. Yeah, I've even had a video call with him. But it went far. Yeah, and I was just like, no, let me see if this guy's real, you know?
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. I mean, that's it. You're like not actually a weirdo who's just an insatiable friend. You're like, but who are you really?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I I thought he was I thought it was AI before AI. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I remember um, I mean, like in my kind of like psychology professoring psychotherapy days, I remember having a lot of conversations with people about experiential knowledge, right? Like this would happen often that people would come to like their first or second therapy session and they would tell me a lot about themselves, obviously, right? Like in an hour or two hours. But like I couldn't possibly know their entire life in an hour or two hours. And this is like not just me, not just me as a therapist, but like in therapy in general, this happens all the time where people come in, they tell you stuff about themselves because they're trying to like lay out, you know, the the problem or whatever they're working on or whatever they're struggling with. And they leave that first or second hour and and they say things like, I feel like you know me better than anyone else in my life, and I've only met you for two hours. And um, as a therapist, I feel like there's a flip side to that where I feel like, okay, after a couple of hours, no, of course I don't know everything about you. Like, you know, I only and you're my only source of information. Like I know whatever you're deciding to tell me. But at the same time, like you get a really good sense of that person and you continue to learn about them over time. Like there's so much, people are so such deep wells of information. But I could, you know, adapt to that person or kind of understand them going forward because I had this experiential knowledge. And same thing of like why they would trust me and tell me more the next week and the next week is because they had experiential knowledge of me and they knew almost nothing about me. Like I'm not sitting there telling them all about my life, but they have experienced me as a person in real life in that, you know, in that setting. They've experienced me in person, so they know who I am, like by experience, even if they don't have all the information, they have like this experience. So that is so powerful, and I feel like that is missing a lot from these kind of like virtual interactions. And that's why, like, you know, like I totally agree with what you're saying, Ken. Like the other the virtual stuff is a great supplement to to the the the home base stuff of experience, experiential knowledge that can really only happen like in some kind of in-person capacity. But anyway, this is all like I love this kind of stuff, like I love these kind of topics. But so Doc G takes this idea, right? This proximity thing, the five people that you spend the most time with, and he kind of flips it on his head and he kind of says, I wanna I wanna alter this idea from that to say instead that today, right, in 2025, like we're not the product of the five people around us. We're the product of the five or however many activities we build purpose around because our identities form around what lights us up, the things we pursue, not because others do them, but because they actually matter to us. So, and that's kind of a paraphrase. Um, but how do how do you think that applies to us like as business people? Because we all found our way to this from other things, right? Other endeavors, other jobs. And of course, like I always joke about how much I love shipping, but you know, shipping stuff from my basement in and of itself is like not my purpose in life. It's not that is not my highest calling, but it's more like what doing this business represents and allows me to have in my life. That's what's really connected to my purpose. So, how does that work for you guys? It's a thinker.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I haven't really had to think about this. And I don't know if you have anything right off the bat, but it's kind of like I well, mean me and the wife always talk about this too, and not to be mean to any of my friends right now, but I'm always kind of thinking like you know, I I've gotten back and forth with it a long time. Like, what if I did live in Ohio? Like, what if I did live in Indiana and have in between kind of like Sneakers Envy and Ken and been able to just have more of that relatability? I do feel like it does get lonely at times too, because like I do have high school friends that I still talk to, even though it's been so long, you know. Yeah, and and I think that's fine. But in besides kind of like growing up together where we're at right now, we're just like very, very different, you know. I'm just yeah trying to do a lot of things on my own when it comes to like business or social media or something. And for the most part, a lot of them have a lot of full-time jobs, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's just that they they're not really gonna understand or even ask, really, like right what I'm going through, or how do I kind of like get out of certain situations um to provide for my family by selling online. Yeah. Like it's it's not we know it's not easy, but it's totally different than clocking in, which I've done.
SPEAKER_00:You know, I've done both, but but like you you're basically relating to them mostly based on your history, not your present or your future. You know, so it's like it's different, it's valuable, like that's beautiful. Old friends are amazing to have, but that doesn't mean they can like you can relate to them the same way throughout your whole life, you know. And yeah, it it makes sense. Like the people that you're quote unquote around are not in physical proximity to you, but you make a point to spend time with them in ways that you can because you are running this race together, you know, like and you have to find a way to do that, even if it is like maybe not as ideal as it would be if they were in person. Why don't you make them all move to El Paso? I mean, come on. Why do you have to move?
SPEAKER_03:He's gonna have to move.
SPEAKER_00:I I think I I think like absolutely not.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I know, right?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so so that I think those are a few moves. Uh no, I I that's always been on my mind.
SPEAKER_00:Um getting land to move to Ohio.
SPEAKER_03:That is one. Um, but also like gotta leave, let's just buy a 20-acre property and let's live in each corner of that 20-acre property. I know, Ken.
SPEAKER_00:You're very charismatic. I would be really worried about it turning into a cult. No offense.
SPEAKER_03:I love like any new friend is like, come on over.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you live here now.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Um by the way, don't talk to your family anymore.
SPEAKER_03:I'm just kidding.
SPEAKER_00:I'm just kidding. You're not a cult leader.
SPEAKER_03:No, no, no, no, no. Um, I'm a I'm a thought leader. You know, not a cult leader. Yeah, I think I think um, you know, there is definitely um I think that's that's the I guess the line that you will have to cross one day that that would be a turning point of somebody's kind of like the the midlife uh kind of change, you know. Um I was like listening to a book that um who's this guy? Berkshire Hathaway. Warren Buffett. Uh-huh. Right, right.
SPEAKER_00:The best investor of all time.
SPEAKER_03:Right, right. Still lives in Omaha, Nebraska. Right, and and the cre one of the craziest things is he has his shareholders meeting there.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, he does.
SPEAKER_03:You know, I know, yeah, like you're coming to me, you know, and I'm just like, and and that says a lot about about you know, like we're talking about proximity. It's like, yeah, if you really want to learn in how I operate, like you come to me because this is my house, my town.
SPEAKER_00:Well, for sure. So I mean that that's another part of this too. It's like with all of the potential influence that's out there, quote unquote, right? Like, you could be following someone, but if you never did anything about it, it's not gonna make you more successful. Like you don't get successful by osmosis, and that's why Glenn loves to tell everyone to what?
SPEAKER_03:To go out and get it and get it.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. Not like tune in next week for more information, but go out and get it, right? Like no, no, no, get up and get it. Oh, I like that thing.
SPEAKER_03:I like that. I like that. And um, yeah, no, I think uh I think it's a still big possibility that it could happen. So we might have to just make Anna move. I mean, at this point, Anna's really a per up at moving Glenn. So really good at moving.
SPEAKER_00:I will I will 100% fight El Paso and help you pack. I would do that in a heartbeat.
SPEAKER_02:Uh Jim promise Henry already said he would he'd start packing, he wouldn't even break in and start packing.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I mean one day you'll just wake up, there's like a pod container outside of your storage.
SPEAKER_00:We're friends now. We're friends, we're a bit, I mean, we were we can't. Oh, they've had they've had donuts together. They've had donuts together in this official. See, and this is exactly what we're talking about. We met in person finally in Vegas for eBay Open, and now we're b besties.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, love them.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So I'm like, oh my gosh, you're everything I heard about, and you know, acquaintance-wise, interacted with you and have great interactions, but like, yeah, they're amazing. So I get it. I get why you want to move right in between them, Glenn.
SPEAKER_03:So uh, so uh yeah, I I think um that is a great concept, and I feel like to truly, truly do something great and memor uh memorable and legendary, um, there will be I mean my move here, come on, my move here from the Philippines, I think, is already legendary in my story, but I can't wait for more uh oh yeah because all of this wouldn't have happened. You know? Yeah none of I mean even this podcast wouldn't have happened if if a move so so would you say a physical move is one requirement in a someone's story to make it legendary?
SPEAKER_00:I mean, I don't think it necessarily has to be like moving the location where you live, but I think the fundamental idea of making a making decisive physical action moves in your life definitely is. You can't just think about it forever or you know, ponder it or plan it. You have to do stuff.
SPEAKER_03:So when we have to do stuff. So when we have our giant warehouse, we just have to make sure there's apartments within the warehouse or next door to it. Right. That way we could just, you know, there's most successful people have multiple houses and multiple places to live. Right. Right? Okay, that makes sense. Okay. You're like soul, okay, got it. We'll get that together. We'll add we'll add that to the business plan.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so another thing I haven't told you guys about Doc G himself is that he is actually he's a doctor, he's a medical doctor, but he's a hospice doctor. So he's heard a lot of really sobering and wise things from people at the end of their life. And I think this is why I love, you know, his his perspective on things like this that are a little more existential, because he's like been, you know, literally with people on their deathbed like so many times, and he's gotten to hear all of that wisdom in in a difficult setting, but he like it's not lost on him, right? Like he obviously thinks deeply about some of these things. Um but I want to ask you guys, I'm just gonna throw these out there. So I want you to listen to these questions and just see if any of them kind of resonates with you, especially. Got it. Um, or not. But he says if you're trying to figure out like what are the anchors for your purpose, like you're just going, Oh, I don't know. Like I just I need to work a job because I need money. I don't really know where the purpose fits in or whatever it is. I mean, this is like, you know, these are big life things to consider. So um Instead of searching for like five amazing people to surround yourself with, he's saying we should be searching for anchors for our purpose. So here are some questions to ask yourself if you're looking for those anchors, okay? So what is it that stirs your spirit? What keeps you up at night? What makes you lose track of time? Um, if you were lying on your deathbed far too early, what would you regret never having the courage, energy, or time to pursue? What brought you joy as a child before grades, careers, and expectations clouded the picture? What aspects of the work you're currently doing do you dislike, and what's left over when you strip those parts away? And finally, what am I curious enough to try, even if it scares me a little? Any of the These are a lot. I know. I mean, I feel like all of them really are like powerful, but I just wonder if any off the top of your head like that.
SPEAKER_03:Mine would be not just scare me a little, scare me a lot.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I think that's anything s anything that your thoughts think is scary, I always ask myself, is it deadly?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Usually not.
SPEAKER_03:Because it's yeah, like we live in the 21st century, like it's not not h hardly anything's deadly unless you're being reckless physically. Um and I think everything's worth a shot. And also I think a lot of people think about that you only have one chance or one try at it. Um so uh there's this concept about um just uh keep kissing the frog or keep kissing frogs. Yeah, yeah, keep keep kissing the kids. Keep kissing frogs, yeah, right? Because eventually you'll find your prince. That's okay. So um, so you'll have multiple chances. Right.
SPEAKER_00:Um that's so true. Even if you do something scary and it fails, that's not the end. That's not the end, it's one try. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So so I I think everybody has to think that you have a lot of uh chances. Um as you know, I mean, again, you know, if you're listening to Shadow Club podcasts, you're not somebody that's reckless or yeah, you're trying to grow. So if any if anything that you're trying, it's just something a different way of doing it that you've never done before. Totally. I think that's always one that kind of jumped out of me. And and the rest is like I just live through it daily, like I can't sleep.
SPEAKER_00:No, but I I think like a lot of these that are more like question your whole life type of questions. I mean, these are important questions to ask. I'm comfortable with those questions, probably because I have therapy background, but it is like, yes, I I've examined a lot of those things in my life, and that is exactly why I'm doing this business and not something else, as like the center of my work. So for me, as far as it applies to my business, like I know what my purposes are, and doing this business allows me to have more time and energy for those, you know. The business itself, though, is a passion of mine at this point. It didn't really start out that way, but it is now. And especially because I'm so much more connected to community, that's you know, like related to running my eBay store. So I think for me, the question that that is the most important when I actually am thinking of this through the lens of my business is the last one. What am I curious enough to try, even if it scares me? A little or a lot, right? Because it's really easy to just stagnate or burn out, or just work too hard at something that isn't the full potential and burn out. So in order to avoid that, I think that's a question I need to keep asking myself. Like, what is the purpose within my business? And how is my like curiosity and my willingness to kind of risk things like leading me closer to that? So I really like that one for the business side. Glenn, have you had time to ponder all of these?
SPEAKER_02:I did, and this is uh there's a lot. Um I think that's the scariest part of the business side is that you don't know what you're doing is right because you have to keep on going until I mean, I guess till finally you say this is not working, but some people jump it too early and some people are too late to make that pivot or make that change, and so yeah, that's really like difficult too, because you have to know when to do it and you don't.
SPEAKER_00:So yeah, it would be really nice to know with certainty, but yeah, you whether you know or not, you have to decide, right?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, to make the choice. Yeah, you know, I'm gonna stop this or I'm going to keep going.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, 100%.
SPEAKER_02:And I feel like through all these years going through YouTube and different platforms, I've like like Kennet said, I've made different pivots at the right time, which I try to for the most part. I'm I'm not gonna be right a hundred percent. Um and there's things that I still wanna do that I haven't done also because of like maybe my system that I'm doing right now isn't the best. Like maybe I could really do less while getting more done. You know, so I'm always trying to figure that out. Like what else can I do to eliminate maybe some some time wasters, and it's not even anything of like going on social media or anything, it's just like simple routines, or maybe getting up a little bit earlier, or maybe I don't know what that is. So I'm trying to always figure that out, you know. Right. And even looking at, you know, like YouTube, me and me and Ken doing like live shows that we had done for man, like three plus years. It was uh people still ask now. I got like a DM the other day, like when are you doing live shows again and everything? And I'm like, I don't know if and when we're gonna do it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um, of course I would love to do that, but there's only so much that I could do from everything else that is already going on, and then plus adding, you know, family and you know, a second daughter coming soon, so that's gonna be another life-changing moment. Yeah, and so I think the thing that I'm I mean, going through your questions, like, is there anything that's keeping me awake at night? No, I do sleep pretty good. Good. Um, which I'm I'm probably tired. I mean, yeah, tired, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:But you know, at peace.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but one thing that I feel like I'm lacking or that would like to do more, which is like helping people. I felt like the channel at the time was really doing what it intended to do, which was like helping people pay off their student loans or find a way to resell on eBay, um a different way of looking. Because I was doing like garage sales and thrifting and things like that when I first started, and it's very relatable. You know, of course, um how many now how many people do that now compared to when we first started like the channel and stuff? It's totally different. But I feel like with me being able to like pay off my mortgage and being debt-free and things like that, like because of eBay, I'm not really getting that story out on how I could help people, especially in a time right now where the number one Google search is help with mortgage. Wow. That's literally the top search right now.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh, that's wild.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and I feel like I've I have a lot of like info and also experience to help people and to also bring it in a different way that I don't think YouTubers have done by showing, like, hey, you can pay off your mortgage and extra bills by selling on eBay. Yeah. This is how you can do it. And that's something that I've been kind of like working on behind the scenes that I would like to bring back to the channel. So that's one thing that I think is just kind of like a like a goal of mine.
SPEAKER_00:For sure. Well, and I mean, there's there's so much purpose all over that, right? Like for you, it's like doing something that gives back for anybody consuming that content, like that's just starting over the cycle of like what's their purpose for doing their business. It probably is like peace of mind. I want to sleep better at night, I want financial security, I want to pay off my debts, you know. Like, yeah, that's I mean, a huge concern for people that I think gets really in the way. I mean, sometimes sort of necessarily gets in the way of whatever else they're really like on earth to do, right? Like we get preoccupied with these things that stress us out and that we are bound to uh fulfill these obligations and pay these bills and all this stuff. And it's like how much energy and time is worrying about that or struggling to do that, taking away from like as a human being, like what are you on this earth for? You know, so like I feel like there's so many aspects of purpose that kind of apply to this. Um, but I love that, Glenn. Anything we can do to help you put that out there, like we should. Um, I think too, I really like so back going back to this article. Doc G doesn't totally throw out the five influential people in your life with the bathwater. He just kind of rearranges this whole thing. And I do want to read one quote um directly from the article, and he says, Whatever it is, talking about your purpose, whatever it is, build a life around it, commit to it. And in doing so, you'll start showing up as your most authentic, energized, and intentional self. And from that space, you'll naturally find others on similar journeys, people who share your purpose, your values, and your passions. They will become your five people, your collaborators, friends, mentors, and students. Not because you chased them, but because you built something real that brought them into your life. And that, honestly, when I was reading this article, like I wasn't just arbitrarily like doing some random homework on the internet to find a topic for seller club. I was just reading this article because I was interested in it. But when I read that, I thought, that is us. Yeah. That is how we are in each other's lives. And I know that's true for so many people in our community, across the reselling community. Um, but that idea that when you put your purpose first and you like anchor everything with your purpose, those five influential people who are gonna make you successful are gonna be drawn into your life that way. Yeah, that's the reason they're gonna show up. So I think that's such a cool idea. Um, Doc G, I think, hit the nail on the head with it. But yeah, like what do you guys think about that? I feel like that's a hundred percent the story of your friendship. But ours too. Like, I think all of us in different ways.
SPEAKER_03:And it it's kind of just like, you know, we joke around that can force Glenn and Anna to be friends because I saw it's a hard sell. Right. I saw it that you know how how we've elevated each other's lives is how we've elevated each other's lives as well in a different way, and together we could show a lot of the people that are somewhat interested in doing the same way that it is possible, and it's not because of just proximity, although proximity is important, um, and number two is not because of we have the same business model, totally not even close, and or you know, we have we went to the same school, we have a history together, you know, like we didn't we don't have a history, um, but I think what connected us is how we're trying to see the future and and how we're trying to make impact in people's lives. Definitely, and you know, to add to to Glenn's point, like you know, like trying to find a way to help more people. Um, I mean, I think that's one of the reasons why we've we're doing this. And you know, just recently we've had a conversation of like how can we make this bigger? You know, how can we make this global? How can we partner with people? Because, you know, one thing that I found out that you know uh uh young Hustleby would never admit that um it takes more than himself, just him, just him, you know, and so now I'm more about like oh I I need more people, the more, the merrier, the better it is, and the further we can go and the bigger the impact we can do. And and I think to add on to it too, um, you know, as far as like looking, finding for purpose, and I think this has been the question that I've been asking myself, and I've kind of just like um it kind of is giving is giving me peace that if everything is financially taken care of, what brings you fulfillment? Right. And and and you know, kind of like the I think one of the famous questions is like, if money wasn't an issue, what would you be doing? Would you still be doing what you're doing right now if money wasn't an issue? Right. And I I've answered that thing over and over again. I've always said yes, I'll still be doing this, but I think I have to correct myself that if money wasn't an issue, I'd be doing bigger things than this. Yeah, I would just uh exponentially grow it bigger and more, I guess, louder if I can be more louder.
SPEAKER_00:You're like, if that's even possible. Um, I think it is possible, first of all. But yeah, I I love that. And I think you know, if that's a great question again to drive down, to drill down to what matters to you the most, or like maybe what you're what you're here for, right? Like what your purpose is, what your task, your assignment is, whatever, however you want to see it. But um, but then you also have to take that answer and bring it back to the reality that you live in where money is an object for most people, right? Yeah. So, and therefore, how can you proceed knowing what matters the most to you and continuing to do the things that you kind of functionally have to do? Like it doesn't have to be one or the other, but it can really change your mindset, it can really change your approach to things, it can change your goals and your priorities. Like it will totally reshape your life to actually honest to goodness evaluate that. So I would just encourage everybody to, you know, think through some of those questions if they're not too scary. I know they're like really big questions. Um, also, you know, go read Doc G's article. We're linking to it in the show notes. Um, because there's a lot more nuance too that we didn't even have time to talk about. But I think we did a pretty good job of hitting the main points of of his message in the article. And really, again, like I it just reminded me of us, you know. I thought, like, wow, this is like the stuff that matters. And um, of course, we love talking shop, we love talking about the the kind of nuts and bolts and the platform updates and the strategy and the efficiencies and whatever of our businesses. All that is really great, but like for why, you know, for what? Yeah, and I think that is a is a um a fair question, right? It's a necessary question.
SPEAKER_03:For sure, you know. Um, anything else you want to add on to that, Glenn?
SPEAKER_02:Uh no, I think it was very, very interesting and very thoughtful that you and a lot of things you have to go through personally after listening to it. So Yeah, yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_03:A lot of questions.
SPEAKER_00:You're welcome. Ask yourself.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, exactly. Well, I mean, as part of Q4 Prep, I think um Q4 is not just an ending to the business that we have crafted and we have built this year, but it is also the beginning of how we could start a better year next year. That's right. So it's the setup, it's the setup for the get up.
SPEAKER_00:I'll take it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, right, right. I guess so. I guess so. I guess so. So, guys, thank you again for uh listening to this podcast. We will see you in the next episode. Again, huge shout-out to eBay. Make sure you follow eBay first sellers on Instagram to keep up to date with everything that eBay is doing. And we will see you in the next one. Peace. See ya.
SPEAKER_00:Bye.