IAM323 – Entrepreneur Helps Business Owners Achieve More Time and Freedom

Brian defines success as growing more healthy, wealthy, and wise with time. He quit his tech sales job in Silicon Valley to pursue life on his terms, using entrepreneurship as the vehicle. He successfully maintains several businesses but mostly spends his professional time serving as a COO-on-demand for small business owners looking for more time and freedom.

He's an avid health and fitness geek, spending his time at a CrossFit box or experimenting with the latest bio-hacks. He's also a Certified Bulletproof Human Potential Coach.

• CEO Hack: Using a project management solution like Asana and Upwork
• CEO Nugget: Getting your mindset right
• CEO Defined: See a future that is not the present and have ways to get there.

Website: http://operandi.solutions

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-comstock/

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Transcription

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of.

This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:30

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. Brian Comstock of Operandi Solutions.

Brian, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Brian Comstack 0:40

Thank you excited to be here, man.

Gresham Harkless 0:42

Super excited to have you on. What I wanted to do is just read a little bit more about Brian so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing.

Brian defines success as growing more healthy, wealthy, and wise with time. He quit his tech sales job in Silicon Valley to pursue life on his terms, using entrepreneurship as the vehicle. He successfully maintains several businesses but mostly spends his professional time serving as a COO-on-demand for small business owners looking for more time and freedom.

He's an avid health and fitness geek, spending his time at a CrossFit box or experimenting with the latest hacks. He's also a Certified Bulletproof Human Potential Coach. Brian, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?

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Brian Comstack 1:24

I'm ready.

Gresham Harkless 1:26

I know you're doing some awesome things. So definitely, let's hop right in. And I wanted to kick everything off by hearing about what I call your CEO story. What led you to start your business?

Brian Comstack 1:36

Yep. So as the profile there alluded to, I followed the track, when I went to school, got good grades, and went to another school, college, and UC Davis. And just following up the ladder, I found myself doing some tech sales job in San Francisco, upon graduating, and did that for a few years. But always had been motivated, always been looking, what else can I do? How else can I be of service and escalate myself and others around me? So while I was working there, I was building businesses and tinkering with stuff on the side.

But it was tough, a lot of Google searches, looking for coaches looking for support, I weaved my way around a few things and eventually started a few Amazon businesses that were bringing in some income for me. And then at that time, I was looking to move to the next level.

So I ended up jumping off my tech sales job and diving headfirst into entrepreneurship if you want to call it that way. So it's been and since then, I earned how to manage different virtual assistants and all these fancy things to make life a little bit better for the owner-entrepreneur and spend a lot of my time actually developing a consulting agency to bring in clients and help them do the same. So that's the medium when did I answer your question?

Gresham Harkless 3:10

I appreciate that. And I know we talked a little bit offline, and talk about, we get down on systems and things like that. So I wanted to hear a little bit more about that CEO on demand that you mentioned, and I know that some of the consulting services you provide could tell us a little bit more about what that looks like and what exactly you do.

Brian Comstack 3:28

Yep, so everyone has a different educational background, even if you're in books, there's a hot one that talks about the difference between visionaries and integrators, you'll see people who may, a lot of like the Steve Jobs and a lot of like the icons that you know, all a lot of us look up to are aware of, they'd be more classified in the visionary categories, you have great ideas, you're looking to grow, you have a great vision for the company. And so, oftentimes not always like the kind of integrator operator role, which is also looked at as more of like a COO, Chief Operating Officer, making sure that ships run on time get everything gets done properly, they often lack that.

And so, like my consulting agency, and others that I've worked with, it's really trying to provide that for clients and say, Hey, you have the vision, where you're trying to go both for your business, but also, why did you get into this. To begin with, let's be honest, you're looking for a better life for yourself for your family, more timeless burnout.

And so it's making it as real as possible like yeah, we want to hit all these fancy revenue goals and all that but also along the way, how are we doing this in a way that doesn't burn you out and really serves you so that's kind of the piece that we bring, It can be a mixed bag of a more informational done with you coaching but it also can be a little bit more involved where it's like, hey, if someone really needs the help and they're looking for more than just the done with you, then we can start.

Gresham Harkless 5:02

That's nice. That's definitely awesome. And I was just going to ask you, do you find that, a lot of business owners even realize that business starts out because they automatically almost think like the E Myth of where people are passionate about what it is that they do? And then they start a business and realize that there are operational things that also go in hand with running a business and being successful. A lot of times, business owners forget that.

Brian Comstack 5:24

Yeah, I love what you said. Because I have a lot of tertiary and secondary goals. But one of my missions is I think in some ways, entrepreneurs have been misled, right? I've certainly read all those books I've read, even guys still fall for four-hour workweek, E Myth, a lot of this stuff. I mean, I still follow these guys, they have great information but by and large, I never read the book on Hey, this is going to be one of the most difficult things you've ever tried to do. Buddy, I didn't read the book on that. I only read the book on this is going to be great. And well, so you can call it naivety. I don't want to get down the marketing rabbit hole of why that is. But the reality is, it is really challenging. There are a lot of moving pieces in people who have complementary skill sets.

So coming back to the simplified version of the visionary integrator, it's why people get in relationships, it's like, you need people around you that complement your skills and personalities to bring things to life. Because the reality is entrepreneurship is just, there are so many moving parts, it's so difficult that people need some help. So, yeah, you read the email, and a lot of that stuff is still informed.

So I still believe in this, the systems and the delegation and clear responsibilities and really playing to your strengths, like a lot of the principles and stuff are great. So at a high level, I think of it like all these fancy buzzwords of working on your business versus in it like this, I try to make that as real as humanly possible to actually bring it to life.

Gresham Harkless 7:04

Yeah, and as is definitely necessary. And there are literally so many things that you can juggle, where it can be really killer, and do one aspect of your business and be the best at it. And then there's another aspect that you're neglecting, or maybe just not good at, and you don't have anybody like yourself that can actually help out with those operational things. And that's falling apart. And that can really sink your business. So understanding how to juggle and know about all those things, and not necessarily always do them, but be able to find people that can help out in some form, shape, or fashion.

Brian Comstack 7:34

Yep, I couldn't agree more with you. And so that comes with a lot of different things, right? Like, sometimes it's, sometimes Hey, I noticed people intellectually know that, but there may be trust issues like, Man, I can't put my business in someone else's hands. So how do you deal with that, like, you got to start small it's like a linear progression. So it can be a trust issue, it can be intellectual, or they don't know it. Like they're just scrambling, and they've been told to hustle. And they're hustling and things still aren't working. So maybe it's not an intellectual thing. Maybe it's like, they actually don't even believe they need the help.

So I always try to look at it like, where people are trying to identify, what are the challenges? And what's really going to serve them? And how can we get across because I'm just adding that, because I've worked with enough people I just noticed, it's like, you can tell someone something, and they'll agree with you, and then they still won't do it? So you got to appeal. You got to peel back the layers. And is it anything? Is it fear based? Is it is it trust? Is it what so anyway, I'm a huge geek on psychology and in trying to figure out what you know, how people take in the behaviors and all that. So there's my little throw in there.

Gresham Harkless 8:44

We definitely appreciate that throwing, because as you mentioned, there are literally so many things that a lot of times, you become a doctor where you're trying to diagnose you understand what the problem is, a lot of times, but they do not understand what the underlying cause for that problem might be. So you kind of have to figure that out. And do you think that's what you would consider being your secret sauce and what kind of distinguishes you or your organization and sets you apart?

Brian Comstack 9:06

I think that's definitely one thing again, coming back to the book's information, that's a very one size fits all template. I think people know that. But when you get somebody to work with you on a more one on one level, and truly figure out like, I'll even tell them, Hey, this is what I recommend. And this is what I've done for other clients or this is what I think is best but you know what, in your case, based on what you told me, I think it's a distraction. I think we're gonna skip that.

So I think my secret sauce is I really try to work with a person where they are, at their speed, on their level. But at the same time never lose sight of what I believe they want or what they're telling me they want so it's how do you meet them where they are and then still get them to where they want to be as efficiently as possible. That's probably my secret sauce I will just see the efficiencies that other people

Gresham Harkless 9:58

Absolutely yeah. Like anything, a lot of times I know your health and fitness geek or people that are trying to implement diets or whatever that might be a lot of times, it's really hard to do it if you don't like doing what it is that you're doing. But if you're able to somehow incorporate that into what somebody else is already doing, then it makes it a little bit easier that they're going to do it and also sustain it for a long period. So definitely appreciate you doing that. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit. And I know you touched on some CEO hacks. But I want to see, did you have any other CEO hacks like apps, books, or habits that you have that make you more effective and efficient?

Brian Comstack 10:31

Actually, I would say even if you don't have a team because I'm using this built for a team and not having a team both to manage myself and then manage other people, and I'll explain that if you're not using a good project management solution, like the one that I'm a fan of, and I tell every single I don't get paid to sell you, Asana. But I'm a huge fan of Asana. It's a great project management tool. I love the guys that Jason freed, I love the Basecamp guys, and I have used their software.

And I've even read their books, like I'm a huge fan of what they do, I just prefer the Asana one. So what that does, essentially, if whoever's listening is not familiar with project management, is it essentially like a checklist. But it has all the due dates and organizations, it really just keeps you on track.

So for example I would task out and monitor what my team members are doing. So we don't want to live in this. And I've done this before. And this is what I'm trying to help people avoid, my mistake is I've run businesses with people where all we did was communicate through Skype and instant messenger. And you're basically on call all day, and without even realizing your stress levels are rising. And these phones are meant to be addicting. So no, you have to check your phone. And then I said something, but did it actually get done? So now I have to follow up. So it's just a wildly inefficient way to try to get anything done. And it's also not very fun in my opinion.

Gresham Harkless 11:56

So I appreciate you sharing those because those are both definitely key. I'm more in the base camp if that's for lack of a better term. But I did use Asana and as you said, it's just a different flavor type thing. But definitely, I find that when you are able to put all that in my head into one place that everybody on the team can see, it helps me to worry about other things. And just like you mentioned on finding the right people on Upwork, a lot of times when you can do that, you take stuff off your plate, so you're able to deal with maybe higher level things or things that are more in your zone of genius, so to speak. So, two great hacks. So I appreciate you for sharing that. And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice. Or if you can happen to be a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Brian Comstack 12:44

So I had that I'm gonna start off with a cliche thing, but it just hit me so hard. So my cousin has a brief story on this. My cousin has a really, really big, successful food delivery service. And he's a full-blown company owner-entrepreneur. And so I asked him years ago I asked him that question, you just asked me, like, Hey, I'm hungry. I'm looking to figure this out, what would you recommend for somebody who came in? He's like, Well, you should really know the accounting stuff and the numbers, but honestly, the biggest thing, or at least how to interpret the numbers, how to interpret net income and the business fundamentals and things like that, but he's like, honestly, the biggest thing is getting your mindset, right, because there's gonna be hiccups. It's never gonna go as planned.

And he's like, if I was focused on having the mindset prepared, then I'd be better off. And now when he told me that, I found it to be a very unsatisfying answer because I didn't feel like it was something I can implement and felt like it was something I can action. And arrogantly enough, I felt like my mindset was already pretty good.

Gresham Harkless 13:55

And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote unquote, CEOs on the show. So what does being a CEO mean to you?

Brian Comstack 14:04

CEO, to me, means being able to see a future that is not present and have ways to get there. In doing so that betters both yourself and the people that you care about, whether it's your customers, if it's the environment, or whatever, it's you are the captain of a vehicle that is bettering both yourself and the world. And that's why it's exciting to me. As a control freak, it's the best thing because it's your world. It's your utopia. You can create it the way you want. If you don't want to if you don't want to do monthly payments, you only want to prepay, you can do that if you don't want to do prepay because you want to be locked in with a client that you're not sure if you like you can do honestly, you literally can create the world that you want. And that's the beautiful thing.

Gresham Harkless 14:53

Absolutely. Yeah, you're definitely the artist and the canvas is your business and you can paint it any way that you want to. So I appreciate you for reminding us of that. And Brian, I appreciate your time I wanted to pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional we can let our readers and listeners know and then of course how best they can get a hold of you.

Brian Comstack 15:10

Yeah, so just keep it open-ended but a couple of different websites where you can find Operandi. Solutions, that's like modus Operandi. But all throughout my email as well my last name is Comstock first named Brian zero@gmail.com People can get in touch with me if they have any questions, but just listen to this if you have for the past 15 or 20 minutes, happy to answer any questions, systems mining operations, how do you get your first hire? How do you manage your third hire whatever it is? I'm pretty open if you just even want to talk shop about biohacking and fitness and CrossFit and Acro yoga can do that too. So whatever you guys, whatever would be helpful.

My personal standpoint is trying to shift from a selfish lens into the world and more of like, How can I be of service and that's something I've been focused on more so this year than any other so that's what I'm going to leave you guys with.

Gresham Harkless 16:12

Well. I definitely appreciate your time. Appreciate all the valuable content and information that you provide to us. Brian will have your information and links as well in the show notes and I hope you have a phenomenal day.

Outro 16:22

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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