IAM2795 – Founder and CEO Offer Solutions to the Growing Agriculture Industry

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Transcription:

Cullen Raichart 00:00
For me, I mean, because I'm learning all the time. And my role changed, right? I mean, you know, 2012, I was working out of my garage and building machines at a place called the Maker Place and struggling along and spending what I didn't have on things, you know, and now we're, you know, multinational multimillion dollar company with 50,000 square feet and, you know, millions of dollars of equipment. And, you know, it's like this is night and day, different thing, but it's always the same. Like, my job has changed so much. I always try to just look at that moment when I call it an instinct. When you have an, you know, you're faced with something and you make that instant decision when that's the decision I like to stick with. But sometimes, and a lot of times for me, that means I have to go learn something.

Gresham Harkless 01:13
Hello, hello, hello, this is Gretch from the I Am CEO podcast. And I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Cullen Reichert of Green Bros. Incorporated. Cullen, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Cullen Reichert 01:21
Oh, thank you, Gresh. It's a pleasure to be here.

Gresham Harkless 01:23
No problem. Super excited to have you on. And what I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about Cullen so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing and Cullen is the founder and CEO of Green Bros. Incorporated and has more than 12 years of experience as an entrepreneur and inventor. A veteran of the United States armed forces. Thank you for your service. Cullen is driven to create American made products that offer solutions to the growing agriculture industry. Prior to founding greenbros Inc. Cullen worked in the corporate world for a Fortune 500 company until realizing his passion for creating innovative products. His goal became the streamlining of the harvesting process and in turn, reducing growers to time and cost. Cullen is considered a distinguished inventor whose drive has earned him a reputation as a pioneer in automation and emerging agricultural markets. Cullen's vision for end to end harvesting technology has led to Greenbros Incorporated to become a world leader in automated harvesting solutions. Cullen, are you ready to speak to the I Am CEO community?

Cullen Reichert 02:15
Yeah, I am. That was a great intro.

Gresham Harkless 02:16
Thank you. Exactly. You're doing some awesome things. So I'm happy to hear a little bit more about it. But I want to start everything off and hear a little bit more about your, what I call your CEO story and what led you to get started the business.

Cullen Reichert 02:26
Well, I come from a family of business owners. My brothers all have their own businesses and my dad was a small business owner. And so I kind of had that ingrained, if you will, in me from a young age. So I've always wanted to do it. But the opportunities that I was presented in my life kind of led me down the corporate path, especially since my service in the military gave me my top secret clearances. And so it was easy transition to go into military contracting and stuff like that. But, you know, it was more the desire to, to be able to bring my ideas to light. And it seemed like a company was the best avenue for that. Plus, I mean, at the time of that we launched that I launched the company that was just, you know, it was perfect. So it made a lot of sense.

Gresham Harkless 03:09
Yeah, absolutely. And I know by, and maybe, maybe that's where you know, that entrepreneurial sense came from, where that it was kind of in your blood kind of sound that sounds like if you came from business owners. But I know when I was reading your bio and introducing you that you had a lot of those ideas and kind of that, that I guess that itch that needed to be scratched.

Cullen Reichert 03:25
It sounds like a little bit.

Gresham Harkless 03:26
Yeah.

Cullen Reichert 03:27
You know, it's interesting when you're, when you're sitting working for another company and you have, you know, you have innovative or ideas that you think are valuable and they, they're not necessarily, they may, they're not competitive with the company you work for. But I mean, how do you take time to bring something to life out when you're working, you know, 40, 60 hours a week, it's tough, you know, to really go out and, and find somebody to help you do that is difficult. So it, you know, made more sense to walk away from the one and, and kind of devote time and energy to, to the other.

Gresham Harkless 03:57
Yeah, you're, you're absolutely right. And you know, times that, that most precious resource that, you know, you can always, you always try to get more of, but there's only 24 hours in the world for everybody. So it's kind of hard to kind of, you know, burn both ends of this, of the, of the, of the kennel, so to speak, and then still

Cullen Reichert 04:11
be able to kind of, you know,

Gresham Harkless 04:13
be able to work on your ventures and your business and things that you want to work on. So I appreciate you for sharing that with us and also for, of course, venturing out. So I wanted to hear a little bit more about Green Bros. Can you take us through exactly what you're doing with it with the company?

Cullen Reichert 04:25
Yeah. So we started the company started in 2012 with the first machine that I invented, which is a dry sifting machine in the cannabis space. That machine was a little out of place in timing, but I do have a patent. I got this patent issued on it and it actually back in 2013, I think, and it actually has cannabis in the patent in the title, which I thought was. We always thought so great, you know, because at that time, you know, it was, it was California's medical community that was, you know, the, the above ground community. And we weren't sure that they were going to even, you know, look at products that were claiming to be for this industry, but they do. And they. And they did. So that's kind of how it started. Shortly after that, I saw that there was a huge need in other mechanical needs. Excuse me, huge open space actually in the mechanical area for the industry. And I invented a trimmer that kind of completely took the whole market by storm. And that product basically launched the company.

Gresham Harkless 05:26
Nice. I definitely appreciate that. And I feel like it sounds like you were definitely ahead of the curve. So this. Because that industry is blowing up and is growing and it seems like you were able to get that patent and be able to create products before that industry became what it is, I guess today and probably will be in the next 10 years or so.

Cullen Reichert 05:41
Yeah, it's interesting. I mean, like I said, timing is, is pretty key to everything in life. Right. And it just happened to be. I was too young to be involved in the real computer revolution, although I was in computer technology my whole, my whole adult life. But I mean, I grew up after Microsoft had exploded. Right. So I didn't catch the early boom there. And then of course the dot com thing, I missed that. And I'm like, I'm not, I'm not missing out on this one, man. There ain't no way. There's not a lot of these left I could sit through, you know.

Gresham Harkless 06:12
Exactly. Right. Well, it's funny and I'm glad you mentioned that because I think a lot of times, like, you know, when you start, you know, thinking in an entrepreneurial way too, there's always like opportunities that pop up. And I think sometimes we think if we miss one that there's another one coming. But of course, when you, if you do feel like there is one, you definitely want to hop in on it as quickly as possible.

Cullen Reichert 06:29
Yeah. And, you know, it's, it's interesting, I hear, because we right now that this industry has changed. Like the barrier to entry, which, you know, is the cost to get in to the game now has significantly increased. I did it based on, you know, emptying out my 401k and going full, full force at it. But, you know, you, you can't really do that right now because there are established brands and, and you've got a completely different group of people who are evaluating equipment now than you did, you know, even three years ago. Now when we talk to companies about their needs, we're talking to CFOs, CTOs and CEOs, and those, you know, we're not talking to the head growers anymore or, or, you know, guys on their farms as much. I mean, those people are still very valuable customers, but the conversation has switched, you know, to be a very different one. So when a company, you know, who's well funded, starts looking for equipment, they're looking for longevity, they're looking for, you know, quality equipment, they're looking for different reputation. So it's hard for a guy now, harder for a guy to get in or a gal to get in, you know, at ground level. It's just how it is. You know how it is.

Gresham Harkless 07:35
Yeah, it makes perfect sense. Kind of sounds like the industry itself has matured from where it was before. And it sounds like, you know, you definitely see that in different industries, but definitely seems like that. I guess that barrier to entry, as you kind of spoke to, has moved back a little bit further than what it was in the beginning you guys started.

Cullen Reichert 07:49
Yeah, it certainly has.

Gresham Harkless 07:50
Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I wanted to ask you, and you might have already touched on this, but I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And it could be for yourself personally or it could be for your business, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Cullen Reichert 08:01
Uh, you know, I, I, I, I look at this all the time and I think about what that is, and I just remember, you know, I remember making a decision, you know, and I just remember, like this, I, I thought about it and, and spent a lot of time in, you know, going through it, and I had made this decision. I'm like, this is it. I'm gonna do this. And I, I chose to walk away from something that was very successful, very lucrative, and, and, and had a, you know, I had a great, a great career running, but it was a decision, and once I made it, it was obviously from the beginning, the right thing. But every obstacle you can imagine shows up, you know, up front, whether it's your, your, your significant other or your kids or the community or, you know, or whatever is around you. And, you know, when you're, when you're, it's so interesting when you're starting everybody, you know, you're not changing anything drastic, right? Everybody's like, oh, yeah, man, don't. You should do it. You should follow your dreams, blah, blah. And then you jump out and you start following your dreams. And people are like, you're crazy. That. What are you thinking you shouldn't be doing. So you get this. It's like, these are the same people who were just telling me 20 minutes ago I should be following my dreams. But, but, you know, for me, it just, it was just that moment. And I don't know that that makes me, makes me special, probably makes me, you know, kind of. I think my wife would tell you I'm a stubborn guy. But, you know, that's what it was. It was just like, no, I'm going to do this. And I, and now every time I ran into that obstacle, it seemed insurmountable. I just said that's, I'm just going to do this. I'm just going to do this. This is what I'm doing, not listening to myself. I'm not listening to anybody else. I'm going to go down this road and, and I, and then, you know, as the opportunities come, that's part of it. I think that people don't, you know, maybe don't see from the outside is, you know, you, you. I'm not rigid in certain things. I'm rigid in what I'm, you know, I'm going down this road, but I'm always looking at the, at the opportunities because, you know, there's nothing guaranteed. And most companies, successful companies aren't even making the product that they started with after 20 years. You know what I mean? That, like, they've moved on to something else. And if you're not prepared to, to grow and change with the, with the industry, especially in this industry, I think you're in real, real trouble. So I'm rigid in certain respects, but I'm also very flexible. I see that. I look at life like this hallway, you know, and the doors are open in front of you, and you have to decide which one you're going to go down, but you're going to miss some doors that are in front of you. When you go down a different pathway, but everything behind you is done, don't even, don't even start thinking about those because those are gone, man. You just got to keep going forward. Other ones will come and other ideas and possibilities. But, you know, don't, don't worry about, for me, it's, don't worry about the decisions I've made in the past. It's about making the right decisions in the future.

Gresham Harkless 10:38
I appreciate that perspective. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app, a book, or a habit that you have. What's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Cullen Reichert 10:49
For me, I mean, because I'm learning all the time and my role changed, right? I mean, you know, 2012, I was working out of my garage and building machines at a place called the, the maker place and, you know, struggling along and spending what I didn't have on, on things, you know, and now we're, you know, multinational multi million dollar company with 50,000 square feet and, you know, millions of dollars of equipment. And, you know, it's like this is night and day, different thing, but it's always the same. Like, my job has changed so much. You know, I always try to just look at that moment when I call it an instinct when, when you, when you have an, you know, you're faced with something and you go and you make that instant decision when that's the decision I like to stick with. You know, I like to have that moment and, and make it and stick with that kind of decision. But sometimes, and a lot of times for me, that means I have to go learn something.

Gresham Harkless 11:43
Yeah, that makes perfect sense. I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Cullen Reichert 11:54
Don't hire your friends. I mean, you know, I mean, unless you really, I mean, you'll find out if they're your friends. That's what, that's what will happen is, you know, if you do hire people that, that you have a friendship with, you're. You're going to find out what, what they're really made out of and whether they're not, you know, whether or not they're, they're your friends.

Gresham Harkless 12:13
But so 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, Cullen, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Cullen Reichert 12:22
Well, for me, I, I, I think that there's a big difference between management and leadership. I think that people have varying degrees. I look at those as two kind of pillars of, of my personality. And I'm a much more effective in, in leadership, imparting vision and direction, passion than I am in, in, in managing detail and, and keeping track of minutia. There are other people who are the other way, but you need to have, you need to have both. And, and I think for me, you know, it's the captain of the ship. He's not steering the ship, you know, but he knows where he wants the ship to go and he knows how the best way to get that ship to get there is. He may not have all the details about what ropes need to be pulled and what buttons need to be pushed. But, you know, that's where your management side is, right? Your management side is the ones who, who understand how to execute and keep the ship moving. So I look at CEO as, as, you know, more of the, more from the vision and leadership perspective because that's, that's my skill set more so than the management perspective. You gotta have the management. But if you, if you, you know, if you're at the top heavy with, with a, with a manager, you get micromanagement and, and overattentiveness to certain, you know, or potentially destructive details. And so there's all this, you know, there's all this balance. You have to have both. But I think for me, that's the difference. Or that's what CEO should be.

Gresham Harkless 13:50
Exactly. Exactly.

Cullen Reichert 13:52
Well, awesome.

Gresham Harkless 13:52
Well, Cullen, thank you so much for your time. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and then of course, how best they

Cullen Reichert 14:01
can get a hold of you and

Gresham Harkless 14:01
find out all the awesome things you guys are working on.

Cullen Reichert 14:03
Well, thank you first of all for the opportunity. It's always nice to have conversations like this because it reminds me of, you know, all the things that I've been through and it's only a short time and we've only, I've only been in business since, you know, 2012, and, and that short window feels like a lifetime ago, you know, and I think that that's what I would say is like, you know, there's, it's like, it's like a child, you know, you're, the early days are difficult and they. And they. You're full of work, you know, and, and, you know, then. Then it grows a little bit and it. And you're not having to do is all the little details anymore, and then it grows a little bit more and you, all of a sudden you have something that's become, you know, a young adult and you're having completely different communication and under, you know, I should say, completely different interaction with it. Um, so I think it's. I think it's great. But I look back at the early days like I do of my, you

Gresham Harkless 14:59
know, the growth of my children.

Cullen Reichert 15:00
I go, oh, remember when? Oh, so great. I love that time. Oh, well, you know, but it's gone. You know where it's gone and it's never going to be the same. And my. My oldest son has just graduated from college and he works for me, you know, so there's this whole different relationship with him. But this is also a company now of 50 and it's a whole different relationship inside of this too. So it's a very similar experience to me, you know, for finding us. We're on the web@greenbros.com and all of our social links are there. I don't, you know, I don't know all those, man. I could barely keep up with the work I have to do, let alone the social media stuff. But we are on Facebook. I know. And we're on, you know, Twitter and Instagram and all that kind of stuff. And you can always reach out directly on those platforms. We have our 1, 800 numbers on the web also. We're easy to get a hold of anything that one you want to address. Anybody would want to ask me personally, if you just send an email to info at Greenbros and just reference Cullen or CEO or the podcast or whatever, I'm happy to answer. I do take time out to talk to people. I think it's really important. And yeah, I think that's about it.

Gresham Harkless 16:03
Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, thank you so much again, Colin. What we'll do is we'll have those links in that information in the show notes. But appreciate your time. Appreciate all the wisdom that you kind of imparted upon us. Everything from if you're going down that. That I, so to speak, don't pay attention to those doors that are closed because they're behind you. So that's something great to kind of remember. But again, I appreciate you and I hope you have a great rest of the day.